Chapter 37: The Frame - Part 2
POV: Kael Vorn
Sixty hours until timeline collapse, and every second felt like sand through an hourglass that couldn't be stopped. Ahsoka had been transferred to a Republic military detention facility—beyond Jedi jurisdiction, under Admiral Tarkin's cold control, isolated from everyone who might help her.
Anakin was barely containing his rage, his Force presence crackling with barely suppressed violence that made the air around him feel charged with lightning. In the canonical timeline, this helplessness during Ahsoka's trial had been another step toward his fall to the Dark Side. But here, Kael could offer what canon had denied—active partnership in investigation.
"We find the truth together," Kael told him, placing a steadying hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Your emotional connection to Ahsoka isn't weakness—it's motivation. Use it."
Anakin's mechanical hand clenched and unclenched as he processed the offer. "The Council said to let military justice take its course. That interfering would make things worse."
"The Council abandoned her the moment it became politically inconvenient," Ventress said with brutal honesty. "If you want her saved, we do it ourselves."
"In canon, you were helpless. Here, you have allies who won't give up."
[ANAKIN EMOTIONAL STATE: CRITICAL]
[TIMELINE COLLAPSE: 60 HOURS REMAINING]
[INVESTIGATION: ACTIVE]
Ventress's Sith training provided a different perspective on the frame operation. "Whoever did this wanted to hurt the Jedi Order specifically while eliminating Ahsoka personally. That's not random terrorism—that's someone with intimate knowledge, access to Temple security, and a personal grievance rooted in disillusionment."
They started with the last person to see Ahsoka before the explosion: Barriss Offee, respected healer and Padawan to Master Luminara Unduli. Officially, she was above suspicion—a dedicated Jedi with an exemplary record of service.
But when Kael used Force Echo on Ahsoka's personal effects, he discovered something disturbing. The emotional imprint from Barriss's final conversation with Ahsoka was wrong—anticipation mixed with grim resolve, not the concern you'd expect from someone reporting suspicious activity.
Using Republic security access provided by Bail Organa's growing network, they tracked Barriss's movements over the past month. Three visits to lower-level black markets, locations known for illegal technology trading. Rex's clone intelligence network confirmed the sightings with military precision.
The evidence was circumstantial but building into a pattern that couldn't be ignored.
When they brought their findings to the Council, they were dismissed with the institutional arrogance that had contributed to Ahsoka's situation.
"Barriss Offee is a dedicated Jedi," Mace Windu stated firmly. "Your accusations are based on speculation, driven by emotional attachment to Ahsoka Tano."
[COUNCIL RESISTANCE: INSTITUTIONAL BLINDNESS]
[INVESTIGATION BLOCKED: OFFICIAL CHANNELS]
[TIME PRESSURE: INCREASING]
Forty-two hours remaining. Unable to convince the Council through official channels, Kael, Anakin, and Ventress took matters into their own hands, tracking Barriss to Coruscant's lower levels where she was conducting a clandestine meeting with an arms dealer—the same individual who had sold the nano-droids used in the Temple bombing.
When they confronted her in the shadowy depths of an abandoned warehouse, Barriss's carefully maintained mask finally dropped, revealing the ideological zealot beneath.
"You're too late," she said, her voice carrying the cold certainty of someone who believed absolutely in their cause. "The trial begins tomorrow. Ahsoka will be convicted, and the Republic will see the Jedi for what we've become—hypocrites who wage war while preaching peace."
She ignited her lightsaber—not her traditional weapon, but one of Ventress's stolen blades from their earlier encounter. The symbolism was deliberate and cutting.
The fight was desperate and chaotic in the warehouse's confined space. Barriss was skilled, driven by ideological fury, fighting with the conviction of a true believer who saw herself as a righteous rebel against institutional corruption.
Anakin's rage made him sloppy, his attacks powerful but unfocused. Ventress provided the calm counterpoint, her Makashi precision creating openings that Anakin's raw power could exploit. Kael coordinated their movements through Battle Meditation, synchronizing their attacks until they fought as a single organism.
When Barriss was finally subdued, her laughter was bitter and unrepentant.
"Even if you prove Ahsoka innocent," she gasped, "the damage is done. The Council abandoned her the moment it became politically inconvenient. That truth remains, no matter what you do."
[BARRISS OFFEE: CAPTURED]
[REAL CULPRIT: IDENTIFIED]
[MOTIVATION: IDEOLOGICAL DISILLUSIONMENT]
They had Barriss, the evidence, and twenty-four hours until Ahsoka's trial. But Admiral Tarkin refused to delay the proceedings, his military precision unwavering in the face of new evidence.
"The case against Tano is substantial. Your alternative suspect changes nothing about the evidence linking her to the bombing."
Bail Organa intervened with Senate authority, using his growing coalition to force an emergency hearing. But the political maneuvering was intense and time-consuming. Palpatine, presiding over the Senate with grandfatherly concern, appeared helpful while subtly obstructing—delaying document processing, questioning evidence authenticity, creating bureaucratic tangles that ate precious hours.
Kael watched with growing frustration as the Sith Master manipulated outcomes even while appearing to cooperate. Even caught red-handed, Palpatine's position gave him tools to influence events.
The hearing was finally scheduled to run concurrent with Ahsoka's trial—they would present Barriss's confession and evidence to both the military tribunal and the Senate simultaneously. It was their one shot at saving her.
[POLITICAL MANEUVERING: INTENSE]
[PALPATINE OBSTRUCTION: SUBTLE BUT EFFECTIVE]
[FINAL HEARING: SCHEDULED]
As they prepared for the trial that would determine Ahsoka's fate, Ventress pulled Kael aside with an observation that struck to the heart of the convergence event's true meaning.
"Even if we clear Ahsoka's name, Barriss is right about one thing. The Council did abandon her when it mattered most. That wound won't heal easily."
Kael nodded grimly. The convergence wasn't just about proving innocence—it was about what came after. About whether Ahsoka could find a way to trust again, and whether the gray path they were building would be strong enough to catch her when the Jedi Order let her fall.
That night, Kael visited Ahsoka in her detention cell, their conversation conducted through an energy barrier that represented all the institutional obstacles that had been placed between them.
Her montrals had dimmed, her usual vibrant presence subdued by days of isolation and betrayal. The damage went deeper than physical imprisonment.
"Even if you prove I'm innocent," she said quietly, "I don't know if I can go back to the Order. They didn't even question the evidence. They just... discarded me."
Kael's heart broke at the pain in her voice. "Then you don't go back. You come with us. The gray path has always had room for you."
Her eyes filled with tears that she refused to let fall. "I'm scared, Kael. Of losing everything I thought I was."
He pressed his hand against the energy barrier, and she mirrored the gesture, their palms separated by inches and insurmountable institutional barriers.
"You're not losing who you are. You're becoming who you're meant to be. And you're not alone."
Through their Force bond, he felt her fear—but beneath it, a spark of determination that reminded him why she was worth saving. Whatever the trial brought tomorrow, she would face it with the truth, and with family who had never doubted her innocence.
[AHSOKA STATUS: DAMAGED BUT DETERMINED]
[BOND STRENGTH: UNSHAKEN]
[CONVERGENCE RESOLUTION: 18 HOURS REMAINING]
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