Ahsoka's fingers ran along her shoto - her last line of defence.

She started attacking it with her tools, fine tuning adjustments on the intensity of the laser and its energy field. When faced with life onboard a star cruiser, the most infuriating thing is the lack of a designated sun telling you when to sleep. It was up to you to decide whether your body needed it or not. So while her clone squadrons slept heavily in their barracks, Ahsoka sat in the empty mess hall - messing with her light-sabres until their rendezvous with the senators.

This ritual of hers was one among the many habits she had picked up from her master. Before she became his apprentice, such menial tinkering didn't interest her in the slightest. Now it was a lifeline. Cleaning her weapons acted as a mental line of defence. Doing something with her hands allowed her to think clearly. Not quite like meditating - more like letting her mind drift to sort things out.

She could feel that Anakin was having a restless night - she had heard him muttering in his sleep in the General's quarters next to hers. Ahsoka had asked about it but he shook her off as usual. So the next best thing for both of them was space. Honestly, she thought he would've been excited to see Padme again after so long. She knew that she was.

But something about his force signature emanated worry. This wasn't unusual for those who knew him well enough, but still - it was cause for concern. Especially when it regarded his... partner? Girlfriend? Force forbid... wife? Ahsoka chuckled to herself, running through all the possibilities of what Padme and Anakin called each other.

"Commander," Ahsoka glanced up to see Fives and Tup standing in the mess hall doorway. "Mind letting us in on the joke?" Fives finished.

Ahsoka gestured them to the seats beside her table.

"That no one on this bucket knows how to sleep," She supplied.

"Granted, most of 'em are the 501st," Tup said, sitting down opposite her. "All of us have itchy trigger fingers compared to General Kenobi's crew."

Fives held up his hands in protest. "Hey now, that's just because they're a bunch of snobs."

"Don't let Cody hear you say that - he'll have you on clean up duty for 5 rotations." Ahsoka jokingly warns, making a final adjustment on her sabre.

Fives puffs out his chest and strokes his stubble, mimicking Obi-Wan. "Oh Cody, my sweet summer child. You have done well to bring this nay-sayer, Fives, to justice."

His rusty accent was so horribly good that the other two couldn't contain themselves.

"Fives, your a braver trooper than most." Tup heaves.

"And so trusting..." Ahsoka adds on deviously.

As Fives comprehended the full weight of Ahsoka's statement, Rex walked up behind him. "What 'nay-sayer' are you referring to, trooper?"

Rex's sudden presence scared Fives at attention, his hand hitting his forehead in an instinctive salute. "Sir yes sir! I mean... who?"

Ahsoka struggled to stay on her seat between fits of laughter with Tup banging his head on the table. Fives grinned at the both of them then turned around to face Rex.

"What brings you 'round here captain?" He asked.

Rex folded his arms and gestured to the display of rowdiness.

"Came to see what all the commotion was about."

Ahsoka looked up at him and between short breaths manages to get out, "It's fine Rex, we were just checking our weapons."

Rex glanced down at his own twin pistols, and brought them out. He supposed that all of the 501st had the same sort of intensity about cleaning their weapons. The amount of action they'd seen compared to other legions was staggering at times. They knew better than anyone that your weapon is your life. Skywalker drilled that mantra into their skulls enough times - even though he stated that Obi-Wan taught him first.

Tup shuffled over for Rex, allowing him the seat opposite the kid. He mentally corrected himself - Commander. She had grown up quite a bit since they first met over two years ago. She'd seen just as much action as himself in half the time. He once told her that experience outranked everything and had begun to wonder at what point did he stop outranking her?

He checked the barrels silently as the other three continued their conversation without him. Grabbing a piece of cloth from the table, he began going through the motions. Although they were headed for an important diplomatic mission, it involved Separatist forces. You could never be too cautious around the enemy. Drop your guard for a second and it's all over. A malfunctioning weapon meant death in those situations.

" - Shili's your home world, right commander?" Rex caught the tail end of Tup's sentence. The question snapped him out of his routine as he lightly brushed the trigger.

In under a second, his blaster had gone off, Tup and Fives had shot to the ground and Ahsoka had ignited her light-sabre. The sounds of the original shot and the deflection reverberated throughout the mess hall corridors. The wall behind Rex boar a decorative burn mark.

Rex gently put the gun down, switching the safety on. All of them were deadly quiet as hordes of brothers flooded into the mess hall, blasters at the ready. General Kenobi strolled in at the head of the group.

"What in the blazes happened here?" Obi-Wan asked.

Rex froze. After a three way stare off between Tup, Fives and Ahsoka, Fives had been outmatched. All of them stood up at attention.

"I-" Rex tentatively began.

"We were testing out weapons and uh... a new alarm system sir." Fives spoke up confidently.

Obi-Wan stared at the four of them bemusedly. "Well, I can assure you that you alarmed everyone here."

Tup laughed sheepishly. "We realise that now General - it won't happen again."

The horde started to thin out as their brothers became disinterested, some still sniggering at the four of them. The four just sighed in unison.

"Oh and Ahsoka, Captain Rex!" Obi Wan called back, springing Ahsoka and Rex back to attention. "You're needed on the bridge. We've just been contacted by the Chancellor regarding the negotiations. We're a few clicks from our rendezvous with Senators Organa and Amidala. I suggest you get up there soon."

The two sighed for the second time. "Guess we'd better get going Rexter," Ahsoka nudged his arm. Rex stared amazed at Tup and Fives.

Fives grinned back at him, giving him a quick wink. "Don't thank me - but you do owe me one."

"I guess you really are the nay-sayer now." Tup mutters hiding a cocky smile, to which Fives quickly responds with "Shut up Tup..."

"Received and understood," Rex conceded. "So long as we promise never to speak of this again. Still - thanks."

Fives and Tup both gave half-arsed salutes as the Captain and Commander began their trek up to the bridge.