Hey, hey fellow readers/writers.
So I've been building up to this moment for quite some time. Let's call it the climax of the first half of the fic.
No mailbag today for a simple reason: this chapter is a long one. The longest of the story thus far. It's packed full of Easter eggs, reveals, and more. I sincerely hope it lives up to the billing.
As always, I love constructive feedback and reviews! If you're enjoying or want to ask something, please do! If not, no flames please :)
"As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself."- Bessel van der Kolk
Chapter 18. Reveal
News of Ahsoka's arrest spread like wildfire the following day. Beforehand, the Jedi had been relatively popular among the masses, especially after the liberation of the clones. Now, however, protests had erupted outside the Temple, comprising mostly of the families of those who'd died in the blast.
"Funny how things can turn on you just like that," Anakin commented as they walked past the crowd of about one hundred.
"This war has affected everyone in form or fashion and it's getting more and more unpopular every day. The Jedi are the face of that war," Luke said wisely.
"But we're the ones fighting for their defense, their freedom. Where would they be without us?"
"Probably doing much of the same as they were before," Luke said, looking up at the Coruscanti sun and taking in the city air. "To the average Republic citizen on this planet, it's just another day to survive. Especially when barely anyone remembers why this conflict started in the first place or who controls what."
Anakin shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I have to believe that what I and so many others fought for wasn't in vain. That what Ahsoka fought for wasn't in vain."
You still have no idea, father. She's being manipulated just as you are. Just as everyone else is
Luke didn't respond to that statement, instead switching the topic back to his padawan. Now wasn't the time to talk politics.
"Then let's focus on proving her innocence."
Just then Master Yoda popped up on Anakin's arm transmitter.
"Time is running out. Afraid that I cannot hold off Tarkin much longer, I am."
"We're on it, Master. Luke and I have two new leads to follow. We'll keep you posted."
Yoda nodded but still appeared uneasy.
"Make with all haste. And may the Force be with you."
Stepping onto the last platform leading down to the temple a transport awaited Anakin while Luke hopped on a speeder bike.
"I'll go and speak to Jackar Bowmani. I found his address in the Temple records."
"You took it upon yourself?"
"I figured you might want an excuse to see your friend Senator Amidala."
He was careful not to sound too teasing, especially since he had to pretend like he carried no inkling of the true nature of their relationship. Thankfully, Anakin took it in stride.
"It's like you've known me for years," he joked. "Contact me when you've found out more."
He hopped onto a gunship transport and flew off while Luke revved up the speeder.
"One of these days the universe is going to stop creating weird ironies at my expense" he muttered to himself.
Luke had little trouble finding the premises. It was in one of the seedier neighborhoods in Coruscant though nowhere near some of the slums that existed in the underworld where light rarely reached the surface. He'd never seen them personally, but Leia had spoken of them in grave terms.
Hopping off the bike he secured it before taking a look around. The streets were dirty, littered with an assortment of trash and debris. Commerce bustled with food vendors and mom and pop stores dotting each side, indicating some form of sustainable livelihood and security. But Luke found himself more disappointed than ever with the Republic and its treatment of citizens on the lower economic scale.
No wonder the Empire came to power
He came upon the house of Jackar Bowmani and knocked.
"You'd think working for the Jedi would pay a little more," he muttered to himself.
Thankfully, he didn't have to wait for long. The Abyssin opened the door within seconds.
"Master Jedi," he said pleasantly (by now Luke hadn't bothered to correct people on that anymore). "What brings you here?"
"Hello, Jackar. I'm sorry if I came at an inconvenient time. But I was wondering if I could ask you a few more questions about the bombing of the temple. We've received some new information."
"Of course. I'll be glad to help in any way I can," Jackar said, gesturing inside. "Come on in."
He entered the space, a humble flat with about a dozen rooms and a normal sized kitchen. Despite living in one of the rougher areas of town, Jackar seemed to keep a relatively neat space. Luke found his respect for him growing.
"I'd also like you to meet my wife, Letta," he said. "Honey, this is Luke Ahch-To. He's a Jedi I met at the Temple the other day."
His wife, a human female of average height, slim build and dark raven hair bowed.
"It's an honor to have you in our home, Master Jedi. May I bring you something to eat or drink?"
Luke initially wanted to refuse but he felt it would impolite to turn it down.
"Yes, thank you. Whatever you can spare is fine."
The two sat down and Luke began to think about his line of questioning. The aim was not to scare or accuse the Abyssin in any way. Privately, he was grateful Anakin was off talking to Padme. His temper proved to be far too volatile when it came to situations like this.
Have to make a mental note on that later
"I'll get straight to it, Jackar. We've found some interesting details about the bombing."
Jackar's one eye blinked but gave no indication he felt intimidated by this.
"Firstly, I have unfortunate news. La Su Ten was found dead. I'm sorry."
The Abyssin bowed his head, sorrow drawing down on his face.
"It's as I feared. I can't say I'm surprised after he went missing but this is a great loss to me."
"I know," Luke said empathetically. "To lose a friend is never easy for anyone to go through. Which is why I need your help in bringing the culprit to justice."
"Anything. I love working at the Jedi Temple and the Jedi themselves. You've always treated me with such kindness."
He really believes in us, doesn't he? Luke thought, respect rising for Jackar.
"Nanodroids were found on his body. But they did not originate from the ship, they came from inside Su Ten himself. You're a munitions expert. You both were. Can you explain this?"
Jackar became thoughtful.
"It is possible to place nanodroids inside a person's body though they would have to be activated within twelve to twenty four hours," he said, rubbing his beard. "Otherwise the body would flush them out."
Letta came back and placed two drinks and a bowl of snacks in front of them. Luke did not take any.
"In other words, someone would have to feed them to a person for it to work. Someone close to them."
Jackar's expression turned painful.
"Surely you're not suggesting that I-"
"No," Luke quickly assured him. "I do not think you were responsible for his death. But someone else is. Someone who spent a great deal of time with him. Was he married?"
"No, he lived alone," the Abyssin said, shaking his head. "Poor guy could never get a date. That's why we had him over for dinner at least three times a week."
At this point Luke could feel a great deal of anxiety emanating from the room but its source did not come from Jackar.
"Jackar. Was La Su Ten here the night before the bombing?" Luke said quietly, paying close attention to Letta's movements.
The one eye went wide with shock as the munitions expert seemed to come to the same conclusion.
"Yes."
The sound of breaking glass could be heard as Letta tried to make a break for it. But Luke was too quick for her, his powers dwarfing that of an average human. She sped out the door and into the street but soon found her legs weren't working properly.
"No so fast," Luke said, using his hand to raise her body in the air but otherwise doing no harm. "Letta, I think we're going to need some answers."
"Let me go!" she cried.
"A Jedi is about to be framed and possibly executed because of you," he replied coldly, having little sympathy for the woman by now. "Now tell me, why did you put nanodroids in La Su Ten's food?"
Jackar watched the entire scene with shock, unable to make sense of what was going on, perhaps not wanting to believe his wife was capable of such acts.
"You Jedi are all the same," Letta said indignantly, still struggling in vain to reach solid ground. "No consideration for others or any thought to how this war affects those who clean or maintain your precious Temple!"
"That's got nothing to do with it."
"Oh, really? What about my husband Jackar? Doesn't he deserve better than to be treated as a grunt worker? He passed every test and did everything they asked him to do. Devoting his life to the Jedi and getting nothing in return!"
Letta's words touched upon the very thing he'd warned his father about earlier in the day. How the war tended to trample on the little person. The ones abused in the worst times and forgotten in the best. Slowly, he let her back down.
"Letta, believe it or not I understand your plight. But blaming an innocent person for bombing the Temple isn't the way to go about it. There are other ways to make a statement."
Thankfully, she did not run though her expression remained skeptical and bitter.
"I need to know what happened so justice can be meted out. So the war doesn't take another unsuspecting person."
"Why should I say anything?"
"If you were to testify that you were in fact, not the person behind the attack, I could see to it you are granted immunity. You and your husband would be moved to a nicer part of the capital. I'd guarantee it personally."
That seemed to move the needle. If nothing else, Luke Skywalker was a man of his word. He would not break another promise. Not again.
"I did place those nanodroids in La Su Ten's food the night before when he ate dinner with us. I was originally supposed to give them to my husband…"
"Letta…" Jackar said in his soft, husky tone. "Why?"
"Please, my love," Letta begged. "I would never betray you. Everything I did was for us. So we could get what we deserved."
"Bombing your husband's place of work is a pretty funny way of showing it," Luke said dryly. "But it sounds to me like someone ordered you to do this."
Letta looked around both ways before responding in a hushed voice.
"It was another Jedi, not Ahsoka Tano. She was to take the fall."
"And who was this other Jedi?"
"I couldn't see their face. They came to me on a crowded street after I picked Jackar up from work. They gave me the droids and told me how to use them."
"Was there anything of note about them?" Luke pressed. He was so close. So focused on the information, he failed to properly notice another presence around him.
"Yes. Their voice was modified. Short in stature. Black cloak. Didn't seem like a master. I-"
She was cut off and began grasping at her throat. Luke could see she was being choked through the Force.
"Letta!"
Jackar rushed forward to do what he could but she fell to her knees grasping out, life slowly draining away.
The Jedi Master reached out using his power to try and locate the presence. But he couldn't seem to sense whomever was doing this. They weren't on physical ground.
The air?
He put his hand on the pavement and finally felt something on top of the flat the Bowmani's stayed in. Turning around, he saw a small, shadowy figure dressed in a black cloak standing above using their hand to crush Letta's windpipe.
Igniting his emerald blade he leapt into action preparing to duel this fiend into submission. But he was too late. The figure flipped backwards and latched onto a fast moving speeder. A crimson lightsaber issued forth, slicing a hole in the door of the person driving it, casually tossing them aside falling to almost certain death.
Luke wasn't prepared to allow an innocent to die, catching the woman with both hands and placing her safely back on the ground.
Not even waiting for a 'thank you' he rushed back to the original scene only to see Jackar weeping over the limp body of his wife. Falling to the ground, he pressed two fingers to her neck. The pulse was there but faint.
"We need to get her to a hospital now," he said to the poor Abyssin.
"But-I don't-"
"There's no time. If you want her to live, you must follow me."
Luke had no idea if his speeder would support two more people, including a species considered to be twice as heavy as humans but he didn't care. Saving people took priority.
But as soon as the couple were safe he knew he needed to contact Anakin right away. Cursing himself for not considering someone might on his tail, he wondered just how many he'd fail to rescue before this was over.
Another day at the office could always be livened up by a few things for Padme Amidala- an emergency session of the Senate, a casualty report from the front in the Outer Rim, or a surprise visit from her secret husband.
"Senator!" Anakin cried rushing through the door.
"Master Skywalker, this is entirely inappropriate!" Neela called after him.
Utterly bewildered, Padme had to do a double take.
"I'm sorry for bursting in like this m'lady but I couldn't wait for permission."
"Shall I call security, Senator?" Neela asked, clearly not happy about their secret protocol being violated.
She sighed, knowing that while Ani could be impulsive he was at the very least respectful of her time and efforts doing what she did. Whatever was going on must have been an emergency.
"It's alright, Neela. That won't be necessary."
Nodding, her secretary left the room and Anakin practically bounced on the balls of his feet in anticipation. Nevertheless, that did not let him off the hook.
"Ani, you'd best have a very good reason for barging in like this unannounced. If you want sex, you know the code word for it."
"It's not that," he said, waving the suggestion aside. "It's about Ahsoka."
Yup, definitely an emergency if he's not thinking about sex
"Yes, I heard the news. So tragic. I can't believe she'd do something like that."
"Because she didn't. It was someone else."
Padme noticed Anakin had that look in his eye. The steely eyed conviction when he felt especially strong about something.
"Do you have any idea who?"
"Not yet. Luke and I are investigating. But we don't have much time. Admiral Tarkin wants to expel her from the Order and the Council can't do anything about it."
The Senator gave a skeptical glance.
"Surely, that's illegal? She hasn't been given a proper trial or nor the Jedi a chance to defend the claims."
"Believe me, it's complicated. But since civilians and clones died, apparently it's out of our hands."
"So what can we do?" she asked, waiting and ready to assist in any way possible. Something was not right about this and the idea of Ahsoka, a personal friend of hers, killing innocents didn't make sense.
"I need to know what happened on the day she was supposed to join your security detail."
"She never showed up. I figured it was because of her arrest."
Anakin looked surprised at that statement.
"What do you mean? Didn't you tell Captain Panaka that you were going to meet her in the Jedi Temple hangar?"
"No, I never ordered anything of the sort nor did Captain Panaka. If someone told her otherwise it didn't come from my entourage."
A pall of silence hung over the room. Every answer seemed to lead to more questions.
"She's being set up," Anakin stated darkly. "If you didn't tell her to go to the hangar, another person did in order to make it look like she was at the bomb site before it exploded."
"But who would want to set her up?"
"I don't know but I'm going to find out," her husband replied clenching his fists angrily. "And when I do they will pay."
Padme, recognizing the raw fury, knew just how to counter it.
"Ani," she said soothingly, pulling him close. She started giving a light head message, her other arm lightly rubbing his chest. "Getting angry won't help. Ahsoka needs us to be level headed in order to prove her innocence."
Anakin gave a small smile and visibly calmed.
"You're right, angel. You're always right."
Just then his comlink beeped and Luke's voice began talking.
"Anakin, good news. It for sure wasn't Ahsoka who planted those droids inside La Su Ten. Jackar Bowmani's wife, Letta is the culprit. She admitted as much."
"I'm sensing there's bad news as well," he responded sourly.
"She admitted another Jedi was behind it but before she could give me more details, a dark side wielder began choking her. By the time I located them it was too late."
Anakin dropped his head in defeat.
"Of course, what else could go wrong? Is she-"
"Not dead, but in a hypoxic coma. The medics say she might not ever wake up again."
"Did you get a glimpse of the person who tried to kill her?"
"Completely hooded. They had a red light saber."
"Ventress?"
"Not tall enough. And the blade wasn't curved."
The couple looked at each other as the plot seemed to thicken with each passing second. When there was no immediate response, he continued.
"Did you find out anything from Senator Amidala?"
"Yes, I'm with her now as a matter of fact. Interestingly enough, she never ordered Ahsoka to the main hangar. This has been a plot from the start."
"I think we have a serious case against Tarkin by now. Meet me back at the Temple. But we still lack proof that Ahsoka wasn't definitively behind it."
"Doesn't matter. We have to do something. I'll rendezvous shortly. Anakin out."
It wasn't often the Chosen One felt he was up against a losing battle, but this one definitely fell under that category. Sighing heavily, he suddenly felt tired.
"This isn't going well."
But the former Queen of Naboo wouldn't hear of it, reigniting the spark needed to do more.
"We're not giving up. Go find Luke and Master Yoda. Tell them everything you've learned. I'm going down to the detention facility."
"And do what?"
Padme pressed a button on her desk that called for a transport.
"Legally represent her. There have been several errors and irregularities with this investigation from the start, some of which could very well be illegal. I'm going to try and toss these charges on improper grounds."
Anakin couldn't help but fall ever more in love with his wife.
"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"
"There are more ways of fighting than with a lightsaber, Ani," Padme responded in kind with a smile. "Now, go."
He didn't need to be told twice. Only one person in the world could ever tell Anakin Skywalker what to do, and he'd sooner perish than spend another day without her.
Count Dooku couldn't help but smirk as the small, insignificant pawn in front of him bowed in allegiance to his wishes.
"The person of interest in the case of Ahsoka Tano has been eliminated, my Lord."
"Excellent work my apprentice. You have done well. Stand by and wait for my orders."
"Yes, Count."
The transmission ended. The former Jedi turned Sith had never felt more satisfied. All of the Jedi were complacent in what happened to them. That so many among their own ranks felt dissatisfied with the war and disillusioned with the Order in general spoke to the truth of the old saying: the Sith would never die out as long as the Jedi existed to replenish their ranks. Once, he was a true believer. Now the disdain he felt for them carried no boundaries.
"Simple minded fools," he uttered softly to themselves. "Unable to discern when one of their own is being manipulated. Completely oblivious to whom they really work for."
Even now Dooku took no real pleasure in exacting revenge against the people he once considered friends and family. It was their arrogance, blindness, and unwillingness to change that stoked his rage. They still couldn't see past the ends of their own noses despite warning them many times, despite trying to win over Obi-Wan.
He would have been the perfect partner. The right kind of Jedi to bring order and decency back to the galaxy and the Jedi at large
No matter. Kenobi would burn with the rest of them. If the Jedi had to die in order for corruption to end and peace to reign, so be it. This latest apprentice would do fine for his future plans to overthrow Sidious.
He pressed a button and kneeled down in a show of submission. Soon, the silhouette of an older man dressed in silk, red robes stood before him.
"Lord Tyrannus."
"The deed you have requested is done, my Master. Ahsoka Tano remains the primary suspect and is under Republic surveillance. Soon, she shall be eliminated."
"Excellent work, my apprentice. You have done well."
"And what of Anakin Skywalker and this 'Luke Ahch-To'. Do they pose a threat?"
Sidious practically laughed.
"Neither has the proof or capability of preventing Tano from meeting her fate. Keep the Jedi unaware and helpless. That will be enough."
"As you wish. Is there anything else, my master?"
"No. See to it that you keep pressure in the Middle and Outer Rim. The war is that much closer to being finished."
"By your command."
The transmission ended and one of his many Commando Droids came up to him.
"My Lord, we have fooled the Jedi Ahsoka Tano as you asked," it said in Captain Panaka's voice as a demonstration. "Should we leave Coruscant?"
"Our work here is done. Prepare my ship. We will rejoin the main fleet near the Muunilist System."
"Yes, sir."
Dooku allowed his power in the dark side to flourish as he breathed in and out. The saga of Skywalker's Padawan had been unexpected but it would hasten the end of the war in which he was destined to assume full command of the galaxy at the expense of his master and those who could not see beyond a day at a time.
He controlled the dark, not the other way around. To move beyond suffering and attain full power was the true design of his plans. The Separatist movement proved that.
Soon, very soon, he would amass the power to rule once and for all.
Luke and Anakin rushed as quickly as they could to find Master Yoda once back in the Temple but when they did the sight was ominous. The little green Master stood in one of the massive hallways talking to a tall figure that looked awfully a lot like...
"Tarkin," Luke hissed.
Anakin looked at him oddly, noting this was the first time his newfound friend had ever expressed hard dislike for anyone.
"I know he can be a bit stiff. But he's just doing his job."
"His job?" Luke practically sputtered. "He's trying to put your padawan either behind bars for life or see her executed. If he wasn't an Admiral, he'd be a dictator in some other arena of life."
That his father didn't seem to have any vitriol towards Tarkin bothered him immensely. Then again, he'd been the only person with a modicum of control over Darth Vader. Their relationship seemed to play into that dynamic.
Luke wasted no time in rushing forward, ready to physically remove the genocidal, smug, waste of space if he had to.
"...trouble any longer. Rest assured the matter is secure in our hands."
"What's going on here?" he interrupted rudely.
Master Yoda gave a tired sigh while Tarkin appeared to size him up in an arrogant manner.
"Luke Ahch-To is it? I've heard a great deal about you."
"I'm sure you have," came the cold response.
"They also told me you were more...polite," Tarkin jabbed.
"I'll show you how polite I can be."
Luke knew he was being as reckless as his father but Tarkin held the distinction of being one of the few people who could get underneath his skin. Sidious might have been evil incarnate, the Admiral soon to be Grand Moff symbolized a different kind: ruthless, cold, orderly and unhesitant to use fear as a means to keep people in line. Even if he hadn't committed any formal atrocity yet, there was no forgiving the man who destroyed his sister's homeworld, adopted parents, and billions of others along with it. Whether or not he knew Palpatine's true identity or designs didn't matter as he would go right along with them to achieve the power so desired.
And he's well on his way with arresting Ahsoka and sidelining the Order
His father placed a hand on his shoulder to illustrate he was going too far. That irony allowed Luke to recenter himself though it took considerable effort.
"Admiral, this investigation is a bit...rushed, don't you think?" Anakin tried to reason.
"On the contrary, I'd say we have done an extremely thorough job," Tarkin replied loftily. "Such a tragedy cannot be allowed to go unanswered."
"We have new evidence," Anakin countered. "Evidence that could prove my padawan innocent."
"Whatever this evidence is you will be allowed to present it in court. Master Yoda and the rest of the Council finally saw fit that Padawan Tano must be tried within a civilian context. You should as well. Good day."
Luke very much wanted to sucker punch the man as he turned around but resisted doing so. For now, he turned his attention to Yoda, incredulous.
"Master, how could you give in to Tarkin's demands?"
"Little choice there was, I'm afraid. Legally, Tarkin has the power. To be seen as acting against the Senate, we cannot."
Luke still couldn't understand how they could bow so easily. Evidently, neither could Anakin.
"Master," the Chosen one spoke. "Senator Amidala never ordered Ahsoka down to the hangar where the explosion happened. We found out that the bomb was fed to a Temple worker by someone who'd been given the droids under instruction from another Jedi, not Ahsoka."
"And know this Jedi's identity, you do?"
The men looked at each other sadly, punctuating the next bit of information.
"Our witness was strangled by a mysterious dark side user," Luke told him. "The witness is currently in a coma."
Yoda suddenly appeared as old as he truly was. Tired of the war, the politics, and the never ending cloud of the dark side that constantly surrounded them.
"Confirmed my theory is that the Sith are behind this. The work of Darth Sidious."
Luke's heart skipped a beat. So the Council already knew of his existence. But how?
"Enough evidence we have to vindicate Ahsoka? I'm afraid not," Yoda concluded sadly.
"So that's it then? We just give up and leave Ahsoka to rot? I thought the Jedi protected their own," Anakin said emphatically, his voice rising steadily.
"I thought the same," Luke agreed quietly.
Anyone else watching might mistake their conversation as disrespect. But Yoda understood their pain. The decision to expel Ahsoka was done extremely reluctantly as a consequence of being squeezed.
"Complicated and disturbing this war has become. Challenged everything, it has."
"So our efforts were in vain then?"
Yoda picked up his head, gazing intently at them both.
"In vain? No, I think not. Continue to find out more, you shall. Impede you, I will not."
The old master hobbled away on his stick, the endorsement this time ringing somewhat hollow. What more could they do? It was echoed by Anakin as soon as Yoda turned the corner.
"Tarkin is on his way to take Ahsoka back to the Council to be formally expelled. I think we've run out of options."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
Obi-Wan came into view holding a grim expression of his own but looking far more determined.
"I've never known Anakin Skywalker to give up nor Luke Ahch-To for that matter. Something is still not right about this situation. It deserves a closer look."
"Obi-Wan," Anakin said with great anxiety. "Please tell me you didn't vote to expel Ahsoka."
"I did not. I was very much against it but my sentiments were outvoted. Though I haven't been here for the entire incident I agree that Ahsoka is being framed."
"We're close to proving that," Luke told him earnestly. "We know it's another Jedi behind this. They were the one who likely planted the evidence in her room and deceived her into going to the main hangar."
"But which one?" Anakin said, exasperated. "There are thousands of Jedi."
This was the crux of the issue. The Last Jedi scrambled to find an answer but it remained elusive. Any Jedi could don a black cloak equipped with a voice modulator. Very few carried red lightsabers. In the previous timeline, Barriss Offee stole them from Assajj Ventress, but the ones used by this mystery dark sider did not match that description. In fact, the former assassin was nowhere near any of this. What was missing?
"My guess? It was someone close to her," Obi-Wan offered. "Someone she trusted. Not just anyone can plant evidence or break into another Jedi's room."
Realization hit Luke like a runaway X-Wing. How could he have been so stupid? The answer was right there all along.
"Wait...I know what to do," he said suddenly, feeling energy surge back into his forty eight year old body. "Jackar's wife described the one who gave her the nanodroids as female, short in stature, and wearing all black. Who does that sound like? What other padawan is Ahsoka close to?"
How could I have been so short sighted? he mentally chastised himself.
"Barriss Offee," Anakin answered without hesitation.
"We still have time," Luke said fervently. "Can you call Padme on her transmitter and ask if Ahsoka had been with Barriss any time prior to the bombing?"
"Is that even a question?"
Luke nodded and began running down the hallway.
"Where are you going?" Obi-Wan called after him
"To see if Master Luminara knew where Barriss was at about noon time today."
Anakin smiled at his old master before pressing his comlink.
"I think you might have just saved the day."
"Funny, that's usually your job."
Suddenly appearing humble, Anakin couldn't help but stare after Luke.
"For once, that doesn't really matter to me."
Padme didn't have the power of Jedi Mind tricks. She didn't need them. The power of political persuasion could be a powerful ally in itself. Especially when up against a stubborn clone commander.
"I'm sorry, Senator. Admiral Tarkin has ordered that no one-"
"Be allowed to visit or see her. I'm well aware," she interrupted. "And are you aware that by doing so you are in violation of Republic Law? Specifically Article Six of the Constitution giving the right to legal counsel and at least one visitation by a lawyer or friend twenty four hours after arrest?"
"But... the Admiral's orders. This is a military operation," Fox sputtered.
"I don't care what kind of operation it is," she responded, putting much more ice in her voice than usual. "However, it's become apparent this is an illegal one. I am a member of the Galactic Senate, the civilian body that will oversee her trial, therefore I have the right to talk to the defendant if I so desire. Commander, open that door."
She knew then and there Fox wouldn't refuse. His shock troopers would never manhandle or attempt to physically remove a Galactic Senator, especially a female one. They had no knowledge of the legal system as she did. Reluctantly, the clone complied.
"You can also tell Admiral Tarkin that I have a few questions for him when he gets here. If all is set right by the end of the day, there won't even be a trial."
Upon entry, she could see Ahsoka physically seemed just fine but mentally scarred and confused.
This poor girl. How could this be allowed to happen?
"Senator Amidala!" the Togrutan cried, sitting up from her lonely, steel bench. "W-what are you doing here?"
"Representing your legal rights as a citizen of the Republic. What they've done to you is shameful and I will ensure that this goes nowhere."
The woman's voice carried such strong overtones, Ahsoka was momentarily awestruck.
"I don't know what to say...thank you."
"No need to thank me," Padme said, placing a comforting hand around her. "It is my duty as a Senator," she smiled before adding. "Though if you want to thank anyone, give it to Anakin and Luke. They've been working tirelessly to free you."
That brought a smile to Ahsoka's face when suddenly her comlink activated.
"Padme, are you there?" came in Anakin's voice.
"Loud and clear, Anakin."
"Are you with Ahsoka?"
"I'm with her as we speak, what's going on?"
"We need to know if she saw Barriss Offee any time before the bombing."
The smile on Ahsoka's face turned into one of confusion.
"What's Barriss got to do with anything?"
"Just answer the question, Ahsoka. We don't have much time. The Jedi Council voted to expel you from the Order. Admiral Tarkin is on his way."
But this only served to hurt and bewilder the Padawan further.
"The Council...expelled me?"
Anakin's voice again came through this time, uncharacteristically patient and understanding.
"Ahsoka, listen to me. We think we know who's really behind it. You're upset and I don't blame you one bit. But you have to answer the question. Please."
The implication was enough. And it only caused more pain as she did as asked.
"Yes. She was in my room meditating with me the day before it all happened."
Padme took all of this in wondering just how deep this plot went. How could a Jedi do something so cruel and needless to one of their own?
"Stay with Senator Amidala," Anakin came in. "Do not leave her side. Padme, stall Admiral Tarkin as best you can."
"I'll do more than just stall," Padme replied, a hardened look on her face. "Admiral Tarken is in for a rude awakening."
"That's the Senator I know. I'll keep you updated."
The comlink went dead leaving Padme to do her best in comforting the lost and betrayed padawan. One didn't need to be a Jedi to know Ahsoka had never felt worse.
Luckily for Luke, Luminara was not off-world and found her in one of the meditation rooms.
"Commander Ahch-To. How can I help you?"
"I hope I'm not interrupting, but I need to speak to you immediately."
The Mirialan got up from the floor and gave a kind smile.
"Not at all. I was just about finished. What's on your mind?"
There was no way to put it delicately so Luke went straight to the point.
"Master, it's about what happened to Ahsoka Tano."
"Yes, I heard. A terrible shock. She and I served together many times."
Personally, the Last Jedi didn't dislike Luminara Unduli per say but she represented those like Mundi; taking detachment a step too far without any regard for the emotional impact life choices and events had on people. The arrogance and blindness that allowed the Jedi to be destroyed. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Master Skywalker and I have increasing reason to believe it was not her but someone else."
Luminara raised a brow.
"Oh? And who do you believe it was?"
"Your padawan, Barriss."
Predictably, the Mirialan refused to believe it.
"What? Impossible. How is she behind all this?"
"I don't have much time to explain. I just have to know if she stayed inside the Temple or went out today."
The crestfallen look on Luminara's face spoke louder than words.
"She...went out. To the market to buy a delicacy only found on our homeworld."
"At about what time?"
Luminara looked as though she did not want to answer but did so anyway.
"About mid morning. She came back about an hour and a half ago."
"Thank you, Master."
Bowing he made to leave but not without one last word from the despondent Jedi Master.
"Commander. Please show my padawan the compassion and decency that Skywalker's did not receive."
Stopping ever so briefly, he turned and nodded to confirm as much before exiting. Unfortunately, it was a promise he could not keep.
Luke notified Anakin and together they approached the door to Bariss's room.
"We can't let her escape," the former said, his tone hardening. "Otherwise we'll never free Ahsoka."
"No need to set off any alarms. She's on edge to begin with. I can feel it."
"So can I. Be prepared for anything."
"Together," Luke said with an affirming nod.
Anakin pressed the button on the door, which gave a beep.
"Enter."
The two male Jedi stepped in the room to find Barriss on the floor meditating. Apparently she hid her anxiousness well.
"Master Skywalker, Commander Luke. What are you doing here?" she asked evenly, standing up.
"Barriss, we need to talk to you about Ahsoka," Anakin started off.
"She's one of my best friends. It breaks my heart to see her expelled from the Order. I wish there was more I could do."
That response had been a little too quick. Anakin stepped forward and used his body to shield her vision from Luke, who quickly swiped her lightsaber from the table.
"Perhaps there is," the brunette continued. "We've been investigating this ourselves. After days of turning over every clue, there's no doubt in our minds that someone else was behind this."
"If not Ahsoka, then who did it?"
Bariss's voice remained calm but Luke could sense much fear in her...and darkness. He pretended not to notice her edging towards the back wall.
"A Dark Jedi," Anakin answered. "One who betrayed the Order and betrayed a friend."
"You wouldn't happen to have been out and about in the city today would you?" Luke asked knowing the inevitable confrontation was nigh.
Just a little longer
"I was. My Master and I desired a delicacy only made in our homeworld of Mirial. A market had some samples."
"And were you by chance within the southern district of Coruscant?"
"No? Why would I go there?"
Panic became noticeable in her answers now.
"Perhaps to silence a potential witness."
"I don't-"
"Tell me," Anakin interrupted. "Did you feel any remorse at all for framing one of your best friends and killing twenty six innocents?"
That did the trick. Barriss summoned a lightsaber underneath a potted plant and its color was not blue. She leapt with a shriek towards Anakin but found her strike blocked by a hiss of emerald.
"Funny, I wonder where you got that little thing," Anakin spat.
"From my new master," Barriss said with a wicked smile. She attacked again but the fight was over before it began. The young padawan couldn't stand up to the power of two of the strongest Jedi in history. Luke blocked her strike upward, then down, spinning the blade out of her hand. Anakin finished the rest, using the Force to slam her against the wall, effectively removing any chance at movement or escape.
Anakin walked towards Barriss, contempt and anger raging within his blue eyes.
"Come on. We're about to go for a walk. I don't think Dooku is going to be too pleased with you."
Padme decided she didn't like Admiral Tarkin. Not one bit. Effective he may have been as a military man she found him condescending, rude, smarmy, and entirely too authoritarian. Exactly the wrong kind of person to wield power in the Republic.
"Senator Amidala you are in violation of a military investigation and of my order that no one be authorized to visit Padawan Tano as she is now facing charges of treason and sedition."
"And I've told you, Admiral Tarkin, this is a violation of Republic law and grounds for automatic dismissal of your charges. Whatever has happened, it is very clear to me you have no real interest in attaining justice."
They stood inside the facility with clone shock troopers watching with high interest. Ahsoka stood behind her while Tarkin continued to make veiled threats.
"Senator, I have attempted to be patient and reason with you. But I must warn, however influential you may be...you are not invulnerable. No one is above the law."
"The same goes for you," she shot back.
"I will give you one last chance. Step aside and allow the formal process to continue. She is no longer a Jedi and I will not have anyone come in the way of proper procedure and order."
Padme's normally soft brown eyes hardened. She wasn't going anywhere. Even if the Admiral did end up ordering her arrest, it would cause far more headaches for him than it would for her.
But Tarkin never received the chance. Just in time Anakin and Luke burst through the door, Barriss being pulled along with them, hands in binders.
"Admiral. We have a confession," the brunette announced.
Luke took in the scene and saw Padme right up in the face of Tarkin, no doubt telling him to take a long walk off a short pier. It created a heavy sense of deja vu.
She looks almost exactly like Leia giving him the business
The respect he held for his mother, already high, increased that much more.
"Oh, really?" Tarkin asked. "And is this young lady the true culprit?"
"Tell him the truth," Anakin ordered. It wasn't a request. Strangely enough Barriss didn't seem to mind revealing everything in front of Tarkin even though there wasn't much choice.
"I bombed the Jedi Temple," she said in a defiant tone. "I tricked Ahsoka into going down to the main hangar, planted evidence in her room and tried to kill a witness that could have proved her innocence."
The revelation shocked everyone in the room minus those who knew it to be true already. Even the normally unflappable Tarkin appeared to be politely nonplussed.
"Barriss...why?" Ahsoka asked weakly.
"Because I realized the Jedi are the true monsters in this war!" she shouted. "We're supposed to be peacekeepers and yet everywhere we go brings nothing but death and destruction!"
"And you killed twenty six innocents to prove this point?" Tarken sniffed sarcastically.
Far from being remorseful, Barriss began laughing in a cold, frightening way.
"You don't even know who you truly work for. I've seen the truth...the future. The Jedi are not in it."
Her words sent a chill up Luke's spine. Barriss had definitely not known the full truth about the Clone Wars the first time around. Was it possible she knew more in this altered present?
I need to find out. And soon.
"Master Skywalker, Commander Ahch-To I believe you have solved this mystery," Tarkin relented in the face of a full confession. "Padawan Offee will be taken into custody, expelled from the Jedi Order and be put on trial."
He nodded towards Commander Fox and Ahsoka.
"Release her."
The shock troopers allowed them to pass out of the facility unmolested.
"Come on. Let's go home," Anakin announced quietly.
But what home there was to return to no one knew. For the foundations had been rocked to its very core.
Luke couldn't help but take in the deep level of hurt and mistrust on Ahsoka's face wondering if it was already too late to persuade her to stay.
"Ahsoka, I am so sorry about everything."
"You have our humblest apologies little Soka. The Council was wrong to accuse you."
"You have shown such strength and resilience in your struggle to prove your innocence."
"This is the true sign of a Jedi Knight."
"This was actually your great trial. Now we see that. We understand the Force works in mysterious ways. Because of this trial, you have become a greater Jedi than you otherwise would have."
"Back into the Order, you may come."
Ahsoka Tano heard them all- Anakin, Plo, Sassee Tinn, Ki-Adi Mundi, Mace Windu, Master Yoda. They all spoke of her ordeal as some great and noble trial. They sang her praises one by one. But the words felt empty.
"We're asking you back, Ahsoka," her Master continued. "I'm asking you back. That Padawan braid will no longer be required."
He held out his hand as a gesture. She wanted to take it, oh how she wanted to take it and pretend like none of this ever happened. But Ahsoka Tano could not simply forgive so easily. Anakin and Luke had believed her that was true but the Jedi Council, the one she revered and obeyed time and again, no longer stood for what it claimed to.
Heart heavy, she took her two hands and slowly closed her master's back into a fist. Anakin knew what this meant and his eyebrows went back into his hairline.
"I'm sorry, Master. But I'm not coming back."
Without another word, she turned and left.
They would never know just how much pain the decision she just made caused. The only home she ever knew forever tarnished. All of the people she cared about and loved left behind in the rearview mirror. True, she had not been formally expelled but the fact that they voted to without hearing her side of the story was the final straw.
Twice she refused her now ex-master in rejoining his side. Not for the first time wondering if that might have been a mistake. Anakin had said so. Perhaps he was right, maybe there was a chance to revisit this path in life at some point in time.
But not now.
Tears streaked her face as Ahsoka walked down the famed steps of the Jedi Temple, wanting to leave its presence before it cast a deeper shadow on her heart.
I'm sorry, Master. But I can't be a Jedi. Not like this. Not as the Order currently stands.
"You know, part of me believes it would be more ethical to let you walk out of here."
The voice of Luke Ahch-To came from above and sure enough there he was, sitting on the top ledge overlooking the steps leading down into the street.
"But the consequences of you leaving far outweigh any potential benefit."
He jumped down impressively in front of her, blond hair shining in the Coruscanti sun.
"Luke...I'm sorry. I can't go back on my decision."
"I get wanting to leave the life of a Jedi behind. Believe me, I do."
"Anakin already gave me the same speech," she told him bluntly. "I don't want to hear another one."
"It's not a speech."
Luke appeared highly flustered, even nervous for the first time since Ahsoka met him. Almost as though he wanted to tell her something but didn't know how. She could sense trepidation and anticipation simultaneously.
"Save your breath. Whatever you say doesn't matter now. I have to find my own way."
"This isn't just about you," he argued back. "It's not about me, the Council, Obi-Wan, Yoda, or whoever. There's a bigger picture. Something much bigger at stake."
Ahsoka felt herself becoming irritated verging on anger.
"Yet you never bothered to tell me even after promising multiple times."
"There wasn't a good moment or time. I never got the chance to…" he looked down and pressed his lips together, trying to form the proper sentences. "You have to trust me. I knew you were innocent from the start. I don't hold the same beliefs as those on the Council. You know that."
But Ahsoka had had enough of whatever line of crap the Jedi or whoever else desired to give her. The time to walk out was now.
"Oh yeah? Then why don't you finally tell me how you're so powerful despite never setting foot in the Jedi Temple until three months ago. What you were doing in the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions all this time? And how do you seem to perceive things before they happen better than any Jedi alive?"
Luke again couldn't find the words to say, proper Galactic basic not flowing correctly.
"Forget it. This is a waste of time."
She walked around him and prepared to embark on a new life, wherever it took her.
Until she heard the fateful words.
"Because my name is Luke Skywalker."
Slowly Ahsoka turned around, digesting the words that entered her brain.
"I've come back nearly fifty years into the past to prevent a fate befalling the galaxy too horrifying and terrible to relate."
"Luke...Skywalker," she repeated slowly, ensuring she heard the name correctly. "And that means you're-"
"The son of Anakin Skywalker, yes," he finished for her. "And Padme Amidala."
Ahsoka found herself less shocked than she otherwise would have been. But everything Luke was saying should qualify him for an insane asylum.
"But...how is that possible?"
"It's a long story," Luke said with a sigh. "I don't necessarily have time to delve into all the details. The long and short of it is, I managed to find a way back to this moment in the timeline through the Force."
His statement didn't make sense. Time travel was an extremely vague and esoteric subject without any concrete evidence to suggest it even existed. And yet…
"That would explain a lot. Especially all the foreknowledge about certain things. Your power."
"Yes, it's how I knew where to find Obi-Wan on Florum and save Master Gallia. It's how I was already aware of Anakin and Padme's relationship. How I knew you weren't the one responsible for the Temple bombing."
Ahsoka felt like she'd been hit by a speeder. The Force had been so cloudy lately, the vision of every Jedi rendered obsolete, useless practically. She sensed no lie, no falsehood coming from Luke's lips, yet there was so much not yet understood.
"How old are you exactly?" she asked.
"Forty eight years in body," he replied.
"Then that means….your birth is less than a year! Does that mean Padme is…"
"So far as I'm aware, no," Luke answered quickly about his mom possibly being pregnant. "Though my presence in this timeline may have complicated that. If that does happen, however, a paradox will be created and the laws of the universe will eventually correct it."
He's potentially on borrowed time, Ahsoka thought as the horrid realization dawned on her.
"And you are a Jedi?"
Luke's blue eyes turned extremely melancholic. She sensed great pain and failure in him now.
"Yes, in a way. I was a Grand Master, the head of the Order."
"Just like Yoda," Ahsoka affirmed. "But wait. If you're a Jedi and a Grand Master what terrible fate happened that made you come back? Why are you here?"
"Because I'm the last one," he replied sadly.
She couldn't believe her ears. The Jedi extinct? How could such a thing happen? Yet once more, the Togrutan sensed no lie from the man's lips.
"You're not kidding, are you?"
"I'm afraid not. Around the time of my birth, almost nine months from now, everything changes. The Republic will be transformed into an empire, the Jedi are wiped out, and the Sith rule the galaxy with an iron fist. No one can escape it."
Ahsoka opened her mouth to say something and then closed it, hardly knowing what to say after such a heavy statement. When she found words, it followed the same pattern of a person still unaware of the true nature of the war.
"Does that mean the Separatists win?"
Luke gave a rueful smile, acidic and bitter.
"No. The Republic did. Dooku and Grievous were killed and all the droids were shut down. It was twisted from the inside. By Palpatine."
The revelations steadily grew more and more gruesome for Ahsoka.
"Palpatine is the Sith Lord?" she asked weakly.
"Yes. He is the one the Jedi have been searching for since the beginning. His true name is Darth Sidious, a malevolent creature of pure evil and abject cruelty. The war has been his doing- the Republic, the Separatists, the clones, the droids- all of it. What Barriss said today in that prison was partially true. The Jedi have been fooled into serving the very thing they seek to destroy. Manipulated at every turn."
Ahsoka took all of this in and all at once everything became clear. The bombing, the blame she took, everything that had happened was all under the direction of one man. Envisioning the kind and graceful Chancellor as an evil, conniving Sith Lord remained difficult even now. Yet as it was with everything else Luke mentioned, it was the only explanation that made sense.
"There's still one thing I don't understand. You said you're a Jedi. But if they were destroyed how did you end up becoming one? What happened to Padme, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and everyone else? Did Anakin not end up destroying the Sith as prophesied? Did he fail?"
Tears formed in Luke's crystal blue eyes. There was no mistaking that pain and sorrow now. So intense it was, Ahsoka almost didn't want him to answer her questions.
"Worse," he finally croaked. "Anakin falls to the dark side. He attacks the Jedi Temple and kills everyone inside...even the younglings."
The former padawan felt physically ill. No, it couldn't be. The Anakin she knew, her Skyguy, would never do such horrible things. Yet the proof existed in the man standing in front of her.
"How?" she whispered.
"Sidious twisted his mind and offered false promises. He believed wrongly that Padme would die in childbirth if he didn't take action. Ironically, by doing so he caused his vision to come true. She lost the will to live after my sister and I were born."
Sister?
There was a lot to unpack there but Ahsoka kept her line of questioning linear.
"And no one tried to stop him? No one saw this coming?"
"Palpatine managed to manipulate the situation at every turn. As the war dragged on, Anakin's disillusionment grew and by the time the Jedi were aware they'd been duped, it was too late. Obi-Wan and Yoda tried to salvage everything but both failed. They were the only two masters that survived the purge."
"But what about Anakin? Didn't anyone try to stop him? To help?"
Luke shook his head, willing himself not to vomit at the traumatic image of his father burning on the side of a fiery slope screaming his undying hatred of someone he once considered a brother.
"Padme tried to bring him back to sanity. Obi-Wan did too but Anakin wouldn't listen. (He decided telling Ahsoka about his father Force choking his mother wasn't necessary to mention for right now) The two ended up dueling...Obi-Wan won."
"He...he killed Anakin?"
"No, though he came close. They dueled on Mustafar, a planet entirely covered in volcanic lava and ash. My father became arrogant and attempted an ill advised move while Obi-Wan stood on higher ground...three of his limbs were sliced off….the fires consumed what was left of his body…"
He couldn't continue on. By now Ahsoka had tears in her eyes as well, unable to stop herself from openly crying.
"You said he didn't die though?" she asked, managing to keep her voice steady.
"His rage and connection to the dark side kept him alive. Sidious reached him in time but the toxic ash damaged his lungs so badly he needed to be kept in cybernetic, black suit with a breathing mask in order to survive. By that time, his transformation into Darth Vader was complete."
A cold wind blew in from the east upon mention of that name. Clouds temporarily shadowed them from the sunlight as if to highlight the sheer cruelty and darkness of the menacing Sith Lord. The broken, black, vengeful memory of Vader.
"In the aftermath, my mother died. Yoda and Obi-Wan went into hiding. The Republic was no more and the Jedi became little more than legend, myth. I was sent to live on Tatooine with my aunt and uncle on a moisture farm, unaware of my true lineage."
"So at least some of what you told us was true," Ahsoka interjected with slight humor.
"Yes, from a certain point of view," Luke said back, giving a hollow laugh at the irony of him using that particular line on someone else.
They both sat down on the steps, the emotional toll becoming too much to physically stand.
"And your first master, this Ben..."
"Obi-Wan," Luke confirmed. "He watched over me for nineteen years before the Rebellion against the Empire brought us into the action. Yes, there really was a space station I blew up. Vader killed Obi-Wan in the process, so that was also true," he added knowing the question that came next.
"And Yoda?"
"He was my second master. In actuality I experienced very little training compared to what you, Anakin, and Obi-Wan received here at the Temple. I joined the fight against Sidious, Vader and their Empire. I ended up having to face them both."
"And it sounds to me like you won. Otherwise you wouldn't be alive," Ahsoka correctly deduced.
"I did. Sort of. In my younger, more naive days I wasn't convinced as everyone else that Vader couldn't be turned back to the light. When I found out he was my father this became my primary goal."
Blowing out a sigh and not wanting to talk too much about his own past, Luke decided to give the short version.
"Sidious attempted to turn me to the dark side after I bested Vader in combat. When I refused, he tried to kill me instead. But that's what finally changed my father back to his old self. He in turn killed the Emperor and fulfilled the prophecy of bringing balance to the Force."
"But if you both brought balance, why did you come all the way back to this time?"
Luke knew he'd be asked that and wished he didn't have to answer it. He felt exhausted already.
"For a while there was balance. A new Galactic Republic formed and I in turn began my quest to create a new Jedi Order with about a dozen students. But that too failed. The dark side rose again, my newly created Order was destroyed in its infancy and the galaxy plunged into chaos once more. In my shame, I cut myself off from the Force and went into exile."
He looked off into the west and slowly watched the sun go down, just as it had on his Order...on Ben Solo, his nephew and greatest failure. He couldn't reveal that just yet. Admitting that particular error was just too shameful.
"I also couldn't come back to a time where I already existed due to the paradox rule. In addition, I thought it best to prevent all the bad events from happening in the first place."
"That is...a lot," Ahsoka admitted, resting her arms on the top of her legs. "But there's still one more thing I have to ask you."
Luke nodded, knowing to drop something like this on anyone would merit a metric ton of questions.
"A lot of what you claim happened or will happen occurred before you were born. So how did you know all those details?"
"Well Obi-Wan and Yoda told me a lot. Galactic history before the Empire was exceedingly difficult to find but not impossible. However, most of what I know comes from a unique method. Apparently, it is possible to sustain one's life force even after death. Obi-Wan, Yoda, and my father were able to learn this power. After I opened myself back up to the Force, they allowed me to see visions, glimpses of their experiences while alive, memories I still carry. They live within me."
He gestured with both arms in a lame attempt at levity but Ahsoka still looked rather stunned.
"Wow," was all that came out of her mouth.
"Yes, I don't blame you for feeling a bit overwhelmed. In the previous timeline, you ended up leaving the Jedi Order, hastening Anakin's fall and leaving a hole in his life that could never be filled. That is why I ask you once more to stay."
Ahsoka didn't say anything for a long time, staring intently out into the distance. Luke tried to discern her feelings but so many churned within the Togrutan it was impossible to predict what her decision might be, though he supposed it might have more to do with processing than the refusal to help her master and friend.
Finally, after what seemed like half an hour, a lifetime even, she spoke.
"I will help you."
Luke found himself elated with joy.
"We will defeat Sidious and prevent Anakin from the horrible fate you've spoken of. For him. For everyone. For the galaxy."
She got up from the steps and offered her hand to the last Jedi which he gladly accepted. Hardly daring to believe he'd told his secret to someone and not have it backfire completely, Luke suddenly felt incredibly light as if a heavy burden had been partially lifted.
"There's much to do. But for now, I think we can take solace in the fact that Anakin will be overjoyed to have you back."
"I always said he wouldn't last more than a day without me. Now I have the actual proof."
This caused Luke to genuinely laugh and soon Ahsoka joined in.
"By the way, what did happen to me after I left the Order?"
The blond did not have the energy to go down that particular rabbit hole.
"That," he said with a slight uptick in his mouth. "Is a story for another time."
There was great excitement and a flurry of gossip throughout Coruscant and within the halls of the Jedi Temple itself.
Ahsoka Tano was to be knighted, one of the youngest in centuries. Luke Ahch-To received a medal of distinction for services to the Republic alongside Anakin Skywalker. Admiral Tarkin, though still a member of the strategy council that advised the Chancellor, was placed on administrative leave from military action after Senator Amidala revealed the full scope of what he'd done in order to attain a conviction. The Senate deemed his methods 'irregular' at best and illegal at worst. Palpatine, of course, claimed no knowledge or approval of said methods.
But none of that concerned Luke at the moment. Happy as he was for Ahsoka and relieved that the bastard Tarkin put on clerk duty, this little saga was not over. One last detail, a loose end, had yet to be taken care of.
"State your business."
"Commander Luke Ahch-To here to see, Barriss Offee."
Commander Fox, no longer required to take orders from Tarkin, gave no objection. Besides, no one wanted to question the hero of the Republic who'd put the real Temple bomber in jail.
He dropped his lightsaber and comlink in the drop box and the cell forcefield vanished, allowing him to enter.
"Luke Ahch-To," Barriss stated lazily. "I thought you and the rest of the Jedi were done with me, seeing as I've been stripped of the honor."
"Whatever you lost is your own fault. Don't play the victim here."
"I am not a victim. Merely ahead of the curve. Are you here to ask if I'm in league with Dooku?"
"That's pretty much a foregone conclusion. You gave the nanodroids to Letta, you planted them in Ahsoka's room, gave Dooku the password to her comlink and admitted working for him when attacking Anakin. Not to mention the red lightsaber which is pretty much a dead give away," Luke said to her disdainfully. "What I want to know is what caused you to turn against the Order you swore to protect and serve."
Barriss sat up and gave a small chuckle.
"I am not a Separatist. My reasons go much deeper than that."
Luke had been afraid of a response like that. Nevertheless, he pressed further.
"You had a reputation for being as calm and compassionate as your master, Luminara. Then you kill twenty six people and try to pin it on someone you considered a friend."
Barriss did appear somewhat regretful though her blue eyes still retained much of the darkness and anger that marked them the last time they fought.
"Ahoksa was merely a casualty of the future that is to come. A future the Count showed me in its entirety."
He rubbed the stubble on his five o'clock shadow. Barriss had not been Dooku's puppet in the original timeline. But how much did she know? Was she a threat to his plans?
"You know about it too, don't you?" she said, eyes narrowing. "That's why you're asking all these questions."
"I don't know what you mean," he lied. But apparently, he could not hide the full depth of his fear. Barriss made a skeptical noise.
"I can sense that is not the case. You know as well as I do the Jedi have become complacent, unwise, and blind to the truth. Mere soldiers pretending to be peacekeepers."
"Flawed, certainly. But deserving of extermination?"
Barriss rolled her eyes.
"You seek to reform the Order from within. In fact I think you're wise not to call yourself a Jedi. But it's too late. They were ready to cast Ahsoka aside. That's all anyone needs to know about the benevolence and wisdom of the Jedi Order. I did not take an oath to spread violence and hypocrisy."
"And yet that's exactly what you did when you bombed the Temple. Call me a little skeptical of your reasoning," Luke bit sarcastically.
Barriss sat down on the steel bench once more.
"The darkness grows," she practically whispered. "We all can feel it. Dooku showed me that violence is sometimes necessary to enact the changes needed to create a better society. And something better is coming. When it does, I will be rewarded."
Luke had heard enough and as if on cue he received a message from Obi-Wan on his comlink.
"Luke, where are you? It's almost time for Ahsoka's knighting ceremony. I figured you'd want to be there."
"I'm headed over now."
"How touching," Barriss sneered. "Enjoy your victory while it lasts. Mine is coming sooner than you think."
"You'll be lucky if you don't have your head sliced off in the next two weeks," Luke said, unable to resist returning a barb. "In any case, I'm done here."
He made to leave the cell but turned back around as one more thought occurred to him.
"Who ordered Ahsoka to the security detail of Senator Amidala instead of the mission to Cato Neimodia with me and Anakin?"
Barriss looked confused at that question.
"Chancellor Palpatine. Why?"
Her reaction confirmed to Luke she did not know the true identity of Palpatine or who the true Sith Lord was, relieving him of an unpleasant decision. It brought comfort yet also more anxiety. For it confirmed something else: that Sidious had been behind everything from the beginning.
Luke had won this round, but it was only one battle as a part of a much larger war. There were many more yet to come.
Typically, the ceremony where a Jedi lost their Padawan braid and became a full fledged knight was a private affair between the individual and the High Council. This one proved to be an exception given the circumstances. Anakin, Luke, and a handful of others were invited to witness the moment where Ahsoka Tano would become a Jedi Knight.
Pulling up his hood as per tradition, Luke slipped in between two others next to Anakin as the lights were dimmed and the automatic doors closed. Ahsoka stood in the center of the motif symbolizing the harmony between the Jedi and the Force in preparation.
"Sorry I'm late," he whispered.
"Was wondering if you would make it back in time," Anakin said, ribbing him in the torso.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Good because Obi-Wan specifically told me to make sure you were here for this."
Something in Anakin's smile made Luke sense there was something more going on than just a knighting ceremony.
"What's going on here?"
"You'll see," was all the brunette said before the lights completely shut off.
For a few seconds there was nothing. Just inky blackness. Then a wave of color issued forth- blues, greens, even a purple- criss crossing against each other creating a light more beautiful than any in the physical world. Against the backdrop of this beauty stood twelve hooded figures. In the middle was Ahsoka Tano, as radiant as she'd ever been.
"Step forward, Padawan," came the grizzled tone of Master Yoda.
Ahsoka did so, going on one knee and bowing her head. Twelve lightsabers lowered to the ground simultaneously. Yoda placed his green saber just over her right shoulder.
"Ahsoka Tano. By the right of the Council."
He placed it just above her left shoulder.
"By the will of the Force. Dub thee I do…"
He nicked her padawan braid falling to the floor for the final time.
"Jedi Knight of the Republic. Rise."
Ahsoka did so, basking in the full glory of her accomplishment though Luke thought he could see the slightest hint of unhappiness as well. After all she had come back not for the accolade of being a Knight but to assist him in changing the future. For Anakin.
The ceremony should have concluded then and there but no one moved, turned on the lights, or anything of the sort. Luke then realized all eyes were upon him now.
"One more we have to honor today," Yoda announced, his green eyes now twinkling.
It hit him why Anakin and Obi-Wan insisted he be here on time. The amused look on his father's face said it all.
You scheming son of a-
"Luke Ahch-To, step forward if you will."
He couldn't believe it. In the quest to go back in time to change the past, the idea of actually being officially knighted never occurred to him. Over the Endor moon years ago, he'd proclaimed himself a Jedi after refusing to kill Vader. But there had been no ceremony, no proclamation of this deed. After all, he'd been the last one. Yoda and Obi-Wan were dead and couldn't bestow anything.
Is this real?
His gaze shifted from Ahsoka and picked out Obi-Wan among the Council both smiling, the latter tilting his head as if to say, 'Go on.'
Luke finally managed to get his legs working again, each step feeling like it was made of lead. He was amazed he didn't trip or fall upon kneeling.
"A special honor, this is," Yoda told him. "Though a Jedi you claim not to be, more than worthy you are of the title. Time it is, for you to join us."
He repeated the sequence used with Ahsoka.
"Luke Ahch-To, by the right of the Council, by the Will of the Force. I dub thee...Jedi Knight of the Republic. Rise."
As he did so, he looked up and saw that Yoda was actually beaming at him. It couldn't have been more different than lying beside his master in a dirty old hut on his deathbed.
"Ahsoka Tano and Luke Ahch-To are now Knights of the Republic," Mace Windu continued. "Two of the finest we've seen. May the Force be with them."
The two couldn't help but look at each other with wide grins. Though there was much to do, for the briefest of moments pride and joy ruled the day for the Jedi Order.
Luke couldn't help but sense that Anakin's pride stood out most of all.
So Ahsoka decides to stay and Luke is made an official Jedi Knight! Lots happening. But what bodes for the future now that Luke has revealed himself to at least one Jedi? Next update will be soon! Stay tuned!
~The Wasp