I got this idea earlier, and just wanted to write it down while it was still fresh in my head. I hope you like this one! And if I get at least seven reviews for this chapter, I will continue it.

***I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX, or Star Wars: The Clone Wars! I also don't own any elements of Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds that are used in this story!***

"Stardust Dragon!" = Normal Speech

"Red Dragon Archfiend!" = Thoughts

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!" = Yelling

(Black Rose Dragon!) = Card Stats

Preemptive Attack: Of Masks and Cards!

In a Republican prison located underneath the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, there are all sorts of distasteful scum imprisoned there. Slave traders, space pirates, bounty hunters, illegal drug dealers, smugglers, you name it. But you'd probably never expect to find a Jedi imprisoned down here, right?

Wrong.

Former Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee was currently locked up in one of the cells after having been forced to give a false confession to murdering Letta and bombing the Jedi Temple. Oh, but she wasn't forced by Anakin. It was someone else entirely who forced her to do so.

And she had absolutely no choice in the matter! It was either take the fall for a horrendous crime, or allow her best friend, Ahsoka Tano, to be executed for a crime she didn't commit.

Obviously, dying in her friend's place sounded like a more appealing type of death as opposed to just letting her die unjustly. But that didn't mean Barriss had to like it!

She was currently kneeling in her cell, her eyes closed as she attempted to meditate. And her wrists were bound in front of her by a pair of force binders; a device that was meant to keep Force Sensitive prisoners from using the Force to escape. However, the calming peace that usually comes with meditation seemed to elude the unjustly condemned Padawan.

"Why? Why can't I just have a few moments of peace before I die?" Barriss mentally asked herself. "Ahsoka, I know you can't hear me now, but please find it in your heart to forgive me!"

Just thinking about the betrayed and disappointed look on Ahsoka's face as Barriss was hauled off to this place brought a fresh round of tears to the Mirialan's eyes. She knew that she wasn't really the one who did it, but Ahsoka certainly doesn't know that.

Barriss began to cry as she knew that she very well may never be forgiven by her friend. It tore her heart apart as her sobs grew louder and louder.

"Get up, bitch!"

Barriss ceased her cries as she saw admiral Tarkin walk into her cell flanked by two Trandoshans. Trandoshans are a humanoid reptilian species of hunters from the planet Trandosha. One of them had dark green skin and red eyes, and the other had sandy brown skin with a scar over his milky left eye.

Tarkin had this look of smug malice as he didn't even bother to close the ray shield behind him. But then, with goons like those under his command, he really had no need to.

"You and I need to have a little 'chat'." Tarkin said with a sneer.

Barriss began to back up against the wall, not at all liking the way he'd said "chat". Her fears grew even more intense as Tarkin pulled out a type of weapon that hasn't been used in years. A Bowie knife.

"What's going on!? What are you doing with that!?" Barriss asked, panicking.

Tarkin didn't answer. He just motioned for the two Trandoshans to hold her down. Barriss screamed and thrashed about, struggling as best she could, but the two lizard men managed to pin her against the wall with her arms above her head.

"You'd best save your breath, foolish girl. For you see, my superiors want you dead in the goriest way possible." Tarkin explained.

"But why!? What could the military possibly gain from killing a prisoner!?" Barriss asked, trying not to cry.

In response to her question, Tarkin just laughed at her.

"Oh, you poor, deluded girl." He said mockingly. "Whoever said that this was a military operation?"

He knelt down and pressed the blade of the knife to the center of Barriss' face. The poor girl seemed to realize what was about to happen, and doubled her efforts to pull her arms free.

"Not to worry, I'll try to make this as quick and painless as I can." Tarkin said before grinning sadistically. "Oh wait, no I won't!"

Barriss began to whimper as the blade was pressed into her skin, tears freely cascading down her face. And then… there was nothing but pain.

Excruciating, redonculous levels of unbearable pain.

Barriss screamed at the top of her lungs as Tarkin literally skinned her alive, starting with the left half of her face. Several of the inmates began to bang on the ray shields holding them back, demanding that the crazed man take them instead. They may be criminals, but even they knew that this was going WAY too far!

A few of the inmates tried calling for the guards for help, but Tarkin just laughed cruelly as he momentarily stopped cutting off the left half of Barriss' face.

"Save your breath, fools! The guards won't be coming. They're taking a… permanent sleep." Tarkin said, emphasizing the word permanent.

Barriss was no longer screaming as much, but she was still in serious pain. She could feel her blood falling from the severe open wound and pooling around underneath her. But she began to scream anew as Tarkin started to finish the job.

When he had finally finished, Tarkin let the skin fall to the floor. Lucky for Barriss, the sadistic military officer didn't cut off her ear. But is that really lucky?

"See this, Jedi bitch?" Tarkin asked as he held up the skin of Barriss' left face like a trophy. "That's what I will do to the rest of you before your death! But not before I take something even more precious from you."

Even though she was in a world of pain, Barriss began to sob harder than she ever has before as she openly cried. She didn't want her life to end like this!

"Someone… anyone… please help…!"

And it would seem that her silent prayer was answered as Clone Troopers lead by Luminara, Anakin, and Mace Windu, stormed the cell and shot the knife out of Tarkin's hand. The man cried out in pain as he and his goons were apprehended by the armored men.

"Admiral Tarkin, you are under arrest for charges of attempted murder, and assault on a minor!" Captain Cody said as he cuffed the deranged military officer. "You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!"

Of course, Tarkin tried to fend them off, but the clones aren't the best soldiers in the Republic for nothing. They quickly and easily detained the corrupt military officer and his goons.

"Well done, men. Now escort Tarkin and these two Trandoshans to the interrogation cell." Mace ordered. "I want every last bit of information you can get out of them!"

Barriss couldn't even hear the rest of what was going on, as her vision began to grow dim. The last thing she saw before falling unconscious was her master rushing towards her, worry and fear clear on the older woman's face. Barriss could hear her master calling for something, but her voice sounded far too muffled. And then…

Everything. Went. Black!

***Three Days Later…***

Luminara sat by her Padawan's bed in the halls of healing. The poor girl had been unconscious for three days now, and the older Mirialan was worried that the young woman she saw as her own daughter wouldn't survive.

Barriss had bandages wrapped all around her face except for her right eye in order to stop the bleeding, and she had several IV's in her arms to provide her with the necessary nutrients to survive. Her heart rate had remained steady thus far, but even so, Luminara hadn't left Barriss' side except to use the restroom and shower.

As a result, she looked a little worse for ware. There were heavy bags under her eyes, she was a bit pale, and since she currently wasn't wearing her cowl, we can see that her hair was very messy.

For what seemed like the millionth time in the past three days, Luminara took Barriss' hand in hers and gently rubbed her thumb over the girl's knuckles.

"Barriss… why did this have to happen to you, my Padawan?" Luminara asked, not expecting an answer.

"I can answer that."

Luminara looked to see Mace walking into the room, looking even more grim than she'd seen him in a long time. Obviously, he'd gotten some unsavory information out of Tarkin and those Trandoshans during their interrogation.

"It would seem as though we got played. Tarkin was working for Darth Sidious, and was ordered to orchestrate the bombing and Letta's murder. His main objective was to have Ahsoka executed in order to turn Skywalker to the Dark Side, as well as cause distrust to build within the order. Torturing and killing Barriss was nothing more than an added bonus." Mace informed, looking very guilty of his actions during the trial.

"Not only that," said Anakin as he walked in with Ahsoka. "But Tarkin counted on Barriss taking the fall for Ahsoka! He knew that she wouldn't let her best friend die for a crime she didn't commit, and knew that Barriss' "confession" would further break Ahsoka's trust in the order." Anakin informed using air quotes around the word confession.

This new information wasn't very good for Luminara. The already exhausted Jedi was now struggling to hold back her tears as her expression changed from one of worry to one of utter disbelief. Naturally, she did the only thing that her tired mind could think of.

She plopped face first on Barriss' hospital bed in a dead faint.

And while this worried the three Jedi, they knew that such a reaction was bound to happen.

"I'll carry Luminara back to her quarters. Skywalker, you and Tano are needed in the technician's department. They're working on a little something that will help Barriss later on." Mace said as he picked Luminara up bridal style.

"If it's not too much trouble, master Windu, I'd rather stay here a little longer. I want to spend a little more time with Barriss." Ahsoka said, looking to her bandaged friend.

Mace nodded in understanding. He knew that due to the Psychological Trauma, Barriss was going to need all of the emotional support she could get at this time.

"I understand. Take as long as you need, Padawan. Come along, Skywalker."

Anakin nodded and started heading out the door. But before he left, he put a comforting hand on his Padawan's shoulder.

"Just so you know, none of us think any less of you for being afraid or distrustful, Snips." Anakin said.

And with that, he left Ahsoka alone with her unconscious friend. The Togruta sat down in the chair Luminara had been sitting in, and stared sadly at the practically comatose girl. Had she known that Barriss was truly innocent sooner, she could have prevented this from happening. And now, her friend had half of her face literally de-skinned.

"Hi, Barriss. How are you doing?" Ahsoka asked in an attempt to break the ice with her unconscious friend.

The only response she got was the steady beeps of her heart monitor. It was enough to make Ahsoka close her eyes and lower her head in shame.

"Stupid question, I know. You must be in so much pain right now, and it's all my fault! I shouldn't have walked away from the order in the first place! If I'd only stayed with the Jedi when they offered me my rank back, this wouldn't have happened to you!"

Ahsoka's shoulders began to shake as she released a silent sob. Tears began to escape from her eyes as she thought back to how she recently rejoined the order, and heard how they discovered Barriss' innocence in this matter. And after seeing what Tarkin did to her on the security tapes, it nearly drove her insane!

"Barriss… I'm so sorry!" Ahsoka wheezed out through her sobs. "I know you can't hear me right now, but I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess! You took the fall for me, and look what happened to you! I beg of you, find it in your heart to forgive me!"

Ahsoka was now loudly crying into her hands, thinking that Barriss would never forgive her for what happened to her. However, she was broken from her tear fest when she felt someone grab her hand in their own.

She looked up to see that Barriss was now awake, and holding her hand.

"Ahsoka… please don't… blame… yourself." Barriss managed to say.

Talking hurt, as her face hasn't recovered from having half of its skin removed. And it was seeing her friend in pain that helped Ahsoka pull herself together and help her friend.

"Shh, don't talk now, Barriss. I don't want you to be in any more pain than you've already went through." Ahsoka ordered. "Let me go get your master, and she can help heal you."

"No…!" Barriss said as Ahsoka got up to leave. "Please stay! I don't… want to be alone!"

Even though Ahsoka knew that Barriss needed to rest, she could tell that the Mirialan was too scared to be alone. And quite frankly, she didn't blame her. Ahsoka would be too if she went through what Barriss did, then she'd be terrified of everything and everyone.

"Alright, Barriss. I'll stay." Ahsoka relented.

Barriss sighed in relief as fresh tears began to fall from her visible eye.

"You came back… I'm so sorry…" Barriss sobbed.

"About what?" Ahsoka asked, confused by her friend's apology.

"Sorry that I forced you into leaving the order with my false confession." Barriss clarified. "If I hadn't been so stupid as to do that, then…"

"Barriss, listen to me." Ahsoka said, cutting her friend off. "None of this is in any way your fault! Even if you hadn't given that false confession, I probably would've left the order anyway. The council nearly shattered all of my trust in them and the Jedi that day, and had it not been for Anakin, I would've been gone forever."

Ahsoka took Barriss' hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"You're my closest friend, Barriss. You're like the big sister I've always wanted, and I could never hate you!"

The dam finally burst as Barriss began to cry again. Only this time, they were tears of joy. Ahsoka wrapped her friend/surrogate sister in a comforting hug, and the crying girl hugged back as best she could with the IV needles in her arms.

***Meanwhile: Council Chambers…***

The entirety of the Jedi Council (sans Luminara) were gathered to discuss a single topic. Tarkin's actions towards Barriss Offee.

The rest of the masters on the council were well aware of what had happened to the poor girl, and were absolutely appalled by that sleemo's actions. It honestly made people like Grievous, Dooku, and even Sidious look like saints in comparison.

"An animal, that man is." Yoda said grimly. "Great darkness, I sense in the Republic. But hard to pinpoint, it is."

"Indeed. I have sensed it as well, but I find myself unable to locate its source." Master Mundi said in agreement.

"Yes, and if what Tarkin said in that security footage is true, then it means that Barriss is not safe here at the Temple." Obi-Wan added, stroking his beard. "Not right now, at least."

The rest of the council nodded in agreement. Barriss was already practically scarred for life, and just wasn't safe in the temple anymore. They needed to do something about that quickly, before any more assassins come after her!

"But what can we do?" Shaak Ti asked. "We can't just expell her from the order. All that would do is make her an easier target for whoever it is that wants her dead. Not to mention, it would more than likely cause more distrust in us from the other Padawans."

"Master Ti is right. We need to find a safer location to send Offee to live and train, until we can put an end to this threat." Master Secura added in agreement.

"I may have the solution."

The council looked up to see Anakin walking in with something held in his hand. It looked like a mask that was meant to cover the left side of the face. It was decorated to look like part of a Dragon's face, but at the same time, it looked incredibly high tech.

"I apologize for interrupting, masters, but I thought that master Windu would like to know that the mask is completed." Anakin said.

"Excellent. That mask will most certainly help speed along Padawan Offee's healing process." Mace said. "Now, you were saying something about a solution to our current dilemma?"

"Yes, well, we were recently sent a few Duel Monster cards of a new type of summoning style known as Synchro Summoning. The president and owner of Industrial Illusions, Maximilian Pegasus, wants us to give these cards to one of our Padawans and have that Padawan sent to Duel Academy to test these new cards." Anakin explained. "I think that we should send Barriss to Duel Academy in order to not only test these cards, but to also keep her safe until we know what it is that we're really up against."

The other masters were quite surprised by this offer, but it was actually the silver lining they were looking for.

"That's not a bad idea, Anakin. In fact, I think it just might work!" Obi-Wan said.

"Indeed. Now, what exactly are the names of these 'Synchro' cards that you mentioned?" Mace asked.

"So far we have Junk Warrior, Nitro Warrior, Turbo Warrior, Jet Warrior, Junk Guardna, and a card known as Stardust Dragon. Mister Pegasus also sent a few monsters that are necessary for Synchro summons. Monsters called Tuners." Anakin explained as he took the cards out of his spare deck case.

"Decided then, it is. Enrol Padawan Offee into Duel Academy, we shall. Keep her safe and help her recover, this surely will." Yoda said, sensing no objections from his fellow council members. "Adjourned, this meeting is. Alert Padawan Offee of her new assignment tomorrow, we will."

And with that, the gathered Jedi went their separate ways with Anakin heading to the halls of healing. Partly to visit Barriss, and partly to help her build her deck.

***To Be Continued…***

Okay, now I'm going to be focusing on Trials of a Sith for awhile. I won't be updating anything else until it reaches its seventh chapter.

And remember, I'll only post another chapter for this story if it gets at least seven reviews. So be sure to leave your thoughts and any constructive criticism you may have!