Anakin hesitated before he knocked his metal fingers again the door, shifting his weight from foot to foot as if he were a youngling caught in some sort of mischief. Considering he was standing outside the room of Master Yoda, he was fairly sure he was not the only one who had been standing here nervously. He himself had stood here nervously on numerous occasions as both a Padawan, and as a knight during the Clone Wars too.

The door slid open, however, before Anakin could even tap against it it. Master Yoda was sitting on his Meditation mat, peering across the room at him.

"Much to think about on my doorstep you have, hmmm?"

"Yes Master," Anakin admitted, lowering his hand and his head guiltily. His conversation with Ahsoka had helped, his Padawan's youthful optimism, not yet jaded and dragged down by the Clone Wars, and the actions of the Council, brightening his own darkened thoughts.

"Come, sit with me, much we have to talk about," invited Yoda, gesturing to the meditation mat opposite from him. Anakin heeded the invitation, sitting down crossed legged on the mat.

"Arranged have you, to talk with your Clone Commanders?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka and I will be meeting with them this afternoon," Anakin told Yoda, who nodded, visibly pleased.

"Good this is, get as much done, we must, before suspect the Sith do. Something you want to talk to me about, you have? Or many somethings?"

"Many sounds about right," admitted Anakin, "there are some things I…was not comfortable talking about in front of the whole Council, despite now understanding that it is better for me to trust others."

"Difficult it is to break a habit formed over a lifetime," Yoda nodded, "but trying you are, progress there is. Proud of you, I am."

Anakin blinked in surprise… "thank you, Master," he bowed his head respectfully.

"Now, what is it that you would like to discuss?"

"During my meditations last night I searched my mind for clues…memories that may help us, knowledge that I need to share with the council…and I found something. I never realised it had started so early, although I should have. I found a bond with the Chancellor."

"Worrying this is," frowned Yoda, "that such a bond exists. Think, do you that this bond existed already prior to your coming back into your younger body?

"Was it there already, or is it the same bond that I had with Sideous when I was his apprentice?" clarified Anakin. Yoda nodded in corfirmation.

"it…it's from now. The bond we had when I was Vader…it was different. Stronger…darker. This feels like it's not as strong."

Yoda nodded in understanding, although still looked concerned by Anakin's revelation.

Anakin exhaled nervously, still relishing being able to control his own breathing, "Master Yoda…with this bond in existence already between the Sith Lord and I, and presuming the bond was there last time as well…would it be possible for him to put…visions in my head…dreams, if you like?"

Yoda rumbled thoughtfully, "Possible it is, had a dream have you?"

"No, not yet," Anakin admitted, feeling nauseous once again, "but last time I did. It was…it was a significant factor towards my falling to the Dark Side."

"Wondering are you, if planted this dream you had the Sith did, or if it was a true force vision?"

"Yes," Anakin nodded

"Difficult it is to know the difference, and impossible if the vision has yet to be dreamt," Yoda told him, "but likely it is that the Sith made the vision and planted it, using this force bond to do so."

Anakin looked down at his hands, guilt washing over him like a flood.

"So she might have lived, if I hadn't…hadn't fallen. I did kill her, by my actions. Sideous was right."

"Tell me, will you, whose death brings such distress?" Yoda gently enquired. Anakin felt his breath hitch, and tears rolled down his face, but he wiped them away and looked up at the Jedi Grand Master. It was time to come clean.

"Senator Padme Amidala," he told Yoda, "She and I…I have broken the Jedi code. Padme and I are married. I…Sideous planted a vision of her dying in childbirth."

"Against the Jedi code this is," chastised Yoda sternly, "but…more important things there are to consider. After the visions you had of your mother when captured she was, you thought that these dreams too were omens of the future?"

Anakin nodded, "he said that he could save her, that there was a Sith legend that could save someone when they were dying. After my fall she confronted me on Mustafar. Obi-Wan had snuck on board, knowing that she would lead him to me, but I don't think she knew. When I saw him I choked her, convinced that she'd brought Obi-Wan there deliberately…that she'd betrayed me. and That's when Obi-Wan and I fought, he was trying to get me to stop, to let her go. She was unconscious when I let her go. After I…woke up in the suit Sideous informed me that I'd killed her."

"The truth it was?'

"No," Anakin shook his head, "although she still died. I thought for years that I'd been the one to do it, but then I learned the truth. She lived long enough to give birth, to name our children."

"Children had you? Seen you with your Padawan, I have. A good father, you will make." Yoda smiled, nodding.

Anakin shook his head, "not when I was Darth Vader. I…I tortured my daughter for information, before I even knew who she was. They were raised in secret, separated from each other. My daughter was raised by Bail and Breha Organa on Alderaan, my son was brought up by my Step brother and his wife on Tattooine, with Obi-Wan close by for protection. It was my son that I learned about first, the best pilot in the Rebellion, the one who destroyed the Death Star. I tried to bring him to the dark side, try and convince him to become my apprentice and help me overthrow Sideous so we could rule together. He refused, and we fought. I cut off my own son's hand. I was a figure in both of their nightmares.

"And yet, your son's love for you brought you back to the light side of the force?"

"Yes. He had great capacity for love. He was so bright in the force…like a sun. I…I couldn't stand by and do nothing when Sidious tried to kill him."

"Proud you are of what achieved, he did?"

"Yes, I know it is not the Jedi way, but I am proud of him, and my daughter too."

"Alright it is, to feel pride in the achievements in our Padawans, in the younglings and those of our line" Yoda offered, "no different this is. It is being overly proud in ourselves the code discourages."

Anakin smiled and nodded in acceptance of the master's words.

"What should we do about the bond?"

"Help you to construct a shield around it, I will. Strong it must be, for too risky it is to remove the bond completely. Detect it, he will, and suspect why. Suspicion is the way of the Sith. Protect your thoughts and dreams, a shield will, prevent the bond getting stronger this will also achieve."

Anakin nodded, and Yoda shifted a little closer, taking Anakin's hands in his own, small, clawed ones.

"Meditate with me then."

STAR WARS

"Where did you duck off too?" Obi-Wan asked with a quirked brow and a teasing look on his face. Anakin felt his cheeks colour as he entered the room. It was obvious that Obi-Wan thought that Anakin had slipped away to meet with Padme.

"I actually went and talked about some things with master Yoda," Anakin replied, enjoying the look of surprise on Obi-Wan's face.

"Oh, well…that's good. Anything I need to be aware of?"

"Probably," admitted Anakin, thinking of the force bond he'd found deep in his mind, the one Sideous had forged without Anakin even being aware of it, "I told him about Padme."

"That…that took bravery Anakin. I'm impressed. Did he say anything?"

"He said that the situation with Sideous was more pressing and it will be discussed further at a later point in time," Anakin shrugged. He didn't like having the consequences for his decision to break the Jedi Code hanging over his head, but Yoda was right, they needed to deal with Sideous before anything else happened.

"Fair enough," Obi-Wan nodded.

"And besides, Padme's currently off world with Bail Organa dealing with some Senate business."

"Ah, I see," it was Obi-Wan's turn to blush a little.

"So, you haven't spoken to her since you came back?" enquired Ahsoka. Anakin dropped heavily into a chair. They were in Obi-Wan's apartment, his rank as a member of the council allowing him slightly bigger chambers. Anakin and Ahsoka's apartment was fine for the two of them, especially when they spent so much time away from Coruscant, but when it was going to be the three of them, plus Cody, Rex and Kix, with the possibility of one or more of the other members of the council joining them, Obi-Wan's was the better option.

"No," Anakin shook his head.

"Why…I would have thought you wanted to see her?" Obi-Wan looked surprised.

"It's been…23 years since you last saw her."

"The last time I saw her I almost killed her," Anakin pointed out, "I am the reason she died. She would have hated what I become."

"But you aren't a Sith now," Ahsoka protested, "you're still you."

"I know, Snips. I know I should talk to her, but…"

"but you don't know how to tell her?" Obi-Wan offered. Anakin nodded weakly

"I want to tell her everything but it would put her in so much danger. She has more contact with Sideous than any of us, and she can't protect herself, she doesn't have the ability to shield her mind against his. If he were to suspect that we knew who he was she'd be the first person he'd interrogate about it."

Ahsoka's face fell, having obviously not considered this, although Obi-Wan seemed to understand.

"This is a challenging situation for you," he sympathised.

"I know I have to tell her that I've let people know about us, but I don't know what else I should tell her. She's going to notice that I've changed, I know I'm acting differently to how I did the last time I was twenty. We also need her to be involved, she should be one of the senators we bring in to deal with the Death Star and make our allegations against Sideous. She's one of the Jedi order's biggest supporters in the Senate, we need her backing us."

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were saved from having to reply when there was a knocking on the door. Obi-Wan went and answered it, letting in Cody, Rex and Kix. They all removed their helmets when they entered the room, and Anakin felt himself smile as he beheld the clones.

By the time of his death there hadn't been any Clones still in the Imperial Navy. He'd kept on as many as he could in the 501st, but the numbers had dropped and dropped until there were no more left. Sideous had turned his back on the whole program, preferring to use ordinary men in his armed forces. Many of them had died over the course of various conflicts, but the others had been victims of the accelerated aging used during their creation. The rate of defections among clones was also high than among the regular human troops, something that had been attributed to the ageing and failing of the chips in the Clones…the verty same chip that had made Order 66 possible. Horrified by their actions and betrayal of their Jedi Generals and Commanders, the clones had turned their backs on the Empire, and more than a few had taken their own life, consumed by guilt over their perceived betrayal.

None of that had happened yet though, and Cody, Rex and Kix were all standing there in front of him.

"You called us here, Sirs?" Cody asked.

"Yes," Obi-wan nodded, "there has been a development…make yourselves comfortable. Would anyone like some Tea?"

Cody and Kix indicated that they would like some tea, and all three Clones settled down in Obi-Wan's seating area.

"You look a lot better than the last time I saw you, General," Rex commented lightly as Obi-Wan busied himself preparing the tea.

"I'll say," Agreed Kix, "no offence, Sir, but you looked like death warmed over on the Resolute."

"I'm getting there, don't worry," reassured Anakin. It was the truth. As time passed he had gotten used to breathing independently again, his twenty year old body automatically doing it for him. It was only in moments of silence when Anakin would register the silence and forget himself, panicking a little before he remembered that he didn't need the suit to survive.

"You're one of our Generals," argued Rex with a smile, "it's our job to worry."

"You're worried now? Give it an hour and it will be worse, trust me," Ahsoka told them with a wry smile.

"Are you alright General?" Kix was definitely concerned now, "you aren't sick are you?"

"No, I'm not sick," Anakin sighed, shooting a sideways look at Ahsoka, who looked immediately apologetic.

"No one is going to die," reaffirmed Obi-Wan, bringing over the tea for the Clones, and then seating himself, "that's what we're here to talk about. Preventing deaths."

"Isn't that what we've been fighting for all along?" Cody asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded, "it is, but…but we've recently learned something that…could lead to the deaths of many, both Jedi and Clones."

"What? Is it a Separatist plot?"

"No," Anakin shook his head, deciding to take the lead in the conversation. He glanced at Obi-Wan, who nodded in understanding.

"It's not the Separatists," Anakin continued, "It's a Sith plot…one that dates back to the creation of the first clones."

"Aren't Separatist plots the same as Sith plots. Aren't' they the same thing?' Cody inquired.

"Quite often, yes, but this plot…it doesn't involve anyone other than Dooku and his master. I have no reason to suspect that anyone under Dooku is aware of this plot, or at least, the depth of the plot. Some of the Kaminoans have got to be aware of it, I suppose."

"What is this plot?' frowned Kix.

"All Clones have chips implanted in their skulls," Anakin began, "they are designed to inhibit certain behaviours, but there is coding on this chip…coding that is designed to make you all respond to certain orders from the Chancellor. One of these orders is to kill all of the Jedi."

The three Clones looked horrified, "I would never hurt any of you," protested Cody, and Rex and kix nodded empathetically beside the Commander.

"We wouldn't."

"Why would I kill you when I've spent so much time patching you all up?"

"You wouldn't have a choice," interjected Obi-Wan.

"And if you did manage to ignore the coding every clone who was around you would turn on you as a Jedi sympathiser."

The horror deepened on the face of the Clones.

"I've seen it happen," Anakin admitted, "Cody and the 212th tried to kill Obi=Wan, and Rex and Ahsoka had to fight off half the 501st after Rex got his chip removed."

"What about Kix?" Rex inquired.

"He…wasn't involved," Anakin evaded. Kix was captured and was presumed dead before Order 66 had been carried out.

"Where did this intel come from?" Cody questioned, and what can we do to stop it happening?"

"What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room," Anakin told the Clones sternly, "it could put you in significant danger if the Sith suspect you know what is going on."

The three Clones nodded, and Anakin continued, "I have travelled back in time from the future. I saw all this happen, both personally, and through video feeds. I will not let the Jedi be destroyed. Not again."

The three Clones were silent. No one in the room made a sound. The only noise was the muffled noise of the Coruscant traffic. Anakin checked his breathing subconsciously, just to reassure himself.

"The Jedi…destroyed?" Cody eventually croaked out.

"Aside from a few scant survivors, yes."

"Even the young ones?" Rex's eyes flicked to Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka was one of the youngest to survive. The younglings still at the temple were all murdered," Anakin replied softly.

Kix shifted uncomfortably, "What can we do?"

"We need to remove the chips of as many Clones as we can," Anakin replied, "but, here's the hard part, we need to do it without the Senate being aware."

"Why would the senate need to not be informed, aren't they the ones who we're fighting for?" Cody asked curiously.

"Let's just say that the Sith have allies in the Senate and we cannot let the Sith suspect that we know about the chips. It may cause them to issue the order to destroy the Jedi early…which would be a disaster for the Jedi, and at this stage of the war, for the Republic too."

"The Jedi Council, however, are aware of this," Obi-Wan added carefully, "this isn't something that Anakin and I are trying to do on our own."

"I'll do it, I can't risk the lives of my Generals," Cody declared. Both Rex and Kix nodding emphatically in agreement.

"The procedure is not without risks, we are talking about your brains," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"With all due respect, General," Kix replied, "I'm a medic, I know the risks…but I refuse to stand by and risk that at any moment I'll just start trying to kill you all."

"Thank you, my friends." Obi-Wan smiled, glancing across at Anakin. Anakin was able to give a weak grin of his own in reply. They had Cody, Rex and Kix on board, and the 501st and 212th were bound to follow. Things were finally looking up.