Passing time
The war really moved along, time passing in what seemed like no time at all. Ahsoka adjusted to being a padawan, and discovered, to her delight, that yes, Obi-Wan was teaching her. With the 501st and 212th working together more often than not, it was easy for Anakin to ask for help, for Ahsoka to ask for advice. Obi-Wan easily did what he could to help, so long as Anakin was still meeting expectations as a master, no matter how young he was.
Quinlan settled fully into his role as general of the Guard, High General of the Fourth systems army, and member of the Jedi Council. It kept him busy, but he thrived off the challenge of squeezing in shifts in the medbay or Healing Hall, and finding his own down time to enjoy things.
Aayla focused on her own battalion, on getting to know her commander, Bly. She was growing in fame in her own right. Everyone knew she was Quinlan's padawan until she became a Knight two years previous. So they always had their eyes on her, whispering about how unlike Anakin, she didn't seem to be a Kiffar. Whispering about if she could live up to Quinlan's fame. Whispering, these days, about how he was on the Council. Whispering about how Anakin had already taken on a padawan. Why hadn't Aayla?
She learned to ignore those whispers as best she could, and attempt to focus on what she could do. And she certainly proved that she was a formidable Jedi. To the point that some even forgot just who it was that trained her. So that she was her own Jedi, no longer compared to her master, or to Anakin. It would have to be enough.
Plo was dealt a blow when he lost all but three of his men to a shocking new weapon. Thankfully, Anakin and Ahsoka were able to rescue the four of them, and they proceeded to take out that new weapon.
Afterwards, Padme showed up to the battle and was taken hostage. Given the wrong coordinates for a meet up on purpose. Anakin handled it well and coordinated with Obi-Wan to rescue Padme with little issue. And then the two had the opportunity to quietly talk and be a couple while attempting to be discreet.
Anakin had still not learned how to be subtle, though, so people certainly noticed something was up. Especially since Padme wasn't very subtle either, though she thought she was.
Obi-Wan was amused. Padme had been good at switching out with her handmaidens as Queen Amidala. And she was still good at it. But she could never quite contain her feelings as the handmaiden, which made her look like an outspoken firecracker. Knowing the truth, it was quite unsubtle how much of her beliefs as Queen showed through sometimes, though it was enough for most people to be unaware.
Later, Ahsoka was assigned to help Luminara at one of the outposts. Anakin and Obi-Wan had been assigned a rather dangerous mission with their troops at the time and were relieved to not have a young padawan around with the high risk. Barriss, in the meantime, was actually working at one of the medstations, helping ensure the clones healed up. She quite enjoyed healing.
This meant that Ahsoka was there when Nute Gunray was brought in and subsequently broke out with the help of Ventress. She proved to be a lot like Anakin when he was younger, rash and brave. She also proved to be decent at figuring out plans and worked well with Luminara when it came to a fight.
Kit ended up meeting Nahdar at the place the tracker led them. Which led to them losing all the ships but the fighter Kit had arrived in, and most of the troopers. Over the years, Nahdar had shown a worrying habit of getting carried away, but that day, he showed some restraint, and did not overdo it. He listened to Kit when he was reminded, and they kept five troopers, plus Nahdar's commander, alive.
After that it was just a matter of one of the troopers getting help with the help of Arfour while the others survived in the lair of Grievous until help arrived. It was close at times, and no one escaped without injury by the end, not even Kit. But Kit and Nahdar were both trained healers, and they kept everyone alive. Ensured all injuries were taken care of. And they escaped once help arrived. They even managed to sabotage some parts of the lair. Hopefully that would cause Grievous some problems for a while.
And still, there were no signs of the war ending. Everyone had thought, had hoped, that it could be ended within a year. No, if anything the war was picking up steam. There was no good way to talk the Separatists down, not when so many of the Senate were stubborn about not giving in to their demands. Everyone adjusted to the new state of affairs, even if Jedi weren't truly meant to be soldiers. To be generals. It showed in their tactics, but those that noticed appreciated that they cared about their troopers, and didn't just sacrifice needlessly. That they did the best for the people. But those that noticed weren’t very common. Too many people failed to recognize that being so closely tied to the Republic made it difficult for the Jedi to help even at the best of times.
Everyone did their parts. Many Jedi fought Kycina and Savage. Many Jedi died. And many escaped. In the meantime, Feral had decided to be a Jedi, and Shaak Ti took him on as her padawan. This meant he was spending most of his time on Kamino, not at war. This helped Feral learn to be a Jedi. Far more than actually going to war would have.
And the galaxy kept spinning on. The Force kept flowing through all things, reminding Jedi of their duty. Guiding them on the best possible paths it could.
.
Aayla looked over Anakin after they had crashed.
“I'm not going to be able to completely help him.” She sighed. “I just am at Knight level healing. Not mastery.”
“But you can help him?” Ahsoka sounded small, young. It was easy to forget she was just a fourteen year old padawan the way she fought and spoke her mind sometimes.
“I can make sure he lives, so long as he does nothing to make his injuries worse. Beyond that, there isn't much more I can do. We need to look for help.”
Ahsoka frowned. “We can't leave him!”
Aayla sighed, putting her hand on Ahsoka. “It's what we have to do. Captain Rex can protect your master while we look for help. You and I will have a better chance of finding and convincing people to help us than the clones do.”
“But he's hurt! What if he dies and I wasn't here?” Ahsoka was close to tears, but not quite there yet.
“I know it's hard. I love Quin. He's like a father to me. But we can't be everywhere at once, and we have to let go of that fear. Focus on what we can do, not what we can't. We can't do anything more for him. We can go and look for help. And that help will be able to ensure he heals up.”
Ahsoka swallowed, then nodded. “Okay. Let go.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. She opened them again, determined.
“Rex, keep him safe, and try not to let him move,” she ordered. “We'll be back as soon as we can.”
Aayla nodded approvingly, and then they were off to find help.
Instead of what they were hoping for, they found the Lurmen. They were an interesting people. And normally their pacifism would not be an issue. But it was leading them to deny any help to heal a 'warrior.'
Aayla's heart ached that they couldn't really be called peacekeepers anymore. That people refused to believe they were peacekeepers. But once more, she put those feelings aside.
They struck a deal, and she stayed with the Lurmen while Ahsoka and the surviving troopers went back for Rex and Anakin with the leader's son, a healer who agreed to help.
It wasn't until after all was over and they were safely being rescued off the planet that she allowed herself to truly process it. That she really thought over much more than was necessary.
They had succeeded in keeping the Lurmen safe from the Separatists. The Lurmen even defended themselves, not willing to lay down and die like their leader wanted to. Of course, that would come at a cost, but... for now, it was good enough.
“Hey, Aayla. You're pretty focused on that wall,” Anakin teased as he sat down next to her.
“Ani! Are you doing better?” she asked, ignoring the part of her that was jealous of how much more famous he was. How effortlessly he became famous.
Anakin nodded. “Yep. Medics have prescribed a cuddle pile for tonight though. We'll set one up in the rec room. Want to join?”
Aayla smiled. “I'd love that.”
“Ahsoka told me what you told her, to convince her to leave me. Thank you.”
“You're welcome. It was no problem.”
“You didn't need to tell her how strongly you consider Quin your dad, though.”
“I know. But I thought it would help. I'm fairly certain Ahsoka has considered you something of a brother since you two first met all those years ago. I knew it would be hard to convince her without a similarly strong bond.”
Anakin considered that, then grimaced. “She really is too much like me at a similar age. I hate it when Obi is right.” He nudged Aayla. “So... if you so strongly consider Quin your father, why are you still refusing the adoption?”
“It's not that big a deal!” Aayla protested. “And anyway, he only asks once a year. I'm not Kiffar... I don't need to be adopted.”
Anakin looked at her, in that way he did sometimes that said he was seeing far more than anyone would like. “Family like that isn't a necessity as a Jedi, true,” he agreed.
“But...?” Aayla asked as sigh.
Anakin wrapped an arm around her. “But that doesn't mean you can't want it. That it's not the right thing.”
“The Force isn't telling me anything one way or the other.”
“Obi told me he felt the same way when it was time for him to make the choice. He had to make the choice for himself. Why shouldn't you be the same?”
“I don't know... It's been so long, it's not like you or Obi... I'm an adult now. Adults don't usually get adopted.”
“Aayla, stop trying to think up excuses and think about what you want. Do you truly want to just keep things the way they are, or do you want the 'more' of being properly adopted in a blood adoption ceremony like I was, like Obi was. To be able to say you're Quin's daughter and no one can refute it?”
Aayla gasped a little at the thought. She really did like the idea. “Even if I did decide to do it... Quin's not pushing it, and it's not like we can go to Kiffu any time soon, either. It's not safe for them.”
Anakin hummed. “Next time Quin asks, have a real conversation about it. You usually just turn him down, don't you?”
“Oh, yes, that's true. If we have the time. Sometimes there just... isn't enough time.”
“Which is why we're both about to be on leave, though I don’t know if he will have the time.”
“Oh right.” Aayla smiled. Then she laughed. “Now Anakin Skywalker, when did you get to be so wise?”
Anakin grinned. “Having a padawan will do that.”
Aayla nearly lost her good mood but held onto it stubbornly. “I bet. Have you confused her with riddles like you swore you'd never do?”
“Only all the time. I never realized how entertaining it is. Nor how important. Some answers are better figured out on one's own.” He fell silent, contemplating. “But I do need your help.”
Aayla blinked, surprised. “You? The great Anakin Skywalker needs help?”
Anakin huffed, shoving her lightly. “You've known me since I came to the Temple. You're like my sister, Aayla. I need your help explaining some Kiffar things to Ahsoka. I don't...” he bit his lip. “I keep needing to cover my hands sometimes to spar with her, or in her room every time something goes wrong and I know it's hurting her. I tried to explain it a bit, but I'm not sure she gets it.”
Aayla nodded. “I can help. You're not even twenty yet, you're not supposed to have as good control as you do until then.”
Anakin made a face. “I'm fairly certain it's because of the Force. The Force really makes the psychometry way stronger but also makes it easier to handle. And Quin helped. A lot.”
“I'll talk to her. How much are you comfortable with her knowing?”
Anakin shrugged. “The psychometry is most important... but maybe a bit about the need for touch? I think she's aware that we're more touchy than others, so a little explanation could go a long way.”
“Alright, I can do that.” Aayla hugged him.
.
Aayla found Ahsoka in her room working on homework.
Ahsoka smiled at her. “Master Aayla!”
“Hello, Ahsoka. How are you?”
“Good. A little frustrated.”
“Why?”
“Master Ani handles me with gloves. With actual gloves!” Ahsoka waved her arms. “Like he doesn't think I can handle it.”
“Ah, no, Ahsoka. He can't handle it.” Aayla sat down and looked at Ahsoka, reminding herself it was dumb to be jealous of the padawan, and she shouldn't even be jealous of Ani.
“What?”
“You know how Cal has psychometry?”
“Yeah. He still can't touch everything but he's doing better and doesn't freak out if he touches something full of emotion anymore.”
“That's good. Ani, like Quin and Obi, also has psychometry. And Kiffar psychometry is different than Force psychometry.”
That got Ahsoka's attention. “Ani did mention that he has psychometry, but he covers up more than Cal does.”
“I know. Psychometry for Kiffar is different. They have it even without the Force. They can't control it, can't turn it off like Cal does. It's like... we feel everyone's emotions all the time, unless everyone is shielding, right? Well, that's psychometry. Only they can't block it out. They can only learn to filter it out, like we do with emotions, like you've had to do with white noise. Everything Ani touches gives him echoes of emotions and memories.”
Ahsoka stared at her. “Oh. So... he has to cover up when sparring in case he picks something off of me?”
“Yes, especially considering the war. Anything that goes into battle, he has to be careful with.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Not right now. You need to focus on learning how to do things best that work for you, not on how to ensure your master is unaffected by your emotions. If you have any concerns, talk to Obi, I'm sure he'll be happy to help.”
“Okay...”
Aayla smiled at her. “There is something you might be able to help sort out for him. I know he'd never complain, because Obi and Quin never complained and he learned from them. Kiffar psychometry isn't limited to their hands. It's all of their skin.”
Ahsoka paused. “All of their skin.”
“Yep. The more sensitive the area, the more impressions they get from it. So hands get more than feet.”
“Do lips count...?”
“They're the most sensitive.”
“That's why Master Ani sticks to finger food sometimes!” Ahsoka burst out. “He can feel people being upset, can't he?”
Aayla nodded. “If you can do so discreetly, maybe convince those in charge of punishments to put the people least likely to be angry in charge of dishes.”
“I think I can do that...” Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. “Thanks for telling me.”
“There is something else. You've noticed how cuddly they get?”
“Yeah. It's nice... but it's not like everyone else.”
“Kiffar have a far higher need of touch than most. They even heal better with cuddling than without.”
Ahsoka's eyes narrowed. “Which means my master needs cuddling tonight.”
“Cuddle pile in the rec room tonight, already planned.”
“Good. I'll make sure he gets his cuddles.”
.
Bly stood next to Rex at the door of the rec room. “What is going on?”
“Cuddle pile. General Skywalker...” Rex winced when Anakin fixed him with a stare. “Sorry, Anakin, started doing these once a week or whenever people are injured. Especially himself. Apparently it helps. So. Cuddle pile.”
“And General Secura is there... I know she mentioned that General Skywalker is like her brother but... she doesn't seem the type.”
Rex shrugged. “I've seen it all already. General Koon was thrilled to join a cuddle pile last time he was around. Of course, General Kenobi was here too, and he ended up laying on Wolffe.”
“What?” Bly stared at Rex.
Rex pulled up the picture he had managed to get away with taking. “Apparently General Kenobi noticed that Wolffe was pushing himself too hard with his injuries and decided to do something about it. He's near impossible to get off when he's sleeping, so Wolffe ended up getting a full night's sleep.”
“That's... that's a weapon.”
“You have no idea.” Rex groaned. “He gets just about everyone with that if he catches wind of us working against medics orders, and I’m not sure most have even caught on to what he’s doing.”
“Oh. Well, then you just have to be sneaky.”
Rex shook his head. “General Kenobi is a master healer, a trained medic. He knows. He somehow always knows.”
“He got you, didn't he?”
“Yes. He did. Cody still hasn't let it go. I'm just glad he hasn't put the pictures in chat for everyone to see.”
“And Cody?”
“Cody saw this happening and has yet to get caught working against medics orders.” Rex grumbled.
“But he always works too hard.”
Rex then smirked, and pulled Bly over to the side where no one could overhear him. “You should've seen him when we met General Kenobi. He wasn't acting like himself at all. Crush at first sight. And still crushing.”
Bly grinned. “Then why isn't he taking advantage of the easy way to be up close and personal, since the General doesn't seem to mind?”
“Because it looks like General Vos and General Kenobi are a... thing. They almost looked like they were going to kiss several times over the two days we had General Vos on board.”
“So Cody is doing the smart thing and trying not to make things worse for himself. Too bad. It'd be nice to see him lose his mind.”
“Oh, you'll get the chance to, eventually, I'm sure. It's hilarious. And understandable. General Kenobi is rather gorgeous.”
“Not you too?”
Rex shook his head. “No, thankfully not.” He glanced Anakin's way. “But I can't deny that General Kenobi is nice to look at.”
“I'll take your word for it. Now how do these cuddle piles work?”
“Lay where you want, and expect to wake up somewhere else and tangled up the next morning. There might be pictures. We try to keep the pictures as what happens in the cuddle pile stays in the cuddle pile, but I'm sure they'll start getting put everywhere eventually.”
Bly brightened. “So maybe I could end up cuddling General Secura?”
Rex groaned. “I forgot. Unlike Cody, you've been open about crushing on your general.”
“Can I call Cody out for his crush on the chat?”
“Not until we’re all on leave. I'm pretty sure he's going to tell us all about it.”