Chapter 51 - Quintet, Part 4
(Summary: *Extraction Squad Alpha to Captain Rex.* "Rex here. Report?" *We have the Senator, sir, but, uh- she's gone into labor.* "...Understood. Get her onto a transport as quickly as possible, but safely - no harm is to come to General Skywalker's wife or their child, understood?")
Takes place two years after Part 3
"But it's not fair!"
Sighing, Rex picked up the displeased six year old and started walking back to his quarters. "I know, Little Sky, but the fact remains that you aren't old enough."
Jinni scowled and folded her arms. "When am I gonna be old 'nuff?"
"Not for another two or three years."
"But Uncle Re-ex! That's gonna take forever!"
"Good, then that means I have longer to teach you about blasters before you go chasing after the twins with your own lightsaber."
Anakin had left that morning in order to take his elder children on a trip to Ilum, to retrieve kyber crystals for their first lightsabers. Considering that Kanan Jarrus was taking Ezra at the same time, Rex wondered if the other boy's little brother was putting up as much of a stink as Jinni.
Probably not. Kid was younger, after all, and infinitely more well-behaved.
Arriving at his quarters, Rex marched right in and across, depositing Jinni onto his bunk. "Now. We've got an entire afternoon to ourselves, and I refuse to have it turned depressing because of your whining."
The little girl glared at him.
"We can train, or play, or just watch some holo-movies, but whatever we do we're going to go about it in a pleasant manner, understand?"
"...Yes, Uncle."
"Good. Do you have a preference?"
Before Jinni could answer, there was a knock at the door, and Rex called for the visitor to enter. The Ghost crewmember Zeb stepped into the room, a very petulant four year old perched on his shoulders.
"Let me guess," Rex sighed. "Yours is unhappy about being left at home too."
"Yeah, and since I'm not all that good with kits anyway..."
Personally, Rex thought the Lasat was underestimating himself. He'd seen quite often how eager the Bridger boys would become at the opportunity to spend a day with their big brother figure, especially since those days were few and far between when both Kanan and Hera were gone. But, as with Jinni, there were just some things that would make any child unruly.
Rex went ahead and gave little Phirim the same warning he'd delivered to his own charge, before leaving them to decide what they wanted to do together. Zeb quietly offered his thanks, and the clone companionably clapped a hand on the Lasat's shoulder.
"Benefit of watching how Padme handled the twins when they were younger," he explained. "I suggest going to her in the future event you don't know what to do."
"Heh, or just come dump the kits on you again."
"Don't expect me to go along with it quite so easily again - if I've got all three little Skies to keep an eye on, I'm not accepting any more younglings."
Zeb chuckled. "Just as well for you Tano doesn't have any offspring of her own to add to the mix."
"If that happened, I'd call in Commander Wolffe for reinforcements."
"Ha!"
For the rest of the afternoon, Jinni and Phirim contented themselves with drawing while their caretakers swapped stories of both babysitting and battle related natures. Eventually, they got pulled into making art as well, and the depictions of Jedi and clones fighting battle droids got a lot busier. Some members of the Lasat Honor Guard were added in too, and key figures of the Alliance, as well as some proper stormtroopers to be challenged.
When Ahsoka stuck her head in several hours later to announce dinner, she beamed at the flimsi-covered floor and the four people who'd gotten it that way. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two had missed your true calling!"
Rex snorted. "What, artistry?"
"No - youngling caretaking!" The Togruta hastily ducked away at that, though her laughter echoed back down the hall. Zeb chuckled as Rex rolled his eyes, and then they picked up their respective charges and headed for the ship's cafeteria.
