Lost and Longing.

Aayla frowned, "I experienced the same thing, here in the cockpit earlier, but only some of what I saw was very vivid."

Asoka raised an eyebrow, looking excited at the fact that she wasn't alone "So you had a Force vision?"

Aayla hesitated before she nodded slowly and after taking a breath she related portions of her vision. "It was like you said, the Force practically shoving me down this path. I saw… great darkness if I didn't chose to go with him. But…it wasn't just the trip to Kashyyyk... It was so much more than that. It was like the Force was telling me it's vitally important to stay with him."

She reflexively glanced back toward the entrance to the cockpit, "I just don't know how to convince him. He... certainly seems less than thrilled with me."

"Well that's true... but you did try and lie to him." Ahsoka shrugged a little bit.

"He also isn't the Order's biggest fan. Putting it mildly." Aayla observed, her eyes narrowed slightly. "At the moment, I can't say that he's exactly wrong. I'm hardly pleased with them either." Ahsoka shrugged, her voice still carrying irritation.

"Look, Ahsoka. I'm sorry for what the Order did. I'm confident you would have been exonerated in the end. They would not have let you be..." Aayla said and trailed off seeing the expression on Ahsoka's face.

"That makes exactly one of us." Ahsoka shook her head and muttered sarcastically. She shook her head. "Look, you want my advice with Harry. Be honest. Don't try and manipulate him. Several of his comments have lead me to believe he would react… poorly to that." "Harry may not seem all that serious, but he is sharp, and would likely recognize what you were doing before you had even finished speaking, and I doubt you would ever have a chance to speak with him again about it." Ahsoka frowned. "Someone obviously tried to control him somewhere in the past, and I think that's the big reason why he's so jaded about almost everything."

"Almost everything?" Aayla asked curiously, wondering what it might have been that he was not jaded about.

"Boobs. The man is obsessed with boobs." Ahsoka said dryly with an amused laugh. "Oh, and asses. He's definitely obsessed." She practically giggled at Aayla's expression and how it just occurred to her that some of Harry's quirks were going to drive Aayla crazy. "And quite vocal about it." "Well," said Aayla carefully. "The vision I had didn't really touch upon his... perversions all that much."

Ahsoka gave her a strange look, one that Aayla prayed she wouldn't inquire deeply into. Harry had already told her she was a poor liar once today. She didn't need a padawan of all people reinforcing that. She nodded in the hopes of changing the topic, "The vision was just… so vivid and was so clear about what I should do."

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, as much by what her friend was saying as to what she was avoiding. But she respected Aayla's privacy and didn't ask.

Aayla looked up at the controls in front of her and then sighed. She knew she should get this over with. "I guess I cannot avoid this any longer," she said to herself, but Ahsoka still heard her.

Aayla reached forward and opened a hypercom connection, inputting her codes for access to the Jedi Temple. Ahsoka made no move to stop her, nor any move to enter the visual projecting space of the transmission.

Aayla's connection was established surprisingly quickly and left her to wonder just what sort of communication equipment Harry had on this ship. The communication board lit up and showed a holographic representation, albeit a miniature one of the Jedi Council. Aayla was surprised that there was a full holo display in the cockpit but decided not to comment on it. "Master Secura, relieved we are that you are okay. Received notification of destruction of your starfighter we did." Yoda's voice rang out almost immediately.

"I'm safe and unharmed." Aayla replied, reporting dutifully.

"Your communication is conveniently timed. We are meeting about several things. We can hear your report as well." Mace Windu added thoughtfully. "I assume you are safe for the time being if you've taken the time to establish a holocom rather than submit a report?"

Aayla nodded, well aware that there were always at least half a dozen pressing matters for the Jedi High Council's attention at any given time. She could only hope that her report was asked for first so she could sign off, rather the stick around on hold for the entirety of the council meeting

Unfortunately, she wasn't going to be first.

"First we have the push from the Separatists along the hyperspace routes near Sullust. They have taken advantage of our lack of reinforcements in that area far faster than expected and pushed our forces back, capturing all of the immediate outbound vectors along that trade route." Mace stated.

Obi Wan spoke up, "We just captured that trade route, losing quite a number of Clone troopers in order to do so. Why wasn't it reinforced?"

"We had to pull the reinforcements meant to secure the major ports along that route for the ground war on Duro. Grievous took advantage and took it back," reported Master Windu.

"React quickly they did to the vulnerability," mused Yoda. "Master Swan already has a detachment of clones in the area."

The aforementioned Master Swan spoke up. "We shall have to wait until we get more reinforcements to take back that route, the last time was costly and they are already re-entrenched, and we will need far more than I have with me."

"Once we can safely pull enough ships we will send them to support you, Master Swan." There was silence for a few moments before Yoda spoke up. "Turn our attention to the matter of Jedi Knight Barriss Offee. We must."

Aayla was very aware of the stiffening beside her of Ahsoka as she heard the name of the former friend who betrayed her. Ahsoka's expression was struggling to remain neutral, but was failing completely. Her fingers were stroking her lekku up and down in a sign of how nervous she was.

Obi Wan spoke up and his voice was characteristically calm, though there was an undercurrent of tension in his voice. "Admiral Tarkin has informed us that the military will not be prosecuting her for the Temple bombing and the surrounding circumstances.

Aayla felt her jaw drop, but Master Shaak Ti beat her to an outburst in the room. "Why? Especially after they were so insistent when the guilty party was thought to be Padawan Tano!"

Mace Windu's irritation came through his voice even over the holocom. "They believe that her speech in such a public arena, despite the circumstances, was clear proof that she wasn't entirely in control of herself."

"Tarkin has offered to turn over her fate to the Jedi Council." There was a pause before Windu continued, "Chancellor Palpatine has agreed with the admiral. Though I think it was at his urging that Tarkin agreed to drop all charges in the first place."

Plo Koon's voice spoke up. "The current administration's upper echelons don't want to risk another trial and another possible embarrassment. They are suffering backlash in the public for Ahsoka's trial, almost as badly as we are..."

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