CHRISTOPHIS – MY FIRST MISSION AS A PADAWAN
I will never forget the sound of explosions echoing among the giant crystals of Christophis. It was as if the planet itself wept with every impact. The air smelled of dust, plasma, and tension. And even so… I was calm.
Maybe it was the helmet, muffling part of the noise around me. Or maybe it was the Force, flowing through me, reminding me that I was not alone. My lightsaber hung at my waist, and just feeling its weight calmed my heart. The white blade… alive, crystalline. As if my soul had a voice.
We were at war. And it was my first mission as Obi-Wan Kenobi's padawan.
Anakin was already there, leading the 501st troops. I had only known him by name until then — the Jedi Knight, legendary pilot, impulsive warrior. But it was another presence that truly made me smile when the ship landed.
Ahsoka.
She jumped off the ramp before the dust had even settled. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and the smile we shared was a silent confirmation of everything we'd experienced together at the Jedi Temple.
"Ravan !" she exclaimed, running up to me before turning to Anakin.
"Master Skywalker ? The Council sent me. I'm your new padawan."
Anakin's eyes widened, clearly caught off guard.
"Wait, you? You're what… 14 ?"
"Thirteen and a half," she replied, raising her chin with pride.
"Oh, that makes it much better," he muttered sarcastically.
Ahsoka turned to me and winked, as if to say: This is going to be fun.I laughed under the helmet. I knew it would be.
She grabbed my arm, ready to move, while Anakin still seemed to be processing the news.
"So, Ravan, ready to show what you can do ?" she asked, her eyes glowing with that mix of challenge and excitement.
"Always. But I know they won't make it easy," I replied, drawing my saber and igniting it, feeling the white blade hum through the air.
Anakin finally cracked a half-smile.
"I like that. Let's make this mission count."
As we headed toward the battlefield, the clones marched alongside us, rifles ready, eyes sharp for any signs of danger. Captain Rex passed by and nodded at me.
"Mandalorian ? This'll be interesting. Just don't forget—we've got your back."
"Good to know I can count on you," I said, feeling the weight of responsibility settle in.
—
We got close to the giant crystals, where the droid fire was already growing intense. Explosions shook the ground and raised clouds of dust. Ahsoka was the first to charge, agilely leaping over debris.
"Stay behind me !" she shouted, dodging and deflecting bolts with her green saber.
I moved calmly, each step calculated, saber in hand, cutting down droids trying to flank us. Anakin was beside me, commanding the troops with his usual bold confidence.
"Commander Ravan, over here !" a clone yelled, pointing at a group of droids trying to circle around.
With a quick leap, I activated my saber and unleashed a series of precise strikes, feeling the crystal in the blade sing with every hit. The crystalline sound pushed me forward, like I was in perfect harmony with the Force.
In the middle of the chaos, I heard a sound: light, quick steps.
Ventress appeared — a threatening shadow I'd seen before.
"A Mandalorian," she hissed, her red blade igniting in a threatening slash. "You don't belong here."
"Neither do you," I replied, blocking a strike with my white saber.
She attacked with ferocity, but I anticipated her moves, flowing through the fight. I knew she was trying to split us up and weaken our group.
"Ahsoka, help here !" I shouted.
The young Togruta didn't hesitate, leaping into the fight, her precise green strikes forcing Ventress to step back for a moment.
Ventress retreated a step, her red eyes glowing with a mix of rage and admiration.
"Impressive," she growled, sliding forward, her red blade slicing through the air in a deadly arc.
I held my saber firm, feeling the white blade's vibration, crystalline, like a silent guide in the dance of light and shadow.
"Don't underestimate the strength of a Mandalorian," I answered, dodging and countering with a quick slash to her side.
Ventress spun back, dodging with feline agility, then struck at Ahsoka, who slipped aside, using her speed to stay out of reach.
"Ravan, heads up !" she shouted, leaping back to my side, her green saber reflecting the sunlight like a beacon.
I felt the tension of battle — but also the connection. We were in sync, moving almost as one, taking advantage of every opening Ventress left.
She attacked in rapid combos, her red blade sparking against ours. Ahsoka used her agility to disarm and distract, forcing Ventress back, while I aimed to hold her attention with precise strikes.
In a moment of opportunity, I landed a fast blow, the white blade singing as it cut the air, forcing Ventress back in surprise.
"You're stronger than I expected," she said, breathless.
"I just learn fast," I replied.
Before I could react, Ahsoka leapt in, blocking a strike with her saber and responding with a swift kick that knocked Ventress off balance.
I seized the moment and shoved her back with the Force, throwing her away from us.
Ventress landed on her knees, breathing heavily, her red eyes glowing with fury.
"This isn't over, Mandalorian," she warned before vanishing into the shadows.
I took a deep breath, feeling sweat drip inside the helmet as Ahsoka smiled, adrenaline still pumping.
"Nice work," she said.
"You too," I replied, deactivating the saber. "Let's regroup. The battle's not over."
The sound of distant explosions reminded us our mission continued — and that the war, relentless, still awaited.
We moved forward, alert to every movement around us. The clones advanced in formation, and I felt the weight in my chest — to protect Ahsoka, the soldiers… and the mission.
Ahsoka looked at me, her gaze full of determination.
"Ravan, you're different on the battlefield."
"I think it's the adrenaline," I replied, stepping firmly on the dust- and debris-covered ground.
Anakin suddenly appeared beside me, that familiar smirk on his face.
"After that show, maybe you deserve a break. But you're not getting one," he said, igniting his saber with that signature confidence.
"Man, where were you while we were fighting a crazy Sith assassin ?" I asked, genuinely curious. Anakin always vanished and reappeared mid-battle without anyone noticing.
Suddenly, the comms picked up an alert — a new group of droids was approaching, larger this time.
"Prepare for another wave !" I ordered, grabbing the white saber again.
The sound of igniting sabers, blaster fire, and shouted commands merged into a chaotic symphony of war. Ahsoka and I stood side by side, ready for the next strike.
We marched straight into the chaos.
The engines of the Separatist tanks and the metallic stomping of droid battalions thundered, even through the helmet. A wall of enemies advanced through the narrow canyon.
The giant crystals reflected the blaster light, casting colorful beams like silent lightning bolts.
"Visual contact !" Rex shouted over comms. "Multiple B1 and B2 units. One HAG and three AAT tanks !"
"We have to stop them from breaking through the line!" Ahsoka said beside me, activating her saber with a vibrant snap.
"If they break through here, the rear troops will be crushed," I muttered, and my white saber lit up with a crystalline song.
Clones lined up behind us, rifles ready. Anakin spun his blue saber and pointed forward.
"Advance !"
We charged together. The clones opened fire, a storm of blue bolts streaking through the sky. Ahsoka and I sprinted ahead, sabers ignited, spinning and dodging with precision.
Every strike of mine cut down two or three droids. The white blade lit the rubble like a calm lightning bolt in the storm.
"Left flank !" I shouted, leaping over a B1 squad and slicing them down.Ahsoka slid under a blast, spun, and stabbed a B2 before it could crush a clone with its cannon-arm.
"Ravan, cover me !" she called, and I took position behind her, deflecting the tank fire.
The impact vibrated through my arms, but I held firm, senses widened by the Force. Everything felt like slow motion — the blasters, the footsteps, the shouted commands. I saw every path, every move before it happened.
"Commander Ravan, right !" Rex shouted, and I turned just in time to cut down a droid sneaking through the crystals.
We pushed forward. Anakin was at the front now, cutting through the enemy like a living storm. He leapt between tanks, driving his saber into an AAT's hull and blowing it up from the inside.
"Impressed, padawan ?" he shouted at me.
"Just a little !" I replied, spinning and sending a Force push that slammed a whole droid squad against a wall of crystals.
Ahsoka laughed as she ran beside me, leaping over debris and cutting down droids with graceful lethality.
"I thought you were more serious !"
"Only when they're not trying to blow me up ! Jokes help with the stress !"
The clones held the line, even under heavy fire. Rex led with courage, dodging, reloading, and giving orders amidst the chaos.
"Push forward ! We're close !"
With a final surge, I hurled my saber with the Force, spinning through the air like a white comet. The blade cut through two B2s and landed in front of a tank. When I pulled it back to my hand, the saber sang.
Everything paused for a moment.
The droids began to retreat.
"They're falling back !" Ahsoka cheered, breathing heavily, spinning her saber and deactivating it.
We stood there, surrounded by smoking wreckage, dismantled metal bodies, and soldiers breathing with relief after another victory.
Anakin walked over to us, dusty and grinning with satisfaction.
"Not bad, team."
"And this was only the beginning," I murmured, feeling the weight of the still-warm saber in my hand.