:)Ch148

This time she was seeing herself standing on the raised platform and looking up at the Masters surrounding her with a pleading look frozen on her face.

Ahsoka realized that she was standing on empty air as she looked around. Above her on raised chairs sat the members of the Jedi High Council all frozen in this moment in time. Below her she could see Anakin glaring up at the Jedi Masters who were looking down at her.

Her eyes went to the expression of her own memory and tears welled up in her eyes as she saw the hope there that she knew was soon to be dashed. She vividly recalled the desperation she felt in that moment, and could feel it rising up inside her again.

Suddenly she felt a pair of warm arms enfold her from behind, and she felt Harry's presence surround her. She only held out for a moment before she slumped backward into the comforting embrace.

Harry's gentle voice came filled the silent, unmoving view in front of her.

"Where are we? This isn't the trial that I caught a few clips of on the holonet," Harry's voice was curious without being pressuring.

"This is a Jedi trial… this is where they threw me out of the Order. This is where none of them believed me," Ahsoka's voice was sad, but she was surprised to find herself feeling less bitter than she had a few hours earlier.

There was a pause and Harry just held her, she felt no urge to pull away, almost relieved that he made no move to do so. "Can you tell me who I'm looking at?"

After a moment's hesitation she nodded and then gestured with one hand beneath them at Anakin's frozen face. "That's my old master, Anakin Skywalker. I usually called him Sky-Guy. He was… the only one to believe in me, and the only one to support me,"

Harry looked down and saw a surprisingly young man, probably no more than 25 or 27. He tilted his head as he looked down into Anakin's frozen expression. He wasn't sure why but the expression and features almost... seemed familiar somehow.

He was also somewhat intrigued by the expression on Anakin's face, it set off some warning bells in his head. Though he knew it could just be the point of the memory or the intensity of the moment.

She allowed her head to look up at the Masters hovering above them. She gestured to the one wearing a breathing mask and covers over his eyes, "That one is Plo Koon, he is the Jedi that found me. He always called me Little Soka. But apparently his devotion to justice supersedes knowing me from the time I was a little girl."

She moved counterclockwise and gestured at the next one, "That is Master Yoda, he's the Grand Master of the Jedi Order and has been for several hundred years. He's the most powerful and experienced Jedi Master alive."

"Huh … " Harry observed, "He looks like a distant relative of Dobby,"

Ahsoka blinked and then despite the darkness of this memory actually giggled a little bit.

"Oh my… he totally does," Ahsoka said as her shoulders shook in mirth, "I will never be able to look at him again without thinking that!" She couldn't see it, but she could feel Harry's amusement from behind her.

She shook her head and moved on, "That's Master Windu. His connection and understanding of the Force is nearly on par with Yoda's. He might even be better with a lightsaber."

"He looks like a friendly fellow," Harry opined dryly as he looked at the man's utterly impassive face.

"And you've already met Master Ki-Adi-Mundi," Ahsoka said with a gesture toward the Master with the elongated forehead, ignoring his comment.

"Ah yes. Conehead and I are practically best buddies now," Harry replied, snickering a bit, "You saw, I even gave him some pretty sound medical advice."

"Then you have Master Kenobi. He was Anakin's old Master," Ahsoka explained, "I thought if anyone would believe me he would, but he certainly didn't seem to speak up for me."

"Hmm," Harry hummed noncommittally as he examined the bearded human.

"And … well you've already met Master Shaak Ti," Ahsoka said with a bit of a sigh in her voice as she gestured with her chin toward the frozen woman.

She was surprised to find that Harry seemed to be right after their talk. She didn't feel the anger inside of her well up at her fellow Togruta. Instead she just felt disappointment, pity and some disgust. She wasn't sure if she'd feel the same way toward the other Masters until or if she ever ran into them face to face again.

"It's a start," Harry murmured sensing her thoughts, though he didn't expand on his comment as he looked around the room.

After an extended pause he asked quietly, "Will you let me watch the memory with you?"

Ahsoka hesitated, "I thought you were going to go looking through my memories,"

"I said I would probably try and find them and that I might see them, but- given that the memory isn't playing. I didn't want to go through them without your permission if I did find any of them," Harry replied. "My control is good enough that I can usually keep myself from seeing something unless you actually give me permission to see it after I've run across it."

He had expected it to go the minute it was accessed, the fact that it hadn't was incredibly impressive. He didn't tell her that it was a sign of just how much control of her mind she was already exerting that the memory didn't automatically start. He knew he could have forced the memory to start if he wanted, but Harry wasn't going to rampage hurtfully through her mind just to do so.

Ahsoka hesitated a moment before she nodded, "Okay," As if her permission had been the starting gun, the memory immediately began to move.

"Padawan Tano, against you serious charges have been levied," Master Yoda began to speak, his voice stern, "How plead you?"

Ahsoka watched her memory self begin to speak, "Not guilty, Master. I would never take the lives of innocents. The values of the Jedi are sacred to me."

"There is evidence to the contrary. You were alone with Letta Turmond when she died. Can you explain this?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke up, more than a little doubt in his voice. Harry's arms tightened around Ahsoka infinitesimally, at the condescension in his voice.

"Someone

used the

Force

against

her," Memory Ahsoka replied quickly, confusion in her voice. She hadn't understood either.

"Which brings us to Ventress. Can you explain your association with her?" Plo Koon's voice had a mechanical tone to it as it was filtered through his breather. Ahsoka caught the slight flinch on her memory-self's face at the doubt and disbelief there.

"We had a mutual understanding," Memory Ahsoka said hesitantly, "I thought she was helping me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you enjoy reading? Visit my site on Tiendup! There you will find the advanced chapter in PDF format, ready for your convenience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

https://fictiontopia.tiendup.com/