Ten
Gem looked at their quarters on board the Bounty. It was a small room with only one rack. She promptly put her bag down and began unpacking the medicine for Jesse – the antibiotics had to be continued for another seven standard days to finish the course.
She began to lay out the equipment to attach to the line in his arm and fumbled.
"Fek!" The powder in the bottle toppled over as she tried to add the distilled water. Jesse moved forward fast and grabbed the bottle. He nodded and moved her aside as he filled the bottle up and began to agitate the mixture, waiting for the cloudy liquid to become clear.
He then sat heavily on the bed and handed her the bottle. Gem filled the syringe and injected it into the line, all the time watching his arm.
"I'm sorry," she said as she looked at him.
Jesse grabbed the data pad with the other as she continued to administer the antibiotics. Tapping away quickly he turned it to her.
You're angry?
"No, just tired."
No lies. Truth.
He had seen right through her and at that moment she let it go just slightly.
"Because of me, you're in this position."
No. my choice. My doing.
Gem smiled and placed her hand up to his cheek, "the trip here has tired you. You take first rest while I find the galley and some food."
Be careful.
"I will. You have your blaster?"
Jesse lifted up his tunic to show the end of his DC-17; the one from Commander Fox's kit.
"I won't be long."
Jesse watched as she left the room and settled back down into the cot. She had changed since leaving the doctor's surgery. Gemma had adopted an air of authority and he felt a pang of disappointment that it was her taking charge instead of him. A barrier had gone up. Jesse sighed and unravelled the scarf. As soon as he had a rest, he would put things right.
.
"Do you think that could be it?"
"I dunno, it's just weird, that's all I'm saying. No one has said anything about what happened, unless they're too frightened to talk about it? I can't figure it out, the vaccine is the only thing I can think of that could be the reason they're acting so differently. We didn't have it." Coric looked confused, "there's something up with Chopper."
"Can you trust him?"
"I think so. What you need to do is find out about Sats."
"Yeah, I figured that."
Coric looked at the younger medic and sat down next to him. "You ok with all this?"
"Ok? Fek, no," he nervously laughed. "Didge's fingers are going to break off, I haven't seen him this anxious since the third trials on Kamino."
Coric laughed as well, "they were always the worst."
"You're telling me? We nearly lost him on that one. The di'kut almost severed his hand on the wire when he got caught dropping down a line." There was a seconds silence as they both mentally stepped back on their home planet, remembering a time when things weren't so complicated.
"I miss Kix and Jesse." It came from nowhere and Coric surprised even himself.
"I'm sorry about what happened to them. I learned a lot from Kix."
"What, and not me?"
"You know what I mean?"
Coric certainly did.
Even though he was the higher ranked medic, Kix had an innate way with the wounded. Nothing was too much trouble, every man was equal no matter his rank.
"You know, he's the only medic that ever stood up to the captain?"
"Is that right?"
"Yep," Coric smiled as he remembered that particular encounter in the larty, "he gave Rex a right serve over relocating his shoulder against a bulkhead."
"The captain did that on his own?"
"No, Hardcase slammed him up into it on his order. Kix wouldn't let it go and harked on about it the entire trip back." Coric looked over at Whisk and suddenly his eyes filled.
"Fek, they were good men."
"Good brothers."
"The best. Come on, I need some caf."
"What are we gonna do lieutenant?"
"I really don't know," he said as he slapped his colleagues shoulder, "but we'll figure it out, as long as we stick together right?"
It wasn't what the younger soldier wanted to hear, but Coric was one of the captain's original squad, "copy that."
.
"You should have seen him. Sitting of that fekking dragon mount when the order was given. We were on full automatic. Pumping rounds at both him and the varactyl until he just disappeared." Sats stopped to take a loud swig of his caf. "Vode, was the Commander pissed or what? He just given him back the glow stick, can you believe it? We would've had him otherwise." Didge sat in astonishment as Sats continued. "Commanders up for a gong though, Grievous was worth it if nothing else. Fek, would have loved to be in on the convo in the head shed after that one. Then they just threw smoke and brought us back here to TZ."
Didge swallowed hard and looked over at Whisk. Sats had come back in the second wave of 212th from Upatau. The sniper had been relieved beyond compare to see his vattie arrive back in the barracks with his dented armour and lost tooth.
"Hear you guys were in the Temple, lucky bastards."
"Yeah, real lucky," Chopper cut in. He hadn't said much, not that he ever did.
Coric had kept a keen eye on him. He was unusually sullen and the medic knew there was something different about him compared to others under Cody's command.
Whisk could see it too. Didge may have been happy to have Sats back, but like the others they followed down the halls of the Jedi Temple that night, Sats showed no remorse towards the men they had fought alongside over the past three years.
Sats dropped his tone and grinned, "have you heard the gos? Apparently Ion's gone rogue. Climber and his men are off the grid. But not for long hey?" He shoved Didge's arm intentionally.
"What do you mean?" Didge took the bait.
"Well, isn't that what you guys are being reassigned for? Vader's First? Out to find any a-wol clones and left over Jedi?"
It was the first time any one had verbalised it.
The 501st were on cool down until their new orders were given. Rumours were rife, that they would become the elite squad under Darth Vader employed to sweep up any mess that had managed to escape that fateful night. There was no denying the tension sitting at that table, but only Chopper, Coric, Didge and Whisk were feeling it. Didge was the one most upset, he hands raw from constantly working them together. He wouldn't have it that Sat's had changed but Whisk was more phlegmatic, resigned to the fact that things had, including Sats along with most of the 501st they served alongside.
Chopper placed his plastimug down and quietly got up from the table. Coric waited a minute and excused himself, determined to get some answers.
He kept a respectable distance behind Chop, and made his move as he rounded a quieter corridor, pulling him inside a doorway.
"What the fek!" Chopper was angry at the intrusion; the scarred clone knew Coric was there to ask questions, just ones he wasn't prepared to answer.
"Chopper, I am only-going-to-ask-you-this-once." Coric spoke slowly so that he wouldn't have to repeat it, "are you in agreement with what went down that night?"
"No."
Coric physically slumped in relief. He knew there was something different about Chopper and his thoughts had been justified.
They stood there in the shadows eyeing one another off, both still apprehensive about telling each other what they did, or didn't know about the night the Empire was formed.
"Look Chop. You can talk to me, you can trust me."
"How do I know that huh? How do any of us know who we can or can't trust. You're part of Vader's fekking First for feks sake!"
"Chopper, I stood there and watched as Rex, Jesse and Kix were slain and did nothing! I can barely look at myself in the mirror each morning, fek!"
Chopper relaxed at the medics admission, he could then see the torment on Coric's face, knowing at that moment, the 212th got off lightly on Upatau.
"Look one more question, it's just a theory Whisk and I have so humour me will ya?"
Chop nodded.
"Did you get the vaccine?"
"What vaccine?"
"You know, after Tup went off his head and killed the Padawan? Some sort of weird virus they wanted to treat us for?"
"Ah yeah," Chopper nodded his head in realisation, "yeah, I remember now."
Coric was immediately disappointed. He and Whisk had postulated that it might have been something to do with the vaccine that meant the men hadn't questioned the validity of the Order once it was given.
The only ones communicating were the men Coric knew didn't have the vaccine. It had been eerily silent down the line as the carnage continued, Coric had been on closed circuit to Whisk and Didge, talking them through the horror as it unfolded.
"Nah, nah. I didn't get it. I was in the tank after my spleen was removed. The med techs said my immune system was too fragile or something. They said I would have to wait, but then we were shipped out."
"Did Sats have it?" It was a desperate question.
"You'd have to ask him ner vod. Why all the questions anyway?"
"I dunno Chop, but things just don't add up. I think that - "
"Lieutenant!"
Coric froze and turned slowly to face Appo.
"Commander?"
"I hate to break up this little love fest, but you're required in the med bay a-sap. Following that, drills at 1500. Make sure you're there." He looked the seasoned 212th, "trooper, you have somewhere else you need to be?"
"Sir, yes sir," Chopper replied moving past Coric and continuing back to the barracks.
Appo then turned back to his units medic, "I don't know what you're up to, but get this straight Coric, I'm watching you, you got that?"
"Copy that Commander." Coric stood straight, there was no love lost between the two.
"On the double lieutenant!"
Fek, he hated Appo.
.
