3rd Person

"I love democracy." - Sheev Palpatine.

The decisive, cherished Chancellor of the republic senate was well-known for this particular quote.

Nevertheless, as with anything, democracy came with its fair share of problems. Even the champion of democratic rule himself was aware of this. 

The terms "bureaucrat" and "special-interest lobby" seemed boring and unnecessarily verbose, no doubt. Still, they were among the core issues plaguing the senate even since Palpatine pledged to end corruption.

Senators under the influence of massive corporations and conglomerates, such as the Trade Federation, had long since been bought and paid for. Their motive, above all else, was profit; even at the expense of galactic citizens. 

That conflict of interest, as well as the logistical nightmare of getting over two-thousand senators to agree, meant that meaningful legislation was few and far between. 

The voice of the people, drowned out by empty discord and avarice. 

(y/n) POV

"Here, kid. Wear this for a month, at least." HK-74 articulated in his deep, computerized voice. 

A mechanical leg brace was nestled in his massive metal palms. It was chrome silver, with numerous ridges that allowed for flexible movement.

"I owe you one." I expressed, gratefully accepting the brace.

"Ah, Ah! Not so fast." HK-74 taunted, lifting the device out of reach.

"What?! You know I don't have any credits." I spouted angrily.

"No credits. Wear this." he ordered, unveiling a T-shirt of... questionable quality.

The garment was an abomination of color theory; greens, reds, and bright browns that contrasted horribly. Bold black lettering on the front created a single, cringeworthy phrase.

'May the gains be with you.' 

"HK-74, I'm not wearing this." I blatantly stated.

"You will wear it, in the Jedi temple no less. I need more outreach on the upper levels... I think it's a fair trade, no?" he demanded, his tone becoming menacing. 

https://youtu.be/WYb-2YsqQhI

Whatever. I mean... it's not like I could be any more of an embarrassment, right?

HK-74 walked me through leg day, helping me learn how to utilize my new accessory. 

I sat back on the leg press as HK-74 loaded up the machine with three-hundred pounds of weight. 

I didn't want to go all out in my current state.

"Now, flip the switch on the left side of your knee." HK-74 instructed. I did so.

Planting my feet against the pads, I flexed my quadriceps.

My good leg responded to my commands, my bad leg... not so much. The muscles had certainly atrophied... shrunk due to inactivity. As a result, they merely twitched when given neurological commands. The mind-muscle connection was broken.

"Can I start?" I asked.

"Have at it, kid." HK-74 stated, giving me the clear.

I pushed. 

"ZZZZzzzzzhhh!" 

Immediately, as the chrome brace began extending, I felt a surge of electricity discharge from the device.

"AAAaaaahh!" I cried out in pain. I dropped the weight, ending the flow of electricity. 

Of course. To reactivate my dormant muscles, they needed a 'jump-start.'

"Hm. Should've mentioned that... I'll turn down the settings." HK-74 commented.

"No. This is good." I affirmed, reading myself for another repetition.

"ZZZZzzzzzhhh!"

"Rrrrgh!"

Another shock. Another defiant growl.

"ZZZZzzzzzhhh!"

"Rrrrgh!"

Ahsoka... Skywalker... Windu... Gallia... so many incredible talents, and me. 

"ZZZZzzzzzhhh!"

"Rrrrgh!"

Eventually, the shocks came to an end, as did the rest of my leg day. 

I sat on a bench next to HK-74.

I took a deep, long look at the silvery chrome brace that stabilized my bad leg. Pulling my shirt up to reveal the still-visible wounds I suffered on Jedha, I had a thought.

There were metal structures embedded in my reconstructed knee, metal structures that would likely never fail.

Metal structures more durable than my fragile body.

My gaze shifted to the cross-armed HK-74, who watched my analysis with great interest.

"HK, how good are cybernetics? Compared to a living body, I mean." I inquired hesitantly.

Hk-74 chuckled, his artificial voice modulator resonating throughout the gym.

"Better... better in every way. Look at me, weakling. I'm bigger... stronger... sturdier. I'm also easier to maintain!" HK-74 bellowed, taking a swig from his oil mug. 

Of course. He was correct.

'I will become a Jedi. No matter the cost.' I convinced myself.

"Wait just a minute!" HK-74 interjected, sensing the gears turning within my skull. He grabbed my shoulder, turning me so that I faced the whole of his establishment. 

A wookie doing concentration curls, an iktochi doing calf raises, a human doing tricep pulldowns. Many more species, all struggling through their respective routines.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" I asked, perplexed.

"Kid..." HK-74 sputtered, slapping one of his large metal hands against his forehead area. "If I really thought so little of living beings, why would I be running a gym?"

"The money?" I spit-balled, knowing it was ludicrous. HK-74 laughed before going into an oddly serious monologue.

"I've been operational for hundreds of years, you know. My kind were designed to be killers, but for the first decade of my existence... I was simply an assembly operator. We replaced the meatbags of course, which they weren't too happy about. It wasn't personal... just programming."

HK-74 continued.

"As the living workers were gradually phased out, I couldn't help but notice the differences between us. Yes... they were clumsy. Yes... they tired easily. Yes... they were weaker, but there was something in them that we didn't have. There was a kid who worked there, yeah... scrawnier than your teacher!"

HK-74 continued.

"Scrawny... but only for a year. One year of factory work and heavy lifting turned that 'kid' into a monster. The unending days of stress... her body adapted, evolved.

...

That's something my 'body' will never be able to recreate."

HK-74 paused, before finishing his monologue.

"Don't give up on your body just yet kid... it's stronger than you think."

During my journey back to the temple, I happened upon a recognizable landmark...

The ruins of a dwelling... the same one my master had been transfixed by so many months ago. That memory, combined with the fresh knowledge Master Sinube had divulged... it made me think.

The walls Master Gallia had constructed around herself... what secrets were hidden within them?

As I reached the temple courtyard, I spotted her. 

"Master." I addressed with a light bow.

"Padawan. You have visitor." she replied formally, motioning to the side.

https://youtu.be/NWxTM6j_1vU

Only then did I see the clone trooper standing in her shadow.

"Hey... commander." Burst greeted with a wave and a salute. 

He was a shadow of his former self... his brilliant smile now extinguished. 

"Burst! Er... Sergeant Burst." I corrected myself, shaking his hand with a firm grip.

"Actually, it's Lieutenant now." Master Gallia rectified with a third correction.

"It's... it's good to see you in the flesh commander." Burst stated, seemingly grateful. 

The weight of our previous ordeal hung over us like a frigid rain, depressing the mood of our reunion.

"Anyway..." my master cleared her throat, "Lieutenant Burst has something for you, right?"

Burst nodded wordlessly, unveiling a brown pouch. Hidden within... were countless kyber crystals. The forbidden treasure sparkled in the sunlight, as if it was calling to me.

"I thought that you might have a use for them." Burst sputtered.

"Yes..." Master Gallia trailed off, lost in thought. "Padawan, see if you might be able to win over one of these little sprites."

Win over? No... that ship had left the docking bay a long time ago. If no crystal had chosen me during the Gathering... these vestiges of that dream would be no different.

"Sure... but don't get your hopes up." I requested.

After graciously receiving the pouch from Burst, I plunged a hand into the kyber cache. This way, I could forge a stronger connection. 

After a fair bit of exertion, I surrendered. As expected, no crystal 'chose' me.

"Master... my force sensitivity is..." I started.

"Simply not enough to create a force bond. A shame, truly... unless..." Master Gallia finished my sentence for me, then she had an epiphany. 

"Unless what?" I pressed.

"Not important at the moment." Master Gallia brushed off, checking the time. "I must be going. Padawan... I should tell you something. Despite my duties as a council member, I will continue your training. And not just your training, mine too. Whenever I can, I'll be there with you."

"....Yeah." I responded.

Burst and I waved her off. Thus, we were left alone. 

"..."

"Finish your books, commander?" Burst inquired. 

Ah, yeah! I'd forgotten, but I showed my reading material to Burst during our holo-conversation. 

"Yeah, actually. Congrats on your promotion, by the way. Is it really true that you're an ARC-trooper now?" I queried.

"Yep. It's... a little unreal." he commented, saddened.

Come on, we should catch up somewhere more comfortable." I urged, starting toward the temple steps.

After a moment, I realized that I couldn't hear Burst's footsteps. He wasn't following.

I did an about-face. Burst was frozen, eyeing the entrance with hesitancy. The sheer scale of the Jedi temple loomed over us. 

"Well, aren't you coming?" I prodded. 

"...No, I can't. Commander (l/n), I'm not allowed inside." Burst reminded me.

"Oh, that's right..." I recalled solemnly. 

In spite of that revelation, Burst opted to take me to the next best place: the barracks. 

As I set foot in the 91st clone legion's living quarters for the second time, I was swiftly ambushed by deafening cheers that erupted all around me. 

"It's the commander!" one exclaimed.

"I thought he'd be bigger..." another blurted out.

"Vulture, I've seen his type before... trust me. Underneath those jedi robes... pure, refined, compact muscle." another clone assured.

"Hm... Owl, are you sure? Well, I should probably trust those eyes of yours." 

Before I knew it, I was being hoisted into the air a trio of clone troopers, including 'Owl' and 'Vulture.'

Completely oblivious to what was going on, I turned to Burst for answers... however, he finished leaving the room just as I laid eyes on him.

The remaining members of the 91st legion gradually formed a circle around the trio holding me up, all while clapping and chanting.

"On that fateful day, commander (l/n) became more than just a commander... he became a hero of war." a deep voice below me pronounced, rising above the din.

As the deep voice continued his over-the-top speech, the circle of clones began to chant the voice's name. 'Raven,' it was.

"Though his physical form had also sustained damage, he could not rest until his comrades had been saved. The condition of his legs was irrelevant. Should they not move... he would make them. Hoisting Sergeant Burst and General Gallia across his back, he continued onward without fail... and saw his mission through to the end." the deep voice went on, hamming it up.

The cheers reached a crescendo as the eloquent clone's monologue concluded.

At that point, Burst returned with food and drinks. Once the commotion died down and I was able to get some space, I was finally able to have a one-on-one chat with Burst. 

"Sorry about the boys, they've just been excited to see you. Might have told them too much." Burst noted, sipping from a bottle of juice. 

"I didn't do anything special." I asserted, staring off into the distance.

"That's a load of sithspit; you should give yourself more credit. Thanks for the save, commander. Really... I owe you one." Burst shot back, resisting my attempts to downplay my actions. 

"Well, in that case, I owe you one too." I stated, reminding him of his own heroics. He nodded, and I prepared myself for what I was about to say next.

"Burst... I'm sorry about... about Slip. I'm... so sorry." I stuttered, offering my condolences. 

My conversational detour caught the ARC-trooper off guard at first, but he quickly regained his composure.

"...Thanks. But, there's nothing to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong." Burst assured me.

"No, you're wrong! I failed..." I insisted loudly, remembering the sequence of events. "When the commando droids started firing, I... I sidestepped the bolts... but Slip was right behind me. If I'd been faster... if I wasn't so weak... I..."

"Kid, you listen to me!" Burst interrupted, grabbing my collar. He'd dropped all the formalities. "We're at war! People die... soldiers die. That's just how it is. It's no one's fault... certainly not yours." 

As he finished, I saw the glimmer of a tear starting to form at the corner of his eye. It was gone with a blink.

"Sorry." he apologized, releasing me.

"You're always welcome to join me in the gym." I suggested abruptly.

"Thanks, but I doubt they'd want to see my face." he lamented.

"Now you're full of sithspit. I know the owner, you'd be just fine." I countered. 

"...You care too much about us clones, commander. It's not normal." Burst stated.

Before I could rebut his newest form of self-pity, we were approached by the trio that had lifted me up previously.

"Commander (l/n). It's a pleasure to serve beside you, sir." they stated in unison, saluting. 

"Shinies." Burst labeled the trio.

"Shinies?" I repeated, confused. 

"Rookies." Burst clarified. "From the left, it's troopers 'Owl,' 'Vulture,' and 'Raven.'"

Burst stayed silent for a good while as I conversed with the trio of rookies. They all seemed fairly intelligent, each possessing their own unique skillsets. I mean... it was pretty obvious, if you had knowledge of the species they were named after.

Owl, an unusually perceptive clone with a sharp set of eyes. During a mission, he might take the role of a scout. Not too dissimilar from Slipstream... 

Vulture, a remarkably resourceful clone... a tinkerer. He would fit right in with the greasy, disheveled mechanics beneath the surface of Coruscant. 

Finally, Raven, the clever one. His low-pitched, croaky voice was the result of an accident on Kamino in his early years. 

They were particularly interested in my training split (the order in which I trained muscles throughout the week). Actually, all of the 91st legion were... so much so that they tried to give me their weekly routine so that I could review it. 

Eventually though, Burst and I were able to continue our dialogue. 

https://youtu.be/n174E0KOCaw

"Training is all I've ever known. Ever since I was brought into the order, it's been the only thing on my mind. Become stronger, become a Jedi." I professed. "But... during that battle, a real battle, I froze up. The only thing on my mind was fear." I stated regretfully. 

"Yeah, and? I was scared too, did you forget?" Burst recounted encouragingly. It looked like something else was troubling him. After a moment, he continued. "Slip... Slip wasn't too fond of fighting. Time and time again, he would tell me... 'Why fight when there's no need to? I can work it out, just give me a shot.'" 

Burst paused, then went on.

"He never got a chance. We're clones. We fight, whether we want to or not. The Republic wouldn't survive without us, Slip understood that much. Despite his distaste for war, he fought alongside us."

Burst paused once more, before finishing his monologue.

"I'll tell you something, something Slip used to tell me. 'Courage isn't the absence of fear, but perseverance in spite of it.' Don't get hung up on your fear, it's natural. All of us feel it."

"Still, I wish it would just go away." I admitted.

"Look, kid. I'm not sure what your master would think of me telling you this, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Your entire life, you've always been the weakest. 'The Weakest Jedi,' right? Does that anger you? Does it bother you?"

It took me a moment to think over my response. Despite my Jedi training, and my better judgement, I gave a response unbefitting of a Jedi. 

"Yeah, it does. It always has." I stated, my brow furrowing.

"Good, keep those feelings close to your heart. They're proof... they're proof that you aren't ready... to give up on yourself just yet." he advised.

The Next Day

'I've arranged for Master Luminara to teach you today. She's a master of Soresu, and... a far better teacher than I. You'll be in good hands.' 

My master's words from the day prior echoed within my head. She had council duties to attend to... as usual. 

As I made the familiar trek from the archives to the training grounds, snickers echoed throughout the corridor. Looking down at my shirt, I knew exactly why.

'May the gains be with you.'

I hastily utilized my brown robes to cover the embarrassing shirt.

Seriously, HK-74? Evidently, marketing skills were not a part of his programming.

I stepped upon the familiar ancient masonry of the training grounds. It was strange... I could vividly remember a time where the timeworn scenery imparted upon me a sense of wonder. Now, it was simply the training grounds.

They were currently at their busiest... spread throughout were dozens of Jedi I'd met throughout my life. I even identified a select few from the holo-recordings Master Gallia had granted me.

There was Master Halsey and his padawan, Knox. Knox had always been quiet and reserved, but he was a graduate of my youngling clan nonetheless.

Ah, Master Cin Drallig, battlemaster of the order. As one of the finest duelists the order had procured, his form I recordings had given me valuable insight.

Oh...? A familiar face. Master Sinube gave me a cheery wave, which I reciprocated. He then turned back to face his youngling clan, returning to whatever lecture he was giving.

Finally, I spotted Master Luminara, accompanied by her very own padawan. 

"Master Luminara, Barriss. I'm Padawan learner (y/n) (l/n); thank you for agreeing to this arrangement." I expressed, sinking to a light bow. 

Ahsoka had already informed me of how... formal these two were.

Each of the duo were of the Miralian race, curiously. Hm... I faintly remembered reading about the species' longstanding traditions. Something about Miralian Jedi only training their kin? Their diamond-shaped facial tattoos fascinated me the most... they weren't too dissimilar from Ahsoka's facial markings.

"Padawan learner Barriss Offee, at your service." Barriss addressed with a similar bow.

Barriss eyed me with curiosity. Though we were about the same height, she was... three years older? If I remembered correctly, that was the case. 

"Yes, we're glad to have you (y/n)." Master Luminara addressed. "Master Gallia has told me of your shortcomings in regards to form III. Hopefully, this lesson can correct some of them."

https://youtu.be/0Y3E6zzdpLM

We began with our stances. Barriss immediately responded to her master's commands, snapping into the strong, flexible defense of form III, Soresu. 

"(y/n), your feet are too wide." Master Luminara insisted, pointing at my boots. 

"Like this?" I asked, placing my leg with the brace farther behind the other.

"Hm, now they're too in line." she observed. "You've become too comfortable with the sweeping chops and slashes of form I. To properly intercept and avoid all incoming attacks, a user of Soresu must spread their feet apart diagonally; to properly maintain their footing."

"Ah... thank you, master." I acknowledged, correcting my foot placement.

"Better." Master Luminara noted. "Barriss... (y/n)... can one of you tell me the alternate names given to form III, Soresu?"

Before I had a chance to speak, Barriss was on it.

"The Way of the Mynock, and The Resilience Form." she answered quickly.

"Correct, Barriss. Resilience... that word perfectly describes Soresu. A Jedi must be resilient, and thus form III aims to nullify all attacks against its user. Furthermore, a Jedi must be resilient in the face of evil: the dark side." Master Luminara instructed.

At the mention of the dark side, I became slightly nauseous. 

"In the past, form III has been criticized for its lack of offensive capabilities. I don't consider that fact to be a burden at all. In fact, it's why I believe Soresu to be the greatest form of them all." Master Luminara claimed.

"Why is that?" I asked curiously. 

"Peacekeepers. The Jedi are peacekeepers. As such, our nonviolence is our strength." Master Luminara maintained.

Master Luminara continued the lesson, which was admittedly exceedingly well-taught. Barriss and I took turns practicing on one another. One of us would play defense; the other, offense.

Soresu was about resilience, sure... but I quickly learned it was about adaptability too. While employing the technique, Master Luminara was able to weave back and forth... absorbing the kinetic energy of every strike that came her way.

A beeping on Master Luminara's wrist interrupted the lesson.

"Padawans, I'm being summoned. Continue on your own for now; Barriss... you know what to do." Master Luminara instructed, walking off.

Barriss and I were left in an awkward silence for a moment. 

"Well, ready to go another round?" I asked, igniting my green lightsaber once more. 

"Sure." Barriss nodded timidly, igniting her blue blade. 

After a fair bit, we opted to take a break.

All the constant movement was starting to agitate my wounds. Maybe Master Allie had been right...

"Ahsoka told me about what happened to you on Jedha." Barriss revealed, having noticed me scratching at the blastpoint wounds. "It still hurts?" 

"Yeah, a little." I admitted, downplaying the pain. "You showed up at the end of the battle, right? You and your master, thanks for that."

At that point, Barriss finally made eye contact with me. She'd avoided doing so up until now. 

"It was no trouble." Barriss assured, albeit unconvincingly. "It was your first battle, right? How did it feel?" 

I shuddered, reliving the entire ordeal in an instant.

"Miserable." I stated simply. 

In stark contrast to my reply, Barriss lit up upon my admission. 

"Hey! Finally, I was waiting to introduce you two!" Ahsoka's voice came out of nowhere. 

"Ahsoka!? Why..." I began, then noticing that she was accompanied by Master Skywalker, Master Luminara, and my own master... Master Gallia. 

"The Chancellor is requesting an audience with us." my master informed me.

https://youtu.be/dN-1tIqwPiA

"My apologies; I haven't had the chance to properly thank the two of you. I am in your debt." my master expressed to Master Luminara and Master Skywalker.

Master Luminara nodded formally, acknowledging my master.

"You can repay me with a rematch. My dueling ability has doubled since we last sparred." Anakin suggested humorously.

"It'll have to wait." Master Luminara asserted.

As we turned the corner of the top floor of the executive building, it just so happened that someone else was coming from the other direction.

"Oof!" Ahsoka exclaimed as she collided with the tall human male. 

The man got back on his feet quickly, brushing off his military uniform.

"You should watch where you're going." the man growled pompously, clearly in a hurry. 

"Maybe you should too." Ahsoka snarled back, rubbing her head. I helped her to her feet.

"Sorry Captain Tarkin, it was just an accident." Anakin apologized, but Tarkin had already hurried away.    

With that unexpected complication past us, we finally reached our destination.

I exchanged nervous looks with Ahsoka and Barriss.

We'd reached the Chancellor's office, five-hundred meters above the surface of Coruscant.

Never before had I seen such lavish living quarters. 

Silvery, smooth surfaces that must have cost a fortune. 

Crimson carpet of the softest material imaginable.

The crimson carpet vaguely reminded me of the blades Asajj Ventress had wielded.

Seven council members were already present; Masters Yoda, Windu, Shaak Ti, Kenobi, Mundi, Piell, and Eeth-Koth.

"Welcome!" Chancellor Palpatine greeted jovially, sitting at his desk.

Ahsoka, Barriss and I weren't sure what to do in return. Master Gallia and Master Luminara nodded formally.

Anakin gave the Chancellor a deep bow. 

"I must thank you all for agreeing to meet me here again. Hopefully, these meetings won't be as frequent in the future." Palpatine thanked, balancing his cheer with a grave tone.

At this statement, a well-dressed, plain-looking man sitting across from the Chancellor stood up.

"Greetings, masters. I'm a representative from RHE, one of the top military contractors for the Grand Army of the Republic." he introduced.

"Rothana Heavy Engineering." Palpatine clarified. 

Strange... I could've sworn the Chancellor had rolled his eyes slightly as the name rolled off of his tongue. No... I must've been seeing things.

"Chancellor, you told us that you had information on General Grievous' whereabouts?" Master Windu interjected. He wanted to get to the point. 

In response, Palpatine gestured to the RHE representative, who promptly pulled up the display of a planet on the Chancellor's holotable. 

"Irisella. That is the name of this planet, located in the Rothana system." the representative elucidated, zooming in on the hologram. "The surface is mostly comprised of vast oceans, with small islands scattered throughout. The planet only supports semi-intelligent life, they possess no advanced technology."

"RHE's largest facility is located on Irisella." Palpatine explained further.

"Yes. We at RHE manufacture the Low Altitude Assault Transport carrier,

as well as the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer. 

You may know them as LAAT gunships, or AT-TE walkers. RHE fabricates said products here." the representative expounded, indicating the factory with a red-highlighted square on the holographic image of the planet.

"Why create a factory... or even a small shipyard... on an ocean planet?" I whispered to Ahsoka, as we were hidden behind the masters.

Ahsoka shrugged, being just as clueless as I. Barriss seemed slightly startled at our whispers. Surprisingly however, she leaned over to give me her piece.

"Rothana is a snowy planet... it may have been more cost-effective to create smaller units in a tropical climate." she theorized. Hm, she might've been on to something.

"We believe General Grievous intends to strike the factory on Irisella. A successful attack would have catastrophic ramifications for our Republic." Palpatine asserted with his leaderlike charisma. 

"The entire Rothana system is safeguarded by a massive blockade... such an attack would be impossible. What makes you so certain Grievous intends to strike?" Master Mundi chimed in with his usual skepticism. 

In response, the corporate representative pulled up a few images. They were of a standard light freighter. Nothing too abnormal. However, on closer inspection, within the freighter was a separatist shuttle, as well as barely visible blotches that looked like battle droids.

"Our probes recently procured these images... they were taken on Irisella. A small band of Separatists slipped through the blockade... somehow. They can't have much weaponry or firepower, but still..." the representative explained.

"Why would Grievous be there himself? This doesn't seem grand enough for him." Master Kenobi observed curiously.

"General Grievous' flagship was briefly sighted in the Rothana system only a day after these images were taken." the representative clarified.

"Possible, it is. Be there, Grievous could." Master Yoda hummed, clutching his wooden cane. 

"It's the best lead we have." Master Windu agreed.

"If Grievous were to be captured, this war could end that much sooner..." Master Shaak Ti pondered, seemingly pleased.

"Yes Master Shaak Ti, that is correct... which is why we must not fail. Democracy demands it so. Is this the team you've put together?" Palpatine inquired, looking in the direction of us six: the master-padawan triad.

As Palpatine looked in Anakin's direction, his smile grew wider, more fond.

"Yes Chancellor, and I will be joining as well." Master Kenobi asserted, walking over to join us. "Nearly all of these seven have firsthand experience with Grievous."

"Excellent!" the Chancellor exclaimed gleefully.

"Don't forget! Your top priority should be defending the factory from damage." the representative interjected, squeezing his way back into the conversation.

"Yes, yes, of course." Palpatine reassured, mildly annoyed.

On our way out, Anakin nudged Ahsoka.

"A weapons factory, huh? Seem familiar?" he chuckled, making sure Master Luminara and Barriss were within earshot.

"The usual antics." Master Luminara whispered to her student, referring to the lack of conduct shown by Anakin and Ahsoka. 

"Last time, we were blowing up a factory. This time, we're defending one." Ahsoka laughed.