The Will of the Force

by FMPtrumpets

It has been a long time since Yoda had such a clear Force vision. Even longer since the Force made it's Will clear so plainly. He could do nothing but obey its wishes. That one act brought many more things to light. At least it also ruined the plans of the Sith Lord.

1. Chapter 1

This isn't going to go through the Clone Wars, this is just focused on one thing that I wish had gone differently. I'm going to kind of jump around a bit. This is just me messing around with some ideas, don't mind me.

I do not own Star Wars, I did not think up Star Wars, I wasn't even born yet. It would have been cool if I had been the one though. Unfortunately my wallet is a little empty for that to have been the case.

---

Yoda watched the security tapes, thoughtful.

When he'd received the Force-Vision of Anakin Skywalker and Senator Amidala getting married, his first reaction had been to call the boy in front of the council and make him choose- his relationship or the Jedi order. If he chose her, then he was of course not going to be Jedi for much longer then it took them to remove his Padawan braid and take his lightsaber.

But the admonishment he received from the Force because of those thoughts made him pause. The Force rolled with frustration and a sense of 'No'.

When he reflected, the Force was happy about the relationship.

So, instead, he spoke with Obi-Wan, who told him what happened on Tatooine with the boys mother. Anakin hadn't said anything to him, but Padme had been concerned, it seemed.

He'd never felt more guilty. When Anakin first told Obi-Wan about the dreams, Obi-Wan had come to him, asking for permission to go and see what was happening, to make sure that the woman was alright. After all, there was a reason the Force was showing him these things, right? Yoda had forbidden them from leaving, stating that the future was always in motion and they had no way of knowing what was real and that he needed to let go of his attachment to his mother, anyway.

And the woman died because of it. After months of pain and anguish, she'd died.

His only consolation was that at least she'd been able to see her son one last time, and that she had died a free woman.

So, instead of kicking him out of the Order, he ordered two months mandatory Mind-Healing for the ordeal on Tatooine and essentially grounded the boy to the temple, allowing for short trips once a week into Coruscant so he could see his new wife, who so far seemed to be good for him. At least, that was what the Force was telling him. Also, he knew better then to try and confine Anakin Skywalker to one place for such a long period of time, the Temple might not have remained standing at the end of the specified time period.

The Mind-Healers report was concerning.

The Healers found a dark haze twisted around Anakin's Force-Signature, it seemed that the nightmares about his mother were not natural Force-Visions at all, or regular nightmares. Anakin Skywalker's movements from the last several months were now being scrutinized to try and find out who he could have been in contact with that could have done that. Of course, Yoda knew that he didn't necessarily have to come in contact with the source for them to have influenced the Padawan. Yoda had sent a Jedi to Tatooine, to the Tusken camp Anakin had destroyed, and they found the same strains of darkness around the bodies left behind.

They'd worked to get rid of it, and then they worked with Anakin to sort out his feelings about the whole thing. According to the report, Anakin had regular sessions with them for the foreseeable future. He wasn't sure how those were going to work since he could not keep the boy away from the front lines of the war that had just started for much longer. Anakin was one of the Jedi's strongest and most skilled fighters. The battalion assigned to him had so far been running patrols of the Core Worlds while they waited, and they could not wait for much longer.

He would keep a close eye on Anakin's military career, knowing that the boy was targeted in such a manner by one who could only be the Sith the Jedi had been keeping watch for was disheartening, especially when one considered how powerful the boy was in the Force.

Now, he was watching Anakin finish his preparations for the Knighting Ceremony later that day.

The boy was ready, of that he had no doubt. But he wondered if they weren't pushing too hard, too fast, especially with everything that had happened recently. He was worried about the part the Jedi were about to play in this war, and wondered if this was the right path. Unfortunately, the Force's intervention with Anakin and Padme had been the clearest he'd heard It's Will in a long time.

"Master Yoda, you wanted to see me?" Obi-Wan asked, coming into the room. He glanced at the security footage in front of him and frowned. "Is this about Anakin?"

"Ready, is he? For the coming trials?" Yoda asked after a moment. "A Knight, he is. Skilled, he is. Good support, he will need." Yoda turned and fixed Obi-Wan with a stare.

"I know he's been going through some things recently." Obi-Wan said, wondering where the small Master was going with this. "I'll keep an eye on him." He promised. "As much as I can, having my own battalion and all." He sighed. The war had yet to truly kick off, truthfully, but it was starting to heat up already. He'd spent the last two months when he wasn't on Coruscant getting to know his new troops and letting them get to know him while running training drills with them. As well trained as they were, they wouldn't have ever fought alongside a Jedi before. Just like he'd never commanded armies before.

"Good." Yoda said simply.

"Shall we go?" Obi-Wan asked after a moment, noticing that Anakin was almost done with his preparations and another Master had just opened the door to lead him to the Knighting Chamber.

Obi-Wan would meet them halfway, while Yoda would join the rest of the Council there, where they were already waiting.

"Yes. Go, we shall." Yoda said finally.

---

"Master? You wanted to see me?" Anakin asked, coming to a stop beside Yoda from where he sat in the Temple Gardens, enjoying the solitude.

"Yes." Yoda motioned for Anakin to sit down beside him, waiting for him to do so before speaking again. "Concerns, you have. Nightmares, you are having again."

Anakin glanced at him, not sure where this was going. He couldn't know about him and Padme, could he? Not even Ahsoka and Obi-Wan knew about her, although he was sure they suspected. He knew Rex and the rest of the 501st certainly had their suspicions.

Fives certainly teased him about it often enough. Thinking about Fives, his mood darkened when he remembered what Fives had discovered. They'd barely been able to get the Arc to safety on the Resolute when the Guard had started chasing him. The 501st, 212th, and a few others had now been dechipped, but it was slow going because of the lack of hard evidence on Fives claims about Palpatine or who else might have been involved. The Council was working on it, though.

"Nightmares about Senator Amidala and your child, they are." Yoda said simply.

Anakin sucked in a breath. "Master-" He started.

"Angry, I am not. The Force approves, it does." Yoda admitted before the boy could try to defend himself. Who was he to go against the Will of the Force? "Remember, do you, after your mother died, the darkness we found?" He asked.

Anakin's expression darkened. "Yes. They weren't normal nightmares or natural Force-visions." He was still seeing a counselor about that whole thing. "You think these new nightmares are the same thing?" He asked, thinking.

"I do." Yoda revealed. "Sought medical attention, has she?" He asked, curious. With proper medical care, there was absolutely no reason for anything to go wrong, after all.

"She didn't say. I only just got back from- we haven't had a chance to really talk about it yet." Anakin's face most certainly did not turn bright red at admitting that to the Ancient Grand Master. The little time they had spent together since he returned to Coruscant a few days ago were spent celebrating the wonderful news. And when they weren't together, he was dealing with the aftermath of the Chancellor being kidnapped, rescued, and the attack on Coruscant itself.

"To the Halls of Healing, you will bring her." Yoda ordered. They would make sure nothing happened to the expecting mother and her child, if only because protecting innocents was part of their tenants as Jedi, and because he had a bad feeling about what would happen to Anakin should anything happen to them.

"Yes, Master." Anakin said, and stood up quickly, intent on finding Padme. Now that the small Jedi had said it, had Padme sought medical advice when she learned she was pregnant? Did she have a doctor watching the pregnancy? If his visions did come true, although given that there was now doubt about there source he didn't think they would, would it be because she had not found a doctor, or even a medical droid?

Yoda turned his thoughts to events of the past few months, mostly those surrounding the Jedi Knight that just left his presence. First his Padawan was suspected of bombing the temple. She adamantly said it was not her and Yoda, after much meditation, believed her, especially after seeing how rage-filled Anakin became that she was even a suspect. The memory of the attempt all those years ago to tempt him towards the dark had further served to stay his hand at turning her over to the Senate, despite how the Chancellor demanded it. She had not been allowed to leave the temple until the true culprit was caught, no matter how the other Masters questioned his decision to believe her.

Then everything with the Arc Trooper Fives and Clone Trooper Tup, members of Anakin's own 501st. The way Tup killed a Jedi, the things he said afterward, and the fact that he did not even remember any of it, were enough cause for concern that Anakin did not fight it when he was ordered to send the Clone to Kamino for evaluation. Something that he knew Anakin regretted when Fives told him about the Kaminoans putting the Clone down as though he were a stray Loth-cat. All the evidence Fives found and brought to Anakin's attention. Thankfully Anakin had been able to think things through clearly enough when the Chancellor ordered the soldier's death.

He shuddered to think how these events could have ended if not handled differently.

If he had turned Ahsoka over to the Senate, could Anakin have found the evidence of Padawan Barriss Offee's involvement in time to save her? Would he have been clear-headed enough to hear Arc Trooper Fives out, or would he have dismissed him out of hand? Would Ahsoka dying or leaving the order, would the death of one of his best men and a friend have driven Anakin further to the Dark Side? Would the death of his mother had they not forced him to seek Healing? If something happened to Padme, what would happen to Anakin? If the Force had not brought the Knight's marriage to his attention, would he have sought Obi-Wan out and learned of the events on Tatooine?

He sighed and got up to meet them at the Healing Halls, deciding that there was no point to asking 'what if' to all these. The Force would provide him with a vision of those possible events if it wished to torment him with the things that could have been.

---

"Senator." Anakin greeted with a smile, entering Padme's office in the senate building. "Do you have a moment?" Just because Yoda knew, and it seemed like their secrecy wasn't going to last much longer anyway, didn't mean he wanted to broadcast it right now. Senator's were a bunch of gossips, the news would be all over the galaxy if any of them knew, and they were both prominent enough figures in the Republic that it would be dangerous for the news to spread. Padme had enough attempts on her life without people knowing she was married to the Hero without Fear.

"Of course. What can I do for you, General?" She asked, surprised and pleased to see her.

He stepped in and closed the door. "Yoda knows." He said simply.

"What?" She asked, surprised. "He- about us? How could he- what about the rest of the Council?" She was a little afraid. Oh, she knew that Anakin was in no physical danger from the Council, but he was a Jedi. It was his life, he'd worked hard to get where he was now, she didn't want to see his Jedi career end in disgrace. She didn't want to see him getting kicked out like that.

"I don't know if the rest of the Council knows, or not." Anakin admitted. He hadn't thought to ask. "He brought up the nightmares I'd been having. You remember what I said about the nightmares when my mother died?" He asked.

"Yes. They weren't normal, they were sent to you through the Force- uh, through the Dark Side." She still wasn't sure how the Force worked, no matter how many times Anakin or even Ahsoka tried to explain it to her. Ahsoka had even admitted to not really understanding it entirely. Apparently some of the oldest and wisest Master's they had failed to completely understand it sometimes.

"Well, I think Obi-Wan said something about the new ones, the ones about you."

"He thinks these are the same as the ones about your mother." She nodded, something in her relaxing.

"Yes. He also asked if you'd seen a doctor. Have you?" He asked, concerned.

"Oh, no I haven't. Not since I found out." Padme admitted, biting her lip.

"Well, Yoda wants me to bring you to the Healing Halls." Anakin didn't want to say anything, but he was a little angry with her for not having a doctor. That was his child, too! This wasn't something to be reckless over! He didn't say anything, though.

Yet.

"Now?" She asked, already standing up in trepidation. Even if the Council didn't already know, they would now. Apparently word of interesting events traveled through the Temple just as quickly as it did the Senate Building.

"Yes, if that's alright."

"It's fine." She paused before opening the door. "Anakin, I should have gotten a doctor before now. I know that, I'm sorry." He didn't have to say anything, she could see his anger in the way his shoulders were set, in the way he said 'yes'. She was only apologizing because she knew what family meant to him, and how much he hated it when she did something reckless, especially when he wasn't there to back her up. Just like she hated it when she heard about his own reckless stunts.

He sighed and the anger drained out of him. Offering her a small smile, he kissed her temple before opening the door and following her out.

---

"Senator, good to see you again, it is." Yoda greeted her at the entrance to the Halls.

She greeted him, happy to see him, too. She could feel the curious gaze of all the Jedi in the area, just like their curious gazes had followed her from the Temple hanger bay. It wasn't often they had visitors in the Temple, after all. The Jedi were very strict with letting outsiders in, she didn't think Palpatine had ever seen the inside of the Temple, even. Yoda and the Masters always met him in the Chancellor's office.

"Come. Already alerted, Master Che is." Yoda turned and waved for them to follow him. He was expecting Mace to show up soon, wondering why a Senator was here, and so had already set a Council meeting to discuss this new development, if the check-up wasn't completed by then, they could wait.

"Senator. I hear congratulations are in order." Vokara Che greeted Padme, glancing at Anakin curiously. Yoda had already confided that he was the father, she wondered if there was more to the relationship, though.

"Thank you." Padme smiled.

"Up on the table here, if you please." Che didn't waste time, and turned to finish gathering what she would need. "Now, do you wish for Master Yoda and Knight Skywalker to step out?"

"Wait outside, I will." Yoda decided, and went outside the little exam room before Padme could say anything.

"Anakin can stay." Padme said after a moment, and her husband moved closer in support.

"Very well." Che started on her exam, asking the occasional question while she did, mostly about Padme's activity levels and diet to try and get a picture about how the young mother was handling the pregnancy so far.

Padme answered everything as honestly as possible, even though she could see how upset Anakin was when she mentioned her morning sickness. She knew that Anakin was more upset that he hadn't been there for her, though.

"Alright, all done. Do you mind if I let Master Yoda back in?" Che finally asked, smiling slightly. She was sure she had her answer on how deep their relationship ran. She didn't say anything, though. That wasn't her job as a Healer, that was Master Yoda's as Grandmaster.

"Not at all."

"Very well. Master, we're done." She poked her head out the door. "And you, Skywalker, will stay here afterward while I see the extent of these nightmares." She instructed, concerned that these might be the same thing as the ones a few years ago. If that was the case, then somebody really wanted him to Fall.

Anakin winced, but nodded his agreement when he caught the look on her face.

"Healthy, the baby is?" Yoda asked after a moment, amused at how easily she was able to cow the most stubborn of Knights.

"The babies are very healthy. As is their mother." Che said simply, focusing on her datapad.

"Wait. Did you just say- Babies. As in-" Anakin stopped her from continuing her report while Padme gaped.

"Yes. Twins. Congratulations." She smiled slightly before continuing. "As far as I can tell at this stage in their development, they are going to be very powerful in the Force, just like their father. They are developing normally, and at this stage I do not foresee any complications. That being said, Senator, I would recommend eating more red meats and fruits, your blood iron levels are a little low for my liking. And get some more rest. Being a Senator is stressful enough when you are not pregnant, let alone with twins. You are eating and sleeping for three now, your diet and sleep levels need to reflect that." She warned the Senator.

"I was thinking of taking a leave soon. Anakin and I have yet to talk about if we're going to have them here, or if I am going to go back to Naboo." Padme admitted. Personally, she wanted to go back to Naboo. Her family was there, so she would at least have their help while Anakin was on the frontlines. Now that Master Yoda knew about them, maybe Anakin could be granted a leave as well, if he wasn't just outright kicked out the Order. She wasn't going to just go without speaking with the father, though.

"Your family is all on Naboo, they could help." Anakin said quietly, already thinking that through. "It is a peaceful planet, perfect to raise children. Maybe in the lake country." He suggested, already liking the idea. She smiled.

Yoda hid his smile at seeing them together.

"The sunshine and fresh air on Naboo wouldn't hurt, either." Che muttered. Coruscant air was all recycled through carbon scrubbers, it wasn't very fresh.

"You didn't happen to look at their genders, did you?" Padme asked after a moment, almost tentative. She glanced at Anakin, not knowing if he would prefer to be surprised or not, but saw that he was just as eager for the answer.

"A boy and a girl."

Anakin's arm snaked around her waist, his hand settling on the bump the babies made as he beamed at her.

"Master Yoda, what now?" Anakin finally asked, almost dreading the answer. Was he about to be kicked out? Forbidden from seeing his wife and children? No, not even the Jedi Council could be so cruel as to do that, right?

"The Council, I will speak with. Congratulations, on the children, you two." Yoda finally said after a moment, and left for the Council chambers.

---

"Master Yoda, has something happened?" Obi-Wan asked when Yoda finally arrived, a full hour late for the meeting he'd set. They'd used the time speculating what the old troll could want to talk about, and then they strategized a little bit for the war. They had just started talking about the upcoming class of younglings set to gather their Crystals and make their lightsabers.

It was Obi-Wan's turn to accompany them this time. Hopefully it would go smoother then the last group, accompanied by Yoda and Ahsoka. He had no desire to deal with Hondo again.

"Much to discuss, we have." Yoda sighed, and settled into his chair. "Senator Amidala, pregnant she is. Knight Anakin Skywalker, the father is." He revealed bluntly.

Obi-Wan fell into his seat. "Oh, boy." He'd long suspected that those two were in a relationship, but he hadn't said anything. His relationship was not negatively affecting his job as a Jedi that he could tell, it wasn't distracting him from the battlefield, and he suspected that Padme was one of the few things keeping Anakin sane through this war.

"What?" Mace demanded. "He's in a relationship?"

"Married, he is." Yoda revealed. "The wedding, in a Force-Vision, I saw. Approved, the Force did."

"The Jedi Code is clear, no attachments. He is going to have to-" Fisto started, before Yoda stopped him.

"Approved, the Force did." He repeated. "To go against the Will of the Force, who are we?" Nobody had anything to say about that.

"And the war was just starting, we needed him too much." Obi-Wan sighed.

"You knew about this?" Mace demanded, glaring.

"Suspected." Obi-Wan corrected. Although even he hadn't expected just how close the two of them were, he thought they were just sleeping together, maybe dating. He hadn't expected them to be married.

"Then how do you know how long they've been married for?"

"Because I've suspected something since they showed up together on Geonosis to rescue me, at the beginning of the war." Obi-Wan said simply, barely resisting from rolling his eyes.

"The Force-Vision, received a week after Geonosis, I did." Yoda confirmed. He'd been able to confirm their marriage two weeks later, with the holo-vid to prove it.

"What did Master Che say?" Luminara finally asked, curious. The entire temple knew by now that the Naboo senator had been escorted to the Healing Halls to be personally seen by the Healing Master.

"Twins, boy and a girl. Both healthy, they are. Strong in the force, already they are." Yoda said gravely. "Another attempt, there was, to make Skywalker Fall."

"WHAT?" The Councilors burst out, momentarily forgetting about their Knight's grievous disobedience to the Code. All of them already knew about the nightmares when his mother died. They'd been watching him closely since then.

"He's been having nightmares again, he didn't say who exactly, just that it was of somebody close to him dying." Obi-Wan said. "I think, now, that they might have been about Padme."

Yoda nodded, that was his thought as well.

"Which means that we might not be the only ones who know."

"Let's back up a minute." Mace demanded. "The Code is clear. We cannot just let this go unpunished, whether the Force approves of their relationship or not."

"I have always hated that part of the Code." Obi-Wan said simply. "Surely it would be better to teach our Younglings how to foster healthy relationships, then to spurn them all together?" He mused.

"If the Force really approves, then it really isn't our place to object." Plo Koon added. "I am more concerned with the interest in young Skywalker from who can only be a Sith."

"He is very powerful, he would make a strong Sith apprentice." Luminara said, pensive. "If something were to make him Fall..."

"This war certainly isn't helping any." Obi-Wan muttered. "And it has been a... rough few months for him."

"Ahsoka. The Arc Trooper Fives and Trooper Tup. The mission in the Zygerrian Empire dealing with those slavers. Umbara." Plo Koon nodded his agreement. And those were the big ones, who knew what little things had been happening.

"That mission certainly didn't help." Obi-Wan sighed. "He's been angrier since that... I doubt it brought up any good memories." The Council all knew about where Qui-Gon had found the young Skywalker, somehow they doubted that his young age would have spared him from all the horrors of slavery. Frankly, Anakin telling them that Watto had been one of the better masters had not helped.

Mace quietly seethed for a few moments before forcefully shoving his emotions out into the Force, taking a deep breath.

"If anything were to happen to his wife and children, that might be the final straw that broke the bantha's back." He said. Yoda had already proclaimed that there would be no punishment, and to be honest, he could see that the Senator had perhaps been good for the Skywalker during the course of this war, especially when he thought back to some of the missions he had been in charge of leading.

"How did he even end up on that slaver mission? We all know his history." A mission like that would have been the last one a former slave should have been sent on, she doubted it had been any easier for Captain Rex, given the Clones' situation.

"I never even knew about it until it was all over." Mace admitted. They were keeping a close eye on the missions and campaigns Anakin was assigned, since he'd already been compromised once (and now twice), but that one had completely slipped through the net. Anakin had been ordered back to the temple for two weeks after it to see his Councilor in person and, he now suspected, to spend time with his wife. He glanced at Master Yoda in askance, knowing how crafty the old Jedi could be.

"So he is not going to be punished for breaking the Code." Fisto said simply, not sure how he felt about that.

"No." Yoda said firmly. "A change, perhaps we need. A chance, this is." Talking about the part of the Code that forbade attachment, which usually included relationships. Over the last several years, he had started to agree with Obi-Wan about that. He'd also started thinking about Dooku's demands that the Order change, grow, evolve. Do something to get out of the stagnant slump they'd fallen into.

"He is also too powerful for us to risk him Falling. If we were to remove him from the Order, that would leave the door open for the Sith to exploit. They have already tried to make him Fall."

"We are going to need to protect Padme, at any rate. If the Sith does know about her and Anakin, she can be used against him. She already has, if the latest nightmares are really about her." Obi-Wan said. "And that's without taking into account that if their relationship becomes public, that opens a door for others to try and use them against each other. They are both prominent figures in this war, the Separatists would love to bring them down, especially Anakin since his unorthodox methods have done so much damage to them."

"Go to Naboo, Senator Amidala spoke of. Take a leave from the Senate, she might." Yoda supplied.

"Well, she would certainly be safe there. Between the Gungans and her status as the former Queen." The Gungans ended up being rather protective of the young queen that stifled her Nubian pride and came to them for help and forged peace between their people, even going so far as to give them a voice in the Galactic Senate. And, of course, the people absolutely loved her, even before she freed them from the Trade Federation occupation, especially when tales spread of her leading the charge instead of stepping back and staying safely away from the battle.

"We'll see what they decide for sure." Obi-Wan sighed. "She also has family back on Naboo, so she at least wouldn't be alone while Anakin's on the front lines or away on Jedi business." He had a feeling that as long as Padme was on Naboo, Anakin would be there, too, instead of the Temple.

"We can work that out later, once the children are born." Plo Koon shook his head.

"Oh, good, you're all still here." Vokara Che came into the Council room, unannounced and unremorsefully.

"Finished examining Skywalker, have you?" Yoda asked, not surprised by her abrupt entrance.

"Yes. It's the same Force Signature as the one responsible for the nightmares of his mother. Bringing the Senator in was a good call, the newest nightmares were of her dying in childbirth. I will of course continue acting as her private healer during this time." The Healer handed over the datapad with her findings on it.

"Even if they decide to go to Naboo?"

"It would not be much to take regular trips to Naboo if needed." She knew just as well as they did how easy it would be for Skywalker to Fall. His Councilor had expressed concerns in her reports the longer the war dragged on, and now this outright attempt to make him Fall? She was going to make sure nothing happened to his wife and children if it was the last thing she did.

---

"There you are." Anakin said, leaning against the doorway to Ahsoka's room on the Resolute. They'd been in orbit for a few days now, ever since the attack on the Capital Planet. He hadn't really been surprised when she elected to stay on the ship instead of going back to the Temple with him. She'd said she wanted to oversee repairs and keep Echo company, although how she expected him to be lonely was beyond him, Fives had barely left his batchmates side since the other Clone had been rescued. Rex had been spending most of his free time with him, as well.

"Hi, Master." She greeted. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I just need to talk to you about something." He looked a little uncomfortable. She tilted her head, curious, but didn't say anything. "I'm sure you've noticed that Padme and I are... close."

Ahsoka snorted. "I think the entire Battalion knows you two are close." She said wryly.

He let a small smile slip out. "Well, we're married." She blinked in shock. She'd known there was something between them, but she'd never expected that. "We have been since a few weeks after the first Battle of Geonosis."

"Oh, that explains a lot." Ahsoka commented. He snorted.

"Yeah, well... she's pregnant." He could not keep it to himself anymore, he was so excited. He was going to be a father!

"Wha- Oh my, that's amazing, Master! Congratulations!" She exclaimed, surprised and happy for him, even going so far as to jump him with a giant hug.

He chuckled. "Thanks, Snips." He said, returning her hug.

"Do you know gender yet? How is the Senator doing?" She asked rapidly. She loved hanging out in the creche and helping the creche masters take care of the babies and toddlers. They were just so cute! Suddenly her face fell. "Does the Council know yet, are you going to tell them?" They were probably going to kick him out of the Order, which she didn't want to happen.

"I do know gender, a boy and a girl. Twins. Padme is fine, Master Che looked her over earlier. And Master Yoda already knew. I don't know how, or how long he's known, but..." He shrugged helplessly. "I haven't heard yet what they decided to do with me." He said quietly.

"They can't kick you out! They just can't! You're one of the strongest Knights they have, and one of the most successful Generals in this war!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

"I don't know what they're going to do yet. Yoda said something about the Force approving of my relationship with Padme, though, so maybe that will count for something." Anakin shrugged. "To be honest, though... I'm not really too bothered about it either way. I mean, if they kick me out, I'll get to be there more for Padme. I think I will stay in the GAR, though, at least until this war is over, but as a regular officer instead of a Jedi General. I'm not going to just leave the 501st hanging, or you if I can help it. I did work hard to be here, though."

"Master..." She said quietly, a little stunned by his admission.

"Either way, though, my kids will need to know their aunt." He gave her a small smile. "They'll have plenty of uncles, they'll need an Aunt to balance it out, especially my daughter." He teased her slightly and gently tugged on her Padawan beads.

Her orange skin flushed slightly. "Thanks, Master." A little niece and nephew, huh? She didn't know how she was supposed to be an aunt to them, but she supposed it shouldn't be too different then helping in the creche or the younglings with their lessons.

"I'm going to go speak with Rex, then I have to return to the Temple. I was only allowed out for so long... Master Che doesn't want to risk anything right now." He caught her concerned look. "I'll explain later." He promised, suddenly realizing that he'd never told her about the nightmares regarding his mother's death or what he'd done on Tatooine. She only knew that his mother died, he'd been there, and he had mandatory appointments with one of the Jedi Mind-Healers, barring times when they crash-landed and were therefore out of contact, of course.

"Alright. I'll stay here and keep an eye on everything." She shrugged. She should actually get back to the bridge, Yularen had kicked her off it and told her not to come back for at least six hours, it had now been seven. There was just so much to do right now, the ship had taken heavy damage and they were still salvaging the wreckage of other ships for survivors in either escape pods or sealed areas.

"Thanks, Snips." He grinned. He would rather be up here to take care of it himself, not that he didn't trust Ahsoka to handle it, but he felt like he was shirking his duties by being planet-side instead of here with his men. With that, he went to find Rex, he knew that Rex would spread the word from there. He had to get back to the Temple, though.

---

"While congratulations are in order, I will be sad to see you go, even for a short time." Queen Apailana said with a small smile, happy for her predecessor and current Senator.

"I will return when my children are older, if you will have me back. But for now I need to take a step back." Padme said after nodding in thanks for the congratulations. The Queen would understand, after all it was technically doctor's orders that she rest more, and being a Senator was not restful.

"Understandable." Apailana sighed. "Are you returning to Naboo for the rest of your pregnancy or staying on Coruscant?" She would need to make the security arrangements, after all, for one of Naboo's most beloved Queens. She would be vulnerable in the coming months, and her children must be protected.

"Um, so far I think the plan is to return to Naboo, but nothing has been decided for certain yet." The council had yet to leave their Chamber or summon either herself or Anakin to pass down judgment. The longer they were silent, the more worried she became, no matter how calm she tried to stay.

"Very well, let me know what the final decision is. I will choose a temporary replacement for you in the meantime. They should be there within the week, that gives you three weeks to get them caught up on what you have been doing and introduce them to our allies." The Queen instructed.

"Understood. I will let you know where I plan to stay." Padme promised, and waited until the Queen cut the transmission before disconnecting the long-range communicator and turning to her current Jedi escort with a smile.

While Master Che had allowed her to walk around while she waited for Anakin to return from speaking with Ahsoka and for the Council to finish deliberating, she could not go anywhere without an escort. Once again, she was reminded of how strict security was at the Jedi Temple, and part of her wondered why that was the case, and when exactly it started. It was this way long before the incident with the Holocron being stolen, she knew that much.

"I've heard a lot about the Temple Gardens, could we go there?" She asked, curious.

"Of course, Senator. I think you will like it there." The Togruta Jedi returned her small smile and turned to lead the way.

While they walked, Padme took the chance to know how she felt the war was going, and how the Jedi were faring on the front lines. She already knew most of it from Anakin's point of view, but she wanted another Jedi's opinion.

---

"Masters, you wanted to see us?" Anakin nervously stepped into the Council Chamber, Padme stepping in beside him, looking around curiously for a moment.

"Yes." Mace answered, watching the couple with an unreadable look. A few others were equally unreadable, while Obi-Wan smiled warmly and the rest were curious about them. "First, you broke the Code. Do you know what I would like to do with you because of that?"

Anakin swallowed and licked his lips before he stifled any outward reactions. "Throw me out of the Order." He said, somewhat dully. Despite what he'd said to Ahsoka, he didn't actually want to be kicked out. Padme's hand found his and she squeezed lightly to remind him that she was there.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, it seems the Force has other ideas. And as Master Yoda said, who are we to go against the Will of the Force when It speaks so blatantly." Anakin visibly relaxed at that, knowing he wasn't about to be kicked out and his lightsaber taken.

"Second, this is the second time you have been targeted by the Sith, both times using your attachment to others." This was why he was so adamant that attachments were dangerous, despite Yoda's seeming second thoughts on the matter.

The anger flashed across Anakin's face before disappearing. He sensed Padme's agitation towards that and squeezed her hand tighter. As much as he would love to let Senator Padme Amidala give the Masters a piece of her mind right now, this wasn't the time.

"I do not see how loving my mother or my wife is a bad thing, Master." He said stiffly. She was his mother, she was all he'd ever had. There was nothing more important to a slave then their family, or at least what little they had left. He and his mother had been lucky, they weren't separated when he was old enough to be put to work. They knew exactly how lucky they were, and that made them cling to each other all the more. It was partially for this reason that his councilor was so annoyed that he had just started coming to see her three years ago, instead of when he first joined the Order.

Family was everything to a slave.

"Master Windu, perhaps this can be debated another time." Plo Koon cut in, not wanting to get into this argument. He turned to Anakin and Padme. "Your relationship will continue to be a secret to the wider galaxy, especially during the war. If you wish to tell close friends, that is up to you, as long as you continue being discreet and their silence is ensured. Have you decided, Senator, where you will have the children?"

"Naboo." She said. She and Anakin had talked about it on the way to the Chamber. "I've already informed the Queen that I will be taking a leave of absence from the Senate, she's making arrangements for my replacement." Che nodded in approval. "I leave for Naboo in six weeks." Four weeks to settle things in the Senate and get her replacement up to date with what was happening, and two more to prepare for the trip. "I can inform the Senate without telling them who the father is."

"General Skywalker, you will continue to serve in the 501st as you have been, unfortunately until this war is over we cannot afford to give you more time with your wife then you have already been able to have." Luminara instructed. Both Padme and Anakin expected that, but they also knew that they would have even less time with her on Naboo. "Once the war is over, we will return to the discussion if needed."

"The subject of your children's education and training in the Force will also be discussed when the time comes. Master Yoda seems to think that this might be the change the Jedi Order needs to begin moving forward and growing. You and your family will be our test run of how this can work." Mace declared. If they were going to change the Code, then they were going to see how it could work, first.

The couple glanced at each other. "Yes Master, I understand."

---

"Now back to searching for evidence of Palpatine being the Sith." Obi-Wan sighed after the two of them left.

"I still think we should just-"

"That will not end well. Not with those chips in the Clones' heads." Obi-Wan reminded Mace. "Especially when we still don't know who else knows about them, or if anybody else can activate them or not."

"Without solid evidence, the Senate can declare us as traitors, or at least his supporters. He has many." Plo Koon added. "With the way the Clones are viewed, nobody will pay any attention to Arc Trooper Fives testimony, either." It wasn't until after the chips were discovered, and Anakin had a minor breakdown over how similar they were to slave chips, that the Jedi truly thought about it, and afterward they were kicking themselves for not realizing.

It was slow going, but they were getting all the battalions under their command dechipped, while trying to figure out what to do with those battalions that were not under a Jedi's command. It was also allowing them to do a general clean up of the Order, especially after what happened on Umbara with Pong Krell. The Clones were very resourceful at getting messages out discreetly, and they were very good at keeping secrets from their commanders. If one of the Clones came back with a message of abuse from one of their Jedi, the Council would discreetly remove that Jedi from the battalion, investigate, and if necessary dissolve the battalion into others. Thankfully Krell was the only one so far.

The incidents with both Krell and Barriss, and the things they had both said, had severely shaken the Council and they were now trying to restructure their deployment schedules to let their Jedi have more time in the Temple where they could relax, where they could 'recharge', so to speak, and where they could be evaluated by the Mind-Healers. Unfortunately, they had taken heavy losses in the last few years and they were spread thin as it was without taking more Jedi off the battlefield.

"Fives can't come back to Coruscant, the Guard is still searching for him with orders to kill."

"The way they behaved makes me think their chips were activated." Shakk Ti said solemnly, her holo-recording flickering slightly. She was still on Kamino, working with a few trusted Clones to get information off the Kaminoans computers. Unfortunately, they'd been able to confirm that she was being watched. Fortunately, most of the time it was Clones being ordered to report on her activities, and none of the Clones liked the Kaminoans. It was the times when it wasn't a Clone assigned to spying on her that made it difficult for her to get around. They didn't know how much the Kaminoans were aware of, but the way Tup was handled made them think that the Kaminoans were in on it.

Even on Kamino, she was still up-to-date on everything that was happening.

"I think they were, too." Luminara said. "I managed to check their weapons, none of the Guards weapons were set to stun. They were shooting to kill." Which had horrified her captain when he realized the same thing. The thought of a brother killing another... None of her battalion were happy about that.

"Are the Guard not taking up more and more of the policing work on Coruscant?"

"Yes. Master Ti, have you found anything yet that we can bring before the Senate or arrest the Chancellor ourselves?" It might be best if they moved to arrest him before taking everything to the Senate, the Chancellor controlled the senate, after all.

"I have men going through data right now. The computer codes Echo sent me have helped. Thank him again for me, Obi-Wan?" She requested. She knew what it must have cost the clone to send those codes, having heard of what happened to him.

"I will."

"What if we send Skywalker?"

"What?"

"Do you want him to Fall?"

"If Palpatine thinks his manipulations are working, then he will say something, a final push to send Skywalker over the edge. He's using the Senator, so he will probably promise a way to save her. We've already taken care of that by ensuring nothing will happen and making it known to Skywalker that his nightmares aren't real."

"... It would be incontrovertible proof, from his own mouth."

"It's too risky! Anakin has been struggling enough lately as it is without sending him into the Krayt Dragons den." Obi-Wan exclaimed. "Palpatine has been a mentor to Anakin for years, they have a rapport, even knowing the truth will not change the fact that Anakin has trusted him for so long, especially with how manipulative he's been." They'd been doing some digging through the records and were able to build a time-line of events that must have been manipulated by Palpatine or his Master.

"We may have to. I got a request earlier, more like a thinly veiled order, for Anakin Skywalker to be on the Council as a liaison to the Senate." Mace sighed.

"What?"

"But he wouldn't have been appointed by us, he wouldn't be granted the title of Master even if he's on the Council, it will be a farce position." Obi-Wan blinked, trying to figure this all out.

"I informed the Chancellor that he had no authority to appoint somebody to the Jedi Council, he was rather insistent about it, though."

"He's putting Anakin in a position to spy on us for him. Then when it appears that we do not trust Anakin, that would push him closer to the Chancellor, who he does trust."

"We have to figure something out that does not put Anakin at further risk." Obi-Wan insisted.

In the end, it was decided that they would accept Anakin onto the Council, provisionally. But they were going to be careful about it.

---

Anakin sat, listening to the Chancellor go on while the Opera played in the background. At first, he was elated that they'd found Grievous, as it was a chance to take care of one of the Separatists' most successful and brutal generals (and a thorn in every Jedi's side), but then his thoughts turned to wondering why the Chancellor was giving him up like this.

And then he said that Anakin himself would be the best choice to get the assignment. As much as part of him preened at the praise, he had to forcefully remind himself that Palpatine might be the Sith they were looking for, and therefore none of his words could be trusted. Either way, he would speak with Padme and Obi-Wan about it before taking it to the Council. His words about betrayal from the Council made him swallow, but he went along with the conversation.

Not all of it was even fake. There had been times where his trust in them was shaken, but how they handled finding out about him and Padme had helped soothe some of his fears.

And then he started talking about Darth Plagueis. And told the tale of Plagueis keeping people alive.

He knew then, he knew that Palpatine was the one to send him those nightmares.

After a few more moments of conversation, he was dismissed, and he went straight to his and Padme's (officially only Padme's) apartment. He didn't want her to be alone right now.

"Anakin, I wasn't expecting you back yet." Padme smiled when he came in, setting down her datapad when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?" Didn't he just come from a meeting with the Chancellor?

"I don't know yet. I need to talk to the Council... I don't want to leave you alone, though." He admitted.

"I'm not alone, I have-" She started to say 3PO and her guards around the entrances, but he cut her off.

"I know, I know. But... just a bad feeling, I guess. I'm probably being paranoid, but-" He cut himself off and roughly shoved a hand through his hair. His first instinct was to make her come, anyway, but his counselor had been talking to him about that, admittedly without knowing just what the problem was. Maybe. He could never always tell with her.

She looked at him. "Why don't I come with you to the Temple, then. I can wait in the gardens." She suggested. He visibly relaxed at the suggestion.

---

"He said that?" Mace asked. "He said that Darth Plagueis had the knowledge to keep people from dying."

"And that he passed it on to his apprentice, who ironically enough killed him in his sleep." Anakin confirmed, then he frowned. "He also said something about Plagueis being able to manipulate a person's Midi-Chlorians, enough to create life. I just- my mother- the one time I asked her about who my father was said that there never was one. Now, she was a slave woman, in the Hutt Empire, and she was rather beautiful, so it might just be something she didn't want to talk about. But-"

"What if Plagueis is the reason for your birth."

"Know that, we may not." Yoda said simply after a moment. "On the here and now, we must focus."

"Of course, Master." Anakin said quickly, pushing it out of his mind. He supposed that it wasn't actually important in the long run.

"For him to have such knowledge of the Sith, that might be as good of a confession as we are going to get." Obi-Wan sighed.

"He also all but accused you of treason. And flat out said that I could not trust you." Anakin said bluntly. "After he told me where Grievous was and said that I would be the best one for the mission, that he would be shocked if I were not chosen to go."

"Sowing seeds of doubt and mistrust. Whatever his endgame is, it's soon." Plo-Koon said gravely.

"Obi-Wan. Go to Utapau, you will. Find Grievous, and end his threat, you will. To Kashyyyk, I will go, aid our Wookie allies, I will." Yoda announced suddenly. "Skywalker, stay with your wife, you will. Guard the Temple, you will. Guard the Younglings, you must." He looked at Anakin gravely, and all the Masters shivered at the dark tone to his voice.

Anakin swallowed at the task he'd just been given. "Yes, Master." He bowed at the acknowledgement of his orders, and the trust shown in them, before biting his lip as he got an idea. "What if I take some of the younger ones to the Resolute? I can smuggle them off planet easily enough, my men will be happy to watch over them, and they are all dechipped so if an Order does come through, they'll be able to ignore it. Nobody will suspect them of being there." He suggested.

He didn't think he would be able to take them all up, though. Repairs were still ongoing, and it was a military vessel, not a daycare. But the youngest ones were the most vulnerable.

"I can show the older ones some secret routes I've found in the Old Temple, in the lower levels. I know of a room they can hide in if need be." The older ones would be easier to move quickly, and they could defend themselves as they ran. It would be harder for them to do that if they had to carry or defend babies and toddlers.

"Know these routes, how do you?" Yoda asked with a raised eyebrow.

Anakin turned red. "I may have used them to sneak out to see Padme." He muttered, to some of the Masters amusement or disapproval. "The one I mostly used comes out near an abandoned warehouse at the edge of Industrial District AB-5. I kept a speeder stashed there, I could discreetly post a few of my scouts near that area, if they start seeing younglings or Padawans start showing up, they can lead them to safety." That was if the escape room was found and overrun with Clones under the chips control. Or if the fighting was over and the Masters and Knights lost.

Yoda hummed while the rest of the Master's glanced at each other. Their first instinct was to say that the Younglings would be perfectly safe in their own Temple, but if the Clones chips were activated and they did start to march on the temple, the Knights and Masters that were still here would only be able to hold them off for so long. There were just so many Clones.

"We should move the Holocrons and the contents of the vault, and make digital copies of our Archives and the library." Mace said solemnly. "The last thing we need is another incident like where Cad Bane got hold of the Holocron containing the location of future Jedi younglings." If the Sith got hold of that again, countless children would be in danger.

"Indeed." Yoda agreed.

"I'll go tell Jocasta." A Master said, and left to get the process started.

"Moved to the Resolute with the Younglings, they will be." Yoda decided. The 501st was one of the most skilled, efficient, and (possibly) loyal battalions, beside the 212th. And they were readily available. Unfortunately the 212th was going to Utapau, which meant they could not ask them to guard the temple treasures.

"Wouldn't it be safer to split them up? Have the records and such on one ship, and the younglings on another?"

"My 104th is still in orbit, we are not scheduled to depart for another week." Plo Koon suggested.

Yoda frowned, but nodded in agreement. He'd forgotten that the 104th was still here, and would be for a while yet.

He was getting too old for all this.

"If the worse does happen, where do we send the Younglings and Padawans? And where do we hide the Holocrons." They couldn't keep the younglings on the Resolute forever. And there were still the older ones to think about.

"I can ask Padme if Naboo could house most of them." Anakin said slowly. "She's in the gardens, I can call her up here."

"I will send somebody to get her." Obi-Wan said instead. "Which garden is she in?"

"The Fountain Gardens." Obi-Wan quickly made his call.

"Naboo is his home planet. Surely he would notice if a large crowd of younglings showed up."

"Not if we spread them out among the populace. Or put them in the Gungan cities. They have brought several of them to the surface, but I know that they still keep the majority of their cities hidden underwater." Anakin said. Jar-Jar had mentioned it once.

"Hello, Masters." Padme greeted, coming into the room. She was quickly informed of what they had been discussing. "Naboo would be more then happy to house the children, for however long we need to." She said with a small smile. "I can talk to Mon or Bail, too, they might be willing to take some of the children in, as well. That way they are not all in one location if it's discovered what we did." Anakin grinned proudly and turned to see what the Masters thought.

"Agreed." Yoda simply said, relieved that the Younglings at least would be safe if the worse were to come.

"We can ask them at dinner tonight when we tell them about us." Anakin said quietly. Padme had called her two closest friends and allies almost as soon as they returned from the Council Chambers and set it up. She'd been wanting to tell them about her and Anakin for a long time, it was only her worry about word getting back to the Jedi and Anakin being removed from the Order that kept her quiet, although she was fairly certain that both of the Senators suspected she was seeing someone.

"Begin preparations, we will." Yoda said and dismissed the married couple to speak with their friends, and for Anakin to call Rex and Ahsoka. He reflected on how good it was right now that they so rarely allowed visitors in the Temple, and even their non-Jedi employees were rarely, if ever, allowed near the creches or youngling dorms. Nobody would even notice that the children were gone.

---

"Master Skywalker, where are we going?" An older youngling asked. Glancing back, Anakin almost smiled. He was showing the older younglings, who were almost old enough to be taken as Padawans, his routes for getting out of the Temple, and the room he'd chosen for them to hide in until they could either return to the upper levels of the Temple, or had to flee. He'd even had them pack bags full of food, and one of the younglings who was set to Apprentice with one of the Temple Healers had another bag full of first-aid kits and other medical supplies.

They'd been confused when he had them pack those supplies, but did as they were told.

The packed bags would be stashed in the escape room, and over the next day he and several of these same younglings or Padawans would make this trip several more times until he was satisfied that there were enough supplies to last the younglings for at least a standard week if need be.

"Just remember the routes we are taking, I will explain when we get there." He promised, and made sure to show them a few landmarks within the twisting hallways of the Old Temple.

"I didn't even know all this was down here. The Force feels so..." A Twi'lek girl stated, looking around in awe.

"I know. The Temple grew upwards with the rest of the planet-city over the centuries. These halls were slowly abandoned as everyone moved to the upper levels. We still have a small cleaning and maintenance crew responsible for ensuring structural stability down here, but hardly anybody ever comes down here anymore. Nobody really remembers that it's here. There is some pretty cool stuff to be found down here, though. There is a lot of history in these halls."

"I'll say." A boy muttered, looking around. He peeked into a doorway. "Whoa."

"What?" Some of the younger ones asked, and piled in around him to see what he found. The room was truly magnificent. Faded and crumbling tapestries hung on the walls, and large statues (probably of past Jedi Masters) stood by the walls like giant sentries. The floor was inlaid with a mosaic featuring some time-distant battle. What little was still visible on the tapestries showed similar scenes.

Possibly, it was hard to tell with how faded they were.

"Master Skywalker, do you know what this room used to be for?" One of them asked.

Anakin hummed and looked around. "I think this might have been a training room of some kind." He said, eyeing the stands in one corner that looked as if they might have held weapons. He vaguely remembered reading that Jedi of old learned how to use multiple weapons, not just relying on their lightsabers.

"Wow. We should explore down here more often." One youngling said to the rest of the group.

Anakin chuckled. "As long as you do so in pairs, bring a map, a communicator and locator beacon, and supplies in case you get lost." He stipulated. He had no problem letting them explore otherwise. And he was sure that there was a map of these halls somewhere in the archives. It was probably buried, though, simply from how long it had been.

"Yes, Master." The younglings chorused, making him shake his head and continue leading them through the halls.

"Here we are." He finally said, setting his packs down in the middle of the room and motioning for the younglings to do the same. From there, he started emptying them while he spoke. "Take these, and put them away. The bins are over there, it should be obvious where things go. The bed rolls can go on the shelves, along with the lights. You can find a space for the medical supplies, wherever you think would be best to store them." He told the future Healer. She nodded and took her pack over, claiming one of the bins for herself quickly, along with a shelf. He'd brought the shelves and bins down earlier that day, along with a few supplies, when he came down to make sure the route was still clear and see if there was another way he could bring the younglings that would be shorter.

He'd almost gotten completely turned around and lost before he finally decided that it would be best to stick to well-known routes.

"Alright. Gather around." He said once everything was put away. Carefully, he explained the situation to them, to their horror and fear. He quickly soothed them and led them in a brief meditation before continuing. "If something does happen, your job will be to gather the other younglings, and lead them down here. The younger Padawans will be shown the way later on, if you do have to escape, they will bring up the rear and make sure nobody can come after you. The Knights, Masters, and older Padawans will be responsible for fending off the attackers. We're going to gather enough supplies down here so that you can stay for a week, maybe a little longer if food is rationed out. If in that week a Master does not come and tell you it's safe, you go out that door." He pointed to the door in the corner.

"It will lead straight to a warehouse outside the Temple, where I will have members of the 501st waiting for you. From there, you will likely be split up and sent to either Naboo, Alderran, or Chandrila." He finished explaining what was expected.

"What about the younglings still in the creche? They won't be able to keep up, and carrying them will slow us down. If they start crying, they will also give us away." None of them even contemplated the idea of leaving them behind, but they had no idea where to start taking care of them while running or hiding.

"Plans are being made to evacuate them now. They'll be staying on the Resolute for a while. You, however, are old enough to get away quickly and follow instruction. You have also already received training in both the Force and with a lightsaber, as limited as it is so far. You are far less helpless and vulnerable then they are. I would just evacuate all of you to the Resolute right now, but my ship isn't that big. And even that might be noticed, as you do make occasional trips into the city with your clanmates." Mostly to pass out food and supplies to the less fortunate, sometimes as a practical lesson on something.

"So- We just sit around and wait for an attack that may or may not come?" One asked, a small tremor in his voice.

"We are working to make sure it doesn't come." Anakin said, trying to smile reassuringly. He was sure it came out as more of a grimace. "In the meantime, it's going to be business and life as normal. Just go to your lessons, continue to learn and train, and be mindful of your teachers. If they tell you to evacuate, you don't hesitate. You gather the younger ones and you lead them here." He said.

"Yes, Master." They chorused. He grinned and clapped his hands.

"Now, I want to get more supplies down here, and you are going to help me. The Padawans should have the next load ready, so lets go. While I show them how to get here, you can get more supplies ready. By the time we have enough down here, you are going to know the way here in your sleep." He promised.

"Yes, Master." They chorused again and gathered the empty packs so they could follow him back to the top levels of the Temple.

---

"Sir, we've scouted a location to watch the warehouse from without drawing attention." Quick said, getting Anakin's attention as he walked through the hanger of the Resolute.

"Good, put together a small team to stay there, and keep watch." Anakin ordered, relieved.

"Sir, what if the 501st gets shipped out?" Bix asked, concerned. They knew how important this assignment was, but they didn't want to be left behind. And could the Resolute really go into battle or on a patrol with the youngest of the Jedi younglings hiding on board? The repairs were scheduled to be completed the next morning, and their next batch of shinies should be arriving as well, they would be fully ready to go back out on the frontlines. Well, after the new shinies were dechipped, anyway.

"We shouldn't be, not for a while. The Chancellor wants us to stay near Coruscant in case of another attack." Anakin revealed to his men, getting looks from everyone nearby who heard him.

They all knew what Fives had discovered about the Chancellor. And Ahsoka had not been quiet about the Chancellor's interest in her Master.

"Alright. Permission to find an Arc or two to help keep watch?" Quick asked. "Just in case we do get Younglings through." He and Bix were scouts, not fighters. They'd had to fight their way out of plenty of tricky situations, sure, but protecting younglings that several thousand Clones were ordered to kill? That was a little outside of their skill set.

"Permission granted." Anakin said with a smile. "Take a medic, too."

"Yes, sir."

Anakin smiled and moved off, spotting Rex in the middle of the chaos that was unloading the Jedi younglings and two creche Masters to help watch over them.

"Kix and Jesse?" Bix asked his partner.

"Maybe Fives, too, if we can get him away from Echo long enough." Quick snorted. None of the Clones blamed the Arc for staying near his batchmate, though. None of them had expected to ever see Echo again.

"He'll leave if Echo makes him leave." Bix pointed out.

"Lets go talk to him." They exchanged a look and went to where they thought they would find the two Arcs. Since Echo had been released from Medical earlier that day, with the stipulation that he take it easy, they could be anywhere.

Knowing their General, they knew Echo wasn't going anywhere, especially not to Kamino to be 'treated' or 'decommissioned'. He was staying here, and the General would find something for him to do if he wanted it. They also knew that the General wasn't going to force Echo back into combat if he didn't want to. Once again they marveled at how lucky they were to be in the battalion they were in.

---

Jedi Masters Windu, Fisto, Tiin, and Kolar walked with purpose to the Chancellor's office. A click on the comms let them know that the cameras in the office were officially under the Clone's control, and then they were in.

Windu was at the end of his patience, he'd wanted to have this confrontation days ago, but Senator Amidala put him in his place. 'Do you want to put the children at risk? If you are going to do something, do it when there are not innocents potentially in danger.' The adoring look on Anakin Skywalker's face as she delivered the scathing rebuke made him wonder how in the Force they had missed it before, to be honest.

With the younglings now either safely evacuated or aware of their escape route should it become necessary, Yoda and the three Senators aware of what was happening had greenlighted the Chancellor's arrest. To do it, he'd brought three of the most skilled fighters, aside from Skywalker and Kenobi (but Kenobi was cleaning up after the battle on Utapau and Skywalker was too compromised already), to carry it out.

"Master Windu." Palpatine greeted. "What can I do for you?"

Mace reached for his lightsaber and activated it. "In the name of the Galactic Republic, you are under arrest, Chancellor." As he spoke, the three with him spread out and activated their lightsabers.

"Are you threatening me?" Palpatine's eyes narrowed.

"The Senate will decide your fate." Windu promised darkly, knowing that they wouldn't be able to capture him, the Senate would just have to live with the evidence gathered.

"I am the Senate." Palpatine snarled, letting some of his tight control over the Dark Side and his emotions go. Revealing to the Jedi for the first time the Sith Lord he really was.

"Not yet."

Standing, Palpatine let his lightsaber fall into his hand, and accused them of treason before activating it and leaping at the Jedi.

Windu was dismayed when Fisto, Tiin, and Kolar all went down almost immediately, but stayed focused on the fight ahead of him. He could still feel Tiin's life in the Force, faintly, as long as he finished this quickly and got the Jedi Master medical attention, he may yet live.

He'd made a miscalculation. Palpatine was far faster then anticipated. And far stronger. His fighting style was something he'd never encountered before. It was taking everything he had just to stay in one piece.

Which was why he was so confused when the Sith was so easily defeated, and started cowering in a corner. After a few moments, he realized what was happening when the Sith glanced at the doorway, and almost seemed disappointed when nobody came through.

A moment later, the fight was back on and all thoughts went into staying alive.

---

Anakin paced in his and Padme's apartment, glancing toward the Senate building occasionally. He knew what was happening tonight, and wasn't happy with being left behind, even if he understood it.

He was compromised. Windu couldn't trust that he would be able to fight to his fullest or wouldn't do something stupid and let Palpatine get away.

"Anakin, it will be alright." Padme tried to comfort him. "You should get to the Temple, in case the Jedi Masters can't arrest or defeat him." In case Order 66 was activated.

"Are you sure you'll be alright here?" He asked her quietly, not wanting to leave her alone. She could still be used against him, after all.

"I'll be fine. Ahsoka is sending down a gunship to get me, remember? I'll be safe on your own cruiser." She reminded him.

"Right. I forgot." He grimaced.

"You just be careful. I want Luke and Leah to know their father." She said. He was going to be in a Temple, one that everyone in the galaxy knew the location of, a temple that might soon come under siege by their own soldiers.

"Luke and Leah, huh?" He asked, his lips tugging up at the corners.

"Yes. Luke and Leah." She nodded once, decisively.

He chuckled. "Alright." He said softly, brushing his lips against her forehead. "Luke and Leah it is." With one last kiss, he jumped in his speeder and hurried to the temple, resisting the urge to go to the Senate building instead. He had a more important job to do tonight.

Landing in the hanger, he was greeted with Rex and a small unit from the 501st, including, to his surprise, Echo.

"Echo. This doesn't look like taking it easy." He admonished the soldier quietly, wondering if he'd been able to escape the medics advice because Fives wasn't there to stop him. Fives had been rather adamant about his batchmate following the medics orders.

"I won't be fighting, sir. I'm going to stay in the security room to monitor and direct the defense." He promised.

"If you're sure."

"Yes, sir. I'm not going to sit back while my brothers are fighting each other. This is at least something I can do." It wasn't everyday the Clones had the home field advantage like this, any security systems in a base they were invading were usually in the control of the enemy, not them.

This was a way he could help since he had yet to be cleared for combat by the medics, and the General had already made it clear that he wasn't going to force him back into combat until he felt he was ready. If he never felt ready, then as far as the General was concerned, he'd earned an honorable (medical) discharge from service.

Anakin gave him a searching look, one that all the Clones hated as it felt like he was looking right through them. "Alright." He glanced over at a nearby Padawan. "Take Echo to the security room. Make sure he has what he needs." He ordered.

"Yes, Master." She said, and motioned for the Clone to follow her.

"I'm going to send out a Temple-wide message, then, to switch comms so that Echo can speak with everyone as needed." Anakin muttered, taking out his datapad and sending the message using Obi-Wan's Council-Member-only code.

He was almost immediately contacted back by Luminara. "Knight Skywalker, how do you have that code?" She asked, exasperated.

"How do you think, Master?" He asked cheekily, grinning.

She sighed. "It will be changed when this is over." She muttered, and disconnected the call. The Clones shook their heads in exasperation behind their General, used to his antics by now.

"Alright, lets go." He instructed with a sigh. Of the Clones with him right now, he was fairly certain that only Rex had ever been to the Temple before, and that had only been for an emergency that Rex needed him for and could not reach his communicator. As an afterthought, he contacted Echo. "Echo, relay the reminder that if any Clones do attack, to stun or knock out as many as possible." He instructed. He knew that some Clones were going to die today, but if they could limit the amount, he would. It wasn't their fault, after all, they were being controlled. They were little more then mindless droids under the chips influence, if not worse.

"Yes, sir." Echo said quietly, all of them knew that brothers would die no matter how careful the Jedi were in not killing. Just like Jedi would die, no matter how skilled they were.

"Sir, call from the Resolute." Rex said suddenly, quietly.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, dread pooling.

"Order 66 has been activated." Rex said grimly. The four sent to arrest Palpatine had failed and were probably dead. Hopefully the cameras survived the fight so that they had something to show the galaxy what kind of man he was.

What he didn't tell the General was that one of the new shinies who had yet to be dechipped had overheard the Order and went straight for the barracks where the Jedi younglings were being housed. He'd been knocked out before he could do any damage, along with all the shinies who were still chipped. The medics had gone into overdrive to get it done quickly.

"Echo, sound the evacuation order for the younglings." Anakin immediately said into his comms. All the Jedi nearby, who overheard Rex's announcement, were already hurrying to get into place or gather the younglings to send them to the lower levels.

"Sir, younglings are on the move to the evacuation point." Echo said over the comms. "The team in the lower levels has been alerted and will keep watch for them." That could take a week or more, depending on what happened in the upper levels of the Temple. "Knights, Padawans, and Masters are moving into position to cover their escape if needed."

"Thank you, Echo. Keep us informed."

In the security room, Echo continued watching the monitors as children started gathering in groups and disappearing down lifts or staircases, down into the depths of the Temple where the cameras did not exist. He could tell which ones were far enough in their Jedi training to already have their practice sabers, or to have even made their lightsabers, as they were all out and ready to be used at a moment's notice. Those who were not that far in their training were 'pushed' into lifts or down stairways first before those with sabers followed behind, always glancing behind them.

He was quite proud of those younglings at that moment.

While the younglings fled to safety, Padawans, Knights, and Masters gathered at the entrances to the temple or along the hallways leading to the most important areas, namely the creche and lesson rooms, or the Archive room. The creche may currently be empty, and the younglings gone from the lesson rooms, but the longer they kept attackers from realizing that, the longer the younglings would have to reach safety. Two Masters planted themselves outside the security room where Echo was, knowing that claiming that room claimed a tactical advantage for invaders.

"General, everyone is in position, no sign of- wait!" He spotted something on the outside monitors. "Platoon of Clones coming up the front staircase! Gunships coming into the hanger! More platoons coming towards the side-entrances. I'm seeing Coruscant Guard red, and 405th black." He said grimly. The 405 wasn't under the command of a Jedi, and they were currently in orbit for the same official reason the Resolute was still in orbit, in case the Separatists decided to make another strike at the heart of the Republic.

"Alert the Resolute." Anakin said simply, speeding up to get to the front staircase. As they ran, the Clones around him checked their weapons, making sure they were set to stun. "Make sure the Jedi remember that 501st blue is not the enemy!" He sounded strained, and was no longer in front of them, making them blink. Then they heard the tale tell sound of lightsaber against lightsaber, and looked around.

One of the Padawans had seen Clone armor and went on the attack without thinking, reflexively. The members of the 501st glanced at each other, thinking that just a few days ago a Jedi Padawan would have seen Clone armor as a good thing, as a comfort since it meant backup was there.

"Oh, Force!" The Padawan muttered, and immediately deactivated her lightsaber. "I am so sorry!" She glanced at the clones when she said it, biting her lip. "I didn't even think!" She'd just reacted to the sight of clone armor, her mind automatically assuming they'd already gotten in.

"Save it for the real fight." Anakin said with a sigh.

"No harm done." Rex said after a moment. And they were back to running towards the entrance, where an army of controlled brothers was still marching up the steps.

He supposed that they should be grateful for the long staircase, as much as he'd heard the General complain about it sometimes. It certainly made approaching armies take a long time to reach them.

"The gunships have landed! Fighting is currently contained to the hangers." Echo reported over the comms to the rest of the Jedi. "I have no visual on any younglings, they are all in the lower levels." He said after a moment's searching for them on the monitors. As an added security measure for them, they didn't take any locator beacons, and only the Padawans being evacuated had a communicator that they had been taught (by Anakin) how to disrupt the signal of (and yet they would still work) so that they could not be tracked through them.

"Keep us posted." Anakin simply ordered.

"Sir, message from the Resolute. The 405th's Clone Commander has noticed the lack of gunships or troops being deployed against the Jedi temple from the Jedi-commanded cruisers. He's started asking questions and is threatening to open fire if they do not comply with the Order." Rex said after a moment. From what he remembered of the Orders, any Clone who did not comply was considered a traitor and was to be executed as such.

"Tell them to leave if they need to. Protecting the younglings is their priority." Along with Padme and his unborn children, of course. "Tell Commander Wolffe to take over the Defiant if he can. Try and stop any more gunships from coming down at least, and take the cruiser away from Coruscant to start dechipping the Clones still onboard." He said, getting an idea.

"Yes, sir." Rex said, and relayed the order. A few moments later, five cruisers converged on the lone non-Jedi-commanded cruiser currently in orbit around Coruscant, intent on freeing the brothers onboard. The only cruiser that hung back was the Resolute with its precious cargo.

"More enemy gunships inbound. The fighting in the hanger is starting to spill into the hallways." Echo reported. If the Jedi weren't reluctant to just outright slaughter the Clones, the fight wouldn't be taking so long. As it was, they were trying to disable first. The Jedi all knew that the Clones weren't acting on their own will, and most of these Jedi had served alongside the Clones on the frontlines at some point during this war. The Clones were their comrades in arms, many of them their friends. Even the most emotionally distant of Jedi Masters were reluctant to kill them.

"Sir, I think they've deployed the entirety of the Guard and the majority of the 405th against us." Rex reported grimly, listening into the Guard's comm chatter between the commanders.

"That's a lot of soldiers." Anakin said grimly. "This is going to be a long night, boys." The Guard was one of the biggest battalions, which made sense considering they had been slowly replacing the police over at least half of Coruscant.

"We'll manage. Wouldn't be the first one." Rex found himself wishing Fives were here, along with Jesse and Kix, but they were keeping watch over the warehouse in the lower levels. "Double check, weapons on stun?" He questioned his men, even though he'd watched them switch settings earlier. He just wanted to make sure that none of their brothers were accidentally killed by any of them. He tried not to think of how many brothers might die at the Jedi's hands. A misdirected blaster bolt, a mistimed slash with the saber, the heat of the battle carrying them away... He tried equally hard not to think of all the Jedi that were going to die before the siege was over.

"Yes, sir."

"Here we are." Anakin suddenly said tersely, and unnecessarily, since the Clones could hear the fighting starting up. While they were running, the attacking Clones had gotten far enough up the steps to start firing at the Jedi guarding the entrance.

"Enemy is engaged at the front entrance hall, as well as the side entrances." Echo informed everyone in the Temple grimly. "So far, there is no sign of Clones making their own entrances or being flown into the gardens." He reported, keeping an eye on all the monitors. He didn't just pay attention to the entrances or the outside of the Temple, but he looked at the inside, too, just in case a unit had been sent into the lower levels in an effort to surprise the Jedi from behind.

A sudden comm from the Resolute got his attention, and he listened intently before relaying the message. "The Defiant has been taken over and moved away from Coruscant, there are no more troops coming from the 405th. All available Jedi-commanded battalions are enroute to Coruscant to offer their aid. The 104th is sending back-up to our location. All available chipped battalions are also enroute to Coruscant, by order of the Chancellor, to help quell the Jedi uprising."

"Tell the Resolute to leave before they get here." Anakin ordered over the comm channel open to everybody currently in the Temple. "Protecting the younglings is their only priority." He trusted Yularen and Padme to figure out a good strategy for getting the Younglings off the ship and hidden in good homes.

"Yes, sir." Echo said simply.

---

"We can't just leave them!" Ahsoka protested when she heard the order from her Master.

"Commander, we can't go into battle with the younglings onboard, the chance of further damage to the ship, especially to the area that they are in, is too great. If there is a possibility of a fight, we have to leave to protect them." A nearby clone said, just as frustrated as she was about turning their back on a fight, but knowing the General was right, their only priority was protecting the young Jedi in their care.

"Then lets at least send down gunships to help defend the Temple!" She tried to suggest. The ship could still leave if need be, that way.

"General Koon has already done that. In the event that we are boarded, we will need every available clone to defend."

Ahsoka swallowed.

"Ahsoka, I understand. I do. But we have a job to do, we have to protect the children. Anakin can handle himself, he has Rex with him, remember? And there are five other cruisers here who can and will send back-up as needed. Master Plo Koon has already sent back-up, see?" Padme gestured out the window where gunships and fighters painted in 104th grey were currently flying towards the planets surface.

Ahsoka looked down before she nodded. "Prepare the ship to leave, as soon as possible." She finally ordered.

"Yes, sir." The bridge officer said, and turned to the navigation terminal. "The General told me about somewhere once, we can go there to hide while we wait for word and make a plan for getting the young ones to their new homes." He glanced at Ahsoka, who nodded her agreement with that plan.

"Where exactly is this place?" Padme asked, doubtful. She knew that most of Anakin's knowledge of obscure places in the galaxy came from listening to spice runners or smugglers while still a slave child.

"Here." He put the star chart up on the holoprojector. "There's this little triangle of area between Wild Space, the Unknown Regions, and known space. There's a planet there, according to the General it's untouched by the war, mostly unknown to all but pirates and the like. But it's so remote and out of the way that it's not worth it for even them to use it as a base or anything. From what he remembers, the planet is rich in resources, so we would be able to wait there for a while if we need to without running out of supplies."

"Anakin's actually been there?" Padme asked, somewhat surprised. She would have thought he would have been too busy with Jedi business and then the war. Whenever he wasn't doing his job, he was usually with her.

"Sometimes when we had downtime between campaigns, Master would take the Twilight and explore. I think it was a year ago? Yeah, it was about a year ago, we were passing by this area and Master decided to see what was there." Ahsoka cleared up.

"It drives the Captain crazy, sir, because the General refuses to take any men with him on his trips. He barely even gives us any notice that he's leaving." The officer rolled his eyes. Thankfully he didn't cut communication, too. But the General wasn't that irresponsible, so it wasn't a problem.

"Sometimes he comes back with the strangest things." Ahsoka shook her head fondly, studying the chart.

"The necklace he gave me..." Padme muttered thoughtfully. Ahsoka glanced over in question. Padme turned slightly red. "A couple of years ago, he came back from a campaign with a necklace for me. I'd never seen anything like it, and he refused to tell me where he got it."

Ahsoka hummed. "I think I know which exploration trip you're talking about. He came back with a cargo hold full of different fruits, meats, precious metals, fabrics, you name it. He said he helped a local population out with some problems and they gave him that stuff to show their gratitude. According to him, they almost turned violent when he tried to refuse it. He handed the food over to the mess hall staff for dinner that night, but I don't know what he did with the metals and fabrics. I thought he used the metals to tinker with, you know how he can be sometimes."

"It would not surprise me at all if he made it." Padme shook her head fondly.

"Commander, we are ready to go." Another clone spoke up from his spot in the pit.

"Alright, send a message to Master Koon to let him know and lets get out of here." Ahsoka ordered grimly, glancing at the planet below. A few moments later, the view of the mega-city was replaced by the streaking lightshow of hyperspace.

---

"The Resolute has left orbit. They are going to find somewhere safe to wait and plan." Echo reported before quickly informing the Jedi fighting near the hanger that the Clones were attempting to corner them in a dead-end.

One of the Knights took a chance and glanced around before looking distinctly annoyed that they had not noticed where exactly they were.

"I think they've memorized some of the Temple's layout. They know where the dead-end hallways are, and exactly where to go to gain a tactical advantage." Echo reported grimly after watching the Clones attack patterns for a few moments. After making this report, he noticed that the Jedi were much more careful about not being pushed back and were much more aware of their surroundings.

"The 104th is landing in the hanger bays and the south gardens, the fighting near the hangers is contained again repeat, 104th grey is friendly." He reported after another moment. Noticing movement on another monitor, he cursed in various languages. "Two Arc troopers have snuck in, and are making their way towards the Security room, 405th." He warned the two Masters outside. They acknowledged it, and one moved to intercept them while the other stayed put just in case.

He was distracted for a moment when he got a call from Fives. "General, the younglings and Padawans are safe, Fives and Kix are reporting that there were some injuries among them, Kix is treating them now." He frowned in thought, wondering how there could be injuries, they all made it into the lower levels before... "Clones must be in the lower levels, I'm not seeing any coming into the- there! Clone platoon exiting the lower levels near the southwest tower, CG red!" He exclaimed, and five Knights immediately peeled off from their locations to intercept, with Echo guiding them when they arrived at the southwest tower.

One of the younglings must have left their safe room to find the Clones that General Skywalker had informed them would be nearby. He knew that some of the Padawans and older younglings already had some training as Healers, so the injuries must have been severe.

"Republic cruisers are beginning to gather in orbit, so far most of them seem to be Jedi-commanded." He said after listening to a brief report from Commander Wolffe. "They're going to try and take control of any chipped battalion before a fire-fight can truly break out, but we might have more unfriendly company." He warned the Jedi. The fights were still going on, since the Jedi were trying to not kill all the Clones (even if some did still die, accidents happened in battles) and there were a lot of Clones. Even so, the arrival of the 104th meant they were making progress.

The 104th had long since taken control of the hanger and surrounding hallways, leaving the Jedi defending that area free to spread out to other areas of fighting or to other areas where Clones might come up from the lower levels. More 104th painted fighters were patrolling the skies around the Temple to keep other enemies away, and another platoon had gone to take control of CG headquarters, even though it had mostly been emptied of Clones to attack the Temple. A team of medics had already started gathering the stunned Clones on the outer edges of the different fights going on throughout the Temple, and were taking them to the Healer Halls, where the Jedi Healers started surgery immediately to remove the chip.

Thankfully the procedure was so well known by now that it only took a half hour and the Clones would be on their feet within another half hour. Once they were, they could join the defenders. The only thing they had to worry about was running out of supplies in the meantime. All the Jedi Generals had been requisitioning extra supplies ever since they discovered the chips, that way they had what they needed to dechip any Clones that needed it at any time. But that was for their ships. The Jedi Healers had had no reason to do the same.

Any Clones they couldn't dechip here could be sent to the cruisers in orbit.

---

Yoda listened to what was happening in the galaxy through the Force, and sighed sadly at what was happening.

Many Jedi had died when the Order was first given, killed by chipped Clones before their own men had been able to warn them. The remaining Jedi were fighting for their lives or trying to help their battalions save their brothers. Many Jedi were hurrying back to the Temple to help in any way they could, unfortunately so were many chipped Clones, all of them converging on the Jedi Temple.

"Return to Coruscant, I must." He informed the Wookies and his captain solemnly.

He would confront the Sith Lord himself.

"Sir, before we go, the Chancellor is addressing the Senate." The Captain approached with a communicator, kneeled down, and activated it so that Yoda could see and hear the man in question.

-And so, it is with great sadness that I report and condemn the Jedi Order as traitors to the Republic. He had just finished saying. Following the attack on myself by four Jedi Masters, I sent Clone Troopers to the Temple to quell any further uprising and arrest the remaining Jedi so that we may determine their culpability in the actions of their leaders, as of now the fight at the Temple is still ongoing as the Jedi within resist their lawful detainment and questioning. The Jedi must have been in cahoots with the Separatists Alliance all along, and we did not know it. They have even suborned the loyal Clone soldiers to their side, and away from the Republic for which they were created to faithfully serve-

Yoda reached up and turned it off, unable to hear more right now.

"To the ship, we will return. Prepare a statement, I will." He said quietly, and climbed onto the Captains back so they could travel faster.

---

"Bail, we just heard the Chancellor's address. You have to try to calm things down." Padme said urgently when she managed to get through to her friend and mentor.

"I know, we will try. You obviously didn't hear all of it, though, he's already declared himself the emperor. The Republic is dead." Bail Organa said grimly. "I will do what I can, but I don't know how effective it will be." He'd been getting the security feed of the fight between the Chancellor and the Jedi ready to show to the Senate when the Chancellor summoned them all for an emergency announcement. The Chancellor pulling this off had completely blindsided him and his allies. Showing it to the Senate wasn't an option anymore, the Senate no longer had any power, not that they had much anymore anyway, not with the way Palpatine kept claiming 'emergency powers' for himself.

Maybe he could air it to the public, the Chancellor couldn't rule over a people if enough of them rose up against him. It wasn't like they weren't already in a civil war, the battle lines were just being completely rewritten.

Padme swallowed as the wave of grief crashed over her. All her life, she'd believed in the system, believed in diplomacy and democracy. Palpatine had always been a trusted friend, a mentor. When she was Queen, he had been her representative on the Senate.

It had been difficult, learning that he was the one behind the Trade Federation invasion, and that he was the one behind this entire war.

Somehow, though, that hadn't seemed like such a betrayal, not like this did.

---

"Cody, send out a signal to all dechipped battalions." Obi-Wan ordered, finally getting to return to his ship after the post-battle clean up after killing Grievous.

Once the signal was sent, he entered his council-member code and embedded a message for immediate evacuation of all Jedi from Coruscant, and for all available assistance to be made for the evacuation efforts.

All the non-Jedi cruisers had been ordered to Coruscant, no matter what they had been doing, in order to quell the 'Jedi uprising'. Those defending the Temple would soon be completely overrun, despite their best efforts.

In the orders, he included a rendezvous point for all Jedi to meet within the next two weeks.

A few minutes later. "Sir, message from the Resolute. Commander Tano and Senator Amidala are changing the rendezvous coordinates."

"Let's see them." He said, and raised his eyebrows at the remote location Ahsoka recommended.

"Do I want to know how she knows about somewhere so out of the way?" He muttered, but sent a new message with the changed location, anyway.

---

"General Kenobi has ordered a complete evacuation from Coruscant. I repeat, an evacuation has been ordered. All Jedi are to make their way to the closest gunship or shuttle for an immediate evacuation from the planet." Echo relayed the orders and his brothers immediately started laying down cover fire as the Jedi started letting themselves be pushed back towards the hangers or gardens, where the 104th had landed their gunships and more were starting to come in for a landing, ready to get them to safety.

Quickly he relayed the order to Fives, who acknowledged and started moving the younglings in his care quickly and quietly through the streets to the shuttle they'd hidden in a nearby abandoned dock. Bix and Quick scouted ahead and took care of any local inhabitants that might see the younglings and report them to the Guard or Senate.

The Healers started scrambling. Those Clones that they had already dechipped were given a brother to carry who had not been, and others were handed boxes of datapads and equipment that the Healers had not been able to move to Plo Koon's ship with the rest of the Jedi Archives, having not had time to copy all the data before the attack hit. More Jedi started pouring into the Healing Halls to help protect the wounded, carry Clones, or help defend the Healers while they moved to the ships.

That group was the first to be flown away, with gunships from still-arriving Jedi-commanded star destroyers quickly taking their place to get other people out. The Padawans were forced to go first, followed by the older Masters and Knights, before the Masters forced the Knights to leave. The Clones refused to leave any Jedi behind, and stubbornly refused to get on a gunship until the Masters did.

In the 501st's cheerful words, they were used to dealing with Anakin Skywalker on a daily basis, these Masters had nothing on him.

For three hours he coordinated the retreat of the Jedi and Clones from the Temple, and made sure that there weren't any ambushes from Clones coming up from the lower levels.

"Echo, lets go." One of the Masters guarding him poked his head in. "We'll sneak through the lower levels, they're holding a gunship for us in the closest gardens." Echo glanced at the monitors, saw that all the Jedi were now gone or going, and nodded. There was nothing more he could do from here.

---

"It's been two weeks, I haven't heard any calls for help, I think that everyone is here that could make it." Obi-Wan said solemnly, standing in a circle with what was left of the Jedi High Council.

"Hasn't anybody heard from Master Yoda?" Luminara asked, concerned. The battalion he'd taken with him to Kashyyyk was here, but not the Master Jedi himself. Last his clone captain had seen him, he was going to confront the Chancellor.

"No. The Force has not informed anyone of his death, so we know he's still out there somewhere. Senator, what have your allies in the Senate said?" He turned to Padme. She'd been unable to return to Naboo like she'd planned. Palpatine knew about her relationship with Anakin, and he was now labeled a traitor with the rest of the Jedi Order.

"He released the security footage from the Chancellor's office to the public, there are calls for an investigation into Palpatine, since he clearly lied about the attack by the four masters. Most of my allies in the Senate are leading the charge, but when he declared himself emperor, he all but disbanded the Senate. A lot of systems are withdrawing from his new empire because of it and declaring their support for the Jedi." She handed him the list she and Bail had compiled. "We'll need to send them help. Once Palpatine gets his own troops in order, he won't hesitate to attack them."

"We'll put something together." Plo Koon promised, glancing around at the others for their agreement.

"We'll send a battalion to take Kamino, sir. That way they can't keep making clones for the empire, they can't kill the cadets that are still there, and we can get the chips out of them." Rex said after a short discussion with Cody.

"Good, Cody, could the 212th take off quickly?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Alert them and the... 187th. We'll leave for Kamino in two hours." Obi-Wan ordered, already planning on going with him. He knew Mace Windu's battalion would appreciate having something to focus on right now. They were still reeling from the loss of their Jedi.

"I will go with you." Shak Ti said.

"Are you sure?" Plo Koon asked her, eyeing her in worry. She'd barely been able to escape with the small number of Arc troopers they'd managed to dechip and hide from the Kaminoans. She'd been severely injured, though, and had just been released from Healers care that morning.

"Those cadets are still my responsibility, they were under my care." She said fiercely before she suddenly sighed. "I also lived in Tipoca City for three years, I know that city better then Kenobi does, I know it just as good as the Clones do."

"Alright. Just be careful. Both of you." Luminara said.

"We will." They promised.

"Then may the Force be with you both."