Aftermath of an Injustice
A Star Wars: The Clone Wars fan fiction.
By Count Mallet.
Spoiler Alert: This is a continuation of the Season Five finale from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It picks up immediately where the final episode leaves off.
As Ahsoka's distinct silhouette disappeared from view of the Jedi Temple, she realized she made one small mistake with her quick departure. She realized she left what few material possessions she owned in her now-formerly shared quarters with Anakin.
"It's okay, I have no desire to go back for them anyways. It can be a symbol of my fresh start, whatever that may be," she thought to herself. She wasn't sure what she'd do now – or how she might defend herself from her enemies – but she was sure she'd figure out something.
"I failed her... we failed her," Obi-Wan Kenobi said to himself as he meditated in his own quarters.
"No, you didn't, Obi-Wan. You did everything I hoped you'd do. You have nothing to be ashamed of," a disembodied voice said in reply.
"But Master, Ahsoka was one of the top padawans since Anakin. And now we don't have her anymore. I tried to stand up for her, but nobody else supported her," Obi-Wan protested.
"Don't worry about her, Obi-Wan. The Force will always be with her, even if she follows a new path. You have a new focus now. The Dark Side is slowly asserting itself. Remain vigilant," Qui-Gon's voice replied.
"I still don't understand you, Master, but I will try to do as you say," Obi-Wan stated. He then closed his eyes to reflect on his master's newest warning.
"Sometimes, I wish he didn't speak so cryptically," Obi-Wan thought.
As he returned to his own quarters, the Jedi Master Plo Koon could only shake his head in disbelief. His Little Soka was a Jedi no more... and he was partly to blame for it. He could only hope Ahsoka was too stunned to hear the faulty conclusion he presented to the council. Yes, Ahsoka was found with the nanodroids, but she was also found injured before she was stunned. That didn't make sense now. If she was behind the plot and Wolffe merely stunned her without incident, how did she get injured? If only he reported that they found the nanodroids and Ahsoka's injured self. Perhaps that would have been a better and more accurate description of the incident.
As Plo reached his own quarters, he felt more anguish. He felt a strong desire to right his wrong. Unfortunately, there was no way to do that now. Ahsoka was long gone. And knowing her, she was traumatized so much by the ordeal, she'd choose to go as far away from Coruscant as possible. This fact made it difficult – if not impossible – to make amends with her. This was something that would undoubtedly gnaw at Plo for some time to come.
Master Yoda carefully strolled over to the window in his own quarters. His glance shifted from all the air traffic zooming across Coruscant to what little he could make out at ground level.
"Lost a skilled padawan, we did, today," he thought to himself. His own anguish was obvious when Ahsoka refused her padawan beads and walked away.
He couldn't help but reflect on Ahsoka as a post-gathering initiate. She was a bit bold and brash for her age, but also incredibly skilled. Naturally, he had to assign her to Anakin – to give him a taste of what he was like as a padawan. Although he wasn't sure the pairing had worked as he had hoped, it was obvious the two had a strong bond... one that was hard to break. Undoubtedly, Anakin would have a difficult time dealing with this decision; it had been difficult enough even before today.
Yoda's thoughts shifted to another matter.
"More clouded, our judgment is becoming. Correct, the young padawan was. Becoming stronger, is the dark side?" Yoda mused to himself.
He then slowly walked over to his seating pod. Perhaps meditation would offer more insight into the matter.
Jedi, especially Jedi Masters were supposed to control their emotions and keep them in balance. Normally, this was easy for one particular master.
Shaak Ti could no longer contain her disappointment, however.
Some of Ahsoka's past behaviors concerned Master Ti. Yet, she believed the teen showed promise and would make a good Jedi some day. She even envisioned Ahsoka becoming a master and eventually succeeding her as the next Togruta on the Jedi Council.
But now, any hope of that was gone. Master Ti was an enigma for her species. She was more quiet and serene as compared to Ahsoka's own aggressive personality. But now, Master Ti realized her silence hurt Ahsoka more than it ever helped. While she voted against expelling Ahsoka, she never spoke up on her behalf. Now, her actions – or lack thereof – were coming back to haunt her.
Suddenly, Master Ti opened her eyes. She realized there was one other hope for her people. She quickly stood up, stepped into her sandals, and left her quarters. She decided to make a surprise visit to the Bear Clan. It was too late to support Ahsoka now, but it wasn't too late to support the initiate Ashla, the only other Togruta youngling in the order.
As all this transpired at the temple, Anakin sought out and found Tarkin. He was busy reviewing datapads and flimsiplast sheets of some nature. It wasn't until Anakin cleared his throat that Tarkin looked up from his desk.
"General Skywalker. What can I do for you?" he asked before noticing something peculiar. "Where's Tano? Wasn't she made your padawan again?" he asked curiously.
"Ahsoka has left the Jedi Order – no thanks to what you did to her!" Anakin snapped.
"Oh, that is most unfortunate. But you understand I had no choice, right. All the evidence pointed to her," Tarkin replied.
"But you pursued her relentlessly and demanded the Council turn their backs on her. They gave her to you on a silver platter. You would have executed her yourself if it wasn't for the fact she was entitled to a trial. Let's be honest, Tarkin. You had it out for her since the day you met her!" Anakin growled. The mission at The Citadel was still fresh in his mind. Ahsoka did disobey him by stowing away on the mission. However, her presence proved invaluable. With Even Piell fatally wounded, he was able to share his half of the Nexus Route coordinates with her. Tarkin, however seemed ungrateful, even after Ahsoka saved him from death on that mission.
"It's hard to have much respect for teen padawans. What do they know about war?" Tarkin replied bluntly.
"My padawan saved your life, and you thank her by pursuing her with false accusations?" Anakin yelled.
"But what about the evidence?" Tarkin pleaded. Anakin's anger started to scare him.
"Oh, about that," Anakin replied calmly. "I actually reviewed the holovideo where you claim Ahsoka Force-choked Letta. There's one small problem. Look here," he said as he showed the footage to Tarkin. "Her hands are totally open. A Jedi can't Force-choke someone with an open hand. If this was your big evidence against her, you never did have a case against her. No wonder you didn't want the Jedi to scrutinize the video and defend her," Anakin explained.
"I don't believe that. She still could have choked her," Tarkin stated indifferently.
Anakin extended his right hand and kept it open. "Let me show you. You're not choking now, are you?" he asked Tarkin.
"Well, no. But you're not trying," Tarkin replied.
"But if I slowly close my fingers like this..." Anakin trailed off before slightly closing his fist. Now, Tarkin found himself gasping for breath.
"What... what are you... doing? You're mad! I... ought to... report you to the Council," Tarkin said between gasps for air.
"Go ahead. After what your false accusations did to Ahsoka, you lost your credibility with the Council. They wouldn't believe you if you said today ended with the letter 'Yirt,'" Anakin replied calmly. He then opened his fist. "Now you know what a Force-choke looks – and feels – like," he added tersely.
Tarkin coughed as his throat filled with air again. He wanted to report Anakin's behavior, but he had a feeling the Jedi Council did in fact lose their confidence in him.
"See to it you never falsely accuse, interrogate, or mistreat a prisoner ever again! The Jedi don't take kindly to those behaviors," Anakin said as he walked out the door. He may never see Ahsoka again. But, he at least made his feelings know about Tarkin's improper accusations and treatment of her. As far as Anakin was concerned, no Jedi deserved to go through Ahsoka's ordeal.
Meanwhile, at the prison, Barriss was locked up in a cell. Ironically, it was the same cell that recently held Ahsoka.
Barriss sat and shook her head. She never thought she would be imprisoned. But she didn't know what to think anymore, thanks to the never-ending Clone Wars.
After she was knighted, Barriss was eager to work as a Jedi healer. Initially, she took pride in healing injured clones and helping them recover and rejoin their fellow brothers. However, recent skirmishes saw more troops deployed and more injuries. While it was always a pleasure to treat minor injuries, Barriss found it difficult to treat clones with serious injuries, especially those clones that lost limbs.
What bothered Barriss most was the fact some Jedi saw their clones as nothing more than expendable war machinery. Yes, Masters Kenobi, Koon, and Skywalker were some exceptions to her observation. However, it bothered her greatly to know most Jedi didn't care about the clones' well-being. She tried to address it with her immediate supervisor. Unfortunately, her superior recited something about injuries "being a harsh reality of war," and coldly dismissed Barriss' concerns.
Recently, though, the Chancellor came to visit their medical station. Sure, he made a small speech praising the healers for their role in the war and their service to the Republic. He even spoke to some recovering clones and complimented their bravery. Barriss found herself curious if he would listen to her concerns, so she asked to meet him one-on-one. Although he spoke vaguely, he thanked her for voicing her concerns. He told her that if she felt so strongly, she needed to express her concerns in a way that somebody would take notice.
That's when the plan slowly hatched. Why not bomb a hangar in the Jedi Temple? Maybe injured Jedi and civilians would make the council realize that the casualties of war affected everyone.
Barriss planned the bombing carefully with the help of Letta Thurmond and her unsuspecting husband. He worked in a hangar staffed largely by civilians. There would be few Jedi or Republic officials there. In Barriss' mind, this was the perfect target.
But even thought out plans have a way of backfiring.
Barriss allowed for the fact some victims might die. But, she would be busy healing injured Jedi that she figured she'd be seen as a hero while Letta took the fall.
Unfortunately, Jedi died in the explosion. Barriss never intended for that to happen. When she learned Tutso Mara was one of the casualties, she was devastated. True, he helped her with her early lightsaber skills. But, he also offered her moral support as an initiate and even hinted she may have some sort of affinity for helping people with the Force. Knowing she had killed him was very haunting and she struggled with her feelings. Sure, the Jedi Code stressed letting go and having no attachments. Her own master was set to accept her death on Geonosis after all. Nevertheless, Barriss was conflicted. Her training, the Jedi Code, and her desire to mourn a departed colleague pulled her mind in different directions.
Further complicating matters was the investigation. With the Jedi spread so thin due to the war, Barriss anticipated a Jedi so pressed for time that only a cursory investigation would be conducted. In that case, the Jedi would likely conclude Letta and her husband held anti-Jedi sentiments. Those growing sentiments would make a good rationale for the bombing.
But no. Anakin Skywalker, who was known for doggedly pursuing the truth behind actions, would lead the investigation. If anyone could trace the bombing back to Barriss, it would be him. Additionally, Ahsoka would likely be horrified to know her peer had orchestrated such an act.
"If only she killed me when I begged her to while I was infected by the brainworm," Barriss thought. She was initially grateful Ahsoka chose to spare her life. However, she made up her mind to show Ahsoka the error in forming attachments to anyone.
It was easy to convince Tarkin that Letta was a Republic prisoner and should be taken to the Republic Jail. As Letta was escorted away, Barriss made sure to remind her about Ahsoka's role in the investigation. From there, it was easy to sneak into the prison after Ahsoka responded to Letta's request to meet her. Barriss was able to Force-choke Letta with nobody even knowing she was in the prison. From there, it was easy to strike down the clone guards as they neither expected her nor her lightsabers in the secured portion of the jail. To an outsider, it would look as if Ahsoka had gone rogue. Barriss even made sure Captain Rex gave an order contrary to Anakin's, thanks to her skills in Force persuasion.
She figured that would be enough to keep the Jedi off her trail. They would discover Ahsoka never did Force-choke Letta and that Ahsoka was still imprisoned when three clones were struck down. The lack of time to figure out what really happened would mean Ahsoka would be vindicated and Barriss would never be outed as the real mastermind.
Once again, though, Ahsoka ruined that hope when she leaped into Coruscant's underworld to seek the truth. At this point, Barriss didn't care what happened to Ahsoka, so she made sure to lead her to the warehouse to where the nanodroids were being hidden. Barriss thought her own ambush of Ventress and stealing her armor and weapons was just icing on the cake. It was widely-known that Ahsoka and Ventress were bitter enemies. Now, Ventress could take the fall instead of herself.
Barriss didn't even care that Ahsoka faced the death penalty. "That's the price you pay for forming attachments," Barriss thought indifferently.
Sadly, though, Anakin and his pursuit of the truth would ruin things once and for all. She didn't expect Ventress to listen in on her conversation with Ahsoka. Nor did she expect Anakin to come after her like an enraged mad man. As Barriss felt Anakin pick her up with the Force, she swore she sensed darkness swirling in him as he slammed her into a tree. This only reinforced her opinion that the Jedi were so corrupt that they no longer knew what they were doing or the purpose for which they fought.
Barriss stood up and paced around the perimeter of her cell. No, she wasn't expecting to be here. But she figured the Republic would be set to execute her soon enough. She already confessed in front of the Chancellor with millions watching on their holovision sets. There was no need for any type of trial as her own words sealed her fate.
Barriss had no idea that Ahsoka had chosen to leave the Order and never come back. Now that everyone knew Ahsoka was innocent, Barriss could only hope Ahsoka wouldn't hold a grudge. She hoped Ahsoka would realize that Barriss only wished to warn her that corruption was everywhere and closer to her than she may realize.
Oddly, Barriss wondered what Chancellor Palpatine would say if he knew she did this in response to his own statement to her. ▄
Acknowledgments: Very special thanks to George Lucas, Lucasfilm Limited, and the Disney Company for the Star Wars franchise. Without it, this story wouldn't exist.
Special thanks go to LadyMarissaGarmadon. She pointed out via private message how Ahsoka never had a closed hand when trying to free Letta from the Force-choke. I decided to use that detail here.
Commentary: I've already made it clear how I dislike the finale arc's ending. However, I've been curious what we might see if there was time to show what happened immediately after Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Temple in tears. I'm sure council members such as Master Windu and Master Tiin would have no remorse whatsoever. However, I think other members would realize they screwed up and trashed an innocent person's reputation in the process – with no way to right the wrong.
I also felt there needed to be a confrontation between Anakin and Tarkin. Not only does it set the stage for Episode III, but it shows Anakin's own duality. Here, he hates Tarkin's tactics. Later, as Darth Vader, he comes to appreciate them, embrace them, and encourage them.
Finally, I wanted to offer more of a reason for Barriss' actions. The fans deserve some sort of reasonable explanation as to why Barriss did what she did. Seeing the horrors of war on a daily basis led to her growing disillusion. The fact that nobody would listen to her concerns or talk about them would only serve to further embitter the young healer and sour her on the Jedi way.
Today is my birthday, so consider this a gift from me to you.