answers to reviewers questions and statements:

rmarcano321: Yes, Thel's methods and beliefs and views on the Force are... apart from most.

Shadow Walker of Fire: Well I happen to have the sub part talent of incorporating the romance into the story in a manner that doesn't distract readers. That, and Thel's focus will be more on fighting a galactic war then trying to 'get some', he has his priorities.

superpierce: Shaak Ti's in character, she hasn't done anything overly emotional, by her standards at least.

Fortitude501: That it will, plus we'll be seeing in this story that just because Thel is a Jedi, doesn't mean that his Sangheili warrior spirit and brutal, almost merciless tactical mind is gone. Some of Thel's methods will be quite... controversial to his fellow Jedi.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Halo or Star Wars characters seen, mentioned or used.


When Thel first stepped on to the deck of what was to be both his home and center of military operations for the next several months, perhaps even years if the war did not come to a quick conclusion, he was surprised by the amount of clones there were. Dozens if not hundreds of them dressed in their white armor and naval uniforms running back and forth to preform a multitude of tasks.

'Interesting... I would have though the Republic would take every available Clone it had and put them on the battlefield while normal humans or even non-humans would fill the supporting roles' Thel thought as his gaze moved from one end of half kilometer long flight deck/hanger to the other.

Thel grunted as he prepared to make his way to the bridge, or at the very least find someone to lead him there, when he saw several Clones clad in Republic Navy officers uniforms approaching him. Thel noted their rank insignias as Ensigns with a Commander leading them.

"General 'Vadam!" the commander shot off a salute, along with his entourage.

"Commander..." Thel nodded towards the ship's Shimpmaster "I take it you are here to greet me and show me around your vessel?"

The Clone nodded at this though he had a slightly confused expression on his face "Yes Sir, but the ship is now under your command"

"Perhaps, but my people believe that a ship is not yours until you've commanded it in battle..." Thel said with a hand gesture "Let's get on with the tour Commander"

"Yes sir!" the Clone nodded as he gestured for Thel to follow him towards the bridge.

Thel glanced around the hanger one more time, taking a quick mental inventory of all the fighters, gunships and other craft he could see before he turned his attention to the Commander as he began his tour.

"The Reclaimer is, as you know, a Venator-Class Star Destroyer that will be serving as the flagship of your battle group once we link up with the Autumn and Dawn" the Commander said as he nodded towards the fast attack craft Thel noticed earlier "We have over a hundred and ninety two V-19 Torrent starfighters, thirty six ARC-170 starfighters, and over a hundred of the new BTL-B Y-wing starfighters"

Thel hummed at this "Several squadrons... impressive this vessel can hold so many"

It was than one of the ensigns spoke up "Sir, we also have forty Gunships and twenty four Walkers for planetary operations"

"And troops?" Thel said as he turned towards the officer "How many men will I be leading into battle?"

"Just over two thousand sir" the officer responded "About the standard amount for a legion"

"Does this legion have a name?" Thel inquired.

"The hundred and eigth sir" the same officer answered.

Thel hummed as he and the officers entered the hallway, passing several Clone Troopers who saluted Thel. The Sangheili responded with a nod as he and the Commander approached the lift that would take them to the bridge. It was just before they entered the lift that Thel noticed four Clones making their way through the halls, but these ones seemed very different compared to the rest of their 'brothers'.

Their armor looked to be of far better quality than the standard armor the various Clones around them wore. Their helmets lacked the odd fins on top and the visors were all gold in color instead of the standard black. Their armor was also colored an olive green with blue markings on the armor, legs and head, further distinguishing themselves from their fellow Clones.

The commander seemed to notice Thel's attention was somewhere else and followed the large alien's gaze before he nodded "That's the Commando squad attached to our unit sir"

"Commandos?" Thel said as he glanced at the officer.

"Better trained, better armed, and better equipped" the Commander said with a nod "However, they differ from most Commando units in that they've all received ARC training, making them even deadlier"

Thel hummed at this as he watched the Commandos disappear from his view down another hallway "And what do I call this squad Commander?"

"Blue Team, sir. Their lead by Master Chief CT-0117 " the Commander said as he gestured to the elevator "I can introduce you to them later sir, if you wish"

Thel nodded as he stepped into the elevator and di his best to provide room for the smaller, unarmored individuals. The ride up was silent and mercifully quick, Thel wasn't much for small talk and the Clones didn't seem to know what to make of their new General. Most Jedi they read about and observed, while warriors, didn't appear tp be the same breed as Thel 'Vadam. Where's Jedi were defenders of peace and liberty, the Sangheili struck them as someone that thrived off conflict, though given his species history and heritage, that was putting it mildly.

"Tell me commander, have you and your men seen combat before?" Thel said as the elevator doors opened to the ship's bridge.

The commander nodded "Yes sir, our ship helped punch through the Separatist Fleet over Genenosis and allowed our Acclamatos to land and deploy their troops to aid the Jedi against the Separatist army"

Thel nodded as he made his way across the walkway that gave him a bird's eye view of the crew pits on each side. Some of the operators paused in their duties and spared a quick glance at Thel, their attention attracted to his armored footfalls and general size before they returned to their assignments. The Sangheili Jedi came to a stop before the ship's window which offered him a panoramic view of space as the Reclaimer began to leave Coruscant's orbit and prepare for a Hyperspace jump and link up with the other two ships in his small fleet.

'Something tells me that it'll be quite some time until I see this world again...' Thel thought as he watched the Republic capital slowly grow smaller and smaller.

It then struck him that it'll be quite some time until he saw Shaak Ti again, if ever. In war, nothing was certain and Thel wasn't optimistic enough to think he'll live to see the end of this new galaxy spanning conflict.

'Hopefully she'll avoid any Frontline duties... She's far too gentle for the horrors of war' Thel thought before the ship's commander approached him and came to attention.

"Sir, we're ready for the jump to Lightspeed" the Clone stated.

Thel nodded as he turned towards the man "Then by your digression Commander, and alert the shipmasters of the Autumn and Dawn that when we link up, I will be inspecting their vessels and their troops as well. I wish to know as much of my army and fleet as possible. It'll make my strategizing for future engagements easier"

"Yes sir" the Commander said with a nod as he turned and headed back to the holotable that sat within the communications HUB that was connected to the bridge while Thel turned back towards the window just in time to see his vessel enter Hyperspace.

...

Shaak Ti let out a tired sigh as she entered her room, tossing her robe on to a chair while she made her way to the fresher to ready herself for bed. She had an early day tomorrow in the form of several meetings, one with the rest of the Jedi Council and the other with chancellor Palpatine and several of his advisors. She took a quick shower and quickly changed into a partially see through nightgown, a well intentioned but unnecessary gift from Quinlan Vos on one of his undercover missions to some Hutt stronghold on Nar Shaddaa a few years ago. Still, she wont deny that it was extremely comfortable to sleep in... and the look on Thel's face when she first showed it to him after she got it was rather amusing.

'I've never seen a Sangheili blush and stutter quite like he did' Shaak Ti thought with a smile as she prepared reached for the covers before she sensed someone on the other side of her door followed by a knock.

Shaak Ti sighed a little as she summoned her cloak to her hand and drew it over her shoulders and approached the door and with a slight nudge from the Force, opened it to reveal one of her oldest and closest friends outside of Thel, Luminara Unduli. The Togruta smiled at the Mirialan beauty and gestured for her to enter her room before she closed the door.

"Master Unduli" Shaak Ti said as she turned towards the woman with a playful frown "Is there a reason you've graced me with your presence this evening?"

"I heard that Thel has been deployed and wished to see how you were taking it" Luminara said as she turned back to Shaak Ti.

"Oh... well thank you" Shaak Ti said with a nod.

"It is what friends do for one another" Luminara chuckled before she noticed the Togruta beauty's attire under her robe and made a face "You still have that atrocious thing?"

Shaak Ti grinned a little "It's quite comfortable sleep wear Luminara"

"Shaak Ti, you and I both know that... outfit... was created for something far different then sleeping" Luminara said with bemusement.

"I believe it is merely a matter of perspective" Shaak Ti countered as she folded her arms across her bust "And it's not like I could refuse it when he offered it to me on my birthday"

"I refused a gift from him on my birthday that was highly inappropriate" Luminara replied with a shake of her head "And to give me such a thing in front of Barris. Do you understand how embarrassing it was to explain to her what it was that Quilan gave me and what it's function was?"

"I can imagine" Shaak Ti smirked slightly in amusement at the image.

Luminara chuckled as she went and sat on the edge of Shaak Ti's bed and ran a hand over the soft silk sheets for a moment before she turned her gaze towards the Togruta "I've been told that you are being sent to Kamino to oversee the training of the Clones"

"I am" Shaak Ti said with a nod "There are those on the Council, myself included, that wish to see just how our new army was developed, trained and prepared to be sent out into the Galaxy"

"Is Thel aware of this?" Luminara asked with interest.

"Shaak Ti shook her head "No"

"Is there a reason?" Luminara questioned.

"He never asked and honestly I forgot to tell him. My mind was... distracted" Shaak Ti said as she glanced over Luminara's head and out the window to view the cityscape of Coruscant.

"Oh, distracted by what?" Luminara asked with a raised brow.

Shaak Ti's mind wandered back to the feeling of Thel's head pressed against her own before she shook her head and sighed "I was busy enjoying mine and Thel's company untill he departed. It could be weeks until I hear or see him again... months even"

"His presence will be sorely missed" Luminara agreed with a nod.

"Not by all and… I fear for him Luminara" Shaak Ti said with a sigh as she gazed out her window "You know Thel has always struggled with his people's close connection to the Dark Side. To resist the lust for blood and war that have made the Sangheili one of the most feared races in the known Galaxy. And now, he's being thrown into a war where he'll find blood and death in more abundance than Credits in the Banking Clan's vaults"

Luminara nodded at this and shared in her friend's worry for Thel. The Order has lost enough good Jedi to the Dark Side in recent years and likely even more in the coming months. It'd be a tragedy, and a nightmare if Thel joined them as well.

"I understand your concerns, but you must be careful Shaak Ti, less you begin to stray from the Jedi Code" Luminara said in a slightly more serious tone than before "If he falls, unlikely as that is, you must be ready to let him go and uphold your duty"

The Togruta Jedi nodded at this before he gaze flickered back towards the window 'I understand... but I'm afraid I may already have begun to stray Luminara...'

...

Several hours after linking up with the Autumn and Dawn, Thel found himself standing outside the quarters of the Clone Commandos after having met with over a dozen of his legion's various field officers. He was pleased to find that his men were veterans, having taken part in the battle for Geonosis, something he was still angered to have missed if half of what Shaak Ti described was accurate.

'Next time the Chancellor requires a Jedi to escort the Senator of Alderaan to some remote Outer Rim world to negotiate with some sort of fledging Democracy, I'm volunteering Siri for it' Thel thought with a grunt as the door slid open and he stepped inside the Commando's quarters and was greeted to the four highly trained Clones, their helmets and upper body armor off, sitting around a holotable with various weapons and equipment spread out before them.

They turned towards Thel and their eyes widened before they all stood and came to attention.

"General on deck!" the squad's leader barked out.

Thel entered the room and nodded towards the Clone "At ease..."

"Sir" the four coursed at the same time and relaxed their postures, three of them returning to their seats while their leader took a few steps towards Thel.

"I take it your the leader of these men?" Thel questioned as he examined the Clone, noting that his head was shaved and he possessed a few faint scars on his scalp and face.

"Sir, I'm Master Chief CT-0117! I'm team leader for Blue Team, sir" the Clone said before he began to point to his individual men, the first being the apparent sniper of the team given the disassembled DC-15x before him " Petty Officer Second Class CT-0226, Jun, my team's scout and designated marksman"

"Best in the army sir" Jun said with a two finger salute and a small confident grin.

"Indeed" Thel said with a trace of amusement as CT-0117 pointed to the Commando next to Jun "Petty Officer Second Class CT-0052, Jorge, heavy weapons and demolitions expert"

"Sir" the Clone said, his face covered with faint burns and scratches and a bit of hair on his left side missing, having looked to have been burnt off recently.

Thel then turned his attention to the last member of CT-0117's team while said Clone identified the man "And this, sir, is Petty Officer First Class CT-0051, Kurt. Our resident linguistic expert, tech and infiltration specialist. He has a way with people sir and can get a good read on most"

"Interesting traits for a Commando to posses, given most you encounter in your missions will be less than friendly in return and wont be concealing it" Thel commented, causing Kurt to chuckle.

"Yes sir, but we do interact with people that are a bit more chatty and won't shoot us on sight... at first"

Thel grunted as he turned his attention to the team's leader "And you CT-0117? What are your specialties?"

"Close quarters sir" the Commando responded.

"And being very, very lucky" Kurt added with a smirk, causing he rest of the team to chuckle while Thel raised a brow at this.

"Am I missing the joke Master Chief?" Thel asked.

CT-0117 shook his head "No sir, just a dumb little belief that some of my men have. They think that just because things tend to end better than the norm for me, I must be lucky"

"Luck is an incredibly useful asset to have on in your arsenal Master Chief, in any soldier's arsenal. Skill and determination will only you get you so far in a battle" Thel stated.

"Yes sir, that's why I usually why I rely on superior firepower, good intel and my men" CT-0117 responded with a nod.

Thel hummed at this as he glanced at the squad of commandos again and their various weaponry that they had on display "Tell me Master Chief, what sort of missions will I be either sending you out on, or issuing you in the coming days? Something tells me it wont be simple scouting runs"

"Sir, my team specializes in infiltration and sabotage or destruction of enemy ships during orbital battles, deep space engagements or even being sent behind enemy lines. Given we work so closely with the Republic Navy, we were granted Naval rankings instead of the standard Army and Marine ranks that most other Commando units have. We also have training in open warfare, providing heavy fire support against strategic enemy positions and when the situation is presented, assignation of the enemy's commanding officer, or officers" The Clone stated in a crisp tone.

Thel hummed at this "You sound not all too different from the Silent Shadow..."

The clone's brow furrowed in confusion at this "Silent Shadow sir?"

"An elite Sangheili spec ops team that specializes in areas similar to your team here" Thel nodded towards the Commando and his men "Along with a few other areas that to you, may seem odd but highly important to my people's religion"

CT-0117 nodded at this as Thel looked down at a DC-17A blaster rifle and picked it up and examined the weapon with a thoughtful expression. While from a distance it looked no different tot eh thousands of other rifles their Clone brethren carried, Thel could clearly see this rifle has been modified to shoot more powerful energy rounds even greater distances than the standard issued rifle.

Thel nodded to himself as he handed the rifle to CT-0117 "A fine weapon Master Chief. A lot can be said about a warrior based on his weapon and armor"

"Thank you sir" the Commando nodded as he set the rifle back down.

It was than that Thel noticed that Jun was looking at him with a perplexed look on his face, causing Thel to tilt his head towards the Clone "Yes, Jun?"

The sniper blinked before he cleared his throat as he saw the rest of his squad looking at him, with the Chief's look holding a look that seemed to say 'careful what you say'.

"Sorry sir, it's just your... different, to other Jedi I've seen I mean" Jun said as he found his rifle even more interesting than usual.

"Oh, in what way Petty Officer?" Thel asked, his tone neutral while CT-0117's expression was stony and his eyes were screaming at Jun to either end the topic there or be very, very mindful of what he was about to say and pray the large armored alien with a Lightsaber didn't take too much offense.

"W-Well, it's just your... in armor, sir" Jun said with a hint of nervousness in his voice as he tried not to sweat under both his team leader and new Commanding Officer's gazes "Most Jedi I've met were in either their robes or at the very least, armored clothing where's your in actual battle grade armor"

Thel hummed at this "Yes, I suppose my appearance isn't very... Jedi"

"He means that in a good way sir" Jorge said, hoping to draw Thel's attention away from Jun "Very intimidating"

Thel chuckled dryly at this as memories of past, more harmful comments by his fellow Jedi came to mind "Indeed, I could very well be mistaken for a Sith"

"Something tells me you'd make one kriffin scary Sith Lord sir" Jun said with a snicker.

"Perhaps..." Thel said with a nod before his communicator went off, causing Thel to sigh "Excuse me, I must take this"

"Of course sir" CT-0117 said with a nod and watched as Thel prepared to leave before he spoke "And sir?"

"Hmm?" Thel sounded as he turned back to Blue Team's leader.

"I and my men look forward to fighting beside you" the Clone Commando said.

Thel blinked at this before he gave his species equivalent of a grin to the elite team of Clones.

"As do I Master Chief... as do I"

...


And done.

Next chapter, Meetings, more meetings and a routine patrol gone awry...