A/N: Is this really stupid? Yes. Does it make any sort of sense within the timeline? Not at all. Did I have fun writing it anyway? …Yeah. Enjoy?

It was little things, at first. Anakin caught Ahsoka muttering something about "high ground" to Fives, the ARC trooper covering his mouth in response. Later, when Obi-Wan retold the story of their joint imprisonment with Dooku, Anakin notices the shared glance between them, and Ahsoka's giggles as Obi-wan redelivered his "at least you're a master at getting caught" line. He hadn't thought much of it at the time – he and Ahsoka had plenty of in-jokes, it made sense that she would share some with the clones as well.

The day of the Coruscant mission, that all changed.

Anakin crouched on the grimy roof of one of the lower city's many dives, unmoving except for the slight click of his gloved fingers along the tiles. A sour fog, the by-product of the nearby refinery, masked the faces of hurrying passersby. No one wanted to loiter in this part of town.

Keen blue eyes flicked across the roadway once more, then the Jedi dropped back behind the slope of the roof, out of sight. Three other figures huddled in wait. The smallest of the three moved to his side. "Anything?"

He shook his head. "Not yet, Snips." The sounds of the street kept their whispered conversation innocuous, but his voice dropped farther as he asked, "Echo, any word from Rex?"

The clone shook his head. The modulator inside his helmet pitched his voice a hair louder than the Jedi's, and Anakin winced involuntarily as the sound. "At last transmission, he and the Coruscant Guard were still trailing the Senator, sir."

His companion shifted and groaned quietly. "How long is this gonna take? What if the informant doesn't show? Are we just – "

"Fives," Anakin hissed. "Stealth, remembe – " He cut himself off as something prickled along the back of his neck. A moment later, he was scrambling back to the peak of the roof, scanning wildly. He froze, his hand beckoning Ahsoka forward. She obeyed. There, he mouthed, cocking his head towards a cloaked figure striding purposefully between the buildings. In a few moments the fog had swallowed her, and Anakin was on his feet, gesturing for the rest of the group to follow.

It was slow going, moving from rooftop to rooftop. The Jedi could jump the gaps with ease, but the clones were slower, sometimes requiring the assistance of the Force to land unnoticed. After the third such delay caused them to lose sight of their quarry, Anakin allowed himself a whispered curse. He knew in the seedy underbelly of the world a uniform might carry more threat than a lightsaber, but he was starting to wish he'd risked it.

They resumed their pace, a quartet of shadows flitting above the alleyways. Anakin caught a glimpse of what might have been his target's cloak, and angled his path accordingly. After a few minutes' pursuit, however, he had lost all sign of his prey.

He swung from the roof into a side street, cursing louder this time. "We lost her."

"Of course you did," rumbled a voice from beside him. "But then again, that was the point."

Anakin whirled. A lanky man leaned against the boarded-up doorway. Tattoos twisted across his bald head, and only his dark eyebrows and a tuft between his lower lip and chin revealed what color his hair might have once been.

Ahsoka and the clones dropped down behind Anakin, who took a menacing step forward. "Who are you?" He could feel his apprentice's tension, her nerves jangling on the edge.

The man unfolded himself lazily from the doorway. "The name's Lesander, but you can call me Sandy. Don't worry about your informant friend. She arranged for me to meet you here, just as you arranged for her to lead you to Senator Moreck's meeting place."

Anakin took another step, reaching for his lightsaber. "She didn't mention anything of the sort."

Lesander shrugged, seemingly unfazed. "Standard practice. If anyone's trailing you, they'll assume you failed to make your appointment." He paused hopefully. Anakin didn't move. The man sighed. "Look, I've got your information. How about I give it to you, and then you decide whether or not to kill me." He stuck out a hand. "Sound fair?"

Anakin probed the man's sense, searching for malice or treachery. Reluctantly, he released his hold on the hilt at his side. He grasped the hand, funneling his frustration into his grip. To his satisfaction, the other winced. "All right. Show us what you know… Sandy."

A snort of laughter behind him shattered the moment, and he felt the tension drain from Ahsoka. The Togruta quickly tried to cover her reaction with a cough, Fives patting her back with exaggerated motions. Anakin shot them a glare.

Fives straightened quickly. "ah, yes, sir. We are very interested in what – " he hiccuped over the name, " – Sandy has to say."

The rest of the meeting went off without incident. Anakin could sense their amusement, but his attention was diverted as Lesander rattled off information. Not only were Obi-Wan's suspicions about Senator Moreck's illegal dealings with the Separatists confirmed, but Lesander gave him the exact location of their meeting.

Echo relayed the information to Rex over the comm, as the four of them sprinted towards the meeting place. He shook his head as the communication ended. "Man, I did not like that guy."

Anakin could feel the glance Ahsoka and Fives shot each other, before the padawan piped up, "I thought he seemed a bit coarse."

"Don't be ridiculous, Commander," Fives shot back, "He was just rough around the edges."

"Didn't you see how irritating he was?"

"I bet he's a great spy. Gets everywhere."

"Is there something you two want to tell me?" Anakin interjected.

"What?" The single syllable dripped with Ahsoka's brand of sarcastic innocence. He didn't have time to reprimand her, however, as they as they were almost upon the supposed rendezvous point. He slowed to a lope, gesturing for the rest of the group to do likewise. These streets were quieter, the ARC troopers' muffled footfalls the only sound. Anakin stretched out his senses, searching for signs of life. The smog lay thicker here, concealing his feet, and as his awareness heightened the smell nearly overpowered him. He wrinkled his nose and pushed past it, extending his senses further.

There. Just on the edge of his enhanced hearing, he caught voices. He couldn't make out the words, but Senator Moreck's tepid tone was unmistakable.

He crept closer, until the mumble formed into coherent sentences.

" – give you the positions of the Republic troops, you'll see to it that Count Dooku instates me as a leader in the Separatist government."

"Of course," the second voice assured. Low and female, it had a burbling quality to it Anakin couldn't quite place.

He pinpointed the speakers. The voices drifted from behind the barred doors of the factor, under which the foul-smelling fog constantly seeped. He moved to the entrance, then paused to ensure his companions followed. Ahsoka nodded, and he flashed her a reckless grin.

The clang of the opening door echoed through the interior of the factory. Lightsaber swinging lazily in one hand, Anakin strode through the doorway. Behind him, the neatly-severed bar sparked and twisted. "Senator Moreck, what a pleasant surprise!" The blade clicked to attention. "Let me guess. This was the only place you could find that would match the stench of your treachery."

The two figures turned. Anakin caught the purple blush of fear that ran up the Senator's frill, belying the unnervingly bland tone that was the hallmark of his species. "General Skywalker. What are you doing here."

Anakin's grin widened, and he gave a half-bow, but his blade didn't falter. "I see my reputation precedes me. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for your charming companion."

The woman, he could now see, was a Quarren. The tentacles around her mouth twitched and writhed as she spoke, but her gaze was steady. "General Skywalker. And friends." She nodded to include the other three, who had stepped in behind him. Anakin heart the shifting click as Five's blaster moved from the Senator to point squarely at her midsection. She spread her arms. "As you can see, I have no weapon." A light glinted in her eyes. "Do not therefore assume I am alone."

There was barely time to react, as the pop of blasters above them sent sudden shafts of glowing plasma towards the group. Fortunately, barely was a largesse of time for a Jedi. Anakin's blade whipped up, deflecting two shots back towards their owners, moving as easily as if he were merely throwing a ball. He sidestepped the next three, heard the snap-hiss of Ahsoka's lightsabers behind him, and ducked as she deflected a bolt past his head. The tip of his weapon snaked out, sending a shot headed towards Echo into the wall, where it impacted with a crash and puff of smoke. He half-turned his head, grinning at the ARC trooper. "Backup, huh?"

The clone activated his comm. "Rex, now!"

A muffled crack from the far end of the room sent the smog roiling towards the Jedi as a salvo of blaster bolts peppered the hidden Separatists. Anakin saw a figure fall from one of the rafters before another volley answered the clones' assault. White-armored soldiers, red accents marking them as members of the Coruscant Guard, surged into the room.

Chaos erupted. Anakin's lightsaber carved glowing swathes in front of him as blue and red blaster bolts whizzed by his head. He caught sight of Ahsoka, but she fell into the fray as quickly as she had appeared. The foul-smelling fog still obscured his feet, and once he tripped over a body, barely managing to roll out of the way of an incoming shot.

Anakin sank into the flow of battle. He sensed, rather than saw, the moment when the tide turned. The surviving Separatists' shots began going wide, as the desire to stave off their enemy superseded the desire to kill. A few raced past the guards and vanished into the night. Senator Moreck, trapped in the middle of the firefight, stood like a statue. Waves of indigo rolled up and down his frill, and he watched with glossy eyes as an Ithorian fighter crumple to the ground in front of him. He was equally unresponsive as the clone trooper who had killed him shouldered past, rifle already searching for another target.

Not all the combatants were so neutral to him. Across the room, Anakin locked eyes with the Quarren. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, but she appeared unharmed. Long vibrosteel blades extended from her fingertips, and she wiped the sweat from her tentacles on the back of one hand.

They circled for a moment, sizing each other up. Then she charged.

Anakin's mind traced the path of her claws, saw where it would intercept the Senator. He launched himself forward, knowing it would be too late. No one stood between the Quarren and her target.

Until someone did.

Rising slowly from the mist, like a ghost come to haunt her killers, Ahsoka appeared between Moreck and the woman. Her leg whipped out, halting the Separatist's charge. An instant later, claws swiped across the Togruta's shoulder, and she cried out in pain, fog half-concealing her again as she stumbled to her knees.

The second's delay was enough. Anakin reached the Senator, shoving him roughly to the ground. He leaped over him, and his eyes once again locked with the assassin's. there was fire in them now, and she must have recognized it, because she turned and dropped into the fog. By the time he reached the far door, she was gone.

With a harsh shot, the last of the Separatist snipers tumbled from his perch, a gaping hole in his chest. Silence descended over the factory. Anakin bit his lip, senses starting to stretch out after the Quarren, but after a moment he drew back, turning towards the main room.

Ahsoka pushed herself to her feet, hissing as she gripped her injured shoulder. "Did she get away?"

Anakin nodded. "We'll put the word out for her." He opened his comm, keying for Obi-wan.

One of the Coruscant Guard approached Ahsoka, trying to pry her fingers from her wound. She batted him away absentmindedly. He pulled back, straightened and looked down at her. "Commander, your injury requires attention."

It was a familiar voice, real-familiar rather than the superficial similarity of all clone voices. Ahsoka's posture sagged slightly. "Rex."

Fives joined them. He'd lost him helmet somehow, and his armor was pockmarked and burned, but he seemed unhurt. He grinned sympathetically down at her. "You probably didn't recognize him because of the red armor."

Ahsoka chuckled, and after a moment Rex joined her. Anakin frowned. "Okay, seriously. What does that mea – "

"Anakin?"

He pulled up his commlink. "Obi-wan, hey. You were right about Moreck, but his Separatist contact got away. Quarren woman, some sort of implanted finger-knives. Dark clothing."

"We'll keep our eyes open for her," Obi-wan confirmed. "Hopefully we can get her before she leaves the planet. Is Moreck still in one piece?"

"Yeah." Anakin prodded the kneeling alien with his boot. "Dirty traitor that he is. You know, sometimes I really hate the Senate."

Ahsoka's head snapped up, forcing Rex to pause his ministrations. "Master! I thought you loved the Senate!"

Anakin's face wrinkled. "No! I mean, I love Padme… well, not love, love may be too strong a word, I respect her opinions and enjoy her company – "

"No." Fives joined Ahsoka. "She means you spend a lot of time with the Senate."

"Trust the Senate," Ahsoka added.

"Go to the Senate for advice."

"No I don't!" Anakin ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "They're a bunch of sleazy, two-faced politicians who – wait. Is this that thing again?"

Fives grinned, his shoulders rising guiltily. Anakin glared at him. "Explanation. Now."

"Hold on, Anakin." Obi-wan's voice echoed from the comm, unnaturally loud in the large space. "While I am admittedly quite confused, it doesn't sound like a particularly big deal."

"But Master – "

A figure appeared in the main entrance, carefully stepping over the now-cooled remains of the door bar. He clicked his comm off with a self-conscious smile. "Hello there."

"GENERAL KENOBI."

The roar was deafening, as every clone stood to attention. Their voices resounded off the metal walls, compounding the noise. Obi-wan clapped his hands over his ears, flinching away from the sound. When he ventured to open one eye, a few clones chuckled sheepishly.

"Then again," the older Jedi amended, picking his way across the floor, "an explanation might be exactly what we need."

"It's called Jeddit?" Anakin asked.

Ahsoka, shoulder fully bandaged, nodded. "It started out as a way for clones to gossip about their Jedi, but a few of us have joined since then." She scrolled down the datapad's screen. "Here. It's a meme, see?"

"Meme?" Anakin wrapped his mouth uncertainly around the word. "What's a meme?"

"Ahsoka?" Obi-wan asked before she could explain, "may I see that datapad?" She handed it over. He scrolled for a moment, then nodded. "Interesting. It seems most of these idioms originate from a single user. If we can find this Citizen_Arrester, perhaps we can get to the bottom of these – " He cut his eyes at Anakin. " – Memes."

The Jedi Knight cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Let's do it."

In his sparse apartment, Mace Windu paused. His fingers still hovered over the keys of his datapad, a half-finished string of text blinking steadily on the screen. Something prickled at the back of his mind, a faint sense of unease requesting his attention. "I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered to himself. A moment later, a smile eclipsed his concerned expression. "Ooh, that's good. I'm going to write that one down." Smirking, he returned to his work.