Chapter Twelve

They came out of hyperspace and entered Coruscant's atmosphere. A transmission greeted them as they neared. Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared as a foot-tall blue figure. "Aedan, Kyra, something has happened. Find me on the terrace the moment you get in. It's urgent."

Aedan felt a coldness go up his spine, "Of course, Obi-Wan. We'll be there in a few minutes." The hologram disappeared. "What on Coruscant was that about?" he asked Kyra.

She shook her head, "I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Can you...you know, do your thing and find out?"

She shook her head. "No, there's nothing specific, but I do feel a disturbing amount of despair coming from the temple."

Aedan let out a sigh. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

They approached the temple and saw that the main hangar was under repair. From what they could see there was a lot of damage, as if an explosion had happened there. They landed in one of the secondary hangars, and immediately made their way to the terrace where they found Obi-Wan sitting by himself, gazing out at Coruscant's afternoon horizon.

"Master Kenobi," Kyra spoke first, "What happened?"

He looked at them both, and then dropped his head. Aedan's stomach dropped with it. "Is Anakin okay?"

Kenobi's eyes softened, touched by his concern. "Anakin is okay, but Ahsoka is not."

A sob escaped from Kyra, and Aedan immediately put his hand on her shoulder. Kenobi quickly continued, "She's alive and unharmed," which caused Aedan and Kyra to both let out breaths. "But there was a bombing of the Jedi hangar, and Ahsoka was framed. Someone set her up. The council dismissed her, exiled her, and handed her over to the republic."

"What?" Kyra exclaimed, "How? We were only gone for five days."

Kenobi held up a hand, "The temple was bombed only hours after you left. Anakin never believed she did it, and set out to find the real culprit, with the help of Ventress, I might add." Aedan's eyebrows shot up at that. "Just as Ahsoka was facing her judgement, Anakin brought the real terrorist in: Bariss Ofee."

"Bariss?" Kyra gasped, "How?"

Kenobi shrugged, "I don't understand it either," he continued, "The council called Ahsoka back to the order. Believed this was her trial, and wanted to make her a Jedi Knight. She refused, and left the order."

Kyra sat down heavily on the bench near Obi-Wan, and dropped her head into her hands. Aedan, on the other hand, seethed. How could they do this? What has become of them? Or the Order for that matter?

"Where is the council now?" Aedan snapped.

Kenobi eyed him wearily, "In their chambers, I'm taking Anakin there in five minutes."

Aedan nodded, "Good."

Aedan burst into the High Council Chambers. Half of the council was present, while the rest were sitting in via holovid. Anakin Skywalker stood in the center of the room, stooped over, head hanging low.

"Kahl, once again, granted permission to enter, you were not," the Grandmaster of the Order said.

"Right, that first time was to help a young Padawan, this time I'm apparently too late to help another. So, I'm here to help you." Aedan said with ferocity, "And it's Master Kahl."

"And how could you help us?" Asked a blue-hologrammed Ki Adi Mundi.

"Ahsoka Tano!" Aedan roared.

"Calm Down, Master Kahl," Master Windu said.

"I will be calm when the order doesn't turn its back on a person that was one of the truest representations of everything a Jedi should be. You all abandoned her! Ahsoka!"

"The evidence..." Mace Windu tried to speak.

"Evidence?" Aedan shouted, cutting him off, "Since when does the council trust evidence over the Force and their own instincts. You all know what being framed is. What a setup is. And that such deceits exist. If you truly believed that Ahsoka could do any of what she was accused of then you all are blinded by the dark side. And you all have lost your kriffing minds."

"You go too far, Master Kahl," Saese Tinn said, but he ignored it.

Aedan could see guilt in some of their faces. The consternation. The doubt.

"Except for you, Anakin." He turned to the downtrodden Jedi in the center of the room. "You stood by her. Believed in her. You trusted your intuition, and did the right thing." He thought of Kyra, imagining if that had happened to himself. "I can't imagine the pain you're going through. I'm sorry."

Anakin held his gaze, and nodded his thanks at Aedan's acknowledgment.

Aedan sighed, his shoulders slumped. "This war has blinded us, clouded our judgement, and made our hearts calloused." He turned to Master Yoda, and locked eyes with him. "You have failed us."

"That's enough, Master Kahl," Mace Windu said.

Aedan turned to Mace. "You have let us down." He turned in a circle as he spoke, his voice turning into a whisper, "The darkness is getting closer. If you all don't sense it, well, then we're all done for. Master Yoda, Master Windu, High Council members, the Dark is gathering, and it will strike soon. The Jedi Order, Force, the whole galaxy is at stake." He paused there, growing more solemn with each work he spoke. "Save it."

He turned back to Kyra who looked at him, support written on her face.

"Where is she now?" Aedan asked looking around the room, and then to Anakin.

"I don't know," he said, "I can't find her. And now I'm being called back to the Outer Rim."

He nodded to Skywalker, "We'll look for her."

Aedan looked to each of them, daring them to challenge him on this. He looked at Mace, "Stop focusing on protocol, on the code, and what the senate wants from you, and listen to the Force. You are our Champion, Master Windu. Lead us out of this."

He then walked to Yoda, and knelt in front of him, "Master," he whispered, "We need you. Be our beacon." He closed his eyes, and spoke softly, "Force, please be with us. Grant us wisdom, clarity, and strength in the coming fight."

He stood up, and headed towards the door.

"Master Kahl," Yoda said in the loudest voice he had heard from the Grand Master.

Aedan stopped, and turned to face him.

"May the force be with you." Yoda said.

Aedan gave a slight nod, and walked out of the room.

They got on the turbolift, and Kyra broke down into sobs, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tried to stifle them but that just made it worse. So, she stepped towards Aedan and leaned into his chest, her tears now soaking his tunic. He wrapped his arms around her, and that also made it worse. As it seemed to give her permission to let it all out. Just like on Tython right before they were leaving, years ago. "It's okay, Kyra," Aedan said, "We'll find her."

Her cheek still buried in his chest, she shook her head. "How?" she whispered, "How could the order do this to her? She was the best of us all."

"I know. We'll find her, and sort this out."

"She was the closest thing I had to a sister, Master."

He sighed, "I know. I care deeply for her as well," he said. "Let's get back to our rooms, unpack, freshen up, and then start looking for her."

Kyra's datapad beeped with an incoming message. She opened and began reading it, hand going to her lips a few seconds in, and more tears began to fall.

"What is it?" Aedan asked.

She shook her head, "It's a message from Ahsoka, telling me to not look for her. That she can't come back. But she'll always remember me, and will always care about me."

"We can still-" Aedan started.

"No," Kyra said, "We can't. She'll find us when she's ready. If she's ever ready."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Aedan stared at Kyra for a moment, trying to figure out the next step. "I'll head over to the intelligence unit now. Caitken found the codes and signature, so I'll relayt that to them, and have them put a BOLO out for the Kathhound's Claw, so if it hits on any of our scans, we'll go get it."

"We just wait until it shows up?" she asked, "Isn't there something else we can do?"

Aedan shook his head, "I have no idea where we can even start. That ship is our only lead."

Kyra huffed in frustration.

"Meet me for dinner at the main refectory," Aedan prompted.

Kyra nodded slowly, but didn't say anything.

"Are you okay, Kyra?"

Kyra looked up at him, dozens of emotions zipped across her eyes, never settling on one. What was she thinking? Was that fear or anger? Or was it desire? How could he possibly know? "I'm okay," she said. "I'll see you later." She turned and walked away from him. He tried to probe with the force, but her shields were like beskar armor, and with no weak points. He sighed, What am I going to do? Then turned and headed to the intelligence unit.

Kyra went to her room, but didn't unpack. She dropped her bag on the floor, and then collapsed onto the bed. Ahsoka was gone. My little...sister is gone, she thought. How could this happen? What is happening to the order? Why are we even fighting this war anyway? Or why are Jedi fighting in it? We aren't soldiers. How many times throughout her training did they preach that? We are keepers of the peace, defenders of justice, diplomats, ambassadors, problem solvers even, and yes, we may be warriors, but we are not soldiers, and there is a difference. Not to mention the temple being bombed by one of our very own. And Barriss no less, Barriss who had been in the same initiate clan with her and Rok. And Barriss had killed six Jedi and even more soldiers and workers. And for what? What was all this about?

And then there's Aedan. What in Revan's raging realms am I going to do about that? The feelings she had for him were overwhelming. And this was not a time to be overwhelmed. But these emotions-emotions so strong they hurt. She didn't know how to cope with them. She knew what she wanted to do with them. She wanted to shout from the rooftops her love for Aedan Kahl and not care what the order, the republic, or the galaxy had to say about it. She wanted to hold his hand in public, go out on dates with him, kiss him in front of anyone, and...sleep in the same bed with him.

She covered her face with her pillow and screamed.

But she also wanted to be a Jedi. She loved being a Jedi except for this force forsaken war. But she loved helping and protecting people, and couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Kriff, why couldn't she do both. Stupid Order and its Code.

The two sides of her were tearing her apart, and she didn't think she could take it anymore. And if the order could abandon Ahsoka, then they'd abandon her too. Throw her off the turbolift just as fast.

She tried going to sleep, tried escaping that way, but the moment her eyes closed she saw death. All of it. From Geonosis to Sarrish, she relived the carnage. She saw her clones blown to pieces right in front of her. She heard the agonizing screams of pain. She even smelled the scent of burning flesh.

She instantly was out of bed. Her world was crashing down on her. She couldn't take in anymore. She had to get out of there.

So she ran.