The sound of a balled up fist connecting with a cheek echoing throughout the training room of Admiral Yularen's Venator was followed by a soft laugh of pride coming from the person on the receiving end of said punch.
"Heh! Nice one!" Captain Rex said as he moved forward, throwing his own fists forward in a trio of strikes, each of which were intercepted by orange hands.
"I did learn from the best Rexster." Ahsoka said in return as she evaded around the Captain, launching another volley of strikes of her own.
"Maybe." Rex replied as he dodged the first two punches, before absorbing the third with an open palm and delivering a counter blow to Ahsoka's abdomen, forcing her back. "But I didn't teach you everything."
Ahsoka chuckled despite the slight ache from Rex's punch, before she again advanced upon the Clone, breaking through his defences faster than usual with a sharp kick to his leg that knocked him off balance.
Rex stumbled backwards, the smirk never leaving his face, even as Ahsoka attacked again, her fist connecting with his jaw again.
"Damn! You've clearly been practising kid!"
"Eh! I go to the gym in my spare time. Gotta keep myself in shape somehow now that I'm not running errands for the boys all the time."
"Don't lie. You miss it really." Rex replied with sarcasm as they began again, trading blows that were easily deflected. It had been Rex's suggestion that they spar to let off some steam. Both he and Ahsoka had been going stir crazy on the Venator with nothing to do. The trip to Mygeeto would take just under ten days, if Anakin's changes to Yularen's original hyperspace route plan worked out. If they didn't, then they would become a floating chunk of space debris.
Ahsoka countered another series of strikes from Rex, one of which broke through and caught her side, causing her to grunt in discomfort. The break in her defences allowed Rex an opportunity to deal even more damage. A blow to her arm caused Ahsoka to wince in pain again, before Rex lifted one of his knees up, colliding it with Ahsoka's gut and forcing her back once again.
"Damn Rex! Anyone ever tell you it's rude to hit a girl!"
"You were the one that suggested full contact sparring Ahsoka! If you can't handle a few bruises then…"
Rex didn't get an opportunity to respond, not as Ahsoka pooled all of her strength into a sharp swing, one that connected again with Rex's jaw, sending him flying backwards and onto his rear end.
Rex groaned from the impact as he sat back up, a small amount of blood seeping out of his lips. But even still, he had a warm smile on his face.
"Ok, you totally used the Force with that one didn't you? Cheater!"
"Nuh uh! That was all muscle man! No Force used whatsoever!"
"Bullkriff!"
"Wanna go again Captain?"
"You know it!"
Rex was back on his feet in moments, crouching into a ready position, before gesturing with a taunt towards Ahsoka, one that she took.
Ahsoka launched forward with a right hook, before bringing her left leg up in an attempt to force Rex onto the defensive.
The Clone Captain however had other ideas. At the sight of Ahsoka's foot coming his way, he stepped back, reaching one of his hands out to catch her ankle in the process.
"Oh kriff!" Ahsoka cried as her leg was yanked towards Rex, sending her body flying past the Clone and crashing into the mats below them. When she finally came to a stop, she pushed herself back up and glanced at Rex, smirking.
"Dirty move Rex! You could have dislocated my ankle!"
"Says the woman who used the Force to punch my face!"
"I didn't use the Force!"
"Are you two done flirting yet? Other people want to use the training mats you know!" Another voice, the one belonging to Jesse echoed around the training room as he approached the duo, clad in the same armour undersuit that Rex too was wearing.
"Flirting?" Ahsoka replied, taking Jesse's attempted taunt and running with it. "I wouldn't flirt with Rex if he was the last man alive!"
"Thank you Sir, may I please have another insult!" Rex sarcastically quipped as he moved with lighting speed towards Jesse suddenly, surprising the trooper with the sudden aggression.
Ahsoka watched as the two grappled briefly for a few moments before Rex got the upper hand, wrenching Jesse's arm backwards and pushing him onto the mats below, before pinning him down.
"Sloppy Jesse. Really sloppy!"
"I wasn't ready!"
"Oh right, sorry. I forget that an enemy will ask if you are ready to fight!"
"Come on Rex, leave him alone and pick on someone your own size." Ahsoka said, gesturing to the Clone as he glanced over his shoulder at her, an invitation to resume their earlier sparring before Jesse interrupted.
Rex smirked back at Ahsoka, before rising from his position pinning Jesse and advancing back towards the Togruta, unleashing a harsh left hook at her torso, one she deflected with ease, countering with a rapid series of blows of her own, some of which were easily blocked by Rex's forearms, but some not.
The Clone grunted as Ahsoka's fist made contact with his gut once again, before both combatants launched a simultaneous assault on one another, ending with them locked together in a grapple, hands wrapped around each other's forearms as they pushed against each other.
"You ever thought about training to be a professional fighter? You'd make it far kid!"
"Not really my style Rexster! I fight as a last resort!"
"Says the person who suggested full contact sparring because she was bored! We've only been in hyperspace two days."
"You were just as bored as I was Rex!"
"I was enjoying the peace and quiet! Missions with General Skywalker turn chaotic, as you well know. The calm before the storm is my favourite part."
"In that case…" Ahsoka began to reply before a heavy weight crashed into both her and Rex, sending them both tumbling to the mats below.
"Ha! I win! Take that!" Jesse, who had recovered from his swift defeat by Rex's hands, called out as he stood above Ahsoka and Rex, a smug smile on his face.
Part of Ahsoka wanted to jump right back to her feet and teach Jesse a lesson. The other more sensible part of her however reminded her that her body was beginning to ache. She and Rex had been sparring for close to an hour before Jesse had arrived, and as much fun as it was, she knew she needed a break.
Judging by the way Rex was panting too, so did he.
"Nice one Jesse! No wonder they made you an ARC Trooper. Help us up?" Ahsoka said, offering her hand to Jesse in the process.
Jesse accepted the hand in an instant, and paid the price for his naivete when Ahsoka yanked him forward and off of his feet.
Jesse crashed to the mats below face first, rolling over and onto his back to recover in the aftermath, groaning all the while.
"Damn! Nice one Commander. Remind me never to piss you off!"
"Well I did learn from the best." Ahsoka quipped in response as she accepted a water bottle offered to her by Rex, who then offered another to Jesse as he sat up on the mats.
"You sure as hell did Commander. We taught you well." Rex said as he sat down on the mats, legs crossed over one another. The Captain unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and slowly sipped at the liquid within, rehydrating himself after the sparring. Smiling to herself, Ahsoka joined the two Clones on the mat.
"Yeah, and I never really thanked you guys for that, so thanks."
"It's no problem. I always had fun sparring with you." Rex replied with his own smile, replacing the cap on his bottle. "Speaking of being pissed off though, what was that with Yularen the other day? You seemed pretty hostile towards him."
Ahsoka knew that this was coming at some point. She had felt both the concern of Anakin and Obi-Wan through the Force, and had seen the way Rex's brow had narrowed with worry when she had snapped at Yularen. Perhaps it had not been the most professional thing to do, especially in the middle of an important briefing, but she didn't care. Yularen had turned on her, just like the Jedi Council had, and she wasn't going to sit back and pretend everything was fine between them, not this time.
Besides, what could he do to stop her? She was the Chancellor's personal agent. There was only one of her, but there were many Republic Admirals. Yularen could be replaced if need be. Perhaps Thrawn would be a suitable candidate to take over?
"It's nothing you guys need to worry about, I promise." Ahsoka finally replied, hoping to avoid the discussion. She trusted Rex and Jesse, no question, but she didn't want to bother them, not with her own problems.
Besides, if she told them, and they held a grudge against Yularen for it, then it could impede their own working relationship with the Admiral as well, and that wouldn't help anyone.
"Fair enough Commander, but if you want to speak…" Jesse said as he and Rex shared a look of skepticism regarding Ahsoka's dismissal, "You know you can talk to us, yeah?"
"I know Jesse, and thanks… again."
The ARC trooper smirked back at her as he took a sizable gulp of water from the bottle, something Rex immediately reprimanded him on.
Ahsoka watched as the two began to squabble over the 'safest and healthiest way to rehydrate' for several minutes. She had always enjoyed spending time with the Clones in between missions. There was just something unique about how they interacted. Despite all having the same genetic template, all of them were different, and not just in minor ways. There were huge differences between each Clone, you just had to pay attention to find each and every one.
"Shall we take this to Kix then? Or Coric? Let them decide!"
"Wow Captain… threatening me with the medics huh? You do know I'm not scared of them… unlike someone."
"I am not scared of them!"
"Says the Clone who keeps trying to avoid his jabs."
"I was busy with paperwork!"
"Uh huh?"
Shaking her head with silent laughter, Ahsoka took a small sip of her own water, enjoying the refreshing taste as it ran down her throat.
It had only been two days so far, but already it felt like she was back at home. Maybe she should join the 501st on missions more often, assuming the Chancellor would allow it of course?
However, in those two days, Ahsoka had noticed some differences as well, especially amongst the Clones. They were still friendly and respectful of her of course, even if they refused to refer to her by her new title, instead opting to stick to Commander.
The differences were subtle, and right now she could see two sitting right before her.
"Hey, I've got a question for you both. What's with the hair growth all of a sudden?"
At her question, both Clones seemed to freeze up, their eyes widening in surprise. What was that about?
"Um… what do you mean Commander?" Jesse asked first, eyes darting back and forth between Ahsoka and Rex as one of his hands came up to touch the top of his head, gently running through the hair that had grown there.
Jesse had never been one to have a full head of hair, instead opting to go mostly bald in favor of showing off his tattoo of the Republic cog. Many people had asked him about it in the past, Ahsoka included, and Jesse had always seemed proud of his tattoo, even if it left him without a full head of hair.
Now however, the tattoo, minus the sections of it upon his face, was covered by thick black hair. It was an odd change for the ARC Trooper, and one that Ahsoka couldn't help but question.
It wasn't just Jesse that looked different either. Rex too had grown his hair out. It wasn't long, but it certainly seemed to spread across his head more. Anakin had at one point joked about Rex having what was known to humans as a 'receding hairline'. Ahsoka hadn't fully understood what that meant at the time, but it had something to do with how far the hair managed to travel down a person's forehead, or something along those lines.
Now however, whatever this 'receding hairline' was about seemed to be unimportant. Rex's hair had grown, and it now covered more of his head, specifically the temple.
Mentally cursing to herself for trying to understand this strange human concept, Ahsoka chose to instead wait for an answer, assuming she'd get one.
"Oh… just fancied a change for a bit. Do you like it?" Jesse replied finally, acting nonchalant about the whole thing, which was even weirder than him having a full head of hair to begin with. Was he perhaps embarrassed about it?
"I mean… I suppose it looks nice Jesse, but seeing as I don't have hair anywhere on my body aside from eyelashes, I can't really comment much." Ahsoka replied, hoping that a joke would alleviate the strange sense of tension she was getting.
"Ah, maybe one day you'll understand Commander. Get yourself a human girlfriend or something? Then you'll see." Jesse joked back in response, the tension that had been present in his shoulders vanishing instantly.
Ahsoka laughed back in response at Jesse's words, contemplating his suggestion. Perhaps that would help her to understand it.
Knowing full what the effect her words were about to have on Rex, Ahsoka continued on.
"That's not a bad idea actually Jesse. Just gotta find myself a nice girl first. Know any?"
Rex's groan of despair was exactly what she expected, and had hoped for as his response. She knew that any talk of her being a normal teenage girl drove him mad, mainly out of overprotective need to shield her. Anakin was much the same, and much less fun to tease in that respect.
Jesse's next words however were a shock to even Ahsoka.
"Ha! I was right! Ridge and Kix owe me a hundred credits each! I knew you liked the ladies Commander!"
At that, Rex guffawed, a hand coming up to try and prevent the laugh from leaving his mouth in the process.
"Hang on… what?" Ahsoka asked, confused. What was so funny?
"Jesse had had a bet going with Ridge and Kix as to your sexual orientation Commander. He seemed quite confident in his choice." Rex began to explain once he had recovered from his outburst, his eyes twinkling with humour.
"And I was right!" Jesse commented again, a smug look on his face.
Ahsoka honestly didn't know whether she should be offended or not. Perhaps someone else would have been, but honestly, it didn't bother her in the slightest.
Besides, Jesse wasn't one hundred percent correct, and she would enjoy correcting him.
"Actually Jesse, I got bad news for you. Whilst I've got no intentions of dating right now, if I did, I honestly couldn't care less what gender my partner was. I'm flexible in that regard."
The look of shock on Jesse's face as he understood what she was saying was almost holophoto worthy.
"Seriously...so I was wrong again! First I was convinced Skywalker was gay, now you… and I'm wrong both times?! Man, my people reading skills suck!"
"I guess that means you owe Ridge and Kix one hundred credits each then, huh Jesse?" Rex said, the smirk on his face barely concealing the laughter beneath it, an expression that Ahsoka shared.
"No way… I was half right and half wrong! If anything the bet should be off!"
"Nope… you lost fair and square Jesse. If you don't admit the truth to them, I will."
"Rex! What happened to loyalty between brothers?!"
"When it comes to both credits and teaching you a lesson Jesse, loyalty is non-existent."
"I'm gonna put in a complaint. This is abuse of power!"
"Try it and I'll have you demoted to permanent latrine duty."
Yes… Ahsoka decided… she had missed this. Perhaps she would ask the Chancellor if she could join the 501st again, if only for a little bit.
"Hey, we need to talk."
Anakin's voice awoke her from her slumber. They had been in hyperspace three days now, and just like the previous day, Ahsoka was bored out of her mind, so bored in fact that she had retreated to her cabin to see if she could get some rest.
And she had been getting rest… until a six foot tall spoilsport had woken her up.
"Talk about what, Skyguy?" Ahsoka said as she yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Damn Anakin for waking her up. She'd have to find a way to 'return the favor' at a later date.
Anakin's eyes narrowed for a brief moment, his signature in the Force suspicious of her words, as if suspecting her of hiding something.
Ahsoka already had a good idea what this was about. Moments later, she found out she was right.
"You've been actively avoiding Admiral Yularen, and you were pretty rude to him the other day as well Ahsoka. I think he's upset about it. You need to apologise to him."
Anger flooded Ahsoka's senses. She was fully awake now!
Anakin wanted her to apologise to Yularen?! Apologise to a man who had sided with the prosecution against her? Who had tried to have her executed?!
Would Anakin also like her to apologise to Mace Windu as well… or Tarkin?!
Why should she apologize?! She had done nothing wrong! She was the innocent party in all of this!
"Snips?" Anakin's voice barely broke through her haze of rage. She was fully aware that she was growling, showing off her fangs to Anakin at the same time. Her anger wasn't at him of course, but his words, his suggestion that she apologize…
That made her angry!
'Ah, but he doesn't know why you are angry at Yularen. Maybe you should tell him. Then he'd understand.' The voice in her head whispered.
Despite knowing full well the effects it would have, this time Ahsoka caved in and revealed all.
"Why the flying kriff should I apologize to him when he tried to have me charged with treason! I served with him for years… even saved his life… and he tried to have me executed! Screw him Anakin! He's no better than the Jedi Council!"
Ahsoka surprised even herself at the volatility of her outburst. She had been practically shouting at Anakin. Hopefully no one else had heard him.
It took a few moments for Ahsoka to calm down, but when she did, she realized what she had done.
Anakin's expression was cold. Very very cold.
No… not cold…. hateful.
His signature in the Force was much the same.
She knew what he was going to do. She had known him long enough to know when he was about to snap, and as angry as she was at Yularen for abandoning and betraying her, she couldn't let Anakin kill the man over it.
Reaching out with the Force, she grasped hold of the door, keeping it shut, even as Anakin moved to leave her cabin.
"Anakin… I need you to calm down."
"CALM DOWN?! THAT BASTARD ALMOST GOT MY PADAWAN EXECUTED! I'M GOING TO THROW HIM OUT THE AIRLOCK!"
"If you do that you'll be charged with treason as well!"
"I DON'T CARE. LET ME OUT!"
"Sorry Skyguy… can't do that."
"FINE!" Anakin yelled once again, his hand moving to his commlink. Ahsoka realized what he was about to try and do.
"Rex! I need you to head to the bridge and arres…" Anakin began to speak, before his commlink was stolen from him by Ahsoka in a swift move. The Jedi Knight had a look of horror and outrage, coupled with confusion at his former Padawan's actions.
"Rex… it's Ahsoka. Belay that order. Skyguy is having one of his temper tantrums again. I'll handle him." Ahsoka spoke gently into the commlink as she heard Rex's initial confusion on the other end disappear with a laugh.
Content that Rex had closed the commlink, Ahsoka glanced back at Anakin with a serious expression on her face.
The male began to open his mouth to speak before Ahsoka interrupted him with a military hand gesture for silence, one that Anakin had taught her himself.
Judging by the scandalised look on his face, Anakin recognized the gesture, and where she had learnt it from.
"Listen. I know you are angry. So am I, but what's done is done. Holding a grudge might be in both of our natures, but we still need to work with Yularen. I've had to work alongside Tarkin a few times now as well. That's the way things are. I haven't, and likely won't ever forgive either of them, but we are all on the same side. Promise me you won't do anything rash?"
"Ahsoka he…"
"Anakin! Promise me?"
Anakin said nothing to begin with, merely meeting her blue eyes with his own.
Several moments passed by, each of them having a discussion with mere eye contact alone. Anakin, begging for Ahsoka to see things his way and let him be angry, and Ahsoka, begging Anakin to calm down and let her handle it her own way.
She wasn't his Padawan anymore, and Yularen had wronged her, not him.
At least, that was the way she saw it. But she knew Anakin would see it differently, as would a vast majority of the 501st if they found out.
She shouldn't have told Anakin, but something in her had snapped, and now he knew. She only hoped he would keep it to himself.
"Ok… ok. I promise Snips, but that doesn't mean I forgive him either."
"Fair enough. Thank you Anakin."
Ahsoka supposed that would have to do.
Maybe she wouldn't put in a request to the Chancellor to join the 501st on more missions. Perhaps, everyone was better off without her around.
Or just safer from a vengeful Jedi Knight at least.
The next few days passed by rather uneventfully. Thankfully, Anakin had been true to his word, at least as far as she knew. At the very least, there weren't any rumours spreading through the ship regarding a dead Admiral, so that was a good sign.
Reaching across to a small table in her quarters, Ahsoka scooped up her lightsaber, before attaching the hilt to her belt, completing her armor, sans the helmet. A meeting had been called regarding the mission, much to the surprise of both Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Said meeting had been called by Rex and Cody, who had apparently come up with an alternate plan for when they reached Mygeeto. Considering the nature of the operation, and the dangers they were likely to face, any alterations to the plan they currently had, especially ones that could benefit them all were welcome suggestions, and from experience Ahsoka knew that the combined minds of Rex and Cody could lead to genius revelations.
Opening the door to her quarters, Ahsoka strode out and began to make her way to the bridge, head held high. Several Clones passed by and nodded at her with respect, including members of the 212th. Ahsoka returned each and every gesture with one of her own. The citizens of the Republic might not appreciate what the Clones did for them, but she did.
Upon entering the atrium to the bridge, Ahsoka found Rex and Cody waiting, surveying the holomap of Mygeeto.
Anakin and Obi-Wan were nowhere in sight.
"Really? I leave for a few months and Obi-Wan turns into a slacker too? Anakin really is a bad influence." Ahsoka quipped as she moved to join the two Clones.
"Tell me about it." Cody spoke with annoyance. "I don't know how Rex copes with Skywalker honestly!"
"Truthfully brother I was just waiting for Commander Tano to get knighted so I could request a legion transfer to whatever she ended up in command of."
Ahsoka laughed at Rex's exasperated tone. She knew he didn't really mean it. Rex admired Anakin greatly, and would never leave his side, not even for her. But that didn't stop him making jokes at his general's expense.
The sound of the door opening behind them caught Ahsoka's attention as both Anakin and Obi-Wan walked in, surprise dawning on Obi-Wan's face as they realized they were the last to arrive.
Ahsoka couldn't resist. She spun on the spot to face them, putting on a disappointed look as her hands rested on her hips.
"Now what sort of time do you call this young man? Do I need to write you up for being late?"
Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed in suspicion at her tone, but beneath them she could see the humour bubbling at the surface. She was glad he could tell she was joking.
"Yes well I decided to take some inspiration from Anakin for today and ensure I was late. I was combing my hair after all."
"Hey!"
"Hush now Anakin, we all know you spend hours ensuring your out of control mane is tamed… if that's what you can call it that is?"
Anakin's scandalised look made Ahsoka chuckle. She had noticed that, like Rex and Jesse, his hair had grown out considerably. Maybe it was all the rage with the 501st or something these days?
"How about we stop mocking me and get to the plan?" Anakin said as he approached the table beside Ahsoka, nudging her with his shoulder playfully.
"Anakin the day we stop mocking you is the day General Grievous becomes a Jedi. But I digress. Commander, Captain, you wanted to see us?" Obi-Wan replied as he joined the rest at the holomap, hand coming to rest on his chin in his usual stance of deep thought. Out of the corner of her vision, Ahsoka spotted Anakin roll his eyes at Obi-Wan. Through the Force she felt him mocking Obi-Wan, earning a light chuckle from her.
"Yes Sir." Cody began, bringing the conversation back around to why they were there in the first place. "Rex and I have been going over the plans to take control of those two bridges leading to the central structure. The bridges themselves are just wide enough to support a single AT-TE walker, as well as the men. The original plan of dividing the 501st and 212th to take one bridge each should be sufficient, however, that still leaves the sniper nest unaccounted for."
"We knew that might be a problem Cody. If we stick to cover and deploy our own snipers, we might be able to eliminate the threat." Obi-Wan replied, eyes moving over the map. They had collectively gone over the plan three times already, making minor additions and alterations each time.
And each time they had been forced to leave the sniper nest active. They didn't have the manpower to take and hold three targets.
"Actually General Kenobi, that's where you are wrong. Rex?" Cody continued, passing the torch to the Captain.
"Sirs. Whilst you lead the 501st and 212th in taking the bridges and eliminating the artillery platforms, I would like to volunteer to lead a small stealth team to neutralise the sniper nest. A small team will attract less attention, and in turn should allow us to move faster too."
"If that nest remains active, we are at risk of losing a lot of men from sniper fire. But if Rex and his team can not only neutralize the position, but secure the sniper rifles for themselves…" Cody continued after Rex's suggestion, his lips turning into a smile as he glanced over at Obi-Wan and Anakin.
"Then we might be able to turn the tide against the droids. Clever." Obi-Wan finished, understanding the plan. "The smaller your team, the less likely this will fall apart. Though if enemy reinforcements are diverted to your position Rex you could easily be overwhelmed. Anakin and I won't be able to support you from our position."
"I've thought that one through General Kenobi." Rex replied, standing straight with his arms behind his back. The Captain had adopted a professional look on his face as he turned away from Obi-Wan and faced…
Her.
"Agent Tano. I humbly request that you join my stealth team to provide extra assistance. With a Force user on side, we should be able to handle any reinforcements the droids send."
Ahsoka was surprised at just how professional Rex had sounded when he had asked for her help. She might be the Chancellor's personal agent, but did he really think he had to speak to her in such a way?
"Wha… Rex… don't be stupid, of course I'll join you. No need for the pompous attitude!" Ahsoka quipped in response with a smirk, one that caused Rex's demeanour to instantly change.
"Thank you Sir. It'll be an honor to have you with us."
"Um, not to burst the reunion bubble Rex…" Anakin began, his expression confused. "But if you are off on some stealth mission, who is commanding the 501st alongside me in your absence?"
"Already thought of that Sir. Appo will take my place as the 501st's commander for this operation."
Anakin nodded in response, his signature in the Force pleased. Ahsoka knew first-hand that Appo was one hell of a leader. He'd be fine in the role as second in command.
"Then I guess that's the plan. If Rex and Ahsoka can neutralize the sniper nest then everyone's job should be easier. Did you have a group in mind for this operation Captain?" Obi-Wan asked, hand still stroking his beard.
"Yes Sir, I do."
"Generals!" A new voice, the one belonging to Yularen hit Ahsoka's montrals suddenly as the Admiral entered the room. Ahsoka didn't miss the way Anakin's mood soured briefly, anger echoing across their dormant Master-Apprentice bond, before it was quickly pushed aside before Obi-Wan could detect anything.
Ahsoka was grateful for that. If Obi-Wan found out, she knew both her and Anakin would be in for a lecture about letting go and moving on, as well as forgiving those that had wronged you.
"What's wrong Admiral?" Anakin asked once he had calmed down, maintaining a professional front, one that Ahsoka could see right through.
"I have an updated ETA based on your altered hyperspace route General Skywalker. We will be exiting hyperspace above Mygeeto in roughly two hours. I suggest you and General Kenobi prepare the ground teams for departure. Once we exit hyperspace…"
"The droids will be upon us in minutes. Got it Admiral. Thanks." Anakin finished for the Admiral, nodding in understanding, before glancing over at Obi-Wan.
"The time is upon us I see. Very well, Cody, go and rally the 212th. I will liaise with Admiral Yularen regarding the ground campaign." Obi-Wan spoke, entering his 'General Kenobi' persona within a moment's notice. Cody saluted in response, before turning and leaving the room to rally his men, whilst Obi-Wan directed Yularen over to the holomap.
Taking that as her cue to leave, Ahsoka turned on her heel and began to exit the atrium, fully intending on heading back to her quarters to gather the rest of her gear. It might be another two hours before they exited hyperspace, but that time would pass quickly. Too quickly for her liking.
"Commander?" The familiar voice of Rex drew her attention to him as he moved up alongside her.
"Yeah?"
"Once you've got the rest of your stuff, meet me in the central hanger so we can discuss the plan and you can meet the rest of the team."
"Good idea Rex. I'll be there." Ahsoka replied as Rex saluted in response, a gesture that Ahsoka, despite no longer being a member of either the GAR or 501st, replicated.
With that, Rex broke off in a stride towards the hanger bay, and Ahsoka resumed her path to her quarters.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Ahsoka entered the hanger bay of the Venator to find the usual chaos that preceded a planetary invasion. Troopers of both legions ran between various points, checking various equipment and supplies, whilst loading up LAAT gunships. Pilots prepped their fighters and gunships, as well as the AT-TE walkers they would be using for the ground campaign. No doubt the Separatist anti-air fire would be formidable as always, but Ahsoka had faith. The 501st and 212th were among the best. If anyone could pull this off, it was them.
The same could be said for the Separatist fleet that was no doubt in orbit around Mygeeto. As much as she might currently dislike him, Yularen was still one of the best. He'd handle any droid resistance with ease.
Continuing with her survey of the hanger bay, Ahsoka spotted the familiar figure of Rex standing beside another LAAT gunship with Jesse. Upon spotting the Togruta, the Clone Captain waved her over.
"Commander, good timing. I was just filling Jesse and the others in on the plan." Rex explained as Ahsoka approached the duo. The ARC Trooper beside him held his helmet under his arm as he turned to face Ahsoka, a smirk on his face as always. Jesse without a smirk was not Jesse.
"Sounds good, but what did you mean by others, Captain?" Ahsoka inquired. She thought this was supposed to be a stealth operation? Surely the bigger the team, the greater the risk.
"He means us Commander."
Movement from within the LAAT gunship drew Ahsoka's attention as two Clones stepped out, one wearing a helmet, and one without.
The helmeted trooper wore a pilot variant of the standard Clone Trooper armor, complete with blue markings running from the top of the helmet to the eyes. On either side of the helmet's forehead, where the Clone's temples would be located were two small red wing shaped markings, further highlighting this particular Clone's proficiency for piloting.
Hawk had been in the 501st longer than she had, and he had always performed his duty perfectly. It had been Hawk that had dropped her and Anakin off on Teth at the start of her apprenticeship to the Jedi Knight and again many times after that. He was a formidable pilot, regardless of what he was flying.
The second Clone wore no helmet, and had no distinct markings or tattoos on his face like many of his brothers. He was, to put it simply, and in his own words, the 'normal boring' member of the 501st.
Ahsoka disagreed of course. Ridge was not a boring person, not at all. In fact, the reason he hadn't painted his helmet like so many others was simple.
He didn't know what to paint on it.
"Hawk! Ridge! Great to see you both." Ahsoka greeted as she moved towards the duo, grasping their forearms in a sign of greeting, something the Clones were quick to reciprocate.
"Likewise Commander. Good to be fighting alongside you again." Ridge replied as he and Ahsoka broke off from one another.
"Have you seen what this idiot has done with his helmet?" Hawk spoke next, his voice slightly modulated, but easily recognizable under the helmet. There was a teasing element to his tone, as if he was about to reveal some great secret.
"Hawk no!" Ridge cried out in alarm, further interesting Ahsoka. Had Ridge finally painted his helmet?
"Ha! Oh you gotta show the Commander, Ridge. She of all people deserves to see it!" Jesse piped up from behind them, earning a scowl from Ridge, which then turned into a sheepish look when he caught Ahsoka watching with a smirk on her lips.
"Fine! Stay here." Ridge replied as he moved to enter the LAAT, muttering to himself about 'annoying brothers' in the process.
"Just a heads up Commander, we tried to stop him doing it… but he wouldn't listen to us. Said he was inspired or something." Hawk began to explain, the humour still in his voice.
Ahsoka didn't know whether or not to be worried.
A few moments later, Ridge emerged from the LAAT wearing his helmet, which was now fully painted, much to Ahsoka's surprise.
What was even more surprising however was just how painted it was, and what exactly it was painted to resemble!
Unlike most of his brothers, who perhaps painted small details onto their helmets, like Rex's Jaig Eyes or Hawk's small wing, Ridge had instead opted to paint the entirety of his helmet a bright orange.
And there, on the helmet's forehead were a pair of white lines that followed the same pattern as her own forehead markings, including the two diamond shapes either side of the white lines.
It took Ahsoka a few moments to fully comprehend what Ridge had done to his helmet, but when she could, she didn't know what to feel.
Pride? Gratitude? Joy? Flattery?
Concern? Worry?
What should she feel? Had Ridge really missed her that much?
"We tried to tell him that making his helmet look like you wouldn't give him magical Force powers but… well.. it's Ridge!"
"Hey! You're just jealous Jesse!"
"At least I don't act like a fanboy of the Commander's and paint her forehead markings on my helmet. I mean, don't get me wrong, I respect Tano immensely, but your borderline hero worship is downright creepy."
"Says the guy with a Republic sigil on both his helmet and face!"
"Yeah? Well, that's just good taste."
"Alright boys settle down. No need for an argument." Rex interrupted with concern, not that he needed to be worried. Ahsoka could tell the debate wasn't serious. Simple teasing among brothers.
"So, do you like it Commander? I wanted to do something to honor all you'd done for us. This seemed like the best way." Ridge's tone changed as he removed the helmet, offering it to Ahsoka for closer inspection.
Ahsoka took the offered helmet, passing her own custom Mandalorian one to him in fair exchange as she admired the paint work. The markings really did resemble hers, and whilst the orange was perhaps a tad too bright to mimic her skin colour perfectly, it was still a good try for someone who had never painted his helmet before.
It was a good tribute, and an incredibly heart-warming gesture.
"It's great Ridge. I appreciate it, really. I just hope you don't get too embarrassed having to wear my face in the middle of a battle."
"Honestly Commander, it makes me feel more powerful. Plus it's funny to see droids react to the paintjob. Hope it happens on this mission again." Ridge replied as his hands moved over the custom helmet, before passing it back to Ahsoka in exchange for his.
"Speaking of the mission…" Rex began to say before he was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them.
All five of them turned to face the new arrival with a look of surprise on their faces.
Another Clone stood before them, helmet under his arm, and a sniper rifle held over his shoulder by a strap. His armor possessed several yellow streaks along various pieces of it, including around his neck.
His face was stoic as always, and still possessed the goatee he was known for having. His eyes however were tired, like so many others. He was tired of the war, and just wanted it to be over, that Ahsoka could tell.
But at the same time, she knew he'd want to do his part, for those that they had lost along the way.
"Boil?" Rex greeted the new arrival first, confusion in his voice. "Is everything ok?"
Boil's eyes moved over to Rex, before they shifted back to Ahsoka, snapping into a salute a second later before speaking.
"Captain Rex, Commander Tano. I've heard about your stealth mission to eliminate the enemy sniper nest. I request permission to join."
Rex's response was instantaneous.
"Permission granted Trooper. Welcome to the team!"
Author's thoughts
So... a bit of a slower paced build up chapter this time that some people might call filler, but hey, gotta have the calm before the storm right?
Honestly, knowing ahead of time the direction this arc goes, and the difficulty I would have writing the massive amounts of action that are to come in the next few chapters, I felt like I needed some character based interactions and dialogue centric scenes beforehand, mainly because I prefer writing that sort of stuff, especially if it's thrown together with an action scene, such as the sparring between Ahsoka and Rex at the start of this chapter. I wanted to show how close those two are, as we never really see their downtime in Clone Wars much. Surely they'd hang out and train together? (and beat Jesse up together too of course! XD)
The other important aspect of this chapter is Anakin's revelation to the Yularen reveal. I was going to save it for later, but thought that now would be a good time. Plus it added another interesting scene to this chapter. Skyguy and Snips aren't going to kill Yularen for his actions... not unless he 'betrays' them again. Still, it felt right to have Anakin have the burst of anger that only Ahsoka could calm down. God knows what would have happened to Yularen if she hadn't been there! (Yularen would have totally been spaced by Anakin and the boys of the 501st!)
So yeah... not much else to say really about this chapter. Totally nothing hidden away that might require a second look to decipher the meaning of it. No sir/madam. Not at all! XD
Thanks once again to my beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for all his help making these chapters as pristine as possible.
Next time round the Invasion of Mygeeto begins as the teams divide. Hopefully they all see each other again in one piece. XD
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Dream Plane: Glad you liked it. This arc really changes some things! XD
Adamantium-Soldier74: I don't think you are alone in wanting that ending. I only hope you like the path I choose at the end of this story. It's been a long time coming that's for sure. XD
Australian Dealer: Heh... I did consider doing that as an alternate tale, but I wanted to wrap up the 'Project Nullify' stuff instead, since Ahsoka started on that arc and all.
As for the deaths... I'm not going to say anything here. I've chosen the deaths by this point. I only hope that people don't get too mad at what is to come.
But yes, Jesse living and being under Ahsoka's command would be an ironic twist, wouldn't it? XD
the Mandalorian terminator: I'm glad you liked the cameo made by Thrawn and Tarkin. It felt right to have them appear for the start of this arc. As for Project Nullify... expect to learn it's full extent in this arc. Hope you like the big reveals. XD
And yes... we are dangerously close to ROTS now. The cloak is literally ticking now. XD
dpx6101: You'll have to wait and see who, if anyone, Ahsoka ends up siding with. I just hope you like the choice I make and I thought long and hard about how I wanted this story to end from the beginning. Personally, I like the ending I'm going for, but I know not everyone will. :)
Ahsoka will not have any role in retrieving the Mygeeto kyber crystal in this story unfortunately. After this arc concluded we jump forward a whole month... to the events of ROTS. Ahsoka is going to be a very busy woman! XD
Mad about the Boro: Yeah, despite being the good guy in Clone Wars, people seem to forget that Yularen willingly went on to serve an Empire that was founded on the back of galactic genocide and child murder. He's not a nice person completely. At least he treats Thrawn with respect in canon. That's something at least. Still don't like him much though. XD
TragicFiction: ... if I ever write that line... you'd have to beat me to killing myself first. Trust me. :)
nloscannon: Hey! Thank you for he kind words. I try to make the story as consistent as I can whilst putting in some original and interesting twists. That's my idea at least. Make something unique and interesting. I hope you like where these last two story arcs go. XD
1saaa: I'm glad you are finding the direction of Ahsoka's character interesting. She's still a lot of fun to write for, especially when she is in 'Agent Tano' mode. 'Snips' is pretty fun to write too though. XD
tf330129: Doing my best. XD
Cat-Gods-Of-The-Cat-People: About time things began to ramp up a bit huh? As for the deaths... wait and see.. unless there is someone you a really worried about, then feel free to PM me. XD
Glad you liked the chapter... and you are welcome. XD
RyanSquad: I mean... you'd hope they'd kill Sidious wouldn't you? Guess you'll have to wait and see in that regard. XD
There are a lot of unwritten ideas that would be awesome. Sometimes you just gotta do it yourself hey? That's how my Rebels AU and this story started! XD
As for why Ahsoka was being mean and bossing Yularen around, but not Tarkin... simple answer is that Tarkin has favour with Palpatine, and Palpatine is Ahsoka's boss, so she won't do anything to him except sneer on occasion. (she doesn't like him). Yularen however is not in Palpatine's favour yet. He's just a random Admiral, so Ahsoka can do as she likes to him. XD