Traitor of Dawn
Author's Note: This is basically a mixture of our head canons and possible theories with what was going on behind the scenes in The Wrong Jedi arc. Really, there's no way Barriss could have done everything on her own. She had to be conspiring with someone, even if it didn't happen exactly the way it did in this one-shot. Anyway, let us know what you think about the story! =D
~ Tirana Sorki
Also, this was written partially at the prompting of loldelegate on . :P
~ Amina Gila
There is no emotion, there is peace.
Peace? The very notion itself is ridiculous. The galaxy is completely torn apart by war. Where is there any peace? In anyone or anywhere?
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
If there was actually something other than ignorance in the galaxy, maybe it wouldn't be in such a terrible state. And maybe the Jedi wouldn't have fallen so far from their path like they have.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
What Jedi have serenity these days? So many of them are possessed with a passion to win the war, no matter what the cost. A war that they should be focusing on stopping instead of continuing to fight.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
Harmony? That's a laugh. There's nothing but chaos everywhere you look now. Planet after planet torn apart by the war, the clones and Jedi dying constantly, and innumerable civilian casualties who happen to get in the way.
There is no death, there is the Force.
Well, try telling that to the relatives who have needlessly lost people in the war and see what they have to say.
Meditating is something that's always came easily to her, but not right now. Barriss Offee finally stands up, moving to look out the viewport at the darkness of space outside the cruiser. Her cruiser now since she was recently Knighted.
The Jedi were supposed to be peacekeepers, not soldiers, as Windu had said only days before authorizing practically two hundred Jedi to their deaths on Geonosis, starting the Clone Wars.
They're all losing their way, and even the Council is too blind to see it. She greatly respected them once, but not anymore. Especially after they faked Master Kenobi's death. It's completely against everything the Jedi stood for. Sure, it may have been 'necessary', but it was deceitful. It was morally wrong. Before the war, they never would have gone to such extents.
She can't shake another more recent incident from her mind either. Once when she was on a mission with another Jedi, the other ordered a foolish attack that needlessly ended up getting many civilians killed. It could have been handled differently, and they probably still would have won. And even if they didn't, was protecting that small Republic base really worth all the death and destruction? Barriss had taken her complaints on the incident to the Council, but they'd been too focused on the war effort to even do anything about it.
The Order is nothing like what it once was, and every day, she seems to find herself wanting to be a part of it less and less. If the Order doesn't stop doing things like this, they will start falling beyond recovery. As a Jedi – a real, true Jedi – she won't allow that to happen, but there is nothing she can do about it. The Council won't listen to her, that much is clear.
She finally returns to the cot in the corner of the room, thoughts still swirling in her mind as she drifts into a fitful sleep.
Images of that latest battle, from the destroyed village, bodies everywhere. She can't suppress the anger that surges inside her at the sight of it again. This... it needs to stop.
The images finally drift away, though her anger is still boiling. The next thing she knows, she's standing in the center of a darkened area. A robed figure in the shadows. "It's upsetting isn't it, what the Jedi have become?" the figure suddenly speaks. His voice is dark almost sinister sounding, but at the same time there's a distinct amount of understanding in the tone. "War mongers, that's what they've become. They don't care about the good of the galaxy anymore; they'll do anything that the Senate tells them to do."
"They're losing their way," Barriss blurts out, hardly sure why she's talking to this person. Who even is he? But for some reason, she can't find it in herself to care. All she can feel is an overpowering fury over the way things are now. "I don't know how to stop them! I need to do something, but they won't listen to me."
"Those who lust after power never want to see the truth when it's shown to them," the figure says sympathetically, "The Council has fallen too far. The only way to get a message across to them is by doing something extreme."
Yes, something extreme. But like what would that be? Scream at them? As mad as she is, she can't exactly imagine herself doing that. Even if she did, they still wouldn't pay her any attention. "Yes, it must infuriating. They preach to use the Light Side, but there's nothing of the Light left in the galaxy anymore."
The being turns to face her, part of his face visible beneath his hood. Something about him almost reminds her of a Sith, setting her slightly on edge. "Barriss, you're the only one who can stop the path of destruction the Jedi are on now. You need to take action. They won't listen to reason. You must do something more."
"But like what?" she demands.
"Sometimes the only action they'll understand is by the blood of one of their one."
Her eyes narrow, and she stiffens slightly. "What – what you are saying?" she asks sharply. Is he implying that she should kill a Jedi? It's totally against what she believes in unless the person in question isn't a true Jedi.
"I'm not implying anything, my dear," he answers easily, "But just think. The only thing the Jedi Council believes in is violence. It may well be the only way to wake them up."
**w**
The visions of the dark figure don't stop, and while it concerns Barriss to a point, he's offering her guidance at a time when she has nowhere else to turn. Things are only continuing to escalate with the Jedi, and she can't sit back and do nothing anymore.
The figure from her visions is right. The only way to make a point to the Jedi is by the blood of their own, and she'll have to find a way of showing them it. Maybe it's not what she wants to do, but it's for the greater good. It isn't an attack on the Order; it's an attack on what they have become.
For a moment, Barriss almost wishes she could talk to Ahsoka about it, about everything she's realized, and how she thinks the Jedi should be. The Togruta is her best friend, and she wishes she could persuade her to her line of thinking.
"You see distracted," Ahsoka speaks up suddenly, bringing the Mirialan back to present.
"I have a lot on my mind," Barriss replies, smiling faintly, "I've been thinking a lot about... well, the Jedi."
She raises an eyemarking. "What do you mean?"
"The Jedi have... changed a lot from the beginning of the war," Barriss explains after a moment, "I know you didn't become a Padawan until afterwards, but I was before, and Jedi missions before were never anything like this."
"There wasn't a war before," Ahsoka offers, "Of course, it's very different."
"I know, but have you considered that maybe we should be trying to end the war instead of fighting in it?"
"Isn't that kind of the same thing?" Ahsoka asks dryly.
"Not exactly," Barriss sighs, "I just... often wonder what things will be like in the Order, even after the war does end." That, admittedly, concerns her the most. Many of the Jedi don't seem to have a problem with the war. They seem to be enjoying the action of it, instead of wanting things to go back to how they once were. Will the Jedi really even be willing to go back to how they used to be after this? Something tells her they won't be. She's not sure there will be any going back at that point.
"I don't know. What do you think the Jedi should be doing? Like after the war is over?"
"I think both the Jedi and the Republic need to be different than how they are now."
"The Republic?" the Togruta repeats in surprise.
"Yes," Barriss confirms, "I'm sure we can both agree that it's becoming... corrupt." She can't think of a better word to describe the system at this point. At the Temple they're always warned to be wary of politicians, even though they literally serve the Senate. She doesn't have a problem with that, but the Republic itself is no longer what it should be either. They're also becoming warmongers, just as much as the Jedi are.
"I don't pay much attention to politics," Ahsoka admits, "But yes, I agree." She hesitates a moment, seeming to be considering something before she speaks again. "A few months back, I was on a mission to Kiros with my master. The Separatists had abducted the entire Togruta population there – over fifty thousand people – and were planning to sell them into slavery on Zygerria. The only reason the Republic even got involved to help them in first place was because it was the Separatists who were doing it, and because they might be able to get Kiros to join the Republic. If neither of those had been any issue, they wouldn't even have done anything about it."
Barriss shakes her head with a sigh. "That's why I often think what we need is to somewhat reform the Republic, in general," she replies, "The central government the way it is now is a good idea, but it needs to be more unified. That way, it would put pressure on the systems that aren't a part of the Republic. They would have to join eventually, since they would need the resources."
Ahsoka frowns. "That would be really hard on the people who are already being oppressed, you know."
"Yes," Barriss agrees, "But eventually the results would pay off. It would bring safety and progress throughout the entire galaxy. Even the criminal cartels would be forced to give in eventually."
Ahsoka doesn't seem the happiest at the suggestion. Barriss didn't entirely expect the Togruta to agree, but she might still be able to persuade her to her line of thinking. The political aspect of matters isn't really the crucial part anyway. "Many systems left the Republic in the first place because the Republic was exploiting them, and they weren't giving them proper protection in return. Of course, they tried to break free eventually. That's when Dooku decided to take advantage of the situation." She huffs out a breath. "But that doesn't mean systems should be forced to become a part of the Republic if they don't want to be, as long as they aren't starting wars or hurting anyone."
Barriss hums in consideration of her words. "How do you think the Republic ought to be run, then?"
"I think the systems of the Republic need to be more autonomous and self-governing, and less dependable on each other. I've been to the Senate a lot, and a system like that would probably take a lot of the unnecessary debating out of the Senate and leave it up to the individual planets. If the Republic was more like a loose federation, where they only have a few common basic laws and leave the rest up to the independent regions. The people of those regions are living in that situation, not the Senate. They know best what they need. When it comes to voting, the more populated Core world votes often tend to outweigh the votes from the Outer Rim worlds, so they never end up getting what they need from the Republic. That's why it's so easy to get them to join the Separatists."
Wow. "I see you've been thinking about this a lot," Barriss comments.
"Tends to happen when you have few Senators for best friends," Ahsoka chirps.
"True," she agrees, "Though I still see some... problems with your suggestion. Because with a system like that, there'll still be plenty of room for criminal organizations to grow."
"That's where the Jedi come in," Ahsoka interjects, "Instead of fighting the war, they should be fighting for the freedom and helping protect people."
"Fighting is still fighting," Barriss counters.
"Isn't that what Jedi are for?"
"That's what they've become, but I don't think that's what they ought to be doing. We're supposed to be peacekeepers. We should be keeping the peace through negotiations, and only fighting when we're personally attacked. Being a part of the fighting makes the Jedi a part of the problem in the first place." That's exactly the issue the Jedi are having now, exactly the point Barriss needs to find a way to making to them.
Ahsoka frowns. "But being passive like that... That's what the Jedi were doing before, more or less, wasn't it?" She continues when Barriss nods in confirmation. "And I don't think it was really working back then either. I mean... I don't know how much you've paid attention to some of the history we study at the Temple –"
The two crack a smile at that. "I try, but there's more important things to remember as a Jedi," Barriss replies.
"I agree," Ahsoka chuckles, "But like I was saying, I was reading about some things in Republic history from about seven hundred years ago. Something called the Mandalorian cataclysm." Barriss remembers vaguely what she's talking about, but she lets her friend keep talking, explaining what it is anyway, just in case she's forgotten something important. "The Republic was afraid that many planets were going to flock to Mandalore for protection from pirates and slavers from the Hutts and Zygerrians. Instead of fighting against Zygerria with the army that they actually had at the time, the Republic attacked Mandalore."
"What's your point, exactly?" Barriss questions.
"If the Jedi had been actually fighting off criminals like they should have been, none of that would have happened in the first place. The Jedi can't sit back passively and only do what the Republic tells them to do. I think they need to fight to protect everyone but their own way. I don't think they should actually have allegiance to the Republic government the way they do now. Important matters get slowed down by the Senate and anything the Jedi can do is dictated by them, and it makes things very... ineffective."
Maybe she can see what her friend is saying, but she still doesn't think that's the answer. "If the Jedi did as you're suggesting, it would be basically like going to war all over again."
"Maybe, but someone needs to do it, and it's the Jedi's job."
"That's why I suggested what I did about the Republic's government system," Barriss replies, "That way, things could be solved without so much unnecessary fighting."
"I'm not sure things would work out the way you're hoping," Ahsoka objects, "And like I said, I don't see why systems should be forced to be a part of the Republic if they don't want to be. The Jedi need to take a more active role in fighting for what they ought to be."
"Fighting like this is exactly the problem both the Jedi and Republic have now!"
"You know, I don't think we're ever going to agree on this," her friend decides finally.
That, Barriss is starting to agree with. "Maybe not," she concedes at last, doing her best to hide her disappointment. If this is really what Ahsoka believes, she'll never be able to change her mind. And she'll definitely never agree to help Barriss send a message to the Order. No, she'll have to do it alone.
**w**
"One with the Force, they are. And our job it is, to remember that we will, in time, also pass on." Yoda recites the words of the eulogy for the dead Jedi, killed in the bombing of the Temple. Barriss hopes that maybe they'll actually take a message from what happened.
She stands in silence next to her friend Ahsoka as she watches the funeral progress. "Luminous beings we are," Yoda continues, "But temporary vessels, our bodies are. And we shall all find ourselves here in time. A moment of silence, I ask, to remember and to move on."
She may no longer respect much of what the Grandmaster has to say, but for this once, she does. And she does use the moment to remember. Whoever that being was who first contacted her through the Force, she's spoken to him on multiple occasions. It's been a couple months, and the more time went on, the more rapidly things seemed to be deteriorating. By talking more to the mysterious being, she finally came to her realization. The Jedi no longer serve the Light Side; they have become an army fighting for the Darkness, instead. She had to do something.
The guilt over what she did is gnawing at her, but she knows there was no other choice. It was the only option. It had to be done, for the good of the galaxy. So, she's ready to let go and move on as the Jedi have always preached, even if it's hard. It was a necessary evil.
"You were close to one of them?" Ahsoka asks her quietly.
Barriss nods solemnly. "Tutso Mara. We trained together. He taught me how to hold my lightsaber correctly." She never intended to kill him. She didn't know he was going to be one of the Jedi in there when the bomb detonated. She does truly mourn him, but she knows that it's something she needs to let go of as well. He was a Jedi too, and pretty much all of them have lost their way now. It was worth his death, it if means showing the rest the true way. A part of her is still hoping that maybe she'll be able to convince Ahsoka to see things from her point of view. Maybe.
"Live for the living Jedi, we must. Live through us, forever they will," Yoda finishes the eulogy. The bodies are slowly lowered, the floor sealing above them before an orange beam shoots out of each of them, going up to the ceiling.
After the funeral is over, Barriss falls in step with Ahsoka as she follows Anakin and Tarkin. "So, what happens to Letta now?" Ahsoka wonders.
"The bomber has been moved," Tarkin responds.
"Moved?" she echoes, "Where? Why should she be moved?"
"The Republic military has taken her into custody." She was? That's... good news, actually. If Letta stayed at the Temple and the Jedi continued the investigation, it's possible that they could end up tracing it back to Barriss herself. She cannot allow that to happen. If the Jedi don't get her point, she must take further measures.
"But why? This is a Jedi matter, isn't it?" Ahsoka demands, frowning.
"Clones were killed," answers Tarkin coolly, "Which makes this terrorist attack a military matter. An attack on the Jedi is an attack on the Senate."
"Admiral Tarkin is right," Anakin speaks up, "Letta isn't a Jedi. It's not for us to be judge and jury over a citizen of the Republic."
Ahsoka steps forwards to face them. "If Letta's guilty, she's guilty, and she should be dealt with." Barriss can feel how angry Ahsoka is over what happened. Imagine if she knew that it was her friend who did it? It's not something she can let her know right now. Maybe ever.
"Calm down, Ahsoka. Remember, revenge is not the Jedi way," Anakin chides.
"The evidence seems clear, Ahsoka. Nothing will ever change," Barriss speaks up. Not unless Letta starts talking. She won't. Barriss made sure of that.
"The Chancellor feels very strongly that the Jedi be removed from as many military matters as possible," Tarkin says as he heads down the hall again, "You yourselves said that you're peacekeepers, not soldiers."
"I hope Chancellor Palpatine knows what he's doing," Ahsoka retorts, scowling back him.
"I assure you that he rarely does anything without a strategy."
Really, she should be going now. "I have many things to attend to, masters," Barriss says, "Good day, Ahsoka."
She's heading down the hall when she hears Anakin saying, "Go, be with your friend, Ahsoka."
"Company?" The Togruta asks, hurrying to catch up with her.
"Sure."
The Mirialan wishes she could talk to Ahsoka about what she's realized, but with the bombing so fresh, now isn't the time. She'll have to work on it slowly. There's time. She knew this would be a long, drawn-out process when she decided to take up the job, but she accepted anyway. Ahsoka is wild and reckless, but she's understanding and will do what needs to be done for the greater good, as she proved when she blew up the factory. That's the only reason, really, that Barriss befriended her.
"Every time I think about this, I feel conflicted," Ahsoka sighs after a few moments of silence, "It's hard not to let feelings turn into attachment and pain." Yes, exactly. That's what Barriss has been starting to realize. The Jedi ignore emotions more than actually dealing with them. They seem to be forgetting what it means to actually let go; instead, they suppress their feelings.
"Ahsoka, have you wondered if it was right to ignore your emotions?" she replies.
"My Master would say 'our struggle as Jedi is to move past them'," Ahsoka answers. Well, when it's put like that...
"You make it sound so easy."
Ahsoka chuckles. "No, it isn't easy. But it's possible. Like when we were stuck inside the battle tank on Geonosis, it was hard not to be afraid. Still, you and I got past it, and I guess we'll get past this." If not for that incident on Geonosis and later with the brain worms, Barriss doesn't think her and Ahsoka would ever have become friends. The Togruta – and her master who she knew when he was still a Padawan – aren't exactly the usual type of Jedi she associates with much. That changed after they nearly died together twice.
"You've always been capable of seeing things clearly." Ahsoka really has changed a lot from when they first met. She's much more of a Jedi now than she was then.
"I guess I've fooled you like I've fooled everyone else," she replies before comm suddenly beeps, "Yes, Master?"
"Ahsoka, we're needed in the war room. It appears the Separatists have mounted another attack," Anakin says from the other end.
"Coming, Master," she replies, before pausing to look back at her friend, "Look, I have to believe that one way or another, this woman's going to pay for what she did."
"You shouldn't keep your master waiting." Barriss dodges responding to the comment. Ahsoka is extremely upset right now, and it both makes it easier and harder for Barriss to make her see reason. If she guesses something is off, she'll react with violence like the Jedi have taught her so well, but if Barriss has the time to explain, everything should work out.
**w**
"Padawan Tano is speaking with Letta Turmond now, sir," Commander Fox reports, just as he had asked him too.
A dark smirk twists Chancellor Palpatine's face. Everything is proceeding exactly as he thought. It was simple enough to get Barriss Offee to Fall to the point that she agreed to the Temple bombing. Then all he had to do was arrange things so that Skywalker's meddlesome Padawan would take the fall for it. Offee doesn't even realize what she agreed to, and once she does, it will be too late. Knowing the girl, she's not going to confess once the blame falls on Tano. She's already Fallen. She's selfish, and if she believes she can do more good, she'll happily allow Tano to take the blame for it all.
Tano has been getting in Palpatine's way for far too long. If not for her, it would have been a lot more likely for Anakin to have Fallen after Kenobi faked his own death. Ever since Tano become his Padawan, Palpatine has been hoping that she'd get herself killed during the war, but since that clearly isn't happening, and he no longer has time to wait, it's time for him to take action himself.
"Very good," Palpatine replies to the waiting clone. Fox is only loyal to him because of the inhibitor chips in the clones, so he has nothing to fear. The commander will never betray him. "Transmit the footage of the cell to me." Fox complies, and moments later live footage of the prison cell is playing in front of him. There's no sound, since he already told Fox to ensure that it was disabled.
He can't tell for sure how far their conversation has progressed, but it's time by now anyway. Sidious reaches out with the Force, wrapping it around Letta's neck as he lifts her off the ground. Tano immediately panics, only succeeding in making herself look more incriminating when she raises both of her hands in the air.
Sidious laughs darkly before tightening his grip, snapping Letta's neck and letting her collapse to the floor as the clone guards finally come running into to see what happened.
He cuts off the transmission for now, comming Tarkin to inform him no one should be allowed to speak with Tano, before he calls Fox back. And again, he gives him more than slightly questionable of orders, but the clone has no choice but to obey. To disable the cameras in the halls right around the entrance to Tano's cell, to then use her lightsaber to kill the clone guards right near the entrance, to leave a key card right outside her cell, and finally to connect her comm to his and come around the corner when she finds it to make it look as though he tried to "stop" her escape. It was a good thing Palpatine activated Fox's chip already – an order of complete, unquestionable loyalty to him – or the clone probably wouldn't be obeying him like this.
**w**
Barriss should have guessed something would go wrong, but she didn't expect this. Ahsoka is now on the run in the underworld because they think she's the one who killed Letta with the Force, and possibly also did the Temple bombing. Ahsoka may have been very upset with Letta, but Barriss knows she would never have killed her. Which means that she's being set up by someone, very likely the certain Sith who convinced Barriss to do the bombing in the first place.
This – this was not what she intended to happen. But what can she do now? It's too late.
There's only one thing she can do right now. Get some answers from the Sith. She sits down on the floor, slipping into a meditative trance. As she does, she lets the Force wash over her, reaching for the darkness in the galaxy that she can feel most strongly right here on Coruscant.
After a moment, the familiar dark figure materializes. "This was not supposed to happen," Barriss gets to the point. "Ahsoka isn't supposed to take the blame for this."
"This is most unfortunate," the Sith agrees, "But with her on the run now, she might figure out what's happening. You have to stop her. You need to finish the job. Ensure that the Jedi think she is guilty. It's the only way."
She still gets the feeling that he might be partly to blame for this, but it's not like she's going to mention that. It's too late, anyway. At least if someone takes the fall for it, no one will track it back to her. That's all that matters. She's perfectly willing to sacrifice Ahsoka for the greater good.
"Lead Tano to the warehouse," the Sith orders before the vision dissipates.
Barriss is contemplating her next move when her comm suddenly beeps. "Barriss, it's Ahsoka," the familiar voice crackles over the line.
"Ahsoka? I'm so glad you're safe," Barriss says. No, she doesn't want to do this. Ahsoka is her friend, and she doesn't want to betray her. But at the same time, the Sith is right. It's between her and Ahsoka now. If the Order finds out that she was the one who did the bombing, they'll never listen to her. So, she'll go along with it and pretend Ahsoka is guilty as well. Besides, maybe in the long run, it will work out better for the Togruta too. She'll come to understand that the Order isn't what she thought it was, of that Barriss is certain. Yes, maybe this is better.
"Safe, but on the run."
"Where?"
"I can't tell you, but someone is definitely trying to frame me," Ahsoka says quietly. Yes, she has no idea...
"It's not safe for you to call me using the Jedi communicator," Barriss warns, "Find another way to contact me." The last thing she needs is for the Jedi to overhear that she's talking to Ahsoka, since she's not about to report her.
"I will," Ahsoka assures.
"In the meantime, I'll do some digging and see if I can find anything out to help you on my end." Because that is what she's going to do, in a way. She is helping her friend, just not in a way she'll understand for a while.
"Thank you, Barriss," Ahsoka replies.
"Be safe," she tells her before the call disconnects. Now she has to wait until the Togruta contacts her again, so she can give her the information.
It's only been a few hours when her comm beeps again, this time from an unidentified frequency. "Barriss, it's me," her friend's voice crackles over the line. By this point, she's already waiting near the warehouse. Ahsoka could be right nearby, and she'll need to ambush her immediately to ensure her capture.
"It's good to hear you, Ahsoka. Are you okay?" Barriss asks anxiously. She pushes away the guilt still swirling inside of her. This is for the good of everyone. It's not something she even should feel guilty about.
"Yes, if you consider Anakin and a hundred clones on my tail a good space to be in," Ahsoka replies.
"You were almost captured?"
"Once or twice, yeah."
"Where are you?" she asks.
"I can't say, Barriss."
Fine. Time to get on with this anyway. "I believe I've found a clue."
"A clue?" Ahsoka echoes, "How? From where?"
She can't think of an answer fast enough. It doesn't really matter anyway. "We don't have much time, Ahsoka," she prompts.
"Fine," the Togruta concedes, before telling her the location. The Mirialan tells her where to go before breaking the connection. She needs to be in position by the time the Togruta arrives.
**w**
The last person Barriss was expecting to see show up with Ahsoka was Ventress, but it's even more convenient. She creeps up behind Ventress on a beam near the ceiling, preparing to attack. The Nightsister senses her, freezing in place as her hands reach for her lightsabers. "I thought we decided we were going to part ways," she calls out, spinning towards the source of the noise.
Barriss attacks her from behind, temporarily stunning her before taking her mask and lightsabers and going in search of Ahsoka. It's the perfect disguise.
She knows Ahsoka's fighting style well, and she also knows the layout of the warehouse. Ahsoka's been on the run all night, and she came right off a battlefield prior to that. She's exhausted, and she only has one lightsaber. She's slowing down fast. Barriss lingers only long enough to throw Ahsoka over the edge, right in line of sight of the approaching clones, before disappearing again.
She's in her room at the Temple when Anakin shows up. Of course, she already heard how the Council threw Ahsoka out of the Order and turned her over to the Senate for trial. The news is all over the place already. Honestly, what they did hardly surprises her. Of course, they would. They do anything to please the Senate now. The Order is nothing like it used to be. And maybe – maybe this will teach Ahsoka that too.
"I was told that you spoke with Ahsoka before she was arrested," Anakin gets straight to the point, "What did you say to her?"
Barriss forces herself to remain a perfect image of calm on the outside. She'll need to play this carefully to ensure she doesn't slip up. She's been around Ahsoka long enough to know that Anakin is far cleverer than people give him credit for, and if she does anything out of the ordinary, he'll figure everything out. "We've been friends for a long time," Barriss says, choosing her words as carefully as she can, "I was only trying to help her. I hope I'm not in any trouble."
"It's no trouble," Anakin replies, casually looking down at her lightsaber that he picked up when coming into the room. Does he suspect her? She really has no idea, but she'll keep playing along. "I just need to know what you told her and if you told anyone else."
"No, I thought I had a clue for her, but I really couldn't tell her anything." How does Anakin know they talked anyway? She needs to direct his questions away from herself, onto something else. "Who told you I spoke to her?"
"Ventress. She told me."
"Ventress?" Barriss echoes. She should have guessed. But this might work in her advantage. "Isn't she the one Ahsoka says is really behind all this?"
"That's what Ahsoka says," Anakin responds, "But I think she's wrong. Ventress thinks someone else is involved."
Well. This isn't looking good. "And you believe her?" she inquires dubiously but begins discreetly backing across the room to where she hid Ventress' lightsabers. If something goes wrong, she'll need some way to defend herself. And judging from the fact that he doesn't think Ventress is the one who did it, and clearly Barriss is his only lead, something probably is about to go wrong. "Who else could it be if not her? Surely not Ahsoka."
"No, I don't think it was Ahsoka either," Anakin responds, something about his tone suddenly shifting to almost threatening, "I think both Ahsoka and Ventress are telling the truth, but there's only one way to find out."
Barriss can feel it in the Force a split second before he ignites her lightsaber, swinging it at her. In a flash, she ignites the two red blades, blocking the blow. Well, her cover is definitely totally blown now.
"Funny. Those belong to Ventress," Anakin growls, "You should've gotten rid of them."
"I think they suit me," Barriss shoots back, as she slashes the blades at him repeatedly. Because really, in a way, they do. The person who's been helping her try to save the galaxy is a Sith, trying to do things the Jedi who are supposed to be caring for the galaxy haven't.
Anakin Force-kicks her across the room into the wall, and she lands right next to the door. Jumping to her feet, Barriss takes off running.
**w**
"Ahsoka Tano," Palpatine's voice is ringing out as Barriss is led into the Senate chamber surrounded by Temple guards, "By an overwhelming count of –"
"Chancellor!" Anakin calls.
"I hope you have a reason for bursting into our proceedings, Master Skywalker," Palpatine says.
"I'm here with evidence and a confession from the person responsible for all the crimes Ahsoka has been accused of. Barriss Offee, member of the Jedi Order and traitor."
The two guards in front of her step aside, allowing her walk forwards. There's no escape for her now. She knows that. Things were never supposed to come to this when she decided to do the attack. She wasn't supposed to be caught. But at the same time, she knew it was a strong possibility.
As long as it changes something for the better, it will still be worth it. And if nothing else, at least she'll have shown many of the Jedi – Ahsoka included – how far the Jedi have fallen. They literally threw out a Padawan on orders of the Senate without even bothering to investigate. If nothing else, what the bombing didn't prove to the Jedi, this incident will. Or at least she can hope.
"Barriss?" Ahsoka cries, horror and betrayal in her voice, "Is that true?"
The Mirialan doesn't look at her. There's nothing she can say to her anyway, at least not here. Maybe someday she'll understand.
"Tell them the truth," Anakin orders.
Barriss scowls at him, before looking back to the rest of the room. "I did it because I've come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize. That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war, that we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict, that we are the ones that should be put on trial, all of us! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become; an army fighting for the Dark Side, fallen from the Light that we once held so dear. The Republic is falling! It's only a matter of time."
"Take her away," commands Palpatine.
**w**
Things could never have worked out better, Palpatine thinks to himself as he sits in the Chancellor's office. Even if Tano isn't dead, at least she's gone – probably forever – from the picture. And in a way, he thinks what happened will have a far deeper effect on Skywalker than if his now former Padawan had been killed in the war. He won't trust himself anymore, to protect those he cares for.
It also drove a far deeper wedge between Skywalker and the Jedi, and this time it's something Palpatine is certain can never be fixed. Even if it could be, he will make sure that never happens. The Council is so foolish. Even if not for him working from the side, Anakin is bound to Fall, anyway. All Sidious has todo is to make sure Skywalker's relationship with the rest of the Jedi continues to deteriorate until the time is right. All he has to do is ensure the boy never realizes he was directly involved, and then Skywalker will be his.
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