I have a gift for you all! Enjoy chapter eight. A little bit of a filler, but fun and action packed with some character building :)

-Shadowlight17

Chapter Eight: They're All Shinies

After the awards ceremony the five rookies gathered up and were conversing animatedly. Cody gave me a nudge and motioned towards them. Oh yeah, squad assignments.

If my memory served correctly we would be facing Grievous soon. I wasn't sure I was ready to repeat that situation but luckily for me, it wasn't going to be immediately after we'd scooped up the newbies. Speaking of them, I had practically forgotten Nub. He'd integrated himself well into the defense plan and had hung back helping out anyone who needed it and blended in so much I had a hard time realizing he was there. I was going through in my head what to do with the not-shinies. I then thought of the shattered remains of Torrent company and Teth. Attie, Nax, Del, Coric, Zeer.

"Cody, what do you think would happen if I stuck them with Torrent?"

Cody stopped mid-stride.

"Rex, you haven't said the name of that company in weeks. Are you seriously considering them good enough for your Torrent?"

I shrugged in a non-committal manner as Cody came back to join me.

"Nub is the only one who doesn't fit in quite right, but I think I know where he'd fit. I think Domino will fit well with the others, though…"

I trailed off and Cody looked at me with some concern.

"Though, they'll be scared to connect. Especially after Teth."

Cody finished for me. I nodded, almost afraid to affirm it. The Teth survivors had been broken, and I'd placed Fives and Echo with them the first time around and that had been a hard transition. Two was hard. What about five of them though?

"Give it a try, Rex. You can always move them if they don't work well together."

Cody, ever supportive, put his two cents in with a firm pat and then left to where General Kenobi was patiently waiting for him. The amount of time they spend together is astounding. I thought to myself and faced the boys. The shinies grouped up when they saw that I was making my way to them. Hevy stepped up to the verbal plate.

"Squad assignments, sir?"

I bit back a laugh. Del was going to have his hands full with this one.

"Yes, Hevy. I've decided where to put you men, but I need to talk with the Sergeant. This group has...well, they've been through a lot and they are a close knit lot."

The men all perked up at this and listened intently.

"There is some bad news…"

Everyone went still and Fives shifted nervously.

"There are five of them already. They are the last of the Torrent company and I'm not splitting them up. Which means one of you will have to be split off from the main group, unfortunately."

Fives and Echo, almost unconsciously, pressed closer together while Hevy stood strong and Droidbait and Cutup exchanged glances. Nub on the other hand, looked over at the rest of his brothers, still going unnoticed by the close brothers.

"Uh, sir. If you don't mind me asking...who are you going to uh...split?"

Echo asked nervously. Fives equally curious and worried gaze joined those of his brothers on me.

"This is a special assignment, troopers. Any one of you should be proud to receive it. That being said…"

I paused for dramatic effect and to solidify my thesis. Nub barely flinched.

"Trooper Nub, I'd like you to report to the scout division of the 501st. We will see if you fit there. If not, the 212th has a spot for you."

The breath of relief was audible and the domino squad turned to Nub as one. Nub for one was barely shocked, in fact he looked excited. He parroted out a crisp

"Yes sir!"

I motioned to one of the troopers milling about the bay. He jogged over and I gave him instructions to settle Nub into the appropriate squad and the two left at a brisk walk. As soon as he was gone, the rest of the Rishi survivors turned back to me.

"Let's get you introduced."

I grinned and we all moved towards the barracks.

To say that Del was surprised was an understatement. He and the other Teth survivors, minus Coric, were hanging out in the barracks playing a game of sabacc when the door slid open to admit me and my entourage. They all snapped to attention while Attie quietly shoved some small pieces of inconsequential contraband away.

"At ease, men. I've got some new arrivals for you."

If they hadn't been paying attention before, they were now.

"They are aware of your situation and I think you will get along well."

Del nodded and the rest of the men relaxed only slightly. I continued, while quietly noting the body language of every trooper.

"Sergeant Del will be your commanding officer. Listen to him and he'll keep you alive. If any of you," I faced each trooper in turn, "have problems with each other that Sergeant Del cannot settle, you will come to me. Understood?"

They all snapped to crisp attention in unison.

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good. Domino squad, we will get you guys requisitioned some new gear. Del, I leave them in your care."

I nodded in turn to each Torrent survivor and left faintly hearing Del introducing his squadmates behind me.

"There's Coric too, but he's in the medbay finishing up a shift… and…."

I'd made it to the lift and stepped inside. Here is to hoping that that was the right move. The doors slid closed and the lift shuddered to a start, sliding up the levels. The world suddenly spun around me as the hours caught up to me. The ghostly, older figure of Ahsoka appeared in the flickering light of the lift. Oh great, well at least the world spinning thing isn't just me. Ahsoka only smiled at me as I sank to the floor. How pitiful. Haha, I can't even keep it together, what am I even thinking?! Ahsoka's hands, imperceptibly cool, lifted my face to look into hers.

"Rex, you've done good. It isn't over yet. But the force approves and feels confident leaving things in your hands. I won't be able to talk to you again, unfortunately. I've used what I knew how to support you but that comes at a price. I came to say goodbye."

She wrapped her ghostly arms around me in a hug and the tears started coming down slowly.

"Ahsoka, I...I don't know if I can do this without you!"

Ahsoka sat back on my level with a characteristic smirk on her face.

"I am with you, Rex."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up a finger stopping me.

"My time is up. May the force be with you, Captain. The force believes in you, and it will aid your call."

With that she melted into the air with only a faint lingering of her scent in the air. I lowered my head and the lift started working normally again. Her scent got stronger and I dared to hope that Ghost Ahsoka had come back with some kind of sike. The hands that touched my face were warm and small.

"Rex?"

The teenaged voice laced with worry had my head shooting up. Ahsoka, Commander Ahsoka, was kneeling in front of me with concern painted all over her face. Fortunately, she was the only one in the opening or the corridor behind her.

"I'm sorry, 'Soka. I'm okay, it's been a long day, is all."

I rose to my feet and she followed me up, barely coming above my elbow and clearly not buying my excuse.

"Rex, you're clearly not okay. Do I need to go get Master Skywalker? Or Commander Cody?"

The genuine worry was sweet, and Ghost Ahsoka's words made a little more sense.

"No, no it's okay vod'ika. I'll be okay."

Ahsoka was clearly distracted by my use of mando'a and settled into her more cheerful, inquisitive self.

"What does vodeeka mean?"

I chuckled, and started explaining the mando'a language to the little Commander and she managed to extricate a promise to teach her some mando'a as we walked through the halls. We'd reached the tactical center behind the bridge where the Generals and Commander Cody were sure to be going over some tactics and planning our next move and true to form there they were. Kenobi animatedly arguing with Skywalker with Cody watching the two like a match of ping-pong. Ahsoka trotted up to General Skywalker and General Kenobi shifted his attention to her.

"Hello young one, anything to report?"

She shook her head, and then busied herself looking over the things the two Generals had been discussing. While she was distracted General Kenobi turned back to General Skywalker and I quietly sidled up to Commander Cody.

"How long have they been going?"

"Practically since they left the medal ceremony."

"Do you think they'll stop before the next shifts start?"

"Haha, they'll never stop."

General Kenobi interrupted our quiet conversation, turning to Commander Cody.

"I do believe it is high time we get back to the 212th, Commander. We can't having them slack off, can we?"

Cody replied dutifully although I knew he was scandalized at the thought of his troops slacking.

"No sir, we most certainly can't. I'll go get a shuttle ready."

He exited and General Kenobi smirked at Anakin, who took the bait.

"Well Rex and I better make sure OUR men are up to par, can't have the 212th out performing the 501st, can we?"

I hastened to agree.

"No sir!"

General Skywalker waggled his eyebrows at General Kenobi as if to say Take That! But General Kenobi just chuckled and made towards the lift. The Negotiator had been with Skywalker's fleet for the last bit so the two General's could confer, but the individual quarters were on separate ships. As soon as General Kenobi's shuttle had left The Resolute, General Skywalker turned back to his holo with a look of intense concentration.

"Ahsoka, you and Captain Rex go do some training. I'm going to see what else I can plan for our next campaign."

Ahsoka had perked up from bugging a trooper on a station in the corner only to wilt again when she realized what Skywalker had said.

"But Master you promised you'd…"

Skywalker cut her off.

"Don't get snippy with me. Go with Rex, he'll keep you busy."

A pointed glare in my direction was the only hint I needed. I knew better than to overstay my welcome.

"C'mon Commander. What do you say we hit up the sparring halls?"

Even Ahsoka couldn't resist that and practically skipped into the lift with me.

We got to the sparring halls and I wasn't surprised to see Del putting the Domino squad through the paces. All five of them were really putting a good show on and Attie was currently enjoying being slippery with Hevy as Hevy tried to pin the slightly smaller brother. We may all have the same genetic makeup, but there were always subtle differences, hence the close and slippery match. Speed versus strength. Attie prized his speed, as that is what saved his life and probably Nax's as well. Ahsoka actually stopped short next to me as we observed them.

"Do they always do that?"

Some of the men on the weight equipment were now recognizing that the small female togruta was in the workout area and I had to repress a groan. Some of the newer men had definitely been sweet on General Shaak Ti who was stationed on Kamino and seeing as their commanding officer was a female there were bound to be some problems.

"Only when we don't have a major upcoming campaign."

I responded to Ahsoka's initial question while giving the distracted men a death glare that sent them back to their reps. Attie barely won the match and Del noticed me from across the room.

"Commander on deck!"

He shouted into the suddenly very quiet room. All the men snapped to attention, including a huffing Attie and Hevy. Ahsoka's big blue eyes looked up at me inquisitively. I leaned down and whispered the correct response to her. She lit up with a sparkling smile as she recognized what she needed to do.

"At ease, men!"

She said brightly, and all of the men relaxed. Del made his way over to us while his squad got cleaned up.

"Commander." He nodded his head respectfully. "What can we do for you, Captain?"

"We just came down to make use of the space. How long have you boys and Domino been at it?"

Fives beat Del to it.

"Long enough, if you ask me!"

Even Echo was more animated, draping himself over Fives shoulder.

"I'm so tired."

Cutup joined the two.

"Don't forget hungry!"

Ahsoka giggled and the men all sparkled at the sound of laughter. Del rolled his eyes and the squad had gathered up.

"Well Commander, what do you say we give it a go?"

I motioned towards the mats. Ahsoka stared up at me wide eyed and from what I could tell, slightly nervous.

"Really? Right now?"

The squad all nodded eagerly and nudged her to take the opportunity.

"I did promise General Skywalker I would keep you busy."

That's all she needed. Her boots came off and I stripped the top of my armor off. She clambered into the center of the mats and Del stood by to play referee. I stood opposite of her and vaguely noticed the growing crowd. They'd all learn to not take her lightly. All right, she's a lot smaller than I am and I am down some muscle mass. True to character, Ahsoka used a rather acrobatic move to get around my much slower movements, however she neglected my weight and I pinned her as she squawked indignantly.

"Hey! No fair!"

"And I was going easy."

I winked at her and she rolled her eyes. I wasn't about to let the Commander face only defeat.

"Spots, get up here."

The trooper obliged, quickly stripping the top half of his armor and I leaned down to give her some advice.

"Spots is top heavy. He's got a killer grip, so don't get got, and just unbalance him."

She nodded and settled into a low crouch. They went at it. Spots went in for a charge. Ahsoka waited until the last possible second dodging with a low roll right between his legs popping up on the opposite side of the ring. Spots spun around in an effort to keep a bead on her, only to find her next to him throwing a couple jabs at his face and chest. She kept Spots on his toes and unsettled until he became frustrated. He reached to grapple with her and she rolled again, this time swiping her feet out as she did. Spots forward momentum caused him to crash to the ground and she was instantly on top of him with Spots in a chokehold and struggling like a dying Calamarian out of water. Del counted down and then called it. Ahsoka sat back with a huff and Spots flailed about for a moment before getting his air back. Grudging respect was a good look on him.

"Well done, Commander."

He said and then very slowly got up and to the edge of the mat. Ahsoka was up and bouncing around again ready for another opponent. Eyes sparkling. She's done well with someone twice her size, but how about someone who fought more like her?

"Attie, care to give it a shot?"

Attie hadn't even gotten his top back on so he was ready quickly. The two went at it like lightning, but nothing Attie seemed to do could touch the little Commander.

"Why...are you….so hard...to hit?!"

Attie ground out in between defending a high kick that the togruta had aimed before following it up with his own jab at her side which she cartwheeled out of. Only to spring right over Attie's head and catch him on the way over, sending him crashing to the mat with her poised ready to tackle him if he didn't admit defeat. He quickly did. The troopers swarmed in to congratulate the little Jedi and as they were complimenting her a klaxon sounded the beginning of a new shift. Several troopers sighed and packed up their kit and the rest kind of filtered out leaving only the Torrent and Domino's.

"Alright men, dismissed! Go get cleaned up and get ready for a shift."

All the men saluted and followed Del out talking animatedly about the impressive show. I turned back to the Commander. She seemed full of energy even after sparring with three men.

"C'mon Commander. I've got a couple pointers for you."

She'd deflated at the thought of her new buddies leaving, but perked up again to have a lesson. So eager to learn.

"You're great at dodging, but you need to learn how to take a hit for when you inevitably run into trouble. I noticed you were kind of scared of getting hit."

Ahsoka gasped at the accusation. Both trying to play it off and also slightly offended.

"What? I'm not scared!"

I chuckled and made a come at me gesture. She flipped around and swung a wide fist at me, and I blocked it with my palm.

"You may be fast, little one, but when you're not using the force, you can't really throw a punch."

Ahsoka growled at me. If I had just met her I would've been intimidated, but I knew her, I'd fought with her and I knew how she fought. She pulled her fist from my grasp and I let her. She tucked in on herself and jabbed out and I dodged. She let out a frustrated snarl and I grabbed her as she reached out and flipped her over my shoulder. She landed with a huff on the pads glaring up at me.

"C'mon buttercup, show me what you've got!"

She flipped to her feet and flung herself at me, and I got her in an arm hold as she went past.

"Center yourself, Ahsoka. Being frustrated won't help you win."

She bit back a retort and flipped herself out of my hold. I spun around and blocked a jab.

"Twist your fist and whole arm when you strike. It causes more pain. You're so small you'll want to really cause pain to keep them from swarming you."

I demonstrated as gently as I could and struck out, causing her to wince slightly as I made contact with her block.

"Fill your space."

I told her as she struck out at me. Ow, man that did hurt! Atta girl. She swiped at me with her feet, but it did little more than cause her a bruise on her unprotected shin. I looped my foot under her leg and lifted. She fell over and suddenly I was on the ground too.

"No force."

I reminded her as she straddled my chest. She jabbed lightly at me and I defended softly before heaving upwards and unlodging her. She flew to the side and was up, in a crouched stance ready to take more. I rolled to my feet and grinned at her. She was learning quickly.

"Use your flexibility, Commander. Most opponents you'll run into can't bounce around like you do. Take advantage of that."

The barest nod was all I got. She came at me with a high kick that missed by mere inches. Don't want to get hit with that! She swiped again as I stepped back and I was on the ground. I rolled towards her, successfully knocking her to the ground too. She reached back and got me in a hold and I struggled to my knees. She squeezed and I felt the barest of pressure. We've got to put some muscle on you too, lil' un. I remarked to myself and turned it around, making her really work for the victory. We were both gasping for air as she clung to me like a mynock. I finally tapped out and she slithered to the floor, utterly spent. I wasn't far behind her. Kriff, this younger body does NOT have good stamina.

"Why do I hurt so much? You didn't even hit me that hard!"

Ahsoka ground out in between breaths. I grunted in reply and she laughed huskily.

"C'mon Little One, let's get cleaned up and go grab some grub."

Ahsoka sat up with a pained whimper as her muscles registered their use.

"Uh...Rex...there isn't a female...uh changing room."

I sat up as well, and got to my feet, reaching down to hoist the extremely light togruta to her feet. Force, what do they feed those kids at the temple of theirs?!

"Well if you can wait for me, I'll get cleaned up and walk you back to your quarters and while you're cleaning up I'll grab us something from the mess."

I gathered up the pieces of my armor and stacked them neatly next to the communal showers.

"That sounds good."

She agreed, clearly very tired. She slouched down next to my armor and started tracing the lines on my helmet. I smirked and went into the changing room. She wasn't going to wander. My shower was quick and I came out and retrieved my top pieces, re-securing them into place with care. Ahsoka watched with interest. And I picked my helmet up and tucked it under my arm. Ahsoka pulled herself to her feet, biting back a curse at her stiffness and we left the area. Del had apparently kept the area pretty clear for my purposes and no sooner had we gone down the hall then were brothers entering the sparring hall with little side glances at their commanding officers. I shrugged. Can't be helped. I stopped outside the Commanders door and she went through. "I'll be back before you can say 'I'm hungrier than a rancor!'." She let out a little laugh and I could hear the sonic shower start up. Leaving Ahsoka to her privacy I looped down and grabbed two trays of grub from the mess, ignoring the looks I got from my troops. It didn't take me long to get back to her quarters and I rapped on it twice with my elbow. The door slid open and Ahsoka stood before me in an actual Jedi uniform. She wasn't in her horrible tube top, and she looked dead tired and near ravenous.

"Thank the force! You did come back!"

I followed the little predator in and set the trays down. She started scarfing it down and I joined her. We ate in companionable silence. Ahsoka finished her tray and pushed it to the middle of the small table crammed in the corner of the room.

"I never used to get this tired…"

She said quietly. This had happened the last time too, well sort of. It was later, I'd started training her earlier.

"Happens when you don't use the force, or when you do use it for prolonged periods of time."

Ahsoka put her head down on the table and looked up at me with a curious glint.

"Really? How do you know that?"

Oh man, that was quick. I have to downplay this.

"Yeah...you've got to watch out for General Skywalker. He goes for days on end with no sleep and hardly any food. It's the force that keeps him running, but it isn't healthy. He usually crashes for a couple days after he lets up a little."

Ahsoka nodded against the table.

"Is that what he is doing right now?"

Count on her to catch on quick.

"Yeah...watch out for him, okay?"

She nodded again and I went back to eating my food. A soft snore broke the silence. Ahsoka was drooling, on the table, very asleep, while snoring.

Aww, guess her stamina isn't up to par either. Only thing keeping me going is the long nights I've pulled. I scooped her up and set her on her bunk where she settled in with hardly a problem. I cleared up the trays and left the room, typing out a quick message to General Skywalker.

- Baby Jedi asleep. Suggest you recharge too. Following her example. Comms on. -

The reply that followed was brief.

-Acknowledged. I'm fine and you know it! -

The twerp. I made my way back to my own quarters and walked in. The desk was still a pile of paperwork, and just from looking at it my head started to hurt. Nope, way not dealing with that right now. I stripped down to my blacks and set my comm to wake me up in a couple hours. My head hit the pillow and I was escorted into blissful unawareness by the distant humming of the ship's engines.