Chapter 4

The Dark Side is like a flame ever burning in the shadows of the night, lurking in the depths of our hearts never truly visible but always there, slowly eating away at our morals until nothing but a husk of our former selves remain.

Barriss Offee was once a shining example of the goodness we all strive to be, but the Darkness inside her has slowly been creeping to the surface becoming ever more present as the Clone Wars droned on. The accumulation of hardships she faced slowly but surely proved too much and turned Barriss into a cold emotionless Jedi, Ironic considering the Code they follow.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

Now after spending a month learning at the hands of Darth Sidious, Barriss has forsaken all things Jedi and has chosen to follow the dreaded code of the Sith.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me.

Mustafar

Separatists Stronghold

Barriss Offee stands pacing in a control room filled with piles of destroyed droids, her captive Padme (Amidala) Naberrie Skywalker sits tied up in the conference room to her left just within hearing distance pleading with the fallen Jedi.

"Barriss, you don't have to do this, please you must realize Palpatine is just using you!"

"Shut up senator! you know nothing about me and the reasons for what I do." she walks into the room to speak with Padme.

"I'm going to kill your foolish Jedi husband in front of you senator and then I will take your child to train as my apprentice in the ways of the Sith, one day we will kill my master and I shall rule the galaxy of my own will."

"And so you will become a manipulative dictator, how will that make you any better than your master?"

"I do not expect a spineless politician such as your self to understand the complexities of the Force senator."

"Please Barriss listen to what your saying! I don't believe you are evil, just misguided in your attempt to bring peace to the galaxy."

Scoffing at what she hears Barriss replies "Attempt! Attempt you say! I am attempting nothing, I am accomplishing everything I have wanted since the beginning of this pointless conflict."

"Are you really? How can you say that when the master you follow is the one who instigated this war, and has been controlling every aspect of it since."

"Do not try to use your silver tongue on the likes of me Padme!"

"Barriss, I'm not your enemy please listen to...Smack...me!" A slap to her face did not deter Padme from finishing her sentence, however nothing more would be said between the two as the sound of a ship landing could be heard. (Ahsoka is in a Hawk Series Freighter Ship, basically a more modern Ebon Hawk and it is colored Silver and white)

"Well looks like your husband has arrived in time after all, faster than I thought he would be here though."

Walking out the door Barriss is surprised by who she sees coming down the boarding ramp, although a smirk still finds it's way to her face.

"Ahsoka, What a surprise! i suppose you know what this means? Without Skywalker here, Padme will die by my hand."

Rushing down the ramp Ahsoka has an angry look on her face upon seeing her one time friend.

"Barriss!"

"Oh is that anger I feel? Tsk tsk tsk little Soka, that is not the way a Jedi should act."

"Don't patronize me traitor, Let Padme go, she has nothing to do with this."

"No no no Jedi, she has everything to do with it."

"She has nothing to do with the Force Barriss, this is between the Jedi and the Sith."

"Exactly! Without her your precious master will not confront me alone, something that needs to happen. You see I want revenge for loosing our little squabble in my masters office earlier today."

Activating her lightsabers, Ahsoka, gets prepared for battle, greenish yellow Shoto in her left hand regular green saber in her wright both in reverse hand grip, knees bent ready to strike at a moments notice.

"What no more talking? To bad I was just getting to enjoy tormenting you with the truth."

Barriss jumps at her opponent looking to end the battle before it begins, activating her own red saber and spinning in the air she comes down with a fast hard vertical slash only for it to be blocked and countered with Ahsoka's own blade, force pushing Barris back she runs for the entrance to the building in an attempt to release Padme from capture.

Looking up from where she lays Barriss uses the force to fling a plasteel cylinder at the entrance catching Ahsoka in the back sending her to the ground. With a sneer on her face Barriss asks Ahsoka "Where do you think your going? We aren't done until one of us dies, and it won't be me!"

Getting up Ahsoka throws her shoto at Barriss and jumps after it, however Barris blows it away with a wave of her hand ready to strike back, only to have to raise her saber in defense from an upward slash courtesy of Ahsoka's wright hand blade. Calling her shoto back to her in an attempt to catch her opponent off guard, Ahsoka gets a surprise shock from barriss by use of Sith lightning. "Hahahaha you see Jedi, the power of the Dark Side is more than you can ever hope to fight!"

Groaning from pain and slowly standing up Ahsoke responds "No Barriss your wrong, the Light Side will always prevail."

'Ahhhhhh' 'Ahhhhhhh' Jumping at each other these two young Jedi clash in a fierce battle of wills, one under the influence of shadows the other a shining light in the darkness. Sweating from the heat of the planet's raging fire throwing vicious strikes left wright up down at each other, both combatants move slowly from the landing pad through the compound past a horrified Padme and into the command room. (AN: Ahsoka no longer has her Shoto as it has fallen in to the molten lava flowing under the Compound, she will build another later on though.)

Tantive IV

Hanger Bay

Smiling with relief Anakin rushes to his former masters side bringing him into a tight brotherly hug. "Obi Wan your okay!"

Despite feeling exhausted Obi Wan is able to complain about his former padawans excitement.

"Anakin while I'm happy to see your fine, I can't breath."

Jumping back from Obi Wan like he has the plague Anakin apologizes.

"I'm sorry master, but with everything that has happened today finding out you are alive is a relief."

"Well your definitely right about that. What can you tell me about everything that has happened?"

"Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been searching for"

"As horrible as it is, I'm not incredibly surprised by that."

"That's not all, he has ordered the death of all Jedi on the grounds that we are traitors to the republic. H...He had the 501st attack the temple Obi Wan!"

"What!"

"Yes, it was the most gruesome scene I have ever witnessed, our brothers and sisters are one with the Force now."

Placing a hand on his forehead Obi Wan starts to feel sick from what Anakin has told him.

"I shutter to ask, but what of the Younglings?"

Sighing from the memory Anakin answers with a solemn voice.

"I didn't make it in time to save them all Obi Wan."

"No! How could anyone even a Sith be so cruel as to murder children?"

"That's not the worst part master, Barriss Offee has been manipulated by Palpatine and turned to the Dark Side."

"You mean to tell me that she is the one who attacked the temple?"

"Yes."

"This just keeps getting worse."

"There is some good news though, I managed to find a surviving youngling named Mara Jade, she was hiding in the vent near the wall in the council room."

"That is very good news indeed."

"Yes you can't imagine the relief Rex and I felt when we saw her."

"Rex?"

"That's right, Rex has forgone his duty to his fellow clones and to Palpatine in order to help us, it didn't take long to convince him he knew what was happening was wrong, but felt he had no place outside the army."

"So Rex follows you even after a disaster such as this, that's good to know."

"Yes I'm glad I didn't have to kill him, it would have destroyed me to do that to a friend. On our way out of the temple we came across padawan Zett Jukasa, he was defending Bail here from a group of clones and would have died if I didn't make it in time."

"He will make a fine Jedi one day if he was willing to risk his life to save the senator."

"That he will Obi Wan that he will. We went to Dex's after leaving the temple it's where I told Ahsoka to go."

"And why was she out of the temple int the first place?"

"She volunteered to find some initiates who snuck out of the temple, they are currently with Zett, Mara, and Rex in the Stateroom Suite."

"Than we should head there now."

Looking a little worried Anakin says. "I'm sorry Obi Wan but I need to borrow your ship."

"What's wrong? Why do you need it"

"Barriss kidnapped Padme, and Ahsoka went after them to Mustafar."

"Why would Barriss take Padme?"

"Well I didn't want to tell you like this master, but Padme and I are married."

Stroking his beard in thought Obi Wan is does not have an answer for what he has just been told.

"Obi Wan please say something!"

"...How long has it been since you broke the code Anakin?"

Hanging his head for deceiving his closest friend Anakin answers "After the Battle of Geonosis master."

Surprise on his face Obi Wan replies "Three years! When were you planing on telling me Anakin?"

"Padme and I decided to wait until the war was over then we would both resign from our duties, unfortunately things haven't worked out that way."

"So you must be the father of her child."

"Yes master, it's the reason I need to save her."

"I should come with you."

"No Obi Wan I need to do this alone, Ahsoka showing up may have made Barriss react badly enough, I can't imagine what she would do if you were to come with me."

"Sigh! Alright Anakin just be careful, May the Force be with you."

Rushing to the red Jedi Star Fighter Anakin hollers back. "With you as well master!"

Mustafar

Control Room

Battling more fiercely than either ever has before, both young Force users continuously try to gain the upper edge. Slashing horizontally Ahsoka puts Barriss into a saber lock. Struggling to gain an advantage, Barriss reverts to the time honored Sith technique known as Dun Möch.

"Your weak Ahsoka, when we battled in the depths of Coruscant I crushed you, if it wasn't for my need for secrecy and a scapegoat you would be, as the Jedi say one with the Force."

Struggling with her anger over what she was put through thanks to Barriss, Ahsoka retaliates with a kick to the midsection and force pushes Barriss into the console behind her, destroying it and causing an alarm to sound.

Warning Warning Warning... Heat Shields failing, estimated time to compound destruction... Five Minuets. EVACUATE! EVACUATE! EVACUATE!

looking startled at what her anger has caused, Ahsoka lets her guard down long enough for Barriss to take advantage. Slashing at Ahsoka, Barriss finally puts her opponent back on the defense, Blocking several vicious strikes Ahsoka starts to feel overwhelmed as she backpedals out the door onto the exterior balcony

Hoping to gain the advantage again Ahsoka takes a risk by leaping out onto a steam pipe, retreating along it with Barriss in close pursuit, Ahsoka Attacks first, only to be driven back by Barriss relentless assault. Leaping off the pipe onto one of the collection arms below them, Ahsoka again attacked, though Barriss easily fends off her blows before knocking Ahsoka aside with a heavy kick to the face.

As the duel continues, a massive spurt of lava erupts onto the unshielded collection arm, and begins to melt the metal. Retreating to the relative safety of the structure at the end of the arm, the two watched as the heat and weight of the lava melted the arm's superstructure. As it became clear that the arm was going to break off of the complex, the combatants flee up along its length as the arm plummeted into the river of lava below. As the collection arm was dragged along the river, Barriss keeps up her onslaught, driving Ahsoka further up the arm. As the river flowed with the collection arm toward a lava fall, Ahsoka leaps onto one of the severed support cables with Barriss in pursuit. After a quick bout of vicious attacks, Ahsoka swings out away from the arm to the utmost limit of the cable and let go, landing on a large repulsorlift platform.

As the arm begins to topple over the lava fall, Barriss swings herself back onto it and charged along its length before leaping onto a droid lava collector. Directing the collector toward Ahsoka's platform, She resumes her attack.

Mustafar

Landing Platform

The Jedi Star Fighter makes a smooth decent onto the platform, jumping out of the cockpit Anakin rushes to the entrance of the compound, all the while worrying about the warning alarm. Warning Warning Warning... two minuets till compound failure EVACUATE! EVACUATE! EVACUATE! Entering the doors to the conference room Anakin sees Padme and rushes to set her free. Startled Padme smiles when she sees her husband, only to remember that Ahsoka is in trouble.

"Ani! you made it."

"Of course I did my Angel, did you truly think I wouldn't?"

"No but I was worried when Ahsoka showed up instead of you, I thought something might have happened to you."

"Padme I will always return to you!"

"I know Ani."

"So Ahsoka did come here, where is she?"

"Oh Ani, her and Barriss started fighting minuets ago, I think from what I saw Ahsoka has lost her second Lightsaber."

Cutting Padme free Anakin hugs and comforts her telling her everything would be fine.

"Padme you should get on the ship Ahsoka came here with."

"What are you going to do."

"I need to help Ahsoka."

"Your right, please Ani stay safe."

"I will Angel."

Rushing to the Silver Hawk as fast as she could Padme can't stop worrying about the future and Anakin's safety. Meanwhile Anakin head in the direction he can feel Ahsoka struggling in the Force.

Ahsoka vs Barriss

Lava River

Ahsoka is cut off from the shore by the nimble lava collector droid Barriss is perched on. Slashing at Barriss, Ahsoka began another bout of blade work with the Sith Lord before breaking off. Trying again to reason with Barriss, Ahsoka pleads with her to stop this madness.

"Barriss, you can stop now and return to the light, it's not to late."

"Stop your useless speech Ahsoka, I am the epitome of power and with this new found strength I have brought peace to the galaxy."

"This is not peace Barriss, what you and Palpatine have created will oppress the people and get rid of freedom."

"The safety of the people is more important than their freedom Ahsoka, remember all the worlds we visited that had freedom and yet were still filled with slums where none were safe from riff raff and scoundrels."

"So you truly have no more good left in you, rather than give people freedom you would take it away for false protection."

"No more talk Ahsoka, lets end this!"

Barriss leaps above Ahsoka onto the platform, landing awkwardly and almost losing her balance. Ahsoka attempts to take advantage of this and attacks, but Barriss manages to recover and counters, beginning another flurry of swordplay. As they locked blades, the platform neared the shore, allowing Ahsoka to disengage and hop onto the land only for Barriss to follow her.

Without warning a spray of lava from the magma river comes up in a large column, fire splashes down catching Barriss on the left side of her face.

"Arhhhhhhhh!"

"Barriss!"

Rounding on Ahsoka, Barriss now having half her face melted from the heat, glares at her enemy ready to strike in anger. Jumping high in the air Barriss doesn't expect Ahsoka to roll under her and slice up, in doing so she severs both of Barriss legs off from the knees causing her to land awkwardly and loose her lightsaber in the river of fire splashing lava on her once again, this time her chest is the victim of chance.

"I'm sorry barriss, but you have changed I can't help you." Turning to walk away Ahsoka cringes with tears in her eyes when she hears Barriss scream at her.

"I hate you."