she was doing, where she was and if she was worrying about him. Anakin even thought of trying to reach out and find her, but feared being caught by the two other jedi on the ship. He worried about her. She was never far from his thoughts, although when around other jedi, he tried to block her from his mind completely. It was hard to keep such a secret hidden deep inside when all he wanted to do was shout it from the top of every sand dune on Tatooine.
He attempted to close his eyes even tighter, willing the meditation to come, but it was really no use. There was no way he was going to make any strides towards strategy at this rate. You couldn't force meditation to happen. He had learned that a long time ago when he was trying to fool Obi-wan. He was going to have to do something to get his mind off of everything that had gone on during the day. There was so much to think over. There were so many details to what needed to be done.
Anakin was sure this would be a turning point in the war and that destroying the machine works and shipyards at Hypori would be just the thing to get other systems to join with the Republic and to fight against the Seps. How could they wish to continue this futile war? Although, Anakin had to admit, the Seps had some very strong holds around the galaxy. Plus, they had the financing and purpose that maybe the Republic was lacking. How could he think such things? He was loyal, as loyal as anyone else in the Republic. He just wanted to return to the temple and Coruscant where he was supposed to be. Where life wasn't always up and down and was more predictable. Where he wanted to be right now so that he could be closer to the one person who understood more than anyone else. He shook his head trying to clear everything from it.
Anakin rose from his cot and triggered his internal ship comlink above his cot. "Rex," he spoke into the speaker. "Meet me in the shooting range."
"Yes sir," Rex returned through the speaker in his brisk voice. "ETA five minutes."
Anakin slipped the glove over his recently replaced hand and flexed it. It had become a habit to remove the glove when he was trying to relax. To not feel the constrains of the leather around the limb. He checked to make sure the pommel of his lightsaber was clipped to his belt where it always was these days. Now was the time when he would find his calm. Lightsaber in his hand and deflecting whatever came his way, that would be where the answers would come to him. It would be the force which guided his moves and freed his mind from all these things that just kept clouding it up. This would be his chance to get away from the ghost of her which his mind brought into his dreams every night.
He moved towards the door and pressed the release button, the door slid open silently. Maybe he should call Ahsoka to come and workout with him, they hadn't had a chance to train recently. It wasn't very often during the skirmishes that they had time to hone their skills. Anakin was sure he wasn't doing as good a job as he should be with her training. He didn't consider calling Obi-wan, who never really approved of the methods Anakin used to find his answers. It was just another lecture that he wanted to avoid.
Anakin keyed his comlink. "Ahsoka," he said waiting as he flexed his hand inside the glove again. It was chaffing him more than normal today. Possibly a problem with the organic circuit interface. He would have to check it before he began any serious combat. There had been several upgrades to it recently and sometimes it took time for the flesh to adjust. It would do him no good to have an arm that wasn't working during a tense battle.
"Yes master," her voice said back.
"Do you feel like some lightsaber training today?" Anakin asked smiling. In his mind, he pictured her face smiling at the thought. She really hadn't had much of a chance to stretch herself and use the skills which were taught her in the temple. War was strange in the skills it gave you and the things it took away. Anakin's mind drifted again back to Padme. He closed his eyes and just thought of her face for moment. It was a brief respite he allowed himself now and again.
"Where?" Ahsoka asked the excitement brimming in her voice. Anakin had no idea where she was right now. Sometimes she could be found tinkering with the clones as they repaired equipment from battle. He really didn't know where she was most of the time and that discouraged him. It seemed he was with Obi-wan all the time when he was a padawan. Or maybe that was what it had felt like to him at the time because he could never get a moments peace to do as he wished.
"Shooting range the guys rigged up over in Bay Q9," Anakin stated and stepped into the corridor and shut his door behind him. "You in?"
"Absolutely Master," Ahsoka said back to him with emphasis on master. She usually did that when prodding him or when she was really excited. "About 5 minutes."
"That's what Rex said," Anakin laughed and clicked off the comlink, leaving her to wonder why Rex was coming to lightsaber practice. Anakin smiled to himself. This may be the best workout yet. His muscles tensed at the thought of getting to use his skills.
The jedi strode purposefully down the hall towards one of the main turbolifts. He liked that his quarters were close to the lift because it was the true center of the ship and it made it easy for him to get to the bridge, or his fighter, in a hurry. Several clones stepped out of his way as he walked down the corridor, making way for him to get where he was going.
When he finally reached the bay, Anakin walked to the makeshift shooting range the clones had constructed. Not that they needed practice, but Rex explained that they thought they did because it was born into them. If they weren't shooting, Rex had said, they were bound to get in trouble and fights would break out. Anakin could understand. Sometimes he didn't need the practice with his lightsaber, he felt an overwhelming urge to use it.
The range consisted of a two plastoid walls which made a narrow hall. The hall was divided lengthwise with more plastoid walls to make places for several clones to shoot all at once. At the end of the gallery was a dissipation field. This was charged up to absorb blaster fire as it came down the gallery. It stopped them from shooting a hole in the ship or each other. A good thing, Anakin thought, because he would hate to have to explain to Obi-wan how he managed to lose clones to friendly fire.
Anakin thought the mock up was very useful at keeping the clones out of trouble and it really didn't take up much of the floor space in the bay. That was important too because the hanger was stuffed so full of equipment that it was hard to squeeze between some of the ships. There were many things needed to wage the kind of war they were waging.
"General," Anakin heard the crisp voice behind him. He made sure to turn around before addressing Rex. It had happened before that Anakin had said something to Rex and it wasn't Rex. That is what he got for not checking the force before speaking. So Anakin made a conscious decision to turn around before opening his mouth and sticking his foot inside.
"Rex," Anakin said, noting the blue armor and the lack of hair. Plus the Kama Rex wore kinda gave him away. "Feel like shooting?'
Rex unholstered his blaster and pulled out the energy pack with a sharp click, checking the amount of shots he had left and then shoving it back into the hilt of the blaster with a snap. "I would like nothing better," he said and smiled widely at Anakin. "What do you have in mind?"
"I'll wait for Ahsoka before I explain," Anakin said gesturing towards the door where Ahsoka had appeared and was eagerly making her way towards the two of them. She almost skipped towards the two. A bright smile lit her face.
"You don't have to wait any longer," Ahsoka said and smiled at both Anakin and Rex. She pulled her lightsaber into her hands with the force and placed a finger over the activation button. "What are we doing, Skyguy?"
Anakin indicated the firing range. "We are going to stand where the dissipation field normally is," he said and looked at Rex. "Rex is going to fire at us at full power."
"I'm sorry sir," Rex said. If he would've been drinking, Anakin was pretty sure he would have spurted the fluid everywhere. It wasn't very often you caught a clone off guard. Anakin had succeeded and it brought a smile to his face.
"You heard me," Anakin said checking his lightsaber over nonchala
ntly. "I want you to live fire at Ahsoka and myself."
Rex stepped back two steps and holstered his blaster. "I can't sir," Rex said putting his hands up in a placating gesture. "It's in the orders."
Anakin's head snapped up to look at Rex. Orders? What orders? He'd never heard this mentioned before by Rex or a clone. "What are you talking about?" Anakin asked looking at Rex with a furrowed brow trying discern just what the captain was talking about. "I'm telling you this is what you are going to do."
Ahsoka stepped towards Rex. She was always very motherly with the clones, although she was younger than they were. She reached out to touch his arm. Anakin had never witnessed a clone act this way and he wasn't sure what to make of it. It felt strange and Anakin could feel the hair on the back of his neck start to prickle giving him the sense that danger was near.
"Rex," Ahsoka said in a soothing tone. "We won't be hurt."
Rex looked blankly at Anakin. "I could be in big trouble for this," he finally said the look in his eyes never changing. It wasn't Rex there, it was as though his brain had taken over and was giving the answers. Rex was on autopilot.
"I'm not turning you into anyone," Anakin said trying to comfort his friend. "I just want to have live fire practice. I