Anakin tried not to fall asleep standing up as he stood guard outside the Chandrilan government complex. He hadn't slept for about twenty hours and it was starting to take a toll on him. He hoped that he would be able to go inside and rest for a few hours, but right now he needed to make sure that Chandrilan Senator Mon Mothma and her advisors were safe. The entire system had been rioting for a few days now, although the ruckus was finally starting to die down.

Senator Mothma had requested that a Jedi and his troopers be sent to protect the system in the case of a riot and to also secure the system. Chandrila was close to some very active Separatist systems and they were vulnerable to a surprise attack, especially since both the Separatist and the Republic armies were without a leader at the moment. The Republic Senate had taken nominations for a new Chancellor but the discussion had been tabled in favor of discussing the matter within the offices of the individual systems first. After the systems of the Republic had decided what course of action most benefited them, whether that was to stay with the Republic, go neutral in the Clone War, or to join the Separatists, what would be left of the Senate would come back together, and a new Chancellor would be elected. Until that happened, though, chaos would ensue in multiple systems.

Anakin and the 501st battalion had been stationed on Chandrila ever since he had left Onderon a few days ago. He hadn't had a chance to properly speak with Padmé, and he had no idea what had been happening at the Temple either. Other than that, he was actually in a decent mood and was feeling much better than he had for a long time. His whole troop was actually doing better, now that they knew about Ahsoka. The change had been undeniable and absolutely wonderful.

Rex and the other veterans had taken it upon themselves to, after they finished celebrating the news, teach the shinies on board about Commander Ahsoka Tano. Some of them had heard the stories about the trial, but that wasn't what the veterans focused on. Instead, they spent hours talking about how she had started, and they recalled the high, snippy voice that had first been heard on Christophsis four years ago. They talked about her recklessness, and her confident attitude, and how she was the only one who really got away with backtalking General Skywalker. The clones talked about her progress in piloting, and how she had gotten really good with memorizing holomaps and repairing engines and motors. They talked about how, over time, she had gotten close with them and how the trust between them grew exponentially, especially in the last year before she left.

Now that the subject was no longer taboo, and since the whole cruiser was talking about it anyway, the oldest veterans, who had been closest to Ahsoka, met together to talk about all of the things they remembered about her and missed. Rex ended up sharing about the time she and Anakin threw him off of a wall in her first year, and even though it was a little embarrassing, it was good to see the other men laugh. They all had funny Ahsoka stories, but even better, they had her jokes, and the little quips she eventually learned to reign in over time. Their favorite one by far was "How fast can General Skywalker run?" "I don't know, but legend has it that if you mess with his starfighter, you'll find out." A good follow up was usually: "I heard once that he ran through lightspeed because someone accidentally bumped into it."

They had all, also, begun to think of her as more than a Commander, even though they knew that officially she wasn't even that anymore. She was their friend, and really, the only female they ever talked to or about. They always joked about meeting some amazing jackpot woman on a mission, but they all knew that it was a load of dung. Ahsoka had become something of a sister to the five of them, Rex, Fox, Jesse, Kix, and Dogma. It was this group of clones in particular that hoped that the 501st Legion would see their commander again, whether the Republic would let them call her that or not.

While the shinies were talking amongst themselves, wondering if all the stories about Ahsoka Tano were true ("She can't have snuck her way onto a mission into the Citadel, could she?"), the veterans, all of them, were eyeing the hangar they had hidden Ahsoka's old fighter in. It was silently agreed that it was to be hidden and protected at all costs, but now that they knew that she was out there, somewhere, it was more important than ever. She had to see it before someone else got their hands on it.

Now, Anakin didn't know all of this, but he had overheard a pretty good portion of it. He had certainly seen the five vets talking in closed groups during the whole mission, and he had no doubt about whom they were discussing. As he listened, he couldn't help but regret that a few clones, like Hardcase, Echo, and Fives, wouldn't get to see her again. Anakin knew Ahsoka would miss them, but he also had a pretty good feeling that the others would cover for them. It wasn't like Ahsoka would forget.

Anakin was deep in thought when he heard the door to the balcony walkway open. He turned around and saw one of the local guards of the complex. "Master Skywalker, Senator Mothma would like to speak with you."

Finally. He nodded and followed the guard inside. He led him to the conference room, the same one that the Senator had been inside of, talking, for days on end. The guard stayed outside, but Anakin walked in and walked up to the Senator, who was looking tired but very pleased.

"Please, sit, Master Skywalker." He did as told and grinned.

"Long day, Senator?" He joked, and she sighed, laughing ever so slightly.

"Yes, but a rewarding one. My advisors consist of a wide range of opinions, but it comes in handy in these situations. All of these riots require a large variety of opinions."

"Did you come to any decisions?" He asked, even though it wasn't really his business.

Mon Mothma stood up and walked to the window. "We have decided to stay with the Republic, but I will be taking some...interesting courses of action once the Senate meets again. We have a few changes we think are for the better, especially in the wake of Palpatine."

Anakin thought about Padmé and a few other Senators he knew, like Senator Organa. "I don't think you will be the only one who will be doing so."

The Senator smiled and faced the Jedi again, who stood up. "I asked you to come here to thank you, and to offer thanks on behalf of all of us. Your troop has been extremely helpful in these last few days. I think the civilians needed to know that just because the Chancellor lied, not all is lost just yet. Hopefully, these riots will calm down for good."

Anakin looked out the window, where his men were patrolling. "Do you need anything else from us before we return to Coruscant?"

Mon Mothma shook her head. "I am indebted to you, though, and your battalion. I'll be sure to remember you if anything like this happens again."

Anakin went to the door and held it open for the politician. "I'll tell my men to return to the cruiser, then."

"Thank you again, Skywalker," she bade him. "Have a good evening."

She went off, retiring to her quarters for the evening, and Anakin made to exit the government complex. "Alright, everyone," he spoke into his comlink. "Time to pack up. We're leaving in fifteen."

The clone troopers loaded onto gunships that brought them back to the cruiser, and before long, they were flying through hyperspace back to Coruscant. The night shift took over, and most of the day shift went to rest for the next several hours. Anakin, though, had to check a few things before he could sleep.

He met Rex on the bridge. "Did anything big happen in the past few hours?"

Rex shook his head. "Nothing worth reporting. Looks like the guards will be able to handle anything else that turns up."

"Did we lose anyone?"

"Not this time, sir. Although Kix did have to patch up a few men from the last bomb. It would have been more if you hadn't held it back."

Anakin stared off into space as the ring of the explosion filled his mind. "I'm just glad this is all stopping. I don't think some of the other systems have calmed down, like Chandrila. We got lucky, but who knows what the other troops have had to deal with."

"How many systems have started riots?"

"Most of them. They're pretty scared, Rex." Anakin walked out of the bridge and turned to face him. "Finding out that the Chancellor has been a Sith the whole time has people pretty rattled. People don't know if they can trust the Republic anymore."

Rex nodded, then lowered his voice. "I've actually been meaning to ask about that, General." Anakin met the Captain's eyes. "If Palpatine has been Sideous the whole time, and he's been fighting against himself, then what's the point? Why start a war?"

Although he didn't know as much about the legality of the issue, he did his best to answer. "Normally, the Chancellor doesn't have that much power, but with the war, he gets more authority from the Senate."

"Which makes sense, but we've had men die for the Clone War," argued Rex. "Some Jedi too, I've heard, but if this whole war was just a power play, then what does that mean for all of the fallen? All of us?"

Anakin froze, realizing what Rex meant. He knew that the clones had been made for the sole purpose of the Clone War, by Palpatine. Now that they knew that the Clone War was just a cover for the Sith Lord, the clones had to be feeling pretty worthless right about now. Not to mention that clones and Jedi had given their lives to protect the Republic. "All those that died, they died..."

For nothing. They didn't say it aloud, but they knew it was true. They had been fighting for nothing. All of the time they had spent waging a war against the Separatists, it was worthless. All of the dead had given their lives, believing they were fighting for a worthy cause, but it was just so one man, one power-hungry, greedy man, could rise to the top.

Anakin knew there was nothing he could say, nothing that could heal what had been done, so he just told the Captain, "Go get some rest, Rex." The soldier nodded, but as he walked away, he could help but know that his creation, his purpose, seemed a lot less important now.

The Jedi watched him go, wishing there was something he could do. He had to deal with the truth as well, though, along with the entire Jedi Order.

They were supposed to be keepers of the peace, but for four years they had been leading a worthless war. They were supposed to protect civilians, but they had failed to protect even themselves from the greatest evil of the century, and it had been controlling their government the whole time. Not to mention that Anakin, the Chosen One, had been under Sideous' thumb for years now, and he was supposed to bring balance to the Force according to the prophecy.

As he walked to his quarters, he felt like ramming his head against the wall. No wonder Barriss wanted to attack the Order. If I had realized what was going on, I might have done it too. It explains what the Inquisitor was doing.

At least, until I knew who she was.

Anakin couldn't express in words how relieved he felt to know that Ahsoka was okay. Not only that, but she had managed to infiltrate the Separatists and had saved him, again, from making a really stupid decision. He couldn't be prouder of her, even though he wished that she didn't have to suffer in order to do so. Anakin knew he probably wouldn't see her again for a while, but at least she was alive.

He laid down to fall asleep, but as he slipped off into unconsciousness, one last thought crossed his mind. Caleb and the Younglings, they had been right all along. Go figure. Those kids had speculated about the Inquisitor like everyone else, but they were the only ones who had guess that Ahsoka had infiltrated the Separatists in order to betray them. Anakin heard Master Yoda in his ear as he began to dream, reminding him: Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.