fighting idealism

"You fight like a girl," one of Kenobi's taunted. Since the clone had put up a pretty good fight - - and the trooper from the 505th standing over him was the fourth one he'd taken on that evening - - it probably wasn't a fair jab.

Jedi Master Kayes Rii looked around, waiting to see what was going to happen.

"Kriffing bunch 'a pussies," he jeered, turning around. He jerked his head at his group of buddies. "Guess that's what you get when you take a bunch of Shinies and give 'em over to a fe-male je-di. They'd rather go home and sing and hold hands with mommy, who's just one step up from a Sep-" The rest of the guys from the 505th were okay with some general smack talk. All of them were. But when it got personal like that?

Nobody was surprised when the asshole's mouthing off was cut short by a pair of hands.

"Yeah?" Tutanna reached out to shove the #1 special. "So why'd it take four of Kenobi's crew to wear him down?" the ranking clone noncom in the 1222nd asked. He asked it as he was stripping off his armor plates.

The guys from Omega and Theda and Yu'ur kind of cringed when they saw Kayes Rii in the crowd with her guys. Hell, of course she'd be there. Where was Kenobi? For that matter, where were any of the two armies' officer corps? Lots of lieutenants down there, but they were exchanging money like everyone else.

"I've got a better idea," Kayes called as she stepped forward. She held her hands palm up at the waist, showing that she was a peaceful negotiator.

"Oh, no, Kay'aliur," Darman begged. "No, no, no."

"Find out what it's like to fight like a girl."

"What? We gonna settle this with a round of guess which hand has the treat in it? Or you got a sugar tit to pass around?"

She winked at Tu. Tu only lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. He was pretty sure this was a non-starter of an idea. It was one thing when too many troops from too many units got wound up and elected their best hand-to-hand guys to go one-on-one. Getting the generals involved was problematic.

"I'm not gonna hurt him," she promised softly in that lilting voice that carried everywhere. "I'm gonna take off my robe and my belt. See? I'm not even a jedi anymore.

She went one better, taking off the tunic that was almost uniform for the order. Her trim black pants and boots and the form-fitting long-sleeved undergarment emphasized how much smaller than the clones she was - - not just in height, but in sheer bulk.

"I ain't gonna hit no fe-male."

"You say that like that again and I'm gonna forget my promise not to do permanent damage."

"You said you wasn't gonna hurt 'im," Tu reminded her.

She shrugged. "It's a big bacta tank. We're not pushing off until midnight tomorrow. He'll have plenty of time to regenerate skin on his gey'se."

The commandos on the hillside laughed.

One of them spotted Skywalker's Captain Rex approaching. This guy better kill the little general now - - or she'd better get her licks in fast - - because the shit was about to hit the fan.

"Problem, General?" he asked.

She pointed to the side of the arena. "I've got it covered, Captain, thank you. You just have a seat right there where I can keep an eye on you. That's an order."

Rex looked like he was thinking long and hard about disobeying.

"It isn't a fair fight if you use the force on him, General, ma'am," he called from the squatting position he took in the dust. He pretended to be unconcerned, drawing in the loose red dirt.

"If I was going to do so I would have influenced his small, feeble mind so as to avoid hearing the offending statement in the first place."

"Whatever, General."

"I'm not gonna do it." The bull-sized white job nearly pouted.

"Smart. Smart. Smart choice. Don't let her back you into a corner," Niner urged from their vantage point.

Kayes Rii shrugged. "Your choice. But see, I'm stripped down and ready now, so you're going to feel my fists. And if you're too timid to fight back? Well, that just shows what kind of a man you are. Cause I'm leveling with you. Just hands, my friend. No bars. No bats. No blades."

She waited, her hands loose at her side now.

"Fine," he spat. Reenan figured he was gonna have to find out this guy's name & number and make damn sure he was never the source of any intel they got. He was just too stupid to know when to quit. "Everybody heard that. No tricks. No jedi moves. Nothing but hands and feet and wits."

"Oh, gods," Kayes moaned. "Please don't bring wits into it. You just called my guys a bunch of pussy. You insulted me and every lady in the GAR and now you want to battle wits? Please, please, I promised not to hurt you. So let's not go there."

The guy was pissed now. He couldn't quite follow. Her guys were laughing. Some of Skywalker's guys were laughing. Even the kriffing mercenaries were laughing. At what she'd said to him.

He took a stance and she smiled sweetly. A pleased smile. Sunny and bright like she was about to offer some shiny a tour of an improved refresher model.

Kayes took her own stance. She looked like a ballet dancer, graceful lines and sweeping limbs. One foot was extended in front of her, the other braced sideways under her weight. Both hands arched in front of her, one pointed flat out and down, the other turned slightly with the last fingers bent.

"Still doesn't feel right, trading punches with a girl," the monster muttered.

Kayes tilted her pretty little oval-shaped head. Rex nearly snorted. He could see this ending very very badly.

"I can take my licks," she promised. "Find out what kind of a girl they give an army to."

He started to bring up his fists when she bowed to him. He had to bow back. Then she just put up one eyebrow and waited.

He felt her out, coming closer and feinting a couple of times. She let him, leaning into her role. When he moved to jerk her feet out from under her he found her balance was better than he'd thought. She simply kicked out the foot he'd thought carried her weight and caught him on the inner thigh with it.

He grunted and moved to hit her in earnest.

It was just about over with two moves. Few who were watching saw just where she got him, but the left hand shot out, catching the clone somewhere on the abdomen and her right came up, clipping him between his jaw and neck. Then she whirled, placing her dainty leather boot on his neck.

Maddog, as Rex decided to think of him, saw red. Better to stay in control, brother, he thought. Especially when dealing with a pissed-off woman.

Kayes let him wrap both hands around her lower leg - - he fully intended to break the bones in half - - before she hopped. The force of the kick she landed on his shoulder with her other foot send him spinning to his side. It also broke his grip, although unfortunately she was also fast enough to pin down his right hand with the heel of her boot. The men surrounding them all winced. Between rolling him and pinning him his shoulder was now bending the opposite direction.

"Tell me when you've had enough, now," Kayes whispered.

"I think that's enough," Rex told the general. "You want to work out any more temper, you and I'll put on some gloves and throw it into the ring, but there's no need in more of this."

She winked at Tu before stepping off of the guy.

"I'd never be able to hit you, Captain. You're much handsomer by half than the rest of this swill. I wouldn't want to mar your pretty face - - even on accident."

"Good. Because girl or not, I really don't relish taking a beating from a jedi."

She looped her arm around his while he reached out for her robe. She was still smiling when she looked up to see Kenobi standing at the far end of the rink with his arms crossed.

"Master Kenobi," she bowed.

"Kayes Rii," he observed blandly. "Looking for a little diversion?"

She grinned. "My guys took your guys..." she thought about it. "I guess three to one. You really had to expect that I was going to take that last one down."

"He told her troops that they'd been raised to be momma's boys," Rex explained.

"Damn proud of it too, Kay'aliur," one of the 1222 troops called.

She smiled. "He said that my guy fights like a girl. This is after Gentu took down three of your 505s," she told him.

Kenobi shook his head. "Still can't back away from a challenge?"

An eyebrow met his response. "When did you?" she shot back. "I think you seek out Ventress now just so that there's a little unpredictability in the exercise. You can beat the crap out of every other person you spar with...well, except Dooku."

Kenobi mimed digging the knife out of his back. "I'll let you prove yourself wrong some other day," he told her. "Now go get cleaned up and leave the children to play, little mother."

"Yes, Ob'ika. I hear and obey."

Kenobi waited until she'd gone. "How close was it?"

"Not at all. This guy creamed our guys, then Rhyst - - you know how big Rhyst got - - stepped in and started pounding him before it was really fair. That's the story, anyway. What I got here in time for was the guy mouthing off. He went too far. He deserves reindoctrination. I don't know if I think it's a good idea to let the troops mix all day tomorrow. There will be rematches and grudges and the bacta tanks will be full before we ever let off a shot at a Sep clanker."

Kenobi shook his head. "Where is Cody?"

Rex shrugged. "Tutanna is out there getting his boys rounded up. He was the one who stepped into the ring next."

"For the love of all that is holy!" Kenobi exclaimed.

Rex shrugged. "If he hadn't I would have. Rhyst needed his gett'se handed to him. There's no place for ego in the GAR. Not this far away from replacements."

"Good point. Best forgotten unless there's some other incident?"

"Best forgotten, sir," Rex agreed.

"And Rex? Let's not tell Anakin. I don't want him to think this is an appropriate way to express himself any more than I want Kayes doing it again. Afir would have both our heads mounted on a wall somewhere if something happened to her while she was with us."

"You've got it, sir."