The Jedi Night Out

The third meeting of what Caleb had secretly started calling the 'Order of the Aggressively Bored' convened not in an abandoned hangar, but in the unlikeliest of places: the Senate's main refresher during a twenty-minute recess. Ahsoka had insisted it was the safest spot. "No one lingers in a refresher," she whispered, crouched between a hand-dryer and a perpetually leaking sink. "It's beneath their dignity." Barriss, perched on the edge of a gleaming counter, adjusted her robes primly. "And yet here we are." "We're padawans. We have no dignity," Caleb mumbled around a mouthful of stolen bread rolls he'd liberated from the delegation's buffet table. His lekku twitched with satisfaction. Ahsoka had scouted the route, Barriss had memorized the guard rotation for the entire east wing, and somehow they'd infiltrated the most boring diplomatic gala of the season—a celebration of the Treaty of Brentaal IV, which was essentially a five-hour lecture about trade routes disguised as a party. "Okay, listen up," Ahsoka said, pulling out a datapad. "I've mapped every exit, every service corridor, and every location of free food within a five-minute sprint. But we need a new protocol." Barriss raised an eyebrow. "We already have the emergency extraction phrase." "That's for when we need to escape boring conversations. I'm talking about survival of a different kind." Ahsoka's eyes gleamed. "Master Kenobi just cornered me for a 'delightful' story about the taxation of outer-rim shipping. I need backup." Caleb perked up. "Intervention protocol?" "Exactly. Code name: 'I saw a Loth-cat.' If any of us says that, the other two must create a diversion—spill a drink, pretend to faint, claim a sudden and urgent message from the Council—anything to extract the speaker." Barriss considered this. "That's... surprisingly tactical." "I learn from the best," Ahsoka said, glancing at her own master, who was currently locked in an animated debate with a Twi'lek senator about fuel subsidies. Anakin Skywalker looked about as comfortable as a tooka in a rainstorm. Before they could finalize the plan, the refresher door hissed open. All three froze. A tall Mirialan senator entered, took one look at them, and raised a perfectly styled eyebrow. "Isn't there a buffet in the main hall?" Caleb swallowed his bread. "We're... conducting a hygiene inspection." The senator's eyes narrowed, but Barriss smoothly added, "At the request of the Jedi Council. Sanitation standards for diplomatic events. You'd be surprised what we find." A long pause. The senator backed out slowly. The door closed. They exhaled together. "That was close," Caleb whispered. "She bought it," Ahsoka said, grinning. "Barriss, you're a genius." "I read the handbook on diplomatic etiquette. It said to always project confidence." "That's terrifying." "It works." They spent the next ten minutes refining secret signals—a tug of the earlobe meant 'Master approaching,' a double blink meant 'I'm about to laugh,' and pressing both hands together meant 'please pass the dessert.' When the recess ended, they filed back into the grand hall with straight faces, but Caleb caught Ahsoka mouthing something to Barriss, and Barriss almost smiled. Master Billaba gave Caleb a curious look as he returned to her side. "You seem more cheerful than when we arrived." "I made friends, Master." She glanced at the other two padawans, now stationed across the room. "So I see. The Council is aware." Caleb's stomach dropped. "Aware of—" "Of your little club. Master Yoda mentioned it. 'Causing acceptable chaos, they are,' he said. Then he smiled. That was all." Caleb felt a warmth in his chest. "So we're not in trouble?" "No. But try not to get caught in the refresher again. The senator is likely to file a complaint." He blinked. "How did you—" Master Billaba simply turned back to the ambassador, leaving Caleb to wonder if the Jedi Council knew everything, or if they just had an excellent spy network. Later, as the speeches droned on, Ahsoka caught his eye from across the room. She tugged her earlobe and pointed subtly at Master Windu, who was approaching the podium. Caleb stifled a laugh. Barriss, beside Ahsoka, did a double blink. They were going to survive this yet.