There were few rooms in the Jedi Temple that used technology. The library was one of them, the others were communication centers and the command center. Ahsoka led the three Padawans to one of the communication centers.
"Sit in a circle on the floor," she instructed them. "Leave room for me, if you don't mind."
They obliged while she grabbed a holographic map of the known galaxy from a shelf and set it in the middle of their formation. She had a similar projector, but this one had more than just planets. It had the capability to locate a building on the other side of the galaxy, and Ahsoka's projector was just for fun anyhow.
She turned it on, kneeling in the last spot in the circle. Speaking lowly, she began. "The Force flows through every living thing, but not through machinery, or electronics. It takes more concentration to manipulate them, and the more complex the coding, the more difficult it is. It will require all of your concentration."
Caleb, O-Mer, and Jinx nodded, clearing their minds. Internally, Caleb tried not to smile. Ahsoka was using the same, calming voice she had used when teaching him about the Force, even though it had been so long ago. This felt like another lesson.
"When we begin searching, all of our consciousnesses must work together. Focus on the list, and search through the galaxy for the Jedi that are missing."
"Should we focus on our masters' signature?" O-Mer asked, mimicking her relaxed tone.
Ahsoka shook her head. "Don't try to see what you want to see. Let the Force be your guide, stay in the moment. Be in this place, at this time."
She knew it was counter-intuitive, but the truth of the matter was that they were not searching, necessarily, for the Jedi, but recognizing them where they were. This was where their strong signatures would be helpful and a small advantage.
Closing her eyes, she reached a hand out to the projection and focused. When she felt the other three do the same, they began looking through all of the buildings on Coruscant. When they did not recognize what they were looking for, they moved on to the next closest system in the Inner Core. Then the Outer Core, then the Colonies. As they searched, they became quicker. It was slow work, as there were innumerable buildings just in the Inner Core itself, but the four of them working together made progress, and began to search through the galaxy. They saw each individual building flash by, none of them holding the people they were searching for.
Until they could see them all, clear as day in their minds, right where they were at that time. Ahsoka withdrew her hand, and the others did the same. They looked to see where it was they had found the Jedi, but Ahsoka drew her breath when she recognized it.
They were in a building on Lokori.
No, not Lokori. Anywhere but Lokori.
"We did it," Jinx murmured. "We really found them."
"I apologize for interrupting," Aayla Secura apologized, from behind Ahsoka. She turned to face her as the Twi'lek continued. "I came in while you were still searching. I hope I didn't stop you."
O-Mer stood up, smiling. "It's all right, Master, they're on Lokori. We can go find them, and we can bring them home!"
Ahsoka looked back at the projector. "It won't be that simple, O-Mer."
"What do you mean?" He asked, and Ahsoka picked up the projector and set it back on the counter. O-Mer studied the building, trying to see what had the Togruta so worried. "It's just an abandoned warehouse, and we can fight off any traps that might be set."
"This is not just a building," she corrected. "This scan of Lokori is outdated by almost ten years. That warehouse has been replaced since then. The Jedi Masters are being held in one of the Separatists' most cruel slave houses."
"A slave house?" Aayla questioned. "How do you know?"
Ahsoka didn't make eye contact with her as she explained. "I traveled the galaxy for nearly a year before I moved back to Coruscant. Lokori was one of the planets I visited. The Separatists grow their rations here for the few staff they have that are not droids. They enslave citizens of Lokori every month, only allowing them to leave when the month is up if they do not die before then."
Caleb stared at Ahsoka. "They're being turned into slaves? How? Can't they escape?"
"If they escape, the slave masters go back into the villages and select new slaves to work for them. Their freedom comes as the cost of someone else's, and it is seen as cowardly to force someone else to enter the slave house. If they get captured during their escape, the slave house also functions as a jail, where I suspect the Jedi are being held."
"What is this base named?" Aayla asked, crossing her arms.
Ahsoka sighed, looking back to the warehouse that was no more. "It has no official name, but the people of Lokori call it 'Scarlet Haven,' for the blood that has been spilled because of it."
Jinx, under his breath, commented, "It doesn't sound like much of a haven to me."
Aayla looked around at all four of them. "Are you sure this is where our Jedi Council and the Chosen One are being held?"
"Yes, Master," the other three responded, and Ahsoka nodded with them.
"Padawans, please leave the room. I would like to speak with Miss Tano alone." She instructed.
They began to shuffle out the door, but Caleb kept looking back at Ahsoka. She could tell that he was worried, afraid of what Aayla could say to her. Ahsoka, though, gave him a stern look and nodded out the door. Chances were that this discussion could get heated, but Ahsoka was a civilian, and Caleb was not. If he spoke out in her defense, he might pay for it later.
When the two women were alone, Aayla turned to Ahsoka. "First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of trust earlier. I'm afraid your reputation in the Order has not been what it once was."
"I can't say I expected anything different," she replied, leaning against the counter. "The Inquisitor hardly helped my cause."
"That much, at least, is for certain." Aayla looked back over at the hologram. "I believe we have a Jedi in the area that can rescan the planet and give us the proper schematics of the base, but if that fails, what should we expect upon arrival?"
It was a distant memory, but Ahsoka had spent a week there while she was the Inquisitor and thankfully, she had been paying attention during that week. "The slaves work from sunrise to sunset, at a large farm about 10 kilometers from Scarlet Haven. During that time, all of them, except for the ones in cells, are away from the base. As long as an attack occurred during the day, none of them should be in the line of fire."
Aayla nodded. "I appreciate it, but I was referring more to the structure of the building, or the landscape of the area."
"The base has multiple entrances, one to at least every cardinal direction. The real danger is on the edge of the base, though. Five towers create an energy shield, preventing all blaster bolts from passing through. If you want to launch an airstrike, you would have to destroy the towers first. All in all, you would need at least four teams. One to destroy the towers, one to retrieve the Jedi, one to lead the airstrike to destroy the base, and one to rescue the slaves."
The Jedi Master seemed thrown off by her last statement. "Rescue the slaves? Our mission is to save the Jedi. Once the base is destroyed, the slaves can-"
"Can do what? Wait for the guards to kill them? They are not alone out in the fields, and when the guards notice the base is gone, they are programmed to eliminate the slaves, and then to go into the villages and make them pay for their losses. Half of the people of Lokori will be slaughtered, if not more."
"I understand, Miss Tano," Aayla told her, but Ahsoka turned around, preparing to hear some ridiculous objection. "But the people of Lokori are under Separatist rule. They are not our people, and I would not risk the lives of our clones to rescue them."
"But you would risk them to save the lives of Republic citizens? What's the difference?"
Aayla froze for a moment, not having expected her to counter her reasoning. For a minute, she didn't have an answer, until she weakly attempted to defend her statement. "They are Separatists."
Ahsoka could see that Aayla was cracking. All she had to do was make her see past the lies Palpatine had fed the Order, and the galaxy, for the past four years. "By whose choice? Theirs, or a senator who is immune to their suffering, who never has to submit to the slavery they are forced to comply with?"
No answer came out of Aayla's mouth. This woman, this civilian, this teenager, was challenging a Jedi Master. Such a notorious act had not been seen in years. Not only that, but she had a...fair point. Not that most Jedi would admit it.
"The only difference between the people of Coruscant and the people of Lokori is where they live, and that is the only thing that determines whose side they are on. The one thing I know that they have in common is that both of them want the war to end."
"So you are suggesting that we let the Separatists win?"
"I am suggesting that you find an end, whatever that end may be. This war has never been the Republic against the Separatists, it has been Palpatine against anyone who would rise up against him. Palpatine is dead, but how many more people have to die because of him?"
For the second time, Ahsoka had stunned the Jedi into silence. Not that she was finished.
"I came to stop the Changelings because if no one did, people would die. I want to destroy Scarlet Haven because if no one does, people will die. I can't save all people, but if I can protect a few hundred of them then it's worth it. If anyone has to die, then it should not be innocent civilians, it should be the people who are prepared to. That is peacemaking, not this war that Palpatine orchestrated."
Ahsoka knew she had struck a nerve with that last sentence. She had essentially called out the entire Jedi Order and said they had not been living up to the one calling they had claimed to for millennia. She was fully aware that she was the first person in years, maybe even decades or longer, who had dared to accuse the Jedi of such a sacred crime, but now she could. She was bound by no code, held by no promise to be loyal to them.
The doors on the opposite side of the room opened, and people started filing in. Not just people, but the rest of the emergency council. Of course, they were listening outside the door, Ahsoka thought to herself. And they wonder why I don't trust them.
When the other seven had entered the room, Jocasta Nu was the first to speak. "You are not the same person you were when we last saw you, Ahsoka Tano."
"If you had seen what I have over the past year," she retorted, slightly sour because of their eavesdropping, "then you would change too."
"You have held true to your testimony," the Jedi who had questioned her earlier remarked. "You certainly live up to the symbol you bear."
Aayla turned to address her fellow Jedi. "I believe everyone has heard enough from Miss Tano here. Therefore, we will cast our idea to a vote. All in favor of asking Ahsoka Tano to lead the mission to save the missing Jedi, raise your hand."
Six hands went up. Rig Nema was among the supporters, this time. It was enough.
"It is decided," Aayla declared, facing Ahsoka. "If you choose to accept our request, you will be granted emergency authority within the Republic. You will be temporarily promoted to commander and will remain one until you return. The 501st Legion is the only battalion within range that is willing to search for the Jedi, and command of the clones will be handed to you until a Jedi with a higher rank is healthy and fit to command. Do you accept this mission?"
Ahsoka could be offended because of their actions, or not believe that they truly understand what she had tried to tell them, but she had to set that aside. One of the things she had decided to remember from the Jedi was that, sometimes, a mission was more important than her personal misgivings. She was the most familiar with the base and had the best chance of succeeding. "I accept, on the condition that the Padawans of the missing Jedi are allowed to accompany me on the mission."
The emergency council looked to each other, and when no one objected, Aayla nodded. Quinlan Vos, who had been smiling at her the whole time, cocked his head. "I believe that you may have a few more things yet to teach us, Ahsoka."