Fooled you guys again! Ha! Oh I love my life, especially when I can make you think that no more will come out and then Wham, as Tequila would say. This isn't as long as the previous ones, but still longer than most stories I read. Doesn't mean short chapters are bad, just that I am better at long chapters than I am at short ones.

Alright, a lot has happened so far, so we will now perform what is physically impossible, yet possible for writers: A time-skip! Not thát far though, only about seventeen days.

Enjoy!

(Warning, Sexual fluff may be included)

Hot Fuzz

November 20th

SSV Normandy

19:41 (Ship time)

Corporal Teresa Aquila had seen a lot in her career as a military soldier and marine. She had been in and out of dozens of drops. She had fought insurrections, and she had fought aliens. Thát last part, was probably the one that had led to the most freaky thing she had ever experienced in her twenty-eight years of life. At least, it had led to the most freaky thing she could remember.

What had started out as a drop, securing a colony that had been overrun by bugs, had ended up taking her to new worlds, in every sense of the word. The way she remembered it all, she had been on her way to pick up the Rookie in their gunship, and them wham! They had been shot down over the jungle. When she came to again, she found herself stranded in a weird cave, facing a weird red-haired woman in a weird set of armor, and looking at an even weirder blue alien girl with tentacles instead of hair, suspended in a force-field a la Star Wars.

The next thing she had known was that bugs had started coming out from everywhere, practically creating a sea of black bodies that she could only empty her pulse rifle into, hoping to have the same effect as spitting in the ocean. Then all of a sudden both the red-head and the alien girl had started performing the whole Jedi-minus-lightsaber show, tossing the bugs around as if they were telekinetic rag-dolls. Then the blue girl had fainted and the red-head was struck by a falling rock, probably caused by the big-ass laser they had used to cut through the wall and free the blue girl in the first place.

Then, when she felt sure she was about to join her sister in heaven, a new voice suddenly called in over her comms. It had been a man, or at least that was what she thought at the time. She later on questioned herself just how the hell she had been able to understand him when she found the guy to be a suit-wearing alien. At least they brought guns and grenades, and managed to get her and the two other women out of the cave. Said cave then turned out to be underground on a planet filled with lava. And just because that in itself wasn't enough, a giant spaceship suddenly came down to hover in the sky above them.

But of course, her brain-raking mental issues hadn't stopped there. One of the newcomers then suddenly felt the need to tell her and his apparent crush that he came from a dimension where the other woman, Ashley William's, and her own worlds, were nothing but games. As if that in itself wasn't enough, she had then been told that he had played through both games and that he knew practically everything worth knowing about her. Oddly enough he seemed rather vague on what he knew about Williams. Having had her chance to freak the hell out, a new alien girl had then appeared, just in time for Thomas Fisher, the marine in question, to explain how the apparent leader of their ship, one John'Shepard, wasn't even supposed to exist.

Compared to all those shit-piles of info, fighting evil robots bent on humanity's destruction seemed like reading the newspapers in comparison. Sure, she was freaked out by the geth, as they were called, but at least they died when she shot them, and she felt grateful that she could, in fact, shoot them at all. Her nerves had been wrecked ever since all those revelations, and it didn't get better when Fisher suddenly turned out to be a walking Genie-lamp. He actually had a spirit or whatever it was called, living inside his head, occasionally using him as its mike.

The they had to save a colony named Zhu's Hope, and there they had met clones from Star Wars. Not just people dressed like clones, no, they were actual clones. Tequila, being a die-hard Star Wars fan, had naturally been wanting to execute them all, seeing how they would and could turn on them the second they were given some order 29 or something. Then he had somehow gotten himself blown up while fighting zombies. This then earned him a promotion and a girlfriend, something which Tengberg, currently cooking up something that smelled like pork, had indulged her in when they had been out drinking together on shore-leave.

Then they had been called to a place called Noveria, or was it the planet that was called Noveria? She couldn't remember, and frankly she would rather just forget about that place. It turned out that the entire facility had been completely overrun by xenos, and they were going in fighting dressed like clones, as if to mock her memories of what the 501st did in the third movie. A shame she couldn't see Star Wars in this place, but apparently George Lucas had never lived, and therefore also never sold his firm to Disney. At least some justice existed.

They had gone in guns blazing, sort of. She had accidentally caused a door to fall inwards, making enough noise to wake a sleeping bear on the other side of the planet. In short, when they had split up in teams, hers had of course been swarmed by Xenomorphs beyond counting. The fact that she had been carrying a giant minigun had only helped delay the fact that they would be swarmed and killed within minutes. The all of a sudden three things had happened.

First, Fisher had been pinned to the ground by a big-ass drone, and while it was trying to French-kiss him, he suddenly started glowing green and had tossed the bug off of him as if it was a rag-doll. He had then proceeded to bash it against several walls and ceilings before hovering in mid-air like a ghost, still looking like the green lantern. Then he had suddenly emitted a green sort of thick fog that had, in lack of better words, demolished the bugs at a molecular level.

The second thing that had happened had been when a team of soldiers from an organization called Cerberus, had started giving them covering fire and had helped kill the remaining bugs. Fisher and Garrus had then talked to their leader and it was clear that they knew each other. Still, instead of the warm hugs and such that people who knew each other often made, Fisher punched the black guy known as Jacob so hard that he flew back a few steps.

The third thing that had happened had been Jane and the rest of hér team arriving. They had then proceeded to arrest the men from Cerberus. While the other aliens, known as Turians, took the regular operatives, the Normandy had taken the guy named Jacob.

It later turned out that Jacob's organization was responsible for the bugs even being there, and suddenly one of the clones, the guy named Sev, had been killed while protecting the little boy who now was buried on Earth, mourned only by an Aunt and Uncle, since his mother had apparently been killed on Noveria. They had taken two more casualties than that on the planet. One was the second clone, the only one of them she actually liked. His leg had been eaten by acid, and thus he had been given a new one on the Citadel. They had only just been there to pick him and Liara T'soni, the blue alien girl, up. The third casualty had been when a facehugger had grabbed the lieutenant named Kaidan Alenko. He was a decent enough guy, if a little dull at time. She blamed his weird brain-implants. They had, with help from someone Fisher knew, managed to surgically remove the bug before it burst from his ribcage. Something Tequila felt oddly overjoyed about. More than she would have thought she would, but the point was that they only lost one member of the crew.

And that was what surprised her the most actually. She had felt sorrow at the knowledge that Sev was dead. Having gotten to know the clones outside the movies, she had found them to be people just like her. Scorch was a joker, Sev was violent and gruff. Fixer was calm and focused and Boss was the pillar of strength his men had needed when shit hit the fan. Given how people on the ship knew of her resentment in the start, she would swear to the day she died that she hadn't shed a single tear at the funeral. The truth just was: she had.

And then they had suddenly been sent each their ways, searching for clues and missions while the man they hunted had slipped away, his tracks gone cold. For some reason Fisher and Tengberg had felt sure that Virmire should have been their next stop. And yet, they had been told by spy-teams on the planet that nothing was there. So far the two marines had seemed to know just what where they would be going, but for some reason the news that Virmire wasn't a target had made them confused. And if the guy with semi-divine powers was confused, then Tequila couldn't help a shiver run down her spine. She didn't know the exact reason though, which unnerved her.

And then, not even a month ago, she had been on thát mission. It had seemed perfectly safe: Drive the tank to where a beacon was transmitting. Then they had come across the dead marines, and suddenly gigantic worms shot from the earth. Commander John'Shepard had gone into a catatonic state right there, on the sand of the planet, and she had had to grab and haul him back to the Mako, all the while she could hear the repeating curses coming from Fixer as he sprinted past them. When they had then entered the tank, the worm had actually grabbed the tank, intend on eating them with armor and everything. The creaking sounds of metal being strained had caused her to utter a small prayer to Mary, virgin mother. Her faith had only been reinforced by the existence of divine beings, especially because the being apparently had a superior that ruled the universes. Surely God had to be that being.

Then they had returned to the Normandy and flown to the Citadel. The purpose had been to pick up Fisher, Jane and Liara from their temporary duty as bodyguards. Instead they arrived to the message that Fisher had been killed or captured. In his case, killed could perfectly well include capture post-mortem. It disturbed her greatly when they had watched the helmet-cam recording of his escape from the Cerberus facility.

Still, all of that had happened almost a month ago. For now, the ship was quiet. Or, not quiet, but the absence of danger made the crew more careless and less noisy. There was a mood of security that she knew to be dangerous, yet she felt it grip her as well. After all, Saren had not made a peep since… well, since Feros in fact. There had been no geth attacks, no sightings of his huge ship, no televised death-treats against humanity. It was as if he had simply disappeared from the face of the galaxy, or maybe he had regretted his actions and was now hiding in a cave, afraid of what he would face when he was found. Because find him they would, she knew it. Just because he lay low didn't mean it was water under the bridge. If the hunt was abolished due to him saying sorry, she would still track him down and kick his turian ass. And that had nothing to do with him being an alien.

The only aliens she didn't like were the ones spitting acid and looking like the offspring of a scorpion and a nightmare. And fortunately none of those were around.

Raising her mug of steaming hot tea to her lips, she felt a slight tug in her uniform. Ignoring it at first, she took a sip, enjoying the taste of Roiboss. Somehow, the fact that she had been jumped across dimensions had made her a big fan of tea, especially Roiboss. She felt the tug again, this time harder. Looking to her side she spotted the ship's newest 'addition'. Servicewoman Jennifer Nilsdottir, as the crew had dubbed her after somehow having managed to procure a uniform in child-size, crawled to sit beside her, a relatively big mug in her hands. Instead of tea though, it was filled with hot chocolate. That was one thing Tequila was glad had survived the differences between two universes. Chocolate still existed. Copying Tequila's motions, Jennifer, or Jen, as Fisher had taken to call her, blew on her hot chocolate, making droplets of the hot liquid hit the table in front of her.

Tequila waited before speaking, eying the kid with a small smile. Since Fisher had scooped her up about seventeen days ago, Jennifer had gained some weight and her brown hair had started growing out again, almost completely concealing the bar-codes tattooed on the back of her head. It had been decided that she could stay on the ship until she looked representable and fit for a delivery. There was no reason that she looked like an escaped convict when her parents got her back. Her skin had also started gaining some more color, despite being cooked up on a spaceship. Everyone, even Tequila and Ashley were losing their natural tan when they were confined to a spaceship for longer periods of time. They didn't even have a solarium onboard. If Tequila ever got any sort of political or military pull in this galaxy, she would demand for solariums on ships.

"Hey kid." She muttered, looking idly down her mug as she raised it again, not really drinking from it but rather waiting for Jennifer to respond before looking at her.

"Hey Tekila." It was an accepted and tolerated, even adored fact that Jennifer, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't pronounce Tequila's name, nor her call sign. It was okay, in Tequila's opinion. She couldn't pronounce Nilsdottir either, so they were evenly matched. Still, it was a little strange seeing the kid being on her own. She usually never strayed far from Fisher or Ashley.

"What's that you're drinking?" Tequila asked. It had dawned upon her a few weeks ago, that she had no knowledge of how to talk to small children at all. She didn't even have the maternal instinct that most of the ship seemed to have developed towards the little girl, so cooing or fussing about her came nowhere near Tequila's train of thought. Instead she treated her like an adolescent, with respect and expecting the same in return. Maybe she should go see Chakwas about her condition, especially if she wanted a family someday. Maternal instincts were sort of important in that field.

"Chocolate." She replied, taking a noisy drink from the cup.

"It's good?"

"Mmm." Jennifer replied, face almost buried in the cup. When she finally emerged, her face was covered in liquid chocolate, causing Tengberg to erupt in a fit of laughter at the kitchen. Tequila just felt a small smile come to her, being reminded of Carmen, her little sister, when she had been that young. Truth be told though, she had lost contact a few weeks after Vasquez had died. She had no idea what had happened to her sister since then, but she hoped she had found some measure of happiness. Tequila sighed, deciding that getting lost in memories could wait until another time.

"Say… where's Fisher or Ashley? Seems to me you always hang with those two in particular." She asked, blowing at her tea before taking a sip. Jennifer wiped a stain of chocolate from her cheek, causing most of her sleeve to change color from blue to brown.

"In the gym. They locked the door though, said I should go get some hot chocolate and look around… but I've already explored the ship, and the man with the cap up front told me he didn't want anyone below the legal age… what's that?" Tequila spurted her tea out about the same time as Tengberg fell to the floor, laughing his lungs out of his mouth.

"Ho-ho-holy God! Oh gods I love Joker, he's- wait what? Locked the… Oh Jesus…" Suddenly Tengberg went from dying due to lack of oxygen, and a much more serious face that told of embarrassment appeared on his face instead.

"Dear God… I'm not sure what I'd like to explain the least…" Tequila muttered, retrieving a towel to wipe away the puddles of tea now littering the table. Jennifer was left with her face as a big question marker, not knowing why the adults had behaved like they did when she answered the question. She couldn't figure out if she had done something wrong or if the man with the cap had. She liked that man; he told her funny stories and made her laugh. That was why they called him 'Joker' he had told her, shooing her out of the cockpit with his cap almost covering her field of vision as it kept sliding over her eyes.

"What?" She asked, looking between the guy who made their food and Tequila busy wiping up the tea from the table.

"It's… complicated and… Jesus Christ, am I about to explain the bees and the birds to a six-year old?" She muttered, tossing the soaked towel in Tengberg's direction. He, not having registered her movements, received the towel as a wet surprise, in the middle of the grin that was wiped off when the towel impacted.

"I hope not, that would get too embarrassing for me. If you're gonna do that, I'm going to leave." He muttered, tossing the towel at the sink. The duties that followed being cook… he was starting to understand just what the Cerberus cook in the second game had meant by 'what don't I do?'. Still, he had yet to clean latrines, so it was okay.

"Ehm… Jen, you know that Ashley and Fi- Thomas, they love each other right?" Tequila tried, feeling heat rise to her face as she accidentally imagined just what those two were doing in the gym that required a locked door.

"Uh huh… they kissed really much when we came on board the ship, and I thought it was gross." Tequila felt herself wondering if the kid was either more naïve or even smarter than she had initially thought. She pressed on though, feeling that she would die from embarrassment if she simply stopped and Jennifer somehow started asking her when others were around.

"Well… they are basically doing thát, just where no one can see them. And since you thought it gross, they wanted to spare you from seeing it. You following me?" Tequila knew it was at least half-true. There was most likely some kissing involved.

"Uh huh… so they didn't want me to see them kiss?" She asked, causing Tequila to repress a hand that would have otherwise palmed her forehead. It was definitely the 'more naïve' part that was true.

"Exactly. Now, if anyone asks you how you figured that out… tell them Tengberg said it." She replied, feeling a smug smile protrude her face. Behind her the cook looked up, a mixture between horror and annoyance etched in his features;

"Fuck you Tequila!" She just laughed at his meek comeback, batting an eyelash at him. It was, to her, no secret that he had a substantial crush on her.

"Yeah you'd want that, wouldn't you Private?" She laughed, causing him to half-choke on his air. It was hilarious, if not a little adorable to watch him go all red in the face when she cornered him like that.

Sure, he was handsome, and very well built, but he was young, a bit too young for her taste. When he had been born, she would have already been in seventh or eighth grade. It would feel like dating a child if she ever considered anything serious with him. Still… she couldn't help but wonder just how much good his muscles looked when not obstructed by a shirt or a uniform. Maybe even testing his off-battle stamina.

Feeling her cheeks heat up, she beat the thoughts out of her head with a sledgehammer. She needed to stop fantasizing about men and their fit bodies.

…

November 20th

SSV Normandy, Gym and crews' quarters.

19:51 (Ship time)

Panting heavily, I let myself fall down from Ash's naked body, rolling to lie beside her as we both struggle for breath. Contrary to the first time, we have been taking things a bit slower since then, normally spending at least a few minutes just hugging and kissing before one of us, usually Ash, takes the initiative.

This time too, as if it is a rule of ours, Ash took the initiative, starting by sliding my shirt of after our round on the mat. Can't say I disagree with her: Beating each other up to a sweat is a great way to get started, as long as no one else is around. That, plus it gets me exited seeing her wearing only her workout clothes. The way it hugs to her form makes me think of her without them on. I'm not sure when she started noticing it, but she almost always turns against me so that I get a small peek under some area of her clothes. Doesn't really matter which to me, she's gorgeous all around.

"Damn… Ash, anyone ever told you… that… you… belong in… I don't know… Hell, with the rest of the devilish beauties?" I stammer, fighting for breath as my erection dies down. Fair enough, he did some fine work. I look at Ash, grinning like an oaf as I take in her features, her curves and her smile. The lights shining down from above causes her sweat to shine like small pearls of light. I can feel the heat rise in my face again as I gaze upon her still hard breasts. She playfully pats me in the face, emitting a long and content sigh as she rolls onto her stomach.

"See anything you like?" She asks, grinning as she moves a few strands of filtered hair from her face to behind her ears. I lean over, kissing her neck;

"I think I'd have to be blind not to." I mutter, causing her to stifle a giggle as I kiss her down the neck. I then roll on to my stomach as well, feeling my eyes grow heavy. That's usually how it ends, one or both of us falling asleep after we've been at it. To think I actually went twenty-one years to the dot without doing this…

"Mmm… I didn't tell you to stop corporal." She mutters, gesturing for her neck with a single finger. I chuckle, planting a new kiss on her cheek, savoring the taste of her sweat and the smell of pheromones oozing off of her like steam from… well, actually she's steaming as well, so…

"Permission to speak ma'am?" I ask, gently placing my teeth in her shoulder. She shudders a little, jabbing me in the forehead with a finger;

"Not if it makes you unable to perform, Rookie." She mutters, kissing my neck as lean in again. The small and gentle, yet passionate feeling of her lips on my neck causes me to shutter all the way to my… feet. Looking up again, I grin softly, putting my lips against hers. She presses back, not going beyond the simple, yet tender and hot kiss. I think we're both too beat to do any more than that. After a few moments, I pull back, feeling a slight ache as I do so.

"I'm far too beat to perform again, you… know that, ma'am." I mutter, feeling my energy slowly draining from my body. I'm just glad why Ash hasn't asked why I'm different than the first time. I'm sure she thought me a sexgod with Roku helping… but no way I'm explaining or accepting his help again. Mental horror is on the menu if he tries anything.

"Can you do hugging duty then?" She mutters, sounding about as trashed as I am. Not responding at first, I just slide my arms around her back, hugging her form towards me as I lean against her, smiling as she returns the gesture. As we lie there, me holding her, and Ash leaning against my chest, she stirs a little, causing me to smile and kiss her head, despite it giving me a mouth full of sweaty hair. I think that one is better for before we do it…

"I love you, you know that right?" She mutters, causing my smile to widen even further. I just embrace her a little tighter, feeling our bodies touch and remain as one, even if I'm not inside her. It still is a heartwarming feeling, and frankly? I'm starting to enjoy these blissful minutes after the lovemaking just as much, if not more than the wild and passionate movements and trashing we engage in on the mattress. Having taken Jane's advice, I naturally, and very discreetly, burned through the hardware of the camera while Ash was taking a shower a about the first time I went down here after returning from my… leave, of sorts. I think the whole abduction was played down, portrayed as if I had just been given leave for a few days. Beats me why though. It's also a little weird that there has been nothing in the news about Pragia. Ash and Jane, in a rare gesture of off-duty cooperation, both wrote, signed and sent the report on Pragia and Teltin. The brass didn't ignore it, did they? I'll be slightly pissed if they did, and Teltin is still running like it used to, minus the people I put in the hospital of course. I wonder if they died from their wounds though, the woman with the burned face was quite… severe.

"Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know. Doesn't mean I enjoy it any less each time you say it." I reply, gliding a hand over her back, slowly reaching towards her buttocks. She prevents me though, by rolling to the side again, looking at me with hazed eyes looking like they're on the verge of shutting down. Taking my hand from her bum, I instead hug her form at the waist, sliding it upwards towards her armpit, then averting it by going over the shoulder instead. I end up cupping her cheek, drawing a soft sigh from her as she smiles.

"Thomas… I've been… meaning to ask you something, and I should probably have asked it earlier, but I always seemed to forget it." She mutters, her eyes almost shut. It's tempting to just kiss her like this, with her being surprised but not unwilling. Still, I just lie there, looking at the exotic goddess of war and beauty that somehow became mine. Not that I will ever understand how it came to be, but I'm not going to complain. A lot of good stuff happens without me being able to explain them.

"Shoot." I say, watching as her eyes slide down fully before battering up a little. She really is beautiful no matter what she does, or what she wears. Especially when she doesn't wear anything.

"How did… what… when you saw me the first time, what did you think?" She mutters, her voice becoming more and more tired. Damn…What did I actually think the first time I saw her? Ah, now I remember… I can still see the scene in my mind, me dropping off the bed on Eden Prime as Ash stands before me, grinning at my pathetic behavior. Yet, it wasn't a mean grin. There was something warm to it, as if she wanted to, or did, like me right from the start and wanted to help me adapt. Maybe that was because she found me under the monorails. But I can clearly remember the voice going through my head as I saw her, partly illuminated by the sun's rays.

"That the game did you no credit at all… and now that I think about it, Hudson should be shot for not making his version as perfect as you." I say, feeling my throat tighten up as I speak. She just smiles with her eyes closed, at first leading me to believe she's asleep. The she smiles a bit more;

"Sweet-talker…" She mutters, hugging herself against me as I'm forced on my back. I don't mind though, falling asleep in this fashion is something I could get used to. Her breathing is already the steady and peaceful pace that betrays the fact that she's asleep. Smiling, and feeling happier than I have in a good while, I close my eyes, content with her heat and the beating of her heart against my chest as the deep, sinking sensation washes over me.

…

Coruscant, Galactic Republic Space

LA/AT gunship D-129452

Three days after first contact

"Where are we going?" Kasumi asked, watching in silent awe as the ship she was currently onboard soared through the sky. More and more aircars and skyscrapers. This planet, Coruscant they said it was called, was like nothing she had ever seen before. She was staring out through the narrow slits in the thick armor of the craft as it flew, showing her a spectacular view of the city above and around her. From what she had been told, but initially didn't believe, the city she looked at spanned the entire planet minus the occasional ocean. More than 70 billion lived on the planet, according to Ashoka. Kasumi had been proven right in her earlier assumption. When you weren't the one being seen as the bad guy/girl, Ashoka was a pretty cool girl. Kasumi had learned from her, since her 'Master' had proven unwilling to apologize, that the faction they belonged to was called the 'Galactic Republic', and that she, Obi-Wan and Anakin, the prick with the scar, all belonged to an order of warriors called 'The Jedi'. Apparently they had some special power called the force that let them use telekinesis, jump and run higher and longer than anyone else, and that they could sense people's feelings as well as hidden enemies and other cool stuff. Still having some trouble wrapping her head around all that, Kasumi had instead asked about Ashoka's race, since she definitely wasn't any alien Kasumi had ever seen before.

Ashoka had explained that she belonged to a race called Togruta, and that she had been accepted as a padawan for the Jedi Order at the age of five. Kasumi had been shocked at that, asking if she never missed her parents, or if they visited each day when she was a small kid. Ashoka had replied, with what Kasumi saw as regret, that they had never seen each other again. Then, to change the subject, Kasumi had asked for their destination, given the fact that they had only told her that the 'Council' needed to see her.

"To the Jedi Temple. It is the sacred head-quarters of our order, and it is there the Grandmaster and the council resides. It is also where we train our padawans and coming Jedi. From what I understand, you make a habit of misplacing things, so let me make one thing clear. Nothing, and I stress Nothing, in the temple is to be tampered with, taken or borrowed. Is that clear?" Anakin said, giving her a stern look. It was painfully obvious, that while his padawan and Obi-Wan trusted her, he didn't.

"Yeah, yeah…You've said that about everything on every single ship and craft we've been on so far. It's not as if I've got Kleptomania, alright? And for the love of God, lay off of me already. I should be the one being pissed, you choked me. I bet you do that to your girlfriend too…" Kasumi muttered. She hadn't been expecting the reaction it caused.

"Wha- No I- Jedi aren't allowed to form emotional bonds, not in that way." He stuttered. Kasumi suddenly found him a lot more interesting. He almost sounded embarrassed or nervous. Though, it seemed neither of the other two 'Jedi' noticed it. Obi-Wan just nodded;

"He is right Miss Goto. The life of the Jedi prohibits us from forming romantic ties, as it has a tendency of leading to the Dark side. Compassion and empathy is, however, crucial parts of the Jedi way. Some find it difficult to make out the difference, and in a few cases that has led to them crossing over to the Dark side, or the council has banished them from the order." Obi-Wan said. It was clear that his voice had a hint of regret, as if he mourned a life that could have been. Looking at Ashoka, she saw her looking equally regretful. Jeez, am I the only one thinking what I'm thinking?

"Okay, slow down a bit. First, what is this 'Dark' side you talk about. Is it when people get pissed and start being sour or something, and Second, why or how does the Order banish someone for being in love? Seems like you guys pulled the short straw, just saying." Kasumi mused, looking out the slit as she, while waiting for an answer, averted her eyes from the security-detail accompanying them on the gunship. It was especially embarrassing because the detail consisted of the same squad she had been caught following around. At the moment, she could feel the stares of the three-man squad. She even still knew their names, despite the fact that she had no idea who was who. Slammer, Fox and Blast… she still hadn't asked why they were named with numbers, but she supposed it would be a bad idea going near the guys she had foiled. Not because they were pissed at her or wanted to gun her down. As a matter of fact it was the direct opposite. When Ashoka had left the room after the vid, leaving Kasumi and Obi-Wan alone, she had turned out to be waiting outside with the very same squad currently staring at her and, she felt sure, her forms beneath the suit.

As she was suddenly refaced with the three soldiers, she had been told by Obi-Wan, out of the men's hearing, to go and apologize for cheating them and for smacking the one called Blast in the head with her helmet. She had felt very small when she bowed her head down and hugger herself, muttering an embarrassed 'Sorry for doing all those things'. Instead of the expected flipping-off, she had been greeted with whistles and jeers. Apparently the men hadn't seen a woman in more than seven months, holographic ones not counting.

For some reason, Kasumi would have preferred it if they had been bitter at her. Instead she had gotten a trio of enchanted men. She just felt glad Keji wasn't there. He would have popped something resembling a gasket.

"In your opinion maybe, but the life of the Jedi is a reward in itself. The Dark side is the opposite of the light side, which we, the Jedi, represent. Those who crossed to the Dark side are evil, in more ways than one. Count Dooku is a good example. He is a former Jedi, and was the apprentice of Grandmaster Yoda. Dooku now leads the Separatist Alliance. He is manipulative, self-righteous, selfish and treacherous. If he makes a deal with you, nothing stops him from stabbing you in the back." Anakin seemed more than happy to play the role of the stern teacher, and Kasumi, as much as he annoyed her, listened with open ears.

"But… he can have a girlfriend, right?" She asked, causing Ashoka to repress a laugh at her Master's expense. Looking like a guy counting to a thousand instead of ten, Anakin opened his eyes again, looking mildly annoyed.

"Yes, in theory. The thing just is, it would be a little difficult for him to find someone who would actually want him. It is a special paradox of the sides of the Force. The ones people are attracted to have no ways of bonding to them, while the ones people detest and shy away from are open to offers. I like to think of it as a little universal joke." Obi-Wan answered. Looking for a moment like he might disagree, Anakin just bit back whatever response he might have had.

"Okay, then what's this about banishing people? You can't control it of you fall in love, so why banish people for it? Seems a bit… illogical to me, especially with you having the whole 'compassion and empathy' thing going on." Kasumi mused, feeling like some obvious logic was going straight over her head. It was, truth be told, a little annoying. This time it was Ashoka who answered her question;

"Love, as in falling in love, leads to ties with the world. Ties that the person may not be willing to give up. The Force is a tremendous power, and if wielded by someone desperate enough to do anything to save the person he or she loves, it leads to the dark side. At least, that's more or less how I understand it. But I can understand your confusion Kasumi, not many outsiders can understand the logic behind the Jedi way." Ashoka said. To Kasumi, it sounded like it was more doctrine than firm belief. Maybe a little actual spying wouldn't hurt, as long as she wasn't caught.

"So none of you guys have ever been in love? Not once?" Kasumi asked, spying for a reaction, the smallest sign of someone hiding something. She felt more than surprised when she found it in all three of them. Ashoka looked like she was blushing, but due to the color of her skin, telling was nearly impossible. Anakin, sour as he might be, flickered his eyes just a fraction of a second, but Kasumi saw it. And Obi-Wan just sighed, clearly not trying to hide it. Still, Kasumi decided that it would be more productive to wait and see, watch how it played out.

"Okay, I suppose the silence acts as a fine enough answer… also, when can we get off this craft? My personal fan-club is starting to creep me out. No offence boys, but I'm happily smitten." She said, smiling her best to the suddenly crestfallen troopers standing at the back of the gunship.

"Soon, that's the Temple you can see down there." Ashoka said, pointing out through one of the slits, gesturing to a building. The Temple, if it truly was that and not an artificial mountain, dwarfed any building Kasumi had ever seen before. She had been to Thessia and see the Asari monumental buildings. Until now, she had though those to be the grandest buildings in the world. World being the universe and everything in it. Now she needed to expand that to 'All the Universes', seeing as she had been to more than one Earth in her time in Anna's employment. Frankly, she preferred the one she had grown up with. There had been way too many soldiers in the streets on the second version. Plus they were two-meter tall and shot at her.

"Damn… is that even a building? I mean I know you guys build big but come on! That's like a man-made mountain." She exclaimed, drawing a rare smile from Anakin.

"You haven't seen the Senate yet, that's even bigger." He said. Kasumi didn't hear him though. All her attention was focused on giant statues and pillars at the entrance of the temple. Kasumi wondered if Acturus could fit in the temple, and frankly? She had only a little doubt that it could, in fact, fit inside. As the shuttle touched down, she looked to the trio of Jedi before following them out of the gunship, waving a cheery goodbye to the three moody men looking at her walk. She knew they were probably only superficially in love with her. She had tried it before. Besides, they were soldiers. Love seemed to be something their lives were devoid of. As Kasumi followed the Jedi towards the entrance and the huge stairs to the Jedi-Temple, she had no idea how right her statement would hold for those three clones in only two months.

"Jesus…that is… some big stairs. Where's the lift?" She asked, half expecting one to appear. Ashoka grinned at her question, while Anakin sighed. Obi-Wan looked at her with a smile;

"There is no lift. Part of the reason the Temple only gets important visits is that people would not bother if it wasn't important. Call it a trick to warn of salesmen." He said, and Kasumi found herself to share his sense of humor. Still, it meant she would have to traverse those stairs.

"Let me guess, none of you can be persuaded to carry me up?" She asked with a coy smile. Ashoka had sprinted ahead, leaving just the two men to look at each other with knowing smiles; "Didn't think so…" Kasumi muttered, starting off her sprint to follow Ashoka up. Anakin looked at Obi-Wan before sighing;

"I agree, she is not a spy. She's far too naïve and childish." He muttered the last part before starting the long walk up the more than five hundred steps.

Up at the top of the stairs, Kasumi finally caught up to the only slightly winded Ashoka. The Japanese thief on the other hand, was a sprinter and an athlete in agility, not a Marathon-runner. She was heaving for breath by the time she finally caught up, and planted herself on the stairs as Ashoka stood behind her. For some odd reason, Kasumi felt like she was in the presence of an old friend. She couldn't put her finger on why, though.

"It sure is a sight…" She said, looking over the cityscape as it stretched, literally, with no end. Streams of aircars were cutting lines in the sky, making it look like finely pulled strings.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Ashoka answered from behind her. Kasumi suddenly felt somehow thankful for her presence, as if she could trust the young girl with her life. It was something she couldn't explain, but Ashoka Tano just gave off the ping of being trustworthy. She looked to where the Togruta stood, looking at both the cityscape and the two slowly advancing Jedi at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ashoka?" Kasumi said, feeling a strange tug at her chest.

"Yeah?"

"Sorry about the electrocution… and for calling you a sadist." She muttered, looking between her legs as she finished. Kasumi wasn't exactly the most capable people-person, but she wasn't devoid of manners either.

"That's okay. Sorry about wanting to cut your legs off in the chase." The girl replied, a slight chuckle to her voice. Kasumi widened her eyes for a moment, then turned to look at the Togruta;

"See, I knew there was a reason I was fleeing from you."

"Boom!... Boom!" - John Steward, the Daily Show