Good question Ashla. The reasons for why I'm not doing a Yoda POV are rather simple. 1. If I did a Yoda and a Mace POV chances are they would start to sound like the same thing, and no one wants to read the same thing over and over back to back. 2. I'm not really good with Yoda speak so I'd probably screw it up. It's a good idea though, but deserving of a far better writer than I. Please leave a Review!
The slimy tentacles of the Darkside have touched everything, manipulating us all like puppets on a string. There is a reason for this, of that I am sure. But the Force does work in mysterious ways. Its designs and goals are oftentimes unclear. That is the way things are, and that is the way things shall remain. If the Force deigns it necessary to reveal something to us, then it shall. But if it decides to keep things hidden, then that is its prerogative.
We are all servants of the Light. It is our duty to do that which we believe to further the Light's goals. Nothing else matters. Not even our own lives. For as Master Yoda said, luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. We are all part of the universal Force, and unto that Force we shall return when this corporeal form ceases to be.
As a result of this world view, many view our actions to be cold and aloof. Even other Jedi are doubtful of that which I know to be truth. But they think only in the short term, unaware of or uncaring of the greater consequences. These are dark times, darker than anything seen in the last thousand years. The entire galaxy is on the edge of the abyss. One false move could send us all hurtling into that abyss. And we may never get out.
We must be constantly vigilant, on guard for any and all signs of darkness so that we may destroy it at the first opportunity. But the Darkside clouds everything. Our ability to use the Force, to connect and sense the presence of evil has diminished.
The Dark Lord of the Sith, the one we now know to be behind this war has hidden himself deep beneath layers and layers of Darkness, so deep that it is likely no Jedi could find him without being affected by the power of the Darkside. Our senses are clouded, our judgment impaired as a result. This is but the start of what troubles me.
The Council chambers slowly empty as one by one the Councilors exit, leaving me alone with my thoughts. We are all saddened by Padawan Tano's decision to leave the Order behind. I am saddened by Tano's departure as well. Any Jedi who leaves the Order is a tremendous blow. But I do not understand why she has departed.
It is evident to me that this was Ahsoka's great trial. The Force would not allow an innocent like her to be executed. And it did not happen. It may not have been clear at the time, but it was the Will of the Force that Ahsoka be tried in such a manner.
Mixed in with the sadness of loss I sense something else, a small, barely undetectable something. What is it? It is coming from Skywalker.
Anger.
He thinks that this is somehow the Council's fault, that it is somehow my fault. He was always shortsighted, ever since he first came to the temple. The Force works in mysterious ways, and we merely play parts that fate assigns to us. Our senses are clouded and distorted. The truth in this matter was clouded. We went by what evidence we had and analyzed it as best we could.
A small voice pops up in the back of my mind. You mislead yourself Mace. You blame the Force for your own failings. You were rash; you made assumptions, built conclusions off of those incorrect assumptions and nearly got an innocent girl killed because of your mistake. You won't even acknowledge your failure.
I quickly suppress my doubts. A Jedi has no place for doubt or second guessing. What has happened has happened. There is no changing this. If only Skywalker would learn this. He holds on to the past and his pain when he should be releasing it. He was always headstrong and arrogant, but his emotional ties to his Padawan have severely compromised his ability to do his duty. And now matters are even more complicated. He will hold this against the Council. He will see this as our fault, as my fault. But the decision to leave was Ahsoka's and Ahsoka's alone.
Skywalker will have to sort out his problems. We need him to get his head in the game, for if he is the Chosen One he is the only one who can destroy the Sith.
What is even more troubling than Skywalker's emotional problem is Barriss's fall to the Darkside. Only a servant of the Darkside could commit such unspeakable acts of evil and treachery without remorse. What troubles me is that Barriss could fall to the Darkside, live amongst the Jedi and have no one be the wiser.
The fog of the Darkside is indeed strong if we could not detect such an obvious threat within our own Fortress.
Is this Darth Sidious that Dooku once spoke of behind this? Is Barriss his new protégé, like Ventress once was? Or did she act alone?
There are so many questions, but not enough answers. I wish we could interrogate her but Admiral Tarkin has been blocking us at every turn. He claims that this is a military matter now and that the Jedi have absolutely no business in this affair. She may have valuable knowledge that could help us uncover the identity of this Sidious. Or she may be an unknowing pawn. Or she may have acted on her own. We'll never know now. But we cannot risk a schism between the Jedi and the military, and by extension the Senate by defying Tarkin's decision.
These are indeed dark times. The Sith manipulate everything from the shadows and we are helpless in the face of such deception. We are becoming desperate. It may be time to begin bending some rules. We must do whatever we can to rout out and annihilate this Sith Lord and his supporters before he destroys everything we hold dear. The Republic is depending on us to protect it.
The Sith will be uncovered, their nefarious plot exposed. The Jedi will be victorious. This war will end, and the Republic will be saved. We will do whatever we must to ensure victory and peace.
The truth will be revealed.
It is only a matter of time.