Anakin didn't hear the blaster fire, but he heard Ahsoka's sabers clatter to the ground. He opened his eyes, his apprentice laying there in the scattered glass, unconscious. Her blades still ignited on the floor in-between them. He took them both, deactivating the shorter one and putting it on his other side with a sigh. He rested his head against the pillar that she had pushed him up against.

He looked over to Rex who was still laying down, but had raised himself up just enough to take the shot with a stun bolt. He gave Rex a soft, exhausted smile. "Thank you, Rex." He breathed, closing his eyes in relief.

"It's my job, General." Anakin could hear Rex shuffling in the glass to get to his feet. "Can you stand, General?"

Anakin nodded. He opened his eyes and looked up at the Captain. He took Rex's hand up and stood, his legs felt as though they had been lit on fire. He grimaced and leaned back into the pillar. "I'm okay." He reassured the clone captain as well as himself.

Rex stood and watched him for a moment, just to make sure that he wouldn't have to support his general. When Anakin waved him off again and stood slightly stronger, although still leaning, he turned to the youngling. "I can carry her, sir." Rex offered, scooping up the padawan in his arms.

"Are you sure, Rex? If she's too heavy for you… just let me know." Anakin deactivated her longer saber which he had held in his mechanical arm and switched hands. He clipped it to his belt and used the Force to find his own saber rather than leave the pillar.

"Is your hand okay, sir?" Rex asked, nodding towards the shredded glove.

Anakin looked over his hands and finally realized that Ahsoka had landed a blow—right into the casing of his hand. He huffed a slight laugh, "Yeah. It's the metal one." He tried to clench his mechanical hand into a fist and it clicked angrily at him. Her lightsaber had melted the servos. Shaking his head, he pushed himself off of the pillar and walked with the trooper.

"What happened while I was out?" Rex asked, surveying the sanctuary and the damage from their battle. Obi-Wan used to joke about how Anakin had a way of destroying tranquility, usually because he hated the quiet, he hated Obi-Wan ignoring him during mediation… this was different. The beautiful stained glass sanctuary was in shambles—candles broken, pillars cracked, glass broken and glittering all over the floor.

Anakin took in the damage as well, grateful that it was uninhabited because the Temple would kill him if they had to pay such a fee to restore it. Thinking back to the events, he looked down, his face fell, his eyes lost the sparkle of happiness. "There's another Sith lord." He closed his eyes for a second, Rex assumed it was to feel out into the Force. "He's… different than the others." Anakin seemed to slow until he stopped short before they entered the main chamber.

"Are you alright, sir?"

Anakin nodded. "Why would a Sith lord lure us to Teth?"

Rex looked to his superior, curious.

"We haven't seen any signs of Separatist activity except for an unnamed Sith lord who attacked us. He could've set up an ambush. He could've easily defeated us. Where's his army? Where are his Separatist cruisers?" Anakin leaned against the wall for support, but kept his posture straight as to not tip off Rex of any weakness.

"I don't know, sir. From what you've told me about Sith lords, they are very flamboyant aren't they? Maybe it was his way of an introduction, sir." Rex readjusted Ahsoka in his arms.

Anakin frowned. "This is too tame for a Sith lord. The first time I saw Dooku was the Battle of Geonosis. That's dramatic. This…" He let himself slide down the wall to sit on the floor. "This doesn't feel right."

Rex placed Ahsoka gently on the ground and sat down across from his general. "What do you think is really going on here?"

Anakin looked away, thinking hard about the current events that had transpired. "I don't know. None of this makes any sense." He looked up to Rex, "Why would he choose Teth? Is this a distraction to keep us away from Hosnian Prime? Is this an introduction? Is this an even larger trap?" Anakin ran his hands through his hair, quickly pulling back his flesh hand.

Rex frowned too. "I don't know, sir, but I'm sure we can figure it out on the Resolute." He clicked his comlink, pinging the signal to the ship that waited for them on the jungle floor. "We should meet them out on the hangar."

Anakin nodded. "Give me a few moments."

Rex nodded as well, taking a moment to rest before getting to his feet and picking up Ahsoka again. Finally, Anakin stood and they slowly started on their way again.

"They better give us more than a week for retreat after this," Rex told Anakin, looking down at the padawan who could simply be asleep in his arms.

Anakin huffed. "If they give us anything less than two, I'll take it up with the Order myself."

"Is she quarantined?" Anakin asked when his master wandered into his room.

Obi-Wan looked at him, suspicious. "I still don't understand why you want to quarantine your apprentice." He took the seat beside Anakin's bed. He had forced the younger man to the medical bay where the medics had removed his mechanical arm, removed what they could of the broken shards of glass, and bandaged the major cuts.

Anakin shifted, sitting up. "She tried to kill me." He told his master. "She almost did. Rex stunned her right as she was going to decapitate me."

Obi-Wan pressed Anakin back down onto the bed again, noticing that his eyes were a little wild with adrenaline and exhaustion. He could feel Anakin's anxiety through the Force, a mix of emotions directed on his apprentice and the new Sith lord he had encountered. "She's quarantined. I told them to strap her down like you said. What do you think made her…" He didn't want to finish. He couldn't imagine Ahsoka really trying to kill Anakin.

Anakin frowned, frustrated that he was repeating himself again. "I told you, the Sith lord did something to her. She started screaming at me, telling me that I hadn't shown mercy."

Obi-Wan shifted in his seat, stroking his beard with a frown on his face. "Can you remember exactly what she said to you?"

Anakin shrugged. "I was trying not to die. Did you ask Rex?"

"Rex said that he wasn't conscious for most of the fight. He was too far away to hear what he saw." Obi-Wan stroked his beard again. "Anakin, close your eyes and just breathe. Try to relax."

Anakin stiffened, "What are you going to do?" He looked up at the man, skeptical of his movements as he slowly moved closer.

"I'm going to try to get you to remember what she said." He said simply, moving in so he could look down to his protégé. "Now, just… relax."

The Force became calm again. Anakin was sure that Obi-Wan was manipulating it to get him to calm down. The old man had no idea how terrifying it had been to have his apprentice, his responsibility, his only security on the battlefield, turn her back on him. Anakin was sure that if he had ever tried to kill Obi-Wan like Ahsoka had tried to kill him, he wouldn't have lived to tell of it.

Anakin let his eyes close and his breathing even out. He felt as though he had achieved what Obi-Wan wanted him to, he was just on the edge of falling asleep.

"Anakin,"

"Mmm,"

"Think back to the battle. Tell me what did your surroundings look like? What did it feel like?" Obi-Wan's voice guided him. He wasn't sure if Obi-Wan was actually speaking to him, or just using their Force bond. He didn't mind either way.

Anakin was quiet in thought. "Big room. Had an altar at the front. He stood there. It was warm, humid. He broke the windows and all of the glass fell in. Then left."

"When did Ahsoka start acting strange?"

Anakin opened his eyes and stared at the blank, white ceiling above him. "He said he was showing me what she would become." He turned to Obi-Wan. "She kept saying things like 'You're a monster, I'll kill you… he's only a kid." Anakin trailed off, he sat up, thinking hard.

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment, looking over his apprentice. "What's this?" He traced his fingers down Anakin's jaw to a patch of darker skin.

Anakin reeled back from him in pain. "Don't." He growled, sliding off of the bed and walking to the large window.

"Anakin."

He was silent, staring at the blank void outside of the viewport with he tried to cross his arms, but remembered that they had taken his mechanical arm from him.

"Did she burn you?" Obi-Wan asked, not moving from his chair; his voice had turned slightly more serious.

Anakin turned and paced down the room. "Yeah, she did." He admitted quietly. Was he losing his touch? Or was she getting better than him? When they practiced it was rare for Ahsoka to even land a single hit. "… I think I know what I need to do."

Obi-Wan gave his apprentice a puzzled look as he crossed the room the other way, "Whatever it is, it can wait. You need to rest, Anakin." He said simply, leaning back into the chair. "Some rest would do us all some good."

Anakin shook his head. "What room is Ahsoka in?"

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a slight glare, "Did you not hear what I said?"

Anakin inhaled, "I'm going to take the memories she has of me and my mother." He explained, stopping just short of the door. He didn't turn to face Obi-Wan, he didn't want to see the old man's face. Mind tricks were easy, memory tricks were dangerous and fragile.

He heard his master get up from the chair. "You think that the Sith lord was using them against her? That he was making her see you as the man who owned you and your mother?"

Anakin didn't meet his eyes as Obi-Wan began to close the distance in between them, but he nodded. "She says the same things in her sleep."

Obi-Wan frowned, staring down at the floor. He placed his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "She's in the room next over."

"'I told them to restrain her like you said.'" Anakin mocked as they entered the room. He stood at Ahsoka's bedside, leaving Obi-Wan to take the chair beside him.

"She's still unconscious." Obi-wan noted, looking over Ahsoka with a slight frown of worry. "Have you ever done this before?"

Anakin's voice was much quieter. "Yes." He closed his eyes and placed a hand on Ahsoka's forehead as though he was feeling her temperature. His breathing slowed to match hers and Obi-Wan felt the Force change around them.

The room felt warmer, slightly cozy. He could feel that Anakin was doing as much as he could to keep Ahsoka calm, to keep her comfortable, so that she wouldn't wake while he tampered with her mind. Obi-Wan watched closely, doing the same so that Anakin could concentrate more on what he was doing rather than how it felt.

Obi-Wan watched them carefully. He could feel the Force humming between them like an electrical current. Anakin stood over her, his eyes closed in focus, Ahsoka lay there, motionless and calm. He wondered if she was cooperating, if she could do anything to cooperate. He wondered if there would be any lasting effects, if Anakin really knew what he was doing. He couldn't help but ponder on where Anakin could have picked up such a trait… had he found it through meditation? Was it connected to Mortis? Who had he used it on before?

After a few moments, Anakin pulled his hand back, nearly falling into Ahsoka with a gasp. He staggered back from his apprentice, his steps unstable. Obi-Wan stood quickly, grabbing him before he could fall and sat him down on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting down beside him. He had never seen Anakin look so exhausted, so run down.

Anakin ran his hand through his messy hair and gave Obi-Wan a shaky nod. He stared at the floor, taking the time to breathe. He had felt so much pain, all at once, so much heartache. His head was still spinning, still trying to comprehend what he had done to himself, what he had done to his apprentice.

Obi-Wan could feel his anxiety, his fear, rolling off of him. It was almost tangible. "Do you want to go to your room and lay down?" Obi-Wan let his hand trail down Anakin's back. The energy that Anakin had put into the Force had disappeared, leaving the room much cooler and uneasy.

Anakin shook his head, he looked up at Ahsoka who stirred slightly, turning onto her side. "I think I want to go up to my quarters."

"You aren't medically cleared."

"I'm not going to disappear. Don't worry." Anakin took a moment to breathe, then got to his feet with only some slight trouble. His eyes were locked on his apprentice, he watched her inhale and exhale, shifting slightly in sleep. "Let me know when she wakes up."

Obi-Wan nodded. He leaned back and watched Anakin disappear out of the room and down the hall. With a sigh, he prayed to the Force that things would only get better from here.

Padme was expecting Bail to call again. They had nearly spent the night together attempting to draft new policies, but it had really turned into casual conversation and drinks. She had been beyond grateful for Bail's visit—it had put her at ease for a few hours and after he left the alcohol had done the rest. She received word in the early morning as she finished her speech that the actions on Teth had been successful, that they had found another Sith lord. Padme thanked the gods that Anakin and Ahsoka were safe, but she took to pacing the rest of her day away. She was too nervous, too concerned to attend a senate session not to mention introduce new legislation.

When her comm station chimed with an incoming transmission, she hesitated to answer it. If it was a fellow senator asking about her whereabouts, what would she tell them? She plastered on her politician face—a fake smile, a façade of calmness and happiness with only slight exhaustion.

Her husband looked back at her, his face lacked its usual smile. Something was wrong… truly, deeply wrong. She had seen what sleep deprivation did to Anakin Skywalker, she had seen the effects of foreign fevers, indecisive battles, a variety of injuries, and she had never seen him look so withdrawn.

"Ani, what's wrong?" She blurted, her heart began to race. Her first instinct was to pace. Should she pace? Would that help or would that make him anxious? What could she do?

"I… I took some of Ahsoka's memories away." He said softly, turning away from the holo-projector as though he was ashamed.

Padme took a step back, he could sense the shock and the confusion from thousands of parsecs away. "Why?"

Anakin was quiet. "She had visions of my mother. Visions of slavery… and they were ruining her life. When we met the Sith he used those visions against her in battle, he turned her on us." His voice just above a whisper. He could remember the hatred that he had seen in her face, the bloodlust in her glassy eyes.

Padme was silent. Anakin hadn't done this because he wanted to, it was for Ahsoka's safety. For his own safety, she noted, noticing the small bandages on his face that the blue from the hologram had hidden so well. Ahsoka was learning; the fact that she had managed to strike her master was a sign of her improvement. Padme relaxed, taking a step forward to where she had stood before. "Anakin," She said softly, her voice was enough to let his shoulders relax.

"Padme," He looked up at the holo-projector, she could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

She smiled a little, "You need to rest."

He looked away with a slight shake of his head. "I don't know if I did the right thing."

Padme was silent for a few moments and Anakin thought she was going to talk to him in her political tone. "Ani, you did. You did the right thing. If these visions were harming Ahsoka and she couldn't let go of them… you did the right thing. Even if you did the wrong thing, I'd still love you." She watched him relaxed a little more, giving her a small smile. "Get some rest." Her voice slightly more stern.

His smile grew a little more. "Okay."

"I mean it, General Skywalker." She smiled too, but the seriousness was still there.

"I love you." He told her.

"I love you more." She said before her image disappeared.

Ahsoka was asleep again when Anakin arrived. Obi-Wan had sent him a quick signal to alert him and he had rushed down from the middle of a meeting on the bridge. He sat down on the chair that Obi-Wan had probably requested for him.

"You look a little better." Obi-Wan commented, not turning his glance away from the young Togruta.

Anakin huffed, "I showered. I should look great." He leaned back and was about to cross his arms over his chest when he realized the absence of his mechno.

Obi-Wan smirked at the younger man's discomfort. "They're ordering a new one. They'll have it on Coruscant." He turned slightly to Anakin, "It'll give you something to do when you're on leave."

Anakin didn't look too pleased. Obi-Wan was sure that it was because he was going to have to put in so much more time customizing this arm, most likely a new model.

"You've grown a lot since then, it was probably time to get a new one anyway." Obi-Wan commented, hoping to at the very least put a smile on Anakin's face, if not add a slight repair to his ego. It wasn't a simple thing to be bested, even in the slightest, by a student. It meant that it was getting nearer and nearer to the end of their run as master and padawan.

"Did she seem okay when she woke up?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "She asked where you were, if you were okay. I told her that you were above somewhere and that you were resting. I sent you that message and she fell asleep just a minute or two before you walked in."

Anakin gave a slight nod of approval and attempted to cross his arms again. "Do you think if I asked they'd let me have my old arm? Just… for a while."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "You can ask."

Anakin stood and walked over just to poke his head out the door at whoever was nearby. Obi-Wan could hear his voice, but not his words. He walked back, slightly aggravated, and sat down in the chair.

"They got rid of it?"

Anakin nodded.

"Got rid of what?" Ahsoka asked from under the covers. She rubbed at her eyes and sat up, only for Anakin and Obi-Wan to stand and push her back down on the bed.

"Anakin's arm." Obi-Wan said nonchalantly.

Ahsoka's eyes widened with fear and she opened her mouth to say something before suddenly remembering her master's hidden handicap. "What happened?" She asked, her voice much calmer than either of them had expected it to be.

"Ventress." Anakin said simply.

Ahsoka nodded with a frown as she tried to remember the fight.

"She led us into a trap. In the sanctuary. There was a… new Sith lord." Anakin struggled slightly to piece together the story. He didn't want to put in any sort of clue that would hint at his lies. "He put you and Rex under with a mind trick."

She frowned a little deeper, looking away from him in disappointment.

"Snips," He moved in a little closer, sitting on the edge of the bed so that he could be next to her. "Snips." He repeated.

Ahsoka looked up at him with the hint tears in her eyes and a frown that deepened the longer she looked at him. Her lip quivered slightly and she looked away, "I'm sorry." She said, letting the tears fall down her face.

Anakin shushed her, wiping away her tears. "It's okay. It's not your fault. You did good, Ahsoka." He reassured.

Obi-Wan stood, placing a hand on Ahsoka's leg that hid under the sheets.

"I feel like I failed." Her frown still there, but the tears had stopped. "I thought I was better than this."

Anakin stood, "You did great." He reassured, "I mean it." He looked at her, truly looked at her. She had grown so much in such a short amount of time. "I'm proud of you." The words seemed slightly foreign. He hadn't made it a common compliment; she could probably count on her fingers how often he had admitted it.

He saw the smile suddenly appear on her face and in her eyes.

"I mean it, Snips." He gave her a slight smile and tugged on their training bond. "Com me if you need me, get some rest." He let his hand stroke her side gently before pulling the blankets back over her shoulders. It was obvious to Obi-Wan that he was distancing himself from her after what had happened.

Obi-Wan couldn't blame his apprentice for being distant, but he had a feeling that he would have to remind Anakin that Ahsoka was unaware of why he was showing so much disinterest. He stood from his chair and gave Ahsoka a kind smile before he gave her a quick goodbye, "Relax. We'll wait for you before we do anything too interesting."

Obi-Wan started before Anakin, almost leading him out of the room like the old days. They both ventured up to the bridge thinking that things would be just fine.

Operations continued as normal, or as close to normal as they could get. Anakin spent the majority of his time in meetings with the Council debriefing them on every single ounce of a detail on the new Sith lord that had appeared on Teth. He had been forced to hand Ahsoka over to Obi-Wan, not by his own choice, but by the Council's because despite the appearance of a new threat, her training had to be completed.

Anakin only got to see Ahsoka when he returned to their shared quarters for bed. He returned long after she had eaten dinner and found her curled up on the couch watching a holodrama.

"What's new, Skyguy?" She asked without looking away from the program.

He sighed. "They think I know everything about this guy. They think I know his height, his weight, his species. I know nothing." He walked around the back of the couch and threw himself down in the chair beside her.

"Did you tell them about how you're thinking about leaving the Order?" She asked, her face suddenly turning serious and stony.

Anakin was quiet, staring at the holodrama, but not really paying attention to it or listening. He took a few seconds to collect himself before answering her honestly. "No."

She huffed.

"Look, Snips. Things are a little tense right now with the Council." He ran his hand through his hair and leaned back into the chair. "The last thing they need right now is for me to even mention thoughts of backing out. When things cool down." He said with a slight sigh.

Ahsoka nodded, biting her lip to hide her emotions. "I don't know if that makes it better or worse." She admitted.

Anakin shrugged. "It is what it is, Snips."

"So you're set on leaving then?"

Anakin shook his head. "I haven't decided anything." He leaned his head against the back of the chair. "I'll let you know when I do."

Ahsoka turned away from her program to give him a light glare. "You'll let me know? Oh, so you'll just… let me know if you're going to drop me or not? You'll let me know where my future is headed?"

He picked his head up off of the cushion. "I'm not dropping you. I'm dropping the Order." He said strictly. "If anything this is better for you." He said, wishing he could cross his arms again.

"How? How is losing my master better for me?" Her voice slightly raising into a yell. "You're being ridiculous!"

Anakin stood, "Don't raise your voice with me." He said in a stately tone.

Ahsoka stood too, facing him. "Then don't leave! Don't destroy my life!" She could feel his anger now, building in the air between them. She was pushing him.

"I'm not doing anything to you. I don't want to die in this war. I'm tired of being told that I fight for peace. I'm tired of being given orders. I'm even more tired of being scolded for not following those orders because they come from people who don't see the front lines." He explained. "Men are dying for no reason. I will die for no reason."

Ahsoka stared at him, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "You can't leave me." She said, her voice thick with the sadness that always came before tears. "I don't want anyone else to teach me. I don't want Master Plo. I don't want Obi-Wan." She rubbed at her eyes before the tears could truly fall down her face. "You said when we were on Christophosis that I would never survive as Obi-Wan's padawan. You're right." She said with a light sob, sitting back down on the couch.

Anakin remained standing. "It'll be easier. He's a good master." He said simply before walking to the door and leaving her to her tears and holodrama.

"Ani,"

"I know, I know." He waved off her concern with his one hand. He stood slightly taller and stronger than he had the last time he had commed her. She could tell that part of it was a façade to hide from what he was about to tell her. "I've made a decision."

"Yes?"

"I'm leaving the Order."

Padme was quiet. She didn't know what to say. She was so used to thinking of their romance as forbidden and elusive, it was part of its charm, but she also couldn't help thinking of how much easier it would be now to kiss him, for them to have children. She stared at the blinking lights of the console in wonder—was she happy? Was she upset?

He was abandoning part of himself, his destiny, for her and for himself. Was that selfish?

She didn't care.

"Ani." She breathed, looking up at him. She had terrified him by not responding, by not saying anything or giving any sort of emotional response. He watched her cautiously, his face full of nothing but concern. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I don't want to die on the battle field. I don't want my life and death to mean nothing." He shrugged slightly, uncomfortable.

She smiled, not too bright, but a smile of relief and joy. "Ani, I'm so happy for you, I'm happy. I'm just… I can't believe that you're going to do this." She smiled wider, hiding her face in her hands. "What are the gossipmongers going to say?" She muffled through her hands.

Anakin laughed. "It'll be great."

She pulled her hands away, a smile still on her face. "I have to go to a Senate meeting about the new Sith lord and discuss war funding knowing this information." She said with a light laugh.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No, it's good. I'll just have to keep my mouth shut."

Anakin laughed again. "Are you capable of doing that? Of keeping a secret, I mean?" He leaned in slightly, waiting for her answer.

Padme faked offense. "I'll have you know that I once kept a secret for two years." She said, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.

"Oh?"

Her glance slightly hardened. "Yeah. Our marriage." She smiled wide.

"Is it not going to be a secret anymore?" He asked with a grin.

She looked away from the holoprojector. "Well... we'll see." She glanced at him and her smile widened even more. "I love you."

He smiled too. "I love you more."

"I love you the most."

Anakin sat on his bed, his legs folded up as though he had just been meditating, but he didn't know if what he had been doing for the past hour or so really counted as meditation. He had locked himself away in the silence of his quarters with nothing but his thoughts.

Leaving the Council…

He didn't want to abandon Ahsoka. He didn't want to abandon Obi-Wan, or Rex, or Cody, or the war effort. The last thing he wanted was to go from a high ranking military general to a civilian, where his only connection to the war was through whatever the HoloNet published. He didn't want the action, the near death experiences, the diplomacy and myriad of other political affairs… but he thrived on it.

He didn't want to die on the field. But the rush that came from the frontlines was something he needed. He was connected to his men, his apprentice, his master. It was as though they were a slight extension of himself, he could feel what they felt, he knew where they were and he was attuned to their every move in the field. They were on the same wavelength.

The last thing Anakin wanted was to lose that.

At the same time, the second last thing he wanted was to end up dead. He imagined what life on Coruscant would be with Padme if he really chose to leave the Order.

Her silk sheets every night, her smiling, angelic face. He could kiss her, hold her, all the time. No more waiting three months just to hear her voice, he would hear her voice every morning before she left for the Senate and every night when she returned. They could make their marriage public. They could start a family.

He could always check in on his comrades… right?

Anakin unfolded his legs and let himself drop back on his bed. He laid there, staring up at the ceiling of the Jedi Temple thinking about the many cons there were to his decision.

He didn't want to lose anyone. He didn't want any of them to die because he wasn't there to watch their backs, because he had abandoned them and their cause. He didn't want the disconnect between the civilians and those on the frontlines, he didn't want to be removed from any critical information about the Republic and the war.

Anakin was well aware of the disconnect in communication between the military and civilians. Even Padme, a significant figure in the Republic senate, was kept in the dark, hell, even being part of the Order, he had been kept in the dark. He wasn't sure if he could go on living in the Republic not knowing what was truly going on, just like how the Council had concealed Obi-Wan from him when they were in pursuit of Cad Bane. A life where his friends could be dead or missing without him even knowing was not a life he wanted to live.

He had told Padme that he was sure he was going to leave the Order.

In a way, he was sure. He wanted to leave behind the secrecy, the hidden politics behind the Jedi dogma. He didn't want to be the Chosen One, he wanted to leave behind the destiny that they had created for him. He wouldn't miss the Council Chambers, the negative looks, the mentions of prophecy.

Ideally, if there was such a position, he would choose to be a general. Not a Jedi general, but a general—he would make critical decisions, he would be a fundamental force in the war, but have the ability to pull in and out of the action as he chose.

A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts of the immediate future and back to reality. He was still on the Resolute, his padawan was still angry, his master was oblivious, and he was still missing his artificial limb.

"Come in," He said, not moving from his position. He didn't turn to see who entered, he knew who it was without any sort of exchange between them.

"Anakin, we need to talk."

He knew that this was coming. He had felt this confrontation coming since before they had embarked on Teth, before he had caused an incident with the Hutts.

He felt his master sit down on his bed. "What's going on between you and Ahsoka?"

Anakin closed his eyes, exhaling before awkwardly sitting up. "A lot, master." He said simply, looking to the worried Jedi master.

Obi-Wan's eyebrows pulled together in slight confusion, but he didn't say anything because he expected Anakin to continue like he always did.

"I… I told her that I'm thinking about leaving the Order." He looked away from his master, staring at a spot on the bed where the blankets had rumpled slightly.

Obi-Wan was quiet but Anakin could feel his response in the Force—mostly shock, but Anakin could pick up on the undercurrents of sadness that the man tried so hard to conceal. "Is this because of the…" He couldn't continue, but he knew that Anakin was well aware of what he was talking about.

Anakin shrugged. "In part, yes." He took a quick glance of Obi-Wan, the sad expression on his face. "I can't fight for a cause that protects… protects slavery more than its own soldiers."

Obi-Wan straightened. "It's not that the Council protects slavery, or wants it to continue. The decision was out of our hands, Anakin. The Chancellor made the decision, the Jedi were forced to comply."

"Forced?" Anakin scoffed lightly, he didn't want to elevate their conversation into an argument. His argument with Ahsoka was enough, he didn't need to start with Obi-Wan as well. "It was a decision to follow orders. Following orders is always a decision. The Jedi are sovereign, exempt from the power of the Chancellor."

"That may be true, but the Council can't fight a war against slavery and a war against the Separatist at the same time. One thing at a time, Anakin." Obi-Wan said, turning away from his student. It had been a lesson that he had repeated since their beginnings of a team, one that he continued to repeat towards their end.

Anakin shook his head. "No, no, not one thing at a time. If things are taken one at a time, where will slavery fall on the list of things that need to be done?" He asked, raising his voice only slightly. "We're told to protect those who can't protect themselves, the weak, the defenseless, those who need justice."

Obi-Wan was quiet for a moment. Anakin wasn't sure if it was because he was collecting his thoughts or giving Anakin time to settle before they continued. It was as though Obi-Wan knew that Anakin wasn't angry at him, but rather those who he associated himself with. He knew where Anakin's anger was placed and that even Anakin didn't want it to continue. His apprentice was tired of fighting.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said softly, he looked to his apprentice. "I agree with you, I agree that the Council was wrong to obey the Chancellor's direction, but leaving the Jedi Order is not the right course of action."

His apprentice did something that he hadn't done in a long time, a time before the war. He didn't counter Obi-Wan's words, or try to find fault in them. He didn't explain his own opinion or complain about how his master always disagreed with him. He asked, "Why?"

Obi-Wan was slightly taken off-guard by the question. He didn't turn away from Anakin, he looked at the young man and the inner battle that he was surely fighting. "The way the war is… if you leave, the Republic could lose the war." He admitted. "Anakin, I hate saying this, I hate it when the Council says it, but you guarantee results. The Council, the Chancellor, the Senate, they all turn to you and Ahsoka when a seemingly impossible mission arises."

Anakin was quiet and quickly looked down at the space in-between them. He knew what the Council thought of him, he knew that the higher- ups saw him as nothing more than a tool, a commodity. He had been aware of the fact when Qui-Gon died and the Council had decided to take him in because he was believed to be the Chosen One.

"Anakin, I know how you feel." Obi-Wan said softly. "I know that you feel like your life is expendable, that if you die in duty, it's just a… a means of completing the task. They've changed us into thinking that our deaths are a means to an end." He sighed, "They're wrong, and I swear to you, after the war, things will improve."

Anakin shook his head, "No." He looked up at his master, blinking away tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. "You don't know how it feels. My whole life, I've been treated like a mistake. I've been raised through the Order to see myself as the Chosen One, the savior of the Jedi, the one who restores the Force to balance and brings peace to the galaxy. I'm not a person, I'm not a Jedi. If I die tomorrow in battle, I'll no longer be the Order's Chosen One, the Son of Suns. I'll be Anakin Skywalker and my death won't be important. I'll be forgotten." His breathing shook as he exhaled, "They'll find another Chosen One." He said softly.

Obi-Wan's expression had softened, he had turned away from his apprentice and his shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm sorry, Anakin."

He felt his apprentice shift around on the bed, then he felt his arm wrap around him. He felt Anakin nuzzle his face into the back of his shoulder with a broken sigh.

"I love you." Anakin mumbled, just clear enough for Obi-Wan to understand.

Obi-Wan's vision clouded with tears and he felt a tear escape and fall down his face. "I love you too." He shifted slightly and embraced his student for what he felt was one of the last times.

I was listening to Anakin's Dark Deeds and Anakin vs Obi-Wan on repeat while writing this, so I'm sorry if it's a little sad. We're really nearing the end of this fic! I can't thank you guys enough for reading this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please review. It would mean the world to me. College just started up again and I'm really not in the mood to write anything at all, but that could easily change. There haven't been that many reviews lately and it kind of feels like people have stopped reading. If that's the case, then I might stop writing.

So please, review.