He woke, stretched out on the narrow sleep couch, and barely avoided hitting his head on the overhead shelving. Sometimes, he wished he wasn't quite so tall. Quickly, he glanced over at Obi-Wan. The Council almost always paired him with his older Master, whenever he needed a partner for a mission. He knew they did this with almost all knights, but it still rankled him. Luckily, Obi-Wan was still asleep. Anakin untangled himself from the sheets and walked over to the 'fresher' unit, slipping inside and sliding the doors closed behind him.
Quickly, he disrobed, undid his belt, and turned so he could see his body's profile in the mirror attached to one wall of the small, white room. He sighed at his still-flat stomach. It was all well and fine to know the two were in there, but he wanted to see them! Wanted to feel them, touch them, know with more than just his head that they were there, inside him.
There was a thump from the other side of the door. Obi-Wan was awake. Anakin called a good morning to his old master and cleaned himself up for the day, refastening his belt and heading back out. He plastered his customary surly scowl on his face as he passed the older Jedi. Time for breakfast.
It was the day after Anakin had left his supposed 'sick leave' for the transfer. The minute he'd said he could take missions again, he was assigned this one with Obi-Wan as a partner. Thankfully it was an undercover investigation and not a battleground. They'd left only a few hours after he'd gotten the message, so both Jedi had gotten to the ship very late in the evening and boarded. For once, they had a ship with an actual crew and more space than a single fighter's cockpit to use. Using the small one-man ships jedi favored would suggest that they'd need to leave at a moment's notice, an impression the two jedi did not want to give the Senator they were to investigate. Which was how the two ended up in a ship with an actual galley for meals, where they headed for breakfast.
In the galley, Obi-Wan grabbed a mug of thankfully hot tea and headed to where Anakin was eating his own breakfast. He stopped a few feet from the table and stared. If Anakin's hitting another growth spurt, he'll be taller than Mace soon. For what other reason could there be for the younger man's voracious appetite? Barely three inches were between Anakin's face and his plate as he shoveled the rather flavorless breakfast into his mouth. Two plates, scraped clean, rested at his elbow, along with three empty glasses.
The elder Jedi sat down across from him and sipped at his tea, waiting for the other to straighten up from his hunched position over his plate. Then, with his head still lowered, Anakin asked, "Are we sparring today, Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan's thoughts halted as he paused. "Yes," he answered. "Why do you ask?"
Anakin shrugged. "No reason." To get your mind off my appetite, he said inwardly. He'd have to be more careful, if he didn't want his old master finding out his secret. Thank the Force for his extra study in shielding his mind. He put down his fork and sat back in his chair. "I don't understand why the Council sent both of us," he commented. "It's only a diplomatic mission, not a battle."
"You know why, Anakin," the older Jedi explained, huffing a bit in irritation. This wasn't the first time the Knight had asked. "Senator Icrim is suspected of lending financial aid to the Seperatists. I am to placate the Senator and discuss plans for his upcoming proposal and you are to investigate the claims."
Anakin rolled his eyes as he swallowed. "Both things I could have done on my own. I didn't need a partner." He started eating again. And, he thought, somewhat sullenly, I'd be able to check if I was showing more often, if I didn't have to dance around you. It should be really soon, since it's twins. They finished the meal in silence and headed for the more open maintenance bay of the ship to spar.
Yoda scanned through the financial records again. Jedi never had much in the way of money, and Master Sipho-Dias had apparently agreed with that thought. Most of his transactions were small things, like a new tunic from a bargain store or a gift for an apprentice. But Kaminoans wouldn't have started building such a clone army without some sort of payment in advance. Yoda had looked for such a payment and found nothing. Perhaps, from a different source, he drew the funds. Look at his travel records, I should. He put aside the datapad in case he needed to peruse the record again later and headed back to the library again. This was looking more disturbing with every puzzle piece added.
Senator Icrim met them at the hangar with a few aides and several more guards. "Welcome, great jedi," the man said as the two robed men descended the ship's ramp. "It is an honor to have the two of you here." He bowed low and the jedi returned the gesture. Anakin relaxed fractionally. The man seemed nice enough, or at least polite. Then he stepped forward and gripped Obi-Wan at the elbow. "Come, we must begin discussion at once."
Obi-Wan shrugged the man's inappropriately casual hand off. "Of course, Senator, but perhaps we could drop off our luggage first?"
The man's head bobbed in a nod. "Of course. Colin!" Icrim bellowed the name and one of the aides came closer.
"Yes, sir?" he hesitantly asked.
"Take their luggage to the guest room and show that one where it is." He made a dismissive gesture towards Anakin. The younger man's anger mounted. Who did this senator think he was, treating a knight like this?
A hand brushed his arm and he looked over at Obi-Wan. "Go with the aide," he said, urging Anakin over to the nervous young man. His tone clearly told the knight to let the oversight pass. So Anakin released his anger into the Force and nodded. Quickly, he grabbed his small bag as the aide grabbed Obi-Wan's and they both headed into the rather extravagant mansion.
The entryway alone made Ani's skin crawl. The sweeping double stairway had painted gold railings and the floor was cold stone, though smoother than he'd thought. Suddenly he wanted to be back in the simpler, homier rooms of the Temple or even back in a troop tent. This made him feel like an unworthy intruder. The hallway they entered next wasn't much better. With more of that same stone for the floor and rather cold walls decorated with columns every few feet, their steps echoed down the corridor. He sincerely hoped the floor in their guest rooms wasn't stone too.
As they walked further, windows started lining one wall and the stone floor gave way to thick carpet. He breathed a bit easier after that. They'd only walked for about a minute when the aide turned and opened one of the doors in the opposite wall from the windows. "Here you are, sir," the man added and bowed slightly as Anakin walked past him and into the room. The same carpet from the hallway blanketed the floor, a relief to be sure, and there were also two large beds and a comfortable-looking couch. A large bay window on the other side of the room filled it with a natural light. It's a good thing it's not as fancy as that entryway, Anakin thought. I wouldn't have been able to sleep. Then the aide spoke up from where he stood next to one of the beds. "A fresher unit is through that door." He pointed to a small door off to the side. "Will that be all?" He looked as if he sincerely hoped it was.
But Anakin, to the dismay of his guide, had a few questions. "Where are meals served, and is there somewhere for us to train?"
"Dinner will be brought to you tonight, and a servant will escort you to breakfast tomorrow. After the meal, you may request a tour, which includes our gym and workout facilities." Then before Anakin could ask any more questions, the aide practically scrambled for the hallway. Well he certainly wasn't friendly, the jedi mused. I wonder why. It could just he the aide, but somehow he doubted that. I guess I could meditate on it, after I unpack.