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

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Part 4

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Christophsis was a barely mitigated disaster for the Republic. Mere hours after the war began, a massive Confederate fleet struck the Christoph system, then annihilated the local defense fleet, before beginning a systematic planetary invasion. In a single strike, the CIS Navy removed the largest and most advanced loyalist fleet in the region. That victory freed their local forces to strike at secondary and tertiary targets all over the Savareen Sector and beyond.

At first, a cry for help aimed at the Galactic Senate remained unanswered. In the first chaotic days of the war, all the Republic could do was react, while its member states threw accusations at each other. More importantly, its military, which was just the Clone GAR in those days, was already stretched to the breaking point putting out fires all over the galaxy. It was only after the still resisting local government plead directly to the Jedi High Council, it dispatched a fraction of the Grand Army to assist.

Republic naval elements eventually managed to break the relatively weak blockade over Christophsis, and land ground forces under the command of Jedi General Kenobi. The outnumbered relief force linked up with surviving elements from the local security forces and civilian resistance in the vicinity of the capital city, only to face setback after setback. First, some Confederate forces busy subjugating the sector finally concentrated. They counter-attacked and destroyed the GAR naval elements in the Christoph system. Second, Confederate ground forces converged on the capital and soon engaged the Republic liberation force in days-long vicious combat…

The Christophsis Campaign is a textbook example of the strategic and tactical deficiencies plaguing the Jedi Order as a whole, and most Jedi Commanders individually. While the Christoph system was a strategic asset, both because of the valuable mines it possesses and its location on the hyper-lanes, this early in the war the Republic simply was in shape to properly contest the region, much less retake it for good. The net result from operations in that combat theater was the loss of multiple naval and ground forces elements for dubious gain. That was a state of affairs characterizing the early months of the war when the GAR had to operate at the far end of tenuous supply lines while facing overwhelming odds.

In retrospect, it was only Confederate strategic blunders equaling or exceeding those of the Jedi, that prevented a quick military victory for the CIS, while such an outcome was still possible.

Beyond the obvious tactical and strategic effects of the Christophsis Campaign, it significantly impacted the future of three Jedi. Currently, available documents point at the fact that no Jedi fell on Christophsis, though a few perished there. However, it's beyond a shadow of a doubt that the disastrous outcome of the early battles there planted the seeds for the future downfall of multiple Jedi…

The Rise and Fall of the Jedi Order

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Chaleydonia City
Christophsis

Five minutes after landing, Vader and his troops reached a vantage position overlooking their target. They met no one alive on the way there, however, both Vader and Ahsoka could sense the fear and despair of scattered survivors hiding in the city below them. They passed by a handful of bodies too, all locals, and all but a single one dead due to improvised weapons. Vader had experienced similar things before – both when he led the 501st to restore order in the aftermath of the original Clone Wars, and a few times during the conflict itself. When law and order broke, when something disrupted supply lines turning cities into glittering death traps, civilization broke too and the results were never pretty.

More often than not, order, even that brought by Sidious' flawed Empire was better than many alternatives. That was a truth that Vader had always know – all the way back when he was a slave on Tatooine. Today, he not only saw but experienced all the proof that he needed as a vindication. The whole galaxy needed a new order, a just order, and he was perhaps the only being left who might be able to bring it forth. The alternatives were either the unjust system that left him to suffer as a slave or a downward spiral that would inevitably lead to another civil war in the future. No matter what Padme believed, her precious Republic was beyond saving.

Vader was afraid of the day she would see the truth and believe it. He was also afraid of all the days leading to Padme's world breaking down. That was because Vader frankly wasn't sure how to explain the truth to a true believer in the flawed concept of democracy, not to mention an idealist like the woman he loved.

"It's a trap. Not even the clankers are dumb enough to leave just a squad of B1s to guard the shield generator." Rex grumbled. The Commander was looking through a shattered window, high up in one of the skyscrapers overlooking their target.

Those words brought Vader back fully in the real world. He simply nodded. Of course, it was a trap. Whorm Loathsom might not be a particularly imaginative commander, however, he was a career military officer with years of experience in the Retail Caucus armed forces. Just thinking about them threatened to derail Vader's thoughts again. That particular conglomerate was just like the Trade Federation and Techno Union. They had to become military powers after the Republic disbanded its military and all but abandoned the Outer Rim. For them, and many local systems, it was either arm up or stop doing business out there and go home if it was at all possible. It was a biting irony that the armies threatening the Republic these days had to be built because the Republic itself refused to pay for its military forces. He could almost not blame the corporations for seeking ways to profit from the massive military divisions they had to maintain just to do business beyond the Mid-Rim. Almost but not quite.

Vader frowned. This wasn't like him. He seldom had trouble concentrating on the mission, unless he was too furious to think in the first place.

"While I agree with you, Rex, you should remember that it's a big galaxy out there," Vader smirked waved a hand. "In my experience, there is no limit to peoples and droids stupidity that I know of."

"And we are trying to save them all, why?" Rex grumbled. "What's the plan, sir?"

"The heavy weapon's team and the sniper pair are on overwatch while we sneak closer. When we're in position, they'll provide us with covering fire. If we're lucky, that'll be sufficient to place the charges and leg it." Vader laid down the plan.

"What is the plan if we aren't lucky, sir?" The sniper asked.

"Then we'll spring the trap." Vader couldn't help himself. That had been his go-to procedure back in the day. It was almost always fun to execute, and usually not the best way to approach the problem at hand. Looking back, it was almost surprising how many times he had gone in over his head and winged it successfully. That tremendous luck might have been one of the reasons he used to believe he could have it all, up until his world went down in flames.

Even now, when Vader knew better, it was hard to rein in those impulses. His newfound freedom borne from a whole-body made it even harder.

"Snips, you're with me. I don't want to lose my brand new Padawan on our first mission together. Rex, you and the rest of the boys, watch our back and keep to cover. I'm sure the enemy has counter-measures in place and we won't be able to just shoot the generator from here." He paused and smiled. "Rex, one more thing, I order you not to die like imbeciles!"

"That's one order I'm happy to comply with, sir!" Rex chuckled and a chorus of agreements followed suit.

"Let's go."

A few minutes later, they were all in position, and the droids were none the wiser.

Vader drew an Ion grenade from his pouch and smiled viciously. Last time around, he rarely used those toys – they were murder on his artificial arm.

This time, he was whole. He had to pause and take a deep breath in excitement at the very thought. That earned him a curious glance from Snips, who could certainly sense his emotions. Vader gave her a reassuring nod and…

"Sir, what are you doing?!" Ahsoka hissed at him, stopping him before he could throw the grenade.

"This reeks of a trap. We're going to spring it without running out in an obvious killing ground." Vader patiently explained.

"What happened with sneak in and out without being noticed?" Ahsoka demanded.

"No plan survives contact with the enemy. That's why we call the kriffing bastards the enemy in the first place. Among other things..." Vader trailed off darkly. He activated the grenade and threw it over the half-demolished wall they hid behind.

"I don't think I like your plans, Master." Snips muttered, making Anakin smile. This sounded more like his little sister.

The grenade detonated in a corona of blue light. Ionized particles fried the cheap components of the B1s, yet merely sparkled over the heavily shielded bulk of the shield generator. As expected, the ground began to shake moments later.

"What is that?!" Snips asked warily.

"We just sprang the trap, and we're waiting to see what will crawl out of its holes." Literally in this case. "Stay behind me." Vader pulled another Ion grenade and threw it in the general vicinity of the shield generator. Such a paltry Ionic discharge couldn't damage it. However, many of the buried droids weren't so fortunate.

At that point, the remaining droids were busy crawling out of their holes and seeking targets. The Clones wasted no time and opened up on them. Soon, the sniper and heavy weapon team joined the fun as well.

Vader vaulted over the low wall and entered the fray activating his lightsabe mid-jump. He cut through a droid before the machine could register his presence and crushed a second with the Force. He sensed Ahsoka running to join him and left her to deal with a machine trying to sneak up on him. Vader dismantled two more in quick succession and suddenly, there were no more targets in sight. He quickly turned around only to see Snips dispatch the last visible Droid with less vigor than he would have liked.

It was strange. Did he recall things right? This should have been a rather hard fight… well, it was, for his much younger, less experienced, and powerful self.

"Is this it?!" Snips exclaimed when she noticed that there were no more droids to turn into scrap.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that the enemy has many more droids in reserve. Come one, we've got charges to set up." Well, they could eventually cut through the generator with a lightsaber, or crush it using the Force. The first option would likely be hazardous for their health, and the second one could be needlessly exhausting, which was obviously bad. So far, things were going on too easy, and in his experience, that usually meant that either the enemy had made a mistake, or you just did.

Vader grimaced when he felt a flash of pain combined with the familiar signature of Kenobi fading. Did his master get himself killed?!

"Hurry up. I've got a bad feeling about this." Vader grumbled and followed up his suggestion.

"I'm done!" Snips exclaimed.

"Good. Let's make ourselves scarce." Vader suggested and jogged away, making sure he could constantly keep Ahsoka in his sight.

Soon enough they were away from the building and behind some solid cover. Only then Vader activated the detonator. A heartbeat later, a blinding flash washed over them, followed by heat and over-pressure wave buffering them. This was the sign of the enemy losing the city. The shield fell moments later. Fighters dashed between the skyscrapers to strafe down enemy columns, while the bombers began unleashing their payloads from a safer distance.

In a few minutes, airstrikes tore out the heart of multiple CIS divisions, halting them in their tracks. With the shield down, reinforcements were free to pour into the city en masse. Liberal application of firepower neutralized all visible enemy strong points.

Two hours later, the battle for Chaleydonia was effectively over, though the Clone troopers would be dealing with holdouts and isolated groups of droids for the next week. They would still be dealing with the civilians hiding in the capital, especially those who turned to crime for fun and profit, not only survival when the Confederacy moved in to retake the planet.

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Interlude: On butterfly wings I

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Operating room 09

GAR Field Hospital

Chaleydonia City

Christophsis

"Seal the room. Authentication C253KLB. Disable audio sensors." Vader ordered. The Medical Droids busy working on Obi-Wan's body beeped in agreement, and went on cutting him open while communicating wirelessly.

For Vader, this was a deliciously ironic turn of events. He could still clearly recall laying defeated on the scorching surface of Mustafar. When he closed his eyes, Vader could see Kenobi turning around even as he ignited, and left him to burn alive. Even now, when he was whole and unburnt, he could still feel those never sufficiently cursed flames burn through his skin and muscle.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi in front of him wasn't guilty of that crime. Yet, all Vader could feel was anger, resentment, and satisfaction. Obi-Wan wasn't even conscious while the Droids cut into his seared flesh, removing cooked meat and applying Bacta to cleanse and heal the wounds.

While Kenobi's burns were nowhere near what Vader suffered, the Jedi's other wounds almost made up for it. One of the Droids was busy pulling out jagged bloody pieces of shrapnel from Obi-Wan's mangled body. Another worked on his chest, where shattered ribs had punctured a lung.

Apparently, an explosion had thrown Obi-Wan from a highway overpass. The hard landing that followed nearly did in the Jedi, up to the point it was a miracle he lived long enough for SAR to reach him.

Burns, collapsed and punctured lung, broken bones, including the spine and arms, cracked skull as well.

How Obi-Wan was still alive, Vader wasn't sure. He had seen many corpses in much better shape, Jedi Masters included. Vader's theory was that the old man was too bloody stubborn to die from a simple fall.

"Done in by a bunch of clankers. I'm disappointed, my old Master." Vader spoke aloud. "The irony is magnificent." He added in a barely heard whisper.

Vader was gloating. He knew it wasn't the done thing, he had seen too many enemies do it while he was a Jedi, occasionally after he became a Sith as well. It never turned out well. However, under the present circumstances, he couldn't help it! Even with Jedi healing tricks and copious amounts of Bacta, Obi-Wan would need a re-breather for some time to help his lungs. He might need a life-support suit until he fully recovered. The need for cybernetic reinforcement of his back was a given as well.

This felt like a well-earned vengeance, decades in the making, and Vader didn't even have to lift a finger. The Force was with him this time around, he concluded.

Vader kept watching the Medical Droids work and eventually frowned. There was a mighty sense of satisfaction and completion spreading through him. Yet, he felt a lot of bitterness too. This didn't have to happen in the first place, just like he didn't have to burn on Mustafar! And Vader should have been heavily sedated when Sidious sicked his droids on him just like Obi-Wan was right now!

Anger kept bubbling within his heart. It was his constant companion, his oldest as well. At that point, Vader wasn't even sure what and who he was angry at. There were many credible targets for his ire.

"The Force has an interesting sense of irony, my Master. Now that our roles are reversed, I wonder what's next? Will you lose the woman you love because of your actions again?" Vader glared at Obi-Wan. It had been a very long time since he gave any thought about Satine Kryze, the current Duchess of Mandalore and the woman Kenobi grew to love. The woman Obi-Wan watched die in front of his eyes and did nothing about it! The woman he allowed to die!

It had been a long time since Vader thought about any of this. It was too painful. After all, it was how Obi-Wan just let Satine die, seemingly without a second thought, how he simply accepted the loss and walked away… He could hear Yoda's fateful words. The "advice" that Skywalker had to let go of his attachment. To just forget his mother's death, to forget why she died. That Skywalker had to simply accept that Padme and their child would die and go on, instead of doing everything he could to save them.

At that moment, Vader had an epiphany. Obi-Wan, while flawed, was one of the best Jedi, if not the best Jedi the Order had. Vader's mixed feelings about the man aside, that was something he could never accept. His mother's death burned as if it happened just days ago instead of being left decades in the past. Yet, Padme was still here. She was alive, untouched by the war, or Sidious' machinations. He was going to save her, keep her protected, perhaps even from herself.

Vader looked at Obi-Wan with pity. The Jedi weren't necessarily his enemy. The Jedi Order was. The Jedi... they were victims just like he was. Vader felt like he finally comprehended what being the Chosen One meant. It wasn't about destroying the Sith or bringing balance to the Force. Both the Jedi and the Sith were wrong. They were the two sides of the same coin.

He was going to forge his path. He was going to save the Jedi from themselves and the whole damn galaxy from Sidious. He was going to bring order to chaos, peace to the war-torn galaxy, no matter if he had to drag it there kicking and screaming.

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AssaultLeader31: You're right, SandEater. The Jedi are insane. Yesterday I watched my new general throw his Padawan off an Assault Shuttle, then we had to jump off too before he threw us out as he threatened to do. She's just a kid greener than most trainees!

SandEater: I told you, me and the boys weren't kidding! He just grabbed us and threw us off the LAAT to go protect that little Senator. One moment we were flying, chasing the Separatist Leader, the next thing we knew, we were falling! It was crazy, I tell you!
StarCaptin: At least he didn't get a bunch of brothers killed for no reason… or did he?

AssaultLeader31: Nah, from what little we saw under his direct command, this one might know what he's doing. I know, I still find it hard to believe. Especially after we had to follow his crazy plan. It's just that, he's not all there if you get me.StarCaptin: I hear you. I had to watch Third Legion burn last night. The Jedi General ordered us to begin planetary invasion without preparatory bombardment. Enemy AA took out half the transports on the way down, and now the survivors are surrounded. There's no planetary shield on the way, no anti-orbital emplacements!

AssaultLeader31: What about civilians?

StarCaptin: We're assaulting one of the Separatist strongholds in the Core. There are no friendly civilians down there.

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