Dedicated to Duds_003

...

Great leaders inspire greatness in others.

...

     As Grand Master Yoda's Consular-class cruiser emerged from hyperspace, Aria dressed in her private quarters and prepared for the mission ahead. Before taking command of the 501st Clone Trooper Battalion, Yoda had insisted on teaching her one last lesson and requested that she join him and three of his own men to the coral moon of Rugosa, a neutral planet in the Toydarian system.

     She clipped the hilt of her lightsaber to her belt before making her way to the bridge, and as the blast doors slid aside, an officer said, "Toydarian Royal Delegation, this is the Republic Envoy. Please respond."

     When they failed to do so, the officer turned to Aria, "General, the Toydarians' beacon is active on the moon, but all our transmissions are being jammed."

     Aria clasped her hands behind her back and started to reply, but before she could, a pair of Munificent-class star frigates emerged from hyperspace and opened fire. Aria steadied herself against the nearest chair as the cruiser shuddered under the heavy blasterfire, and Master Yoda appeared on the bridge a moment later.

     Even as the pilots took evasive action, Yoda scowled, "Too late, it is. Sprung is the trap. Retreat we must. On the moon below, is our mission. There we must go."

     Lights flickered overhead and Aria feared they would be shot down before completing their vital mission, "Master, we need to reach the planet's surface and we're running out of time. I recommend using the escape pods."

     "The escape pods, sir?" the officer replied incredulously, but the master and apprentice were already heading toward the launch bay. "The enemy will fire at anything we launch."

     "Then launch all of them you will, hmm?" the wizened Jedi replied with a small smile, signaling for three clone troopers to join him and his apprentice as they climbed into one of the escape pods.

     Though several plasma bolts narrowly missed their small craft, the battle droids missed every time, and Aria silently thanked the Force for their terrible programming.

     CT-2397, the shock trooper and pilot deemed Rys by his brothers, chuckled, "That was a close one, General, but I think we're out of range."

     Yoda nodded, though his mouth was set in a grim line, "I agree. But entering another trap, we are. A disturbance in the Force, there is."

     As CT-2187, callsign Jek, expressed skepticism at the Jedi's statement, the escape pod bounced across the surface of Rugosa in what could only be described as a controlled crash. When CC-4477 – who served as a lieutenant in the Grand Army of the Republic and was known as Thire – tried once more to hail the moon below, it was King Katuunko who answered.

     After stating that Master Yoda and his apprentice wished to speak with him, Thire handed the holoprojector to Aria, who bowed her head, "It is a pleasure to hear your voice, Your Highness. I am Aria Skywalker, Knight of the Jedi Order. Allow me to introduce you to my mentor, Master Yoda of the Jedi Council."

     "Master Jedi, I thought perhaps Count Dooku had frightened you off," the king replied.

     "Delayed, we have been," Yoda acknowledged. "But not too far away are we now. Unaware I was, Count Dooku was invited to our meeting.

     "The count invited himself," Katuunko explained, glancing off to his left. "He assures me that, in this time of war, his droids can offer my world greater security than your Jedi.

     "Hmm. A matter of debate, that is," the Jedi Master said as Thire scoffed quietly.

     "Your Majesty might prefer more than words," a gravelly voice suggested, and the holographic form of Asajj Ventress appeared a moment later. "If Yoda and his apprentice are, indeed, the Jedi warriors you believe them to be, let them prove it. Allow me to send my best troops to capture them. If they escape, join the Republic. But should my droids defeat the Jedi, consider an alliance with the Separatists."

     "I did not request the Jedi's presence here to test them in battle," the Toydarian king argued, but Yoda raised his hand in a placating gesture.

     "Accept the challenge, we do, Your Highness," the Jedi Master said, much to Aria's surprise. "Arrive by nightfall, we will."

     "Master, forgive me, but I fail to see how this is a good idea," she countered, tugging nervously at the leather bands that covered her wrists and held the white sleeves of her tunic in place.

     Rather than answering, Yoda breathed deeply, in and out, "Beautiful this moon is, hmm? Amazing, the universe is."

     Though Rugosa was quite beautiful, its plant-life blooming in various shades of pink and purple, she knew Yoda had deliberately ignored her statement. Aria sighed; she was fond of her master and knew his knowledge of the Force was unequaled, but she found his cryptic nature frustrating at times. Before she could voice her irritation, a low rumble emerged overhead and she looked up to find a Separatist transport landing nearby.

     "There's got to be a full battalion in there," Rys worried, "probably packing armor, too."

     Jek laughed and hefted his Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, assuring his brother that the droids would not be a problem. The three soldiers who had accompanied the Jedi on their mission were members of the Coruscant Guard, an elite squadron of clone shock troopers who often assisted Master Yoda in battle when not serving as bodyguards for Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine himself.

     "Carry only what you need," Aria instructed with a pointed look towards Jek. "Your weapons will not defeat Ventress and too much weight will slow us down."

     As the Republic forces made their way deeper into the dried coral forest, the Separatist droids opened fire.

     When the clone troopers raised their weapons to return fire, Yoda stopped them, "At ease be, my friends. Within range, we are not."

     "Their tanks are too big to follow," Aria added, smirking when she glanced at her master. "Size isn't everything, remember?"

     Yoda nodded, "Smaller in number are we, but larger in mind."

     As he hurried off, Thire turned to Aria, "Do you have any idea what the general is talking about?"

     She simply smiled and shook her head, "At this point, I've just learned to roll with it."

     After walking in silence for several minutes, the familiar clank of B-1 battle droids grew closer, and Thire reported that two patrols were closing in on foot. When Master Yoda stated that the time had come to face the enemy forces, Thire suggested flanking them from the south and taking the droids by surprise. As they took their positions, Aria ducked behind a patch of purple coral and waited until Rys had disposed of the first battle droid.

     Even as the droids turned towards the lieutenant, Master Yoda danced circles around them, the Separatist forces so distracted by the nimble Jedi that they didn't notice Aria until it was too late. When the droids attempted to pursue the Republic soldiers, Aria blocked their path and twirled about, cutting them down one-by-one with the green blade of her lightsaber. After deactivating her lightsaber and returning the hilt to her belt, she looked around and found herself separated from her master and the clones.

     Thankfully, because the forest around her was quiet, she heard the sound of blasterfire and chose to follow it. When she found the shock troopers surrounded by a platoon of B-2 super battle droids, she activated her saber and leapt through the air, managing to defeat the first two droids. When one of the droids fired a round from the blaster cannon built into its arm, Thire tackled Aria to the ground and out of harm's way, injuring himself in the process.

     Skywalker groaned and shook her head, her ears ringing from the blast. Knowing every second wasted allowed the enemy to draw closer, she helped Thire to his feet and asked the lieutenant if he could walk.

     As the clone nodded, the nearest droid yelled, "Die, Republic dogs!"

     Luckily, before it could fire, Master Yoda came sailing overhead, distracting the droids until both Aria and Thire could take cover beside their fellow soldiers. As Jek peered over the boulder they were hiding behind and shot down several of the droids, Thire turned to Yoda and wondered what their next course of action would be. When the Jedi Master chose to meditate rather than answering Thire's question, Aria instructed the confused men to continue firing. After a moment, Yoda reached out to the Force and took control of the nearest battle droid, turning it against its own troops.

     "Get out of the way! All of you," the droid ordered, but it was no use. "I'm having a serious malfunction. Don't shoot! I'm on your side."

     As the super battle droids were defeated, Thire laughed, "Ha! You found us just in time, sir."

     "Left behind, no one will be," Yoda stated. "Grateful to you am I, Lieutenant, for saving my padawan."

     Before Aria could express her own gratitude, three droidekas rolled around the corner and immediately opened fire, raising their deflector shields as they did. Igniting her lightsaber, Aria jumped to her feet and ordered the clone troopers to retreat, ignoring the dull ache in her side as she provided them with much-needed cover. When she felt the familiar weight of her pint-sized master on her shoulders, Aria followed after the clones, toppling a large piece of coral in her wake and halting the Separatist forces in their tracks.

     When her comlink chirped, Aria handed the communications device to Rys, neither breaking stride as King Katuunko said, "Master Yoda, I hear you're having trouble with the droid army."

     "Trouble? I know nothing of this trouble. Look forward to our meeting soon, I do," the Jedi Master replied smugly as Rys ended the transmission.

     As they neared a shallow canyon characterized by caves of varying sizes, Yoda hopped to the ground and Aria took over for Rys, who had been supporting Thire's weight while helping the injured lieutenant walk.

     "Are you sure we should go in there, Master?" she asked. "There's no way out."

     "Now rest we must," Yoda said, leading his apprentice and the clone troopers into one of the larger caves.

     As Rys activated a portable heater, Aria gently lowered Thire into a seated position and Jek informed the lieutenant that they were low on ammunition, with only two thermal detonators and one rocket launcher left between the three soldiers.

     Rys scoffed as he sat beside Thire, "Against a battalion? Forget it. We've lost."

     "So certain of defeat are you, hmm?" Master Yoda asked, activating his lightsaber and slicing through one of the depleted rocket launchers with ease.

     "With respect, General, maybe you and Skywalker should go on," Thire suggested. "Let us slow 'em down."

     "We have everything we need to prevail," Aria replied, taking the bisected rocket launcher from her master and transforming it into a crutch, which she handed to Thire. "Besides, I owe you my life, Lieutenant. We're not about to leave you, or your men, behind."

     Yoda smiled as he watched his apprentice, then turned to the soldiers still standing before him, "Come, sit. Your helmets, remove them. Your faces I wish to see."

     Jek and Rys looked to their lieutenant, who nodded his head before removing his own helmet, "There's not much to look at here, sir. We all share the same face."

     "Deceive you, eyes can. In the Force, very different each one of you are," the Jedi Master countered. "Rys, always focused on the enemy you are. For inspiration, look to yourself and those beside you. Jek. Concerned about weapons you are. Weapons do not win battles. Your mind, powerful it is. Hmm. Outthink the droids, you can. Thire, rush not into fights. Long is the war. Only by surviving it, will you prevail."

     Yoda nodded as if satisfied with his assessment, "Yes. Hmm. Clones you may be. But the Force resides in all life-forms. Use it, you can, to quiet your mind."

     Even as the words left his mouth, a low rumble announced the presence of Separatist forces, and the Republic troops quickly made their way to the top of the canyon.

     "Tanks," Rys laughed. "Is that the best they can throw at us?"

     Jek frowned, "Yeah, but I've only got one shot left."

     When Yoda stated that he would like to greet the droid army, Rys immediately protested, "General, you don't plan to take that whole column by yourself?"

     Yoda laughed, "Have you four, I do! Outnumbered are they. Know the time to help me, you will."

     Aria watched as her master descended into the canyon below, appearing to meditate as he sat before the battle droids, who came to a halt and glanced at one another in confusion. As the Separatist forces surrounded the Jedi and prepared to fire, Yoda opened his eyes and leapt into the air, igniting his lightsaber as he rolled across the ground and quickly defeated multiple droids.

     As he infiltrated the nearest tank, Jek shook his head, "Doesn't look like the general needs help to me. He's cutting 'em up."

     Aria chuckled quietly as the droids fired upon one another while trying to shoot the nimble Jedi Master, but her amusement quickly faded when she saw the ten droidekas heading their way.

     Thire sighed as he followed her gaze, "The clankers sent reinforcements and the general's too busy with that tank. He won't seem 'em coming."

     When the lieutenant fell silent, Aria knew he was formulating a plan, a plan that was executed moments later when Thire launched their last rocket-propelled grenade. The projectile soared through the air and collided with one of the overhanging bluffs, which came down in an avalanche of stone and demolished the droidekas.

     "Yeah! Great shot, sir!" Jek cheered as Rys clapped the lieutenant on the back. "That's giving it to the clankers!"

     Aria smiled and shook each of the clone trooper's hands as they descended into the canyon, where Yoda sat with a small reptile on his finger, the creature chirping happily as the Jedi Master asked, "Learned something today, have you, Lieutenant, hmm?"

     "I think we all have, General," Thire replied as he limped towards Master Yoda, who gestured for them to follow, reminding his troops that they were behind schedule.

     As they neared the rendezvous, the sound of blasterfire echoed through the forest, and Aria rushed to aid the Toydarian king. Reaching out to the Force, she halted the twin blades of Asajj Ventress, who grunted with effort as she tried in vain to break free from Skywalker's hold.

     When battle droids trained their blasters on the Jedi Knight, Jek quickly gunned them down and King Katuunko smirked, "Jedi Master Yoda, General Skywalker, I am very pleased to meet you at last."

     "Share the feeling, I do, King Katuunko," Yoda replied before turning to the holographic form of Count Dooku, who watched in dismay as Aria shoved Ventress aside. "Failed you, your assassin has, Count."

     "I don't fear you, Jedi," Asajj growled, and Yoda merely smiled.

     "Strong you are with the dark side, young one, but not that strong," the Jedi Master retorted before taking the lightsabers from her hand. "Still much to learn, you have. Surrender, you should."

     When Yoda returned her weapons, Ventress detonated a pair of previously planted explosives, forcing the master and apprentice to divert the resulting landslide.

     When Aria turned to find Ventress fleeing in her solar sailer, she frowned, "In the end, all who follow the dark side are cowards."

     Count Dooku clasped his hands behind his back, "It's a pity I wasn't there in person, my old master. From what I hear, the young student you've replaced me with is quite talented."

     "A pity indeed, my fallen apprentice," Yoda acknowledged as he glanced in Aria's direction, shaking his head sadly and turning towards the Toydarian when Dooku ended the transmission. "Perhaps now, begin negotiations we can."

     "That is not necessary, my friend," King Katuunko replied as he presented the Jedi Master with his sword. "You have my faith. Toydaria would be honored to host a Republic base. My people are at your service."

     Yoda bowed and accepted the sword, "Your Majesty, fail you we will not."

...

     As the cruiser entered hyperspace and returned to Coruscant, Aria realized why Yoda had asked her to accompany him on his mission. This was war, and if men under the command of both her and her master could be injured, then it was entirely plausible for the clones under her command to fall. Her new position not only required the responsibility of ensuring her troops' safety, but also the ability to cope with the death, capture, or harm of her men while making sure her feelings toward the loss of those under her leadership did not endanger the lives of those still able to fight.

     Because Aria had witnessed her share of death and destruction, even before the war, she had learned to master her emotions and did not expect to be as affected by these losses as some.

     At least, that was what she believed.