Admiral Tarkin and Anakin had reported to the council chamber, giving their reports to the Jedi Council after Ahsoka escaped from prison. Admiral Tarkin wrapped up his report, "After further investigation, there can be little doubt that the clone officers murdered in the escape were killed by none other than Ahsoka Tano herself. She used a Jedi mind trick to convince the clone to open the door and then proceeded to cut him down along with five other clones along the way."

Obi-Wan shook his head and dejectedly remarked, "I do not believe that Ahsoka could have fallen so far."

Coldly, Admiral Tarkin responded, "The beliefs of the Jedi Council are irrelevant. We deal strictly in facts and evidence, and the evidence points to Padawan Tano being guilty of the attack on the temple and the murder of the Republic officers. This is sedition!"

Mace Windu looked over to Anakin and asked, "Skywalker, was there no way to stop your Padawan before she escaped?"

Anakin looked at the ground in sorrow and shook his head, quietly responding, "No, Master Mundi."

Yoda looked at Anakin for a moment, gazing at him in though before asking, "The Council believes that Ahsoka may be guilty of the crime, still believe they are wrong, do you, hmm?"

Anakin nodded his agreement with the statement and addressed Yoda. "I believe she didn't kill the clone troopers or the woman who used the nano-droids to blow up the temple. That's why she's running. To prove her innocence."

Master Khaar remarked, "Now she's in the lower depths. With her skills, she will be hard to find."

Yoda nodded in agreement and said, "Two teams we will send. Master Skywalker and Master Plo Koon, with clones you will go."

Mace Windu was quiet for a moment and then replied to Yoda, "I think it would be best if Skywalker stayed here."

Anakin looked over at Master Windu in shock. Windu shrugged and pointed out, "Having you involved may actually make things worse."

Anakin, now somewhat hostile, responded curtly, "Master Windu, with all due respect, she is my Padawan."

Windu calmly responded, "The reason for you not to go."

Obi-Wan, sensing his friends rising anger, soothed the situation, inserting his thoughts into the conversation. "I think we're being foolish if we take Anakin off this mission. Who knows her better? He's emotionally tied to her."

Windu, still stating his case, responded to Obi-Wan's thoughts, "Probably too emotional to do what needs to be done."

Anakin, knowing that diplomacy and calmness was the only thing that would help him in that moment, replied to Master Windu, "I'd rather capture Ahsoka and find out the truth then let her run because of a lie."

Mace Windu leaned back in his chair, quiet for a long minute as he contemplated the case that Anakin and others had laid out before him. Finally, after a moment of consideration, Windu conceded, "You must prove to us that you will stay focused. Can you?"

Anakin nodded and responded, "I've already alerted security on the lower levels to be on the lookout for Ahsoka."

Windu looked over at Yoda and nodded his agreement. Yoda looked up at Anakin and said, "Go swiftly then, Skywalker, and bring back this lost child before it is too late."

Revan yelled in pain as lighting once again coursed through his veins, shocking him with a viscous pain that still brought him to the edge of his soul, despite having suffered through it for what was becoming an incredibly long and continuous period of time. Sidious laughed with evil glee as he continued to strike at Revan, pushing him ever closer to clenching the dark side of the force. Finally, after a long and brutal onslaught of the force storm, Sidious recanted, leaving Revan to heave as he struggled for breath. Sidious remarked, "Your body cannot survive this for much longer."

Revan looked up, his face exposing his exhaustion, sweat and blood continuing to drip down his face and hair, but Revan stood firm, weakly replying, "The force will sustain me."

Sidious nodded, "Yes, it will. When you finally reach into the dark side as you so desperately want to."

Revan shook his head. "Never."

Sidious chuckled and moved closer to Revan. "Do you want to know why I am so certain you will fall to me, Revan? Hm?"

Revan looked back up, glared, and replied, "Because in your old age you have lost your mental tenacity?"

Sidious ignored the barb and continued. "Because, Revan, you are weak. You always were. You always will be. You care for those around you far too deeply. You would do anything to save those that you love. Even if it means bowing before me forever."

Revan shook his head, but in his heart, knew that Sidious was right. It was only a matter of time, now that Sidious had someone that Revan would do anything to protect. Sidious chuckled as he watched Revan struggle with this realization. "You might be powerful, Revan. Your mind might not be corruptible. But you would lose the galaxy to save a friend. Because of that, you, above all other Jedi, are bound to one day do my bidding."

Sidious turned to walk out the door but paused a moment and turned to Revan. "One last thought, Revan. This taste of power that I've shown you? The power to blind a galaxy to my presence? You desire it. You need it. You can lie to yourself all you want, but you wear your heart on your sleeve. I know what you crave. And because of that, I know it's only a matter of time before you kneel before me."

Ahsoka, having wandered through the depths of Coruscant for a good while, decided she was far enough away from the Jedi and Clone populace that it would be safe to reach out to a friend. She pulled out her comlink and said, "Barriss, it's Ahsoka."

Barriss quickly responded, "Ahsoka, I'm so glad you're safe."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes at her state and replied, "Safe but on the run."

"Where?"

"I can't tell you, but someone is definitely trying to frame me."

Barriss replied, "It's not safe for you to call me using the Jedi communicator. Find another way to contact me."

Ahsoka nodded. "I will."

"In the meantime, I'll do some digging and see if I can find anything out to help you on my end."

"Thank you, Barriss."

"Be safe."

At that moment, a Coruscant Police Officer who had been patrolling the lower depths looked over and caught sight of the Togruta. After glancing at the wanted poster, he pointed and said, "That's her! The rogue Jedi. All units respond. We have located the rogue Jedi."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, glared, and drew her lightsabers to block the blaster bolts that began to fly her way. She rushed for a lift that dropped to the lower levels and managed to dive inside as the door closed, but as soon as she did so, the blaster bolts that came for her destroyed the lift brakes, sending the lift flying down at an alarming rate of speed. Looking over and seeing a blue skinned Twi'Lek child cowering in the corner, Ahsoka tried to comfort him, saying, "Don't worry, little guy, I'll get us out of this. I'll-I'll think of something…Maybe I can cut a hole in the roof."

Ahsoka leapt up to the roof, anchoring herself on the roof and beginning to cut a hole with her lightsaber while the little boy yelled, "Ya kumay na! Ya kumay na!"

Ahsoka, ignoring him as she cut through, muttered, "Almost there. Almost got it."

The little boy yelled it a few more times before hitting the emergency brake and stopping the pod in its tracks. Ahsoka looked down at him and back up at the hole she had about finished in the roof and remarked, "Huh. I, uh, guess I'm not exactly on my game these days."

She took the child in her arms, blew out the windows with a force push, and leapt out, falling about twenty meters to the bottom of the lift, where the child rushed forward out of her arms to embrace his mother. Ahsoka waved and said, "Thanks, kid. I owe you one."

The door to the cell opened with little fanfare, no whirring of a torture droid, and no arms of lightning emerging from a darkened figure in a hallway. Revan, noting this in his state of exhaustion, didn't even raise his head. His eyes stayed closed as he tried to focus on healing his damaged body that was hung in electro cuffs, arms stretched to the sky and legs anchored to cuffs near the ground. Revan sensed the presence push forward slowly before kneeling in front of him. Tentatively, a silky voice gently asked, "Revan?"

Revan opened his eyes slowly and stared down. Bastilla looked back up at him, concern and hurt anchored in her eyes. Revan was quiet for a moment before asking, "…Is it really you?"

Bastilla ran her hand across Revan's face, caressing his cheek and wiping the sweat and blood from his brow. Revan felt her presence touching him like a comforting embrace. In that moment, he knew that somehow, it was her. She offered a soft smile and nodded. "Yes, Revan. It's really me."

Revan shook his head. "After what you said to me at the Temple…I thought that you had left me."

Bastilla nodded. "I thought I had, too. I felt a force pulling me into the great beyond. It was my time…just not the time that I originally thought."

Revan chuckled, despite the pain that his body called out with. "Well, we never were too good at establishing plans, were we?"

Bastilla smiled and nodded. "No, I guess we never were."

Revan shook his head. "How…how did you end up here?"

Bastilla shook her head. "I don't know, my love. I simply was called and followed the force. Next thing I know, the Zabrak and his master were staring at me in a dark room. It must be some kind of Sith Alchemy."

Revan nodded. "No matter. You are here. That is what's important."

Bastilla nodded. "I'm going to get you out, Revan. I promise."

Revan shook his head. "The Emperor would know if I had gone. You have a chance to leave. Run. Get to the Temple. Tell them where I am and whatever you can about Sidious and Maul's whereabouts. This is your chance to help the Jedi. To be free…"

Bastilla shook her head. "I let you leave me once, my love. Not again. We will face whoever this is together."

Revan replied, "Bastilla…it's the Emperor. Sidious is Vitiate reborn. You cannot face him. I will not let him have you."

Bastilla shook her head again. "No, Revan, he won't have me. Not with you by my side."

Revan stared at her, trying desperately to make her understand the desperate situation. "Bastilla, you do not understand. His power…it is like nothing you have ever seen."

"The galaxy has given us a second lease on love. I will not run, no matter the consequences. This life is not worth living without you."

Revan opened his mouth to reply but knew that it would do nothing. Bastilla had made up her mind and Revan knew that once that was the case, there was no changing her mind, no matter how hard he tried. Bastilla, noting his quiet defeat, slyly remarked, "Besides, I don't think that those electro cuffs leave you much room to negotiate."

Revan rolled his eyes and responded, "Do you have a plan then, my dear?"

A familiar voice from the doorway called out, "I think I might be able to help with that."

Revan looked up to see Roth leaning on the door, a sly grin on his face as he twirled his lightsaber. Revan, in joy, exclaimed, "Roth! How did you get here?"

"I managed to catch your little show before Pre Vizsla and his little minions managed to bring you down. Which is a shame, by the way. You lost for the first time to a Mandalorian. How do you feel about that?"

Revan rolled his eyes at Roth's teasing. "Will you just get me down before Sidious shows back up? I do not think our presence will go unnoticed."

Roth nodded and stepped forward. As he did so, Bastilla hugged the Exile, thankful to see another familiar face in this new time. Together, he and Bastilla focused on the cuffs and reached out with the force, stretching their hands out and attempting to rip apart the steel. Revan did what he could, focusing on the cuffs himself and lending his support to his friends. After a tense moment in which the power in the room was a tangible force, the cuffs shattered and a weak Revan fell to the floor, collapsing.

Bastilla and Alex rushed to him, picking him up and stretching his arms over their backs, supporting him as they helped him move forward. As they moved out of the cell and into the hallway, Roth handed Revan his lightsaber and said, "I think you might need this at some point."

Revan nodded and asked, "Did you see the Emperor? Where is he?"

Roth shrugged. "I don't know. I snuck into the facility and managed to cloak my presence. Soon after, the Emperor had to leave. Some type of emergency call. He left the planet. There's one ship left on the landing pad."

Revan nodded as he tried to put one foot in front of the other while leaning on his friends. "That means Maul is still here."

Roth nodded. "I managed to cloak our presence in the force. Not that hard on this planet, all things considered, but I don't think the ruse will last very long. We need to get off planet as quickly as possible."

Revan asked, "That is some kind of feat. Where are we that you can do that so effortlessly?"

Alex Roth was quiet for a moment before responding, "Malachor V."

Revan was silent, needing no more questions to establish why this planet held a secret Sith facility. It was a product of his orders to Roth thousands of years before. Revan shook his head and muttered, "I had no idea how much destruction I caused here."

Roth shook his head. "We both did, Revan. We both did."

Revan replied, "No, Roth, this was not your fault. You followed my orders. I am the one that created this. My hatred and fury created this."

Revan hung his head and quietly said, "It is a wonder it took the Emperor to tip me to the dark side. It seems I was well on the way already."

Ahsoka had managed to flee into the depths, but no sooner had she lost the guards than did she sense another presence following her. Ahsoka kept her senses attuned, reached out with the force, and managed to catch a glimmer of warning before she was slammed to the ground and two red lightsaber blades were at her throat. "Well, well, I didn't believe it when I first heard it, but I guess it's true, the Senate has put a bounty on your horned little head. And I'm going to be the one who collects."

Ahsoka, infuriated, yelled, "Ventress, it was you, wasn't it? You were behind all of this, and you framed me!"

Ventress rolled her eyes and muttered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ahsoka accusingly responded, "Yes, you do! So what are you now, a bounty hunter?"

Asajj whipped the young Togruta up to her feet, grabbed her lightsabers, and responded, "Yes, and someone who knows how to make easy money."

"You think you're just gonna hand me over? And then what? Get a pat on the shoulder? You're Separatist war criminal and a Sith. They'll have us both in prison before you said your name."

Ventress shrugged. "I don't have to hand you over to the Jedi. I can hand you over to the bondsman and still get paid. I'm gonna get my money whether you're dead or alive."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and muttered, "Good luck. Despite what you hear, I'm still a Jedi."

Asajj chuckled and replied, "I'm afraid the other Jedi no longer see it that way."

Ahsoka was quiet for a moment before embracing the truth and responding, "I hate to admit it, but you're right. That's why I'm going to need your help."

Ventress laughed, visibly dismissing that possibility. "In what star system do you think I would ever help you?"

"A traitorous Jedi tried to blow up the Jedi Temple and has framed me for that and other killings."

Ventress chuckled, "Mmm, so the Jedi aren't that holy after all."

Ahsoka glared and replied, "I know Dooku tried to have you killed. I know he betrayed you. What if this is his new apprentice? I've fallen from my path just as you've fallen from yours. We have a lot more in common than you think."

Ventress asked, "What can you offer me that's better than money?"

Ahsoka was quiet, trying to evaluate what little options she had, before answering, "If you help me, I'll speak to the Council and the Senate on your behalf. I'll get you a full pardon for your crimes."

Ventress betrayed little outward appreciation or acceptance beyond a simple nod and a contemplative look, but responded, "You have my attention. But I'm going to go where the tide flows. If the tide is flowing against you, don't think I'll forget about the bounty on your head."

Ahsoka nodded. "Fair enough."

Ventress looked up at the industrial pipeline that they were near and noticed several LAAT gunships rapidly dropping towards them, searchlights primed and ready, clones and Jedi armed to the teeth inside. She murmured, "I suggest we find somewhere else to discuss this."

Anakin, in the first LAAT, reached out with his senses and quickly pegged two familiar presences. He pointed to a platform and yelled, "Shine the light over there."

The lights whirled towards the two figures. Anakin quickly identified Ahsoka and, in a shock to him, Ventress. "Ventress! Send out the probes. I want them found now!"

Ahsoka and Ventress took off, running for the alleys, Ventress managing to activate the platform forcefield behind them as they rushed for safety. Several minutes later, they had lost the clones and probes. Ventress led Ahsoka to a small speeder, and after a short ride through some seedier but nondescript zones, Asajj dropped the speeder to the ground and parked it in front of a small and run down hovel. Ahsoka remarked, "Nice place you have here."

Asajj rolled her eyes and replied, ""Not everyone on Coruscant lives in a luxurious temple on the surface."

"I guess I'll have to get used to that."

Ventress gestured to a nearby holo terminal and said, "Just make the call."

Ahsoka did so, managing to quickly connect with Barriss. "Barriss, it's me."

Barriss smiled and replied, "It's so good to see you, Ahsoka. Are you okay?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "Yeah, I'm okay, if you consider Anakin and a hundred clones on my tail a good space to be in."

"You were almost captured?"

"Once or twice, yeah."

"Where are you?"

"I can't say, Barriss."

"I believe I've found a clue."

Ahsoka, shocked and thrilled, quickly and giddily replied, "A clue? How? From where?"

Barriss was noticeably quiet, visibly hesitating before replying in a shaky voice, "We don't have much time, Ahsoka."

"Fine, I'm on level 1312. A holo-booth at the corner of 12th and G."

Barriss nodded. "Got it. Three levels up there seems to be an abandoned warehouse where they used to build munitions that Letta visited during the time she was getting access to the nano-droids."

"How did you find this out?"

"I told you I would do some checking."

"Ah, thank you, Barriss."

"Be careful, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka disconnected the call and sauntered over to Ventress, who asked, "Well?"

Ahsoka replied, "I think I have a lead."

"It doesn't seem like you need my help."

"That's not true. We need to find an abandoned munitions warehouse on level 1315. We should be able to find some information there…You know the place I'm talking about, don't you?"

Asajj responded after a moment of silence, "…Yes. I can get you there."

The two turned a corner to head for the new levels but headed into an unpleasant surprise. Commander Fox stood in front of them with a squad of troopers that were prepared to take them in. Foxx stepped forward and Ahsoka held her hands up, saying, "Listen to me. I don't want to fight."

Asajj dropped her mask and remarked, "I do."

Fox stepped forward and said, "We're taking you in now, Commander."

Ahsoka shook her head, sent a glare at Ventress, and said, "That's not gonna happen, trust me. Now I'm not going to hurt any of you, we're not going to hurt any of you, but you're not taking me in."

Fox raised his weapon and said, "Commander, we are taking you in."

Ventress raised her fists and said, "Let's play."

Ventress charged forward, lightsabers still at her side, and moved through the squad, kicking and weaving as she took out clone after clone with her extensive martial arts training taking the place of her lightsabers. As more clones raised their weapons, Ahsoka sighed, drew her lightsabers, and charged forward, whipping her blades around to slash the barrels of the rifles in half before deactivating her lightsabers and moving through her own martial arts, trying to take down the clones without killing any. After a few tense moments, all of the clones were lying on the ground, most unconscious or nearly there, but none were dead. Ahsoka let out a brief sigh of relief and Ventress gloated, "See? Didn't kill one. It's the new me."

A short while later, the unlikely pair arrived at the old munitions factory. It had been long abandoned and sealed off to the outside world, the factory having now fallen into disarray and surrounded by waste from the people on the level. As Ahsoka approached the factory, she reached out with her senses, trying to gauge what she could, but surprisingly found absolutely nothing. If there was a clue, it was well hidded from her senses. Ventress stopped in front of the sealed door and remarked, "There it is. That's where you're supposed to find this clue. I've done my part of the bargain, which means you're on your own from here. But don't forget, you have to speak on my behalf now. That was the deal."

Ahsoka nodded her head. "Agreed. Thanks for getting this far, at least. I have to admit, I never saw us doing anything together ever."

Ventress nodded her head in agreement, sealed her mask, and through the voice modifier remarked in a bizarre tone, "These are strange times."

Asajj turned and left, slowly walking back towards the alleyways that she had come to call home, pondering her next move. As she wandered, she wondered what was coming next. Her hovel had been found and the Republic knew that she was now on the planet. While she certainly was not the priority, she doubted that the Republic would not look for her, nor would they care that she had been betrayed by Dooku. She could not count on Ahsoka, as she didn't know how far the padawans word would go, and knew that she needed to get off planet as soon as possible. Deep in thought, she didn't notice the presence that came behind her. Hearing a scrape, Ventress turned to find a cloaked figure, her face covered, but roughly the size of Ahsoka. Seeing this, Asajj carefully remarked, "I thought we decided we were going to part ways."

The figure didn't respond, simply throwing Ventress back with a force push before slamming her head with a metal pipe, knocking Ventress into the oblivion.

Ahsoka wandered through the old factory, frustrated and confused, muttering to herself, "How am I supposed to find a clue when I don't even know what I'm looking for? Ugh!"

In that moment, Ahsoka knew she needed to calm herself and focus on her training. Ahsoka stopped, stood still, reached out with her senses, and managed to catch a whim of betrayal before a cloaked figure in a mask leapt over a wall and brought two red lightsabers down towards Ahsoka. Ahsoka managed to block the blow and yelled, "Ventress! I see you've had a change of heart."

The two leapt about in acrobatic combat, charging towards and around one another in a flurry of strikes, kicks, and flips. Ahsoka parried and attempted to push the fight, but her opponent was incredibly well conditioned and clearly knew her surroundings, twice pushing Ahsoka to the edge of false walls and ledges, nearly sending Ahsoka tumbling to the depths. Ahsoka managed to recover and push back, at which point her opponent drove herself to another level, leaping up and away from Ahsoka. Ahsoka chased after her, and as she leapt up onto the next level, she barely managed to avoid a swinging strike as she landed. Once again, she pushed forward, yelling, "Why bring me here? Answer me, Ventress! Why?"

Her opponent didn't respond, simply choosing to swing her blades at Ahsoka in rapid manner. Ahsoka, tripping during a flip and being pinned to the ground, lost one of her lightsabers, which fell to the depths of the factory. Ahsoka, now only holding her green blade, tried to recall her training from before she began to wield two blades, but it was no use. She was soon overpowered by Ventress, and Ahsoka's wild and increasingly desperate strikes soon struck multiple fuel and munitions barrels, starting a fire in the upper level. Ahsoka, now weak in exhaustion and suffering from smoke inhalation, became a weak and frazzled target. Her defense was weak, her strikes unwieldy, and she soon was pushed to a ledge without her knowing. One swift kick from her opponent sent her flying off the ledge and down to the factory floor. She landed hard and struggled to recover, needing several minutes to bring herself to her feet. But as she did so, she looked around at the stockpile room that she had fallen into and began to have a grave sense of foreboding. "…Nano-droids?"

At that moment, Commander Wolfe, who she had served with on prior occasions, burst into the room along with a squad of troopers. Ahsoka held up her hands and begged, "No, Wolffe, let me explain."

She had no chance, as Wolfe let out a stun blast, bringing her down to the floor.

Commander Wolfe bent down to look at the munitions crates as Anakin and Plo Koon rushed into the room to check on their beloved padawan. Wolfe looked at Skywalker and quietly remarked, "Explosives. These are the same types of nano-droids that were used to blow up the Jedi Temple."

Anakin, his faith beginning to be shaken, shook his head and dejectedly replied, "…I can't believe it…"

Bastilla, Roth, and Revan emerged from the stone and metal facility to find a single shuttle on the landing pad, and with it, Maul, who smiled with evil glee and said, "I knew you would try and escape."

Revan, still trying to establish his wits, manages to remark, "What an astonishing guess. Wherever would you have gained that kind of knowledge to know that we would make that move?"

Maul glared, not missing the sarcasm of the Jedi Master, and replied, "One day, my master will reward me and let me bring you to your knees, Revan."

Revan glared back and replied, "You could not possibly do so, Maul. You are a coward. You always will be. You do not have the courage to stand against me."

Revan slipped his arms off the backs of his companions and drew his blade, hobbled and weak but still drawing a concerned look from Maul. Roth, however, knew that his friend and mentor would not be much good in a fight and charged forward, igniting his blade as he did so. While Bastilla ignited her blue double-bladed lightsaber and stepped back, putting herself between Revan and Maul, Roth charged with his single purple blade swinging violently as Roth shouted with rage, bringing powerful attacks down on the Zabrak. Maul ignited his own double-bladed lightsaber, managing to catch Roth's powerful strikes and push him off, but only briefly. Roth was a student of the Vapad form, like his mentor Revan, and used his rage to fuel ferocious attacks. Roth pushed Maul around the landing pad at will, the dominance of one dueler over the other quickly and clearly established. Roth expertly paired feints and thrusts with powerful strikes, never slowing his push and never stopping his movement to allow for Maul to step forward and counter attack. Finally, Maul cowered, managing to throw a desperate force push at Anakin before turning and leaping off the ledge, disappearing into the dark canyon below. Roth rushed to the edge to continue the attack, but soon turned back to the ship and deactivated his lightsaber. The rush of combat left them all and Bastilla caught Revan before he collapsed in exhaustion. As they turned and move for the ship, Revan murmured, "Get us to the Jedi Temple. I fear that something terrible is soon to befall Anakin and his apprentice."

The Jedi and clones returned to the Temple on a LAAT Gunship. Anakin and Plo Koon received a transmission from Yoda, while Rex gently comforted Ahsoka, who stood in the back, her head down and her hands in chains. Yoda asked, "Captured, she has been?"

Plo Koon nodded and replied, "Yes, Master Yoda."

"Without incident?"

"No, she was subdued by the clones and found in possession of explosive nano-droids."

Anakin shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around a crime that simply did not make sense. "It still doesn't explain Ventress' involvement. We saw her with Ahsoka. I think there's more going on than we know."

Mace Windu asked, "By Ahsoka or against her?"

Plo Koon diplomatically replied, "That remains to be seen."

Anakin told them, "We're bringing her back to the temple."

Mace Windu shook his head and said, "Let's just hope we can keep her here."

The transmission cut off and Anakin glared, anger filling his soul as he tried desperately to find his padawan innocent yet was cut off and blocked at every turn. He managed to look over at his Padawan in peace before turning back to the fading sun on the Coruscant skyline, the red sky perfectly reflecting the fury that was stirring in Anakin's heart as he fought for his padawan.

Anakin arrived at Padme's apartment a few hours later, well after the sun had set and well after she should have been asleep. Leaving the Temple cell block had been hard, and Anakin had protested greatly, but Obi-Wan insisted on it to the point that he threatened to have the Temple Guards have Anakin forcibly removed for his own good. Upon arriving back at the apartment and quietly walking into the bedroom, he found a concerned Padme sitting up in bed. She quietly remarked, "It's late."

Anakin sighed and nodded, softly replying. "…I know."

Padme stood up and walked over to him, giving him a small comforting kiss before saying, "I heard what happened. The news…spread across the Rotunda rather quickly."

Anakin shook his head. "She's innocent. I just know it."

Padme nodded. "I know. She couldn't do something like this. You trained her better. She's a better person. She isn't capable of this."

Anakin rested his head on his wife's shoulder. "It doesn't look good, Padme."

Padme held her husband close and nodded. "…I know."

Anakin shook his head as he began to feel tears fall down his cheeks and onto her shoulder. "I don't know how to help her anymore. She's my padawan! I'm responsible for her. I'm supposed to keep her safe. I'm supposed to protect her. I failed. I failed her, Padme."

Padme shook her head. "You're Anakin Skywalker. You're the Chosen One. You didn't fail. And now you will figure out how to help her. I know you will."

Anakin replied, "Padme, I'm not like you. I can't defend someone. I can't fight for them with reason. I fight with the force. I fight with my lightsaber. Not with logic."

Padme was silent for a moment before whispering to Anakin, "Ani…I think that Tarkin is going to push for her to be tried before a Court of Justice."

Anakin sighed. "…I know. It's only a matter of time. We're going to fight for her to be tried as a Jedi within the Temple as long as we can, but…I know we can't hold out much longer."

"Ani, I'll defend her. I promise. You and I are in this together. She's as much family to me as she is family to you, even if she doesn't know it. I'll do what I can to help her. I promise."

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