Finally Padme and Anakin broke away from one another and made their way back towards the Command table. Padme stood in the centre as before but now Anakin stood to her right, flanking and towering over her. The rest of High Command fell in on either side of them. Mon Mothma to Padme's left, Ahsoka slipping like a silent shadow to Anakin's right, reminiscent of her Padawan days, while the rest of High Command arrayed themselves in order of seniority, the highest-ranking the closest to Padme. Obi-Wan and Mace quickly stepped up to their side of the large table.

Padme rapped on the table to bring the meeting to attention, all eyes turning to her as she asserted her authority.

"Master Jedi," she began. "The Council will hear your proposition."

Windu stepped forward, as it had been agreed beforehand that he would put their case.

"Senator Amidala." He was interrupted immediately by Padme's voice, laced with steel.

"Leader… Skywalker, Master Windu." She smiled, but with such an edge to make it clear she was not to be questioned. Obi-Wan's eyes flew to Anakin standing behind Padme and watched as he folded his arms in front of him in such a way that his left hand was at the front. There was no mistaking the gold gleam on his fourth finger. Padme had rested her hands on the table and there was a matching gleam on her left hand. Despite this, interesting, revelation that made Obi-Wan want to drag his former Padawan into a corner for a long catch-up, he was more interested in containing the imminent explosion that was building in the dark-skinned Jedi Master beside him. He could feel Mace's gaze flicking back between the Skywalkers, as Obi-Wan supposed he must now call them.

"Skywalker?" Mace exploded in anger. "You and Skywalker are married! You will be expelled from the Jedi Order! That is against every tenet of the Jedi Code and as a member of the Jedi Council I must insist that you turn over your lightsaber Skywalker and return with us to face the judgement of the Council!"

Anakin's face had been slowly darkening throughout Mace's spiel and now he stepped forward. Padme gave way to him, although her face was angered as well.

"Master Windu," he began, with a measure of control that Obi-Wan had not previously seen in him. "I have not considered myself a member of the Jedi Order for nearly 20 years now. My allegiance has been to my family and to the Rebellion that we," he jerked his head to indicate himself and his, wife, "have been serving these past nineteen years while the Order has been in hiding. As for you proposing my with you to the current hiding place of the Order I am afraid that my duties to the Rebellion and my family far outweigh any possibility of me even considering returning with you. And more to the point I have no wish to." His voice turned lethally soft. "Present your proposition Master and do not presume to insult my wife or myself further."

It was the dangerous tone in Anakin's voice that finally persuaded Windu that he had better not insult Skywalker's wife. He subsided and exchanged glances with Obi-Wan who had a hand over his beard muffling a smile. He quickly removed his hand and stepped forward, concisely presenting the presentation of the Jedi Council.

The Council's offer was that of 400 Jedi Knights and 7 of the twelve Council Masters to fight with the Rebel Alliance, Obi-Wan and Mace among them. Master Yoda would remain behind as he was the most proficient in shielding and so could most effectively block the planet from Sidious's notice. In addition the Jedi would supply one of the five ships that they had managed to seize during their flight from Coruscant, the only cruiser among the five, and as such the only ship capable of transporting all of the Jedi, along with four squadrons of Jedi fighters.

On the conclusion of the proposal there was an exchange of glances among High Command. Their expressions were all inscrutable and Obi-Wan could feel in the Force that Anakin had thrown a shield around all of their minds, to prevent the Jedi from sensing their emotions. When he stretched out and felt it, brushing along it, his former apprentice's eyebrow quirked up and the glimmer of a smirk flashed across his face before he schooled it back to neutrality.

Padme clasped her hands in front of her and spoke calmly.

"Thank you for your offer Master Jedi. Perhaps you would like to freshen up, eat and sleep while High Command considers your proposition?"

Her hand was already moving to a comm that was resting on the table even as both Jedi gave bows of assent.

"Lieutenant Jade? Please report to High Command to escort Masters Windu and Kenobi to Cabin 43."

A young, cool, female voice responded.

"Yes ma'am, I'll be there shortly."

The comm clicked off and they were left to stand in awkward silence.

Suddenly Ahsoka shook herself and moved to collect her cloak.

"Padme, Anakin, I have a rendezvous with Fulcrum within the next 24 hours. I'll return within the week."

Anakin stepped away from the rest of High Command and moved to confer with her. They seemed to agree on something and so Ahsoka moved to a corner of the room to robe herself. She pulled the cloak on and tied it, adjusting it in such a way that it covered everything, while allowing easy access to her lightsaber. A thick head wrap went over her head and montrols in such a way to disguise her head to appear human. The cloak's hood went up and then the wrap was pulled across her face. Her identity completely muffled she moved to the door and then through it.

2 minutes after she was gone there was a buzz at the door and Anakin gestured for it to move aside. A young woman stepped through it and saluted before moving to the at-ease posture. She was medium height and slender, dressed in standard grey, Alliance-issue garb. She was pretty, with bright green eyes and shoulder-length red hair. Finally, clipped to her left hip, and perhaps the most surprising thing to the Jedi Masters, was a slender silver hilt, mirroring the blaster strapped to her right. In a sudden realization Obi-Wan recognized the young Alliance soldier who he had wondered about earlier. It would appear she did indeed have a lightsaber. On feeling his, and no doubt Mace's, stares, she shot them a smirk and then returned her attention to High Command in front of her.

"Lieutenant Jade, these are Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu," Padme, waving a hand in their direction before turning her attention to them and gesturing towards Jade. "And this is Lieutenant Mara Jade. She will escort you to Cabin 43 and return you here in 3 hours."

Mara Jade turned and walked back through the door, waiting outside for them. Left with no other choice the Jedi Masters followed her out into the corridor. As the door slid shut and locked behind them they could hear the beginning of a conversation in the room.

Mara was striding in front of them, clearly expecting them to keep up as she wove through the corridors of the ship. Mace and Obi-Wan exchanged a look and then hurried to walk beside her, one of them on either side of her.

"So," she began, eyes darting to Obi-Wan's face. "You're the famous Obi-Wan Kenobi. I've heard quite a lot about you from Anakin."

"Oh," he responded nonchalantly. "All good things I hope?"

She chuckled softly. "Mostly yes, stories of your missions and all the times Uncle Ani had to rescue you from whatever trouble you had gotten yourself into that time."

"Uncle Ani?" Mace, sounding like he was stifling laughter.

"Mhmmm," she nodded even as she stepped into the turbolift. "Uncle Ani rescued me from the Empire when I was a baby and he and Auntie Padme have raised me ever since alongside their children. They've been my parents for 18 years."

"Rescued from the Empire?" Mace sounded scornful.

"Yes, I don't know if you're aware of this Master Jedi," she managed to twist the title to make it an insult. "But his High and Mighty Wrinkedness the Emperor from the moment of the Empire's conception was kidnapping Force-Sensitive children to raise from their earliest years to be his personal assassins."

She seemed heedless of the horror and shock that both the Jedi were feeling as she continued.

"My family had already been murdered by his Red Guards and the Inquisitor was just finding me when Anakin killed the Red Guards, followed by the Inquisitor and then, realising I was an orphan and vulnerable in my Force-Sensitivity, he shielded me so I would appear as a normal baby, and took me to Auntie Padme. Auntie Padme was heavily pregnant at the time and I understand she was not all that impressed at the thought of a young baby when they were about to have another one but when he explained about my situation, she was angry and appalled. Uncle Ani said that he gave me to her and she fell in love with me immediately. They took me in, raised me, trained me and have treated me in every way as their own. I love them as if they were my own parents and respect them as being so defiant and brave towards the Empire. They took great risks when they took me in, greater risks than they were already under as fugitives from the Empire, a former Jedi and Senator as well as parents to Force-Sensitives whom they were actively training."

The lift doors opened as her story ended, and she made her way out and along the corridor, Obi-Wan and Mace following her in stunned silence even as her tone changed to a cheerful one again.

"So, yes, plenty of stories about you Master Kenobi. You were held up as an example to follow for us kids, except for," she smirked, "your apparent proclivity for getting yourself into trouble and needing others to pull you out."

Obi-Wan felt the need to take revenge even as Mace tried to cover up his hysterics. "Ah, so Anakin did not share with you some of the more, colourful, stories of his apprenticeship then?"

Mara whirled, and an evil grin began to creep across her face. "Those sound like some stories we'd be very interested in hearing at some point in the near future. But in the meantime," she halted by a door and waved at it, "your cabin Master Jedi. I will return in just under 3 hours."

She bowed and then whirled, running down the corridor, turning a neat sequence of flips as she went.

Windu went straight in to the cabin but Obi-Wan lingered long enough to hear another voice greeting Mara affectionately as she reached the end. The voice was female and young.

"Sooo, what are they like?"

There was a snort in response before the Lieutenant responded playfully. Craning his neck, as Mace entered the cabin, Obi-Wan could only get a glimpse of another grey uniform and a mass of dark hair before the two girls turned the corner.

"I'm only telling this once so let's get to the Falcon first and find the others."

The rest of their conversation faded into indistinct murmurs as they got too far away.

When Obi-Wan got into the room he found it empty with only boots, cloak and over tunic left abandoned to show the other resident. The refresher door was firmly shut and he could hear the shower going. He pulled off his own cloak and hung it up, setting his boots underneath it. A small table stood by the window and there was a few covered dishes and a carafe of water sitting on it. Two chairs were set to either side and there was cutlery laid. Obi-Wan pulled up and sat in his own chair and uncovered the dishes. The food was good and wholesome, familiar from his days in the Temple. He suspected Anakin had had something to do with that. He served himself as the refresher door slid open and Mace stepped out looking refreshed. He walked over and joined Obi-Wan at the table.

"So," he said, pulling his chair up. "Your former apprentice and Senator Amidala are married and have a child together. They have adopted a young Force-Sensitive whom Sidious tried to kidnap and twist into his personal assassin. Skywalker's former apprentice is his second in command and a leading member of High Command. A High Command which, incidentally, is headed by your former apprentice and his illegal wife."

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow. "I should think," he remarked. "That Anakin and Padme are married legally, even if they did so in secret. In fact I should think they were married at some point during the Clone Wars judging by the way the both of them reacted during certain of our missions. I'm sure you remember Mace, that in the months before Order 66 that Senator Amidala was heavily pregnant."

"Yes, the Council felt that the child was Force-Sensitive and we were considering approaching her to take the child to be trained as a Jedi when everything happened..." Mace trailed off in thought as he came to the understanding that Obi-Wan had reached the moment he saw them talking in High Command's meeting room. "Ah."

"Yes."

"The child was Skywalker's. No wonder he went back for her."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed. "And it is probably a good thing. Can you imagine what would happen if Sidious got hold of the offspring of Anakin Skywalker as a baby?"

Mace's eyes widened as he saw Obi-Wan's point. The child of Skywalker taken as a baby and trained up to be a Sith would have been nearly unstoppable.

They finished their lunch in silence, each finding themselves lost in their own thoughts, before resting on the beds. Obi-Wan found himself dropping off to sleep only to be roused what felt like moments later by the buzzing of the door chime.

"Master Kenobi?" said Lieutenant Jade through the door. "Master Windu? High Command wishes to see you promptly. I'm here to show you the way."