The Wolf Pack

Chapter 53

This one goes to every single person who has commented, liked, voted or left kudos in my story.This story started as nothing and just kept gaining strength because of you guys. It may sound egocentric but as an author there is nothing that encourages me more than feedback. You have all been voting and commenting non stop even through my hiatus and I SEE you. Thank you, and this one goes to you all.

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Kriari walked down the hallway quiet as a swamp-mouse, she watched the overhead lights flicker from time to time and wondered if the pilots checked the fuel cells before departure. She knew better than to doubt clones but something did not feel right, even when everyone aboard was either asleep or on duty. Kriari had long been listening to her gut feelings, since they were rooted in her Force senses more often than not. But this time it wasn't what she felt that disturbed her, it's what she didn't.

The fact that neither Barriss nor Ahsoka could sleep didn't help a whole lot either. Both were excellent padawans and Ahsoka had the superior senses only Torguta had, still, neither were enough at ease to let themselves be vulnerable enough to sleep. Kriari had a feeling something was not right, but neither the crew nor the vessel had shown any signs of disturbance, so she was tempted to dismiss the feeling.

But she knew better.

When she got to the cantine, she spotted both padawans immediately. The room was empty with the exception of them, and there were few overhead lights still on. It was very clearly past lights out, and it was very likely only the necessary crew were still on duty. Ahsoka and Barriss sat opposite each other and talked over their standard GAR meal. The conversation seemed to be quite serious but it didn't reach Kriari's ears yet, the doorway was too far from them.

Both padawans greeted Kriari with as much enthusiasm as a sleep deprived teen could muster and invited her to join in. The feeling in Kriari's gut increased with each passing second, but she forced a smile on her face and made a point to ignore it for the time being. She'd had enough unease on Geonosis, she didn't need it in the safety of hyperspace.

Not long after she joined her fellow Padawans, Kriari turned to welcome Ox and Edge into the mess hall. She suggested they all eat together and chat for a little while to ease the post- battle jitters. But neither of the clones responded, and it took Barriss and Ahsoka asking if there was a problem for both troopers to raise their blasters and open fire.

Kriari's battle instincts kicked in immediately, and as Ahsoka and Barriss took cover behind an upturned table, she rushed forward. Dodging blaster fire at such close range was a big risk, but Kriari refused to turn her lightsaber on her own men. She disarmed both of them and knocked them unconscious before she could think of what she was doing or why.

Kriari looked down on the limp bodies of both Ox and Edge and started to think, really think. This was highly unusual, not only were treason counts extremely low, but them making a move while on a supply run to a medical center made little sense. They would have been overpowered even if the frigate had just enough crew to fly it. They were also headed into deep GAR space, so sneaking away would not be an option for them even if they disabled the hyperdrive before the ship got to its destination.

Something was not right.

Ahsoka and Barriss argued over the reason behind the attack, a little too disoriented by the entire situation still. They were so engrossed in their conversation they didn't notice two Force signatures running towards their position. Kriari had made it second nature to rely more on her Force senses in times of conflict, and it had saved her life and those of her comrades more often than not.

As Trap and Havoc burst into the mess hall, both Ahsoka and Barriss drew their lightsabers on them. Kriari could not bring herself to do it, standing stiff between her two partners and staring holes into the clones' eyes, looking for anything that might tell her their motives. She was running on auto-pilot, muscle memory and trauma alone. She knew that if she were to open her mouth to say anything she would break, and the same could be said for using her lightsaber. That was a weapon she only drew on the enemy.

Both Trap and Havoc seemed just as confused as them, and their offer to put down their blasters came as a relief and a genuine show of trust. While the other Padawans were discussing possible reasoning behind the treasonous act, Kriari suggested -calm as still water- that they should check they were still in command of the bridge. It was all she could do to remain sane, to pretend everything was under control and that she had all the answers. She was the eldest Padawan after all.

If she was being honest with herself, she didn't have the energy or the will to deal with treason at the moment. Kriari was tired, she wanted to go home, back to the Pack, back to Master Plo, back to her strongest support system. She loved and respected Master Kenobi as well, but the 212th attack battalion was not the Pack, it never would be and that was okay.

She wanted to run to her original master for help and she wanted someone else to take this one. She wanted to run to Wolffe and let him reassure her in that solid but gentle way he did, and she wanted him to hold her while she cried away all her exhaustion. Kriari was tired, and her psyche was starting to make her feel it. She felt like a child again, or she wanted to at least. Being an adult and taking on more and more responsibility was starting to make her shoulders ache. She didn't want out, not at all, but she did need a break.

Kriari needed to be held.

They made their way towards the bridge, Ahsoka at the front of their party and Trap at the rear. All of their Force signatures were all over the place, on edge, on high alert, so even if Kriari had been able Trap's intentions, his own jittery Force signature would have been in the way. As they neared the blast doors, Their only clone companion fell a few steps behind and opened fire.

Kriari ran to Barriss' aid and disarmed the man with a kick to the side before diving for the blaster so he couldn't get it back. As she disengaged, she saw a green worm coming out of Trap's mouth as he tried to grab Barriss. What in the name of the all knowing Force was that. Kriari slid across the polished metal floor and when she turned she saw something she wouldn't soon forget. Barriss' blue lightsaber blade had pierced Trap's chest and killed him.

There was a beat of silence that felt like an eternity to Kriari. She had never seen a Jedi kill a clone, and it wasn't a sight she would have liked to see again. She lost the little, fragile hold she had on herself, and she snapped.

Kriari could no longer see Ahsoka or her surroundings. She could no longer see the corridor stretching before her or the blast doors to her right that lead to the bridge. She could only see Barriss. Barriss in her neat dress and polished white lightsaber. Her perfectly clean clothes and blade. Her hands, red with the blood of the innocent man she had just killed.

Kriari's blood boiled, her heart raged, and her soul screamed in grief and loss for the lost soul of the clone, the child that had just been murdered in cold blood. He could have been restrained, court martialed, imprisoned. No, Barriss had simply decided to kill him, Force knew why.

It was then that, for the first time since the whole ordeal had started, Kriari drew her lightsaber. It didn't matter that Trap had been under General Unduli. It didn't matter that Barriss had been his superior officer. It didn't matter that it had been in self defense. Kriari had noticed that Trap hadn't been shooting to kill and there had been something inside him clearly related to his behavior. She lost herself in her grief for an unnecessary death, in her anger over how careless Barriss had been. Kriari saw red, saw corruption and saw entitlement.

She saw everything but an ally, so she attacked.