Hi everyone! Thank you for your continued support for this story! It really means a lot :) Here's the next chapter:

"You look distressed, my boy."

Palpatine's voice was calm and soothing, and Anakin found himself relaxing into his chair slightly. Just talking to someone who actually cared was helping; he felt the tension in his muscles loosen just a bit. Anakin exhaled, closing his eyes briefly. Everything was going to be fine.

"I just…" Anakin opened his eyes, trying to formulate his thoughts into words. "Master Qui-Gon is still alive," he managed, and the Chancellor's eyebrows shot upward.

"Really?" Palpatine asked, steepling his fingers. He looked genuinely shocked to hear this. "You told me, Anakin, that you watched him die."

Anakin nodded. "I know; I don't know how he survived, but I was the last person to find out when he returned. He didn't even bother contacting me. Even Ahsoka found out before I did! She was the one who told me," he explained. The emotions—the anger, passion, and fury—burned in his stomach, and it felt good.

Palpatine sighed slowly. "Oh, Anakin," he responded. "The Jedi aren't perfect; surely you realize that. There is a valid reason, I'm sure, that Master Jinn did not contact you immediately. Surely he knows just how important you are."

Important? He surely didn't feel that way, even though he was believed to be the Chosen One. The Council never allowed him to do anything, and while Obi-Wan has loosened up with his overbearing nature, Anakin knew that he had doubts about his own capabilities, which was ridiculous. Anakin was gifted; he knew what he was doing. But no one seemed to believe him or trust him.

Palpatine continued talking. "My sources told me that Dooku survived, so I was wondering if Master Jinn had as well," he began.

Anakin started. Of course, if Master Qui-Gon survived the explosion, then there was an even greater chance that Dooku survived as well, which was just…terrible. He sighed. "Dooku's still alive, then?" he asked, deadpan. It wasn't fair, but what could he do about it now? If Dooku was still alive, it meant that the war wasn't actually over, that the Separatists could reunite and strike against the Republic.

It meant chaos.

"You misunderstand me, my boy," the Chancellor responded, one eyebrow arched. His smile was gentle and soothing, and the anxiety that gripped Anakin at the thought of Dooku's survival subsided slightly. "Dooku survived the explosion, but my…contact was able to track him down. He found his body. It seems someone killed him…using a lightsaber," Palpatine explained, still smiling.

Anakin started. "Are you sure, Chancellor? Dooku is—was—a Sith Lord. They're particularly hard to get rid of, especially for a non-Jedi, sir," he rambled. Dooku was a threat; perhaps his death now will rid Anakin of his nightmares, of his worry about Padmé.

"I am quite sure, my boy."

Anakin nodded shakily. Something didn't feel right, but he pushed the feeling away. This was right. Dooku was actually gone now; the Senate would be more open to ending the war and bringing peace to the galaxy. But still, something was…off. "I…I should inform the Council," Anakin stammered, pulling himself to his feet.

Palpatine gave a sharp nod, eyes glinting. "Of course, my boy," he replied, lips twisting into a smile. "I know you will do what you must."

Anakin turned around left without another word, heart pounding in his ears.

"It's good to be home," Obi-Wan admitted as he sat down on the couch with a smile. He was discharged from the Healer's about an hour ago, having reported almost no pain for a full day, as per Master Che's wishes.

When Qui-Gon arrived at the Healer's that morning, however, the head healer gave him a bag full of hyposprays and pills (analgesics, sedatives, and antiemetics, mostly) and strict instructions about Obi-Wan's sleeping and eating schedule for the next few days. Master Che also gave permission for Obi-Wan to start doing light katas, but she told Qui-Gon that he most likely will feel too tired for the next few days to do much physical activity.

At the moment, though, Obi-Wan didn't seem particularly tired; he seemed more refreshed than Qui-Gon has ever seen him since arriving in this time. A part of Qui-Gon wondered if it was an act or if Obi-Wan was actually feeling that healthy right now. He decided he'll find out soon enough.

Qui-Gon smiled at him, putting the bag on a side table. "Do you want tea?" he asked.

"I can make it, Master," Obi-Wan answered, moving to stand up.

Qui-Gon shook his head. "It's fine, I'll do it," he said, letting Obi-Wan sit back down on the couch. "Sapir?"

Obi-Wan paused for a moment, then nodded. Qui-Gon smiled and walked into the kitchen to begin making the tea.

Ten minutes later, Qui-Gon walked out of the kitchen holding two mugs of steaming tea to see Obi-Wan stretched out on the couch, eyes closed. As soon as Qui-Gon walked closer, Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open and he shifted into a seating position.

"Were you sleeping?" Qui-Gon asked, smirking slightly. It amused him to see Obi-Wan take naps now, considering he never did it as a Padawan.

His former padawan chuckled. "More like dozing, I think," he answered, easily sensing Qui-Gon's amusement. He took the mug of tea from Qui-Gon with a grateful smile and began to drink it slowly. Qui-Gon sat on the armchair next to Obi-Wan. "So," Obi-Wan began, changing the topic, "regarding these inhibitor chips…a unit under Master Windu's command will be examined tomorrow."

Qui-Gon's eyes widened. "I didn't expect it to happen so soon. Usually the Council takes a few days to decide on things, at least in my time it was like that," he admitted.

"No, that didn't really change," Obi-Wan responded, then laughed slightly. "I had a lot of free time yesterday, so I sent a lot of messages to all the Council members, telling them to start this right away."

Qui-Gon blinked. "Oh," he answered. Having Obi-Wan on the Council was clearly an advantage, even when he wasn't able to attend the meetings. "Thank you."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Tomorrow we'll discuss any findings from those examinations and decide what we'll do next. If you're needed for additional information that Dex might have told you, I'll send you a message," he continued, taking another long sip of tea. He yawned, jaw cracking, then placed the empty mug on the table next to him.

"Sleepy?" Qui-Gon teased, and Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

"Are you in contact with Dooku, Master?" Obi-Wan asked now, serious again.

Qui-Gon nodded the affirmative. "I haven't heard from him in a while, though," he admitted, frowning slightly. "He might just be busy." Then he blinked and his eyes widened. "He wanted me to tell you something, though," Qui-Gon recalled.

Obi-Wan's head tilted in confusion. "Me?" he asked, surprise coloring his voice.

"It's regarding the Sith Master, apparently. He told me to tell you that he didn't lie on Geonosis," Qui-Gon explained.

Obi-Wan stared at him for a long time and then shook his head. "What does that mean?" he asked, frowning deeply. His right hand stroked his beard as he thought.

"I don't know," Qui-Gon answered. "I thought you might know what he meant…"

Obi-Wan stared at him for a moment then groaned. "A lot has happened since Geonosis, and my brain isn't…working properly, Master; I can't remember," he muttered. He frowned, looking as though he was trying to remember a fleeting moment that happened years ago, though Qui-Gon knew it must have been less than that. Obi-Wan's Force presence was suddenly flooded with frustration, and Qui-Gon felt it simmering along the bond.

"Obi-Wan, it's fine," Qui-Gon said, sitting forward to place a hand on Obi-Wan's knee. "You're still recovering, and I'm sure it will come to you eventually. Give it some time," he instructed.

Obi-Wan tensed for a second and then deflated, back sinking into the couch. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

Qui-Gon smiled gently. "It's not your fault, padawan," he murmured.

The smile that Obi-Wan gave him was small and slightly watery. "No one has called me that in years, you know."

"I know."

The silence that followed was deafening. "I…don't know how I managed all these years without you, Master." Obi-Wan's voice was quiet, almost impossible to hear. "And it sounds like attachment, I know, but…I missed you."

Qui-Gon nodded. "It will all be fine, Obi-Wan. I know you're worried about Anakin, but once he comes home we'll talk with him," he said, rubbing Obi-Wan's knee slightly.

Obi-Wan relaxed more into the couch, eyes closing. "That's…good," he whispered. The liveliness that seemed to surround him when they first walked into the apartment had given way to sleepy exhaustion.

"Get some sleep," Qui-Gon murmured, just slightly tinging his voice with the Force, and Obi-Wan obeyed with a quiet exhale. Qui-Gon watched him for a moment, just to be sure he was actually sleeping, before he stood and moved Obi-Wan's legs so he was lying down properly on the couch. He then covered Obi-Wan with a light blanket and dimmed the lights before picking up a datapad and sat back down on the armchair.

Ahsoka ran down the hallway, quickly typing in the codes to the apartment before she raced inside. She paused when she saw that the lights were dim, and looked towards the living area. Master Qui-Gon, seated at the armchair, was looking up at her, a finger resting on his lips. He then gestured towards the couch, where Master Obi-Wan was fast asleep, lying on his back.

"Something important happened," she mouthed to Master Qui-Gon, not wanting to wake up the sleeping Jedi. Master Qui-Gon nodded and stood up and began to walk towards her. He stopped when Master Obi-Wan suddenly shifted before his eyes flicked open.

"Ahsoka?" he asked, squinting at her. His voice sounded rough, still thick with sleep. Then he frowned. "Something's wrong…" He rubbed at his eyes before he sat up slowly. "Where's Anakin?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. She moved forward and sat down next to him, and Master Qui-Gon sat down again in the armchair.

"What happened?" Master Qui-Gon asked her.

She glanced at them both before answering. "The Council sent me," she answered. "They just received reports that Dooku's body has been found, on Serenno."

Master Qui-Gon blinked. "No, that's impossible; I just spoke with him this morning," he said. "We have a private channel." He pulled out his commlink and scrolled through his messages with Dooku, seeing that they last communicated by text this morning.

Ahsoka shook her head. "His body is on the way to Coruscant, per the Council's wishes," she said. "He was killed by a lightsaber, Masters."

Master Obi-Wan closed his eyes, clearly saddened by this information. "The Sith Master," he murmured.

Master Qui-Gon shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I wanted to save him, but…" A tear slipped down his cheek.

Ahsoka continued talking. "His lightsaber was next to him, destroyed, but he didn't have a commlink," she said.

"It's possible that whoever did it took the commlink and is communicating with you, Qui-Gon," Master Obi-Wan guessed, and rubbed at his eyes again. He still looked half-asleep, but Ahsoka wasn't going to comment on that.

Color fled from Master Qui-Gon's face and he stood. "Oh, no," he murmured. "Dex is in trouble, and so are all his contacts, which means…"

"Means what?" Ahsoka asked, confused about who Dex was.

"If it is the Sith Master who has Dooku's commlink," Master Obi-Wan deduced, "then they know that we're investigating the inhibitor chips, from Dooku's communication with Qui-Gon. And that means that the Kaminoans will find out soon if word spreads fast enough. They can activate the chips." His eyes widened.

"Obi-Wan and I are going to check on Dex. Ahsoka—you wait for Dooku's body to arrive and see if you can get any hints on who killed him. We don't have evidence that it was the Sith Master," Master Qui-Gon commanded. "Let the Council know that active Jedi need to be wary of the clones, in case anything happens."

Ahsoka nodded after a long moment. "Yes, Master," she said, standing up. "If you find Anakin…"

Master Obi-Wan stood too, face grim. "You'll be the first to know, padawan," he said reassuringly.

By the time Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan got into a speeder, Coruscant had transitioned into evening rush hour, which meant no matter how hard they tried, the journey would take them at least half an hour.

Qui-Gon relaxed his tight grip on the speeder's wheel and sank back in his chair. He couldn't believe it. Because of his ignorance, Dooku was now dead, and any advantage they held over the Sith was gone and was now turned against them.

Obi-Wan's hand hovered over his lightsaber, face tight. He turned to Qui-Gon. "Have you received word from Dex?" he asked. Qui-Gon tried to contact him, multiple times, since Ahsoka spoke to them, but received no reply.

Qui-Gon shook his head.

"I have a feeling, Master," Obi-Wan mumbled, looking out into the sky. "I know you…the last time I told you this, you ended up dead, so don't dismiss it."

Qui-Gon swallowed. He very clearly remembered telling his padawan to ignore that bad feeling, on the Trade Federation's ship, only a few weeks ago, in his mind. "I won't," he murmured. "I have no right to."

Qui-Gon inched the speeder forward, just as the Force screamed in warning. Obi-Wan's shout came immediately after. "Master!"

Something crashed into the side of the speeder, and Qui-Gon gasped as they were jerked sideways. Qui-Gon fell sideways, crashing onto the door of the speeder. His head slammed onto the door, and he reeled forward, gasping from the pain that shot through his skull. By the time he recovered and looked up, he saw that Obi-Wan, still seated in the passenger's seat, was trying to fly the speeder.

He looked forward and saw that the engine was on fire. That probably wasn't good. He blinked, feeling blood seep down from the left side of his head onto his temple. The world was slightly blurry, and he tried to focus, tried to think of what he could do.

Qui-Gon could tell that Obi-Wan was struggling to keep the speeder afloat; the engine was damaged well beyond the point of repair, and the fact that they were moving downward probably meant that…

"Master!" Obi-Wan shouted over the roar of the engine. "We need to jump!"

Qui-Gon shook his head, trying to pull himself out of his stupor, but the movement lanced pain down his skull, and he hissed. He gathered the Force around him and sat up more properly, seeing a relatively flat rooftop that they could land on. "Right there!" he pointed out to Obi-Wan, coughing from the smoke.

"Jump!" Obi-Wan cried out, and Qui-Gon did, landing on the rooftop with a groan from the movement. He was pretty sure he was concussed. Obi-Wan landed smoothly moments later, and they watched as the speeder, still in the sky, exploded.

"What happened?" Qui-Gon asked, still lying on the ground. Force, his head hurt.

Obi-Wan stood from his crouched position and looked towards him, finally seeing the blood on his face. He cursed before he ran over to Qui-Gon's side. "I'll call the Temple," he told Qui-Gon, and pulled out his commlink.

The Force blared in warning, once again. "Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon shouted, and his former padawan whirled around, lightsaber ignited just in time to block a red one that was about to cut into him.

Qui-Gon looked up at the wielder. It was a woman, using two lightsabers with familiar-looking curved hilts. His vision blurred, but he saw grey skin and a bald head. He tried to get up to help Obi-Wan, but the movement caused him even more dizziness and fell on his back, spent.

Ventress shouted in frustration, moving both lightsabers in a whirlwind. Obi-Wan focused on blocking her blows, hoping to tire her out before he tried to disarm her. He exhaled slowly, gathering the Force before he pushed her away and activated his commlink and dialed.

"Anakin!" he shouted into the commlink, not knowing if he'd answered. Ventress jumped forward with more vigor now, and Obi-Wan blocked again, limbs shaking only slightly. So much for doing light katas for the next few days, as Master Che had wanted.

Before he could say anything else into his commlink, Ventress let out another shout, pulling the commlink out of his left hand with the Force and destroying it with a lightsaber.

Well, there went that plan. He just had to hope Anakin got his message. The Sith acolyte rushed at him again, with more vigor, and he blocked again. "It's been so long, my dear," he said finally. He looked up at a nearby rooftop. He could use the environment to his advantage. Leaving Qui-Gon alone, unconscious, on a rooftop may not be the best thing to do, but he couldn't risk having Ventress injure him further.

"Shut up, Kenobi!" Ventress shouted.

"May I ask why you're visiting Coruscant?" Obi-Wan asked, rotating slightly. Ventress followed, eyes bright with anger. Her left blade swiped upwards, but he anticipated it early enough, jumping back a bit further.

"My master is dead, and it's your fault!" she screamed.

Oh. Right. He should have seen this coming. "I was sorry to found out about his passing," Obi-Wan admitted.

The Sith acolyte screamed once again, and with every ounce of her raw power, pushed into him with the Force. Obi-Wan took the brunt of the hit, mostly due to surprise, and landed a few feet away on his back.

Ventress immediately jumped towards him before he even had a chance to recover, swinging downwards towards his chest, and he blocked it just in time, breathing heavily. His face was drenched in sweat, and his arms trembled against the weight of both her lightsabers. She began to push down even further, closer to his middle. He could feel the heat of the three lightsabers inches away.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly, gathered the Force around him, and pushed Ventress off before he pulled himself to his feet, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his left hand. Ventress attacked again, moments later, each strike aggressive and powerful. He normally didn't struggle this much against Ventress and he knew that he was beginning to over-exert himself.

He reached out into the Force to Anakin, but their bond was blocked. He blinked. When did that happen? Qui-Gon was still unconscious, so he couldn't exactly contact him. Obi-Wan exhaled, jumping up to another rooftop. Maybe he could reach out to Ahsoka? They had a bond, of sorts, but he didn't know if it was strong enough for him to use. Well, there was only one way to find out.

It turned out the bond wasn't strong enough for him to communicate with words exactly, so he sent her an impression of danger and get help, and hoped it was enough. It was getting even more difficult for him to block Ventress' blows; one slipped past his guard and almost lopped off his left arm, but he jerked backwards quick enough for the lightsaber to only just barely scorch his tunic at his shoulder. He hissed at the burn, but ignored it.

"Ventress," he gasped. "Listen to me. I know you're upset, but Dooku was helping us in the end. He knew that the Sith Master was going to turn against him, and he decided to help us find a way to defeat him. You don't need to do this," he pleaded.

Ventress paused before she swiped her right saber at him, and he ducked, ignoring the dizziness the movement caused. "Stop telling me what to do, Kenobi!" she exclaimed. "You have no right!" She flung her hand out with another Force push, and Obi-Wan flew backwards, landing at a lower rooftop far away.

"Force," he muttered to himself. His body ached now from landing so harshly on the rooftop. His head was beginning to throb at the base of his skull, but he couldn't tell if it was from the impact.

Ventress landed lightly on her feet a few feet away, and he pulled himself to his feet, twirling his lightsaber before she struck. His arms trembled even more, and he felt her push on the blades as they moved closer to him again.

He felt another presence arrive, and he turned to see Anakin running up to them and swinging his lightsaber to meet one of Ventress'. "Took you long enough," Obi-Wan called, internally sighing in relief. Anakin didn't reply, but began to attack Ventress even more aggressively. She began to struggle to meet all of Anakin's blows, and soon enough, Anakin cut his saber into her arm and she dropped with a pained shout. Her lightsabers were pulled out of her hands and placed on Anakin's belt.

Anakin walked up to Ventress, eyes almost black. Obi-Wan frowned. What was he doing?

"Anakin?" he asked, watching as Anakin placed his lightsaber right by Ventress' throat. "We need to arrest her, Anakin," Obi-Wan said loudly, walking up to Anakin.

"She doesn't deserve to live," Anakin muttered.

A strange emotion clawed into Obi-Wan's stomach, and he stared at Anakin. Something was wrong. "Anakin, think about this," he managed. "Qui-Gon is hurt; he needs the healers. Ventress can give us information about the Sith. If you strike her down, not only are you going against the Jedi way, but you'll be robbing us of that information."

Ventress grinned up at Anakin. "What are you going to do, Skywalker?" she taunted. As if she took pleasure in Anakin's inner turmoil.

Anakin stared at her, breathing quickly. "I…" he trailed off, and glanced at Obi-Wan, his eyes wide with fear.

"It's okay to be scared, Anakin," he murmured. And with that, Anakin closed his eyes and nodded, pulling out a set of Force-suppressor cuffs from the pouch on his belt and snapping them around Ventress' wrists.

Obi-Wan exhaled in relief. He wanted nothing more than to sleep right now, but he couldn't now, not when Qui-Gon was injured, Anakin was teetering on the edge of sanity, and Dex was still in danger. He breathed again. Obi-Wan could deal with his exhaustion later, when there was time, but now he needed to focus on the moment at hand. He looked up at Anakin. "Do you have your commlink?" he asked. Anakin nodded, and handed it over to him.

With a deep breath, Obi-Wan began to contact the Council.

While Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Ventress were sent back to the Temple, Obi-Wan insisted on completing Qui-Gon's mission: checking on Dex. When he arrived at the diner, however, the place was burned completely to the ground, and it was surrounded by Coruscant police. He closed his eyes in anguish, feeling death ringing in the Force.

After talking to some of the investigators, he discovered that a few bodies were found, including that of a Besalisk. Obi-Wan inhaled, rubbing at the gnawing ache at his temple. Force. "Is it Dex? The owner of this diner?" he asked the officer, who nodded solemnly.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Thank you," he murmured, and then walked away back to his speeder, eyes downcast.

"Wait!" the officer called.

Obi-Wan turned around, and saw a commlink in his hands. "We found this on the scene, but don't really know what to make of it. It was found right next to Dex's body," he explained.

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, and took the commlink into his hands. He looked at the screen, at the single new message that now flashed on the screen from an unknown, untraceable source. The message was one word. A single word.

"Soon."

Commander Cody sat in one of the hangars of the Temple, waiting. His general contacted him a few minutes ago, telling that there was something of vital importance to discuss, and that he would be coming back to the Temple in a few minutes. General Kenobi's voice was perfectly serious over the commlink; he knew something big had been happening with the Jedi, but no one gave him the details. None of the brothers that he spent a lot of time with knew what was going on, either. It was a mystery.

He wondered if it had to do with the fact that the war was ending, and the Jedi didn't exactly know what to do with the clones. Maybe they intended on…eliminating the clones? No. The Jedi cared, that much was clear. General Kenobi did everything he could, during every single mission, to make sure that every single clone under his command survived. And any time that didn't happen, he grieved just as fiercely as any other clone would. There was no way he would allow the Jedi to…get rid of the clones, without a second thought. No. It had to be something else.

He looked around the hangar, at the few Jedi who were returning or leaving from the Temple. It was approaching night, but it seemed to him that the Temple was always active, even at the oddest of hours. Oh well. He knew that some Jedi had some…interesting schedules, to say the least.

His commlink beeped, and he pulled it out and pressed the answer button without looking at who was contacting him. A hologram flickered into existence. A hologram of a hooded figure…Cody was confused to see that, and was about to ask who it was, but then the figure spoke.

"Commander Cody," the figure hissed, and suddenly, it seemed as though something in his mind just…snapped into place. He stood slowly, awaiting his orders.

"Execute Order 66."