Star Wars: CT-0292 Vaughn

I ran for a few minutes with Ahsoka in silence, she didn´t really want to talk. Perhaps too embarrassed, or perhaps she's simply trying to recover as fast as possible, but that silence was broken.

"Thank you, Vaughn." She said, muffled by herself, almost making It a whisper.

"It's my duty, Commander." Was my simply, response, but I felt her shake her head. Her leku sliding across my back. 

"No, for always having my back. Ever since Christopshsis you've been with me, silently supporting me." She said, and although I wanted to answer with a curt notion of duty, I knew this wasn't the time.

"No problem, Ahsoka. You´ve been by my side as well, and I owe my life to you, much more than you owe me." I said, and she went silent at that. As we were about the reach the camp.

As we reached the 20 meter mark, I stopped and put her down, allowing her to walk herself. 

"Wouldn't want to ruin your honour." I said with a chuckle, and she responded with one. But after that, we both went stoic. This was a battlefield, and we'd return to it within a few moments. 

And so, we pushed through the forest, appearing before the clearly evacuating base. The animals had been loaded up with all sorts of equipment, and battle formations were being formed, covers, grenades and other equipment. 

As we passed through the forest, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Steela, Saw and Lux approached us, Anakin and Lux focused on Ahsoka, her wounds and lack of stamina. 

"Are you alright, Ahsoka?" Lux asked, but Anakin´s eyes said the same. However, Lux began checking on her, which I saw was angering Steela, 

"I'm fine, we just met some hefty opposition." Ahsoka said, not wanting to discuss it further, and all eyes turned to me.

"A few hundred meters from this position, we first encountered an electronic disturbance, and after setting up and ambush, we spotted 3 destroyers. I took out the first before it could deploy it shields, before drawing their attention as Ahsoka dropped in from their blindspot, and killed her." I said, but that wasn't the end of it. And all of us knew it. 

"We were then ambushed by a Commando Droid Unit, I don't know their precise numbers, but there were 9 of them. Perhaps a team of 10, and the last escaped. I dealt with 2 of them, as they ambushed me while drawing the Destroyers attention, while the other 7 ambushed Ahsoka as she finished off her destroyers, which is why she's in a rough shape." I said, and some of them looked shocked.

Mostly, Steela, Lux and Saw looked at me with admiration and respect, while Obi-Wan, Anakin and Rex had a mixed emotion of proud or interested, Jedi, although meant to be manipulating their emotions perfectly, weren't so good at hiding them. Or Anakin and Obi-Wan wasn't, perhaps they're an anomaly. 

Steela and Saw had the same looks of respect towards Ahsoka, but Lux found it more natural, perhaps due to the situation with the Death Watch, which would make some sense. 

"Either way, seeing how quickly the Commando Droids caught up, I doubt they're anything more than a few minutes away." I said.

"Very good, you did well, Vaughn. Ahsoka, you'll join the rest in evacuating." Anakin said, and Ahsoka´s eyes widened. How could she not expect this, It fits Anakin's personality perfectly.

"But, Mast-" She tried, but Anakin shut her up.

"It's an order, you're in no shape to fight as it stands." He said, and eventually Ahsoka relented, leaving with a downed expression, she's unlikely to take leaving her comrades behind very well, but it had to be done. 

"Vaughn, take a breaker. Find yourself a defensive position, and rest there till the fighting begins, you did good in protecting Ahsoka, she might be dead now, if not for you." Anakin praised.

"I did what any clone would do." Was my simply response, before I headed off to find a secluded position. 

...

**Anakin POV**

"Vaughn is a good man, and he's developed quite a bit." Obi-Wan said, standing beside me and Rex in a small circle, Steela had joined Vaughn in his position, while Lux and Saw had gone to the centre of the defensive position.

"He has, and he leads his men dutifully, his men adore him, and he leads by example." Rex said, praising Vaughn even further, and I couldn´t help but agree.

Vaughn had joined us in the heat of Christophsis, and he had served us all well. Playing a pivotal role in the defensive, commanding the tactical approach and I wouldn't hesitate that a lot more lives would be lost, if not for him commanding on that day.

Rex, for all his feats and skill, is not a man of tactical approach, often leaving that to me, Admiral Yularen or Lieutenant Appo. But Vaughn was more of an all-round character, he commanded well, he teached better and he was decent at combat, being capable of standing on his own, and defeating 2 Commando Droids in a surprise ambush, was a feat in itself.

But being able to do it repeatedly, and against larger numbers. That wasn't usual. 

Palpatine said, that if I ever needed someone promoted, demoted or a favour, he was to approach him. And perhaps I might just do that, one day. 

"I agree, Vaughn has served us greatly for a long time, and he's served Ahsoka even better. He's saved her repeatedly, and so has she." I said with a smile, happy that my Padawan was finding herself a competent right hand.

"Sort of like you, and Captain Rex." Obi-Wan said with an amused expression. 

"Indeed." Was all I said, before all 3 of us returned to our focus, strategising the defense, we had 15 solid fighters here, and we just had to hold them off for a time, and then erase our tracks.

We wouldn't head straight after the carriages, instead we'd go west, and then regroup at the retreat position later, to throw them off the tracks of the carriages. 

But to do that, we first had to survive this Battle. 

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