Chapter 59 – Matches in the Temple
I'm done with the next chapter for this story. I was originally planning to post another chapter for my Barriss story at the same time as this one, but I decided to upload this finished chapter first. I will also be writing a chapter for Barriss, which will include her reactions to the events of this chapter.
Hope you enjoy.
;-
"Don't worry too much about it, Skyguy," Ahsoka said as they walked through the halls of the Temple. "These are rather chaotic days after all."
Aisha and her had gone to see Anakin at the Temple to chat a bit further. Before that, she had travelled to the embassy of Shili on Coruscant with her older sisters. During the battle of Coruscant, three of the guards of the embassy had fallen in the line of duty. They had gone there to pay their respects and assist in the funeral arrangements. Their bravery would be honored.
They had gone to the Temple after that to catch up with Anakin. However, before they had really gotten past the greetings and pleasantries, Anakin had received a call that he was soon needed at the Senate, much to his annoyance.
"I know Ahsoka, it's just frustrating," Anakin replied. He was really hoping to be able to catch up with Ahsoka now. He hadn't seen her in ages and he really wanted to know what she had been up to. If she was doing well. He knew she lived with her family now, but he still worried about her. Just not knowing frustrated him.
"Don't let it bother you Anakin," Ahsoka said with a small smile. "We're supposed to be on Coruscant for a little longer, so it'll be fine." She wasn't sure just how long it would be. Considering the planet had just been invaded and a lot of areas were in ruin, she doubted that negotiations with neutral systems would get much of a priority at the moment.
As they were walking through the halls, Ahsoka noticed she got quite a bit of attention from others. Some just seemed surprised to see her in the Temple again, while others seemed somewhat happy to see her. And then there were those who seemed offended or insulted by her presence, but she ignored them. That is, until she was directly confronted. Annoyance filled her at the sight of the familiar annoying Human Padawan.
Padawan Jana Starr scowled at Ahsoka, her little group of friends around her. "What are you even doing here Tano? You're not a Jedi anymore. You have no business here," she commented loudly while looking around, hoping to gain some support from the other Jedi around them. This hall was particularly busy at the moment, so her loud attitude caught quite some attention.
Ahsoka shrugged. "There is something I intend to discuss with Master Yoda, not that it's any of your business," she replied casually. She wasn't going to let Jana get on her nerves. She was way past her childish antics.
Jana continued to glare at her, then her gaze fell to Aisha. "And you just brought some random girl into the Temple as well? Who even is she? What kind of disrespect are you trying to pull?"
She ignored most of Jana's comments, not wanting to give the wannabe bully any reaction. Nevertheless, she decided to introduce her sister, to satisfy the general curiosity she sensed around them. "This is Aisha. She's my little sister and apprentice in the Force."
The curiosity she sensed seemed to grow a bit at that, but not in any negative way that she could sense. Still, it was again Jana that commented before anyone else could.
"Your apprentice?" Jana asked mockingly. "You. The failed Jedi Padawan, teaching? Ha, there's no way that she'll ever amount to anything!" She laughed, her little friend group joining her. No one else in the hall seemed interested in joining her.
Ahsoka wasn't too sure what to make of it. Either the others kept their opinions to themselves or they disagreed with Jana. She didn't really care for their opinions if she was being honest. The only thing that mattered to her was Aisha. She hoped that her sister wasn't too disheartened by Jana's words. Looking at her sister, it seemed like she didn't really care for Jana's words. The Human girl was a complete stranger to her anyway, so there wasn't much of a reason for her to care about Jana. Instead, she seemed to be looking at her instead.
"She's a Jedi too, right?" Aisha asked somewhat hesitantly, studying the Human in front of them.
"Of course I am! A real Jedi! Unlike that failure there!" Jana commented before anyone else could, pointing harshly at Ahsoka.
"Well, she's part of the Jedi Order," Ahsoka replied drily. "Any reason you asked?"
"Uhm…" Aisha hesitated. "It's just that… she feels… less than the others here." She shrugged. "I can tell everyone here is pretty strong, but she just sticks out in a lesser way. I don't know what else to call it."
"How dare you?!" Jana asked with an angry tone rather unbecoming of a Jedi. "I am 100 times the Jedi you or her will ever be! You'll never be anything! There's no way you'd ever succeed as a Jedi in a thousand years. An untrained initiate could beat you!"
"Rather unbecoming remarks from a supposed Jedi," Ahsoka stated dryly. She gazed around the hall. Several of the older Knights and Masters present were giving Jana a rather disapproving look. She also saw numerous initiates and younger Padawans, including the group she took on their Gathering. That gave her an idea. She had been wondering if she would get an opportunity to have someone else spar with Aisha, to give her a chance to duel someone with an entirely different style. Why not see if she could get that chance and shut Jana up at the same time?
Looking around again, she spotted one of the initiates. She figured he would give Aisha a good match. "Why don't we just stop all the yelling and settle this a different way?" she suggested. "Petro, would you like to have a sparring match with my sister?"
She could tell that Petro was surprised by the suggestion. At the same time, she could feel the excitement from Aisha. She looked at him and smiled.
"Uhm, alright, Padawan Tano," Petro replied. He began to walk up to them. With the initial surprise now fading, he was also getting a little excited. "But does she have a lightsaber that she can use?"
"Don't worry about that, she can use mine," Anakin answered before Ahsoka could. He unclipped his lightsaber and handed it to Aisha. She accepted it from him and looked it over. Ahsoka and Anakin moved to the side of the hall to give them the space. She set her bag aside and walked up to Petro, meeting him in the middle of the hall.
Petro studied his new opponent a moment. He could tell that she found the lightsaber in her hands slightly awkward. But was that only because it was Master Skywalker's? It was Padawan Tano that was teaching this girl and they had seen her fight against pirates and Grievous. He didn't doubt that she had taught her sister well.
Checking its settings, he ignited his own lightsaber and moved into one of the opening stances of Form I, like they had all been taught. Aisha followed his example and ignited the lightsaber that Master Skywalker had given her. She then settled into the same opening stance as him. It was clear to him that she had indeed been trained well. Her stance was perfect, hands and feet all in the correct positions. He couldn't help but feel a little excited. What was this match going to be like?
He decided to feel her out first. He opened with one of the basic attacks of Form I. He moved to strike and she responded by easily parrying his blow. She gave him a little smirk. It was a clear sign to him that he shouldn't take it that easy on her.
He smirked back and moved to attack again. This time he struck with more force behind his blows, with a combination of attacks instead of a single blow. She met him at every attack, blocking the moves with practiced ease. She parried one strike and counterattacked. He was forced on the defensive for a moment before he managed to evade a blow and go back on the offensive.
He continued to attack her, but he couldn't help but feel that something was slightly off with her movements. He wasn't sure what it was about though.
Aisha jumped back from Petro and deactivated Anakin's lightsaber. She held it in her hands and looked it over a bit.
Petro looked at her in confusion. "What's wrong?" he asked concerned.
From the sidelines, Jana was quick to comment. "Giving up already?" She laughed mockingly. "Guess we shouldn't be surprised from someone taught by a failure like Tano."
"No," Aisha replied casually copying Ahsoka's way of ignoring the annoying Human girl. "it's just that this lightsaber doesn't really do it for me. It doesn't feel right in my hands. No offense," she said as she threw it back at Anakin who caught it easily. She turned her attention back to Petro.
The young Human initiate was staring at her, unsure. "But, then what are you going to do now?" he asked, nodding at his ignited lightsaber in his hands.
Aisha briefly looked at Ahsoka. Her older sister smiled and gave her a nod. Aisha smiled and turned back to Petro. "I'll just use my own!" she said as she trust out her right hand towards the bag she had set aside before the match. Drawing on the Force, her lightsabers in their joined form flew from the bag into her outstretched hand.
Petro was shocked to see suddenly see her pull out a saber staff seemingly out of nowhere. It ignited in a green blade on one side and blue blade on the other. She twirled it around with ease and took a combat stance, an eager smile of her face. He knew right away, this was her lightsaber. Just like he and his friends had made their own, so had she. He knew that this fight just got a lot harder.
Aisha quickly closed the gap between them, spinning her saber in her hands. She moved to slash at Petro and he moved to block appropriately, but her move was a feint. She spun instead and slashed with the other end of her weapon at his now exposed side.
Petro realized that she had tricked him and he tried to dodge back quickly without losing his balance. They didn't have that much practice against a saberstaff weapon yet, but he knew it was very different from a regular lightsaber. The double blades allowed for a lot faster attacks from more directions. He had to focus and pay close attention. If he slipped up, she could easily take advantage of it.
And that was exactly what she did. His back step caused her initial attack to miss him, but she didn't falter or hesitate. She immediately went into a combination of strikes, her blades becoming somewhat of a whirl as she moved quickly and struck at him repeatedly from different angles.
All of the training he'd done with his friends ever since they'd made their own lightsabers was certainly paying off now. This girl Aisha was definitely not a pushover. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised considering who had taught her. Her movements were precise and practiced, but he was able to keep up despite the unfamiliarity of her moves.
They exchanged more blows and ended up in a saberlock. Petro saw an opening and took it. He broke the lock and quickly swung his saber down vertically, aiming for the center of her saberstaff. He was not expecting her to suddenly separate the staff into two individual lightsabers, causing him to strike nothing but air. He was then swiftly forced on the defensive as Aisha retaliated with her two lightsabers.
Aisha attacked Petro quickly, keeping him on the defensive. Considering the way he countered her just now, she knew that he would probably beat her if she kept up the same tactics for too long. He was smart and adaptive. If this fight dragged on for too long, she'd lose. So, she decided to try and end it right now.
She launched into one of the combo's that Ahsoka and her had been practicing diligently. Her two blades moved in rapid succession, forcing Petro to keep defending or risk his lightsaber getting knocked out of his hands. She struck rapidly three more times before she joined her sabers together again, aiming to catch him off guard with the sudden switch. Then, she launched into the combo that she had used against Ahsoka in their last sparring match before heading to Coruscant. Petro was able to narrowly block and dodge her strikes, but he was being forced back while doing so. Through a bit of luck he was able to evade her last strike and moved to counterattack, but Aisha had learned from her match with Ahsoka. She had separated her blades again in the last move, so her second blade was able to quickly strike Petro's saber from his hands instead.
Petro locked at her in stunned surprise for a moment, before giving the signal to end the spar like they had been taught. She recognized the signal and deactivated her blades. She clipped them back to her belt while Petro called his own lightsaber back.
"You're a lot stronger than I thought," Petro admitted. "But it was Padawan Tano who taught you, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
Aisha smiled at that. "You're really strong too! That's why I knew I had to win quickly. Otherwise I'm sure you would have beaten me instead. This was fun, I don't really have an opportunity to spar against other people."
Ahsoka walked up to the two of them. "You both did great. And nice work with that combo Aisha. You were right, separating your blades at the end of it really paid off," she said, earning herself a smile from Aisha.
"A fluke, little more than that." A voice said from a bit away.
Ahsoka looked over and saw who said it. "Do you have something to say, Eeth Koth?" she asked him. The Zabrak Council member was looking at them with a face twisted in distaste.
He frowned at the two Togruta. "Some untrained girl cannot beat a trained Jedi youngling. Her amateurish way of handling a lightsaber just confounded him. It's nothing more than that," he stated dismissively.
Ahsoka felt the twinge of emotions in Aisha at his words. "Some Jedi Master you are," she thought annoyed. "While it is true that our new form is not yet fully completed, Aisha has certainly demonstrated its strengths."
"New form?" Eeth Koth asked unamused. "The Jedi Order already has its lightsaber forms. There aren't other forms to be studied. The Order's knowledge is complete."
Ahsoka looked at the Zabrak Master and frowned. "So what? The Jedi Order has a monopoly on the Force and all knowledge associated with It? Did someone think to inform the Sith? Because I think that they missed that little memo," she replied in a slightly mocking tone. "The way of this Order is the only right way? Sounds a little like an ultimatum to me. Now let me think, what group was it again that dealt in absolutes?" She paused theatrically, tapping her chin in thought. "Oh yes, I remember! The Sith! They dealt in absolutes."
She looked around a bit. There was quite an aura of frustration pulsing from Koth. Many other Jedi around them weren't sure what to make of this conversation. Some seemed to be considering her words though. Were others unhappy with the Order like her? On the other hand, Anakin seemed to be enjoying the sight quite a bit. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he'd enjoy someone talking down a member of the Council.
Ahsoka looked back at the Zabrack. "The Order doesn't have a monopoly on the Force. You're not the only ones that walk in the Light Side of the Force. There are more ways to use the Force for good. And there is more to the Light that the Order appears to have forgotten. You denounce emotions and attachments, but in reuniting with my family, I have gained much greater insight in the Light side."
"Such things have no place in the Jedi Code!" Koth scoffed in disapproval. "It is not the Jedi way!"
Ahsoka tilted her head and looked at him. "Oh, but fighting in a war as Generals and Commanders is?" she asked. "Sending young children to command armies and take planets is? Departing after the battle and leaving the people to deal with the aftermath of the battle is?" She leveled him with an intense glare. "Sacrificing Padawans so you can be seen as loyal servants of the Senate is the Jedi way?" She failed to keep a hint of venom out of her voice.
"You think you know better than the Order?! Our way has been around for centuries. It is the only proper way for Jedi to be. The record speaks for itself," Koth replied.
"Have you taken a moment to look outside recently, Eeth Koth?" she asked him. "In case you're not aware, just two scheming Sith have managed to plunge the entire Galaxy into a chaotic war right under your noses. The whole Jedi Order has been forced into fighting it for the Senate, leaving all manner of criminals and lowlifes free to cause chaos and suffering wherever they want. And the public opinion of the Jedi has never been lower. Don't you think that maybe it's time to reevaluate the Code you so blindly cling to?"
"You think that you, a failed Padawan, knows better than the Order?" Koth asked in mild outrage. "Whatever absurd ideas you think you have, they fail in comparison to the Jedi Code."
Ahsoka opened her mouth to reply, but paused. It was clear that she wouldn't get anywhere with this. He was too stubborn and set in his ways. It was a genuine problem of the Order. She had discussed this matter with Daughter a few times during their training. An idea came to mind. "If you truly feel that the current way of the Jedi is the only and right way, how about you demonstrate?" she asked him. She took a few steps away from Aisha and called one of her own lightsabers to her hand, inviting the Zabrak Master to demonstrate his 'right' way.
Koth merely scoffed at her and drew his own blade. He ignited the green blade and took a stance.
Ahsoka resisted the urge to shake her head. The idea of proving her wrong and humiliating her in front of the Order seemed too tempting to him. Hardly becoming of a Jedi Master of the High Council.
"Tell me, Eeth Koth, do you remember the code to the construction of a lightsaber?" she asked him. He chose not to respond. "The crystal is the heart of the blade that connects the Jedi to the blade, to the Force," she said before igniting the cyan blade. "The heart of this blade was given to me by the man I love. Can you overcome that, Eeth Koth?" she asked as she moved into her own stance.
He didn't answer her question. She could clearly sense his annoyance. She wasn't really sure what had happened to the Zabrak Master. She recalled him to be calmer and more controlled. "Is this the effect of the war on the Order? The Darkness that is spreading everywhere? He doesn't even seem to realize it in himself."
She pushed the thought away for now. The Zabrak in front of her obviously meant to teach her a harsh lesson in front of the others of the Order. With how unbalanced he felt, he would be the one learning a lesson instead. She had grown a great deal stronger and he was obviously underestimating her.
She readied herself for his move. Reading the situation, she figured that Eeth Koth would be a little bit short on patience right about now. So she would wait for him to move, then retaliate appropriately.
Quickly growing annoyed with the Togruta in front of him, Eeth Koth moved to charge at her and put a quick end to the nonsense she was spewing, her blasphemy about the sacred Jedi Code. He would demonstrate the truth to her.
As soon as Koth took a step forward, Ahsoka rushed him with a powerful opening strike courtesy of the training from the H'Raani M'Kai of Shili. The Jedi Master was visibly caught off-guard and struggled to block her strike. She didn't hesitate a moment and moved into a disarming strike, aiming to end this before it even started. The Zabrak was barely able to pull his lightsaber out of the way and step back.
Eeth Koth regarded the girl in front of him. This former Padawan had actually managed catch him off-guard like that? Ludicrous! He moved back into his stance, but before he could take any further action, she was on him again.
Ahsoka rushed the Zabrak with a mixture of their new style and the old styles she had learned in the Temple. Several strong blows of Form V Anakin had taught her intensely followed up by the flowing attacks of one of the styles from Shili forced him on the defense. A few hits in, Koth dodged and moved to counter right away. Ahsoka easily sensed the blow coming, courtesy of her increased Force senses and physical training with the Royal Guards to harness her natural Togruta instincts further. Her new defensive moves were a powerful combination of Form III, great lessons from Obi-Wan and Barriss, and a style from Shili. It allowed for a strong defense mixed with plentiful opportunities for deflections and parries. Koth learned this the hard way as she rolled his attack aside and struck to disarm him again. He narrowly evaded and dodged back a bit.
Ahsoka observed the Zabrak Master a moment, before she decided to up the ante to bring this to an end. She moved her lightsaber to her left hand and then used the Force to call another saber to her right hand. She drew more on the Force and ignited her second saber, the white blade shining brightly in her hand.
There were stunned reactions all around her at the sight of her white blade. She could tell that the other Jedi around her weren't sure what to make of it.
"Were did you get that crystal?!" Eeth Koth asked in surprise. He himself had never seen such a crystal before. There was no reason this girl should have a blade like this, radiating with Light.
"This one?" Ahsoka replied as she held the blade in front of her a moment. "It's my crystal. The one that I found in the crystal caves of Ilum during my Gathering when I was younger." She moved her hand back to a neutral position. "As I learned more about the Force and the nature of the Light Side, I found a greater peace and depth to my meditations. And while meditating on all that I have learned and how I have grown, my crystals changed to reflect this." She flipped the blade around to her preferred reverse hold. "The heart of a lightsaber is connected to the Jedi and reflects their nature. So I wonder, what does this say about me?"
She again didn't receive an answer from the Zabrak. She moved into an opening stance of their new Form. This particular stance came straight from the warrior ways of Shili, so she could sense the confusion from the Jedi around her. They didn't recognize it. No matter, they'd see soon enough.
Eeth Koth moved back into a stance as well, but he seemed hesitant to attack first again. Unwilling to let this take up much more of their time, Ahsoka decided to take the initiative now.
She charged the Zabrak Master with a powerful double swipe, channeling the Force through her muscles to enhance the power behind the blow. Koth blocked her attack, but he was forced backwards from the strength behind it. Before he could get over the surprise from the blow, Ahsoka moved into a swift and furious combo, taking full advantage of her two lightsabers.
Koth was taken aback by the speed and power behind the Togruta's attacks. The moves were mostly unfamiliar to him and he struggled to block against them. He was being forced back more and more. It increased his frustration. This girl was little more than a former Padawan. He was a Jedi Master! He shouldn't be struggling this much against her.
Ahsoka didn't let up her attacks. Despite how annoyed she was at the Zabrak's words, he did prove to be a nice practice dummy. The royal guards were great sparring partners, but they weren't versed in the lightsaber forms of the Order. Sure, she was teaching Aisha those forms too, but she didn't want to go all out against her little sister. So, she decided to take full advantage of this moment.
She struck with the balanced grace of a Jedi combined with the ferocious nature of their Togruta predator ancestry. With this test against a Jedi Master, she could tell that this new form was proving to be quite effective. She loved the way the attacks flowed into each other. It mixed power with the agility and speed that she had always used greatly. It required more work to perfect it, but this was definitely the right form for her.
As she kept up her assault on the Zabrak Master, she could tell that he was reaching a boiling point of frustration. She felt him reach to the Force, intending to blast her away to put an end to this fight. She wasn't going to let him.
The tipping point of his frustration reached, Eeth Koth dodged back from the double slash the Togruta tried to land on him. The Force of her attack spun her around and he acted quickly. He drew on the Force and trust his hand forward to Push her away. To his shock, she finished her spin and retaliated with a Force Push of her own. The two of them entered a Force lock, each trying to push the other away. His brow furrowed into an even greater frown as he couldn't comprehend how this former Padawan was matching him in the Force.
Ahsoka looked the Zabrak in his eyes. It was time to end this. "If the Jedi way really is the only right way…" she began as she drew deeper on the Force flowing through her. "then why can't you overcome me?" she finished as she stealthily loosened one level of her Force Shackles. Drawing from the Light of the Force, she Pushed hard and sent the arrogant Zabrak flying across the hall.
There was a stunned silence around her as Eeth Koth stared at her in disbelief from the floor, quite a bit away from her. Ahsoka casually deactivated her lightsabers and clipped them back on her belt. "I think that I've made my point," she stated calmly. With that, she began to walk back to Aisha. She heard murmuring around her from the Jedi that had seen the fight, but she paid them little mind.
There was a flicker of warning through the Force and she heard the all too familiar snap-hiss sound of a lightsaber igniting behind her. She spun around quickly and saw Jana charging towards her with a lightsaber that was obviously at full power. Jana seemed to really want to inflict some serious harm on her.
Ahsoka didn't hesitate. She drew deep on the Force and overpowered Jana with It. She lifted the Human girl into the air and held her suspended and immobile. With a strong Force pull, she ripped the lightsaber out of her hands, sending it clattering over the floor. After that, she pushed Jana to the ground, making sure to keep her pinned on the floor with increased gravity on top of her.
She snarled at the human girl who struggled to look up at her. "What were you even trying to do?!" she asked angrily. "Do you ever think about your actions? About the consequences?!" This could get ugly considering her new political status on Shili. A Jedi Padawan had just attempted to murder a princess of Shili. If this got out, it wouldn't be pretty.
"Ahsoka, I believe this is quite enough. Release her please," Master Shaak Ti said as she walked up to them.
Ahsoka turned to look at the Togruta master. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Master Ti," she replied, ignoring Jana's angry rants.
"And why is that?" Shaak asked her. Some concern filled her. There was an edge in the Force to this situation. There was more to it than she knew now.
"I'm sure that you recognize this," Ahsoka replied as she took out the necklace she wore under her clothes. Aisha and her both had one, as did the rest of her family. The Heart of Nature. A specially designed jeweled necklace, only worn by members of the royal family of Shili. She held it up for the Jedi Master to see.
Shaak Ti's eyes widened as she took in the necklace. She knew what it meant, what it signified. She was also aware of the fact that Shili was currently looking at potentially joining the Republic. This incident could have some very significant consequences. "Padawan Starr, be silent!" she ordered hastily, quieting the Human girl. She then turned her attention back to Ahsoka.
Ahsoka looked Shaak Ti in the eyes. "Assuming that the Order handles this appropriately, I'm willing to keep this quiet. There shouldn't be any reason to let this incident disturb the potential political relationship between Shili and the Republic," she told the Jedi Master.
Shaak Ti nodded slowly. "The Council will see to that. You have my word," she replied, hoping that it would be enough for the younger Togruta. Her personal word was probably better than giving her the word of the Council, considering what had happened between Ahsoka and the Council.
"Very well then," Ahsoka said, easing up on her Force hold on Jana. The Human girl sat upright and was about to say something, but a stern look from Shaak Ti made her actually hold her tongue.
"Come on Aisha, our sisters are waiting for us. Let's not keep them waiting any longer," Ahsoka said to her sister as she walked up to her. Aisha nodded and picked up her bag again. She tucked her lightsabers back inside and put it on her back. The two of them then began walking towards the exit of the Temple.
;-
Anakin Skywalker watched as Ahsoka walked away with her little sister. His mind was still reeling with many different emotions.
The match between Ahsoka's sister and Petro had been something else. He would admit to himself that he had obviously underestimated that little Togruta. She was really talented and clearly a great match with Ahsoka. His former Padawan would no doubt help her grow into a strong young woman. She'd be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Watching his Ahsoka challenge one of the arrogant Council members who had driven her away from the Order and then mop the floor with him had been incredible. He had really been struggling to contain his anger towards the Jedi Master when he began to talk down Ahsoka and her sister like that. Then he had been struggling to keep a straight face and restrain his laughter as Ahsoka was obviously overpowering the man. Seeing him being sent flying by Ahsoka was probably a highlight of the week.
But then that irritating Human girl had actually tried to seriously hurt or even kill his Ahsoka. He didn't have the time to act though, Ahsoka had already restrained the brat with the Force before he could. He thought that Ahsoka might get into some form of trouble for doing that when Shaak Ti walked up, but now the Togruta Master was obviously stunned by something. He had no idea what the deal was with that necklace Ahsoka was wearing. Was it a Togruta thing?
He walked up to the Togruta Jedi. "Master Ti? What's going on?" he asked her. "Is there something special about that necklace?" He looked at the Human Padawan still sitting on the floor. She obviously wanted to comment, but Shaak Ti cut her off with a quick rebuke.
"You would be wise to remain silent, Padawan Starr. You have no idea how serious this situation is," Shaak stated. "You should consider yourself fortunate that Ahsoka never took much offence to your immature bullying. If she was less forgiving, she would have demanded your execution now and we would have been powerless to deny her."
Her words shocked the rest of the Jedi around her, especially Jana. The Togruta she always had been bullying could have demanded her life and the Jedi Council would have been unable to stop that?
Anakin was utterly confused as well. "What do you mean, Master Ti?" he asked. "How could she do that? Is it linked to that necklace?"
Shaak nodded slowly. "That amulet is known as a Heart of Nature. They are only worn by the members of the royal family of Shili. It is a symbol of their family," Shaak Ti explained to the others around.
Anakin frowned at her words. "But then, why is Ahsoka wearing one?" he asked confused. Shaak Ti gave him a look. "What? No. Do you mean that… Ahsoka is…"
"Only members of the royal family are allowed to wear such an amulet. So, it would appear that Ahsoka has reached quite the new position in life," Shaak replied. She looked at Jana Starr still sitting on the floor. "You just attempted to murder a princess of Shili. Such an offense by Shili laws is punishable by death. Under normal circumstances, this would be worse enough. However, Shili is looking to potentially join the Republic now. To have a Republic Jedi attempt to murder a princess of Shili, this could have easily ruined those negotiations before they had even started and ruined any further chances of a good relationship between Shili and the Republic."
She paused a moment before addressing the girl again. "I suggest you return to your quarters now and remain there. The Council will decide on a punishment for your actions later." With that, she dismissed her. Shaak Ti looked around the hall. "I believe we all have other matters to attend to now," she told everyone. A gentle nudge to remind everyone to carry on with their day, despite of the 'show' they just witnessed. She didn't doubt that all everything that had been said and done here would be talked over quite a bit. She wondered what it could lead to.
Anakin watched as everyone began to file out of the hall. Now he had even more running through his mind. His former Padawan is now a princess? Is that really true? Right now he had no idea what to make of everything that happened. He shook his head. He needed to get over to the Senate right now. He'd have to think about all of this later.
;-
That's the end of this chapter.
What was supposed to be a relaxing day of catching up with Anakin turned into quite the mess afterwards. At least both sisters got a nice test for their new lightsaber form.
In canon Eeth Koth was later removed from the Council and exiled. I couldn't find the exact reason, but it apparently was linked to him becoming 'unstable'. I figured he would be a good candidate here for Ahsoka to fight. Sure, it would have been nice to see her teach Windu a lesson or two, but that didn't seem right at this part yet. A bit too soon maybe. As much as I'd like a fully powered Ahsoka swing Windu around like a ragdoll, I want to keep things balanced in the story.
Like I mentioned above, there will be a chapter for Barriss' point of view of these events. She and Scout witnessed what happened as well.
It'll either be Gift of Light or my Barriss story that gets updated next. And maybe a short chapter for my random stories collection. I had a silly little idea for that.
Until next time.
