"What do you mean in trouble?" said Fisto.
"And how do you know?" said Windu.
"I..I..can't explain it thoroughly, but I had a vision, and she was in pain...and...she's in danger," said Taran, struggling to find words to describe what he saw.
"A vision?" said Ki-Adi-Mundi.
"Yes. It came to me in a meditation room," said Taran.
"Are you sure this was a vision. The mind can play-"
"I know what I saw!" yelled Taran. The longer he talked to them, the longer Ahsoka's life was in peril. Taran took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "I'm sure that what I saw was not a figment of my imagination."
"And this vision, showed you where she was?" said Windu.
"She's in a Separatist prison. I was only able to see the fortress and the inside, but no clues as to which planet," said Taran.
"I have to go save her," said Taran. "In my vision, the person who was holding her was torturing her for information." Silence filled the room. The Jedi Masters pondered this new circumstance.
"There's still too many questions with this news. For one, we have not heard from Tano in three months," said Windu.
"Why would she want to talk to any of you after what you did?"
"And if she is held, we don't where. You would be chasing after something you could not find," said Windu. "I'm sorry, but we cannot allow this mission."
Taran was stunned. The world all-around him went dark.
"I told you, they wouldn't listen," his ancestor said in his mind. They were sorry for a mistake they had committed, but once again they were about to turn their back on her.
"So we just do nothing?" said Taran, his fist clenched hard as his tone became harsh and strained. "Is that what you're telling me?"
"There's not enough information to search Padawan," said Windu.
"And the details of this vision-" said Mundi.
"My word is not good enough! That's what you're telling me?!" yelled Taran.
"Taran, please. You must understand-" said Fisto.
"Understand what? That you're going to turn your back on her again!" said Taran, his teeth grit in anger and his fingers beginning to dance with flames.
"You are out of line Padawan," said Windu. "You are letting your emotions get the better of you."
"I'm out of line?!" said Taran, the room beginning to tremble with power, Taran's bending and Force powers radiating from him as his anger increased threefold. "That's all he has to say about this situation?!"
"Padawan, stop you must," said Yoda, concerned with Taran's emotions more than with his display of power. Taran reluctantly took another breath to control his anger, decreasing it and stopping the room from trembling.
"Clone intelligence will try their best to locate her," said Fisto.
"They won't find her in time. She's being tortured now. If she doesn't tell them anything, she'll..." said Taran. His breath caught in his throat as the thought fully hit him. Everything froze in time around him. The room was deadly still, no sounds hitting his ears.
"Ahsoka dying," he thought in his own world. He could not fathom the thought. He remembered when it had almost occurred before. His soul had literally shattered when he saw it. He did not want to go through that feeling again.
"Understand I do young one, but too dangerous, this mission is by yourself," said Yoda. "Find out we will, of Young Tano's locatation."
"Master-"
"This decision is final," said Windu. "You are not to leave the Temple until a lead is found."
"Did I not tell you they would not understand?" said his ancestor, his shadow lurking in the corner of his room. Taran sat on his bed facing the wall. His mind was brewing with a mixture of anger, anxiety, fear, and near panic. Ahsoka's life was on the line, and he couldn't do anything about it. He had been given strict order to stay here. It had been near twelve hours since the Council debate.
"The Jedi do nothing but try to stop you from gaining what you want the most. Just as they took my family, my friends, my planet," he said.
"Apparently not all of them," said Taran.
"I did not know she would be begotten. It was lucky that I let her live. My hunger was never satisfied, only sated," he said.
"I know that. It's a miracle the Jedi were able to stop you, else you would suck the galaxy dry," said Taran. His fists clenched as he thought of what he was feeling.
"I have to go."
"They won't let you."
"I need to try."
"They gave you direct orders not to go."
"Screw them! They don't what it's like to feel this way."
"They're your mentors."
"They're my jailers."
"They raised you."
"I can't let her go. Not like this."
Taran groaned, looking up at his ceiling. He closed his eyes. His options were vast and many. He knew clone intelligence was good, but he knew he could work faster than that. He needed to do this. Time was of the essence. But would he ever directly disobey the Council? The Order itself? He knew the consequences. As much as he felt like he would have left the Order over the past three months, the thought of doing it still scared him slightly. Could he willingly close this chapter of his life for all time? He tossed and he turned in bed as his anxiety grew tenfold. Though he did not wish to, his eyes closed again.
"She won't budge sir," said the droid, its instruments with flecks of blue blood on them.
"Even when you pressed her psyche?" said the warden. His face was clearer now. He was a Phindian, the same species as the warden from the Citadel.
"No sir. She almost cracked, but as soon as she realized it was fake, she silenced herself," said the droid.
"Hmm. Cut her rations for the next few days, then resume the torture," said the warden.
"Yes sir," said the droid. "But, even after that, what if she still won't talk?"
"Then we're wasting our time. Five days. If nothing, you know what to do," he said.
Taran's eyes sprang open. His worst fear was realized. They wouldn't be fast enough to find out if she was there or not.
Five days.
"I have to save her."
Leaving his room as quietly as he could, a bag filled with some essentials slung on his back, he made his way towards the hangar. The hallways of the Temple were quiet. He moved stealthily in the shadows, keeping close to the walls. Luckily, the night sky of Coruscant helped him. A random Jedi would pass by every now and again, causing him to duck behind a pillar or in the shadows. Once they passed, he kept on going. His two lightsabers were on his belt, as well as his staff shrunken into carrying size. He also now wore fingerless leather gloves, the gloves Long had given him as a present fallen into disrepair. He had also stripped off the clone armor greaves from his arms and legs, having done so when he was stationed at the Temple for the time being. All he had were his Jedi robes and cloak.
He made his way towards the hangar, going through the Library and past the many meditation and training rooms. As he made his way into a hallway after climbing up a staircase, a voice called out to him from behind him.
"Where are you going Taran?" said Plo Koon.
"Don't stop me Master Plo," said Taran, continuing to walk.
"Wait, Taran. You must stop," said Plo, advancing to catch up to him.
"I can't," said Taran. "She needs my help."
"Taran, stop immediately," said Plo, catching up to him.
"I'm not going to abandon her," said Taran.
"You're not allowed to leave. It's for your own good," said Plo.
"My own good?!" he said, taking off his hood and putting his pack on the floor. "What do you know what's for my own good?"
"The Council's decision was final," said Plo.
"Just like it was for her? I don't think so," said Taran, picking up his pack and walking away.
"Taran, you can't disobey an order like this," said Plo.
"Watch me," said Taran.
"Why are you behaving like this?" said Plo. Taran stopped. He placed the pack on the ground again before he turned to look Plo Koon in the face, glaring at him.
"You really want to know why I'm acting like this? Let's start off with this. Ahsoka needed you by her side when she was being accused of something we ALL knew she would never do of her own free will. What did you do when she was being tried? Nothing! You didn't even protest at the Council meeting. Obi-Wan did, and he only truly knew her for two years. You knew her for nearly her whole life!" said Taran, his anger and feelings from that past event coming back with a vengeance. Plo finally understood now.
"Taran, release your anger on me," he said.
"What?"
"I want you to show me how you feel right now," said Plo. The two stood apart for a minute before Taran slowly walked up to him. He stood within arm's length of the Jedi Master. His breathing was strained as he tried to fight the dark energy coursing in his veins. He looked up at Plo Koon, his eyes blazing with an inner light the likes of which the Jedi Master had never seen.
POW!
Plo Koon doubled over as he felt the wind get knocked out of him. He shut his eyes, embracing the pain. Taran's fist had hit him with blinding speed into his gut.
"You abandoned her! She was like your daughter and you abandoned her!" he yelled at him. "She trusted you, and you did nothing to help her! Anakin and I worked our asses off to help her, but you did nothing! She left because you and the Council didn't trust her, her protectors and guardians! Is that what Jedi do to each other now?!" he said. His hands gripped the front of the Jedi Master's robes and slammed him to the wall.
"Why did you do that? Is it because you truly don't care about her? About us? Were we nothing but just more bodies to fill the Order's numbers? Is that all we are?" said Taran. "You were our mentor and our friend. You meant the world to both of us." That was when Plo heard Taran's voice crack and he opened his eyes to see Taran. The face that was once contorted in anger was now fighting hard to stop tears from falling from his eyes.
"Why did you not fight for her? She loved you and trusted you. And now when she needs you again, and you want to do the same thing? Do we mean anything to you?" he said, the tears falling now. His grip on the robes slackened. Plo understood what to do immediately. He hugged Taran to him. Taran let loose, his tears escaping him fully now. All his past anger, all his sadness, all his earlier emotions, all came out of him. This was what he truly needed to let go. This continued for five minutes as Taran let it all out before he was able to calm down.
"I do care for you both. When she was convicted, I knew deep down she was innocent, but I let my conviction blind me. And for that, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I promised myself after that that I would never do that again," said Plo. "You two mean much more to me, but I've never shown it. Until now. I'm truly sorry for all the pain I've caused you."
The two stood like this in silence, Plo hugging him as Taran still clutched at his robes, his face buried in the fabric. Taran finally felt all his previous anger and rage leave him as he opened up.
"I love her," he said once the tears stopped flowing, wiping his face. "I can't be without her Master Plo. She needs me now, and I need her. That's why I have to do this."
"But Taran, you don't know where she is located," said Plo.
"I know, but I have to try. I couldn't live with myself if I did nothing to help. Please Master. Let me try," said Taran, looking up at his face. Plo studied him for what seemed like an eternity. The same green eyes that searched him for an answer before all those years ago were still there, asking the same unending question.
"Go. Take care of yourself along the way," said Plo. "If you find her, bring her back safe and sound." Taran nodded, leaving his embrace and picking up his pack.
"I'll find her. I promise," said Taran.
"Taran, wait!" said a voice behind them. They turned to see Bruck and Tia running towards them. Both had on cloaks and Bruck was carrying a pack as well.
"Padawans? What are you doing up at this hour?" said Plo.
"Master, we'd like to accompany Taran," said Tia. "Ahsoka's our friend too, and we want to help Taran anyway we can."
"If you are fou-"
"We know Master, but we have to help anyway we can," said Bruck. Plo took a deep breath.
"Alright, you may go. Make sure you are not seen," said Plo.
"Thank you Master," said the two padawans. He nodded as the two followed Taran towards the hangar. As he left, Taran stopped and turned to look at Plo Koon one last time. He gave the Jedi Master a small smile before he turned and left, Bruck and Tia following him.
"Good luck Taran," said Plo.
The hangar was strangely unguarded. Finding a ship would not be a problem for them.
"How about that?" said Bruck. He was indicating to a Nu-class attack shuttle, the only transport ship in the hangar. The bay door was already open on the ship.
"That'll do," said Taran. "You two didn't have to do this. I don't want to drag you guys through this."
"We know Taran, but we're going to help you nonetheless," said Tia.
"Like we were back in training. All of us sticking together no matter what," said Bruck.
Taran smiled. "Make sure you have enough credits and supplies. I packed about a a few days rations in my pack."
"We have our things as well," said Bruck, indicating to his pack as well.
"Good. Let's get out of here," said Taran. R3 rolled towards them, whistling excitedly.
"Shh, quiet down R3. Of course you're coming with us," said Taran. R3 whistled and beeped again and headed to the ship. The three of them moved into the shuttle as well. Once inside, Bruck went into the cockpit and started up the engines. The ship's engines hummed with energy and the ship rose up steadily before it started forward out of the hangar. Once out of its confines, the ship's wing unfolded out and the ship headed out towards the sky.
Moving around some crates and barrels in the ship, Taran bumped one and the barrel fell to the ground, accompanied by the sound of someone crying out inside it.
"What?" said Taran. He propped the barrel back up and opened it, revealing a Jedi youngling.
"Petro? What are you doing here?!" said Taran.
"Why else? We're here to help you too," said Petro.
"We?" said Taran. The other barrels opened up to reveal the five other younglings as well.
"How did you younglings get on here?" said Tia.
"We heard about what happened in the Council, so we decided to come and help you," said Ganodi.
"How did you hear any of that?" said Taran.
"Byph has good hearing. He listened outside the door," said Zatt. Byph answered in agreement.
"After that we stowed away on here because we knew you'd try to go out on your own to go and find Ahsoka," said Katooni.
"I'm flattered you'd go out of your way to do this, but the answer is most definitely no," said Taran.
"Taran, we have to," said Katooni.
"I'm not dragging you all through this. You're too young for this, and if something were to happen to any of you I'd never forgive myself," said Taran.
"Ahsoka's our friend too. She risked her life to make sure we were safe and we want to do the same for her," said Ganodi.
"I can't let you do this," said Taran.
"Whether you like it or not, we're going to help you," said Zatt. The other younglings gave cries of approval. Bruck came down from the cockpit after setting the ship on autopilot for the time being.
"Alright, where t-what the Force?" said Bruck, realizing that they had six more than they planned.
"Please Taran, let us help you," said Katooni. Taran looked over them hard. He knew he should turn around and take them all back, but the Temple was probably aware of his absence by now and Temple guards would probably take him as soon as he stepped foot back inside. He knew the kids were good fighters, probably the best of any Youngling class, but they did not have the experience needed for this venture, and he knew the consequences they would face if they returned, or if they were hurt.
But, he knew these kids were willing to go against all odds to help Ahsoka. He remembered when she told them of their time at Florrum when they disguised as circus performers and rescued Ahsoka, and even stood up to Grievous himself.
"I can't let you risk your lives like this," said Taran. "But seeing that you're all bent on doing this, and I kind of can't return to the Temple now, I guess you'll have to come along with us."
"Yes," said the younglings, excited to be part of the group.
"But," said Taran, "you must listen and obey all of our commands. I want to make sure none of you get harmed throughout this mission. Am I clear?" The younglings all nodded.
"Good," said Taran.
"Where do you want to start looking?" said Bruck.
"Hmm, let's first find out all the planets that have known Separatist prisons," said Taran.
"Where do we go to find that out?" Tia.
"Let's start out with Tatooine. There's plenty of underworld sources who can provide that kind of information," said Taran.
"Tatooine it is then," said Bruck, going up to plug the coordinates into the ship.
"From here on out, we're on our own," said Taran. Once past the planet's atmosphere, the ship soon launched into hyperspace, towards the desert world of Tatooine.