Anakin ate his evening meal in his room. He didn't want to be with anyone in the Temple right now, not when tensions were high and emotions were unstable.

The arguments from the past several days had finally died down but the discussion did not. Instead of trying to convince others of their point of view, the Jedi simply avoided those who did not agree with them. It was especially rough for Padawans who did not agree with their Masters, but perhaps even more so for the Jedi Masters who agreed with none of their fellow Council members completely. There were not just two sides, now, not even three. The different positions about various topics were numerous and near-infinite.

There was some good, though. The six Younglings that had lost their memory had been released from the Halls of Healing and were training once more, but they were discouraged from meditating together again. The Younglings made no attempt to but discussed it frequently, behind closed doors and turned backs. They didn't dare bring it up in public, save with Caleb Dume, in fear of more consequences from whoever had stolen their memory. They didn't want to drive anyone else insane like Shaak Ti.

Shaak seemed to be fine, medically. There were no signs of brain damage or any other physical damage to her person, but she still spoke in very basic sentences if not single words. She had no problem recognizing people, and many people came to visit her, but if asked about the Younglings or what she remembered she would curl up in a ball and start shaking again, and only Luminara Unduli seemed to be able to calm her down after that.

For this reason, Byph, Gungi, Ganodi, Katooni, Petro, and Zatt refused to tell anyone, even Master Yoda or Caleb Dume, about what had happened. When asked, all they would say was that they didn't want anyone else to get hurt. They didn't remember what happened exactly, but if it meant that more people would go insane then it wasn't worth the risk.

So Padawan Dume kept his recollections of the vision to himself. He didn't tell his master, who was very agitated at the other Council members anyway. He didn't see much of her other than on missions. He also was very reluctant to speak with her when he did see her and conversed with the clones instead. At least they wouldn't get mad if he brought up a touchy subject.

Anakin kept to himself as much as possible. He stopped by Padmé and Palpatine's office frequently, although Palpatine was often very busy, and Padmé could only talk with him and could not comfort him the way she knew he needed to be. He avoided Obi-Wan, dreading what he would say about any given topic. If he brought up the Inquisitor again, Anakin didn't think he could stand it.

After his vision with the Father (wherever he may be), Anakin had lost his resolve that Ahsoka was not the Inquisitor. He quarreled with himself well into the nights when he didn't sleep, and his nightmares haunted him when he did. Well, nightmare, singular. It was always the same dream.

He wasn't planning on sleeping tonight, assuming that he would make it to nightfall without bursting in frustration at the Jedi Order. If he could make it back to the kitchen to return his tupperware without incident, he just might be able to pull it off. He avoided eye contact with everyone, ignored the whispers that followed him, and was about to reopen the doors to his quarters when he heard Obi-Wan calling his name.

So close.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan ran to him, and Anakin turned, seeing the distress on his face. "Anakin, they need you. It's the Inquisitor again."

Anakin was tempted to rebuke his master and jump out the window instead, but he nodded and followed him to the communication center where Master Yoda and Mace Windu were speaking with a clone through a hologram.

"Here he is," Master Windu said, and he nodded to Anakin as he walked out. Anakin did not return the gesture, but stood beside the Grandmaster and looked at the clone who had called. Obi-Wan stood by his other side.

"What's the problem?" Anakin asked, crossing his arms. "I heard something about the Inquisitor."

"Yes sir," said the clone, Commander Stone. "She was spotted on top of the headquarters here on Corellia. She managed to get away, but she left a message and Master Yoda believes it is for you."

The hologram of the commander disappeared and a picture took its place. It was of the side of the building, but it had been burned with the Inquisitor's lightsaber unless Anakin was mistaken. There was only one word, and the Inquisitor's symbol burned below it: 'ALONE'

"Think of anyone else this is meant for, I cannot," explained Yoda. "A trap this may be, but if believe that you can find something, you do, then permission to go, you have."

Anakin did not look at the green Jedi but stared at the image. Corellia. That was in the Core. If he was right, then time was running out, fast.

"I'll be there shortly," he told the commander, who nodded and severed the connection. He turned to Obi-Wan, who was looking on with a disapproving face. "We need answers. I might be able to get some if she doesn't kill me first."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I trust your judgment, Anakin. I just don't trust her." He cocked his head towards where the image had been projected moments ago.

"Leave us, good friend, if you will," said Yoda, facing Anakin. "Want to speak with you privately, I do."

Obi-Wan nodded and left without a word. Anakin turned to Yoda and sat on the bench near the wall.

"Dangerous, the hour is," Yoda mused. "Divided, the Order had become. Answers we need, and yet answers we do not find. If any information about the Inquisitor you can gather, then unite us, it may."

Anakin nodded, grateful that Yoda hadn't wanted to lecture him about Ahsoka. He thought for a moment, then asked. "What do you think is happening, Master? What is doing this?"

Yoda's face fell, and he pulled a seat to him so he could sit opposite the Chosen One. "Clouded, my vision had become. See our enemy clearly, I cannot, but see us, the Sith can. Harmed six Younglings and a Master, they have, but how I do not know. Only this can I say: Dark times approach. It may be too late to turn back."

It wasn't the answer Anakin wanted to hear, but he was so glad, so relieved, that Yoda was being honest with him.

"Do you think that...that if the bomb never happened, and everything hadn't changed, do you, do you think the same things would still be happening now?"

Yoda looked up at him. "Your true question, that is not."

Anakin sighed. He should have known that Yoda could see right through him. "Do you think that the Inquisitor is Ahsoka and that she caused this?"

Yoda wanted to tell him no, that he did not think so. He would have even settled for telling him yes, as long as he was sure about it. As it was...

"Uncertain, I am, about the Inquisitor." He saw Anakin's face fall. "I am sorry, Skywalker."

If you hadn't expelled her in the first place, none of this would have happened, he thought, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Not when he was finally telling the truth. At least someone was.

"Go to Corellia, find what you can," instructed Yoda. "May the Force be with you."

"All right, Commander, any idea where she went?"

Anakin hadn't bothered to sleep on the way over since it was such a short jaunt. He approached Commander Stone, and he pointed up to where the message had been burned into the building.

"No, General, but I bet if you go up there, she'll find you, one way or another."

"Stay on coms, then," he ordered. "If this goes south, and it's a trap of some sort, I might need backup."

"Yes sir," the commander saluted, then returned to his station, up in HQ.

Anakin jumped up to the roof and examined the Inquisitor's message for himself. He traced a finger over the letters in the metal sheets absentmindedly. He didn't look for her. She would reveal herself as soon as she was ready, not before.

He didn't have to wait long. He felt the thread from earlier return, and he turned and looked in the direction that the Force guided him. He saw a tall building, probably a hotel or a casino, off in the distance. If he focused and narrowed his vision he could see a small figure walking on the roof.

Anakin broke off in a run towards the center of the city. He went straight for her and didn't think twice about doing so. If she was going to talk, he was going to take the chance. No running away this time.

He made the final jump to the roof, and he resisted the urge to pull out his lightsaber and attack the Sister when he saw her looking over the opposite edge of the building.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? They don't even suspect that we're here, they're just living out their lives in peace." She didn't turn to face him, and Anakin walked up behind her. Not too close, in case it was a trap.

He glanced over the lip of the roofing. It is beautiful, he thought, in its own way. The innocence, the ignorance, the bliss, it must be nice.

"I don't think you called me here to watch the nightly traffic, Inquisitor," he said, leaving any pleasantries left in him out of his voice. "What do you want?"

"A temporary truce."

Anakin froze. A what? Did he hear her correctly?

"Why?"

"Because I need your help with something." She finally turned around, and she crossed her arms. "I have a mission, and I think you might be interested."

Anakin was interested, but he wasn't about to tell her that just yet. "Amuse me," he told her, and she walked over towards the center of the roof.

"Darth Sideous sent me to find a holocron that was stolen a few years ago," she explained. "I traced the sale of it to Corellia. I want your help finding it."

"What kind of holocron are we talking about?"

"A Sith holocron."

"Then why would I help you?"

The Sister smiled. "Because I also found and traced the sale of a Jedi holocron to the same collector. More than one, actually. You would actually get more for your time than I would."

Anakin scrunched his eyebrows. "If I would benefit more, than why would you let me help you? You can't be that desperate."

The Sister looked off to the side and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I guess I thought it would just be nice to work with someone that doesn't make the Clone War as black and white as everyone else does. You can't say you aren't tired of it."

That didn't seem like a good enough reason to work with a Jedi to Anakin, although she wasn't wrong. "This seems like a trap to me. You didn't honestly think I'm that stupid, did you?"

She threw her hands up in the air. "Fine. I'll track down the holocron myself. Have it your way. I'm not going to argue with you tonight, not after all the crap I've been dealing with from Tyrannus." She turned and walked towards the heart of the city, but Anakin stepped in front of her.

"Hold up, say that last part again."

She looked up at his face, which wasn't very far from hers, given that they were about six centimeters apart.

"I'm not going to argue with you tonight, not after all the crap I've been dealing with from Tyrannus."

Anakin stared at her, and his mind whirred rapidly. Apparently, the Jedi Order wasn't the only faction running high with tension. The Sith were experiencing the same thing. If she was telling the truth.

"Look," she said finally, "If I betray the truce, feel free to stab me and leave me for dead. Take the holocron I came for, by all means. I have no interest in trying to kill you. I just want some decent company for once."

Anakin raised his eyebrows in suspicion. "I'm decent company?"

"Compared to Tyrannus, Grievous, and the Separatist Council, yeah. Although to be fair, the bar isn't set very high."

Anakin almost laughed. Almost.

"Just help me get to this collector's place, and you and I can go back to being enemies, all right? Two hours, maybe one, if we hurry. That's all I'm asking. Deal?" She stuck out her hand for a handshake.

Anakin stared at her hand, unsure of what to do. He didn't feel inclined to trust her, but he could tell she was being honest. When he looked through the Force, he thought that she really just wanted to do this one mission together, and then be done.

Well, he thought, I wanted answers.

"Deal."

They shook.