Summary:

Obi-Wan talks to Jinn about the New Order.

Ahsoka and Rex talk about their plan to go after Anakin and spend time together.

Barriss talks to Ezra.

Jinn talks to Ventress about staying behind.

A Sith appears.

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38.

Obi-Wan looked at Jinn's hand. He wanted to take it. He may not feel as strongly as Jinn did about him, but he did feel a connection between them. However, he didn't agree with him. He looked away from him and shook his head.

"I can't. My loyalty is to the Order."

Jinn lowered his hand and closed his fingers into a fist and said, "Yes, of course. You're right. Forgive me for asking. It's not my place to ask you such a thing. If you break your vow, then it should be on your terms and no one else's. You'd have to go before the High Council and renounce your vow yourself."

Uncomfortably, Obi-Wan said, "I highly doubt it."

Obi-Wan couldn't imagine himself doing such a thing. Being a Jedi was who he was. He couldn't imagine living his life without the Order. He wasn't like Jinn, or Ahsoka for that matter. He still had hope that the Order could change.

Jinn interrupted his thoughts and said, "Sometimes I forget that you have someone you must answer to. Though, I must ask, do you plan to report me to the High Council?"

The Jedi Master rubbed his beard. He hadn't decided yet what he'd say to the other High Council members. He supported Jinn's efforts to take on the Sith but creating a new Order and collecting wayward Jedi was an entirely different matter. He wasn't sure he could turn away a blind eye towards his actions.

"I'm not sure. That will depend on the Jedi who arrived with me. If they choose to remain here with you and start a New Order, then I must report it to the High Council since it will directly affect them. Most of the peace movement followers are younglings. I'm sure their Masters would want to know what happened to their Padawans."

Jinn said, "Do you think the High Council will try and stop me if they do wish to stay?"

Obi-Wan replied, "If they see you as a threat then they will move against you."

Jinn said, "I'm not forcing them to join me."

Obi-Wan was exasperated and said, "Jinn, this isn't necessary. You don't need to break away from the Order. We should be working together, not against each other."

Jinn rubbed his face with his hand and said, "Suns and moons. You don't understand. The Order reports to the Senate. The Senate reports to the Chancellor. Why in the world would I agree to work for an organization that reports to the Sith?"

Obi-Wan made a face and placed his hand under his chin and said, "Well, when you put it that way, I can understand your point."

Jinn headed towards the corridor and said, "Then, until the High Council stops taking orders from the Senate, I will continue to operate as I see fit."

As Jinn walked by him, Obi-Wan said, "Isn't that what you've always done?"

Jinn narrowed his brow and was about to say something defensive, but instead he smiled mischievously and said, "You should be used to it by now. After all, your former Padawan does what he likes as well. Perhaps, it's your parenting skills. I'll have to remember to be cautious when I introduce my little one to their grandfather. I don't want them to pick up any bad habits."

Stunned, Obi-Wan said, "Bad habits?"

Jinn grinned as he left Obi-Wan. He knew Obi-Wan was many things, but he wouldn't betray him to the Order. He wouldn't reveal the location of the Rebel base to the High Council unless he had a good reason to. However, he wasn't sure how he'd manage a group of Jedi younglings, one discipline was bad enough.

XXX

Meanwhile, Ahsoka and Rex were preparing for another trip back into space. Ahsoka decided to take Jinn's advice and go after Anakin. The base was in good hands with Fives and Slicks running things. With luck, they would get more clones to join them.

Ahsoka was loading a box of supplies into the ship when she suddenly tripped on the ramp and collided into Rex. He caught the edge of the box and kept Ahsoka on her feet.

"Whoa. Careful there, Soka."

"Sorry."

Rex took the box from her and set it down inside the ship. He watched as she entered the ship and crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the hull. He raised his brow and said, "Is something wrong?"

"I'm just worried about Anakin."

"I am too, cyare but we're going to find him."

"Yeah, but I'm not even sure where to look and even if I did, I don't even know what I'd say to him."

Rex closed the distance between them and placed his hands on her shoulders. He then brought his hand under her chin and lifted her head so she could meet his gaze.

"Jinn said we should go ask Padme for help. I think that's a good idea. If anybody can get through to him, it's her. Besides, you find Jinn once through the Force. I figured you could do the same thing for Skywalker."

Ahsoka reached out to place her hand over Rex's and smiled. "Thanks, Rex. I guess I'm afraid things will turn out like they did last time. I always wondered if things would have been different if I stayed."

Rex leaned closer and pressed his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and said, "Don't waste your time wondering about how things might have been, cyare. Your experiences shaped you into the person you are, and I wouldn't have you any other way."

Ahsoka's heart ached with love and appreciation. She titled her head to the side and closed her eyes to give Rex a kiss. When they finally pulled apart, she felt her heart racing. Rex's hazel eyes were so beautiful, and his lips were so soft. She reached up to trace the bottom of his lips with her fingers. She felt him caught his breath at her touch. She locked onto his gaze and lifted her chin up for another kiss.

In response, Rex closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed her closer to the hull with his body. A moment later, Ahsoka broke the kiss to catch her breath before kissing him again. She felt hot and hungry for more. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel his skin and muscles under her hands, but Rex wasn't wearing civilian clothes anymore. He was wearing his armor and it was cold and hard.

"Wait. Rex, wait."

The Captain groaned but managed to stop. He pressed his forehead against the hull over her shoulder. The cold metal of the wall helped him cool down, but he didn't trust himself to move just yet. He took a moment to catch his breath instead.

"I'm sorry, Soka."

The Togruta teen turned her head and whispered into his ear. "Don't be. I was going to say that we should take this somewhere more private."

Rex pulled back to stare at her in confusion and asked, "Are you sure?"

She smiled and took his hand and said, "Absolutely."

Rex let Ahsoka lead him to a private sleeping cabin on board the ship. There wasn't much inside besides a bed, a desk and a store container. However, once inside, Ahsoka dropped Rex's hand and locked the door behind them.

Rex started to feel uncomfortable. He reached up to rub the back of his head and said, "I'm not sure how to do this. I mean-I'm not sure where to begin."

Ahsoka smiled and said, "How about you start by taking off that armor, Captain."

"Alright."

Rex then started to take off his armor in a concise and sufficient manner of a solider. Ahsoka reached up to still his hand and said, "No, do it slower. I want to see you do it. In fact, I'm going to sit over there and watch."

Rex was dumbfounded. He watched as Ahsoka made her way over to the bed and sat down with her legs crossed. She then bit her bottom lip and began to stroke her lekku. Rex's eyes were glued to her hand on her lekku. It was a clear sign that she was turned on.

In a teasing tone, she said, "Don't keep me waiting, Captain."

The Captain smiled and slowly made a show of taking off his armor. Piece by piece, he let them fall on the cabin floor until he was only down to his blacks. He delighted in how Ahsoka shifted on top of the bed and move her legs closer together. Her lekkus stripes darkened as she took in the sight of his tone body.

He then stood at attention and said, "What now, Commander?"

Ahsoka bent her knee and extended her hand to beckon him to her and said, "Come here and lay down, Captain. I think it's about time I gave you a proper inspection."

He watched as Ahsoka easily sat up and got to her feet. Rex sat on the bed and nervously laid down in the spot she was sitting. His heart was beating so loudly in his ears that he was sure she could hear it. He watched as she sat on the edge of the bed next to him and lightly pressed her hand over the center of his chest.

"Hey, relax."

He then released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He turned to look at her and said, "Sorry, I'm just nervous. I still don't think your body is ready for this. And I don't have a lot of experience. I don't want to mess things up."

Ahsoka bent down to give him a chaste kiss and said, "Don't worry. We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with and I don't have a lot of experience either. And you are not going to mess things up. I'll tell you what feels good and what doesn't. And you can tell me the same. Think you can do that, Rexy?"

He reached up to stroke her lekku lovingly and said, "Yeah, I can do that, cyare. Now, didn't you say you wanted to do an inspection?"

Ahsoka lowered her gaze to Rex's waist and began to lift the hem of his top and revealed his abs and said, "Of course, I want to know if you're in top condition."

Rex smiled and said, "Oh, well you better take a good long look, Commander. I suggest a hands-on approach."

Ahsoka boldly started to pull down the waist band of his blacks and heard him gasp. She gave him a predatory smile and in a sultry voice said, "Don't worry, Captain. I plan to be very thorough."

XXX

Barriss was feeling hopeful after speaking with Master Jinn. His idea of a New Order was exactly the kind of organization she wanted to help build. She wanted the New Order to live up to its ideals. She always believed that the Jedi should protect the people and not fight wars. She went back to the entrance of the cave to report back to her friends but collided into a young man.

He said, "Ouch, are you alright?"

Ezra got up and offered Barriss his hand. She took it and shook her head.

"Yes, sorry. I suppose I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"It's okay. No harm done. Say, are you a Jedi?"

"Yes, my name is Barriss Offee. I'm a Padawan."

"My name is Ezra Bridger. Oh, so you're Ahsoka friend. The one she went to Coruscant to go see. You're a member of the peace movement. I guess you hitched a ride with Obi-Wan."

"Yes, but I didn't hitch a ride. I came here to speak with Master Jinn about establishing a Jedi New Order. I was wondering, can you tell me more about him?"

Ezra said, "I guess. What do you want to know?"

Barriss said, "Ahsoka described Master Jinn as unconventional. Do you know how he came to be so unconventional?"

Ezra hummed and rubbed his chin and said, "I don't really think Jinn is so unconventional. I mean, if you know something isn't right, isn't it obvious you should fix it?"

Barriss was stunned by the simplicity of Ezra's answer. She lowered her gaze and said, "If only it were that simple. It's hard to change. Especially, when everyone I know has taught me to believe in the wisdom of the Masters."

Ezra crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Well, I guess you should stop listening to everyone else and start listening to yourself."

XXX

Jinn found Ventress in their quarters. She was sitting on the bed with her legs cross and reading a data-pad. She turned her ice blue eyes towards Jinn when he entered the room. He sat on the edge of the bed beside her. She put her data-pad down in her lap and ran her fingers through his hair.

"So, what did Obi-Wan want?"

"He wanted me to work for the Order again."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Jinn closed his eyes as Ventress brushed her hand through his hair and said, "I asked him to join us. He declined. I'd forgotten how stubborn he can be. However, I trust Obi-Wan to keep our location a secret. He knows not to stir up trouble if it isn't necessary."

Ventress sat up and said, "But that's not why you want to talk to me, is it?"

"No, I wanted to ask you to remain here at the base until Bridger and I return from Mandalore. I need someone here that Maul respects when he awakens. I'm also concern about your health. I don't want to put you through any unnecessary stress."

She withdrew her hand and indignantly replied, "I'm not a babysitter."

Jinn said, "Then think of him as practice."

Ventress glared at Jinn's cheeky smile and shoved him back with a hand on his chest. "Fine, I'll watch over Maul. Though, I don't like you getting into trouble without me."

Jinn took her hand and said, "It's only temporary. After you have the baby, we can get into trouble together. Besides, I would prefer watching you in action rather than Bridger."

Suddenly, the cave started to rumble, and dust fell from the ceiling. Jinn and Ventress shared a look before standing up and left the room. They saw that the troopers were running around. In the distance, he heard explosions and shouting.

He grabbed Slick and said, "What's happening?"

Slick said, "We're under attack. It's General Grievous."

XXX

TBC

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Notes:

Here is a refresher for some Star War words.

Cyare – Mando meaning sweetheart.

Lekku – the tendrils that fall over the shoulders of Ahsoka's head.

Blacks – the black bodysuit clones wear under their armor.

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Thank you for reading and reviewing. Be safe.

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