I was watching the clone wars premiere a few weeks ago, and something hit me. Ahsoka grew up so fast in just a year and a half. And people don't just mature like that. There had to be a reason why. So this is it…how she grew up so darn fast. This battle is, for Ahsoka, what the battle of Jabiim was for Anakin. And I'm open to suggestions!

Chapter One

Anakin's POV

I played the recording of my former master calmly calling for help over and over again. He was smiling faintly…smiling.
"Hello. If anyone receives this, most of my troops have been over-run. I have less than half of my men left, and I'm outnumbered and rather desperate."

Yeah, and you look like you got run over by a landspeeder, I thought, noticing the blood smeared across his face and the blaster holes through his torn robes. He looked terrible.

"Re-enforcements might be nice, if you get the chance, and you'd need quite a lot of them. Oh dear, it looks like the Separatists have found us. Let me rephrase that. Re-enforcements might be very nice. Kenobi out." He ignited his lightsaber and turned to face whatever was assaulting him, and the transmission fizzled out.

I had to rescue him… yet again. I was about to rewind it and watch it again, but no, I couldn't dwell on that. I had enough tormenting me already… I needed something to distract me. Military briefings. They required all my attention and were useful besides. So I pulled out a datapad and got to the wonderfully consuming task of reviewing locations, statistics, anything to put off my troubles for as long as I possibly could.

…..

He looked so tired, I didn't want to wake him up. I had no idea how late he had stayed up last night, but I knew this wasn't the first time. Or the second. Or the third. Or the fourth. Yep, my master had, yet again, fallen asleep over another one of those boring military briefings. He'd been so exhausted lately…studying enemy tactics and possible locations of Separatist military leaders until early morning hours. He'd probably have been going over the stuff for this mission too… if we'd had any. I honestly didn't think he got any sleep at all. I shook him gently, but he didn't move a muscle.

"Hey master?" I whispered. No response. "Hey master!" A little louder. Still nothing.
"Wake up, Skyguy!" I almost yelled, shaking him hard. He groaned and sat up.

"I don't believe I ordered a wake-up call, my Padawan." He said tiredly. I grinned.

"Well you just got one anyways, free of charge!" He nodded drowsily.

"C'mon master, you have to get up." I said, a little more seriously. "Admiral Yularen and Rex want you at the bridge, and we're approaching Xalathus in minutes." He stretched out his arms and stood up.

"Well I guess I'm awake, like it or not." He eyed the datapad on his cot with some distaste, noting the drool on the screen.
"Snips… you won't…uh…tell Rex about that will you?" I giggled.

"My lips are sealed, Skyguy. Now come on!" I grabbed his hand and led him out the door of his quarters, as he used his other hand to rub his eyes. They still had dark circles under them, and he looked none-too-happy about being dragged out of bed. I really felt bad, having to get him up like that. He's an amazing Jedi and General in the GAR, but right then the only thing he looked like was in need of a serious nap.

When we got to the bridge, Rex and Yularen were already examining a holoprojector.

"General Skywalker. You're late." Admiral Yularen said crisply. I sighed to myself. No-one ever notices the Padawan.

"I slept in. So what's the problem? " My master said, yawning.

"Well General…it's just that we don't know much of anything about the enemy and numbers we're facing." Rex said, getting straight to the point. "We know the terrain and the original numbers and statistics of the enemy troops on the planet from General Kenobi's earlier reports, but we know nothing about the enemy's current statistics or positions, only that they are currently numerous enough to have overrun the General's forces. We've got as many troops as the GAR can spare onboard our cruisers, but…" The captain's voice trailed off.

Anakin nodded "So we're flying in blind." If I hadn't already suspected this, it would've been pretty shocking. Master Kenobi sent a distress call while we were just wrapping up affairs on Arridus-well, Master Skywalker treated it like a distress call. It was actually more of a report- giving his position on the planet and us that he was "outnumbered and rather desperate" and that "Re-enforcements might be nice, if you get the chance." Very calmly, of course. Typical Master Kenobi. Since we had received the distress signal in the first place, and we were nearby his system, the council gave us permission to re-enforce him and sent us extra troops. We were just hoping they'd be enough and, like Master Skywalker said, flying in blind.

"Pretty much, yes." Admiral Yularen agreed ruefully.
"Well…we can make this work." Anakin said, trying to be optimistic.

"At least we have the element of surprise!" I agreed. "We can do this!" I really didn't know whether we could do it or not, but my master says if you're confident about things, others will become confident as well. I didn't think they were buying it though.

"Well I'm glad you think so lil'un." Rex said, chuckling. Skyguy shot me a glance that spelled out "please-don't-interfere-my-very-very-young-padawan."

I do wish they'd stop treating me like a youngling! I thought angrily.

"Yes, we may have that, but not much else." Yularen said brusquely. "It's dangerous, going in without any information on the enemy. We can only hope we have enough troops take them. I suggest we transport the General's troops down to the surface while the cruisers engage the Separatist Starfleet above the planet."

"That's pretty much the only thing we can do." Anakin said under his breath. "When our dear friend General Kenobi didn't care to elaborate on enemy statistics during his transmission."

"But why," I asked "Why wouldn't he tell us everything we need to rescue him?"

Everyone was silent.

"Because it may very well be a trap." Anakin finally said grimly.

"Yes. Holograms can be faked. Or he may have been forced to make the transmission." The Admiral agreed. "Although we may be incorrect in out assumptions."
"But why else would he keep silent?" I asked, knowing it had come to the worst.

"Exactly." Anakin said, taking a deep breath.

"The question is, what do you intend to do, general?" Rex asked "Should we call off the attack?"

My master closed his eyes. He looked like he was in agony. I could feel his emotions conflicting, waves cascading through the Force. He wanted so badly to rescue Master Kenobi, but he knew could never put his men in such danger… could he?

"We're calling off the attack, aren't we master?" I asked him anxiously.

He bowed his head and his fingers curled into a fist, like he was gripping something slipping out of his hands.

"No. We're not calling off the attack." He said, his voice hardening. "We're going in as planned."

"…as you say, General." Rex nodded. He obviously didn't approve of this decision, and neither did Yularen, judging by the look on his face. I didn't know what to think.
"Very good. Please notify me when we are approaching the planet. Come on, Ahsoka." He strode out the door, and I followed him.

"Master…? You didn't call off the attack? Thousands of men's lives could be at risk!" I said once we were safely in the hallway, skipping to keep up with his long stride.

"I know." He said distantly. He didn't want to talk about it, I could tell.

"If it is a trap, is his life worth thousands of others?" I asked him, troubled. "Can you really make that exchange? Isn't it wrong?"

"I.. I don't know!" He said, his voice suddenly breaking. "I didn't know what to do."
I was surprised by this sudden outburst of emotion. He's always so confident about everything he does, like there isn't another option in the galaxy.

"I'm sorry, Master. I shouldn't question your judgment." I apologized. I don't know if he even heard me.

"I can't abandon him, Ahsoka. I can't! If I leave him there, I'll be tormented because I could have saved him but didn't. If I don't go in now, I'll feel responsible for anything that happens to him."

"He would understand." I said quietly. "He wouldn't want you to risk so many lives for his sake."

Anakin sighed, as we reached the door to his quarters. He opened it and was about to step inside, but he stopped and his face softened the tiniest bit.

"I know, Snips. I think…I need to meditate." However, before he could "meditate" on anything, his commlink beeped. It was Yularen.

"General Skywalker, we will be exiting hyperspace momentarily."

"Very good, Adm—" He was cut off by the ship, lurching and exiting hyperspace. A trace of a smile crossed my face as Anakin cleared his throat and stood up straight again.

"Very good, Admi—" This time, it was Yularen who interrupted him.

"General, we have an urgent problem." He said crisply "You should see this…"

Please tell me what you think!