Disclaimer: Star Wars is owned by Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd. The following work is not intended to add to, promote or distort this series. This is a work of fanfiction, and the author does not profit in posting. This is simply a writing exercise written for fun.

Ahsoka had rounded the corner, having just visited Rex in the infirmary. Despite the rapid return of his health, the Jedi healers still insisted he be kept at the temple. It surprised Ahsoka how everyone seemed to find one way or another to bend the rules.

Truth be told, it made her wonder about rules in the first place.

While she was in the midst of unraveling the mystery in her mind, she found her feet guiding her to her master's room. She stood outside of it a moment, staring at the metal frame of the door a while before finally taking a deep breath and buzzing her presence.

The door slid open a moment later, revealing the domed droid Artoo, who greeted her with a flurry of jovial binary. "Thanks Artoo-ee" she smiled at him, stepping past him into a much dingier room than she'd once recalled.

In the past, her masters room had always been a mess, but the space felt lived in, welcoming even. All you had to do was mind the piles of scrap and half restored droids stacked here and there. But now, the room was different. It was as though the windows hadn't been cleaned and no light had been allowed in. "Master Anakin?" she called, struggling to see to the back of the room.

"Yeah, Snips?" a hoarse voice whispered back.

Following the sounds with her sensitive Montrals, Ahsoka noticed Anakin seated on the floor beside his bed, a DataPad in his hands. He looked strange, with purple rings around his eyes and sweat building over his brow. It was clear he hadn't left that place for a while.

Approaching him carefully, Ahsoka knelt down with curious blue eyes, "Is everything okay?" she wondered, "You don't look so good?"

Shrugging, Anakin grabbed the device and then stood upright, yawning, "I haven't slept much since the Senate was held hostage." He then moved over towards a shelving unit, setting the DataPad down before attempting to straighten up his room a little.

"I heard about that." She replied, frowning a little, "Some of the Padawans think you're some kind of monster." When he turned around to face her, she saw how much the whole incident had bothered him. "... Of course, others are practically singing praises for you!" she pointed out with a grin.

When he shrugged and walked passed her, she realized that this was a subject best dropped. "I actually came by hoping to ask you for advice, master." She paused, waiting for him to rebuff her, to point out that he didn't feel qualified to be her master, as he usually did when he was down. But he didn't, instead he silently awaited her query as he leaned on the wall before her.

Stepping a little closer, Ahsoka began her question, "I have been wondering about all the lessons we are taught as Padawans, about rules and ethics... I am finding I don't understand how these rules can exist when they are so easily tossed aside or broken, even by Jedi masters."

Tilting his head, Anakin wondered, "And what has brought on this conflict in you?"

Exhaling as she realized her master was still there for her, Ahsoka smiled as she laced her fingers together, "Rex actually, among other things... The masters are still keeping him here in the temple, when he should technically be brought over to a clone facility. He sort of seems bothered by the special treatment."

She almost heard a chuckle from her master as he shook his head, "Rex is proud. He doesn't like special treatment." The man then paused and tilted his head in thought, "You said there were other things prompting this question?"

Ahsoka nodded, trying to word the next point carefully, "Well, then there are the Darklighters... who are the children of another Jedi." She paused, noticing how her master seemed to pale at the mention of the Darklighters, "They seem like such good people, even helping me to understand my strength and be more confident in it, yet... technically, their very existence would be forbidden... So I find myself wondering just how important are rules really if even Jedi masters begin to break them. Can I even trust our dogma?"

She chanced a quick glance at her master, who stood there with his hand to his chin in thought. Eventually, he had advice to offer her, "You are very wise to ask these questions Ahsoka." he started, smiling as he placed a hand on her shoulder, escorting her to the door. He paused a moment to collect his cloak, "But I am afraid these are questions I don't have answers to. Rules are an important instrument of society, but you are right, they are constantly bent and broken, for better or for worse. It makes a firm answer near impossible to create."

Surprised that he didn't have some sage comeback, Ahsoka sighed and then wondered why she was being ushered out the door, with Anakin and Artoo behind her, "Then how do we find that answer?" she wondered.

Smiling, Anakin nodded in the direction of the hangar where the speeders were kept, "Well, I suppose we can start by investigating the place where rules are made." He paused and added, "I would not mind an answer to these questions myself... I feel just as in need of guidance, thanks to those Darklighters."

Ahsoka noticed how melancholy Anakin looked when mentioning their names, "You know who they are... don't you?" The look he gave her back was comprised of both shock and some other, indiscernible emotion. Before he could ask, she informed him, "I just listened to Artoo, back when he was insisting he knew who they were... Turns out that crazy bucket of bolts was right."

In response, Artoo whistled a string of slurs and intonations in binary at her, forcing her to recant her statement.

Anakin surprised her with a new realization, "Then you know what I am to become."

Suddenly she understood his somberness and uncertainty. She nodded slowly, unsure what to say at first. "Luke told me... but what was strange was how he talked about you." A quick glance at her master showed just how surprised he was by her observation, "He seemed so proud of the man you were, with no anger in his heart at all. He explained that he viewed the darkside as a sickness, one that is cured with patience and kindness."

"The darkside as a sickness..." Anakin echoed a moment, his mind attempting to unravel that new analogy. After a time, his mood lightened a little and he shot a grin at his Padawan, "Well, we really should hurry Snips... I don't want to miss the opening arguments."

Smiling herself, Ahsoka retorted with, "Whatever you say, Skyguy."

By this point, it had been five weeks since Jedi Master Luke Skywalker and his twin sister Senator Leia Organa Solo had vanished. All those who were close and cared for them had journeyed across the galaxy in search of them, scouring out the old temple for any clue. Yet not a single person could discern what had become of the now infamous Skywalkers.

Mina and Luci had watched from afar, their quarters having been down the hall from one another. Each had three other roommates in their home in Vader's tower, and the four of them would talk each night about the many things bothering them. A common theme was the Jedi Order.

It seemed that, without Luke, the order had lost its soul, and no one felt that more than the younglings inside the halls of his father. Whether or not he'd realized it, Master Skywalker had presented a warmth that made his Padawans feel at ease, much as his sister had done for the senate.

"Do you think Master Skywalker is ever coming back?" Taryl, a young girl from Coruscant's lower districts, inquired.

Mina shrugged, "I wish I knew." In truth, she wasn't sure what her master would walk into when he returned. Several masters had already moved to remove him from the high council, and the pull of his disappearance had actually sped the reconstruction of the temple along. He might very well return to an empty home, or worse... a home full of strangers.

She felt a tear build in her eyes, unsure of what to do or say to protect someone so wonderful. After all, Master Luke simply sought the good in all people. She knew that about him the moment she met him. He is likely trying to save Zion right as we speak! She realized, turning over in her bed as she attempted to fall asleep.

It was hard to, however, as everything felt wrong about the situation.

Diona, another girl from Coruscant, only she was a Nautolan, suggested, "Perhaps we should conduct our own investigation at the temple. We're younger, maybe our perspective will show us something the masters can no longer see." Mina sat up at the thought, smiling wide.

"That's a great idea!" she cheered, "We should all go tomorrow!"

Taryl grinned, even as Geri rolled her eyes. It seemed the matter was settled. Now they just had to get the other Padawans in on it.

Obi-Wan and Quinlan had tracked Luke to the fringes of the galaxy, bordering on the no man's land that was Wild Space. As they disembarked to check that all 'Darklighter' had stopped for was to refuel, Obi-Wan once more fought the inclination that this phase of his life was almost over. Yet, try as he might, he could not turn the feeling away. And this feeling mysteriously left him sore at Anakin.

He sighed a little as they entered the main-ways of the station, his eyes scanning for anyone who might have had contact with 'Jacen Darklighter.' The pull of the Force, however, was not towards someone, but rather a place.

Soon, he and Quinlan were looking out a small viewing platform at the gaseous planet above. "He stood here." Quinlan realized as he closed his eyes, opening himself to the vastness of the Force, "Conversed with someone, though I cannot see or sense who..."

Obi-Wan nodded, closing his eyes as well, finding this place to be rich in the presence of the Force, thanks to the one who'd been here before. "It almost seems like he'd been talking to himself." he realized, "And yet to someone else."

Quinlan put a hand to his chin, thinking deeply as he contemplated the idea. Suddenly, a thought struck him, "Perhaps he was... Have you ever heard of a Force Apparition?" Turning to him in confusion, Obi-Wan shook his head. Seemingly unsurprised, Quinlan elaborated, "It is apparently a lost art among Jedi, but rumor has it that one can preserve their identity in the Force, making it appear to those in need of guidance."

Raising a red brow, Obi-Wan tilted his head as he contemplated that, "An interesting theory, but I am not sure that the council will accept the idea that Darklighter is being led by ghosts."

Grinning a little, Quinlan pointed out that, "I've never really worried much about what the council thinks, Master Kenobi." he then added, "And considering your former master and former Padawan, I really didn't think you did either."

Sighing in frustration, as most of their travel had been this way, Obi-Wan retorted, "Rules are rules, my friend."

"But who makes the rules?" Quinlan wondered, "And why is it so important that we follow them?" He then paused and reminded his comrade, "You know I've always followed my own path... There are rules there too, but they are less about what others say and more about what the Force leads me to believe... Perhaps it is time that you listen a little bit more to your own path, and not the one the council has deigned."

Knowing enough about Quinlan's past to understand that many perilous events had let him to this frame of mind, Obi-Wan reasoned that, perhaps, there was merit to his words. We really don't have much to go on here anyway, he reasoned before he closed his eyes and listened carefully, hoping that no guidance appeared simply because he did not like disobeying his objectives.

But the voiceless call did come, pulling his thoughts to exactly where he must go next. He opened his blue eyes and sighed, turning to Quinlan with a weary stare.

"Let's go then." was the reply.

The senate hall was as impressive as always, filled to the brim with many senators, all objectives written in a carefully detailed synopsis, and the senate brawls that flowed through the whole itinerary. Leia loved it. It thrilled her as much as it had as a young senator herself.

She remembered desiring more power then; the power to make a difference in others lives; the power to change the minds of people and awaken their sympathies. Yes, as a young woman, she longed for the power to awaken people's hearts. It was a power long needed in her time.

Yet, as she sit beside her young mother, she watched as the woman spoke proudly amongst her colleagues. Young and untested, many of the older faces attempted to thwart her sympathies, much as they had to Leia years later. It fascinated her. Perhaps her mother was as much of the mindset to gain as she had been.

In awe, she watched as Padme roared to life as escalation in the war effort, the battle she'd been fighting against since Leia had met her, was suddenly brought to the attention of the senate. Several beneficiaries of these new policies had previously proposed the fool-hearty deregulation of the banks to fund more soldiers. Yet, as the partisans rallied for more war, her mother spoke out quickly and sternly. "Democracy must resume."

And the fools fought back. As one senator bellowed, "We have attempted negotiations, and yet have always been rebuffed." Another one echoed, "The separatists have no interest in negotiations, not unless they include us recognizing them as a legitimate government."

"And that simply cannot happen." Palpatine finalized firmly. Moments later, his face softened, "I am of the same mind as you, Senator Amidalla, but we simply cannot make peace with a group desiring war." He sounded so earnest that Leia could not rest her angry tongue.

"It hardly surprises me to hear you say that, Chancellor." She called out, rising beside her mother, despite all the consequences making her face known would bring, "In how many months do you plan to overtake the banks exactly?... After all, you cannot plead for them without war at your doorstep and crisis within."

As swiftly as she spoke, the senators fell into disarray. Leia dared not to look at her mother, afraid of the worry on her face for her boldness. Instead she gazed into the hateful glare of Palpatine and smiled wickedly herself. "The senate does not recognize the Jedi visiting the Naboo's chair!" The representative of the Trade Federation cried out, seemingly seizing any moment to demoralize the Naboo's former leader.

Leia continued to grin and awaited for Palpatine to silence his many followers, "People of the Senate, allow me to introduce Jaina Darklighter, an outspoken Jedi Padawan."

His feeble attempt to discredit her hardly fazed the former princess. While Luke knew the Force like the back of his natural hand, she knew politics. So, with a calm face and a slight laugh, Leia rebuffed the comment swiftly, "I only speak the minds of those of us suffering from the costs of this war, waiting in the dark and cold as patiently as possible for our grand leader to end this conflict. Yet, oddly enough, he resists the idea when proposed."

"If I were to send an envoy for every request made by Senator Amidalla alone, half my senate would be dispatched right now!" he retorted fiercely, "Excuse me for valuing the lives of my comrades!"

"And excuse me for valuing the principles of the republic!" She roared, feeling alive in politics for the first time in many, many years, "Each and every single one of those systems left because their agreement with this senate had been made null and void through the various edicts proposed by senator-clad lobbyists. It is understandable that they would not parley with a group who is too blind to see that they are the victims in this conflict." She paused, sending her hard gaze towards the very villains she'd identified, "True negotiations have not been issued in this war. Envoys that have been sent have been aggressive and unforgiving. It is time to correct this mistake."

The senate hall was silent, each and every senator staring at the bold young Jedi in awe. Leia merely grinned. She knew there would be no standing ovation. Her allies were not yet made, and so there was no one to stand by her, save for her mother. But she hoped that the shock of her accusations would stir the more moral minded, undoing the very fabric of the empire before it was woven.

And then, a familiar face floated down: Bail.

"You surmise that, provided we revise our edicts, this conflict could end, Master Jedi?" He inquired.

"The woman is no master!" the long-necked senator of Kamino cried out, her staff banging against the floor. "She isn't even ordained by the Jedi council as a Padawan! She carries no influence!"

"Says the war-profiteer." Leia spat, silencing the old woman and throwing the senate into an uproar. Her words troubled the room so much that Palpatine was forced to recess the hall until such a time as all heads cooled.

But, as the senators filed out, he decreed, "And Ms. Jaina Darklighter shall be removed from the main floor, hence forth." And when Leia looked into his eyes, she saw the very flicker she somehow always knew was there.

The yellow eyes of a Sith lord.

Turning about, she grinned, pleased with herself. She'd thrown the master of imbalance off his game, cornering him while he was still in a vulnerable position. The eyes of his subordinates were still important, and he needed to save face where he could. And she'd just smeared Bantha dung all over him.

Still smiling wide as she exited the chamber, Leia turned round to find her mother's face grim. "I apologize for stealing your thunder," she told her earnestly, "But it is so hard to keep my mouth shut when I know so much." Padme nodded somberly.

Stepping forward, Leia inquired, "Is everything all right?"

Shaking her head, her mother confided in her as they walked down the hall, "I've long considered Palpatine a dear friend and mentor... When you and Luke accused him of, well, doing what he plans to do, it sounded so false, I honestly blocked it out." She then paused, turning to Leia with a tear in her eye, "But seeing him that way, so filled with malice... Especially as you attacked his claims, it was... painful to watch."

She found a nearby bench and sat down, "How could I have helped him like that?" She wondered, trying not to sob, "I... I failed in my duty as a senator... as a queen!"

Leia sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You did not fail." she assured her, resisting the urge to rock her, "You can never fail so long as you keep trying." Padme turned to her, a soft smile on her face as she nodded, brushing off that single un-shed tear.

Smiling, Padme turned to Leia and pointed out, "You certainly have a flair for politics."

Flushing a little, Leia scratched her head nervously as she admitted, "Well, I am a republic minister in our time... I was actually the youngest senator Alderaan ever had." She noticed that Padme seemed to grin a little.

"And here I was afraid that you both took entirely after Anakin."

"Excuse me?" Anakin wondered as he approached the two women, his face completely confused. Ahoska was at his side, a thoughtful look on her face as she stared at Leia.

"Well," Padme grinned, "They are both Jedi... Clearly you've had the greatest influence on them." It was apparent that Anakin still did not know what to feel about the twins, as he shrugged back into his proverbial shell with the comment.

In his silence, Ahsoka stepped up, "Leia, I was wondering," her voice was quite timid, "Why do you think that the separatists are the victims? I mean... they attacked us. I have always seen them as the bad guy." Smiling, Leia and Padme stood up, ushering the other two to walk with them.

"I learned very quickly that war is never simple." She explained somberly, "There are two sides to every credit, and they both need to be respected to equally mend a conflict back together."

Anakin then pointed out, "You feel there is an issue with the rules." Leia stopped and stared at him, now noticing a gloominess that hadn't been there before. Carefully, she nodded.

"Though I am entirely against dictatorship," she began, grabbing her father's arm with the hope that she could calm the storm he was weathering within. It saddened her when he shrugged it away. "democracy still has much to improve upon. The needs of the many still outweigh the needs of the few, yet when the few have power, the entire system falls in on itself. Laws are made that hurt rather than help people, simply to give a small group significant gain."

Ahsoka sighed, "You mean that the politicians are the problem."

Padme shook her head, "No, Ahsoka. A politician is a mere person, fallible just like anyone else." She paused, checking to be sure that Ahsoka understood what she meant, "The issue is when that politician begins to represent a small group of their constituents, instead of the whole. Representatives like those from the banking clan or trade federation actually do have home systems to represent, with people suffering in poverty from the war... but they do not tend to those needs. What's worse is the groups they do work for begin to trap other senators in their nets."

"Senator-clad lobbyists." Anakin echoed thoughtfully, "They should be made to do their job."

Leia and Padme nodded glumly, "Legally, nothing can be done without proof of foul play." Padme reminded him, "And it is a procedure we need to respect for the sake of innocent people under question."

Noticing that Anakin was undergoing some moral transformation, Leia hoped it was for the better. She could also sense her mother's desire to speak with her father privately, despite the fact that Anakin was barely able to keep himself near either of them. He was still hurt, Leia decided, and therefore needed more recovery time. She could understand that.

"I never thought of the separatists as victims in all of this." Ahsoka realized, "They have always been that cold droid on the field for me, or Grievous, or Dooku even." Anakin nodded beside her.

"Well, victims or no..." He reminded her, "They are the enemy and they have broken the law."

Leia countered, "Or maybe it is the law that's broken." Anakin stared at her incredulously, as though she were the enemy, and then marched away wordlessly. She immediately regretted her words, wishing Luke were there to quell their father's moods. It was strange how well he understood the man.

"Ahsoka," Padme suggested, "Why don't you stick around with me for a while. I can show you a little more about the whys behind this war." The young Togruta eagerly nodded.

Luke sighed as he fell to his knees, astounded with the exhaustion he was now facing. Yoda's training had been tough, but this was near suicidal. He could not believe the pain he was enduring to simply master the first light he'd learned. Gerali had taken him to a cave void of any light, instructing Luke to use his new power, straining himself for as long as possible to extend his use of the gift. But the practice was daunting.

Burning light was tremendously overbearing. One had to have conviction for the actions they were about to undergo. This light could not be used willy-nilly because of it.

"I will protect my sister." Luke chanted his mantra, "I will protect Mara... and Han... and mother and father." He continued to list the people closest to him, the people most vulnerable to his fall should he ever lose himself. They gave him clarity enough to use this new gift without falling victim to the darkside.

"Very good." Gerali muttered as he returned from his distant hideaway. "Even from outside these caves, I felt your passion, your intense focus." Luke nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow, "You must be weary of conviction, however, for it can close all roads save for the one you intend to travel. It can be indiscriminate."

Struggling to stand on his own to feet, Luke trembled and stared his master down. "Time is of the essence, uncle. Please teach me the next light."

Smiling, Gerali took a deep breath and sat down on the nearest rock. "Very well."

Luke took a few steps over toward the Shaetin, stumbling all the while. When he was close enough to his distant relative, he sat down, criss-cross and contemplative.

Gerali nodded and closed his eyes, "You will next learn the purple light." He decreed, "This light strengthens the body exponentially, providing speed and stamina. Imagine your Force enhanced movements on a scale of ten. This will allow you to keep pace with your Shaetin pray as it attempts to allude you through its own ghastly illusions. Anakin Windrider was very much a fan of this light."

Smiling at the thought of such gifts, Luke inquired, "And what is the price I must pay for this power?"

"This light is often referred to as Channeling Light." The old sage explained, "To use this power, you must be willing to lose your nature... to become as wild as the space surrounding you and channel the will of the light of that world. Channeling Light often makes users rabid, and many struggle to come back from it before extinguishing their lives."

As exhausted as he was, Luke was tempted to ask for recovery time before utilizing this next technique, but he knew that Zion and his mother could not wait for him to take a nap. "Let's begin then."

"Close your eyes, young Skywalker." the old man instructed, "Open yourself up to the Force, the living Force present across all the worlds. Now listen and listen closely for the voice of Advorosia. As we are different from head to toe, so too is the body of the Force. Each point in space has a different voice, a different beat, a different nature. We call this the world voice."

Luke took a deep breath as he listened to Gerali, his mind opening wide to the vast space of the Force. He then began to focus on the space around him, on Advorosia, and he breathed deeply once more. Yet, he heard no voice. Perhaps I am not yet patient enough. He surmised, rooting himself deeply into the ground both physically and spiritually.

Hours passed, and yet he heard nothing. Hunger soon overtook him, and he fought to stay focused. Yet, after a time, he longed so desperately to move and find nourishment, that his eyes flew open and he jumped to his feet.

And Gerali smiled at him, "Very good." From his pack, he took out a mirror, passing it to Luke. In it, Luke could not help but notice the odd purple glow in his eyes.

"But how?" He wondered, "I heard nothing."

"Try listening now." Gerali instructed as he took his mirror back. And Luke did, he opened his ears to the world and heard everything, the harsh beat of footfalls, the whines and calls... And he felt the hunger of a world starved for security.

"Amazing!"

Anakin roamed the area around the senate hall, hoping to find clarity in all that he was seeing, hearing and sensing. It was amazing that those around him in the small grounds beside the senate didn't hear the gears whirring to life in his head.

Or perhaps someone had, "Anakin!" Palpatine greeted him, his blue clad guards at his side, "So good to see you!"

Smiling, Anakin nodded curtly to his old friend, "Same to you, chancellor." He then paused, noting the highly public surroundings, "I am surprised to see you here actually."

"Because these grounds are open to all?" The older man surmised, leaving Anakin slightly embarassed at the comment, "Even I enjoy some nature now and again... Well, as natural as one can make it on Coruscant." He then stepped forward and waved his guards off, moving towards the back of the small garden. With hands laced behind his back, the chancellor looked the proud leader he was. In many ways, Anakin was marveled by him.

Towards the back, they spotted a vacant bench a good distance from any onlookers. Sitting down, the two let loose a deep breath, both trying to find focus once more. "I knew this recess would do me well." Palpatine admitted, "After that outburst from Ms. Darklighter, I was about ready to throw the speaker of the Senate at her."

"I've never seen you so frustrated in my entire life." Anakin remarked.

"She has an odd talent for getting on my nerves very quickly." Palpatine sighed, still fighting to keep his own composure, "I've never met someone so gifted at spinning tales, and the way she manipulated my senate was downright... admirable."

"Admirable?" Anakin inquired, turning to face the chancellor with his jaw dropped.

Palpatine merely nodded, his eyes fixed at a distant tower, "I've always felt Padme had a gift for elocution, but Jaina seems to be a fully groomed senator herself. She cut to the point faster than I could account for, despite the fact that her point of view is clearly skewed. It will likely take me the rest of my term to put the doubts she's sewn to rest."

His shoulders dropping, Anakin whispered, "I'm sorry chancellor... She is technically my responsibility."

Snorting a laugh, Palpatine waved the man off, "Why? Because she claims to be your daughter from the future?... Ridiculous!" He then paused, and glanced at Anakin earnestly, "Unless you have found proof to back her claims."

Shrugging, Anakin returned his eyes to a pebble on the ground. "I haven't had the courage to collect any DNA samples, honestly, much less visit Padme." He took another deep breath, "I suppose I am afraid to find out the truth... Something very un-Jedi of me."

Placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder, Palpatine assured him, "Fear is a natural part of being alive... Oftentimes it keeps us intact Anakin. You should feel no shame in having these feelings."

"-But the Jedi-"

"-Aren't always correct." Palpatine interrupted him, his voice even and calm, "Even I must work to sway them in their perception of all things. After all... did they not deign that you were too old, too angry to be a Jedi? Yet here you are, their greatest face!" Anakin paused to ponder that idea, exhaling once more. Palpatine allowed him that moment before inquiring of him, "Have you finished that journal I presented you last time?"

Nodding, Anakin turned back to the man, "It was enlightening actually. Despite the fact that he was a darksider... I could understand every step he took, all his motivations... and I could not fault him for it." He then admitted, "In many cases, I would have done the same."

Smiling, Palpatine assured him, "Agreeing with that Sith warrior does not make you a bad man, Anakin. It makes you a better one because you can see beyond the dark shroud so many claim impenetrable. You can see that sometimes something good comes at the cost of something horrible."

"Like ending this war." Anakin realized, "It cannot come the way Padme sees it ending. Much as I would like her and Leia to be right, all my experiences indicate that..."

"The separatists will not willingly return to us." Palpatine assured him, "Of that I am certain. Their disagreements with our republic run well beyond a few laws, as Jaina claims. To adjust our government, we would literally have to oust nearly a third of our edicts, something no single senator is willing to sacrifice."

"And what of starting over?" Anakin wondered, "Wiping the slate clean and then pulling from what works, leaving behind what does not."

Smirking at his thoughtfulness, Palpatine explained, "Then there are those so-called senator-clad lobbyists that Jaina attacked today. They hold more sway than you realize, and such a bold move could easily be manipulated to their benefit, further disrupting our government, not to mention the lives of the people we have sworn to protect." He paused once more, thinking of one last argument which could make all the difference, "And ending the war in a stalemate would just be a calamity."

"All those lives," Anakin realized somberly, "lost for nothing."

"I'm glad you understand my situation." the chancellor complemented the man, "Very few do, and I tend to keep them very close. They all agree that success comes at the price of sacrifice."

Palpatine felt a coldness cross his shoulders, smiling to himself ever so slightly, "And of those sacrifices..." Anakin wondered carefully, "Would you be willing to give me names of ones that would make significant difference enough?"

Turning to face the determined young man, the chancellor inquired, "You aren't suggesting what I think you are?"

Nodding slowly, Anakin admitted, "I can be very cunning when I need to be..." he then added, "And I want to keep all those I care for safe. If it means shouldering the burden of a few sacrifices to ensure my troops, my Padawan and Padme are alive and well, then I will do it." He turned back to Palpatine, a stern look on his face, "I would do anything to keep those I care for from harm."

"I know." Palpatine admitted, "And you have my solemn thanks."

I have you now.

Author's Note: One of my favorite songs is 4 Minutes by Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. It has a line that I think really encompasses what I'm trying to do here "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." While this line might be present in other, older songs and phrases, it still carries a great deal of insight. With all that is happening, I find myself wondering whose good intentions will fall short, Anakin's or Luke's. Right now both are compromising themselves in an effort to protect others and both of them are essentially bending the rules.

Conversely, Padme and Leia can both see the errors in the rules, yet are frozen beyond pointing out these problems. Action needs to be taken by them as well. Here, I wonder who will notice the price their loved ones are paying for them and rescue them first. Both women tend to be very goal driven, after all.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what's going on so far. It is always fun to read them, so please review! And thank you to those of you who do review! Your comments are always appreciated!