A/N:Disney owns Star Wars, along with way too much of everyone's childhood. All the same, when they war with Google for control of the planet, I'll still sign up with them, because at least Mickey's Magical Re-education Camps will have excellent rides.

The changes to canon after our mission to Mandalore ended up being a little more extensive than I expected; due to Pre Vizsla's death, Sael Osool's help, and Dooku pulling his support, the Death Watch quickly crumbled. As a result, the conspiracy to make Mandalore look bad in the Senate by making Death Watch seem more dangerous than it really was stopped practically before it started, which in turn made Padme's push to begin trade with the Neutral Systems go through without a hitch... which in turn meant that Almec wouldn't have to resort to the whole black market conspiracy to keep supplies moving in... which in turn meant that, for all intents and purposes, Mandalore was safe and stable for the foreseeable future. It kind of took me by surprise how such a minor change could have such wide-reaching effects. That being said, there were still some things that happened more or less the same as in canon; for instance, once Master Obi-Wan and I got back from Mandalore, we learned that we missed the whole affair with Boba Fett and Aurra Sing trying to kill Master Windu.

I meditated on all of this in my quarters at the temple; it had been almost a week since our mission to Mandalore, and judging by what I knew of the timeline, the Battle of Kamino wouldn't be that far away... which meant that I might have to duel some pretty scary people if I were to go with Master Obi-Wan. As a padawan with only a few months of training, I knew I would have to seriously step up my game to stay alive, so I decided to start planning my lightsaber focus accordingly. Form III, Soresu, was Master Obi-Wan's preferred form—not surprising considering he's often considered the single greatest master of the style. A big part of what made that form's defense so formidable was reliant on the practitioner having a great deal of skill in sensory and precognitive abilities, and with my insanely developed sensitivity in that area, I'd have very little problem with the whole "impenetrable fortress" thing once I really got going. The only problem was that the style had no real offensive component; Master Obi-Wan got around this with his initial background in Form IV, Ataru, but due to the opposing natures of the two styles, the transition between Soresu's perfect defense and Ataru's focus on pure offense was something only a high-level master could pull of without a hitch. I was fairly certain that I'd never quite be on that level, which meant finding a way to bridge the gap between the two to make the transitions easier, as well as improving on the defense area just in case.

With all of that in mind, I had a good idea of what my own style would eventually look like; I would try to copy Master Obi-Wan's Soresu Defense/Ataru Offense hybrid, but combine it with Form V, Shien/Djem So, more than Ataru. It made a good deal of sense; Form V was developed from Soresu, so it would perfectly compliment my defensive abilities, and serve as the keystone that held it all together. I'd defend with a combination of Form III and Form V, then use the latter's ability to parry and instantly counter in the same motion to seamlessly transition to an offensive posture once I found an opening. Form IV's speed would let me dodge what I couldn't block, and once I got on the offensive its speed and fluidity would help me press the advantage. Last but not least, the power of Djem So would make for good finishing maneuvers once Ataru got me into a good position to do so.

Thankfully, as I noted previously, Master Obi-Wan had training in Ataru... and a certain togruta padawan was also skilled in it, and not to mention was being personally trained by one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) masters of Form V who ever lived. The trick would be finding time to practice with her...

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my door. "Hey, Kevin, are you in there?"

Speak of the padawan. "Yeah, come on in, Ahsoka. I was just finishing up my meditations."

I stood up to greet her as she entered. "So, what's up? Is there a new mission?"

"Yeah, but not for us," Ahsoka replied, shaking her head. "Our respective Masters are going off to fight on Balith; something about a civil war there."

This was a change in canon that kind of confused me; in the series, only Anakin went off to Balith. I didn't see any reason for the change beyond the possibility that my very presence was just making Master Obi-Wan make slight changes in his decisions. I dropped the thought for the moment, figuring it wasn't important.

"I'm guessing you probably wanted to go with them, huh?"

She sighed dejectedly. "I always learn better on the battlefield, but Master Skywalker wanted me to try and do some studying here for a change. It's really kind of boring, so I figured if I was gonna be stuck here, I might as well find someone to train with."

Well, I guess I didn't need to worry about how to ask her. "Sounds like a plan. I was actually thinking about asking you to help me practice. I might even have a few ideas on where we could start..."

"Anakin, I have a question."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"What brief madness made me decide to join you on this mission?"

Obi-Wan and Anakin were currently being assaulted by almost a full contingent of battle droids; the conflict was, as a result, rather one-sided.

"Oh, admit it, Obi-Wan. You'd have missed me if you hadn't come," Anakin said, casually destroying droids left and right. "Besides, it could always be worse."

Before Kenobi could berate Anakin for tempting fate, no fewer than ten advanced droidekas rolled in and joined the melee, forcing the pair to retreat.

"Yes, this is far better than a nice, quiet bit of meditation back at the temple. I'm just glad our respective padawans won't be getting into any trouble..."

Back at the temple, my lightsaber training with Ahsoka was going fairly well. I had a long way to go before reaching her level, but fortunately I was progressing relatively quickly. For the moment, we were both sitting down on the floor, taking a breather in between sparring bouts.

"Oof... You hit like a freight train, Ahsoka."

She smiled proudly. "Comes with having Skyguy as a Master. Your defense is pretty solid, though; you held me off pretty well for a while there."

"Yeah, until you whacked me in the head with the training saber," I replied, rubbing the spot in question. "That whole fluid riposte thing is tricky; my arms just seem to want to stay locked in close when I parry."

She chuckled a bit. "It's okay, I had the same problem when I first started studying Form V. You just need to develop a bit of muscle memory is all—"

Our conversation was interrupted in a rather unexpected way. As I've said before, it's hard to describe the Force to anyone who doesn't have the ability to use or feel it; I felt myself pulled out of the world in my mind, the whole room and everything in it falling away and being replaced by something else. One second I was sitting with Ahsoka, the next she and I were running through a hallway; we were in a near-panic, there was danger and we were desperately rushing to stop it. We burst through a door to see Padme Amidala standing in front of a window, a shot rang out...

"WHOA!"

"AAH!"

And just like that, I was back in the training area across from Ahsoka. It took me a couple of seconds to realize that she had yelped as well; looking over at her, I also noticed that she seemed as worried as I felt at what had just happened.

"Kevin... did you feel that, too?"

"Yeah. I think we just shared a vision..."

A couple of moments passed before I suddenly remembered something about the series, specifically about what happened in the episode where Anakin left Ahsoka behind to go to Balith. Her expression mirrored my own as she had her own revelation, which led both of us to a simultaneous statement of the same conclusion.

"Senator Amidala is in danger."

Anakin and Obi-Wan both managed to make it back to their forward operating base camp safely after their ill-fated attempt at reconnaissance with little more than a few light scrapes. While the clone troopers around them prepared for an incoming assault, the two used the brief moment to catch their breaths.

"Hey, Obi-Wan, you seem a little off today. What's up?"

Kenobi looked up. "Oh, it's nothing. Just considering some words from my new padawan."

"That's a 'nothing'? I figured my time under you would have taught you that padawan words can be more than just a 'nothing'. Did something happen on your mission?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his head. "...you could say that, yes. But I'll be fine, don't worry."

"You sure?" A sympathetic look came over Anakin's face. "I'm here to talk if you need me. Who knows, maybe I might be able to help with whatever it is that's bothering you."

Obi-Wan didn't have an answer to give, which was good considering that their army's preparations were completed just in time for the enemy to come into sight of their forward scouts.

He sighed a bit as he ran toward the front line. "We can chat later, Anakin. We have work to do now..."

One of the things that intrigued me about meeting the characters here was that while some of them (such as Master Obi-Wan, Palpatine, and Mace Windu) looked more or less identical to their live-action actors, others (such as Anakin) looked a bit closer to their animated counterparts. Ahsoka and I took a transport to Padme Amidala's apartment, and on the way I silently wondered which version she would be; I didn't have long to wonder once we arrived. As Captain Typho, her head of security, lead us into her chambers, I found myself face-to-face with Not!Natalie Portman. Suffice to say, it was more than a little awkward for me.

Typho spoke with a highly professional monotone as he introduced us. "Senator, padawans Ahsoka Tano and Kevin Caller are here to see you."

"Ahsoka! It's so good to see you," Padme said, giving the togruta a slightly less-than-completely-formal bow before turning to me. "It's very nice to meet you, Kevin Caller."

My response was to nervously avert my gaze and scratch the back of my head with one arm. "Um... it's just Kevin, if you like... er, I mean, it's an honor to meet you, Senator!"

She responded with a gentle chuckle and a warm smile. "That's perfectly all right, 'Kevin'. I may have come from a privileged background, but I prefer not to put on too many airs or make myself as unapproachable as so many in the Senate tend to. Besides, any friend of Ahsoka's is a friend of mine."

"Sorry, Senator, but this isn't a social visit," Ahsoka interjected with deep concern in her voice. "The truth is, we're worried for you; Kevin and I sense you're in grave danger."

A beat passed before the Senator in question spoke. "What makes you believe that?"

Having recovered a bit from my earlier nervousness, I decided to speak next. "Well, the two of us were in the middle of a training session and we shared the same vision."

"That's not all," Ahsoka continued. "I've been having bad dreams lately along the same line. Padme, I know you're in danger, I just know it."

"What kind of danger?" Captain Typho said, his serious facade becoming even stonier.

"Kevin and I believe that a very dangerous bounty hunter is out to assassinate you."

Padme sighed worriedly. "This is troubling... Captain, please take all necessary precautions."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Ahsoka exclaimed.

"Yes. Bail Organa and I are leading a conference concerning the refugees from the war. I leave for Alderaan in the morning."

I knew where this was going, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to speed things along a little bit. "Senator, please let us come with you. We can't just let you go off like this, not after the visions we've both had..."

"Kevin's right! Besides, you might need all the help you can get! Allow us to come with you... please..."

A few seconds passed before Padme relented. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt. The transport leaves at 7; that should be enough time for you to get whatever you need from the Temple. We'll wait for you as long as we can."

The next morning, we got our field kits together (which basically amounted to a single belt pouch containing spare lightsaber parts and a medpac—Jedi travel light) and met up with Amidala at the landing pad her ship was leaving on. As we took off, I couldn't help but notice that, aside from my presence, not much had seemed to change from canon; this worried me a little bit, but I figured that I'd probably be able to work out whatever changes occurred when they happened.

Obi-Wan sat down in his tent, sighing in relief. All in all, in spite of his own semi-distracted state, the battle had gone fairly well; the CIS troops had been driven back with relatively few casualties on the Republic's side, and while the enemy wasn't done fighting on this planet just yet, the next big push would almost certainly decide things. Perhaps I might even get a bit of sleep...

That thought was suddenly cut short when he sensed great distress coming from Anakin; grabbing his lightsaber, he quickly rushed over to his former padawan's tent to find Skywalker sitting up on his bed roll, one hand clutching his head and a rather grave look on his face.

"What is it, Anakin? What's the matter?"

"I... I had a dream, that's all. It's nothing."

Anakin's expression told a very different story, and Obi-Wan knew it. "Anakin, you told me earlier that you would be there to talk if I needed it. Well, that goes both ways; I'm here for you. What was this dream?"

Skywalker initially seemed very reluctant to speak for some reason, but relented after a few moments. "I saw our padawans, and Pad—I mean, Senator Amidala. They were in danger..."

Ordinarily, Kenobi wouldn't have thought anything of the manner in which Anakin had just spoken. But something about the way he sounded when he mentioned Amidala stood out to him; quickly, he tried to banish such thoughts. No, he's not a padawan anymore, he's a full-fledged knight. He knows better than to allow emotional attachments to...

It was that last thought that stopped Obi-Wan in his tracks, but he didn't know why. Was it just his own thoughts concerning Satine, or was it something about Anakin? Again, he decided to shove back such thoughts, this time being successful, but only partially.

"Anakin, not all dreams are prophetic. I'm sure they're all just fine..."

"Yeah, you're right..."

Both Jedi nodded, but neither was truly certain.

The trip to Alderaan started out to be pretty uneventful, aside from Padme teaching both me and Ahsoka how to play dejariik. It was interesting—kind of a weird cross between a real-time strategy video game and chess—but it was also fairly tricky to master, and neither Ahsoka or I were able to really grasp more than the basics. It didn't help that both of us were distracted, but for different reasons. Ahsoka was worried because of her own doubts about her abilities without the aid of Anakin to guide her; mine was due to the apparent lack of changes to canon so far on the mission.

My presence alone didn't amount to much, but given what happened on Mandalore I had already learned that even a slight change in players could have wide-reaching and drastic results. Even though I didn't see it, I was sure that somewhere, something had to have changed. Would it be a good change this time, or would something go terribly wrong? Would Aurra Sing, the assassin in our visions, be able to kill Padme before we stopped her? Would one of us get hurt, or worse? There were a billion ways this could go bad, and the thought of inadvertently bringing about disaster wasn't helping. I decided to try meditating on the matter, since that always seemed to help when I was feeling anxious. Little did I know that a rather major change had already occurred, and it wasn't done yet...

One interesting challenge to the approach I'm taking here is the difficulty of rewriting canon scenes without unnecessary changes, but all the same adding subtle differences to action and dialogue here and there. Fortunately, after this bit we have only one real canon arc left to go before things go totally off the rails, and by that time I'll have hopefully gotten better at balancing the canon script with the gradual changes that are occurring. Not that it'll matter once the domino effect kicks in, of course. See you next chapter!

EDIT: Added a line clarifying how much time had passed between the beginning of this chapter and the end of the previous one (almost a week, to be specific). It's one of the only good things about TCW episodes being out of chronological order, canonically speaking-if needed, I can make rough general guesses as to the time between certain episodes.