When someone thought of Barriss Offee, they typically pictured a peaceful, rule-abiding young Padawan who would never go against the Jedi code, much less go against Republic law. But here she was, avoiding blaster fire from the three Republic fighters that were pursuing the Nebula over Dathomir.
The Nebula shuddered as it took a hit.
"That's not good," said Lux. "We need to get out of here!"
Barriss glared at him from the pilot's seat. "Well I'm not exactly a star pilot, and since we don't have Ahsoka here, I'm just going to have to do my best!"
Barriss maneuvered the ship out of the way of another shot. She piloted the Nebula out of the planet's atmosphere.
"Lux," she shouted. "What coordinates do I put in? Where are we going?"
"Anywhere!" Lux shouted back. "Just get us out of here!"
Barriss typed in the coordinates of one of the the nearest planets and made the jump to hyperspace, leaving the Republic fighters behind. She slumped back in her chair, relieved.
"Thank the Force," said Barriss. "I thought we were done for."
"You're not the only one," said Lux. "So where are we headed?"
"A planet called Taris," said Barriss. "My master and I went on a mission there once. I think it's neutral now. We shouldn't have any unwanted run-ins with the Republic there. I hope."
"Very reassuring," said Lux. "At least we'll get a break."
"I certainly hope so."
They exited out of hyperspace in front of the small bluish planet and Barriss guided the Nebula down to a small city at the edge of an ocean.
The city, though small, was bustling with people. Barriss led Lux through the streets of the city, looking for a less crowded place, as Lux observed the city.
Barriss eventually found a small café on the outskirts of the city. It was very small and greasy, but there were very few people inside. That was exactly what Barriss had been hoping for.
"It's not the nicest place," said Barriss as she walked inside, "but we can talk here without being overheard."
The two of them slid into a booth and, after ordering caf, Lux finally brought up what he knew was in both of their minds.
"Where do you think they took Ahsoka?"
"I can only guess," said Barriss. "Surely they would not simply take her to any ordinary prison. I would think they would have taken her to the Jedi Temple, but because we damaged Republic property, it's not solely under the jurisdiction of the Jedi. I would say they probably took her to the Republic Military Base."
"That doesn't sound easy to break into," said Lux.
"It's not," said Barriss. "But we have to do it for Ahsoka."
"I'm not exactly familiar with the Republic military," said Lux. "You'll probably be able to come up with a plan to get inside better than I can. What do you think?"
"Well," said Barriss, "we can't get inside using brute force or we'll be caught. I'd say our best bet is using a disguise of some kind."
"Clone trooper armor," said Lux.
"What?"
"It would conceal our entire bodies and no one would be suspicious of two clowns walking through a Republic base," said Lux. "We'll just keep our distance from anyone we encounter and hopefully they won't notice that we're not built the same as regular clones."
"It could work," said Barriss. "But we'll have to be careful. I'm sure they won't leave her unguarded. She is a Jedi, after all."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Lux. "What do you say?"
Barriss raised her mug of caf. "For Ahsoka.
"For Ahsoka."
After lying for their caf and leaving the café, Barriss and Lux made their way back to the Nebula, and prepared to return to Coruscant.
"I've rigged our transponder to transmit Republic signals," said Barriss. "Hopefully that'll be enough to get into the surface. We'll just have to hope that they don't recognize the Nebula."
The hyperspace journey was full of anticipation and anxiousness on Barriss's part. She couldn't tell what Lux was feeling but she knew it could be too far off from her own feelings. After all, Barriss knew that Lux and Ahsoka had a some kind of romantic relationship. She'd seen in it the making back in Onderon.
Landing it Coruscant was surprisingly easy. It seemed that Barriss's Republic signal had worked because none of the many Republic cruisers guarding the planet made any kind of move to stop them.
Barriss landed the Nebula relatively close to the Republic Military Base. Not close enough to raise suspicion or be recognized, but also close enough that they could make a quick escape if needed.
In the distance, Barriss could see the Jedi Temple. It looked just as ancient and serene as it had the day she first arrived there. She wondered if her master was inside. When she thought of her time with the Jedi, she couldn't help but feel conflicted. Her time with Lux and Ahsoka had made her realize that the Jedi and the Republic were not what they seemed. And now she knew that the Chancellor was planning on terminating the Jedi. However far the Jedi had fallen, they did not deserve to be destroyed.
But when she thought of the countless missions with her master and her clone troopers, she could almost feel a kind of ache. A longing for the time when she was just an enthusiastic young Padawan who believed that the Jedi were wholly good and pure. She could not let her master die.
Barriss shook her head slightly. She'd allowed her emotions to get the better of her, and now Lux was looking at her curiously. She waved him off and composed herself.
"So how do we get clone trooper armor?" asked Lux. "Do we just go up to some clones and…"
"Leave then knocked out in the street? Of course not!"
"You got a better way?" asked Lux.
Barriss paused. "Unfortunately, no. But let me do the talking."
Lux nodded in assent and pointed to two clone troopers across the street from when the Nebula was.
"You should go talk, then."
Barriss steeled herself and crossed the street confidently, Lux right behind her.
"Excuse me, soldier!" she called out. The clones turned towards her. "Do you happen to know where platform 2B is?"
As soon as the clones turned to point her in the right direction, she waved a hand, calling on the Force, and both clones collapsed instantly.
"So now what?" asked Lux. "We just…strip them on the side of the street?"
"Lux!"
"What?" He raises his hands defensively. "It's a valid question!"
Barriss pointed to a sign across the street. "Look. Public refreshers right over there. We'll change in there."
Once they were in the clone troopers' armor, which Barriss thought felt very odd, they dumped their clothes in a garbage can so they couldn't easily be traced and, because Barriss felt bad, left the troopers laying down on a bench. Then they took the troopers blasters and made for the Military Base. Barriss concealed her lightsaber in a pouch in the side of her waist.
The base was intimidating. A massive Republic emblem was displayed on the front, legions of clone troopers and tanks covered the base, and spotlights roamed the entire area around the base. Even in the Coruscant dusk Barriss could see every feature. It seemed to have been created to strike awe into the hearts of those who saw it.
Barriss and Lux walked towards the base.
"Don't wall like that," Barriss whispered to Lux.
"Like what?"
"You're slouching. No clone trooper would be caught dead walking like that. Just act like you're supposed to be here. Not like you're some kind of disgruntled old man."
Lux fixed his posture and the duo fell silent as they passed a group of clones. It was lucky that the two were roughly the same height or their cover would have been blown instantly.
Once inside the base, Barriss discovered that navigating the base would not be so simple. It was huge. As Barriss studied the holographic map of the base displayed in the entry room, she noted that there were communications rooms, weaponry rooms, training rooms, and much more. And…there! In the back of the base she located the prison block. Downloading the map onto a small device she gestured for Lux to follow her.
"Set your blaster to stun," she whispered to him. "We don't want to kill anyone."
"Let's hope they feel the same way."
Getting to the prison block was easier than Barriss had expected it to be. Their disguises seemed to work, and no one spared them a passing glance. The problems only began once they got there.
The prison block was protected by several ray shields, and a small group of clones were guarding the entrance.
"Don't speak to them," Barriss whispered to Lux. "If we speak, they'll know that we're not real clones. Just act fast and stun them."
Lux nodded tersely. Barriss tightened her grip in her blaster and as soon as they entered range, she fired several electric blue blasts towards the clones. The clones were unconscious before they even had time to react.
"Get them out of sight," Barriss said, gesturing to the unconscious bodies on the floor. "I'm going to find out where Ahsoka is."
It only took a few moments to locate Ahsoka's cell. Barriss deactivated the ray shields just as Lux finished hiding the evidence away.
Barriss and Lux made their way through the confusing maze of prison cells until they came to a stop in front of one.
"Ahsoka should be in here," said Barriss. She pressed the button next to the door and it slid open, revealing an empty cell.
"She's…not here," said Lux. "Are you sure this is the right one?"
"Positive," said Barriss. "This was the one."
"Then she's gone," said Lux.
Silence was something that Ahsoka had grown accustomed to. In the months when Ahsoka was on Ilum, she'd often talk to herself out loud just so she could hear a voice. Now, she was back in the heart of the Republic, and she still only had silence to keep her company.
She on the floor of her cell, back against the wall, and closed her eyes. She'd never expected that she would be back on Coruscant again, and she definitely never thought she'd be stuck in this situation. She tried to imagine what her past self would think of her situation now, but she had a hard time even connecting her past self with her present self. She'd been so sure of herself and the Jedi, so sure that she was doing the right thing. She had been positive that she was one of the good guys. Just another example of her past naïve self.
The one bright spot was that she was being left alone. Other than her masters attempts to convince her that "it's for the greater good," or "it won't be too bad", no clone troopers or Republic officers had been sent to bother her.
Her door slid open. It seemed that she had spoken too soon.
She looked up to see a clone trooper at her door. The blue markings on his mask looked familiar, and with a start she realized it was Rex.
Ahsoka got to her feet. "Rex," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"General Skywalker sent me to get you," he said. "They have the Jedi Council waiting for you."
Ahsoka's heart started beating faster. The Council was waiting for her. The very people who had abandoned her when she thought they were her family. She was not ready for this.
She stepped out of her cell and followed Rex for a few steps before stopping.
"Sorry about this, Rex."
He cocked up an eyebrow. "Sorry about what?"
She waved her hand in front of his face. "You will escort me to get my weapons."
Rex went stiff. "I will escort you to get your weapons." He started walking away from her cell and back towards the rest of the base, Ahsoka walking quickly behind him to keep up with his quick pace.
He stopped just outside of the prison block and stepped inside of the security booth, emerging moments later with her two lightsabers.
Ahsoka took them and quickly said, "and you will hand over the Holocron."
"And I will hand over the Holocron," he said in a flat voice. Ahsoka winced slightly at his tone. She disliked overpowering his will, but she had no choice in the matter.
Once Ahsoka had the Holocron tucked away safely, she ditched the still dazed Rex and maneuvered through the Republic Military Base. She'd never been inside before. She'd only seen the grand and imposing exterior when she passed by with her master. Inside, it was a maze of confusing and dark passageways and thousands of clones, white armor glinting. Many cast her confused glances and she passed them. She had to find a place to hide. Rex would tell people that she'd escaped and soon they'd come looking for her.
She ducked away into a small, empty room and smiled when she saw the vent. Perfect. She took off the covering and slipped inside the vent, careful to replace it behind her. When they started searching, Ahsoka knew there were no people who would be small enough to fit inside. Except for maybe Master Yoda. But the thought of him crawling around inside the vents looking for her made her laugh slightly.
As she crawled through the vents, Ahsoka could faintly hear sounds of commotion and an alarm blaring throughout the base. They must have discovered her escape. It was a good thing she was hidden away.
She followed the ventilation system until she came to a dead end. She quietly emerged from the vent into a room that appeared to be empty. A smile came to her face. Maybe she'd actually be able to escape.
The smile quickly vanished when two clone troopers bathed into the room. Ahsoka jumped into a defensive position, hands on her lightsaber hilts, but to her confusion, the soldiers didn't shoot and instead removed their helmets. Her confusion only increased when the two revealed faces turned out to be Lux and Barriss.
"I knew you'd find a way to escape," said Lux, pumping his fist.
"What?" asked Ahsoka. "How did you get here?"
"We disguised ourselves," said Barriss, gesturing to the clone trooper armor. "We went to the prison block but you weren't there and then the alarms went off so we figured you'd escaped."
"Now all that's left is getting out of here," said Barriss. "I have a map so it should be an easy exit."
"For you," said Ahsoka. "But everyone here is looking for me. They'll see me and our cover will be blown."
"Good point," said Barriss. "I'll be back. You wait here."
Barriss was only gone for a few moments before returning with a set of clone armor.
"How did you get that?" Ahsoka asked.
"It's a Republic Military Base," said Barriss. "Clone armor is a pretty common sight here."
Ahsoka shrugged and changed into the armor. The three left the room and merged into the crowd of clone troopers, trying to fit in and hoping that no one would notice the physical differences between them. It seemed that that was too much to ask for, because right before they reached the exit, they were stopped by a clone captain.
"Troopers," the captain said. "Are you feeling alright? You look a little worn."
Ahsoka's heart pounded as the captain reached for her helmet.
"Let me check your temperature," the captain said. Ahsoka tried to jerk away but her helmet flew off as she did so.
"It's the Jedi!" shouted the captain, pointing towards Ahsoka. She ignited her lightsabers as the troopers began to fire at her.
Barriss ignited her lightsaber, seeing that Ahsoka couldn't handle all the blaster fire, and Lux cleared the way to the exit with his stun blasts.
The trio sprinted from the base, blaster fire whizzing last their faces.
They're not shooting to stun anymore, Ahsoka thought. They're shooting to kill.
Barriss took the lead, guiding the way towards the Nebula while Ahsoka blocked the blaster fire. Ahsoka got the doors closed as soon as they were on board and deactivated her lightsabers, rushing to the pilot's seat.
"Get us out of here, Ahsoka!" shouted Lux.
"I'm working on it!"
The air wasn't much better than the ground. Several fighters departed from the Republic base as began to pursue the Nebula.
"We can't try to spare any more lives," said Lux. "We won't get away alive unless we return fire."
Barriss nodded tersely and made her way to the turret. The Nebula shook as it was struck by gunfire.
"Hyperspace jump in three," said Ahsoka, "two, one!"
The ship shook as it make the hyperspace jump and they sat in a tense silence for a moment.
"They'll coming after us twice as hard now," said Lux.
"I set us on a course for the Outer Rim," said Ahsoka. "We should be able to lie low there for a while."
"Let's hope they don't find us there."
Ahsoka returned to her quarters. She placed the Holocron back in her desk, where it belonged, and sat on her bunk.
She was now officially a renegade. She was on the run. What would her master think? What would the Council think? She was not worthy to be a Jedi.
Or was she? Her master wanted to turn her in to the Council, wanted her to be a prisoner for the rest of her life rather than be free without him. The Council had abandoned her to die on Ilum. And maybe she wasn't a Jedi. Fine. She would become something better. The Jedi, as much as she didn't want to admit it, had become corrupt. They'd allowed the Republic to destroy innocent worlds and kill innocent people. They'd forced children like her to go into battle. The Jedi were not as grand as they seemed.
But she still wouldn't let them die. She would open the Holocron, and maybe it would help her defeat Palpatine and his plan to destroy the Jedi. As much as she disliked them, they still had a chance to redeem themselves. The Sith never had that chance. They thrived on chaos and destruction, and Ahsoka would not allow them to overthrow the galaxy.
The Nebula began to shudder and shake. Ahsoka stumbled out of her quarters and to the bridge.
"What's going on?" asked Barriss.
"It's the hyperdrive," said Ahsoka. "It must have been hit in our escape. We have to leave hyperspace or the whole ship could implode!"
With a massive jolt, the Nebula exited hyperspace, leaving a trail of flame in its wake. Around them, the vastness of space stood empty, providing no way for them to get help.
They were stranded.