Chapter 42 - A Thread of Peace

DISCLAIMER: We (unfortunately) do not own Star Wars. :P

Author's Note: Thank you, loldelegate! :)

~ Amina Gila

"Where have you been?" Padme demands, when Ahsoka finally locates the others right near Mina's office. "We were looking everywhere for you, so we finally came here to wait."

"I told you I was scouting around," Ahsoka replies nonchalantly.

"Did you find anything?" Anakin asks.

"Nothing of significance," Ahsoka replies, "I couldn't do much without risking being caught, but it will be useful if the war ever comes to Raxus." It's about the best she can say, without outright lying and Anakin realizing something is off. He probably already does, but he's not going to press it.

"Then let's get out of here. We don't need to lead the war here ourselves," Padme replies shortly, clearly still unhappy with having to wait so long. It was a risk, but it was worth it.

They fly back to Mina's residence as soon as they can, preparing to leave.

"It was nice to meet you," Lux comments, approaching them.

"And you," Ahsoka agrees, "I've never met a Separatist before that I'm not fighting."

"I've never a Jedi or any Republic citizen before," Lux responds, sharing a smile with her for a moment.

"I'd say I hope we meet again, but I think that could only happen on the battlefield," she replies dryly, and Lux nods.

"Unless it is at the peace talks," Anakin points out.

"I hope something will come of your trip too," Lux adds, "For everyone."

Ahsoka can't say why she momentarily gets the feeling she may end up interacting with him a lot more in the future than she's expecting, but she shrugs if off, as Mina and Padme approach, and they head for the speeder to return to the transport ship.

**w**

Anakin still doesn't see why negotiating would be illegal. By the time they get back to Coruscant, there's apparently already a motion in the Senate dealing with the Separatists offer for peace. Padme rushes off immediately to attend the emergency meeting.

He wishes it didn't feel like he... did something wrong. Because it was still against the law, and more than that, he knows Obi-Wan would never have approved. Maybe this time it was right, like Ahsoka said, though. But still, he doesn't know where the point to draw the line is, if he starts thinking like that. It feels like he ought to tell the Council about this, but he knows he can't because apparently, that could get them all accused of treason.

He's back at the Temple to catch up on schoolwork when Ahsoka calls him. "It worked," she says, grinning, "The Senate voted to start negotiations."

And that, at least, makes it worth it, because the war might end. Maybe Anakin is incapable of being powerful enough to bring it to an end, but he still helped with this, and this might actually work.

"Palpatine is asking to speak with you," she adds, "I'm going to see him now, but I'll let him know you're coming after that if you can make it."

"I'll be there," Anakin assures. Can he really tell the Chancellor no to meeting him? Even if he doesn't really understand why he's taking the time to do it?

When he gets there, Ahsoka is still in the meeting with Palpatine, and Anakin finds himself momentarily wondering what she's always talking to him about for so long anyway. She does have a lot going on as a general that not even he knows.

"I heard you accompanied Ahsoka on her... mission," Palpatine comments once they're together.

What?

She... talked to him about that?

Although that would explain why she didn't seem to be concerned how they could be accused of treason. Why didn't Anakin think of that before? If the Chancellor agreed, that... means there couldn't have been anything wrong with it, right?

"Of course, she spoke to me of this, my boy," Palpatine replies smoothly, "She would not have attempted something so risky on her own."

"She asked me to come," Anakin murmurs.

"You have done a great service to the Republic, Anakin," Palpatine says, laying a hand on his shoulder, "Had you and Ahsoka not taken this step, the war would still be continuing with no end in sight."

"Thank you, Chancellor," he answers, abashed.

"I am only concerned for if anyone hears what you and Ahsoka have done," he continues, after a pause, pulling away and pacing over to the window.

"If this could bring peace, why was it made illegal?" Anakin asks uncertainly, moving to stand next to him.

"The Senate did not want to recognize the Separatist movement as legitimate, and still, I question if they will allow the peace process to proceed," he muses, "It would be... a serious risk if word of this got out, Anakin. Even to the Jedi Council. I must ask for the sake of the Republic that you do not speak of anyone of it, not even your master. He would not understand the necessity, and word would spread easily."

Anakin swallows hard. "I understand, Your Excellency." He does, but it doesn't sit well with him anyway. He knew he'd have to keep it a secret, but talking about it like this is only making him feel guiltier.

Still, he does know that Palpatine is right. It could probably cause a huge scandal if anyone found out, and any hope of the peace negotiations going through would fail. They can't risk that.

"So tell me, my boy, how have you been doing?"

"I am doing fine," he answers.

"I see. I heard you were on leave?"

He's very unhappy with it, not that he's going to outright complain about that to Palpatine. "I'm looking forward to being back fighting. My master felt I... needed more time here."

"And you don't think you do?" he asks. How is he able to read these things so well? He is a politician, though. To a point, Padme is the same way.

"It's not my place to disagree with him," Anakin replies quietly.

"He may be your master, but that doesn't mean he cannot make mistakes," Palpatine points out, touching his shoulder again. He's been doing that a lot recently. He... likes talking to Anakin for some reason, and Anakin doesn't really know why. "And something is clearly upsetting you."

"It is not... that," Anakin replies, shifting uncomfortably, "I recently found out that I'm – The Jedi have a prophecy of the Chosen One meant to destroy the Sith."

"I am familiar with it. Ahsoka has mentioned it before."

He's not surprised. "I found out I'm that, and I need to – be able to do it, but everyone keeps telling me to stop trying to be stronger, and I don't understand how I can be strong enough if I don't even try."

Palpatine hums thoughtfully. "You are very gifted already, Anakin. I have no doubt that you will become one of the most powerful of the Jedi. If your skills are growing, I see no reason for you not to pursue them."

"It's not the Jedi way to... seek power," he offers, uselessly. Palpatine is essentially telling him he doesn't need to stop trying, and it's confusing because it feels like he can't, but it also feels like he needs to, and he doesn't know what that means.

"But you are not seeking power. You are simply using what the Force has given you," he points out, "The other Jedi may not always understand this. You do not need to concern yourself with what they think of you. Embrace your abilities, and remember that there is no one else who can truly understand it."

"You're saying I should just rely on myself?" he guesses. He can't... he's never done that, at least not like that.

"It is what we all must do in the end, is it not? The Jedi may do their best, but they can still... make mistakes. You do not need to let their criticism affect you."

He feels like they're slightly off-topic somehow. "I can't presume to understand these matters better than... more experienced Jedi," he objects.

"In time, you will learn to trust yourself. Then, you will be invincible," Palpatine assures. And he has no idea what to think of that. It's very different than anything the Jedi have taught him, and he's seen a lot of that mentality with Ahsoka. He really doesn't want to be like her, but Palpatine has some points, too. He doesn't know what to think of this, but it's... occasionally nice to hear a different point of view than the ones he's always used to, when he already knows what he'll hear.

"Thank you for your time, Chancellor," Anakin replies, "I should be returning to the Temple."

"It is no problem, my boy. You can speak with me whenever you desire," he promises. They leave it at that, and Anakin slips from the room.

Trying to think about all of this is just... overwhelming, but he does need to keep working to be better, especially if he has the ability to be, right?

But right now, he just needs to catch up in his other schoolwork, and maybe then he should call Barriss. It hasn't been long since Luminara's death, and he'd like to know how she's doing. Really doing, not what he knows she's going to claim.

**w**

"Next time, give me more forewarning," Kitster says flatly, when he and Ahsoka manage to find a moment alone again. They haven't spoken since the bounty hunters attacked the Senate.

"For what?" Ahsoka asks, unable to stop her flare of amusement. "Illegal excursions from Coruscant? It's not as if it was planned."

"That is precisely my point," he huffs, crossing his arms.

"Did something happen?"

"Captain Typho is very unhappy," he replies, "We tried to have Dorme cover for Padme, but he figured it out soon enough, and then he was interrogating all of us on what happened to her."

Ahsoka grimaces. "What did you tell him?"

"I gave him excuses," Kitster replies, "Ones that I don't know if he really bought or not. And then I finally told him to just ask Padme for any further details, because it was very... classified. He's still very angry, though. Padme promised not to pull something like that on him again."

"Again?" Ahsoka asks, raising an eye marking.

"This one time she was going somewhere on Coruscant pretending to be a handmaid. He wasn't happy."

"Well, we knew he would have a fit if he knew where she really went," Ahsoka replies.

"True enough," Kitster agrees, "At least something's come of it."

Ahsoka smiles, leaning a little closer so their shoulders are touching. "Yes. I can't believe it." Finally the peace talks are going to start. The end of the war might actually be within reach. But then she remembers those words from Mortis, and... "so will war escalate in the galaxy". That already happened though. Maybe it's finally coming to an end. She wants to believe, so she doesn't know why there's a small part of her that knows it can't possibly be this easy. Probably because if it were, the war shouldn't have started in the first place.

"I can't either. Good job," he compliments.

She rest her head against him, staring up at him, suddenly thinking of... what she wants so much. If the war is really almost over, maybe it's actually within reach. She doesn't know why she's thinking of it all of a sudden, but she wants that with him, so much. But – not yet. No, she'll wait until she knows it's a guarantee. Not only would it distract her, it also wouldn't really be fair to Kitster. They already agreed to wait.

"I know what you're thinking about," he says quietly, taking her hand.

She swallows. "We talked about it before. We..."

"I know," is all he says, and they lapse into a comfortable silence together. Perhaps... the day of having an actual family won't be far away, even if... in truth, she can't imagine not wanting to keep doing things for the galaxy. But there are other ways she can do that, even after the war is over.

**w**

"How... are you doing?" Anakin asks, when he finally finds an opportunity to talk to Barriss in person.

"I am well, thank you," she replies. She doesn't feel quite as in turmoil from Luminara's death as she did before which is good, but she's not fine, and somehow she's just ignoring it. He knows that's bad even if he doesn't know what he can do about it, other than being supportive. "It's hard to believe there's a chance at the war ending."

Anakin blinks, quickly reminding himself that he cannot reveal he had any part with that. "Yes, it was unexpected," he agrees.

It feels like he's lying even though he's not, because really he didn't expect both of the Senates to agree to this so easily.

"We can only hope it will last."

"Yes," he agrees. He doesn't understand why both sides wouldn't take it if they had the chance, but there's many who literally stand to gain from continued fighting, he knows. How they can be so uncaring for the lives that are caught in the middle of their profit, he doesn't know. It reminds him of – of memories he always shies away from as soon as they start to resurface. He doesn't remember much from before coming to the Temple, but it's more than enough.

"If nothing else, perhaps this chance will the give the Jedi the opportunity to act as peacekeepers as we should have been doing all this time, instead of fighting," she suggests optimistically.

"I... hope so," Anakin replies, "But there is no actual truce yet. My master just messaged me that he will be returning to Coruscant soon to take me on the next mission." It's been long enough, and it's relieving to hear that he'll finally be out of the Temple again.

Barriss nods, though she looks distinctly unhappy at the words. "I hope the continued fighting will not disrupt the peace. Sometimes, I think we should just pull out of the war. It may actually force a solution."

Something twists uneasily inside of Anakin. "If we did, many of the clones would die unnecessarily. At least when we help them, they stand more of a chance."

"This is what the clones were made to do," Barriss argues, "While we should help them if we can, it is not our role to be fighting with them."

He tries to control his instinctive surge of anger at the words, with how he's seen people treat the clones before. As though they're just things, objects that were made for war and are as expendable – if not more so – than any other military equipment.

That's not what Barriss means, he doesn't think, but that doesn't mean he agrees with her at all. "They are not expendable. They are as much people as anyone and they need our help," he retorts.

"I know, but it's simply perpetuating the war."

He doesn't entirely care if she has a point, because he would never not protect them, just so some politicians can work out problems they should have solved from the start.

"Abandoning them would be no different than abandoning the people of the Republic. The war is not because of them. I know what you said about... fighting in it, but right now I do not see how we couldn't." Sometimes, all of this is so confusing. He also knows that there are many of the Jedi who don't seem to have any problem with fighting in the war. There's a difference between doing it and wanting to, and doing it because they must,while knowing how questionable it is.

Barriss hums thoughtfully, as though considering his words. "I suppose I have never considered them personally," she muses, "But in the terms of the greater good, you know sometimes there are... losses."

"Yes, but it does not have to be blatant."

"I can see your point," she concedes at last, "And at this point, we can do little but what the Council decides."

Anakin nods. "I know. And... I know the clones want this to end as much as we do. They are... losing the most from it." Every single battle they lose so many, many of whom Anakin knows. With how long he's been off the fronts, who knows how many of the ones he used to know are even still there.

Cody will be, but he doesn't even know beyond that. He can't wait to see him again – though he knows some of the reunion is going to be painful, when he finds out who's left.

He doesn't have to wait much longer to find out. Within a few hours, he finds himself in the hangar, ready to leave with Obi-Wan.

"And here I was hoping we could avoid this," Ahsoka comments, stopping near the shuttle.

"The war is not over yet," Obi-Wan points out, "And both sides have yet to call a truce."

"I don't understand why they haven't," Anakin admits.

"Because they probably think they have too many things to finish discussing first, and an only temporary truce could potentially hurt both sides, so no one's willing to risk it," Ahsoka replies, sounding decidedly irritated, "But it is a legitimate concern."

That does not sound very hopeful for the peace process succeeding, but Anakin can just keep hoping it will. Being back with his master reminds him of how he's keeping all of this a secret from him, and it feels wrong.

Palpatine had to be right though, isn't he? They can't risk word of this getting out. (It's not as if he has any desire to face how upset Obi-Wan might be either.)

"Good luck on the mission," Ahsoka says, shooting him a smirk, "I hope I won't have to come save you like last time."

"We will have no need for mercenaries," Obi-Wan retorts, "And there's no such thing as luck."

Anakin side-eyes him, unable to help wondering if Obi-Wan is intentionally being argumentative again. "You'll probably know if we need help before we do," he replies dryly. Once they're on the ground in a place like that, they can hardly see anywhere past their current positions, after all.

"Probably," Ahsoka agrees with a surprising amount of cheer. Perhaps it's just because their very unsanctioned mission to Raxus actually worked and no one even caught them this time – or ever will.

Or so Anakin can hope.

He doesn't want to think about what it would mean if his master did find out what happened.

**w**

"It's just a scratch!" Wrecker insists, as he settles on the floor of the Havoc Marauder. Omega darts over, crouching next to him, eyeing the injury on his arm.

"Technically, you could have been in danger of dying from blood loss if this isn't stopped," Tech replies, kneeling next to him and pulling out the medpack they have. They just finished up one of their first missions – Omega can't believe they're finally out here – but it's also the first time any of them have been more significantly injured.

"It barely hurt," Wrecker insists.

"The level of pain from an injury is not inherently connected with its severity," Tech chides.

"And I still won the droid count," he adds smugly.

"No, you didn't," Crosshair retorts, stepping in from the cockpit. "I got the last ones after you were shot. Or you would have been hit far worse."

Wrecker huffs in denial.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Omega finally asks, interrupting her brothers' antics. It's good being with them – for so long, she had wondered if she ever would. She can't imagine what it would have been like had she stayed as Nala Se's medical assistant.

Being out on the battlefield is not what she expected, though. It's so brutal. Mostly they were just destroying droids, but still. They fought with other clones once, and seeing them dying all around her was... It's what they were made for. They all knew it, so she doesn't know why it's shaking her up so much.

"Of course, I'm fine," Wrecker insists. Not that he would ever say otherwise.

Omega eyes him for another moment – Tech and Crosshair should have him handled, though – before she heads into the cockpit, climbing into the copilot's seat next to Hunter. The sound of blaster shots is still ringing in her ears even now, that feel of being so close to dying.

Hunter turns to eye her. "Are you alright, kid?"

She shrugs slightly. "I didn't expect what real battle would be like," she admits.

"It's harsh," Hunter agrees, "But you did well."

She gives him a small smile, leaning back in her seat. "Where are we going to now?"

"I'm just calling in to receive orders now," he replies, turning back to the front of the ship, pushing buttons on the controls. She can't wait until she's able to fly ships. Tech insists she has to memorize all sorts of regulations and codes and controls first, and she has no idea how she'll ever do that before she's twenty.

And as it turns out, there is another mission for them.

Felucia.

"Isn't that – where they've been fighting since the start of the war?" Omega asks, thinking over the little information of various battles she's learned so far.

"So I've heard," Hunter replies.

"Then how can we... make such a difference?"

"The regs don't know what they're doing," Crosshair offers from the doorway.

She can hope he's right. She didn't realize how afraid she'd be of something happening to one of her brothers until they were actually out on the field.

She doesn't see how it doesn't seem to bother the others – but then, she didn't have the same training they did. She didn't come in to join them until far later, after all. "What if... we can't always win as easily?" she asks, not daring to voice what she's really thinking. She thinks Hunter picks up on it anyway.

"Don't worry, kid. We'll be fine; this is what we trained for. It's our duty. The droids won't see it coming." She hopes he's right.

"Crosshair, tell Tech and Wrecker to finish up back there quickly. We have the next mission to prepare for," Hunter says, opening the information they were sent on Felucia and what their operation there is supposed to be – most of the details they'll have to get from the General, but they still need a general idea of what they're walking into.

Omega's eyes widen at the names of the two generals there – Koon and Kenobi.

Anakin's master.

And that means Anakin is probably going to be there too.

"Hey, look who's there!" Omega chirps.

"I can see," Hunter replies, sounding mildly amused.

"I'll tell everyone!" she not-quite squeals, jumping from her seat and running to the hold. Fierce battle or not, now she can't wait to go to Felucia.

Final Notes: If you want to join our Discord to receive updates or just hang out, here's the invite link, and please delete the spaces! :) discord . gg / nqSxuz2

You can find us on tumblr at fanfictasia (which is our more serious blog which does have controversial posts on it; I won't be offended if you choose to block it, promise), and disastertriowriting (which is our fun blog with crack posts or incorrect SW quotes; we also advertise our SW gift exchanges on there)

And! We have a YT channel for tributes! Please delete the spaces in the link. :D youtube channel / UC_g1M5rSCxJUzQCRS29B6pA

Finally, if you're interested, you can submit a SW gift fic request via the following form (delete the spaces): forms . gle / rmXWtRomMMaULuPa6