Child of War

Reunion

I listened carefully as Ahsoka and Bo-Katan explained the situation. Apparently, Maul had returned to Mandalore and was using his remaining followers to attack the planet from underground. Ahsoka had agreed to help them and now was trying to recruit Obi wan, Anakin, and I as well.

After the briefing, I pulled Ahsoka aside. "Can we talk?"

She nodded and we walked down one of the sprawling corridors.

"So..." Ahsoka started awkwardly.

"So." I repeated, unsure what to say next. It had been so long since I'd seen her. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, but they all fell short when I was standing there with her.

Finally, she broke the silence. "I heard one of the clones call you 'General.' Congratulations."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'm not sure what Master Yoda was thinking. I am NOT ready."

Ahsoka shrugged. "You passed the Trials, didn't you."

I nodded.

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Then you're ready. You wouldn't have passed if you weren't."

I sighed. "I guess not."

She chuckled at me. "You haven't changed a bit. You're as humble as ever."

I laughed. "Yeah, right."

She nudged me. "You are. And you're one of the most skilled Jedi I've ever seen."

I scoffed. "Now you're laying it on thick."

She shook her head.

Hawk met us as we walked the hallway. He straightened and saluted me. "General."

I rolled my eyes. "At ease, Hawk. We're not on mission."

"I beg your pardon ma'am," he relaxed his stance, "but a mission shouldn't determine whether I show my General respect."

I shook my head. He was hopeless. "Hawk, this is Ahsoka Tano." I gestured to her. "Ahsoka, this is Hawk - my Commander."

Ahsoka nodded to the Clone. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you as well, Commander Tano." He gave a quick salute and continued down the hall.

Ahsoka and I started walking again.

"He seems like a good soldier." Ahsoka observed.

I nodded. "They all are."

We continued in silence for a while.

"Almost every Clone in my battalion volunteered to be in it." I finally spoke. The idea had been weighing on my mind for a while. It felt good to say it out loud.

Ahsoka looked at me. "Really? That's unique."

I nodded. "It's... weird. I'm not sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, I'm flattered that they're willing to follow me, but, on the other, I'm asking men that I know, that I care about, to die for me."

"Even if they had assigned clones to you. Strangers." Ahsoka explained. "You would grow close to them and it would feel the same way. You're lucky that you already know and trust the men fighting beside you."

I met her gaze. "You know, sometimes you're as wise as Master Yoda."

She chuckled. "It's good to see you again."

I smiled. "Same."

Anakin appeared farther up the hallway. "Hey you two." He walked over. "Lianna, mind if I borrow her for a minute."

I nodded. "Take your time. You two have a lot of catching up to do."