Chapter 17 – New Assignment
In this chapter Barriss will be told about her next assignment.
.5851, true, reporters do need shooting. But it doesn't mean that Barriss and her friends have to like it.
Hope you enjoy the chapter.
;-
General point of view
Padawan Barriss Offee was waiting outside the Council chambers. She was somewhat nervous about her new assignment. When she talked about it with her Master the night before, Luminara had told her that it was a solo-assignment for her alone. This knowledge had caused mixed feelings to rise up in Barriss.
The Council was going to send her alone on an important assignment. Does this mean that they trust her again? Or is this simply something else? Besides that, she was going to be without her Master and her new friends. She wouldn't be able to ask them for mental support in case something happened.
This whole thing was starting to upset her slightly. She really hoped that it wouldn't be some kind of full scale battle. She'd prefer some kind of reconstruction project like she and her Master had done on Ryloth before that battle on Felucia. Barriss couldn't help but smile at a part of that battle. The fact that she had seen Ahsoka before and during the battle had been great. For a moment, she wondered how Ahsoka was doing right now. Her thoughts were interrupted by Master Yoda calling her inside the room. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and stepped inside.
Barriss walked inside the chamber and bowed respectfully to the Council. "Welcome Padawan Offee, here for your briefing you are." Master Yoda said. Barriss nodded. "Yes Masters." She replied. "First of all, what do you know about the planet Drongar?" Master Windu asked. Barriss thought about it a moment. "I've heard the name before, but I don't really know anything about the planet." She answered. Master Windu nodded. "Are you familiar with a plant called 'bota'?" he asked. That was something she had heard of. "Yes Master, I've read about it. It's considered a sort of miracle cure. The plant has a different medical effect on different species. It is also extremely valuable." Barriss replied. "So you have heard of it, good." Master Ti said as she pressed a button on her chair. The holographic image of a planet appeared before Barriss in the middle of the room. "The planet Drongar is a planet on which the herb grows in large quantities." The Togrutan Jedi explained. "Because of its high value, both sides are fighting for control of the planet and the herb. However, because of the plants nature neither side is capable of using heavy weapons. Large explosion will disturb the plant and cause it to wither due to its weak nature. Thanks to this factor, there is almost constant battle for control of small portions of the planet." Shaak Ti finished explaining and the hologram deactivated. Barriss nodded but remained quiet.
"The planet also houses several Republic medical stations." Master Plo Koon continued. "A lot of military personnel from the surrounding area and the planet itself are brought there. These facilities are under a lot of stress. You will be joining one of the medical teams and assist them with their patients. " The Kel Dorian explained. Barriss nodded and felt a sense of relief flood over her. "However, that is the first part of your assignment." Master Windu said. Barriss nodded and looked at him. "There are rumors of spies in the Republics bota harvesting operations. Large quantities of bota are disappearing without a trace. These spies are probably linked to the Separatists and may cause serious damage to the Republic. With the work in the medstation as your cover, we need you to investigate the spies so that they can be shut down before they do irreversible damage to the Republic." Master Windu explained. "Do you understand your assignment?" He asked. Barriss nodded. "Yes Master. I am to assist the staff in the medcenter while investigating the people around the base and discover who is behind the disappearances of the bota." She replied, recounting the details of the mission for herself. Master Windu nodded. "Good, do you have any questions about the assignment?" he asked. Barriss thought over the mission for a moment. The mission was clear enough. "No Masters, when will I leave?" Barriss asked in return. "Two days from now." Master Plo said as he handed her a few datacrystals. "These contain more information about the planet, the base and its personnel. I'd advise you to study these before you depart." The Kel Dorian finished. Barriss accepted the crystals. "Thank you Master Plo, I certainly will." She replied as she nodded.
They discussed a few more details of the mission. When everything had been discussed Barriss bowed and left the Council chambers.
;-
Barriss' point of view.
It's about an hour after the Council told me about my new assignment. Right now I'm sitting against a tree in the garden of the Jedi Temple, reading through the documents Master Koon gave me. There is quite a bit to read, but I don't mind. Reading is something I like to do anyway.
"The first part of the mission won't cause that much trouble. After all, being a healer is something that I always wanted." I can't help but smile. I'm in my element in a medbay. I've trained endlessly to become a good healer and I'm somewhat glad for this opportunity to use my skills. The staff at the particular medstation I'm headed is well trained and they seem like good people. However, they haven't been able to get all of the supplies they need. They apparently need all the help they can get. I certainly hope I can help them out.
The second part of the mission is a lot more concerning. "There is a lot of personnel on the base I'm headed. Anyone of them could be involved. I'll have to trust in the Force to guide me." A slight shiver crept across my spine and a sense of worry filled me. I shake the feelings away. I don't have to worry about those things anymore. Thanks to my Master's help and the support from Naria and Alyva I can trust myself with the Force again. I shouldn't have to be afraid of using the Force to find out the truth of the spy.
I keep reading through the documents until I've studied everything. One point of the planet does bother me a little. Drongar is a swamp-like world with a very tropical climate. I prefer a somewhat cooler climate, but I'll just have to manage. I put my datapad away stretch out my legs. At this time of day most of the other Jedi are all occupied with other things and the Younglings are in classes, so the garden is very quiet. I sigh and relax against the tree. "I'll just stay here for a moment and then I'll finish packing my things. Tomorrow I'm going to visit Nyla and after that it'll be time to depart."
;-
The next day
General point of view
Barriss entered the room in the Halls of Healing where Nyla was. She found the Twi'Lek sitting upright in bed, reading a holomagazine. She looked up and saw Barriss approaching her. "Hello Barriss." Nyla said with a smile as she put the magazine away. "Hey Nyla, how are you?" Barriss asked as she reached the bed. "Well, I'm doing a lot better. I'm not in a lot of pain anymore. But according to the healers it's still going to take a while before I can leave the Halls of Healing. The fractures in my leg still need a bit more time to heal." Nyla sighed before continuing. "After that I'll have to take at least two months in physiotherapy to make sure that my leg has healed completely." She finished. "Don't worry Nyla, I'm sure you'll manage." Barriss replied with a smile. "Thanks Barriss." Nyla said as she smiled back. "Uhm, Barriss?" she asked. "Yes?" Barriss replied. "How are you feeling?" Nyla asked a bit nervously. "What do you mean?" Barriss asked a tad confused at her question. "Well, I read this article a little while ago…" Nyla replied. Barriss instantly knew what she was talking about. "After discussing it with Naria and Alyva and my Master, I've learned how to deal with it." She said. Nyla smiled. "That's good to hear. When I read that article I was quite worried about you." She replied. Barriss took a deep breath. "Yeah, it really was a terrible experience." She told Nyla. "I'm sorry Nyla, but can we talk about something else?" Barriss asked. Nyla nodded understandingly. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry." She replied. "I guess there are things that neither of us really want to talk about." Nyla said. Barriss nodded. "I guess that's true." She replied.
"Are you going to be able to help with the therapy I have to do?" Nyla asked after they had both talked for a while. Barriss was a little surprised by the question at first, but shook her head. "I'm sorry Nyla, but I can't." Barriss replied. Nyla frowned a bit. "Why not?" she asked. Barriss sighed. "I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow and I have no idea how long this assignment will take." She replied. Nyla nodded. "I see." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "What kind of assignment do you have?" Nyla asked curiously. "I'm sorry Nyla, but the Council forbid me from discussing the mission with anyone apart from my Master." Barriss explained. "Oh alright then, I understand." Nyla replied. "Tell you what, I'll tell you about it when I get back." Barriss said with a smile. "That sounds fair enough." Nyla replied smiling as well.
They kept talking for a while until one of the healers on duty said it was time for Nyla to rest. Nyla wished Barriss good luck on her mission before she left.
;-
Temple hanger
Barriss' time to depart
Barriss stood in the hangar of the Jedi Temple with her Master Luminara Unduli. The time had come for her to depart on her mission. Barriss felt she was well prepared for the assignment, but she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. "Don't worry Barriss, I'm sure you'll do fine." Luminara said encouragingly. "Just remember to trust in yourself and in the Force and you'll bring this mission to a successful end." Barriss looked at her master. "Thank you Master. I'll do my best." She replied with a smile. "It's time for me to go." She said as she looked at the ship that was going to take her to Drongar. "May the Force be with you Barriss." Luminara told her. Barriss smiled and bowed respectfully. Luminara bowed as well and Barriss turned around and boarded the ship.
Luminara looked as the ship flew away. "Be cautious Barriss. I can sense that a lot will happen to you and that you will be tempted severely. Remember who you really are." She thought to herself as the ship disappeared from view.
;-
That's it for this chapter.
I know, it's not such large chapter. I didn't really know what more I could add.
As you can see, we now enter the Medstar duology. If you haven't read the two books I recommend reading them. They're a great read.
I hope I described everything right in this chapter, it's been a while since I read the books myself.
On another note, I will take a little break with this story. Sorry about that, but I want to keep the timeline of this story and Tale of a Togruta to stay somewhat the same. So, while Barriss is away on her mission I will focus on writing a few chapters for my Ahsoka story.
The next chapter for this story will definitely be longer. Note: it will discuss the events of the Medstar books and will contain spoilers for the books.
Until next time.