Chapter 6: Episode 6: The Mess Hall with Waxer and Boil!Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextBeing a politician was hard. Being a politician in the middle of a war was even harder. Padme knew that being a politician was hard. She knew that the universe wasn't perfect and there would be times when she wouldn't get her way. She also tried not to judge those on the opposite sides too harshly. She liked to think that those that opposed her were good people trying to do right by their citizens, just like her. She wasn't naïve, though, and knew that for some of her colleagues, war meant money. And they loved money. They were profiteers and would not bow easily to any attempts to shorten the war. Even if it would save billions of lives.
She knew all of this.
She accepted all of this.
She was willing to stay in office as long as her people wanted her to speak for them. She loved what she did. She loved making lasting changes that would better the lives of all citizens, not just the rich ones.
But even with all of that, she hated being a politician during this war. It seemed like no matter how hard she fought for peace; how hard she tried to push for negotiations, there was always something in her path stopping her.
And that thing was usually Chancellor Palpatine.
She could never say this out loud, but something about that man rubbed her the wrong way. He always seemed to say the right thing. The things she wanted to hear. Always. Without fail. Almost as if he could read her mind. He knew that she wanted peace talks so any time she brought up her concerns, he would agree with soft-spoken wishes for peace and a swift resolution to the war. He'd counter her accusations with gentle, warm smiles, and a sad weariness in his eyes that made her think he was just as tired of the fighting as she was. It put her at ease. Lowered her defenses. Made her believe that maybe, just maybe, the chancellor was on her side.
And then he would act. And his actions always pushed for bills that did the exact opposite of ending the war. He pushed for more troops. More aggressive military campaigns. More emergency bills that gave him more power. All of this slapped her in the face with just how she had been manipulated.
And no matter how hard she tried to remember that when they spoke, she'd always find herself slipping once more into a state of trust.
She did not trust Sheev Palpatine.
What's more, she did not like how much he seemed to focus on Anakin. If Palpatine was manipulating her into quiet acceptance, then what the hell was he doing to her husband?
She wanted to talk to people about this. She felt like she needed to talk to people about it. Chancellor Palpatine was an immensely powerful man. If he had ill intentions, he needed to be stopped. Only, she felt like she couldn't. Palpatine could manipulate her. Which meant he could manipulate other people as well. If she started speaking out, she might be accused of being a separatist. He might alienate any allies she had. He might have her deemed no longer fit for duty and have her forcibly retired.
Which meant she had to play the political game and do things in a more underhanded manner. No direct confrontations. Simply playing the senate floor as though her colleagues were chess pieces. Taking strategic losses put her in a better position to win.
It was exhausting and she hated how much she had to scheme now. But desperate times called for desperate measures.
She felt like she was fighting against two enemies instead of just one. And it was exhausting.
Thankfully, Padme did have a small band of senators willing to fight for peace with her, but not many. And, it felt like every day their list of allies was growing shorter and shorter. Sometimes, she had nightmares that one day she'd be the only one standing up for what was right.
For now, these were just nightmares. If that was indeed the path her allies were heading, then she should take advantage of her friendships now to do as much good as possible. After all, if she died tomorrow she'd die knowing she did everything she could for the people of the Republic.
"What do we think of this newest weapons bill?" Senator Mothma asked, scrolling through it.
"I still don't get why they are spending so much money on gunships and munitions but cutting spending to medical supplies." Riyo shook her head. "And they have buried our bill to improve the troopers' armor."
"It's more profitable for the Kaminoans to create more clones than it is to heal the ones they already have," Senator Organa said. "And we could probably improve our bill for better armor. I have a meeting with a researcher today looking at synthetic beskar. If we can figure out a way to produce it more cheaply and efficiently, we might have a chance. I say we let the weapons bill pass and reintroduce the armor bill in six months. We need to focus our negotiations on more pressing matters."
"We've already let several similar emergency bills pass, though," Padme said. "At what point are most of the Republic's money just being funneled into a war effort we don't appear to be winning?"
"That is a fair question," Senator Mothma said. "But, I think Senator Organa is right. It's too popular among the senate and we should be focusing our efforts on matters that are still up in the air."
"We could add in an amendment to address Senator Chuchi's concerns over medical supplies," Senator Organa added. "Then we can focus the majority of our efforts on blocking the bill authorizing more extreme bombardments on Separatist planets."
"That is true," Riyo said. "They don't seem to be targeting military bases from what I gather. I worry about the civilian casualties. War is hell, but we should not let it turn us into monsters willing to sacrifice innocent civilians to win."
Padme sighed as the weight of the universe once more pressed on her shoulders. In a perfect world, she could negotiate with reasonable people and make them see her side. Then, they would agree with her, vote with her, and her concerns would be addressed. This wasn't a perfect world. She wasn't a perfect person. And sometimes there were blind spots in her views that benefited from debates with the other side. More to the point, sometimes they needed to lose some to win.
The weapons bill was widely supported by the Senate. There were a few senators they might be able to swing to their side, but it would take a lot of negotiations. And, if they negotiated on this, that meant they'd lose their power to negotiate with other things. Senators Organa and Mothma were right. They needed to focus their efforts on truly horrific bills from passing.
"Okay, I agree with Senator Organa and Mothma," she said. "We'll add in an amendment for medical supplies but otherwise we let it pass without much fuss. We can then focus most of our negotiations on the military bombardment bill. Senator Mothma, how are you doing on the outer rim relief bill? I've read some truly harrowing stories about children starving and parents selling them into slavery in the hopes that at least they'll get fed on a more regular basis."
"It's slow going," Senator Mothma said. The problem seems to be more systemic than anything so I'm trying to draft a bill that addresses these issues without accusing the outer rim senators of corruption."
"If it walks like a bantha and talks like a bantha," Riyo muttered under her breath.
"Very true, but until they're voted out of office there isn't much we can do. Stamping out corruption has never been a priority for the Senate. And this war has only allowed it to fest even more."
Padme massaged her temples as a new headache sprouted up. It seemed like no matter how much work she did, no matter how many bills she passed or how much she negotiated, it wasn't enough to even dent the problems this galaxy had. There was another player in the game, blocking her every move. Always one step ahead of her. Knowing how she'd react and anticipating it to get what they wanted.
Palpatine an insidious voice whispered in the back of her head.
That was the most likely candidate. But what could she do about it? If Palpatine was truly a corrupt man, then all hope was lost. A corrupt senate did not see the need to remove a corrupt politician. And it wasn't like she could launch a coup or something. Such a turbulent turnover in power would likely lead to more strife in the galaxy, weaken them to Separatist attacks, and also required a much bigger military than she had access to.
Oh, what was she thinking? She couldn't stage a coup! She was stupid to even entertain the idea. There were many more problems with that plan than just the need for a bigger military. She needed to focus on doing her job the best she could under the circumstances. Still, sometimes it was nice to dream about kicking Palpatine out of his office and taking over. Then she'd get shit done.
Sometimes, it felt like the only winners in this war were the systems that stayed neutral.
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
"Are we expecting someone?" Padme asked. "I thought it was just us for the meeting."
"Actually, I invited the Jondan leader and senator for a quick meeting to introduce ourselves," Senator Mothma said. She stood up and went to the door. "I hope you don't mind. She might be a potential ally for us."
That was a good point. From Master Secura and Commander Bly's account, it seemed like Mistress Ja'ani had only agreed to join after realizing the troops were well cared for by their Jedi leaders. That was more concern with the men than most senators showed.
The door opened and Mistress Ja'ani and her senator, a Mirialan woman named Mara Lezien, stepped into the room.
"Mistress Ja'ani, Senator Lezien, it's nice of you to join us," Senator Mothma said, leading them into the room. "I'd like to introduce you to Senators Organa, Amidala, and Chuchi."
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you," Senator Lezien said, bowing her head slightly.
Mistress Ja'ani did not bow, merely narrowing her eyes as she studied each of them. Padme was used to being studied. One was not the youngest ruler in Naboo history without having their fair share of people studying them. She did not cower to Ja'ani's narrowed eyes or the general air of distrust. She merely waited, curious to see if the newest addition to the Galactic Republic would find what she was looking for.
"I have seen all of you in action," she said, breaking the silence. "We've studied you. To know what we were getting into. You seem to be the least corrupt of the bunch. And the most competent."
Padme was taken aback by her blatant and open call out of the senators. Was she trying to make enemies? Maybe the Jondan leadership weren't the shrewd political minds Padme had been hoping for. If Senator Lezien and Mistress Ja'ani were going to so openly critique the government, maybe Padme didn't want them on her side. After all, she regularly had to work with those corrupt senators and pretend like their corruption was a feature, not a bug.
"If you don't mind me asking," Riyo said, "if you find our system of government corrupt, why did you join us? As far as I am aware, there was no reason for you to leave the alliance of neutral systems. And Duchess Satine has been instrumental in keeping your people out of the war. Why enter it willingly now?"
"Bah," Mistress Ja'ani stepped to the window, hands clasped behind her back as she watched the busy life of Coruscant rush by. "I am not a stupid woman, senators. I know my place in the galaxy and the natural resources of my planet offer a leg up to any who wish to claim it. Duchess Satine has helped keep my people out of the war, but sometimes neutrality and pacifism are not an option. Eventually, one side would have decided they were done negotiating and taken my system by force."
"The Republic would never—" Padme started to say.
Senator Lezien cut her off. "There is a history of the Galactic Republic willing to use underhanded deeds to get what they want. They may not have launched an invasion, but there are other ways to take a planet, senator."
Padme swallowed down her words. Her own devious schemes to get what she wanted rushed to the forefront of her mind. Yes, she was doing this for the greater good of the Republic. But how many of her enemies were also doing what they did for the greater good of their systems? People rarely saw themselves as the villain. And maybe Senator Lezien would judge her actions just as harshly as the actions of openly corrupt senators.
"Simply put," Mistress Ja'ani turned to them, "I made a choice for my people. I joined the Republic so that I could keep my system and have the might of the Republic Army to protect me should the Separatists decide to take my planet by force. I did not make this choice lightly. And I pray I do not come to regret it."
"Why the Republic, though?" Senator Organa said. "Their army is also a force to be reckoned with."
He was testing her loyalties. Padme figured she didn't have any. She was doing whatever it took to keep her people safe. If the Republic no longer provided that, Ja'ani would leave them.
That… that actually might be useful in negotiations. She'd have to keep an eye on Senator Lezien and see how willing she was to be a pawn to get what Padme wanted.
"I decided to choose the lesser of two evils." Mistress Ja'ani shrugged. "The Republic has outlawed slavery. For the most part."
"What do you mean for the most part?" Padme asked.
"The clone troopers. They are slaves, are they not?"
"What? No!" Senator Organa said.
Mistress Ja'ani simply raised an eyebrow. "So, they are able to leave the military if they so choose? They are able to take on another job if they do not want to fight? There is nothing keeping them here against their will?"
"The Clone Troopers are treated with the same level of respect as any other citizen in the Republic," Padme assured her.
"But they are not citizens," Senator Lezein said. "How can they be when they have no representation?"
"Senator Burtoni is the representative for Kamino," Senator Mothma stated.
"I do not trust a representative whose economy is tethered to the servitude and production of an entire group of people," she said. "If the senate were to no longer use the clone troopers tomorrow, Kamino's economy would crumble. Therefore, they have a vested interest in keeping the troopers employed in the army."
Padme bit her tongue. They were right. Senator Burtoni was focused on creating a prosperous Kamino, which wasn't in and of itself a bad thing. However, that required more troopers to be created and sent off to battle. What Captain Rex had said to her during the Blue Shadow Virus still haunted her to her core.
Men should be born to do more than die.
"We do our best to speak for the troopers," Riyo stated. Out of all of them, she was the one that took the biggest interest in trying to improve the lives of the troopers.
It wasn't that Padme didn't want to. It was that there was so much else to do. She had to pull her focus away from something. Still, she supported Riyo whenever she brought bills or amendments to the table.
Mistress Ja'ani waved a dismissive hand at her. "How can you represent a people whose struggles you do not understand?"
Riyo opened her mouth to argue, but it was clear Senator Lezien and Mistress Ja'ani were done talking.
"We have work to do," the senator said. "Thank you again for your introductions. I look forward to debating with you on the floor."
Their words had left the room in a decidedly worse mood than before. Padme felt ashamed by the callouts and was once more questioning if she was doing the best things for her people. Should she be doing more? Could she be doing more? Was she just as corrupt as the rest of the politicians? She didn't take bribes, but corruption was more than simply taking a bribe.
"She's right, you know," Riyo said quietly. "The troopers deserve better representation."
"We're doing our best," Senator Organa stated.
"Is it good enough?" she asked. "I feel like all we're doing is reacting to plans already on the floor. But what if that isn't what they need? What if there are other issues we aren't even considering?"
"What else can we do, though?" Senator Mothma said. "Any attempts to bring this up to the Senate will likely lead to them pointing out that with Senator Burtoni, the troopers technically have representation."
"Representation they didn't vote for and who doesn't have their best interests at heart," Padme sighed.
"There must be something more we can do," Senator Chuchi said.
"We can focus on ending this war as quickly as possible," Senator Organa replied.
"And then what? They're soldiers. What happens after the war ends and they're no longer needed? Are we just to release millions of men out into the galaxy with no pensions, and no formal training for any other jobs? Are they even considered citizens? That's a disaster waiting to happen."
"Perhaps we should talk to the troopers about this and see what they need," Padme said. "We may not be their elected representatives, but we can still fight for them whenever possible. For now, we need to focus on the bills in front of us."
Riyo went to leave. She paused at the door. "I fear, though, that there will never be a good time to focus on their rights. Especially not during the war. And, when the war finishes, it'll be too late."
She left the office before Padme could reply. She needed to figure out some way to fix this. She could always reach out to Ahsoka and Anakin to see if there was anyone she could put her in contact with. Maybe after she fixed the munitions spending bill, she'd do just that.
*****
Fox couldn't remember the last time he had had a good day. It was probably back on Kamino if he were to think really long and hard about it. Though, given the absolute hell he and his brothers went through to be 'battle ready', that probably wasn't saying much.
Prior to the Jedi's involvement in their training, Kamino had been one long torture chamber for the clones. They had to be a perfect army, after all. And that involved endless training and drills and classes. These in and of themselves weren't bad. But the instructors were the reason many of his older brothers still woke up screaming. Still had trouble being in a room with their backs to the door. Still had scars and marks that didn't come from any clanker or battle.
Most of their trainers had no issue with corporal punishment, leaving many of his brothers black and blue. And several didn't even need an excuse to torment the clones. Sometimes they went too far and ended up killing them. Thankfully, this stopped pretty quickly. These were an investment from the Kaminoans, after all. It wouldn't do to damage their products.
Still, you never forget your first death. Staring down at the body of a person, a living, breathing, thinking, feeling person only to know they were never going to live or breathe or think or feel ever again.
It was hell.
Kamino was hell.
Those who were designated commanders seemed to get it the worst. They were expected to be perfect. Perfect marksmen. Perfect leaders. Perfect in every way.
Mistakes were not allowed.
Mistakes were harshly punished.
Mistakes were to be avoided at all costs.
Many of the older clones feared the day they would be taken off of Kamino and put under the command of their Jedi. If the stark white halls of Tipoca City were Hell on Kamino, then what the fuck was an active battle going to be like?
They pictured cold leaders who didn't give a damn about their lives. They pictured Jedi tossing them around like ragdolls for their amusement. They pictured life getting worse once out in the galaxy because they were expected to die then. At least on Kamino, they had the protection of needing to at least pass their final exam as a reason to stay alive.
He remembered before that first deployment, all the commanders had gotten together, shaking and afraid that life was about to get so, so much worse. Cody, who had always been eager to step into a leadership role, had tried his best to assure them it would all work out. None of them truly believed it.
Only, as it turned out, the Jedi were actually pretty nice people. They seemed to care about the troops and did their best to keep them alive and happy and healthy. There were a few that were friendlier than others, but it was a massive improvement over Kamino. And, once General Ti had shown up, the treatment of the clones rapidly improved.
Though, he wasn't sure if she knew how bad it was before her involvement or if the Kaminoans knew they could no longer get away with some of the shit they had before.
Still, Fox was so happy for his brothers. He was happy they got to escape the scrutiny of Kamino by being on the front lines with Jedi that truly seemed to care about them and their well-being. And thank god for that. Wolffe would have probably gotten himself executed if his authority issues had been allowed to fester any further. Fox knew the front lines weren't all sunshine and roses. He knew that death was constant and sometimes it felt like the war was truly meaningless. But he still envied his brothers so much.
He envied them because while they got to escape, he wasn't so lucky.
Instead of being under the watchful, emotionless eyes of the Kaminoans, he was now under the watchful, hateful eyes of Chancellor Palpatine and a ton of senators who viewed his life with the same level of disdain they'd view a slug.
Palpatine was the worst, though.
He loved to make Fox's life a living hell. Fox knew a lot of people in the galaxy didn't exactly see him or his brothers as sentient creatures or humans, but Palpatine seemed to take it a step further. He reveled in doing so. He used and abused troopers worse than some droids were treated. And, because the Coruscant Guard was within reach and largely left alone by the Jedi council, they were his victims.
Fox was certain that Palpatine knew this. Which was why he never laid a hand on any other trooper.
Do you think Fucking Skywalker would turn a blind eye if Rex showed up to work one day all black and blue? Do you think Palpatine would really risk getting on General Koon's bad side just for the chance to torture Wolffe?
Hell, no.
He knew he could get away with hurting the Coruscant Guard, so that's what he did.
When he was angry, he took it out on them.
When he was frustrated, he took it out on them.
When he was bored, he took it out on them.
Fox had overheard some civilians talk about how grandfatherly and kind Palpatine seemed. He nearly bit his tongue off to stop himself from commenting. He wanted to run up to the Jedi and scream, 'This man is a monster! Do something!'. He wanted to drag evidence of his abuse in front of the whole senate and ask, 'Why is this man your leader? Do you not see how evil he is?'.
He did none of that.
Fox was not naïve. He had not survived Palpatine's wrath by making assumptions and reacting to things emotionally.
The Jedi may claim that they liked their clones. His brothers might breathe a sigh of relief that they were treated as living creatures instead of commodities now. But Fox knew better. The risks of exposing Palpatine were too high. The Jedi might be colder than they initially appeared. After all, when you live in hell for a decade even the slightest bit of kindness might seem like heaven.
They might not believe him.
Worse yet, they might deem him unfit for duty and execute him. Because no clone could ever retire. Not really. You fought until you died. And, if for whatever reason you could no longer fight but also weren't dead, the GAR would take care of that and wipe you off the map. Discretely, of course.
So, Fox bit his tongue, lowered his head, and directed most of Palpatine's abuse his way. No reason for his troops to suffer any more than they had to. Besides, the younger troopers hadn't been subjected to nearly the level of torment Fox had. He could handle it. He wasn't so sure his younger brothers could.
And usually, it was pretty manageable.
Usually.
The past few weeks had been an exception. An especially bad period where more than once Fox feared Palpatine would take it too far and end his life. He had heard Jonda had joined the Republic. That should have been a happy day for Palpatine and put him in a good enough mood to lay off.
It didn't.
If anything, it seemed to ignite his anger even more. He wondered why. Palpatine should be ecstatic such a powerful ally had joined him. But he wasn't. Something was going on here.
Don't look into it. Just put your head down and keep working. Looking into it will probably get you killed.
He pushed those thoughts away as quickly as they had come. Besides, he had more pressing issues to deal with.
Mainly his annoying brothers. Wolfe had stopped by his office to chat and didn't leave until Fox tried to throw him out the window. Then, Cody kept bugging on the comms until he eventually just muted his chat entirely.
Then, Ponds came.
And Fox snapped.
He was having yet another bad day. He had just sat through a barrage of Chancellor Palpatine's worst insults and was in no mood to entertain his brothers. Ponds, like Wolffe, had barged his way into his office, not listening to Sol and Archer's pleas to leave him alone. He started rambling on about how Rex was possibly planning treason and Cody was probably okay with it and something about the holonet and that's when it all snapped into place.
His brothers were the reason Palpatine had been so pissed off lately.
His brothers were the reason his days had gone from bad to worse.
The clones were supposed to occupy a very rigid and defined role in the Republic and his brothers were likely spitting in the face of that with no concern for how it affected clones that didn't have Jedi to protect them.
He may have overreacted. He probably should have listened to Ponds so he could learn what exactly was going on. He didn't. He was tired, overworked, and trying to keep his head and everyone else's above water.
Normally, he didn't blame his brothers for not knowing how badly the Corries were treated. They had their own issues to deal with and it wasn't like they could help him anyways. But something about this situation made him angry. How dare they make his life harder! How dare they do something stupid without thinking about how it might affect him! How dare they get to escape the wrath of Palpatine and work for someone who actually cared about them leaving him all alone to deal with the fucking Senate!
So, yeah, he overreacted, kicked Ponds out of his office, and dug his heels in even more. He swore to himself that he would never interact with whatever had gotten Palpatine worked up into a shouting frenzy. If his brothers wanted to be idiots on the holonet, then count him out! He was not going to be a part of this.
Besides, things had calmed down and returned to normal. Fox was getting a record thirty minutes of sleep a day and Palpatine only occasionally abused him or his troops. Things were going well.
Until today.
Today, he was going to kill his brothers.
Just take a blaster and hunt them all down one by one.
He'd start with Rex because he seemed to be the center of all this.
Then he'd go after Cody because the man really should do a better job at keeping Rex in line.
Then Wolffe because Wolffe was often just as big of a problem as Cody and Rex.
He'd do a coin flip on Gree or Bacarra.
Then Gregor.
Then Ponds.
And he'd work his way down all the commanders until he ended with Wilco. Mostly because Wilco was the least disruptive out of all of them and maybe by then Fox would calm down and not kill him at all.
Or maybe he would because he was going to kill every non-Corrie clone CO he could get his hands on. He'd kill them all because standing in his office, wringing his hands, and looking nervous, was Fox's least favorite person in the entire galaxy.
He'd rather have a tea party with Count Dooku.
He'd rather be roommates with Cad Bane.
Hell, he'd rather listen to Lama Su and Senator Burtoni list all the reasons why Fox wasn'tconsidered a sentient creature than spend one second with this man.
"Senator Orn Free Taa," Fox gritted his teeth together so hard, he thought he heard them crack, "what can I do for you?"
No, seriously. Why the fuck are you in my office? This is a little below your station. Isn't it? Not enough pretty women or riches here. Right?
Fox should be counting his blessings. At least he didn't bring those two women that were always hanging off him. Something about them made Fox very uncomfortable. They were with Free Taa of their own free will. Right?
Orn Free Taa shifted on his feet, looking very uncomfortable and a bit afraid of being in Fox's office. Good.
"Um, yes. I don't know who else to ask. It's a rather delicate situation. But, since you are a clone and are here all the time, I thought you would be the best person to talk to about this." His foot shifted and sent an empty charger energy drink can skittering across the floor. The sudden noise caused Free Taa to jump.
Okay, something weird was going on here. That entire sentence that he just said, coupled with the fact that he seemed nervous, scared almost, made Fox very confused.
The only thing Fox's sleep-deprived brain could come up with as a possible explanation (and he gagged just thinking about it) was that Free Taa had gotten himself romantically involved with a clone and was now trying to figure out what to do about it. It was a stretch, but also something he could see happening with his brothers.
Oh, dammit!
Was Wolffe the one behind this?
It had to be Wolffe.
Then again, he was pretty sure even Wolffe had standards.
Maybe Bacarra?
No, he also had standards.
Thorn, Stone, and Thire had all gathered at the door behind the senator, watching the conversation unfold with curious expressions painted across their faces.
Fox's eyes twitched.
He would not curse out the senator.
He would not curse out the senator.
He would not curse out the senator.
Killing Wolffe was still on the table.
"I'm not sure how I might be of assistance to the honorable Ryloth senator. But, I will do my best." He hoped the man caught the utter disdain dripping from his tongue.
Free Taa nodded and went to sit down in the chair across from Fox, kicking more energy drink cans and caf cups out of his way in the process. The man took one look at the chair, made a face, and decided he was better standing.
Oh, for fuck's sake! The chair wasn't dirty! He wasn't going to get herpes sitting on it!
Fox was going to punch this man. He was actually going to punch out a senator. This was how he was going to get decommissioned.
He could take hours of horrific abuse by Palpatine's hands and tongue, but he could not last ten seconds with Orn Free Taa. What a magnificent way to go.
Orn Free Taa took in a deep breath and smoothed his hands over the front of his robes in a nervous gesture. "Yes, well, you see, after the latest episode, my people have been clamoring to donate juja fruit to the frontline troops."
"What?" Fox's brow furrowed. He understood all those words separately. But together? That sentence made absolutely no sense.
"Oh!" Thorn snapped his fingers.
Orn Free Taa jumped, just now realizing they had an audience.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Waxer and Boil went off on one hell of a tangent about fresh juja fruit."
Fox's brow somehow managed to furrow even more. "What?"
"As I said," Free Taa continued before Fox's men could have a chance to explain what the hell was going on, "I do not know the best way to go about this. I tried to tell them I do not control the rations and I'm not sure how we would even get them to the frontlines. But they do not listen. They have started to get up in arms over it. I fear if I do not send at least some of the crops to a battalion, revolution is imminent."
"What?"
Okay, piecing together what everyone had told him, Waxer and Boil had talked about fresh juja fruit and now the people of Ryloth were threatening to overthrow Free Taa if they didn't get it.
Since when did the twi'leks care about Waxer and Boil of all people?
"What?"
Maybe if he repeated the question enough times, someone would finally answer him.
"Yes. What indeed." Free Taa sighed dramatically. "Can you help me, commander?"
Help him? Fox wasn't even sure what the problem was! Or why he had to be involved in it.
"Sir," Stone stepped forward and brushed past Free Taa.
The man jumped back as if he had been burned before quickly inspecting his clothes for any indication they had been dirtied by Stone. Fox hoped he had gotten them dirty. He hoped Stone had stained that stupid silk or whatever the hell he was wearing.
"I think we need to have a conversation about 'Creche to Command'." Stone continued, pretending like Free Taa wasn't even in the room.
"What?"
"Senator," Thire stepped forward and directed Free Taa's attention towards him. "If you would allow me to take you to my office while we get our Commander up to speed on what's going on. I'm sure we can figure out some way to get your donations to the troops."
He gestured for Free Taa to follow him. Which he did, albeit hesitantly; grimacing with every step as if the floors were covered in vomit and rats. Once he was gone, Stone handed him a datapad; a holonet site pulled up on the screen.
"You remember Ponds and Wolffe stopping by to talk to you?"
He nodded.
"This is what they wanted to talk to you about. Creche to Command. It started as a video series by Commander Tano of the 501st."
Of course, the 501st was behind this. They couldn't be normal and boring like Wilco's battalion. They had to be the loudest, most obnoxious, wildest, and most uncontrollable battalion in the entire GAR.
"Wolffe also has a series showcasing the best moments of the GAR while in battle," Thorn said. "Though the bastard never accepts our submissions. Says they aren't 'cool' enough." He scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"And I'm pretty sure people have started posting fan videos of Commander Cody after that special update," Stone added.
"What does this have to do with the Ryloth Senator trying to donate fruit to me?" Fox said.
"It's got a certain pull on people. This is how Bly got Jonda to join us," Thorn explained. "And it's very popular. I don't have access to the backend stats but from what I hear, every padawan, most troopers, and almost every planet in the Republic has seen at least one video. There are even a few neutral systems where it's pretty popular. Someone even mentioned a few views in separatist-controlled systems as well. Though those are unconfirmed. And this last episode they talked a lot about food."
"Just… just watch it," Stone said, pushing the datapad toward him. "Please, it'll help with the context so much."
Fox highly doubted it. Normally, he'd be content to ignore the problem and hope it went away. Except now he had Free Taa in his office trying to donate fruit to him and if it had already been used as a negotiation tactic once, then it was probably going to show up again and again and again. Besides, this was the 501st they were talking about. No way would they ever do something that would just quietly go away.
He might as well get it over with and see what the fuss was about.
He pressed play on the episode and hoped that this wouldn't cause him too much of a headache.
Given that this was Skywalker's battalion, that hope was probably in vain.
*****
Episode 6: The Mess Hall with Waxer and Boil!
Ahsoka sat in a bustling and thriving mess hall. The normal sea of blue was now speckled with gold-painted troopers, showing that the 212th was still spending time with the 501st. Next to Ahsoka were two unfamiliar troopers, their armor painted in gold. In front of her, was a pile of slop, barely distinguishable as food. Maybe it wasn't! Who knows!
Despite the disgusting slop in front of her, she was the same as always; beaming and smiling at the camera.
"Hey, guys, today I have a very special treat for you. Instead of a member of the 501st joining us, I've got Waxer and Boil here from the 212th!"
"Hey guys," Waxer said, waving. "Wooley was going to join us but he got caught up with the generals. So, we're all you got."
"Hello. You tiny little baby Jedi are finally going to see actual good troopers in action."
Echo, who was sitting next to them, snorted.
"Got something to say, Echo?"
He rolled his eyes. "You think you're better than we are?"
"We're the best 212th has to offer," Waxer said, proudly puffing up his chest.
"That's sad then. I feel bad for commander Cody."
Boil's eyes narrowed. "You want to repeat that, vod? We all know what you do in your free time with that poor reg manual."
"Come on guys. It's been thirty seconds, please don't fight," Ahsoka groaned.
"Nar'sheb, besom," Echo all but snarled. "Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?"
"I'm just saying—"
"If you two get in a fight I'm not saving you from Cody and Rex's wrath," Ahsoka said. "In fact, I can make your punishments so much worse."
"You wouldn't," Boil said.
Ahsoka crossed her arms and stared at them. "I would. And it'd be so easy. You know all I have to do is give Rex and Cody my best sad tooka expression and they'll do whatever I want."
"I swear she uses the Force to manipulate them," Echo said.
"No Force. Just me." She grinned, showing off several of her sharp teeth.
Lek, lek," Waxer said. "You're evil you know that?"
Ahsoka continued to grin.
"We promise not to fight with Echo, vod'ika." He sighed.
"Thank you!" Ahsoka said brightly. She turned back to the camera. "As you can see, we're in the mess hall today because we're going to talk about food!"
"Ah yes, kai'tome," Boil said. "Probably the most disgusting, unpalatable, tasteless osik in the galaxy." He picked up a spoonful of slop. It slipped off his spoon and splattered back onto the tray. "Not much to look at. Is it?"
"Ha!" Jesse laughed, walking past them. "And that's why no one in the 501st wanted to do the mess episode. Sooran, shab!" He continued to cackle as he walked past their little group.
"He's laughing as if he doesn't have a plate full of slop on his tray this very second," Waxer muttered.
Boil gave Jesse a very rude gesture that was probably not appreciated by Captain Rex. Jesse seemed to pay no mind and continued to cackle as he walked to a table not far from them.
"Guys, come on. We don't want to scare the shinies and padawans into not eating," Ahsoka said.
"Eh, the shinies will be fine," Waxer said. "This is about what we had access to on Kamino. I don't think I tasted a spice until I was planetside. General Kenobi took some of us to Dex's and I swear I nearly cried. I didn't know food could taste so draluram."
"Yeah, I wasn't prepared for the heturam though. I think I started crying," Boil added. "By the way, if you're shiny, be careful what you eat when you first get off Kamino. I've seen more than one brother hugging a toilet because his stomach wasn't used to actual food."
"The rations are useful and nourishing which is why we need to eat them," Ahsoka said, trying to keep them from complaining too much.
It was no use. Waxer and Boil were on a roll.
"Oh, you know what was an amazing food experience?" Waxer said. "Juja fruit."
"Oh yeah, when we were on Ryloth!" Boil snapped his fingers. "Juja fruit is the best."
"I've had juja fruit energy bars before," Ahsoka said. "Oh, that's a good point we should talk about. Ration bars are different from energy bars. Ration bars are one full meal packaged in a convenient bar. Energy bars are more about quick energy. A lot of sugar. If you're a carnivore like me, you can't eat too many."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Waxer waved a dismissive hand at her. "Trust me, vod'ika, no one actually cares about the difference. But Juja fruit… man, those bars do not do the fresh stuff justice. They pop in your mouth and it's like a geyser of juice."
"When we were on Ryloth, I think I ate myself sick with all that fruit. They have so many different varieties too," Boil continued.
Ahsoka seemed to realize that she wasn't going to talk much about the mess hall and decided to let Waxer and Boil continue their rambles.
"Actually," Boil said, snapping his fingers, "if I have any advice related to food it'd be that. Try the local cuisine. It's a great way to try all sorts of different flavors and see what else is out there."
"Right. I don't think I've ever had a bad meal with the locals. Though, that might just be because any food is better than the rations they serve in the mess."
"Eh, Geonosis wasn't that great," Boil shrugged.
"You guys ate the food there?" Ahsoka wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah. A lot of bugs. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but they didn't season it with anything. Juja fruit, though. Fuck, I would sell my right arm to get some fresh ones to eat."
"I know what you mean," Waxer said. "I dream about that stuff at night. I keep looking for it at markets and stuff like that, but it must not be very popular on other planets. Which is a real shame because I think everyone is missing out."
"What about you? Any food experiences you remember fondly?" Boil asked.
"Hmm, that's hard," Ahsoka said, tapping her chin. "I do like hunting with the troopers when we get a chance."
"Hunting?" Waxer's brow furrowed.
Ahsoka nodded. "Yeah! Whenever we're planetside and not getting shot at, I like to take some time to hunt. I used to go alone. But Rex and Anakin were worried I was going to get mauled by a wild animal and so now I take a small group of troopers with me. I don't need it, though! I'm a good enough hunter."
"The things she did to that lizard with just her teeth." Echo shuddered with a haunted expression on his face.
"Oh, don't complain. You liked the fact that we had fresh meat for a few days."
"How do you decide who hunts with you?" Boil asked.
Ahsoka shrugged. "Sometimes it's volunteers. Sometimes it's punishment. Sometimes it is shiny hazing. Hey! Next time we're planetside together, you guys should totally come with me!"
"Um… we'll think about it," Waxer said, rubbing the back of his neck. "If Commander Cody allows it."
"If Commander Cody allows what?" A voice said from above.
All of them turned to see Commander Cody standing behind them. Looking most unamused.
"Hey, Commander. We weren't doing anything," Waxer said.
Cody's eyes narrowed. "Somehow I doubt that."
"No, they weren't," Ahoska assured him. "I was inviting them to go hunting with me next time."
"Hunting? You mean Rex wasn't making that up?"
"Oh, but, while you're here," Ahsoka continued as if she didn't hear his comment, "got any advice for the initiates and shinies about food?"
Cody studied her for a second and then sighed and said, "Alright, if you want a piece of advice, how about this? If you're non-human talk to your medic about the rations you need. They're designed with human calories and macro-nutrient breakdowns in mind so if you need something different, you need to know what to ask the quartermaster for."
"I didn't talk to Kix when I first got here," Ahsoka said, furrowing her brow.
"I know," Cody deadpanned. "Which is why I had to suffer through a panicked call at three in the morning when Rex and Kix realized that you needed different rations and they were worried they were killing you."
"Oh, I'm sorry Rex," Ahsoka called. "I didn't think about it."
"It's okay. We got that figured out now," Rex called back.
Ahsoka turned back to Cody. "Thanks for the reminder. That's… actually good advice."
Cody's eyes narrowed. "Did you think I wouldn't give good advice?"
"No, I did. It's just normally it's 'here's how to punch a droid' or 'here's how to cheat at Sabacc'. Kix was really the only one that gave practical advice."
"That's because Kix is the only one in this company with a brain," Cody grumbled.
"Oi!"
"Oh, please, Rex. You know the only reason you have impulse control is because no one else in your company does. The second you're with me, you become worse than Fives."
"Really?" Fives perked up.
Echo elbowed him. "Don't get any ideas."
"Echo's got impulse control," Ahsoka said.
Cody studied him for a moment. Echo surprisingly did not shrink under his gaze.
Then, Cody clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Nope. No, he does not. He just has the reg manual memorized so he knows all the loopholes. Means you have to watch him more."
Echo sighed and slumped down, not even bothering to argue.
"Well, if you're done with the video, I need Waxer and Boil for something. Come on."
"Yes, sir," Boil said. He turned to back to the camera. "Juja fruit. If you ever come across the fresh stuff, try it."
"Yup. Can't recommend it enough," Waxer added.
*****
Fox's eye twitched as the video finished.
This was what had pissed off Palpatine so badly? This was what caused him to fly off the handle for nearly a week? This is what got Rex to consider treason? This was what Cody and Wolffe and Ponds had been bothering him about for the past month?
This thing?
This stupid little holonet series?
Did he fall through a wormhole and into an alternate universe where a holonet series was more powerful than any politician?
"Um, sir?" Stone said hesitantly. "Are you okay?"
No.
No, he was not.
Still, it was clear he could no longer ignore the problem. He was dealing with this, whether he liked it or not.
He let out a long-suffering sigh and pinched his brow. "Let me get this straight. This one video is causing Ryloth to threaten a rebellion if Free Taa doesn't give me fruit?"
Thorn shrugged. "Like I said before, it's popular. Tano is charismatic. I think it has less to do with this single video and more to do with the series as a whole. People are seeing us as, well, people now. And they're starting to demand for us to have better treatment."
Damn. That was a good thing. He shouldn't be angry about that. But he could already see what little sleep he got slipping away. He'd watch the rest of the videos later. For now, he had another issue to deal with.
He buried his face in his hands and groaned. "Is Free Taa gone yet?"
"No, sir. He's still waiting for you."
He groaned some more.
"Kill me. Just kill me now."
"We're not going to kill you, sir," Stone said.
There was a knock at the door. No! No more work! No more surprises!
"Sir," Archer said, he and Sol standing awkwardly at the door, "there are about ten senators that all want to talk to you. I think it's about food."
Fox was amazed that one sentence didn't break him. He was amazed this one situation didn't cause him to snap and launch a coup because he was close. He was so fucking close.
He groaned and stood up. "Fine. Bring them all to the debriefing room. Free Taa included. I don't know what they want me to do about it. I'm not the one that runs the ration distribution for the GAR."
Archer and Sol saluted and then ran off to gather up the senators.
"It's because you're the most accessible," Thorn said. "They can stop by and talk to you whenever."
"Can we ban them?
"No, sir. Sorry, sir." Stone did not sound the least bit sorry. "Though, I wouldn't mind some better food. How is it that we're on Coruscant but we still have rations like we're traveling through hyperspace for weeks on end?"
"Cheaper to feed us rations than to feed us fresh stuff," Thorn said.
They entered the debriefing room where a handful of senators were gathered, talking amongst themselves. He only hated a few of the people in the room. So that was good. He decided to sit as far away from Free Taa as possible.
As soon as he took his seat, the senators all quieted down and looked at him.
For a beat, no one spoke.
"Sir, I think you need to run this meeting," Thire whispered to him.
Him? Why him? He was just a clone. They're the ones that sought him out. They're the ones that had food to give. They were the ones with all the authority here. He was a disposable weapon!
Their eyes seemed to bore into him as they waited for him to speak.
Damn. It looked like he was expected to run the meeting. This was fine. He could do this. These people had sought him out. So long as he didn't say or do anything to offend them, he wouldn't be marked for decommissioning.
Easier said than done.
He cleared his throat. "Senators, I understand you would like to donate food to the troops."
"Yes, our people saw the Creche to Command Episode and would like the troops to try their own delicacies. My people's food is much better than that of Ryloth's," a senator spat.
Oh good. They were insulting each other. Fox hated politicians.
"It's not a competition. We eat tasteless rations for the most part. Any flavor is good flavor." Fox groaned. The headache he had just managed to chase away was returning.
He was surprised it took it this long.
"I'm sure the troops will appreciate whatever you give them," he continued. He kept his words and tone even and neutral. A trick he learned to keep tempers from rising and conflict from happening.
"I am also worried about Ahsoka Tano," the Torgrutan senator from Shili said. "it is important for adolescent torgrutans to hunt often. Otherwise, their jaws grow weak. She mentioned she hunted in the video, but how often?"
Fox swallowed down what he actually wanted to say and instead plastered on a tight smile. "I'm sure she's hunting plenty."
"And the meat. She is eating enough meat, correct? I know you humans need to eat less of it."
"She's really not my problem—" Nope. No. Diplomatic and neutral. No snappy comments. No sharp jabs. He let out a breath and plastered on a smile once more. "Yes, sir. The 501st is ensuring she gets enough meat."
The Shili senator nodded. "Still, I would like to donate some live rats for her to practice hunting while on the ship."
"I can do that!" Fox answered before the words were fully out of the senator's mouth.
"Um, really?" Thire asked. "Won't a bunch of live rats running around the ship be an issue?"
Fox glared at him. If Rex wanted to contemplate treason and make Fox's life more difficult, then he could deal with a few rats running around the ship.
His exclamation seemed to put the senators at ease as they started listing exactly what they wanted to donate. Fox had so many other things he needed to do, but he couldn't very well leave to go do his actual job. Besides, it was kind of nice working withsome senators to improve the lives of his brothers instead of simply reacting to whatever asinine bill they passed that made their lives worse.
It took about two hours of work, but in the end, Fox felt confident he had set the senators up with enough contacts within the GAR to get their donations where they needed to go. But, it was only a temporary solution. If this 'Creche to Command' thing really was as popular as his men suggested, then more senators were going to be coming to donate food. More videos would be posted to influence policy and the state of the galaxy. And more weeks would go by facing Palpatine's wrath. He needed a better way to handle this.
He folded his hands and thought through his options just like in a battle. Who were his allies? Who were his enemies? What resources did he have? What was the goal?
He did come up with a plan of attack fairly quickly and got to work executing it. It might not work, but it was a place to start.
*****
Padme sighed and sank back in her chair, utterly exhausted.
She managed to shoot Riyo a tired smile. "I think that about does it for today. Until the vote happens tomorrow, there's nothing else we can do."
Riyo matched her position and slumped back in her chair. She tipped her head back and closed her eyes. "I'm drained. I don't think I've slept all week. Even in bed I just sit there and run through everything I have to do, tossing and turning until I give up and start working again."
Padme chucked and allowed herself to revel in this brief moment of respite. Unless there was a pressing emergency that needed to be dealt with immediately, she allowed herself to the night before every vote to relax. She couldn't wait to go home and take a nice long bath, eat dinner at the table with no distractions, and then get to bed at a reasonable hour. No matter the outcome tomorrow, whether it was in her favor or not, it didn't matter. She had done everything she could.
There was still so much work to do. A part of her screamed to pick up a datapad and continue to be productive; to get a jumpstart on upcoming issues. She didn't listen to that voice. There was a time she'd work non-stop. She'd tell herself that she could rest when things calmed down. But that was the trick. Things never calmed down. If she didn't give herself a chance to rest, then she would never find it and work herself into an early grave.
Which was why tonight there would be no more talk of policy or politics or the state of the world. Only discussions on things that don't require her to think.
"Has the intern poll closed yet?" she asked.
Riyo smiled. "Not yet."
"It's been going on for weeks now. You'd think everyone who wanted to vote would have voted already."
"Yes, but after Waxer, Boil, and Commander Cody's introductions, people would like a chance to reconsider."
"Oh? Who's winning?"
"Well, it was neck and neck between Jesse and Echo last time I checked. But, now that Commander Cody has entered the polls, there might be an upset. A bit surprising in my opinion."
Padme chuckled. "Not really. He had an entire love poem written about him. A bit of an unfair advantage in the polls if you ask me. I'll have to let Anakin and Obi-Wan know. I'm sure this will boost morale."
"Or cause more fights?" Riyo asked, opening her eyes and grinning at Padme with a playful spark.
They both knew that as much as the troopers bickered with one another, both on camera and off, it was usually all in good fun. Anyone who knew the troopers knew that they would die for their brothers without question.
There was a knock at the door and one of Padme's guards entered. She and Riyo shared a look. They didn't usually bother her unless something had happened. But he didn't seem anxious or in a hurry to remove them from the building.
"Is everything alright?" She asked, trying to listen for screams or smell the scent of smoke. Anything that would indicate they were under attack.
Of course, an attack wouldn't make her guards act this confused. "Commander Fox of the Coruscant Guard would like to speak with you." He said this almost as if it were a question. As if he himself couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
"Commander Fox is here?" Riyo squeaked. This got her wide away as she sat upright and turned to a mirror. She started frantically fussing with her hair. "Oh, I wish he had come earlier in the day when I didn't look like a zombie. I haven't changed my clothes in ages! Or showered! Oh, I look like wreck."
Padme found her infatuation with the clone commander to be rather cute. It reminded her of how she felt about Anakin when they were first together. Her constantly fussing with her appearance and worried that one hair out of place would make him find her unattractive. It was perhaps the only time in her life she had cared that much about what another person thought of how she looked.
That all changed after she had gotten caught up with a bounty hunter hired to kill her. She took him out, obviously. But, in the process, lost one of her shoes, rolled down a hill, got sticks stuck in her hair, and then landed in a mud puddle. At the end of that long day, she didn't care what Anakin thought about her. All she wanted to do was get a shower and go to bed.
He still looked at her as if she had hung the stars.
She stopped fussing after that.
Commander Fox was a bit of a different story, however. She wasn't sure if Fox had any romantic feelings toward Riyo. Actually, come to think of it, she wasn't sure if Fox had any feelings about Riyo, romantic or otherwise. She wasn't even sure he knew what species she was.
Maybe she should do something about that. For now, though, she could help her friend with this one thing.
"You look fine, Riyo. Besides, he has probably worked a twenty-hour shift and looks just as tired as you. If not more."
Riyo stopped the frantic smoothing of her hair and frowned. "Yet another bill we should pass. Limitations on how long troopers can work."
"I'll add it to the list." She turned back to the guard. "We are free to meet with him now."
"Of course, ma'am." He bowed to her and then swept out of the room.
"Why do you think he wants to meet us?" Riyo asked.
"I don't know. Maybe someone has put a hit out on us?"
"There are always hits out on you," Commander Fox said as he stepped into the room.
Riyo's cheeks immediately darkened when she saw him.
"Today I believe Senator Amidala has five and Senator Chuchi has two. Rather low numbers, which is good." He continued.
Padme and Riyo shared a worried look. The fact he could say that so casually disturbed her.
Commander Fox seemed to pick up on this. He cleared his throat and hastily added, "We're handling it. Don't worry."
"Right." She felt like she should very much be worried about that, but decided that if Commander Fox said he was handling it, then he was handling it. "If it's not about hits, then why did you wish to meet with us."
At this, Commander Fox's straight-back and assertive posture shifted to one that was not as confident. It was as if he didn't know how his next words were going to be received and were thinking them over carefully before he spoke.
Padme and Riyo waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.
"Well, you see, I have recently run into a problem and I think you might be the only ones willing to listen and help me," he said.
"Of course, commander. We will do whatever we can to help," Riyo said. The blush had not gone away, but she was doing a good job of hiding her obvious love for the commander.
"Thank you." He relaxed a bit; put at ease by Riyo's words. "Have either of you heard of 'Creche to Command'?"
Padme's brow furrowed. Whatever she thought Commander Fox was going to say, it wasn't that. And now she was even more confused than when the conversation had started. Which was saying something considering she was confused the moment her guard stepped into the room.
She did know about Creche to Command. Anakin had shared it with her as soon as he had found out about it. He was proud of Ahsoka for her work and was desperate to show it off to anyone who would listen. Padme hadn't watched every episode, but she caught a few here and there, just to keep up on it. Overall, she found it to be a relatively harmless, innocent series. Of course, that did change when Palpatine tried to take it over.
She understood why. It clearly had a pull on people and could influence alliances. Something like that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. But Ahsoka wasn't the wrong hands. She was a child trying to help out other children. Other than the Jonda incident, and an ongoing 'who is the hottest trooper' intern poll, nothing of note had happened.
"Yes, we know about it," she said.
"Good. That saves me some explanation." Commander Fox breathed a sigh of relief. "It appears that after the last episode, citizens would like to donate food to the troops. Apparently, Ryloth is threatening an uprising if Orn Free Taa doesn't comply. Though, that might be less to do with the food and more to do with the fact that Syndulla doesn't respect him. Still, because I happen to be the most accessible clone in the GAR, senators have been coming to me to try and distribute food to the troops. The only problem is that is not my job. And I also would rather listen to General Grievous' smoker's cough for thirty hours straight than sit through another meeting with Orn Free Taa." He practically spat the last words out.
"Where do we come in?" Riyo asked.
Commander Fox pulled out a data pad. "A bill. Something small that would standardize how food donations to the troops can be handled. Completely voluntary. No one has to participate. But this way, if you have food you'd like to donate, you don't have to bother me about it. I've already drafted one, but since I'm not a senator, I can't bring it to the floor. Which is where you come in. You put your name on it, make any changes you'd like, and debate it."
"You wrote a bill?" Padme asked, blinking with shock.
Commander Fox hesitated. "Yes, well. I'm not certain it's any good. But I figured the more work I did the less you had to do."
"I'm sure it's fine." She smiled at him and took the datapad from his hands. "I would be honored to take this on, commander," she said sincerely.
"Thank you," Commander Fox sounded sincere. He was acting like Padme had just offered to take on all his work for the rest of the time.
"I can't promise anything, but sometimes it's less important to get a bill passed and more important to get a conversation started."
"I understand. And thank you both again for your help."
"Of course," Riyo said. "We're your representatives as much as we are the rest of the citizens of the Republic."
Once more, Commander Fox looked taken aback by her admission. As if it hadn't occurred to him that he had a right to representation. That had to change. These men should not be dying for the Republic without a say in their own government. The list of things Padme had to do was long and ever-growing, but it would never shrink. If she wanted troopers to have representation, she'd have to make it a priority. Starting tomorrow, she would.
Before, she was content with letting Riyo tackle most of the clone-related issues. But having Commander Fox in her office, asking her for help, she could no longer ignore it or let someone else tackle it. She would still let Riyo lead the charge, but she would also take a more active role.
Padme may not like the war. She might want the war to end as soon as possible, but that should not be at the expense of these men's lives. They were dying to protect her freedom. The least she could do was help make their existence better.
"That was all I needed. Thank you again for your help." He stepped out of the room, leaving them once more in silence.
Padme would have liked to ask him to stay for longer. This was their chance to see just what the troopers needed and maybe bring more than a food donation bill to the Senate floor, but she let him go. He seemed exhausted and needed his rest. Besides, she had a bill to review.
"It's actually not bad," She said, scrolling through it. "A few tweaks could be made. But, all in all, I've seen worse get proposed to the Senate Floor."
"Hopefully the public pressure makes it so that it's easily passed," Riyo said.
"I'm sure we can use that to bolster our support." She sent the bill to Mothma and Organa to review. "We'll make this public and make sure people know about it. That way senators are shamed into voting for it."
"I don't anticipate it to be a very hard fight," Riyo said, looking through it as well. "As drafted here, it requires very little from the senators themselves. I don't even think anything would change."
"You never know who could see this as a threat to the status quo. We should watch who opposes it and why. If they oppose something as innocent as this bill, I worry what they would do to more influential policies."
"Indeed." Riyo smiled at her. "Looks like our work for the night isn't finished after all."
"Yes, but I don't mind spending a few extra hours on something so important."
They settled back in their chairs and got to work making some adjustments.
Maybe Palpatine had a right to be worried about Creche to Command. It was already influencing politics. She had thought Jonda was a one-off occurrence. Something that only happened because the stars aligned. Now, she wasn't so sure. What else could this series change? What else could it influence?
She filed those thoughts away for now. It was nothing to act on yet. Just something to watch and observe.
*****
CommanderWolffe: And that is the difference between a fan cam and a fan edit.
CommanderCody: Okay. So, let me get this straight. Because Fives said that awful love confession to me and it got posted on the karking holonet, I now have fan cams AND fan edits?
CommanderStone: You're also winning the Senate Intern 'Who is the Hottest Trooper' poll. Poor Jesse is going to be crushed. He was in the lead before you showed up.
CommanderBly: I didn't think the confession was awful at all.
CommanderGree: I want to know why Cody gets all the fan edits. Where's my horde of adoring fans?
CommanderWolffe: No one knows you exist, Gree.
CommanderGree: Maybe I'll make my own.
CommanderWolffe: No. That's not a fan edit. That's desperation
CommanderGregor: I thought that was called a thirst trap.
CommanderCody: What's a thirst trap?
CommanderBly: All those shirtless pics Wolffe keeps tossing out there.
CommanderWolffe: People need to see this amazing body. There aren't many out there like it.
CommanderCody: We all have the same body.
CommanderWolffe: And yet mine is slightly better.
CommanderFox: WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU GUYS DO?
CommanderWolffe: Oh, hey look who's no longer ignoring us. Long time no see Foxy.
CommanderStone: Hey, Commander. Did you figure out what to do about Free Taa yet?
CommanderFox: WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A HOLONET SERIES THAT IS AFFECTING POLICY? WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU PEOPLE BEEN DOING THE PAST FEW MONTHS?
CommanderGregor: Do you think he's shouting or do you think he can't figure out how to turn off caps lock?
CommanderWolffe: Ponds and I both tried to tell you about this. Don't get snippy with us. You're the one that tried to throw me out a window for talking to you.
CommanderFox: I HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH MORE SENATORS IN THE PAST WEEK THAN I HAVE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH INFLUENCE THIS SERIES HAS? WHAT DID YOU DO?
CommanderCody: Wolffe, you want to take this one? I got to go spar with the general.
CommanderFox: CODY DON'T YOU DARE! GET BACK HERE YOU PIECE OF SHIT! IT'S YOUR TROOPS THAT STARTED THIS!
CommanderWolffe: Calm down before you give yourself a stroke. @CommanderStone when's the last time he slept?
CommanderStone: Bout a week ago.
CommanderBly: Someone needs to tranq him.
CommanderStone: We can't. He built up a resistance to them.
CommanderFox: SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE BEFORE I START ARRESTING EVERYONE!
CommanderWolffe: Alright. Alright. Basically, Ahsoka started the series to help the younglings at the temple get more acquainted with their roles as commanders in the GAR. Long story short, Bly used it to successfully negotiate Jonda's alliance with the Republic and Palpatine views it as a threat to his power. Helpful?
CommanderFox: THAT IS NOT HELPFUL! THERE ARE A LOT OF PARTS TO THAT STORY YOU LEFT OUT! HOW DOES IT GO FROM COMMANDER TANO HELPING JEDI TO RYLOTH THREATENING REBELLION IF ORN FREE TAA DOESN'T DONATE JUJA FRUIT?
CommanderGree: Very slowly, my friend.
CommnaderGregor: What can I say? Tano's got a way with words.
CommanderStone: Sir, please just relax. It's not hurting anyone.
CommnaderFox: I HAD TO SIT WITH FREE TAA FOR THIRTY MINUTES TODAY! IT'S HURTING ME!
CommanderWolffe: He's so dramatic. Welp, I got to go. Enjoy stewing in your rage Foxy.
CommanderGregor: I should go too.
CommanderGree: Me too. I want to spend some time with Barriss.
CommanderFox: NO GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU PEOPLE YET!
CommnaderBly: We'll talk tomorrow Fox. Have a nice night.
CommanderFox: I hate all of them.
CommanderStone: I know sir.
*****
CaptainRex: WHY THE FUCK DID WE GET A SHIPMENT OF LIVE RATS WITH OUR RATIONS!?!?!?
CommanderFox: Donation from Shili, vod. Enjoy.
Notes:Fox: No matter what happens, no matter what Palpatine does to me, I will not get involved.
*Orn Free Taa shows up for 30 seconds*
Fox: Never mind, I'm getting involved.
I just love the idea that Fox may hate Palpatine, but he loathes Free Taa to the point where he will do whatever it takes to not have to be in a room with that man.
I also have a head canon that as a cadet, Rex was wild. Complete disdain for authority, constantly doing stupid shit like jumping out of ships without a jetpack and just sort of figuring out how not to die on the way down, constantly getting himself into trouble. So, when Cody hears Rex is going off on his own, of course he panics. Who is going to keep Rex in line if he's not there? For the first month they're apart, he's constantly worried he's going to get a call that Rex either said something to piss off Skywalker and got himself decommissioned, or otherwise did something stupid in battle and got himself killed. Only, that's not what happened. Instead, he hears grumblings from troopers that Rex is kind of a hard ass. This leads Cody to think that maybe, just maybe, Rex is maturing. He's growing up. He's learning how to be a leader instead of a mad lad. When they meet again, Cody is excited to meet this more mature trooper. Instead, he gets smacked in the face by Rex basically being as wild and crazy as he was as a cadet. Only this time he has more guns and more authority. From then on out, Cody realizes that Rex only has self control when no one else is around to control him. And he is forced to thank the stars that Skywalker and Ahsoka are insane. Because if they weren't, Rex would not even attempt to be level-headed.
Mando'a Translations:
Vod: Brother/sister
Nar'sheb, besom: Shove it, ill-mannered lut
Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?: Are you looking for a smack in the face, brother?
Lek: Yeah
vod'ika: Little Brother/Sister
kai'tome: Food
osik: Shit
Sooran, shab!: Suck on that, chum!
Draluram: Vivid, used to describe strong, distinct flavor
Heturam: Mouthburn – a sought after state of intense burning in the mouth brought about by very spicy food.