"aaaa" - talking through a holocomunicator or comlink. aaaa - inner thoughts and Force Visions. 'aaaa' - talking through a bond.

AN: Thank you princesselsaamidala22 for your review of the last chapter.

I absolutely geeked out over the new episode of the Book of Boba Fett! (If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you go watch it. I won't be spoiling the entire episode, but will be talking about the things that I thought were really cool.) We got to see Ahsoka again, Grogu (I'm NOT calling him Baby Yoda), Luke (I'm glad LucasFilm hired that YouTuber who deep-faked Luke after his appearance in the Season 2 finale of the Mandalorian), and CAD BANE! The last time we saw the Duros was in Season 1 of The Bad Batch (Can't wait for Season 2!) when he and Fennec were both going after Omega.

I almost cried seeing the training montage with Grogu and Luke. It reminded me of the one that took place in ESB on Dagobah. Really happy that Ahsoka and Luke know who each other are. I didn't know whether to cry or laugh when she told Din that she was an old friend of the family after meeting up with R2 in the forest. We also got a reference to Anakin!

I'm pretty sure the lightsaber that we see at the end of the episode was not Master Yoda's actual lightsaber because you have to remember at the end of Episode 3 when Yoda fought Palpatine, he lost his lightsaber during that fight and had to leave it behind when he escaped the Senate building.

Also, the way that R2 and Ahsoka interacted with each other was so cute!

For this interlude, I took some inspiration from two pieces of work. One is titled If I Could Never Give You Peace by hschooler and the other one is called Burc'ya vaal burk'yc, burc'ya veman by onepageatatime15. Both are on AO3 if you would like to read them.

There will be a little bonding in this interlude, but it's mainly between Rex and Rosella.

Happy reading!

Interlude: Recovering from the Virus

While Anakin and Obi-Wan had offered to help Captain Typho destroy the bunker so it could never be used again, the gunships that Rosella, Padmè and the troops were on landed in the hangar of the Royal Palace. As soon as the pilots got the all clear, they opened the doors, allowing a medical team to come in and grab all four stretchers. After bringing the victims to the medical wing - Padmè accompanied Rosella and made sure the teenager stayed in her bed - and checking them over, the doctors at the palace determined that they were stable enough to leave. Then they were transferred back to the gunships and moved to the Resolute.

Padmè, who had a meeting with the Queen, sent a message to Anakin saying that she would be taking her silver-plated H-type Nubian yacht, which she had left in the hangar, back to Coruscant when she was finished. Once the Jedi Knight had acknowledged her plans, she told him to take care of Rosella and bid him goodbye. Then she put away her comlink and headed towards the throne room.

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When they arrived on the Resolute, Rosella, Rex, Sting and Tug were transferred to the medical ward and placed in separate rooms. While Corric gave her another checkup, three medical droids checked on Rex and the two troopers. After their exams were complete, Corric had all four of them moved into the central area of the ward. As he left to go take care of some paperwork, the medic made sure to dim the lights on his way out so none of them would get headaches when they woke up.

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As soon as Corric reached his office, he closed the door, sat at his desk and got started on the paperwork that needed to be completed for the mission that had just been completed.

The 501st medic, like all of his vod, had heard of the Blue Shadow Virus. Their instructors on Kamino had made sure that they were well educated on the history of the Republic. Several thousand years before the Clone Wars, the virus had encompassed the galaxy, killing everyone who had drank the infected water. The virus was eventually eradicated, which was a relief as he had never thought that he would see it while serving in the war.

Then he had received the news that Dr. Vindi had somehow managed to create a newer and more deadly version of the virus, in what was most likely a Separatist attempt to create a biological weapon that was to be used against both the Confederacy and the Republic, not to mention endangering the lives of everyone in the galaxy.

Vindi, who had planned to release the virus in several key systems, was stopped by Generals Skywalker and Kenobi, along with Commander Ngaire, Senator Amidala, and a handful of brothers from the 501st Legion.

Not without consequence though.

The last vial of the gas version had accidentally been released while Skywalker and Kenobi had been getting Vindi ready for transport. Luckily the Generals, with some assistance from Captain Typho, had managed to discover a way to make an antidote to the virus using reeksa root in time to save those who had been infected. The antidote had already been delivered to those who were ill, but that didn't mean that they were entirely recovered as of yet.

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As soon as all the paperwork was completed, Corric headed back to check on Rosella and the others. On his way to the central area, he ran into General Skywalker. Standing at attention, he gave the man a salute. "General," he said.

"As you were Corric," Anakin replied, nodding at him. When he saw the man relax, he continued. "I've come down here to see how the Commander and the others are doing."

"I assure you that they will be fine General," the medic told him. "While the antidote is helping their recovery process, the Blue Shadow Virus is well…still a virus. Their bodies are still a little weak right now, but I will release them once they regain some of their strength."

"Thank you Corric," Anakin said. Then with a nod, he left the medical ward and headed up to the bridge.

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Once the Jedi Knight reached the communication center, he stood in front of the holotable and contacted Jedi Master Vokara Che, who was also the Temple's Chief Healer.

When she answered, Anakin told her what had occurred over the past few days. She told Anakin that as soon as they arrived at the Temple, Rosella was to be brought straight to the healing ward so she could be examined. Anakin nodded and then her holo disappeared.

Knowing that he and Obi-Wan wouldn't have to make their reports to the Council until they got back, the Knight left, heading to his quarters.

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When the medic entered the room, he sighed and shook his head as he had caught his Captain trying to escape. Glancing over at Rosella, who was still asleep, he crossed the room to the Captain's bedside and firmly, but gently pressed one of his hands on Rex's shoulder and forced him back into his bed.

"Corric, I'm fine," Rex argued, keeping his voice low as he laid back down. "All I need is some food and I'll be back on my feet in no time."

The medic glowered at the man.

"With all due respect, sir," Corric said, dropping his voice to the same pitch as Rex had, "you are not going anywhere until I give you and the other troopers the all clear." He saw Rex roll his eyes in exasperation since he knew where this was going. "If you think that you'll be able to get away with pulling rank over me, don't - you know as well as I do that I, as well as Kix, outrank you when you're in here, so lay back down and relax."

"Do you always let your troopers speak to you like that, sir?" Sting asked. He was one of the new clones who had just been introduced to the Snow Wolves unit, so he hadn't gotten the chance to meet Corric or even the Commander yet.

Corric all but growled as he gestured at his vod. "Do not start with our di'kutla alor'ad, shiny," he snapped. "Or I will make sure that you stay in that bed until we reach Coruscant."

Sting, at least, had the good sense to look chastised.

Once Corric had checked on Tug, who had slept through the entire conversation between Rex, Sting and the medic, he was content enough to leave them in the room while he got some food. "Stay in your beds," he said. Glaring at the men one last time, he left the room.

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It was a pair of low voices that stirred the Commander of the 501st from her sleep. When Rosella opened her eyes, the lights were dimmed. As her eyes got used to the light, she could make out a few faint details and knew that she was no longer on Naboo, but not yet back in the Temple.

She, Rex and the others were in the medical ward aboard the cruiser, which was in hyperspace, heading back to Coruscant.

Rolling onto her side, she closed her eyes, reached out into the Force and lightly touched the bond that she shared with her father, which was a little difficult since her body was still regaining the strength that she had lost fighting off the virus. It was quiet and peaceful on his end as he was asleep in his quarters. Deciding to let him remain that way, she slowly withdrew from the Force and rolled back over, smiling slightly as she saw that both Rex and the trooper beside him were awake.

Rex noticed that she was awake and smiled. "Commander," he said. "Glad to see that you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but other than that, I'm alright," Rosella responded. Looking at the trooper, she decided to introduce herself. "I'm Rosella Ngaire, Commander of the 501st."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Commander," the trooper said. "I'm Sting."

"You were with us in Vindi's lab?" Rosella asked.

Sting nodded. "Yes, sir," he replied. "I would have introduced myself, but that didn't seem like the best time."

"Yeah, you're right," Rosella agreed.

Then the door opened and Corric walked in. Nodding to the men and Rosella, he walked over to check on Tug, which left Sting, Rex, and Rosella free to continue their conversation.

Rosella glanced at Corric and then at Rex. "Who is that?" She asked, directing the question to him.

"That's Corric, one of two medical troopers serving our legion," Rex told her.

"Two?" Sting asked. "Who's the other one?"

"HIs name is Kix," Corric called over his shoulder.

Rosella leaned back in her bed and looked at Sting. Glancing at Tug, she said, "You boys are lucky to have each other." Even though she had her family, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be an older sibling.

As if sensing what she was thinking, Rex leaned forward. "You have us, too, you know," he said gently. "You're our vod'ika now, just as much as Sting, Corric and Tug are my vod."

"Vod?" Rosella asked in a soft voice. "What does that mean?"

"It means brother," Rex responded. "Vod'ika means little sister. We'd be happy to call you that, when we aren't on duty of course."

"But I'm not – I'm not really your sister," Rosella said, surprise coloring her voice.

"Aliit ori'shya tal'din," Sting said gently.

Upon seeing Rosella's rather confused expression, Rex chuckled. "Aliit ori'shya tal'din – it means family is more than blood," he explained, smiling slightly as the teenager's expression shifted from confused to shocked.

"Really?" She choked out, her eyes misting over with unshed tears. "You would – you consider me…"

"Of course, we do," Rex assured her.

Rosella smiled softly. She wanted to get out of her bed to hug the Captain but didn't want Corric to yell at her, so she stayed where she was. "Thank you, Rex," she said, sniffling a little. "Or should I start calling you vod now?"

Rex chuckled and said, "That's ori'vod to you, vod'ika."

Rosella looked at him with another confused expression on her face. "Ori'vod?" She asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means older brother," Rex answered in a smug voice.

The teenage padawan glared at the Captain. "I'm a few years older than you!" She indignantly exclaimed.

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After arriving on Coruscant, Anakin sprung Rosella from the medical ward and brought her to the Halls of Healing. After Che finished checking the padawan over, she looked up at Anakin and said, "I don't want her doing any physical activities for the next couple of weeks. That means no lightsaber training or anything else that involves her moving around."

Anakin nodded and the Healer released her back into the Knight's care as she left the room, leaving him to figure out how to get his apprentice back to their apartment. "C'mon, kiddo," he said as he helped her off the bed.

Rosella sat up and softly yawned as she slumped against him, doing absolutely nothing to help support her weight.

"Alright," the Knight grumbled, adjusting her arms around his neck as he lifted her up onto his back where she instantly tucked her face into his neck. "We're doing this the hard way then."

By the time they made it out of the healer's wing, Rosella was already asleep.

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Qui-Gon, who had just stepped out of his own apartment, had an amused look on his face as Anakin came walking down the hall with Rosella on his back.

"She fell asleep after her visit to the healers," the Knight told him in a quiet voice as he walked to his shared apartment, which was a few doors away from Qui-Gon's.

The Jedi Master nodded, told Anakin to take care of her and headed off in the direction that Anakin had just come from.

Entering the code into the panel by the door, Anakin entered the apartment. Once the door had closed behind him, he made his way over to the couch and gently deposited Rosella onto it. After tucking a pillow under her head, he went to her room, grabbed the blanket off her bed and came back. Tucking it around her, he decided to let her sleep while he went to the kitchen to make them something to eat.

Once the Knight had made a sandwich for each of them, he brought the plates over and placed them on the coffee table. Then he crouched down in front of the couch, reached out and gently shook Rosella's shoulder, watching as the young girl stirred and woke up.

"Dad…?" She mumbled as she looked up at him, a bleary look in her eyes.

"Hey, sweetie," he said, keeping his voice low. He removed the blanket since he didn't want it to get dirty and placed it to one side. "How are you feeling?"

Rosella yawned, giving him his answer.

Anakin chuckled and said, "You can go back to sleep soon, but you need to eat. I happen to know that you haven't eaten anything since we had that meal in the mess hall on the Resolute two days ago."

"I'm not hungry," Rosella said, her words muffled by the pillow she'd pressed her face into.

"Ella," Anakin said, a stern tone in his voice.

With a dejected sigh, Rosella sat up, tucking her legs under her as Anakin handed her a plate with a sandwich on it. She took the plate and began to eat her lunch. She knew that she would be confined to their apartment for the next few weeks while she recovered.

After they finished eating, Anakin got up, grabbed both plates and carried them to the kitchen. Then he returned, grabbing the blanket from where he had placed it. Reclining on the couch next to Rosella, he spread the blanket over her, smiling as she leaned against him. He shifted a little to rest one arm around her shoulders while using the Force to grab the remote with his other hand. Turning on the holoprojector, he flipped through the channels until he settled on a family-friendly movie.

Once the movie was over, he glanced down to find the teenager sleeping, with her head tucked against his neck. Not wanting to move her to her room, he settled against the corner of the sectional that was against the wall and watched as she got into a more comfortable position. Even though that meant she was laying on top of him, he didn't mind. Rosella was his padawan. His responsibility. While he couldn't keep her safe on the battlefield, the least he could do was give her a few hours of rest. Realizing that she hadn't meditated since coming back to the Temple, Anakin lightly sank into the force and reached for their bond. He took hold of her memories that lingered from the mission and banished them into the force, making sure that they would never haunt her again.

Withdrawing from the Force, Anakin made sure that his wrist comm was turned off before removing it and placing it on the coffee table. "Get some sleep, sweetheart," he whispered, as he wrapped his arms around her before falling asleep himself.

Mando Translations

di'kutla - foolish, idiotic
alor'ad - captain
vod - brother
ori'vod - big brother/sister, special friend
vod'ika - little sister
aliit ori'shya tal'din - Family is more than blood