Summary:

Padme continues her peace talks with Mina.

Lux isn't happy.

Ahsoka and Rex's relationship is revealed to Padme.

Ahsoka gives Jinn a new assignment.

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The peace talks were going well between Padme and Mina. The two women saw eye-to-eye, but they admitted there was a great deal of hostility between the Republic and the Separatists. They tried their best to figure out a compromise, but nothing seemed to fit. Yet, what they could all agree on was that war wasn't the answer.

Padme sighed and said, "Mina, let's take a break. We can't solve everything on our own. We should try instead to figure out a way to get the majority of the Republic and the Separatists to agree to meet."

Mina put down her data-pad and said, "You're right, Padme. I think it's about time we had our mid-day meal. Lux? Oh, where has he gone off to?"

Padme got up from her seat. "It's alright, Mina. I'll go look for him. Why don't you tell the cook to get started?"

Mina smiled and said, "Good idea, Padme."

Padme looked around the house and saw that the rooms were empty. It meant that everyone was outside. Padme couldn't blame them. Lothal was a beautiful planet. She was glad Ahsoka suggested it. She was afraid it was going to be somewhere unpleasant like Tatooine. She opened the garden door and saw the lush landscape outside. It was a spacious plot of land with fruit trees, ponds and a cloister built into part of the house walls.

A second later, she spotted Lux. He looked upset. He was marching up the path with a frown.

"Lux? Is something wrong?"

The teenage pressed his lips and looked away from her and said, "It's nothing. I just realized I'm not good enough for some people."

Padme narrowed her brow and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Lux met her gaze and said, "Your Jedi friend has questionable taste in men."

Padme said, "Do you mean Ahsoka? Lux, wait!"

The teen had enough and walked back inside the house. He had never met anyone like Ahsoka before. She was worldly and passionate. She was different from anyone he had ever met. She had seen the war firsthand. She had lost friends. She faced danger and led men. She was courageous. He felt like a child compared to her.

It wasn't fair that she didn't have the same restrictions he had. She was even free to do things like kiss men. Though, it wasn't like Lux wanted to kiss men. He just didn't think it was fair that she would choose someone like the Captain over him. He figured Ahsoka would want someone closer to her own age. He was sure he'd understand her a lot better than a clone.

He began to wonder if their relationship was only a physical thing. As a Jedi, she probably didn't spend a lot of time with her own peers. Lux resolved to show Ahsoka what he could offer her.

XXX

Padme found Ahsoka and Rex by the cloisters. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The two friends were sitting next to each other and talking. Padme wondered what had gotten into Lux. Padme waved her hand when her friends spotted her.

"Hi, Ahsoka. Hi, Rex."

The Togruta teen said, "Hello, Padme. Taking a break?"

Padme said, "Actually, I was going to ask if you two wanted to join us for mid-day meal. Though, I ran into Lux. He seemed upset. Did you say anything to him?"

Ahsoka raised her white brow and said, "Rex and I talked to Lux back at the house before we went to the garden. Why?"

"What did you talk about?"

Rex said, "Ahsoka talk a bit about how important your mission was and I answered his questions about clones. I explained the importance of experience and then he left."

Padme asked, "Did you speak to him in the garden?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, why?"

Padme said, "I ran into Lux when I came out to the garden. He was angry. He said something about my Jedi friend having questionable taste in men."

Ahsoka and Rex shared a look. Ahsoka had a good poker face and calmly said, "I have no idea why Lux would say such a thing."

However, Rex was terrible at lying. He began to blush and rub the back of his short blonde hair with his hand. His eyes drop to the ground. His mind was still reeling from pleasuring Ahsoka on the bench. Padme picked up on Rex's unease.

The Senator approached him and said, "Rex, is there something you're not telling me?"

"N-No, nothing's wrong, Senator."

Padme then narrowed her brow with suspicion. She then she spotted blood on Rex's collar. She reached up and pulled back his tunic. She gasped when she saw the red bite mark on his neck.

"Oh my gods! What happened?"

Rex gently took her hand and pulled it away from him. He turned his head to the side to look away from her. He was so embarrassed. He wished the ground would just open and swallow him up.

"O-Oh, it's nothing. Clankers! Yeah, clankers got too close."

Rex resisted the urge to facepalm. He hated the fact that he was a mess when he got nervous. Even he had a hard time believing the words coming out of his mouth. He was glad that telling lies wasn't a requirement to fight the Separatists or he'd have lost it a long time ago.

Padme frowned and said, "I think I know what a bite mark is when I see one, Captain."

"Rex," scolded Ahsoka.

He shrugged and said, "You know I'm a terrible lair."

Padme glanced between them and asked, "What is going on?"

Ahsoka sighed and said, "Rex and I are together. My guess is Lux must have seen us."

Rex had drawn the same conclusion about Lux. He didn't appreciate being spied on. Though, a part of him was glad that the brat knew where he stood. He also didn't think there was much danger in the Senator knowing about them. She already knew they were from the future. She was also a good friend and she was pretty much in the same boat he was in. She was in her own relationship with a Jedi.

Meanwhile, Padme was shocked. "Oh, Ani never mentioned that."

Ahsoka said, "He probably felt like it wasn't his place."

Padme said, "Does that mean you two have been together this whole time?"

Rex answered, "Not in this lifetime. We were friends for the longest time. We've been apart for most of it. Nearly my whole life. Seeing Ashoka again after all those years made me realize how much more she means to me. Being here now, it's a second chance."

Padme's expression softened after hearing Rex's words. She had never heard anything so romantic. It was especially touching coming from the steadfast clone captain. She knew what obstacles lay between them by being a Jedi and a Clone. She knew that he and Ahsoka came from a dark future where the Republic fell but knowing that they loved each other, even when they were apart, was wonderful and inspiring.

Ahsoka smiled at her Captain. She closed the distance between them and took his hands. "Oh, Rex. It's a second chance for me as well."

Padme said, "I had no idea you two felt so strongly about each other. The both of you must be careful. Ahsoka could be expelled and I'm sure Rex would face a similar punishment as well."

Rex said, "Ahsoka and I both know the risks. I know what my punishment would be. I'd be sent back to Kamino to be decommissioned."

Padme frowned in confusion and asked, "What does decommission mean?"

Ahsoka gravely replied, "It means Rex would be killed."

"What!" exclaimed Padme. "That's horrible. The Kamino have no right to do such a thing."

Rex said, "The Kamino have every right, Senator. Clones don't have any rights. We're property of the Republic. We were bred for only one thing and that's to fight in this war. We've expendable. How can you and your kind say you represent the people when nobody ever gave me or my brothers a choice? How can you hold your heads up high when you send younglings like my Ashoka into battle to die?"

Padme lowered her head in shame. She couldn't deny what Rex said. She knew that the Clones were no better than slaves. The war had justified it. Nobody ever asked any questions. The Clones probably never thought they could. Yet, after hearing Rex say he was "property" and "expendable," that he could be killed for falling in love, it made Padme realize just how rotten the Republic had become.

"You're right. I've tried to justify what we were doing was for a greater good, but if this is the price for winning this war then we've become no better than our enemies."

Ahsoka placed her hand on her shoulder and said, "Nobody wins in a war. You being here and working towards ending it is the first step towards fixing the corrupting in the Senate. I believe in you, Padme."

She smiled and said, "Thank you, Ahsoka. When did you get to be so wise?"

The Togruta teen smiled back and replied, "I've had a lot of experience."

XXX

It was late into the night when Ahsoka called Jinn on her holo-comm. His ghostly blue image appeared on from a projection. Ahsoka had pulled a sheet over her head for extra privacy as she sat up in bed. Her horns created a natural tent. Ever since Rex's outburst in the garden, Ahsoka had been concerned about Jinn's progress with the cure for rapid aging. It wasn't as simple as pulling out a biochip. She wanted to make sure that all the clones were able to get all the rights that they deserved.

"Hello, Miss Tano. How's the mission going?"

"Good, so far nobody knows that our friends are here."

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Ahsoka frowned and said, "I-I just wanted to know how things are going on your end."

Jinn replied, "So far, things look promising."

Ahsoka sighed with relief and said, "Good."

Jinn noticed she looked tense and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Is it that obvious?"

The amber Jedi folded his arms into his sleeves and sat down on the floor and said, "No, but I have a sister, so I know when a young lady needs to talk."

Ahsoka raised her brow and asked, "You have a sister? What is she like?"

"Like Anakin, but prettier."

Ahsoka laughed and cupped her hand over her mouth to hide the sound. The image of Anakin wearing a dress came to mind. She just couldn't imagine Jinn having a sister who looked like that. She couldn't wait to tell Rex the next morning.

"It's not a complete lie. My sister would fight anybody with a sword. Now, tell me. Why are you talking to me and not your Captain?"

Ahsoka frowned and said, "There's something I wanted to talk to you about. This mission, it's like what happened to me before. Except Bonteri dies and her son, Lux ends up getting involved with the Death Watch to avenge her death."

Jinn said, "I'm not familiar with the Death Watch."

"Right, they're terrorists from Mandalore. They're against Duchess Satine and her pacifist beliefs. Mandalore originally had a warrior culture. They want to overthrow the Duchess."

Jinn rubbed his beard in thought and asked, "Why doesn't the Duchess stop them?"

"Because she's a pacifist."

"If the Duchess' pacifism is that extreme than she is failing, her duty to her people. Being a leader means being able to protect the weak."

Ahsoka raised her brow and said, "Jinn, what you do know about warriors?"

"Well, I'm a warrior. It's part of my heritage."

"What did you do in order to become a warrior?"

"I had trials like a Jedi. They test the heart, mind and body."

"What kind of tests?"

"Well, I had a duel to the death to test my body. I had to travel to my mother's ancestral home and forge a sword in the heart of a volcano to test my mind. My last test, I took a drug that put me into a hypnotic trance and I briefly dead."

Ahsoka raised her hand and said, "Wait. You killed someone? And you died?"

"Briefly died, yes. Though, I didn't kill my opponent. I was the one that ended up getting mortally wounded. I passed the test because I survived."

"That's crazy!"

Irritated, Jinn calmly said, "Was there something specific you wanted to know about warriors, Miss Tano? Besides judging my upbringing?"

Ahsoka shook her head to clear her mind and said, "Yes, I wanted to ask if you could deal with the Death Watch. You know about warriors. Maybe you could negotiate with them and help keep Duchess Satine alive."

Jinn frowned and said, "What do you mean by keep Duchess Satine alive? Who wants to kill her?"

"Darth Maul wants to kill her in order to hurt Master Obi-Wan. I think you know why. Please, after you finish with the cure, go to Mandalore and protect her."

Jinn bowed his head and replied, "As you wish, Miss Tano."

XXX

After Jinn finished his call with Miss Tano, he immediately left his quarters and headed to the lab beneath the Jedi Temple. The healing chamber construction was complete. It was easy work for trained men and two Force-users. Jinn wasted no time training a team of clone medics on how to run the machine. They were quick learners and had a good grasped of Jinn's research. He was confident that they would be able to administer the cure without his supervision.

Jinn approached the medic team with a data-pad and handed it to Fives.

"Here, this contains the cure for rapid aging. First, run a controlled test on a few volunteers to rate the strength of the treatment and any side effects. Afterwards, begin making large quantities of the cure in the healing chamber and give it to the men. Treatment should be spread out for several weeks. Remember, the cure is genetically tailored for clone DNA. It won't extend the life of anyone else."

Fives fumbled with the data-pad while the medics got up from their seats in confusion.

Fives said, "Wait, why are you giving me this?"

Jinn said, "Because you'll be in charge of the operation."

Fives was stunned. "Me! You want me in charge? What about you?"

Jinn smiled mischievously and said, "I've got a new assignment from Miss Tano."

Fives narrowed his brow. He didn't trust Jinn's smile. "What's the assignment?"

"I'm going to Mandalore. I'm going to protect the Duchess and negotiate with the Death Watch. Honestly, it sounds like fun."

Fives watched as Jinn ran a few figures into the healing chamber machine. He was erratic and full of energy. Fives couldn't remember the last time he saw him so active outside of a training room. He normally had his nose stuck in a book or a data-pad.

"There, that should be fine for now. Call me on my comm if you have any questions."

"But-"

Jinn ignored Fives and called to the ex-assassin meditating on top of a table away from the clones. "Nightingale, how would you like to join me while I negotiate with the Death Watch?"

Ventress opened her eyes and said, "Finally, something interesting. I thought we'd be stuck here forever."

Jinn smiled and offered her his hand to help her off the table and said, "Yes, I know. I heard they are a warrior culture. Maybe they might even present a challenge."

Ventress hopped down with Jinn's help and placed her hands on her hips and said, "Just one thing, we don't work for free, remember? We're freelancers. We're not Jedi."

Jinn paused and said, "Oh-yes. We're also going to protect Duchess Satine. I'm sure she wouldn't mind hiring us to deal with her little problem."

Ventress smiled and patted Jinn on the chest. "Good. You're learning."

XXX

TBC

XXX

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Note: Special thanks to predator1701 for your support.

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