Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Clone Wars, only Jayden Shan.

The sun was setting on the planet of Saleucami, dipping low in the horizon as it slowly disappeared behind the Republic camp. Jedi Master Plo Koon, Ahsoka and Bultar Swan were busy making preparations as they had received reports that Darth Khan was located on this world after several days of inaction until his reappearance on the world of Devaron.

Master Plo had deemed it wise that he equip a good portion of his Clones with explosive devices to knock Khan off his balance should the Jedi engage him. As this was happening, the three Jedi stood around a holotable with Commander Wolffe, discussing their strategy for the upcoming fight.

"With the arrival of Khan on this planet, keeping it in our control may have gotten harder." Plo Koon noted as he stared at the holomap. The Republic had been able to wrest control of the backwater world from the Separatists and was in the process of bolstering their defenses as well as eliminating the handful of CIS forces that were still stationed on the planet.

"He appears to be trying to fortify their weak points." Bultar noted. The black-haired human female Jedi was a little older than Ahsoka and had once been the apprentice of Plo Koon. She had graduated to knighthood shortly before the start of the Clone Wars and was now leading armies side by side with those who had trained her. Both her and Plo advocated for the use of heavy weaponry in order to try and defeat Darth Khan.

But Ahsoka had other thoughts.

She was as close to Master Plo as Bultar was, given he was the one who found her on Shili and brought her to the Temple all those years ago. But her ideas differed greatly from what Plo and Bultar had in mind. The vision she saw of Khan being torture, the fear for his life and her own made her think. Why would a Sith, a being of darkness and evil who sought the destruction of the Light Side of the Force as well as the Jedi, fear for the life of a Jedi? Regardless of whatever infatuation he felt for her, it made her think... maybe there was light inside him, maybe he wasn't completely lost to darkness like Dooku and the rest of the Jedi believed.

Perhaps... he can be saved, redeemed.

As absurd as that may sound, Ahsoka was starting to become convinced that Khan was not who he appeared. Deep down, maybe Khan was just a normal guy who was desperate for help, desperate to be free of torment and pain that the Sith bring to him. If Obi-Wan was right, and he is the child that is Revan's descendant, then there's a chance that there is light and good within him as it was with Revan himself. Since his sighting here on Saleucami, Ahsoka had been putting together a plan of her own.

She was going to try and talk with him.

As the two other Jedi continued to talk, Ahsoka stayed silent as she studied the holomap before her. She may be able to sneak into the base, given its poor defences. Or she could wait and try to find him on his own before she made her presence known.

"You seem distracted Ahsoka," Master Plo's voice interrupted her thoughts, "is everything alright?" Ahsoka gave her head a shake as she came back to reality.

"Sorry Master, just... thinking." Ahsoka said with a small smile. "Mostly about my... last encounter with Khan, all those he killed."

"I sense fear surrounding you, Padawan Tano." Bultar added. "Do not let your emotions dictate your actions, young one." Ahsoka gave the slightest of eye-rolls. But deep down, she knew Bultar was right. Ahsoka was afraid... of Khan getting destroyed before he could possibly be saved.

"Come, we must prepare ourselves for tomorrow." Plo determined, not wishing for any hostilities between Bultar and Ahsoka. Wolffe donned his helmet and headed out first, intent on checking on his men as the three Jedi followed him out. But while Wolffe, Plo and Bultar moved further into the camp, Ahsoka turned and headed for the perimeter, the partially collapsed cliffs looming in the distance.

She was convinced it was time for her to enact her plan.

The darkness of night provided the perfect cover for her to move undetected. Nights on Saleucami were often pitch black with only the light of the stars to illuminate the area. Although her eyes would need some time to adjust to the dark, Ahsoka's head tails provided her with a form of echolocation, meaning she could hear someone long before they appeared before her. She knew that once she was close enough to where she can sense Khan, he'll be able to sense her and will most likely come to her... or wait for her to come to him.

She hoped he would be willing to hear her out and speak with her. Given his apparent attraction to her, that may not be a problem.

As she neared the very edge of the camp, she paused as she sensed him through the Force and she closed her eyes before she used the Force to alert him to her location and she felt him tense in surprise and shock at her reaching him through the Force. She made sure t keep it up long enough for him to sense where she was before she pulled back and just waited.

'What the hell is she doing here? And why has she contacted me?' Jayden thought to himself as he made his way to a cliff that was located near the edge of the camp, the cliff that Ahsoka was waiting for him after contacting him through the Force. Why did she do this? Was she stupid? Did she allow her recklessness and arrogance to go to her head? Was she letting the rage of their last encounter drive her? No, he'd sense anger like hers from miles away.

Jayden Force jumped onto the cliff and stood as he looked to see Ahsoka Tano herself standing there, having been looking at the sky but at his entrance she turned and stared at him. Silence filled the air save for the wind, neither saying anything as they just stared at each other.

"I'm here to talk." Ahsoka finally said. Jayden tilted his head curiously, expression unknown to her due to his mask. Taking a quick second to evaluate Ahsoka's appearance, he quickly observed she was not in a combat-ready stance, nor were her lightsabers drawn. She actually appeared nervous, a sign that indicated she was up to something. Something that made him wary.

"Really now?" Jayden said as he slowly began to walk back and fourth, never turning his head from her. "I find that hard to believe, that a Jedi wants to talk to a Sith, that you want to talk to the very guy who slaughtered your friends, Clone and Jedi alik-"

"Are you alright?" Ahsoka suddenly asked him, hesitantly drawing a little closer. Jayden frowned at her underneath his mask, wondering what she meant.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Jayden asked before lightly scoffing. "Don't tell me you contacted me like this just tot ry and have casual talk when we are enemies in this war." He stepped a little closer to her, making Ahsoka visibly nervous. She knew this was a dangerous game she was playing... but she had to try. He sized her up, tilting his head from side to side as he mulled over her presence.

Ahsoka swallowed nervously. His silence was rather unnerving.

"You look more beautiful up close when we're not fighting." Jayden said softly, causing Ahsoka to blush at his compliment as she could sense he was being very truthful. Just how deep did his attraction to her go? "Why are you here, Ahsoka? Is Skywalker here? I heard he was up and about again after I defeated him on Tibrin."

"No. I'm with Master Plo." Ahsoka told him, remaining very wary of his moves.

"I see." Jayden said as he turned his stare up to the night sky and looked at it for several minutes and Ahsoka soon followed his gaze, the two now standing side by side, staring up at the sky, not even knowing how close they were until they turned to look at each other and stepped back a little. "Why are you here, Ahsoka? Is Plo Koon nearby? is this an attempt to ambush me?"

"I came by myself." Ahsoka said. "Nobody knows I'm here."

Jayden frowned heavily though she couldn't see it. "You sought me out... by yourself? I can't tell whether your brave or just stupid."

Ahsoka shrugged. "Maybe a bit of both?" She joked nervously and was surprised as well as a little relieved when he chuckled in genuine amusement. "Look, I'm not here to fight, just to talk. I saw... I saw what that hooded Sith Lord did to you."

Jayden whipped his gaze on her and she had the feeling he was looking at her with either a glare or wide eyes of surprise. "How did you know about that?"

"I... I had a vision through the Force." Ahsoka explained. "I saw... I saw what he did to you, the screams and everything. The Force works in mysterious ways, so there is obviously a reason to me seeing that. Khan, you don't have to continue like this. Let us help you. We can help you be free of the Sith and the grip they have on you."

"Are you trying to redeem me?" Jayden asked with a scoff though there was a very small part that was tempted, a small part he stomped down. "It is the way of the Sith to keep the out of control in their place. I... I was out of control." He turned from her, his fists clenched before he gave a deep inhale then exhaled. "If you read your studies well, you know the Dark Side is not so easy to escape, or can never be escaped as you Jedi like to believe."

"I figured someone of Revan's descendant would not be easily trapped on one side." Ahsoka retorted ina almost sassy manner, causing jayden to look at her in surprise at how she knew that.

"How did you-"

"So you are Revan's descendant." Ahsoka stated with a small smile. Khan was the child that the Jedi sensed years ago, the child who's parents were killed by Darth Maul. "Khan, if you are like Revan, you know there's light in you as well. Even now I can sense it, the darkness and the light waging a constant war within you."

Only a fool embraces just the dark... or the light... A voice whispered in Jayden's head, one he heard after Sidious tortured him but he ignored it.

"Listen close, Ahsoka. You will receive no harm from me, I like you more than any other Jedi, so much that I cannot see myself harming or killing you." He explained. Ahsoka nodded in understanding. "But trying to redeem me? I... I'm not sure I can be redeemed. Leave me be... before you get into trouble."

"Does that mean you'll be open to talking again?" Ahsoka asked hopefully. Jayden had a feeling she wanted to pursue this matter of him switching sides.

That was something he was confident he would never do.

Jayden sighed. "As long as it's about something else instead of the idea of me leaving the Sith, then I will be happy to speak with you again like this. Now please... go."

Seeing there was no further reasoning with him, Ahsoka relented and moved to leave. But she paused at the bunker's exit.

"You know, at first I thought I hated you. After you beat up my Master, I thought all I wanted was for you to suffer too. But now I feel... kinda sorry for you." She admitted. "You're not beyond help, Khan." The soft tone of her voice was welcome and appreciated. It soothed Khan's mind, making him feel like someone cared about him as a person... not just about what he could do. But he said nothing in reply and Ahsoka disappeared without another word, leaving him in the darkness.

As he always had been for years.

Jayden didn't sleep much after he returned from meeting Ahsoka. He meditated mostly to clear his mind, but he did not sleep. When he wasn't meditating, his mind went back to his meeting with Ahsoka, how civil they had been and without any violence happening like the last few times they met. Jayden liked her, that much was true, whatever Sidious tried to do had clearly not destroyed whatever attraction Jayden felt for Ahsoka. She had a spark, like him, the spark of someone who was far from average. There was something special about her that Jayden simply couldn't shake, nor did he want to. She was nowhere near the same kind of person the other Jedi were, all monotonous and boring and arrogant. She was a special kind of girl. His opposite. She was light, he was dark.

Maybe that's why he liked her so much.

Could they become friends? Maybe. Would he leave the Sith and the Dark Side for her? Unlikely, the Dark Side was in his very nature, his very blood. It was impossible to escape what he had been trained in for years. Changing her to the Dark Side? No... he doubted he could ever do that, to taint the light she was in his life.

Even if he was to leave the Sith, unlikely as that is, where would he go? the Jedi? No, they'd sooner have him locked up and kept in a dark cell where he can never be bothered or harm anyone. Or would they wipe his memories like they did Revan after he was captured by Bastila Shan?

These thoughts plagued Jayden though the night and into morning.

Ahsoka didn't sleep much either. She was too busy thinking about Khan.

And not in that way!

She was relieved their meeting had went peacefully and hadn't ended in a fight between the two. She was not wrong when she said she could sense the Light and the Dark Side within him waging a war wit each other. With him so close, Ahsoka sensed the Light and the Darkness inside him, waging a war like no other. It only strengthened her opinion that Khan could be redeemed if he had light within him. If he was as dark and evil as everyone else believes him to be... he would've killed her without a blink before she could even speak to him.

She hoped that maybe, after a little persistence and encouragement, she could coax out the real him and ultimately free him from the grip of Count Dooku and that other Sith Lord. But after the last conversation they had shared, it appeared like it would be some time before Khan was open to switching sides, or at least leaving the Sith. The other problem she had was how she was going to go about this while everyone else was intent on either capturing or killing Khan.

She felt like she had made progress, or at least he was open to conversing with her. Ahsoka felt like she could use his infatuation with her to her advantage, but that would be next to impossible to accomplish when everyone else she knew was busy trying to bring about his downfall instead of his redemption. She had a feeling no one would be willing to listen to her point of view, not even Anakin.

As she was mulling over these problems, Ahsoka couldn't help but wonder what was going on with herself. At first, she hated Khan, especially after he had killed people she knew and beaten Anakin bloody. But now she felt sorry for his situation.

So why the sudden position shift?

She certainly didn't like him, especially not in a romantic way. Despite her wanting to save him and redeem him, he was still a Sith, a Dark Sider, cold and cruel. Ahsoka was curious to learn more about Khan and dive beneath the surface, beneath the mask.

Khan was Revan's descendant, the child who lost his parents to Darth Maul years ago and had been lost in the darkness since then after being found by Count Dooku. Maybe... Maybe Khan just needed a friend.

But until she could convince him otherwise, until the day when she could escort him back to Republic lines as a friend instead of an enemy, there was still a war going on... and they were still on opposite sides.

Stretching her arms and yawning, Ahsoka rose from her bunk and readied herself for the events of that day...

Although it was only relatively late in the morning, the sun over Saleucami beat down on the Clone forces assembled across the plateau as though it were at its peak during the afternoon. Koon and Wolffe had deployed their troops in formation right along the perimeter of their camp. Their goals this day were twofold: destroy the remaining Separatist forces and capture or kill Darth Khan.

Battle droids stood along the rubble-strewn slope, strategically positioned behind newly erected barricades and pieces of debris. If all went well, they would be able to hold their own and survive until the promised reinforcements arrived.

Although droids weren't meant to think or feel, many of them believed they would not live long enough to see the fulfillment of that promise.

From the top of the cliff, Jayden watched with his arms crossed across his chest. Silent as he observed the Clones and their heavy weaponry. Jayden almost scoffed, like that was going to stop him.

Taking a single step forward, Jayden jumped off the cliff...

From the Republic lines, Koon, Bultar, Ahsoka and Wolffe watched as Khan crashed down before them, dust and dirt kicked up from his landing. Standing tall, the Sith straightened up, Crossguard Lightsaber in hand which he activated, the red blades humming, while his second Lightsaber remained on his belt.

"The tales of his intimidating presence rungs true it seems." Koon noted.

"I'd rather call it terrifying." Bultar replied.

"General, should we open fire now?" Wolffe asked, thinking now was the best time for them to attack.

"Let's wait and see what he does, Commander." Plo replied, wanting for Khan to make a move they could quickly respond to.

Ahsoka was silent, as she silently hoped Khan was going to walk over and surrender... even though there was a 0% chance of that happening anytime soon.

Stopping halfway between both armies, Khan looked directly at the trio of Jedi standing before the first line of Clones. Koon he could destroy, as with the other female. But he would keep Ahsoka alive.

The Kel Dor master raised his hand and the Clones around him took aim at Khan. But the Sith Lord remained unfazed.

"You should've brought more if you hope to stop me." Jayden said as he looked over the Clones aiming their weapons at him.

"Wolffe, now!" Koon suddenly ordered.

"Rocket troopers, engage!" The commander shouted. The Clones with blasters raised took a knee as the rocket troopers behind him targeted Khan with their launchers. Jayden's eyes widened as he suddenly realized that innumerable armed RPS-6 launchers were pointed directly at him and ready to fire.

"Great." He mumbled as he suddenly realized what Koon intended to do with all these rocket troopers. Those rockets weren't meant for the droid base...

They were meant for him.

Jayden watched as they fired, the sound of the rockets speeding through the air towards him getting closer. Jayden clenched his free hand before he suddenly raised it and opened his hand, using the Force to halt every single rocket in place. The Jedi and the Clones' eyes widened in surprise at this, though the Jedi should've seen it coming... they had hoped to catch Khan off guard with rockets aimed at him instead of attacking the droids.

Clearly he was smarter than they gave him credit for.

Jayden tilted his head before he sent the rockets back at the shooters.

"Move!" Koon shouted to everyone and they all had to move out of the way to avoid being hit by the rockets, some Clones were not so fortunate and died in explosions that shook the cliffs and rocks around them. Jayden strode forward, killing any surviving Clone that couldn't make it to his feet in time before Jayden killed him. the Sith moved towards the Jedi, taking out anyone in his path as he did so.

The Jedi ignited their Lightsabers and moved to defend their Clones when Jayden used the Force to throw several large rocks at them, causing the Jedi to scatter from their grouped position. Jayden leaped, running along the wall as he came at the Jedi Master, Koon, who avoided his stab attempt but couldn't react fast enough to avoid the Force push into the wall by Jayden. Jayden walked towards him, Lightsaber in hand, before he turned and used the Force to send Bultar into several surviving Clones.

Jayden stomped his foot down on Koon's chest, and raised his Lightsaber for the kill...

But couldn't.

His arm refused to move. No matter how hard Jayden tried to thrust it forward and impale his blade in Plo Koon's head, his limb simply refused to budge. Recognising it as the Force halting him, Jayden looked to see who was responsible and found the one who was halting him from killing Koon.

Ahsoka.

"What are you doing?" He growled, irritated at her denying him the chance to kill a Jedi.

."I won't let you hurt them!" Ahsoka cried, using the Force to push Khan away. The commando stumbled a little but quickly regained his footing, looking up to see Ahsoka rush over and step between him and Koon, lightsabers drawn.

"Was my warning last night not clear enough?" Jayden demanded as he activated his second Lightsaber, the purple blade humming. His words 'last night' sparked suspicion within Bultar.

"Padawan, what is he talking about?" She demanded of Ahsoka. But the Togruta ignored her, focusing all of her attention on Jayden.

"I know you have a job to do... but so do I." She replied, sounding almost regretful that things had come to this. "And I won't let you kill my friends either!"

Jayden stared at her before he assumed a stance for duel wielding two sabers. "So be it."

He won't kill her, but he will fight her.

Ahsoka lunged forward, doing a spinning attack that Jayden blocked before he knocked her back with a kick to the stomach and she was quick to avoid his follow up slash attempt. She ducked to avoid his purple Lightsaber thrown at her, then jumped to avoid it again when it came back to it's owner's hand. the two charged and their Lightsabers clashed in a Saber lock. Ahsoka went on the offensive while Jayden went on defensive, blocking and parrying her strikes. She struck hard and quick, Jayden couldn't help but notice her skill in the art of dual-wielding was so masterful it was almost flawless. Just like he was.

Just another reason to like her...

Ahsoka knew she had to defend Master Plo, if only to keep up appearances. Regardless of how she felt about Khan, she did have a job to do. As a commander in the Republic army, it was her duty to fight the Separatists. As a Jedi, it was also her duty to combat those who were the enemies of peace and representatives of tyranny.

And Khan was both of those.

They engaged in another Saber lock, Ahsoka's green saber meeting Jayden's red one while they kept their second Lightsabers at their sides as they struggled to overpower each other.

"You don't have to do this! You can help us bring peace to the galaxy!" She urged him, trying hard to shake him free of his bondage even in the midst of this fight.

"There will never be peace with the Jedi's way of things." Jayden retorted. "Peacekeepers turned into war generals... this is why the Jedi will never achieve peace."

Deactivating his purple saber and clipping it to his belt, Jayden shived Ahsoka back with a Force push, followed by a side slash attempt but she backflipped closer to the Republic's lines.

"Ahsoka!" Koon shouted to her, gaining her attention and she saw him waving her over. The young Padawan did as she was told and turned around in retreat. "Missile troopers, fire at will!"

Jayden started running as the missiles fired. He could've stopped them, but he knew the Jedi would strike if he stopped the missiles with the Force, so he had no other option here other than to run and think up something new to defeat them. The telltale whistling in the air indicated he only had a few seconds left before impact. Rolling out of the way with a grunt, a pair of missiles suddenly exploded in the ground next to him, showering Jayden with dirt and dust while the concussive blast sent him sprawling across the ground. Rising to his feet, Jayden barely had a moment to leap away before another missile slammed into the ground right where his feet had been. Again the concussive explosion sent him hurtling through the air, blown away by the sudden impact. But Jayden managed to take control of his flight and landed in a crouched position, sliding to a halt as clouds of dust were kicked up around him.

Jayden grunted as he made it to his feet when a missile hit the ground too close for comfort, sending him off his feet and he grunted when his back hit a jagged rock and he fell to the ground. He felt a wet substance dripping down his back and knew it was blood. Pressing a few buttons on his right arm, to contact his ship and engage the autopilot to fly over to him, Jayden began to stand and saw the Republic drawing nearer.

"You win... this time..." Jayden growled before his sip appeared after decloaking and he leaped onto the open ramp as the ship took off as Clones fired at it but missed as the Rogue Shadow flew out of view and into space.

The Republic troopers were quite pleased with this new development, some of them whooping and slapping each other on the back. They had driven Darth Khan into retreating, leaving his forces for the taking.

"Advance!" Plo ordered. "This day might yet be ours!" The Clones were quick to pack up and begin moving forward, intent on removing the Separatists from Saleucami for good.

Aboard the Resolute...

Anakin Skywalker was busy listening in to Plo Koon's report from Saleucami, with Admiral Yularen listening in as well.

"At first we thought it would've been hard when khan stopped out rockets with the Force, but it seems we were mistaken and managed to drive him into retreating off-world." Koon recapped, having been explaining everything since their run in with Khan. "With this victory, we've secured one of the planets in the Outer Rim... but how long remains to be seen with how fierce Khan is in battle since he's helped gain the Separatists control of the other worlds in the Outer Rim."

"Eventually we'll be able to capture him." Anakin said with a sigh, his vendetta with khan having grown since recovering from Khan's beatdown on Tibrin and replacing his prosthetic arm.

"Indeed." Koon nodded in agreement...

That's it for this chapter. Ahsoka is trying to convince Jayden to switch sides after seeing what happened to him at Sidious' hands, and she now believes there is light within him, that he can be redeemed from the Dark Side. Her belief in this further proven when realizing jayden could've killed her when seeing her before letting her speak, but he didn't.