Chapter Text
They had been walking through the jungle for several hours according to the HUD inside CT-2114’s helmet, and there was little change to the scenery. More trees, more plants, small critters, Feral trying to catch another probably poisonous bug before Cuss stopped him with a swift crack to the back, the usual. At first, he was nervous the General would be upset with Feral’s unprofessional display, but he just huffed in amusement and continued on with a shake of his head. The little Commander was making pleased cooing sounds, reaching for things that caught their eye with little hands and drawing them towards him with the force. The General had to stop the Commander from grabbing onto various frogs, because apparently, the tubie liked to eat them.
Eventually, the Commander's insistence on consuming frogs caused the General to finally stop the march, sighing as they carefully picked the Commander up out of their bag and sitting on the ground, rifling through their utility belt for a ration bar, breaking off a small piece to feed to the Commander, “We’ll take a break here,” General Mudhorn explained, and the mismatched squad hesitatingly sat down, watching the General feed the Commander little bits of the ration bar. After a few minutes of silence, the General looked over at them, “....Do you… have something to eat?” He asked quietly, awkward concern audible through his modulated voice.
CT-2114 shook his head before any of his Vod’e could answer, “We ran out of rations. We’ve been eating roots of the plant-life we can identify, but we haven’t had anything complex or cooked. We didn’t want to risk a fire when we were under equipped,” He explained.
The General nodded slowly, reaching back into one of the pouches on his utility belt to pull out 5 more compact ration bars, passing them to each of the troopers.
‘41 bowed his head in thanks, hesitating for a moment, he asked; “Sir, are you going to eat anything?”
“I’m fine.”
CT-2114 could feel the judgemental stare coming from Cuss, and wisely took a bite of his own ration bar, looking away.
Cuss pulled off his helmet, letting his long curls fall loose over his eyes once more so the General could really feel the disappointed stare, “All dues respect sir, but you fainted less than 12 hours ago. You need to eat something to keep your health up.”
General Mudhorn’s blank T-visor stared back at Cuss, silent. Cuss stared back.
Three-Twos was watching them, eyes darting back and forth as he slowly bit into his own ration bar. Feral was staring too, smirking behind his meal. ‘41 was staring at the Commander though, who had toddled over to him well the General was distracted.
Eventually, the General spoke, “I’m fine.”
Cuss threw his arms in the air, “Does no one care about their health? What happens if you faint again? Or becoming exhausted? Dehydrated? That armour doesn’t look light. Please tell me you at least have some water”
The General just shrugged, turning back to feed the commander again, freezing when he realized the tubie wasn’t there anymore. Whirling around with a hand on his holstered blaster, ready to draw. CT-2114 flinched as his eyes fell on ‘41.
Oh no.
Was the commander supposed to stay by General Mudhorn’s side during missions? Were they not allowed to interact with them? Was ‘41 going to get in trouble? What if he was sent back-
General Mudhorn paused when he saw ‘41 shyly patting the tubie on the head, relaxing with a quiet sigh that was barely audible through his helmet. ‘41 looked up at the noise, pausing his petting, much to the Commander’s displeasure. The General gestured a hand towards the tubie, “He likes having his ears rubbed.”
‘41 looked down at the Commander, who was staring up at the trooper with those bright eyes. ‘41 then gently began rubbing the Commander’s ears with a finger, and the Commander made a happy purring sound.
CT-2114’s heart melted.
Feral made a cooing sound, slightly muffled by the ration bar half in his mouth, causing ‘41 to shoot him a glare over his shoulder, making Feral snort, spraying a few crumbs out. Which then caused Cuss to recoil in disgust.
Three-Two’s shared a tired look with CT-2114, gesturing vaguely at the others with exasperation. CT-2114 just sighed, leaning back as he watched ‘41 play with the Commander, even doing a little dance much to their pleasure. The General, after watching the two for some time, turned to watch their surroundings from his place on the ground, one hand on his blaster. CT-2114 joined him, sneaking peeks at the General when he could. He was still curious about the Jetii. He had heard they were peacekeepers, but General Mudhorn didn’t look like a peacekeeper, but like those trainers the prime brought in. Mandalorians. Perhaps he was a Mandalorian and a Jetii? Was that a thing? Well it must be if General Mudhorn was here. Also, weren’t lightsabres’ predominantly green and blue for Jetii? The General’s sabre looked very different from the holos CT-2114 had seen with its black colouring, curved blade and rectangular hilt. It was all very different from what he thought of when he pictured a Jetii, but at the same time, General Mudhorn fit the bill perfectly. A skilled warrior who fights with a lightsabre, stoic, serene and mysterious, with a little commander and everything-
“You're staring.”
CT-2114 quickly looked away, embarrassed at getting caught.
The General was quiet for several long, awkward moments, before speaking once more with a sigh, “Just ask, vod’ika.”
CT-2114 jumped, staring at General Mudhorn in surprise for a moment before- oh, right. The General’s Mandalorian. He speaks Mando.
“I- well, I was wondering, sir, are there other jetii like you? I haven’t heard of any, I thought your order was all monk-like? But you wear armour instead of robes and I haven’t heard of a lightsabre like yours also the commander is so small why are they so small? What if they get crushed or stepped on, they don’t have armour like we do, I don’t understand how to protect him? He’s the Commander and he’s also so small how do you train him now I’m confused and I’m rambling now sorry sir.” CT-2114 asked, voice stuttering to a stop as he tried to put his questions into a proper sentence, looking down at his feet as embarrassment burned his cheeks.
The General made a confused noise, “What? I’m not-” But before he could finish, a blaster fired, and the two whirled around, their own blasters drawn as Three-twos and ‘41 hit the deck, the Commander tucked safely under ‘41’s armoured form. A Trandoshan burst from the treeline, blasters out and firing wildly, forcing Feral to roll away, dragging Cuss with him.
“You!” They hissed, angrily pointing the tip of the blaster at the General, “You’re not sssupposed to be here. You’re ruining our hunt you sssstupid Mando!” The last word was spit out like an insult. General Mudhorn just raised the blaster, ignoring the comment and preparing to fire at the raging Trandoshan, when they suddenly froze, pulled a few inches off the ground with their arms yanked and held to their sides by an invisible force. “What’sssss thisss?” They asked, yanking at invisible restraints, frustrated and confused, CT-2114 glanced at the General, but they looked just as surprised as him, so he looked down at the Commander, but they were only watching with wide eyes from the safety of ‘41’s arms. A small form dropped from the trees, slamming on top of the Trandoshan and knocking them to the forest flower. A second figure dashed out of the bushes, slamming a fist into the would-be-hunter’s nose with a sickening crack.
The troopers paused, staring as the two straightened. One was an orange Togruta, and the other, the one that punched the hunter, a human girl. The Togruta looked over at them, smirking slightly, “Hello troopers. Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and Padawan Kalifa,” She bowed, the other, Kalifa, followed soon after, though a bit stiffer.
The human’s eyes watching them all with distrust and a sliver of fear.
Commander Tano, on the other hand, seemed much more at ease as she walked forward, “and you are…?”
CT-2114 looked over at the General, who was staring at Commander Ahsoka. After a moment of silence, CT-2114 turned back to the Commander, “I’m CT-2114. That’s Cuss, Three-Twos, Feral, and CT-2541,” He glanced back at the General nervously, but he didn’t say anything, “and… that’s General Mudhorn and Commander…. Kid.” He finished awkwardly, realizing the little commander didn’t have a codename with a wince. Feral just smirked in amusement.
Commander Ahsoka looked up at General Mudhorn suspiciously, “You’re a General? I don’t believe I’ve heard of you”
General Mudhorn continued staring before suddenly blurting out, “Do you have any aliit?”
Commander Tano paused, not expecting the question, “I don’t know what that means.”
The General sighed, holstering his blaster, “Any family, relations, a clan.”
She gave him a strange look, “The Jedi are my family,” She answered slowly. The General thought for a moment, before nodding in understanding.
“You’re a Jedi.”
Commander Tano nodded slowly, giving CT-2114 a confused look, like he could explain anything.
CT-2114 just shrugged.
CT-2114 watched this interacting with confusion for a few more seconds before his attention was drawn away by ‘41, who was holding the Commander tightly to his chest as he stared at the unconscious body of the Trandoshan. The Commander just cooed, reaching for the General.
After a quick check with the General, who was engrossed with a conversation with Commander Tano, CT-2114 walked over to his squad mate, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “Are you okay?.”
‘41 looked back at him, helmet still off from eating, CT-2114 could see his vod’s wide eyes, “They almost hit the Commander.”
CT-2114 looked down to where ‘41 had been laying, and indeed, a blaster mark was scorched into the dirt right beside where the Commander would have been hidden. CT-2114 looked back up at ‘41, who was also staring at the ground. He gave his vod a shake, “Hey, look at me,” He ordered, waiting till ‘41 did so before continuing, “they didn’t. You protected the Commander. He’s fine, you’re fine. We’re all fine,’ he said, smiling in a way he hoped was reassuring.
“I wouldn't say we’re all fine” a rough voice called from the ground. CT-2114 looked down, spotting Three-Twos, lying on the floor still well clutching the shoulder of his already injured arm.
“Osik- Cuss!” CT-2114 called, whirling to where Cuss was crouching by Feral, picking sticks and leaves out of his hair with a scowl.
Cuss looked up before swearing, rushing over to Three-Twos’ side, “I look away for two minutes and you’re injured again,” He hissed, pulling away his hand and carefully removing the armour covering Three-Twos’ shoulder, poking and prodding it with his finger.
“What happened?” CT-2114 almost jumped, looking over his shoulder to see General Mudhorn looking over his shoulder.
“Somehow, this di’kut managed to dislocate his already fractured arm,” Cuss reported, but worry laced the harsh words as he continued his inspection, “And I don’t know if it’s safe to put it back in place.”
Three-Twos’ huffed, “It’s not like I meant to”
General Mudhorn placed a reassuring hand on Cuss’ shoulder, much like CT-2114 did moments before with ‘41, “We’ll regroup and then see what we can do for it. I have a small medkit on me,” Turning to the two new commanders, he continued, “Is there a safe place nearby?”
The two met each other’s eyes for a moment before Commander Tano stepped forward, “Our base is close, we can lead you there.”
The General nodded before turning to the clones, “Feral, help Cuss carry Three-Twos. ‘41, you watch G- the kid. ‘14, you’re with me. Check the body for anything useful before we go” He straightened, facing the commanders fully and gestured towards the woods, “Lead the way.”
The Troopers (minus Feral) collected their helmets quickly, and CT-2114 searched through the body, handing out two pistols, a few grenades, and a vibroblade. It was decided that Feral would not be getting the grenades.
Commander Tano led the way, ducking and weaving through the brush with unnerving silence, well Commander Kalifa took up the rear. Three-Twos was in the middle with Cuss and Feral, the latter chattering away in hushed tones, and CT-2114 realized why General Mudhorn assigned Feral to help. Feral, talking about random plant life they passed, proposing theoretical strategists and making jokes distracted Three-Twos from pain and kept him aware, even though he was sputtering at Feral’s ridiculous plans that often include an unnecessarily large amount of explosions and destruction.
CT-2114 smiled softly under his helmet. He was really glad General Mudhorn knew what he was doing.
—----------------------
Din Djarin had no idea what was happening.
First, clones of Boba, which he had confirmed further after seeing the troopers without their helmets on, and now Ahsoka’s clone was here too? Wait, no. That would be too crazy. They must be related. Maybe Little Ahsoka was Big Ahsoka’s daughter? Was that why Big Ahsoka refused to train Grogu? They thought they had lost their ad’ika?
Din looked back at the other ad’ika, Kalifa. She was walking hunched in on herself, but straightened when she spotted Din, glaring. Where was their buir?
“Sooo, how did a Mandalorian get here?”
Din looked down, where Little Ahsoka now walked beside him with a casual stride, but her eyes were sharp, suspicious.
Din shrugged, “Fell.”
Little Ahsoka raised an eyebrow, “You fell,” She repeated slowly.
He nodded, looking back to check on ‘41 and Grogu. The Mando was whispering to the kid in basic and some sort of butchered mando’a that made Din want to flinch. He really needed to teach them the language, as was their right. Maybe once they were safe he could start some lessons?
“Like, did you fall and then get kidnapped? Actually, you still have all your weapons, are you a hunter?”
Din looked back down at Little Ahsoka, “I wasn’t kidnapped,” He paused, thinking for a moment, “Well, maybe.”
Little Ahsoka stared at him, “Maybe you were kidnapped?”
He shrugged, suddenly aware of the eyes of his new vod’e and the ade, “Last thing I remember, I was on Tatooine. Then I tripped and woke up here.”
The whole party was staring at him now. Ahsoka’s mouth dropped open. She closed it, glaring up at him with her arms crossed, “I don’t know if you’re an idiot or a genius.”
“What?”
“Well, either you’re a very bad liar, or you’re telling the truth. Meaning you magically teleported from Tatooine to Wasshak.”
“Is that where I am?”
“Oh for the love of-” Little Ahsoka threw her hands up in the air and marched forward, leaving a confused Din in her wake.
He looked back over at his vod’e, who where giving him a mix of confused and disbelieving looks.
“Is that something Jetii can do?” Three-Twos asked, still a bit slurred from pain.
Din looked over to where Grogu was cuddled up in ‘41’s arms, remembering all the incredible, impossible things he had seen the child do, and shrugged, “I don’t see why not.”
He turned back around and kept walking, leaving the confused troopers to come to their own conclusions.
After some time walking, the trees they passed grew large, taller, and more dense. The forest was older here, and very little sunlight managed to peek through. Din watched the green closely, not wanting to get ambushed again as they weaved through roots, fallen logs, and great stones.
Ahsoka eventually paused, turning back to the group with a toothy smile, “Here we are!”
Din looked up, and near the top of the great tree they had stopped in front of was a well crafted treehouse with pulley systems to work as an elevator to get up and down. Din stared at it, coming to the horrifying realization that these children must have been here for a long time in order to make something this complex.
Kalifa walked up to the tree, stopping in front of the trunk and looked up. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out, “Jinx, O-Mer! We’re back!”
Two humanoid figures looked over the ledge of the balcony, one a Cerean, identifiable with the large forehead, and a green Twi’lek. They took in the large group in surprise, before shouting back, “We can’t hold that many people up here, the treehouse will fall apart!”
Din looked around as Little Ahsoka and Kalifa began murmuring to each other, then called up himself, “We have one injured, can he and our medic be allowed up?”
The two girls gave him a surprised look, but he ignored them in favour of watching the boys. After a few seconds, one disappeared from the ledge and the Twi’lek called down once more, “We can do that, but where will you stay?”
“I’m sure we can find a place nearby.”
“And how do you know you won’t betray us, Mando?” Kalifa asked.
Din looked down at her, slowly dropping into a crouch before her, “Children are the future. I would be dar’manda if I caused them harm on purpose. This is the Way.”
Kalifa was silent, mulling over his answer for a moment before nodding, “Fine, but I’m going to keep an eye on you.”
Din nodded, “Of course.”
Kalifa gave him another suspicious look as the make-shift elevator slowly lowered. Cuss and Three-Twos approached it, the latter leaning heavily on the baar’ur as they stepped onto it, the wood creaking ominous under their weight. Din stepped forward, reaching out to hand Cuss his compact medkit. It wasn’t often used, but it was better than nothing. Cuss nodded their thanks, pointing at the group accusingly, “No one is to get hurt when I’m gone, got it?”
The Mando’s nodded, and ignored Cuss’ suspicious, disbelieving look he gave in return.
“This isn’t going to break under me, is it?” Three-Twos mumbled, staring at the wooden platform.
Ahsoka just smiled, “Don’t worry, if that happens, we’ll use the force to catch you!” She claimed before looking back at Kalifa, her eyes softening, “You sure you want to stay here? I could-”
“No,” Kalifa snapped, causing Ahsoka to slump, Kalifa winced, back tracking, “I mean, you’re the most skilled out of us. We can’t afford to lose you.”
Ahsoka looked like she disagreed with this reasoning, but turned towards a neighbouring tree with one last look back, her gaze warning, but hopeful. She jumped up branch by branch, flipping and spinning to gain more height before landing gracefully on the treehouse.
Din and the troopers stared in disbelief at what they had just witnessed. Din sighed, turning towards Grogu, who had a mischievous look in his big eyes as he stared at the tree Ahsoka had climbed. Din raised a finger warningly, “You are not allowed to do that.” ‘41 gave him a confused look, which Grogu unconsciously mirrored. Feral snorted, covering his smirk with a hand when ‘41 glared at him. Din sighed again, looking back to Kalifa, who was in turn, watching him.
“Any good places around to set up camp?”
Kalifa nodded slowly, gesturing for them to follow as she began walking once more. Din paused, looking up at the treehouse and doing his best to memorize the location before following after the ad’ika, his new vod’e falling into formation behind him.