Barriss Offee could only watch in abject horror as the one she called friend stared at her with a profound rage burning behind her eyes. She was frozen in place as Melinoe threw back her robe tossed it to the ground behind her. The sight of her former friends' dark red skin, black Lekku with the red Sith tattoos was only the tip of what Ahsoka had become. More Sith tattoos adorned her arms, but in black set against the same red complexion of her face. Barriss couldn't believe how far this once promising Padawan had fallen, even with the evidence standing before her. With a quick glance, she caught sight of the two lightsabers hanging from the Sith's belt. She knew it was only a matter of time before this became a battle.
"So, I guess you didn't really forgive me after all."
"Forgive you Barriss? I hate you! If I didn't have orders to bring you back to my Master, I would kill you right now, and enjoy every minute of it."
"Then kill me. It is what you really want to do. I would gladly die over being turned into what you've become."
"Oh Barriss, you have no idea what I've become. The Jedi take us from our families. They lie to us, subjugate us, and you still believe in every falsity they fed you. My Master was correct, the Jedi were always weak, and now you see the power that I wield. But the most pathetic thing of all is that you actually think you have a choice in the matter."
"You know, for all this power you claim to have, all you've done is talk. And I have better things to do than listen to useless Sith claims. For the record, there is always a choice. You made yours."
Barriss turns to walk back the way they came, and an inhuman growl explodes from Melinoe's throat. Calling upon the Force, she executes a spinning back flip and lands in front of Barriss, lightsabers active, and crossed at the Jedi's neck.
"I thought you weren't here to kill me Ahsoka. You want to, so go ahead. Prove how powerful you are."
Rage continues to burn through Melinoe's eyes. She hates hearing the name of her former self, her weakness, and her hatred is telling her to just finish off this Jedi permanently. But she doesn't, and not for the reason Barriss thinks.
"You can't do it. You haven't been fully turned to the Dark Side. You can fight this. There is another way."
"There is only one way Barriss Offee. I have found my path, and you will soon walk it as well."
"Then Ahsoka is truly dead. You're a coward; Melinoe. You idly threaten, but you won't even do what your hatred of me has led you too."
Barriss' comments were an intentional attempt to get a fight between the two of them started. Her Sith opponent knew this, and was all too eager to oblige her. Without a word, Melinoe stepped back. She gave the Jedi just enough room to draw and ignite her lightsabers. When the four blades met, the clash was loud enough to startle the birds in the trees. Suddenly twin blue blades were locked against twin red, as neither of them gave up ground.
"You have made your second fatal mistake Jedi. My hatred for you would allow me to easily choke the life out of you. But as I said, My Master wants you alive."
The battle begins to rage as Jedi and Sith face off in a duel for the ages. They trade strikes back and forth, each trying to gain the upper hand. Melinoe's hatred reaches an intensity, which is matched with Barriss' determination. For a long time, both of them seem to be evenly matched, each strike being parried and deflected into the surrounding wilderness. The landscape of Corellia will long bear the scars from this battle. And the amount of Dark Side energy flowing will ghost over the land like a specter crying to get free.
"You're weakening Barriss. I can feel your desperation through the Force. The longer you fight, the more likely it will become that you fall to the Dark Side. I can feel your anger growing. Give in, and become more powerful than you could ever imagine."
"I will never turn to the Dark Side. The Sith will not win."
"You are mistaken my friend, we have already won. Don't continue to be a pawn of the Jedi. You are destined for so much more. My Master can show you the way to unlimited power."
Instead of replying Barriss continues to focus on the battle at hand. But she knows that Melinoe was correct about one thing, her anger is growing. Her strength is being enhanced, and the lightsaber strikes she is dealing out have begun to push the Sith back into a defensive posture. She finally thinks she has gained the edge in the battle, but Melinoe smiles evilly and knows it's only a matter of time before the Jedi is consumed by her rage.
"Can you feel it now Barriss? How powerful your rage has made you? Use your aggressive feelings, strike me down and you will have taken your first steps on the path to the Dark Side. Strike me down; if you think you can."
Barriss screams in anger that she has been pushed this far. Her strikes have become more brutal, and for a moment she feels as if she can see herself from outside of her body. She sees the look of pure unbridled hatred for everyone and everything around her. She can see her lips form into a snarl as she continues to push Melinoe back in their fight. And all her opponent does is laugh at what she sees. In an instant, the Jedi feels remorse. She quickly pulls back and tries to calm herself, while still deflecting the strikes from the red lightsabers. The fight comes to an abrupt end when she is weary from the Force energy she has expended. But the Sith has remained standing, still radiating her hatred in dark waves of energy. Barriss falls to her knees, unable to continue.
"I told you it was inevitable Barriss. You are beaten. You will come with me to Coruscant, and learn the true nature of the Force. The Emperor is your Master now."
"No. I would rather die. Kill me Ahsoka."
"That is not your destiny."
Melinoe deactivates one lightsaber and clips it back to her belt. With her now free hand, she reaches out towards Barriss and begins to Force choke her. The Jedi's eyes go wide with fear and the lack of oxygen until she passes out. When it seems as if she will not wake up, the Sith Lady calls to the Imperial outpost.
"Commander, I have captured the Jedi. Send a transport to my coordinates. Send it quickly. I do not want my Master's prize permanently damaged."
"It will be done, My Lady."
The transport arrives in short order, and Melinoe levitates the fallen Jedi's body towards the interior of the vessel. On their journey back to the outpost, they stop by the healing chambers and retrieve the speeder bike as well. When the transport reaches the outpost, the Commander is waiting, but still refuses to meet the eyes of Lady Melinoe as she walks past him.
"Commander, you will place the Jedi in my TIE Interceptor. I must make my journey back to Coruscant immediately."
"My Lady, your Interceptor is not equipped to house a prisoner, she will…"
She gives him a threatening look, and slightly raises her hand to unleash the Force on him for questioning her, but he quickly back-pedals, fear flashing through his eyes.
"By your orders Lady Melinoe."
The Sith then walked away, holding Barriss' lightsabers in hand. She needed to make contact with Coruscant and the Emperor before leaving Corellia. In the communications room, she kneels down on the transmit pad, and a holographic image of Palpatine appears in front of her.
"It is done, Master. I have captured the Jedi and will be returning to Coruscant soon."
"Well done, Lady Melinoe. Did the Jedi put forth any resistance?"
"She did, my Lord. But she was no match for my power. She even drew upon the Dark Side while we were in battle."
"Excellent, then she will be easier to turn, once you have brought her here. When you return, I will have a new mission for you. I shall await your arrival."
"Yes Master."
The connection faded, and Melinoe stepped off of the pad. Before departing, she made use of the outposts' supplies and fashioned two extra clips for her belt, and hooked the Jedi lightsabers to it. When she settled into the pilot's chair of her Interceptor she looked back and saw the inert body of her prisoner strapped to the bulkhead, restrained by several pieces of scrap metal that had been welded into vice grips around her wrists, her ankles, and one around her neck. The Commander had truly been efficient in finding a way to carry out the orders.
"Well done Commander. My Master's prize will not be damaged on her trip to Coruscant. Perhaps I can even begin the process of turning her to the Dark Side."
After setting the coordinates for Coruscant, she engaged the hyper-drive. Another feature this Interceptor possessed that the standard TIE Fighters did not was an auto-pilot. With everything in place for the journey, Melinoe stepped to the rear of her vessel and began assaulting Barriss' mind with dark imagery. In her lessons the Sith Lady had learned much of her Order's history. She had learned of the Sith war where her brothers had wiped out most of the Jedi Order before turning on themselves in a greater quest for power. It was all this darkness that caused Barriss to thrash against her restraints, even while unconscious. Her body was fighting, while her mind could not. Across the Galaxy, Jase felt the battle being waged, and he knew what the cause of it was.
"Ahsoka, you have fallen too far; my friend. Yet, I cannot let that deter me from finding you. My last mission is to save you, or become one with the Force in the process. One way or another, I will end this war."
The power Ahsoka was unleashing as Melinoe was like a beacon to the Jedi Master. He could feel her presence wherever she went. He knew she was headed for Coruscant, but to follow her there would lead to his certain death. He could also feel Barriss' attempts to fight, and lent her his strength. His power with the Force is the only thing that kept her from succumbing to the Dark Side while she was held captive. When they reached the Capitol, she would be beyond his reach to provide assistance. As the Interceptor descended into the city, Melinoe had retaken the controls. Her destination was not the Capitol, but the industrial district far away from the Senate Rotunda.
"I have good news, My Lord. The Jedi healer is alive, and through my efforts she has already begun to feel our power. During our journey I forced myself into her consciousness and unleashed images of the Sith and our final victory."
"That was not your mission, Lady Melinoe. But I applaud your initiative. Escort her inside. I will continue what you have begun."
"Yes Master, but you have another mission for me?"
"You will go to the Mandalore. The Death Watch has long challenged my power. There is a Bounty Hunter among them, and she is a Force Adept."
"I am to bring her back to you, My Lord?"
"No, there is only one result I wish for this one. You are to kill her. She will be powerful, but you are more so. Her name is Asajj Ventress."
"The assassin recruited by Count Dooku. I have long waited to engage her in battle again. She will die, Master."
When Barriss was inside the Emperor's citadel, Melinoe departed for her next mission. She had once worked with Ventress, trying to clear her name of the accusations, and that interaction had always left a bitter taste in her mouth. She was pleased that the Emperor was giving her missions that would directly result in the vengeance she so desired. Back on Coruscant, Palpatine was beginning his attempts to seduce Barriss to the Dark Side.
"Wake her. I want her to feel every bit of pain I will inflict. Barriss Offee will become one of my loyal servants. She will use her healing powers only for the Sith."
With Darth Vader off-world, the Inquisitors were left to assist Palpatine. Two of them gathered around the Jedi's unconscious form, and used the Force to restore her mind. When she woke, she was still restrained, but the Emperor quickly released her.
"Where am I?"
"You are on Coruscant, my young Jedi. You have been brought to me so you can serve a purpose greater than yourself."
"There is no greater purpose than serving the Force, and healing the ill."
"Of course not. And from what I have heard of you, you have become quite skilled as a healer."
"I know what you want from me Emperor. I will not submit."
"Oh I think you will. You don't know the power of the Dark Side. Nor did your friend Ahsoka Tano, until I showed her the true nature of the Force. In time, so will it be with you. This is your destiny."
"You're wrong, soon I'll be dead. You will not turn me as you did Ahsoka. I have seen the Dark Side, and I fought against it. I am a Jedi."
"So be it."
Emperor Palpatine snarled in anger at the defiance on Barriss Offee's face. She wasn't healed from the assault she had endured at the hands of her former friend, and was instantly knocked off of her feet by a barrage of Force lightning. When the first bolts of electricity faded, she slowly stood back up, defiance still on her face.
"I will not turn. And you will be forced to kill me."
Another barrage of lightning strikes her body, and she is thrown to the ground again. The second time the lightning stops; she once again rises to her feet.
"You are strong in the Force, young one. But make no mistake, you will submit to the Dark Side of the Force."
"I will not."
Every time she was knocked down, Barriss calmly got back to her feet. She endured hours of the pain inflicted by the Emperor, but refused to give in. She knew there were most likely other Jedi that survived Order 66, and one day they would return to prominence and defeat the Sith. She held on to that belief and it kept her going through eventual weeks of torture at Palpatine's hands. During her brief respites from being attacked with Force lightning, she would heal herself in her cell. This only made Palpatine furious so he continued his assaults and increased their intensity. In his rage he failed to realize that Barriss was doing this to expend her Force energy. When she could no longer heal herself, she was brought before the Emperor the final time. Her body bore the scars from all the times she had been electrocuted.
"This is your last chance Jedi. You can save yourself, join the Dark Side."
"No. I told you when this started that I would not turn. That you would be forced to kill me."
"Then you shall meet your destiny."
Palpatine struck out at Barriss with Force lightning for what would become the final time. She stood bravely in the face of the onslaught without any attempts to defend herself. She continued standing even as the Sith Lord increased the intensity. Soon enough the power became so great that she fell to her knees. She could feel her body fading, and her spirit becoming one with the Force. But she still gazed upon him, steadfast and defiant. A final explosion of lightning obliterated her physical form, and she felt weightless. As the Force claimed Barriss' soul, her last hope was that she would finally be forgiven by the Jedi that had gone before her for what she had done.