Note: In this part, I wanted to bring about an end to all of the introduction episode. So I may have rushed it a bit, but I didn't want to just keep going on and on and on with beginning-nonsense.

I was originally thinking of having an Ahsoka/Varus moment, but I think I moved it to the next chapter. Ahsoka doesn't have as much of a relationship with Varus as Anakin does, but I don't want to deny them a relationship entirely.

The Jar Jar thing was amongst the first scenes I ever put into my head for this story, and is, as always, for comic relief with him. I love it and wanted to end the chapter with a funny couple of scenes.

The words for Jabba to say did take some difficulty to figure out. Google was helpful, but the dictionary of Huttese is rather… limited.

The exciting stuff begins soon. Trust me. 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the clothes on my back.

Episode 2 - First Impressions Part 2/2

"Who's the fat-ass?"

Anakin instantly knew whose voice uttered these words. The Force stilled briefly in the room, and the Knight knew without a doubt in him that everyone heard it. Master Windu, General Kota, Obi-Wan, the clone captains and soldiers alike. Everyone.

Even Jabba the Hutt. Of course, since it was directed at him.

Anakin was a split moment away from taking his new Padawan away and finding some way of disciplining him when he saw Snips practically drag Varus out in embarrassment. He didn't doubt for a second that she was going to give him a piece of her mind, and he would have some more words to back it up, but that didn't help ease his nerves at the feeling that every single eye in the room had shifted onto... him.

Mace Windu was displeased; unsurprised, but displeased. Dear old Obi was just flat out displeased. The clones were shocked numb. They had probably never heard a Jedi use a negative remark of any kind before, and never one used in such a... bold fashion.

The child inside Skywalker wanted to cringe and hide under the closest desk, and the man wanted to hide behind Padme, but the General and Jedi side of him knew he needed to take responsibility for his student's behavior. Windu and Kenobi he could handle without hurt feelings easily with the simple, basic, and real excuse that the student was VERY much new to all of this.

The one Anakin was afraid of offending was Jabba.

They were just in the middle of trade negotiations for medigel. Jabba owned one of the largest water worlds where the compounds for medigel were easy to farm and manufacture. The Republic owned a great many of such rare worlds themselves, but for them to gain access to trade with yet another, with the expensive tariffs, could potentially increase their clones survival rate by 15-17%. When dealing with numbers in the trillions, 15% was a very large amount.

The Jedi were willing to aid him in 'relieving' some of the voices of rebellion on Tatooine in return for it. Supposedly Jabba came out with the lesser end of the bargain in this deal, but Anakin was growing used to politics. For the Jedi to come as peace keepers to a Hutt's world, would appear as though the Jedi were close with the Hutts and supported them. Anakin disliked it. He disliked Hutts. Whether it was from him being born a slave, raised a slave, raised around slaves, or just knowing what Hutts got their filthy hands on beyond slavery, he didn't much like them.

He didn't want to support them. It would strengthen their holds on their, literally, poor people through a religious voice behind them, but he was a good Jedi Knight of the Republic. Millions of worlds were at stake every move in this war.

So as much a part of him wanted to smirk at his student's BOLD words, he had to play the part of the peacekeeper who was utterly revolted by such behavior.

To his credit, Jabba was only marginally insulted.

The large slug grumbled, "Heesa chuba chowbasa Tatooine. Da wermo... Jee Fierfek da schutta!"

Translated loosely it means: "That boy is not permitted on Tatooine! The boy... I curse him!" Along with some cursing and swearing. He put a black mark on the boy. If Varus ever set foot on Jabba's territory, he would be executed.

"I assure you, Lord Jabba," Obi-Wan said diplomatically, "The youngling does not speak for us. He is very much new to us and our ways." He directed a heavy gaze in Skywalker's direction.

"Mo gootu!"

Obi-Wan managed to clear the air, but the rest of negotiations didn't go quite as well as it could have been.

Jabba concluded the meeting to go and return to his amusement. The Jedi Knight was pretty sure 'amusement' involved a combination of erotic or porn shows, and a great deal of executions and the suppressing of his 'people'. Then there was staring at himself in the mirror and feeling like a god in an enchilada.

Anakin immediately left to make his words with Varus. Except a certain Master had a different thing in mind. "Anakin."

Anakin stopped. Obi-Wan motioned for him to wait. The clones walked around them as they left leaving Windu, Obi-Wan, and Anakin. His old mentor started, "I have been briefed on Varus, Anakin." Windu nodded his acknowledgement.

That was a small comfort right then.

"So I only have one question: What were you thinking?" His tone was disapproving, but not hostile. Rather he sounded understanding.

"I'm sorry?" Anakin wondered.

"Do you not think it was a bit early to be bringing him to a war meeting? Even worse, someone like him?" The distrust was written all over Kenobi's face.

Anakin retorted, "Master, I was still a kid when I was in war meetings. Naboo?"

Windu inserted simply, "The situation of a reluctant refugee and Padawan in a warzone with no place is different from a turned Sith now given permission to be involved in war council."

"Perhaps," Anakin agreed. "But to Varus it is not that way. He doesn't see it as a turned Sith, but rather as a refugee. He has no home just as I did. He has no place just as I did. It is not my intention to hold him back purposefully, but rather to show trust and friendship. Isn't that the core of compassion?"

"Sith are hardly deserving of compassion, my old Padawan." Obi-Wan sighed.

"Then how about one that isn't a Sith?" Anakin reminded him with a hint of irritation. "We are the ones that took that part of him away! Right now he is nothing. A ghost, a shadow. He goes with the flow either from his nature or, as I suspect, because he has no alternative to draw from… This isn't just about him being in this war council with my permission is it? Just how far do you wish me to restrict him?"

Obi-Wan took a step forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Anakin, there is no need to be hostile. You must understand, this is a very unusual circumstance. I understand fully what you mean, but the trust and classified information we give him should be given only after we are sure his circumstances are not temporary. He could wake up any second and remember everything, or he may be remembering pieces already and not telling anyone."

Anakin shook his head, "How can we expect for him to be the one to extend his hand in trust first? We are the ones who did this to him! We should be the ones making the effort to earn it, we should be the ones working and toiling!"

"And that is exactly what you need to be doing." Windu replied.

"Then why don't you just let me do it?"

Both of the Masters quieted. The silence let Anakin feel that the air in the room was stifling and the Force was spinning wildly. It was a feeling not unlike a warzone. Not the death aspect of a warzone, but rather the urgency. A very important decision lies in a single moment, and that moment was upon them.

Just how far were they willing to trust a former Sith? One that could remember at any moment and utterly harm from their most vulnerable place. Or one that could embrace them, if only someone stepped forward first.

Anakin understood the ways of the Jedi. The slow thoughtful pace in all decisions that ensured the greatest outcome was chosen. However, he also understood that there were times of urgency. Snap decisions on the battlefield cost hundreds of lives at times to take a crucial point, or the very same decisions could sacrifice the point to save those lives instead. Points and lives were both resources in their own way, and in a war it was hard to juggle which was the most valuable from day to day. These were not times you could sit by, take things as they come slowly, and make your decision after lunch. That's often why they were called snap decisions.

"You are right, Anakin." Obi-Wan at last said. "Measures should be taken by us, personally, to give him a positive view of the Force, of life, and of us. We have already placed ourselves in a vulnerable position by having him turned to begin with. We should now trust in the Force to guide us with the choice made. If the Force decides the choice of turning him was wrong to begin with, there is nothing we can do about it but press on and see."

Anakin bowed at the hip. "Thank you, Master."

Windu frowned sharply, "I will not tolerate him in sensitive war council meetings, especially with his loose tongue, but I will allow his… permissions to be more open."

Again he bowed. "I greatly appreciate it, Master."

"Also." Windu continued, "I expect a written formal apology, by Varus, to the Hutt for his insult. "

Knowing the Hutt, he would rip it himself or refuse delivery.

"Extend that to each of the clones assembled, and us. Along with a sandwich to me." Obi-Wan smirked. He took Anakin by the shoulder and led him out.

Anakin snorted in amusement, "A sandwich?"

"Bit much?"

"I'm afraid I don't know how well he cooks. The sandwich may be bad."

"How many ways can you ruin a sandwich?" Obi-Wan retorted in fake exasperation.

If I could sink any lower into the seat, I would have by now. The stone beneath my feet is utterly fascinating to my eyes, at least more than the attentive stares of Skywalker and Ahsoka. My lungs can barely expand as I await pain.

I already had an earful from the girl, to which I kept my mouth shut like good dog, but then Skywalker had to come along and give his input and throw in a punishment on top of it. It probably won't be the final punishment either. I steel myself against what the real punishment will be. Whatever it will be, it will hurt, a lot. I see them breaking bones, healing them, and breaking them again. I can practically see lightning coming out of their hands all over me in agony, or a black icy suppressing aura that sucks at my very life .

Not sure where this expectation stems from, they have been nothing but helpful, but none of the less my instinct screams that the next few moments will be agony.

I snap myself out of my daydream. That isn't right! These guys have done nothing if not support me. I am not sure where such instincts are born from, but I tell my shaking hands that they wouldn't hurt me just to prove a point.

I look up to them and see they have been standing there in silence the entire time, watching me. They aren't judging me, they aren't studying me, just watching.

I shouldn't be putting such low trust in them… Without them, I would have nothing. They could be looking at me with the same emptiness as the rest of the people around here, but they go out of their way to help me start a life here. In their eyes I don't see disdain. I don't see hostility like Baldy or judgment. They care. They are patient. They won't hurt me.

Ten thousand points for both of them.

I force my shaking hands to still, and I nod. Seeing he probably won't get much more than that, Anakin raised up his Padawan. With a sign, I follow him down the halls.

Tree-Hugger says, "Security Forces have commissioned for a Jedi team to back them up and flush out a warehouse. Windu has assigned it to us. Varus, here is a spare lightsaber." He passes to me the cylinder. I slip it into a loop in my robes similar to how they do it. It feels comfortable there. "Try not to use it. I am reluctant for you to be in a battle of any kind, I have not properly tested you. Fighting with blaster bolts flying in every direction is different from a duel."

I nod. Adrenaline pumps into me and I force a smile. The panic attack I nearly had leaves me shaking, but my muscles are excited to be doing something real as I am.

"A gang warehouse?" Ahsoka guessed.

"Smuggler ring." He corrected. "We are scheduled to meet them shortly in the lower city."

She 'ooohhhh'd excitedly. I glance between them. "Uh…" I start.

"The Jedi are funded primarily by the Republic taxes." Anakin explains. "But we are also provided commissions for our services. It helps alleviates the taxes. The police often pay for a team to back them up on dangerous strikes. It helps save lives. We do not necessarily kill or assassinate or do anything large, but we have ways of helping the police capture."

"A good wind burst is nice at knocking out baddies." Ahsoka adds with a smirk.

"Ah." I answer.

The hall turns into an expanse over the air with vehicles placed near the walls. Tree-Hugger hops in one like it's nothing and Ahsoka climbs in. I have not been in one of these before, how am I supposed to make it work? Ahsoka opens the door for me and shows me how to get strapped in. Once I click in, we are off.

The sights immediately overwhelmed me. The wind blow into my hair. The dark night envelopes me while the innumerable lights pierce my eyes and into my skull. There's the taco sign that makes me drool! The depths below extend for miles until I see nothing but red at the deepest, and I push myself from the edge to keep from falling. Ahsoka laughs at my white knuckle grip on the arm rests.

Yeah, you laugh, girly. Let's see you laughing when you fall for a hundred miles into lava.

You know what the best part is of being in a smuggling ring rodeo is? Sitting in the hover. Yep, tons of fun. Nice cushions, cold crisp air… Why would I want to be in the thick of things getting a full blown adrenaline rush and actually doing stuff? Oh no, just sitting here letting my mind spin in circles is the life…

I'm about a half-second away from killing something. Something cute 'n' fluffy just to prove a point.

As if life lives to mock me with its timing, I hear laughter. Ahsoka and Tree-Hugger walk out and are comparing notes. Is it kills? Captures? Whatever it is, Tree-Hugger won by just enough to look smug and for Ahsoka to be arguing the unfairness of his rules.

They climb in and it may be me just being an ass, but I'm ticked and I show it.

"You can stop staring at me, Varus." Anakin reprimands me. "I couldn't let you get into something that was over your head without being sure you would be safe."

"I don't know, the belt looks pretty dangerous. It could bite." I snap childishly.

Ahsoka rolls her eyes and Anakin doesn't seem to bother responding. Probably a wise decision, if this conversation kept on I would probably be saying a lot of things I shouldn't. I don't feel much like talking anyway. Part of me just wants to see what is around us as we fly, and the rest of me wants to look at everything except the two jerks.

Before I have time to notice anything, we are miles away parking at a really tall tower. A 'penthouse' Ahsoka calls it.

"What are we doing here?" I ask. Tree-Hugger and girly climb out of the hovercar. Before us is a door with a keypad. Tree-Hugger hits a few buttons and the door opens to reveal a lush, warm atmosphere.

He motions for us to enter. "This is the home of Senator Padme Amidala. She is a dear childhood friend of mine. We eat dinner with her as often as possible. Make yourself at home, this isn't training or work, Varus. It's just us having a good time."

"Ah." I answer.

Not sure who the Senator is, but the word makes her sound big. The place has some odd, soft flooring, flowers are in every corner of the floor, colorful curtains over the windows, and some couches that are ugly as sin, and Tree-Hugger appears as comfortable as can be. With a running start, Ahsoka jumps over the back of the couch and releases an exaggerated sigh as she seems to melt into it. Her head-tentacle things dangle over the armrest. Tree-Hugger does much the same thing, but with more slow, sure, refined movement, ending with the same result. I choose to stand. The place has me out of my element.

First I find myself in a temple made of nothing but hard stone and sharp edges. The people in the temple watch me with curiosity, but they care little for me or about me. I'm just a stranger there, and they couldn't care less if I breathed the same air as them. Now I am in a place that is almost designed to be nothing but comforting, and there is a woman walking out with a smile that makes me feel uncomfortably warm and soft. It's like she wants to know every detail of my life down to the core like a book.

It takes conscious control not to slip into the shadows under her steady strong gaze.

"Who is the young man, Ani?" She asks. She wipes her hands on a towel and leaves it on a random stand. There are stains all over her skirt and her face is hot red like she has been exposed to extreme heat.

"His name is Varus Wynn. He is my new, second Padawan." The masculine ooze on the couch says.

"Second Padawan?" She retorts in disbelief.

"That a bad thing?" I ask.

Tree-Hugger sighs. "Okay, it is a very odd occurrence, but it happens under special circumstances. Qui-Gon did want to take me as his second, you know!"

The woman snorts with a smile. "With you hanging onto his leg like a lost puppy, he could hardly say no."

Ahsoka laughs hysterically. Tree-Hugger groans as girly begins her bombardment of questions pertaining to what he was like as a kid, "Oh, no, you didn't! Look what you started?"

"Ahsoka, let's leave the big bad Knight alone. It just wouldn't be fair for us both to gang up on him."

I sniff the air. Something smells good. The three of them continue talking and poking each other. As much as I would like to stick around and see Tree-Hugger's ego be deflated, this place is giving me the creeps. I probably ain't that much of a people person anyway. I leave them be and wander.

The rest of the floor is just as comfortable and soft feeling as the main room. There are paintings of reasonably interesting landscapes on the walls. Large green pastures, rivers with statue ruins, a large palace city on the edge of a cliff with waterfalls running down the sides, and then a large underwater city of bubbles and cocoon-looking things.

I check the doors briefly to get an idea of the area. I leave the bedrooms alone. The bathroom looks adequate, at least I know where it is now. The broom closet is poorly organized and I have to fix it back up after everything falls on me. Then I come across a room with absolutely nothing in it but a load of buttons on the wall. After when it starts moving, it turns out to be an elevator.

"Shit…" I mutter. I didn't know which floor I was already on.

The door opens to reveal the most peculiar… thing… I have ever seen. My eyes widen in shock at the sheer freakishness of it all.

The creature enters the elevator. It is a good ten feet tall, with long angular arms and webbed hands and feet. Those aren't the things I notice really. What has my attention is it's face. It has a really long protruding mouth like a sucker, I can't see its nostrils, its airs hang down its head like leaves, and where it's eyes are supposed to be are stalks with a pair of eyes ending at the top.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" I blurt out.

"Mesa?" It asks. I don't know what that means, but I nod.

"Mesa is Jar Jar Binks!" It says with pleasure.

This… Jar Jar species… "I feel so sorry for you." I say honestly. Out of the kindness of my heart I give this, sad, creature a load of points. Something this poor off needs charity cases.

"Why?" The Jar Jar thing asks curiously. It checks its clothes like it got something on them.

I want to say: 'Because your ancestors took a very wrong turn down evolution.' Or reincarnation. Or whatever explains this. Actually, I shouldn't say anything. Instead I say, "You look like shit."

Okay, I gotta learn to hold my mouth. Every time it opens I get off to bad starts.

"Wha?" It says loudly in surprise. It pulls out a mirror and inspects its face. The elevator opens again. "Mesa looksss phineh. Mesa Ghroomed! Yousa blin'"

Just as the elevator starts to close, the Jar Jar thing realizes it, panics, and jumps out. The door closes on its necktie. (The thing was wearing a suit of a zillion colors.) Then the elevator moves down and I hear choking noises.

I zip out the saber Tree-Hugger gave me and cut the necktie at the knot. The choking noises end and I release a relieved breathe. That thing almost killed itself.

I don't recall ever being taught how to turn the saber on, but it feels like the most comfortable thing in the world in my hands. It's red color giving off the a hue of hatred and passion and… No wait, the saber is yellow. Why did I think it was red?

I shake my head and turn the saber off. After recall how the Jar Jar creature had used the elevator: I mimic it. The floor I choose looks nothing like the Senator's home, and I resign myself to having to check the entire penthouse one floor at a time.

I have no idea how long it takes me to return to the Senator's floor, but I'm starving and I wander in to find everyone sitting at a table having started eating. On the table is a large burned animal, and around it is an assortment of colorful foods that are making my mouth water. Around the table is Tree-Hugger, Ahsoka, the Senator lady, and the Jar Jar creature. He isn't wearing his tie anymore.

"Varus!" Tree-Hugger greets me. "Where you been?"

"Lost." I answer honestly. There is an empty chair, and I check their reactions as I reach for it. They nod for me to sit.

The dinner goes well. The food is excellent. No tacos unfortunately, but whatever this stuff is, it is quite good. I keep my mouth shut for the longest time ever. I let them do all the talking. The Senator apologies for her rudeness in courtesy earlier, and she introduces herself properly. (Plus 100 points, Senator.) The Jar Jar creature spends half of the time dropping his spoon or dropping his food off his fork. Ahsoka goes into excruciating detail on the very smuggler ring raid I had missed.

I think she is going into such detail to make me jealous.

An hour or two into the dinner, the Jar Jar creature retires for the night, and get its leggings caught under the chair leg and falls to the floor. He also had stuck the table cloth into his pants like a napkin and incidentally took half of the table with him.

I feel so sorry for his species. It's like his creation was meant for comic relief.

Somehow Tree-Hugger predicted the creature's mess-up and was levitating all of the food in the air. The Jar Jar thing apologizes and leaves in a hurry. Tree-Hugger levitates the food to the kitchen and helps clean up alongside the Senator.

Seeing the two of them standing side by side so comfortably, they do seem rather… close.

Edited by Aeterna Knight: u/4617921/

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