Chapter 13: Special Episode 1: Tour of Kamino with Representative BlitzNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextThe camera focused on the scene. The walls were stark white, almost luminescent in the harsh overhead lights. Standing in front of the camera was a clone commander unknown to the regular viewers of Creche to Command. He stood stiff, back straight, and hands clasped behind his back. He wasn't wearing a helmet but was wearing the rest of his armor. His kama were white with diamonds on them and there were yellow stripes on his arms and legs. His brow was furrowed and he was staring intently at whoever was behind the camera. Off to the side was a togrutan Jedi. Though she appeared to be reading something off a datapad, one could tell she was actually observing what was going on in the room. She seemed amused by this. A small smile on her lips and a light in her eyes.
"I'm confused, Night, why do I have to do this again?"
"Because, sir, with Commander Tano out, Echo's been asking around for some of the other battalions to help out."
"I don't remember volunteering for this."
"That's because we volunteered for you!" Night said cheerfully.
The clone commander grimaced. "Why don't you do the tour then?"
"Because, sir, you're also the representative here on Kamino. We thought it'd be a good idea for the neverde to see what you look like as well. I don't think most people even know you exist. But you do. Since you and Fox work so closely on trooper rights. See? We're tackling multiple problems at once!"
The clone commander grunted. "Thank you for that."
He did not sound thankful.
"I'm still confused, though. Why a tour of Kamino? The troopers literally lived here, a lot of them still do. They know what it's like. This feels a little redundant."
"Yeah, but the jet'ika don't."
"And you think they care?"
"Yep!" Night said.
Another trooper stepped into the frame. "What else are we going to talk about way out here? The stupid weather?"
"Precisely my point, Zed," the commander said tiredly. "We are not very interesting way out here. Kamino is not interesting to look at. And I doubt that people want to know how we live. Give this spot to one of the Alphas or something. Hell, I think a tour of Mayday's outpost would be more fun than this! At least he's got ice vultures to blather on about."
Zed rolled his eyes. "Representative Fox says you have to."
This finally got the clone commander to slump forward in defeat. "That idiot is so… ugh. Fine. Fine. I will do a tour of Tipoca City, more specifically how the cadets live and train. And if this video makes Tano's viewers abandon this series en masse, I will be blaming you two."
The togrutan Jedi pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing.
"Alright, this is Kamino. More specifically Tipoca City where the majority of the cloning operations and training take place. My name is Clone ARC Commander Blitz of the Rancor Battalion. I help oversee clone trooper training along with serving as clone representation in the Kaminoan Parliament. Representative Fox's role is to establish much wider protections and rights for troopers in the Republic. My focus is solely on how we're treated in our home world. To my left is the Jedi General in charge of the training, General Shaak Ti."
Master Ti finally looked up from her datapad. "Pleasure to be here, Commander."
"Yes. Pleasure working with you, General." He glanced around the white walls of the room and clicked his tongue. "Um… I guess, as you can see… it's, um, it's pretty white in here. Um… pretty sterile. The Kaminoans have these fun little egg chairs that come down from the ceiling that are pretty cool."
He clicked his tongue again and looked around. The audience was starting to think that Kamino was a very sterile, boring place to live. After this episode aired, there would be an increase in artwork donations sent specifically to the troopers stationed on Kamino.
A few pieces were donated specifically by the Organas, with a note from Breha Organa stating 'Please, I understand learning how to fight is important. But so is culture!' The Kaminoans were forced to put up with it for fear that it could cause a greater issue in the Senate.
But for now, the walls were white, and Representative Commander Blitz seemed very out of his element.
"Okay, Zed, Night, what exactly do you want me to do? Do you have like a script or something?"
"Oh, that would have been helpful," Night said.
Zed shrugged. "We've never done this before We don't know how Commander Tano usually operates."
Blitz groaned and pinched his brow. "Well, then why didn't you ask her? Or Echo? Or anyone else who has ever done an episode?"
"Didn't cross our mind."
"Maker help me!" Blitz threw his hands in the air.
"If I may," Master Ti said, "the purpose of this video is a tour, is it not?"
"I honestly don't know," Blitz grumbled.
She smiled at him encouragingly. "Well, based on what I've heard so far, you are supposed to be doing a tour video. It might help if you actually leave this room. Perhaps start at the mess hall?"
"Yeah, okay. Because the mess hall is super interesting," Blitz said.
Zed clapped him on the back and led him out the door. "It will be!"
As they started walking towards the mess hall, Night said, "Are there just troopers and Kaminoans in Tipoca City?"
Blitz turned to him, face pinched. "You know the answer to that."
"Yeah, but the audience doesn't."
"I should have made Hammer do this," he groaned. "No, there are also bounty hunters and ex-military members stationed here as well to aid in the training. The troopers outnumber them, though."
They came into the mess hall and Blitz gestured vaguely to the mass of troopers all sitting and chatting. "This is the mess. It's pretty standard. You get your food and then you… I don't know. You sit down at a table?" He turned back to the camera. "Are you sure this is what the people want?"
"No idea!"
"They actually want shirtless photos of Howzer but Commander Cody said that wasn't allowed."
"Besides, this is to help Commander Tano while she recovers."
"And Representative Fox said you have to!"
"And this is the best you could come up with? A tour of the most sterile environment in the galaxy?"
"Tech volunteered to teach the Jet'ika how to hack," Zed said.
Blitz stared at him blankly for a few seconds before sighing. "Alright, tour it is. Anyways, we get fed pretty much the same stuff here as we do in the field. Military rations. A lot of soup. Things that have a lot of calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients that don't take up a lot of space. It's to get us used to the conditions we'll be facing off Kamino. No use feeding us high-quality, good-tasting food just to throw us into a situation where we've got to eat slop for a month straight while out on a campaign. It's important, therefore, that when cadets finally graduate and leave Kamino, they eat non-military rations slowly and carefully. No more than one new food a day until your stomach gets used to the various flavors, spices, and textures. And do not," he turned back to the camera, "I repeat, do not get the spiciest thing you can first trip off Kamino. You will spend the next 24 hours on a toilet and everyone will make fun of you for it."
"Speaking from experience, sir?" Night snickered.
"Wouldn't you like to know, trooper," Blitz deadpanned. "Alright, Tano already did a mess hall video so we don't need to waste time. Let's go to the barracks."
"Tano already did a barracks video too," Zed said, walking after Blitz while Night followed behind, still on camera duty.
"Which is why I feel like this is a waste of time."
"You could show them where the cadets sleep?" Night suggested.
"Fine. Good idea, Night," Blitz said tiredly. "I wish I had some of those energy drinks Fox uses," he muttered.
He led them down another sterile, white, boring hallway and into a strange room. They were much different than the barracks Denal and Dogma had shown off previously. It was lined with little capsules with what appeared to be some sort of lockers in the middle. A few of the capsules were open with some clone troopers sitting there chatting with one another.
Blitz stopped in front of a set of closed capsules. "This is where the cadets sleep. For those of you unaware, 'trooper' is not what all of us are called. When you're in training, you're referred to as a cadet. And this is where they sleep."
"You're doing great, sir!"
"I don't need encouragement, Night. Anyways, once they've graduated, if they get stationed on Kamino, they'll get much more traditional barracks. But, while they're cadets, they get these pods. Each group of pods is the group of cadets that you will be training with, graduating with, and stationed with. Unless you are in a special class like 'medic'. They'll train, sleep, and graduate together but then get separated based on need."
"The pods are also the least comfortable things in the universe," Zed groaned. "I think I permanently destroyed my back sleeping in those things."
Blitz narrowed his eyes. "Yes. They are designed to be less comfortable to get us used to—"
"Used to the harsher conditions we'll be facing in the field because you never know when you're going to need to sleep in a cave on an ice planet or on a sand dune in the desert and you need to be used to it now so you can actually get rest later and blah, blah, blah. We know. We know." Zed sighed.
Blitz's eye twitched. "Do you want me to do the tour or not?"
"Sorry, sir. We've heard the speech a thousand times before, though," Zed said.
"It only gets worse after you graduate and get stationed on Kamino," Night sighed dramatically.
Blitz's eye twitched some more. "Right. Training room next. Come on." He turned on his heels and marched back down the halls.
"Training is among the most important thing we do here in Tipoca City. I would say it's the most important function the city currently holds. Well, that and creating more clones. Our training program was originally developed by the Prime, Jango Fett, a Mandalorian who was the genetic template of all clone troopers. And it is further supported by bounty hunters and ex-soldiers."
"You already talked about the bounty hunters, sir," Zed said.
"But not in a training context," Blitz hissed. "As I was saying, our training creates the best soldiers in the galaxy. It is rigorous and starts as soon as we are decanted from the growth chambers. We are trained in all aspects of combat, from piloting to snipping to close-range hand-to-hand combat. There are a few specialist tracks that a cadet might be placed into, such as slicer, medic, or pilot. These are determined very early on based on aptitude tests. On top of the physical training we undergo, we also are put through intellectual and critical thinking training. We study politics, math, science, engineering, and medicine. All in the name of making us as well-rounded as possible. This ensures that troopers are able to adapt quickly in a situation if needed. If your CMO is out of range, you have basic first-aid training. If your bomb squad is held up in another part of the battlefield, you can still diffuse or detonate most bombs. That's what makes us the best."
"Please, sir, please don't take us to the classrooms," Zed groaned. "I think we actually might destroy Tano's hard work if we made people sit in on a history lesson."
Blitz glared at him. "It's my video, I can do what I want."
"We can mutiny," Night replied.
Blitz sighed. "Fine. We won't go to the classroom. We'll go to the training room instead. Maybe someone is running through a simulation."
He opened the door to the training room, stepped inside, cursed under his breath, and turned back around. "Let's come back to this later. Do you think they'd be interested in seeing the custodial staff?"
"Wait? Why?" Night asked. He turned the camera down towards the training floor despite Blitz's protests. "Oh, yeah. Clone Force 99."
"Night! Stop filming them!" Blitz continued to hiss.
"Why can't we show them training?" Zed asked as one trooper ripped the arm off a training droid and proceeded to start beating the other droids with it.
Night elbowed him. "Because they're insane."
He yelped and ducked as a bolt streaked past him, embedding itself right into the wall behind him. "Crosshair!"
"Sorry, my aim was off," a trooper sitting on top of a tower drawled.
"Your aim is never off, fuckwad!"
"Why thank you, reg." Crosshair flipped him off.
Blitz pinched his brow and sighed. "I hate Fox, so much." He stood back up. "You know what, screw it! I'm tired and I've got shit to do. Let's just get this over with. This is the training room."
He gestured at the chaos going on below them.
"Wrecker! Wrecker! Don't you dare throw me at that droid! Wrecker!" a trooper screeched as a massive trooper (the one who had ripped the arm off and used it as a club) picked him up and launched him at another droid.
"You're the easiest one to throw, Tech. Well, besides Crosshair."
"Throw me and you're a dead man," Crosshair said, knocking out several more droids from his position on the tower.
"Guys, focus. Tech, get the data," another said. He was fighting one droid, who had a blaster, with a knife. Apparently, he never got the memo about not bringing a knife to a gunfight.
He also was proving that memo to be incorrect as he won the fight.
Blitz just shook his head. "Listen up, baby Jedi, I don't want any of you ever acting like these guys. Okay? Now, as for the training, we train here."
"Obviously," Crosshair said. He was now leaning back on the tower and watching Blitz and the others, looking very relaxed.
"Cross! Give me some support!" Knife-wielding clone said.
"I believe in you."
"Not that kind of support!"
Blitz's eye twitch became even more pronounced. "We have several courses that simulate all sorts of environments," he continued. "Different terrains, temperatures, clanker numbers, and mission objectives. It ranges in difficulty based on what year of training you're in. And it's all in the name of getting us ready to beat the clankers out there as quickly and efficiently as possible."
He turned to Zed. "Is that it? Can I be done now?"
"Yep! That's it," Zed said cheerfully.
"I think we've got everything we need," Night replied.
"Truly, your charisma on camera is something to be admired," Crosshair said once more.
Blitz pulled out his blaster and shot at him. Crosshair yelped and dodged out of the way, but in doing so fell off the tower and right onto a droid that had the one called Tech pinned.
"Then I will take my leave. Goodbye."
The camera cut off. And people were left feeling like they knew even less about Kamino than before. But hey, Representative Commander Blitz joined the Social Media Hottest Trooper 'This or That' poll.
He won against Ponds, Crys, Hawke, and Wilco, but lost to Howzer. Like everyone does.
*****
Ahsoka sighed and picked at her robes. The traditional Jedi robes. In all their scratchy and uncomfortable glory. Thankfully, she hadn't had to spend too much time in the Halls of Healing. Within about two days she was free to wander around the Temple and Coruscant. So long as she gave the healers her word that she wouldn't try anything too strenuous.
Which was a promise she fully intended to keep. Not because she wasn't itching to get back out into the world and make up for lost time. But despite being cleared to leave the healing ward, she still felt weak and tingly. The healers assured her this was a side-effect of being on bed rest for a week and so long as she didn't get shot again, she should be fine in a few days.
A part of her worried that there had been too much damage and she'd never be able to leave the Temple again. That she'd be forced to watch from the sidelines as the war waged on. That she'd be assigned another master and taken away from Anakin and the 501st. Would they still consider her one of their own if that happened? Would they come to visit her? Would they grow to resent her for being relatively safe in the confines of Coruscant while they were getting shot at on a daily basis?
She had several nightmares about that.
To learn that wasn't the case, that she would be back out on the front lines in no time, had been a relief. She could still be with Rex and Anakin and the others. She could still help out. She could still keep the people she cared about safe.
She was itching to get back to normal. Sometimes, she felt like things were almost normal. She meditated, ate with some of the other padawans, and studied in the library. It was almost like before the war. It was nice.
What was less nice was the constant presence of Sol and Archer. She had kind of hoped that after a few days, Fox would relent and relieve them of babysitting duty.
He had not.
And now that Ahsoka was mobile and able to leave the Temple and wander around Coruscant, Sol and Archer had gotten even more protective over her.
Yeah, yeah, it was their job.
It was still annoying.
They were relieved at night, though.
Only to be replaced by two other troopers to stand watch while she slept. Which, she had to admit, was very creepy. She was used to sleeping when others were awake, make no mistake. The Resolute constantly had people up and about no matter the time of the day/night cycles they were on. And the battlefield was no different.
She could sleep just about anywhere surrounded by the noisiest bunch of troopers in the GAR. In the rec room. In the training room. In the docking bay. Sprawled out over Jesse or Fives when she wanted to annoy them. In the barracks while Hardcase bounced off the walls.
She could sleep with other people awake. In many ways, it was a comfort to know there was always someone awake. Someone always watching, always on guard. Just in case.
But this was different.
The troopers who stayed with her at night were just… there. Always. Standing outside her quarters. They weren't laughing or talking or reading or cleaning their blasters. They stood there. And she could sense them. Constantly on high alert. Their ears straining for any noises that might indicate someone was coming to attack her.
She did try and negotiate with Fox to get rid of the night guards.
He stared at her blankly for a few minutes before saying, "You're more vulnerable asleep than you are awake. The guards stay."
And that was that. Ahsoka knew there was no arguing with him no matter how much she tried to plead her case. She accepted her fate and learned how to sleep with her guards right outside her door.
Archer and Sol were slightly more tolerable. But, that might be because they were up and about with her during the day so it felt less creepy. And because she was doing stuff, she could tune out them being on high alert. She could also talk to them about things. They weren't great conversationalists, probably owing to the fact that they were not there to be her friends but to keep her safe in case Bane decided to pop out of a trash can or something. But at least she could talk to them.
Not about everything, though.
She had tried to bring up their feelings on Palpatine one day. They brushed off her concerns as them being nervous about the Chancellor being in their presence.
She didn't believe them.
She decided not to push.
This wasn't an interrogation and she wanted them to trust her. But she didn't know how to go about investigating this. If there was even anything to investigate.
If these were her boys, she'd know right away that something was wrong. But these weren't her boys. For all Rex and Wolffe's talk about how she was a certified trooper, she didn't know the Corries. For all her conversations with Cody about Fox, she didn't know him. She didn't know how they operated. How they felt. How they acted.
She might be blowing something completely out of proportion. If she pushed, she might end up looking like a fool or worse, making the Corries feel even more uncomfortable.
She knew the rest of the GAR didn't view them the same way.
She knew the Corries had their own training and culture. It was almost like an entirely different species of trooper she was dealing with.
Which begged the question: Should she react to Archer and Sol's fear about Palpatine the same way she would if it were Echo and Fives? Or any other trooper she knew well?
She didn't know the answer to that.
And she didn't know where to get that answer either.
She thought about bringing up the issue to Anakin or Rex, but they were on yet another long campaign that required minimal contact for security purposes. Same with Wolffe and Cody.
Even though Ahsoka was surrounded by Jedi and troopers alike, she had never felt more isolated.
Her head was spinning with worries about what was going on with the Corries interspersed with nightmares about Bane and the utter feeling of uselessness that had settled in her bones from letting him get the drop on her in the first place.
She wanted to talk to someone, but everyone she wanted to talk to was just out of reach.
And that scar on her chest made everything all the worse.
An ugly, twisted reminder of all her failures. Of how much stress she put Rex and the others through on that campaign. Of how she had failed as a commander. As a Jedi.
The healers had done wonders for getting her back up on her feet in under a week, but they could do nothing about the scar on her chest. She had gotten to them too late.
Had Kix had access to bacta and proper supplies, it wouldn't have been as noticeable either. But he didn't. And now it was a giant, knotted mess of scar tissue right in the center of her chest. It was spidering out like a mutated neuron; puffy and standing out stark and shiny against her skin.
Her normal top didn't cover it at all. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she swore people stared at it whenever she passed by.
She caught glimpses of it in mirrors and shiny reflective surfaces as she passed. The image of it made her feel sick to her stomach and weak in her knees. Which was why she was wearing itchy, hot, restrictive Jedi robes.
Wolffe would be ashamed of her when he found out. He always told her not to be ashamed of scars. It was proof you were stronger than whatever tried to kill you. And so many of her brothers had ugly twisted scars as well. Cody and Wolffe were prime examples of that. And Rex had a very similar scar in a very similar place from where he got shot.
None of them covered them up (well, except for Rex but that was more because of where it was at and less to do with shame). None of them picked at their scars or shuddered whenever they caught sight of them in the mirror. They held their heads high. They embraced them. They accepted them.
Ahsoka tried to do that.
It didn't work.
And now she was stuck in a stupid Jedi robe she never liked wearing in the first place. And it wouldn't have been so bad if the stupid robe didn't keep getting in the way. With the blessing from the healer, she started practicing some basic forms to rebuild her muscles and keep up with her lightsaber skills. Nothing fancy. Just simple blocks and strikes. But between the long sleeves and loose body of the shirt, she kept getting tangled up.
She should go back to her regular clothes.
She should be like Wolffe and wear her scars with pride.
Even if just to get her in something that wouldn't restrict her movements on the battlefield.
She couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Everything alright, sir?" Sol asked.
She stopped picking at the robes. "Yeah, everything's fine. It'd be better if you two could leave me alone," she said.
"No can do. Especially now that you're out and about," Archer replied cheerfully. "Like we said, Coruscant is a death trap. If you're going to wander around here, you need guards."
"I know," she sighed. "Still worth a shot." She winced as the rough fabric caught on her skin. She felt like she could scratch her skin off if she had to wear this stuff for much longer.
The solution is simple. Just go put on your regular clothes!
Her fingers brushed over the raised scar tissue and her stomach jolted. Maybe tomorrow.
"Is it the clothes?" Sol said, perceptive as ever even though he wasn't even looking at her. Seriously, did these two have eyes in the back of their heads?
"What?"
"That robe-thing that you're wearing. You keep picking at it and scratching. Something wrong with them?"
Ahsoka shrugged and decided to just tell them. If wandering around after her like glorified babysitters hadn't soured their opinion of her, then nothing would. Besides, she didn't want to complain to another Jedi about this and there were no other troopers on Coruscant she could talk to.
"It itches. I don't like it." She felt like she was being a petulant child. They must think of her that way, and not as a capable commander.
"Why don't you wear what you normally do, then?" Archer asked.
She shrugged. "I don't like looking at the scar. Which I know is a stupid thing to say because lots of troopers have scars. Wolffe. Fox. Cody. Howzer. I hear a trooper called Wrecker has a nasty one on the side of his head. You know what, just forget I said anything. I shouldn't be complaining."
"You can complain if you want to," Archer assured her. "And besides, all the scars you mentioned are on their faces. Not easy to cover up. Everyone's got scars. Except for Rip. Don't know how he managed to live off Kamino for so long without getting so much as a nick on his finger, but there you have it."
"I still say he's got a scar somewhere. Just not anywhere noticeable," Sol muttered.
"Right," Ahsoka said, not knowing if this was supposed to help her feel better or not. "Thanks. I'll figure something out." She went back to picking at the robes.
Archer snapped his fingers. "Actually, I have an idea. Let's go to the Corrie base."
"What? Why?" Ahsoka asked. She still hopped off the chair and followed him out of the temple. Good thing she was still on medical leave and didn't have that many things to do today.
Sol trailed after them. He was messaging someone over the comms about where they were going.
"You'll see," Archer said. "Besides, you haven't been to our base yet. Aren't you curious about what it looks like?"
She hadn't. She assumed it was much like any other barrack she had been to. Except, now that she thought about it, she realized that was ridiculous. The Corries didn't live and work on a ship. They lived and worked on Coruscant.
Okay, now she was kind of curious.
"I imagine it's filled with empty energy drink cans," she said.
"Yeah, we do have to throw out a lot of them," Sol sighed.
"I hear Commander Fox is the sole reason that particular brand hasn't gone out of business!" Archer said.
"We definitely should stop by and talk to Thorn, though," Sol continued. "He'll want a report and we should see if he's going to switch us out mid-week for someone new."
Ahsoka wrinkled her nose. "I hope not. I just got used to you guys. I don't want to have to get used to two new troopers following me wherever I go. I kind of like you two."
"And we like the fact that you haven't tried to give us the slip once, sir," Archer said.
"I don't want to make Cody and Fox angry."
"Precisely." Even with his helmet on, Ahsoka could tell Archer was grinning at her.
She smiled back at him. Archer and Sol weren't so bad. She hoped they stayed with her until she got to leave Coruscant.
They piled into a speeder with Sol shooing Archer to the back when he tried to make a move to sit in the driver's seat. He had told her about his hobby of illegal drag racing which reminded Ahsoka of Anakin's own pod-racing tales. Apparently, Archer drove like he was in a race no matter what. Which was why he was banned from ever driving again. She would have liked to see how he drove. Sadly, Archer was very professional when it came to his work and only ever put up a token of resistance for her amusement.
Next time she was on Coruscant, she'd get him to drive her someplace.
So long as the next time she was here wasn't because someone tried to assassinate her again.
How was that investigation into Cad Bane going anyways? She hadn't heard anything and that made her nervous.
What if they never caught Cad Bane?
Would they allow her on the front lines again? Or would they keep her on Coruscant both for her safety and for the safety of the troopers?
Once more anxiety gnawed at her gut about what that would look like. Rex and the others would visit her as often as possible at first. But slowly their visits would become fewer and fewer until she never saw them at all. She didn't want that to happen.
She didn't want to be left alone.
She could be a good commander still, even with Bane out there. She could still protect them, still lead them.
She could still…
She could still…
"Here we are," Sol said, pulling up in front of the Corrie base and snapping Ahsoka from her thoughts. He must have noticed something was wrong. "Are you okay, sir?"
His worry edged its way into her mind. She brushed it off. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"We can go back to the temple if you need to. You are still healing."
She hopped out of the speeder, eager to prove to someone that she was capable. "Nope. You promised to show me the Corrie Base so that's what I'm expecting. Besides, I'm curious to see what Archer's idea is."
"Alright! You're going to love it. I promise," Archer said as once more he and Sol flanked her, still looking around to make sure no snipers were waiting in the wings while Sol sent yet another message that they had made it to their destination.
The second Ahsoka stepped into the base she was overwhelmed with one very distinct emotion
Exhausted
Everyone in this building was exhausted. The could feel it deep in her bones and it made her stumble into Archer's side. She overheard Sol suggesting they go back, but Ahsoka was determined.
Now that she was here, she realized that this might be the best chance for her to figure out what was going on with the Corries. Starting with whatever was making them so tired.
She had thought it was just a Fox thing to be perpetually sleep-deprived. That was not the case. Everyone in this building felt like they were running on no sleep and too much caffeine.
Thankfully, no one in this building knew how to shield so she could start to parse through their emotions better. And what she sensed she didn't like.
The mood was oppressive. Like a giant rock had smashed into everyone's backs. Never before had she felt so much negativity in what was supposed to be a safe space.
This was their office.
This should be like the Resolute, where troopers felt safe and relaxed. Especially if no active battle was happening. Battlefields were different, they always were. But the Corries weren't under attack from anything. Nothing was currently bombing them. They didn't just get done with a hard campaign that wiped out half their forces.
They should feel more at ease that this.
But that was the thing. They didn't feel at ease.
Exhaustion was the most prevalent feeling here. But underneath that, festering like an infected wound, was fear. Anxiety. Depression.
Several times she caught snippets of thoughts that made her blood run cold.
I have no value.
I will never be free.
Life will never get better.
It scared her being here. She didn't feel safe here. She felt exposed. At any moment they could be attacked. But she didn't know if that was the emotions of the men around her, the truth, or both.
Her gaze fell upon two troopers talking quietly in the corner. One looked to be pretty shiny. He had paint on his armor, but it was so bright she could tell it was fresh. He had his head in his hands. The other trooper, much older and experienced, was talking to him softly with a hand on his shoulder.
"First blackout missions are always the hardest, kid. Don't worry."
Blackout missions? What?
"But what happened? Why can't I—"
"Best not to think about it."
"How can I write a report though?"
"That's one good thing about these sorts of missions, you don't need to," the older trooper said with a grim, forced smile. He was searching for a bright spot in something that was so dark.
Sol urged her forward. She spotted some quilts and pictures that had been drawn by children scattered about.
If she were to pull back and ignore what they were sending into the Force entirely, the office seemed to be just as cheerful and happy as any other group of people. She could hear troopers laughing and joking in the background. She could hear them swapping stories about their latest missions. They called each other by names and not numbers. They painted their armor. They seemed happy on the surface.
On the surface.
Underneath was something that worried Ahsoka.
She opened her mouth to ask Archer about it.
"Here we are!" he said, kicking open the door to a dimly lit supply closet before she could even begin to formulate her question. "Let's see if they have what I'm looking for."
He started digging through the boxes while Sol stood at the door, facing outwards like always. Their eyes always scanning just in case someone who wanted to do her harm was there. They were at the Corrie Base, though. He should be at his most relaxed.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Ahsoka asked.
"Aha!" Archer let out a triumphant cry and pulled out a spare pair of blacks. He held up the top to her and clicked his tongue. "These are a bit big for you. Hey, Rust, throw me some scissors would ya?"
A pair of scissors came sailing through the air and right into Archer's awaiting hand. "We had to hide all the scissors because Commander Fox kept giving himself haircuts and they looked awful," he explained. He cut off the sleeves and the bottom hem.
Ahsoka decided to sit back and let him work.
After a bit, he appeared to be satisfied with his work and held them out to her. "There you go. Try these on for size."
She didn't take the blacks. "Why?"
"Because your robe thing annoys you but you don't want to show off your scar. So, until you get a better shirt you can just wear these. They're much more comfortable than your robes." He grinned at her, waving the cut-up shirt in her face.
"How would you know? You've never worn these before."
"Educated guess," he shrugged. "Come on, you know you want to." He wiggled the shirt in front of her once more.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed them. "Fine. But I make no promises!"
"Of course, sir," Archer said. He did not sound convinced.
They led her through the base to the fresher, which gave her more opportunities to observe the Corries. Even when they were laughing and joking around, there was a tightness in the way they interacted with each other. Always on edge, even when on break or in the company of friends. She kept listening for another mention of 'blackout missions' to see if she couldn't figure out what they were.
No one else said anything about them.
Once in the fresher, she pulled on the shirt. The sleeves were wonky and uneven, as was the hem, but Archer was right. This was much nicer than her robes. The fabric was smooth so it didn't catch on her skin the same way. And the fabric was clingier. Even though it was meant for someone who was six feet tall and much more muscular than her, the fabric still fell in such a way that it was tighter to her body. Twisting this way and that, she figured that it wouldn't get tangled up on some of her more difficult moves. If nothing else, it was certainly nicer to wear than the robes until she found a better alternative. And it covered the scar.
"Good?" Sol called from outside the door.
She stepped out. "Fine, Archer, you win. These are better than the robes."
"Told you so," Archer said.
Hang on, why had neither of them taken off their helmets yet? That was weird. Every other trooper she had ever been with took off their helmets when they were indoors unless they were on active duty. Maybe Archer and Sol didn't take theirs off because they were technically on duty. But there were other Corries around here that weren't or were at their desk filling out paperwork and all of them had their helmets on. Yet another strange thing that didn't make sense.
She should probably start a list.
"Thanks, Archer, really. You didn't have to do this."
Archer waved a dismissive hand at her. "You're vod. We take care of our own."
Something warm wiggled its way into her chest. Her cheeks heated up just a tad.
"Alright, we should go check in with Commander Thorn and double-check that this is our assignment for the week," Sol said. "But after that, anywhere else you want to go today? Or do? You don't have to stay at the Temple, you know."
"Yeah. We just need to come with you and let command know our location in case something happens and we need backup."
Ahsoka thought for a minute. She did want to get to the bottom of this Corrie thing. Maybe she should stop by and see if Padme or Chuchi were at the Senate building. They worked closely with the Corries. Maybe they could help her figure out a plan of action.
"I guess I could go to the Senate building and thank Padme for the flowers she sent. I know she's been wondering how I'm doing."
"Then the Senate building it is," Archer said. Once more, that feeling of fear flared up in him.
He didn't want to go to the Senate Building. And neither did Sol. But it wasn't Padme they were afraid of. They seemed to trust her. Or at least she wasn't the source of their fears. But it felt… It almost felt like they were walking into an enemy's lair.
But they didn't want her to know that's what they thought. They wanted her to think they were fine with going there. Nothing was the problem. There was nothing to fear.
She felt herself frozen, unsure of what to do. Should she force Archer and Sol to go with her to a place that clearly brought them fear? Or should she pull back and try to investigate a different way? She felt like she was on a tightrope. One wrong step would send her plummeting to the depths.
Of what, she didn't know.
"Fuck! I'm late!" Fox burst from his office, snapping Ahsoka out of her thoughts as he fell flat on his face. He was half-dressed in his armor and half-dressed in his greys. Two troopers were right behind him, pulling him to his feet and catching bits of armor he tore off as he ran.
Archer winced. "I am so glad I'm not on Fox Watch this week. He's rushing to get a bunch of things done before the fiscal year ends and keeping up with him is exhausting."
"How can he be so terrifying but so… not at the same time?" Ahsoka asked. She still struggled to reconcile the cold, stony-faced man who stared down a healer with no weakness in his mind with the absolute disaster that apparently needed two troopers on him at all times just to make sure he ate something.
"It's a Fox thing," Archer shrugged.
"If you say so."
She needed to go about this Corrie investigation a different way. Cody would scold her for trying to rush things when she didn't have all the information. She needed a chance to go over what she had learned and make a plan from there. The Senate Building would have to wait. She needed to decide if it would be better to bring this up to the Council, to Rex and Cody, or to Padme. Each had their pros and cons she needed to weigh carefully if this was going to work.
It looked like she was going back to the Temple after all.
Just as she was about to tell Archer about the change in plans, Commander Thorn stepped into the room. Immediately, everyone snapped to attention.
"At ease," Commander Thorn said, looking down at his datapad as he walked to the front of the room. "Archer, Sol stay for the debrief. Commander Tano, stay with Archer and Sol."
"Not going anywhere, Commander Thorn," she said, smiling and giving him a thumbs up.
He grunted his acknowledgment but didn't look up from the datapad. While he definitely got more sleep than Fox, he still did not get enough.
"How did he even know we were here?" she whispered to Sol.
"Because I told him we would be. Remember?"
"That's who you were talking to on the comms?"
"Yeah. He's kind of our unofficial marshal commander," Sol explained.
"Why unofficial?"
"Is everyone here?" Thorn asked, putting away the datapad and stopping any more conversations that had been going on, including Ahsoka and Sol's.
The men all acknowledged in the affirmative.
"Good. Let's begin. Fuze, how is the search for Cad Bane going?"
Ahsoka's heart skipped a beat upon hearing his name.
Fuze shrugged. "Bout as well as every other time he's showed up. Which is to say we got jack-shit."
"Bounty Hunter's guild not helping?"
"He's not with them anymore. All private and direct contracts. They're a dead end."
"No other leads? What about associates?"
"If we can catch them, I'll let you know, sir. But I'm not holding my breath. We're not going to catch him."
Ahsoka's breath caught in her throat. They weren't going to catch him? Then what did that mean for her? She could barely handle two days with Archer and Sol hovering over her all the time. Was this going to be the rest of her life?
Archer put a hand on her back to steady her.
"Alright. Switch your focus to Aura Sing. If we can get her, she might give us the information we're looking for in exchange for a lighter sentence."
"Yes, sir," Fuze said.
"Alright, Rust, status update on the lower town ripper investigation. How's that going?"
"It's not going," Rust said. "Despite how messy this whole thing is, the guy's DNA doesn't get any hits. Cutthroat, what gives?"
"Evidence is trying to catalog the DNA as fast as we can," Cutthroat snapped. "But there is fifty years' worth at least that we got to go through! Not to mention all the other evidence that's just sitting there. Out in the open. Degrading."
"I'm not blaming you," Rust said.
"Sounds like you are." Cutthroat shot back. "It's not our fault. Seriously, who the fuck ran this shitshow before we showed up?"
This whole conversation was uncomfortable. Maybe it was because of all the exhaustion in the room, but things were tense. Rust wasn't quite blaming Cutthroat for the DNA backlog, but he couldn't blame who was actually the culprit so he took it out on Cutthroat instead.
"Skeevo or whatever his name is," another trooper scoffed. "A man so incompetent a bunch of senators solved a crime before he did."
"Oi!" Commander Thorn snapped. "GAR."
Just like that, the mood in the room shifted and Ahsoka felt untethered to reality for a brief moment while she struggled to re-orient herself with all the new feelings. There was guilt, shame, and yet more fear. Fear of being discovered. Fear of slipping up. Fear of pushing something or someone too far.
'GAR'
What did that mean?
To Ahsoka, it meant 'Grand Army of the Republic'. But the way Commander Thorn used it sounded almost like a threat.
And everyone in the room instinctively knew what it meant. Sol, Archer, Thorn, Cutthroat, Rust, Fuze. All of them. One word.
Commander Thorn's exclamation managed to refocus the group back on the debrief. "Since evidence is taking a while, try some old-fashioned methods, Rust. Talk to witnesses. Increase patrols in the lower districts."
"Sir, we have a ton of witnesses. They're not running away like they used to. Um, thanks for that, Commander Tano," he said, turning briefly to her. "But following up on those leads is impossible in a reasonable time frame. I don't have enough men to be everywhere at once."
Commander Thorn cursed under his breath. "Moon, can you spare any men to help?"
Moon shook his head. "Technically yes. But, sir, my men haven't gotten a single day off in almost six months. And night patrols are no joke. I'm not sure they'll be able to handle it. They need a break."
"Narcotics is pretty quiet right now," another trooper said. "I can give Rust a few of my men to chase leads."
"Alright, do that. Cage, what about you?"
Cage sighed. "Probably not for another two weeks. Once the Senate is in recess then I can spare some guys, though. We can split them evenly with violent crimes and evidence backlog."
Ahsoka felt like this didn't solve any problems that the Corries were facing. They needed more men. That's what they needed.
Commander Thorn nodded and made some notes on his datapad. "Alright. I'll send out reassignments. Charger, Blaze, I'm assigning you to 'Fox Watch' this week."
"Yeah, about that," another trooper said, "Dice, you need to start designing a new knock-out drug. We had to tranq him the last three nights in a row. It's not as effective."
Dice cursed and scribbled something down on his datapad. "It's only been a month and he's already built up a resistance? Thorn, I am running out of legal things to give him."
"So? We have access to drugs, drug dealers, and drug makers. I'm sure at least one of them wouldn't mind helping you create something to knock Fox out," Cage said.
Just then, all eyes shifted toward Ahsoka. She was immediately reminded that while these may be troopers, she wasn't as close with them as she was with the 501st, Wolfpack, or 212th. Even though Archer had called her vod, she was still not fully integrated into this group. A different species of trooper, and she was the outsider. It was clear by the spike of anxiety in the room that they thought she might say something about potentially collaborating with drug dealers to knock Fox out to get them all in trouble.
She sought to rectify the situation immediately. "Don't worry about me. Jesse runs a moonshine distillery somewhere in the engine room that's super illegal but I haven't told anyone about it. Oh. Except for you guys, I guess. Don't tell anyone about Jesse's side project please." She laughed nervously.
And just like that they relaxed and turned back to Commander Thorn. He muttered something in Mando'a and then continued the debrief.
It lasted for another thirty minutes. Ahsoka was exhausted by the end of it. And she didn't even have to do anything! She just had to sit here and listen!
It seemed like the Corries were tasked with keeping all of Coruscant running but they weren't given any resources to do so. Commander Thorn was a master strategist because he somehow managed to shift around schedules and people to get them where they were needed without causing too many gaps. But it wasn't enough.
And no one mentioned 'blackout missions'. That was definitely something she was going to have to look into.
Finally, though, the debrief ended.
"Archer, Sol, in my office," Commander Thorn said. "Cage, stay with the commander until we're done."
"I don't think I need a guard in the middle of the Corrie Base," Ahsoka said.
Commander Thorn stared at her in a way that would give Fox's stares a run for their money. Then, he turned and went into his office, Archer and Sol following.
"What's with the shirt?" Cage asked, standing next to her.
"The robes kept irritating my scar so Archer gave me this until I could find a better solution," she replied.
"Ah. Gotcha."
They sat in silence. Cage didn't seem like he wanted to talk and Ahsoka was not about to force him.
After about ten minutes, Archer and Sol stepped out of the office.
"Alright, we're still assigned to you," Archer said as Cage left her to go complete his work.
"Great!" Ahsoka said brightly. "But, I do have a question."
"Shoot."
"Why are you guys so overworked?"
Archer shrugged. "The whole Coruscant judicial system was a mess before we ever came into the picture. The people were less concerned with solving crimes and more concerned with just dicking around and getting money. And now that we're here, we have to be extra perfect. Or else we'll be blamed for everything even though most of it isn't our fault."
"Not to mention ever since Commander Fox took up his position we have way less manpower," Sol added. "He's basically running the government at this point which means that he can't do what his actual job is as marshal commander. So, Thorn, Thire, and Stone all pick up the slack. But no one is replacing them so it's this whole trickle-down thing where we need more men, but we just aren't getting it. Most of the shinies are sent to the front lines because of all the casualties. We're lucky that we don't have casualties, at least not as many here, but we don't have enough people to do the work expected of us well."
Ahsoka frowned, an idea forming in her head. The Corries were clearly in desperate need of help. There were so many layers to this problem that she didn't know where to start. But while the fear thing and the 'blackout missions' were probably the biggest problems, that didn't mean she had to necessarily start there.
Exhaustion was another huge problem. Something that needed to be dealt with. And, she had an idea of how to deal with it in a way that would fix several problems at once. She needed to get that help without causing too much of a stir. And she knew just the person to help.
"I changed my mind," she said. "I would like to go back to the Temple and meditate. Senator Amidala can wait a bit longer."
Archer and Sol were relieved not to have to go to the Senate Building. Hopefully, if this all worked out, she could make life a little easier for the Corries.
*****
When Captain Rex had messaged Barriss about Ahsoka's injury, a wave of emotions washed over her. Intense and burning hot, she felt like she wasn't in control of herself for the first time in her life, feeling like her feet were no longer tethered to the ground. Like she was floating up and away with no way to return. Anger, fear, anxiety, and sadness all overwhelmed her. She tried to find solace in the Force, tried to meditate on her feelings, and let them pass just as she had been taught.
It hadn't worked.
Instead, it sat heavy in her gut as hours turned into days, and still Ahsoka stayed in critical condition.
It was the first time in her life, that she could remember at least, that the Force did not provide her comfort and solace.
After a few days of trying and failing to deal with these emotions on her own, she finally went to Master Luminara for guidance and help.
Master Luminara was understanding as always. They talked about why Ahsoka's injury bothered her so much. They talked about death and the cycle of life. They talked about the Light Side and Dark Side. She did not judge when Barriss admitted there was a small part of her that wanted to turn toward the Dark Side with its promises of power and being able to protect the ones she loved.
Master Luminara helped refocus herself and set her back on the path of the Light. She did exactly what a good master ought to do.
It should have been enough.
Maybe at one point in time, it would have been enough.
It wasn't.
After their talk, Barriss still felt at war with her emotions. She wanted to cry, scream, throw things at a wall, hunt down Bane, abandon her post, and rush to Ahsoka's side to help heal her even if it meant leaving her men to fend for themselves.
She kept trying to meditate the pain away but it wouldn't work.
These feelings wouldn't go away.
She found herself curled up on her bunk, shaking as she desperately tried to keep herself from crying; wondering if going to Master Luminara again would be the best option. Or if she would suspect Barriss was not suited to be a Jedi and request her removal from the Order.
That is until Gree came to her room one night. He gave her a tired smile, told her that Commander Cody had informed him of what happened, and then wrapped her up in his arms.
And just like that, she broke down. Sobbing and crying like a child as he pulled her onto her bunk and comforted her. She had tried to regain control of herself through breathing techniques.
Gree simply said, "None of that now, kid. Let it out. You'll feel better, trust me." And hugged her tighter.
There was something so earnest in his emotions that made her want to believe him. So, she let it go. She let out all the pain and worry she had been feeling since hearing of Ahsoka's injuries. She let out gasping hiccups and asked him through wails what would happen if Ahsoka wasn't okay.
Gree told her they'd figure it out.
She was glad he didn't tell her that everything would be okay. He knew better than to make promises like that. War was unpredictable. Injuries were unpredictable. Ahsoka could be stable one day and dead the next. To promise that everything would be okay would be a lie.
Unlike her master's comfort, Gree's form of comfort was not born out of a peaceful acceptance of death. It was born out of an acceptance of death, but also the driving desire to live. It was born out of an understanding of having an attachment to the living world, to claw your hands into the dirt and refuse to be pulled into the afterlife. It was born out of a life of experiencing loss after loss, every day, every hour, sometimes every second, but knowing that you couldn't let it get to you or else you'd be next. It was born out of an appreciation for each second of breath you had.
It was born out of knowing what it was like to lose someone close to you. To want to burn down the galaxy for retribution. And then channel that anger into living another day, fighting another day, and winning whatever battle you were a part of. Because, what better way to honor the sacrifices of a fallen brother, than to destroy the institution that killed them in the first place?
And that was what Barriss needed. She knew people died. She knew Ahsoka would one day die, probably horribly on the battlefield if this war went for much longer. And she knew that experiencing anger and sadness would happen time and time again. Gree knew how to recognize those feelings. How to reshape them so that they did not control her. Rather, she controlled them. And that is what gave her comfort.
She felt guilty for chasing that comfort. She felt like a bad Jedi for not being able to let go or meditate on the inevitability of death. But with Gree holding her tight against his chest, she couldn't find it within herself to care.
After she had finished bawling her eyes out, she apologized to Gree.
"You're not the first person I've had to help through something like this," he said. "And you won't be the last."
That made the knot in her chest loosen just a bit. She was far from alright. One night crying would not make her feelings disappear. But she was better. She felt lighter.
Thankfully, Ahsoka made it to Coruscant alive with no permanent damage anticipated. She overheard Locke talking to Kix about how he managed it on so little supplies. Apparently, the medics were working together to put together some sort of ICE training in case something similar happened to them.
It was also nice that Barriss and the rest of her battalion were going back to Coruscant for a few weeks of leave after spending nearly three months on the front lines. The ship had barely touched down when Barriss left it to go straight to Ahsoka.
She didn't cry when she saw her in the Halls of Healing. She was pale and couldn't stand for very long. There were two Corrie Guards standing by her, which Ahsoka bitterly explained were guards in case Bane decided to try to kill her again.
She seemed to be in relatively good spirits and was as argumentative as ever. Barriss was relieved. But seeing her friend like that made everything feel real. Solid. Concrete.
She didn't cry in front of Ahsoka, not wanting to distress her any more than she already was.
She definitely cried later with Gree hugging her once more. Which was stupid because Ahsoka was fine so she shouldn't need to cry!
Once more, Gree seemed to know just what to say. "Trauma's weird like that. Catches up to you in waves. Annoying as fuck. Can't do anything about it but accept it."
Well, if Gree said the only thing to do was to accept it, then who was she to argue?
The next time she visited Ahsoka was much better. Slowly, Barriss found herself starting to heal.
It helped that she was back in the Temple. It was nice here. Calm. Away from the turmoil and destruction and death of the battlefield. Coruscant in general put her at ease. She could hear people laughing and children playing. She could see glimpses of what the galaxy would look like if it were not at war. And it strengthened her. It gave her another reason to fight.
Not only was Corsucant calm, but the dedicated spaces in the Temple to meditate were also heaven. She had gotten used to meditating on the battlefield or on her ship. She had gotten used to meditating surrounded by thousands of other people and their emotions. She had gotten good at meditating around the noise and activity that war brought.
Just because she was used to it didn't mean she liked it.
Meditating in the Temple was another experience entirely. It made her feel settled. At peace. Better able to reach out and become one with the Force. She was still trying to convince Gree to at least attempt it. He looked like he would rather march twenty miles through a swamp than meditate. She'd break him down eventually.
For now, she was content to meditate on her own. She was tucked away in one of the smaller meditation rooms. It was rarely used by other padawans and Jedi knights because it was relatively plain. There were only a few cushions on the ground and the soft ringing of bells in the background.
It was peaceful.
Beautiful.
Restful.
At last, Barriss felt her emotions settling in around her and the pull of the Light Side grow stronger. No longer did she want to turn towards the Dark to keep her loved ones safe.
It was nice.
"No!" Ahsoka's sharp voice cut through Barriss' concentration.
She resisted the urge to open her eyes and glare at her friend. Meditation was about breathing through discomfort. Whether mental, emotional, or physical.
So, she breathed.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
"But, sir—"
In.
Out.
"Archer, no. There are no windows! How is anyone going to shoot me in here? You can even sweep the place but you are not staying in here with me."
"There are more ways to kill you than by shooting you."
Barriss' eye did twitch that time. Out of all the places Ahsoka wanted to meditate, why'd she have to choose this room?
In.
Out.
"Yeah, like blowing you up."
In.
"If someone was going to bomb the Temple, then having you two in the room with me won't stop me from dying."
Out.
Breathe in peace.
Breathe out discomfort.
"Now get out! I want to meditate by myself!"
Breathe in peace.
Breathe out annoyance.
"Sir—"
Breathe in peace.
"Go. Get. There's literally one way in and you'll be standing in front of the door the whole time."
Breathe out annoyance.
"I promise, I'm not trying to get away from you."
Breathe in calm.
Breathe out annoyance.
"We really should have eyes on you at all times."
"You don't watch me while I shower!"
Breathe in calm.
Breathe out annoyance.
"That's different!"
Breathe in calm.
Breathe out…
Breathe out…
"Get. Get. I'll be fine."
Alright. She wasn't breathing out annoyance. She was just getting more annoyed by the whole process. She should have just stuck to meditating while Spine was knitting. At least his curses towards the yarn were interesting.
"Get out of here," Ahsoka grunted. She seemed to finally shove them out the door and silence settled over the room once more.
The soft sounds of bells filled the air.
Perfect. This was much better. A nice, quiet room to meditate in. Peace settled in her bones. Tranquility filled her heart. Rest blanketed her mind. A small smile graced her lips.
Breathe in peace.
"Barriss, I need to talk to you," Ahsoka said right next to her.
"Oh, come on!" Barriss cried, throwing her hands in the air and finally opening her eyes to turn and face her (very annoying) friend. "Ahsoka, I don't know if you've noticed, but I am trying to meditate here."
"I know, but it's important," Ashoka said, sitting back on her knees.
She looked much better than the last time Barriss had seen her. She was wearing a cut-up black shirt she decided not to comment on. And it was nice to see Ahsoka up and about, not needing a wheelchair to get around and back to her normal, snippy self. Of course, her normal self was intent on annoying Barriss at any moment possible.
"Aren't you supposed to be meditating? That's why you're in this room, aren't you?" Barriss hissed.
"No, I'm here because you're here and I need to talk to you."
Of course, she should have known the only reason Ahsoka would ever be in this room in the first place was that she needed to annoy Barriss.
"Why couldn't you have talked to me at mealtime then? Or during sparring practice? Or literally any other time when I'm not meditating?"
"Because Archer and Sol won't leave me alone and I don't want them to hear about this. Please listen to me. I need your help." She had the audacity to do that wide-eyed, wobbling lip thing that Barriss had seen made more than one trooper melt and give in to her demands.
"I am not helping you run away from your guards, Ahsoka. They are assigned to you for a reason."
"No, I don't need your help with that." She groaned and grabbed at the sides of her head in a frustrated manner. "I mean, I wanted to talk to you privately. But, because they're stupid and good at their job, they won't leave me alone. Even in the mess hall, they're always hovering and I want to have a conversation where they won't overhear. Please? If you say no, I'll quit bothering you."
Barriss groaned. She knew better than to fight with Ahsoka. She was very good at getting her way. Mostly because she was too stubborn to back down. She was also just a bit curious as to what Ahsoka wanted to talk about. She supposed it could be that Ahsoka merely wanted the chance to have a private conversation. But that likely wasn't the only reason Ahsoka was here.
"Fine. What do you want?"
Ahsoka let out a little cheer and scooted closer to Barriss. "Okay, I need your help helping the Corries."
"What do you mean? What sort of help could we give?"
"So, you know how Fox is now a representative?"
Barriss nodded.
"Well, he's doing a lot of work. But they don't have a replacement for him so the other commanders are doing his work on top of all their work. But they're super understaffed and apparently the whole place wasn't run very well before they came so they're stuck trying to clean up all the messes of the past and everyone's super tired and overworked and I want to help them."
"Why doesn't Representative Fox ask for more men?" Barriss asked. Though she figured this issue was already discussed and shot down for one reason or another.
"Because all the cadets that are graduating are being sent to the front lines. If he gets more people, that means we get fewer people. And I doubt the Senate would approve of that."
She sighed. "I suppose you have a plan to get around that, then?"
"Yup!" Ahsoka beamed. "It's a two-pronged approach. The first part is with the padawans and initiates. The Corries need a lot of help with evidence sorting, paperwork, and political stuff. So, I figured that'd be a good thing for us to do. And we can spin it as a way to help the initiates get more comfortable with writing reports. I know I struggled with the paperwork a lot when I first started. Poor Rex had to rewrite like all my reports the first few months. It's a skill they'll need to learn. And what better way to learn it than away from the battlefield?"
"And the second part?"
"I was thinking that the troops on leave could shadow the Corries. They do stuff like patrols, talking to witnesses, things like that. This is why I want you to convince Gree to get on board and help us set up a trial run. And, I know a lot of the front-line troopers view the Corries as being separate from them. This might help with camaraderie and strengthening their ties and bonds! Strengthening their trust in one another. That can't be a bad thing."
"I don't know. Why would anyone want to work more on their days off?"
"To help their brothers?"
Barriss gave her a look that had Ahsoka slump forward in defeat.
"Fine. Corries get a lot of free and discounted stuff around Coruscant. Maybe we can convince them to help out with that," she muttered.
Barriss remained unconvinced. "Would shoving a bunch of untrained initiates and troopers at them even help? Or would it make their lives harder?"
"I don't know," Ahsoka admitted. "And that's why I need your help. You're great at making plans and keeping track of stuff. Once we get Gree and Master Yoda on board, we can talk to Thorn and see what he thinks about it. He'd know better than I would where they need help. But, even if they just get fifty people helping out regularly, that's fifty more Corries they have to do other things."
Barriss studied her friend for a moment. There was something else there. Some other reason Ahsoka was pushing this so hard.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
"Because, Barriss, they need help," Ahsoka said. "Look, I was in their base this morning, and… it was overwhelming how tired they were. I know we're all tired. I know we're all overworked, but this is different. It's more intense. They're hurting. And, I don't know, it's wrong. It is wrong for them to have to deal with so much. I want to help them. I need to help them. They're brothers, just like Rex. And I wouldn't ignore Rex's exhaustion and misery. Would you ignore Gree's?"
Barriss winced and shook her head. "I suppose you are right. If Gree truly was being overworked I would try to find a solution."
"Yes!" Ahsoka threw her arms around her in a tight hug. "Thank you so much! I promise you won't regret this."
"I'm sure. Now that that's all sorted out, you are going to meditate right?"
She flinched. "Um… actually…"
"Meditate, Ahsoka. As punishment for interrupting my meditation session."
"Hey now, you can't do that!"
"I can. Or else I'll tell your guards the real reason you didn't want them in here. And after we're done we'll contact the other padawans and see if they're interested."
She could feel Ahsoka glaring at her.
"Do you want my help or not?"
Ahsoka grumbled but sat back on the cushions, closed her eyes, and started to breathe.
Barriss felt the slightest bit of pride in being able to strong-arm her friend into doing something other than causing trouble. And she let that feeling carry her to the end of her session.
*****
Ahsoka: Hey guys
Trilla: Hey!
Cal: Hey, you're alive!
Grogu: egrjkn
Barriss: Seriously, who gave Grogu a datapad again?
Caleb: We all agreed that it was cruel and unusual to keep a 30 year old from accessing the holonet. That's like, a war crime or something!
Grogu: ewato
Nari: He doesn't age like you, Caleb. He doesn't need to have access to the holonet.
Grogu: vdsklm;
Cal: Is he even capable of complex thought and emotion?
Trilla: Can he even read?
Grogu: toiu
Nari: We're going to get in so much trouble from the Creche masters for giving him another datapad.
Grogu: cs;lmk
Barriss: Not me. I didn't give him a datapad.
Gorgu: ckma
Ahsoka: We can talk about Grogu later. I need your guys' help with something.
Cal: Shouldn't you be resting? Didn't you get shot?
Ahsoka: I am resting.
Barriss: Not enough.
Trilla: She dragged you into her schemes again.
Ahsoka: It's not dragging if she doesn't put up a fight.
Barriss: I don't fight because I know resistance is futile.
Grogu: wem,ijdjkhghopewr
Ahsoka: Exactly. Seriously, will you help me or not?
Caleb: What do you need help with?
Ahsoka: The Corries are super overworked to the point where I'm not even sure how they're functioning. Barriss and I were thinking that the padawans and initiates could help out.
Grogu: wmdpkokmfkhj
Nari: Help out how?
Ahsoka: Paperwork and evidence sorting and stuff like that. Just when we're on Coruscant.
Cal: Ew. Paperwork.
Barriss: I rather think organizing evidence might be a very relaxing and meditative experience.
Gorgu: fdsfdfdasdsfddf
Trilla: Of course you would. You're a nerd.
Nari: I don't know if it's a good idea to have initiates sorting evidence for like a murder or something.
Ahsoka: They can sort other evidence. Like drugs and stuff.
Cal: Really? Drugs?
Ahsoka: It's less traumatizing than a bloody vibroknife!
Cal: That is true.
Trilla: Is it?
Ahsoka: What do you guys say? Want to help me out?
Nari: What did Master Yoda say? Or the Corries?
Ahsoka: Haven't asked yet. I wanted to gauge interest before I started making plans. That way if no one's interested, then I didn't get anyone's hopes up.
Caleb: I'm in! I don't love paperwork, but it might be fun to help out.
Barriss: I, sadly, have already been forced into volunteering.
Trilla: If I say yes, will you promise to take it easy?
Ahsoka: Of course.
Cal: Doubtful, but I guess I could help out.
Nari: Alright, I'm in too. If you need back up talking to Master Yoda let me know!
Ahsoka: Thanks you guys! Barriss, tomorrow me and you ae going to talk to Gree and then talk to Master Yoda.
Caleb: Wait, Gree?
Ahsoka: You didn't think I was just going to get the padawans and initiates in on this ;)
Grogu: hkvhjndf;khipotylkawelfglhkfgdhl
Grogu: Padawans, while I appreciate your attempts to include Grogu in your activities, I request you do not give him another datapad.
Nari: Told you we'd get caught.
Ahsoka: Sorry, creche master. It won't happen again.
Grogu: I very much doubt that. When you have gotten the okay from Master Yoda and Commander Fox, please let me know so that I may assign initiates to your cause.
Ahsoka: Alright! We got the creche masters on our side! I'm not telling Fox though.
Cal: Um… don't you kind of have to? Since he's the marshal commander?
Ahsoka: No, he's busy enough as is. I'm just going to tell Thorn about it.
Caleb: He's also very scary.
Ahsoka: Yeah, he is.
Trilla: I heard he made a healer cry.
Ahsoka: Yeah, he did.
Ahsoka: But he's really not that mean. He's just
Ahsoka: He's intense. You'll see when you go there.
Barriss: I am regretting my decision to help you in this.
Ahsoka: No regrets. Only helping those in need.
Trilla: If you say so.
Notes:I love Blitz's hot mess of an episode so much. This poor man. He doesn't get the youth.
And thank you again to AnotherInternetUser for making the chat logs!
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and have a great rest of the week.
Mandoa:
Neverde: Civilians
Jet'ika: Little Jedi
Vod: Brother