Sabotage and betrayal I
Year: 19 BBY
Location: Jedi Temple Infirmary, Coruscant
Caleb stands in front of the bacta tank, containing Master Depa Billaba and feels his connection to her. Three months ago, Billaba and the 227th Legion travelled to Haruun Kal for their mission. When they arrived, they were confronted by General Grievous, a Kaleesh cyborg who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Droid Army. They weren't ready for the General, and during their confrontation, Billaba was brutally and soundly defeated by Grievous, who, unaware that she had survived, had nearly taken her life.
That day, the defeat of Haruun Kal by the Jedi Master caused the 227th Legion's casualties to be ninety per cent. It was a great tragedy and a significant loss for the Republic and the Jedi Order, since Billaba was a member of the High Council. Billaba was severely injured, to the point that she fell into a coma. And that's where she has been for three months. Seeing her like this was hard on Caleb, as she was the only one willing to go against Master Windu and take him as her Padawan.
After this incident, Caleb has started to devote more of his time to learning about the biology of as many species as the Jedi Archives have recorded, encompassing biology, chemistry, and the healing arts as a whole. He started to volunteer in the infirmary, much to the displeasure of the 2-1B surgical droid. Through this, Caleb has become significantly more skilled at healing a wide range of injuries. Master Baas has told him that he possesses a remarkable aptitude for healing.
"Excellent, Caleb. You have already become very skilled at healing such wounds. I am left in disbelief, seeing you master everything I give you so quickly. How are the shatterpoints you are seeing?" Master Baas asks.
"You mean these lines I am seeing?"
"Yes, you told me about them. Shatterpoints are a complex Force phenomenon and are usually only seen through immense focus. Have you tried using healing together and let the Force flow through those 'cracks' or lines?"
"Yes, it works rather well. The healing process takes far less time," Caleb says.
"Good, now let's try to-"
*beep beep*
"Yes?"
[Master Baas, something has happened; the Council wishes to speak with all Masters present in the Temple.]
"I'll be right there," Master Baas says. "Sorry about that, Caleb. I'll look into this. You had better go back to your quarters for now."
"Alright, master. I'll see you later."
Caleb leaves the infirmary and makes his way back to his room. He sees Ahsoka and her Master, Anakin Skywalker, walk by and greets them.
"Ahsoka, Master Skywalker, hi. What are you doing here on Coruscant?"
"Hey Caleb. We were sent to Cato Neimoidia when Master Yoda called us back to the temple. We're on our way now," Ahsoka says.
"Come on, Ahsoka, we need to leave," Anakin says, and they walk away.
Caleb looks suspicious and turns around, trying to find out what happened. The infirmary was busier when he left today, so something could have happened. He will have to see what it is.
.
As it turns out, there has been a bombing at the hangar of the Jedi Temple. The entire temple was in disarray after it became known what had happened. But not only was this a terrorist attack, there are rumours going around that it may have been a Jedi who caused the blast. For this reason, since everyone is a suspect, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano were recalled to Coruscant to investigate, since they were off-world at the time.
The two of them are assisted by the droid Russo-ISC in their investigation, and relatively soon, they identify a potential suspect, Jackar Bowmani. While analysing the explosion, they discover the source of the blast, a transport, and find it covered in explosive Nano-droids. They also manage to locate Jackar's hand, the only part of him that survived the explosion. Nano-droids are found in his bloodstream, leading them to believe that he 'was the bomb.' Together, Anakin and Ahsoka go to his home to search for more nano-droids, discovering them in the food. Suspecting that someone fed the droids to Jackar, they are interrupted by Letta. They decide to bring her back to the temple for further questioning, as they suspect she might know more than she is revealing.
However, Letta makes a run for it, and the two Jedi pursue her through the streets. Eventually, they corner her in an alley. Both Jedi now believe she was responsible for the explosion, and confronted by Anakin's anger, she confesses. The Jedi take her back to the temple. Although still unaware of her motives, they plan to question her further.
"So you're telling me that this woman fed her husband nano-droids and then caused him to explode because..."
"We don't know that yet, but we're trying to find that out. Master Windu believes this to be an anti-Jedi movement, since the public blames us for the continuation of the war," Ahsoka tells Caleb.
After she and her master caught the woman, she came to Caleb and told him about it. The mind of Caleb starts to work, however, and he believes that there is more to this than meets the eye. Something doesn't add up.
"Tell me again what she told you," he asks.
"She said: 'You're dealing with things you don't understand.'"
"Hmm, interesting."
"How so?" she asks.
"Well, for starters, if this were a simple terrorist attack meant to harm the Jedi Order, she would not say that. A terrorist attack, such as this, if Master Windu were correct, would require us to understand the bomber's intention behind it. This Letta would want us to know that it was we whom she was targeting. But she didn't."
"So... Master Windu is wrong?" Ahsoka asks.
"Most definitely. This is not about the Jedi, and if it is, then this Letta is not the one we are looking for. Someone else is pulling the strings here," Caleb deduces.
"Well, whatever the case may be, I need to hurry. The eulogy is starting. See you later, Caleb," Ahsoka says and rushes off.
Seeing her leave makes Caleb stand up and walk out. He thinks about all the things Ahsoka told him and starts to suspect that there is truly more to this than meets the eye. The eulogy which Master Yoda gives for the Jedi who died during the explosion is attended by senior Jedi and Republic figures. Naturally, a Youngling is not included in those things, despite him wishing that he could. Not for the fallen Jedi, but for the faces present there.
He walks through the temple, looking around and listening to the whispers and snippets of conversations of others. Everyone seems relieved that the 'perpetrator' was captured. He can only shake his head in disbelief at such mentalities. No one is interested in asking the important questions. Why would she do that? What was her motivation? Why did she approach the Jedi when they were looking for her husband, Jackar? And who was she working for? As long as the problem was out of their minds, they were happy.
Caleb waits between two pillars for the eulogy to end, and when it finally does, he stays hidden, trying to catch some things that are being talked about. He turns away and mingles with other Younglings walking by, so as not to be seen.
"So what happens to Letta now?" Ahsoka asks Admiral Tarkin, who also attended the meeting.
"The bomber has been moved," Tarkin reveals.
"Moved? Where? Why should she be moved?" Ahsoka asks.
A bad question, Caleb thinks.
"The Republic military has taken her into custody."
"But why? This is a Jedi matter, isn't it?" Ahsoka asks, not understanding.
"Clones were killed, which makes this terrorist attack a military matter. An attack on the Jedi is an attack on the Senate," Tarkin says.
Again, Caleb sighs. He understands that this is all political and has nothing to do with wanting to find out the truth. Otherwise, the Jedi could find out more and quicker. He also understands that the Jedi Order has become a political tool for the Republic Senate to use at will.
"Admiral Tarkin is right. Letta isn't a Jedi. It's not for us to be judge and jury over a citizen of the Republic," Master Skywalker says.
"If Letta is guilty, she's guilty and she should be dealt with!" Ahsoka says heatedly.
"Calm down, Ahsoka. Remember, revenge is not the Jedi way," Anakin says.
"The evidence seems clear, Ahsoka. Nothing will ever change," Barriss Offee says.
Caleb looks up at the four people.
"The Chancellor feels very strongly that the Jedi be removed from as many military matters as possible. You yourselves said that you're peacekeepers, not soldiers," Admiral Tarkin says.
"I hope Chancellor Palpatine knows what he's doing," Ahsoka says.
"I assure you that he rarely does anything without a strategy."
"I have many things to attend to, Masters. Good day."
Caleb looks after Offee and walks off. He has heard enough from those now and will use the moment to enter the talk. He sees Anakin urge his Padawan to follow after her friend, Offee. Seeing this, Caleb follows along as well. He approaches them.
"Ahsoka, how was the eulogy?" he asks.
"Ah, Caleb. It was alright. I was just talking to Barriss about how hard it is not to let feelings turn into attachment and pain."
"Ahsoka, have you ever wondered if it was right to ignore your emotions?" Barriss asks.
"Hmm, my master would say: 'Our struggle as Jedi is to move past them.'"
"You make it sound so easy," Barriss says.
Ahsoka chuckles.
"No, it isn't easy. But it's possible," she says.
Caleb thinks about it. To move past one's emotion is in line with the Jedi code, but it IS the easy way. Moving past often turns into ignoring or suppressing emotions. That's unhealthy in Caleb's mind.
"Caleb?"
"Yes?"
"What do you think?" Ahsoka asks.
"Suppression can lead to internal conflict, which can explode later. To 'move past' one's emotions is roughly the same as ignoring them. Emotions are part of identity, connection, and empathy. Denying that creates isolation and disconnection. The statement your master told you reflects the traditional Jedi view: emotions are a liability. That works if you're looking for peace and clarity in a chaotic galaxy. But it's also part of why the Jedi still struggle with the Dark Side — we aren't taught emotional understanding, only emotional avoidance. While the quote showcases our Order's discipline, it also hints at our most significant flaw."
"..."
"..."
Both of them look at Caleb. If his words were heard by a Jedi Master or, forbid, a Council Member, Caleb would be in serious trouble.
*beep beep*
"Yes, Master?" Ahsoka answers her comlink.
[Ahsoka, we're needed in the war room. It appears the Separatists have mounted another attack.]
"Coming, Master," she says.
Ahsoka wants to run off, but stops for a second.
"Look, I have to believe that one way or another, this woman's going to pay for what she did," Ahsoka tells Barriss.
"You shouldn't keep your master waiting," is all that Barriss says.
Ahsoka runs off, and Caleb looks after her. He then turns to Barriss again.
"Barriss, right? You seem... troubled. Are you alright?" he asks.
"I- I'm alright. The eulogy has weighed on me. I shall take my leave."
"Hmm, if you say so," Caleb says and watches her leave.
.
Hours have passed since Caleb has heard anything from Ahsoka. He assumed that she was sent on a mission off-world, but he saw her master run through the Jedi halls in a hurry. He could feel his worry and anger. Then the temple went on high alert for some reason.
Caleb grew alert when it was said that Ahsoka Tano was a suspect in the murder of five clones and was now on the run. After not being able to do anything, Caleb was just about to go off on his own when his comlink alerted him.
"Who is this?"
[Caleb, this is Ahsoka.]
"Ahsoka? What is going on? What happened? They're telling us you're a fugitive and anyone who helps you will be seen as an accomplice."
[I have no time to explain. I already contacted Barriss. I am being framed for something I didn't do. So no matter what you hear-]
"I know. I have a good idea what's happening. Are you in the lower levels?"
[Yes, but I can't tell you where. I'll get rid of the Jedi communicator.]
"Take care of yourself, Ahsoka. And don't trust anyone."
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