Barris Offee
Chapter 3: The Duel
After spotting Barris and the Younglings running up the stairs, Trilla raced after them in an attempt to catch up. Looking back towards the collapse, Anakin was on one knee, slowly removing debris from his body. It was only a matter of time before Anakin released himself. After that, he would turn his attention to Barris and the younglings.
From the outside of the doorway, Trilla was able to see a group of clones heading towards Barris in the distance. Once outside the temple, a brown haze filled the air, causing Trilla to cough as the smoke became more bothersome. Despite the destruction of the temple only a smoldering shell remained of the once beloved Jedi Temple.
After seeing the dead bodies of the younglings, her concern was that she didn't want to have more bloodshed from not reacting and trying to prevent more deaths. She continued to run toward Barris and the younglings when she spotted a green looking Padawan, who looked exactly like Master Yoda.
In her arms, Barris held Grogu as she walked towards the spaceport. Trilla knew the odds of surviving and keeping the younglings alive was slim. Getting there and evening the odds was her only option.
After making her way to Barris and the younglings, Trilla arrived at their location. Barris decided to take a breather after she noticed that the younglings were out of breath after running away from the Temple. As the younglings huddled together, they heard footsteps approaching behind them.
In the group, Barris was the first to identify the woman standing before them. She smiled and said, "Trilla, I'm so glad you're alive. I thought you'd be among those who perished."
"I made it through the attack from the clones thanks to my Master. The only problem was that we got separated when we leapt off the ship." Trilla replied.
As Barris looked at her, she said, "We need to get off the planet and go into hiding, but time is running out."
"Time is running out more quickly than you realize." Trilla replied.
Barris looked at her and was astonished at what she said: "What do you mean that time is running out?"
"Anakin has lifted the debris off of his body and is about to come after us. I came to warn you and assist you in any way I can." Trilla replied.
As Barris looked at Trilla, she said, "I appreciate your help, but we.."
While she was talking to Trilla, the 501st caught up to them and stopped her mid-sentence. As minutes passed, the 501st clones had made their way to where Barris and the others were talking and surrounded them in a circular formation.
DC-15A Blaster Rifles were pointed at Barris, Trilla and the Younglings. As Barris ignited her lightsaber with one hand, Trilla followed suit, as they stood in front of the younglings, ready to face the clones blocking their path. Observing the 501st's assault on her Padawan and other Jedi survivors, Cere Junda stood on a ledge of the Jedi temple.
It was a pleasant relief for her to see her Padawan alive and well and decide it was time to make an entrance. Cere flew down the Jedi temple after leaping off the ledge. She sliced some clones as she went. Trilla smiled brightly as she helped eliminate the remaining clones.
She closed her lightsaber and turned to look at Barris before saying, "We must leave this area as soon as possible to avoid being captured."
Having reached a consensus, Trilla and Barris were on their way out when a blue lightsaber whipped by them, striking a youngling standing next to Barris. As she saw the lightsaber impale the youngling, Barris's eyes grew wide, and she screamed in agony, "No!"
Faced with panic and fear, she began to tremble. Seeing the faces of the younglings and Grogu, she pondered how they would be able to escape this situation. It was up to Barris to buy time for the Younglings to flee, but she had no idea what to do.
Standing before them with yellow eyes, Anakin returned his blue lightsaber to his hand. Barris was furious and fell to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks. As she stood up, she handed Grogu to Trilla and lit her lightsaber. While holding a doll, the young girl embraced her leg tightly as she glanced at Barris. Her desire was for her to avoid facing the Sith Lord and keep the family together.
"Please don't face him, I don't want to lose you as well. You're all the family, I have left. Let's stay together." The young girl replied, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
After looking back at the young girl, she wiped the tears from her cheek and said, "Cere, take the other younglings with Trilla and leave. Do not look back or get in the way."
"I cannot in good conscience let you face him alone." Cere Junda replied.
She pointed his lightsaber directly under her neck and said, "Would you like me to kill you first, and then deal with him?" "In either case, someone will die today."
Cere Junda stepped backward and shifted her gaze back to Barris, nodding in agreement. With the younglings following her, she grabbed the girl holding her leg and ran off together.
"Alright, be careful and stay alive." Cere Junda replied.
Taking a Soresu stance, Barris confronted Anakin and said, "How could you kill such innocent children?"
"My reasons are my own, and I don't want to explain myself to you. You are beneath me, Barris." Anakin replied.
She became agitated when she saw what he had done to the younglings, including the one who lay dead 5 feet from her. Taking a deep breath, Barris stared at the dead youngling and recalled what the Jedi Master at the prison had told her. She looked back at Anakin and said, "You've left me with no choice, and I won't allow you to hurt any more younglings."
"I won't let you stop me, Barris. Whether you surrender to me or not, you'll die by my hands." Anakin interrupted, standing in Form V stance, ready to fight her.
Despite being evenly matched in the Jedi arts, the lightsabers clashed ferociously. Barris leapt over Anakin as she slid away from him. As he turned around and looked at her, he said, "This is your last chance to join and build a new empire."
As Barris stared back at Anakin, "I'd rather die than become part of a new empire." Barris replied,
Anakin glared at Barris and said, "If you won't join me, then die."
Anakin raised his blue lightsaber and pointed towards some boulders across from where he had been standing across from Barris. With the force, he threw a huge boulder towards Barris. She ignited her lightsaber and did her best to deflect and slice the boulders. While flinching at the pain of the boulder hitting her, she lost her concentration as one of the boulders hit her bruising her arms.
As Barris knelt down, she inspected her arms and saw blood dripping from them. Seizing the opportunity, he attacked her. When she saw him rushing towards her, she ignited her lightsaber with her right arm and blocked his attack. By using her left arm, she pushed Anakin backward, causing him to crash into some debris. In the vicinity of where he had landed, his blue lightsaber crashed.
As Barris stood up, she removed her sleeves from both arms, dropped the broken clothes on the ground, and was out of breath. In the back of her mind, she knew it wouldn't be long before she lost the fight and needed to escape, but how?
As she walked in the direction of where Anakin had been thrown, she stood directly in front of him and was about to strike him, but Anakin used the force to pull his lightsaber into his left hand. He was able to block the strike. When their blades collided, he pushed her backward and rose to his feet. Behind her, a young girl came running toward her, yelling her name. After hearing the voice, she lost her concentration, and Anakin took advantage of this and used his right arm to pull her towards him.
It was his intention to run his lightsaber right through the youngling and kill her. Barris threw her lightsaber without thinking, and it struck Anakin in the right arm, causing him to lose concentration and having the youngling fall to the ground. Although she was unconscious, she was safe from Anakin Skywalker's grasp.
She bent down to check the pulse of her youngling and felt one. After feeling one, she turned her attention to Anakin. Seeing where her lightsaber had fallen, she forced it back into her hand.
As she faced Anakin, she vowed to defend the youngling with her life. A long-limbed humanoid stepped forward wearing a brown robe and an ivory mask with gold markings.
He was accompanied by other Jedi temple guards carrying lightsaber pikes. As they walked past Barris, the Pau'an looked at Anakin and told him, "Surrender and come with us to pay for your crimes against the Jedi."
As Anakin looked back at the Pau'an, he said, "I won't surrender to you, but I am going to kill you. You either stand with me or die at my hands. It is your choice."