Summary:

Slick talks with Rex and Cody.

Ahsoka gives Fives a new assignment.

Jinn gets a message.

10.

Slick didn't know why he had been ordered to speak with Commander Cody. He hadn't done anything wrong and since his promotion to Sergeant after Christophsis, he'd been enjoying the newfound respect he earned among the men. He thought maybe he'd been given a new mission. After all, they had returned to space. New orders were expected.

When he opened the door to Commander Cody's office, he was surprised to see Captain Rex was seating at his desk. He brushed off his jolt with a shake of his head and pushed into the room before closing it behind him. He saw that Cody was standing beside Rex. Slick stood at attention with his arms folding behind his back.

"Commander. Captain."

Cody said, "At ease, Slick. Rex and I would like to have a word with you."

Slick narrowed his brow and said, "Sir, what's this about?"

Rex on forward over the desk and said, "Don't worry. You're not in trouble. You're a smart brother, Slick. I'm sure you've thought about what will happen to us soldiers after the war. If we'll ever be granted rights or citizenship."

Slick nervously looked away from Rex before meeting his gaze again and said, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Rex said, "Granted."

Slick scowled and said, "Sure, I've thought about what will become of us clones, but the Republic is never going to give us rights or citizenship. Why should they? We're nothing but property to them. We're nothing to them but living droids."

Cody said, "Watch your tongue, trooper."

Rex stood up from the desk and said, "No, let him speak."

Slick balled his hands into fists and said, "We're nothing but slaves to the Jedi. We do their bidding and for what? So we can die for them? Face it, they only created us so we can do the dying for them. They don't care about us. We're expendable to them."

Slick glared at the Captain and the Commander. He challenged them to deny what he said. Normally, he wouldn't have said anything, but he had hope that maybe another brother would understand. He heard talk from the men that Rex was organizing a clone only network outside the GAR. He thought if anyone could grasp what he was saying then it would be him.

Rex stepped around the desk and placed his hand over Slick's shoulder and said, "You're right. We never asked for this. It isn't fair and I'm going to need your help in order to change it."

Slick wrinkled his nose and asked, "What do you mean?"

Rex let go of his shoulder and said, "It's like what you said. The Republic doesn't think we're any better than living droids, so we're going to change their perception. I want them to start seeing us as human beings and I think you're the right man for the job."

Slick was visibly confused and said, "How exactly do you plan for me to do that?"

Rex moved to sit on the edge of Cody's desk and crossed his arms over his chest. He gave the Sergeant a smile and said, "Simply, with PR."

"What?" exclaimed Cody and Slick at the same time.

Rex said, "Think about it. Most citizens don't know anything about us clones. They have no idea that we're individuals or that we can even think for ourselves."

Slick shook his head and said, "No, that's never going to work. The GAR would never do PR that the clones are individuals. The Republic wants to pretend that they aren't sending living and breathing men to the war to die."

Rex leaned back smugly and said, "That's why we're going to release the PR ourselves. We're going to give the citizens a clone's perspective of the war. If we can get into the public-eye, then we can demand the rights we deserve for all our brothers."

Slick rubbed his chin in thought and said, "Yeah, but what's to stop them from finding us out?"

Cody said, "The network. We can have the PR broadcast from any location across the GAR. We can have it encrypted."

Slick ran his hand over his face and said, "I don't know. What if nobody cares?"

Rex said, "People like a good story. I need your help to make sure our stories get told."

After Slick was dismissed, Rex let out a deep breath. He then sank down on the seat opposite Cody's desk. He felt drained. He rested his elbows onto the armrest and rested his forehead against his hands. Meanwhile, Cody shook his head and sat down at his now vacant desk.

"We're going to have to keep an eye on him."

Rex moved to sit up straight and said, "Yeah, but he's not wrong. We are being used, but it isn't the Republic. It's the Sith. I just hope that this assignment will help Slick channel his anger towards something good."

XXX

Ahsoka found that missions were easier and had less casualties than she remembered. Sure, they were dangerous and unpredictable, but this time things were different. For the most part, it was because she was different. She didn't see things with the eyes of a young Padawan. Instead, she saw the war through the eyes of a grown woman who fought through many battles and faced countless trials.

It also helped that Obi-Wan and Anakin were willing to listen to her and Rex's advice. She was frustrated with them at times. The changes she wanted didn't seem to happen fast enough. Sometimes she felt like they were too laxed. They didn't understand what was truly at stake.

Besides Rex, Jinn became her biggest supporter. He never hesitated to follow her lead and having a fourth Jedi in the group was a great asset. He was a wild card that usually helped them tip the odds to their favor. He never cared about his ambiguous status in the GAR. In fact, he seemed to embrace it.

However, Jinn was deeply dedicated to finding a cure for clone rapid aging. If he wasn't sparring with the men, he was locked up in his lab. It got to the point that Ahsoka was getting worried about his health.

Tentatively, she knocked on the door to the lab. When he didn't answer she shook her head in exasperation and opened the door. She saw that he was sleeping at his desk. His head was in a data-pad and he had drooled.

"Jinn! Wake up!"

Blurry eyed, he jumped up and said, "Ah! Are we there yet, darling?"

Ahsoka narrowed her brow and asked, "Who's darling?"

Jinn reached up to wipe the drool off his face and said, "Oh, sorry. I thought you were-someone else."

Ahsoka titled her head and realized she didn't really know a whole lot about Jinn. He never said anything about his past, but ever since he lowered Force-shields she sensed his loneliness. She thought he might need some company or a babysitter. He looked awful. She watched as he rubbed his temple before leaving his chair and headed towards a sink in the corner. He started to wash his hands and face and picked up a towel.

"Is there something I can do for your, Miss Tano?"

"Please, I told you to call me Ahsoka."

"So, you did, Miss Tano."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and leaned against the desk as he finished drying his face. She saw that he had a lot of data-pads spread across his desk in a mess. She picked up one of them and read that it was a Kamino report on clone DNA. She couldn't make heads or tails of it. His desk also had a half-eaten ration on it and a dirty cup that used to have caff. It was gross. It was then she made up her mind. Jinn absolutely needed a babysitter.

Ahsoka reached for her comm until a voice answered on the other side.

"What can I do for you, Commander?"

"Fives, report to Lab1 immediately."

"Sure, I'll be there in 5, Commander."

Jinn frowned and tossed the towel down onto the back of his chair and said, "Why are you calling Fives here?"

"You'll see."

In less than 5 minutes, Fives appeared. Ahsoka let him into the lab and he paused when he saw the mess in the room. There were data-pads everywhere, discarded pieces of paper and ration wrappers left everywhere in sight. Against the wall was a large white board with strange symbols scribbled all over it.

"What the kriff happened here?"

Ahsoka got right down to business and said, "Fives, I'm giving you a new special assignment."

He gave her a dubious look and said, "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this assignment, Commander."

She smiled and said, "I'm assigning you to Master Jinn. I want you to be his assistant. Help him clean the lab and make sure he eats regular meals."

Jinn said, "That's very kind of you, Miss Tano but I don't need an assistant."

She spun around to face him and said, "Yes, you do. Look, I know your work is important, but you are neglecting your health. Tell me, when was the last time you slept in a bed?"

He looked up in thought and said, "It wasn't that long. Maybe, two-no three days ago? I think?"

Ahsoka frowned and turned towards the door. She placed her hand on Fives' shoulder and said, "He's all yours. Make sure he showers, eats and makes it to bed."

Fives was about to object and stammered, "No-Comman-"

However, it was too late. Ahsoka had already left the lab. Fives sighed in defeat and looked towards the Jedi. He looked like a crumpled mess. His hair was sticking up and his beard might have pieces of a ration in it. It was weird look since Master Jinn looked nearly identical to General Kenobi. The prim and proper General wouldn't be caught dead looking so dejected.

"Well, I suppose I could use a little help."

Fives took a deep breath and straightened up and said, "Right, first go get cleaned up. I'll straightened up this mess and meet you at your quarters."

"Thank you, Fives."

"No problem, sir."

After Jinn left, Fives began picking up the discarded data-pads and muttered, "This is probably what Rex and Cody feel like. Always cleaning up Jedi messes."

XXX

Jinn took the longest and hottest shower he had in a long time. He trimmed his beard and hair before dressing in a fresh set of black and grey Jedi robes. He wondered if he should clean his gear as well. He unsheathed his black sword and inspected the blade. His dark reflection gazed up at him from the polished steel. It was still in good condition, but Jinn couldn't help feeling a little dull himself.

It had been a few days since he sparred with the men. Perhaps a good match would help loosen him up. He thought maybe he could spar with Fives and see what the man was made of. He wanted to know how hard he could lean on his new assistant.

Unexpectedly, he heard a comm beeped on his desk. He saw that it was coming from a package that was addressed to him. He opened it and the holo-image of Ventress appeared and began to speak.

"You're a hard man to find, Master Jinn. I have a proposition for you. If you're interested, then meet me at Dathomir at the following location alone."

The image flicked out and a second later the door opened and in walked Fives. Jinn turned and quickly slid the comm into his belt pocket behind his back. He removed his other hand up to run his fingers through his damp hair to distract the trooper as he stepped closer to the door to greet him.

"I hope my mess didn't cause you too much trouble."

"You're not any worse than my bunk mates, Master Jinn. So, are you hungry?"

"Famished."

Together the two men headed towards the Mess Hall. However, Fives was curious about the Jedi and what he was working on. He knew it was a classified project that the Generals were aware of, but he had no idea what it was about.

"So, you're a scientist?"

"Actually, I'm a healer."

"Oh, can I ask what it is your working on?"

Jinn smiled and said, "Sorry, I'm not at liberty to say."

"But it has something to do with clones?"

"Again, I am not at liberty to say, Fives."

They entered the Mess Hall and got on a line to get their trays. Jinn waited till Fives got his tray first before abruptly pausing before picking up his own.

"Fives, I forgot to mention something to Miss Tano. I'll be a moment."

"Sure, sir."

Jinn then headed towards the door and left the Mess Hall. However, Fives was suspicious. He knew Jinn was up to something. He overheard his comm message through the door as he headed to his quarters. He was also working on a top-secret clone project. He read some of the titles on the data-pads. They were all DNA reports from Kamino. He worried that Jinn might be a Separatists spy. He waited a few minutes before leaving the Mess Hall to follow him. He saw that he was heading to the docking bay. He boarded a small ship and headed out into space.

XXX

TBC

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