Dependable Barriss

“Guess again,” the Inquisitor cooed.

“No... “ Ahsoka breathed and took a step backwards. She looked like she’d seen a ghost.

The force was strong with the real Ahsoka. She was vastly different from the apparition that tormented the Inquisitor in her nightmares and her signature was like a blinding light to the Inquisitor’s eyes. She felt no helplessness, no fear and no clammy regret – only a desire to extinguish the light.

With a three-pronged snap-hiss, a single golden saber crashed into two white and they stood face-to-face with barely an inch to spare between them. The heat from the sabers was unbearable, but Ahsoka was no pushover. While her facial expression was that of terror, there was no doubt that she wasn’t off balance.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Ahsoka said with a voice that threatened to break, but the only reply she got was laughter.

Breaking off the attack, the Inquisitor summersaulted backwards and landed on her feet in a perfect soresu stance.

What’s that? You think she’s pretty still?

The togruta had grown since the the last time the Inquisitor met her. Her montrals reached further down her shoulders, her white facial markings appeared to curve at slightly different angles and the eyes that stared back at her were much more experienced. Unsurprisingly, she wore the same type of clothes as she always had. Skin-tight pieces of cloth that all had that dark-brownish tint to them littered her arms and torso. It was some sort of flexible material she understood, but in addition to that, there were several places where armored plates covered her body.

Ahsoka was eyeing up her opponent as well, but when she noticed the Inquisitor’s eyes scrutinizing her form, she took up a defensive position.

She makes use of jar’kai, the Inquisitor recalled, but remembered that Ahsoka had added her own special flavor to the form.

She smirked broadly.

Good thing you’ve sparred with her countless times, Barriss.

In a blur of motion, she swept the lightsaber in a horizontal arch which made Ahsoka duck, as the Inquisitor knew she would, which left her open to a force push that sent her clamoring face-first into a wall of broken monitors.

Crying out in pain, Ahsoka turned in time to block a golden lightsaber. The Inquisitor grabbed an orange wrist to stop the second white blade and then twisted. Ahsoka made another painful sound as she dropped the second blade, but the Inquisitor wasn’t prepared for the speed with which the togruta spun around and kicked her square in the chest.

Forced back, the Inquisitor was numb to the pain. She felt her heart pump adrenaline through her veins at a rapid pace and she could not stifle a thrilled cackle.

She is as weak as you were, but I’ll show her the power of the dark side.

Ahsoka frantically felt her montrals, jagged shards of glass sticking out with blood staining the blue and white stripes. Fear and confusion flowed from her and it was obvious she was still trying to comprehend what was going on. Like a predator attracted to the scent of blood, the Inquisitor was drawn into the next assault.

Ahsoka almost didn’t get her single white saber up in time to parry the strike, and the next she had to dodge by rolling aside - but that left her on her knees and the Inquisitor brought down her blade with all of her might.

Sparks flew as gold met white. Ahsoka held up her saber with both hands, gritting her teeth as she fought to hold the Inquisitor back.

Seeing Ahsoka buckle under her strength fueled her confidence and she brought down her blade again and again. It produced a tickling feeling in the Inquisitor’s stomach and she couldn’t stop laughing.

How can you fight this? Do you not feel it as clearly as I do?

The sensation of overwhelming power that the dark side gave her left her out of breath. Even though her muscles screamed for a pause she kept bringing the golden saber down on the white, every sparkling blow lighting up the world.

She will give in – and so will you.

Coherent thought ceased in her mind. Her will was not her own, but that of a greater power that had no regards for the physical strain the vicious assault took on her own body. She had no idea how long she pummeled the jedi, but eventually the blows became sloppy and started to miss their target. The spell slowly ended as she had to heave for air lest she pass out. Too exhausted to complete another strike, she stood back to observe her work.

Ahsoka had been pressed hard with her back against the wall. She barely stood, clutching the lightsaber in her hands and attempting to steady herself for the inevitable next attack.

I can do whatever I want with her.

The thought was exhilarating. Sweat stung her eyes and she had not fully regained control of her breathing, but she still advanced on the shivering togruta.

And you’re going to watch.

Reaching out with the force, the Inquisitor easily pulled the lightsaber from Ahsoka’s hands. Without a weapon to defend herself, Ahsoka could only edge further backwards until a force-push smacked her into the wall.

The togruta slumped down and didn’t rise again. Her blood-stained chest guard rose and fell at an alarming rate and she didn’t seem to be fully aware.

The Inquisitor pointed the golden saber at Ahsoka’s forehead.

Where should I start?

Her gaze fell upon large, sharp teeth that were stringed together to form a headdress.

Akul teeth, she recalled. 

The akul was a vicious predator on Shili and she remembered how proud Ahsoka was of it. Even though Barriss had thought it a barbaric practice, she understood it well. Togruta were a species of predator, which was evident every time Ahsoka flashed her fangs in a grin. Their tribal traditions were vastly different from the mirialan heritage Barriss hailed from, but the headdress meant for Ahsoka what tattoos meant for Barriss. It was a trial of life and it was something that was worthless to others, but was invaluable to the wearer.

It took only a second for the lightsaber to sever the headdress and send it sliding down both sides of Ahsoka’s montrals.

“If you’re going to kill me,” Ahsoka said between breaths, “get it over with!”

The Inquisitor looked into the eyes that were glaring up at her. They were fire behind ice blue crystal and there was something about it that made the Inquisitor pause.

You’re right, she is pretty.

She deactivated the lightsaber.

“I’m not going to kill you, Ahsoka.”

At least not yet.

The white markings above Ahsoka’s eyes creased.

“I won’t ta-“

The Inquisitor’s gloved fingers silenced Ahsoka.

“What’s the matter?” she crooned. “You always enjoyed this.”

Barriss had always found that there was something exotic about Ahsoka’s montrals. Her species were genetically optimized for physical endurance and their headtails were an important part of their sensory equipment. As a result of that, they were very sensitive and Ahsoka did not let anyone touch them out of fear of having them damaged – with the exception of her best friend of course.

“You’re not Barriss!” Ahsoka repudiated and attempted to push the Inquisitor away with a wobbly arm.

For the Inquisitor, it was a weak blow against her abdomen that she ignored.

“You’re right,” she affirmed. “I’m much more than she could ever become.”

The fact that the black leather started to become soggy with blood didn’t bother the Inquisitor. The softness of the skin had sent chills down the spine of Barriss Offee and now, she was delighted to find that her appetite for destruction and suffering was appeased by the affectionate gesture.

“You’re right,” Ahsoka snarled, still finding it in her to resist. “The Barriss I knew might have been misguided like you, but she was never weak.”

“Weak?” the Inquisitor exclaimed ponderously. “I’m more powerful than she ever was.”

“It takes strength to resist the dark side,” Ahsoka said with a wry smirk. “Only the weak fall to its temptations.”

Her finger struck one of the shards and Ahsoka let out a shrill cry of agony.

“Shh-Shh shh…” she hushed the togruta and crouched so that their eyes were level.

“You don’t know the dark side yet – but you will.”

Compassion did nothing for the Inquisitor, but she still spent a moment gently rubbing the back of Ahsoka’s head as the togruta slowly composed herself.

Ahsoka tried to shake her head, but the vigorous movement stopped when the shards collided with the wall and sent new spikes of pain through her sensory organs. The Inquisitor watched patiently, wanting to hear Ahsoka’s unbroken spirit talking again.

“You know that’s not going to happen,” she finally said. “I will never help you – or the Empire.”

The laughter came easy to the Inquisitor – just as it had when Barriss had been the one to experience Ahsoka’s brusque nature.

“You should be glad that I was the one who found you,” she followed up calmly. “Anyone else would have questioned and killed you.”

“Oh I’m so relieved,” Ahsoka said in blatant irony. “My best friend gets to betray me one last time.”

“This won’t be betrayal,” the Inquisitor corrected. “This will be making things right.”

The confused look Ahsoka sent her was enough incentive to carry on.

“I’ve had visions, Ahsoka. The force has been trying to tell me things.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just your conscience trying to make you sane again?”

Ahsoka’s snide remark made the Inquisitor laugh stiffly and shake her head.

“The force brought you to me for a reason,” the Inquisitor theorized.

Ahsoka’s smile disappeared from her lips, but she didn’t look like she disagreed. It made the Inquisitor wonder whether she had had similar visions.

“When did the dark side twist you?” Ahsoka asked suddenly. “Before or after you stabbed me in the back?”

It was difficult to specify. Barriss, unlike other jedi, had not feared the dark side. She had thought of the light side and the dark side as meaningless self-invented concepts. In that way, she had never truly understood the jedi’s reasoning for banning it, but she hadn’t received the clarity to make use of it before she realized the jedi were the ones responsible for the war. Reinforced with the power of the dark side, she had nearly beaten the Chosen One in a lightsaber duel and she remembered well the blend of emotions that had steered her at the time.

Sucking in a deep breath, she let those emotions infuse her.

“It all started with you,” she said, taking care to pronounce every word clearly.

Even though Ahsoka must have known she was going to be fed lies, she still went rigid. Catching on, the Inquisitor’s voice was sweet like honey.

“Loyal, perfect Barriss,” she proceeded. “She never acted out of line, she was a model jedi and nobody would ever have suspected her of treason.”

Talking of her former self, she pictured the brainwashed mirialan jedi in her mind. A young and promising puppet of the jedi, she had always been soft-spoken and disciplined – just like her master, but that was on the outside.

“Nobody knew how she struggled with her emotions.”

She lifted Ahsoka’s chin with two fingers and forced her old friend to meet her gaze.

“Nobody, except you of course.”

Ahsoka closed her eyes and pulled a remorseful expression. The Inquisitor felt the guilt radiating off of her.

“I can sense it, Ahsoka. You’re wondering now as you wondered back then… Why? How? How come you didn’t see it?”

Slipping inside Ahsoka’s mind was like taking a dive in a lake. The shock of cold struck her in her bones and it made her want to breathe in. A memory was unfolding in Ahsoka’s mind and she saw it through the eyes of her friend. She saw her former self sitting cross-legged with tears running down tattooed cheeks, but the sound of her sobbing was dulled as if underwater.

You recognize this, don’t you?

The memory was crystal clear. It had been a rainy evening on Coruscant and Ahsoka had been scheduled to leave with her Master for Cato Neimoidia the next day. It had been their last meeting before Barriss had been irreversibly involved in the bombing of the temple and at the time, Barriss had been at the height of her scheming, but also of her regret. She had wanted nothing more than to open her heart and tell Ahsoka everything. How she felt, how she had grown disillusioned with the jedi order and what she had planned to do... But the more she thought about it, the more she realized how horrible it was.

Breathless with fear of Ahsoka’s reaction she had started crying without a single word spoken.

“I couldn’t have known,” Ahsoka said defensively as she opened her eyes again. “I knew you needed help, but - ... I wanted to comfort you, but if I had done that...”

“…what more would you have done?” the Inquisitor finished.

She felt Ahsoka’s heart twist and as the ice blue eyes met hers again she could taste the conflict.

“The teachings of the jedi kept you a slave,” the Inquisitor went on. “You were so afraid of the dark side that you turned away from your only true friend when she needed you the most.”

“Don’t talk like it was my fault!” Ahsoka threw back quickly. “The jedi order might have been flawed, but there was no justification for your actions!”

“Do you think they would have listened to me if I had simply raised my voice?” the Inquisitor said with the wisdom of hindsight. “They would have imprisoned me and stamped me a criminal.”

There was a pause as Ahsoka seemed to be processing the words, but when a smile started to tug at her lips, the Inquisitor tilted her head curiously.

“Don’t you mean if Barriss had raised her voice?”

You slippery eel.

Within two seconds she had grabbed Ahsoka’s chest guard and pulled her to her feet.

“The only reason you’re still alive,” she wheezed, “is because I have a very special plan in mind for you.”

Ahsoka stared back suspiciously. She was taller, but the Inquisitor’s strong grip kept them level.

“You’re headed for a cell for questioning,” she started. “And I know you’re thinking you won’t talk, but you will. The torture will break you eventually and you’ll betray every rebel, every sympathizer and every friend you thought you had.”

Ahsoka didn’t look as snide now, but the Inquisitor was far from done. She was getting to the best part.

“Then... When you’ve become a traitor like your best friend Barriss, you’ll be left alone in the darkness to think about what you’ve done.”

The corners of her mouth curled upwards as Ahsoka’s breathing accelerated. Her eyes were filled with the horror of the mental images the Inquisitor forced her to experience.

“You’ll see the faces of those you betrayed in your sleep. You’ll wake up every day wondering if your actions made any difference. Your remorse will gnaw at your soul until you cannot live with yourself any longer. In the end, you’ll become so desperate that you’ll take to screaming at the walls for someone to execute you until your voice is gone.”

She paused and let go of the rigid chest guard. Instead, she placed her hands to the trembling togruta’s orange cheeks in a fraudulent offer of benevolence.

“That’s when I’ll be there to comfort you,” she whispered, every word expressed softly. “You’ll be begging me to end it all for you and don’t worry, I will. Ahsoka Tano will be gone, but you will become more powerful than you can imagine. Your mind will be set free from the shackles of the jedi order and you will be mine. Forever.”

Ahsoka looked like she wanted to speak, but whatever it was she wanted to say didn’t get past her lips. It didn’t matter, the Inquisitor knew the question that was at the tip of Ahsoka’s tongue.

“Yes… That’s what happened,” she continued and gently guided Ahsoka’s face closer.

“Barriss…“ Ahsoka exhaled crisply, letting herself be pulled ever further towards her demise.

“This was always meant to be, Ahsoka… Just give in. Skip the pain and suffering and join me.”

Even though it had all been an elaborate act, she still yearned to discover what Ahsoka’s lips felt like.

They always seemed so soft. When she smiled, when she gave orders – even when she cried. At times, you couldn’t take your eyes off them and she had to repeat herself.

Ahsoka’s breath was fresh and minty, and as the Inquisitor closed her eyes to fully savor the moment of triumph, she let herself slip into the moment.

She’s mine.

“No!”

Sliding into a broken chair, the Inquisitor fell backwards and slammed the back of her head into a hard edge. Black spots dotted her vision and the air was knocked out of her lungs. It took a moment before she realized what had just happened, but by then it was too late.

“Wait!” the Inquisitor tried, but she couldn’t reach out in the force in time to stop the object that came flying.

The world spun. Her hair was sticky and she had a metallic taste in her mouth. Dizzy, she attempted to look up and prepare for the next blow, but all she saw was the sole of a boot coming down on her head.

“I’m sorry,” was the last thing she heard.

I wonder if they’re alright?

He peered into the tunnel, pondering whether he should have stayed with Fulcrum or not. She had told him to get the others ready to leave immediately and when he asked her why, she had told him she had a bad feeling about this.

Well glad I’m not the only one.

“Move along… move along!” Hoss told the prisoners as they walked in two lines, five in the first and four in the second. She had a smug grin and waved her arm sideways in a wave-like pattern, but he didn’t understand what was funny about it.

They were being loaded into the square transport which had returned empty. Two A-wings were getting ready to leave with it and things looked to be going smoothly. Even Captain Tikira appeared satisfied with the situation, standing before the boarding ramp to the Anguilli with her hands on her hips, watching Lieutenant Fulsae fiddle with a data pad.

“Well, Lieutenant?” Tikira said expectantly.

Fulsae exhaled a sigh and subtly shook her head.

“Hard to say Captain... I need access to the holo net or a transmission database in order to run a proper check.”

He walked over.

“We’ll do a thorough search once we get on the command ship,” Captain Tikira replied and then looked at him.

“Where’s the jedi?” she asked him.

He knew she wasn’t going to like this.

“Fulcrum said we should prepare to leave immediately - I’m guessing she’s with Adder.”

Sure enough, her auburn red eyes narrowed at him, but he was too spent to be annoyed by it.

“We are already prepared,” the Captain informed him starkly. “As soon as the transport is away, the only remaining forces to evacuate are Lieutenant Fulsae’s squad and the jedi.”

Captain Tikira turned to Lieutenant Fulsae again, who was still nose-deep in the data pad.

“Speaking of - Have you had any luck contacting them?”

The Lieutenant shook her head again, not looking up.

“It’s no good. The signal amplifiers must have lost power. We’re going to have to wait until they return.”

Dreem rubbed an itch out of his eye. He really, really wanted a bed.

“Transport’s good to go, Captain!” Hoss called.

“Are the two A-wings ready?” the Captain called back.

Six engines fired up and the only reply Hoss could get across was a thumbs-up.

The noise cut through his skull like needles and he had to stick two fingers in his ears. The vibrations echoing through his lekku were making it even worse, but it got better as the three ships ascended the shaft.

A bit more work and there’ll be sleep.

The small hard bed in his cabin seemed increasingly comfortable as time went by, but for now he had to do with sitting down on an empty crate that had been left next to the boarding ramp of the Anguilli.

Hoss gave him a pat on the shoulder as she passed him by on her way into the ship. He raised an eyebrow.

What’s she so happy about?

Captain Tikira paced the width of the ramp on the hangar deck, her hands locked at the lower of her back.

Guess there’s nothing to do but wait.

He didn’t mind and for some reason it was calming to watch the Captain walk tirelessly back and forth. His thoughts went back to the jedi he had just met. Fulcrum wasn’t as old as he had expected, but she had that aura of knowledge about her as every jedi did. Where Adder was soft-spoken and collected, this one seemed to act faster and for some reason, he didn’t think every action was considered, which seemed strange to him. Fulcrum was an intelligence operative – or something of the sort. She wasn’t supposed to get in the thick of it, but the way she had rushed off with a worried look in her eyes and that last parting line made him speculate.

Are we in trouble?

He pictured Tapham’s young face and then ran a hand down his face as he exhaled. They weren’t friends, but he was just a kid. It affected him whenever one of their numbers took a hit, but this was way worse. He watched the human go through the deathly fit of coughing again in his mind and felt his headache take a turn for the worse. Fortunately, it wasn’t Tapham’s time yet, but he hated being so helpless. It had been near excruciating to watch Adder work on Tapham and see things worsen, but he knew she had done what she could. In spite of her awkward departure, he had to thank her once she returned.

His lekku twitched and he stared at Captain Tikira’s feet. They weren’t moving anymore.

“They’re here,” he heard her say.

Glancing at the six people trudging towards them, he was relieved.

“What happened?” Captain Tikira exclaimed and that made Lieutenant Fulsae look up from her data pad.

He saw Fulcrum carrying someone on her back.

“Sorry ma’am,” a trooper said between breaths. “There’s been... Complications.”

“What complications? Explain!” Lieutenant Fulsae demanded hurriedly, finally putting away the data pad.

“I can explain,” Fulcrum said and he almost toppled the crate as he stood, blood rushing to his head. The togruta’s headtails were completely littered with bleeding cuts. Her orange face was reddened by blood and the armor plates strapped to her form were singed with black slices of soot.

“Calm down,” she said and smiled reassuringly, though it didn’t have the desired effect on him. “She’s fine, but we need to get to my ship.”

“She?” Captain Tikira said, but he beat her to the conclusion.

“Adder?” he asked worriedly. “What happened to her?”

He hadn’t noticed it was her she was carrying, but when Fulcrum carefully placed the mirialan jedi on the hangar deck, he saw that she was in as bad a state as the togruta. Her face had taken a few blunt hits that made the yellow cheeks swell and the hair cover was gone. Her dark hair was filtered with red dust and what he hoped was sweat and not blood.

Fulcrum collected Adder’s hands at her fore and that’s when he noticed that Adder’s wrists were shackled by binders.

“Why is she tied up?” he asked, not able to wait for the explanation that was surely on its way.

“I will explain once we get on the ship,” Fulcrum went on as she took every item from Adder’s belt and clipped them to her own.

He didn’t understand at all. Perhaps some stormtroopers had survived and assaulted them? Maybe Adder had been taken captive by survivors or – no, that can’t be.

Jedi are much too powerful to be taken down by a few troopers and they’re never caught unaware.

Watching Captain Tikira and Fulcrum lift the lifeless mirialan towards the ramp of the ship, he took the blaster rifle in his hands.

“Should we be on guard?” he asked, but lowered the weapon as he saw the troopers and Lieutenant Fulsae converse between themselves in a small group without their weapons drawn.

“No,” Fulcrum called from underneath the ramp and then when she was out of sight: “C’mon, get the others onboard!”

The low buzz of engines firing up irked his lekku, but he did as he was told and motioned for the Lieutenant.

She didn’t seem to notice him so he started to walk over while the engine noise steadily increased, reminding him of his headache.

Lets just get out of here already.

“Lieutenant?” he called, but the engines drowned out his words.

“Lieutenant!” he shouted and she finally looked over, but not at him. Something above him.

He turned around to look up, but before he realized what he was seeing, the deafening noise of engines was replaced by an ear-shattering explosion.

Then he was flying.

He registered the end of his flight once his body connected with the hangar deck head-first, but he couldn’t see a thing. Tiny particles filled his eyes and lungs. Trying to inhale, it felt like someone had placed a heavy stone on his chest. All around him was a whirlwind of red dust and everything was muted save for a high-pitched ringing in his head. He raised a hand to his forehead and when it came back bloody, panic seeped in and made his heart beat faster.

I’ve got to get out of here, was his first meaningful thought and he started crawling on all fours to where the Lieutenant and her troopers had been standing. Green flashes occasionally lit up the foggy redness around him, but otherwise the only light he could see were tall flames before him.

He shouted for the Lieutenant, but he could hardly hear himself and torrents of intense heat drove him away.

They’re dead. Go back, you have to save yourself.

Coughing, he turned around and saw drops of his own blood hit the deck. He was bleeding a lot from his forehead, but there was nothing he could do about it now. The only thing he could do was to shuffle back to the ship and pray it hadn’t been damaged in the explosion, but he still couldn’t see much before him. Had he extended his hand it would have been out of sight.

Opposite the flames.

I walked straight ahead from the ship.

He couldn’t see the flames any longer, but he could feel the heat behind him which meant he was going in the right direction. Scratching his unarmored knee on the rough surface, he felt no pain. His limbs were numb and the adrenaline pumping through his system was probably the only thing keeping him going. Then his hand stumbled against something soft and he froze.

A corpse?

He almost didn’t dare investigate further, but he didn’t have to. Whatever he had touched moved and something hit him over the head.

“Stop! It’s Dreem!” he whimpered and tried to protect his head with his hands, but there weren’t any more blows coming his way.

He looked up and thought he saw a vengeful spirit, but it was much worse. By the time he recognized the dangerous end of a blaster rifle, it was too late to run.

“Rebel scum,” a harsh, modulated voice said.

Glancing up the sights of the blaster, he spotted black eye-slits, sharp symmetric shapes and a finger that was slowly squeezing the trigger.

This is it, he thought and let his hands fall down.

“Say goodbye,” the stormtrooper said and then Dreem closed his eyes.

I failed you.

I’m sorry.

The shot was muffled, almost like it had gone off in another room.

Is this what death feels like?

He didn’t feel any different, he just felt his head throbbing and heard the sound of his heart trying to pound its way through his chest.

He opened his eyes.

I’m still alive?

The stormtrooper landed on his back in a clatter of armor and lifeless limbs, leaving Dreem on his knees in bafflement.

What just happened?

Suddenly the weight of all that had befallen him over the last few days hit him like a rock and he couldn’t stay upright. He tried to soften his fall with his hands, but they didn’t respond and he crashed his chin into the deck.

He managed to moan in agony and contemplate whether he had lost a tooth or not before his eyes closed of their own volition and sleep caught up with him.

What a great day.

Cayleen Hoss sent a few yellow blaster bolts into the fray and then dragged the stupid twi’lek some more. Her lungs burned and it felt like her arm was starting to detach, but it was either keep going or die here on some Imperial moon no one had ever heard of.

Just brilliant, but at least we know who’s after us.

It was a weak comfort. The chances of them surviving this encounter were exceedingly slim and she didn’t even know if the rest were still alive. She had been watching through the cockpit when the transport above suddenly fell out of the skies. She hadn’t had time to warn anyone, only barely managed to hold on as the entire ship shook from the impact. Afterwards, green plasma flew everywhere from above and Imperial shuttles descended behind the wreckage. She had had a first-row seat to watch as they turned the A-wings to cinders and lit up her precious Anguilli.

“I’ll pay you back for that bucketheads!” she shouted angrily and fired wildly into the broil of dust, flames and red flashes.

“Over there!” a modulated voice called and in response to her assault, a volley of crimson bolts flew past her and she ducked even though it most likely didn’t do much to increase her survivability.

The cockpit had separated from the rest of the ship and fortunately, the Imperials hadn’t thought to completely destroy it so she had left it unscathed. That much couldn’t be said of the twi’lek.

She holstered Shilka and used her full strength to drag Dreem by his arms, prioritizing speed in the moment. He was bleeding from his forehead and she guessed he had suffered a concussion. Most of the scattered armor he wore had been blown off and there were some nasty bruises where the cloth had been shredded on his arms. He was lucky she found him when she did and that her aim was impeccable.

Damn near perfect, she corrected herself.

Their only chance to get out of this mess, however, was to make a run for the tunnels, but dragging Dreem with her made it a lot more cumbersome.

Where the heck is the Captain? Where is the jedi?

The Imperials had let their engines running which meant the dust kept being stirred up so she had a chance to remain unseen for a bit longer, but she had to squint to see anything. It was a good thing she knew which way to go, but what about the others? If they were still alive, they’d have better ideas than her, she was sure of that. Two jedi and a Captain – they were supposed to know better than her.

Brooding on their circumstances didn’t help her now though, she had to focus on herself and Dreem which were currently the only lives she had an opportunity to save. That made her smile to think of. Cayleen Hoss, saving lives? She hadn’t imagined that. Ever.

Her heel struck pebbles and the surface was loose beneath her feet which meant she had left the hangar deck and was almost at her destination. She looked up and saw that red flashes still lit up the dust in the hangar, but no bolts flew her way so she felt relatively safe continuing on her path. A moment later, her shoulder barged into a cliff wall and she followed it deeper into the tunnel until the dust was behind her.

Only when she couldn’t hear engines or blaster fire any longer did she dare stop and have a closer look at the twi’lek.

“C’mon, big boy. Don’t tell me you’re the one who’s going to let someone down!”

She gave him a slap across his sea-green cheek and his head lolled to the side, an unintelligible mumble escaping his lips.

Cursing, she reached for her utility belt and pulled her wrist coms from it. She didn’t wear it when she was flying because its irregular shape bothered her wrist, so most of the time, it had its home on her belt.

“Captain Tikira?” she spoke into it and hoped.

The reply was pure static.

“Fulcrum? Anyone?” she tried again with the same result.

Not overly surprised, she clasped the coms to her wrist and sat down beside Dreem. They were sat against the red rocks and she could see empty med crates lying scattered around in the flickering white light.

Why did I choose the tunnel with a dead end?

She blew out an exhale, pushing away blonde hair from her vision.

“Just the two of us now,” she said spiritlessly.

It was quiet, but she had no idea whether they were safe or not. The Empire was on the moon and there had to be more of them than the troop carriers she had seen. They couldn’t have flown all the way out here by themselves, so there was a reasonable chance that there was a ship the size of a cruiser or larger with them.

She shifted a bit, making herself more comfortable against the rocks. They were seated behind a medium sized outcropping, which meant they wouldn’t be spotted immediately if the Empire decided to search the tunnel, but they weren’t after them.

They want the jedi.

Grimacing, she recalled Dreem’s appraisal of their abilities.

Powerful beyond our understanding, making use of the ‘force’!

It was almost too hard to resist raising her hands and making mystical gestures as she imagined Dreem’s face talking about the force. His eyes had gotten all wide with awe and while it was cute, it didn’t mean what he talked about wasn’t nonsense.

Move objects with the force? Yeah right.

If the jedi were so powerful, how come they were in this situation in the first place? All they had done for her so far was to make life difficult and she had known from the beginning that it was a bad idea to get them on their team. While Dreem seemed to revere Adder, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the jedi wasn’t telling them everything. There had to be a reason why the Empire wanted them so badly.

But if the Empire only wanted the jedi, there might still be a chance for the others to survive. They would kill anyone they captured, sure, but they wouldn’t conduct a meticulous search of the moon.

Unless they didn’t find the jedi in the hangar.

Dreem’s head rolled over on her shoulder and she pushed him back annoyedly.

I should have stuck with spices.

It was too late to regret her life choices and there was still something she could do before she let herself slip into a gloomy state of thought. Taking off her vest, her overworked shoulder ached. She felt her way across the belt until she found the spring-blade which she used to slice the vest.

Didn’t like it anyway.

It had cost her next to no credits and it didn’t really fit her, but it had been instrumental in completing her look. Now the fake leather fabric soaked up the blood of Dreem’s forehead. She didn’t have any water to clean his face with so she ran her sleeve over his cheeks. His face was dirty and rough and as the blood was scrubbed away he groaned in displeasure.

“Get over it,” she muttered.

He looked a bit better, but whether he would wake up in an hour or a day, she had no idea. Frustrated, she sat back down and put the blade back in its place. Drawing her blaster, she pulled her knees up to her chin and put her arms around her legs.

Now what do I do?

“Captain, rebel hammerhead bearing 0 7 5 degrees and closing!”

“Engage,” the Captain commanded and the corvette which had gotten its name from its hammer-shaped fore, received a salvo of turbolasers. Its shields lit up green and the brightness temporarily blinded him from observing the result.

“All battery leaders, you are clear to engage at own discretion,” he ordered from the front of the bridge. He stood with his hands locked at the lower of his back and had a panoramic view of the battlefield through a web of reinforced windows.

Why haven’t they tried to escape yet?

The hammerhead moved back into formation with the two other corvettes and as turbolasers bombarded the three rebel ships, they just sat there doing nothing.

What are they waiting for? Something on the moon? The jedi?

Comscan wasn’t picking up hyperdrives being activated and he knew from his officer on the ground that they had destroyed at least six A-wing fighters and two rebel transports at the main landing bay to the mining facility. There were other landing bays, but he had TIE-fighters patrolling them so that there would be no leaving the moon without him knowing of it.

Reinforcements, maybe?

He sincerely doubted it. Even if they had ten more CR90 corvettes, it wouldn’t make a difference against the Exactoris. It had to be the jedi.

The jedi must be extremely valuable to them.

He smiled wryly.

Superstitious fools.

If they stayed here for much longer their shields would give in and they would all be dead. There had been no real resistance on the moon and the only reason the rebel ships hadn’t left yet must have been because they were hoping their insurgents could make it out alive.

The Inquisitor must have crippled their communications or taken them all out.

Or it could be a trick. He didn’t know what the mining facility processed. It could be some explosive material and if there was an entire moon of it, perhaps the rebels were waiting for the perfect moment to set them off.

The explosion could wipe us out in seconds.

He shook off the notion. The Inquisitor would have informed him If that were the case.

The corvettes and their fighters started to turn around and one of his officers called out.

“They’re activating their hyperdrives, Sir!”

He couldn’t send the TIE-fighters after them before he was certain the jedi hadn’t escaped the moon, but their goal was to capture the jedi, not destroy the rebel ‘fleet’.

“All batteries continue fire at will, do not pursue. I want a situation report from the moon,” he ordered. “Have they captured the jedi?”

He had heard of lesser experienced Captains managing to fluke seemingly won encounters with rebels such as these by getting overzealous and he wasn’t about to do that.

“Sir, ground forces report that they have the jedi in custody and are on their way back,” the coms officer reported ecstatically which earned him a hard stare from the Captain.

“Contain yourself, Lieutenant,” he chided before he went on with his orders.

“Recall all ground forces, but I want our fighters to remain on station in case there are any stragglers trying to flee.”

“Yes Sir,” the reply was from several officers who went about getting his orders carried out. He stood back and observed the blue light of the hyperdrive engines flare up on the corvettes and then they were gone.

They’ve realized defeat.

He turned on his heel and motioned for his second-in-command who stood exactly three paces behind him.

“With me, Lieutenant.”

“At once, Captain,” came the swift reply.

“Conning officer take over, keep us in orbit until further orders,” the Captain said and didn’t wait to see his command being carried out before leaving the bridge along with his second.

They entered the holo transmission room which was void of people. It was round in shape and had a large holo table in the center capable of long-range transmission. The Captain took up position before the table and his second stood at a suitable length from him, waiting for his word.

The Lieutenant looked nervous for some reason. Did he think he’d been summoned to receive a rebuke?

“Have we had any reply from Coruscant?” he asked, breaking the tension.

“Yes Captain,” the Lieutenant said and cleared his throat. “They were unaware of the Inquisitor’s actions, but urge us to co-operate in all matters.”

The Captain nodded firmly, not surprised so far.

“Furthermore, they will send a representative as soon as possible to assess the situation and debrief the Inquisitor to make certain everything has transpired according to standard procedure.”

He exhaled a drawn-out sigh. That was probably the best he could hope for in terms of speeding up the departure of this assassin, but it still wasn’t good enough.

“That is all?” the Captain asked.

“No, Captain…” he said carefully and cleared his throat again. “They also wished to inform us that if this mission proves to be successful…”

Spit it out already.

“… They will consider transferring our unit to their command permanently – as a reward.”

“Out. Now.”

“Yes Captain,” the Lieutenant said quickly and saluted. He was out of the door in four long strides and when the door had hissed shut, the Captain took in a deep breath.

He turned around, put his hands on the table and leaned backwards to stretch his arms. Blowing out his breath he shook his head derisively.

What a jest this is.

It was past time he got back to his actual duties and ceased being a mere asset to be moved around. There was no glory in serving a selfish assassin. The work may have been important to someone higher up in the hierarchy, but this wasn’t his mission -  he or his crew wouldn’t receive any recognition. No… That assassin. That Inquisitor was going to harvest all the credit of this victory and all victories to come from the hard work of him and his crew.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

The door hissed open behind him and he turned.

“Sorry to interrupt, Sir,” the technician said.

“You’re not interrupting,” he said, already calm again as he collected his hands behind his back, automatically assuming a stance more fitting of his authority.

“They’ve taken the jedi to a cell,” he informed the Captain.

“Excellent. And the Inquisitor?”

“The Inquisitor is currently being treated in the medbay. She’s unconscious.”

The lines in his forehead creased and the technician visibly grew nervous.

“How long will it be till she makes a recovery?” he asked, trying to appear calm.

“I- I don’t know, Sir. I can ask the personnel in the medbay if you like,” the technician replied.

“That won’t be necessary,” he interjected. “I’ll head there myself.”

He didn’t take the most direct route to the medbay. The path he chose through the stardestroyer was long and took a while, but was much needed. Having stood upright for so long, he welcomed the warmth of motion through his limbs and it also gave him a chance to appear visible to the rank and file throughout the ship. Most of his men knew who he was and what his priorities were, but he didn’t stand a chance to get to know every face on his ship. It was a thing that bothered him. Whether it was paranoia or some odd mushy attribute of his he did not know, but he liked to think his men were content.

And besides, a happy soldier is an efficient soldier.

As he stepped into the medbay, a medical droid came to greet him.

“Greetings Captain,” it said in the calming robotic voice it had been programmed with. “How may I assist you today, Sir?”

“What is the condition of the Inquisitor?” he asked, looking over the robot’s shoulders into the medbay. It was calm at this hour, only a few beds were occupied by crewmen with what appeared to be minor injuries.

“We are currently treating her for superficial wounds, Sir.”

The droid tilted its head awkwardly as it spoke which was probably part of its programming to make it seem more human. It had no mouth, only what appeared to be a metal covered loudspeaker.

“She was unconscious when she was admitted to us, Sir and she still is. We expect her to make a full recovery soon.”

Good, good.

“Show me,” he said to the droid.

“This way, Sir.”

The medbay was split into a large hall which was compartmentalized to allow patients some privacy and the droid led him to the very end where the curtains had been drawn in a square section around a single bed. He took a single step into the section and then stopped.

A non-human?

While it was not the first time he had seen other races working for the Empire in less prestigious jobs, he hadn’t expected someone of such high status to not be human. But on the other hand, it did fuel his prejudice.

They must really be disposable assassins of the lowest sort.

It was both heartwarming and infuriating to learn.

And she has more authority than I have.

Biting back an order he was going to regret, he turned to the droid again.

“That’ll be all, thank you.”

Once the droid had left, he turned to observe the Inquisitor lying under the white sheets. He stood above her, his shadow covering her face.

So young, he noticed. She looked like she had lived about a quarter of her life and there wasn’t a single line in her cheeks.

So much power in the hands of someone so inexperienced.

It wasn’t hard to believe how such an Inquisitor had managed to become so headstrong and arrogant. Youth and power was a dangerous combination and he couldn’t help but wonder how her superiors kept her in line.

Or perhaps they don’t. Perhaps they simply unleash their Inquisitors.

There was little he could gain from staring himself blind at her face. Instead, he moved to a metal table which had been set up a few steps from the bed. All of her possessions along with the jet-black Inquisitor uniform had been spread out on it. He took a thin piece of plastic and held it up in the light.

No name? No face?

Usually, an identification card had a holographic image of the owner’s face though it wasn’t a requirement. A name was, however, but in place of a name, it simply read ‘0 0 2’. He wrote it off as some special identification method of the Imperial Inquisitorius. It was of no consequence as long as the code imprinted on the back checked out and it must have – otherwise he would have been told about it immediately.

But the curious number stayed in his thoughts.

If her number is 002, does that mean she holds a powerful position in their hierarchy – or is it simply a designation?

He turned the card in his hand, studying it from different sides.

Perhaps she needs no face because everyone knows who she is?

If that was true, it would take the sting out of this assignment. While it was still not satisfying to be beneath an Inquisitor his superiors might take a more lenient stance towards his situation. Still, he would have to find out the meaning of the number as soon as possible.

A subtle groan caught his ear and he swung around again.

The Inquisitor was shuddering in the bed so he walked over. She was not awake yet, but she looked to be having a dream.

A nightmare, he concluded. She was snapping her head from side to side as if someone was slapping her across the face.

He shook his head and turned to leave. There was nothing more for him to do there and he had to make certain all of his fighters were pulled back. They had what they came for. It was time to investigate what happened to the Imperial garrison and figure out who was responsible.

All the way back to the bridge, a thought nagged him. He had seen that Inquisitor before somewhere, but he wasn’t sure when or where.

He was confident it was going to be a simple task to find out, however, seeing as the Empire didn’t employ many togruta.

The door flew open and a fair-skinned woman burst inside the murky apartment. From where Barriss Offee stood, the light of the corridor outside illuminated Letta Turmond’s features perfectly. She wore a short, purple scale-leather dress which left her arms bare and ended in a gray and white skirt. The gray leggings she wore ended in knee-high boots of the same dull color and Barriss couldn’t help but think she had been through a construction site.

Letta turned on the lights and saw that she wasn’t alone.

“It didn’t work,” she said shortly with a fancy nasal accent.

“Where are your holo-signs?” Barriss asked unsurprised.

“They took them – all of them!” she said despondently. Her bracelets rattled against her bare arms as she motioned around wildly. “They didn’t even try to listen to us, they just took what we had and beat everyone who refused to leave!”

Letta took off her purple cap and threw it aside into the mess that was her apartment. The place was rotting to say the least. Old food-stained plates stacked up as tall as possible, trashcans overflowing and dirty spots everywhere on the decaying walls. It was a wonder it hadn’t been torched yet just for the smell.

“I told you,” Barriss said as she sat down in Letta’s couch – the only thing that was clean. “You’re not protestors to them. You are people who want a peaceful solution to this war, but they only believe in violence.”

Letta joined Barriss on the couch, buried her head in her hands and emitted an exasperated sigh.

“It will take something more to make them listen,” Barriss spoke quietly. “Words alone won’t be enough you need to force them to listen to you.”

“What do you mean?” Letta mumbled.

Yellow fingers pushed aside short-cut black hair and then followed the smattering of tattoos on the side of Letta’s head. Barriss didn’t know what they were supposed to illustrate, but they were captivating in their own right.

“I mean… Violence is the only language they understand. You will have to speak it in order to make them listen.”

Letta leaned back in the couch and threw her hands up.

“We’ve already discussed that. There’s no way to get anything inside the temple. The scanners are too good.”

Having withdrawn her hand, Barriss folded both in her lap and followed Letta with her eyes.

“The scanners can pick up almost anything and it would be impossible for us to get anyone inside who doesn’t have a clearance, yes, but…” She waited for a moment, wanting Letta’s full attention before she carried on.

“… You said Jackar works at the Temple?”

Letta shifted uncomfortably, running a hand up and down her exposed left arm.

“He’s a munitions expert, yes. Why? What are you getting at?”

Barriss could tell that Letta already knew where this was going, but her reaction didn’t bode well for what she was about to suggest. Did she have the required determination to see this through? Was she capable of doing what had to be done in order to save the Republic and the jedi?

“Have you heard of nanodroids?”

The eyes of the human female widened and when she fully understood what was being called for, she rose from her seat and parted her lips, about to let out a heated protest.

But she didn’t. The breath that had been inhaled in order to shout was now exhaled in a sigh.

“That… Would work,” she said with a small voice.

Barriss could feel her resignation. The very idea of sacrificing her own husband for any reason whatsoever was repulsive – and so it should be, but during the span of a second she had understood why it was the only right thing to do.

But still there was doubt and that wouldn’t do. A clear answer was necessary, otherwise her plans might fail.

“Letta, I understand what I’m asking you,” she said with as much compassion in her voice as she could muster up. “But this is the only way to trick the defense systems and if timed correctly, the explosion could wipe out an entire hangar worth of equipment.”

Letta glanced aside and took hold of her bare arm again.

“He will never agree to do it,” she said.

“He doesn’t have to know,” Barriss supplemented.

The idea was met with another impulsive rejection followed by thoughtful reconsideration. Letta was rubbing a thumb against her shoulder, continuously biting her lip as she tried to convince herself there was another way, but Barriss already knew the answer. She wasn’t surprised when Letta spoke up again.

“And you’re sure this will work? I mean- … Will they listen? Will the jedi realize what they have become?”

“You said it yourself, Letta,” Barriss said soothingly to reinstate confidence in the wavering woman. “This will work.”

“I know, I know but if I do this,” Letta said, looking directly at Barriss. “I’ll have nothing left.”

She just needed a final push, but it had to be served correctly. Barriss stood from the couch and sought out Letta’s calloused hands. Dark-brown eyes watched curiously as Barriss placed Letta’s hands one over the other and then held them in her own.

“The jedi order is my family,” she said in a somber voice. “What we are about to do is gruesome, but the jedi council only understands violence. We have to make them realize what they are doing to themselves and the Republic. We have to send a message powerful enough to force them to act on it.”

She could feel Letta’s unease trickle away and a more steadfast determination rising in her. Her eyes were fixated on their hands though.

She will do it, Barriss mused and felt a knot untie in her stomach. Her plan was going to work. Jackar was going to blow up a hangar filled with dispensable clone troopers and equipment, Letta was going to be captured and she’d die before she could ever say a word about Barriss’ involvement. She’d see to that.

“Come, I’ll show you how to do it,” Barriss offered.

Letta nodded a few times before finally finding the courage to lift her eyes and meet Barriss gaze.

“Okay. We ca-uargh”

Her eyes widened in fear and she started clawing ferociously at her throat.

“Letta? Letta what’s wrong?” Barriss asked worriedly, trying to steady the woman as she jerked around in her panicked state.

She was gasping for air, but invisible hands had her throat in an iron grip.

Someone’s choking her, Barriss recognized, but there were no one else in the apartment. Was it poison? Was it something she couldn’t see?

Barriss could do nothing except hold the dying woman in her arms and wait for the inevitable, but she didn’t feel anxious at all. She felt… bothered - as if someone was trying to spoil her plans rather than kill one of her friends.

This can’t be real. I’m dreaming again.

It felt like the lights in the apartment turned a dark-reddish hue.

I can’t be here. This is not real.

Letta’s anguished sounds started to become more inhuman as her eyes rolled back and there was nothing but white.                            

Barriss stood back, starting to look around for what she knew was going to find her soon unless she woke up.

I’m dreaming. Wake up. Wake up!

As she became more conscious, she realized it was a mistake. Her limbs hadn’t awoken yet so she couldn’t move. She stood still like a statue in the middle of an apartment that slowly faded away until there was nothing but darkness all around her – and the dying Letta.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement.

No -.. Not again.

She tried hard not to think of her. She knew this was all in her mind and that she was in control of this nightmare, but why was she so helpless then?

Barriss, she cursed.

The wind of motion ruffled up her hair and she felt movement behind her. She shifted her eyes from side to side, but she couldn’t see who or what it was. The darkness extended for miles before her and the only light that revealed the fact that Letta was still there, was a crimson red glow from beneath her.

The cell. It reminded her of the dim red lights that had been in the floor panels every four tiles in the cell where Barriss Offee had died. Then she heard a clacking sound from Letta, like a Geonosian soldier laughing.

You can’t keep doing this.

The human approached and when she stood an arm’s length from Barriss, she noticed small metallic insects skittering on her fair skin.

You won’t win, Barriss.

She tried hard to keep her cool, but the sound of claws on the durasteel floor told her something was clambering its way closer. Swallowing hard, she wanted to sprint away, but she was forced to endure Letta’s cold hands touching her cheek in the same manner she had done to Letta so many times before when she had needed advice and comfort. The hairs prickled at the back of her neck as the insects crawled across her skin.

The nanodroids, she realized in horror and as they started burying themselves into her yellow cheeks, she abandoned all sense of composure. Her breathing increased rapidly and she tried every muscle in her body to find some kind of response that would propel her out of this mess, but nothing helped.

She felt the miniscule droids tunnel their way under her skin like Geonosian mind worms. She felt the same frightening sense of helplessness as she did back then, only able to watch as someone else controlled her body.

No… No not her.

“Barriss? Have you missed me?”

Row upon row of pointy teeth. Demonic yellow eyes. Faded montrals with black pulsating veins and blemished orange arms ending in claws reaching out for her.

She had faced it countless times before, but the blood still rushed from her face and her entire body trembled.

“I’m sorry,” she stuttered automatically, not really knowing why or what good it was going to do.

An unnaturally long tongue bled as it licked across the borders of sharp teeth.

“I’m sorry Ahsoka!”

The creature edged closer, but took its sweet time. She felt cool sweat running down her back and the more she stared into the creature’s eyes the faster her breathing became so she looked away.

“Are you afraid of me, Barriss? Don’t you like me anymore?”

She couldn’t hide her fear from the monster and when another rush of motion came, she closed her eyes and emptied her lungs in a bloodcurdling scream.

And then the pain came.