Title taken from the amazing song It Has Begun by Starset. Story very loosely based on the Clone Wars movie novelization, because I didn't really like the movie. Characters don't belong to me, otherwise the Clone Wars would still be running. Enjoy!

Ahsoka Tano stood in front of the council chamber, nervous. Why had the Jedi Council called her up to their chamber so soon after her test? Had she failed the initiate trial? Was she stuck in the temple for eternity? Did she fail so badly that the Jedi council had decided to kick her out of the order, leaving her to fend for herself on the Coruscant streets?

No, she reassured herself. They wouldn't bother calling her to their chamber over something as small as that.

So why were they calling her? It had to be something important!

Maybe they were calling her up because she was finally getting assigned to a Jedi Master? She really hoped so. Ahsoka had been waiting to become a Padawan for what seemed like forever.

The intercom by the door beeped, and then turned on.

"You may come in, Initiate Tano," Mace Windu said from the other side of the comlink. The door slid open, seemingly beckoning for her to enter.

Ahsoka was really nervous now.

It'll be okay, she reassured herself, they're not gonna eat me. Calm down, Tano. Relax.

She took a deep breath, and stepped inside the council chamber. The gazes of the council members met her like the gazes of a predator to its prey.

Ahsoka stepped into the middle of the room, and then looked at her feet. She could feel the scrutiny of the council members even more than ever now. This really wasn't her day.

"Good afternoon, Little 'soka," said the comforting voice of Master Plo Koon. He had been the one to take her to the temple, after rescuing her from some slavers. Throughout her time at the Jedi temple, Master Plo had always been there for her. And he was here for her now.

"Hello, Master Plo," Ahsoka said, her confidence rising a little. "Masters," she added, bowing to the people and holograms in the room. Some of the council seats were empty, as some of the Masters were busy fighting against the Separatist droid army.

Mace Windu spoke next.

"This is a momentous day for you, Padawan Tano. Are you ready for it?"

Ahsoka's head bobbed up and down, excited. They called her Padawan Tano! She had passed her trials!

She beamed. She was ready for this!

"Yes Masters, " she said, looking Mace Windu in the eye with all the confidence she could muster.

Master Yoda spoke up. "Assigned to General Kenobi, you are."

Ahsoka almost gaped. Assigned? Like General Kenobi had no time to choose her as his padawan?

Who was she to complain? She had finally become a Padawan! At least she had a master!

Master Yoda continued his speech. "Join him on Christophsis, you will. A new mission, you have been assigned."

Ahsoka was instantly curious. A real mission! "What sort of mission?"

"Tell you and Master Kenobi when you arrive at Christophsis, I will." The old jedi master replied.

"Get to the hangar, you should. Be late on your first day, you should not!" He waved his cane for emphasis.

Ahsoka took a step back. "Yes, master! Right away!"

She bowed hastily at the rest of the masters in the council room, and then left the room, excited for the future to come.

The crystalline buildings of Christophsis rocked under the continuous assault of Blaster fire, from Republic clones and Separatist battle droids alike. Clone corpses and droid scraps lay scattered, surrounded by the rubble of the once beautiful buildings of Christophsis' capital city..

At the Republic stronghold, Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and his clone commander Cody surveyed the situation. It was time to figure out a new strategy against the Separatists, as their current plan wasn't working. The Separatists currently had the upper hand in this battle, and didn't seem to be letting go of it anytime soon.

A clone soldier ran up from the cannon line at the front. He saluted his superiors hastily, and then launched into his report.

"General Kenobi, sir! The lookout says that he sees some sort of ray-shield coming from the separatist base! It's making it impossible for us to fire our cannons at the blasted clankers."

General Kenobi straightened. "Let me see this ray-shield. I may be able to find out a way to disable it."

Cannon fire boomed. Buildings collapsed around the Republic Stronghold, shaking the ground. Meanwhile, Republic cannonfire was rendered harmless, absorbed by the recently erected Separatist shield.

Things really were not looking good.

Within all of the chaos, Obi-Wan's comm beeped.

He took the call.

Admiral Yularen's austere face greeted him.

"General," the Admiral greeted, "We have just received a message from General Yoda. "

"What is it?"

"General Yoda says that he's calling you back from the front lines for a different mission. Since he called you away from the front lines, he will also provide you with reinforcements for the ground assault here in compensation."

"Huh. Well, that's unexpected." The Jedi Master replied, "Did Master Yoda say what this mission was?"

"No, sir, but he did say that he was delivering a messenger. "

"A messenger?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did he say who he was sending?"

"No, sir."

Well then, Obi-Wan thought, I guess I'll just have to wait and see who it is…

"Thank you, Admiral. I'll be there shortly."

"I'm sending a shuttle down to pick you up now. Over and out."

The hologram of the Admiral disappeared.

"Well then, gentlemen. I suppose that I have to leave."

"Don't worry, sir. I'll keep the boys in line," Cody piped in, smirking lightly.

"See to it that you do, Cody. I have a very bad feeling about this…"

Stealing the huttlet from Jabba's stronghold was easy. Dealing with the repulsive slug, however, was a different story.

Vader paced around the cockpit of the ship, restless about a past he was determined to forget. Of course his master had to assign him to this mission! And the best thing about it all was that Sidious had ordered him to keep the kriffing huttlet alive! The nerve of that despicable man, and his mind games!

Truth be told, Vader had always hated his master. Sure, he respected the man. How could he not? Who else would be able to manipulate the galaxy the way his master did, while keeping themselves off of the radar? Sidious's manipulations seemed almost effortless to the man, although Vader knew otherwise. He had felt the gears turning in his master's mind while the Sith master was devising additions to his grand plan. A plan that Vader was still only somewhat privy to, despite being one of his master's closest confidants.

What Sidious, didn't know, however was that he had plans of his own. The Sith apprentice was destined to overthrow his master, after all.

For now, though, that would have to wait. He had a mission to complete, and he could not fail. To risk failure was to risk death, and Vader would not let that entitled snob Dooku take his place.

Vader shuddered at the thought.

It was bad enough that Dooku was working for the Sith, and even worse that Sidious had given the aristocratic man the position that Vader knew he had been originally meant to have. Now Sidious had decided to lend him to Dooku to use, a new weapon in his arsenal, but Vader knew better. He was the true Sith apprentice, and he only answered to Sidious, and himself. He was a slave no more.

The door to the cockpit opened, snapping him out of his thoughts. Dooku's pet assassin strode in, her lavender skin illuminated by the stark light of hyperspace. He would have had no need of her talents to complete his mission, but Dooku had ordered Ventress to accompany him anyway. No doubt he wanted to keep an eye on Vader.

"Everything is going according to plan," Ventress said in her raspy voice, "The Chancellor and his Jedi lap dogs will have taken our bait by now."

Vader smirked under his mask. He hoped his master would give the Jedi a good show, as planned.

"Good," the Sith apprentice replied. "Let the fun begin."

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