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“Masters, with all due respect, that is the stupidest decision I have ever heard!”
Normally, Ahsoka wasn’t as determined to bad mouth the Jedi Council as her master was, but she had to agree. Apparently, the war had made them all lose their collective minds. Well, had made Yoda lose his mind. If he had ever fully had one to begin with.
“Need capable Jedi, we do.” Yoda replied. “Most capable, Ahsoka Tano is.”
“She is seventeen!” Anakin screeched. “And you want to make her a knight, general and master ? She is still a karking kid and you want her to have a padawan! What happened to ‘Too young to be a master, you are Kenobi?’ Twenty-six was too young, but nineteen and seventeen are just fine?”
“Different times, this is.”
“Shove your different times up your ass, you green muppet!”
“Anakin.” Ahsoka said softly, reaching over to tug on his sleeve. “It won't be so bad, I’m sure. I can handle it.”
“Won't be so bad!” he screeched. “You’re a kid, and he wants to give you a baby!”
“Baby, the padawan is not.”
“And senile, you are!”
“I have to agree with Anakin.” Master Plo said softly. “I have all the faith in little ‘Soka, but she is very young. Are we sure that she is prepared to be in charge of another being?”
“Desperate times, we are in. Changes, we must make.”
“How about a new Grandmaster?” Anakin snarked. “Sounds like the perfect change to me!”
“Did you already tell this padawan I would take them?” Ahsoka asked quickly before more barbs could be traded. To no surprise of hers, Yoda nodded.
“Expecting you, she is.” he said. “Excited to be your padawan, she is.”
No matter how afraid she was, or how much she thought this was a horrible idea, she couldn’t refuse. Not knowing that the youngling had already been told she would be training her. She wouldn't break the girl's heart. Not like that. She understood the fear of not being accepted, and the stress of feeling you had to prove yourself. It wasn’t something she would allow anyone to feel, not if she could help it. So with a calming deep breath she replied firmly.
“Okay. I accept both the promotion and the padawan.”
With her acceptance, Master’s Plo and Obi-Wan looked worried, Skyguy looked like he wanted to punch Yoda in his delighted face and Master Windu looked exhaustedly resigned. With a sigh, the latter nodded.
“Well, then I suppose congratulations are in order, Knight Tano. And for you, Master Skywalker.”
Anakin groaned and turned his glare onto Windu. “I still don’t like this.”
“Your complaint has been noted.”
Ahsoka had to admit she didn’t like it either. A Padawan and a whole unit of her own sounded terrifying. And that wasn’t even taking into consideration the fact that she would be leaving Skyguy and Rex. But, she could do this. She had to. To show the Council that she could, and for the young Padawan she was now responsible for.
After her master knighted her and accepted her silka beads with wet eyes, she reluctantly left the Council Chambers with Master Yoda. He led her to a side atrium, where a small, thin, kel-dorian girl sat. Ahsoka only knew she was a girl because Master Yoda had said so, and she wore much more feminine style clothing. She was far too small to have any biological tells, and Ahsoka had to admit that she didn’t know kel-dorian biology well enough to say for sure. So she was grateful for Master Yoda clarifying that this very nervous child was indeed a little girl.
And nervous was barely a strong enough term to describe her. Her entire Force presence was thrumming with it. Her hands gripped the edge of her seat as her tiny feet swung back and forth, her goggle covered eyes fixated on them as they moved. When Ahsoka and Yoda entered the room, her head shot up and she looked in their direction. The moment her eyes landed on Ahsoka, she gasped and jumped to her feet.
“Master Tano! When Master Yoda said you were going to train me, I could hardly believe it! So many Masters think I’m odd, or are off put by me but Master Yoda promised that you wouldn’t be! He said that you would love to train me! Was, was he right?”
Ahsoka gave her a soft, caring smile and knelt down so that they were closer to eye level. This girl really was tiny, and had Master Yoda not said she was ten Ahsoka would have thought she was much, much younger. She really, really hoped that she was in fact ten and Yoda wasn’t being even more of a tool than they had assumed.
“He was very right.” Ahsoka promised her. She may be scared, but she understood the Grandmaster’s reasoning now. There was zero doubt in her mind that this girl was her padawan. Was meant to be her padawan. “I’m Ahsoka Tano. What is your name, Padawan?”
“Ma’ri’zee Uzekre, Master! My friends call me Zee! Well, they would if I actually had many friends.”
“You do now, Zee.” Ahsoka told her with a smile. “Welcome to the lineage, Padawan.”
She was certain the young girl was beaming as she tossed her thin arms around Ahsoka’s shoulders. Mostly because she herself was beaming as she hugged her back. The whole being a knight and having a padawan at seventeen thing was insane, but Ahsoka didn’t care. This little girl was her responsibility now. Her master and grandmaster hadn’t been ready when they were given padawans, and both had excelled. She was bound and determined to do the same, to be the best master possible for Zee. No matter her fears and apprehensions. And, if she was lucky, she would end up with a clone Commander who would be as amazing for Zee as Rex had been for her.
A promotion was the last thing that Rex had ever expected. The Kaminoans had made it very clear that he wasn’t a CC, and as such would never receive the Commander rank. So, when his general pulled him aside with a proud smile, the last thing he thought he would say was what came out of his mouth.
“Congratulations, Commander.”
He stared down at the promotion and battalion change with a shocked, and then horrified expression. “Sir? Did I do something wrong?”
“The complete opposite, Rex.” Anakin assured him. “Yoda is a motherfucking idiot troll and has decided to make Ahsoka a general, complete with battalion and padawan! And there is no one that I want at her side other than you. So, congratulations, Commander. Go keep our girl safe.”
Rex was still in disbelief and could only stare wide eyed at the Jedi. After a moment though, he was able to blurt out, “But, but sir, Torrent?”
“Is going with you.”
“With me!?”
Anakin nodded. “Jesse, Kix, Tup, Fives and Vaughn. I need my best men to keep my far too young knighted Padawan safe.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll have Appo and Bow, you don’t need to worry about me. Vaughn and Jess will be your Captains, and I know you will be just the men Ahsoka needs.”
“Not Fives?”
He received an unimpressed look and Rex snorted. “Okay, fair. Fives is amazing, but I’ll happily leave him as an ARC. Are you sure about this though, sir?”
“I don’t have a choice,” he replied with a sigh. “Ahsoka is becoming a general whether I like it or not. And I will only be able to handle it if I know she has the best men in the GAR with her. So, please, Rex. Keep her safe.”
Rex nodded immediately. “I will, sir. With my life. Though, if I’m candid. I will miss you.”
The Jedi’s eyes turned wet and he nodded. “I will miss you too, Rex. Every day.”
“Ret’urcye mhi, Anakin.” he said softly, holding his hand out.
Anakin, though, ignored it and gathered him into a tight hug. And then spoke softly in a language Rex had never heard before.
“Faasiye’a susee. We will meet again.”
He wrapped the arm not trapped between them around Anakin’s waist and asked, “What does that mean?”
“Goodbye, brother.” he replied in a whisper, a response that had a shuddering breath leaving him and his embrace on the Jedi tightening.
“Goodbye, brother.” he repeated just as softly, which earned him a stuttering of Anakin’s chest.
“Be safe.”
“You too. Make sure Appo knows to help keep you safe, or he’ll be answering to me.”
“I’ll be sure he knows.”
Leaving his general was a lot harder than Rex ever thought it could be. Though, it was nowhere near as hard as walking onto a Venator that wasn't the Resolute knowing that the ship he was now standing on was his homeship now. However, when he was greeted by a grinning Torrent, it at least still felt like home.
“Rex! Rex, come see what Vaughn and his boys did!” Fives insisted enthusiastically. “It's amazing .”
He didn’t have to ask what Fives meant. The sea of orange and white painted helmets was answer enough. And it was a sight that had him giving Vaughn a wide, proud smile.
“Good job, Captain. General Tano is going to love this!”
He practically preened and nodded eagerly. “I hope so, sir! The troops and I are excited and proud to be serving someone as wonderful as General Tano! We just wanted to show her just how excited we are!”
Rex understood that sentiment. He also wanted Ahsoka to know how excited he was to work with her. And how proud of her he was. And he wanted to make sure he could talk to her before she became completely speechless at the troops show of love.
So, he placed Jesse and Vaughn in charge of the ship and backtracked out to the hanger where he waited with thrumming impatience. By the time Ahsoka’s shuttle arrived, he was practically vibrating out of his skin with anticipation. He was lucky he didn’t drop his helmet from his hip with how excited he was.
The look on Ahsoka’s face as she approached was part sadness, part confusion and she tilted her head in the way that he knew meant she was overthinking.
“Rex? What are you doing here?”
He grinned and snapped into a full salute. “General! Commander Rex of the Three Thirty Second, reporting for duty, sir!”
Realization slowly donned on her features and she gasped. “Anakin transferred you to me?”
His grin grew as he lowered his arm and nodded. “Yes he did, sir.”
She let out a delighted laugh and tossed her arms around his shoulders. “Yes! Oh, I’m so glad!”
He laughed as well and wrapped his arm around her waist. “We are too.”
“We?”
“You’ll see.” he assured her. “But first, I believe you have a Commander to introduce me to.”
She stepped away and quickly looked back to the very small kel-dorian standing behind her. “Oh! Yes! Rex, this is my Padawan. Ma’ri’zee Uzekre, but she prefers to go by Zee. Zee, this is my best friend ever, Commander Rex! His policy is that experience outranks everything, but don’t worry! We’ll get you some soon! Though, maybe not battle experience yet. You are pretty tiny still.”
Zee tilted her head back so she was looking at Rex’s face, her facial tusks moving in what he thought was a smile as she raised her hand in greeting. “Hello, sir. I hope that I’ll prove myself to you soon!”
He saluted her and gave her a soft smile. “I have no doubt about it, sir. General Tano took you as her Padawan. I know that that means you are an excellent Jedi. My brothers and I will have your back, you can count on us.”
“I'll have yours too!”
“An honor.” he told her, placing his hand on his chest and bowing.
She gasped at the gesture and eagerly returned it, which had Ahsoka beaming with pride.
“I have the best Padawan ever.”
“Master!” Zee gasped and Ahsoka beamed down at her.
“What! I do! Now, let's go meet the men! I have to know what Rex meant by ‘we’.”
“Is it a good we?” Zee asked and Rex grinned.
“It is an excellent we.”
Watching Ahsoka’s teary eyed, shocked reaction to her men was probably the most excellent thing Rex had ever seen. He didn’t even try and hide his wide, delighted smile as he watched her embrace as many of them as possible. Zee at his side seemed to be grinning too, and she reached out to tug on his vambrace.
“They really love her, don’t they?”
“We do, Commander.” he told her softly. “She has the best Padawan, and you have the best master. I promise you, with Ahsoka at your side, you will go far.”
She nodded eagerly. “I am so lucky she accepted me as her Padawan. I promise, Commander Rex, I will make all of you proud!”
He reached over and set his hand on her shoulder. “I know you will, sir. Welcome to the family.”