Star Wars Acts Of Redemption

"I did it. Because I've come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize, that the Jedi are the ones responsible for this War. That we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict, that we are the ones that 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"

-Barriss Offee

It was a dark night in the Republic Capital of Coruscant. There had been many nights like it before, but this one was different. It was filled with betrayal, injustice, hatred, and hypocrisy. The Clone Wars had raged the galaxy for three years now, and the war had taken its toll on soldiers and civilians alike. Even the Jedi were not unaffected by it. Some grew restless and angry at the war. Some saw it as black and white. Some, however, saw it as a horrible extreme. Jedi Knight Barriss Offee saw the war as nothing but a violent and meaningless conflict started by the Jedi, and went too far to prove it. She saw the Jedi Order as a dark shadow of its formal self. Instead of trying to keep the peace in the galaxy, they have become combatants; generals leading the conflict. Ordering their clone troopers to attack. Offee became so disillusioned with the Order, that she attacked it at its very heart: the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. But her attack on the temple never corrected the Order, if anything, the only thing she accomplished was becoming what she swore to destroy: a Jedi fallen to the dark side. To make matters worse, she put the blame on her best friend, Ahsoka Tano. She trusted Offee with her life, and Offee betrayed her. It wasn't until Ahsoka's master, Anakin Skywalker, finally engaged Barriss Offee in a duel that she was finally forced to confess her crime before the Galactic Senate, just as Ahsoka was about to be pronounced Guilty and sentenced to be death. Ahsoka had been expelled from the Jedi Order for the attack on the temple, an act she didn't commit. She even testified before the Jedi Council to try to prove her innocence. But the council, blinded as they were, refused to listen, and had her expelled from the Jedi Order. When the council realized that they were wrong, they offered to let Ahsoka return. Not only as a Padawan, but as a knight. But Ahsoka had already realized that the council didn't trust her, they never did. The only one who had stood up for her was her master, Anakin. So she rejected the offer, and walked away. With both her and her master in tears.

Barriss Offee was imprisoned shortly after testifying before the senate. After serving some time in prison, she was brought back to the Jedi Temple to answer before the council in the chamber of judgment. "Barriss Offee, how plead do you?" asked Master Yoda. "Guilty master Yoda" Barriss replied coldly. "Do you realize what you've done? How much destruction you have caused? Six Jedi are dead because of you!" replied Anakin Skywalker as he was being held back by the Temple Guard. Anakin was still very angry at Barriss for betraying Ahsoka and setting her up. But before Anakin could get near Barriss, a pair of temple guards held him back and escorted him out of the chamber. It was dark in the chamber of judgment. The only lights that were shining were the lights shining on the Jedi Masters who stood overhead in judgment, and on the accused Barriss. As the Jedi Masters discussed as to how Barriss would be punished for her actions, an anxious clone trooper requested to be admitted. The Jedi Masters briefly halted their meeting to hear the trooper's report. The clone trooper reported of a Separatist invasion of Felucia. Jedi Masters Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti were in desperate need of reinforcements. Jedi Master Kit Fisto suggested that Barriss be spared for the time being and that she be sent to assist Secura and Ti to allow herself to be redeemed through her actions there. He pointed out her past selflessness, and that she was willing to give her life for others. Master Plo Koon also pointed out that there was no way they could punish Barriss for the crime without putting her or themselves on a path to the dark side. The Council agreed and they headed back to the chamber of judgment to inform Barriss. Barriss agreed to the mission, and took the first flight out to Felucia. While on Felucia, Barriss assisted Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti in whatever way she could. Mostly, she was there serving as a healer, a skill she learned as a Padawan. She helped to heal wounded clones during her time there. But she was not exempt from combat duties, and on multiple occasions, needed to utilize her skills with her lightsaber. One day, while she was fighting a battalion of battle droids, clone commander Galle, Offee's second in command, received an order from Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. "Commander Galle", said Palpatine, "It is time. Execute Order 66". "Right away sir" replied Galle. Offee returned back to Galle and ordered him to fire on a battalion of battle droids while she led the charge. Commander Galle complied. But not only did he turn his AT-TE on the droids, he turned it against Barriss and gave the order to fire. Within seconds, Offee was engulfed in a ball of flame. She jumped out of the fireball before being too grievously injured. At first, she thought Commander Galle had miscalculated the AT-TE's shot. But as she was about to go back and confront him, she felt a disturbance in the force. She knew something was very wrong. She followed the source of this disturbance through the jungle of Felucia. When she found what was causing this disturbance, she was horrified at what she saw. She saw Aayla Secura collapse to the ground. The Twi'lek had been gunned down by her own troopers. Commander Galle didn't fire in her direction by accident. He was trying to kill her. Barriss ran through the jungle, staying out of sight of the storm troopers. But it was no use. She fought tirelessly to stay alive. Blocking blaster bolts with her lightsaber. But as hard as she fought, she was still shot in the arm, and dropped her lightsaber as a result of that injury. She ran through the jungles of Felucia. Staying out of sight of the clone troopers. When night came, she was hit with a very sudden depression. Almost like as if a stake pierced her Mirialan heart. She was feeling her fellow Jedi being hunted down and killed all over the Galaxy. She especially collapsed with grief when her own master, Luminara Unduli, was gunned down on Kashyyyk. That same day, the Galactic Republic ceased to exist. Palpatine, who had now revealed himself as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, had reorganized the Republic into the Galactic Empire, effectively putting the galaxy under direct control of the Sith. Sidious sent his apprentice, Darth Vader, to wipe out the Separatist Council on Mustafar, and officially ended the clone wars. Order 66 had labeled the Jedi as traitors. All throughout the Galaxy, they were hunted down and killed by Vader and the newly formed Storm troopers. Many Jedi were massacred, very few were left. When morning came, Barriss snuck into a base and was able to get back into her ship. Before she left, she grabbed Aayla Secura's holocron and took off. While she was flying out of the Felucia system, Secura's holocron became active. It was getting a message from the Jedi temple, advising all Jedi that the war had ended and that they were to return to the temple immediately. She set a course for Coruscant and launched into hyperspace. While she was in hyperspace, the holocron became active again. It was receiving yet another message. It was from master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Instead of saying to come back to the temple, he instructed all surviving Jedi to stay away from the temple and to go into hiding. Barriss couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Jedi Order, which had stood for over a thousand years had fallen. But there was no time to grieve. Her original mission to be sent to Felucia to redeem herself was over. Now, the battle to survive, and keep the Jedi order alive, had begun. Redeeming herself, which she still sought to do, would have to wait.