"I'm troubled, Padmé," the duchess admitted to her colleague as they were approaching her ship. She didn't know why she had voiced her thoughts when Padmé clearly already knew this, but the younger senator didn't seem to mind.

"You heard Prime Minister Almec say he'll investigate," her friend reminded her.

"His heart is in the right place," Satine said, putting on a smile that faded as quickly as it appeared. "But this corruption…" Her voice trailed off. What more could be said?

"You must have hope, Satine," Padmé told her, placing her hands on the duchess's.

"Hope will only go so far," she replied, turning away. "The very people leading this investigation might be corrupt." Who could she trust now besides Padmé? Who knew how many of her trusted allies were willing to betray her? Willing to betray their planet and people? One person came to mind, and her eyes lit up with hope. She turned back to the senator. "Perhaps a Jedi working undercover at the academy could be of service to us, and in more ways than one. For if we lose our young, Mandalore will indeed be lost."

Padmé seemed to like this idea, and a small smile formed on her lips. "I will speak with Master Yoda. Don't lose hope, my friend."

Satine took a step back. "Senator," she said with a slight bow of her head.

"Duchess," Padmé replied, returning the gesture.

Smiling, she watched her friend's ship take off after she had boarded, then turned to head back to the palace.

Igniting his lightsaber, Obi-Wan leapt out from behind cover and charged, his men following suit. He sliced down one unsuspecting battle droid after the next, until the rest noticed and turned around. Unfortunately, is was too late. By the time they had raised their weapons and shouted "Blast them," the clones and Jedi had already taken care of them.

"Good work," Obi-Wan told them, "but they'll notice when one of their squads don't report back."

"Sir," one of the clones, Wooley, spoke up, "General Fisto needs to speak with you." He held out his hand, and a hologram of the smiling Nautolan Jedi flickered to life.

"There's a message from the Council," Kit Fisto informed. "They're reassigning you, and need you to go to Mandalore as soon as possible. They'll brief you on the way."

Mandalore? What possibly could have happened since the last time he was there? And why did they need him? "Will someone be taking my place? I can't just leave, especially now. Every second we waste puts the Separatist ahead."

"Skywalker and his apprentice will be arriving shortly," Kit explained.

"Very well." With a slight bow of his head, the hologram faded away. He turned to Cody. "It looks like we're taking a trip, Commander."

As they made their way back to the base, a million theories were running through his head. Death Watch attack? Was the duchess in danger? Obi-Wan's stomach lurched at the possibility, and he shook his head as if to dispel the thought. At the thought of the duchess, his cheeks and the tips of his ears took on a very unprofessional shade of pink, which he hoped his beard covered enough of so his men wouldn't notice it. The Jedi didn't know if he was more happy or terrified at the chance the chance to see her again. A knot formed in his stomach as memories flooded over him of their last meeting a few months ago. Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order. Of course he had meant it, but he wasn't sure he had meant to actually say that to her. Admitting his feelings towards her had only deepened them, causing him to be even more distracted than he already was.

Expelling a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, Obi-Wan made his way up the ramp of the Jedi shuttle, Cody accompanying him. As requested, he contacted the Council, and took the pilot's seat, waiting for his assignment. Yoda answered, alongside Senator Amidala.

"Master, Senator," he greeted.

"Corruption, there is, on Mandalore," Yoda started. "Visited the duchess, Senator Amidala did, and grave discoveries, they made."

Obi-Wan looked to Padmé for clarification. "Satine and I were going to see the opening of a hospital, and when we got there," she paused, her expression grim, "we learned that many children had been poisoned. Through some investigation, we found many corrupt officials, including the head of the school. I fear, as the duchess does, that the corruption is deep within the government. When I was leaving, she asked if I could speak with the Council about having a Jedi work undercover at the Royal Academy."

The Jedi leaned back and stroked his beard, trying to process all she had told him. "Hmm. This is troubling. What am I to do at the academy?"

"Teach the cadets, you will," Yoda explained, pointing his gimer stick at him. "How to lead the planet when they are able, they must know. Wisdom, they need."

"Am I also to try and investigate-" Obi-Wan began.

"Too involved, you must not be, young Obi-Wan," Yoda interrupted. "Do only what you must, to protect the people around you."

"Understood, Master." He looked over at Cody and nodded, signaling for him to take the ship off. "Cody and I are underway."

Once they entered hyperspace, Obi-Wan excused himself to the sleeping quarters to meditate. Sighing, he sat down, legs crossed and attempted to clear his mind of anxiety. There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion… His eyes snapped open, and he sighed in frustration and tried again to focus. There is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force. A smile tugged at the edge of the Jedi's lips.No emotion, Obi-Wan mused. Honestly, did a droid come up with that line? Most Jedi struggled with that line, if not all of them. Even him, the seemingly infallible Master Kenobi. When he was younger, he struggled with it quite a bit, but with Qui-Gon's training, he had overcome many struggles. No training, however, could help him overcome his emotion for the duchess, no matter how hard he tried. There was something about her, something that couldn't make him care less that the Code forbid relationships. Soon, he was going to have to see her again, and he hoped he would be able to keep his emotions in check.