Chapter 29 – Reflections in The Ice
I'm finally done with these chapters. They've taking a lot of time, but there was a lot to write for them.
Barriss, Nyla and the younglings arrive on Ilum to face the Gathering, but there is someone else there as well.
;-
Barriss Offee smiled as she sat onboard the Order's ship headed towards Ilum. She and Nyla were calmly sitting in the ships general quarters, peacefully enjoying a drink, as they watched some of the younglings nervously fret around the ship.
Both Nyla and her had gotten a bit creative in answering the questions of the younglings had while not giving them the answers they wanted to have. They were all incredibly eager to build their own lightsabers, they were rather nervous about what they would encounter on Ilum. They had asked the two padawans who had already been there about what to expect, but neither Barriss nor Nyla was going to tell them anything.
Master Yoda was also on board the ship. After that mess with Hondo Ohnaka that could have led to Ahsoka's death or maybe something worse, he thought it was better if he traveled with the younglings to prevent a repeat of that incident.
Barriss had to admit, with the things she had heard about the pirate Hondo Ohnaka, she was a bit curious to see how he would react to suddenly encountering the Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. It would be an interesting sight to behold.
Master Yoda might be on board, but he had settled himself in one of the smaller rooms of the ship to meditate. A number of younglings had stood outside his door hoping to ask him something, but none of them had dared to disturb him. They would simply have to wait and see what they would encounter on Ilum.
If she was honest, Barriss was feeling rather anxious herself. She could sense that despite her calm appearance, Nyla was feeling the same. They had both been through some very rough times. Nyla with being captured and tortured and her with the whole mess involving being forcefully turned to the Dark Side. Considering how the Force always tested those that came to Ilum, she suspected that they would both have a challenging time there. Still, she was determined to see it all through. She would overcome it, just like she had promised Ahsoka, her master and herself.
;-
Their journey had been completed and the ship had just landed on Ilum. Barriss and Nyla had just lead the younglings to the ships docking ramp.
"Alright young ones, if you could all grab your thick clothes and put them on," Barriss told the eager group. "We'll definitely be needing those." They all went to get their clothes almost immediately.
"Yeah, unfortunately you're right Barriss," Nyla replied with a slight shiver. "I'm glad that I managed to get a better robe before we left Coruscant. My old one always left too much of my lekku exposed in cold weather. I'm really grateful that Master Secura helped me out with that."
"I usually don't mind the cold," Barriss said. "But the weather here is a bit too much for me." Nyla shook her head with some amusement as the younglings started coming back.
A few minutes later all of the younglings had gathered again and Master Yoda joined the group. "Time to go it is, young ones," he told the group. "Come come, to the cave, we will go." He signaled Nyla who nodded in turn. She activated the boarding ramp and it started to open up, a strong icy gust immediately blowing into the ship. Barriss was glad that they had the foresight of closing the other doors so that the snow wouldn't be blown everywhere inside the ship.
When the ramp had fully descended, Barriss and Nyla walked down first, followed by Master Yoda and the younglings. They paused at the bottom of the ramp. "Over there, our destination is," Yoda told the younglings as he pointed at the ridge of ice where the entrance of the cave was.
Barriss looked out over the icy plains of Ilum as Master Yoda told the younglings a few things. She felt that the storm wasn't as bad as the last time she was here as a youngling herself.
As she let her gaze wander around, there was a sudden tremor through the Force that caught her attention. As she tried to find its origins, a loud rumbling was heard through the blizzard. She immediately turned in the direction of the sound, only to freeze in shock as she saw the entrance to the crystal cave collapse.
"Master Yoda, someone has opened the caves!" Barriss immediately called to the Grandmaster. Her words shocked everyone quite a bit.
Master Yoda looked over at the cave. "Towards the cave, we will go," he told the group. "Enter I will, to see our guests. Padawan Offee, watch over everyone, you will. If tell you to leave, I do, lead everyone back to the ship and return to Coruscant, you will."
Barriss was a bit uneasy by what he said, but replied nonetheless. "Yes Master."
;-
"Don't worry young ones, it'll be fine," Nyla tried to calm the younglings a little. "Master Yoda is the strongest Jedi there is, he'll be alright."
Barriss kept her attention on the cave while Nyla looked over the younglings. She had no idea who could possibly have entered the cave before them. No one outside the Order was supposed to know how to enter. "Could it be Count Dooku?" she wondered. "Could he be trying to destroy the crystal site of the Order? No, I can't sense any Dark Side users nearby. And he would probably just have Grievous destroy half the planet from space." She had no idea what was going on and she would just have to wait for whatever message Master Yoda would give.
After a short moment, her comlink went off. "Enter you all can, nothing to fear, there is," Master Yoda's voice said over the transmission.
She nodded over at Nyla. The Twi'Lek nodded back and turned her attention to the younglings. "Alright young ones, let's go inside," she told the group. Nyla began to lead the younglings into the cave. Barriss followed behind the group. As they walked into the large circular chamber, they were greeted by the 4 large statues of Jedi and the numerous obelisks that stood in the chamber, as well as a very familiar orange-skinned Togruta.
"Barriss, how nice to see you," Ahsoka greeted her.
"Ahsoka," Barriss replied in surprise. "It's good to see you too, but what are you doing here?" Next to her, the group of younglings was looking at Ahsoka in surprise.
"You can come out Aisha, everything's alright," Ahsoka called out to someone. A Togrutan girl with red skin and a blue and white lekku came out from behind a statue and walked up to Ahsoka. Barriss estimated that the girl was about twelve.
"See that brought a friend you have, hmm?" Master Yoda said.
Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, this is Aisha Tano, my little sister," she replied, introducing her sister to the group.
Barriss couldn't help smile. "So she's the girl you told me about on Naboo," she said. "It's nice to meet you Aisha, my name is Barriss Offee."
"It's nice to meet you as well," Aisha replied with a smile. "Ahsoka told me a lot about you."
Barriss was about to reply to that when one of the younglings spoke up. "Is she your sister? But you don't really look alike."
Ahsoka looked at the young human boy. "You don't have to be blood-related to be family," she replied with a small smile. "I'm sure you consider your clan and the rest of the Order your family, don't you?"
Her question made all of the younglings go silent and look at each other, wondering about her statement.
Nyla walked up to them. "So you are Ahsoka Tano, it's nice to meet you," she greeted her. "My name is Nyla Sonter. I was among the people that you saved on Felucia. I'm glad that I have an opportunity to thank you now."
Ahsoka smiled at that. "It's nice to meet you Nyla," she replied. "And you don't have to thank me. I'm just glad that everyone made it out of there alive."
"Yeah, so am I," Nyla said. "That was one of the nastiest things I've ever been through. I'm glad that we both recovered from that mess."
Ahsoka nodded. "It's been a tough time, but I had my family to help me through it," she replied with a smile aimed at Aisha.
"Strong with the Force, your sister is," Master Yoda said as he walked a bit closer. "So, here to build a lightsaber, you are, yes?"
"That's right," Ahsoka replied as she gave Aisha a smile. "We've been practicing with the Force for some time now and I think that she's ready to build one for herself."
Master Yoda nodded. "Then come and join us, you should," he said. "Open to all the Force chooses, this place is."
Barriss could tell that Ahsoka was bit surprised by his words. To be honest, she was a bit surprised herself as well. However, she was glad that Ahsoka's sister would get her chance to enter the cave. Ahsoka nodded and gestured for Aisha to join the younglings.
Master Yoda moved to the center of the room and the younglings moved to stand in front of him. "The Force made physical, a Jedi is," he told the group. "Comes great responsibility with that, yes? Protect others, how does a Jedi, hmm? Build your own lightsaber, you shall," he said as he used the Force to levitate his own lightsaber in front of the group. "But first, harvest your crystal, each one of you must."
"The heart of the lightsaber, the crystal is. Focusses the Force from the Jedi, it does." With those words, he stretched his arms up towards the ceiling and used the Force to open a stone slab which revealed a strong ray of sunlight. He then started rotating the construction on the ceiling.
As the device finished turning, the ray of sunlight was suddenly channeled through a series of crystals. The resulting beam of light connected with the archway covered by a wall of ice. With the sudden flare of heat surrounding it, the ice instantly melted and water ran down the small staircase in front of it, revealing an entrance to the deeper caves.
"If Jedi you are to become, enter the crystal cave, you must," Yoda told them as he gestured at the entrance. "Trust yourself. Trust each other and succeed, you will."
"Come on young ones, it's time to go," Barriss said as she and Nyla began to walk towards the entrance.
Ahsoka moved up to join her as Aisha and the younglings walked after them. "I really wasn't expecting to see any of you here Barriss," Ahsoka said. "So you're here to escort the younglings?"
Barriss nodded. "Yes I am," she replied. "But I will also enter the caves myself."
"Really?" Ahsoka asked in surprise. "But you still have your lightsaber?" she asked as she looked at her friends' lightsaber on her belt.
"True," Barriss replied. "However, I found out that I gained the ability to dual wield after that whole mess with the bombing. Rather than let it bring me down, I decided to use these abilities as a Jedi."
"Wow, that's quite something," Ahsoka said. "So you can dual wield now? I'd like to see that one day."
Barriss chuckled a bit. "Yes, I can," she replied. "But I think it may be a few years before I'm anywhere near your level." Ahsoka laughed a bit as well.
Then they reached the entrance to the cave. "Alright younglings, once you have found your crystals, it's important that you do not stay in the caves," Barriss told the group. "As the day ends, the door will freeze over again, trapping you inside for one rotation. There won't be anything anyone can do to get you out."
"Also, be sure to keep in mind," Nyla said as she stood next to Barriss. "The sun only rises on Ilum every nineteen days. So, if you do get stuck, it'll be a very long night."
Barriss could tell that the younglings were a little worried by those words, but it was all just part of their of test on Ilum. "Well, let's go," she said as she gestured at the entrance. The younglings started walking towards it and she an Nyla walked after them.
The group of younglings walked into the cave, all nervously glancing around. They were all trying to figure out what they were supposed to do in here.
Barriss walked after them calmly and determined, Nyla did the same next to her. They had both been here before, of course, so they knew what to expect, more or less. One's experiences in the caves were different each time you went there. Still, they were both confident that they and everyone else would succeed.
After a few minutes of walking, the group arrived in a slightly larger chamber. The younglings all stopped. This chamber split into six different paths. They looked nervously at the paths before turning to the two padawans. "Which way are we supposed to go now?" one of the female younglings asked.
Barriss and Nyla both shrugged. "We don't know that," Nyla simply replied.
This shocked the younglings quite a bit. "But, you've been here before, right?" one of the male children asked. "You know where the crystals are, don't you?"
"There's crystals all around us," Barriss replied. "However, you can't just take one. You'll need to find the one that calls to you and it'll be up to you and you alone to find it. That is the will of the Force. We can't help you with that."
Barriss and Nyla watched at the group of younglings looked at the different paths. Some of them were complaining a bit, others were doubting what to do. It was like that for everyone that entered these caves for the first time. She was sure that once they figured it out, they would all succeed.
Suddenly, Ahsoka's sister started walking towards one of the caves. "I'm going this way," Aisha said as she pointed at the path.
Everyone turned to look at her. "Why?" one of the female younglings asked her.
"Because I feel like it," Aisha replied with a shrug.
The younglings looked at her like she was slightly crazy, but Barriss and Nyla gave her a smile. "She's got the right idea," Barriss said as she looked at the younglings again. "It's your crystal. Only you will know where to find it. The Force will be your guide here. Let it lead you to where you need to go. Trust your feelings and you will succeed."
"Barriss is right," Nyla added. "We are Jedi, the Force guides us all, now and always. But this is all the advice we can give you. The rest is up to you." She smiled the younglings. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'll be headed this way." She pointed at one of the other paths and moved towards it.
Barriss nodded and moved over to Aisha. "I can sense that I have to go this way, so it looks like I'll be joining you for a little while," she told her with a smile. She turned back to the younglings. "May the Force be with you all." With those words, she and Aisha began to move to the path they chose and Nyla began her way as well.
Barriss smiled as she watched the young girl look around enthusiastically. "It's always interesting how the Force works," she said as she walked next to her. "When I saw Ahsoka on Naboo and she told me about you, I told her that I'd like to meet you one day and here we are. Although this is the last place I'd expect to meet you. Ahsoka didn't tell me that you had the Force."
"Ahsoka said that as well, I guess it's true," Aisha replied with a smile. "But I'm glad, after what Ahsoka told me about you, I wanted to meet you as well." She looked around the path a bit. "I didn't know I had the Force either. Ahsoka told me that that's how she found me. I somehow called out to her through the Force and she heard me."
"In the Temple we are taught that the Force always looks out for us," Barriss told her. "Even if you didn't know about it, it'll look out for you."
"I'm really grateful that it does," Aisha replied honestly. "If Ahsoka hadn't found me, that monster would have sold me to the Hutts." She shivered, but not from the cold of the caves. "But I'm really happy now, I have a great family and learning about the Force is amazing."
Barriss smiled at the young girl. "Ahsoka always liked teaching others," she said. "And she always was a good teacher. The younglings at the Temple always really enjoyed her classes. I'm sure that she'll be able to teach you a lot."
Aisha smiled at her as well. "Ahsoka said that you are a healer and that you can use the Force to heal people. What is that like?" she asked curiously.
She smiled at the enthusiasm of the young girl. "Force healing is a rare gift, but it's a really useful one," Barriss replied. "It can go far beyond normal healing and do things that many doctors would consider impossible."
As they continued to walk through the cave, Barriss explained more about how Force Healing worked and gave some examples of the things that she had done, like saving the life of that little girl that had been caught in that fire on Coruscant. Aisha had listened to everything intently and Barriss couldn't help but smile with how eager this girl was to learn about the Force.
Eventually the two reached another set of different paths to take. They paused in the middle of the chamber and looked around. "Which way do your feelings tell you to go now?" Barriss asked Aisha.
Barriss could sense her calling on the Force and looking around the different paths. It was pretty clear to her that she was strong in the Force, but she did seem to have a bit more patience than Ahsoka. "I'm pretty sure I need to go that way," Aisha replied after a short moment.
"Alright," Barriss said as she nodded. "It looks like I'm headed this way, so I guess this is where we go our separate ways." The darkest of the paths was calling out strongly to her. She wasn't really looking forward to going there, if she was fully honest with herself.
Aisha looked at the direction that Barriss had pointed at and grew a bit concerned. "Are you sure?" she asked as she looked at her. "That way looks really dark… Are you sure it's where you need to go?"
Barriss nodded again. "Yes, I'm sure," she replied. "I can tell that's where the Force wants me to go."
Aisha looked at the path. Compared to the other paths in this room, it just looked and felt a lot darker. Going there seemed like a very bad idea. She grew a bit worried for her sisters' friend. "Be careful in there," she said with concern. "And may the Force be with you."
"May the Force be with you as well Aisha," Barriss replied with a smile. "I think you'll do just fine." Aisha smiled back and then they both began to make their separate ways towards the paths they had chosen. Barriss paused a moment to watch Aisha walk into the path. "With Ahsoka teaching her, she'll make a fine Jedi, I'm sure." She smiled and headed down the path the Force told her to go.
Barriss walked through the dark, icy path. The Force was swirling all around her, she could clearly sense it. She knew that the Force was going to test her, it was unavoidable. She just wondered when. There was very little that she could see. The path seemed to stretch out endlessly into a vast, dark pit. The sight made her nervous, but she wouldn't falter.
As she walked through the path, she kept her mind relaxed. Worrying wouldn't do her any good. She just remained calm and kept walking. The Force would reveal its test soon enough.
Several minutes passed as she made her way along the path. It seemed that her patience was about to be paid off, but in what way she didn't yet know. She kept up her awareness when she spotted a shadowy figure up ahead in the darkness. From the silhouette, it was obviously a person, but who?
She slowly made her way towards the figure and her eyes widened. In front of her stood her master, Luminara Unduli. Barriss couldn't help but smile as the figure of her master stood there, her calm and gentle smile on her face. Her smile then faded and a look of sadness appeared on her face.
Barriss was about to ask what was wrong, when Luminara suddenly gasped in pain as red lightsaber pierced her chest. "Master!" Barriss cried out in alarm. The red blade withdrew from her chest and the image of Luminara crumbled to the ground. A hooded figure stood behind her, the red blade still active, casting an evil glow on her.
Barriss reacted immediately, moving to an defensive position and activating her lightsaber. The blue blade materialized, the glow lighting up the ice around her. "Who are you?" she demanded from the dark figure. The figure looked at her, then slowly moved her free hand to her hood and pulled it down. Barriss' face turned to absolute shock as she stared directly at … herself.
Barriss shuddered as she took in the figure standing in front of her. She looked exactly like her, only her robes were a lot darker than hers and her skin was twisted to a sickly dark green color. Several blood veins were visible on her face, a pitch black color as if pure poison ran through her body. But the thing that disturbed her the most was the hideous red color of her eyes. They just radiated evil.
"She was in our way," the dark version of herself said in a horribly twisted version of her own voice. "Always holding us back." Dark Barriss started walking towards her. "Never letting us accomplish our full potential." She stopped and gave Barriss a sinister smile. "We're much better off without her in our way."
Barriss took a shaky step back. "N-no, that's not true," she replied. "She's always been there to help me and teach me, no matter what happened."
"You know that's a lie," Dark Barriss taunted back. "She's a fool, just like the rest of the Jedi and that stupid Council. All of them, so pathetic." Barriss shuddered as this dark version of herself looked her right in the eyes. "They are all afraid. Afraid of what we can do. Afraid of what we are capable off. They will never allow us the freedom to reach our true potential."
"That's not true," Barriss replied back, trying to take a more solid stance. "The Jedi Council guides the entire Order. They teach everyone the ways of the Force and protect the Republic."
Dark Barriss simply laughed. A chilling laugh, a dark echo of her own, resonated through the cave. "Teach the ways of the Force? Protect the Republic?" she asked in a mocking tone. "There is no emotion, there is peace."
To Barriss' great shock, this twisted figure started to recite the Jedi Code.
"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force," Dark Barriss finished with a laugh. "Have you ever heard such a load of crap before?"
Her words shook Barriss. To hear someone speak about the code she had followed all her life in such a way greatly upset her.
"Now now, what's with that look?" her dark version asked mockingly. "You know it's true. That code is rubbish." She took a few steps forward again. "That code was established to limit everyone that follows their supposed 'teachings'. They just want to boss around those like them, Force users, but they don't want them to grow too powerful and challenge them."
"That's a lie!" Barriss replied with a hint of anger.
"Is it?" Dark Barriss asked mockingly again. "They why are there so many limitations on what you can and can't do as Jedi, hmm? Why must you answer to that Council for everything? They are able to do whatever they want and never have to answer for any mistakes they make, but Force forbid if any of the little Padawans makes a slight error. And those power hungry fools are to protect the Republic?"
"They do protect the Republic. That's what the Order has always done!" Barriss replied almost immediately.
"Do they now?" Dark Barriss continued in her mocking tone. "Then why is this war here? Their foolishness and stupidity turned into arrogance and it made them blind. Blind to the problems in the galaxy, blind to the existence of the Sith and they were helpless to prevent this war. They are responsible for all of the death and suffering that followed in its wake. If they truly cared for the galaxy, they would be doing far more to save the galaxy. But that silly little code is what's most important for them. Everything and everyone else can just fall apart, as long as they can keep bossing people around."
"T-that's not true," Barriss stuttered out. "That's… T-they…"
Dark Barriss gave her an evil smile. "Defend them all you want, you can't hide what you really think from me. After all, I AM you."
Barriss staggered back and nearly dropped her lightsaber. "N-no… You're not me…" she uttered out, unsure of who she was trying to convince.
"Oh, but I am," Dark Barriss replied as she moved closer again. "Don't you remember? We were so close. We did so much together, made such an impact on the entire galaxy. Just imagine what else we can do together. We can bring the Separatists to their knees and end this war. We can restore peace and make the galaxy better for everyone."
Barriss processed her words a moment. "End the war?" she asked herself. She wouldn't be able to deny that that's something that she really wanted.
"Yes, can you see it?" Dark Barriss asked temptingly. "Together, we can do anything."
Barriss thought it over more as she felt the Force swirl around her. She wasn't sure what she suddenly felt, but something flared across her senses. In that moment, she could see the tendrils of darkness around her, threatening to consume her whole.
She gasped in shock and jumped back. "No!" she replied in a determined voice. "I will never again use the Dark Side, no matter what. I will never betray my Master and my friends like that again."
"You are limiting yourself, Barriss Offee," Dark Barriss said. "You have the potential to rise above all of them, to be stronger and change the galaxy. Why won't you take this chance?"
"There are no chances in the Dark Side," Barriss replied. "I will not fall for its lies and false promises. I refuse to ever use its evil power for anything ever again."
Her dark version seemed quite angry at her words. "You are a fool, Barriss Offee," she said calmly but menacingly. "And now you will die like one." With that, she flourished her saber aggressively, assuming an attack stance.
Barriss gulped nervously and barely had the time to assume a defensive stance as her dark opponent charged at her, launching a quick and powerful slash against her. Barriss grunted as she blocked the slash and entered a blade block with her opponent.
Being this close to this Sith version of herself was even more unnerving. Now, she could truly see her own face staring straight back to her, only twisted maliciously by the Dark Side. She could clearly make out her own tattoos, the ones she was so proud of, surrounded by streaks of darkened blood vessels. The haunting red eyes stared at her, projecting raw anger and a desire to kill.
Her dark self laughed evilly. Then she suddenly broke the blade lock and launched another powerful slash at her. Barriss quickly dodged back away from the slash. Dark Barriss smirked and followed up with more powerful attacks, chasing her along the icy path.
Barriss struggled immensely as she tried to match her opponent. "This is crazy," she thought with a hint of panic. "She's using all of my techniques, but they're so much more aggressive. She's so fast and so strong." Her wild attacks kept forcing her back more and more. She tried to block and counter the attacks, but they were simply too strong and broke her defensive stance, forcing her retreat back and readjust her stance.
Barriss' worry increased as her dark self smiled gleefully at her. "That's right," she taunted.
"I'm stronger than you," Dark Barriss stated as she launched a powerful two-handed swipe that nearly send Barriss' lightsaber flying out of her hands.
"I'm faster than you," Dark Barriss stated as she swiftly dashed in and very nearly stabbed Barriss straight through her chest, she just barely dodged aside.
"And I know every move you'll make!" Dark Barriss said with twisted excitement as she used the Force to slam Barriss hard into the icy side of the frozen path.
It stunned Barriss for a brief moment, but she recovered quickly enough to block the vertical slash that would've cleaved her straight in half. She held her saber horizontally in front of her, trying to force back her opponents blade, but she was in a bad position against the icy wall. She couldn't evade and she didn't have a stable footing on the ground. She tried to push her opponents blade back, but she pushed harder and Barriss felt herself sliding down to the ground.
Dark Barriss chuckled evilly and pushed her lightsaber with even more strength, forcing Barriss' blade back even further. Barriss' panic grew again. If this kept up, she would be decapitated with her own lightsaber. Never before had her own blue blade ever scared her.
"You are weak, Barriss Offee, you could have been stronger, you could have had it all, but instead you chose to throw everything away," Dark Barriss taunted her again. "You are pathetic and now you will die." She smirked again. "Just who do you think you are?"
At those words, Barriss' mind snapped back to the past.
"Ask yourself, who you truly are," she heard Master Unduli's voice, her instructions from when they meditate to cleanse herself of the Dark Side.
"My Master once told me that the Dark Side can affect the way you think," Nyla's voice echoed clearly through her mind. More conversations with her friends came back to her, snapping her out of previous train of thought.
She recalled another conversation with her Master. "The Dark Side is only as powerful as you make it. Your emotions can feed it, make it stronger. But if you control your emotions, you can easily take away all strength it has."
Barriss closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drawing on the Force.
"Giving up?" Dark Barriss asked tauntingly. "What are you even supposed to be, hmm?"
Barriss opened her eyes and stated calmly: "I am a Jedi." She pushed back with the Force and forced her dark self back.
Dark Barriss looked shocked as she was suddenly pushed back. "A Jedi? You?" she asked as Barriss got to her feet again. "You're nothing but a failure! Everyone knows that! Why else do you think the Council is keeping you under constant supervision?"
Barriss didn't let her get to her again. She stood with a solid stance and moved her saber to an attack position. Now, she charged at her dark reflection. She blocked and they entered a blade lock again.
"You are not stronger than me. You are not faster than me," Barriss said determined. "You're just a collection of bad thoughts and bad memories, trying to haunt me. No more, the past will no longer determine who I am."
"F-foolish girl," Dark Barriss replied as she struggled to push Barriss back. "You can't destroy me! I am a part of you! You're nothing without me!"
"You may be a part of me, but you have no control over me," Barriss said as she looked her dark self right in the eyes. The red eyes suddenly didn't seem so haunting anymore. "I will overcome you." She pushed forward, breaking the lock and unleashed a strong barrage of attacks on the embodiment of her dark thoughts.
This time, it was Barriss who had the upper hand. She was completely focused, her mind was balanced and no more did her emotions feed the darkness. With every move, every attack practiced with Luminara Unduli, she forced her dark self back further and further.
She used a powerful combo she learned from her master to force her dark self into a vulnerable position, then followed up with a new technique she had learned from Nyla and her friends to break through her defense. "Now!", she thought as she quickly moved in and stabbed the dark apparition through her heart.
Dark Barriss grunted in pain. She heard her own voice utter out the painful groans, but didn't let it affect her. Her dark self sank to her knees and evaporated into smoke.
Barriss sank to her knees as well. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she focused on the Force. Her mind relaxed as she drew deeply on the Force. She felt the Light side stronger and clearer than she had in years. The pure energy moved through her, granting her peace like she had never felt before. She knew now, the Dark Side had fully left her.
After meditating on the wonderfully clear energy for a short time, Barriss opened her eyes again. The dark path she was in before was now bright. The ice around her glowed in white and pale blue shades, illuminating everything around her. She was surrounded by ice, yet it felt so warm to her.
She stood up and turned around. Previously, there was an unending pit of darkness. Now, the cave abruptly ended. In the middle of the wall was a little outcropping. On it, a crystal shone brightly, calling out to her. She made her way to it and picked up the crystal with a smile. Her task now complete, she began to make her way back to the entrance of the cave.
;-
After a short walk Barriss had reached the entrance of the caves again. She wasn't at all surprised to see it frozen over already. "How long have I been in here already? It felt like such a long time," she thought it over a moment. Fighting her dark self felt like it took a long time and meditating in the purity of the Force had felt like an eternity.
She walked up to the wall of ice and placed her hand on it. With a simple touch of the Force, the ice cracked and broke, making an opening for her. As she walked out, she could see that everyone was out already. From what she sensed, everyone had been successful. Much to her joy, it looked that Ahsoka's sister had succeeded as well. If she wasn't so tired, she would have laughed at the looks some of the younglings were giving her.
"Weren't you supposed to be stuck if the door closed?" one of the other younglings asked.
"Well, it's only ice," Nyla replied with a shrug as she walked up to Barriss. "Are you alright Barriss? What happened in there? You look exhausted."
Barriss gave an exhausted smile. "Is it that obvious?" she asked a bit sarcastically.
"Yes, it is," Ahsoka replied. She looked at her friend and seized her up in the Force. "Your whole presence feels lighter Barriss. Like you've taken quite a load of your mind. What did you see in there?"
Barriss took a moment to compose herself. "I encountered some kind of Force vision of an enemy. An enemy that I had to defeat," she explained. "It was me, some kind of Sith version of myself. Of what I might have become if that Sith had his way with me."
Her words shocked everyone quite a bit. "Wow, that's pretty rough," Ahsoka replied. "Are you doing alright?"
"Yes, I'm doing okay, just a little tired, but," Barriss said as she took a deep breath. "I feel strangely better than I did before."
Master Yoda walked up to her. "Hmm, sense that overcome the last of your darkness you have, Padawan Offee," he told her. "Done well in that, you have. Always difficult to conquer the Dark Side is."
"Thank you Master Yoda," Barriss replied. His words made her feel quite relieved. It had been a long struggle against the Dark Side, but now she had won.
Master Yoda nodded and turned back to the group of younglings. "Succeeded in obtaining your crystals, you all have," he told them, earning him a group of excited smiles. "Come, back to the ship, we go now. Get ready to build your sabers, you all must." With that, the excited smiles turned into excited murmuring.
The Jedi Master then turned to Ahsoka and Aisha. "Invite you to join us, I do. To build a lightsaber, more components you need. Plenty on board the ship, there are," he told them.
Barriss could tell that Ahsoka was surprised by his words. "Thank you Master Yoda, I believe we'll take you up on that offer," she replied with a smile aimed at Aisha. "We were already making plans on how to gather all of the necessary parts, but this will really help us out."
"The least I can do, it is," Master Yoda said. "Come, lead you to the ship, we will." With that, the whole group departed the caves.
;-
After a cup of much desired hot tea, Barriss and Nyla waited nearby the construction room where Ahsoka and Aisha were now working on the younger sister's lightsaber. The younglings were all in other parts of the ship, nervously and anxiously moving around.
When they reached the ship, Master Yoda had offered to let Ahsoka and Aisha work on her saber first. That way, they would be able to return to Shili afterwards. The younglings had protested a little against that, they all wanted to get started immediately as well, but Master Yoda had simply replied that patience is the way of the Jedi.
Still curious about something, Nyla turned to Barriss. "Hey Barriss, I've been meaning to ask," she began. "you mentioned earlier that Ahsoka told you about her sister on Naboo. What was she doing on Naboo if she lives on Shili now?"
Barriss smiled at the question. "That surprised me at first as well, when I saw her sitting at that café in Theed," she replied. "She told me that she was on a little vacation there."
"She was there alone?" Nyla asked in return.
"Not exactly," Barriss replied as she shook her head. "She was there with Senator Lux Bonteri. They were on a little vacation together."
"Oh, I see," Nyla said with an amused smile. "Well, being with a senator. That'll probably set you up pretty good."
Barriss laughed a bit at her comment. "I suppose you're right about that one," she replied. "They seemed pretty happy together. I'm glad for her, she deserves it after what she went through."
"Yeah, you're right," Nyla said. The door next to them opened and Master Yoda walked up to join them. "Master Yoda," said as she and Barriss both gave a bow.
"Sense that our guests are almost ready," he told the two padawans. "Get ready, we should as well. Departing soon, we will be."
"Alright Master," Barriss replied. She then heard another door open and saw Ahsoka and Aisha walking towards them. She smiled as she saw the dual lightsabers on Aisha's belt.
"See that successful you've been, young one," Master Yoda said. "Constructed fine lightsabers, you have."
"Thank you Master Yoda," Aisha replied with a smile.
"Yes, thank you," Ahsoka added as well. "Being able to use the parts from this ship and having professor Huyang's help has made this a lot easier for us."
"Glad to hear that, I am," Master Yoda said as he nodded.
Barriss smiled and took a step closer. "It was nice to see you again, Ahsoka," she said with a smile. "And it was a pleasure to meet you Aisha."
"Same goes for me, it was great to meet the both of you," Nyla Sonter added with a smile.
"It was nice to meet the both of you as well," Aisha replied with a big smile.
Ahsoka smiled as well. "It was very nice to see you again Barriss and I'm glad to have met you Nyla," she replied. "If the two of you are ever on Shili I do hope you'll come and pay us a visit."
"We'll be sure to try that," Barriss said as Nyla nodded in agreement.
"For now, I think this is goodbye," Ahsoka replied. "We need to get back to Shili. Our sister is getting married next week, so we need to get ready for that."
"Wow, congratulations," Nyla said surprised.
"Thank you," Ahsoka replied. "I'm sure it'll be a great party. Seeing how much our other sister has been looking forward to it, I'm sure she'll see to it that things go perfect."
"That sounds great," Barriss said with a smile. "I'm sure things will be fine."
"Now then, we'll take our leave and let the younglings get to building their lightsabers. I can clearly sense their excitement from here," Ahsoka said with some amusement. "Your presence feels a great deal brighter now Barriss, take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will Ahsoka, don't worry," Barriss replied as she gestured towards the direction of the boarding ramp. The party began making their way there. "By the way, how did the two of you get here?"
Ahsoka smiled at her question. "I have my own ship now," she said.
"You do?" Barriss asked in surprise. "How did that happen?"
"You know everything I did on Felucia and for Kiros right?" Ahsoka asked in return. Barriss nodded. "Well, princess Zaa Vashee was very determined to see to it that I would get a reward for that, despite me saying that she didn't have to." She shook her head in amusement. "I went to ask her to borrow a ship so we could travel here. She then asked me for my opinion of their new ship. I told her that it looked like a fine ship and she shocked me by saying that it was mine."
"They build a ship for you?" Nyla asked with wide eyes.
Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, they did," she replied. "And Zaa was not going to let me refuse it."
They all laughed a bit at that. "That princess did strike me as an interesting character when I saw her after Felucia," Barriss said.
"You have no idea Barriss," Ahsoka replied with an amused smirk. They then reached the boarding ramp. "It was great to see you all here. I hope you have a quiet journey back to Coruscant."
Yes, let's hope it's a pirate free journey," Barriss said dryly. "Have a safe journey back as well. It was nice to see the both of you here. May the Force watch over you."
"May the Force be with you as well," Ahsoka replied. They all shared a bow and Nyla lowered the ramp. Ahsoka and Aisha pulled their hoods back on and gave a quick wave before leaving the ship. After they were off the ramp Nyla closed it again.
"Let's get everyone ready for takeoff, shall we?" Nyla asked Barriss. "I wouldn't mind leaving this cold planet behind."
"Sounds good to me," Barriss replied. "Let's go."
;-
After getting the younglings ready for departure, Barriss and Nyla had made their way to the cockpit and taken off. They were waiting in the space around Ilum, making the hyperspace calculations for their return to Coruscant.
"Well, so far the scanners aren't showing any hostile ships," Nyla remarked as she looked over Barriss.
"I'm glad," she replied. "Let's hope that that Hondo Ohnaka has learned his lesson. To be honest, with everything that I heard about him, I'm not sure if I would like to meet him."
"Yeah, there are some interesting stories circling about him. I've heard his name several times as well," Nyla said with a smile. The sensors in front of her picked something up. "Seems like Ahsoka and her sister have left the planet as well. I think they're coming up next to us." She checked the readings again. "That is one fast ship."
"It's coming into view now," Barriss replied as she looked out of the viewport. What she assumed was Ahsoka's ship made its way towards them. It was quite a large ship, but it had a very sleek design. It had a light color with golden accents along its cockpit and wings. It reminded her of a larger version of the fighters she had seen the Shilian troops use during the battle of Kiros. "That is one amazing ship," she said impressed.
"I'll say," Nyla replied as she stared at the ship. "I wish the Order had ships like that. It looks great." Ahsoka's ship flew past them, giving them a good view. It then disappeared into hyperspace. "Our jump is calculated as well. Here we go." She pulled the lever and the familiar blue streams of hyperspace appeared in front of them.
"Okay, time to let the younglings get to work," Barriss said with a smile. Nyla nodded and smiled back. Then they left the cockpit to get the younglings.
;-
That's the end of this chapter.
Barriss managed to overcome the last traces of the Dark Side left in her. Quite a surprise awaits her in the next chapter after her and Nyla give their new lightsabers a spin.
I'm going to work on a new chapter for Gift of Light next. People liked the story idea so far, so I'll continue working it out.
Until next time.
