The Jedi council summoned them to the council chamber, along with the healers who had spoken to the clone and Luminara.

"We have a plan." Mace announced calmly. "But it is dependent on this clone cooperating fully. It's on a need to know basis. We feel since all of you have interacted with her, you do need to know. No-one, and I mean no one, outside this room is to know it. Not even the Senate or the Chancellor. We know there is a leak somewhere and both the Senate and Chancellors office have a wide web of people connected and a mountain of data trails for the enemy to crack."

Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan, frowning. Obi-Wan gave him a minute shake of his head.

"Is that understood?" Mace asked. His gaze was firmly on Anakin.

The young man didn't like it at all. Let them think he wanted to tell Palpatine, but in reality it was keeping it from his wife that worried him. He also felt a flicker of memory at the way Mace called her 'the clone.' Had they talked about 'the boy' Qui-Gon had brought before them and rejected like that? It wasn't just detached, it was just a step above being called someone an 'it'. But he just gave a short sharp nod.

"We are going to call this clone Barriss Offee. And we are going to tell everyone that the Barriss who is the traitor is the clone."

Anakin's jaw dropped slightly. He sensed Obi-Wan's surprise.

"May I ask why?" Obi-Wan inquired, head cocked.

"For one thing, Barriss' actions have damaged our image with the public and the morale of the troops. Believing that it was a spy clone planted by Separatists should help morale."

"How will it help morale to think the enemy can clone us and use us to spy on each other?" Anakin asked skeptically.

"If I may Master Windu?" Vokara Che stepped forward.

"While we've been able to stabilize our new Barriss using our force healing skills, it is a proven fact that Force Users cannot be cloned quickly without damage to the midichlorian bodies. The general scientific community only knows that force sensitive clones are emotionally and psychologically unstable when rapidly grown. They don't know the cause. Therefore it's easy enough to lead them to believe that while the Separatists might be able to grow such clones, they are an impractical experiment and will always give themselves away."

"And our new Barriss will not have these problems?"

"Our new Barriss is in a position where we have been able to counter and stabilize many of the effects."

Luminara' sat forward in her seat. Anakin glanced at her and wondered what she was thinking. How would he react in her place? The idea of a clone replacing Ahsoka was absurd. The thought made him angry. It would be like dishonoring the original. Then again, hadn't the original Barriss dishonored herself?

"Am I to work with her?" Luminara asked.

"If you are willing, she will 'return' to your tutelage."

Yoda studied her. "Another master we may seek, if feel that you cannot."

Luminara pursed her lips. "No. We already have too many padawans in ratio to too many masters. I can do this."

"Good. All now must also treat her as the original Barriss, at least in public."

Anakin blinked hard at that. Memories of riding a suubatar on Ansion, of the Jedi teams-including Barriss being held hostage, escaping, battling to warring tribes with no injury to either party. Of the shock of realizing Barriss had betrayed Ahsoka…..after all that, he must treat this Barriss as that one? She might remember the trip to Ansion in some fashion. But to pretend Ahsoka had not been betrayed….oh. This was hard.

"Does everyone understand this order?" Master Windu's eyes roamed the group and again centered on Anakin.

Anakin decided if he was expected to be contrary, he may as well be. "Not really. Is there a goal here besides just be Barriss for the clone? Seems kind of hard on her doesn't it - to pretend to be something she isn't?"

"She remembers being Barriss." Mace countered.

Anakin glanced at Luminara. "But…."

"Another concern there is." Yoda interrupted firmly. His eyes met Anakin's and Anakin forced himself to calm. "Know the plan for this clone, we do not. Want the other side to believe something has gone wrong. Force them to reveal themselves they may. Help the clone Barriss this does as well, answer her questions it will."

"Oh." That did make some sense. More than the morale excuse anyway. Anakin ignored Mace's disapproval and nodded.

"Dismissed then, you are."

Anakin followed Obi-Wan out the door. Anakin's eyes dropped as he strode moodily down the corridor to the lift. "Funny how if we have such a Master and Padawan discrepancy they haven't insisted you take a new one the way they insisted I take Ahsoka."

"Who, I noticed, did succeed in growing on you."

"Hmph."

"It couldn't be just any padawan they assigned me. Even if we aren't doing things the usual way of master and apprentice choosing each other, we are in a war. And as you pointed out, you can't just take any old padawan into a war. Some simply aren't ready and would be a liability. We want to train them, not get them killed."

"Will they assign you another?"

"Eventually perhaps. Perhaps they will assign you one."

"No."

"You got used to Ahsoka."

"And they ran her off." Anakin sighed. "I don't think I'd trust them with a padawan of mine now Master. If they think I'd train her into a killer, then just don't give me one."

"Now you are feeling sorry for yourself. Or are you hoping if you stay open she'll come back?"

"Hm. Actually….I think I'm feeling sorry for all of us. And I really don't hold much hope out that she will come back." His thoughts flitted to their odd, talk on the ship. If anyone had asked if his padawan and he would talk about how to go about courting someone's affections, he'd have scoffed. And yet they had. He was silently betting it was Lux Bonteri.

"Let's go work on our sparring. You could use the outlet."

"Hm. All right." At least until his wife was done at the senate …

"Ani, what's troubling you? Ahsoka?" Padme curled against him on the couch.

Anakin inwardly cursed the promise he'd made not to share the information about the clone. Still, not all of it was a secret. He could share that without a qualm. He'd decide on the rest later. No need to worry her. "I ran into her at the pirate den."

"Where they found Barriss."

Anakin knew she could feel his tension. "Yes." He half lied. Well. She sort of was Barriss. He closed his eyes. This whole thing was giving him a headache.

"Was she all right?"

"Yes. But I couldn't get her to come back with me…." He considered for an instant and then went for deflection. "We did have an…interesting…conversation."

"About what?"

"About how you know if someone likes you the way you like them." Anakin said firmly, eyes slid sideways to study her reaction. She froze, rolled her eyes up and then sat up. "Does she know about us?"

"Not sure. Suspects maybe. But I also think….she really cares about someone."

"Any idea who?"

"Lux Bonteri." He stated with certainty.

"You sound awfully sure."

"I saw the way she looked at him. And how she reacted to other females looking at him."

"Did he look back?"

"Darned if I know. By the time I realized it, I was talking to her via hologram. I think that's what she's trying to figure out. And whether she wants to pursue it."

"She deserves to be happy."

"Yes."

"What do you think of him?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because you've had a mentoring role and are bound to have a feeling on how good he'd be to and for her."

Anakin sighed. "He's got potential. He wants to do the right thing, not always sure what it is."

"Sounds like you."

"Not even close. Way more patient for one thing. Certainly more than I was at that age."

She picked up another slice of her home made bread. And handed it to him. "You haven't had time to learn patience. Maybe I should've said he sounds like most decent teenagers. He really is young. We both remember that age."

"It's hard to be patient when people are shooting at you. And I doubt either of us had the typical life at that age. We were both chasing our dream careers."

The door chimed. Padme grimaced and Anakin froze. "Are you expecting company?"

"No….but…."

"I'll get it Mistress Padme."

"See who it is first!" She sat up and looked around quickly. "Quick hide…" She needn't have said it. He was already vanishing into the bedroom. "Oh, wait. The dishes!" Padme scrambled for them. Artoo rolled out of the corner and started scooping up the evidence that there had been company for dinner.

"Mistress? It's Mon Mothma. She'd like to come in for a moment."

Anakin hissed from the other room. "Artoo! Hide the speeder!"

The droid zipped past, still with one dish in his claw, rocketed over the edge of the balcony and into the speeder and plugged in. The speeder vanished out of sight.

"Yes, of course, just stall a second." She glanced around one last time. Oh no. Anakin's robe. "Ani!" She called, he had his head out the door and was looking at the couch. He waved his hand and the cloth flew into it, disappearing into the bedroom just as the other Senator hurried in. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but my com wasn't working…."

"Oh that's all right…"

"No it isn't." Anakin groused silently to himself, hiding in the refresher and listening to the chatter about some emergency bill or another. It wasn't worth eavesdropping on. His own comlink chirped and he paled, grabbing and silencing it. He glared at the caller. Obi-Wan. What perfect timing! He'd left a message to report for duty. Anakin sighed. For a moment, he considered how it would look if he just strode out of the refresher, thanked 'Senator Amidala' for the use of it and left. Probably very suspicious and scandalous. Would've looked it even if they had nothing to hide.

He looked around for inspiration. There. Maintenance panel for the plumbing. He opened it and slid in with difficulty. It was made for small droids and people shorter and thinner than him. He considered how much more scandalous and embarrassing it would be if he got stuck. But with careful breathing and the agility of a Jedi, he made it, sliding through the tunnel until he found an outside fan vent. He easily turned off the fan and slid out of the hole, finding himself on the side of the building on a narrow ledge. He grumpily shook his head. This was so ridiculous. And he hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

He signaled Artoo and the small droid maneuvered the air speeder to his coordinates. It took a few minutes of waiting in shadow while traffic whizzed past at high speed. Artoo wasn't designed for flying air speeders. But he got the job done and Anakin jumped down into the pilot's seat. He cast one last, longing look up at Padme's apartment before heading to the temple.

to be continued

Note: Anakin's adventures with Barriss Offee and riding a suubatar are from "The Approaching Storm" by Alan Dean Foster