Child of War

Evidence

I stood beside Anakin in a chamber of the temple that I had never seen before.

Ahsoka was there with two temple guards on either side of her. She met my gaze and gave a small smile.

I couldn't return the favor. I moved forward and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me, her wrists no longer cuffed together. When we pulled apart, I held her hands. We stood, eyes locked.

She squeezed my hands and slipped free of my grasp, moving to Anakin. He stared at the floor. She took his hands and met his gaze. She managed a smile and nodded sadly. "Thank you, Master." She turned and followed the guards to the center of the room.

A platform rose from the floor, carrying her out of reach. The Council appeared in several openings. The room was lit ominously.

I couldn't remember everything that was said. My head was spinning with questions and worries. But I was all-ears when they delivered the verdict.

Master Windu spoke with authority. "For crimes against the Republic, we hereby expel you from the Jedi Order."

The words didn't sink in until one of the temple guards yanked off the chain connected to Ahsoka's headdress, her sign of being a padawan.

"No!" Anakin moved towards her, but the guards stopped him.

Tears sprang to my eyes. No. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. The Council had just stripped her of her security. Now, she would face a trial before the Senate... and I had no way to prove her innocence.

I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. A tear leaked down my cheek as I hung my head.
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I pushed the throttle as far as it would go. I had to be there. I had to know.

The Senate building came into view. Almost there. As I reached the building, I pulled the brake and swung the speeder sideways onto the docking bay.

I leapt from the speeder bike and ran into the building, avoiding security. The place was a maze, but I found Ahsoka sitting with Senator Padme Amidala, awaiting their turn to speak.

Captain Tarkin had the floor. He was railing about Ahsoka and her reckless behavior along with many other facts that weren't true. He painted Ahsoka as a merciless villain.

I snuck in behind them. "How's it going?"

The pair jumped.

"What are you doing here?" Ahsoka asked.

I sat beside her. "There was no way I was going to miss this. I'm here for you, no matter what."

She smiled, a real smile. "Thank you."

The trial seemed to stretch on forever. It wasn't going well. Words could not describe how much I wanted to punch Captain Tarkin. By the end, I was struggling to hold back my anger and frustration.

I watched helplessly as Ahsoka appeared before the Chancellor for judgment. I knew what he would say. It was over. We didn't have enough evidence to clear Ahsoka.

Mid-sentence Anakin barged into the room with a group of clones following him. They led a struggling Bariss Offee between them.

"Chancellor," He interrupted, "this is the Jedi responsible for the bombing."