"Where did you learn to set up a trap that fast?" Rex asked as he and Jack rode a gunship to pick up Anakin and Ahsoka. "The amount of time you had to get there and set everything would've taken a whole squad, yet you did it all by your self."

"That training I told Anakin and Hawke about when they found me." Jack answered. "I was a part of a squad, each with a specialty set in place. We had a leader, a sniper, a heavy weapons expert, an engineer, and a saboteur. And then there was me, the espionage expert. I was the shadow you didn't know you had, and the thorn in your side that wouldn't come out."

"Huh, guess you weren't as hopeless as we thought." Rex jested, getting a chuckle from Jack.

"Yeah well, I was pretty poor in teamwork with some things. I either didn't try enough or I tried to hard. So I guess something came out of that month. For all it was worth…"

"Hey." Rex then placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, keeping the boy from thinking. "We've all lost brothers, you just have to remember that their sacrifice will be for nothing if we don't win."

"I know… it's just that's my second squad I've lost." Jack responded. "Blitz, Tacs and Stiches are dead, and Deadshot's going to be reassigned from what I heard."

"A lot of work a sniper can do. A lot of the different legions could use his help out on the field."

"Sometimes I think the galaxy just doesn't want me to be working with others. Like I'm cursed or something."

"Bah, ain't any way you'll see us dropping. Tell you what, I can promise that I'll stick through this war with you." Rex said as he bumped his fist on Jack's shoulder. "That way, you'll always have a fellow soldier to rely on."

"Cause Jedi really like running off on their own." Jack smiled back, nodding as he did. "Alright Rex, I'll take the offer. But don't blame me if you get shot in the chest."

"A challenge, I like it."

The gunship then landed, and the two Jedi walked up and in. They seemed perfectly fine, just a small traces of dust here and there but nothing even close to an injury.

"Great job, General Skywalker." Rex said to Anakin, the gunship now taking off and heading back to the city. "You too kid." Rex said to Ahsoka, getting a small smile from the Padawan.

"Yeah, I gave you a lot of crap, but I'll give credit where it's due." Jack added, now getting the attention of the Padawan.

"Who are you?" She asked, getting raised eyebrows from everyone onboard. "What? I'm serious."

"This is Jack, the soldier who showed you around before the shield came up." Anakin answered, confusing Ahsoka even more.

"But he isn't a clone."

"Well gee, how'd you figure that out?" Jack asked, getting a small glare from the learner. "What? I wear a helmet when on assignment, bill me for now bringing up the detail that I'm a volunteer. Heck, I thought you knew."

"How would I know?"

"You called me out on being shorter than clones. I thought that would of given it away."

"I was just stating the obvious!"

"This is gonna be a lot more trouble down the road, isn't it?" Rex whispered to Anakin, the Padawan and soldier now arguing.

"Eh, probably."

"Yep, uh huh." Kix said as he ran a final check up on Jack, now able to properly assess him with the higher grade of supplies aboard a cruiser. "Well Jack, I don't see any permanent damage coming from your earlier injury. Just avoid getting hit in the chest and back for a while now all right? It seems to be becoming your thing."

"Yeah, yeah." Jack said as he rolled his shoulders, having the freedom of full movement without his upper armor on. "I'll avoid the big bad bombs from now on, would save me a lot actually."

"Ah, ah, ah. Hold it." Kix then placed a hand on Jack's left arm, causing the boy to jolt in pain. "That arm of yours is still a little banged up from that TANK shot you got hit by."

"Almost, officially."

"Yeah well that's beside the point." The clone responded as he motioned to a hologram of Jack's body, pointing to the arm coated in red light. "It's pretty messed up. More than likely from your fall rather than the explosion. You're lucky it didn't break."

"Well, if it isn't broken then I'm clear aren't I?"

"Not that simple kid. You have a few fractures throughout it, one that could completely break it if you aren't careful enough." Kix added, turning back to Jack. "I'd say stay out of this next mission, but I know that you won't. So all I can say is… don't land on your arm again."

"Yeah… I figured." Jack chuckled, getting an eased smile from the clone medic. "So can I get set up now? I think we'll be heading out soon."

"Gonna have to get someone to help you get your gear on. I would offer myself but I still have over a dozen other injured I have to treat. You should also avoid using your arm for much more than blaster control."

"Um, okay. But who's going to help me? It's kinda an unspoken rule for us not to help each other with equipment management."

"There's some new people aren't there? I'm pretty sure you can ask one to help you with it."

"Wait, but all the new troops would be in on it." Jack said. "The only other new person I know is Ah-…" He then paused, seeing the small smirk on the clone. "You're a bad person."

"Better get moving. And be sure to really grovel for her to accept your request." Jack then groaned as he walked out, hearing Kix yell one last thing. "And be sure not to call her Shorty when you're begging for help!"

"Shut up!"

Jack made his way to the hangar, knowing that was where the Jedi was likely to be. They were just over the planet where scouts had been tracing for Jabba's son and had picked them up. Yeah, Jabba the Hutt, the most notorious crime lord in the galaxy. It surprised the boy that they were rescuing the Hutt's son, but he knew why. Jabba had trade routes that could go throughout the whole galaxy, and that was something the Republic needed, especially with the recent loses they suffered.

It would benefit them immensely, and give them edges they lost due to the Separatists' recent pushes. Needless to say, it didn't fully sit well with Jack. Saving this kid meant bringing the future of a future crime lord, one that would likely rival their father. And that was a dangerous gamble.

"That sounds like a lot, even for a Jedi." Jack heard a clone speak up as he walked through the hangar, seeing a group of clones next a gunship.

"I heard that you were surrounded by droids. How did you get the shield down?" Another asked, giving Jack the clear that they were talking to Ahsoka.

"Okay, so there's a wall behind him with a hole in the middle." The Togruta's voice only confirmed his belief, making him have to prepare for what's next. "So I pull the wall down on top of the droids, destroying them and saving the general."

While some of the clones laughed, Jack actually nodded once as he walked up to the group. "I gotta say, that's pretty resourceful. I wouldn't be able to pull that off unless I had two grenades or so." Jack admitted. Although, he didn't have the Force on his side like the Padawan did, so there was also that.

"A compliment coming from Jack on resourcefulness? Guess that means you did good." A third clone said to Ahsoka, who smirked as she looked at Jack.

"Guess that means I have a lead on you then."

"Oh no, I have a few moments where that was still child's play." Jack returned with a smirk of his own, crossing his arms. "But I won't deny someone who has a sharp eye, so I'll give you credit on the save."

"Okay what are you after?" Rex asked, surprising Jack.

"What makes you say I'm after something?"

"Because the last time you saw each other, you wouldn't stop calling her Shorty. So you're either on meds or your trying to get something."

"Ah blast." Jack muttered before sighing. "Alright, I sort of need Ahsoka to hrpmh mrph mmmrh…"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Ahsoka asked, motioning to her ear with a growing smirk.

"I said I need you to mmrphmph mmfh…" Jack grumbled again, crossing his arms as he looked away.

"One last time buddy."

"Fine! I need your help with my armor! Kix says I'm not allowed to put too much pressure on my arm and I need someone's help then to do so. Happy?"

"Hmm, I don't know."

"Don't you dare Shor-"

"Hmmm, who shouldn't dare?" The Padawan asked as Jack stopped himself, causing the clones around to laugh.

"Just… will you help me with this…" Jack then appeared ready to puke, holding his right hand to his mouth. "Please?"

"There we go, was that so hard?"

"Extremely."

It was the most annoying thing he had to do, but he was at least grateful the Padawan helped him with his armor. With the clones not likely going to help, she was the only one he could unfortunately turn to.

"So how did you hurt your arm?" She asked as she kept his back piece on him, waiting as he secured the lock between it and his chest guard.

"Oh, you know. Just got sent back from a tank shot's force down a couple of stories onto rubble." Jack answered as the armor locked into place, the pair now moving to his right arm's armor.

"Just?"

"If you saw what the rest of my body looked like right now, you'd understand." He chuckled, his shoulder guard connecting with the rest of his gear. "Seriously, the only way it would've actually been bad is if it hit me. Luckily it was a droid firing and he hit the edge of the building I was on."

"From what the men were saying, you managed to take out quite the amount of droids with your little bomb trick." Ahsoka commented, setting his bicep guard on before reaching for his forearm bracer.

"At least three platoons and about three tanks or so." Jack recounted. "That's not counting the ones hit by debris. But still the highest scrap count I've had in a mission directly thanks to me."

"What was the previous amount?"

"About ten." Jack chuckled. "I'm still pretty new to all of this, only about a couple weeks in. And I've only directly fought in three firefights at that."

"Guess you aren't as far ahead as you thought." Ahsoka gloated as she finished putting his bracer on.

"Believe me Ahsoka." Jack said as he looked at the marks he placed on his chest piece. "I have more experience than most would know." Jack lost himself at the marks before shaking his head, getting his mind clear. "But anyways, I guess I'll have to say thanks, even if it churns my insides saying such a thing to you."

"Oh trust me, this wasn't any fun for me either." Ahsoka responded with an eye roll as they both stood up. "You're not exactly the most enjoyable conversationalist I've had to talk to."

"And to that I'm proud of." Jack smirked as he picked up his helmet, putting it on as he continued. "Haven't had anyone to make fun of in awhile, feels good to let the mind think of a few good ones to use Shorty."

"And we're back to that."

"Hey, I said thanks. That's more of a compliment than you've given me thus far."

"Excuses."

"I am also an expert at those."

It wasn't long after they entered back into the hangar that it was time to load up, and the two were on a gunship heading to the planet's surface below them. As the flight had started, Obi-Wan's hologram appeared at the center of the ship, his attention on Anakin.

"All right, Anakin, here's the story. Jabba has given us only one planetary rotation to get his son back to Tatooine safe and sound."

"Won't take us that long Master." Anakin responded.

"Well take extreme care. We have no idea who's holding Jabba's son." Obi-Wan warned. "Once the negotiations with him are nearly finished, Hawke will be there to assist you, with me following shortly after."

'Hawke.' Jack thought with a grin. It had been a long time since he saw the Jedi who helped get him into the army, and he wanted to see first hand just how good the Jedi Knight was. But as he knew, he had to focus on the mission first, which meant preparing for the attack on the monastery that the Hutt was being held at.

"Try and stay close to me, if you can." Anakin said to Ahsoka.

"It won't be a problem, Master."

"This isn't practice, Ahsoka." Anakin warned.

"I know. And I'll try not to get you killed."

"I hope that goes for all of us." Jack added on, shortly being followed by the ship rocking from nearby fire. "Guess they see us now."

"Sir, we're taking heavy fire." The pilot reported.

"Close the blast shields." Anakin ordered. "Get us under those guns."

"Yes sir!"

The opening on the gunship then closed, darkening the whole area. A red light then came on, illuminating the group as the clones began to prepare themselves.

"Rex, your comm's got static."

"Got it."

"Red light, stand by."

They all then loaded their DC-15A blasters, as Jack put in his clip into his 15S rifle. The ship was fast descending, and it wasn't long before they were near the ground. "Welcome to paradise, rock jumpers." The pilot said as they landed.

The light then turned green as the door opened, everyone reacting instantly and moving out of the gunship and moving to the base of the pure vertical mountain they had to climb.

Compared to most of the clones, Jack lacked the range of his rifle to effectively hit his targets. However, the focus right now wasn't to hit the most droids, that was up to the AT-TEs they had brought for the climb. His job was to get to the base to avoid getting hit. Several bolts came close to hitting him, one he had to roll forward to avoid completely. But he made it to the mountain's base and planted his back against the rock, ducking his head to avoid the blaster fire.

"Droid." Jack said quickly as the rest of the clones and the two Jedi made it, confusing them for a second.

That second was then interrupted as a battle droid landed in front of them, having fallen from the top of the mountain. "Oh my-GAH!" It was then effectively destroyed as its scope landed directly on its head.

'Sometimes I'm embarrassed by what we're up against.' Jack thought as he looked back up.

"So this is where the fun begins." Ahsoka said.

"Race you to the top." Anakin responded.

"I'll give you a head start."

"You're mistake."

"Attaching cables." The clones and Jack then moved back from the base and aimed up, firing the cable attachments on their rifles to the top of the mountain. Anakin and Jack both wasted no time in their climb, the Jedi using his lightsaber to block bolts while Jack fired back, nicking one of the spider droids above them.

The climb up was treacherous with the downpour of laser fire aimed at the rising army. Climbing up the smooth surface meant there would be no cover, and everyone had to keep their footing perfect to avoid slipping and losing their grip on their weapons and cables.

With the assistance of the AT-TEs however, the droids weren't able to aim as well. Jack knows from experience hitting a target is a lot more difficult with a tank cannons and turrets firing right at you.

The boy however noticed that the droids began to focus their fire on one of the walkers. Losing one would make the others easier targets, and cause the deaths of the crew inside the climbing tank. "Ahsoka!" Jack called to the Padawan, getting her attention. "Defend the tanks!"

The Padawan had to only look at the walker to understand the boy's order. Nodding once, she used the Force to swing her cable towards the walker before jumping onto the hull. As she began to climb up it, one of the tanks buckled under the heavy fire, and before long lost its grip on the wall and crashed to the ground, exploding upon impact.

The now growing threat of the next walker being destroyed encouraged Ahsoka to forgo safety and jump right up to the walker's front, landing on the glass of the pilot's cockpit. The second she landed, her lightsaber ignited and the Togruta would deflect bolt after bolt, keeping the pilot safe from enemy fire.

Not soon after though, the gunner of the AT-TE's main cannon was shot, sent plummeting to his doom. Jack cursed under his breath, knowing the cannon would be needed for the whole ascension up. Looking at the walker, he shuffled his feet as he had an idea. "This is either going to be really cool, or really painful."

The boy then extended his feet out, pushing himself away from the mountain's side and swinging to his right. One of the feelings he hated the most was not having something under him, and the knowledge of an almost thirty second fall only made him feel even more stupid for what he was doing. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh BLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAASSSSSST"

Letting go of the cable, Jack slammed against the tank's hull loudly, causing him to flinch as he used both his arms to grab the back of the cannon's console chair.

"Jack!?"

"Focus on the droids!"

CRACK!

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Jack deadpanned as the walker's front feet lost their grip on the mountain, sending the front leaning back at a dangerous angle. The sudden shift caused Ahsoka to trip, forcing her to grab on to the edge of the pilot's cockpit to avoid falling. Jack on the other hand, felt his arm scream in pain as he was forced to carry his complete weight with both.

The pilot would then start to correct the problem, leaning the walker back towards the wall. Using the momentum, Jack lifted himself up with it and quickly got set up. He had gone over the basics of using a walker's cannon back on Kamino, but this would be his first time actually firing one. "Okay, time to strap in." He said as he got everything set, gripping the twin controls and locking an iron grip.

Pressing his thumbs on the triggers, he felt the recoil of the cannon as a shot fired, completely destroying a spider droid with ease. "He… hehehe." Jack chuckled lightly, finding enjoyment in using the heavy weapon. Firing again, this time he hit the edge of the mountain, blowing several battle droids away with the shockwave. "Hehehehehe, hahahahaha!" Jack laughed fully, enjoying the feeling of the recoil as he aimed and fired.

"What is with you?" Ahsoka asked as she looked down to the soldier, seeing him laugh as he fired.

"Just like the simulations!" Jack grinned as he fired again, moving his head to the side on reflex as a bolt hit the back of his chair. The armor luckily protected him, but it brought his attention to the four droids on speeders flying right at him. Before he could even react however, Anakin was quick to dispatch them. Jumping from one to the other, he easily cut each in half before taking the fourth speeder, flying up to the top.

"Gotta keep up!"

"Hey, no fair!"

"Okay… maybe not entirely like the simulations." Jack muttered as he sat back into the chair, firing up at the platform the Jedi Knight was quickly approaching. The Jedi's speeder was then shot by the droids up top, forcing him to jump the extreme distance and behind the enemy's line. And in the seconds to follow, several droids were either sent flying down with the Force, or from being cut in half.

"You know… sometimes I feel like the Force is kinda cheating." Jack said over the comms.

"You and me both." Rex responded, sounding tired as he had to continue climbing. "And to think we have to keep up with General Skywalker all the time."

"I'm surprised you don't already have wrinkles from the stress Rex." Jack chuckled as the rest of the climb was without resistance. And once at the top, Jack instantly locked his focus onto the three droidikas right in front of Anakin. It only took one blast to completely wipe out the rollers.

"I couldn't be much closer Skyguy." Ahsoka said, seeming to respond to something Anakin said.

"I knew you would get here Snips, eventually." The Knight responded as his lightsaber vanished and he sheathed it.

"Always in time to save your life." The Togruta said as she leaned against Jack's seat, smirking at her master.

"For the record, I'm the one that saved him." Jack spoke up, getting a punch to the shoulder from the Padawan. "Ow! That's the injured shoulder genius!"

"I know." She smirked as she jumped off the walker.

"You know for a Jedi…" Jack started as he got out of the cannon's chair and walked to the hull's edge. "You're cold." He then slid off the small decline and landed on his feet, walking over to Rex. "Rex, mind if I borrow a pistol?"

"You dropped your blaster didn't you?" The captain asked as he pulled one of his DC-17 pistols to the boy.

"I swung and jumped like ten meters to get on the tank. Bill me for dropping my rifle in favor of becoming an ugly stain on the ground." Jack responded, the two chuckling as the boy took the pistol. "I'll check at the monastery's front gate to see if there's any traps. Sound good?" He asked as he took an empty pack from one of the other clones.

"Make it an order then private." Rex nodded, giving Jack the clear to move ahead of the others.

Moving on the walkway to the gate with a scanner in hand, Jack was almost disappointed in the droids' setup. Checking the ground, there wasn't a single mine set in place for defense or any laser wire traps. It's like they thought the monastery was completely untouchable to enemy forces. The first thing Jack learned training was nothing was untouchable, and a perfect defense was beyond important in any battle.

At least, if you're the one defending anyways. Works great for them with the lack of traps.

Making it all the way to the gate, Jack turned back to the pack and gave a nod. "Sector is clear sir!" Anakin gave a nod in response and ordered a squad to come with them, making sure that they had enough forces should there be more droids inside the monastery.

Once they were all together, Jack would use the console to open the monastery gate, the large metal barrier moved up slowly as it revealed the darkened interior. 'So much for expecting monks.' Jack thought as he and the clones activated the lights on their helmets, lighting several parts of the large corridor.

"I don't like this place." Rex spoke as they moved in. "It's too empty, gives me the creeps."

"It's not a whole lot better when the B'omar monks are here." Jack responded, knowing how the brain-jar piloted droids look. "I think it's actually creeper when you see them walking around these monasteries. But it's weird not seeing so much as at least one near the gate."

"Smugglers take these monasteries over, turn them into their own personal retreats." Jack could draw where Anakin was going with this. Knowing the strategy well himself.

"And the monks just let them?" Ahsoka asked.

"The monks aren't exactly fit for battle." Jack answered. "And if there isn't violence, the monks won't do anything to start a fight they can't win."

Clattering was then heard, prompting Anakin to activate his lightsaber once more while the troopers focused their lights at the source. At it, was a droid with bug like eyes walking to them. Seeing the droid, Jack didn't fail to notice the twitch in his ear, making him keep his aim on it.

"Um, good guy or bad guy Master?"

"Who are you?" Anakin questioned the droid.

"Merely a humble caretaker, oh mighty sir." The droid answered, stopping a small distance from the Jedi Knight. "You have liberated me from those dreadful battle bots. I am most thankful."

"Where is the Hutt?"

"The battle bots kept their prisoners on the detention level." The droid continued. "But I must warn you, it is very dangerous down there. Not a place for a servant girl." The droid finished, looking to Ahsoka.

'Even I wouldn't go that low.' Jack thought with annoyance. 'And even then, making an assumption like that isn't something for a droid. That's more under the lines of… espionage.'

"Do servant girls carry-" Before the Togruta could even activate her lightsaber, Jack fired two rounds into the droid, one in the chest and one in the head.

"Jack! What are you doing!?" Anakin demanded as the boy knelt next to the fallen droid, opening its faceplate and inspecting the wiring.

"Call it working off a hunch sir." Jack responded, taking off his helmet to plug in several of the wires into it.

"What hunch?"

"The hunch that this isn't a caretaker droid." Jack answered as he checked through the programming. "B'omar monks are the only caretakers of these monasteries, and if you're somehow trusted to be one, you don't often make assumptions on a person's alignment. In the end, all are one in their belief."

"And how would you know this?" Ahsoka asked.

"When you play a role for the first time, you're bound to make a mistake. And in espionage, it can either teach you or end you." Jack then finished looking through the programming, nodding once as he ripped the wires out from his helmet and picked it up. "Unfortunately for our friend here, I'm not very good at being a teacher."

"Explain." Anakin said.

"Prototype espionage programming." Jack answered, raising the eyebrows of the Jedi. "This droid was trying to set us up somehow, probably placed in by the droids. I'm not sure how much of what he said was true, but I do know that the detention level would be the best place to keep the Hutt."

"And now how would we get there?"

"I know these monasteries like the back of my hand Anakin." Jack responded. "If you need a guide to the holding cells, then I'm the guy to do it."

"Do I even want to know as to how you know this?"

"Let's just say… I have some things I regret doing back then." Jack simply left off, starting to walk into the monastery.

"Captain, we'll get the Hutt." Anakin said back to Rex as he and Ahsoka started to follow Jack. "Stay here. Keep your eyes open."

"Copy that, sir."

On the way down to the dungeons, the Jedi were surprised over the fact of how Jack moved. The whole time he never stopped once to think, as if he had been to this monastery before dozens of times. There wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation from the boy on the journey down.

"The dungeon's just down this corridor." Jack said, his ear twitching as they walked past a door. "We've got company."

"I know." Anakin responded.

"We just passed two more droids." Ahsoka said.

"I know."

"Well I don't like this. Can I just take care of them?"

"Oh, well, if you feel so strongly about it go ahead." Upon his words, Ahsoka quickly turned to the know three droids that were following them, cutting the first's weapon in half before cutting it apart. The next two were then promptly destroyed as she deflected their shots right back at them. All in just a few seconds as she then deactivated her saber and placed it back on her waist. "Not bad, you remembered to destroy their weapons first."

"I'm improving your technique." The Togruta responded.

Anakin in response activated his lightsaber and jabbed behind him, impaling a droid that was still in one of the door before deactivating it. "Of course, you did miss one."

"I… did that on purpose." Ahsoka said as they began to walk again.

"Yeah just as I purposely got my arm injured." Jack chuckled, getting a small glare from the Padawan.

Anakin then stopped the two as he looked at a closed door. "I sense our kidnapped Hutt is in here."

"Ew." Ahsoka added as she covered her nose. "I smell him, too."

"Eh, I've smelled a lot worse." Jack said as Anakin waved his hand, using the force to open up the door. Looking inside, the three then saw the small Hutt, no older than probably one or so. "A… a kid?" Jack then slightly shook his head, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"He's a lot younger than I thought he'd be." Anakin added.

"Aw, he's just a baby." Ahsoka said. "This will make our job a lot easier."

"Then you clearly haven't worked with kids." Jack responded as he pulled the pack off of his back, enjoying the strap now leaving his shoulder. "Or ever met a Hutt for that matter."

"What do you mean by that?" Ahsoka asked as the two knelt down next to the Huttlet, Jack putting the pack on the ground.

"Kids are a handful the younger they are, and Hutts will ruin your lives." Jack said with a small smile. "Babies like this little guy, does both."

"So, then what?"

"Well, he should fit in the pack just fine. It's getting him still enough to get in that will be the challenge."

"How bad could it be?"

"How bad could it be, you said." Jack muttered as the three started making their way back to the outside. "He's just a baby, what could he do, you said."

"Okay Jack, I get it." Ahsoka responded, carrying the small Hutt with the pack on her back. "He was… a little bit more of a hassle then I thought."

"He poked me in the eye!"

"It was an accident."

"He wouldn't let go of my still injured arm!"

"He was… curious?"

"He barfed on me!" The boy yelled, pointing to the green slime that was all over his chest plate. Slime that was slowly hardening into a mold.

"Well maybe he's just allergic to you."

"Oh I'll give that sick little grease ball something to be allergic to." Jack said as he pointed to the Hutt. "If it wasn't for him being Jabba's son I would pulverize him."

"Oh it'll wash off."

"It's hardening! I think he tried turning me into a hive with his fluids." Jack groaned as he looked down to the slime. "It's disgusting really."

"And what if it wasn't that?"

"Oh no, it wasn't." Jack said. "I think he's really sick. B'omar temples aren't kept to be germ free. They're cleaned up, but the amount of bacteria you can get in one is extremely unhealthy for anyone his age."

"What!?"

"Am I the only one that knows B'omar culture?" He asked. "Rhetorical question." He said as he held his hand to Anakin.

"Am I interrupting something?" As the three were finally out, a hologram of Hawke formed nearby.

"No Hawke, we just were talking about the Hutt's condition." Anakin responded, turning to his fellow Jedi Knight. "He appears to be sick."

"I'd say he wouldn't make the trip to Tatooine if we don't treat him soon." Jack reported, getting the Knight to hum.

"We'll bring some medicine for him, just make sure he lives until then." Hawke then raised an eyebrow as he looked at Jack, seeing the slime on him. "What happened to you?"

"Ugh, he barfed on me."

"Gross."

"I still don't think dealing with the Hutts is a good idea." Anakin said to Hawke, getting the Knight's attention back.

"Anakin, we'll need Jabba's trading roots if we're going to have a chance during this war. Without them, we're cut off completely throughout the Outer Rim." Hawke responded. "If anything happens to that Huttlet before you get back to Jabba's Palace, this will severely hurt our efforts in the war."

"Uh… I think we have another issue right now." Jack said as he looked up, seeing vulture droids and droid transport ships heading their way.

"Defensive positions!" Rex ordered, causing the troops to scramble to prepare.

"Anakin?"

"I'll have to call you back Hawke." Anakin said. "We're under attack. We could use a little help here if you have the time."

"I'll be there soon. Protect the Hutt until then." Hawke's communication then cut off, just in time for the vulture droids to make their first move.

"Artoo, move!" Jack shouted, the astromech shooting out from its Jedi fighter and moving fast away just seconds before it was destroyed. Firing at the approaching droids, Jack would manage to land two shots before having to stop and dodge away.

The starting assault was pushing hard, enough that the AT-TE pilot was shot early on. With the cockpit destroyed, the walker was now useless. "Fall back inside." Anakin ordered, everyone listening and running back into the monastery. Just seconds before it closed, Anakin slid back, entering with his saber deactivated.

"Rex, fortify this position." Anakin ordered. "We'll hold this position until Hawke comes with reinforcements."

"Is that smart sir?" Jack asked. "I'm not sure we'll be able to hold them back long enough with the Huttlet here, or without any heavy armaments to back us up."

"Our mandate is to hold this monastery."

"Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine, and time is running out." Ahsoka interrupted, motioning to the sick Huttlet.

"I suppose you have a plan?"

"Well, this monastery must have a few hangars lying around." Jack threw out. "I'd be willing to bet that somewhere around this place has a ship. If Artoo plugs into it, he can probably get the Huttlet and you out of here easy."

"See, it should work." Ahsoka went along, glad Jack was on her side for something.

"Alright Snips, I'll follow you on this one." Anakin said, getting a smile on the Padawan's face. "Captain, hold them here for as long as you can. Jack, you're with us."

"Will do, sir."

"Wait, why me?" Jack asked.

"Because you're the guide Jack. If you know this place inside out so well, you'll find us something." Anakin said, smirking as he saw the boy's shoulders slump.

"It's probably best if you go with them kid." Rex added. "Your arm is still at a high risk of injury, we can't worry about it getting worse during the firefight against the clankers."

"But-I… ugh." Jack sighed, knowing the clone captain was right. "Fine, but be sure to scrap one for me, clear."

"Hehe, sure thing kid."

"Jack!"

"I'm coming!" Jack shouted back, running after Anakin and Ahsoka. "Jeez, give a guy a minute why don't you."

"Where to?"

"Monasteries have tons of places where you can land a ship. It'd be easier if Artoo here scanned the area to find one. I can give him the locations to cut his search time in half. Sound good little guy?" The droid beeped in response, getting a chuckle from him. "Guess even astromechs can only handle so much huh?"

Going to the heart of the monastery, the group then stopped at the worship room, a room identical to what Jabba used as his throne room. "Plug in R2, I'll set the coordinates." Typing on the console, Jack then allowed R2 to connect to it and start going, reading through each set to see where a ship could be.

"He's finally asleep." Anakin commented, looking at the Huttlet. "Why not put him down, get yourself some rest as well Ahsoka. You've had a long for you little one, both of you."

"I can hold him, Master." While Jack had listened and sat down next to the astromech, Ahsoka insisted on handling herself. "I'm not tired."

"Suit yourself." Anakin said while sitting down. "I don't see why you won't just listen to me."

"I do listen to you, Master. I just don't like being treated like a youngling."

"You must have patience. What are you trying to prove?"

"That I'm not too young to be your Padawan."

Jack sighed in response, rubbing the faceplate of his helmet as he did. "Look, I can't really say I understand this Jedi stuff, but why do you think to prove yourself you have to rush it?" Getting up, Jack then continued. "Nothing can just happen at the snap of your fingers is worth while. It takes time to earn trust or respect. I trained on Kamino, and I'll tell you that rushing was a horrible mistake. None of my squad really worked well together, and we would fail horribly all the time. But then, we started to click."

"Our problem was we never worked together, so we hardly got any of the simulations finished when we were up. But once we did, when we put all of our differences aside and worked as a team, we managed to pass. It wasn't because we worked well from the start, and it wasn't because of a single simulation that it clicked. It took the whole time to finally get it right, and it was worth it."

"You're doing fine Ahsoka." Jack started to finish, settling his back against the wall. "I'm sure Anakin does see you as his Padawan regardless of your age. Just like how he sees me as a soldier even though I'm only a year older. I think he just wants you to be in one piece once this is all over."

Artoo then started to beep, getting the three's attention. Rotating his head around, his eye then projected a hologram of the whole building, red outlining the back of it.

"A back landing platform."

"We'll call for a gunship when we get there." Anakin said as Artoo disconnected. "Jack, lead the way." The boy then nodded and was about to start moving, when he looked to the ground and saw the backpack had something missing. "Uh… where's Stinky?"

"You told me to put him down."

"Come on Shorty how could you-" Jack stopped halfway through his sentence when he heard panting and looked below the platform, being joined by Anakin and Ahsoka shortly after to see the small Huttlet. "I'm not grabbing him."

"Come out of there, you grubby little slug." Anakin said as he grabbed Stinky's tail and pulled back, ignoring the screams the Huttlet gave. The three then started to put the Huttlet back in the backpack, with Ahsoka wearing it to keep him from escaping again. As they finished, Anakin's communicator went off.

"Anakin, come in."

"Rex?" Jack wondered, looking at the communicator. His ear soon twitched and he glared at the device.

"We've held the droids back, sir."

"That's not like Rex." Anakin commented, knowing the clone captain well.

"What is your location?"

"Ventress." Anakin concluded, turning off his communicator.

"Dooku's assassin?" Ahsoka asked.

"She's here to kill the Hutt. Come on." The three then began to move again, with Jack taking the lead. He kept a firm grip on Rex's pistol, knowing he'll likely need to use it soon.

'Great, a Sith assassin is going to join the party, what fun.' He thought, knowing full well he'd have to rely on Ahsoka and Anakin to fight her. He has a trick or two, but they're only good when he has the element of surprise. And with a group of four plus a baby, that wouldn't happen.

He just had to hope that one of the tricks would save him if he get's caught alone. Otherwise, he'll have a hole in his chest that goes all the way through. He has impressive survival chances, but not to impalement or dismemberment.

'This is gonna suck.'