A second before it happened, Padme felt Anakin slam into her, knocking her to the ground as he shielded her with his body. It knocked the breath out of her, but when she heard the deafening sound of an explosion, the previous thought evaded her mind instantly. They were high up enough that the thermal detonator barely rocked their platform, although the smoke reached them almost instantly, flooding their surroundings so they could hardly see.

Anakin pulled her up into a sitting position, still on edge as if he expected another bomb to go off. He leaned in closer so she could see his face through the smoke, and she could feel his breath on her lips.

"Are you alright?"

She could only nod as he quickly glanced over her to check for injuries. Seemingly satisfied, he stood up, placing a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder to indicate that she should stay down. Brushing it off, she ignored the unspoken suggestion and stood up beside him. It was impossible to see even the platform closest to theirs, but Padme could hear the panicked shouts of her fellow senators. She glanced at Anakin, whose eyes were intently searching the bottom of the chamber where the explosion had come from, though she knew that he couldn't possibly see anything. It was a long way down, even if there hadn't been the smoke.

They could hear the panicked screams of the politicians even if they couldn't see them. While the explosion had certainly shocked them, it didn't seem to have actually hurt anyone, to Padme's relief. Anakin still had the intense edge in his eyes when he tapped her shoulder.

"I'm going down there to see what happened. Stay with Panaka."

Before she could respond, he had already climbed out of the platform, heading downwards.

. . . . .

Anakin climbed down towards the senate chamber floor, ignoring the startled cries of the politicians whose space he was invading. He simply didn't have time to take the proper way down, and the convenience of a few senators was definitely not his priority. He had instantly recognized the particular type of thermal detonator to be one of Jango Fett's favorites, and had a sneaking suspicion that his old mentor was behind the chaos.

He also recognized that the explosion had done nothing but cause confusion. If it was Jango's doing, then it wouldn't be without reason, and Anakin suspected that it had been simply a diversion.

He could feel somehow that something was terribly wrong. He couldn't define what, and if Panaka hadn't been with him to help protect Padme, he would have never left her side. The sensation of imminent disaster looming in the back of his mind was far to vivid to ignore.

He quickly reached the floor, where the smoke was slightly clearer because it had risen to the higher portion of the chamber. He still couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, but he trusted his instincts enough to walk blindly into the smoke. His senses were on edge, so completely overloaded with the sense of wrongness he couldn't explain that Anakin couldn't focus enough to even feel his surroundings.

He had barely walked ten paces when he stumbled on something, and his stomach lurched when he looked down to see what it was. The distinct colors of Jango Fett's left boot were still partially intact, but most of his body wasn't. Anakin mouth formed a hard line, and his eyes were steeled. He was no stranger to the products of violence. He had worked with assassins for far too many years to still be shocked by mutilated remains, but the sight of such a renowned bounty hunter in pieces sent a wave of shock through him.

He eyes found Jango's helmet, and he stared at it for a very long second. The thought that Jango might not have been working alone, that Padme might still be in danger, enabled him to himself to tear his eyes away from the helmet to look at the right side of the body, where the explosion seemed to have originated. Anakin swallowed, knowing the conclusion that Jango himself would have come to.

The thermal detonator had malfunctioned. A few feet from where Jango's hand would have been was the empty shell, and Anakin recognized the specific model. They were designed to be more smoke than fire, perfect for a diversion, and should have been reliable. Jango didn't often make mistakes.

The chances of a good thermal detonator malfunctioning were very slim, yet it was Jango who had taught Anakin caution, who had taught him that someone had to be the odd statistic. How ironic, Anakin thought bitterly, that Jango himself would reinforce that lesson in such a way that would be impossible to forget.

Anakin looked up from the body and glanced at his surroundings. He noticed a shaken-looking Rodian in formalwear holding Jango's weapon, staring at with a crazed expression and putting the viewpoint up to his eye. The sense of imminent danger still flowed through every fiber of Anakin's being, and he stretched a hand out to the Rodian, who was obviously part of the senate. He moved very slowly, not wanting to startle the poor man and cause him to get hurt; Jango's weapon was not to be handled lightly.

He shouldn't have been so cautious.

The Rodian shot the blaster, and then dropped it, amazement in his eyes. Screams erupted from the senate platforms above, and Anakin rushed to grab the man, who fainted in his arms. He could hear panicked shouting from above, and hefting the Rodian over his shoulder, Anakin headed for the stairs. As hard as he tried, the fear that seemed to grip his insides was too overwhelming for him to reach out enough to even feel for Padme, to see if she at least was alright. He grabbed Jango's blaster as well, deciding that leaving it would be a bad idea.

He knew he couldn't scale the platforms like before, but he was still fast, and could still run up the stairs at top speed.

When he came closer to the top, he could hear Padme's voice rise above the others, shouting what sounded like orders at her fellow politicians, who had given in to uncontrollable panic. All he could pick out from that was that someone had been shot.

He grunted, shifting the unconscious man on his back. Well, thanks to my buddy here, I already knew that.

Making a decision, he changed his direction and headed where he knew the Jedi platform to be. Now that he had verified for himself that Padme was unharmed enough to be taking control of the situation, he couldn't justify going to her. As much as it made his heart ache, he needed answers to help her, and answers would most likely be found with Obi-Wan.

By the time he reached the Jedi, Anakin had discerned that the politicians all seemed to have the same plan: evacuate. The senate chamber was mostly cleared, though many of the weary looking aids and servants of the senators seemed to be unsuccessfully trying to push their way into one specific area. Guessing that that was where Obi-Wan had to be, Anakin pushed his way through the crowd until he was right up against the guards.

He waited for one impatient second before Master Yoda allowed him to come in. Anakin unceremoniously dumped the still-unconscious Rodian on the floor. Yoda was still looking at him with a strange expression on his face, and it was making him uncomfortable.

"I found the shooter," he said, pointing at the Rodian slumped on the floor. Yoda nodded once before turning back to the crowd, and Anakin went to Obi-Wan, who was kneeling next to what looked like a body on the floor.

"Who's that?" Anakin recognized the old man, though his name and title eluded him. His eyes were glassy, and Anakin felt a tinge of wrongness at the sight. It seemed strange to see them so completely empty, as if they should be alight with fierce intelligence even in death.

Obi-Wan sighed, also looking at the man. "This was the Chancellor of the Republic. While I disagreed with many of his policies, I never would have wished for this. The entire government will be thrown in disarray."

Unable to bear the sight any, longer, Anakin reached out and closed the man's unseeing eyes, and looked at his neck. Judging by the dart's placement in the Chancellor's artery, he must have died quickly. Jango Fett only used the best weapons, and that particular poisoned dart could have killed a Bantha. Anakin would never have guessed that the likes of the Rodian could have pulled off such a precise hit.

Obi-Wan stood up, also glancing at the Rodian Anakin had taken hostage. "You said that he was the shooter?" The bewilderment was clear in his voice, and Anakin nodded, every bit as clueless as the Jedi. "He seemed half crazy when he pulled the trigger, I didn't expect him to actually hit anyone."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I don't understand. This man is-was-Palpatine's secretary. He couldn't have set the bomb off."

"He didn't. It was Jango's bomb, and it must have malfunctioned, because it killed him. I found his body on the Senate floor. Your guess is probably better than mine on what our friend here was doing down there, but he found Jango's long range blaster." Anakin pulled the weapon off of his shoulder and handed it to Obi-Wan. "You'll find it to be a match to the dart."

Obi-Wan took the weapon and examined it, and shook his head. "We don't have time to conduct an investigation. We don't have time for anything. Not only was the Chancellor the head of the senate, but his influence was insurmountable. The Republic will not be capable of action until a new leader is elected, and because of the power vacuum this will have left, that will take far too much precious time. The Separatists will no doubt take advantage of our weakened state."

Master Yoda and the guards had successfully cleared out most of the politicians by then, and Anakin saw a bald, severe looking Jedi that he vaguely recognised enter the room, followed by Padme, another senator, and a weary looking Captain Panaka. Anakin met Padme's eyes, feeling the warmth of relief spread through him. It was one thing to hear her voice and believe that she was all right, and another entirely to see her in person, alive and safe and whole. He wanted to go to her, but he could see from her expression and stance that her demeanor was fully professional at the moment.

The Jedi looked down at Yoda. "The majority of the senators have resorted to argue amongst themselves. I have no doubt that the Separatists will hear of this tragedy if their spies haven't already reported it to them."

Yoda looked troubled, then spoke. "If right you are, Master Windu, then prepare for an attack, we must." The Jedi Master turned to Obi-Wan. "Become crucial to survival, the army you found may."

Padme stepped forward. "Forgive me, Master Jedi, but the Senate voted against forming a stronger military. If we bring in an army, it will ensure the possible attack."

Obi-Wan ran a hand over his forehead. "Padme, under normal circumstances I would agree with you, but the present situation doesn't leave us with much choice. The Separatists may see this as their only chance to directly attack the capitol."

Padme's eyes narrowed. "They aren't strong enough to take Coruscant. Not yet."

The others in the circle didn't respond, their older faces lined with reality. The Senator that had come in with Padme said, "If we are honest with ourselves, the Republic has relied on a strong government in the recent years, not a strong military. Now that our advantage there has been taken away, who knows how the Separatists will react. The truth is, we don't actually know strong the Separatist offensive has grown."

Master Windu nodded. "It must be decided then. I propose we move the senators to safe houses and send for the clone battalions immediately. We must prepare for the worst."

Obi-Wan raised a hand in concern. "I don't like this. The Jedi shouldn't be the ones making these decisions." He turned to the politician. "Senator Organa, certainly you have something to say about this."

The man looked at Obi-Wan with resignation in his eyes. "The Senate is in no position to vote for anything at the moment. We must act if we are to preserve what democracy we have left, though I fear that by doing so, we are sacrificing the last of it."

Master Yoda looked around the group. "Defend the Republic, we must. Go to collect the clones personally, I will"

"It's settled then." Master Windu turned to Obi-Wan with grim eyes. "I don't like it either, but as you said earlier, we are left with no other options. Contact the cloners on Kamino, and inform them that Yoda will be arriving shortly."

Obi-Wan nodded, still looking troubled.

Padme cleared her throat, fire still in her eyes. "There is always a diplomatic solution. If we could reach out to negotiate with Dooku, perhaps we could find one. Anakin has reached agreements with him before."

All eyes simultaneously turned to Anakin with eyebrows raised. "It wasn't negotiation, really. Honestly, it was closer to bribery." Or blackmail, he thought privately, but didn't say it out loud.

"If you've had any successful interaction with Dooku at all, it is an advantage to us. Naturally, the Jedi have kept tabs on Dooku, and our intelligence reports that he may have gone to a residence on Scipio."

Padme nodded. "I will go there then, and try to prevent this attack before it happens. I'm quite familiar with that system, and should be able to navigate around it without much trouble."

"It won't be safe there." The words were blurted out of Anakin's mouth before he could stop them, but the look Padme shot him killed the argument before it could leave his throat. If he thought about it, he found himself completely unsurprised that she wouldn't want to sit around in a safe house again, waiting for the Republic to fall apart.

Anakin folded his arms. "I'm coming with you." He glared around the circle, daring anyone to protest.

Master Windu's brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course you're going with her. Wasn't the whole idea based on the fact that you have experience negotiating with Dooku?"

Obi-Wan laughed and clapped Anakin on the shoulder, much to his confusion, before they parted ways.

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I'm so sorry I it took so long for me to update this. My old pal depression decided to increase their visit, and schoolwork has to take priority. I'll try to update when I can, but no promises.

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Thanks for your support and for reading!