AN: I am not an expert on Star Wars lore. For this story, I have done a little research and found some planets to mention and for the characters to visit in an attempt to keep this as believable as possible, but I actually know very little about these planets. I hope I haven't written anything that conflicts with canon, but if I have, please let me know and I will make every effort to fix my mistakes.

All war represents a failure of diplomacy. –Tony Benn

Chapter 3

When Kieria arrived at the Council Chambers and slipped inside a few minutes later, she immediately noted how few of the Jedi Council were present, due no doubt to both the Wars and the late time of day. When she had returned to the Temple roughly three months ago, she had been shocked by the emptiness of the halls, as the spreading battles required the services of every Jedi in the field these days. In that regard, she found she understood why Bea had wished to do her part.

Only Master Windu and Master Yoda were seated in the Chamber, side-by-side, with Master Plo Koon present only holographically from, she presumed, his battle cruiser. The blue image flickered once but seemed remarkably stable for such a long distance call, so she assumed he was in a quiet sector of space. Walking quickly to the center of the room while she took this all in with a glance, Kieria dropped gracefully into a bow, her hands pressed against her thighs, loose hair spilling over her shoulders as she dipped forward.

"We have a new assignment for you, Kieria Irrden," Mace Windu began before she had finished straightening up, wasting no time. He was reclined comfortably in his chair, elbows on the arm rests, fingers pressed together in front of him, but despite his relaxed posture, he seemed tense. Bea had always liked him. Kieria didn't think the feeling was mutual. "What do you know of the planet Roche?"

"I have never been there before," the blond Jedi honestly answered immediately, clasping her hands together in front of her to remind herself to keep them still. No matter how old she got, in Master Windu's presence she was always immediately transformed into a fidgeting youngling again. "But if I remember correctly, it lies right along the Perlemian Trade Route."

"Indeed it does," Plo Koon's deep voice boomed for the first time, sounding pleased with her knowledge. "In fact, it is a crucial stopping point for freighters following that route, something, it seems, that has not escaped the Separatists' notice. Unfortunately."

"Yes," Master Windu agreed, smoothly taking control of the conversation again. "Roche has, until now, remained a neutral system, allowing both Republic and Separatist ships to use their ports. But now we've received word that a Separatist party has landed on the planet, and is pressuring the government to agree to their new trade requirements, which include closing their planet to the Republic. They are threatening to seize control of the system and put their own government in place unless their demands are met. The Prime Minister has requested a Republic party come to help with the negotiations. Representative Shaansee An'Gulan is returning immediately, but he also wishes for a Jedi to be present."

As soon as Master Windu began outlining her assignment to her, Kieria's nerves settled as her mind focused instead on the mission. Crossing her arms, she frowned in thought, listening intently, but a thought was forming in her mind. In her opinion, the Council had been too willing to simply plunge into a fight lately, yet this mission seemed to be more diplomatic. Were her words perhaps persuading some others to think like her? Curious, she spoke up. "If I may ask, Master Windu, with so valuable a planet at stake, why are we not sending one of the Republic's fleets to defend the system? With the War as it is, it seems protecting our supply lines would be worth at least a cruiser," she asked slowly, at her politest.

If her question bothered Master Windu, or if he realized her true probing behind her question, it did not show on his face while he stonily answered her. "Because at the moment, it is just a threat. The Separatist delegation is small, and unarmed, diplomats from our reports. It is not our wish to bring war to another world. We would prefer to see this resolved peacefully." He paused, and for the first time she detected a hint of displeasure, "And at the moment, all of our fleets are busy in other sectors. It will be at least a week until even a cruiser can arrive."

Kieria merely nodded, still not entirely sure if her suspicions were correct, but at the moment, it did not matter. The mission, and the chance to keep the War away from another world, was more important.

"But alone in this task you will not be," Master Yoda chimed in, tilting his head to one side. "Lend you a squad of clone troopers, Master Koon will." And the diminutive Jedi Master pointed to Koon's hologram with his grimer stick.

The Kel Dor Jedi nodded as Kieria turned her head to look at him, his deep voice rumbling as he spoke. "For the moment, Triumphant's upcoming battles will be in space, and my ground combat squads have nothing to do."

"Triumphant is leaving Alderaan for Rhen Var in six hours," Master Windu informed her, his tone authoritative, seemingly eager to wrap up this meeting. "You will rendezvous with them near Castell. Master Koon will drop you off with his squad of clones as he passes by Roche." Kieria nodded confidently, in both understanding and agreement.

"Keep the Prime Minister of Roche safe, you must. Turn against the Republic if any harm befalls him, the people will. Help negotiate peace with the Separatists before war breaks out, your mission is," Master Yoda summed up the discussion neatly, the gleam in his eyes telling her he knew exactly how much she preferred to use talk to find alternatives to fighting. She gave him a soft smile and a small nod.

"If you have no farther questions, you are dismissed," Master Windu said, sitting forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. Once again, Kieria bent forward in a low bow, and then she headed for the door, cloak swinging about her feet.

XXXXX

Once the door to the Council Chambers quietly closed behind Kieria, Mace Windu's eyes slid back to Plo Koon. "Do you have a suitable squad to travel with her?" he asked the other Jedi Master.

Koon's image nodded twice quickly, and he spoke confidently. "I will send Commander Wolffe with her, and let him choose the squad. He has more tactical training than the ordinary troopers, so he should be able to keep up with her, and catch anything she overlooks. I will brief him about our concerns personally. Admiral Korvin and I can handle anything that befalls the Triumphant in his absence."

Mace sighed, and actually seemed to relax a fraction of an inch. "Good."

Yoda's grimer stick tapped the floor loudly, the sound somehow disapproving. "Not the Jedi way, concern. Trust the Force, both of you should. Ready for this, Kieria is." The Jedi Grand Master slid to the floor and started to leave.

Mace Windu's eyes followed the other Master as Yoda crossed in front of him to the door, and then rose to address Plo Koon again. "Have Wolffe keep you appraised of the situation, if he can," he said, and then stood to leave as well. The two Masters bowed to each other, and then the holographic died as the comm call ended, leaving the Chamber lit only by faint lights glowing around the edges. Out the windows, the sun had finally set, and Coruscant was plunged into night.

XXXXX

Wearing his crisp gray uniform instead of his armor, Wolffe arrived for a bridge rotation to find Plo Koon in the middle of a comm call with the Jedi Council. The clone commander crossed the bridge and came to stand just behind and to one side of General Koon, dropping into parade rest, his gloved hands behind his back. He carefully remained just out of reach of the holoprojector, but close enough to hear every word.

He was glad that the rest of the bridge crew was busy at their stations and that General Koon was too involved in his conversation with the other Jedi Masters, because hearing Kieria's name and suddenly seeing her again after nearly five months—or at least her figure on the holoprojection screen—his face immediately contorted into a grimace that he couldn't stop.

He'd never expected to see her again, once she'd left after Aleen. Or at least, he had hoped. He had done his best to completely forget about the mission to Aleen, and the last five months had provided no shortage of distractions, even despite the dreams that plagued him weekly. But at hearing her voice, everything he had been repressing about Aleen and the relief mission immediately came to the forefront of his mind as if he had opened a floodgate. The annoying sand that had gotten into his armor, the desert heat that even his temperature controls couldn't keep at bay, the tiny natives that had gotten underfoot, the way Master Irrden had belittled him at every turn, how he had steeled himself whenever her dark eyes had turned towards him, how she frowned in disapproval whenever he spoke, how she continually checked over his work, how she gave conflicting orders to his troopers.

He'd been relieved when it was over and he could put it all behind him.

Wolffe didn't dare his mind wander to the flashes of smooth skin under his fingers and a soft body pressed against his, because it had been one night, they had both been under the influence of something, it hadn't changed anything, and he still didn't know what to make of it. His feelings on Kieria Irrden were still far too complicated for him to begin to sort through, and he was too busy to dedicate adequate time to the matter. Hoping never to see her again, he had simply put everything out of his mind to concentrate on his job.

Jedi or no, the woman was a kriffing pain in the shebs.

Knowing how sensitive Jedi were to the feelings of those around them, Wolffe clamped down on the whirlwind of emotions hopefully before Plo Koon picked up his train of thoughts. A tiny side glance at the Kel Dor seemed to prove that General Koon was too preoccupied to notice Wolffe at the moment. But these were quick feelings, flitting through him almost immediately.

The emotion that settled heavily in his chest as the conversation continued was dread. He didn't want to face her again, he didn't want to see the disapproval again, the dislike, the pity on her face, how she didn't even recognize him as a man, didn't want to have to pull the steel mask of politeness across his face in order to work with her. But he was a soldier, and soldiers followed orders.

Hearing the end of the conversation, he stepped forward next to Plo Koon as the call ended, the dread only building in his chest by the moment, having already heard Koon's plan. "So...Roche, General?" he finally forced himself to speak up.

"Yes, Commander," the Jedi said, tapping one fingertip thoughtfully on the edge of the table before he turned to Wolffe. "The situation there is too dire to wait. I'm going to have you lead the squad, Wolffe," he informed him, even though the clone had heard that just a few moments ago.

But now that his fears were confirmed, Wolffe had to concentrate hard to keep his displeasure off his face. He was a solider, he was expected to face anything, yet he couldn't resist trying to escape the mission. With an iron will the clone composed himself so that his voice was flat as he spoke. "Sir...with all due respect, I'm the commander. I can't just leave my men in a combat situation. Sir."

General Koon sighed quietly as he turned to fully face him and set a hand on his shoulder. "I know, Wolffe. But there will be very little for you to do, as you aren't a pilot. I promise you, I will keep an eye out for your men. And..." For the first time since Wolffe had been assigned to work under General Koon, he realized the General was struggling to find the right words.

"I need someone I can trust to see this mission through," the Jedi Master finally explained. "Irrden is a very capable Jedi. She has not been a Padawan for many years. But since the start of the Wars, she has been...vocal about her disapproval of violence. If the Separatists seize or kill Roche's Prime Minister, the people of Roche will turn against the Republic. With Irrden's current desire to prove that negotiation solves more than fighting, both Master Windu and I feel that she is at risk of making unwise decisions, including being lax with the security of the Prime Minister. I know that you won't let that happen," Plo Koon said firmly, and in spite of himself, Wolffe was pleased with the affirmation of the General's trust in him.

"I need you to go with her, Wolffe, and take a squad as heightened security. I'll leave the choice of which squad up to you. The people will see it as a show of good faith, that we wish to help them, that the Republic cares about their future." He paused again, removing his hand from Wolffe's shoulder and crossing his arms across his chest. "It's not that Irrden's not responsible," Koon continued a moment later, still seemingly troubled. "And she is very capable of protecting herself. But war changes people, unfortunately even Jedi. Someone needs to remind her of the priorities. You've worked with her before, albeit briefly, but I'm sure you heard her opinions about the War and the Republic. She's new to working with clones, and doesn't understand fully how to issue orders. That's why I need to send a commander with her, to intercede between her and the squad. Plus, your addition tactical training will be an asset. You're used to working with us Jedi, more than many clones. Don't be afraid to stand up to her. We will finish up on Rhen Var as quickly as we can and hurry to return."

Feeling the sincerity in the Jedi's words, Wolffe gave a sharp nod. "I understand, General. I won't let you down." With the General asking almost desperately, there was no way Wolffe could say no, even if it had been an option. How different General Koon was from Kieria. The Kel Dor didn't have to explain himself to Wolffe; he could have simply ordered the commander to do something, and Wolffe would have obeyed. That was how it had been on Aleen. But Plo Koon chose to explain the importance of the mission to Wolffe, and almost made him want to go, eager to get into the action. Besides, he had been on the Triumphant too long, supervising strategies from a distance. As a Commander, he often stayed out of the action more than other troopers, watching holoprojection screens and issuing orders. It would be good to get his boots on the ground again, and stretch.

Even if it meant shadowing irksome Jedi.

AN: Whew, this is a bit of a longer chapter for you! As promised, here's some more Wolffe, and the first view of the plot. Hopefully now you can see where this story is going. I'm still not satisfied with this. I feel like I haven't gotten really deep into Wolffe yet. But then again it's still early in the story. Reviews are loved! Next time: a reunion and a mission briefing.