Author's note: I love the concept of Clones and gossip within the GAR, so I decided to incorporate some exploration into Anakin's, Rex's, and Ahsoka's relationship(s) Slight OOC?, I wanted to capture the awkwardness and consequences.

Coruscant, 22 BBY, 2.5 Galactic Standard months into the Clone Wars

Anakin Skywalker wasn't renowned for his patience. Starpiloting yes, sitting through yet another dull briefing without being bored 5.75 minutes in, no. This briefing had the exact same content the last one did, why were they going through this again?

Seated around him were several other Generals, some newly promoted. He felt a twinge of sympathy, his hair was slowly growing back where his padawan braid was sheared off. Obi-Wan was seated across the table, listening intently to some dull Admiral drone on. Ugh, they'd been over this already. Anakin let his gaze drift to the Clone Troopers standing at the edge of the small briefing room, their posture impeccable. They were eerily quiet standing at parade rest, surely they would find this just as boring and maybe fidget or give some indication of boredom.

"...as I said earlier, the Separatists would not dare attack the Core Worlds. However, our Intelligence informs us that they have been gathering forces here," the Admiral informed. They gestured to the holo-map where clusters of red dots signifying the Separatist forces floated on the edges of the Mid Rim . It had been two and a half months after Geonosis but the Seperatists wasted no time in attacking.

"Now..." they went on covering the last points. Would this meeting end? Anakin's gaze drifted over to some of the Generals. Their faces were impassive, typical of the Jedi. However a few did let their masks fade and displayed rather irritated and tired looks. Anakin smirked. Maybe they weren't so above it all.

"...on the lookout for better methods to disable their ray shielding. If we don't have any questions, that should be all." said the Admiral. Despite delivering the same information again in the previous meeting, they looked rather calm instead annoyed. The Admiral looked around the room expectantly. Anakin sent a telepathic plea for no one to say anything. Luckily it seemed that it did not fall on deaf minds even if the plea wasn't a genuine telepathic message.

No one spoke up. The Admiral gave a satisfied nod. "Very well, dismissed." The Jedi got up from their seats almost a bit too enthusiastically. Perhaps they weren't as interested as they looked. Anakin got up and walked over to his second in command, Captain Rex. The group of Clone Troopers broke off from where they were standing to meet their Generals. The Captain was easily identifiable with his freshly painted armor, a newly implemented idea to raise morale and encourage individuality.

"Let's go Captain," said Anakin. They had a long campaign ahead of them with a few days til they were deployed. He was going to make the most of them even if Padme wasn't on Coruscant. Rex obliged, keeping a respectful distance. On their way out of the room, the two passed the tail end of a conversation involving Obi-Wan and a female Jedi wearing a blue tunic.

"...I suppose our sparring match with have to wait until next time." remarked Obi-Wan. The other Jedi nodded and smiled. She bid him farewell and walked off with a her second-in-command. Anakin smirked and rolled his eyes. He wasn't a padawan anymore but he was certain some things never changed. If Obi-Wan saw his former padawan's impertinence, he gave no indication.

"Sir?"

Anakin cursed mentally. But of course Rex saw him. The Captain's posture was ramrod straight as he kept walking. His head however was ever so tilted upwards, expecting a response. Anakin had never really seen such a display, Rex abided regs perfectly which irked Anakin slightly. Did the man ever loosen up? Hoping to clear the atmosphere, Anakin cracked a crooked smile.

"Ah it's nothing, just Mas-," he stopped quickly, then corrected himself. "-General Kenobi again." The Jedi now had ranks within the Republic's army, it was a transition that Anakin was still getting used to-referring to peers as "General". Captain Rex lowered his head slightly. The helmet wasn't exactly the easiest thing to look at when having a conversation thought Anakin.

The two continued walking through the maze of corridors, somewhat silent after Anakin's response. The rhythmic clacking of armored boots and softer nerf hide boots that sounded out of sync distracted him. He almost didn't notice the response.

"General Kenobi has displayed rather effective strategies, is there something wrong with the General?" said Rex. His question caught Anakin off guard and he had to fumble with his words.

"Wha- oh no. He was my master and well.." he trailed off. Would it be appropriate to share the next bit? Being his padawan, of course Anakin knew embarrassing stories and quirks of Obi-Wan. Sharing the fact that Obi-Wan flirted with many beings, friend and foe alike wouldn't break too many rules right? Anakin glanced at the Captain, the reflection of the visor creating a barrier.

Behind that visor was a man who would relay his orders and at his side fighting droids. Being on good terms was a benefit and being able to communicate was vital, thought Anakin. His thoughts briefly flashed back to whispers of rule breaking, but he brushed them aside. He had his own path now.

"Actually," Anakin began. He glanced around conspiratorially. "Obi-Wan's a bit of a flirt. If Anakin could see beyond the visor, he would have guessed that Rex raised an eyebrow. He would be correct in that assumption. The two passed through the exit onto the landing pad. They walked over to where Anakin's speeder was parked.

"There was a mission to Felucia, before the war. Some bounty hunters were involved, I think. Anyway, at one point we ended up tied upside down." began Anakin. He climbed into the driver's side of the speeder and Rex followed suit, climbing into the passenger's side. They secured themselves.

"Of course before ah- resorting to aggressive negotiations, Obi-Wan flirted with the lead bounty hunter. He flirted." Anakin started the speeder and the two took off to join the tide of Coruscanti traffic. As they whizzed by bright signs and bad drivers, Anakin explained the rest of the mission while Rex listened on in polite silence.

"He was all," launched Anakin, "Oh, well it's hard to take in the power of such a skilled bounty hunter when we're hanging upside down. The previous statement was uttered in a decent impersonation of General Kenobi's Coruscanti accent. Anakin continued, gesturing and making some questionable maneuvers. Rex gripped the side of the speeder as he listened on with a mixture of awed and confused silence. "It would be advisable to let us down or I'm afraid our negotiations will have to be more...direct." Anakin stopped speaking with his Obi-Wan accent.

"Unbelievable. We weren't exactly in any position to negotiate, our lightsabers were gone and Obi-Wan flirts with a bounty hunter." ranted Anakin. He jerked the steering sideways, causing the speeder to make a hard left. Rex opened his mouth to point out that General Skywalker made a wrong turn, but Anakin interrupted him.

"I don't think the bounty hunter really appreciated having his power complimented anyway." Anakin smirked and merged into another lane of speeder traffic. "Master got his tailbone bruised after he was flipped. Couldn't sit down for a while." Anakin paused, letting the dirt on the esteemed General Kenobi sink in. He had to admit, sharing this anecdote made him nervous. Rex didn't say anything the whole ride. "But he's like a brother to me." Anakin quietly admitted.

"Ah, General," said Rex. Anakin's hopes rose. Maybe his Captain wasn't such as sociable as a slab of duracrete. "This isn't the way to the barracks." His hopes sank like said slab of duracrete. The flashy advertisements seemed familiar. Oh. This was a way to the caf place he and Padme frequented. He glanced at the Captain, who was waiting for a response. The proper thing to do was to turn back and report to the barracks. However, his head screamed for a steaming mug of caf after that tedious meeting. He continued on.

"Yes, you'd be correct Rex." he said. The two were rendered quiet for a few moments. His boldness shocking him for a few moments. Normally, Anakin and Rex operated on a professional basis. General or General Skywalker. Captain or Captain Rex, never just Rex. Until now.

"Sorry Captain," said Anakin, breaking the silence. "I really needed a mug of caf after that meeting. I guess I didn't know how much I really needed it." He thanked the Force and Padme for the small credit chit nestled in his belt pouch. A spot in the traffic opened and he pulled the speeder onto the landing pad in front of the shop. Rex crossed his arms.

"General, this is a breach in protocol." he said. Anakin couldn't see his face, but he probably guessed that Rex was frowning. Something about his posture, the fact that he shared a personal anecdote that was met with silence irked Anakin.

"It was a breach in protocol to share that story Captain, yet you said nothing. I don't know about you, but I'm going to get a cup of caf. You're welcome to sit out here and wait with the speeder. Or you can join me. I'll buy you a cup." retorted Anakin. He regretted his irritated tone almost immediately. It wasn't right of him to do this and drag the Captain along with him. He turned away. To his surprise, he heard the armored footsteps of Rex approach him. Anakin turned to face him. He was slightly taken aback at the absence of the Captain's helmet. It hung from his belt, neatly clipped in place. Anakin felt the words of apology trip from his tongue.

"I-I. My apologies Captain. It wasn't right of me to deviate. We can return to the barracks now." mumbled Anakin. He couldn't quite meet the Captain's eyes. A thoughtful look crossed Rex's face.

"I have brothers who do incredibly ridiculous things too."

Anakin looked at Rex, incredulous. He had hoped his story would ease the awkwardness between the two, but he didn't expect much from it.

"We are currently off duty right now, curfew is at…" Rex trailed off, insinuating things that were rather out of character for him. Anakin grinned and gestured for him to follow. Maybe he wasn't a complete slab of duracrete.

"Rom's has great non-caffeinated options. Although I could really go for some caf..."

Though one would never suspect it within the neat lines of the GAR's troops, gossip was as ubiquitous as life throughout the galaxy. Snippets of stories, so winded and warped from the original source material drifted throughout the ranks. Rumors of love affairs gone sour, sources of contraband, the ever popular debate of "Our Jedi can beat yours", and Jedi shenanigans were commonly heard whether one was in the Mess Hall, the barracks, even the bridge. Of course Jedi weren't exempt from the temptations of gossip.

The Hangar bay of the Resolute, within deep space, 22 BBY 0800 hours, 2 weeks after Ahsoka Tano's arrival

The arrival of Commander Tano had generated waves of fresh gossip. Torrent Company and the 501st were unsure of what to make of her at first, but her positive demeanor and cheerfulness were quickly earning her appreciation. However, Captain Rex was sure to discourage any unsavory thoughts. She was their commander. Disharmony could create problems on the battlefield. And as likeable as she was, more importantly, she was still shiny and young. A fact that was highlighted after additional star fighter training from General Skywalker.

Ahsoka was perched on a stack of crates looking rather disoriented. Early in the day cycle, General Skywalker had taken her for a training maneuver in order to better acquaint her with starpiloting in combat situations. Of course being General Skywalker, perhaps he took it a bit out of hand. Captain Rex noticed the Commander's dazed state and paced over to her to make sure she was okay.

"Commander. Is everything okay?"

Ahsoka smiled wanly. "I'm fine Rex, training was a little harder than I thought." She sighed. "I just don't feel like I'm really meeting up to his standards." The noises of the hangar bay seemed less intrusive in that moment. She scooted over from her place on the crates and gestured to another section of the stack. Rex took a moment to consider her offer, then obliged. He sat down on the crate and listened. She continued.

"I mean, he's the Hero With No Fear, the Chosen One. I should be honored to be his Padawan." Ahsoka bit her lip. "But I'm scared. What if I don't meet his expectations?" She let the question sink in. Rex coughed to break the silence.

"Listen, ah kid. General Skywalker is a skilled General. I trust his expertise," he began. Kriff, was this helping? He continued. "But he isn't perfect." A particularly humorous incident involving a particular puddle during a rainstorm on a Separatist moon crept into his mind. Rex wasn't sure if this was appropriate but maybe it would make the Commander feel better.

"Ever hear about Alpha VII?"

Ahsoka shook her head. Rex cracked a small smile.

"Well then little' un, you're in for a hell of a story. We were marching through the brush during the rainy season, General Skywalker leading Torrent Company in the front…"

Rex barely managed to finish his story over Ahsoka's peals of laughter. When General Skywalker returned to take Ahsoka to the Mess, he was puzzled to find her giggling on top of some supply crates and Rex, sitting on top of the crates with a mask of polite impassiveness. He did however find himself with a nickname probably more irritating than 'Skyguy'. Anakin Skytripper.