Chapter 41 - Coming Clean

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Star Wars or any of the characters in it, though we wish we did. xD

Author's Note: Sorry for being late, but I didn't have time to get on. xP

~ Amina Gila

Padme hurries down the hallway towards her office. She needs to spend some time reviewing the newest bills the Senate has put on the floor. Even though the Republic is trying to come to terms with the fact that Palpatine was a Sith, that doesn't stop the intrigue of politics – or the amount of work she has to do. If anything, it's just gotten worse these past few days. Many Senators are pushing to add positions so as to avoid a repeat of what just occurred. Personally, she supports it. Fighting for giving the Chancellor less power as well as navigating the elections and supporting Senator Mon Mothma is taking up all her time.

"Padme," calls a familiar voice. She turns to see Bail Organa walking towards her, his expression troubled.

"Yes, Bail, what is it?" she asks, motioning him into her office.

"I have received a recording along with a group of other Senators," he explains, "It seems the Jedi Council has not been entirely truthful when they confirmed Count Dooku's statement that he is being watched by Jedi."

Padme can feel a chill run through her. She knows very well that Anakin is no longer a Jedi, despite Dooku's claim to the contrary. Is it possible that someone uncovered this, and if so, will it destroy the peace process?

"Explain," she frowns, "What do you mean?"

"It would be better if you watched this," Bail replies, pulling out a holodisk and turning it on. The hologram immediately comes to life.

Dooku walks into the line of sight of the recording followed by three figures. The first is a black-armored man, walking with a familiar gate. The second is also armored, and the third – shorter than the others – is wearing a hood. On the other side, Lux Bonteri enters. Padme restrains a gasp. She'd heard rumors that after Dooku split the Separatists, Onderon had joined Dooku, and Lux had been chosen as a Senator to replace his mother, but until now, she hadn't known they were the truth.

"Greetings, Count," Lux greets him, bowing respectfully. There's a distinct note of mild surprise in his voice which she doesn't miss.

"Senator Bonteri," replies Dooku, "I am sure you know why we are here. The situation has become more serious than I'd initially imagined."

"Yes, of course," answers Lux, his gaze turning towards the shorter figure. He tips his head slightly, and from the angle, she can see him smile slightly. "The last time I saw you with… my mother's friend, I wouldn't have expected you to show up next in the company of the Count." His tone carries amusement along with some familiarity.

Padme swallows. It's Ahsoka. She knows it is. "Nor would I," the painfully familiar voice answers, "At last not until a month ago." A month. Yes. It's been a month since she heard Anakin was expelled from the Order. She's relieved that Ahsoka is still with him. Her and Obi-Wan both. Together, they can help Anakin, at least as much as he'll let them.

Lux chuckles quietly, turning towards the other two figures. "And I'm guessing these are Generals Sky–"

"Lord Vader," the black-armored man smoothly interrupts before motioning to his companion, "This is Lord Aristaeus." She… did not expect that to be Obi-Wan's Sith name. She didn't even realize that he would get one.

Lux doesn't even blink at the interruption. "As you wish," he murmurs, turning, "Come with me. We have a lot to discuss."

They walk out of sight, and the recording ends. Padme sits back, the implications dawning on her. Dooku will be seen as a liar if word gets out that Anakin is no longer a Jedi and is going by a Sith name. People will put two and two together, and the situation will get out of control. This has the potential to become very, very bad.

"What are they saying?" she finally asks, looking over at Bail's worried brown eyes.

"You know who they are, don't you?" he queries instead, "They are going by Sith names. They aren't Jedi. I heard that some Senators are pushing for us to stop peace talks with Dooku because he clearly lied to us. If we have no way of knowing what he's doing, then we can't trust him."

Padme nods tiredly. Another mess to repair. Just another day of political chaos. What's new? "I know who they are," she admits, "I heard from Master Windu that Anakin was expelled from the Order. I don't know the details about what happened, but if word gets out…" Her voice trails off, and she shrugs helplessly. "I'm going to see if I can get ahold of him to find out what's going on."

"You knew?" Bail demands, surprised, "How did you find out?"

Padme winces slightly. "I – I talked to Masters Yoda and Windu after they informed the Senate about Palpatine being a Sith Lord. They told me that there with problems in the Order before Yoda said that Anakin had been expelled, but he was with his Padawan and Master Kenobi."

"You could have told me," Bail reproves quietly, and she gives him an apologetic smile which feels more like a grimace. Yes, she could have, but she didn't. She needs to correct that. If the Jedi already know about her marriage, there's no reason why Bail – one of her closest friends – can't know as well.

She slowly lets out a breath. "I'll call him now. Hopefully he'll answer, and we can get this straightened out. He'll probably have to say something – give a public statement of some sort." Hesitantly, she pulls out her commlink and calls Anakin.

"Padme?" Anakin's sleepy voice comes through. She hadn't realized he was sleeping, or she would have waited. Too late now. "What's going on?"

"I'm here with Bail," she tells him quietly, "The beginning of your meeting with Senator Bonteri from Onderon was recorded. Some of the Senators believe Dooku was lying about Jedi being with him. This isn't going to just blow over. You need to do something about it."

"Oh great," mutters Anakin, "Another mess to attend to." She hears him sigh. "Send me the details, and I'll get to it in a couple hours. It's probably time to get up anyways."

"Okay," she answers softly, "I'll talk to you later." Anakin hums in response, so she hangs up, turning her attention to Bail while she hastily sends Anakin all the information he needs.

She owes Bail to be honest with him now, especially if they're going to be trying to bring peace to the galaxy. They need to trust each other, and the information she possesses could become important later on, though she hopes it won't be. "I need to tell you something," she confesses quietly, hoping this is the right path to take.

**b**

"Sidious did it," rages Anakin, blue eyes flashing with anger, "I know he did."

Obi-Wan sighs and resists the urge to rub his temple. "Yes, Anakin, you said that already."

"Three times," offers Ahsoka, slumping back in her chair.

"We need to prepare a statement of some sort," Obi-Wan points out, "For all our sakes, I think I should do it. I can get the media to listen to me. They respect me. The Senators will at least listen to me."

"Yeah, we got it," grumbles Anakin half-heartedly, "You have a way with words. Go on, Negotiator." He waves a hand at Obi-Wan. "Go prepare your speech."

Obi-Wan resists the urge to roll his eyes at his former Padawan's theatrics and does as he suggested. After drafting a list of points to cover, he soon realizes that the best way to deal with the situation is by telling the truth. It won't look good on the Jedi Council but trying to cover up will be even worse. Right now, he's most concerned with Dooku's image. If enough Senators feel he can't be trusted, any attempts at peace will fail, and for the sake of the galaxy, he must do his best to prevent that from happening.

Less than an hour later, he's being broadcast live on the holonews. "I have heard some of the rumors going around, and I feel it is my duty to put them to rest," he declares, voice calm despite his inner anxiety. "It has come to my attention that the beginning of a private meeting between Count Dooku and Senator Bonteri was recorded."

He pauses for a moment to collect his thoughts. "It is important for you to know that the Sith Order is not the enemy of the Republic. It was formed as part of a private disagreement with the Jedi centuries ago and has no bearing on the fate of the galaxy. Shortly before Dooku spoke to the Senate, he approached General Skywalker to obtain his assistance in killing Sidious. Later, I joined him."

"The current situation is a bit complex," he admits, "But the Jedi Council expelled General Skywalker for reasons which are entirely private. I chose to join him. We may not be officially Jedi, but we are still holding ourselves to the same code of honor. I am aware there are concerns regarding our association with Count Dooku, and I want the galaxy to know that we will never betray the Republic. We swore an oath to protect it, and we will uphold that promise no matter what doing so will entail."

"Dooku has formed a new Sith Order to repair some of the many flaws in the Jedi Order, and as a vote of confidence, I did choose to join with General Skywalker and his Padawan, but this has no bearing on our determination to bring peace to the galaxy," he concludes.

Ending the speech, Obi-Wan sighs quietly. He's done all he can, and now it's up to court of public opinion. He can only hope that his supports will rule over his detractors. The galaxy has come so far, and it would be a disaster for everything to fall apart just because of secrets kept buried. And maybe he made a mistake revealing so much to the public, but right now, he thinks he made the right choice. That, he supposes, is what counts most.