#distantstarssw

When they had to return to Geonosis Master Unduli sensed her unease and gave Barriss a near impossible task on which to focus her mind. She was to memorize the nest. Every tunnel, every turn, every dead end; they dripped into her mind like the wax from spent candles. For endless hours Barriss studied the charts until the structure felt like a map of her own neurons. So many lives depended on her. She was confident. She was brave. And unlike last time, she was prepared.

But it wasn’t enough.

Self-sacrifice was the answer. And Barriss found comfort in the thought of suffocating before starving to death. But her death wouldn’t be in vain. She’d saved millions.

Her relief when the rubble lifted and Master Unduli appeared overhead was overwhelming. But Barriss hid her tears; masking herself in false serenity. Her master was proud; the praise of her troops genuine. This was enough to overcome her anxiety.

Yet nothing could prepare her for what came next.

She couldn’t escape her own brain. Her body controlled her, not the other way around. The Geonosian Queen clicked and gnawed inside her head, and no matter how Barriss fought the parasite won. Barriss begged for death.

When she awoke in Master Fisto’s arms even the clicking of a can of bacta spray sent her diving for cover.

Master Unduli endeavored to help Barriss reclaim her sanity. They meditated, they trained, they even napped. But the war continued. And for Barriss it wasn’t so easy to let go of the darkness in her mind.

So, she was reassigned.

At first being assigned to the medical corps on the Tranquility was a welcome respite from the horrors of the frontlines. Barriss could concentrate on the most beautiful of her gifts. She felt like an angel when she relieved pain and made skin and bone knit. She was the darling of the 41st.

And Ahsoka started calling. It was nice to have a friend. Someone who truly understood.

Ahsoka was conducting a clandestine mission with Senator Amidala. They were secretly traveling to Raxus; trying to put together a peace agreement.

Hope flooded Barriss’ veins. The Separatist Senate had voted to open peace negotiations. Barriss could go home. She could return to the temple and be the center of Master Unduli’s attention again.

But it all came crashing down.

The Separatist olive branch had turned out to be nothing more than a ruse. They infiltrated and bombed the Senate Hill power generator. Whole swaths of Coruscant were on fire. Many died, thousands were injured, and Barriss hid under a desk in the medbay and cried until her eyes hurt.

It was then that Barriss discovered something about herself. Of all the emotions she had to control, disappointment was hardest. She should have known better than to get her hopes up.

And the Tranquility journeyed to Umbara.

Barriss had never seen anything like it. There were too many injured. Bleeding clones lay on the floor of the overflowing medbay, and decisions had to be made. Normally she would have been able to save the trooper with the shrapnel embedded in his intestines. But if she performed the surgery, three others with less severe injuries would bleed out in the time it took her to save the one. So, she saved the three, sacrificing their brother.

But then another round of injured came in, and another and another. And Barriss made the decisions all over again. Soon beds weren’t the only thing they were out of. There weren’t enough gowns, gloves, or bacta. It would all be alright. She could improvise.

Barriss held her hands above a trooper’s abdomen using the Force to knit together the lacerations on his spleen before he bled to death internally. The instant she was done she moved on to another whose left eye was hanging from its socket. She irrigated with saline and water when bacta was no longer available and wrapped injuries in bandages the bridge crew had cut from bed sheets.

The cleaning droids couldn’t keep up. There was blood and worse all over the floor. Barriss slipped and fell in it when the siren went off announcing another round of wounded. She met the shuttle to see Master Unduli disembark alone. Barriss moved past her master to get to the injured only to be caught around the middle.

Master Unduli wouldn’t let her pass. But Barriss had to get to the men. She was so focused on her goal she couldn’t hear Luminara telling her to stop. Barriss struggled until she managed to shove her master out of the way. She rushed aboard only to find the shuttle stuffed full of body bags and a distinctive smell; charred flesh, melted plastoid and ozone.

Barriss gagged and fell to her knees. There was only one weapon in the galaxy that could produce a smell like that.

Immediately, the past eighteen hours caught up with her. She had already been fighting off Force exhaustion. The air around her shimmered and blurred as she dry-heaved. Master Unduli grabbed her by the shoulder and tried pulling her from the ship. But Barris screamed in dismay twisting herself from Luminara’s grip. Her master was hiding something amongst these dead men.

Barriss reached out with the Force and wrenched the seal from a bag determined to know what had happened. A headless clone fell to the floor.

Time stood still.

Who did this? How could this have happened? Barriss surged forward and inspected the lightsaber burns that covered the dead man’s torso and neck. But Master Unduli remembered her strength and pulled Barriss away.

She fought back against the wave of calm her master worked to enforce upon her mind.

Barriss didn’t want to calm down. Her anger boiled and frothed. She screamed again, and the entire ship lurched. Men were thrown from their feet. Fighters rattled in their moorings. The Force rebounded and stretched dangerously.

The next thing Barriss knew was dangling upside down from Commander Gree’s shoulder as he ran towards her quarters. Master Unduli’s voice was unusually sharp as she charged ahead giving orders to transfer the wounded and the dead.

As Barriss struggled into consciousness, Gree was smart enough to set her down.  But by this time, they were face to face with a large viewport. It offered a stunning view of the dark surface of Umbara, but that is not what caught Barriss’ attention.

She didn’t recognize her own reflection in the transparasteel. Her face was splattered with blood and bacta; her skin no longer green. She had long ago used her head scarf for bandages, and the rest of her clothing was so filthy it needed to be destroyed. She knew they had run out of gowns, but in her desperation, she hadn’t realized that she’d become a walking biohazard. She turned back to see that her boots had dripped a trail of blood down the hallway.

Poor shocked Commander Gree sprang forward as Barriss began to sway on the spot whispering his apologies as he manhandled her into a bridal carry. Barriss hid her face in his shoulder. Her angry sobs echoed throughout the ship.

Anger leads to hate.

The masters tried to hide what had happened on Umbara. They thought it best to conceal the truth from the padawans. But Barriss knew. It was Krell. He’d massacred an entire squadron of the 501st.

Krell had been a Separatist spy the entire time.

Barriss kept watch over her shoulder back on Coruscant. There was no one she could trust. And Master Unduli certainly didn’t trust her. Luminara escorted Barriss to each and every one of her mind healing sessions and then stood guard outside to make sure she didn’t leave.

And ever since Barriss’ outburst during the Umbara campaign her master had been watching her like a hawkbat; assigning her pointless remedial duties. Barriss was assigned to story time in the creche, reshelving in the archives and guarding the high chancellor while the senate was in session.

Apparently, he’d asked for her specifically after Umbara, wanted her to see the senate in action and have some “time off.” The sheer ridiculousness of it made Barriss’ teeth ache. Palpatine had specialized guards for this scud. Why the kriff did he need her? She could walk into any medicenter on the planet and be recognized as a full-blown doctor. But no, she was stuck listening to a wizened old man explain taxation and banking regulations in the simplest and most elementary of terms.

She hated him.

And whenever she returned from Palpatine, Master Unduli would question her at length. Wanting to know every detail; every speck and thread of conversation they’d had. And every time Barriss bit her tongue, never revealing what would only shock her master further. That the high chancellor was a chauvinistic windbag in love with the sound of his own voice. He insulted Barriss as a woman, as an intellectual, as a Jedi.

Two weeks later Rako Hardeen killed Master Kenobi.

Barriss stood behind Ahsoka during the funeral. She graciously welcomed the distinguished guests that arrived leading the Duchess of Mandalore and Senator Amidala through the temple hallways. Barriss could see Master Unduli was pleased that Barriss could play her part when called upon. It made her sick. She was now nothing more than an object, a beautiful Mirialan face to greet guests and please the chancellor.

That night Barriss held Ahsoka as she sobbed uncontrollably; trying to soothe her friend’s frazzled nerves and distraught heart. Barriss provided the emotional support Master Unduli was incapable of feeling and Master Skywalker was incapable of giving.

And then…

It was all a ruse. A ruse to save that kriffing, bigoted, oxygen thief!

Barriss didn’t even know what to say. She watched Ahsoka stumble around the temple in a daze; her friend’s countenance as flat and cold as a winter’s morning.

Master Unduli said nothing either, even when Barriss pressed her. She was brittle and tight-lipped about the whole affair.

How could they? How could the High Council agree to such a plan? Barriss had listened as Satine Kryze, the indominable Duchess of Mandalore had cried at Kenobi’s funeral. She’d held Ahsoka as she’d wept for hours. And for what? To save a corrupt politician?

Barriss didn’t care anymore. The council had gone too far this time. Kriff these people! Kriff the Code! Kriff the Council! Kriff the Jedi!

Hate leads to suffering.

Barriss first met Letta Turmond while unloading of a shipment of medical supplies. The woman said little when their weapon’s specialist, Mr. Bowmani introduced her as his wife. However, Barriss immediately noticed the small pin Ms. Turmond wore on her collar, almost covered by her jacket; a Secorist pin. How very interesting.  

The Sectorists had long been calling for an end to the Republic. They believed the Republic too large and unwieldly to govern, and instead wanted the galaxy divided into independent self-governing sectors. However, their other platform – which intrigued Barriss most – was a call for the end of the corporate rule of planets. Under Sectorist ideology no for-profit organization could have a vote in government.

She knew that the Separatists also avowed to such an ideology, and it intrigued her. She’d spent too much time watching the Banking Clan manipulate the Republic. As of right now, the senate had ended banking regulation, and already smaller planetary economies were suffering.

Barriss found a reason to wait around in the hangar every day for a week to see if Ms. Turmond would rejoin her husband for lunch. And when she finally retuned, Barriss stalked her as she left the temple.

She followed Letta into the underground. Past the discount speeder dealers, rundown apartment blocks and small ethnic grocery stores. Past the dive bars and strip clubs. And then – lower still - past the spice dealers and establishments where Barriss was certain that girls her age were being trafficked. (Not that the Jedi cared. They were too busy with their precious war.)

She kept following until Letta finally entered what looked like some sort of back-alley gambling den. The place was seedy even for this area of the underground, and Barriss certainly didn’t belong. Despite keeping to the shadows and directing the attention of others’ away from her presence, someone would definitely notice a teenaged Jedi walking into such an establishment.

But it was nothing to mind trick the Transdoshan bouncer into letting her in. She pulled on her gloves to cover her telltale Mirialan skin, hid her lightsaber under her skirt and pulled her hood forward.

Keeping her head down she slid into a smoky room crowded with shouting sentients. There was a man on a platform near the front making some sort of speech and numerous people loudly agreeing with his comments. Barriss smiled internally; a Sectorist rally.

It was fascinating.

Of course, Barriss had taken political science classes where they had discussed and debated various political ideologies. She’d just never seen people this passionate about them before. Here were the true citizens of the galaxy; all fire and energy and truth. They wanted real change and were willing to face profound consequences to get it.

She listened as the participants discussed various plans to slice Banking Clan servers and sabotage Trade Federation ships. Barriss knew that her master would want her to report these people. After all, such actions were highly illegal. But she honestly didn’t care.

Besides she was pretty sure the rank-and-file Jedi wouldn’t even be upset if Scippo got hacked. The high council might wring their hands about the importance of prosecuting offenders of the law, but masters like Tholme, Beq and Cordova would say the bastards got what was coming to them.

After the rally Barriss followed Ms. Turmond back to her apartment. At first the woman was terrified when she realized that she’d been caught, but when Barriss explained that she’d been looking for someone who shared her ideals Letta warmed up.

After that Barriss began sneaking out with Letta every chance she got. She covered for her absences by telling Luminara that she was volunteering at a low-income clinic, and her master was too busy dealing with the recent death of Adi Gallia to discover Barriss’ duplicity.

Barriss reveled in her newfound freedom. Letta and her friends showed Barriss how the Jedi were keeping the war going by protecting the interests of the failing Republic. They taught her that by upholding Republic law the Jedi were granting more power to the corporations that held the working populace by the throat. And the more she learned, the more Barriss felt sick at heart.

She hadn’t been helping anyone. Her entire life of sacrifice and service had only contributed to exploitation and greed. The Jedi had lied to her. Master Unduli had lied to her. Barriss begged the Sectorist leaders to let her run away from the temple. But they insisted that she remain. She was their inside woman; their eyes and ears. If she didn’t keep up the pretenses of being a Jedi, how would she bring about change within the organization?

And the more information Barriss brought to the Sectorists, the more they trusted her.

It felt wonderful to be trusted. Master Unduli never told her anything, and only relayed the most mundane and need-to-know intelligence. It was downright embarrassing that Caleb Dume knew more about battle plans and upcoming missions than she did. When Barris confronted Luminara about this, her master imparted that she hadn’t wanted to upset her. But added that if Barriss felt she was ready to handle more she would gladly relay the information.

However, Barriss was no fool. Master Unduli thought her unstable and kept her away from intelligence briefings. So, she took to spying. With Letta’s help, Barriss sliced her master’s security clearances.

It was while reading over council intelligence reports that Barriss learned that the Chief Justice of the Republic Supreme Court would be making a trip on personal business. And that he had refused a security detail.

Barriss knew that Chief Justice Taney was greatly disliked by the Jedi. After all, he’d repeatedly upheld the biased decisions of the lower courts when it came to the Trade Federation trials. However, the Jedi simply let the man – and therefore the Supreme Court - continue to degrade the Republic justice system.

A few days after Barriss told the Sectarists about what she had learned, the chief justice was assassinated while leaving a high-end brothel on Canto Bight.

The news made Barriss’ blood run cold. Did Taney’s death have anything to do with her? Barriss scurried into the underground to demand answers. It was one thing to sabotage a ship, but out and out murder?

 At first Letta and the other leaders smiled a Barriss like she was a naïve child. She made them see differently. Barriss reached out with one hand and pinned one of them against a wall. She held him there – barely able to breathe - until Letta finally relented that indeed they had killed the chief justice.

Now not only was Barriss angry, she was miserable. She rarely ate and slept even less. She could barely hide her guilt and shame. However, she still held with the Sectarists ideals. So, she justified to herself. Taney deserved to die. With him out of the way, Palpatine would have to appoint a more deserving judge to the bench.

Instead, he appointed Driss Amedda, his vizier’s cousin.

The people of the galaxy were incensed at the blatant nepotism, but the senate confirmed his appointment anyway. Worse still, the Jedi had to provide extra security to hold back the protestors at the man’s swearing in.

Barriss’ could no longer stand the indignation of it all. The people of the galaxy were suffering, and instead of helping them, the Jedi succored the government that kept them enslaved.  The entire Order had fallen from the light. What did it matter if she called upon the darkness to serve her goals if she freed people from tyranny?

She needed to make a statement. Something that would make the Jedi suffer as she had; suffer until they saw themselves covered in the blood of those they ultimately slaughtered. She would awake them from their pretense of benevolence.

Barriss’ only joy was in the warmth and acceptance of her new friends. Every day the Sectarists introduced her to someone new. Someone who was only too willing to help her achieve her goals.

And they were all so proud of her. They hugged her, loved her. They were her true family.

Getting her hands on the nano-droids was simple. So many weapons passed through the temple hangars each day that no one noticed her discrete order from the University of Kuat labs. However, Letta and her friends were strict on not having the explosion traced back to themselves. They feared Republic retaliation would wipe them out before they could see their end goals. It took Barriss a bit to come up with a plan, but then the solution practically fell into her lap.

She was on her way back from a strategy session when she first spied Asajj Ventress.

Barriss knew that Dooku had dismissed the witch as his apprentice, but she didn’t know why. And even Master Unduli’s intelligence briefings didn’t shed any light on the matter.  The only time Luminara paid attention to Barriss anymore was to pester her with questions about how she was feeling.

Barriss wrapped herself in the dark side and snuck up on Ventress from behind. She used a loose brick to bludgeon the witch and then stole her lightsabers. Barriss would plant the red blades as evidence during the investigation, and the Jedi would believe that Ventress was to blame for the bombing.

It was all too easy.

Barriss took some time to practice with the lightsabers in an abandoned warehouse the Sectorists used for large scale assemblies. She had to admit their color suited her, and the crystals pulsed with a radiant power that echoed the misery she was feeling. She had never bothered with Jar Kai, but the style was growing on her as she slashed her way through a pile of empty crates. Now if she was ever bathed in someone else’s blood it would be that of her enemies.

Within days of finishing up her plan she and Letta were putting it into action. Letta would hide the nano-droids in Mr. Bowmani’s breakfast, and he would be their bomb. Mr. Bowmani would never know. Besides, Barriss justified, the man’s sacrifice would ultimately restore peace. And she, Barriss Offee would bring order to the galaxy.

The morning of the bombing dawned bright and warm. Just another day at the temple. Barriss personally made sure that Mr. Bowmani was in his place in the hangar before she took the lift down to the street and pressed the detonator. She smiled when the explosion cracked through the air. Her statement was already being heard.