Younglings

Now that she was awake Heather's healing was progressing in leaps and bounds. With her conscious assistance the healers were able to rebuild her depleted muscle mass in only a couple days.

Unfortunately her muscle memory went down to zero in the interim.

"I wasn't very good at saber practice anyways." she muses.

Desmond couldn't argue against that, she was pretty bad even with his help. He had a suspicion that her scores were so bad because she didn't want to strike other children.

Maybe he should annoy her next spar..

"We'll catch you up soon enough my dear." Kenobi says not even looking up from a tall stack of 'flimsi work'.

Having Kenobi around was going to take some getting used to.

It was decided that they had to be put under the direction of a Jedi Master. They had to be properly indoctrinated (taught, Desmond!) to be Jedi. Kenobi had experience in dealing with attachment and younglings that were too old for training, so they were assigned to him.

Yoda was also considered but he was getting too along in years to keep up with a padawan.. two was completely out of the question.

Because of the nature of their bond they were together whether the masters liked it or not. It was decided that they should take advantage of the bond since there was nothing they could do about it.

It annoyed him a bit that even with the knowledge that they were adults in mind that they still subconsciously treated them like children.

"We are children, Desmond." Heather points out not looking up from her datapad. She was typing up what she knew of Earth's location from her Astronomy lessons for Jocasta Nu, the Librarian.

They were very much interested in sending out archeologists to the true human home world even if they had to hire help from outside the temple.

He sighs out loud, "It doesn't mean I like being treated like a child."

He could feel a spike of amusement in the force, looking up he meets Heather's eyes, she pointedly looks at the dog he was playing with.

"He needs to be trained." he points out in defense.

The dog she accidentally created was a Belgian Malinois. It was a military dog through and through. If he wasn't trained it was going to be a serious problem. Not to mention he was going to have to be worked constantly.

It was ironically the best and worst dog she could have given them.

"Speaking of training we need to get an assessment of your full skills with the sword Desmond." Kenobi informs him looking up from his paperwork.

Desmond couldn't help snorting at that, "I hate to break it to you but you're not going to have much work in that specific part of my training, at least not in the way you're thinking. While I was reliving my ancestors lives I also learned their abilities. It was the one major advantage of going insane with an animus."

"You don't use the force to augment your strength and speed though. That's going to come up and bite you later." Heather provides unhelpfully.

Desmond heard this argument a dozen times, "And I say using the force is a crutch."

"Well, neither of you are wrong." Kenobi cuts in, straightening his pile of work before placing it a bag. "Shouldn't you two go and pack? Our transport should be here within the hour."

"The bags are packed and next to the door." went unsaid was 'we are not younglings that need reminding.'

The Jedi Master looks over at the door slightly startled. "Oh yes.. umm, I should probably start packing myself."

Desmond exchanges a look with Heather, they only hold off for a second before they both burst into chuckles.

Kenobi arches a brow at them, "Yes, this is definitely going to be different then dealing with Anakin."

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The clone in charge of their transport was eyeing the two of them with a critical eye. It didn't take any stretch of the imagination or the force to realize he was silently questioning the reason he had two younglings on his small ship.

It didn't help that due to the walking distance the healers insisted Heather use the hoverchair for a couple more days.

"Master Kenobi should be here soon." Heather tells the man.

He reluctantly let them into the loading area on their word and the willingness to wait for confirmation.

"Might I ask...?" he waves a hand at the chair.

"She's recovering from an injury. The Healers just want her to take it easy for a few days." Desmond says taking pity on the man.

"The healers are just being fussy at this point. I can walk and run just fine." Heather points out, downplaying her problems.
He didn't agree but the clone officer was very close to kicking them off, so he refrains from countering her.

The minutes tick by, the still unnamed clone was checking and rechecking the cargo, looking over the systems, pointedly not looking at them.

Desmond didn't really blame him. He didn't know how to deal with children either.

He feels a wave of amusement from Heather. Looking over to her she smirks at him.

"He's our physical age, Desmond."

The still unnamed man blinks and looks up from the weather report (which he read three other times within the last 10 minutes). "It's different for clones and Natborns. Clone training allows us to learn two to four times faster then those born the natural way. So we may be around the same age but any clone would outstrip you in training."

He sounded proud that he had his childhood robbed from him, which Desmond couldn't blame him. He's been indoctrinated much like the Jedi were attempting to do with him and Heather.

Something had to change but he honestly didn't know where to start.

"I think you'll find these two an exception Echo." Kenobi was finally there, a duffel bag strap crossing the white armor he frequented outside the temple. "I didn't expect an arc trooper to be picking us up."

The trooper grunts, "Half the soft shell pilots are still in med-bay with that weird flu. Kix isn't letting them out of isolation yet, even if they are functional."

"And since you're authorized with this craft you were assigned to pick us up." Kenobi concludes nodding, "Anakin back from his mission yet?"

"General Skywalker sent word that he's going to be a few more days sir. Commander Cody sends his apologies for not coming himself but he's currently neck deep in dealing with requisitions.

"Ahh yes, better him then me." he turns to them and waves them forward. "These are my new padawans. I'll be introducing them to the men later."

"New Padawans?" Echo... echos.

Well at least they knew how he got his name.

Kenobi smiles in amusement, "Yes, I didn't have much choice in the matter." He waves towards the massive jungle thriving on top and around the endless skyscrapers of the planet. "You can thank these two for the lovely view the planet is now sporting."

Echo's eyes widen as he turns to the sun-setting over the jungle and then to them, paling. "The view!?"

"I do believe they are going to be worse troublemakers then Anakin." Kenobi deduces, Ignoring the man's spike of panic and not caring that they were hearing his conclusion.

"It was an accident, I in no way meant to do that. There's no need to be dramatic." Heather huffs.

Desmond snorts, he'd hate to see her definition of a disaster.

"Oh yes, I'm being dramatic...." Kenobi rolls his eyes and moves on "Do you have dog secured?"

"We were waiting for you, he didn't know you had company so wasn't letting us load up." Desmond nods his head towards the Arc Trooper, "And 'dog' is his species not his name."

"They didn't have authorization papers General." Echo informs the man.

Kenobi nods, "Good man but they can stow their gear now, their accompanying us."

It doesn't take long until everything was strapped down or stowed away in compartments. Heather magnetizes her chair to the floor, while he grabs a seat, strapping himself in behind the pilot's chairs. Echo and Master Kenobi were in the pilot and co-pilot chairs.

"Jedi tower, this is transport 33105, requesting permission to take off." Echo says into his headphones.

"zzz... Jedi Tower to transport 33105, permission granted. Approved trajectory transmitting now." the radio responds, it was a droid on the other end.

The small ship seals itself with a hiss and lifts into the air, vibrating and clanging as different mechanical parts shift to do their functions. They rise above the temple and the towering jungle trees clouds being cut and shredded but the trees that were dominating their view. The light from the sun brightens as they breach the atmosphere and enter outer space.

They could only see a small bit of the geometric patterns of the world wide city. They could really see the repercussions of the ritual from up here.

"And... autopilot engaged. ETA, ten minutes, General." Echo informs the man. He looks back at them curiously, "Begging your pardon but does the 212th have two new commanders now?"

What went unsaid was, do those men have to take orders from children, even if they are padawans?

"They are not cleared for field duty yet but it seems like they will be." He turns to them, "We're going to take a detour at the first opportunity. We need to go to Ilum so you two can join the next gathering."

The gathering. The ritualistic quest of getting a lightsaber crystal that resonated with one's soul.

Desmond wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand... massively destructive light sword that can make even a moron a serious threat, on the other hand it was a big neon sign that told others multiple things all of which wasn't good for him.... things like he was a valuable force user... he was carrying around a fortune as a weapon... that he was a threat and not just a normal child.... that and he wouldn't have an excuse to steal Vos' saber for shits and giggles.

It wouldn't help with the hiding in plain sight part of the brotherhood's tenants either.

Heather had completely different takes on getting a saber but ironically a similar feeling about it. She wasn't very good with the sword, so getting one meant working on something she didn't exactly enjoy... his own conflicted emotions must have showed on his face as well.

"... and I obviously was wrong to think you two would be excited by that..." Obi-wan says.

Desmond snorts, "You're forgetting, we both actually know war. We know the price of taking up arms."

"Unfortunately true, but a lightsaber is also used to defend in times of peace. The war can't last forever, you'll need them for then as well." Kenobi reasons.

Desmond couldn't help snorting at that, "There have been wars that have lasted hundreds of years. I wouldn't place money on any of this lasting a short time."

The Jedi Master considers this, he looked a bit perturbed, "Well you two definitely don't have the optimism of younglings."
"Yes, just the height... unfortunately. I had just grown to full height when I was murdered too." Heather grumbles with a cute little pout.

Echo starts at this and looks back at her and then to Master Kenobi, "Murdered!?" he ..echoes.

Master Kenobi sighs deeply, "That is suppose to be classified to everyone outside the 212th." he informs them and turns to Echo, "They are something called reincarnations. It means they remember who they were before they were born in this life, they lived a whole other lifetime before this."

"I wouldn't call them a 'whole' life." Desmond points out morbidly. He could tell their pessimism was bothering the man, far be it for him not to fuck with him, maybe he'll stop treating them like children...

"A shite hole maybe." Heather adds catching on to what he was doing. She must be annoyed with the whole situation, she usually was much more mellow.

Obi-wan gives her a look, "I thought you sacrificed yourself?"

"I did." Heather informs him, "My murderer's soul was attached to me without his knowledge. In order for him to die and not kill and subjugate millions of people I had to die. So I walked up to him and let him do it. Of coarse he thought it was his other threat to my friends that I was sacrificing myself for but... it all worked out in the end at least."

"Except for you being dead." Desmond adds.

"Except for me being dead." Heather confirms with a nod.

The Jedi Master was pinching the bridge of his nose, "How did you two even pull off being children?"

Desmond snorts, "We're not bothering keeping up the act. There's no point in pretending everything is unicorns, sunshine and rainbows." he deliberately messed up the saying...

"I remember the first time I saw a unicorn." Heather muses causally, "My murderer was drinking blood from it's corpse."

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They keep it up for a bit longer getting more and more morbid until Kenobi started muttering about mind healers. At the mention, the two of them couldn't hold it in any longer and start laughing.

For a Jedi, Kenobi wasn't a bad guy. Traditional Jedi and all but a bit mellow at the same time. He figured out they were messing with him pretty quick after that.

"I'm still going to make an appointment with a mind healer... I have a feeling I'm going to need one with you two." Obi-wan says drily, clearly joking.

They docked with the Negotiator II, a Venator-class star destroyer. He read that the previous Negotiator and it's replacement the Renown, were both destroyed in the fighting.

"Oh I'll deal with him." Desmond says to the Clone.

Echo the arc trooper and temporary pilot, was unloading the transport. He had additional cargo on board from the temple, not including them and their luggage. The still unnamed Malinois was wagging it's tail, barking at the clone, and generally jumping on the little cage door, trying to get his attention.

"Yes, sir." he nods but eyes the dog curiously, going back to his work.

Kenobi was immediately approached as soon as he steps out of the transport by a clone with golden accents on his armor and with a medic symbol on his pauldron, . "Where's my patient, General." the man demands without preamble.

"I don't need a medic!" Heather calls from inside the transport, she exits the vehicle, still using the hoverchair, and glares at Kenobi, realizing who called the man.

"Here's her medical files. But I can summarize it by saying Healer Che wants her to take it easy for a couple more days." He hands over another data chip ignoring Heather's indignation, "And here is Padawan Desmond's files, he's not currently in need of your services."

The man nods, "The med bay is busy housing the men with the contagion currently, so I assume you can keep her from straining herself sir." the man gives him a stern look.

"I am perfectly capable of keeping myself from straining." Heather says indignant.

"With all due respect, commander. I know Jedi and the crazy things they get up to. Being out of bed and exercising when they need to be in it is something even the most disciplined of the order have been caught doing." the medic retorts.

"It's alright, Pulse. She's not leaving that chair for the next couple of days. Review her files and see if there is anything Healer Che neglected to mention." Kenobi assures him. "And I'll have her check in with you when her mandatory recovery rest is over."

"Sir." The man seemed satisfied with that as he salutes and goes back to his business.

"Alright you two, let's stow our gear and get to work."

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Master Kenobi brings them to conjoined officer rooms right across the hall from his. He leaves them there to settle with the promise to be back soon.

It doesn't take long for them to put their gear away. Jedi were encouraged to not have many things and the both of them were used to it from before as well.

"I can hold him if you want?" the puppy was yipping to get out of his crate.

The two of them mutually agreed that the puppy would be Desmond's. Not that she didn't like the dog but because she didn't know how to train such a hyperactive breed.

Desmond shakes his head looking at the animal. "If I'm going to train him, in orbit while we're resupplying is one of the safe time to do it."

He lets it out and scratches it's head before it darts away sniffing, going through the doorways back and forth between her and Desmond's room and the bathroom.

Desmond turns to her about to say something but the door sounds.

"Come in." she calls.

It wasn't Master Kenobi whom they had been expecting but an unnamed clone.

The man salutes them, "Commanders, General Kenobi sent me to escort you to the Bridge. He's currently busy with some matters of the fleet so he couldn't join you."

The puppy takes that moment to tear into the room and bark at the man.

The clone twitches towards his weapon but pauses as he realizes it wasn't a threat.

"Is that a wolf cub?" he asks, his eyes softens looking at the little growling animal.

Desmond shakes his head, "No but he's a close relative. He's a dog. they're much less vicious then a wolf and can be trained to do things."

"That's interesting..." the clone obviously didn't understand the possible uses of a dog.

"They have a good sense of smell, they can track things and people." Heather informs him as Desmond slips a harness on the little wiggling ball of fluff.

Ready they exit into the hall, the unnamed clone waves them to the right, "The bridge isn't too far from here. Your rooms are much closer to it then the barracks are."

"You never introduced yourself, I'm Padawan Heather Potter and this is Padawan Desmond Miles."

The man blinks at them, "It's nice to meet you Commanders, I'm CT-2920."

A wave of shock reverberates in the force from Desmond, "You don't have a real name?"

It was said calmly but Heather knew better, she could feel the mirrored horror coming from Desmond.

The clone shakes his head, "No, not yet. I'm fresh from Kamino. I haven't done anything to make me different from my brothers yet." he didn't seem bothered by it.

"Hermes." Heather says without thinking.

The clone blinks, "I'm sorry?" he asks in confusion.

"In the force, you feel like a Hermes." she says knowing it was true, "After the ancient patron god of messengers, travelers, and thieves."

"Someone who favors thieves isn't exactly someone I want to be named after." the man says drily, after a brief moment of thought.

Desmond shakes his head, "If you had a chance to steal from the droid army wouldn't you do it? Stealing isn't always bad."
The man's face twists thoughtfully, "I have to think on it, sirs. It's a good name, I'm just not sure if it's good for me."

The man leads them through the halls and into an elevator and down another hallways straight to their master who was talking to another clone on the bridge. There were multiple clones in plain uniforms in front of multiple control panels.

This particular man looked a bit different then the others. He had a scar around his eye and a helmet with a visor, that he held underneath his arm. There were two antennas coming from his pauldrons. It was a common feature on the armor of higher ranks.

"Ahh there they are," Kenobi says waving them forward. He indicates the clone, "This is Marshall Commander Cody, officially known as CC-2224."

He turns to Commander Cody, "These are my newly assigned Padawans, Heather Potter and Desmond Miles."

"Nice to meet ya." "Pleasure." Desmond and her say at the same time.

The man gives a precise nod of acknowledgement, "Commanders."

Kenobi shakes his head, "Officially they're not Commanders until they go through a skill assessment. It's something we need to schedule once they return from Ilum."

"Understood, sir." the man says again with a professional air.

"I'm afraid that we'll need to bring the Negotiator itself. Force knows it's crew needs some down time. The rest of the fleet will need to go onward to help maintain the line."

Cody clears his throat, "Begging your pardon, general, but isn't that a bit excessive? I know security is important but..." He cuts off not saying the obvious, the obvious being that they were only two Padawans. Important to him surely but not to the enemy.

Master Kenobi chuckles darkly and turns to her. "Well my dear, are you going to tell him or should I?"

"You can go ahead and tell him, you're the one blowing it out of proportion. It's only a few plants, they're even helpful." she had a feeling she was going to be hearing about those weeds for years to come.

Desmond was no help, he was muttering about British understatement and rolling his eyes at her.

Cody looks to his general clearly waiting. Kenobi for his part sighs and explains.

"Miss Potter is the youngling responsible for Coruscant's sudden need for over a thousand Ecologists, biologists, arborists and botanists." he states drily. "Both of them were heavily involved in the affair but she's the one that actually caused the planet to be choked by plants."

The poor commander was looking rather pale as he glances at her with apprehension.

"There was a force nexus that I didn't realize was connected to everything. I was only cleansing lingering darkside energies, not trying to cause chaos." she knew she was pouting but frankly she didn't care. She had a suspicion that it had something to do with her younger biology. Both her and Desmond felt the need to indulge in slightly immature behavior from time to time. It was becoming less and less frequent but the urge to do things like pout or just run around randomly was still there. "Honestly, everyone is blowing it out of proportion. It's not like I'm going to go out of my way and near kill myself doing it again."

The two physical adults exchange a weighted look, "Yes, and there's a ten million credit 'alive only' bounty out on her. The council believes that the Sith want to question her and perhaps even turn her." Kenobi adds

The Marshall commander looked positively ill, "That's more then you and Skywalker combined."

"Quite. I've been going through the rolls compiling a list of men who are especially good at cover fire." he holds out a datapad, "I'd like your input. They both are going to need a squad once they return from Ilum in any case."

"I'll go through and speak to some of the squad leaders once we're off to Ilum."

Kenobi nods, "I should also explain the nature of reincarnations to you and the men but we're going to be busy for awhile. The information will need to be contained between the 501st and 212th for now. It was going to only be spread through the 212th but..." he looks at her, "someone spoke out of turn."

Righteous indignation rises up in her, "I wasn't informed that it was going to be a state secret. It is our secret after all." she says indicating her and Desmond.

"Well lets finish resupplying the fleet and head off."