Few hours later, Obi-Wan and Anakin contacted Rex and Cody to ask for their help in protecting the child, - and Padmé was forced to go to the Senate for a meeting, - they were also stunned and dumbfounded at their General who had broken the Jedi Code, that he was married, and at the same time Rex won't tell them, but he had doubts, since the blue shadow virus crisis on Naboo a few months ago, during which they had to prevent the separatist droids, and the virus from escaping the laboratory, they almost died, while Anakin and Obi-Wan traveled to Iego, the world of a thousand moons to find the antidote, Reeksa Root who saved them all, as a result of this incident the 501st troops, including Rex, began to suspect that there was more than a simple friendship between their General and Senator Amidala and had started the wagers.
Rex focused all of his attention on the child in General Skywalker's arms, she seemed calm and so peaceful, listening to Anakin's explanation as to the circumstances under which he found the little girl, angered him, at the idea that someone want to hurt her, she was so cute, so small, so innocent, and now someone is looking after her to hurt her no matter who left her there, he knew that by taking her to the General Skywalker, she would be kept safe.
"She's adorable," he remarked, smiling tenderly at her. *"Ad'ika."
Anakin nodded silently without taking his eyes off the child, sensing that she was going to cry again, he began to rock her, "Shhhh … No, No, No, don't cry, don't cry ! It's alright !" he whispered softly to her.
"Why would anyone want to hurt her ?" Rex asked confused and annoyed that one could think of hurting a baby, an innocent being, was angered him, and he wasn't the only one.
Anakin cleared his throat before declaring. "Well, this child is not like the others."
"What do you mean ?" Cody asked confused.
"When she cries, she … blows things up." explains Anakin.
Rex, after exchanging a look with Cody, declares. "Are you kidding ?"
"I know that sounds crazy, if not completely improbable …"
"It's the least we can say !" Cody said skeptically, crossing his arms.
"But in one night, she blew up, the lights, the computer and earlier, the television." Anakin asserted.
Rex was about to open his mouth to speak, but closed it immediately and said nothing,
"I saw it with my own eyes …" Obi-Wan said trying to convince them, before they could say anything else,
The baby girl began to cry, and Rex's headset transmitter sizzled, and a bulb from a nearby bedside lamp exploded, the Captain and the Clone Commander turned away raising their hands above their heads, reflexively to protect themselves before lowering them, and raising their heads to their Jedi Generals then, eyes wide, riveted on the child, they were both forced to admit they were right, this little girl was special and unlikely to more than one title,
"Improbable …" Rex manages to say, still in shock.
"Do you believe me now ?" Anakin asked as he cradled the baby girl who laughed and the lights began to flash. "Do you find that funny ?" he asked her rhetorically. He received a smile in response. "Little Snips !" he whispered softly, smiling.
"Obviously !" Cody said appearing to have found his voice. "Yet, I can't believe what I'm seeing, this child is amazing !"
"Indeed. She seems to control electrical or electronic impulses." Anakin answers without taking his eyes off the child.
"Does she have a name ?" Rex asked.
Anakin shrugged. "Not that I know !"
"How are we going to protect her if we don't even know from what ?" Cody asked.
"That's what you have to find out, before he comes after her." Anakin replies, looking up at him.
"The real question is: who is she ? And who left her here ? She must be very special, with such powers." Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, stroking his beard in a moment of thought.
On the planet Messaline, Miss Myers was still in search of her 'child', without any leads, her anger and her rage only increased by minutes after minutes, yet she had no intention of giving up, after all this relentlessness, she still didn't know who had taken her or where, their employer who had hired them, was enraged at the thought of having lost 'his weapon', against his enemies, the Jedi, he had to find her before them.
"We have rechecked everything hundreds of times ! Including camera and laboratory surveillance videos ! No trace of the weapon." Miss Myers said.
The hooded figure on the hologram was getting more and more angry with each passing second. "You are just a bunch of incompetents ! You can't even watch a baby !" said their employer. "We must find it before it is operational, and before our enemies !"
"We are doing our best to find her ! My soldiers are scouring the Galaxy for her."
"Obviously this is not enough ! You are putting my plans in jeopardy, there are far more important things that require my attention, and monitoring, other than your notorious incompetence and failure, Miss. Myers."
"We will redouble our efforts, my lord !" Miss Myers said.
"I hope so for your own benefit ! If you want me to keep my word, and prevent your enemies from finding you, find her ! Do whatever you think is necessary ! Don't let anyone stop you ! And bring it back to me !" he ordered her before disappearing.
Anakin continues to rock her to soothe and reassure the little girl, - after eating an hour ago and being changed, Padmé had also changed her clothes, and dressed her in - another - pajamas and a white cap, immediately falls asleep, places her in her carrycot, and attaches it very gently.
"How are we going to do it ?" Rex asked.
Obi-Wan, stroking his beard, paused for a moment, looking at the child in her sleeping carrycot, under of his former student's tender eyes who never took his eyes off her, have some thought on his question and the answer he could give it ! The truth was he didn't know what to do, this child, obviously was not from their galaxy,
"Firstly, you must'nt tell nothing to the Council, and I doubt at the Temple archives we would find answers, with such powers this child does not come from our galaxy,"
"From another world then ?" Cody asked, following his reasoning.
"Obviously." Obi-Wan answers.
"How are we going to do it ?" Rex asked.
"We should investigate recent phenomena similar to his powers !" said Anakin, pointing to the little one awake in her carrycot,
"Unfortunately, it's far from that simple." Obi-Wan said.
"Indeed, it is so …"
"Improbable ?" Obi-Wan guessed.
Anakin nodded. "Yes,".
"Just like her." Rex added.
"Besides, we don't know anything ! Neither where she came from nor why she was taken from her parents." Anakin declared.
"Maybe to protect her from them, precisely !" Cody said.
"At this point, we cannot overlook any track !" Obi-Wan answers.
"General, you don't want to involve the Council, but would you be against if I contacted some of my men to help us ?"
He shook his head. "No, any help is welcome ! Who do you think of, Rex ?" Anakin asked.
"Fives and Jesse, sir." Rex replies.
"Alright. Contact Kix too, I want to make sure she's okay." said Anakin.
Rex nodded and pressed the button on his comlink attached to his wrist, he waited patiently, then for a few minutes he heard the voice of one of his men and brother.
"This is, ARC Trooper Fives, I'm listening."
"Fives, this is Captain Rex."
"My apologies, Captain, what can I do for you ?"
Rex was silent for a second as he typed in the coordinates of his current location to join him. "Could you come to the contact details I send you on your comlink ?"
"I suppose, am I in trouble, Captain ?" Fives asked worried that he had committed insubordination.
"No, there is no problem, Fives. I just need to talk to you, find Jesse and Kix and take them with you, but don't tell anyone else ! Understood ?"
"Sir, yes, Sir," Fives replied before pausing. "Uh, sir, why over there ?" he asked, skeptical and confused having received the meeting point coordinates.
"We'll explain all to you, Fives."
"We ?"
"Generals Skywalker and Kenobi are with me, come with Jesse and Kix we are expecting you." Rex replies.
A quarter of an hour later after Rex contacted them, Fives, Jesse and Kix had arrived at the apartment, their eyes riveted on the child calmly asleep in her carrycot listening to their General's explanation of the current situation and as to the reasons and circumstances under which he found the baby.
"I know this whole situation must be confusing and completely insane …" Anakin said.
"It's the least we can say." Fives retorted before patting his brother's shoulder. "Hey, Jesse. You lost the wager !" to his dismay, Fives and Kix laughed.
* "Kriff …" Rex cursed, biting his lip.
"What wager ?" Anakin asked intrigued, focusing his attention on his Captain, waiting for a response.
"With Rex we bet you were more than friends, and Jesse and many others bet you were nothing more than very good friends." Fives explained.
"You've been placing a wager on us ?" Anakin asked, more dumbfounded than angry, yet he screamed a little too loudly and the child began to cry as the ceiling light exploded, Fives, Kix and Jesse, taken aback, raised their arms above their heads by reflex, to protect themselves, before releasing them along the body and exchanging a confused and stunned look between them, then their wide eyes, riveted, on the child, that their General tries to calm down by rocking the carycot in which she is. "Shhh … sorry, little one ! I shouldn't have screamed so loud." whispered Anakin. "Shhh … It's okay." at his words, the child laughed and the remaining ceiling lights flashed.
"So, that … it's … it's not possible." stammered Fives having regained his voice, while Kix remained stunned.
"… Improbable …" Jesse stammered.
"That's exactly, what I said the first time ! I couldn't believe it myself !" Rex explained.
"Listen, I know that sounds completely surreal, but if there's one thing I'm sure it's that she's in danger and that it was the Will of the Force that drove her up to me to protect her and I need your help." Anakin said, his eyes fixed on the child.
"Unity is Strength, I am with you, Anakin." Obi-Wan said putting his hand on the shoulder of his former Padawan.
"I'm with you," Rex said.
"You can count on me." Cody said.
"I'm in." Kix said.
"Me too." says Fives
"I'm on it." Jesse said.
"Thank you to all of you." said Anakin.
"We're going to protect you, Sparky." Fives said looking at the child, who laughed and the lights started to flash.
"Sparky ?" Rex asked, curious.
"Yes, you know because of her 'powers', she sparks, you might say !" Fives explained.
Anakin smiled at his remark without taking his eyes off the chirping child. "It's adorable ! Especially since, she has no first name !" he replied. "Huh, little Snips, do you like it, Sparky ?" Anakin asks tickling her very lightly, she smiles at him in response, which made everyone smiles.
"Kix, could you check up on her, please ?" Anakin asked.
"Sure." Kix answers approaching the little one as she was about to cry again, Anakin cradles her to reassure her, and she remains silent.
"It's all right, little one, I'm just going to check up on you to make sure you're okay." Kix whispered quietly, pulling out his stethoscope to listen to her heart, she fidgets, but does not cry. "You are very brave, Ad'ika." he said.
"So ?" Anakin asked worriedly.
After a few minutes, the doctor was able to make a diagnosis. "Everything is fine, whoever she is, wherever she comes from, she is perfectly healthy." Kix reassured him.
"And how old do you think she is, Kix ?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Hard to say, I can't know for sure, Generals, without giving her additional exams, she would have to be scanned by a Droid for that, but knowing what she does to Droids !" Kix said looking at the little one who laughed and the lights started to flash.
"Little Snips." Anakin said, and she smiled at him.
"However, considering her size, she can't be a month old, she's a newborn baby, I would say she must be about six weeks old."
"What are we going to do ?" asked Fives.
"The only thing we can do right now: investigate." Anakin replied, taking his gaze away from the child, and looking up at his men. "I will have a mission for you three !" he said, pointing to them.
Few words on Mando'a:
*Ad'ika: little one.
*Kriff: damn, shit, ... (a curse word)