"The members of the Court have reached a decision," the jury foreman announces.
Chancellor Palpatine reads the memo. "Ahsoka Tano," he begins, standing to deliver the verdict. Ahsoka's stomach drops out beneath her. She knows what he's going to say before he even says it. This whole trial has been a farce from beginning to end. They had already decided she was guilty before the trial began. She prepares herself. She's going to die. She's going to die. She's going to die. "By an overwhelming count of--"
"Chancellor!" Anakin bursts into the room at that precise moment, interrupting the verdict.
The Chancellor does not look pleaed. "I hope you have a reason for bursting into our proceedings, Master Skywalker."
Anakin walks down to the podium, a large number of the Temple Guard trailing behind him. Odd. "I am here," he proclaims, his voice booming, "with evidence and a confession from the person responsible for all of the crimes Ahsoka has been accused of." He stands aside and the Temple Guards part to reveal-- "Barriss Offee. Member of the Jedi Order. And traitor."
Ahsoka reels back in shock. What? No! Barriss wouldn't-- Barriss would never! Barriss is her friend! As the shock reverberates through your body, you can feel it reverberating through every other person in the room, too. And yet... as much as you don't want to believe it, the pieces start to click in your mind. Everything that's happened over the last few days... begins to make sense. No, this can't be happening.
"Barriss, is that true?" You ask. You will it to not be. You'd rather be falsely convicted than contemplate the fact that your best friend has turned to the Dark Side, that she killed innocent people, and then framed you for it.
"Tell them the truth," Anakin demands of Barriss, and you can feel his righteous anger and fury at Barriss radiating in waves across the room. He isn't even bothering to hide it.
Barriss steps forward to the podium, and her whole body slouches. You can feel your heart breaking into a million pieces before she even begins.
"I did it," she confirms, eyes sad but determined. And you try to sense a lie in her words, some falsehood or trickery... but there is none. She's telling the truth. "... Because I've come to realise what many people in the Republic have come to realise. That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war! That we've so lost our way, that we've become villains in this conflict! That we are the ones who should be put on trial! All of us! ... And my attack on the Temple was an attack... on what the Jedi have become. An army, fighting for the Dark Side. Fallen from the light that we once held so dear! This Republic is failing! ... It's only a matter of time."
Oh. Oh Barriss. Her words send a second ripple of shock throughout the room... but not in Ahsoka, this time. The most tragic part about the whole speech is... Ahsoka can't even wholly bring herself to disagree with them. After everything you've seen in the last few days, the way the Order was so quick to throw you under the bus when they should have protected you, you know that there is some truth to her words. But what she did... what she did was still wrong. And now her concerns may never be taken seriously because of her radical actions. She will be sentenced to death for nothing.
"Take her away," Chancellor Palpatine says, surveying the scene with a thin veneer of disgust. Ahsoka has never hated him more than in that moment, and she watches as the Temple Guards turn Barriss and lead her in a procession out the door.
Anakin turns to you then across the room, and even though you're half a room apart, he reaches for you along your bond. You can see the relief and warmth etched on his face. More than that-- you can feel the sense of renewed hope he has, that things will be all right, that his Padawan will be okay and everything will return to normal after this. That you can continue going on adventures forever, put this behind you, pretend like it never happened. It's all there, contained in the warm smile he gives you. Full of hope and love.
But you can't bring yourself to return it. All you feel is wretched and cold. You know better. Things will never be the same after this. Never.]
no subject
"The members of the Court have reached a decision," the jury foreman announces.
Chancellor Palpatine reads the memo. "Ahsoka Tano," he begins, standing to deliver the verdict. Ahsoka's stomach drops out beneath her. She knows what he's going to say before he even says it. This whole trial has been a farce from beginning to end. They had already decided she was guilty before the trial began. She prepares herself. She's going to die. She's going to die. She's going to die. "By an overwhelming count of--"
"Chancellor!" Anakin bursts into the room at that precise moment, interrupting the verdict.
The Chancellor does not look pleaed. "I hope you have a reason for bursting into our proceedings, Master Skywalker."
Anakin walks down to the podium, a large number of the Temple Guard trailing behind him. Odd. "I am here," he proclaims, his voice booming, "with evidence and a confession from the person responsible for all of the crimes Ahsoka has been accused of." He stands aside and the Temple Guards part to reveal-- "Barriss Offee. Member of the Jedi Order. And traitor."
Ahsoka reels back in shock. What? No! Barriss wouldn't-- Barriss would never! Barriss is her friend! As the shock reverberates through your body, you can feel it reverberating through every other person in the room, too. And yet... as much as you don't want to believe it, the pieces start to click in your mind. Everything that's happened over the last few days... begins to make sense. No, this can't be happening.
"Barriss, is that true?" You ask. You will it to not be. You'd rather be falsely convicted than contemplate the fact that your best friend has turned to the Dark Side, that she killed innocent people, and then framed you for it.
"Tell them the truth," Anakin demands of Barriss, and you can feel his righteous anger and fury at Barriss radiating in waves across the room. He isn't even bothering to hide it.
Barriss steps forward to the podium, and her whole body slouches. You can feel your heart breaking into a million pieces before she even begins.
"I did it," she confirms, eyes sad but determined. And you try to sense a lie in her words, some falsehood or trickery... but there is none. She's telling the truth. "... Because I've come to realise what many people in the Republic have come to realise. That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war! That we've so lost our way, that we've become villains in this conflict! That we are the ones who should be put on trial! All of us! ... And my attack on the Temple was an attack... on what the Jedi have become. An army, fighting for the Dark Side. Fallen from the light that we once held so dear! This Republic is failing! ... It's only a matter of time."
Oh. Oh Barriss. Her words send a second ripple of shock throughout the room... but not in Ahsoka, this time. The most tragic part about the whole speech is... Ahsoka can't even wholly bring herself to disagree with them. After everything you've seen in the last few days, the way the Order was so quick to throw you under the bus when they should have protected you, you know that there is some truth to her words. But what she did... what she did was still wrong. And now her concerns may never be taken seriously because of her radical actions. She will be sentenced to death for nothing.
"Take her away," Chancellor Palpatine says, surveying the scene with a thin veneer of disgust. Ahsoka has never hated him more than in that moment, and she watches as the Temple Guards turn Barriss and lead her in a procession out the door.
Anakin turns to you then across the room, and even though you're half a room apart, he reaches for you along your bond. You can see the relief and warmth etched on his face. More than that-- you can feel the sense of renewed hope he has, that things will be all right, that his Padawan will be okay and everything will return to normal after this. That you can continue going on adventures forever, put this behind you, pretend like it never happened. It's all there, contained in the warm smile he gives you. Full of hope and love.
But you can't bring yourself to return it. All you feel is wretched and cold. You know better. Things will never be the same after this. Never.]