Happy Memorial Day to my U.S. readers! I unfortunately still have to work, but I do get a mostly day off from school. Sorry for the shorter chapter today, but the next chapter is juicy. This is a mostly Obi Wan chapter, but I hope that most of you don't feel the same way my mom does when she reads this. (she skips the Obi Wan sections because she far prefers the Rex and Ahsoka stuff)

OneLittleSpark18: I'm glad it worked for you and you liked it so much! It's true, massive doses kill me.

LizzyLuna75: In this fic, yes a little bit. But is it racist against the culture when they literally kidnap people and hunt them for sport? Like Cid from the Bad Batch episode this week, I wasn't racist towards her. It's the culture mostly. And thanks so much!

nw150: *laughs in future chapters* But it's true, my mom calls these types of stories clone cookies. They're not just fluff, they have substance, but they're sweet and wholesome for the most part. Though fair warning, we are going to be delving into the angst territory extremely soon.

AJ200435: I'm glad you're enjoying!

Mando'a translations at the end!

Rex took a bite of his lunch, eyes trained on the datapad before him. Many troopers took it easy during their lunch break, but Rex had too much to do for that luxury. Just because they weren't fighting a war didn't mean there still weren't reports by the bucket-full.

Besides, he welcomed the distraction. Memories of the night before kept creeping into his mind. Not of the reading, or even Ahsoka's explanation. It was the look on her face after she had asked to be friends again. The way her eyes had taken in every inch of his face. The flood of emotions she had instilled.

Rex shook his head and stared harder at the datapad. He read the word 'plasteel' over and over as he tried to reign in the memories.

"Hey, Rex!"

Rex was thankful instead of annoyed as Jesse approached him with his lunch tray.

"Jesse." Rex greeted.

"Cody not around?" Jesse asked as he seated himself.

"It's his day off." Rex said.

Normally his ori'vod kept him company during their busy lunches. Today, Rex didn't know if it was good or bad that Cody wasn't here. Rex could normally tell Cody anything, but this might have been beyond the Marshal Commander's understanding.

"I'm glad you and the Commander made up." Jesse commented through a mouthful of roast bantha sandwich. He chewed and swallowed before continuing. "Though maybe you did a little more than make up judging by the time you were in there."

"Jesse!" Rex scolded loud enough for several troopers to look their way. "She is your Commander and you will not speak of her like that!"

Jesse raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Right, sorry." He said. "Besides, we know what you were doing in there. Could hear you reading."

"Yes." Rex confirmed, relieved. "That's-that's all we did."

Ahsoka's blue eyes, shining with anticipation. Her lips slightly parted-

No, no, no! Rex tried to shut down the thoughts.

Jesse immediately caught on to Rex's discomfort, judging by his sharp look.

"What's up, Rex?" He asked.

Rex looked at Jesse. They were close, yes, but Jesse would likely spread the news to Fives, who would never let Rex live it down. On the other hand, Jesse was the only clone Rex was close to that was in an active relationship. Maybe he'd understand.

"You tell this to no one." Rex said sternly. "Not a word, tayli'bac?"

Jesse blinked but nodded.

"Commander Tano almost kissed me last night."

Jesse's eyebrows shot up.

"But she didn't?" He asked.

Rex shook his head.

Jesse hesitated.

"Did you want her to?"

Rex furrowed his brow.

"Yes and no."

"You're gonna have to do better than that, vod." Jesse said with a roll of his eyes.

"I-" Rex swallowed. How could he put this into words? How could he say it aloud to someone else? But Jesse was him. If anyone could understand-

"I was unsure of my ability to retain control of myself." Rex finally said.

It was a mild way of putting it. He had been terrified of the strength of the emotions the moment had sparked. The Kaminoans' brief and sterile explanation of the urges had been insufficient to prepare him.

To his surprise, Jesse snorted.

"If anyone has the self-control to not rip their clothes off after being kissed, it's you." He said.

Rex glared at him.

"I'm serious Rex. It's just a kiss." Jesse said. "Yeah, you want to do more, but you're not gonna turn into a savage the second you touch."

Rex frowned. No, Jesse was right. Rex was a soldier. He could face death without flinching, he could control himself.

"Be it as it may," Rex said. "It would have been highly inappropriate."

"Why?" Jesse asked.

Rex's frown deepened.

"She is our commander!" He said.

"Not anymore, she's not." Jesse said with a smirk. "She's not a Jedi either. I don't see any restrictions-"

"It- wouldn't have been right." Rex interrupted. "She- I'm not-"

Jesse reached over and put a hand on Rex's shoulder.

"Rex." He said. "I know how it is to not feel worthy of someone's affection. Every time I'm around Rhys I wonder why she picked me of all people."

Jesse's eyes got far away.

"You wonder why someone as wonderful as they are could ever have feelings for a clone." He went on. "But they do. And maybe they can see you better than you can."

Jesse trailed off. Rex didn't know how to respond. See you better than you can? What was that supposed to mean? His confusion must have shown on his face because Jesse sighed again.

"You trust the Commander?" He asked.

"You know I do." Rex replied.

"I'm saying that maybe we can trust the Commander and Rhys to make a decent choice." Jesse said. "Look, vod, clones are disappearing left and right. We don't know who'll be next. If there's any time to take a chance, it's now."

Rex hesitated. He thought of his Commander, of Ahsoka. He trusted her unconditionally with his life. Maybe he could trust her in this.

Obi Wan woke to silence and pain. The pain he was used to. The silence was in of itself odd, as his traveling companions seemed to find the concept of quiet hateful.

He opened his eyes. He was met with blurred durasteel and not much else. He was on a ship, now he remembered. Young Boba Fett's ship in particular. Then why didn't he hear an engine? Had they landed?

"Kenobi!"

A pale head popped into view. Ventress.

"Hello Asajj." Obi Wan said as pleasantly as he could. He hoped she appreciated it; his head felt like it had been cracked open, his shoulder blazed, and quite frankly, he was quite ready to evacuate the contents of his stomach.

"Is he awake?" That was Quinlan's voice.

Odd how he was far happier dealing with Asajj than he would be with Quinlan.

"Yes!" Asajj called back. "Kenobi, are you injured?"

"I believe I am."

There was a moment's silence.

"Where are you injured?" Asajj finally said.

"Mostly on my body." Obi Wan told her.

Another silence. Then Ventress cursed.

"Follow my finger with your eyes." She instructed him.

He tried. He really did. But Ventress kept moving it and following a moving finger with his eyes had not been a priority in Qui Gon's instruction.

"I think he's got a concussion!" Ventress called back again. "Okay, Kenobi. Where on your body are you injured?"

"My shoulder and my head, mostly. A few bumps and bruises."

"Hold on." Ventress said.

She held her hands out and Obi Wan felt his body lift free of the debris and move slowly towards an opening in the wall. The sunlight hurt his eyes and he curled in on himself to try and stave off the sudden nausea increase. He managed to wait until Ventress set him on the grass before turning on his side and vomiting.

That was a mistake. He had rolled onto his bad shoulder and nearly choked on the bile as he cried out in pain.

"Stop moving, Kenobi!" Ventress's voice snapped from inside the mangled ship. Obi Wan frowned at it. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was Boba announcing that they'd gotten past the blockade. And then- then-

"Asajj." Obi Wan said as she exited the ship again. This time she was levitating Boba's limp form. His leg was twisted at an awkward angle. "What happened?"

"We were caught right after we made it past the blockade." Ventress told him. "Apparently Maul has ships patrolling the planet; we got unlucky."

Asajj looked at Boba's unconscious form.

"The boy is a good flier. We nearly made it out." She went on. "It was a pot shot by one of the fools that sent us down."

Yes, that sounded correct. Obi Wan was beginning to remember now.

"We're not on Mandalore, are we?" He asked. "We were too close to Concordia."

"The moon? Yes, I think so." Ventress said.

Obi Wan frowned again. That was bad.

Asajj went back in, and soon she and Quinlan had the three Mandalorians out. They were unconscious as well, but seemed mostly unharmed.

Quinlan came to stand over Obi Wan.

"I'd say his shoulder's dislocated." He told Asajj. "That we can deal with. His concussion though- that'll be a problem."

"I thought you Jedi knew how to heal." Ventress said.

"Not all of us are competent in healing." Obi Wan supplied. "Anakin couldn't heal a sprained toe."

"We're talking about Vos." Ventress said.

Quinlan looked thoughtful.

"I can try." He said. "I'll expend a bit of energy, but if it works, it'll be worth it."

"No, I think I'll be fine." Obi Wan protested. "I'd rather you not-"

But Quinlan had pressed his hand onto Obi Wan's forehead and closed his eyes in concentration. Obi Wan's pain faded and his mind cleared. The memories of the crash flooded back. Quinlan stepped back, looking a little unsteady.

"Vos?" Asajj asked. She sounded actually concerned. "Don't tell me you put yourself out of commission."

"I'm fine." Quinlan said.

"I find that hard to believe." Obi Wan said, sitting up despite the pain in his shoulder. "Quite an impressive display, Master Vos."

"We need to get moving." Ventress said. "They'll be on their way."

She turned to Obi Wan and placed a hand on his injured shoulder.

"Are you going to do the counting trick, Asajj?" He asked dryly. "Because-"

He cut off with a cry as Ventress calmly jerked his shoulder into place.

"No." She told him. "I'm not."

They managed to move their unconscious companions into the dense trees around the crash site. They couldn't go far, not with four injured. Bo was the first to awake.

"We're on Concordia?" She asked after they determined she was fine. "Damn."

"Do you know it well?" Obi Wan asked. "Is there anyone we could ask for help here?"

Bo frowned.

"All of my forces are in hiding on Mandalore or offworld." She said. "Har'chaak. This is bad."

Then she paused.

"Dammit, there is someone." She said heavily. "I'd rather not contact them, but I don't know if we have much choice. I don't even know if they'll help us."

"Do you trust them?" Obi Wan asked.

Bo Katan looked down.

"Yes."

"Then we could do far worse."

At that point Boba groaned and sat up. His face was pale and he gasped when he tried to move his leg.

"Careful, Boba." Ventress said. "We had a nasty crash."

"Where's my ship?" There was a note of panic in Boba's voice. "What happened to it?"

"It's a little that way." Obi Wan gestured. "I'm afraid it's badly damaged."

Boba's face paled even further.

"We need to go back!" He said. "My father's armor-"

"The enemy will almost certainly be there by now." Ventress said. "We-"

"Give me two minutes." Obi Wan said. "I can get it."

He slipped into the trees before anyone could protest. There was no sign of any of Maul's commandos, which was lucky. Obi Wan knew it was only a matter of minutes before they arrived.

Boba's eyes lit up as Obi Wan returned with the bundle of armor. Bo Katan's companions had recovered as well.

Boba nodded as Obi Wan dropped the armor next to him.

"We need to treat your leg." Ventress said. "Kenobi, Vos, hold him down."

Boba didn't scream as they set his leg, which Obi Wan found remarkable. The boy only grit his teeth and let out a long growl of pain.

They couldn't give him time to recover. They managed to splint the leg and despite Boba's fervent protests, Quinlan hauled him onto his back. Then they trekked into the forests of Concordia.

"Your father was a Mandalorian."

Obi Wan looked up. The group was resting now, after a few hours of hiking. Bo Katan had a holomap of Concordia. They were lucky; they were only a rotation's journey from Bo Katan's contact.

Bo Katan was now directing her statement at Boba, who was resting against a tree. The young man gave a curt nod.

"What about you?" Bo pressed.

Boba shrugged.

"I don't know." He muttered.

Understanding crossed Bo Katan's face.

"What was your father's name?" She asked. "The colors of his armor are of the Protectors. I might have known him."

Obi Wan thought Bo was pressing her luck with the short tempered bounty hunter.

"Jango Fett." Boba supplied. Pride was obvious in the boy's voice.

All compassion and understanding fled Bo Katan's face.

"You're a clone." She accused, eyes suddenly flashing.

Boba jerked his head up, his expression equally furious.

"I am the son of Jango Fett!" He growled.

Ventress exchanged a look with Obi Wan as Bo Katan scoffed.

"You're not a son. You're a soulless jekai that is an insult to the armor you claim."

Boba stiffened.

"Bo Katan-" Obi Wan warned.

He personally was not pleased with Bo Katan's description of clones. Soulless indeed!

"Your donor was dar'manda." Bo went on. "He gave up his soul when he spawned you abominations."

"Boba!" Ventress said.

Obi Wan glanced back to the young man, whose face was contorted in a snarl. Boba had pulled out his blaster.

"Say one more word about my father," He said. "And I'll blow your damn head off."

Bo laughed.

"Good luck, osi'yaim'ade."

Boba fired. Quinlan moved the fastest. The bolt deflected off his blade into the trees.

"If you two want to bring the commandos on yourselves, that's your business." Quinlan barked. "But the rest of us want to stay alive."

No one spoke. Boba kept his death glare on Bo Katan.

"We have a mission to do." Quinlan went on. "Kryze, stop antagonizing the kid. He's done well by us and we owe him a way off."

"I won't work with-" Bo started.

"Don't give me that." Quinlan said. "If you were that concerned about who you're working with, you wouldn't have brought two Jedi along."

Obi Wan was impressed. He was far too used to Quinlan's laid back attitude. Obi Wan supposed that even he had a limit.

"We need to move." Ventress said. "That shot will have given them a clue to our location."

The ruined town Bo Katan had described was in sight when Maul's forces found them. A storm of blaster fire exploded from the trees behind. Obi Wan and Quinlan deflected most of it. Bo and her Nite Owls burst into the air to be met by several red clad Mandalorians. Several on foot troops charged into view. Their facsimiles of Maul's horns gleamed in the sunlight.

"That is just tacky." Ventress muttered.

"Clearly his ego hasn't changed." Obi Wan replied.

Obi Wan waited for her to ignite her own sabers. She failed to do so, instead grabbing Boba and his armor from Quinlan. Boba shouted in protest.

She dashed away, leaving Quinlan and Obi Wan to face the troops. Boba was still shouting curses. Obi Wan scowled as he batted a few more bolts away.

"Jetii!" Obi Wan heard one of the commandos shout. The enemy switched blasters. One shot and Obi Wan went to deflect it. Instead it split and a fragment cut into Obi Wan's cheek.

"Oh, not good." Obi Wan muttered. "Quinlan! Do not deflect these!"

"Why?" Quinlan shouted back, though he was now dodging rather than meeting the blasts with his saber.

"Have you ever heard of Mandalorian slug throwers?" Obi Wan said as he ducked. "And are you familiar with the Mandalorians' reputation of killing Jedi?"

Quinlan cursed.

A body fell from the sky nearby. Obi Wan couldn't stop to see if it wore red or blue armor. He was focusing on his dance with the slugs. The problem was he couldn't get close to the Mandalorians shooting at him.

In a flash Ventress burst from the forest behind the Mandalorians. Before they could turn, she had grabbed one, igniting and sheathing her saber so quickly that there was only a flash of light. The commando dropped to the ground and she whirled to the next. Obi Wan and Quinlan took advantage of the Mandalorians' surprise. But Obi Wan was far from the top of his game. Instead of cutting through the weak point beneath the helmet, his saber glanced off the pauldron of the Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian barked a laugh and aimed a punch at Obi Wan's face. Obi Wan twisted away and swung again. His enemy blocked the strike with his vambrace and flipped out a vibroblade. Obi Wan lurched backwards, but not fast enough to avoid a slash on the cheek.

"Stop!" A voice from above said.

Obi Wan glanced up. One of the flying commandos hovered above. He held Bo Katan by the back of her armor. She had lost her helmet and the commando held a blaster to her head. Obi Wan realized with a jolt that two of the bodies surrounding them were clad in blue.

"Surrender, Jetii." The Mandalorian said. "Or she dies."

"Hu'tuun!" Bo spat.

Obi Wan grit his teeth and sheathed his saber. Quinlan did the same. Ventress looked tempted to keep fighting.

"Sir! We found the boy!" Another Mandalorian said from the trees.

Obi Wan turned to see an unconscious Boba being dragged back towards them.

Ventress cursed and raised her hands.

"Excellent" The lead Mandalorian said. "I have a feeling Lord Maul will be pleased-"

A blaster bolt shot through his neck. Bo cursed as she dropped a few feet with the body before reigniting her pack. More blaster fire rained on them, aimed at Maul's commandos. A group of new Mandalorians crested the ridge. Their armor shone brightly with sparsely painted beskar. Obi Wan watched with his mouth hanging open as threads of light whistled through the air, finding the weak spots in the commandos' armor. Within seconds no one in red armor stood.

"Bo Katan!" A regal Mandalorian in armor painted with dull gold streaks strode towards them.

Bo Katan landed and met the figure. Obi Wan, Quinlan, and Ventress ventured close.

"Koa." Bo's voice was flat. "How did you know we were here?"

"I knew one day you would need my help. I have watched for your coming." The armored woman said. Obi Wan frowned. Her voice was familiar somehow. "And I no longer go by that name."

Bo scowled.

"Is that what it takes to be in your cult?" She snapped. "To give up your name?"

"This is your contact?" Obi Wan interrupted.

The woman and Bo turned to him.

"You deal now with the enemy?" The woman said.

Bo Katan ignored her.

"This, no matter what she says, is Koa Tes Kryze. My younger sister."

Mando'a:

ori'vod: older/special brother

tayli'bac: Got it? Okay? Understand? Often very aggressive

vod: brother/sister

Har'chaak: damn it

jekai: bait (idea that the clones are expendable important here)

dar'manda: a state of not being Mandalorian, referring to losing your heritage, identity, and soul. Looked on with dread by most traditional minded Mandalorians.

osi'yaim'ade: Child of a useless, despicable person

Jetii: Jedi

Hu'tuun: Coward, very insulting

Okay, Koa Tes came from several ideas. One, I was listening to the armorer from Mando and I was like 'huh. she sounds like Satine.' I came up with the insane idea that she was a Kryze. I nixed that part because it was just too coincidental. Two, I have a feeling the Kryze family had a lot of siblings to make the lie that Korkie is not one hundred percent Satine and Obi Wan's son more believable. Three, I like the idea that the Kryze family is just a bunch of extremists. Not for any particular sect or anything, they just go HARD. Satine prefers non-violence? BAM she's a hardcore pacifist. Bo Katan is a little more wild? BAM joins a terrorist group. A third sibling thinks the past is the way to go? BAM joins a traditionalist cult. I think it's a funny idea. Also, quick note on the Children of the Watch, I think they were around before the end of the Clone Wars, they just got a little bigger after Mandalore was fricked over. Also Bo is a little bit clone racist, especially if Boba could challenge her claim as a Manda'lor. Which he could. I like Bo Katan as a character a lot, but I have to admit she has some rough edges. On the Rex side of things, I truly believe he would have the hardest time accepting anyone would want him as a clone. The Kaminoans probably taught them they were not valid partners in any capacity. Also failed at doing good Sex Ed. 'You will have urges. Don't.' End of lesson.

In any case, I hope my OCs aren't too invasive.

Wear your masks if you're not vaccinated, remember to review, and have a great few weeks!