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Late into the night an underpaid press editor hit a wall with final fact checking and edits. Well, metaphorically at least. They were close to publishing with the latest of the heroics of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, Knight Anakin Skywalker and Padawan Ahsoka Tano when they realized they had no idea of who's padawan she was. However, that was pushed to the side as another minor problem came up. They had no real idea what to call her. No one wanted to read the word Padawan over and over again. It wasn't catchy or served a purpose like The Negotiator or The Hero with No Fear. And did they really want to call their boss or any of their other colleagues to figure it all out? No they did not. They slapped the most generic name they could think of next to her name and called it a night.
The Apprentice.
They could only shrug when they got the deadpan look from their boss later for the lazy naming and gave a very doubt filled response of, "Well do you?" When they had been asked, "Do you even know who's appreciate she is?" The silence that greeted them was answer enough. Yeah, that's what they thought as they went back to their caff.
_________
Mrill was new to this whole Padawan thing. She had only been chosen as one a few months ago and hadn't the most experience with talking to other Padawans in class. Or really being in class much with the whole war effort going on. So as she struck up a conversation with a Togruta during her Galactic History class she was ecstatic. Finally, someone to talk to and maybe comm later to exchange answers with about homework when she was out in the field. Except she was growing more and more confused as she talked to her. The hour-long conversation was littered with contradictions about her Master. One minute she was saying her Master could recite the entire history of the Jedi Order from memory to her Master could barely remember what happened a year ago let alone a hundred. One too many ship crashes she had giggled. These statements continued as they traded stories of their time out in the field.
Master said I had to be patient. Easy for him to say.
Nah my Master gets bored pretty fast. Can't stand waiting around.
He's refined.
He once ate bugs in front of me and had the nerve to be disgusted that I like my meat raw.
He can out fly anyone. Just don't ask about his ladings. It's why I prefer flying with Master.
That last one had made no sense to her but she nodded along anyways. By the time they were all dismissed she was beginning to think maybe it was a good thing she was hardly in classes if they all spoke like the Togruta. A tap on her shoulder as she exited the classroom had her turning to face a slightly older human girl who had a kind smile on her face.
"I noticed the confused look on your face when you were talking to Ahsoka." Mrill's eyes widened at the now named Togruta.
"Wait that was Ahsoka Tano?!" Oh kriff. Had she just embarrassed herself in front of the well known Padawan? Did she notice her confusion?
The other girl seemed to know what she was thinking and hurried to reassure her. "Don't worry about not being able to follow what she is saying about her Master. She doesn't really notice things like that." She tilted her head slightly and asked, "That was what you were confused about right? We've all been there."
Relief crashed through her. As well as curiosity to the age old question. "Exactly which one is her Master?"
The girl shrugged, "I don't think anyone really knows."
_________
Medic Skul was horrified by what he was hearing. He wasn't new to working with Jedi considering his own General was one and knew how foolish they were with being self sacrificing idiots but the stories that Kix of the 501st and Stitches of the 212th were telling are about to give him hives.
He wanted to be surprised by what he was hearing. Truly he did. But the moment he heard the names Kenobi and Skywalker he threw back a shot. Those two were legendary for avoiding medics and all forms of the Medbay. He had heard whispers of Healer Vokara having to personally wait for them and drag them to the Halls in the Jedi Temple before. He shuttered at that thought. He'd take a battlefield over facing an angry Vokara any day.
But none of that was what he was horrified by. No, it was when they had started talking about a Jedi Commander.
"There's another one?!" One of the other gathered medics exclaimed aghast. Both Medics nodded solemnly back.
"She is just as stubborn as the General." Kix says, leaning back a bit in his chair. Stitches snorted lightly beside him.
"And just as efficient at avoiding us." Stitches adds."Always one step ahead just like the General. Had to get Cody to track her down one day and coner her just to get her ankle looked at."
"Rex found her in the vents when she didn't show up for her checkup last time." Kix says.
They go on about the Jedi Commander's antics and the wounds she tries to hide from them for the next ten minutes. Both equally having stories of her when Skul thinks to ask a clarifying question. "Exactly whose company does she belong to?"
Both Medics' faces scrunched in confusion. "Uhm. I think mine?" Stitches says clearly not confident in that answer.
"No. No, that doesn't sound right." Kix shakes his head. "Think she's mine."
"You don't know?" Came from an astonished Fracture of the 41st. "You just have a random Jedi Commander hopping between both your companies and neither one of you bothered to ask if she's yours or not?"
They had the grace to blush.
"Just ask Cody or Rex." Skul suggested.
The two medic exchanged glances before Kix said in a hushed voice as if he was telling a huge secret. "I don't think they know either."
_________
"I would rather not." Master Yuki announced to the whole Jedi Council or really the few Jedi Council members who happened to be on planet right now.
"Something wrong with the mission is there, hmm?" Yoda asked. "Hear you out we will."
He hesitated before answering. Unsure of how to say it. "Not the mission itself per say but who is on the mission...." he trailed off.
"An objection you have to Master Kenobi, Knight Skywalker and Padawan Tano joining you?" Mace's eyebrows raised. "A personal one?"
"No, not a personal one." He denied. "It's just that this mission requires stealth ." He tried to get his point across by stressing that final word.
"I can assure you that each of them are perfectly capable of stealth Master Yuki." Plo Koon reassured him, completely missing the point. He looked around the room and saw that no one, save maybe Mace seemed to understand what he was trying to say. He'd have to be frank, he supposed.
"Individually yes," He agreed out loud but silently added probably because he had heard stories about a certain Knight,"but let's face it. The three of them together is just asking for something to go wrong and get blown up."
They didn't call them the disaster trio for nothing. Before he could press his point and objection further the Council doors opened and in stepped the trio themselves.
He genuinely liked Master Kenobi but his easy smile set him on edge as he stood next to a grinning padawan and smirking Knight. "Shall we?" Indicating for the debriefing to continue.
The mission went as well as he had expected. Which was to say stealth had been abandoned quickly and things did end up exploding. It had started off normal and he had found himself relaxing. He honestly should have known better but at the time it seemed like a good idea. He found himself talking with the young padawan who was currently dishing out advice about Kenobi and Skywalker as if she was an elderly woman who had seen it all.
"You'll want to avoid getting into the transport with my Master cause he almost always ends up crashing. Also if my Master looks perfect calm in the middle of a disaster then that means he's about to do something stupidly reckless."
He had taken it all in gladly. If anyone knows how another Master operates, it's their padawan. So later when Master Kenobi offered for him to ride with him down to the planet he politely declined and hopped into Skywalker's.
They got shot out of the air in a record amount of time. It was only when they had regrouped with the others that he noticed that Ahsoka had been with Kenobi the whole time. He had assumed Kenobi was her Master and had hopped into Skywalker's transport. That was his mistake and he was resolved not to make that again.
He stuck close to Kenobi after that as the mission proceeded. They made their way through the small fortress defense and towards the hangar before they realized that there was no way they were going to be able to take it and keep it since their cover had long been blown and the possibility of more enemy forces on the way was high. Taking refuge behind some creates he glanced over at Kenobi to see if he had come to the same conclusion. His pulse spiked at the almost peaceful look on his face. Whatever he was saying to Skywalker and Tano made the other two grin. Tano handed over the bag she had been carrying.
The order to pull out and meet back up with them at the drop site was sent out. Kenobi motioned him over.
"What's the plan?" He asked.
"See all those fuel tanks over there?" Kenobi gestured to a spot behind the last of the droids. Nodding along, Obi-Wan continued, "Anakin and Ahsoka will act as a distraction as you and I plant these bombs."
"Then what?" He asked, almost afraid.
"Then we run like Hell." Kenobi's voice was a perfect calm and all he could do was nod along as chills ran down his spine.
Later after he was done running from the blast zone and flying away from a blown up fortress he'd remembered Ahsoka's warning about her Master's calmness in the middle of a disaster. He had been wrong once more. Kenobi must be her Master.
He clearly needed to start asking padawans who their Masters were before taking advice.
_________
Ahsoka wasn't as obvious as she let on about everyone's confusion and assumptions. For the most part it was harmless. She knew that everyone, except those on the Council, in the Temple had no idea who her actual Master was and had fun only using the word Master as a catch all. She also knew that both the 501st and 212th assumed that she was their Jedi's padawan and just visited the other. Both of which were feasible since she spent an equal amount of time with each. She liked the freedom it gave her on both ships. Anakin and Obi-Wan usually just smiled and looked the other way.
Usually.
"What!? I tried to warn him." She defended herself to two equally disbelieving looks." I did! I said you always crash and that your false calm shouldn't be trusted." Nodding to each one with the warning she had given.
"My dear did you say our names explicitly when you gave these warnings." Obi-Wan asked.
"Well maybe not exactly...."
" Snips ." Anakin let out with a loud sigh though she could tell that he was a bit amused by the upturn of his lips. "Master Yuki has requested not to be assigned a mission with the three of us all at once ever again."
Her eyebrow markings raised on their own accord in surprise. "Seriously? Why?"
"It seems that he doesn't appreciate crashings and on the spot reckless improvising." Obi-Wan said, his voice growing a little gruff as he tried to hide a chuckle.
"Pity." She grinned back at her Masters. "It's what we're good at."