Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.3.4

Caleb would never say as much to Depa, but he liked the 501st Legion. A lot. Depa would never have let the clone troopers organize chicken fight tournaments.

Some of the other clones had convinced Rex to referee the fights, much to his amusement. They had to teach O-Mer and Jinx how to play, but once they did they loved fighting against each other. Caleb and his partner, Dogma, ended up the victors, much to the annoyance of Fox and Jesse. Someone offered to referee if Rex wanted to join in, but he insisted that he was the best referee they had. The real reason he didn't play? His partner was Ahsoka, and the two of them always won. It was why he hadn't played in the past year.

Everyone had dispersed, except for Rex and the Padawans, who were cleaning up a little bit of the mess from the fights. It was at this time that Ahsoka's voice came through the PA system, penetrating the air.

"501st, this is Commander Tano. At this time, all soldiers on shift need to finish up whatever they're doing. I need Captain Rex, Commander Dume, Commander Majal, Commander Daru, Kix, Fox, Jesse, Appo, Dogma, and Hawk to report to the command center for debriefing. We will be arriving on Lokori in 5 parsecs."

As soon as she finished, every person on the cruiser immediately began transitioning. It was time to get down to business. All of the goofing around was over. Right now, it was 'yes, sir,' and no questions asked. Commander Tano was ready to fight, and that meant everyone else needed to be too.

Rex was the first one in the command center, and he stood next to Ahsoka as she pulled up a hologram of Scarlet Haven. "You ready?" he asked her, certain that she was.

"As long as everyone else is," she answered. "If everything goes how it should, then we'll be in and out."

"We're all behind you," he reminded her. "We'll follow your lead."

She smiled back at him, however briefly. "Thanks, Captain."

He returned the grin. "Anytime, Commander."

The others started filing in. When everyone was circled around the holotable in the middle, Ahsoka enlarged the holomap so everyone could see.

"Republic scouts managed to scan Scarlett Haven and the area surrounding it a few hours ago. When we arrive on Lokori, it will be in the middle of the day, so if you're bringing night vision gear, stow it until you need it. We're going to aim for a thirty-minute mission if everyone does their part. Everyone is going to know everyone else's job, no excuses. Clear?"

Everyone nodded silently. The clone troopers couldn't help but feel proud of how far their commander had come since Day 1. If Ahsoka had tried to order them around like this four years ago, they probably would have all laughed. Not anymore.

Caleb found himself taking note of how she held herself, and how she spoke to the others. Even after two years of trying, he still didn't have the same confidence she did. He doubted he ever would. Jinx and O-Mer, on the other hand, were astonished at how much authority she spoke with. If they tried to talk to the clones that way, they normally got reprimanded for not knowing their place.

"We're sending out four teams: One to free the slaves, one to knock out the towers, one to extract the Jedi, and one to destroy the base once everyone is clear. I'm assigning one commander to each team, as well as myself. Dogma," she turned to him, and he gave her his full attention. "I'm putting you in here. Every communication within the legion comes through you, and I want you to keep an eye on everyone out in the field. If something happens, you are the first to know, and I am the second. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir," he confirmed, nodding.

Then Ahsoka turned to Appo. "If you hear the word from Dogma, you are leading a backup squadron to reinforce anyone who requests it. I'm not expecting anyone to need it, but I'm not taking chances either. I want you and your squadron on standby from the time we exit hyperspace until the time we jump back in. That means you need to know everyone's role, more so than anyone else."