Chapter 12: Seeds of The Dark Side

Anakin raised an eyebrow at his former master "is there a problem?" instead of answering Obi-Wan waved a hand out the door, with a slight roll of his eyes he stood from the couch and made his way out the door. Before the door closed behind him he turned back to his padawans "stay here till I get back".

Once he got a nod from each girl he closed the door and stepped into the hallway, much to his surprise Obi-Wan was already halfway down the hall once again gesturing for him to follow. After running to catch up he spoke up "what is this about master?"

Obi-Wan took a deep sigh and tried to keep his as calm as possible "Anakin we've rooted out the source of Ahsoka's attachment"

"that's great master, who is it?"

Before answering Obi-Wan led his former apprentice to a nearby bench looking out to one of the many windows in the hallway, once they were both seated he kept his gaze on Corusants landscape "Anakin this might come as quite a shock, the attachment Ahsoka has...is to Barriss Offee"

Anakin looked down to the floor and clenched both his fists, a hint of pain, of anger, was evident in his voice "that can't be...that's impossible"

Obi-Wan rested a hand on his friends shoulder "Anakin I know this hard to comprehend, but search your feelings, you know it to be true"

Shoving the hand off of him Anakin rose to feet "how could this happen!, how could we not know about it?"

"mind you feelings Anakin, there is still more I need to tell you"

Anakin took a few long breaths before sitting back down "...fine"

"now as you know the Jedi code is very clear on what must be done, but the fact remains there's still a lot we don't know yet. Master Yoda thinks it best to wait until we have all the information we can gather before deciding how to deal with this...new knowledge".

Anakin buried his face in his hands for a moment before pulling himself together "I don't think I can do it master, how can I face them now?"

"none of us like this situation Anakin, but the fact remains you are their master. You alone must find a way to be there for them without letting on how much you know"

"is there any way we can end this without stripping them from the order?"

Obi-Wan was silent for a few minutes, after standing to his feet he put a comforting hand on his friends shoulder "I can promise you this, we will try to find one".

"What do you think that was about?" Barriss moved through the living room and sat down beside her friend on the couch.

Ahsoka simply shrugged "beats me, maybe we have another mission"

"could be, but why would master Obi-Wan ask to speak with Skywalker privately?"

"hey I can't have all the answers Barriss, but anything that gives us some time alone can't be all that bad"

Barriss nodded in agreement while a orange skinned hand was wrapped inside her own "how long do you think he'll be gone?"

"not long enough" Ahsoka leaned in and started to lightly kiss the side of her neck

Barriss laid down on the couch purely on instinct and allowed Ahsoka to crawl on top of her, she felt her entire body start to burn in the best possible way as Ahsoka moved her kisses from her neck to her lips. This time she knew it had to be her who made the next move, it was Ahsoka who had pushed their first kiss and whatever you called the tongue kiss on Felucia, to put is simply it was her turn.

As both girls pulled back for breath Barriss took the moment as an opportunity, in one fluid motion she brought her arm up and onto Ahsoka's exposed back and began to run it down her curved body. The look on Ahsoka's face was priceless, she would of burst into laughter if not for the circumstances. Once the new color of Ahsoka's Lekku told her her hand had reached its destination Barriss couldn't hold back the question any longer "is this okay?".

Ahsoka wordlessly picked up Barriss' other hand and placed it beside its partner, Barriss felt a chill go through her body as the smooth fabric of Ahsoka's skirt graced her fingertips. Gripping the back end of the skirt as hard as she could Barriss held back what would have been a rather embarrassing moan as Ahsoka leaned back in and pushed their lips together once again.

Anakin was about to walk back inside his quarters when an awkward thought crossed his mind 'Barriss and Ahsoka are teenagers, they have feelings for each other, and their alone. Yeah I better play this a little more conspicuous' "okay Obi-Wan thanks for the info but I better get back to my quarters now!" it felt a little weird yelling at an empty hallway but his worst fears were realized when a loud thud could be heard inside.

Seconds later Ahsoka's voice could clearly be heard "ow!, damn it Barriss!" giving his padawans a few seconds to regain their composure Anakin slowly slid the door open and stepped inside. Thankfully the time given must have been enough as Barriss laid on the couch by herself as Ahsoka sat crossed legged on the floor, half opening one eye Ahsoka smiled in his direction "oh hey Skyguy, what's up?".

All Anakin could bring himself to do was shake his head and pull his tool belt from it's spot at the side of the room to his hands, after another look from both girls he knew he had to say something, not that that made it any easier "I uh...I'm gonna go work on the twilight. You two...um...just stay were I contact you".

Barriss sat up on the couch and raised an eyebrow "are you alright master?, you seem distant"

Anakin was already halfway out the door "I'll be fine Raven... 'just keep your damn hands off Snips'... it's nothing to worry about".

Before Barriss could mention she knew her master was lying he was out the door, she gave a worried look to Ahsoka as the girl rose to her feet "something is bothering him"

Ahsoka shook her head towards the door "he can be so strange sometimes, he'll get over it on his own like he always does. I'm more concerned about how fast you threw me to the floor"

"hey you did the same thing the first night we slept in the same bed" Barriss stood up and inspected her friends body "just a few rug burns on your legs, I can fix that, lay down" doing what was asked of her Ahsoka moved the the couch and laid down on her stomach.

Barriss hesitated for a quick second before moving her hands down and inspecting the red marks (rather hard to make out on Ahsoka's body) "uh...I don't think I can do this"

Ahsoka turned her head as much as she could from her position "what's the problem?"

"well...your uh...your pants are in the way, I can't heal through fabric"

"oh, well if you want I can..."

Barriss quickly raised her hands from Ahsoka's body "Ahsoka I can't ask you to do that"

Ahsoka stood back to her feet "oh would you relax Barriss, we are a couple now, this was gonna happen eventually" before Barriss could object any further the teenage Togruta lifted the small skirt that covered the top of her pants and started to pull the thin fabric down her legs.

Barriss tried to look away but...well she couldn't, one could argue that the design on Ahsoka's pants never left much to the imagination to begin with but those people never saw her without them.

Ahsoka waved her pants playfully through the air "see, it's still me. Now can we get on with this miss prissy?"

"okay, but could you not listen to my thoughts through this?"

Ahsoka managed a devilish smile as she laid back down on the couch "I'll do my best"

Barriss kept her eyes solely focused on the small red marks across her friends legs, never allowing her gaze to stray for sake of modesty. Her fingers grazed slightly over Ahsoka's smooth skin before settling down over the marks, instantly closing her eyes it took almost no concentration to call upon the force. A slight blue aura expanded from her hand and just like that she knew the marks were gone, what she didn't know (or expect for that matter) was the loud moan that escaped Ahsoka's mouth.

Her heart beat fiercely against her chest as she opened her eyes and searched her friends leg for any sign of a mistake "what happened!, did I do something wrong!". Ahsoka made no attempt to hold back her laughter which only succeeded in confusing Barriss "are you okay?"

"yeah I'm fine, just didn't expect that to feel so good"

Barriss went from confused to embarrassed in a matter of seconds "really?, what did it feel like?"

Ahsoka rolled onto her back and gestured a finger towards herself "come here and I'll show ya"

In a move that surprised even herself Barriss hesitated "don't you wanna get dressed first?"

Ahsoka spoke in the same sexy accent that had worked so well on Felucia "no...I don't" the affect was no less significant the second time.

Normally James wouldn't have knocked 'Jedi always seem to know you're there anyway' but he had no idea what was going on inside Jedi knight Skywalker's quarters, and as much as he would like to walk in on something he figured his two new friends wouldn't appreciate it. A few light taps on the door must have been enough for the Jedi inside to sense his presence because his knock was quickly followed with a loud thud after which he could clearly hear Barriss' voice "son of a!...who is it?"

"it's James, can I come in?"

as he expected it was Ahsoka's voice that answered him "just a second"

"I'm in no hurry" he may have been going mad but he could of swore the faint sound of fabric being shifted around through the door graced his eardrums "everything okay in there?"

after a few moments of silence the door in front of him swung open to the bright (if somewhat annoyed looking) face of Ahsoka, the girl shifted her legs slightly before greeting him "James Clever, what can I do for you?"

James attempted to look past the girl in front of him "I actually wanted to talk for a minute, if that's okay?" Ahsoka led him inside the quarters with a wave of her hand. He raised an eyebrow as he spotted Barriss rubbing her legs by the couch "what's wrong with your legs?"

Barriss looked up and instantly shook her head "nothing James"

He didn't need the force to know the girl was lying but shrugged the question away none the less, after gesturing for each girl to take a seat on the couch he turned and looked out the window for a moment 'how exactly should I go about this' "Barriss, Ahsoka, before I say what I want to say just let me apologize one more time. What I did the first time we met was not only stupid, but childish and downright disrespectful. And even though I ask for your forgiveness know that I don't believe I have yet to earn it" the only answer behind him was that of total silence but the change of the feel in the room told him his words hit home.

Turning to face each girl he finally settled his sights on Barriss "last night when you had me steal that holovid from master Obi-Wan's quarters, I knew from the way you talked whatever was on it was a big deal. So I made a copy"

he took a few steps back as Ahsoka rose from her seat "where is it James?"

"whoa easy girl, it's destroyed now, no harm done. But that isn't what I came here to talk about"

Barriss stood up long enough to guide Ahsoka back to her seat, once they were both seated again James continued "well I took the disk home and looked it over myself, it took quite a bit of work but I think I know why you didn't want the council to see that disk"

James had been in enough situations to know when someone was holding back anger in their voice, and Ahsoka was barely making an effort "what are you getting at James?"

"I saw the way Barriss reacted when her leg touched yours, to put it frankly a wookie could of put the pieces together" with the last of his words James pointed a finger at each of the Jedi in front of him "you two have feelings for each other".

Much to his dismay neither girl showed any signs of shock, the only reaction he got was a blank stare from two sets of eyes "oh come on!, no reaction at all!. I though at least...uh!...stop!...please!" the air was immediately ripped from his lungs as he floated towards the ceiling. Even after just the few seconds without oxygen his vision started to fade "wait!...you don't!...understand!"

Just before the darkness threatened to overwhelm him Barriss' voice echoed through the room "Ahsoka!, release him!"

Ahsoka had a look of fierce determination that even James could see as he struggled for air "Barriss he knows about us!"

"what are you gonna do Ahsoka kill him!, we both know where that path leads!. Give into your hate and dark side will eventually take you!, you can't let this be how it ends for us!" James hit the floor so hard he swore he could of fell through it, as he coughed in a desperate attempt to refill his lungs he vaguely made out Ahsoka's form as it knelt down beside him.

An orange arm wrapped around his back as he tried to regain his composure enough to speak, from the way Ahsoka shivered and talked it was clear the girl was holding back tears "James I...I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened, are you okay?"

James did his best attempt at a smile in between coughs "...didn't know you where...into something so...kinky".

The small spread of a grin graced Ahsoka's lips but quickly disappeared as she looked up at Barriss "thank you Barriss, I don't know what came over me. Please forgive me"

Barriss sat back down on the couch once she was sure James was alright "you have to be more careful Ahsoka, we may be going against our teachings for each other but what you just did crossed the line"

"I know, and I will be more careful"

James finally got the strength to stand back on his feet but the pain of what just happened was still clear in his voice "now that the lovers quarrel is over maybe I can talk without the choking" once both girls had taken their seats he continued "okay, what I was going to say was, yes I know about you two. And let me just be the first to say how awesome I think this whole thing is, but anyway, I wanted to let you know I'm willing to help".

Barriss raised an eyebrow "what do you mean help?"

"ya know help keep your, once again awesome, relationship a secret. Not only that, I have an idea on how to stop the council from forcing either of you to leave"

Ahsoka was a still shaking a bit but the last of his words seemed to catch her attention "really, and what would that idea be?"

"well first I need to know how much the council knows about you two"

"far as we know all the council thinks is I have an attachment to somebody but they don't know who it's too or how strong it is"

James snapped his fingers "perfect, okay here's my plan then. Now since the council has no idea who the attachment is too I say we fake an attachment, play it up that I'm the one Ahsoka's attracted to while we're around members of the council and once they're good and convinced the attachment is between us I'll make a big scene during one of your mission briefings or something and you can completely blow me off. Maybe make some big speech about how you care about me but you can't get let your feelings control you blah blah blah, and before the council knows what hit them your attachment is broken and your real relationship is safe".

Barriss took a moment to really let James' plan sink in, it was risky, it was stupid, but it was also better than anything she could of come of with. If master Unduli had taught her anything it was to never turn down help when it was offered "that could work"

Ahsoka seemed less convinced "I don't know James, what if the council find out what we're trying to do?. You might lose your job, I can't let our relationship do that to you"

James simply shrugged "wouldn't be the first time I had to make it on my own, besides I don't think the council would fire me just like that. Like you said before the Jedi don't hold grudges, long as I apologize I should be fine". Ahsoka and Barriss shared a troubled look before he spoke up again "what?"

Ahsoka rose from her seat and put a comforting hand on the boys shoulder "it's not the council we're worried about, it's Anakin. He can be a bit..."

"overprotective" Barriss finished her friends sentence

"exactly" Ahsoka answered "I still remember one time we chased a thief into some nightclub here on Corusant, this guy I walked by pinched my butt. I thought Skyguy was gonna gut him right there, probably would have if I hadn't spoke up"

Barriss simply grinned from her seat on the couch but James seemed to take the information a bit more seriously, after visibly swallowing a lump in his throat he spoke up, trying to mask his true emotions in veil of cockiness "that so?, I guess we'll just have to be careful. If you're still here tomorrow come by the mess hall around nine thirty, master Plo normally comes in around that time"

Ahsoka still seemed skeptic but after a slight moment of silence she nodded "it's worth a shot, I'll be there"

"excellent" James spread both arms out in front of him "group hug?" after a long slightly awkward silence he put his arms back down "can't blame a guy for trying, I'll see you tomorrow"

Barriss held the grin from her face until James was completely out the door "do you think it'll work?" when the only reply she got was silence a quick look away from the door revealed she was the only one in the room. A slight will of the force told her Ahsoka was in her room, getting up from the couch she ran back the hall and knocked on her friends door "Ahsoka are you okay?"

This time she got an answer, but not one she wanted, the pain filled cries of Ahsoka sent her heart against her chest. With a wave of her hand Barriss ran inside her friends room to find the teenage Togruta laying face down on her bed, her heart fell as Ahsoka struggled to talk through the tears "just go Barriss!"

Barriss moved to the bed and sat down as lightly as she could "you can't ask me to leave you like this, what's wrong?"

Ahsoka rolled onto her back and brought her hands to her face, looking at the orange skinned appendages as if they were on fire "I can still feel it Barriss!, the dark side is still inside me!. You saw what I just did to James!, I would of killed him if you hadn't stopped me!"

It killed her to see Ahsoka like this but the worst part of it was she was right, through their meld the small menacing presence of the dark side was instantly recognizable. Barriss positioned herself so that she could cradle her friends head on her lap before speaking as calmly as she could "Ahsoka the dark side will always be there, it's a much a part of the force as anything else. There's nothing I can say to make it go away, but know this, if anyone is strong enough to fight the power of the dark side. It's you"

Her words did almost nothing to stop the stream of tears pouring down from Ahsoka's now bloodshot eyes, but the rising and falling of her chest did slow down a bit. Realizing words would never solve this problem Barriss resorted to gently wiping the never ending stream from her friends face 'hey, hey come on, where's the rough no nonsense girl I fell in love with?. You're stronger than this Ahsoka, I know it'

Much to her delight a small smile did spread on Ahsoka's lips as the tears slowly came to a stop "you...you're right" Ahsoka pulled herself up to a sitting position on the bed and pulled her legs to her chest "I don't know if I can get through this alone"

Barriss scrunched beside her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her back "you won't have to".

'I train them, I treat them like family, and this is how they repay me?. By fooling around the second I leave the room' Anakin shook the thoughts from his head as he pulled his grease splattered body out from under the twilight 'get a hold of yourself!, they're not doing anything you haven't. You of all people should know how hard it is to ignore true love'.

After grabbing a nearby towel and wiping his face clean he was met with the business as usual face of captain Rex, the clone offered a salute before speaking "senator Amidala has arrived sir".

Anakin took one last look at the twilight before heading off down the docking bay of the Resolute "you better come too Rex, it's just as important you and your men are aware of this"

Rex took a few quick strides to catch up "is there a problem sir?"

"ha, that's putting it gently Rex" before the clone could ask another question Anakin walked up to the speeder he recognized as Padme's, the lovely senator was looking out the rarely unshielded docking bay doors but turned when he got close.

Padme's face lit up before noticing the look on his face "what's wrong?"

Anakin waited till both Padme' and Rex were concentrated on him before speaking "we've figured out who Ahsoka's attachment is to, it's Barriss Offee" as usual Rex's face remained unreadable as the soldier took in the new fact but Padme' was a bit more unprofessional.

The senators face once again lit up "awwww, that's so cute" one look from Anakin was all it took for her to change her tone "uh...I mean, how awful. What do we do now?"

Anakin shook his head "nothing we can do, all we can hope is the council finds a way to deal with this that doesn't get both of them stripped from the order" turning to face Rex he continued "Rex make sure all the clones in your regiment are aware of this...new predicament, and tell them no one is mention it to either Barriss or Ahsoka"

Rex rubbed his heavy eyes as he started to walk away "they're gonna have a field day with this"

Pretending he didn't just hear that Anakin took a few steps to join Padme' at the edge of the docking bay, sunlight pored in through the large open doors "you really think this is cute?"

Padme' simply shrugged "I'm well aware of how serious the situation is, but young love is always cute. Anakin you can't let them be stripped from the order"

Anakin felt his fist clench on instinct "they won't be".

By the time Ahsoka had calmed down Barriss was well aware of the fact that the sunlight coming in through the small window in their room had been replaced by moonlight, judging by what she could see from her place on the bed she guessed it was about one or two in the morning.

A few hours had gone by since she had heard the heavy footsteps of their master go through the hallway and into his own room, she might had been wrong but she could of swore the footsteps had stopped briefly by their door before continuing on 'I don't think I'll ever understand him'.

Ahsoka had laid down on the bed and fallen asleep just minutes ago, the poor girls eyes still let loose a few loose tears every couple of minutes. Barriss stood up from the bed and placed a gentle kiss on Ahsoka's cheek before walking to her cot on the other side of the room, it felt strange to lay down without the others girls form pressed up against her but if there was ever a time when Ahsoka needed some space, it was now.

Ahsoka tossed and turned throughout the night, subconsciously fighting back a cold sweat that threatened to over take her very being. Screaming everywhere, Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli, even Barriss, almost everyone she knew and loved she watched gunned down by an unknown source shrouded in darkness. As much as she tried all she make out was the heavy sound of blaster fire, the pulsing tone pushed her montrals to their limits to the point where even asleep she wrapped her hands over them 'no!...stop!...please!'.

The sound stopped so abruptly it was almost as startling as the sounds themselves, but sadly what replaced it was no better. A series of slow, pain filled breaths ripped her apart from the inside out 'please!...I'm begging you!' before they dissipated into silence she felt something odd, the breaths were almost...mechanical, definitely not human. Before she could make them out any clearer the breaths stopped just as the other sounds had, but in the back of her mind she knew what followed would be no better.

"You underestimate the power of the dark side!" "you were my brother!...I loved you!" the strange voices came and went before she could place them, before she felt the darkness overwhelm the last inch of her body one more voice, seeped in the dark side, rang extremely clear in her mind "execute order 66".

"NO!" the crisp sunlight did nothing to help her massive headache as Ahsoka sat up in her bed, breathing as fast as her lungs would allow she ran two shaking hands over her body "it was a dream, just a dream"

She was so focused on herself she didn't notice Barriss until her olive skinned hand gently rubbed her forehead "Ahsoka are you okay!"

Ahsoka moved her legs to the edge of the bed and stood to her full height "I...I think so, just a bad dream"

Barriss walked up beside her and took her hands "Jedi don't have the pleasure of simple dreams, what did you see?"

Just thinking about what she had experienced was enough to rip the strength from her legs, everything in the vision flashed through her mind in a matter of seconds "it's too scattered, I can't make sense of most of it"

"is there anything you can make out?"

"something bad is coming Barriss...something really bad"

Barriss hid the anxiety in her voice well "do you think we should tell the council?"

"no, not until I completely understand what I saw. Now come on, we have different things to worry about today" as Ahsoka walked out her room with her friends hand cupped inside her own one look at the clock in the living room told her all she needed to know "I need to get to the mess hall"

Barriss nodded as she released her grip on Ahsoka's hand and moved to the couch "I better stay here, it'll be more convincing if you're alone"

Ahsoka nodded in agreement and willed her still tired legs towards the door, something stopped her just inches from the door "Barriss"

"yes"

"keep your lightsaber with you at all times, even in here, do you understand?"

"anything you say, now go cheat on me"

Even with all she had been through lately Ahsoka couldn't help but laugh "does it count if it's with a guy?" the look she got as an answer reminded her of the cocky grin Skyguy sometimes got "just trying to know the rules" Ahsoka opened the door with a wave of her hand but was once again stopped in her tracks as a olive skinned hand turned her back around.

Barriss pulled their heads inches away from one another as she smiled "no goodbye kiss?"

Ahsoka felt her back Lekku instantly change color "of course my lady" the second she felt her friends lips brush against her own was the same second the unmistakable whoosh of Anakin's door sounded back the hall. Ahsoka had to will the force to keep her steady as she was pushed out the door, the last thing she saw before the door closed in front of her was the warming smile on Barriss' face.

She had to literally shake the chill from her body before starting off down the hall towards the mess, after a short walk she opened the door and stepped inside the somewhat small white room. A couple young-lings offered a polite wave from a nearby table as she walked by, returning their gesture with a small smile her eyes immediately scanned the room for the person she was here to fool.

Master Plo Koon sat at the table closest to the front counter with his head buried behind a rather large book, Ahsoka couldn't help but smile as she approached the Jedi "master Plo, may I join you?"

Plo looked up from his book and gestured to the seat across from him "of course little Soka"

Ahsoka cringed a bit at the use of the nickname 'getting a little old for that' but shrugged the feeling away as she sat down "how are you master?"

"fine at the moment, I'm more concerned about you though"

Ahsoka swallowed a lump in her throat "really, why?"

"this force meld, I have yet to find one other record of it being performed by someone so young"

"oh...yes the meld, I don't think you to worry master. So far it's really come in handy during the missions"

"yes but the long term affects are what worry me, the longest meld recorded before you and padawan Offee was between two masters, it lasted three days"

"if the meld starts to have any negative side effects you'll be the first one I come to master"

even with his breather on the look on master Plo's face made it obvious he was smiling "be sure that you do little Soka" before either Jedi could say anything more a shadow cast over the table caused them both to turn their heads.

James first looked to master Plo "the mouse droids are delivering the daily ration of your food to your quarters master"

Plo nodded his head "thank you Mr. Clever"

With a small nod James turned to Ahsoka, pulling the notepad from his aprons pocket he cast a sly grin in her direction "and for you beautiful"

Ahsoka tried her best to force her Lekku to change color but it wasn't happening, instead she simply smiled in the boys direction "whatever you have ready...handsome" if master Plo noticed the awkward exchange he did a good job of hiding it.

After clearing his throat James nodded towards the counter "uh Ahsoka may I speak with you for a moment?". Ahsoka rose from her chair with a polite bow to master Plo and followed James across the room to the farthest reaches of the front counter, once they were alone James wasted no time "what the hell was that?"

Ahsoka leaned on the counter and shrugged "I don't know, I'm not good at this. How is it so easy for you?"

James almost looked like he took offense at the question "what the...how is it so easy, do you even own a freaking mirror?, I'm not exactly fighting my natural instincts"

"what do you mean?"

"oh for the love of...would you at least look at me when I'm talking?" not giving her a chance to turn her head James stepped out in front of her "lets try it this way, why do you think that guy pinched your ass in the nightclub?"

Ahsoka dropped her gaze to the floor "because he was a kriffing pervert"

James let out a loud sigh before using his hand to gently guide Ahsoka's eyes to met his own "Ahsoka you really don't get it, you're hot okay. Maybe that guy in the club was just some old pervert but that doesn't change the fact that he was attracted to you enough to try what he did, you're really freaking hot".

Despite the feeling in her gut Ahsoka felt her Lekku slightly change color, James immediately pointed to the table where master Plo was still reading "yes okay, we got something. Now get back there before that feeling wears off, if my past experiences are any indication you'll hate me in about five minutes"

Ahsoka was practically pushed back to the table, the second she sat down master Plo looked up from his book "are you feeling alright Ahsoka?"

"fine master why do you ask?" before Plo could answer a loud beep brought Ahsoka's wrist to her mouth "yes master"

Anakin's voice sounded oddly lighthearted over the com-link "met me and Barriss at the war room, thinks it's about time to go save the day again".

Barriss clasped her hands behind her back as she stood beside the holo-projecter, she had to mentally push back a few unpleasant memories as a large instantly recognizable tower was projected in front of her. Beside her Ahsoka did no better in hiding her feelings "Geonosis master, I thought we took control of that planet"

The only master present for their briefing master Obi-Wan promptly shook his head "unfortunately some major sectors of the planet have still been giving our troops some trouble, but this tower is one of the last sectors not under Republic control"

Anakin examined the projection of the tower as it lit his face in a blue light "this tower looks different than the others I saw on Geonosis"

Barriss followed her masters gaze and saw what he was talking about, beside the fact that the tower was twice as big as the weapons factory she and Ahsoka had destroyed all that time ago it was the design that caught her attention. The snarling face of a bug unlike any she'd ever seen was engraved just above the large entrance "that design on the front master, what is it?"

Anakin shared a concerned look with Obi-Wan before he answered "I assume master Unduli told you about the Geonosians that captured her during the retaking of Geonosis"

"the ones that were almost impossible to kill"

"yeah them, well that's their queen, or was rather"

Obi-Wan interjected "what Anakin means is the queen was buried along with her...children, deep in the catacombs under Geonosis. This temple must have been were she lived before the initial invasion"

Ahsoka took a few steps closer to the projector "so are we destroying this base master?"

Obi-Wan shook his head as he shut down the holo-projecter "picking up your masters love of explosions I see, no Ahsoka to put it simply we don't know what your mission is yet" before anyone could question his comment Obi-Wan continued "Republic forces under the leadership of Jedi Marikane Cananvi had already surrounded the base"

Anakin let a small amount of annoyance in his voice "so what Marikane just wants someone their to witness his victory?"

"on the contrary my former apprentice, Marikane contacted the council and asked for the presence of another Jedi"

Barriss raised an eyebrow "if the job is already done why would he need help master?"

Obi-Wan started to lead the way out the war room "that is precisely what you're going to find out young one".

James waited till Skywalker and Barriss were completely out of sight before running up beside Ahsoka and Obi-Wan "hey Ahsoka wait up a sec!" both Jedi turned at his voice.

Obi-Wan let his usual warm smile envelope his face "Mr. Clever is your shift over already?"

James tried his best (which was pretty damn good) to fake embarrassment in his gestures and his voice "oh no master I just...wanted to give Ahsoka something before she left" pulling a bright silver necklace from his back pocket he turned to the Togruta "I wanted you to have this, for good luck ya know" 'take the hint, take...the...hint'.

It was almost impossible to tell if Ahsoka was faking the confusion evident on her face but she looked at the necklace with a warm smile "that's...very sweet James, thank you" James leaned in close and clicked the jewelery in place around her neck, keeping their faces in close proximity for just a split second more than was necessary before turning and sprinting back the hall without so much as a word to explain his actions.

Obi-Wan watched him disappear around the corner before turning to Ahsoka "that was strange, I wasn't aware you and James were that close"

It hurt to lye to someone she was as close to as master Kenobi but Ahsoka forced herself to shrug the words away and continue down the hall "he's a good friend".

Barriss' eyes were immediately drawn to the small heart shaped necklace around her friends neck as they walked onto the bridge of the Resolute "who gave you that?"

Ahsoka shivered a bit as she leaned in to inspect the necklace, a simple silver balled chain and a bright orange heart much the same color of the girls skin "James, I think it's part of his plan"

"that reminds me, how did it go in the mess with master Plo?"

"pretty good I think, if him and master Kenobi aren't convinced the attachment it to James they're at least suspicious"

Barriss couldn't help but let her eyes wander but fought the desire to do something that might turn a few heads on the bridge as she pulled back from Ahsoka's form "boy works fast I'll give him that". Ahsoka nodded and turned just as Anakin started up the bridge, Barriss offered a light bow before she spoke "master we're ready to make the jump to hyperspace"

Anakin nodded but for some reason refused to meet her eyes "good job, you two are dismissed"

Ahsoka spoke up before she could, both of them were thinking the same thing "uh master, dismissed to do what exactly?"

the tone of in their masters voice caused both girls to take a step back "I don't know Ahsoka, just go to the sleeping quarters for now...and take artoo with you" rather than ask another question both girls gestured for the blue and white astromech, who until now had been standing quietly in the corner, to follow them.

With the droid following at their side Barriss led the way off the bridge and down the first hallway, once she was sure they were out of earshot she turned to Ahsoka "he's been acting strange all day, after you left earlier to go the mess he didn't say a word to me the whole time. He just sat in silence, I could feel his eyes on me every time I turned my head"

Ahsoka fiddled nervously with the necklace around her neck "this is weird even for him, did you hear him call me Ahsoka back there?. In all our time together I think he's called me Ahsoka about two or three times, something is wrong"

"wonder why he asked the astromech to come with us"

artoo let out a few loud beeps to which Ahsoka cast a sly grin "I know artooie, just give her some time and she'll learn to call you by the right name"

Barriss raised an eyebrow as she looked back and forth between artoo and Ahsoka "how can you understand the astromech?"

"stick with Anakin long enough and you'll pick it up"

artoo beeped a few more times and despite herself Barriss tried to make any sense of it "sorry artoo I just can't do it, maybe in time" with a small smile she patted the droids domed head. Ahsoka opened the door to the sleeping quarters and led the way inside, Barriss stepped to the side as artoo moved past her and into the middle of the room.

Barriss walked to her favorite bed and laid down, as she closed her eyes a familiar chill snaked its way through her body. Ahsoka sat down on the bed beside her and ran a soft hand up and down her leg, as much as Barriss was enjoying the moment her fear forced her to speak "are you sure Ahsoka?, what about the astromech?"

Ahsoka turned her gaze towards artoo "artooie how about running a diagnostic check on the ship, can't be too careful can we?" the droid let out a few beeps before turning to the side of the room and starting the diagnostics. Ahsoka cast another sly grin "that will keep him busy for a few minutes"

Barriss found herself wishing the bed they were in was bigger as Ahsoka climbed on top of her but the thought quickly disappeared from her mind when her hands found their new favorite spot, Ahsoka jumped just a little "whoa, someones rather confident today" rather than answer Barriss wrapped a hand around the girls head and pulled her down.

The second their lips made contact Barriss entered her tongue in Ahsoka's mouth, much in the same way Ahsoka had on Felucia Barriss moved her tongue in every direction imaginable until she met with the warm presence of another. With her self control now thrown out the airlock Barriss moved her hands over all over her friends body, more than once pushing her skirt up and adventuring under it. When her hands found a spot on the small of Ahsoka's back she forced herself to pull back for breath, glancing up into the same blue eyes she feel in love with only one question came to mind "are you an angel?".

Ahsoka let out a giggle more suitable to someone half her age as she moved a hand forward to push a few strings of hair out of Barriss' eyes "I was about to ask you the same thing".

"Sir we've reached Geonosis, set down in approximately fifteen minutes" Anakin nodded to the clone on the lower deck before heading off the bridge and towards the elevator, a simple button press activated his com-link "Raven, Snips, meet me at the docking bay"

It took a few seconds but he was eventually answered by the always cocky tone of Ahsoka "oh am I Snips again master?"

"just get to the docking bay, and bring artoo" he may of put more anger into the words than he intended but right now he could care less, making sure to reach the elevator before his padawans Anakin stepped inside and let the darkness calm his nerves as he was transported down the large ship 'maybe I'm being to harsh, I don't know how serious they are, they could really care about each other. There's no way the council is gonna let them continue their teachings, if there's any way to help it's gonna have to be me that finds it. If Snips is as serious about Barriss as I am with Padme' I can't let the council split them apart'

Anakin kept the elevator doors closed for a few extra seconds as he took a series of deep breaths, once he felt confident enough to control his emotions he let the doors swing open to reveal the docking bay. He made his way to the T-6 shuttle to find both Ahsoka and Barriss already sitting in the cockpit, he stepped past each girl with a polite smile before settling down in the pilots chair "so what did you two end up doing?"

"meditation" each girl answered in perfect unison 'oh they're good'

Anakin couldn't help but let a sly grin cross his face as he piloted the T-6 shuttle out of the docking bay and directly towards the looming planet of Geonosis.

Barriss almost immediately hated her choice of clothes the second the ship set down, the harsh sunlight seeped into the cockpit of the ship and started to boil her inside her all black robe "I almost forgot how hot it gets here"

Anakin rose from his seat and stepped past her "lucky for us there's only a few more hours till sunset, then we get to freeze instead of melt"

Barriss stood to her feet and got in line behind Ahsoka "a comforting thought master, thank you for that"

"it's what I'm here for Raven" Anakin led the way out the shuttle and Barriss took the moment to look around the landscape, not that their was much to see. Inhospitable desert every direction she looked as long as she could see was all that graced her eyes, a small Republic base was set up a few miles away from their location but offered no sense of comfort or more importantly shade. All that was set up in front of the ship was a series of large tents and a holo-projecter, but Barriss was much more interested in the view about half a mile away.

The Geonosians tower loomed over the entire area, the sculpture of the queen visible even from their distance. A deep trench formed a protective circle around the temples entirety and was itself surrounded by a entire platoon of At-Ats, each with their main gun pointed directly at the temple, ready to fire.

Ahsoka walked beside their master and wiped her hands against each other "well job well done master, I wish all missions were this easy"

Barriss let out a small laugh but Anakin seemed to take the comment quite literally "what is Marikane up to?, there has to be something else going on here"

"oh come on!, I specifically requested anyone besides Skywalker" all three heads turned to the strong voice from behind them, Marikane pulled his hood above his head as he walked up to the ship. Barriss squinted her eyes and was barely able to make out the Jedi from the sunlight burnt landscape.

It was always hard to describe Marikane to someone who hadn't seem him themselves, somewhat kind features and deep blue eyes did a little justice to the mans face but it was what was left Barriss couldn't describe. The long black robe the Jedi wore couldn't really be called a Jedi robe, to her the outfit looked more suitable to someone less restricted, someone who's life didn't involve keeping the peace. Maybe someone who worked more for himself, as assassin perhaps.

The hilt of a black bladed lightsaber was clipped to each side of the Jedi's waist and a somewhat convoluted contraption was strapped to both his wrists, since she had seen the tools in action before she knew each housed a small extremely sharp blade that could spring forward with just the right wrist flex. The thoughts were pushed from her mind as Anakin did his best to fake a warm smile "seems the council does have a sense of humor after all, so tell me, what are we here for?. By the look of things you got everything under control"

Marikane almost ignored her masters words as the Jedi spotted Ahsoka and herself "Barriss!, Ahsoka!, so nice to see you again" with a warm smile to each girl he turned his attention back to Anakin, letting more than a little annoyance into his voice "and yes Skywalker I do have everything under control, but there's been a...complication in the plan"

Anakin rolled his eyes "isn't there always"

Barriss followed the group of Jedi to the holo-projecter not far away, once everyone was situated Marikane put up a hologram of the temple and the surrounding area. As he talked a series of blue dots pushed a equally large group of red dots back into the temple "we fought the Geonosians head on, not much cover out here to do anything else, and eventually pushed them into the temple. Aside from a few scouting parties we have yet to deal with another attack" the hologram flickered out as Marikane continued "but why I stopped the assault can't be explained on a hologram, follow me".

Doing as asked Barriss fell in line beside Ahsoka as they started towards the temple, ignoring the conversation between her master and Marikane she instead turned her head to her friend "I really don't remember it being this hot last time I was here"

Ahsoka simply shrugged "never really noticed, it doesn't feel so bad"

"oh of course not, you'd have to wear clothes to get warm"

"what was that?"

Barriss waved a dismissive hand through the air "nothing"

Ahsoka squinted her eyes 'my choice in clothing didn't seem to bother you on the Resolute'

'point taken, you win'

Marikane brought a hand up for all to stop just short of the first tank guarding the temple "this should be close enough, sit, everyone" following his lead Barriss sat down in the dirt alongside her master and Ahsoka and crossed her legs. With Ahsoka so close by her meditation was made all the easier, every Geonosian inside the temple fluttered about doing force knows what, but then something else,something she'd never sensed before "what is it?"

even with her eyes closed she knew it was Marikane who answered "I don't know, I've never felt anything like it. It's almost as if whatever it is is neither alive or dead, simply there"

Anakin standing to his feet forced Barriss to open her eyes "do you know what it is master?"

her masters face was covered in an expression of deep thought "I've sensed that presence before"

Marikane raised an eyebrow as he stood up "really?, come on we'll talk back at camp. There's something I wanted to speak to you about anyway".

By the time they had gotten back to camp the setting sun gave way to a cloak of darkness that surrounded the dimly lit camp, Anakin followed Marikane into his large tent already deep in conversation "...so after we found master Unduli we discovered that she had been taken to the Geonosians queen, I believe her presence is what we sense inside that temple"

Marikane lit a lantern to illuminate the tent, a small round table and cot was all the place housed. Anakin sat down at the table as Marikane flopped on his cot "so you think we have a queen bug hiding the temple, well as much as I'd like you to be wrong I have seen weirder things in my life"

Anakin tapped uncomfortably on the metal table "so what was it you wanted to talk about, you're never one for pleasantries so I can assume you want more than small talk"

Marikane sat up on the cot with a loud sigh "yes I suppose we might as well get straight to business, the sooner this is over with the sooner we can go our separate ways. Skywalker I received a...rather informative message from the council a few hours ago" Marikane looked to the ceiling with distant eyes, almost talking to himself "Ahsoka and Barriss huh...did not see that one coming"

Anakin felt his fist clench on instinct as he rose from the chair "are you making fun of this situation!, you know full well what will happen when the council gets the proof they need!"

Marikane put his hands in the air "I'm in no mood for a fight Skywalker, it's been a very long day. Now would you please sit and listen to what I have to say!" the last words came out as more of an order than a question and Anakin seemed to take the hint as he sat back down and gestured for Marikane to speak.

After a short silence the Jedi continued "look I know there is the threat of them being stripped of the order, to be honest I've never really agreed with the councils views on attachments"

Anakin relaxed his muscles a bit "really?"

"yes but that's besides the point, you know as well as I do both Ahsoka and Barriss are too well trained for this to be a simple teenage lust. If they're risking their status in the order than they have to be serious about this, I think we're dealing with love here, plain and simple"

"I assume you have a point to make at sometime here?"

Marikane looked a bit annoyed by the comment but shrugged it off "as a matter of fact I do, when the times comes where you are forced to make a decision on how to deal with this attachment. If and only if that decision is what's best for Ahsoka and Barriss, I'll support you wholeheartedly, no matter what"

"even if it goes against the council?"

Marikane took a few steps forward and extended his hand "if it helps them...yes"

Anakin fought back the muscles in his face as they tried to smile, instead he stood and kept his face as serious as possible as he shook Marikane's hand "thank you Cananvi, but when the time comes I hope your interference isn't necessary".

Before Marikane could come up with a witty reply of his own a strange presence outside brought his lightsabers to his hands, igniting both black blades he ran out the tent with Anakin close behind "I sense it too".

"Master!" Barriss had ignited her lightsaber the second she felt an odd presence in the force, it was seconds later that the first hand punched through the dirt beneath her feet. The orders of countless clone troopers sounded in her ears as the soldiers formed a circle around the Geonosian as it crawled it's way to the surface.

Ahsoka ran up beside and ignited both her sabers "what is that thing!" before she could answer a black blade seemed to come out of nowhere and sliced the bugs head from it's shoulders before it could completely surface. Marikane looked at the bugs disembodied head with wide eyes but said nothing, instead he gave the clones a silent gesture to move back to the camps outer limits and cover the base.

As the clones moved away Anakin ran up beside the group of Jedi "those are the same type of bugs that attacked us in the catacombs during the second battle of Geonosis, Marikane tell the clones to turn their visors on if any more appear, the light will distract them for a few seconds" with a silent nod Marikane took after the clones.

Barriss moved forward to inspect the body but Anakin pulled her back "careful, those things are controlled by the same worms you dealt with before. If more appear go for the limbs, especially the head, anything else will just make them mad"

Ahsoka looked at the corpse in disgust "things kriffing disgusting"

Anakin ignited his lightsaber and gave Ahsoka a fierce look "we've talked about the language before Snips, keep your head in the game"

"yes master, sorry master"

the awkward silence was thankfully broken as Marikane ran back up to the group "the clones are forming a perimeter around the base, if any more of those bugs appear we'll gun them down before they know what hit them"

Anakin shook his head "that won't work, blasters have almost no effect on them. If they attempt another attack it'll up to us to stop them"

Barriss looked at the small whole where half of the bugs body still sank through the dirt "it was tunneling it's way up, there must be a series of catacombs under the camp just like the weapons factory"

Marikane nodded thoughtfully "if that's right then we should probably move the camp back to the main base, we're too exposed here"

Ahsoka turned her gaze to the temple in the distance "master no offense but now that we know what's in the temple, why not blow it sky high?"

Marikane opened his mouth to answer but Anakin cut him off "we buried the queen in a mountain of rubble last time and somehow she survived, simply destroying the base isn't going..."

Barriss felt the ground shake underneath her boots as her masters words faded into silence, Ahsoka jumped straight back as a hand rose from the ground to grab at her leg and cut the hand with a single swipe.

Marikane was first to grab a hold of the situation "form a circle!, back to back!", eyes quickly surveying the new battlefield Barriss was hard pressed to find a block of sand that wasn't seemingly giving birth to a group of the zombie Geonosians. Her battle hardened senses joined the other three Jedi as they formed a tight knit group back to back, Marikane's booming voice bellowed out to the surrounding clones "light em up boys!, pick each shot carefully!"

Laser fire shot off in every conceivable direction the second the words left Marikane's mouth, along with a flash of light from the visor of every clone soldier present. This time it was Anakin who began to shout orders "now!, while they're stunned!, get as many as you can before they break free of the dirt!".

Each Jedi took off in their own direction, Barriss pushed her legs as fast as they would go as she started for the closest group of Geonosians, using a wave of her hand to bring the first two bodies completely out from the dirt she separated each bugs head from its shoulders. Green blood splattered against her robe as she let the bodies fall to the ground, she continued to cut down every Geonosian her lightsaber would reach but for every one she killed two more rose to take its place "this isn't working!, they just keep coming!"

Anakin slashed his lightsaber directly behind him, cutting a bug straight down the middle "we gotta keep fighting!, they're gonna run out of bodies sooner or later!"

Barriss steeled her nerves as she found herself surrounded, the first group of bugs able to break through the dirt formed a menacing circle around her and started to move in one by one. The ground below her feet got looser by the second as the presence of several more bugs could be felt in the catacombs that no doubt ran under her feet "some help would be appreciated!".

Striking the first bug that stupid enough to get close Barriss ducked just in time to avoid the black blade of Marikane's lightsaber, the blade seemed to cut the air itself as if flew inches above her head the carved a perfect arc through the bugs surrounding her. Taking a moment to look on in astonishment Barriss watched as Marikane pulled the lightsaber back to his hand as if it was second thought and continued his slaughter of the bugs.

"Barriss behind you!" Ahsoka's fear stricken voice was more than enough to make Barriss turn, already swinging towards the bug she knew was behind her. Her swing was brought to a halt when an extremely cold hand knocked the lightsaber from her grasp, the blade deactivated as it fell through the air and to the ground several feet away. Before Barriss could extend a hand for the blade to return the grotesque Geonosian brought up the one arm it had to strike, she had just enough to time to duck and roll away from the strike before using her legs to scissor kick the bug into the air (with a little help from the force) 'crunch!'.

"No!" all Barriss could do was watch as the Geonosian she had knocked through the air fell directly on top of her lightsaber, the weapon shattered under the weight.

Ahsoka ran up beside her and force pushed a entire group of bugs away, with their broken wings powerless to help them the bugs landed a good distance away with a satisfying crack. Ahsoka wasted no time in handing Barriss her small golden saber "here, not much on its own it'll do for now" Barriss accepted the weapon with a light nod and charged back into the fray.

The short weapon didn't have much reach to it (and Shien wasn't exactly Barriss' strongest stance) but that didn't stop her from slashing out at every bug she ran across. With the combined force of the four Jedi (along with a few lucky shots from the nearby clones) they eventually cut the bugs down to the last group.

Before anyone could object Marikane deactivated both his lightsabers and moved towards the four remaining Geonosians, one flick of his arm brought all four into the air in front of him "rest in peace you ugly fuckers" a ball of blue energy sent the bugs flying helplessly into the air and slammed all four against the hard stone wall of the Geonosian temple. Barriss simply looked to the Jedi with a sly grin 'showoff'.

"Barriss are you okay?" Barriss couldn't help but smile as Ahsoka ran up to her and took back her lightsaber, with a small nod she answered the girls question. Both girls shared a moment of relief before Marikane walked up to join them.

The Jedi knelt down and looked over the remains of Barriss' lightsaber "a shame when a Jedi loses their first saber, but this shouldn't be a problem, I always bring a few spares with me just in case" as the Jedi turned to walk inside his tent a loud moan caused all three to turn.

Anakin nursed his shoulder with a smug look as he walked up to the group "bastards got a few lucky blows" her training kicking in immediately Barriss ran up to her master and forced him to sit on a nearby rock.

It was clear even through the fabric that the wound was worse than her master was letting on "Marikane get over here, I need a blade to cut the sleeve" with a annoyed sigh and a few murmured words Marikane walked over and brought one of his hidden blades out from it's holster, the sharp blade cut through the fabric like butter.

Once he was done Marikane took a few steps back and covered his mouth "oh man!, that can not be good" Barriss handled the situation a little better but even she had to admit the wound was pretty bad, the cut had to be several inches deep and even a small piece of her masters bone could be seen through squinted eyes.

Which made the fact that Anakin pushed her away even more surprising "we don't have time to worry about me right now, if we don't get inside that temple they could launch another attack and wipe us out completely"

Barriss reached out to Ahsoka in her thoughts 'if he doesn't get treated he could lose another arm, you have to convince him to go'

Ahsoka walked up and put a comforting hand on her masters shoulder "we can handle this Skyguy, the Resolute landed at the main base a few hours ago, go and get patched up"

Barriss saw a look of quiet understanding shared between Ahsoka and and Anakin before her master nodded, holding back a pained expression as he did so "alright fine" looking to Marikane Anakin filled his voice with all the care he could "Marikane my padawans are under your order until I return, just make sure to get Barriss' another lightsaber before you storm the temple. Oh and if the Geonosians all scream at once try and cover Snips because it hurts her montrals a little, and be careful not to..."

Marikane put up his arms in mock defense "okay dad we get it, just go".

Barriss sat alongside Ahsoka on a bench by the sparking holo-projecter as the clones ran around them doing any number of tasks "don't worry about Anakin, the surgery he needs is minor. I could of performed it here if it was necessary"

Ahsoka's grim look softened a bit "thank you, ya know it's funny, I sometimes think of him as invincible. It's stupid I know, but it really doesn't help when something like this happens"

"it's not stupid Ahsoka, see a person slice through hordes of droids and those feelings are bound to appear. Just try and remember that no one is completely invincible, we all have our faults, and our weaknesses"

Barriss took her friends hand but quickly released it when Marikane finally emerged from his tent "sorry Barriss, I don't have anything close to what you're used to. All I could find was these" looking at the weapons offered to her Barriss recognized the design of paired lightsabers. Two slightly curved hilts that could be connected to have the effect of one double sided lightsaber, the simple gray and gold design of each hilt instantly reminded her of her old saber.

Taking both the lightsabers Barriss stood to her feet and ignited the weapons, a blue blade spread forward from each hilt "these will be fine master, thank you"

Ahsoka took a few steps back as she swung the new weapons around in an attempt to get used to the weight and feel "are you trained with paired sabers?"

Barriss shrugged, deactivating the sabers and clipping them to her side before speaking "a little, I'll get master Skywalker to teach me back on Corusant but for now I know enough to get by" with each Jedi now on their feet Marikane walked away long enough to give the clones a few orders before heading back towards the Geonosian temple.

Taking the subtle hint to follow Barriss and Ahsoka fell in line behind their master for the time being, they walked in complete silence until the large trench was all that separated them and the outer wall of the temple. "I'll go in first, then help you two across" Marikane cleared the trench with no trouble, landing neatly on his feet at the other side of the gap. Ahsoka jumped next, making it about halfway before Marikane extended a hand and floated her the rest of the way.

Barriss took a series of deep breath before taking off towards the trench, using all the force she could gather she made it far enough to met with Ahsoka's outstretched hand. Ahsoka groaned lightly as she pulled her friend to her feet, once all three were across Marikane nodded silently and patted each girl on the back "not bad you two, think you can climb as good as you can jump?".

Giving them no time to respond Marikane looked to the stone wall in front of them and jumped straight into the air, finding foot and hand holds in a matter of seconds the Jedi started to climb the wall faster than Barriss could blink. She took a few steps towards the wall but was stopped by an orange-skinned hand 'I got a better idea, focus on me and lift me up as high as you can' Barriss raised an eyebrow but did what was asked of her.

Taking a few steps back and focusing entirely on Ahsoka (which wasn't that hard to do) Barriss lifted her friends body into the air, the second she did so she felt her own feet leave the ground as well. The two girls floated to the top of the wall just as Marikane pulled himself up, setting each other down as softly as they could each girl couldn't help but smile.

Marikane walked up beside them "nice little trick there, don't think anyone's thought of that one yet. I'd patent that before someone steals it" with a sly grin Marikane laughed at his own joke and motioned for all three to crouch. Barriss felt her knees buckle on instinct , taking cover behind the low wall that separated them from the main area of the temple. Along with her friends she peeked over the wall, a small amount of moonlight was all that let them see into the large open area ahead of them.

Barriss felt her stomach rise to her throat as she laid eyes on the Geonosian queen, a fat, monstrous body was connected to the queens back end and the head instantly reminded her of the carving on the temples outer wall. As much as she hated the sight the next one was no better, an entire group of zombie Geonosians scuttled around a odd looking device she could barely make out in the moonlight "what is that master?"

Marikane pulled a pair of Jedi binoculars from his belt "it almost looks like a bomb but that doesn't make any sense, what would mindless bugs want with a weapon like that?"

Ahsoka squinted in the bombs direction "well there's one way to find out"

Marikane quickly shook his head "if we go in there without a plan we're done for, no telling how many more of those bugs we can't see"

Barriss took a second to think before speaking up "in the report master Unduli showed me of their encounters with these bugs before it said master Kenobi had a little luck in actually communicating with the creature, maybe if one of us goes down and stalls the queen the other two can sneak in and deal with the bomb"

"what do you mean deal with the bomb?" Ahsoka kept her gaze down towards the bugs

Marikane let a bit of sarcasm into his voice "well, if it's big enough to pose a threat to anything beside this temple we disarm it. But if it's small enough to only kill these damn bugs, we blow the place sky high"

A sly grin crossed Ahsoka's lips "you're more like Skyguy than you let on Marikane, so which one of us is going to distract the queen?"

Barriss felt a lump form in her throat as both Ahsoka and Marikane turned to her "you want me to...fine, just be ready to act on my signal" stepping on top the stone wall Barriss felt a hand grab her shoulder.

She turned to meet the concerned face of her favorite Togruta "be careful down there okay"

Barriss slowly let herself fall backwards off the wall "aren't I always?"

Barriss hit the marbled floor without so much as a sound but that didn't stop every grotesque head in the temple from turning in her direction, her hand went down towards her lightsabers but stopped just short when she realized none of the bugs were advancing. Instead each Geonosian stumbled back and formed a clear path towards their queen, willing her now rubber legs to move forward Barriss walked up and bowed to the giant Geonosian queen "your majesty, my name is Barriss Offee and I represent the Jedi council in this conflict. May I have a few words with you?, it is my hope that a peaceful solution can be found"

The queen was silent for a few moments before opening her mouth, the loud, strain filled voice was enough to force Barriss to hold back a cringe "peace...no peace!. You Jedi Offee...will order your troops to leave!...NOW!"

Barriss took a few steps back but stood her ground, putting all the strength and calmness in her voice she could "I respect you your majesty, you worry that if Republic troops take control of Geonosis it will mean the end of your people. I can assure you that would not be the case, reach a peaceful solution and your people will be left undisturbed".

The queen reared back her small body, letting loose a blood curdling laugh "Geonosis will remain under my control Jedi!, and you will help me!"

Before she could bring herself to speak again a series of ice cold hands ferociously pinned her to the floor, the unmistakable look of a brain worm egg was pushed in front of her face 'now Ahsoka!'. The green and gold glow of Ahsoka's lightsabers sprang to life just a few feet from where she was being held to the ground, Ahsoka bounded forward from her place in the darkness and slashed both sabers to the ground.

The bugs holding her down split down the middle and fell to the ground in a mix of dead flesh and green blood, Barriss stood to her feet and chucked the brain worm egg half way across the temple "not again". She watched as the egg smashed against the stone wall before turning back to the queen "this is your last chance your majesty, we don't want to kill you".

The queen laughed again, harder than she had before "Jedi are always...so easy to predict, we have more than one way of forcing you to...join us"

as the queen gestured to the few remaining bugs a black saber appeared from behind the bomb "no!, damn it!" Marikane slashed the bugs in front of him before running to join Barriss and Ahsoka "bugs activated the bomb!, we got less than a minute!"

Barriss shook her head in astonishment "what!, your majesty this is insane!, you'll be killed too!"

the queen was already headed away from them, moving her large back end deeper into the temple "you can't kill what's already dead Jedi!, once the bomb goes off my worms will control!...what is left of your bodies!".

Marikane glanced at the bomb before turning to the two girls "Barriss!, Ahsoka!, leave now!, I'll hold the blast for as long as I can!"

Barriss turned and blew the main entrance open with quite a strong force push for someone her age, Ahsoka looked uneasily back at Marikane "we can't just leave you"

Marikane walked up to the girl and patted her head playfully "don't worry about me, hasn't been an explosion yet I couldn't outrun" the slightest hint of a smile showed up on Ahsoka's face but it was obvious the girl still had mixed feelings about leaving. It wasn't until Barriss ran up and took her hand that they both took off out of the temple, Marikane closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before turning to the bomb.

No sooner than he brought up his arms the bomb erupted from it's shell, the resulting explosion pushed his eardrums to the point of bleeding but he fought through the pain the best he could. With his eyes closed Marikane slowly started to move backwards, letting the ever increasing explosion advance upon him with every step. With his back to the main entrance Marikane let loose all he could in an attempt to push the explosion back, turning and darting out the entrance he felt the heat reach his back in a matter of seconds.

Ignoring the fact his back was most likely on fire he put all the force he could into his legs, jumping over pile after pile of sliced Geonosians while making his way out the temple 'those two make a good team'. As he reached the trench between him and the safety of the nearby camp his eyes spotted just what he needed, the still intact body of a Geonosian laid with it's sliced brothers.

With a wave of his hand Marikane brought the bugs body to the halfway point of the trench, leaping midway across the deep trench and landing on it's soft body before jumping straight for the camp. Even in mid-air he could make out the forms of both Barriss and Ahsoka as they attempted to hold back the explosion that had now formed a mushroom cloud behind him, Marikane hit the ground in a roll, the dirt doing it's job of putting out the small fire on his back. Within seconds of landing he turned and did his best to help the other Jedi hold back the ever looming explosion, with all three concentrating as hard as they could the explosion was held back long enough for it to reach it's peak before reaching the camp.

Marikane let his arms drop and fell to one knee as the explosion finally died down, as he took the moment to regain his breath he couldn't help but smile at the giant crater that now stood in place of the Geonosian temple "that one was too close".

A/N: Marikane belongs to fellow writer Gone Rampant, if anyone wants to see more from that character I'd advise you to seek out his stories. Sorry it took so long for me to spell Barriss the right way.