Chapter 1: Episode 1: Basic Rules with Hardcase!Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextAs much as Ahsoka loved helping out the galaxy by being on the front lines with her troops and destroying separatist armies left and right, it was tiring. There was an emotional toll of fighting day in and day out, of losing your men, your friends, your family, that no one spoke about. At least, not openly. Sometimes, in the late hours when most people were asleep, she'd catch troopers talking in hushed whispers about their latest losses. She'd catch flashes of intense sorrow that cut through the air and to her very soul. Mourning brothers who never got their names. Who never got a chance to paint their armor or cut their hair. Troopers who gave everything to protect the Republic. But would likely never be mentioned outside their unit.
She tried her hardest to be a strong shoulder for the men to lean on. After all, she was their commander. And a Jedi at that! It was her job to keep a calm head when the grief got to be all too much. It was her job to keep her men focused so they could finish the fight. Live to see another day. Live to see the end of the war.
But, as much as she meditated and tried not to have any attachments, she never could perfect it. Maybe that was because Anakin seemed attached to everything that walked by him. The attachment didn't even have to be towards anything living! She once witnessed him get so attached to a spanner that when it was finally time to get rid of it because of how broken and beat up it was, she feared they'd have to hold a funeral for it!
She couldn't keep her emotions locked away for very long. Eventually, it all became too much. When that happened, she often found herself with Rex, trying desperately not to cry. To stay in control. To be the perfect commander.
It never worked.
The longer they spent in space, hopping from planet to planet, battle to battle, the less she could control herself.
Which was why she was so happy to be back at the Jedi Temple. It was always strange to be back here. Everyone seemed calm. Collected. Not worrying about the war at all. Going about their lives as if hundreds of men weren't dying every day. She wondered if the Galactic Senate would pass half the laws they did if the senators were forced to live a day in the shoes of a trooper.
Still, being back on Coruscant did exactly what Ahsoka had wanted. She felt calmer. More controlled. More like the perfect commander the men needed her to be.
When she went back out into the field, she'd be ready to fight. Ready to defend her troops with everything she had.
"Padawan Tano! Padawan Tano!"
She heard the pounding of several small feet and the crying out of a high-pitched voice.
She turned to see several younglings barreling toward her. Each one seemed nervous. That, in turn, made her suspicious. What were these kids up to? And what were they expecting her to do about it?
Was this how Rex felt whenever she and Fives anxiously went to him to help solve a problem theyhad created?
"Yes? Is something wrong?" she asked, keeping her voice as even as possible. No need to jump to conclusions yet. Maybe she was misreading their nerves as something else!
The oldest one, a Khil girl by the name of Zizi, looked down at her feet, scuffing her toes against the floor.
"Um… we were just wondering… I mean… it's not that important. I'm sure you have better things to do. But we are worried about it. But if you don't want to talk to us then that's fine. It's just…"
Ahsoka took a deep breath to keep herself from getting annoyed. Whatever it was clearly made the younglings nervous. The fact that they trusted her enough to come to her of all people, and not a master ignited a faint bit of pride deep within herself.
"Zizi, whatever it is, you can ask. I may not be able to help. But if you don't tell me, I definitely won't be able to help."
Zizi nodded, relaxed by her words. Hey, this whole 'providing guidance to younglings' thing wasn't so hard!
"Well," she started again. "You command a bunch of clone troopers, right?"
That was not the question Ahsoka was anticipating. Hadn't even occurred to her that the younglings would care about that.
"That's correct," she said slowly. Her brow furrowed as she tried to predict where this conversation was going. Try as she might, she could not figure it out.
"It's just…" Zizi hesitated once more.
"We're worried they're not going to like us!" Another youngling by the name of Habbar blurted out.
Once more, Ahsoka was taken aback. "What?" She couldn't help the shock that bled into her voice.
"Yeah! They grew up together. They trained together. They all look the same!" Another youngling rambled. "What if I show up and they don't like me?"
"Or worse, they think we're burdens?" Another wailed.
"What if I can't tell any of them apart?" Habbar cried, gripping his hair and yanking on it. "They're clones! They all look the same!"
"Can we eat with them or do we have to avoid them when we're not in battle?" Zizi asked. "Do they even want us on the ship?"
"What if I get one of their names wrong?"
"Do I need to know how to use a blaster?"
"What if I get lost on the ship?"
"How do you know which one you're giving orders to?"
Very quickly Ahsoka found herself surrounded by distraught children who seemed to be working themselves up into more and more of a frenzy with each passing second. She held up her hands, mind racing as to how to deal with this.
She had never had so many panicked people around her at once. Looking around, she saw that she was all alone. There were no other Jedi to help calm the younglings and give them words of encouragement. It was up to her.
The pride and smugness she felt earlier were gone and she had half a mind to comm Anakin and beg him for advice. If only he wasn't off-planet doing something for Palpatine!
"Guys, guys, relax. It's going to be okay," she said. These kids were all way too young to even be considered for padawans. Hopefully, by the time they were old enough, the war would be over and they wouldn't have to worry about that.
Only, she didn't think that was the answer they wanted to hear. Rather, she didn't think that was the answer that was going to ease their anxieties. She couldn't predict the future. It could very well be the case that the war would go on for so long, the younglings standing before her would have to face battle and command a battalion.
Thankfully (luckily) her words seemed to have the intended effect of calming them down. At least, calming them down enough that they were no longer wailing about worries in the hallway. Their eyes were still wet and their lips were still wobbly, though. Clearly, she needed to do something else.
"I understand what you're going through," she said softly.
"You do?" One asked.
"Of course, I do! I went through it too." And boy was that the truth.
She had an entire ride in a cargo ship to think about all the things that could go wrong with her first battle. The exact same questions had swirled about in her mind and she thanked her lucky stars the pilots were both troopers who couldn't sense her distress. She did her best to hide her nerves behind brash bravado and verbal sparring with Anakin, but deep down, it was all a lie.
What if they don't like me?
What if they don't trust me?
What if I can't tell the difference and they hate me for it?
When we're not in battle, am I allowed to spend time with them, or do they want their own space?
These questions and more became a swirling vortex in her mind, cleared away only by the adrenaline of battle. Only to come back twice as loud in the inevitable emotional crash that happened afterward.
It was actually Kix who first helped assure her of her place with the 501st. She hadn't been sure if she was allowed to eat in the mess hall.
Rather, she wasn't sure if the troopers wanted to seeher in the mess hall. So she had started sneaking down there when it was empty, and then eating her meals in her room. After about a week of this, Kix had pounded on her door. Worried she had offended him somehow, she hadn't wanted to open it. Hoping he'd get the message and go away.
He hadn't.
"Tano!" he shouted through the thick durasteel, "I know you're in there so either open the door or I'll air my grievances out here where everyone can hear!"
This was enough to get her to open the door, not wanting to disturb the peace any more than she already had.
"Kix, is everything alright? I'm not injured. I shouldn't need to go to the med bay."
Kix crossed her arms and glared at her. Technically, she outranked him. But, as he so often liked to remind everyone who tried to argue against his draconian medbay policies, when it came to matters of health, he outranked everyone.
"Want to tell me why you haven't been eating?"
This threw her through a loop. "What? What do you mean?"
"Eating. As in the consumption of food. As in something every living creature needs to do in order to survive. Don't play games with me. I know you haven't been eating."
This made her even more confused. "What are you talking about? I have been eating. Several times a day."
He did not believe her. She could feel it radiating off of him. And she didn't even need to use the force to sense that!
She clenched her fists at her side, trying to keep control of her emotions. One week in and she had already ticked off one of the troopers. That had to be a record. Now they were all going to hate her!
"No, you haven't. No one's seen you in the mess hall. So out with it. What's going on?"
"I'm allowed to eat in the mess hall?" She hadn't meant to let that slip. Sure, it didn't say anywhere she wasn't allowed to eat in the mess hall, but she thought it was one of those unspoken rules that everyone just knew. Padwan Commanders stayed out of the way of the troopers unless absolutely necessary. After all, who wanted to constantly be around their boss?
Kix physically recoiled back at the question. Opening and closing his mouth several times as his face twisted its way through several different emotions.
"What? Yes! Yes, you are— Where would you even— Ugh, come on." He grabbed her wrist and yanked her out of the room.
"Where are we going?" Ahsoka asked.
"The mess hall! Where you are going to sit down and eat. Are all Jedi this dense? Or is it just the ones I work with?"
He pulled her into the mess hall. It was busier than she had ever seen before. It seemed like the entirety of the 501st was eating at the exact same time. She stood out like a sore thumb. A splash of red in a sea of white. It made her want to curl in on herself and bring as little attention to herself as possible.
Kix grabbed a tray, still not letting go of Ahsoka's wrist, and dragged her to a table. Pushing her onto the bench and setting the tray in front of her.
"There," he said, "have fun. And do not leave until everything is finished." He stormed off, muttering under his breath.
"Kix finally got to you too?" A trooper across from her asked.
"Um… yeah?"
Another one patted her on the back. "Welcome to the club, commander. Don't take it personally. He's crazy."
It was such a small incident. She doubted Kix of the other two troopers (Brass and Exo were their names) remembered. But it meant the world to her.
The younglings in front of her all looked up with big, hopeful eyes. As if she held the answers to all their problems. As if she could make it all disappear with the right words.
She knelt down so she could look them all in the eyes.
"Yes, I do," she said. "It is scary to meet so many new people at once. But, while I haven't met every clone and there are probably some mean ones out there," Slick being one of them. "I can say that most of them are nice. Or, at least respectful. If you watch their backs, they'll watch yours."
"But… how can we tell the difference?"
"And what if we make a mistake?"
She smiled. "It's just like any other skill. You'll get to know the men in your battalion. Their personality quirks, their armor, their scars. And soon you'll be able to tell the difference easily. And you won't be alone. There will be other commanders, captains, and admirals to help you along the way. And your Jedi masters can help you as well! Just be open and willing to learn, even from the troopers that are technically ranked below you."
This seemed to finally calm the younglings down and she breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. No Jedi masters needed.
"I'm going to tell you what my captain told me during my very first battle. Experience outranks everything. Listen to those that have more experience than you and learn from them. They'll respect you a lot more and you'll learn faster. Okay?"
They nodded.
"Good. Now, I believe you guys have lessons to get to. Run along."
They groaned and grumbled but did as they were told. Ahsoka was left standing alone in the hallway.
She meant every word she said to the younglings. And, given that they had sprung this on her, she thought she did a pretty good job. Still, she couldn't help but feel as though there was something more she could do. Something else to help ease them into their potential command positions.
No ideas came. But the feeling lingered.
*****
Hardcase was looking to burn off some excess energy. He usually had energy to spare but being stuck in hyperspace for several days tended to make it worse. There were only so many times one could pace from one end of a ship to another before they wanted to blow their brains out. Which was why he was headed for the training room.
A few rounds with a dummy droid was just what he needed. Some good destruction! Some heavy artillery! Something other than the monotony of space travel!
He entered the training room and frowned when he saw Ahsoka standing in the middle of the room, staring intently at an unmoving practice droid in front of her.
"Hey, commander. Looking for a little sparring practice?" he called out. Sure, he wanted to shoot something, but he'd settle for a little hand-to-hand. She'd wipe the floor with him (even without using the force), but it'd still be fun.
Ahsoka didn't move. She just stood there. Staring and frowning at the droid.
Hardcase stood off to the side, in case she was doing some freaky Jedi shit. Maybe she was trying to crush the droid with her mind. Could Jedi do that? It'd be terrifying if they could. Terrifying, and useful in battle.
The droid remained uncrushed.
Ahsoka remained unmoving.
He glanced around the room. No one else was in here. Maybe he should risk going up to her and seeing if she was alright. Maybe something had happened in their last battle and she needed to go to the med bay. Not that he'd take her. He was also avoiding Kix. But, he'd comm Rex or Echo and have them drag her to their crazy medic.
He slowly made his way toward her. Each step checking to make sure he wasn't about to get caught up in some sort of force field that would crush his bones.
He was now standing directly behind her, looking over her shoulder at the droid.
"Commander?"
No answer.
"Ahsoka?"
No answer.
"Well, this definitely isn't freaky and unnatural," he said. Maybe she had meditated too hard and fried her brain. He had to snap her back to reality. "Alright, kid. Wakey, wakey."
He clapped his hands right next to her montrail. This did the trick as she jumped and whipped towards him. It was then he realized he probably shouldn't have done that as her hand planted right in the center of his chest and sent him flying across the room. He smacked into the opposite wall.
"Hardcase! I'm so sorry!" she cried, running up to him as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head.
"It's my fault for sneaking up on you," he said, grimacing at the bruise that would no doubt form there in a few minutes. How suspicious would it look if he were to wear his helmet around Kix until it started to fade?
"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Nah! It's going to take more than that to knock me down."
She looked at him, quirking an eyebrow and crossing her arms. "And you're not just saying that to get out of a trip to the med bay, right?"
"Didn't a tank blow up next to you? If you ask me, that's definitely worth a trip to the med bay."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. I won't tell if you promise me you're not injured."
"I'm fine. Really. Now then, what the heck were you staring at that droid for? Did it insult you or something?"
"Why would it insult me?"
He shrugged. "Fives and I may have been trying to program it to throw out some insults."
"Did it work?" Her face split into a grin and there was a glint in her eyes that said she would definitely be willing to help if they needed it.
"The captain hasn't threatened to throw either of us out the airlock so I'm going to say no."
"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe I can help you guys with it later."
"Obviously," he scoffed. "Now come on. Out with it. What's going on?"
She sighed and looked at her feet. "It's nothing."
"Clearly it's something since you were so preoccupied with it you didn't hear me come in or call out to you."
"It's no big deal."
Oh, so that's how she was going to play it. Luckily, it didn't seem to be life-threatening. After being around Ahsoka long enough, he and the rest of his brothers had gained almost a sixth sense to tell when she was actually in danger of dying. Something that happened way too often for any of their comforts.
But just because she wasn't dying didn't mean he had to sit by and let her stew on this by herself.
He pushed himself to his feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, you can tell your favorite vod."
Ahsoka sighed. "I guess I could comm Wolffe for help, but he's so busy."
"No, not him."
"I'm not sure if Rex has time either."
"No, I mean—"
"Fives is on a mission."
"Kid—"
"Echo's with him."
"Not him either!"
"Jesse might be of some help."
"Me!" Hardcase cried. "I meant me!"
"Oh." Ahsoka looked at him, blinking as if she had just now realized he was a person who existed. "Of course."
Hardcase had half a mind to shove her away and tell her to work on her own problems. "I seriously rank lower than Jesse and Echo?"
"Hardcase, it's not a ranking system."
"Echo! The trooper who has the reg manual memorized, that Echo is better to be around than me?"
She smiled at him sweetly and patted his cheek. "You're all my favorites."
"Dirty liar," he grumbled. "Whatever. What's going on?"
She sighed and slumped into his side. "You're going to think it's stupid."
"Not any stupider than you liking Echo more than me."
"I don't like him more than you."
"Yeah, right." He rolled his eyes and nudged her. "Come on. Out with it."
"Fine. When I was at the temple, some of the younglings came up to me worried they wouldn't be accepted by their clone troops if they ever get put into a position of command."
"Really?" He was surprised by this. None of the Jedi he had ever met seemed remotely worried about being liked by the troops or even respected.
It felt kind of nice to know they were worried about it as well. When he first met Ahsoka, he didn't know where he stood with her. What she wanted with him. How to interact with her. Over time, he got to know her. She was just as chaotic as practically everyone else in the 501st and he could always count on her to help him make mischief during their downtime.
"It's not a big surprise," she said. "You guys, you're all brothers. Even if you don't come from the same batch you all basically had the same upbringing. The same training. The same background. You bunk together. You eat together. Even if you get put in different squads, you'll always have brothers there looking out for you. Brothers you know you'll be able to relate to and count on. But padawans are different. We're alone. There are no other padawans on this ship and even though our masters had similar upbringings to us, they're not our peers. And sometimes you don't want a master or a general. You want someone on your level, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess I do."
Not for the first time did he think the life of a Jedi must be so incredibly lonely. Sometimes, he couldn't help but think the Jedi way was too strict and expected too much from the kids that went through training. He didn't tell anyone about this. Some things were better left in his own head.
"I did my best to assure them," Ahsoka continued, "But I can't help but feel like I could be doing more. It's been nagging me ever since I left the temple. I just can't think of anything."
"Hmm, that is hard." He thought about it for a minute, working through the problem and its possible solutions.
Then, the answer came to him.
It was so brilliant he couldn't help the grin that burst across his face.
"What are you planning?" Ahsoka asked suspiciously.
"Come on, like you don't want to make some trouble. Besides, it's brilliant. Probably the best idea I've ever had."
"Rex would argue that none of your ideas are good ones."
He elbowed her. "Do you want to know it or not?"
"Fine," she huffed. "What is your brilliant idea?"
"Admit that I'm your favorite first."
"Hardcase!"
He grinned at her and kept silent.
She rolled her eyes. "You are my favorite brother."
"Atta girl. Now, onto my brilliant idea! We start a holonet series."
"Um, what?"
This kid. He shook his head. "A holonet series. Just make a series of videos about life with the troops. Send it to the baby Jedi. Problem solved! They can get a chance to learn about life as a commander, meet the troops, and get acquainted with the ships and the protocols. And not just what's in the reg manual, but the unwritten rules! Like how to avoid the med bay and the best way to create an explosion when you have no explosives left."
Ahsoka looked thoughtful. "That… that's not a bad idea."
"Of course, it's not!" he scoffed. "It's an amazing idea. And, because the 501st is the best battalion in the GAR, they'll have a chance to see what true greatness is."
"We are the best."
"Exactly. Come on! I think we can find some equipment to make a video." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the training room.
"Should we ask Rex if it's okay to do this first?" she asked. "I don't want to breach security or anything."
"We won't give away our position or tell them battle strategies. What are a bunch of seppies going to do with the knowledge that the mess hall's meals are the worst mid-week?"
"Fair enough. Still, it might be a good idea to let him know. Just in case."
He stopped to look at her. "How about instead of asking for permission, we ask for forgiveness?"
Ahsoka grinned at him, that familiar glint in her eye suggesting that she was more than on board with this. She was just making sure he was willing to ask for forgiveness if (when) they got caught.
"Alright. Let's do this. What should the series be called?"
"I'm thinking 'Hardcase is the Best Trooper Ever'."
She laughed. "That's not really catchy. And it doesn't really capture what the series is about. Remember, Hardcase, it's to help the younglings feel more comfortable with the troops."
"We'll come up with something fun." He was practically skipping down the halls due to the excitement of what was to come. Forget blowing up a droid or two, this was going to be a great way to spend the rest of their hyperspace journey.
*****
The caretakers didn't allow the younglings to have too much time on the holonet. They preferred them to focus on their studies and meditate.
Despite this, they did relent and let the younglings browse for an hour or two every day. Giving them access to a whole world full of information that was current. Not dusty and ancient like that which was in the Jedi archives.
It was Zizi's turn on the holonet and she was trying to find a show to watch. Just something to get her mind off the anxiety that hadn't fully dissipated.
Padwan Tano's words had helped her greatly, but there was still a lingering sense of unease that never fully went away. Maybe it would remain there until she met her troops. Hopefully, they were nice. Hopefully, they helped her become a great commander and warrior.
A message popped up on the screen from Commander Tano.
Zizi frowned and clicked on it.
I've been thinking about our conversation from before. I know I gave you guys some advice, but I wanted to do more. Some troopers from the 501st and I decided to make a series for you guys. You can find it here! Watch it whenever you have time and don't worry. The troops don't want you to fail either.
"Nyamea, Ineek! Come look at this!" She called, rushing over to her friends. "Padwan Tano made a video for us!"
"Really?"
Several other younglings crowded around the pad as Zizi clicked on the link. The troopers really went out of their way to make a video series just to help them feel less anxious? That alone was more than enough to put Zizi's mind at ease.
*****
From Creche to Command: Basic Rules with Hardcase!
"Hi, guys!" Ahsoka said brightly as the camera focused on her face. "I think most of you know me, but just in case, I'm Padwan Learner Ahsoka Tano. And with me is Hardcase!"
Hardcase flew into the frame, throwing an arm around Ahsoka's shoulders and pulling her tight with a huge grin on his face. "Hello, all you tiny, little, baby Jedi! Ready to learn about the greatest battalion in the GAR?"
Ahsoka laughed. "Don't worry, guys. We're not focusing on the 501st. Everything we talk about will be pretty universal across the troops. But, the 501st is the battalion I'm assigned to so that's who you're going to see the most."
"And also because we're the best. Suck it, Waxxer, and Boil. We're the greatest."
Ahsoka shook her head. "Hardcase?"
"Yeah?"
"We're supposed to be teaching them about the basic rules of the ship and whatnot. Not making fun of the 212th."
Hardcase rolled his eyes. "Eh, fine. But you know it's true."
"This is the first video of the series so don't worry if not everything is covered," Ahsoka continued. "We'll have plenty of time to go over everything and learn all about what it's like to be a commander."
"Of course. Lots to cover." Hardcase nodded with a serious look on his face. "And the first thing we're going to cover: Barracks. For the love of the Force, please do not walk into any barracks unannounced. At least knock and wait for someone to tell you to come in."
"Yes. The troops might be sleeping. Or changing so you don't want to surprise them. Unless it's an emergency." Ahsoka looked thoughtful for a second. "Though, come to think of it when I first joined I heard a lot of paper ripping and it sounded like everyone was in a panic whenever I knocked on the door."
Hardcase looked haunted at her words. "Yeah, Captain Rex warned us we should get rid of them. I didn't listen. He would have thrown me out the airlock if you had stumbled upon them."
Ahsoka looked at him, confused. "What?"
"Anyways!" Hardcase brightened up again. "Now that barracks are done, what else should we discuss?"
"I think we should discuss what you didn't want me to stumble upon."
"Training! That's a great one, Ahsoka!" Hardcase laughed nervously. "Now I know you baby Jedi have all sorts of training with your lightsabers and your force and whatnot, but sometimes you can't use those things. Sometimes, your lightsaber goes right out of your hand. Therefore, it's really important that you learn the basics. Learn how to fire a blaster. Learn some hand-to-hand combat. It's all really important. And it'll make you more deadly on the battlefield."
"Alright, we're really not going to talk about that." Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "But, he's right. Knowing how to use all tools at your disposal will increase your chances of survival. Ask your captain if they have any suggestions on who should train you."
"Yeah! It's also a great way to pass days in hyperspace or downtime. I love a good fight."
"And remember, the troopers can't use the force so try not to bruise their egos too much."
"You don't bruise our egos," Hardcase scoffed. "Besides, I've won against you several times."
"I let you win."
He whipped towards her, shock and betrayal cascading down his face.
"Is there anything else we should tell them about in this first episode?"
"You go easier on the other guys though, right?"
She rolled her eyes once more. "Yes, Hardcase. I go easier on the other guys. Except for Rex."
"Well of course. The Captain is the Captain. I'm pretty sure he could throw hands with Dooku if he was pissed enough."
"Exactly. Now come on, anything else you wanted to talk about?"
"I guess hyperspace sickness," he shrugged. "Sometimes when you're in hyperspace, you can get a little woozy. Medbay will have some medicine for you."
"You're actually suggesting someone goes to the med bay?" she gasped.
"Hey, better to deal with Kix's insanity than vomiting until we're out of hyperspace."
"That's true. And a good suggestion."
"Oh! And, don't discount a blaster just because it's not a lightsaber. Get yourself one of these babies!" He pulled up his rotary blaster cannon. "Clankers won't know what hit 'em!"
"I'm pretty sure that's bigger than most of the younglings."
"It's definitely bigger than you, short stuff."
"It is not!"
"Okay, but your little noodle arms probably aren't strong enough to hold it so you should probably stick with a lightsaber."
"You're just trying to trick me into using it!"
He grinned at her. "Is it working?"
Ahsoka glared at him for several seconds before throwing up her arms. "Give me the cannon. I'll show you who has noodle arms!"
The video ended with Ahsoka not at all keeping the cannon steady as practice rounds fired uncontrollably all over the training room. Hardcase sat on the sidelines, laughing so hard he was doubled over, crying.
*****
An alert pinged on Rex's datapad. Call him paranoid, but ever since Slick, he had set up an alert to monitor any outgoing messages from his battalion. Anything unusual would alert him immediately. He did not want a repeat of what happened. If anyone was going to be a traitor on his watch, they weren't going to have the chance to kill any more brothers.
He clicked through to see what had gone out, frowning when he realized a video had been posted to the holonet.
"What the hell?" He started watching the video, recognizing Hardcase and Ahsoka. What were those two up to?
Rex shook his head and turned off the datapad. He'd deal with Ahsoka and Hardcase tomorrow. He'd let them keep posting videos (provided they didn't put the troops at risk). Sometimes, it was nice to have a bit of levity in a war that demanded so much from all of them.
(Chat Text
CaptainRex has added CommanderCody and CommanderWolffe to the chat.
CaptainRex: Our vod'ika has a new hobby.
CommanderCody: I'm guessing you didn't approve of this.
CaptainRex: Of course not. But when have Ahsoka and Hardcase ever asked for permission?
CommanderCody: They don't. They ask for forgiveness.
CaptainRex: Sometimes not even that.
CommanderWolffe liked the video.
CommanderWolffe: That's hilarious. Those aren't live rounds in the Z-6, right?
CaptainRex: Considering the ship wasn't destroyed, I'm going to say yes.
CommanderWolffe has added CommanderBly and CommanderFox
CaptainRex: Come on, Wolffe, you know Fox is too busy to watch this.
CommanderWolffe: He needs a vacation.
CommanderBly: Is this a security breach?
CaptainRex: I'll talk to them and make sure they get approval from me before they post anything else.
CommanderCody: Creche to Command? This is for the kids back at the temple? Should probably tell the troops to keep the cursing to a minimum too.
CommanderWolffe: Good point. Don't want the padawans to learn swear words before they're even on the battlefield.
CommanderBly: This might be for the kids back at the temple, but I think my men would get a kick out of it too.
CommanderWolffe: Mine too. I got some shinies that could probably use an introduction to life off of Kamino.
CaptainRex: Hardcase is in on it. I wonder who else knows about this and didn't tell me.
CommanderCody: The usual suspects, my friend.
CommanderWolffe: 501st is about to have a sharp decrease in their numbers.)
Notes:Thank you AnotherInternetUser for the chat logs! It really adds to the vibe of the fic.