Revenge of the Sith: Old Friend

Barriss laid down on the cot in her cell, she had lost count of how long she had been down there, her trial had been put on hold since her capture, the war needing the full attention of the Order at the time. "The Order," she thought aloud while letting out a sigh, for so long that word would fill her with anger now just sadness. She had felt the death of so many the night the temple fell even half expected for the clones to execute her as well except they hadn't only stated that the Emperor had plans for people like her. She knew what they meant someone who had tasted the dark side, after her capture at the hands of Anakin she had been defiant and even proud of her actions but time had a funny way of changing that. Now all she had was regret for her actions, for the deaths, for framing Ahsoka, and for not leaving the order all those years ago with Altus.

"Altus" she spoke aloud her voice carrying throughout the detention cells, how long had it been since she thought of him. They had befriended each other as younglings even staying close once becoming padawans and training under their masters. She remembered the day he left the order after the incident on Georis that had led to the death of his master and the council's decision not to act against the trade federation. She remembered standing on the steps of the temple that day he offered for her to join him in leaving the order but she chose to stay. "I wish I had chosen to leave with you that day maybe things would have been different for everyone."

"Barriss?" a voice she recognized spoke out from the other side of her cell door causing her to shoot up and look, there he was a shocked look on his face matching her own as he opened the cell and pulled her into a hug surprising the Mirialan even further.

"I never thought I find anyone alive in here except the clones I thought everyone had been caught in the purge" he spoke in a relieved tone as he led her out of the cell, he knew it would be a while before the guards came back courtesy of a little mind trick.

"What are doing here?" she asked following him into a storage room.

"Long story short came to the temple to see everything with my own eyes, got my debt bought up by Hutt who now wants me to pay me it off by giving him Jedi artifacts, and rescuing you" he spoke rummaging around a storage container before pulling a strange outfit and handing it to her "here it's probably better than that prison jumpsuit.

Barriss took the outfit looking it over, it was the outfit she wore the disguise herself as Ventress the sight of it and the memories caused the guilt to rise again "listen Altus I "

"I know about the bombing Barriss "he spoke stopping her in her tracks, he had seen everything over the holonet when it happen and even paid some people for classified information "we can talk about it later, for now, we got to get the artifacts and escape without getting caught."

Nodding she got changed before following him in the corridor and through the temple.