Chapter 10: To Expose a Jedi
Star Wars viewing guide: Star Wars: The Clone Wars – S5:E20 "The Wrong Jedi"
I had done it!
I had framed Ahsoka Tano for murder, terrorism, and treason against the Republic and the Jedi. The evidence was damning. The Jedi Tribunal would certainly convict her. But I was hoping for a worse fate. If Admiral Tarkin had anything to do with it, he would demand that she be tried before a military tribunal, or even better before the Courts of the Senate. In order for that to happen, the Jedi would have to turn her over to the military, which would be a violation of her rights as a Jedi Padawan. Ahsoka would see it as a betrayal, and if I was lucky, so would Anakin.
After Ahsoka's inevitable conviction, I would offer my help to Anakin. If he didn't decide on his own to rescue Ahsoka, then I would suggest it. He and I would break away from the Jedi Order. Then together the three of us could start a new Jedi Order. With the Chosen One at my side as well as one of the most powerful and skilled Padawans in the entire Order, there would be nothing the Jedi could do to stop us. Some might even join us.
As I was relishing these thoughts, I was still in the underworld of Coruscant. Before returning to the Temple, I stopped at a hiding place I had established. I changed back into my normal Jedi clothing. I bundled the different clothing elements of my disguise and lifted it over a ledge. It was a shame to get rid of my disguise, but I could buy new clothing once I left the Order. Right now, I couldn't be caught with incriminating evidence. I dropped them off the ledge and they fell countless levels deeper and deeper into the Coruscant underworld. Next, I tossed my boots over the ledge, then the helmet I had stolen from Asajj Ventress.
Lastly, I grabbed Ventress' lightsabers. I held them over the ledge and…
…and I didn't let go.
Ventress' lightsabers were perhaps the most incriminating evidence I had. If I was caught with them, this whole charade would be over. Yet, I couldn't do it. I couldn't let go of them. Their crystals called to me. I closed my eyes. I could sense their pain. It connected to my own.
I knew a bit of Ventress' tale. Master Luminara had me study her shortly after she had dueled with my former master. Ventress had been the unauthorized padawan of Jedi Ky Narec. His murder had driven her to hatred, which had led her to Count Dooku, who had taught her the Dark Side. Then Dooku betrayed her. He wiped out her people, the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Everyone Ventress had ever known, ever trusted, ever loved had either betrayed her or been murdered. She was utterly alone in her anger and rage.
Suddenly, I felt compassion for Ventress. I regretted attacking her. It was as if I could sense her pain and sorrow through her lightsaber crystals. Perhaps, after I began my new Jedi Order, I could seek her out. I could offer her another way. Not the way of the current Jedi and not the way of the Sith. After all she had been through, didn't she deserve compassion?
I didn't possess the rare Jedi skill of psycometry, the ability to learn about the past of an object by touching it, but I could sense the history of these crystals. One used to belong to Master Narec. The other belonged to Ventress as a padawan. They had been innocent back then, filled with the Light. But pain and sorrow had overtaken them.
I could hold these lightsabers and return them to Asajj after this was all over. Or at least that's what I told myself. But the more I held them, the more I felt them calling to me. I was connecting to the crystals, just like I initially connected to my Jedi crystal on Illum. Now just as my connection to my old lightsaber crystal was waning, I was becoming attached to these lightsabers.
I took the lightsabers and put them in my bag. Then I made my way back to the Jedi Temple.
"You've already made your decision, haven't you?" shouted Anakin. "This meeting is just a formality!" he accused. Anakin stood on the floor of the Chamber of Judgement with two Temple Guards. His padawan, Ahsoka, stood on the raised platform of judgement. Obi-Wan and the other members of the Jedi Council were standing at judgement benches built up higher up on the walls. Obi-Wan was literally looking down upon Ahsoka and Anakin.
Obi-Wan looked to the side. Anakin was letting his emotions lead him. But he wasn't wrong. The decision had already been made.
"Reached a decision we have," said Master Yoda in an unhappy tone. "Though not in total agreement are we."
In a more definitive tone, Master Windu said, "It is the Council's opinion that Padawan Ahsoka Tano has committed sedition against the Republic." The Council's 'opinion' but not judgement. There in lay Obi-Wan's misgivings. Master Windu continued, "and thus, she will be expelled from the Jedi Order." The look on Ahsoka's face nearly broke Obi-Wan's heart.
"You can't do this!" shouted Anakin as he charged forward. He was restrained by the two Temple Guards who ignited their yellow bladed lightsaber pikes.
Master Ki-Adi-Mundi ignored Anakin and continued to read the Council's decision to Ahsoka. "Your padawan status will be stripped from you, and you shall forfeit all rank and privileges within the Grand Army of the Republic. You will be turned over to the Republic courts to await your trial and whatever punishment they will set for you." One of the Temple Guards ripped off Ahsoka's padawan braid. "Henceforth, you are barred from the Jedi Order."
The central platform of the Chamber of Judgement lowered itself into the waiting room below. There Obi-Wan knew waited three more Temple Guards. They would escort Ahsoka to the entrance of the Jedi Temple, and there she would be handed over to a unit of the Coruscant clone battalion and brought into Grand Army of the Republic Custody. Anakin would not be allowed to follow.
As soon as the door in the floor closed, Obi-Wan left his place of judgement and went to find his former padawan. A few members of the Council seemed to make a move to intercept him, but he left too quickly for them. He had to get to Anakin.
He found Anakin near the Temple entrance. "Anakin."
"I'm not in the mood, Master," said Anakin.
"Anakin, please. We need to talk about this."
"What is there to talk about?" said Anakin. "The Council has betrayed her!"
"She will need representation at her trial," said Obi-Wan. "Might I suggest Senator Amidala."
"Where do you think I'm going?!" asked Anakin rhetorically. "Out of my way, Obi-Wan. My padawan needs me."
Anakin pushed past Obi-Wan and headed towards the speeder hanger. Obi-Wan considered following Anakin but decided against it. As he turned around, he nearly bumped into someone. "Oh, excuse me."
"No, excuse me, Master Kenobi," said the young Jedi in front of him.
"Barriss Offee. Is there something I can do for you?"
"Did they take Ahsoka away?" asked the former padawan of Luminara Unduli. Obi-Wan recalled that Barriss and Ahsoka were friends.
"Yes. She is to stand trial before the Senate's Military Tribunal."
"But, she's a Jedi," said Barriss. "She had the right to trial by the Jedi Council."
"No, not anymore," Obi-Wan sighed. "The Council has expelled Ahsoka from the Jedi Order."
"Is the evidence against her that serious?" asked Barriss.
"In the opinion of the Council, yes."
"And in your opinion?" asked Barriss.
Obi-Wan looked down at the young Jedi. "That is not for me to say. How each Council member has voted is a sealed record."
"I'm sorry, Master," Barriss bowed her head in apology. "Ahsoka is my friend. I'm having a hard time believing that she could do this."
"This is a difficult time for all of us," said Obi-Wan. Barriss' face revealed her turmoil, but strangely Obi-Wan had a difficult time sensing Barriss' emotions. He reminded himself that it was rude to pry into another Jedi's feelings. "In these times we must be mindful of our thoughts."
"Thank you, Master," said Barriss with a dutiful bow. She turned to leave. Obi-Wan realized that he needed to heed his own advice and be mindful of his thoughts as well.
Obi-Wan suddenly desired solitude. He took the lift to the Council Chambers. The Council had adjourned, so Obi-Wan expected to be alone. He stared out the windows of the Council's antechamber and watched the midday traffic.
"Am I disturbing you, Master Kenobi?" asked Plo Koon in his rich voice as he came up behind Obi-Wan.
"Oh, Master Plo, it is not you that is disturbing me."
"Indeed," replied Master Plo. Master Plo voted along with Obi-Wan not to expel Ahsoka, but they were out voted by other council members. "You and I are both connected to Ahsoka. It was I who brought her to the Temple as a youngling. And she was the padawan of your former apprentice. Seeing her and seeing young Skywalker in such travail is not easy for us. It can cloud our judgement."
"And the rest of the Council's judgement is not cloud?" asked Obi-Wan with a raise of his eyebrows. "You heard what Master Yoda said about the Dark Side in there. But it's not just the Dark Side. Fear is clouding our judgement. Fear of public opinion, fear of the Senate, and fear of losing the War; this fear is clouding the Jedi and our highest Council."
"That is a bit of an extreme view," said Plo Koon.
"Is it?" asked Obi-Wan. "We have just condemned a Jedi Padawan without trial, without judgement, and without defense."
"Ahsoka does not yet stand condemned," said Plo.
"Do you really believe the Republic Tribunal will not interpret our actions as a belief in her guilt? Besides, expelling her from the Jedi Order is already a condemnation. She has spent her entire life seeking to become a Jedi, and in deliberations that took less than an hour, we striped her of that."
Master Plo Koon had no answer to that. He merely stroked his appendages at the bottom of his chin.
"The question that's been running through my mind is: what am I going to do about this?"
"What do you mean?" asked Plo Koon, with the slightest touch of alarm in his impossibly level voice.
"I believe the Council's decision today is a grievous violation of our deeply held Jedi principles. It is certainly incompatible with my own principles."
"Incompatible?" asked Plo Koon. "What action is it that you are considering?"
"I am considering resigning from the Council in protest. I know it is not normally my place to publicly disagree with a decision of the Council. But perhaps this situation merits it." What Obi-Wan didn't say is that he also felt the need to do something to support Anakin. Anakin had been on the verge of leaving the Jedi Order in the past. Would this push him over the edge? As long as Obi-Wan was on the Council he had to defend its decisions and could not be there to help his former apprentice.
"This is not something I would have expected from you," said Master Koon into Obi-Wan's thoughts.
Obi-Wan smiled a bit. "I may be a dutiful and obedient member of the Jedi Order, but you forget: I was once apprentice to Qui-Gon Jinn. His defiance, albeit normally dormant, does still live in me." Obi-Wan turned to Plo Koon, and in a serious voice stated, "I will do what I must."
It was hard to read Plo Koon's face, but Obi-Wan thought he saw concern. To put his fellow Jedi Master at ease Obi-Wan added. "I have not made any decision yet. And I will not do anything during Ahsoka's trial. But in the meantime, I have much to think about."
"As do I," said Master Plo Koon.
Anakin took a speeder down into the Coruscant underworld. Ahsoka's story about the warehouse didn't entirely line up. And there was only one person who had the answers. And Anakin needed those answers.
He had to find Asajj Ventress!
Ahsoka had been expelled from the Jedi Order?! This was perfect! The Jedi conducted trials of their own. They didn't just hand fellow Jedi over to the secular authorities. The Jedi Council had just violated their own principles. I knew for Ahsoka this would feel like a betrayal. And for Anakin, too.
Even Master Kenobi felt similar, I could tell. Yes, he had to publicly support the Council, but from my conversation with him I could sense his conflict. Perhaps, I could win over Master Kenobi for my new order as well. Seeing how quickly he tried to console Anakin, his former apprentice, revealed the compassion in him. Perhaps this situation would drive a wedge between Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Council.
But it might be too much to hope for. I had to be patient and realistic. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a member of the Jedi Counsel. He would be unlikely to leave the Order.
In the meantime, I had little to do. I returned to my quarters. I set my lightsaber in front of my Mirialan idol. But as I did so, I heard the call of the two lightsabers concealed in the flowerpot in the corner of my room. As I knelt to meditate, I found a connection with them. I entered my Cloak of the Sith meditation, and it was as if the red kyber crystals were joining me. Meditating with these crystals came as easily as meditating with my old lightsaber used to.
I remained kneeling, basking in the heat of my anger. I only had to hold a little while longer. Soon, I would leave this wretched Jedi Order behind.
Asajj Ventress walked the streets of the Coruscant underworld. Exteriorly she maintained her confident stride. But interiorly she was out of sorts. Someone had gotten the jump on her. No one had been able to do that since she was child. And that someone had stolen her lightsabers. Ventress felt naked without them.
On the other hand, the lightsabers hadn't felt quite right. After giving up on her vengeance against Dooku and joining her sisters on Dathomir, Ventress had changed. Her lust to kill was gone. She wasn't even tempted to kill the clones that she and Ahsoka had fought. She jokingly referred to it as the 'new me.' But it was true. She had changed.
A tooka cat hissed at her as she walked by it. She ignored it. Everyone in the street was ignoring her, which was good.
Except Ventress could sense someone's attention fixed directly on her. She stopped and listened to her senses. Who was it? Was it Tano? A Jedi? Her attacker? No! She knew exactly who it was.
Ventress subtly entered an alleyway. She sensed a figure land behind her using the Force. Ventress without turning around said, "Anakin Skywalker." She turned to face the Jedi.
"I know you're behind all of this."
"Prove it." Ventress leaped away up to a catwalk to make her escape. Skywalker followed with blue lightsaber ignited. Ventress grabbed a metal support rod that used to hold some sort of covering for the walkway. She swung around it and kicked Skywalker in the chest. She spun and kicked him again then threw a right punch. Skywalker caught her fist in his left hand. He pushed her away and swung his lightsaber, cutting down two support rods. Ventress jumped up and over Skywalker, kicked off the wall above him, and landed in front of him. She summoned the severed support rods to her hands and wielded them like she used to do with her lightsabers.
Ventress took up a combat position. Battle banter failed her, and she cried out. "Leave me alone!" She attacked with her two blunt objects. Skywalker broke one of them with his lightsaber, but Ventress landed a blow on his back, not that it did much harm to him. Ventress tried to jump up another level to escape, but Skywalker followed. He landed in front of her. Ventress swung the metal rod, but Skywalker cut it in half. He then used a Force Push against her, throwing Ventress into the wall behind her. Before she could get up, she felt the Force coil around her throat. Skywalker was using the Force Choke on her. It took anger to use that power, and she could feel Skywalker's anger.
Using the Force, Skywalker lifted Ventress off the ground and summoned her to him. He grabbed her by the throat and demanded, "Tell me what happened!" He pushed her to her knees. He kept a grip on her throat with both his hand and the Force but relaxed it enough for her to speak.
At that Ventress told Skywalker everything.
Once Ventress started talking, Anakin relaxed a bit, while keeping his guard up. Ventress' words indicating that he had betrayed and abandoned Ahsoka infuriated him. Ventress was comparing herself to Ahsoka and was comparing Anakin to Dooku. No, he had not abandoned Ahsoka. But the Jedi Order had! Anakin shook the thought. He had to clear Ahsoka's name, and interrogating Ventress was the way to do it.
"After I left the warehouse, after I left your little Padawan alone, I was walking away," said Ventress. "And I thought she came up behind me to talk more. But I was wrong. Someone came out of nowhere and hit me from behind." Ventress turned back to Anakin. "Not just anyone can sneak up behind me. It had to be another Jedi."
"I don't believe you," said Anakin, although a part of him did. But this wasn't enough.
"Believe it," replied Ventress. "Whoever you're looking for has my lightsabers. That's how you'll know you've found the criminal."
Ventress certainly seemed to be missing her lightsabers. If she had them, she would have used them to fight Anakin. Maybe she was telling the truth. Anakin leaned over a guardrail in silent frustration. "Well, this leads me to a dead end. You're the only one Ahsoka had talked to."
"That's not true," said Ventress.
"What do you mean?" Anakin turned to face her.
"Your Padawan contacted the Temple. She spoke to someone named…" Ventress put her hand to her chin as if searching her memory. Then she lifted her hand in front of her revealing that she had found it. "…Barriss. That's why we knew to go to the warehouse in the first place. It was this Barriss that told us to go there."
Anakin came up to Ventress and threatened, "If you're lying, you're dead."
"Such promises," replied Ventress sarcastically as Anakin leapt away.
Using the Force to jump and run, Anakin hurried back to his speeder. Barriss Offee betraying Ahsoka? Was that possible? Barriss was Ahsoka's friend. There was only one way to find out.
I was kneeling in front of my Mirialan idol with four incense burners surrounding it. Before it was my lightsaber, but I was not using the lightsaber crystal in my meditation. Instead, I could sense the two red lightsaber crystals singing their sad, painful, and scarred song that in a haunting way sounded so beautiful to my senses. The more I focused on them, the more they resonated with my own spirit.
I silently mouthed the words. "The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined. The crystal, the blade, the Jedi. You are one." Yes, I was one with these new crystals. And the blue lightsaber before me wasn't mine anymore.
I was deep in my Cloak of the Sith meditation, when I sensed a disturbance. Anakin Skywalker was approaching. And he was angry! Yes, that anger would be good. It was a sign of his compassion, evidence that he cared. And that anger would break him free from the Jedi Order; free to join my new order.
I could sense him moving quickly in the hallway. He paused outside my door. Something was wrong. Why was his anger so potent outside my room? Was it possible that his anger was directed at me? Did he know that I spoke to Ahsoka? If so, I could turn it. I could tell him that I was merely helping her, and that I was still willing to help. That would be a good way to get Anakin on my side.
Anakin seemed to focus himself outside my door before he pushed the call button. I hadn't moved from my kneeling position since sensing him. When I heard the soft door chime, I said, "Enter."
Anakin entered my quarters with his hands behind his back. "Barriss, I need to talk to you."
I stood up and addressed him. "Master Skywalker, how can I help you?"
"I was told that you spoke with Ahsoka before she was arrested," said Anakin as he looked down at my meditation station. He reached out with his left hand and casually summoned my Jedi lightsaber to his hand. "What did you say to her?" Anakin took the lightsaber in both his hands as if just using it to keep his hands occupied while talking. He causally faced the window, and his body language betrayed no ill will. But taking another Jedi's lightsaber without permission was considered rude. Why did he have my lightsaber?
I answered Anakin, "We've been friends for a long time. I was only trying to help her. I hope I'm not in any trouble." This was the start of my pitch to convince Anakin that I was on his and Ahsoka's side. But something was wrong. The feelings I could sense from Anakin were wrong.
"It's no trouble," said Anakin calmly, but his feelings were anything but calm. "I just need to know what you told her, and if you told anyone else." Anakin looked at me over his shoulder.
"No," I replied. "I thought I had a clue for her, but I really couldn't tell her anything." Anakin turned to me. Interiorly I was getting nervous. Something was very wrong here. I extended my left hand in question. "Who told you I spoke to her?"
Anakin answered in a lower voice, "Ventress." Now a hint of his anger was revealed on his face. Anakin continued, "She told me."
"Ventress?" Anakin had talked to Ventress? Aloud, I asked, "Isn't she the one Ahsoka says is really behind all this?"
"That's what Ahsoka says," said Anakin looking down at the floor. Then he leveled his eyes at me. "But I think she's wrong." That look in his eyes, what was it? Was it…betrayal? "Ventress thinks someone else is involved," continued Anakin. And in that moment that I could see Anakin clearly.
He knew!
He knew, or at least he suspected. Nevertheless, I continued to play dumb. "And you believe her?" I asked. "Who else could it be if not her? Surely not Ahsoka." By naming Ahsoka, I hoped to rattle Anakin a bit, to take his mind away from his suspicions.
"No, I don't think it was Ahsoka either," said Anakin. I tried to tell myself that he didn't know, but I realized that was mere wishful thinking. He was still holding my lightsaber. He had taken it almost immediately upon entering, and thus he had disarmed me. He knew before he had even entered my quarters, and there was no way I could convince him otherwise. Fear rose in my heart. What would Anakin Skywalker do to the friend who betrayed his Padawan?
The red lightsaber crystals called to me in my fear. I had my back to them, hidden as they were in an empty flowerpot. They would protect me.
Anakin kept speaking. "I think both Ahsoka and Ventress are telling the truth." I started walking back to the flowerpot. "But there's only one way to find out," said Anakin.
We both knew what was going to happen next. Anakin ignited my blue lightsaber, and I summoned the two red lightsabers to my hands. He swung the blue blade at me, and I blocked them with my two red blades. "Funny. Those belong to Ventress," said Anakin.
I arched my back and allowed the blue blade to slice through the empty air above me. I attempted a right-handed swipe of Anakin's legs, but he jumped it. I struck with my left-hand lightsaber, but he blocked it. Then I tried to swing my right blade around his blue blade, but he caught that one as well, holding both my red blades with a horizontal block of his blue blade.
Standing still for a moment in blade lock, Anakin told me, "You should've gotten rid of them!"
Yet as I stood there, I looked at the lightsaber in Anakin's hands, the lightsaber I had constructed years ago with the crystal I had found on Ilum, and I found it to be a stranger. The red lightsabers in my hands were my friends, my companions, my allies. With an ominous voice I spoke the truth to Anakin. "I think they suit me."
I broke the blade lock and attempted two blows, a left then a right. Anakin blocked them with my old lightsaber. He blocked a third blow with his forearm, then he put his foot on my waist and kicked me through the door of my quarters and out into the hallway. I landed on my back, but with a backwards somersault I rolled to a crouch on my right knee and my left foot. I then turned to my left and ran.
This was all wrong! It wasn't supposed to be this way! Anakin was not supposed to find out! My plans were all ruined! No, they couldn't be ruined, not yet. My new order was too important. The galaxy needed compassionate Jedi. I could still salvage this. I could start my new order, then maybe latter Anakin and Ahsoka could see what I was trying to do. Then they could join me. But first I needed to get away from Anakin and out of this Temple.
I turned a corner into one of the large Temple hallways with windows to the courtyard. Apparently, I wasn't running fast enough. Anakin came up behind me. I reactivated my red lightsabers and turned to face him. I blocked an onslaught of three blows before using the Force to spin jump out of the way.
"Ahsoka trusted you, and you betrayed her," Anakin accused, angrily.
"I've learned that trust is overrated," I replied finally allowing the hidden anger I'd carried for months to enter my voice, swinging the red lightsabers to emphasize my point. "The only thing the Jedi Council believes in is violence."
Holding my old weapon in his left hand, Anakin grabbed his own lightsaber in his right and ignited it. He gently swung both weapons as he approached. I didn't know how much practice Anakin had in the art of dual lightsaber wielding, but given Ahsoka's proficiently, I had to assume that he was quite good.
We exchanged as few alternating blows, harmlessly blocked. I jumped away, spinning as I did, using both lightsabers for perfect balance. I landed on part of the massive window frame, putting me at the same height as my taller opponent. We exchanged a few more blows before I did another spin jump up to a higher ledge. Anakin jumped after me, but I jumped over him, spinning my lightsaber blades like rotor blades. My jump took me to the other side of the hallway. I extended my right hand with my index and middle fingers outward as I summoned a Force push. Anakin was indeed pushed back against the wall near one of the massive courtyard windows. I jumped across the hallway, bringing both blades down to strike at him hoping to hit him while he was stunned. He crossed his blue blades to block, but the momentum I had was too much. The blow knocked him on his back and caused him to deactivate his blades. I spun around to bring my blades in for the kill, but he gave me a double-footed kick to the gut. Added to the kick was a bit of a Force Push. I was knocked halfway across the hallway flat on my back, and my blades were extinguished.
Anakin got up before me and reactivated both blue blades. My gut still hurt from the kick. I didn't want to fight Anakin. I wanted to escape. I turned to my right to run, but two Temple guards with their hoods and masks blocked my way. One of them shouted "Cease hostilities!" Both of them activated their double-bladed yellow lightsaber pikes. I turned and ran back the other way only to find two more Temple guards also igniting their yellow lightsabers.
There was only one way out. I turned and ran towards the massive windows. Anakin shouted after me, "Barriss!" I activated both red lightsabers. I jumped at the window and used the lightsabers to break the glass. I landed, but I immediately turned to attack Anakin whom I knew would follow me. He indeed landed next to me, and I got two blows in before he nearly pinned my right blade to the ground. We continued our fight right there on a flat ledge just outside the hallway windows and overlooking the courtyard with the Great Uneti Tree. After a bit I was able to jump up and deliver a left footed kick to Anakin's face. He yelled in pain as he fell down into the courtyard where Master Sinube was teaching a group of Jedi younglings their lightsaber forms.
I should have left right then, but anger overtook me. Anakin was supposed to be on my side! He wasn't supposed to fight me! But if he wanted to fight me, then so be it! I would destroy Anakin Skywalker!
I leapt up high and let both the Force and gravity bring me down on Anakin. He rolled on to his back and crossed his lightsabers. I hit him with all my Force and pressed my red blades against his. The impact made him drop my old lightsaber. He then kicked me off of him. I flipped through the air and landed on my feet facing away from him. I turned quickly and struck while Anakin was only to his knees. He blocked one blow and rolled away from two more. Then he kicked me. The kick knocked me back, but I stayed on my feet. It was, however, enough time for Anakin to come to his own feet. He continued to fight me with just one lightsaber.
All this time, I was aware of the aged Jedi Master Sinube guarding the Jedi younglings, who also stood with their lightsabers in ready position. But they were irrelevant. There was only my anger and my rage. And right now, that rage was directed at Anakin Skywalker.
But I wasn't the only one angry. I could sense it flowing in Anakin. I had betrayed his padawan. He deserved to be angry. He wasn't cold like the other Jedi, or like Master Luminara.
At one point I used my left blade to hold Anakin's lightsaber at bay while I struck with my right blade. But Anakin caught my right arm at the wrist. He squeezed my wrist so hard that I dropped my right-hand lightsaber. The pain hurt for a moment, but I drowned it in anger.
I struck with my left lightsaber. Anakin blocked it with a horizontal twohanded grip of his own lightsaber. He used his superior strength to move my blade. I grabbed the lightsaber hilt with my second hand. Anakin used his height advantage to push down on me. I stared into his eyes, and I saw his anger blazing.
I looked around. We were surrounded by Temple Guards. There would be no escape for me. All that was left to do was to give into my anger and strike down Anakin Skywalker.
I used my leg strength to push Anakin away. I tried to fight him, but he was on the offensive. With each attack he became fiercer. His blows were sweeping and powerful. I had to keep two hands on my lightsaber at nearly all times just to avoid his overpowering attacks. I could hear his anger as he grunted, and I could feel it in each blow.
One particular vertical blow knocked me down. Anakin rained another blow from above and would keep doing so until my strength depleted. Not wanting that to happen I pushed up with my lightsaber and knocked him back. Knowing that I couldn't last much longer in this fight, I lunged at Anakin and brought my lightsaber across my body for a left-to-right finishing blow.
But Anakin reached out with his empty right hand. He grabbed me in the Force, stopping all forward momentum. I dropped my jaw in surprise as I felt Anakin's raw power in the Force completely overwhelm me. He pulled back his arm as if to wind up for a punch. I felt the Force pull on forward on my chest while simultaneously pulling backwards on my limbs. It was as if I was an elastic band being stretched before being shot out. Sure enough, I was thrown across the courtyard into the Great Uneti Tree. The Force then pressed me against the tree. I could barely turn my head. The Force pressed against my chest, and I could hardly breathe. Anakin, with his arm still outstretched, approached me.
So much power! I could see now why they thought he was the Chosen One. But why could he not he have joined me? Together we could have reformed the Jedi. We could have destroyed this corrupt Order and begun again.
But now my failure was complete.
The Temple Guard had never seen such a lightsaber fight. So much anger from both combatants. These Jedi were certainly not well disciplined. They would not have made good Temple Guards. The Temple Guards were elite among the Jedi, and not just for their lightsaber skills. Guarding the Temple was only a secondary purpose for the Temple Guards. They were more like a cloistered monastic order within the Jedi, devoting themselves to meditation and oneness with the Force. They even forsook their identities, always wearing their masks outside of their personal cell.
But today it was this monk's duty to guard. Initially he didn't know which combatant would need to be subdued. He assumed the woman with the red lightsabers, but the man with the blue lightsabers was exhibiting substantial anger himself. The Temple guard immediately interposed himself between the dueling Jedi and a group of younglings practicing their saber forms. The elder Jedi Master Sinube, whom the Temple Guard remembered from his time as a youngling, also stood by in a defensive posture. Following the lead of the highest-ranking Temple Guard present, the Temple Guard merely stood at the ready with his lightsabers ignited. It appeared that they would simply contain the fight and wait until its conclusion. The fight concluded with a spectacular display of power from the taller man with the blue lightsaber. The woman with the red lightsabers was pinned to the Great Uneti Tree. She squirmed a bit but was unable to move.
"What is going on here?" asked Master Jedi Cin Drallig, the Temple's Chief of Security who was just arriving. Although he didn't have direct control of the Temple Guard, the Guard nevertheless answered to him when it came to Temple security.
"That would be a question for Master Skywalker," said Master Sinube. "Come on, younglings, there is nothing more to see here." The elder Jedi closed down his lightsaber and returned it to his walking stick. Then he ushered the disappointed younglings out of the courtyard.
"Master Skywalker, what is the nature of this fight?" demanded Master Drallig.
"Master Drallig, this woman, Barriss Offee, is responsible for the bombing of the Temple and the framing of my padawan."
"Are you sure?" asked Drallig.
"Yes, I'm sure. When my padawan was on the run, she struck a deal with Asajj Ventress. After the two parted ways, someone assaulted Ventress and stole her lightsabers. That person then attacked Ahsoka with those lightsabers. And now, I've found Barriss Offee in possession of those very lightsabers." To make his point, the Jedi named Skywalker summoned one of the curved hilt lightsabers to his hand and ignited its red blade.
All this while the young Jedi girl was still squirming against the tree. The Temple Guard took a look at her, and a flash of anger flared up. The Temple Guards were to be devoid of any and all attachments, even for the Temple they guarded. But it was hard not to take it personally when someone attacked that very Temple.
But, no, anger was not befitting for a Temple Guard. Although just once the Temple Guard would like to unleash his anger as Skywalker had just done.
"Guard, arrest this woman and secure her in the holding area," ordered Master Drallig.
"No," said Skywalker forcefully. "We need to take her to the Senate Courts. Her testimony is needed to acquit someone who is falsely accused."
"This new evidence can be submitted as soon as possible," replied Master Drallig.
"That's not good enough!" Skywalker visibly calmed himself. With still a bit of anger he continued, "Right now my padawan is on trial at the Senate for crimes she did not commit. I need to take Offee to the trial before a verdict is rendered. I know this is usual, but so is the Council's decision to expel a Jedi without trial. We cannot wrong Ahsoka a second time."
Master Drallig put his hand to his chin. "You're right. These are unusual circumstances. And with the Jedi Council all attending the trial there is no one here to consult." Master Drallig shook his head as he came to a decision. "Alright, we will bring her to the Courts as new evidence."
"I'll call Captain Rex," said Skywalker. "I'll have a clone squad here in minutes."
"No, Master Skywalker. We will take her there ourselves," said Master Drallig. "Guard, have four of your members take Barriss Offee to the Courts. Do not let her escape! The fate of a Jedi padawan depends on her testimony. Master Skywalker, get a speeder."
"Thank you, Master Drallig," said Skywalker with a bow. The Temple Guard's attention was taken from the conversation by his superior ordering him to arrest the female Jedi. Skywalker released his Force grip and she fell to the ground, gasping for air. The Temple Guard and one of his companions grabbed her and lifted her up. She didn't resist, she was defeated.
The Temple Guard and three of his companions escorted the Jedi woman Barriss Offee through the Temple. Many stared at the sight. Offee for her part walked with her head down in shame or defeat. They proceeded without incident to one of the hanger bays, not, of course, the one that this woman had bombed. There waiting for them with a speeder was the Jedi named Skywalker. Skywalker sat at the controls. "Hurry, the courts may soon be reading a verdict." The Temple Guard forced Offee into the middle row of the speeder. He sat next to her with another guard on the other side. Two more guards were in the back row.
The speeder took off with great acceleration. The Temple Guard hadn't ridden in a speeder in years. But even he recognized that Skywalker was in a hurry. They cut across traffic lanes and headed directly to the Senate.
The Temple Guard kept his face forward, and exercised focus. He hadn't left the Jedi Temple since the day he was sworn in as a member of the Temple Guard. Even staring out a window for too long a time was discouraged. The Temple Guards trained themselves to let go of the outer world and focus only on unity with the Force.
But despite his training, the Temple Guard stared in wonder at the city scape of Coruscant. Equally wonderful was the air whipping past him. Skywalker had chosen an open-cockpit speeder. And the Temple Guard could take all this in. He had forgotten so much about the world.
The experience was rather short, as Skywalker brought them to the Senate Tribunal. As soon as he landed, he jumped out. "Come on, let's go," he said impatiently. But the lead Temple Guard took his time getting Offee out of the speeder. Then he and another Temple Guard led Offee. The two others followed behind. All four of them activated the top blades of their lightsabers and crossed them in the form of an X before and behind Barriss Offee. Skywalker proceeded them, explaining to the various checkpoints their purpose. Soon they were just outside the court room.
The doors opened, and the Temple Guard heard a man addressing a Togruta girl. "…overwhelming count of…"
"Chancellor," called out Skywalker in the echoey chamber.
"I hope you have a reason for bursting into our proceedings, Master Skywalker," said the man who was apparently the Chancellor.
"I am here with evidence and a confession from the person responsible for all the crimes Ahsoka has been accused of," said Skywalker. By this time the Temple Guard and his companions had reached a central point and were waiting. Skywalker stepped aside as did the Temple Guard and his leader across from him, exposing the Jedi woman to the audience. Skywalker announced her, "Barriss Offee, member of the Jedi Order and traitor." Barriss Offee stepped forward bravely to face her accusers. All four Temple Guards deactivated their lightsabers but remained on guard.
The Togruta girl asked, "Barriss, is that true?"
"Tell them the truth," said Skywalker sternly.
Barriss Offee stepped forward to the center, then looking up at the Chancellor and those in the judgement seats she said softly, "I did it." Then she added. "Because I've come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize." She began to speak more powerfully. "That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war, that we've so lost our way that we've have become villains in this conflict, that we are the ones that should be put on trial, all of us!" The Temple Guard was surprised. Who would accuse the Jedi of such things? Offee continued boldly, "And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become, an army fighting for the Dark Side, fallen from the light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It's only a matter of time."
Skywalker came and pulled Offee away. She seemed to accept that she had said what she needed. The Temple Guard was shaken. He had devoted his entire life to serving the Jedi and the Force. So had this Barriss Offee. Yet here she was revolting against the Jedi. She was wrong, right? The Jedi could not have fallen so, could they have?
The Chancellor interrupted the Temple Guard's thoughts with a distain filled order, "Take her away."
The Temple Guard reached out his hand to Offee's shoulder to direct her back to the exit. But in that brief moment of touch, he connected with her. He could sense her feelings. Her anger, her hurt, her disappointment; but also her firmness, her conviction, and her disdain for the Jedi. For her, the Jedi were cold and uncompassionate, more interested in Republic politics and their war than for the concern of the people. In that brief moment, the Temple Guard felt everything.
But the moment was over. The Temple Guard ignited his top blade as his three companions did. They escorted Barriss Offee out of the courtroom. Then they handed her over to the Republic guards and clone troopers.
Eventually they returned to the Temple. The Temple Guard, with his exciting one-day field trip out of the Temple complete, returned to the same routine. But it wasn't the same. It was never the same after that. Barriss Offee's speech and her feelings haunted the Temple Guard.
What if Offee was right? What if the Jedi had fallen? And if so, what should be done?
One day, a few months later, the Temple Guard failed to report. He had gone, left the Temple. But he would return to the Temple one day, not as a guard but as a hunter.
The charade was over! Despite the crushing weight of failure and the look of betrayal on Ahsoka's face, I had to admit that it felt good to reveal myself. To deliver that speech before the Senate and to allow myself to voice my anger about the Jedi, it felt good. And it wasn't just the Senate. Most of the Jedi Council was present. I had the chance to voice myself before them! They all needed to hear what I had to say.
If only Master Luminara Unduli was there to hear it. How I wish I could have said those things and more in her presence. Maybe she would come to visit me in my imprisonment. No, that wouldn't happen. There would be no need in her mind to visit me. She would accept my betrayal in her cold-hearted fashion and conclude there was nothing to be done about it. Then she would continue her life as if the years we spent together were nothing.
The Temple Guards handed me over to the senate guards. Several clone troopers were also present. They took me to a prison facility. There they locked me up. No visitors. No contact with the outside world.
It was just me, left all alone with my dark thoughts and my angers.
Captain Turq brought the data pad to Commander Gree. "Sir, did you see this?"
Commander Gree with his telltale red hair cut looked at the pad. "Yeah, I saw it. I can't believe the General would do such a thing."
"Me neither," said Captain Turq. "I was really looking forward to working with her. I would have never thought her a traitor."
"What are you two discussing?" asked General Unduli as she approached.
"Uh, General. The most recent news bulletin from Coruscant," said Turq. "Have you seen it yet?"
"No, I haven't. The Jedi Council will inform me if there is something pressing. Right now, we should be focused on holding our vital positions."
The two clones exchanged glances. Commander Gree spoke first. "I think you should look at this, General."
"Very well, Commander," said General Unduli as she took the data pad from Commander Gree. Captain Turq watched her face for reactions. He saw nothing of surprise or anger, but it did take the General an unusually long time to read it. When she finished, she handed the pad back to Commander Gree. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Commander."
"That's it?" asked Turq. "We've fought alongside General Offee since near the beginning of the war. And she was your apprentice."
"Barriss' decisions are extremely regrettable," said General Unduli. "But they do not impact the Battle of Cato Neimoida. We must focus our efforts here, and not on the events in Coruscant. There will be plenty of time to deal with them."
General Unduli turned away from the clones and walked to the holo table which displayed the battle information. Turq looked in amazement at Commander Gree. The Commander merely shrugged his shoulders. "Jedi," he said in disbelief. Then the two clones joined their general.
Chancellor Palpatine watched as Anakin Skywalker slammed his fist against the curved window frame in the Chancellor's office. "How could they do this?!"
"Tell me, Anakin, what has happened," asked Palpatine caringly.
"Ahsoka," Anakin started. "She's left the order. The Council invited her back, but she refused. The Council didn't trust her! They turned their backs on her! And now, she's gone! It's all their fault!" Anakin slammed his fist again.
"Anakin, I am so sorry," said Palpatine. "The traitor Barriss Offee had us all fooled."
"She shouldn't have been able to fool the Jedi Council. They're supposed to be wise," said Anakin.
"Yes, they are," said Palpatine. "But I have been working with the Jedi Council for years, my boy. And I can tell you, they are fallible."
"And yet, they pretend not to be," retorted Anakin. "They expelled Ahsoka without trial. They pronounced judgement without giving Ahsoka a chance to defend herself. If I hadn't found Barriss when I did, Ahsoka could have been wrongfully executed. Then they had the shear arrogance to tell her that this was her great trial, that she would be a better Jedi because of this ordeal. A shameful attempt to justify themselves. Heh, Ahsoka saw right through it. That's why she left."
"Do they feel no remorse?" asked Palpatine.
"I don't think Master Windu does," said Anakin. "He would do it again if he had to. He would gladly sacrifice Ahsoka if it was good for the Jedi Order." Anakin relaxed his voice a bit and said quietly, "The rest are hard to tell. Master Yoda seems to regret the whole thing."
"And Master Kenobi?" asked Palpatine.
"I don't think Obi-Wan voted against Ahsoka at all. The Council was not in agreement. That much Master Yoda did say. The voting record of the Council is rarely made public, but I suspect that Obi-Wan and Master Plo Koon voted against expelling Ahsoka."
Palpatine was happy to see this wedge driven between Anakin and the Council. But Anakin's loyalty to Obi-Wan Kenobi would still be a problem. However, there was still time. "Such difficulties within the Jedi Order are troubling," said Palpatine. "If the Jedi Council could be wrong in this matter, what else could they be mistaken about?"
"Many things, possibly," said Anakin before he seemed to correct himself. "It's not my place to speak so about the Council. I'm just so…"
"Angry," finished Palpatine. Interiorly he was sensing Anakin's anger and his rage. Good. Exterior he spoke with a wise voice. "It is understandable."
"Ahh," Anakin sighed. "I have to get going. Master Luminara is expecting me to help her secure Cato Neimoidia. I told Rex I would meet him at the clone barracks."
Palpatine came up to Anakin and placed his hands on the young man's shoulders. "You are going through a difficult time. I hope you know, Anakin, that you can come to me with anything."
"Thank you, Chancellor," said Anakin with a formal bow. Then he left Palpatine's office.
For a moment Palpatine stared out the window. Barriss Offee's actions were not orchestrated by Palpatine himself, but he had been aware of them for some time. Ever since he had sensed her using the Cloak of the Sith he had kept an eye on her. She had grown powerful in the Dark Side, perhaps even without knowing it. She would have made for a promising apprentice if Palpatine did not already have someone else in mind.
Palpatine had watched her plans from afar. His spies in the underworld kept him informed of her movements. Palpatine let her plans unfold right up till the time she framed Ahsoka Tano. From that point Palpatine intervened, mostly through Admiral Tarkin. Ahsoka Tano had been a problem for Palpatine. He hadn't expected the Jedi to assign Anakin a padawan. Tano had become an attachment for Anakin, binding him to the Jedi Order. Barriss Offee had provided Palpatine with an opportunity to break that attachment.
Palpatine strolled over to his chair and sat down. It almost couldn't have worked out better. Not only would Barriss Offee's speech turn more citizens against the Jedi, but her actions would further Palpatine's other goal of grooming Skywalker to be his next apprentice. The whole ordeal had nearly turned Skywalker against the Council and the Jedi in general. With Ahsoka Tano's departure, another person who tied Skywalker to the Jedi Order was removed. There were still a few like Master Yoda and especially Obi-Wan Kenobi, but with the pulling of the right strings, Palpatine could break all of his future apprentice's attachments to the Order and even turn Skywalker against the Jedi.
Palpatine steepled his fingers and indulged himself with a sinister smile. Yes, all was going well. Soon the Sith would once more rule the galaxy.