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Chapter Text

Barriss Offee tried to meditate, tried to find her rhythm. But nothing would come. She couldn’t get comfortable kneeling, nor sitting crossed legged. Her hands would fidget and feel uncomfortable whatever position she put them in. And her breathing was...well the less said about that the better.

She sighed and put her face in her hands. Dressed in her dark violet uniform and long skirt, hair fraying out the back of her head covering, she sat on the only hard bench in the cell facing the forcefield, low red light coming through the grates in the floor. A horrible, enclosed space, though she’d been in worse. At least she wasn’t cold. At least she wasn’t running out of air.

All she was running out of was time. She hadn’t been told yet, but it had been at least a week. It wouldn’t be long now.

“Prisoner R18B97,” the tinny mechanical voice filtered through the comm, making her body stiff. “You have a visitor. Please keep back from the entrance.”

Her heart thumped as she stared at the forcefield. It couldn’t be Luminara could it? Not again. Not after how the last visit had ended, with Luminara trying to coax something out of her and Barriss lapsing into sullen silence when her arguments hadn’t convinced Luminara of anything.

Then she felt the presence. The familiar presence. And her body went rigid.

No... No!

The forcefield disappeared as Ahsoka Tano walked into the cell.

She carried herself casually, wearing her maroon tunic, with the high collar, her lekku sitting comfortably over her shoulders. She stepped into the room and looked at Barriss.
They were silent for a long moment, the only noise the thumping in Barriss’ ears.

“You’re looking well,” Ahsoka said at last.

“T-thank you,” Barriss replied and then winced. “What are you doing here?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I wanted to see you.” She moved towards the left wall, frowning at the sink. “You know, I think this might be the same cell I was held in.”

“Oh. Right. Seems someone has a sense of poetic irony.” Barriss forced a laugh to cover for the fact that she wanted to vomit.

Ahsoka chuckled. “Yes. Maybe.”

Another silence.

“H-how are things? Outside?” Barriss asked, uncomfortable with the silence.

“Not so bad. The anti-Jedi demonstrations are being taken a bit more seriously. Even the Council is thinking they might have to address some of the concerns.”

“Oh...That’s good...I suppose...”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“But I did mean...more...how you are?”

“Me? Oh, I’m good.” Ahsoka turned around and smiled at her, but the smile was forced. Nervous. Strained. “I was Knighted.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!” Barriss said and meant it even if her voice didn’t quite convey her emotion. “That’s been your dream for so long it’s...I’m very happy for you.”

Ahsoka rubbed at her arms and looked to the side. “Thank you,” she said, quietly.

Barriss stared at her, twisting her hands together. She reached one out, trembling, and moved her fingers in a set of rapid, flicking motions, catching Ahsoka’s eye.

It was the secret language they had, their own version of battle-sign.

+It’s okay. I’m prepared.+

Ahsoka stared at her. Slowly she shook her head and checked the chronometer in her hand.

“I will not abandon you,” she said.

Barriss’ eyes widened at the declaration.

And the room was suddenly plunged into the darkness.

CC-1010, or Commander Fox, swore for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few minutes. An ion charge, for what else could it have been, had detonated somewhere and had taken out a significant chunk of the Republic Military Base electricals. Including the forcefields around a lot of the prison cells. Swarms of prisoners had raced past, with the clone troopers too disorganized and disorientated to stop all of them, with many darting into the various corridors.

Fox wanted to issue a call, coordinate the troops, and bring in support. But he couldn’t because the damn comms were out as well.

He swore again, reaching under the console to rip panels apart inside the security office, hoping to perhaps hotwire the console to get it back up. He’d sent Trooper C-12357, or Prime, out to try and communicate the situation the old fashioned way but he had no idea how long that would take. And he needed to get control of this situation. Yesterday.

Someone stumbled down the corridor and he raised his blaster, ready to fire.

“Wait!”

He paused and then recognised the Togrutan woman who came towards him, rubbing her montrals. “Commander Tano,” Fox said, putting down the blaster. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Ahsoka replied. “The lights suddenly went out and the forcefield went off.” She shook her head, clearing wooziness. “Commander Fox, Barriss escaped when it happened. She knocked me down.”

Fox’s fist clenched as a cold fury swept through him. That little renegade Jedi was proving to be quite the troublemaker. “Our communications are out,” Fox said. “I have no way of contacting anyone at the moment.”

“Give me my sabres.” Ahsoka held out her hands. “I’ll get after her.”

“Thanks, Commander Tano.” He withdrew her lightsabres from the secure drawer and passed them through the tray at the window. He meant what he said, after the trouble he’d given her last time she didn’t owe helping him out like this. “You get after her.”

Ahsoka grabbed her lightsabres and turned to run.

“And Commander Tano!”

She halted, looked back.

Behind his helmet, Fox’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry about bringing her back in one piece.”

Ahsoka looked startled. But then she nodded and started off down the corridor.

Fox turned back to the console and gave it a hopeful kick, and then swore when it didn’t start and bent to grab the wires.

Ahsoka ran down the metallic-grey walled corridor, with the polished dark floor. She swung around to the right to go down another corridor and as she did so she chucked her shoto sabre. “Here you can have the short one,” she said.

Barriss, waiting around the corner, caught it with both hands. “Thank yo--”

Ahsoka slammed her elbow across Barriss’ chest and shoved her back against the wall. She held her main sabre up, the hilt pointing at the Mirialan’s face. “No killing, understand?” she growled, baring her teeth slightly. “Non-lethal deflections only.”

Barriss glared back. She looked about to say something, but then thought better of it, and nodded.

Ahsoka let her go and Barriss rubbed at her chest and stepped back from the wall. She indicated down the corridor with her chin. “Should we go? Before the chaos abates?”

“You run ahead,” Ahsoka said. “I’m ‘chasing’ you, so hopefully that will buy us a bit more time. Do you know the way to the main doors?”

“Yes.”

“Then go, I’ll meet you there. And only use the lightsabre if you have to, otherwise, they’ll know.”

Barriss nodded and then turned and sped down the corridor. Ahsoka waited, holding herself in a ready position to run in case any troopers came by. But after fifteen seconds none had appeared, so she took off, pursuing Barriss towards the front, but making sure her speed was always slightly slower so she wouldn’t catch up.

Barriss sprinted along the corridor. She knew the route, of course. By comparison to a Genosian tunnel system, memorising the whole base’s layout was much easier.
She had to press herself against walls and duck down side corridors a few times. Other prisoners were on the loose and running through the facility, which was keeping the troopers occupied. She hoped that Ahsoka saying she was ‘pursuing’ her would keep them out of her way a little more.

She ducked back against a slight projection off a wall as a prisoner ran past. And then flinched as she heard the harsh sounds of blaster fire and the prisoner’s scream. Lethal blaster fire. The troopers rounded the corner and dragged the body away, heading back where they’d come from. Barriss took a deep breath and exhaled it, bringing her thumping heart under control.

She knew they’d use lethal force, or at least suspected it. Given the way everything was going, everything she’d known. But it still gave her a spike of anxiety to be confronted with it.

Barriss waited until she was sure the clones had disappeared, then she sprinted out through the corridor. She reached the door she needed, hit the panel and it slid apart, leading her into a dark chamber, the walls spotted with hazy white lights that did little to dispel the shadows, leading up to a large triangular blast door. She pressed herself against the wall and peeked out at the corridor and the door. If she could run along there...she could maybe hotwire the doors open. But it was risky. There was no telling when they’d get the comms back online, and they would have surely sent out someone to get help and they could be back any moment.

The door opened behind her and she panicked briefly, hand reaching for the shoto sabre at her belt, but relaxed when she saw Ahsoka running toward her.

“Run into any trouble?” Barriss asked.

“No, all going smoothly. No clone bodies this time.”

Barriss flinched at the jab. Ahsoka seemed to realize what she’d said, as she winced. “Sorry,” she said.

Barriss waved a hand in dismissal. It’s not like it was undeserved... “How are we getting out?” Barriss asked. “Anyone could come through there at any moment.”

“That’s what I’m counting on,” Ahsoka said. Barriss glanced at her. “Last time, I waited for the doors to open and snuck out. There’s a little nook on either side of the door we can hide behind.”

Barriss looked around and saw what she meant. “Okay...on three. One...two...”

The doors opened and Prime came running through, a group of troopers behind him. Barriss ducked back, heart hammering.

“Kriff!” Ahsoka swore under her breath. “If we hide here, wait for them to pass--”

“No, the doors will shut before then, and we can’t wait that long,” Barriss cut in.

“So what do you suggest?”

“Well, you’re pursuing me. So pursue me.”

“Wait--what--”

Before Ahsoka could act, Barriss swung herself around the corridor and charged towards the clones. The troopers skidded to a halt and raised their weapons. “Barriss Offee!” Prime shouted, pulling out his pistol. “You are under arr--”

Without breaking stride, Barriss flung out both her hands and sent a wave through the Force, knocking the clones to the ground. She leapt over them and charged towards the door, which was starting to close. She put on a burst of speed and leapt, twisting her body, so she slotted through the doors before they slammed shut.

She landed in a crouch. In front of her were two large trapezoid structures, with statues of clones around the base, splitting the path in two with a long set of red flags on either side of the path. In the middle was a rectangular block and from the base of it shone up the only light. The blocky, oppressive building was behind her, the whole design of the place with the hazy white lights casting everything into shadow, making her feel small.

She clenched her fist, feeling the anger build in her again. This...this stood for everything that she had grown to despise about the Republic and the Jedi. The dark oppressive discomfort created by the space and buildings, the display of the statues, the use of the lights. It was all deliberate, built into the architecture. How could nobody else see it?

She shook her head. There would be time for fury later. Now she needed to keep her head clear. She ran and ducked behind one of the statues. She couldn’t wait for Ahsoka, she didn’t know exactly what she would be doing. So she needed to think. What would Ahsoka’s plan be?

She turned her head and saw a large wall in the distance, just beyond one of the open spaces. A gunship was rising out of it.

Of course. The transport hub.

She took a deep breath and started her run towards it.

Ahsoka counted to ten and then flipped around the corridor. The clones were on the floor, groaning, raising themselves up. She stopped by the lead clone, kneeling down. “What happened?” she asked, putting on a convincing tone of confusion.

“Barriss...” Prime said, rubbing the back of his helmet. “Seems she’s escaped.”

Ahsoka nodded. “I know, I’m chasing after her.” She looked up. “She must have cleared through the doors.”

“We’ll get on her,” Prime said, rising.

Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder. “No, let me deal with her. She’s too dangerous. You get back to Fox and get this facility under control.”

“Right.” Prime nodded. That made sense.

“What’s the code for the door?” Ahsoka asked.

“Secure code is upper-right, centre-left, centre-right, centre, bottom right.”

Ahsoka nodded, memorizing it. “And that applies to all doors?”

“In emergencies, yes.”

“Thank you. You get to Fox, I’ll get Barriss.” She leapt over them and ran to the door.

“Happy hunting, Commander Tano!” Prime called.

Ahsoka raised a hand in acknowledgement. She tapped the code onto the door and ran out.

“Come on men, let’s get to Commander Fox and get this situation sorted!” The troopers around him groaned and clambered to their feet and then got themselves organized to run. Prime was about to start when he paused and glanced back. As Commander Tano had run away he could have sworn he only saw her with one lightsabre, but he knew she normally used two...and as Barriss had charged up to him, it looked for all the world like she’d had a sabre strapped to her side...

He shook his head. His imagination, nothing more. He didn’t have time to think about it.

He charged down the corridor, the troops following behind.

Commander Fox let out a shout of success as the consoles came back online. “Good work everyone!” he said to other troopers in the office, who’d made their way in after capturing some of the prisoners. There were still a few outstanding, none more dangerous than Offee, but they were making progress.

“Commander!”

He looked up to see Prime rushing into the room. “I’ve got more troops organized,” he said. “They’re sweeping through the facility. And runners have been sent to another comm tower to put out an alert.”

“Well done Prime,” Fox acknowledged. “We’ve got our comms back up here.”

“Sir, you should know, Offee made it outside.” Fox turned his gaze to him. Prime’s head was down, conveying his disappointment in himself. “She knocked us down and escaped before the door closed. But Commander Tano is in pursuit.”

“Don’t beat yourself up Prime,” Fox consoled. “We know from prior experience how deadly and cunning she can be.” He looked up at the security feeds from the cameras, tapping the buttons to show the outside. “Get the searchlights in operation, and get looking for Offee. Assist Commander Tano in her capture, or kill.”

The cameras picked up the flicker of movement, a set of white and blue montrals.

This he was looking forward to seeing.

The searchlights crossed and hazed across the ground and Barriss did her best to duck and dance around them, without compromising her speed and direction too much. She could feel Ahsoka coming behind her, a little way back, but making progress to catch up with her. She supposed that made sense, there would come a moment when the deception would fail and they should be closer when it happened.

A premonition ran through the Force and Barriss leapt aside, narrowly avoiding a searchlight sweeping the path. More and more of them were coming on, all across the Base, as they searched everywhere for her. She gritted her teeth and continued her run. Her run was becoming more complicated.

She felt the premonition, a tingle at the back of her head, but she was too late reacting as a searchlight snapped on and caught her in the middle of it, raising her arm to ward of the sharp light.

“Got her!” Fox shouted. Prime let out a cheer. “All units, take her down!”

Barriss leapt aside as a blue blaster bolt slammed into the ground near where she’d stood. The clones were firing. With lethal force. At her. More bolts flew in, focused and furious and she ducked and ran and stumbled, trying to avoid them as best she could whilst getting out of the light. But more of the searchlights were converging on her now, and she couldn’t keep avoiding them, couldn’t keep ducking around them--

A screaming prickled at the back of her head--

On instinct she whirled, the shoto sabre snapping into her hand and she ignited it and slapped the incoming blaster bolt away, redirecting it into one of the searchlights which blew out the light disappearing.

The only light cast was the green light of the sabre around Barriss.

She saw Ahsoka skid to a halt, eyes wide.

Hearing the hum in her ears, Barriss finally, consciously, realized what she’d done.

Fox stared at the screen, stunned. All the clones were, it was apparent, as they’d all stopped firing, with Barriss captured on the camera, the green light hazing and haloing around her.

“Where did she get a lightsabre from?” Fox breathed. It wasn’t possible, she didn’t have one on her. Could she have hidden one when she was last here as a security measure? She’d managed to slip into the Base undetected, so it was possible...

“Did Commander Tano have two lightsabres on her when she came here?”

The question from Prime was quiet, almost a whisper. Fox turned to look at him. “Yes, I gave them back to her when...” Fox halted, a sudden terrible thought forming in his mind.

Prime shifted uncomfortably. “When she came past us...she only had one clipped to her belt. And I thought I saw Offee with a sabre at her side as she ran past, but I was sure I was imagining it.”

Fox’s face darkened behind his helmet, a low growl building in his throat. “No. You weren’t.” He turned back to the screen to see that Offee had deactivated her sabre and disappeared into the darkness again. The clones still hadn’t resumed fire, still confused.

Fox leaned forward, planting his fists on the console. “Prime, alert the Jedi Temple,” he said, voice low and dangerous.

“Yes sir!” Prime said, turning the communication hub.

Fox reached out and depressed the comm button. “All units, you are authorised to use lethal force against Offee. And Tano.”

“You should have seen her!” Anakin Skywalker laughed. He lounged in the chair, tousled hair framing his handsome features, the scar over his right eye only seeming to accentuate them. He wore his dark Jedi robes, with his lightsabre resting on the table. Opposite him, his wife Padmé Amidala, dressed in an ornate robe that was more beads than silk which Anakin found beautiful but hard to believe was comfortable, smiled back at him. After the mess with the Temple bombing, and Barriss’ capture, this was the first time he’d managed to sneak away to stay with her in about a week.

So, naturally, there was a lot of catching up to do.

“She was so shocked when I suggested she be Knighted,” Anakin continued. “You’d think I’d told her to charge a battalion of Gundarks. Then after the actual ceremony, her face was covered in tears.” He chuckled and sipped at his drink.

“Ani, don’t tease her,” Padmé said, with a smile and a shake of her head. “She went through so much, of course it was going to overwhelm her.”

“I know, I know. But it’s rare that opportunities come along like this.”

“Is it not the place of the Master to rise above such things?” Padmé teased, with a raised eyebrow.

“Technically we’re now the same rank, so I think I can make use of that loophole.” He grinned.

Padmé threaded her fingers and put her elbows on the table. “It’s strange though,” she said after a moment. “Ahsoka never mentioned that it was Barriss who gave her the tip-off about the weapons factory. If she’d said something, I could have worked it out, or sent you to talk to Barriss instead of you having to chase after Ventress.”

Anakin’s face darkened. “Barriss was her best friend,” he muttered. “It probably never occurred to her that Barriss could betray her, or do something like that. That’s why she fixated on Ventress...”

“I know. But still...”

Anakin waved a hand. “Look don’t get all politician about this. She was scared and a mess and...” Anakin saw the sour look his wife directed at him and swallowed. “Okay, what I meant to say was--”

He was saved by his comm ringing.

He tried to hide his sigh of relief as he picked it up. “Hello?” he asked, and then flinched as Obi-Wan Kenobi’s frustrated voice crackled over the link.

“Anakin! Where the blazes are you?”

Anakin glanced at Padmé, who was looking at him with wide eyes. “Uh...I’m...I’m out...” he said.

“Never mind,” Obi-Wan muttered. “We’ve got a situation. I need you to meet me at the Temple.”

“Why? What’s happening?” Anakin frowned.

“There’s been a breakout at the Republic Military Base.”

“A breakout? Again?” Padmé glanced up at him. “What sort of security do they have at that place?”

“Evidently not good enough. But there are bigger problems. Barriss has escaped.”

Shadows crept over Anakin’s eyes and his fist shook around the comm. The image of the yellow-green Mirialan’s face and her smug smile cast in the glow of Ventress’ red lightsabres came to his mind. “Has she indeed?” he said, voice a low, predator growl. “We’ll have to do something about that...”

“It’s more complicated than that from what’s being reported. It would appear she had some outside help.”

“Help? From who? Ventress?” Anakin asked. He didn’t think it was likely, not after what had happened, but Ventress was a (former) Sith and it was always possible that there was some sort of long game being played that he hadn’t realised.

An uncomfortable silence came over the comm, and he heard the faint sounds of lips opening and closing as Obi-Wan tried to work out how to phrase something. And with that, a sense of dread sank into Anakin, as a horrible thought wandered into his head. “Obi-Wan...” he said, voice measured and quiet, “please tell me you’re not going to say what I think you’re going to say?”

The sound of Obi-Wan sucking his teeth was all the confirmation he needed.

“I’ll be right there,” he said, cutting off the comm and jumping to his feet.

Well, that had torn it.

Ahsoka had known that it would happen sooner or later, but she had hoped they’d be a little closer to the transport hub before it happened. She’d also hoped the clones wouldn’t use lethal force, but that didn’t seem to be happening either.

She ignited her lightsabre as the blaster bolts came at her, slapping the first couple away, directing one into a searchlight and one into the ground, and then flipped the sabre into her more comfortable shien grip, swinging it and knocking the blaster fire into another searchlight.

With the sudden dark, she deactivated the sabre and ran on towards the transport hub, zigging and zagging a little, but taking the most direct line possible and using the Force to increase her speed and keep her stamina up. Ahead she could feel Barriss’ presence, almost at the transport hub.

Fox whirled around. “They’re making for the transport hub!” he shouted. “Shut the doors!”

“Yes sir!” Prime called, tapping at the console. Then he winced. “Uh, sir? I gave Tano the secure codes when I thought she was on our side.”

“Change them then, quickly!”

“Yes sir!”

Fox snatched up his rifle and marched out of the room. He was going to deal with this personally.

The transport hub walls stood fifty metres high, with two watchtowers stationed on either side of the enormous blast door. That was now closing. Barriss put on a burst of speed. She could just make it, she’d just be able to slip through--

Then she slowed, remembering that Ahsoka was behind her and she had no idea if she would know how to get through if the doors closed. The doors slammed shut and Barriss pressed herself back against the wall, keeping out of sight of the watchtowers. She could see small search ships lifting off in the distance, speeding towards them and there were almost certainly troopers on the ground heading in their direction.

She jumped slightly as someone slammed into the wall beside her and careened off it, stumbling towards the door.

“Ahsoka!” Barriss called, running after her.

“It’s all right, I know the code!” Ahsoka slapped the code onto the panel. It blinked red. She cursed and tried again, going slower this time. It blinked red again. “And they’ve changed it!”

“Okay, the hub’s out. What’s plan B?”

Ahsoka shot her a look. “Barriss I barely had a plan A.”

“Right, of course.” Barriss slapped a hand over her face and dragged it down. Among Ahsoka’s many qualities, intensive planning was not one of them, preferring Skywalker’s method of ‘hurl yourself in face first and see what happens.’ She glanced up the wall, calculating the distance combined with gravity, probable wind speeds at the top...

She took a few steps back. “Give me a boost,” she said.

Ahsoka looked at her and then assumed the position, bending her legs and cupping her hands. “Are you sure you can make it?” she asked.

“Reasonably,” Barriss replied, taking a few deep breaths and then another step back. “We’re kind of dead either way though, so no harm in trying.” Barriss took a final exhale and then sprinted forward. She leapt up, landing her foot on Ahsoka’s cupped hands--

And pushed herself up with the Force at the same time as Ahsoka shoved her arms up, pushing Barriss with the Force. Barriss rocketed upwards, squinting against the air as it slapped into her face as the distance closed towards the top, the edge getting closer and closer…

Not fast enough. Gravity was exerting its pull and it was slowing her ascent. She wasn’t going to be able to clear the edge--

As she reached the apex of her flight she stuck out a foot and kicked herself up from the wall, gaining just enough height to slam her upper body over the lip.

“Hey!” the trooper in the watchtower shouted, stepping towards her and raising his rifle.

Barriss let go with her right hand and shoved it out, sending a Force wave smashing into the trooper, knocking him back and out cold. But the recoil from her push made her slip against the edge and she yelled as she swung off, held only by her left hand, the cold wind battering her body. She looked down at the dizzying drop below her and saw Ahsoka, green blade ignited, deflecting blaster fire.

Barriss strained and pulled her body around, slapping her right hand on the edge. She heaved, straining to pull herself up.

I really need to work on my conventional strength...

With a yell she planted her hands flat and pushed with the Force, so she leapt up slightly and landed on the wall.

She staggered at the winds smacking into her, and then got down and flattened herself, reaching down with her hand over the edge. “Ahsoka!” she called.

Thank the Force for the sensitivity of montral hearing as Ahsoka glanced up, nodded and deactivated her sabre at the same time as she crouched and shot herself upwards. She made it about halfway, kicked off the wall for a little extra boost--

Barriss reached out with the Force and caught her and then slung her arm up, throwing the Togrutan the rest of the distance.

Too far, as Ahsoka went sailing over the wall.

“Ah kriff!” Ahsoka swore as she dropped down the other side, her stomach hitting her throat as she picked up terminal velocity, the wall racing past and the ground getting closer.

She threw out her hands, using the recoil from the push to slam herself back into the wall and then she ignited her lightsaber and stabbed it into the wall. The jarring impact nearly ripped the sabre out of her grasp and her shoulder out of its socket, but she held on, gripping the hilt with her other hand. The sabre crackled and sparked as it cut through the wall, slowing her descent.

But not fast enough.

When she was about ten metres out Ahsoka kicked off the wall, deactivated her sabre and pushed out with her hands, using the Force to kill some of her momentum as she came towards the ground. She smacked into it, sprawling and rolling three times before coming to a halt, her lightsabre skidding out of her grip.

She groaned and heaved herself to her hands and knees. She’d definitely bruised something, but at least she hadn’t broken anything. And she hadn’t sliced herself apart with her lightsabre.

Behind her, Barriss hit the ground more gracefully by the same method of using the lightsabre to slow her descent. She ran over to Ahsoka and helped her to her feet.

Ahsoka called her sabre into her hand and looked around the hub. There was a whole array of ships there, from Republic gunships to freighters and even some fighters.

“What are we going for?” Barriss asked voice hurried as she glanced behind them.

Ahsoka scanned the field and then pointed. “That one, the Eta shuttle.” She started running towards it. “Weapons aren’t so great, but they've got good shields and I think we’ll need them more!”

Barriss chased after her, running towards the grey bird-like shuttle with a fin in the middle and its wings folded upright.

Behind them, the door to the transport hub started to grind open.

As soon as the crack was wide enough, Commander Fox shoved through accompanied by the other troopers. The area was dark and he cycled into the helmet's night vision. Scanning the area he caught sight of them heading towards one of the newer Eta-class shuttles, seeing the ramp descend.

“There they are!” he shouted, pointing at them. “Get them!”

The troopers charged forward, firing at the shuttle.

Ahsoka ran up the ramp when it was half-open and chucked her main sabre to Barriss, who ignited it and the shoto as the blue bolts whined in. “Hold them off, I’ll get us started up!” Ahsoka shouted as she ran through the shuttle and threw herself into the pilot seat, flipping the switches. “I really hope this thing is fueled…”

Outside, Barriss whirled the green lightsabers, deflecting all the incoming shots. But there was a problem. The clones had noticed that she wasn’t redirecting the shots back at them and so had picked up their pace, starting to run.

She felt the hum of the shuttle starting up. But it wouldn’t get up in time. She needed to dissuade them, somehow, but non-lethally.

She grit her teeth and when the next bolt came at her, she angled the main sabre as she slapped it at the bolt, sending ricocheting back to pierce Commander Fox’s right knee.

The Commander went down with a shout of pain, and the other clones halted, dispersing and grabbing Fox to drag him aside, moving to laying down suppressing fire rather than targeting Barriss.

Barriss nearly lost her footing as the shuttle juddered beneath her, the repulsors kicking in and lifting the shuttle off the ground. She deactivated the lightsabers and slapped the control panel for the ramp, turning and running to the cockpit, as Ahsoka angled the ship skyward, the wings unfolding and the engines igniting to shove them towards the sky, accelerating faster the closer they got to the edge of the planet’s gravity well.

Barriss slumped into the co-pilot seat.

“Start making the calculations for hyperspace,” Ahsoka said, heaving back on the control yoke and trying to will more power into the engines. She tapped at the controls, setting the deflector shields to the rear.

“Right,” Barriss said, tapping at the navicomputer. “Where are we going?”

“Onderon,” Ahsoka grunted.

“Onderon?” Barriss looked at her, startled.

“Yes, Onderon! Just make the calculations. I want us gone as soon as we clear the gravity well.”

Commander Fox hissed in pain as he grabbed up his comm. “Turrets, fire on the shuttle!” he commanded. “Bring them down!”

The turrets swivelled and green bolts lanced after the shuttle. But they bounced off the deflector shields, the shuttle getting too far away for them to be effective.
Fox growled. “I want gunships after them at once!”

The comm crackled. “Belay that order!” A familiar and angry voice issued over the comm.

Fox flinched, startled. “General Skywalker?” he inquired.

“The Temple received your alert, Commander Fox,” the calmer tone of Obi-Wan Kenobi said. “We’ll take it from here.”

Fox watched as two Jedi starfighters shrieked overhead, before angling up and after the shuttle.

Ahsoka sat back up from where she’d been fussing under the console. “Disabled the transponder,” she announced. “Nearly forgot about that. How are the calculations?”

“Almost there, but we’ve got two fighters incoming!” There was an edge of panic in Barriss voice.

Ahsoka blinked. “Only two? Huh, that’s better than I expected…maybe our luck is holding.”

“Two Jedi fighters.”

Ahsoka winced. “Ah…no prizes for guessing who that is…”

As if on cue, the comm light started blinking.

They stared at it.

“I think they’re hailing us,” Barriss whispered as if worried her voice would carry over the unactivated comm.

Ahsoka shot her a look. “Yes, thank you. I’d worked that one out.” Barriss didn’t react, she just stared at the comm, face pale. Ahsoka sighed and tapped the activation for the comm. “Bantha Delivery!” she said with forced levity. “It may take us a while, but we always get there!”

“Ahsoka!” Anakin’s voice rattled through the comm. “What is going on?!”

“Uh, well, it’s a little complicated…” Ahsoka glanced at Barriss and signed at her. +Are the calculations done?+

+A little more time,+ Barriss signed back.

“Ahsoka, Commander Fox reported that you were helping Barriss escape,” Anakin continued. “Is that true?”

Ahsoka held a breath for a second. “Yes it’s true,” she said eventually.

“Ahsoka, I don’t know what she’s told you or threatened you with, but you can’t trust her! She’s fallen, she’s--”

“She’s sitting right next to me,” Ahsoka put in.

Barriss looked up, startled. “Uh…h-hello…”

Without missing a beat, Anakin’s voice took on a rumbling growl, and Barriss felt her heart race, hands sweat and she was flung back to the fight at the Temple and the overwhelming fury that had pressed in on her. “Barriss, you reprehensible, disgraceful excuse for a Tusken--!”

“What Anakin is trying to say,” Obi-Wan’s more measured tone cut in, but rather than soothing it produced a spike of annoyance in Ahsoka. “Is that perhaps there’s a way we can resolve this with some civility?”

“Civility? Ha!” Ahsoka couldn’t keep the bitter note from her voice.

“Ahsoka, the Council did you wrong, I know that. The Dark Side has clouded our judgement--”

“That’s your excuse for everything!”

“--and I know you wouldn’t want to see Barriss executed,” Obi-Wan ploughed on. “But there are proper channels to do these things through. Breaking Barriss out won’t help your cause.”

Ahsoka sat back in her chair, eyes narrowing more and more.

“Turn the shuttle around. We’ll support you in making your case.”

“Not sure I will…” Anakin muttered.

“Anakin, that is not helpful.”

Ahsoka’s hands tightened on the controls, her orange skin lightening around her fingers. Next to her, Barriss gestured and she looked over.

Barriss’ face was neutral as if no emotion had ever crossed it. +It’s all right Ahsoka,+ she signed. +Thank you for trying. But this isn’t worth it. Turn us around.+

Ahsoka turned her gaze back to the front.

“What do you say?” Obi-Wan asked.

“What do I say?” Ahsoka said, her words coming out in a snarl. “You kept very quiet when the Council condemned me Obi-Wan, handing me over to the military for what you knew must be a death sentence.”

“That was wrong, I understand--”

“And you, Anakin. You called Barriss a traitor, among other things.”

“She is a traitor, Ahsoka!” Anakin protested. “You heard her confession.”

Ahsoka leaned towards the comm, ignoring Barriss’ frantic signing. “So tell me, both of you,” Ahsoka hissed. “Why would either of us expect greater leniency this time when you know both of us were involved in the bombing?”

There was a sharp intake of breath from Barriss, then a hissing silence invaded the comm.

“Ahsoka…” Anakin’s voice, slow, bewildered. “What…?”

“C-calculation complete,” Barriss whispered.

Ahsoka gripped the hyperdrive lever and slammed it forward. Outside the stars lengthened and the shuttle shot into hyperspace, vanishing into the stars as if it had never been there.

Chapter Text

Three months ago...

“Kriff, kriff, kriff, kriff!” Ahsoka swore as her fighter screamed into Umbara’s atmosphere, the fire of re-entry joined the smoke coming out of her fighter’s wing.

She knew she should have banked left instead of right!

The ship slammed out of the atmosphere and careened towards the ground. The dark of Umbara made it difficult to see exactly where the ground was though and Ahsoka was reduced to frantically heaving back on her control yoke, hoping to level out, whilst squinting through the viewport for any sign of ground approaching.

Her droid was gone. She slapped at the controls, but the comms were gone. Her montrals vibrated with the dizzying sound of alarms flashing and the rumble of the ship plummeting.

She suddenly saw fluorescent red light emerge from the gloom, in wavy patterns, almost tentacle-like, that she recognised as the Umbaran plant life and trees.

Yep, she was near the ground.

“Oh kri—”

The point of her fighter punched through one treetop and then smashed into another and then another, banging and spinning, bark and metal flying around her as Ahsoka screamed, jerked and bounced in her seat, flight restraints the only thing keeping her from smashing out of the cockpit.

The fighter ploughed into the ground and Ahsoka smashed her head off the console.

She blinked, vision blurring. She couldn’t stay there, someone would have noticed. She hoped she'd landed behind Republic lines but she couldn’t count on that.

Ahsoka groaned and heaved herself back and pushed at the cockpit, but it didn’t budge. She grabbed up her main lightsabre and ignited it, stabbing it through the edge and tearing the green blade through it to release the cockpit. She shoved it off and undid her restraints, staggering out of the fighter and stumbling and falling off the edge.

She didn’t have time to catch a breath before the first green bolts flooded out of the murk, smacking against the ground and the fighter.

“Damn it, damn it!” Ahsoka leapt to her feet, igniting both of her lightsabres and held them in her reverse grip. She deflected the bolts back as the Umbaran militia advanced, their white suits and glass-encased heads becoming visible.

There were too many, too many lasers to deflect unless she started thinning them down.

She didn’t really want to kill, and they weren’t droids. But she didn’t want to die. She’d died before and she couldn’t go through that again, she couldn’t.

With a roar she threw herself forward, spinning around and deflecting blaster fire back into the Umbarans, seeing them go down. She landed among them and swung one sabre and decapitated an Umbaran, seeing the shock on his face as his head left his shoulders—

Don’t think about it.

She spun and slashed through another militias stomach, spilling and charring the entrails the fetid smell of the organs cooking touching her nose--

Don’t think about it.

She leapt and stabbed one through the chest, and sliced another from shoulder to hip, some of the blackening and boiling blood splattering onto her body--

Don’t think about it.

She twisted, reflecting blaster bolts back through the heads of the Umbarans that fired them.

Don’t think about it!

There were too many of them. No matter how many she took out (slaughtered) there were always more appearing from the murk. She sunk herself deeper into the Force, drawing on more power, looking for the opening to try and get away--

Ahsoka felt the familiar presence, approaching her fast.

Barriss!

A Jedi fighter shrieked overhead and its laser cannons strafed the Umbaran position, the explosions lighting up the area and briefly allowing Ahsoka to see just how many militias there were. An overwhelming number.

The fighter landed and a second later a figure leapt through the air, a blue humming light igniting with a snap-hiss and banishing some of the gloom. Barriss slashed an Umbaran apart from head to groin as she landed and didn’t lose a moment charging through the militia, deflecting bolts and hacking soldiers as she made her way to Ahsoka.

“Barriss!” Ahsoka shouted, as her friend arrived and they stood back to back. “Boy am I glad to see you!”

“I saw your fighter go down,” Barriss replied, reflecting a bolt, “I followed you. Completely ruined our lines doing it!”

“I’ll write a note to Commander Gree excusing you!”

Barriss looked over at her, about to say something when she saw the blood in the lightsabres’ light. “Ahsoka! You’re hurt!”

“It's fine,” Ahsoka replied, grunting as she sliced the jaw off an Umbaran that had come in close, the green gas inside the helmet melting into the dark. “It’s not my blood.”

Beneath her hood Barriss expression darkened and her diamond pattern tattoos crinkled. “We need to get to my fighter,” Barriss said, determined to get Ahsoka out of there. “It’ll be cramped but we can do it.”

“Cramped is preferable to this. Let’s go!”

Barriss and Ahsoka reflected a set of bolts into Umbaran soldiers who were cutting them off from the fighter, and then they ran making use of the cleared field--

They were within a few strides of the fighter when cannon fire smashed into and the fighter exploded, the pressure wave throwing both Padawans back and skidding across the ground.

Ahsoka cried out and gripped her back lekku, where some of the skin had been torn off.

Barriss twisted onto her knees and saw an Umbaran hover tank approaching, its turrets on either side of the cylindrical head crackling viciously. Five Umbaran soldiers were running ahead of it towards them. Hearing Ahsoka’s cries, seeing the blood, thinking about the whole pointless reason for being here…

Rage. Rage flooded through her, white and searing and she didn’t care.

She shoved out her hands and crushed them into fists.

The glass on the Umbaran helmets shattered and the shards hug in front of the puzzled and horrified Umbaran’s faces--

Barriss flung out her fingers and the shards sliced through the Umbarans faces, piercing eyes, slitting lips and veins and cheeks, leaving flesh hanging.

All five went down, either dead or screaming.

Barriss stood and reached out with both hands, gripping Ahsoka’s fighter through the Force, straining as she raised it--

The Umbaran hover tank turned its turret towards them--

Barriss raised the fighter but it was heavy and she couldn’t quite lift it right--

Then it became easier as Ahsoka pushed out a hand, helping her.

Yelling, together, the Padawans hurled the fighter like a javelin and the point speared through the tank, which exploded in a ball of green-yellow flame, setting some of the flora on fire.

The Umbarans cried out and backed off and Barriss ran to Ahsoka and helped her moaning friend to her feet.

“Come on!” Barriss shouted, urging Ahsoka on. “We need to find a place to hide, whilst they’re distracted!”

Ahsoka nodded and the two ran and disappeared into the enfolding smoke of the darkness.

Somehow they managed to avoid any more soldiers, mercifully evaded all the flora and fauna on the wretched planet that was determined to kill them, and miraculously hit upon a secluded and unoccupied cave.

Ahsoka sat at the edge of the cave, staring out. They couldn’t light a fire, on a dark world like this it would attract far too much attention. Besides which, neither of them wanted to go out and find wood, not when that would involve playing a game called ‘is this tree inert, or sentient and wanting to kill me?’ But it was dark enough that she’d stay hidden at the edge of the cave. So she watched the fluorescence of the trees and the occasional explosion and spark of green or blue blaster bolts.

The war was still raging out there.

She shivered and glanced down at herself. Along her left arm, she could see some of the dark dried blood, the Umbaran blood, that had splattered across her. In the murk of the shadows, the gloom, the way some of it had smeared across her arm above her gauntlet, they almost looked like dark cracks feathered into her skin.

She turned her head away and stared rigidly outside, drawing her knees up to her chest.

“Here...let me...”

Ahsoka glanced over and Barriss came towards her, holding a part of her cape. She started rubbing at the blood on Ahsoka’s arm.

Ahsoka drew away. “Don’t,” she said. “It’s dry, it’s not going to come off. Besides I wouldn’t want to ruin your cape.” She gave her a smile.

Barriss sat back down, letting the cape fall from her hand. “Oh. All right. Is your lekku okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.” Ahsoka put a hand to her back lekku, wincing a little. “It’ll sting like a mynock for a bit, but it’ll heal. It’s sturdy.”

“Like you?” Barriss said, inflecting her voice for the joke and it drew a chuckle.

They sat in silence for a long time.

Ahsoka cleared her throat. “Thanks for coming to save me Barriss,” she said. “I think...no, I’m sure I would have been dead if you hadn’t.”

“Of course. Always.”

Ahsoka could still feel the nerves rattling through her. The adrenaline had faded, but it was replaced by the cold discomfort of what she’d done, of what she’d gone through, and it was settling on her in a way she didn’t like. So she did what she always did, scrounged around for something to say, to turn it back into the adventure. “That was really cool what you did,” she said, forcing enthusiasm in, forcing herself to feel it. “That thing, using the Force to break the glass,” Ahsoka did an imitation of Barriss’ movements with her hand. “It was really creative. I would never have thought of doing something like that.”

It took her a moment to realize there had been no reply from Barriss. Ahsoka looked over and nearly flinched. Barriss was looking at her with an expression that wasn’t quite horror but wasn’t quite sadness or despair, or numbness either, but some terrifying mix of all of them.

“B-Barriss?” Ahsoka asked, shuffling slightly to face her.

“Why would you say that?” Barriss whispered.

“I...I just wanted to...” Ahsoka stuttered, scared by her friend’s demeanour.

“Ahsoka what I did wasn’t creative! I killed them, I murdered them, in a horrific manner!”

“Barriss, please, I’m sorry, just calm down--”

Barriss’ agitation only grew, flexing her fingers, twisting her head. “This whole thing...I’m supposed to be a healer, but instead...these powers...I’m using them to take life away. And I’ve been doing that since I was fourteen! In this whole war! What are we even doing here?!” She waved her hand, as another explosion lit up the horizon. “Did deciding to join the Separatists really merit this much violence?!”

“Barriss!”

Barriss slumped, putting her hands to her face. “We’re supposed to be Jedi, we’re supposed to be guardians of peace and justice, not generals and soldiers leading a war! It’s wrong, all of it, and I can’t do this anymore, I can’t!”

Ahsoka was at a loss for what to do. Was paralyzed herself as all the death, and horrors that she’d been experiencing since she was fourteen, fourteen, came through her mind. Everything she’d passed off and refused to look at.

It had all been a great adventure, the story of Snips and Skyguy, heroes fighting evil and saving the day. Except now the bright cartoon image was fading away to reveal the rotten and mutilated stage that had been there all along.

She reached out a trembling hand and put it on Barriss’ shoulder. Barriss looked up at her, taking her hands away. “It’s not right,” Barriss whispered. “What we’re doing, what they’ve forced us to do. It’s not right.”

Ahsoka’s lip wobbled and tears dropped from her eyes. “No...” her voice a soft, broken croak. “It isn’t, is it?”

The two hugged one another and sobbed, as the gunfire and explosions continued to brighten the gloom.

“Rex!”

Ahsoka sprinted forward and smushed herself into the clone captain, who looked bewildered for a moment and then recognised the Togrutan and pulled her into a hug.

“Ahsoka!” he said with relief. “We heard you went down, we feared that you were--” He broke the hug and knelt down in front of her. His eyes were soft, bleached blonde hair buzz cut, wearing the combined phase I and II clone armour. He scanned over Ahsoka, who was taking deep breaths. “Are you hurt?” he asked, noticing the blood on her arms.

“No, it’s not mine. Though my back lekku was damaged.”

Rex nodded. “We’ll get you into a bacta tank straight away.” He stood up and looked up, seeing the Mirialan woman holding back slightly, face hidden in the shadows of her midnight blue hood and cape. “Commander Offee.” Rex walked over to her. “We heard you broke formation to go after Ahsoka. On behalf of myself and the 501st, I thank you.”

Barriss curtsied. “I only did what I’m sure you or any of Ahsoka’s friends would do.”

“Nevertheless, you have our thanks.”

Barriss looked around the area, at the walls and the rounded hubs along the airbase, all with sharp blue light, and at the tower looming at the back of the field, its blue light running up the centre like a vein. “Where is Master Krell?” she asked.

Rex shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, well Commander Offee…he’s dead,” he said.

“Dead?” Barriss’ brow furrowed. “He was killed taking the airbase?”

“No, we executed him.”

Barriss stared at him in shock.

“Executed him?” Ahsoka said, walking up to look at Rex, aghast. “Why?”

Rex rubbed the back of his head, not really sure how to explain. “Well, you see Commander Tano he…how would you Jedi put it? He fell to the Dark Side.”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened.

Rex looked away slightly. “It seems the…war got to him.”

Ahsoka glanced back at Barriss and their eyes met, expressions of horror mingling.

“Very good younglings!” Ahsoka said, with pride, she wasn’t ashamed to admit, as she circled the room observing the younglings lightsabre practice. Back in the Temple, despite everything, she felt safe. Not at peace perhaps, but safe. The war wasn’t here, not in these lessons. And instructing the younglings was one of her favourite Padawan duties.
Especially with this crop, a few of whom she’d gone with to Illum to sharing the joy of obtaining their kyber crystals, their delight as they constructed their lightsabres.

And been captured by pirates, nearly sold into slavery, and faced a death-defying escape with General Grievous hot on their heels, but you know, minor details.

The younglings, among them Petro, Katooni, Gungi, Ganodi, Byph and Zatt, wielded their sabres well, absorbing the lower power laser bolts fired by the training drones. They were at the more advanced stage of this training routine that, paradoxically perhaps to outsiders, involved taking the helmets that covered their eyes off. However, with the helmets on, they were deprived of their sight and had to use the Force to guide their actions. With the helmets off they had to use the Force whilst not getting distracted by their visual senses.

It was an important step in learning to tap into and trust the instinctive precognitive sense of the Force. And it was one they were all passing well.

“Excellent!” Ahsoka clapped her hands and the drones ceased their movements. The younglings deactivated their sabres. “You’ve all done very well, so I think you deserve a break.”

The younglings smiled at the praise and went to grab their waters, and towel off the sweat of their exertions.

“Ahsoka!” Katooni ran up to her and Ahsoka knelt down in front of her, smiling. “Would you be able to give me some pointers? I got hit a couple of times by the drone and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.”

“Sure!” Ahsoka smiled. “Why don’t you take your stance and show me your form and I can help?”

“Thanks!” The Tholothian girl, with brown skin the purple tendrils dropping from her head, assumed the Form I stance and ignited her blue lightsabre.

“Hold on, deactivate your lightsabre.”

Katooni did so and looked at Ahsoka, confused. “Huh? Why?”

“It’s practice.” Ahsoka raised one of her brows. “Part of learning is seeing the blade as an extension of yourself. By practising without the blade, you learn to understand where the blade is, the length and shape of it, without having to see it.”

“Which will help me to trust in the Force as it guides me!” Katooni said, excited.

Ahsoka grinned. “You got it!”

Katooni sank back into the forms, sabre deactivated and Ahsoka gave her encouraging remarks and made adjustments to her form.

“Hey, Ahsoka?” a slightly nasally voice called, and Ahsoka looked up at Petro, a human with black hair and green eyes.

“What is it, Petro?”

“This stuff, with the drones, is great and all, but when are we going to learn the stuff you do?”

Ahsoka quirked a smile at him. “The stuff I do?”

“You know?” Petro went into a series of imitation slashes and balletic moves. “The jumping and slashing and combat stuff. The stuff you use in the war.”

A trembling began in Ahsoka’s core. “Petro...that’s not...for a while yet...”

The boy looked disappointed, and another youngling Ahsoka did not know so well, a human girl with green hair, Jana, huffed and crossed her arms. “It’s not fair!” Jana complained. “By the time we’re out of here the war will be over!”

Ahsoka’s eyes snapped to her. “That’s...that’s not a bad thing...” she said, voice tense.

“We’ll never get to do the cool stuff...” Jana continued as if Ahsoka hadn’t spoken.

Gungi gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

“You should have seen Ahsoka of Florrum!” Petro began. “The way she fought General Grievous! It was amazing! I’m sure she could have run through the whole group of Hondo’s pirates if she hadn’t had to protect us!”

“It’s true,” Zatt put in. “I ran the calculations on it, it would have been a decisive victory.”

“Aww...” Jana whined, putting her chin in her hands, resting her elbows on her legs. “I wish I could have seen it.”

Ahsoka looked on, horrified, as it slowly dawned on her that what the younglings admired about her, what she had shown them to admire, was her ability to kill. That this is what they thought being a Jedi was about; about fighting, leading soldiers, being in war. They were disappointed they might miss out on it!

“You shouldn’t want this!” Ahsoka shouted, startling all the younglings. She halted, realising just how loud her voice had been and took deep breaths to calm herself. “War it’s not...it’s not what the Jedi are for...”

“But it is what we’re doing,” Ganoodi pointed out. “We’ve even started having lessons on strategy and tactics.”

“What?!” Whose idea was that? Which Jedi had put together lessons like that, for younglings? What were they thinking!

She would have to go to the Council and inform them about...

Her heart sank as she realised there was no way such lessons could be run without the Council’s knowledge and therefore approval. They were preparing the younglings to be soldiers, teaching them that was part of being a Jedi.

Ahsoka licked her lips. She needed to do what she could to put a stop to this.

“Listen to me, all of you,” she said, standing and projecting her voice with authority. The younglings looked up at her. “I know that we are fighting a war, and part of the duties of a Jedi is to be a guardian of the peace. And sometimes fighting is the only way to achieve that. But it is not the Jedi way.” She raised a finger. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defence. Never...attack...”

The words turned to ash in her mouth, sounding ridiculous to her own hearing. She could see most of the younglings looking at her as if she sprouted a third montral from her forehead. But there were a few, Zatt, Katooni, Byph, some of the others, who nodded in respect of what she said.

Maybe that would be enough. A start. She would have to think about doing this more in lessons. Her breath came a little easier.

“But remember kids...”

Ahsoka whirled around to face her fellow Padawan teacher, lounging against the wall with her arms crossed wearing a dark tunic and leggings. Sorfelia Merloss, a yellow-skinned Mirialan girl, one year younger than Ahsoka, with a set of four small red circles tattooed on each cheek and two larger ones on her chin. Ahsoka’s fists clenched.

“Sometimes the best form of defence is to attack first,” Sorfelia continued, scanning her eyes over the class.

Ahsoka turned back to younglings and nearly staggered as she saw that all of them, all of them, were nodding at this ‘insight’.

It took a significant chunk of Ahsoka’s willpower to not prove Sorfelia right by leaping at her and decking her.

Barriss knelt on the floor, eyes closed, trying to sink into her meditation. Her breath was shallow and she had to consciously move her breathing to the diaphragm, and use the mental count to get the rhythm right. Something she hadn’t had to do since her earliest days as a youngling.

She was back in her room, in the small comfort the ascetic space provided. Two cushions to sit on, a futon to lie out on, a shrine in front of her and pot that had come with the room that she didn’t know what to do with. Plants maybe.

But despite this, and despite not having been on a mission in a while, she couldn’t get comfortable. Couldn’t reach into and connect with the Living Force with the ease and delight she’d sunk into it when she was younger.

Before the war...

Now all she felt was misery. Darkness. Obscurity.

She sighed, tried to settle herself, went again.

The misery again.

She frowned. No...The misery was getting closer. It was embodied in a physical presence that was darting towards her. And there was something...a familiarity in it...

She nearly jumped at the rapid banging on her door, and she used the Force to key the panel.

Ahsoka stumbled into the room, distraught, collapsing to her knees, arms curled around her stomach. “Barriss...” she whimpered. “Help me...”

Barriss leapt to her, the door shutting over. “Ahsoka! What happened? Were you hit bad by a training sabre?”

Ahsoka shook her head. “No...no it was...I was teaching the younglings and Barriss...they admire me!” She suddenly pulled up and grabbed the front of Barriss’ dress, scrunching the fabric in her fingers, her eyes wild. “They admire me for my fighting ability, for my killing ability!”

“Ahsoka…I’m so sorry…” Barriss put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, squeezing with sympathy.

Ahsoka took breaths, trying to calm herself with little success. “That’s not everything,” she spoke quickly, the words tumbling out like an avalanche. “They’re disappointed, disappointed, that the war might be over before they can take part! They’re being taught lessons on strategy and tactics, which must be with approval from the Council! They’re—they’re—Barriss we have to do something! We have to stop this! Before--before they become--become like us!” On the last sentence she closed her eyes and ducked her head, admitting the painful truth.

Barriss gripped Ahsoka’s arm, channelling her strength, her understanding. She’d known about the new lessons, known about the attitude among the younglings. She’d tried to raise it with Luminara, but had been told that it was necessary, that no one could see when the war would end and they would have to be prepared. That the attitude developing among the younglings was not appropriate, but was something for the teachers to iron out.

Except many Padawans also thought the same way.

“Don’t worry Ahsoka,” Barriss said, voice low and strong. “We’ll put a stop to it.”

Ahsoka looked up at her, hopeful. “How?” she asked.

It was a day later, gone midnight, and they sat facing one another in Barriss' room, Ahsoka having snuck there from her own. Padawans were not allowed into each other’s quarters after such hours. But nobody would suspect the ‘perfect Padawan’ of doing anything illicit.

“Should we talk to our Masters, get them to see?” Ahsoka whispered.

Barriss shook her head. “I’ve already tried raising it, partially and cautiously with Master Unduli but…” She shook her head. “You know what she’s like. She could interpret someone suicide running a Star Destroyer into Coruscant as being the ‘will of the Force’. And do you really think Master Skywalker would come around?”

Ahsoka thought it over. She wanted to believe that he would, he trusted her, and he did listen to her. But…but he did have a practical ‘ends over means’ philosophy that guided his actions. He could certainly see things in very stark, black and white terms. She couldn’t be sure that she could convince him, or that he would even listen and not just dismiss her as being naive.

Sadly, she shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Then we’re left with one option: we need to make a statement. Do something the Council can’t ignore, something that would shock them out of their complacency.”

Ahsoka thought about it, considering what sort of statement might have sufficient impact. “I suppose we could resign from the Order and explain why,” she said after a moment. It would be painful to leave, agonising. The Temple was the only family she’d really known, apart from vague memories of her tribe on Shili. It was her home, her life, her dream.

But…if it meant she could save some of the younglings…

“I considered that, but I don’t think it would work,” Barriss said. “Count Dooku resigned from the Order in protest at the corruption and, well, nothing changed, did it? He was just dismissed and he was a Jedi Master. If we left we’d be dismissed in the same way. A news item for a day, but no more impact than that.” She shook her head. “For it to matter, we have to stay part of the Order. Then, after the statement is made, we can use that to speak up, to get things to change from the inside.”

“Then what statement would we make?”

Barriss hid the trembling in her body, even as she felt her skin sweat and her heart pound in her ears. “We should attack the Temple,” she said, voice barely above a whisper.

“Attack the Temple?” Ahsoka flinched back. “What do you mean? Are we supposed to let the Separatists in?”

“No of course not! But…I’ve been in contact with some of the anti-Jedi protesters. Are you aware of them?”

Ahsoka nodded. She’d only been vaguely aware at first, easily dismissing their claims, as Anakin did, about the Jedi and their responsibility for starting and prolonging the war. But after Umbara…after talking with Barriss…it had been harder to ignore. She’d read up on their arguments…and found she agreed with some of them.

“Well like all groups there are more extreme elements and…” Barriss paused, steeling herself. “I can get a bomb. We could bomb the Temple.”

Silence.

Ahsoka slowly brought a finger to her mouth and chewed on it. A sign of extreme agitation in Togruta, as they could easily cut themselves with their sharp teeth.

Barriss waited, not daring to breathe.

“It would have to be a symbolic target,” Ahsoka said at last. “No casualties. That would undermine the intent.”

Barriss allowed the shudder of relief to run through her body. “Yes, of course!” she breathed. “The trouble is what?” She’d been mulling it and hadn’t come up with an answer. Her mind kept turning back to the Garden of Tranquillity, something at the heart of the Temple that would affect all the Jedi. But there was too much risk of causing injury or worse. And what message would that send?

“The hangar,” Ahsoka said, quietly.

“The hangar?” Barriss looked at her.

“Yes. They store bombers in the hangar, on the Temple grounds. If we want to show we’re attacking what the Jedi have become, not what they should be…”

Barriss nodded slowly, following the logic, surprised she hadn’t seen it before. It would hit military targets that existed only because of the Jedi’s involvement in the war. It would be immediately obvious what the attack was on, what image was being attacked. And afterwards...they’d be able to use that, make the case together. They would have to listen.

“Yes...yes that would work,” Barriss said. “It would be the perfect target.”

“But no casualties,” Ahsoka emphasised. “I don’t want anyone to die.”

“I know. I don’t either.”

Ahsoka let out a breath, slowly nodding her head. “What do we do now?” she asked.

“Now, we take separate tasks. You scope out the hangar, try and work out the best location for the bomb to go off, and think on what would be the best time, to minimize casualties and to...ensure that bombers will be there. So the message comes through clearly.” Ahsoka nodded. “As for me, I’ll get in touch with my contacts.”

“So if Jackar--was that the guy?” Ahsoka asked, looking up from the map she’d drawn.

Barriss ears thumped. “Yes...yes that’s him,” she confirmed.

Ahsoka looked back at the map. “If he were to put the bomb here,” she tapped at the map, the part of the right wall near the centre, “that would maximise the impact. That side is usually where the idle bombers are stored, the more active ones are on the other side, so they’ll definitely be some there. It should also mean it doesn’t hit too many of the Jedi Starfighters. The normal shifts start at oh-eight-hundred, so if he comes in early and plants it early then it’ll detonate before the work begins. Nobody will get hurt.”

“That makes sense.”

Ahsoka looked up and crinkled her brow. “Are you all right Barriss?” Her friend was looking agitated, spacing out at times and she wasn’t always sure she was paying attention.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Barriss lied. “I’m just...thinking things through.”

“Yeah...I guess I can understand that.” Over the week, the idea had settled in and she wasn’t uncomfortable with it...but she wasn’t exactly comfortable either.

It’ll be all right... she thought. Once this is done, the Council won’t be able to ignore it. And then Barriss and I will bring our arguments forward. We’ll make them understand. Make them understand that this isn’t right. She didn’t have illusions about the Council suddenly putting an end to the war effort, but at least they might start scaling back the militarization of the Order.

“How’s Jackar going to sneak the bomb in?” Ahsoka asked, frowning at the map. “The security is quite tight.”

Barriss licked her lips. She considered lying, had thought of all sorts of plausible-sounding plans she could make that might be good enough. But...when it happened...Ahsoka would know. And if she knew Barriss had lied to her then...

They had to trust one another. Otherwise they couldn’t make things different.

“He...he is the bomb,” she said quietly.

Ahsoka nodded. Then she paused, registering what Barriss had said, and slowly looked up, horrified. “What...what did you say?” She wanted desperately to believe she’d misheard or misunderstood.

Barriss cleared her throat. “He is the bomb,” she said, in a clearer voice.

Ahsoka scrambled to her feet and pressed herself back against the wall. “No...” she whispered.

“Ahsoka, listen to me--”

“No! Barriss we can’t! We can’t...have someone suicide bomb the Temple that will--!”

“Ahsoka, listen!”

Barriss rarely, if ever, snapped. Rarely, if ever, raised her voice. The fact she had done surprised them both. Whilst Ahsoka was stunned, Barriss took her opportunity to make the case. “Jackar is willing. He grew up with dreams about the Jedi, about what they are and could be, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. But as he’s worked here, at the Temple, he’s just grown more and more disillusioned. And there’s no other way. The security is too tight, you know this. A conventional bomb would be picked up immediately. So...he’s going to take nanodroid explosives into his system and...and use those...”

Ahsoka stared at her, mouth open, eyes wide. She shook her head. “But...but he’s going to die...”

Barriss pressed her thumbs into her thighs, pushing them forward and back. “He’d be dead anyway,” she said, bleakly. “Even if he could plant a conventional bomb, it wouldn’t take much effort to work out that a person who clocked in two hours early was responsible for planting the bomb that went off an hour later.” She looked up at Ahsoka, met her eyes. “He wants to do this. Letta and Jackar both want to do something that can turn the Jedi off this path. Back to what they should be.”

Ahsoka held her eyes and then looked away. She touched the joints of her fingers to her mouth.

“Ahsoka, please,” Barriss pleaded. “I know it’s not what you want, it’s not what I want. But it’s the only way this can work. We’ve both accepted the necessity of sacrifices in war, we’ve seen the clones do it, we’ve...we’ve forced them to do it the whole war.” Ahsoka looked over at her. “Just this one more, willing person. That’s all. And this time it can mean something.”

Ahsoka took in a few shuddering breaths. She slid down the wall, her legs arching, and she rested her elbows on her knees. She couldn’t fault the logic of what Barriss was saying. She didn’t want to but...but it wasn’t about what she wanted. It was about what was needed.

She thought of the younglings. Of Katooni, and Petro, and Ganoodi, and Gungi, and Zatt, and Byph and all the others. The way they’d nodded. The way Padawans swapped stories of their daring and adventures.

What was one more damnation if it meant she could save them?

Ahsoka nodded. “All right,” she said. “We do it.”

Barriss sighed out a breath. “Thank you, Ahsoka.” She looked up at her, a small and sad smile on her face. “I hope you know how...how glad I am that I’m not...alone in this.”

Ahsoka raised her own smile. “Hey, we’re in this together, aren’t we? Always have been.” She glanced at her chronometer and sighed and pushed herself to her feet. “I need to go. We’re shipping out to defend Cato Nemodia tomorrow...well later today. I’ll need to at least look presentable.”

Barriss nodded. There was a chance that suspicion could fall on a Jedi being responsible for the bombing, so Ahsoka being away would be perfect. Nobody would be able to suspect her of being part of it so when she spoke in the aftermath her voice would be heard without any suspicion.

“Will you be okay?” Barriss asked.

Ahsoka rubbed at her arms. “It should be mostly droids,” she said, eventually. “And we’ll be in the fighters for the most part. It won’t be so...personal.” She looked back at Barriss. “You’ll be able to handle everything?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.” Barriss bowed her head. “May the Force be with you, Ahsoka.”

“And may the Force be with you, Barriss.”

“Fighter crashed, I saved the day. You’re welcome.” Ahsoka smiled at Anakin’s bemused expression as she walked off. She stared out at the hanging slings and arches that held the cities of Cato Nemodia between their mountains. Beautiful in their own way, an artful construction. She heard Anakin ringing Rex to ask for help.

Then his comm beeped as another transmission came through. She walked back over to him and a holoprojection of Master Yoda appeared, looking sombre. Ahsoka stiffened, her heart rate increasing. Was this...was this the moment...

“Master Yoda,” Anakin said.

“Return to the Jedi Temple quickly, you should,” Yoda said. “You and your Padawan.”

Anakin glanced at Ahsoka. “We’re kind of busy Master Yoda.”

“The reason we need you, important it is Skywalker.” Yoda disappeared and a holoprojection of the Temple appeared, a plume of smoke rising out of its side. Ahsoka’s eyes widened. That was a lot bigger than she was expecting. “Bombed the Temple hangar, someone has. Your assistance to find the terrorist, we need.”

Ahsoka swallowed. “Who...who could successfully bomb the Jedi Temple?”

...Clones...Workers...Jedi...

“You okay, Snips?”

She snapped up. Anakin was looking at her, as was Rex and Admiral Yularen, as they sat around the table of the briefing chamber on the Star Destroyer. Anakin’s voice and expression was laced with concern.

“I...I’m okay...I’m just...the bombing it’s...shaken me...” she said. Which was true, but not in the way they thought.

“Perhaps, Commander Tano might be allowed to retire?” Rex said, with sympathy.

Ahsoka shrunk from it. Clones...

“I concur,” Admiral Yularen said. “There’s no need for her to be part of this.”

“All right, Snips,” Anakin said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll handle things. You just rest.”

“Thank you...” Ahsoka stood up and staggered out of the room, one arm held over her stomach. She made it to her room, walked in, shut the door, locked it and sat on her bed. She picked out the secure holocomm she’d hidden at the back of the drawer and activated it.

A second later Barriss appeared and she looked awful. The normally carefully presented and neutral Mirialan looked frayed, and even on the blue of the projection her skin looked wan and her eyes puffy. The fact that she had responded so quickly meant she must have been waiting by the comm all day for Ahsoka to call.

“Hey,” Ahsoka said, trying to keep her voice light. “Guess what, we’re on our way back!”

+Why are people dead?+ she signed. It was a secure comm, but it didn’t hurt to be extra careful. Especially now.

“You’re coming back? So soon?” Barriss replied, confused.

+I don’t know!+ she signed back. +I gave the instructions--Letta doesn’t know--Jackar must have changed plan--own initiative--+

Ahsoka closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “We’re being sent back to investigate the Temple bombing,” she said.

+What are the numbers? They’ve been vague.+

Barriss winced. “Yes, it’s been horrible. Nobody knows what happened.”

+ 5 workers; 8 clones; 6 Jedi.+

Ahsoka couldn’t stop the shuddering gasp from escaping her lips. This was worse...worse than she’d thought it could be. What had gone wrong? The whole plan was set out in detail, it was only supposed to be one willing person! How had...

She shook her head. She’d forgotten the very first lesson the war had taught her. Nothing ever went to plan because you were always dealing with people, who had their own agendas and initiatives. You could never account for everything.

“Well, that’s why me and Anakin are being sent back. We’re going to investigate and find out who did this. Because we’re above suspicion.”

She couldn’t stop the fit of hysterical laughter that gripped her. She slapped her hand over her mouth and trembled, the projection of Barriss bouncing up and down in her grasp. Barriss was staring at her, growing increasingly concerned, and Ahsoka didn’t understand why she couldn’t see how funny it was. They’d only meant to kill one willing person in the bombing, and had ended up killing nineteen and now she was in charge of investigating herself and her co-conspirator. It was hilarious!

“Ahsoka? Are you okay?” Barriss asked, voice genuinely concerned. “Please, Ahsoka you’re scaring me.”

That sobered her. She brought her hand away and drew deep shuddering breaths, body trembling. “I’m sorry,” she said, under control. “A stress reaction.”

+We have to turn ourselves in,+ she signed.

Barriss flinched. “I can understand that,” she replied. “I’ve seen more than a few of the other Padawans and younglings reacting the same way. I was helping Vokara Che with the wounded.”

+We can’t!+ she signed, frantic. +Ahsoka, we can still use this moment--it won’t bring anyone back-- we won’t be listened to--we’ll be considered Fallen--it will be meaningless!+

Ahsoka stared at her, hollow, vacant. What she signed...made sense...a certain logic. If they turned themselves in that would be the end of it. They’d be dismissed as Fallen Jedi, some bad pieces of fruit rather than being understood as representing the whole corrupt system. It would be swept away and nothing would change and it would all continue getting worse.

But still...they were dead. They didn’t deserve it. And they were dead. And she’d done it. She and Barriss.

+Please!+ Barriss signed.

Ahsoka sighed. “I’ll...I’ll see you when I get there.” She killed the communication and threw the holocomm back into the drawer. She leaned over the bed, clutching her arms around her stomach. Her stomach cramped and she gagged and rushed over to the refresher, falling to her knees and vomiting into the toilet, vomiting out all she’d eaten, all she’d drank until there was nothing left but stomach acid.

She collapsed over to the side, drool peeling off her lips and picked herself up, and slid her knees towards her body.

She could turn herself in. She could say that she was the one who was guilty. She could explain why she did it, that she hadn’t meant for it to be like this, but that she stood by the message she was sending. Then Barriss would be able to make arguments in the aftermath, guide things from within.

She realized that her comm was in her hand. A direct line to Anakin. She stared at it, twisting it in her fingers. Then she closed her other hand over it and pushed it away.

No...if she turned herself in then it wouldn’t matter. Barriss would almost certainly turn herself in as soon as she knew. And even if she didn’t, or Ahsoka could persuade her not to, nobody would believe that she acted alone surely? Not so far away from the Temple, it would be absurd.

No. What had happened, happened and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. They’d just have to make the best that they could of it. Turn it into something that would make it worth it.

Sacrifices were sometimes necessary in war. The Jedi had taught her that.

Barriss heard her door chime and stood up from her, pitiful, attempt at meditation to open it. “Come i--”

Ahsoka seized her by the shirt, whirled her around and slammed her up against the wall, the door shutting over and sealing. Barriss gripped her friend’s hands as Ahsoka glared at her, eyes wild and furious.

“Did you know?!” Ahsoka shouted.

“K-know what?” Barriss replied, panicking. “Know what? I don’t--I don’t--”

“Don’t lie to me, Barriss!”

“I don’t know what you mean!” Barriss shrieked, feet kicking above the floor.

“Jackar had no idea about the nanodroids!” Ahsoka screamed. “He died in fear! He had no idea what was happening! Did you know?!”

Barriss face broke. “What? No! No that’s not possible! Letta told me, she told me they were acting together that he was willing--I didn’t know--I didn’t--!”

Ahsoka growled and then dropped Barriss, turning around to prowl about the room, flexing her fingers. Barriss crawled forward, reaching a hand out to her. “I swear...” she pleaded. “I swear I didn’t know...I didn’t...I swear...”

Ahsoka didn’t turn away from the window, looking out over Coruscant. She took long breaths, trying to slow her heart, slow the adrenaline and fear racing around her system. “I believe you...” she ground out, closing her eyes.

Barriss panted, sitting up onto her knees, clutching her stomach.

Ahsoka turned to look at her. “You never spoke to Jackar, did you?” she accused.

“No, I...it was too risky. I spoke to Letta, she was the one...” Barriss shook her head looking down. “I don’t understand! She was his wife! How could she...?”

Ahsoka slumped onto one of the cushion chairs, putting her face in her hands. “Well, now you know,” she muttered. “And no doubt we’ll be finding out more now that Letta’s in custody. She’ll almost certainly tell them about you.” She looked pointedly at Barriss.

Barriss shook her head. “No. No, she won’t. She’s taken the nanodroids as well, she’s prepared to blow herself up in prison if she got caught.”

Ahsoka’s look was pitying. “And was it Letta who told you that?”

“Yes, she...oh...” Barriss voice went very quiet. She sat back on her haunches, hands pooling onto the hang of her skirt between her thighs.

Ahsoka pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “How can someone who memorised a whole Geonosian tunnel network be this stupid?”

Barriss didn’t react, as if she didn’t hear. It wasn’t a fair comment, Ahsoka knew that. She should have done more, she should have asked more questions. But she hadn’t wanted to think about it. Had wanted to believe it would all be easy.

But she was too full of fear, and resentment and anger to think about being kind.

She stood up and slapped the panel on the door and stormed down the corridor.

Barriss didn’t react.

“I’m sorry,” she said, quietly, long after Ahsoka was gone.

Her hands tightened into shaking fists. She bared her teeth, mouth opening, strands of spittle arching against her breath. The wooden legs of her shrine splintered slightly at the bottom.

Letta...you deceived me...

Barriss shook her head once, violently. She relaxed her hands. The wood stopped splintering.

She couldn’t afford fury now. She didn’t have that luxury. She needed to keep cool and think. And plan.

When her comm rang, Barriss was calm. “Hello?”

“Well it’s happened, it's kriffing happened!” Ahsoka, panicked. So much so that she was speaking over the comm, rather than using their sign language. “Letta’s asked to see me. She’s going to reveal it. Barriss, what am I going to do?!”

“Ahsoka, do you trust me?” The question was quiet, spoken in a neutral tone. But everything hinged on the answer.

“What?” Ahsoka said, confused.

“Do you trust me?”

“I...Yes, Barriss I trust you.”

Barriss nodded. She could hear it in her voice that she was speaking the truth. “Then go see Letta,” she said. “And whatever happens, play your part.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“Play the part Ahsoka. You’ll understand.”

Barriss killed the comm and put it away. She stood up and swirled on her hood and cape, and walked out of her room.

Somehow, something that had started as a complete clusterkriff was getting worse. She’d played the part though. She’d declared that she was going to clear her name and find who was really responsible, which she could have easily done by just pointing at herself and calling Barriss. It had been hard, seeing the agony on Anakin’s face as he begged her to come back, to let him help.

But she’d played the part of the brash, heroic, Jedi for a while now. It was one she knew well and could work with on instinct.

She stalked through the grub and grime of the Coruscant underworld, passing several drunks of several species passed out. She’d never really been in this territory before, apart from passing through on a few missions. And the feeling of misery and desperation that reeked out of every quarter was reflected in the grime, grease and shadowed networks of pipes, and bits of paper that flapped about the stains on the streets and walls. She thought about contacting Barriss via her comm, but it wasn’t safe to do that.

And she needed to talk to her without beating around the Bantha.

Ahsoka found a terminal that allowed holoprojection and slapped on the activation, putting through the call to Barriss’ number and agitatedly waited, rubbing at her arms. It took a moment, but Barriss’ face appeared on the screen, looking quite calm.

“Ahsoka, I’m so glad you’re safe,” Barriss said.

“Safe, but on the run,” Ahsoka said.

+Why did you kill those clones?+ she signed.

“On the run? Where?”

+I’m sorry, they saw me as I was leaving. I panicked.+

Ahsoka sighed and lowered her head. “I can’t tell you, but someone is definitely trying to frame me,” she said, though her heart wasn’t really in it.

+What should I do?+

“I’ll see what I can do to find anything out on my end.”

+Find somewhere to lie low. I’ll come find you.+

“Thank you, Barriss,” she replied.

“Be safe.”

She cut the connection and walked away from the terminal.

Lying low was a fine idea, but with her face on every projection poster across seemingly the whole ecumenopolis, it was a hard ideal to match. But she had managed to get away from the Underworld security. She had a cloak wrapped around her now as she walked down the cold, dark and greasy street, overhung by several pipes, her own face staring down at her from viewscreens. If she could just find some hole to crawl into, without any more entanglements then--

Someone was behind her. She whirled around in time to be kicked by a figure and knocked to the ground. She was about to rise up, when the figure, wearing a helmet, landed over her, igniting two red lightsabres and crossing them over her throat, heat and the sizzle of metal coming from where the blades cut into the iron.

Ahsoka’s mouth dropped, her eyes widened. She knew those lightsabres, knew them very well.

“Well, well,” a cold, slithering voice, distorted by the visor, said. Though no matter the distortion, the mocking tone was very familiar. “I didn’t believe it when I first heard it. But I guess it’s true. The Senate has put a bounty on your horned little head.” The figure chuckled and tapped a button at the side of the helmet, and the visor retracted to reveal Ventress’ pale face, a smirk on her lips. “And I’m going to collect.”

It took all Ahsoka’s willpower not to scream and kick her legs in frustration.

She whirled up on the platform as the Masters of the Council, Shaak Tii, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Mace Windu, Master Yoda and Plo Koon, stared down at her, their faces underlit by a glow from their consoles. It was a deeply intimidating sight, not one that lent itself well to the notion of a fair trial.

“Padawan Tano,” Master Yoda began. “Serious charges have been levied against you. How plead you?”

“Not guilty, Master,” Ahsoka said, playing the part again. She’d briefly thought about saying guilty. She just wanted this whole thing over. But then...Barriss...the whole point... “I would never intentionally take the lives of innocents.” True, thanks to the ‘intentional’ clause. “The values of the Jedi are sacred to me.” Ture, deeply true; truer than they would perhaps realize.

“There is evidence to suggest the contrary,” Ki-Adi-Mundi said. “You were alone with Letta Turmond when she died. Can you explain this?”

“Someone used the Force against her,” Ahsoka replied, which was true if intentionally vague.

“Which brings us to Ventress,” Plo Koon said next. “Can you explain your association with her?”

“We...had a...mutual understanding...I thought she was helping me.” Which was true, from a certain point of view.

“Did she help you acquire the use of the nanodroid weaponry that was found when you were apprehended,” Mace Windu spoke next. “The same devices used in the bombing of the Temple?”

“No!” Ahsoka protested, which was definitely true in any case as Ahsoka hadn’t acquired those weapons and Ventress didn’t help her acquire them. “I was set up,” she continued, which again was true though it was sort of with her consent.

Mace and the other members of the Council gazed down at her, Kenobi nervously stroking his beard, as Ahsoka stared around at them.

And then it came to her. It was a revelation brought by the suppositional and vague nature of the questions they were asking, with Windu’s being the only one that even implied a direct accusation.

They didn’t actually know she was guilty. What was more to the point they weren’t interested in whether she was or not.

Because the Council weren’t motivated by a desire to learn the truth. They were motivated by fear, the one thing that she had always been taught to avoid as a youngling. Fear of the Republic, fear of the Senate, fear...

They were just as corrupt as she and Barriss had suspected.

“Clouded by the Dark Side these things are, Padawan Tano,” Yoda said. “Dangerously clouded.” Ahsoka’s fingers flexed, the one break from her mask of distraught. Had they been paying attention, had they actually been trying her, they might have caught it. “Not just surrounding you, but surrounding many things in these times.”

“You’ve already made your decision, haven’t you?” Anakin’s voice was low, rumbling, a volcano about to erupt. “This meeting is just a formality!”

Obi-Wan, at least, had the decency to look ashamed.

“Reached a decision we have,” Master Yoda admitted. “But not in total agreement are we.”

She slowly whirled back to the floor on her platform as they read the sentence, telling her she was expelled, that her Padawan status was gone, that she would be stripped of her rank in the Grand Army of the Republic, that she would be turned over to the Republic for trial, where she knew she would likely be executed.

“You can’t do this!” Anakin shouted, starting forward aggressively. The white-robed and masked Sentinels blocked his path, igniting their yellow sabre-staffs.

Ahsoka hung her head in despair. But not for the loss of her status, not for any of the reasons they would think.

Because sometimes, being proved right, was the very worst feeling in all the galaxy.

Ahsoka sat in her cell, Padmé beside her. Brave and noble Padmé had come to be her defence counsel, because of course she would, even though Ahsoka knew she didn’t deserve it. The Senator had always been kind to Ahsoka, had always been kind to everyone really. She’d taught Ahsoka a lot, about politics and the complexities around the war. And she knew that she was one of the few Senators who had been trying, since the beginning, to negotiate an end to the war, to stop the fighting.

Which is what the Jedi should have been doing, Ahsoka reflected bitterly.

Anakin had run off, determined to track down Ventress. Not that it would do any good if he even could find her among the enormous sprawl of Coruscant.

“Ahsoka?” Padmé’s voice was quiet, drawing her back.

“Sorry, Senator Amidala,” Ahsoka said. “I was parsecs away.”

“Please, Ahsoka, it's Padmé.” She smiled kindly at her. “And I can completely understand. But...your trial is soon, we need to have a solid defence prepared.”

“Yes. Of course.” For all the good it would do.

“The crucial question, for me, is what you were doing at the weapons factory,” Padmé continued. “Who was it that gave you the information about that place? We need to ensure that we have a defence based around the fact that you didn’t go there under your own knowledge.”

“It was--” Ahsoka started to reply automatically, then froze. Padmé was one of the smartest people she knew, rivalling if not surpassing Obi-Wan. If she knew Barriss was the one who told her where the factory was, she’d be able to put two and two together and come up with half of the answer, or at least form enough of a suspicion to tell Anakin to go check on Barriss.

It suddenly occurred to Ahsoka that that was likely Barriss’ modified plan all along.

Ahsoka squeezed her fists. She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t throw Barriss into this. She would take the punishment for both of them and let Barriss continue. She was the perfect Padawan, widely respected across the Order. She would be able to make the arguments much better than Ahsoka could. They would listen to her.

“Ventress she took me there,” Ahsoka said, picking her words carefully so that they were technically true.

Padmé nodded. “Well, we’ll have to hope that will be enough. And hopefully Anakin can find her.”

Padmé carried on talking to her, making arguments, setting out what the prosecution’s likely lines of attack would be and how they could counter it. Ahsoka half-listened, just enough to respond, appreciating that what Padmé was really doing was trying to give her hope and calm her, her occasional anxious glances at her comm being enough for Ahsoka to work out that unless Anakin found Ventress she didn’t think much of their chances.

It didn’t matter. None of it did anymore. So Ahsoka rehearsed a speech in her head, the one she’d come out with when she was condemned, when she would finally admit her guilt.

Ahsoka stood in the dock. The large, echoing hall of the Republic Centre for Military Operations loomed around her, dark and stark. The jury of Senators were arranged in single file and looking down at her. Above them, members of the Jedi Council observed. They were hidden in the shadows, so she couldn’t see who was there, but she could feel Kenobi’s anxiety. It was something, she supposed, even if he wasn’t speaking up and hadn’t said anything at her ‘trial’.

Padmé stood nearby, trying to keep a fierce and optimistic poise but Ahsoka could sense her feeling of defeat.

Above and centrally located, Chancellor Palpatine observed the proceedings, flanked by Mas Amedda and his red armoured and robed security. He looked over everything with that genial, grandfatherly, manner of his, shaking his head. Ahsoka knew he was like a father to Anakin, and he had always been kind to Ahsoka. It must have been tearing him apart inside, to have the official duty of overseeing this, only able to listen to the arguments presented and pronounce the expected judgement when it came.

Then there was that sleemo scumbag Tarkin. He was in the prosecution dock, on his peroration, and Ahsoka glared at him. Apparently saving the man’s life from the deadliest prison in the Separatist systems didn’t merit anything with him.

Ahsoka could see exactly how this was going to go. She shut her eyes and ran over her speech one last time. She was sorry for the hurt she was going to cause to Padmé, to Anakin, even Obi-Wan really. But she had to take this chance.

Tarkin sat down. Ahsoka cleared her throat, heart thumping, preparing, waiting for the sentence and her opportunity to speak.

Senator Mot-Not-Rab stood up, holding his datapad. “The members of the court have reached a decision,” he said. He tapped a button.

Mas Amedda passed Palpatine a datapad. He looked at it solemnly and then stood. “Ahsoka Tano,” he announced. Ahsoka closed her eyes, took a breath. The moment was almost here. “By an overwhelming count of--”

“Chancellor!”

Ahsoka whirled around. Anakin was striding along the catwalk, eyes blazing. Behind him came four Sentinels, their sabre-staffs raised and ignited.

Ahsoka’s heart thumped. Had he caught Ventress? It was possible, but then Ventress wouldn’t confess would she? So what difference would this make? Unless...

“I hope you have a reason for bursting into our proceedings Master Skywalker,” Palpatine said, voice indulgent.

“I am here with evidence and a confession, from the person responsible for all the crimes Ahsoka has been accused of,” Anakin announced, glaring up at the court.

A cold hand wound its way around Ahsoka’s heart and she stilled, not drawing breath.

...No...

“Barriss Offee, member of the Jedi Order and traitor!”

The Sentinels at the front stepped aside and Barriss was revealed, glaring at the court, hands bound behind her.

“NO!” Ahsoka screamed and leapt the dock, running, but Padmé caught her and held her as she struggled, speaking soothing words, running her hand lightly along her montral to calm her.

Barriss spared her a glance and then launched into her speech: damning, pointed, elegant, much better than Ahsoka’s planned effort.

She didn’t hear a word of it, as she sunk to her knees and sobbed.

Ahsoka stood in front of the Council members, ashen, staring at the ground, the sun setting outside the windows of the council chamber casting everything into twilight.

“You have our most humble apologies, little Soka,” Plo Koon said, hands together in front of him. “The Council was wrong to accuse you.”

“You have shown such great strength and resilience in your struggles to prove your innocence,” Saessee Tiin added.

“This is the true sign of a Jedi Knight,” Ki-Adi-Mundi said.

“This was actually your great trial,” Mace Windu continued. “Now we see that. We understand that the Force works in mysterious ways. And because of this trial, you have become a greater Jedi than you would have otherwise.”

“Back into the order, you may come,” Yoda said, a glimmer in his eyes.

Ahsoka wanted to spit and scream at them all. Nothing had changed. They’d acted out of fear then and they were doing the same now. Covering their backsides, trying to pretend this was all a grand story and learning for all of them. Except they hadn’t. They wanted her back to smooth everything over. They were dismissing Barriss as a Separatist, as a fallen Jedi, not caring a moment for what she’d said or what she’d shown.

Just like they’d known would happen.

“They’re asking you back Ahsoka,” Anakin said, stepping forward. “I’m asking you back”. There was a slight tremor in his voice, as he held out her Padawan braid.

She stared down at it. It was such a little thing. A collection of beads on a string. She thought about rejecting it. She thought about walking away. But that wouldn’t achieve anything, not now. It wouldn’t do anyone any good. So, reluctantly, she reached out and took it and attached it to the beads of her headpiece.

“Thank you,” she said, softly. She didn’t deserve his support, his effort, not after what she’d done. She looked at the Council, glancing along them. “And thank you, Masters, for your wisdom.” If anyone noticed the sarcasm they didn’t show it. Too busy congratulating themselves on a situation well managed.

“But that’s not all Ahsoka,” Anakin said, voice jovial.

Ahsoka snapped her gaze to him, eyes wide.

...no...

The Council members smiled, looking at one another and Ahsoka and Anakin.

...No...don’t...

“This was, as they said, your Great Trial,” Anakin said, beaming at her, pride in his eyes.

Ahsoka hung her head, she couldn’t let them see her face.

Please, NO!

“Well, Anakin, she’s your Padawan,” Obi-Wan said, smiling and gesturing. “You may do the honours.”

Anakin took out his lightsabre, and Ahsoka settled onto her knees, head lowered. Because that’s what the role demanded.

“Ahsoka, in this trial you have shown great courage,” Anakin intoned, igniting his blue lightsabre and holding it over her left shoulder.

She supposed that was true, if not in the way he meant.

He held the lightsabre to her right shoulder. “And even though almost everyone around you didn’t believe in you,” Anakin said, taking the opportunity to be petty and pointed which the Council let pass, “you never lost faith in your principles and beliefs.”

She whined.

Traditionally the Master cut off the Padawan braid from their head with the sabre, but that would be a bit risky given the way Ahsoka’s was laid. So Anakin reached down, unattached the braid, threw it in the air and slashed it in half. The two pieces slapped to the floor in Ahsoka’s line of sight.

“Rise now, Jedi Knight Tano!” Anakin declared, smiling and deactivating his lightsabre.

Slowly Ahsoka raised her head. Her face was stained with tears, the runnels and tracks darkening her orange skin and white markings, looking like shadows had splintered along her skin. She forced a strained, wobbling, grin onto her face.

“Thank you, Anakin.”

Chapter Text

Ahsoka stared out at the blue of hyperspace rushing past the screen. Her hand was locked on the hyperdrive lever, nearly melded with it she was gripping it so hard.

“Ah...Ahsoka...let me...”

She glanced over, becoming aware that there was someone else in the cockpit. Barriss reached out to her hand, prising her pinky finger loose. Then Ahsoka became aware of the cramp and tension in her hand and drew it off, flexing it, relaxing it. She slumped back in the chair and let out a long sigh.

“Thank you,” Barriss said, quietly. Ahsoka looked over at her. “For coming to get me. For not turning back. For...thank you.”

“Of course,” Ahsoka gave her a weak smile. “Like I said, we’re in this together aren’t we?”

Barriss returned the smile. “Well, there’s certainly no turning back now.”

“No, I guess we’ve both burnt whatever bridges might have remained.” Ahsoka rubbed at her face. She was exhausted. Mentally and physically. In all honesty, she couldn’t believe they managed to getaway. She’d needed to do something, and that plan had been something so she’d done it but... She let out a shuddering breath, the nerves creeping up on her as the adrenaline faded.

“Oh, here, your lightsabres.” Barriss passed them back over to Ahsoka, who took a moment to hold them in her hands, being calmed by the cool metal. “I didn’t...I didn’t kill anyone with them,” Barriss continued, feeling she needed to be clear. “I hit Commander Fox in the knee because I needed to deter them, but otherwise...”

“Huh? Oh, well I didn’t like him, so I think we can class that under ‘acceptable’,” Ahsoka said with a wry smile. She clipped the lightsabres to her belt.

“Why Onderon?” Barriss asked after a moment.

Ahsoka paused, swaying her head slightly. “Lux and Saw are there,” she said, eventually. “I think that’s our best bet for finding a place to hideout. At least until we can work out where we actually want to hide.”

“What are you going to say to them? They’ll surely know about what I did, which would make things tricky enough, but if they knew...about you...”

Ahsoka crossed her arms, quiet. She’d thought about this, mulled it over a lot, thought up all kinds of stories that she could say. But in the end, there was only one option. “I’ll tell them the truth,” she said with a shrug.

“The truth?” Barriss looked at her in surprise.

Ahsoka nodded. “I have no idea when the Republic will report what happened, and we probably won’t know until after we land. So I can’t lie, that would just damage whatever trust might be there. So...I have to tell them.”

“And you think they’ll still harbour us?”

“I don’t know,” Ahsoka admitted. “But if they can’t, I think they’ll at least give us a head start.” She tried to make it sound like a joke, but she didn’t really have the energy for it. She rolled up onto her feet. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. It’ll be a good few hours before we get to Onderon, so we might as well rest.”

Barriss stood up. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

“This is when we find out there’s only one bed in this place...” Ahsoka muttered.

They walked back through the cabin. The shuttle was small but reasonably spacey for two people. The main cabin had a set of seats but was bare of cargo. Along the wall were a compartment for food storage, a quick look inside confirming that it had plenty of ration packs, and a microwave. A gun platform was at the back of the shuttle, and Ahsoka knew there were some small turrets at the front. A pair of jumpspeeders were maglocked to one wall, and the floor was made out of easy to remove panelling for access to the engines.

They approached the door leading to the crew cabin. “Well, this is the moment,” Ahsoka said. Behind her, Barriss fidgeted nervously. Ahsoka tapped the panel and the door slid open to reveal--

A bunk bed.

Both of them let out a sigh of relief.

Ahsoka jerked her thumb at the bed. “Do you want to be the top or the bottom?” she asked.

“I don’t mind,” Barriss replied.

“I’ll be on top then,” Ahsoka said, stretching and yawning. She clambered up the ladder and slumped onto the bed, lying on her left side and taking a moment to arrange her lekku into a comfortable position, as Barriss took off her hood and lay down on the bed below.

Lying down, Ahsoka allowed the exhaustion and nervous energy to wash over her, tugging at her eyelids.

“Night, Barriss,” she said.

“Goodnight Ahsoka,” Barriss replied.

Her eyes shut over and a moment later she was asleep.

Anakin hadn’t slept a wink.

Or if he had, it was that uncomfortable sleep where you dreamed you were awake and thinking about all the same things you would be thinking about if you were actually awake. So there wasn’t much difference really.

After the shuttle had disappeared, Obi-Wan had called it in with Commander Fox and they’d flown back to the Temple in silence. Anakin was on autopilot the whole way.
“ both of us were involved in the bombing! ”

How? Why? He hadn’t noticed anything. In the aftermath of the bombing, Ahsoka had behaved exactly as he would have expected. Shaken by what had happened. Determined to find out who did it. Determined to clear her name. Showing concern for the clones when she escaped. Could she have been lying? Just saying it to give herself an excuse for rescuing Barriss? Possible, maybe...but he wasn’t sure if he thought it was possible because it could be or because he wanted it to be.

They’d arrived back in the Temple, depositing the fighters in the very hangar that had been bombed. Anakin had clambered out and stared across at the rows of bombers, newly replaced, sitting idle, picturing where the bomb had gone off.

Picturing the ghost of Ahsoka investigating.

Investigating herself.

A warm hand fell on his shoulder and he looked over to see Obi-Wan looking at him with great sympathy. “Do you want to talk?” Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin looked at him and then shook his head. “I don’t know...maybe...at some point...but right now...” He looked back at the bombers and Obi-Wan followed his gaze.

“I understand,” he said. “It’s difficult. It’s not the same, but when I lost Qui-Gon...” He paused. Squeezed Anakin’s shoulder. “If there’s anything I can do.”

“Thank you, Obi-Wan.” He stepped forward, heading for the exit, Obi-Wan following behind. “I’m...I’m going to get some air.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Take all the time you need. I’ll report to the Council. Then, they’ll undoubtedly be a larger meeting tomorrow to discuss this.”

They went their separate ways, Anakin hopping on a speeder and heading straight back to Padmé’s apartment. Padmé was waiting up, anxiously pacing and she looked over sharply when he emerged from the turbolift.

One look was all she needed to see. “Oh Ani,” she rushed to him and swept him into her arms and he fell on her shoulder and wept.

She’d worked it out, of course. As soon as Anakin had leapt to his feet and ran out of the apartment, shouting over his shoulder that Ahsoka had broken Barriss out of prison, she snapped the puzzle pieces together with her prior concern about why Ahsoka never mentioned the tip-off from Barriss.

He hadn’t talked about it, hadn’t wanted to and she didn’t press him. Just guided him gently to the bed and set him down to sleep.

And he’d lain on his side and stared at the blinds on the window all night, wondering why.

He rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. Padmé had got up about an hour ago, perhaps. Needing to get started on her senatorial duties no doubt. Sighing, he wrenched himself out of the bed, catching sight of himself in the mirror.

By the Force, he looked a mess... Hair everywhere, dark bags under his eyes. He scrubbed his hair back with his hand as best he could manage and put on his Jedi tunic, pulled the glove over his mechanical hand and threw the robe over his shoulders and walked out of the room. As he went along the curving corridor the golden protocol droid approached the other way, carrying a tray.

“Oh, Master Anakin,” C-3PO said. “I was just coming to deliver you breakfast.”

“It’s okay, Threepio, I’m not hungry,” he replied, picking up the glass of water and drinking it, inclining his head in thanks. “Where’s Padmé?”

“She is in the living quarters.”

“She hasn’t left yet?”

“No. I believe Mistress Padmé wished to see you before she went.”

He nodded, placing the water back on the tray. “Thanks.”

“You are most welcome, Master Anakin.”

Anakin walked along the corridor and picked up a voice coming from the living quarters. A familiar once. Making a speech he’d heard. A voice that made his fists clench.

“...I've come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize. That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war. That we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict. That we are the ones that should be put on trial. All of us! 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!”

“What are you doing?”

“No!”

Padmé, sat at the dining table laid out in the large living quarters, paused the holoprojection and looked up. She smiled at him. “Did you sleep at all?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, not really.” He slumped onto one of the couches, feeling the cool breeze from the open balcony window, and gestured at the projection.

Padmé looked back at the frozen image of Barriss Offee’s defiant glare. “I’m re-watching the proceedings,” she said. “Going over things in my head, from when I talked with Ahsoka. I’m trying to understand.”

“You want to justify what she did?” Anakin asked, not being able to bring himself to include Ahsoka in the category. Not yet.

She turned to him. “Anakin, understanding why people are motivated to do something is not the same as justifying their actions.” She glanced back at the screen, remembering Ahsoka’s horrified reaction to Barriss’ reveal. She’d thought she’d just been upset at her friend being revealed as the one responsible but now...now it was fairly clear what the actual reason was. “They were just children when they were thrown into this war, one of the most brutal in galactic history.”

It pained her to think about, pained her worse to think that she’d never really considered it before, especially given her own youthful experience with combat. Because of how supernatural the Jedi were it was sometimes hard to remember that they were just as emotionally vulnerable as any child in wartime.

She made a mental note to contact Bail, Mon Mothma and Chuchi to put together a petition to the Temple, and the Senate, to remove all Padawans under eighteen from active combat duty.

Padmé looked back over. Anakin was staring at the floor, parsecs away, hands twisting around one another. “What are you feeling?” she asked.

He glanced up at her and then back. “Angry,” he said after a long moment. “And hurt. Angry that she would do this, that she would bomb the Temple! Angry that she lied, that she made me think she was innocent, and that I was so worried about her, fighting for her and all the time...” He halted, took a deep breath, pulling back from the anger. “And hurt because she didn’t feel she could talk to me about it...and I guess I’m angry at myself that...I’d made her feel she couldn’t.”

Padmé moved over to the couch and sat beside him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

“I just can’t understand it, Padmé,” he said, voice quiet. “How could she do something like this? How could she bomb the Temple, kill Jedi, the clones, civilians? She’s a good person, I know she is. How could she do it?”

Padmé gave him a sad smile. “Now you know how I felt when you told me about the Tusken village,” she said, quietly.

Anakin snapped his gaze to her and a wave of pain and shame passed behind his eyes.

He shook his head and stood up. “I need to get to the Temple,” he said, heading for the turbolift. "There’s going to be a session this morning, to discuss what happened. And what we do next."

He didn’t dare look back, for fear of what he’d see in her expression.

Anakin got out of the speeder and clambered up the steps to the Jedi Temple. He’d always thought of the place as grand, the enormous structure and the towers, the large echoing corridors, the windows that let all the light in. It had been magical when he had first arrived, with Qui-Gon Jinn guiding him, pointing out some of the important statues.

Now it felt diminished somehow.

He was sweeping down one of the corridors, heading for the Council chambers, when two younglings, a Tholothian and a Rodia, ran up to him.

“Master Skywalker!” the Tholothian called.

He stopped and put on a smile for them. “Hey,” he said. “Katooni and Ganoodi, right?”

“Yes!” they both said, delighted that the ‘Hero with No Fear’ had recognised them.

“What can I do for you?”

“Do you know where Ahsoka is?” Katooni asked.

Anakin’s stomach lurched. “Uh...” he fumbled, not sure what to say.

“We wanted to give her a present, to congratulate her on being Knighted,” Ganoodi continued, Katooni waving a small box. “We didn’t get a chance before. We tried her quarters, but she wasn’t in.”

“So we thought you might know where she was.”

Anakin licked his lips. “Well...you see...”

“She’s been sent out on assignment.”

They all looked up to see Obi-Wan Kenobi walking towards them, smiling.

“On...assignment?” Anakin asked.

“Yes. The Council has sent her out on a mission, just yesterday. Apologies Anakin, we didn’t get around to informing you.”

“No, that’s fine!” Anakin replied, playing along. “I’m not her Master anymore, you don’t have to keep me in the loop.”

“Do you know when she’ll be back?” Katooni asked, obviously disappointed.

“I’m afraid it is a mission of some delicacy, so we’re not sure.” He smiled paternally at them. “But I’m sure if you keep hold of that present, she’ll be delighted to receive it when she gets back.”

“Okay!”

“Now, I’m sure you both have lessons you’re supposed to be in.”

The two younglings looked guilty, before speeding down the corridor.

“And no running!” Obi-Wan called, seeing the younglings halt and slow to a walk, before sensing them immediately picking up speed as soon as they were around the corner.

Obi-Wan shook his head and then gestured and Anakin walked beside him down the corridor.

“She’s on assignment?” he asked. “So we’re keeping this hushed up, as opposed to last time?”

“Having one well-liked and widely admired Padawan go rogue is unfortunate. Two well-liked and widely admired Padawans going rogue is starting to look like a dangerous pattern.”

“And the Republic?”

“After lots of frantic arguments last night, we were finally able to impress on them the importance of keeping quiet about the breakout and Barriss and Ahsoka’s...actions,” he said, being delicate in his phrasing. “Tarkin was eventually won round with the point that the security of our supposed ‘Maximum’ security facility was looking increasingly shoddy so I think we’ve bought him off with embarrassment, at least until he gets new security arrangements in place.” He paused. “I understand that the Chancellor intervened personally on our side.”

Anakin nodded. That made sense. He’d spoken many times about Ahsoka and what she meant to him, and after the trial, Palpatine had been quick to express his relief that she’d been found innocent, that he’d been very stressed at the prospect of having to read out the condemnation and execution sentencing for her. He would have to go see him and thank him in person, as he had no doubt that his personal intervention had been for his sake.

They made it to the top of the tower and stood outside the Council chambers. Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder. “Ready?” he asked.

Anakin drew in a breath and nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

They opened the door and stepped inside. All of the Councils members were in attendance, whether physically or as holoprojections, seated in the cushioned chairs in a circle, the light shining from outside and playing across the marble floor.

And also there, stood in the centre, was--

“Luminara!” Anakin snarled, striding towards the black-clad Mirialan Jedi Master, too fast for Obi-Wan’s desperate flail to grab, and jabbing a finger at her. “What in the name of sanity have you been doing?! Surely you should have noticed that Barriss was falling and put a stop to it before she corrupted my Padawan?!”

Luminara lifted her chin and hit him with a glare that could have turned sand into glass. “My Padawan was the corrupting influence, Skywalker?” she said, voice like ice crinkling over water. “Of the two, I think it far more likely that Ahsoka was the corrupting influence. She’s adopted much of your brash and reckless attitude. My regret is I didn’t caution Barriss against that friendship.”

“Brash and reckless doesn’t equal--”

“Please!” Mace Windu said, raising his hands in exasperation. They both looked over. “I’m sure there is a very enlightening discussion to be had about whose Padawan is responsible for corrupting who. But could we please leave that until after this session is concluded?”

Luminara and Anakin shared one final glare before turning to Master Yoda, as head of the Council. Luminara curtsied. “My apologies, Masters,” she said, genuinely contrite. “That was unbecoming of me.”

Anakin crossed his arms and looked away. “Yeah, sorry.”

Obi-Wan snuck into his chair and sighed.

Master Yoda bowed his head, accepting the apologies, and then looked around the chamber. “A grave session of the Council, this is,” he began, tone sombre. “Lost two Jedi we have. Two of our best.”

Anakin looked like he was about to say something but then thought better of it.

“What we need to do is determine exactly how this happened,” Mace Windu continued.

“And preferably before the Republic loses patience,” Depa Billaba, holoprojecting in, added. “We can’t afford this scandal to get out, not before we have some prepared response.”

“Still...I find it very hard to believe that Little Soka was involved in this matter,” Plo Koon said, mournfully, threading his hands together.

This time both Anakin and Luminara looked like they were about to say something, before thinking better of it.

Plo Koon looked at them both. “Skywalker, did you have any indication that Ahsoka was planning this, or was falling into that mindset?”

Anakin thought and shook his head slowly. “No...” he said. “I mean, I know after Umbara she came back a bit shaken, but I figured that was from the experience of the ground combat and learning what happened with Pong Krell.” The Council members all nodded. “But once she got back to the Temple, she seemed to relax a bit more.”

“And Master Unduli? Did Barriss seem to have issues?”

Luminara considered it. “She...did come to me asking about the new lessons for younglings, on strategy and tactics in battle,” she said, slowly. “And she had previously shown concern for the conduct of the war. She was always a sensitive one.” She seemed to realise what she’d said and straightened. “But I talked with her and we meditated together. And that seemed to resolve her doubts.”

“Master Vos has been into their chambers,” Kit Fisto said. “He couldn’t find anything in Ahsoka’s rooms, but he did pick up on some memories in Barriss’. For what it’s worth, from what Vos understands, it appears they didn’t intend for there to be so many casualties. They were hoping for something symbolic.”

“Not that that makes it any better,” the holoprojection of Eeth Koth spoke up. “What we need to do is determine where they’re going next?”

“To the Separatists perhaps?” Ki-Adi-Mundi wondered.

“I doubt that,” Obi-Wan murmured, stroking his beard. Then looked up and realized all eyes were on him.

“Master Kenobi, a thought you have?” Yoda asked.

Obi-Wan mulled a moment and then gestured. “Listen to Barriss’ speech,” he said. “She uses the terms ‘we’ and ‘us’ when referring to the Jedi. Assuming she speaks for both her and Ahsoka it’s pretty clear that they see themselves as corrupt along with the rest of us.” There was some scoffing from the Council and Obi-Wan held up a hand. “My point is, this is not the language of people who are planning to defect to the Separatists. So I think we should take them at their word, that they believe they were trying to show how we had fallen in order to save us.”

That brought a moment of quiet reflection.

Mace Windu sighed and rubbed at his forehead. “Ultimately, the only way we’re going to know is if we can actually speak with them,” he said. He gestured for Obi-Wan to stand, and he did so, joining Anakin and Luminara in the centre. “We have agreement from the Republic that they will not reveal details of what has happened, but we have no guaranteed time frame from them and arguments are undoubtedly ongoing. So, in the meantime, we’re pulling you three off of all current assignments and you are to have one task: find Ahsoka and Barriss and bring them back for questioning.”

Anakin and Luminara gave each other sour side-eyes and Obi-Wan could almost see the lightning crackling between their eyes. He felt a migraine forming at the back of his head as he realised he would be playing referee between them.

“The trouble is the question of where to start...” Shaak Ti mused. “They could be anywhere in the galaxy.”

That was an issue. Obi-Wan was fairly confident Separatist worlds could be ruled out. But that still left all of Republic space, plus any neutral systems, Hutt controlled systems and wild space. And neither he, Anakin, nor Luminara had much experience with tracking people.

What they needed was someone to help them who did. Someone who was experienced with tracking people down. A bounty hunter would be a possibility, but it would have to be someone capable of tangling with Jedi.

A terrible thought crossed Obi-Wan’s mind. A horrible one really, waxy and pale as it slowly sailed across his brain, and he practised his meditative exercise of observing it and letting it pass.

“Master Kenobi.” He looked up, startled, and saw Yoda appraising him with amusement. “Another thought, have you?”

Obi-Wan swallowed. “Yes...but not a good one I fear.”

“Well it’s one thought more than I’ve got,” Anakin put in, raising a brow.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. “Well... Do we know what we did with Ventress’ lightsabres?”

Chapter Text

Ahsoka awoke to the sound of sniffling and hiccoughing. She blinked, puzzled as to where the sound was coming from. Then she realised it was coming from below her.

Is...Barriss...crying? she wondered, carefully pressing her head onto the bed to pick up more of the sound. She wasn’t sure what to do. Should she go down and comfort her? Just talk to her from her own bunk? Or should she just lie still? Maybe Barriss wouldn’t want her to know? It certainly sounded like she was trying to keep quiet.

“Let her...” a sibilant voice whispered in her mind.

Ahsoka blinked.

“Let her suffer. She made a mess of the plan and dragged you into it.”

No, Ahsoka thought firmly. I will not blame Barriss. I made my own choices.

“Strange, though, that one so smart, one who plans so intensively, would make the errors she did. The errors that led to all those deaths.” The voice paused. “Perhaps she intended it?”

Ahsoka let out a growl of frustration and rubbed vigorously at her right montral to clear the voice out of her head. That wasn’t fair. Not at all. Yes, sure, maybe more could have been done to make sure of things, that was true of anything. But Ahsoka could have done that as well, she could have asked some more questions, found out that Barriss hadn’t really talked with Jackar himself and urged her to do so.

She dropped her hand, her mind silent again.

Then she realized it was actually silent in the whole room.

She lifted herself up, cautiously, trying not to make noise and clambered down the ladder of the bunk bed and looked at Barriss. She was lying on her back, her hands resting lightly on her stomach. Her eyes were shut and her breath was steady. There was no trace of tears on her face or puffiness in her eyes or anything to indicate that she had been crying at all. It looked like she was just in a deep sleep.

Maybe she’d just imagined it? Some humming of the ship coming through distorted when she was just waking up?

She shook her head and rubbed her montral, heading for the door. She wasn’t going to get back to sleep, so she might as well do some stock-taking and think about how she was going to phrase things when she saw Lux.

Ahsoka opened the door and slipped out, the door sliding shut behind her.

Barriss’ eyes flickered open.

“I’m just sorry there isn’t anything more I could do to help.”

Chancellor Palpatine smiled with sympathy at Anakin. Anakin had gone to see him immediately after the Council session concluded to express his gratitude for his intervention. Palpatine had dismissed the need for thanking him, as it was no trouble for him at all to help a friend. They were in his public office, bright and layered with plush red carpet, several pieces of artwork set up in the room, the window showing the spires of buildings rising in the distance. The guards and advisors had been dismissed so they could speak privately.

“All the same,” Anakin replied. “I know it was likely your intervention that convinced Tarkin to keep quiet.”

“He was quite outraged,” Palpatine mused. “You are aware, I’m sure, of how passionate he was in making the case for the prosecution against Ahsoka.”

Anakin’s fists tightened. “I am aware...” he ground out.

Palpatine rose, walking towards him and putting a hand on his back. “And now this business...” He shook his head. “It pains me, my boy, it pains me a great deal to see how you’ve been betrayed. After all the effort you made to clear her name.”

Anakin turned his face away. He didn’t really want to think about it, because if he did that anger would just come back. Because he did feel like he’d been made a fool. He had scoured the lower levels of Coruscant for Ventress, found her and then went after Barriss. Fought Barriss across the Jedi Temple and captured her in the nick of time, the dashing hero saving the day again.

Except, of course, he hadn’t saved anyone. He couldn’t even be sure if this wasn’t part of some wider plan all along. The two of them now, skating through hyperspace, laughing at how easily he’d fallen for it...

No, he thought firmly. Whatever Ahsoka’s reasons for doing what she did, that wasn’t what she was like. He wouldn’t deny that she was involved, he couldn’t pretend she wasn’t, but he was certain that Barriss' influence was the more dominant of the two. He, after all, had seen the way she’d smiled and wielded Ventress’ lightsabres.

“I think they suit me!”

“Are you all right?”

Anakin snapped out of it and saw Palpatine was looking at him with concern. He realized he’d likely been asked a question that he’d missed. “Sorry, your Excellency,” he said. “I was...thinking.”

“Of course. This is a trial to bear.” Palpatine patted him on the back and moved back towards his chair. “I am surprised that Ahsoka never talked to you about her feelings. Given how close you two were and how you talked with such pride about her. I never realized she considered Barriss to be a closer friend and confidant than you.”

That stung.

For a brief moment, anger descended over Anakin at the Chancellor, certain that that had been a deliberate remark, said with the intent of hurting him. But he saw the way Palpatine was looking off into the distance, thumb and finger cupping his chin and realized he was just musing aloud. No harm had been meant.

And, in any case, it’s not like it wasn’t true.

Anakin let his anger go, sighing it out with a long breath. “Thank you for your time, your excellency,” he said and bowed. “I fear I must get back to my duties.”

“Of course, of course,” Palpatine smiled at him. “I wish you the best of luck in apprehending them. And hope that when you do you can find the answers you are looking for.”

Anakin was about to turn to go when Palpatine raised a hand to forestall him. “Oh, before you go, Anakin, there’s a matter I wished to bring to your attention,” he said.

“Oh? What?”

“It doesn’t concern you specifically, more the Council.” Palpatine paused as if trying to think how to phrase something. “You see, I was asked to sign a petition earlier today, brought by Senators Amidala, Chuchi, Organa and Mothma. They intend to present it to the Jedi Council, asking for the withdrawal of all Padawans under the age of eighteen from active combat duty.”

Anakin’s face darkened. Padmé hadn’t mentioned this to him.

“Naturally I wasn’t able to sign it,” Palpatine continued. “I am aware the Council dislikes politicians interfering in its affairs. But as you are close with Master Kenobi, I thought it might be good for you to know, if you wished to send advance warning?”

“Of course,” Anakin replied, chewing his teeth. He bowed. “Thank you, your excellency.” He turned and strode out of the room. He’d need to swing by Padmé’s office to have a word before he went back to the Temple.

Barriss found her, sometime later in the cockpit, sitting in the pilot’s seat with her right leg pulled up to her chest, staring out at the blue swirl of hyperspace.

“Hello,” Barriss said and Ahsoka looked over her shoulder to see her. She looked incredibly tired. “Did you manage to sleep at all?” she asked, seating herself in the co-pilot's chair.

“A little,” Ahsoka said, rubbing at her eyes. “Not very well though. Which isn’t great, as I was hoping to look presentable.”

“Perhaps looking distressed will endear Senator Bonteri to our plight.” Ahsoka looked over and Barriss gave her a small smile. Ahsoka chuckled and looked back out at hyperspace.

“Yeah, maybe if I act sufficiently like a damsel in distress the whole ‘on the run’, ‘bombed the Jedi Temple’ parts will go in one ear and out the other.”

Barriss let out a small laugh.

They sat in silence for a long moment.

“I always liked looking out at hyperspace,” Ahsoka said, quietly. “Always thought it was because of the swirl and the colour; it always seemed to hold so many possibilities. Now though…I think it’s because it meant there was no war, no fighting. Just a nice calm silence.”

Barriss looked over at her, Ahsoka’s face bathed in the swirling light of hyperspace, staring out at it, one knee drawn up. She opened her mouth to say something, paused, started again--

The console beeped and the moment was broken.

Ahsoka shook herself and planted both feet on the ground, moving her chair forward slightly to touch at the panels. “Coming up on Onderon,” she stated.

Barriss nodded and a moment later the swirl disappeared and there was the slight judder of entering real space. And before them lay Onderon.

The planet was a mix of browns and greens, being mostly jungle, mountainous regions, and gorges, which Ahsoka had got to know quite well when she’d scrambled around with the rebel movement. The only real city was the walled capital of Iziz.

Crossing over the planet were two red and white painted Venator-class Star Destroyers, their serrated wedge shape casting an ugly shadow against the light reflecting off Onderon.

Ahsoka and Barriss swallowed. Barriss reached out and picked up a datapad and quickly scanned through the HoloNet, searching to see if there was any information about the attack or any announcements regarding her and Ahsoka. But after a couple of minutes of hunting, she couldn’t find anything.

“There doesn’t appear to be anything announced about the escape,” she said.

“Huh, really?”

“I suppose it’s possible they’re keeping things quiet. Two Jedi going rogue, on the back of Krell, might raise some uncomfortable questions for the Order and the Republic.”

“Well let’s hope that’s the case…” Ahsoka reached out and keyed in the channel for the Senatorial office that Lux had given her when she was last on Onderon.

‘If ever you need anything,’ he’d said. Well, that favour was getting called in…though probably not in the way he’d imagined…

The comm chimed for a while, Ahsoka keeping her distance from the Star Destroyers, hoping they wouldn’t get picked up. The comm kept chiming and Barriss started to fidget. Ahsoka drummed her fingers against the chair’s armrest. Perhaps Lux was currently on Coruscant? In which case this could be trouble. She could try contacting Saw if this failed but she didn’t know him as well. And there was what happened with Steela…

“Perhaps--” Barriss began, but was cut off by the image of a young woman with a severe haircut and wearing glasses appearing on the video screen of the console.
Ahsoka hoped her sigh of relief hadn’t been audible.

“Hello,” the woman said. “This is the Senatorial Office of Senator Lux Bonteri. May I ask what your business is?”

“Hey!” Ahsoka said, forcing a cheerful tone. “I was wondering if it would be possible to see Senator Bonteri?”

The woman looked dubious. “He is very busy I’m afraid.”

“Look, I’d appreciate it if you could just tell him that Ahsoka Tano is here to see him.”

The woman shook her head. “I will do so, but I can’t say it will do much good.”

The video cut out.

“Do you believe she will pass on the information?” Barriss asked, sceptically.

“Oh come on! The one good thing about bureaucrats is they do the bureaucracy.” Ahsoka crossed her arms. “And if she doesn't, someone is going to be getting a lightsaber up their backside.”

Barriss blurted out a giggle before touching her hand to her mouth.

Ahsoka cast her a wry smile. “You are allowed to laugh when I make jokes. It is the point of them.”

“Yes, I understand the purpose of a joke, but there’s a proper way to--don’t roll your eyes at me!”

The comm chimed and Ahsoka pressed the button. The woman appeared again, looking puzzled. “Senator Bonteri would be glad to see you,” she said. “There’s an opening in his schedule in an hour’s time. Docking bay seventeen is clear for your use.”

“Thank you!” Ahsoka said, flashing a grin. She cut the communication and angled the shuttle towards Onderon. “See? What did I tell you?”

“All right, I concede your superior knowledge of bureaucrats.”

“Hanging out with Senator Amidala does have its benefits,” Ahsoka said smugly. As they passed beneath one of the Star Destroyers, the shadow crossing over them in the cockpit, she took a deep breath and let it out.

Now she needed to work out the best way to phrase this…

Padmé Amidala’s desk comm chimed and she looked up from the holoconsole and tapped the button. “Yes?” she asked.

“Mistress Padmé,” C-3PO said. “Master--that is, a Jedi is here to see you.”

Padmé ruefully shook her head at Threepio still struggling with the concept of discretion.

“Send them in,” she said, closing down the holoconsole and cutting the communication. Her office was relatively small by Senatorial standards but brightly lit with large windows looking out onto the landing pad and several comfy chairs arranged in the room. It was reasonably quiet as well, with the only real noise being the occasional sounds of ships landing and taking off.

A moment later Anakin Skywalker strode into the room. Padmé stood and smiled as he came in, though she noted his agitation. “Anakin,” she greeted him, walking around the table. “Has there been any update on Ahsoka and Barriss?”

“No, not yet,” he replied. “But that plan is getting in motion.” He stood, flexing his fingers. “Padmé, why didn’t you tell me you were sending a petition to the Council?”

Padmé blinked. “I haven’t sent a petition.”

“The Chancellor told me you’re going to.”

Padmé bristled at that. She’d always felt there was something off-putting about Palpatine. Certainly, for a man who claimed to abhor war, he did a lot to ensure it continued; and he acquired more power in inverse proportion to how much he protested his reluctance to take it. But he was close to Anakin, and Anakin close to him. So this needed to be handled with some delicacy.

“Yes,” she said. “I, and some other Senators, do plan to put in a petition to have Padawans under eighteen withdrawn from active combat duty.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because after what’s happened I’m realising that sending children into war is causing horrible strains to them. Ahsoka and Barriss might just be the start.” She turned her head to the side. “This is something I should have realised before. And I dragged Ahsoka into more than a few difficult situations as well…and remembering my own experience…”

“I know, I was there,” Anakin said, pacing. “You seemed all right.”

Padmé shot him a look. “Thank you for your assumptions.”

Anakin pulled a face. “I didn’t mean…”

“I fought one battle, and not the most brutal one. But this has been a continuous war for nearly four years. And I had Sabé, Eitraé, Rabé, Sachaé and Yané, for emotional support.” Padmé raised an eyebrow. “Would you of all people deny the Jedi have trouble handling difficult emotions?”

Anakin sighed. “No, I wouldn’t.” He paused a moment. “I don’t want to stop you from putting in the petition, as much as it will be ignored, but if it’s too public then people might ask questions. And that might prompt the Republic to make the information public before we can find them.”

Padmé nodded. “I know. I haven’t told the others what happened.” She seated herself on one of the long chairs and Anakin sat beside her. “I’ll submit it privately, and won’t bring anything to the Senate until after the announcement comes, or the situation is resolved.”

“Thank you Padmé.”

She glanced over at him and saw the distant look. She smiled and took his hand. “Will I see you tonight?”

Reluctantly he shook his head. “No, we’re putting into motion a plan to find them. I won’t be able to make it.”

“Okay. At least you’ve got an idea.”

Anakin frowned. “To be honest, it’s a pretty terrible idea…but nobody had any better suggestions.”

Padmé raised her brows. “Well, I look forward to hearing all about this one.”

Anakin laughed and squeezed her hand.

They flew in over Iziz, passing over the walls and past the square-shaped building of the Royal Palace of Onderon, the two triangular columns rising over its roof. The stone buildings had a certain uniformity to them, but the streets were wide with numerous people wandering around. They passed over the power generator, electricity crackling off the bulbous shape of the main generator to the cylinders surrounding it, enclosed in thick walls with a durasteel gate.

They also saw a lot of clone troopers on patrol as they passed overhead.

Ahsoka set the ship down at the large transport hub, landing in docking bay seventeen. She took a deep breath and sighed it out.

“Do you know what you’re going to say?” Barriss asked.

“Roughly,” Ahsoka admitted.

“Would you like to practice?”

“No. If I do that and it doesn’t go to script it will just throw me off.”

She got up and walked into the main bay of the shuttle and dithered over whether she should wear a cloak. On the one hand, there wasn’t anything unusual about her walking in the open. No announcement had been made yet. But then clones might see her and recognise her, so wearing a cloak might be better. But then if they saw her and recognised her whilst wearing a cloak then that might arouse more suspicions and lead to it being called in than if she hadn’t worn a cloak.

Eventually, she settled on the safety of the cloak, with Barriss helping tuck her lekku around her neck to make them less conspicuous. They couldn’t do anything about the montrals, poking up the hood, but maybe people would think she was a Zabrak.

She hit the button for the ramp and tried not to hear the beating of her heart as it slowly lowered.

“Good luck,” Barriss said.

Ahsoka snorted. “Master Kenobi always said there’s--” She clammed up, realising what she was saying, feeling a wave of sadness and irritation at the image of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Then may the Force be with you,” Barriss corrected.

“Thanks,” Ahsoka replied, starting down the ramp. “I think I’ll need all the help it can give me…” she added in a mutter.

She made her way through the stone-paved streets towards the Senatorial residence, where Lux’s office was. As she passed clone patrols she ducked her head and tried not to think about identical bodies blown apart or sliced with still simmering lightsabre gashes. Her heart thumped and her palms sweated the whole way.

Eventually, she arrived at the building without any mishap. It was slightly larger than the other Onderonian buildings, and stood apart, with columns outside of it shielding the short flight of stairs leading up to the front door. Ahsoka made her presence known at the reception desk and was shuffled into a small, but brightly lit and cosy room that had a desk in front of the window, two chairs and a sofa. She was informed that Senator Bonteri would join her presently.

Ahsoka took off her cloak and sat down on the sofa. Then she stood up and paced. Then she sat down again. Her fingers twitched in agitation, wondering what was keeping Lux. Then she started to think that perhaps this was all an elaborate trap. After all, it’s not as if her friendship with Lux was unknown. This was a fairly obvious choice of destination now she considered it. Which meant that the delay wasn’t any delay at all but just because the troops were getting organised. It was possible they had already captured Barriss, as soon as Ahsoka had left the docking bay.

She was just about to leap up and flee when the door was thrown open and Lux strode in, beaming.

“Ahsoka!” he called, delighted and enfolded her in a hug that it took Ahsoka a moment to return. He stepped back. “To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”

“Lux,” Ahsoka breathed in relief. “It's so good to see you.”

He looked at her slightly confused. Because of course, he didn’t know that when the door slammed open she’d been about to dive through the window, imagining the troops storming in.

“It’s good to see you too,” he settled on as a response. He looked well, dressed in a smart silk shirt and cotton trousers. “Though you’ve come quite the way for a social call. You could have waited a couple of days to see me on Coruscant.”

“Ah. Well. I’m not exactly here on a social call…”

“Oh? Then what is it?”

“Um…well, it’s a little complicated to explain…” Her eyes darted around the room. “This is a confidential space right?”

Now he looked even more confused. “Of course, it’s my private office, it’s…” He looked at her closely, saw the agitation in her. He moved towards the seat behind his desk. “I'm going to want to sit down for this aren’t I?”

Ahsoka grimaced. “It might be a good idea.”

When she finished Lux stared at her in stunned silence. He raised a finger and started to say something. Then halted and looked away. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried again.

“So…let me get this straight…” He looked up at Ahsoka, sat on the right chair in front of the desk, and she turned her gaze away and stared vacantly at the floor. “You bombed--suicide bombed the Jedi Temple?”

“Yes,” she said, dully.

“Killing nineteen people, not including the bomber?”

“Yes.”

“To protest the militarization of the Order and war?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “Nobody was supposed to die though. Apart from the bomber.”

Lux looked incredulous, shaking his head. “Just…I’m having trouble placing you in this. As I recall you once had some choice words for me about terrorism and the evils thereof.”

“There was no other way Lux,” Ahsoka replied, voice tired.

He raised a brow. “You’re quite sure?”

She turned a glare on him. “There was no other way.”

“Okay, fine, I’ll concede because I don’t know enough to argue the point. But now you’re wanting me to…hide you and…Barriss was it?”

“Yes.” Ahsoka’s expression softened. “Please, Lux. You’re the only person I can turn to.”

Lux raised his hands, opening and closing his mouth, before dropping them back onto the desk. “Ahsoka…I can’t harbour you. You’ve committed a crime, an act of treason against the Republic, you bombed the Temple!”

Ahsoka’s expression hardened again. “If what I’d done had been exactly the same in all the particulars except it was a Separatist base I attacked, would you be having this reaction?” Lux shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Seeing an opening, Ahsoka pressed her advantage. “Would Saw?”

“Steela might have!” Lux snapped. “But fortunately for you, she isn’t here because you dropped her off a cliff.”

Ahsoka recoiled, eyes wide, the blue patches on her lekku darkening. Lux was instantly contrite. “Ahsoka, I’m so sorry, I didn’t—”

Oh no. No. She wasn’t letting him off that easy. She stood up, eyes blazing, and slammed her palms onto the desk, leaning in towards Lux and baring her teeth. Lux shuffled back in his chair.

“Would she?” Ahsoka hissed. “Because I seem to recall that knocking out the power generator was her idea. And I imagine there were more than a few casualties as a result of accidents as the city went dark, to say nothing of the numbers that might have been lost when hospital equipment failed!”

Lux closed his eyes and raised his hands, placating. “I’m sorry,” he said with sincerity. “That was a low blow. Unworthy of me and unfair to you.”

Ahsoka drew in a breath to calm herself and peeled her hands off the desk. She looked away and rubbed at her left arm. “I’m sorry Lux,” she said. “And I’m sorry for bothering you. This was a mistake.” She looked back at him. “Can you at least give us a couple of hours to get out of here before you alert the authorities?”

Lux thought for a long moment. “I’ll do you one better,” he said at last. He reached into a drawer on his desk and pulled out two key cards and a credit chip. “Here, access to a safe house on Onderon and some money to make use of.”

Ahsoka took them, puzzled.

“Because there has been no official announcement about what happened I can claim that you told me you were here on Jedi business and required assistance. I, of course, being a good and trusting Senator was only too happy to oblige.” He gave her a weak smile.

“Thanks, Lux...” Ahsoka replied, looking away.

“But as soon as the official announcement comes through I have to give you up. Onderon is in a...precarious enough position as it is.”

“What do you mean?”

Lux looked at her surprised and pointed towards the ceiling. “You mean you didn’t notice the Star Destroyers and the clone patrols?”

“They’re here for protection though?”

Lux chuckled. “And here you were talking about corruption. Yes, they’re here for protection, and to help close down on some Separatist rebel groups. But they also serve the dual purpose of ensuring Onderon stays on the right track if you catch my drift.”

“...oh...”

“We’re a former Separatist world, some suspicions are always going to be attached about the loyalty of the people.” He shrugged. “But that’s why I can’t do anything once something is announced. If I’m found to have been harbouring fugitives...” He spread his hands. “Onderon could come under direct rule. I’ll try to give you as much of a heads-up as I can, but best to keep checking the HoloNet for updates.”

“Of course.” Ahsoka held up the cards and smiled. “Thank you, Lux. This...does mean a lot.”

“I know.” He gave her a sad smile. “Best of luck to you both.”

Ahsoka nodded, stuffed the cards in her pocket, swirled on her cloak and left the room.

Barriss fidgeted in the co-pilot seat, alternating between looking out the viewport and feverishly checking her datapad to see if there was any announcement. She’d already set the datapad to ping with an alert for news items with any key phrases she’d entered. Then she’d deleted that, paranoid that this might be traced and identify them. Then decided it was better to know and take the risk and had obsessively input the key phrases again. And now she spent her time checking every minute, in case the key phrases had somehow missed an alert.

She’d just finished checking for the one-hundred and nineteenth time when she looked up and saw Ahsoka sombrely walking into the docking bay.

She wasn’t skipping for joy...but nor was she racing in, frantically waving her arms pursued by clone troopers so Barriss guessed this was...good? Maybe?

She hit the switch on the console for the ramp and walked back through the shuttle, grabbing a cloak as she did so, and clutching the datapad tightly. Ahsoka waited for her at the bottom of the ramp. “How did it go?” she asked.

“As well as could be expected I guess,” Ahsoka replied. “He’s given us a safe house to stay in and credit chip. But we can only stay until an announcement is made.”

Barriss resisted the urge to quickly check the datapad as she hit the switch to raise the ramp and locked off the shuttle. She put her cloak on and then turned back to see Ahsoka staring up at the sky. It was a clear day, and the shadow of one of the Star Destroyers passing overhead could just be made out.

“What is it?” Barriss asked.

Ahsoka let out a bitter chuckle. “Oh, nothing.” She gestured at the sky and the city. “Just another small illusion being shattered.”

Asajj Ventress, dressed in a form-fitting tunic with a single spaulder on her left shoulder, stalked through the grimey and neon lit undercity of Coruscant, in a fouler mood than normal. That harpy Aurra Sing had stolen a bounty from underneath her nose, and she needed the credits for that one so she could purchase a kyber crystal off the black market to construct a new lightsabre.

Thinking about why she needed to construct a new lightsabre made her mood even darker.

That little brat... she scowled thinking about Offee knocking her down, stealing her helmet and lightsabres then almost getting Ventress implicated in her daft plot to bomb the Jedi Temple. As aggravating as it was for a child to get the drop on her, what was more irritating was that her lightsabres were now either destroyed or being held in the Jedi Temple, necessitating the new one.

Her thoughts returned to her half-baked plan to break into the Republic Military Centre for the express purpose of finding Offee and dunking her head in the toilet.

Then there was Tano. She’d been back in the Jedi Order for over a week now and yet that pardon she’d promised was no closer to materializing.

She wondered how hard it would be to break into the Jedi Temple.

Ventress passed a nightclub, some garishly lit contraption called The Swaying Lekku, and then paused. Took three paces back to stand outside it and squinted at it. Yes...there was definitely a familiar presence coming from inside there...

She walked up to the door, ignoring the queue of shivering and half-dressed people looking to get in.

“Hey!” the bouncer on the right, a Lasat, growled, stepping forward and holding out a hand to her. “You’re going to need to get in the queue, then you’re going to need to pay.”

Ventress took one hand out of her pocket and waved it at him without breaking stride. “I don’t need to queue and I don’t need to pay the entrance fee,” she intoned.

The Lasat chuckled and stepped back. “That’s right, you don’t need to queue or pay the entrance fee,” he said.

Ventress was already past him and entering the club.

“What the hell man?” the other bouncer shouted. “That’s the fourth one tonight!”

Inside the club was smoky and dimly lit, with thumping music blasting around the room. Scantily clad Twi’Leks, Rodians and humans gyrated around poles on podiums, drawing leering and panting looks from the patrons. Peopled crowded around the large circular bar in the centre of the club and a dance floor was off to one side where several people were making fools of themselves. Booths were scattered around the outside wall of the club.

Ventress shadowed her way through the crowds, the presence getting stronger, only having to briefly halt her movements to viciously knee a man in the crotch who tried to get handsy, before she arrived at one of the booths and saw a very out-of-place man in brown robes and a cowl pulled up, hands cupped around a drink.

“Kenobi,” Ventress said, her smile borderline genuine.

Startled, Obi-Wan Kenobi looked up at her, then breathed a sigh of relief and pulled his cowl back. “Ventress, thank the Force. This is the fourth place I’ve been in looking for you.”
Ventress slid into the booth on the comfy bench opposite. Sound dampeners reduced the noise of the music and of their own voices leaving. “Well, if you were that desperate you could have just messaged me on Banshee.”

Kenobi blinked. “On what?”

Ventress waved her hand. “Never mind. Why were you looking for me?”

“Well it’s...” He paused, squinted at her. “Are you growing your hair?” he asked.

Ventress self-consciously rubbed at the blonde fuzz on her head, pale cheeks darkening slightly. “Yes, what of it?” she snapped.

Kenobi gave her an amused smile. “Nothing. I just thought you were naturally bald.”

Ventress glared at him, knowing that he was picturing her shaving her head every morning. “The point of you being here, Kenobi?”

“Ah right. Well, the fact is--”

He didn’t finish before someone slumped into the booth next to Ventress. She rounded on them and then flinched as Anakin Skywalker looked balefully at her. “Hello Ventress,” he said.

“Skywalker...” Ventress growled. She didn’t like where this was going, especially after the last time she’d bumped into Skywalker. There was movement out of the corner of her eye and she broke her gaze from Skywalker to see that Luminara Unduli had slid into the booth next to Kenobi. “And Unduli,” she remarked, shuffling herself into the corner of the booth and crossing her arms. “Well, I’m flattered but even I think this is overkill.” She shot a look at Kenobi.

He raised a hand in a placating gesture. “We’re not here to capture you.”

A dim flicker of hope lit up in Ventress. “Then is this...to communicate my pardon?” she asked.

All three of them blinked. “I’m sorry, your what?” Kenobi asked.

The flicker of hope died beneath a bucket of ice water. “Nothing,” Ventress muttered, embarrassed at having mentioned it or thought it. But there was going to be a little horned Togruta who wouldn’t be sitting down for a week when Ventress caught up with her. “So what are you here for?” she said, injecting her voice with acid to move them on from her blunder. “Some madcap scheme to assassinate Count Dooku?”

Kenobi shook his head. “No.”

“Although...” Skywalker began, looking interested.

“No.” Kenobi stared at his drink, looking like he wished he’d got something stronger. “We want to hire you.”

Ventress raised a brow and leaned forward. “Really? This is an interesting surprise. What for?”

“We want you to...find some people.”

Ventress blinked. “That’s easy enough.” She leaned out and pointed at a collection of people hanging about the bar. “There are some people. I’ve found them. Now, my fee is quite reasonable--”

Kenobi held up a hand. “Specific people.”

Ventress drummed her fingers on the table. “You’re using that modifier, but you’re not getting any less vague...”

She glanced around at them and her eyes fixed on Unduli. Why exactly was she here? Ventress had crossed sabres with her before, but she couldn’t remember her being part of the usual Skywalker-Tano-Kenobi crew. Tano being absent was also an odd one, as Skywalker rarely went anywhere without that adoring groupie following him about. But then again, maybe she didn’t want to encounter Ventress after having not done what she’d promised. Which left Unduli as the odd one...

“Oh...!” Ventress’ lip twisted into a smile. “I see...so tell me when did Barriss escape from prison?”

Unduli cast a glare at her and Ventress smiled smugly, knowing she’d hit the target.

“Last night...” Kenobi admitted, rubbing at his beard. “We’ve no idea where she’s gone through, so we were hoping that you would be interested in helping?”

“Interested? Of course! After all, I owe that naughty girl quite the severe spanking.” She smirked as she caught the twitch in Unduli’s eye. “But you said people in the plural, so she must have at least one accomplice. Who else am I going after for you?”

Kenobi and Skywalker shifted uncomfortably, and Unduli looked pointedly at Skywalker. Ventress glanced between them, confused as to what was going on.

Then an idea bloomed in her mind. But...no...it couldn’t be...but Tano’s absence, Kenobi and Skywalker being here with Unduli on the same mission...it couldn’t be...
Her eyes widened and a genuine smile of amusement twitched at her lips. “No...” she breathed.

Kenobi sucked his teeth. “I’m afraid...”

He never finished, as he was cut off by Ventress bursting into gales of laughter. Actual tears dropped from her eyes and her body convulsed, and she pounded her fist on the table.

“Ventress...” Skywalker said, warningly.

“No, no...let her finish,” Kenobi said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Unduli observed the scene, then got up and went to the bar and came back a moment later with a glass of water that she slid across to Ventress.

Ventress wheezed and drank some of the water and wiped her eyes. She thumped her chest with her fist, getting herself under control. “I don’t believe it,” she chuckled. “So little Ahsoka Tano was involved in the bombing as well.”

“We never said she was--” Anakin began, defensively.

“Oh come on, why else would she break Offee out?” She sipped at the water and smirked at Skywalker. “Quite the accomplished liar you raised, Skywalker. Even I thought her distress was genuine.”

Skywalker growled.

“You’re right, so far as we know, they are both implicated,” Kenobi cut in, wanting to hurry things along. “We want you to track them down and bring them back.”

“Sorry, but no can do.” Ventress put the empty glass on the table.

Kenobi blinked. “Why?”

“Going after Offee is one thing, I could handle her. But two rogue Jedi, one of whom presumably still has her lightsabres?” She shook her head. “Much as I would love to capture both of them I’m not that foolish.”

Kenobi sighed and reached into his cloak. “Perhaps this might change your mind?” He deposited her curved, silver and black lightsabres onto the table.

Ventress snatched them up and examined them. They seemed in good order, and she could feel the pulse of the kyber crystals inside of them. She glowered at Kenobi. “If I’d said yes before, you wouldn’t have given me these would you?” she accused.

Kenobi gave her a lopsided smile. “Guilty as charged. What would be your fee?”

Ventress clipped her lightsabres to her belt. “With a friends and family discount, I reckon I could do it for...fifty-thousand credits. Each.”

“Done,” Unduli said immediately.

Ventress scowled. Kark it! I lowballed myself!

“Well, thank you for your custom,” Ventress said, getting to her feet. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll get to--”

Skywalker grabbed her wrist. “We want them alive Ventress,” he said.

Ventress snatched back her hand and glared at him. “I’ll do my best, but--”

“Alive.” He glared at her with the force of a turbo laser. “Or you won’t get paid. And you’ll answer to me.”

Ventress sat back down, returning his glare. “Alive, then.”

“And no mutilations,” Unduli put in.

Ventress turned to her, voice strained. “No mutilations. Got it.”

“In fact, we’d prefer it if you could avoid any serious injuries,” Kenobi added. “Nothing that couldn’t be fixed by a hop in a bacta tank.”

Ventress drummed her fingers on the table. “Sure. Would you like me to get them to handwrite apologies as well?”

Kenobi flashed her a roguish smile. “If you can manage it.”

Ventress glowered at all of them. She hadn’t even left the booth and she already knew she wasn’t getting paid enough for this.

Chapter Text

The door opened and Ahsoka and Barriss stepped into the safe house. It was a plushly laid out apartment, with a two-seater sofa facing a large video screen, a small table at the back in front of a window letting in light and two bedrooms, with en-suite refreshers branching off each one. A stove was hidden away in a corner, with a refrigerator stocked with some essentials next to it.

“Not bad...” Ahsoka said, stepping back out from one of the bedrooms, which had quite a comfy bed set up inside it, with a bedside cabinet and a wardrobe. “The last safe house I was in was quite a dingy place.”

“The perks, I imagine, of being in control of the city and thus being able to select the best spots,” Barriss said. “Lux must like you.”

“What makes you say that?” Ahsoka said a little too quickly.

“Just...” Barriss gestured. “This is quite a nice place to put up two fugitives so he must...” She looked at Ahsoka, and the way the blue of her lekku were darkening. A smile twitched at her lips. “Ahsoka...is there something you haven’t told me about your relationship with Lux?”

“No!” she protested a little too loudly. “We’re just good friends, we’ve helped each other a number of times.”

“‘Just good friends’?” Barriss teased.

“We only kissed as a distraction!” Ahsoka blurted, before realizing that that was not the question she’d been asked.

Barriss raised a brow and an actual smile was on her face now.

Ahsoka’s lekku darkened further and she scratched at her cheek. “It’s...I don’t like him like that,” she said, realizing that this was somehow just going to further suspicions rather than dampen them. She took one of the key cards and placed it on the armrest of the sofa. “I’m...going to go to the shuttle and make sure it’s fuelled and in good working condition. Just in case. So you can, rest here or...”

“I think I’ll take a walk,” Barriss said, glancing out the window. “I’ve never been to Onderon before. And I’ve spent the last week cramped in either a prison cell or a shuttle. Getting some fresh air and open spaces would do me some good.”

“Okay. I’ll leave you the credit chip as well then, in case you see anything, I’ve still got some credits on me...” She put the credit chip down on the key card and then put on her cloak. “Well, see you later!” She hurried out of the room, cheeks burning.

Barriss watched her go and then turned back to the window, her face falling. She could just see her reflection in the window, could just make out the diamond pattern tattoos across her nose and cheeks that Master Unduli had given her. She poked and prodded and scratched at them, before turning away to head out as well.

Barriss walked through the streets of Onderon, trying to ignore the itching sensation across her face. There were numerous people wandering around, walking purposely or aimlessly, some couples dragging children behind them. She enjoyed the architecture of the place, different to most worlds that she’d been on. Because of the lack of development outside of the city, she could also feel the living energy, the aliveness, of the world beyond the walls which brought a calming feeling with it.

Or at least it did until she encountered her first patrol of clone troopers. 

Nervously, Barriss pulled her face deeper into the cowl, unsure if that was in fact making her more noticeable or not. But the troopers passed by without looking at her. She breathed a sigh of relief and tried to calm herself. Whilst Ahsoka’s role in the bombing was, thus far, not known, her role had not been kept quiet.

What she needed was a change in look... She was still wearing the clothes she’d been in prison with and, apart from those being easy identifiers, her own sweat from the various exertions was baking into the clothes, making them clammy and uncomfortable, not to mention the smell was horrendous. On the whole, it would be preferable to get rid of these and acquire something new.

She rubbed at the back of her right hand. And...perhaps…

She passed into a place called Malgan Market. It was a bustle, several stalls set up, with merchants crying their wares. There were numerous people arguing and haggling over pieces of cloth, food, mechanical parts, there was even a stall selling droids. Barriss merged with the crowd. Though uncomfortable with the people bumping past her, necessitating her discretely rubbing her arms on the spot where they made contact, she figured within the crowd was a good place to keep out of sight. And there might be a stall that would have what she needed.

After much slipping around people, she eventually found a tented stall that had a variety of clothes hanging on racks. Barriss looked at, studied, and pondered over various ones, before settling on a dark purple shirt with a hood attached, that felt like cotton but warmer, some thick dark trousers and a set of sturdy black heeled shoes. As she gathered the items up, she spotted a red sash hanging on a rack and decided to take that as well. After all, it could always be useful for stuffing things in. She brought them over to the merchant, a kindly looking man with a slightly raggedy beard.

“How much do these cost?” Barriss asked.

“For all of those…?” the man considered, stroking his beard. “Five hundred credits.”

“Okay,” Barriss said, pulling out the credit chip.

The merchant blinked at her. “You’re not going to haggle?” he asked.

“No. Should I?”

“I am overcharging you on the basis that you would.”

“Oh. Then I’ll pay you two-hundred credits for them.”

The man staggered back, clutching at his chest, his face paling. Barriss startled forward, panicking, thinking she’d given him a heart attack.

The man pointed a shaking finger at her. “Two-hundred…” he wheezed. “Do you want my family to starve?”

Barriss desperately waved her hands in a placating manner. “N-no of course not! Please, take them at your original price.”

The merchant was instantly better and sighed, as if at a co-star who’d forgotten their lines. “You can’t fall for that so easily!” he said. He clenched his fist. “You need to be firm!”

Barriss shook her head. “Would you please just tell me what price you’re looking for?”

The man noted her distress and shook his head. “All right, shall we agree on three-fifty?”

“Yes,” Barriss said with relief.

The merchant took her credit chip and transferred the amount, muttering something about off-worlders not knowing how to have fun, then passed back her chip. “Enjoy your purchase!” he said cheerfully, as Barriss scurried out of the tent.

A hop into an alleyway and a very nerve-wracking and lightning-quick change later, she emerged in her new clothes. The purple shirt was comfy and fit her well and she could flip up the hood easily to cover her hair and face. The shoes were sturdy and supportive enough to run in without trouble. The sash tied around her waist easily, the excess resting against her leg. And the trousers were close-fitting but easy to move in. She regretted having to get rid of her old clothes, she’d liked their elegance, and her head did feel exposed without the head covering, even with the hood on her new shirt. But looking like a delinquent Mirialan, the very opposite of what she’d been, would likely help her hide.

She scanned along the streets and her eyes alighted on a shop tucked in the corner. Something she’d been looking for but hadn’t expected to find.

One last thing to take care of, she thought as she walked towards the shop, rubbing at her nose.

Ahsoka, goggles she'd taken from a utility chest strapped over her eyes, clanked about beneath the grating of the ship. She was familiar with the mechanics of the Eta-class shuttle having worked on repairing one before. The shuttle was all in good condition, and a paranoid hunt hadn’t turned up any tracking devices or additional transponders. So now she was tinkering about to see if there was anything she could improve.

One thing, in particular, was drawing her attention, a seal over one of the engine control pipes. It looked like it was a limiter of some kind, likely to prevent the shuttle engines from overheating by keeping the power beneath what they could fully output which did make sense on what was effectively an ambassadorial shuttle. But this was now an escape vehicle so removing it to get some extra speed…

She wiped some grease and oil off her face, or intended to but actually just slathered it around more, and studied it, moving her lips into an angle.

Taking it off could be helpful, especially if they needed to run any evasive manoeuvres…on the other hand, if the engines overheated they’d be dead in space. And perhaps it was on for another reason?

“What do you think?” she asked.

Her own voice reverberated back at her, instead of the amused, or considering tones of Anakin Skywalker, or the trilling of Artoo.

“Oh yeah,” Ahsoka murmured, remembering. “Of course…”

She sat back against the pipes and hung her arms over her knees, feeling the silence. She wondered what Anakin was up to now? Hunting for her and Barriss was the most likely answer. It seemed unlikely the Council would be able to stop him from doing so even if they ordered him to stay away. He’d always fought for her, whether that was in understanding her emotional side and showing patience towards it, even relating to it, or rescuing her from that mess on Geonosis, or saving her from…

...the trial…

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She regretted the pain she must be putting him through. Regretted it a great deal. But there wasn’t anything else she could have done. The younglings, what the Council was doing, she couldn’t…she couldn’t just let it continue. And for all that she admired, and looked up to Anakin, she knew she couldn’t bring it to him. He had a strong pragmatic streak and he lived for adventure and combat.

And she did too or thought she had. She liked fighting, and training but not…killing…

She opened her eyes. The light from above cast shadows across her skin from the lines of the grating.

Uncomfortable, Ahsoka pulled herself up onto the floor and replaced the panel she’d removed. It would be best to leave things as they are, for now. There wouldn’t be a chance to run any tests as there was no telling when they might have to leave. She plucked the goggles from her head and replaced them in the utility container, along with the tools she’d been using.

I wonder what time it is? she thought, unsure of how long she’d been out here. At least an hour, possibly more. 

It occurred to her that she had no comm on her and no way of contacting Barriss and that this was a less than ideal scenario when they could have to leave at any moment, or one of them could get discovered. 

Agitated, she swung on her cloak and left the shuttle.

Ahsoka opened the door of the flat and felt a surge of relief when she saw the lights were on. That meant Barriss was back and okay. She opened the door fully and stepped in and sure enough, Barriss was sat at the table eating what appeared to be a very basic salad consisting of some leaves, nuts and grated cheese. But what pulled Ahsoka up short was the change in Barriss’ appearance.

Gone was her elegant long skirt and unitard combo, replaced with a dark purple shirt with a hood and black trousers, and a red sash tied around her waist. The hood was down and Barriss’ hair fell across her shoulders, looking slightly damp.

“Hey,” Ahsoka called, with a note of relief, shutting the door. “I see you’ve changed your--”

Barriss turned to her and Ahsoka took a step back, startled.

Her tattoos, on her face and hands, were gone, plain yellow-green skin facing her.

“Barriss!” Ahsoka strode forward, getting a closer look, Barriss leaning back uncomfortably. “Your tattoos--they’re gone!” It was a stupid stating-the-obvious thing to say but the shock was real. Tattoos, she knew, were very important in Mirialan culture, drawn to indicate significant achievements, the shape and pattern of them all indicating something different creating a near-infinite number of possibilities. For them to go…

“Yes, I had them removed,” Barriss replied, turning back to her salad.

“Why?” 

“They are too unique to me. I would be instantly identified if I had kept them.”

“You didn’t have to remove them though! We could have covered them up with powder or face paint or--”

“I didn’t want them on me.”

Ahsoka looked at Barriss, staring rigidly ahead, expression neutral. But she was gripping her fork tight, so tight her skin was paling.

Of course…Luminara…

Ahsoka stepped back, giving her space. “Well, maybe we can get you some new ones at some point,” she said, trying to bring some levity to the heavy atmosphere.

“Maybe.” Barriss plucked at a salad leaf. “Have you eaten?” she asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

“Yes,” Ahsoka replied. She’d picked up something when she passed through the market, fortunately having enough credits on her to purchase the drool-inducing wrap with some kind of moist, spiced beef. She seated herself opposite Barriss. “You know, I had a thought, that we should probably get comms or--”

“Already done,” Barriss cut in, indicating the two holocomms on the table. “I purchased them when I was out.”

Ahsoka blinked. Smiled. “You always think so far ahead.”

“I try my best,” Barriss replied, shrinking back blushing and Ahsoka knew that if her hood was up she’d be pulling her head deeper into it.

Ahsoka chuckled. Then she sniffed, smelling something bad. A musky, cloying scent that was hanging about unpleasantly. She looked around a moment, trying to work out where it was coming from. Then she noticed Barriss studiously keeping her eyes on her salad, very obviously trying not to look at Ahsoka to be polite. Discreetly Ahsoka sniffed at her tunic and recoiled from the reek.

Well, it did make sense, she’d been exerting herself the previous day, had slept in them and had now spent all day in them again. “I’m going to go get cleaned up,” she announced.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Barriss said, failing to keep the note of relief out of her voice. “I’ll likely be going to bed after I’ve eaten.”

 “All right, well if I don’t see you then have a good sleep!” Ahsoka called as she walked to her room.

“Goodnight Ahsoka.”

Ahsoka emerged from the shower, a fluffy towel wrapped around her, feeling clean, refreshed and exhausted. The lack of sleep from the previous night was catching up with her.

But what a delight it had been to have an actual shower with water! Sure it wasn’t always great on her montrals, the pattering sensation being uncomfortable especially if the pressure was high. But she could lean her head out of the way easily enough. And it wasn’t one of those horrible sonic contraptions that vibrated her skull and left her with a ringing sensation that could take ages to go away, even with mufflers added to her montrals.

She sat on the edge of the bed and blinked, becoming aware of just how heavy her eyelids were. And the bed felt so soft beneath her…

I’ll just shut my eyes for a sec, she thought. Just a moment and then I’ll see what pyjamas or robes there are for sleeping in.

She shuffled herself back up the bed and lay down, closing her eyes. If she was lying on her back, then the discomfort from her back lekku would ensure that she didn’t fall asleep and merely rested her eyes. She was a genius!

A moment later she was snoring.

Chapter Text

She walks between the Sentries, their yellow sabre staffs ignited. Skywalker is in front of her, leading them into the courtroom of the Republic Military Centre. Seeing him, even knowing it’s over, makes her quiver. The fear is still there. The venom she saw and felt. The fear for her life.

Barriss Offee suddenly realizes she’s dreaming.

Oh...it’s this again...

This isn’t the usual nightmare she’s been having recently. That one is usually centred on the explosion. Or the feel of Letta’s neck squeezing between her fingers and the rush of pleasure she got, knowing she could just end it quickly by snapping her neck, but instead drawing it out, drinking in her fear, constricting her throat, feeling the pain in her cheeks from her own grin--

And the time she spent after that, horrified at what she’d done, at the way she’d revelled in it. The hours she’d spent in the cramped space, hidden, her face in her hands wondering what kind of a monster she really was.

Her expression is almost bored as she walks into the centre. Skywalker calls out his lines, to halt the proceedings, but she isn’t really paying attention. It’s a dream. She knows what happens. She has no interest in this.

“Barriss Offee, member of the Jedi Order and traitor!” Skywalker declares, stepping aside to reveal her.

She waits for the next moment, for Ahsoka to scream and leap the barricade.

But she doesn’t.

Barriss looks up, puzzled, and sees Ahsoka staring at her with a look of horror and...pain...with the most profound hurt in her eyes.

“Barriss...is that true?” Ahsoka says, voice soft, not wanting to believe it but knowing it to be true.

Barriss stumbles. This isn’t what happened. This isn’t how it goes.

Skywalker rounds on her. “Tell them the truth,” he demands.

Barriss looks up at him, terrified, then back to Ahsoka. She can’t speak. She doesn’t know what’s happening, this isn’t how it went, this isn’t how it goes--

Skywalker leans in, face darkening into shadow, voice taking on an oddly mechanical tone, his breath in a steady rhythm despite his anger. “Tell them!” he growls.

Barriss panics, breathing coming too fast, stumbling back, the Sentries holding her--

This isn’t how it goes, this isn’t how it goes, this isn’t--

Barriss woke up with a start.

Entangled in the sheets, sweating, she pulled herself up and put a hand to her head. Just a nightmare? Possibly, but it had some ring of truth to it, some sense that it was something more. A vision of a possible reality? One where she carried out the bomb plot on her own and framed Ahsoka?

She bunched her hands into the sheets. She didn’t want to think that that was something she would have done. She didn’t want to believe that she would have done it on her own, that she would have framed Ahsoka for it.

But some part of her knew she could have. She was so scared and so alone. She was terrified of the war, of what it was doing, of the corruption it seemed only she could see and she wanted to do whatever she could to stop it. And...in her loneliness and desperation...she could imagine that she might have tried to bring her best friend to her side, to show her the corruption. In the most brutal and horrible manner possible if need be.

She drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. Yes. Yes, she might have done it.

The Jedi taught that hatred led to suffering, and Barriss knew that well, perhaps better than any other Jedi in the Order.

She’d hated herself for a long time now.

Ventress sat in front of the terminal in the Temple Archive, in the centre of the room surrounded by the looming shelves, and tried to ignore the two Sentries flanking her, the eyes of Padawans and Knights peering at her and the malevolent glare of Jocasta Nu burning into her back.

It had taken a lot of arguing and wrangling with Kenobi to get her access to the Archive so she could gather the information necessary to hunt down Tano and Offee and she’d be damned if some librarian was going to intimidate her out of it. But all of them breathing down her neck was causing problems. She’d had to promise utmost discretion in what she was doing, as nobody wanted the word to get out until Tano and Offee were found.

She was definitely going to have to withhold handing them over until her pay had been renegotiated.

Ventress surveyed the archive, running through Offee’s profile, but she wasn’t having much luck turning up anything. Born on a refugee transit to Coruscant, she’d been brought to the Temple as a baby and had lived her entire life there. Her record was outstanding, she was top in virtually every class she’d taken, was noted as being quiet, but contemplative, the only blemish being an incident where she’d assaulted a fellow youngling though nobody was sure why she’d done it. It didn’t seem like she had that many friends, or much social interaction outside of Unduli and Tano, but she’d been well respected for her healing abilities, for her work in the Clone Wars thus far, and was noted as always being on hand and eager to assist in teaching younglings. But all in all, it didn’t look like she had many close connections to anyone outside the Order, or even within it.

Ventress noted, with a smirk, that they hadn’t got around to adding the bombing incident and idly wondered how her record might get rewritten in light of that.

Was diligent and quiet, but various teachers recall having concerns about her behaviour and lack of interaction with other students.

Studious, but too absorbed in archival material and possibly accessing information on the Dark Side.

Oh yes. It was funny how, with hindsight, everyone had always spotted the ‘warning signs’.

“What are you doing?” Jocasta Nu asked. “It’s bad enough I’ve been forced to allow this disruption, but not being provided with any information as to why you are permitted access.”

“If you must know,” Ventress said acidly. “I heard that the Jedi Temple Archive held the galaxy’s oldest and largest pornography collection and I thought I’d investigate.” She turned around and smiled. “You wouldn’t happen to know what keywords I should use to try and find it?”

The look Nu gave Ventress would have had the most fearsome Sith Lords in history hanging up their cowls and putting away their lightsabres.

Ventress swallowed and returned to her work, resolving to get out of here quickly.

She turned to Tano’s record. This one had some more interesting details. As a youngling suspicions had been attached to her, being deemed as too emotional and prone to outbursts as well as challenging authority. More than a few of her teachers had noted penchants for muttering sarcastic remarks, giving irritating nicknames to others, eye-rolling and pouting.

Heh...so that’s why they assigned her to Skywalker...give him a taste of his own medicine.

Her meditation practice was marked as shoddy, but her lightsabre skills were among the highest in her group. And she was noted as having a strong intuitive grasp of the Force, something that Master Plo Koon had indicated when he had gone to collect her from Shili.

Ventress tapped at her chin and made a mental note on that one. Shili would be a long shot, but it was a connection outside the Order and she was aware that Togruta were quite social. So as a place to hide that might be a possible destination.

Tano’s record, however, became exemplary when the Clone Wars began and she was assigned to Skywalker. All of sudden everyone had the highest praise for her quick-decision making, her combat abilities, and willingness to get stuck in. She was noted as having strong connections with the clone troopers she worked with, more so than other Jedi. She had even invented a tactical maneuverer, the Marg Sabl, that was impressive enough to be noted by the Republic Military and added to their training manuals.

So...everything that she was criticised for now became the subject of praise. No wonder she’s having emotional difficulties. I bet that will go back to being the subject of criticism when they get around to updating her profile...

For people supposedly above emotions, the Jedi could be remarkably fickle...

Ventress scanned through the record, looking for clues. She was about to give up and consider Shili her best bet when she noticed that a name kept turning up. Lux Bonteri, one-time Separatist, now Senator for Onderon. Part of a rebel group that had fought for the freedom of Onderon from Separatist rule and had brought Onderon into the Republic. Tano had been part of a mission to train the rebel group and had stayed on after Kenobi and Skywalker had left and had...apparently got more involved in the rebel activities than she should have done. And had argued continually for Republic intervention.

This was interesting.

She scanned back through and saw there were more incidents noted where Tano had been involved with Bonteri, either through intention or accident.

Was it too obvious though?

Ventress rested back in her seat and crossed her arms. It was the best lead, but it did seem like it would be an odd choice for a fugitive, to go to someone you had an established record with. Then again, it could also be a good double-bluff...and in a hostile galaxy, after committing a crime, a friend with a long history is someone you could rely on to help. Or at least have accumulated favours to cash in.

It wasn’t exactly a long shot, perhaps a medium shot. But if Ventress was a little horned panicking Togruta then that would make sense as a preliminary destination. And it’s not like there were better leads.

Well, even if it is nothing, it will at least eliminate it as a possibility.

Ahsoka’s eyes opened and the first thing she noticed was that her body was paralyzed.

The second thing she noted was that someone was in the room with her.

It wasn’t Barriss. She knew that much. The presence was just out of the corner of her vision, a shadow stood in the dark of the room. Visible as a darker shadow against the soft blue light cast by the blinds.

Ahsoka tried to move her body, but her arms and legs wouldn’t respond. The presence was there and she could feel the malevolence coming off it in waves. She needed to move, to respond. Her eyes flickered to her right and focused on her lightsabres, laid out on top of the bedside cabinet where she’d left them. She focused on her main sabre at the same time as she kept trying to force her limbs to move.

The sabre twitched, subtly shifting on top of the cabinet as she moved it with the Force--

Her finger twitched--

The sabre shifted more, nudging itself closer--

Her fingers curled and opened--

Her lightsabre leapt off the cabinet at the same time as she leapt from the bed. The lightsabre snapped into her hand and she ignited it in the same smooth motion as she swung her arm, green glow brightening the room sweeping at the presence--

A black-gloved hand shot out from the shadows and blocked the blade.

Ahsoka halted, frozen in fear, eyes wide as her lightsabre blade pulsed and crackled against the hand, staring up at the pale face with two red tattoos descending over his forehead like knives, and two flowing from his eyes like bloody tears.

“N-no...” Ahsoka breathed. “You’re dead!”

The Son of Mortis opened his eyes and the glowing red pupils bored into her. “I am an idea Ahsoka,” he leered, voice echoing. “You can’t kill those.”

“I’ll give it a try!” Ahsoka snarled and threw out her other hand. Her shoto sabre slapped into her palm and she ignited the blade and stabbed it forward.

With a bored motion, the Son caught the blade in his fist, halting it from reaching his abdomen.

“Really, my child, is there any need for this?” he asked. He threw her main sabre off his palm and shoved her back via the other lightsabre. Ahsoka stumbled, but held her feet, holding her lightsabres in a defensive position.

The Son, dressed in his black and red tunic with the high flared collar, clasped his hands behind his back as he wandered around the room, studying the corners of it. “I must say, you surprised me,” he commented.

Ahsoka’s blades shook in her grip, sweat dribbling down her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she spat.

“Oh no? Hmm, hmm. I think you do.” The Son plucked up a decorative orb from the cabinet top, examined it a moment, and then put it down. “I wouldn’t have said bombing the Jedi Temple was a very...Light Side activity.”

Ahsoka swallowed her main sabre blade dipping. “You don’t know anything about it,” she said, throat dry.

“Don’t I? The twenty dead, the bomber, the eight clones, the five workers. The six Jedi.” He smiled at her, and Ahsoka quailed under his gaze. She was struggling to keep it together. The fact that he was here when he should be dead, that he seemed to know so much, that everything he said was stinging her vulnerable places. “I had no idea you had such a taste for the darkness. Even after you succumbed on Mortis.”

Ahsoka’s eyes widened. “This was you!” she shouted, raising her blade again. “Your infection!” She remembered that time dimly. The bite on her arm, the sudden rush she’d felt, the sudden sense of--

She shoved the thoughts aside, not wanting to relive them.

The Son laughed and waved a finger at her. “Oh no! You can’t blame me for this. This was your own doing, your own responsibility.” Ahsoka cringed, realizing what she’d been trying to do. She wouldn’t pass on her responsibility, she wouldn’t. She’d made her decision, it was for the best, it was--

“Though, even then. My infection can’t take hold of those who have no darkness in them. Somewhere, deep down, you must have wanted it.” He smiled wolfishly at her.

“No!” Ahsoka snapped. “That’s not true! I never--”

The Son suddenly morphed into Ahsoka’s doppelganger and she flinched back, as she saw herself with burning yellow eyes and shadows like cracks across her skin. “I feel more like myself than I ever have!” her copy said, a perfect imitation of her voice, wiping her hands across her face and then spreading them out. She grinned at Ahsoka, yellow eyes piercing, smile cruel.

Ahsoka wavered, sabres dipping, body trembling. No...no! This wasn’t right, she didn’t mean, that wasn’t--!

The Son emerged from the cloak of shadows and advanced towards her and she cowered back from him, not even able to lift her lightsabres into a defensive position. “I killed you on Mortis,” he whispered and Ahsoka flinched, moving backwards until she was pressed up against the wall. The lightsabres dropped from her hands, deactivating and plunging the room into darkness so only his glowing eyes were visible. “Do you remember?”

“Y...yes...” Ahsoka whispered. She curled against the wall, slumping down it, raising her hands over her head, whimpering as the Son loomed over her.

“And what do you remember of being dead? What did you feel?”

“I...I...I...”

“The truth.”

“Nothing!” Ahsoka shouted, glaring up at him, one burst of defiance. “I saw nothing and I felt nothing!”

“Of course you did,” the Son said, with a cruel smile, the tone of a lawyer delivering his definitive argument. “Because only the Light gets to become one with the Force. For the Dark, there is but night eternal.”

“N-no! No!” Ahsoka wailed, covering her head in her hands. She didn’t want to listen anymore, she didn’t want to think anymore, she just wanted out, she wanted gone, she didn’t want to--

She woke. Lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

She peeled herself off the bed, panting, sweating. The towel had fallen off her from her wriggling, the sheets tangled up and her back lekku felt numb from where she’d been lying on it. She glanced around the room, but there was no one there. Just her. Light was seeping around the edges of the curtain. Morning.

Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her head. It was just a nightmare. Just a horrible nightmare.

She looked up--

Her lightsabres weren’t on the bedside cabinet.

She froze, staring at it. Then slowly, reluctantly, she turned her head.

They were on the floor. Near the wall. Where she’d dropped them.

She stared at them for a long time. She swallowed.

It’s just...in the nightmare. I must have moved them in the nightmare, that’s all. They got flung there. I’ll...have to put them inside the cabinet next time to...prevent any accidents...

She buried her head in her knees.

Just a nightmare. That’s all it was...

Obi-Wan Kenobi walked into the Temple’s briefing room, finding Anakin and Luminara already there and standing in strained silence around the unactivated circular holoprojector in the centre of the room. “Ah, good,” he said, joining them at the projector. “You’re both here. I’ve received communication from Ventress; she’s on the move.”

“Where is she going?” Anakin asked.

“She didn’t say but will update when she has something. I imagine she doesn’t want us following her to the destination and blundering in.”

Anakin nodded. “That makes sense. Ahsoka and Barriss would be able to sense our presences better.” He shot a look at Luminara. “No smart remarks about ‘blundering in’, Unduli?”

Luminara looked over at him. “There’s no need, Skywalker,” she said, “you’ve made it yourself.”

Anakin blushed and then opened his mouth to retort--

Obi-Wan cut him off with a raised hand. “Be fair, Anakin, you walked into that ray shield on your own initiative.”

Anakin closed his mouth and glowered.

Luminara curtsied. “If you will excuse me, I shall return to my quarters to meditate. Please inform me as soon as Ventress is in touch.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said with a smile.

Luminara exited the room, walking with grace. Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. “I know you don’t like her,” he said. “But could you at least try and be pleasant? For my sake if nothing else.”

Anakin rubbed the back of his head. “It’s not that I don’t like her...” he began. “I just...I don’t agree with her way of teaching. Of raising Padawans. And I’m more than a little suspicious that her methods had something to do with Barriss turning out the way she did, and she can’t seem to acknowledge that.”

“You know she would say the same about you?”

Anakin sighed. “I know that. But when we were on Geonosis, when Ahsoka and Barriss were being buried alive, all she could do was encourage me to let go. Rather than striving to help them and save them.” He shook his head. “I can’t forget that.”

Obi-Wan smiled sympathetically. “We all have our own ways of understanding what it means to be a Jedi and interpreting the will of the Force. Luminara has sought to be more spiritual than many. But I’ve known her a long time and though she presents an image of stoicism, inwardly she can be more complicated than appears.” He paused. “When she learned what Barriss had done she came straight back. She’s always been very proud of Barriss. Knowing about Barriss’ involvement in the Temple bombing wounded her deeply in much the same ways you’ve been hurt.”

“And now she knows Ahsoka is involved she wants to transfer the majority of the blame onto her to spare her image of Barriss,” Anakin said, bitterly.

“Would you deny doing the same thing in reverse?” That made Anakin pause. Obi-Wan shook his head. “Don’t begrudge others for having our own failings, Anakin.”

Anakin smiled ruefully. “Is there ever going to be a time when you don’t lecture me?”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “The perils of being a teacher, I’m afraid. You can never stop seeing the student.” Obi-Wan stroked at his beard, a little uncomfortable. “There is one matter I have been made aware of that I’d like to speak to you about.”

Anakin tensed. “Go on.”

“A petition was submitted to the Council asking for the withdrawal of Padawans under eighteen from combat duties, signed by Senators Amidala, Chuchi, Organa and Mothma.” He paused. “Anakin, did you tell Padmé about what happened?”

Anakin sighed. “Yes, I did.”

“Would you care to tell me why?”

“I needed someone to confide in. Don’t worry, I’ve spoken to her. She hasn’t told the others what happened, and she’s not going to push this in the Senate, at least not until there’s an official announcement.”

A whole raft of comments and thoughts came to Obi-Wan’s mind, cautions and reprimands among them. But he couldn’t really blame Anakin. He knew he’d let him down badly when he’d tried to confide in Obi-Wan about his worries regarding his mother. He couldn’t say he deserved to be his confidant on these issues.

“Then that’s the matter dealt with and we need say no more on it,” Obi-Wan said at last. “But I should say, the Council is not looking favourably on it. They don’t like politicians interfering even when done with the best of intentions.”

Anakin grinned at him. “Don’t worry, I let her know that as well.”

Chapter Text

Ahsoka, dressed in a thick burgundy shirt that buttoned over the side and loose light brown trousers she’d found in the cabinet, her lightsabres clipped at her back, emerged from the bedroom and halted. The video screen was on, playing some kind of show where an old man with ferocious eyebrows appeared to be running away from a set of dustbins with plungers and whisks that fired laser blasts. Barriss sat cross-legged on the sofa, in her hoodie and trousers, munching on a bowl of cereal, the blue bantha milk having turned a rather alarming shade of purple as whatever coating the cereal had merged with the milk.

Barriss’ gaze was fixed on the screen and she didn’t seem to notice Ahsoka as she leaned her arms on the back of the sofa. “Hey,” Ahsoka said.

“Good morning,” Barriss replied, still not looking up.

“What are you doing?”

“Watching this Holodrama,” she said, gesturing at it, and casting a look of confusion at her as if she couldn’t understand why Ahsoka was asking for statements of the obvious.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “I can see that. What I meant was, why?”

“Oh. Right.” Barriss munched on a spoonful of cereal. “I had a bad dream last night.”

Ahsoka pulled a face. “You too, huh?” she said quietly.

Barriss nodded. “I didn’t want to go back to sleep. I tried meditating, but that didn’t work. I couldn’t concentrate and get the breathing right. So I was just aimlessly sitting and wandering about the apartment. And then I thought, I’m not part of the Order anymore, so why am I doing all the things that I would have done when I was?” Another spoonful of cereal. “So, instead, I...” A blush crept onto her cheeks, turning them a reddish-brown. “I...decided to do something naughty, and eat junk food and watch Holodramas.”

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at Barriss’ definition of ‘junk food’. “This is what you consider ‘naughty’?” she teased.

“I assure you, Mas--Luminara would not have approved of such behaviour.”

Ahsoka chuckled and looked back up at the screen. She blinked. “Is that...Darth Revan?”

“Yes.” Barriss nodded. She pointed at the screen with her spoon. “This show is about this man. Or at least he identifies as a man currently. He travels in this blue box, that’s actually a spaceship and can move instantaneously in time and space and goes around the universe with a series of companions, solving problems and occasionally having adventures with important historical figures.” She munched on some more cereal. “Although it appears that, frequently, the solution he hits upon involves turning the entire social, political and economic system upside down which, to my mind, would cause more problems than it solves. So I’m slightly confused as to what the moral message the writers are trying to convey is.”

“And why are you watching this?”

Barriss shrugged. “Because the only other drama on is some all-day repeat about a Jedi Knight who falls in love with a smuggler.”

Ahsoka glanced at Barriss. “That sounds awesome!” she said, vaulting over the back of the sofa, and snatching up the remote. “We’re watching that.”

Jedi Knight Arenya Stalos walks through the corridors of the Jedi Temple, nodding to fellow Jedi as she passes them before she’s halted by a Jedi Master.

“Knight Stalos,” the Jedi Master says. “We have a mission for you.”

“Master Tiln,” Arenya bows. “Please, inform me of it.”

“That’s not how that works...” Barriss muttered. “She should be receiving an assignment from the Council, not some Master in a corridor.”

“Maybe it’s set before there was a Council?” Ahsoka said, lip twitching at Barriss’ commentary. Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

Barriss waved a hand at the screen. “There has always been a Jedi Council since the Temple was founded, as you would know if you paid attention in the history classes instead of just mindlessly copying my work--”

“Hey!”

“--besides which from the set design they’re clearly, and somewhat incompetently, trying to replicate the look of the contemporary Temple.”

“You’re really getting into this, aren’t you?” Ahsoka teased.

Barriss stiffened slightly. “I’m not,” she replied, affecting disinterest. “I am merely presenting my views on what I see.”

Surrounded by force pike wielding criminals, Arenya desperately fights, swinging her lightsabre at them and duelling with the several combatants, but there’s too many of them for her to handle and it looks bleak.

“Is that...Form III?” Ahsoka asks, in confusion.

Barriss was equally confused. “Soresu? No, I thought it was Shii-Cho. They don’t seem to be using a consistent style.”

“They’re so slow as well!” Ahsoka objected, watching the ‘fight’ unfold with all the movements slowed down so much the, not very good, choreography could be easily seen. “Did they rehearse this at all?”

“Everyone keeps missing very obvious openings to hit their opponents as well.” Barriss suddenly pointed, as Arenya spun out of the way of a gang members’ lunge and then smacked her sabre onto the opponent's force pike. “See! See! She deliberately hit the force pike when she had a clear opening to strike him across the back!”

Ahsoka giggled. “Maybe she doesn’t want to harm them.”

“But she’s already killed two!”

Arenya is pulled down a set of winding corridors before she finally draws back her hand and stops. “Who are you?” she demands of the person in front of her.

The figure removes their helmet, revealing a brown-skinned woman with short dark hair and violet highlights. She grins. “I’m Rescue Korrde, I’m your contact.”

Barriss eye twitched. “Rescue...Cord... It’s not even a subtle...”

“Okay, I know this is a somewhat petty objection, but why is everyone a human?” Ahsoka huffed, crossing her arms. “There’s tons of species in the galaxy, why do these things always revolve around humans?”

Arenya struggles under the falling chunk of rock, heaving with the strain of trying to keep it up, as Rescue lies beneath her, terrified.

“I...I can’t hold it...” Arenya says, the strain evident in her voice.

“Use the Force, you idiot!” Barriss screamed, fingers curling into claws.

“Don’t Jedi have like special powers or something?!” Rescue says.

“Of course!” Arenya brightens. “The Force!”

“Aaaarrggghhh!!” Barriss slapped her hands over her face, slumping back into the sofa.

Ahsoka convulsed with laughter.

Arenya nervously pulls at her robes. “But...but I don’t know how to...” she says, quiet.

Rescue reaches out and puts her hand on her cheek, comforting. “Then this time, let me guide you,” she says, leaning in to kiss her.

“Uuuggghhh...” Both Ahsoka and Barriss cringed all the way to their toes.

“You know, they will find out one day that we faked your death,” Rescue says, in the pilot’s seat.

“I know,” Arenya replies. “But until then, we can have fun together.” She leans over and kisses her as their ship blasts into hyperspace.

The credits rolled.

“So what did you think of your first Holodrama experience?” Ahsoka asked, brightly, turning the video screen off.

Barriss slowly turned her head to face her. “The plot made no sense!” Barriss said, building into a rant. “There were whole series of contrivances that should never have happened because there was no reason for anyone to withhold the information they had; the whole thing seemed to be built around cramming in as many sequences of...s-sexual intercourse as possible; whatever research was done was cursory at best; the acting was dreadful; and, frankly, the less said about the fight choreography the better!”

Ahsoka grinned. “I know! It was great wasn’t it?”

“Ahsoka, did we watch the same thing? It was awful!”

“Oh come on! Surely you’ve heard of something being so bad it’s good?”

“That makes no sense! How can something that is flawed and riddled with so many errors and deficiencies somehow become ‘good’?”

“Well, we’ve spent all day watching this,” Ahsoka, gesturing to the darkening sky outside. “And I don’t remember you leaving the sofa except to go to the refresher.” Barriss blushed and turned her head away, and Ahsoka gave a shark-like smile at having won the argument.

“There wasn’t anything else to do...” Barriss muttered.

“Come on, admit it, you had fun!” Ahsoka elbowed Barriss.

“It occupied attention,” she conceded.

“I’m taking that as a yes.”

Barriss huffed and snatched up the datapad, sulkily studying it.

Ahsoka laughed and then stretched up her arms and upper body, feeling some of the bones crack. She settled back down and glanced at Barriss, seeing her flicking through the datapad with intent.

“Anything?” Ahsoka asked nervously.

Barriss shook her head. “No, nothing yet it seems.”

“That’s almost more worrying…” Ahsoka murmured. They surely weren’t going to let it go, so was there some secret mission that was looking for them? Or was there just a really big argument going on as to whether this was a Jedi matter or a Republic Military matter? Either one seemed just as likely… 

She sighed and looked out the window. Either way, they needed to work out what they were going to do next. They couldn’t hide here indefinitely so it would be best to have a plan in place for where to go next. Maybe they could consult a map and find a small place to hide out? A community maybe, away from the war, where they could do some good.

Garner some atonement…

Her thoughts drifted to Anakin. He was almost certainly looking for her. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She knew his relentlessness, had experienced it herself when they were pursuing the bounty hunter who ‘killed’ Obi-Wan. Being on the other end of that…when she didn’t know how he’d be…

A thought came to her. “Hey, Barriss?” she asked. Barriss looked up. “You knew Anakin from before the war right?”

Barriss looked confused a moment. “Well I wouldn’t say I knew him,” she said, setting the datapad aside. “We were part of a mission together, resolving a border dispute on Anison, before…everything happened.” Barriss saw the melancholy look on Ahsoka’s face. “Why do you ask?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I don’t know. I never knew him before the war, and we were always Master and Padawan. I guess I just want to know what he was like before the war.”

Barriss thought a moment. “He was...passionate,” she said eventually. “A tendency towards brooding. He would argue with Master Kenobi a lot.”

Ahsoka smiled. Some things never changed...

“But he was also sad. Lonely I think.”

“Lonely?” Ahsoka looked over at her. It wasn’t something she’d considered. Her Master was always gregarious, friendly, ready with a quip, and made friends easily. Certainly, he had a closer relationship with the clones than many of the other Jedi did.

Barriss shrugged. “You have to remember, he was never a youngling. The day he joined the Order was the same day he became Master Kenobi’s Padawan. I think there were some other younglings that resented that, and were jealous, especially as he was apprenticed to the first Jedi in a thousand years to, as we thought at the time, kill a Sith. And, of course, he remembered his mother and missed her a great deal.”

Ahsoka nodded. It was a strange thing to think about, knowing a parent. She had no memory of her mother or father. She had a very vague memory of the ceremony where her tribe had celebrated her being chosen to become a Jedi when she left with Master Plo Koon, but...she wasn’t sure if that was an actual memory or merely one she’d invented based on what Master Plo had told her. She could imagine, though, that if she knew what she’d left behind, had actual memories of it...then it would be difficult.

“I never really thought about that,” she murmured. “Anakin never talked about his past all that much.”

“I suppose it was painful for him,” Barriss said. She chuckled slightly. “We must have made quite a pair, the only Padawan with a childhood outside the Temple, and the Padawan who was practically born inside it.” She smiled slightly at a memory. “But he could be kind. He complimented my dancing.” Then she clammed up, realizing what she’d said.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!” Ahsoka said with delight, bouncing forward on the sofa and putting her hands on her crossed feet. “You dance?”

Barriss blushed, cheeks turning a reddish-brown. “We each had to do a performance for the Alwari!” she blurted. “So I did...Master--Luminara had given me instruction in an old art of lightsabre dancing, to help build my athleticism and connection to the Force. So I...I did that...”

“I never knew that! You should have said, I’d have loved to see it!”

Barriss’ blush deepened. “I...I don’t like performing for crowds...”

“Doesn’t have to be a crowd, it could just be for me.” Ahsoka laid her head back on the sofa, not seeing Barriss’ blush deepening even further and her surreptitiously reaching for her hood. “I don’t remember seeing that as part of our learning options...”

Barriss blush faded and she rested her hands on her knees. “No, it’s something that was removed,” she said. “It was never that popular anyway, but like everything else, it got taken over by combat training after the war began.”

“Oh. Right.” Why had she been thinking otherwise? Of course, something like that would be the first to go. Feeling the mood drifting, Ashoka reached for another question that had been on her mind. “Hey, speaking of combat, you fought Anakin, right? Like properly?”

Barriss stiffened. “If you’re referring to our fight at the Temple, then yes.”

“What was that like?” Ahsoka settled back, staring up at the ceiling. “I’ve always wondered. I’ve sparred with him before but I’ve never had a proper battle with him.” She grinned sheepishly. “I guess I’m curious about what it would be like to really fight him.” She looked over and paused.

Barriss had drawn her knees up to her chest and was resting her chin on them, staring into the distance. Her body was trembling slightly.

“Barriss?” Ahsoka asked, leaning towards her.

“It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life,” Barriss said, quietly.

Ahsoka leaned back, frowning. “Terrifying?” She knew Anakin was a strong fighter, and he would certainly have been angry given what he believed at the time, but terrifying seemed a bit strong.

“When he came into my room,” Barriss continued, “I could sense his suspicion, his belief and was prepared for it and then...he swung at me with my own lightsabre. If I hadn’t had Ventress’...” She broke off a moment.

Ahsoka’s frown deepened. She crossed her arms. “Well, I guess he knew you had them, he would have talked to Ventress,” she said, feeling a little defensive of Anakin and the suggestion that he’d gone straight for ‘murder’ as an option to test a theory.

“I meant to lose that fight,” Barriss continued as if Ahsoka hadn’t spoken. “It was my intention to be captured, playing the part of the ‘villain’. But it became apparent within the first few seconds that if I didn’t fight at my absolute limit then he was going to kill me.”

“Kill you?” Ahsoka shook her head. No, that couldn’t be right, Barriss was exaggerating. After all, if he had killed her, he wouldn’t have been able to bring her to the trial, to ‘exonerate’ Ahsoka. He wouldn’t have--

“The sheer ferocity and venom that came off him...” Barriss was shaking now, as the memories and feelings of the fight came back to her, not even really aware of Ahsoka or the rest of the room. “I wanted to run from the fight so much, every instinct in my body was screaming at me to do so. I had to physically force myself to stay in the battle. When he finally threw me against the tree, ending it, I felt such a surge of relief. That it was over, that I wasn’t...” She let out a shuddering breath.

“That doesn’t...I don’t think that’s fair...”

“He’s a monster. In a human cloak.”

Ahsoka turned her head away. “Yeah, well, you would know...”

Barriss was silent. Then she blinked, realizing what Ahsoka had said. “What?” she asked, turning to her.

“Nothing...” Ahsoka muttered.

“No, what do you mean?”

“Just...” She waved a hand. “You’re not exactly free of monstrous acts yourself.”

Barriss frowned, her eyes flicking left to right, pondering. Then she leapt to her feet, blue eyes blazing, glaring at Ahsoka, her fists clenched. “How dare you!” she shouted.

Ahsoka flinched but held her gaze.

Barriss was panting, agitated. She pointed at Ahsoka. “You...y-you think that I...that I...”

“I don’t know!” Ahsoka threw up her hands in exasperation and got to her feet. “All I know is that when I left for Cato Nemodia one willing person was going to die, and when I came back nineteen were dead and the willing person turned out to not be so willing at all.”

Barriss twitched, her face contorting. “Y-you t-think...you t-think! Th-th-think...!” Her jaw had locked and she struggled to get the words out, stuttering, the tension in her body and face evident.

“I...” Ahsoka turned her face away, rubbing at her arms. “I...I need to get some air...” She turned and walked out of the door, Barriss’ eyes pursuing her the whole way.

The door shut and Barriss glared at it. Her breath was coming through her nose in alternating short and long pants. She stumbled a moment, flexed her fingers, then snatched up a cushion from the sofa, slammed it over her face, buried her head between her knees, and screamed.

Barriss lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, hands folded over her stomach and wondered when the last time she’d thrown a tantrum was. She’d had a few incidents after she became Master Unduli’s Padawan, where she’d gone back to her room and quietly raged and flung herself about, but Master Unduli had soon realized what she was doing. She’d taught her exercises to control her emotions and her breathing, to calm herself down. But the last major incident had been...

Oh yes. When she was a youngling. Tatsu Li.

She winced and hugged her knees into her chest and gently rocked her body from side to side, feeling the relaxing motion on her spine.

Tatsu Li had accidentally brushed her arm and then noticed the way Barriss had rubbed at the spot, needing to clear away the phantom presence of the touch. Then, in the manner of children, he deliberately poked and prodded at her to get her to repeat the action. Eventually, she’d thrown herself at him, screaming, and she had to be dragged off to the isolation room by the Padawan teacher.

But he’d made up for it. He’d shown her how to hold her lightsabre properly, without touching her.

The memory came back of staring down at his coffin, the incineration beam turning his body into dust. Ashen faced. Heart clenched. Silently apologising over and over...

She rolled up into a seated position and planted her chin on her knees. It wasn’t fair what Ahsoka implied, it just wasn’t! Barriss had never wanted any of that to happen. She’d only agreed to the suicide bombing because it was the only way that it could be done and she’d needed to look at the bigger picture. She’d been sure that Jackar was willing otherwise...otherwise, she would have done it herself.

But then again she hadn’t made absolutely sure...yes there had been a risk in talking to Jackar but she could have done it if she’d really tried. She could have made absolutely certain. But she hadn’t because...because she wanted to believe.

Because she didn’t want to do it herself.

She sighed and stood up and looked miserably around the room. Cushions, seats and backrests from the sofa had been flung everywhere, one of them taking out the pitcher of water that had shattered on the floor. Barriss started vacantly making her way around the room picking up the cushions and putting them back on the sofa.

That she was a hypocrite wasn’t a surprise. She was, after all, someone who had strong objections to the war but had never voiced them. Who hated what the Order had become, but couldn’t bring herself to leave. Who despised killing, but did it anyway. Who healed soldiers, just to send them into battle again. Who hated slavery, but gave orders to the clones. Who hated the war, and fighting and all the missions, but still felt a tingle of pleasure when Master Unduli praised her work.

She knelt and started picking up the shards of glass with her bare hands.

And could she blame Ahsoka really, for having those thoughts? When she was like this? And she hadn’t been completely honest with her either. She hadn’t told her just how much of the bombing she’d planned out, had discussed, had organized before Ahsoka came stumbling into her room. No, she hadn’t said and had no intention of saying either.

Just another thing for the list...

She nicked her finger on a shard and barely felt it. She looked curiously at the slit on the epidermis of the pad, blood slowly weeping out of it, and thought briefly about how nice it might be to make it wider, the relief she might get from doing more, going deeper...

She shunted the thought aside and pressed her thumb to the pad. She channelled the Force, using it to accelerate the process of scabbing over the wound and then stitching the skin back together. When she drew her thumb back there was only the merest lightening of the skin to suggest that anything had happened at all. And that would soon fade as well.

Yes. Ahsoka was right to feel the way she did. And this must be so much harder on her. Ahsoka had many friends in the Order, was well-liked by everyone. Breaking from it, Barriss pulling her into her scheme for her own selfish reasons, would have affected her much more.

Barriss should apologize to her. Should do something to make her feel better. She thought a moment, considering what that would be...

There was something...on that stupid HoloDrama when Resc--the smuggler was doing something to apologize to Arenya...

Oh yes! She’d cooked her a meal. Barriss could do that, couldn’t she?

She picked up the datapad and searched for speciality Togruta dishes, narrowing it specifically to ones from Shili. Ahsoka wouldn’t remember of course, but she would appreciate the gesture surely? She found one that looked promising--a fairly simple stew involving some herbs, spices and beef. She might not be able to find the exact components, but from walking around the market she knew she’d be able to find good enough substitutes.

She had limited knowledge of cooking, but the recipe she’d found, once she got through the author’s infernally long talk about their journey to Shili and the spirituality they’d learned from the tribe and its connection to cooking, was detailed. It was just following steps after all. And if she could memorize a Geonosian tunnel network, how hard could this be?

Satisfied, Barriss tucked her holocomm and credit chip into her sash and left to go find the ingredients.

About an hour later she’d managed to find everything. She was sure she’d been stiffed on the prices, but she didn’t care. She held the paper bag with the items close to her chest, her hood up, a small smile on her lips. This would be fun. She’d dithered over whether to get candles, the smuggler had done so, before deciding against on the grounds that it might send the wrong message. She just hoped that Ahsoka hadn’t already come back, so she could keep it as a surprise.

A clone patrol came around the corner, and Barriss casually ducked down a wide alleyway, keeping her composure to look like she was just taking a shortcut home rather than avoiding the patrol.

She was about halfway down the alleyway when she paused. She thought she...sensed something... She turned around and looked down the alleyway. But there was nothing. Just some species of cat wandering about.

She frowned. She turned back--

In time to see the crate hurtling towards her.

With a yell she dove to the side, just managing to avoid it. She skidded into a crouch, the food bag dropping out of her hand and smacking onto the ground. Her hood fell off her head and she glared around the alley, her heart thumping. There was no one there that she could see. She stretched out with the Force, but couldn’t find anything.

Barriss stood up and walked forward, scanning the area, keeping her body compressed, settling into a version of the Soresu style that was adapted to work without lightsabres. She didn’t know what she was dealing with. Some local gang? Or a bounty hunter sent out to catch her? But there’d been no news unless it was a secret hiring? But how could they have tracked them so quickly?

“Who’s there?” she called. “Show yourself?”

A hand seized her hair and yanked back on it. Barriss cried out, losing her composure, scrabbling at the hand holding her--

Then she froze. Trembled. As a low chuckle came to her ears.

“Well, well, if it isn’t little Barriss...” the amused, hissing voice said.

Barriss whimpered slightly, breath coming in panicked gasps, and turned her head and found herself staring into the cold smirk of Asajj Ventress. Ventress cocked her head and held up her other hand, showing off the curved lightsabre Barriss had stolen from her.

“And look what I found!” Ventress said with delight, pressing the blade emitter into Barriss’ cheek and drinking in her wide-eyed terror.

Ahsoka rested her arms on the wall of Iziz and stared out across the plain. It was quiet out there. Calming. The plain rolled away into the jungle, under the half-light of the setting sun. If she squinted she thought she could see some of the areas where she’d hid out with the rebels. Just over to the right she could see the path and the bridge they’d come into the city by, on the large covered cart, tricking their way past the droids and into the city.

She smiled at the memory. A simpler time.

Or at least she thought it was, but it probably wasn’t.

She sighed and sunk her head onto her arms. By the Force, she was a schutta… That was a horrible thing she’d suggested about Barriss. And then, worse, she’d seen Barriss react in a way she’d never seen before; wound so tight she couldn’t speak and was nearly spitting.

And what had she done? Oh yeah. She’d run away.

Some Jedi Knight you are Tano. Some hero.

But was it unfair? Hadn’t Barriss' first reaction been to kill Trap, rather than think through other options? Was that really the go-to move for someone who supposedly hated killing and violence? Meanwhile, Ahsoka had refused to kill Barriss, even when she begged her to.

And the comments about Anakin…sure he could be rough, he could be scary she didn’t doubt that. But a monster? No. He was a good person. He wouldn’t be like that. Barriss was just exaggerating to make herself feel better, that was all.

Idly she flicked at her left lekku with a finger, feeling it flip and then tap against her arm, keeping her gaze fixed on the darkening horizon, a nice play of pinks and blues scattering in the sky.

But then again her own reaction to Trap’s death had been muted, and Trap had been her friend. Sure, she’d been in shock, but it’s not like she’d reprimanded Barriss for it. Not like she’d done anything to try and stop it. Maybe even back then it had already begun, without her being aware of it.

And, well, if she was going to say Barriss wasn’t free of monstrous acts it’s not like she was in any position to cast judgment...

Her holocomm chimed and she stiffened. She took a breath and pushed herself back from the wall, reaching into her pocket to draw out the holocomm.

No sense in putting this off…

She took a moment to compose herself, closed her eyes, and then tapped the comm. “Hey Barriss,” she said, opening her eyes, “look, I just want to say--”

She cut off, frozen. Because it wasn’t Barriss’ holoprojection looking at her, but Asajj Ventress, an amused smirk on her lips.

“Oh?” Ventress said. “Did I interrupt a lovers tiff?”

“Ventress!” Ahsoka said, shocked. “What are you doing?”

“Well, I happened to be enjoying my holidays on Onderon when who should I run into but my good friend Barriss!” Ventress stretched her arm to the side and then pulled Barriss into the frame, her arm around her shoulder.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened and she nearly gasped. Barriss looked out at her, trembling, eyes wide and terrified a piece of cloth tied tightly over her mouth, gagging her. Ahsoka couldn’t be sure over the holoprojection but she thought she could see some swelling over Barriss’ left eye.

Ahsoka bared her teeth, eyes narrowing. “Let. Her. Go.”

Ventress rolled her eyes. “Don’t insult me, Tano. I’ll make things simple. I’m in your, frankly, lovely apartment. If you come back in one hour starting from when this communication ends I’ll be taking you both back to Coruscant. Stay away, and me and Barriss will have a lovely little voyage back just the two of us.” Ventress smiled at Barriss and walked her fingers up her cheek. Barriss scrunched her eyes and let out a muffled whimper. “Sound fair?”

“Ventress…you…!” 

“Good. One hour Tano. Starting now. Bye-bye!” She grabbed up Barriss cuffed hands and forced her to wave. Barriss exploded into a set of desperate, muffled, shouts, violently shaking her head at Ahsoka.

“Ventress, don’t you dare--!”

The comm cut off.

Ahsoka glared at it, trembling, shocked. How had Ventress known? How had she found them? Had bounties been announced? No, no they would have seen if they had. Could the Republic Military have hired her? No that didn’t make sense either. They still had bounties posted on her, they wouldn’t have done--

It came to her in a white flash. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the realisation. Then they narrowed and her teeth clenched, lips peeling back into a snarl. Her fist clenched.

The Council! They hired her! After everything they preached, after everything they denounced, they hired someone to go after us with a higher body count, a longer track record of evil, of--

A crinkling sound. Ahsoka opened her fist, revealing the cracked holocomm. She glared at it. She felt the rage bubbling and spitting and building inside her.

And she let it.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka thought about the Council hiring Ventress, maybe even giving her that damn pardon she wanted so much. Paying her actual credits to do this. She thought about ramming her lightsabre down Ventress’ throat. About chopping her head off. Gutting her. Putting her hands around her slim, pale, throat and squeezing…

Then she thought about Barriss’ terrified expression. And she forced herself to take a breath. Forced herself to calm.

Ventress had Barriss. That gave her leverage and she knew it. It was no good fantasising about all the ways she wanted to kill her, that wouldn’t do any good. She needed to keep the situation in focus. She couldn’t just charge in, that wouldn’t work.

She needed a plan.

She let out a shuddering breath and looked up at the darkening sky, the stars starting to become visible.

What can I do?

‘Leave her...’

Her eyes snapped wide and she glanced around, trembling, looking for the source of the voice. There was no one.

‘It’s what she deserves, isn’t it? And she wouldn’t want you to risk yourself. You can leave, escape, do good...’

No. No! Ahsoka shook her head violently. She hadn’t abandoned Barriss before and she wouldn’t now.

She spun on her heel and ran across the wall, mind whirling as she sorted through various plans and strategies. Come on, Tano, Think! Think!

Ventress lounged back on the sofa, one arm thrown over the back of it, the other hand idly stroking Offee’s hair. Ventress had rearranged the room slightly, moving the table and chairs out of the way and turning the sofa to face the door. Offee was on her knees in front of her and slightly to the left, gagged, hands in cuffs in front of her, the skin around her left eye swelling.

Ventress had tried to be civil. But as soon as they’d arrived at the apartment, Offee had launched into a string of empty threats and had concluded with a remark about how she should have killed Ventress when she’d knocked her down.

So, one black eye and two bits of rag later and here they were.

She twisted a strand of brown hair around her finger and playfully tugged at it, drawing a burst of panicked sniffling. It was almost cute the way Offee was concentrating so hard on masking her fear in the Force she was neglecting to control her physical reactions. It certainly made for an entertaining toy.

Ventress rolled her head and raised her other arm to look at the chronometer. “Fifty minutes gone,” she announced. She grinned at Offee and stroked her cheek, the girl stiffening. “Looks like you and I will be having a long and lonely voyage to Coruscant to get better acquainted with one another.”

Ventress didn’t actually intend to do anything beyond locking Offee in her holding cell on the Banshee and then going to sleep, she was just teasing her for the fun of it. But for a brief moment, Offee’s composure cracked and Ventress got to see everything that Offee thought she meant by that remark.

And wow did she have an imagination…

Ventress chuckled and leaned forward, making Offee stiffen. “Well, I am open to suggestions,” Ventress whispered.

Offee grunted and clamped down on her thoughts. Ventress sat back and laughed.

Then Offee straightened, staring at the door. She let out a few muffled moans that sounded like they were intended to be the word ‘no’. Ventress was confused for a moment then she picked up on the presence. She sat up straighter and put on her professional smirk.

At last.

The door quietly opened and Ahsoka Tano slipped through, shutting it behind her. She looked at Offee and grimaced, and then glared at Ventress. “Was that really necessary?” she demanded.

Ventress shrugged. “I didn’t think so,” she said. “But for someone who was Padawan to the Master with the biggest electrostaff stuck up her backside she knows a surprising amount of bad words.” Ventress quirked an eyebrow. “Your influence I imagine.”

Tano started forward, but Ventress stopped her with a warning finger, her left hand unclipping her lightsabre from her belt.

“Let her go,” Tano said. “Take me in her place.”

“Nmmph!” Barriss objected.

“Two votes against I’m afraid, and that wasn’t the deal you were offered.” Ventress rolled her lightsabre blade emitter onto Offee’s crown, making the girl shudder and sob in fear. “Swords, if you please?”

Tano glowered at her, but unclipped her lightsabers and chucked them at Ventress’ feet. Literally, Ventress had to snatch her feet back to avoid getting hit. She glared at Tano. “Don’t be a sore loser,” she snarled. She took the bindercuffs from her waist and levitated them with the Force. “Hands,” she snapped.

Tano slapped her wrists together. Ventress rolled her eyes. “Behind you, Tano.”

Tano looked like she was about to object, but bad temperedly turned around and put her hands together behind her. Ventress moved the cuffs over and clipped them around Tano’s wrists and tightened them, drawing a grunt of pain. Tano wiggled her fingers and then turned back.

Ventress took her lightsabre off Offee’s head. “There that wasn’t so hard was it?” she said, sweetly. Tano’s eyes spat at her and Ventress chuckled. And then, just because she really wanted to rub it in, she asked “so, tell me, just how many people did you two kill with your little stunt?”

Tano glared at her, jaw twisting. “Twenty…” she said through gritted teeth. “Six workers, eight clones, six Jedi.”

Ventress tutted. “Woefully short of my record,” she commented. Then she grinned. “And yet here I am, the noble hero bringing you two fugitives to justice. Strange times wouldn’t you say?”

Tano didn’t reply. She just glared, expression darkening.

Ventress sat up. “Well this has been fun,” she said brightly. “Thank you both for making my life easy by being such good and obedient little girls.” She patted Offee on the head, who responded by grunting and violently shaking Ventress’ hand off, her eyes scrunched closed. Ventress stood. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind turning--”

She paused. Tano’s eyes had briefly flicked to somewhere behind Ventress. She frowned, then heard a cracking noise and whirled her head around. Behind her, on the floor, was a small, round object.

Ventress realised what it was a second too late, and took the glare of the flash-bang grenade into her wide eyes.

Barriss heard the bang and saw the glare against the lids of her eyes, screwed shut on Ahsoka’s orders, then heard Ventress scream, and the glass shatter. She leapt to her feet and spun around shoving out her hands and Force pushing the blinded Ventress over the back of the sofa. She reached again and snatched one of the lightsabres from Ventress’ belt, then ran to Ahsoka igniting the red blade and cutting through her cuffs.

The cuffs dropped off Ahsoka’s wrists and she used the Force to retrieve her own lightsabers and then pulled Barriss behind her, running out of the room and down the corridor. She ignited her shoto sabre and cut through Barriss’ cuffs on the move. Barriss immediately wrenched down her gag and spat out the rag that had been shoved inside her mouth.

“Ahsoka!” she gasped. “What is--?”

“A finally final favour from Lux!” Ahsoka replied, opening the door to the stairwell and racing down it.

“He must really like you!”

“Can we discuss that later?!”

Ventress, upside down with legs dangling over the backrest of the sofa, growled and blinked sunspots out of her eyes.

Four green armoured and helmeted members of Onderon's security force were pointing blasters at her.

“Freeze!” the captain demanded. “Onderonian Security! You’re under arrest!”

Ventress groaned. Of course! Bonteri! He was the one who gave them this hideout. She should have anticipated Tano being able to pull some trickery!

Furious with herself, Ventress threw out her hands and sent the security flying into the walls. Then she leapt to her feet and grabbed up her lightsabers.

Or one of them anyway. Wiggling her fingers, her right hand felt suspiciously empty. A quick glance confirmed it. Her lightsabre had been taken.

“That girl…” Ventress snarled, clenching her fist.

If she wasn’t enraged before, she was now.

Ahsoka vaulted into the driver’s seat of the yellow VC-13 land speeder, Barriss jumping into the passenger seat. She reached under the steering controls and carefully used her shoto sabre to cut the panel open. Then she wrenched out the wires intending to hotwire it.

“Uh…Ahsoka?”

She looked up. Barriss was holding the keys in her palm.

Ahsoka took them, bewildered. “Where did you…?”

“It was in the dashboard cupboard,” Barriss replied, pointing at the small drawer space under the dashboard.

Ahsoka blinked. “Some people are really careless,” she muttered, putting the keys in the ignition.

“Or feel very safe.”

The speeder, a square model with a flat front top and only two seats, gunned into life and Ahsoka pushed on the acceleration, taking them towards the apartment’s parking gate. She and Barriss threw out a hand each and knocked the gate off its hinges, allowing the speeder to shoot over it and out into the streets.

The speeder rocked, tilting slightly, as a very angry Ventress landed on the front of it. “I don’t think so!” she shouted, igniting her lightsaber and preparing to stab it into the engine.

Barriss leapt up and ignited her stolen lightsabre, intercepting Ventress’ stab. Infuriated, Ventress swung at her, and Barriss quickly switched into a block, Ahsoka ducking and trying to steer around the fight. Barriss planted a foot on the dashboard and struck back, but she had trouble landing her blows with any force as she had to lean around the windshield. It didn’t help that Ventress was in the blind spot of her swollen eye and she had to twist her head to see properly.

Ventress lost her footing slightly, as Ahsoka turned the speeder sharply round a corner and Barriss stabbed forward, looking to take advantage--

Ventress spun out of the way and Barriss overbalanced, leaving her vulnerable to Ventress snatching her hand and hauling her up. She ripped the lightsabre from Barriss’ grasp. “That’s mine!” she snarled, before flinging Barriss away, sending her crashing through an apartment window.

Barriss slammed onto something soft and slid along a table. She groaned and looked up. Her eyes widened. Two women were staring at her, frozen mid-clap. She turned her head to the other side saw a small boy with a paper hat on his head, looking confused.

Oh... It looked like she’d interrupted a birthday party. Which meant the soft thing she’d landed on was a...cake.

She flashed an apologetic smile at the mothers. “My apologies!” She turned to the child and beamed at him. “Many Happy Returns!”

Then she backflipped off the table and ran out the apartment door, trying to wipe off the cake from her back. She burst out of the building door, hand over her left eye channelling the Force to reduce the swelling, and reached out, sensing where Ahsoka was and starting to run--

Then stopped.

No... I can’t help Ahsoka, not without any weapons. I’d just be vulnerable and in the way. She can handle herself. Or at least she hoped she could. But she needed to take the best course of action, even if she was reluctant to leave her friend with Ventress.

Gritting her teeth, she turned in the opposite direction and ran.

Ventress ignited both of her lightsabres and prepared to stab them down. Ahsoka floored the accelerator and the speeder leapt forward. Ventress staggered, just able to keep her balance--

Ahsoka leapt out of the speeder, rolling to the side--

Ventress whirled around, seeing the building fill her vision.

With a curse, she leapt to the side as the speeder smashed into the wall, halted by the brick that crumbled around it.

Without waiting to see what happened, Ahsoka jumped to her feet and ran through the street, hitting the market, which had lanterns up now casting light. The people at the market stared at the wreckage, as Ahsoka pushed past in what she hoped was the direction of the docking bay.

She heard a twin snap-hiss behind her and she whirled around, igniting her own lightsabres, just in time for the green energy to crash against the red lightsabres as they descended. Ventress jumped back and then forward, striking out with a series of precise and quick slashes and Ahsoka was immediately on the defensive, blocking the blows and stepping back constantly.

She spun out of the way of stab and then flipped up and backwards, flinging out a hand to shove Ventress back with the Force as she did so. Ahsoka landed in a crouch, having gained a bit of distance and settled into her starting position, shoto sabre held in a guard in front, and the main sabre held back ready to sweep.

Ventress flicked out a hand and ripped off a canvas from one of the merchant stalls and flung it at Ahsoka--

Ahsoka slashed her blades across it in an X, the canvas splitting and burning either side of her--

Ventress’ boot flew through the opening and slammed into her stomach, folding her in half. Ahsoka wheezed and smacked onto the ground, recovering enough to plant her right foot so she landed on one knee. Ventress swung at her in a wide arc with both lightsabres, one aimed at her head the other at her torso and Ahsoka flung up both arms to block the red blades against her own. Ahsoka’s arms compressed towards her, struggling against the force Ventress was exerting. It was a bad blocking position, she didn’t have her body behind her arms, so it was easier for Ventress to push her guard inwards.

Ahsoka leaned out on her right foot, releasing her left leg from the ground slightly and she shot it out and kicked Ventress in the shin, staggering her and releasing the lightsabre lock--

Ahsoka then pushed up and spun into the air, cracking a roundhouse kick against Ventress’ jaw, the bounty hunter spinning from the force of the blow. Ahsoka landed and dived in, lashing out with her lightsabres, just missing Ventress’ head with the main sabre and then the follow-up with the shoto sabre was knocked aside with a wild block. But she had Ventress on the defensive, her footwork out of position, and she pressed her advantage.

 “Twenty credits on the green blades!” someone in the crowd shouted.

Merchants... Ahsoka gritted her teeth, keeping her focus on the pale figure in front of her. She had to keep Ventress on the defensive, so she could push her and incapacitate her and get away.

Ventress spun out of the way of an attack and then hurled one lightsabre at Ahsoka. Caught off guard, she instinctively ducked out of the way, leaving her vulnerable to Ventress tripping her. Ahsoka twisted as she fell and planted both arms on the ground, teeth juddering at the impact, but pushed off and spun herself back onto her feet, dropping into a crouch with her shoto sabre held in front of her and the main sabre up behind her, ready to leap into a whirling attack. She growled in irritation. Her advantage was gone: Ventress had called her second sabre back and now they were reset into starting positions.

Ventress spat out a gob of blood that slapped onto the stone. She grinned at Ahsoka, teeth streaked with red. “I have to say, I’m enjoying this,” she said, twirling one lightsabre and circling towards Ahsoka. “It’s been a while since any bounty gave me a workout.”

“Glad I could help your fitness regime!” Ahsoka spat, tracking her, adjusting her position to match her.

“Thirty credits on the red sabres!”

“Stay out of this!” Ahsoka and Ventress shouted as one, facing the large crowd that had gathered who recoiled back.

They looked back at one another, shifting their weight slightly, waiting for an opening--

Suddenly they were caught in a blast of light, Ahsoka shielding her eyes. She squinted up.

Oh kriff!

A LAAT gunship hovered overhead, troop bay doors open and five clone troopers pointing their rifles out.

Ventress laughed. “Well, will you look at that?” she sneered. “Looks like I get the backup this time!”

Ahsoka swallowed, readied her blades to defend, trying to work out which way she should run--

The clones levelled their rifles and fired--

Ventress whirled and slapped away the blue blaster bolts just in time. She stared up in shock.

Ahsoka blinked. Oh. Of course.

“What are you--?!” Ventress shouted before she was cut off by more blaster fire raining in that she had to swipe and slash out of the way, forced back. With a yell of frustration, she deactivated her sabres and sprinted down an alleyway.

The gunship roared after her, one of the clones sat on the lip of the gunship giving Ahsoka a thumbs up as he passed.

Ahsoka slapped on a grin and gave him a double-thumbs up back.

The gunship flew up over the buildings, chasing Ventress down the alleyway.

Well, I’m not going to say no...

Ahsoka deactivated her own lightsabres and ran down the street.

“All bets off; the clones interfered!”

Exasperated shouts of protest went up from the crowd.

“Captain Palor?” the comm tech called across the bridge of the Defiance.

Captain Palor, dressed in a tightly and neatly pressed uniform, strode over to the comm tech, looking down at the man from the catwalk. “What is it?” he asked.

“We’re receiving reports from Iziz. It appears that Asajj Ventress has been sighted fighting Commander Tano.”

Palor frowned. “I had no communication about the Jedi being here...” He pondered. Could this be some kind of secret assignment he hadn’t been informed about? But why wouldn’t he have been? Surely the ship would have been hailed?

“The troopers are in pursuit of Ventress, assisting Commander Tano. Should I tell them to continue with those orders?”

Palor hesitated. “Yes...” he said at last. But then, because this was his first commission and he’d be damned if he was going to do something wrong, he added, “But call it in with the Republic Military Centre. Let’s check exactly what’s going on.”

“Right away, sir.” The comm tech turned back to deal with the request.

CT-5566, or Doubles, sat in the Information Centre of the Republic Military Base. He stared at his holoterminal, monitoring transmissions and data from the various warzones and planets across the galaxy, collating the information and passing it on, alongside his brothers in the room. The room was set out in rows of five, with five clones each, each clone sat in front of a holoterminal and each was responsible for a different set of systems. A large screen faced them at the front of the room, where important information could be placed if needed.

It wasn’t a very interesting job, certainly one that would have driven Rex spare, but Doubles knew it was a necessary one, an important one. And he took pride in that, and the assistance he gave his brothers.

But still, it could be boring. He couldn’t deny that.

He was glancing through the information on his terminal when he caught a transmission message and blinked.

“Uh...sir...got a strange one here!” Doubles called, raising his hand.

The clone in charge of supervising the Information Centre, CC-7834, or Spire, descended the steps from the platform at the back and walked. “Strange, how?” he asked.

 “Got a report from Captain Palor of the Defiance at Onderon. It appears Commander Tano is fighting Asajj Ventress in the capital city of Iziz. The Onderon team is requesting confirmation on orders to kill Ventress and assist Commander Tano.” He looked over his shoulder, confused. “I had no idea she was sent out on assignment?”

“Nor I.” Spire shrugged. “But the Jedi do move in their own ways.” He frowned a moment. “Send a message through to the Republic Military Base, maybe they might know more.”

“Right away, sir.”

Spire nodded and moved off as Doubles typed out the message and sent it through. He switched his screens, going back to monitoring the other traffic. It would probably be a swift confirmation of the orders. Whatever Commander Tano was doing out there, it was likely on some assignment of importance. From what Rex said, always with a smile, she seemed to get involved in those, whether she was supposed to or not.

A message pinged back, faster than Doubles expected, and he opened it up.

His jaw dropped in shock.

‘Countermand orders. New instruction: clones are to execute Ventress and Tano, and should she be present, Offee.’ Offee? What did she have to do with this? He knew there had been some ruction at the prison that was being kept hush-hush, but... ‘Jedi’s mess has clearly got out of hand.’

Doubles could feel the sweat beading his brow. He knew he shouldn’t, but...but he felt he had to follow up. Just to be sure.

‘Instructions received. Will relay, but request further information: why execution order on Commander Tano?’

He sent the message and then sat staring at the screen, not able to look away, tapping his foot.

The message pinged back.

‘Charge of treason against the Republic. Execute orders immediately. Authority of Admiral Tarkin, co-signed Commander Fox.’

And there were the personal symbol signatures of both.

Doubles gaped and then swallowed. He composed the order message and sent it to Captain Palor. He wasn’t going to disobey this, he was a good soldier.

But he was also a good friend.

Surreptitiously he activated his wrist comm. “Rex,” he whispered. “There’s something you need to know...”

Ahsoka ran down the street, hoping, desperately hoping, that this was the way to the docking bay. In the confusion of the escape and everything going on, she couldn’t be sure exactly which way. She really wished she had Barriss with her, as she would definitely know. But she was certain this was the way.

Then again, she was also certain she should be there by now.

A squad of clone troopers ran around the corner but slowed when they saw her. Ahsoka slowed to a trot, rehearsing her lines in her head.

“Ventress went that way!” she shouted, pointing vaguely in the direction she remembered her running in. “You head after her, I’ll cut her off!”

The clones didn’t move.

Ahsoka halted, stared at them. Then she smiled sheepishly. “Oh,” she said.

The captain stepped forward. “We’ve had our orders,” he said, a note of reluctance in his voice. “Sorry Commander.” The clones raised their rifles.

“Yeah, me too.” Ahsoka flung out her hands and shoved them to the ground with the Force. Then she swept her left hand from the right to the left, and their rifles flew out of their hands and over the roofs of the buildings.

Ahsoka ran, leaping over them and turned right down the next street.

I’ve definitely taken a wrong turn somewhere!

Rex ran down the corridors of the Jedi Temple, looking for the situation room. He knew that General Kenobi would never approve of running in the corridors, but this was an emergency. He couldn’t believe what Tarkin was trying to pull--was the man really that annoyed about his whole legal case being exposed as nonsense?

Rex burst into the situation room, to find Generals Kenobi, Skywalker and Unduli stood around the holoprojection table, though it was unactivated.

“Sir!” Rex snapped a salute.

“Rex?” Anakin said, confused. “What’s going on?”

“I apologies for this intrusion, but I’ve just heard from a friend at the Information Centre that Commander Tano is fighting Asajj Ventress on Onderon,” he said.

Kenobi pressed his knuckles into his forehead and Anakin turned his eyes to the ceiling, both of them looking like they’d just been told the obvious solution to a puzzle they’d been staring at for hours.

“Onderon!” Kenobi shouted.

“Of course!” Anakin muttered.

Rex blinked. This wasn’t quite the reaction he was expecting. “Well, anyway, Tarkin has issued a kill order on both of them,” he continued.

“What?!” Anakin shouted, outraged.

Rex smiled. “That’s what I thought! He’s getting above himself, over that--”

“Countermand that at once, to capturing Ahsoka and assisting Ventress!” Kenobi said, striding for the door.

Rex’s smile fell. Capturing Ahsoka? What for? “Uh...sure...what’s...?”

“Did they say anything about Barriss?” Unduli asked, stepping forward to follow Kenobi.

“Barriss?” Rex flinched. “Why would she...?” He looked at Anakin, helplessly confused.

Anakin grimaced and put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on Rex,” he said, softly. “I’ll explain on the way.”

Ventress had had enough.

This day was already going much worse than she’d anticipated, going from an easy capture of both, to suddenly both Offee and Tano on the run and out of her grasp. And now the blasted clones were out to kill her.

Well, this settled it. Kenobi had been clear: not severe damage to Offee or Tano. But he hadn’t said anything about clones. And this had gone on long enough.

She wall kicked up the alleyway and alighted on the top of the building. The LAAT gunship flew up to meet her, casting its light over her. Ventress glared it down, daring it to do what she wanted it to.

She sensed it, the forward cannons were about to fire--

She flung out her hands and crushed her fingers together--

The front of the cannons crumpled, but it was too late to stop the blast. The front of the gunship detonated as the laser beams exploded against the ends of the cannons, flames rippling around the forward hull. She sensed the panic in the clones as the gunship toppled out of the sky, wing raking across the building before it crashed into the street below.

Beautiful. Ventress smiled at her handiwork and then ignited her lightsabres, turning her scowl onto the clones that had clambered onto the roof and were aiming their rifles at her.

“Come on then!” Ventress snarled. “Who wants to be first to die?!”

“Wait!” the captain shouted, pressing a hand to his helmet. He stood still a moment and then looked up. Even with his helmet on his confusion was evident. “Apparently we’re...assisting you to capture Commander Tano?”

“Finally!” Ventress said in exasperation. She deactivated her lightsabres and strode up to the captain, the man flinching as she jabbed her finger into his chest plate. “You can assist me by staying out of my way!”

“Uh...right...sure...”

Ventress whirled around and strode to the edge of the building, standing on the lip. She reached out with her senses, scanning her eyes across Iziz. They narrowed as she pinpointed Ahsoka.

There you are... she thought, as she leapt from the rooftop to begin her pursuit.

She was definitely lost. She was certainly pretty sure that she’d come this way before.

Kark it Ahsoka! Why weren’t you paying attention?! Sure it was hard to do that when Ventress was after her, and now she was having to run from the clone troopers, whatever grace period they’d been granted apparently having expired, but--

She skidded to a halt as Ventress stepped out onto the street in front of her, red lightsabres ignited. Ahsoka ignited her own blades and flicked her eyes up. Clone troopers were gathering on the rooftops, but they weren’t pointing their rifles at her.

“There’s no escaping this time,” Ventress said coolly, walking towards her. “And look!” She gestured with delight at the rooftops. “The clones are on my side now!”

“Yeah, a shame I couldn’t have traded with you for some droidekas...” Ahsoka levelled her lightsabres, bringing her shoto sabre out front and the main sabre behind, crouching into her ready stance.

“Don’t worry Tano, they’re only here to enjoy me beating you.”

“As if!”

Ventress shot forward and crashed her right sabre onto Ahsoka’s shoto block. Ahsoka swung with her main lightsabre, going for a bisecting blow across the torso but Ventress deflected that one and then twisted around to throw a slash at Ahsoka’s head, that the Torgruta ducked out of the way off, before spinning out of the way of the follow-up attack and launching into a series of quick slashes. The red and green lightsabres pulsed and crackled as they smashed against one another, arcs of plasma spitting off them. Ventress managed to drive a knee into Ahsoka’s gut and Ahsoka responded with a kick to her ribs.

They disengaged and circled one another, both starting to show signs of fatigue from the battle. Ahsoka's eyes flickered. It wasn’t enough to beat Ventress she knew, she also needed a way out of this with the clones present. She hoped the fact that they were assisting Ventress meant they no longer had the kill orders, but stun blasts could still be tricky to get around.

Blast it Barriss where are you?!

She suddenly realized she’d got distracted and whipped her attention back in time to see Ventress slam a kick into her chest.

The breath whooshed out of Ahsoka and she crashed onto her back, but she allowed the momentum of the fall to carry her and used it to flip herself back onto her feet--

Ventress charged forward, swinging with her right lightsabre--

Ahsoka spun up and scissor kicked Ventress’ hand, striking the base of the lightsabre hilt and knocking it out of her grasp--

Ahsoka completed her spin and then darted forward, instantly on the attack, not giving Ventress a chance to summon her lightsabre back, or get her feet into a good position to make solid blocks, her swipes at Ahsoka’s whirling green sabres being wild and poor, constantly forcing her back.

Snarling, Ventress planted her left foot back and leaned forward, getting a solid block on the shoto sabre, locking the blades, and then using her lightsabre to wrench Ahsoka’s arm over, pulling against the Shien grip direction--

Ahsoka’s lightsabre flung out of her hand, but Ventress lost her grip on hers and it sailed away as well, clattering to the side of the street.

Ahsoka grinned. Now Ventress was defenceless!

She swung forward, swiping at Ventress, the bounty hunter forced to pedal backwards, ducking and twisting out of the way of the lightsabre strikes--

Ventress stumbled and Ahsoka sprang forward, looking to land a decisive blow--

She spotted Ventress’ smirk too late, realizing she’d be pulled by a feint. Before Ahsoka could react, Ventress slipped under the descending blade, spun around behind Ahsoka and wrenched her arms up under Ahsoka’s own, pulling her into a body lock, Ventress twisting her left arm over Ahsoka’s shoulder so her left hand rested against Ahsoka’s back and holding her right arm at the elbow, keeping it straight.

Ahsoka snarled with frustration at herself for getting caught by the ploy. She wriggled and struggled, but couldn’t break Ventress’ lock.

“This is over,” Ventress spat, close to Ahsoka’s right montral. “Now be a good girl and concede.”

Not on your life, Ventress...

Ahsoka glanced up. She still had her main sabre. Ventress’ head was close to her right shoulder. Her main sabre was in the reverse grip so she couldn’t direct it but if she could just...flip it...

She spun the sabre out of her grip and re-caught it in a forward grip. She grinned, feral, and started to angle her wrist back, the green lightsabre pulsing closer and closer to Ventress’ head.

Ventress saw what she was doing, saw the lightsabre coming closer. “Don’t try it, Tano...” she warned.

Ahsoka ignored her, straining to push her wrist back further, to get the blade closer--

Ventress saw she wasn’t going to stop. Well, this can be fixed in a bacta tank, she thought.

She moved her left hand across and then shoved it against Ahsoka’s right shoulder plate, at the same time as she wrenched back on the arm. The shoulder dislocated with a wet pop.

Ahsoka screamed.

Chapter Text

White-hot pain flared up through her shoulder and into her head. Her arm went limp instantly, the lightsabre clattering to the ground.

Ahsoka screamed.

She was released and she collapsed onto her knees, clutching at her swelling shoulder, her right arm dangling at her side. She whimpered, the throbbing pain intense.

Then her right arm was wrenched behind her, the ball scraping against the socket and she cried out.

“Don’t be a baby, Tano,” Ventress hissed. She indicated to one of the clones to bring her binder cuffs and the clone started to rappel down the side of the building.

Where is Barriss? Ahsoka thought desperately. Had she abandoned her? After what she’d said, had she left her to her fate? No! Ahsoka had come back for her, surely she knew that meant she cared? That she hadn’t meant it? Surely she wouldn’t leave her, not after everything she’d done!

Ahsoka growled with pain and anger as Ventress grabbed her other arm and pulled it into a lock behind her.

If Barriss had left her, if she had dared--

There was a low rumble, and Ahsoka pulled her head around as Ventress did the same, the clone pausing on his walk over to them. Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief as she saw the Eta-shuttle, their grey Eta-shuttle, ramp down, flying towards them.

“What the--” Ventress muttered, before the cannons on the front of the shuttle fired.

Ventress dove out of the way as explosions ripped up the street and Ahsoka, left hand released, reached out and summoned her main lightsabre to her hand, feeling the reassuring slap of the metal. She clipped it to her belt and then leapt up onto the ramp. She crouched and leaned around the side of the ramp and stretched out her hand and summoned her shoto lightsaber to her, and then ran up the ramp.

“I’m on board!” she shouted, hitting the button the close the ramp, as the laser blasts from the clones flew in against the shuttle’s hull. “Get us out of here!”

Barriss must have heard her, as she felt the change in the shuttle’s movement as it angled up towards the sky. She ran and stumbled into the cockpit, slumping into the co-pilot’s seat.

“Sorry for the delay,” Barriss said, touching at the console. They could hear the tink of rifle fire slapping against the shields. Outside the canopy, the night sky filled the view as they streaked up towards it. “I had some trouble finding you.”

“My fault,” Ahsoka groaned, clutching her arm. “Was running around in circles.”

“I see whatever grace period we had appears to have--Ahsoka, your arm!” Barriss had looked over and her eyes widened in shock.

“Ventress dislocated it, but don’t worry about it,” Ahsoka replied. “Just get us out of here and we can deal with it later.”

“I’m...I’m sorry I should have been, I should have--”

The shuttle juddered and they both sat up. It wasn’t moving forward smoothly anymore, struggling, as it caught in a tractor beam.

“What...what’s going...?” Barriss flipped at the controls, pushed on the accelerator. Had she done something wrong? Hit an incorrect switch. “Did...did I do something...?”

“No...” Ahsoka moaned, getting to her feet, and stumbling out of the cockpit. “It’s Ventress. I’ll take care of it.”

Ventress had both hands flung out, curling her fingers, gripping the shuttle. Sweat beaded her brow as she used the Force to fight against the acceleration of the shuttle. It was a battle, but it was one she was winning.

She quickly grabbed one of her lightsabers and slashed gouges into the stone and then planted her heels in them, using it as an anchoring point to give her more leverage. She concentrated, piling all of her rage and frustration at how this whole stupid mission kept getting away from her, at the stupid restrictions Kenobi and Skywalker and Unduli had imposed on her that stopped her from fighting at her best. Channelling all of that into holding the shuttle and reeling it back, thinking about the pleasure she’d take from having both Offee and Tano in her hold, listening to the delightful music of them begging, for all the trouble they’d given her.

Or maybe she’d gag them both, just to make them extra helpless, savour that extra pleasure.

She grunted, poured more power in, the shuttle shuddering as it inched back--

Then she saw the ramp descend. Saw Tano’s head and upper body poke out over the ramp, right arm dangling, and she could feel the anger rippling off of her.

No! No kark it all, she was so close!

“No...don’t you--!” she shouted, voice straining.

Tano flung out her good hand and Ventress felt the pushing wave of the Force smash her off her feet and she skidded across the stone on her back, breaking her connection with the shuttle.

Ahsoka saw Ventress skid backwards, felt her connection with shuttle break and a grin started to form--

When the sudden acceleration of the shuttle, free from Ventress’ grip, slammed the ramp into her stomach and made her slip, jerking over the lip of the shuttle ramp. She desperately spread her feet out wide and caught the ramp poles on her ankles, pain shooting through them as they held her body weight dangling above a receding Iziz. She could feel her feet slipping, could feel her losing her grip.

“Barriss!” she screamed. “Help!”

Barriss yanked back on the shuttle controls, pulling the angle higher until she could see the open sky clearly.

Ahsoka’s foot slipped slightly and she let out a yell as she jerked towards the receding ground, lekku dangling in front of her eyes. The cold wind battered her, her right arm being shoved about because of it sending more pain searing through her, the wind pushing her body against the ramp and down.

“Barriss!”

It was no use, her words were being caught by the wind and the shuttle engines.

She swallowed. Grimaced as she angled her feet, tightening her hold on the poles as much as she could. She shut her eyes, trying to bring calm to herself, and reached out--

Barriss! Help me!

Barriss! Help me!

The plea seared through her mind like a lightning bolt.

Barriss snatched her hands back from the control yoke and leapt out of her seat, running out of the cockpit. She sprinted across the hold and then down the ramp, seeing Ahsoka hanging off the edge by her feet.

Feet that were slipping.

She dove forward and grabbed her ankles and hauled her back, pouring the Force into her arms, willing herself to lift Ahsoka up, but it was a strain. Slowly, scrunching her eyes shut with the effort, she began to drag Ahsoka’s body over the edge of the ramp--

“You need to work on your conventional strength,” Ahsoka shouted.

“I know!” Barriss replied, voice strained, heaving back, as Ahsoka’s body crossed halfway.

Then, all of a sudden, Ahsoka’s body started to slip further, becoming more difficult.

“Uh...Barriss? Why is Iziz getting closer to my face?” Ahsoka called.

Barriss opened her eyes and they bugged. The landscape was tilting downwards. Which meant the shuttle was heading into a nosedive.

“Oh. Oh, dear...”

Barriss planted her feet and sunk herself in the Force, channelling everything she could into her arms, willing herself, willing it to give her strength, her desperation and fear summoning more power and she leaned back and pulled--

Ahsoka flailed with her good arm and gripped the ramp and pushed back--

Ahsoka jerked up and slid over the ramp, clanging her chin off the lip and nearly biting her tongue. Barriss fell over and smacked the back of her head off the ground. Barriss groaned and rubbed the back of her head and was briefly confused as to why her body seemed to be slipping, squinting out--

At Iziz. Coming closer.

Barriss sprang to her feet and sprinted for the cockpit--

Ahsoka dived and grabbed onto one of the poles, wrapping her good arm and legs around it, as the shuttle tipped further the angle fully downward and she felt the weight of her lekku pulling her head back, clenching her teeth and staring at the city getting closer and closer--

--Barriss dived for the control yoke, Iziz filling the view out of the canopy and heaved back on it. The shuttle turned, angling back upwards, but Iziz was still coming closer and closer. Barriss let out a yell of panic and pulled harder--

The shuttle’s right wing clipped the edge of a building, causing it to shake a moment, but then it righted itself and angled upwards, shooting towards the sky.

Ahsoka lost her grip on the pole with the sudden change in direction and crashed to the ramp and tumbled back into the shuttle and smacked the back of her head against a passenger seat. “Ow!” she let out a cry, rubbing the back of her head and wincing before scrambling to her feet.

Heart pounding, Barriss settled into the chair and kept the shuttle heading upwards. Ahsoka slumped into the co-pilot's seat, clutching her arm and groaning, the swelling around the shoulder increasing, giving it an almost square look.

“I’ll relocate your arm when we’re out of here,” Barriss said, keeping a firm grip on the control yoke and the acceleration going. They were being buffeted by the upper atmosphere now, but it wouldn’t be long until they cleared it. “I’ve got the hyperspace calculations made, so as soon as we’re out of the gravity well we can--”

“Yeah, we’re going to need to get around the Star Destroyers first.”

“The Star--oh...” Barriss face fell as she suddenly remembered the fleet, just as the two large serrated wedges came into view.

And she could see V-19 Torrent starfighters being deployed.

Ventress picked herself off the ground, dusted down her tunic and glared at the receding contrails of the shuttle. There went her money. Unless she could perhaps get back to her own ship and get after them, but the clones would have likely taken them by then. Still, she could ooze her way into her money. Without her, they would never have found them after all.

She turned around and paused. Onderonian security was walking towards her, accompanied by the clone captain she’d spoken to on the rooftop. Ventress growled. “What is it?” she demanded. “Didn’t you explain to them that I’m here on your business, not some kidnapper or whatever story Tano sold them?”

“Yes I did,” the clone captain said, sounding embarrassed. “But they want you for property damage.”

Ventress’ right eye twitched and the venom in her eyes could have slain a rancor at fifty paces. But the leader of the Onderonian security was unfazed and held out his hand for her lightsabres.

Ventress unclipped them from her belt and slapped them into the man’s hand with such force his knees buckled. She jabbed a finger into the clone captain’s chest plate, the man leaning back. “You had better post my bail!” Ventress growled, before storming off, the Onderonian security hurrying to keep pace and keep the pretence that they were shepherding her to the jail.

The clone captain breathed a sigh of relief. At least that wasn’t his problem.

Barriss stared at the wave of starfighters, five that she could count, hurtling towards them. At the two Star Destroyers, keeping a close formation, blocking off their path out. Her lips pressed into a line and her fingers tightened on the control yoke, her eyes flicking about the scene, calculating, planning--

“Uh Barriss, they’re getting closer!” Ahsoka called, pressing herself back into her chair. “Anytime you feel like doing evasive manoeuvres would be good, but nowish would be better!”

In response, Barriss pushed the control yoke forward and took them into a dive back towards Onderon, the planet’s green and brown colouring filling the screen.

“What are you doing?” Ahsoka demanded. “We just left!”

“Space is big, Ahsoka. I intend to take advantage of it.” Barriss levelled out the shuttle, skimming it along the top of the gravity well, and glanced up through the top of the canopy. Come on, come on, move!

The first starfighters came in range and started to fire, aiming at the engines.

“Divert the shields to the back, cover the engines, reroute power from the canons,” Barriss ordered, and Ahsoka leaned forward to make the adjustments on the console. They were looking to capture them so they didn’t need to worry about protecting the body of the shuttle so much, and she had no intention of firing on and killing the clones.

She glanced back up at the Star Destroyers.

Come on!

Captain Palor observed from the bridge, watching the shuttle streaking along the edge of the planet's exosphere pursued by the fighters. It seemed like they were attempting a breakout, hoping to sling out around the gravity well. But they wouldn’t be able to make it before the fighters took out their engines, and the fighter’s superior speed meant they could easily cut them off…

Ah, of course. No, they were looking to get enough distance to head up and out.

“Contact the Apex,” he ordered, looking down at the comm tech in the sunken bay. “Tell Captain Rain to track them, cut off any escape.”

“Right away, sir,” the comm tech replied, tapping at his console.

Captain Palor turned back to the viewing port. He stood straighter and a small smile touched his lips. They’d had a communication that the Resolute was in-bound, would be here within the hour. If he could keep them in place, or better yet capture the two traitors…

He might find himself on a fast track to another promotion.

“Contact the Resolute,” he said to the comm tech, feeling the surge of confidence. “Tell them, we have them.”

Captain Rain’s eyes narrowed in irritation. She and Palor were the same rank and yet here he was ordering her about as if he was the superior. Typical man!

Frustratingly, though, he was right. Shadowing the shuttle would cut them off and allow the fighters to take care of the engines. And her Star Destroyer was the easier to manoeuvre into position.

“Track them,” she ordered. “Keep pace overhead and prime the tractor beam in case they try something.”

“At once, Captain!” her ensign said, saluting and then hurrying off to relay her orders.

There was no way Captain Rain was going to get caught out, not with such a prize in grasp. 

“Finally!” Barriss said in exasperation, clocking that one of the Star Destroyers was peeling off in pursuit, shadowing them.

“What is it you’re doing?” Ahsoka asked, glancing up and wincing as blue laser fire streaked over the canopy.

“I’m pulling the Star Destroyers out of position, so we can slip through the gap.” Barriss glanced up, keeping an eye on the relative positions. Just a bit more… a bit more…

Two T-shaped starfighters shot past them and started to bank around.

“Kriff!” Barriss swore. She’d need to turn back before she was at the optimal distance.

“Did you just swear?” Ahsoka asked a tone of amusement in her voice despite the situation.

Barriss ignored her, focusing on the instruments. “Are you strapped in?” she asked.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mom.”

“I do not sound like a fussing--”

“Yes you do--with the clipped tones and the formal--”

“I am turning the shuttle around and if you get hurt it will be your own fault!”

Barriss killed the shuttle engines at the same time as she slammed the control yoke to the side. The sudden G-force pressed them into their seats as the shuttle turned one-hundred and eighty degrees on the spot. Facing the oncoming fighters, Barriss gunned the engines and the shuttle shot back the way it came, the three V-19 fighters scattering out of the way.

Captain Palor boggled as he saw the shuttle suddenly swoop back. How did…of course! Tano was General Skywalker’s protégé! He glanced up and saw the gap between the two Star Destroyers. She deliberately moved us out of position!

He snatched up his comm, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. “Captain Rain! Quickly they’re--”

He recoiled as Captain Rain shouted down the comm. “Yes! I have eyes! Thank you!”

Barriss glanced up and her lips pressed into a thin line. The Star Destroyer had begun to swing about. In an atmosphere, there was no way it would be able to turn and move fast enough to catch them, but in space with no drag and zero gravity and with its size…

The gap was closing. Too quickly.

“We’re not fast enough!” Barriss shouted, trying and failing to keep the rising panic out of her voice.

“Wait we need more speed?” Ahsoka snapped off her harness and leapt out of the seat. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“Where are you going?” Barriss called as Ahsoka ran out of the cockpit.

“Giving us a boost!”

Ahsoka ran out into the hold, slapped a button on the sidewall and snatched out a power wrench from the drawer that opened. She held it in her teeth, and wrenched open the grating on the floor and dropped down. She scanned the space, hunting for what she was looking for--

Yes! There!

She spotted the power limiter and shuffled her way over to it. She planted the power wrench on it, took a deep breath…

This could just completely kill the engine or blow the shuttle up…but we don’t really have any better options…

“Here goes nothing…” She heaved back on the limiter and tore it off--

The engines of the shuttle intensified and Barriss was slammed back in her seat as the shuttle shot forward, the speed suddenly increasing.

She heard a loud crashing sound from the hold followed by an ‘ow!’

Barriss pulled back on the control yoke and the shuttle angled up, shooting towards the Star Destroyers, desperately trying to manoeuvre back into position to cut them off--

Too late. The gap Barriss needed was there.

She slammed the hyperdrive lever forward and the stars stretched--

The shuttle turned into a blue streak that shot between the Star Destroyers and vanished, the Star Destroyers rolling in the waft of the shuttle’s wake.

Captain Palor stared stupefied out of the viewport where the shuttle had been, as both the Apex and the Defiance engaged in evasive manoeuvres to avoid crashing.

He’d had them. He’d had them. They were in his tightening grasp and somehow they’d slipped through.

“Uh, sir?” the comm tech called from the bay. “It’s the Resolute sir. General Skywalker is requesting an update.”

Somehow Palor managed to swallow past the tightness of his throat.

Captain Rex sat on the edge of his bunk in his cabin on the Resolute. His helmet was off and he held it limply in his fingers, staring at his dim reflection on the visor.

“Who’s the youngling?” Rex asks, looking down at the pint-sized, and very inappropriately dressed, Togruta who accompanies Anakin.

The Togruta spins towards him and pouts. “I’m Master Skywalker’s Padawan,” she says. “The name’s Ahsoka Tano.”

Rex blinks and glances at Anakin. “Sir, I thought you said you’d never have a Padawan?”

“There’s been a mix-up,” Anakin explains, in a bored tone. “The youngling isn’t with me.”

“Stop calling me that!” Ahsoka says with indignation. She smiles and points at Anakin. “You’re stuck with me Skyguy.”

Rex can’t stop the chuckle that escapes his lips and is reduced to slapping a hand over his mouth as Anakin whirls back to retort at his new Padawan.

“Captain Rex will show you how a little respect can go a long way.” Anakin gestures to Rex, who is instantly perturbed at being assigned babysitting duties.

“Uh...right...” he says, caught off guard. “Come on youngling.”

Ahsoka bad temperedly slips by Anakin towards Rex. “Padawan,” she mutters out of the corner of her mouth.

Ahsoka kneels in front of Anakin, who is wounded and groaning, lying on the floor of the tent on Maridun. “Be strong Master,” she says, putting confidence into her voice. “Just a little bit longer. Rex will watch over you.”

“It is time to go,” Aayla Secura says.

“Don’t worry kid,” Rex says, saying it for her, wanting her to know. She looks over her shoulder. “I’ll take good care of him.”

Ahsoka nods, sad but grateful.

Rex coughs as the Blue Shadow virus continues to work through his system. “With all due respect Senator,” he says to Padmé. “It’s what these men were born to do.”

“I hope that their sacrifice brings us closer to peace,” Padmé says, standing, solemn.

Ahsoka coughs violently, struggling to pull herself up. “It will... Padmé...” she wheezes, fighting to get the words out. “You must...believe...” She topples fainting and Rex leaps to her, grabbing her, holding her tight wishing there was something he could do.

“I am concerned that the Jedi have elected this...child to lead the group,” Captain Tarkin sneers.

Under the armour, Rex bristles. “I’ve served with her many times,” he says, looking to Ahsoka, leading them across the canyon wall on Lola Sayu. “And I trust her, Captain.”

Rex looks down at the bodies of his brothers, lightsabre gashes still flaring hot and white across their armour, through their bodies. “I know Commander Tano,” he says. “She would never do something like this.”

“Then who did?” Commander Fox growls.

Had it all been a lie?

The helmet clattered to the ground and rolled to a stop at the wall. Rex pressed his thumb and index finger into the corners of his eyes as the tears flowed.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka lay on the lower bunk, her limp right arm dangling over the side, her knuckles grazing the floor. She’d unbuttoned her shirt and pulled it off slightly so that her upper right side was visible. It wasn’t pleasant to look at, the normally rounded shoulder looked square and the orange skin was darkening alarmingly, almost becoming purple. Barriss knelt beside her and was feeling her way along the arm. She touched at the shoulder and Ahsoka winced.

“It doesn’t seem like any nerves or tendons have got damaged, or trapped,” Barriss gave her diagnosis. “Which is a miracle given the way you were tumbling about with it.”

“I didn’t have much choice,” Ahsoka grunted.

“Okay, I’m going to relocate it,” Barriss said, taking a firm grip around Ahsoka’s wrist with her right hand and supporting the upper arm with her left.

Ahsoka tensed and Barriss noticed. A slight smile quirked on her lips. “What’s this? Is the legendary Ahsoka Tano scared of pain?”

“Scared of pain? No!” Ahsoka protested. “Scared of excessive pain? Maybe a little…”

“Don’t worry. Remember, there is no pain, there is the Force.”

“There is no pain, there is the Force. Right. Got it.” Ahsoka nodded and readied herself.

“Oh, you might want this.” Barriss held up the power wrench to her.

Ahsoka took it gingerly and slotted it between her teeth, biting down on it. This was not making her feel better about what was to come...

“Now just remember to breathe,” Barriss said, resetting her grip on the arm. “And this will be over soon.”

Ahsoka nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.

Barriss slowly moved Ahsoka’s arm up in a circle, until it was level with her head and then gently pushed it past, and rotated it slightly and pushed inwards.

There was a slight clicking noise and a brief and dull spurt of pain. And then just dull throbbing pain.

“There, all done.”

“Whhpp?” Ahsoka spat out the power wrench and looked at her. “Really?” That had been nothing. She flexed the fingers of her right hand to be sure and…yes she could feel them moving fine. Still a bit of tingling, still a bit of sluggishness. But they were responding to commands.

“Now sit up,” Barriss said, getting to her feet and gesturing for Ahsoka to sit. She did so, swinging her legs out and moving to the edge of the bunk to avoid catching her montrals on the bunk above. “Hold your arm out flat.” Ahsoka did so. “Turn it over.” She did so with relative ease. “Clench your fist.” Ahsoka did. There was a little bit of a struggle, a little bit of trouble like she’d just had a massive case of pins and needles, but she managed to do it. She couldn’t clench with much force, but she could feel it coming back.

“Any pain or difficulty?” Barriss asked.

“A little, but nothing major.”

Barriss nodded. “Good. Now I’m going to secure it.” She gently took Ahsoka’s arm and placed it so the arm rested across her stomach. Barriss then took off her sash and started to tie it around her arm and body.

“How did you do that?” Ahsoka asked. “There was almost no pain at all! The last time I had my arm relocated it stung like a mynock!”

“And who relocated the arm?” Barriss asked with a quizzical eyebrow raise.

The blue of Ahsoka’s lekku darkened. “Uh…I did…”

“Yes. I too am surprised that a trained healer can do something properly.”

Ahsoka gave her a guilty grin. “Fair point. So what was with all the ‘no pain, only the Force’ and power wrench stuff?”

Barriss blushed ever so slightly and gave her own small, guilty, smile, as she secured the knot. “Believe it or not I am familiar with the concept of ‘pranking’.”

Ahsoka raised a brow, her white marking arching. “Wow, when you said you were doing naughty things you weren’t kidding.”

Barriss’ blush deepened and she tightened the knot so Ahsoka’s arm was pulled securely to the side, but in a comfortable position. “There that should keep it steady.” Barriss nodded at her work. “Just a day or so and it should be fine. How does it feel?”

“A bit sore around the shoulder, there’s this throbbing pain, but it’s basically fine.”

“Good. Now rest.”

Barriss turned and walked towards the door.

“Barriss!” Ahsoka called. Barriss stopped and looked back. Ahsoka turned her gaze down and picked at the sash. “I…I’m sorry for…”

“It’s okay,” Barriss cut in. “I understand.”

Ahsoka looked up. “You do?” Barriss nodded. Ahsoka smiled. “Thanks. And thanks for coming to rescue me.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you for not abandoning me.”

“Hey, we’re in this together, right?” She smiled.

Barriss returned it with a small smile of her own. “Of course. Now rest. And don’t remove the sash.” She stepped back and left the room, the door shutting behind her.

Ahsoka rubbed at her shoulder and then swung her legs up onto the bunk and rested her head back against the wall. She would have liked it if Barriss had used her healing power to numb the pain in the shoulder, or at least offered to do so.

But...I guess I deserve it...

The door shut behind Barriss and the facade collapsed. She slapped her hands tightly over her mouth to keep from screaming and her legs buckled and she stumbled back against the wall, as all the tension and adrenaline that had accumulated from when Ventress caught her onward flooded out of her system and was replaced with sheer, blind, panic. She’d just managed to keep it together whilst attending to Ahsoka but it had required the very last fumes of her energy.

That had been too close. Far, far too close.

She drew in deep, rasping breaths and tried to get her hammering heart under control. Cold sweat was heading along her body and she felt like she was going to faint.

She couldn’t afford to pass out and smash onto the floor. That would worry Ahsoka and she couldn’t do that. She staggered over to one of the passenger seats and flopped into it. She rested her head back against the backrest, panting, gripping the armrests tight, trying to exert control over her body.

She’d just rest for a bit. Just a little bit. That was all she needed.

She allowed her eyes to close.

“I am shocked, shocked, to learn that Ahsoka Tano was involved in the bombing of the Jedi Temple!” Lux Bonteri declared, doing a terrible impression of a man who was shocked.

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to slap his hand over his face. They were in the large throne room of the Unifar Temple. Large open gaps ran around the throne room allowing in the cool air, with lights feeding down from the ceiling. On the wood, black marble and gold throne raised on a dais in the centre of the room, King Ramsis Dendup looked solemn, the golden laurels around his head seeming like a great weight. Lux stood in front of the dais, slightly to the King’s right, hands clasped behind him, and Luminara stood a few paces behind Obi-Wan.

“This is deeply distressing news,” King Ramsis said, shaking his head, long white beard swaying softly. “Ahsoka was a great friend of Onderon. She went above and beyond the call of duty to help liberate us from Separatist oppression.”

“I understand,” Obi-Wan replied. “Is Saw Gerrera here?”

King Ramsis shook his head. “No, he’s away leading a hunt for a Separatist insurgent group.”

So unlikely to be involved. Obi-Wan nodded. “King Dendup, I wonder if we might impose on your hospitality, and allow us to speak to Senator Bonteri alone?”

King Ramsis waved away the notion of imposition and rose from the throne. “Of course, it is no trouble at all. I know he and Ahsoka were close. Thank you, Master Kenobi, Master Unduli.”

Obi-Wan bowed and Luminara dropped into a low curtsy as King Ramsis squeezed Lux’s shoulder in support and then left the room, the doors to the throne closing behind him.

Obi-Wan turned to Lux. “All right, Lux where are they going?” he asked.

“I have absolutely no idea,” Lux replied, not bothering to keep up the pretence. 

“So you did know,” Luminara said. “And yet you offered them sanctuary? Why?”

Lux shrugged. “I owed Ahsoka a number of favours. Besides my own past of being involved in, from a certain point of view, terrorist activities mean I was not in a position to cast moral judgments.”

“A point she no doubt made to you.”

Lux smiled. “She can be eloquent and persuasive when she wants to be.”

Obi-Wan sighed and crossed his arms. “If you had contacted us when they arrived, we could have taken care of this matter gently and quietly and brought them back to the Temple.”

“I wouldn’t have thought hiring Asajj Ventress, noted Sith assassin, was the best way of giving someone the impression that matters would be handled ‘gently and quietly’.”

Obi-Wan winced. “In hindsight, it wasn’t one of my smarter ideas, but we wanted them tracked quickly. She was a logical choice.”

“From what I understand, making logical and pragmatic choices without consideration of morals is one of the things that has upset them,” Lux said mildly.

“Senator Bonteri,” Luminara said, stepping forward. “We understand of course that you wished to help your friend. And that it must have, initially, been a great shock to learn Ahsoka had fallen. But—”

“A shock?” Lux said, cutting her off. “No, no, no, Master Unduli. With respect, the shock is not that Ahsoka and Barriss have 'fallen', as you put it. It’s that more Padawans haven’t.” He looked them over with a critical eye. “But believe me when I say, many more of them are closer to the line than you’ve deigned to notice.”

His words drifted in uncomfortable silence.

“Thank you for your time, Senator Bonteri,” Obi-Wan said, at last, seeing that this was going nowhere. “Should Ahsoka get back in touch--?”

“I will be sure to let you know. But I dare say I won’t be seeing or hearing from her again.” He bowed to them. “Good day to you, Masters.”

Obi-Wan and Luminara bowed in return and left the throne room.

“What should we do now?” Luminara asked as they emerged from the grand doors leading into the Temple. The large temple, with the two frustums at the top, loomed over the surrounding houses. Lanterns and light poles were light, fires crackling here and there, along the long path leading down from the palace to Yolahn Square. In the sky, the shapes of the three Star Destroyers could be seen where they blacked out the stars, and there were increased patrols on the streets.

Not that it matters now… Obi-Wan thought, pulling at the tip of his beard. He sighed. “I suppose there’s nothing to do really,” he said. “We’ll just need to keep an eye out for any comm signals or information that might lead us to them. More than likely they’ll go to ground now, somewhere more isolated.”

“And Bonteri?”

“Nothing to be done. I don’t want to bring more trouble to him, or Onderon.”

Luminara inclined her head. “I shall go to their apartment then and see if there are any clues that can be found as to where they might go next.”

“Thank you, Master Unduli.” Obi-Wan bowed his head at her and she walked down the steps and away across the path.

Obi-Wan looked back up at the stars.

“He’s right you know.”

Obi-Wan spun and saw Ventress lounging cross-armed against the sidewall of the temple entrance.

“You were listening in?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Of course!” Ventress flipped a hand. “I once snuck into Count Dooku’s palace on Serenno, you think a ramshackle operation like this could keep me out?”

Obi-Wan frowned at her.

Ventress rolled her eyes. “Please, Kenobi. I’m not interested in doing anything as declasse as blackmail.” She pushed off the wall and walked towards him. “I merely wanted to hear what you were talking about.”

“And you think Lux has a point?”

“Wouldn’t you? I know what trauma can do to even the best. Surprisingly, I wasn’t born this rage-induced monster you love so much.” She smiled and patted a hand on Obi-Wan’s cheek. Obi-Wan didn’t respond, not at all in the mood.

Ventress sighed. “This has really hurt you a lot more than you let on.”

Obi-Wan rubbed at his face. “Of course it has. Ahsoka was...like another Padawan to me. I spoke against her being expelled from the Order, only privately to my regret. Then this happened and...I start to wonder whether I knew her at all. And I know how much Master Unduli cares for Barriss.”

Ventress was silent a moment. “People are complicated,” she said, quietly. “It’s not that they changed or fell, or however you want to call it. The very qualities you admire in Ahsoka and Barriss are the same qualities that led them to do what they did.”

“We do understand people are complicated, Ventress. We know Jedi have struggles.”

“Maybe. You do a poor job of showing it.”

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going in. “What are your intentions now?” he asked.

Ventress chuckled. “Why, Obi-Wan, the same as every other bounty hunter in the galaxy. Catching your charges. And this time, without your silly restrictions.” She turned and headed towards the steps.

“Ventress...” Obi-Wan’s voice carried the warning, one hand dropping towards his lightsabre.

Ventress paused. “Don’t worry Kenobi, I intend to bring them in alive,” she said. “Believe it or not I’m quite fond of Tano.”

“And Barriss?”

Ventress shrugged. “I recognize a lot of myself in the girl.” She was quiet a moment and then turned her head, grinning. “By the way, do pass on my congratulations to the Council when you return.”

“Your...congratulations?” Obi-Wan raised a brow, confused.

“Of course!” Ventress gestured with a hand. “To hear Skywalker and Unduli talk, Ahsoka and Barriss were two of the best, brightest, kindest and admirable Jedi in your Order. And your Council has managed to shove them to the ‘darker’ end of the spectrum and all without any explicit torture or coercion.” Her smile turned nasty, a knife-glint in her eye. “There’s not a Sith Lord in history that wouldn’t have killed to have that skill.”

Obi-Wan could only stare at her.

Ventress waved and then descended the steps, and across the temple path, soon disappearing into the darkness.

Obi-Wan looked out to the dark of the city, rubbing at his beard. Not for the first time he dearly, dearly, wished Qui-Gon was here.

Anakin sighed as Captain Palor nervously tried to hide his nerves. “Thank you for the report Captain,” Anakin said. He hit him with a glare. “But next time, maybe wait until you do have the people you’re chasing before giving positive news.”

“Y-yes sir,” Captain Palor said, voice almost a squeak. “Lesson learned.”

Anakin waved a hand, dismissing him, and Captain Palor left the room in a hurry, whilst trying and failing to make it look like he wasn’t hurrying.

Anakin put his head in his hands. It was his own fault really. He’d allowed himself to get his hopes up. But he couldn’t help it. And now...now there was no way of solving this gently, the news was going to be everywhere.

If he could have just caught her, just talked to her...

The door opened and he pulled out of his thoughts. Rex entered the room, eyes bloodshot, looking like his accelerated ageing had kicked in another few years in the last hours. He slumped into a chair across from Anakin and they sat in silence.

“I’ve told the others,” Rex said after a while.

“How did they take it?” Anakin inquired.

“To tell the truth, sir, they’re devastated.” Rex shook his head slowly. “Some of them refused to believe it. I’m not sure I believe it sometimes. I keep thinking it must be some kind of trick, that maybe there’s something we’re missing, that maybe...” He put his hand to his head. “I just don’t understand. How could she? The Commander--the Ahso--she would never...”

“I know Rex, I know.” Anakin’s voice was soft. He didn’t want to believe it either, and there was an insistent part of him that refused to. The same part of him that had refused to let go of the idea of loving Padmé, of being with her, despite what the code said. That part kept insisting that, all right, Ahsoka was on the run but she hadn’t been involved in the bomb. Loyalty to Barriss had led her into it, or maybe her own shoddy treatment by the Council had convinced her of Barriss’ arguments about the corruption and she’d rescued her on a mad impulse.

Wishful thinking? Sure. But he knew wishful thinking could come true.

Be mindful of your feelings Anakin, the Obi-Wan part of his brain interceded, and he rubbed at his head. He knew that. He knew he needed to be. But it was hard. Try as he might he just couldn’t figure her as a bomber. Not the Ahsoka he knew, not the Jedi he knew.

What happened Snips? What went wrong? How did it happen?

And why didn’t I notice...?

“I just wish we could have a chance to speak with her,” Rex said, voicing Anakin’s sentiments. “I just wish she...could have said something...”

“I know Rex... I do too.”

Of all the many failures in his life, and there were many, making Ahsoka believe that he was someone she couldn’t trust to speak with about this wasn’t at the top of the list. That spot would always be occupied by the promise he broke to his mother.

But it was fairly close.

Barriss stands between the two clone troopers, in their red and white armour plate and narrow rectangular visors, and glares at her shoulder. When she was handed off by the Temple security to the Republic Military security one of the Sentinels had put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. She assumes it was meant to be a gesture of sympathy, but the phantom touch is bothering her. And with her hands bound behind her, she can’t rub it off. She could hunch her shoulder and rub it with her cheek, but that would look stupid.

So she fidgets, uncomfortable. It’s an intensely silly thing to be irritated about, irrational really, given everything that she’s done in the last few days.

But it bothers her.

The turbolift judders to a halt. She looks up, focusing on the door. She’s confused--the door isn’t opening, taking far longer than it should. She glances up at the left corner of the turbolift where the security camera is. The red light of the camera isn’t on.

She realizes what’s happening a second before the fist slams into her stomach.

She keels over onto her knees, coughing, stomach acid dribbling off her lip.

“How many of our brothers did she kill?” one of the clones asks.

“She lightsabred three of them,” the other replies. “Then there were the eight in the bombing.”

“So ten more to go then.”

Barriss cranes her head to the left just in time to see the boot that cracks into her jaw.

They fling her into the cell and she stumbles and crashes to the ground, sliding into the wall. The forcefield ignites, casting a dull red into the cell. She sits up, wincing, bruises all over her body. One of her ribs is either bruised or broken, she isn’t sure. At least her hands aren’t bound anymore.

She lets out a shuddering breath as she rubs at her shoulder, clearing the touch. Then sits miserably in the corner, legs stretched out in front of her. She refuses to cry. She refuses to give them that satisfaction.

She groans as she pulls herself onto her knees, curling one hand across her stomach. She reaches for her side, intending to use the Force to heal her ribs and then heal the rest of her. Then stops. There’s no point. It won’t make a difference.

Barriss slumps into a pale imitation of a meditation pose. Shoulders curled, back hunched. Master Unduli would reprimand her for this pitiful display, but she doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter anymore.

She takes a deep breath, preparing herself. Then reaches out with the Force, reaches out within her, feels her way along and through her own body, and then finds what she is looking for and activates.

It starts with an itching sensation on the underside of her skin. Somewhere she can’t scratch it, she can’t clear it away. As the itching sensation grows her head clears and she realises what she’s done. She starts to lose her composure, rubbing and slapping at herself, eyes wide. She’s made a mistake, she doesn’t want this. She reaches out, tries to stop it, but it’s too late, or she’s panicking so much she can’t focus, the itching is expanding everywhere, encompassing her whole body--

And now it burns. Burns like a sabre cut forcing its way through her and out of her, across her whole body as if she’s been turned into an emitter that’s now igniting--

She has time to begin a scream of terror--

Then everything flashes to white and Barriss screamed and slapped at herself, thrashing in the seat as she felt them, felt the nanodroids crawling through her skin along her arm and she slapped at them, shrieking--

“Barriss! Barriss! It’s me! Calm down!”

That voice. She recognised that voice. And she now realized that those were fingers gripping her arm, not nanodroids. She let out a gasp and leant back in the chair, body trembling as Ahsoka looked at her with concern.

“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine.” She palmed at her left eye.

“Barriss, people who are fine don’t repetitively say ‘I’m fine’.”

Barriss swallowed and brought herself under control. “It was just a bad dream,” she said, though in truth it had felt like something more. “The anxiety of the day caught up with me, that’s all.” She wiped her face, pushed the feeling away--

And she was back to normal. No longer trembling, no longer sweating. Neutral. “I’m fine,” she said, in a stronger voice.

Ahsoka studied her, then nodded and took her hand back. “Okay, bad dream. Guess I can understand that.”

A bleeping noise issued from the cockpit and Ahsoka looked up. “Looks like we’re about to hit our destination,” she said, standing up and heading for the cockpit. “Where did you set our course for?”

“Um...” Barriss grimaced, remembering.

Ahsoka made it into the cockpit and pulled back on the hyperspace lever. The blue whirl became blue streaks that shot back into being stars. Ahsoka’s eyes widened and her heart hammered as she remembered falling out of the sky, of crashing, of a desperate fight, of the blood splattering on her--

“I’m sorry,” Barriss said quietly, from the entrance, her hood up. “It was the first place that came to mind.”

Outside the canopy, the dark sphere of Umbara hung like a black hole.

Chapter Text

Umbara sat in the darkness, contours visible only by the way it blocked the stars.

--green light flashed out and a head severed--

Ahsoka let out a slow shuddering breath.

--detonations and mushroom clouds, illuminated from underneath, rippled across the surface--

She picked at the sash tying her arm.

--the sensation of warmth and hot red liquid splattered onto her--

She stared out at the planet as it hung calmly, dark, like a spider waiting at the centre of a web.

“Odd to think how peaceful it looks,” Barriss said, voice soft.

“...Yeah...” She didn’t like to think about why that was. The role they had played in ensuring that, after first disrupting it. Nor how many times that had played out on so many other worlds. And her part in that...

Didn’t like to be reminded of her own foolishness.

Didn’t like to be reminded of...how far she’d...

Ahsoka shook her head and slipped into the pilot seat. She grabbed the yoke, turning the ship away so the canopy stared out into the blank, star-filled expanse of space. “One thing is for sure, we’re not staying here,” she said, with finality.

“No, of course not,” Barriss said quietly, unmoved from the cockpit entrance. “The Republic presence here would be...significantly greater than on Onderon in any case.”

“We need to find somewhere to hide out...” Ahsoka muttered. “Somewhere small and out of the way...” She tapped at the console, intending to call up the star charts so that they could find somewhere. But instead what flashed up was the HoloNet. Ahsoka’s eyes widened at it and Barriss softly slumped into the co-pilot's seat, looking at the chatter of information.

Ahsoka swallowed. “Well, the news is definitely out...”

Riyo Chuchi, Senator of Pantora, barrelled down the corridor, her lavender hair flying behind her. She could hardly believe what she’d just read. She’d gone over the HoloNet as she always did, taking it with her tea and breakfast, keeping up on the latest developments ahead of her day in the Senatorial office.

But what she’d read...!

She turned into the reception room and the golden protocol droid rose from behind his desk. “Threepio!” Riyo said, pausing to heave in a breath. “Is Senator Amidala in?”

“Yes, Senator Chuchi, she is in her office with Senator Organa,” C3PO replied. “Should I let her know that--oh dear.”

Riyo had run past him before Threepio could finish, bursting through the doors. Padmé was sat behind her desk, whilst Bail Organa, dressed in his fine blue robes, rested on one of the sofas. Both of them looked up in surprise at Riyo’s appearance.

“Riyo?” Padmé asked, standing, as the Pantoran Senator bent double, breathing heavily. “What’s wrong?”

“Pad...mé...have you seen...HoloNet...” Riyo raised herself up, taking in a deep breath, calming herself. “Have you seen the HoloNet? It’s everywhere!”

“No, I...what is it?” Padmé was frowning slightly as if anticipating bad news, whilst Bail looked baffled.

Riyo waved a hand through the air as if that would somehow convey the information. “Ahsoka!” she cried. “She...she was involved in the bombing! With Barriss!”

Padmé grimaced and sat down, whilst Bail leapt to his feet, astonished. “No, that can’t be!” he declared. “This is surely just some gutter journalism reviving the old allegations?”

“I thought so, initially but it’s on the official channels and has a press release from Republic Military,” Riyo said, as Bail picked up his datapad and started feverishly scanning through it. “They’re saying she broke Barriss out of jail.” Bail’s brows widened and he picked at his goatee. Riyo turned to Padmé and frowned. “Padmé, you don’t seem surprised.”

Bail looked up from the datapad and studied her. “You already knew?” he asked.

Padmé nodded. “General Skywalker told me,” she said. “As I was Ahsoka’s defence lawyer at the trial he thought...I should know in advance, to prepare myself.” She tapped at her holoterminal, calling up her messages and let out a sardonic chuckle. “Sure enough, there’s the press requesting comment...”

Riyo slumped into one of the chairs, stunned. “It’s true then...” she whispered.

Padmé looked at her with sympathy. “Yes. Ahsoka confessed to it.”

Riyo put her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe it. Ahsoka was her friend, a good friend. She’d helped her grow as a senator and find her own confidence. She’d helped Riyo rescue Chi and Che from the Trade Federation, doing so on her own initiative without approval from the Council. When the first allegations came in, Riyo hadn’t believed them. The evidence was so comically circumstantial she’d dismissed it. She’d been shocked when Ahsoka had been expelled from the Order and even more shocked when, as a judge at the trial, her fellow judges had been so determined to sentence her. She’d argued desperately and vociferously for her, had been reduced to her knees, pleading and begging them to at least make it life imprisonment rather than execution. And now...now she learned...

How...how did this happen? How had she gotten to that point? Why had she never said anything?

“Do we know...why?” Bail asked.

“No...there hasn’t been any contact with her since we found out. We have to assume that Barriss spoke for both of them.”

Bail nodded. “So that’s why you were so keen to push that petition to the Jedi Temple.”

“Yes.” Padmé’s voice was firm. “And now that the news is out, we can put it together as a bill to bring to the Senate.”

Bail set the datapad down and started for the door. “I’ll go grab Mon, we can put it forward together. And see how many other co-signatories we can rally together.”

“Thank you, Bail.” He stepped out, the door shutting behind him, and Padmé stepped around her desk and crouched beside Riyo, taking and squeezing her hand. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Riyo looked up, tears falling. She shook her head. “No...” she whispered. “No, I’m not.”

Padmé smiled sympathetically and pulled her into a hug.

It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be!

Sniffling, tears falling, datapad clutched tightly to her chest, Katooni raced down the cavernous corridors of the Jedi Temple. She’d only been looking at in the archive to help search information for an assignment when she’s accidentally strayed onto the HoloNet.

It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be!

She was so distraught, so lost in her own world, that she didn’t realize there was someone in front of her until she clunked into them and sprawled heavily onto her backside.

“Youngling!” a harsh and exasperated voice said. “What are you doing running in the Temple?”

Katooni looked up, miserable, tears streaming down her eyes. The black woman’s gaze changed from harsh to puzzled and concerned as she saw her distress.

“Youngling, what happened?” she asked, tone soothing.

“Katooni?”

The voice was from the Master’s Padawan, a familiar one, and Katooni looked over, confirmed her hearing was correct and threw herself into the Padawan’s arms.

“Trilla!” she cried. “You have to help me!”

Trilla Suduri, dark hair slightly longer on her left side, crouched down and let her hazel eyes meet Katooni’s holding her arms to comfort her. “Of course,” she said, expression laced with concern and sympathy. “Tell me what’s wrong?”

“I…I accidentally looked at the HoloNet on the datapad and…and I saw…” She choked off.

Cere Junda, Trilla’s Master, reached down to the datapad and picked it up. She touched the screen and her eyes widened.

Trilla looked up. “What is it, Master?”

“Uh…well I don’t know what to…” Cere looked genuinely baffled.

“It’s not true is it?!” Katooni bawled. “It can’t be true?!”

“What can’t be true?” Trilla asked, turning her gaze back to Katooni.

“That…that Ahsoka was…that she was involved in the bombing of the Temple!”

Trilla’s eyes widened. Around them, Knights and Padawans who’d been passing by suddenly halted and stared at Katooni. A couple darted off to find datapads to confirm the news.

Trilla was shocked. “But...she was cleared of that...?” She glanced over at Master Junda who was scrolling through the pad. She winced and shook her head at Trilla.

“New information,” she mouthed.

Trilla frowned, turning back. She didn’t know Ahsoka, but she knew of her, everyone did. There wasn’t a Jedi Master or Knight in the Temple, including Trilla’s own Master, who hadn’t at some point raised her as a shining example of the Jedi for her efforts in the war. Trilla doubted that. She hated the war, wanted to stay as far away from it as possible, and had zero aptitude for it in any case, as had been pointed out by her Master on a couple of occasions, usually with the ‘Ahsoka example’ being pulled up. But she never had her down as anything other than someone who believed they were doing their duty as a Jedi, certainly not someone she ever believed would be part of a terrorist campaign against the Temple.

Barriss she hadn’t been surprised about. Where others saw a studious student, the ‘perfect’ Padawan, Trilla had seen a prim, brooding, know-it-all who thought she was better than everyone else. Exactly the sort of person who would think bombing the Temple to protest violence was a clever idea.

“It’s not true,” Katooni said with a determined sulkiness, fists balled. “It can’t be. Ahsoka wouldn’t do something like that.”

“I…” Trilla smiled gently. “I’m sure it isn’t. Probably some error or a cruel joke.” She rubbed Katooni’s arm. “Why don’t we go see Master Yoda? He’ll be able to clear this up.”

“Really? You’ll take me to see him?!”

“Uh…” Trilla suddenly realised she’d spoken without asking her Master, but Cere nodded at her and put her hand on her shoulder.

“Take her Trilla. She could use the company.” Then, more quietly, “prepare for the worst. And let me know what Master Yoda says.”

“Of course. Thank you, Master.”

Trilla smiled and took Katooni’s hand as they walked down the corridor.

“True, it is.”

The words, spoken gravely and with finality were met with stunned silence.

The silence was broken as Katooni’s hopeful face disintegrated into one of complete despair and she slumped to the ground and bawled.

Trilla was shocked, at a loss of what to do. This was a terrible idea… She crouched down and rubbed a hand on Katooni’s back, comforting her.

“Master Yoda,” Trilla said, determined to find out more. “How do we know? She was...” She cut off before she could say ‘wrongly accused by the Council before’.

“Confessed to the crime, she has,” Yoda said, with deep sadness. He shuffled on the meditation cushion in the small chamber. “Know more, we do not. Investigating, Masters Kenobi and Unduli, and Skywalker are.”

“Why wasn’t anyone told?” Trilla demanded, struggling to keep the accusing tone out of her voice.

“Wished to keep secret until we knew more we did. But wait too long it appears we have.” Yoda sighed. “An announcement we shall make.”

There’s no point, everyone will know by now.

“It’s our fault isn’t it?”

Trilla snapped her gaze to Katooni. The youngling was looking up, eyes already puffy. “Your fault?” Trilla said, clutching her tightly. “How could it be your fault?”

“We...we were having a class with her and...she seemed so upset when we talked about the war and wanting to take part in it. But we didn’t mean...I only meant that I wanted to be a good Jedi!” She started wailing again, another round of tears beginning.

“Oh no...” Trilla took her in her arms, holding her tight. “No it’s nothing like that, it’s nothing to do with you. Whatever it was, it was...it was formed out of something long before then...” Trilla wouldn’t deny that she understood why it might have happened, picking up on the clue given by Katooni. She wouldn’t ever consider it justifiable to do something as horrible as bombing the Temple, and killing civilians, in response but...

She could understand.

She reached around and picked Katooni up, holding her closer. “Come on, let me take you back to your room.” She turned around to acknowledge Master Yoda and she flinched slightly.

The Jedi Master suddenly looked all of his nine-hundred years. “Take her, you should,” he said. “Need rest, recuperation, after this shock she does. For your help, I thank you, Padawan Suduri.”

Trilla bowed her head, and then departed the room, rubbing Katooni’s back and whispering all the comforting words she could think of.

Mace Windu stood at the head of the Great Assembly Room, as those Jedi present at the Temple filed in. Located at the base of the Temple, the room was a cavernous space, a statue of the four Founding Masters stood in each corner. The space was designed to hold the thousands of Jedi that were in the Order. But as the last stragglers filed in, all Mace could think about was how...empty...the space looked.

It was hard not to think back to the times the space had been used before the war. When it had been full, not just with the people, but with spirit. There was a weariness that was carried into the chamber now, and not all of it could be explained by the fact that many likely already knew what the session was about. The weariness subsumed the whole Order now.

A hand touched his shoulder and squeezed and Mace glanced back to see Stass Alliee, newly appointed to the Council, looking at him with a sympathetic smile. Mace raised a slight brow at the lack of decorum, this sort of show wasn’t befitting Council members in public, but he appreciated the gesture nonetheless. He wasn’t quite made of the stone he projected.

Four other members of the Council, Eeth Koth, Kit Fisto, Depa Billaba and Saesee Tiin were also present. Of the remaining members present on Coruscant, Yoda had elected to continue his meditations and Plo Koon, for obvious reasons, had decided to sequester himself.

It had been hard on Plo...the first time he had very reluctantly gone with the Council’s decision, had been relieved and angry with himself when the ‘truth’ came out. And now...

Mace sighed and stepped forward. Better put everyone out of their misery. At the front of the raised podium on which he stood was a transmitter that would ensure his words went out to every Jedi in the galaxy. He cast his gaze around the room, seeing several nervous and anticipating faces, took a breath and began.

“I’m sure many of you will have already seen or heard about, what I will be telling you today. But the Council feels that the time has come for an official announcement so that you will know what is rumour, and what is fact.” He paused. “Just over a week ago former Padawan Barriss Offee was convicted of the crime of sedition and expelled from the Jedi Order for the crime of bombing the Jedi Temple.” Behind Mace, a holoscreen projected Barriss’ image. He glanced up at it, her face hidden behind her blue hood, eyes soulful.

Hard to believe...  

He turned back. “Before her conviction, many of you will be aware that the Council accused Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano of the crime.” Barriss image changed to Ahsoka, beaming out with a slightly silly and self-conscious smile. Mace suppressed a groan. The archivists could have at least picked pictures that didn’t make them look so innocent...

He looked out on the crowd. Several of the younglings were talking with one another; most of them hadn’t known about Ahsoka’s original conviction, the events had happened so fast and the Order doing a good job of internally keeping things quiet so as not to cause disruption. They knew how many of the younglings looked up to her.

There was no chance of avoiding that now.

The remaining Knights, Padawans and Masters were looking up and it was easy to tell which ones had already heard the news and which ones hadn’t from the expressions of anticipation or confusion; those who looked like they were awaiting the moment when their broken starfighter would complete its plunge into the ground and those who looked like they’d stumbled through a portal into a different world.

“We now know that...Knight Tano was also involved in the bombing.”

A whole series of reactions swept the chamber, from a grim acknowledgement that the news they’d heard was true, to stunned disbelief on those who hadn’t heard. The younglings, in particular, erupted into a chorus of stunned shouts of disbelief and had to be quelled by the accompanying teachers, who looked worse for wear themselves.

Jinx and O-Mer exchanged wide-eyed looks of horror. They remembered Ahsoka, how she’d saved them from the Trandoshans, encouraged them to keep going, re-instilled their belief that they could be, that they were Jedi. And now...now...

Petro, Ganodi, Byth, Gungi and Zatt staggered, unable to believe what they’d heard. Gungi let out a howl of disbelief as Ganodi put her hand to her head, a headache forming. Ahsoka Tano? Who’d saved them? Went to the gathering with them? Had been so encouraging of them?

“We do not know all the details, investigations in light of this new evidence are ongoing,” Mace continued. “But we know for certain her involvement: she has confessed to Knight Skywalker and Master Kenobi, and broke Barriss Offee out of her cell at the Republic Military Centre.” The murmurs of protest ceased. He took a deep breath before continuing. “As of now, Ahsoka Tano is to be stripped of her rank of Jedi Knight, and all the privileges that come with that role.”

In the situation room of the Resolute, Obi-Wan glanced over his shoulder as Anakin turned his head aside, pained.

“Her record,” the holoprojection of Mace Windu continued, “will be expunged from the public archive...”

In his private chambers, Master Plo Koon studied the small orb in his hand, turning it over, and remembering the small child who had moved it with the Force. Who had proudly told him that she’d know the slaver was a fake, had sensed his intentions, and kept quiet even as her tribe grew angry with her.

Remembered the woman who had been so desperate to help friends she’d frozen herself in carbonite to go on a mission when she was told to stay behind.

He returned to the same question he had before, the one he’d been so thankful he could dismiss, but had been unable to block out ever since the breakout at the Republic Military Centre. Ever since...

Little Soka...why?

“...and she is to be considered among the Fallen.”

Mace took a breath, reaching the end of the speech at last. “Henceforth, it is the duty of any Jedi Knight to capture Tano, and Offee, and return them both to the Temple to face justice. That will be all.” Mace stepped back and then turned and walked out of the back door of the Assembly Room, the other members of the Council waiting for him to pass before following him out.

The chamber exploded into a series of hushed whispers, mutters and murmurs, as the other Jedi left the room.

In the room she shared with her clan, Katooni, no tears left in her, turned the small wooden box over in her hands, staring blankly at it. The box held the present they’d got for her. Ganodi had spotted it whilst they were out in a market selling wares brought from all over the galaxy.

“She’ll love this!” Ganodi says.

“You’re sure?” Katooni asks, looking at the item, frowning.

“Of course! I hear that including this in the lightsabre hilt can enhance the power of the blade. It’ll be perfect!”

“All right! I wonder if we’ve got enough...”

With a yell of anger, Katooni pulled the box back and hurled it at the wall. The box cracked open and fell to the ground. The Krayt dragon scale dropped out of it and bounced along the floor, as Katooni put her hands over her face, the tears starting up again.

“...In a statement released by the Jedi Temple, they have confirmed that Ahsoka Tano’s status as a Jedi Knight has been removed. She and her accomplice, Barriss Offee, are to be considered extremely dangerous and citizens of the Republic are advised to report any information on their whereabouts to the Republic Military.”

Ahsoka turned off the HoloNet video and sat back in the chair, idly scanning through some more reports. “You’re my accomplice apparently,” she said.

“Yes...I heard...”

“Bounties have been posted as well,” Ahsoka said. “Looks like...200,000 credits dead, 250 alive. Each.” She frowned. “I wonder where that puts us on the league table?”

“I believe, Ventress’ still stands at 800,000 whilst Grievous is at 1.2 million.”

“Huh...so we still have some ground to make up then.”

Barriss glanced over at Ahsoka. Her friend’s gaze was blank, flicking through the HoloNews feeds. Barriss swallowed, wondering if she should say something, wondering what she could say. She must be hurting after all, even after everything, even knowing it was coming, it would surely be hurting. “Um...Ah-Ahsoka, I...I’m...”

Ahsoka snorted and shook her head, turning off the feed, a rueful smile forming on her lips.

Barriss blinked. “What is it?” she asked.

“No, nothing,” Ahsoka said with a chuckle. “I’ve just realised that this is the second time in just over a week I’ve been booted out of the Jedi Order for the same crime.”

Barriss’ lips quirked upward. “Each time it’s happened you’ve been one rank higher,” she said. “Maybe if you tried a third time you’d be a Jedi Master?”

Ahsoka looked over at her with one brow raised. Barriss’ lips twitched. Then they both started laughing.

Ahsoka calmed herself, shaking her head and then tapped at the console. “We should really work out where we’re going before we get spotted,” she said, as Barriss brought herself under control.

“Where can we go, though?” She tapped at her own section of the console bringing up other star charts.

“Somewhere out of the way. Preferably a place neither of us have visited before so we don’t have connections they can track us through.” She shut her eyes. “Onderon was a big mistake.”

“Don’t be hard on yourself. It was a logical first choice to give us a safer place to orientate from.”

“Too logical...” Ahsoka glanced through her readouts, not really picking up anything.

They sat in silence for a while, both flicking through different star charts.

“I think I’ve found something.” Ahsoka peered over at the data Barriss was looking at. “It’s a small moon in the Outer Rim. Very out of the way, even by Outer Rim status, and it doesn’t look like either the Separatists or the Republic have much or any presence there. Only one major settlement, which might be a problem, but there are plenty of hills to hide in, or hide the shuttle in anyway.”

Ahsoka scanned through the information and nodded. It made sense. A farming community, which meant there might be seasonal arrivals drifting through. The sort of place where two travellers could pitch up without drawing too much attention, or being considered unusual. And it might also be a place that wasn’t too connected to HoloNet news.

She settled back in the pilot’s seat and tapped at the hyperdrive navicomputer. “All right,” she said. “Setting course for Raada.”

Chapter Text

“The chair recognises Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo.”

Mas Amedda’s amplified voice rang clearly around the Senate chamber. The rotunda spiralled up from low to the ground to high into the ceiling, thousands of circular Senate platforms protruding out from the wall. Looking up from the bottom one would have the impression of a frozen waterfall of metal. At the centre, the long cylinder with a half-circle shaped stand rose out of the floor, where Supreme Chancellor Palpatine sat in the centre of the pod, Mas Amedda to his right and two red-robed and helmeted royal guards behind.

Padmé detached her platform and floated out into the centre of the rotunda, catching Palpatine inclining his head to her in acknowledgement as she passed. Present in Padmé’s pod was Jar Jar Binks, dressed in blue and gold formal robes and giving her soft encouragement, whilst Captain Typho, her head of security, stood at the back. Padmé composed herself. She wore burgundy and black robes and her hair was pulled back and held in a shape that dripped over her shoulders like a Manka cat’s mane. She hoped it would convey a sense of strength and used that thought to bring calm to herself. She was known as a great orator, one whose contributions were valued and respected. But she could never quite shake the nerves that came with speaking in the Senate Chamber.

Not when she was opening a debate. Not when it was a matter, like this, that she saw as being very important.

“Senators, Supreme Chancellor, thank you for allowing me to open the debate on a bill that I, and others, believe is of great importance,” she began. “It has recently been learned that the bombing of the Jedi Temple was not the sole work of former Padawan Barriss Offee, but was also the work of former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano.”

Murmuring ran up along the Senate, which Padmé was grateful for as it gave her a moment to compose herself. Speaking the words out loud had been difficult. In between consoling Anakin and working and planning her response she hadn’t really had time to sit with the feelings herself. But Riyo’s breakdown the other day had left its impression on her. On how much it hurt...and her worry about what she may have contributed to it, by not considering, by the pressure she’d put on her. Especially when--

She shook herself. Not the time, Amidala... she berated herself, drawing her attention back to the rotunda.

“In light of this, I, and many others, have become concerned about the effects that this war may be having on the younger Padawans. I believe that the Jedi’s supernatural powers have allowed us to lose sight of the fact that many of them are still children and are being sent into warzones far below the Republic’s minimum age for military service. For these reasons, I ask the Senate to consider supporting a motion to ban the use of Padawans under eighteen in active combat duty.”

More murmuring, and some applause of support and not just from Riyo, Bail and the other signatories to the bill.

“The Chair recognises Senator Fang Zar of Sern Prime.”

Padmé looked up to see the Senate platform floating down towards her. Fang Zar was a dark-skinned man with a bushy and greying beard and hair pulled into a bun, wearing lilac robes. He was not someone Padmé considered an ally and he wasn’t a signatory, but she was friendly with him.

Here’s hoping his intervention will be helpful.

“Senator Amidala, thank you for opening this debate,” Fang Zar said, with a respectful bow of his head, which Padmé acknowledged with a slight bow of her own. “Am I to understand that you believe that the explanation for Offee and Tano’s actions lies in the psychological pressures that the war, and the positions of authority, conveyed on them from a young age?”

“Thank you, Senator Zar. Yes, at least in part, I believe—”

“I object!” a wet and familiar voice shouted. Padmé turned to glower at the approaching figure of Senator Lott Dod of the Trade Federation. No support would be coming from that quarter…

“The Chair recognises Senator Lott Dod of the Trade Federation.”

“Senator Amidala is a well-known friend of the renegade Tano,” Lott Dod continued, pointing an accusing finger. “This is clearly an act of exculpation!”

Padmé bristled. “I am not attempting to justify or diminish the crime that was committed! I am raising the point that—”

“You say Padawans, but it is not just that!”

Padmé spun around as another Senator floated around her, a pink-skinned Gan with three stalky eyes poking off his head, Mas Amedda announcing him as Ainlee Teem of Malastare.

“Tano was a Knight, newly promoted perhaps,” Teem said, “but a Knight nevertheless. And there is the matter of Pong Krell, a Master who also turned against the Republic. And need I mention the rumours that have swirled around Master Depa Billaba and her activities on Haruun Kal?”

“What’s happened to me is worse. I’ve gone sane.”

In the viewing gallery, halfway up the rotunda, Mace Windu’s fist clenched.

Bringing his former Padawan in rankled with him. Yes, it had been close with Depa. She’d been involved in a brutal, savage, campaign on Haruun Kal at the start of the war. It had tortured her mind and soul. She’d nearly ripped out her Greater Mark of Illumination. But Mace had got to her in time. And she’d pulled back from the darkness and overcome it.

She didn’t deserve to have her name included with...them...

“What I am saying,” Teem continued after some interruption Mace had missed, “is that perhaps, in a technical sense, Offee is right. Do we really want the Jedi leading our armies when at any moment they could potentially snap and fall into this mystic, self-exculpating, nonsense they call the Dark Side?” Teem waved a dismissive hand. “If even the Masters are prone to instability how trustworthy are they? Perhaps there may be a time when enough of them ‘fall’ and decide that they’re going to turn the Republic’s own armies against us! It would be far better to remove them all from operational considerations and turn it over to the--”

“Now that is too far!” a stentorian voice boomed.

Silence fell on the chamber as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine stood up, casting a stern gaze about the chamber. “When this Republic was in danger from the Separatist forces the Jedi selflessly stepped into the breach!” he declared. “The Jedi volunteered to be the generals of the Grand Army of the Republic, without any urging or ordering from me. Their devotion is a credit to them, their order and their love for the Republic.” Much of the Senate applauded. “I will not have their loyalty, or their methods, questioned in this chamber.”

More applause and the floating Senatorial platforms moved back to their docks.

Across from Mace, Kit Fisto grinned. “You have to admit,” the Nautolan Jedi Master said, “he is good.”

Mace could concede that. Much as he didn’t like or trust Palpatine, the man had defended the Jedi. And overtly delivered a slap-down to Senator Teem, whilst implicitly giving one to Senator Amidala as well. And he could see from the thunderous expression on Amidala’s face that she understood that too. He nodded. It perhaps wouldn’t be the end of it, no doubt there would be more petitions the Council would be forced to consider, and they might have to make some reassurances as they’d done with the anti-Jedi protesters. But this would be the end of the debate in the places of power, removing the spectre of interference.

He gestured with his head and Kit followed him out of the viewing platform, as Mace returned to his ruminations.

Had he been harsh on Tano, as Kenobi accused? Yes, he could admit that. And he wasn’t arrogant enough to use hindsight to credit himself with foresight. He hadn’t known that Tano was involved when the first round of accusations came in. But it rankled with him. Just as Offee’s speech rankled with him. The truth was, Mace had little time for abstractions like peace. Peace, like everything, had to be brought into being through something. And for Mace, it was through the structures of the Republic and the Jedi Order’s work together that peace could exist. That was what he was devoted to. And sometimes it was necessary to fight to preserve those structures, no matter how difficult or how much bending of the Jedi code there might be because if you didn’t something worse might emerge. If the structures weren’t preserved to ground and give shape to the abstraction, then you couldn’t have the ideal you desired. It was all well and good for Offee and Tano to moan about the war, but it was the whining of children who know they don’t want something but have no suggestion for the alternative. And both were old enough to know better.

So yes, he’d been harsh. It rankled him, nettled him, and he wasn’t in agreement with the soft approach that Shaak Ti, Kenobi, Unduli, Billaba and Vos, of all people, were pitching for.

Because, and this was his deep fear, if what Offee had said was true that the Jedi had become an army fighting for darkness, fallen from the light, and the Republic was failing...

Then what had all his friends, students and colleagues died for?

Kaeden Larte fumed.

Of course, Miara shouldn’t be working out in the fields, thank you for pointing that out Tibbola, but what else were they supposed to do? They needed the money. And now, after several mean remarks about her work ethic, the work ethic of someone who had just started, Miara had of course gone home in tears and Kaeden had had to go after her and console her. Had got her to understand that Tibbola was just like that--sometimes even when he wasn’t drunk--and that, no, she wasn’t a dead weight and Kaeden valued her help.

Even though she was far too young. Just as Kaeden had been, really. But what could they do...

With Mom and Dad gone...

She shook her head. Even after all these years it still hurt. And that’s why she couldn’t dwell on it. So instead her thoughts went back to how to get revenge.

She could ask Selda to not serve him alcohol. Or pretend to, but actually give him water.  That could be quite funny, watching Tibbola work himself up into the usual drunken sourness and then reveal that, actually, he was stone sober. She grinned. Yes, she liked that idea. That would be the one to go with.

Kaeden was just about to head in the direction of Selda’s bar when she pulled up short.

There were some people she didn’t recognise strolling through the streets, glancing around, trying to act inconspicuous and failing badly at it. One was a Togruta, like Selda, with lekku dropping over her shoulders and her right arm wrapped to her side in a red sash, barefoot and wearing what looked like reasonably expensive clothes. The other, about a head shorter than the Togruta, was a yellow-green Mirialan with a pack slung over her back. Or at least that’s what Kaeden thought. From vague knowledge she had about them, mostly gleaned from dated HoloDramas, they didn’t show much of their skin, which checked out with the hood that was pulled up over her head. But she couldn’t see any tattoos and she was fairly certain that was a common Mirialan thing.

Best not make assumptions, she reminded herself. You don’t really know anything. Who knows, maybe she comes from a bad family?

So, instead, she put on a bright smile and walked towards them, waving. “Hey!” she called, and the two strangers reacted a second later, realizing she was calling to them. “I don’t remember seeing you here before. Did you just come off the commuter shuttle?”

“Yes,” said the Togruta.

“No,” said the Mirialan.

The Togruta side-eyed the Mirialan who seemed to swallow and bury her head further in the hood. “Oh! You mean the commuter shuttle. Yes, yes we did. My apologies, I got confused.”

Kaeden frowned slightly. The Mirialan’s accent was definitely Coruscanti, though even more clipped and formal than those tones normally were.

What is someone who was so obviously raised on the Core World doing here?

Bad family Kaeden.

Oh yeah. That’s making more sense.

“Well, welcome to Raada,” Kaeden continued. “This is pretty much the only settlement out here, and it’s not much. Are you looking for a place to stay?”

“We were hoping to find something available,” the Togruta admitted.

Kaeden grinned and gestured to them. “Follow me then! There’s a place that’s been abandoned for a bit but I’m sure you can put it together.”

“Great. Who would we have to pay?”

“No one. Honestly, out here, you pick it up it’s yours.”

She walked along the small street, the two following behind, as they passed a few houses that had seen better days, a decent one stuck right next to the cantina that Kaeden dismissed. She knew how noisy that place could get; it was frequently her making the racket.

The two strangers weren’t saying anything, apparently not keen on making conversation. But that was tough because Kaeden was. “I’m Kaeden, by the way,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Who are you guys?”

“Oh. I’m Ashla,” the Togruta said. “And this is...” She looked at her companion.

“Bar--Lumi!”

“Barlumi?” Kaeden furrowed her brows.

“Yes!” Barlumi said, defensively.

“Oh. Cool. Just checking.” She turned back and then spotted the house she’d been thinking of. She hopped over to it and then grinned and threw her hands out towards it with a flourish. “Here it is! Your new abode!”

Ashla and Barlumi stared at it. And fair enough, it wasn’t much. Like most of the houses in this district, it was small, a one-room place with a small refresher, and was cobbled together out of whatever junk and wood the previous owners could find to make repairs. But it had a door. And it would keep the night chill out fairly well.

Kaeden nudged open the door with her foot and peered inside. A window at the back let in the afternoon light. The room was bare, save for one bed at the back, some kitchen units against the left wall, and one cabinet that had definitely seen better days. She touched a hand to a panel on the side of the door and the illumination came on. “Neat, the electricals still work!” She swung aside to let the two travellers in, and then she leaned against the door frame. “So what brings you guys out here?”

“We’re just travelling through,” Ashla said, frowning down at an odd stain on the ground.

“Travellers passing through who are looking for a house to stay in?” Kaeden quirked an eyebrow.

Ashla looked back, slightly caught off guard. “Well, we were hoping to set up shop,” she continued.

That was better. “Doing what? You looking to farm?”

“No, I suspect we would both be terrible farmers. But I do mechanical repairs. Droids and things like that.”

“You’ve picked a fine place to come then. The threshers out here, honestly! You’d think they were designed for breaking down rather than threshing. How about you Barlumi? You a droid expert as well?”

It took a second for the woman to respond, looking up at her from where she’d been poking at the mattress. “Hmm? Oh, me. I, um, I’m a medic. By training.”

“A medic? That’s great! We’ve never had one of those here. We sometimes have a doctor that swings by on the weekly from Chaar, but having someone around could be very helpful.” Kaeden chuckled. “I dare say that, fortunately, or unfortunately, neither of you will be out of work much.”

“That’s good because I like making money!” Ashla said with a grin.

Kaeden laughed. “You can be rich! In a relative sense, this is a very poor place.” She slunk off the door. “Right, I’ll let you two get settled in.”

“Thanks, Kaeden, we appreciate it.”

“Yes, thank you for your hospitality,” Barlumi said.

Kaeden waved and then walked off. It was nice to have new people around; brought some new stories and fresh vigour to the place. And one of them might actually be able to get her damn thresher to work better.

Caught in the moment, she’d completely forgotten about Tibbola.

Ahsoka shut the door and then frowned at the fact that it didn’t have a lock. That was something they would have to correct. Then she remembered and her lips twitched and her cheeks puffed as she slowly looked over her shoulder at the fidgeting Barriss.

“‘Barlumi’,” she managed to say.

“I panicked!” Barriss wailed, as Ashoka laughed.

Raada was a dump. There were no two ways about that or polite way of putting it, and Barriss had certainly tried.

On her excursion to find supplies, whilst Ahsoka handled cleaning up duties, Barriss had had a good opportunity to get a sense of the place. The town, constructed out of mostly prefabricated houses, though with little design additions here and there that gave suggestions of the numerous species types on Raada, revolved out from the central administration building. That building, the largest structure and enclosed by a compound, set the tone as it looked like it was two or three years past the date when it needed repairs. Clearly, this was not a place where much money was made, nor where running good administration was valued.

A small market was located just off the compound and Barriss strolled through it, noting anything of interest. Mostly it was food vendors, though there were a couple who sold trinkets of one kind or another. Much of the food looked decidedly weary, certainly, nothing that looked like it would beat the ration packs they had brought with them off the shuttle. Barriss decided to save the little credits they had. They’d incinerated Lux’s credit chip with Ahsoka’s lightsabre; any transaction they made would be immediately tracked so there was no use for it.

She’d gone back onto the main street, where there were a few shops. Fortunately, Raada being a farming community, she was able to find a pair of good quality boots that would fit Ahsoka for not too much. And then she’d got a blanket and a pillow. The pillow seemed somewhat devoid of stuffing, but the blanket was thick and not scratchy. They would serve for now at least. A mattress of some kind was out of the question, far beyond the measly budget they had. But Barriss didn’t mind; she’d slept on a futon in the Temple. Sleeping on the floor wouldn’t be much different.

“I’m back,” Barriss announced as she bundled through the door. She dropped the extra blanket and pillow on the ground. “I got you some boots!” She held up the tough dark brown boots for Ahsoka to see.

“Oh great! Thank you!” Ahsoka smiled up from where she knelt of the floor, taking a moment to size up the boots, and then turned back to scrubbing aggressively at the stain.

“How did it go?” Barriss asked, peering over her shoulder.

“Mostly got everything cleaned,” Ahsoka said. She sat back and frowned at the stain. “Can’t seem to shift this though...there’s something evil about it...”

“I suppose we can leave it and just avoid that area. I didn’t have enough to buy another bed or cot, so I’ll sleep on the floor until we can earn a bit more.”

Ahsoka stood up and flapped a hand. “We’ll take turns,” she said, settling the issue immediately. She walked over to the kitchen to rinse her hand, waiting for the initial burst of muddy coloured water to flush through.

Behind her Barriss’ eyes widened and her lip pulled down in disgust.

“Yeah it does that,” Ahsoka said, with a grin as she spotted Barriss’ expression. “Cleans out though.”

“I am adding water filters to the list.”

Ahsoka laughed and rinsed her hand. “So what did you learn about this place?”

Barriss shrugged. “There’s not much. Mostly it revolves around the farming cycle and they have labourers who travel in. There are a couple of other settlements, but this is the largest one, as well as some private farmers strung about. From what I understand, the place is run by the Overseers, but I use ‘run’ in the loosest sense of the term, looking at the dilapidation of their administration building. I can see why Kaeden was so excited about a mechanic taking up residence.”

Ahsoka finished drying her hands and frowned. “Would we have any dealings with these Overseers?”

“I’m not sure... One of the shop owners mentioned paying a...informal contribution to them, but I couldn’t find out if that was something we would have to do, or if there is any registration that needs to be done. I’d assume from the fact that Kaeden just took us to this house means there isn’t such a system but we’re not in a position where we can afford to make any errors.”

Ahsoka nodded, considering the information. “Any Republic or Separatist presence?”

Barriss shook her head. “No. Nothing that I could see. I believe we did the right thing landing and hiding the shuttle in the hills, an Eta-class would have definitely drawn attention.”

And leaving my lightsabres on it... Ahsoka felt exposed without them, without the familiar weight pulling on her hips and bouncing against her legs, but it was for the best. They would be tricky to hide and if anyone caught sight of them...

Well...travellers popping by for no particular reason wouldn’t go noticed much. A Jedi hiding out would attract all sorts of notice, even in a place like this.

“All right, looks we’re in a good spot,” Ahsoka said with a nod. “Hopefully we can get things set up and slip into the community without anyone paying much attention.”

“Yes. Hopefully.”

Ahsoka smiled. “So, what’s say we have a delicious meal of ration packs and then play a game to decide who gets the bed tonight?”

Barriss smiled back. “Deal.”

A loud banging at the door drew Barriss out of her, admittedly, fitful sleep. She pulled up from the floor and rubbed at her eyes as, on the bed, Ahsoka curled over and mumbled something about ‘not being ready’. The banging came again and Barriss snatched up her hoodie and threw it on, pulling the hood up. She opened the door and found Kaeden pacing outside, a scarf wrapped over her hair.

“Kaeden?” she asked, blinking at the early morning light.

“Oh, great!” Kaeden stepped forward. “Sorry for waking you, but you said you were a medic right?”

“Yes. Has something happened?”

“One of the kids, Clo, has broken his arm. Can you help?”

“Oh gosh! Um, of course, just let me...” Barriss turned back and saw that Ahsoka was sitting up on the bed, covers pooled around her, looking slightly bleary but alert enough.

“We’ll be right there!” she called, giving Kaeden a thumbs up.

It wasn’t long until they reached the scene of the incident. The boy, a Rodian, was clutching at his arm, his howls having fallen away to sniffles. His mother sat beside him, holding him gently, trying to offer comfort, as a crowd gathered around. Clo’s friends were stood about, peering at Clo and nudging one another anxiously.

A dark-skinned girl, her hair loose in curls that looked almost like a cloud, ran up to them as they approached. “We’re trying to get transport organized,” the girl said. “But it...looks bad.”

“Don’t worry I got them,” Kaeden said. She gestured at Barriss and Ahsoka. “Barlumi and Ashla,” she gestured at the girl, “my sister, Miara.”

“Hi,” said Miara with a small wave.

Barriss smiled at her and then moved over to Clo. “May I see him?” she asked the mother. She looked up at her suspiciously and Barriss gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m medically trained, I might be able to help.”

“Oh, okay.” The mother shifted her grip so that Clo was freer. He looked up at Barriss, sniffling, as she crouched beside him.

“Hello Clo, I’m Barlumi,” she said, smiling warmly. “May I see your arm?”

Clo glanced up at his mother, who nodded encouragingly, and he gingerly held out his arm, wincing with the pain.

“Oh dear, that looks nasty,” Barriss said, taking in the sight. Ahsoka peered over her shoulder and pulled a face. The kid must have taken a really bad fall because she could see a slight bulge under the skin and a purpling and swelling of it, which from experience she knew indicated a greenstick fracture at best. There was no breaking of the skin though, thankfully. Barriss reached out and gently took the arm. “How did you do this?” she asked, examining it, very carefully moving her fingers over the arm and gently prodding at it, making assessments.

“I...I was climbing in the...tree and...a branch snapped...” Clo said, sniffling.

“That was quite a silly thing to do wasn’t it?” Barriss said, causing Clo to lower his head slightly under the stern glare of his mother, who had probably given one too many warnings about climbing trees. Ahsoka grinned slightly. Barriss’ bedside manner was on point, being gentle with her questions and manner, distracting Clo from his arm.

Barriss turned slightly. “Kaeden, could you get me some wood and rope to make a splint?” she asked.

Kaeden nodded and then poked Miara, who shot her older sister a glare before hurrying off to get some planks.

Barriss turned back to Clo. “Now, I’m going to set the bone,” she said. “This might sting a bit, but you can be brave can’t you? For your mother?”

Clo looked at her and then up at his stricken mother, and then back. He nodded, took one big sniff, and then set himself with determination.

Barriss smiled. “Good. Now, I’ll do it on three.” She gently placed one hand on the top of the jutting portion of the skin and cupped the arm with her other hand. “One...” she began.

Clo scrunched his eyes shut, and let out a soft whimper.

“...two...”

Ahsoka felt it, a soft ripple in the Force, extending out from Barriss’ palm and moving into Clo’s arm. A small smile touched her face. I see what you’re doing Offee!

“And...three!”

Barriss gently pressed on the bone, whilst she firmly applied pressure to the underside of the arm. The slight bulging of the skin went down, and some of the swelling disappeared as well. Not enough to be noticeable to distressed eyes, but Ahsoka caught it.

“There, all done,” Barriss said brightly.

“Huh?” Clo opened an eye and stared at his arm. “I didn’t... feel any pain at all...” he said, confused.

“That’s because you’re a very brave boy.” Barriss smiled at him and gave his leg a pat. He grinned and it took Ahsoka a lot of effort to suppress her laugh. “Now, don’t go thinking this means you’re invincible! I need to wrap that up first to make sure you don’t open the break again.” She looked over her shoulder as Miara returned with some planks of wood bundled in her arm and some rope.

“Will any of these do?” she asked, dropping them onto the ground.

Barriss sorted through them and found two planks of roughly even length. “These will be fine. Hold your arm out straight for me, Clo.” The boy almost eagerly did so, looking over at his friends with a smug look, no doubt looking forward to recounting how tough he was, how he hadn’t experienced any pain. Barriss, looking entirely innocent, secured the two planks over his arm and Clo snapped his head back with a small hiss of pain.

Ahsoka slapped her free hand to her mouth, stifling a laugh and drawing a curious look from Kaeden. Barriss, evidently, felt Clo was getting a little too impressed with himself.

“There...all done.” Barriss tied off the splint and stood. “Now what have we learned from today?”

“Uh...that you’re a good doctor?” Clo asked, standing up with his mother.

Barriss raised a brow. “Perhaps...but is there another important little lesson? One that might have meant we didn’t have to test my skills as a doctor?”

“Don’t climb trees?” Clo offered in a quiet voice.

“Yes. And listen to your mother when she tells you something is dangerous.”

Clo nodded and then winced as his mother gave him a light, but affectionate, tap on the back of the head. She looked over at Barriss and smiled. “Thank you so much!” she said, the relief evident in her voice.

“It’s no worry. I’m glad I could help. I’d still advise taking him to a medical centre if you can. It would be best to have it properly examined and a proper cast made.”

“We’ll go on the next shuttle to Chaar,” Clo’s mother confirmed. “Oh, what do I owe you?” She started to reach into her pocket.

Barriss waved her hands. “Oh no! I couldn’t possibly--”

Ahsoka dove forward, wrapping her left arm around Barriss and clamping her to her side, cutting her off. “What she means is, that we’re still getting set up so we don’t have a price system worked out. But we’ll drop the bill round when we have.” She looked down at Barriss with her sternest brow raise.

“Uh...y-yes...we’ll do that...” Barriss replied meekly, putting on an unconvincing smile.

“I’ll keep an eye out for it.” Clo’s mother smiled, then turned an admonishing gaze down at Clo. “What do we say to the nice Mirialan, Clo?”

“Thank you!” Clo said brightly, pain and horrific experience entirely forgotten.

Clo’s mother gave Barriss a sympathetic smile, and then clamped a hand on the back of Clo’s shirt collar and dragged him off before he could scurry back to his friends, who laughed and waved at him.

Ahsoka, still keeping Barriss pinned to her side, spun around and walked them away. “Remember everybody!” she called, tossing a look over her shoulder and putting on her best market trader voice. “Ashla and Barlumi for all your mechanical and medical needs! If you want to find us, Kaeden knows where we are!”

Kaeden laughed as she watched them walk away. Miara tugged at her arm. “Who were they?” she asked.

“The new arrivals,” Kaeden replied.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka shut the door and then whirled around and glared at Barriss. “What was that?” she demanded. “What was that whole ‘Oh no! I couldn’t possibly!’ stuff?” she said, in a very poor imitation of Barriss’ accent and tone.

Barriss cringed. “I’m sorry!” she said. “I just...I feel bad about...charging them...” She looked miserable as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and sighed it out. Nice one Tano... You’ve really helped. “Hey, I know you do,” she said gently, moving toward Barriss. “I kinda feel bad about it too but...we literally can’t afford to.” She paused. “I mean, maybe if I make enough at the mechanical stuff we can reduce rates, or, you know, do some pro bono stuff but...”

“No, you’re right.” Barriss nodded. “We can’t afford to be sentimental. Our circumstances don’t allow for it. After all,” she gave a small and sardonic laugh, “it’s not like we’re Jedi or something.”

The comment stung both of them. An unwelcome and...painful reminder of...

Of what had happened to them...

“No, but... maybe we can try being what...Jedi should be,” Ahsoka said quietly. “Out here. Just with a little bit of...financial contribution.”

Barriss looked up. “I’d like that.” She turned her head down. “It felt good...to heal,” she said softly and slowly. “To heal someone who I knew wasn’t...wasn’t going to be coming back with something worse...who wasn’t going to be...sent out to...to...” Her breath hiked slightly and she twisted her hands remembering...

Cobalt... So named for the slight ‘defect’ which gave him blue eyes. He’d grinned at her when she’d healed his broken ribs. Had told her what a miracle worker she was and how he felt like he could take on the whole Separatist army himself. She’d laughed, delighted at the compliment.

She’d seen him the next day, half his head blown off as he was transported to the morgue.

A touch at her shoulder and she jumped. Ahsoka’s hand, gentle and warm, her face concerned. “You okay?” she asked, softly.

Barriss nodded. “Yes. Just...memories...”

“Yeah...” Ahsoka patted her shoulder. “Why don’t you rest on the bed for a bit?” She poked her. “After all, I know you cheated and used the Force.”

Barriss grinned sheepishly. “Oh, you caught that did you?”

Ahsoka grinned back. “I’m wise to your tricks, Offee.” She gave her a playful shove onto the bed. “Now rest. I’m going to see if I can think through some kind of pricing scheme. And then see if I can get this damn stain out.”

Barriss laughed lightly and curled up onto the bed, sinking into the calming scent that lingered on the pillow and sheets.

Ahsoka focused and stretched out with her feelings. She felt Barriss in front of her, sitting similarly in a cross-legged meditative pose. Her sense of energy and feeling were closed off and Ahsoka drifted away from it. Barriss had suggested doing a dual-meditation when they’d both found they had nothing to do and were alternately staring at the walls, trying to strike up conversations or absently flicking through the datapad.

But they’d agreed: no probing one another.

She stretched out beyond to feel the energy of the world around them. Raada was coated in vegetation. There weren’t too many animals that she could discern, a few avian creatures here and there, but no major predators. It was peaceful. Calming. Exactly what was best for them.

But...but...

She couldn’t keep her focus. She felt her eyes scrunching shut as she tried to focus harder, focus harder on feeling the energy in the grass and the trees and the hills but the more she tried the more it slipped away from her. And as it slipped away the focus came back to herself.

Her own feelings.

Umbara came closer as she hurtled down, smoke peeling out of her wing and the smoke rose out of the Jedi Temple and it looked larger than she thought it should have done, the explosion bigger than it should have been and she’d felt something twist in her stomach that had unloaded and exploded when she’d found out about Jackar and slammed Barriss against the wall, and her terrified, panicked face as she screamed at her and how had everything, everything, gone so wrong, how had she thought that this was a good idea--

Because of the younglings. Their excitement, their desire to get into the war, to be part of the battle, to be what they thought Jedi were, to do the cool stuff, and the Council who let it happen and let it pass because what the galaxy needed was good soldiers, not good negotiators or peacekeepers or guardians of justice, it needed warriors and weapons and they moulded them into it through their strategy lessons and the experiences they were thrust into so now Ahsoka couldn’t even walk over a set of hills and look out on a settlement on a kriffing moon on the outskirts of nowhere without thinking about how the hills were a good, defensible position to hide in and the caves were so deep orbital bombardments wouldn’t--

She surged out of the meditation with a small gasp. Her hands were closed into tight fists, her heart thumping, and she forced her fingers open, flexed them back and forth and took deep breaths, letting that calm her, forcing the anger out of her system. She practiced the gentle breathing exercise, one of the first she’d been taught as a youngling, and let it slow the rhythm of her heartbeat. Calmed down, she looked up and was startled to see Barriss looking at her.

Barriss quirked a slight smile. “You didn’t have much luck either then?” she asked.

Ahsoka shook her head, masking herself with a small laugh. “No. But meditation was never my strong point.”

“It was one of mine once,” Barriss said, voice a bit distant. “I could even practice floating meditation. Now though...I always seem to...” She moved a hand through the air. “...drift...” She stared at nothing. “It’s always the smell of blood and sanitiser...” Her voice was paper-thin, as soft as falling snow. “I can never get rid of it...”

Ahsoka rubbed at her arms, feeling uncomfortable. “Not such a good idea then...” she said. She tried to force a change in the atmosphere. “Maybe we should go for a walk? Some fresh air might do us some good?”

Barriss pulled out of her thought process and glanced up at her. She was about to reply when there was a knock at the door and they both looked over.

“Hey, Ashla! Barlumi!” Kaeden’s voice.

“What does she want this time...?” Barriss muttered.

Ahsoka shot her a look. “Hey! Be nice, she’s being friendly.” Ahsoka got to her feet and Barriss did the same, both recognising that a ‘meditation pose’ might be a clue. “The door isn’t locked!”

Kaeden, her hair tied in her customary braids and wearing her slightly dirty work slacks, swung the door open, Miara at her side. She glanced at the door and frowned. “You should have said you didn’t have a lock,” Kaeden said. “Miara can fit one for you.”

“Really?” Ahsoka asked.

“Oh yeah! I’m good with that sort of stuff,” Miara said. “I like tinkering. Let me know when you’re free and I can put one on.”

“That would be really helpful! How much would we owe you?”

“Free of charge, it's fun!”

“Deal!” Barriss called before Kaeden could get a word in.

“That’s my talented kid sister,” Kaeden said out of the side of her mouth, dropping an elbow on Miara’s poofy hair. “Without the business acumen.”

They laughed as Miara batted off Kaeden’s arm.

Kaeden jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “You want to come down to Selda’s? It’s got the best food. Be a chance to meet more people in the community. Most of my farm team is going to be there, so a good place to drum up business. Now that you’re making a name for yourselves.”

“Um...oh...well...” Ahsoka glanced over her shoulder. Barriss had a completely non-committal expression. Better make the pragmatic decision then... She turned back and smiled. “Sure, lead on! Good thing we don’t have anything worth stealing.”

Selda’s was the name of the small cantina they’d passed and it was noisy. Patrons filled every table, and where they couldn’t get tables they were stood about talking and laughing and drinking. A jaunty melody was played out of a jukebox. The spread of people around the table, eating their food, blowing off steam in different ways, conjured the images of the mess hall on the Tranquility where the clones would act similarly. Species of all kinds were there, Barriss noted Sullustans, Rodians, humans and an Ithorian. And behind the bar--

“That’s Selda!” Kaeden bellowed, making both Ahsoka and Barriss jerk. “He owns the place!”

Selda was a Togruta. Tall and powerfully built, he had a prosthetic left arm and his left lekku was shorter than the right, only falling over his shoulder rather than down to his waist. It was curled in slightly, Barriss recognising the signs of something that had been cut. Selda noted them and gave them a cheerful wave.

“What happened to him?” Ahsoka asked.

“Farming accident a few years ago,” Kaeden replied. “The same one that…” She broke off and both she and Miara looked distant for a moment. Then she shook her head and brightened. “We keep insisting he should rename this place ‘The Legend of Selda’!” She laughed.

Ahsoka and Barriss looked blank.

Kaeden blinked at them. “You know? Like the Holo…?” She flushed slightly and waved a hand. “Nah forget it.” She prodded a giggling Miara forward a little harder than was necessary. “This way--it gets quieter around the back I promise!”

They followed Kaeden to the back of the cantina where, true to her word, it was quieter though this was a relative distinction. She led them to a table where a group of people were arrayed.

“This is my crew,” Kaeden said, flourishing a hand at the table.

An older dark-skinned man, balding and weathered, raised a brow. “I think you’ll find it’s my crew unless there’s been a mutiny someone neglected to inform me about.” That drew a laugh from the table and the man stood and extended a hand. “Vartan,” he said.

Ahsoka took his hand. “Ashla.”

Barriss lightly took the hand. “Barlumi.”

“Pleased to meet you. Kaeden’s been talking a lot about you.” Kaeden looked inconspicuous as she slid into her seat, the others giving sly smiles. Barriss and Ahsoka exchanged puzzled looks. “All good things!” Vartan laughed. “She’s keen to drum up business for you. Join us, please.”

They squeezed into the table, Barriss discreetly rubbing at her arms where she’d bumped into people, and wiping her palm on her trouser leg. Ahsoka sat next to Kaeden, Miara next to her and Vartan at the top. Barriss sat opposite Ahsoka, next to two crew members Vartan introduced as Hoban and Neera twins and both white-skinned, marking them as odd ones out among the rest of the human population. Miara leaned over conspiratorially to inform them that Malat, a Sullustan woman, was not there as she had just given birth.

“So what brings you both all the way out here?” Hoban asked. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a Mirialan on Raada before.”

“Oh, well, we kind of just wanted to get away and see the galaxy,” Ahsoka said, inwardly cursing they hadn’t come up with a joint story.

Hoban quirked an eyebrow. “And you came to Raada?”

Ahsoka laughed as a delaying tactic.

“It was what we could afford,” Barriss said. “For transit. And it seemed like a small place where…” She blushed. “What I meant was--”

Neera laughed. “It’s okay! You can say krayspit hole that wouldn’t have a medic or mechanic.”

Barriss’ blush deepened and she pulled herself further back into her hood. “T-those aren’t the words I would use, but they capture the spirit.”

The table laughed.

“It was also because...it was out of the way...” Barriss halted and exchanged a glance with Ahsoka.

Vartan nodded in understanding. “Well, if you wanted to find a place away from the war this is certainly the right place,” he said. “We don’t have much of any contact with it.”

“There was that Separatist commander who landed here fleeing some battle,” Miara put in. “They were nice. Left soon after they refuelled and stocked on supplies though. Nothing otherwise.”

Barriss nodded. That was good. If there was no follow-up conquest, then that meant that Raada really was thought of as a place of complete insignificance. It was the perfect place to hide. The perfect place to...to not get drawn into the war’s orbit.

“So how did you guys meet?” Neera asked, bringing Barriss out of her reflections with a start.

“Yeah,” Kaeden put in. “We know Barlumi is from Coruscant.”

Barriss’ eyebrows hit the stratosphere and despite herself, Ahsoka blurted a laugh.

“H-how do you—”

“Your accent is really thick.”

“Oh. Right.” Barriss shot a slightly panicked look at Ahsoka. +What do we…?+ she signed with a quick flick of fingers.

“How we met…well obviously I was on Coruscant as well…” Ahsoka began, trying to put on a ‘mysterious’ voice, pretending she was luring them into a story. “My parents were on Coruscant for work…”

+What work?!+ Ahsoka signed, caught out by her own lie.

+Anthropology. I lived at a monastery.+ Barriss replied, giving the story a prompt.

“So, my parents are like, really interested in religions so they drag me along to this huge Temple!”

“And that’s where I lived. I was a refugee and my parents left me at a Mirialan monastery as a baby and I was raised as part of the order.”

“So she happens to be our tour guide, leading us through this absolutely vast network of corridors in this monastery, completely by memory which I think is pretty cool.”

“She then comes back and keeps pestering me incessantly with questions.”

“And I find out she’s a medic because she helps out my family when we have a really really bad case of parasites.”

“As the years go on, I start to find the monastery quite…oppressive in its rules and its way of…conducting itself.”

“And my parents were becoming a real chore…”

“So we decided that, together, we’d be our own people and leave.”

“And that’s how we met and ended up here!” Ahsoka smiled and threw up a jazz hand, and a second later Barriss did the same, but far more unconvincingly.

The whole table stared at them.

“Wow, that’s so cool!” Miara said, gleefully. “So you’re runaways?”

Barriss and Ahsoka both flinched. “Uh, no it’s not that dramatic,” Ahsoka said quickly. “My parents know, and you are allowed to leave the monastery.”

“Yes, it’s with consent. The monastery does feel that…real-life experience can be good for…development.”

“Quite the adventure you’re having, it seems,” Vartan said. “You picked the right place in Raada. So long as you pay tribute to the Overseers nobody will bother you much.”

“Is that all we need to do?” Ahsoka asked. “Do we need to register?”

Vartan laughed and gestured with a hand. “Have you seen the administration building? It might as well not exist. You do your work, whatever that is, cover your own costs, whatever they are, and pay a share of it to the Overseers who are giving you the privilege of working for them. Other than that, they don’t do anything or interfere.”

“I suppose that’s one good thing about rapacious profiteers--they don’t care what anybody is doing so long as they get their money,” Ahsoka put in sardonically, which drew a laugh from the table.

“How come you don’t have tattoos?” Hoban asked once the laughter had died down, startling Barriss. “I thought that was a pretty big Mirialan thing?”

“Um…well…” Barriss stuttered, scrambling for an answer, as Ahsoka frowned, also trying to come up with a plausible lie. Barriss was just about to claim that her monastery was an unusual religious sect that didn’t believe in tattoo giving, something about sacredness of flesh that she drew from a half-remembered book on a religion when Kaeden intervened.

“I think that’s enough probing questions for one day, huh?” she said with a raised eyebrow.

Hoban raised his hands as his sister jabbed her elbow in his side. “All right, all right. As an apology, I’ll get the first round.”

“Thank you,” Ahsoka mouthed to Kaeden. The girl winked back.

“What would you like?” Hoban asked. “There’s a whole range to choose from.”

Neera rolled her eyes. “He’s joking. There’s only the house beer.”

“I’ll have one of those,” Miara said, lounging back in her chair and trying to look cool.

“Absolutely not, you’re having water,” Kaeden cut in with a glare.

“I’m old enough to work! I should be allowed to drink!”

“You work?” Ahsoka asked.

“Yeah. Don’t have a choice, unfortunately.” The girl slumped slightly in her seat, looking distant. Kaeden squeezed her shoulder.

Ahsoka and Barriss exchanged a glance. It wasn’t quite the same thing but…they knew what that felt like.

“No good looking miserable kid, you’re still not drinking,” Kaeden said. Miara pouted. Kaeden cast a look at Barriss. “Barlumi, medical opinion?”

“Oh, well,” Barriss began, flustered. Miara gave her large, pleading, puppy eyes. “W-well I think…from what I understand about humans at her developmental stage…a sip won’t do any harm…”

Kaeden groaned and Miara fist pumped with success. Ahsoka laughed. “All right, one small sip of my drink,” Kaeden ground out. She glowered at Barriss. “Traitor.”

Barriss flushed and was just about to formulate a retraction when Kaeden gave her a small wave and smile to let her know she was just teasing. Ahsoka grinned at the exchange, and Barriss sunk into her hood, uncomfortable.

“So, house specials all round and one water,” Hoban said.

“Uh, two glasses of water please!” Barriss quickly put in. “And if there’s anything vegetarian...”

“Aye, Ma’am!” Hoban snapped a salute at her. Barriss flinched from it, heart spiking slightly at the memories from so many other occasions, but no one except Ahsoka noticed.

Hoban returned with the tray of drinks, Selda following behind with the food, big bowls of stew with hunks of slow-cooked meat, some leafy vegetables and mushrooms, spiced with chilli. Barriss was fairly sure, based on the look of hers and the slightly apologetic look Selda gave her, that the ‘vegetarian’ option was the same stew but with the chunks of beef removed. She didn’t want to cause trouble though and went along with eating it, surprised at how good it tasted and how warming it was. Selda welcomed them to Raada, before hurrying back to deal with customers.

And the evening went on. Miara confidently and delightedly took a sip of alcohol, and then spluttered it out across the table, wheezing at the burn and swearing off ever having it again to the amusement of the group and Kaeden’s triumph. They talked a little about the war, trying to get a sense of what was going on, but with the detached air of people commenting on a sports fixture or game. Neera made a comment about how dreamy Skywalker was, because of course he was well known even out here, which drew a hastily disguised look of disgust from Ahsoka. It moved on to what living on Raada was like, principally tiring and boring but it was a living and it had nice hills to walk in, then on to gossip about people to avoid (Tibbola principally), and Vartan regaled them with a story from his youth, or so he claimed, about how he found a treasure trove of spice that would have made him a fortune in a cave in the hills, but after going back home with plans to head out to recover it the next day he never managed to find it again.

And through it all, Barriss’ got quieter and quieter and slipped further into herself. She’d never been particularly good with crowds, nor with small talk. She could do both fine when she had the energy and it was necessary, but the combination of the loud noise, the closed space and the new people...it added to the disorientation and she couldn’t keep up with the chatter and fast-paced switches in the conversation.

Ahsoka, on the other hand, was a natural and seemingly in her element, a large grin on her face for much of the time. Looking at her now, the way she enjoyed the conversation and the company, was a big reminder of how much Barriss had deprived her of social occasions in recent weeks; of how much she drew from them. It was certainly easy to see why she’d been so well-liked among the clones she worked with, with her easy manner and way of being. Barriss’ own interactions had been of the ‘polite, but stilted’ variety, as much as she had tried and wanted to be better.

I wonder what her friends among the clones think now...after what I...got her involved in...

She stared at her empty bowl.

“Um, I think I’m...I’m feeling quite tired,” Barriss said, drawing attention to her, Neera with a look of surprise as if she’d forgotten Barriss was there. She stood slightly. “So I think, I’m...going to head off.” She looked at Ahsoka.

“Okay!” Ahsoka said cheerfully. “I’ll catch you back at the place.”

Barriss frowned. “You’re...not coming?”

“I’ve got this to finish first.” Ahsoka raised her half-finished glass of beer, the second one. “I’ll come along later.”

“Right. Okay.” Barriss looked across at Hoban. “How much is it for the food?”

Vartan waved her off. “I’ll cover it,” he said. “Consider it a ‘welcome to Raada, and apologies it’s a dump’ present.” The table laughed and Barriss gave a tight smile.

“Thank you. I’ll...I’ll see you all around then.”

There was a chorus of ‘bye Barlumi’ and Miara waved. Barriss stood still for a moment, glancing at Ahsoka, before turning and making her way through the cantina, which was still busy even at the later hour. She glanced back over her shoulder as she reached the door and saw Kaeden laugh and playfully smack Ahsoka on the arm. Barriss blinked at the scene, an empty feeling in her stomach, and then turned and went out of the cantina, making her way back to the house.

Barriss opened her eyes. There was a small clacking noise around the door, like someone trying to stealthily force entry, and she stared at it, tensing and preparing herself, a spike of anxiety running up her as she remembered the alleyway on Onderon and...

The door opened and a familiar figure stumbled in, and Barriss relaxed with a soft sigh. The figure shut the door with a bang, froze, then turned to the door and sshhh’d it. She took off her boots and dropped them to the floor with a clump, bringing another round of freezing and then sshhhing. She turned and paused.

“Barriss?” Ahsoka whisper-shouted. “Are you awake?”

“If I wasn’t I would be now,” Barriss groaned, rubbing her arm across her eyes.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Are you drunk?” Barriss asked, sitting up slightly.

“No! Of course not! I can hold my drink!”

“Because you’re doing this thing where you’re sort of whispering but also shouting.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, yes, maybe I am a bit drunk. But it was fun!” Ahsoka threw out both arms to show just how fun it was.

Both arms.

Barriss squinted, her eyes adjusting. “Are you wearing my sash as a scarf?” she demanded, the implication clear in her words.

“Uh-huh!” Ahsoka said, flipping up both ends of the sash-scarf. “I didn’t need it anymore, my arm is fine!”

“Ahsoka that is not your judgement to make!” Barriss shouted, making her friend flinch. “You dislocated your shoulder, you can’t just take things off and whirl your arm around without a proper examination first, then careful testing and supervision!”

“Yes, I can!” Ahsoka retorted. To underline the point, she whirled her right arm around. “See? It’s fine--”

“Stop that right now!” Barriss said, putting on the tone she used with disobedient younglings. It worked as Ahsoka jumped slightly and stopped immediately. Barriss jabbed a finger at the bed. “Come here.”

Ahsoka pouted and scuffed her feet over to the bed, sitting down with no grace at all. Barriss took her arm and felt along it, twisting it gently and checking it. “Seems like it’s okay,” she said, begrudgingly. “Your recovery rate is exceptional.”

“See?” Ahsoka said, sulkily.

“Getting lucky out of ignorance is not the same thing as being cautious and getting things correct with knowledge. You could very easily have dislocated this again, or trapped a nerve, or torn a tendon.”

Ahsoka snatched her arm back. “And you could have used the Force to help the pain but you didn’t.”

“What?”

“My shoulder hurt and you didn’t do anything to help.”

Barriss looked at her bewildered. “You told me it was fine!” she said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “I didn’t know--”

Ahsoka petulantly shrugged her hand off. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. And you could have just done it without asking. Like you did with Col.”

“Ahsoka! You told me it was fine! I can’t read minds, if you don’t tell me something is wrong then I don’t know!” Barriss halted, pulling back. She hadn’t meant to speak that harshly but...but surely she could see how unfair she was being? She’d been stressed, just barely holding it together, it was a miracle she was able to diagnose things correctly in the first place and now she was on the receiving end of this...this childishness!

Ahsoka looked at her, then turned away and hung her head, miserable. “I’ve upset you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Barriss took a breath and sighed it out. She wasn’t being fair. Of course, Ahsoka would have expected her friend to help her; and Barriss should have been able to sense the pain through the Force. She could do that even if she couldn’t read minds. This was her error. “No, it’s not your fault,” she said. “I should have...You haven’t upset me. I’m just tired.”

Ahsoka looked up, hopeful. “So you’re not mad at me?”

Barriss smiled and shook her head. “No, I...I could never...No.”

“Great!” Ahsoka beamed. “That’s a relief.”

“Do you want the bed?” Barriss asked.

“No, no, nope!” Ahsoka shook her head on each word, lekku flailing, and stood up. “I had the bed last night, tonight is your turn!” She playfully jabbed Barriss on the forehead, then snatched her hand back, looking worried. “Sorry! That was harder than I meant!”

Barriss chuckled. “It’s fine. Now you go sleep, so I can sleep as well.” She raised a hand to give Ahsoka a playful shove and then snapped it back to the bed, flushing slightly. In the dark Ahsoka didn’t notice and grinned and walked over to the sheet and pillow laid on the floor.

As Barriss set herself down on the bed, resting the back of her head against the pillow, she heard a yelp and thump. She scrunched her eyes shut.

“I’m okay!” Ahsoka called. “I just tripped over my own feet.”

“Please tell me you didn’t land on your shoulder.”

“I did, but it was the other shoulder!” Ahsoka said, with a note of pride.

Thank the Force for small mercies...

Barriss closed her eyes. She blanked out her mind and settled into a breathing rhythm, hoping to slowly drift herself into sleep.

“I almost got my whole squad killed once.”

It was spoken quietly, but the pain and emptiness in the words were clear. Barriss blinked open her eyes and sat up and looked out into the darkroom, the moonlight just bringing in enough visibility. Ahsoka lay on her back, arms splayed out, staring up at the ceiling.

“It was at Ryloth,” she continued. “I was told to pull back, but I knew better. I was going to prove them wrong. I was going to breach the blockade. I was going to be the hero. Instead, my squad got cut down. I listened to their screams as they died. But I survived. I survived.” She paused. “I got reprimanded for it, but no more. Told I’d been taught a lesson.” There was a dry chuckle and a sniff. “That’s good, wasn’t it? Slammer, Tucker and Axe got killed, and everyone on an entire Star Destroyer, because of my foolishness, but it’s okay! Ahsoka Tano, Padawan extraordinaire, has learnt a valuable lesson, everybody!” She flapped her hands up with her words and then dropped them back with a dull thud. She was silent a moment. “I got given command of the mission, whilst Anakin went off to ram the damaged Star Destroyer into the Droid Control Ship. Nobody questioned my being given command, it was just accepted automatically by the clones. I was so stressed, certain I was going to do something wrong again, that I couldn’t handle it. But I just told myself that this is what it means to be a hero, this is the responsibility you have to bear.”

A lump formed in Barriss’ throat. Ahsoka hadn't told this story to her before. It was from before she’d met Ahsoka, so she must have been fourteen at best. To have been handed that sort of responsibility, immediately after what had happened, and with presumably little in the way of support...

“Then I invented the Marg Sabl manoeuvre,” Ahsoka continued, with a forced tone of brightness. “We breached the blockade and suddenly I was the hero again! The mistake was completely forgotten, all that death forgiven because I had one moment of tactical genius.” She let out a bitter laugh. “Even forgotten by me. I was so happy and proud of myself, so delighted with the praise I got, those little verbal pats on the head. Ready to dive into the next battle.” She paused. “The rough road that leads to the heights of greatness, huh?” Her words became croaky, her breath shuddering. “What a joke I am…to think someone like me could ever be a Jedi…”

“Ahsoka…” Barriss said, softly, not trusting herself to raise her voice any louder because of the ache in her heart. “That’s the alcohol talking, you’re not--”

“Is it Barriss?” Ahsoka turned her head to look at her. The blue eyes, like pools into an ocean, held nothing but sadness. “I don’t think so.” She turned her head back. “You opened my eyes you know. If I’d never crashed…if we’d never had that talk…I’d have been able to turn everything back into being the Big Adventure; the Grand Tale of Ahsoka Tano and how she became a Paragon of the Jedi. But not now. I can’t now. Now I just look back and see all the horror, everything I did, and wonder how I could have been so stupid?”

Barriss didn’t know what to say. She just sat there, stupidly, running through all sorts of lines, but they all felt inadequate somehow.

“Thank you Barriss,” Ahsoka whispered. “If it wasn’t for you…I don’t know where I would have ended up. Just how far I’d have fallen.”

Barriss swallowed. “Ahsoka you...you would have been a wonderful Jedi, you are a wonderful Jedi. More true to the ideal of the Jedi than...than many of them. More true than me...” She said that last line as a whisper, so Ahsoka didn’t hear.

Ahsoka chuckled and wiped an arm over her eyes. “Look at me, bothering you again with this self-pitying krayspit. I’m sorry, I’ll go to sleep now.”

“Ahsoka, don’t--you’re not bothering me.”

“But it meant a lot. What you said.”

Barriss was silent for a moment. “I meant every word of it,” she said, quietly but firmly. She slid out of the bed and padded over to Ahsoka. “Come on, you take the bed.”

“Huh? No! It’s your turn!” Ahsoka protested.

Barriss shook her head. “It’d be better for you. After how much you drank…And it can’t be comfortable for your lekku. I’d feel better knowing you were getting a night of better sleep.” Barriss smiled. “Doctor’s orders.”

Ahsoka looked suspicious, but relented and got up. “All right, but you have the next two nights.” She slouched over to the bed and fell on it, as Barriss lay herself down and drew up the sheet.

“If you feel unwell--” Barriss began.

Ahsoka flapped a hand. “Yeah, I’ll let you know. Or the vomiting sounds will.”

“Wait, are you--!”

Ahsoka laughed. “No! Now go to sleep.”

Barriss stared at her a moment, before shaking her head and laying back down.

Ahsoka blinked open her eyes. She was curled over and facing the wall. It was still dark, moonlight splashing through the window. But she had the sense that something was off. And not just because of the creeping tingle along her montrals and what felt suspiciously like someone massaging sand into her brain. She groaned and turned over--

And nearly leapt out her skin. She scrambled up and pressed herself back against the wall.

A pair of yellow eyes were staring at her, an impish smile resting on folded arms.

“How many broken arms?” her shadowed doppelgänger asked.

“What?” Ahsoka replied, heart-thumping, breath coming short.

Her doppelgänger cocked her head. “How many broken arms make up for one person?” She grinned. “That is what you were thinking isn’t it?”

It felt like someone had rubbed an ignited lightsabre along her spine. “No, that’s not…” she protested weakly, mouth dry. “I just...I want to help people. Do some good.”

Her doppelgänger raised herself up, putting her mouth into a moue. “And that’s all I want to do.” She sat down on the bed and gestured around. Her voice turned mocking and cruel. “I mean, you don’t really think this wasteland and its insignificant people are an appropriate place for Ahsoka Tano to be do you?” She laughed, high and cold. She spun around. “All I want is for you to stop feeling this silly guilt.” She reached a hand out for her, a hand that seemed to absorb the shadows and turn into a dark glove as the voice reverberated and the eyes glinted red. “Help you become everything you could be. Everything you should be.”

“Get away from me!” Ahsoka shrieked, slapping at the hand.

“Ah-Ahsoka…what?”

Heart thumping and montrals rattling, Ahsoka saw Barriss raise herself up, rubbing at her eyes and then squinting at her. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Should I tell her?” an amused, sibilant voice said next to her head and Ahsoka yelled and swung her hand, bashing it hard into the wall.

She let out a yelp of pain and shook it and clutched it. Ahsoka looked up to see Barriss standing next to the bed, eyes still half-lidded.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Ahsoka feverishly scanned the room, but there was nothing. “I…I…”

A cool hand touched her forehead. “You feel quite hot,” Barriss said. “Are you coming down with something?”

Ahsoka shook her head. “No…no it was just…a bad dream. The alcohol I think.”

“More than likely,” Barriss said drolly. “I’d say drink some water, but I suspect that would make things worse…” She cast a glare at the tap and then looked back. “Let’s get you back to sleep. Hopefully, you’ll feel better after some rest and I can get a filter for the water.”

“Okay…” Ahsoka said, feeling exhausted. Barriss helped her settle back into bed and then turned to go back to her own. “Barriss!” Ahsoka called, with a slightly desperate tone.

Barriss looked back. Ahsoka held out her left hand to her. “Would you…would you hold my hand?” she asked, quiet. “Just--just until I fall asleep?”

Barriss eyes widened. “Oh! Um, of course.” Barriss sat down beside the bed and, after a moment’s hesitation, she took Ahsoka’s hand.

“Thank you,” Ahsoka whispered, closing her eyes.

Barriss gently rubbed the palm and the space between Ahsoka’s thumb and index finger, giving it a light massage.

She kept hold of the hand for a long time after Ahsoka had fallen asleep and was snoring softly.

Chapter Text

Out on the hills, Barriss scoured through the undergrowth, hunting for the specific herb that she’d heard about. Tibbola, of all people, had volunteered the information when he’d caught her at the market. He’d delivered it in the tone of someone who imagined themselves to be very clever, speaking down to someone they saw as their lesser, but Barriss wasn’t bothered by it.

If what he’d claimed was true.

According to him, out on the hills just past the settlement, there was a four-leafed herb with prominent veins creating a wavy venation pattern. The herb had small spines along the end of it, but if you were careful and rubbed it into a wound or burn, you could avoid the sting and instead the skin of the herb would minimise infection, and speed up the body’s recovery process.

Barriss wasn’t sure how much of this claim was true, and how much exaggeration, but she wouldn’t lose anything from giving it a go. And if it did live up to what Tibbola claimed…then it could be extraordinarily useful. Especially out on Raada where actual medical supplies were in short supply.

And, she supposed, even if the herb was a disappointment, she could always use the story as a cover for her own usage of the Force.

She pulled some shrubs aside, her hands protected by some tough, but slim, gloves and her eyes lit up.

There it was. A mouldy green four-leafed herb, with a wavy venation pattern as described. At least he hadn’t been making the whole thing up as part of a drunken ramble.

Barriss reached into the pack at her side and pulled out a trowel. Carefully, she dug at the earth around the herb and gently levered it out of the ground, keeping the roots as intact as possible. With that task achieved, she put the trowel back in her pack and took out a small container and gently laid the herb inside, before sealing the container off.

She observed the herb through the clear glass, misting slightly as the herb breathed, and she could just make out the small spines running along the leaf edge. She’d need to remove those before she tried anything with the herb, too risky to leave in.

Satisfied, she stuffed the container in her bag and sat down on the hill, looking out over the settlement. The hills of Raada undulated gently, the settlement lying on one of the flatter plains. From her position, she could just make out where the farm fields were, spread out in an area that finished with a cliff edge. It was a cool day, though the sun was high in the sky.

Barriss drew out her water canister and took a sip. She pulled the smallest of faces and smacked her lips. Even after two weeks and the best water filter she could purchase she still couldn’t quite get used to the slightly brackish taste of the water. She could see why Selda opted to import as much as he could. It wasn’t that the water was bad, of course, but it was a galaxy away from the cool and crisp water the Jedi Temple’s taps had spilt on demand.

But then again…so was she more or less…

She shook her head, stuffed the canister in her pack and got to her feet. She stretched her body out and then pulled her grey coat around her and carried on into the hills. There was one more task to take care of.

Barriss peered around the edge of the cave wall. It was dark inside but, because she knew what she was looking for, she could see the darker outline of the Eta-class shuttle.

Barriss nodded and started towards it. The first check was complete: it was still here. Now to check it still had power, no creatures had damaged it or, worse, it hadn’t been sabotaged. And then a quick scan of the HoloNet for an update on the galaxy. And…them.

She and Ahsoka had originally planned to take it in turns, but it had soon become apparent that Barriss’ chosen work took her out into the hills more and so it would be easier for her to take care of the task. She didn’t mind it either. She liked being out in the calm of the hills, away from the people, where she could feel the buzz of life through the Force without her having to reach for it.

Reaching was bad. It brought back…memories…

She tapped at a panel underneath the nose of the hull and the ramp descended. Barriss stepped into the shuttle, the lights snapping on, and she stood in the centre of the passenger hold, closing her eyes and allowing herself to feel the energy held within the shuttle.

She could feel the traces of her own presence from her previous visits, still fairly clear and strong. And…there was the ghost of Ahsoka’s presence, fading now but still detectable…and…

Nothing else.

She opened her eyes and nodded. Nobody else had visited. She ran through some of the diagnostics checks, confirming that the shuttle was still well fuelled and stored on energy and that there were no issues, leaks or damage caused to any systems. She deposited some of their credits into a drawer, adding it to the emergency pile, alongside some ration packs, just in case they ever needed to make a quick escape. Then she touched another panel on the wall and a second drawer slid out.

Inside were Ahsoka’s lightsabres. Her presence lingered on these, still powerful. The connection between a Jedi and their lightsabre was intimate in a way few could understand.

“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.”

Master Unduli’s words came back to her unbidden. The kyber crystal chose the Jedi, their emotions and feelings resonated with the crystals and the emotions contained within would flood back to the user. And the construction of the hilt, the materials used, the shape, the style...all that was personal to each wielder. No one blade was ever like another.

It was a symbiotic relationship, a symbolic representation of living beings relation with the midichlorians.

She reached out and picked up Ahsoka’s main sabre, holding it and turning it over in her hand. Just checking to see it was in good condition, she told herself, but really she held it because…

Because it calmed her.

Soothed her.

She’d had two lightsabres. Her first gathering had been with her clan. She’d been so excited on her journey to Illum, they all had been. There, she had found herself in a maze of ice, each slab working like a mirror reflecting herself back into her eyes. But each image had been distorted, changed in some way. Some of the images of herself she’d seen had been frightening, monstrous visages. She had been paralysed, terrified that these were visions of her future and if she went further into the maze she’d discover still greater horrors. Or worse be lost among them forever.

But she’d overcome her fear, had pressed on. She knew who she was, knew that the images didn’t define her, only she did, and her crystal had revealed itself to her at the end of the maze. She’d wept with joy and relief when she’d found it, before returning just before the ice sealed over.

Try as she might, she couldn’t remember if one of the images had been of her now.

She’d lost her first lightsabre at the first battle of Geonosis, the shock wave from a Geonosian sonic blaster knocking her off a battlement. Her lightsabre fell out of her hand and in all the chaos she hadn’t been able to retrieve it. She’d just run and crawled and cried her way across the opening conflict of the Clone Wars. Master Unduli had pulled her into a tight hug when she finally stumbled into the command centre, helped by two white armoured troopers she’d never seen before.

Somehow she’d survived. Sometimes she wished she hadn’t. It had all been much simpler back then…

Her second crystal had been easy to obtain. Master Unduli had accompanied her to Illum and she’d gathered the crystal more or less straight away with no trial, and built her lightsabre in the chamber where she found it on Illum. They had been attacked by chameleon droids but had managed to hold them off and reduce the damage to Illum before they’d been rescued by Master Yoda. She’d been so proud. She’d saved Illum and the Force knew she was worthy of her crystal, so worthy she hadn’t needed a trial.

It was only years later that she realised that the Force had given her a crystal because it knew she was unworthy of it in the same way someone might chuck some credits at an irritating busker. Not to reward them but in the hope they’ll shut up and go away.

She’d realised this when she sheared through her own lightsabre with Ventress’ blade--

Barriss dropped Ahsoka’s lightsaber like it was a hot stone, and slammed the panel closed. She stepped back and breathed deeply, calming herself.

She didn’t deserve a lightsabre. She wasn’t worthy of one.

Barriss turned and walked to the cockpit of the shuttle. It was time to catch up on the HoloNet.

Barriss sat beneath her tarp at the market and pounded the herb resting in the stone mortar to powder with her pestle. She’d dried out the herb on the shuttle, whilst scanning the HoloNet, the shuttle scanner being able to boost the signal to pick up news from the Mid-Rim, which was far more accurate than the patchy reports Raada picked up. What she’d read lent her strikes strength.

The Separatists had been pushed back into the Outer Rim and various worlds were under siege. It seemed like a stalemate was in effect, despite the Separatists losing their holds on several of their key Mid-Rim worlds. The Outer Rim was vast, so the war could be going on for a few years yet. And yet there was no talk of opening any kind of negotiations.

No word from the Jedi.

Barriss slammed the pestle into the mortar and paused. She was in danger of overdoing it and she forced the news out of her mind. Tried not to think about the presenters lamenting the villainy of the Separatists in using ‘people shields’, which she knew from her own experience was code for the Republic forces ‘bombarding heavily populated urban areas’. Why weren’t the Jedi doing anything?! Wasn’t Kenobi known as ‘the Negotiator’? Why wasn’t he making good on that?

Barriss, you just told yourself to stop thinking about it. So stop.

She breathed out a sigh.

There was no news on her and Ahsoka at least. They’d stayed in the news cycle for about half a week before drifting out of it.

She examined the powder she’d created and nodded. It was good enough. Now to add some oil to make a paste…

A shadow fell over her and she looked up, startled. But it was only Marm, the pudgy human woman smiling down at her. “Hello Barlumi,” she said, cheerfully. 

She put on a smile. “Hello. How may I help you?”

“It’s my son,” Marm explained. “He’s got a cough and sore throat that doesn’t seem to go away. I was wondering what you might recommend?”

Barriss frowned, contemplating. “Has he described how his throat feels?”

“He says it feels dry and scratchy.”

“Does he have any trouble swallowing?”

“No. It’s painful, but he can do it.”

“And no vomiting or nausea?”

“Thankfully not.”

Barriss nodded and scanned her wares, neat packs of herbs and pastes and powders laid out across the cloth. Based on the description it sounded more like a viral throat infection of some kind, rather than strep throat. Nasty but nothing too serious. She plucked up a tied cloth of nettles. “Infuse hot water for ten minutes with these, about two leaves per cup should suffice. Have him drink it twice a day and it should clear things up. If there’s no improvement in five days, let me know and I’ll examine him.”

“That’s wonderful, thank you!” She sounded relieved as she took the pack. She took out her wallet and glanced up. “How much do I owe you?”

“It’s ten credits,” Barriss said, quashing the part of her that wanted to give it for free. She knew Marm’s circumstances weren’t great and it made her extremely uncomfortable to have to charge. But…well, she’d done worse things she was uncomfortable with.

Marm grimaced slightly and glanced into her wallet. “Could you settle for five?” she asked, voice quiet and embarrassed.

Barriss smiled. “Call it seven.”

“Okay!” she said, with such genuine relief it made Barriss’ stomach turn. What was she going through that saving two credits could be considered such a big help? Marm passed over the money and thanked her before hurrying off.

Barriss stared at the credits in her hand and it felt like they were burning her, giving her an allergic reaction.

But as Ahsoka had, correctly, said they couldn’t afford to.

She stuffed the credits in her pouch and turned back to the powder, contemplating how much oil to add to get the salve just right.

Barriss opened the door and was confronted with the sight of Ahsoka, sitting on the cot, cursing with a towel pressed around her left hand. She was dressed in her new work clothes, a pair of form-fitting beige trousers, a utility pouch strapped to the left leg, paired with a sleeveless jacket with a high collar, and a pair of long fingerless gloves. “Oh great you’re back!” she said with relief and a smile. “Do you think you can help me?”

“What happened?” Barriss asked, stepping towards her and slinging her pack to the ground.

Ahsoka pulled a face. “I thought Kaeden was exaggerating when she said her thresher wanted to conquer the galaxy. But I really think it could give Darth Bane a stiff fight.” She grinned. “I still managed to fix it though.”

Barriss raised an eyebrow. “Implying that you could defeat Darth Bane?”

“He’d be about a thousand years old so I reckon I have a better than even chance.” Ahsoka gestured at her hand. “So, helping?”

Barriss rubbed at her chin, considering. “It depends…” she said evenly. “Can you afford the fee?”

Ahsoka raised a brow. “You’re not being serious…”

Barriss spread her hands, lip quirking into a smile. “If I break the rules for you I have to do it for everyone.”

Ahsoka stuck out her lower lip. “Am I to gather, Offee, that you’re angling for a deal?”

“Now that you mention it, I do have a new salve that requires a test subject…”

Ahsoka sighed. “Fine, I’ll be your Tooka Cat.”

“Great!” Barriss rummaged in her pack for the salve.

“This had better work…” Ahsoka muttered.

Barriss stood up, the pot of salve, and a small vial of alcohol, in hand. “If it doesn’t I promise to give you the special treatment,” she said, sitting next to Ahsoka on the cot. She gently took her hand and turned it over, peeling the towel away. She frowned. It was a bad cut across the palm, one of the thresher blades presumably. She dreaded to think how nasty the cut could have been if Ahsoka hadn’t had Force enhanced reactions.

“So what is this miracle salve you want to try?” Ahsoka asked, wincing as Barriss cleaned the wound with a splash of alcohol.

Barriss slicked a bit of the salve on her finger. “It’s a herb that Tibbola told me about—”

“You’re testing some quackery from Tibbola on me?! I thought you liked me…”

“—chinta, he called it. Supposedly it’s good for cuts and burns.” She smoothed the salve along Ahsoka’s cut, Ahsoka’s fingers twitching slightly as it was applied. When the cut was covered Barriss pulled back, but kept the palm open, observing.

“How does it feel?” she asked.

“Not bad…” Ahsoka murmured. “Kind of cooling.”

Barriss nodded, mentally taking notes. She studied it closely, saw the trickle of bleeding halt and the bruising around the wound recede. It seemed like…it was working the way Tibbola had said it would.

“It’s almost like bacta,” Ahsoka commented.

“Though arguably more powerful. This is quite a crude state I have it in. Were it to be refined, the healing properties of it would be exceptionally more dramatic.”

“Wow…good thing it’s on a planet that’s so far out of the way.”

“Yes. If either the Republic or the Separatists knew…”

“…yeah…”

It would be like with the Bota plant, Barriss' last mission before…the wasteland Drongar was turned into…all for nothing…

“Well, fortunately, it isn’t,” Barriss said, shaking off the thought. She picked out some bandages and wrapped and tied them tightly around Ahsoka’s palm. “We’ll see how well it progresses. But don’t take off the bandage--”

“Without your proper medical approval and examination, yes I’ve got it.”

Barriss looked sourly at her and Ahsoka grinned as she stood up. “Oh, by the way, Kaeden’s invited us to a girl’s night,” she announced as she stepped away.

Barriss blinked. “A…girl’s night…?”

“Yes. Though apparently not a traditional one with, and I quote, ‘pyjamas, bad movies, drink and ‘experimenting’’.”

Barriss frowned. “Experimenting? As in scientific experiments?” She had an odd image of girls in pyjamas, getting drunk and playing around with chemicals or ignition burners. It…wasn’t a comforting image.

Ahsoka shook her head. “I have no idea. She gave me a knowing look when she said it though, so I thought it was best to pretend I knew.”

“But this isn’t that?”

“No. They’re running a game night instead.”

“A game night?”

“Yes. Please come--it will be fun, I promise!” Ahsoka clapped her hands together, then hissed and shook out her left hand. The gesture, minus the hand shaking, was one of Kaeden’s.

Barriss drew in a deep breath and then sighed it out. She supposed it at least couldn’t end as badly as the last game night Ahsoka had dragooned her into. “All right,” she said at last. “I’ll come.”

“Great! Thank you!” Ahsoka beamed and then rummaged in her pack and took out a well-worn book and shoved it into Barriss’ hands. Barriss looked at the faded cover bewildered. She could just make out the title: ‘Temples and Krayt Dragons’. “You need to read this so you can create a character. For the game.”

Barriss frowned up at her.

“You said yes.”

Barriss glowered then flung herself onto the bed, hunched her shoulders and sulkily cracked open the book and started scanning the pages.

Ahsoka grinned. “Okay, I’ll handle cooking whilst you do that.”

Barriss stomach twitched, but her face stayed carefully neutral.

Ahsoka picked up on something regardless and narrowed her eyes at her. “You have something you want to say?” she demanded.

“No,” Barriss said immediately, not looking up.

Ahsoka glowered then turned to the kitchen units.

Barriss leg twitched and the words slipped between her eyes. She shouldn’t say something, she should just let it pass, but she couldn’t help it, as the thought of vegetables nuked in something akin to rhydonium and swimming in grease came back to her.

“Maybe use a little less oil this time,” she said very quietly.

“I knew it!” Ahsoka crowed, half in exasperation and half in victory.

Kaeden beamed at them when she opened the door. “Hey Ashla, Barlumi, great to see you here!” She swept both of them into a hug, Barriss cringing back from the contact, and then, keeping her arms around their shoulders, she guided them into her and Miara’s house. It was larger than theirs, but not by much, and located closer to the centre of the settlement. A kitchenette was to one side, with two cupboards set at the wall opposite. The back of the house was closed off by a wall, though to Barriss it looked like a fairly thin partition. Two doors led through, presumably to Kaeden and Miara’s respective bedrooms.

A table that could accommodate six was set in the middle of the room: Miara sat at the head of the table, a book laid out in front of her and Neera sat to her right, both with drinks in front of them. A pot of snacks was set out in the centre of the table, some dried vegetables cut thin and turned crispy and salty that Barriss was very reluctant to admit she found irresistible. They both looked up and waved at them when Kaeden announced their presence.

“So, Barlumi is having water. Do you want a beer Ashla?” Kaeden asked, heading for the kitchenette.

“Uh…well…maybe just one…” Ahsoka replied tentatively. The memories of the last time she’d drank too much hadn’t entirely faded.

They arranged themselves at the table, Kaeden bringing the drinks over and sitting next to Ahsoka on Miara’s left, Barriss opposite Ahsoka, and surreptitiously plucking a crisp and munching on it. Miara frowned at the book in front of her, which Barriss saw also had a notebook with neat handwriting on it, and then looked up. “Is everyone ready?” she asked.

“Waiting on you, Temple Master,” Kaeden said.

Miara shot her a look and then glanced at Ahsoka and Barriss. “Have either of you played a role-playing game before? Where you have to pretend to be characters you're not and act?”

Ahsoka and Barriss exchanged a look. “A little…yeah…” Ahsoka said.

“Good, so I can skip most of that stuff. Okay, then Barlumi, who is your character?”

“Um, well, I am, that is Barlumi in the game, is a ‘rogue’ and a ‘medic’,” Barriss said, feeling intensely silly but pushing past it. She had promised to give it a go. Studying the book she’d found that medic and rouge were two classes that were allowed to ‘pair’ and would complement each other well. The medic could heal party members and also make use of herbs in the environment to create ‘stat boosting’ potions. The rouge, meanwhile, had special abilities for sneaking around and unlocking doors and chests, as well as greater ‘agility’ and was proficient with a bow, meaning Barriss would be hard to kill and could also keep a distance from the action, darting in to provide medical help as needed.

Miara nodded, writing in her notebook. “Good choices…Neera?”

Neera snapped an invisible sword into a salute. “I am Neera, former Knight of the Realm, single class,” she declared, putting on a stentorian voice. Single-classes gave special abilities; Barriss had considered it for either the medic or rouge but found that the combo worked better on balance.

“Very good…” Miara scribbled. “Kaeden is a mage and priest combo because she always wants to be the Jedi.”

“I might not be!” Kaeden objected over Neera’s snigger.

“So what are you?” Miara asked with a raised brow.

“…a mage and a priest. But you didn’t know that!” Neera laughed and Ahsoka joined in.

“And finally Ashla.”

“I am a warrior princess,” Ahsoka announced.

Miara frowned. “You can’t be a warrior and a princess, the classes are incompatible.” Barriss had to stop herself from nodding. It was clearly set out on the table which classes could pair and which couldn’t, but she didn’t want to join the dispute.

“Oh come on!” Ahsoka protested. “There’s no reason why you can’t be a warrior and a princess! Loads of places have them!”

“Yeah, sis, haven’t you heard of feminism?” Kaeden chided.

“And wasn’t there some old HoloDrama about a warrior princess?” Neera added.

Miara coolly scanned the room. “Fine,” she said, seeing she was outnumbered. “Ashla can be a warrior princess. I’ll just have to decide which abilities she can’t get from each class…”

Kaeden and Neera gave a mock cheer, raising their arms, and Ahsoka grinned at them, looking a little sheepish. Barriss frowned. If she’d known unusual combinations were going to be permitted she would have gone for a medic and mage combo. But it was probably too late to change now.

Miara finished her last scribbles and then looked up. “Okay, are we ready to begin?” she asked.

“Hang on, backstory point,” Neera said, raising a hand. “How did Ashla and Barlumi meet?”

Barriss blinked. “I thought we explained at Selda’s?” she said.

Neera rolled her eyes. “No, in the game. If you’re a rouge and she’s a princess how did you two meet?”

“Oh. Right.” Barriss looked at Ahsoka, who was also drawing a blank.

Miara rubbed at her chin, skewing her lips to the side. “Let’s say that, when they were young, Barlumi was on a spying mission, Ashla discovered her and tackled her and accidentally knocked them both into a pit and they bonded overnight before escaping.”

“Awww…a romantic night?” Kaeden teased.

“No!” Barriss and Ahsoka said, then exchanged an embarrassed look, both blushing, to laughter from the others.

“Okay, now we can begin,” Miara said. She took a deep breath, composed herself and then raised her hands, splaying her fingers and putting on a storyteller's voice. “The land of Bendu is under the control of the evil Empire. A brave band of Resistance fighters is the only hope for restoring freedom and justice.” She paused dramatically. “You are part of the Resistance.”

Ahsoka looked at Miara with a smile, eyes alight, enjoying herself and getting pulled into the story. Barriss, meanwhile, was wondering what it was that made the Empire ‘evil’ and what the Resistance actually stood for. Or perhaps it was intentionally vague? For them to fill in the blanks themselves?

“The Resistance has learned of the existence of a magical artefact of great power,” Miara continued, “which the Emperor himself is said to fear. Desperate for any help that can have, the Resistance has sent you to the Temple of Nar’Urta, the supposed location of the artefact which could change the direction of the struggle.” She paused. “But know this: the Emperor has also learned of the artefact’s location and your plans. In an attempt to stop you he has dispatched his most feared and deadly lieutenant: The Enforcer.”

Another dramatic pause.

“Your party arrives at the Temple of Nar’Urta,” Miara said, now back to her normal voice “It is a vast and imposing temple, made of many levels and pillars, but it is also broken and cracked in many places. Nobody has trespassed here for a long time.” A beat. “The tall and imposing gates stand before you, locked tight. What do you do?”

“Barlumi, you’re up!” Neera announced in her ‘Knight’ voice, clapping Barriss on the back and nearly making her choke on the crisp she’d just inserted in her mouth.

“Oh, right…” Barriss said, between chews and then silently berated herself for speaking with food in her mouth. She discreetly rubbed her back against the chair, and there was an awkward pause, punctuated by a slight giggle from Ahsoka, as she chewed and swallowed. One of the rogue specialisms was opening locks, so that was likely why Neera had volunteered her. “I suppose I, that is Barlumi in the game, will attempt to unlock the gates?”

“Okay,” Miara said. She flipped an unusual die to Barriss, diamond-shaped and twenty-sided. “At your current level, you’ll need to roll a ten or higher to succeed.”

“Well if I don’t this will be a very short game…” she muttered, unaware of the laughter she drew. She was thinking about using the Force. If she did so, she could easily get the right roll but…that wouldn’t at all be in the spirit of the game. But if she failed the game would end and that wouldn’t be any fun, so perhaps it would be better to cheat and make the game go on? No, no that didn’t make any sense. Presumably, Miara would have backup plans if this first effort failed. Better to play fair.

Barriss rolled the dice and, after a moment of tumbling, the number 12 came up.

“You succeed!” Miara said, drawing a cheer from the others and Barriss breathed a sigh of relief. Ahsoka grinned and gave her a thumbs up which made her smile diffidently. It wasn’t like she’d done anything, after all, it was just luck. “The Temple gates grind open as Barlumi’s lock picking skills trigger the activation sequence. The main entrance hall is now before you.”

“I guess we’re going in!” Ahsoka declared. “Come on guys!”

Barriss blinked. Apparently, her ‘charge ahead’ attitude extended into a game world as well.

“You enter the large entrance hall,” Miara intoned. “It’s pitch black, the dim contours of shapes and statues visible only through the splash of light that comes through the entrance, spilling like paint over a canvas. However, when Kaeden passes through the arch of the Temple the lanterns suddenly come alight! The fires sputter and reveal a circular room with three separate pathways, enclosed by great arches. And next to each pathway is a large statue, cobbled out of stone, each twenty feet tall and wielding a giant axe.” Miara passed the dice to Kaeden. “Roll Kaeden.”

Kaeden pulled a face as she took the dice. “Why do you always pull this stuff with me?” she muttered.

“Because you insist on being the magical character. Now roll.”

Kaeden sighed and chucked the dice, and it came up with a 7.

“You fail!” Miara said with glee and Kaeden groaned and banged her head onto the table. Ahsoka chuckled and gave her a sympathetic pat on the back as Neera made booing noises. “Suddenly rocks crumble from the statue next to the middle pathway, a fine layer of dust spilling down. And then the statue moves, one giant step thudding forward and it hefts its mighty axe up. A single eye in the middle of its face ignites, glowing a horrible violent red.” Miara looked innocently at the group. “What do you do?”

Barriss flicked her eyes around the table nervously. Obviously, as the archer she should take charge here, the red-eye was a fairly obvious weak point. She had range and could attack without the others being risked. Yes, it was the most logical thing to do. She swallowed and opened her mouth to volunteer--

“I attack!” Ahsoka shouted, banging her fist on the table and making everyone and the bowl of crisps jump. She snatched up the die with a grin. “What do I need?”

Miara blinked, looking completely caught off guard. “Uh…well, roll for it and see what happens I guess.”

Ahsoka flicked the die out of her hand and it bounced and clattered on the table, twirled briefly and then came up on the 20.

Neera let out a laugh of surprise, Miara’s jaw dropped and Kaeden grinned and gave Ahsoka a good-spirited shove. “You got a natural twenty on your first roll!” she said, excited.

Ahsoka shrugged modestly. “Beginners luck I suppose,” she said.

Barriss planted her right elbow on the table and put her cheek on her fist, narrowing her eyes at Ahsoka.

“Hey, Temple Master, what’s the narration?” Neera asked.

Miara snapped out of her wide-eyed stare. “Oh, right, right!” she said, flustered. “Uh, well, Ashla races forward and dodges a mighty swipe from the statue's axe. She charges up the statue, using the cobbles as footholds, and then leaps up and stabs her blade through the statue's eye. The statue crumbles to dust and Ashla lands gently, standing in the middle of the ruined enemy.”

Kaeden slapped her hands on the table in glee. “You know that’s the first time I’ve ever seen Miara caught out like that.”

Ahsoka laughed. “This calls for a victory pose.”

Miara smiled and shook her head. “All right. Roll for it.”

Ahsoka picked up the die and flicked it out of her fingers. It clattered to the table and rolled up on the 1.

Kaeden and Neera howled with laughter, as Ahsoka turned a half-lidded glare and a raised brow on Barriss. Barriss looked away and casually sipped at her water. “I guess beginner's luck can net you both extremes,” she said.

“Okay,” Miara said through giggles. “Ashla strikes a dynamic victory pose, but some sand gets in her eyes and she messes up her footwork and accidentally stabs herself through the foot.”

“Well, that’s great…” Ahsoka muttered. “Now, I wonder if there’s anybody here who has medical knowledge who can help me?”

Barriss spluttered her water, flustered. “Oh, right, of course. Um, well I, that is Barlumi, goes over to assist Ashla.”

“Okay, roll the dice,” Miara said.

“Why do I need to roll the die?” Barriss protested. “I have extensive medical knowledge!”

“Well, the foot is a collection of a lot of important veins and tendons that she could have easily sliced,” Kaeden said. “Or she could have stabbed through bone, I dunno about Togruta but there’s nearly thirty in a human foot, so if it wasn’t a clean stab there could be all sorts of damage.”

Barriss stared and Kaeden blushed, seemingly to realize what she’d said and scratched at her cheek. Ahsoka grinned. “Yeah, Barlumi. Surely someone with extensive medical knowledge would know--”

Barriss sourly rolled the die. “Ten,” she announced.

“There’s no substantial damage and you successfully bandage the wound,” Miara announced. She scribbled in her notebook. “I’m knocking two points of Ashla’s agility score, but we’ll roll for it again in a bit to see who well and how quickly it heals.” She put down the pen and smiled. “So, with the statue taken care of, which pathway do you take?”

“Did you have fun?” Ahsoka asked.

“It…passed the time,” Barriss replied.

“Okay.” Ahsoka paused and then sighed. “Look, could you just tell me honestly and straightforwardly how you felt? I don’t want to unintentionally force you into doing things you don’t like and…I know you’re not always comfortable around people.”

“I am not uncomfortable around people,” Barriss said automatically.

Ahsoka gave her a wry smile. “I’ve known you for four years. Credit me with at least a little understanding of you.”

Barriss blushed ever so slightly. “I…I like Kaeden and the others and…it was entertaining.” And you were having fun… Barriss glanced up at her and quirked a smile. “Does that absolve you of any guilt you may have about asking me to continue the game so you can see part two?”

Ahsoka grinned. “You know me so well!”

After about two hours Miara had called an end on a cliff-hanger. The Enforcer had caught up with them, seemingly killed ‘Ashla’ in a duel, and had also dramatically been revealed as Ashla’s half-brother.

Miara could certainly spin a tale.

“I concede that it at least has not ended as badly as the last game night you forced me into,” Barriss said, in an attempt at teasing.

Ahsoka looked quizzically at her.

“You don’t remember? How we ended the night shimmying around the outside of the Temple in the freezing cold having just escaped the regard of an irate Master Windu?”

Ahsoka’s expression cleared and a goofy smile touched her face. “Oh yeah! When Zonder snuck in the HoloConsole!” She laughed. “I still can’t believe you agreed to come along.”

“It’s because you asked, I wouldn’t have done it for anyone--” Barriss cut off, realising what she was saying, and sunk her head deeper into her hood. But Ahsoka appeared to have not noticed, looking far away.

“Those were the days…” she said quietly. Then she grinned. “Did I ever tell you the coda to that story?”

Barriss frowned. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Oh well a couple of days later I went to see Anakin in his quarters and I caught sight of the HoloConsole among his things.”

Barriss lit up. “You didn’t!”

Ahsoka nodded with glee. “I did! He caught me looking and was very sheepish!”

They both laughed as they made their way back home.

Chapter Text

Kaeden observed Ashla as she worked on Hoban’s thresher, like all of them a squat and scuffed machine that needed to be pushed by hand, the blades held on the underside, with a coolant pipe sticking up the back that steam would puff out of. It was always interesting to see her at work, the skill she displayed working with mechanical items and how she always got them to run better, even when she had a few pieces leftover and had no idea where they went.

Well…all right if she was being honest it was also the sight of her biceps curling and the way her white facial markings would bunch together when she concentrated that Kaeden found alluring. But that was all part of the repairing process, so it’s not like it was completely independent.

She was staring. She shouldn’t do that, and not least because she’d just caught Miara smirking at her with a knowing look. Kaeden turned away and sipped from her water canteen, hoping her blush wasn’t visible. The field of crops stretched out across to the cliff-face where it suddenly ended. The crops weren’t too high yet, hitting about half height. Tricky to walk through, but not at the dangerous point of not being able to see where you were going. More than a few of them had had near-death encounters coming to the abrupt end of the field and the sheer drop behind it.

“You really have a way with machines,” Hoban said, impressed. Kaeden turned her gaze back.

“Oh, machines aren’t complicated,” Ashla replied as she stood up. “They just require a bit of a delicate touch.” She touched the activation switch in the thresher, but nothing happened. She gave its motor a swift kick and it spluttered to life and Ashla smiled sweetly and wiped her greasy hands with a cloth as Hoban laughed.

“Looks like Hoban’s intrigued,” Miara’s singsong voice hit Kaeden’s ear. “You’d better hurry up or you might miss out…”

“Shaddap!” Kaeden growled, blushing furiously, and flung her canteen at Miara, who giggled and caught it out of the air.

“Does this mean I can drink your water?”

“Only if you fill it up.”

Miara drained the canteen and grabbed up her own, heading towards the well. Near the well, they had left the malfunctioning speeder rotator, a large and square machine, with a snub nose and set of rotating planter blades at the back. It had a long history of breaking down, but fortunately, it wasn’t needed just yet. Ashla had been spending some time attempting to repair it, but thus far hadn’t made much progress.

“What was that about?” Ashla asked, startling Kaeden as she plonked herself down beside her.

“Huh? Oh! Nothing.” Kaeden forced a laugh. “Just an annoying little sister being an annoying little sister.” She wished she hadn’t thrown her canteen so she could drink from it. She was feeling hot now.

Ashla smiled.

“You’re really good with machines and droids!” Kaeden blurted and then had to consciously restrain herself from slapping her hand to her face. Great, I’m repeating Hoban’s drivel now…two whole weeks of being normal and now I’m turning into a gibbering idiot…

“Thanks, my Ma--brother taught me,” Ashla replied, and then seemed to flinch and look distant.

Kaeden frowned slightly. She hadn’t mentioned a brother before, and from the way, she was looking it seemed like this was a sensitive topic. Which she guessed it would be as she had left her family, even if they did know about it. But she was intrigued…

“I…uh…he sounds cool.” Great work Kaeden…

“Yeah, he is…” Ashla smiled a sad and soft smile. She looked down at her hands. “The best…”

“So um…well…” Ashla looked up at her. Please don’t let this sound racist… “From what I understand,” for which read ‘scanned through the limited HoloNet access they got on Raada’, “Togruta don’t have much to do with technology, so how did your brother…?”

“Oh!” Ashla laughed, though whether it was a real laugh or that sort of nervous laugh people do Kaeden couldn’t tell. “I didn’t mention it, but I was adopted. By a human family.”

“Oh right!” Kaeden said, laughing as well, acting as if that solved the mystery. “So he was mechanically gifted then?”

“Oh yeah! He built droids, did podracing--”

“He podraces?!” Kaeden shouted, astonished.

“Swoop racing!” Ashla nearly shrieked. “I meant swoop racing, I always get those two mixed up!”

“I was gonna say…” Kaeden breathed out with a silly grin. “If he was a human and podracing he would have to be a Jedi or something!”

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Nope! Just me being silly!” Ashla brought up her canteen and gulped down the contents in three big swallows before removing the canteen, gasping and heaving for breath.

Kaeden was about to politely and subtly press for more details when Vartan passed by and said, sotto voce, “Look lively, Overseer.”

Kaeden snapped her head around to see a small skiff pass into the field and set down. From inside the white man, with short blonde hair wearing robes of red and gold, stepped out and walked towards them. A short baton that flayed out slightly at the end was held in hand and behind him, a protocol droid, dark blue in colour, got out on unsteady feet and followed at a torturously slow pace.

“Good day to you all!” the Overseer called.

“Overseer Gilligan,” Vartan called back. “A surprise to see you.”

“You know I like to keep an eye on things, Vartan,” Gilligan said, beaming. “That’s the overseeing part of being an Overseer. Speaking of which…” He looked pointedly at his chronometer.

Vartan smiled. “We worked a bit longer before taking the break, so we’re keeping up with the allowed time.”

“If you say so,” Gilligan said in a bored tone. “I suppose the activity monitors will tell us whether anything needs to be docked.” He turned his attention to Ashla. “Ah, now I presume this Togruta is the mechanic I’ve been hearing about?”

Ashla got to her feet. “That’s me!”

“Would you be able to take a look at my protocol droid?” Gilligan gestured behind him at the protocol droid that was struggling to get to his side as fast as they could. “C2-DE is an older model but it’s practically a family heirloom so I can’t get rid of it. I would be pleased if you could do any modifications or repair work that would get it running more smoothly?”

“I can certainly try. I’ll let you know the cost once I’ve done an examination of them.”

Vartan sucked his teeth and Kaeden sliced her hand back and forth across her throat, grimacing at the bemused Ashla.

Gilligan gave her a tight smile. “Well…swing by the admin building tomorrow and you can examine it. We can discuss…cost then.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Gilligan looked pointedly at Vartan and then spun on his heel and stalked back to his skiff, C2-DE about facing and hurrying after him. The skimmer floated up and then swept off along the field at a leisurely pace.

Kaeden breathed a sigh of relief and then grabbed Ashla’s arm. “What were you thinking?” she hissed. “You don’t charge an Overseer!”

Ashla frowned. “Why not?”

“It’s considered…how shall I put it?” Vartan said, moving over. “Bad form. Honestly, you’re lucky that Gilligan is one of the nicer ones. Rokun would have had you stun batoned for your insolence.”

Ashla’s eyes narrowed, her white brow markings pointing inward. “So they’re just bullies?” she growled.

“Bullies with stun batons,” Kaeden corrected. “It’s best not to antagonise them. For everyone.”

“Speaking of,” Vartan said, glancing at his chronotag. “We’re pushing this break to its limit.”

Kaeden nodded and stretched out her back as Vartan went off to let Hoban, Neera and Malat know they needed to resume. Kaeden frowned. Where was Miara? It surely wouldn’t have taken her than long to get to the well and bring back the canteens?

She turned around and recoiled. Miara was sitting in the cockpit of the rotator, looking like she was studying it and tapping things on the dash.

“Miara get down from there!” Kaeden shouted, storming towards her, making Miara jump. “I told you not to play on the equipment!”

“I wasn’t playing!” Miara protested, looking guilty. “I was just…seeing if I could fix it.”

“Get down from there!” Kaeden commanded.

“All right, all right…” Miara grumbled. She eased herself out of the seat and swung to the door--

And inadvertently hit the ignition switch.

Miara stared at it wide-eyed as the repulsors rumbled to life and the speeder started to move. “Oops…”

“Miara!” Kaeden shouted, running forward, as the others looked over picking up on the commotion.

“It’s all right, I can just turn it off!” Miara shouted and smacked the ignition switch. In response, the engine gunned to life and the speeder shot forward, knocking Miara off balance and onto the floor between the seats and the dash. Her foot caught around the lever adjuster, and she wrenched at it, trying to get her foot loose, becoming increasingly panicked as her foot refused to get out of the jam.

“Miara!” Kaeden shrieked as she ran after the speeder that was now streaking towards the cliff edge. Her heart pounded as her legs pumped, batting aside the crops that were slowing her pace, trying desperately to catch up and leap on board and do something before--

A blur whipped past her.

Kaeden blinked as Ashla seemed to fly, the crops parting in front of her. She was moving so swiftly and so smoothly she was nearly catching up to the speeder.

“Miara you need to jump!” Ashla shouted, coming close to the rotary blades, and shimming around the side of them.

“I can’t!” Miara cried in terror, tugging at her jammed leg. “My leg is trapped!”

“Think calmly! If your leg could get caught you can get it out!” Ashla moved up, so she was near running alongside the cabin.

“I can’t! I can’t!” But Miara took a breath and tried to push the fact that she was hurtling towards death out of her mind. Looking at it with less panicked eyes she saw what should have been obvious straight away. Rather than pulling, she twisted her foot around and pointed her foot and tugged it through the gap between the lever and the seat. “I’m loose!” she shouted in joy.

“Great! Now you need to jump, I’ll catch you!” Ashla held out her arms, waiting.

The cliff edge was coming closer--

Miara got to shaky feet and stood at the cabin side. She looked at the crops racing by, at Ashla running, arms held out. She swallowed, took a big breath, prepared herself--

Jump Miara! Kaeden thought. Just jump!

Miara braced herself, ready to leap--

When the speeder slewed and toppled over the cliff edge.

“No!” Kaeden shrieked, stumbling in her run. No! No no no no, please no, no!

Ashla slid to her knees and bent over the side of the cliff face, stretching out with her hands. Kaeden ran towards her, hysterical. “Is she dead?! Did you catch her?! What’s going--?!”

“Shut up!” Ashla shouted, making Kaeden stumble back. “I need to concentrate!”

“Concentrate?” Kaeden was so bemused her terror receded for a moment. “Concentrate on wha--?” She peered over the edge and gasped, jaw dropping and eyes bugging. She couldn’t process what she was seeing.

Ashla’s arms were extended out and down, but she wasn’t holding Miara. Instead, Miara, terrified, face streaked with tears, was floating in mid-air, the speeder smacking into the ground far below with an echoing bellow.

Kaeden looked over at Ashla, her face beaded with sweat, her body trembling. “Y-you’re a--a Jed--”

“Please,” Ashla pleaded. “I need to concentrate, I can’t let it happen again, I need to concentrate.”

Kaeden shut her mouth and knelt down. She watched as Miara slowly moved up towards Ahsoka, moved closer and closer until she could reach out and grip Ashla’s hand…

Ashla clasped Miara’s wrist with both of her hands and let out what sounded like a whimper of relief. Kaeden moved over and reached down, Miara reaching up with her other hand and she clasped her arm. Together she and Ashla hauled Miara up and over the side.

Ashla slumped back on her haunches, breathing heavily, and then she put her hands over her face, trembling. “I did it…I did it this time…I didn’t drop her…” she sobbed quietly.

“Are you all right?!” Vartan shouted as he and the rest caught up, fighting and stumbling their way through the crops.

“Yes, we’re fine we…” Kaeden stared at Ashla, then swallowed and pulled her gaze away. “Miara caught the side of the cliff and Ashla was able to help her up.” 

Ashla sucked in a deep, shuddering, breath, wiped her eyes and nodded her thanks to Kaeden. Kaeden turned to Miara, who was shivering and shaken, staring at Ashla. “Are you all right?” she asked, reaching a hand out to touch her sister’s arm, making her jump.

“Y-yeah I’m…I’m fine,” Miara replied, voice trembling. “I think I peed myself.”

Kaeden laughed a little, her voice almost breaking into the hysterical. “That’s all right. That’s okay, that’s…” She scrunched her eyes shut, squeezing the tears out of them. “Damn it Miara!” she shouted, unable to contain herself, making Miara flinch. “When I tell you something is unsafe don’t go near it! I can’t lose you Miara, I can’t!

Miara’s lower lip trembled and then she burst into tears and threw herself into a hug, Kaeden wrapping her arms around her tightly, holding her head and whispering that everything was okay in her ear. “I’m sorry Kaeden,” Miara sobbed. “I’m sorry! I won’t do it again I promise, I’m sorry!”

“Get Torc’s team on the line, we could use some help,” Vartan said to Malat, who nodded and moved away to speak on her comm. “Better log this incident before we get docked pay,” he said to Hoban, who was already tapping at his comm.

Neera put a comforting hand on Miara and Kaeden’s backs and then peered over the side and grimaced. “I doubt even Ashla is going to be able to repair that...” she muttered.

As the group went about their tasks, Vartan crouching down to check that both Miara and Kaeden were all right and insist they take the day off, Ashla quietly got to her feet. Almost as if in a trance, she moved back across the field, stride unsteady, shaking her head and working to bring her shallow breathing under control.

On a rise, a short distance away, unseen by any of them, Gilligan’s skiff flew back towards the settlement.

Barriss sat cross-legged on a cushion on the floor, counting out the various credits they’d accumulated over the weak, dividing them into the neat piles, whilst also frowning at the disparate disordered scraps of paper that amounted to Ahsoka’s ‘receipts’ and ‘filing system’. It had been a challenge to get her to see the logic in doing that much and that ‘just remembering’ wasn’t a good enough system, especially not after the volume of their work increased with their better reputation. Although given the haphazard nature of said filing, she wasn’t entirely convinced she didn’t prefer the previous system...

A knock at the door drew her out of her thoughts. “Enter,” she said, without looking up and slipping some of the credits into a pouch.

“Oh, hey.”

Barriss looked up and blinked in surprise as Kaeden popped her head around the door. “Oh. Hello Kaeden, I’m afraid Ashla is out.”

“That’s fine. Actually, it’s you I wanted to see.” Kaeden slipped around the door and shut it behind her. She had her shawl wrapped around her head, an indication that she thought her hair was a mess. It looked like she’d just got back from working out in the fields.

That seems a bit harsh, Barriss thought, to be back at work so soon given what happened with Miara yesterday... The Overseers were not ones for compassion...

“Really?” Barriss set aside her work and folded her hands in her lap. “What about?”

Kaeden was quiet a moment as she worked out how to phrase something. “Did Ashla tell you what happened yesterday?” she asked.

“Yes.” Barriss suppressed a grimace. She remembered finding Ahsoka sat in the room, staring into space, her hands trembling slightly. She’d coaxed some of the story out but...not the whole thing. There was something that troubled her beyond Miara nearly dying, but Ahsoka hadn’t been able to relate the whole story. A walk on the hills seemed to settle her, but Barriss could still pick up on some of the turmoil inside.

“The…whole story?”

“About you knowing we’re Force-users? Yes.”

Kaeden breathed a sigh of relief. “Great. At least I don’t have to dance around that topic.”

Barriss furrowed her brows in confusion. What exactly is she wanting?

Kaeden wandered in, not seeming to have much in the way of a purpose. She eventually settled herself on the cot and dragged one of her toes along the ground. “It’s…been kind of nice to find out you’re Jedi I guess,” she said after a moment. “It’s nice to know that Jedi are people too.”

“Why? What would we be?”

Kaeden laughed. “Oh, I mean, I knew you were people, that Jedi were people, but it’s… how to say it...? You don’t always realize you’re people people you know?”

Barriss looked bewildered. She definitely did not know.

Kaeden blushed. “I’m explaining this badly. What I mean is that for...well out here anyway, you guys are more like myths than real. All we know is that the Jedi are supposed to be guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, that you can read minds and they kidnap children.”

Barriss blinked. “Okay…it isn’t true that we can read minds. We can sense emotions which can give clues but we can’t read thoughts. Not without effort anyway. And the Jedi don’t kidnap children. Force-sensitive children are gathered for the Temple by Seekers, and it is for their own good as Force-sensitive children can be a danger to themselves and others if they don’t learn control. And even then, the parents are given the choice and allowed the right to refuse.”

“Yeah but the kids don’t get a choice.”

Barriss frowned. “I suppose not, but they can choose to leave.” Although that was a very rare occurrence. Life outside the Order was...a scary prospect. Even on a simple farming settlement, it had taken both Barriss and Ahsoka time to get to grips with even the simplest of things.

“Like you two did?”

“Yes.” Barriss hoped the slightly hesitant tremor of her voice wasn’t detectable, but Kaeden didn’t seem to pick up on it.

Kaeden nodded, looking far away. “I suppose we’re kind of similar in that regard.” Barriss raised a quizzical brow, and Kaeden smiled sheepishly. “Believe it or not my dream as a kid was not to spend my life as a farmer on Raada. But being anything else was never a possibility for me. Regardless of what I might have wanted, I was always destined to be out working in those fields.” She paused for a moment as if pondering one of those long-ago dreams. “I think the hope was that, with me working, we could save enough to get Miara into an academy and give her options but…” She went quiet. “But after Mom and Dad died…well Miara’s options narrowed to the same as mine…” She was silent for a long moment and Barriss shuffled uncomfortably, not sure what to say or what she should say. Then Kaeden shook herself and forced brightness, and a smile, into her voice. “But you play with the hand you’re dealt, right? No sense wishing it was something different.”

“No...I suppose not...” Barriss chewed at her lip. She should say something, express some sympathy, but somehow everything she thought about saying just sounded inadequate or awkward. “I...I am sorry for your and Miara’s loss,” she said eventually. And then wanted to kick herself. It felt like such a small and stupid thing to say. She wished Ahsoka was here, she would know what to say and how to respond to this. She always did.

Kaeden nodded her thanks somewhat absently.

Barriss looked away slightly. She’d done the wrong thing. Said the wrong words, just like she always did. She’d never been able to get it right with the clones either, despite her best efforts. But there wasn’t anything else she could offer. She frowned. Although...there was one thing...

Barriss cleared her throat. “I…if you would like I can pass on some of my medical knowledge. To both of you. It might not be much but it might…do…something,” she said, somewhat lamely. “I...noticed that you seemed to know a bit about physiology so...maybe...”

Kaeden's smile was genuine. “That’s nice of you, Barlumi. I might take you up on it, thank you.”

Barriss let out a silent sigh of relief. She’d managed to find something to communicate with.

Kaeden shook her head and laughed ruefully. “Listen to me ramble about all this stuff. You can tell I’m trying to avoid the question I actually want to ask you.”

Barriss cocked her head. “What would that be?”

“Uh…well…you see…” Kaeden blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Are…are you and Ashla…together?”

Barriss frowned. “Well, yes,” she said, confused as to why Kaeden was asking a question with such an obvious answer.

Kaeden, however, nearly fell off the cot, stunned. “What? Really? You don’t act like it…” She frowned. “You know if you’re worried about prejudice you really don’t have to be. Everyone here is good with it.”

Barriss’ frown deepened, and she blinked a few times, completely bemused. What was she asking? How did prejudice enter into a question about whether she and Ahsoka were travelling--

It clicked.

“Oh--oh!” Barriss exclaimed, cheeks darkening and suddenly feeling hot. “You meant are we…in a relationship?”

“Uh…yeah?”

Barriss shook her head and waggled her hand. “Oh, no, no, no! No, we’re not, nothing like that.”

Kaeden laughed. “That’s uh…well I maybe could have been more direct with that…” She paused. Looked quizzically at Barriss. “Do you…like Ashla?”

“No,” Barriss said immediately. “I mean, yes, as a friend but not. No.”

“Okay…would you have a problem with me asking her out?”

“I…I…no, but…why?”

“You mean, why do I want to ask her out?”

Barriss nodded.

Kaeden blushed further and tilted her head, angling her eyes away. “Oh, well, you know…she’s kinda cute, the way she acts really confident and like she knows what she’s doing but is actually sort of just blundering about. She’s really chiselled, which I like. And she’s funny and kind and sticks up for people.” Kaeden paused with a small smile, as Barriss quietly pulled her head into her hood, picturing all of the qualities that had just been listed perfectly. “Plus her ass looks really good in those tight--”

“Yes, thank you!” Barriss cut in, cheeks getting even hotter, shoving that perfect picture out of mind.

Kaeden stuck her tongue out slightly. “Oop, sorry. Too much information?”

“Just a little.” Barriss took a breath. “I don’t have any…objections, to you asking, but I honestly can’t say what her response would be.”

Kaeden slid off the cot. “That’s okay, you never really know until you ask. That’s part of the fun.” She frowned. “Or at least it’s supposed to be, but honestly I just feel like throwing up in the run-up. I get really nervous, as you can probably tell by the fact that--”

The door swung open and Ahsoka stormed in. “That Gilligan is a complete and utter--!” She cut off her rant as she noticed Kaeden and Barriss both staring at her with wide eyes. “Oh, hey Kaeden!” she said brightly. “What are you doing here?”

“Guh…” was what Kaeden managed.

“Kaeden actually has something she wants to ask you,” Barriss said, trying to be helpful. She turned to gesture at Kaeden and then cringed when she saw the panic and sheer terror flooding Kaeden’s face. Had she done something wrong? But Kaeden said she wanted to ask! And Ahsoka was here so why not now?

“Oh really?” Ahsoka smiled. “What is it?”

“Uh…well I uh…w-was wondering…” Kaeden stuttered. She closed her eyes, paused, took a breath, steeled herself. “I was wondering if…ifyouwouldliketogooutwithme?” She blurted it all out in an incomprehensible rush.

Ahsoka blinked. Smiled politely. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

Kaeden took a breath and shut her eyes, fingers clenching tight. “Would you like to go out with me?” Kaeden asked, pronouncing each word clearly giving the question an odd cadence.

“Sure!” Ahsoka replied.

Barriss nearly fell over. Kaeden recoiled like she’d been hit. “What? Really?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“Why not?” Ahsoka said. She jerked a thumb at the door. “Do you want to go now or…?”

“Now?! Well I mean, sure! Not right now but if you, like, give me an hour or so I can get changed and braid my hair.” Kaeden inched her way over to the door, Ahsoka tracking her. “And get some stuff organised and then…yeah, I’ll swing back in an hour.” Kaeden grinned. “See you soon!” Then she dashed out of the door.

Ahsoka blinked and turned back to a stupefied Barriss. The polite smile still on her face she pointed over her shoulder. “Am I missing something?” she asked.

Barriss body collapsed inwards as she sighed. How was she going to explain this?

Overseer Gilligan pressed his fingers together, elbows resting on his nicely appointed Greel wood desk in the otherwise dark and crumbling office space. There was no doubt about it. It was definitely her. He had observed her closely when she’d come to repair C2-DE, a fine job she’d done as well he had to admit, and the markings on her face and her lekku were definitely the same. He’d seen her catch that child with the Force. There couldn’t be that many rogue Jedi Togruta in the galaxy, certainly not that many who travelled with Mirialan’s.

He leaned back in his chair and drummed the fingers of one hand on his desk. The trouble now was what to do with this information? Arresting them himself was out of the question; Jedi were not to be trifled with at the best of times, but particularly if they were rogues and were in possession of lightsabres. He knew enough about that terrifying Ventress woman to know that much.

The simplest solution would be to contact the Republic, but that presented its own issues. As a keen participant in corruption himself, he was able to recognise it in the Senate and the Republic Military and drawing institutions like that’s attention to Raada might not end well for him and the other Overseers. He was loath to do anything that might risk his own power base.

So that left one option: calling in a bounty hunter. The question there was who?

He leaned forward and tapped at his data terminal. What he needed was someone who was relatively inexperienced and was looking to make a name for themselves. Someone he could twist into providing a chunk of the bounties as a finder’s fee.

As he thought about it one name came to mind; someone young and new on the scene. They would be a perfect choice.

He keyed in the information, requesting he be contacted, and sat back. The request would be relayed to one of the nearby guilds, who would then send it on to one of the bigger guilds, who would then get in touch with the hunter. The hunter would then get in touch with Gilligan directly.

Gilligan absently drank his wine and played sabaac on his terminal. He didn’t know how long it would take, depending on the hunter's movements it could even be a day or so. So he jolted with surprise when his comm chimed about half an hour later, and he snatched it up and pressed the button to accept the call.

“This is Boba Fett,” the disturbingly young voice said. “What do you want?”

Chapter Text

“You should have told me!” Ahsoka shouted for the seventh time as she frantically threw clothes out of her drawer, looking for anything that could be deemed ‘acceptable’ for a date.

Barriss was being no help at all, clutching her stomach and laughing. “I didn’t have an opportunity!” she protested. “I could hardly explain whilst Kaeden was here.”

Ahsoka glowered at her. “We have a sign language Barriss, you could have used it!” She turned back and assessed her options. She wished she hadn’t left her maroon tunic behind on Onderon. She felt most comfortable wearing that. She still had the fine silk clothes from Onderon though…they looked smart, didn’t they? Maybe that would be best?

“What do people even do on dates?” she muttered.

“Surely you have your experience with Lux to inform you?”

Ahsoka fixed her with a glare. “We kissed twice for distraction purposes and that was it!” She didn’t even enjoy it, though given the circumstances maybe that wasn’t fair on Lux. But it certainly hadn’t been what the HoloDramas had led her to believe it should be.

“Twice?” Barriss fluttered her eyelashes in a way that was somehow both alluring and disturbing. “You rogue.”

“Shut up…” Ahsoka growled and turned back. Maybe the Onderon clothes are the best bet…

“For what it's worth I think your current clothes would be fine,” Barriss said, extending an uneti branch.

Ahsoka looked over her shoulder, puzzled. “Really? Why?”

Barriss blushed furiously. “Oh…well…K-Kaeden mentioned that she thought your…a-arse looked nice in them.”

Now Ahsoka blushed, the blue stripes on her lekku nearly turning black. She craned her head and tried to get a look at her own backside to make an assessment, though what exactly she was looking for she didn’t know. She was aware cultural ideas and standards could vary, though the lascivious assessment Lux had given her when they first met, combined with the half-dozen times she’d been shoved into a slave costume would suggest she had some level of attractiveness.

“Does it?” Ahsoka asked Barriss.

Barriss snapped her gaze up, looking like she was half a step away from a nosebleed. “H-how should I know?!” she shouted in indignation, cheeks somewhat improbably getting even darker.

Ahsoka’s response was cut off by a gentle knock at the door. 

They both went completely still.

“Do you think if we keep quiet and don’t move she won’t know we’re here?” Ahsoka whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

“It’s Kaeden, not a Chistori,” Barriss whispered back.

The knock came again. “Uh, Ashla?” Kaeden called, sounding slightly nervous. “Are you ready? Or are you undressed or…?”

Say what you like about Ahsoka Tano but she always leapt into action when the call came. Steeling herself she strode to the door. “Nope, I’m ready!” she called, opening the door. She paused and blinked at what she saw.

Kaeden was wearing a beige jacket over a white shirt and some form-fitting trousers, with a necklace of soft blue beads dropping to the crook of her neck. She seemed oddly demure, with a shy smile touching her lips. But it was her hair that most attracted Ahsoka’s attention. She’d braided it in cornrows, and two large strands swept around her forehead to the back like a circlet, before finishing in a larger single braid that dropped to the base of her neck. Almost like Ahsoka’s back lekku.

“Hey,” Kaeden said. “You look good.”

Ahsoka glanced down at her clothes. The clothes she’d been wearing all day, which now felt staggeringly inappropriate regardless of what they did or did not do for her butt. “I’m in the same stuff I was in earlier,” she said, a little guilty.

“Like I said, you look good.” Kaeden grinned.

Ahsoka’s lekku darkened. “You look nice too,” she blurted. She pointed at her hair. “I like what you did with your hair. It looks nice.” She wanted to kick herself. Come on Tano! You know more descriptive words than nice! “It looks cool,” she corrected, though she wasn’t sure that was better.

Kaeden seemed to like it though. She blushed and self-consciously ran a hand over her hair. “Thanks. It’s one I’ve been practising.”

“Well, it looks ni--great. I don’t have hair so there’s not a lot I can do to make these looks special.” Ahsoka gestured at her lekku and montrals. “Short of adding adornments anyway,” she added, suddenly becoming slightly self-conscious of the basic cloth headpiece that ran up between her montrals.

Kaeden laughed. “You don’t need to do anything, they already look cool!” She paused a moment, blushing. “So…” she carried on, breaking the silence. “I thought we could go for a walkout on the hills. It’d be quiet out there and I think both of us could do without…everyone else chiming in.”

Ahsoka nodded.

Kaeden gestured to the small bag strapped to her side. “I also put together some snacks. And we can just…talk.” She turned her head away slightly. “You know…if that sounds nice…?”

Ahsoka smiled. “It sounds perfect. Lead on!”

Kaeden returned the smile and started walking out towards the hills, Ahsoka following along behind. Kaeden paused and then looked back, cheeks darkening. “Um…d-do you want to hold hands?” she asked.

Ahsoka was thrown for a moment. But she guessed that hand-holding was something people did on dates. Or at least it’s what they seemed to do on dates. “S-sure!” she replied and reached out and took Kaeden’s right hand in her left. It felt warm and…comforting.

A sniggering noise came from behind her and Ahsoka shot a murderous glare over her shoulder at Barriss, who was leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed, a smile twitching at her lips. Kaeden gently squeezed her hand and Ahsoka snapped her head back and pasted on a polite smile as she and Kaeden walked off towards the hills.

Barriss watched them go. She heard the drifts of awkward conversation before they both laughed and relaxed. She felt Ahsoka’s presence change, the anxiety dying down, as she grew more comfortable. Then they were gone, indistinguishable in the dark.

Barriss’ smile withered. She rubbed at her arms and stepped back into the house, shutting the door behind her. She trembled, hands clenched into fists, eyes narrowed at the floor, lips twitching, as a cold and burning sensation rippled through her body. She stormed over to the bed, snatched up the pillow and pulled it back over her shoulder, snarling, ready to hurl it at the ground--

She paused. The snarl dropped. She slowly lowered her arm. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the pillow to her chest and rested her chin on it and stared miserably at the door.

It wasn’t fair to blame Kaeden or be angry at her. It wasn’t her fault. It wasn’t Ahsoka’s either. She didn’t know and Barriss…Barriss wasn’t going to say anything. Because what she felt was wrong. But that’s why it wasn’t fair because it was wrong, but there Ahsoka was. Going out with Kaeden because she asked. Having a thing with Lux.

But not her. Never her.

And why should she, really? After what Barriss had done to her.

Barriss took her right hand off the pillow and stared at it. It was the one that had been held. She had been sure they were going to die. But not Ahsoka. She’d always believed, believed Anakin would come to save them. And through the hand, the squeeze, warmer than the lightsabres they’d held...Barriss had believed as well. And Ahsoka had been right. They had been saved. And it had puzzled Barriss, puzzled her for a long time after. Because attachments were wrong but Anakin’s attachment had been what drove him to keep trying. And that connection she’d had with Ahsoka, at that moment, that warmth. That had kept her going.

At that moment she’d found the peace that Master Unduli always urged her to find, but she hadn’t found it in meditation or in acceptance of becoming one with the Force.

It had been the simple warmth of her hand. In someone who communicated, through her words and her squeeze, that she believed in Barriss.

She’d let that touch stay, stay for as long as she could keep it. It wasn’t the usual itchy and irritating sensation that was left on her skin. It was a soft, pleasant pulse that reminded her.

But what had been special for Barriss, for Ahsoka, had been the everyday. She hugged people with ease. Laughed with them with ease.

Held their hands…

Barriss crinkled her fingers. It was never going to be, deep down she knew that. But…all the same…

She couldn’t let the phantom go.

Ahsoka chewed on the dried strip of poultry and found that it was surprisingly tasty and not as chewy as she feared. Kaeden had spiced it with something, garlic and chilli she thought, that gave it a nice tingle as she chewed and swallowed. She looked over to compliment Kaeden and then had to hold back a laugh, as she saw the other woman struggle to bite off a piece and then her jaw worked overtime to chew it.

Sharp teeth had their advantages.

She looked out over the hills. In the moonlight, Raada seemed different. It was a vast ball of nothing that was true, but in the dark, the hills drifted in and out of sight, and the fields below settled into pools of light, broken by the cast of the shadows. The lights from the settlement provided another small contrast. It was calming. Almost beautiful in its way.

“So why did you leave?”

Ahsoka snapped her attention back to Kaeden, who had apparently managed to complete the chewing and swallowing of her food. “Leave what?” Ahsoka asked though she knew what she was asking.

Kaeden waved a hand. “The Jedi Order.”

Ahsoka grimaced and looked back out on the hills. “I guess...” How to phrase it? In a way that wouldn’t give her away, or make her sound like a monster? Strangely, she found that she cared about Kaeden’s opinion of her. That she didn’t want to disappoint her. “I...well, I guess since I was fourteen I’ve been fighting in a war and...” She shrugged. “It got a bit much. For both me and Barlumi. So we decided to run off.”

Kaeden nodded. “I take it the ‘big brother’ was your...teacher?”

Ahsoka smiled. “Master.”

“And he did actually podrace?”

“So he claims.”

Kaeden smiled back and lay down with her arms behind her head. “I get it you know?” she said, softly. “Why you left.”

Ahsoka wrapped her arms over her knees and looked at her.

“It must have been hard to...be involved in the war from such a young age. Against your will.” She laughed a little. “It’s not remotely the same thing, but I was really upset when my parents made me work in the fields. It’s not what I wanted in life. I was obstinate about it, and it was one of the few times my Dad ever got really angry with me.” There was the slightest, sad, twitch at her lips. “I really wanted to run away a few times.” Kaeden blinked away the memory and looked over. “So....yeah...I don’t know if that makes any sense?”

Ahsoka smiled slightly. “It does.” Except, of course, she hadn’t just left. She’d also bombed the place. Got people killed. And then ran away.

Her brow markings pointed inwards as she frowned, expression darkening. But I refuse to give them the easy way out...

Noticing the slight stress in the middle of her forehead from her frown, she consciously widened her eyes and flexed her fingers, pushing aside the guilt and anger that was coiling inside her like a snake.  You’re on a date, Tano. Happy thoughts and experiences.

“Say, can I ask you to do something?”

Ahsoka looked over and saw that Kaeden had a slightly shy, but also somewhat adorable, lopsided smile. “Sure, what?” Ahsoka asked, finding her own lips twitching upwards in response.

I should go for a walk...That will settle things. I can’t just stay in here, thinking... Barriss knew her own mind well enough to know that if she didn’t distract herself she’d just keep obsessively thinking about the same things over and over again, only with finer and more aggravating details. But in that case, maybe a walk wasn’t appropriate? She’d only be thinking whilst walking. And a night-time search for herbs wouldn’t exactly be the most productive thing to do, to say nothing of the strain it would put on her eyes.

Maybe Selda’s then? She cringed slightly from the thought. Yes, that would provide a distraction but then she’d be in a crowded and loud place, getting sensory overload and might not be able to last long before she’d have to run out anyway. Besides what if Vartan and the others were there? She’d have to interact and she wasn’t feeling up to it.

Barriss sighed and pushed herself up from the bed. Just a walk then. There might be something to distract herself with if she went along the streets. She flung on her coat, pulled her hood up and stepped outside. It was a cool night, not cold, with only a light breeze whistling through the streets. She looked left and right, wondering whether to head into the centre of town or further out. She hadn’t been out further before, but she didn’t think there would be much out there except increasingly dilapidated houses.

Her cape fluttered slightly, as the breeze got stronger. Barriss frowned. The change was sudden and persistent. And there was a rumble following it...like that of a...

She looked up as a large ship flew overhead. It was impossible to make out in the shadows except that it was roughly T-shaped, though curved, and as it passed overhead she saw the thrum of its engines: two circles and horizontal bar above them so that it almost looked like an upside-down face. Barriss narrowed her eyes as she watched the ship heading towards the settlement’s spaceport. A ship like that arriving...

A bad feeling wormed its way around her insides.

Her direction chosen, she moved quickly towards the spaceport.

“This. Is. Amazing!”

Ahsoka smiled with amusement at Kaeden’s joy, as she floated her high off the ground. She kept her arm stretched out and steady and her focus on Kaeden, holding her gently in the air even as the other woman delighted in twisting and moving, grinning all the while. Her enthusiasm for it was certainly infectious, and Ahsoka found that she didn’t have much difficulty in keeping her airborne.

“I can see really far! It’s so relaxing as well! It’s like being embraced by a nice warm hug, but you know it’s not actually there.”

“That is the...oddest description I’ve ever heard for it,” Ahsoka laughed.

“This isn’t difficult for you is it?” Kaeden asked, looking down at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka gave her a confident smirk. “Ha. ‘Size matters not’.”

Kaeden raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Is that a comment about my weight?”

“Huh? No! I was just...” Ahsoka cut off her panicked explanation and chuckled when she caught Kaeden’s teasing smile. “Old mantra a...wise Jedi got us to repeat,” she carried on. “It’s to teach us to trust in the Force and not be distracted by the material reality of an object. Of course, everyone then goes out and tries lifting up really heavy things and strains themselves, so we never could work out whether he was being genuine or just playing a practical joke...”

“Sounds like quite the guy,” Kaeden said with a laugh.

“Yeah...” Ahsoka’s thoughts drifted back to Master Yoda. Her feelings were...confused. On the one hand, he was part of the Council, the head of it and Grand Master of the whole Order, which meant he couldn’t be separated from responsibility for its corruption, its dark turn, and its failures. On the other hand, he was also one of the kindest, most patient and wise people she had ever met. I guess everyone is more complicated than they appear... she thought, with some sorrow.

“Could you swing me out over the hill?” Kaeden asked, interrupting Ahsoka’s train of thought. “That’d be quite cool!”

“Uh...” Ahsoka’s voice trembled, nervous--

--Steela--shocked--slowly receding from her--

“M-maybe not,” she said, swallowing. “Might be dangerous.”

Kaeden winced. “Oh sorry, I didn’t think...” She probably thought Ahsoka was thinking about the incident with Miara.

“It’s okay.” She remembered the way her hands trembled, the way she’d stared helplessly, the splashing mix of terror and hope and acceptance she’d felt through the Force before it all abruptly snapped out of existence.

She forced her focus back into the present moment. Happy thoughts and experiences.

Kaeden frowned and looked away as if trying to find something to get the mood back. “Can you use the Force to fly?” she asked, apparently hitting on a topic.

Ahsoka chuckled. “No, we can’t do that.” Then she frowned. Wait, why can’t we do that? I know we need to anchor, so maybe that’s why. But then we can push and pull mid-air and use it in zero-gravity... Her frown deepened, white marks over her brows bunching together. Maybe if I levitated Barriss and she levitated me...

“Uh...Ashla...? Slipping slightly.”

Ahsoka snapped her attention back and reasserted control. “Sorry! Just got a bit lost.”

“No worries. You can set me down now if you like.”

Gently, Ahsoka brought Kaeden down to the ground, where she twirled in delight. “That was so much fun! Thank you!”

“You’re welcome!” She smiled. “Honestly, it’s nice to see someone take so much joy in it.” It had been quite a while since she’d used her powers to just bring good into the galaxy, even if it was on such a small scale. And the feeling was like the warm glow of a flickering fire.

Barriss pressed herself against one of the ships in the spaceport and glanced around the side. The new ship was there, and in the lights, from the port, she could see some more of the details, the curving shape of the forward cockpit and the stubby wings, rotated flat now, with the large turrets at the base of the ship. An oblong plate curved below a jutting section on which the impressive turrets sat. It looked like a Firespray, though modified in some ways and what class she couldn’t say.

Light spilt from the ship. Two figures walked down it, one quite short and certainly no more than a boy, with a small cape about his shoulders and wearing a helmet, but he was followed by an imposing Trandoshan, dressed in a yellow jumpsuit with a white flak jacket, an impressive blaster rifle slung over his back.

“Stay with the ship,” the boy at the front called, “and keep an eye on things.”

“You got it!” a bright voice called from the inside.

Barriss frowned. They were definitely bounty hunters. She didn’t recognise them, but the way they were moving suggested some experience. They seemed to be moving with a purpose as well. Barriss’s heart sunk. They were most likely here for her and Ahsoka...but she didn’t want to panic just yet. Perhaps Tibbola had a secret criminal career?

Silently, Barriss followed after them, keeping well back and out of the line of sight. Fortunately, she was downwind from them so her scent wouldn’t carry to the Trandoshan’s sensitive nose. The bounty hunters made their way along the streets easily enough, the one in front occasionally checking something on his wrist. A map most probably. But judging by their course Barriss soon worked out that they were heading for the administration building.

One of the Overseers? More than likely but...

She paused and pressed herself back against a wall. Of course. Ahsoka had mentioned that an Overseer had been there on the day she’d saved Miara. The same Overseer whose droid she had repaired. It seemed entirely possible that he had seen her use the Force, and then used his opportunity to examine her.

Barriss nodded. That settled it. She had no need to take a risk and follow them further. They were definitely here for them. She glanced around the corner to make sure they were still going on their way and then darted back along the street.

She would have to do something about their ship. And then hope Ahsoka came back soon...

Overseer Gilligan reclined in his chair, fingers steepled, as the door opened and the person who was presumably Boba Fett walked in. Then he frowned as another, much larger and bulkier figure followed. A Trandoshan.

Gilligan hid his swallow. He hadn’t been expecting this.

“Ah, Mr Fett,” he said, covering any anxiety. “Delighted to meet you and of course for your swift response. Who is your friend, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“This is Bossk,” Fett replied, as he slumped into the chair in front of the desk. He took off his helmet, revealing the disturbingly young face for a bounty hunter, brown skin and close-cropped hair, eyes that were hardening but not quite there yet. “My partner,” he added. “So where can these two rogue Jedi be found?”

“Straight to business, I like that. First, though, I think we should discuss my finder’s fee--”

“Ten-percent.”

Gilligan frowned. “Now I hardly think that’s--”

“He said, ten-percent,” Bossk hissed. His lips peeled up to reveal his dagger-like teeth. “Unless you would like it to go lower?”

Gilligan smiled tightly. “Ten it is.” He cursed himself. The boy wasn’t quite the inexperienced whelp he’d been hoping for. And he hadn’t known he was travelling with companions like this...

“Good. Now, where can I find them?”

“I don’t know their exact address, but they usually frequent a bar called Selda’s. Friends of theirs normally hang out there.”

Boba Fett nodded, then stood and put his helmet on.

“You...ah...will try and keep collateral damage low?” Gilligan asked, suddenly feeling that this was a very bad idea and not just because he wasn’t getting as much as he hoped.

Fett exchanged a look with Bossk and then shrugged. “We’ll do our best. But accidents happen.”

Ahsoka wasn’t sure how, exactly, they had ended up at her and Barriss’ shuttle. Nor was she sure how Kaeden had persuaded her to let her play with her lightsabre. But, it must have been a damn good argument, or a really good use of Tactical Tooka Cat Eyes because there Kaeden was merrily enjoying the hum of the depowered shoto sabre as she swung it about.

“Miara is going to be so jealous!” Kaeden said with a grin as she spun the lightsabre in her hand. She’d taken her jacket off, so she was now in her white long-sleeved shirt, for ease of movement.

Ahsoka grimaced. “Please don’t tell her,” she said. “I’m not sure I can deal with her begging to let her try. And I doubt Barlumi would be too happy about this as well.”

Kaeden held the sabre in front of her face, the humming blade casting flickering shadows across her face, and smirked. “All right, your secret is safe with me. But I warn you, I’m not above blackmailing people.” Ahsoka laughed. “Is this supposed to be green or yellow?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “It’s a sort of greenish-yellow, I think. I normally think of it as green, my other one is.”

“Cool.” Kaeden attempted a twirl and slash and nearly fell over and giggled at herself, drawing another laugh from Ahsoka. Then her smile turned mischievous. “Hey, you said this was underpowered right?”

“Yeah, about the level that would normally be used by younglings.”

“So if I whack myself it’s not going to cut off my arm?”

“Nooo...”

“I’m going to try this.” Kaeden rolled up her sleeve and held the sabre up over her bare arm.

“Are you quite sure?” Ahsoka asked, putting a little lilt into her voice as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

“Oh definitely. If younglings can handle this I reckon I can.” Kaeden grinned and then slapped her arm with the sabre. “Ow!!” She dropped the sabre and shook her arm, hissing with pain.

Ahsoka burst into a laugh and summoned the lightsabre to her hand and deactivated it. “I did warn you,” she said, through gaps in laughter, clipping her sabre to her belt.

“You said younglings hit one another with this! Stings like a needle flower...”

“Well, it’s a good way of helping us to improve our focus.” Ahsoka stepped forward and took Kaeden’s arm. “Here, it helps if you rub it.” She rubbed the whacked spot on Kaeden’s arm vigorously. Then she suddenly realised she was holding and touching Kaeden’s bare skin, and her rhythm slowed and then paused.

“Don’t stop,” Kaeden said softly. “It feels good.”

Ahsoka carried on, at a slower rhythm. More of a caress really. The contact, and the warmth of Kaeden’s skin, was nice on her fingers. Intimate. It made the soft fire inside of her glow brighter and she didn’t really want to stop. She looked up and her cerulean eyes met Kaeden’s brown. There was a kind of glimmering intensity behind Kaeden’s eyes, her expression soft.

“C-can I kiss you?” Kaeden whispered. Ahsoka blinked. “I mean...if you want. I know you have some...Jedi hang-ups and things...”

Ahsoka smiled. “No, it’s okay. I mean, yes, you can.”

A smile flickered on Kaeden’s lips and she leaned forward, turning her head and Ahsoka did the same, going the other way. Their lips touched, feather-light at first, and then Kaeden pressed forward, moving her body closer, and the kiss deepened.

And Ahsoka found that she liked it.

It was warm. Pleasant. A soft, calming, feeling fluttered inside of her.

Kaeden reached a hand up behind her head, under her back lekku, and brought her in closer, opening her mouth. Ahsoka did the same, running a thumb over Kaeden’s cheek and drawing a soft moan that vibrated delightfully against her lips.

It felt different to how it was with Lux. Deeper. Stronger. Softer. It wasn’t a functional thing or anything else. A moment divorced of any context other than her and Kaeden. Peaceful. She wanted it to continue. The fire was growing, the kiss sending stabs of oxygen that made it more powerful, the touch of Kaeden’s fingers gently massaging her neck sparked and tingled and made her want more, want to push forward and--

She felt Kaeden’s tongue squirming into her mouth and Ahsoka jerked back, breaking the kiss. Kaeden froze, looking slightly silly with her tongue poking out between her lips.

“Thorry,” she said, then blushed and retracted her tongue. “Sorry,” she began again, “was that...too much too quickly?”

Ahsoka’s lekku darkened. “Uh...yeah...a little...also,” she opened her mouth and pointed at her canines. “Heh...sharp teeth.”

Kaeden ducked her head slightly and rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed. “Oh. Yeah. That might have been bad.”

They stood awkwardly for a moment. The fire that had been reaching all the way to her fingers receded back and Ahsoka swallowed and brought her breathing under control, some of the haze lifting from her head. She felt bad for suddenly breaking off. It had been out of surprise rather than distaste and now...now she wasn’t sure if she’d hurt Kaeden. The woman’s emotions were a confused bundle: happiness, anxiety, worry, the flicker of some other emotion she’d felt from people before but didn’t have a name for. She shook her head. She wasn’t getting any great clarity from this and it was maybe impolite to do so.

“Uh, well, I guess it’s getting late,” Ahsoka said, growing uncomfortable with the silence and wanting to break it. She walked over to the still open drawer and dropped her shoto blade inside, before closing it over. “We should probably be heading back.”

“Yeah...that’s a good idea...” Kaeden paused, chewed at her lip. “You did...have a good time...right?”

Ahsoka paused. All she needed to do was be honest. She turned around and smiled. “Kaeden...I had a great time.”

Kaeden’s smile lit up the room.

Miara squirmed in frustration.

It wasn’t about not being able to tell everyone how Ashla really saved her, she knew that if a Jedi was hiding out and hiding their powers they wouldn’t want anyone to know it. So that was fine. It was that Kaeden had swept in in a complete panic because she was going out on a date with Ashla. And she’d made Miara promise not to say anything, holding her Wookie plushie hostage to guarantee compliance. Which wasn’t fair, because the whole point of Kaeden going on dates was so Miara could make fun of her with other people.

So instead she was in Selda’s, with Vartan, Neera, Hoban and Malat, trying alcohol again as a way of punishing Kaeden for not allowing her to share the gossip. She was taking slow sips and found that she was starting to quite like it. Or she was convincing her brain that it had to like it because everyone else did. Which is what she thought an ‘acquired taste’ was.

“You’re looking a bit peeved,” Malat said, drawing Miara out of her thoughts.

“Am I?” she said. “Sorry, just...thinking about things.”

Malat put an arm around her and squeezed. She likely thought Miara was still thinking about her near-death experience, and that’s why she was turning to alcohol. At that moment Miara was glad she’d be sworn to secrecy because she really didn’t have the heart to volunteer the actual, petty reason.

“How’s the baby?” Miara asked, moving the conversation along.

“A handful,” Malat grunted, removing her arm and taking a glug of her drink. “Don’t have them.”

Miara laughed. And was then caught out by the fact that her laugh had burst into a suddenly silent canteen. She looked up and saw Vartan standing up, looking out into the centre, whilst Selda had paused his cleaning of the glass. She stood and craned her head--

Two strangers had entered the canteen. One was what looked like a boy, wearing a half-cape and helmet with a spaulder over his left shoulder and judging by his stature he couldn’t have been much older than Miara. The other was more terrifying, a reptilian-like creature, with very threatening looking claws and an imposing blaster rifle slung over his back.

“Hello,” Selda said, voice strong despite what was happening, putting the glass down. “Can I help you?”

“Hopefully,” the boy said, stepping forward, whilst the reptilian swept his gaze over the room. “I am Boba Fett, a bounty hunter, and I’m looking for two people.” He paused. “A Togruta and Mirilan woman. Perhaps you’ve had two of those come through here?”

Miara’s breath hitched, and she saw Vartan grip the table, Neera and Hoban exchanging a glance. He had to be talking about Ashla and Barlumi but...why would a bounty hunter be after them?

Selda considered and shrugged. “Can’t swear I know who you’re talking about,” he said. “We get all sorts passing through here. Many come for the season.”

“I have it on good authority that they frequent this establishment,” Boba said. He glanced around, but seeing no volunteers, he reached into his pack and took out a data card of some sort. A projection issued from it, switching between pictures of what was definitely Ashla and Barlumi, though Barlumi looked different, her picture having a set of diamond pattern tattoos running across her nose and cheeks. “This is Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee,” Boba continued. “Former Jedi. Wanted for two-hundred thousand credits dead, or two-hundred and fifty alive.”

A murmur ran around the room, though Selda kept his face studiously straight. Hoban and Neera swung their gaze to Miara, whose eyes widened, but Vartan kept his gaze fixed on Boba and rapped the table lightly. Hoban and Neera understood their cue and quickly looked back. Malat squeezed Miara’s hand under the table.

“They’re wanted for the crime of bombing the Jedi Temple.” Now there was a racket of noise, people exchanging glances and even Selda and Vartan couldn’t stop the shock crossing their faces. Miara felt her heart pound and her palms start sweating.

They...bombed the...Jedi Temple...?!

“Killing five workers, six Jedi and eight clone troopers.” Miara felt sick, her mouth dry. “The murder of Jackar Bowmani and Letta Turmond. Breaking into and releasing prisoners from the Republic Military Centre, the deaths of three more clone troopers, breaking into and releasing prisoners from the Republic Military Centre again, multiple accounts of evading arrest.” He paused. “And the destruction of a VC-13 land speeder and damage to public property on Onderon.”

She trembled, staring at the changing images, lip wobbling. B-but...that couldn’t be...that was...Ash--Ahsoka is a good person, she saved me! And Barl--Barriss she...she helps people, she... She swallowed. They can’t be...murderers and...and...terrorists and... But then again, what did she actually know about them? Only what they’d said and until yesterday she hadn’t known they were Jedi. And why would Jedi be hiding out?

Unless they were criminals.

“So...are there any takers?” Boba Fett asked. “I’m willing to recompense generously for any information.”

The room fell silent, people glancing at one another, whispers, but nobody was coming forward. Selda kept still, holding himself tall. Hoban exchanged a glance with Neera. Vartan kept his gaze focused on the bounty hunters. Malat squeezed Miara’s hand and her heart thumped in her ears.

“I have something to say.”

All eyes snapped to Tibbola, getting up somewhat unsteadily from his seat. He was clearly drunk and Miara felt her body tighten with anxiety. Was he going to give them away? The credits were tempting, there was no denying that. For anyone on Raada, a small lump sum would be a miracle. She swallowed as Tibbola walked towards Fett.

“And what do you have to say?” Fett prompted.

“Just that...” Tibbola paused, swayed on his feet. Miara saw Vartan shoot a glance at Selda, but Selda replied with a minute shrug. What could he do after all? “Just that...” Tibbola fixed his gaze on Boba. “You’re very puny for a bounty hunter, pipsqueak.”

Somebody couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Miara had to fight back on her own laugh, covering her mouth, as her body shook and her heart thumped and it felt like she was a jogan fruit being squeezed for its juice.

Boba Fett cocked his head. “You’re right, I am a bit small,” he replied, voice seemingly light-hearted. “But regrettably that doesn’t mean I’m soft.”

On that cue, the reptilian stepped forward and grabbed Tibbola by the jacket. The creature hauled Tibbola up easily, as if he were no more than a feather, Tibbola’s feet kicking in thin air, and then hurled him towards the wall. Tibbola slammed into his table, sending it scattering, and then crashed through the wall of the canteen, rolling and coming to a stop outside.

The wind blew through the splintered hole and everyone pulled back into their seats.

Fett glanced across the faces. “Should anybody come to their senses,” he said, acidly. “You can report to my ship. You can’t miss it.”

He spun and stalked out of the canteen, the reptilian following behind. When they left it seemed like everyone let out a breath at the same time, and hurried conversations began. Selda leaned against the bar a moment, before walking around and slipping through the hole in his canteen, stopping to examine it briefly, to go check on Tibbola.

“Hoban, go help him,” Vartan said, gesturing to Selda. It was a testament to the tension of the situation that Hoban didn’t protest, but did as asked. Vartan turned to Miara, who had slumped back in her seat and was shaking, trying to get herself under control. “Where are they?” he asked.

“I...I don’t know,” Miara said. “Ash--Ahsoka is on a date with Kaeden--”

“A date?!” Neera put in, brows shooting up. “You kept that quiet.”

“--and I don’t know where they are. As for Barlum...for Barriss, I don’t know.”

“Then go to their house. Barriss might be there. Warn her.”

Miara looked up at Vartan. “B-but Vartan...you saw, you heard what they did...why...?”

Vartan sighed. “I don’t know about all that. Maybe it’s true. And maybe they have their reasons, and maybe they’re damn good ones and maybe they’re not.” He looked up. “But I also know them. And I choose to trust that over whatever speculation this Boba Fett might invite.”

Miara nodded slowly. Yes, that was true. She knew them. Ahsoka’s easy smile and playful nature, but serious when she needed to be. Barriss, quiet and reserved but always willing to help. It was...difficult to reconcile that image with the one being painted by the bounty hunter. But, then again, they both had moments where they looked distant. And if they were Jedi they had been fighting in the war. Would have been fighting in it, perhaps, since they were about Miara’s age. Who knew what that could do to you?

Miara felt sick at the thought, but at least it had steadied her mind. Or at least she thought it had.

She nodded at Vartan and slipped past him towards the canteen exit, using all of her willpower to keep her movements casual.

Latts Razzi was bored. And that was a very dangerous thing for her to be. Sure she was getting the easy part of this assignment, watching the ship instead of chasing after two rogue Jedi, but all the same. Bored.

She scrolled through another page on the datapad and twisted her lips. Did she want to get the Nuria high-heeled shoes, black with some dark blue highlights on the edges; or the Tannoc boots, which were a bit duller, but sturdy? The first were pretty and would add about five inches to her height, but were definitely impractical especially for bounty hunting work. The second were more practical, and could stretch for both work and informal occasions...but they just looked so bland.

She flicked between the two images, struggling to decide.

Then her eyes flicked up and her ears twitched. She’d heard something... Latts set the datapad down and stood up, peering out of the canopy. She couldn’t see anything amiss in the spaceport area but...

There was the noise again, a soft clanging noise. The sort of noise created by someone accidentally hitting something when they were sneaking around.

She grinned. Maybe something interesting would be happening after all.

Barriss ground her teeth in frustration. She had twice now used the Force to knock something about to create a noise in the hopes of drawing the bounty hunter on the ship out, but nothing so far. This trick normally always worked!

She was considering doing something more dramatic, like knocking over an entire crate, when light spilt from the ship and a lithe figure stepped down the ramp and hopped off it. Barriss sighed. At last!

The lithe figure moved in the direction the noise had come from and, at the same time, Barriss snuck out of her position and darted between the shadows created by the spaceports floodlights. When she was positioned behind the Firespray class ship she had one final glance to check the bounty hunter had moved off and then darted up the ramp. She entered a small hold. There was some space for storage on either side of the pathway and for people to sit down, but the path led directly to a ladder that Barriss presumed would go up to the cockpit.

She clambered up the ladder and saw that she was correct, passing through a short circular passage into the cockpit, where two seats were arrayed in front of a semi-circular control board. Barriss slunk over and knelt down in front of the dashboard. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, she didn’t have Ahsoka’s technical skill, but she knew there would be something she could tear out that would have the effect of disabling the ship. She pried off the under panel of the dash and peered into the set of wires and blinking lights and control nodes and flicked her eyes between them trying to work out which would be the best one to disable. She wanted to be discreet after all, with the ideal being the bounty hunters not realising the ship had been disabled until it was too late for them to do anything about it. She reached out a hand, going for what looked almost like a gyroscope, before pausing and pulling it back, eyes flicking to a set of wires that were bunched together around a blinking square box, which might have been one of the data cores for the navicomputer. But then again, if that was the case, that wouldn’t be much good if they flew after them before they could get away. So perhaps, instead, she should disable the cylindrical node that looked like it could be what sent information from the dash to the engines, disabling the ship from--

“Hey there!”

Startled, Barriss whirled about nearly smacking her head on the dashboard.

A lithe Theelin woman, only a little taller than Barriss, stood behind her, strawberry blonde hair pulled into two pigtail buns that looked like torch fires, three horns sitting either side of her piercing ice-blue eyes. She wore a green jumpsuit and a scarf that looked like metal leaves stitched together draped over her chest and down the back of her shoulders.

Barriss cursed herself. She’d got too focused on her task and hadn’t been paying attention to her surroundings.

“So, whatcha doing here?” the woman asked, cocking her head. “You wouldn’t happen to be the Mirialan woman we’re looking for, would you?”

Barriss waved a hand in front of her face, narrowing her eyes. “I am not the person you’re looking for,” she said, reaching out and touching the woman’s mind, impressing that fact upon her.

The woman’s face went slack. “You’re not the person I’m looking for,” she intoned. Barriss got ready to reach out again, to tell the woman to walk away and forget she’d seen her, when the Theelin suddenly grinned, her eyes narrowing. “Because you’re Jedi mind trick suggests otherwise.”

Barriss didn’t know if she wanted to sigh or bang her fist against the floor in frustration. Why could she never get the weak-minded ones?!

She didn’t have time to decide as the Theelin crossed the space between them in an instant and slammed her hand around Barriss’ throat, shoving her back against the console. “Thanks for showing up, I was gettin’ bored!” the woman said cheerfully.

“You’re...welcome...” Barriss chocked out, then she raised and smashed her fist down on the woman’s elbow, bending it sharply. The sudden change snapped the Theelin’s grip off her throat and Barriss ducked around her. The Theelin struck out with a foot and tripped Barriss, sending her crashing into one of the seats. She used the chair’s recline to flip over it, extracting herself just in time to avoid the woman’s boot, the kick juddering the chair.  The woman slipped around the seat and Barriss backed up towards the circular passage, compressing her body into the Soresu stance.

The woman shot forward and struck out with a punch, and Barriss used the palm of her left hand to move the woman’s arm upwards and right, sending the punch wild and also opening her up so Barriss could step forward and slam a punch into her solar plexus. The woman doubled over, hissing in pain, but flicked her head out of the way of Barriss’ left hook and then crunched her leg into Barriss’ stomach.

Barriss wheezed and stumbled back. She bit down on the pain and forced herself into a defensive stance.

The Theelin grabbed at her scarf and then whirled and flung her arm out--

The scarf lashed out and bit at Barriss, the Mirialan just managing to dodge out of the way of it. The Theelin spun her hand and the scarf stabbed and cracked out like a sword, Barriss only just managing to keep out of the way of its sharp edges.

She needed to get in close--the whip would be ineffective to wield in close range and it would also mean Barriss could get her own hits in. She ducked under a wide swing that aimed for her head and darted forwards--

And had time to register a fist streaking for her face with something approaching terminal velocity.

The knuckles crunched into her nose, smashing it, and Barriss’ stumbled backwards, eyes scrunched closed from the pain--

One of her feet met empty air.

Oh... she thought as she fell backwards, down past the ladder. She just managed to turn herself and wrap her arms around her head so she hit the deck on her side and arm instead of her back and head, bouncing up and clattering along the floor. She let out a howl. She’d definitely bruised something.

“Watch your step!” the bounty hunter called, laughing.

That did it.

Barriss pushed herself onto her elbows, lips peeling back, furious. Furious with herself for being caught by an obvious ploy. Furious with the bounty hunter for not being weak-minded and just going away. Furious with Ahsoka being off having fun on a date when they were supposed to be hiding out and leaving Barriss to deal with this. Furious with Kaeden for having a crush on Ahsoka because didn’t she have better things to do?!

Furious with this whole, stupid, mess--

She heard the sound of boots thudding onto the floor, followed by the whistling sound and she screamed and whirled up onto one leg, swinging out her right arm--

The whip slapped around Barriss’ arm and she spun her hand around to lock the whip and hold it tightly with her hand. Blood dribbled out of the cuts along her arm and palm but she didn’t care. In fact, at this moment, she rather enjoyed it. Enjoyed using the pain and the anger as sustenance.

The Theelin looked stunned. Perhaps even a little scared and concerned. “Are...are you okay in the head?” she asked. “Most people don’t do that.”

“No,” Barriss growled, eyes flashing. “And I am not most people.”

She yanked hard on the whip, injecting the Force into the motion, and the Theelin was ripped off her feet, pulled towards Barriss--

With a yell of anger, Barriss pushed off with her back foot and delivered a straight left to the woman’s jaw, cracking her head and momentum back the way she’d come. The Theelin crashed to the deck, her grip loose and she didn’t get up. Unconscious.

Barriss wheezed in breath and wiped the blood from under her nose, though it had more of the effect of smearing it about her face. Then she winced as she prised the whip off her arm. The pain wasn’t enjoyable now, it made her eyes water as the stings bit through her. But she got it off and stumbled to the ladder. She heaved herself up, wincing every time she planted her cut palm, leaving greasy bloodstains on the ladder. She walked over to the dash, knelt down, ripped out everything and left it in a pile on the floor. The lights on the ship died and there was the hum and whine of instruments powering down.

Then she walked back to the ladder and carefully made her way down.

That was the one good thing about being discovered. She didn’t need to be subtle anymore.

Chapter Text

Walking hand-in-hand, Ahsoka and Kaeden cleared into the settlement. Ahsoka felt good. Not everything had gone perfectly but it had been nice. Just talking, being open, having fun. The kiss...

It had been a long time since she’d be able to have such ease. Not even with Barriss, where things were complicated by their...shared past. With Kaeden she felt like she didn’t have to act. Didn’t have to bury herself. She could just enjoy being in the moment.

“So...what happens now?” Ahsoka asked, drawing her hand back as she and Kaeden separated.

“Well, it sort of depends on whether or not you want to go on another one?” Kaeden asked, smiling at her.

Ahsoka clasped her hands behind her, cocked her head and smiled impishly. “I could maybe be persuaded.”

Kaeden grinned. “Then normal practice is we have about a week of awkwardness and teasing to endure before we try the second one and then if that goes well, we can move on to a third.” She stepped forward and dropped her voice low. “And if that one goes well...then you’ve cleared my three date rule.” She winked.

“That sounds good,” Ahsoka replied, having no idea what she was talking about.

Kaeden leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Then she stepped back, demure. “I guess I’ll see you around then.”

“See you.” Ahsoka waved as Kaeden departed in the direction of her home. Ahsoka smiled and touched a hand to her cheek where Kaeden’s lips had brushed it. She liked the feeling. It was like having a gentle spark of warmth on--

“Ahsoka...”

Her eyes widened and she turned around.

Barriss emerged from where she’d been hiding in the shadows and Ahsoka felt her stomach lurch. Her nose had clearly been broken, the swelling made that obvious. And there were cuts along her right shirt sleeve, dried blood caught on the sides. And Barriss looked frayed, her eyes narrowed, her body trembling slightly, jaw tight with tension.

“Bar--Lumi!” She caught herself, not sure what name to use as she hurried over to her, concerned. “What happened?”

“Bounty hunters,” she said, and with those two words, Ahsoka felt the ground crumble under her feet. Despair set in. We’ve been here less than a month! she whined internally.

“How?” she breathed.

Barriss shook her head. “I don’t know. They were going to the administration building.”

“Gilligan...” Ahsoka growled, eyes narrowing as she turned to glare at the dark outline of the building. He must have seen her save Miara. She’d thought he was eyeing her a little strangely as she tuned up his droid. She turned her glare back on Barriss. “Did they do this to you?” She knew the answer to that question, but she wanted confirmation as her fists clenched and she thought about what she would do to them when--

“I got into a fight with one of them when I was disabling the ship. But it doesn’t matter. We need to go. Now.” Barriss turned and started for the hills.

Ahsoka blinked, startled. She hadn’t even got around to considering that, too absorbed with her thoughts on the harm that they had done Barriss and how she would pay them back. But of course, they would have to leave, that was the only safe course. But then...but that meant...

Ahsoka found she couldn’t move. She slowly turned around to look in the direction that Kaeden had gone, her expression falling away from anger. Her stomach tightened and she chewed on a finger.

I have to go...without saying goodbye...? It didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem fair. Not to Kaeden, not to her. After all that to just steal away without...being able to say anything...

“Ahsoka!” Barriss hissed.

But there was no other course.

Ahsoka buried the uncoiling tendrils within her and then, miserably and using all her willpower, she turned around and hurried after Barriss and into the dark.

Kaeden took a deep breath and then threw open the door. “I’m back!” she called, dramatically leaping inside. “Before you ask, I had a great time, and yes we kissed and it was--” She halted. Miara was sat at the table looking shocked. Distraught. Scared. Her Wookie plushie clutched tightly in her arms.

Kaeden stepped over to her. “M-Miara what’s wrong?” she asked, crouching down beside her. Miara stared at her and then looked away, chewing at her lip. Kaeden’s eyes narrowed. “Has Tibbola said something to you?” she growled.

“N-No it’s...Ahsoka and Barriss...”

Kaeden frowned. “Who?”

Miara closed her eyes and took a breath. “Ashla and Barlumi are not Ashla and Barlumi. They’re Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee...Kaeden they’re...they’re wanted criminals.”

Kaeden blinked. No that couldn’t be. They were Jedi. Sure they’d run away but that wasn’t a crime, was it? “What do you mean?” she asked. “Miara what happened?”

Miara looked at her, tearful. “Two bounty hunters came looking for them...I...I tried to find Barriss, but she wasn’t in their house. Kaeden they...they bombed the Jedi Temple!” she shrieked it, all of the pent up emotion coming out at once and Kaeden recoiled. “They killed people! Kaeden they’re--they’re...” Miara didn’t know how to express it, so she just shuddered, tears dropping, tightening her grip on her Wookie.

Kaeden felt her legs going weak. She had to exit her crouch and sit back, her arms dropping loose at her sides. They killed people...? The thought was dull in her head. But why...they’re...they’re Jedi they don’t... The war...Ash--Ahsoka had talked about the war. Of course, they had killed people in that, Kaeden had been silly to think otherwise, but...but that was war, this was bombing the Temple and...

Who are they...?

Her teeth clenched together. She’d asked Ahsoka why she’d left and she’d lied to her. Told her it was about leaving the war, but she had neglected to mention this little detail about being on the run from a terrorist attack she’d done.

She’d kissed her. Had wanted to make things serious with her. And this was...was this just a game to her? Some amusement to while away time?

No point speculating. There’s only one person who can answer...

Strength returned to her limbs and she pushed herself to her feet, lips peeling into a snarl.

Miara looked up and she blanched. “K-Kaeden what...?”

“Stay here Miara,” Kaeden ground out. She ran to the door and flung it open.

“Kaeden!” Miara shouted, desperate. “Don’t do anything stupid!”

Too late! Kaeden thought as she ran towards the hills and the shuttle.

They journeyed to the shuttle in silence, Barriss walking rigidly in front of Ahsoka, whilst Ahsoka stared at the ground and focused on dully moving one foot in front of the other. They’d started out at a run, but having made it most of the way slowed down into a walk. For different reasons they were both tired, and they couldn’t sense anyone coming after them.

A mix of different emotions were rumbling inside her, making her feel like she’d just been chewed by a Sarlaac. She’d started to feel comfortable in Raada, the miserable end of nowhere place that it was. But at least it was out of the way. There was no war. And there were genuine friendships, and perhaps the beginnings of something more...something she might never have imagined back when she was a ‘proper’ Jedi. But... it couldn’t have lasted forever, and it was foolish to think that it could. And now everyone would doubtlessly know the truth and...

Well, she didn’t want to explain because that might sound like making excuses.

“Do you have an idea on where to go?” Ahsoka asked, to break out of her own thoughts if nothing else.

Barriss shrugged. “We should probably set a course for a random system and then work out something from there.” She sighed. “It is going to be hard to find somewhere more out of the way than this.”

Ahsoka nodded. She started to turn the problem over in her mind, distracting herself from the other thoughts. If bounty hunters could find them here, they could certainly find them anywhere else. So maybe they were coming at this problem wrong? Maybe what they needed was some sort of situation where it wouldn’t matter if some bounty hunters found out about them because they would want to keep clear? Protection of some kind?

But that left the thorny questions of ‘who, what and where’?

They rounded the hill and into the cave, walking towards the ship. It was a problem that could wait. For now, they’d have to get up and out and hope that the bounty hunters hadn’t found a way to repair their ship. Or hadn’t been following them without their noticing.

Barriss reached up and tapped the button under the nose of the Eta shuttle to lower the ramp--

“Ahsoka Tano!”

They froze. Looked over their shoulders to the cave entrance.

Someone stood there, hands on hips, covered in the shadows. But the body shape, and the feel of the presence as she reached out, told Ahsoka who it was straight away.

“Is that Kaeden?” Barriss asked.

Ahsoka licked her lips and nodded.

Barriss’ expression hardened. “You showed her our ship?”

“She asked to see it!” Ahsoka responded defensively.

Barriss’ eyebrows drew together tighter. A muscle in her jaw pulsed. “And d-did you... also let her p-play with your lightsabres...b-because she asked?” Barriss snarled, spitting out the words around the tension in her jaw.

Ahsoka glared at her. “Just start prepping the ship...” she ground out, and then spun and walked towards Kaeden.

The woman’s furious expression became clearer as she went. Kaeden was breathing hard and sweat coated her face. She must have run the whole way. The braids of her hair were fraying apart. Kaeden stepped back and swung outside of the cave as Ahsoka approached and she followed her out onto the grass of the hill, the moonlight making it easier to see.

Kaeden glared at her. “Is it true?” she demanded. “Did you and Barriss bomb the Jedi Temple? Kill all those people?”

Ahsoka turned her eyes away. “Yes,” she replied, voice without any real emotion.

Kaeden closed her eyes and turned her head to the side. “Why?” she asked. There wasn’t any accusation in the tone. She just sounded curious and drained.

Ahsoka cupped her elbows and looked up at the sky. Out here there was no light pollution or fumes obscuring anything. The stars and the nebulas could be seen clearly. It was the complete opposite of Coruscant, where nothing of the sky could be seen for all the fumes and the lights coming from the buildings.

“Imagine you were raised to believe in something,” she began. “Believe in an ideal. That you were to be a guardian of peace and justice. And you’re taught this from when you’re very small, and all through your life it’s all you know. Then the first time you see those ideals put under pressure, they break apart.” She paused. “But of course, you don’t question it. Because this is what you’ve been raised to believe in, right? And everyone who is older and wiser and in positions of authority tells you the same thing. There’s no denying that there is also a thrill in it. It’s a great adventure: you’re a hero, saving the galaxy!” She swept a hand out at the stars. Then she slowly brought it back in, fingers curling, to her chest. “Then one day you realise what you’re actually doing. How much you’re already broken. And you see that it’s happening to the younglings as well. You can see how the cycle is going to go, how it’s going to continue. And nobody will listen.” She shrugged. “So you do something dramatic, and desperate, and maybe stupid. To try and shock people into listening.” She turned her head down. “And then no one does,” she finished, voice a whisper.

She was still a moment, then she glanced up. Kaeden was staring at her, mouth open slightly, her expression a mix of sympathy and sadness. “We never meant for so many to die,” Ahsoka added. “Not that it makes it better.”

“No...I mean...” Kaeden paused, chewed at her lip. “I don’t...I just don’t understand how...how everything I know about you, how...”

Ahsoka shrugged. “I’m not sure either,” she said. She turned her gaze back up to the stars. “Are you here to try and claim the reward?” she asked after a moment.

Kaeden flinched as if stung, hurt. “Is that what you think of me?”

Ahsoka ducked her head, cringing. “I...I didn’t mean...”

“What? That I’m so stupid I’d think I could take in two Jedi? Or so unprincipled I’d sell out friends for money?”

“Kaeden, I--”

Kaeden held up her hands, eyes closed. “Just. Go.”

Ahsoka stared at her, hurt and miserable but it was her own fault. She nodded and then started walking back to the cave entrance. There was so much more she could have said, so much more she wanted to say. But that chance was gone now, thanks to her own thoughtlessness. Just like before...you never did learn lessons well did you?

“Ahsoka!”

She halted. Turned her head and looked over her shoulder.

Kaeden had tears in her eyes, desperate, fists balled at her side. “I don’t care what they say!” she shouted. “You’re a good person! You and Barriss!” Then she spun and ran away.

Ahsoka stared after her. She wasn’t sure she deserved those words, wasn’t entirely sure she believed in them. But it was nice to hear them all the same. Nice to know that...after all that she still...

“Goodbye, Kaeden,” Ahsoka whispered. Too late. Too inadequate. But it was something. She let out a breath and rubbed an arm over her eyes, then continued back into the cave.

“I don’t understand why we’re not pressuring people,” Bossk hissed. “Seems like they’d crumble if we did.”

“Because by now word will have got out,” Boba explained, finding doing so tiresome. “We made a big scene, and they clearly have friends. Those friends will have let them know, so they’re going to go on the run again. All we have to do is go back to Slave I, monitor for ship activity and head after them when they move. An Eta-class shuttle doesn’t have a hope of outrunning us.”

“I see...” the Trandoshan said, impressed, rubbing his chin.

They arrived back at the spaceport and Boba paused. Slave I’s door was open. He frowned and then ran forward and up the platform and skidded to a halt. Latts was on the ground, wincing and rubbing her jaw.

“What happened?” he asked.

“That Mirialan schutta...” Latts grumbled. “She got the drop on me.”

Boba ran past her and raced up the ladder, noting the dried blood stains on it. He halted at the top, seeing the destruction caused to the dashboard. There was no way to get this repaired in time and no hope of chasing them down on foot before they got away. And by the time they got anything useful out of the townspeople...

He clunked his head against the top rung of the ladder. That was it. From now on, he would be working alone.

Kaeden made her way back across the hills, eyes dry, with her arms wrapped around herself. It was a little chilly, and it didn’t help that with all the running she’d worked up a sweat that was now being plastered to her skin by the wind. But she had got her chance, her last chance, to hear what she wanted to hear, and say what she wanted to say.

Or at least a little of it...

She heard a rumble and turned around to see the shuttle lift out of the hills, its wings folding down as it turned toward the sky. Kaeden’s face lit up in the blue light cast by the sublight engines as she watched the shuttle ascend to the stars, becoming one among many.

As she had done so many times before, she dreamed of what might have been.

Then Kaeden shook it off and started trudging back home.

Chapter Text

Barriss rested her head against the pillow. She had wrapped her arm in bandages and, with a bit of help from the Force, had healed up her broken nose to a state where it was only a little swollen. She took deep breaths and let them out slowly, calming herself, releasing the tension in her body that had nearly built to breaking point. She needed to get better control over that, she knew, but...

But it was hard.

Kaeden’s presence was in the shuttle, still fresh. Kaeden’s mingling with Ahsoka’s.

Watching from the shadows, she’d seen Kaeden lean in and kiss Ahsoka’s cheek. Had seen the way Ahsoka’s eyes lit up, the way she’d gently touched the spot. The anger, no the jealousy, she’d felt...

The little sadistic light of joy in being able to ruin the moment.

She closed her eyes tight and swallowed, shame burning her from the inside out. What sort of friend was she, really, when she took pleasure in seeing her friend’s happiness taken away?

You’ve already accepted it’s never going to happen, why would it and how could it? There’s no sense in getting upset over this.

You’re pathetic. Pathetic! This is why she doesn’t like you, and this is why she’s right not to!

Another failing to hate herself for. There was something almost calming in that.

Barriss felt a change in the atmosphere and sat up. Ahsoka stood by the door, her hands clasped in front of her, looking guilty. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have been out...having fun and jeopardising our position. And leaving you in the lurch to sort things out.”

Barriss cringed and turned away. She recognised the words she’d used in the rant she’d exploded into when the ship entered hyperspace. She didn’t think Ahsoka was paying attention as she hadn’t reacted and had just stared out at the hyperspace lanes, which had infuriated her even more.

“Ahsoka...I...” She paused. Put her hands to her face and rubbed them vigorously, and then pulled them away. “My apologies,” she said. “I spoke harshly because I was tired and annoyed after everything. It was unfair of me.”

And it had been. Why after all should Ahsoka be restricted in what she wanted to do? Neither of them could have anticipated bounty hunters picking that moment to arrive, nobody could have. It was just bad timing, not Ahsoka’s fault. Barriss shouldn’t have reacted the way she did. She was only doing so because...because of her own failing.

“Thanks, Barriss,” Ahsoka replied. She still looked and felt distant. “I’ll leave you to rest.” She turned to go and Barriss stared at her back and chewed at her lower lip. She shouldn’t ask, it would only bring pain, only dredge up something that should be moved on from but...but she couldn’t...

“Did you like her?”

Ahsoka paused and looked back. Barriss had kept her voice neutral, her face neutral, her body posture neutral, hands resting on her lap and legs stretched out on the bunk. She was well practised at this.

Ahsoka hesitated a moment. Turned her gaze away slightly. “I don’t know,” she replied, truthfully. “I think maybe. But...” She tapped her fingers against the door frame, a ghostly smile on her lips. “I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

“No, I don’t suppose it does.”

Ahsoka nodded. “Rest Barriss. I’ll let you know if and when I come up with something.” She stepped out and the door shut behind her.

Barriss slid down onto the bunk and put her hands over her face.

What is wrong with you...?

Ahsoka sat in one of the passenger chairs, crossed her arms, sighed and then thought. They needed a new way of approaching their situation. Raada was about the most out of the way place they could have picked on the map. If bounty hunters could find them there, they could find them anywhere. And they hadn’t even been hiding out for that long. Just over three weeks...

Sure, if Ahsoka hadn’t used the Force to save Miara then they likely could have been there for longer, but how long would it have really lasted? It’s not like either Ahsoka or Barriss would have refused to use the Force to save someone. Barriss had quietly used the Force to heal people more than a few times, so the possibility was always there. And on a more well-connected world, it’s possible that someone would know about the bounties, or see the reports about it, and put together the necessary puzzle pieces.

Regrettably, it seemed, a Togruta and a Mirialan travelling together was not a common combination in the galaxy.

She returned to a thought from earlier, when they’d been walking back to the shuttle.

Some kind of protection? A situation where it doesn’t necessarily matter if someone did find out about us...but what would that be?

She stood up and paced about a bit. She went over to one of the wall drawers and opened it, so her lightsabres slid out. She picked up the shoto blade and...paused. Kaeden’s presence still lingered on it. She stared at it, holding it in her hand, as she remembered the warmth of Kaeden’s skin under her fingers, holding her up with the Force...

The tingle on her lips...

Did I like Kaeden? It wasn’t a simple question. She definitely liked Kaeden as a friend. As something more... that was complicated. She wasn’t sure if she did, or if it was just that Kaeden was the first person she had had something approaching a normal interaction in what felt like a very long time. The first time she’d got to indulge her need for meaningful physical contact in a long time. And she’d never had any experience with regard to liking liking someone because that was forbidden. And maybe that was part of it as well, that thrill in doing something that hadn’t been allowed, in a new experience where she didn’t know the rules of the game and had to learn it as she went.

Separating all of that out was difficult.

Not that it matters, she thought. Whatever might have happened will never happen now.

Ahsoka clipped the shoto sabre to her side and did the same with her main sabre, then she shut that drawer and opened another one, pulling out a packet she’d hidden. She shut the drawer and resumed her seat, crossing her arms. She couldn’t get distracted. They’d programmed the shuttle to drop them out of hyperspace near Lianna, but they wouldn’t want to hang around long. It would be best to have a destination planned before they arrived.

A situation where it wouldn’t matter if someone did find out...some form of protection...

That had a kind of sense to it. Their current problem was that as soon as they were found out they needed to run. The danger was that they might get found out and caught without them having the possibility of running. They’d got lucky twice. If they hadn’t been on Onderon when Ventress found them, Ahsoka wouldn’t have had Lux to appeal to for help and even then it had been a close-run thing. If Barriss hadn’t spotted these new bounty hunters when they arrived then that could have very easily panned out differently.

So what they needed was to be part of a group that could shield them. Where even if bounty hunters found out about them, they wouldn’t necessarily want to tangle with them or go after them. Something that might also make the Republic Military think it wasn't worth the hassle.

The trouble was, who?

Jabba maybe? Ahsoka had saved his son. There would surely be some kind of gratitude bound up in that to her personally. Except, of course, his gratitude had been expressed by allowing the Republic to use Hutt space and she doubted that would extend to her personally. Besides which, she’d heard Anakin ranting about the Hutts often enough to not want to trust them. Jabba, ultimately, was a powerful crime lord and would do things to his advantage, and likely wouldn’t want to risk having problems with the Republic if it got out that he was shielding them.

And even if he did, Tatooine was a hive of bounty hunters, not all of whom could be trusted to follow his orders. They might as well drop themselves in a Gundark nest slathered in animal fat and spices.

Then who...? She growled, growing frustrated with herself. Why is this so difficult? There can’t be that many people I know with less than savoury backgrounds who...

She paused. Pursed her lips as an idea came to mind. Then she leaned back and pulled a face. It was an idea true...but was it a good one? Doubtful. But what other options were there?

Eeeeehhh...ahhhhh...aarrrrggghhh...ummmhhmmm...eeeggghhh...

“Is there a reason you’re making noises that sound like indigestion?”

Ahsoka snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head. Barriss slumped into the chair next to her, palming at her left eye. “Thought you’d be trying to sleep?” Ahsoka asked.

“I did try, but adrenaline and cortisol had other ideas.” Barriss sat back, putting her arms on the armrests. She looked...terrible. She’d fixed her nose, but the bruising was still visible and Ahsoka could see the bandages wrapped around her arm through the torn fabric of her shirt. Barriss’ hood was up but she could imagine that her hair wasn’t in a great state either.

Ahsoka felt a pang of guilt that she’d left Barriss to deal with the bounty hunters. Sure, she couldn’t have known but...it was a foolish thing to do in the first place. She could make excuses about how she couldn’t really have refused, but she knew that’s all they were. Because she’d wanted some time out. She’d wanted to experience something new. To have a chance at some of the closeness she craved.

Being selfish...

She picked up the packet she’d drawn from the drawer and tossed it onto Barriss’ lap, making the other woman jolt. Barriss stared down at it and then realized what it was and glanced over at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka grinned. “I know you like them, so I thought I’d store some,” she explained. “Especially as you try and pretend you don’t like them.”

“I don’t pretend to dislike them,” Barriss replied, picking up the packet of vegetable crisps and opening it. “I just think you make a bigger deal out of it than it is.” To demonstrate how much she didn’t really mind, she held the pack out to Ahsoka.

“Oh, okay then!” Ahsoka dug her hand into the pack and closed it around a large handful. Barriss’ eyes immediately widened, slightly panicked. Ahsoka grinned and switched to plucking out just one crisp, waving it in front of Barriss’ very unimpressed face. “You are allowed to like things that are not good for you,” Ahsoka intoned, popping the crisp into her mouth and crunching on it. “Everyone has at least one bad habit or vice.”

“Who says I don’t already have one?”

“Huh?” Ahsoka raised a brow at her, genuinely confused. Barriss seemed to realize what she’d said as her cheeks went very dark and she twisted her head away and squirrelled a crisp into her mouth.

“Th-that was a joke,” she said, with a hint of desperation.

One to file away... The idea that Barriss Offee had some sort of bad habit or vice that hadn’t been given to her by Ahsoka was certainly an intriguing one. But a mystery for another time.

“Why were you making indigestion noises?” Barriss asked, likely to forestall any probing Ahsoka might engage in. But it did bring things back to the main point.

“Well...I’ve had an idea...” Ahsoka said, drawing her words out. “Not necessarily a good one but...”

Barriss took a breath. “Let’s hear it.”

“So...I think what we need is some kind of protection. A place we can stay and move about without having to be constantly worried about being found out.”

“And this would be?” Barriss prompted after Ahsoka fell silent.

Ahsoka took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Hondo...” she said at last.

Barriss paused and moved the crisp away from her mouth, frowning at Ahsoka. “The pirate?” she asked, a tone of disbelief in her voice.

“Yeaaahhh...”

“May I ask why?”

She sighed. “I have a not always antagonistic history with him, so we might be able to get a hearing,” she began, going over the various arguments she’d debated in her head. “He’s got his good points. He’s not all bad. Certainly for a criminal he’s at the milder edge. He has a certain loyalty to his people, and I think he’d be able to see the advantages of us helping him out. Plus Katooni liked him, and he liked her enough to offer her a place on his crew!” She injected some levity into her voice, but she wasn’t sure even she was convinced by it.

Barriss still looked suspicious. “And his bad points?”

“Pretty sure he was planning on selling me into sexual slavery,” Ahsoka murmured through her teeth.

Barriss could only sit there blinking.

Ahsoka rubbed her face. “Look, I don’t think he’s a great guy or I trust him or anything like that. I just think he would at least see enough of a benefit to not sell us out straight away. It’s not a permanent solution, but we can use some of the breather space to work out what the hell we are going to do next.”

“But we’d be pirates,” Barriss pointed out. “We’re not going to be able to avoid being part of their activities, whatever those may be.”

“I know. And if it’s too much, or they ask us to do something we won’t countenance, we can always leave, we don’t owe them anything.” Ahsoka looked over at Barriss, expression considerate. “If you’re uncomfortable with the idea, or think it’s terrible or anything then we won’t do it. I’m not going to force you to go along with something you don’t want to do.” Her expression darkened. “We’ve both had enough of that...”

Barriss winced and then looked away. Her hands wrung around one another in her lap as she thought. She chewed at her lower lip. Then she took a deep breath and sighed it out. “Okay,” she said. “It’s not like we’ve got better alternatives right now.”

On impulse, Ahsoka reached out and squeezed Barriss’ arm. Her friend glanced over at her, slightly startled, but Ahsoka maintained contact. She wanted to. She wanted to try and communicate something to Barriss through the touch, something she couldn’t quite convey in words. That they would be okay. That this would all turn out well. She felt the tension in Barriss’ arm dissipate. Barriss hesitantly reached out her hand and placed it over Ahsoka’s. Her palm was wrapped in bandages, but her fingers touched Ahsoka’s. Cold, but the coolness was pleasant against her skin. Ahsoka smiled and Barriss smiled back.

After a moment Ahsoka removed her hand and Barriss stared down at her arm for a moment before looking back up. “So where can we find Hondo?” she asked.

“He normally hangs out on Florrum,” Ahsoka replied, pushing herself out of her seat. “The Separatists took it over, but from what Obi-Wan said it seems like he recovered it.”

Barriss nodded. Hesitated. “And if...if he decides to just turn us in?” she asked, voice quiet.

Ahsoka laughed bitterly. “Oh don’t worry. Zatt worked it out. I can kill them all easily.”

The great thing, no the genius thing, about locating yourself on a desert planet with no real natural resources was that no occupiers ever wanted to hold it for a long time. Unless, of course, you were a small band who gained your resources from pilfering other people’s and didn’t need to worry about silly things like supply lines.

Hondo Ohnaka had always had a genius for spotting these small details. And making use of them. That was the other key point.

So the Separatists had stomped about Florrum for a month or so, before realising what a waste of resources their occupation was. And on what was, frankly, a rather petty endeavour. It had just been a piece of business after all.

Who knew that Count Dooku could be such a fragile man?

There had been that ruction with those Zabrakian swine, but that had had its upshots as well. It had brought his crew closer together, made them realise how much they all really cared for one another. Or else it made them realise that hanging out with Hondo did have a lot of benefits that normal criminal organizations did not have, not least a willingness to not shoot people on a whim. Whichever way, loyalty had been assured.

And of course, the credits and spice they’d salvaged had paid for a partial reconstruction of his old camp. All in all, Hondo Ohnaka had to admit, things were going rather well.

“Boss!” the cry from his lieutenant Jiro, drew Hondo out of his self-congratulations. “There’s a shuttle on approach! Looks like a modified version of one of the Jedi ones.”

Hondo sighed. Well, that was the thing. Whenever you were heading up, there was always the possibility of a drop on the other side.

He pushed himself out of his chair and brushed down his red overcoat, trying to effect some level of respectability. No doubt this was Kenobi again, asking for some help on some new mad scheme. Which wasn’t a bad thing per se. As his mother always said: there’s no such thing as an unwelcome credit. “Come then, Jiro,” Hondo said, crossing the sparse oval room where his crew hung out. “Let us go and greet our guest or guests.”

Jiro followed him, the other members of the crew standing up as well and moving more with curiosity than any sense of preparing defences. Hondo stepped outside into the cooling evening of Florrum. The desert planet was normally dusty and very hot, but it cooled down remarkably fast once the sun passed over the horizon. He squinted up at the sky and made out the shape of the grey shuttle coming in to land between the two saucer-shaped Corona-class frigates, just outside of the canyon walls that created the entrance to the settlement. The blocky structure of the settlement, built into the side of the cliff face draped with his grinning Weequay face and crossed swords insignia, wasn’t his preferred design for the settlement, and the size was somewhat smaller than when his empire was at its height, but it had been the best he could afford and it did at least prevent grumbling about the dust and heat.

The shuttle’s ramp descended and two figures walked out, one hiding slightly behind the other. Hondo squinted. This didn’t look like Kenobi... or Skywalker for that matter. Indeed, the figure at the front appeared to have horns...but it wasn’t that tattooed idiot either, the horns were too large and too few.

He blinked. He couldn’t quite believe it, but no. Apparently, it was going to be the one person of his acquaintance who had those necessary characteristics.

Sure enough, as she came closer, her identity was revealed. Walking with purpose, face set like stone, with a yellow-green skinned companion following nervously along, her head hidden inside the purple hood of her shirt, hands fiddling with her red sash.

“Ahsoka Tano!” Hondo laughed. “I cannot believe it! I didn’t think to see you again, after that previous business.”

“No,” Ahsoka said, tersely. “To be honest, I didn’t think I would be either.”

Hondo smiled and then tilted his head and body, looking at the Mirialan. “And this delightful creature must be Barriss Offee, hmm?”

Barriss looked startled, and even Ahsoka gave away a small twitch. “So you know,” Ahsoka replied.

Hondo flung out his hands with a chuckle. “Of course, I know! I do follow the news, you see. Important to keep up with the affairs of the galaxy. I laughed most heartily when I saw that you were involved in the bombing.” Ahsoka’s eyes narrowed and Barriss pulled her head deeper into her hood. Hondo put his hands behind him and paced a little. “I confess, I am confused as to why you were involved in it, with no offence to your friend who I do not know. You always struck me as the self-righteous type.” He paused and shrugged. “But I guess being self-righteous never stopped people from doing such things before.”

“No. It hasn’t,” Ahsoka ground out.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“You’re smart, Hondo. You know why we’re here.”

“Ah...” Hondo raised a finger and wagged it. “I see...But, hmm...” He tutted. “Why should I want to have, as part of my crew, murderers and terrorists? Not good for the reputation, no?”

In response, Ahsoka swept her right arm out, encompassing the whole camp and Hondo’s crew.

Hondo coughed self-consciously. “Yes...that is...a fair point...” He scratched at his neck. “But you understand I need a little more incentive to accept you than the fact that myself and my crew are not model citizens. Particularly as taking you two on could bring me problems.” He clasped his hands behind him and cocked his head, looking at her expectantly.

Ahsoka sighed. “You know what value former Jedi could have to you Hondo. You have your encounters with Maul, not to mention Dooku, Obi-Wan, Anakin and me to inform you. So, in exchange for your support, we would be putting our...considerable talents at your disposal. Within limits,” she added.

Hondo scratched at one of the tusks protruding from his jaw. “Well, I cannot deny that it is a tempting offer...” He considered it. They might bring problems of course, and the ‘within limits’ qualifier suggested that they wouldn’t be okay with all of his schemes. Yet anyway. However, despite recovering something of his position, his empire was nowhere near what it once was. And after that scamp Boba had stolen Slave I from under his nose, it's likely his reputation had taken another knock. Two former Jedi on his side though... that would make some projects possible. One in particular...

He smiled. Yes. Yes, this would be a good thing...

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he looked over to see Jiro narrowing his eyes at him. “Can I have a word, Boss?” he asked.

Hondo flashed Ahsoka and Barriss a smile. “Would you excuse me a moment?”

Ahsoka nodded, and Hondo went back inside with Jiro so they could talk privately.

“You’re not actually considering taking them on are you?” Jiro said. “The bounty on them is huge! Combined the resources we could get would be--”

“Jiro, Jiro, Jiro...” Hondo tutted, shaking his head. “You disappoint me. You need to think about this with a business brain, my friend.” He put a finger to his helmet, indicating his temple.

Jiro crossed his arms, disgruntled. “A business brain?”

“Of course! Two Jedi could be very helpful to us. They will certainly be a little nuisance on some matters, but there are more than a couple of jobs we wish to do where their powers would come in very handy. One job, in particular, we’ve been planning...they could make things a lot easier. And then Hondo Ohnaka,” he swept his arms out extravagantly, “and you,” he gestured at Jiro, “and the whole crew” he threw an arm out to gesture towards the crew, “will be back in the big time!”

Jiro frowned, considering it. “And if they prove to be more than just a little nuisance?” he demanded.

Hondo clasped his hands behind him and grinned wickedly. “Well, the bounty isn’t going anywhere, is it?”

Jiro blinked. Then the lightbulb switched on in his brain and a sly smile dawned on his face.

Ahsoka glared at the pirates who glared back and hoped the thumping of her heart was only audible to her montrals and not everyone else. Barriss was nervously standing behind her and Ahsoka could practically feel her gauging the distance from where they were to their shuttle.

There were fifteen pirates, most Weequay but there were also two Nikto and one Ishi Tib among them. They were all grouped together as well, which was good. It would make it easier to take them out if they started firing. It would also mean all the blaster bolts would be coming from roughly the same direction, making it easier for Ahsoka to position herself and read them.

Ahsoka pushed the thought away and resisted the urge to shake her head. It wasn’t a good sign that she was thinking about this already.

This was a bad idea...this was a really really bad idea...what was I thinking? Dropping us in among pirates? Among Hondo? Putting that stupid qualifier in about limits? Yeah, well done Ahsoka. Whatever prospects you had have likely taken a short walk off a cliff. You kriffin’ idiot!

She tried to keep steady. This was a febrile atmosphere and if her hands so much as twitched towards her lightsabres then no doubt blaster fire would be hurtling in within a matter of moments. So she kept still, outwardly projecting confidence. She was well practised at that.

Hondo and his captain emerged from the building and stalked towards them. Ahsoka’s fingers twitched and she mentally prepared herself to whip the sabres out and start deflecting bolts--

“You are... in!” Hondo declared, throwing out his arms extravagantly.

Ahsoka blinked and nearly spluttered. Behind her, she heard the sound of Barriss starting a run to the shuttle before abruptly halting.

“We’re in?” she asked, wanting confirmation.

“Of course! Two former Jedi helping Hondo Ohnaka? How can I refuse! And saving two poor citizens of the Republic from the clutches of the villains pursuing them?.” He waved a hand and drew his finger under his eye, wiping away a non-existent tear. “Who could resist such a tragic tale?”

“Oh. Great.” Ahsoka relaxed slightly, but only slightly. She didn’t think Hondo was lying, she couldn’t sense any deception coming from him in any case. But it wasn’t a good idea to drop her guard and trust him. She doubted she was being given the whole truth here. No doubt, at the very least, he would be betraying them the second they ceased being useful or became too much of a nuisance. She and Barriss would have to be very careful about how they phrased objections, and which battles they picked.

“And now, a drink in celebration!” Hondo declared, which brought a rousing cheer from his crew and seemed to quiet any sense of dislike they still had.

“Not for us, thank you,” Ahsoka said, raising a hand. “I’m afraid we’re both rather tired.”

“Of course. Not easy running away from the whole Republic, Separatists and Jedi hmm?” Hondo chuckled. “I know how that feels. Then please, allow me to offer you a room!” He turned and waved to an RA-7 protocol droid that was hanging about at the back.

“Oh, we can stay on our--” Barriss began.

“That would be wonderful, thank you!” Ahsoka cut her off and then fixed Barriss with a stern look. Barriss ducked her head and retreated into her hood.

“You are most welcome!” Hondo declared. “We will drink for you! Sleep well Jedi!”

They followed the protocol droid into the building, taking note of the mess in the main hall, bottles and drink strew across haphazardly set out tables, with one chair, presumably Hondo’s, raised on a dais, and then down a corridor which brought them inside the cliff. They took a winding route, and eventually the protocol droid, 4A-2R, halted outside of a room.

“Please, enjoy your stay,” he said, tapping the button.

The door opened onto a small room that was at the edge of the rock face, judging by the window that let some of the evening light in. It was sparse, a cabinet in one corner and the ground and walls were rocky yellow, uneven patches bulging out or sinking in with no clear pattern.

And one bed.

“Oh,” Barriss said, eyes fixing on the single bed, a thin sheet over the mattress, standing innocently on its four legs. “Um, is there another room?”

4A-2R cocked his head. “This is not satisfactory?” he asked.

“No! No, it’s just--”

“This is fine,” Ahsoka put in. “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome,” the protocol droid said, with a slight bow, before wandering off.

Ahsoka tapped the panel on the door, shutting it. Then hit the panel to lock it. Then moved the cabinet in front of the door with the Force. That done, she slumped slightly and sighed.

“Um...Ahsoka?” Barriss asked after a moment. “Why are we...staying here and not on the shuttle?”

Ahsoka closed her eyes a moment, ordering her thoughts. She paced a little bit. “Because...separating is a bad idea and staying on the shuttle...if they do betray us, the Republic could just tractor beam the shuttle and we’d be stuck. Here at least we have some options for cutting our way out and the narrow corridor would help us in a fight. Besides which we have to show some indication that we’re trusting them, otherwise this whole thing could break down before we even get started.”

Barriss nodded, understanding. “I see. Well, then, I’ll take the--”

“If you say ‘I’ll take the floor’, then so help me I will kick your backside onto that bed!”

Barriss flinched, startled.

Ahsoka opened her mouth and brought her finger towards it. She paused then clamped her teeth down and opted to grip her lekku and tug on them. “Look, Barriss, we’re surrounded by people we can’t trust, we’re both tired, I’m starting to realise what a really stupid idea this was, and it makes no sense for both of us to not get a good night of sleep because one of us is uncomfortable on the floor and the other one is feeling guilty about taking the bed.” She breathed out and then directed her hands to the bed. “So, let’s just both take the bed. I’ll put my head at one end, you put yours at the other, and we’ll sleep. We’re good friends, there’s no reason for this to be awkward!”

“N-no, of course not!” Barriss squeaked and then laughed nervously.

“Good. Then let’s do that.” Ahsoka switched off the lights. The room went dark, with only the soft blueish light coming through the window. She unzipped her shirt and wrenched off her trousers, so she only wore her undergarments. She picked up her lightsabres from the floor and stared at them.

She needed to keep them on her, in close distance. If Hondo did try something, she needed to have them ready. But then...that time on Onderon...

She swallowed. The idea of another nightmare like that and her accidentally cutting Barriss or...or worse...

“I...I’m going to put the shoto sabre at your end, okay?” Ahsoka said. “Just in case.”

“That’s fine.”

She looked over and saw that Barriss had turned around and stood rigidly facing the door.

A lopsided smile touched Ahsoka’s lips. “I’ll let you know when I’m under the sheet and facing the wall,” she said.

“Thank you,” Barriss replied, voice tight.

Ahsoka shook her head and placed her main sabre at the top end and the shoto at the bottom. Then she crawled in and pulled the thin sheet over herself, shuffling as close to the wall as she could. “I’m under the cover, and not looking, you can turn around.”

“Thank you.”

She heard the sound of Barriss untying her sash and then pulling her trousers off. A moment later a weight fell onto the mattress, and the sheet was tugged slightly as Barriss positioned herself. A cold foot touched Ahsoka’s back before it jerked away.

“Sorry!” Barriss said.

Ahsoka laughed. “It’s fine. I’m sure accidents will happen. Goodnight Barriss.”

“Goodnight Ahsoka, I hope you sleep well.”

Ahsoka closed her eyes. She wouldn’t drift off fully, one part of her senses would still be alert to any treachery. But it would be enough for her to rest and recover a bit.

It wasn’t long before she was asleep, with the pleasant and cooling impression left on her back.

Chapter Text

Warm daylight from the morning sun splashed through the window and onto Ahsoka’s eyelids. She scrunched them up and blinked, her eyes flickering open. The ceiling greeted her eyes.

She winced. Ah man...my back lekku’s going to be a pain now...

She could already feel it, that sense of numbness that you could get from sleeping on your arm wrong was definitely tingling away in her back lekku.

She was about to raise herself up with a sigh and start rubbing it to get circulation back when a realisation hit her. Wait...I’m lying on my back...in a bed I'm sharing with Barriss...

Now that she thought about it her left leg felt like it was slightly elevated and also seemed to be warmer, and resting on something softer, than her right leg.

Carefully, Ahsoka raised herself up onto her elbows and peered down the bed.

Oh...

Barriss had also turned around slightly during the night and Ahsoka’s foot was nestled on the other woman’s chest.

Ahsoka pulled a face. She craned her head a bit more, trying to think how best to gently move her leg away, and noticed that Barriss had, at some point, wrapped her arms tightly around her leg.

Ahsoka winced. How was she going to do this? There had to be a way of extracting herself without waking Barriss, and getting out of this awkward situation. Cautiously, she leaned over, planning on gently prising the Mirialan’s arms away and moving her leg back.

Barriss twitched and Ahsoka froze. Her friend made snuffling noises and twisted her head left and right. “No...no...” Barriss mumbled. “Don’t...I can make the flowers regrow...”

Ahsoka bit down on her lip and her cheeks puffed as she tried to contain her laugh. It didn’t quite work as a small ‘pfftt’ noise escaped her.

Barriss snorted and then her eyes blinked open, bleary. She leaned up slightly and looked at Ahsoka, still only half-awake. “Morning,” she said.

“Good morning!” Ahsoka replied, in a sing-song voice. “How was your sleep?”

“Not bad, surprisingly...” Barriss blinked some more, still not waking up fully.

“That’s good... Oh hey, are you still using my leg as a plushie or can I have it back?”

“What?” Barriss looked down and her eyes met the orange foot. Ahsoka wiggled her toes. Barriss’ eyes slowly widened in alarm and her face pulled into a rictus of mortification, her hair nearly standing on end. She snatched her arms back, shoved Ahsoka’s leg aside and then rolled to the right and off the bed and onto the floor with a yelp and thump.

Ahsoka couldn’t stop the laugh from bursting out of her. Giggling, she crawled over the bed to Barriss and rested her chin on her folded hands, lekku draping over the edge of the bed. “Sorry!” she said. “Did my foot smell that bad?”

“No...” Barriss sat up, rubbing at her temple. “Just...surprised...”

Ahsoka grinned and looked down and saw Barriss’ bare legs. Her eyes fixated on them. She hadn’t seen them before, Barriss always wearing long sleepwear and changing after the lights were turned out. They were slender and toned with tufts of hair along the shin and calf, which was fascinating to Ahsoka. Why was hair needed on the legs? And why did that hair look different to the flowing and light hair on Barriss’ head? She had a strong urge to reach out and stroke her leg, to feel what it was like--

Barriss slid forward and jammed her legs under the bed, out of view and Ahsoka snapped her head to the side, lekku darkening. “S-sorry!” she said. “I didn’t mean to stare!”

“It’s okay,” Barriss replied, blushing. “Don’t...don’t worry about it.”

Yeah. Nothing to worry about. Just unusual to see, that’s all.

“Right, well, we made it through the night without either being killed or tied up and thrown in the back of a ship so I think we’re winning!” Ahsoka said brightly, to move things along as much as anything else. “Time to get up and find out what’s going on.”

She hopped out of the bed at the same time as Barriss crawled under the sheets. Ahsoka looked back, puzzled at the Barriss shaped bundle on the bed as a yellow-green arm extended out from the sheets. “Could you pass me my clothes?” Barriss asked.

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Ahsoka picked up the trousers and sash and placed them in the waiting hand. The arm retracted under the sheets and there was a rustling noise as Barriss manoeuvred and changed.

Ahsoka shook her head with a soft smile and pulled on her own trousers and shirt, zipping it up. She looked back and saw her shoto sabre had dropped to the ground during the night and called it to her hand with the Force, clipping it to her belt as she recalled the other sabre to her hand and then clipped that. She was just in the process of putting on her boots when Barriss emerged from under the sheet, fully clothed, and tying off the sash.

Ahsoka blinked. “Wow...that’s impressive,” she said, with a slight teasing note.

“Oh that’s nothing,” Barriss replied. “I once got changed inside my sleeping bag. Apparently, that trick won Commander Gree some credits.” Her hand slipped on the knot. She paused, took a moment, and then finished tying it off.

“Ready?” Ahsoka asked. Barriss slipped her feet into her shoes and nodded. “Then let’s go see what today has in store...”

They moved the cabinet aside and stepped out into the corridor. It was very quiet, with no noise coming from anywhere. They retraced their steps until they found themselves in the main hall, and they pulled up short.

The pirates were slumped about everywhere, all snoring, empty bottles and glasses of drink spilt about the place, with liquid splashed all over the floor. 4A-2R stood in the corner, deactivated. Hondo sat in his chair, arms crossed, head bowed. His hat had slipped off his head to the floor and he looked on the verge of sliding out of the chair himself.

“These people captured Count Dooku?” Barriss whispered, stunned.

Ahsoka didn’t really have a response to that.

“Well, my Jedi friends, it is time to begin your trial period!” Hondo declared with exuberance, throwing his arms out wide.

It had taken a couple of hours for the pirates to come out of their stupor. In that time Ahsoka and Barriss had investigated the kitchen, retreated from it in horror, and elected to go back to their shuttle to grab some of their stored ration packs and water. In all that time not a single one of the pirates had stirred. Ahsoka supposed that was a good sign: if they were being that incautious around them it suggested that Hondo was genuine and didn’t have any plans to betray them.

Yet anyway.

They were now located in a room behind the main hall, which could be loosely described as the operations room. It was small, with most of the room being taken up by a cylindrical holoprojection table set in the centre of the room. Besides Hondo, Jiro was also present as were two other pirates, one of whom was the Kajain'sa'Nikto, his red scaly skin and spikes jutting out along the frame of his skull distinguishing him clearly from the Weequay.

Ahsoka raised a brow. “A trial period?” she asked. “I thought we were part of the crew.”

“And you are!” Hondo said. “But on trial. Every member of my crew had a trial period when they joined.”

A pirate next to Hondo, with a bandana over his face, looked puzzled. “I don’t remember having one?” he said, a note of worry in his voice.

Hondo rammed his elbow into the pirate’s side and he wheezed and clutched his ribs. “That is because you are still on one. And getting closer and closer to failing!” Hondo coughed and turned his attention back to Ahsoka and her raised brow. “As I say, a small trial period. But you can pass, by helping us on a...little operation of mine.” Hondo jabbed a finger onto the console and holoprojection came up of a galactic map. “I intend to steal from the Pykes. It’s good, no? A criminal syndicate! No Republic, no Separatists, so nobody needs to have any moral qualms about what we will be doing.”

Ahsoka exchanged a glance with Barriss. Got to give him credit, he’s chosen his opening target well...

Hondo pointed at the map. “The sansanna spice will be taken from Kessel,” he pointed at Kessel and then traced along a hyperspace route, “to here, Formos. The trade-off will be there and then the Pykes will take it on to Oba Diah.”

Ahsoka frowned. “They don’t just take it directly from Kessel to Oba Diah?”

Hondo looked scandalized. “Of course not! What sort of idiots would do a handoff to the Pykes in the heart of their syndicate?”

Ahsoka pulled a face. She thought it made sense.

“The spice, of course, will never get to Oba Diah, or at least not all of it. We shall be at Formos, to sneak onto the ship, steal the spice, and be on our merry way.” Hondo grinned. “Genius is it not?”

Ahsoka regarded him. “Well, there’s a lot of grey area in there, around ‘sneaking on the ship’.”

“There is always a grey area,” Hondo said, waving her off. “The team will be led by Jiro,” he indicated his lieutenant. “You will all travel on one of the Flarestar shuttles.”

Hmm...wanting to keep us within sight? That made sense. Hondo didn’t trust them fully either, so making sure they were kept around his crew would ensure they behaved and didn’t run away and jeopardise the mission.

Barriss studied the map. “We could take our shuttle to Formos.”

“No, no. You must travel in our ship,” Hondo insisted.

Barriss shook her head. “No. You can’t take more than one of your ships out there, it would look suspicious. Our shuttle wouldn’t draw attention or be considered part of your group. It can carry a significant amount of haulage.” She shrugged. “Taking it would mean that you could acquire more spice in one run, but of course, if you would prefer otherwise.”

Ahsoka smirked. It was good thinking from Barriss - appealing to Hondo’s greed as a way of angling to get them the security of their own transport.

Hondo blinked. “That is a good point,” he mused. “That is a very good point. Why do the rest of you never come up with these good points?!” He rounded on his crew in exasperation, who all looked at one another and shuffled their feet. He turned back, delighted. “You Barriss Offee have nearly passed your trial!” He turned a disapproving look on Ahsoka. “You, my friend, need to work harder.”

Barriss ducked her head into her hood, embarrassed, while Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at him, affronted.

“Very well, you shall have your shuttle. You can take Barr-Tunn with you,” he indicated the Nikto, who nodded. “Good to space out the crew.”

Barriss glanced at Ahsoka, who shrugged. He wanted to keep tabs on them, this would be about the best they could manage.

“Now, Jiro will explain the plan,” Hondo waved to his lieutenant. Jiro stepped forward, a broad-shouldered male Weequay with his hair bound into five separate topknots.

“The plan is very simple,” Jiro began. And Ahsoka had to give him credit, it was simple.

The Pykes would settle a YV-865 Aurore-class freighter at docking bay 54. The spice would be delivered to the processing facility by the couriers. Once processed the Pykes would take possession and bring it to their freighter, loading up the supplies. The pirates would land at separate docking bays, unnoticed in the traffic going to Formos. The operation then split into two parts: one team would acquire some of the unrefined spice before it made it to the processing facility; the other team would steal the refined spice off of the Pykes’ ship. All going to plan, the theft of the unrefined spice should draw the Pykes out to search for it, thus leaving their freighter mostly free to acquire the refined spice.

“Are there any questions?” Jiro asked.

Ahsoka had a few, and she imagined Barriss did too. But they both decided to keep quiet. This operation would, after all, be going ahead regardless of the holes they elected to poke in it.

“Great. Now, we need to outfit you two with weapons.” Jiro reached into a pack and drew out two blaster pistols, with holsters. They looked like DL-18’s, but there were some subtle differences. The scope sat a bit higher on the back, which was cylindrical in shape, and the barrel was a little longer. Ahsoka took it and turned it over in her hands. She’d never really used blasters before and wasn’t well acquainted with them. It felt odd to hold one, especially after a lifetime of wielding a lightsabre.

She strapped the holster around her leg and shoved the blaster in. She would, by preference, make use of her lightsabres, but she recognised the need to not draw attention unnecessarily.

Ahsoka glanced over and saw that Barriss was turning hers over in her hands, fiddling around with it and frowning. “What’s wrong?” Ahsoka asked.

Barriss didn’t respond directly but looked up at Jiro. “Does it have a stun setting?” she inquired.

Ahsoka winced. Oh. I should have known. She’d just sort of assumed that it would do, but of course, pirates being pirates they wouldn’t have set it as such, nor would they necessarily have it.

This was seemingly confirmed when Jiro laughed, the other pirates bar Hondo joining in. Then he cut off when he spotted Barriss’ deepening frown. “You’re serious?” he said, dumbfounded.

Barriss nodded.

“These are the Pykes!” he exclaimed.

“Nevertheless,” Barriss said.

Jiro blinked at her, baffled. Hondo put a hand on his shoulder and he glanced over at him. “Jiro, show her the stun setting,” Hondo said. “Jedi have their own morality that we should be respectful of.” He squeezed his hand on his shoulder, fingers digging deeply enough that Ahsoka could tell it was warning as much as anything else.

Grumbling, Jiro showed Barriss how to twizzle the small knob on the back of the blaster to set it to stun. Surreptitiously, Ahsoka did the same with hers.

“Now, we need to leave, the Pykes will be on schedule. We dock in separate landing bays and meet in ours,” Jiro said, passing over a datapad with a map installed. “And you two will be split into separate teams.”

Ahsoka nodded. She’d been expecting that and it made sense. They could both contribute something to each team. “Then let’s go,” she said, just managing to keep the sigh out of her voice.

This was a really terrible idea, and boy Ahsoka have you had some bad ones in the past...

Formos was an asteroid the size of a small moon. Approximately 900 kilometres in diameter, it had an enormous set of structures built into it the largest of which was the processing facility. A hulking frustum, several pipes spilt out of it pumping fumes and gases into the atmosphere in great clouds, and pipes spilling toxic waste into one of the few rivers that ran across the asteroid. More than spice was processed here, several varieties of unrefined rhydonium and tibanna were processed in the facility as well for distribution into sectors of the Outer Rim. Surrounding the processing plant were several small village centres, more like casinos, with dens for gambling and entertainment where the smugglers hung out waiting for jobs or to receive payment.

A more wretched hive of scum and villainy...

Ahsoka observed the planet through the shuttle canopy. They had cleared through the checking gates, large orbital structures out in the exosphere of Formos, and had been given permission to land at docking bay 37. Jiro’s gang, in their Flarestar-class attack shuttle, would be landing at bay 23, which according to the map put them a small distance away, but neither was too far from where the Pykes would be set up.

Ahsoka glanced over at Barriss, who sat in the co-pilot seat brooding. She peeked out of the corner of her eyes at Barr-Tunn, who stood in the corner of the canopy, observing. Ahsoka swallowed. “Looks like quite the place,” Ahsoka said, making Barriss look up.

“Yes, it’s...certainly impressive...” Barriss replied.

Ahsoka tapped her fingers on the control wheel, drawing Barriss’ attention to them. She took the hand off and leaned back, but as she did so she gestured with her fingers. +Should we clear out? We can take this guy+. “I wonder why they need to process the spice?” she said aloud, to distract Barr-Tunn if he was watching.

“In raw form, it’s too powerful,” Barriss replied. She waved her hand. “But it can be refined in multiple ways.” +There’s no point, we both agreed we don’t have any better ideas at the moment+.

“I thought it could only be a drug?” Ahsoka asked, legitimately curious as she leaned forward.

+All right but...the offer is there.+

“It can be. But sansanna spice can also be refined into a valuable medical property. When I worked at one of the Republic medical facilities, it was used as an anaesthetic, as well as a way of reducing infections.” She sighed. “All that potential for good...and it’s just used by the Pykes as an addictive drug to fuel their profit empire.”

Ahsoka grimaced. No doubt Hondo wouldn’t be putting it to any better use. She licked her lips, and turned the control wheel, angling towards the docking bay. She raised her hand as if to rub at her lekku and flicked her fingers again.

+That sounds like a strong vote for abandoning this.+

Barriss kept her gaze fixed forward, and acted as if she was stretching out a kink in her arm. +This will happen regardless of whether we’re here or not.+ She made a noise that sounded like a suppressed, bitter laugh. +Everyone else profits from it, I don’t see why we should be excluded+

Ahsoka licked her lips. She could see and feel Barriss’ pain and discomfort. She was right, of course, what they did wouldn’t have the slightest impact on what was going on here. But to see up close all that potential being wasted...it had to hurt.

Ahsoka shot her hand out and grabbed Barriss’, squeezing it. The Mirialan snapped her gaze to her, startled.

Ahsoka couldn’t speak the words, but she wanted to let Barriss know that this wasn’t how she wanted things to go. That this wouldn’t be all they were. That this was just temporary, that they would find a way to make things work. And selfishly, she wanted to comfort herself with that thought and feel the comfort of warmth on her own skin. She stroked her thumb along the crook of Barriss’ hand, wanting her to know, somehow.

Barriss turned her head away. But she squeezed Ahsoka’s hand back, acknowledging what she was doing.

Behind them, Barr-Tunn glanced between the two and rolled his eyes. Babysitting Jedi was proving to be a lot more irritating than he would have imagined...

Ahsoka, Barriss and Barr-Tunn made their way without difficulty along the winding and dank corridors of the processing facility. Pipes slunk along the walls and the ceiling, dripping with condensation, giving everything a slick and oily glimmer. Grime was everywhere, but the corridors were surprisingly bare of people with only the occasional worker in green and dirty hazmat suits walking past, carrying either crates or tubs of some kind or a pole. Ahsoka supposed that most of the action would be further in from the docking bays and their adjoining corridors. They kept their cloaks on them with the hoods pulled up, though, as there was no sense in attracting any more attention than could be avoided. The hum of the machinery in the processing facility was an ever-present sound that set them on edge, as was the stench of the processing rhydonium and tibanna. Even at this distance, through multiple walls, the smell was oppressive, a gloopy and sticky miasma.

Docking Bay 23’s doors were open and the pirates had descended from their shuttle. Four of them in total, including Jiro, with Barr-Tunn making five. The pirates all wore combinations of flight jackets and trousers, all their insignias gone, with the blasters holstered at their side.

Jiro spotted them and waved them over. “Finally,” he said, as they approached. “We’ve decided on the split in teams.” He looked over at Barr-Tunn and Ahsoka imagined that some silent exchange was going on, as to whether they’d behaved. Jiro must have received a satisfying gesture as he turned back to Ahsoka soon after.

Ahsoka frowned. “You decided without us?”

“You took too long.” Jiro planted his hands on his hips. “Don’t forget who’s in charge here, little renegade.”

Ahsoka scowled at the risibly obvious power play but said nothing, as Barriss stayed quiet at her side.

“You,” Jiro pointed at Ahsoka, “and Barr-Tunn are going after the unprocessed spice. Make sure to collect it from someone delivering for the Pykes. Barriss will come with me and my team to secure the already processed spice from their ship.”

Ahsoka regarded him and then turned to Barriss. “Is that split okay with you?” she asked.

Jiro growled. “I already told you--”

“And I’m asking Barriss if she’s okay with it,” Ahsoka interrupted, shooting Jiro a glare.

Barriss tentatively touched Ahsoka’s arm, drawing her attention back. “It’s fine,” she said. “Let’s go with the split he suggested.”

Ahsoka looked at her and then slowly nodded. “Okay. Barr-Tunn and I will go and sort out the unprocessed spice.” She nodded to Barr-Tunn and then spun on her heel and walked towards the exit.

Behind her, Barr-Tunn glanced over at Jiro, confused. Jiro’s face boiled and he ground his teeth but gestured for Barr-Tunn to follow her out. He hurried to catch up as Jiro stormed past Barriss, two of the other pirates following along behind.

“I hope you’re less of a nuisance,” he snarled.

Barriss let out a nervous breath and settled into step with the other two pirates.

“Don’t worry,” one of the pirates whispered, startling her. “He’s always like that.”

“That’s very reassuring to know, thank you,” Barriss muttered dryly.

The pirate chuckled. “I guess what I’m saying is, for all that he barks a lot he rarely actually acts on it. In fact, the one time he did it all went wrong very quickly but...” The pirate exchanged a glance with his compatriot, who raised a warning eyebrow. “Best not drag that up.”

“If you say so.” Barriss walked along a bit more. “What are your names?” she asked after a moment.

“Paynter,” the pirate who had talked to her said. “This guy’s Curo.” The other pirate grunted.

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” Barriss said, trying her best to sound sincere and putting on a smile.

“Likewise, Jedi,” Paynter replied.

Barriss flinched and then turned her head forward, as they passed into the corridor and went left along it towards the Pyke’s docking bay. Just keep focused and get through this, Barriss repeated, almost as a mantra.

Ahsoka and Barr-Tunn made their way closer to the processing facility, the sounds increasing in volume along with the pungent, fetid smell of the rhydonium. Ahsoka gagged at the smell and pinched her nostrils. She wished she’d thought to take the mufflers she used for her montrals in sonic showers. It would help ease the ache from the low vibrating thrum of the facility.

Barr-Tunn nudged her on the shoulder and held out a bandanna to her. Gratefully, she took it and tied it over her nose, lessening the smell a little. “Thanks,” she said.

“Don’t worry,” Barr-Tunn replied. “I understand it’s quite potent. Fortunately, I lack a nose.” He smiled self-deprecatingly and Ahsoka flickered a grin, scrunching her eyes.

They arrived at a door and Barr-Tunn slapped the button on it. The door opened onto an inferno of heat and noise and smell and Ahsoka choked. They were up on a catwalk that ran around the edge of a large, square hall. Dotting the ground were enormous cauldrons, vats of bubbling blueish-green liquid that was nearly translucent. Rhydonium being refined. 

Workers scuttled about below, all in hazmat suits of one kind or another. Adjusting nodes and clearing pipes. Some stood on platforms next to the vats, using large poles to stir through the rhydonium. Fumes and smoke spewed into the room, creating an almost treacle-like miasma.

Ahsoka’s eyes watered and Barr-Tunn nudged her forward. He pointed at the central catwalk, running between the vats. People were moving along it, taking some crates on repulsor lifts.

“That’s where they bring the unprocessed spice through,” Barr-Tunn shouted to be heard over the racket. “We get over there, we can intercept them.”

Ahsoka nodded. She peered along the catwalk and saw that it led to a large platform, where the main door was. That would be where they could intercept. She started out along the catwalk, Barr-Tunn following behind.

Caspian Vittle felt good.

His first time doing the Kessel Run had been a big success. Swept in, collected the spice, four crates of the stuff, brought it to Formos. Bang. Done.

Honestly, he didn’t know why everybody made such a big deal out of it? Maybe he was just exceptional in comparison to the others.

Well, whatever. Didn’t matter to him. All he needed to do was have it processed and then take it along to the Pykes to collect his payment. Simple.

He crossed through the doors into the rhydonium processing area. He’d heard from other smugglers that the smell was appalling, so he’d come prepared with his gas mask. Though that couldn’t block out the absolutely ferocious sound.

Or the fact that there were two people blocking his way: a Togruta woman and a Nikto man. The Togruta wore a poncho cloak and a bandanna tied over her nose, so only her eyes and white facial markings over her brow and on her temple were visible.

Great…what do these two want?

The Togruta walked toward him, and Caspian surreptitiously reached towards his blaster, holstered over his right hip. As she got close, the Togruta waved.

Caspian frowned. He waved back. Was this some sort of protocol greeting?

The Togruta stared at him confused and then looked irritated. She stepped closer and waved her hand again. “You will pass your spice onto us!” she bellowed, making Caspian flinch.

He blinked. He supposed he should pass on the spice, as she was asking. But… “Why?” he asked, shouting it to be heard.

The Togruta rolled her eyes. “We’re couriers!” she shouted, waving her hand again. “We take it forward from this point! Ensures the whole process runs smoothly!”

Well…okay. He could see the sense in that. This was probably how the Pykes liked doing things, have their own people handle the processing part. Might be something that required some more experience.

Caspian nodded. “Okay!” he shouted, stepping back.

The Togruta nodded her thanks and the Nikto walked over and took charge of the repulsor. He pushed it to the right, towards a catwalk leading up around the side of the room.

Caspian chuckled to himself as he turned about and walked through the doors. He would have assumed he had to take it across the central walkway, which showed how badly he would have messed this up if he hadn’t passed it over.

The door closed over behind him and shut out some of the noise. And with that gone he could hear a small disquieting voice in his head.

If he’d passed it over, how was he going to deliver it to the Pykes and get his money?

He frowned. He’d have to get in touch with his contact.

Subcommander Lim pulled the small cylindrical tube out of his mouth and breathed out a haze of spice as he glared at his comm. “Would you say that again?” he asked.

“Hey, I’m just asking how I’m getting my money if your couriers took the spice on to be processed,” the smuggler’s, Caspian was it?, infuriatingly smug voice came back over the comm. Lim had wanted to give some new smugglers a chance, give them a start with smaller shipments and see who could be brought in to be more reliable couriers.

This one was definitely failing.

“Why exactly would we hire you to be a courier, and then have you hand it off to another courier to take it to the processing facility?”

An uncomfortable silence came from the other side.

“W-well they were…were very persuasive…” Caspian spluttered.

“Who were these people?” Lim demanded.

“Uh…a, um. A Togruta woman and a Nikto man. I didn’t get any names. Subcommandent Lim, let me--”

He killed the comm before the idiot could make his offer and took another inhale of the spice. If Caspian couldn’t be relied upon for the simple matter of bringing the shipment from A to B then he certainly couldn’t be relied upon to get it back.

Lim stood up and stepped out of the cockpit. In the corridor outside two of his compatriots waited. “With me,” Lim ordered. “We have some spice to track down.”

Barriss waited, hiding with the others behind the wall of an alcove outside docking bay 54. They were waiting to see if the Pykes would move, Barr-Tunn having got in touch to say they’d stolen the unrefined spice and were taking it back to Ahsoka and Barriss’ shuttle. Now they just had to hope the Pykes would actually go out to investigate on their own.

Barriss closed her eyes and reached out into the Force and felt her way along the strands leading to the Pykes within the docking bay. She could feel…

“They’re moving,” she said. “Feels like…five…no, six…”

A moment later the door opened and six Pykes strode out. Their distinctive look, the tapered skull and the undersized face, covered by a mask, identified them immediately. The Pyke walking in front seemed to be the leader if the gold bands around his mask were to be taken as a sign. The Pykes moved down the corridor, away from the pirate’s position and Barriss let out a sigh of relief.

Jiro nudged her. “How many are left?”

Suppressing her flash of irritation, Barriss closed her eyes and reached out again, wiping the spot where Jiro had nudged her. She felt her way along the threads. There were...she could feel their emotions, three distinct emotions around confusion and irritation, one located on the ground, two seemingly above so likely on an upper deck. But there was something else...some bundle of fear and anxiety located on the ship but...

“Three...” she said at last. “One on the bottom deck of the ship, two on an upper deck.”

“Great,” Jiro said, the glee in his voice evident. “All right boys, let’s get them.” He moved forward and then glanced back disdainfully at Barriss. “Wait here, stun setting.”

Barriss glowered at his back, as he, Paynter and Curo approached the door and swept around it. She waited and then jerked slightly at the sudden report of a blaster bolt, followed swiftly by two more. She reached out...yes the three nodes representing the Pykes were gone. But that bundle was still there...

Barriss moved to the door and stepped into the docking bay. The YV-865 Aurore-class freighter was parked in the middle, with a few crates and repulsor beds around the docking bay. The freighter was a large cargo ship, trapezoid-shaped with two cylindrical booster engines pointing up and a dusty brown in colour. The bay door was open and Barriss could see several crates of spice within, with the pirates congratulating themselves. The body of one Pyke, a hole still smoking from his chest, had been flung out on the ground.

“All right, get working!” Jiro shouted. “We don’t know how long we have, so load up as much as we can and go!”

Paynter and Curo scrambled and started heaving crates of spice between them and carrying them down to the repulsor. Jiro, despite his insistence on urgency, seemed content to stand with his arms crossed feeling pleased with himself.

“Hey, stun setting,” he called as he spotted Barriss. “Why don’t you put your rock lifting powers to good use and help us out.”

“In a moment...” Barriss said, somewhat distantly, as she walked up the ramp. There was something in the freighter, something that was drawing her. There were tall stacks of processed spice, but there was another container in there as well. A larger one, two metres tall, and four deep, sealed over. It was from there that the bundle of fear and anxiety was coming from and it had only increased since the blaster bolts had been fired. But what was it...? It was hard to make out and distinguish what was going on inside. It felt almost like the feelings she’d get from a panicked animal but...

“What do you mean ‘in a moment’? We’re on a schedule here, so get to it!”

Barriss held back on a growl. She stepped away from the container and walked towards the spice crates. But as she did so, she activated her comm and surreptitiously brought it to her lips, keeping it out of Jiro’s sight. “Ahsoka?” she whispered. “I need you to come to docking bay 54. There’s...something...”

“On my way,” Ahsoka replied. She shut off the comm and turned to go.

Barr-Tunn grabbed her shoulder. “Where are you going?” he demanded.

Ahsoka shrugged him off. “Barriss wants me, so I’m going to her.”

“The plan was for us to fly the shuttle out of here.”

“The plan is altering. The Pykes aren’t going to find this shuttle. And you can’t fly it, because you need to use the Force to run the activation sequence.” That was a bluff, there was no activation sequence. Older Jedi ships had required the use of a lightsabre to activate them, but that had been dropped when non-Jedi pilots were brought in to help ambassadorial duties. But she was betting that Barr-Tunn wasn’t familiar with Jedi shuttles and would assume she was telling the truth.

He glowered at her and then scowled and Ahsoka knew she’d won. “Fine. But Jiro won’t like this.”

“Frankly, I don’t care what he likes or dislikes.”

Barriss turned her head up as she felt Ahsoka’s presence. A moment later she crossed through the door, Barr-Tunn behind her looking unhappy.

Jiro’s eyes blazed as he stormed over to her. “What are you doing here?!” he shouted. “You should already be gone!”

“Barriss called me,” Ahsoka replied. Jiro turned his fury on her, but Barriss affected nonchalance as she walked over. “So what’s going on?”

“It’s this way,” Barriss said, indicating towards the freighter. Ahsoka ignored Jiro and followed behind her. Jiro growled and followed her, flexing his fingers and the other pirates exchanged a look and shrug and followed as well.

Barriss stopped in front of the container. “I felt something from here, but I can’t quite untangle it,” she said. “It feels like an animal of some kind but...I’m not sure.”

Ahsoka frowned and stepped towards it, placing a hand on the container. She closed her eyes and was still for a moment. Then her eyes snapped open. She blinked at the container and then her lips peeled back, showing her teeth, as a fury descended over her. She snatched up her shoto sabre and ignited it, making the pirates flinch, before stabbing it onto the container lock and drawing it roughly downwards.

The container door slowly whined open and Barriss stared inside, eyes adjusting to the dark as light from the luminators dimly lit the inside.

Her breath caught. That had been why she’d struggled to untangle it.

Inside were people. Two humans, a male and female, a Chagrian female, a Palliduvan woman, and a purple-skinned Twi’lek woman, who clutched her whimpering child tightly to her. All dressed in rags, looking terrified and beaten down.

“Slaves...” Ahsoka growled.

Chapter Text

“We can’t leave them here!”

“They’ll slow us down. They stay!”

Ahsoka and Jiro glared at one another. The unproductive argument had been spilling on since the container was opened with neither one budging. Barriss opted to stay out of it and carefully moved towards the people in the interior, who shuffled back from her. She held out her palms in a placating gesture. “It’s all right,” she said, voice soothing. “We’re not with the Pykes. We want to help.” She winced. It wasn’t like they couldn’t overhear the argument.

Nobody in the container said anything. Too beaten down and antagonized to trust anything she was saying.

“Just...give...” She didn’t know what to say. So she just flashed a sympathetic smile and stepped back to join Ahsoka. “These people need help,” she said, and Jiro turned the force of his glare on her. But she met his glare with a placid look, not indulging his antagonism. Keeping calm through force of will.

“Look, boss,” Paynter stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Maybe we should help them? I mean, there’s a kid in there.”

“Of course there is!” Jiro threw up his hands in exasperation. “Children are often used in the spice mines, they can get into smaller places!”

“And that makes it okay?!” Ahsoka bit back, her hands curling into fists. She took a steadying breath, relaxed her fingers. “Jiro, listen to me. We have room on our shuttle, we can take them. It’s the right thing to do.”

“The right thing to do, eh?” Jiro rubbed his chin, his smile turning cruel. “Tell me, if it’s the right thing to do, why have the spice mines never been closed before? Your precious Jedi and Republic surely know about it?”

Ahsoka scowled, and Barriss tensed, her own fingers twitching in irritation. “They’re not my precious Jedi, as you well--” Ahsoka began.

Jiro dismissed her with a wave. “Then tell me this, where do you think the spice that’s used in the Republic and Order’s medical supplies comes from? A super special spice mine just for you?”

Ahsoka blinked. Barriss frowned. She hadn’t actually considered that question. She’d used it when she had worked on the medical facilities and had just assumed it came...from a legitimate...place...

Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized what Jiro was getting at, and she saw shock cross Ahsoka’s face as well. “You don’t mean...” Ahsoka said, voice low and disbelieving.

“The Pykes do deals, girl. And not just in ‘preferential rates for senators to have wild parties’ terms. They give shipments to the Republic for their medical supplies and, in return, the Republic and the Jedi look the other way.”

Barriss pulled her head deeper into her hood, her frown giving way to anger. She knew slavery carried on across the galaxy, some of it outwith Republic territories. And she knew illicit trades happened as well, and that the Jedi were too few to counteract every instance across the galaxy, even before the war.

Or so she’d be told. Now she wasn’t so sure. Could it really be the case that a blind eye was turned to the trade? That the corruption of the Jedi ideals that she so loathed had been going on before the Clone Wars? She knew Dooku had left partly over complaints about corruption, but to this extent...

Just what had she been training to be?

Ahsoka crossed her arms, the shock passing out of her to be replaced with steely determination. “Well, I’m not going to look the other way,” she declared.

“Nor will I,” Barriss added.

Jiro glared between them, his teeth grinding. Ahsoka’s gaze was implacable and she didn’t flinch for a moment.

“Fine!” Jiro threw up a hand, admitting defeat. “But you’re on your own. Me and the lads are taking this spice back to our ship and getting out of here.”

Jiro strode down the ramp, Cur and Barr-Tunn following him, each grabbing a repulsor and shoving it from the docking bay. Paynter spared a quick glance at Barriss, something like sympathy on his expression before he turned and hurried after them, pushing the last of the repulsors.

Ahsoka let out a sigh and the tension relaxed out of her shoulders slightly.

“What do we do now?” Barriss asked.

“Get them out of here I guess. And hope the Pykes don’t come back anytime soon.”

Ahsoka peered around the corner of the container. The people were still inside, still huddling back in fear.

“It’s okay,” Ahsoka said, soothingly, holding up her palms and crouching down to their eye level to show she meant no harm. “We’re here to help.”

“Are you Jedi?” the human male asked, a soft waver in his voice that might have been hope, or it might have been disbelief.

“Umm...” Ahsoka didn’t really know how to answer that one. But Barriss stepped in.

“Yes,” she said, with confidence. “We’re here to rescue you.”

Ahsoka glanced up at her and Barriss flicked her fingers. +They’ll be more likely to follow us if we’re clear and confident on this,+ she signed.

Ahsoka nodded and turned back. “Yes, we’re Jedi,” she said. To underline the point, she took out her shoto sabre and ignited it, the yellow-green light spilling into the container. The people’s eyes went wide at it.

“And you’re here to save us?” the Palliduvan asked.

Ahsoka flinched. Her face fell. She hated the sound of shock in her voice, hated it. They genuinely could not believe that Jedi would come to save them.

And what made it worse was they were right.

“Yes,” she said, struggling to keep the anger out of her voice. She couldn’t startle them, she had to keep herself calm and her tones calm. She deactivated the sabre and clipped it to her belt. “We don’t know when the Pykes will be coming back, so the sooner we go the better. Are any of you in pain, or carrying any injuries?”

The Chagrian shook her head. “No, they...they just lock us in here. They don’t want to risk damaging the cargo.”

Well, that has a certain horrible sense to it...

“Let me check regardless,” Barriss said, stepping forward. “It never hurts to be sure, just in case something comes up while we try and get you out of here.”

Ahsoka pulled away, letting Barriss minister to them. She’d been forced to pretend to be a slave in the past and always hated it. That sense of no longer having control, of being at someone else’s mercy. It made her skin crawl. And every time, even though she knew she would be rescued, there had been a horrible voice in the back of her skull insisting that this time the rescue might not happen, that this time she might be condemned to a lifetime of it, that this time...

They’d rescued the Togruta of Kiros from the Zygerians but she knew the Zygerians were only one part of the system of slavery in the galaxy. The Zygerians themselves continued on, weakened perhaps, but still there. And now the pirates were just running away from doing anything about it, just as the Republic turned a blind eye to fuel their own--

She took a deep, calming breath, held it and then let it go. She did this two more times as she flexed and relaxed her fingers, and raised her brows to force the tension out of her temple. She couldn’t let anger dominate her. She needed to think clearly.

Calmer, she stared at the docking bay doors, thinking. In theory, this wasn’t complicated. They could take them to their shuttle without too much trouble. There hadn’t been any issues when she and Barr-Tunn had come back along and the processing facility was big. The Pykes were actively looking for people stealing spice, as well, so that might provide them with a small advantage.

However, they would be going as a large group and with a group that would not be able to pass for workers or smugglers. They’d need to be cautious. The trade-off was between taking side-passages and a longer route, and potentially getting lost, or taking the most direct passage and potentially running into opposition of one kind or another.

She reached out with the Force, expanding her awareness out as far as she could, looking for the Pykes.

She couldn’t pick up on anything. There didn’t appear to be any Pykes about, none making their way towards them.

She opened her eyes. Maybe they did have a chance of going the direct route? The faster they could get out of here the better.

Ahsoka felt Barriss move up beside her and she looked over. “How are they?” she asked.

“Weak,” Barriss replied, a note of disgust in her voice. “They’re severely malnourished, and that space doesn’t provide any room for moving around. From what I gather they’ve been transited between places in conditions like that for a couple of days. But there are no injuries, nothing that’s been incurred by deliberate interference anyway. Blim, the Twi’lek child, has a welt on the underside of his left arm but it doesn’t seem like anything serious.”

Ahsoka nodded. If they were weak then perhaps the direct route would be best. They couldn’t afford to have anyone dropping and struggling. She really wished she’d thought to bring a ration pack with her or something that they could eat to get their strength. She couldn’t have known she would run into this though.

But maybe I should have done...It’s not like the criminal underworld would just focus on one monstrosity to the exclusion of something else.

For that matter, how many of the workers in hazard suits were actual workers as opposed to slaves?

Her fists clenched. She had a sudden urge to find a way to burn this whole facility down. If she could ignite the rhydonium...

She shook it off with a sigh, running a hand along her lekku. No. Doing that would just get more people killed. I need to focus on what is important now; saving the people that we can. She knew it was the right thing to do, the only thing to do really. But the calculation still rankled.

“All right,” she said, nodding. “I think we’d better risk going the direct route. The faster we can get out of here the better, and no telling when the Pykes will get back.”

“I agree,” Barriss replied.

“What are their names?”

“The humans are Garth and Selena, they’re brother and sister. The Chagrian is Sar Cormen, and the Palliduvan is Tura. Then there’s Blim and his mother, Jeesha.”

“Great. Let’s get them together and get out of here.”

Caspian Vittle fumed as he stormed along the corridors. If the Pykes thought he was just going to go home without his pay, they had another thing coming. Sure, some schutta had tricked him, but how was he to know what the correct procedures were? And she had been very persuasive, though when he thought about it now he wasn’t sure why. She had never shown him any sort of identification. She’d just spoken.

She wasn’t even his type.

He shook his head. Regardless, he was getting his pay. As he came closer to the docking bay, though, his stride faltered. Yes, he wanted his pay badly but, as an insistent part of his brain kept squawking, demanding it from the Pykes when he’d made a mistake was maybe...not the best idea.

Maybe he should moderate his claim? Change it to asking for another chance? Yes, that might be better, that might be more acceptable. He could give them a discount as well, help smooth things over.

Satisfied with his reasoning, he continued on.

And then dove behind a pilaster as someone emerged.

Heart pounding, he peeked around the corner.

And frowned. A Mirialan woman looked both ways down the corridor. She ducked back and indicated with her hand and a small group of people nervously stepped out, clutching at one another, wearing nothing but rags. He blinked. Were they slaves? Possibly. The Pykes did have loads of them on Kessel. But then why was this woman leading them...

He had his answer in the next moment as the Togruta woman stepped out after them bringing up the rear.

Caspian smiled and carefully took his blaster out of its holster. This was perfect. If he could stop the slaves from escaping he would be redeemed in the eyes of the Pykes.

But first, he would put a blaster bolt through the Togruta. That would teach her.

He swung out and fired--

The Togruta suddenly twisted her body aside and the bolt flew past her and struck the Chagrian in the shoulder. She cried out and went to the ground, the Mirialan leaping to her.

Caspian froze. Oh kriff! Kriff! He’d hit the property! But he’d been sure! He’d been certain that his shot was dead on the Togruta!

He snapped out of it, realizing that he’d paused, trained his blaster again--

The Togruta’s cerulean blue eyes burned at him like the brightness of a desert sky. She flung out a hand and he was wrenched off his feet and sent spinning and tumbling down the corridor. He cracked his head on the floor. Groaning, he touched the back of his head, his fingers coming away warm and wet. Through his blurry vision, he looked down the corridor. They were gone.

But no matter. Not really. Because now he had some important information he could share.

He rummaged in his pocket for his comm.

Subcommander Lim’s comm bleeped and he suppressed a scowl of irritation. Hunting through the area where the spice was taken for processing had turned up nothing. Now they were on a somewhat fruitless search for this Togruta and Nikto. But nothing. Nothing.

He tapped his wrist to activate the comm.

“Subcommandaner...Lim...” the breathy voice of the human came over and Lim nearly slapped the comm to turn it off. “I have...information for you...”

“This had better be good Caspian...” Lim growled, making the implied threat clear.

“The Togruta...she’s a...Jedi...” Caspian gasped.

Lim stilled. His eyes widened as he looked at the comm. A Jedi? What was a Jedi doing out here? Why was a Jedi stealing spice? It couldn’t be a mission from the Republic that would jeopardise arrangements. What was...?

“She’s...taking the slaves, I...tried to...”

Lim slapped the comm, deactivating it. The Jedi freeing the slaves? That made even less sense. Why come all the way here just to free one set of slaves? Caspian must be imagining things. He tapped at his comm, to communicate with Sylv who had been left in charge at the freighter. “Sylv, what’s happening down there?” he demanded.

No response.

“Sylv?!”

Nothing.

He stared at his comm. Maybe a Jedi was there and had taken them out?

He turned to face his deputy, Mau. “Check the tracker,” he snarled.

Mau dug into his pack and pulled out the tracking projector. It flared up and Lim blinked. The tracker was on the move, heading through the processing facility. Which meant that the slaves were on the move. Which meant...

“Get after them!” Lim ordered and the Pykes moved quickly, following the tracker. As he ran, Lim activated his comm again.

Barriss led them through the corridors, Ahsoka cursing as she jogged at the rear. The people they’d rescued were too weak for a full-on run, so they were moving as fast as they could, which was equivalent to a fast walk. But they stumbled and Sar Cormen clutched at her shoulder, supported by Garth. She was doing magnificently to hold in the pain and not cry out though and Ahsoka could admire that.

How did that idiot find us?! Ahsoka couldn’t believe it when she’d spotted him. And she felt a pang of guilt. It was her own reaction, slipping out of the way of the blaster bolt that had led to Sar Cormen getting shot. But she’d had to do it. If she hadn’t...well if Ahsoka was down an arm that would just make things even more complicated.

They’d had to divert from the plan of taking the main corridors, and Barriss led them through some side routes, rushing past perplexed workers in hazmat suits, as they went through a series of winding corridors, the fading and rising hum of machinery being the only clue to how close or far they were moving from the central processing facility. Eventually, they emerged into a storage chamber, empty of people but with several crates piled up. Barriss raised her arm as they got there, calling a halt which the people they were leading gratefully accepted, taking the moment to catch their breath, Sar Cormen taking a peek at her wound and grimacing...

Ahsoka glanced over them, checking to make sure nobody was going to struggle to move on when needed, and then sidled up to Barriss. “How far are we?” she asked, keeping her voice low. She winced. Her montrals thrummed slightly, picking up a low and piercing vibration that the others didn’t seem to hear.

“Not far,” Barriss replied after a moment’s consideration. “Judging by the route we took, and the docking bay the shuttle was set down in, if we move over a couple of rooms we should join up with the side entrance for the --”

She cut off as a crackle came over the speakers for the facility. Ahsoka halted and looked up. That had been where the vibration was coming from, the frequency of the speakers beginning.

“This is Subcommandaner Lim of the Pyke Syndicate,” a harsh and modulated voice came over the speaker. “I would speak to the Jedi who has taken my slaves.” Ahsoka froze. The people whimpered and Barriss held out a calming hand to them. “I can assure, you, Jedi, that taking them would be a bad idea.” Ahsoka growled and nearly retorted, before remembering that Lim wouldn’t be able to hear her. Cruel humour entered Lim’s voice when he spoke again. “You see, one of them has a bomb planted inside them.”

Barriss froze, her eyes widening as the speakers cut off. The people clutched on another and whimpered, Jeesha holding Blim tight to her. Ahsoka clamped her teeth together and her brows angled into a glare.

Barriss could feel the sweat popping along her palms. She could hear blood thumping in her ears. One of them had a bomb inside them? She could feel Ahsoka’s rage and frustration building and it fuelled her own. But she pushed it away. She couldn’t afford to get distracted or give in to her emotions. She needed to be calm and steady.

Because she had a very good idea of which person the Pykes had implanted the bomb in.

Barriss moved gently towards Jeesha. “Jeesha, may I see Blim?” Barriss asked, keeping her voice soft. Jeesha looked at her, startled, and Blim curled tighter into his mother’s arms. Barriss forced a warm smile onto her face. “May I just see him a moment?”

Jeesha hesitated, and then nodded and passed Blim over to Barriss. Barriss took him and Blim squirmed in her arms before settling. Barriss could feel his terror skating through the Force.

“What is it?” Ahsoka asked. She was trying to keep the emotion out of her voice, but it still came in a low and predatory growl.

Barriss didn’t reply. She carefully took Blim’s left arm in her grasp and raised it up, and ran a thumb over the welt on the underside of his arm. She’d missed it the first time around. Wanting to hurry, she’d only done a cursory inspection of them to ensure there were no major injuries. But there was no mistaking the slightly hard lump when she passed her thumb over the welt, something that didn’t move naturally with the rest of the body.

Barriss sighed, feeling the pain in her chest. “Jeesha...I’m afraid your son has the bomb in him,” she announced.

Jeesha’s breath hitched and she grabbed Blim and clutched him tight to her. Barriss found that she couldn’t stop her from doing it, even though it would delay everything. Jeesha’s pain and grief were just too much, as was the fear from Blim.

The others gasped and looked horrified, though most of them couldn’t stop themselves from shuffling away. Ahsoka’s fist clenched and her low growl strengthened. “Of course, they’d put it in the child,” she spat.

Tura moved up to Jeesha, kneeling beside her, comforting her. “What sort of monsters would put a bomb inside someone?” she snarled.

Barriss grimaced, and she felt Ahsoka flinch beside her. What monsters indeed?

Barriss shook off her rising panic and stepped forward. Jeesha had pressed herself into a corner of the room and was curled up on the floor, stroking Blim’s lekku and whispering comforting, but meaningless, words in his ear as he softly cried, Tura giving her support, Sar Cormen crouching beside her as well, using her good arm to pat Blim’s back. Barriss crouched down next to her, Sar Cormen moving out of the way, and reached out a hand. She hesitated and then gently touched her fingers to Jeesha’s shoulder.

Jeesha looked up, startled.

“Jeesha...we’re not going to abandon you or Blim,” Barriss said firmly. “I promise. I can get the bomb out of Blim’s arm, but you need to pass him over to me. We don’t have a lot of time.”

“B-but how can you...? How...?” Jeesha gasped out the words around her sobs.

“I’m a trained healer. It will be painful, but I can get it out without triggering the bomb or killing your son.” She swallowed. “He will...likely bear a significant scar for the rest of his life but...but I can save him.”

Jeesha shook her head, clutched Blim tighter. “I don’t...I don’t...”

“Jeesha, you can trust them!” Tura said, gripping Jeesha’s shoulder tight. “They’re Jedi, real Jedi, not like the others. They know what they’re doing.”

Jeesha looked up at Barriss. Barriss could see it in her eyes, she wanted to believe, wanted desperately to believe against her own instincts. Barriss smiled warmly and rested her palm on her shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “Do you promise?” Jeesha blurted.

“You have my word,” Barriss replied with conviction.

Jeesha took a deep breath and then gently handed Blim over to her.

Blim squirmed in Barriss’ arms but she held him tight and touched some fingers to his forehead. “Blim, I need you to be very brave for me and your mother,” she said softly. “Can you do that?”

Blim looked up at her, his eyes watery.

“Some very bad people put something inside you and I’m going to get it out. But it will be painful. I’ll be as quick as I can and lessen the pain as much as I can, but I need you to keep as still as possible. The stiller you are the faster I can do the work. Can you be brave for me?”

Blim glanced over at his mother who had nestled into Tura’s side, the other woman wrapping her arms around her to comfort her. Jeesha forced a smile and nodded encouragingly at him. He looked back at her. “Okay...” he said, his voice small and hoarse.

Barriss smiled. “Thank you Blim.” She indicated to Ahsoka, who crouched down next to him. Ahsoka took his left arm and held it out, gripping it gently but securely ensuring it was fully stretched and Blim wouldn’t be able to move it.

Barriss held out her hand and Ahsoka surreptitiously passed her the shoto lightsabre. Ahsoka smiled at Blim, locking eyes with him and keeping his attention away from his arm. “Hey Blim,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Scared...” he said in a small voice.

“I know. It’s okay to be scared. I get scared too.”

“I thought Jedi didn’t feel fear?” Blim asked curiosity piqued.

Good... Barriss thought. Just keep him talking and focused on you. She studied the welt on the arm, felt around it gently, getting the sense of how large the bomb was. She wanted to make the incision as small as possible but needed to make sure she didn’t accidentally trigger the bomb.

“We’re not supposed to feel fear,” Ahsoka whispered conspiratorially. “But I’m a rebel.” She winked. “You won’t tell anyone will you?”

“No! Your secret is safe with me!” There was a note of delight in Blim’s voice at being confided in.

Barriss’ hand shook about the sabre, but she focused her mind on it and relaxed her hand, letting the hilt fold into her palm stilling it. It was a medical operation like any other, like so many of the one’s she’d done before. She held Blim’s arm carefully and sent pulses through the Force into his body to dull the nerve endings and reduce the pain as much as possible. At the very least it should prevent him from going into shock. Carefully, she brought the hilt closer, angling the blade emitter--

“What are you most looking forward to when you’re free?” Ahsoka asked. “Which, you know, will be happening in the next couple of minutes, so you’d better think fast.”

“I’d like to try meiloourun candy,” Blim replied confidently, having seemingly spent lots of time thinking about it. Barriss’ heart stung at the thought, but she forced it back, letting out a long breath, concentrating.

“Yes!” Jeesha blurted. Tears ran freely down her face, and Tura hugged her tight as Jeessha pressed trembling fists to her mouth. “Yes, you can have as much as I can find, I promise! I’ll find some way to--”

Barriss ignited the sabre with a hiss, and slid it through Blim’s skin and around in a semi-circle.

Blim screamed and yanked his arm away, slipping it out of Ahsoka’s grasp.

But it didn’t matter. The chunk of flesh slapped into the ground with a wet splat, and on the underside of it was the small remote bomb, red light blinking as it transmitted.

Jeesha leapt forward and hauled Blim into her arms and sobbed, running her hand over his lekku and apologising over and over again, while telling him it was all right.

Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief and the others visibly relaxed, the tension everyone hadn’t known they were holding leaving their bodies.

“Thank you,” Barriss said, passing back the shoto sabre. Ahsoka took it and then gave Barriss’ shoulder a squeeze.

“You did well,” she said, giving her a smile.

Barriss tried to smile back but it didn’t quite meet her eyes. She shook her head and moved over towards Blim. “Blim, I’m so sorry,” she said, voice soothing, She gently laid a hand on his sobbing form and used the Force to calm him a little, dull some of the pain more. “But it’s done now, it’s out. You’re safe. There won’t be any more pain.”

“Oh, I’m not sure about that.”

Barriss froze and then looked over her shoulder.

The Pykes entered the room, six of them, blasters at the ready. The one in front, with the gold accents on his mask smiled.

Ahsoka glared at the Pykes, Slowly, ever so slowly, she moved out of her crouch. “Get behind me...” she whispered and the people shuffled towards the corner, behind Ahsoka. They made moaning noises, terrified at seeing their captors again, terrified that they might be going back.

Not while I’m here.

“Clever surgery to get the bomb out,” the lead Pyke, Lim presumably, said, moving forward cautiously, the other Pykes fanning out behind him, covering the angles. “But I knew it would slow you up. Jedi are so predictable that way.”

“Well then, you can have this back!”

Ahsoka flicked out a finger and the bomb flung towards Lim. He slapped it aside with an irritable gesture.

“Silly tricks don’t impress me, Jedi. I’ve dealt with your kind before.”

Ahsoka glared. Did he mean dealt with in the fighting and killing sense, or in the sense that Jiro had implied?

Thought to ponder another time, Tano. Keep your focus here.

Her shoto sabre was, fortunately, still in her hand. The other was hidden underneath her coat. It’s possible the Pykes wouldn’t know about it. She scanned their formation and...yes, they were moving more towards her right side, the hand that didn’t have a sabre. So it looked like they thought she only had one. That gave her a marginal element of surprise.

“I’ll make this simple for everyone,” Lim said. “You slaves come back and none of you will be punished. We’ll treat this as a little bit of exuberance. And the Jedi can go away. Nobody needs to suffer any more than they have already.”

Ahsoka licked her lips. She could feel them wavering behind her. Could sense the turmoil of their emotions in the Force. And she could understand. It would be tempting, the possibility of getting out of this without pain, especially when they didn’t know anything about her or Barriss and had a low opinion of Jedi. Her grip tightened on the shoto sabre. Whatever the outcome, she wouldn’t let them be taken away.

“Don’t listen to him!” Selena shouted, her mind settled into determination. “The Jedi will save us!”

“Save you?” Lim scoffed. “She can’t even save herself!”

At that, the Pykes fired.

Ahsoka ignited the shoto sabre and snapped her main sabre into her hand, whirling both blades in a ribbon of green and yellow-green light, deflecting the blaster bolts. The bolts spun and cracked off the blades, striking the floor and the ceiling, but there were so many from so many angles that Ahsoka was having to work hard and concentrate fully to catch all of them and knock them away. But if she could keep the defence going, perhaps she could give them time to shuffle towards the door--

A few were slipping through her net. She could hear the cries of alarm from behind her as laser bolts streaked by.

She heard a yowl of pain, from Garth--he’d been struck--

Another cry from Selena--

Ahsoka growled. There was no time for this.

Time to be the hero again.

A bolt seared towards her and she angled her body and twisted the blade--

The bolt reflected back and struck the Pyke between the eyes.

The volume of fire lessened only slightly, but enough to make it easier for her. She twisted her body more, angling the blades more --

A bolt smacked a Pyke in the shoulder--

Another struck one in the throat--

Another burnt through the face mask--

Another was caught in the leg and then through the chest--

Until there was one left.

The final Pyke ceased firing and looked at his compatriots in horror. He glanced back up at Ahsoka, nervously, and saw only deadly intent in the drawing together of her facial markings, in her grim snarl.

The Pyke turned and ran--

Ahsoka flung her main sabre forward and it pierced the Pyke through the back. The Pyke let out a watery gasp, then collapsed onto his knees and then to the floor. Ahsoka opened her hand and recalled the sabre to it, the hilt slapping into her palm. Both blades hummed as she surveyed the scene.

Then she deactivated them.

She blinked. Swallowed. Let out a shaking breath around chittering teeth. “I had to do it...” she mumbled.

There was no other way. Killing them was the only option.

But that final one had been running away.

What she’d done had been...cruel.

“Good riddance you bastards!” Tura flew past Ahsoka and kicked one of the corpses with venom. Sar Cormen, wincing from the pain in her shoulder, darted forward and grabbed Tura and dragged her back as she screamed and tried to lash out for one more good strike.

Ahsoka breathed out, shutting her eyes. A cool touch rested on her shoulder and she looked over to see Barriss behind her. “Ahsoka,” Barriss said, her voice soft. “It’s okay.”

Ahsoka swallowed. Nodded.

“Get them to the shuttle,” Barriss said. “It’s just two doors over.”

“What...what about you?”

“I’m going to ensure that there are no more Pykes coming behind us, then I’ll be along. Now go, quickly.”

Ahsoka nodded. She allowed herself one last sigh. Then she became the hero again.

“Okay everyone, let’s go!” she called, turning around and surveying the group. Garth was favouring one leg and Selena clutched at her left arm. But otherwise, they seemed fine. Jeesha and Blim hadn’t been hurt, huddled in the corner though a couple of scorch marks near them indicated just how close it had been.

“This way!” Ahsoka continued, leading them to the door, keeping both sabres in hand.

Barriss watched them file out, moving quickly and with a little caution. It didn’t matter at this point. They were so close and with the Pykes taken care of, there was little further danger to be had.

Or almost taken care of anyway.

Barriss steeled herself and half-turned her body. “You can cease your pretence,” she said, voice firm. “I know you’re alive.”

With a groan, Lim raised himself up from the floor, clutching his shoulder.

“I can feel your pain,” Barriss smirked, enjoying seeing the Pyke subcommander put in his place. “Just punishment for your monstrous actions, perhaps?”

Unnervingly, Lim chuckled. “Monstrous actions?” he said, voice layered with pain. “You mean planting a bomb in someone? That’s a touch hypocritical, wouldn’t you say, Barriss Offee?”

Barriss flinched and stared at him, her eyes wide. Lim smiled at her reaction. “Oh yes I know,” he crowed. “The Pykes were very impressed with what you did with our bombs.”

Barriss’ leg wobbled and she forced herself to stay steady. “I...I didn’t get them from...”

“Intermediaries,” Lim explained. “The Pykes have many interests, as part of the Shadow Collective.” Lim’s eyes flicked to the left.

Barriss scrunched her lips. This changed things. She had been planning on stunning him but now...

She stretched out her hand, fanning her fingers and concentrated, making a connection with Lim’s mind, forcing it to open to her. “You will forget you saw us,” she commanded. “And forget we had anything to do with this.”

Lim laughed, a croaking chuckle. “No, no, Barriss. Your mind tricks won’t work on me. But you do have another way...” He inclined his head.

Barriss trembled and looked down at her blaster. She looked back up. Lim had shuffled himself to the left and Barriss eyes flicked left. He was clearly making for one of the dropped blasters.

“Why hesitate?” Lim asked. “What’s one evil Pyke, compared with...what was it again? Twenty innocents?”

“Six...” she rasped.

“Oh, my mistake. I guess the clones and Jedi don’t count.”

“No! That’s not...” Barriss snatched up her blaster and pointed it at him, halting Lim’s slight shuffle. She twisted the nozzle, taking it off the stun setting. “Don’t press me...” she growled, threatening. “I...I will...I will do it!”

“There’s no point making threats. Either you do what you have to do, or you won’t. There’s no alternative.” He shuffled a little more to the left. The blaster trembled in Barriss’ grip, the barrel of the blaster shaking all across Lim’s body. “But you’d better do it. You see, he is back in charge.” Lim smiled. “And I think he would be very interested to know about two rogue Jedi interfering in his business.”

Barriss swallowed. He was helpless, at her mercy. It would be murder. But if she didn’t he could tell who they were. They would find them. They could go after the slaves again, the people they’d just liberated. He would go on to do more evil if she just let him live. It was the better thing to do. The right thing to do. To kill him now. It was what she had to do. Wasn’t it?

He’d said it himself, what was one evil Pyke? But...but this was what she hated. What she’d striven against, these kinds of calculations, these kinds of simplifications, these kinds of...

Her head swam as competing parts of her brain screamed at her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, a prickling of sweat all along her body, her heart thumping, blotting out all noise.

It was this or...she didn’t have...it was this or...

Lim made another move to the left--

Something kicked in Barriss’ hand.

There was a throb around the crook of her thumb, which held the grip of the blaster tight.

The blaster was as steady as a lightsabre blade.

Lim looked at her curiously and then down at his body. A smoking hole rose from his chest. He looked back up puzzled as if confused as to why she’d done what she’d done.

He slumped to the side and his presence left the Force.

Steadily, Barriss lowered the blaster and slotted it into the holster. She twisted the nozzle back to the stun setting. Even now she wasn’t sure if she’d done that herself or if she’d just reacted on instinct to his movement.

“It needed to be done,” she said, firmly. “It needed to be done. There was no alternative.” She took a breath. “I did it to save the slaves.”

She swallowed and gripped her hands together to stop them from shaking and walked from the room.

It needed to be done.

Ahsoka surveyed the huge crowd of people clumped together, streaming towards the checking stations. They had taken them to the Delta-Epsilon refugee centre on the border between the Outer Rim and the Mid-Rim. It was a large hexagonal station, and transport ships arrived in a steady stream of barely organized chaos, as people fled warzones and left devastated homes, so it had been easy enough to slip into the traffic and blend with it. It had seemed like the safest place to drop in, somewhere that was Republic controlled, out of reach of the combat, but still in enough of a stretch area for it to not be too hard to skate around the Republic patrols.

Now there was but a sea of misery. People slumped at the sides, consoling themselves, others, children. Dressed in clothes that might have been nice once but were now dirty, soiled and in various stages of ruin, only a few cases with them if that. Waiting to be let through. Waiting to see if they would be allowed through, because of course it wasn’t a guarantee. And even if they got through, there was no telling whether they would be taken anywhere into Republic space, or if they would just be held indefinitely in the holding centre on the station.

But for all its horror, it would be better than being sent to the spice mines of Kessel. Not that that was an especially high bar to clear...

“Here we are,” Ahsoka said. “If you get in the line they might be able to let you through.” The group looked at her. Barriss had patched up most of them on the shuttle, wrapping bandages around wounds and using the Force to accelerate the healing process, though she could still feel their pain. So many emotions were visible on their faces and through the Force: relief, anxiety, gratitude, stress, concern... “I’m...sorry we can’t do any better.”

“It’s fine,” Jeesha said. “It’s more than we ever expected.” She smiled. “Thank you, Jedi.”

Ahsoka licked her lips. “Jeesha...I’m sorry, I lied to you I’m not...I’m not a Jedi, not...”

Jeesha gripped her arm tight. “You are to us,” she said, fiercely.

Ahsoka blinked her eyes rapidly and swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“Come on, let’s not hold them up,” Tura said, jiggling Blim in her arms. “After all, the longer we wait here the longer it will take to clear through this mess.”

Saying their final thanks, Garth and Selena reached out to press Ahsoka’s hand. Sar Cormen nodded and smiled gratefully at her. Then the group moved into the crowd, supporting one another.

Ahsoka watched them go until they were out of sight. If nothing else she had at least helped some people. And that was something.

She took a deep breath and moved away, flipping up the hood of her cloak.

“Please, take it.”

The doctor, a Mon Cala by the name of Urqua in a white uniform, stared at the two cases of unprocessed spice. Barriss had taken them to the small medical clinic on the station, one that was nowhere near adequate to serve the vast numbers of people being brought to the centre. Through observation windows she had seen many people crammed together in small spaces, most without cots, groaning and sweating around injuries, with a pitiful amount of nurses and medical droids trying to attend to them.

“Where...how did you come by this?” Urqua asked, bewildered.

Barriss shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It is a gift for you.”

The bulbous eyes narrowed. “I’m going to need more than that.”

Barriss sighed. “It was taken from the Pyke Syndicate and is untraceable. It was not going to a good cause.”

Urqua nodded. “I see. In that case, I will have to hand it over to the Republic. Illegal and contraband goods have to be declared.”

“Please, don’t.”

Urqua stared at her, not saying anything, but clearly waiting for Barriss’ reasoning. She gathered herself. “If you give it to the Republic, they will use it for their military. This is not an unnoble thing to do; it could serve a lot of good helping soldiers and civilians they might encounter. But they already have medical supplies, whereas I imagine here,” she gestured at the surrounding office, which was small and far from the best, “you don’t have much in the way of supplies or funding. Refugee camps are notorious for the spread of disease, and many coming here are fleeing the war. Wounds could be infected. If you refine this spice into a usable medical form it could help many people.”

Urqua hesitated, looked back at the crates.

“Sometimes...accepting doing a little bad can achieve a greater good,” Barriss added, providing a final urge.

Urqua nodded slowly. “All right. I will take it.”

“Good. You have made a wise choice.” Barriss curtseyed and turned to go.

“To who do I owe my gratitude?” Urqua asked.

Barriss turned back slightly and gave her a sad smile. “Just someone who would like to do some good.” She nodded and then carried on her way.

Master Plo Koon observed the sea of refugees. The station officers were doing their best to clear people through, but at this rate, it would take days. And more were coming all the time. There weren’t enough transport ships to take them away, not enough planets who wanted to take them in, and the facility had long passed the point of being overcrowded. They might need to start shipping people out to other facilities, but it was doubtful conditions would be any better there.

The misery and desperation were overwhelming enough when just looked at and smelt. But through the Force...it was another scale of overwhelming.

He’d volunteered to head out for an inspection, the Jedi Council believing that they should see whether there was anything that could be done to provide assistance, whether any resources could be diverted. But looking at the scale of it... Plo wasn’t sure that anything that could be spared would improve the situation.

He was about to turn away when he caught the thread of something in the Force. Some whisper of thought in the crowd. He squinted and then pushed his way through, the crowd parting slightly as they recognised him and his station. Commander Wolffe, and another trooper who went by Reds, followed him. Reds held his rifle in a relaxed poise, but at the ready. As he cleared towards the back of the crowd he came upon a small group, a Twi’lek woman and her child, a Palliduvan, a Chagrian and two humans. All of them appeared to be weak, most carrying injuries. But it was the child who drew his attention.

They looked up, startled as he approached and he raised a placating hand. “My apologies,” he said, voice gravelly through the mask. “I did not mean to alarm you.”

“That...that is okay, Master Jedi,” the Twi’lek woman said, bowing her head.

“Your child...may I see them?”

She glanced nervously at the clones and then at the others. The Palliduvan woman nodded, encouraging. The Twi’lek looked back and gave a small nod.

Plo Koon stepped forward and gently took the child’s left arm. He turned it over in his hand and saw the bandaged wound. But the way the bandage was wrapped, dipping in slightly, suggested a chunk of flesh had been torn away. But there was no blood on the bandage. He frowned. This had the characteristics of a lightsabre wound, but it had the precision of surgery.

“May I ask how your child came by this wound?” he asked.

The Twi’lek raised her chin, defiance suddenly coming into her. “If you must know, a Jedi did it to save his life,” she said. “A real Jedi.”

“Thank you...” Plo replied, taking note of the barely veiled insult. But what she’d said caught his attention. It settled on the thread he’d thought he’d sensed. He looked up, scanning over the heads of the crowd and...

And at the edge of it, he could swear that he saw a cloaked figure, the tops of the hood poking up as if held by horns.

Or montrals...

“What is General?” Wolffe asked.

He should say something. If it was her, he could have the facilities docking stations shut down. The clones could perform a sweep. They would be able to find her.

But when he thought about it...he wasn’t sure that he wanted to.

Plo Koon shook his head. “No. It is nothing.” He turned back. “These people have been badly wounded, the child especially with impromptu medical assistance. Please see that they are provided for as soon as possible.”

He gave a final nod to the startled group and then walked off as Wolffe stepped forward to assist.

Ahsoka stepped into the shuttle and frowned. There were still two crates of unprocessed spice lying on the deck. She tapped the button to close the ramp and walked through to the cockpit. Barriss was already sitting in the co-pilot's seat, staring out of the canopy onto space through the vacuum field of the station.

Ahsoka slumped into the pilot’s seat, resting her feet up against the console so her knees were up to her shoulders.

“Why didn’t you give them all the spice?” she asked after a moment.

Barriss shrugged. “Two crates could likely be processed and hid without suspicion, but four would be too many and would attract notice, especially given the Republic Military presence.”

Ahsoka nodded.

“Besides, we need something to take back to Hondo.”

Ahsoka blinked and looked over at her. “We’re going back?” she asked.

Barriss turned to her, confused. “Aren’t we?”

“I don’t know. I just thought that after what happened we would have settled on this being a bad idea.”

Barriss nodded. “I thought about it but...” She paused and organized her thoughts. “We would be doing more of these illicit activities, but so long as they’re confined, or our part in it, is confined to damaging criminal organizations then perhaps we can do some good. And if there is significant salvage that we can take, like with this spice, then some of it we can distribute into channels where it could help people.” She shrugged. “It’s not perfect, but it’s something.”

“And you think Hondo would be okay with that?”

Barriss chuckled. “You know him better than me. But out of this venture he got a lot of processed spice, his men got a distraction that likely helped their getaway, and he still has two crates of unprocessed spice. I can’t swear to know how he’ll react, but if he is accepting then I presume we can take that as an implicit agreement that so long as we help he’ll look the other way should we want to divert some of the takings.”

Ahsoka slowly nodded. What Barriss said made sense. They could duck out now, but that would just leave them back at square one with diminishing options. What they had wasn’t ideal but...they could perhaps find some good to do within that. They would have to leave eventually. As Barriss said Hondo was a pragmatist, which meant there would come a point where it would make more sense to cut them loose than keep them around. But before then they could maybe build something.

“All right,” she said. “I guess we’re setting a course for Florrum.”

Barriss smiled. “Yes. It would appear so.”

Ahsoka smiled back and then dropped her feet off the console to lean forward and start the ignition sequence.

Chapter Text

“They were a nuisance the whole way through!”

Hondo tapped a nail to his cheek as Jiro concluded his rant. He didn’t doubt what his lieutenant was telling him, he knew enough about Ahsoka to know that she could be very bloody-minded when she wanted to be. He had hoped the bombing might have indicated a little loosening of the strings, but that irritating moral core was still there. She probably had a perverse logic for explaining the bombing that kept to that character. They all did at some point, Hondo was just honest enough to admit he did what he did for his own reasons.

But still, there was enough bluster in Jiro’s story for him to work out where the gaps were.

“So you told them to go off and take the slaves with them did you?” Hondo asked, leaning forward and planting his chin on his fist.

“I certainly did,” Jiro confirmed with pride.

“With my unprocessed spice?”

Jiro’s face fell with his confidence as he suddenly realised what he’d just admitted.

“Um...w-well Boss, you see I had to...to make a difficult decision,” Jiro wheedled.

“Boss!” Lotor called, dashing inside. “The Jedi’s shuttle is on approach.”

“Is it now?” Hondo raised a brow and stood up. “How very interesting.”

Jiro scurried after Hondo as he strode outside. The shuttle had landed between the saucer ships, and the ramp descended. Ahsoka walked down it, Barriss following behind. “Ah, welcome back!” Hondo called as they approached. “I was given to understand I wouldn’t be seeing you again. Something about an off-piste adventure?”

“We took the opportunity to liberate some slaves, with little help from anyone else,” Ahsoka replied, shooting Jiro a glare, who glared right back. She jerked a thumb at the shuttle. “Two crates of unprocessed spice for you.”

“Two crates!” Jiro shouted. “Barr-Tunn said you packed four!” Ahsoka studied her nails. “He must have miscounted.”

Jiro opened his mouth to protest when Hondo slapped an arm around his shoulder. “Well, Jiro my friend! It may be two crates, but we’re two better off than we were before. Aren’t we?” Hondo fixed him with a stern look.

Jiro swallowed. “Y-yeah Boss. I guess we are.”

“Good, very good!” Hondo clapped him on the arm, making Jiro flinch. “Well, get unloading it and put it with the others. But make sure you remember which is which! As for you two!” He pointed at Ahsoka and Barriss and was amused to see them both stiffen. “Congratulations, you have passed your trial period!” Hondo stepped forward and swept them both into a hug, mushing them against his jacket.

Barriss squirmed and managed to prise herself out, rubbing her face and shoulder.

“We did?” Ahsoka asked for confirmation.

“Of course! A successful opening raid, one that might have been harder to do without your help. So, you are now officially part of the crew. And do you know what that means?” Ahsoka shook her head. Hondo’s eye twinkled. “It’s time for a celebration!” He threw one hand up in the air and the crew cheered.

Celebration turned out to mean ‘getting drunk’. But Ahsoka wasn’t complaining. It helped her forget. She returned to the small table she shared with Barriss with two glasses in her hands, a happy buzz in her montrals, a blush on the blue of her lekku, warmth in her cheeks and a content smile on her face.

“Here,” she said brightly as she slumped into her seat, sliding a glass over to Barriss. “It’s really nice!”

Barriss, stone-cold sober, regarded the drink and then Ahsoka. “No…I don’t think so. I don’t want to drink.”

“Why not? It’s good I promise! It makes you feel really warm in…” She cut off, drink addled brain processing Barriss’ distant expression. Her face contorted into a grimace. “Oh kriff, kriff!” she hissed, hands balling into fists.

Barriss glanced up, startled. “What is it?” she asked with concern.

Ahsoka rested her temple on her hand feeling ashamed. “I’ve done it again haven’t I?”

“Done what again?”

“You know! Gone off to have fun, leaving you to be the responsible one.”

Barriss was blank a moment and then grimaced. “Ahsoka, no, it’s--it’s nothing like that! I just…I just don’t want to drink that’s all.”

“Oh. Right. Phew!” Ahsoka brightened and took another sip of her drink, feeling the pleasant fire tickle her throat. “Why don’t you though? I know you’re a real stickler, but even Luminara drank wine.”

Barriss’ face fell and she turned her head away. “Yes. I am aware.”

If Ahsoka could have used her own lekku to bash her head into the table she would have done. She settled on slapping her hands to her face and thumping her elbows onto the table. “Urgh!” she let out a groan of frustration. “I’m so sorry! I’m being so insensitive!”

She was making such a mess of this. She just wanted Barriss to loosen up and have some fun with her, but she just kept being mean! Was that really who she was? Just a complete jerk that Jedi formality had kept under wraps?

A cool hand touched her arm and she pulled one hand away to see Barriss’ amused smile.

“Ahsoka, honestly it’s fine,” Barriss said. “Reminding me of Mas--of Luminara, isn’t going to give me trauma.”

“Thanks, Barriss that’s…” Ahsoka blew out a breath, and Barriss scrunched her nose as the alcohol hit her. “That’s kind of you. I just don’t know why I’m saying these things.”

“I think we can attribute that to the alcohol. From what I understand it can remove inhibitions and lead people to say things they don’t mean.”

“Yeah! It’s the drink’s fault!” Ahsoka agreed, seizing on that explanation. “Bad drink!” She playfully slapped her glass, and the glass toppled over and spilt the drink onto the table.

Ahsoka stared at the spill distraught.

Fighting back a laugh, Barriss gently used her index finger to slide her glass over to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka took possession of it and cradled it tightly in her hands. “I don’t deserve you,” she said.

“And don’t you forget it.”

Ahsoka smiled. Then blinked. Wait…did Barriss just…make a teasing comment…about… Both amused and confused, Ahsoka looked over to see that Barriss had turned her head away slightly, her cheeks darkening, and her eyes had the wide-eyed look of panic commonly found in Moot-deer when they were caught by a speeder’s headlights.

Ahsoka grinned and leaned over--

“Well, everybody!” Hondo shouted standing up on the dais, using a microphone connected to 4A-2R to amplify his voice. Ahsoka slunk back into her seat. “It is now time for the entertainment!”

Ahsoka blinked and smiled slightly. Oh, has the circus come back?

“As is tradition, the newly inducted members of our crew,” he gestured to Ahsoka and Barriss, “will provide the entertainment!”

Barriss’ ‘deer in headlights’ look got worse and Ahsoka pushed out her lower lip sourly. This sounded like another recently made-up tradition. Her mind started running: what could she do? She could do some tricks with the Force but that might not be very entertaining. Thinking about it, she didn’t really have any skills that could translate into entertainment. This bothered her. She knew, from what she read when she was younger and lonely, that Togruta, or at least the tribes from Shilli, were supposed to be good singers and dancers, but she doubted that was an inborn…

…dancing…?

An evil smile crept up her cheeks and she fluttered her eyes at Barriss.

“So, what would you like to do?” Hondo asked.

“Barriss can dance!” Ahsoka shouted, shooting her hand up like she was answering a question in a lesson.

Barriss snapped her gaze to her. “What?” she asked, seeming genuinely perplexed.

Ahsoka grinned. “You have your lightsaber dancing, remember?”

Barriss stared at her, processing the words. Then an expression of unvarnished terror settled on her face and she shook her head and waggled her hands. “No! No, no, no, no!”

“Oh come on, it will be great!” Ahsoka said, encouragingly.

Barriss pushed out her lower lip, crossed her arms and slumped tightly into her chair, looking like a sulky child. “I’m not doing it.”

Ahsoka’s eye twitched. “Well I want to see it, so you are!” she retorted, not caring that she sounded like a spoiled brat being denied a toy.

Barriss twisted her head away. “No.”

Ahsoka went for a direct approach. She stood up and hauled Barriss out of her chair. Barriss changed tactics and tried to dead leg her, making her body go limp, but Ahsoka slotted her arms under Barriss’ and heaved her towards the centre of the room. Barriss changed tactics again, going rigid as durasteel, planting her heels into the floor and leaning back against Ahsoka.

“Just…stop being stubborn…and get out there!” Ahsoka said through gritted teeth as she slowly pushed Barriss forward.

The pirates watched the display with a mix of bemusement and humour.

With a final shove, Ahsoka sent Barriss stumbling into the centre of the room. She looked around wildly, trying to see if there was a place to run to, but nothing obvious presented itself.

Grinning, Ahsoka held up her main sabre and the shoto sabre. “Do you want the short one or the normal one?” she asked.

Barriss stared at her. With a sigh, her body slumped as she admitted defeat. She held up a limp hand and Ahsoka felt a tug and she released her hold on the main sabre and watched it fly into Barriss' hand.

She resumed her chair and bounced forward on it, gripping the front of the seat. She was really looking forward to this.

Barriss fluttered her fingers along the hilt, getting a feel for the grip and size of the lightsabre. She frowned and touched at the nibs poking off the top and traced a finger along the slightly indented section from the emitter down. She twirled it between her fingers a moment, and then muttered something, as she twisted it and studied it, prodding at the slight bulge at the bottom of the hilt, and the ball connected to the base.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. This looked suspiciously like Barriss had objections to her lightsabre design...

“Do you require music?” Hondo asked, giving a verbal prod to get the show started.

“No,” Barriss replied, finally looking up. She tucked away the trailing part of her sash. “But if you could dim the lights that would make things work better.”

From his chair, Hondo nodded and the protocol droid twizzled a button on the wall. The lights dimmed until Ahsoka could barely see anything, just a thin outline of Barriss and the hilt of her lightsabre, where the light caught the silver of it.

Then a verdant green ignited, illuminating Barriss as she held the sabre at a diagonal across her face.

She let the blade’s hum murmur through the room for a moment, before she swept her right leg out in a circle, stopping it when it reached the compass point for East. She held that position a moment and then swept her leg back for South. Held the position, and then swept and turned her body slightly for the compass position for West. All through the motions, the lightsabre was held still in front of her face, its hum fluctuating only slightly when she moved.

Barriss held her position.

Ahsoka frowned. She wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Yes, Barriss had moved a little and marked some points on the ground, but this wasn’t exactly what she thought lightsabre dancing would look like... She was expecting something more dynamic and engaging, but it looked like a slow tracing of movements. She could feel the boredom coming off the pirates and honestly, she couldn’t blame them, she was adding her own boredom to the mix.

Trust the Jedi to come up with some way of taking the fun out of something, by turning it into a learning exerci--

Barriss swept back around and kicked up into diagonal twirl, spinning the sabre twice, before she landed in a crouch.

She held the position, the sabre murmuring.

Ahsoka’s breath caught. That had been unexpected. She could feel the curiosity in the pirates, could dimly see them leaning forward on their seats.

Barriss slowly straightened and then snapped the blade out, so its eye pointed directly at Ahsoka. Ahsoka leaned back slightly. Was she deliberately pointing it at her, or was that just a coincidence?

Barriss held the sabre straight for a moment, and then she started to sweep it. She brought it in a slow horizontal semi-circle and then swept it under and up into another slow semi-circle, and then swept it up. The hum and whining of the sabre changed in with the motion, sounding like a steady drumbeat. She started picking up speed, keeping the motion going in the horizontal eight pattern, the speed getting faster and faster until the horizontal eight became a solid image, emblazoned in the air, the hum now a continuous and unfluctuating blare, with very subtle musical vibrations that Ahsoka’s montrals were just able to pick up--

Barriss snapped the sabre into a spin, twirling it through her fingers and it instantly became a circle, as if she was controlling a ring with her hands and not a lightsabre.

She held it over her head and pirouetted, a hand across her stomach, left foot planted on her right ankle--

She leapt up, flipping over and swept the circle under her feet before she landed--

Ahsoka’s jaw dropped.

Barriss was in continual motion now. As soon as she landed she kicked into a spinning twirl sweeping the sabre all around her body, switching it between her hands seamlessly. She landed out of the twirl and flipped up again, spinning her body twice in a tight curl as she swept the circle just over her feet and head twice. As she landed some of the pirates let out shouts of disbelief and alarm.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened until they hurt.

Barriss landed smack in the middle of the space where she marked out the cardinal points of the compass. And now she leapt between them, spinning the sabre around her body continuously as she did so. North, South, East, West, North, South, East, West. Over and over, leaping with one foot and back with the other. Her hood had fallen back and she shimmied and twisted her head and body as she twirled and span between them, as lithe and graceful as a geejaw in flight. Pinpricks of sweat leapt off her hair and skin and landed on the circle of light, hissing into steam, all combining together to create an unusual and calming cadence, the music of the blade singing out, as Barriss passed rapidly in and out of shadow, as the circle passed around her--

Ahsoka had never seen anything so beautiful.

Then Barriss spun into a low circle in the centre of the compass. She flicked the sabre up into the air and it spun up until it reached the apex of its flight. Gravity exerted itself and it started to descend, the circle of light shortening as it deactivated--

Barriss flung out her arm into the pathway of the sabres’ descent.

Ahsoka leapt to her feet and threw out a desperate hand.“Watch out!” she cried.

She saw it as if in slow motion.

The sabre’s spin on the descent curved it around Barriss’ arm, the blade humming just over the skin as it wrapped around, and then the deactivation of it was timed perfectly so on the next spin the tip of the blade swept under her arm.

The blade hit the ground with a thud and deactivated at the same time.

Silence and darkness.

Ahsoka trembled, her legs weak. She wanted to sit down but it was like her feet had become one with the ground. She couldn’t take her eyes away, couldn’t close her jaw. Couldn’t do anything except shiver.

Barriss lifted her head and her eyes met Ahsoka’s. Despite the dimness of the room, Ahsoka could see the deep blue of them perfectly. Her breath hitched. The way the light touched Barriss’ irises was like sunlight sparkling on the crest of ocean waves.

It seemed like it was only the two of them, in all space and all time, staring at one another for eternity.

A soft clap broke the moment, as a stunned Hondo managed to bring his hands together. Then the other pirates started applauding and whistling and whooping and Barriss drew her hands to her chest and hunched her body, glancing around like a skittish animal. She stumbled as she got caught halfway between a curtsy and a bow, stood back up, and dashed for the main doors.

Ahsoka’s eyes never left her.

Barriss stumbled outside. The air of Florrum was cool now, the sun long gone, leaving only the stars and the crescent moon. She took deep, heaving breaths and found a spot just outside the pirate encampment to sit down, looking out onto the plains and undulating hills. She rubbed her face with her hands and then ran them through her hair, resisting the urge to clamp her fingers on it and pull.

She needed to calm down. She’d lost herself in the moment, and coming back to see everyone looking at her had been intense.

Coming back to see Ahsoka staring at her had been intense.

She shuddered out a calming breath and prepared to take another.

“You look like you could use this.”

She snapped her head up and saw Ahsoka holding out a drink to her with an impish smile. With no hesitation, Barriss snatched the drink out of her hand and slugged it back.

“No--wait it’s very--!”

A fuse blew in Barriss’ brain.

She opened her mouth in a dry gasp and it felt like she was breathing fire.

The drink burnt her throat and insides and her eyes, straining wide, watered. She could feel a deep warmth touching her cheeks.

She let out a ragged cough and shook her head.

“It’s very strong,” Ahsoka finished with a giggle and sat down beside her, holding a glass of her own.

“Th-thank you for the warning,” Barriss forced out.

“You’re welcome!” Ahsoka smiled brightly. She sipped at her own drink. “So that was lightsabre dancing, huh?” she said, after a comfortable moment of silence. “I never expected to see anything like that. You were amazing!”

Barriss grimaced. “It was rubbish!” she admonished herself. “I’m hideously out of practice. I should never have tried the double-flip. I damn near sliced my kriffing foot off!” Barriss blinked and cringed as her own words reached her ears.

Ahsoka grinned. “Look at you! One drink and you’re swearing!” She winked. “Very naughty behaviour Ms Offee.”

Barriss pressed her lips into a line and stared accusingly at the drink.

“Do you want me to find some soap to wash your mouth out with?” Ahsoka asked with a raised brow, her amusement clear.

Barriss shook her head and raised the drink slightly. “No, no. This will work adequately as a sterilising agent.” She took a sip and swirled it around her mouth as Ahsoka laughed. She swallowed and then smacked her lips together. It was less fiery now more of a pleasant warmth, and there was a nice little buzz in her head that was quieting some of the voices. “Do you know, I think I’m getting used to this?”

“That’s the spirit!”

“Yes, it is!” Barriss said with a grin and held up her glass.

Ahsoka blinked at her.

“B-because it’s alcohol and that’s a...that’s known as a spirit...” Barriss explained, voice faltering. Her cheeks darkened further and she turned her head away. “Never mind...”

“Oh! I get it!” Ahsoka laughed, though Barriss couldn’t tell if it was forced or genuine. She smiled slightly anyway.

Ahsoka laid back on the ground, putting her hands behind her back lekku. “Despite your grousing, it really was amazing though.” Ahsoka sighed contently. “It was mesmerizing. You were mesmerizing.”

Barriss twitched. She looked over and saw that Ahsoka had moved her eyes away from Barriss, the blue of her lekku darkening, a slight and soft smile touching her lips. It was an expression Barriss hadn’t seen on her before. She looked almost...

...shy?

Barriss hurriedly turned away and sipped at her drink. Her heart thumped harder and she felt her body going weak and shaky. Desperately hunting for something to say, to keep the conversation going, to not have this exceptionally dangerous and comfortable silence continuing, she latched onto the first thing that came to mind, a question that had been bothering her for a while now.

“Why did you do it?” she blurted.

“Huh?” Ahsoka looked at her, perplexed.

Barriss cringed. “Sorry! I think that’s the alcohol talking but...but I mean...” She took a breath to steady herself. “Why did you break me out? Why didn’t you just...either stay in the Order or...or...?”

“Oh.”

Ahsoka stared up at the sky a moment, frowning and Barriss mentally berated herself. She’d completely killed the mood and asked Ahsoka something she wasn’t comfortable with answering. And why did she need to tell Barriss? Wasn’t it enough to have her miserable life spared? Why did she have to remind Ahsoka of everything Barriss had forced her to lose?

Ahsoka sighed and sat up, taking a sip of her drink. “I thought about it,” she said slowly, beginning the story. “But you know it’s not that you become a Knight and then everything just changes. There’s a whole bureaucratic procedure you have to go through.” She waggled a hand through the air. “It’s not like becoming a Padawan. Registry details have to change, you get moved to new quarters, forms have to be signed, and it needs to be officially confirmed so that you can start receiving your stipend. All that blah.” She took another sip. “So, all through the day, I was pretending to be Ahsoka Tano, Happy New Knight, as I wandered from one thing to another in a haze. Then I’d go back to my room and lie down on the bed and stare at the wall and just feel...hollow.”

She frowned. “And I wanted to. I really did want to press the case, when the time was ready, and stay in the Order for that reason but...it made me sick. I just felt so miserable and angry with everyone congratulating me, asking when I’d take a Padawan, asking me whether I was excited about being able to command my own troop of clones and...” Her hand shook around the glass and she breathed out a sigh and steadied it. A ghost of a smile. “I guess I wasn’t strong enough. Not like you. We put the wrong one of us in jail for that plan.”

Barriss swallowed. “Ahsoka I...I could never be as strong as...”

Ahsoka didn’t seem to hear her, lost in the memory. She shook off her feeling and took a deep breath. “So then I decided to turn myself in. I thought that would be the best thing to do. That I could arrange to see the whole Council and explain. And I thought...maybe now I’m a Knight, maybe if I could just have that chance to talk...I could make them see.” She laughed at herself.

“I had this whole fantasy worked out where I’d speak to Anakin and Luminara first and they would understand and accompany me and then I’d stride heroically out of the chamber between the Sentinel guards, and they’d take me down the steps of the Temple into the setting sun but I’d know I’d done something, that I’d been listened to.”

She sighed. “It was the night before I meant to do it,” she said, quietly. “I was so stressed I couldn’t sleep, not that I’d been sleeping much anyway. So I got up and wandered around the Temple and...I don’t know. Maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe the Force was guiding me, but I ended up at the Temple hangar. And do you know what I saw?”

Ahsoka looked over at Barriss with a sad smile, and Barriss could only shake her head, mouth dry.

“All the bombers and gunships were back,” she said. “It was just over a week later and to look on that place you’d never know that a bomb had been set off in there.” She scrunched her lips and shook her head, eyes narrowing. “And I just felt so...angry...How could they not see? They hadn’t even bothered thinking about it! And that’s when I decided no. I wasn’t giving them the easy way out. I wasn’t going to turn myself in and I certainly wasn’t going to let you be executed and allow them to dismiss the problem. So I grabbed some ion charges and put in a request to visit you and...well, you know the rest.”

Barriss nodded slightly. She could understand what that must have felt like, just hearing it was enough to get her ire up. Were they really that arrogant and self-absorbed? She shook her head, let the feeling go. “So it was an impulse decision then?” Barriss asked, trying to be light-hearted.

Ahsoka grimaced, pained. “Oh, Barriss, no, I didn’t mean--”

“No, no!” Barriss quickly cut her off, seeing she’d been misunderstood. “I didn’t mean to suggest that you had...not given it any thought or were just acting...what I mean is, that it’s fine. I’ve always li--liked your impulsiveness.” She blushed.

Ahsoka smiled, eyes brightening. “Thanks, Barriss.”

Barriss smiled back nervously and then sighed and shook her head dramatically. “It was a terrible plan though. Barely worthy of being called such.”

“Well sorrrieee...” Ahsoka rolled her eyes in mock outrage. “We can’t all be like the great Barriss Offee who can meet with underground groups and organize a bomb in what? A day-and-a-half?”

Barriss laughed and looked down at her drink. “Oh no! I had most of that organized long before you came through my door.”

She froze.

The remains of her drink splashed up the sides of the glass as her hand shook.

She kept her gaze rigidly on it, not daring to look up, as she begged the Force, and prayed to a whole host of deities she’d read about but didn’t believe in to please let it be the case that she hadn’t said that out loud, to please, please, have not let her said that out loud...

Trembling, she forced her head to creak upwards--

Ahsoka stared at her. Mouth open slightly. Eyes widened. A look of confusion and pain and hurt and loss.

The same expression Barriss had seen in her dream.

Barriss licked her lips. Tried to force air through her throat. “Umm...” she tried, the noise wavering.

Wordlessly, Ahsoka put down her glass, stood up and walked away.

“I told yooouuu!”

Her twin pranced ahead of her, giggling, yellow eyes gleaming.

“Shut up...” Ahsoka muttered through gritted teeth. She curled and uncurled her fingers, feeling the pain as the nails dug into her palms.

“He is the bomb.”

“I know it’s not what you want, it’s not what I want. But it’s the only way this can work.”

Was that true? Had she really explored other options? Or was it always the plan? How long had that been the plan?

“Just this one more, willing person.”

Had she known Jackar wasn’t willing all along? How long ago had she recruited him? Had she snuck the bombs into him? She blamed Letta for the carnage, but whose idea was it really?

“It was strange wasn’t it?” her twin said, grinning, hands clasped behind her. “Such a careful and logical planner and all those ‘mistakes’?”

Ahsoka shook her head, trying to get rid of the voice, growling.

Ahsoka slams Barriss against the wall. “Did you know?!” she shouts.

“I don’t know what you mean!” Barriss shrieks, terrified, wriggling and kicking her feet. Ahsoka glares at her, but Barriss...Barriss wouldn’t deceive her. Barriss was her friend. Barriss was...

Desperate. Angry. Lonely.

She drops her, moves away. She hears Barriss move behind her. “I swear...” she mewls. “I swear I didn’t know...I didn’t...I swear...”

“I believe you...” she says after a moment. And she does.

But should she have? Had it all been an act? Was it an act even now? Ahsoka had seen how well Barriss could hide her emotions, how well she could mask herself, how well she could...

Ahsoka stopped. Scrunched her eyes and twisted her head. Was that all it was? A ploy to get her involved, to pull her into the scheme, to...to...

Tears of anger and frustration and hurt stung her eyes, dripping across the lids. Was that all she was to Barriss? A tool?

“How dare you!” Barriss screams.

Ahsoka put her fist in her mouth and bit it. Bit it hard enough to draw blood.

Was that the indignation of someone who was falsely accused? Or the deflecting anger of someone who had been rightfully accused?

She didn’t know. She didn’t know. She just didn’t know what to believe anymore!

“Poor Ahsoka...betrayed by everyone."

“Shut up!”

Ahsoka reached out and wrenched a rock from the ground with the Force and flung it at her twin, flung it with venom and power--

The Son batted it aside dismissively. He looked at her with a critical and disappointed eye. “This childishness is most unbecoming.”

Ahsoka fell to her knees, dug her hands into the dirt and spots of it darkened where her tears fell. “Just leave me alone...” she said hoarsely.

The Son knelt in front of her. “I can’t do that.”

Ahsoka glared at him. “Then do something useful! Tell me what the truth is!”

He shrugged. “That’s not for me to say.” He smiled and stood up, walking past her. “But it seems your chance at an answer will come soon.”

“What?” Ahsoka started to follow him. Then paused. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth set. A cold fury swept through her as her montrals picked up on the vibration, the distant shout, the running feet--

“Ah-Ahsoka! W-wait! P-Please!”

She kept her gaze ahead as Barriss skittered up the hill towards her, dust spiralling in her wake. Barriss stumbled slightly and halted, staring at Ahsoka’s back. Barriss’ hands shook and she clamped them together, trying to halt the shaking, but her whole body trembled.

“Ah-Ahsoka...I...I...C-can I talk? With you?”

Ahsoka didn’t look around. “No, Barriss,” she growled. “I don’t feel like talking right now.”

“Oh...I...” Barriss let out a low whine. “Then...then c-could I t-talk and you...you don’t h-have...h-have to--”

“I said, leave me alone!” Ahsoka screamed, screamed at the horizon and the stars and the moon. Her words echoed, the fading howl of a wolf, over the hills and plains.

Barriss took a step back. She licked her lips. “I...of course...w-when you’re...you’re ready...I...” She shuddered, tears sprinkling from her eyes and then she turned and ran away.

Ahsoka panted. She looked back over her shoulder, at the empty space behind her. Some of the anger faded and she wanted to call out to Barriss, to hear what she had to say. But enough of it remained to still her. Part of her wanted to go after Barriss, and part of her wanted her to suffer.

Ahsoka didn’t know what she wanted. Didn’t know what to do.

She put her face in her hands and her body shook as she cried.

Chapter Text

Cid’s Place in Ord Mantell City was inconspicuous. Located deep in the city, it was tucked away amid a grimy alleyway, the small sign reading ‘Cid’ in Auberesh above the door that led down a flight of steps. It could often be passed unnoticed, and certainly, if someone wasn’t looking for it they would rarely stumble across it. For much of the clientele, of course, this was precisely its virtue. 

He descended the flight steps into the dank interior. Several of the tables were occupied, the jukebox in the corner playing a small ditty and the clacking and whirring the slot machines joined it, their neon lights piercing through some of the gloom. Through the dim lighting, and the haze of smoke from the various substances being consumed, he could see the many of the various species reacting with fear and quickly swivelling away at the sight of him. His reputation did precede him.

But there was a strict policy at Cid’s: no fighting and no claiming bounties on the premises. And he intended to honour that. Besides, he wasn’t interested in the small fry here.

He caught Cid’s, a squat Trandoshan with yellow eyes wearing a simple brown shirt and necklace of stones, eye from behind the counter at the opposite end of the room. She didn’t look at him with the trepidation that he usually found. Hers was more of an expression anticipated exasperation. He walked towards her, long coat trailing behind him, and he reached up to tip his wide-brimmed hat in a gesture of respect--

<Stop there!>

He scowled. There was always one idiot…

He turned around with impatience and found himself facing a Rodian, smiling smugly and training a blaster on him. The noise of the bar halted, except for the jukebox’s upbeat jingle, as the patrons turned in their seats, watching the display with interest. <I’ve been waiting for you,> the Rodian said. <I knew you would come to this rat hole eventually. That was some nasty stuff you did to my brother, Greedo, but I told him I would get revenge for him. And now, at last, I will fulfil-->

With a crack, a smoking hole appeared between the Rodian’s large eyes. The eyes widened further as the Rodian’s brain, or what remained of it, processed what had occurred. His body got caught up to speed on the situation, and he stumbled and collapsed forward, wisps of smoke curling up from the exit hole on his head.

Cad Bane slotted a toothpick between his teeth as he spun and then holstered his LL-30 blaster pistol. “Some friendly advice,” he rasped, in his scratchy voice. “If you want to shoot somebody, shoot ‘em, don’t blather.”

Bane cast his red eyes over the room, daring anyone else to say something. Nobody met his gaze. Instead, everyone turned back to their tables and carried on their conversations, pretending that nothing had happened. He swung back around to Cid, who was drumming her fingers on the bar top. He tipped his hat in greeting, and also as a gesture of apology.

“What did I say about killing people in here?” she huffed.

“Relax,” Bane said, turning his body and leaning both elbows back on the bar. He crossed one leg over the other, relaxing into the slight slump. “It was either him or me. And I can actually afford to pay for the clean-up.” He took the toothpick between his right index finger and thumb. “Is he here?”

Cid sighed and gestured. “He’s over there, skulking in the corner like he always is.”

Bane looked in the direction Cid gestured and spotted the tall and bulky figure, enclosed by the shadows of the corner. Bane nodded and eased off the bar. “Bring my usual over to the table,” he said.

“As you command Red Eyes…” Cid muttered.

Bane walked to the table, the jets on his boots clinking with each step, and the patrons he passed hunched away from him. He stopped at the table, the figure making no movement. “I hoped I’d find you here,” he said to the figure. He put one hand on the back of the chair. “Mind if I join you?”

The figure gestured a grey-blue armoured hand emerging from the dark. “Be my guest,” he rumbled, voice the mechanical one of a vocaliser.

“Thank you,” Bane grunted and slid out the chair and sat on it, leaning back slightly. “I have a business proposition for you,” he said after a moment.

“And what might that be?”

“These two.” Bane chucked two bounty cards on the table and they projected the image of Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee. Bane took out his toothpick. “I understand you have some unfinished business with Offee.”

The shadows shrugged with the figure. “We met once. But I’ve killed dozens of Jedi, Bane. One whimpering brat getting away doesn’t bother me. Certainly not for the miserly credits on offer.” The figure paused. “I’m surprised to know that you are though.”

Bane swept up the cards and placed them back in his jacket. “I have some personal reasons for going after Tano,” he said.

“Personal reasons?” The figure chuckled. “Don’t tell me the tail head gave you a hard time?”

“Not exactly. But I owe Kenobi. I figure posting her head to him with my compliments will be suitable repayment.” He tapped his pick against his teeth. “As for the credits...well, as it happens I’m being commissioned by a private client who’s willing to pay double the market rate, dead or alive. I can collect the private funds, as well as the public reward.” He put one arm over the back of his chair as he leaned back. “Not a bad deal is it?”

“Oh? And why would you be interested in splitting such a potential reward?”

Bane switched the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. “Tano’s not to be taken lightly,” he said. “And, from what I understand, Offee gave Skywalker a stiff fight. Together they could prove to be a challenge even for me.” He shrugged. “I’d much rather have seven-hundred thousand credits I can spend than more than a million I can’t.”

Cid arrived and none too gently deposited a shot glass next to Bane. “With my compliments,” she said, before heading off, Bane raising a hand in thanks.

“I can see the sense in that,” the figure said after a moment, interest in his tone.

Bane knocked back his drink and then slammed the glass upside down on the table. “So, are you in?” he asked. “Or do I have to go find Aurra Sing?”

The figure chuckled and leaned forward, the shadows peeling back to reveal the Gen’Dai armour helmet, the single fin pointing from the crown of the mask, and two further fins running at the sides. “Certainly,” Durge said, the smile clear in his voice. “Sounds like my kind of fun.”

Chapter Text

The world of Ziost was long forgotten. An ancient world of cold tundra and rocky landscapes, the emaciated head of a statue half-buried under snow was the only sign that anyone had ever inhabited it. A world of darkness. Shadows stretched and tangled, the penumbra fading into one another. The dim twilight that beset the world came from the accretion disk of the distant black hole that sat like a bloated spider in the ice-blue sky.

The black hole swallowed the space around it. The accretion disk flared around it like a halo and a line split it across the centre looking like a pathway built into space. The maw of the hole seemed to exist independently of the space around it, warping the gravity fields and the light of the distant stars until they blurred about it. It was raw power in material form and had been worshipped by denizens in surrounding systems in ancient times.

In the vague flare of light from the disk, a cruiser could be made out. Hanging in orbit, outside the reach of the event horizon, the cruiser barely seemed to move. It was wedge-shaped, more than one and a half kilometres long, and slightly bent at the base to look like downward-pointing wings. The wedge led to a rounded vertex point, where the square block of the forward bridge sat. At the back two conning spires, six hundred meters tall, jutted up and led to a single oval command deck.

And from the forward bridge, a signal pulsed into space.

The blaster bolt struck the dead centre of the target. Again.

“Well done!” Paynter exclaimed. He went to slap Barriss on the shoulder and then pulled back. In the week he’d spent doing some runs with her, he’d spotted her surreptitiously rubbing at a spot on her arm where he’d clapped her. Whether it was specifically him, or touch in general she didn’t like he didn’t know, but he had resolved to avoid doing it in future.

Barriss, dressed now in a black and grey armour weave shirt with an attached hood and baggy trousers with heeled boots, lowered the blaster and peered at the target. Her skill had improved, there was no doubt about that. Using the Force she’d been able to hit the target reasonably well, but he’d insisted that she practice without it. Her initial attempts had been at wild variance with her others, consistently missing as the weight and unfamiliarity of the blaster threw off her aim. But now, even without the Force, she was able to hit the target consistently.

He was part excited and part scared of what she might be able to do with the Force.

“Do you want to try again?” Paynter asked. “I could set the target further away?”

“No, it’s fine,” Barriss replied. She holstered the blaster, putting it back on the stun setting and smiled at him. “Thank you for taking the time to help.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. The way I figure it, the better you are at shooting the better my chances of staying alive.”

Barriss seemed about to say something but was cut off by a crashing sound. They both looked back to see Ahsoka walking down the ramp of the modified Eta-shuttle and hurling two of the passenger chairs out. She turned and walked back up the ramp without an acknowledging glance.

Barriss stared at the shuttle. She licked her lips furtively.

Paynter frowned. He’d noticed that they hadn’t been spending any time with one another. Ahsoka had even taken to sleeping back on board the shuttle, and they did runs separately. But no one had said anything about what was going on.

He didn’t like to pry, but...well he did sort of feel like Barriss was a friend now. She’d been quiet and reserved and hard to get to know, but over the week she’d opened up a bit more. She’d even introduced him to the pleasures of doing good and selfless work when they’d helped offload a batch of contraband bacta at a war-ravaged planet. He was starting to reconsider whether being a pirate was all that he wanted to be.

He ran his hand over the braid of hair that fell past his right ear. If there was something he could do...

“Is...uh...is everything all right between you two?” he asked.

Barriss snapped her gaze around. “Perfectly,” she said, voice clipped. “We’re just doing different things.”

He blinked. She was a terrible liar. But if she didn’t want to talk about it...

They had disappeared together for a time after her dance. He supposed she wouldn’t be the first one to be given the silent treatment after being disappointing.

“All right. I’ll clean up here, you get on with whatever it is you need to do.”

Barriss nodded her thanks and walked back towards the compound.

Barriss slumped onto the bed and put her face in her hands.

A week. A whole week had gone by without a word passing between them. Well, no, that wasn’t strictly accurate. Barriss had tried on a few occasions to initiate some kind of conversation but had never received anything back in return. Just silence. The occasional glare if she pressed too much. But otherwise...

It didn’t even feel like Ahsoka was angry necessarily. She just felt...empty...

Barriss drew her hands down and sighed. She didn’t have anyone to blame but herself. She had caused this. She’d hadn’t spoken a mistruth, but a lie of omission was still a lie. She’d driven Ahsoka down this path out of her own selfishness.

Barriss stood up and crossed the room to the cabinet. She opened the top drawer and withdrew the recording comm from the inside. Clutching it tightly she sat back down on the bed and steadied herself, going over the words in her mind. She blew out a breath and depressed the button to begin recording.

“This is Barriss Offee,” she said, in a clear and strong voice. “Former Padawan to Master Luminara Unduli and member of the Jedi Order. This is my confession to the crime of bombing the Jedi Temple, and an exoneration of my supposed accomplice Ahsoka Tano.” She paused, took her finger off the button. This was the part she always tripped up on. How to phrase it in a way that would be convincing? Or at least convincing enough for everyone to pretend that it was convincing and accept it?

She depressed the button. “Ahsoka lied when she said she assisted me. She was never a part of it. However, I manipulated her. I used our friendship and her good nature to--”

A knock at the door and she nearly swore.

She deleted the recording and palmed the holorecorder. “Yes?” she asked with a note of exasperation.

“Hondo wants everyone to report in,” Jiro called. “Make sure you’re there in five, stun setting.”

She glared vibroblades at the door and felt him move away. She glowered down at the comm and then stood up and dropped it into the cabinet.

Try again later...

The whole crew assembled in what passed for the situation room, a small area behind the main hall. Which made it very cramped. Barriss did her best to keep clear of everyone else, as she stuffed herself into the corner, but it was tricky. Keeping a slight distance to stop people from touching her was nearly impossible in this situation. She’d just have to deal with it and hope that--

It was the smell that caught her attention first. A light touch of hyacinth, mixed with some oil grease and desert sand. She swallowed and flicked her eyes to the left. Ahsoka stood beside her, staring impassively ahead, not so much as acknowledging Barriss’ presence. Barriss turned her gaze away and her leg twitched. She wanted to say something but...but that never went anywhere. And here she couldn't...

Ahsoka liked touching. Maybe if she reached out and brushed her hand against her? Maybe that would communicate something better. Would let her know that she wanted to...

To just have a chance to make things right.

She wrung her hands and flicked her eyes left again, Ahsoka was still looking forward.

She looked back at her hands. She let her arms drop to her side. She scrunched her eyes and started to move her left arm out--

“My friends, we have hit the jackpot!”

She snapped her eyes back open and snatched back her hand. Hondo had emerged and stood at the holodisk, looking delighted, Foray trodding along beside him. “We have picked up a distress signal coming from this region,” he tapped the holodisk and a star map came up. Barriss squinted at it, but she didn’t recognise the sector. It was somewhere far out of the way. “Now, I know what all of you are thinking? A distress signal? Why would that interest noble pirates like us? Jedi exempted of course. Well, the signal carried ident codes, identifying it as an old cruiser of the Sith Empire! Think of the salvage potential, my friends!”

A murmur went among the crew and Barriss reflexively recoiled slightly. An old Sith Empire ship? How could that...?

“How could there be an old Sith Empire cruiser?” Ahsoka voiced Barriss’ question.

Hondo waved a hand. “Bah! It happens. I’ve seen High Republic cruisers dotting areas of the Outer Rim. People salvage and put together what they have.”

“And it’s a distress signal?” Paynter asked, brow furrowed.

“It appears so,” Foray replied. “It is likely the cruiser was appropriated by one of the crime syndicates.”

Barriss frowned. Was that true, or was that line in there for her and Ahsoka’s benefit?

“We don’t have the details on what happened, but from the ident code the cruiser is one of the Gage-class types from what I can gather, identifying it as The Jiaasjen.” The holodisk projection changed to that of a cruiser, dipping wings with two conning spires six hundred meters tall jutting from the back and a blocky forward bridge near the top of the wedge. “The signal is issuing from here,” Foray pointed at the forward bridge.

“The signal is not important,” Hondo butted in, “what is important is what could be contained on a cruiser like this! To say nothing of the possibility of taking it into our service!”

“If there are people in trouble, then we need to help them,” Ahsoka said, stepping forward.

Hondo dramatically put a hand to his temple, as if suffering a migraine. “You can always rely on the Jedi to take the moral position, even in relation to criminals...” he muttered.

Barriss narrowed her eyes at him. Ahsoka crossed her arms. “Fine, I’ll attend to the distress signal myself and you can handle the salvage.”

Barriss glanced at Ahsoka and then at the ship. If there were criminals, even ones being forced to send out a distress signal then Ahsoka might need help. What if it was the Pykes again? Or some other group? Despite what they were going through right now, it made sense for them to stick together. She stepped forward slightly, ready to speak--

“Barriss will go with you,” Ahsoka said, cutting her off. Barriss nearly stumbled and looked at her, wounded. But Ahsoka never took her eyes off Hondo. “That way you have one Jedi in each operation.”

Hurt, Barriss slunk back and pulled her head into her hood. Paynter sent a concerned look in her direction.

Hondo’s eyes flicked between the two with some curiosity. He shrugged. “Fine, that works for me.”

“I do have to put in that time is a potential issue here,” Foray spoke up. “The Jiaasjen is currently orbiting a spinning black hole. It’s not certain whether its orbit will decay but I think we would all prefer to have completed what we need to do before that becomes a possibility. Time dilation is also a factor. From current calculations, for every hour we spend on the cruiser about a week would pass in the wider galaxy.”

“We should camp out there for a couple of days then,” Barr-Tunn grunted. “The war might be over by the time we leave.”

The pirates laughed. Barriss raised a tight smile and Ahsoka looked lost for a moment. She shook it off and started to leave and Barriss turned her head to follow her. They’d both been hurt by the war, by everything it represented but...people they cared about were still fighting in it.

Ahsoka... Barriss licked her lips and reached up with a hand.

Hondo clapped his hands, startling her back into reality. “And time is precisely what is against us,” Hondo declared. “The longer we wait, the more people may pick up the call and the less there will be for us to salvage. So quickly, everyone to the ships! We move out, now!”

The journey through hyperspace to The Jiaasjen was agonizing.

As was the transit to it with sublight engines after clearing the Nache Bhelfia hyperspace lane.

Barriss felt nothing but relief when she saw the fiery halo of the black hole. It wasn’t long before they were close enough that she could pick out the shadow of the cruiser looking like a vibroblade as it hung against the light.

In the cockpit beside her, Ahsoka piloted the ship without saying a word or so much as glancing at her.

Barriss had wandered all across the shuttle, seeing some of the changes Ahsoka had made. Most of the passenger seats had been taken out, so the main area was now largely open and free for other things to be put in, such as the tool table she’d affixed to the floor, which had some scatterings of parts across it. Another place on the floor had been marked, possibly to put in some other desk or perhaps a sofa of some kind.

Barriss had asked, with a cheery comment about how she’d liked what had been done with the place.

To no response.

So she’d sat in silence, wondering if that was the better thing to do or if she should keep talking until Ahsoka told her to shut up because at least that would be something.

The comm beeped for an incoming signal and Ahsoka leaned forward and depressed the button. “What is it?” she asked.

“A preliminary analysis of energy signatures,” Arbarlan’s voice came over the comm. “The cruiser it appears is on life support. Luckily, this means there will be an atmosphere and the laser fields to keep the vacuum out will be up. But there is likely to be little else that’s active. We’ve tried hailing the cruiser but there’s been no response. In all probability, the crew have abandoned ship.”

Barriss stared out of the canopy. As The Jiaasjen came closer it became apparent that it was damaged. One of the wings was clipped off at the edge, and parts of the main hull appeared collapsed inwards. Something had happened to it, a battle of some kind perhaps? It was a distress signal so that would make sense but then...

How did it end up here?

She frowned. A cruiser damaged like that...would it have been able to flee or enter hyperspace? She supposed it was possible that it had gone into a hyperlane to flee and then the gravity well of the black hole had torn it back into real space but she might have expected more damage to it from that. Or else, not to have the power to sustain an orbit against the black holes pull.

Something about this wasn’t adding up...

“All right,” Ahsoka replied. “We’re on approach. Seems to be a visible hangar with a vacuum shield open, we’ll see you in there.” She closed the comm and sat back as the cruiser filled the canopy.

“I have a bad feeling about this...” Barriss murmured.

No response.

Ahsoka set the shuttle down in the cavernous hangar bay. The bay was shaped like an upside-down U, but blocky with harsh curves and pilasters striking down the muted grey wall. It was dim, but the lights were reasonably bright enough and frequent enough to see clearly. The two Flarestar-shuttles set down within the hangar and, after a quick scan to check atmospherics, Ahsoka slipped out of her seat and walked towards the descending ramp.

Barriss drew in a deep breath and sighed it out. She only had herself to blame for this mess. She’d hadn’t wanted Ahsoka to find out just how...wrong she was. And now she’d found out in the worst way possible. She never should have kept it secret. She never should have involved Ahsoka in the first place.

She forced herself out of the seat and descended the ramp.

Her foot touched the floor and the wrongness smashed into her.

It was as if the air was made of treacle. A smog clouded through her very breath and nearly made her choke. She had to force herself to take a step forward and she could feel the air slicking past her body. It murmured and breathed across her skin like ghostly fingers that made her want to shriek and swipe all over herself, clearing away the touch as it stroked and pawed at her body--

And then it was gone. Suddenly it was normal atmospheric air.

Barriss trembled and glanced around. The pirates seemed merrily unaware of anything, meeting up and examining the hangar, checking their equipment. Ten members of the crew, including Foray, and Hondo made his way among them, joking and slapping them on the back, no doubt delighted that they were the only salvage team here. Arbarlan had remained back on the Corona-class frigate, keeping it at a distance from the cruiser.

Ahsoka stood a little way over, checking the sealing on her red vacuum suit that clung tightly to her like a second skin, the collapsible helmet clipped to the side of the suit alongside her lightsabres and a torch.

She had to have sensed something. She had to know something was wrong.

Barriss approached her, surreptitiously wiping her arms. “Ahsoka...there’s something wrong with this place,” she said, keeping her voice low so the pirates didn’t overhear. “When I came off the shuttle it felt like...a physical presence was clawing at me.”

Ahsoka glanced at her with a sardonic smile. “Look at you! Sharing crucial information. This is a nice change.” Ahsoka turned her head away.

Barriss fought to keep the growl out of her voice and her eyes narrowed. “This is serious Ahsoka! There’s something not right here!”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “It’s a former Sith Empire cruiser Barriss, there’s all sorts of Dark Side energy knotted up in the place. I’m sure a big girl like you can handle it.”

And with that, she strode off.

Barriss watched her go flabbergasted. Then her hands tightened and her mouth pulled into a snarl.

You...you little... She couldn’t believe it. She was sharing important information about a place they knew nothing about and she couldn’t put aside her petty little complaints to listen to her?!

Her right hand twitched upwards. Barriss had forgiven her when Ahsoka had made her accusation against Barriss, had even agreed she was right to have her suspicion. But could the kind and generous Ahsoka Tano forgive her one little mistake made out of fear? Oh, no of course not! The self-righteous little sarlaac head...

Barriss’ gaze fixed on her swaying back lekku, knowing her neck was just behind it. Her lips split into a smile and her fingers convulsed. It would be good, wouldn’t it? To scare her a little? Make her airway constrict for just a moment...let her understand the fear in this place...let her feel it as Barriss had felt it...

“Hey, Barriss.”

The words and familiar voice cut through the fog and Barriss jerked. She glanced behind her and saw Paynter, his two braids falling either side of his ears, dressed in a combat flak jacket and with a vibroblade sheathed over his back. He cocked his head at her, curiously. “Are you okay?” he asked. “Seem a bit jumpy.”

“I...” Barriss blinked at him. The haze she hadn’t known was there was gone now and she glanced over at Ahsoka’s retreating form. Her mouth pulled into a rictus of horror at what she’d almost done. She felt sick at the thought of how close she’d come, how she’d just started to reach out...

Why? Why did I think that would be a good idea?

She turned back to Paynter. “I...I’m sorry...” she began. “I...I wasn’t feeling right.”

Paynter nodded. “Don’t worry about it,” he replied. His hand drifted to the blaster strapped to his side. “Everyone seems a little nervous here.” He paused. He opened his mouth as if about to say something more. Then he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Well, we’re getting ready to head in. Boss is assigning duties. Barr-Tunn and Loas have already been sent out towards the conning spires to see what they can do about the engines.”

“Yes. I’ll be right along.”

Paynter nodded and headed back to the group. Barriss wiped her hand over her shoulder and then checked her blaster was in its holster and that the vibroknife was sheathed and strapped around her leg. Everything was in place, including the torch strung to her belt. She wasn’t comforted by the fact that this was the first thing she wanted to do.

Everything is fine. It’s just a touch of memory.

She took another calming breath and then walked over to join the group.

Ahsoka advanced down the angular corridor, the weak emergency lighting casting thick ink-black shadows down the walls and along the floor like inverse spotlights. Fortunately, the line she had to follow was reasonably straightforward, the ship following a simple pattern with the main corridor heading towards the forward deck. She glanced at her wrist comm and projected up the map. It wasn’t an exact map of this ship, rather one that Foray had found in databases, but as the cruisers were all built similarly it gave her a rough idea where to go.

Keep going straight...

She dropped the map and carried on.

As she walked the corridor the ship’s hull breathed against the gravitational tides, creaking and groaning in a rhythm. There was something about the place that bothered her, as she walked along the main passageway, glancing down some of the branching pathways. Everything looked fine, relatively pristine and unadorned, with a bit of grime and dust. But there was something she couldn’t quite put her finger on...

After a few minutes, she reached a blocked section of the corridor. A section of the hull had collapsed and the rubble blocked the corridor. Ahsoka cursed. There went her easy path.

Ahsoka eased over to the rubble. There were some gaps in it, and she shone her torch through the gaps, trying to see how deep the rubble went. The light bounced and sparkled off the slickness of the collapsed portions of doonium, but she couldn’t tell if there was an end to it, or if the corridor beyond was just really dark.

She pulled back and turned off the light. No point in trying really. She could move bits of it with the Force, but there was no telling how much there was. And if the hull was really badly collapsed it could also depressurise the area. That would be quite the way to go out...

She called up the map. Examining it, it seemed like if she went down a few side corridors she would be able to find her way to an airlock. Heading outside and traversing the hull of the ship to the forward bridge might be the best option. She didn’t know how much other rubble might be in the way, so going direct would work.

She shut off the map and started to move.

Then paused.

She waited a moment and craned her head slightly. She’d picked up on some vibration in her montrals...something other than the constant whisper of the cruiser...

It came again. It sounded like a hiccough...as if someone was crying and trying to suppress it.

Ahsoka frowned. She flicked her eyes back down the corridor and realised what had been bothering her before.

The ship was relatively pristine and unadorned, except for the dust. Which meant no one had been using it. There were no signs of life anywhere.

Granted, it seemed like it had been crippled but...if it was a criminal syndicate ship, then she would have expected there to be some signs of use at least. Some scuffs here or there, markings of one kind or another. Some canisters lying about. Not dust sitting comfortably on walls. She’d been on enough Star Destroyers to know that even the most disciplined of regiments still have some moving parts and evidence of life to them.

But there wasn’t any of that. The place just felt ancient.

The noise came again, a little louder this time.

She stepped over to the corridor she’d thought it had come down. The lighting was just as bad down here and she couldn’t see anything. She thought about turning on her torch but then dismissed the idea. It would ruin the adjustment to the dark her eyes had already made, making it harder to see.

Perhaps there was someone out there? Perhaps Hondo was wrong and this wasn’t a criminal syndicate vessel but something else. And maybe the people had all holed up in the forward bridge and that was why the distress signal was coming from there?

It was possible the person making this noise had got separated. To judge by the pitch and tenor it sounded like it might be a child.

It would be best to check it out first. Ahsoka could imagine how scared a child might be in this place on their own, especially if they were separated from family.

She started down the corridor, letting her montrals guide her.

Hondo waved them in. “Ah, Paynter, good!” he called. “I have a task for you, Curr and Lotor. The group, minus Barr-Tunn and Loas who had already left, were gathered together. Everyone was armed with blaster pistols but Paynter also had a vibroblade and Sorun had a bandolier of grenades wrapped over his shoulder. Foray projected a map of the cruiser into the space where they gathered. It perhaps wouldn’t be strictly accurate, who knew what modifications had been made, but it would work as a rough guide at the very least.

“I want you three will go check the comm relay facilities,” Hondo continued, “which should be around here...” He tapped at a point on the map, down the starboard side. “There may well be useful information that can be drawn about who owned this ship and what it was carrying.”

They took note of the position and walked down the corridors. Paynter glanced back at Barriss as he went, and she managed to raise a small smile of encouragement for him.

“Barriss.”

She looked over as Hondo studied the map, considering. He eventually pointed at a subsection on the ship. “Secondary storage chamber,” he said. “See what’s there, and if there’s anything useful we can send in more to pick it up.”

“On my own?”

“Yes.” He waved her off, not looking up and already hunting for the next best salvage spot. “You have supernatural powers, no? You’ll be fine.”

Barriss nodded curtly and then walked out into the corridor, starting down the route she needed to take. The area was dimly lit, much of the corridor wreathed in shadows. It was probable, given it was a subsection, that the emergency light wouldn’t be on down there as well. She had a quick double-check of her torch, seeing that the energy pack was fully charged.

She took a moment to breathe deeply, calming herself. She reached out with the Force, trying to find Ahsoka, see where she was. But she encountered a haze that hummed in her mind like the buzzing of flies. It stopped her from reaching more than a few meters and Ahsoka was already far past that distance.

She pulled her senses back. The same wrongness hadn’t struck her again, but there was definitely something not right about this place. An ever-present feeling, like an icy breath at the back of her neck.

It’s the old memories of the Dark Side, she thought. Just like Ahsoka said. There’s nothing to be concerned about beyond that.

Ahsoka...be safe...

She took one last deep breath and then walked into the dark.

The noise was close now.

Ahsoka wound around the corridors, each one becoming a little narrower than the last, constricting on her, but the noise wasn’t moving position and was getting louder. It definitely sounded like crying. She’d considered calling out but she didn’t want to startle the person. She had no idea what the situation was here. She had tried reaching out with the Force but kept encountering a haze that limited her reach. It felt almost like pushing against a thick tent wall, it would bend so far to her probe but then it would press back against her and she worried that it might wrap around her, as irrational as that seemed.

She noticed it when she’d first landed. A strong miasma held over the air, the cloud of the Dark Side. She hadn’t needed Barriss pointing out the obvious to know that. Ahsoka scoffed at the memory of that interaction. Did she really think that confiding in her about it would make Ahsoka feel better disposed towards her? After what she’d pulled? She really did have the emotional intelligence of a Womp Rat, just like Jeb’Dah had once snidely remarked.

And to think Ahsoka had defended her at the time...

She shook it off. Time and place Tano.

She was nearly there, the sound of sniffling very clear now. She carefully picked her way along, as she approached a turn, the corner a sharp shadow against the dim light. She kept her sound low, to ensure they weren’t scared off. The last thing she wanted to do was have to chase someone through a whole cruiser.

She slid around the corner and saw herself.

Her arms were clamped around legs that were pulled up tight to her chest. Her lekku and montrals were a little shorter, maybe about a year younger than she was now, wearing her favourite burgundy tunic.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She was rooted to the spot, staring at the curled figure on the floor. Her heartbeat jumped and she couldn’t understand what she was seeing. How...what is this...how can I be...there...?

It wasn’t her vision. There were no yellow eyes. It was just her, looking miserable, pained. And scared. So scared. Her teeth chattered and her ice-blue eyes stared blankly and wildly ahead of her.

“I don’t want to die...” she whimpered.

Ahsoka’s breath caught. No...no, no, no no no no--

“I’m scared...” She pulled her legs in tighter. “I don’t want to die, I-I don’t w-want to die...” She hunched her shoulders, looked around. “Where is this place? Master, please are you out there?”

Ahsoka tried to swallow past a dry throat and mouth. Dread crept through her like tangled vines and she clamped her teeth together in a rictus as she trembled. A horrible thought came back to her, a memory she had long suppressed, a place she had never wanted to be again.

No! No I can’t be, I can’t be back there please I can’t be--

“Please! Someone, please!” She turned her head and her eyes fixed on Ahsoka. Desperate hope flared into them and she reached out a hand, crawling towards her. “Please help me!” she shrieked, hysterical. “I don’t want to be here! Please, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!”

Ahsoka wanted to run, but she couldn’t move. It was like her feet had melded with the doonium of the ship. Her heart raced and she shook violently, her breath coming in short gasps because she knew what this was, she knew where this was.

Mortis. After she’d died.

She suddenly stopped crawling. Her eyes flicked around wildly and she twisted her head, panicked, her lip trembling. “No...no where did you go? Don’t leave me here!” She collapsed into a terrified, wailing, thrashing and shrieking mess. “Come back! Don’t leave me! I don’t want to die!”

The darkness expanded, closing in. The lights seemed to fade away until she could barely see herself, just hear the desperate sobs and whimpers. The tendrils reached for her and she could feel them peeling at her, consuming her. It felt like her being was being wisped away, her form fading and peeling apart like sand on the wind.

There was no warm glow this time. No little white light to guide her out.

Just the night eternal.

It wasn’t fair.

She was only here because of them.

She couldn’t join with the Force because of what the Jedi had made her into. They had forced her into combat zones, had made her believe that enjoying battle was what being a Jedi was about, had led her away from the light and along the dark path and now she was being punished for it and it wasn’t fair!

It was all Anakin’s fault! If he hadn’t been such a hot-headed warrior, living for the thrill of battle, always withholding praise and forcing her to do more and more to win his respect--!

Obi-Wan should have done more! He should have stepped in and been the calming presence he supposedly was instead of standing back--!

Padmé, dragging her into her own selfish political agendas and causes! Oh yes, the noble senator who didn’t think children being sent into combat zones was something worth worrying about--!

Barriss had tricked her! She’d made her think she was doing something that could make a difference when they hadn’t achieved anything except make Barriss feel better about herself--!

Her form broke, becoming harsh lines that flared about her as she screamed. Her anger ignited, a flood that turned her blood to lava, burning its way out of her body, pyroclastic ash searing everything around her, billowing through the cruiser as harsh, mechanical, echoing breath filled her montrals--

It wasn’t fair!

And the darkness was gone.

She was gone.

Her body was normal and solid.

The dim emergency lights flickered down their thin light, picking out motes of swirling dust as if they had never been away.

The hull murmured at her.

Ahsoka trembled. The anger faded out of her system, replaced with anxiety and fear. Her throat was as dry as the Tatooine desert and she licked her lips and worked her mouth, trying to get some moisture back. She took a shuddering step, just to confirm that her legs still worked and weren’t bolted to the floor.

What was that...?

All the feelings she’d had...she hadn’t...not against Anakin or Padmé, she hadn’t meant them...

Or...Barriss...

She swallowed. Barriss was right, there was something off about this place, more than Ahsoka had credited. She hadn’t been ready to talk to Barriss, hadn’t wanted to make her feel that they could just go back to everything being all right again not without...

But it was stupid to be so dismissive of her concern.

She raised her arm and looked at her wrist comm. She should get in touch. Warn her. There was something more than off about this place there was something deeply...

She hesitated over pressing the button and then lowered her wrist. No. There would be no point. It would be a distraction. Who knew what she’d experienced or what its cause was? The best thing to do would be to get this mission over with as soon as possible.

And then they could...

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She’d let this drag on far too long, but the truth was she’d been scared. She hadn’t wanted to talk because she...she dreaded to know what the truth was. To know what Barriss had really thought, what she’d really planned.

How she’d really seen Ahsoka.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again, a new resolve in her.

When we get back from here...

Ahsoka took one last fevered look about the corridor, worried that something else might have popped up or the darkness would be closing around her again, and then turned away, calling up her map to find the nearest airlock.

Barr-Tunn and Loas cleared into the large chamber, where the bottom of the two conning spires could be found. The emergency lighting had, fortunately, maintained its power into this area, so there weren’t too many dark spots about, though a few cast down like inverse spotlights over the corners. Flashing his torchlight into the darker areas, Barr-Tunn could make out a row of escape pods along one wall, of which one appeared to still be present, and there were several scattered pieces of damaged equipment lying on the floor. In the centre of the room was a semi-circular dashboard, which looked as though it was in a reasonable condition.

Loas walked around it and peered at the console. He wiped his hand across it, and dust spewed off into the air, the motes picked out in the torchlight. He pulled a face and shook his hand, before leaning over and studying the console, tapping and flipping at some of the switches.

“Does it look like it's working?” Barr-Tunn asked.

Loas shook his head. “No,” he replied. “Doesn’t seem to be any power.” He glanced over his shoulder. “We might have more luck if we can get up to the top of the spires.”

Barr-Tunn walked towards the right spire. There were two individual elevators here, though one of them appeared to have been ripped out. The door was open and he stepped into the shaft, about three meters long and wide, and shone the torchlight up. There was nothing except darkness above, the torchlight petering out well before it reached the top of the spire. But he couldn’t see any evidence of an elevator being up there. He shone the torch to the side and it picked out a service ladder. He stepped back and nodded. That would give them an access route if everything else was out. The second conning spire on the left had a single large elevator door, so was likely for transporting supplies of one kind or another upwards.

“One of the elevators is out,” he said, stepping over to the other individual one. “Literally. No idea where that went. But we can possibly climb our way up, there’s a service ladder on the side.”

Loas grimaced. “That would be a heck of a climb...” He shouldered his pack and walked over. “Do you think the other one is working?”

“One way to find out.” Barr-Tunn tapped the button, not expecting anything to happen.

He flinched when the light lit up to show the elevator had responded. He frowned at it. This was a bit odd. Why would the elevator have power if the control console didn’t? He supposed it could be running on two different power lines, the elevator being controlled by a system above...

He stepped back and nodded at Loas. “Get ready,” he said, taking out his DL-18 blaster.

“You expecting trouble?” Loas asked, also taking out his pistol without waiting for confirmation.

“No...but I like to be prepared...” He levelled the blaster at the door.

Loas moved his head to the side, large green ears twitching as his sensitive hearing picked up the sound of the elevator coming closer. “It’s nearly here...” he muttered, keeping his grip on the blaster steady.

Barr-Tunn heard the whooshing and whirring noise now as the elevator descended.

It halted.

There was a pregnant pause, and they kept their gaze trained on the doors, their fingers steady on the triggers, but Barr-Tunn could feel his heart starting to beat faster in anticipation.

The doors slid open to reveal an empty elevator, the soft blue light illuminating the inside.

Barr-Tunn breathed out a sigh and shook his head at his own silliness. Loas gave him a friendly whack on the shoulder. “Scaring me like that,” he said.

“I know, I know!” Barr-Tunn chuckled, holstering his blaster. “But it’s better to be prepared.”

They stepped inside and hit the button. The doors slid shut and the elevator rapidly ascended and it opened out onto the top of the conning spire. The chamber opened out onto was large, a set of stairs leading up to a command platform above. Several panels ran around the wall and the other service elevator went to the same room. At the back were another set of doors. The emergency lighting was a little better here, though parts of the room were still deep in shadow.

Loas ran up the steps and arrived at the control deck. A large bank of consoles was to the side of the stairs, and the area stretched out towards a forward-viewing canopy, looking out onto the distorted light of the stars around the accretion disk of the black hole. A few more consoles were set up in rows, alongside chairs, leading up to the canopy. Loas stepped over to the consoles at the side and slung his pack to the ground. He tapped at the panels. “This one seems to be working,” he announced. “Also free of dust thankfully.” He frowned. “Very old tech, but I should be able to work out how to operate it.”

At the foot of the stairs, Barr-Tunn nodded. “Get on that. See if you can find a way to get the engines going and move us away from the black hole.” He frowned. “I’m going to check out the back,” he said, making his way towards the door.

“Your ghosts again?” Loas asked in amusement.

“No, but Hondo will give us an earful if we don’t check everywhere for salvage.”

Loas chuckled and tapped and muttered at some of the switches, studying them.

Barr-Tunn arrived at the door, grimy and dirt ridden with the grey sheen long gone, and tapped the panel to open it. The door remained closed. Barr-Tunn cocked his head. This got odder and odder. Why did the elevator door have power, and the conning spires control deck, but not the lower control deck or this door?

He activated his vibroknife and slotted it between the frame and the edge of the door. He slid it down until the knife cut through the locking mechanism of the door and then used the knife to work the door open just enough for him to be able to get his fingers in the gap. He gripped it and heaved, the door squeaking and grinding open.

“What is that racket?!” Loas shouted.

“Just pulling the door open,” Barr-Tunn grunted.

“Makes my ears sting…” Loas grumbled.

After a few strong tugs, Barr-Tunn opened the door sufficiently wide so he could slip through. He activated his torch and shone it around. The room was deep, going on a way, and several crates and bits of scrap were scattered around the area. A plug sparked on occasion, briefly illuminating a central patch in the room.

Pipes coiled and ran around the sides of the room and across the ceiling. Coolant perhaps. It was hard to work out whether it was a service room or a storage room of some kind. He carefully picked a path through it, avoiding the sharper parts of scrap on the ground, and ducking around the sparking plug. At the opposite end of the room was another door, and to the right was an airlock which appeared to have its power activated to judge by the active lights on it. He tapped at the panel next to the door.

It stayed shut.

He frowned. Something was definitely off here. The power was distributed haphazardly, but not in a random way. It was almost like it had been deliberately rerouted, or set up for only certain areas to work.

There was something else as well…the little nagging voice at the back of his head was starting to piece something together…something to do with this room and something else…

The dust… he thought, realisation coming. The dust on the panel suggested it hadn’t been used. But Loas said the one above was clean and it works, and this room is loaded with scrap whereas others are nearly pristine…

Whatever this had been used for, it wasn’t by some criminal syndicate. Nor, he suspected any refugee ship.

He turned around, pulling out his blaster, and a shadow lunged out of the strobe light.

Loas studied the panel and its array of switches, buttons and knobs in front of him. The readout at the top of the console was working, showing that there was fuel in the engines still, but he wasn’t able to glean much more than that. He’d flipped a few of the nonessential switches, some to do with parts of the ship he knew weren’t functioning to see if they activated but now he’d come to the tricky part: flipping the switches for the engines. He needed to get this right: if he flipped the switches for the retro thrusters that could shunt them towards the black hole and being decaying their orbit. And though there was some similarity between the Gage-class cruiser’s panel and other, more modern, cruisers he couldn’t be sure they translated exactly.

This required delicacy.

He was just about to make his move, having got about ninety-per cent sure what switch to work when his ears twitched. 

There had definitely been some kind of thumping sound from below.

He paused and slowly looked around, angling his ears. He couldn’t hear anything else…perhaps it was just a mistake brought up by the ringing in his ears from the door being opened. Then again, it could have been Barr-Tunn falling over and if that was the case…

Best check. 

He tapped his wrist comm. “Barr-Tunn? Are you okay? I thought I heard something?”

No response.

He frowned. He keyed it again, and he was sure he could hear the responding beep from below. “Barr-Tunn? Do you copy?”

No response. No sign the comm had been activated.

What was going on?

Loas carefully drew his blaster pistol and crept down the stairs, being as quiet as he could, his boots gently pressing onto the plasteel. He reached the bottom and regarded the door that Barr-Tunn had yanked open slightly. He couldn’t hear anything, other than the occasional buzzing noise of electricity that was accompanied by a flashing light. A plug sparking perhaps? Could Barr-Tunn have been electrocuted by it? But if that was the case, he would have heard him cry out surely?

He tapped his comm again and the responding beep rang clearly. Still no response.

His hearing was overtaken by the thump of his heart. Slowly, he approached the door. He kept his blaster in a ready position. He wouldn’t go into the room, not at first. First, he would look through the door and make an assessment, see if it was the case that Barr-Tunn had fallen over, or if something more serious had happened. But something more serious had happened of course implied something else...

That someone else might be there...

It was always possible of course. A distress signal could have activated in response to stress on the ship, but someone could have activated it themselves. And if it was a criminal syndicate ship...well, they might not be too happy about pirates nosing around.

He swallowed. He reached the crack at the door and carefully put his head to it, staring into the room. He couldn’t see much, and the ever-present hum and beating of his heart obscured his hearing. But the plug sparked, a grating sizzling sound accompanying it along with a frayed burning smell, and in the flashes of light, he thought he saw something, a body, slumped at the end of the room, which might have been Barr-Tunn. The sparking ended, and Loas pushed himself forward slightly, whilst looking to bring his comm up--

A flash of red seared from the dark accompanied by a cracking sound, and Loas toppled backwards, a smoking hole rising from his chest.

Hondo lowered his comm as Foray added the latest intel into the database. Curr had reported in, their journey down towards relay facilities hadn’t turned up anything. The databanks were all offline, the power out in the area, and it didn’t look like there would be a way of getting it back on easily. Not without potentially diverting power from somewhere more important in any case. They were now moving on towards the crew quarters, in the hope that something might be turned up there. Goru and Sorun had made it to the barracks, but an initial scan hadn’t turned up anything of significance.

There was no report from Barriss yet. Ahsoka he didn’t care about, let her have her moral mission if it kept her happy. It would be just his luck, though, if she were to find a pile of refugees that needed rescuing whilst everyone else turned up nothing of value.

He crossed his arms and drummed his right fingers on the left arm. Something wasn’t quite right here. A cruiser this size couldn’t have just appeared from nowhere on its own, there must have been a crew of some kind...and refugees wouldn’t just be using the cruiser on its own because where would they have come across something like this? And know how to use it?

He frowned as he mulled it over.

Perhaps...

The cruiser suddenly jerked and shuddered and he nearly lost his footing.

“What was that?” he demanded.

“It felt like the engines activated,” Jiro said. “Though it surely shouldn’t have been that powerful...” He paused and frowned.

Hondo’s comm chimed and he activated it. “Boss!” Arbarlan’s voice came over. “I saw on the scans the engines activated briefly!”

“Ah, yes, that would likely be Barr-Tunn and Loas they were sent to--”

“Boss, whatever they did they ballsed it up.”

“In basic, please?”

“From what I can judge the cruiser’s been pushed towards the black hole!”

Hondo’s eyes popped and Jiro’s jaw dropped.

“What are those idiots doing?!” Hondo shouted in exasperation, as Jiro pulled up his comm to shout at Barr-Tunn. “Keep an eye on things, Arbarlan, and get ready for any rapid evacuation.”

“Sure thing, Boss!”

The comm cut out and Hondo planted his hands on his hips.

Perhaps it was a mistake? They had fired the engines, but it was possible a bit more work needed to be done to pull them out and direct the ship elsewhere.

But this just returned him to his earlier thought. Something wasn’t adding up. The little warning note at the back of his head that was usually reliable in warning him when something wasn’t right, that had seen him evade more than one trap during his long and illustrious career, had been going off since they’d arrived. And now it was just getting more insistent.

“Uh...Boss?” Jiro came over, worry in his tone. “I can’t get Barr-Tunn or Loas on the comm.”

Hondo found that he wasn’t surprised. He nodded, accepting the information, and keeping his focus. He turned to Foray. “How long?” he asked.

“It’s hard to be precise,” the protocol droid replied after a moment, “without knowledge of the exact angle of the cruiser and the force the engines used. But to be safe, I estimate that we have an hour before we cross the event horizon.”

Barriss stepped carefully along the corridor. She didn’t like the way the ship sounded. The constant creaking and whining noises, probably as a result of the ship compressing and expanding slightly in the gravity waves, put her on edge. As did the darkness around her, this section of the ship being devoid of the emergency lighting and her flashlight doing little to penetrate the darkness. It made sense for her to be down this way, she could use the Force and so would be better able to feel for presences in the pitch black but...

The rhythmic, echoing creaking through the doonium of the hull sounded like something breathing. Coupled with everything else it made it feel like she was traversing through the inside of a beast.

And that feeling of wrongness hadn’t gone away. It was diminished, but she could still feel its presence, like cool breath whispering against her skin.

She swallowed. Focus, Barriss. Keep focused. It’s just a ship and whatever Dark Side energy here is just a memory of evil. That’s all.

She breathed steadily, the beam of her flashlight cutting through the darkness, picking out little spots here and there. It was a plain corridor, the same as all the others, the walls a slightly dusty grey but nothing out of the ordinary as she continued on her way to what would be the secondary hold.

She noticed that her breathing had taken on the same rhythm as the ship’s creaking. Unsettled, she consciously forced her breathing out of that pattern.

You’re being silly! There’s no need to do that, it’s a natural thing for a rhythm to follow a surrounding noise. There’s no sense in spooking yourself.

She shook her head and laughed a little at her own foolishness. Her mind was a real mess and she was allowing the place to get to her too much.

Then she snapped her torchlight up to the ceiling and traced it along the pipes jutting out and the bladed slats running along edges. For a moment, the creaking noise had changed, its cadence moving to a more rapid run of highs and lows.

It had almost sounded like laughter.

Barriss pressed her lips into a line and willed her body to stillness. “It’s just the cruiser responding to the gravitational tides,” she muttered, berating herself. “Stop being foolish.” What would Master Unduli say if she could see her now? Being spooked by the pathetic fallacy, the oldest idiocy of every culture?

“Such failings are normal, Barriss. However, they are something Jedi should overcome. We must always look beyond what our material senses tell us, for they can confuse us.”

She could hear the disappointment clearly in her own head. Could almost feel it physically holding her shoulder. Barriss dropped her head miserably. “Yes Master,” she whispered, accepting yet another failure of standards.

She took a moment to compose herself, bearing Master Unduli’s words in mind, and then pressed on. She wasn’t far away now, and soon enough the corridor branched into two paths, meeting at a door. The secondary storage hold. Barriss picked out the button and tapped it and breathed a sigh of relief as the door slid open. She stepped into a chamber of alleys. Tall industrial shelves that reached to the ceiling loomed through the room, creating their own little pathways and making it difficult to get a sense of how big the place was. Larger than ten meters all around perhaps?

She flicked the torchlight about, but she wasn’t picking out much. There didn’t seem to be much stored on the shelves, a few crates here and there, but she wasn’t sure there would be much of value to be found. She stepped through the central pathway and came upon one of the crates, positioned at her eye level. She placed the torch on the ground and used her hands to move the crate around on the shelf and peered at it. It appeared to be locked via passcode.

Great...

She supposed she could shoot it open, but if there were munitions in there that could cause problems. Perhaps she could wiggle her vibroknife into the opening and prop the latch that way? It might be the best solution, she didn’t really want to radio in and divert someone away to open it and then it turned out to be nothing.

She reached her hand to the knife strapped to her leg--

“Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm...”

Barriss froze.

Slowly, she reached down and picked up the torch and flashed it down the aisle. But its light picked out nothing, just the stretch of the shelving units and the haze of dust. But she was sure...she was sure that she’d heard the humming. And it wasn’t a trick of the creaking hull, it had definitely sounded organic...

“Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm....”

Startled, she flashed her light the other way, the beam hitting the shut door. Then she pooled it carefully along the aisle, keeping her attention focused, the light slipping through the gaps in the shelves to show the other units along, but nothing else. It was no accident, it was definitely a noise. Definitely, a noise being produced within the space.

And hearing it for the second time...there had been something almost...familiar about it...but she couldn’t put her finger on why. The hum was slightly distorted as if it was reaching her ears through water. She traced through her memories but she couldn’t come up with anything that she’d listened to before that sounded like it. It was a soft cadence, starting low on the first two hums, before inflecting higher on the end of the third. It sounded like a lullaby but why...why would that feel familiar?

Cautiously, Barriss started down the aisle, leaving the crate. A distress signal had been issued and it was always possible that some crew members had hidden in here. Perhaps this was one member, an adult singing to comfort a child?

“Hello?” Barriss called, keeping her voice soft. She rounded the end of the aisle and shone her light down the two branching pathways, but there was nothing there. “I don’t mean any harm,” she said, as she continued down the main pathway, suddenly aware of the soft thumping noise her boots made as they pressed onto the floor. Her heart beat faster. She was stretching out with her senses, but she couldn’t pick out any other presence in the place. The haze of the Dark Side was everpresent, but it shouldn’t stop her from feeling someone else, especially if they were in distress.

Steadily, clamping down on her nerves, she stepped up to the next branch. Her palm was slick with sweat and it made it difficult to keep her grip on the torch. She flashed it to the left and saw nothing, and then turned it to the right--

The light jerked as the torch clattered out of her hand and Barriss leapt back with a stifled shriek. She dove down and scrabbled for the rolling torch, whipping it back up and training the wobbling light on--

Nothing. There was nothing at the end of the aisle. Just a grey wall.

Barriss panted and carefully shone the torchlight around, slipping it through the gaps on the shelves. Nothing.

But for a moment, when she’d first looked, she could have sworn she’d seen...she could have sworn she’d seen...

A Mirialan woman in a grey robe and head covering, her head bowed slightly and a soft smile touching her lips.

Barriss swallowed and focused on her breath, bringing it back under control as much as she could. She slowly raised herself up. What was that? Was she just imagining things?  But she’d been so sure. She’d been sure that she had seen someone. But then where could they have gone? She hadn’t heard anyone move. And why would they run away?

She let out a steadying breath. It wasn’t a mystery she could solve. She’d just need to report back.

Barriss was about to turn around to head back when she froze. Because all of a sudden she could feel it, a prickling at the base of her neck like the warning she got from the Force when a blaster bolt was trained on her.

There was something behind her.

She saw it clearly in her mind. A figure waiting, like the ghostly touch of a gentle breeze and it was creeping towards her silently. Her neck itched worse and worse and the feeling spread down her body as she trembled. Because it was behind her. The presence was getting stronger, a maw opening and dripping and she could feel it reaching for her. And she couldn’t move. She was frozen, not daring to move in case doing so attracted its presence further. All she could do was tremble and chatter her teeth, her eyes staring wide into the small patch of darkness illuminated by her torch. Because if she moved it would be on her. It would sweep at her. Her movement would bring it screaming at her. But she could feel it. Could feel the glimmer of its eyes and the soft smile touching its lips as its hands reached out, the gentle fingers crickling as they flexed either side of her throat--

She shrieked and spun around and the torchlight illuminated an empty aisle.

Barriss’ breathing came in ragged gasps. The wrongness engulfed her and she couldn’t find a way around it. She couldn’t feel around it. She felt the cruiser shudder and jerk under her feet and she stupidly flashed her light down at the ground before snapping it back up and around her in a panic. Sweat peeled off her body and she felt the blood thumping in her ears.

What was going on? What was wrong with this place? What was wrong with her? Jumping at shadows everywhere, but it was just a cruiser that was all. Yes, there was a Dark Side presence, but those were memories, echoes of the past, it wasn’t something physical. It couldn’t hurt her, it was just a haze occluding her senses and--

She heard a sound like a shushing and then a snap.

The door. The door had opened and shut.

But had something gone out...or come in?

Barriss whimpered and trained her light back up the way she’d come, but she was too far away and the torchlight couldn’t pick out the door. The door that loomed large in her mind, with the presence in front of it now. Waiting for her.

She swallowed. She shuffled one foot forward and then the other followed. It was waiting for her because it knew she had to go towards it. Because there was no other way out. And she needed to leave here. Her lip trembled and her body shook and she let out a low moan of fear as her feet moved her inexorably closer.

It waited for her, waited with the ghostly smile, waited with amusement, waited for her as she came closer and closer, pulled towards it with the inevitability of gravity and she couldn’t do anything except move closer and closer, the light slowly revealing more and more along the floor and the aisle clearing away the shadows until--

Her comm crackled, breaking the deathly silence and Barriss shrieked and nearly leapt out of her skin. She kept a shaky hold on the torch, as it jittered in her weak grasp. She panted and flung the light around, darting forward to see--

It was the door. On its own. There was nothing there and there never had been. The presence was gone, she couldn’t feel anything anymore.

Barriss heaved in breath then activated her comm. “Yes,” she rasped.

“How's things your end, stun setting?” Jiro’s harsh voice crackled, but there was a different kind of tightness underlying it as well.

“I...I have located the secondary storage chamber but...” She licked her lips and took some more deep breaths. How much should she actually say? The pirates wouldn’t be able to comprehend. They’d just think she was scared of the dark. She could imagine the mocking comments now. She took a moment to shake her head, then she stood straight and breathed deeply through her nose and then out through her mouth. She would be Barriss Offee the perfect Padawan again. And the perfect Padawan didn’t have emotions.

“There are some crates here,” she said, voice calm and neutral again, “but they’re code locked. I can try forcing one open to see if there’s anything worth recovering?”

“Never mind that, we need you back here.”

“Oh?” Barriss looked perplexed at the comm. “Why?”

Jiro sucked his teeth. “The ship’s orbit is decaying, we’ve started to fall into the black hole.”

Barriss’ eyes widened. That must have been what the shudder she’d felt earlier was. “Ahsoka! Have you--?”

“Yes, we have let your girlfriend know,” Jiro ground out. Barriss flashed with irritation at his comment. As if she was somehow being unreasonable in wanting to let a member of the crew know the details? “She’s got time to do her sweep for potential survivors. But we have other problems as well.”

“What other problems?” Barriss snapped.

“Barr-Tunn and Loas aren’t answering their comms.”

Barriss frowned, the irritation dissipating. They were assigned to check the engines...and it's possible that engine firing is what has caused the cruiser’s orbit to decay...and if they’re not answering... Could the engines have been unstable and an explosion occurred? It was possible, but the shudder should have been more violent than that.

A feeling of dread, unrelated to the Dark Side presence crept through her body. She was beginning to understand why Jiro had the tightness in his voice, as they must have come to the same conclusion.

Someone appeared to be sabotaging what they were doing.

“I’ll be right back,” she said and killed the comm. She stared at it. She wanted to contact Ahsoka, to tell her about what she’d experienced. This went far beyond a mere Dark Side presence, this was something more powerful.

Her finger hovered over the button, hesitating. Ahsoka didn’t want to speak with her, and she couldn’t blame her for that. Nor would she necessarily believe her. She’d seemed unbothered by the Dark Side presence earlier and it likely wasn’t affecting her as much. It was just Barriss’ own weakness. As usual.

She shook her head and then ran for the door.

Ahsoka growled with frustration as she tried to stuff her lekku into the helmet.

Blasted human-centric galaxy never designing anything with anyone else in mind...!

Eventually, she managed to inflate the bubble of the helmet to a size where she could fit her montrals and lekku in. Not comfortably, but at least they were in there and she wasn’t going to be in danger of space creeping in. It did mean her two front lekku were placed on top of one another, almost covering the lower part of her face, and the back one was scrunched up, but the discomfort was preferable to...

Well to the alternative.

She sealed the inner door and then gripped a handle tight with both hands and used the Force to pull down the manual release for the outer door. It snapped open and her body was wrenched towards it as the atmosphere fled into the vacuum. But one brief snarl was all it was.

Now there was silence.

She pushed herself from the handle and floated to the door. She crawled around the door and then floated herself up to the handrails on the hull of the ship. She climbed up them, feeling the vibrations rattle through her suit as muffled sounds. Her steady breathing was the only other noise, sounding like a hiss in her montrals. Eventually, she reached the top of the hull and she paused to look out onto space.

The black hole stared at her, the accretion disk flaring across her helmet. A void in space limned with flaring white light, as the gases pulled towards it ignited.

It was certainly an awe-inspiring sight.

It almost felt like it was tugging at her soul.

It felt like it was growing larger. She knew they were being pulled towards it now, but the effect surely wouldn’t be that visible. Not yet, anyway.

She shivered and then turned the shiver into a shake. Now wasn’t the time to get distracted. She had a clear purpose: grab what survivors there were if any, and get them out and back before the cruiser reached the point of no return.

Easy.

Ahsoka pushed herself forward, floating across the hull of the ship towards the blocky structure of the forward bridge.

Paynter continued along the corridor. The crew quarter section was narrower than the ones he’d been in before and it made him feel uneasy. When the call had come through to inform them that they were falling towards the black hole he’d wanted to head back straight away.

“We’re not going to!” Curr had admonished. “We’ve come all this way, we might as well find out what else is down here.”

But then there was also the fact that Loas and Barr-Tunn were no longer answering comms. He didn’t like to jump to conclusions, but he really didn’t think that two people of that experience would just be disappearing and losing contact.

He stopped outside another door and half-heartedly hit the panel switch. The door didn’t open, again. The emergency power wasn’t really extending to the doors down this way. He sighed and unsheathed his vibroblade. He supposed that if he checked one room they could assume it would be much the same as the others. He activated the virboblade and it thrummed and juddered, and he waited until he’d judged that the heat had reached the optimal temperature and then he slotted it into the door. He slid the blade down through the plastoid until the door shook slightly, the latch going. He deactivated the vibroblade and resheathed it carefully and then yanked and hauled on the door until it slid partially open.

Shining his torch in, he could see two bunk beds, the length of the beds the entire length of the room and a single storage drawer set between them. He sighed and slid past the door and opened the drawers in turn. Nothing inside any of them.

It seemed like this whole trip was going to be a colossal waste of time.

He stepped back into the dank corridor and activated his comm. “Curr? I’ve taken a look along the crew quarters, but they’re very small and would only have room to contain personal effects. I doubt there’s anything much here. Reckon we should head back now.” He closed the comm and waited for a response. When none came he frowned. “Curr?” he tried again.

Still nothing.

The thought of Loas and Barr-Tunn disappearing came back to his mind. He swallowed and put a hand to his blaster. He changed frequency. “Lotor, have you been able to raise Curr?” he asked, hoping he sounded casual.

“No,” Lotor replied. “I tried but got nothing.”

Paynter clicked his tongue against his teeth. This was worrisome. “Do you remember where he was going?”

“Towards the officer deck, I believe.”

Paynter tapped at his wrist comm and brought up the holomap. Based on his position...yes if he traced his route back to the area’s main hub and went up the stairs to the left that should bring him out in the area. “I’ll meet you there,” he said. “Hopefully his comm has just gone out and we can leave, quickly.”

“Sounds good to me,” Lotor replied and cut the comm.

Barriss practised her breathing exercises to calm herself as best she could. Her breathing was too shallow, but every time she focused and concentrated to deepen it, she had a horrible sensation of being watched, that someone was in the corridors with her, and she had to bring herself out of it to return her attention to her surroundings. There was never anything there, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.

Which would then have the impact of making her breathing go shallow and quicker, increasing her anxiety.

It was with a feeling of relief that she emerged into the better lit area near the hangar and saw Hondo, Foray and Jiro, as well as Goru and Sorun. But Paynter wasn’t there, nor were Curr and Lotor.

Nor was Ahsoka, but she would still be on her mission.

“Ah, Barriss,” Hondo said, waving her over. His demeanour was unsettling. In the time Barriss had known him she’d never seen him as anything less than overenthusisastic. His current, sombre setting was deeply worrying. “We have had contact from Lotor. He and Paynter are looking for Curr.”

“Curr has gone missing as well?” Barriss clarified, her stomach dropping like someone had shoved beskar in there. A third crew member going missing in a different portion of the cruiser...it definitely meant someone else was on the cruiser, someone targeting them. It was too much for it to just be a coincidence.

“You and Jiro are going to go to them and provide support,” Hondo said. The words chosen were acute: clearly, he thought something underhand was going on as well. “They were heading towards the officer quarters. Be quick about it.”

Barriss nodded and Jiro looked sour but didn’t disagree. They consulted the map briefly and then Barriss led the way down the corridor, taking some of the turns. All going to plan they should be there in a short amount of time and they could find out what was going on and get out of there.

Jiro notified Lotor that they were coming towards them, and then said nothing as they walked, which suited Barriss as she wanted space to think.

Everything about this was wrong. Not just in terms of the disappearances but everything.

No one else had responded to the distress signal. On its own, this wasn’t necessarily unusual. The pirates could have just responded fastest and first, and others were on the way. Florrum wasn’t so far out from the position. Besides, running salvage near a black hole would carry risks that many would want to stay away from, particularly if the ship was damaged. But for no one else to be desperate or tempted enough seemed odd.

Then there was the fact that it was an old Sith Empire cruiser awash in Dark Side energy. Again, on its own, this wasn’t necessarily unusual. Hondo had said that old ships were repurposed and Barriss had no call to doubt him on that. But the energy of the place was hampering her senses, and no doubt Ahsoka’s as well. It was definitely playing with Barriss’ mind as well. The pirates perhaps didn’t feel it so much, beyond a heightened sense of anxiety or irritability. But it rested in Barriss’ head like smog, obscuring everything and putting her on edge.

And now crew members were disappearing.

It was too much. This felt targeted. Targeted at her and Ahsoka more so than the pirates. But who or what could be...?

Jiro’s comm chimed and Barriss’ jumped. Jiro rolled his eyes at her and answered the comm. “What is it?”

“Jiro?” Paynter, his voice high. Barriss paused and Jiro halted as well. The tone was verging on the hysterical. “We...uh...we found Curr.”

Jiro resumed the walk, taking the stairs up to the officer’s quarters. “That’s great, we’re almost there. What happened?”

“It’s...it’s hard to describe...we...we also found Loas and Barr-Tunn.”

Jiro paused. He glanced over at Barriss in confusion and then hurried up the last of the steps. Barriss followed sweat prickling across her skin making it feel cool against the gentle breathing of the ship. The laughter followed her as she made it to the top of the stairs. The officer quarter was a stocky square room, reasonably well lit by the emergency lights. Four doors branched off, leading to the different respective quarters. But all of that was incidental.

Paynter and Lotor stood shaking in the centre of the room. Jiro had halted, his eyes wide and mouth open. The three of them were blocking Barriss’ view but she had a feeling, a horrible feeling and she swallowed around her dry mouth and stepped up to look between them--

Slumped against the opposite wall were Barr-Tunn, Loas and Curr. Barr-Tunn’s head was twisted at an odd angle, clearly snapped, the vertebrae pushing against the skin. Loas’ eyes were wide, a blackened hole on his flight jacket. And between them, Curr was slumped in a wide-legged, his stomach ripped open and the entrails pooling into his lap. The fetid stench was overwhelming and Lotor and Paynter were fighting back the urge to vomit.

Barriss blinked, her head spinning and she saw, she saw--

A clone trooper hangs by a single hand with a knife pinning it to the wall, the other arm missing--

Barriss trembled, her legs going weak--

They came across another trooper, this one’s face twisted in terror--

“Who the...hell has...” Jiro gasped.

“We need to get out of here...” Barriss said quietly.

The three turned to her.

“What?” Jiro snarled. “No. I’m not letting this go. Whoever did this is--!”

“Going to kill us!” Barriss shrieked, voice hitting the hysterical. “We need to go, now! There’s nothing we can do against him, do you understand? If we don’t leave then we’re all dead!”

Jiro recoiled, shocked at her tone, shocked at her fear. She didn’t care. She needed to run, they all needed to run, before--

“Who?” Paynter asked, picking up on what she said, his voice trembling. “Who did...?”

Barriss went rigid as a cold grating bark of a laugh echoed through the room.

“How charming,” the vocalised voice that had haunted her nightmares murmured. “I’m honoured I left such an impression on you, Barriss.”

The door on the right slid open and everyone’s heads snapped to it--

Barriss moaned in fear, feeling the agony cramp her stomach--

Durge entered the room, each tread of his foot reverberating. He towered over them, more than two meters tall, in his grungy wolf-blue armour, power radiating off of him. His tri-finned Gen’Dai helmet fixed on Barriss and though she couldn’t see his face she knew he was smiling.

Ahsoka ignited her lightsabre and cut a mark onto the wall. Satisfied she nodded. Now she knew exactly which corridor she needed to go through to get to the airlock again. This section of the ship had been able to repressurize, and the lighting was better, the corridors illuminated clearly. The walls and floor were clean and she could see ventilation ducts on the ceiling. Which seemed to tally with her theory about survivors holing up here and so diverting the power.

She stepped along the corridor and glanced at her map. There were a few turns to take, but she would be at the bridge soon enough. Side corridors branched off from the main pathway, and several hard pilasters cut from the ceiling to the floor, making the corridor seem smaller than it was.

She passed through a few open doors as she made her way along until she arrived at a sealed door.

This is it.

It was strange though...she couldn’t sense anything still, though the Dark Side presence could account for that. But even in this place, there weren’t any signs of activity or any notion that anyone had been around here. The place still had that unsettlingly unused quality, with dust gathering like fur over the walls.

She shook off the thought. A mystery for another time. Now the focus was on finding out who the people were that were in trouble and helping them out of here. If there were any.

She tapped the door release and the large rectangular door slid apart and she entered the bridge. It was similar in design to the bridges on the Star Destroyers, two bays for computer terminals with a catwalk running between them to the forward portion of the bridge, which looked out onto a serrated canopy. The main difference was the presence of a single throne at the forward portion.

Ahsoka frowned. She could sense someone sat on the throne, but they didn’t seem inclined to look around.

She was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was on her own out here, with no easy way of anyone else getting to her. But she pushed past her unease and cleared her throat.

“Excuse me?” she called. “I picked up your distress signal. I’m here to help you.”

Nothing for a moment.

“Hello?” Ahsoka called again, wondering if she should move closer. Maybe they were deaf or a species without ears?

The throne turned around--

Ahsoka’s breath caught and her eyes bugged.

Cad Bane sat on the throne his red eyes gleaming in the shadow beneath his wide-brimmed hat.

“Ahsoka Tano,” he rasped. “You’ve come to save me.” He smiled widely. “My hero!”

Chapter Text

There was a thundering noise in her montrals, so loud and powerful she was surprised they weren’t vibrating. It had the constant thrashing beat of a war drum, and sweat beaded on her skin as her body shuddered to the rhythm of the crashes.

Distantly, Ahsoka realized it was her heart thumping against her ribcage as if her ribs were a prison it was trying to escape.

She watched Bane ease himself out of the throne with the relaxed movement of a storyteller getting ready to begin his piece.

He was absent his long jacket, wearing a dark void suit of some kind. Two blasters were strapped to his sides, his gauntlets on, and his blood-red eyes burnt at her. He switched his pick from one side of his amused smile to the other.

“Bane...” Ahsoka growled, her voice bringing her focus away from her body. She fixed it on Bane and forced it to stay there. She couldn’t afford any wrong moves.

“A fine day to see you, little lady,” Bane replied, tipping his hat at her.

“You’re after the bounty? I thought it would be too small time for you.” Ahsoka sneered, hoping that covered her fear. “Run into tough times?”

“No, as it happens. This is part work for a private client, part sport.” His smile widened.

“Private client?” Ahsoka stared at him, befuddled. Then a horrible thought came to her mind, that made her jaw drop, but surely they couldn’t have...! “Don’t tell me the Council--”

“The Jedi Council?” Bane’s brows rose. “Wait! You mean to tell me that rumour about them sending Ventress after you was true?” He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Ahsoka snarled and turned her head slightly. Well, at least things weren’t that bad...

Bane studied her. He reached up and took his pick from between his teeth and twizzled it between his fingers. “I am curious though,” he said, after a moment. “Why did you do it?”

Ahsoka glared at him. “I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

Bane shrugged. “Fair. I probably wouldn’t either, but I thought you might like to have some final confession before you’re six feet under. Or burnt, or whatever it is you Jedi do.” He slotted the pick back between his teeth.

The ship rumbled and bucked, and Ahsoka glanced up and then snapped her gaze back to Bane. He hadn’t moved, his eyes continually fixed on her, one corner of his mouth turned upwards. The sweat started to pool and dribble off her skin. Don’t get distracted... she thought, as she tried to bring her breathing under control. Ventress was trying to take you alive, but Bane is out to kill you. He’s going to take any advantage so don’t give him one. Concentrate!

“That would be Durge,” Bane commented. He started tapping his fingers against his thigh in a sequence from the index to pinkie. “We’ll be falling into the black hole now. But plenty of time to take care of you. And Durge can handle your little girlfriend.”

Barriss? Someone is after her? Ahsoka swallowed. Don’t get drawn into it...

“I pity her, though, he does like to play with his food. And from what I gather their last meeting was a...traumatic experience for Ms Offee.”

What does that mean? What did he do to her, why did she never tell me about--?

Ahsoka breathed heavily through her nose, trying to keep the breathing in an even rhythm, forcing it to not follow the panicked fluttering of her heart, hoping to slow her heartbeat before it made her concentration waver. Don’t get pulled into it. Focus Tano! Barriss can take care of herself. Concentrate...concentrate... Sweat dripped from her brow into her eye and she blinked rapidly to clear it.

Index, middle, ring, pinkie...index, middle, ring, pinkie...

Ahsoka clamped her teeth together. If she could just get her lightsabre in hand before Bane could react...

She whistled a breath out between her teeth and slowly and cautiously eased her right hand towards her main lightsabre.

Bane’s tapping halted.

Ahsoka’s hand stopped. It trembled, just out from the blade, within a finger's touching distance... That wasn’t a coincidence. Bane was observing her closely, waiting to see if she’d make a move. Her breathing started to increase.

If she moved her hand she could... Bane’s hand was deathly still... she could get her sabre... His hand seemed as though it was frozen in carbonite for all it didn’t twitch... Her own slicked with sweat and twitching and trembling...

Ahsoka swallowed and slowly moved her hand away...

Bane resumed his tapping.

Ahsoka fought to keep herself under control, fought to keep her sniffling from being audible as her breathing got more panicked. She tried to clear her mind of her previous encounters with Bane, from everything she knew about his reputation, to keep her mind present in the here and now.

Focused on this one, clear, moment.

Focused on Bane.

Bane’s eyes never wavered, the sardonic smile never left his lips. He just stood there, waiting, gently tapping his fingers, like he had all the time in the world, a musician on stage waiting for the audience to take their seats so the concert could begin. As if there was nothing at all to concern him.

Ahsoka’s right eye twitched. Sweat had beaded into it again, and she blinked it to clear the sweat.

Her fingers flickered. She was so close...so close to her blade...if she could just get it, just snatch it up and move...

Bane’s gaze was unwavering and his fingers tapped out that rhythm.

Index, middle, ring, pinkie...index, middle, ring, pinkie...index, middle--

Ahsoka went for her sabre --

Bane’s blaster snapped into his hand and he cracked a shot from the hip--

Ahsoka bent backwards and ignited the blade, just slapping away the shot before it seared between her montrals--

Bane had both blasters out and he fired them in rapid succession, as Ahsoka flicked out her shoto sabre and deflected them. But the first shot had put her off balance, and Bane kept his shots compressed to her central mass meaning she couldn’t twist and angle her body to turn the deflecting shots into reflecting ones and he also threw in the occasional wild shot to keep her precognition off balance.

Ahsoka’s teeth chattered. Under the hail of fire, it was only a matter of time before one slipped past her defences. And as soon as she was hit...

She flicked out her left pinkie finger and touched the door panel with the Force. The door slid open behind her and she leapt backwards, getting just enough distance to allow her to dive to the left and slash the control panel. The door slammed shut, and she ran down the corridor and twisted around to the left.

Bane smiled and pulled up his wrist. Good. It had been a while since he’d had an entertaining hunt, and after being cooped up in prison for so long. He needed an opportunity to stretch his legs.

He tapped at his left wrist gauntlet and the bridge door open. Then he pressed another button--

The door slammed shut in front of her. Ahsoka snarled and slammed her lightsabres through it, and then drew them around opposite sides, the blades hissing and crackling as they melted the plasteel and cut a circle into the hole. She used the Force to knock the cut circle through and then hurdled over the molten gap and down the corridor--

Bane reached the door and shoved his arm through the hole and fired out a whipcord.

The whipcord snapped across Ahsoka’s throat and hauled her off her feet. She slammed onto the ground, and her lightsabres dropped from her hands. She scrabbled her fingers at the cord as it choked and reeled her across the floor. The wire dug into her flesh and her feet flailed and kicked and slipped as she tried to fight her way out of it.

Straining and snarling she reached out with the Force and her main sabre slapped into her right hand. She ignited it and slashed over her head, cutting the cord and lessening the pressure on her throat instantly.

Furious, she leapt to her feet and howled as she charged at Bane--

A gout of fire blazed through the hole and Ahsoka threw herself back and landed awkwardly on her left shoulder, jarring it. She clenched her teeth against the pain and whipped her hand across, flinging the cut portion of the door back through the hole. Bane spun aside, just avoiding the portion as it hurtled through the hole and impacted against the opposite wall.

Ahsoka ran, snatching up her other lightsabre--

Bane spun back to the hole and snapped off a couple of shots that scorched the wall, just missing Ahsoka as she darted around the corner.

Bane grinned. “Go ahead and run!” he shouted. “Your Master won’t be coming to save you this time!”

“Barriss, we need to split up,” Master Unduli says.

“N-no, Master we can’t!” Barriss replies, hoping her fear isn’t apparent.

If it is, Master Unduli doesn’t comment. She just looks stern. “Barriss, splitting up is the best way of drawing him out. We can pinpoint each other with the Force and corner him. Trust yourself, young one.”

Barriss trembled. She pressed her jaw together tightly, but it couldn’t stop the slight chatter in her teeth. Sweat beaded and dribbled off her chin.

Durge holds her up by the arm, as easily as if she was a rag doll. In his left hand he holds her lightsabre. “Call your Master,” he growls. “I want a challenge.”

“No!” Barriss retorts, defiant, as she tries to pull Durge’s hand off her.

Durge shrugs and ignites her sabre. “With the Force or your screams, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Barriss will not call Master Unduli. She will not give in. She will not fail her Master. She is a Jedi in training and she will not--

Her resolve lasts right up until the sabre kisses her wrist.

Barriss’ right arm shook violently and the phantom pain crept from the topside of her wrist to her elbow, where the flesh was flayed in one decisive cut.

Durge bites into the hunk of flesh, her flesh, and chews. “Medium rare,” he chuckles. “Just how I like it.”

Barriss vomits.

She wanted to vomit. Her stomach churned and cramped with fear.

“I’m sorry Master Unduli, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m--”

“Barriss,” her Master’s voice is stern, her focus on Durge. “There is no need.”

Shame burns her.

It burnt her now as she let out a shuddering breath. Two years on and she was still a quivering wreck, still the same pathetic creature her Master couldn’t bear to look at. But she couldn’t...she couldn’t...

Durge took a thudding step forward and Barriss coiled back.

Jiro took out his blaster and pointed it at Durge. “That’s far enough,” he commanded. Durge halted his movements. Jiro gestured with his head at the corpses. “You responsible for this?”

Durge chuckled. “Of course.”

“No further questions, then.” Jiro cracked a shot and the bolt struck Durge dead in the chest, leaving a searing mark through the plastoid armour.

Howling, she stabs her lightsabre through him again and again and again until Master Unduli grabs her and hauls her back--

“Enough, Barriss! Enough!”

Durge glanced down at the smoking hole and then cocked his head, amused.

Confused, Jiro slowly lowered his blaster. “That’s...that’s some armour...” he muttered.

“It’s n-not the armour...” Barriss said, around her clicking teeth.

Paynter and Lotor looked over at Barriss and their eyes widened, taking note of her fear. Barriss could feel their own fear increasing. Because if a Jedi was frightened of what they faced...

Durge lunged forward, fast, impossibly fast for someone so large in armour--

They scattered, Lotor and Jiro diving to the left and Barriss and Paynter going right--

Durge swung about to pursue Barriss, swinging an arm out for her that Barriss rolled under. She snatched up her blaster as she rolled and fired off a shot when she came up. Durge activated the energy shields on his arms and used them to slap away the stun ring. Paynter, Jiro and Lotor started firing, blaster shots cracking and ripping into Durge, but it barely slowed him down.

Barriss flung herself towards the stairs, firing stun rings. She wasn’t sure it would do anything if it struck Durge, but it might mess with his nervous system enough to slow him down and Durge didn’t seem keen on being hit by it, knocking her stun rings apart. She knew that normal blaster fire would be all but ineffective.

Durge snatched up a spiked flail from his side and swung it. It swept across the room and everyone ducked under it, the rod scraping the walls as it went. Paynter fell at an awkward angle and Durge flicked the flail and brought it around, aiming for Paynter. Barriss flung out her hand and caught the flail’s tip with the Force, halting it just above Paynter’s head. With a shout, she swept her hand across and the flail smashed into Durge’s neck, staggering him slightly.

“Thanks!” Paynter called, scrambling to his feet.

“Let’s go!” Barriss shouted, firing off a stun blast that Durge knocked aside as he reached up and tore the flail from his neck, a gout of arterial blood biefly spurting and slapping onto the wall.

Lotor and Jiro took advantage of the distraction to run around the room, heading for the stairs--

Durge growled and whipped out a bola and flung it at Lotor. The bola whirled through the air and caught Lotor around the legs, sending him screaming to the ground where he cracked his head off the floor. His scream cut off as the bola activated, electricity pulsing through his body, making him shudder and jerk about.

Barriss halted her run, looking back at the desperate pirate. She wanted to do something, she could grab him maybe, get him away--

“It’s too late!” Jiro shouted, grabbing her and shoving her down the stairs. “We can’t help him!”

“But--”

“Go!”

Looking back Barriss saw Jiro’s pained expression. He didn’t want to leave him, but what could they do? They couldn’t hurt Durge and they certainly couldn’t--

A blaster report thudded, underlining the point. Crimson fire streaked after them as they hit the bottom of the stairs, and split into different directions, Barriss and Paynter going right, with Jiro running forward. “Split up to draw him off and then get back to the hangar!” Jiro shouted as he disappeared down the corridor.

Barriss continued running. She pointed down a passage, that she knew would loop towards the barracks and back towards the hangar. “You go that way!” she shouted.

Paynter nodded, skidded and swung down the passage.

Barriss hurtled into the narrower corridor of the crew quarters. There were doors on either side, all closed, so she kept running until the corridor opened out into what would have been the mess hall. It was largely empty, a few long tables bolted to the floor with large gaps between them, others presumably having been taken away. A passageway was at the other end, alongside a hatch where food would have been distributed. She panted, scanning around the room for somewhere to go, and spotted a series of lockers that might once have held equipment or been storage for food packs. Picking one near the middle she darted towards it, wrenched open the door and shut herself inside.

She crouched down, pulling her knees up to her chest and fought to bring her breathing under control. The faint points of the emergency lighting filtered through the slats on the locker, cutting her face into knife shards of illumination.

She needed a moment to rest. A moment to gather herself. She’d had a shock when Durge appeared, combined with the sense of dread that had been building through the whole experience since landing. She wiped at the sweat on her body, her hair greasy with it, and drew breath in. She would hide here a moment, wait for it to be safe, to when she could get her senses under control and then she would--

Thud...

She froze.

Thud...

Footsteps. Powerful and slow. Getting louder.

Barriss’ clamped a hand over her mouth as her breathing headed back towards panic, her eyes wide and wild. He was coming towards her, but he would pass, he would surely pass through this room and try and find where she had run to.

The powerful, ringing steps got closer and closer and then they paused, echoing slightly in the hall.

Barriss scrunched her eyes shut, tried to reduce her breathing,  tried to reduce her noise to the absolute minimum, hoping desperately that he would continue on, that he would believe she’d kept running.

Ahsoka...help me...

Durge made an exaggerated sniffing noise, and Barriss’ body jerked involuntarily.

“You know, each species in the galaxy’s fear smells slightly different,” Durge commented, idle amusement in his tone. His footsteps took him on the circular route, opposite to where Barriss was and Barriss suppressed her moan of fear. “When you’ve hunted as many people as I have, you start to pick things up. If it was your tail head friend, the smell would be slightly salty. A bit like seawater, touching your tongue briefly, or the seasoning of a nice fillet.” He chuckled. “Apex predator species, you see. What need do they have to evolve a response that would put other creatures off?”

Barriss fought back her whimper. Her heart kept skipping beats, making her more agitated. Sweat peeled down her body and her hair plastered to her head and neck. She’d made a mistake, a horrible mistake, hiding in the locker. She’d trapped herself and now she couldn’t do anything except shudder and hope.

Ahsoka...Master Unduli...Please...

“Mirialan’s, on the other hand...that’s a different story. It’s an almost oppressively sour smell. It’s thick and cloying, like tasting a jogan fruit that’s been off for a month. It’s supposed to be repulsive.” She could feel the smile in his voice. Hear it in his tone. “But for me, it’s an acquired taste.”

Barriss pushed herself back further as if by force of will, or desperate hope, she could make the back of the locker disappear and fall through it into a safer space.

She opened her eyes and the locker was in total darkness. Her breath hitched.

“One-hundred and sixty beats per minute,” Durge purred, his voice right outside the locker.

His hand knifed through the door and grabbed Barriss’ arm. She shrieked as he hauled her out, knocking the door aside and flung her to the ground. Barriss skidded along the floor and crashed into one of the tables. She scrabbled up her blaster, aiming it--

Durge cracked off a shot it spun the blaster out of her hand, Barriss yelping as the heat of the beam stung her hand. Durge raised his right wrist and flechettes fired out of the gauntlet. Barriss’ flung up her hand to shield herself with the Force, bouncing most of them away, but a few slipped by and sliced her cheek and hand. She cried out, clutching her bloodied hand and feeling the warmth seep down her cheek. She looked up in time to see Durge cross the space in an instant and smash her to the side with his fist.

Barriss landed on her back and groaned, her head spinning and her left cheek pulsing. She felt disorientated, dizzy, stars swimming like worms in her vision.

She snapped back to reality as Durge planted his right foot on her chest and pressed down. Barriss grabbed his foot and tried to push it off, channelling the Force as much as she could to give her arms strength but she could barely shift it. And Durge was slowly increasing the pressure, slowly putting more weight onto the foot, bending her ribs.

Barriss scrabbled, feet kicking and slipping as she tried to gain some leverage.

Durge cocked his head and sighed. “Somehow you’ve managed to become even more disappointing than last time. A shame, I was looking forward to this hunt. But who am I to say no to some easy credits.” He pushed harder and Barriss felt something click as one of her ribs cracked. A watery howl burbled out of her as she desperately tried to push back--

Durge juddered as a vibroblade stabbed through his chest. Behind him, Paynter grinned. “Got you!” he crowed.

Durge turned to look at him and Paynter’s face fell. Durge slapped him with his gauntlet, and Paynter flew across the hall, the vibroblade wrenching out of Durge. He crashed into a table and flipped over it cracking onto the ground on the other side with a yell. He groaned and pushed himself up, blood dribbling from his split lip.

Barriss snarled and snapped out her vibroknife and slashed it through Durge’s calcaneal tendon. Durge’s foot went limp, and she shoved it aside and scrambled out from under him. Durge growled and thundered a punch into the space where Barriss’ head had been, caving the floor slightly. He staggered slightly, shifting his weight completely to his left foot.

Barriss ran towards Paynter, leaping over the table. He had staggered up to his feet and was clutching his chest slightly, one hand tight on the vibroblade. She did a quick scan through the Force - he was bruised from the impact, but nothing was broken. “What did you come back for?” Barriss asked.

“Knew he would go after you,” Paynter replied, grimacing. “Just waited and then came up behind him. Besides I owed you one from earlier.” He coughed and glared at Durge. “What the hell is he?!” He levelled his vibroblade as they circled around the table. Durge was hunched over slightly, favouring his left leg still, the right foot held loose off the ground.

“A Gen’Dai,” Barriss said through clenched teeth. “They’re nearly unkillable.”

“We’ll see how well he copes if I take his kriffin’ head!”

Paynter studied Durge, his eyes glancing down and taking in the way Durge was holding himself, the stress he put on his left foot. His eyes flicked up and his grip tightened on the vibroblade.

Barriss saw what he intended a half-second too late. “No, don’t!” she cried desperately as Paynter shot forward, looping to the left intending to strike at Durge from the weaker angle--

Durge planted his right foot firmly and sprung at Paynter. Panicked, Paynter swung wildly and Durge easily batted the blade aside with his energy shield, throwing Paynter’s arm out wide and leaving him exposed. Durge’s left hand darted out and caught Paynter around the throat.

“No!” Barriss screamed and threw out both hands. The Force push slammed into Durge, but it just skidded him across the ground, barely throwing him out of balance.

Paynter cast a desperate look in Barriss’ direction--

A sharp crack silenced everything as Durge snapped his neck.

Paynter’s body went limp and the vibroblade clattered to the ground, the blade ringing a discordant note as it struck the doonium.

Barriss trembled, her hands shaking in front of her as her teeth chattered.

“Quite the quandary now isn’t it?” Durge commented as he continued to hold Paynter’s body, the legs idly swinging. “Attack and you’ll be taking revenge, hardly the most Jedi trait. But then running away isn’t a very Jedi thing to do either.” He turned his mask to her. “But then again, you’re not really a Jedi are you, Barriss? If you ever were.”

Barriss’ eyes narrowed and her lips peeled back into a snarl. Durge was a monster. A remorseless nightmare. Paynter hadn’t deserved what he’d done. And it was her own fault. Her own weakness. If she’d been strong enough, if she hadn’t been so afraid, he would never have had to come back for her. She drew her arms back and her hands tightened into fists. She let her fear and anger coil together, building its tension and power.

“Of all the Jedi I ever faced in my life, you are without question the one who is least worthy of the name.”

Barriss screamed and put all of her hatred and fear and self-loathing into a punch. The punch sent a concentrated wave of the Force searing between them and it smashed into Durge’s chest and cracked his armour plate. Surprised, Durge was flung backwards, dropping Paynter, and he crashed into the table, nearly ripping it out of the floor.

Barriss turned and ran. She vaulted through the hatch into the cluttered kitchen space and scrambled around the cooking units. She’d bought herself time but she couldn’t do anything more. If she could get away, she could perhaps find a way back to the others. Get in touch with Ahsoka and get out of the cruiser or find a way of dealing with Durge. But first, she needed space.

She reached out and tore a door apart, bursting through into the dark room beyond. Seeing a light to the right, she turned sharply towards it, but her leg hit something in the dark, tripping her. Stumbling, she pushed her hand out to the wall.

The wall pushed away from her hand and she toppled to the side, tumbling into some refuse shaft. With a cry, Barriss slid and bounced around the curves before she was flung out. She cracked her head off the ground and her body rolled twice and then went still.

Durge pushed himself up. He touched a hand to his chest and felt the cracks on his armour. He smiled. Maybe there was a challenge to be had here after all. He’d baited her expecting her to charge in and do something foolish. Channelling more power hadn’t been expected. He knew anger could be a powerful tool for Force users, he’d encountered enough Sith in their heyday to know that, but he hadn’t expected her to make use of it.

He paused. He scanned the area, the cybernetics of his eyes enhancing his vision so he could see the room clearly even in the dim lighting, glancing through into the kitchen area. He flickered to heat vision but picked up nothing. He couldn’t smell her anymore, nor could he hear her heartbeat or motions. It seemed like she’d disappeared...

No matter. There would be ways of drawing her out. And he had plenty of other prey to play with first.

He tapped at his wrist comm.

The hangar door slammed shut and Hondo whirled around to it. “Foray!” he shouted. “What is going on?”

“The hangar door appears to have been shut by remote operation,” the protocol droid said, surprise evident in his voice.

“Yes, even I can work that out! Get it open!”

“I am a protocol droid, not an astromech--”

“You have been promoted! Now get to work before we are all crushed by gravity!” At that, Foray turned and started tapping at the comm, Sorun going over with him to see what could be done. Hondo turned back to glare down the corridor. This was definitely a trap. Someone was picking off his crew and they also had control over the ship's systems.

“What do you think is up Boss?” Goru asked, sidling up to him.

“Clearly we’re being hunted,” Hondo replied after a moment. “Though to what purpose...”

“Just random chance maybe? Someone’s idea of sport?”

“Perhaps...” It was possible. Hondo had seen enough of the galaxy to know that there were madmen and monsters of various shades, so who was to say that this wasn’t just one of them, getting their kicks out of targeting anyone who came into their web? But that didn’t stack up with the ship being pushed towards the black hole. Which was another worrisome thought. They were running out of time. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but it felt like he was getting heavier. Just a little, nearly imperceptible. But the black hole's gravity would start impacting the cruiser more and the artificial gravity would only be able to compensate for so long.

He raised his wrist and tapped at his comm. “Jiro!” he snarled. “Where are you?” Static burst from the other side of the comm. “Jiro!” Was this another one lost? And if so what did that mean, given Barriss had been with them?

Hondo nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Jiro came pelting around the corner and towards him, a wild look in his eyes. “Boss!” he called. “We need to go, now!” He skidded to a halt, eyes bugging as he registered the closed hangar. “What happened?!”

“The hangar is shut, my friend,” Hondo said. “It would appear that whoever you are, I presume, running away from has remote control of the cruiser. Where are the others?”

“We split up to try and confuse him. I came straight back to warn you.”

Hondo raised a brow. “And to save your own skin, I daresay.”

Jiro had the decency to look ashamed.

“Well, until we get his hangar open we’re not going anywhere. So I suggest that you help Foray with...” Hondo paused. He could hear something echoing down the corridor and he focused his eyes into the dark, drawing his blaster. Jiro heard it as well and gulped, skittering back slightly as he pulled his own blaster, Goru and Sorun levelling their rifles.

A large figure emerged, in silver-blue armour, the chest plate cracked slightly and burnt through in places, and wearing a tri-finned helmet. Hondo frowned. The look, and the insignia on the chest plate, which looked like the Mandalorian insignia of the skull and tusks though not quite the same, seemed faintly familiar but he couldn’t quite place it.

“Hello there!” Hondo called cheerfully. “Am I to understand that you are the individual who has been menacing my crew?”

“As a byproduct of my actual target,” the bounty hunter responded. “I was after the Jedi.”

Hmm...Yes, that made sense. He should have guessed really. The only question now was whether or not he was operating alone?

“Byproduct or not, targeting my crew is something I cannot forgive...” Hondo growled, tightening his grip on his blaster.

“Boss!” Jiro hissed. “Don’t! We shot him loads of times, but it had no effect on him.”

Hondo’s eyes widened, as that information clicked the last piece of the puzzle into place. “Aha!” he shouted, making his crew jump. “I have worked it out! You are Gen’Dai are you not?” He chuckled and shook his head. “And here was me believing you were just a legend my mother invented to scare me into sleep.”

Durge chuckled. “I’m delighted to prove your mother correct.”

“She is dead, of course, so unfortunately she will never know this astounding truth.” Hondo swept his off-hand behind him and gestured to Sorun. Sorun inched forward slightly and took one hand off his rifle.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be able to tell her soon enough.”

“I think not. She was a most unpleasant person. I intend to delay that reunion for as long as possible.” Hondo flexed his fingers out, spreading them wide.

Durge’s laugh barked out. “I was once buried alive for sixty years. How do you imagine you are going to stop me?”

Hondo returned the laugh. “My friend, I have survived hangovers like that too!”

He clenched his fingers and Sorun ripped out a grenade and hurled it at Durge.

Durge stepped forward, moving to knock the grenade aside--

Hondo aimed and fired, his laser blast piercing the grenade and detonating it just as it was right beside Durge. The blast wave shattered the armour along Durge’s arm and flung him into the wall.

Hondo spun and ran down the corridor, his crew racing after him.

“Where are we going?” Goru called.

“The barracks!” Hondo replied. “We might be able to find something of use there!”

Durge picked himself off from the wall. He looked down at his arm, broken and torn by the explosion. He regarded it as the nerves and muscles coiled and coalesced with a sickening squelching and cracking sound, reforming the arm in a matter of moments. His fingers splayed briefly, hardening and sharpening like a blade, before settling back into being fingers. He curled and uncurled them a couple of times and then looked up.

The pirates were gone, likely running off somewhere. The protocol droid had collapsed against the hangar door, caught in the pressure wave perhaps. Offline in any case.

Durge smiled. He glanced down at the comm that he’d taken off one of the bodies, and then stuffed it in his belt. It would be more fun to do this the old fashioned way. There was still plenty of time to enjoy this. He started walking down the corridor.

Behind him, Foray’s lights blinked on and he raised his head. Photoreceptors and enhanced hearing picking up nothing, he steadily pulled himself to his feet and resumed his tapping at the panel.

Ahsoka scattered down the corridor, running without any clear sense of where she was going. In her panic to get away from Bane, she’d lost her sense of coordination. She cursed herself, she should have made more marks along the corridors to guide her way back. It didn’t help, of course, that Bane had remote control of the doors. Her montrals would pick up the sound of them shutting in the distance and she would skitter into a corridor to find her way cut off. She didn’t have time to lightsabre her way through them all.

Arriving at another junction, where two doors were shut and one path open she skidded to a halt and growled, eyes narrowing. She was being herded. Bane was moving her to a specific location. Well, he could forget about that.

She glanced behind her, trying to reach out to pick up where Bane was, but the haze from the Dark Side was too much for her to reach more than just around the corner. Bane wasn’t on the approach yet, though, so that would give her enough time.

She looked up at the ventilation duct. She clipped her lightsabres to her belt and then reached out with the Force. She carefully pulled out the duct and gently laid it on the ground. She grinned. That would foil his plans. She bent her legs and leapt up, reaching over with her arms--

And they landed on something sticky.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened. Her arms were stuck to some substance on the floor of the ventilation shaft. She pulled herself up, eyes peeking over the rim of the duct and she tried to pull her arms up. A thin, but powerful, gauze came with them, connecting her arms to the duct and holding them firmly. She strained, trying to rip her arms back but the stress on them was too much and they bounced back to the shaft, the gauze holding her firm. She panicked, pedalling her legs wildly in the air, aware of how exposed she was.

“Oh, I wouldn’t try the ventilation shafts if I were you,” Bane’s voice drifted in over the corridor comm. “I’ve layered them with Shelobian web. Very expensive, but only the best for you little lady.”

“Now he tells me...” Ahsoka growled. That of course was likely the point. Bane probably had some sensor to tell him that she’d just tried this. She fought and struggled, jerking her body and trying to rip her arms loose, trying to use her weight to get them out, but it was no use. She hung there, mind racing, trying to work out what to do.

She stiffened. Her montrals had picked up a noise, faint but coming closer. The tread of one boot being put down followed by another. She didn’t have time.

Burying her fear down, she tried to think with a clear mind. What could she do? She couldn’t pull herself loose that was obvious. She couldn’t pull herself up, nor could she get back down. Her shoulders were starting to strain as well, as her weight pulled against her body. But she could lift up her arms. And perhaps...

She glanced down at her main lightsabre. It was risky... but it was that or get shot.

Ahsoka took a calming breath and closed her eyes. She sunk into the Force, letting it wash through her, doing her best to keep out the tendrils of the Dark Side that were probing and scratching at her.

She focused on her lightsabre.

It jiggled against her belt, wavering as her mind touched it, willing it to move.

She pushed the sound of the boots coming closer out of her mind, as she focused solely on the lightsabre. In her mind, she saw it jerk from her belt, saw it wobble as it rose up through the air. She focused on steadying it, imagining it positioning itself just below the shaft at a slight diagonal. She raised her hands, wincing as she pulled them up as much as she could to expose the web and create enough space.

She imagined pressing the trigger on the lightsabre--

Her green blade flared out and cut through the shaft, burning the webbing and Ahsoka fell harshly onto her backside. She had no time to dwell on the pain as she snatched her lightsabre to her hand and dove aside just as Bane rounded the corner and blaster fire splatted into the ground.

Ahsoka ran through the open door. A warning itch bloomed on her back lekku and she spun around and swatted a laser bolt back at Bane, who dove to the side and Ahsoka whirled herself behind one of the pilasters. Her sabre whooshed as it deactivated and she pressed back against the pilaster, feeling her back lekku dig against the surface. Her heart thumped against her ribcage, nearly bursting out of it.

That had been far too close.

She steadied herself and reached out with the Force. She could sense Bane, similarly positioned to her. He must be hiding as well...

Cautiously, leaned out to glance down the corridor ever so slightly...

She snapped her head back as a blaster bolt winged the edge of the pilaster.

Bane chuckled. “Looks like we’re in a curious little stand-off,” he said, tone calm. She heard the sound of him replacing his blaster packs. The cruiser shuddered and Ahsoka glanced upwards, her montrals shaking from the vibration. “Getting closer to the black hole,” Bane mused. “You’ll need to hurry.”

Don’t get drawn by him...

He was trying to hurry her into making a mistake. Ahsoka took deep breaths, assessing her options, glancing at the corridor.

She froze. Her eyes fixed on the doorway on the right side of the corridor that was just a few meters down from her. On the edge...yes, it was definitely the mark she’d made!

She licked her lips. If she ran for it she could make it. She could get there and through and shut the door behind her. She would have enough time to get to the airlock and get out...

Ahsoka braced herself, touching her fingers to the pilaster, getting ready to push herself on and run for it. She could make it... she could get there and through before Bane could react... she could...

She paused. No. This is what Bane wants. He was herding me down here, throwing me off balance. He must know. When I move he’ll shut the door on me and I’ll be trapped. She pressed her head back against the pilaster and scrunched her eyes, letting out a low whine of frustration. There had to be some way out of this. But she was running out of time! Who knew how long she still had before the ship fell into the black hole? And Barriss was in danger as well. She had to find some way...

An idea came to mind that made her shiver involuntarily.

She lowered her head, pressing her chin into the crook of her neck, considering. Her eyes scrunched and twitched slightly as she desperately thought and tried to find an alternative. She didn’t like the idea. She didn’t like consciously choosing to do this. There was no telling where it would go but...

She raised her head.

No other choice really.

“Hey sleemo!” she called. “Just between us, what you were planning on doing with those children you kidnapped?”

Bane looked up from his wrist gauntlet, where his finger had been hovering. “Them?” He chuckled. “Oh, I have no idea. I just did what I was paid to do.”

“Such fine morals you have,” Ahsoka sneered.

Bane smiled and turned his head slightly to peer down the corridor. “Well if that’s not the quacta calling the stifling slimy.”

Ahsoka scowled, brows moving inward and downward. Little sleemo piece of worm-ridden...!

“Why so interested anyway?” Bane asked, turning back.

“Oh, no real reason,” Ahsoka replied, a low growl deepening in her throat. “I just wanted to make sure I had the reasons why I hate you at the forefront of my mind.”

“Hate, huh?” Bane laughed, resting his head back on the pilaster. “That’s not a very appropriate emotion for a Jed-aaiiii!” Bane’s throat suddenly constricted. He scrabbled at it as he was hauled out from behind the pilaster.

Ahsoka stood in the middle of the corridor, her right hand held up in a curling claw, her brows drawn down so the facial markings bunched above her nose. “Oh, didn’t you hear?” she asked sweetly. “I’m not a Jedi anymore.”

Ahsoka grinned, her fangs glistening and the sacs along Bane’s ribs started to fill as he saw the sudden primal image of a wolf stalking into the firelight.

Snarling Bane slapped at his wrist gauntlet and activated his booster jets, flinging himself backwards and wrenching out of Ahsoka’s grip. He grabbed up his blaster and snapped off a shot as he fell.

Ahsoka leapt aside and backwards, and then darted for the door--

Bane banged onto the ground and slapped the button on his gauntlet--

Ahsoka slipped through just before the door slammed shut.

Ahsoka ran down the corridor, leaping up and slashing apart the ceiling at intervals, hoping the molten debris would slow Bane down. She hurtled around the curve of the corridor and spotted the airlock.

She snatched up her helmet and opened it out, inflating it and then jammed it over her head. It got stuck around her lekku and she growled as she positioned and stuffed them inside, trying to force the helmet to join with her vacuum suit. The noise was muffled, but she could hear the door open, could hear Bane cursing, hear his jets activating--

Her back lekku was in the way and she cursed and fought it up and around, shoving it in with her fingers. Her heartbeat picked up in pace as she imagined Bane hurtling around the corner at any moment, blaster firing and she didn’t care how monstrously uncomfortable it was as she pushed her back leeku up and sideways and her other hand pulled and pulled to force the helmet down--

It clicked in place and Ahsoka wrenched open the door and dove inside, as Bane fired a shot, the crimson bolt streaking off the ground. Ahsoka reached out and pulled down on the emergency release--

And she was blown out into space as the air shot out of the hold.

Bane hurtled forward as the atmosphere ripped at him, his hat tearing off his head and whipping out the airlock. Roaring, he pushed his jets to maximum and forced himself back down the corridor, just managing to evade the pieces of debris that thrashed past him. He flung through the door and activated it, and it slammed shut and sealed off the cruiser.

Bane dropped to the ground, panting.

Bane let out a shout of frustration. “Little tail headed...” he growled, rage building. He’d had her and somehow she’d slipped out of his grasp. Shaking off his frustration, he darted back along the corridor.

Ahsoka whirled outwards but she stretched out her hand and used the Force to anchor herself to one of the outer rungs on the hull. She halted instantly, her momentum checking as the bits of the debris from the corridor spewed past her. She breathed deeply, the inside of her helmet fogging and she held that position for a moment to just give herself a little time to recover her bearings.

When she’d calmed slightly she imagined herself tugging the ship and she floated back towards it, the opposite reaction pulling her in towards the cruiser. Her hand closed around the rung and she held on tight, muffled vibrations running through her body. The only sound was of her panting breath.

She paused, catching herself a moment, and then glanced over her shoulder.

Her eyes widened in fear. The maw of the black hole was closer now, dominating the whole of the space around them so that all she could see was an infinite blackness save for the blade of accretion disk cutting across its face. How much time did they have left? Maybe thirty minutes? A little more?

She swallowed. No time to waste.

She hauled herself up the rungs and onto the top of the ship. Angling her body horizontally she pushed herself along the hull, heading straight for the airlock she’d come out of at the middle of the ship. As she did so, she concentrated hard and reached out as much as she could.

Barriss...where are you?

Barriss’ eyes startled open. With a gasp, she flung herself up from the floor. She winced and put a hand to her forehead, feeling the large bruise and swelling at her temple as she scanned the room. It was dark, only very dim lighting where the ceiling met the walls, illuminating the smooth edges all around and little else beyond the swirling particles of dust. It felt like dust was sticking to her clothes and hands, and she brushed it off seeing great clouds plume away from her like flies. She stood up and picked up her torch. She flicked the switch, but nothing happened. It must have broken in her fall. She dropped it peered into the gloom. Her eyes were adjusting a little. It seemed like she was in some refuse dump of some kind, or some maintenance deck for the fuel. An eerie quiet settled over the area like a thick blanket.

But at least it felt safe.

Barriss wrapped her arms around herself, unsure of what to do. She could go back, possibly crawl her way back up the pipe she’d fallen through. But Durge might be waiting. Or she could travel around this space and try and find some alternate pathway out.

Or she could just curl up and wait.

She let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. Ahsoka... she called in her mind, her own head not able to remove the desperate whimper in her tone.

She snapped her head up, eyes wide and alert. She’d heard something, some small noise. It couldn’t be Durge though? He couldn’t have followed her down here! The tread wasn’t right, it was too quiet. It couldn’t be him!

It was quiet, save for the thump of her heart in her ears. She scanned the space in front of her and perceived...

A shadow. Taller than her. Barriss swallowed. She wished her torch was working so she could shine it but...but... She inched forward, carefully, her eyes adjusting more to the dark as she went...

The figure became clearer and Barriss’ breath caught. Slightly grimy orange skin and white facial markings. Ash white lekku, mixed with fading blue and montral horns.

It was her.

“Ahsoka...you came!” Barriss’ voice cracked. She ran forward and threw herself at Ahsoka, wrapping her arms around her. “Thank you…” she sobbed, trembling against her.

There was a moment’s stillness and then Ahsoka wrapped her arms around Barriss, pulling her into a tight embrace. “Of course, I came,” Ahsoka murmured. “I’ll always be with you Barriss.”

Barriss nuzzled her head into the crook of Ahsoka’s neck. She could feel the warmth, the safety. What she’d always wanted. At her most desperate moment. And she wanted her to know, wanted her to know how much this meant to her. How much she meant to her. Her heart thumping, nerves on fire, Barriss swallowed and then, before she could stop herself, she pulled back and stood on her toes and ghosted her lips across Ahsoka’s.

She came to her senses immediately and pulled away, embarrassed and ashamed at what she’d done. She trembled now with nerves as the cold reality slapped over her. What had she done? She’d let her emotions get the best of her and now...now Ahsoka knew and she would never accept her, never forgive her. She hadn’t even had time to talk, to explain about...

Tears stung her eyes. She was such a colossal idiot.

“I...I’m sorry... I didn’t mean...” She forced the words out from a mouth that had turned to ash, as she desperately tried to fumble some excuse together.

Slowly and dimly, though, she came to the awareness that Ahsoka hadn’t reacted. She hadn’t let her go, she hadn’t pulled back in disgust, she wasn’t insulting or berating her. Instead, her grip tightened and Barriss looked up startled as Ahsoka, her eyes shut, pulled her back and pressed her lips onto Barriss’.

Barriss’ eyes widened briefly and then she closed them, sinking into the kiss, feeling the softness pressing against her.

Ahsoka cupped her head, tangling her hand in Barriss’ hair. Barriss pushed a hand under Ahsoka’s back lekku, opening her mouth, inviting her closer.

Ahsoka caught Barriss’ lower lip between her fangs and Barriss tasted iron. Her blood. Ahsoka had punctured her lip. But that was fine. It was what Ahsoka wanted and Barriss moaned and felt a thrill surge through her as Ahsoka tugged on her hair.

Too hard.

The fingers tangled and pulled, and Barriss winced, scrunching her face. It was fine, it was what Ahsoka wanted, and it was what she deserved. She could have it if she wanted, Barriss would cope she would...

It was too much. She could feel her hair ripping at the roots, the pain spiking in her cranium. Feeling a touch of shame and not being able to give Ahsoka what she wanted, she pulled away from the kiss, moving with Ahsoka’s hand to ease the pressure.

“Ah…Ahsoka!” She reached back with her hand trying to pull Ahsoka’s off. “S-stop! That hurts!”

She opened her eyes. An amused grin and red-rimmed pupils of a sickly, feral, yellow gazed back at her.

Chapter Text

Barriss broke out of the grip and skittered backwards, nearly falling over in her panic. Her heart pounded and she felt cold sweat popping all over her body as she stared wide-eyed.

The yellow-eyed Ahsoka looked back at her, a small bemused smile on her lips. “What’s wrong Barriss?” she asked, in Ahsoka’s voice.

Barriss continued to stare. Nearly everything was right, except for the yellow eyes and the colour of the lekku which were more ashen than Ahsoka’s usual off-white. And the grime she’d seen now looked more like shadowed cracks feathered onto her skin.

Barriss pressed her lips into a line, her eyes narrowing. “You’re not Ahsoka,” she said with conviction.

“Yes I am,” Not-Ahsoka replied. She stepped forward, holding out her arms. “Don’t you want me?”

“Stay back!” Barriss shouted, flinching away.

Not-Ahsoka pulled back, pained. Her lower lip wobbled. “I-I don’t understand,” she said, voice trembling. She wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I did everything you wanted. I helped you with the bomb.”

Barriss swallowed. She felt herself wavering. It couldn’t be Ahsoka though, it just couldn’t.

“I don’t understand what more you want from me?” Not-Ahsoka sobbed, curling up to her knees, burying her head. “It’s never enough is it? No matter what I do?”

Barriss trembled. Maybe it was her. Maybe she’d made a mistake. After all the cruiser was awash with the Dark Side and who knew what Ahsoka had had to face? This whole thing was a trap and if Durge was here, it’s possible someone else was after Ahsoka. Ventress again maybe?

Barriss took a step forward. Then another step. Then another until she stood next to the shuddering Ahsoka ball. “It…” She broke off. She knelt down beside her and reached out a hand and then retracted it. “I…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have. Please forgive me, I shouldn’t have said that, I’m sorry.”

Ahsoka continued to shake.

“Please, Ahsoka, I’m sorry,” Barriss pleaded, voice trembling.

Ahsoka continued shaking. Barriss frowned. There was something else though, a small and soft high-pitched noise. It sounded like…

…laughter?

Before Barriss could process the information, Ahsoka’s head snapped up and the yellow eyes burnt above her grin. “Too easy!” Not-Ahsoka giggled.

Barriss leapt backwards with a suppressed shriek, body shaking and heart pounding. Who was this? Was it some manifestation of the Dark Side, like the figure she’d seen before? Why was it tormenting her?

“Who are you?” she demanded, desperately trying to recover her poise. She reached into the Force to try and feel into the being in front of her, but it was like there was an absence. Something that should be there, but wasn’t.

Not-Ahsoka idly stood up, examining her hand. “I’m Ahsoka Barriss,” she said.

“That trick won’t work again!” Barriss snarled.

“It’s not a trick, it’s truth. She just hasn’t realised it yet, but she will.” Not-Ahsoka grinned, fangs flashing.

“No that’s not true!” Barriss shouted. She clenched her teeth. “I won’t listen to your lies.”

Not-Ahsoka laughed and clapped her hands. “Oh, I think you will!” She looked sly. “After all, it was you who opened the door. Involving her in your little scheme?”

Barriss trembled, fought to keep herself stable. “N-no that’s not…sh-she came to me!”

Not-Ahsoka raised a brow. “To become a bomber? Please Barriss, don’t be pathetic.” She beamed and stepped towards her. “And stop looking so upset! I’m congratulating you!”

“I don’t want your congratulations!” Barriss snarled.

Not-Ahsoka snickered. “Oh, poor poor Barriss. Always so lonely and never knowing why. Always abandoned by everyone around you.”

“Stop it!”

“Or what?” Not-Ahsoka’s eyes opened wide and child-like. “What are you going to do Barriss?” She poked her tongue between her teeth. “Are you g-going to…stu-stutter at m-me, B-Barith?”

Barriss screamed and flung out her hand, using her anger to send a wave of the Force crashing into Not-Ahsoka.

Not-Ahsoka’s upper body snapped back, but she circled around with the blast and returned upright. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please…”

She shoved out her hand and the shadows turned into tendrils that snapped into Barriss, whipping her off her feet and sending her crashing to the ground.

Only the ground wasn’t the hard cold of doonium, but something else. Something warmer and a little softer, moist to the touch. Barriss looked up and around her--

Geonosians. Hundreds of them, all curled up against the walls, sleeping softly, stick-like hands twitching in their sleep. The world around her had changed. It was no longer the doonium of a ship corridor, but the slick coolness of a cave, condensed moisture clinging to the walls and ground like sweat. Barriss’ heart pounded and she looked around in desperate confusion, shuffling back slightly and trying to avoid hitting any of the Geonosians.

Where am I? What’s going on? I was--

Suddenly a cloud of fire broke through the cave wall with a harsh roaring boom. Barriss screamed as the fire cascaded and rippled through the cave. Some Geonosians were caught in the initial blast and vaporised instantly, and the fire spread out and ignited the oils and mucus of the remaining Geonosians, leaping from one body to another in a rapid roll. The Geonosians shrieked in terror and pain. Their bodies melted, sizzling and crackling as the oils cooked. Their eyes popped in the heat and their internal organs roasted inside the chitinous plates, bodies dropping and twitching to the ground. Some ran and fluttered about in panic, but they only spread the fire further, which raced through the cave. But the fire didn’t touch Barriss, passing over and around her as she scrambled backwards on her hands and legs, desperately trying to get away, screaming in terror--

“Oh, how cute! It’s when we first met!”

Not-Ahsoka wandered through the flames, observing the blackening and ashing Geonoisans with her hands clasped behind her and a content smile.

Barriss moaned as it suddenly snapped into place. She knew where she was now, facing the truth of a memory she’d tried so hard to ignore.

“Such a heart-warming memory, isn’t it?” Not-Ahsoka giggled as she dug her hand into a Geonosians chest and drew out a blackening heart. “In more ways than one.”

“Don’t!” Barriss shrieked. “Stop it!”

“Why? They’re just bugs.” Not-Ashoka dismissively blew the heart into a cloud of embers, and then irritably slapped her hands together to get rid of the remainder that stuck to her.

“Please…” Barriss begged. “I didn’t want this, I didn’t…”

“You still did it. Even though you understood what the consequence would be when you saw what the catacombs were.” She giggled. “Your precious Ahsoka never realised, of course. Too busy playing at being the hero to notice.” Not-Ahsoka paused and turned her head up slightly, considering. “Or maybe she did realize and that’s why she played the hero?” Not-Ahsoka chuckled and shook her head. “Speculating is fun isn’t it?”

Barriss shook her head violently. “No! She, she didn’t, that’s not--!”

“But hey, what’s a couple of thousand dead between friends?” Not-Ahsoka shrugged elaborately. “After all, you got the praise and the recognition you craved.” Not-Ahsoka grinned and strode over to Barriss, her eyes scrunching. “The little pat on the head.” She cheerfully patted Barriss on the head twice. Barriss flung herself backwards and violently rubbed her hands over her head, trembling in terror and repressed horror, as Not- Ahsoka giggled.

Barriss’ eyes widened and she froze, hands pausing mid-clear. She could feel something in her head. Something physical, tunnelling and rooting around. Her mouth opened and a small moan of horror dribbled from her lips as she remembered. Barriss shrieked and clawed at her head, fingernails raking along her scalp and drawing blood as she felt it, felt it slither over her brain. Her eyes rolled back as the sickly sensation that had haunted her nightmares, like a physical hand stroking her conscious thoughts, came back with the force of reality.

It stroked at her, finding the right spot and her own thoughts started to change, her panicked thoughts about needing to get it out, to get it away morphed into clicks and buzzes and she sobbed, feeling the nervous control of her body going.

With a last desperate move, she smashed her head into the ground. She rebounded onto her haunches and sat breathing and blinking, mind whoozy as pain flared in her forehead and warm blood dribbled between her nose and left eye. It wasn’t enough, she hadn’t hit hard enough. She needed to do it more. She wouldn’t allow herself to be controlled again, to be taken over again, to threaten Ahsoka again, she wouldn’t be a coward again--

She gritted her teeth and whimpered and summoned the courage to try again, as she felt her muscles slip away from her, as she felt her own consciousness start to recede, becoming an observer in her own head--

The temperature plummeted, icy wind venting around her as the coolant turned from liquid to gas. The thing shuddered, wriggled and then she felt it plunge downwards, whirling out from Barriss’ brain and in the connection she felt its panic as it tried to get away from the cold.

The parasite popped out of Barriss’ mouth and she choked, her breath came in rapid panicked spurts as her eyes fixed on the parasite waggling around in front of her nose.

Not-Ahsoka crouched down, eyes sparkling as she observed the parasite. “Aww…isn’t it adorable?” She pinched the parasite’s head between her thumb and forefinger and ripped it out.

It was like someone had yanked on a nerve that was directly connected to her brain. She felt her brain shudder and move within her skull and instantly her own thoughts slammed back into her, her consciousness shot through every part of her body and it drew a scream from her as she fell on her back and clutched at her mouth, feeling warm droplets of blood spatter onto her fingers. Barriss shuddered and twitched and whimpered as her sensations were restored, burning inside her like fire.

Not-Ahsoka played with the parasite, letting it run between her fingers. “You tried to cheat Barriss Offee,” Not-Ahsoka said idly. She wagged a finger at her. “Naughty, naughty. Asking Ahsoka to kill you and let her think it was for some noble, self-sacrificial reason.” She grinned at her. “But we both know the truth, don’t we? You’re just too much of a coward to do it yourself.”

“That’s not t-true!” Barriss rasped. She pushed herself up, staggering to her feet as the pins and needles sensation receded across her body. “I d-didn’t--”

“Oh, maybe not exactly then,” Not-Ahsoka mused. She absently bit off the head of the parasite, the rest going limp like a noodle in her hand. She chewed on it, considering. “But later you certainly wished she had,” Not-Ahsoka continued, around her food.

Barriss hiccupped, her breath catching. How did she know? About the nightmares that woke her, about the times that she stared absently out of the canopy into space or into the dark of her room. She’d always pulled back, before the thoughts went too far because they scared her but she’d spent time daydreaming and thinking about how peaceful it might be and how uncomplicated it would be and wondering what it would be like, what it would feel like as her fingers idly played and twizzled with her lightsabre, imaging the cool press against her skin and the brief flare of--

She screamed. She poured all of her self-loathing and anger and hatred through her hand as she clawed her fingers and yanked Not-Ahsoka off her feet as if she was pulled up by a hoist. Not-Ahsoka clawed desperately at her throat as a feral grin split Barriss’ face and she tightened her fingers, sealing the airway shut--

And then Ahsoka was gone, and Letta Turmond hung in the air, pawing at her throat, eyes desperate and pleading--

Barriss snatched her hand back like she’d been holding a lump of scalding coal, horrified, and Letta landed in a smooth crouch. Letta looked up and grinned at her.

“What’s the matter Barriss?” Not-Letta asked. “I thought you enjoyed slowly squeezing my life out?”

Barriss quivered, the muscle in her jaw pulling taut. “N-no I d-did…I d-d-did…I d-did--!”

Not-Letta cackled and pointed. “Look! Your stutter is revealing the troooth!”

“I d-didn’t!” She forced out the word, blurted it, but she knew it was a lie. At that moment, when she did it... she’d felt satisfaction. A sadistic delight at feeling Letta’s life draining away, feeling her panic. Letta had tricked her, had turned her plan into something it wasn’t supposed to be, had made Ahsoka think that Barriss had...

She could have ended it quickly, could have snapped her neck, but she wanted her to know. To realize who it was that was taking her life to draw it out and...

And she’d felt so empty. Horrified at what she’d done, at what she’d been capable of. She’d curled up in the vent she’d crawled into and sobbed and she wouldn’t have cared if they’d found her or if nobody had found her and she’d just stayed there forever. Except she had to press on because she’d needed to get Ahsoka out of there. There had been so much more she had to do before she could...

Barriss’ lip trembled and she whined as tears of frustration and rage and self-hatred and emptiness spilt from her eyes.

Not-Letta sighed with irritation. “Don’t start crying!” she snapped. “It takes all the fun out of it!”

Barriss sobbed, pressing her palms over her eyes, unable to stop it. “She…she t-tricked me…” she whimpered, trying to justify herself, trying to convince herself.

“Tricks work because at some level you want to believe it, Barriss.”

“I-I-I-I-I--”

“Face it, you wanted to make the big statement and knew what needed to be done, but you didn’t want to do it yourself because you knew where it would lead. You let yourself believe that Jackar wanted to do it, that Letta was being honest. You wanted to pretend that the poor, noble, trusting Barriss had been tricked.” She sneered. “It’s always somebody else’s fault.”

Barriss shook her head, a low whine escaping her. That wasn’t true, she’d never blamed anyone else for what happened. Letta had tricked her, but she’d never passed on her responsibility for the plan, or what she’d done in the war. “No...I’ve never...I’ve always understood that, that what I did--” She rasped, needing to force the words out, to be understood.

“Oh boo boo! The Jedi made me do it!” Barriss froze. Not-Letta was gone and instead, it was herself she saw, with her diamond pattern tattoos back. An expression of desperate sadness was layered over her face and she trembled and wrung her hands. “That’s what you think isn’t it?” Not-Barriss said, her voice discordantly strong compared with her body language. “What do you really think? That if you hadn’t been in the war then you wouldn’t have needed to do what you did.” Not-Barriss shook her head. “It’s just passing the blame in a different way.”

Barriss trembled, voice going weak. “No that’s not...I didn’t mean...”

“It was the Jedi that made me do this!” Not-Barriss snapped her fingers and she was surrounded by the burning and shrieking and panicking Geonosians again.

Snap! She watched herself stab Trap. “And this!”

Snap! She saw the spires of Paraxes lit up by the blooming flowers of fire as the bombs detonated from the raid she’d ordered. “There was no choice, they were resisting!”

Snap! Lim slumped back against the wall, a smoking hole rising from his chest. “I’m not sure about this one to be honest...” Not-Barriss frowned and cupped her chin. “Maybe it was one of these people?” Not-Barriss waved her hand and Lim was gone and Garth, Selena, Sar Cormen, Tura and Jeesha holding Blim tight stood in a line. “I definitely did it to save them, not my own skin.”

Snap! Three troopers, Scale, Loco and Sevens, lay on the ground a lightsabre slash still burning through their armour. “These three? Well, it was their own fault really, they weren't supposed to be patrolling in that corridor.”

Not-Barriss turned to her and smiled. “But we know the Jedi were definitely responsible for this one!”

Snap! She saw Jackar clutch his chest as if he had heartburn and his eyes opened wide in panic before--

White light flared out and Barriss screamed and shut her eyes and clapped her hands over her ears. She curled up on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest. She shuddered and sniffled and wished the galaxy would just go away.

It grew quiet, all the noise dropping away to a murmur, like water trickling along a river.

“Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm...”

Barriss’s eyes snapped open and her body shook. Goosebumps prickled over her skin and she looked up slowly.

The Mirialan woman looked down at her. Her eyes were hidden in the dark and now that Barriss saw it closer her soft smile looked...sad...

Barriss croaked. She reached up a trembling hand towards the Mirialan, but her hand was different. It was small and pudgy, wrinkled and desperate.

“Be brave...” The words seemed to echo in her head from nowhere.

The Mirialan gave her one last lingering look. Then she turned and ran away into the darkness.

Barriss’ breath hitched.

“Poor you, huh?” Not-Ahsoka’s voice. It almost sounded sympathetic.

Barriss pulled herself onto her knees. She stared down the tunnel. And there was a distant memory, or maybe she had just made it up, of wailing, wailing that went on for a time, and then of being lifted. She wiped at her eyes. She’d always been scared, right from the beginning.

Scared of being alone.

Scared of disappointing anyone.

Scared of relying on anyone.

Scared of failing.

Scared of dying.

She never had been brave.

Her face set and her fist clenched together. No more.

“Thank you,” she said, voice soft but controlled.

Not-Ahsoka blinked and smiled curiously. “For what?”

Barriss stood up and turned around, fixing Not-Ahsoka with a glare that was at once furious and empty. “For showing me the truth.”

Not-Ahsoka frowned.

“Because you are right. I have been a coward. I allowed my fear to cloud my judgement and I took the actions I did because I was scared. I fought in the war, even when I knew it was wrong because I didn’t want to leave the Order and I didn’t want to disappoint Master Unduli. I allowed Jackar to be the bomber because I was scared of dying and I hoped to stay in the Order. I wanted everything both ways. And I didn’t tell Ahsoka because...” She paused. Swallowed. Pressed on. “Because I was scared she’d leave me...” She stood silently for a moment, nothing else in the place mattering. “But no more. I’m not scared of that anymore. And my fear will fuel you no longer.” Her eyes flicked up and fixed on Not-Ahsoka. “Leave.”

Not-Ahsoka snarled. “Don’t think that you can just--!”

“Leave,” Barriss repeated, her voice firm and strong. She raised her hand, splaying her fingers, and a wave of the Force smashed into Not-Ahsoka.

Not-Ahsoka staggered and pressed back against the wave, like pushing against a hurricane. She screamed as her form began to rip and tear as if razors were cutting and slashing across her skin. As her flesh peeled away it revealed Letta underneath, and then that flayed to reveal the Mirialan woman and then that cracked and splintered apart and it was Barriss screaming at her as her form mangled and crumpled and bubbled and hissed--

And then it broke and melted away splintering apart like sand. For a brief moment, she thought she saw the yellow eyes flicker at her and the fangs glisten into a grin.

Then it was all gone. Her imagination after all.

Barriss stared dispassionately into the darkness for a moment. She couldn’t sense the absence anymore. She took a deep breath. Then looked up and her face was in its mask again, the one she'd performed with through the war.

She could trust Ahsoka to take care of herself, whoever was after her. She was strong. A survivor. She would be again, Barriss knew that in her soul.

She couldn’t stop Durge, or at least she didn’t think she could. But she could buy everyone else time, give them the chance to escape.

And if that meant that she...wouldn’t...

Then so be it.

She’d been on borrowed time for a long while anyway. Perhaps her whole life.

Barriss walked over to the refuse shaft and pushed herself inside, bracing her back and legs against opposite walls and starting her climb back up, the faint laugh of the hull bending under the tides trailing after her.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka carefully tapped her fingers against the hull, angling them so they slowed her momentum slightly without pushing herself up from the hull. She was coming up on the caved section and she needed to turn off to grab the rungs and climb down to the airlock soon. She needed a slightly slower pace for that. If she accidentally knocked herself off the ship, she could be ripped into the black hole before she could--

Her back lekku flared like someone had touched an underpowered lightsabre to it--

Ahsoka slapped her hands against the hull, spinning herself to the right and she saw--

Crimson laser bolts slap silently against the hull--

Cad Bane, in a vacuum suit and bubble helmet, booster jets flaring--

A line of blaster fire streaking towards her--

Her arm itched like thousands of spiders skittering across it and Ahsoka kicked the hull with her heel, checking her rightwards movement and flying her forward, just missing the laser fire Bane slammed into the direction she’d been rolling in.

Ahsoka growled, that noise the only sound as it rumbled inside her helmet. Her lightsabre silently ignited and she slapped away Bane’s attacks, managing to send a few of them back in his direction. But out here he could maneuverer easily and dodge them, weaving himself around in an arc.

She was hideously exposed.

She bumped into the ruined section of the hull and grunted, bouncing forward towards the raised portion from where the hull had caved. She pushed herself down, hiding among the broken and shattered portions of the hull, bits of shrapnel turning and bouncing around her.

She didn’t have time. It wouldn’t take Bane long to fly overhead and then she’d be a sitting bantha waiting to get shot in this hole. She snarled, as her eyes flicked about, crossing over the bits of rubble and shrapnel that floated past her. She could maybe wait until Bane was overhead and then push herself up as fast as she could and maybe catch him before he could fire? But he wouldn’t need to go directly overhead, he could just keep looping until he found an angle. In the zero-gravity, he had far too many options for how he could move and pick her...

...zero gravity...

Ahsoka’s eyes fixed on the rubble of the hull and the floating pieces of shrapnel. She scrunched her eyes shut and had to resist the temptation to slap her hand over her helmet at her own stupidity.

Master Yoda’s teaching was that ‘size matters not’ and there was a sense in which that was true and a sense in which it wasn’t. It was true that the Force was not concerned with ‘crude matter’ and a Jedi’s ability to manipulate it was not affected by the nature of the material. On the other hand, density, weight and air resistance were all still things and that was the reason why Jedi couldn’t just lift a city out of the ground, or pull a Star Destroyer out of the atmosphere.

Except Ahsoka was in the vacuum of space. None of that mattered here.

She deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it to her belt, and then she gently pushed herself up from the ground. As she did so she reached out to the rubble with the Force, imagining gathering it in a large net, and raised her arms.

She floated past the edge of the hull and the rubble rose with her, Ahsoka holding it as easily as if she were lifting a feather.

The accretion disk of the black hole flared across her helmet and Ahsoka saw Bane’s eyes widen in shock as he realized what she was doing.

Ahsoka grinned.

She swept her right arm towards Bane and one set of the shards and shrapnel hurtled towards him. If they’d been in an atmosphere Ahsoka’s body would have shaken from the sonic boom.

Bane dove to the side, just managing to evade the hoard but Ahsoka simply swept her left arm at him and the remaining set shot towards him. Bane ducked and flung himself around it, but Ahsoka had complete control over the pieces. Moving them around was simple. Easy. She was a youngling splashing paint on paper without care. It was so easy she wanted to laugh. She saw a piece crash into Bane, sending him spinning back and she did start laughing. Her eyes widened to take in the scene as she swirled her hands, creating a tornado of whirling rubble that constricted tighter and tighter--

Crimson fire burst from inside the wreckage and Ahsoka kicked herself to the side, laugh becoming a snarl of rage. Fine, if he didn’t want to play she would just finish it. She had better things to do.

She slapped her hands together, intending to bring all the pieces clapping together against Bane--

When Bane, expression tight with fury, burst through the wreckage, booster jets at maximum and heading straight for her.

Ahsoka’s eyes widened and she went for her lightsabre--

Too late as Bane tackled her and sent them both streaking off the cruiser and into space.

“Gonna be honest, boss, there isn’t a lot that’s of use here.”

Goru said the words with dissatisfaction, as he chucked aside a blaster rifle. They’d made it to the barracks, but most of the weapons had been cleared out, only a few blasters and rifles remaining on the various racks in the room. Hondo had been hoping that there might be something higher powered, but he supposed it made sense. If he was planning a trap for people he wouldn’t have wanted to leave anything powerful lying about, just enough so that it looked like a place people had once used.

Well, no matter. He had no real ambitions of stopping a Gen’Dai, certainly not if everything his mother had told him turned out to be true. But slowing him down and buying time for Foray to get the door open... that was a slightly different matter.

“Recover the power packs,” Hondo instructed. “Even if they’re uncharged, we can still potentially make use of them for an explosion.” Jiro and Goru nodded and set about stripping the blasters of their packs.

Hondo turned back to the door. “Any sign of our unkillable friend?” he asked Sorun.

“Nothing yet boss,” Sorun said, voice tight.

“Good. Let’s hope it stays that way.” Hondo swung back, intending to help start stripping the weapons. If he could set this up in the corridor then...

“Wait...someone is coming!” Sorun hissed.

Instantly, everyone had their blasters out and made their way into the corridor, training them down into the dark. Hondo’s eye twitched. Something was definitely moving towards them, the dim emergency lighting picking it out. A bulky form with a heavy tread heading in their direction.

He blinked. And also...short...?

Confused, he lowered his blaster slightly. Transformation was not one of the abilities his mother had delighted in listing, but he supposed the miserable mynock could have forgotten something.

“Barriss!” Jiro spoke first, voice laced with surprise.

Hondo’s eyes widened. Yes, it was her, becoming visible as she came closer. She looked weary, but her face was set in the conviction of stone. A vibroblade was strapped to her back, and over her shoulders, she was carrying Paynter.

Hondo noted with dismay that Paynter’s body was limp, and the neck bounced like a wrung chicken’s neck.

“Paynter!” Sorun said, stepping forward. “Is he--”

“Dead,” Barriss said, simply. Sorun grimaced and carefully took Paynter’s body from Barriss, Jiro stepping forward to help. “I’m sorry. He came to save me and I couldn’t...” She paused. “I didn’t have time to recover the other bodies and I...couldn’t have done it myself. I’m sorry.”

“It is fine,” Hondo said, stepping forward and giving her a warm smile. “This is more than I would have expected. But what happened to you? How did you--?”

“There’s no time,” Barriss cut in. “Durge could be coming at any moment. You get back to the hangar and leave, I’ll take care of Durge.”

“You?” Hondo raised a quizzical eye. “How would you achieve this?”

Barriss smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of something. Though if you can spare some of those grenades, it would help.”

Hondo nodded and Sorun took off his bandolier and passed it to Barriss. He kept two grenades back for himself, so Barriss would have five. She nodded her thanks as she slung the bandolier over her shoulder.

“Now go. And don’t worry about me and Ahsoka, we can take care of ourselves.” She looked guilty. “After all, it’s our fault you’ve got caught up in this. And your friends have died.”

“There is nothing noble in blaming oneself for things outside your control,” Hondo said in a serious tone. He had seen this kind of reaction many times before and had felt it himself. He knew what path it could lead to. Barriss gave him the smallest smile, which he supposed would have to be good enough for now. “I will contact Foray and find out--” He reached for his comm, but Barriss held out a hand.

“No, don’t.” She shook her head. “Durge has one of the comms, he can follow it. Better to stay silent.” As she said this, she activated her comm. The pirates all raised a quizzical brow. Barriss shrugged. “I want him to follow me. Now go, get out of here.”

She turned and ran down the corridor and was soon lost in the dark.

Hondo winced as he looked after her. He didn’t like her odds and he appreciated what she was doing but...well, he had everyone else to think about.

“Come on everyone!” he said, startling the group. “Finish stripping the blaster packs and let’s go!”

“But how can we be sure that Foray has got the door open?” Jiro asked, picking up Paynter’s body and resting it over his shoulders as Sorun and Goru hurried to shove the blaster packs into their satchels.

“Bah, he almost certainly hasn’t! He is a protocol droid, not an astromech, but it doesn’t matter.” Hondo grinned, a twinkle in his eye. “I have a plan!”

Barriss sprinted down the corridor, using the Force to keep her stamina high. The vibroblade was unfamiliar against her back, as was Paynter’s blaster in her holster, its weight slightly different from the one she’d become used to. She’d had a few practise swings with the vibroblade and it was different to the lightsabre, the weight more evenly distributed whereas with lightsabres the weight was all in the hilt. But they would both serve. And she still had her vibroknife.

She brought her wrist comm up to her mouth.

“Hello Durge,” she said. “I know you took one of the comms, so I know you’re listening in. I’ve become tired of this game. So why don’t we settle this? Just the two of us? The command deck at the top of the conning spire would seem suitable don’t you think?”

She paused as she reached a junction, three corridors heading off in different directions. She took a moment to orientate herself...where was the conning spire again? She summoned up her mental map of the cruiser and placed herself on it...

Right.

She turned down the right path and activated the comm again.

“We both know we’re running out of time. So if you’re brave enough, why don’t we settle things once and for all? After all,” she smiled, “if you remember I beat you the first time we met, with outside help I grant, but a win is a win. A tie-breaker sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

She stopped transmitting, but there was no response. Her heart thumped. He had to be listening in, or why would he have taken the comm? And she was his target, not the pirates, so offering herself up like this...

She took a left and that brought her into the chamber with the elevators. She noted that one of the shafts was empty, and there was a large service elevator at the base of the left spire. The room didn’t contain much else, though there appeared to be an escape pod. It was pointing away from the black hole, but it would be risky to take it. It could easily get caught by the tides, depending on how close they were. But it was an option if needed.

Barriss glanced around the room, but she couldn’t see anything, nor could she feel Durge’s presence.

She pulled up the comm. “Strange, you seem less talkative? I wonder why?” She tapped the button for the elevator and breathed a sigh of relief when it responded. “Are you really frightened of someone you think of as the least worthy person to be a Jedi? How amusing.”

She looked up and a thought came to mind: what if Durge was inside the elevator? It was possible, after all, he might have gone off somewhere looking for her. She jumped back from the doors and her right hand settled around the vibroblade’s grip, as the left drifted to the blaster. She blinked, her heart thumping and she tried to stop her palms from sweating so she didn’t lose her grip.

She heard the whoosh of air displacing as the elevator arrived. She swallowed, focusing entirely on the door.

The doors slid open and she breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing.

She ran inside and hit the button for the top, and the elevator started to move.

She raised the comm and activated it. “Well, I’ll be waiting. When you pluck up the courage.”

She dropped her wrist and hoped that would be enough. She wanted to provoke him. Make him come after her, rather than try and draw her out by going after Hondo. The conning spire would be the safest place. She didn’t like going to a location she hadn’t seen before, but it was the furthest away spot from the hangar that she could reach. And once she’d disabled the elevator Durge wouldn’t--

She stiffened. There was a beep on her comm as a message came through.

“I’ll see you soon...” Durge’s amused voice came through the comm. But it wasn’t just through the comm, it was also coming from somewhere else, somewhere--

Barriss snapped her head up as a scythe-like claw stabbed through the roof. She shrieked and pressed herself back as Durge peeled the roof away like he was opening a can and he dropped into the elevator, his form filling the whole space.

Durge dove for her, and Barriss crouched down letting him slam into the wall behind her. She threw out both of her hands and yelled, slamming Durge back against the other wall with a blast of the Force. The opening presented, she leapt up, narrowly evading one of his snatching hands and balanced herself on the corner of the elevator. She glanced up quickly, assessing the distance, then snatched out a grenade and activated it. She threw it at the counterweight wire at the same time as she flung herself up, just as Durge was pulling himself out--

She reached back and detonated the grenade with the Force, breaking the wire and Barriss used the momentum from the blast wave to push herself higher, slapping her hands over the rim of the door at the top. She ducked her head as the counterweight cord whipped out and gouged through the doonium of the shaft and she heard the boom of the elevator striking into the ground, and felt the vibration through the metal.

Panting, she took one hand off the rim, swinging her body out and dangling over the sheer drop. She slipped out another grenade, activated it and dropped it down the shaft.

She swung herself back and got her second hand onto the rim just as the grenade detonated at the bottom and a plume of fire lit up the bottom of the shaft before dissipating.

Barriss’ breath came in ragged gasps. That was a very bad start, but she was still alive. And who knew, maybe that had knocked Durge down?

Straining, she took her right hand off the edge and pulled out her vibroknife. She jammed it between the line where the two sides of the door met and then focused on it with the Force, willing it to move upwards. The blade slid through the door, juddering slightly, and then snapped the lock on the doors.

The doors slid apart and the vibroknife dropped out from them. It whirled past Barriss and she snatched at it, swinging off the edge with one hand but the virboknife slipped past her fingers and clanked and whirled away from her.

Barriss panted and swung her hand back over. She paused to gather herself. It was a small loss. She still had the essential parts. With effort, she pushed her palms down and heaved herself up and flopped over the edge and onto her back. She lay there, panting at the ceiling for a moment.

“If I get out of here, I’m starting weight training,” she muttered, before rolling up onto her feet. She scanned the room quickly, taking in the key details: a set of stairs went up to the command deck and there was a half-open door at the back of the room. The rest was bare.

No sense in going up or through the door at the back, I might just be trapping myself. Better to keep in a place where I have somewhere to retreat to. If needed...

She hurried over to the stairs, and hid behind them, able to see out through the gap in the slats. She fixed her eyes on the service elevator. The one spot Durge could come up from now.

She took the blaster out of its holster with her left hand and rasped the virboblade out of its sheath, activating it and letting it thrum and heat up.

Her focus on the service elevator never wavered.

With the Force, she slipped the remaining three grenades out of the bandolier and floated them around herself, like moons orbiting a planet. She slung the bandolier off her shoulder and kicked it aside, removing a potential distraction.

She blinked sweat out of her eyes as she continued to stare at the elevator.

Maybe....maybe he... she wondered, a small spark of hope lighting inside her.

The light went on above the service elevator. It had been called.

Barriss let out a shuddering breath as the hope died, and she pressed her lips into a line, willing her heart to stillness.

She was Barriss Offee, the Perfect Padawan. And she didn’t feel emotions.

Body settled, mind fixed, she waited.

Foray looked up from his futile attempts to hotwire or reprogramme the hangar door, as Hondo and the remains of crew raced towards him. “I’m afraid, I have not been successful in--” he began.

Hondo waved him away. “It doesn’t matter. I have another solution.” He turned to Sorun and Goru. “Place the blaster packs along the connection of the hangar door.” They looked at him in confusion for a moment and then they saw what he was getting at.

“Oh right, great thinking boss!” Sorun shouted, snatching out the blaster packs and placing them at the base of where the two parts of the door slid together, Goru taking out some gaffer tape.

“What are they doing?” Jiro asked, still puzzled, as he gently laid Paynter’s body down.

Hondo threw an arm around his shoulder. “My friend, though their charge is gone the blaster packs still retain the battery component. By placing them along the join of the door, we can detonate them. And doing so should be enough--”

“To break the locking mechanism!” Jiro concluded, catching up.

“Exactly!” Hondo slapped him on the back. “Now go over there, Sorun needs to stand on your shoulders.”

“You what?” Jiro looked at him, but Hondo just flicked his fingers.

Grumbling, Jiro walked over to the door and boosted Sorun up onto his shoulders so that he could affix the last of the blaster packs as high up as he could manage. That done, Sorun hopped down and the pirates retreated to a safe distance, Foray hurrying after them with Jiro pulling Paynter’s body to the safe distance.

Sorun took out a grenade, activated it and chucked it at the door.

“Fire in the--”

The explosion cracked up the door and the pressure wave blew the pirates' hair back and Hondo’s hat off his head. He blinked and then glared at Sorun, who gave him a cheesy smile. “Sorry boss thought we were back far enough,” he apologised.

Hondo sighed. No time for this. “Come on!”

They ran forward, waving their hands against the smoke. The door had cracked enough to break the locking mechanism but it wasn’t open wide enough to let them through. Hondo and Jiro pushed against the right side door while Sorun and Goru pushed against the left side door. Straining, they put all their strength into it and slowly the doors started to slide open, grinding and creaking in resistance. Eventually, they pushed it so that it was wide enough for one person to slip through. And that was good enough for Hondo.

Jiro picked up Paynter’s body into a fireperson’s hold and ran through after Sorun and Goru, Hondo waving them on before he slipped around the door and ran for their Flarestar attack shuttle.

“Wait for me!” Foray cried, moving as fast as his legs would carry him.

“Goru, help him!” Hondo called, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. Goru looked back and sighed, then spun about and ran back to Foray, snatching up the protocol droid over his shoulder.

“Put me down!” Foray protested. “This is undignified!”

Sorun reached the shuttle first and hit the button to lower the ramp. Before it hit the ground he leapt up, grabbed the rim and scrambled over it. By the time the ramp was fully down, Hondo had reached it and he followed Jiro up into the hold. Jiro went towards the cockpit, whilst Hondo waited at the ramp for Goru and the flailing Foray to run up it. Once they were on board, he smacked the button to close the ram and ran for the cockpit.

“Sorun, that’s everyone on!” he shouted. “Now get us out of here!”

Hondo reached the cockpit just as Sorun, sat in the pilot’s chair in the circular pilot bay, slapped at the ignition button and the shuttle shuddered as it came to life and lifted up. The screens surrounding the pilot bay showed the outside of the hangar from a variety of angles, and Sorun manoeuvred the shuttle until it was facing the laser field directly.

He slammed forward on the controls and the shuttle shot out of the hangar.

“We are out of there!” Hondo shouted, and the pirates cheered, Sorun sagging back into the seat in relief and throwing his hands up in the air in triumph. Goru hugged Foray and slapped the protesting droid on the back.

Jiro smiled and nodded in satisfaction, and then he stared contemplatively at the screen showing the receding cruiser. He frowned and glanced back at Paynter’s body. He’d set it down by the wall and the way the Paynter was positioned it looked almost as though the fallen pirate was resting.

 “What is it?” Hondo asked, walking over to him. He’d noticed the odd look on his lieutenant’s face, one that he hadn’t seen all that much in his years of working with him. He would have called it compassion, if it wasn’t so rare he couldn’t be sure.

Jiro chewed his lip, glancing back at the screens. “We can’t leave them...” he said. “Barriss she...she led Durge away from us and...” He shook his head. “It ain’t right. To just abandon them, boss.”

Hondo stared at him. He glanced at the other members of his crew. Their celebrations had died down and they all had similar expressions of pain. Even Foray was somehow managing to convey the emotion, through the tilt of his head and the way he let his arms rest.

Hondo touched a hand to his temple. “Why are you of all people developing a conscience now?” he said, fixing a slightly sour look on Jiro. “At the worst possible time?!”

“They’re part of the crew boss,” Jiro said, quietly.

Hondo sighed. He couldn’t argue with that. Nor the sentiment. He put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “Yes. They are.” He stepped over to the pilot bay and leaned past Sorun to tap at the comm on the console. “Arbalon?”

“Boss!” Arbalon’s voice came over. “It’s been days! What in the hells is--!”

“Get over to our position,” Hondo interrupted. “We’ve got some friends to rescue.”

Bane and Ahsoka grappled and fought, as they spun and twirled through the vacuum of space. Bane’s face pulled into a snarl as he tried to angle his blaster around to fire a shot through Ahsoka. She gripped his wrist, forcing his hand away from her, and she snarled as she clawed for his helmet with her other hand, trying to rip open the seal and release it from his shoulders.

Bane sunk a knee into Ahsoka’s stomach and the breath whooshed out of her, clouding the inside of her helmet. She punched with her fist, connecting with Bane’s chest but it didn’t seem to phase him. A warning flared in the Force, and she slapped her hand wildly, knocking Bane’s second blaster aside as he went for it with his free hand, sending it spinning off into space.

Bane punched her across the helmet and her head snapped to the side, bashing her helmet against her own shoulder and jarring it slightly. But the clasp held and the flexiglass didn’t crack. She went for her main lightsabre and got it into her hand. Bane snatched her wrist and held it tight, keeping her from igniting the sabre. He tried to twist her wrist to get her to drop her lightsabre, but Ahsoka growled and resisted and kept a tight grip on it.

Ahsoka was in trouble. She knew she was getting further and further away from the cruiser and she was at a distance now where even if she got rid of Bane, she might not be able to reach out and pull herself back in. She needed a way to get herself back to the cruiser.

One of Bane’s booster jets would do. But getting hold of one would be tricky...

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes as her spin brought the cruiser into view. She pushed against Bane’s arm, but she couldn’t get her wrist out of his grip and the pain was creeping up as he twisted it further. Her own effort to keep his arm away was proving difficult, as he kept angling his hand more and more and he would only need one shot...

Going to have to take a risk...

Ahsoka took a deep breath, feeling slightly woozy as the recycled air quality went down and thinned.

Then she let go of Bane’s blaster hand.

Bane’s arm jerked out of position, suddenly released from the resistance and clunked onto Ahsoka’s shoulder. But he grinned and whipped his hand up to aim the blaster at Ahsoka’s head--

But he’d left himself open just long enough.

Ahsoka smacked her palm against him and hit him with a small Force push. It knocked him back slightly and jerked his arm out of position so his silent fire went wide, spewing above Ahsoka’s helmet. He also lost his grip on Ahsoka’s wrist.

Ahsoka ignited her lightsabre, the silent green flame flaring and she swept it through Bane’s left foot.

Bane’s face pulled into a howl of agony as his foot spun off, droplets of blood boiling in the vacuum. He activated his remaining jet to push himself back, out of reach of Ahsoka’s sabre and he glared at Ahsoka, expression contorted in rage as he snapped his blaster towards her--

“See ya, sleemo!” Ahsoka growled and shoved out both hands--

The Force push slammed into Bane and sent him hurtling into the darkness of space, disappearing into the field of stars in a matter of seconds.

Ahsoka spun, without control and without any way of stopping herself. Her breath came in ragged and panicked gasps because she couldn’t orientate herself. She kept spinning end over end and her helmet fogged up as her eyes desperately scanned around, desperately hunting for what she needed...

There!

A glint of metal from the light of accretion disk. Ahsoka flung out a hand and focused, remembering the location, remembering where she was in her rotation when she saw it. When she came around again she reached out--

Something metal slapped into her hand, the vibration juddering up her arm.

She pulled a face as she brought Bane’s severed foot up to her eye line. “Ick, ick, ick, ick!” She tugged at the booster jet, having no luck in moving it. She was just starting to contemplate the horrifying prospect of having to use the booster jet whilst still attached to the Bane’s boot when she spotted the clasp and snapped it open. She pulled the jet off and she shoved Bane’s foot away, sending it spinning into the unknown.

Still spinning, she kept a firm grip on the booster jet and twisted it around in her hands. There must be a manual activation on this thing! she thought, hoping that she was right and it wasn’t all linked to Bane’s wrist gauntlet. She spotted what looked like a switch and held the booster jet away from her and pressed it.

It activated, flinging her about in space.

“Yes!” she cheered.

She tapped the button on the booster jet, activating and deactivating it in little bursts until her spinning halted. She reached down and pulled the jet over her left boot, and snapped the clasps together so it held on tight. She reached into her body with the Force and used it to steady herself, and then slapped the button with her other foot, activating the jet. She held her leg out straight and positioned it as evenly behind her body as she could to allow herself to move in the easiest pattern, dipping into the Force to align herself and keep everything stable. She guided herself around and turned towards the cruiser.

She swallowed. The cruiser was visible against the accretion disk of the black hole, the maw of which hung large in the background like the jaws of a sarlaac about to close around its prey. But there was no time for timidity now.

As she sped towards the cruiser, Ahsoka stretched out with her senses. Absent the Dark Side presence she could feel things easier now, with greater strength. And she hunted for one presence, in particular, one she knew very well.

She felt it...the agitation, the anxiety, the fear and the determination.

On the command deck at the top of the conning spire...

Hold on Barriss, I’m coming!

Ahsoka angled herself and streaked towards the conning spire, the blue flare of the booster jet a contrail in her wake.

Barriss took a deep, shuddering breath as she heard the sound of the service elevator slowing in its ascent. She relaxed her grip on the virboblade briefly and flicked her fingers. She’d been gripping it so tightly they had gone numb from the cut off in circulation. She shook her left hand with the blaster as if hoping to clear off the nerves like they were some flies. She held the blaster up at the ready, and pulled the vibroblade into a low striking position, keeping her eyes fixed on the service elevator through the slats in the stairs.

The elevator ground closer, the ascent slowing.

Sweat pooled along Barriss’ brow and she resisted the temptation to wipe it away. She couldn’t afford to take her concentration away for even a moment. She would only have the briefest of windows.

The elevator halted.

Her hand shook around the blaster and she squeezed tighter, palm clammy with sweat.

The door slid open and revealed a large space, but empty save for a repulsor forklift.

Barriss’ eyes widened. He’s not...where is...!

A whining noise reached her ear. In her focus on the elevator and its noise, she’d missed it, pushing it to the back of her head but now she heard it. It echoed up the empty shaft and it sounded like...

Like a...jetpack...

Her eyes widened and she switched her attention to the empty shaft just as Durge surged into view, his jetpack flaring. He shot towards her and Barriss dived out of the way just in time as Durge smashed through the stairs, crumbling the lower half of them apart. Barriss had left a grenade behind and she reached out and activated instantly--

Durge got his energy shields in front of him, shielding him from the worst of the explosion. The blast wave spun him into the wall, shorting out the jetpack. He was on the move instantly, flinging the jetpack aside and charging at Barriss.

Barriss waited, keeping her grip tight on her weapons, keeping the grenades orbiting about her, waiting for the right moment--

Now!

She flung a grenade at him and reached out and detonated it with the Force before it reached Durge.

Durge pushed through the heat and the blast wave that cracked across his armour and he cleared through the smoke--

Barriss was gone.

He halted and listened with his enhanced senses and he picked up on some slight vibrations that were coming from above him and he whipped his head up in time to see Barriss completing an arc over his head, her blaster raised--

The stun ring fired out and smashed into Durge.

Durge roared as the stun ring flared through his body, crackling and fizzing against his nerves. He collapsed onto one knee, his arms hanging at his side.

Barriss allowed herself a small smile. She’d picked up on the way that Durge had knocked the stun rings aside but had been content for the normal blaster fire to sear through him and had guessed that there must be something about the stun rings he didn’t like. It looked like the way his physiology worked gave the stun ring added potency.

Hopefully, this next part will work...

Barriss threw her final grenade and it detonated against Durge, the blast flinging him forward and breaking the armour around his back and neck. He crashed onto his front and the skin beneath the cracked armour was red and scalded and it writhed, like thousands of worms all squirming together, blood or some kind of liquid leaking out between them. But the movements were slow and seemingly purposeless. Durge growled and tried to push himself up--

Barriss completed her arc and immediately kicked herself forward, jamming her blaster in its holster and taking the virboblade in a two-hand grip. With a yell of exertion, she swung for Durge’s neck with all her strength

Durge twisted his body so the blade bit into his shoulder instead, a spray of blood fanning into the air. Barriss snarled and tried to wrench the blade back to go for another strike but Durge’s body coalesced around the blade and held it tight. Seeing she wasn’t going to get it back, Barriss released her grip on it and reached for her blaster--

Durge spun and clubbed her with a still numb arm. Barriss flew through the air and crashed onto the ground, but she used the momentum of her fall to flip herself back upright and snatched up her blaster and fired another stun ring--

Ahsoka hauled open the outer airlock door and spun inside. She tugged back on the door, shutting it over and turning the wheel to lock it in place. She pushed off against the door and smacked her fist onto the inner airlock door to begin the pressurization sequence. Air vented into the room and her montrals rattled as sound was restored, and she started to hear the beeps and the signals of the airlock sequence initiating.

She pushed herself towards the floor and fixed her eyes on the airlock door, the red light of the lock still showing, one hand at the clasp of her helmet ready to rip it off and move as soon as the artificial gravity came on and the door opened.

“Come on, come on, come on, come on!” she muttered, fingers twitching with agitation as she kept her gaze fixed on the locking lights of the door.

Durge spun himself out of the way of the stun ring and ripped the vibroblade out of his shoulder, his grip restored. He hurled the blade at Barriss and she was forced to fling herself aside before she could get off another shot, the vibroblade smacking against the wall and bouncing to land in front of the elevator shaft.

Barriss landed and spun back up--

Durge stood over her. He slapped the blaster out of her hand and Barriss heard it clatter down the elevator shaft.

She pushed herself back, getting ready to scramble aside when Durge thudded a fist into her chest.

Barriss felt her ribs crack and she howled in pain as the force of the punch flung her across the room, crashing into the right-side wall. She fell onto her backside, propped against the wall and wheezed in breath around constricted lungs.

Durge regarded her. His mask had broken slightly, and his left eye was visible. The pupil sent a shiver through Barriss as it fixed on her, looking like three red claws pointing outwards.

“Clever move,” Durge said. “It might even have worked if you’d pulled it off.”

Barriss pushed her palms onto the ground, trying to force her body to move. She knew it was pointless, there wasn’t much she could do from here. Her last gambit had failed, but she’d never really imagined it would succeed. But there was still time. She needed to keep Durge occupied for longer, long enough that he wouldn’t be able to escape.

Come on Offee...you can do this...just get up...

She staggered up onto shaking feet and then sagged back against the wall, wheezing in air. It was too much. She wouldn’t be able to do anything. She’d failed.

Again.

Durge pulled a blaster from a holster. “I’ll admit, you have been a worthy opponent.”

“Yippee...” Barriss said hoarsely. “Do I get a gold star?”

“No,” Durge said, amused. “But you get a clean death.”

He raised his blaster and Barriss closed her eyes, preparing herself for the end, no more energy left in her--

Ahsoka boosted through the back door and slashed through Durge’s midriff, sliding to halt a few meters in front of him.

Stillness and silence save for the hum of Ahsoka’s green lightsabre.

Durge toppled backwards, the top half of his body splashing back from the lower half, his blaster dropping from his left hand and his right arm crashing to the ground, severed at the elbow.

Barriss stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Ahsoka punched the air with both fists. “And the audience goes wild as Tano saves the day again!” She grinned and looked at Barriss.

Barriss trembled and held out a hand. “Get away!” she screamed.

Ahsoka recoiled, hurt. “Barriss...I came to save you why--”

“No, get away from Durge!”

“Durge?” Ahsoka furrowed her brow, turning around. “The guy I just cut in haaaaaa--?” Her eyes popped and her jaw dropped.

Durge towered over her. The tendons and nerves of his body wriggled and connected to one another, pulling and glueing the upper and lower half together. His right arm had extended, a mass of pulsing nerve endings as a new hand flopped at his side, trailing blood on the floor.  

“That is cheating!” Ahsoka gasped.

Before she could react, Durge whipped his right hand across and slapped the mass against Ahsoka, flinging her backwards towards the empty elevator shaft. Ahsoka yelled and crashed onto the ground, her lightsabres spilling from her grasp.

She shook her head, slightly disorientated at the ringing in her montrals from the vibration. She scrambled to her feet and flapped her hand for her lightsabres but froze as she saw Durge charging towards her, bearing down on her, her eyes widening in terror--

“No!”

Barriss flew across the room and shoved Ahsoka out of the way.

Ahsoka turned her head as she fell aside, seeing the desperate look in Barriss’ face as she pushed her with outstretched arms.

She saw Durge crash into Barriss, shoving them towards the elevator shaft.

Ahsoka hit the ground as Barriss twisted her body and used her legs and Durge’s momentum to flip him over her head. Durge crashed onto the ground and bounced up and over the edge of the elevator shaft, as Barriss slid and tried to scramble away--

As he fell Durge whipped out his tendon arm and snagged Barriss’ leg, tripping her and yanking her towards the shaft--

Barriss scrabbled desperately, knocking the vibroblade back and over the edge, but she couldn’t find purchase, she couldn’t halt her momentum and she cracked her chin off the edge as she slipped over it and disappeared from sight.

Ahsoka flung out a desperate hand but she was too late, too late--

“Barriss!!”

Chapter Text

The conning spire was six-hundred meters tall.

For ease of calculation, assume you hit terminal velocity (56 meters per second) from the moment your descent began.

That gave her roughly ten seconds before impact.

...9...8...

Durge grabbed Barriss and slammed her against the wall and she howled as her body scraped against the side--

...7...6...

Barriss snatched the whining vibroblade out of the air and slashed through Durge’s wrist, releasing the pressure on her. She kicked out at Durge, glancing against his helmet----

...5...4...

She smacked into the other side of the shaft and bounced off it, the vibroblade spilling from her grip, tumbling--

...3...

Durge snatched at her, catching her foot and spinning her--

...2...

She thrust out her hands and used the Force to smash Durge downwards, hearing the thunderous splat of his body bursting from the accelerated impact--

...1...

Barriss flung out a desperate hand and used the Force to grab one of the emergency service ladder rungs, halting her momentum just slightly and nearly wrenching her shoulder out of its socket--

...0.

Barriss used the Force to cushion her fall and landed on her right leg in Durge’s shattered and pulped body, the mass and the Force reducing the impact just enough to stop her skull from splitting through her head but not enough to stop her fibula and tibia snapping, the bone spearing out of her skin--

The momentum bounced her up and forwards and Barriss wrapped her arms around her head as the ground raced up to her--

She smashed onto her left shoulder, shattering the collar bone--

The impact flung her up and her arm flailed, her right hand cracking and mangling against the ground--

She landed and rolled ten times before she came to halt on her back.

Barriss gasped, heaving and wheezing in air around compressed ribs that clenched her lungs like a fist. Her vision hazed and she could feel her mind going woozy, could feel the world dimming around her--

She raised her arm and slapped her broken hand onto the ground. She howled as the pain shot through her, like thousands of nails being hammered into it. But it cleared her mind, the adrenaline surging through her to keep her awake.

She drew in desperate, panicked gasps. Everything hurt. Her body felt like it was on fire and she could feel her systems shutting down as her nerves and synapses were overwhelmed. But she was alive. Somehow she was alive.

With a groan of agony, she shuffled her arms and propped herself onto her elbows. She scanned the room, but there was no movement, no sound. Perhaps this time it was over. Perhaps this time she could rest.

She closed her eyes and gasped and drew in ragged breaths and--

Her breath caught, her eyes flying open. She’d heard something. Some sort of squelching noise. But it must have been her imagination because there was no follow-up. It was just her imagination, just--

The noise came again, like water dropping into sludge or a crescent-leopard smacking its lips.

Barriss eyes fixed on the direction of the noise, but it wasn’t possible, it wasn’t possible, it wasn’t possible--

Nerves and muscles surged up from Durge’s body. They bound together and then pulled back in, and the monstrous, bleeding body rose out of the shattered armour.

“No!” Barriss shrieked. She tried to scramble backwards, pushing with her one good leg, hysteria taking hold. She had nowhere to go, there was nowhere she could go but she had to get away she had to get away. “No! No, no, no, no, no, no! No!”

Durge’s mask, the one thing of his armour remaining, snapped to her. He growled, his voice that of thunder on the horizon, as he pulled his body up and set down one foot, blood squelching and bubbling up from where it pressed, and advanced towards her, reaching out with one clawed hand the fingers curved and bladed like scythes.

Barriss sobbed and cried, snot dribbling from her nose as she desperately tried to push herself away, desperately tried to get away to somewhere, anywhere--

The service elevator lit up.

Her eyes snapped to it as the door slid open and the repulsor forklift swivelled out of the elevator, Ahsoka sat at the wheel. Her eyes flicked to Barriss and relief washed over her face for a moment before her gaze fixed back on Durge, who had paused to turn his head to her, and her facial markings arrowed together with grim, focused anger.

“Get away from her you schutta!” she snarled and gunned the engine.

The repulsor forklift leapt forward and speared Durge before he could get aside. Ahsoka drove it into the wall, pinning Durge against it. He roared and reached for her, fingers raking the forklift, ripping and gouging it.

Ahsoka leapt backwards out of the cabin and ignited her main lightsabre, slashing it across the engine of the repulsor--

It exploded.

The blast wave flung Ahsoka across the room and she smacked and bounced off the ground, rolling twice before falling still. Flames engulfed Durge, the explosion bending the wall.

Barriss focused her gaze on Ahsoka, feeling a desperate panic rising inside her. Ahsoka wasn’t moving. But she couldn’t be dead, she couldn’t be dead, not after everything, she couldn’t be--

A roar drew her attention back.

Durge, body aflame, ripped himself off the fork and staggered away from it, lolling slightly. He raised his head, his mask gone and his sharp fangs protruded from his gums, as though his lips had been stripped away. Vicious mandibles on either side of his mouth stretched and clacked together. Sparks flickered and flared off his head from the wires for his cybernetic enhancements. His eyes were wild and predatory, red claws for pupils, and they fixed on Ahsoka. With a monstrous snarl of rage, Durge started towards her--

“NO!!”

Barriss screamed and channelled all of her hatred and pain at Durge, pushing out her broken and mangled hand--

The wave caught Durge and slammed him into the wall. He howled and struggled, arms flailing and slapping but he couldn’t move away from it. Barriss kept him pinned.

A grin rippled onto her face.

“Having trouble Durge?” she sneered, eyes shining with delight. “Your regeneration working too hard? Making you weak?” Durge continued to flail, flames still boiling on his flesh. With his vocaliser gone he could only roar and howl, the mandibles smashing together.

Barriss eyes flicked to the right and she saw the escape pod. Her grin stretched wider, spittle connecting her teeth bowing with her breath. “You look hot, Durge. Why don’t you go outside and cool off?” She gestured and Durge slid across the wall, leaving a streak of blood behind him. She concentrated and opened the escape pod door.

Durge screamed, an ear-splitting noise, and his muscles bulged and the claws raked the air as he pushed back against her. But there was nothing he could do. Barriss’ kept her focus and kept pressing him.

She shoved him inside the escape pod and willed the door to close. Then she activated it.

The escape pod fired. She felt it leave the cruiser and she followed it with her mind and nudged it ever so slightly, moving its course so it angled towards the black hole and she felt it get caught by the gravitational tides and then it was ripped away.

She slumped back, satisfied. She stared up at the ceiling and laughed a little, in relief and then delight, the shrill noise heading towards the hysterical. She’d done it! It was finally over!

She breathed deeply and the adrenaline washed out of her system. Her mind cleared of the anger and pain and fear that had clouded it and she thought about what she’d done. How she’d pushed Durge, and how she’d moved the pod, how she had deliberately...

How she had enjoyed it.

Her stomach cramped and she twisted her body and vomited.

She collapsed back, panting, throat burning, vision hazing. She tried to push all the thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about it. She’d needed to do it, he had to be stopped but to enjoy it...

She focused on her body, scanning over it. Let herself feel the pain, from her broken leg and collar bone and hand and ribs. Let it wash over her, let it punish her. Her body felt heavier than it should do and she could feel the hard doonium pressing into her back, with a small but steady increase...

With a start, she realized what that meant.

We’re too close now...! The artificial gravity...!

The cruiser buckled and rumbled. The artificial gravity was at its limit and couldn’t compensate for the increased power of the black hole’s gravity as it sunk closer to it. There wasn’t much time left, maybe ten minutes at most.

Ahsoka!

She had to...

With a groan of agony, Barriss turned herself around. Her cheek pressed into the floor and she stared ahead, spotting Ahsoka’s prone body. “Wake up...” she whispered. She’d tried to shout but her lungs hurt too much and she didn’t have the energy and the darkness was closing around her vision. She was too far away. Too far away to do anything...

Gritting her teeth and hissing with pain, she pushed with her good leg and slapped her broken hand onto the ground, using her foot to push and her elbow to pull, trying to drag herself towards Ahsoka. She managed a few inches before her head dropped, panting. Her vision swam and she couldn’t push herself anymore, she couldn’t. Her strength was going, her mind going. She reached out her hand, the mangled fingers jutting out at odd angles and trembling in her vision.

“Wake...you have to...Ahsoka...wake...” Her head collapsed forward, the hand slapping uselessly to the ground.

Ahsoka groaned. She rolled over and pushed herself onto her hands and knees which was harder than it should have been. She took deep breaths. Her lekku pointed at the ground and it seemed as though someone was pulling on them, wanting to drag her back down. She felt heavier all over and she couldn’t understand why. And then the reason slapped into her with the force of turbolaser.

The black hole! Kriff, how close are we?!

She pushed herself onto her haunches and snapped her head around, scanning for Durge. But there was no sign of him. Had her plan succeeded? Had burning him been enough? Regardless he wasn’t there anymore but--

“Barriss!”

Ahsoka caught sight of Barriss’ prone form and she snatched her lightsabre from the ground as she stood up and ran over to her. She knelt beside her and turned her over and Ahsoka’s eyes widened in fear. Barriss looked terrible. Her skin was wan, and one hand was mangled beyond belief. Her left shoulder didn’t look right, something was off about it, and her right trouser leg had a sharp point pushing it up, with the rest plastered to it. Ahsoka had seen enough injuries in her time to know that meant there was bone poking out, and blood leaking through the skin.

Ahsoka grabbed Barriss’ face, desperate.

Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead, please!

Barriss gasped and blinked her eyes. They were hazy, clouded, but they fixed on Ahsoka and seemed to come into focus. “You’re alive,” she said, weakly. A cracked smile appeared. “I’m so happy.”

“Come on Barriss, we need to go,” Ahsoka said, not allowing herself a sigh of relief. “We don’t have much time!”

“We don’t have any time,” Barriss gasped, voice growing weaker. “I can’t...I can’t walk...if-if you run you can make it but...but you won’t make it with me, the gravity...” She choked. “The gravity will be...be too much...”

Ahsoka stared at her, aghast at what she was suggesting. “Barriss what are you talking about? I’m not leaving you here!”

Barriss reached up with her broken hand, one mangled finger touching Ahsoka’s cheek. She swallowed. “There’s no time...if-if-if you take me-you-you won’t make it...” She winced, grimaced and then settled. “I-I-this-this is what I...what I deserve. Go. Go. I-I deserve...” She looked pained and fixed her eyes on Ahsoka, holding her gaze as if recording her eyes to memory. “I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-I’m sorry...” Barriss’ hand dropped and her head fell to the side, her eyes closing.

“Barriss...what are you talking about, what is that nonsense?!” Ahsoka shouted, bewildered and horrified. “Barriss! I won’t leave you!”

No response. She was out cold.

Ahsoka growled, shaking. “I’m not leaving you Barriss, I won’t leave you! We started this journey together, and we’ll damn well finish it together! Now come on!” Ahsoka slipped her arms under Barriss’ body and hauled her up. She swivelled her body so Barriss curved across Ahsoka’s shoulders, and she joggled Barriss’ body to get the grip right. Her body pressed against Ahsoka’s back lekku which was a bit uncomfortable, but there was no time to arrange anything.

Around her, the cruiser seemed to howl as the hull buckled and gravity tore at it.

Ahsoka ignored it.

She took a moment to breathe, setting her body and her will.

Then she moved, going as fast as she could down the corridor towards the hangar, as the cruiser buckled and shuddered and the gravity kept getting stronger.

Ahsoka grunted. The strain kept increasing, every step getting harder than the last. And she had no idea how far away she was. Her near running pace had reduced to a fast walk, then to a slow walk, and was now at the equivalent of walking up a steep hill. Her body bent under the weight, and her heart rate increased, trying to pump blood around her body against gravity’s increasing pull.

“You know what you need to do Barriss?” she gasped, adjusting her arms around Barriss’ body. Sweat fell off her in a rapid drip and struck the ground with force. “Lose weight. You are really heavy.”

She took another few steps.

“It’s funny, you see because you’re like the slimmest person I know.”

She took another couple of steps.

“You could...at least pretend to laugh. I’m trying here!”

One more step.

She halted. She was so exhausted. She’d never felt this tired before. She thudded down to one knee and slumped against the wall, panting, sweat pouring off her body and striking the ground like rain. Her head bowed down and her front lekku wanted to drag it further, each one feeling like they were made of lead. And getting heavier with each moment.

“I...I...I’m sorry...Barriss...I...I can’t...It’s too...I can’t....”

If she could just rest for a moment. Just take a little time to rest. Yes, that would be good. It didn’t have to be long, but just a little moment. Then she could get her energy back. She could get her strength back and push on.

She blinked. The floor beneath her was different to what she’d thought it was. Normally a ship would be made of doonium or durasteel, but this one... this one’s floor looked soft and inviting. It looked like a fluffy towel or a warm mattress and she could feel it under her knee as it sunk under her, proving how soft it was.

A small smile curved her lips. This was great! She could set Barriss down and she could rest for a little bit and recover her strength. Then they could press on. That would be the best thing to do.

A small part of her screamed that it wasn’t possible. That a cruiser couldn’t be made out of such material. But it was right there, she could see it, she could feel it. And its whisper of rest was so wonderful, its delicate promise of her body being soothed, of her pain being taken away, that everything would be all right if she just--

“What are you doing, Ahsoka?”

She jerked up. She hadn’t even realised she’d been toppling towards the floor. She blinked and twisted her head slightly, looking into the dim and hazy corridor.  She couldn’t see anything. But she’d heard the voice, she knew she had.

“Ah...Anakin?” she called, voice weak.

“Come on, Ahsoka!” his voice came again, like a warm balm against her skin. “I taught you better than this, didn’t I?”

“I can’t...I can’t...” She swallowed, looked back down at the floor and its soft invitation, its promise of a gentle rest, of a chance to recover. “I’m not...strong enough...I can’t...”

“Long odds aren’t impossible odds, Ahsoka. You’ve hung out with me often enough to know that!”

“Anakin I can’t...I don’t have the...”

“What do you need to do?”

She took a few panting breaths. She just wanted to rest. But she fought through the fog in her head, trying to focus. “I need to...get back to the shuttle...”

“No! That’s too big picture. Now focus: what do you need to do.”

She blinked. Pulled her head up and stared down the corridor, and in her desperation, she thought she could maybe see something, a familiar-looking shadow with a soft white glow at its centre. “Walk,” she rasped.

“And how do you do that?”

“By putting...one step in front of the other.”

“There you go! That doesn’t sound so hard does it?”

“No, but...” She glanced back down and blinked. Looking at it again the floor didn’t seem so inviting anymore. It looked hard and cold and merciless. She could feel it biting into her knee where it pressed against the doonium. And besides, what time to rest did she have? Every moment she wasted meant the gravity would get stronger. If she laid down now she might never be able to get back up again.

No, she would never be able to get back up again.

She narrowed her eyes, gritted her teeth.

“Come on! What’s the point of going through everything you’ve gone through just to die here?”

Ahsoka scrunched her eyes shut. She put all her strength into her legs, her knee wobbling against the pressure--

With a scream, she pushed herself up onto her feet.

She stood still, panting, rearranging her grip on Barriss. She scanned her eyes around but there was nothing. She was alone in the corridor.

She drew in a deep breath and then she raised one leg, moved it forward, and planted it down.

Ahsoka walked.

One step. And then another.

And another.

Her heart thudded faster than it should reasonably go, trying to pump blood against the sheer magnitude of the gravity forcing the blood down into her feet. The air she breathed was thin, most of it collecting almost like a pool around her legs, like a thin river she had to drag her feet through. Her feet and legs were swollen with blood, pinched against her boots.

Still, she walked.

With each step, she had to fight against gravity’s pull to raise her leg and then resist it as she put her foot down so she didn’t slam it into the ground, the force of which could cause the bones to shatter.

Still, she walked.

Her body bowed under the weight, her bones bending.

She put one foot in front of the other.

The cruiser howled. It buckled and rocked as the parts of it closest to the black hole were sheared and torn apart by the tides.

She continued on.

She made it to a large door that was open slightly, cracked apart in the middle and she slumped against the crack and whined with joy at the sight she’d wanted so desperately to see.

The Eta-shuttle, parked near the vacuum field, unharmed.

“See Barriss? There’s the...shuttle...we’re almost there...”

Her legs felt as heavy as an AT-TE leg. Grunting and straining, drenched in sweat that plastered her vacuum suit to her body, she raised her right leg and planted it down and then did the same with the left. And kept going, onwards to the shuttle.

“Next time...I’m parking...near the...hangar door...”

The cruiser screamed. The atmosphere of the cruiser being hauled by the gravity was almost like a wind that seemed to whip and tear at her like the spirits of the damned trying to drag her to hell.

Ahsoka ignored it and pressed on. She kept her gaze fixed on the shuttle and focused on the fact that every step she took brought it a little closer to her.

The cruiser shuddered and rumbled and she heard the distant echoes and screeches of what sounded like pieces of it being bent and stretched and torn off in the distant part of the ship, the part that was closest to the black hole. She heard the howl of coolant pipes rupturing and spilling their gas.

Ahsoka scrunched her eyes with the effort as she pressed on. Pushing one foot forward. And then another. And then another. Her back bent and Barriss pressed down on her like she weighed more than a ton.

Another step. Then another.

And she was there. Beneath the cockpit of the shuttle. The button to lower the ramp was above her. All she needed to do was reach out and press it.

She removed her left hand from Barriss’ legs and pushed it towards the button. It was like trying to force her hand through earth. The pressure from the gravity kept willing her trembling hand to fall back, to slap to her side--

Her hand fell with the weight and force of a starfighter screaming toward the ground. Ahsoka glared at it, her face twisting into a snarl.

“If Darth Maul can survive ten years with half his body gone...you can push a kriffing button, Ahsoka Tano!”

With a scream of exertion, she forced her hand up, forced it to shovel forward, forced it towards the ramp release button even as the tides hauled back on it like a tractor beam--

She pressed the button.

The ramp slammed down, the edge of it cracking as it hit the floor.

Ahsoka grunted and pushed herself up the ramp.

It was amazing how quickly the gravity receded as she walked up, the small distance from the ground making a massive difference to the pressure.

We must be...right on top...of the event horizon...no time...no time...

She placed Barriss on the ground as gently as she could and hit the button to close the ramp. The servos shrieked as they pulled the ramp back up against the gravitational force, but Ahsoka didn’t have time to see if it closed properly. She would just have to trust that it did.

She set off on a stumbling run to the cockpit. Freed from Barriss and raised a mere meter and a half above the ground it was easier, but the gravity kept increasing and pressing on her. She flung herself into the pilot’s seat and it was as if she was glued onto it. She panted and gasped, blinking her eyes and she reached out and slapped the ignition button. The engines sputtered and flared and Ahsoka fell back and rasped in air.

Something shuddered behind her, what sounded like an explosion rippling. Another portion of the cruiser going. The shuttle landing struts shrieked, and the shuttle seemed to move back slightly as if being dragged or pushed. Some of the junk in the hangar scraped and whipped past the shuttle.

There was no time.

Sweat streamed off her chin and lekku as she reached out, forcing herself forward in the seat, clawing for the controls--

The shuttled shuddered and lifted and she gasped in fear. Was she too late? Had she failed?

She wouldn’t give in. She gritted her teeth and growled with the effort as she pushed herself, forced herself, reached and clawed for the controls, her hands shaking violently against the force of gravity.

Then the cruiser tore away and the shuttle was suddenly in space, the accretion disk terrifyingly close as its light flared across the canopy. Gravity lightened against her as the shuttle was somehow pulled back, the accretion disk reducing in the viewport, and she saw The Jiaasjen tumble and spin away toward the black hole.

Despite the vacuum, she thought she could hear it scream.

It cracked and tore apart and crumpled on the gravitational tides. And then its shattered body froze. It was suspended against the edge of the disk, cracked and broken parts of the ship flung up around it like a glass exploding in slow motion. It had crossed the event horizon and now the light of The Jiaasjen’s last moments would be forever trapped. A ghost raging for all time.

Gravity lessened as the shuttle pulled away.

Drenched in sweat, at the limit of everything, Ahsoka gasped and slumped back into her seat. Her breathing came easier and the pressure on her body receded. Blood pumped around her body too quickly, and it felt like her heart was going to burst. Her vision hazed and her eyelids were so heavy, everything shutting down. She blinked them a couple of times, feeling both hot and cold everywhere, but her eyelids were so heavy, so very heavy, and they closed over and she knew no more.

Chapter Text

Cad Band floated almost absently in space. He’d used his remaining booster to halt his momentum a little so he wasn’t racing through the vacuum anymore. With his wrist comm beeping, all he needed to do was wait to be picked up.

He scowled, and not just because of the pain in his cauterised ankle. That blasted droid was taking far too long.

He was on the point of deciding to shoot out Todo’s legs when the Justifier’s wedge-shaped form, with the central thruster vertical, hove into view forward lights illuminating him. Bane let out an irritated breath that fogged his mask and then angled himself over to the ship’s airlock using his booster. Once inside, he slapped the switch and the airlock cycled, sound exploding back into his ears as the air was pumped in. The artificial gravity activated and he dropped to the ground, growling with pain as his stump smacked into the floor.

He had a vivid image of hanging Tano by her lekku. With wire.

The inner airlock door opened and he limped through it.

“Mr Bane!”

He scowled as Todo 360, the small techno-service droid with an elongated cranium, bounced towards him. “Mr Bane, I’m so glad you’re back!” the droid said cheerily. “I trust your mission was--Mr Bane your foot!” Todo slapped his hands to his face in shock.

“Thank you, Todo,” Bane rasped. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“H-how did--?”

“Never you mind!” Bane waved him off. “Just get me a bacta spray and some bandages.”

“Of course! Of course!”

He slumped down on a bench set along the hexagonal metallic-grey corridor and shoved a pick in his mouth as Todo flew off downstairs. There was the sound of drawers being opened and multiple objects being flung about, accompanied by curses, before a cry of triumph and Todo whirled back up, proffering the bacta spray and bandages.

Bane snatched them and sprayed his ankle, wincing at the initial sting and then sighing with relief as it started to work. He reached down and carefully wrapped the bandage around the stump, taking care to ensure the whole ankle was covered and would hold the bacta in place.

“What happened to the cruiser?” Bane asked.

“Oh, it fell into the black hole,” Todo reported. “Although...”

Bane paused in his wrapping. “...Although?”

“It would appear that the pirates escaped. And according to the sensor they used their tractor beam to drag out a shuttle.”

Bane scowled and tied off the bandage. So she lived then? In all probability that was the case. She had an infuriating amount of luck, he would give her that.

“What about Durge?” he asked.

“Nothing. No communication.”

Bane frowned. Had they killed Durge? That was impossible surely. Perhaps he’d run out of time, or Offee had managed to keep him occupied until they fell into the black hole. But even that seemed absurd...

He sat back up, turning the question over. Had Offee somehow managed to escape with Tano? He doubted Tano would leave her behind, she hadn’t at any point before so it wasn’t likely that she would start now. Whatever else had changed about her, her determination remained the same. So if she had escaped, then it was likely Offee had as well.

They were a formidable pair all right.

He chewed the pick from one side of his mouth to the other. A problem to consider another time. Right now he needed to rest.

He pushed himself up onto his right foot, holding a hand against the wall to steady himself. “I’m going to my bunk,” he said. “Set a course for Nar Shadda. I don’t want to be disturbed.”

Todo fidgeted beside him. “Uh, Mr Bane?”

“What is it?” Bane snapped, halting his stagger.

“Your uh…your client was requesting an update.”

Bane paused. He would prefer to go lie on his bunk and rest whilst indulging in some violent revenge fantasies. But…this wasn’t a client you kept waiting.

Reluctantly, he pushed himself up and hobbled to the cockpit. He fell into his chair and took a moment to let the pain pass, staring at the expanse of space through the large viewport. Then he reached out and tapped a button on the console.

The holoprojection appeared: a man in a cowl, only the lower part of his face visible. But despite this, the ever-present sense of threat pulsated from him.

“Cad Bane,” Darth Sidious said. “Are they dead?”

“Tano was alive last I saw her,” Bane grunted. “Seems like Hondo had a strike of conscience and tugged their shuttle away, most likely with her on it. As for Offee, I have no idea, Durge has either killed her or he hasn’t but... well, there’s been no contact from him.” He let the implication hang.

A scowl crossed Sidious’ face for the briefest of moments, gone so quick anyone without Bane’s observation skills would have likely missed it. Then the mouth was back into a neutral line.

“No matter,” Sidious said. “We should assume they are alive. What is your assessment of Tano, then?”

Bane thought on that question.

Contrary to popular belief, that Bane was of course happy to not correct as it helped his bank balance, hunting Jedi was not impossible or even enormously difficult. They had their supernatural powers and senses, but proper preparation and appropriate use of tools could counterbalance that, as the Mandalorians had found, and there were ways of unbalancing them. Provoking them to anger, for example, normally worked as it made them hesitant about their own motivations and actions. And their self-righteousness and their sense of moral superiority lent an advantage as well. They wanted to avoid killing unless necessary, fighting primarily in self-defence, which gave you the initiative and openings. Likewise, their refusal to indulge in the baser instincts of mere mortals, fear above all, meant they often didn’t fight their corner with the intensity of a trapped rat like non-Jedi would do.

There had been a noticeable shift since the war began. More and more Jedi were becoming detached and breaking from their code. War forced that on them, but it bled through into their other actions and lives. That was apparent with Tano. On the occasions that Bane had encountered her, she’d seemed to struggle uncomfortably with the fact that she was emotional and let that guide her, whilst also being desperate to prove that she could control it. It frequently unbalanced her which made her an easy target for Bane to work around once he’d figured her out.

This time though...that tactic had backfired. She’d indulged in her anger quite readily, had even seemed to enjoy it. She’d smiled when she choked him and laughed when she flung rubble at him. And he was nearly positive he’d seen her smirk when she cut off his foot. Whatever hesitations and uncertainties she’d had in the past about sinking into her emotions were not in evidence this time.

Privately, Bane had put down Tano’s involvement in the bomb plot to emotional abuse and manipulation from Offee. Now, however, he was starting to wonder...

“She’s more emotional than she was before if you can believe," he said at length. “Less stable, but also less hesitant about it. More willing to use her anger. Not as keen on pulling her punches.”

Sidious frowned, considering that information.

“You want me to go after them again?” Bane asked. It was an enticing idea, but one he was also cautious about. He wouldn’t be able to get such a surprise drop on them again. And if they had taken care of Durge… He didn’t like the idea, but he might be forced to look out Aurra Sing. Having an ex-Jedi onside might be the best way of taking care of them.

“No,” Sidious said, halting Bane’s train of thought. A grin split his face. “I have another task for you.”

Chapter Text

Her eyes cracked open. Dim light flooded in. Sounds. Bustle. Shouts. Panicked. Muffled in her ears.

“--hell are they alive?!”

“--now! Who knows how long--!”

“--set, just need to--!”

“--medkit! Give them some--!”

She saw movement. Out of her peripheral vision.

Hondo and his crew. Running about.

They made it out alive then.

So must she.

It didn’t bring as much relief as it should have done.

Fear seized her. Ahsoka! What happened to Ahsoka?!

She tried to speak it. But it came out garbled. Her chest hurt so badly, as did everything else. She turned her head, vision hazy, but she saw…

Ahsoka lay next to her, on a counter of some kind. Her eyes were shut and her breathing shallow. Ugly purple splotches appeared on her skin. Burst blood vessels of some kind.

Her breath came in sharp, panicked bursts. She tried to reach out to her but pain flared through her shoulder like a vibroblade, as the shards of bone scraped against each other.

She’d forgotten she’d broken her collar bone.

She must have cried out because suddenly Jiro was there. He turned her head back. He looked concerned, which was odd.

“We’re getting you both to somewhere…”

His voice faded out as her eyes closed over.

“In the name of the Ocean Spirit Hondo! What--?”

“Can you help them?”

“Yes, yes I can…hang on, let me examine…”

Her eyes cracked open. A white room this time, bright light, and she squinted against it. A man looked over her, a Nautolan, his face drawn with concern. He looked her over and felt at her shoulder.

“She’s going to need surgery. Delenia! Get the operating room prepped!”

He turned away--

To look at Ahsoka--

And she tried to follow him with her head, but suddenly she jolted and was wheeled along. She moaned and reached out a hand.

“Ah…Ah…kkk…” She tried to force the words out, around bruised ribs and lungs and lips.

A mask was placed over her mouth and nose and before she could stop herself she inhaled the gas and her eyes rolled back--

Her eyes snapped open. A regulator was pressed between her teeth and her ears heard everything muffled. A blue tint covered everything and she couldn’t see much except that she was in a cylindrical glass tank of some kind. She was underwater, naked save for her undergarments, and strapped into a harness that held her tight under the shoulders. She panicked and thrashed about, hands creating bubbles as she moved, her shout coming out muffled around the regulator, bubbles streaming up from her lips--

Then fingers pressed against the glass and it stilled her. A palm laid flat. An orange hand.

By a miracle of the Force Ahsoka’s face appeared. 

Her face and her lekku were a bit blotchy and a bit swollen, but she looked fine. Healthy. Out of danger.

Ahsoka smiled, a soft and small smile.

You’re okay Barriss, Ahsoka said. There was no sound but she could read her lips. She realized where she must be now: in a bacta tank. That made sense considering what she remembered about her injuries.

She hung in the bacta for a few moments, breathing through the regulator, calming herself.

She reached up with her left hand, ignoring the dull throb in her shoulder, and hesitated before placing hers on the glass so her fingers and palm were aligned with Ahsoka’s.

They stayed like that for a long moment.

Rest, Barriss, Ahsoka mouthed.

Barriss Offee nodded and let her hand drop and she closed her eyes as her exhaustion took over.

Barriss winced as she rolled her shoulder, feeling discomfort from the screws holding the bone together. Hondo had taken them to a backstreet doctor on Desevero, which had been a considerable risk given who they were. She was grateful for what he’d done.

Her right hand was in a flexicast, the fingers properly straightened and the bones set, and her chest was wrapped to allow the ribs to heal. She had a tight medical strap around her left collarbone and the top of the arm to hold that together. Her leg was wrapped tight, holding the bone in place. She could walk on her leg, but extended time on it was sore. The week in the bacta tank had ensured all the internal damage was taken care of, and her bones had re-joined and were healed along enough that she didn’t require a hardened cast for any of them. Another week would likely be sufficient, though when she was feeling up to it she knew she could use the Force to speed the process along further.

She looked down at the holorecorder in her hand. As she’d floated in the bacta tank, between states of semi-consciousness, she’d had time to think and go over the lines again. And she’d finally found the perfect phrasing.

It was recorded now. The task was accomplished.

There was a knock at the door and Barriss snapped her head up, her heart pounding. Her senses were still a little muggy from the bacta, so she couldn’t summon the Force to find out who it was. But she dreaded…

“Enter,” she said.

The door slid open and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief when Jiro walked in.

“How are you doing stun setting?” he asked, but there was none of the usual venom in the nickname. She wouldn’t say there was affection, but it was softer.

“Better,” Barriss replied. “I’m mending anyway. Shouldn’t be too long before I’m fully healed.”

“That’s good,” Jiro said. He slotted his hands in his pockets.

“Thank you, for rescuing us,” Barriss said after a moment. “And taking us to the medical facility. I do know what a risk you took.”

“S’alright,” Jiro grunted. “We were returning the favour.”

There was another silence.

“Look, I’m here to say…” Jiro broke off and paused. “I took Paynter’s body back to his folks. I told them what you did and… they wanted me to tell you that they are very grateful.”

Barriss looked down. “I…I didn’t do much,” she said, voice soft. “Just carried his body. I don’t think I deserve their thanks.”

“You have it anyway.”

Barriss smiled slightly. “Then I guess I will have to accept it. Thank you for telling me.”

Jiro waved her off. “Nothing to worry about, I’m just the messenger.” He nodded. “I’d best be off, lots to do now the crew is…well you know.”

Barriss nodded and Jiro turned to the door. She frowned. “I didn’t know Paynter had a family,” she said. “He never mentioned them.”

Jiro paused at the door frame. He drummed his fingers on it briefly and then turned back slightly. “They weren’t on the best terms,” he said. “They…didn’t agree with his career choices. But…” He shrugged. “Some people don’t get options and they’re resentful about it.”

Barriss turned away slightly. “Yes…I know…”

Jiro regarded her a moment. “Before you ask, I joined for the fun of it.” Barriss looked up at him and he smiled with humour. “So don’t send any of your pity my way.”

Barriss returned the smile and Jiro departed with a wave over his shoulder. The door slid shut and Barriss’ smile fell. She turned her attention back to the holorecorder and studied it for a long time.

She sighed. “No sense in putting this off,” she murmured, pushing herself up to her feet with a slight wince.

Barriss limped towards the shuttle, in the cool evening air of Florrum. Her leg was stiff and sore, but paradoxically walking helped it a little. Motion was good for it as it helped get some of the stiffness out of the limb, so long as she didn’t apply too much downward pressure. She was getting used to the adjusted rhythm of her walk, but she resolved to make it the first thing she used the Force to heal once she was able to.

The ramp of the shuttle was down, which likely meant Ahsoka was on board. She hesitated as she got close. Told herself it was because she wanted to give her leg a little rest, get some of the stiffness out. But it was a lie. She was nervous. Scared.

What if she--

She shoved the thought aside--

--Accepts?

--not fast enough and she cringed from it. She took deep breaths to steady herself. It was too late now anyway. Ahsoka’s senses were probably not as out of tune as hers. And how would it look if Barriss approached and then scurried away?

No. She had to go through with it. What she’d done hadn’t been fair, and Ahsoka…

She deserved to know. And she deserved to have the choice.

Barriss steeled herself and ascended the ramp.

The sight that greeted her made her pause. Ahsoka had continued working on the interior of the shuttle and a semi-circular sofa with a small table had been set up on the starboard side of the shuttle, and a workbench of some kind had been fitted on the opposite side. Tools and parts were scattered over it, though to what purpose Barriss couldn’t discern.

She walked over to the workbench and picked up one of the tools, what looked like a spanner, and examined it.

“Hey.”

Barriss dropped the tool in fright and swung around--

Ahsoka stood at the ramp, hands in her pockets with the thumbs out.

The tool clattered off the table and smacked onto the ground with a loud clang that made Barriss jolt. Ahsoka looked at her, eyes bright with amusement. “I-I’m sorry, I’ll, I’ll get that,” Barriss said, wincing as she leaned down.

“You don’t have to--”

“No, no! I’ve got it.” She picked it up and carefully placed it back on the table. She took a breath and then turned back around and looked at Ahsoka. The amusement had faded from her eyes and she now looked how Barriss felt. Uncertain, a little distant. Awkward.

They stared at each for a moment.

“I...uh...I like what you’ve done with the place,” Barriss said, and then mentally kicked herself.

“Thanks,” Ahsoka replied, with a slight smile. “I thought I’d make it feel more welcoming and less austere...you know, a little anyway.”

“It’s nice.” She paused. “You look well.”

“Getting better,” Ahsoka said. “Still a bit swollen and blotchy in places.” Barriss nodded, picking up on some of the swelling in the arms and puffiness around the face. “But that’s fading. No permanent damage.” She nodded. “How’s the shoulder and the hand and the leg and the ribs?”

“Good. Fine. Getting better.”

Ahsoka nodded again. She briefly locked eyes with Barriss and then drifted them away.

“So--” Ahsoka began.

“How did we get out?” Barriss blurted, cutting her off.

Ahsoka blinked at her. Barriss mentally kicked herself again. “Well, I carried you,” Ahsoka said.

Her jaw dropped. “Against the black hole’s gravity?”

Ahsoka shrugged. “Yeah. I wasn’t going to leave you.”

“Do you know how monumentally stupid that was?!”

Ahsoka gave her a lopsided smile. “If you’d prefer I can always fly you back there and leave you on a ship.”

Barriss cringed. “No! I...I’m sorry I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.”

Ahsoka whipped her hands up placatingly, the blue on her lekku darkening. “No, I know! I didn’t think you were! I was just...you know, I was just teasing...” She paused and then puffed her cheeks and blew air out. “Look...uh...” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Do you want to go for a walk? There's actually some surprisingly nice views on Florrum. When the sun’s setting.”

“That...yes, that would be nice,” Barriss replied, with a small smile.

Ahsoka led Barriss up a gentle incline and they walked on a plateau, the light getting thinner and prettier as it filtered through and played with the sand and the dust in the air. They walked in silence, Ahsoka carefully chewing at the inside of her cheeks. She could sense Barriss’ growing discomfort, the ache in her leg. But she didn’t want to stop walking. Because if they stopped walking they would have to start talking. And though that was the whole point of coming out here, she didn’t know if she was really ready for it.

But if not now then...then this would just go on. And they couldn’t not have the conversation because...

Because otherwise, it would always be hanging there.

Ahsoka halted abruptly and Barriss came to a sudden stop behind her. She flexed her fingers, keeping them from curling into fists and she shook a little as she gathered herself.

“Ahsoka?” Barriss asked, voice quiet.

“You should have told me!” Ahsoka blurted, spinning to face Barriss. Barriss cringed and looked away and Ahsoka instantly scrunched her eyes and berated herself. She’d practised how she was going to open this conversation so many times, being gentle and caring and now she’d just spat it out as an accusation.

“I’m sorry,” she said immediately, to cover for her mistake, lekku darkening. “I didn’t mean it to come out like that I just...” She sighed and dropped her body. She raised a finger to her lips and touched her fangs to it.

I’m just scared...

“I know, I should have done,” Barriss said. She looked at Ahsoka sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked. Her heart thumped. She’d asked the question now, asked the one she both did and did not want to know the answer to. And she knew Barriss would respond honestly...and she was scared of the answer because it might mean that Barriss...that Barriss saw her the way she feared everyone else had...

Barriss regarded her for a moment and then took a deep breath and looked away. Out over the horizon, the sun was making its way to the edge, turning a hazy pink as the light filtered between the dust that hung in the air. Long shadows stretched out from the canyons and hills and the towers of rock, crossing and overlapping with one another and creating a chiaroscuro pattern of streams and diamonds with the rose coloured sand below.

“It is very pretty,” Barriss said softly.

Ahsoka didn’t reply. She didn’t prompt Barriss with a question or a nudge. She just gave her space. Gave herself space.

Barriss turned back to her eventually. “I didn’t because...because I was scared.” She shrugged. “I’m not proud of it, but there it is.”

“Scared of what?” Ahsoka asked around her finger. She stopped her leg from trembling and managed to keep herself steady, keep her nerves under control. She needed Barriss to be honest and if she thought what she was saying was impacting on her then she might...might not carry on...

“I was scared that...that you would think there was something wrong with me. That you would think I was some sort of monster. That...that you would...leave...” She swallowed and turned her head away a moment and then looked back with a sardonic smile. “I’m sure you’ll find it hard to believe, but I struggle to make friends.”

Ahsoka responded with a sad and sympathetic smile. She had had one too many conversations with other friends, asking her why she hung out with ‘that weirdo’ to know there was little point in denying Barriss’ claim.

Barriss licked her lip. “So you see...at the time...when it was all happening I...” She broke off. When she resumed her voice had cracked a little. “I was so lonely. I didn’t think there was anyone else who....thought as I did. Who had the concerns I did, who saw what I could see. And I had no one to talk to...Mas--Luminara didn’t listen, and I...I wanted to talk with you but...but even after Umbara I...I was worried that...”

Barriss dropped her head. She took some deep breaths and collected herself. “I didn’t know what to do,” she whispered. “So when I heard about the anti-Jedi protests I was...intrigued. I thought perhaps I could find out more about them so I made contact with one of the groups. And I listened and learned more and...they seemed able to articulate everything I was thinking. And I wanted to do something I wanted to...” She broke off, closing her eyes, pained.

“Was it...was it them who suggested...?” Ahsoka asked into the silence, leaving the implication hanging.

Barriss shook her head. “No,” she said, firmly. “That was my idea. I...I thought...I don’t know... I don’t know whether I would have gone through with it on my own. At the time I told myself I was just...finding things out. I was just making some inquiries to know what was possible. I just wanted to find out what the options were. I...I wanted to make a statement of some kind...and given the way the Council are, it seemed like...like violence was all that they would respond to. So I just wanted to know a bit more and maybe...” She paused and looked up at Ahsoka with a wavering smile.

Ahsoka nodded, feeling a sting of pain in her heart. She’d felt that confusion and concern in the months following Umbara, but she’d been able to bury them in training, in playacting and teaching, until she was too exhausted to really think about it. Until learning about the younglings had forced her to finally confront it, and it had all come crashing in like water through a breached dam.

And she’d known she had to do something. Something to try and stop it. To make them realize.

Barriss ducked her head, hood hiding her face. “And then you came,” she whispered, voice breaking. She looked back up and her lips were pressed into a tight smile and her eyes shimmered as they filled with tears. “And...and I know this will sound horrible but when you arrived and told me...told me what you felt...I...I felt happy. Because there was someone else...there was someone else from the Order who understood, who could see it and I wasn’t alone anymore. And if I could have picked anyone...it would have been...” She took a deep breath, swallowing it back. “My best friend...my only real friend...”

Ahsoka trembled slightly, responding to the emotion visible in Barriss’ body language and that sparked and flickered through the Force. Feeling the pain and the quiet hope and the desperate way Barriss clung to it. And she trembled with a small amount of relief because Barriss hadn’t thought of her that way, had never thought of her that way, she’d always...cared...

Ahsoka had always had Barriss. She didn’t have to deal with it alone like Barriss had. Barriss had never judged her. She’d always seen Ahsoka as...a friend.

Barriss sniffed and looked away, blinking back the tears. “But...but I understand that I broke your trust.” Her lip wobbled and she pressed them back together to stop it. “I didn’t tell you how much I’d planned because I was frightened that you would leave. That you would think it was too much, that I was...” She closed her eyes and blew out a wobbling breath. “So I lied. I didn’t tell you and I should have done because you deserved to know everything, especially after you’d...you’d taken the step to go that far. I wasn’t fair to you and I should have told you and I will never be able to apologise enough for that. And I have nobody to blame but myself, and I have no real excuse.”

She scrunched her eyes, took deep breaths, tried and failed to still her shaking body. “So if you feel...if you feel that you can...no longer be my friend. I will understand.” Her voice wavered. “And...to that end...I have made this...”

She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a holorecorder.

Genuinely confused, Ahsoka took her finger from her mouth and stared at it. “What is it?” she asked.

Barriss kept her gaze rigidly away from her, as she thrust the holorecorder out to her. “It’s a...confession. It exonerates you, and I take sole responsibility for the bombing. I make it clear that I manipulated you, and that I...abused your good nature to win you over in the aftermath and have you break me out of jail. That you lied for me when you said you took part in the bombing.”

Ahsoka sighed, her expression pained. What Barriss was saying, what she was doing...it was...it was... “They wouldn’t believe that,” she said.

Barriss snapped her gaze to her. “Perhaps not entirely, but it would be enough.” She smiled a tight and painful smile. “Kenobi and Skywalker adore you. They’d be willing to accept it to have you back. And we both know the Council could do with a public relations victory.” She shrugged. “I doubt you’d be given your status as a Knight back and you might have to take some remedial lessons but...” She nodded, a shaky, jerking nod. “I’m confident they would accept it.”

Ahsoka stared at her, her emotions roiling like the oceans on Kamino. She reached out a trembling hand and plucked the holorecorder from Barriss’ fingers with the Force and brought it to rest in her left palm. Barriss fixed her gaze on Ahsoka, unable to tear it away.

Ahsoka stared at the holorecorder. A whole future contained within such a little and nondescript thing. It was almost funny. And there was a truth to what Barriss said. She wasn’t as confident that she’d be taken back as Barriss claimed, but it was possible that if she returned with the holorecording and pleaded ignorance, and begged and sobbed enough and spun a story of being groomed everyone might be willing to take that on board. She knew Anakin would, heck he would probably be willing to forgive everything in exchange for a crumpled piece of paper with ‘Sorry’ scrawled across it.

But...but...

Even if they did...it would never be the same.

Anakin would try, so would Rex she was sure, but it would always sit between them like the humidity on a tropical world, a constant oppressive presence they couldn’t escape. They would know and she would know, for all that they would pretend otherwise.

And Obi-Wan would struggle. He would force himself to, for Anakin’s sake and maybe her sake as well, or at least the memory of what they once shared, but he wouldn’t be the same. The quips would be forced. The joking and teasing would be tired. Because he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to, not really. And when he thought she wasn’t looking, he would have a look of disappointment on his face.

The Council wouldn’t trust her. She’d be Anakin’s Padawan forever, which he might be willing to agree to but...but it would never be the same.

And the truth was...even if everything did go back to how it was before... she didn’t really want to.

Because what would she go back to? The war again. The mask again. Playing at being the hero again. The great, horrific concert, played with instruments of lightsabres and blaster fire and detonations and screams and shrieks and the drumming of her heart in her head.

No, she didn’t want that.

But she appreciated the gesture Barriss was making. She appreciated what she was doing as a way of atoning for her error. She appreciated the courage this had taken and how much she was placing in Ahsoka’s hands. How much she was willing to give up.

So Ahsoka responded with a gesture of her own.

She tipped her hand and the holorecorder slid off her palm and dropped to the ground. And then she crushed it under her heel.

“There,” she said. “That’s my answer.” She looked up and smiled. “I keep telling you, Barriss: we’re in this together.”

Barriss’ face flickered between so many expressions it was nearly unreadable, but she caught them through the Force. Joy. Hope. Elation. Relief. Gladness. Anxiety releasing. And...

...disappointment...?

Ahsoka furrowed her brow. Then she saw the flick of Barriss’ eyes to her heel. Ahsoka looked down and lifted her leg revealing the broken holorecorder, part of it sticking to her boot like a squished bug.

She pulled a face and looked back. “You spent a long time on that didn’t you?” she asked.

Barriss nodded. “It went through about twenty different versions...” she admitted.

Ahsoka cringed. “Sorry, I should have listened to it first before...destroying it.”

“No, no!” Barriss waggled her hands. “I much prefer...I much prefer this!”

Ahsoka smiled. “I’m sure you’ve got it memorized, so you can regale me with it later,” she teased, drawing a blush from Barriss.

Ahsoka looked out onto the horizon at the setting sun, a third of it now dipping below the horizon with the shadows lengthening until there were only a few splashes of pink, like nebulas cutting apart the black of space. It did look very pretty.

She blew out a breath and turned back. “Hey Barriss? I know you’re not comfortable with touching but...I could really do with a hug right now.”

“I’m not uncomfortable with touching,” Barriss said immediately.

Ahsoka cocked her head, curious. “Really? Then what’s the whole, wiping your arms thing about?” she asked, brushing her arm in a demonstration.

Barriss cringed. “Is it really that obvious?” she said, voice strained.

“No, I don’t think so, but I’ve known you a long time and...I...noticed...” She could see Barriss’ expression falling and she pulled her head back into her hood more. “Look, I’m not saying it’s weird or anything!” Ahsoka said at once, her lekku darkening. “I’m not saying you’re strange or there’s something wrong with you I’m just...saying...everyone...” She broke off with a groan, realising she was making it worse and rubbed at her left montral. How to explain?

Rubbing at the montral gave her an idea.

“Okay, look,” she began, spreading her hands. “There was this time we, that is Anakin and I and the Five-Oh-First, were on a mission to some planet. It was...” She frowned. “Do you know, I can’t remember the name now? Anyway, an issue on this planet was that its air had a lot of electro-static, so it knocked out the comm frequencies. So we had a problem: how to signal to one another?

“Well, Anakin comes up with this genius idea. He’s got this sonic device thing, and he’s going to activate it to signal the clones to attack because their helmets will pick up the frequency. Brilliant right?” Barriss nodded, playing along. “Except he doesn’t tell me this. So we’re hiding behind some rock, waiting to leap out on the Seppies camp and he activates it. And let me tell you...” She paused. “Say, have you ever accidentally cut yourself under your fingernail?”

Barriss stared at her blankly for a moment. And then her expression slowly pulled in a grimace of horror.

Ahsoka nodded grimly. “Yeah. Well, activating that sonic device right next to me was like that happening only inside my head.” She chuckled and smiled wryly at the memory. “Damn near got us killed shouting at him and giving away our position.” She looked back at Barriss. “My point is, that we all have our quirks and things and it doesn’t make anybody abnormal, just different. So I don’t think of you as weird or anything, it’s just...part of you. The same way, you know, my hearing is like that.”

She turned away slightly, feeling a small heat rise to her cheeks. “So you know. If you’re okay with it, I’d like a hug. But if you’re not then that’s fine. Just...sitting out here together would also be nice.”

She looked back at Barriss. Barriss had a strange expression on her face. Her eyes narrowed and she stared intently at Ahsoka’s eyes, examining them.

Ahsoka blinked. Okay...this is getting a little weird and uncomfortable...

Before Ahsoka could say anything, Barriss darted over the gap between them and threw her arms around Ahsoka, hugging her tightly and pressing her head into the crook of Ahsoka’s neck, Ahsoka’s lekku draping either side of her head.

Ahsoka stood still a moment, surprised and not sure how to react. Then she smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around Barriss and pulled her close, pressing her cheek onto the top of Barriss’s head and closing her eyes.

They stood like that for a long time as the sun set behind them.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan Kenobi rubbed at his tired eyes, took another sip of his caf, and returned to staring at the reports, trying to focus on them. But he couldn’t, the words kept slipping and jumbling together in his mind. And it wasn’t just because he was tired.

His mind kept drifting back to Geonosis when he had been captured. When Count Dooku had come to see him...

“What if I told you that the Republic is now under the control of the Dark Lord of the Sith?” Dooku says, calmly circling around the energy field that held Obi-Wan.

“No, that’s not possible,” Obi-Wan says, automatically. “The Jedi would be aware of it.”

“The Dark Side of the Force has clouded their vision, my friend.” Dooku pauses his circle and looks up at Obi-Wan. “Hundreds of Senators are now under the influence of a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious.”

“I don’t believe you,” Obi-Wan says, dismissive, confident.

Arrogant...

It had been a trying few weeks. He’d thought that mess with Fives would be the worst that would happen. But then Vos and Plo Koon had made their report about their excursion to Oba Diah. They had discovered what had happened to Master Sifo-Dyas over ten years ago.

They discovered that Dooku had been telling the truth.

Worse, the entire clone army, the entire war, seemed to have been this Darth Sidious’ invention. But for what purpose they couldn’t divine.

“An army fighting for the Dark Side!”

“This Republic is failing! It’s only a matter of time.”

The words came unbidden, the cold fury evident in the tone. Nobody had dared mention it in the Council meeting. But the discomfort was clear.

Everyone had been thinking it.

And Obi-Wan couldn’t discuss it with Anakin or Luminara, a fact which pained him deeply. Discussion outside of Council members had been expressly forbidden until the Council knew more or had a better understanding of what was going on. As some had argued, desperately perhaps but not without justification, they couldn’t be sure if this wasn’t part of some wider trap or plot. Yoda had finally settled the dispute, pointing out that, whatever was happening, they were too far in to stop anything now. They had to play the game out and perhaps turn it back against Sidious, though there was much sorrow in his voice as he spoke.

They all understood the implications.

So Vos, the only member outside the Council to know, was commissioned to quietly investigate the Senate, see if he could find out about what was going on.

But then this was perhaps the problem. Now they were all jumping at shadows, and engaging in clandestine spying on Senators of the Republic was an act, he noted with irony, which would be considered a treasonable offence. Hence why Vos’ mission was kept strictly off the record with Vos agreeing to claim he was operating independently if he got caught.

“Fallen from the light we once held so dear.”

Obi-Wan pressed his knuckles into his forehead. He wanted very badly to talk with Ahsoka and Barriss. Did they know anything about this plot? If so, why hadn’t they said?

Or were they part of the fallen contingent of Jedi, pulled to the Dark Side by the war, like Pong Krell and that mess in the Sluis sector that thankfully hadn’t made it into official channels?

Or were they just genuinely responding to what they saw as the war’s effect on the Jedi, as Barriss had indicated in her speech at the trial?   

But there was no sign of them. Ventress had got in touch to inform him about a dead-end she’d followed to Raada, but had no information to offer beyond: they had been there; another bounty hunter had chased them away; and she had an amusing story that she was going to relate to Anakin personally when she got the chance, though the Force alone knew what that was.

The uncertainty...the lack of knowledge...the realisation that everything seemed to be at the behest of this one Dark Lord of the Sith... It was a horrible, sickening feeling. Made worse by the fact that Obi-Wan remembered Dooku’s offer, remembered him saying that if Obi-Wan were to join him they could destroy the Sith. Remembered Dooku saying that Qui-Gon might have joined him, had he known the truth about Sidious.

And Obi-Wan found that he couldn’t be so confident that Qui-Gon would have refused if he’d known the truth. What was worse, perhaps, is he couldn’t be sure he would refuse if he’d known then what he knew now.

Fortunately, perhaps, the door slid open and broke him out of his thoughts before they could go to any deeper and darker places.

“General Kenobi,” Commander Cody snapped into a salute.

“Ah, Cody,” Obi-Wan said, pushing himself back and putting on a warm smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Reports sir, on rumours from the Outer Rim.” Cody held a datapad in his hand. He was also looking slightly shifty.

Obi-Wan frowned. “Rumours Cody? Don’t those get filtered through the Republic Intelligence Centre?”

“They do sir. But a...contact in the Centre thought that these might be of interest to you. Before they got circulated on.” Obi-Wan continued frowning and Cody shifted his eyes left and right. “There’s a certain...understanding that filtering rumours can take time. So there would be a gap before these are passed on to the top brass. And action would be taken.”

Now Obi-Wan’s brow raised in understanding, and he held out his hand for the datapad. Cody passed it over, saluted and left the room.

Obi-Wan scanned through the datapad, his frown deepening. Stories, collections of tales from local news outlets, often of the crank variety, boasts overheard in bars. But together, they all started to paint a picture. Stories of two members of a pirate crew rescuing slaves from the Pykes, going against the desires of the rest of the crew, and taking them to a refugee centre. Stories of pirate crew members dropping off supplies in humanitarian support, including bacta. And a particularly detailed account of a salvage operation on a cruiser next to a black hole that went wrong, involving these same two pirate crew members valiantly rescuing members of other salvage crews from the collapsing ship, whilst also fending off an infestation of aliens that appeared to be nigh-on unkillable, with hardened exoskeletons and acid for blood.

Unkillable save for a blow by a green lightsabre. Of which the Togruta pirate had wielded one, and the Mirialan pirate had wielded the other, shorter one.

In a crew made up of Weequay pirates.

Obi-Wan picked up his comm. “Cody?”

“Yes, sir?” Cody said at once, anticipating the call.

“Get me a secure comm,” Obi-Wan said. “There’s a...old friend I need to get in touch with.”

Chapter Text

The alert chimed on the circular holodisk, drawing Hondo’s eye from where he sat in the situation room. It had, functionally, become his private office space where he’d often go to brood and think on how best to rebuild his Empire. He wasn’t best pleased at having his time disturbed, but he scooted his chair forward and peered at the ident reading.

He frowned. There was no contact information registered which meant that it was someone communicating from a secure channel.

That was good. That usually meant business opportunities.

Hondo hit the button to answer the call and settled back into his chair, assuming a relaxed air and adding a small smile. Decades of practise meant he only raised a solitary eyebrow when the face of Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared in the ghostly blue light of the projection, masking his sudden surge of anxiety.

“Well! If it isn’t my favourite Jedi!” Hondo exclaimed, spreading his hands to hide the quick flick of his eye to make sure the situation room door was shut. He could do without Ahsoka or Barriss stumbling into the room. “To what do I owe this pleasure? Need me to ferry more weapons to some poor, defenceless people?”

“No, Hondo,” Kenobi replied, his voice carefully neutral. “I’m calling on another matter entirely.”

“Oh?” Hondo effected confusion, scratching at his braided hair. That reminded him that still needed to obtain a replacement hat, and he filed a mental note to do so. “And what would that be?”

“I’m inquiring about Ahsoka and Barriss.”

Hondo blinked and then turned his head to the side, acting as though he was perplexed and thinking hard, smoothing his finger and thumb over his tusk. “Ahsoka...Barriss? The Temple bombers?” He waggled a hand through the air. “What makes you think I know anything about them?”

“I’ve heard reports that you have new crew members. A Togruta and a Mirialan.” Kenobi raised a brow.

“And you have assumed it’s them?” Hondo tutted and shook his head in disappointment. “Kenobi, I am aggrieved. Of the many things I thought you were, a racist was not among them.”

Kenobi didn’t rise to the jibe. “And how many Togruta pirates are known to wield lightsabres?”

Hondo sat back and his lips snaked into a small, lopsided smile. Well, he had him there.

Kenobi sighed. “Look, Hondo...I want to make this as easy as possible for both of us. And the Republic would be willing to pay you the bounty money so...why don’t we have a discussion? On how we can make this work, in a way that suits both of our interests.”

Hondo just managed to keep the surprise out of his face. From what Kenobi was saying it appeared that the Republic Military was not about to come blasting out of hyperspace. Which meant he, or the Jedi, were wanting to keep things quiet for now. The implication was clear, if Hondo didn’t play ball then things would have to escalate. But it was also clear that Kenobi didn’t want the escalation to happen, any more than Hondo would.

It appeared they were wanting Ahsoka and Barriss badly, but in a way that wouldn’t draw wider attention until too late.

Which, of course, meant there was room for dealing.

Well, as his mother had always said if you were going to lose something you might as well do so with maximum benefit to yourself.

Hondo clapped his hands together, leaned forward and smiled. “Let us talk business, then, my friend.”

She holds the plant in her hand, the roots stretching through her fingers and into the mud. A delicate thing, bota. If it leaves the world it dies unless it’s carbon frozen but that’s only a temporary measure. It needs to be processed on-world, otherwise, it’s rendered useless.

Not that it isn’t useless right now.

But perhaps...

Barriss licks her lips and glances up and down. The bota is stored in long rows in a large chamber, containing the watered mud and lines of UV lights to replicate the swamp-like atmosphere the plant is found in. Careful humidity control and temperature control create a powerful tropical heat in the room and Barriss is sweating, though it’s not all from the heat.

The bota is considered too valuable to use on clones. But Barriss sees them every day. Sees and hears and feels their suffering and pain as she works as hard as she can. But sometimes it’s not enough. She’s not strong enough, not good enough. And she feels them as they die. She’s only able to stand there uselessly. Despite her efforts. It’s never enough. It’s never enough.

She knows if she could just use a little of the bota she could save some of them. The bota is that powerful.

But...

...but...

Her mission is to assist the healers, prevent the Separatists from claiming the bota, and secure the processing of the plant. It’s to be shipped off-world entirely, into other theatres. It’s too valuable to use on clones.

She wavers, staring down at the plant. Would it really be missed? If she just took a little?

What would Master Unduli say?

She’s here without her Master so she only has her lessons to recall. And they’re fairly clear: the Jedi’s duty is to the galaxy as a whole. Their responsibility is to the galaxy as a whole. They must follow the will of the Force. It is the Jedi’s strength to be able to rise above personal disquiets and troubles and to see the whole picture. To make the necessary choices.

Her duty is clear.

Letting out a shuddering breath she puts the plant back and hurries from the chamber. She’s doing the right thing. The bota will help so many people. She and the clones are doing their duty by securing it for the wider benefit of the galaxy. It’s their duty. It’s what they’re supposed to do.

Even if the clones don’t have a choice...

As usual, her circuit takes her around to the morgue. The clones, those not too badly mutilated anyway, are held here for organ donation, the surgeons removing the usable organs before freezing them and sending them on to be distributed to medcentres in Republic space. For the wider benefit again. It’s a good thing, she knows, it will save many who are compatible but still...

There’s something that doesn’t feel right about it. As if the clones are just body parts to be used, first in the churn of war and then even after death.

She shakes her head. There’s nothing she can do. Whenever she tries to find a way of articulating what she’s feeling, the voice of Master Unduli cuts in with the objections. And Barriss understands, she does, she just feels...

...feels like there’s something not right.

She walks over to one of the troopers. It’s cool in the room, the temperature control keeps it at two degrees centigrade to slow down the decomposition. A few of the panel lockers are open and the repulsor tables are out, with the troopers having a shroud over them after the surgery was performed. Tomorrow the bodies will be incinerated and that will be that. She stops beside the table and looks down at the shroud. She doesn’t know who is under it, the whole body covered. But at least to one...

“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice quiet and aching.

She turns--

A hand seizes her wrist.

She jumps, shrieking, but can’t escape the grip and turns back and--

Cranker, half his head sheared away, sits up from the shroud. “Why?” he rasps.

Barriss’ heart is in her throat, eyes bulging and mouth open--

(This didn’t happen)

“You’d break with your principles, but not for us...” Cranker wheezes.

“N-no...I-I didn’t...I c-couldn’t--”

(She would have done if she knew)

“Why?!” he shouts, voice laced with accusation and Barriss rips her hand away and stumbles back and flees to the door, hitting the open switch. The door stays shut and she spings back and presses her back against the door as Cranker stumbles off the table and starts toward her on uncertain feet. The shroud has fallen away slightly and she can see the scars and stitching on his body where the kidneys were removed and the lungs and the heart and more of the shrouds start stirring.

Her face is pulled into a rictus of terror as she slaps at the button over and over and over again, Cranker coming closer, reaching for her--

The door suddenly slides open and she tumbles through it--

Into the swamp.

She lands in the bog and the sludge starts pulling at her, sinking into her clothes and dragging her and she screams and thrashes, forcing herself up to her feet, sludge clinging to her. She looks around wildly. The base has gone, she’s outside and far away and she swings to look behind her--

Barriss freezes. She trembles. Staring.

Ahsoka perches on a rock on all fours, looking down at her like a wolf observing its prey. Her yellow eyes gleam.

(This didn’t happen, you weren’t there)

Ahsoka’s lips peel back with a wet smacking sound and her teeth glint. “Shirking responsibility again?” she hisses with amusement.

“I--I d-didn’t--I w-wouldn’t--”

(Be brave)

She feels something and looks down and sees that the swamp is full of bones, the blackened and incinerating and ashing bones of the clones, the ones she couldn’t save, and they claw at her and reach for her and Barriss screams as they grab her and pull her down, down into the swamp and her mouth fills with the sludge and--

She woke up.

She blinked up at the ceiling and then threw her hand out and snapped on the lights. She sat up. No one in the room. She was alone.

She let out a heavy, shuddering breath and was once again thankful that they had opted to keep the sleeping arrangement of Ahsoka staying on the shuttle and Barriss keeping the room in the compound. She didn’t feel like she could explain the nightmares.

They’d talked about what had happened on The Jiaajsen, of course. Ahsoka had related her struggle against Bane, and how she’d managed to trick her way past him and stole one of his boosters to get to Barriss. There were some gaps in the story that Barriss had spotted but she hadn’t pressed on them. If Ahsoka wasn’t comfortable with raising them then that was fine.

It wasn’t like Barriss had explained all the details of her struggle either. How do you explain to someone that in the bowels of a ship drowning in the Dark Side you were taunted and antagonised by a manifestation of your friend?

She pulled her knees up to her chest. More and more she got the sense that she hadn’t fully escaped from that place. The first few days out of the Bacta her nightmares had revolved around Durge, which she had understood. It was her subconscious processing things in its own way, and she dealt with it in the pattern she’d learned from her studies: standing up to Durge in the nightmare helped her take control of it and process the feeling out.

But then they’d been replaced by this set. Always something from her past, times when she’d thought about breaking with the Code, or her teaching or...but had relented. Because being the Perfect Padawan was so important to her. And then the Ahsoka figure would appear with its accusing tone and she...

The war had eventually destroyed all the plants. She’d found out later that many senior figures had been shipping bota off-world on the black market. So her own dithering and refusal on matters of principle had been pointless. Her principles had just seen a lot of people suffer for no reason.

On the Star Destroyer out, she’d sat in her cabin, nails digging into her palms, shuddering and shaking with rage and sorrow and she’d wanted to rip her whole cabin to pieces.

But she’d resisted. She’d followed her exercises and had moved the emotion on. She’d been so proud of herself for resisting as well. Had been delighted with the praise she had received, for how well she’d done on her mission.

The last dying gasp of hope before it all finally broke. Looking back it all felt so hollow.

She sighed and laid back down. Light was starting to creep over the window ledge. She likely wouldn’t get back to sleep again, but even just lying down with her eyes closed might be good for her.

‘We’re in this together.’

She closed her eyes and clung to those words.

Barriss wheezed as she pushed herself up. “T-twenty...” She sunk down again, her arms wobbling. Then she pushed back up. “T-twenty-one...”

Come on...come on! Just one more...!

“T-twenty...t-two...”

She allowed herself to collapse down. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling of the bedroom, panting. She’d beaten her record, which was good, but it still felt like her training was...being inadequate somehow. When she’d initially started doing the push-ups she’d managed to hit well over a hundred without breaking a sweat and she’d been delighted. And then she realized she had been unconsciously using the Force to assist her. Suppressing that and going on pure physical strength alone had revealed results that were...less than satisfactory.

And what was worse, she wasn’t sure she was getting the endorphin hit she’d been promised.

She sat up and rubbed at her arms, massaging out some of the pain. She’d healed her wounds with the Force, though the screws had to remain in her shoulder. It wasn’t an issue, though there could still be a bit of stiffness and soreness on occasion. But her hand was fully healed as were her legs and ribs

She took a moment to rest, laying back down and staring up at the ceiling. As she did so she pondered the question that had hung between her and Ahsoka, but neither had given voice to.

Should they be making tracks?

They’d both been braced for a repercussion from the disaster at The Jiaasjen. They’d honestly both been expecting Hondo to kick them out once they’d been healed, but thus far there’d been nothing. In interactions, he’d been understanding more than anything. A bit distant of course, he had much to organize in restoring his operational capacity but...

Strangely she felt bad about the idea of running out. It was her fault it had happened so abandoning the crew without helping in some way felt...inadequate, somehow.

She sighed. She wasn’t going to find the answer herself. They would need to find the space to discuss it at some point. And she’d distracted herself from her training routine long enough.

She arched her legs and started doing the next exercise her research had turned up: crunches. She used her core to pull her body up halfway until she could see the door over her knees before dropping back.

One...

She pulled up to see the door--

Two...

She pulled up to see Ahsoka standing at the door one elbow on the frame--

Three...

She pulled up to see Ahsoka standing at the door, one elbow on the frame and a small smile touching her lips--

Fouaaarrrr!

Barriss wrenched herself up, stricken and confirmed that Ahsoka was still there.

“What’cha doing?” Ahsoka asked, with a hint of amusement.

“Umm...well, I’m...” Barriss blushed, turning her head slightly. “T-training...”

“Oh! So you’re finally working on your physical strength?”

Barriss’ blush deepened and she wondered how subtly she could flip her hood over her head. “Yes, I was...well after trying to develop my upper-body strength I thought I’d give my arms a break and work on my core.”

Ahsoka scratched at her cheek, moving off the doorframe. “Crunches wouldn’t really help with that so much,” she said. “Great for making your abs look nice but sit-ups are a better all-round workout to help build the core.”

“Oh...I...thought those were the same thing...” Barriss broke off, realising how distressingly little she knew about this, despite her reading.

“Well, you know, I’d be happy to help you,” Ahsoka suggested.

“Really?” Barriss looked up. She hadn’t asked because she thought her level would be too slow pace for Ahsoka. And also, if she was being honest, embarrassment. But if the offer was there then she wouldn’t turn it down.

Ahsoka nodded in confirmation.

“That would be great actually!” Barriss said with some relief. “I’ve been feeling like I haven’t been making any progress so any help you can provide would be...” She trailed off slightly, catching the gleam in Ahsoka’s eye too late. Far too late. “...wonderful,” she finished with the slightest gulp.

“Welcome to the Ahsoka Tano Training Academy,” Ahsoka said with a grin and a flourish of her arm.

Barriss slopped the water onto the exterior of the shuttle, between the folded up wing and the main hull and scrubbed at it with the hand brush, feeling the burn running up her arms as some of the grime and dust of space and various planets slowly sloughed away. They’d been cleaning various parts of the shuttle for the last hour, beginning with the landing struts and underside of the hull, working up to the top of the hull, leaving the interior aside for the moment.

Barriss fully conceded she wasn’t an expert on matters of training for strength building, hers had largely centred on developing her connection with the Force and working on her flexibility and athleticism, which complemented her style more. But pondering this training regime she wasn’t drawing any answers on what exactly it was developing.

“How did you come up with this method?” she asked.

Ahsoka, barefoot and dressed in a loose shirt and trousers, glanced over from where she was scrubbing at the main fin of the shuttle. “It’s an exercise Anakin gave me,” she replied. “Back when he had the Twilight he got me to clean the ship. I was resistant at first, but he pointed out that it had numerous training benefits as it works on many parts of the body.”

“Really?” Barriss said dryly. “And you’re sure he didn’t just want the Twilight cleaned?”

Ahsoka laughed. “No! See, the repetitive motions and...” She paused. Her mouth dropped open slightly and her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “That little...”

Barriss’ lips twitched as she fought back a laugh. “And how many other things did he manage to trick you into doing with this excuse?”

Ahsoka ignored her and resumed her cleaning with the fierce determination of someone who wanted to prove they hadn’t been duped and there was a benefit to what they were doing.

“Of course, if you want more training my room could do with a sweep and a scrub--”

“Don’t push it, Offee,” Ahsoka growled and stomped off to clean another area.

Barriss did laugh then, before resuming her work. There was actually a benefit to this ‘training’ that she could see; teaching someone patience and the ability to persevere with a task. Whether that was what Anakin intended or not she didn’t know, but she might explain it to Ahsoka later.

After a little more teasing first.

Barriss stood at the edge of the shuttle’s main area, fidgeting with her hands. Ahsoka was below, working something underneath the floor though she hadn’t really explained what. They’d finished the cleaning of the shuttle and had taken a break to eat and recover energy after that task, before moving on to the next sequence Ahsoka had in mind.

“Ah, got it!” she crowed, and a moment later she leapt up and landed nimbly in a crouch, grinning.

“Got what?” Barriss inquired, as Ahsoka kicked the floor hatch closed.

“You’ll see!” Ahsoka said, scurrying into the cockpit.

“Okay...Looking forward to it...” She stood around, not sure what to do when a moment later the engines of the shuttle started up on a low hum briefly before disappearing. The shuttle came to life, she could hear the soft whirring of the systems activating. And then Barriss felt her body get heavier for some reason.

She frowned as Ahsoka came back into the room. “So? Have you worked it out?” she asked, almost bouncing with excitement.

Barriss lifted her hand, feeling the extra pressure, like when she rode a turbolift up only...continuous. “You’ve adjusted the artificial gravity,” she said.

“Bingo!” Ahsoka gun-pointed at her.

“Why?” Barriss asked.

“It will help with the training. This way you don’t need to keep focused on not using the Force, as the extra gravity will compensate for that.”

Barriss slowly nodded as she considered what Ahsoka had told her. It was a good idea actually. It was easy to accidentally slip into using the Force when under strain, so this would mitigate against that. And if she didn’t use the Force then there should be added benefits as well, just like increasing weights used for barbells.

“That does make a lot of--urrkk!” Barriss choked on some spit as Ahsoka pulled off her shirt, the undergarment wrap on her chest the only source of modesty, showing off the entirety of her toned upper body, the overhead light catching the edges of her muscles, biceps in particular, and defining them well with shadows.

“Easier to move around,” Ahsoka explained. “And I’ll probably be working up a sweat.”

Barriss was sweating and they hadn’t even started yet.

“You wanna take yours off?” she asked.

“N-no! I’m fine!” Barriss responded immediately, blushing furiously and waggling her hands.

Ahsoka put the heel of her hand to her temple with a slightly embarrassed smile. “Oh, right, yeah. Mirialan, sorry!” She grinned and clapped her hands. “Okay! Now we’re going to get started with the physical training!”

Barriss quirked a smile, keeping her gaze fixed on Ahsoka’s face. “Good. I’m looking forward to my first proper lesson.”

Ahsoka crossed her arms. “Ha, ha! Congratulations, you’ve just added ten push-ups to your target total.”

Barriss pulled a face and then dropped her head, chastened. “So we’re starting with push-ups then?” she asked.

 “No, Barriss, the first thing we’re doing is stretching,” she said, drolly, drawing another blush from Barriss. She stretched out her right arm and pointed her fingers down and then pulled back on the fingers with her left hand. “This will help stretch out the wrist and the bicep.”

“Oh-okay!” Barriss followed along with her motion. They went through a sequence of other stretches: pulling the arm across the body for the shoulder; putting their hands behind them and stretching back for the chest; and hooking the arm behind the head and pulling down on the elbow to stretch the tricep.

That done, Ahsoka gestured for them to set out on the floor opposite each other, hands placed in line with their shoulders and toes pressed to the floor. “Now the key here,” Ahsoka explained, clearly enjoying her role as the instructor, “is to keep the body straight and also not let yourself fall. Resist your body as you go down: your body weight helps build your muscles.”

Barriss nodded.

“Okay, here we go!”

Ahsoka pushed her body up and Barriss followed, arms trembling with the exertion as she kept herself from using the Force, her face strained. It was a lot harder than she’d expected. “O-one!” she called.

“Huh? No! That doesn’t count!” Ahsoka protested.

“What?” Barriss said, snapping her head up to look at her.

“You need to keep your body straight,” Ahsoka said. “Your butt is sticking up, making it easier.”

Barriss blushed furiously, mortified at the idea that Ahsoka had been looking at her butt, and straightened out immediately.

Ahsoka nodded and smiled. “Better. Now let’s do that again, and remember, resist on the way down. Ready? Go!”

Obi-Wan closed off the holoprojector and stepped back, his outline of the plan finished. “Does everyone understand what we’re doing?” he asked.

Anakin glanced around the room. They were stood around the large holoprojector disk, the lights coming on now that the briefing had concluded. It was top priority secrecy, so only he, Commander Cody, Master Unduli and Rex were present. Word would have to be passed out to the rest of the teams, but that would be done only when they were underway. They didn’t want any of this getting back to Republic Military, or at least not until it was too late for them to intervene.

With no questions raised, Obi-Wan brought it to a close. “Good, then Cody start prepping The Negotiator, we’ll get underway as soon as possible. After all, we don’t miss them.”

“Right away sir!” Cody replied, snapping off a salute and then departing from the room.

Anakin moved around the disk towards Obi-Wan. His old Master was staring down at the holoprojector, finger and thumb pinching his beard, deep in thought.

When Obi-Wan had got in touch to say he’d found where Ahsoka was hiding, Anakin had been ecstatic. Less so when he learned exactly where she was hiding, some bad memories of Hondo came back to mind, but he could see the logic at least. But his desire to head to Florrum straight away had been scotched and while he understood where the Council was coming from...

He was still unsure.

“Obi-Wan,” he began, before halting, not quite sure how to phrase what he wanted to say.

Obi-Wan glanced at him and gestured. “You can carry on, I won’t take offence.”

Anakin pulled a face. “I’m not wanting to say anything harsh I just...are you sure we’re not overcomplicating this?”

Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment and then he sighed and rubbed his cheek. “We’re only going to get one shot at this,” he said. “We can’t afford to let them get away.”

Anakin frowned. This determination...seemed stronger than just a desire to complete a mission assigned by the Council. And now that he considered it, Obi-Wan had seemed more stressed over the last few weeks than he could remember. It seemed like there was...something else going on.

Then again it could just be the draining nature of the war, with the Outer Rim sieges dragging on for longer than had been expected. What had seemed like it would soon be a swift ending for the war was now looking like it could take years. Anakin certainly felt the pain of that. It had been months since he’d had a chance to see Padmé, see her properly instead of just stolen moments over a holo.

It looked like there was something she wanted to say, but kept holding back, but he couldn’t work out what.

And then there was what happened with Fives...

The memory still brought a complicated mixture of sorrow, regret and anger flooding into him. Fives had threatened the Chancellor, something that still rankled with Anakin, but at the same time, he knew it had clouded his approach. Something had agitated Fives a great deal, but he hadn’t felt safe setting out what it was. Insanity as a result of the removal of his inhibitor chip had been Nala Se’s diagnosis and maybe it was. There had certainly been something of that in the skittish way that Fives had behaved and his paranoia and his protests that he wasn’t crazy. But...

If Ahsoka had been there...

He shoved the thought aside. She hadn’t been there, and she hadn’t been there because she’d bombed the Temple and run off.

Because of Barriss...

He tried to keep that thought from growing, bearing in mind Obi-Wan’s admonishment. But he found it hard. The Ahsoka he knew wouldn’t have done that, she couldn’t have done it. Despite his best efforts, over time he struggled more and more with putting aside the idea that Barriss had manipulated her. Had abused Ahsoka’s trust and led her into it.

He sighed, letting some of the feeling go with his breath. “I know we can’t,” Anakin replied. “I just want to be sure we...that she’ll be safe.”

Obi-Wan smiled and put a hand on his arm. “She will be.” His eyes flicked over Anakin’s shoulder. “They both will be.” He turned away and started for the door. “Finish whatever preparations you need to do, we’ll have to move quickly. If Republic Military gets wind of this it’ll cause all sorts of problems...”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be ready to go before you’ve got your beard trimming kit packed,” Anakin joked, trying to lift some of Obi-Wan’s mood.

Obi-Wan smiled tightly back over his shoulder and departed the room. Anakin took in a long breath and sighed it out. He hoped they were doing the right thing...

He squeezed his cybernetic fist. Ahsoka...

This time...he would make sure...

A clicking noise drew his attention and he glanced over and did a double-take when he saw Luminara at the holoprojector console, keying at it. He’d forgotten she was there, too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Just making a final check on some of the details,” Luminara replied not looking up. “You seem agitated.”

“Aren’t you?” Anakin replied, trying to keep some of the harsher tone out of his voice. He didn’t like the idea that Luminara had been picking up on his feelings or more to the point that he’d allowed them to slip out again. “Even just a little?”

“No,” Luminara replied simply. “I know Barriss, I’ll be able to bring her round.”

His fists tightened involuntarily. “Because you think Ahsoka is to blame?” Anakin said, failing to keep the bitterness out of his tone. “That Barriss has been misled by her?”

Luminara hesitated slightly and then looked up. “I have my reasons for believing so,” she said.

“And what might they be?”

She looked back down. “That’s information private to Barriss, which I promised never to share.”

Anakin scowled. This was going nowhere. “Fine,” he clipped out. “I’ll see you on The Negotiator.” He stepped out of the room, thoughts and face hardening with determination.

He would bring Ahsoka back, whatever it took.

Barriss wobbled on her feet as Ahsoka added yet another rock into the backpack. They stood next to one of the infrequent, but more plentiful than might be expected, sources of water on Florrum, an oasis lake that was about a kilometre around, the water shimmering under the evening sun. This was the best time for this workout, with the cooler air and the harsh power of the sun diminished as it headed for the horizon.

“There,” she announced. “That should be enough I think.”

“I’m not sure this would work,” Barriss said. “The weight distribution is wrong, it’s all pulling at the bottom of the bag, so I think this would be liable to cause back pain more than it would--”

“Are you questioning my methods?” Ahsoka asked sternly, with a raised brow.

Barriss immediately flashed a smile. “No! Not at all!”

“Good.” Ahsoka drew a line across the sand in front of Barriss’ feet. “Now give me a lap around the lake, I’ll wait for you here.” She plonked herself down on a rock and pulled one leg up to her chest, giving Barriss an encouraging smile.

Barriss smiled back and then looked grimly across the lake. She sighed. “I’m doing this for the endurance...I’m doing this for the endurance...” She set off on her run, feeling the rocks joggle in the backpack as they dragged back on her.

Barriss, haggard, drenched in sweat and panting ragged breaths, completed her lap and immediately splatted face-first into the sand, her legs curving up behind her before dropping dismally to the ground.

Ahsoka laughed and hopped off her rock. She dragged Barriss up by the backpack. “That was good!” she said encouragingly.

“Thanks...” Barriss wheezed. She slipped the backpack off her shoulders and winced at the ache flaring across her back. She’d definitely need the Force for that one. She rubbed the sand off her face with her sleeve.

“Want to take a break and then go again?” Ahsoka asked.

“No, I think that’s me done for today,” Barriss groaned. She stood up and stretched her arms up, hearing the cracking in her spine as the gases released with the stretch. It felt a bit better after that and she twisted her back from side to side. “Thank you for your help though, I do feel like I’m getting stronger.”

“Happy to!” Ahsoka said brightly, taking the rocks out of the bag. “We can do more tomorrow and see if you improve on any...” She paused and then smacked her leg. “Drat! I should have timed you!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Barriss replied with a small laugh. “I daresay it was pitiful anyway.”

 Barriss walked over to the lakeside and sat down next to it, crossing her legs. Staring out onto the soft shimmer of light was comforting. She closed her eyes for a moment and then reached out with her hands, concentrating on the water. She opened her eyes and focused, picturing what she wanted to happen, feeling her way into the water. A ball of it lifted up and hovered over the lake. A few drops slipped off it but then held steady, a perfect sphere.

Then Barriss broke it apart, letting the water ball split out into smaller droplets, keeping to an expanded shape of the ball but as individual droplets. The light of the sun struck them and the droplets glimmered like stars across a night sky.

“Wow...”

Barriss looked over her shoulder with a smile, seeing Ahsoka staring at the water.

“You’ve got such great control,” Ahsoka said with a note of awe as she sat down.

Barriss blushed. “Thank you...” She paused for a moment, letting the water turn.

“It was a trick I learned on Anison,” she continued. “Master Kenobi and Skywalker were...having a contest with the water, seeing who could create a higher pillar. At first, I thought it was a frivolous use of the Force, but Mas--Luminara made me see that it involved a great deal of skill and control. So out of that, I began practising, learning to feel my way into the connection with the Force. Taking a chunk of the water and then breaking it apart without losing control of the whole. It was based on something I saw Luminara do, only she did it with grains of sand.”

Ahsoka’s brows shot up. “That’s...really impressive...”

Ahsoka looked at the lake and frowned. She reached out with her hands and a moment later a glob of water flowed up but it was...unsteady. The sphere wobbled and water kept breaking and dribbling off it in a stream and she only managed to separate it into two large chunks before the whole thing slapped back into the water. She let out a growl of frustration and tried again, holding it together just a little longer before it collapsed, hitting her with the spray.

“Damn it!” she muttered. “I can’t get it.”

“You’re trying to do too much,” Barriss said, glancing over at her. “Here, focus on taking one of the drops from me.”

Ahsoka looked over and concentrated. Barriss felt one of the drops in her grasp waver and she let the connection go and it floated over to Ahsoka. “Good. Now try taking another one, whilst maintaining your connection to the first one.” Ahsoka concentrated more and plucked a second droplet and pulled it over to her. And then a third. But when she tried reaching for the fourth, her three droplets wavered and she pulled back from it.

“I guess that’s my limit huh?” she said with frustration, as she got the three droplets to move around one another.

Barriss gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. It took me a while to get this right. It needs a lot of refinement of technique. But you can get there. It’s like lightsabre technique or physical training, it just requires practice to develop the skill.”

Ahsoka nodded, seeming to take it in as she played with her drops of water, letting them nudge and bounce off one another. “I guess I never really focused all that much on this stuff,” she said after a moment, letting the drops plop back into the water.

“You never got a chance to,” Barriss replied. She gently let the water droplets sink and merge with the lake, letting her connection with them go. “I was Padawan to Luminara for two years before...the war. She had more time to give detailed instruction in these matters and to help refine technique and...” She shrugged. “Everything you learned was at the expediency of a battlefield.”

“Yeah...” Ahsoka looked down and scuffed one foot through the sand, furrowing her brows.

Barriss stared down at her hands, her expression falling as the silence drew out. She hadn’t meant to drag things back to the war and kill the mood but...but it was where her thoughts always drifted if she thought about Master Unduli and her training.

“Do you ever wonder...” she began, before cutting off, not sure whether she should ask the impulsive question that had come to her mind. She glanced up and saw that Ahsoka was looking at her with curiosity. She supposed she’d started so she’d have to finish... She swallowed and looked back down at her hands, as she scrunched and twisted them around her trouser leg. “Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if the war hadn’t happened? If we’d never been flung into...into all of this?”

Barriss sometimes thought and brooded on it, as useless as it was. Would she have been knighted by now? Out somewhere working to establish peace? Settling disputes between disparate groups, like on Anison? Would she have a Padawan of her own that she was providing instruction to?

The shroud of melancholy settled over her as she thought on it, imagining what could have been...

“I don’t know,” Ahsoka murmured, her voice soft. “I sometimes wonder if, without it, I would have been a Jedi at all...”

It took a moment for Barriss to register what she’d said. She looked over at Ahsoka, her eyes wide in surprise. Ahsoka had one knee drawn up to her chest, resting her chin on it and was staring out over the lake, her expression far away.

Barriss turned away, perturbed. Was Ahsoka suggesting that she was only a Jedi because of the war? That didn’t seem right, she was one of the best people she knew. She was dedicated, hard-working, compassionate, caring. She always did her best for others. It was hard for Barriss to think of someone who would be more suited to being a Jedi.

Did she honestly believe otherwise?

“Who won?”

The question startled her out of her thoughts. “Sorry?” Barriss asked.

Ahsoka smiled at her. “Out of Anakin and Obi-Wan? Who won the contest?”

Barriss stared at her. There was no sense of her earlier thought, it was as if she hadn’t voiced it at all, though her smile seemed a little forced.

But Barriss took that for the cue it was: to pretend it never happened.

“Oh,” she said, continuing on with levity in her voice. “Technically, Master Kenobi won.”

“Technically?” Ahsoka cocked her head.

Barriss smiled. “Yes. You see he kept making his pillar just slightly taller than Anakin’s. So he was winning the contest. I think it might have been an attempt at encouraging Anakin to deepen his connection with the Force. Anyway, Anakin got fed up with Master Kenobi always just being slightly ahead and in a bout of frustration threw his pillar over him.” She could recall that sight well, of the absolutely sodden Master Kenobi blinking in shock and Anakin, suddenly realising what he’d done, splashing across the edge of the river to get away from retaliation.

It was one of the few occasions when Barriss had heard Master Unduli genuinely laugh, pointing and holding her stomach as she took in the state of the drenched Master Kenobi.

Ahsoka’s lips twitched. “Well...some things never change.”

“No, they don’t do they?”

They held one another’s gaze for a moment before they both burst into laughter.

“I can picture that scene perfectly!” Ahsoka wheezed as she calmed down, wiping a tear away from under her eye.

“I daresay,” Barriss replied, her laugh fading. She looked away slightly, a touch of melancholy reaching her, as her grin settled towards a soft and distant smile. That had been the last time when things were simple. The last time when she’d been able to think of herself as a true guardian of peace and justice.

She let out a small sigh. “I think we should perhaps get back before it gets too cold,” she said, standing up and dusting herself off. “Thank you again for your help, I do appreciate it.”

“Oh anytime,” Ahsoka replied, with a smile. “It was fun, you know.”

“Yes. It was.” Barriss smiled and started on her way back.

“Hey Barriss?”

“Hmm?” Barriss turned around.

“Think fast!” Ahsoka grinned and flicked water up with the Force and sent it splashing across Barriss’ face.

Barriss stood still a moment, startled, dripping water from her nose and chin. She turned her eyes on Ahsoka and Ahsoka had a half-frozen smile on her face, as if realizing that she wasn’t sure how Barriss would react and whether this was a step too far.

Barriss narrowed her eyes at her, and Ahsoka’s expression faltered. “You have gone too far this time, young one,” Barriss said, putting on a mock snarl.

She swept out her hand and raised a large ball of water from the lake, and Ahsoka had time to let out a delighted shriek as she scrambled to her feet before Barriss hurled it after her, a genuine smile curving her lips.

Chapter Text

“Well, do I have the mission for you two?!”

Hondo, with a new red hat in place, grinned at them, all boisterous enthusiasm. Jiro stood behind him in the situation room with a neutral expression, and his arms crossed. Barriss, in her black armour weave shirt and hood, and Ahsoka, in a maroon vest with white accents and slack trousers, exchanged a glance. “You’re sending us out on a new mission?” Ahsoka asked. “I thought we weren’t really ready for that yet?”

“We are not, but fortunately this is a simple one! And perfect for your knowledge and skills.” He tapped at the circular holodisk and the faded blue light flickered up to show a set of asteroids. A central asteroid held a hexagonal structure, attached to which was a semi-circular node with a vacuum shield bubbling over the top of it. The central asteroid was connected to five other, smaller asteroids by a series of connecting tubes, with a command structure node, a disk-shaped structure on top of a small tower, at the top of the asteroid set. In design, it looked similar to a Haven-class medical station but smaller.

“What is it?” Ahsoka asked, squinting at it.

“It looks like...a Republic medical facility?” Barriss said, glancing up at Hondo.

“Aha, Young Offee impressive as always!” Hondo gestured. “This is an abandoned Republic medical facility. A smuggler friend of mine has passed on the details. It would appear it was left in a hurry, the location is out near Separatist territory in the Outer Rim, but hidden among an asteroid field.”

“If it was left in a hurry then there could be an array of medical supplies there,” Barriss murmured, studying the holoprojection.

“Exactly what we were thinking,” Jiro said. “And between the two of you, with your knowledge of Republic security, getting into the facility shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Because it was abandoned so our old codes might work,” Ahsoka filled in.

Hondo flicked a smile back at Jiro. “They know my methods so well!”

“Did your contact specify what was available?” Barriss asked.

Hondo shrugged. “He has no idea, he did not investigate. That is what I want you two to do. Catalogue the supplies, take the most valuable back and, should there be anything remaining that we can...make use of...” He rubbed his fingers together and winked. “Then we can go and collect it.”

“I see...”

Hondo jabbed a finger at the semi-circular node. “The storage area is here. Ahsoka, you will be in charge of sorting out the most valuable supply and loading it onto your shuttle for transport. As for you, Barriss,” he pointed to the command centre, “you handle the gathering of data and information from the main terminal.” He leaned back and grinned. “You are in, you are out, we all win! Good, no?”

Barriss smiled at Hondo. “Yes. Anything we can do to help,” she said with sincerity.

Hondo kept his grin in place as he took out the small holoprojector he’d inserted into the holodisk and chucked it to Ahsoka, who caught it smoothly. He flicked his hand at them in dismissal. “Then be off with you both, the sooner you accomplish this task the better for all of us!”

Ahsoka and Barriss stood up and headed for the door.

“And good luck to you both,” Jiro said.

They paused and turned back with curious expressions.

“Ah, no Jiro!” Hondo admonished. “The Jedi do not wish each other luck...now...what is it you say?” He paused, cocking his head and stroking his tusk. “Ah yes!” He clicked his fingers. “May the Force be with you.”

Barriss and Ahsoka exchanged a puzzled glance and then Ahsoka turned back and smiled as she inclined her head, returning the gesture of respect. “Thanks, Hondo,” she said. “We’ll report in when we’re on our way back.” They turned and left the situation room, the door sliding open and then shutting behind them,

Hondo stared at the door, his smile dropping. The holoprojection of the asteroid base spun slowly in its ghostly blue light. He drew in a long breath and sighed it out.

“I don’t like it, boss,” Jiro said after a moment. “Never thought I’d say that but...”

“No, neither do I.” He scratched at his cheek. “But, you know, it’s this or all of us get taken in and the base destroyed and...” He shrugged.

“I know...I just...” Jiro sighed.

Hondo flapped a hand. “Bah, they’ll have a chance.” He shut off the holoprojector. “Now, come on, you have stalled from your work long enough.”

Jiro grunted and left the room.

Hondo stood up and stretched his back slightly. He’d done the best that he could. And Ahsoka and Barriss were both competent people, even before their Jedi skills were included. They’d be able to take the chance.

He hummed to himself as he went off to find out what other tasks remained.

The shuttle exited the hyperlane and moved towards the asteroid field, Ahsoka gently guiding it past the floating rocks. The asteroids were far apart from one another, but concentration was still required for navigation as the multitude of them and the speed of the ship meant you could get caught off guard. Barriss observed through the viewport, blaster strapped to her leg and a new vibroknife at the small of her back. Ahsoka’s piloting was skilful, swinging the shuttle through the corridors created by the distance between the asteroids. Barriss glanced at the spatial positioning coordinates that counted down on the console. They were getting close to the destination.

“So...” Ahsoka began, keeping her eyes focused out the front. “What do you reckon?”

“What do I reckon about what?” Barriss asked.

“You know...” Ahsoka brought the shuttle into a dive as a proximity sensor went off. “Should we make a break for it now?”

So the question was in the open now.

Barriss frowned. That odd feeling of loyalty towards Hondo was rearing itself again, or at least a sense of owing him for what had happened. Which was something she never thought she’d think about a pirate... “I don’t know,” she said. “I feel...bad about just leaving at this point...after what happened.”

Ahsoka grimaced. “I know what you mean. But the balance must be tipping away from us by now, and the credits would certainly be tempting given the damage that’s been done after everyone...” She broke off and they both lapsed into silence.

“I say we do this one last task,” Barriss said after a moment. “We can take a good chunk of whatever supplies are here if there are any worth having. Reserve some of them for welfare distribution and then give a large chunk to Hondo, as a way of compensation. He’ll have the coordinates to follow up on. And then after that, we can head off.”

Ahsoka nodded. “Yeah, that sounds fair.” She blew out a breath. “Then I guess we’re back to square one again.”

“Except now we have experience of being smugglers and pirates, so there must be some opportunities nested in that,” Barriss said dryly.

Ahsoka laughed. “Or maybe we can try a new tactic and hide in plain sight? Become HoloNet stars.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh! I know! We could work as stunt people! With our skills, we’d be able to make that work and get hired easily.” Barriss laughed and Ahsoka glanced at her quickly. “Or work as fight choreographers?” she added, slyly.

Barriss shuddered. “Don’t tempt me,” she muttered. “I’m still furious about that HoloDrama you made me watch.”

“I didn’t make you watch it, you stayed of your own--” Ahsoka cut off her protest, focusing her gaze out the viewport. Barriss turned her head back and peered out into space. They cleared through a layer of the asteroid field and came upon the medical facility, with the large central asteroid and the orbiting ones around it, connected together by a series of locked pathways. They could see the central node attached to the hexagonal building, the energy shield reaching up to give it an egg-like shape. The nodes were built into the asteroids, and a few of the structures on the outer asteroids were blocky, with trapezoid shapes poking up at angles through the rock. At the back, a disk on a tower rose from the asteroid at the top of the surrounding asteroid formation, looking similar to the kind found on a Haven-class medical facility.  It looked in good shape, which chimed with the intel Hondo had received: abandoned, but not a site of a battle between the Republic and the Separatists. Too close to Separatist space for the Republic to reliably use it, or safely return to, but also hidden away enough so the Separatists either didn’t know about it, or it was too much hassle for them to actually try and obtain anything from it.

Seeing it in person confirmed one of Barriss’ earlier guesses from studying the holoprojection: it was a pre-war design model, in all likelihood a research station, or a relay facility, that had been converted to a medical station after the war began. Likely for clones, as some of the smooth conversions resembled Kaminoan ones, though this clashed with some of the more brutalist architecture that suggested a research base.

“There it is,” Ahsoka said, as she brought the shuttle towards it. “Now is where we find out if our codes still work here or not.”

The landing docks were built into the asteroids, and they went towards the one that was nearest to them on their approach, which would allow them access both to pathways to the command centre and the storage centre. A heavy door was located on the side of the orbiting asteroid and as they approached, the base pinged out an automated signal asking for a landing code. Ahsoka keyed in her old Republic code and they waited for a pregnant moment before they were pinged again as the bay accepted the code.

The heavy doors silently slid apart and the vacuum shield activated. Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. That, at least, was the main hurdle dealt with.

She landed the shuttle in the bay, as close to the inside entrance as she could, and ran a scan, checking the readouts to confirm the artificial gravity and the oxygen systems were working, as well as confirming that there were no life form readings that the shuttle could pick up. The scan complete, she and Barriss stepped down the hatchway ramp into the bay, Ahsoka pushing a repulsor trolley in front of her. The hangar was a rectangular shaped chamber, with curving sides up the walls, large enough to hold the shuttle with a few refuelling depots and crates around the side, but no other ships would have fit in. A thin layer of dust coated most everything, but the lights were still working with the hangar brightly lit.

“I wonder how long ago it was abandoned?” Ahsoka wondered.

“Possibly a while, judging by the dust,” Barriss replied, scanning the area. “Likely powered by solar energy though, so fortunately the systems should all still be online.”

“Makes things easier for us,” Ahsoka grunted. She closed her eyes a moment and stretched out with her senses, and beside her Barriss did the same. She felt her way along the corridors, reaching out across the base but she could pick up nothing. Some lingering memories of emotions from the clones, medical staff and some Kaminoans who had been stationed here but nothing else. Nothing alive. No Dark Side energy.

Exactly what she would expect from an abandoned station.

She opened her eyes and looked at Barriss. Barriss was silent, with her eyes closed and Ahsoka waited for her to finish. “Sense anything?” she asked when Barriss opened her eyes.

Barriss shook her head.

“Great!” Ahsoka said with wry humour. “So Cad Bane isn’t going to be jumping out at us and shouting ‘boo’ this time.”

Barriss flashed a grin and Ahsoka pulled out a small holoprojector and called up the image of the asteroid station that Hondo had given them. She furrowed her brow and squinted at it, trying to work out where they had landed. A yellow-green finger pointed at one of the asteroids.

“We’re here,” Barriss whispered.

“Thank you,” Ahsoka whispered back, with a small smile. “All right team!” she announced, and Barriss stood at attention. “I’m in charge of gathering up supplies, so I will take this pathway,” she indicated a move right along one asteroid, before arriving at one that connected to the central asteroid, “and follow that to the storage hangar. Commander Offee?”

“Yes sir!”

“You take your team along this way,” she moved her finger around the left, over two asteroids to arrive at the command node, “and gather what information, if any, you can access from the main terminal. Do you have the equipment?”

“My codes, and the slicing tool if necessary.” Barriss held up the cylinder that could be plugged into a data terminal to crack it.

“Good.” Ahsoka closed the holoprojector. “Remember, communicate via comms and update on status. Your team should join me once the information gathering has been complete. All going well, we should be out of here in two hours tops. Understood?”

“Yes sir!”

“Briefing concluded. Let’s move out!”

Ahsoka looked at Barriss, lips twitching and they shared a giggle. Ahsoka grabbed the repulsor trolley and they moved towards the inside door. Ahsoka keyed the switch and the doors slid apart. The corridor beyond was brightly lit and empty, branching off to the left and right. Ahsoka started down the right pathway. “Okay, if I gather sufficient stuff I’ll let you know and we can meet back here and then decide whether to get more or not.”

Barriss nodded and started to turn to the left. Ahsoka paused in her walk as a stray thought came to her, remembering the last time they'd separated... She pondered it a moment and then turned back around. "Hey, Barriss?" she called. Barriss stopped and looked back curiously. Ahsoka unclipped her shoto sabre and held it out to her. "Maybe you should take this? Just in case."

Barriss stared at the lightsabre in Ahsoka's palm and a complicated mixture of emotions flashed across her face, and Ashoka could feel the reluctance in her. Her brow furrowed slightly. She didn't understand why Barriss was so resistant to taking her lightsabre. It wasn't like Ahsoka would be without one and, after all, it was just a precaution that likely wasn't necessary.

Barriss reached out momentarily with a hand, before drawing it back with a shake of her head. She smiled slightly. "No, I'll be fine," she said. "I have my vibroknife and blaster. Both of those will be sufficient."

"All right," Ahsoka replied, smiling back and clipping the lightsabre back to her belt. One to file away and ask about later.

"Will you be all right gathering the medical supplies?" Barriss asked, a little too fast to be an effective cover for her deflecting from any questions.

Ahsoka opted to theatrically roll her eyes. "Yes, Barriss. I'm not a complete ignoramus, I do know what to look for." Barriss blushed slightly. "Besides which, your physical training is incomplete, so I will handle this more strenuous task for now." Barriss' head pulled into her hood. Ahsoka grinned and then whirled about and pushed the repulsor trolley down the corridor to the right, going at a light jog. "Race you to complete the tasks! Last one back to the shuttle is a square droideka!"

“I’m not racing you!” Barriss’ indignant shout touched her montrals and she laughed.

Ahsoka slipped along the straight-lined corridor, slowing down her pace. It was quite large, with a few crates were stacked inside it. She peered at them, but they didn’t appear to carry anything of value. Not of the kind they were looking for anyway. She turned through a few junctions and rooms, a mess hall and some kind of office space, before arriving at the locking doors that would lead onto the walkway connecting this asteroid to the next one over. She let the lock mechanism cycle and then stepped into the brightly lit tube, walking along it until she passed through the other side.

The next asteroid was more medical chambers, and she was able to bypass them quickly, following the signs to the next walkway crossing which took her to the main asteroid. There, she passed through a couple more deserted pathways. Everything was quiet save for the low hum of power passing through the area, which would normally be obscured by the churn of activity. It felt strangely eerie in a way she couldn’t figure. Most of her time had been spent on stations or cruisers of high activity so its absence was noticeable in the way a loud bang in an empty field would be.

Eventually, she made it into the storage hold. It was a large space, perhaps thirty meters across and a similar distance from the apex of the semi-circle to the base. A gantry, connected by two sets of stairs on either side, ran out from the curve, pulling back some distance and it had a large telescope set on it, pointing out towards the vacuum shield. The large roof covering that would move over the vacuum shield was semi-retracted, so she had a good look out into space and the whirl of the asteroid field. Sunlight managed to cut through the field and illuminated the area, without the need for the artificial lights arrayed at the side.

Looks like Barriss’ guess about this place being a former research facility was right.

On the ground level, several large rectangular storage crates were stacked and few stood on their own. Some smaller storage boxes were also there. It did look like things had been packed up in a hurry. A door sat opposite where she’d entered on the right, and another was located underneath the gantry.

Ahsoka pulled up her comm. “Okay Barriss, I’m in the storage area,” she said. “Seems like there’s a few crates lying around, though how many of them will be filled I don’t know.”

“Have a look in all of them,” Barriss replied. “If they’ve been left it’s likely they still have some things inside them. I’ve just reached the turbolift at the command centre, so I should be able to finish up here and join you presently.”

“Great.” Ahsoka glanced at the crates. “What should I be looking for?”

“I thought you weren’t an ignoramus?” Barriss teased.

Ahsoka flushed and waved a hand Barriss wouldn’t be able to see. “I’m not! I just want some direction.”

“Start with anything that could be bacta,” Barriss replied with what sounded suspiciously like a suppressed laugh. “I doubt any was left behind, but you never know. If there is any it should be labelled with the Republic Medical symbol, and then either the Xucphra Corp.’s or the Zaltin Corp.’s.”

“Right.”

“You do know what they are right?” Barriss asked after a momentary pause.

“Of course I do!” Ahsoka said indignantly. “You focus on your job and I’ll do mine!” She cut off the comm just as Barriss started to laugh. Ashoka glared at the crates in the room, as if they were the ones who had offended her by their presence. “I do know what they are,” Ahsoka muttered, pushing the repulsor trolley over to the first stack, set by the door she entered. “I just don’t remember which was which...”

The command hub was a relatively small space. It contained a few deck arrangements, set out in rows leading back from the central communication terminal at the top of the room.  As what was likely a former research facility converted to a medical facility this made sense: most of the space would have been given over to laboratories, testing sites and research space that would have been converted to medical areas. The main processing hub tended to be smaller as it was only required for the central facilitation of data. For the enterprising slicer, this also made it easier to glean data from them, as there was only one terminal that needed to be used.

Barriss walked up to the terminal, a simple computer bank with a few special keys and a large screen set above, and turned it on. The power was still running through, thankfully, and it wasn’t long before it had completed its start-up sequence. Barriss entered her old codes when prompted and, as with Ahsoka’s, they let her into the system.

There wasn’t much information that seemed useful. The facility had been set up some five years before the war began, as an experimental station to study the orbital movements and mechanics of the asteroid field. ‘Living among them!’ as the lead researcher, Professor Zaran Pail a human male, had declared in the opening statement, presumably with a knowing wink to colleagues in the zoology and xenoanthropology departments. Whatever research they had been building up to had been halted by the arrival of the war, though, before any publications could be made as far as Barriss could determine. The facility had been converted within the first year, to a medical facility and a research lab. The patient records indicated that it was somewhere where clones were taken for testing, medical attention and research if it was believed they had picked up any infections or diseases. That explained why this facility had been chosen; it was isolated so there was little chance of any infections spreading to others. Judging by when the last record was entered it seemed like the base had been abandoned about a year ago, which tallied with what Barriss vaguely remembered about the fluctuations of the war in this sector.

Barriss clicked onto the medical records to see if there was anything of interest, but most of it was the kind of routine investigation that she had encountered herself when stationed on medical facilities. The only incident that was unusual was when a clone trooper, CT-8181 who Barriss frustratingly couldn’t find the name of, had apparently contracted an infection that had affected his neural systems and he had shot the senator he was on protection duty for.

Barriss sunk her slicing tool into the terminal and started downloading the records. Whilst it didn’t look like there was anything that would be of use to Hondo, she couldn’t be sure that there wouldn’t be something that would take his fancy.

Whilst that happened, she clicked over onto the transit records and scrolled down the list. It was fairly standard: records of shipments coming in, logged instances of shuttles flying out, medical transports coming in and leaving. The logs ended around the time the facility would have been abandoned and then the next entry was...

Barriss frowned. Yesterday?

She supposed that that could be the contact Hondo had referred to, but if that was the case it felt a bit...fast...for the contact to have supplied Hondo with that information and then for Hondo to send them out here. Though, given the operational capacities and what something like bacta would go for on the black market, it made sense for him to want to move quickly, as he couldn’t necessarily trust the smuggler to not share the details more widely.

She scrolled down the list again and saw the entry for her and Ahsoka’s arrival and then the entry for--

She paused. She furrowed her brows at the terminal screen because that couldn’t be right.

Blinking on the screen, was an entry for the entrance to a docking bay a mere ten minutes after Ahsoka and Barriss had landed.

She swallowed. It could be nothing of course. On an old station like this, there might be a malfunction somewhere either with the door opening, or a signal being pinged incorrectly to the terminal. But there had been no indication of that in the records before. And whatever it was, they had promised to get in touch with one another.

Barriss was raising her wrist comm when she heard the door slide open behind her.

She frowned and turned around. “I thought we said we’d be communicating by--”

She leapt back with a shriek and pressed herself against the terminal, her skin going pale and her heart pounding, eyes nearly bursting out of their sockets.

Master Luminara Unduli stood inside the door frame, her black robes whispering about her and the twin-finned headdress standing tall.

“Hello Barriss,” she said, calmly and simply. “I wondered if we might talk?”

Ahsoka slapped the top of the storage box she’d piled up on the repulsor trolley, five of them in all, and grinned. She was proud of her handiwork--she’d managed to haul a significant number over and get them arranged faster than she’d expected, and in her hunt, she’d turned up a few medkits and even, incredibly, some bacta packs that were within usage date! Now all she had to do was take this back to the shuttle. She might even make it back before Barriss was done at her end.

She keyed her comm. “Hey Barriss? I’ve got a chunk organised and I’m about to take it back to the shuttle. So unless you hurry I might be winning the race!” she finished in a sing-song voice.

She keyed off the comm and waited for the spluttering response.

None came.

She frowned. That was odd. Her transmission had definitely gone through. She knew Barriss could get into a single-minded focus sometimes, but to the exclusion of her comm didn’t feel right.

“Barriss?” she asked, keying her comm again.

No response.

She pulled back and stared at it. This was definitely worrying. Now she was on alert she could feel a prickling sensation running up the back of her lekku and she could feel a tingling in her montrals. A presence was pressing against her through the Force... a warning that felt familiar but strange at the same time...

As she stared at her wrist a shadow swept across the floor and she furrowed her brow. Perhaps an asteroid was drifting past?

Ahsoka turned her head and her eyes slowly widened in horror.

The serrated arrowhead shape of a Venator-class Star Destroyer crossed the sun, bathing shadow onto the facility.

Ahsoka stared up at it, frozen to the spot, mouth open. Was this just a coincidence? Had the Republic lines moved further forward than she had thought and they were coming back to reclaim the space? Or had this been a patrol in the region that had picked up the ping from the base?

She shook her head. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that they needed to get out of here now.

Abandoning her repulsor trolley, she hurried over to the door that would lead her back to the shuttle, desperately keying the comm again, the alienating presence in her mind getting stronger. “Barriss? We need to go right now! There’s a Star Destroyer here and we can’t--!”

She realised why the presence was strange moments too late.

Because she’d never felt this presence as a warning before.

The door slid open as Ahsoka skidded to a halt.

Anakin Skywalker walked towards her, wearing his familiar black and maroon tunic and his dark brown Jedi robes wrapped about him.

Ahsoka trembled, inching backwards with her heart pounding.

“Ahsoka,” Anakin said, stepping forward and raising a placating hand to her. “Just...stay calm, I promise I’m not here to--”

Ashoka spun and ran for the other door.

“Ahsoka! Wait, don’t--!”

She ignored him, running for the door, about to call up the holoprojection to see how she could get to the command centre from--

The door she was running towards slid open and Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped through.

Ahsoka leapt backwards with a yelp and she crouched slightly, entering a ready pose as her gaze flicked between the two Jedi as they cautiously approached her. Her worst nightmare made real.

“We don’t want to fight,” Obi-Wan said, voice gentle but firm.

Ahsoka's skin prickled with sweat as she backed away, her mind desperately racing to find some way out of this.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka slowly backed away as Anakin and Obi-Wan carefully approached her, herding her back toward the wall. Her heart thumped so hard she could feel the vibrations rattling her montrals, sweat prickling along her body as her mind sprinted in every direction at once.

She swallowed and planted her feet, keeping her body firm. She couldn’t back off any further otherwise she would be completely penned in. She forced her mind to calm, to focus on finding a solution. Forced it to treat this as no different than any of the other, numerous, scenarios where she’d been seemingly trapped with no way out.

She’d escaped those, however close. She would escape this one.

Anakin and Obi-Wan came to a gentle halt, keeping themselves equally distanced from each other and Ahsoka, forming a triangle.

“What’s happened to Barriss?” she asked.

“I would imagine Master Unduli is with her,” Obi-Wan replied, shuffling his hands into the opposite sleeves of his robe.

Ahsoka blurted out a nervous laugh. “Well, it’s a good thing you found me. It would be a bit awkward if Luminara had come here and you two met Barriss.”

Anakin shook his head. “That wasn’t going to happen.”

Ahsoka glanced at him and then her whole body sighed with realization. “Of course. Hondo.” To think how close they’d been to just jacking this in and leaving...

 “For what it’s worth, he did take some persuading,” Obi-Wan said.

“Fat lot of good that does me,” Ahsoka muttered bitterly.

Her eyes twitched between the two of them and the three exit doors, her fingers flexing as she tried to work the angles. There weren’t any. The way Anakin and Obi-Wan had positioned themselves ensured that her pathways to the left and right were blocked off whatever run she took, and they could easily move to block the centre. They weren’t likely to lose concentration either, both of them focused in the Force.

She’d need to create some kind of opening...but how?

“Ahsoka...” Anakin started, then paused. She could sense the turmoil in him, bubbling just under the surface calm, and Anakin struggled to contain it as he spoke. “Just come back with us. All of this running around with pirates and...” He waved his hand. “This isn’t you.”

“Sorry, but I’m not inclined to go back to face another show trial,” Ahsoka said, more with regret than anger. Those words weren’t for Anakin, she knew how much he’d fought for her. He was still fighting for her, despite everything.

“Show trial?” Obi-Wan blinked. “Ahsoka, you are guilty, you’ve admitted that.”

She turned a fierce glare on him. “Yes, I am guilty. I’m guilty of the bombing, and more than that. I’ve killed. I’ve been responsible for the deaths of civilians. I’ve corrupted younglings. I’ve led an army of slaves.”

Anakin let out a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes. “That’s Barriss talking.”

“It’s me talking!” she snapped at him, the first prickling of anger towards him bubbling. “Or is that the grand plan? You’re going to take me back and blame everything on Barriss?” She chuckled snidely. “Have you told Luminara?”

Obi-Wan threw out his hands in frustration. “Nobody is going to be blaming anyone else for anything!” He paused, taking a moment to get his emotion under control. “The Council handled things poorly last time, we understand that,” he continued, voice calmer. “And I promise you, this matter will be dealt with by the Jedi. There will be no handing over to the Republic Military, not this time.”

“Sorry, Obi-Wan, but I find your word hard to believe,” she sneered.

“Then believe me!” Anakin put his hand to his chest and started forward, but stopped before he went too far out of position. Ahsoka looked at him and saw the intensity in his eyes. She swallowed, pained. “I promise you, you won’t be handed over to the Republic Military. I will make sure no one harms you.”

“I don’t need to be kept from harm!” she protested, pulling an irritated face at the idea that he believed that was her main concern.

“Then I promise I will make sure you are listened to! That you will get a fair hearing!” He swallowed and held out his hand, desperate. “Please Ahsoka. Just...come back with me.”

She stared at him. Stared into the determination and pain on his face. She believed him. There was no doubt to his sincerity, either in the tremor in his voice or the emotion radiating through the Force. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and chewed at her lower lip. Because the truth was she was tired. Tired of all of it. And a part of her just wanted this over with. And if she could get a fair hearing, if she could be listened to, then perhaps changes could be made...

Maybe that would be the best outcome?

She took a deep breath and sighed it out. She started forward and unwound an arm, reaching for his hand. Anakin smiled and stepped towards her, hope lighting his face.

Then she paused. Curled her fingers back.

“And would you make the same promise for Barriss?” she asked quietly.

Anakin hesitated. And that told her everything she needed to know.

Ahsoka smiled sadly and stepped back. “Then I guess we have nothing more to say to one another.” She unclipped her lightsabres from her belt.

“Ahsoka...don’t do this...” Anakin pleaded.

She flipped her sabres into the reverse grip and ignited them, shifting her feet into her wide ready stance, the yellow-green light of the shoto sabre pointing towards them as she held her arm across her body, with the green light of her main sabre flaring out behind her.

Obi-Wan frowned with grim sadness and dropped his robes. He took his lightsabre from his belt and ignited it, the blue blade humming to life.

Anakin scrunched his eyes shut and shook his head with a frustrated growl. Then he flung off his robe and drew his sword, the blue blade igniting with a snap-hiss. The four sabres hummed together, creating a low murmur as Ahsoka glanced between both of them, working out her plan of attack.

She darted forward and swung her main sabre at Obi-Wan.

He blocked it easily and turned it aside. There wasn’t much power behind her strike and she followed up with a swipe intended to push him back rather than do any damage. Obi-Wan appeared happy to give ground, shuffling backwards while batting her strikes away. But though he moved backwards, he never allowed her to command the position, constantly keeping himself between her and the door.

Ahsoka grimaced and then leapt back from him, spinning to go the other way--

Anakin was there, covering the angles.

She raced towards him, sweeping in with a low and high-strike at the same time. Anakin retreated skilfully, blocking the main sabre and keeping himself out of range of the shoto sabres attack. She swung an uppercut strike at him with the shoto, intending to get him to flinch. When he did so, she leapt upwards, and landed on top of one of the large containers, planning to leap off and run for the door at the apex--

She halted and crouched down with a growl. Obi-Wan was waiting, covering that pathway.

Ahsoka stood slightly, keeping her legs bent and ready to spring, positioning her body so she could keep both Obi-Wan and Anakin in her sight.

“Ahsoka,” Anakin said, anguished. “Why are you doing this?”

“I wasn’t given much choice!” Ahsoka retorted though it pained her to say it. Agonized her. She leapt forward for the door, but Obi-Wan kicked back and was waiting in front of her when she landed. Frustrated she struck out, but the attacks were half-hearted. Weak. Easy to block. “Everything the Council is doing, everything the war is doing! I had to do something to stop it!”

“But we don’t have to fight here!” Anakin shouted. “You can still take the offer!”

Ahsoka jumped backwards and spun, slashing twice at Anakin, well outside threatening range as he stepped backwards. “And leave Barriss in the lurch? No, I won’t do that!”

“For you and her, I promise!”

It hurt. Force it hurt. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could believe you. I know you think she’s solely responsible but...” She swiped at him again and he easily danced out of reach. She leapt up and cleared over the container. “But I made my own choices!” She landed and spun for the door, but Obi-Wan was there and Anakin flooded around the other side, covering the angles.

She flipped forward and landed, spinning around to look and she growled with frustration.

She was right back where she started, stuck in the triangle again.

It was no good! Anakin and Obi-Wan could keep this up forever. They had been Master and Padawan, and friends, for more than ten years, they knew one another at an intuitive level that few Jedi could match, able to coordinate their movements without thinking. It would be child’s play for them to keep her caught between them, defending and manoeuvring around her to cut off the angles, waiting until she was too worn down to continue fighting.

And despite everything, despite the desperation of her situation... she couldn’t bring herself to use all her strength and skill against them because...

It was still Anakin and Obi-Wan. The Master and the Grandmaster she’d joked with, teased. Gone through so many adventures and life-and-death situations with.

Who’d believed in her...

A sense of futility washed through her that made her want to chuck her lightsabres to the ground and give up. Her body collapsed down slightly. There was no way she was going to find a way past them, much less defeat them. It was hopeless.

Obi-Wan stepped forward slightly. “Ahsoka...we understand that you made your own choice, you and Barriss,” he said, gently. “And we respect what you were trying to say even if we disagree with the method and the...results.”

Curiously, Anakin threw Obi-Wan a puzzled look. This, evidently, was not a speech that had been agreed upon beforehand and Ahsoka frowned at Obi-Wan.

“But you must understand,” he continued. “It is your responsibility as a Jedi to put yourself before justice.”

Her eye twitched.

Justice...that’s a fine word...

Her lips peeled into a sneer.

Justice...

It rankled inside her. Clawed at her.

Where was the justice in leading an army of clones, bred and forced to fight without any say in the matter? Treated well by some of the Jedi, perhaps, but still without any choice...

Where was the justice in brutalizing worlds that exercised their free choice ‘wrongly’?

Where was the justice in raising younglings to be soldiers, in sending her and others like her into battle when they were still children?

Where was the justice--?!

And suddenly, just like that, she knew what she had to do.

She recoiled from the idea slightly but it was the only option that made sense. She needed to be able to fight at her full ability and...this was the only way to do that.

Her eyes flicked between Anakin and Obi-Wan. They would be fine. They were two of the best duellists in the Order. They would be fine.

She closed her eyes and sunk into her memories.

And in the end, it was almost frightening how easy it was.

She’d been stuck because she saw Anakin and Obi-Wan as Anakin and Obi-Wan. Instead, all she had to do was think of what they represented.

The Council: their cowardly behaviour, allowing themselves to be dictated to by the Republic.

The Jedi Order itself: crumbling towards darkness, abandoning those who most needed them to lead a war.

The Republic: a failing institution keeping itself afloat through terror and force.

Katooni, Ganodi, Gungi, Byph, Petro, Zatt, O-Mer, Jinx, and so many others. Younglings being corrupted before they’d even become part of the war.

Kalifa...

More clones than she could name...

The blood.

The carnage.

The stress.

The fear.

The pain.

Watching her friends die, helpless to do anything.

And for what?

Her eyes snapped open in a glare.

Sensing the change in her, both Anakin and Obi-Wan took a step back, their eyes widening. Anakin held up a placating palm. “Snips...” he cautioned.

Ahsoka’s lips peeled back, exposing her fangs. “I hate it when you call me that!”

She twisted her torso and spun at Anakin, a whirlwind of green and yellow-green light.

He leapt backwards, cracking away her strikes, but she was as relentless as a tornado, pushing him back with slash after slash. Her pain and her anger channelled into her blows and she struck with full force and full speed, her blades blurring as the light danced across Anakin. No, it was more than her full strength and speed. And she struck with clarity.

Ahsoka kicked off the ground and flipped over Anakin’s head, leaving her clear for one of the doors. Anakin spun and struck at her, and she whipped her shoto sabre up to make the block. It was the first time either Anakin or Obi-Wan had made an attack. And that was good. It meant they were getting pulled off balance, their coordination getting drawn. It made her smile.

She pushed her body towards Anakin, shoving him back with her shoto sabre and then spun to meet Obi-Wan as he ran up to her. She jumped at him bringing her main lightsabre down in an overhead slash. Obi-Wan caught her blade with a horizontal block and shuffled back and lowered his sabre with her momentum so she landed in a crouch. From her crouched position, she slashed with her shoto sabre, knocking Obi-Wan’s blade aside at the same time as she flipped her main sabre into a forward grip and stabbed with it.

Obi-Wan twisted himself out of the way, but the path was open and Ahsoka ran for the door--

Her momentum halted and she let out a shout of frustration, as Obi-Wan used the Force to haul her back. She kicked out and shoved herself backwards, throwing him off with her sudden increase in speed and she flew past him and slashed her main sabre, twisting mid-air.

Obi-Wan ducked under the strike, and Ahsoka landed and rolled into a crouch and swung up her shoto blade to block Anakin’s overhead attack. She swiped at his feet with her main lightsabre and he jumped backwards, breaking the lock and then maintaining his distance.

Ahsoka flicked her gaze between the two of them, shoto blade held out in front and her main sabre held behind in a ready position, crouching slightly. Obi-Wan had circled around to the other side of her, his blade angled slightly forward in a defensive guard. Despite her efforts and her more forceful attacks they still had her contained in the triangle, and she hadn’t managed to force more than half-chances.

She growled with frustration. She needed to find a way to pull them out of position and incapacitate them long enough for her to make a breakthrough. But every time she got past one the other was there. She needed some way of ensuring they were both down for long enough.

Her eyes scanned the room and picked up the set of crates on the repulsor trolley to her left. She took in the container she’d jumped over, partway between the centre and the doorway on the right that would be the most direct route to the shuttle. She flicked them towards Anakin and then back to Obi-Wan.

Perhaps where force had failed...

She dived to her left at Anakin, pushing him back with two powerful strikes. Anakin hopped backwards, gaining himself some distance--

Ahsoka reached out and swept her hand back and two of the crates flew off the repulsor trolley towards Anakin’s back--

He spun and slashed them apart with two quick and precise strikes, the melting halves flinging either side of his body. He spun back instantly--

But it was still too late. Ahsoka had dropped the moment the crates were flung and she spun on her heel, lashing out with her right foot to sweep Anakin’s legs out from under him.

He crashed to the floor with a grunt and Ahsoka completed her spin and leapt at Obi-Wan, sprinting for him with both blades held back, Obi-Wan setting himself to receive the charge--

Ahsoka’s ankle turned and she stumbled, her eyes widening--

Obi-Wan’s warrior instinct took over and he snapped his blade towards the opening she’d left, but he pulled out of the strike the instant he realized what he was doing--

Ahsoka smirked.

His pull-back was wild and left him open. Exactly as she’d intended.

With a yell, she planted her turned foot and pushed off with it and slammed a Force-infused kick into Obi-Wan’s chest. He flew backwards, and at last Ahsoka had her opening and she darted for the door. Anakin was scrambling to his feet but he’d be too late, she’d have time to clear through the door and cut the panel deadlocking it--

Obi-Wan smashed into the container and the back of his head cracked against the edge.

He flopped to the ground and lay still.

Ahsoka snapped her head back and skidded to a halt, eyes widening in horror--

“Obi-Wan!” Anakin shouted and sprinted to his former Master’s side, sliding to his knees as he came up to him. His breath came in short, panicked, rasps and he reached out and grabbed Obi-Wan turning him over, holding the back of his head. Obi-Wan’s body moved limply, his eyes closed and head lolling and Anakin set him down and pulled back his hand and--

His breath caught. Blood coated his fingers.

Ahsoka stood rooted to the spot, arms at her sides, trembling. She hadn’t meant...she hadn’t meant to hit that hard, she hadn’t meant for him to hit the container that way, she hadn’t meant...

“It...it was an accident...” she breathed, her voice a desperate tremor. All her anger had drained out of her and all she could do was stand there, shivering, hoping, desperately hoping, terrified at the possibility of what she’d done. “I...I didn’t mean...”

Anakin’s body went deathly still.

It was as if a hurricane wind suddenly died, leaving nothing but a discordant and eerie calm in its place.

His body straightened, his shoulders rolling back. His head slowly turned to the side, so one eye fixed Ahsoka with a glare. “An...accident...?” he asked, voice as quiet and as searing as the heat of a desert and Ahsoka involuntarily flinched backwards. “Just like the Temple bombing was an accident?”

“Y-yes...N-no!” she stuttered. “I...I didn’t mean...”

Anakin suddenly leapt towards her, crossing the space in an instant, and his lightsabre ignited the blue fire arcing for her--

Desperately, Ahsoka swept her blades up to block--

Anakin’s strike crashed into them with such venom and force that it staggered her, nearly ripping the sabres out of her hands and she had to fling herself back from her off-balance position to block his next attack just in time--

“I believed in you!” Anakin screamed, the anger lacerating her like a sandstorm, her arms wrenched to the side by the strike--

“Anakin, wait--!”

His blade swept up and the blow spun Ahsoka and she nearly fell as her legs tangled and she only just managed to spin herself back around, terrified, for the next attack--

“I stood by you!”

“Anakin, stop--!”

He struck with an upward swing, breaking her guard apart, sending her stumbling backwards, her hands out wide--

“And all the time you were lying!”

“Master, please--!”

He brought his blade down in an overhead strike, with all his fury and rage, and the impact sent Ahsoka down onto one knee as the blue blade crashed between the cross of her own blades, just above her cranium--

But she’d caught the blade too late and too low, and Ahsoka, her face a rictus of wide-eyed terror, watched the blades crackle and spark as the heat and power of the plasma built, too close the emitter of her own blades, overpowering them--

The top of her sabres cracked and then split down the side and the emitters exploded.

The flashbang of sickly green light flung Ahsoka back and she smacked onto the ground and skidded across it, the dead lightsabre hilts clattering beside her in a trail of smoke.

She groaned, pain flaring through her back and back lekku and her hands. She pushed her body up slightly with her elbows. Her montrals rung and rattled and she could feel a burning sensation in her hands, a stinging pain flaring across her fingers and there was a smell, the smell of meat charring and cooking.

Her stomach dropped out. Cold sweat broke out across her body and her breath hitched.

It was the smell of her flesh.

Shaking, heart pounding against her ribs, she brought her hands up to her face--

The ring and pinkie fingers of both hands were gone, sheared off at a diagonal down from her middle fingers. The wound smoked and bubbled as it cauterized. In a strange way, it was an almost neat cut, the line down her hand almost straight.

Her mouth trembled and her breath caught in her throat. Because her fingers were gone, they’d been blown off and she could feel them stinging in pain but she couldn’t see them because they weren’t there they’d been cut off and--

A shadow crossed her vision.

She whipped her hands down and cowered back as a lance of burning blue fire extended out to her, the searing white eye of the blade pointing at her face and the noise was like that of a thousand flies swarming around her head.

Anakin was gone. A shadow covered his whole form as he towered over her, his hair framing his head like a triangular helmet, breath burning in steady rasps.

“He’s a monster. In a human cloak”

And she could see it in his body language. Could feel it pulsating through the Force like the radiation of a dying star. She knew it as a certainty.

He...he wants to kill me...!

And then it passed.

The shadow faded off his face and he was Anakin Skywalker again, blinking down at her in confusion as if wondering why she was lying on the floor instead of completing the task she’d been assigned. “Ahsoka...” he said, voice caught in an almost half-waking state. “What...?”

He paused. He took in what was before him, Ahsoka whimpering in terror as she cowered into the floor. Hands, with some of the fingers sheared off, held up and trembling in a helpless attempt at warding.

And he realized what he’d done.

His face twisted in horror and he staggered back, dropping his lightsabre like it was a lump of molten rock, the deactivated sabre hitting the ground with a dull thud.

“Ahsoka...I...I’m...” His voice was desperate, pleading, horrified.

A groan came from across the room, and Anakin snapped his gaze over his shoulder as Obi-Wan slowly pushed himself off the floor. “Obi-Wan...” he whispered.

Ahsoka broke.

She shrieked and scrambled to her feet, having just enough presence of mind to snatch up her lightsabre hilts as she sprinted for the door.

“Ahsoka! Wait! I’m sorry!”

She didn’t look back. She just ran through the door, and around the curve of the corridor and she didn’t stop running.

Chapter Text

She stands before the council, the firm and warm hands on her shoulders, and she’s quivering with excitement. This is exactly what she wanted, exactly what she envisioned, and now it was finally, finally, happening!

“Master Unduli,” Yoda speaks, a twinkle in his eye sensing Barriss’ excitement, “settled your choice is?”

“Yes Master Yoda,” Luminara Unduli, her new master, replies. She smiles. “I have seen Barriss’ growth and I know her to be studious, hard-working and deeply connected to the Force. She reminds me a lot of myself. It would be my honour and privilege to have her as my Padawan.”

Barriss grins, unable to help it. The words feel so warm, as warm as the hands on her shoulders.

“Then, braid the hair of Padawan Offee you may.”

Padawan Offee...it sends a shiver through her. Master Unduli kneels down in front of her, smiling softly, and takes a wisp of her dark brown hair and gently, ever so gently, twists it into a braid, marking her first year as a Padawan.

She wants to hug her, but she knows that would be unbecoming. So she just smiles and waits, knowing she’ll have the opportunity later.

She sits in her room. She’s had another episode but, as usual, she held it together until she got back to her room. In the comfort and safety of her room, she was free to scream and bash her pillow against the floor. Without anyone knowing. Without anyone realizing her face was a mask, not a reality.

There’s a chime at the door and she freezes. Quickly scans the room to make sure nothing is out of place. “Enter,” she calls, and Master Unduli walks in.

“Hello Barriss,” she says.

“Master Unduli,” Barriss replies, inclining her head. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“No particular reason, I wished to see how you were.” Master Unduli studies the wall and Barriss’ heart thumps, waiting for it. “Were you throwing another tantrum?”

“N-no!” the response is automatic, and she winces as soon as it leaves her lips.

Master Unduli looks at her and quirks a smile. “Now, why don’t we pretend that I can sense your emotions and you’re not as good at hiding them as you think? So, did you throw another tantrum?”

“I don’t understand!” Barriss blurts. “We’re taught that emotions are wrong, and I try, I really do, but I just can’t...I can’t contain them! They become too much!”

Master Unduli smiles gently and kneels in front of her. “I don’t know who it was that taught you emotions are wrong, but they clearly weren’t a good teacher. Emotions are natural Barriss, we all have them.”

“Even you?”

Master Unduli raises a brow. “Yes, even me.”

Barriss realizes how rude what she said was, and bows her head. “I apologize,” she says, regretfully. “I didn’t mean...”

Master Unduli laughs, one of her rare and gentle laughs. “It’s okay, I understand how I can come across. But yes, even I have emotions. We all do. Denying them, repressing them, that’s what the problem is. The emotions build up and fester and then have nowhere to go. It’s like putting gas in a pressure container: if you keep heating it eventually it’s going to explode.”

Barriss looks miserable. That describes her very accurately. Maybe she’s not meant to be a Jedi after all, and this has all been a horrible mistake. “What can I do?” She's pleading, but she’s desperate. The Temple, the Order, it’s her whole world. She can’t imagine life without it, can’t imagine what it would be like to be cast out.

“You acknowledge them,” Master Unduli says, voice soft. Barriss looks up at her, quizzical. “Observe your emotions, recognize that you are having them, and then let them pass. Imagine them as clouds crossing the sky. You see that it is there, that it exists, but then you let it pass as clouds do. And once the cloud is gone, so will the emotion.”

Barriss nods. That makes sense. She could do that. She could observe them and let them pass. She smiles. “Thank you, Master Unduli,” she says, with genuine gratitude.

Master Unduli smiles. “You’re most welcome, Padawan Offee. Now, let me teach you some exercises that may help.”

She sits in a chair, excited, as Master Unduli brings forth the tools. “You’ve done very well Barriss.” Her eyes are bright. Proud. She holds up the needle. “Now this will hurt, but when it passes...”

“I’ll have my first tattoos!” Barriss replies.

Master Unduli laughs. “Yes, you will. Now hold still, I want to make sure I get this exactly right...”

“You got rid of your tattoos.”

Barriss looked up from the floor. Master Unduli knelt in front of her, a couple of metres away and Barriss was similarly positioned, sitting on the open stretch on either side of the command centre door. Her hood was pulled back from her head and her hair frayed out behind her.

“Why?” Master Unduli asked, her body in complete stillness with not even the drape of her fanned headdress moving.

Involuntarily Barriss rubbed at the back of her right hand with her thumb. “I...they reminded me too much...” she began.

“I gave you those tattoos before the war Barriss,” Master Unduli said. “They marked your achievements in constructing your lightsabre, in strengthening your connection to the Force. In building my faith in you.” She looked at her. “Are you saying my faith was misguided?”

Barriss gave a bitter laugh. “You wouldn’t? After everything?” She waved her hands, gesturing to encompass all the things she’d done.

Master Unduli’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t take that tone Barriss, it doesn’t suit you.”

Barriss ducked her head, chastened, and returned her hands to her thighs.

Master Unduli closed her eyes. “Will you breathe with me Barriss?” she requested.

Barriss swallowed. She knew about her struggles and she knew she wouldn’t get it right and doing so in front of Master Unduli... But she nodded and did as she was told. She closed her eyes and breathed, breathing in through her mouth and then out through her nose in a gentle rhythm. It didn’t feel right, in the same way that it hadn’t felt right for a long time, but she pushed past that feeling and carried on.

“Your breath is shallow,” Master Unduli commented. “You’re breathing through your lungs, not your diaphragm.”

“Stop criticizing me!” Barriss shouted. She recoiled from her own words and glanced up. Master Unduli just looked at her calmly. Barriss ducked her head. “I...I apologize,” she said.

Master Unduli closed her eyes, accepting the apology. “The diaphragm Barriss,” she prompted.

Barriss concentrated as she breathed. As she’d done before she put her hands on her stomach and focused on pushing them out to ensure she directed her breath towards the diaphragm. She felt guilty and embarrassed at having to use the technique from her youngling days in front of Master Unduli, but it was the only way. She managed to direct the flow of air to the diaphragm and soon she was breathing without having to focus on it, without having to concentrate, and she felt its calming effect on her. And with the gentle touch of her Master’s presence, she was able to empty her mind just a little, allowing some of the dark clouds to pass by.

She took her hands off her stomach. It felt...good...to slip into it properly again.

They breathed together for a moment, and then both opened their eyes.

“Why did you do it?” Master Unduli asked, voice calm.

The calm she’d reached for slipped through her fingers like water. “What do you mean ‘why did I do it?’” Barriss replied, struggling to keep her agitation down. “I said why I did it at the trial. I told you why I did it when you came to see me!”

“Barriss, calm.”

Barriss returned to her breath and let it settle her. She uncurled her fingers from her thighs.

“I heard the reasons you gave at the trial,” Master Unduli continued after a moment. “Believe me, Padawan, I reviewed the footage many times. And I heard what you said when I came to see you. And I don’t doubt what you say, I could sense your belief clearly enough.” She paused. “But you never explained why you took this course of action instead of speaking to me about your concerns.”

“I tried--!”

“Barriss, calm.”

Shuddering, teeth clenched, Barriss returned to her breathing. Too quick. Too shallow.

“The diaphragm Barriss.”

“I know!” Barriss stood up and paced, flexing her fingers in agitation, her emotions a roiling sea battered by a storm. “I know my breathing is shallow, I know about the diaphragm, I know I can’t get the rhythm right, so would you please stop pointing it out!”

Master Unduli just looked at her. “Would you like me to find you a pillow to throw?” she asked.

Barriss recoiled. She looked to the side miserably and then knelt down again. “I apologize,” she whispered, lowering her head.

Master Unduli regarded her a moment and then inclined her head. “I’m sorry, Barriss,” she said. “That was a mean spirited comment that repudiated the work you’ve done. And I do know how trying this must be for you.”

A weak sliver of a smile twitched onto Barriss’ lips in acknowledgement, but there was a trace of bitterness in it. Master Unduli didn’t know how much that work had unravelled. Because of her own weakness.

“I acknowledge that you raised concerns with me,” Master Unduli continued eventually. “About the conduct of the war, about the strategy training for the younglings and Padawans, and their attitudes. But surely you understand it is a leap from that to what you did, one that anyone who knew you wouldn’t make.”

“Strategy training...” Barriss muttered in disgust, her fingers digging into her thighs. “We’re not soldiers, we shouldn’t be soldiers. We’re supposed to be guardians.”

“None of us can foresee when this war will end. Would you prefer that the younglings were in the same position you were in, with no knowledge of how to conduct themselves in war and having to learn as they go? How many might die for such reasons who could be saved?”

“We shouldn’t be fighting at all!” Barriss shouted. Why was it so damn hard for anybody to understand this? “We’re supposed to keep the peace--!”

“Sometimes we have to fight to keep the peace. Should we leave people defenceless?”

“No, of course not!” She shook her head, trying to get her thoughts and arguments clear. “But we shouldn’t...we shouldn’t invade systems for wanting to leave when they have legitimate reasons for doing so! When they exercise their right to do so! Master, Umbara, they didn’t deserve, just because they wanted to leave, they didn’t--!”

“We are servants of the Republic Barriss, we must do what we can to preserve its peace and democracy.”

“By fighting a war?” Barriss gave a harsh laugh. “That’s a funny way of preserving peace.”

“Almost as amusing as using a terrorist bombing to protest violence wouldn’t you say?”

Barriss recoiled as if slapped. She stared into her Master’s face but Master Unduli’s expression was firm. There would be no apology forthcoming this time. Nor did Barriss deserve one.

She swallowed. “It...it was the only language the Council would understand...” she said, words sounding hollow in her own ears. “Nobody was supposed to...nobody apart from the bomber was supposed to...”

Master Unduli shook her head. “I’m disappointed Barriss.”

The word rang around her head, fuelling a furnace and the roil within her sang. “Why?”

Master Unduli narrowed her eyes at Barriss, but this time Barriss held her gaze, lips twitching into a snarl. “Yes, I killed twenty people. But a single bomb, a single bomb, from those ships in the hangar of the Jedi Temple would kill twice that! I know they have and I know that because I’ve ordered bombers like that to raid enemy positions, enemy positions located in cities!” Barriss glared at Master Unduli, her teeth clenched. “Did you know what those catacombs on Geonosis were when you sent me and Ahsoka in there?” she hissed. “Do you know how many civilians I killed that day? So tell me, why is accidentally getting people killed in this instance so much worse than knowingly getting people killed as a part of a war effort?!”

“Collateral damage is an unavoidable part of war, Barriss,” Master Unduli said, her voice soft and sad.

“‘Collateral damage’?” Barriss sneered. “Fine words for a Jedi aren’t they?”

Master Unduli didn’t dignify her comment with a reply.

Barriss pressed her hands together and they twisted around in her lap. She swallowed, thinking back on it, thinking back on all of it. She trembled. “I... never wanted this,” she said, voice hoarse, tears stinging her eyes. “I never wanted to be a solider, to fight a war, to lead clones, to lead slaves, into battles! I never...I never wanted...”

“And you imagine I did?”

Barriss snapped her head up. “N-no, I never...”

Master Unduli’s gaze was fierce. “I don’t want this any more than you do Barriss. I never thought it my destiny to be a general on the front lines of a conflict, having to make the necessary decisions that I have done. But the will of the Force guides us and we must accept what it asks of us. It is the only way to restore and ultimately maintain, peace. We must be responsible.”

Responsible... That word again and the image of yellow-eyed Ahsoka flickered through her mind. Barriss put her hands to her head, fingers clawing into her hair, gripping and pulling the strands until it hurt. She wasn’t evading it, she wasn’t--

“I...I...” She choked on the words, struggled to get any of them out, her jaw muscle clamping, not even sure what she was trying to say.

Master Unduli shook her head. “It has always been your failing, Barriss, to imagine that you alone see things with clarity and moral authority.”

Barriss shrank in on herself. Her hands dropped from her hair and slapped limply to her side, her expression falling with them. Had she really thought that she was the only one who understood? And what had she really achieved? Nothing. Not one thing.

She’d never felt so small. So pathetic.

What a joke she was.

“Are you going to take me back?” Barriss asked, quietly, the fight gone out of her.

“It is my duty to bring you to the Council.”

Barriss licked her lips, trying to mask her fear. Maybe Master Unduli thought they would protect her, but she knew what the outcome would be.

Being tried. Executed.

She couldn’t really say she didn’t deserve it.

But maybe that was what was needed? That would be taking responsibility, wouldn’t it? Nobody could deny it then. But...

But Ahsoka...

If Master Unduli was here with her then it stood to reason that Skywalker, at least, would be with Ahsoka. And if they took her...

“Ah...Ahsoka...” Barriss began, voice weak.

Master Unduli regarded her with pity. “You never did manage to rid yourself of that attachment did you?” She said it softly, so softly it was almost a whisper. But it struck Barriss’ ears like a thunderclap.

She reeled backwards, eyes wide. “Y-y-you...k-knew?” she stammered, voice high and child-like.

Master Unduli smiled sadly. “You informed me you were struggling with feelings toward someone else. There was only ever one plausible candidate, Padawan mine.”

Barriss wrapped her arms around her stomach and bent over, a low whine breaking through her lips. She’d thought there was no way anyone would know. She’d gone to Master Unduli in desperation but her advice to let it pass, like one of the clouds, she hadn’t been able to follow. She hadn’t wanted to follow it. It was the first time she’d ever intentionally defied one of her instructions but...

She’d needed it. As much as it hurt her and pained her it was the only thing that had given her warmth.

But a small light of hope flared within her. If Master Unduli knew then...she could use that. When they were taken back she could claim that she’d manipulated Ahoska with that feeling. She would lie, say Ahsoka returned her feelings. Ahsoka would protest, of course, but they would think that was a delusion Barriss had put into her. As much as it would pain her, she could use their fear of attachment to her own advantage to save Ahsoka--

“And that attachment led you astray.”

--and Barriss would be the only one who was...

...was...

Slowly, her head pulled up and she wasn’t even aware of moving it. It was like it was being gently raised on a string and her mouth opened slack as she stared at Master Unduli and the world moved at two different speeds with the background receding and Master Unduli coming forward, but both staying in place.

“...what...?” the words came out slurred from her numb lips.

Master Unduli turned her head. “I thought your friendship would be good for you, even after knowing how you felt. And I thought it would be a good learning opportunity, for you to move on from it, but I see now that I made a mistake and I should have intervened.”

Barriss heard all the words but they didn’t make any sense.

“But you didn’t move on. And her influence was ultimately malign.”

It clicked like a blaster being cocked.

Suddenly Barriss understood exactly what she was saying.

“Her recklessness, her brashness--”

Barriss’ eyes narrowed.

“--her love of battle--”

Barriss’ lips twitched back into a snarl.

“--her emotional instability and her anger--”

Barriss’ fingers twitched, digging and raking at her thighs.

“--all of that led you astray through your feelings for her. Feelings she used.”

Luminara looked down, regretful. “I take no pleasure in saying it. And I will support Skywalker in protecting her. But I failed you Barriss. I should have been wiser, I should have spotted the danger and put a stop to it.” She smiled. “But it’s all right. I promise it will be all right. We’ll go to the Council and I can explain--”

She cut off. She blinked and touched a hand to her throat. There was a sudden tightness, there, an itch as if she was suffering from flu. A constriction as if someone was squeezing--

Her eyes bulged and she looked up--

Barriss’ right hand trembled in front of her, her fingers constricted into claws.

“Is that...what you think?!” Barriss hissed.

Barriss stood and raised her arm and Luminara was yanked into the air, desperately grasping at her throat, her air supply cut off.

A grin split Barriss’ face. “Well, I have news for you Master...It wasn’t Ahsoka that influenced me. I influenced her!”

Luminara’s eyes widened. She flailed a hand towards Barriss, choking--

“I was the one who came up with the plan. I was the one who organized it. And. I. Was. The. One. Who. Dragged. Her. Down. With. ME!” Barriss swung her hand forward and Luminiara smashed into the wall. She cried out as she sprawled out onto the ground. She looked up, all her poise gone, shock and panic splayed across her face.

Barriss heaved in breaths, her face twitching, tears spiralling down her cheeks, teeth clenched so tight together pain flared through her jaw, as her rage surged up from deep within her like lava--

“I hate you!” she screamed.

The world echoed into silence.

Luminara’s eyes widened, her body frozen. Her face fell. Her lip wobbled.

Barriss let out a shuddering breath, her expression collapsing, eyes widening. Her whole body trembled. She staggered back a step, then another. She’d said it. It couldn’t be unsaid.

A cocktail of anger, self-loathing, hatred and disgust raged like a storm within her.

Luminara reached out a hand, desperate, eyes glittering. “B-Barriss...I...I’m...” she croaked.

Barriss spun and ran through the door, pinpricks of tears glinting in her wake.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan groaned and picked himself off the floor. He blinked his eyes, clearing some of the gold spots out of his vision and he rubbed the back of his head where the throbbing pain was coming from and felt something wet.

Ah...

Well, he was alive and conscious anyway. And he didn’t think he was concussed, the throb is head coming from the wound rather than internal pressure. So that was something. An instinctual use of the Force perhaps, cushioning his head slightly from the blow.

“Master...”

Obi-Wan blinked. That was Anakin’s voice. He still called him Master from time to time, though Obi-Wan insisted he shouldn’t but it was done out of respect for his rank. This tone, however...

This was a tone he’d last used when he was a Padawan.

That wasn’t a good sign.

Obi-Wan looked up at Anakin, blinking his eyes into focus. His friend knelt beside him, looking despondent and...ashamed.

“That was some kick,” Obi-Wan said, putting some levity into his voice as he sat back on his haunches. “Perhaps you taught her a little too well.”

“Master...I...” Anakin swallowed and looked away.

“Where’s Ahsoka?” He glanced around the room, but there wasn’t any sign of her. A scorch mark of some kind lay on the floor some distance away, and Anakin’s lightsabre was on the ground a bit further on from there. Nearby the scorch mark was a blackened stub of...

Obi-Wan frowned, focusing his eyes. What was that?

 “She...she got away.” Obi-Wan turned back to Anakin, whose eyes were fixed where Obi-Wan had been looking, his face pale. “Master, I...”

Obi-Wan put a steadying hand on Anakin’s shoulder, drawing Anakin’s attention to him. “Anakin, whatever happened we can discuss it later,” he said, gently but firmly. “Right now the priority is to make sure that we bring her back with us.”

Clarity seemed to come into Anakin and he nodded. “Yes. Of course, I understand.” He rubbed his face and stood up. “The clones should... if we go now we should be able to catch her.”

“Right,” Obi-Wan replied, as Anakin helped him to his feet. “And hopefully Luminara has managed to secure Barriss and then we can--”

Obi-Wan stumbled as the whole hangar seemed to rock. Perhaps he did have a concussion? He glanced at Anakin, but he was looking similarly confused and staring at the door opposite them. So it seemed it was a genuine shake.

Obi-Wan snatched up his comm. “Cody, what’s happening?” he asked. “Were we hit by an asteroid?”

“No, General,” Cody replied, strained. “That would be the torpedoes from the Separatist dreadnought.”

“The what?” Obi-Wan and Anakin looked up at the same time and their eyes widened.

The bladed form of a Separatist dreadnought crossed overhead, trading turbolaser and torpedo fire with The Negotiator. Flashes and explosions rippled across the shields as the beams lanced into one another. Vulture droids and ARC-170 starfighters danced and swooped, laser cannons streaking green and red light at one another. A vulture droid was struck, and its burning ball of fuel streaked past the hangar before it crashed and exploded on the asteroid, making the facility rock, dust and asteroid chippings spewed past the vacuum shield.

“But...where did they come from?” Obi-Wan couldn’t believe it. Yes, this was near Separatist space, but why would they divert a dreadnought into an asteroid field when they’d never bothered before? Was it just some patrol that had been lucky enough to spot them?

“They cleared the field not so long ago,” Cody replied. “General, you need to be ready, they’ve launched drop pods!”

“Drop pods?” That didn’t make any sense. What was the point of them launching a ground assault force unless...

He blinked, realization dawning. Unless they know we’re here...

“Hondo...” he breathed. He must have tipped the Separatists off as well, getting paid at both ends. Blast! I should have anticipated that!

“We should go!” Anakin shouted, grabbing Obi-Wan by the shoulder, and snatching up his comm. But before they could run, the door at the opposite end opened and a platoon of B2 super battle droids marched in, their blaster hands held at the ready, the sounds of blaster fire and shouts ricocheting into the room.

And behind the super battle droids, announced by the harsh tread of his claws smacking into durasteel but moving with the eerie predatory power of a shark, came the wraith-white figure of General Grievous.

“Ah, General Kenobi!” Grievous called, voice a mix of amusement and contempt, yellow- eyes burning between burnt muscles visible through his insectoid skull mask, with bladed fins at the sides. “And this must be Skywalker.” Grievous emerged from behind the super battle droids, as they spread out around the room to form a ring. Grievous raised himself up to his full height, towering over the two Jedi, his cape swirling behind him. “I look forward to adding your lightsabres to my collection.”

Obi-Wan half-sighed, half-scowled as he reached out and his lightsabre snapped into his hand, Anakin doing the same and summoning his from across the room. His head was throbbing but he couldn’t tell if that was down to the wound of irritation at how badly this situation was spiralling beyond his control. He exchanged a quick glance with Anakin and then ignited his lightsabre, Anakin doing the same, as he raised his comm to his lips.

Ahsoka spilt around the corner, bouncing off the wall and nearly tumbled over her own feet. She forced herself to slow down and for the first time, she looked back. There was no one behind her, no one chasing her.

No monster.

She gasped, rasping in breaths as she struggled to bring herself under control, her heart hammering so hard she thought it might break her ribs. Her lightsabres felt odd in her hands, the lower portions of them dangling slightly, her grip weaker than normal.

(Because her fingers were gone)

She refused to look at them and clipped them to her belt and took another breath and started forward again, in a cautious walk. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, but there would be clones about and it stood to reason that they’d be patrolling, probably watching their ship as well.

She stretched out with her senses, feeling her way along the corridor, but there didn’t appear to be anyone waiting. Perhaps they’d overlooked this area, or Obi-Wan had kept the clones back thinking that--

Her senses struck a familiar presence. She halted, freezing in place, eyes scanning ahead. The centre of the corridor was caught in shadow, the lights not reaching far enough. But she could feel him moving towards her and over the beat of her heart in her montrals she could hear the tread of his boots.

She swallowed and took a step back--

Captain Rex emerged, helmet tucked under one arm, glaring at her.

They stared at one another for a long moment.

“I was waiting,” Rex said at last. “I kept the others away from this route because I thought...I thought if you did escape this would be the way you’d most likely take. I wasn’t sure I would but...” He shrugged. “Well, I know the kinds of situations you’ve escaped before.”

Ahsoka couldn’t say anything. Her mouth and throat were dry and they weren’t working. She couldn’t even move her lips, her mouth hanging open in shock. Anxiety swirled through her, squeezing her stomach like it was a damp towel.

Rex scrunched his eyes, twisting his head slightly. “Why?” he asked. “Why did you...Did we really mean nothing to you all that time?!” He started towards her and Ahsoka backed off, raising her hands.

“Rex, no!” she protested, pained. “That’s--that’s not--!”

Rex halted abruptly, his eyes going wide. And Ahsoka remembered what had happened. Saw the evidence of it in front of her own face.

“Your hands!” Rex shouted, starting forward again, all his anger gone replaced with shock and concern. “What happened?”

“I...I was fighting Anakin and...and...” She couldn’t formulate the words, her voice weak as her heart rate spiked at the memory.

The shadow and the burning blue blade.

“He...he did that to you?” Rex whispered, his expression caught somewhere between hardening with anger and softening with sorrow.

Ahsoka whipped her hands away, her gorge rising at the sight of them and what they meant. She shook her head. “N-no, it was an accident! He...he didn’t... It was my fault...” She broke off, unable to get the ideas clear in her head, unable to articulate the clashing feelings.

Rex stared at her and then turned his head, letting out a long breath. “Kid...why?” he asked again, his voice softer now. Softer with pain. “Why did you do it?”

Ahsoka swallowed. “We...we never meant for...we never meant for so many to die. Nobody but the bomber...we...”

“Is that supposed to make it better?” Rex asked, voice part anger and part confusion.

Ahsoka dropped her chin to the crook of her neck. “No...” she whispered, miserable.

Rex regarded her a moment and then turned away, anxiously tapping his fingers against his helmet. “I know how some of the Jedi see us,” he said, voice low. “Not just the likes of Pong Krell, some of the others. More than anyone would like to admit maybe. But I never thought you were among them.”

That stung. Stung enough to pull Ahsoka from her misery and plant her feet and press her lips together. “I’m not,” she said firmly, drawing Rex’s gaze back to her. “I remember all their names: Boggle, Tenson, Cueball, Klik, Slicer, Ash, Target, Pavan. Scale, Loco, Sevens.” She paused. “Do I need to list more? I can go through all of them.” It was petty she knew, throwing it in Rex’s face. He didn’t deserve that.

But she needed him to know.