Obi-Wan Kenobi had not earned the moniker "the Negotiator" unmeritorious. For it had to be Obi-Wan, the reason she was not asked to return to Jabba's Palace upon the safe deliverance of Jabba's son. Relief overwhelmed her pride.

And so Adrina found herself sitting quietly in the Infirmary reviewing medical files, pondering her and Maelle's new assignment to the 501st. She continued to shove her intrusive thoughts away.

"Hey, there!"

Adrina looked up from her data pad to find large bright eyes in the face of a very young Togruta staring at her.

"You must be Healer Skywalker." The girl tilted her head and scrunched up her nose. "You don't look like him."

Adrina put down her pad with an amused quirk of her lips. "Ahsoka Tano?"

Ahsoka grinned. "Yep, that's me! Padawan Ahsoka Tano. Pleased to meet you!"

Adrina chuckled. She leaned against the desk. Yes, Anakin would have his hands full. "We're not blood related," Adrina said. "His mother adopted me when he was a child."

Ahsoka blinked, confused.

Adrina shrugged. She supposed the talk - gossip, really - would have dissipated before this padawan's time. "We grew up slaves on Tatooine," Adrina explained. "The late Master Qui-Gon Jinn brought us to the Temple when Anakin was nine."

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "That explains a lot," she muttered, thoughtfully stroking her chin. "I thought Master Skywalker was unusually grumpy about that mission. We just got back from Tatooine. Man, that place is awful."

Adrina shook her head. "No, we have no love for the Hutts. And Anakin especially loathes Tatooine. I advise you not to mention either to Anakin. He will talk if or when he wants to - probably never."

Ahsoka nodded. "You got it. Not a word."

"Speaking of," Adrina pushed off the desk. "Where is Anakin?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "He said he would be in his quarters and not to disturb him. I guess he's got reports or something. I offered to help, but he told me to go to bed." She crossed her arms with a huff. "I'm not a youngling anymore. I can help."

"I'm confident you can." Adrina highly doubted Anakin was actually writing reports. "Thank you, Ahsoka Tano. If you will excuse me, I believe I have some disturbing to do."

"Okay," Ahsoka drew out the word, shifting on her feet. She eyed Adrina dubiously. "But Master Anakin was very clear. No one was to disturb him."

Adrina waved away her concern. "Any anger will be on my head, not yours. It was nice to meet you, Ahsoka. I look forward to getting to know you better."

"Same to you!" Ahsoka chirped.

Adrina wound down corridors and up a turbolift. She knocked on Anakin's door. "It's me," she called quietly.

The door slid open. Adrina stepped through. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found Anakin standing in the middle of the room, hands clasped behind his back. Adrina slid onto his bed, tucking one leg under her.

Silence blanketed them, soothing nerves frayed by their ghosts.

"I hate that place," Anakin muttered finally. "I hate it so much."

"I know, sweetie," Adrina murmured.

"He doesn't deserve to have his son back."

She would be lying if she said the same thought had not crossed her mind. "It doesn't feel like it, I know, but we did the right thing," she said instead, as much to convince herself as to convince Anakin.

Anakin scoffed. "I know." He kicked the floor. The bed sunk under his weight as he sat, causing Adrina to shift. "I know. But I hate it."

"And now we never have to go back."

"Yeah." Anakin lifted his head. "I hate that we could help Jabba, but we can't help the actual victims."

Adrina silently agreed.

Anakin scowled suddenly. "I don't know how you can be so calm about it." The twinge of jealousy in his voice surprised Adrina.

"Calm?" Adrina raised an eyebrow. "You weren't there for my panic attack in the refresher."

Anakin winced, properly embarrassed. "Oh."

"Yes, 'oh'."

His pride pacified, Anakin murmured, "When Master Qui-Gon said this life wouldn't be easy, I didn't think…" Anakin trailed off with a sigh.

"Nor did I," Adrina said. She tilted her head. "Do you regret becoming a Jedi?"

Anakin recoiled. "No!" He ran a hand through his hair. He relaxed. "No, I don't regret it. It's just…."

"Not always what you imagined."

Anakin nodded mutely. "One day, I'll make it all right."

But Adrina knew the futility of Anakin's desire.

"So," Adrina took the opportunity to change the subject. "I met your new apprentice. She seems enthusiastic."

Her comment had the intended effect. Humor crept into Anakin's voice. "That's one adjective."

"I think you two will do well together," Adrina nudged him. "I seem to recall someone else being young and eager once."

"She's impulsive and reckless, and she's got a mouth that will only get her into trouble."

Adrina chuckled. "You do realize you just described yourself."

"Yeah, don't I know it," Anakin muttered. "She already drives me crazy.I don't know how Obi-Wan put up with me."

Adrina smiled gently at him. "The same way I do - with love."

0

"Nute Gunray was captured."

Adrina looked up from her breakfast. Anakin's terse statement announced his arrival. "That is good news." She gestured to the empty seat opposite her. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You do not seem pleased."

"Oh, I'm happy," Anakin grunted.

Adrina raised an eyebrow. His tone suggested otherwise.

"He nearly got Padme. Again."

Adrina laid down her spoon. "I see," she said, careful to keep a neutral tone and expression. "I trust Senator Amidala is unharmed?"

Anakin jerked his head in assent. "Yeah," he muttered, crossing his arms. "She's alright."

"I'm glad to hear it." And she was.

"Master Luminara Unduli and Ahsoka are escorting him to Coruscant," Anakin said.

Detecting his well-concealed frustration, Adrina gave him a comforting smile. "Master Luminara is more than up to the task," Adrina reminded him."Besides, you're needed here."

Anakin pursed his lips. "You know they'll try to spring him before he reaches Coruscant."

Adrina took a sip of her porridge, lightly sweetened with fruit. She shrugged. "Depends."

"Depends? They will."

"Depends on whether he is worth more alive than dead," Adrina elaborated. "He may be a spineless worm, but even you have to admit he possesses valuable information the enemy would not want revealed. And being the spineless worm that he is..."

"He'd sing like a convor." Anakin shook his head. "Well, I'm stuck here regardless."

"What's your next move?" Surely they would be building off their success with Gunray, striking while the blow was fresh.

The muscles around Anakin's mouth tightened. "Obi-Wan has come up with a plan. If we are successful, Dooku will be rotting in a jail cell on Coruscant within a week."

Adrina blinked. "An ambitious goal. What about General Grievous?"

"Still working on finding his hideout."

Adrina nodded. "I'm sure a lead will come soon. He can't hide forever."

Anakin muttered a reluctant agreement. Adrina smothered a chuckle. Time had not granted Anakin more patience - although, in this instance, she understood. The capture of General Grievous would go a long way to shortening this awful war.

She looked up with a frown. Obi-Wan strode into the Mess wearing a distinctly perturbed expression. Anakin followed her gaze and stood, calling Obi-Wan over.

Obi-Wan slid in beside Anakin with a heavy sigh. "Gunray escaped. They moved quicker than even I had anticipated."

"What!" Anakin's exclamation drew the attention of nearby Troopers, though they quickly turned their heads back to their food.

Obi-Wan patted the air, gesturing for Anakin to quiet and calm down. "Our old friend Asajj Ventress had a heavy helping hand in the matter, although from what Master Luminara said, there was a traitor aboard, as well."

"Tell me we're tracking them," Anakin groaned.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Ahoska contacted Master Fisto - his fleet was closest - and he will be tracking the stolen ship. It appears as though Ventress and Gunray are headed towards the Vassek system."

Adrina frowned, softly repeating the system name. "That's an odd choice," Adrina said. "The Vassek system is small, remote, and rather unremarkable."

"Nothing there of note that we know of," Obi-Wan confirmed. "Although there could be a small Separatist hideout our spies haven't discovered yet. It's possible. Master Fisto will be investigating."

"Let us hope you are able to capture Count Dooku," Adrina said.

"I was about to fill Adrina in on your little plan to capture Count Dooku," Anakin told Obi-Wan.

"Ah, yes. Please, continue." Obi-Wan gestured to Adrina.

"Well, it all starts with me getting captured."

Adrina immediately rubbed her temple with a heavy sigh.

Of course it did.

0

"I hear you're going to see some pirates about a Sith Lord."

Obi-Wan looked up. Adrina joined him next to the holomap. "It appears so."

Although Anakin had played his part to near perfection as Count Dooku's hostage, the mission ultimately failed when - after forcing Dooku to crash land on Vanqor - a band of pirates captured Dooku before Obi-Wan and Anakin could reach him.

"Do you know the name of the pirate in charge?"

"Hondo Ohnaka, I believe, currently based in Florrum. Sound familiar?"

Adrina's brow furrowed. "No. So what's the pirate asking for?"

The corners of Obi-Wan's mouth lifted into a wry smile. "A million credits in spice...and that Anakin and I arrive unarmed."

Adrina's scowl gave silent voice to Obi-Wan's own feelings.

"Anakin isn't keen on being unarmed either," Obi-Wan said, "But at least we won't be unarmed and in possession of the spice."

"I should hope not," Adrina muttered.

"We need Dooku and we may never get another chance like this again," Obi-Wan reminded her.

Adrina smirked. "If this is how Dooku is captured, historians will have a field day. A great Sith Lord, taken down by happenstance and pirates."

Obi-Wan chuckled.

Adrina studied the holomap of the Florrum, enlarging one area and then another. "Not that dissimilar from Tatooine," she murmured. But then, such places attracted the unsavory.

"If this is successful…" Obi-Wan trailed off with a sigh. He rubbed his temples and pinched the bridge of his nose. The latest casualty report flitted through his memory and resolve hardened in his bones.

"Just...be careful." Adrina turned worried eyes to him. "Don't forget that they're pirates. Don't trust them further you can throw them and never, under any circumstances, consume anything they give you. You and Anakin would make valuable hostages."

"We can hardly insult our hosts."

She pressed her lips into a thin line and looked away. "Be diplomatic, oh great Negotiator. But don't trust them and don't underestimate them. Don't forget that they managed - very likely - to capture Dooku. No one is that lucky."

"I know." And he did. "You don't need to worry about us."

Adrina scoffed. "I know you too well to not worry. You could find trouble in an empty box."

"Anakin could find trouble in an empty box," Obi-Wan corrected. He grinned. "Trouble would find me. There's a difference."

Adrina rolled her eyes. "The end result is the same. Trouble."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "We always manage to come out just fine."

"That is a matter of opinion."

"We're alive, aren't we?"

Adrina leveled him with an unamused glare. "For all we know, this is all an elaborate Separatist plot. They've certainly capitalized on situations before."

Obi-Wan sighed. Yes, the Separatists had - and very recently, as well. Poor young Nahdar Vebb, cut down by General Grievous, alongside a host of troops. Only Master Fisto had survived the trap into which Nute Gunray led them. "It is possible."

"And you and Anakin are going alone, unarmed."

"We don't have much choice," Obi-Wan murmured, suddenly weary. He rubbed his face. This blasted war was aging him faster than training Anakin.

Adrina turned away from the hologram. "No, I don't suppose you do. But I don't like it."

"I never did ask," Obi-Wan said after a moment. "How did things go on Kamino?"

She tensed. Adrina couldn't answer immediately. Finally, muscles easing slightly, she murmured, "I just don't know, Obi-Wan. I just don't know."

Obi-Wan folded his arms, a look of concern settling over his face. "Did something happen? Are you alright?"

Adrina managed a half smile. She waved his concern away. "Nothing like that. Nothing… happened."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

Adrina carefully lifted her eyes to him. "Does it bother you? The clones?"

"What do you mean?"

"The clones?" Adrina pressed, more urgently. "Doesn't it seem a bit too much like… slavery?" She choked on the word. "They are bred to - trained to - fight a war they have no say in. They have no autonomy. No legal rights. They're just… property we send to their deaths. Bodies with numbers." Her eyes flashed with fire. "They aren't even given names, Obi-Wan. They have to name themselves. Doesn't that bother you? You and I, we could leave. We could walk away anytime we want. No repercussions from the Council. But the troopers? You know what happens to deserters."

"Yes." Sorrow blanketed the whispered word. "It bothers me greatly."

Adrina let out a frustrated sigh as she began to furiously pace. "I know why the Senate voted for the army. I know the Republic needed an army and the troopers were…. convenient. But we're supposed to be better than this. This isn't the Outer Rim. Slavery is supposed to be outlawed. We have to be better than this, or what's the point?"

Obi-Wan dropped his arms. "I don't know what to do about it." Helpless. Adrina deflated slightly. Obi-Wan understood. Obi-Wan gestured to the pieces of clone armor that had become part of his regular attire. "I didn't begin wearing these for show."

Her shoulders slumped. "I hate it, Obi-Wan," Adrina said quietly. "I absolutely hate it. If, in the process of winning this war, we sink lower than the very people we are striving to defeat…. What was the point?"

"Why did you do it, then?" Obi-Wan asked gently.

Adrina sighed. "I almost didn't. I thought about it. Long and hard. Perhaps I shouldn't have. But I knew they were going to continue - with or without me. And I wanted them - the clones - to have the best chance. To help them when they can't help themselves. And… and it was a way to be close to my buir...one last time." Guilt and doubt niggled at her. "Maybe I'm a hypocrite."

"Nothing is as it should be."

"I'm afraid of the path we are going down, Obi-Wan. Political considerations should not be ranked higher than our moral obligations. I'm afraid that more and more we are simply playing politics. Even on Tatooine, the Jedi were known as valiant peacekeepers, neutral arbiters for the benefit of all who crossed their paths. But now?" She shook her head.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "I agree." He sighed. "Once we have Dooku, the war will soon end."

Adrina nodded. "I just hope…" She trailed off with pursed lips, thinking the better of her comment. I just hope Palpatine relinquishes his emergency powers with grace.

Obi-Wan tilted his head.

"I hope the war ends soon," Adrina said after a moment. Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't press. She rubbed her temple. "I'm off to sleep." She hesitated by the door. She turned back with her hand on the wall. "Be careful, Obi-Wan."

He flashed her a charming smile. "Aren't I always."

Adrina snorted but there was a twinkle in her eye as she waved her good-bye.

0

The white and orange transport loomed before Maelle. Her heart hammered its way up through her chest to lodge painfully in her throat. Until now she had managed to avoid the death trap, but no longer.

In two hours, the cruiser would drop out of hyperspace and a party - including Maelle - would investigate a Separatist laboratory. Ever since Lianna, the Republic had been on the lookout for potential sources of the mysterious virus. After a month, the search was beginning to bear fruit.

And Maelle would be forced to face her fear. A shiver ran down her spine. What she wouldn't give for an ounce of Adrina's courage.

Still, Maelle hoped for success on the mission. On the backs of the Republic struggles in the Outer Rim and serious losses - not to mention the devastating escape of Dooku from the pirate band a week ago - the Republic needed good news. She shook her head. What a day it was, that she would be hoping for the discovery of one of the galaxy's most deadly viruses. What had the galaxy come to?

"Can I help you?"

Maelle squeaked and spun around, muscles tense and coiled, at the surprise. She shook her head sharply, blond curls nearly whipping in her face.

The clone raised an eyebrow with a tilt of his head. Maelle knew she should know his name, but none came to mind. Captain something. Adrina would know.

Maelle cleared her throat. She drew herself up and attempted to project a confidence she did not feel. "I was just….That is to say..." Words failed her. Her shoulders slowly fell and she turned back to the transport.

"Right."

Maelle's brow furrowed. She crossed her arms. "I was just looking," she muttered. She could feel him eyeing her speculatively.

The clone allowed a brief period of silence. Maelle felt his eyes upon her the entire time. "I don't believe we met," he finally said. "I'm Captain Rex, sir."

Rex. Yes, that was it. She had heard of the man, though they had never met. "Assistant Maelle Amon."

Her eyes drifted back to the transport.

"Ever ridden in one?"

"Hm?" Captain Rex's words slowly registered. Maelle exhaled a shuddering breath, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "Yes," she said softly. "I have." She vigorously rubbed her nose in a vain attempt to clear the unmistakable stench of burning flesh and whirled away.

Rex raised an eyebrow. "Assistant Amon?"

Heart hammering, Maelle muttered apologies and brushed past Captain Rex, sprinting from the hanger like the coward she was.