Fixing Our Broken Pieces || The Bad Batch

Prolouge P2: Idols

After the trial, Caleb waited impatiently for his sister Orla to come out of the trial room. He hid behind the halls of the temple as Ahsoka left with some of the temple guards and once they had reached the end of a corridor one of them had turned back to him, walking towards him. It was Orla.

A smile lit up on his face and he was swept up into the arms of his older sister, she spun him around once and set him down, removing her mask and hood. Her hair was dark and curly which reached far down her arms. She placed a hand by his shoulder blade to lead him back to her quarters.

"What happened?" Caleb walked quickly next to her, he found it difficult to keep up with her long stride which Orla didn't notice until his quick walk turned into a slow jog

"Sorry," she slowed her pace, "I am just furious with the council,"

"What about them?"

She pushed open the double doors to her quarters with the force and shut them behind her. "It seems that this war has turned the Jedi into politicians."

Then she took off one of the layers of her Jedi robes; gloves, cassock, and tabards, throwing them onto the bunk where she slept. Her room was a little larger than most Jedi's as Jedi guards often stayed in the temple while other Jedi lived mostly from planet to planet, some returned to the temple.

"Oh, they are?" Caleb pondered, his face full of disappointment. Most of the other padawans looked up to the Jedi masters, partially ones like Obi-Wan and Anakin or Yoda and Mace. They were heroes who could do no wrong, but to Orla, they were far from that and Caleb was now starting to see that.

Orla could see he needed some advice, choosing her words carefully she sat her saber down on a wooden bench next to her and wrapped Caleb's hands in her own. She wasn't very good at giving advice, she didn't have a padawan of her own to teach, and technically Caleb should be going to his master about this but he trusts her so she had to come up with something good.

"The Jedi life isn't all lightsabers and fighting in wars, you make hard decisions, you disagree with others, with the council. Then you trust your heart, you remember you are connected to the force, and to trust your instincts over anything even the council. That's what makes people like Anakin so great," she almost cringed giving Skywalker a complaint, "he doesn't follow everyone else, he's independent he trusts himself when everyone else thinks he's crazy. It makes others trust him too. I know a lot of your padawan friends believe that everything the council is doing is for the good of the Republic but when you're standing behind those council doors you realize how vulnerable and afraid they are becoming. People are turning against the Jedi, more and more planets are joining the Separatists and the identity of Darth Sidious remains unknown. But things will get better as long as you trust what is right from wrong then you will grow up to be an amazing Jedi."

A smile lit up on Calebs' face and Orla knew she had done her job. Beeping started going off in his robes and Caleb pulled out a comlink and answered it

"Caleb the council needs you for a briefing, you have enough nosing around for one day," spoke his master Depa Billaba. Hiding his embarrassed look, he stuffs the comlink back into his pocket and makes way to the door.

"See you later!" he waves.

Orla waves back until he's out of her sight and looks at her saber.

"Looks like I better start my training," she locks her door and changes into regular Jedi garments. She braids her hair out of her face, takes her saber, and sets off to the training ground. Surprisingly it's empty, usually, some younglings are left training extra with Yoda but it was later in the day and most younglings had finished their classes. She took a camera and a Marksman remote droid and ignited her saber. It was an easy drill but she had learned that going back to the basics is a good way to improve your current skills. It was easy for a Jedi to forget a basic correction if they have not returned to a skill as simple as deflecting blaster bolts.

"Orla! Orla!" one of the temple guards burst into the room, out of breath, it looked like they had been fighting.

"Barris and Anakin, in the courtyard."

They dashed to the large window overseeing the west side of the temple and there they were. They fought heroically on the roofs of the temple.

"Jeez did they jump through a window, are those Ventress lightsabers? Wait that's Barris!"

"Come on we gotta help Anakin!" she grabbed her hand and Orla snatched her lightsaber with the force. They found the window Barris so kindly smashed and found them neck and neck by the younglings' training grounds. Other guards surrounded them and they jumped to fill the circle. Orla wasn't in her usual gear but her lightsaber told her she was someone to help bring her in.

Anakin held her in a force choke and Orla seemed to be the only one willing to step in.

"That's enough now," Orla commanded and he dropped her where Orla caught both her arms, handcuffed, and passed her on to the appropriate guards where she would be brought in for trial.

☆☆☆

Barris was found guilty, Baris was the first to leave with two guards behind her who acknowledged Orla as they walked by. Then Anakin Anakin marched through, he hesitated and then turned to her.

"Thank you by the way."

Orla crossed her arms, "for what, you're the one who sniffed her out?"

"No I mean," he sighed, "I probably would have killed her if you hadn't stopped me." He leaves and Orla goes wide-eyed.

What did he just say?