Chapter 8: Episode 8: Tour of the Barracks with Denal and DogmaNotes:Surprise, bitches! I'm back! And by surprises, bitches, I mean me. I'm bitches. Because this was not a planned chapter. Yeah! Believe it or not, I do actually have the plot all planned out till the very end. But then Cyberra asked for a tour of the barracks and I thought it was adorable and I couldn't get it out of my head. Plus I had a few other ideas that I wanted to explore that just didn't really fit in anywhere and last chapter was very heavy with the discussions of death and abuse and all that. So you get a fluffy little chapter! A nice palate cleanser! Because shit is about to get real. That's right, people! Your favs are about to go through it! Just because this is a fix-it-fic doesn't mean I can't cause some pain in the process. So buckle up, enjoy this nice little break. I'm about to make that 'hurt' part of the 'hurt/comfort' tag work for its dinner. But first, fluff.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextAhsoka tried to keep herself humble. She was a Jedi and all good Jedi were humble. They did not brag. They did not act prideful or arrogant. They remained modest through all praise and appreciation. Being arrogant would lead to your downfall, after all.
And, while Ahsoka did tend to embellish some of her tales with the excuse that she was just being 'one of the boys' and inspiring them with daring feats of strength, dexterity, and truly impressive lightsaber work, deep down, she made sure to remind herself that she was still a padawan. She still had a lot to learn. And in comparison to the Force, she was rather insignificant. Not in a bad way, in a humble way. She needed to remember that she did not have ultimate power and the power she did have had its limits.
That all changed after the last episode of Creche to Command. She was finally forced to admit that she had power. A lot of power. More power than she was aware of. What had once started as a small series meant only to help initiates at the temple ease into their duties as commanders had spiraled way beyond what she could have ever imagined. Her voice, her video series, was being used to make changes. Real changes.
Not one, but two pro-clone bills had been passed by the Senate in a relatively short amount of time. They weren't amazing bills and weren't going to help turn the tide of war, but they were improving her brothers' lives, if only incrementally. Again, she was trying to be humble and find other explanations for this that didn't involve her. And she could come up with none. Each bill had been passed not long after their corresponding episodes had aired. One might be a coincidence, but two? She could influence politics simply by posting an episode.
And it wasn't just politics. Civilians from all over the galaxy loved her series. And, in turn, loved the troopers. They were more willing to help out. More willing to trust them. More willing to treat them like people who were giving their lives to protect them. They were donating their own food because herbrothers complained about the rations. They were submitting millions of name ideas because some of her brothers died without a name. They were calling up their senators and demanding better treatment. People were actually talking about the troopers on the street. They were grateful. They were thankful. Her stupid little series, while maybe not the only thing to push this change, was a catalyst. She was helping the people she cared about most. And she never planned for it to happen.
That thought alone was almost enough to make her glow with pride and happiness and joy.
And then there was Krell.
Master Pong Krell.
A man whose guts she despised more than Dooku's at this point.
Her unfortunate run-in with him had been a slap in the face by just how far they still had to go. If anyone should be kind to the troopers, it should be a Jedi, but he wasn't. He treated them like they were dirt on his shoes. And when Ahsoka tried to call him out on it, tried to correct his behavior, he… He…
She shuddered and rubbed her wrist. It never bruised. He never physically hurt her. She was fine.
Besides, she had bigger things to worry about than a pissy Jedi who didn't like using names.
Krell wasn't the only problem in this galaxy. There were still people out there that would treat her brothers like they were mere numbers. Mass-produced men that were only meant to die. Not even meant to live to see the end of the war. For every pro-clone bill the Senate passed, there were just as many that served to hurt her brothers. To cut back on medical equipment. To strike down research that would improve their armor citing budgetary reasons. To push cadets to finish their training younger and younger.
There were still anti-clone groups that would take to the streets in protest. Who didn't care how many of her brothers died. Who didn't care how they lived or were treated. Who thought all of them should be executed because they had no right to exist.
Those people made Ahsoka's blood boil and her mind race with ideas. If her series was as powerful as she thought it was, then all it would take was a video or two and she could change everything. She could demand better treatment outright. She could scold these anti-clone groups and the anti-clone bills that passed. She could call out how Palpatine cut back necessary funding for equipment that would help them live longer. She could condemn the Kaminoans for their cruel treatment of her brothers. She could force this galaxy to change for the better.
Rex would have scolded her for even entertaining the idea.
"Just because you think you have the upper hand, doesn't mean you do," he had said once.
"But I did this time! I had Fives in a headlock. He couldn't get out! If you hadn't kicked me I would have won!"
He shook his head. "Nope. Rule Number One of battle, kid: never assume you have the upper hand. Always assume your enemy has something else to give them a leg up. Another blaster. A knife. A sniper on the rooftops. Another battalion of clankers they can deploy. Never assume you have all the power. If you do, you'll miss something and die."
"That's not fair, though! You didn't say you could attack."
"War's not fair," Rex said, his face grave and serious. "It's not fair and it will kill you if you ever forget that. Had you actually been paying attention to your surroundings, you would have seen me come up and blocked the kick."
Ahsoka crossed her arms and glared at the ground. She wasn't pouting. She was glaring.
Rex sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Kid, you're right, it's not fair. And I'm sorry that it's not. But I will not apologize for making you understand that. I will not apologize for doing everything in my power to make sure you make it out of every battle alive. Never, ever assume you have the upper hand. Is that clear?"
She nodded.
This wasn't a life-or-death battle. There were no battalions of droids waiting around the corner to surprise her. There were no snipers on the rooftops. But just because there weren't, didn't mean she could charge into this headfirst and start making demands.
Right now she assumed she had power because of a few pro-clone bills and some friendlier locals. The response on the holonet had been good, but the series was still young. She had to be careful. If she pushed too hard, that might turn people off. She might cause a backlash. She might overestimate her power and end up causing more problems than she solved. She might draw the attention of those anti-clone groups and inspire them to start making their own series. And then those series might be better received than her and once more the attitudes towards the troopers would shift.
She needed to be careful.
She needed to be patient.
She also needed to conduct a test. Something small. Something that proved the series had more far-reaching power and people were willing to listen to her.
It was easy to pick a topic. The idea came to her when she overhead Denal and Dogma talking one day.
"My back hurts," Denal groaned, rubbing at it and trying to massage it out. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish we were still down on that planet. The moss was more comfortable than our beds."
"I feel you. I think I need to go down to the med bay for some pain meds. I got knocked around by a clanker and pinched a nerve in my neck. The pillows are not helping that situation," Dogma agreed, also rubbing at his neck and wincing.
She had found her topic of conversation. "Hey, guys," she said, skipping up to them.
"Hey, vod'ika," Denal said, yawning. "You doing okay after the battle? Heard you went into the river."
"I'm fine. Kind of wish Jesse had gone with me. He's starting to smell again."
"Eh, give him a break. The soap gives him a rash and it's not helped by the scratchy blankets." Dogma said.
"I know," Ahsoka said. "But I wanted to ask you something. Are you guys interested in being on an episode of Creche to Command? I know you haven't really been on one yet."
"Yeah, I'd like to be on one," Dogma said. "What do you want us to talk about? How to defeat clankers?"
"Sorry, Jesse's already called that one."
"Jesse already had his episode." Denal scoffed.
"I know, I know, but I think you guys are going to like this one," She said.
"Alright, I'll bite. What do you want us to talk about?" Denal asked.
"I want you to complain about the barracks," she grinned.
Dogma and Denal exchanged a confused glance.
"Um… I'm sorry?" Denal said. "You want us to just sit there and complain about our shitty living situations?"
"That's right."
They exchanged another confused glance.
"Isn't this supposed to be a feel-good series?" Dogma asked. "I know the food episode had a lot of complaining in it, but we don't want to scare the shinies or baby Jedi into thinking life on a ship is going to suck. Besides, I don't think the neverd'e are going to be very interested in us complaining about soap and scratchy bedsheets."
"I'm testing a theory," she explained. "And I don't want you to be huge downers. Still try to find the positive aspects of living in the barracks, but let the civilians know what it's like. Trust me."
"If you think that's what the people want," Denal said. "Alright, I'm down. We have some free time now if you want to get started."
Ahsoka grinned. "Perfect."
If this went the way she thought it would, then Denal and Dogma were never going to complain about scratchy bed sheets and bad pillows ever again.
*****
Episode 8: Bunks and Barracks with Dogma and Denal
"Hey guys, I'm here with Dogma," Ahsoka said.
"Yes! Now everyone can see the trooper with her favorite name," Dogma said, grinning.
"Eh, I like Commander Neyo's better."
"But you said mine first."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. And we're also joined by Denal! The trooper that sold me out to Kix."
Denal rolled his eyes. "Vod'ika you were standing next to a building when it blew up. And Kix is scary! I am not about to get on his bad side."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "You're a traitor to me, brother. I'll always remember your betrayal."
"You have got to stop hanging out with Fives, you are getting way too dramatic."
"The drama is necessary to let the audience know how much you hurt me by forcing me to go with Kix."
Denal looked at the camera. "She's dramatic," he whispered.
Ahsoka stuck out her tongue once more and turned back to the camera. "Chop-shop and Dean are also in here just so you guys know who the two troopers wandering around are."
Chop-shop and Dean, who were playing a game of dejarik in the background waved to the camera.
"Right," she said, "as you guys can see, we're actually in a very special place: the bunks!"
"Yup, where we sleep most nights. Unless we're planetside," Dogma said. "We're sitting on my bunk now. Because Denal's is a mess. Which is weird because I don't know how you have enough thingsto make a mess with."
"Oi, just because you're all about the tucked corners and bouncing credits off it doesn't mean the rest of us need to spend thirty minutes making our bed," Denal argued. "You're just going to mess it up when you sleep in it again."
"It's not about whether or not it will be messed up. It's about the pride of your living space."
"I have pride in my living space!"
"Which is why you got a bunch of crap all scattered around it. Do you push it off on the floor every night and then put it back on every morning? Or do you just sleep on top of it?"
Ahsoka sighed. "And here I thought Tup and Wooley were going to mark the start of one of these nothaving an argument. Every Jedi Cruiser has a section called the barracks where the troopers stay when not on duty."
Denal and Dogma finished their argument and turned back to the task at hand.
"The barracks have a rec room where you can relax, a place to work out, and the bunks," Denal said.
"Usually, you'll bunk together with your squad. Sometimes, though, depending on the size of the squads, the way the barracks are laid out, or the mission, you might get two squads together or a mix of squads. It depends," Dogma added. "But usually in the bunks, you have no more than fifteen troopers together."
"The Jedi generals and commanders get their own separate areas," Ahsoka continued. "And the captains and clone commanders can have their own bunk areas."
"But depending on your battalion, there are no hard and fast rules to where someone can bunk," Dogma said. "Captain Rex will often bunk with us unless Commander Cody is here. And you're in here pretty often."
"Right. Togrutas are a communal species so sometimes I sleep better when there are a lot of people around," Ahsoka explained. "And, since we're in your guys' bunk now, why don't you give us a tour?"
Denal and Dogma looked around at the sad grey walls.
"Um… not much to look at," Denal said. "We're sitting on Dogma's bunk now. There's a dejarik board over there. Chop-shop, is that the one you dug out of the scrap heap?"
"Yeah!"
Denal looked back at the camera. "We dug it out of a scrap heap. Thankfully, General Skywalker is very good with machines so he was able to get it working again."
"Why don't you talk about the actual bunk itself?" Ahsoka suggested.
"Right! Right?" Dogma pulled up a pillow. "This is our pillow. It's… it's um… it's pretty floppy as you can see."
The pillow did not look like a pillow. It looked more like a sheet it was so thin. A strip of cloth died white. How anyone thought that was a pillow was beyond much of the audience.
"It's a good weapon if you want to smack someone you don't like with it," Denal said, taking the pillow and tossing it at Dean, hitting him in the head.
"Hey! What was that for?"
"It was a demonstration!"
"Oh, and this is the blanket," Ahsoka said, pulling off Dogma's perfectly made blanket and showing it to the camera. "Wow, this is so scratchy. This is why I usually sleep in my robes. It's more comfortable."
"But at least we're alive," Dogma said, trying to sound bright. "And yeah, the blankest are a little thin and scratchy, but that's why we have our blacks! Keeps us nice and warm. And keeps the scratchy materials away from our skin."
"Do kind of wish I had some better socks, though," Denal said. "You ever been on a ship like this with bare feet? It's freezing!" He shuddered.
"I just wear my boots," Dogma said.
"Even to bed?" Denal asked.
"My feet get cold if they're not in the boots."
"You don't layer up with your greys?"
"Sometimes I do if it's especially cold, but if we have to get up and get dressed in a hurry, I don't want to have to mess around with taking off my greys so I can put on my armor."
"You guys don't have anything else to wear? Just your blacks, greys, and armor?" Ahsoka asked.
Denal shrugged. "Nope. What do you do when it's cold, vod'ika?"
"I steal Rex's body heat," Ahsoka shrugged.
He laughed. "You don't steal ours?"
"No." She patted his cheek. "Because I don't want to torture you with my cold hands and feet. Only Rex or Fives will do."
"Why Fives?"
"Because sometimes it's the easiest way to get back at him when he's being mean to me. But Rex runs the hottest out of all of you for some reason so I mainly stick with him. And it's fun to stick my cold feet on his calves. He always yelps."
Dogma chuckled. "So that's what those sounds were last night. I thought someone had snuck in a loth cat and got scratched."
"I thought Tup was trying to comb his hair again," Denal said.
"Oh yeah, the hair thing. You know, per the reg manual—"
"You sound like Echo."
"Don't remind me. Anyways, per the reg manual, we're supposed to be clean-shaven. Granted, a few troopers don't follow that—"
"Like Fives," Ahsoka said.
"Exactly, but a lot of us do. The only problem? If they don't want us to have facial hair, then why don't they give us shaving cream and better razors? I could get a closer shave with a rusty spoon I swear." Dogma shook his head.
"Shaving cream?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yeah, it's to help soften the hair and make the skin less irritated. Prevents razor burn and whatnot," Denal explained.
"Your razors burn you? Why does having hair sound like such a burden," Ahsoka said.
"Here, feel," he said.
She ran her hand over his jaw and shuddered. "It feels irritated."
"It is irritated. That's why a lot of troopers tend to let their faces get stubbly. A few like the look, don't get me wrong, but most of them just don't want to shave. Dull razors and nothing but hard water make the entire experience a pain in the shebs. I can't imagine how the Captain's head must feel constantly shaving it down."
"I think he spends a portion of his stipend on actual shaving cream and a better razor. Otherwise, his head must be extremely irritated. And then you got to wear your bucket on top of that mess. Come to think of it, I'd always be pissed off too if that was my life."
"Why don't you guys use your stipend to buy better products then," Ahsoka asked.
"We don't get that much. And there are other things we need to buy," Dogma explained.
"Paint's a big one. None of the paint we use on our armor is provided by the GAR. Other sources of entertainment like books or movies."
"I know some medics buy their own medical supplies. The entire battalion usually chips in for that, though. We each give five to ten credits every month to help stock up. I mean, we make choices based on our needs. The GAR supplies razors and soap. So we decide to buy things they don't provide for us."
"I'm so glad I don't have hair then," Ahsoka said. Her brow furrowed. "Wait, they only give you soap?"
"Soap that's so bad I think banthas get better stuff than we do," Denal muttered.
Her brow furrowed even more. "I thought people with hair had to use a special soap for their hair. Padme says she uses shampoo and conditioner at the very least."
"Ah, to be a senator with enough money to buy their own bath products and not a trooper using GAR standard-issue soap," Dogma sighed dramatically.
"We get soap and soap alone. Luckily most of us don't have a bad reaction to it. But it still dries out your skin. And then because the air on the ship is dry, you dry out even more. And then you get thrown into all sorts of planets with various climates. One day it's hot and humid, the next day it's cold and dry, the next day you're covered in sand." Denal said.
"Peeling, cracked, and bleeding skin for days. But, hey, at least we got soap and water. And blankets and pillows and beds. That's all you really need. Food, water, and shelter."
"I guess. Anything else about the barracks you'd like to talk about?" Ahsoka asked.
Denal snapped his fingers. "Actually! This is pretty cool. Want to see it?"
Ahsoka nodded.
"Alright, hang on." He hopped off the bunk and walked over to the side, dimming the lights and messing around with a switch. "We have a couple of rec rooms that we can use to hang out in, but sometimes those can get loud or people want to do different things. So, we've modified our bunks to each have a special purpose."
"Like the pilots' bunk is where you can go to read if you'd like. Bomb squad's got a ton of board games and card games. And we have," Dogma said, waiting for Denal to finish up with his fiddling.
"Ta-da!" Denal said as a project lit up and hit an empty wall on the opposite side that the audience just now noticed was painted white. A film started playing. "Our very own theater."
"That's so cool!" Ahsoka said. "This must be new. Usually, I'd watch stuff with you guys in Rec Room 1."
"That's where we watch things as a big group, but here's where you can watch things if it's just yourself or a small group."
"Watching anything good?"
"Appo got us turned onto this holo-drama called "Romance on the Plains of Naboo". Originally it was just a few of us, but word's spread and now most of the 501st is watching it. But a lot of the guys are behind so we watch new episodes here and old episodes in the Rec Room 1 until they catch up."
"What's it about?" Ahsoka asked.
"A young orphan woman discovers she's the air to a fortune. So, she goes out to her late father's estate where she meets up with her evil stepmother who may or may not have had something to do with his death. And then there are two guys who are her love interests. It's a lot of drama and backstabbing." Denal explained.
"It's great," Dogma said. "And Francesca should totally end up with Pablo. They are literally perfect together."
Denal threw another 'technically a pillow but didn't look like a pillow' pillow at him. "No, she belongs with Alejandro. Pablo's too much of a playboy. He's going to get bored and break her heart."
"You're both wrong," Chop-shop said as he won the game. "She should end up with neither because she is a strong and independent woman. A man would just drag her down."
"I always thought she and Cecelia would make a nice couple," Dean piped up. "I know it's probably not going to happen, but they have similar interests, and backgrounds and the actresses have great chemistry."
Ahsoka laughed. "I guess I need to get caught up on the show then."
"We'll send you a link to where you can watch it from the beginning," Dogma said. "It's the best."
"Anything else you want to talk about with the barracks?" she asked.
Denal shrugged. "Not much to talk about. It's our home. Not always the most comfortable, but we love it all the same."
*****
As much as Fox hated to admit it, Creche to Command was actually making his life and the lives of his brothers better. The food donation bill and Post-Humous Clone Name Act were obvious examples. Both pro-clone legislation helped improve the lives of her brothers. True, both of them were fluff bills without a lot of far-reaching consequences that were cheap to enact and therefore didn't garner much pushback, but they were there. They were introduced to the Senate floor and passed quickly. And if those bills could pass, what else could pass?
The question both thrilled and terrified him. He was starting to look more objectively at his life. At what he wanted. At what he deserved. That kind of thinking could be dangerous. He and his brothers were designed for war. He should only focus on the war. Thinking of the future, of a time after the war, would only lead to disaster. Besides, passing a fluff bill about names was one thing. Deciding what to do about millions of men when they no longer had a war to fight was another thing entirely. The citizens could withdraw their support as quickly as they had given it.
Just because that was the case, though, didn't mean that Fox couldn't enjoy some of the subtler things that had come about as a result from the series.
The main thing?
The Coruscant Guard were experiencing less harassment when they were out and about on patrols.
Before, he could expect to have at least one of his men come back muttering under his breath about areutiise and being mistreated. It wasn't uncommon for people to sneer at them. To call them names. Spit or throw food and trash at them.
It was always a shock to the shinies the first time it happened and Fox could always tell. A couple of them had been decommissioned because they fought back instead of letting it roll off their backs. That only happened and few times before Fox and the other commanders implemented a training program to prepare them for that.
Still, learning about getting garbage thrown at you and experiencing it firsthand were two wildly different things.
It still happened, but it was becoming less and less of a problem. Once they went a whole week without a civilian spitting at them. Thorn had thrown a party to celebrate.
When it did happen, citizens were more willing to stand up for them and defend them. Wheeler and Trace came back after a patrol one night practically in tears. Fox assumed they had had a rough night but was surprised when they described how a drunk citizen had started to accost them, grabbing at Wheeler and making like he was going to punch him. And, instead of looking the other way, the citizens banded together to defend them. A bodega owner even ran out with a broom and batted the drunk man away.
Now, most of the Corries stopped by his shop for a bite to eat or to pick up some caf while on patrol. The owner's business was booming and Fox was happier than he ever thought possible.
There were also other subtle things happening around Coruscant with the guard. When the men were trying to question witnesses or ask for information, people were more willing to come forward. They weren't as cagey. Sometimes they'd even offer up the information without being asked. Kids no longer hid or ran away crying when they spotted the red and white armor walking through the streets. A few of them had even come up to troopers asking for help, which they were always willing to give. Sometimes the kids just asked questions, though. Again, troopers were usually willing to answer them no matter how ridiculous they were.
A few diners and bakeries had started offering the Corries free or discounted food on their shifts. Their presence could de-escalate a situation instead of making it worse. People trusted them. They liked them. They didn't treat them like garbage.
Again, this didn't always happen. There were always going to be people that hated them and thought they shouldn't be alive. But things were getting better.
Even the senators seemed a little less willing to be abusive!
That didn't change how Palpatine treated them. He still used and abused the guards like they weren't living beings. He still made Fox's life a living hell. He still made the lives of his brothers a living hell. But, something about knowing that the citizens liked them made it easier to handle it. Whenever Palpatine was being particularly cruel, all Fox had to think about was the way a little girl had come up to him with a picture she drew to say thanks (a picture he kept on his desk) and it made the whole experience just a little easier to handle.
And it pissed off Palpatine just a little more.
Only this time, Fox felt empowered by this. Palpatine wasn't getting the reaction he wanted from him. And that made him angry. And that made Fox stand just a little taller.
Now that he had accepted that Creche to Command was here to stay and here to make changes, he quit fighting his role in the Senate. If Amidala and her cohorts were going to keep coming to him asking questions, if Senators were going to keep showing up at his office trying to donate blankets, then he was going to make the most of it. He was going to seek out ways to improve the lives of the troopers. When he had time, of course.
Sure, he might have to cut his sleep schedule down a bit more, but it was worth it. It was so worth it just to watch another pro-clone bill get passed or hear about a positive interaction with a civilian. His brothers were fighting on the front lines to defend the Republic from Separatists.
It was time for Fox to fight behind the scenes to defend them from Palpatine.
Which was why he was here at the Senate building now with Archer, walking briskly through the halls toward his intended destination. His heart pounded in his chest and his hands felt oddly shaky. He needed to be careful about this. Move cautiously and slowly. Start small and then work his way to something bigger.
He had only been meeting with Amidala for a few weeks. She seemed to like and respect him, but in reality, they were not equals. She held more power over him than she would ever know and he had to be very cognizant of that. There might come a time when he said the wrong thing, pushed for the wrong bill, and cause her to sever her ties with him.
Fluff bills were one thing.
The systemic change was another issue entirely. He had to be careful. And he had to make sure not to draw the ire of Palpatine. He could very easily find himself on the other end of a decommissioning facility if Palpatine caught wind of what he was doing.
"Are you meeting with the senators about the hats?" Archer asked.
"Yes," he nodded, watching as Hook and Shep left to keep an eye on Palpatine. If Palpatine left his office, they'd let him know and then Archer would help him get out of there before he could get caught. Coming to the senators in a moment of desperation was one thing. Coming when the senators called for him was one thing. Seeking them out purposefully and with a plan was another thing entirely.
"That's great! It's the usual group, right?"
"That's correct," Fox said, hoping the other senators wandering the halls took no notice of him. Burtoni was back on Coruscant for the week so at least they didn't have to worry about her.
"You know," Archer said. He sounded like he was forcing the casual tone. "That Chuchi is really nice to look at."
Fox furrowed his brow. "Which squad is Chuchi in? Is that the new transfer from Jet's group?"
"What? No!" Archer facepalmed. "No, she's not a brother. She's a senator. Senator Riyo Chuchi. From Pantora. The Pantoran Senator Riyo Chuchi. The one you just had a meeting with about the name bill."
"Oh, right." Fox did vaguely remember a Pantoran senator at those meetings. If she was who Archer was referring to, then he was right. She was rather nice to look at. "I should tell you that if you're looking to date her, that's strictly prohibited."
"Not me!" Archer said, making a strangled noise in the back of his throat. "Commander Wolffe was right. You are a lost cause."
He turned to him; brow still furrowed. "What? What is this about?"
Archer sighed. "Nevermind, sir. Let's get this meeting over with so you can get some sleep."
"Sleep is for the weak," he said. They found one of Senator Amidala's aides and sent her to tell the senators they had arrived.
While they waited, Archer's comments about the Pantoran senator bothered him. He needed to nip this in the bud now before things got messy. "Look, Archer, I know Wolffe has slept with half the Senate at this point, but don't be like Wolffe. He has the opportunity to leave Coruscant. You work directly under these people. It is not a good idea."
"No, not me! I don't want to be in a relationship with her."
"Then tell Sol what I told you."
Archer groaned. "How are you this good at your job but also this thick?"
The aide came back before Fox had a chance to respond. He'd deal with Archer and/or Sol's love life later. Right now, he had a bill to amend. Most of the usual suspects were there, but a few key players, mainly Senator Mothma, was missing. No matter, Fox could make do with this group.
He spotted Senator Chuchi sitting next to Amidala. Her cheeks darkened as she smoothed back her hair. She was nice to look at. Archer and/or Sol could probably do worse.
He turned back to the matter at hand. "Senators, thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice."
"Of course, commander," Amidala said, smiling at him. "We enjoy speaking with you about trooper issues. Is everything going okay with the naming act? No issues have arisen and the troops like how it's been set up?"
"No issues, senators," he took a seat. For a moment, a thrill of fear raced through his body. They didn't say he could take a seat. He might get in trouble for thinking he even had a place at the table. No one said anything. He continued. "It's going well and the citizens seem to enjoy reading about the troopers. Apparently, three troopers named Hevy, Droidbait, and Cutup are current favorites. With…" he sighed and vowed to send more live rats to Rex for this one, "Cloney McCloneface—"
Archer snorted.
"Also being a favorite." He finished.
"That's wonderful news. I'm so glad we were able to address the issues," Senator Chuchi said, smiling brightly at him.
That was a nice smile. He should make her smile more often.
"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about the Food Donation Bill, though."
"Is everything okay with it? You're still getting plenty of donations, correct?" Organa asked.
"Yes. Particularly from Shili." Fox grinned. "So many live rats."
The senators all exchanged confused glances.
"He sends them to Captain Rex as payback for giving him more work," Archer rushed to explain.
"Oh. Okay then," Amidala said. She still sounded confused.
Fox's smile dropped. "I was wondering if we could amend the bill to include other non-food items. Items such as blankets, pillows, socks, soap, shampoos, things like that."
"We can definitely work on that," Amidala said. "Any particular reason why?"
"After the last episode, or what I'm assuming was the last episode—"
"Sir, please just watch it. They're not very long," Archer groaned.
"At this point, it's a matter of principle," he stated. "After the last episode, there has been an uptick in people trying to donate other items to the troops. Knitwear and shaving cream seem to be the big ones."
"A little old lady gave me a scarf the other day," Archer beamed. "It's even in my favorite color."
"You don't have a favorite color."
"I do now and it's purple." Archer sniffed. He turned to the senators. "He's only angry because she gave him an orange hat. He hates orange. And hats. But he is a big fan of the color turquoise. So, write that down. Some nice turquoise gloves. I think he'd like that."
For some reason, Senator Chuchi nodded and wrote that down.
He turned to look at Archer. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, sir. Don't worry about it."
He felt like he should very much be worrying about it. But one problem at a time. And the current problem he wanted to deal with was Orn Free Taa coming to his office once more crying about how his people were threatening rebellion (again) if he didn't start donating things (again). Fox wanted him out of his office and as far from him as possible. So he was amending this food donation bill and he was amending it today.
"Apparently, an actress who plays a character named Francesca Delarosa on some soap holo-drama called 'Romance on the Plains of Naboo', some woman named Sari Mundalan, has become very outspoken about it."
"She's launched a social media campaign and everything," Archer added.
"You got a famous actress to start speaking out on trooper issues?" Organa asked, surprised.
"Er, yeah. Well, not me. But, she's speaking out and whatnot. Why? Is that bad?"
"That's wonderful!" Amidala said. "Stars like that can have a lot of influence over people's opinions on social justice issues. It takes your visibility to another level. People who don't watch Creche to Command might still be influenced to take action based on Mundalan's campaign," she explained.
Oh. He had no idea something like this was a good thing. "Yes, well, like I said, I want to capitalize on this. Instead of writing a new bill, we can amend the one we already have. It'd pass faster and with the public support, other senators will be more likely to support it."
"All good points, commander," Organa said. "Is there anything specific you'd like us to include on it?"
Fox pulled out a datapad and handed it to him. "I already drafted the amendment. As always, feel free to make any adjustments necessary."
"You are very good at this," Senator Chuchi said.
That made his heart rate speed up ever so slightly. "Thank you, senator. If that's all, I need to get back to work." He stood and went to leave when Senator Amidala called for him.
"Actually, Commander," she said.
He turned back to her. "Yes, senator?"
She paused and then shook her head. "Never mind. Thank you again for your work. We'll introduce this to the Senate this week."
"Of course."
"Remember, turquoise gloves. If you need hand measurements, just ask. We all have the same hand size," Archer said.
Fox grabbed his bicep and dragged him out of the room. "What is wrong with you? Is this why you wanted to come along? To ask for gloves?"
"It's for a good cause!"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Despite Archer's strange behavior, Fox left the meeting feeling light. Light and happy. They were figuring this thing out. Figuring out how to help make his brothers' lives better. Tomorrow he'd send out a chat to the commander asking them what specifically they'd like to see passed in the Senate. Once he had the list, he'd start working on bills and acts, making it as easy as possible for Amidala and the others to introduce them to the Senate.
As much as he hated the extra work, he also couldn't wait to get started.
*****
Stix wandered the town he and the rest of Green were staying at for a few weeks. They were kind of in limbo at the moment. They weren't on an active campaign, but there had been sightings of separatist ships in the area. So, they were hanging out. Standing ready just in case the seppies decided to attack.
The system itself was rich in natural resources, particularly the fuel used to power GAR ships, which meant that any attack on the planet could be disastrous for the rest of the fleet. The Senate had decided to keep a battalion stationed there, just in case. To have someone closer who could react quickly if they needed to.
So far nothing had happened and Stix was starting to get very bored. While at first, it was nice to relax and spend a few days not getting shot at, things were starting to get monotonous.
Scouting missions in the morning. Monitor the radar in the afternoon. Then kick around for the evening until it was time to go to bed. Wake up the next morning, rinse, repeat.
He had wandered for the past hour and had now reached the point where sleep sounded like a fun thing to do. Then, he saw an old woman sitting in the town center by the fountain.
She was sewing something.
Stix hesitated, took a step forward, then thought better of it and took a step back. Then he took another step forward. Then another step back. Then he sidled over to the woman, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, craning his neck to watch her work.
Damn, her hands could fly. And they were so steady too. How did she do that funky stitch there in the middle?
"What is it, boy?" she asked, not looking up from her sewing.
Stix winced upon being caught and rubbed the back of his helmet. "Is that sewing?"
She finally looked up at him. "Aye. What's it to you?"
He hesitated once more before deciding he had nothing to lose. He pulled off his helmet and pulled out the latest head covering he was working on. "What am I doing wrong? I keep trying to make these emergency head coverings for Barriss, our vod'ika but I keep getting them wrong. I've only made like three or four good ones. This one's falling apart at the seams. The last one was too big. The one before that was too small. These things need to stay put on her head during a battle but I can't seem to get it right."
She narrowed her eyes and ran a wrinkled, gnarled finger over the fabric. "Why are you using three different types of stitches?"
"There's more than one type of stitch?"
She muttered something under her breath and then let out a loud whistle. Several old ladies emerged out of the shadows, hobbling towards them.
"Ladies," she said, "we need to teach this boy how to sew. Come. Sit. You learn." She grabbed his arm and yanked him down onto the edge of the fountain.
"Oh, look at this fabric! It's so thin. Maud, go get that nice silk you bought a few years back."
"And what's with this needle? Hang on. I'm going to go get my extra sewing travel kit. You're ripping a hole in the fabric with this needle and your thread is terrible."
"You can sew all you want, Ethel. I'm getting my knitting supplies. It's cold on those ships, you know."
As all the old ladies rushed around, gathering their things, Stix ran his fingers over his pathetic head covering. Well, looks like he had found his afternoon activity! Hopefully, the general and commanders wouldn't come looking for him.
*****
Barriss had taken Ahsoka's words to heart and tried to spend more time with the troopers. She was worried they'd be too loud and obnoxious for her tastes and that her attempts to bond with them would only further drive a wedge between them.
They were loud and they could be wild.
But they were also so much more than that.
They were thoughtful, creative, curious, and intelligent individuals. Each with a distinct personality, likes, dislikes, and hobbies. She did get along better with some troopers, but that was to be expected. She didn't get along well with every padawan or Jedi master, after all.
She loved being around them. More than she thought she would. Her loneliness, which once seeped into her bones like a bitter winter chill, had been chased away. Before, she could spend hours alone on the ship, not talking to a single person, lost in her own thoughts. Now she had hundreds of people she could talk to at any time of the day.
And, they were so respectful of her too. If she didn't want to talk to them, if she needed time alone to recharge, they'd leave her alone. In fact, she often didn't need to tell them she wanted to be alone. It was like they could just sense her desires and needs and were more than willing to accommodate her.
It was wonderful.
And when she was around the men, she had the opportunity to not be so stiff and formal. She could laugh with them. Joke with them. Play games with them.
Jester turned out to be a surprisingly difficult opponent for dejarik. She had yet to beat him. Gree assured her that most people had yet to beat him.
The only person on the ship who had?
Master Luminara.
She still wasn't sure if their relationship was quite the same as Ahsoka's and her troopers, but it was much better than before.
Which was why she was looking for them now. She had a bit of time before she needed to go meditate. She wanted to see what Gree and the others were up to. However, no matter where she looked on their makeshift base, none of the troopers she was closest to were there.
She tried not to worry. They had probably gone into the village to rest and relax. They deserved it. Prior to this, they had had some difficult campaigns with high casualties.
She went to head towards the village. A thought came to her.
They had had several difficult campaigns with high casualties. Did they want to be around her at the moment? They were still troopers who deserved privacy. Maybe entertaining her was the last thing they wanted right now. Maybe she needed to read their desires and give them space.
"Is everything alright, Barriss?" Master Luminara said.
Barriss hadn't even heard her approach. "Oh, yes, master. I was wondering where Commander Gree and the others were. I haven't seen them on the base."
"I believe I saw them head into the village. We can go check on them. Come."
"What if they would like to be alone for a bit?"
"Then the village is a poor place to do that. Besides, reach out with the Force and see what they're feeling. They're content."
Barriss did as she was told. Master Luminara was correct. She could feel Gree easiest of all. Sometimes it was like he was a beacon of light in the darkness. Something that called to her and grounded her and kept her turning towards the Light.
She also sensed Spine, Locke, Blackout, and Stix in the village. All of them seemed happy. But also frustrated? It was an odd emotion.
"Come along, Barriss," Master Luminara said up ahead on the path.
She followed after her, curious as to what her troopers were up to.
"I am glad you are spending more time with the men," Master Luminara said. "It is good to get to know your troops."
Right.
Troops.
Soldiers.
Not vode as they referred to one another. Barriss was a Jedi. Jedi did not form attachments. Not even to the men who would give their lives to protect her. Perhaps it was a bad idea to go searching for them.
Once more she felt conflicted between what the Jedi Code allowed and what she wanted. She had tried to see things the way Ahsoka had seen things, but it was hard. She worried that she wasn't doing this right.
"Is something bothering you, Barriss?"
She hesitated. She did not want Master Luminara to think she was spitting in the face of the Jedi Code. She did not want her master to be disappointed with her. Like a child, she wanted to hide her ill deeds from her, hoping they would go away with enough time and patience. However, she needed guidance. How did she balance being a Jedi, but also wanting to grow closer to her troopers?
"I worry about my attachment to the troopers," she started carefully. "I know attachments are forbidden as a Jedi, but I can't help but want to be closer to the men. And I am unsure of how to deal with that."
Master Luminara stopped walking, brow furrowed. She turned to Barriss. "I am very sorry, my padawan. I have failed as your master."
"Oh, no! It is I who have failed. I know the rules. I should do a better job of trying to follow them," Barriss said quickly. She hadn't meant to blame Master Luminara. She should have never brought it up.
Master Luminara put a hand on her shoulder. "No, I am the one who has failed here. Not you. The term 'attachment' is vague and encompasses many different types of relationships. Everyone with the ability to feel empathy has attachments to people. It is inevitable. It is also very beautiful. It is from those attachments that we are able to keep the peace. To solve issues. To grow and understand. It is impossible to get rid of all attachments. You will always find yourself drawn to certain people. And, even if it weren't impossible, it would be very unhealthy. We need people in our lives we can trust to protect and guide us."
"I see," Barriss said.
"The danger comes not from friendship or companionship, but from an unhealthy relationship. An obsessive need to put the well-being of the few above the well-being of the many. Especially as a Force user, you and I have the ability to warp the fabric of our existence. We can twist it in the name of love. Your care for the men is not, in and of itself dangerous. It means you are willing to treat them as people, to protect them as much as possible, and to show them kindness. But, if you formed the kinds of attachments the Jedi Code forbids, then you would be potentially putting the safety and peace of the galaxy at risk."
"I don't want Gree or any other trooper to die, though," she said.
"Nor do I. I don't wish for anyone to die. But, would you risk an entire village's safety to keep Commander Gree and the others alive?"
She shook her head.
"And if the men were to die, would you seek revenge? Or use the dark side to try and resurrect them?"
She shook her head once more.
"I am sorry I made you feel as though you were not allowed to care for the men," Master Luminara continued. "It is okay to care for them. It is okay to form friendships with them. It is okay to grieve when they die and try to protect their lives. But when they die, you have to also let them go without a fight. And you cannot put their safety above the safety of everyone else. Does that make more sense?"
"It does, master. Thank you."
And it did. She felt clearer about her place with the men, now. More grounded in what was and wasn't acceptable. She would give her life to try and keep them alive. But if they died, she would not let it consume her. She would let them pass into the Force and continue on with the mission.
Master Luminara smiled at her. "Good. Now, then, let's see if we can't find our wayward troops."
"I do wonder what mischief they're causing in the village."
"They are not Master Skywalker or Master Koon's men. They know better than to cause chaos like that."
Barriss laughed. "I wouldn't be so sure. I'm starting to wonder if being chaos-loving is hard-wired into their genes."
They walked into town, not having far to go before their troopers were spotted at the village square, sprawled out around the fountain along with several older women. Each trooper was working on various craft projects.
"You motherfucking ballsack!" Spine cursed. "I don't get it, Dorothy-Ruth. I am counting my stitches. How are these all-different lengths?"
The woman, who must have been Dorothy-Ruth, adjusted her glasses and looked at Spine's lopsided knitted. She smacked him on the back of the head. "Son, you add stitches when you purl. Quit adding stitches."
"I'm not trying to add stitches! The yarn has a mind of its own." He cried.
"Show me, then. Show me how you purl."
"What is going on here?" Master Luminara said.
"Are they… are they knitting?" Barriss asked. "Wait, no, Spine's knitting. But Locke isn't and Stix looks like he's crocheting. What is Gree doing?"
"My grandson wants hair like yours," another old woman next to Gree said.
Gree had his tongue stuck out as he spun wool into yarn. "Tell him it's a bitch to deal with. I got to shave like every day to keep it looking like this. And trying to keep it from going lopsided is a pain in my ass."
"Yes, but you're so handsome," another woman next to Locke said. "All you boys are. Handsome young men. I bet the ladies can't keep their hands off you."
"Are any of you single?" Another said. "My grandson could use a nice young man like one of you in his life. His last boyfriend was terrible."
"Oh, I told you, Maud, I told you that nerf-herder was trouble," Dorothy-Ruth said.
"Okay," Stix held up what looked like one of Barriss' emergency head coverings. "Okay, so this is the backstitch, right? And this is the running stitch?"
"Good. Let's try the ladder stitch now."
"Oh, but that one looks hard!"
"You want this head covering to look good or do you want it to look like one of Maud's creations?"
"You shut your mouth, Ethel. We all know the only reason you won this year's pie contest was because you slept with the judge."
"There's a reason you never touched that silk, Maud. We all know it. And I am not letting this young man ruin it either. He learns with the crappy fabric first and then he can use the nice one."
"This is the same material our blacks are made out of," Stix said.
Ethel pushed her glasses up on her nose and shook her head. "Back in my day, we actually gave our soldiers good clothes to wear. Sturdy clothes."
Maud seemed to decide not to pick any more fights with Ethel and turned back to Blackout. "So, you really like that Henri gave up his job as CEO at the end of the book?"
"Of course!" Blackout scoffed. "He's probably got a shit load of assets so it's not like they'll be hurting for money."
"Yes, but the point of billionaire romances is to be in a romance with a billionaire. If he quits his job, he's no longer a billionaire."
"But isn't it more romantic that he's willing to give up the money to be with her?"
"Maybe. I'll add you to the list for next month's book club. We're reading 'A Romance of Two Generals'."
"Ooh, that one's been on my list for a while. I'll definitely be there, Maud."
Gree finally looked up from his yarn spinning and realized they were there. "Oh, sirs. Hello. Didn't see you there." He made a move to stand up.
Master Luminara quickly raised a hand and shook her head. "There is no need, Commander. We were simply wondering where you were."
"We're.. we're here, sir," he said, looking around at the men.
Master Luminara radiated a calm amusement in the force and had an entertained smile on her lips. "I see. Well, then, Barriss, I'll leave you to it." She turned and started walking away.
"Wait, don't I need to meditate?"
She turned back. "One can find meditation in this form of labor. I encourage you to try. Master Skywalker is actually very good at this sort of meditation."
"Remember, Spine, the yarn can smell fear!" Dorothy-Ruth shouted. "You can't show any of it! You show it who's boss!"
"Listen here, you fucking piece of string, I've ripped apart clankers with my bare hands!" Spine shouted, his hands and arms tangled up in the yarn. "I will purl you into a sweater and there's nothing you can fucking do about it!"
"You tell it, Spine," Ethel said.
"Of course," Master Luminara bit back a laugh, "It is easier to meditate when Spine is not threatening yarn. But, it will be a good exercise in how to meditate through distraction."
It was then that Barriss realized she was giving her permission to spend time with the men. To relax with them. To forgo some of her training now to build these relationships.
"Of course, master. Thank you."
"I will see you later, then." Master Luminara turned to walk back towards their makeshift camp.
Locke laughed. "Look at you, Spine. All tangled up."
"Ne'johaa, vod. My knitting is going to be much better than that piece of shit you're crocheting."
"What are you knitting and crocheting? Scarves?" Barriss asked, leaning over to admire Locke's handiwork. It wasn't much better than Spine's.
"Sweaters," Locke said as a couple of stitches slipped off the hook.
"Why don't you make the front of the sweater? Then Spine makes the back of the sweater. Then you sew it together?" Stix asked. "Work smarter, not harder."
Spine and Locke looked at each other.
"You want to, brother?" Spine asked.
"Yeah, I'm down."
"That's not how this works. I think," Gree said.
Not to mention the sweater would look atrocious. Spine was knitting something with bright orange yarn. Locke was knitting something with lime green yarn. The clashing colors made Barriss's head hurt. She decided not to say anything.
"Less yapping and more yarn making. It's not going to spin itself, boy."
"Yes, sir." Gree rolled his eyes. He looked at her. "You can sit down, Barriss. Don't have to stand there."
"Right. Of course." She hurried and tucked herself next to Gree's side. He was warm, helping to fight off the evening chill that had settled over the village.
"Harriette, this is our vod'ika Barriss. The one we were telling you about."
Barriss felt her entire body warm at Gree's words. He had never referred to her as vod'ika before. At least not out loud. And he said it so casually too. She had heard pretty much everyone in Ahsoka's battalion refer to her as such and a part of her wondered what it would be like. She understood that Ahsoka's relationship with her troopers was not the same as Barriss's and did not want to force something that wasn't there. But she still wondered.
To hear Gree say it out loud made her happy.
It was one thing to be told she was one of them.
It was one thing to know they had a special protocol for her out in the field and were doing their best to accommodate her need to keep her head covered.
It was another thing entirely to tell the world she was one of them in a language that was worth more to them than anything else.
He didn't introduce her as a commander or as a padawan. He introduced her as his little sister in Mando'a.
"Oh, this is that lovely young girl all you boys like," Maud said. "You're such a lovely thing. So proper. Such good manners."
"Too skinny," Ethel shook her head. "You all are too skinny. We'll eat after we're done here."
"That's okay. You don't have to," Barriss said.
"Nonsense. Handiwork, good food, and good friends. Name a better combination."
"I don't think I can," she admitted.
"Hey, Ethel," Stix said, "I've seen some things on the holonet where they like stitch pictures or something into the cloth. Can you show me how to do that?"
"You mean embroidery and cross-stitching? Yeah, I can do that. What do you want to make?"
"I was thinking of a picture of a fist! Cause we crush droids with our fists."
"Punch any droid and I will kill you," Spine growled.
"Commander Cody kicked a droid once."
"Are you Commander Cody?"
Spine deflated.
"Exactly."
"Hang on," Locke said, "if Stix is embroidering something on her head coverings then I want to embroider something too. It's not going to be something stupid like a fist, either. It's going to be something cool. Like a mythosaur."
"Wait, I want to embroider something too," Blackout said.
Gree rolled his eyes and continued spinning yarn.
"You do not wish to embroider anything?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Maybe I'll embroider a squid for you. How's that sound?"
She laughed. "That sounds wonderful."
"You know, kid, once we show back up at the base, all the boys are going to want to embroider something. I'm not sure there's enough room for all that."
"That is a good point." She thought about it for a minute. Then an idea came to her. "Wait, you all are hoping to have one of these with every trooper, right?"
He nodded.
"Then how about they embroider on their own emergency covering? That way everyone has a chance and we don't have to try and fit it all on just one."
Gree laughed. "You're very diplomatic. You know that?"
"Well, someone has to be around here." She leaned to him a little more, watching as he spun the wool into yarn.
She felt at peace. More at peace than she had in a long time. She was so glad she had talked to Master Luminara about the attachment issue. She would grieve if Gree or any of the others die. A piece of her would be missing and would likely never be replaced. But that wasn't a bad thing. She would rather have the chance to be a vod to these men even if it was just for a short period of time than cut herself off from the world in fear.
*****
"Wow, that is a lot of boxes," Rex said as he surveyed the pile they had gotten with the last shipment of donations. Thankfully, Fox seemed to either be getting bored with sending rats to him every month or had run out of rats to send, so this time, Rex didn't have to worry about that.
Though, knowing Fox, if Shili was no longer donating rats for Ahsoka to hunt, the bastard would probably send the Corries out to the lower levels of Coruscant to catch some themselves.
Note for the future: Have Kix scan all live rats to make sure they didn't have any diseases.
Speaking of Fox, he had been very busy the last few weeks. He somehow managed to expand the food donation bill so that citizens could also donate other goods to the troops. And it had been a massive hit. Especially with little old ladies who loved to knit and crochet, but were running out of people to foist their handmade goods onto. It seemed like every battalion in the GAR was getting mountains of pillows, quilts, scarves, and—
"So many fuzzy socks!" Denal cried, laughing like a madman as he collapsed into a pile. "My feet will never be cold again!"
"This one says it's specifically for Tup," Hardcase said. "Why does he get a special package?"
"Let me open it and see," Tup said, grabbing it from him and popping open the box.
"What's it say?" Rex asked.
"Dear Tup, I weep for the state of your hair. Please, never use body soap on it again. It's longer. Treat it with care. I've included shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, a hair mask, and a better comb." He read aloud.
"Your hair is not that much longer than ours," Fives scoffed.
"You're just jealous because you didn't get a special package," he laughed. "Sooran, shab! You aren't going to get your grubby hands on any of it."
"Whatever, Fives rolled his eyes and began opening up another box. He pulled out some photos, his eyes bugging out of his head. "Oh! Wow!"
"What is it?" Echo asked, craning his neck to look at what Fives had in his hands. "Wow! Is that Sari Mundalan?"
"Yep."
"She is not wearing any clothes."
"No, she is not."
"She is also very flexible."
Echo and Fives tilted their head to the side, examining the picture.
"Do you think she put her leg in that position herself or did someone help her put it there?" Fives asked.
Rex rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright. Pack it up. You, boys, know the rules."
Great. Now he was going to have to scan these packages before Ahsoka opened any of them in case more nudes came through. He'd be sure to warn Gree about that later.
Fives reluctantly put the pictures away. "I know. I know. Keep it where Ahsoka won't find them. We're not idiots, Captain."
"I would disagree with that wholeheartedly," Rex sighed.
"Speaking of Soka," Jesse said, "I got a hat for her."
"How do you know it's for her?" Dogma asked, digging through yet another box and pulling out pallets of razors and shaving cream.
"Because the letter says, "I knitted this a few sizes bigger so her lekku could grow into them." So, unless one of you has some lekku you've been hiding, I'm guessing it's for the kid," he said. "Aw, Captain, they knitted your jaig's eyes on the front. Now you're matching."
Rex rolled his eyes.
"Oh, wait, there's more. Here's a Republic crest on the left. A five on the right. I think they even got your tattoos on here, Hardcase. Man, they worked hard on this. She's going to love it."
Rex knew she would. And he knew how happy she'd be when she learned all the things that had come in with the latest shipment. No more scratchy blankets or thin pillows or medical soaps that made their skin dry.
Comfortable things.
Things Rex wasn't supposed to care about but found himself desperately longing for. He'd let the men dig through and take their pick. They deserved it. If there was anything left, then he might grab a blanket to two. For now, it was nice just watching his brothers enjoy some soft quilts and knitted sweaters.
*****
Ahsoka could barely hold back a laugh when she saw Barriss' newest wardrobe choice. "What are you wearing?" she asked.
"A sweater," Barriss answered diplomatically.
It was probably the weirdest-looking sweater Ahsoka had ever seen. One sleeve was much longer than the other. Barriss had to scrunch it up to use her hands. The hem went past her knees and was lopsided. There were several neck openings to choose from. It seemed like she had tried to choose the one that was closest to the middle, but it wasn't quite in the middle so it pulled to the side. Several long pieces of thread trailed at various places. The back was an atrocious neon orange color while the front was an equally atrocious lime green. Alone, the colors would have been loud and an assault on the eyes. Together? Ahsoka was having a hard time looking at it.
"Where did you get it?" Barriss had only ever worn black before. Maybe she didn't know that colors could clash.
"Spine and Locke made it for me. Spine made the back. Locke made the front," she said, looking down at it. "It's very warm."
Oh, then that changed everything. "That's so cute! See, they care about you." Ahsoka beamed. It was nice to hear that Barriss was opening up to the troopers and making friends. She seemed brighter than before. Less lonely. Less stiff and formal.
"And I see you got a new hat," Barriss said.
"Yep!" Ahoska ran her fingers down the soft yarn. "None of my boys made it. It was a donation. But whoever did make it did a great job incorporating their armor markings and tattoos on it. Look, it even has Fives' little five here his five is!" She turned her head to show it off.
"And Captain Rex's jaig's eyes, I see," Barriss beamed. She pulled out a black cloth. "Speaking of markings, Stix has finally figured out how to sew head coverings in a way where they won't come off in battle. So now every trooper is embroidering little symbols to mark it as theirs. This is Gree's. It's got a little squid on it."
"That's so cute. And he's not half bad. I can at least tell it's a squid."
Barriss nodded. "And they just received a shipment of donations. The amount of blankets and pillows and sweaters they've gotten is amazing. I don't think I've ever seen them so happy."
"I know!" Ahsoka's smile dropped. Her theory had been proven right. She could influence politics with Creche to Command. All it took was one episode, one measly little episode, and people were donating goods in droves.
She had power. But just because she knew she had it now didn't mean she knew what her next steps were going to be.
"What is it? Is something the matter?" Barriss asked.
"It's just… I don't know. Sometimes I feel like it still isn't enough. These are my brothers. They deserve better." She rubbed her wrist. It had never bruised, but sometimes, if she closed her eyes and focused on it, she could feel a twinge of pain. "I want to do something to make their lives better. Actually better. But I don't know what."
Barriss' smile also dropped and she tucked away Gree's head covering. "These things are slow to move, Ahsoka. The first hurdle is simply getting people to view them as, well, people. I know you want it to happen now, but you have to be patient. Their lives are improving. We just need to keep advocating for them."
"What if isn't enough, though? What if something happens because I moved too slowly?"
"Did something happen?" Barriss asked.
Not for the first time since the Krell incident did Ahsoka long to tell someone about it. Cody was still the only person who knew. Sometimes, it felt like this great weight pressed on her chest, crushing her and twisting her stomach. Krell had happened. Krell had shattered her view of the world and Jedi and how people treated the troopers. Krell had made them afraid. Had made them into shells of themselves. Had stripped them of all identity.
She hadn't done enough to stop him. She hadn't stood up to him enough. She hadn't pushed back against his treatment enough. She had tried once and then never again.
What if that happened again? What if this series was a chance for her to stand up for their rights but she didn't do it?
"I… someone used a trooper's number instead of their name. And we got into an argument over it. The incident shook me. That's all," she said.
"Oh," Barriss said. "Have you talked to Master Skywalker or Master Kenobi about it?"
She shook her head.
"Maybe you should. They are there to guide us, after all."
Ahsoka bit her lip. "I don't know. I don't want to make a big fuss about it. I did talk to Cody. He said they could handle it. But… I feel lost."
"If it is about the troopers' welfare, you wouldn't be making a fuss."
"It feels so small, though. They're out there dying every day. The number thing is the least of their worries."
"I suppose that's a good point," Barriss said, though she didn't sound convinced. "Are you sure you don't want to bring this up to your master? Even if you are making a big fuss, he can help put your mind at ease."
"I'll think about it," she said.
"Alright. But, please, Ahsoka, if something happens, tell someone."
Her wrist twinged again. "I will."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
They quickly moved on to other topics and Ahsoka was more than happy to let things move away from Krell and the treatment of troopers. Eventually, though, Barriss had to go, and Ahsoka was left alone with her thoughts.
She lay on her bunk for a while longer, staring at the ceiling, tracing the five and Republic crest with her fingers.
"Jesse's video on droids probably won't make a big impact on their lives," she muttered to herself. "But Rex still needs to appear in a video. Maybe I can convince him to talk about some deeper topics."
She thought it over in her head a bit more. She desperately wanted to sleep, but it was like her brain wouldn't shut up. Jumping from one topic to the next over and over and over. Circling back, jumping to another one, plummeting into something she only thought about for a few seconds before she moved on.
"I can't sleep!" she groaned.
She slipped out of bed and back into the hallways. The lights were dimmed for the sleep cycle, but still bright enough for her to see where she was going. Maybe if she walked for a bit that'd get her mind to quiet down.
She shivered as her bare feet hit the floor. Well, this was a failure. The ship was so cold it woke her right back up.
"Maybe I should have grabbed a pair of socks," she groaned. Other than the hat, which had clearly been made for her even if Fives did try to steal it, she hadn't taken anything that had been donated. Not socks, blankets, sweaters, soap, or pillows. She wanted to make sure the troopers had everything they wanted and needed.
"Maybe I'll go stick my feet on Rex's back. That'll warm them up," she muttered to herself.
"There she is," someone said.
Then, before Ahsoka could react, someone came up behind her and tossed her over her shoulder. She yelped as she fell face-first into a woolen sweater.
"Fives?" She recognized his force signature. The soap thing had started to mess with her head a bit. Everyone smelled different now and she was having a harder time picking up their scents now that they were experimenting with the different soaps. The Force signature remained the same though.
"What are you doing?" She pressed herself up to see Jesse was with them.
"Kidnapping you." Jesse grinned. "Come on, Fives, before she gets away from you."
"You don't need to kidnap me," she mumbled, flopping back as Fives jogged through the halls. "You can just tell me where you want to go. I can walk, you know."
"It's more fun this way. And it's payback after you pounced on me from the vent last week," Fives said.
"You deserved it after you convinced me humans could feel pain in their hair and that every time you cut it, you were in excruciating pain!"
Fives chuckled. "It is so much fun to mess with you, you know that?"
"Watch it or I'll tear a hole in your new sweater with my teeth."
"You wouldn't dare, vod'ika."
He and Jesse made their way to their bunks where Fives practically threw her into a warm, fuzzy pile.
"They got you too?" Rex asked from beside her. He was wearing his blacks save for a pair of fuzzy socks on his feet. They had little anthropomorphic toasts on them.
"Did Fives toss you over his shoulder as well?"
"Group effort with Hardcase and Dogma," he muttered. He looked down at her feet and sighed. "How many times have I told you if you're going to wander around the ship, put some socks on." He pulled off his socks and pulled them onto her feet.
"I was going to stick them on your back," she muttered.
"I know. Which is why I don't want you wandering around with bare feet."
"You take all the fun out of torturing you, Rex. You know that?"
"I do." He smiled at her.
"What are we doing here anyways?" she asked, looking around. It looked like they had grabbed every blanket and pillow they could get their hands on and made a pile in the center of the bunk.
Fives flopped down next to her and pulled her into his chest. "Cuddling with all the fuzzy shit we go. Gotta put these quilts to good use somehow."
"It's like I'm sleeping on a cloud," Echo said, sprawled out over a pillow. "Is this what comfort feels like?"
Rex rolled his eyes and settled down next to her. "Don't fight it, vod'ika. Fives is going to cuddle you one way or another."
"He is a clingy bastard," Jesse said, flopping down somewhere above him.
Kix let out an 'oof', signaling that he was who Jesse had flopped onto. "Says you. You're the clingiest one out of all of us."
Denal had curled up somewhere around her feet. "I'm never going to be cold again. That video idea was genius, Sok'ika."
"Course it was," Dogma said somewhere behind Rex. "And I now know what it's like to not have itchy and irritated skin. Smooth like butter."
She stifled a laugh. The lights dimmed and more blankets and quilts were piled on top of her as more troopers piled into their little blanket nest, chasing away the cold.
Slowly, everyone settle down and their breathing evened out until it was only her and Rex awake.
Rex was gently twisting her padawan beads in his fingers, his body relaxed next to her. He was calm in the force. Content. It made her sleepy and she felt safe here. Like nothing bad would ever happen.
"You doing okay?" he asked softly.
She thought about it for a second and then nodded. "Yeah. You?"
"Yeah. We're all doing okay."
She felt like this went deeper than a general 'how are you today' question that was simply for small talk. He was trying to tell her that they were fine. All the troopers were fine and safe and here. She let that feeling carry her mind and she drifted off to sleep.
Krell and others like him were still a problem, but she was determined to not let him win. She was determined to make her brothers' lives better. She still had a lot of work to do, but she was willing to do it.
And it was this thought that carried her into a deep sleep.
*****
CommanderGree has uploaded a photo: A picture of Barriss in an ugly green and orange sweater laying on top of him, fast asleep.
CaptainRex: Congratulations, you're officially an ori'vod
CommanderGree: How does this make me an official ori'vod?
CaptainRex: When your padawan drools on you, that's when it's official. Isn't that right, @CommanderWolffe?
CommanderWolffe: Ah, the first time Ahsoka drooled all over me, so gross, but so cute.
CommanderGree: I also called her vod'ika out loud.
CommanderBly: Really? Did she freak out?
CommanderGree: No. Didn't say anything, but she smiled so I think she was okay with it.
CommanderBacara: Y'all are making me jealous that we don't have padawans to cuddle with. They'd be a perfect size, too!
CaptainRex: Don't be jealous, trying to keep them alive is a pain in the ass.
CommanderGree: Maybe yours is, vod, but mine is perfect.
CaptainRex: Yours fired a tank underground at a reactor and was buried alive.
CommanderGree: And I still say that's because yours is a bad influence
CaptainRex: That bad influence is the reason she's drooling all over you in the first place.
CommanderCody: Alright, alright, break it up. No one's padawan is a bad influence on anyone else's padawan.
CommanderJet: @CommanderThire @CommanderStone @CommanderThorn, one of you thank Fox for getting us some halfway decent soap and razors.
CommanderPonds: And don't forget the pillows! I don't think I've ever slept this good in my life.
CommanderThorn: Will do. We're busy trying to set him up with Chuchi though.
CommanderBly: Is it working?
CommanderThorn: No. Now he thinks Archer and Sol are trying to get with her.
CommanderThire: We had to attend a training on why we weren't allowed to sleep with the senators. You were mentioned by name multiple times, @CommanderWolffe.
CommanderBacara: Someone needs to get that man laid.
CommanderWolffe: I told you, he's a lost cause. Just have them get married and buy a house together. He'll figure it out in a few years.
CommanderThorn: That's Plan B, brother.
CommanerGree: I think we're on Plan Z now.
Notes:You guys like Cody and Wolffe's confessionals so here's Gree's. Enjoy!
Gree's Confessional:
Producer: Is everything alright Gree?
Sigh I might be thinking of deserting.
Producer: Why's that?
I… there's a baby, in our battalion.
Producer: A baby? Did you rescue a civilian?
Shakes his head No, she's supposed to be here.
Producer: Do you mean Barriss Offee? Master Unduli's padawan?
A baby. She's a baby. A tiny little baby! And she's here! And she's supposed to fight with us? She's going to get shot at. People know that, right? The baby is going to get shot at. With a blaster. She's going to get shot with a blaster. A blaster that kills people.
Producer: I'm sure she's going to be fine. Padawans are very well trained.
She's not wearing armor. She is not wearing any armor. Her hands are just completely out in the open. She's going to get tetanus.
Producer: I'm sure they've given her vaccinations for tetanus.
I'm going to have to keep this baby alive, aren't I? She doesn't have any muscles. I need to build up her muscles. And train her. Yeah, she needs training. And armor. She needs armor. And a tetanus shot.
Ne'johaa: Shut up
Sooran, shab: Suck it, chump.
Atuetisse: Foreigners outsiders
Vod: Brother
Vod'ika: Little brother/sister
Ori'vod: Older brother