Ariana's Trials

Part 33

3rd POV

Finally, after nearly a year of being missing, Rex sent a transmission to Anakin and Ahsoka. Guilt was present in his mind as he recorded it, but his relationship with Kaldur and the break from the fighting was worth it. Almost as soon as he sent it, a reply came up. 

"Where were you?" They had asked

"Stranded. I got help from some locals in building a ship capable of returning. Then something else came up" Rex typed as Kaldur walked in

"Who are you messaging?" Kaldur bit into an apple

"My Commander" Rex sighed "I gotta go back"

"What? Noooo" Kaldur moaned "Why do you have to go?"

"Because we're fighting a war, and I have a job to do" Rex hated having to leave, and Kaldur let a malicious grin seep across his face

"I need to pick up some milk. See you in a bit" he turned around and ran out the door. Rex had the same feeling when Kaldur put a fish in his pillow-he was up to mischief. Opening the fridge, Rex saw they had plenty of milk, and Kaldur had improved his lying skills. 

"Damn," Rex muttered, dragging a hand down his face "He's up to something"

The "Something" That Kaldur was planning involved getting into space. After hearing Rex was involved in a war, Kaldur was too tempted by fighting to enact common sense, and Ariana was in the same boat. 

"It's been ages since we've fought together!" Ariana had smiled, letting a cold gleam into her eyes, the same one that unnerved even the toughest demigods.

"And we're in space!" Kaldur grinned "With ALIENS!"

"YAS!" Ariana screamed, then sprung up and flipped across the room.

Ariana's POV

 I said "I need some Skittles"

We traipsed through the grocery store, snagging random things like chips and ice cream, a jug of milk, an industrial-sized package of Skittles, and a Led Zepplin T-shirt for Kaldur. When the lady at the checkout said we owed her 45.87, I handed her a fifty-dollar bill as Kaldur, ever the mathematician, tossed a candy bar onto the belt, and it totalled 50.00.

"Thank you for shopping at Smarty Mart, where smart shoppers shop smart" She sighed.

"I didn't know you could do the math," I said, pressing the gas as the light turned green

"Being mortal means you need to do math" Kaldur groaned "My time with the YJ-I FORGOT MY DRUM SET!" He shouts

"We can get your drum set later." I sighed, and I turned onto the highway exit toward Kaldur's apartment.

"I'm back!" Kaldur shouted into the house.

"Rex is doing a last check of the ship parts. We still don't have anywhere to put them together" Cody called "Wolffe and Fox went to find an air filter for the cockpit"

"Just use my seabase. It's hidden, has loads of space and all the tools he'll need" I said, and I hauled the milk jug onto the counter, then turned to Kaldur "Pancakes?"

"Pancakes" He nodded and tossed me the bag of flour.

"Can you two just say a single word and know all the context?" Cody asked

"Mh-Hm" Kaldur popped the top of the milk and portioned it as I kicked the stove dial to medium

"We communicate telepathically," I said, grabbing a whisk and pouring the milk while Kaldur grabs the whipped cream and syrup. 

By the time Rex comes back in, a gigantic stack of pancakes was waiting. He had grease staining his hands

"So that's why you wanted to pick up milk" He sighed, then washed his hands.

"Yeah" Kaldur waved his fork in the air, a mouthful of sweet pancakes muffling his speech. he swallowed "Ariana's willing to let you use her seabase to assemble the ship"

"You're okay with that?" Rex looked at me. I nodded violently, and he stabbed a pancake from the pile.

In the end, we were let aboard the ship, and off into space we went.

"Have you ever been in space before?" Rex asked

"Does floating around in a deep-sea trench count?" I asked

"How deep?" Cody said

"11034 meters" Kaldur finished 

"I think that counts" Cody nodded

"You guys would like Kamino if you like deep-sea diving that much," Rex said

"The planet made of water?" Kaldur smiled "Yes, very much"

"THERE'S A PLANET MADE OF WATER??????!!" I whipped my head around 

Kaldur gave me a sly grin, and we made a silent plan.

3rd POV

A single ship flew through the inky vastness of space, toward a lonely planet in the distance.

"We're coming up on the Atmosphere. Brace for turbulence" Wolffe said

"Turbulence?" Kaldur asked, and a violent shaking overtook the ship

"Ah, yes. Turbulence" Ariana smiled, and the shaking levelled out. 

"What kind of battle is happening down there?" Rex looked at the dust storm

"THE KIND THAT I'M GOING TO JOIN!" Ariana dove into the airlock and shot off the ship, falling toward the army of droids. Kaldur facepalmed and jumped after her

"I adopted an idiot" Rex sighed.

"Oh please, as cadets you were worse," Cody laughed

"He's right," Fox sighed, "Had to drag you away from the other ARCs before you could start a fight,"

"That was one time!" Rex complained, then steered to land by the Jedi's forward base.

"Rex, Cody, Wolffe and Fox... All of you vanished, and now you reappear" Obi-Wan sighed

"Your transmission said you got help from locals to build a ship" Ahsoka added

"We did..." Rex started

"Who are those two?" Anakin called out, pointing toward where Ariana and Kaldur stood on a hill, playing rock paper scissors before the army arrived "And when did they get here?"

"A few days before we left, the Seps attacked. Those two were the sole survivors" Wolffe lied.

"WOLFFE!" Kaldur yelled

"WHAT!" Wolffe yelled back 

Rex hit Wolffe on the back of his helmet "Don't yell at my ad(Son)," Rex growled

"HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO BET THAT I BEAT ARIANA IN A FIGHT?" Kaldur shouted

"10 CREDITS AND A KELP CAKE!" Wolffe yelled back

"HELL YEAH!" Kaldur yelled, and the dust storm overtook them

Anyone spot the reference I tossed in there?