AN: So sorry it's taken me this long to get this chapter out! On my way home from our trip I got sick and I didn't feel like writing for a few days. Then I started work again and this week I am also working at camp. Thank you all my wonderful readers for your patience and continued support!
Disclaimer: I don't own. I'm broke.
"Do we even HAVE an exit strategy?" Ahsoka yelled exasperated as she and Torrent Company raced down the hallway.
"What's an exit strategy?" Hardcase quipped
"So no!" Dogma clarified irritably
"Just great! At this rate we're all going to die!" Ahsoka shouted as they came up on another locked blast door.
"Echo was suppose to look over the building specs in case of something like this." Fives retorted.
"Well Echo is currently unconscious so fat lot of help that is." Tup snapped pointing to the ARC trooper draped over Fives and Jesse's shoulders.
"And nobody else knows how to get out of here?" Ahsoka asked from where she was carving a hole in the door.
"All I know is that we have to clear this sector and rendezvous with the others at the RV point when were done." Kix replied
"How come you don't know how to get us out of here Commander. Don't you get briefed on these things?" Jesse asked
"I was suppose to be leading the air battle. Master Skywalker didn't think it would be necessary for me to study the ground assault tactics. So he had me look over tactics for my fighter squadron instead of attending the ground assault briefing. Now that they've moved me down here with you I don't know anything more than you." Ahsoka stepped back and using the Force, removed the perfectly cut out circle.
Once the circle was removed the doors slid open and the company came face to face with a hangar full of droids.
"Something that I'm not going to let him let down when we get out of this mess." The commander muttered, igniting her dual green blades.
An hour later and the sector was clear and the group was rejoining the rest of the 501st where Anakin was waiting.
"Took you long enough Snips! I was beginning to think you got lost!" He exclaimed when he saw them
"No thanks to you Master! You only give me the briefing on the air battle and then half way through throw me into the ground battle and expect me to lead the men according to the plan, a plan which I know nothing about because you had me learn one part of the mission instead of both parts!" Ahsoka half snarled, half hissed, advancing towards her master as she spoke.
"I thought you could figure it out! It was a normal basic plane!" Anakin defended
"Master, none of your plans are normal or basic! We spent 10 minutes just trying to get out of the building because you hadn't provided anybody with schematics!" Ahsoka argued
"Echo normally studies that kind of thing doesn't he?" the Master shrugged
"He was unconscious most of the time!" Ahsoka yelled, gesturing over to where Coric and Fives were reviving said ARC.
Anakin was at a loss as to what to say and he knew the men around them were not so subtly starring at them.
"Well then, maybe next time you'll study both plans Snips." He said turning towards the waiting gunships.
"Oh I see how it is! Now all of a sudden it's my fault! You don't let me in on the ground battle briefing and then when I'm pulled away from my battle into a battle I know nothing about, it's my fault for not following the plan!" Ahsoka yelled angrily, crossing her arms and scowling deeply when he ignored her.
Rex approached her as Anakin's gunship took off.
"Not in the mood Rexster." Ahsoka grumbled
"I was just going to make a suggestion Commander." He replied and waited until the young girl looked at him. "I think he was foolish to only have you focus on the planning of one aspect of the mission. I can tell some of the others who were with you feel the same. So I suggest we come up with a plan so this doesn't happen again." He smirked
"Which is?" Ahsoka quirked a brow
"I think you should go talk to Fives and Hardcase." Rex nodded his head towards the two troublesome brothers, already whispering conspiratorially together. Before taking his leave of her, he leaned over and whispered. "I think you did a good job with your situation and I'm glad you made it out okay."
Later that evening, aboard the Resolute, Anakin noticed that the halls seemed surprisingly very quiet nor was there the usual ruckus coming from the gyms. Suspicious, he set out to uncover what had become of all the men. It didn't take long for him to realize the mess hall was empty as well as the barracks and in a last ditch effort to find everyone, he headed for the hangar bays. There he found his padawan, Captain, ARC trooper Fives, and Hardcase on top of a stack of crates and in front of almost the entirety of the Resolute. Soldiers were sitting everywhere they could, all over the machinery and every inch of available floor space. When Anakin walked through the doors, there had been an uproar in cheering and now the leaders on the crates were trying to settle everyone back down. Suspecting that he would learn more by not revealing himself, he stayed back and watched the proceedings.
"Alright! Alright! On to exit strategy #24! When trapped between a closed or locked door and a hoard of angry rancors, throw flash-bangs to disorient the rancors while simultaneously hacking or blowing open the doors." Ahsoka shouted, reading off her data-pad. There was another short burst of laughter and banter that quickly died out
"Exit strategy #25! Always carry extra repel line incase you have to repel down a level or two to reach a safe gang-way when yours is blown up." Fives read off next before passing the holo-pad to Hardcase
"Exit strategy #26! Always make sure more than one person knows the schematics of the building you are storming incase someone with the schematics is stupid enough to end up unconscious!" Laughter rang out and Echo was playfully shoved by a few brothers sitting next to him.
Rex grinned as he read out the next strategy "Exit strategy #27: When trying to hide under a platform, activate magnetized treads to hang upside down or use repel line for multiple people to cling to."
At this point Anakin figured it would be a good time to actually figure out what was going on and moved out of the shadows. Tup and Jesse saw him first and started making frantic gestures at the group atop the crates. Ahsoka stopped half way through starting the next point and turned around to where now multiple brothers were frantically pointing and moving away from while those on top of the machinery stood up or started sliding down. Anakin Skywalker watched as his padwan snapped her mouth shut and nudged the captain next to her when she saw him. Fives and Hardcase followed their captain in turning and facing the general.
"Care to explain why it seems the entirety of the Resolute has gathered under the radar and seem set on excluding me from this… little meeting?" Anakin leveled his gaze to his Commanding officer and Padawan
Ahsoka defended the brothers who had been warning them of the general's arrival. "It's not that we didn't want you to be a part of it, we just wanted to run through it once before we presented it to you so everyone was on the same page."
"And what exactly are you running through?" Anakin crossed his arms
"Exit strategies, Sir." Rex answered evenly, arms behind his back in parade rest
"Exit strategies for what Captain?" Anakin questioned, still confused.
Ahsoka jumped in "For when all your outlandish and not so simple plans become even less simple and more outlandish."
"My plans are not outlandish; they're intricate and often change due to the unpredictable variables of battle." General Skywalker defended
"Master we have to make back up plans for our back up's, back up plans. These exit strategies just give us an extra buffer in dealing with some of the situations we find ourselves in." Ahsoka shrugged and smiled cheekily
Anakin saw her cheeky grin and narrowed his eyes "Just how many of these exit strategies have you come up with?"
"Oh at least 30, but we aren't done yet… Sir." Fives quickly snapped into parade rest and looked straight ahead.
Anakin Skywalker decided he had best leave them alone at this point "Well then. I'll leave you to it." And he took his leave of them as the four on the crates began again
"Exit strategy #28…"
A couple of months later and during a combined mission with the 212th, Cody and his troops were slack jawed in shock when someone in the 501st started running at the two legions screaming "Exit strategy 17! Exit strategy 17!" and the 501st troops grabbed their weapons and started high-tailing it away from their position, half dragging the 212th with them. As they were running the ground beneath them rumbled and shook and the 501st started trying to out sprint each other in an attempt to escape the shock wave and dust cloud; the result of an accidental demolition. When the dust settled and all the troops had a chance to catch their breath, Commander Cody turned and looked at his friend.
"What in the haran was that?" he asked Rex
"Exit strategy 17; ARC or Commandos are messing with explosives and things are about to go south, so for your own safety, run like haran away from them and the explosion that is sure to follow." Rex explained
"How many of these exit strategies do you guys have?" Cody was curious but also wary of his companion's answer
"Over 35 now, I think. There's a master list somewhere and we keep updating it as we end up in weird situations." Rex answered casually while the 212th stared at the 501st, trying to gauge their levels of insanity.
AN: Hope you guys liked it! I know it wasn't too much Rexsoka, but I hope it still added a dynamic with them and their brothers! I hope to get a few more chapters out here soon, I have a few chapters started and plenty more ideas! Let me know if you want a list of the Exit Strategies and I'll work on it and probably post it as a 2-3 shot separate story.
Please R&R!
Haran-Hell