Chapter 14: Special Episode 2: Jedi Misconceptions with Sinker and BoostNotes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextThis time, the audience was delighted to see two new clone troopers sitting in front of the camera. While they did want Ahsoka to come back and restart her 'Creche to Command' episodes, the general consensus on the comments was that it was nice to get to know other members of the GAR that she maybe didn't interact with as much. There were so many different personalities in the clone troopers, most people were now in agreement that they weren't carbon copies of each other. Even their faces were distinct, even if it was something as small as a slightly crooked nose or a scar on the chin.
The two troopers in front of the camera today were equally distinctive. One had silvery-grey hair while the other had a double mohawk. Unlike the last episode, which took place in the sterile halls of Tipoca City, this one took place on a ship. The audience had grown accustomed to seeing those grey walls.
"Hey guys," the grey-haired one said. "Ahsoka's still out for a bit so we thought we'd chip in for this episode. My name's Sinker."
"And I'm Boost," the other said. "We serve in the 104th, otherwise known as 'Wolfpack'."
"Our commander, Wolffe, you guys may have already heard of," Sinker said. "He runs the 'Best of the GAR' shorts."
"Oh yeah, that series is super popular," Boost said.
"So many great moments caught on camera," Sinker said wistfully. "And no, Bacara, we aren't being mean and not letting your battalion post anything. You got to do something cool if you want to be on the series. So do something cool. We don't make the rules."
"It's true." Boost nodded.
Bacara would later comment that they totally did make the rules and if they didn't let his men post a video, he was going to General Koon about it.
Three days later, Wolffe posted a video of Bacara casually tossing a live grenade back at a droid. It was unclear if this was because Master Jedi Plo Koon scolded him for keeping the other battalions from posting, or if this was a pre-emptive posting to keep Master Jedi Plo Koon from scolding him. Either way, the audience wasn't complaining.
"Today, we thought we'd take a break in talking about the brothers and instead talk about something that's been floating around the holonet for some time," Sinker said. "And that is, the top five misconceptions about Jedi."
"Yeah," Boost said. "Us troopers had, and probably still have if you're a cadet, a lot of misconceptions about them. Most of them come from the Prime. Probably because he was a Mandalorian and they don't have the best history with the Jedi. They fought a war and everything. I don't know too much about it. Commander Wolffe does, though. It was like, his obsession to learn everything he could about that conflict at one point."
"Well, we all have to have our hobbies," Sinker said. "Some of us take up knitting. Others look at a conflict between Jedi and Mandalorians and read everything they can about it."
"Yeah, but at one point it was kind of an obsession."
"He's calmed down, though," Sinker said. "Back to the misconceptions, it's not just the vode that have misconceptions, though. We see a lot of civilian anti-Jedi sentiment as well. Most of it is based on these misconceptions. And we don't think that's fair."
"If you hate someone," Boost added, "make sure you hate them for accurate reasons instead of stereotypes that sound like they were straight out of a Sith's propaganda machine."
Sinker nodded. "We're not saying you have to like the Jedi. We're not going to try and convince you to change your mind. But if you hate them, you hate them for the right reasons. You've made your own determinations about them."
"Yup. We do also want to say that we know they aren't perfect. They're just like anyone in the galaxy," Boost said. "And not all Jedi are the same. We haven't met every Jedi out there. Some of them could very well be dicks."
"Or live up to any one of these misconceptions," Sinker added.
"Right. But on the whole, they're good people who just want to bring peace to the galaxy."
"And they look fucking badass with their laser swords while doing it," Sinker said.
Boost snorted. "General Koon is not going to teach you how to use his lightsaber, Sink."
"I don't see why not. I heard Commander Cody learned how to use General Kenobi's." Sinker sulked.
"Are you Commander Cody?"
"No." Sinker's shoulders slumped.
"That's why. Alright, first misconception, and one that a lot of our brothers were worried about: Jedi are cold, detached people with no feelings," Boost said.
"This is a good one," Sinker said. "Every cadet on Kamino was so worried that when we met our Jedi, they wouldn't feel anything. They'd be like fleshy droids that weren't capable of sorrow or joy or anything in between."
"And how can you serve under someone that won't even feel sad if you die?" Boost shook his head. "I know we were literally born to die, but Force at least pretend like you care when we get blown up."
"Exactly. We pictured Jedi that were cold and calculating; that wouldn't blink if half the battalion got wiped out. That would find the simple ways we clones feel happy to be a burden. A distraction. Just picturing it feels like hell." Sinker shuddered.
"The Jedi are less outwardly emotional than most people," Boost explained. "But, they do feel all the emotions."
"Especially guilt."
"So much guilt." Boost threw his hands in the air in frustration.
"Cadets," Sinker said, looking much more serious than before, "when you get assigned to your Jedi, just know that no matter what happens, they will always find a way to blame themselves for everything that goes wrong."
"And never take credit when things go right," Boost shook his head. "Remember that time General Koon accidentally knocked over a droid?"
Sinker nodded. "Apologized to it for thirty minutes and then continued to apologize to it every time he saw it afterward. I think he'd still be apologizing to the damn thing if it hadn't blown up with the ship."
"Oh, Force, speaking of the ship, the grief he felt when Wolfpack was wiped out. He wouldn't stop apologizing to us afterward."
"Or when Commander Wolffe lost his eye?" Sinker added. "He actually told us that he was unfit to be our general because he hadn't been able to stop all our pain and suffering!"
"So much guilt," Boost shook his head. "Seriously, you'll have to learn how to manage your General's guilt complex because they will feel like every little thing is their fault no matter whose fault it was," Boost said.
"They don't just feel guilt though," Sinker was quick to add. "They feel everything. They mourn the deaths of people they care about. They feel happy and amused. They love. They get angry. They get frustrated. They feel everything."
"Yeah, and I think General Yoda is the most mischievous Jedi I've ever seen," Boost said. "I am convinced half the shit he does is simply to troll other people."
"Classic General Yoda. Watch out for that one, cadets. He likes to tease."
"So, to make a long story very short, Jedi feel emotions. They feel all the emotions. But, when you got magic floaty Force powers that are tied to your emotions, you got to be careful you don't let them control you," Boost explained. "Otherwise, you could accidentally… I don't know? Blow up a ship or something?"
"Is that how the Force works?" Sinker asked.
"I have no idea." Boost shrugged. "I asked General Koon about it once. He did tell me how the Force worked, but I couldn't follow it. Something about life and death and invisible threads that tie the universe together and these little things that are in our blood. I was more confused by the end of it. But it made sense to him and makes sense to Ahsoka so I'm not going to worry about it."
"Yeah, sounds about right," Sinker said. "Alright, our next misconception is that Jedi feel superior to non-Jedi."
"Not true," Boost said. "See all the guilt we talked about before."
"That's right." Sinker agreed. "You do get the occasional Jedi that probably does. After all, not all Jedi are the same. But, for the most part, they do not see themselves as superior to anything. They see themselves more as servants than anything. Which is what makes it karking awful to have a commanding officer that thinks that he is a lower priority than you are."
"We spend so much of our time keeping our Jedi alive," Boost groaned. "But the second they get a chance, they'll sacrifice everything for us. It's annoying. General Koon, I know you're watching this, please, sir, for the love of the Force you are not a lower priority than we are. I'm begging you, quit throwing yourself in danger for our sake."
"Seriously," Sinker said. "One time we were hiking through this ice planet with the 501st and Redeye's back there complaining about the cold. So, what does Skywalker do? He takes off his coat and gives it to him. Even though Redeye is probably warmer than him because of his blacks and armor. Poor guy tried to refuse the coat but Skywalker insisted."
"Not a move someone who thinks they're superior would make," Boost said. "Redeye ended up wearing it for about five minutes before stating that he was warm and giving it back to Skywalker."
"I have literally seen General Mundi give some kids the clothes off his back after their home was destroyed in a bombing."
"Or that one-time General Fisto gave away all his rations to some hungry refugees without telling Commander Monnk?"
Sinker shuddered. "Poor Commander Monnk panicked when he realized his general had nothing to eat for the next week."
"I overheard Commander Cody crying to Commander Wolffe about how he couldn't get his kriffing Jedi to go to sleep. Somehow, Kenobi had managed to work nearly forty-eight hours straight. And it took Sky Corps so long to notice because the general kept sending them on breaks and turnover was high enough that everyone assumed Kenobi had gotten sleep at some point." Boost said.
"Yeah, we could keep going. Everyone has tons of these stories. You think you're talking with someone who views themselves as superior and then BAM ! They act like they're the most expendable thing in the galaxy. Cadets, when you get your Jedi, you got to watch them carefully. They will kill themselves trying to help everyone. Talk to your commanders and captains about the best ways to get them to stop overworking themselves and rest." Sinker said.
"And keep an eye on the padawan commanders," Boost added. "They seem to feel the need to prove themselves which makes them like two-hundred percent more likely to sacrifice themselves."
"I swear, fifty percent of our job is just making sure the Jedi don't altruism themselves to death," Sinker said, shaking his head.
"Don't we know it," Boost sighed. "Next misconception: The Jedi are pampered."
Sinker shook his head in disbelief. "Who came up with this misconception? I would like to have a few words with them because have you seen a Jedi?"
"Oh sure, the temple is nice," Boost said, "But that's like the only nice thing they have!"
"They wear the roughest, most uncomfortable clothes known to man," Sinker said.
"And a lot of times they only own their clothes and their lightsabers. That's it. They don't even get paid!"
"Must do," Sinker said. "I've seen General Koon buy things."
Boost clicked his tongue. "I think it's a stipend like us. Or like, dependent on donations to the temple. Either way, they aren't swimming in credits."
"And they don't use the credits they do have on anything that extravagant," Sinker added. "One time I overheard General Kenobi telling General Koon about an 'indulgence' he just bought. Here I was thinking it was something expensive like a nice pair of boots or some fancy booze or something. Yeah. No. It was tea. His 'indulgence' was hot boiled leaf water."
"It wasn't even expensive tea," Boost said. "We checked. The price was mid-range at best. Who thinks tea is an indulgence? Who thinks that someone who thinks tea is an indulgence is pampered?"
"And we got more stories," Sinker said. "One time, we ran out of bedrolls for the troops while on a campaign. And we were going to give one to General Koon 'cause he's the general. You know?"
"But when we brought it to him, he said, and I quote, 'I do not require a bedroll. The ground is not too rocky and I have slept before with little padding. I shall be fine'," Boost said, mimicking Plo Koon's voice as best as he could. "And then he just… plopped on the ground and passed out. He didn't even have his long brown robe to use as a blanket!"
"Our bunks on Kamino were more comfortable than that ground," Sinker said. "Oh, but remember that one time General Secura was gushing over how warm the water was in their camp?"
Boost nodded. "I was so excited to finally get a hot shower. But it wasn't hot! It was on the cold side of lukewarm at best! I thought maybe Commander Bly's men had stolen all the hot water."
"But then General Windu comes out agreeing with her!" Sinker cried. "Like, do they not have hot water at the temple? Do they not know water can be hot? And that hot water is nice to bathe in? These people are not pampered!"
"I think we were more pampered on Kamino and that is saying something," Boost said.
"Right? The next misconception is… kind of a misconception, but also kind of not," Sinker said. "And that is that Jedi are illogical."
"This one requires some explanation," Boost said. "The thing is, most of the time, they aren't illogical from a certain point of view. But they see the world differently than we do. So, when they do shit it sometimes seems illogical."
"And sometimes it is, to us at least," Sinker added. "Like that one time General Unduli nearly got her head blown off trying to protect a rare book. To us, illogical. Stupid. Not worth the risk. To her? That book contained information that would have been lost to history had it not been saved. So, she felt like it was more important to try and save the book, even if it meant putting her own life at risk to do so."
"And other times, they only seem to act irrationally until you get an explanation," Boost said. "Like, one time we were hiking through the woods with Ahsoka and some other guys from the 501st. Suddenly, Ahsoka takes off into the woods without telling us what's going on. We're all panicking, thinking she either saw something or was possessed by something, and take off after her. Nope. It turns out, she was communicating with some giant cat creature and the cat-thing agreed to help us fight the clankers."
"She should have told us what was going on before running off into Seppie territory. But again, it makes sense to her, not to us."
"We have so many of these stories about our Jedi doing shit without telling us what they're doing or why. Anytime you catch your Jedi acting weird or in a way that seems illogical to you, just remember that is probably some weird Force osik and you need to do your best to keep track of them and adapt." Boost finished.
"And that brings us to our last misconception: The Jedi have no culture," Sinker said.
"Yeah, a lot of people seem to think that because the Jedi are, well, Jedi, they are only Jedi. They have no connection to their people or home planets. But that isn't true at all."
"You can see this in the way they dress, for example," Sinker said. "Commander Offee and General Unduli wear their head covering things and have tattoos that mean things to their people."
"And General Ti took Ahsoka to hunt for her akul teeth when she was old enough," Boost added.
"The Jedi do a pretty good job of respecting the cultures of the various species. Like I think General Mundi's got a few wives or something because it's an important part of his culture."
"There are loads of these if you know how to look for them," Boost said.
"And that's just the general culture of their species," Sinker said. "That doesn't include the actual Jedi culture."
"Yup. They have this whole familial system called 'lineages'. You have your master who trains a padawan. And then that padawan becomes a master who trains a padawan, so your first master is now a grandmaster, and so on." Boost said.
"You pass down what you've learned. Your special techniques. Your knowledge. Your likes and dislikes. It's fascinating to watch."
"Exactly. I know General Windu created a special fighting technique that he only passed down to his padawan. The Jedi aren't just Jedi, they're a pretty distinct group of people, and with that distinction comes various cultural cornerstones." Boost nodded. "Right, I think that about covers it for misconceptions. There are a ton more out there, but these are the big ones. In the end, Jedi are simply a group of empathetic people trying their best to help the galaxy. But there are so few of them out there. They can't be everywhere at once."
"Which is why it's such an honor to help out," Sinker said. "I know they're not supposed to be generals. They're academics who like learning and negotiating peace, but they are trying their best to be good leaders to us. And in turn, we help support them wherever we can."
"Listen," Boost said, "We were raised on Kamino and bred to be loyal to the Republic, that's true. But we're also our own people with our own thoughts and hopes and opinions on stuff. I can't speak for every trooper out there, but I can speak for most of them when I say we are not staying with the Jedi out of obligation. We are staying with them because they are good people. They want the best for the Galaxy. If they were cold, emotionless droids who thought they were better than everything else and demanded the finest things in life even at our expense, we'd leave."
"They can't stop all of us," Sinker said. "And that's why we're following them into this war. And that's why, even though this series was originally to help us troopers out, we don't mind throwing in our opinions to help the Jedi out."
"Exactly," Boost nodded. "I think that about covers it. Keep watching 'Best of the GAR' and hopefully, Ahsoka will be back soon."
The camera cut to black. And donations to the Jedi Temple increased tenfold the following week. Most of them included notes such as "Please give Master Koon a bed roll!" and "Master Kenobi deserves more tea!"
Yoda was all too happy to accept the donations and put them towards a brighter future.
*****
Ahsoka fidgeted in her seat as Gree and Thorn sat across from her. Thorn was reading over her and Barriss' proposal while Gree sat there with his chin propped up in his hand, looking like he was about to fall asleep. Thorn had finally relented and allowed Archer and Sol to stand outside of his office instead of hovering inside with her, finally convinced that two troopers and two Jedi with lightsabers would be more than enough to take on Bane. She didn't want them to know about her plans. Not yet. She couldn't get their hopes up, even though they probably already suspected something was going on.
Gree had been surprisingly open to the idea when she and Barriss had brought it up to him, as had Master Yoda. Gree couldn't promise anything, but he did talk to the troops to see if anyone would be interested. And, given that he was in the office now, that told Ahsoka that someone was interested.
Now the last person they had to convince was Thorn. While Ahsoka didn't think Thorn would say no to a few extra helping hands, asking him to wrangle a bunch of initiates, padawans, and troopers that weren't familiar with how the Corries worked was a lot to ask. He might decide that it was too much work in the short term to make it worthwhile.
Finally, Thorn set down the datapad, the motion snapping Gree out of whatever daydream he had sunk into.
"Did you manage to get anyone to volunteer?" Thorn asked, turning towards Gree.
"I've got about a hundred that are willing to do it. And I've talked to Ironside of the 13th Battalion. He's got some volunteers as well."
Thorn hummed. "A hundred extra hands would be helpful. I know they're trained but I don't want them out on the streets doing patrols. You got to work with the public in a way I don't think your men are used to. And witness interrogation and crowd control are both out. I'll probably keep them at the base and have them help out with the office side of the work. Dispatch, paperwork, maintenance, and things like that. Think they'd mind?"
"I don't think anyone wants to get into a firefight while on leave," Gree said. "I can send you a list of who all joined and what they normally do for me so you can spread them out."
"Sounds good." Thorn turned to her and Barriss.
Ahsoka sat up a little straighter, heart hammering in her chest.
"And the Jedi are okay with the padawans and initiates helping out?"
She nodded. Even though Thorn seemed more than amicable to the idea, she was still walking through uncharted territory.
"Master Yoda has given us the okay, with a few caveats."
"Go ahead," Thorn said.
"The Creche Masters will only allow the initiates to work three hours a day maximum. They will be in complete control of the schedule so if one day they have something else to do, they won't come. And at least two masters need to be present with the initiates at all times. You're not allowed to be alone with them.
"Sounds reasonable. They're young, right?"
Ahsoka nodded. "You won't have to deal with anyone who's super young. They'll only be, at most, a few years younger than me. They'll know how to read and write and all that."
"What about the padawans? Same rules?"
"They don't need to be accompanied by a master but you do need to let their master know their schedule and allow them to make changes as needed."
"Sounds reasonable," Thorn said. "I don't see any reason why this shouldn't work."
Ahsoka resisted the urge to cheer. She was trying to be as professional as possible and Fox was sleeping next door. Any sudden noise could wake him.
Thorn leaned back. "We'll do a trial run this week with Green and Iron along with the padawans and initiates. But, just so we're clear, I'm in charge. Not the padawan commanders. Not the Jedi. When you're working with the Corries, you follow our chain of command."
"Isn't Commander Fox the Marshal Commander?" Barriss asked.
"Technically, yes. But with his work, I'm now in charge of the Corries. Though that is unofficial, as the lack of pay increase will show," Thorn said. "I also want to make it very clear that this is not fun, this is work. You're not coming here to hang out or socialize. You may not be fighting clankers on the battlefield, but we do have a very important job to do. If anyone treats it like a vacation, I'm kicking them out. Understood?"
"Of course," Ahsoka said. "We just want to help. Besides, I'm itching to do something useful since I'm stuck on Coruscant. And I know the initiates want to learn the basics now so that when they do get assigned a battalion, they won't be so lost."
Thorn nodded. "Thanks for setting this up. We are vastly understaffed so even a dozen hands would be helpful. Alright, I'll have Stone coordinate with the creche masters to see if the initiates can start tomorrow. Can you two be here tomorrow as well?"
"Yup!" Ahsoka said brightly. Now that that was out of the way, she felt relieved. "We're dragging Cal here too so you'll have three hands."
Gree snorted. "How'd you manage to swing that?"
"We threatened him," Ahsoka said sweetly.
Gree looked to Barriss.
"We promised to raid some of Master Skywalker's droid parts stash," Barriss said primly.
Ahsoka glared at her.
"What? What does it matter if we bribed him or threatened him?"
Ahsoka continued to glare at her. It was the principle of the matter!
Gree shook his head in amusement and turned back to Thorn. "I'll get you that list of guys. When do you need them to report?"
Thorn thumbed through his intricate schedule, muttering to himself as he went about seeing where he could shift guys around. "Give me fifty tonight. Report at 1800 hours. And then fifty tomorrow morning, report at 0800 hours. Have Ironside split his fifty-fifty the same way."
Gree nodded. "Got it. You want me to tell Wolffe so he can start looking into it since he's coming tomorrow?"
"No, I'll reach out to him and let him know."
"Then if that's all you need, I got to go. See you around, kid," Gree said, tapping the side of Barriss's head before stepping out the door.
Ahsoka thought the interaction was adorable. It was clear how much more comfortable Barriss had grown around the troopers in such a short amount of time. She couldn't be prouder. And with her comfort, she also seemed happier. Lighter. It had done her a world of good to open up to them.
"Thanks, Gree," Thorn said. "If you three could be here tomorrow at 0800 hours too, that would be a great help."
Ahsoka didn't miss the way that was phrased as more of a request than a command. Even though Thorn had said he was going to be in charge, he still seemed to be a bit hesitant as to how to go about dealing with Ahsoka and Barriss. They'd have to work on that. Ahsoka was more than happy to listen to him if it meant he felt more comfortable.
But, now that Ahsoka had secured a reason to be hanging around the Corrie base more and not cause suspicion, she could figure out what else was going on with them. She knew Barriss had felt it too, that cloud of negative emotion that seemed to suffocate everyone in the building. She didn't know how much she had felt, though. And she didn't know if she had been able to read as much from the troopers as Ahsoka had.
No matter, Ahsoka could figure this out herself. Her hearing was better than most people's anyway. Hopefully, they'd talk more about 'blackout missions' and what they were and who ordered them. She would have initially guessed Fox or one of the other commanders, but it seemed weird that Fox would order something that was so clearly distressing to the Corries. And the Corrie she had seen didn't seem like he was prepared for it.
While she couldn't be certain the blackout missions were connected with whoever was mistreating them, she felt like it was connected somehow. There was no such thing as a coincidence. Everything came together one way or another. She'd spend the night figuring out the best way to start investigating. Maybe she could try some casual conversation? Get them to trust her and open up until they were spilling their deepest darkest secrets?
"We will. Thank you, commander," Barriss said. She grabbed Ahsoka's arm and tugged her out the door.
Like always, Archer and Sol were there, ready to follow her around. They leaped to attention and followed after her, still on high alert despite being in the base. Would they follow her around while she was working? Or would Thorn finally let her have some peace?
"Archer, Sol, may you excuse us for a moment?" Barriss said suddenly, taking Ahsoka's arm and pulling her into a storage closet.
"Huh?" Well, this was new.
"Um, sir?" Archer stepped forward.
"I need some help with my head covering and you aren't allowed to see," Barriss explained. "You can check the closet if you need to. But not even Commander Gree is allowed to help me with it."
Ahsoka's brow furrowed. Barriss' head covering looked fine to her. And she had certainly never been allowed to help her with it before. Did this mean they were reaching a new stage in their friendship? That was exciting! No, wait, that wasn't it. Something else was weird with Barriss.
Archer and Sol seemed to accept her explanation and stepped back to Barriss could pull her into the supply closet before Ahsoka could argue.
Once the door was shut, Ahsoka asked, "What's wrong with it? And I've never been allowed to touch it before."
"Nothing's wrong with it," Barriss admitted, pulling her a bit further away from the door.
"Then why—"
"Because I know you won't talk openly while those two are listening and I do not fancy trying to read between the lines. I have things to do."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the other reason you're pushing so hard for this," Barriss said.
"What other reason? The Corries are tired. I'm sure you can sense it," Ahsoka said, crossing her arms.
"I can also sense that you have another goal in mind. And that something else is going on in this base. You may be stronger with empathy, but I can still sense things, you know. Out with it. I'm helping you because you're my friend. But I am not going to be used as a pawn."
Ahsoka hesitated. While it would be nice to get Barriss on her side so that the two of them could work together to figure out what was going on, she still feared that she was overreacting. By the time she met Rex and the other 501st members, most of them had good enough shields that she wasn't being bombarded with their emotions. What if what the Corries were feeling was just natural among the troopers?
They may be in Coruscant away from the frontlines of battle, but that didn't mean their job was any less stressful.
As for 'blackout missions', that could mean anything! The troopers had their own slang for stuff. What if that was code for 'super important top secret mission for Palpatine that we're not allowed to talk about because of how top secret it is'? What if by poking around she made everything worse? What if there was nothing to even find?
Did the Corries even want her to be poking around? What if she did and they hated her for butting into their business? What if they saw her as some self-important Jedi with nothing better to do than meddle in their affairs?
Ahsoka didn't want to risk damaging Barriss' relationship with troopers because of something she felt but had no concrete proof of.
She thought back to Master Krell. She had had no proof then either. Until she stumbled upon him shouting at Colt. Until he…
She rubbed her wrist.
"I'm not using you as a pawn. You don't even have to be involved."
This wasn't about her and Krell. This was about the Corries.
Barriss put a hand on her shoulder. "Please, talk to me. Something else is bothering you about the Corries. I can help. You don't have to do everything alone."
There was something so earnest about the way she said it that made Ahsoka want to believe. And even now, just thinking about how she was going to go about this investigation, made her head spin. She was starting with the blackout missions, sure, but was that the best place to start? What if she was taking this in the wrong direction and wasted a bunch of time? What if she made everything worse?
"I don't have proof," Ahsoka said quietly.
"It doesn't matter," Barriss said. "I can't help you get proof if I don't know the problem."
She hesitated only for a moment. "I think someone is hurting them," she admitted softly.
Barriss swallowed. "I figured as much. They don't feel like Gree and the others. They feel—"
"Scared?"
"Alone," Barriss said.
"Yeah, that too," Ahsoka said. "Something is wrong here. But I don't know what. I'm hoping that if I spend more time here, I might overhear something. I don't know. Now that I'm saying it out loud it sounds stupid."
"It's not stupid," Barriss said. "More exposure would help give you evidence. But why don't you ask them? Are you not close to Fox?"
Ahsoka shook her head. At least she didn't think she was close to Fox. He was nearly impossible to read even with her enhanced empathy. And while sometimes he looked like he could care less about her, he did also personally assign his two best troopers to follow her around and make sure she didn't die. So there was that.
"Not really," she said. "Plus, he's so busy. I don't know if he's got time to talk to me."
"The other Corries?" Barriss asked.
"Nope. I'm not that close to them. Archer and Sol probably know me the best but given their assignment, I don't know if we have that kind of a relationship. Maybe if it was Rex or Cody, I could ask about it. But these guys barely know me. If I start poking around, they might shut me out completely."
"And you don't think they would have told one of the other commanders?" Barriss asked.
"Not likely. I can't imagine Wolffe sitting back and letting someone hurt Fox or the others."
"Nor can I imagine Gree doing that," Barriss said thoughtfully.
"There's also the problem of who has access to them," Ahsoka said.
"The senators," Barriss said, realizing what she was implying. "They have nearly unrestricted access to the Corries and with no Jedi here to monitor the situation—"
"It'd be very easy for something to happen and no one would know about it," Ahsoka finished. "Exactly. The Corries might be afraid of a Senator and so they won't let me help them. I just… I don't know what to do. I'm hoping if I stick around long enough someone will let something slip."
Barriss looked thoughtful for a second. "Come on," she said, grabbing Ahsoka's hand. "Let's go talk to Master Luminara."
"What? Why?"
"Because she'll know what to do."
"Are you sure? What if she thinks we're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Both you and I have sensed that something is wrong with them. That should be enough to at least warrant an investigation. And while you can help, you aren't the only one who can. Besides, what happens when you leave Coruscant? You are not going to be here forever."
"And you're sure she won't think I'm overreacting?" Ahsoka asked.
"No. You have a valid concern that I can also support."
Ahsoka hesitated and then nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to her."
Barriss smiled. "Good. Now come on. I think your guards are starting to get antsy."
She pulled Ahsoka out of the closet and then told Archer and Sol they were headed back to the temple.
Ahsoka stayed quiet and tried to reach out with the Force to see if she could catch anything else before their meeting with Master Luminara. She caught the same general feelings as she had the day before. Nothing too concrete. No names or faces that she could pick out.
She hoped Master Luminara would provide some guidance and a plan. Ahsoka needed to get to the bottom of this, no matter what.
*****
Sitting with Master Luminara always took a bit to get used to. She was calm and collected. Her mind was like cool water gently washing over Ahsoka. She wasn't like Anakin, who never seemed to run out of energy and whose emotions burned bright and hot in Ahsoka's mind. Nor was she like Master Obi-Wan, who often felt like a fox in Ahsoka's mind, nimble and quick while also being soft and warm. And she definitely wasn't like Master Plo, who in the Force felt like a warm breeze or a hot bath. Master Luminara reminded Ahsoka most like a statue. Not in a bad way. Just in a very solid, dependable sort of way.
It usually threw her off. Now she was glad because she needed that dependability. That strength. That sturdiness. Her nerves were eating at her stomach and making her feel more than a bit unsteady. She needed Master Luminara and her calm, cool, collected nature right now.
Ahsoka didn't know why exactly she felt so nervous. If she were to dive deep into her emotions, several possibilities came up. The first one was that she felt like she was betraying the vode for some reason. Like she was invading their privacy. If the Corries didn't want to talk about who was hurting them, then who was Ahsoka to decide that they should? Who was she to force their issues out into the open without their consent? Who was she to bring up this issue to a Jedi they didn't know and therefore didn't trust?
Another possibility for her nerves was that it reminded her so much of Master Krell. Master Krell who had rightfully scolded her for talking back to him. Master Krell who mad chased her brothers into their barracks and sucked all the personality out of them in the few short days he had been with them. Ahsoka felt like a hypocrite, bringing the issue of the Corries up while ignoring Master Krell. If she was bringing up the potential abuse to the Corries, shouldn't she also be bringing up what Master Krell had done to her? Or would that just distract from the problem at hand? She didn't want Master Luminara to focus on her when she should be focusing on Fox and his men.
The final reason for her nerves, though, was the scariest one of all. She didn't know if Master Luminara would take her fears seriously. She didn't know whose side Master Luminara would be on. She knew that not everyone saw the troopers the same way she did. She was pretty certain that Master Luminara respected them, at least based on Barriss and Gree and a few other troopers that worked underneath them. But what if this problem wasn't worth Master Luminara's time? What if Master Luminara found her worries trivial and annoying to deal with? Especially since Ahsoka was pointing the finger at some very powerful people?
She was certain that at least a portion of the Corries' mistreatment was coming from someone in the Senate. The Jedi Council worked for the Senate. By bringing up this issue to the Jedi, was Ahsoka just dooming them to more pain and suffering? Would Master Luminara decide that making the Senate happy was more important than keeping the Corries safe?
Even if she didn't think that, what could the Jedi do? The Senate was powerful, so powerful. Did Master Luminara have the authority to arrest a senator? And what happened if she tried and then the rest of the Senate decided to retaliate? What if, by bringing this issue forward, Ahsoka doomed both the Corries and the Jedi order to a life of pain and suffering? What if by opening up this investigation, she made everything worse?
She knew she was rubbing her wrist now, something she noticed she had started doing more and more frequently. Especially when she was nervous. She tried to get her nerves under control by leaning on Master Luminara's calmness in the Force. It didn't work. It was drowned by her own thoughts and worries and fears.
Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe she should leave before she made everything worse.
Oh, but would Barriss let her leave? Or would she tell Master Luminara regardless?
"Peace, Ahsoka," Master Luminara said. "You are safe here. There is no reason to worry."
Ahsoka nodded and bit her lip. She should start speaking. Master Luminara probably had more important things to do.
She should start speaking.
She should start.
She should.
She…
"Take your time. If the issue is causing you this much distress, then my other duties can wait," Master Luminara said once more.
Ahsoka nodded, her throat feeling tight. She felt like she was going to be sick. And there was an itching sensation in her legs that made her want to get up and move around.
She glanced at the door. Master Luminara had managed to convince Archer and Sol to stay outside, pointing out that she was more than skilled enough to take on a bounty hunter if he tried anything.
That just left Ahsoka, Barriss, and Master Luminara alone in the room.
She looked at Barriss, who nodded encouragingly.
"Um… I just… I don't…" Say something or don't. She had to make a decision. And she had to make it now. She didn't know why, but she knew that whatever she chose now, there was no going back.
Say something and risk exposing the Jedi Order as being slaves to the Senate no matter who was hurting. Say something and risk causing more problems for Fox and the Corries. Say something and risk making the troopers hate her for butting into their business when they didn't ask her to. Say something and get in trouble for caring too much; for being attached.
Say nothing and everything stays the same.
The Corries lived this long dealing with whatever they were dealing with. They had a system. They knew how to handle it.
Stirring the pot now, especially when she had no solid proof that anything was happening, could lead to disaster.
"It is alright," Master Luminara said. "There is no judgment here. Anything you say within these four walls will remain here unless you decide otherwise. You can speak freely. And, if you decide you don't want me to act on it, then I shall forget the conversation ever happened."
Ahsoka nodded.
Say nothing, and the Corries would continue to suffer.
She knew what she had to do.
If the Jedi Order truly was so controlled by the Senate that they could do nothing about the pain and suffering being brought on the Corries, then she needed to know that. If saying something only caused more problems for the Corries because of retaliation, then she needed to know that. If saying something caused her brothers to abandon her because they didn't want her interfering, then she needed to accept it and let go of them. If saying something got her banned from the Order for being too attached, then she needed to accept it.
She would not be a part of an organization that knowingly turned a blind eye to suffering. She would not be a part of an organization that thought of love and concern as weaknesses to be stamped out. She would not let this abuse continue.
And to do that, she needed to know who her allies were.
Master Krell could wait.
The Corries were important now and seeing how the Jedi Council reacted to her accusations would tell her how to deal with Krell.
She could do it.
She could lose everything if it meant helping her brothers.
They were willing to die to keep her safe. She should be willing to do the same.
She stopped rubbing her wrist and thought through her next words carefully. Master Luminara sat there, patient and radiating calmness that gently nudged her mind and gave her peace.
Finally, when she felt grounded and certain of her words, she spoke.
"I spend a lot of time with the troopers," she started carefully. A spike of anxiety told her to abandon the mission now. If she didn't say anything, then everything would go back to normal.
Besides, Archer and Sol seemed happy enough. Maybe she was blowing things out of proportion.
The thought of Archer and Sol going on a blackout mission; returning the next day in tears as they struggled to remember what had happened the night before spurred her forward.
No matter what happened, she would walk out of there with more information, information that would help her determine her next move.
If Master Luminara didn't help, then she would go to Cody and see what he had to say. And if Cody didn't help, then she would go to Padme.
And if Padme didn't help, then she would deal with this on her own. She'd spend every waking hour combing through archives and video logs until she found evidence as to who was hurting the Corries. And when she did, she'd take matters into her own hands.
"I know what they feel like when they're neutral. Not happy. Not sad. Just, neutral." She continued. "The Coruscant Guard doesn't feel like that."
"They operate within a different system than most of the frontline troops," Master Luminara said. She wasn't arguing. Just voicing a potential reason that may have slipped past Ahsoka. "You are not as familiar with them as your troops. Perhaps their neutral is not what you're used to."
Ahsoka shook her head. "No, that's not it. Barriss can agree with me. When you walk into their base, they don't know how to shield. So you feel everything. And they feel scared and depressed. All of them. All the time. We were sitting in their office. No one was shooting at us. No one was trying to kill us, but they were still on high alert. As if at any moment they could be attacked. I've never felt that before. I've spent weeks in the trenches under constant bombardment and there were still times when people weren't on high alert."
"They also seem to think of themselves as disposable," Barriss added. "It's worrying. I've never felt it amongst our troops. Not even those fresh off Kamino. I agree with Ahsoka, something is wrong."
Master Luminara hummed thoughtfully. "Have you asked them what could be causing this?"
Ahsoka hesitated. Would Master Luminara be annoyed that she hadn't tried to talk to them before talking to her?
"It's okay, Ahsoka. You can speak freely here," Master Luminara encouraged.
"No. I don't know if they'd tell me."
"Why is that?"
"It's just… they don't work with Jedi. They work with…" Her heart skipped a beat. She almost said 'Palpatine' but caught it last minute.
"Senators," Master Luminara finished for her. The word had a sour note to it and her face darkened. "I can see why you thought they may not be amicable to an interrogation over their well-being if some of the most powerful people in the galaxy may be the ones causing their distress."
Ahsoka's shoulders slumped forward. "Like you said, I don't know them that well. They're not used to me. Maybe if it was Fives I could ask. But…"
"But they don't trust you the same way. I understand."
"I'm sorry, Master Luminara. I didn't go get any proof. I didn't look through security feeds or talk to any of them or try and slice medical records to see if there's evidence. It's just a feeling. I don't know if I'm making a big deal out of nothing. I'm sorry for wasting your time."
Cody would probably scold her for not getting more evidence before throwing out accusations. She was painfully aware of how weak her argument was.
"This is absolutely not a waste of my time. Nor is it your job to slice medical records to look for evidence. Especially not without permission from the Council. You did the right thing coming to talk to me about it. Going off on your own may have made you a target to whoever is hurting those men."
Ahsoka looked up at her. "You believe me then?"
Master Luminara nodded. "We do not have the full picture yet, so I cannot say if your theory of Senate abuse is correct. But if you suspect something is wrong with the Coruscant Guard, then we must investigate. I will not have our troops feeling so afraid and alone."
"Thank you," Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. The weight that had been crushing her chest was lifted. Not completely, but enough so that she felt like she could breathe again. "What are we going to do about it."
" You are not going to do anything about it."
"But—"
"But nothing," Master Luminara said. "I'll bring it up to the Council and we will decide on a course of action. In the meantime, continue to work with Commander Thorn on getting initiate and padawan volunteers to help them out."
Ahsoka pursed her lips and glared at the ground, trying not to feel frustrated. She just admitted that something was wrong with the Corries and now Master Luminara was telling her to hold back?
Master Luminara put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you care deeply about the troopers and their well-being. I appreciate that you do and I am taking your concerns seriously. But rushing into an investigation is not wise, Ahsoka. I will talk to the council and let you know what we have decided. In the meantime, please promise me that you will not go off on your own."
"I promise," she mumbled. To be fair, she didn't know if it was possible for her to go off on her own. Archer and Sol were very good at their jobs.
"Good. Now, your guards are getting antsy. I recommend you return to them before they decide to break down the door and check to see if you are still alive."
"Yes. Thank you again," Ahsoka said, standing and leaving the room.
"Everything okay?" Archer asked.
Ahsoka nodded. "Jedi stuff. You know how it goes."
"No we don't," Sol said. "Never really spent much time around a Jedi. Well, except for you. Are you standard?"
She smiled at them. "I'm as non-standard as they come."
Archer patted her on the back. "And we love you for it."
Ahsoka knew she had made the right choice telling Master Luminara. As much as she hated to sit back and wait, she could do that while the council decided how to handle the situation. She ached to tell Rex about what was going on. Cody and Wolffe as well. She could use their support and their assurance that they weren't going to abandon her because she was worried about the Corries.
For now, she just had to keep pretending like everything was okay.
*****
Obi-Wan listened intently as Luminara finished her account of her conversation with Ashoka. The rest of the Council was quiet. Master Yoda had his eyes closed. That worried Obi-Wan. It meant that he was listening intently. That there might be more to this than they originally thought. He didn't like that.
If something truly were wrong with the Coruscant Guard, there were no Jedi to mitigate the damage or protect them. They were probably the most vulnerable troopers in the entire GAR. And something like this had slipped past all of them?
It was likely hubris that caused the Council to overlook such a blatant, glaring issue. They were on Coruscant. There Corries were on Coruscant. Therefore, they didn't need to have a Jedi watching them. Not like Shaak Ti on Kamino. They should be perfectly safe on Coruscant, no Jedi intervention required.
But Ahsoka had picked up that something was wrong after only entering the base twice for very brief periods. And now Obi-Wan could think of nothing but how much they had failed the troopers. All the troopers.
He thought to his men, particularly the ones he had met fresh off the first Geonosis battlefield. The Gen Ones, as they were colloquially called. Of Cody. Of the fear, he had when he accidentally spoke his name out loud instead of his number. Of how nervous he seemed around Obi-Wan for weeks after they had met no matter what Obi-Wan said or did to put him at ease. At the months it took for the troops to warm up to him. To be less stiff around him. To be more trusting.
He had forgotten all of that. He had forgotten how integral the Jedi were to the protection and well-being of the troopers. He had been blind. Blind and content with the progress he had made. He had told himself pretty little lies to put his mind at ease as the war rapidly developed around them. He had chalked up Cody's unease as a new situation. He had forgotten that the troopers were disposable products first and foremost. The Jedi might cherish their lives the same as they would any other person, but not everyone thought the same.
He had forgotten.
He had wanted to forget.
And now thousands of men might be feeling the pain of that desire.
"And do we trust Padawan Tano's assessment of the situation?" Master Rancisis said. There was no judgment in his voice. He was simply curious.
"My padawan also experienced similar emotions from them in her short time on the base," Luminara said.
"If I may," Obi-Wan said, "I would trust Ahsoka's judgment when it comes to the troopers more than anyone here. She is very close to them. She would know better than us what is wrong."
"Attached?" Master Kcaj asked.
Probably, if Obi-Wan were being honest. He had seen the way the 501st interacted with her and she with them. They cared very deeply for her. And that level of care and love was very hard to ignore. Especially as a teenager in the middle of a war zone. It'd take someone much stronger than Ahsoka to not get attached.
But it wasn't just her and the 501st. The rest of the troops seemed equally attached to their Jedi. Especially those battalions with padawans. Even Cody seemed to be more friendly toward Ahsoka than he had in the past. More familial. Those bonds were only deepening as time went on.
But it wasn't just Ahsoka and the padawans that were attached to their troops. Obi-Wan also found himself drawing closer and closer to a select group of men. He found himself deepening bonds he should be letting go of. He found himself allowing closeness and familiarity that he should be chasing away. He should be letting go of these attachments.
Instead, he was cultivating them. Purposefully seeking out ways to make them stronger. He invited Cody to his quarters for tea and to talk about things other than war. He indulged himself in Wooley, Waxer, and Boil's antics. He helped shinies paint their armor and cut their hair. He gave his opinions on tattoos. He allowed himself to grow attached to them with the weak excuse that war was hell and that sometimes it was the only thing that kept him sane after a long campaign.
If he could not bring himself to let go of these attachments, then he would not force Ahsoka to either. Besides, from what he could see it hadn't caused any negative effects yet. If anything, the wartime padawans seemed to be strengthened by these bonds. The men seemed to understand them on a level the masters struggled with. He would not take that from them. Everyone needed all the support they could get.
Perhaps it was foolish.
Perhaps it would lead to the downfall of the Jedi Order.
But Obi-Wan felt like the order had fallen the moment the peacekeepers became generals.
Therefore, he lied. "Not attached. But empathetic," he explained. "It is one of her stronger traits with the Force."
"Is it believable that someone would be hurting the Coruscant Guard, though?" Master Kolar asked.
"It is possible," Master Mundi replied. "They don't have a Jedi to monitor them.
"And the people they work with are senators," Luminara added. "The Senate is corrupt on the best of days. A senator that is willing to let their people suffer for money and power is also someone who may be willing to hurt others for pleasure."
"Not only that," Master Ti said, "but past treatment of the troopers on Kamino would suggest the possibility for abuse. No matter how many bills Representative Fox and Representative Blitz pass, they are still, at the end of the day, property. And we all know that there are those that do not treat their property with kindness."
"They are living and breathing individuals, though," Master Kolar said. "Surely they would be more empathetic towards them."
"Not necessarily," Kit said. "We have all seen first-hand slaves that are horrifically treated by their masters."
"And, while I have no proof, I do know the training programs and trainers prior to my involvement were very abusive. The troopers are things to some people, not sentient people who can hurt." Master Ti said.
"That would explain why my Commander is missing several of his teeth before stepping foot on the battlefield," Master Koon said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He was yet another Jedi who was no doubt attached to his troops. Sometimes, Obi-Wan liked to tease that he was planning on adopting all of them. The fact that Master Koon didn't deny this was telling.
"If the guards are used to that sort of abuse growing up on Kamino, then it would stand to reason they'd find it normal. And therefore wouldn't have a reason to tell someone about it," Master Windu said. "Which would explain why it hasn't come up before."
"And even if they knew it was wrong, who would they tell?" Master Ballaba stated. "I can't see the guards coming up to the temple and telling a random Jedi. Especially if they don't trust us or our intentions."
"Not to mention senators are powerful people," Kit said. "Even if they knew it was wrong and they trusted us, they might be afraid of retaliation."
"Or worse. They might think we wouldn't do anything because we work for the Senate," Obi-Wan said. The words left a bitter taste in his mouth.
The Senate already demanded so much from the Jedi. It demanded they throw away their ideals of peace and negotiation to fight in a war. Obi-Wan did think that defeating the Separatists was necessary. Anyone who aligned themselves with a Sith needed to be stopped. But at what cost? How much would the Senate demand from the Jedi before there was nothing left?
And was the Senate truly the better option? There was so much corruption on the floor that sometimes Obi-Wan felt like no side was right. Whoever won, the entire Galaxy would still lose.
But he had to keep pushing forward. He had to keep fighting. He had to end this war as fast as possible so that no more people died. So that no more clone troopers were forced to fight in a battle they didn't ask to be a part of. So that no more padawans were forced to grow up on the battlefields surrounded by blood and death. It was the least he could do.
"We would deal with the Senator responsible, though," Master Windu said. "Such treatment should not be allowed."
"Yes, but do they know that?" Obi-Wan asked. "Have they interacted with any Jedi on a regular enough basis to trust we would go against the Senate? Especially when it seems to the outside observer that we are the errand boys of a corrupt system more interested in lining the pockets of the rich rather than helping the poor?"
"That is true," Master Ti said. "We will have to move carefully, though. One does not accuse powerful people of abuse without a solid plan."
"We should investigate first," Master Koon said. "If no one is hurting them, then no one is hurting them and we can put Ahsoka's mind at ease. Perhaps look for the source of their fears and send a mind healer to help them recover from their time on Kamino. But, if someone is hurting them, then we will gather proof. And go from there."
"We should also use this time to investigate other matters regarding the Senate," Master Ballaba stated.
"Oh?" Obi-Wan was curious about what she could mean. Unless she was talking about corruption. In which case that didn't require an investigation. That required Cody to call Fox and listen to him rant about the Senate for an hour and they'd have all the proof and names they needed.
"Padawan Tano's assassination attempt." She clarified. "I am certain the leak did not come from the Jedi. And, based on what I've seen, I don't think the troopers would purposefully leak the information."
"So the Senate, then," Master Luminara said.
"And I don't think it's a coincidence that she was injured not long after Representative Fox took up his post," Master Ballaba finished.
"I thought it was the work of a separatist? Cad Bane is a known associate of Count Dooku," Master Gallia said.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I agree with Master Ballaba. The leak could have been purposeful. After all, why would Dooku go out of his way to make her death look like a random battlefield casualty? Besides, the nature of the mission was suspicious enough. There was a lot of effort put into isolating her from all other Jedi and potential help."
He wondered if the Council could sense his bitterness. He had told them something was wrong. He had told them it was a bad idea. He had tried to get them to send Cody out to help. And they didn't listen. They stuck their heads in the sand and trusted that Master Windu had made the planet safe enough for her to go on her own. While he doubted Cody's presence would have stopped Bane, he could have been a great asset in the aftermath.
Obi-Wan had hidden much of what happened after Ahsoka's injury from Anakin. Only because he had seen how distraught Cody was and had heard all the details of it. Cody had come to him that night, shaking and barely holding on. Obi-Wan feared that something terrible had happened to their men. That someone important to Cody had died.
"Just got done talking to Jesse," he said shakily. "It's… Ahsoka… she's been…" And that was enough to send Obi-Wan into a (well-controlled) panic.
It sounded like he wasn't the only one who had been hit hard by her near-death experience. Rex had gotten himself blackout drunk. Fives had nearly gotten himself court-martialed. It seemed that only Jesse had managed to keep control of himself. But even that slipped the second he started talking to Cody. And Cody had managed to control himself long enough to get to Obi-Wan so he could slip. All in all, the entire situation was a mess. He did his best to support Cody and assure him that everything would be alright. It didn't feel like enough. He wished he could have given more.
And then there was Anakin. Angry, furious Anakin. Not that Obi-Wan could blame him. He was just glad his former padawan didn't take it out on Jesse. Even though they were on opposite ends of the galaxy Obi-Wan could tell the poor man was holding on by a thread.
The fact that he was right about the mission, the fact that the Council hadn't listened to his arguments, and hadn't allowed his commander to join the 501st and help them, left a bitter taste in his mouth. Truthfully, if he was the Coruscant Guard, he'd be less likely to reach out to the Jedi for help after seeing what happened with Ahsoka.
They rolled over too easily when it came to the Senate. If they were going to help out these men, they were going to have to start putting their foot down.
"A Senator working with the Separatists would spur the Senate into action," Luminara said thoughtfully.
"Perhaps," Obi-Wan agreed. "And, while I'm sure Admiral Tarkin will do a thorough investigation, he's…"
He's a dick. Even though Cody's shields were strong (Obi-Wan had trained him well and Cody was brilliant and a quick learner), at this point they were so enmeshed with one another that he could read him pretty easily. Trauma bonding tended to do that to a person.
Cody did not like Tarkin. He did not trust Tarkin to not be biased. He wanted to put Tarkin's face through a wall. It took a bit of coaxing, but Obi-Wan did manage to get him to admit that Tarkin had shown a clear displeasure towards the troopers. He was worried that the admiral would try and pin this on them even if there was no evidence. Obi-Wan was not going to let that happen.
"He's close to Chancellor Palpatine and other senators," Obi-Wan stated diplomatically. "He might overlook evidence that the Senate is responsible for the leak. Same as the Jedi might overlook evidence pointing towards our involvement."
"That is true," Master Koon said.
"How can we be certain that the senator abusing the Coruscant Guard is the same one that tried to kill Padawan Tano?" Master Mundi said.
"We shouldn't assume that it's just one," Obi-Wan said. "There could be dozens of them. But, if Master Ballaba's theory is correct, then the reason for Ahsoka's death isn't because she's helping us with the war. It's because she's helped put clone rights into the minds of the citizens. And if someone doesn't want sentient people to have rights and is willing to kill a child to ensure that doesn't happen, then they're probably also abusing them right under our noses."
"It's as good a place to start as any," Kit said. "Especially since we haven't managed to recover much from the blaster and mission details."
"Master Yoda," Master Windu said, "What do you think?"
Master Yoda finally opened his eyes. He let out a heavy sigh. "Worrying, this is. Sense the dark side, I do. Reaching all parts of the galaxy, it is. Start with the Coruscant Guard, we must."
Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief. Now that Master Yoda had voiced his support, they could get started. None of the Council members had disputed Luminara's worries, but without Master Yoda's go-ahead, they could not start an investigation.
"We should not tell the Senate about this," Luminara said. "if a senator is the one behind this, then alerting them would give them the chance to hide the evidence."
"And we should keep Palpatine out of this as well," Obi-Wan said.
"Is that a good idea?" Master Tiin asked. "He should know if there is a corrupt senator in his midst, possibly leaking information to the Separatists."
"There are already several corrupt senators in his midst," Master Ti said. "I agree with Master Kenobi, we should not tell him until we have evidence. He might start his own investigation. Or inadvertently trust someone he should not trust with this information."
"Agree, I do," Master Yoda said. "The less people that know, the better it is."
Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief. He never liked Palpatine. There was something about him that rubbed him the wrong way. He didn't like how much Palpatine liked Anakin. He didn't like some of his policy decisions. He didn't like that he seemed to be amassing a large amount of power in such a short amount of time. More importantly, though, whenever he was around the man, it was like he forgot all the reasons he didn't like him. When he was around Palpatine, he felt neutral about him. Completely neutral. It was only after he was out of his presence, sometimes days later, that he even remembered why he didn't like the man in the first place. The worst part? He never could uncover evidence to suggest anything sinister was going on. Well, sinister for a politician.
Maybe that was the issue. Maybe he just didn't like politicians. Orn Free Taa certainly set his teeth on edge every time he saw the man. Bail, Padme, Chuchi, and Mothma were about the only ones he could say he liked.
"We'll look and see who is available to shadow the Coruscant Guard, then," Master Windu said. "And please, keep this conversation with the Council only. Your padawans and troops do not need to know about this."
"It makes sense if we are not even telling the Senate or Chancellor," Kit said.
Obi-Wan nodded. Well, there goes his plan to ask Cody about it. And here he was hoping to gain a little insight, to see if Fox had told him anything.
The meeting adjourned and Obi-Wan turned off his holoprojector. He stayed in the meeting room a few minutes longer, tapping his fingers as his mind worked to review the information he had just received.
He needed to process it. And sitting around wasn't going to give him that. He stood up and began walking around the ship. He had no end destination in mind. He was merely wandering, but his wandering held a purpose. Moving his body like this helped solidify what had happened in his mind. It gave him a chance to think about his next move. It allowed him the opportunity to think through the strengths and weaknesses of the current plan.
He wandered for almost an hour. He thought about Ahsoka. About the Corries. About his men and if they would ever come to him if anyone mistreated them. He thought about the Senate. He thought about his master and Chancellor Palpatine. He thought about a lot of things in that hour and knew that tonight he would be meditating more on the problem.
He turned the corner to see Cody scolding two shinies for something. He let his worries about the Coruscant Guard and the Senate fall away for just a moment while he observed his commander. Everyone he cared about was safe, for now. Ahsoka was safe on Coruscant where Fox had assigned his two best men to watch over her. Anakin and Rex were both safe (for now) on their own campaign. And Cody was safe here on the ship. They had had a hard battle these last few days and suffered many casualties. But at least Obi-Wan could say that Cody was safe.
He smiled as Cody dismissed the shinies. The two of them scampered off, likely having just experienced their first 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed lecture' from his commander.
Cody turned to see Obi-Wan standing in the hallway. "General, the meeting went well I take it?"
Obi-Wan counted it as progress that he didn't immediately snap into a salute.
He nodded and walked towards Cody. "Boring as always, commander. I would like for Anakin to be on the council. If only to make things more interesting."
Cody made a face. "I'm sure he'd be a great addition to the council." He said this as if Obi-Wan was holding a lightsaber to his neck and forcing him to say it or else perish. It was amusing.
He laughed. "You can speak your mind, my dear. We both know he'd be a disaster."
"He'd give General Windu an aneurysm," Cody admitted.
"And Master Yoda would encourage the whole affair," Obi-Wan added. Just like that, his thoughts were back to the Coruscant Guard and Ahsoka's fears. His smile dropped and he felt so tired and so old all at once.
"Is everything alright, sir?" Cody asked.
A few weeks ago Cody had been acting strange. Try as Obi-Wan might, he couldn't get the man to tell him what was wrong. He had placated himself by saying that if it were truly serious, Cody would come to him. He wouldn't hide anything. Now he wasn't so sure. It was times like these Obi-Wan cursed himself for teaching Cody how to shield. It'd be a lot easier if he were an open book. Even if that was an invasion of his privacy.
"I have a question for you," he started. "If someone, like an admiral or something, hurt you or any other trooper. Would you tell me?"
Cody froze and, for a brief moment, his shield crumbled. Obi-Wan didn't get a chance to see anything or get a clear sense of what happened, however. Cody recovered quickly and returned them to full force.
So that was a no, then.
"Of course, sir," he lied. "Why? Did something happen?"
He was testing the waters. Seeing if Obi-Wan knew what was going on. The funny thing? Obi-Wan didn't. He didn't know what was going on with Cody. He highly doubted that whoever was hurting the Guards was also hurting his men. Which meant this problem was more widespread than they initially thought.
Once more, he had been so willing to pretend like the troopers were equal in the eyes of everyone, that he likely had been letting abuse happen right under his nose. It was a miracle any of these men were willing to follow him into battle at all. That they trusted him at all.
He wanted to change that. He wanted to tell him about the Council. He wanted to tell him about the investigation. He wanted to prove to Cody that he was more than just a disposable product; that to him, he was a living, breathing person who deserved more in life than this.
He wanted to get Cody in the loop. He cared about his brothers so much he would help Obi-Wan with the investigation.
But no. They needed to keep this investigation quiet. There were too many variables. Too many powerful people could be suspects. They needed to move carefully. They needed to keep this contained.
He would eventually tell Cody about the investigation. But this early into it could spell disaster.
So, like Cody, he lied.
"After our discussion about Tarkin, I wanted to make sure that nothing had happened. I suppose I realized how much faith you put in me and the other Jedi to be kind to you. I don't want to make you feel as though that faith is misplaced."
"It's not," Cody said quickly. "The faith. It's not misplaced. Not to me at least."
Obi-Wan smiled at him. "That's good to know. You're sure Tarkin hasn't done anything?"
"Admiral Tarkin hasn't done anything but be mildly annoying," Cody scoffed. "Don't worry. I would tell you. If something happened."
Another lie. He felt hurt by this but also understood. The troopers were in a very precarious situation. While he did believe that Tarkin wasn't responsible for whatever was making Cody uneasy, someone was. Someone who could make Cody or any of his brothers' lives a living hell if they so chose to.
"Come on, general," Cody said, gesturing for him to follow. "You look like you could use a good sparing session."
Obi-Wan laughed. "Convinced you'll beat me this time, commander?"
"I'm sure as hell going to try."
"I wouldn't expect anything less from my second in command."
They continued with an easy, meaningless conversation to the sparring rooms. Obi-Wan let his anxieties about who was mistreating his men go.
He wasn't going to push right now. That wouldn't help anything and maybe a distraction. But, he would be keeping a much closer eye on any non-trooper around his men from here on out. Any attempts to harm them would be met with swift punishment.
It was the least he could do for them since they sacrificed so much of themselves for the Republic.
*****
MasterKenobi: Have any of you talked to your men about potential abuse they might be facing?
MasterKenobi: I know we aren't supposed to let them know about the investigation, but I worry this might be a bigger problem.
MasterMundi: More widespread than the Guard, you mean?
MasterKenobi: Precisely
MasterKoon: I did ask Wolffe why he was missing a few teeth. He told me a rather horrifying story about how he tried going by 'Wolf' as a cadet but was severely 'punished' for doing so. And that's why there is an extra 'f' and 'e' on his name.
MasterKoon: He seemed to find the story amusing.
MasterKoon: I did not.
MasterTi: Once again I have tried talking to Blitz and Hammer about it.
MasterBallaba: Nothing?
MasterTi: I would expect nothing less. They are still heavily monitored by the Kaminoans.
MasterFisto: And we are certain their treatment on Kamino is still so poor they will not talk?
MasterTi: More than once I overheard one of the trainers refer to the cadets as 'cattle'
MasterFisto: Are those trainers there anymore?
MasterTi: No one hurts my boys.
MasterTi: Or refers to them as livestock.
MasterFisto: Of course.
MasterUnduli: This is a worrying trend. We will have to monitor the non-trooper staff within our ranks closely.
MasterMundi: Indeed. Something tells me the troopers will not admit to any mistreatment on their own accord.
MasterKenobi: I know. I think something happened that my commander knows about. But he will not tell me.
MasterKoon: Then let us hope that this investigation will reveal who is mistreating the guard.
MasterUnduli: Our men are not around senators often, though.
MasterFisto: True, but if they see that we take their safety seriously, then they might be more willing to come forward.
MasterKenobi: I agree. Do we have someone assigned yet?
MasterKoon: I believe Master Windu and Master Yoda have picked someone out. They will begin their assignment shortly.
MasterKenobi: Excellent. We should tell Ahsoka that we are taking her claims seriously. I fear that if we don't, she'll investigate on her own.
MasterKoon: Of course. She takes after her master with her stubbornness.
MasterKenobi: I think she learned it from your commander first.
MasterKoon: That and how to bite your enemy's hands off. Wolffe couldn't be prouder.
MasterKenobi: Nor could I, my friend.
Notes:I have fallen in love with Cal Kestris and he shall be making more appearances. I couldn't find any canonical name for his commander/captain, so AnotherInternetUser and I decided his name would be Ironside. I don't make the rules.
Plo Koon: Wolffe, why are you missing teeth?
Wolffe: Oh, it's a funny story. So I was going by 'Wolf' on Kamino, no extra F and E, and the long-necks found out and sent me to be punished, and-- why are you grabbing your lightsaber?
Plo Koon: Don't you worry, son. I've just got some things to do.
Shaak Ti sipping tea and reading a book while Plo Koon rampages around Tipoca City
Blitz: Um, sir, shouldn't we do something about General Koon?
Shaak Ti: No :)
Mando'a:
Vode: Brothers
Vod: Brother
Osik: Shit