The Bomongos brought dozens of natural dye samples. Solo meticulously compared them, finally mixing a unique shade between steel gray and the German Army's "field gray." Paired with black spray-painted stripes, the result was neither ostentatious nor lacking in intimidation.
He first tested the paint on a clone trooper helmet. After examining the finished product with satisfaction, he immediately summoned commanders from each battalion and issued the order to re-paint the armor:
*Infantry armor will be painted with black and red stripes. Crew armor for vehicles will remain solid-colored. Reconnaissance and sabotage units, especially speeder bike riders, will be repainted with priority.*
The commanders examined the sample, then silently saluted in acknowledgment.
Repainting fifteen thousand suits of armor would take more than a few days. But as the order was issued, the white armor in the base gradually disappeared, replaced by the steady, dignified "field gray."
During this time, Solo also named his fleet of escort vessels. The Consular-class cruiser was named *Star Falcon*, and the two Pelta-class frigates were named *Beacon* and *Hunter*.
With names, the ships truly felt like they belonged to him.
Ahsoka sat on the base's perimeter wall, watching the bustling activity below.
Solo had disappeared again, likely discussing those "utterly boring" technical details with the clone engineers.
She knew these things were important, but she just couldn't muster any interest. Instead, she leaned against the wall, basking in the sun and enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
A chaotic clamor interrupted her thoughts.
Looking down, she saw a group of clone troopers surrounding a platoon of B-1 battle droids, trying to get the robots to spray-paint themselves.
The result was predictable chaos. The robots nodded and shouted "Roger! Roger!" while everything went wrong: some tripped over, others knocked over paint cans, some caked their sensors with paint, and a few started moving mid-spray, turning themselves into colorful "clown faces."
Even more amusingly, the robots would "offer advice" to each other, one scolding the other, only for the latter to "helpfully" touch up the former's paint job, leaving the chaos only to escalate.
"I really don't understand what Solo wants with these clunky iron tubs. I could take them all down in less than a minute by myself," Ahsoka couldn't help but chuckle, just as a clone trooper's frantic shout reached her ears: "I wish I could blow all of you idiots up!"
No sooner had the words left his lips than three robots tripped over each other, clattering into a paint bucket with a metallic *clang*, still managing to chorus in unison, "Roger! Roger!"
"It's a good thing I left the Temple. Being an apprentice there was truly wonderful," Ahsoka's thoughts drifted. "But Solo is really strange... Sometimes he doesn't even seem like a Jedi at all. Of course, he's incredibly skilled... but there's just something about him that feels different..."
Solo often used words she'd never heard before, and his training methods differed completely from what she'd learned at the Temple.
Sometimes he'd send robots to attack her, forcing her to repel them using the Force. Other times he'd have her meditate for hours on end...
Ahsoka couldn't understand the purpose of these training exercises, but she never questioned her Master's methods.
She knew he had his own reasons.
Though they rarely had dedicated training time, Solo often challenged her with tricky questions.
Yet whenever she showed genuine curiosity, he patiently explained, quoting, "Truth becomes clearer through debate."
"Ahsoka!"
Tano was captivated by the amusing scene of robots and clone troopers splattering each other with paint when Solo's voice startled her.
"Ah... Master, when did you arrive?"
"Just now!" Noticing Ahsoka's distracted reaction, Solo smiled inwardly. "What's on your mind? Why are you spacing out here?"
"Hmph! Nothing at all!"
"Is that so? Then how about accompanying me to inspect the new defensive fortifications?"
Ahsoka didn't protest. She stood up immediately, walking beside Solo without a word.
Solo remained silent, curious to see how long she could hold her tongue.
As they reached a secluded spot, Ahsoka suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Solo asked, already knowing the answer.
Ahsoka hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "Master, when you spoke to Commander Renan about the Jedi Order 'forgetting its roots,' what did you mean? Has the Warrior Order taken a wrong turn, or were you just trying to placate him and improve relations?"
The question that had been bothering her ever since the reinforcements arrived had finally been voiced.
Solo turned around, crossing his arms and smiling teasingly. "What, did you think I was lying to that 'grumpy' commander just to stop him from chewing you out?"
"No!" Ahsoka replied, her voice rising in panic. "I mean... Jedi shouldn't lie, but what you said..."
Her words trailed off, the rest suddenly stuck in her throat.
"What exactly did I say?" Solo's smile faded, his tone turning serious. "After the Battle of Ruusan, the Warrior Order did change fundamentally... in its way of life, its position in the galaxy, even in its body of knowledge. Much was forgotten, some was deliberately discarded, and some was pushed to absurd extremes."
"Like what?" Ahsoka couldn't help but ask.
In the Temple, no one had ever mentioned such things to her. If they had, she would definitely remember.
"For example, abandoning emotions, prohibiting attachments, and forbidding the formation of families." A mischievous glint flashed in Solo's eyes, and Ahsoka faintly sensed a vague emotion through the Force. "Do you know what the original Jedi Code said?"
"The Code... has it been changed?" Ahsoka paused, inwardly groaning, *I must look so foolish right now.*
"See? You don't even know that." Solo's smile returned as he gently patted her head with his gloved hand. "Let's start with how you recite the current Code."
The sudden gesture made Ahsoka uncomfortable. Frowning, she narrowed her right eye in concentration and recited smoothly:
"There is no emotion, there is peace.
*There is no emotion, there is peace.*
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge."
"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force."
"You've recited it perfectly," Solo said, withdrawing his hand and focusing his gaze on her eyes. His tone turned serious. "But this isn't the true Jedi Code. It's a Meditation Text written four thousand years ago by Odan-Urr, an archivist of the Warrior Order, during his lowest point in life. He used it to calm his mind and clarify his thoughts. The true code is this:
Emotion, yet peace.
Find peace within emotion.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Seek knowledge within ignorance.
Passion, yet serenity.
Find serenity within passion.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Find harmony within chaos.
Death, yet the Force."
"The Force resides in death."
Ahsoka shivered.
These words seemed to possess a magical quality, gently stirring her heartstrings. Yet she couldn't articulate why; she only felt that they were utterly abnormal yet utterly logical.
"Can you feel the difference?" Solo paused before continuing. "I don't know how Odan-Urr's Meditation Text became so widespread. Such a personal thing shouldn't have been casually shared with everyone. But I can explain why it replaced the original text."
"How did it replace it?" Ahsoka couldn't help but ask.
"Throughout the history of the Warrior Order, it has nearly been destroyed multiple times, and each time it started with the most experienced and knowledgeable members at the top. The most recent example was the Battle of Ruusan a thousand years ago, where almost all the elites were killed in battle. Odan-Urr's era was similar, first with the Jedi Civil War, then the First Great Jedi Purge." Solo shifted his jaw, his tone heavy. "It was around that time that the survivors felt that the deceased Archivist's Meditation Text was more 'appropriate' for their circumstances than the original text. From then on, Odan-Urr's version gradually spread until it completely replaced the original."
Ahsoka felt like she'd been hit over the head with a dusty sack. Her mind buzzed with the implications.
She still felt a instinctive resistance. Biting her lip, she asked, "What about attachment? The Temple teaches that attachment leads to the Dark Side. That must be true, right?"
"Of course not," Solo shrugged, his gaze sweeping over the defensive fortifications stretching out below him. "At least, attachment itself doesn't. What truly leads to the Dark Side is the inability to control oneself. If an intelligent being allows anger, jealousy, or fear to dictate their actions, they can only blame their own weak will. Everything else is just an excuse to shirk responsibility."
He raised an eyebrow, looking at Ahsoka. "Have you ever considered this? The Jedi's deliberate rejection of emotions only serves to alienate us from the people... We've become gloomy, tolerated but not beloved. Naturally, people fear what they don't understand, even going so far as to view us as monsters like the Sith. Isn't that absurd?"
Ahsoka hesitated before nodding. Solo continued, "Take, for example, the prohibition against Jedi owning personal property. This means we sometimes have to carry out missions with subpar equipment. When we lack funds, important missions can fail, and Jedi lives are lost. This policy fundamentally leads to the decline of the Warrior Order, not to mention how illogical it is... Following this logic, shouldn't we strangle every Force-sensitive infant in their crib? After all, 'as long as they live, there's a risk they'll fall to the Dark Side.' Might as well nip it in the bud, right?"
Ahsoka murmured, bewildered, "This... this is too extreme."
Solo shrugged. "But that's the reality, and it's tragic."
"But there *are* Jedi who have fallen to the Dark Side. The Temple taught us that these prohibitions were put in place to prevent such tragedies from recurring."
"That's true, but sentient beings aren't machines that can be programmed and remain unchanging. Each individual has a unique personality, tastes, and worldview..."
"For some, love is intertwined with possessiveness and jealousy."
"But for others, love can be selfless, wishing only for the other's happiness, even if they choose someone else."
Solo paused, his tone growing heavier. "You can't generalize about everything. Even within the same species, you can't apply a one-size-fits-all approach, let alone across the hundreds and thousands of sentient species in the galaxy. As for falling to the Dark Side, some will always seek shortcuts, want everything immediately, or make deals with enemies to survive... That's just life, understand?"
Ahsoka opened her mouth, struggling to find the right words. "Master, what kind of... code... do you think..."
Solo cut straight to the heart of her question. "You want to know which path I follow, and which path you should choose?"
Ahsoka nodded stiffly, but Solo's next words left her stunned. "That's something only you can decide, Ahsoka."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her alone to stare after him.
*Shouldn't a Master guide his apprentice down the right path?*
*Or is this part of the training itself?*
*What conclusion is he trying to lead me to?*
(Note: The code presented here reflects personal interpretations and opinions. Naturally, there will be differing viewpoints!
The original version of the Jedi Code first appeared in the Legends universe (pre-reboot canon), while the five-line version presented earlier is a revised, more lenient version of an older, stricter code.
The original version, with its more absolute and extreme phrasing, first appeared in RPG games and reference materials.)
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