On Teth, Ahsoka had finally gotten little Anakin Bonteri to bed. Had she been that hyper and obstinate as a kid? She rolled her eyes at herself; who was she kidding, she was that stubborn and energetic now. Lux kissed her as she turned out the light in their youngest son's room. Breaking the kiss, she smiled as they pressed their noses together. They had been having talks about having another baby while they still could, of course finding the time to not be interrupted by the kids they already had was a struggle.

"Coming to bed, baby?" Lux asked.

"In a minute. I've got a few things on my mind."

"Such as?"

"Well… Gràinne," Ahsoka replied.

"Oh." Lux was not a fan of his sister-in-law and had the one testicle and slight limp to show why. "Alright, but don't trouble yourself too much over it. Windu already threatened to wipe us out if we did anything."

"Windu is an idiot," Ahsoka argued, trying to keep her snipping at a whisper since her son was still in earshot.

"I'm not saying he isn't," Lux countered calmly, "but he is a very powerful idiot. If he sees the need to extend an olive branch then he will, but if he can wipe out your sister's Empire without help then that's even better."

"That's not what I'm worried about," Ahsoka admitted.

"Babe, what is it really? You can tell me."

"I know I can, it's just… well to be honest I'm not really sure myself. I'm going to meditate for a little bit, don't wait up."

"So… no baby-making tonight?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes at her husband. As suave as he typically was, he could also be really blunt. "Maybe." She would be downstairs in her meditation room for at least an hour, "Depends on if you can stay awake for me," she added with a wink. Descending the stairs, making sure she swayed her hips temptingly as she did so, she made her way to meditate. She could feel something, or someone, reaching out to her, she needed answers and she needed them now. Sitting cross-legged in the floor on a semi-soft mat on the floor, Ahsoka closed her eyes and reached out into the Force, trying to have the Light shine in the darkness, have some kind of answers revealed. Plunging into the Light Side, she surrendered herself totally to its will.

On Talamh, Gràinne sat next to her now bed-ridden child, holding her hand, her own having a few bite marks from where her daughter had not recognized her own mother and thought she was a threat. Aislinn had been collapsing if she so much as stood, her memory was fading fast, and all her mother could do was watch. Aislinn barely ever recognized her anymore. Hydria's secrets had been all but pointless, but his power had somewhat helped her. She knew where Sidious was hiding. The only question was how to break into the stronghold he had taken shelter within. She had to go meditate before she broke down into tears again. She couldn't bear to watch this anymore. Sitting on her knees on the stone floor in her bedchamber, she closed her eyes, calling to the Darkness, forcing it to bend to her will, to provide some answer as to how she could finally heal her baby. She plunged into the Dark Side to give her strength, to give her answers. Reaching out into the Force, she grasped at anything, any semblance of what she sought, anything, even-

"Sister," Gràinne called, seeing her sibling's visage in the Force.

Ahsoka's eyes snapped open, whirling to her feet and igniting her sabers. "Gràinne," she snarled. The longer she looked at her sibling the more she wanted to hack her to bits. Her dark twin sensed her anger.

"Ahsoka… I need your help."

"I will never help you."

"It isn't for me," Gràinne took a deep breath and swallowed her pride, "It's for your niece."

"Niece?"

"My daughter. She's dying. We can't find a cause and I'm doing everything I can to find a way to save her."

Ahsoka lowered her blades slightly and looked to the side, "How old is she?"

"Nineteen," Gràinne answered. A year older than Mina.

"What's her name."

"Aislinn."

Ahsoka lowered her blades, still ignited, and stood at relative ease. Her first had not been the only pregnancy she had lost, far from it. She knew the pain of losing a child. Shaking her head, memories of her sister's crimes coming back, "No!" she shouted, "Genocide is never excusable. Not even to save your own daughter!"

"That was deserved justice. They enslaved many of my people, I feel no remorse for giving them what they deserved."

"Then you are much of a monster as they were."

"Yes," Gràinne agreed, still in her kneeling position, "I know I am. I don't care, so long as I can prevent anyone else from being enslaved. And I'm willing to do it a thousand times over if it means I can help not only my daughter but millions of others evade death."

"I won't help you."

"Not even to destroy our mutual enemy? Sheev Palpatine?"

Ahsoka was taken aback for a moment but steeled her gaze again, "What could you possibly know about him? Besides, you're a Sith. If you want to kill him you should do it yourself. That's your way, isn't it?"

"I can kill him myself, that isn't the problem."

"Then what is?" Ahsoka interrupted.

"I cannot get inside the Jedi Temple to do so."

"W-what?"

"Palpatine has taken refuge in the Sith Shrine the Temple was built on top of. The same Dark Nexus which awakened me. I can capture Palpatine or kill him. That is no issue, but I can't sneak into the Jedi Temple to do so."

Ahsoka shook her head, "No. You lie."

"It is where I have found him to be. He has been gathering his followers underneath the Temple for decades and is almost ready to strike at your precious Republic, right from under your own Temple." Gràinne stood and walked around her sibling, gazing at her old sword, hanging on the wall. "You kept it."

"Only because Master Kenobi told me to," Ahsoka snapped, "and there is no way in Hell I will ever help a Sith get into the Temple, even if it isn't mine anymore."

"Oh yes, my spies have told me about your little falling out. Half the order is at the ready to slaughter the other, the half that is making the same moves as Palpatine, but far more publicly than he."

"Go. Away."

Sighing in disappointment, Gràinne lifted her face to meet her sister's, yellow eyes staring into Ahsoka's blue. "I had hoped we could have been allies."

"Never."

"Can you at least do me one favor?"

"What?"

"Tell your friend I'm sorry."

"What?"

"The green one, I forget her name… she saved my husband from death. She gave me my daughter. For that I will always be grateful."

"I…" Ahsoka stopped, wanting to snap at her, wanting to wring her sister's neck from across the galaxy for everything she did all those years ago, everything she did a few days ago, "I'll pass the message along to Barriss and her wife."

"Thank you."

Turning away Ahsoka gathered her thoughts, "But I can't-" Gràinne was gone, and with her, her old sword.

To say the Naboo were infuriated was an understatement. Not only had their Senator just been murdered by Senate Commandos in an illegal arrest led by the Jedi Party, but their Queen, a child, had died in the hospital a few days later from her injuries. Add to that a Dark Jedi ransacking Theed city centre in a duel with their former representative, whom she left dead in the middle of the street, and Anti-Jedi and Anti-Republic riots rocked the planet and Naboo enclaves across the galaxy, with protestors going so far as to hang and burn effigies of Chancellor Sinube and Master Windu. The Naboo system and any area on Coruscant with a strong Naboo cultural presence was a no-go zone for Force-Sensitives. Windu sat in Chancellor Sinube's office to discuss the matter.

"What we are dealing with is the result of your blatant misuse of power!" Sinube shouted, trying to break through the stubborn Jedi's thick skull.

"What we are dealing with is Neo-Separatist sympathies," Windu countered. He knew well enough where this was going, "Our arrest was completely legal."

"Only as of five hours after going to do it!" Sinube shouted back, "And that's not even getting into the fact that you shot an unarmed Senator, and their Queen! And not just any Queen, a little girl!"

"He resisted arrest; the Commandos are authorized to use lethal force if they see necessary."

"On the child as well?!"

"She was an unfortunate casualty, caught in the cross-fire."

"Are you Jedi not sworn to defend the Republic? Not sworn to defend its people?!"

"We are sworn to defend the Republic from any threat, and I do mean any threat. If these Neo-Separatists don't calm themselves, then Naboo will be seen as a threat to Republic stability."

"You can't be serious!"

"I am not a joking man," Windu replied, his eyes narrowed, "As per the repeals of the Ruusan Reformation, we are fully authorized to take full control of the Republic military should we see the need-"

"But only with the express permission of the Senate! Until then I am Supreme Commander of the GAR! And unless you fancy 'Order 66' slipping out of my mouth I suggest you cease your power-grab at once!"

"'With the express permission of the Senate,'" Windu repeated, "Yes, but that does not mean we are obligated to ignore the sparks of another civil war, and there is no Sith Lord in control of both sides to ensure Republic victory this time… unless you have a confession to make."

"What are you insinuating?"

"I insinuate nothing. I sense a darkness in this room."

"And if the 'darkness,' is you?" Sinube challenged, getting into the Jedi Grand Master's face, "And you are too blind, or conceited, to realize it?"

"Impossible. A Jedi would know such things."

"Like how the Jedi 'would know such things' as Palpatine's evil sitting a meter in front of him?"

"This conversation is over," Windu declared with finality. Standing he reiterated, "We were well within our legal rights and we will not apologize for the misplaced shots of a few Commandos."

As Windu turned to walk out of the Chancellor's office Sinube shouted "This isn't over! Jedi! In his final days my cousin was ashamed that he was ever inducted into your cult!" The door swished shut behind Windu, leaving Chancellor Sinube seething.