T/W: Ableism and derogatory names for disabled people
Ahsoka's up early the next morning- much to her surprise and everyone else's.
They do a few laps of the base, mostly in silence and at a slower speed than normal. Ahsoka tells him she can go faster, but Rex insists he's comfortable, so they stick to a gentle jogging pace.
By the time they finish their cardio, eat some vile porridge, and do the first set of physiotherapy exercises, the rebels and other Jedi are just waking up.
"You're up early, Snips," Anakin says through a yawn, barely awake.
"Lots to do today, Master!" Ahsoka calls back, hurrying backwards and forwards to help Rex get ready for the training session.
She feels optimistic today, like her prosthetic limb is no longer a dead weight on the rest of her body. Slipping off her back brace may also be contributing to her elevated mood, but she isn't going to admit that to Anakin.
It's supposed to stay on for at least another four weeks but taking it off for one day won't kill her.
Rex passes her some padded sparring mats which she drags into the centre of the camp, setting up a temporary ring.
"Good morning, Ahsoka," Lux says, on his way past with two cups of caf. She can only guess who the second one's for.
"Morning," she replies, throwing the mat to the ground which sends up a cloud of dust, "ready to test your hand-to-hand later?"
"I think our trip to Death Watch proved I'm not much of a fighter." He laughs before looking serious, "Are you going to be sparring or will your Masters be doing the demonstration?"
"I'll be doing it." She replies, slightly offended, "Rex and I spar together regularly."
"Oh, I see." She presses her lips together at his answer, "I just figured with your injuries and all-"
"I'll manage fine." She says, cutting him off.
Lux seems to realise his mistake and backtracks, "I'm sure you will, Ahsoka."
"Lux!" They turn to see Steela approaching, stretching her arms over her head, "You managed to sneak off this morning."
Ahsoka feels her jaw clench
They're sleeping together, or at least in the same tent.
She and Rex are too, but it's different. They're Captain and Commander, not rebel and politician.
Why does the thought of Lux and this woman being close make Ahsoka feel so horrible inside?
"I wanted to get some caf before it went cold," Lux passes Steela a mug, a doe-like look in his eyes, "I was just talking to Ahsoka about the sparring practise today."
"Oh," Steels turns her gaze to Ahsoka, her gaze automatically falling to Skipper, "don't you have a bit of an advantage with the metal leg? It'll hurt a hell of a lot to be kicked by that."
Ahsoka crosses her arms over her chest, "The only advantage I've got is years of training. Even if the prosthetic assists me, it shouldn't put you at a disadvantage. We're all on the same side, after all."
Steela's eyes flash, "This is our fight, Jedi, not yours."
Ahsoka holds her tongue when she wants to retort the obvious: don't ask for help if you aren't willing to accept it.
Instead, she watches Steela march away, and Lux gives her a look, "Don't take it personally; Steela's under a lot of stress. She only wants what's best for Onderon."
"Of course," Ahsoka replies coolly, the image of a composed Commander. Inside, she's trembling from a mixture of emotions she doesn't know how to deal with. "Excuse me."
Something changed in Ahsoka overnight, Anakin decides.
Yesterday, she was flustered, distracted, and putting herself down at every opportunity. Today, she's stood in front of the rebels with her hands on her hips, wearing her game face.
"I think Ahsoka was kidnapped last night and her capture replaced her with a carbon copy." Obi-Wan says beside him, fighting to keep a smile off his face.
Anakin chuckles- talking with Obi-Wan is a lot easier now than it was before they went to Naboo. "I told you, Rex can get through to her better than I can sometimes."
"Hand-to-hand combat is not a skill which can be learnt in a few hours." Ahsoka starts her lesson, standing before the rebels, "Thankfully, the Generals, Captain and I have lifetimes worth of experience, so you'll certainly pick up a thing or two which could save your life."
From the side-lines, Rex instructs a re-programmed B1 droid to join Ahsoka on the mat. It's unarmed, but it still makes the rebels' eyes shine with excitement as it marches over to her.
"B1s are slow; they're only dangerous when armed." Ahsoka explains. "They can run at a top speed of seven kilometres an hour and are only programmed with thirty-six combat motions.
"They may look flimsy, but punching one of these guys is only going to break your own bones. Unless you have a cybernetic-" Ahsoka suddenly spins, kicking out her prosthetic to take the B1s head off before anyone can blink.
Anakin tries to maintain his composure, but he can't help but laugh. Every rebel's jaw is slack as the droid's head rolls on the floor.
"Did you teach her that?" Obi-Wan hisses beside him.
"Maybe." Anakin grins, raising his hands, "Hey, you have to play with the cards you're dealt."
"You should only be hitting B1s with your knees and elbows," Ahsoka instructs, "Hit them with your fist, skull or foot, and you'll wish you hadn't."
Another B1 steps onto the mat to replace the headless one, "The droid will always make the first move; use that to your advantage."
As if on cue, the B1 strikes out its left fist, easily getting blocked by Ahsoka's right. She steps in, closing the distance to score an uppercut with her left elbow, hooking right beneath the droid's jaw. The B1 staggers backwards, its skull now lopsided.
"Why did she hit with her left?" Obi-Wan asks quietly.
"The paralysis screwed her pain receptors slightly." Anakin explains, "She can put a fair amount of force behind the blow without feeling the aftershock."
"Aim for their neck, shoulders and hips; this is where they're weakest." Ahsoka instructs, keeping her fists raised and feet light as the recovering droid gets closer to her. She dismantles it in less than two moves, the only part still standing is its two legs.
"She seems battlefield ready." Obi-Wan murmurs.
"Not quite." His former Master has no idea how much work still needs to be done.
"Commando droids are significantly deadlier." With a wave of a hand, Ahsoka pushes the B1 parts away, making space for the Commando droid to step onto the mat. "they don't need a weapon to kill, and they can come up with combat combinations on the spot.
"They're acrobatic, fast and strong." Ahsoka steps back, allowing the rebels to see the droid do a few different moves to demonstrate their skills. "It's best to create distance between you and droid before using a weapon against them. If you hold a blaster near it, you'll lose your gun and then your hand."
"So, what do we do when they disarm us and back us into a corner?" Saw Gerrera calls out.
"Good question." Ahsoka replies, and Anakin can see the fire in her eyes again. It's a sign of the old Snips. "Take out their legs, and they can still fight. Even without a head, they pack a strong punch."
She turns to the Commando droid and falls into an opening position, "Aiming for their torsos is the best way to take them down if you have no other options."
She springs at the droid, grabbing its compact head and delivering a sharp knee to its chest, snapping off its neck and legs at the same time. Her prosthetic foot puts a big dent in its middle, and after it sparks a few times, the disabled droid falls to the floor.
"Impressive." Obi-Wan says.
"Let's see how the rebels get on." Anakin replies, crossing his arms over his chest.
Rex reveals a squad of re-programmed B1s inside a storage container. "Who wants to try first?"
Saw steps up- cocky as ever, "Facing off with a clanker? This will be a game!"
"This isn't a playground push around," Ahsoka warns, "this is a someone's-not-getting-up-again situation. If a droid can take you down, it'll kill you. They won't listen if you beg for mercy."
"Then I won't ask for it," Saw says, and Anakin's reminded of his younger, more arrogant self who threw himself into harm's way at every opportunity.
Not much has changed.
Saw surprises Anakin by taking down the droid in less than five hits. Granted, he got a metal knee to the stomach which made him groan, but his cockiness eventually led to him disabling the B1 in less than two minutes.
"Not bad," Ahsoka says, her arms crossed over her chest, "but if the droid called for backup, you would be screwed."
"What do you want me to do?" Saw exclaims as he steps off the mat, throwing his arms up in the air.
"Spend less time circling the droid and more time engaging its attacks." Ahsoka replies, unbothered by Saw's outburst. "You don't have time for evasion; you either do or die. Bonteri, you're up next."
Anakin's makes eye contact with Rex, the clone Captain looking just as surprised. Did Ahsoka just call Lux by his last name?
Lux steps onto the mat as if he's about to make a speech, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows and pushing his hair out of his eyes.
Anakin cringes. Unless it's the beautiful Senator of Naboo, politicians always manage to get under his skin. They're like sand: coarse, rough, irritating and always sticking their noses in places where they aren't welcome.
Warzones, for example. What's so hard to understand about politicians staying in courts and not entering battlefields like they're heroes?
Lux doesn't get one hit in before he's knocked to the floor, the wind pushed out of his lungs. He grunts but doesn't make any move to get up before the droid prepares to stomp on his head. Anakin feels the flicker of uncertainty within Ahsoka.
She's torn about whether she should intervene.
The Jedi aren't here to fight for the rebels, and constantly saving their shebs will only worsen their abilities to handle themselves. Although, how can the rebels fight the Separatists if none of them survive boot camp?
Ahsoka makes up her mind and darts in, knocking the droid away with a kick to its side. It staggers but doesn't fall. Anakin's confused what her intentions are until he sees her giving Lux a hand up.
She's given him time to defeat the droid himself.
"Ahsoka is becoming a phenomenal leader," Obi-Wan says as Lux finally manages to hit the droid, earning a few words of praise from the Togruta.
"She'll make a great General someday," Anakin replies, feeling pride in his chest.
Steela turns out to be the best sparrer in the group, and that doesn't surprise Anakin. She's strong enough to hit the droid without injuring herself, and she's clever enough to predict its moves, which her brother failed to do.
Within thirty seconds, the droid is in two pieces on the floor. She's the first rebel to break the metal joints.
"Good work," Ahsoka says, her voice cold which makes Anakin's frown. "How do you think you'll do against a Commando?"
"Ahsoka," Obi-wan steps forwards, "I don't think that's wise. It's highly unlikely the rebels will face Commando droids."
The Padawan raises an eye-marking, "It's better to be prepared, Master. Steela, are you up for it?"
"Absolutely." The woman responds, settling into a crouch which is almost identical to the one Ahsoka used earlier.
Anakin knows Ahsoka's aware of this imitation as her top lip pulls back slightly. It's a predatory instinct from her ancestry- revealing her canines to warn someone.
"Let her go," Anakin tells Obi-Wan who still looks like he wants to protest.
"Jealousy is a dangerous emotion, Anakin."
"She won't let anything happen to Steela." The Knight says, shaking his head at the thought. He knows Ahsoka will jump in the moment Steela realises she can't handle the expert combat droid.
Ahsoka can feel Anakin's eyes on her, boring a hole into her skull with his penetrating gaze. She checks her shields, makes sure they're holding strong before giving Steela a false smile, "You'll have to be quick; the Commandos are faster than the standard B1 model."
Steela glances her way, "If a cripple can beat one, I'm sure I can too."
Ahsoka pulls back, startled.
If Steela was a shiny, Ahsoka would put her in her place, but she's a rebel. Anakin and Obi-Wan are watching her, and she can't let people think that comment offended her.
It's just a comment, she says to herself, get over it.
"Start it up, Rex." She says, stepping off the ring.
Rex turns the Commando into manual mode and Ahsoka puts a hand on her lightsaber, knowing she'll need to take the droid's head off before it kills the poor woman.
She's surprised when Steela manages to get the first hit in.
And the second.
And nearly the third, if the droid hadn't picked Steela up and thrown her to the ground.
The rebels gasp as Steela jumps to her feet, not an ounce of pain or embarrassment on her face. Ahsoka growls under her breath, her nails digging into her arm to make crescent-shaped white marks in orange flesh.
The droid kicks Steela's stomach, sending her back down to one knee. Ahsoka thinks it'll be over after that, but Steela's relentless and stands up, hitting the Commando's face with an uppercut.
Ahsoka sneaks a look at Rex from across the ring to see he's wearing his 'I'm impressed' expression.
"Great." She mutters, rolling her eyes.
Steela hoists herself onto the droid's shoulders, and from there, Ahsoka knows the outcome. Commandos are only deadly if they can get their hands on you and exploit their height.
The clanker's head drops to the floor, rolling to a stop in front of Ahsoka's boot. Steela wrestles the headless droid to the ground, moving too fast to see what's happening.
The Commando stops struggling, and Steela stands up, revealing the sparking hole in its centre. Ahsoka frowns, trying to understand how Steela stabbed it without a weapon.
The truth comes to light when Steels flips a dagger in her hand, saying to the rebels, "The Commander forgot to mention that the droids will only disarm visible weapons."
The rebels burst into thunderous applause, whistling, and cheering for Steela as she steps off the mat, attaching the dagger to her belt where it's hidden out of sight.
"That's cheating." Ahsoka says, keeping her gaze narrowed.
"I won, didn't I? Is that hard for you to take?" Ahsoka feels her heart hammering in her chest with the need to assert her superiority over Steela. "Maybe we should try some one-on-one combat. What do you say?"
It's not a request to refine her skills in hand-to-hand, it's a challenge.
In the 501st, challenges are common. Make an insulting comment or purposefully trip someone up in training, and a challenge spar is soon to follow. The winner gets bragging rights.
Ahsoka's never been challenged before.
She's shocked speechless.
"Steela," Lux runs up to them. He just couldn't resist joining their conversation, could he? "You were amazing!"
Steela ignores him, just staring at Ahsoka, "I'll let you think about it, Commander."
She thinks about the challenge as she walks away. She knows she ought to tell Anakin or Obi-Wan- maybe even Rex- but she can't bring herself to. What will they say? They'll tell her that she doesn't need to accept a challenge to prove herself.
She doesn't, but if she refuses, what is she? A coward.
At dinner, she makes up her mind and approaches Steela after collecting two bowls of stew for her and Rex, "You're on, Gerrera. Tonight, in the sparring ring. No need for any spectators."
Steela nods, "I look forward to it, Tano."
They meet at nightfall.
Steela's waiting in the area where they practised earlier, away from the tents of sleeping rebels and Jedi. Ahsoka knows if Rex hears them, he'll mistake it as a droid invasion and come running.
"I'm surprised you accepted my challenge." Steela says, slipping off her boots.
Ahsoka does the same, leaving her lightsaber inside for safekeeping. "You impressed me earlier, I'll admit. I'd like to see what you're really made of."
The woman's gaze drops to her leg, "I'm also curious if Lux's respect for you is well-earned."
She'd like to see Steela escape a Death Watch camp.
"Got any hidden weapons this time?" Ahsoka asks, "The first rule of sparring hand-to-hand is to not bring weapons into the ring."
Steela smiles, "I don't need it. Now, do you want to waste any more time, or shall we get to it?"
"Let's go."
Ahsoka's only sparred Anakin since her injury, and it becomes apparent that he's been going easy on her when Steela swiftly takes the upper hand within the first few moves. She hits fast and without hesitation, using a style Ahsoka's never seen before.
She isn't acrobatic like a Jedi or closely engaging like the clones. Steela makes unpredictable moves, often in odd sequences that Ahsoka wouldn't expect. It throws her off guard.
"You're not giving me any reason to call you Commander." Steela taunts.
Ahsoka keeps her growl in her chest. She's never been good at taking insults.
Then, she realises Steela's first weakness; she doesn't block.
Ahsoka's quick to exploit this, making lots of jabs to the face and chest which Steela can't shield herself from. She nearly laughs; blocking is the basic necessity for ring fighting.
One hit sends Steela staggering back onto the ground, one single drop of blood starting to fall from her nose. Ahsoka doesn't offer a hand up, she just backs up so Steels can stand before they start sparring again.
"Where did you learn to fight?" Ahsoka asks, recovering from a knee to her stomach with a back handspring. "I don't recognise your style."
"I don't use a style." Steela replies, finally managing to block one of Ahsoka's hits with her forearm, "My dad taught Saw and I how to fight. We were always destined to be soldiers."
"Why's Saw so bad at it then?" Ahsoka asks, breaking away to wipe the sweat off her brow. The nights on Onderon are humid.
Steela laughs, "Saw's impatient; he expects everything to be easy."
"And you don't?" Ahsoka steps in again, wiping Steela off her feet with one kick.
Steela grabs her flesh leg and manages to flip Ahsoka over, knocking the air from her lungs when her back hits the mat. She's going to regret not wearing her back brace. "I'm prepared to struggle to get Onderon back. I know it won't be easy. I'll die, if necessary."
"It's not your responsibility to sacrifice your life for this planet. You could just leave." Ahsoka says, straddling Steela and pinning down her arms, waiting for her to tap out.
"You've clearly never loved something enough that you would die for it!" Steela growls, flipping Ahsoka over and pressing her forearm to her chest, keeping her down.
"You'd be surprised." Ahsoka stills suddenly, her montrals twitching, "Do you hear that?"
Steela smirks, "I'm not going to fall for that, Jedi."
"No," With the Force, Ahsoka pushes the woman away and looks into the wilderness, squinting. Her eyesight's good, but not this good. "Listen; I can hear-"
"Kriff…" Steela swears under her breath, "Droids."
"I'm very disappointed with you, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan says, giving the girl his most serious look. "Sparring with Steela without supervision was dangerous, especially considering the way you feel about her."
Ahsoka groans, looking like she's about to stomp her feet and throw a tantrum, "I wasn't going to hurt her, Master."
"You don't know that."
"It was a good thing we were sparring last night or else we wouldn't have spotted the droid invasion." Ahsoka argues, "You said yourself, they knew we would be vulnerable."
Obi-Wan holds in a sigh, tightly holding his right wrist which has been throbbing since the skirmish last night where droids invaded their camp. Waking up to Ahsoka's shouts of an incoming attack certainly wasn't the most pleasant experience.
Really, it was Steela's quick thinking that saved them. She used her rifle to release the animals from the pens who took care of the droids. Lux and Saw managed to take out the tank, and all the Jedi did was illuminate the battle with their lightsabers.
"Obi-Wan, are you in here? We're nearly ready to leave." Anakin steps inside the tent, pausing as he takes in the scene, "Are you still lecturing her?"
Force, give him strength.
"He won't stop," Ahsoka whines.
"Watch your mouth, young one." Obi-Wan says, his patience wearing thin. "Anakin, do you not care that your student was sparring last night? Not for practise but because she was challenged."
"Challenged, eh?" Anakin smirks at Ahsoka, looking no worse for wear after the fight last night, "Did you win, Snips?"
"We kind of got interrupted by a droid ambush." Ahsoka murmurs. Obi-Wan hears her inhale sharply. "Master Kenobi, I'm sorry for disappointing you. Please, can we finish this conversation later? I'd like to help the rebels get organised for the trip to the city."
This girl will be the death of him.
"You're excused, Ahsoka." Obi-Wan watches her leave, knowing she'll come up with another excuse to avoid the rest of this conversation. "You're a terrible example, Anakin."
"Hey," Anakin steps around his exiting student and comes further into the tent, "You're being way too tough on her. This is her first mission back; you can't expect her to be perfect."
"No, I can't." Obi-Wan folds his hands over each other, "But amputee or not, I do expect her to act like a Jedi."
"We're not going over this again." Anakin rubs his forehead, "She is traumatised, Obi-Wan. Ahsoka feels like she's constantly needing to prove herself to be deemed a real Jedi here. She needs our support. We can't just shove the rules down her throat every time she opens her mouth."
Obi-Wan has to slowly count down from ten in his head to calm himself. Anakin gives up and storms from the tent, "We're leaving in five."