An Agri-Corps Mystery

by david.davies.5851

Ahsoka Tano was never assigned as Anakin Skywalker's Padawan and instead, she ended up in the Agricultural Corps. This of course had a huge impact on Anakin Skywalker and the whole Clone Wars. Two years after his wife's death, Anakin is sent on a mission to a small planet called Pheebos; can he solve the mystery that is there and what happens when he meets a certain Togruta?

10. Chapter 10: A Talk with Joa

Hello everyone. It's been a while since I updated this story, but since I'm thinking of canning "A Counsellor's Story" as almost no one read the last chapter, I might be able to increase the frequency of this one. Anyway, we'll meet Joa Pritia for the first time in this chapter. What does she have to say about what happened on Pheebos?

An Agri-Corps Mystery: Chapter 10 – A Talk with Joa

Why did this activity seem like a wild bantha chase to him? That was one of the two big questions that flashed through the mind of Anakin Skywalker; the other question being: How many pieces could he tear Joa Pritia into when they finally, or rather, if they find her? Anakin could barely hide his annoyance with the situation as yet again; Obi-Wan, Ahoska and him had come up blank at a farm and consequently, were walking to another one. In fact, the three of them had done this so often now that Anakin found himself wondering just how many farms had the locals managed to squeeze on Tanaab? And why did they all have to be so far away from the capital, Pandath?

He glanced across to Ahsoka, who was walking beside him. As bothered and annoyed as he was, Anakin managed to raise a brief smile at his apprentice. It was obvious to him that the young Togruta was improving by the minute and she seemed to be looking around quite happily. Certainly her Force signature was far brighter than he had ever known it and for a second, he caught a gleam in her blue eyes. He hoped that all of her suicidal thoughts had finally gone and he hoped now that it was just a matter of time until she could be taken officially off suicide watch.

Ahsoka walked alongside her new master and Obi-Wan. She couldn't help but smile slightly at her surroundings. She was used to being on farms of course. She had spent the last year and a half trapped in the Agri-Corps base on Pheebos. However, to her Pheebos had been torture and pointless; a truth that had almost led her to making the ultimate mistake. Yes, that's what her suicide attempt was; a horrible, silly and selfish mistake. Finally, Ahsoka realised that she was thinking clearly enough to see that. Was she completely okay? Ahsoka didn't truly know; probably not, but she was certainly well enough now to see the difference around her.

These farms were anything but lonely and torturous. If Ahsoka looked hard, there wasn't actually that many differences between the farmland she saw here on Tanaab compared to Pheebos, but there was certainly a big difference in the Force. As she looked back with a clearer mind, she realised that the Force on Pheebos had been calm, but laced with betrayal, death and mistakes. There was none of that here. The Force on Tanaab was just full of peace and life; of all types. Being a Togruta, a species who are one with their surroundings, such thoughts improved Ahsoka's wellbeing still further.

There was one thing that was still upsetting Ahsoka a touch, however. She wasn't sure exactly how she was going to react once they finally caught up with Joa Pritia. That woman used to be her boss on Pheebos before Kliph took over. Ahsoka wasn't sure if 'boss' was the right word to use within the Jedi Order. She shook her head; that little detail didn't matter. However, it was clear to Ahsoka that Joa had committed some serious misdemeanours at the very least and Anakin had already told her that he intended to push to prosecute Joa under Republic law for child abuse and neglect for how Joa treated her. If the truth was known, Ahsoka didn't know what to think of that. Despite Anakin's beliefs however, Ahsoka couldn't escape the nagging feeling that despite whatever Joa Pritia was guilty of, Joa did not kill Draskel Kifar. That was the one part of this investigation that Ahsoka did want an answer to. Draskel was the nearest thing to a friend that she had whilst on Pheebos.

Obi-Wan grew increasingly amused by the annoyance he sensed building up in his former Padawan. He knew that Anakin had always been straightforward. Not necessarily in line with the Jedi Code, well actually, totally at odds with the Jedi Code since he was married before his wife died, but straightforward nevertheless. Obi-Wan knew that with Anakin, people came first, especially those he loved. Whether or not it made Anakin a bad Jedi or not, Obi-Wan didn't really know, but it certainly made Anakin a better man. The way he had taken to the young Togruta, Ahsoka Tano, and changed her from someone on the brink of suicide to the happy looking girl he was looking at had proved that. Not only that, but the change had only taken a week so far. Hopefully, the girl could complete a full recovery very soon, he hoped.

That was why he was amused. He knew that because of all that, Anakin had always wanted things simple and had never shown any patience whatsoever. He therefore knew that constantly stopping and asking at numerous farms would drive Anakin crazy and to Obi-Wan, it was rather comical. That's not to say, it wasn't annoying him a touch as well. Joa Pritia, whoever she actually was, was certainly giving them the run around. Unlike Anakin though, Obi-Wan decided to just be patient. Sensing Anakin's increasing frustration, he stated, "Relax Anakin. Be patient. There are many places around here she could be."

"That's easy for you to say, Obi-Wan," Anakin quickly returned. "This isn't really your mission."

A satisfied grin spread across Obi-Wan's face. Yes, this was getting to Anakin. He raised an eyebrow and in an amused voice, he replied, "Oh. Well, for some reason, I seem to be here."

Anakin glared at Obi-Wan, and then turned away. Deciding not to honour Obi-Wan's attempt to score points, Anakin dropped his head and mumbled, "We should've hired a speeder."

"Anakin, why would you want to waste credits on a speeder on a lovely day like this?" Obi-Wan asked triumphantly.

"We'd be done in half the time," Anakin returned quickly. "Besides, we could see Joa from the air."

Obi-Wan always did enjoy winding Anakin up. It was never a difficult job to do especially when the task required any kind of waiting. Of course, he knew that Anakin enjoyed winding him up as well. It was just how the former master and Padawan team seemed to be; neither man willing to lose pointless point scoring contests. That was when Anakin wasn't beating himself up over Padmé's death, at least. "Set a good example to Ahsoka, Anakin, and be patient. You know the Order needs to save credits for the war effort right now."

Both men glared at each other for a few seconds before the sound of a young girl laughing her head off interrupted them. "Are you two always like this?" Ahsoka asked. "Am I really going to have to be the mature one?"

"Hey, I'm mature Ahsoka," Anakin quickly replied.

Ahsoka grinned. Over the last week, between the times when she wasn't being sick due to the anti-depressants or feeling down and depressed, she had realised that making fun of Anakin was a really good way to spend the time and was rather good fun. "It seems like it, Master," she answered in an amused tone.

"Don't be snippy or…." Anakin narrowed his eyes as an idea to shut Ahsoka up came to mind. In a self-satisfied voice, he continued, "…I'll start calling you Snips."

Obi-Wan shook his head, but even he couldn't help but laugh a little. After all, Ahsoka had, by inference, called him immature as well.

Ahsoka glared vibro-blades at Anakin. If that was the way he wanted to play it, she decided. She quickly eased her glare and gained a bright grin on her face that spread form her left to right lek as an immediate response came mind, "Whatever you say, Skyguy."

Obi-Wan burst out laughing. Anakin had finally met his match. He was delighted with the change in Ahsoka. Obi-Wan could still sense some uncertainty and some dangerous thoughts within the young Togruta, but there was no doubt, her state of mind had improved dramatically.

"What was that?" Anakin asked astounded. "What did you call me?"

Ahsoka just grinned at him. She knew that she'd won that particular discussion. She knew that Anakin would definitely call her 'Snips' from then on after that, but it didn't matter, she'd still won.

Anakin was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that Ahsoka was the same girl as the one he had witnessed try to kill herself just a week before. He quickly realised that he was more than willing to live with being called 'Skyguy' if it meant that Ahsoka could continue to recover. In fact, he realised that he would put up with almost anything if it guaranteed that she would never try to kill herself again. He put on some mock annoyance and added, "Fine, Snips. If that's how it's going to be."

Obi-Wan concentrated on the Force. He could tell that there was a Force sensitive other than the three of them quite close and it felt like they were making an attempt to mask their Force signature but whoever it was, wasn't doing a particularly good job of it. Realising the need to be vigilant, he gave a final chuckle before he stated, "If you two are quite done, we're coming up on the next farm and I think I can sense someone here."

Anakin concentrated on the Force. Instantly he could tell that there was someone somewhere near. Whether it was Joa Pritia or not, he really couldn't tell for certain, but considering that whoever it was, he or she was doing their best to hide their presence in the Force, Anakin determined with some glee that it was mostly likely her. Now all they had to do was find her. "Yes, I can sense it, Obi-Wan. I think it's her."

Anakin looked around and he instantly realised that it wasn't going to be easy to locate her. As well as the fields full of crops that he could see, Anakin could see several farm buildings behind a gate what they were approaching. To his amusement, the gate looked like something out of a history book. There was no hand scanner, no entry panel, just a latch. The gate was made of durasteel that Anakin could tell was beginning to corrode as it had been left in bare metal. The design of the gate consisted of four longitudinal members with two ends welding it together and two diagonal durasteel bars in the centre of the gate acting as reinforcement.

Through the gate, a typical farmyard could be seen in which was parked a basic yellow speeder and a tracked harvester similar to the ones he had seen on Pheebos. Anakin froze for a second as the group walked up to the gate. As he looked at the harvester, the sight of the two harvester blades attached to the front of the machine almost stopped his heart. A brief flash of pain and discomfort ran through him as he realised that Ahsoka had almost used one of those blades to kill herself; a scene he never wanted to see again. Seeing the same blades again caused him to briefly re-live that horrible memory.

Burying his fears and pain deep inside him, he turned his attention to the buildings. From his brief initial look, he could tell that there seemed to be several barns as well as what appeared to be a hanger. Whether the hanger was used for more farm equipment or perhaps a small ship of some description, he couldn't tell. However the possibility of a ship alarmed him. He pointed and said, "A hanger. If there's a ship in there…."

"Joa could get away. I know," Obi-Wan completed. He had noticed the possible hanger himself and he had a similar fear of her escaping on any possible ship that may lie within.

Ahsoka frowned as she concentrated on the Force. Although she could sense something, unlike her master and Obi-Wan, she didn't have the experience or the training yet to determine what and in addition, Ahsoka was certain of the fact that her anti-depressants were messing with her Force connection as what she was sensing seemed so distant and unreadable. "Are you sure she's even here, Master?"

Despite the fact that he didn't know completely if the presence he sensed was Joa or not, Anakin still felt the need to assure Ahsoka. The last thing she needed was uncertainty, especially in him. "Oh she's here, Ahsoka," he assured her. "All we need to do is find exactly where she's hiding."

Ahsoka grimaced and put her hands on her hips. "Which is not easy, I'm guessing?"

"No, unfortunately, it's not," Obi-Wan agreed in a calm voice. He had picked up Anakin's thoughts about Ahsoka needing certainty and calmness and he quite agreed. Nevertheless, the Padawan had just made a good point. Obi-Wan walked towards the gate and lifted the latch. "Well, best get to it, I suppose," he continued. "Anakin, you and Ahsoka, see if you can get into that hanger. If there is a ship in it, we must make sure that Joa doesn't get to it. I'm going to check on the barn."

"Aren't we going to ask the farmer?" Ahsoka asked in surprise. That was precisely what had happened on all the previous farms that they had visited. She couldn't understand why this one was different.

"Yes, we are, if required," Anakin answered. "But since we feel that she is here, we may be able to find her without bothering him. Besides, if we've sensed her, she'll have sensed us. We may not have time to ask him." Ahsoka nodded in response as she listened to one of the first field lessons her new master had taught her. Anakin smiled and added, "Now come on. We need to get into that hanger."

Ahsoka hesitated for a second as she watched Obi-Wan Kenobi walk towards the barn, before she quickly caught up. "I'm coming, Master."

Anakin reached the building that appeared to be a hanger. As Ahsoka caught him up, he studied the building both visually and with the Force. He certainly couldn't sense any Force Sensitive hidden inside the hanger, which was good news, but he knew that they still needed to check the building out. If there was a ship inside, it needed to be checked and secured if it wasn't. From an initial look, the building looked like it could hold a small ship. It was not unusual for wealthier farmers across the galaxy to invest in a ship. They would often use it to transport their crops or produce without the need of employing a transport company. In addition, Anakin knew from his childhood that farmers often considered a ship as a status symbol; not that any moisture farmer on Tatooine could afford a ship, but it was a dream of most of them nevertheless.

Anakin and Ahsoka walked around the front of the building and looked at the main doors. There was no doubt that this building was a hanger as the main doors made up most of the front wall. To his relief, Anakin noticed that the lock was still in evidence and the door was, therefore, still locked. This meant that Joa hadn't noticed the possibility of a ship yet. Anakin waved his hand and used the Force to override and remove the lock. With a nod of his head, Anakin instructed Ahsoka to grab one door whilst he grabbed the other one. They both pulled their respective door open then joined each other in the centre again.

Anakin's worry increased slightly as he took in the sight of the ship in the hanger. To his surprise, the ship was exactly the same type as the Twilight had been, a G9 Rigger freighter, and it seemed to be in an equally interesting condition. Even more surprising was that, for reasons best known to himself, the farmer had chosen to paint the ship yellow to match the speeder that was parked outside. Anakin knew that the presence of this ship meant that the owner of this farm was doing very well for himself. Old spice freighters like this were not cheap ships for farmers to obtain.

"Hmmm, not good," Anakin commented. "We'll have to make sure that Joa doesn't get to here. I'm guessing she'll be looking for a way to leave."

Ahsoka looked up at Anakin and raised one of her eyebrow markings. "How are we going to do that?"

Anakin gave a small smirk when he noticed that the ship's boarding ramp was down. He glanced to Ahsoka and replied. "Ah, you'll see. Stay there."

Ahsoka stood and frowned. She couldn't hide her puzzlement as she watched Anakin walk up the boarding ramp. Her puzzlement only grew as she waited; what was Anakin doing in there? A few minutes later, she watched Anakin emerge from the ship and walk down the ramp. As he got closer, she saw that there was something in his hand. Ahsoka recognised it as a fuse, but where did he remove it from? "What's that, Master?"

"One of the fuses in the main engine control circuitry. That ship isn't going to go anywhere without this. Now even if Joa gets here, she's still trapped."

Ahsoka pit her hands on her hips and smirked. "Ingenious, but you'll have to remember to put that back."

"I know," Anakin quickly returned as he grabbed one of the hanger doors. "Now, help me close the hanger back up."

"On it Skyguy," she replied. Ahsoka ran and grabbed the other door and both of them pulled the two doors back together. Anakin then used the Force to reset the lock.

"We'd better meet back up with Obi-Wan," Anakin stated. Ahsoka nodded in response and the two of them turned towards the barn.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Obi-Wan shook his head as he walked inside the barn. He was stunned that a farmer would be so stupid as to just leave the door to his main barn open. He also realised that an open barn would be the perfect place to hide if you were on the run as Joa Pritia was. He could still sense that there was a Force Sensitive individual around here somewhere, but due to their effort to hide their signature, he couldn't tell where. He'd have to search the entire barn then? Oh joy.

Obi-Wan looked around. He could see that the barn was actually much bigger than it appeared from the farmyard. He estimated that it went back some sixty metres and it was about forty metres in height. It was built with a dursteel frame with what appeared to be wooden walls between the frames. He glanced inside the barn. Inside, he saw stacks of produce in sacks that took up almost all of the interior space of the barn. He had no idea what was inside the sacks, but it seemed to him that the farmer had had a very good season. Between the stacks of sacks, narrow walkways could see seen and Obi-Wan sighed as he realised that he was going to have to search through the entire barn.

Taking care not to knock anything over, Obi-Wan began to make his way slowly through the walkways between the sacks. As he trudged through the barn, he quickly realised that he could see right down the lines and rows. Maybe he didn't have to search through the entire barn after all. If he was honest, Obi-Wan was certainly relieved about that.

After several minutes, Obi-Wan satisfied himself that Joa was not in the barn anywhere. That of course, did leave the problem of where she actually was. He gave a final glance around before he sighed and walked back outside. He had drawn a blank and he wondered if Anakin and Ahsoka had had any luck. Just as he left the barn, he noticed Anakin and Ahsoka walking towards him; so they hadn't found her either then? He altered his course to meet them in the middle. "Found anything Anakin?"

Anakin pointed back to the hanger. "There is a ship in there but we don't have to worry about it now."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Ahsoka laughed a little and answered, "Because Skyguy stole a part from the ship."

"Hey!" Anakin exclaimed. He was delighted that Ahsoka seemed to be continuing her improvement and in addition, he realised that his life was going to be interesting from now on with her around. "I did not steel it, Snips. I temporarily removed it so Joa can't steel the whole ship."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "That amounts to the same thing, Anakin." He sighed and pointed to the other buildings. "Well, if she's not in the barn or hanger, she must be in one of those."

Anakin and Ahsoka both nodded and the three Jedi headed towards the two remaining buildings. Anakin knew that the number of places where Joa could be hiding was diminishing.

-0-0-0-0-0-

She started to panic slightly. The thirty seven year old woman had been watching the three other Jedi since they had arrived on the farm. Ever since she had been told that a ship wasn't due to leave Tanaab until later that afternoon, she knew that she was in trouble. She had prayed to the Force that they wouldn't find her until she found a way into the hanger. She had suspected that there had been a ship inside and she was even more upset when she witnessed one of them open the hanger and saw the ship. The biggest surprise to her, however, was the young Togruta with them. Since when was Ahsoka Tano good enough to be a Padawan? As far as she was concerned, Ahsoka was just an annoying and silly teenager whose only real use was minding plants.

If she was honest, she knew that she had done wrong. It wasn't supposed to end like that; it really wasn't. However, since it had, she had to get away. She could perhaps surprise them and knock the three of them out. She shook her head; she wasn't a Sith and she wasn't dark and in her condition, it would be a risk even if she was. This had all been a mistake. She grimaced and bit her lip as the three of them started to move towards her hiding place beside a feed store. She was now in desperate trouble; it was only a question of time before they found her.

Frantically, she looked around and an idea hit her. Perhaps if she was quiet, she could slip around the other side of the feed store and around the back of the barn. If she timed it right, then maybe they wouldn't see her and she could slip out of the gate. She satisfied herself that that was her best course of action. All she had to do now was time it.

Keeping her attention on the three Jedi she waited. As they got closer, she kept herself low and quiet as she started to edge around the feed store. As the three Jedi reached a point where they were level with her, she finally slipped behind the store. She could see the rear of the barn and the gate beyond; perhaps she could get away after all.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Ahsoka followed Anakin and Obi-Wan towards the buildings that hadn't yet been searched. In front of her, she could see two identical looking buildings that closely resembled the barn that Obi-Wan had just searched. From her time on Pheebos, Ahsoka knew that it was likely that one building would house farm machinery similar to the harvester parked outside, whilst the other would possibly house animal feed if this farm had livestock as well as crops.

If Ahsoka was honest, the farm equipment around her was starting to bring back the odd unpleasant thought and the quietness of her surroundings reminded her of Pheebos a little too much. Ahsoka closed her eyes and released her slight fear into the Force before she opened her eyes again and continued to look around.

Anakin turned to Ahsoka and frowned. He had sensed Ahsoka's slight fall in mood and he was determined to prevent any problems. "Are you okay, Ahsoka?" On hearing that, Obi-Wan turned to face the Togruta as well.

Ahsoka quickly glanced around and sighed. "I'm fine…..I think…..I don't know….It's just seeing all this again and hearing the silence. It kind of reminds me of being alone again."

Anakin quickly embraced Ahsoka. "It's okay, Snips. You're not alone. You'll never be alone again, I promise." He then smirked. "Just concentrate on thinking of ways to help me annoy Obi-Wan."

Ahsoka raised a shallow smile. "Thank you, master. I'm sorry I'm so low."

Obi-Wan put his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. He needed to help Anakin in this situation as he could tell that Ahsoka's instability had caused her to drop briefly. This is what he expected to happen and it was the reason he had offered to come with Anakin and Ahsoka. "It's fine, young one. It's only to be expected, but I'd prefer it if you didn't help your master annoy me. He's perfectly capable of that on his own."

Ahsoka managed to smirk a little. "No promises," she returned. All of a sudden, her montrals picked up movement off to her right. Ahsoka snapped her head up and looked. She could tell that something or someone had moved behind the large building.

"What is it, Ahsoka," Anakin asked as he followed her eye line.

Ahsoka pointed behind the building. "Something moved behind that building master. As a Togruta, my montrals can pick up movement ultrasonically and they picked up the movement."

Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded to each other before all three Jedi ran. As soon as they ran behind the building, they saw a woman in front of them in Jedi robes. She appeared to be in her late thirties and had long blond hair. Given what they were sensing, there was only one person it could be. Anakin quickly ran after her. "HEY! STOP!"

Hearing shouting behind her, the woman turned around and went wide eyed when she saw that they were on to her. She quickly tried to run away. Unfortunately, she was no match for Anakin who caught up with her in moments. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to the floor.

"Got you," he snarled. Anakin wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. The way this woman had treated Ahsoka had made him boil. He quickly pulled her arms behind her back and locked her in binders.

A few seconds later, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka caught up. "Joa Pritia, I presume," Obi-Wan stated.

The woman nodded on the floor before Anakin pulled her to her feet. "Please," she started. "I haven't done anything. I'm a Jedi, like you."

"Yeah, yeah," Anakin responded. "Tell us everything."

"Like what?" Joa replied in fear. She then noticed the young Togruta standing beside Obi-Wan. "What are you doing here, Ahsoka? Why aren't you on Pheebos doing what you're capable of?"

Ahsoka visibly sank at the tone of Joa's voice. Anakin could instantly sense some of Ahsoka's negative thoughts return of her mind. Instantly, he knew why Ahsoka had been so desperate when he first met her. It was no wonder if that was how she was treated. His anger snapped and he snarled, "Don't you dare talk to my Padawan like that. It is because of how you lot treated her that I found her trying to kill herself."

"Wouldn't have been a great loss," Joa replied nonchalantly. On hearing that, Ahsoka instantly broke into tears.

Anakin snapped and he was just about to smack Joa across the face, when Obi-Wan stepped in and stated, "That is not the attitude of a Jedi, Joa. We are placing you under arrest for child neglect as well as carrying out illegal experiments that resulted in poisonous crops. We are therefore also arresting you for negligent manslaughter and for the murder of the Agri-Corps Jedi, Draskel Kifar."

"D….D….Draskel is dead?" Joa asked in fear. "How?"

Anakin, who had taken Ahsoka into his arms to comfort her replied, "We found him dead in the little lab you had hidden under the base. The report we obtained just before we came here said a blaster shot at point blank range, as if you didn't know. What was it Joa? Did he get cold feet and want out of your experiments? Was that it? You're lucky you didn't meet me two years ago; I would've killed you for what you just said to Ahsoka."

"Murdered?" Joa stuttered in reply. "I swear on the Force that I didn't kill him. I thought he had been reassigned like we all were after….." She suddenly stopped as she realised she had said too much.

Anakin smirked. "So, you admit that you ran away then? Well, after what?"

Joa's shoulders slumped as she realised the situation. She knew the game was up. She sighed and answered, "Very well. Yes, okay, we were running a secret project in an underground lab on Pheebos. I was the senior Agri-Corp Jedi, but I wasn't running the program." She gave a deep breath and continued, "It was actually being run by a geneticist from the Republic Agricultural Administration called Jerome Deas."

"And he had a team of scientists?" Obi-Wan asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Joa closed her eyes and looked down. "Yes. Seven in fact including a man called Hagra Pilow."

Anakin smirked as he sensed Joa's feelings. He remembered Kliph telling him on Pheebos that Joa had a 'friendship' with one of the scientists that was against the Jedi Code. "Was he the one you were sleeping with?"

Joa's head snapped up in shock and fear. "Wh…..what? How did you know that?"

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "So that's a yes then?"

"Yes, alright," Joa replied. "I love him. In fact that's one of the reason I ran when the toxin was found."

Ahsoka looked up as she managed to get her tears under control. "So that's what I sensed around you, Joa, when you were there." Ahsoka's eyes widened as she put the pieces together. "Looking back, that's why I started to sense two signatures around you. It didn't click at the time as I was too depressed. You're pregnant, aren't you?"

Obi-Wan and Anakin's eyes both widened and they quickly focused on Joa. Joa visibly sank. "Yes. I found out the day after the toxin was initially discovered in our program's tests."

"So based on what we know so far, you're what, about three and a half months along?" Obi-Wan asked. Joa nodded in reply. Obi-Wan sighed. "We'll have to sort that out later. What was the program actually trying to do?"

Joa lifted her eyes up. "We were trying to make the crops on Pheebos and other agricultural worlds more resilient to pests. I'm sure Kliph has told you that Pheebos for one has had massive problems with weevils amongst others. With the war going on, it is causing great shortages of food for some parts of the Republic."

Anakin frowned. For some reason, he had a feeling that there was more to it than that. His feelings told him that it wasn't that innocent in reality. "What exactly, were you trying to do?" he asked.

"The idea was to alter the genetics in principle crops so that they would produce a substance that would kill weevils and other pests, but leave the crops still safe to eat. Apparently, Jerome Deas had created the process that could alter the genetics so precisely that it was feasible."

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "That's not possible," she replied. "Toxin is toxin."

"Oh I assure you, Ahsoka, it was," Joa answered. "I was shown the proof. I don't know what exactly went wrong, but…"

"The plants that were created were all toxic," Anakin replied. "If the program was so innocent, why didn't you report it?"

"To be honest," Joa stated as she again erupted with some fear. "This is where it got above even me."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked.

Joa gave a heaving breath, sighed and deciding that she was out of options, she replied, "The program was conceived by Jerome Deas and Hagra Pilow, but it was actually a section of the Agricultural Administration that answered directly to the Chancellor that commissioned the project. The Agri-Corps was told by the Administration not to tell the Jedi High Council and before you ask, no, I don't know why. Anyway, when the results proved that the plants created were toxic, we were told to flee. I promise you, it wasn't my idea. When I met up with Hagra to tell him I was carrying his child, he told me that Jerome and he had been ordered by the Chancellor to transfer somewhere else and continue. Apparently the Chancellor was fascinated by the toxin. That's…..that's when I ran. Hagra isn't happy either. We planned to meet up and run away together. That's where I was trying to go."

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. In disbelief, he asked, "So the Chancellor knows about this?"

"Yes he does," Joa replied, "The experiments were not illegal as you stated. We even included the Medical Corps to ensure the results were as we wanted. We were trying to solve a food shortage, not kill people."

"Even so," Anakin snapped. "You neglected a teenaged girl that almost led to her suicide and you abandoned the said girl and Kliph Freeah to take the blame for all of this and I still say you killed Draskel."

"I swear, I did not kill Draskel," Joa insisted as a few tears ran down her cheeks. "I'm a Jedi, not a murderer."

"Then who did?" Ahsoka asked in tears herself. "I want to know. Draskel was the nearest thing to a friend that I had."

Anakin again comforted his new Padawan. "Shhhhh, It's okay Ahsoka; it's okay." He turned to Joa and with some anger in his voice he added, "Do you see the state she's in, Joa? Do you? You will pay for that if nothing else."

Joa looked down in shame. "I…..I am sorry Ahsoka."

Anakin regarded Joa and shook his head. The revelation that the Chancellor was involved in this somehow unsettled Anakin especially when he remembered Palpatine's response when Anakin told him about Padmé's death. He turned to Obi-Wan and in a quiet voice, he voiced his concern, "I don't like the fact that the Chancellor's involved in this, Master, especially after what he told me to do after Padmé's death."

Obi-Wan also shook his head. Something about all of this was worrying him as well. He also found the Chancellor's involvement disturbing. In a similar quiet voice, he replied, "I agree Anakin. I've got to admit, I've been a bit uncertain about him as well since you told me what he said. This just makes me wonder. Come on, I suggest we get Joa back to the Temple; the council will need to know about this before we go any further and I suggest Ahsoka needs some time."

Anakin nodded. He turned to Ahsoka and stated, "We're done here Ahsoka. Let's go home for now. I'll take you to Dexster's again when we get back."

Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "Thank you, master."

Anakin smiled at his apprentice. As they all started to walk back to the capital and the ship, he began to think. At last, they had Joa in custody. He had to admit, he didn't expect half of what she told them and the fact the Joa was running because she was pregnant was also a surprise. Nevertheless he had accomplished most of what he needed to. He had apprehended the culprit that caused Ahsoka's distress and he was still certain that Joa did kill Draskel. He had to admit, however, he had to consider the possibility that she didn't and that would leave the question of who did. Not only that, why was the Agri-Corps instructed by the Republic Agricultural Administration not to tell the Jedi High Council any of this? He was certain that the council would want to know that.

Well, that's chapter 10. I hope you all liked that and I hope you liked Joa's answers. Yep, it was Ahsoka that really found her. That's poetic justice isn't it? Just to answer one question before it is asked. No, Joa isn't really evil or nasty, she just considers herself above people and she is a little selfish. Yes the Chancellor is involved, but how and why? Remember, Sidious has had to alter his plans in this reality.

Anyway, next chapter; Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka drag Joa Pritia back to the temple and the council have even more questions and Ahsoka gets another evaluation from the healers. How is her recovery progressing?