Republic Court Room, the Following Day…
The courtroom was a scary place as Ahsoka sat in the dock, the looks she was receiving from everyone especially Tarkin was enough to make her sick but she held her head high and refused to be intimidated by them. Padme who was sitting at the defence desk with Hart and his people gave her an encouraging smile which she returned and as her eyes looked to one of the view galleries around the room, she saw Master Kenobi and a few other Jedi sitting there. Obi-Wan gives her a sad smile which got him a glare from Master Mundi and a couple of the other Jed in the box but Obi-Wan gave them a glare right back which surprised her before he turned back and gave her another smile.
She couldn't help but smile back, Obi-Wan had not been in the chamber when she was exiled which was unusual for a council member and she could feel his concern for her. She appreciated that he cared even if he hadn't done much.
The judge settled in to his seat, a human she noticed in his later years.
"Advocates, please rise for opening statements." The man said with a stern voice. While Tarkin was apparently not able to speak for the prosecution he was nevertheless sat at the bench while another man stood there.
"Your honour." Hart said as he stood up. "My client has served the Republic faithfully and with great loyalty since this war began and has never given anyone reason to doubt her devotion to the Republic and its safety. We enter a plea of not guilty."
"Understood, has the prosecution anything to say?" The judge asked and the man who was a cold slimy looking toad of a man said.
"Nothing your honour. The evidence speaks for itself. This woman is a traitor to the Republic and her conviction will ensure the true cost treason is known to all." The toad said and sat down with a self-satisfied smile on his face.
"Very well, prosecution can present their evidence and then the defence will issue their rebuttal." The judge decreed.
"Very well your honour." The prosecutor said with a smirk on his face. "I call attention to her being found in the warehouse where the nano-droids responsible for the bombing of the Jedi Temple were discovered."
"Objection your honour!" Hart said quickly which made everyone jump. "There is no context to this comment. To prove my point, I will call Commander Fox to the stand."
"It will be allowed but only this once." The judge warned him and Hart nodded while Commander Fox who surprisingly was already here took the stand.
"Commander, you were with the party that found Miss Tano correct?" Hart asked and the Commander nodded.
"Yes sir, I was part of the team sent to arrest her."
"And what condition was Miss Tano in when you found her?" Hart asked him quick as a whip and the Commander like a good soldier answered while Tarkin's advocate looked nervous all of a sudden.
"She was being electrocuted by a series of small projectors and helplessly laying on the floor."
The jury nearby all blinked and started looking between themselves as if all startled by this piece of evidence.
"Is it normal for the Jedi to electrocute themselves to a near fatal level?" Hart seemed to ask the court and a few people shook their heads but Hart quick as a whip continued. "It says in your report that there was evidence of a fight having taken place there but only Miss Tano was found at the scene, correct?"
"There was some evidence that someone else had been there yes sir." Fox said.
"So, judging by the condition Miss Tano was found in I think we can all agree that Miss Tano did not win that fight and in fact she was disabled by someone and left there to be found or until she died. Not really the mark of someone who is guilty and furthermore no evidence exists that Miss Tano had even been in that warehouse before today and more to the point the purchase of those nano-droids was traced to someone on the planet Coruscant on a direct line to the company which is located on Draal Zix 3. Now when that order was placed, Ahsoka was on the other side of the galaxy fighting with her master and a few thousand clone troopers at the exact moment. So, it is quite impossible for Miss Tano to have ordered those droids."
Padme and Ahsoka looked on in surprise and even started smiling at how quickly Hart had started turning the case against her in their favour and did not know this yet but he was only warming up.
- x -
The Jedi Temple…
Anakin meanwhile was looking into which Jedi had been in the Temple the day those droids were ordered and it was he thought with a sigh a long list. Even at their busiest the Temple usually held at least two hundred Jedi minimum even if you discounted the younglings.
The good thing was Ahsoka had managed to let him know that her attacker had been female and around her height and build. That cut out a lot of potential options and narrowed down his search.
Still, he was dealing with thirty potential Jedi who fit that description but few ways to narrow them down. One had occurred to him though, how many were on Coruscant now?
That cut it down to ten.
The problem was that he just didn't have anything else that might narrow it down. Most of them as far as he could tell had nothing to do with Ahsoka, well except Barriss.
Barriss, he thought suddenly as he remembered a key piece of information that Ahsoka had told him earlier and it just hadn't registered until now. It didn't seem possible Anakin thought, the two of them had been such close friends but…He thought trailing off as he considered the depth of this and what it meant.
- x -
Republic Court Room, Later that Day…
"So, there is no evidence that Miss Tano had any prior contact with the saboteur." Hart said as he examined the communications expert he had brought in for the trial. The Selonian man just shook his head.
"None that I could find in either communication records."
"That is not evidence they never met." The prosecutor argued but Hart merely smiled and told the court.
"I never said it was, I just remarked correctly that the prosecution has no evidence to the contrary." Hart said with a smile, making the other side look like unprepared idiots in the process.
Padme and Ahsoka were amazed as Hart systematically took all of the supposed evidence against her and tore it apart making a case that had looked like a sure thing dissolve before their eyes. Tarkin was sitting there looking furious as his supposed show trial descended into the mire.
"Now, concerning the recording of Miss Tano supposedly strangling the saboteur." Hart said moving on to a special demonstration he had arranged with a certain Jedi Master in a brief recess just a few hours ago. "Now while this does go into the realms of mysticism there is a certain point that I feel must be made."
"And what is that advocate?" The judge asked him, actually intrigued at just where he was going with this. The prosecutor looked nervous as that recording was their best piece of evidence and if Hart managed to affect its value somehow, they might have to kiss goodbye to the whole case.
"That a Jedi doesn't have to be in the room to hurt you." Hart said which surprised all of them. "All they really need is a live focus on someone and they can affect them. Perhaps you might notice that I am currently hovering above the ground?" Hart said with a smile.
They all blinked for a moment and then looked to see what he was talking about and were shocked to see him floating maybe a few inches off the ground.
"No anti-gravity harness or jet boots. There is normal metal beneath my feet." Hart said enjoying this immensely. "Master Kenobi is currently outside the room and watching via a holo channel but with that image he can see where I am and focus the force to lift me into the air." Hart said and a screen projected the image of Obi-Wan standing outside with his hand raised.
"Thank you. Master Kenobi, if you wouldn't mind putting me down now." Hart said and he gently hit the floor. Obi-Wan then walked back in and gave Ahsoka a smile which she gladly returned, thankful he was on her side and seemingly willing to risk the ire of the council. Some of whom were glaring at him for participating.
"So, anyone who could slice or access the holo feed could affect the saboteur. They wouldn't even need to be within the room or even the Temple to do it." Hart explained before revealing a new piece of information his people had retrieved. "And the logs do show an intruder slicing into the holo at that moment the victim was choked." Hart said, showing the logs in question to the court which made the entire court look at the case with new eyes while the prosecution was sweating buckets.
- x -
The Jedi Temple…
Anakin was approaching Barriss's room and his body was tense with anger as he considered if he was right then she had betrayed not only the Jedi as a whole but even worse the only person the galaxy that actually cared about her. He pressed the chime and heard her speak from the inside.
"Enter." She called out and the moment Anakin entered the room he could sense the dark side. He was shocked a little but it only made his conviction that she was the true mastermind behind it stronger. He could feel the dark side coming from a vase behind him in the corner.
"Barriss." Anakin said with his hands behind his back but fully alert and ready for trouble. "I need to talk to you."
Barriss got to her feet and looked startled, Anakin honestly was impressed at how well she managed to hide the truth. She clearly had been hiding much from them all for a long time to be this good.
"Master Skywalker. How can I help you?" She asked in that smooth and elegant voice of hers as she stood up. It was strange he thought seeing her hair as she usually had it hidden by her hood but he pressed on.
"I was told you spoke to Ahsoka before she was arrested. What did you say to her?" Anakin pressed on and casually picked up Barriss's lightsaber so she couldn't use it in case things got nasty and to force her hand.
"We've been friends for a long time. I was only trying to help her. I hope I'm not in any trouble." Barriss said evasively which only confirmed his suspicion but he wasn't prepared to force the truth out of her just yet.
"It's no trouble." Anakin 'reassured' her as he continued to hold her lightsaber. "I just need to know what you told her. And if you told anyone else."
Barriss kept up the surprised act and her image of innocence which annoyed him but he kept a firm hold on his emotions.
"I thought I had a clue for her but I really couldn't tell her anything." Barriss said but Anakin interrupted her before she could finish. "Who told you I spoke to her?" Barriss asked suddenly a twitch around her eyes let him know she was nervous about it.
"Ahsoka, she said you sent her to the warehouse. That means you would have known where she was and that she was alone, just like the person who tipped me and Fox off to the warehouse." Anakin said, dropping any mask of indifference and letting the suspicion appear on his face. "But there's only one way to find out." Anakin said and ignited her lightsaber, swinging its blue blade in her direction while Barriss who had been edging back towards the vase the whole time summoned a pair of old looking lightsabers from them and into her hand. She ignited their twin red blades in time to block his strike.
"Where did you get those weapons?" He snarled at her as at last the truth was revealed. Barriss, now dropping her own disguise started smirking at him with bloodthirsty eyes.
"They're a family heirloom." She said which confused him but she tried to force him back with a kick but he evaded it and then kicked her hard, so hard she flew back and the door collapsed outward sending her flying into the hall. She then the moment she recovered started running while Anakin followed still with her saber in his hand.
They left the living quarters and he managed to catch up to her in the grander one outside the training grounds. They reignited their weapons and resumed fighting, she was Anakin noticed skilled with Jar'kai, employing acrobatics of Ataru, jabs and thrusts from Makashi and elements of Soresu as well. He however was familiar with all those forms and easily used his own Djem So to counter.
"Ahsoka trusted you and you betrayed her." Anakin said enraged at her which Barriss just snarled back.
"I've learned that trust is overrated. The only thing the Jedi believe in, is violence." She snapped back but Anakin wasn't going to let her off the hook that easy. As they crossed sabers again, he argued back at her.
"You could have framed anyone. You could have spoken out. You could have left the Order. Instead, you betray the only person in the galaxy that actually cares whether you're alive or dead. Someone who risked her life for you!" Anakin said before blasting her back with the force. Barriss wasn't expecting the attack and was thrown back against the wall. Anakin was soon on her again but she managed to recover and block his strike before managing a kick but he shrugged off.
She danced around with her sabers slashing out at him but he blocked each of her strike and when she tried to get above him for a downward strike he waited till the last moment before moving and then letting her land. She tried to use the force to throw him off balance but his force wall was prepared and shrugged off the attack. She tried to run seeing she was outmatched but Temple Guards appeared at either end of the corridor.
"Cease hostilities." The lead guard demanded and they all ignited their double yellow bladed lightsabers. Barriss, seeing she was now trapped looked to the nearby window.
"Barriss!" Anakin yelled as she smashed the glass in hopes of escape but he and the Temple guards were right on her tail. Now outside on a ledge just above the exterior training ground where he could see Master Sinube training a group of younglings in saber combat, their duel resumed.
It was he thought a strange mix of Jar'Kai, Ataru and Makashi she was deploying against him, leaping around only to then launch a jab and parry his blows before lashing out with a kick. Anakin with her saber still in hand however easily managed to hold her off, drawing more on his emotions and superior training.
However, she did eventually manage to land a kick on him and send him flying down to the courtyard below. However, he managed to roll back onto his feet in time to hear one of the younglings call out a warning as Barriss leapt down in an attempt to end him. He blocked the strike and then kicked her in return. Now they began to trade blows again but now Anakin had her trapped in the courtyard as the Temple guards blocked all the exits.
Barriss continued to launch her slashes and jabs but Anakin was now in full stride and began to batter away at her defences, getting close enough to grab her wrist with his synthetic arm and squeezed hard. She winced in pain but he didn't care, it was too much and she dropped one of the sabers. Now with just one she couldn't keep up the barrage of attacks especially as the Temple Guards were closing in.
Anakin battered away at her defence and she was now visibly exhausted, not able to keep up with him before a quick burst of the force Anakin threw her against the nearby tree. She hit it hard but her struggles to free herself from his grip were futile.
- x -
Republic Court Room, An Hour Later…
The courtroom was calm while Hart finished speaking to his latest expert, a criminal profiler who had outlined a profile of the sort of person behind the bombing and comparing that to Ahsoka. In short it was completely against her nature to do something like that and the profile didn't fit at all.
The jury were already swaying towards Ahsoka and the prosecution was desperately doing anything it could to cast doubt on her character.
Hart meanwhile was able to show that the supposed evidence only was damning if you thought her guilty already. From a neutral standpoint it meant nothing.
Then as the judge was about to call a recess so the jury could break for their deliberations Anakin accompanied by four Temple Guards entered the room. All eyes turned to him as he walked into the room and called out to the judge.
"Your honour. There is new evidence and a confession that clears Ahsoka Tano of any blame in these events. The true culprit…Barriss Offee. Member and traitor to the Jedi Order." He said to chamber, stepping aside so the court could see Barriss surrounded by the Temple Guards and bound.
Most of the court looked among themselves in surprise at the intrusion, the Jedi in the viewing gallery looked astonished but Ahsoka was far more shocked than any of them.
"Barriss?" She asked genuinely confused and hurt, not understanding and thinking this couldn't be real but as Barriss spoke, her façade of confidence faltering a little under the pressure of all the eyes on her. She felt herself being pulled forward by Anakin whose eyes were like raging blue blaster bolts aimed straight at her and fear filled her again as she stepped forward.
"I did it." She admitted, her voice trembling as she spoke. Anakin's eyes still burning a hole in her head made her continue speaking. "I bombed the Jedi Temple, because I've come to realise what many people in the Republic have come to realise."
She was about to make her assertion that the Jedi were the ones responsible for the war but instead she found herself unable to speak, her nerve gone as Anakin took over speaking for her and his presence in the force grew, terrifying her with its strength. It was like looking into the sun she thought with fear going straight to her bones.
"Because you lost faith in the Jedi. You believe us, rather than the Sith like Count Dooku are responsible for this war. That we by fighting to protect the Republic we are straying from our true purpose. In that last part you may be right, but never did that give you the right to murder people. People that did not harm to anyone and then betray the only real friend you had simply because you were jealous of her for her freedom and greater power and purpose." Anakin said, forcing the truth unclouded by whatever agenda she wanted to push into the light. His force presence making Barriss almost cower from him and she found herself unable to lie.
Her head fell and she could only nod. Ahsoka's face fell as her heart broke with the fact that someone that she had considered her best friend had betrayed her and tried to have her killed to cover up her own crimes. Her heart felt like it was being ripped from her chest.
The Judge looked at her with a searching look as did Tarkin before the judge looked at Anakin and Barriss before making his declaration.
"Well, in what might be the understatement of my career…Ahsoka Tano in light of this new evidence I hereby declare you not guilty on all charges and order your immediate release." The judge said and Ahsoka despite her trial finally being over and the obvious relief of being declared innocent, she had been shaken to her very core.
- x -
The Jedi Council Chamber, The Jedi Temple…
The Council assembled in their chamber with surprisingly Haron and Hart present too, something that irritated the Jedi present no end. Haron as he looked out of the window had to give it to the Jedi for finding the best view on Coruscant. The Temple was grander than he expected but he shrugged. What business was it of his how the Jedi decorated their temple? He could however feel the force very strongly here, the light side especially as centuries of occupation by the Jedi had left their mark on the site.
He was so distracted by this he nearly didn't hear Hart approaching him and offered him a hand.
"Thank you, Mr Gratek. Your services are truly exceptional." Haron said and Hart nodded while the Jedi looked on in confusion at what they were talking about.
"It was pleasure sir. Not many can say they had represented a Jedi in court. But why did you pay for Ahsoka's legal defence?" Hart asked with genuine curiosity which stunned the Jedi, Anakin and Ahsoka especially. Haron smiled a little as he told them, turning to face Ahsoka as he did so.
"Because in all my travels around the galaxy I have met many people, among them killers who enjoyed killing. I knew from the moment that I met you Ahsoka that you were no killer." Haron said with honesty. He had known true monsters in both his lives and the young woman in front of him was no monster.
Anakin and Ahsoka both looked touched by his actions and Anakin smiled before shaking his hand.
"Thank you. I had thought you abandoned us." Anakin said with a slightly guilty at thinking that of him but Haron waved it off before getting serious.
"I tried to intervene but I found myself being locked out of this affair. Someone was making sure that I couldn't interfere." Haron said coming to heart of the matter.
"Tarkin." Ahsoka said but Haron shook his head.
"Tarkin is just a puppet. Whether he knows it or not he is a pawn in a larger game." Haron told them getting to the heart of the matter. The entire room suddenly became serious and Hart looked confused.
"The Sith." Yoda said with a pained look in his eyes. Haron nodded.
"This is part of a larger campaign, targeted at those Anakin cares about to weaken him." Haron said with complete seriousness and hoping that Anakin might realise just how much he was being manipulated. Anakin himself was stunned and looked worried as did the Jedi in the room some of whom like Mundi looked at him with scorn.
"This trial." Haron said starting to list the various attempts. "Letting Maul run free so he might destroy Master Kenobi. The bounty on Senator Amidala's head and the ambush at Balmorra. Among others. Whoever is manipulating events wants these people out of the way." Haron said trying to make him aware of the Sith plot so he could see through the lies.
They were all silent, Anakin especially as he considered that those who he loved were being targeted by the Sith.
"But back to the matter at hand." Windu said now wondering if the Mandalorian knew more than they thought he did. "Padawan Tano, you have shown great bravery during this ordeal and stayed true to the ideals of the Jedi Order. This was your trial." He said and offered her the padawan beads she wore before they had taken them off her.
For a moment she reached for them but then hesitated. The indecision seemed to confuse the Jedi and Hart but Haron could see the expression in her eyes and knew what was coming.
"Sorry Master." Ahsoka said sadly before saying like this was the hardest decision of her life. "But I'm not coming back." She said and turned to leave the room. The rest of the Jedi all stared after her but Haron feeling a sudden push in the force to act spoke up.
"Perhaps Ahsoka, if you aren't going to return to the Order, I might be able to help you." Haron said quickly.
Ahsoka with tears forming in her eyes turned and asked him bitterly.
"What can you do to help me?" She would normally have not responded to him but after he hired one of the best defence advocates on Coruscant to help her she supposed she owed him that much.
"By offering you a job." Haron offered which made her blink in surprise along with the others in the room. "With my own workload only increasing and more duties at home I need an assistant. It won't be the most exciting job but it will be paid and put a roof over your head. Give you some stability till you decide just what you want to do with your life. It will even keep you close to Anakin so you can continue your training with him if you both wish it." Haron suggested, knowing that if Palpatine was trying to corrupt Anakin, keeping Ahsoka close could only help prevent it.
Ahsoka looked shocked and unsure but the look in Anakin's eyes encouraged her to do it and she honestly had nowhere else to go. No home to return to or family, few friends outside the Order. This was a good thing for now she realised and it wouldn't be forever she thought, just till she could decide what she wanted to do with her new freedom.
"I accept." Ahsoka said and Haron nodded with a smile back on his face.
"We cannot allow-" The voice of Saesee Tinn shouted in anger. Mundi at his side nodding along with others on the Council who felt the same as them. Among them was Luminara Unduli and Haron lost his temper at their arrogance.
"You cannot allow!" He interrupted shutting all of them up. "Allow a perfectly free young woman to take a job like countless others across the galaxy? What makes you think that you have any say in the matter? Ahsoka has only left the Order because you were so stupid that you took everything at face value and allowed yourself to be manipulated by a mere padawan gone rogue right under noses!" Haron said with disgust the sheer incompetence they showed not to mention their disloyalty.
"How many actually voted not to expel Ahsoka? Who actually had the intelligence to see through all the rancor dung to the truth? Not Unduli clearly since this is all her fault!" Haron said and the master in question looked up startled at suddenly becoming the centre of attention. Haron turned his glare at her and let her know exactly what he thought of her.
"How could you not notice what was happening to Barriss?" He asked her but did not wait for an answer. "There would have been signs! Chances for you to notice the clear mental trauma that led her to this! But you were so smug and superior that you denied her any kind of connection, believing you were better than anyone else for your detachment. Trying to mould her into your own clone rather than actually open your eyes to the sort of person she was. Instead, you tried to force her into becoming someone else and pushed her away, pushed her to this! She fell to the dark side and you didn't even notice! How could you be so blind?" He asked her and she just couldn't seem to answer. Haron shook his head as did Hart who was now rather forgotten in the background while the other Jedi looked ready to defend Luminara Master Yoda raised his hand and said a single word.
"One."
"One what?" Haron asked not sure what Yoda was referring too.
"Only one master on the council voted not to expel Ahsoka. Master Kenobi was the only one to take her side." Yoda admitted sadly. He and Mace had believed the girl was innocent but knew starting a rupture with the Republic was too dangerous right now. Master Plo too looked ashamed or at least they could feel it with the force as he too had done it rather than risk breaking with the Republic. The others had believed the circumstantial evidence or preferred not to insert their own opinion if they didn't.
Ahsoka and Anakin looked to Obi-Wan and blinked, not able to believe that he had defied the council for her but suddenly felt a rush of gratitude as at least he had not abandoned her.
But when Master Plo caught her eye, Ahsoka just looked away from him…not able to look at him in that moment and they could all feel the pain that flowed between them. Their once warm and strong bond seemingly breaking before their eyes.
It was never a good thing, they all thought when your heroes let you down.
"I will step down from the Council." Luminara announced suddenly. Her voice small and broken as her usual arrogance had left it. The other Jedi looked on in surprise and she told them. "I have disgraced the Council and the Order as a whole. I clearly cannot handle a padawan, so I will not train another but I will see if I can help Barriss. I…I did this, I am responsible and I need to make it right." Luminara said before walking out of the room.
They all watched her leave and Haron turned to Yoda and said plainly to him.
"Whoever replaces her on the Council will need to help root out any others like Barriss and Krell. If the Jedi are to have any hope of redeeming their reputation in the galaxy these kinds of betray have to stop."
"Master Tholme. Take the vacant seat on the Council he will." Yoda said, the Council looked alarmed for a moment but Mace nodded in agreement. The legendary master and contemporary of Qui-Gon Jinn, he also a skilled spymaster who had collected much information on the Separatists so hopefully those skills would enable him to find those in the Order that would betray it like Offee and Krell did. He was a maverick and had trained Quinlan Vos who was a much greater maverick but a stern and capable Jedi all the same.
"Good, if he can ensure internal security within the Order then Anakin you must lessen any damage Barriss has managed to cause." Haron told Anakin who blinked before asking him.
"How?" He wasn't sure if they could do anything about this with all the Jedi's nasty secrets blowing in the wind.
"Easy. You need to make a statement." Haron said with a frown.
- x -
"While myself and the rest of the Order are shocked at her behaviour, we are not going to prevent it from us doing our duty to defend the Republic." Anakin's hologram said to the reporter. "The Order needs to be better and we will be, those who will betray not only the Order but the Republic will be caught and brought to justice."
Palpatine watched, infuriated as his plan had not worked as well as he had hoped.
Yes, the Jedi's reputation had taken a strong hit but the foolish girl hadn't used the right words and worse Anakin had managed to blunt most of the damage with his statement. Anakin had come out looking like a paragon of virtue and as such he was now becoming far more popular within the Republic which would not be a bad thing when the time came to strike and his popularity would aid his rise to power but right now it was working for the Jedi.
The fact that Tarkin had failed so miserably in the trial did not exactly help either, Tano needed to go. She was far too much of an influence on Anakin and could derail his plans if she was to interfere at the wrong moment. But Tarkin had completely failed and worse made an enemy of Anakin. He had a place for both of them in his future Empire and them being at each other's throats was only going to cause problems.
Ordo too was becoming a problem, the reason the legal case had fallen apart so quickly was because of him and his influence on Anakin was becoming troublesome.
So, he and Tano would need to be eliminated, soon he thought darkly.
- x -
Back in the Jedi Temple, Yoda was frowning as he sat alone with Mace Windu in the Council Chamber both deep in thought.
"To a dark place this event has taken us." Yoda said sadly, they had lost two young Jedi with great potential today. One had left the Order due to their own actions and the other had become a killer and betrayed them all. The fact the Order had taken a battering in the public arena didn't register as much as that.
"And it may well get darker before the end." Mace Windu said, feeling that he had let the Order down by letting this happen. He should have been more alert to people like Offee after what had happened with Krell not to mention other Jedi that had defected over to Dooku since the war began. But he thought with almost self-loathing he had been too complacent and now things had become worse for the Jedi as a result.
"I just hope Tholme is up to the task." Windu said before Yoda made a strange request of him.
"Make a holocron you should." Yoda suggested and Mace blinked in surprise. "As should I, record not only our triumphs but mistakes we must so future generations, make the same mistakes they will not." Yoda said, he had known how to make a holocron already but had never done so. Perhaps it was time he thought to himself. It might take a lifetime to completely fill it but they should ensure a record of their thoughts and experiences survived them.
Mace Windu nodded, accepting the wisdom of his senior colleague. The door to the chamber opened and the two masters turned to see the ancient Jedi droid Professor Huyang.
"Masters. I thought I should let you know I have identified the two lightsabers being used by Barriss Offee." The Professor informed them. "They were not constructed by the Jedi Order as you believed, they were in fact a creation of the Sith. Specifically, a family of Sith during the New Sith Wars. Stretching back two thousand four hundred years they terrorised the Jedi for a thousand years till the last member of the family Belani Syy'in disappeared while on Umbara. We have an image of her that I thought you might want to see." Huyang said and used a holoprojector that was built into his body to show them the image. Both Jedi were surprised at what they saw.
The image was of a young woman, a Mirialan to be exact dressed in a black fabric outfit with leather jerkin, heeled boots and a red belt. She had an express of reckless abandon as she was swinging two sabers around, which looked identical to the two that were in the lab being examined right now. But what was most disconcerting thing, what was disturbing two Jedi Masters was that it was that the face was identical to Barriss Offee.
"Skywalker did say that she called the sabers a family heirloom. Do you think that she might be a descendant of this Sith?" Windu asked and Yoda frowned before saying.
"All have a past we do. Part of hers, this could be. Further investigation we will need." Yoda said, pondering this latest development.
- x -
In a private room of the Jedi Temple Master Tuwan was meditating privately to himself as he considered recent events but also the training regime for the new recruits. Some other Jedi had been making discreet enquiries about joining their group as well so he had to consider just who was genuine and who was not.
But the door chimed and he broke his meditations as a familiar force presence appeared at the door. With the force Tuwan opened the door and saw Anakin who looked shattered step into the room. Tuwan had already heard what had happened and put a comforting arm around Anakin. Anakin leant into it and asked him.
"Could I have done anything to prevent this?" His voice was low and tired which Tuwan shook his head at sadly before reassuring him.
"There was nothing you could have done. In life I am afraid there are things that happen beyond our control. Ahsoka was betrayed by someone she considered a friend and that was it. Everyone can lose faith at least once in their life. Mine was when the Sith in one of the battles of the Great Hyperspace War killed my family." Tuwan said with a sad look in his eyes. Anakin looked at him with shock never having known that.
"How did you cope with that?" Anakin asked, not sure how the wise and compassion master who he had honestly nothing but respect and admiration for could experience such a tragedy and still be such a compassion person.
"It wasn't easy." Tuwan said with a sad smile. "I raged and nearly fell to the dark side myself; I honestly couldn't understand why it happened. Then as time went on, I learned that it was just the chaotic nature of life itself. The force might guide us but whether we listen to that advice is up to us. The force didn't kill my family nor did I with anything I had done. The Sith did that and while I cannot forgive them, I will not waste my time and energy on them. Letting them become your focus for things like vengeance merely lets them continue to influence and dominate your life. I had to let go of my hatred and despite it coming back every now and then I do my best to honour my family with my deeds even now." Tuwan said with his smile growing warmer. "Those feelings are still a part of me and I can use them to become stronger by driving me forward as can you."
Anakin wasn't sure how Tuwan could deal with that and still be sane, to lose so many you cared about and still keep going. He had been a mess after his mother died and had Padme not been there, he would likely have completely broken down.
"Then while I might hate Barriss for what she has done, I won't let her dominate my thoughts." Anakin said, taking the advice to heart and realising just how much negative feelings he kept close to him. Frustration, anger, fear…like against Count Dooku for taking his arm or the Jedi for all the insults over the years among other things. He was still letting them rule his life and his time by holding onto that.
He was letting them rule his life, letting them take his time and energy. He wouldn't forgive them, no but he didn't have to give them anymore power over him. He could still use the feelings they had created in him, but no longer would they rule him.
Anakin felt a tremor in the force, he wasn't able to tell whether it was a good one or not but he certainly felt better than he had before coming in.
Tuwan feeling Anakin was more at ease nodded and told him.
"Maybe we could look into restarting the Jedi Mind Healers? They were a specialist group among the healers that dealt with matters of the mind and trauma. Something that sadly disappeared when Odan-Urr's code came into effect and the Jedi stopped trying to deal with their emotions and suppress them instead." Tuwan said with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Anakin nodded immediately, knowing that many Jedi could benefit from speaking to a professional mind healer especially with everything they saw and did in the war. Himself included Anakin thought and reassured himself with the knowledge that Ahsoka wasn't gone from his life. She was still around and here if they needed to speak.
"Maybe you should make a holocron of your own Master Tuwan." Anakin suggested with a smile of his own. "Wisdom such as yours should be preserved. You've certainly helped me."
"Perhaps." Tuwan said simply. "Perhaps but I thought first you might like to see just who will be hopefully joining your little sect of Jedi."
"They're not my Jedi." Anakin objected quickly. "They are themselves as Jedi."
"Good, we must celebrate not just what is the same but what if different but either way they will be learning to expand their horizons." Tuwan said with a proud look in his eyes.
Dooku Castle, Serenno…
Count Dooku was feeling rather proud of himself as he did what he had never dreamt of doing in a million years…constructing his own holocron.
He had been ready to wipe out the Mahran species and a Jedi Master Chubor with them when the Aleen Jedi Master had made an offer. Spare the people and Chubor would teach him the secret of building holocrons which the Jedi had apparently rediscovered.
Even though Dooku had not let the Jedi or his clones live he had kept up his word and let the Mahran refugees live even if he took their planet from them.
So now he was constructing the holocron, knelt deeply in meditation as the holocron formed and he imprinted his consciousness on to it. Letting his memories, feelings and knowledge flow into it. His eyes being closed he couldn't of course see it but he could feel it through the force and knew when he was finally done after what seemed like an eternity.
He opened his eyes and summoned the holocron to his hand, they widened as he saw that his own holocron was very different to what he had expected. Instead of a pyramid or a cube or the very rare dodecahedral, his new holocron was spherical in shape. It was easily the size of a thermal detonator and had a changing array of colour in its core.
Dooku blinked, not sure if he had done it right or if Chubor had lied to him but somehow though he just didn't think that was the case. Casting his mind back there had been such holocrons in the past though they were rare. He held it in his hand and felt the dark side within in but also the light which surprised him. However, he was then disturbed by a voice that seemed to echo on its own, so distant he could barely hear it.
"Master." It said, Dooku strained but could not make out just who it was speaking. "Master."
Then it disappeared as if it was never there but left the Count feeling unsettled. Something that had become more pronounced as Haron Ordo had been named the new Mandalore and unified his people. The fact that could bring the Mandalorians into the war against them honestly had terrified the Separatist Parliament and he had needed to sooth their nerves. He was himself concerned as he would be a target of theirs but his master had assured him that Ordo wouldn't be a problem for much longer.
Night Sister Enclave, Dathomir…
Asajj Ventress, now alone in the galaxy had no real idea just why she had come back to Dathomir.
Mother Talzin had left this world and all her sisters were dead, the enclave which they had called home was laying abandoned and scarred from the assault where Grievous had wiped out the sisters in his usual cowardly way. Even now Asajj felt the hatred in her heart burning at the mere thought of that monster. She was disgusted to have ever even worked with him under Dooku.
Dooku, she thought with a sneer, another person she despised. One who had promised to teach her and let her have her revenge on the Jedi. But he had betrayed her too.
Ky Nerec…Master, she thought with an old pain and grief coming back to her. Where did I go wrong? She thought with misery. How could I have brought this to happen? She thought as her footsteps echoed at the now forlorn looking chamber. How could I have strayed so far from everything you worked so hard to teach me?
Maybe she was just looking for answers, just looking for a reason…something to live for. Asajj thought with desperation. Being a bounty hunter was not enough for her and she needed to have some purpose in her life.
Maybe here she thought she might find a sign of what that was supposed to be.
As sudden sound made her look up in surprise and saw a small form in the distance running out of the enclave. Asajj, wondering if grave robbers had come to pillage the enclave was enraged and took off in pursuit. The force was her ally as she quickly followed the small figure, the force guiding her to follow them even when they disappeared from sight and finally with a skilled leap, she managed to get in front of the little interloper with her twin sabers ignited and held threateningly in front of her.
That was when her world stopped as she looked down at a child.
A child with grey coloured skin with natural markings on her face, with silver hair kept in a messy bun and with brown eyes. Dressed in red robes. A child that stared up at her with confusion and fear.
Asajj was stunned, Mother Talzin had told her no-one remained but right here before her was a Nightsister, a young one but a Nightsister all the same.
"Are you here to kill me?" The girl asked in a terrified voice.
Asajj was struck by the question and realised she was holding her sabers at the throat of one of the last three surviving Nightsisters in the galaxy if she included herself. She quickly shut them down and held out her hand to the girl.
"Never, I didn't know any of the sisters survived." Asajj told her quickly. The girl didn't take it immediately and stayed lying there for a good while as if judging her before finally taking the offered hand and getting to her feet. "What is your name?" Asajj asked and again the girl hesitated before finally answering.
"Merrin, you aren't going to kill me…sister?" The girl said noticing that Asajj had the same markings as she did and the silver hair that she was keeping short on her head. Asajj felt a great deal of pain at the idea that the girl was actually looking at her in terror. Once when she was with Dooku she would have relished that which now she felt disgust over.
"No sister I am most definitely not." Asajj told her trying to smile for the girl. "Where are the bodies of the dead?" Asajj asked, part of her wanting to make sure they were laid to rest properly now she wasn't having to flee from the droid army.
"I…I buried them." Merrin said with grief filled eyes and Asajj again felt a great deal for the poor girl who was so young and yet had to deal with such a gruesome duty.
"Well…Merrin, you are not alone now and neither am I." Asajj said with a new confidence managing to smile for the girl. "We are going to look after each other and I will teach you what I know."
"Will we kill the monster?" Merrin asked with sudden eagerness. "The one that killed our sisters?"
Asajj was brought up short by that. While killing Grievous would be a great pleasure she knew it would next to impossible to even get close to him not counting all his dirty tricks like he had pulled when they fought on this very ground. Just because she had been getting the upper hand, he had ordered his army to fire on them. He was a true coward she thought with disgust and just hoped he would die like one.
"Maybe, maybe not. We cannot tell the future sister but I will make sure that whatever we face we will do it together." Asajj said to her new apprentice with a smile. This was the purpose she had wanted so much! She thought with genuine joy, protecting this girl! Teaching her all she knew and helping her survive.
It was a far better cause than any she had served in the past she thought with a sense of satisfaction. As Ky Nerec had once taken her in and trained her when she was at her lowest Asajj thought with pride, she would do the same for Merrin. She would teach this girl to survive and honour those that she had lost. She could have sworn in that moment she could sense Ky Nerec smiling down at her.
I will not let you down again Master, Asajj swore to herself. She would do his legacy justice.
The Great Library, Ossus…
Rachi Sitra was having the time of her life.
As a Jedi she was never supposed to enjoy anything and maintain a calm even emotionless state but the discoveries she was making where so incredible she just couldn't help herself she thought with joy.
Already she had discovered many scrolls and tomes they had thought lost forever and even more exciting they had just managed to penetrate down to the holocron vaults. So far only one had been breached but inside was a holocron the Jedi had been missing for nearly four thousand years and was older than just about anyone they had currently, the Ductavis Holocron. The holocron of the Jedi Grand Master Biel Ductavis who twelve thousand years ago had helped to end the near thousand yearlong Pius Dea Crusades, ending the human centric movement that had tried to drive aliens from their worlds so humans could take them for themselves. Once the crusades had ended, he had become the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, soothing the wounds caused by the crusades and ensuring peace across the galaxy while stabilizing the Republic.
He was one of the most greatly revered legends in their order and now at last his words might be heard again.
And that she thought was probably just the beginning!
The holocron vaults, being underground and heavily reinforced to deter thieves had managed to endure the devastation while protecting what was inside. The vaults were extensive and should lead to many more discoveries soon Rachi thought with excitement. All the help Master Yoda had sent them was being very helpful and now they had managed to excavate the archives they should be able to store the new objects they had coming in.
However, another big discovery was waiting for her in the next chamber.
The chamber had managed to come through reasonably intact and she was wondering just what might be inside when she saw a large terminal in the centre of the room.
It was strange looking as there wasn't any control console or panels that she could see, resembling a large table with three ports on it. It was connected to three box units behind it. All were covered in dust but wiping some away she saw it had a bronze golden finish.
She stared at it for a moment and wondered if she had seen it before somewhere, realising that was ridiculous but maybe an image somewhere. It took her awhile but as she finally managed to wipe away the dust and debris that covered it, she realised what it was she was looking at.
It was a Noetikon Terminal. One of only two ever built.
She gasped having seen pictures of the other similar terminal in the archives back on Coruscant, one part computer and one-part holocron it was an extraordinary device created to work with three special holocrons. Holding a vast amount of information, they acted as a guide to help those who needed their guidance. A holographic council of nine members. It was one of the most incredible pieces of technology ever created.
She only wished she thought with a sigh that they still had the Noetikons.
The other console had been destroyed and the three Noetikons stolen by Darth Desolous during his turn to the dark side over 3500 years ago. It had been a heart-breaking loss to the Jedi but no search as of yet had revealed just where Desolous had hid them.
Before the Clone Wars she had actually been a part of a large-scale expedition to Yaga Minor in hopes that one last search of Desolous' former base would finally reveal the fate the Noetikons but it had ended in failure, although they had discovered Desolous had left one last taunting message saying the Noetikons were in fact intact but that he had hidden them on a world forgotten to the Jedi.
That had left the search almost dead in the water as they had no clue as to which world to even start on. Some in the archives continued to explore options for where they might be but with the war on it would take years before they could even begin a proper search.
So, although the Terminal was a great find, it was currently useless Rachi thought sadly. Trying to improve her mood as a study of the terminal might let them create other such devices in time.
Earth, Wild Space…
Luna was sitting in the grove she had created near the ruins of Hogwarts, waiting patiently while her students travelled into the ruins of what had once been her school.
During the thousands of years since the devastation of Earth all the ambient magic in the castle had formed kyber crystals here and in a number of other locations that had been rich in magic. Diagon Alley for example and so she had brought her four most advanced students to harvest their own crystals to not only fit inside the vambrace to aid their magic but also a crystal for a lightsaber as all four had decided to build one.
The force was strong here she thought with a pleasant aura swirling around her, allowing the students be tested. Much like the Jedi Gathering they had to face their worst character flaw and overcome it, however unlike the Jedi she would not discard people if they took longer to complete it, she thought. Some would take longer to achieve it but given the chance they could do it. That might be naïve but she wasn't going to just cast people aside for failing a test that was very challenging.
That was another thing Luna hated about the Jedi, how easily they discarded people who they deemed failures. Late bloomers or those that took far longer to face their true selves didn't even register in their world. Never mind that they might still be able to complete the training and contribute just because they didn't do it on the Jedi's timetable or succeed the first time they would be thrown out or put into their service corps.
Luna however did not let her mind dwell on that and instead the discovery buried under what had once been Gringotts. Despite being thousands of years old some of the goblin's magic was apparently still hanging around their vaults making her wonder how much more advanced they had been them in the area of runes and enchanting. They were at least on par with the ancient Sith and Jedi if not better Luna thought impressed. The vaults had offered little of value though except one, a potioneer had a vault with their book collection and ingredients preserved by goblin runes.
That meant they had access to the recipes of old Earth and a collection of ingredients that could now be either cultivated or create synthetic substitutes created in the lab. Even better with modern equipment they could engineer it with greater precision and purity than would have been possible on Earth. Some would need to be modified by their bioengineers and chemists to work for different species but there were many potentially useful potions now within their reach.
Something of their old home she supposed before delving deeper into the force.
She smiled as images came to her through the force; back on Reijar the Mareks celebrating the birth of their daughter Mila who Luna could tell would be as powerful as her older brother while Hannah and Neville welcomed their second son Alexander into the world. She sensed their joy and it made her sad for a moment that she hadn't found someone herself yet.
Speaking of that though she saw Deera and Zara laying together discussing maybe trying for a baby soon. In nature that wasn't possible but with special procedures they could actually conceive a child of both of them.
Then she saw Haron giving Ahsoka Tano, Skywalker's apprentice an emerald green and dark grey dress with a similar coloured skirt, black tights and boots. She had vambraces with connected to fingerless gloves in the same colours which had phrik plates rather than beskar as despite working for a Mandalorian now she was not one of them and therefore could not use beskar.
Seeing this Luna was almost knocked from her meditative state as there was a strong tremor in the force. Something had changed she realised; something now had disrupted the flow of things in the future. The destinies of many people had been shifted as a result into a new direction.
What she had no idea but something she thought with concern had changed. It echoed back a little she realised, sensing this had begun around the time of Maul's Invasion of Mandalore but it concluded here and then echoed into the future.
However, while this could be a good thing it might also be bad thing she thought with a frown. There was no way to tell which until it reached its boiling point.
She sighed, knowing they were stumbling blind here but she just hoped it was enough.
The sight of her four best students emerging from the ruins with a small crystal in hand each however brought a smile back to her face.
"Caz, Roon, Makla and Reli congratulations. You have all past the trial and faced not only the test but yourselves." Luna told them with pride.
"Caz. You faced your fear of failure, come what may we can only do what can do. Whether we fail or not is something we cannot truly control, we can do it or we won't." Luna told the tall human woman with short red hair and a cheeky smile. Caz had a cyan coloured crystal.
"Roon. You faced the danger of assumptions, seeing that you have to see with your mind as well as your eyes in order to find the truth." She told a Duro male who folded his arms and bowed formally to his teacher. Roon had yellow crystal.
"Makla. You who have always felt you were never as strong or as skilled as your peers. Now you see that you are not them and the only way to reach your own potential is to accept you are your own person, individual and a part of the whole at the same time." Luna spoke to the Kage male who looked a lot lighter, as if he had finally cast off a weight that was holding him down. Makla had the viridian crystal.
"Reli. You had to truly accept that you are not alone and are a part of a wider community, that you can't do it all by yourself and that you need to accept the help of others sometimes." She told the last of the group, an Asian looking woman in her mid-twenties who bowed to her teacher, now more balanced within herself. Reli held a purple crystal in her hand.
"Well done to you all. When we return to Reijar you will learn from Kento Marek how to build your sabers. Until then, think on what you have achieved and be proud of yourself. You have all taken a huge step forward." Luna told them with a smile.
The four were all full of excitement and eager to return home to complete their own weapons, Luna was glad of their joy as it calmed her own worries. A welcome relief in a time were things seemed so uncertain.
Coruscant Opera House, Senate District...Later that Night…
Haron had never been one to enjoy the opera, he knew many did like it and he would never begrudge them that but he personally found it boring. Real life had always been more interesting to him than fiction, maybe because of the fact it was real and the opera was just a performance.
However, when the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, your employer and a secret Sith Lord invited you it was not only bad taste to refuse but also dangerous.
So Haron sat with Palpatine and his inner circle, staring at the strange mass of colour in the centre of the large hall while music, loud and haunting played. It was Haron admitted with some surprise very moving in its way.
Haron found himself enjoying it a little, he wondered briefly if the Chancellor did too or perhaps this was merely a part of his cover. I mean, Haron thought privately to himself, what did a Sith Lord actually enjoy? Torture? Killing people? Gaining power?
Maybe those were just stereotypes, especially as Haron knew Palpatine was easily the most dangerous Sith Lord since Darth Vitiate, the Sith Emperor of over three and a half thousand years ago.
Many times, he had considered just attacking Palpatine to force him to reveal his powers but he could feel in the force that was a bad idea. He didn't know just how powerful he was or if it would even work rather than just bring the Republic down on his people before they were ready.
As the show finally ended, they all got up out of their seats. Haron turned to the Chancellor.
"I bid you goodnight, Chancellor, we will have much work to do tomorrow." Haron said with nod, Palpatine nodded with his customary smile.
"Indeed, my friend, it seems our work is never done. Good night." There was something creepy about the way Palpatine said it and Haron felt a tremor in the force. One that usually meant danger.
Haron warily walked out of the opera house with his guards, all of whom were as on edge as he was. He had sent the silent signal to their Tactical Eye Displays to let them know that potential ambush was coming. A scan of the speeder they had been planning to use let them know it had been sabotaged to crash and take all of them with it so instead they arranged for a couple of air taxis to take them back instead but although the speeder had been discovered they remained on their guard.
Soon they arrived back at 500 Republica and landed on the balcony but again the force spiked and Haron put his arm up to stop them going in. They all understood, territory ahead is dangerous and we need to move carefully.
They slowly advanced, Haron behind in the initial two as he was the one that they were meant to be protecting. The silence was eerily but as they activated their thermo vision a distinctive snap hiss filled the air. Three figures appeared out of the gloom with red lightsabers in hand and cut down one of his guards straight away while the other one was faster and jumped back in time to avoid the blade.
Haron was now furious as they had killed one of his people, Dee a more grounded and experienced warrior who had been with him for years. Haron quickly pulled the Darksaber from its holster on his back and ignited, the black and white blade appearing quickly with its lightning arcing fiercely. One of the assassins tried to swing at him but he easily blocked the attack and the lightning was surging wildly. The assassin seemed surprised and scared by this but Haron did not let him get used to it as he immediately started attacking with the strong cleaves and power attacks native to Form 5 which instantly put the assassin and one of his colleagues who thought attacking him together would work on the back foot.
While Haron was dealing with the first two, his guards surrounded the third who found himself on the edge of a furious barrage of blaster fire, one that came so fast from so many different directions that his limited skill couldn't keep up and although his outfit was top of the line body armour it wasn't able to fully protect him. He felt the sting of each blaster bolt as it hit him and he struggled to keep going swinging his lightsaber around wildly but the Mandalorians had the sense to stay back while using their repulsors to force him backwards and then one of them hit him in the hand and out of reflex he dropped his lightsaber.
It clattered to the floor and then another of the guards hit him with a blast from his flamethrower. The acolyte screamed as his body burned but he wasn't dead…not yet. They stopped the flames when they were certain he was disabled and secured him for questioning. One of them even picked up his lightsaber as a trophy.
Haron meanwhile was dealing with other two. He found their Form 2 was fairly competent but not in any way masterful or experienced. Not to mention against him it was the worst form to use and he had many hours of practice fighting lightsabers from duelling with Anakin and other fights over the years.
He had, unknown to them more experience than these two combined.
The fact he could fight them both on equal terms startled both assassins who were soon struggling to deal with the pain in their arms from the strikes Haron was delivering, with so much force that it was like trying to carry a half a tonne on each arm.
Then one of them launched a rather foolish forward jab but Haron easily countered it and launched a devastating counterattack that finally broke through his poor defence and allowed Haron to slash him clean in two at the belly.
The man survived this for a moment but where Haron had sliced through contained some important organs and he couldn't survive without them.
The remaining assassin was suddenly terrified, he feared his master too much to ever flee and be punished for failure as his master delighted in finding the most painful and humiliating ways to kill you. But at the same time, he was scared of facing Ordo. His master had assured him that the force was far greater than any weapon the Mandalorians had but now he was the only one left standing after a short but brutal fight.
Haron didn't give him a chance to answer as seized him with the force, the assassin alongside his bound teammate rose off the floor helplessly. The assassin was so stunned he couldn't speak as he realised that his master had failed to tell him that Ordo was a force wielder. Was this a test? He thought with fear, one that he had failed?
The worst was yet to come as they discovered Haron was not a light side force user, but someone in the middle who studied a much broader view of the force…including the dark side.
Haron brought the two men before him and began channelling his anger and disgust of them to do what he needed to do. Something he had learned from Revan's holocron, Drain Knowledge.
He violently and forcefully reached into both their minds and started pulling any information that might be useful out without any thought to how much it hurt them. To their relief however it only lasted a moment as Haron made a truly annoying discovery.
These three were just low-level acolytes, the bottom of the food chain and had no useful information in their heads. They didn't even know where the safehouse was on Coruscant as they were to be picked up by another operative an hour later for operation security.
Haron could wait for that one to show up but he doubted they would once their master realised that they were dead if he didn't already.
Without wasting a single moment, he simply snapped their necks with the force. His guards felt a little fearful but also intrigued as no Mandalore had ever had the power of the force before. The Jedi and Sith's greatest weapon, one that had been their bane for centuries was now in their hands.
Haron did pocket one of their sabers even if it felt pointless. He would check it for bombs or tracking devices along with the others before turning to his warriors.
"Dispose of the bodies. Ensure that Dee is prepared for transport back home. Full honours. He did his duty; he deserves that much." Haron commanded and his guards jumped to follow them. While they did, he turned to the Coruscant skyline and looked at the Senate building in the distance.
'So that's the stage we're at, is it? Sidious?' Haron thought to himself as he considered the fact the Dark Lord of the Sith apparently deemed him worth killing now. Sending low level acolytes could be seen as a test but he doubted it. No Haron thought with a frown on his face. This was no test. Sidious wanted him dead or at least out of action long enough for something.
Which meant the time for Sidious's endgame was getting closer. Soon they would know if they had done enough.