AN: I spent most of the night overhauling the first part of this chapter and as a result, it's now about twice the size. I hope you'll enjoy the changes and that they answer a lot of questions which I originally only touched upon in the various discussion treads about KoF.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. It belongs to Disney. I make no money from this story.

Chapter 3: Of Force Adepts and Crime Lords

=KoF=

Part 1

=KoF=

Chancellor's office

Senate building

Coruscant

Vader barely kept a lid on his temper. It was much harder than he expected it to be. After all, this had happened once before. It wasn't like he had been particularly happy the last time around. However, here and now, he knew better. Vader had no illusions left about the Republic. He had seen its rotten core. He lived through Sidious merely taking everything that ran below the surface and bringing it in the open as the way things were done in the Empire.

This was nothing new. It shouldn't be affecting Vader this much. He knew of many interests of the late Republic and the Empire who had regular dealings with the Hutts, and the great masses of citizens who didn't really care because it didn't directly impact them.

Nevertheless, listening to that great worm Jabba bluster, made his blood boil. He was sure this was what Sidious intended. To Vader's utter lack of surprise, the Jedi were blithely oblivious to how this turn of events would affect him. In hindsight, this had been one of the many small plots Sidious used to undermine Skywalker's trust in both the Republic and the Jedi. It worked back in the day, and unfortunately, even now, when he had no trust left for those institutions, it worked again. His heart hammered within his chest like an angry krayt dragon.

"Get my son back safe and sound!" Jabba rumbled. "Or forget about using Hutt territory to resupply your secret military on the Outer Rim!" The great slug sneered.

It was a small mercy when the Hutt's holographic image winked out of existence.

"We must help Jabba. The Jedi must rescue his son!" Palpatine stated.

Vader didn't miss the subtle gestures of distaste in the Chancellor's bearing. Just like he didn't miss them the last time when they talked about this mission. In contrast, the three Jedi Masters present met both the slug's demands and Sidious' performance in stride. They saw nothing wrong with this course of action. Strategically speaking, Vader had to agree. They needed unrestricted access to the Hutt hyperspace routes. However, the mere fact that a glorified crime syndicate controlled so much space and wielded so much influence even at the best of times was an obvious state of failure. It was a huge stain on everything the Republic and the Jedi were supposed to stand for but did not. And it was telling, that unless it endangered their interests, it didn't matter how many lives those slugs and other scum ruined on a daily basis.

Vader didn't bother to fully hide the bitterness festering within his heart. It was countless little acts like this one that made the Republic lose any semblance of a moral high ground it once claimed as its pillars. Vader had to give it to the old man, making sure that Skywalker was present for this conversation made the whole sordid affair that much more impactful.

Mace Windu frowned. He glanced between the Chancellor and Skywalker, obviously sensing their unease at the situation at hand. The Vaapad Master had no qualms at showing his displeasure. If it was just the three proper Jedi meeting the Chancellor, it would have been one thing. Skywalker on the other hand… Windu's eyes hung upon the young man for a long moment, before he suppressed his bubbling emotions. The boy needed peace and quiet. He needed to be away from the temptations of both the Dark Side and the Senator who made him break the Code. The best thing for everyone involved would have been if the Council did the right thing and sent the boy away with the other Padawans for the duration of the conflict. None of them were prepared for the hell about to engulf the galaxy.

As things stood, Mace could not help himself but ask, when would Skywalker fall? Not if, when. Even now, he could sense the touch of the Dark Side upon the boy. Before he left for his own deployment, he would make sure he found the time to speak with Yoda and the other Council members. If Skywalker was indeed the Chosen One, the last thing they could afford was to see him fall.

Behind Windu, Masters Luminara and Plo Koon stood with the aloof serenity expected of Jedi in their position.

"Dealing with criminal lawless scum, this is a dark day for the Republic, Chancellor." Windu bluntly stated his thoughts on the subject. He noted how Skywalker perked up in obvious agreement.

"Oh, I agree, my friend!" Palpatine theatrically waved his arms in mock distress. "But what would you have me do? We need access to their hyperspace lanes to move troops and supplies."

That was the crux of it. Only days after the war began, Separatist uprisings and offensive actions ensured that the Republic lost access to much of its territory beyond the Mid-Rim. Without resupply from the Core, whole sectors would soon fall. The GAR had two politically acceptable options – suicidal direct assaults through choke-points fortified by the enemy or the use of Hutt space to bypass enemy-controlled space.

The first option was moot. The GAR was too new, untested, and frankly didn't have the numbers yet to go toe to toe with the full might of the Confederacy. If the whole Republic was on board with the war and was ready to throw everything it had at the enemy, things might be different. However, that was a moot point. Last time, even at the height of the war, the Republic was politically unable to unite itself and throw its full might against the enemy. There were simply too many individual governments who didn't care. Others simply weren't willing to spend money and lives on a war they didn't see as their own, or worse – profited mightily by the conflict. As if that wasn't bad enough, many of the most powerful players in the Core saw the war as an opportunity. They were eager to see their rivals weakened by the war and thus, only offered lip service and token support.

Vader reinforced his mental shields as much as he could at that point because the vexation and frustration became nearly overwhelming. Those damn fools never knew of how perilous their situation was! Neither the Jedi nor their precious Republic! It took Vader years, close to two decades really, to find all the pieces and get a comprehensive picture of what kind of performance the Clone Wars were. For a long while, Vader believed that the Confederacy was merely a distraction, a means to an end. That it was the lever Sidious used to craft his Empire. While that was to a large extent true, what Vader didn't know for sure for the longest time, was that the Confederacy had always been Sidious plan Besh. If he was ever discovered, if the Republic ever turned on him, he would have gotten his Empire and vengeance the hard way – through a Confederate military victory. At the end of the war, many of the Republic victories were illusions orchestrated by the Sith Lord. Those among the Confederacy's leadership who he murdered on Mustafar saw no reason to sacrifice the bulk of their space assets. Why would they when they were on board with Sidious' plan and awaited their just reward? Up until the end, the Confederacy was an existential threat for the disunited Republic. As if that wasn't enough, Sidious knew where all the bodies were buried. He knew all the important dirty secrets of the Republic and the major players that were its real strength. If he had to ever openly defect to the Confederacy, Palpatine had contingencies in place that could overnight topple most if not all relevant governments in the Core. With a stroke of a button, Sidious could cripple the Republic, and at the very least, guarantee that the Confederacy would not lose the war.

Then there were the contingency orders and the way all Clones were indoctrinated from before birth.

Vader had to do his best to wrestle down his raging emotions. All he wanted at that point was to lash at the smug bastard playing them all for fools. However, Vader knew that he would likely get a single chance to do it right. If he somehow removed Sidious here and now, he would have to hope to find convenient shutdown codes for the CIS military. Because without those, removing Sidious now would handle victory to the Confederacy. And many among the enemy's leadership wanted Padme dead…

"That or we lose the majority of our armies in the Outer Rim," a nondescript man wearing forgettable gray clothes interjected.

Vader almost forgot that the spy had been skulking around, doing his best to remain unnoticed. To give credit where credit was due, succeeding even momentarily when in a room with multiple Force Adept, was nothing to sneer at.

The spy was almost going out of his way to appear as the cliched image of Republic Intelligence agent. Not that it made him any lest correct in his assessment of the strategic situation. Besides, the man's sudden interjection was enough of a distraction for Vader to get a semblance of control over his emotions.

"Indeed. Yet, I sense that there is more to this kidnapping than it appears," Windu muttered.

Sidious wasted no time and latched on the opening, which the Jedi Master gave him. "Then you must send as many Jedi as you can. This task is of utmost importance for the Republic!"

Of course, the old man was eager to get as many Jedi out and killed right now. Ideally, before they could get their heads around the fact that they were fighting something resembling a real war, instead of dealing with another peace-keeping mission. Vader didn't even want to think what would have happened if the Confederacy actually fought to win the conflict from day one. Nothing short of the Republic throwing its united and complete support behind the GAR would be able to even slow them down. The next six months to a year were critical. If the Confederacy kept wasting time and assets as intended, then the Republic would be able to turn the conflict into a real war. Only then, Vader could even think about dealing with Sidious once and for all.

"Impossible, Chancellor! The cyborg, Grievous', the latest offensive has our troops spread thin. The only Jedi we can spare is General Kenobi. He is in the process of capturing Christophsis." Windu pointed out.

Last time, Vader was there. Well, Skywalker. Snips too. In fact, he properly met her for the first time over there, even if they had passed by each other in the Temple more than a few times in the past. He briefly wondered what changes these differences might cause. The future was already in motion, shifting and changing. Sooner rather than later, he would be unable to directly rely on his memories of the past.

"So that's where he disappeared to..." Vader muttered. Then he grimaced. The name of that planet brought back some not too pleasant memories. Both Skywalker and Obi-Wan were far from competent commanders back then. That combined with the lack of reliable communications and supply lines had nearly led to an infamous defeat.

"A single Jedi? Even if it's Master Kenobi, that simply won't do..." Palpatine shuddered in feigned horror. Then he glanced Vader's way. "Perhaps our newest General might be of service," he beamed at Anakin.

"That..." Windu groped for words. Skywalker had not only spat on the Jedi Code itself, but for most intents and purpose, the Council rewarded him for it. The special treatment he was getting from both Yoda and the Chancellor was dangerous. It not only wasn't right, but it was also a path that likely led to an unmitigated disaster.

"Might work," the intelligence agent pipped up. "It's unlikely that Jabba would see General Skywalker as anything than another Jedi. Sending him and Kenobi would show we take the situation at hand seriously enough. If we can spare General Kenobi that is?" He looked at the four brand new Jedi Generals in the room.

"That's an excellent idea!" Palpatine beamed.

Vader wondered if that man was one of Sidious' creatures, or a simple agent unwittingly playing into the Sith's hands.

"May I make a suggestion, sir?" Vader asked.

"Naturally, my young friend." Sidious smiled kindly.

Knowing what hit behind the Chancellor's pleasant smile, somehow made the whole experience so much worse for Vader.

"We can use this as an opportunity to reinforce our position on Christophsis in the guise of sending a task force to search for Jabba's son. The Hutts should allow us a passage to retrieve General Kenobi for the rescue mission."

"That's an excellent suggestion! Make it so!" This time, Palpatine's smile was sharper. For Vader, it was a mockery of what an adult would offer a particularly bright child with. He was sure he knew why. His reasoning wasn't that of a Jedi, which was a splendid thing indeed as far as Sidious was concerned.

The Jedi in the room appeared to be less than thrilled with the deception he suggested.

"Well then, unless there is something else, Chancellor, I should go fetch Obi-Wan so we can start searching for the kid," Vader gave a small bow to Palpatine, something he despised doing, and turned around to leave.

He couldn't get out of that abominable office fast enough.

=KoF=

GAR Positions
Chaleydonia city
Christophsis

The green spires of Chaleydonia were beautiful. Doubly so in the early morning or late evening, when the local sun bathed them in its shining rays. The city itself, and the planet at large, were one of the largest metropolises in this part of the Outer Rim. From the briefing Obi-Wan read on his way there, it appeared to be a lively place, one he might have loved to visit in peacetime.

Now, it was a slice of hell. The planet had a population of thirty-five billion. While that was nothing compared to the scale of true ecumenopolises like Coruscant, it still meant that war on the surface, or even merely in space above the planet, would have grave consequences. Only a small fraction of the population managed to evacuate out of the system before the Confederacy arrived here in force. To the enemy's credit, General Whorm Loathsom fought as clean a war as practical.

Unfortunately, that was cold comfort for the locals. While the capital city itself was largely deserted now, there were still a few million people huddling either at their homes or in dubious shelters. More than three billion of the locals were in the plains and mountains outside, stuck in refugee camps that lacked virtually everything. While the enemy blockade did let supplies land, it happened only after droids inspected the cargo for military gear sent to the GAR detachment or local military.

The same grim picture unfolded in multiple other large cities, which the CIS either already occupied or actively fought over against the tattered remnants of the local military and security forces. The less said about the planetary logistics network the better. The enemy neutralized large chunks of it when they were unable to take it intact, and it wasn't like Christophsis had been self-sufficient in the first place.

The regular people of the Republic, the volunteer soldiers in the GAR, and the Clones would simply consider the situation on the ground as bad. It was regrettable and even tragic.

Those were mere words. Seeing law and order, civilization itself break among pockets of the cut-off locals was worse for the Republic soldiers fighting and dying in the capital.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had no words to properly describe what he experienced every time he dared open himself to the Force. The endless suffering permeating the air clawed at his heart and sanity. Constant deaths bombarded his awareness. They were like so many precious lights winking out in a storm that didn't have to happen.

And worst of all, this was a "clean" war. The enemy almost went out of their way not to target civilians unless they absolutely had to due to them being unfortunate enough to find themselves in the vicinity of a critical objective that had to be taken out. Like numerous logistical and industrial nodes, power centers, spaceports… It was a long list. It could have been a much longer one if the enemy commander was less caring. That was a cold comfort both for Obi-Wan and the countless people who died as collateral damage.

Yet, as terrible as the current situation was, it was a small, dubious mercy. One that unfortunately might not last. Obi-Wan could sense disturbances in the Force, echoes of many people dying a sudden and violent death. He knew for sure, that not all enemy commanders fought any semblance of a "clean" war. The horror was just beginning.

"Sir?! General Kenobi, sir?!" Armored fingers closed around Obi-Wan's shoulder and strong arms shook him, breaking the spell.

Kenobi saw Commander Cody's helmet, which was almost pressed against his forehead.

"Are you all right, sir?" The Clone demanded.

The young man was the de-facto commander of the 7th Sky Corps, and now Obi-Wan's faithful subordinate. There were a lot of wrong things to decompress in that simple thought, yet, Kenobi didn't have the time for it. Ever since Geonosis, he had to deal with one crisis after another. On top of that, commanding what was for most intents and purposes a small army, was a learning experience. There weren't many people in the galaxy with the credentials for the job, and most of them were back home, in charge of their planetary defense forces.

Obi-Wan took a few seconds to gather his thoughts and evaluate the situation. They were deployed in one of the capital's suburbs, blocking a large highway that passed through the whole city as one of its main arteries. The enemy wanted them out of the way. If for no other reason because their presence meant that the Confederacy no longer had access to the only semi-intact major power station in the whole region. Without it, the nearby industrial zones under enemy control were useless. They achieved it at the bargain price of cutting off the power to the locals stuck in the city between two engaged armies and multiple gangs of desperate people looking for supplies.

If it wasn't for a mutual agreement to allow a handful of small freighters to deliver critical supplies to the few larger refugee centers in the city, the death toll would have been even higher. Sadly, there simply was nowhere for these people to go. Obi-Wan didn't want to even think about what might happen if the Confederacy won the battle for the planet. He wasn't sure if the enemy had the spare lifting capacity, or supplies for that matter to keep the locals going. He was also unsure if the Republic would risk the necessary shipping and supplies to give the locals what they needed to survive if the system fell. Or if fighting along the hyper-lanes disrupted shipping even further.

Cody shook him again, and Kenobi finally focused on the here and now.

The enemy had finally decided that the GAR had outstayed their welcome. A major armored thrust was underway, thundering down the highway. While dangerous, the tanks weren't ideal weapons within the city. The nearby skyscrapers and multitude of shorter buildings were ideal hiding places for tank hunter teams. However, that was an obvious truth, and because of that, the Separatist General threw wave after wave of droids to secure those buildings, while the vehicles blasted any located strong point with their heavy weaponry.

"Cody, concentrate the artillery on those Tri-Droids and the tanks! We'll have to handle the infantry the hard way!" Obi-Wan had to shout to be heard over the din of battle.

Kenobi pulled Cody back and activated his lightsaber, quickly deflecting a stray blaster bolt that flew straight at them. He already regretted forgetting his helmet at the forward operations base a few kilometers behind the front. The built-in sound dampeners would be doing a miracle for his hearing at that point. Not to mention, that the communications suite would ensure he wouldn't

have to shout at the top of his lungs.

At least he didn't forget his helmet on his ship back in orbit. In that case, it would have been a moot point. Two days ago, enemy reinforcements retook the orbitals. Obi-Wan was pretty sure that his sparkling new flagship was gone along with most of her squadron. Their situation kept deteriorating from that point on.

The only real reason they were still alive, was that so far the CIS commanders were unwilling to take out the remaining resistance from orbit. That had something to do with the fact that said resistance was very close to industry and infrastructure the enemy wanted to take reasonably intact.

Sadly, the intense city fighting was making this a moot point. At a glance, Kenobi could see ten skyscrapers burning out of control. Twice that number of smaller buildings were even less fortunate – heavy weaponry from both sides turned them into smoking ruins.

This was only a small portion of the front where Kenobi had the 7th deployed. While the most intense fighting was along the highway, the enemy was pushing them back all across the city. If it wasn't for remnants of the local military, security forces and volunteers, bolstering their numbers at the flanks, their situation would have been even worse. Well, it was worse. When Obi-Wan had some of them deployed along the highway yesterday, only to find out the hard way that they lacked the equipment and training for a battle of such intensity.

Kenobi tried hard not to think about the bloody aftermath. If they survived the coming days, he would have time to curse himself for that blunder.

The cannonade of another artillery barrage snapped the Jedi Master out of his distracting thoughts, sending him back to the grim reality of the battlefield. He looked down the rubble-strewn highway just in time to see the barrage strike.

One shell missed, annihilating a group of flimsy B1 droids. The next two struck true. The first hit a Tri-Droid, blasting over the tough frontal plating and annihilating the laser cannons facing forward. Almost simultaneously, a second shell hit one of the spider-like legs of the weapons platform, slicking right through it. The dual strike sent the damaged machine into an uncontrolled stumble, where it crashed through the facade of a nearby building. It collapsed under an avalanche of shattered crystals.

A moment later, the bulk of the barrage descended like the wrath of the Force itself, turning the highway into a killing ground. Explosions blossomed as far as the eye could see even as the artillery had to relocate to avoid enemy reprisal.

Two squads of recon troops equipped with rocked packs chose that moment to strike. They descended from the upper floors of the buildings lining the sides of the highway, raining thermal detonators and det-packs. Even more, earth-shattering explosions engulfed the middle of the CIS column, before the droids knew what hit them.

"Attack now!" Kenobi ordered, seeing an opportunity to further disturb the enemy's advance.

He sprung forward, lightsaber blazing with azure light, followed by Cody and the rest of his men. Out of their reasonably secure cover, straight in the open, where even B1 droids couldn't miss forever...

In the end after a whirlwind of blaster fire, shattered men and machines, the Republic forces carried the day, buying themselves some additional time. It was all in the hope of reinforcements arriving before it was too late.

=KoF=

Republic cruiser "Valiant"
High Orbit over Coruscant

An assault shuttle landed in one of the cavernous hangars of a Venator class cruiser. When Ahsoka disembarked along with a group of technicians, she saw a sea of identical faces belonging to a horde of clones. The soldiers and technicians in sight were all busy trying to check and secure all their gear.

"All technical personnel report to Lieutenant Briggs." A gruff voice brooking no argument barked, startling Ahsoka. She glanced around and saw herself staring at the chest plate of armor polished almost like a mirror. She was sure she would have been able to see her reflection clearly if the armor wasn't painted black and gray in contrast to most clone gear she had seen so far.

"The Lieutenant is that way." The stranger pointed and Ahsoka found herself looking right.

There was a long row of LAAT gunships parked there. At least a hundred people swarmed all over them, with many of them busy attaching stubby boxes under the crafts' wings.

"Padawan Tano, you're with me." The gruff voice barked again, gaining her undivided attention.

The man didn't wait for her, turned around, and walked towards the far end of the hangar. Only then, Ahsoka's eyes registered that he held a helmet in the crook of his left arm. She huffed and quickly followed him.

"I'm Captain Rex, Commander of Torrent Company, General Skywalker's personal unit. I'm to escort you to meet the boss. Follow me, Lieutenant."

"Oh, great!" Ahsoka exclaimed, before his words fully registered. At that point, she halted and stared at his back. "Wait a minute, what do you mean a Lieutenant?!" This time, her exclamation was much less cheerful.

As far as she knew, even the greenest Padawan was supposed to start as a Commander in the army. She heard it from multiple sources – back in the Temple, from grumbling Clones and even on the news! It wasn't that she cared much about the rank, but this smelt like another punishment! Just like the trip to the Agri Corps, she evaded thanks to masters Yoda and Plo Koon. This wasn't fair!

"Come one, Lieutenant. We don't have all day." The Commander snapped. "As far as I know, that was the General's idea and High Command agreed. All Padawans and some Jedi Knights will start their career as commanders as junior officers or advisors to the Generals and Admirals..." Rex's voice was positively cheerful. "It was supposed to be most of your so-called Knights, as well because none of you have proper military training or experience."

Ahsoka didn't like how cheerful Rex was. She growled quietly in frustration. She was going to have a long conversation with her Master! Once she found him. Tano gripped the clasps of her backpack and hurried after the Captain. Rex was already halfway to a door at the far end of the hangar, not bothering to slow down or stop on her account.

=KoF=

Vader looked up from the datapad in his hands and smiled. Snips had just stepped on board. His smile quickly turned into a small grin. Ahsoka had always been a breath of fresh air in his life... Until his foolishness and Sidious' manipulations fucked up everything beyond belief. Vader's face became blank at that thought while he struggled to get his temper back in check. As of late, all kinds of things constantly tested his control.

It didn't help that now, he had his attention divided looking at various facets of the conflict that almost completely eluded him the first time around. In that regard, he had two monitors on his desk turned on the most popular news channels on Coruscant. That way, he could see how the common citizens saw the conflict engulfing the galaxy. And it wasn't pretty.

In his previous life, Vader didn't pay much attention to such things, besides at this point in time, he had been neck-deep in droids alongside Kenobi.

War – in bright red letters. That was constantly on display at the bottom of GNN – the Galaxy News Network's broadcast. Even though, the current news was about the uproar in the Senate caused by Corellia declaring its neutrality already. Many more systems would follow suit, Vader knew.

The other news broadcast told him why. Dooku had addressed the galaxy in a historical speech blaming the conflict solely on the Republic and its pet Jedi enforcers. The media was abuzz with all kinds of experts discussing the validity of those accusations. Vader wasn't sure if that particular uproar happened before, or if it was something he caused. Either way, it partially explained some things. He briefly glared at Dooku's smug smile, remembering the shock that bastard radiated in his last moment, and chuckled darkly.

Vader returned his attention to the work at hand. The former Sith Lord was busy formulating a plan for relieving Obi-Wan. There were a lot of indications already that his former Master had landed himself in quite the mess on Christophsis. From what he remembered of his time on that world, once they neutralized the enemy space assets over there, they would need to go in (preferably with a heavily armed detachment of the 501st) and blow up a damn shield generator, again. Only then, massed airstrikes could deal with the enemy troop concentrations in and around the capital.

It was simple in theory. Turning that theory into reality, while suffering minimal losses, was something else entirely. That was especially when Anakin had to consider that he would be leading green forces in combat. To make his life even more interesting, the kit his soldiers were issued was quite bad. He had mostly forgotten how... Inadequate equipment issued to the clones at the start of the war was. Yet, to be fair, the gear of his men hadn't improved as much as he would have liked during the Empire era either, though at that time he didn't particularly care about that. After all, then he had considered most of them expendable, without a second thought. Only the competent old veterans and the odd spark of talent he managed to drag under his command mattered. That was another thing that changes since he got back in time. Now, Vader was in charge of his 501st. Even if they were still green behind the ears.

Soon enough, Vader turned his head towards the door.

"Enter!" he spoke aloud and used the Force to open the way for his visitors. Rex marched in, his armored bulk hiding the much smaller figure that followed him. The

Captain stood at attention, saluting his superior officer, while Ahsoka moved to his right. Vader stared at the impossibly young Togruta for a moment. Right now, she looked even more like a kid than the first time he had met her properly in either life.

"Thank you, Rex," Anakin returned the salute and floated the pad he was working on to his old friend. "Please go over my preliminary plan for Christophsis. I want your recommendations and concerns about it ASAP. Dismissed."

"General!" the Clone made a perfect about-face and promptly exited Vader's ready room.

Now, the former Sith could turn his complete attention to his past and future apprentice. He looked critically at her outfit, the same one she wore during the previous timeline. Not bad as casual clothes go, but utterly inappropriate for a battlefield.

"Padawan Ahsoka Tano, welcome aboard," he greeted coolly. Doing so was another struggle, just when he picked her up a few days ago. Having his little sister back, safe and sound, made him giddy, something he wasn't sure how to handle.

"Ah... Hi!" she timidly waved a hand in his direction.

That prompted a raised eyebrow. The Snips he remembered was much more spirited than that, even when facing her Jedi Master for the first time in the middle of a ruined city. Besides, it wasn't like this was the first time they met! Granted, a few days ago he just picked her up, arranged quarters, gave her a lot of homework concerning military tactics, then left her in the care of one of his sergeants. Then it clicked. The near-miss with going to the kriffing Agri Corps probably had shaken her more than he expected. Well, it shook Vader too, almost shattering his control.

He had to hide a wince at that. As of late, there were too many situations, that nearly destroyed his control. That wasn't an acceptable state of affairs.

"Please take a seat," Anakin waved at the pair of comfortable chairs bolted to the deck in front of his desk.

Ahsoka reluctantly removed her backpack and placed it on the floor before sitting down. Vader could sense a flare of anger and indignation from the Togruta. She probably hated the way the Council decisions were affecting her. Ahsoka took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. She looked at Anakin much more calmly than a moment earlier. He could feel her taking control of her emotions and doing her best to suppress them. That wasn't something that she had ever been particularly good at that, which wasn't a slight on her abilities in any way or form. If anything it would prove beneficial in the long term.

"Ahsoka, I'll be blunt. I'm a General who is about to lead troops into battle and has a war to win. This means that I don't have time to babysit someone who is in no way, shape, or form ready to be an officer. Yet, I'm supposed to entrust the lives of some of my men to your untested command capabilities... What am I to do with you, Padawan Tano?" Vader asked, barely keeping an amused smirk from spreading across his face.

Ahsoka gulped. That wasn't what she had been expecting from Anakin Skywalker. Like at all. A small part of her wondered if a vacation to the Agri Corps might have been a better idea... She opened her mouth to protest but was silenced by a hand wave.

"In the few days until we deploy I can't do much to train you in the Jedi arts, much less turn you into a proper officer. I hoped that we would have much longer before our first deployment." Vader explained. "You've got your work cut off for you, Ahsoka. First, I want you to get yourself into a proper suit of armor. After that, you'll be getting a crash course on small unit tactics and leadership. I just know the best people to help you with that…"

Ahsoka didn't like her Master's smile at all.

=KoF=

If you want to support my writing or discuss this story, see the following links:

Pat re on: Delkatar's writing corner

the space battles forums - this is where most discussion over my stories takes place

the sufficient velocity forums

the alternative history forums