Ahsoka looked dumbfounded at her friend. She couldn't believe what she, Barriss Offee, had just suggested they do. She was the most peaceful person Ahsoka knew.
"Wait, hold on. Where did you even get an idea like this?" Ahsoka asked once she could form a complete thought.
"Well, every day I see all of those protestors outside of the Temple and it just makes me think about what we are really doing, fighting this war. We don't so much want to protect the people of the Republic as we want to stay in good standing with the Republic. It just feels like the wrong reason to fight a war," Barriss answered, looking Ahsoka in the eye, completely sure of herself.
Ahsoka took a moment to consider this, it did make sense now that someone had said it aloud. It almost felt like something of a confirmation of her own thoughts about why they were fighting. But she didn't want to betray this realization quite yet because the idea that Barriss proposed was still bad, not to mention dangerous. "I see where you're coming from, but I don't think that warrants what you want to do," Ahsoka countered.
"But nothing else will work! If we try to go through the Senate it will take years for them to discuss it, much less make a decision! And then the Jedi Council won't do a thing either because they are all too wrapped up in the politics of the war!" Barriss cried, throwing up her hands in exasperation.
"Okay, calm down," Ahsoka told her, "I understand that it is hard to see an end point here, but we are fighting the corrupt Separatists remember. They hurt people who stand for freedom and justice, I've seen it firsthand. Contrary to what you're saying we do have a point in this war, we're not just soldiers."
"Yes, I suppose," Barriss sighed, looking resigned from the conversation. "I just want all this struggle to have a meaning at least."
"Yes, and it does, you know that the Jedi wouldn't fight in this war if it wasn't worth fighting," Ahsoka responded, hoping she sounded comforting.
"I think I'm going to bed," Barriss replied, clearly ending the conversation.
"Okay," Ahsoka said as she got up to leave Barriss' room, "just don't do anything too crazy while I'm asleep, okay?" She tried to put a little humor into her voice.
"Ha-ha, don't worry about me," Barriss laughed as Ahsoka closed the door, "Night."
The next morning in the breakfast hall Ahsoka was eating at a table by herself, waiting for Barriss as she did every morning, but found herself waiting longer than usual for her friend to show up. Eventually she left without seeing Barriss because she had to get to training on time. Throughout the day she kept on expecting to see Barriss places, at lunch, at group meditation, but she was nowhere to be found and no one knew where she was either. With what Barriss had told her the night before, all Ahsoka could do was worry about what her friend was doing.
Finally, after dinner Ahsoka went to Barriss' room and found her there studying. Ahsoka was relieved to find her doing something normal.
"So where were you all day?" Ahsoka asked, trying not to sound too curious.
"Um just here and there, I wasn't feeling all that great so I stayed in my room most of the just working on stuff," Barriss answered coolly, not looking away from her work.
"Oh, okay. Well I'm sorry you didn't feel well, I was looking for you all day," Ahsoka said, trying to sound supportive towards her friend.
Barriss just shrugged and continued with her work. Ahsoka played with something on her desk as an awkward silent moment settled between them, unsure of what to say. "So, what about that grand plan of yours?"
Barriss laughed and looked up from her work, "Oh, that? Pretty sure that was just induced by the huge amounts of caffeine that was in my system from pulling an all-nighter."
"I want to believe you Barriss, but I know you and that is not true, don't lie to me," Ahsoka replied swiftly, feeling hurt by her friend lying to her.
A look of shame flashed across Barriss' face, "Okay, I was serious in wanting to do something, but you brought some good points up as well and you made me think over it again. I still want to do something-"
"No that!"
"No, not that don't worry, but something. Can you help me figure out something a bit…what's the word…?"
"Less destructive?" Ahsoka suggested with a smile.
"Yes, a bit less destructive. That sounds about right." Barriss agreed wholeheartedly.
"Well tomorrow's our day off, let's plan then!" Ahsoka exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly.
"Okay, okay, but I need to study now! Good night!" Barriss replied shooing Ahsoka out of the room.
Ahsoka woke to a banging on her door and answered it to find an extremely excited Barriss on the other side of it.
"Morning," Ahsoka mumbled rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes.
"Morning!" Barriss responded in a sing-songy voice.
"Let me guess," Ahsoka managed through a yawn, "You came up with a plan?"
"Yes I did! And it's so good! Not at all like the one I suggested to you before…ha-ha…"Barriss trailed off in embarrassment.
"Okay, lay it on me," Ahsoka said, trying for enthusiasm this early in the morning.
"Well, you know how I feel about the Jedi becoming so political in this war and what we're really doing by fighting this war right?" Barriss asked Ahsoka, a little more tentatively than her previous tone.
"Yes, I do."
"Okay, well what if we make them realize out point of view?" Barriss said with a sly smile inching its way across her face.
"Okay…and how would we do that?" Ahsoka asked, a little afraid of what she would suggest now.
"Well I have been thinking, I want to make a powerful, memorable statement, but without hurting anyone right?" Ahsoka nodded for her to continue, "Right, so I was thinking that we get one of those old, beaten-up gunships out of the junkyard and burn it outside of the temple?"
"Well let's make sure it won't explode and kill someone first how about," Ahsoka retorted quickly,
"Well, yeah, duh," Barriss said as if that part were obvious.
"Okay, well we could figure out logistics and stuff easily, but how will the Senate and the Jedi Council understand what we're trying to tell them?" Ahsoka asked, curious to hear more about her friend's plan.
"Okay, well I was thinking that we get some Separatist droid and a dummy in clone armor and put them near the gunship as if they are holding onto each other. And then we spray paint on the ground near them 'End the War on the Republic,'" Barriss explained as her friend listened with an unreadable look on her face.
"Okay, where are we putting this whole scene again?" Ahsoka asked, almost as if she was trying to dodge giving her approval.
"In front of the main entrance of the Senate building," Barriss answered.
Ahsoka nodded, "Well, I think it would make a statement alright, but do you want it to be anonymous?"
"No, I want people to know that there are some Jedi who oppose the war," Barriss said with confidence rising in her voice as she said each word.
"Okay," Ahsoka said slowly, as if she was still trying to make a decision, "I'm in."
"Really?" Barriss almost screamed, "Yes! I knew you would like this plan! I knew it!"
"Ha-ha yeah, now when did you want to do this?" Ahsoka asked while trying to calm down her friend.
"Well the Senate is having a session to discuss whether or not they need to make new clones for the war effort in two days, so it should be there that morning I think," Barriss said matter-of-factly.
"Gotcha," Ahsoka nodded, "Well then we better get started!"
The two girls immediately started to get supplies, Ahsoka to find an old gunship and Barriss to get clone armor and an old droid. By the end of the day, they had everything except for the gasoline to light the fire.
"Well we can get the gasoline tomorrow easily enough, and then we are all ready," Barriss said trying to hide the fear in her voice with happiness.
"Yeah, no problem," Ahsoka responded, "But for now, I am going to sleep, night!"
"Night," Barriss whispered to Ahsoka's back as she walked away.
The next day passed and Ahsoka got the gasoline they needed, and their plan was in place, ready to go. Barriss quietly knocked on Ahsoka's door a little after three in the morning, their signal to start their plan. Barriss left the Temple and headed towards the storage closet where they stored the broken-down droid and the clone dummy. Ahsoka was heading towards the junk yard and loaded the beat-up gunship onto a loading platform to be taken to the Senate building.
The two young Jedi met outside of the Senate building and set everything up according to their plan just as the sun was starting to rise across the horizon.
Ahsoka looked at Barriss and quietly said to her, "Are you ready to be heard?"
Barriss just tossed the match onto the gunship and once the flames blazed to life she smiled and whispered to the fire, "Yes."
The next day the city was flooded with reports of some strange spectacle outside of the Senate building, with most of them saying that it was meant as an opposition to the Clone Wars against the Separatists. The Jedi Council was just as confused as the Chancellor himself. Only two young Jedi knew the answer and they were certainly not going to share the information they knew.
But this one act inspired millions across Coruscant to start protesting the Clone Wars and soon the movement was sweeping across systems, traveling by word of mouth and on the Holonet even reaching the Outer Rim.