Barriss' Lament

Warning: The following contains spoilers to The Clone Wars season five final arc and overall finale.

Synopsis: Two days after being discovered as the mastermind behind the Jedi Temple Bombings and the murder of Letta Turmond, Barriss Offee awaits her final fate in her cell as she contemplates what she did in order to stand by her beliefs. It only during this reflection that Barriss comes to terms with her one and only regret but is given the opportunity by an old friend to make it right and send a heat-felt and deserved apology to her best friend, Ahsoka Tano.

Barriss' Lament

Barriss allowed a long and grief filled sigh to escape her dry purple lips as she aimlessly stared at the cold white floor of her cell.

It had been two full days since she had been discovered to be the perpetrator of not only the bombing of the Jedi Temple, but the murder of Letta Turmond and framing of her now former best friend, Ahsoka Tano.

Now, Barriss was left to await her trial, a trial she knew would only end in her demise and though she may have been afraid, she was also ready and willing to face the consequences of her actions and stand up for what she believed in.

The Jedi had betrayed themselves and become the very thing they swore to protect against, they had become nothing more than soldiers, fighting for a republic that was rapidly failing and falling into the hands of the power hungry politicians that led it.

No, Barriss had no regrets at her actions, no matter how wrong they may have been and how much she may have hated herself for the deaths of innocents, there was nothing that would make her go back on what she did, nothing, though there was something that she did wish she could have before her final fate was decided.

Forgiveness, not from the Jedi, not from the Republic, but from Ahsoka. The young Togruta's life had been turned upside down by her and Barriss had no excuses for what she had done to her best friend, even now, it still hurt to think about it.

If Barriss could ask for one thing before she died, anything, it would be Ahsoka's forgiveness though it was one thing thinking about it and another things actually doing it.

"Stand away from the door" the sound of a Clone Trooper's order broke Barriss out of her thoughts as she complied and stood to walk towards the far end of her cell.

The door opened, allowing a squad of four Clones into the small room, followed closely behind by Barriss' former mentor, Master Luminara Unduli.

Barriss' eyes widened as the door to her cell closed behind the elder Mirialan and she was forced to come face to face with the last person she wanted to have to see.

"Master…" Barriss gave her teacher a dry greeting as she once again took her seat on the small bench that acted as her bed.

Luminara frowned slightly, "Leave us" she said with slightly hoarse voice as she gestured for the clones to exit the cell, an order the four troopers seemed reluctant to follow but eventually complied with and left, sealing the door behind them.

Barriss dropped her gaze back to the floor as her former master took a seat next to her and let out a long and heavy sigh of her own, "How have you been, Barriss?" she asked with a slight and surprisingly awkward tone.

"Conflicted… my master" Barriss responded sadly as she felt a sudden and heavy feeling grip her heart.

Luminara sighed again, "I could always sense that in you, ever since Geonosis…" she said thoughtfully, "I only wish that I could have done more for you, towards the end"

Barriss looked at her former master pleadingly, "Do you not understand why I did it, Master?" she asked, feeling a tear run down her cheek.

"I will never understand why you did it Barriss" Luminara replied almost coldly as she stood and faced the door of the cell, "I'm here to grant you one final request on behalf of the Jedi Order, Master Yoda insisted that I be the one to come here and see you" she added and Barriss couldn't help but feel like one of her oldest and closest friends had abandoned her.