Chapter 3: Episode 3: Slang! With! Jesse!Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextThe darkness enveloped Ahsoka. It blinded her. Disorientated her. Made it so she felt wobbly and off-balance. She so desperately wished to ignite her lightsaber. Not only did she need the light to see, but she also felt so open and vulnerable without its warm glow. Maybe Rex was right about the armor and the blaster. Maybe she'd feel a bit better if she had a chest plate and some other weapon to protect herself.
Too late to deal with that. She was stuck with a lightsaber that she couldn't ignite because she couldn't risk the enemy seeing her squad. She was not about to put these men's lives in danger because she wanted to see.
"I can go in front, sir," Jesse whispered. "Night vision and everything. I can see perfectly well."
She bit her lip, hesitating for a beat. She was the commander. It should be her out in front. Not only because she was the leader, but because she wanted to be the first person targeted should their enemy decide to attack. But, they had to move so slowly because they couldn't see anything. Jesse had his night vision. He should go in front.
She relented and let him slip in front.
Jesse grabbed her hand and put it on his belt. "Try not to get lost, sir," he said, just a hint of amusement in his voice.
She could feel Fives and Hardcase's amusement rolling off them in waves. Echo was amused, but not nearly as much as his twin. Tup seemed too nervous to be amused, still shiny, and not quite sure how to act around her. And Kix wasn't amused in the slightest. She wasn't sure if their medic could feel amusement. Maybe all medics had 'fun' and 'joy' programmed out of them.
"I'm not a little kid," she grumbled.
"Just keep telling yourself that, sir," Jesse said.
She had half a mind to kick him. Instead, she kept her complaints to herself and a hand on his belt so she wouldn't get lost. They continued through the seemingly endless hallway.
"Smell anything?" Fives asked.
She rolled her eyes. Ever since they had learned of her heightened sense of smell, they hadn't stopped poking fun at her for it. It also led to a lot of troopers nervously coming up to her and asking what they smelled like. According to Dogma, there was now a betting pool as to who smelled the worst and another one as to who smelled the weirdest. She thought they were all ridiculous.
"Only that you need to shower, Fives. Seriously, would it kill you to wash more than once a week?"
"It might," Fives whispered back.
"Guys, can we focus?" Echo hissed. "We haven't seen the enemy anywhere. I don't want to get caught in a trap."
"Maybe Rex's squad is engaging him?" Hardcase asked.
"Maybe. I can't get ahold of the captain either way," Jesse said.
"Maybe the enemy fled," Tup asked, hope bleeding into his voice. "I mean, two squads of highly trained troopers plus a Jedi, those are pretty bad odds."
"If you're a run-of-the-mill clanker," Echo said. "This guy's not."
Ahsoka reached out with the force. She could sense their enemy. He was nearby, but he was doing something to mask his own location. Great, just what she needed. "Echo's right. He's still here. And he's looking for us."
Tup's nerves flared up at her words.
"If I were him, I'd take out our squad first," Kix said in his normal 'matter-of-fact' way. "It's got the Jedi on it. The commander would be able to go toe-to-toe with him. At least for a bit."
She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for your vote of confidence, Kix."
"Why was I put on this squad?" Tup groaned.
"Cause we're way better than the Captain and his squad of misfits." Fives slapped him on the back.
"Jesse, what the hell are you doing up there?" Hardcase hissed. "Are you finding a way out of here or not?"
"I'm trying, but this entire place is like a damn maze!" he snapped back.
Ahsoka couldn't see it, but she knew what Jesse was talking about. The hallway had several branches at multiple points that could lead anywhere. Taking one of those paths could be dangerous. It could be a trap. They could get more lost. They might go further down instead of up, which was their original goal. But, they couldn't just keep walking in a straight line. They weren't getting anywhere like this.
She had to do something. She was the commander. It was her job to get everyone out safe and sound. She closed her eyes, not that she needed to but the familiar action was helpful in grounding her.
"Stop for a second," she said.
Jesse complied.
She let the force flow through her. Let the various tunnels map out in her mind as she traced their paths. Let the history of hundreds of people walking these same tunnels imprint in her. Let their knowledge guide her. She found the thread she needed and latched on.
"Is there another hallway to the left? About fifty meters?"
"Yep. One fifty meters ahead to the left. Damn, you're good, commander." Jesse let out a whistle.
"Don't celebrate yet," She warned as they started moving once more. "I'm not sure if it'll lead us anywhere but a dead end."
"It's better than wandering around blindly until we die of starvation," Kix said.
They turned left down the hallway. In her mind, the path lit up, clear as day. She decided to let the force guide them. Turning right. Left. Going straight. Taking different branches of a Y. Occasionally stopping if she lost the connection or needed a chance to focus. Over and over and over again.
Each turn she worried that this would all be for nothing. She'd lead them down the wrong path. Get them stuck at a dead end. Walk right into their enemy, still hunting them in the shadows. She kept waiting for someone to argue with her. For someone to question how she knew all of this or ask why they should believe something they had no experience in.
But they didn't. They didn't hesitate. They didn't question. They didn't even double-check what she said. They trusted her, blindly. Sometimes, when she was alone after a battle, the weight of their expectations would crash down on her as she realized how much faith they had in her to lead them and keep them alive. It was truly a humbling experience. One that she struggled not to take for granted. They trusted her, so she needed to be as good of a commander as she could possibly be. There was no room for mistakes.
"I see stairs up ahead," Jesse said.
"Thank the force, we can finally get out of here," Hardcase muttered. "Any word from the captain?"
"None. Maybe the signal is blocked by being so far underground," Jesse said. "I'll keep trying him and let him know we're heading out."
"Hope he's not dead," Fives said.
"Don't say that!" Ahsoka gasped. "I'm sure Rex and the others are fine. They probably made it out ages ago. Come on, we need to hurry."
They made their way up what felt like hundreds of stairs. Each step, however, brought more and more light. The dingy grey walls were full of scuff marks and scratches and blaster shots from other battles that had been fought here.
She swallowed and looked away. She couldn't change the past. She could only react to the present.
They reached the top of the staircase and came to another floor filled with hallways.
"We should be above ground now," Echo said.
"Then let's find a window or something," Ahsoka said. "We should focus on escaping, not on engaging the enemy."
"Oh, but commander, I just got some new weapons I wanted to try out!" Hardcase groaned.
"I think I'd rather live than wait around so that you have something to shoot," Tup muttered.
She heard a sound that made her blood run cold.
A lightsaber ignited.
Echoing throughout the hallway.
"Scatter!" She shouted.
She didn't wait for the men to follow her orders, instead using the force to push them into two hallways on either side of her before igniting her own. She whirled around to block just as the Sith jumped her.
Thankfully, the men were pretty used to getting tossed around with the force like rag-dolls and were able to recover quickly. They pulled their weapons and started firing at the Sith while Ahsoka worked to block him blow for blow. Unluckily, he had caught her by surprise, which meant she was on the defensive. She'd have to work hard to go on the offensive and gain the upper hand. Thankfully, with six troopers shooting at him, they had a good chance of that happening.
Anyone else would have felt nervous with so many shots bouncing around this close to their bodies, but not her. Just like the men trusted her to lead them out of the tunnels, she trusted them not to hit her by accident.
The Sith feinted to the right, a move she fell for. Now with most of her weight on her right leg to block a move that would never come, he took advantage and swept her feet out from under her.
Her lightsaber went rolling across the floor and she was now powerless to stop the blow that was about to come.
She heard Jesse let out a cry and there was a blur of white and blue as he tackled the Sith to the ground. Tup used this break to race out and chase her lightsaber down the hall.
"Commander, catch!" he cried, flinging it through the air.
Ahsoka caught it with ease just in time to duck as Jesse went sailing through the air, crashing into Tup and sending them both sprawling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
The Sith whirled around where Echo and Fives were, using the force to grab ahold of Echo's blaster and rip it out of his hands.
No!
He was going to kill them!
She couldn't let that happen. She would do everything in her power to make sure no trooper died today.
She leaped onto the Sith's back and sank her teeth into his neck.
He let out a cry, grabbed ahold of her arms, and ripped her off, tossing her to the floor. His attention was now solely on her. Perfect.
"Jesse, get them out of here! I'll deal with this," she shouted as Jesse and Tup made their way back to the room, and Echo retrieved his blaster. Or pulled out another one. At this point, she didn't really know and she didn't really care.
"Hell no! We're not leaving you here to fight that monster by yourself."
"That's an order!" She didn't like to order the troops around as a rule. Mostly because it made her uncomfortable and it felt like she was erasing their free will. But, when it came to their safety, nothing was more important.
"Not going to happen, commander!" Hardcase shouted. "So, either figure out something for us to do, or we'll take charge."
Of course, she forgot who she was dealing with. Most troopers seemed to have respect for their generals and a willingness to follow orders. 501st was not filled with the standard trooper. There was a time when her orders were law and they'd flee as soon as she said so. But, somewhere along the way, things changed. The troopers all seemed to agree that, unless there was another mission they had to complete, no one was left on their own to face a threat. They'd face it together and either live together or die together. She hated that.
"Haar'chak!" She lunged forward and drove her knee deep into the opponent's gut, sending him stumbling back a few paces. This was the opening she was looking for. Now on the offensive, she leaped in the air and attacked.
He blocked, but the tide of battle was turned. Maybe, just maybe, they'd win this one.
"Language!" Kix shouted. "Jesse quit teaching her how to curse!"
"It's a necessary part of the culture!" Jesse shouted back.
"Hukaat'kama!" Hardcase shouted as he leaped out from where he was hiding.
She felt his intention in the air, clear as day, and knew how to set her and Sith up. She spun herself around, the Sith following her as his back turned to Hardcase. He let out a roar as he shot round after round from his cannon.
The Sith anticipated this and Ahsoka only had a brief moment to realize before the Force slammed into her sternum. She flew down the hallway and crashed into the opposite wall, her head ringing and her body jolting from the shock.
"No, Hardcase!" She scrambled to her feet to run back. She wasn't fast enough.
The Sith rounded on Hardcase and picked him up with ease, throwing him into Echo and Fives.
Tup threw some explosives onto the Sith's cape. He let out a curse and ripped off the fabric, throwing it into the room Kix had taken shelter in. Ahsoka grabbed him with the force and threw him into where Echo, Fives, and Hardcase currently were; killing two birds with one stone as Kix managed to avoid the explosion and start scanning them to see who was alive and who was dead.
"Don't forget I'm still around!" Ahsoka shouted, now back with the men and swinging her lightsaber at the Sith.
He blocked it easily. She was starting to get tired. Sloppy. If this fight went on for much longer, she'd lose. There was no way her body could keep up with this pace. And he knew it.
Jesse jumped on his back and shoved the taser into his neck. The Sith let out a cry, body briefly going rigid as electricity surrounded him in brilliant blue strikes of lightning.
It still wasn't enough to bring him down as he grabbed Jesse by the throat and slammed him into the wall. Ahsoka was back on him, swinging her lightsaber in an arc and fully ready to bring it down on his head. He was forced to drop Jesse as he focused solely on her once more, matching her blow for blow, swing for swing, block for block. Though, her earlier assessment that she was quickly losing strength still held true. She would never be able to beat this man. And he knew it. She could feel him getting more and more confident in his victory.
Jesse swung back to his feet and started shooting him once more. This, along with Tup, Echo, and Fives meant he had four troopers and her that he was defending against. How he managed to do it was beyond her. But he was. And they were going to lose.
He deflected one of the blasts right back at Echo, who flew back against the wall and sank down, slumped over.
"Echo!" Fives cried.
His momentary distraction gave the Sith a chance to throw her, Tup, and Jesse into them. All landing in a tangled pile of limbs on the floor. Once more, she had lost her lightsaber. Furthermore, now all of them were in one room together. Trapped in a small, windowless space with only one exit. An exit currently blocked by the Sith. This was what he had been building to. This was all part of his plan.
He lifted his hands into the air and crushed them into fists. The building around them creaked.
Ahsoka knew what was coming; could feel it in her bones.
"No!" she shouted, lifting her hands and using every ounce of the Force she could muster before the ceiling crashed down around them.
It was only thanks to her quick thinking that she managed to keep it from crushing the others.
The Sith stood in front of her knew. She was kneeling on the ground, her body shaking from the weight of the debris. Somewhere behind her, Kix was frantically trying to help both Echo and Hardcase. Tup and Fives were sprawled out to her left. Jesse was to her right, unarmed, but still crouched in a position that told her he would be willing to try and fight this man with hand-to-hand combat, even if he'd lose.
The Sith had her lightsaber and his in his hands. He raised them up.
"Jesse, grab the others and run! As soon as I'm dead, this entire building is coming down!"
"There's got to be some way to beat this bastard."
"No. Not anymore. Just save yourselves and go. It's me he wants."
The Sith was amused by their exchange, waiting for them to finish. Toying with them. But he had had enough. He swung the lightsabers at her neck.
She flinched.
A blaster shot rang out through the room.
A body fell to the ground.
She peeled open her eyes to see the Sith lying face first in front of her. Behind him was Rex, his blaster still raised and ready to fire. Dogma, Denal, and Appo had their blasters raised and were looking for any other enemies.
"Well, a Deus ex Captain is certainly one way to win this," Jesse said.
Anakin groaned from where he lay in front of her. "I can't believe you bit me."
He pushed himself up to his knees and waved his hands. The debris Ahsoka was holding released and landed to the side.
"I can't believe you tried to drop a building on me!" Ahsoka cried.
Fives had managed to shake himself awake and helped her to her feet.
Anakin rubbed the back of his head. "I knew you'd catch it. Besides, it wasn't the building. It was the ceiling of one room."
"You know, this is why we aren't allowed to use the training facilities on Coruscant anymore," Appo sighed. "We always destroy them."
Anakin simply shot him a lopsided grin and turned to Rex. "That was a cheap shot and you know it."
"There is no such thing as a cheap shot in war, sir," Rex replied, stoic as ever. "How you doing, Echo?"
"That hurt. A lot," Echo grunted.
Kix came up to Anakin and slapped a bacta patch over where Ahsoka had bit him and Jesse had tased him. He then turned to her and said, "Arm."
"Come on, Kix. Do I have to?" she whined.
"You know the rules. If you draw blood, I need to check and make sure you didn't get infected with any blood-borne diseases. Now arm, or I tranq you and drag you to the med bay."
She grumbled and held out her arm while Kix took a sample.
"Should I be worried you biting people happens often enough that Kix has a protocol on how to handle it?" Anakin asked, handing her back her lightsaber.
"You want to discourage her from biting her enemies?" Fives asked.
"She gets it from Wolffe, you know," Echo added.
Anakin shook his head and turned to leave.
"Aren't you going to say something?" Ahsoka asked, glaring at him.
The troopers around them snickered.
"Oh, um, good job, Snips. Great teamwork," Anakin said as he hurried out the door.
Ahsoka chased after him. "That's not what I meant and you know it."
"What do I have to say? I gave you praise. Unless you'd like me to tell you all the things you did wrong." He shrugged, doing his best to look innocent and confused at her question.
Her face twisted into a scowl. "We won. Which means—"
"Nope. You didn't win."
"Did too! Rex shot you in the back of the head. In what galaxy is that not winning?"
"Yes, but Echo died. Hardcase may have also died."
"Nope. Just unconscious," Kix said.
Ahsoka kicked his shin. "You never said all of us had to survive. You just said we had to last ten minutes against you while you weren't holding back. And we did that. And we beat you!"
"The point of the training exercise isn't to win," Anakin argued. "It's to hold your own against a Sith until help can arrive. Hence the ten-minute rule. You didn't make it ten minutes. You only made it nine."
Appo leaned over to Dogma. "Should we step in or…"
"No, let them argue it out," he replied.
"We didn't last ten minutes because Rex killed you! That should count as a win!"
"I had you unarmed and pinned down. One trooper dead. Two unarmed. Three unconscious. You would have lost if he hadn't shown up."
"But he did. If you didn't want him to show up, then you shouldn't have let him be the second squad!"
"All this for some extra free time tonight?" Tup whispered to Fives.
"Free time and credits to go get some actual good food and not whatever crap they're serving in the mess."
"And the chance to go to 79's!" Hardcase said, grinning ear to ear as he slapped Echo on the back.
They exited the training compound.
"We need an impartial judge!" Ahsoka said, making a beeline to where Obi-wan and Cody were standing. "Master Kenobi, Commander Cody, what do you think? Did we win or not?"
"I do not want to get in the middle of this," Cody said, not looking up from his datapad as he continued to work on paperwork.
Ahsoka knew he was a lost cause and turned to Obi-wan, doing her best 'tooka eyes' (as Rex liked to call them) and looked as pleading and innocent as possible to sway him to her side.
Obi-wan stroked his beard, looking quite amused at her attempt. "I don't know, Anakin. It does feel a bit counter-productive to discourage your men from getting the job done faster."
"Master!"
"Hah!" Ahsoka jumped in the air, pumping her fist. "Master Kenobi said we win! Which means I can go out and get as much junk food as I want."
Rex cleared his throat.
"As much junk food as twenty credits will get me." She quickly corrected.
"That's not what he said!" Anakin cried.
"Too late, Skyguy!" Ahsoka laughed and grabbed the credits from him. She grabbed Tup's hand and dragged him to the door. "Come on, guys. Before he can stop us."
The troopers were quick to chase after her.
"You all are traitors!" Anakin called. "I'm your boss, not her!"
Rex let out a long-suffering sigh. "I should probably go make sure they don't destroy Coruscant. Or get themselves arrested by Fox."
"One second, Rex," Anakin said.
He turned back to him and Obi-wan. "Sir?"
"Have you noticed anything strange going on with the troops lately?"
Rex furrowed his brows. "I don't know what you mean. They seem the same to me."
Obi-wan came down, Cody trailing dutifully behind him though he still had his head buried in the datapad.
"It's nothing bad," he assured him. "But we have noticed they seem to have more inside jokes."
"Something about noodle arms and a Z-6?" Anakin asked.
Cody and Rex both froze.
Rex immediately considered his options. It would be easier to just come clean about the whole 'Creche to Command' thing and be done with it. He knew General Skywalker and General Kenobi wouldn't care. They'd probably be more amused than anything. Besides, General Koon already knew, and with all the kids in the Temple and the Troopers watching it regularly, they'd learn about it eventually.
But, it was also Ahsoka's project. He felt like she should be the one to tell them. She clearly didn't want them to know, probably for similar reasons that she didn't want him to know. Telling them now could be a breach of trust.
He glanced at Cody, who kept his face impassive and focused on the datapad. He was letting Rex take the lead on this. Dammit. And here he was hoping to not have to make any difficult decisions.
In the end, Ahsoka won out. Rather, he decided to give her a chance to tell them.
"I'll ask around and see what's going on," Rex responded.
Skywalker and Kenobi both seemed to know that he knew more than he was letting on. Damn Jedi and their damn mind-reading abilities. Was it so hard to ask a man for privacy with his own thoughts?
"Of course," Kenobi said. "Good shot today during training. If you keep this up, you might just be able to hold your own against a Sith completely." He knocked a knuckle against Rex's armor and went off.
Anakin didn't say anything, instead looking at him strangely. As if he wanted to ask more.
Rex sighed. "Sir, I'm not going to let them do anything stupid or dangerous. I will talk to the men, but I can't promise anything more than that."
He sighed and nodded. "I understand. And I trust you. Now, maybe go make sure Ahsoka doesn't buy her weight in gummy candy again. I swear, last time we had to scrape Hardcase off the ceiling he was so hopped up on sugar."
"I'll try my best, sir." He left the training room to chase after his wayward squad before they could get themselves into even more trouble. And don't think he didn't hear Hardcase's comment about 79's. He was going to have to come up with something creative to keep them all from Fox's drunk tank. Ahsoka's last episode of 'Creche to Command' gave him an idea as to what that could possibly be.
*****
"This is way more than twenty credits worth of junk food," Rex said as he surveyed the damage.
"We've been saving up," Fives responded simply as he tossed yet more food onto the pile.
Maybe Rex was getting old, but damn did most of this stuff look like it would hurt his stomach to eat. He also noticed Jesse had slipped some bottles of dark ale into the pile. He decided to ignore that. So long as they weren't getting drunk enough to warrant Fox's men coming to round them up, he was okay with alcohol.
Ahsoka and the others had a veritable mountain in the center of their barracks. He didn't even know what half of this stuff was! He winced as Hardcase grabbed something that was probably stuffed full of sugar and tipped the entire thing into his mouth.
"Just so you know, if Hardcase gets hopped up on sugar again, you'll be the ones dealing with him." He was so glad he shared a bunk with Cody when they were on Coruscant. He would probably kill Hardcase if he had to deal with his sugar-high ass tonight.
Jesse popped the top off an ale. "Hey, kid, want a sip?"
Rex whipped towards him, unable to stop Ahsoka as her eyes lit up and she took a swig.
"Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?" He cried. Oh, yeah, Jesse was definitely going to be running laps for this.
"Relax," Jesse said. "Wouldn't you rather she have her first drink here with her vod'e than in some dive bar surrounded by besom?"
Thankfully, Ahsoka's face pinched and she shook her head. She shoved the bottle back at Jesse. "That's disgusting. Why would anyone ever drink that?"
"You get used to it," Fives said, undoing his armor and setting it down on the ground.
"I don't think I want to get used to it."
"Good. Hold onto that," Rex said.
Fives laughed at him. "Relax, alor'ad. It's not like we're dragging her to that dance bar and leaving her alone."
Hardcase laughed. "You're turning red there, captain. Kix, is the captain about to die from a stroke?"
"I want no part in this!" Kix called. "The less I know about what you're putting into your bodies, the better I'll be able to sleep tonight."
At least someone still had their head screwed on right.
"This was a mistake," he groaned.
"We can still go to 79's," Jesse said. "Tup hasn't been yet. And they don't have an age limit which means the commander can go as well."
"Are you trying to get me to kill you? Because you're doing a very good job at pressing all my buttons."
"Lek, lek," Fives grumbled. "You should relax more. Maybe you need a vacation. You, Fox, Cody, and the rest of the commanders. A nice day out on the beach."
"You can even leave me in charge!" Jesse kicked his foot."
"And risk you getting thrown in Fox's drunk tank? I don't think so. I'm trying to keep you di'kute out of trouble, thank you very much."
Thankfully, Echo walked in the door, distracting Jesse, Fives, and Hardcase from doing anything else stupid.
"Got the paints!" he called, rattling a bag of brushes and holding up a paint can of signature 501st blue. "Good call on the touch-ups, captain. We're all starting to look a bit faded."
And it would keep them from making too much trouble in the city until Rex could get them back on a ship and out into the field.
Ahsoka clapped her hands excitedly and turned to him. "Can I do your helmet?"
"You could do your own armor," he said. Though, he still handed her his helmet without complaint.
"Hey, no fair. I was hoping you'd help me with mine," Hardcase whined.
"I'll help you after I'm done with Rex's." She grabbed a paintbrush and dipped it in the paint before carefully tracing the lines. "And we've been over this before. I don't need armor."
He made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. He could think up a thousand reasons on the spot why she and Skywalker needed armor, but it was pointless. All troopers had this conversation with their Jedi at least once a month. Sometimes more. Poor Bly was reduced to tears when he was first assigned to Secura's battalion. He had argued with her for a week straight before finally dropping it. But only after Bacara had stepped in and explained to him that jedis were idiots and it wasn't going to happen. The only trooper that successfully got their Jedi to wear any sort of armor was Cody. Though, that was only after nearly three months of constant negotiations that finally ended in a compromise of only wearing partial armor. And was that really a win?
That was why he let the armor argument drop. He still had hopes that one of these days he'd wrestle her into something a bit more fitting for battle. Today was not that day. Besides, they had other things to talk about. With everyone comfortably settling in and a feeling of contentment falling over the group, he decided now was as good of a time as any to talk.
"By the way," he said as casually as possible, "Kenobi and Skywalker are getting suspicious."
"'Bout what?" Ahsoka asked. She stuck out her tongue and carefully started filling in the blue. The new paint stood brightly against the chipped, faded lines he had done so long ago.
"Creche to Command."
She froze. "Do they know about it?"
"Nope. Just letting you know."
"Okay." She went back to painting.
She was going to drag this out, wasn't she?
"I'm letting you know so you can tell them before they find out."
Ahsoka didn't answer, focused only on painting. Not looking him in the eye. Around him, everyone else had stopped talking. The air was thick with anticipation. Each trooper held their breath, trying to gauge whether this would end with an explosive argument, or something else. Sometimes it was hard to tell with Ahsoka. She could seem so mature and even-tempered one minute only to swing to some other extreme the next minute. He wondered if it was a teenage thing or a PTSD thing. Maybe both? He hadn't been a teenager for very long and the Kaminoans would not have tolerated any emotional outbursts which lead to him and everyone else suppressing a whole lot of emotions, so it wasn't like he was an expert by any means.
Either way, he should probably ease her mind before things escalated. This wasn't supposed to be an argument or an ambush. This was supposed to be a way for her to take control of the situation.
"I think you should tell them," he said. "General Koon already found out. I can't imagine General Skywalker and General Kenobi would be any less accepting than him. And, it's better that you tell them before they find out from another source. That way you can be in complete control of the conversation."
"Yeah, but I don't want them to find out," Ahsoka mumbled, relaxing just a bit when she realized he wasn't going to argue with her. "I like having something that's just for me. No involvement from my master. Something that can just be silly, stupid fun. No one else butting in and telling me what to do."
"You think he's going to try and take control?" Tup asked.
"No. But right now it feels special. And… I don't know. It's like, if he finds out about it, it'll feel less special. You know?"
"If you're worried about him judging you for it, don't be," Rex said.
The conversation he had had with her last week still rang in his head. Ahsoka fears that he wouldn't approve because it wasn't 'useful' or 'improving her skills in combat and leadership'. He still felt guilty he made her feel like she couldn't have any fun. Or at least contributed to the already crushing weight of her responsibilities.
Given the way Ahsoka flinched, he knew he was on the right track.
"Look, vod'ika," when in doubt, use that title to soften her, "I know you look up to your master as some sort of all-knowing, all-powerful Jedi. But he's not. He's—"
"An idiot," Kix cut in. "Just like the rest of our aliit. The entire 501st. All idiots. Except for me."
"And the captain," Hardcase said.
"No, he's the biggest idiot of them all. He's just tricked you into thinking he's not."
Rex glared at him. "I disagree with that last statement, but you are right in saying that Skywalker is just like the rest of us. He has his weird quirks too that you probably find ridiculous and stupid."
"Like his attachment to the spanner," Ahsoka said.
"He still hasn't gotten rid of that thing," Jesse sighed. "It's now just sitting in his room. Never to be used again but also not getting thrown in the trash anytime soon because he's a di'kut."
She laughed softly at that.
"He's right, you know," Echo said. "It's already made its way around to all the clones in the GAR. Most of the younglings at the temple have seen it and now several civilians are watching it. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the Jedi find out. If you tell General Skywalker and General Kenobi, they can be on your side."
She groaned. "Fine. I'll tell him. But after I'm done repainting Rex's armor."
"And after we film our video!" Jesse was quick to cut in. "I'm not saying they're going to shut it down, but you never know. And I want my time in the spotlight. It's going to be great."
He grinned in a way that told Rex he was definitely up to something.
"Yeah, I'm definitely going to need to be there for that," he muttered. Seriously, they only had like three rules to follow and they couldn't even manage that!
No cursing.
No sex jokes
Don't give away our position
"Oh, so Fives can get away with that right-hand joke but I'm the one you need to watch?" He flicked paint at Rex's face.
He glared at him. "You already gave Ahsoka alcohol. You're on thin ice."
Jesse had the self-preservation instincts to let out an 'eep' and go back to painting his armor without much more fuss.
"I still don't get the joke," Ahsoka said, looking at Echo with those damn eyes that could make anyone melt.
Thankfully, Echo had some sort of resistance to them and scoffed. "Don't expect me to tell you. I value not getting thrown out the airlock, thank you very much."
She glowered and flicked paint at him.
"Hey!" Echo cried, flicking paint back at her.
"Children, all of them," he sighed.
Still, he couldn't be mad with the events of the evening. The conversation didn't end in an argument and he could tell Ahsoka would talk to Skywalker. Eventually. He'd give her a push if she hadn't by the end of the week. For now, all he had to do was make sure Hardcase didn't end up with a sugar high and bouncing off the walls and the rest of his vod'e didn't end up drunk. Just because they were in the barracks didn't mean they couldn't cause some trouble. Next time, he was going to ask Ahsoka to wager something that wasn't so stress-inducing for him. Like a nice battalion-wide meditation retreat on Naboo.
Then again, Naboo probably wasn't the best place to go since Skywalker and Amidala were the galaxy's worst-kept secret. Damn, was no place in the galaxy safe from Torrent's idiocy?
Cody would argue no. No there was not.
*****
Ahsoka wrung her hands as she paced in front of her master's quarters at the Temple. She had been pacing back and forth for about fifteen minutes now, trying and failing to buck up the courage to talk to him.
Despite her telling Rex that she would, it had been nearly a week since their conversation. If someone were to ask her why it took so long, she'd say it was because she wanted to finish up Jesse's video and get it posted. In case the entire project came crashing down around her and she was forced to stop the entire thing. That would be a lie.
She knew Anakin wouldn't be mad at her. He probably wouldn't even be disappointed. He probably wouldn't even care! But, she still hesitated. Like Rex, she wanted his approval. She wanted him to be proud of her. She wanted him to tell her 'good job' or 'excellent work'. This little project she had started (that was starting to get very out of hand if she thought about how many non-younglings and non-troopers were watching it) wasn't likely to garner any sort of praise or appreciation. In fact, it might just garner some scorn.
No matter what she told herself about Anakin's reaction, there was always a chance he'd see it as a childish waste of time. He'd wrinkle his nose in disdain and ask, 'This is what you do in your spare time? If you have enough time for this, you have enough time for more lightsaber drills.'
Again, it probably wasn't going to happen. That didn't help the fear from lingering. Festering. Twisting itself into something that closed the back of her throat and made her want to hide.
"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering," she mumbled to herself.
The words rattled around her brain. Would she really fall to the dark side because she was afraid her master wouldn't approve of her stupid holonet series? That felt like kind of an overreaction. Besides, the fear itself was stupid.
She was a Jedi! She wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything! Or have attachments to anyone!
Please ignore the fact that she literally saw the troopers as her brothers and called them as such. At least, in her mind. She had never said the word vodout loud and her butchering of the word besom had been her first and last attempt to speak Mando'a. The troopers seemed more than willing to throw around all sorts of endearments when it came to her. She felt like doing the same would open up a can of worms she wasn't ready for.
"I guess I'm not a very good Jedi," she groaned.
Yet more things she needed to unpack. Probably with the help of a lot of meditation. That was future Ahsoka's problem. Present Ahsoka's problem was bucking up and telling Anakin that in her free time, she made stupid videos with the rest of the 501st and posted them on the holonet for people to watch.
She didn't get the chance to buck up the courage or pace back and forth any longer. Anakin's door opened and she found herself face-to-face with her master.
"What's up, Snips? Something the matter?"
"Um, I need to tell you about something," she blurted out before she could talk herself out of this conversation.
Anakin swept past her and headed to the council room. She had to jog to keep up with him. Damn him and his long legs! One day, she was going to be taller than him and he'd have to jog to keep up with her!
"Is it going to kill you?"
"What? No."
"Is it going to kill one of the men?"
"No."
"Is anyone going to get arrested or tried for treason because of it?"
She had to think about that one for a second. "Um, I don't think so?"
"Then can it wait until after the council meeting? I'm late as is."
She stopped her awkward jog as Anakin continued to march forward at a hurried pace.
"Oh. Okay then." She hadn't realized, but she had actually been looking forward to getting this off her chest. And now she'd have to wait.
He paused and turned to her. Smiling, he said, "Hey, I can sense you're nervous about something. Whatever it is, I'm here to support you. We'll talk after. I promise. I'll come straight to you as soon as the meeting is over. Okay?"
Something about the soft, gentle tone of his voice eased her mind just a bit. She nodded. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, master."
"In the meantime, you can see if Rex can help put your mind at ease. I think he and Cody were going to talk to Fox about something." He rubbed the top of her head. Then, turned and swept down the hallway before she could respond.
Once he was out of sight, she groaned and thumped her head against the wall. "Oh, yeah. Talk to Rex and Cody. They'll both just say I should have talked to you ages ago."
Oh well. She had already waited a week. What were two more hours? Then again… maybe this was the Force's way of telling her she wasn't supposed to tell Anakin today.
She wondered if Rex would buy that excuse.
*****
Anakin hated council meetings. He hated council meetings more than he hated meditation and drinking tea with Obi-wan as his former master tried and failed once more to teach him the finer points of negotiations.
Council meetings were dull, boring wastes of time that were a product of a bygone era. Most of the stuff they discussed could be a message sent over the holonet. Half the time, he didn't even say anything! He just sat there waiting for it to be over. Then, when it was over, he thanked the council members for their time as if he had contributed something! It seemed like the only reason they still had these Force-damn meetings was because some of the old-as-dirt council members with sticks up their asses about protocol and 'the Jedi way' couldn't be bothered to how to use a datapad. Not Master Yoda, of course. He was surprisingly technologically literate. But the rest of the council? Boring. Useless. Pointless.
He couldn't be the only one who thought this either. He swore he once caught Luminara rolling her eyes and looking at Aayla with an expression that screamed 'I hate that we have to listen to these idiots'. She claimed she didn't know what he was talking about. He knew better. He had practically made the eye-rolling into an art form. Only surpassed by Ahsoka.
This meeting was shaping up to be just as dull, boring, and useless as all the other meetings he had ever attended. Several times, he caught himself falling asleep. Or, rather, Obi-wan caught him falling asleep and elbowed him in the ribs so he would wake up. Why did he ever want to become a Jedi knight in the first place? Padawans didn't have to attend nearly as many meetings! Was it possible to go back to being a padawan after being knighted? He should look that up later.
He managed to keep his eyes open for almost thirty minutes at one point. The drones of countless Jedi giving reports on their various missions faded into the background as his mind wandered to Ahsoka.
Part of the reason he was late in the first place was because he could feel her through the door. Just a great, big, bundle of nerves. He had waited, hoping she would buck up the courage to talk to him. Eventually, though, he had to leave. He was pushing his luck with the council as is. He hated to do it. Clearly, something was bothering her. The only thing easing his mind for the moment was the fact that it didn't feel as if she were in any danger.
He wondered if it had to do with the conversation he had had with Rex a few days ago. Don't think he didn't notice him and Cody freezing up when they mentioned noodle arms and the Z-6. Troopers were terrible liars (probably by design), and being a Jedi made it all the easier to tell when they were hiding something. Rex knew what was going on with the men. Cody knew what was going on with the men. And his careful wording that he'd 'talk to them', instead of 'get to the bottom of it' made Anakin even more sure that he knew what was going on.
He didn't think it was a coincidence that he talked to Rex one day. And then not long after he had a nervous Ahsoka pacing outside his door for nearly twenty minutes. At least someone was keeping tabs on her and the situation. And at least Ahsoka was open enough with Rex to talk to him about it.
But what was going on?
What could possibly be impacting the troopers and Ahsoka? And why was she the one to talk to him and not someone else? Just how involved was she in this mess?
All these questions could potentially be answered if this damn meeting would finish up! Seriously, how many times did they have to talk about unpopulated moons where nothing happened?
Thankfully, Master Windu called the meeting to a close. "I believe that's all we have for the day," he said.
Finally! Anakin started gathering up his things, ready to run out the door and hunt down Ahsoka.
"At least pretend like you weren't bored out of your mind," Obi-wan whispered with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Anakin rolled his eyes.
"Actually," Master Fisto butted in.
Force, no! Please! Just let him leave already! Even if his padawan wasn't up to something, this long of a meeting was torture!
"I was wondering if anyone else's troops have been acting strange as of late," he finished.
This grabbed his attention. It wasn't just the 501st and the 212th that were acting weird? He hadn't even considered that possibility. They had assumed it was only their men because the two battalions were very close. The fact that Master Fisto's troops also seemed to be caught up in it was… interesting to say the least. A little nerve-wracking. Ahsoka had said whatever was going on wasn't going to get anyone killed or arrested, but if this extended to a bigger portion of the troops… He didn't know how he felt about that.
"My troops have been acting a little strange lately, now that you mention it," Aayla said.
"As have mine. More inside jokes," Luminara added.
"Noodle arms and a Z-6?" Master Windu said.
Okay. Something weird was definitely going on here.
"That and my troopers have been curious to know what they smell like," Master Ti said.
"Smell?" Anakin said. Now that he thought of it, he had caught a couple of his troopers asking Ahsoka that same question. And then asking her if they smelled better or worse than Jesse.
"Anakin and I have just had a talk with Captain Rex and Commander Cody about this very topic," Obi-wan said, stroking his beard. He sounded like he was getting a kick out of this.
Anakin was not. Ahsoka was caught up in this. He did not want Ahsoka to be caught up in anything this big.
"And?" Master Yoda asked. He also seemed like he was having way too much fun with this. Like he already knew what was going on.
Anakin wouldn't put it past him. Master Yoda always seemed to know what was going on and was simply sitting back and letting things run their course.
"They said they'd talk to the troops," Obi-wan responded with a shrug. "Though, I have a feeling what they really meant was that they'd convince the troops to come clean. I had no idea it was affecting you as well."
"It might be a good idea to start questioning the troops," Master Krell said. "In case they've been compromised."
It was at this moment that Master Koon sighed heavily and stepped forward. "I will have to apologize to my commander for this. I did promise I wouldn't say anything, but now it appears I have no choice."
Wait! Master Koon knew what was going on? And Wolffe asked him not to say anything? Just how big was this thing?
"Know what is going on, you do?" Master Yoda asked. Oh yeah. He definitely knew what was going on and was simply sitting back and watching them all squirm for fun. A frustratingly common occurrence.
"Yes. It is nothing so grievous as General Krell is implying."
Krell scowled at him and crossed his arms.
"I find it quite entertaining, actually. It appears the younglings at the Temple approached Padawan Tano a few weeks ago and asked her for a look into life as a commander to ease their transitions."
The result was instantaneous and simultaneous. All eyes whipped towards him.
He held up his hands in an attempt to placate the group. "Don't look at me. This is the first time I'm hearing about it as well."
Master Koon chuckled. "It's merely a holonet series that has appeal to both younglings and troopers alike. My men have already used it successfully to help some village children trust us. Harmless levity in a war that demands so much from our children. I shall send you the latest video."
"Should we be concerned about this?" Master Windu asked.
Master Koon shook his head. "No. I am of the understanding that Captain Rex is monitoring and approving every transmission before it is released. Therefore, no intelligence can be gained that might impact the war."
Once more, all eyes whipped toward him.
"Again. I didn't know. And I will definitely be having a talk with my padawan after this."
"I suppose if it makes the men and the younglings happy and doesn't compromise safety, we can let them have their fun," Aalya said.
"It might even be good for morale," Master Fisto added. "Master Koon is right. The war demands so much from all of us. Sometimes it is good to have a little fun."
Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. Yeah, he got why Ahsoka was so nervous now. The council may have decided it was too… something and forced her to get rid of it.
The meeting (finally) let out and on his datapad was a link from Master Koon to a video. Ahsoka wasn't still hanging around his chambers so he decided to watch it before seeking her out. After all, he wanted to know what he was getting himself into.
*****
Episode 3: Slang! With! Jesse!
Ahsoka and Jesse stood in front of a board. Jesse looked like he was about ready to vibrate right out of armor he was so excited.
"Hi, guys! Welcome back. Today we're going to go over the various slang terms you'll hear the troopers use." Ahsoka said brightly.
"It'll help when you're in battle and you hear some trooper say 'Watch my six, I got clankers on the inbound, vod' so that you know what they're talking about," Jesse added. "Also, Fives, don't think I didn't hear your comment about my tattoo! 'It's stupid', says the guy with the number five tattooed on his head. Real original, pal! I'm going to get you back, vod Just you wait. I'll figure out a way to shave off one of your eyebrows. Or dye your stupid goatee purple."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Jesse, those are all weak. And not very permanent. And we've already done most of them to other troopers. You need to go bigger than that. Think outside the box. Come on, that's what the 501st is known for!"
Jesse looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Oh yeah? And what do you suggest, commander?"
She smiled, showing off several razor-sharp teeth. Standing on her tip-toes, she whispered something in Jesse's ear.
He grinned, with an evil look in his eye. "Oh, that's brilliant. You are evil, commander. We'll do it before this video goes out though. Yeah?"
She nodded. "Of course. Wouldn't want him to have a heads-up. Now then, back to slang. It's pretty straightforward. But it'll help a lot to know what people are saying. Also, you don't have to use any of this slang. The troopers will know what you're talking about either way. This is just to help you feel more acquainted with the language you'll hear most around the battalion. And sometimes it's quicker to use it than to explain what you're doing in proper common."
"Right. Right. Now, there are four main categories we're going to go over today."
Ahsoka looked at him. "I thought there were only three categories?"
"The fourth one I added last minute. Don't worry, you're going to love it," Jesse said, waving a dismissive hand at her.
"Jesse," Captain Rex said somewhere off-camera, the warning clear in his voice.
"Don't worry, captain. Just go back to your boring paperwork. And don't you have a meeting in a few minutes?"
Captain Rex grumbled something difficult to hear.
"Right," Ahsoka said. "So, the first category is general military terms."
Jesse turned to the board and wrote down a series of words. "First up: CO. CO stands for Commanding Officer. These are you generals, admirals, captains, commanders, and lieutenants. Basically, anyone of a higher rank than you."
"If someone tells you to 'go ask your CO', that means go ask whoever is in charge that isn't you," Ahsoka said. "Another note, Captains are technically lower rank than commanders, but if you're a padawan, they can still be a wealth of useful information and guidance. Isn't that right, Rex?"
Rex didn't answer.
"Eh, he's just being his normal grumpy self. I swear, all clone COs were designed to have a massive stick up their—"
"I will shoot you!" Rex shouted.
"Never mind, never mind," Jesse held his hands up in surrender. "You know he's ticked off when he goes straight for shooting instead of the airlock threat. Alright, moving on before Captain No Fun kills me. 'Watch my Six' means 'watch my back'. And in a similar vein, 'cover me' means 'I'm not able to shoot at the things currently shooting at me, so please shoot them for me while I do whatever I need to do'."
"Yup. Both of these can be said if you need to move position, focus on defusing a bomb, basically anything where your full attention cannot be at the droids shooting at you." Ahsoka explained.
"Right you are, commander. 'Sitrep' is another one you'll hear a lot. It's short for 'situation report'. Basically means 'Tell me what's going on. Who's shooting at us? Who's dead? Who's injured? How close are we to finishing up our mission.' And so on and so on. That about covers it for the military terms you'll here. So, next up, we're going to go through what I like to call 'clone-ialisms. Eh? Get it? Like colloquialisms but for clones?" Jesse looked much too proud of himself for coming up with that one.
Ahsoka put a hand to her heart. "Oh, ouch. That physically hurt me."
He elbowed her. "You're just mad you didn't think of it first."
"I'm just mad I had to suffer through hearing that. Anyways, these are phrases that are more unique to the troopers. They have their own pretty diverse slang that they use on a regular basis."
"Comment below if you think my 'clone-ialism' is a stroke of genius."
"Please don't."
"Afraid you'll be proven wrong?"
"Afraid you'll have your heart broken when you see everyone else in the galaxy has good taste."
He glared at her. "Whatever. First up: clanker. Clanker refers to any droid that's part of the separatist army and trying to shoot you. All clankers are droids, not all droids are clankers. It can also just mean 'enemy droid currently trying to kill me'."
"And, since many of you have heard the term before, 'Shiny' is another one used a lot."
"It's referring to very new troopers. Cause their armor's all shiny and new," he explained. "They don't have a chance to paint it or get it dirty from battle. You'll be shiny too one day. Stepping off your transport ships. Everyone is shiny at some point. So don't worry too much about it. It's less a dig at you and more to let people know you might need a little more help."
"Right you are, Jesse."
"Finally, we have 'batch-mate'."
"Troopers are decanted in batches where they do everything together," Ahsoka said. "They train together. Eat together. Bunk together. And, unless they're part of a special training program, they'll often be placed in the same battalion together."
"Troopers might all look the same, and we do consider each other brothers, but most of us will have a special bond with our batchmates."
"And the final category?"
"Second to last."
"Right, sorry. I'm curious as to what this last category is. So, let's get this out of the way: Mando'a! Mando'a is the language of the people of Mandalore. A lot of troopers pepper various words into their regular speech," Ahsoka said.
"The man whose DNA we all come from was originally from Mandalore," Jesse added. "The troopers are in a very unique position where we don't really have a culture or place to call our own. We don't have ancestors, tribes, or even a homeworld. Because of that, most of us learned Mando'a to try and connect us to the galaxy as a whole. You all have a history you can draw on. We don't. So we've essentially created our own culture and language."
"You'll hear it often, especially if you spend a lot of time with your men. Which you should, considering you're all in this war together. But, it's rarely ever spoken to non-troopers," Ahsoka explained. "That is to say, you'll hear it, but it probably won't be directed at you. And you aren't expected to understand it or respond in Mando'a."
"Right." He nodded. "Also, it's not Mando'a proper. We might use terms in different contexts. Switch up tenses. Attach our own meanings to words and whatnot. Remember, we're not from Mandalore. We're merely trying to give ourselves a sense of identity. Same with the armor. So don't be a grammar-sith and correct us if we get something wrong. We're not Mandalorians. We're troopers. An entirely distinct people."
"And with that out of the way, I think we can get started. Jesse, what do you want to start with."
He turned to the board and threw up several more words. "The most common one you'll hear is 'vod. This just means 'brother'. Or 'sister' I guess, but there are no female clones that I know of so to us it just means 'brother'. 'Ori'vod' means 'older brother' and vod'ika means 'little brother'."
"Another one you'll hear is 'lek'" Ashoka said. "It means 'yeah'. And, if you're Kix or Rex, they'll throw 'di'kut' around. A lot."
"Which means 'idiot'. And I would argue we are not idiots."
"Debatable," Rex grumbled.
"Hukaat'kama means 'watch my six'," Ahsoka said, hurrying the conversation along before Rex and Jesse could start brawling.
"Oh, this is a fun one. Fox, Cody, and Wolffe love this one. Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur."
"Oh, yeah. I've heard Wolffe shout that before the rips the heads off of droids with his bare hands. And Cody usually says that before a battle. I always forget to ask what it means," Ahsoka said.
"It's a Mandalorian saying. 'Today is a good day for someone else to die.'"
"Yup, that definitely sounds like Wolffe."
"If you ever hear a trooper say this, especially a commander, and it's directed at you. Just give up. Don't even try and run. It's too late. They'll hunt you down and finish you."
"And now I know why Fox says it before they chase after the various assassins that target the senators. Anything else for the mando'a slang?"
At this, Jesse looked a bit sad. "There is one more you should know. Now, when you hear this, just know it is not the time for jokes. It's a somber statement. You'll probably hear it after every battle. If you do hear it, just give the troopers some space and time. It's how we process grief. Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la. 'Not gone, merely marching far away.' It's what we say to honor our fallen brothers."
Ahsoka put a hand on his arm, offering him a bit of comfort as he no doubt remembered his own losses. Both recent and old.
Jesse took a breath and shook off his sadness. "This is supposed to be a fun show so let's not linger on sad things anymore. Besides, we got one more category to go!"
She clapped her hands together. "Oh, I'm so excited."
His face split into a wide grin. He glanced toward where Rex was sitting off-camera. There was a look in his eyes that screamed 'I am about to get in so much trouble and I do not regret it one bit'. Even Ahsoka seemed to sense this as she backed away from him.
He whipped back towards the camera. "I'm going to teach all you baby Jedi how to curse in fifty-six different languages!"
The words were barely out of his mouth before a chair clattered to the floor. Ahsoka had barely enough time to hop up on the table as a blue and white blur rushed at Jesse, knocking over the board. Jesse let out a screech and scrambled away.
"Haar'chak! Nayc, nayc, alor'ad! I don't even know fifty-six languages!" Jesse yelped Rex chased him around the room.
Ahsoka merely sighed and settled on the table. Behind her was a loud crashing sound.
"He doesn't know how to fluently speak fifty-six languages, but he does know curse words in fifty-six languages," she said.
"You taught her how to curse!"
"Ahsoka, vod'ika! Gaa'tayl!"
"I'm not going to help you, Jesse. You knew this would happen which was why you didn't tell me in the first place." She rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't be an episode of 'Creche to Command' without something happening at the end. I'll see you guys next time. Jesse…"
There was a loud crash from somewhere else in the room.
"May or may not be alive. Bye, guys!" She waved as the video cut to black.
*****
Ahsoka had holed herself up in the library after Anakin went to his council meeting. She wasn't hiding from Rex. Really! She wasn't! She was… researching! It was very important for a padawan to research things.
What was she researching?
Um…
Secret padawan stuff!
Oh, who was she kidding? She was avoiding talking to Anakin, who now knew something was up. And she was avoiding talking to Rex, who said that if she didn't talk to Anakin by the end of the week, he'd go tell him.
"Why is this so hard?" She groaned, thumping her head on the table.
"There you are, Snips," Anakin called from the other end of the room. "I've been looking all over for you. Sorry, it took so long. That meeting went on forever. I swear, some of these masters just like to hear themselves talk.
He pulled up a chair and sat next to her.
Great. Just what she wanted. Why couldn't he have gone and done something else? Why did he have to be here?
"So, about our conversation earlier," he started.
She flinched. "We don't have to talk about it. Rex and Cody were very helpful."
"Is that so?" He quirked an eyebrow.
Something told her she should come clean now.
She ignored that part of her.
"Yep. No need to worry, Master. I'm okay. Really."
"Snips," he sighed and pulled out a datapad. On it was a very familiar video.
"You… know about it?" She couldn't think of anything else to say. Of course, he knew about it! The evidence was right there!
Thankfully, he sensed her nerves and decided to put her out of her misery. "I just found out about it at the council meeting. Everyone noticed there was something up with the troops and Master Plo finally came forward with the evidence."
She slumped back in the chair, still unsure of what to say or how to react to this.
He put a comforting hand on her back. "I thought it was pretty funny. And it also makes sense why so many troopers have been asking you how they smelled."
She groaned and buried her face in her hands.
"Why didn't you just tell me? I wouldn't have been made. Force knows I have my own weird quirks."
"It's embarrassing!" She cried. "I don't know what else to say but it's embarrassing. It's bad enough Rex found out and now you and the rest of the Jedi council have seen it? I might just die."
He laughed. "No need to be dramatic. We all have our embarrassing moments. I don't think it's embarrassing though."
"You don't?"
How could he not? She and the rest of the troopers were running around like idiots. The latest episode had Jesse getting tossed around the room by Rex for trying to teach the younglings swear words. Then there was the whole Z-6 fiasco! Fives and Echo's argument about his goatee. Stupid. Embarrassing. All of it. None of this was how a Jedi should be acting.
She should be more like Master Unduli or Master Kenobi. Serene. Calm. Dignified. Not… whatever this was.
"No, I don't." Anakin continued. "I know a lot of people think there's a right and wrong way to be a Jedi, and they might be right in some instances, but I don't think having one kind of Jedi is really helpful. Sometimes you need someone like Luminara, who has great control over her emotions. Sometimes you need someone like Master Yoda, who's old, wise, and more than willing to let you suffer on your own for a bit to teach you a lesson. Other times you need someone like Obi-wan, who can be charismatic and persuasive. And other times, we need someone like you. Someone who can empathize with anyone. Who can be a good friend and an even better peer. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Your greatest strength is your ability to be so approachable."
His words made her cheeks heat up slightly. She never thought of it like that.
"Thanks, master," she said quietly.
He pulled her into a side hug. "Anytime, snips. I'll always have your back, you know. Obi-wan and Master Plo as well. We'd defend you from the council if you needed it."
"I know." It was still nice to hear.
"Though, I don't think you needed to worry about that. I heard Master Fisto laughing about it with Master Ki-Adi-Mundi about it on my way over."
"Really? They liked it?"
"Yup. You got a real talent, Snips. Now, is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Or did you have something else going on?"
She shook her head. "No. That was what I wanted you to know."
She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't realize just how much keeping it a secret had weighed on her. It felt good to finally get it off her chest.
"Good. Want to spar for a few rounds? Or are you happy sitting in the library?" He grinned.
She hopped off her chair. "Let's spar! I still need to get you back for dropping a building on me."
"One: It was only the ceiling of one room. And two: It was only after you bit me."
"You're just mad because we won."
"You only lasted nine minutes. You didn't win. I don't care what Obi-wan says."
They continued their bickering to the training room. Now that it was finally out in the open with everyone, Ahsoka was more than happy to continue on. There were so many things she wanted to discuss. She couldn't wait to get back to filming.
*****
GeneralSkywalker has added CaptainRex, CommanderCody, and GeneralKenobi to the chat.
GeneralSkywalker has shared a link: Slang! With! Jesse!
GeneralSkywalker: I'm guessing this is what the men were up to?
CaptainRex: She finally told you?
GeneralKenobi: No, we had to find out from Master Koon. Who only revealed it because Master Krell was worried the troopers were mounting an insurrection.
CommanderCody: We aren't.
GeneralKenobi: I know. I would hope that if you were planning an uprising, you'd have the decency to include me in your plans.
GeneralSkywalker: These are pretty amusing. What exactly did Jesse and Ahsoka do to Fives?
CaptainRex has uploaded an image.
Image 1: A photo of Fives' armor, now covered in glittery stickers in the shape of the symbol of the republic.
GeneralSkywalker: Oh, that's amazing.
CaptainRex: Wait, it gets better.
CaptainRex has uploaded two images.
Image 2: A photo of Fives' blaster. Now completely covered in glitter paint.
Image 3: A photo of a horrified Fives as he looks in the mirror and realizes that his hair and goatee are now glittery.
GeneralKenobi: Where in the Galaxy did they get their hands on so much glitter?
GeneralSkywalker: And so many different types as well. I have a feeling Ahsoka's been planning this for a while.
CaptainRex: I don't know. What I do know is I refuse to bunk with Fives until his kit is glitter-free.
CommanderCody: That's never going to happen.
CaptainRex: I know. And I am not complaining.
Notes:One of my favorite 'Ahsoka Fanfic Tropes' is her willingness to bite her enemies. Seriously, I feel like canon should have allowed her to bite more people. Give me a feral child out for blood and her exasperated horde of brothers trying to keep her from biting people's hands off!
Mando'a:
Ori'vod: Big brother
Vod: Brother
Vod'ika: Little brother/sister
Lek: Yeah
Di'kut: Idiot
Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la: Not gone, merely marching far away
Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur: Today is a good day for someone else to die
Hukaat'kama!: Watch my six
Haar'chak: Damn it
Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod: Are you looking for a smack in the face, brother?
Alor'ad: Captain
Aliit: Family
Nayc: No
Gaa'tayl!: Help
Besom: Low-life, ill-mannered lout