Eight men were now making their way through the miserable swamps of Nal Hutta, and Sam wrinkled his nose at some of the putrid scents in the air, muttering to himself, "I can see why those fat slugs would choose a place like this as their homeworld."
"There are worse places than this," said Sev of Delta Squad. "Have you ever been to the hives on Geonosis? Can you imagine trying to filter that stench through our helmet systems?"
"Fixer almost lost his lunch that day," Scorch said with a laugh.
"At least I wasn't covered in droid lubricant like you were," Fixer shot back.
Sam chuckled at the banter between the clones, finding their easy camaraderie both endearing and familiar to a veteran like himself.
"So what's it like being a commando?" Sam asked, clearly curious about these elite clone troopers. "I've heard plenty about your regular clone battalions. You commandos and ARC troopers are supposed to be the best of the best."
"Well, not to brag or anything," Scorch boasted with a grin.
"Scorch, if you're going to brag, at least be accurate about it," Fixer said dryly.
"You can be such a killjoy sometimes," Sev commented.
"So what's the difference between you commandos and regular clones?" Sam asked. "The standard troopers always say your skills are almost on par with the Jedi."
"It's probably due to our origins and training," Scorch explained. "The template for the Clone Army was the legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. He personally trained every Clone Commando, along with Kal Skirata and the other Mandalorian sergeants."
While Sam and the Delta Squad members discussed Mandalorian culture, Quinlan Vos struck up a conversation with Steve. The unconventional Jedi had clearly sensed that his former Padawan Aayla had developed some kind of special connection with the super soldier, and Quinlan was naturally curious about this man who served as the obvious leader of the group called the Avengers.
"How has Aayla been doing lately?" Vos asked Steve suddenly, catching Steve off guard for a moment.
"She's been doing well," Steve replied after a brief pause.
"Good, good," Vos said thoughtfully. "A Master always worries about his former apprentice, even when they're fully capable of standing on their own."
"Yes, she mentioned that you trained her to become a Jedi Knight," Steve recalled. "She spoke very highly of you."
Vos's expression softened slightly. "I'm glad to hear that. It's reassuring that at least someone has faith in me. In many ways, I never really thought of Aayla as just a student. I thought of her more like a little sister or daughter."
"I always assumed Jedi weren't supposed to form emotional attachments."
"Captain Rogers, do I look like someone who follows the rules as strictly as Kenobi does?" Quinlan said with a mischievous smile, which faded to a more serious expression after a moment. "Look, that's technically true, but it's actually one of the most challenging aspects of our teachings. Every student and teacher grows to care about each other in some way, especially after years of working together."
"This makes me even more curious about these Jedi rules," Steve muttered under his breath.
Quinlan snorted. "I and several others generally think they're complete bantha fodder." At this point he glanced cautiously at Kenobi, who was deep in conversation with Boss. "Don't let Kenobi's proper exterior fool you. He's had plenty of romantic interests over the years."
Steve's eyes widened slightly, and he turned to look at Kenobi. Seeing that he hadn't been overheard, he asked curiously, "What do you mean?"
"Ah, that's not really my story to tell," Vos said, raising his hands. "He and I basically grew up together as youngling. I know him well. If he wants to share that with you, he will in his own time."
"I think I still have a lot to learn about the Jedi Order," Steve admitted.
The tattooed Jedi laughed. "Now let me ask you something—have you ever bothered to study the Jedi Code in detail?"
Steve tilted his head in thought. "Some. Aayla, Kenobi, and Master Yoda have told me bits and pieces. From what I understand, Jedi are supposed to be emotionless."
"And what do you think about that?"
"Well, the first line about 'no emotion, only peace' seems like complete nonsense to me."
Vos let out a bitter laugh. "Exactly, but if you voiced that opinion to any of the old-timers on the Council, they'd consider it heresy. If you expressed that publicly as a member of the Order, your Jedi status would be permanently revoked." He then turned back to Steve. "So tell me, what else bothers you about it?"
Cap took a moment, trying to find the right words. "It's more like questioning the whole foundation. I mean, how much of it is actually achievable? Everyone has emotions—civilians, politicians, soldiers. No one is truly free of them."
"Exactly."
"It's just... the more I think about it, the less realistic or right it seems," Steve shook his head. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound ignorant or disrespectful."
"No, no," Vos said reassuringly. "To be honest, the Jedi Code has been modified... extensively over the millennia."
"Really?" Steve was now even more intrigued. "What do you mean by extensively?"
"Well, most organizations evolve over time, and the Jedi Order is no exception. As centuries pass, the rules get revised to fit current circumstances or political pressures. The Jedi Order has existed for thousands of years, and the Code has gone through multiple major revisions," Vos said, crossing his arms. "I doubt anyone knows exactly where it all started. That knowledge has been lost to time."
"But why? Why change it at all?"
"Everything changes, Steve," Vos said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the galaxy. "But Master Tholme once showed me what he believed was the original Code."
"There is emotion, yet peace," Vos began, immediately capturing Cap's full attention. "There is ignorance, yet knowledge. There is passion, yet serenity. There is chaos, yet harmony. There is death, yet the Force. That was the ancient version."
"That actually acknowledges that people make mistakes and have emotions," Steve said thoughtfully.
"We have to face reality," Vos said, suddenly stopping and kneeling down.
"What is it?" Steve asked.
"I found Ziro's trail. He's been through here," Vos said, grabbing some soil and sifting it through his fingers with the Force. "Recently. He might still be in the area."
"I don't doubt your tracking abilities, Vos, but why wouldn't Ziro just leave the planet entirely?" Obi-Wan asked, approaching them.
"My instincts tell me he's still here," Vos insisted.
"That doesn't make tactical sense."
"Something must be keeping him here," Vos said as he stood and continued walking.
Obi-Wan sighed. "If we had brought a reconnaissance droid, this would go much faster."
"Not everything can be easy, Obi-Wan."
"Being partnered with you, I'm reminded of that constantly."
"I'm wounded, Obi-Wan. Where's that trust we used to have?"