#stormpooper

Part IV

Part I Part II Part III

Preamble: In which Choy rides a rancor, Copi defeats a Stormpooper, and Archer narrowly avoids getting sick in her buy’ce (while jetsnacking her GGN beau). 

Here we go again with this unlikely tale! This part, like Part III, has a couple non-linear sections where the same events are described from both Choy’s and Archer's perspective. We’ve titled these with their respective names to make it a bit more clear. 

The authors assume the reader is at least surficially familiar with the events of TBB episode 2.12 “The Outpost”.  This tale begins immediately following the events of Echaaj’la Part III.

Word Count: 6600ish

Warnings: A couple of character deaths happen in this one (one canon, one not). No gore described or anything like that. Some vague descriptions of injuries, and treatments of said injuries, very slightly possessive/protective behaviour, theft of undergarments from an unconscious victim 🤨😅.  

Mando’a - English

Beskar kar’ta - beskar (“iron”) heart.  The small central plate located in Mandalorian torso armour.  Symbolizes the tenacity and soul of the Mandalorian people.

Buy’ce - helmet 

Copi - shortened form of Copikla. Cute/charming.  Archer’s pet rancor.

Jate - good

Ad’ika - (affectionate) little one

Osik’la - 💩

Tegaanalir -  rescue

Utreekov - Literally “Empty Head”, fool, idiot.

The Outpost, Barton IV

Choy

A peal of laughter woke Choy up from her restful sleep aboard Archer’s ship, Haar Trak, hidden in the hills east of The Outpost. Hexx and Veetch had woken earlier, and Fi was now busy telling them a clearly embellished battle story in the cockpit. Parja rolled her eyes while Veetch and Hexx were cracking up. “No way that happened!” Hexx said chuckling. “The range on remote dets is much shorter than that, and nobody could make that shot with a dislocated shoulder.”

Choy rolled over to look and stretched against her sleepiness. Veetch noticed her movement out of the corner of his eye and popped up to go to her.

“You're awake, how are you feeling?”

“Mmmm,” Choy grabbed Veetch and pulled him down on the bunk next to her, “ten more minutes,” she said, snuggling against him.

“No, Fi said we have to go down into the troop bay and learn how to deploy the distraction plan for the next part of the mission.”

“Oh yeah,” Choy smiled and sat up, “she’s going to love you two!” 

“She?” Veetch asked as he helped her to her feet.  They rejoined the others and Choy sidled up to Hexx, sliding her arm around him, “Hi everyone, where’s Archer?”

“Keb went out for some air, I think we’re all a bit much for her in a small space like this,” Parja said, squeezing Fi’s knee and looking pointedly at Choy and the boys.

“Oh,” Choy said, reflecting on how much emotion she was feeling off of everyone, “understandable - and I guess it doesn’t help that Mayday is still in danger. I think we both know that feeling.”

“Indeed,” Parja said looking at Fi.

“Your color is much better, how are you feeling?” Fi asked Choy, eager to change the subject. 

“So much better, thank you,” Choy assured him. 

“Does the force drain you of energy?” Fi asked, rummaging in his pack, “I’ve seen other Jedi do things and they never seem as drained as you do afterwards,” he handed Choy a small ration bar. 

“Thank you,” Choy said, opening the bar’s packaging. “I’m not a Jedi, and the force is new to me, I’m just not using it correctly, not letting it flow. It’s like I absorb and emit it, which is inefficient and exhausting,” Choy waved the bar to emphasize her point, “But I’m getting better!”

“That’s the spirit,” Fi cheered and handed her a container of water.

“Hexx, Veetch, follow me down to the troop bay for introductions,” Parja said, checking her chrono. “It’s nearly time to put our plan into action.”

“I’ve gotta see this,” Choy said quietly to Fi and got up to follow. 

The modified troop bay was a cavernous space below the main deck of the ship.  It was lit up at the end with the ladder where the small group descended. Parja hopped down from the final few rungs of the ladder, followed by Hexx and Veetch who stood on either side of the ladder as Choy made her way down. A reverberating sound that suggested snoring resounded around the hull in the darkness. 

“Copi? Copi, I brought friends. Clone friends!” Parja called out. 

A shuffling, snuffling, looming shape rose from a large pile of straw in the dim light at the back corner of the bay. Hexx and Veetch braced their bodies in front of Choy as the rancor, Copi, stepped forward one huge clawed paw at a time, followed by her enormous toothy face. Her metal nostril ring with a mythosaur pendant glinted in the light from the ladder. Copi blinked her curious eyes and surveyed the humans who’d woken her up.

“It’s ok guys, I’ve already met her and she’s very sweet,” Choy said to the boys from behind their shoulders, “This is Archer’s friend, Copi.”

The guys relaxed, “Wait, I remember her,” Veetch said. 

“Yeah she was at 79’s with all of us,” Hexx realized at the same time.

Copi made an excited noise and Choy watched as she gently circled her huge claws around their bodies and lifted them off the floor. 

“Woah!” “Hey now, easy!” “Ahhh!” 

Parja laughed as she watched Copi bring the men up to her face for big sniffs and then squash them in a double hug. 

“You guys are doing great! I’ll leave you to get acquainted,” Parja smirked as she headed back up to the upper deck.

Gee thanks,” Hexx said as Copi ruffled their hair and gently trilled softer rancor sounds. 

“Aww she really likes you guys,” Choy said with a giggle.

“I’m sure glad she does,” Veetch said nervously from where he was squashed near Copi’s fangs. 

Hexx slowly placed his free hand on Copi’s cheek. She seemed to smile and lean into it, making a deep rumbling sound. “There’s a good girl, Copi,” Hexx said.

The sound of the ship’s ramp opening above them reverberated through the space. Choy looked up at Copi and the boys. “Think you’ll be able to walk her down the hill and set her loose in the base?“

Hexx gave Copi’s cheek another confident scratch.  “Yeah, I think we’ve bonded,” he said confidently.  “Should be no problem.”  

Veetch didn’t look as convinced.  It sounded like Archer had returned though, so Choy caught Copi’s attention. “Time for us to go back up, sweetie. We’ll be back soon and you get outside playtime, ok?”

Copi emitted a disappointed warble and snuffled the boys one last time before setting them down on either side of Choy and smooshing the three of them together. 

“Yes, Copi, I will cuddle them,” Choy reassured her and put her arms around the boys. Copi rumbled and seemed content enough for the three to make their way up to the crew.

***

Archer

Archer studied the Imperial base through the ship's viewport. It was alive with activity, like a disturbed nest of Kubindi ants.  Nearly a couple dozen TK troopers were scurrying all over the outpost, loading crates onto three shuttles which had arrived moments before.  The work was being overseen by a small man who was gesturing animatedly at each trooper who approached him.  This must be the utreekov Lieutenant Nolan Choy mentioned, she thought. 

Archer turned to Parja who was seated in the pilot's chair.  “They should be here soon. Are we ready?”

“Fi is preparing the med supplies. Choy is below with Hexx and Veetch.  They’re getting acquainted with how to deploy our distraction.”  She grinned.  “It does seem like this won’t be the most subtle plan we’ve ever used, but I like it.”

Archer shrugged with a small grin of her own.  “It should be effective, at least.  And nobody should get more than their ego hurt.  Mostly.”

”Are you ready though, Keb?  You’ve been pacing the deck since we left, and have you even slept since we left Kyrimorut? This Mayday must have made a strong impression for you to be this unsettled, even before a mission.”

Archer sighed.  The strain of anticipation and sleeplessness was definitely starting to make itself known.  They were almost there though.  They could pull this mission off, save a couple of lives, and get back to their perfect little slice of the galaxy.  Maybe even Choy could find some peace there for a time.

Shaking her head she responded, “Yeah, I suppose he did.  I resisted, but there was just something about him.”

Parja eyed her with a satisfied look.  “What?” Archer asked.

”I’d guess he’s as stubborn and persistent as you are,” she looked at Archer pointedly.  “Choy told me about how he chased you half the night, and how he sent those two newbies of hers on a “quest”.  How did I miss all this, anyway?  And why did we go to a Corusant clone bar of all places?  Did you see the mikkian Mando’ad who was stalking that ARC holographer?”  She sighed.  You know what, never mind.  That was a weird night, maybe best forgotten,” she rambled a bit.

Choy appeared then, returning from the troop bay with Veetch and Hexx in tow. Veetch looked a little ruffled, his hair was slightly askew and he was breathing a little heavier than normal. Hexx looked a little wide-eyed, but was otherwise composed.

”Ah, I see your introduction to our distraction plan went well,” Archer smirked at the trio. “Everything good?  You’re onboard with the plan?”

“Where.. how.. just… Yeah.  Yeah, we’re good,” said Veetch.  

Choy smiled at him fondly, then began going over their plan one last time as Fi stepped up to join the group.  She was going to remain on the ship, having been urged by Hexx and Veetch to do so, and monitor the activity of the troops within the base and provide a disguise for Copi.  Hexx and Veetch were in charge of releasing Copi into the northern part of the base, to distract and draw all of the troops there.  Archer would wait in the sky above the southern part of the base to scoop up Mayday once Nolan was dealt with, and Crosshair had been dragged off and loaded into one of the awaiting shuttles. Parja and Fi would be ready to provide emergency care and operate the ship, just in case they needed to move quickly to one of the alternate rendezvous points.

“We’ve got this, Tegaanalir Squad!” Fi enthused to a chorus of agreements and nods.

Veetch nudged Hexx with his elbow.  “We’ve got a new squad now!”, he whispered loudly.

Hexx rolled his eyes at him.  Choy looked both over with a satisfied expression, happy they seemed to be dealing with their sudden change of situation well.

”Ok!” she said, “Let’s get going, it’s time to complete this rescue mission.”

Archer felt the unsettled feeling in her stomach quiet a bit, it was finally time to act.  The waiting was the hard part.  Focusing on action was easy.

***

The sounds of her ship idling as she stood at the top of its ramp quieted Archer’s thoughts further.  The sky was clear and bright, visibility would be excellent.  An icy blast of wind gusted through the pass where they were hidden atop the rocky ridge on the east side of the Imperial base, and she settled her helmet over her head blocking out the cold.  

Jetting off from the top of the ramp, Archer flew high into the sky before angling herself to hover high over the location Choy had pointed out at the southern end of the base.  As she settled in to wait for her moment to act, the dark-winged bird she had noticed in the area the night before wheeled below her, screeching.  Seeing it in better light, she realized this species must have been the inspiration for Mayday’s tattoo.  He’d told her he admired the avian for its ability to survive through adversity. It was untamed, tough, and fiercely beautiful. 

Noting more movement below the bird, she focused on two human silhouettes who were just crossing through the sensor array on the southern border of the base below.  Crosshair and Mayday were staggering slowly towards the troops loading shuttles near the centre of the base.

Extending her awareness down to them, she could feel the anger and despair they felt about their situation.  Both men were in bad shape physically and emotionally and seemed to have focused most of their anger toward Lieutenant Nolan, who was now striding confidently towards them.

As she watched, descending a little so she could better see what was going on  Mayday dropped the rifle he’d been using as a crutch, and collapsed on the ground.  Crosshair sank down with him and removed Mayday’s helmet, tossing it aside.  Archer realized then that both men sensed that Mayday didn’t have much time left.  The despair both felt was staggering.

She focused her attention on Mayday, and locked her targeting system onto his biosignature.  His infrared image was so weak that it was barely visible.  He’d slipped into the final stage of hypothermia, and likely had other injuries as well.  Stifling a pang of guilt that they’d be leaving Crosshair behind this time, she shifted her gaze to him, as he and the Lieutenant were conversing.  She noted that his infrared signature was colder than what it should be, but not nearly as low as Mayday’s.  He was in better health, thankfully.

Crosshair seemed to be begging the Lieutenant for something, as Mayday’s gently gasping form suddenly grew very still.  Archer knew from Choy that the heartless Lieutenant had just denied medical assistance to Mayday and was making it clear that he thought both of the men before him were merely expendable military assets.

Shivering against the cold rage that was creeping through her veins, one that was mirrored in Crosshair below, she clenched her fists and fought to remain an impassive spectator for the moment.  Every corner of her being shouted at her to introduce the di’kutla Imperial officer to the business end her Verpine shatter rifle, but after a brief struggle rationality won over impulse, though the cold anger remained. This situation would resolve itself, and Mayday needed her to get him out of there.

She opened her comlink and spoke quickly, <<Parja, it’s distraction time.>>

<<She’s on her way.>>

Below, Crosshair appeared to check Mayday one last time before lifting his face to the sky, a stricken look on his face.  Whatever he saw there seemed to steel his resolve, because he refocused his gaze in the direction of the retreating Lieutenant.  He raised his pistol, called out to the man, and shot him squarely in the heart as he turned. 

Archer regretted the small pulse of satisfaction she felt, just a little.

 With a final glance at Mayday, Crosshair collapsed beside him, and in moments was dragged off by a small group of TK troopers who’d been summoned by the sound of his blaster shot.  

As the troopers loaded Crosshair onto one of the nearby shuttles, a loud, familiar roar ripped through the air from the back area of the base, instantly grabbing the attention of every trooper in the area.  Cargo crates were dropped and left abandoned as the entire Imperial force on Barton IV rushed to defend the back area of the base.

“Good luck,” she snarked after them.  The distraction was working exactly as planned, and the entire front half of the base became completely unmanned.  The sight of several TK troopers being tossed high into the air met her briefly wicked gaze as she looked towards the activity.  Copi liked a lot of things.  TK troopers weren't one of those things. She didn’t usually hurt them too much though.  Usually.  Good girl, she thought.

Archer dropped to the ground.  Nobody would see her.  Not with the massive distraction happening at the opposite end of the base.  The troopers sailing through the air would be enough to hold anyone’s attention.  She kneeled next to Mayday, who was lying still on his side, and quietly called, “Al’verde?”  He gave no response, so she quickly scanned him with a small medpac scanner. 

A sigh of relief left her in a huff.  He was alive.  Barely. His body temperature was critically low and his pulse was nearly impossible to detect, but he was alive.  It was no wonder Crosshair had mistaken him for being dead. 

She reached to roll him over gently, in order to maglock his backplate to her torso armour when a glint of light on a familiar metallic shape caught her eye.  Distracted, she reached for the slightly worn, but still shiny copper piece of beskar partially tucked into Mayday’s collar.

Her heart squeezed as she held the precious beskar kar’ta in her palm.  He’d kept it.  Despite probably having no idea where it had come from, what it was, or how he’d gotten it.  And he was still wearing it.  Tentatively, she rested her palm on his cheek, as an unfamiliar emotion brought heat into her face and momentarily stole what remained of her focus.

In that moment of distraction, she failed to notice the lone TK trooper, returning to duty from a ‘fresher-break.  As he was sprinting to join his squad (feeling much better now, thanks for asking), he’d spotted her and the two prone figures lying on the frozen ground, and leveled his blaster rifle in their direction.

The first shot tore through her left side, just to the side of her ab-plate, causing a painful burn and immediately bringing her attention to the surprisingly crack-shot trooper as she began to painfully stand.  It was the second, undeniably well-placed, shot that sent her reeling.  Her vision blacked out as the blaster bolt deflected off the forehead of her buy’ce with a loud metallic ping, sending her toppling over backwards to crack the back of her head hard on the frozen ground.

Visions of swirling pink mist and indistinct human-looking shapes flitted through her mind's-eye and a deafening, high-pitched ringing made her head feel like it was exploding.  As she lay, struggling to piece her consciousness back together, she didn’t hear the very angry roar from nearby, or the blood-curdling shriek of the unfortunate trooper who’d shot her as he flew through the air and landed on the ground with a sickening, wet thump.  She did, however, feel the massive paws gently gathering her and Mayday together and lifting them both into the air, as though they weighed nothing.

After a moment, she managed to blink her eyes open, vision blurry and head spinning, to make out the looming bulk of a toothy face with anxious blue-green eyes.  She reached out unsteadily and stroked the wrinkled cheek.  “Good girl, Copi,” she assured the anxious creature.

The young adult rancor, who Archer had raised after her mother had been slain on the sands of Tattooine, had single-handedly distracted almost the entire base by mowing through every trooper foolish enough to try to take her on.  Her blaster-resistant hide and propensity to enjoy throwing stormtroopers around truly made her an excellent ally when messing with the Empire.  Copi was, like all rancors, very protective of her family, and had come rampaging over when she sensed her human friend was in danger. 

Copi squeezed the two injured humans together in her paws and slowly shuffled along on her two short legs, carrying them towards the hills south of the base.  Mayday remained unmoving, and Archer was struggling to regain command of her faculties.  Her head felt like it was going burst and the blaster wound on her side was blazing like the fiery rivers of Mustafar.  She felt disoriented and vaguely recognized that she probably had banged her head a little harder than is desirable.  She leaned her helmet against Mayday’s still form.  She just needed a minute to rest.

An external sense of urgency was rising against the desire to close her eyes and sleep, though.  Copi made an anxious noise and Archer felt the sensation of another awareness reaching out to them.  With effort, she rallied her senses.  Mayday and Copi were depending on her to get them away from the base safely before they were discovered by the TK troopers, who were now surely beginning to recover from their ordeal. 

She decided she had to get herself and Mayday into the air so that Copi could run properly on all fours towards the closest rendezvous location, located behind a small hill just south of the base.  Copi had already carried them part of the way in that direction. Archer opened her ship’s comm channel and spoke haltingly.

<<Change of…plan.  RV at the south location.>>

 Parja’s voice sounded into her helmet. <<There you are!  Are you ok? I’ve been trying to hail you!>>

<<M’fine. Time to go,>> Archer spoke with obvious discomfort.

<<We’re on our way.>>

”Copi,” Archer called to the giant creature with as much cheeriness as she could muster, “Jate, ad’ika.  Set us down, ok?”

Copi rumbled in response, the sound almost a purr, and set Archer on her feet where she wobbled unsteadily and felt like she was going to be sick.  Urgh, not in the buy’ce, she thought.  Copi lowered Mayday gently down towards Archer, and she looped her arms around him before maglocking his backplate to her chest plate. 

”Come, Copi!  Follow us!  Find the ship!” she called to the rancor, who was now standing protectively over them.  Gritting her teeth against the sensation of lightheadedness and nausea that threatened to overwhelm her again, Archer lifted off the ground, arms wrapped tight around a still-unconscious Mayday.  She flew high before levelling off and heading towards the hills in the south, looking down to confirm that Copi was loping along the ground below them.

She knew that to the east, Haar Trak was rising from the hills and heading, out of sight, towards the pick-up location.  Another wave of confusion was starting to crest, however, and she began to veer away from her intended flight path. She felt herself losing the battle against the darkness encroaching in her consciousness, and blackness was creeping in at the edges of her vision.

She tightened her arms around Mayday, his presence the only grounding thing she could hold on to. Why wasn’t he squeezing her back? She thought she could hear someone speaking to her, encouraging her, but the ringing in her ears was too loud to be sure. Where was she going again?

A large dark shape dropped down, suddenly, in front of her, seeming to materialize from nowhere.  Her ship.  The dark shape of the open cabin door in front of her seemed to beckon them to enter.  With her last ounce of focus she aimed herself at the inviting space and initiated a quick burst of her thrusters.  She and Mayday were propelled forward and into the ship, where they slid on their sides across the floor, accompanied by the screeching sound of metal-on-metal. They ground to a stop in the middle of the crew cabin, and lay there unmoving.

***

Choy

Choy held her hands out towards the view from the ship's viewport, focusing the force to cloak Hexx, Veetch and Copi as the clones coaxed the rancor down the slope towards the north end of base. Her awareness was spread out through the whole area, touching the troops and the unfolding drama with Crosshair, Mayday and Nolan at the south end.  High, high above, Archer’s presence mingled with the ever present large avian creature’s, the two feeling eerily similar. 

Suddenly Choy felt two spikes of cold rage and the flash dissolve of a life.  Nolan. Hexx pointed toward a group of troops shifting crates at the back of the base and said something to Copi. She did a playful shuffle and loped the rest of the way down the slope toward the men. Hexx and Veetch turned and scrambled back up the hill toward the ship as Choy focused her mind on Copi, willing a facade of a huge ice worm around her. 

The terror and desperation of the TK troopers was strong as Copi bowled through them, blaster shots ricocheting off her sturdy hide. Choy steadied her focus as she felt several of them grow faint in the force. Copi didn’t play gently, apparently.

After several moments of intense focus, a strong feeling of shock and pain distracted Choy from disguising Copi. She looked towards the front of the base and saw Archer fall, a TK trooper with a large blaster rifle in-hand standing a few paces away. Her breath caught and cold dread flushed through her. 

Parja and Fi looked at each other in their helmets, both having seen Archer's stats indicate physical trauma on their HUDs. 

“She’s taken a hit,” Fi said, worriedly.

“Two,” Parja said, the tightness of her modulated voice betraying her calm exterior. She tightened her grip on the ship's controls. “Copi’s on her way over to them.”

Choy focused her attention on the events happening around Archer, wishing she were closer. She could feel Copi’s rage and the terrified death of the trooper who’d shot Archer.  After a moment she chanced another look out the viewport and scanned the ice until she saw Copi tiptoeing along, carrying Archer and Mayday together in her large paws.  Reaching out towards them in the force, she tried to communicate encouragement, but the distance between them made the connection tenuous.

Archer’s voice sounded over the ship’s comm system without warning, sounding pained, and Parja and Fi jumped into action, powering up the ship and getting ready to move to an alternate pick-up location closer to the southern end of the base.

Choy watched as Copi stopped shuffling and gently set Archer and Mayday down. Archer soon rocketed up into the sky, carrying Mayday attached to her armour plates the way she’d carried Veetch the night before.

Fi was rapidly pulling out more medical supplies, and Choy braced herself as Parja began to move the ship to the pickup point.  “We’re going to have to grab Copi first and then go after Archer and Mayday.  They’ve veered away from the RV point for some reason,” Parja shouted over her shoulder.

Seconds felt like minutes, until Choy felt the ship settle on the ground and heard the troop bay doors open below, ready for Copi to board. 

Taking her opportunity, Choy dashed to the rear of the ship and opened the cabin door, refocusing her mind to find Archer as she jumped off the ramp, landing a bit harder than she intended.  Her veins felt like ice as she darted away from the ship, maintaining a line of sight with the retreating forms of Archer and Mayday as they flew off in the wrong direction.  Choy poured energy towards Archer, willing her enough strength to rally her fading consciousness and to help guide her back towards the ship. 

She began to feel stiff as the bitter cold crept into her joints through her clothing and suddenly the world seemed to darken. She realized she was standing in a shadow and looked up to see that Copi had come to her.  Returning her focus to Archer, she felt Copi’s big paw close around her and the ground drop out from under her feet. Copi lifted Choy up on to her shoulders, and Choy gripped onto her bumpy hide with one hand stretched up toward Archer as the rancor took off at a gallop back towards the ship. Choy focused through the biting cold, willing Archer’s fading consciousness to hang on. 

“Come on Copi! Come back!”

“That’s a good girl! Well done!”

“What’s she got on her?”

“Is that-“

Choy could hear Hexx and Veetch as Copi clambered up into the troop bay of the ship. The bay doors closed and the ship immediately lifted off as Copi gingerly pulled Choy off of her back and set her down. Choy was shivering and still focusing all her attention on Archer’s trajectory outside as Hexx and Veetch appeared at her sides looking cross and confused.

“Why’d you go out there?”

“How’d you get out there?”

“I thought you said you’d stay onboard, safe?”

“You don’t even have your coat on.”

“Come here, I’ll warm you up.”

A crash and screech of metal rang across the ceiling of the troop bay. Choy slumped a little and took a deep breath. “Sorry guys,” she said with a very not-sorry little smile, “I’ve gotta go.” She pulled out of their hands and scurried up the ladder. 

“What was that?” Veetch wondered below her.

“Hey, what’s going on, Choy?” Hexx sounded annoyed. “You could have really been hurt out there.” 

Choy crested the ladder and hustled over to where Fi had set Archer and Mayday. Her heart was pounding as she focused on Archer’s very still form, relieved to feel her strong life energy through the force. Mayday was already stripped of his upper armor and blacks and had an iv going in his arm with warm electrolytes. Fi was scanning Mayday while Parja was removing Archer’s ab plate and exposing an angry looking blaster shot on her waist. 

Wow they work fast, Choy thought as she steeled herself and breathed through her mouth to lean in and gauge the damage. She never got used to the smell of burnt human from these blaster wounds, especially when it was someone she knew, a friend. The thought of cooked Archer was enough to turn her stomach.

“Let’s get Mayday’s lower armor off carefully,” he said to Parja, “and his blacks. We need to warm him slowly, but all the ice on him has melted and we need to get him dry.” Parja deftly stripped Mayday down naked and placed a few warming packs on his torso and covered him with a foil blanket, throwing his blacks in a soggy heap.

He’s got broken ribs and a lung contusion, but that’s nothing compared to the spinal fractures to T7, 8, and 9 or the strange brain activity,” Fi said, reading the scanner. Choy placed one hand on Archer’s head and one next to her wound and closed her eyes. Alright force, flow through me, for once, Choy said to herself. She swept her mind through Archer, noting her concussion and checking for other injuries. 

“Archer isn’t in a bad way, Fi, I’ve shut down the nerve signaling from this region. If you debride and patch the blaster wound I’ll focus on Mayday’s injuries then I’ll see what I can do for Archer’s head, deal?”

“You bet,” Fi grimaced and flicked on the headlamp he’d slipped on his head. 

Choy and Fi traded spots. Fi sprayed the wound with bacta and draped the site with a sterile cloth. Choy looked down at Archer’s besmitten clone and felt her mouth go dry. This entire mission was predicated on his surviving, on him living a whole life despite the ordeal he just went through. She placed her hands on Mayday's temples and curled her fingers around his jaw onto his pulse points. Across the cabin she saw Parja and the boys watching. Hexx seemed uncomfortable meeting Choy’s gaze and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at his feet. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath to calm her nerves and slid her awareness into Mayday's head. 

Cold, he felt so cold. And still. Everything felt heavy and slow. Choy scanned his brain, searching for damage but the hypothermia appeared to not have caused any. It just slowed everything down, almost like he’d been in carbonite. Fi glanced up at her curiously as she smiled  and sighed with relief. She slid her awareness down his spine settling on the fractures. How did he walk all that way with shattered vertebrae pressing on his spinal cord? Choy wondered. Clones are amazing, she mused and called the force through her and into Mayday as she pieced his bones together and healed the shredded spinal disks. She soothed the central column and focused deep warm healing through his spine and out through his whole body. Choy opened her eyes as Fi lifted his scalpel and pulled off his surgical gloves. 

“Debridement done, bandages in place. How’s the commander?”  

Choy searched for Mayday’s mind through the force and found a whisper more of a presence than before. “He’s made of sterner stuff than I am, that's for sure.”

“Us clones were made for that fierfek war to chew us up and spit us out again and again.” Fi said, “It’s when it tries to swallow us that things go bad. I reckon that avalanche tried swallowing him, he’s lucky.”

“He was lucky Nolan brought Crosshair,” Choy said and tried not to think about what the sniper would be enduring at the hands of Hemlock very soon. “Go ahead and put a cerebral monitor on him, Fi, please?” Choy said and took his place by Archer’s side. “I’ve put his spine and ribs back together, but they weren’t clean breaks and will need to strengthen over time and have further healing sessions. And he still has a bruised lung. I bet you can probably deal with that while I finish up here.”

“Nothing a little bacta gas won’t handle,” said Fi as he strapped the monitor to Mayday's head. Choy placed her hand on Archer's brow, soothing her jolted brain, calming the concussion. 

 Satisfied with the healing she’d done for now, Choy straightened up and stretched, looking at her patients. Archer looked peaceful and comfortable. Fi had strapped a gas breather to Mayday to treat his lung. Mayday’s body was warming from Archer's proximity and Choy could gauge his energy better in the force. She smiled as she noticed how well their energies harmonized with each other. 

“Not bad for a day's work,” Fi said, “Mayday’s monitor is showing better brain function already.”

“She looks— almost happy,” Parja said, appearing next to Fi. 

“She’s going to be really happy when she sees him naked next to her,” Fi snickered, earning him an elbow jab from Parja.

“I think they’re good for each other," Choy said, “Just being close is healing for them.”

“It worked for me,” Fi said, kissing Parja on her head. Parja hugged Fi back with a squeeze then looked conspiratorially at Choy and inclined her head to indicate Hexx and Veetch behind her.

“I think they want to talk to you,” she said to Choy.

Choy sighed and rolled her eyes, “Probably to fuss at me more for going outside earlier.”

 “Oh they won’t fuss at you about that again,” Parja smirked and took a seat at the ship’s controls. Fi joined her in the copilot seat. Choy looked over at the boys. They were sitting back on their spot on her jacket. When they noticed her looking at them they slid apart from each other. Veetch patted the spot between them as they both gave her puppy dog eyes.

***

Archer

She woke, squeezed in next to Mayday on the narrow lower bunk in the small crew cabin of her ship. She looked at his impassive face, feeling her cheeks heat a bit.  How did she get here?  She couldn’t remember getting back onboard. 

Mayday remained unconscious as he lay, quite still, on his back covered with a foil blanket. He was attached to an IV drip, his hair was a wild mess, and he’d had his dilapidated armour - and everything else, she realized - removed.

He felt warmer though, and there was more colour in his complexion than before. He was breathing steadily. A tiny smile touched her features and she felt some of the weight of worry lift from her shoulders.  

<<He’s stable, but will need more care when we get back to Mandalore.>>

Choy knew she was awake, then.  Archer sat up gingerly, careful not to wake Mayday.  She felt weighed down with fatigue, but the disorientation and ringing in her head was mostly gone.  She probed tentatively at her side.  Her armour, too, had been removed - though she was, thank Mand’alor, mostly still clothed - and bandages covered the still-burning blaster wound on her side.

<<You should stay there and rest.  You took quite a bump to your head and you're behind on sleep besides.  Everything is under control here.>>

Ignoring this, Archer swung her legs over the edge of the bunk and stood silently. After making sure Mayday’s flimsy foil blanket was securely tucked in around him, she walked over to the threshold of the cockpit, and took in the scene before her.

Hexx and Veetch were seated on the floor with Choy between them, completely engrossed with what Parja was telling them from the pilot's chair. “We’re taking you to our stronghold, Kyrimorut, on Mandalore.  It is a safe haven for clones who have defected from the Empire, many of your brethren, mostly commandos, call it home, along with a handful of ex-Jedi and,”

“And a bunch of beautiful Mandalorians!” Fi interjected, squeezing Parja in a hug from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

”Yes, and a few Mandalorian citizens as well,” Parja conceded. “You will be bound to keep the existence and location of this place a secret.”  She raised her eyebrows at the two fuzzy clones.

Both nodded at her seriously.

“We have an advanced medical facility and lab.  They’ll fix everyone up properly when we get there,” Parja continued.  She carried on describing the settlement and its surroundings, while the two clones listened intently.  

Archer rubbed at her eyes.  They felt heavy, and she was empty and weary to the bone.  She just wanted to sleep, wrapped up in warmth in her bed in her tree-top home.  She sighed heavily.  That felt unlikely to happen any time soon. 

“How are you feeling? Is everything good out there?” Fi asked with a smirk, after noticing her standing in the door. “Any lingering dizziness or nausea?  Do you want something to eat?” 

 Parja, Hexx and Veetch seemed to be looking at her with concern. 

“Urgh, no thanks. I think I’ll go down and sit with Copi, she’s probably a bit anxious,” she said feeling a bit green at the thought of food, and beginning to shuffle backwards towards the ladder to the troop hold.

”Oooh no you don’t,” Choy said, standing and grabbing her arm.  You need to rest.  Here.  Where we can keep an eye on you.  And while you’re at it, you might as well rest next to Mayday again.  He needs the supplemental warmth.”

”But he’s-“

”Tsh! There is no room for awkwardness in healing,” Choy stated matter of factly, while steering her back towards the bunks.

<<And it’s nothing you haven’t seen before, right?>>

“Wait, that’s-“

 “As one of your official mission medics, I’m pulling rank.  Lie back down and get more rest,” Choy said in a tone that brooked no argument.

<<You need rest, he needs warmth, and do you really want someone else to have to do this instead of you?>>

Grumbling, Archer looked at Choy for a long moment.  Her sense of propriety warring with her fatigue.

<<Rest. He’ll be out for the remainder of the trip, and we’ll wake you when we arrive at Mandalore.  We’ll fill you in on what you missed then.>>

“Copi-“

“The boys will look after her.  Rest.  Now. Don’t make us sedate you.”

Admittedly grateful for the excuse, Archer lay back down on the lower bunk. When Choy stepped back into the cockpit with a knowing smile, Archer scooted closer to Mayday and gently slung her arm over his torso, feeling a small pulse of comfort ripple out from him. Mumbling something about the preservation of people’s dignity, she fell quickly into a dreamless sleep.