Start off with a bang
End with a whimper
(folk saying)
Following her teacher toward the hangars, Ahsoka was desperately tormented by curiosity.
I can't believe he knows Master Shaak Ti and talks to her so easily!
Ahsoka herself had only seen her once, and even then only briefly. To be honest, the young Togruta secretly dreamed of becoming as great a Jedi as the Master, but in reality, everything constantly got in the way. No one even wanted to take her on as a Padawan! It was pure injustice! And now, following the tall, armored Teacher—yes, yes, yes, her Teacher!—the girl couldn't help herself and asked:
"Um, Teacher, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes," Dagon Marek nodded, without slowing down.
"Ah, how was it? Well… on Geonosis?"
There were various rumors among the younglings, and here was a witness to the events. How could she pass up such an opportunity?
"Hot. Dusty. Too many droids, in my opinion," he replied dryly.
"But they're just… tin cans. And you're Jedi. How did you almost lose?"
At the last moment, the Padawan realized what she had said—but it was too late.
"Underestimating your enemy leads to defeat," Dagon remarked softly, glancing at her. The look was not angry. It was measured.
"But—"
"Even if you were a triple Master, there's not much you could do in an open field against several hundred combat droids. Especially if you've never learned to fight alone against an army before. And no one is immune to mistakes. One mistake is more than enough for some lousy droid to shoot you."
He paused briefly, reflexively touching the scorched edge of his chest armor.
"Try to remember that. Don't take unnecessary risks."
Ahsoka nodded quickly. To her credit, she truly meant it.
"So… that's why you wear armor?" she pressed. "Jedi are guardians of peace."
"Guardians of peace get shot at the most," Dagon answered with a faint smirk. "After being hit once in the arena, and then nearly turned into scrap by ray cannons, sonic blasts, missiles, falling debris, and what I'm fairly certain was an industrial mining laser… I reconsidered tradition."
"That sounds… intense," Ahsoka breathed, eyes wide.
"It was educational."
They continued down the corridor.
"Besides," he added more thoughtfully, "the Jedi pledged to defend the Republic long ago. Peacekeeping was never meant to exclude war. History just prefers to forget the inconvenient parts."
She blinked. "They never told us that."
"They will. Eventually. Probably when you're old enough to argue about it."
She crossed her arms. "I'm not small."
"No," he agreed calmly. "You're statistically compact."
"Teacher!"
He allowed himself a quiet chuckle.
After a few more steps, she tilted her head.
"Master Shaak Ti seemed to know you well."
"She knows of me," Dagon corrected. "Geonosis made many introductions."
"And… do you always sound like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're planning three things at once."
He didn't answer immediately.
"That's because I usually am."
They turned into the main hangar corridor. The distant roar of engines vibrated through the floor.
Ahsoka hesitated, then asked another question.
"Teacher… earlier, in the Temple, I heard you mention someone named Ethan. Who is that? Another Jedi?"
Dagon's expression didn't change, but something thoughtful flickered behind his eyes.
"No. Ethan is… an new companion."
"Companion?"
"A tactical support unit," he clarified calmly. "A droid I rebuilt some time ago. He assists with battlefield analysis, logistics, and occasionally reminds me when I'm being stubborn."
Ahsoka brightened instantly. "You have a droid? That's amazing! Is he like an astromech?"
"Not quite. He walks. Talks. Thinks. Sometimes too much."
"Does he fight?"
"If necessary."
"Is he strict?"
Dagon exhaled lightly. "No. He's… laid back. Optimistic. Annoyingly supportive."
"That doesn't sound annoying."
"It is when you're trying to brood."
She giggled.
"Will I meet him?"
"Yes."
"Does he outrank me?"
"Everyone outranks you."
She gasped in mock offense.
"I'm joking," he said evenly. "Mostly."
Master Shaak Ti waited near one of the gunboats.
The war had begun only days ago, yet the galaxy already trembled. Reports flooded in: systems under siege, supply lines threatened, outposts overrun. The scale of the Separatist military machine had shocked even the most cautious among the Council.
When the elevator doors opened, Dagon Marek stepped into the hangar, armor catching the light. At his side hurried Ahsoka.
"Master," Dagon inclined his head.
"Master," Ahsoka echoed.
"Knight Dagon Marek," Shaak Ti replied formally. "You wasted no time."
"There is no time to waste."
Her gaze flicked briefly toward the young Togruta. "You have taken a Padawan."
"Yes."
Ahsoka stood straighter.
Shaak Ti studied Dagon's armor for a moment but did not comment.
"As you know, the Council has appointed you a General of the Grand Army of the Republic. Your experience on Geonosis makes your perspective… valuable."
"I accept."
The Padawan's excitement surged in the Force like a flare.
"Commander Cage," Shaak Ti gestured.
The clone stepped forward, activating a holoprojector. A section of the galaxy map unfolded.
As the briefing continued—sector divisions, Perlemian Trade Route, Va'art system, limited forces—Ahsoka tried desperately to absorb everything at once.
One Acclamator. Two Consular cruisers. Forty-seven V-19 fighters. Forty gunships.
This is real, she realized.
When the briefing concluded, Shaak Ti dismissed the commander.
"You depart as soon as loading is complete. That transport will take you to your flagship."
Dagon nodded.
"One question," he said. "Local population?"
"Minimal. Insignificant to strategic outcome."
"Understood."
He turned to Ahsoka.
"Time to meet your first battlefield."
She swallowed—but didn't hesitate.
"Yes, Teacher."
They began walking toward the gunboat.
Halfway there, Ahsoka nudged him slightly.
"So… this Ethan. Does he give orders?"
"He offers suggestions."
"And you listen?"
"Sometimes."
"And if I disagree with him?"
"Then you explain why."
She grinned. "I think I'm going to like him."
Dagon's voice softened—barely perceptible beneath the engines.
"You will."
They boarded the gunship. As the ramp closed and engines ignited, Shaak Ti watched in silence.
"May the Force be with you, General Marek," she murmured.
And above Coruscant, the first war-bound squadron of Dagon Marek began its ascent into the widening storm.