It Takes Two to Tango

Admiral Tarkin

"So what happens to Letta now?" Ahsoka asked as she, Anakin, Admiral Tarkin, and Barriss Offee left the funeral for the fallen Jedi. Letta Turmons had been proved guilty of the attack on the temple, and Ahsoka had never been more angry in her life.

"The bomber has been moved," Tarkin answered contemptuously.

"Moved? Where? Why should she be moved?"

He looked down at her. "The Republic Military has taken her into custody.

"But why?" This was exactly what she was afraid of. Letta deserved justice for her actions, and since it was an act against the Jedi, they should be the ones to determine punishment. "This is a Jedi matter, isn't it?"

"Clones were killed, which makes this attack a military matter. An attack on the Jedi is an attack on the Senate."

Now where had she heard that before? Master Windu had said almost the exact same thing, making her wonder who he heard it from. She knew for a fact, thanks to Lux, that the Senate was busy with yet another bill to fund the development of more clone troopers. The Temple bombing could be used as a potential argument in debate, but it wasn't really of much concern. Tarkin and the Chancellor were pushing it to the surface for reasons not yet clear to her.

Anakin stepped forward. "Admiral Tarkin is right. Letta isn't a Jedi. It's not for us to judge and jury over a citizen of the Republic."

She stopped in front of them. "If Letta's guilty, she's guilty. And she should be dealt with."

"Calm down, Ahsoka. Remember, revenge is not the Jedi way."

She took a deep breath an crossed her arms in front of her, glancing at Barriss, who was more quiet than usual. It was understandable, however. They had just come from a depressing funeral.

"The evidence seems clear, Ahsoka. Nothing will ever change," Barriss said.

Tarkin took that as his que to talk some more. "The Chancellor feel very strongly that the Jedi be removed from as many military matters as possible. You yourselves said that you're peacekeepers, not soldiers."

Her eyes narrowed. "I hope Chancellor Palpatine knows what he's doing," she spat.

"I assure you that he rarely does anything without a strategy." The elevator dinged, and he stepped on.

Alright, Tarkin. Two can play at this game.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After a conversation with Barriss and half of a briefing in the war room, Ahsoka was on her way to the Republic Prison Complex to speak with Letta. It was odd that she had requested her specifically. All of it was very odd to Ahsoka. Something was off.

She landed her ship outside the prison, but hesitated a moment. If something were to happen to her, Lux would be devastated. She had been so caught up with the case that she forgot to tell him that she was back on Coruscant. She slipped the secure comlink out of the pouch in her belt and called him.

There was no response, so she left a message. "Hey, Lux. It's me. I acted like a sick idiot the last time we were together, and I'm so sorry. I hope you'll forgive me. I just wanted to let you know that I'm back on Coruscant. I'm not sure for how long, but I have a feeling it's for a while. Something's about to happen, and isn't going to end well. If I go down, I'm not letting anyone take you down with me. I'm going to destroy this communicator just in case, and I recommend you do the same." She paused, debating what to say next. "I love you. I hope you still feel the same about me after what happened. I owe you more than an apology." She let out a sigh and smashed the comlink using the force.