The Council Chambers never changed, at least not physically, and certainly not mentally. There was always a sense of foreboding in her mind whenever she had visited the Council in the past, which Ahsoka had always found odd. Surely, when in the presence of the leading members of the Jedi she should feel calm and collected, at complete peace? Instead, all she had ever felt was tension, and dread, as if the Council themselves were all hanging by a mere thread, ready to snap at a moments notice.
She supposed in war time it was understandable, but then for as long as she could remember she had always felt this way before them. The first time she had been brought before the Council by Master Plo Koon, all she could do was stare into the eyes of Master Windu, who had stared back with steely resolve, and a hint of mistrust. Looking back, what reason did he have to mistrust a three year old?
The Council had seemed so monolithic back then, entities that could do no wrong, whose wisdom was supreme.
Now however she knew better. They were flawed, just like everyone else, but they still tried to maintain their image. In a way, she respected and admired that. In another however, she couldn't help but wonder if it was egocentric, a trait unbecoming for a Jedi, especially the Council members.
'Just another example of them being hypocrites.' Ahsoka thought to herself as she strode into the centre of the room by Palpatine's side, catching a glimpse of Obi-Wan nodding his head in her direction, a simple greeting from perhaps the only Council member who currently knew her true identity. She had worn her helmet for a reason after all.
"Chancellor Palpatine. Good to see you it is. Ready to discuss our joint findings we are." Came the first voice of a Council member, one that was easily recognizable. Ahsoka had never asked why Yoda spoke in such a manner, in fact she was fairly certain that no one had ever worked up the courage either. Sure, it was bizarre, and at times difficult to understand, but it was what made Yoda, Yoda. She had no issue with it. Besides, many different species in the galaxy spoke in different manners. Images of Jar Jar came to her mind, a small smile appearing on her face at the thoughts of some of his antics. Ahsoka liked the Gungan, even if many couldn't stand his company. She supposed in a way she could relate to that.
"Master Yoda. Esteemed members of the Jedi High Council. You do me great honor by agreeing to this meeting. Your Temple is a marvel on an already incredible horizon." Palpatine responded, bowing gracefully to Yoda, clearly trying to get into their good books. It was odd to see the most powerful man in the Republic bowing before someone else for a change. To Ahsoka it just felt… wrong.
The look they got from Master Windu didn't help ease her discomfort either. It was cold and full of mistrust that was directed both at the Chancellor and especially at her.
"Appreciate your kind words we do. Do you credit they do. Welcome here, you are, Chancellor." Yoda replied, bowing his head in response to the Chancellor's words, a gesture that was evidently done with equal respect. Ahsoka was glad to see that at least one Council member was willing to be polite.
Before the discussion could go any further the door behind Ahsoka opened, admitting two more individuals to the meeting. Turning her helmeted head, Ahsoka grinned broadly beneath it at the sight of Caleb Dume and his Master walking towards them, clearly no worse for wear, despite the previous mission.
"Ah, Master Billaba and Padawan Dume, welcome. I am glad you could come to this meeting. Your first hand experience will be paramount in discussing our course of action." Mace Windu spoke this time, his stern voice never wavering, even towards his own former apprentice and her own student. Ahsoka was glad that Obi-Wan and Anakin didn't treat her that way, even after all the trouble she had caused them.
"Thank you Master Windu. We will help however we can." Depa replied, bowing her head, a gesture which Caleb copied.
It occured to Ahsoka that she was the only one who hadn't bowed before the Council yet… and she had absolutely no intention of doing so whatsoever. Why the kriff should she after all?
"Hey." The young spirited voice of Caleb drew Ahsoka out of her inner thoughts, for which she was grateful. His greeting had been addressed directly at her, his teal eyes locked onto her helmet, trying to see her face beneath it, a warm smile on his face.
"Back at you pal." Ahsoka replied, forgetting protocol for a second, allowing herself to interact with her friend. Was he even her friend?
"Who are you?"
It was Windu that chose to interrupt them, his tone accusatory and borderline aggressive. Ahsoka's covered head snapped round in an instant, eyes locking onto Windu's a slight scowl on both of their faces. Trust Windu to be the one to start a confrontation.
Luckily for her, before she could reply, Palpatine came to her aid.
"This is my personal agent, codenamed 'The Huntress'. She was the one who located Master Billaba and her team, as well as the one who assisted Master Skywalker in his mission to Manaan. She also procured the original data on this new bioweapon. Without her it would have never come to our attention. She is thus vital to this meeting."
The various heads of the Council members, both physical and holographic, nodded in confirmation, clearly accepting of Palpatine's explanation.
Windu however was not.
"Then why does she feel the need to conceal her face behind a helmet. Does she have something to hide?"
It felt almost like the entire room had dropped several degrees in temperature, and judging by the look on Palpatine's face, she would almost say he was the cause of it.
"If my agent wishes to keep her identity a secret that is fine by me. Her missions often work better if no-one knows who she truly is. If that is a problem we will just leave you all to your own devices. The Grand Army of the Republic can handle this situation with or without you Master Windu."
The words from Palpatine's mouth were cold and harsh, a clear test of how far Windu was willing to take this. If he didn't like the Chancellor's answer, he could very well force them to leave. Then this entire meeting would have been utterly pointless and would have achieved nothing. Ahsoka couldn't let that happen, despite her feeling for the Jedi now. The Jedi needed to know about this bioweapon, and if that meant she had to unveil her identity to ensure the meeting would go ahead, then so be it.
Besides, she was kind of interested to see just how Windu would react to seeing her face. No doubt he'd be outraged… at least that was what Ahsoka hoped for in a dark way.
Before the disagreement could get any further out of hand, Ahsoka held up her hand, drawing the attention back to her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a smirk on Obi-Wan's face, who was clearly enjoying the standoff to some extent. That was unusual for him.
"Wish to say something, you do 'Huntress'?" Master Yoda's voice echoed around the room, silencing any further protest from Windu. Just by glancing at Yoda's pensive expression, Ahsoka could tell he had figured something out about her. Realistically that shouldn't have surprised her, considering who he was . One didn't become the Grand Master of the Jedi Order without first proving their skill as a Jedi, both physically and mentally, and despite Yoda's advanced age, she knew he held both.
"I do not wish to cause an argument Master Jedi. I will remove my helmet if it will grant you more incentive to listen to what we have to say." Ahsoka responded to the diminutive green creature, trying to sound as diplomatic as possible.
"Please do." The reply from Windu was short and sharp, his mood clearly sour from Palpatine's earlier comments.
'Then again, when isn't Windu grumpy?' The voice in Ahsoka's head echoed in jest, something that nearly made her laugh.
Choosing not the reply to Windu's remark, Ahsoka lifted her hands to her helmet, grasping hold of the unique shape of it, before lifting it over her montrals, exposing her face for all to see.
The mixture of reactions were exactly what she expected.
Obi-wan's face remained stoic, though through the Force she could feel his presence brighten in joy and pride. Ahsoka was glad he still thought highly of her.
Shaak Ti's expression was almost holophoto worthy. Her eyes widen in surprise, her jaw practically dropping to the floor at the sight of the younger Togruta, now clad in custom Mandalorian armour standing beside the Chancellor of the Republic when not long ago she had been by the Jedi's side.
Master Mundi seemed indifferent, his eyes only briefly flashing in recognition before returning to his default expression. Ahsoka wasn't especially surprised by that. She and Mundi hardly knew each other after all.
In quite the contrast, Plo Koon's expression was one of despair, even through the holographic image that currently represented him, wherever he was in the galaxy. It was clear to Ahsoka that he felt some level of guilt for what had happened. She had known him long enough to pick up of the expressions of a Kel Dor, and understand them all.
Glancing at another Council member, Ahsoka had to again refrain from laughing at the expression of his face. Whereas everyone else, Kenobi aside, seemed to be confused or worried by her unexpected appearance, Kit Fisto's face was one of a bright smile, pristine white teeth showing behind his lips. Ahsoka was glad that he was at least happy to see her again. She had always liked Master Fisto, as had many of the younglings. He had always been described as the 'fun' member of the Council.
And then Ahsoka saw Windu's expression, one that was quite simply an over exaggerated roll of his eyes.
In that moment she wanted nothing more but to wipe that look of his face. A solid punch should do it.
'Now's not the time though.' Her own voice whispered to her in her head again, despite the mental image of Windu on the floor cradling his cheek in pain being an amusing one.
"Young Ahsoka, good to see you well it is. Warms my heart it does." Yoda finally spoke after what seemed like an age, his expression welcoming to her, despite the recent past.
He may have been welcoming to her, but Ahsoka had no intention of expressing a similar emotion back. This was a Council that had expelled her from the Order. They would have to earn her trust again if they wanted to be treated with any real semblance of respect.
All except for Obi-Wan of course. He had already proven himself by willingly coming to her aid against Grievous.
"Thank you Master Yoda. I wish we had more time to reminisce, but we must get back to the purpose of this meeting. During my recent missions for the Chancellor I have stumbled across a bioweapon in production by the Separatists. To cut a long story short, they have developed a weapon that is capable of completely severing a Force user's connection to the Force, rendering them vulnerable. It is our belief that the Separatists intend to use this weapon on the Jedi directly. I'm sure you can see the consequences of this weapon being deployed easily." Ahsoka answered, bypassing any more formalities the Council wished to discuss, heading instead straight into an explanation of what she had found out thus far. This was of dire importance after all.
The bombshell she had just dropped led to a variety of reactions from the Council members. Obi-wan's face became alarmed before he adopted his familiar hand on chin posture that indicated he was deep in thought. Anakin had always mocked him for that posture.
Master's Fisto and Ti glanced at one another, their own faces mired with concern and dread, as if they were worried about the future of the Order. In truth they had every right to be.
Yoda had leant back in his chair, clawed hands gripping the sides of it with considerable strength. Ahsoka could almost imagine the fabric of the chair ripping under the strength of his claws.
And then Windu spoke, choosing to voice his opinion. Ahsoka wasn't surprised.
"Sever our connection to the Force? Don't be so preposterous! The Force exists all around us Padawan Tano, or have you forgotten that aspect of your training?"
Now Ahsoka wanted to do far more than just punch Windu in the face. It was almost as if he needed some common sense shaken into him instead!
"I'm afraid it's very much true Master Windu. I saw the research logs in the Hypori facility myself." Depa Billaba chose that moment to make herself known, coming up to stand beside Ahsoka, nodding in her direction in the process, offering her own testimony.
"Yeah, me too Masters. They were experimenting on some kind of lizard creature that has some weird ability to block the Force. I think they are trying to copy it." Caleb's youthful voice backed Ahsoka up too, coming to stand beside his Togruta friend, posture tall and proud, as if he was trying to help.
"But to block the Force would be to destroy a Jedi in the worst possible way. This must surely be a deception on the Separatists part? A clever ploy to draw our attention away?" Windu continued, looking towards Master Yoda for some semblance of guidance.
"Not unheard of this is. The Force unknowable at times. Same too can be said for the galaxy as a whole. If true this in, in grave danger we are." The elder Jedi Master spoke softly, addressing each Council member in turn.
"Very well. What proof do you possess then?" Windu continued, clearly frustrated with the turn of events, but willing to go along with it regardless.
Palpatine took a single step towards Windu after that, handing him a small data drive, which the Jedi took, thumbing it over in his hands, brows raised.
"This data drive contains a copy of all of the information Agent Tano and her allies were able to extract from the Separatist facility. Between my own data slicers and yours we should be able to determine exactly where this weapon is being developed, as it is clear that the facilities we have seen so far are mere outposts."
"I see. We will do our own research and collaborate with you then Chancellor. Thank you for the report. You are dismissed." Windu replied, storing the data drive in a pocket inside of his robes.
Ahsoka couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise, something that she felt through the Force emanate from Caleb too. That was it? The meeting was already over? That quickly?
"Wait… are we done?" Caleb questioned, eyes darting between his own Master and the various Council Members. Clearly he was surprised at just how short this apparently vital meeting was. Ahsoka was too, but then she had experienced such meetings before with Anakin, and they had usually lasted only several minutes. No doubt the Council would privately debate on the issue at hand.
"Yes Padawan, we are. You are dismissed. Master Billaba, will you please stay with us?" Windu answered, tone of voice stern, his expression mirroring it.
"Of course Master." Depa replied, bowing her head, before gesturing Caleb to follow the Chancellor, who was heading back to the turbolift doors.
Clearly unsure about what to do, Caleb looked back at his Master once again, before lowering his head, his signature in the Force disappointed.
Smiling sadly, Ahsoka moved towards her friend, grasping his arm lightly with her hand and gently pulling him towards the door.
Despite his disappointment, Caleb followed willingly.
The ride in the turbolift was fairly silent, save for the whirring of the machinery around them. Neither of the three occupants spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.
That was fine with Ahsoka. The meeting, despite how short it had been about as mentally taxing as she had imagined it would. The Council, Windu in particular had not been too happy to see her, especially not by the Chancellor's side. It was no secret that the longer the war went on, the less and less the Jedi Council trusted the Chancellor, and more than likely by extension the Senate itself.
Once upon a time Ahsoka would have agreed. Politicians couldn't be trusted. They only sought to manipulate and twist things for their own desires, most of the time under the guise of helping the majority.
But ever since her 'trip' to Raxus, ever since she had met Mina and Lux Bonteri her views had altered. Not all politicians were bad people. Individuals like Padmé, and Riyo, Lux and even Palpatine only wanted to help the galaxy. They didn't give a damn about their public appearance, about what others thought of them. They only cared about serving the needs of the many selflessly.
And they certainly didn't sacrifice people to maintain a public image!
Bringing a free hand up to her forehead, Ahsoka massaged her temple lightly warding off a headache she could feel growing. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
"I find it perplexing that Master Windu was so unwilling to believe in the existence of this weapon when he himself is able to manipulate and control a power that I could never begin to fathom. What is your opinion of him Agent Tano?" Palpatine's voice interrupted Ahsoka's thoughts, as it seemed to fairly commonly. Did Palpatine have some sort of sixth sense that allowed him to tell when someone was conflicted about something?
"Windu is a Jedi through and through Your Excellency." Ahsoka began, speaking her mind, though fully aware of Caleb's presence in the turbolift. She could tell he was actively listening to what she had to say.
"So you are saying he is dogmatic then? Unwilling to compromise?" Palpatine questioned, turning to face her, a contemplative look on his face.
"In a way. If Master Yoda is the voice of reason on the Council, then Master Windu is the voice of action. He will only believe what he can see with undeniable proof." Ahsoka answered honestly. At least, that was how she saw him.
"A dangerous way of thinking." Palpatine responded, shaking his head slowly, his face falling. Ahsoka had to agree.
"But we gave him proof didn't we? Surely he had to believe that?" Caleb's timid voice inquired, clearly scared about asking such a question in the presence of the Chancellor. Ahsoka could understand why. When she was younger Palpatine had been an intimidating figure to encounter.
Now that she had gotten to know him however she could see that his reputation as a hard individual was merely a facade. He was a kind man at heart, something that he instantly proved when he replied to Caleb.
"Indeed we did Padawan. The data you and Agent Tano recovered should be enough to convince him, though I get the distinct impression that Master Windu would not believe it unless he saw it for himself."
"So we need to make Master Windu go on these missions from now on?" Caleb continued, eyebrows raised as he looked up at the Chancellor, who chuckled lightly in response.
"Indeed young Padawan. Indeed."
The remainder of the trip in the turbolift was relatively short in comparison, and upon stepping out of the lift Ahsoka felt a wash of relief flow over her.
Frankly, she was glad the meeting with the Jedi Council had been so short, even if they had hardly discussed anything important. Hopefully Master Billaba was able to get through to the Jedi Council, when she and the Chancellor could not.
Following the Chancellor back down a staircase towards the exit of the Temple, a voice called out, drawing both of their attentions.
"Chancellor? Ahsoka?"
Turning on her heel, a wide smile came to her face as she spotted Anakin jogging towards her, his own expression warm and welcoming, clearly pleased to see his old apprentice again.
"Hey Skyguy!" Ahsoka couldn't help but quip back, waiting for her former Master to catch up to them, pleased to see him looking well despite recent events. No doubt he was shaken up at what had happened with Fives and Tup. The last thing she needed was him worrying about her.
"Anakin my boy it is wonderful to see you. How are things?" Palpatine spoke next, moving forward to greet Anakin, who had finally reached them, panting slightly from the jog.
"I'm doing as well as I can Your Excellency, all things considered. What are you doing in the Temple. The Council haven't done anything because Ahsoka's working for you now have they?" Anakin replied, tone and demeanor changing slightly as he trailed on, clearly misunderstanding the situation, not that Ahsoka blamed him. After the way she left the Order, tension between herself and the Council was almost a given.
"Do not fret my boy, lest you give yourself a headache. Ahsoka and I were merely here to discuss our latest findings on the Separatist bioweapon she had been investigating for me. The Council is deliberating on our findings as we speak."
Palpatine's answer seemed to placate Anakin, for which Ahsoka was grateful. The last thing she wanted was him getting angry at the Council again. It wasn't good for his health. She was glad that he listened to the Chancellor as a voice of reason.
"Anyway my friends, I shall take my leave from you now. I have many reports that need filing and there are not nearly enough hours in the day to do so. Agent Tano, I will be in touch when I need you next. Take some time for yourself for a while. You've certainly earned it." The Chancellor continued, smiling gently towards both Anakin and herself, before bowing his head at Caleb, who was standing behind Ahsoka looking rather nervous and unsure of whether or not he should still be following them.
"I will Chancellor, and thank you." Ahsoka replied to the elderly man who had taken her under his wing. Palpatine simply nodded his head again before he turned away and continued towards the exit.
Rather than focus on the Chancellor's retreating form, Ahsoka turned her own attention back to Anakin, who was now staring at Caleb with a confused look on his face.
Ahsoka figured that now was probably a good time to introduce them, if they hadn't met already that was.
"Caleb Dume, this is my former Master, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin, this is Caleb Dume, Jedi Padawan to Depa Billaba."
The expressions of the two males before her were vastly different, and almost made Ahsoka want to bash their heads together. Anakin's face was one distrust and confusion, an expression he had once held on Christophsis.
Caleb however was clearly excited at meeting the so called 'Chosen One'. Ahsoka could only hope that he didn't try to treat Anakin as some sort of divine figure. She knew that the Knight hated when people did that.
"Hi Master Skywalker. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Ahsoka nearly winced at the enthusiasm in Caleb's voice. She really didn't want to have to deal with an overly grumpy Anakin who hated hero worship.
"I'm sure Padawan. You know Ahsoka?" Anakin replied, glancing at the Togruta briefly before his attention focused solely on Caleb. Ahsoka half expected the Padawan to wither under Anakin's steely gaze.
However, rather than cower, Caleb stood strong, meeting Anakin's eyes with his own, the smile never leaving his face. Ahsoka had to say she was impressed.
"Yes Master. She saved us on Hypori. We fought General Grievous together. You trained a brilliant duelist Master!" Caleb replied, nearly bouncing on his heels in excitement.
Anakin's expression changed in an instant, his stern expression becoming a bright smile at the complement of both Ahsoka's skill as a duelist, and his own skills as a teacher. He would never admit it aloud, but Caleb had clearly won him over.
"I know." Anakin said in response, nodding his head towards Ahsoka, clearly pleased at her choice in friends, not that it was any of his business.
The again, considering what her last so called friend had done, she wasn't surprised that he was overly cautious for her sake.
An awkward silence set in between the three of them after that, no one sure what to say next. Anakin was clearly basking in the compliments Caleb had given him, and Caleb was too busy bouncing on his heels, head glancing between both Ahsoka and her former Master.
When it became clear to Caleb that neither of the other two were going to speak, he did so instead, this time directed at Ahsoka.
"I think I'm going to go do some meditation now. Master Billaba always says its important to centre yourself after a long mission. But can I give you something first?"
The request caught Ahsoka off guard. What did Caleb want to offer her? Anakin too was clearly confused, judging by his expression.
"Sure Caleb, what is it?" Ahsoka replied, smiling at the younger Padawan.
Rather than reply verbally, Caleb reached out a grabbed hold of one of Ahsoka's arms, his other hand coming to the comm link that was attached to it, entering a new code in the process.
"There! I've just put in my comm link code so we can talk sometime. Now I have a cool friend outside of the Jedi Temple!"
Ahsoka smiled at the gesture, more than happy to accept his offer. Caleb was a good person, one she got along with easily. Maybe having another person in the Temple that she could easily talk to was a good idea.
"Thanks Caleb, I'll call you sometime. Enjoy your meditation." Ahsoka replied, feeling Caleb release her arm glancing down at the code he had inputted briefly, before bowing her head in a sign of respect. She may no longer be a Jedi, but she would still offer them the level of respect they deserved.
Certain Jedi that was. Not all of them.
"Awesome! I look forward to it. Bye Ahsoka. Bye Master Skywalker."
"Yeah… see ya kid." Came Anakin's response, his expression having suddenly changed again, this time to one of deep mistrust and suspicion, but about what Ahsoka didn't know.
Watching Caleb's retreating form as he jogged away, being briefly berated for 'running' in the Temple, Ahsoka considered what to do next. She had no current mission, only orders from Palpatine to enjoy her time off.
Maybe she would go and buy an expensive speeder or something for transport. She would need it eventually, and beside, she certainly had the credits for it nowadays. Why not indulge?
Turning her attention back to Anakin, who still seemed to be angrily staring at where Caleb had disappeared to, Ahsoka moved towards him, snapping her fingers in front of his face to draw him out of his internal thoughts.
"Hey, what's up? Why are you staring at where Caleb like he was Count Dooku?"
"I don't like him."
The words surprised her. Anakin had seemed more than pleased when Caleb was complimenting him. Now he suddenly didn't like him? What was that about?
Opening her mouth, Ahsoka asked that very question, but the answer she received was not one she anticipated.
"He's a boy Snips. A boy who just gave you his number!"
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Boys don't just give out their numbers to random girls for no reason Ahsoka."
"Wait, are you saying… he's just being nice Anakin."
"Sure he is Snips."
"You're unbelievable sometimes."
"Same goes for you."
Shaking her head at Anakin's antics, Ahsoka couldn't help but smile. It was times like these that she missed being Anakin's padawan. Yes, he could be a bit much, and at times stupidly overprotective of her, but he was her friend, and she would never give that up, despite walking away from the Order.
"So, you up to much? Sneaking out to see Padmé by any chance?" Ahsoka inquired, lowering her voice at the mention of Anakin's secret wife.
"Got a few days off after Ringo Vinda. Unfortunately Padmé is away on a diplomatic meeting of some kind with Senator Organa so visiting her is out of the question. Guess that means I'm staying alone in the Temple doing Jedi stuff." Anakin replied, his expression falling at the mention of Padmé being away. It was clear that he missed her dearly.
With that knowledge, Ahsoka decided that it was her duty to cheer him up, and luckily she knew how.
"Well then, I guess you are in luck. I bought some of those really juicy nerf burgers last night and haven't had a chance to eat them yet. What do you say to lunch at my place? Be nice to have you around. Maybe we can watch one of those trashy holomovies like we used to?"
Ahsoka was internally overjoyed when Anakin's expression brightened instantly, a broad smile coming to his face at the offer.
"Sounds good Snips. I'm in. Though no poisoning me with undercooked food."
"How dare you!"
Author's thoughts
First things first. I apologize to all Mace Windu fans for making him seem like the bad guy in this chapter, but I needed someone to be the good bad guy of this story if that makes sense. Windu made the most sense considering his history with Ahsoka and his interactions around Palpy. In truth Windu's not really a bad guy, just a bit backwards and conservative in his thinking. So yeah, sorry Windu fans. Please don't hate me.
Now in quite the contrast take that people who don't like Jar Jar. I just made him and Ahsoka friends. How do you like them apples?
Seriously though, I know some of you hate Jar Jar, but I don't, and he will be appearing in a couple of chapters time. I'd bet that he and Ahsoka are friends in canon as well, especially considering Ahsoka's younger days as a snippy kid. :)
Anyways, back to business. I hope you all enjoyed the brief meeting with the council. As usual they aren't really taking the threat seriously (what is it with Council's always dismissing claims of dangerous things [bonus points for anyone who gets the reference]), but then who can blame them without seeing proof. Oh wait... there is proof. Dammit Jedi Council!
Getting the reactions of various Council members to Ahsoka's appearance was fun. Hopefully they all match up.
And oh look, Anakin met Caleb. And Anakin went super overprotective dad/big brother mode again. Dammit Anakin!
As usual, thanks to my beta reader 'ArrinSnyders' for all his help in making this better grammatically.
Next time round Ahsoka finally gets some time to relax with Anakin, and oh boy is the next chapter a weird one.
As usual, comment and speculate at will. Speaking of which:
Jojobinks01: Hey, I got the reference right for once. Go me!
Now, I would pledge my allegiance to you and all Kane, what with the whole 'Peace Through Power' stuff, but I have some bad news.
I'm a Scrin player. Sorry. :(
SWGojo2001: Glad you liked Nine and Six's cameo. Slipping in the Inquisitors as cameos is great fun considering how little we know about them. We need more Inquisitor stuff really. Give me an Inquisitor book already... or a collection of short stories about each Inquisitor going on missions.
Glad you are enjoying the inner turmoil of Ahsoka. It needs to be seen more really, and plays an important role later on in this story.
I've not read Outbound Flight, and thus it won't be featured. For this story, Thrawn's first encounter with the Republic was on Manaan. Gives me a bit more leeway. Sorry.
1saaa: Convenient timing in convenient. :)
The Jedi Order's all was a slow steady one so it makes sense to show it like that, especially from a sort of outside perspective. Inside the Temple everything is fine. Outside of it... well, public opinion ain't that high these days.
As for your question, Barriss is still alive in this AU and is currently rotting in a jail cell for her crimes. Let's hope she doesn't escape somehow. ;)
Juxshoa: You would be correct. In canon, Masana Tide becomes the Ninth Sister and Bil Valen becomes the Sixth Brother.
Travis Middleton: Thanks, glad you liked the Temple Guard showing up again, as well as the cameos of two future Inquisitors. Leaving little easter eggs like those and the mention of the Sith Shrine are always fun.
Erukat: Well... I'll let you be the judge of how the meeting went. No blood was shed, but still. Pretty tense me thinks. :)
Ghost14lebi: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the chapter. Jedi actually having a personality is a fun thing. Surely they can't all think alike right? And I'm willing to bet more than a few have broken the rules in their time.
Mysterious guest one: Hope the wait was worth it. Not much in the way of full blown arguments, but hey. Hopefully it was still good.
Dream Plane: Glad you approved of how Ahsoka is feeling. We don't get into her head enough in canon, which is a shame. Surely she is a bit bitter about what happened during her trial, even if she is a good person.
Palpy being nice to people is ten times more scary than him being in his Sidious persona. He doesn't even need the Force or lightsabers to be a serious threat.
Oh, and I'll clear this up now. I did think about having Palpy be a normal guy for this AU, but decided against it. He's still a malicious Sith Lord who wants to destroy everything. Hope that's not too disappointing.
Galeadon: Hey, thanks for the praise. I really appreciate it.
Funnily enough I was planning on updating the same day I got your review. What are the chances of that!
Hope you enjoy. :)