Chapter 2: Episode 2: How to Tell the Difference with Echo and FivesNotes:Could I resist writing another chapter of this fic? No. No I could not. Enjoy people! Echo and Fives are chaos twins and Rex is about to have an aneurysm trying to keep his aliit from getting decommissioned. Also, if any of the Mando'a is spelled wrong, blame autocorrect. I'm doing my best but sometimes that slippery little feature fixes things and I don't even realize it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextAfter Rex's chat with the other commanders, he went straight to Ahsoka and Hardcase and banned any more uploads for the time being. Even though he felt a little hurt Ahsoka hadn't trusted him enough to come to him with this idea, he wasn't angry at them. Not really. The video itself seemed harmless enough and he could get behind the idea of introducing padawans to life as a commander beforethey were stepping off a transport ship on the front lines of an active battle.
Rex never did forgive the Jedi for that. It was a miracle Ahsoka was a quick learner otherwise her first battle would have been her last.
Also, the video kept Hardcase out of trouble for the remainder of their hyperspace journey. And, from the whispers he heard around the ship, it sounded like the rest of the 501st was excited to share their own knowledge with the younglings back at the temple.
Truly, he meant to only put a stop to the series for a few days. Enough time for him to lay down some ground rules and ensure that the uploads couldn't be traced to their locations. But, as was the case with everything in his life, war took precedence over leisure. Very quickly, the 'Creche to Command' holonet series was pushed from his mind as he worked to develop battle strategies, count the dead, comfort his troops, fill out a never-ending series of paperwork, keep up with his training, and a million other things that piled onto his plate at the beginning of each day.
After about a month, he had completely forgotten all about Ahsoka and Hardcase's little hobby.
That is, until Hardcase, Jesse, Echo, Fives, and Tup were all crowded in his office. Hardcase, Jesse and Fives looked pissed. Echo looked like he was trying to keep his twin from doing anything that would get him decommissioned, but also looked pissed. Only Tup, their newest recruit, seemed to have the decency to look a little nervous standing in Rex's office. At least someone still understood what the word 'captain' meant.
"Can I help you, boys, with something?" Rex asked, sighing heavily as he put his datapad down. Whatever this was, it would hopefully be quick to deal with. He needed to go over the weapon inventory list before they sent out an order.
"What's the hold-up, Captain?" Hardcase said.
"Hold up?"
"You told us we couldn't upload another video until you had a chance to talk to us about it. You haven't talked to us about it. What gives?"
Right. Creche to Command. He had said that. He groaned and massaged his brow. "I don't know why I need to tell you this, but I am actually very busy. I'm sorry your hobby isn't as important as battle strategy and keeping all you di'kute alive."
This, at the very least, had the desired effect of making Tup shrink back, and Echo put a hand on Hardcase's shoulder to try and calm him down.
"Like you aren't always busy!" Jesse said. "You're just mad because Tano didn't tell you about it. She went to Hardcase instead and your ego can't take that."
He glared at him and bit back a growl. "That is the most idiotic thing I've heard you say yet."
Then again, maybe Jesse had a point. When Ahsoka first explained why she wanted to do the series, she admitted to Rex how insecure she had been when she first stepped into battle.
"Rex," she had said, scuffing her toes against the floor, "I don't think you realize just how unprepared I was for all of this. You guys were raised to be soldiers. I was raised to be a peacekeeper."
"Well, it's hard to be a peacekeeper in the middle of a battle." He crossed his arms.
"I know that. But sometimes, I feel like the Jedi council is afraid to train padawans to be warriors. They're sticking their heads in the sand and pretending like what worked in the past will work now. The first battle I ever had with you guys… I had never seen so much death before in my life." She looked up at him, unshed tears shining in her eyes. "I know it sounds stupid. It's a war. People die. But knowing and experiencing are two different things. And what's worse, I couldn't fully comprehend it because if I did, I'd probably freeze up and get shot."
Her words made him soften just a bit.
"And then afterward I was hoping someone would break down so I knew it was okay. But you guys didn't. You just picked up and carried on. You didn't even bury the dead."
Because they still had a mission to complete. And spending that much time burying their brothers was a luxury they didn't have.
She looked away from him. "The padawans aren't prepared for this, Rex. I just wanted to give them something that no one gave me."
She left the room before he could respond. And a new mission came in before he had time to find her.
He groaned and ran a hand down his face. Okay. So, maybe he was a little upset that Ahsoka, even after all this time, still didn't trust him with some of her more vulnerable emotions and thoughts. Sure, he had caught her during panic attacks and sobbing sessions before, but she had never come to him with her worries. She seemed to march around the ship with a grin on her face and a thirst for battle in her blood. She took to sparring like it had been programmed in her veins. She picked up strategy like it had been etched into her soul. She felt the losses of the men but seemed to bounce back as quickly as any of them.
Rex was stupid to think that it wasn't all a lie. He was stupid to think that this holonet series wasn't just another way for her to try and exercise control in a situation where luck and fate was the ultimate deciding factor in who lived and who died.
"Okay, I'll talk to her today and get things set up."
"Finally!" Fives said.
"Now, get out of my office. I have work to do."
Echo pushed the group out before they could make much more trouble. But, before he left, he turned back to face him. "If you don't talk to her by the end of the day, we'll mutiny."
"You won't mutiny."
"That's what you think, vod." He turned and left the room.
Sometimes, he wondered if Cody and the rest of the commanders had to put up with so much osik from their subordinates.
He wouldn't have it any other way, though. The openness his battalion had, the ability for them to speak their minds and trust he wouldn't punish them, was what made the 501st such a strong unit. They had ranks, yes. But at the end of the day, they were equals.
He reached over and commed for Ahsoka to meet him in his office. While he waited, he got back to his work, the words in front of him swirling into an incomprehensible language that made his head hurt.
"Kix says if you stare at a datapad too long you'll go blind."
He jumped and looked up to see Ahsoka standing in front of him, grinning.
"Kix is full of it," he grumbled, putting the pad down.
"What'd you need me for? Are you still mad about the video?" She looked confident enough, almost smug in her ability to annoy him. But he could tell, the way she stood, the way she had her arms crossed, the way she wasn't quite looking him in the eye, she was still nervous about getting in trouble. Or maybe disappointing him.
"I'm not mad. I'm—"
"Disappointed?"
He huffed and leaned back. "I'm not even disappointed. I just want to know why you didn't tell me about this. It's not against the regulations."
"I know. We had Echo check."
"Good to know. So if it's not against the regulations, why didn't you tell me about it?"
"So, I have to ask permission before I do anything?" she scoffed.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean? Hardcase and I didn't break any rules, we didn't let any intel slip that could be used in battle. You don't monitor every game of Sabaac or require us to tell you every time we use the kitchen. Why is this any different?"
"Because you tried to hide it," he snapped, immediately regretting the harshness of his words. He took a second to compose himself. Ahsoka could feel all of his emotions which would only make this conversation more difficult and less productive.
Once he felt more in control, he tried again. "You weren't breaking any rules, but you still went out of your way to keep me from knowing about it. Everyone else seemed to know, but if I hadn't set up that alert to monitor any outgoing transmissions, I never would have seen it. I just want to know why."
Ahsoka looked away from him, seeming to shrink on herself. The annoying thing was, she could be just as stubborn as Skywalker, more so when she wanted to be. She could freeze him out, avoid him for weeks, and find every excuse in the book not to talk to him alone. He wondered who had taught her so well and if he could kindly punch them in the face for making his life more difficult.
Of course, one did not have two stubborn Jedi who liked to hide all their feelings until they were literally sobbing in a broom closet at two in the morning without having a few tricks up their sleeves. If Ahsoka was going to ice him out, he was going to play dirty.
"Do you not trust me?"
She flinched at that. It was a low blow, he was very well aware. But it provided him with the ammo he needed to get her to open up.
"Of course I do!"
"Then why not tell me about this?"
"It's… it just feels so stupid!" She threw her hands up in the air. "You seem to know everything and have all the experience in the world but I still feel like I'm drowning. Like I can barely keep up no matter what I do. Every time I learn something I also learn that there are a million other things I don't know and it's stupid!"
"It's not stupid to feel that way." He moved out from behind his desk to put a hand on her back; ready to tell her that as much as she thinks he has all the experience in the world, he still feels like a cadet. Barely keeping up with everything going on around him. Barely dipping his toe into the world of war and the knowledge needed to keep his men alive.
"No, the video series. It's literally stupid. It's stupid fun. I know I told you it's to help the padawans get more acquainted with troopers and being a commander. But let's face it, they're probably going to learn more about how to pull pranks or make the rations slightly more edible than battle strategy or fighting. I'm not improving my lightsaber forms, learning how to negotiate, or learning how to run a successful campaign. I'm just messing around with the troopers and posting stupid videos on the holonet that ultimately don't help anyone! That's why I didn't want to tell you."
The fight burned out of her and her shoulders slumped forward.
"I didn't want you to be disappointed or think I was wasting my time." She finished quietly.
He felt shame creeping over his body; burning hot and bright fast enough that he knew Ahsoka felt it as well.
"Oh, vod'ika, that's not…" He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "Ni ceta. I didn't mean to make you feel like you couldn't have any fun or do something not immediately useful. War is hell, kid. And just because this series isn't going to help you defeat clankers or learn to negotiate with terrorists doesn't mean it isn't useful."
"Yeah, right," she huffed. He could practically feel her roll her eyes at him.
"I'm serious. Our trainers on Kamino were all pretty serious as well. All work, no fun. If it didn't serve an immediate purpose to improve our skills then it was deemed unnecessary and had to go. But they were wrong. Sometimes you need something like a stupid holonet series where Hardcase makes fun of your noodle arms and then you utterly fail to use the Z-6."
She laughed. "I do not have noodle arms."
"Agree to disagree."
She pulled back and smiled at him. "So we can keep doing the series?"
"Yeah, you can do the series."
"Yes!"
"But, I have a few ground rules."
"Ugh, fine. What are they?"
"No cursing."
"Obviously."
"Maybe for you but not for the rest of the guys."
"Fair point. What else?"
"You can't give away our position or mention if we are coming from or going to a battle. And, I have to approve of everything before you send it out."
"Rex!" she whined.
"Those are my rules, kid. Take it or leave it." Not that he thought she would be so stupid as to give away intel that would lead to their doom, but sometimes things slipped through the cracks. She was still a kid and had not been trained like Rex and the rest of his vod. She was right. She was trained as a peacekeeper and peacekeepers didn't have to worry about intel and security and all that. Not as much as a soldier did.
"Fine. But only if you agree to be in the episodes."
"One episode. I'll be the subject in one episode."
She chewed his proposition before nodding and holding out her hand. "Deal."
He shook it. "Deal. What's the next topic going to be about?"
"I'm thinking how to tell the troopers apart. Echo and Fives wanted to do that one. Jesse wants to do slang."
"Of course, he does," Rex muttered. He was definitely going to have to watch that one. Echo could probably keep Fives in line, but left to his own devices, Jesse could slip in all manner of inappropriate things that would probably go right over Ahsoka's montrals.
"But," she continued, "the younglings at the temple were very worried about telling you all apart. I think that particular fear came up multiple times in multiple different ways."
"You seem to do a good enough job, though."
Ahsoka's cheeks darkened and she looked away.
"What is it?"
"Don't laugh," she mumbled, blushing even more furiously.
"Okay. I won't."
"The reason why I was so quick to learn how to tell the difference between all of you is because I actually have a hard time telling the difference between all humans. Not just troopers."
He couldn't help it. He laughed. Throwing his head back and laughing so hard it echoed through the hallways.
"It's not funny, Rex!"
"It's a little funny."
"I once spoke to Master Kenobi for twenty minutes before realizing I was actually speaking to Admiral Yularen," she practically wailed.
Rex had to hold the desk for support he was laughing so hard. "They don't look remotely the same!"
"They both have facial hair!"
"You mixed up Yularen and Kenobi? I have to tell Cody this."
"It was my first time meeting him! I didn't know! Stop laughing, Rex!"
He couldn't. The idea that to Ahsoka, all humans were clones was too funny to pass up.
"Ugh, you're being mean. I'm going to go tell Echo and Fives the good news, besom."
Rex immediately stopped laughing as soon as the word was out of her mouth; watching in shock as Ahsoka stormed out the door. The troopers all spoke broken bits of mando'a. It was a way for them to feel like people and not like disposable weapons. That coupled with their names and the paint on their armor, was a culture created for a group of people designed not to have one. Generally speaking, while the troopers spoke mando'a to each other, they didn't really speak it around the Jedi or other nat-borns on the ship. No one ever felt a need to.
However, the 501st (like usual) was a bit different. It didn't take long for the troopers to start using it around Ahsoka. He had slipped it in several times in this conversation alone. Despite them using it around her, though, he never expected her to use it back.
Besom
Ill-mannered lout.
Jesse must have taught her that one.
He smiled as something warm burrowed in his chest. He decided not to give a name to this emotion, but he wouldn't bury it either. This war took many things from him. It wouldn't take this either.
*****
Wolffe was generally not one to believe in luck. Why rely on some dice-rolling universal osik like luck when you could make your own luck and rip droids apart with your bare hands?
However, even Wolffe had to admit, they were verylucky on this last battle. The separatists had decided to up their game and their war crimes by taking an entire village hostage. Like Ryloth, only this time they had the brilliant idea to split the children from their parents and stick them on the front lines. This meant that Wolfpack's normal strategy of 'hit hard, hit fast, and bite through the fuckers that don't go down with blaster fire' wouldn't work. Not unless they wanted to mow down a bunch of kids. And Wolffe was not inclined to kill children.
Thankfully, General Koon managed to pretend to negotiate a surrender with the leader while Wolffe led a small group of men around the back to stealthily take down the droids. Each second he spent on that battlefield took away ten years off his already shortened lifespan. One wrong move and their deception would be discovered. Then, the kids would be dead in a hail of blaster fire and they would lose. Even if the separatist leader died and the village was freed, they would still lose.
But, as stated earlier, luck (which Wolffe still didn't believe in) was on their side. His squad culled the droid army, got the kids out of the line of fire, and then took care of the rest.
Easy.
Done.
Success.
Not quite.
The enemy was kind enough to put all the kids in one place (as sentient meat shields on the literal front line of battle) so they were easy enough to gather up. But the parents and the rest of the adults? Nowhere to be found!
Because of course, they weren't.
That would be too easy.
And luck didn't like Wolffe to have an easy life.
It liked to throw wrenches in his plan and laugh in his face as he adapted and overcame obstacle after obstacle.
No matter.
This was Wolfpack.
This is what they did.
This is how they succeeded.
"Sir, I've sent Ace and Wire to take a squad and start scouting out the cave systems in the mountains," he said as he and General Koon walked through their makeshift camp.
"We will need to hurry. If they discover their main forces are dead, they will likely start executing the adults," General Koon said.
"Of course, sir." He didn't need to be told. The clock was ticking and every second they didn't have those hostages in their grasp was a second where casualties could grow. "Wire has a few heat signatures registering about three clicks to the north. They'll start there. Hopefully have the kids back with their parents before sundown."
"Good work as always," General Koon said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "The intel did not say there were any more droid armies on this planet. For now, we can use the village as a base of operations. Once we have all citizens recovered, we can continue the rest of our campaign."
"Yes, sir." Now came the hard part.
The kids.
They did not seem to trust any of the troopers at all. One even bit Clawe's finger. It was probably infected by now. Wolffe did understand why they were so hesitant. They were on the outer rim. War hadn't reached them yet. And, when ships did descend from the sky, they were filled with blaster fire and droids that ripped them from their parents and held them hostage. Wolffe and the troopers were the good guys, but he could see from a child's point of view why that might not be the case. Their armor was hard and unnatural. Hiding their faces and their bodies from the world. And, when they did take their helmets off, they all looked the same. For Wolffe, this was normal. Hell, most of the generals and admirals in the GAR were used to it by now. But for any neverd out there who happened to stumble upon even five troopers, it had to be jarring. Weird. Unnatural. Unnerving. Not only that, but the troopers all carried weapons. Blasters and cannons that were loud and looked like the weapons that had ripped through these children's homes and hurt them and their families.
All of this was to say the kids were not very willing to sit there and take orders.
"We have to do something about the kids," Wolffe said as they walked through the camp. "They don't trust us. They won't let any of our medics scan them. And I'm pretty sure as soon as we turn our backs they're going to head for the hills."
"I agree with you." General Koon nodded.
"Can't you, I don't know, use the force to make them calm or something?" He still wasn't quite sure how the force worked beyond the basics. But he was pretty sure Cody once told him about how General Kenobi could convince people to do something by waving his hand and suggesting it in a soothing tone.
General Koon laughed. "To do such a thing requires me to find some thread of calm, or the desire to be calm. I then pull that thought to the front. However, these children are much too distressed for that to work. I am sorry, Commander. We will need to come up with a different solution."
Damn! "I heard Kix designed a blaster that shot out tranquilizers. Maybe we could try that."
General Koon looked at him, torn between horror and amusement. "Why in the galaxy would he require something of that nature?"
"Have you met the 501st?"
"Point taken. Still, I do not think it would be wise to drug the children to sleep. We do not wish for their parents to think we are trying something amoral."
Wolffe groaned. There had to be a solution here. There just had to be. Something that didn't involve Clawe losing another finger to a particularly bitey trandoshan.
"Um, sirs," a shiny Wolffe vaguely recognized as 'Lucky' said nervously. "I might have an idea."
Behind him were the rest of the batchmates: Silver, Scout, Coil, and Deadshot. They were some of the lucky ones. Most shinies didn't even get their names before they died. And most batchmates came out of their first battles down several brothers. That was always the worst part for Wolffe. That first death of a batchmate. The reality of war set in. He hated it every time.
"What is your idea, trooper?" General Koon said kindly.
Lucky fidgeted slightly, nervous to be talking so freely with the general. It was probably his first time speaking with him. He was likely running through all the lessons those long necks drilled into them about respect and how to talk to their superiors and whatnot. They'd probably have a heart attack if they went onto the battlefield and heard how most of the troops spoke to their generals.
Come to think of it, maybe Wolffe should suggest Lama Su go take a tour of the 501st. That might just give that bastard a stroke.
"What if we were to show them an episode of 'Creche to Command'?"
General Koon's brow furrowed. "What?"
Wolffe winced. It was an unspoken rule that the holonet series stay away from the eyes of the Jedi. They were pretty certain no one would object to it. They didn't object to anything else Skywalker's band of insane troopers did. But they didn't want it to get to the Senate. Because if it got to the Senate, that meant it would get to Palpatine.
And Palpatine was a… shabuir.
While the generals seemed to consider the troopers people deserving of the same basic respect they gave all sentients, Palpatine seemed to think of the troopers as droids, but squishier and able to bleed. And feel pain. If he saw this series, Wolffe had no doubt he would either try to squash it or take control of it. He was controlling like that.
Something Fox often complained about at length.
He couldn't blame the shinies, though. The younglings back at the Temple were also watching the series. Eventually, it'd make its way to the council one way or another. At least this way, General Koon learned of it first.
"It's a series Ahsoka and the 501st are doing," Wolffe hurried to say.
"Little 'Soka?"
"Yes, sir. It was originally meant for the younglings at the temple to ease them into their command positions. But the men have taken a liking to it as well."
"How interesting," General Koon said evenly. Sometimes, it was hard to get a read as to how he felt about something. It didn't help that he didn't have eyes or a mouth that showed any amount of expression.
General Koon turned back to Lucky. "And you believe this holonet series would help calm the village children?"
"It's worth a shot, sir," Lucky said. "It was originally meant for children so I don't see why it wouldn't be helpful here. Besides, it would help show them that we're not scary monsters. We're here to help."
"Hmm, you make a good point. Why don't you and your squad attempt to show the children one of these videos? We have nothing to lose by trying."
"Yes, sir!" Lucky and the rest of the shinies snapped into a salute before turning toward the tent that housed the children.
"Who else knows about this series?" General Koon asked.
"Captain Rex is monitoring it to make sure it's safe for children and doesn't give away any intel that might aid the separatists," Wolffe answered. "I don't know if Generals Skywalker and Kenobi are aware. But the rest of the troops are. Including Commander Cody and Bly. Fox might be aware, but he also might be too busy to be aware."
"When we are done here, send me these videos. I would like to see what little Soka is up to in her free time."
"Yes, sir."
Wolffe glanced back at the tent. Lucky had a holopad out and was holding it up to the kids. They looked suspicious, but something on the screen caught their eyes and they quickly became enraptured with whatever chaos was unfolding on the screen.
Convinced Lucky and his batchmates had this handled, Wolffe continued after General Koon, hoping the parents wouldn't be too much longer.
*****
From Creche to Command: How to Tell the Difference, with Echo and Fives
"Hi guys, welcome back!" Ahsoka said brightly. "Today I'm joined by two ARC troopers, Echo and Fives."
Echo and Fives sat on either side of Ahsoka, both sporting big smiles and waving to the camera.
"Hello."
"Hi, there!"
"Now, I know a big concern for you guys was being able to tell the troopers apart," Ahsoka continued. "I think it came up multiple times. So, that's what we're going to talk about today. How to tell the differences! Because, even though the troopers are clones, you'll find there are many ways you can tell who's who."
"And, just a side note," Echo added, "we know we're clones. You're not insulting us or demeaning us by pointing out the obvious. We are well aware we share the same face as thousands of other men in the galaxy right now."
"Yeah, so don't worry if you can't tell us all apart right away," Fives said. "But do make an effort. We're learning your name. You should learn ours."
"Exactly." Echo nodded. "Most troopers are going to look like Fives and me."
"Cause we're the base model."
Echo wrinkled his nose. "That makes us sound like ships for sale."
"We are kind of."
"Not to me, you're not!" Ahsoka beamed.
"Anyways," Echo hissed, rolling his eyes. "Most troopers are going to look like Fives and me. Dark hair. Brown eyes. Tan skin. But, there is some variation in skin tone, hair color, and eye color."
"Like our dear captain Rex! Who's very blond. Come on out, Captain. Show off that beautiful, head of hair you got," Fives said, clapping and grinning like a madman. "He hasn't shaved it down in a while so it's nice and fuzzy. Come on, don't be shy. The ladies will love you."
"Copanni mirshmure'cye, vod?" Rex snapped somewhere off camera.
His smile dropped and he turned to Ahsoka. "I thought you said you got him to agree to appear."
"One episode. I got him to agree to be in one episode," she replied. "And I want to use it wisely."
"But… but he's sitting right there!"
"Doing paperwork!" Rex shouted.
"Why?"
"Because some di'kut decided it was a good idea to jump off our gunship onto another ship while we were in flight!"
"And I survived with minimal broken bones!"
"Technically, captain, it doesn't say anywhere in the reg manual you aren't allowed to jump from one ship to another mid-flight."
"It's implied!"
"Guys, can we get back to how to tell the troopers apart," Ahsoka said.
"Fine. Captain No Fun over there can keep his paperwork."
"I will throw you out the airlock, Fives."
"N'eparavu takisi, alor'ad." Fives grumbled.
Ahsoka merely rolled her eyes at their antics. "The most common way you'll be able to tell troopers apart is with their armor."
"That's right," Echo said. "The colors will usually correspond to the battalion they serve in."
"Like 501st blue, the best color," Fives added. "212th Gold, a less cool but pretty solid color. And the red of the Coruscant guard. Because Fox lacks subtly"
"Did Fox choose the color, or was that the decision of Chancellor Palpatine?" Ahsoka asked.
"Who knows." Fives shrugged. "You'll notice, though, that troopers will have different designs painted on their armor. Like Captain Rex and his jag's eyes. Echo with his handprint. Or Jesse with his Republic crest."
"You'll also see a lot of shinies who don't have their armor painted," Echo said.
"Don't worry about shinies. Jesse and I will explain that to you later." Ahsoka added.
"Right," Echo nodded. "For now, just note that it's considered almost sacred when a shiny gets to paint his armor. Getting to add the colors of your battalion to your armor is a right of passage. It's a sign you're truly accepted by your brothers."
"The symbols drawn on the armor can mean all sorts of things," Fives said. "It can be something personal to the brother. It can be a joke. It can even just be a design they like. Sometimes, you might be invited to watch or even help a shiny paint his armor, but not always. It's a pretty personal thing so don't be offended if you never get to see a shiny paint his armor or tell you why he's painted what he's painted."
"But, because most troopers will wear their armor, even just around the ship, you'll get used to seeing the different designs. And you can use those designs to determine who is who," Ahsoka said. "But sometimes you can also use other things like their hair and tattoos."
"Technically, it's against the reg manual to have any tattoos or facial hair," Echo said.
"You and that damn reg manual," Fives muttered.
"Fives," Rex warned.
"Right. Sorry. You and that darn reg manual. Better Captain?"
Rex didn't reply.
"And it's a good thing most troopers don't follow that rule because it makes it so much easier to tell who's who when they're in their blacks. Like Jesse's tattoo."
"Oh, yeah." Fives made a face. "Jesse's got the damn— I mean, darn republic crest tattooed on his face." He leaned in close to the camera and whispered, "Don't worry, we all think it's stupid too. Just don't tell him. He thinks it looks cool."
"You know he's going to see this, right?" Echo said.
Fives shrugged. "We'll cut that out. Some troopers will also have fun facial hair. Like my amazing goatee."
"It looks so stupid on you." Echo shook his head.
"You're just jealous because I can pull it off and you can't."
"We have the same face!"
"It's not about looks, vod --though we can all agree I'm the better looking one out of the two of us— it's about the vibe!"
"And you don't have a vibe that can pull it off."
Ahsoka looked like she was starting to regret sitting between the two domino twins.
"Oh please. You're just mad that I'm willing to go against the reg manual and you aren't."
"Regs are there for a reason!"
"You and that damn manual! Why don't you just go get married to it?"
"Um, Rex… what do I do?" Ahsoka said, looking between the two and quickly realizing there was no way out of this.
"That doesn't even make any sense!" Echo shouted.
"It is when you're name's Echo!" Fives shouted back. "You love that thing so much, you hold it in your left hand, and in your right hand you—"
Whatever he was going to say was quickly cut off when a blaster bolt flew out from behind the camera, embedding into the wall right behind Fives. Only a centimeter or two higher than his head.
Fives let out a shriek and ducked for cover. "Ni ceta! Ni ceta, alor'ad! Udesii!"
Ahsoka had hopped onto Echo's lap when the bolt shot through the air. Both of them were staring wide-eyed at Fives.
"You good, Rex?" she asked, looking just behind the camera.
"Feeling better now," Rex answered.
"Okay… Then let's move onto some other ways you can tell the difference," she said, sliding off Echo and back onto her chair.
"What other ways are there, sir?" Echo asked. "Hair, tattoos, armor, basic genetic differences. I'm not missing anything am I?"
"For you, no. But for me and other Jedi, yes!" Ahsoka said brightly.
"Ah, jedi osik. Should have seen that coming," Fives said. He looked behind the camera and paled. "Sorry, Captain. Won't happen again."
Ahsoka patted his shoulder and turned back to the camera. "Now, if you're a carnivorous species like me, you can actually tell the troopers apart by their smell."
This seemed to surprise both Echo and Fives as they whipped towards her with wide eyes.
"Wait, seriously?" Fives asked.
She nodded, the faintest bit of pride leaking onto her features. "Yup! Torgrutas are hunters so we have to have a good sense of smell. And all the troopers smell different!"
"Like good smells or…" Echo trailed off.
"Usually good. Though Jesse hasn't showered in two weeks, and it is starting to hurt my head."
"We'll let him know." Fives said, blushing as he probably realized he also hadn't showered in a bit and was probably also giving Ahsoka a headache.
"Some troopers smell more unique than others," Ahsoka continued. "Like Hardcase smells like the oil you guys use to service your blasters. Hawk smells like the fuel we use for the gunships. And Kix smells like bacta, disinfectant, and barely controlled rage." She beamed at the camera once more.
"That makes sense for Kix."
"I'm not surprised."
"And others are not easy to describe, like you guys! You have a unique scent to you, but I can't exactly place it. It's almost like hot dust? It's weird, but I know it's you guys."
"I guess there are worst things to smell like than hot dust," Echo shrugged."
"Yup! But, not every padawan or Jedi is a predator. So there's still one trick you can use to tell the troopers apart. And that's the force."
"Which is cheating!" Fives said, wagging a finger at the camera.
Ahsoka elbowed him in the ribs. "It's not cheating to use all the tools at your disposal. Or is my sense of smell also cheating?"
"It is," Fives said.
Echo just shook his head.
"It's not," Ahsoka argued. "But each living thing has a unique signature within the force. The Troopers are no different."
"I thought we'd all have the same force signature since we're clones," Echo said.
"You might all look the same, but you aren't all the same. You have unique personalities, likes, dislikes, and souls. That means you have a unique force signature. It does take some practice to see and get used to. But once you do, it's the easiest way to tell who's who. I can pick Rex out of a dusty battle a mile away!" Ahsoka said, chest puffing up once more with pride.
"The closer you are to a trooper, the easier you'll be able to sense their force signature."
"Huh, learn something new every day," Echo said.
"Like the fact that we need to probably be showering more often."
He shook his head. "It's disgusting that you don't shower every day."
Fives reached around behind Ahsoka and slapped Echo on the back of his head.
"We should probably end this before you two get into any more arguments," Ahsoka said. "See you guys next time!"
*****
Ace and Wire had found the rest of the hostages, alive and mostly unharmed. Thankfully, the droid army was small and the ones Wolffe destroyed were the bulk of the army.
Within the hour, the children had been reunited with their parents in several tearful embraces. But not before Lucky, Silver, Scout, Coil, and Deadshot had all gained their trust and watched Ahsoka's videos together. It was quite a sight.
Wolffe may have taken some pictures.
With the village secure and the separatists gone for the time being, it was time they moved out. Other planets needed their help.
The shinies were gathered around General Koon and Wolffe as they received their next set of commands.
"Commander," General Koon said in a tone of voice that sounded almost amused.
It made Wolffe pause.
"I believe we have an audience."
They all turned to see the group of children standing there. They all had bags stuffed full of things in their hands. They looked nervous.
General Koon knelt in front of them. "What is it, little one? Do you need anything?"
The boy in front scuffed his shoes on the ground before holding up the bulging bag. "They need to paint their armor," he said.
It was only then that Wolffe realized what was in the bag. Paints and paintbrushes. Likely gathered from their homes or picked out the wreckage of their cities.
"What was that?" General Koon asked gently.
"The video said they paint their armor to tell them apart," a squeaky-voiced girl in the back piped up. "But Coil doesn't have any paint on his armor. Deadshot, Silver, Scout, and Lucky don't either. They need to paint it."
"How right you are. My apologies, men. An oversight on my part," General Koon said, practically vibrating with amusement as he turned to face the shinies.
Coil waved his hands in front. "Oh, no, sir. It's alright. We've been busy," he stammered.
"Indeed. But now we are not busy." He stood and turned to Wolffe. "Commander, do you think we have time for our men to personalize their armor?"
Wolffe didn't let his voice betray the amusement he felt at the situation. He kept it stoic and stony, like always. "Yes, sir. We can handle the rest of the work for an hour or two."
"Very good. Men, please report back to Commander Wolffe when you've finished."
"Yes, sir!" The shinies snapped into a salute.
Wolffe was very glad he had his helmet on. He did not want his men to see him grinning like an idiot at what was happening.
"Dismissed," he said.
As he and General Koon turned to leave, he could hear Scout say, almost hesitantly, "So… you kids want to help us?"
The high-pitched cheers told him they definitely did.
*****
CommanderWolffe has added CaptainRex, CommanderCody, CommanderBly, CommanderFox, CommanderGree, and CommanderPonds to the chat.
CommanderCody: What's up, Wolffe? Heard you had a hard campaign on Kigomia. Something about civilian hostages?
CommanderWolffe has uploaded two pictures to the chat.
Image One: Five troopers in unpainted armor and a group of children huddled around the glowing light of a holopad. Deadshot has one sitting in his lap and another hanging off his shoulders. Coil has one on each side of him, all three asleep. Lucky is laughing at them.
Image Two: Five troopers surrounded by a group of children with paint splattered on their armor. All troopers have tiny handprints on their chest plates. One girl is painting something on Silver's arm, tongue stuck out in concentration while another boy directs Scout on what to paint.
CommanderBly: Let me guess, Creche to Command?
CommanderWolffe: Of course. Turns out, it's got universal appeal. All kids love it.
CommanderGree: I'm surprised you kept in Fives' comment about what Echo does in his free time, Rex. I thought this was supposed to be child-friendly. No sex jokes.
CaptainRex: It flew over Ahsoka's head so I figured it'd fly over the heads of any other kid that watched it.
CommanderPonds: If that's what you kept in, I hate to see what you cut out. Nice shot with the blaster, though. Might have to try that on my men.
CommanderCody: Did you know Ahsoka could smell the difference between all of us?
CaptainRex: No and now I feel very self-conscious.
CommanderGree; Can't be any worse than what Jesse smells like.
CommanderBly: Yeah, look on the bright side. No matter how bad you smell, it can't be any worse than what Jek smells like after a day in the field.
CaptainRex: Can we please quit talking about this?
CommanderCody: We only tease because Ahsoka is unnatural. Interesting about the force signature, though. I'll have to ask Kenobi about that.
CommanderWolffe: I asked Koon about it as well. He looked at me as if I had just asked him if planets existed. I swear, sometimes these Jedi forget some of us don't have the force.
CommanderGree: Has Fox seen any of these videos? Or are we just putting him in the chat for fun?
CommanderPonds: Next time I see him, I'll tell him to watch it.
CommanderBly: I think he'd rather you help him punch Palpatine.
CommanderPond: Noted. Also, not going to happen.
CommanderWolffe: I did want to mention Koon knows about the series. Which means the rest of the Jedi will probably know soon.
CaptainRex: Haar'chak! Who told him?
CommanderWolffe: Relax, Rex. They're going to find out eventually. You think those creche kids know how to hide shit? Better him than someone with a stick up their ass like Krell.
CaptainRex: Yes, but they just figured out a schedule for filming
CommanderCody: And who was the reason they had to stop for a month in the first place?
CaptainRex has left the chat.
CommanderBly: Not very subtle, is he?
CommanderGree: It'll be fine, guys. It's not against regs and they're not putting anyone in danger.
CommanderCody: And we were lucky it was Koon that found out.
CommanderWolffe: I don't believe in luck.
CommanderPonds; Don't you literally have a trooper named 'Lucky' working for you?
CommnaderWolffe has left the chat.
CommanderBly: Yet another unsubtle trooper in our midst, boys.
Notes:I'm kind of playing around with Torgruta biology here. And also how the Force works. But I also have been constantly consulting the Wikipedia over and over again to get as much right as possible. There's so much lore, guys! And Fives and Echo will forever be the siblings that can't stop bickering in my mind.
Mando'a Translations:
Ori'vod: Big Brother
Vod: Brother
Vod'ika: Little brother/sister
Di'kut: Idiot
Osik: Shit
Udesii: Calm down!
Ni ceta: Groveling apology
N'eparavu takisi: Apology, but with like 50% less groveling
Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?: Are you looking for a smack in the face, brother?
Neverd: Civilian
Alor'ad: Captain
Besom: Ill-mannered lout
Shabuir: Jerk, but much stronger
Haar'chak: Damn it!