"Lay down your weapons Jedi," Darth Mirayya ordered as both her guests entered the dining parlor with lightsabers lit and held vertically, in an almost ceremonious manner in front of their faces. "Do you really believe they will help you against us?"

"Clearly the new Sith order is skilled with the saber," Obi-Wan said, though he obediently deactivated his blue blade, followed by Quinlan, "but nevertheless, I would believe we stand a fighting chance."

"Believe what you want, but it's only polite to clarify for us, Jedi: are you here to fight? Or to treat and speak civilly, as your message indicated?" She floated two goblets of wine, Amidala's Vintage of course, towards the two Jedi on the other side of the table. "We all know how well the aggression option worked out for Master Ki-Adi-Mundi. But if you are truly here for a peaceful, civil discussion then we welcome you to whatever refreshments you may require."

The two Jedi approached the table cautiously, both taking a seat. Quinlan Vos took immediately his glass, taking a healthy sip, while Obi-Wan ignored his at first.

"Was Senator Palpatine your Sith master," Obi-Wan addressed Padmé directly. "I figure it was either the Senator, or Chancellor Valorum, but seeing how Palpatine comes from here on Naboo, it would have given him ample time to train you."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Padmé's face. "You must understand that I cannot reveal to you all the secrets of the Sith all at once...but I will say, Master Kenobi, that you do credit to your sterling and well-deserved reputation."

Obi-Wan returned her smile. "To think then, that I was present at the destruction of two Siths."

"But only responsible for one, and believe me, the notch on my belt was infinitely more formidable than that creature you did away with in Theed."

"What about Chancellor Valorum then? An innocent bystander killed alongside the Sith master, were my hypothesis accurate?"

"A fair trade, do you think not?"

"The Jedi value the lives of every sentient," Quinlan said, "milady."

"So the Jedi would save one life at the expense of trillions. Ani, do you remember Master Kenobi teaching you this aspect of the Code when you were a child?"

"Did Ki-Adi-Mundi value the lives of the innocent diplomats he endangered on Takodana," Anakin spoke, further countering the Kiffar Jedi.

"I'll concede the latter," Obi-Wan said, taking his first sip of wine. "That unfortunate raid has certainly chipped away at some of our moral high ground."

"We move on," Padmé said firmly. "There is little more to be gained with what I'm sure would be a very compelling philosophical debate, so let's not waste time. I do not relish the idea of meeting behind close doors, away from my co-Consulars. However, it is my hope an understanding here will ultimately stand beneficial to the galaxy as a whole...so long as an understanding is reached."

"It is really is a compelling story, isn't it," Obi-Wan said, taking another sip of his wine. "Young girl taken advantage of by an older mentor, unwillingly trained into the dark arts, finally sees an opportunity to free herself and does so, incidentally saving the galaxy in the process. It's all very convenient, like something out of an Alderaanian fairy tale."

"You say story, I say truth," Padmé maintained. "And believe me, nothing relating to my training under Darth Sidious was convenient by any means."

"And for that, I'm so sorry, I really am. No one deserves that, especially at such a young age."

"Had you been discovered by the Jedi," Quinlan added, "you could have been saved from such a cruel fate."

"Had I been discovered been the Jedi," Padmé countered, setting her hand on Anakin's, "I may not have met and married the love of my life." Though she wondered on that one, for there were clearly forces greater than the Jedi. She turned her gaze back to the Jedi, her eyes cruel. "And even if we found happiness regardless of your damn Code...it would have been quite short-lived."

"What are you saying," Obi-Wan asked, sensing the warning behind her words. "What was your Darth Sidious planning?"

"The complete and utter annihilation of the Jedi," Anakin said coldly.

"How is that possible?" Obi-Wan looked over at Quinlan. "Could it be..."

"The weapon from Geonosis," Quinlan suggested darkly. "The one Senator Organa supposedly dreamed about?"

"Hardly," Padmé scoffed. "The Death Star would have been an abomination, don't get me wrong, but what Sidious planned was more subtle and much more complete than something that can only handle one planet at a time."

"It would have been right under your noses, it would have been instantaneous, and none would have been aware of what was happening until it was it was too late," Anakin summarized.

The two Jedi could not help but react and look at each other apprehensively. It was Quinlan who spoke after this startling revelation, "I presume you are not going to tell us how he could have accomplished this?"

"No," Padmé said, "but suffice to say, it will not be happening. We have no intentions towards genocide, and we have disabled the means with which Sidious planned to achieve his ends."

"Oh good," Obi-Wan said, sarcasm creeping into his voice. "Quinlan, did you hear that? Her majesty does not intend to commit mass murder."

"I understand," Padmé said calmly, though her lips were as thin as her patience. "When faced with the weaknesses and failures of one's entire life's work and meaning, barbed comments serve as a much easier coping mechanism compared to something such as, say...true introspection."

"I apologize for any disrespect, milady," Obi-Wan acknowledged. "Far-fetched as your claims may be, I and the Jedi Order do owe you the benefit of the doubt."

"Yes, we had to drag your precious benefit of the doubt out of you tooth and nail, kicking and screaming, didn't we?" Her teeth grit against each other as she forced herself to continue smiling at her counterparts. "You would clearly prefer unrequited violence as your approach, your salvation resting with a lack of passion in your hearts whilst you commit acts of murder. We speak civilly now, but only because somehow, even your High Council miraculously recognizes the disadvantage of your order's current position. One which, I'm sure, many of your Order believe to be of temporary status."

"Yes," Quinlan came in to his friend's defense, "we are disadvantaged right now, aren't we? Because of your doing, because you put Nute Gunray in power and the galaxy is endangered daily because of your devising."

"Strong accusations," Anakin argued. Free to let his shielding down now that the truth now stood revealed, he let loose the full strength of his power emanate out from his body towards the two Jedi, watching carefully the reactions both Jedi tried to conceal as they felt for the first time just how truly powerful their Chosen One could be. Were they to make an enemy of him, of course. "As far as I know, every member of the Senate voted in the last election of their own accord. As far as my wife tried to influence the election, she did so putting every effort and fiber of her being not to elevate herself, but moreso to prevent a Chancellor Gunray that she was ultimately powerless to stop."

Obi-Wan scoffed. "Powerless? Are you to tell me the Sith would not resort to dirty tricks in order to secure power?"

"Would you have encouraged me to cheat, Master Jedi?"

"Why not," Quinlan challenged. "You have been lying to us every moment since Cato Neimoidia...to think, we were relying on your help to catch the Sith. Clearly that could have never happened, could it?"

"What did you expect us to do," Anakin asked. "Admit our true heritage to you and stand lamely while you run us through?"

"You led us on a wild bantha chase...," Obi-Wan started.

"I formulated a plan to obtain the incriminating evidence the Trade Federation gathered on the Senate and once accomplished, duly handed it over to the Jedi," Padmé asserted triumphantly. That was not something either Jedi could deny.

Quinlan Vos responded, almost yelling his accusation now. "You used it to lure Trade Federation to assassinate you so as to elevate your own status just in time for the election for a new Chancellor."

Padmé laughed. "So let me spell out what you are accusing me of, Jedi. You accuse me of trying to manipulate and cause my own assassination while knowing it would fail. For what purpose? Well, you then accuse me of somehow manipulating Senators Fafi and even Clovis, my own ally, into betraying me and trying to kill me...again, somehow with the foreknowledge that even Chancellor Antilles would be complicit in the planning."

"Not impossible," Quinlan pressed. "Chancellor Antilles was implicated in the extortion footage, after all. Your press conference was too much of a temptation for him to save his own career."

"So rather than release the footage to the public, which would have caused both Antilles to resign and made me the most popular politician in the galaxy, I do my best to keep it from the Trade Federation, the corrupt senators, the public, ultimately, I repeat, handing it over to the Jedi for safekeeping for the good of the Republic and knowing that afterwards, this footage, so politically helpful to my own career and not to mention the immediate election at hand, would be hidden from the galaxy forever. By Shiraya, Gods forbid if I ever acted in my own interest for once...not only would I be Chancellor by now, but probably an Empress and perchance even a goddess!" Padmé pounded the table, feigning actual regret as she continued to maintain her innocence in front of Obi-Wan and Quinlan.

"Play the selfless saint card all you want Amidala," Obi-Wan grumbled. "You still used us as bait for the Trade Federation and Fafi and Antilles."

"That was self-preservation," Anakin said stonily. "You were all so set on finding your evil Sith lords...we had to do something to throw you off our scent."

"Coincidentally, you just happened to name all whom the Jedi serve even today," Padmé remarked. "Fafi, the Trade Federation, and all the other complicit Senators who tried to kill two vaunted members of your own order."

"Whose fault is that?" Obi-Wan waved his hand dismissively at Padmé, who was about to speak. "Oh please, don't tell me you had absolutely nothing to do with this...debasement of the Republic. And isn't it just so convenient that when the Republic is in need of saving, Darth...oh whatever, Senator Amidala is there to lead the resistance?"

"I know nothing of your base accusations," Padmé protested evenly. "I will repeat again that I have no control over the actions of the Trade Federation, or the slight majority of Senators who, despite hours of personal pleading, have and now continue to ever fervently support Chancellor Gunray." She allowed a light smile to grace her face. "Although...it is a good thing, is it not?"

"How can you justify such words Consular," Quinlan asked, his eyes narrowing. "Never has the Republic been lower in act, in deed, and in the eyes of its citizens."

"Yes, all that is unfortunate," Padmé replied softly, "but let's not give Nute Gunray that much credit, shall we?"

"What do you mean," Obi-Wan asked.

"Your esteemed Chancellor did not invent the rot that plagues the Republic, it has long existed before his elevation to power. Now, the flaws of those who purport to represent and lead this galaxy have been laid bare for all to see, rather than lie hidden and concealed and allowed to continue to fester under the cover of darkness." She took a triumphant sip of wine. "There is a saying on Naboo, after all: light, is the best disinfectant. Now that we know the enemy, we can eradicate it."

The two Jedi turned to look at each other, exchanging an indecipherable gaze between each other, before returning their attentions to the sith couple.

"Odd proverb for a Sith to cite," Obi-Wan said, "but very well...I believe that is as much of a confession as we'll ever receive from you."

Padmé shrugged. "Believe what you will, master Jedi."

"What is it you intend then," Quinlan asked. "Surely it's not just the liberation and restoration of the Republic."

"No," Anakin said with quiet thunder. "Certainly not a restoration of the Republic as it was: one that allowed corruption, slavery, and all sorts of illicit trades and crimes to flow freely."

"We, alongside my co-Consulars and all the Senators and sovereigns of the Alliance work towards a better Republic, one that has learned from past failures, a dynamic engine capable of constant renewal to respond to the growing challenges of each new day."

"Yes," Obi-Wan sighed, "we've all seen your official statements and propaganda, but if you insist that is the extent of your political aims...well I suppose there's little we can do to trick you into admitting to any further motives, whether or not they exist."

"A presumption of guilt ," Padmé cooed. "It appears the Jedi sense of justice has already seen itself influenced by our current Chancellor."

"It is a simple matter of history and the very nature of the Dark Side," Obi-Wan responded, not backing down. "What are your intentions for the Jedi then, if you claim to not advocate for our genocide? Is it conversion you intend? A slow slide towards corruption and influence such as you are attempting now?"

The younger sith scoffed. "Obi-Wan, that is preposterous. Clearly there is no future with the Sith order for either one of you. What are we supposed to call you two? Darth Angry Hair? Darth Fluffy or Scruffy?"

"Darth Say-Something-Flippant-or-Ironic-in-an-Uncomfortable-or-Awkward-Situation-to-Remain-Constantly-Emotionally-Unattached-from-the-Situation-and-all-those-Present," Padmé added, smirking.

Obi-Wan returned her humor, pointing his finger at the Consular. "Point to the sith, I suppose."

"We wish for peace," Amidala said in a more official tone. "Peace between the Jedi and the Sith...is that truly so beyond the reach of your imaginations? After not, do you not already seeing it happening, as more and more Jedi choose to come to the assistance of the Alliance?"

"I cannot deny the current situation, but a true, lasting peace will require mutual trust between our two orders."

Padmé reached out her hand. "Then let us renew our trust, masters Jedi. I know we have lied to you in the past, for reasons I will not apologize for. Now, let us move forward towards a better future for our orders and the galaxy we share."

"Do you think they bought it," Quinlan asked later as they sat in their quarters, after both had once again scanned their room vigorously for bugs or any other listening devices. "Did we put up enough of a fight?"

"I think we appeared genuine because we were," Obi-Wan replied thoughtfully. "Our questions, our doubts, our skepticism...there was no acting there." Though there were some subjects that Obi-Wan knew he avoided and did not press, for once voiced there would be no room for compromise.

Few knew of their actual mission here. Yoda, possibly. They had approached Mace Windu after yet another Council debate regarding the meaning of the Sith's reemergence to suggest the plan. Obi-Wan presumed that Mace had confided in those he trusted the most. He had to credit the Korun master for handling the situation remarkably well, especially considering the fact that his own former Padawan had been one of the Jedi killed on Takodana. It seemed almost too easy for Yoda and the other masters to flee to Dagobah, while Master Windu had to deal with the actual repercussions of the revelation and the war.

"Are you nervous?"

Obi-Wan walked over to the balcony, where in the evening light he could see the walls of Varykino across the lake from their guest villa. He took a sip of wine, the Sith Consul having provided them ample bottles of her own product.

"I have faced much worse Sith than these two...children, play-acting as the real thing."

"Yet they took down this Darth Sidious," Quinlan said. "I have a feeling he would have been unlike anything we have ever encountered, especially judging from the designs for that death star weapon."

"If our suspicions are correct, and Sidious was Senator Palpatine, then it seemed more...an accident...a mere fluke."

"Yes, a fluke," Quinlan said soberly. "One that was not felt by the two Jedi onboard the ship, nor the experienced sith master who they claim was on the brink of destroying the entire Jedi Order..."

"Do you believe that? What they said about the plans of Sidious?"

"I do," Quinlan said. "I felt nothing but pure truth."

"I did too." Obi-Wan mulled the room thoughtfully. "For them to have killed Sidious, like you said, undetected, would have required significant shielding techniques. And the boy's raw power...I suppose you're right. We would do well not to underestimate them."

"I do not fear Amidala or her boy," Quinlan said, his face inscrutable. "I'm no killer, but I am a trained warrior. I will fight, if necessary. If I win, so be it. If I die, I join the Force. I do not fear death."

"I do not accuse you of fear," Obi-Wan said, sitting next to Quinlan on the balcony. "But I feel some...unrest in you."

"What if this mission is more...complicated than when we first drew it out?"

The mission was simple, Obi-Wan thought. Infiltrate the Sith. Avoid the temptations of the Dark Side. Gauge and discover their true intentions. If they were truly benevolent, inform the Council. But if Amidala and Skywalker presented any threat to the Jedi Order and the Republic, inform the Council...then destroy the sith. And who better to carry out the mission besides Obi-Wan, who knew the couple personally better than any Jedi who still actively reported to Coruscant, and Quinlan, whose entire career consisted of deep-cover missions.

"I suppose to truly get them to confide in us..."

"Yes, there's that," Quinlan said. He gulped, and would have floated over his own glass of wine had he not wanted to avoid his friend's friendly reproach for such flippant use of the Force. "But what if we accomplish that part of the mission...and find our answers meriting more than just a binary choice?"

"We shall have to trust in the Force, old friend, and keep an open mind to its tidings."

"Can we trust them?"

"You want to, don't you?"

Anakin looked down at the floor, almost shamefully. "I know. It's too good to be true, no matter how much I want to believe it, for those two to freely offer us their services after such a superficial interrogation." He smiled ruefully at his wife. "It would be like the old times again. We did all have fun on Ryloth didn't we? And on Naboo."

Padmé laughed, and it was a delightful sound, something he had not heard since Takodana. "Naboo? For that reunion you'd have to invite Jar-Jar. And Qui-Gon's ghost somehow magically returned from the afterlife."

Anakin gently moved to hold his wife, and together they looked out the window. Across the lake was the Jedi's guest villa, and he could feel their presences, but no more. They were severely guarded, shielded.

"They are here to spy on us, see what we're really about."

"Let them," Padmé said, softness and steel in her voice both. "They will be of use to us, even under guise. But we cannot let our guard down."

He leaned down to kiss her neck and frowned. Letting go of his wife, he firmed massaged with his fingers her shoulders and upper back. "You're tense."

"The days are long," Padmé said, gasping as she enjoyed the sensations. "And there's so much work to be done."

"Come away with me," Anakin whispered into her ear. "Let's run away somewhere. Somewhere far in the Outer Rim, where no one can find us. Just a day or two...leave this war and Jedi and all this madness behind."

He felt his wife smile wistfully and knew her answer. "I wish we could, Ani. The stakes have never been higher now. Everyone will be watching us: Mothma, Organa, more and more Jedi. Even if we did not have a war to conduct...any unexplained absence will be noted with suspicion by all." She leaned her head backwards, taking in her husband's clear blue eyes, so longing, and so hard to say no to. "Once we take over, then we'll have time."

"Will we though?" With one motion, he flipped her around and toss her onto their bed, landing on top of her himself. "Terrorizing the galaxy will be very time consuming, I've no doubt."

Giggling in a way unbecoming of a sith lord, Padmé batted her fists playfully against her husband's chest. Undeterred, he pressed himself of her, laughing and feeling almost like they were just another couple. He covered her face with gentle kisses, his lips grazing her lips, her chin, her forehead, before he buried his face on the bed next to hers. When he spoke, his voice was muffled by the bed and the thick strands of brown hair by his mouth.

"It feels so far away, doesn't it?"

She stroked his back gently, enjoying the full weight of her husband on top of her. "What does, my love?"

Lifting his head, Anakin spoke close to her face so that she could feel his breath with each word.

"Everything. Power. Conquest. The galaxy. The throne. So close, yet so far"

"Our thrones," Padmé corrected, clenching his shoulders with her fingers. She repeated the words again, more fervently, passionately. "Our thrones."

"One day," Anakin sighed wistfully. "We may be giants yet...but right now, doesn't it seem so...distant?" He looked around the room and back out the window towards the lake. "Look at us, flirting around like teenagers, having Obi-Wan babysit us just like before."

Padmé laughed shyly. "You're the only teenager here."

"Only for a few more days." A wicked grin appeared on Anakin's face. "They say on Tatooine men reach their sexual peak in their twenties."

She licked her lips like a predator. "I can't wait to find out...but there's no need to waste these last days."

HannahKathleen: I'm sure Amedda and Fafi will try to betray Gunray if the right opportunity presents itself...

TheWateringWizard: Absolute power and an existential crisis a day is surely taking a toll on Gunray's sanity!

Praetor-Canis: Sorry for the slightly misleading cliffie. This and the last chapter were supposed to be one, but I knew I had to cut it off and post it then, else wait close to 2 weeks. As for Obi-Wan, yes in canon he was presented with ample opportunity to deviate from the Code but never fully followed the path of his master Qui-Gon. Here...I'd imagine he'd be given the opportunity as well. We'll see what he does with it.

DarthDrachonus: Good intentions maybe, but we'll see how long they stay good

Nightshade's sydneylover150: Yet the die also lies in Obi-Wan's hands.

ichigo urahara Shihoin: He's getting there!