Chapter One

Goodbyes and First Encounters

A week after the battle on Geonosis…

Tapping a finger lightly against the door's control panel, she buzzed the room behind it once, the entryway hissing open a second later to reveal a small chamber which she traded the corridor for. Stepping inside, the door collapsed behind her and returned the interior to its usual state of quiet – shutting out the traffic of the busy thoroughfare – its only occupant stood with his back to her, staring intently at the skyline beyond. It was a magnificent view, even more spectacular at night when the eyes could become lost in the monolithic peaks and the bright lights – it was a wondrous backdrop to many thoughts. However, whatever he was pondering he put on hold for the time being and finally turned, a warm smile curving his lips.

"I didn't expect to see you back on your feet so soon, Master Velos," he greeted.

"Please, Obi-Wan," she sighed with a grin, "how many times do I have to tell you? This isn't a council meeting, you know. You can lose the formality."

"Diplomatic habit," he replied with a chuckle, "though I meant what I said, Aashya. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Aashya answered plainly, lifting a small sphere from a nearby table and guiding it towards her, allowing it to rest in her palm before continuing. "I got lucky, I suppose. So much as one more scrape and I'd probably be in the ground by now."

"Maybe," Obi-Wan admitted with a tilt of his head, "but you're still here, that's what matters."

Aashya nodded, she couldn't disagree with that. Tossing the metal ball between her hands, she made her way further into the chamber – it was well-decorated, and chalk-full of Obi-Wan's personality, every nook and cranny stuffed with items collected over a hundred different adventures – he knew exactly what Aashya was thinking, it was still raw in her mind, but she beat him to it before he could raise his concern.

"Don't," she said, wave a dismissive hand and moving over to lean against the smaller sofa's armrest, "I'll be fine with that too, it'll just… take some time."

The Jedi Master received an understanding nod from her peer, who elected to leave his sympathy unspoken for now; Geonosis had been a harsh baptism by fire for everyone involved – many hadn't made it, the sands now the final resting place of too many of the Order's best.

"Why do I get the feeling we're not done with this subject, though?" Obi-Wan then asked, moving to the sofa opposite and planting himself down.

Aashya sighed, floating the orb back to its original place. "As good as your therapy is, Obi-Wan, I'll come for that another time. I'm here about Jace," she swallowed hard, preparing herself for the next words. "Now that Valx is gone, I have a pretty big favour to ask…"

His eyes widened slightly, he knew what was coming but didn't immediately jump on the thread.

"Go on," he beckoned.

Jace groaned, "do we really have to do this?"

"Yeah!" Luciara answered back, tossing him the training saber and activating hers. He caught it and brought it to his side.

It had been a slog dragging him to the duelling hall, but she didn't blame him – this week had been incredibly taxing on everyone, especially Jace. Now they stood opposite one another in the centre of the spacious chamber, the background of Coruscant's endless, gargantuan skyline visible from the grand windows beyond, blanketed by thousands of moving specs.

"You afraid you're gonna lose?" Luciara asked, smiling mischievously at her friend, raising her weapon to a ready position.

Jace's head shot up, "you know I won't!" he exclaimed, some life coming back into his voice.

Luciara knew he needed this, a chance to blow off some steam in a fair fight – she was one Padawan he couldn't beat easily, the same could be said of the reverse; they had always considered themselves equals in ability, ahead of their peers but never conceited about it. They were two of the most promising young Padawans the Order had to offer.

"Then come prove it, your highness…" she taunted – Jace was royalty on his planet.

That did it. He hated being called that.

His weapon activated with a dull hum and they began to circle each other, tips facing inwards. In the end it was Luciara who initiated the duel, lurching forward and beginning her assault. In the end every inch of the hall was used at some point or another as they sidestepped, slid and jumped in a spectacular back-and-forth of offense and defence, an exhilarating game of tug-of-war where the initiative constantly switched sides. Many close calls were had over the half hour they spent, and still, with faces flush and soaked in sweat, they continued, unable to break their deadlock – calling upon every ounce of their strength and faith in the Force to carry on.

Luciara swung harshly, forcing Jace to step back, they broke off contact, both breathing heavily. She lowered her guard.

"Good fight…" she panted, smiling.

"You giving up?" Jace asked, edging closer to his friend.

With a slow shake of her head, Luciara allowed him to inch further along, never losing eye contact.

Then, an opening.

Like lightning, she shot forwards, parrying his response off to the side before turning into a final strike.

In the end they both lurched sideways, a swift – harmless – jolt of electricity shooting through them. Where Luciara had made contact with Jace's waist, he had managed the same against her shoulder, having recovered from the counter just in time.

They laughed, and Luciara was reminded of times past.

"Now it's a good fight," Jace spoke, allowing himself to relax, sliding down the nearby wall and placing his saber on the ground beside him. He looked up at Luciara, she didn't seem so relieved – and he didn't need to be a Jedi to tell something was up.

"You good, Luci?" he asked, swiftly standing up, concern across his face.

She sighed, it was time to say goodbye.

"I guess… I'm deploying today, and truthfully, I don't know when I'll see you again."

Jace knew he should've seen it coming, the war was dragging everyone away, but he wasn't about to add fuel to the sombre fire burning away.

"You'll be back here in no time, just do me a favour and make sure it's in one piece," he chuckled.

They hugged.

"I'm gonna miss you, Jace," she said softly over his shoulder, "I really hope everything works out here, you'll be back training with someone soon, I know it."

"Eventually…" he sighed, and they let go of each other. "Thanks for the dance, I needed that."

Luciara nodded with a grin just as the doors to the chamber slid open. Dressed in beige robes and brown boots entered Master Kenobi, smiling warmly at them both.

"I thought I might find you two here," he said. "Who won this time?"

"Draw," the two Padawan's quipped in unison.

Obi-Wan nodded, stroking his chin. "Always time for a rematch later," he admitted, before changing the subject entirely. "Luciara, Master Velos is looking for you, it's time."

She swallowed, head bowing slightly, a small sigh escaping her. "Yes, Master," she finally said, placing a hand against Jace's shoulder, she felt as if she was looking at him for the last time. Jedi were great warriors, that was true, but nobody was invincible, Geonosis had shown that.

Jace knew it better than her what loss was like, but he kept an optimistic smile.

"I'll see you again, Luci, I mean that." He nodded "Don't win the war before I get there."

Luciara giggled, "You'll get there, just keep that head of yours up, Jace. We'll be alright."

With that, she spun on her heels, returned her weapon, bowed to Master Kenobi, and sent one last nod in Jace's direction before exiting the chamber completely.

The doors seemed to close in slow motion this time, and Jace never took his eyes off of her until they did. It was the first time he would be apart from his best friend since arriving at the Jedi Temple fourteen years ago, he wasn't looking forward to the prospect of being largely alone for the foreseeable future. More time to focus on his studies, he guessed.

"I'm gonna miss her," he sighed aloud, looking up at Obi-Wan.

"Yes, about that…"

It wasn't long before Luciara found herself flying through the skies of Coruscant, the transport weaving in and out of the heaving traffic at speeds she figured she would need to get used to now before going into any battle. Accompanying her was Aashya, her Master, standing a head taller and clasping onto one of the handles above, she gazed out of the compartment in thought, barely reacting to the changes in direction.

She was the embodiment of confidence, or at least appeared to be – Luciara admired her greatly.

"Another thing…" Luciara said, voice raised to be heard over the exterior commotion. "I'm a commander, now?"

Aashya turned to face her student, nodding twice. "We're Jedi, Luci. Now that we've left the Temple, you'll see what that means to the rest of the galaxy."

"You don't think my inexperience raised a few eyebrows along the way?" she asked jokingly.

Her Master breathed a laugh, "Well, put it this way, someone decided to make me a General, a High General at that."

"So… no pressure?" Luciara quipped, moving to the handle closer.

The transport had begun its descent, and they could both make out their destination below.

Aashya shook her head, "I'm not saying anything, little one, but be prepared to make mistakes out there. We all will."

Luciara froze momentarily, it was the last thing she wanted to hear, but at least now she could attempt to ready herself.

They touched down a minute later, both Jedi hopping off at the massive staging area awash with white-suited soldiers and a plethora of military hardware and materiel being readied for transport. Off to the side in its docking platform loomed the largest ship Luciara had ever seen – the destination for all this equipment, and as she was about to discover, everybody here.

Both Master and Padawan swiftly walked along the hard flooring, the harsh footfalls of their boots resounding off of the metal. They looked to be approaching the group of men standing in a circle ahead.

"Better get acquainted with the soldiers well, Luci," Aashya began, "you'll be fighting alongside them soon enough, and trust is a bond you'll need to command. Once you have that, and you don't abuse it, they'll follow you anywhere you go."

Luciara nodded, "I get it. It's just weird that they're gonna be taking orders from a fourteen-year-old," she scratched her head, adjusting her high ponytail in the process.

"I understand the feeling," Aashya replied, "but at the same time, you're not just any teenager; you're a Jedi, and although it's not the best idea to make a big deal out of it, it carries weight. Remember that."

"That's true," came Luciara's reply, cut short as they stopped in front of the troop of soldiers who by now had noticed their approach, and, as if they had rehearsed, all snapped to attention in unison. All standing at the same height, they were slightly taller than Aashya, their armour decorated with red-coloured markings, and even though Luciara knew to expect the same face all around, it still took her a moment to process the fact everyone here minus her and her Master was a clone.

The man at the very end spoke first, "General Velos," he greeted with a salute. "CT-6567 reporting."

Aashya smiled, "Save the numbers for the droids, Captain,"

He nodded once.

"In that case, you can call me Kess, General," he then turned slightly, looking down the line of men. "Now to this bunch… the senior troopers of the 303rd. Fencer, Lightweight, Spectre, Kingpin and Razor."

They all nodded one-by-one as their names were called, bodies still completely motionless.

"At ease, soldiers," Aashya called, and they relaxed. "I'm General Aashya Velos, this is my Padawan, Commander Luciara T'Lessus, looks like we're gonna be side-by-side for the foreseeable. Do your men know what is expected of them, Captain?"

He nodded instantly. "Every one." He stated firmly.

"Excellent. Then let's fall out, we have a war to win!" she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" They all called together, turning on their heels and marching off.

Luciara had stayed silent the whole time, she would have her turn to speak later and for now she would leave the speeches to her Master.

"I'm gonna have a hard time telling them apart," she admitted, looking up at Aashya, who laughed slightly.

"Each one of them is a personality, Luci, it won't be as hard as you think, believe me. Just wait until you've shared a trench with some of them. Now, are we gonna go win this thing or what?" she asked, placing a hand to her Padawan's shoulder.

"You bet, Master! I'm right behind you," Luciara replied, falling in at her side as the pair began to move towards the large cruiser. A melting pot of emotions brewed away inside of her, excitement, fear, wanderlust – it was the start of an adventure, and she was itching to see the galaxy. Luciara wasn't really sure what exactly she'd signed up for with this war, but one thing was certain.

She'd find out soon enough.

A/N…

There it is, the beginning of a beginning. As stated in the foreword, I'm hoping to use this as a launchpad for this project as a whole, and will try my best to push out updates when I'm able. This story is going to focus on getting the main characters into frame and shouldn't necessarily be too long. Once it's complete I'll then branch into the wider Clone Wars and bring along some existing characters for the ride, no points for guessing which ones.

I hope you enjoyed this rather short introduction, and if necessary I'll revise it in the future.

Cheers!

FS.