Not to long after Ahsoka jumped into the underworld of the city, the Jedi Council held an emergency session, with me and Anakin in attendance. Master Kenobi was still out fighting in the war, so he could only attend by hologram. In the middle of the room was a hologram of Tarkin flanked by two clones.

"After further investigation, there can be little doubt that the clone officers murdered in the escape were killed by none other than Ahsoka Tano herself." Tarkin states, and I scowl angrily at him, frustrated that he presents it as fact when there is still no proof! "She used a Jedi mind trick to convince the clone to open the door, and then proceeded to cut him down, along with five others along the way."

"I... do not believe that Ahsoka could've fallen so far." Master Plo says, disbelief and hints of betrayal in his voice. The fact that even he is starting to doubt in Ahsoka is like a punch to the gut.

"That's because she didn't do it," I say again for the hundredth time.

"the beliefs of the Jedi Council on this matter are irrelevant!" Tarkin sneers. "We deal strictly in facts and evidence, and the evidence points to Padawan Tano being guilty of the attack on the Temple, and the murder of the Republic officers!"

Before he can say anything else I speak up in defense of Ahsoka. "Then could you please share said facts with us as well Admiral? I'd be more than happy to confirm what's right and what's wrong," I tell him with a glare.

"Jarik..." Anakin says quietly in warning and concern. Master Kenobi sends me a warning glance, as well as some other Jedi who stare at me in disapproval for me speaking out of turn. Tarkin then turns to me with a scowl.

"Need I remind you Padawan Shan, that this matter is now of military concern, and is therefore under my jurisdiction," he says with a glare. I glare right back at him. "And I decide who makes the claims, and what evidence is shown to those outside of the investigation!"

I glare at him angrily, but Anakin shakes his head slightly at me, letting me know it isn't worth it. I sigh but back down with great reluctance, and Tarkin smirks at me in satisfaction, turning back to the Council. "This is sedition!" he declares, ending the transmission.

"Skywalker. Was there no way to stop your Padawan before she escaped?" Master Mundi asks.

"No Master Mundi," he responds, walking forward.

"The Council believes, that Ahsoka may be guilty, of the crime. Still believe they're wrong, do you, Skywalker and Shan? Hmm?" Master Yoda questions us.

"Of course she isn't guilty Master!" I exclaim in helpless frustration. "She would never bomb the Temple, or kill clone troopers, ever!"

"That's why she's running." Anakin adds in. "To prove her innocence."

"Now she's in the lower depths. With her skills, she will be hard to find." Master Windu says.

"Jarik, have you been able to find any clues on the recording systems?" Master Kenobi asks me. I shake my head in irritation.

"No Master. Of course it would be a lot easier if a certain Admiral would let us examine his so-called evidence ourselves! If I try to slice through their files to analyze it, then Tarkin would just have an excuse to accuse me of betraying the Republic as well," I say, glaring angrily at the floor, holding my left arm.

Master Yoda frowns, closing his eyes. "Hmm. Discuss this with Admiral Tarkin and the Chancellor, I will. In the meantime, two teams we will send. Master Skywalker, and Master Plo Koon, with clones, you will go."

"Might I suggest my Padawan go along with them as well? He and Ahsoka are close friends, and she will respond better to a comfortable face." Master Kenobi suggests, and I shoot him a grateful look. I would be bowing down to him in happiness if I could.

But then the devil's advocate comes in. "I think it would be best if Skywalker and Shan stayed here." Master Windu says, and I look at him, upset and angered. It's taking me all I've got to keep myself calm like a more proper Jedi during this ridiculous crisis. "Having you involved may make things, worse."

"With all due respect Master Windu, but how would we make things worse?!" I plead desperately with him.

"Jarik is right Master Windu. Ahsoka is my Padawan, and Jarik is her best friend," Anakin adds in angrily.

"The reason for you not, to go." Master Windu retorts with a disapproving frown.

"Taking my Padawan and Anakin off this mission would be a foolish move." Master Kenobi says in defense of us. "They know her better."

"They are emotionally tied to her. Probably too emotional to do what needs to be done," he retorts in disapproval with a stern glare.

"You're making it sound like one of the options is killing her Master," I seethe angrily, my voice deadly quiet.

"I would rather capture Ahsoka and find out the truth, then let her run because of a lie! Someone has to be framing her, I just know it!" Anakin stresses, and I nod my head in agreement.

"You must prove to us, can you stay focused?" Master Yoda asks us.

"I've, already alerted security on the lower levels to look out for Ahsoka." Anakin says. Master Yoda then turns to me.

"And you, Padawan Shan?" he asks.

I remain quiet for a few moments before answering. "I'm sure I'll be able to stay level headed. And with all due respect Masters, but I know she wouldn't have bombed the Temple, because of the main fact that I almost died there," I say, stressing the fact that I got hurt. Surely at least Master Plo and Master Yoda would understand how close me and Ahsoka are. I know Anakin and Master Kenobi do.

Master Yoda eyes me intently, and I squirm a little bit under his gaze. It's almost as if he's seeing through my soul, as if he know's something about me that he shouldn't...

"Then go swift then, Skywalker and Shan, and bring back this lost child. Before, it is too late," he finally says.

"Yes Master." Anakin responds quietly as we head out. I glance back to see Master Kenobi watching me with great concern in his eyes. we both share a look, understanding the biggest issue that we might have to face. If things don't go the way we want them too... we might be forced to reveal me and Ahsoka's Force bond.


I was halfway to the drop ships to get ready for the search when my comlink beeped a certain frequency, and my eyes widened in recognition. I glanced around to make sure nobody was nearby, before slipping into a smaller room off to the side, activating the comlink.

"Jarik, Barriss, it's Ahsoka," she says.

"Ahsoka! Are you alright?!" I ask worriedly.

"For the moment, yes," she says.

"It's so good to hear you're safe." Barriss says.

"Safe, but on the run," she replies.

"Where?" Barriss asks.

"I can't tell you guys, but someone is definitely trying to frame me," she responds.

"Yeah I already got that figured out," I said sarcastically. "Just so you know, I'm going with Anakin and Master Plo on a search for you down there," I warn her.

"What?! Can't you get them to stop?!" Ahsoka says fearfully.

"Better us the three of us to actually listen to you then some other Jedi who treats you like a mission," I remind her. "You had to know the Council would send out search parties for you."

I can hear her let out a worried sigh. "Yeah I see your point."

"Listen, it's not safe for us to contact each other using the Jedi communicator. Find another way to contact us." Barriss suggests.

"Have you tried that, other form of contact Ahsoka?" I ask, secretly implying to our bond. It takes a moment before she realizes what I meant.

"No, I'm worried the one framing me might... sense or discover that," she says, and I sigh in understanding.

"What form of contact?" Barriss asks in confusion.

"Just something that I created for the two of us to use whenever out fighting in the war. Might need some work," I quickly add in explanation.

"Alright," Barriss responds in understanding, and I internally sigh in relief. "Well, in the meantime, I'll do some digging and see if I can find out anything to help you while the two of you are occupied," she tells us.

"Thank you Barriss," Ahsoka says for the two of us in gratitude.

"Be safe Ahsoka," I tell her. The transmission then ends and I step out of the small room to hurry over to the drop ships that'll be used for the search.


I was on a drop ship with Anakin and Captain Rex, following after Master Plo's transport towards the lower levels.

"The lower level police claimed to have spotted Commander Tano heading to level 1312." Rex reports.

"Alright, let's bring her home." Anakin announces.

"Stun blasts only please," I stress, not wanting an accidental or purposeful killing of my best friend before we could uncover the true culprit. As we fly over the large hole and begin our descent, I can't help but cringe at how deep down it goes, looking like a pit of sheer nothingness at the bottom. How the planet ever became like this in the first place is beyond me.

It takes us quite a while to get to level 1312, and once we lower to that area, we spot two figures on the ground, one of which appears to be Ahsoka.

"Shine the light over there!" Anakin orders.

Ahsoka and another figure are illuminated by the spotlight, and I narrow my eyes at the second person. Is that... Ventress?! Me and Anakin jump out of the transport when they start running, and land in a crouch, chasing after them. BEfore we could go any further, a large ray shield suddenly blocks our path, and we stop with grim expressions on our faces.

Ahsoka turns to look at us sadly, shaking her head, and the figure comes forward, placing a hand on her shoulder before they rush away. It is Ventress!

"Ventress..." Anakin says in surprise, turning around once the drop ships get closer. "Send out the probes! I want them found now!"

A group of probe droids come out of the drop ships, staring at us before flying through small openings in the walls. Anakin looks around before spotting another opening that isn't too big, but isn't too small either.

"Jarik, I want you to see if you can find them as well. Use the bond, whatever you have to do, just make sure Ahsoka isn't in any trouble," he tells me, almost pleadingly. I look at him for a few seconds in surprise, slowly realizing that he's trusting me to help Ahsoka, even going against the wishes of the Council to do it.

I nod, a newly determined look on my face. "I won't let you down Master. I promise," I tell him, looking up and jumping into the small opening on the side of the wall, crawling through to the other side.


A few minutes later after all of my sneaking around, my comlink beeped again, signifying another transmission from Ahsoka. I walked behind a corner wall and listened to it, checking to see if it was private or not.

"Jarik, Barriss, it's me," she said. I opened the channel in reply.

"Good to see you're still in one piece Ahsoka. And was that who I think it is...?" I question.

She sighs. "Yes, it was." Barriss then joins in on the transmission after receiving Ahsoka's call.

"It's so good to see you Ahsoka. Are you ok?" Barriss asks, and I can only assume that they have a hologram transmitter. I just have this lousy comlink.

"Yeah, I'm ok. If you consider Anakin, Jarik, and a hundred clones on my tail a good space to be in," she replies.

"You were almost captured?" Barriss asks in concern.

"Once or twice," she responds.

"Actually I'm currently searching for you on my own now, away from the others. Anakin's orders," I inform them.

"Alone? Why?" Ahsoka asks in confusion.

"Why would he let you go on alone?" Barriss asks in the same confusion and hesitance as well.

"I think it's because he trusts me to help you figure out who's really behind this before it's too late, not important right now," I tell them, reminding them of the situation.

"Well where are you two?" Barriss asks.

"I can't say Barriss." Ahsoka says.

"Better to stay hidden until we have actual evidence," I add in agreement.

"Alright, well i think I've found a clue," she says, I raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"What? How did you figure that out? I couldn't find anything," I say in surprise.

"I don't have much time to explain how, but I might have an idea of where to look." she tells us. For some reason it sounds like Barriss is avoiding the question but I shrug it off. That's not important right now, but if she has a clue for us then I'm all ears.

"Alright, well I'm on level 1312." Ahsoka tells her.

"Three levels above you there seems to be an abandoned warehouse, where they used to build munitions that Letta visited during the time that she was getting access to the nano-droids." Barriss informs us.

"How did you find this out?" Ahsoka asks.

"I told you I would do some checking," she replies, rather vaguely in fact. I narrow my eyes but don't comment on it. I was actually kind of impressed at how much information she managed to obtain so quickly. I would ask her about that later. Right now we had a warehouse to visit.

"Oh, thank you Barriss." Ahsoka says in relief.

"I gotta know how you figured that out when this is over Barriss. Nice work," I complimented.

"Yes.. of course Jarik," she replies. "Be careful Ahsoka," she says, and the transmission ends. With a destination in mind, I head towards the place Barriss spoke of, hopefully to meet up with Ahsoka there.


Immediately I knew something was wrong. As I approached the warehouse I could hear the sound of lightsabers clashing with each other. Widening my eyes in shock and worry, I dropped my stealthy approached and sprinted towards the warehouse, which was now in sight.

"Ahsoka!" I shout across the bond.

"Up here! It's Ventress! She's the criminal!" she shouts back to me quickly.

Narrowing my eyes angrily, I pull out my lightsaber hilt and jump up the side of the wall, searching for their position using the bond with Ahsoka. So Ventress was the one behind this attack?! On one hand it makes perfect sense... but for some reason i have a feeling of doubt. What purpose would she have to attack the Temple if it wasn't for a bounty? I thought Letta told Ahsoka that a Jedi was the one behind it...

The sound of a lightsaber clashing brings me back to the present. Once I figured out the closest place to enter next to them, and cut a hole through the wall as fast as I could, jumping down to the floor. I looked up and saw what I believed to be Ventress flip onto the edge, kicking a bunch of barrels down the side, where I could hear Ahsoka grunting as she moved to avoid them.

I glared at Ventress and rushed forwards, actuvating my blue lightsaber. She turns around in surprise as I rish forwards, slamming my blade down. She manages to block my attack, backpedaling out of the way. I don't give her a chance to recover from her surprise, swinging my leg around to kick her feet. She falls to the ground, but wildly swings her lightsabers, forcing me away in order to avoid being slashed. She then flips onto her feet as I twirl my lightsaber challengingly, lunging forward. We exchange a quick series of blows before I hold her in a blade lock.

"You're going to pay, for what you did!" I exclaim, shoving harder.

Behind her comes Ahsoka, who backflips onto the platform before rushing towards Ventress. Sensing this, she shifts to move one of her lightsabers to block Ahsoka while keeping mine in a blade lock. We're held there for a few seconds before she frees herself, leaping off away from us. Me and Ahsoka stand side by side, facing our enemy and offering each other small grins.

"Ready for some fun?" I ask Ahsoka.

"Thought you'd never ask," she replies with a feral grin of eagerness.

Ventress readies her lightsabers as we charge forwards. Ahsoka swings first, catching one of her blades while I send a horizontal swipe at her head. Ventress quickly bats our lightsabers aside, backpedaling again before moving to counterattack. She slashes at me, and I parry the blow before responding with my own as Ahsoka leaps into the air with a twirl, lashing out with her lightsaber. Ventress barely misses her attack, leaning out of the way before retaliating, slashing the pipes nearby. They spray into Ahsoka's face, and she cries out in pain as Ventress shoves me to the side in an attempt to escape.

I chase after her, knowing Ahsoka would be fine, and swing my lightsaber. However Ventress ducks underneath just before it cuts her head open, and spins around, sending a punch towards my exposed face.

Reacting appropriately, I suddenly raise my left arm and grab the wrist of the arm about to punch me in a vicious grip. I then put my metal prosthetic to good use and squeeze as harshly as I can. She lets out a cry of pain, muffled by the mask covering her face as I glare furiously at her.

"Bet you regret taking my arm away now do you!?" I yell angrily, raising my right hand.

Before i can swing my lightsaber, Ventress suddenly lashes out with her feet, kicking my face hard with her boot and forcing me to release her from my grip. I stumble away in pain, and she takes the opportunity to use the Force, pushing me into the wall harshly. I hit the ground painfully, and let out a groan as I look up. Ventress kicks a box in my direction, and it hits both me and the floor, knocking me down a level. I slam into the floor painfully, struggling not to cry out, probably having hit my head.

The last thing I see is Ahsoka lunging for Ventress up above, and a whole mess of containers surrounding me, appearing to contain nano-droids. I also have the stray thought in my mind that was analyzing the entire duel subconsciously, comparing what i knew of previous things.

And that part of my mind told me that based on the style of fighting and clothing the bomber used, she wasn't Ventress.

Then everything goes black as I fall into unconsciousness, lightsaber falling out of my hand and Ahsoka possibly hitting the ground next to me.