Hello again avid readers, and welcome to new ones, well sorry for the long wait but it is finally over. A nice long chapter this time just because of the wait which I made you wait- I'm sure it was painfull. Well thank you all to the lovely reviews that I have been recieving. Review and have your name posted here (even if it is a bad one) so now I shan't make you wait any longer- on with the story...

Obi-Wan flashed him a gratefully and for once did not reprimand him for interrupting. To the politicians he nodded in agreement to Anakin's words.

"If you don't mind Chancellor I would like to excuse myself". In response to Obi-Wan's conferment of having sustained quite serious injuries the two women glanced at each other reassuringly. Or rather, Padmé was reassuring Satine. Why did she look so worried? Anakin asked himself silently. Palpatine merely smiled and clasping his hands together bowed with respect to the senior Jedi.

"Certainly General" he replied, glancing almost knowingly at Satine and then to Obi-Wan again, who was now, once again the cool calm, collective general and Jedi master that he always was. He nodded to Anakin, briefly placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. It was comfort for the younger General. It had always brought him back to the light, and he could sense great fear in the so-called Hero with no fear. Not fear for self never that, even in the darkest most terrifying battles he would willingly give his life for the cause, it was fear of losing something. Obi-Wan wasn't sure who, or what but he intended to find out. Slowly he turned and limped off, his arm slipping from Anakin's shoulders as he got further and further away.

Anakin watched him go before turning back around to face the senators. He looked at them uncomprehendingly at first, and then the expression cleared as he wrapped himself in an air of calm. This sea of tranquillity drove to protect the young Knight much more than calm him inside he was worrying. About Padmé. About Obi-Wan. All these un-Jedi feelings churned around inside him. Inside he was a storm. Outside he was the perfect Jedi, calm and composed. Now with a smile he finally understood his master's oldest teaching to him. 'Be who you are expected to be on the outside- always'. He cleared his throat.

"Right senators, Chancellor" he said, with a small incline towards the most powerful in the room. "If you would like to come this way". He spun around and strode off. Heading for the camp. It left the others no choice but to follow. He did not slow his pace or turn around until they got to the camps entrance, framed by the evergreen looking trees which had somehow survived the slaughter of the day's battles.

"Jedi Knight Skywalker" called out Satine, stumbling rather indignantly to catch up with the much taller man's longer strides. He turned in acknowledgement to her voice, not surprised by the title he had been given by her. While many in the senate preferred to call all members of the Jedi Knights upwards 'Master Jedi' those who were much closer to the Order did distinguish between the two. Padmé was one, although she did like to call her Ani a higher rank knowing that it pleased him. Satine, was, quite obviously another.

"Yes milady" he said politely, keeping the wall of calmness up and around him, but always holding it at arm's length in a similar way you would hold an angry cat. It was a part of him, and yet detached from him. He liked to feel way too much for any master's liking. Except, maybe Obi-Wan's. A ghost of a smile was playing on his face as he took in the duchess' obvious mistrust of Clone Troopers around them. One didn't need the Force to feel it.

"Your soldier's, you call them Clones" she said carefully they stood there waiting for the others to catch up before he nodded his affirmation.

"That is correct" he said cautiously, wondering what was coming next.

"Well if they are Clones of a human being that means that they have hopes and dreams and lives" She carried on diplomatically, gaining confidence as she saw Anakin smile encouragingly at her. Padmé looked at her friend curiously, wondering where this conversation was going.

"That's correct ma'am" he said, almost enthusiastically. "Some don't see it as that, but they are all separate human beings with their won hopes and fears and dreams and nightmares, it's our job, as generals I think to encourage individuality. They are not just soldiers" He looked at her, still curious at where the conversation was going but much more heartened that someone else, other than him his master and Padmé shared the belief in the clones leading normal lives during the war. They were not machines and nor should they be treated as such.

"But that is just it Master Jedi" she said, deciding that diplomatically it was so much better to place him on a pedestal. "You are breeding humans to die for an ideal which they have no cause to believe in" the look on Anakin's face looked crushed. "They have to live on a battlefield day in and day out needlessly watching their friends and colleagues die". She finished and glanced around for Padmé to give it to her. They were friends in the senate supporting each other's bills however the other senators face was curiously neutral. Undeterred Satine worked herself up into a hurricane, giving a speech which was so complicated Anakin doubted that even Obi-Wan could unpick it. It had undercurrents and passages swirling around in it. So many ribbons, fact and fiction, personal ideals and general morals all unravelling to different places, it was impossible to follow them all. However when she came to her conclusion Anakin discarded the half unpicked speech in his head and focused. "Surely it is much better to set droid upon droid, the other army draws back and yet you are no where nearer to finding the master minds behind as you were when it began". She paused and then said- "When I went to a sepre..." She never finished her sentence.

Anakin had pulled her up and slammed her into the tree trunk she had, until a few micro seconds ago been leaning on. He looked incredulously at her before drawing in close and whispering menacingly in her ear.

"What did you just say?" he asked. The sea of Tranquillity he had promised to keep around him quickly disappeared into a dark abyss. His eyes seared into her, but she couldn't break the gaze. She tried to move away, wrench herself from the dark man's grasp- but Anakin held firm. If his attention had been diverted he might have seen the sickly happy smile which had spread across the Chancellors face. But he didn't.

Neither did Padmé. She was momentarily shocked by her husband's behaviour. What was wrong? She looked around for help. But her eyes kept leaping back to the scene unfolding. She was all too aware that she was caught in the middle. Satine was her friend, the caring woman was the one who had encouraged her not to let Anakin go, to defy the Order and everything it more or less stood for. Anakin was, still is the love of her life. The one she had risked everything to be with. Siding with him would betray her friend. Siding with her would betray her husband. What could she do? A friend or a lover? A lover for a friend. All she wanted to do was scream at them and rip her hair out- but she couldn't. All she could do was watch and throw her hope and trust at the Force, hoping that it would be sorted out.

"I said" Satine said, putting all the authority she had into her voice and drawing herself up with dignity. "That I visited a separatist camp last week..." again she never finished her sentence as Anakin, kind and gentle Anakin had slammed her into a tree again. The duchess stifled a cry of pain.

"Why?" he asked her vehemently. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The person who had been considered a friend, the only one outside of Anakin and Padmé who knew about their marriage, and was present as a witness. And also a close friend of his former master was, to all aspects a traitor. Or was she? It was this doubt which had caused him to behave like he was. As a Jedi he couldn't doubt. To doubt meant to fear. But this, almost hatred of doubt came from way before his initiation into the Jedi Temple. It was written into his very bones. He couldn't discard it no sooner than he could rip out his own heart. He needed to know the truth. Fast.

"I am neutral in this war" she said clearly, hatred for the very man opposite her coursing through her veins. She wanted to call Obi-Wan for help through the bond which they shared with each other but refrained. To call him now would reveal her friends' secrets. She couldn't do that, not yet anyway. There was still away out of it. "I am on neither side, therefore by visiting each camp I am therefore not a traitor" Anakin froze in place, his mind ticking over what she had said. It was true: her position or rather her status within the war was of neutrality. But both Anakin and Obi-Wan knew that there was no such thing as total neutrality. Shades of gray, yes. But not neutral. She was with them or us. Us or them. It was a never ending vicious circle which would only stop with either to surrender or total death of the losing side. She was looking down, ashamed of her behaviour or because she was scared of the storm in his eyes he could not tell.

Then she looked up into his eyes. And he leapt away from her. The storm in his heart turning to rain, it was raining in his very soul. Those eyes scared him. Not because they were angry or powerful. Far from it. He wasn't scared of her. But he was scared of himself. The way those eyes looked at him reminded him of being back at Watto's shop. Enduring another beating. The way the eyes glassed over. Unseeing. Submissive. Accepting the fate that was coming. He was better than that. Wasn't he? He tried to wrestle with himself. Trying to justify what he had done. But he couldn't. He couldn't even summon the courage to look back into those eyes. He was too ashamed of himself.

Satine having spent years of her life with Obi-Wan who, particularly in his teenage years had been quite volatile, and recently just after Qui-Gon had died he had come close to touching the dark side. After all this she was used to the mood swings of a Jedi. Her Obi had been like Anakin, except, from what she could gather from the Knights former master was that Anakin hated meditation, preferring to go to light sabre practice to let of his anger instead of releasing his anger into the Force as any good Jedi should have done. She felt sorry for Anakin. But then she was reminded of the bruises already forming on her back and stopped. But still the young man needed comforting he was clearly horrified at what he had done. She placed a placating hand on the Knight's shoulder. And finally Padmé found that she could finally move her legs enough to walk over to the pair of them.

"Satine?" she asked, worried about her friend. She was, needless to say worried about Anakin, but, knew somewhere in the deep recess of her mind that although her husband was deeply troubled he would be fine. Satine I wasn't so sure about.

"I'm fine Padmé" she said brightly. But this brightness didn't reach her eyes. It was fake. But Padmé didn't pushed her. She knew her friend better than to push. Slowly Anakin got to his feet from where he had been crouched. He attempts his trade mark grin. The one every boy in the Republic wished that they had. And the one which every girl longs to kiss. But it was wrong. It twisted his features. Not enhanced them. It made him look ugly. Not the beautiful charismatic Knight he was known to be. It made him look dark and hideous. And Padmé hated it. The Jedi Knight turned to the Chancellor. And bowed. Hiding his face from view.

"I'm truly sorry Chancellor" he said humbly. The way he would have once asked forgiveness from Watto, and, more recently from Mace Windu.

"Consider it forgiven Master Jedi". It wasn't the chancellor who spoke but Satine. Again Anakin attempted to grin at her. Again he failed, epically"

"My dear boy" the chancellor said, putting a hand on Anakin's shoulders. "We all make mistakes, your only human after all". This brought Anakin up short. No lecture. No beating. No punishment. With this realisation came relief and hope, it blossomed inside him. Cracking the darkness encasing his soul. It always happened when the chancellor was around. He could almost smell the dark side on him. Sticking and clinging to him. His words of forgiveness and Satine's heartened him. But he needed forgiveness from Padmé. His angel. His compass. The queen who fell for a slave boy and risked all to be with him. He knew what he put her through. The bond they shared though the Force told him how much he had hurt her. And also how scared she was, not of him. Anakin knew that. She would never be scared of him. But FOR him. It didn't make sense, not to him anyway, not to this situation. H quickly filed away the question to discuss with Obi-Wan at a later date.

"We are at war Master Jedi" The senator said calmly, her eyes and face betraying nothing. "You must do what you fell you must to ensure it ends soon". It wasn't forgiveness. Not even close. Anakin could feel the waves of disapproval rolling off of her. But it was acceptance. Acceptance that they must discuss this, not here, not now but back at home. But she wouldn't be leaving him. She was leaving a lot of her feeling unsaid and shying away from the gently probes at her mind. He had taught her it a long time ago to protect her from Dark Jedi, the Sith. Now it was being employed on him. What did that make him? Anakin didn't know the answer to this particular enigma. Anakin cleared his throat.

"Right so...er" he was going to introduce them to the camp but no his confidence failed him. He had always been confident. As a young boy it had been out of naivety. Now it was due to his ablilities, not only with a light sabre, but with his strange way of being able to charm most people. People just liked him. Amongst the Jedi he was considered many things: collegue, friend, teacher all these roles jumbling together. His preferred company was his master, with whom he shared a special bond. Outside of the Jedi environment he was admired and famous. Even only his mother was here to see it. Now, with that persona had gone. And he was the lost little boy from Tatooine, so far away from home. And yet a great responsibility had been placed on his shoulders. Shaking himself he began to improvise.

"This is the 501st camp" he said "So if you would like to follow me we shall go get something to eat at the mess hall before continuing". They nodded in agreement before setting off after him.

Dun dun daaaaa so was it good or bad. Please review I know that it is a bit slow but a promise you that it is going to be going somewhere- I have so many ideas locked in my head that you might or might not see on paper but anyway- until next time- don't forget to review.

from subaquakat