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As soon as he heard that Ahsoka had escaped, he couldn’t help but feel proud of her. He immediately announced that he had control of the situation, rushing down to the prison. He spotted her in the distance, running. The Coruscant guards opened fire; their blasters were set to kill. He ran, ordering the troopers to set their guns to stun. If Ahsoka died that night for charges she didn’t commit, there was no telling what would happen with him. She flipped as several stun bolts rushed towards her and fell into a roll. The momentum only carried her forward. Every now and then, she paused a few moments, blocking the blasts with practiced ease while calculating her next move. Until the clones boxed her in at his command. But they did not factor in her penchant for pipe systems. There, in the darkness and maze of pipes, she shook off all the clones from her trail. But he knew her, felt her presence, and followed her. She didn’t know where she was going, but he felt the Force leading her, leading him.
He finally caught up with her when the pipes opened into the yawning entrance to the underbelly of Coruscant. The lower levels that few with decent repute dared to enter. A dead end, almost.
“Ahsoka,” he called softly, doing his best to dim the echo with the falling rain and rumbling thunder. “What are you doing?”
She didn’t answer his question, jumping straight to the issue, “You didn’t even try to come and help me.” Hurt laced in her words.
“They didn’t even let me in to come and talk to you,” he protested in defense.
“You could have, if you tried!” Her voice practically ringing her disappointment in such betrayal.
His voice hardened, “How would that look, Ahsoka, huh? Forcing my way in would have made you look more guilty.” He approached her steadily.
At that, the hard resolve on her face cracked. A disbelieving sound as she responded, voice breaking, “I’m not guilty!”
“We have to prove your innocence,” he said as confidently as he could muster. He gestured towards the maze of pipes they came from. “The only way we can do that is by going back.”
“I don’t know who to trust.” A clear response layered with that of a broken child, betrayed into this position.
“Listen, I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never. But you need to come back and make your case to the Council.”
“No,” she decided, shaking her head. Her back straightened, proudly. “I’m not going to take the fall for something. I. Didn’t. Do.” Determination exuded from her body language as she emphasized her innocence.
He grew impatient. He tried to do this the easier way. He had to try another way. He mixed authority into his softer tones. “I’m ordering you to put down your lightsaber and come with me. Now!” He added desperately, “Trust me.”
“I do trust you.” A transport passed near to the drain; its guide lights shone behind her until she almost appeared angelic. “But you know as well as I do that no one else will believe me.” She paused to look down – it was a long jump. She continued quietly, “Anakin, you have to trust me now.”
“Ahsoka, I do trust you!” he protested again. What was up with these accusations? But her words shone with clarity and truth, washing over his insecurities.
She looked back at him again. She held out her hand and felt a slight Force push-back, preventing him from coming closer. “I know you do,” she said. “Wish me luck.” A flash of sadness in her eyes and grim determination in her tone. She jumped and disappeared from his sight.
He rushed to the lip of the pipe exit with Rex and Fox joining him soon after. They watched her fall, arms and legs held out in the familiar form of a free-fall. Then as she approached the transport, she flipped until she landed comfortably. She gazed back at them, begging them to trust her through her eyes.
They caught her. How? He didn't know. Maybe it would all work out. Maybe the Council would see the truth. He paced back and forth until Ahsoka sighed, “You’re not helping.”
“I’m sorry, Snips,” he answered, frustration underlying his words. “I... I just... just don’t know what to do.”
“It’s ok,” she answered wearily. “I don’t know either.” She was a little too calm, almost as if she accepted the worst.
The Temple guards signaled that it was time. They climbed onto the dais that would rise to where the Council awaited. He stood below his padawan as the Council asked their final questions. The same questions that they asked her before. A circle. He felt a determined current running through the majority of the Council. Only Master Obi-Wan and Master Plo stood firmly embedded rocks in the flow. But the words of two could hold no sway when decisions were made by majority ruling. He heard nothing but judgment in the Council's words. As if they…
Master Yoda spoke finally, “Clouded by the Dark Side these things are, Padawan Tano. Dangerously clouded. But not just surrounding you. Surrounding many things it is in these times.”
“You’ve already made your decision, haven’t you?” He realized aloud, controlling his anger into biting, accusatory words. “This meeting is just a formality.” Yes, he felt a heaviness and mist in the Force, but he felt like he stood in clear daylight when he was with her.
He looked at Master Obi-Wan’s face, reached for him through their bond, and felt the truth. Master Obi-Wan tried every card, every trick he had. His heart hardened towards the Jedi as they finished their concluding thoughts. Then horror ran through him as Master Windu announced their decision. He barely heard the remainder of the decision, could only watch in shock as a Temple guard coldly ripped the beads from her headdress. It should not be done like this. He should be the one removing it, in that sacred ceremony, complete with those heavy robes he disliked.
As the guards led her away, she glanced towards him. A plea in her eyes. To let go. He set his mouth in a firm line and turned towards the Council. He spat out, “I hope you can all live in peace with the knowledge that you have condemned one who felt serenity and harmony more strongly than any of you. The Force knows it too.” He left before they could lecture him on his attachment issues, again. No matter what they said, she was supposed to be beside him. And he was supposed to be next to her. That was how it was meant to be, that was how he wanted to be. There might be a wall, an impossible wall, between him and Ahsoka, but he was going to break through it. Ahsoka knew that his heart – he was not about to let her go without a fight. He had work to do.
The trial was not going to go well. It was doomed from the start, just like the trial before the Council. He barely stayed long enough to hear the opening. Even with Padmé’s common sense, there was nothing that she could do if everyone else had already decided Ahsoka's fate. The trial before the Republic court was just as much a formality as the trial before the Council. (So much for the idea that one was "innocent until proven guilty.")
He did what others should have done. Cross-referenced Ahsoka’s story with those she mentioned in her testimony. He initiated his own investigation. First, a visit with Ventress. It wasn’t hard to track down the Dark-side user. Even though the mist in the Force on Coruscant made seeing light and truth more difficult, he found that he could parse out the shades of grey rather easily. A short scuffle, several moments of barely controlling his anger, and an enlightening conversation later, he had another lead. Another name. He pushed away all the thoughts the Nightsister evoked – thoughts he himself wondered about.
Maybe his methods were unorthodox, but when were they ever? He was doing it for Ahsoka. Her friend whom he heard of in passing stood in between them. But he’ll prove Ahsoka’s innocence, prove the truth to all.
He walked into the courtroom as the Chancellor began his closing remarks. The final nail in a death coffin. He walked boldly, bolstered by the truth that now followed him. He watched Offee pronounce her final testimony with his features hardened. He had no peace until the truly guilty admitted it and freed the one who was truly innocent.
At last, the Chancellor scornfully declared, “Take her away,” as he rose and turned away.
He looked across the space between him and Ahsoka. The invisible wall that separated them crumbled, and he finally relaxed in the knowledge that Ahsoka would live. Her features, pent with stress and unreadable emotions, softened as she gazed at him. A small smile on her lips before it drooped into sorrow. She may have lost another friend, but she knew that he was true. He nodded towards Padmé, sending his love and gratitude for standing by him and supporting Ahsoka. Then he turned towards the door. It won’t be long now until they’re reunited again.