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Reunion
"The destruction of our command ship has severely limited our ability to fight the Empire in this sector," Commander Sato said from his hologram, speaking to mostly Damian's family and the Ghost crew.
"So maybe we don't fight," Ezra, who had just walked in, spoke up casually before catching himself "Uuhh...Commander Sato...Sir." He saluted awkwardly and Damian smiled, shaking his head, Ahsoka doing the same. "When things got tough for me on Lothal I'd go find a place to hide."
"You are never shy with your opinions, Ezra Bridger," Sato said. "But establishing a base is a good idea."
"The problem is, none of the potential bases we know of have the tactical advantage we need to protect what's left of our fleet," Hera said.
"Or aid the nearby systems suffering from Imperial oppression," Kanan added, still not happy about being part of a rebel group besides the Ghost.
"We can't help others if we can't help ourselves, Kanan," Hera said. "If only we had more allies."
"I know someone who might be able to help us," Ahsoka said.
Damian grinned widely instantly, as did Jek, Shaeeah, and Barriss.
"A great military commander, with a vast knowledge of the outer rim," Ahsoka continued, Damian's family's grins growing by the second, Ahsoka trying to ignore them as they all stared at her. "He could assist us with finding a base, and his experienced leadership would make him a powerful ally."
"How do we recruit this...leader?" Sato asked.
"I volunteer!" Damian and his entire family, minus Ahsoka since she had suggested it, said at the same time.
"Now calm down, all of you," Ahsoka smiled. "I've been trying to get in touch with him recently, but he hasn't been answering."
"Sounds like an excuse for a house call to me," Damian grinned.
"I can't wait to show off my rifle," Shaeeah grinned. "He'll be so jealous."
"Can we bring alcohol?" Jek asked excitedly. "This sounds like the perfect reason to bring alcohol."
Damian laughed. "Sure. Why not?"
Jek and Barriss both cheered.
"I take it you all know this guy?" Kanan asked.
"Yup," Barriss smiled. "He's an old friend."
"Sounds like a fun time," Ezra grinned. "When do we leave?"
"You don't," Damian said. "You're staying put."
"What!?" Ezra demanded. "But I wanna help!"
"Nope," Damian grinned. "Family reunion. Family only."
Ezra huffed, crossing his arms. "Fine."
"You coming with us Ahsoka?" Damian asked.
"I'm going to stay back with Alina, Riyo, and Alaina," Ahsoka smiled. "Don't get too drunk, okay? It's been a long time since you've drank anything."
"I'll be careful," Damian promised, kissing her.
"Oh, and Damian," Ahsoka said, making him pause. "Leave your PROXY droid and take Kanan and Ezra. We should get their introductions out of the way as soon as possible."
Damian grimaced and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kanan asked.
"You'll find out," Damian said. "Come on guys. Reunion time."
The others cheered, leaving the room and heading for the Wraith, Kanan and Ezra following. Inside the Wraith, Shaeeah took the controls and steered them away from the fleet, jumping to Hyperspace, heading to the planet they had dropped Rex and the others off on. Damian couldn't wait to see Rex again. He hoped he hadn't changed much. Or died.
"So, who are we going to meet?" Kanan asked.
"An old friend of ours who will be extremely helpful against the Empire, and who you will absolutely hate," Damian said. "But I'm warning you now. You must trust him. There are no other options. You will trust him. End of story."
Kanan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Before he could say anything, however, Barriss walked in with a bottle in each hand.
"Good news, everyone!" Barriss grinned. "We're stocked. We've got Rodian Spice Liquor for the adults in the room, and we've got Zeltron water for the lightweights, like Damian!"
Damian snorted. "It's been years but I'll still outdrink you, Barriss."
"The lightweights are only allowed to drink water?" Ezra asked.
"Zeltron water is a type of very weak alcohol from the planet Zeltros, which is about the best place in the world for a single bachelor, or bachelorette, to go if they like drinking, drugs, or sex," Damian said.
"That's...nice," Ezra said uncomfortably.
"Sometimes," Damian said.
"Why are you acting like a...playboy, all of a sudden?" Kanan asked. "You're usually very professional and calm. Now you're excited to get drunk."
"If you think I'm out of control now, you should have seen me back when I first met Barriss," Damian snorted.
Barriss grinned. "Those were fun times. Wouldn't trade a minute with Riyo for that time now, though."
"Yeah, I'm better off the way I am now," Damian said. "Still, though. I'm sure he'll be excited to have a drink."
"Oh, definitely," Barriss said.
"Just don't fuck them, alright Barriss?" Shaeeah asked.
"Oh calm down," Barriss said. "I don't do stuff like that unless I get express permission from Riyo. Or unless she's there."
"Too much information!" Ezra said, covering his ears.
Damian laughed. "Alright, we'll tone it down."
"Thank God," Kanan groaned.
Damian chuckled as they dropped out of Hyperspace, flying low over the planet of Seelos. "Now, where did you wander off to?"
"Ahsoka sent this," Barriss said, plugging a tactical droid's head into the ship's scanner.
A moment later, it began to chant, "Seven five six seven."
Damian smiled, Shaeeah following the signal.
"It looks like it'd be pretty easy to get lost out here," Ezra said.
"That's the point," Damian said. "Back when we dropped our friends off here, the Empire was constantly hunting us. They knew it would lead to fighting eventually, and they'd seen enough war for a lifetime, so they chose to disappear. They're probably not going to be too keen on coming back with us." Just then, Damian spotted an old Republic walker, an AT-TE. "Bingo."
He pointed it out and Shaeeah headed for it. As they drew closer, they saw it had been heavily modified. It had a pair of smokestacks now, a landing pad built on the back half of the top with a sort of hut built below it, a faded paint job that made it colorful and harder to see from the air, and looked like a lot of the parts had been either jury-rigged, or replaced multiple times.
"Looks like an old Republic tank, used during the Clone Wars," Kanan said.
"That's because it is," Damian said. "It's mobile, armor-plated, and has a big gun. Everything you need to make an Empire-proof home."
Ezra grinned. "Good thinking."
Shaeeah landed behind the tank, where the hut's door was, and Damian smiled, standing and walking off the ship with the others, Barriss bringing the alcohol. Damian sighed quietly as he heard Kanan warn Ezra to be on guard. It was fair. Kanan had survived Order Sixty Six. He was not going to be happy.
"Hello!" Damian called out. "We came to chat!"
When no one answered, Damian sighed.
"We brought alcohol!" Damian shouted again.
This time, the door opened and three men with bald head and beards came out, grinning widely, one of them with a DC 15A blaster rifle, a long rifle about as long as the clone was tall, and another with the normal, shorter Clone Trooper rifle, Rex with his blaster pistols holstered.
"Damn, Rex," Damian smirked. "You got old."
"Damian!" Rex grinned. "Barriss! What the hell? You two have barely aged at all!"
"Yeah, being super powerful in the Force'll do that to you," Damian said. "How you been?"
"Old," Rex said. "What'd you bring to drink?"
"Rodian Spice Liquor for the fun people," Barriss grinned. "And Zeltron water for Damian."
The clones laughed.
"Excuse me," Ezra said. "We're looking for someone. Do the numbers seven five six seven mean anything to you?"
"What did you just say?" Rex gasped.
"Uh, seven five six seven?" Ezra tried again.
"God, I haven't heard those digits in...well, that's my birth number," Rex said.
"Birth number?" Ezra asked.
"They're clones!" Kanan snarled, shoving Ezra behind him and igniting his lightsaber, only for it to flash out of his hand and into Damian's.
"They've come for revenge!" Wolffe said, aiming at Kanan, only for his rifle to likewise fly to Damian's hand.
"Now, now boys," Damian said. "We came to get shit-faced drunk and catch up with old friends, not kill each other."
"These are not friends!" Kanan snapped. "They're clones! Traitors! Murderers!"
"No, they're not," Damian said. "These three never betrayed the Jedi."
Rex, who had been calming Wolffe down, turned back to them. "You'll have to forgive my friend. He's a bit defensive. We haven't seen a Jedi since...well, it's been a while."
Kanan's eyes narrowed.
"Kanan, Ahsoka and Damian said we should trust them," Ezra said. "It's nice to meet you, seven five six seven."
"Actually, my name's Rex," Rex said, standing proudly at attention. "Captain, five hundred and first clone battalion. Meet Commanders Gregor and Wolffe."
"We were sent by Ahsoka Tano," Ezra said. "And them, technically, but they came with us."
"Ahsoka Tano," Rex smiled reminiscently. "I fought by her side from the Battle of Christophsis to the Siege of Mandalore, and a friend of hers is a friend of mine. Damian, not so much."
"Hey!" Damian said, everyone laughing. "That's low, Rex. And here I was bringing you alcohol."
"I brought the alcohol," Barriss corrected.
"My ship, my credit," Damian smirked.
"Shouldn't that make it my credit then, since I flew?" Shaeeah asked.
Damian rolled his eyes. "So, Rex, how've you been?"
"Come on in out of the sun," Rex said. "We'll see how good that alcohol is."
"Can I have some?" Ezra asked.
"No," everyone around him said.
They all walked into the tank, finding room for everyone, somehow, and everyone sat down where there was room.
"How is Commander Tano?" Rex asked as he opened the Rodian Spice Liquor.
"She's good," Damian smiled. "We're married, and we have a daughter."
"God rest her soul," Rex said, grinning.
"Hilarious," Damian said.
Rex chuckled. "Good for you, kid. I hope you treat her well."
"He does," Barriss smiled. "Ever since they got together he's done nothing but devote himself to her. he even gave up drinking and having sex with anything he could get his dick into for her."
"Is that right?" Rex asked. "You must be bored as hell."
"Not really," Damian shrugged, taking a shot of the liquor. "I don't need anyone else. And I got over my alcoholism years ago, so I don't need alcohol either."
"What about you, Barriss?" Rex asked.
"I'm married to Riyo Chuchi," Barriss said, all three Clones beginning to choke on their shots in surprise.
"Good timing," Damian grinned.
"How the hell did that happen?" Rex asked.
"It's a long story," Barriss shrugged.
"Damn," Rex said. "When I heard about how the two of you met, I never thought either of you would actually settle down completely. Let alone both of you."
"Actually, Barriss and Riyo have threesomes quite frequently," Damian said. "They've gone to Zeltros on vacation, what, three times? Four?"
"Three," Barriss said.
"I take back what I said," Rex said. "That sounds like Barriss. Can't believe she corrupted Riyo."
"Yeah, not as much as you'd think," Damian chuckled. "Anyway, we're not the only ones who settled down. Jek's in a relationship with a nice marauder, and Shaeeah's dating a Zeltron chick."
The clones all grimaced, sighing.
"Why did we ever think it was a good idea for you and Barriss to be involved in raising children?" Gregor sighed.
"Oh please, we did great," Barriss said.
"We definitely turned out better than we could have," Shaeeah said. "We're still better than Damian used to be."
"Fair enough," Gregor nodded.
"Not that it isn't great to see you all," Wolffe said. "But why are you all here?"
Damian sighed, he and the others looking around.
"To be honest, we need help," Ezra said. "We're trying to fight the Empire but we're out numbered, over matched, and taking a beating. We could use your help."
"Well, I'm not sure I'm much help to anyone these days," Rex said. "Didn't you hear? The Emperor said the clone army's outlived its purpose and retired us. Now we spend our days just telling stories and slinging for Joopas."
"You must be just about out of stories," Damian said. "The Joopa part, sure, that'll keep you going. But you're a soldier, Rex. You must be aching for something to shoot at."
"Not me, kid," Rex said. "I'm all fought out. My soldier days are over."
Damian nodded. "Well, if you're sure, then there's always one other way you could help. We just need a base to regroup and rest at between fights, and so that we can conserve fuel, as opposed to constantly flying around like we have been."
"Yeah, that does sound like it'd get real expensive really fast," Rex said.
"It does," Barriss nodded. "If you could help us find a planet to keep a base on, we'd have enough to leave you in peace."
Rex hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I do know the locations of a few republic bases in the Outer Rim. Why don't you all wait outside, and I'll put together a list."
"I'll make it worth your time," Damian said. "Get us the list, and I'll get you two Joopas."
"Two?" Gregor asked. "That's a tall order."
"I'll do it by the end of the day," Damian said.
"Now this I gotta see," Gregor said.
"List first," Damian said, following the others out of the tank.
"This was a wasted trip," Kanan said. "Clones can't be trusted."
"These three can," Damian said. "He'll get us what we need."
"he kicked us out so that they could discuss possibly giving us what we need," Kanan argued.
"Relax," Damian said. "Trust me. They're good men. They won't send us away with nothing."
"We've talked it over," Gregor said, stepping outside. "We've come to a deal. You sling us a Joopa, we'll give you the list. You sling us two, and we'll even give you advice about which to choose in precedence, and why."
"And for three you'll join us?" Damian asked.
"No," Gregor said. "Joopa meat doesn't last past two and a half years. We're cutting our deal at two Joopas."
"Fine," Damian said. "Shaeeah, you and Jek stay with the ship. It's too big to fit on the walker, and we'll need it to leave."
"Sure," Shaeeah nodded.
"Alright," Jek said. "But we're taking the Rodian liquor."
"Fine," Damian sighed. "Anyway..." he jumped up onto the top of the hut, looking around, then pointed off to the right. "Head that way."
Gregor raised an eyebrow before walking inside to pass the message. Then, they were off to hunt Joopas, Kanan staying on the back walkway outside the hut where he wasn't around the Clones.
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