AN: Sorry about the radio silence. I've been hit by a strong bout of apathy. I hope it goes away soon, it's annoying.

Also: Don't take the numbers in this chapter very seriously. They don't mean much.

Derry: I admit your review originally sent me into defense mode, but your points were far too good for me to stay there. I'm still not sure I have good answers for them, but I'm making progress.

Chapter 4: Communications

Shaak Ti settled into an orbit around Dagobah, and checked her sensors. Many of the ships had reached the system already, though it looked like most of the larger freighters were still en route.

She flipped on her commlink. "Serra?"

"I'm glad you're here, Master Ti. Nearly all those who were on Coruscant have arrived. Not the freighters, obviously, but just about everybody else. There are a couple we're a bit worried about, but it's most likely they just took a more roundabout route. We've got some people trying to contact them through whatever bonds they have, and they haven't sensed any strong emotions, so we don't think they're having any difficulties. Your trip was uneventful?"

"Yes, thank you. Have you heard from any of the Jedi out on missions?"

"About half of them called to say they were on their way, and maybe a quarter of those have arrived. Several of the others were going to try to finish their missions before coming in, and I didn't have the authority to tell them otherwise."

"Master Windu isn't here yet?"

"We haven't heard from him at all."

"What about those we didn't have room for?"

"Most of them have checked in. Again, we're concerned about a couple of them, but not very."

"How many unaccounted for, total?"

"Probably five hundred. All of them accomplished Jedi Knights or Masters."

"None of the other council members have checked in?"

"Four of them have. Master Kenobi and Skywalker are still unaccounted for."

"Obi-Wan was on Utapu, I know that, but wasn't Anakin on Coruscant? I assumed he was on one of the starfighters."

"He was seen leaving the Temple not long after Master Windu. Nobody seems to know where he went."

"Well, he'll have to take care of himself. Do we have a base of operations?"

"Not yet. We thought about setting one up on the planet, but..."

"It's as bad as the story paints it?"

"Yeah. By the way, several Jedi wanted to congratulate you on coming up with that hint on where to go."

"Now we just hope that we've succeeded at keeping the story secret. I hesitate to say it's a good thing Dooku's dead, but at least it's useful right now."

"Yes, Master."

"We're sorry, Senator Organa is not available at this time."

"When will he be available, then?"

"The Senator has not informed us of his plans at this time. He is unavailable."

"Yes, you said." Obi-Wan grimaced. "Can I speak to the Queen, then?"

"The Queen is unavailable at this time."

"Fantastic. When you say 'unavailable', do you mean she's really unavailable, or you just don't want to let me talk to her?"

"We are not to disturb her."

"Same for the Senator?"

There was a pause. "The Senator is not on the planet at this time."

"Very well. Would you contact the Queen and tell her her husband's friend from Zigoola wishes to speak with her?"

There was another pause, and then the official came back. "Maintain your present orbit. We will contact you when we have an answer."

"Thank you."

"I hate this nose."

"Really? I think it suits you."

Anakin glared at Padmé for a bit. She utterly failed to notice, concentrating instead on her datapad.

"Can't I take it off? There's nobody in here."

"But someone might come in any time. You wouldn't want to be recognized."

He moved on to glaring at the wall, which also failed to notice.

"I could have shaved my head or something. Or anything."

"This way you look exactly like one of my secretaries. It's much safer."

"I still find that suspicious."

"Hm?"

"You just happen to have a secretary that looks almost exactly like me, and just happen to have a nose to complete the look? Right."

"You should remember how many times I've had threats to my life. I've learned to keep disguises around."

"This thing doesn't even match your skin tone."

She didn't answer. He considered grumbling a bit longer, then discarded the idea as pointless. "When will we be there?"

"It'll be a while. Just get comfortable. Pacing doesn't help anything, and leaning against a wall is not the best way to get rest."

He didn't move. "Exactly how long is 'a while'?"

Obi-Wan's comm blinked, and he straightened up and pressed the button. The official's face came up in front of him.

"We have contacted the Queen. She instructed us to allow you to talk to her."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Thank you."

The official regarded him rather critically for a moment, then glanced down. "We are patching you through to the palace at this time."

This time Obi-Wan just nodded in acknowledgment. The official's face faded to static, then Queen Breha's face appeared.

"It's good to see you again. I'm sorry my husband wasn't here to greet you."

He smiled. "It's good to see you too, my lady. I'm sorry to bother you like this, but I have a request. I understand that you have a busy schedule, though, so I can leave if you'd prefer."

"Nonsense, we'll always have time for you." She paused. "I believe I can guess your request. You've been betrayed by your employers, and you want to know why."

"As insightful as ever, my lady. I had hoped you had information for me, but if you don't-"

"I believe I do. It'll be wonderful to spend some time catching up. I'll authorize your landing at the palace."

"Thank you, my lady, but as I said, I know you're very busy, and I wouldn't like to take up too much of your time."

"And as I said, we'll always have time for you. I'll see you shortly."

She cut off the transmission, and Obi-Wan bit back another objection. After a moment, his instrument board pinged. He had been cleared for landing.

With a sigh, he pulled himself out of orbit and headed towards the palace.