Learning to Live (COMPLETE)

8.3.2

Anakin tried not to fall asleep standing up as he stood guard outside the Chandrilan government complex. He hadn't slept for about twenty hours and it was starting to take a toll on him. He hoped that he would be able to go inside and rest for a few hours, but right now he needed to make sure that Chandrilan Senator Mon Mothma and her advisors were safe. The entire system had been rioting for a few days now, although the ruckus was finally starting to die down.

Senator Mothma had requested that a Jedi and his troopers be sent to protect the system in the case of a riot and to also secure the system. Chandrila was close to some very active Separatist systems and they were vulnerable to a surprise attack, especially since both the Separatist and the Republic armies were without a leader at the moment. The Republic Senate had taken nominations for a new Chancellor but the discussion had been tabled in favor of discussing the matter within the offices of the individual systems first. After the systems of the Republic had decided what course of action most benefited them, whether that was to stay with the Republic, go neutral in the Clone War, or to join the Separatists, what would be left of the Senate would come back together, and a new Chancellor would be elected. Until that happened, though, chaos would ensue in multiple systems.

Anakin and the 501st battalion had been stationed on Chandrila ever since he had left Onderon a few days ago. He hadn't had a chance to properly speak with Padmé, and he had no idea what had been happening at the Temple either. Other than that, he was actually in a decent mood and was feeling much better than he had for a long time. His whole troop was actually doing better, now that they knew about Ahsoka. The change had been undeniable and absolutely wonderful.

Rex and the other veterans had taken it upon themselves to, after they finished celebrating the news, teach the shinies on board about Commander Ahsoka Tano. Some of them had heard the stories about the trial, but that wasn't what the veterans focused on. Instead, they spent hours talking about how she had started, and they recalled the high, snippy voice that had first been heard on Christophsis four years ago. They talked about her recklessness, and her confident attitude, and how she was the only one who really got away with backtalking General Skywalker. The clones talked about her progress in piloting, and how she had gotten really good with memorizing holomaps and repairing engines and motors. They talked about how, over time, she had gotten close with them and how the trust between them grew exponentially, especially in the last year before she left.

Now that the subject was no longer taboo, and since the whole cruiser was talking about it anyway, the oldest veterans, who had been closest to Ahsoka, met together to talk about all of the things they remembered about her and missed. Rex ended up sharing about the time she and Anakin threw him off of a wall in her first year, and even though it was a little embarrassing, it was good to see the other men laugh. They all had funny Ahsoka stories, but even better, they had her jokes, and the little quips she eventually learned to reign in over time. Their favorite one by far was "How fast can General Skywalker run?" "I don't know, but legend has it that if you mess with his starfighter, you'll find out." A good follow up was usually: "I heard once that he ran through lightspeed because someone accidentally bumped into it."

They had all, also, begun to think of her as more than a Commander, even though they knew that officially she wasn't even that anymore. She was their friend, and really, the only female they ever talked to or about. They always joked about meeting some amazing jackpot woman on a mission, but they all knew that it was a load of dung. Ahsoka had become something of a sister to the five of them, Rex, Fox, Jesse, Kix, and Dogma. It was this group of clones in particular that hoped that the 501st Legion would see their commander again, whether the Republic would let them call her that or not.

While the shinies were talking amongst themselves, wondering if all the stories about Ahsoka Tano were true ("She can't have snuck her way onto a mission into the Citadel, could she?"), the veterans, all of them, were eyeing the hangar they had hidden Ahsoka's old fighter in. It was silently agreed that it was to be hidden and protected at all costs, but now that they knew that she was out there, somewhere, it was more important than ever. She had to see it before someone else got their hands on it.