So I watched the Season 5 finale...
Wow. Just wow.
For those of you who are adamant that recent cartoons can't be emotional...just watch that last episode. That ending was...unexpected. I mean, I knew something had to happen to Ahsoka, but I didn't think (SPOILER AHEAD) she would actually leave the Order. She just seemed so dedicated to the Jedi.
But I can see why she left. The council (minus Obi-Wan and Plo Koon) didn't even defend her innocence; they just went with the evidence which was suspicious to begin with and handed her over to Captain Tarkin (yes, that Tarkin) so she could be put on trial. And to make matters worse, it was her best friend who framed her... :(
And Anakin! We all know how badly he reacts to losing his loved ones; he spent the entire episode on a roaring rampage of revenge, threatening to kill Ventress if her information was wrong, and really letting Barriss have it when he fought her. And all for nothing when Ahsoka leaves...
OK, I'll stop talking about the episode. But it inspired me to write this next chapter (which references the episode). I hope you all enjoy it...and I really hope Hondo's in character. I love the guy, but he's annoying to write.
Funeral for the Jedi
Katooni placed the final candle down around the small pyre she had made, before settling herself upon her knees as she closed her eyes. The pyre before her had no body; instead the lightsabers of her friends rested upon it, with many candles circling as a substitute for burning the pyre itself.
It wasn't a proper funeral, like the ones she had attended at the Temple – which had become too frequent during the Clone Wars – but it would have to do. She wanted to hold one; the Jedi Order deserved something to help send them off into the warm embrace of the Force.
That thought made things bearable; the many members of the Jedi, her friends included, were now resting in the Force. She only wished they could have gone...under more peaceful circumstances.
The young Jedi ignored the laughter and the gunshots of the pirates in the main hall, who were drinking in celebration of the profit that had been made in selling the crystals. Each and every pirate was in attendance there...except for one.
And Katooni knew which one, because he had entered the room and was standing behind her in silence.
"You don't have to be here," she told him. "Go and celebrate with your men. You deserve to; whether you want to admit it or not, you did a good thing. Now those Holocrons can stay out of the hands of the Sith."
Hondo sighed before he took a seat next to her.
"That thought never crossed my mind," he told her. "And don't get me wrong; I know what it feels like to lose comrades. I've lost...many good men."
"You seemed to treat it like a business expense before," said Katooni, remembering that time when Hondo – who had been talking to Obi-Wan – had listed the death of his men among the cost of fuel and loss of weapons after escaping Grievous.
"There's one rule in this business, and it's one I stick to," Hondo informed her. "No one can know what's on your inside. If there's a weakness in there, people can take advantage of it. Not that I have any of that soft...squishiness in me."
Katooni rolled her eyes at his last statement.
"Then why am I still here?" she questioned.
"I could use a Jedi," he replied without hesitation – as if he'd been waiting for the question, and had rehearsed the answer many times.
The young Jedi decided to leave it at that. She knew that was the best she was going to get out of him; he was keeping up appearances, and the girl felt she should go along with it. For now.
"So what did you want to tell me?" she asked.
Hondo looked both surprised and confused at first.
"Oh, right, Jedi," he realized; he'd been certain he hadn't mentioned wanting to tell her something. "Well...I'm not exactly sure how to put this..."
"Just come right out and say it," said Katooni. "Believe me, things can't get any worse than they are now."
"That Sith was Skywalker."
She froze. Her blue eyes stared at Hondo as she looked for signs that he was lying, but after finding none, she searched through the Force and realized that he was telling the truth. The girl looked away, unsure what to say or what to think for the moments that followed.
"That...that can't be right," she stammered, despite what the Force had told her. "He was the Hero With No Fear. He was against the Sith most of all. He even caught a rogue Jedi right in front of us."
"He did?"
She nodded.
"There was an explosion in the Temple, and Ahsoka was framed for it," Katooni explained. "Master Skywalker believed she was innocent and tracked down the real culprit; it turned out to be another Padawan named Barriss Offee. He chased her, and they ended up outside near where I was in lightsaber training with the others. Master Skywalker took her into custody, and Ahsoka was cleared of her charges...but her trust in the Jedi must have been shaken by what happened, because straight afterwards she left the Order."
Remembering back to what had happened that day – and also recalling how close Master Skywalker had been to his Padawan – Katooni wondered if this had turned Anakin to the dark side. He certainly hadn't been the same afterwards. She also began to wonder if Ahsoka was alive somewhere, considering she was out of the way of the war and thus the Clone Troopers when the Jedi were killed.
Hondo was silent for a few minutes until he rose to his feet.
"I'll leave you, if that's what you want," he told her, turning to go.
In that moment Katooni realized she didn't want to be alone, and immediately rose to stop him.
"Wait!" she called, and when Hondo turned and sent her a raised eyebrow, the girl withdrew the hand she had outstretched towards him. "I mean...you can stay if you want. But you don't have to."
She quickly turned and sat herself down again, trying to hide her embarrassment. The young Jedi knew that if she wanted to fit in with these pirates, she needed to keep her feelings buried deep, like Hondo said. She wouldn't be getting anything in return if she showed them, so there was no use in showing them altogether.
But to her surprise, Hondo sat himself back down again and didn't leave until she had long fallen asleep.
Please review and tell me if that was OK. And also feel free to tell me what you all thought of the episode ;)
