AN: Well, as you can probably guess, after the way things left off in the last chapter, I decided that I couldn't just leave it as a oneshot. Except I think I've bitten off more than I can chew... Also? I haaaaaate writing Yoda.
Summary: Chancellor Palpatine is dead, and Padmé is no longer in danger of dying. Now what? The Jedi struggle to regroup after having their world overturned, and there are many decisions to be made.
Being summoned to an emergency meeting of the Council the absolute second he arrived on Coruscant was not at all something Obi-Wan was expecting. Nor was it something he was looking forward to, especially since there was a certain furrow to Master Windu's brow that Obi-Wan was used to associating with pinching his nose and exasperatedly asking what Anakin had done this time. Though the misdemeanors of his former Padawan had long since gone beyond configuring protocol droids to speak nothing but Bochi and these days lay more in the realms of 'Skywalker single-handedly frees a world against orders'.
He heaved an exhausted sigh, grimacing at his still sooty robes- there hadn't even been time for a quick trip to his quarters to freshen up, and turned his attention back to Master Windu. Whatever he had called them to meet for was surely very urgent.
Finally Master Yoda- the last of the council to respond- flickered into view, his blue hologram looking grim. "Why called us, have you, Master Windu?" The aged being inquired.
Master Windu's face was stark and cold. "Chancellor Palpatine was a Lord of the Sith and, I believe, the Master we have been searching for." Obi-Wan felt his heart drop like a stone. The fact that a Sith had been in control of the Republic for the last 11 years didn't even bear thinking of. Through the ringing in his ears he heard Yoda.
"Was, say you, Master Windu?"
The older Jedi Master nodded. "He is dead now." The rest of the Council jolted, and the Master continued, recounting the events that had transpired only hours ago. "When I went to confront the Chancellor with three of my fellows, we discovered another Sith was present. She was of a species I did not recognize, and did not appear to be affiliated with the Chancellor. She-" and here he hesitated, looking as if he himself could not believe what he was about to say. "She claimed to be from three thousand years ago. The Chancellor's statements about summoning her seemed to support this. She spoke of an event that I had never heard of before, the Great Galactic War, something I thought to be just a legend."
Master Yoda rumbled softly. "Legend, the war is not. Long ago and nearly forgotten, it is. Teach of, our historians no longer do. For someone to reference so easily, unheard of is. For this Sith to do so easily, very unusual without experience, is." The diminutive Grandmaster settled himself more firmly into his seat and gestured for Windu to continue, as if he had not just validated the idea of time travel, of all things.
Master Windu nodded shortly. "Then Chancellor Palpatine attacked us. He killed two of our number, Masters Agen Kolar and Saesee Tiin." Obi-Wan blinked through the haze of his shock, as Master Windu, looking visibly distressed, continued. "He cut them down so easily, I almost couldn't believe it. It was at this point that the second Sith interfered, halting the conflict. She proceeded to interrogate us before attempting to kill the Chancellor. I had expected her to aid him, and was taken by surprise."
"To turn on each other, the way of the Sith is." Master Yoda replied calmly. "The apprentice will always turn on the master."
"She claimed she had never been his apprentice, and seemed scornful of him." Master Windu corrected, still looking bewildered by all that had occurred. "It was at this time that Anakin Skywalker, who was the one who had informed me of the Chancellor's true identity, interrupted the proceedings. He attempted to stop the Sith from killing the Chancellor by attacking, and while she easily stopped him, she did not attack. The Chancellor attempted to kill her while she was distracted, and then tried to convince Anakin to join him, declaring his intent to make the Republic into an Empire, with himself as the Emperor."
Obi-Wan felt an icy chill sweep down his spine, and reached out to the bond he and Anakin still shared. It was still there, and while Anakin's mind was closed to him, he felt the same as he always had. There was no dark side in him. Obi-Wan nearly collapsed in relief.
"It was at this point that I succumbed to the head injury the Sith had inflicted earlier on me when I tried to attack, and I fell unconscious."
Obi-Wan frowned. The other Master looked almost pale, as if the next part of the tale was even more terrible than the last. "When I awoke, the Chancellor had disabled the other Sith and was attempting to entice Anakin to join him, stating that he would be able to save Anakin's," and here he paused again, looking grim once more. "Anakin's wife, Senator Amidala of Naboo."
Obi-Wan felt his stomach drop as his suspicions were abruptly confirmed once and for all. He silently cursed Anakin- for breaking the Code, for not trusting him, for confiding in a Sith, he wasn't sure which. 'Oh, Anakin.' He thought tiredly, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Master Shaak Ti spoke. "You claim that Jedi Skywalker has violated the tenet against attachment, Master. This is a serious accusation."
Master Windu sighed. "Anakin confirmed it."
"Then we will call Jedi Skywalker and deal with this situation later." She replied. "Please, continue. I sense there is more."
Obi-Wan held back a sigh of his own, feeling a headache swiftly building in his temples. This was an utter mess. The other Master continued his tale. Obi-Wan honestly couldn't see how things could get any worse.
He shouldn't have tempted fate.
"When Anakin refused again-" Obi-Wan couldn't help the reluctant pride that flooded through him at that. Even after everything, it seemed that there was at least one thing about Anakin that he still knew and could trust in. "-Palpatine tried to kill him. The other Sith intervened and executed him."
"So, the Master of the Sith is dead. That's good, at least." Obi-Wan offered. Murmurs of agreement from the other Councillors did nothing to alleviate Master Windu's upset, however, and he kept speaking.
"When I confronted Anakin about his breach of the Code," Master Windu looked rather incredulous, "the Sith was surprised and appeared horrified, claiming that in her time it was somewhat commonplace for the Jedi to marry and have children, even stating that the current Grandmaster had a son."
"The ancient records do seem to indicate that this was so, though they are considered nothing but speculation by many." Master Ti commented.
"It was at this point that the Sith offered for Anakin to leave the Order and, along with his wife and child, come with her. When I objected, she claimed she had no desire to rebuild the Sith, and simply wanted peace." Master Windu looked troubled. "While I could not sense any lies, I still find such a statement extremely hard to believe."
Obi-Wan had to agree with that. In his experience, Sith were rather good liars.
Master Windu drew a deep breath. "Anakin accepted. He informed me that he was withdrawing from the Order, and then left with the Sith, declaring his intention to visit Senator Amidala. It was at this point that I called for medical aid to attend to Master Kit Fisto, whom had been knocked unconscious, and called this session of the Jedi Council."
He was apparently done, and sat back in his chair, looking more weary than Obi-Wan had ever seen him, even after some of the bloodiest battles they had encountered throughout the war. The Jedi darted a glance around at his fellow Council members, and had to suppress a snort. He didn't think anyone would look more shocked than if Master Windu had dropped a bomb. In fact, he was fairly certain several Councilors, himself included, would have preferred an explosive device to the insane tale their fellow Master had imparted.
"Master Windu." Yoda finally spoke. "Handled this matter badly, you have."
The addressed jerked upright. "With all due respect-" Yoda smashed down his gimer stick.
"Not finished, was I." Master Windu closed his mouth and nodded. "Come perilously close to committing treason, you were. Come closer to allowing the Sith to triumph, you did. Forced a Jedi Knight out of the Order by not allowing him any other option, you most certainly have." A mutinous look sparked in the younger Master's eyes at that, which Yoda forestalled with a single raised hand. "Blameless in the matter of young Skywalker, I am not. Of this Council, all bear some responsibility for failing him." He sighed, looking even older than his many years. "Spoke too much and listened too little, did I, when young Skywalker came to me. Allowed the Sith too many weak points to exploit, we all did." Obi-Wan winced quietly at that, recalling his own failings in regards to Anakin.
"Be that as it may," Mace replied, "Hindsight is always easy. It is foresight that proves difficult, and our past mistakes aside, as a Council we surely do not intend to simply let an unknown and likely insane Sith roam the galaxy unopposed!" Obi-Wan could see many expressions of agreement at that statement, and he frowned. But before he could speak, Master Yoda took the floor again.
"What reason have you for pursuing this Sith so?" The green being pressed. "Much pride do I sense in you, and much anger. Anger at having your pride wounded, first by the Chancellor and then by this new Sith." Mace was speechless for a moment, but quickly parried.
"The Sith were the reason for this war!" His voice raised for only a moment, but even that break in the normally calm Master's control was startling, and evidence of how much the events of the past hours had truly affected him.
"And from your telling that helped end it, a Sith was." Yoda parried. "A Sith that young Skywalker, who has faced those of the Dark Side before, saw no reason to fear when mistrusted even the Chancellor he did. When mistrusted even us, he did." The small master settled into his chair comfortably, as if the words he was speaking were not ones that were sure to send the entire Order into turmoil. Obi-Wan did not speak, unsure of what he could even say and not wishing to interrupt the confrontation between the two Masters.
"Afraid, I am, that failed more than Skywalker I have. Allowed the Jedi to grow complacent and stagnate, I have, and nearly did we all pay the price for it. Without this new Sith, fallen to the corrupt Chancellor, I fear we would have, and lost far more than two masters to his plots."
None could deny the truth of those words, Obi-Wan himself included. He had never liked the Chancellor, but he also would never have suspected the man of being a Sith, and the consequences of that had been severe. Undoubtedly the man had masterminded the war they had spent the last three fighting, and used the bloody conflict to award more and more powers to himself. And he had done it all under the Jedi's very noses. How amusing he must have found it, Obi-Wan thought with a sudden wash of bitterness, to speak to the Jedi he was planning to kill as friends, and to know they never suspected a thing.
Yoda sighed. "Much to learn, I still have. Learn this lesson as well, you all must."
Obi-Wan nodded, and saw several other Councilors doing the same. That had been soundly proven to them all in the last half hour. "Master Yoda," he spoke up for the first time. "What will we do now? Anakin has left the Order, and I feel we must respect that-" he ignored the stares and scowls sent his way at that, "-and this Sith has not appeared to do anything wrong, but I am uncomfortable with simply leaving them to wander the galaxy."
"Trust in the Force, you must." Was Master Yoda's response. "This lesson learned, I have as well. Lost to the Light, young Skywalker is not, but his own path he must walk." His blue holographic form surveyed the rest of the Council with gimlet eyes.
"What of the child?" Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke up for the first time, his voice quiet but forceful. "Any child of Skywalker's will undoubtedly be powerful in the Force. Should we not offer them what we could not give to Skywalker and have them raised in the Temple? Surely Skywalker would appreciate it."
Obi-Wan bolted upright at that, mouth already opening to explain to his fellow Master exactly how that would only drive Anakin further away, and exactly how unlikely (the chances of a womp rat in a sarlacc, incidentally) his former Padawan was to give up his child, but before Obi-Wan could do more than draw a breath, Master Yoda was already speaking.
The small Grandmaster pinned the Master with a glare. "Trust in the Force, we will. For a reason, everything happens." He surveyed all of the Masters gathered there. "For now, rebuild we must, and recover. Skywalker, his own path must walk, separate from the Jedi."
Master Yoda nodded sharply and once more tapped his stick. "This, my decision is," he declared, and terminated his connection, the projector going dark.
Obi-Wan stood. "If that is all masters? I can give my report on the confrontation on Utapau at our next meeting, and I would greatly appreciate a chance to rest and meditate."
Master Windu caught his gaze and nodded shortly. "Very well, Master Kenobi."
Obi-Wan inclined his head and strode out before everything he was thinking had a chance to show on his face. Unfortunately for his body's wishes, he was not going to his quarters to clean up and fall asleep. He was going to get some answers.
As the projector blinked off in front of him, the ancient Grandmaster of the Jedi Order sighed, feeling every one of his years. He turned away from the device and eyed the flickering blue shape- though one that had not been produced by any technological device- that stood next to him. "Much to think on, you have given me." He frowned. "Many lessons, that all must learn. Many there will be that wish to learn, do not."
The blue shape chuckled. "But they are necessary, old friend." Qui-Gon Jinn replied, a sparkle in his eye. "The Force is still shaking from the weight of Anakin's choice today, and as the ripples spread, I think the Jedi will be grateful for them."
"Hmph." The still living Master grunted. "Avoided one disaster, we have, Eager to confront another, I am not."
"Then it is fortunate for you that you won't have to, isn't it?" Qui-Gon grinned, before sobering. "The Force truly has a plan, Master Yoda." He said softly. "Trust in it and allow Anakin to become what he was born to be."
The green being eyed the Force manifestation of one of his more troublesome Jedi and nodded. "Trust in the Force, I always have. Trust in you, I am not so sure."
The other Jedi simply grinned. "I think you just don't want to admit that I was right."
"Hmph." Yoda did not reply further, and Qui-Gon laughed.
"Take care, old friend. The future is in motion, and those that cannot move with it are liable to get left behind." With that, his form winked out of existence, leaving the Jedi Grandmaster alone. Yoda eyed the space where he had been before snorting and turning to leave the room. There was plenty for him to do before he could return to Coruscant, and he would need to leave soon. There were still lessons to be learned, even at 800 years of age, and he found himself suddenly eager to start.
A speeder pulled up to her apartment, and Padmé spun at the sound, nearly crumpling with relief when she saw her husband climbing out, looking tired but whole.
"Anakin!" She cried, and nearly ran to him. "What happened?"
The Jedi Knight sighed, exhausted. "A lot. Can we come in? There is much we need to discuss." She blinked at the 'we', but nodded.
"Please, come in." A second person emerged from the speeder and she had to hold back a gasp at the figure. A being of a species she did not recognize, but appeared female, followed Anakin in and Padmé automatically closed the shields that kept her apartment separate from the rest of Coruscant.
Her eyes examined Anakin's companion, but Padmé didn't know what to think of what she saw. The being's skin was a rich red, and hair of an even darker crimson was bound into a bun on the back of their head. Their face was sharply defined, with bones just a little too pointed to be human, the golden jewelry that decorated their face and neck only serving to emphasize their differences. The being was dressed in black, what looked like some form of armor, and it was scorched in places, though they appeared unharmed. A lightsaber rested on their hip and Padmé felt herself relax. Anakin hadn't brought a stranger into their home, just another Jedi.
"Padmé," Anakin said softly, "this is Andrjin. Andrjin, this is my wife, Padmé." Padmé froze, her eyes flicking to the strange Jedi. At the look on her face, Anakin actually smiled.
"It's ok, Padmé. She already knew. And," He continued, his voice growing stronger, "it was with her help that I've decided to leave the Order. I am no longer a Jedi."
It was only years of experience in the Senate that kept Padmé's jaw from dropping at this pronouncement. "What!" She could not hide her shock, nor her dismay. "But Ani, being a Jedi was your dream! You love it, you love being able to help people!" Her eyes dropped. "Why would you give that up?" Her next question went unspoken, the Senator unable to find the courage to ask. 'Was it because of me?' She wondered.
The other Jedi- though with Ani no longer part of the Order, she supposed Andrjin was the only Jedi there- shifted her weight and spoke for the first time. "There are more ways to do good than simply being a Jedi." She said, and Padmé felt a puzzled frown crease her brow at the other woman's accent. It was short and clipped, though her melodious voice smoothed away some of the sharpness.
Anakin nodded. "That's true." He sighed. "As for why I'm no longer a Jedi… That's a long story, and part of it is why we're here. We're going to need your help."
Padmé nodded. "You have it." She encouraged softly, and he gave her a small smile before his eyes dropped, and she realized that they were all still standing by the windows. "Why don't we all sit, and you can tell me what's happened." She suggested, and they all moved to the couch. "Can I get any drinks?" The politician asked, her manners returning after the shocks she'd had. Both Jedi shook their heads, and she joined Anakin on the couch he'd claimed.
Her husband took a deep breath. "I guess where I should begin is…" He trailed off for a second before regaining his train of thought. "Palpatine was a Sith Lord and behind the Separatist movement. He was using it to gain power so that he could eventually become all powerful and declare himself Emperor." Padmé couldn't contain her gasp at that. Anakin gestured for her to wait, and she closed her mouth on the questions and shocked denials bubbling up, and nodded. "He told me this while trying to convince me that if I turned to the dark side, I would be able to prevent you from dying." She shuddered at the reminder of the nightmares Anakin had been suffering for the past months. She hated them, more for the pain that they caused her husband than what they predicted, but it was still scary.
Anakin sighed and his eyes dropped to the floor. "I… I considered it."
Padmé couldn't stay silent at that. "Oh, Ani, no!"
"I would do anything to keep you safe." He said, almost harshly, but the eyes she looked into were full of guilt. "But Andrjin stopped me."
The occupant of the other couch stirred at her name. "I have seen the 'immortality' a Sith offers. It is not something to wish on anyone, much less someone you love."
Anakin nodded. "She showed me that, and helped me defeat him." He winced. "Actually, that was the part we needed your help with…" Padmé raised an eyebrow. "He's, well, dead now, and since I'd really rather we didn't get arrested for killing the greatest threat to the Republic that I've seen…"
"You came to me." Padmé completed. "Chancellor Palpatine-"
"Sidious." Anakin interrupted. When his wife shot him an annoyed look, he shrugged and explained. "Palpatine was the mask he used to fool everyone. Sidious was his name as a Sith."
Padmé nodded. "Sidious, then. Sidious really should have stood trial for his crimes."
"And that is what your husband was trying to accomplish." Replied the other Jedi. "I was the one who killed him as he tried to kill your husband." At her look of shock, the other woman shrugged. "He had already killed two of the Jedi sent to arrest him. I was not interested in Anakin becoming the third."
Padmé swallowed hard at that. "I… thank you, for that." Despite her best efforts, she couldn't quite keep the quiver out of her voice.
"So you were one of the Jedi sent to arrest him?" She asked Andrjin, and was taken aback at the mirth that spread over the red skinned woman's face.
"A Jedi- me?" She choked out. "I'm afraid you are rather mistaken." Padmé blinked.
"But your lightsaber-" She trailed off as Andrjin stood, unclipping the weapon from her belt, and with a small flourish of her wrist, ignited it. Padmé jerked back, eyes wide, as she stared at the ruby red blade. After a few seconds, the Sith- another Sith, in her apartment- deactivated the lightsaber and reclaimed her seat. Padmé let her eyes close, before opening them and turning to fix her husband with a gimlet stare.
"Anakin?" She said, her voice falsely calm. "I think you should start explaining. Now."
Her husband took one look at her face and did. Quickly.
Several minutes later, Padmé didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sheer insanity of it all. "So, just to clarify," She said, still forcing her voice calm. "You-" she pointed at Andrjin, "-are from over three thousand years ago, and Sidious summoned you here using a ritual holocron created by the Emperor of your time- where there is a whole Empire of Sith- to call his servants, specifically you, to him. Except it's linked to you only, so when Sidious tried to use it to call Anakin, believing Anakin would turn to the dark side and become his apprentice, he managed to break through time and bring you instead. You, having killed the Emperor that created the holocron, were less than pleased by this and immediately tried to kill Sidious instead, and in the process found out that you had time travelled. You killed Sidious after discovering he was the last Sith, and when you discovered that the Jedi were probably going to punish Anakin for marrying me, you offered that he come with you instead."
The red skinned Pureblood Sith- species, not Force order, apparently- nodded. "There were several confrontations with the Jedi as well." She supplied, voice far too calm for what they had been discussing. Padmé couldn't take it any longer.
"This is completely insane, you realize that?" She leapt to her feet, pacing, as she nearly shouted the question at the both of them, Jedi and Sith, in her apartment. "I- I can't believe this, it's crazy, utterly crazy."
"I could not believe it myself, when it first happened." The Sith replied, still in that infuriatingly calm voice. "But it is, unfortunately, true."
The Senator whirled on her husband. "And you believe her?" She hid a wince at the pitch her voice had reached.
Anakin sighed and nodded. "The Force had done stranger things than this, and," he shrugged, "I think the Force has a plan for this. I almost certainly would have either fallen or died without Andrjin being there, and I think either event would have been what made the vision the Force sent me come true."
Padmé felt herself pale. The vision, it all came back to that, the whole mess did really. "You think it was a warning?" She asked through numb lips, refusing to contemplate the future Anakin had just mentioned.
"It certainly sounds like one." Andrjin replied. "While I never experienced one myself, my apprentice's gift sometimes included aspects that were much like one, and she often spoke of them as such."
Anakin shrugged. "That's what I think, anyway. I mean, the visions about Mom were a warning too, I think, and these were like those."
Padmé nodded. And then moved on. "Anyway," she said briskly, "Force discussions to the side, there's still a dead Chancellor and his crimes that need to be dealt with. Preferably without either of you getting arrested, and without the Republic dissolving into anarchy."
Both Force users nodded. "While I have broken out of prisons before, I would prefer avoiding being a wanted fugitive if possible. I have already spent several years as one, and I was hoping to avoid repeating that part of my history." The Sith's voice was dry, but with a hint of humor that Padmé felt herself smiling in response to.
"We'll try to avoid that." She promised. "So, I think the first thing we need to do is release a statement to the press." She watched both of them flinch a little, and had to suppress a slightly vindictive smile at their clear distaste. "So, here's what we need to do first-" She began, feeling in her element for the first time in the entire conversation.
Which was when they all heard another speeder dock at her private landing and a sharp voice call out, "Anakin! What in the blazes have you been doing?"
Anakin's widened eyes confirmed what Padmé already knew. Obi-Wan was here, and he wanted answers.
Obi-Wan, for his part, was quietly fuming as he stared through the window separating the speeder dock from the Senator's apartment at Anakin, Padmé, and what could only be the mysterious Sith that he had heard so much about an hour ago. He truly couldn't believe what Anakin had done- Anakin had left the Order (left me, a small, traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind, where he had shoved the hurt at what his brother in all but blood had done) for his wife, and by the look of Padmé, a very soon to be born child. The Sith sitting there with them as if they were close confidantes was really just the touch that turned this day from strange to truly bizarre.
With a gesture from the apartment's owner, the window opened to let him in. "Obi-Wan, hello." The Senator greeted, looking far too composed for this situation. "Please, have a seat. We were just discussing what to do about the Chancellor's demise and… everything else." Now that he was looking more closely, he could see the cracks in her calm that revealed she was not taking this quite as well as she pretended to, but he was not cruel enough to point it out. Not when he was still reeling too.
He sighed, and did so. Now that Anakin was actually in front of him, whole and healthy and light, if obviously tired, he found he could not maintain the upset that had brought him here. "Very well." He ran a hand over his beard, and glanced over at the unknown in this whole solution.
"So you're the mysterious, possibly time travelling Sith." He examined her, noting the strange and exotic features, the clearly battleworn armor, the way that she sat poised and redy to move despite appearing relaxed. And yet, when he reached out with the Force, he felt no darkness, none of the malice that clung like a shadow to all the other Sith he had ever encountered. (Palpatine aside- the man had clearly been very careful to hide his inclinations around the Jedi.)
She inclined her head in a short bow, and he blinked at the gesture of respect. "And you are Anakin's mentor and friend. He thinks very highly of you." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his former Padawan flush a dull red at that, but the younger man did not deny it.
"Obi-Wan." Padmé cut in, clearly trying to prevent a confrontation. "Why are you here?"
The Jedi Master sighed again, feeling as if he was as old as Master Yoda in that instant. "Honestly? To get some answers." He looked at Anakin. "Why, Anakin? Why did you leave?"
The former Jedi met his eyes, and the look within them nearly stunned him. "Master Windu said that they were going to make me renounce Padmé if I wanted to remain a Jedi. I can't give her up, Master." Anakin reached out and grabbed the Senator's hand, holding it tightly in his own. "I couldn't do that, Master. I can't. So if you're here to convince me to come back…"
Obi-Wan shook his head and smiled wryly. "Since when have I ever been able to make you do anything, Anakin? No, I'm not here to get you to rejoin the Order. Master Yoda was very clear that you had your own path to walk now, and that the Jedi were not to interfere."
His former Padawan blinked, obviously shocked by that. The Sith on the other couch raised an eyeridge as well. "I must admit, I had expected your Council to be far more… Militant. My experiences with Jedi are that anyone not following their code are evil, and should you not immediately admit your error and beg forgiveness, they're more likely to try and kill you than let you go." She observed with a dryly caustic voice, and Obi-Wan had to suppress a wince.
"That is not what we strive for." He replied softly but firmly. "It is Anakin's decision to be a Jedi or not, and we will not disrespect that."
She smirked. "If only more Jedi had an attitude like yours. If nothing else, the other Jedi that confronted Sidious seemed to feel otherwise."
"Master Windu is a good man." He countered calmly. "He believes in doing what is right."
"Since when do Jedi view killing anyone as 'good'?" She inquired coolly. "But I forgot- Jedi don't really see Sith as beings, only monsters, so how could killing us be bad?"
"All the Sith I have met were monsters." Obi-Wan shot back, a little more sharply than he intended.
"Does that include me?" She eyed him with arched eyeridges. He sighed.
"Surprisingly, no." He admitted, and she snorted, but did not say anything more. Anakin was looking between the two of them as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and frankly, there was a part of Obi-Wan that couldn't believe it either. He was practically bantering with a Sith, and neither of them were attempting to kill the other.
Padmé clapped her hands sharply, disturbing the mildly uncomfortable silence. "Obviously, we can't announce that Andrjin is a Sith, especially since there's no way we can explain the time travel. Normally, I don't like lying, but we need some way of explaining what she was doing in that office without using the words 'Palpatine summoned her from the past because he wanted a powerful servant', because that will just make everyone think that we're lunatics. Any ideas?"
She turned to look at the Sith in question. A strangely wistful smirk played over the woman's lips, before she quietly offered, "You could say that I was a bounty hunter hired to track down the hidden Sith lord by a third party that wished to remain nameless." Her eyes were distant for a moment, but the molten orange irises quickly snapped back to them. "Bounty hunters do still exist, yes?"
Padmé nodded thoughtfully. "They do. But they don't really have the best reputation, so that might not be the best way to present you."
"A private investigator." Obi-Wan found himself offering. "I doubt the Jedi would be willing to claim you as one of their own undercover, but anyone can hire a private investigator."
The Senator beamed at him. "That's perfect! She was there trying to set up some bugs when the Chancellor unexpectedly walked in and the confrontation happened. When he tried to kill the Jedi, he also tried to kill her, so in self defense, she killed him."
"I assume the Chancellor's office has no cameras or listening devices?" Andrjin inquired. "Considering I admitted to being a Sith several times throughout the conversation."
Padmé shook her head. "No, too much of a breach of privacy, not to mention that politically, many of the topics discussed there are of the type no one wants recorded."
"So…" Andrjin drawled. "We have no proof that I am a Sith- but no proof that Sidious is either."
"The testimony of a Jedi is still worth something." Obi-Wan offered.
"Enough to justify the death of the leader of the Republic?" The Sith's raised eyeridge was getting highly annoying, but the Jedi had to admit her point was sound.
"It was in self defense. They went there with the intent to arrest him." He argued.
Padmé frowned. "Did they have a warrant? Jedi don't normally handle arrests."
Obi-Wan blinked, before frowning. "Anakin?"
The former Jedi shook his head. "I didn't see one when I arrived."
"The Jedi made no mention of a warrant when they first arrived, either." Andrjin supplied with a faint scowl. "They simply tried to arrest the man, and then he attacked."
Padmé rested her head in her hands and groaned. "Wonderful. So, then we have a case of Jedi overstepping their bounds." she raised a hand when Obi-Wan opened his mouth. "You know as well as I do that that is how the Senate will see it. Attempting an illegal arrest, and then killing the Supreme Chancellor? If it weren't for the fact that I hate lying, it would almost be easier to blame this on an assassination by the Separatists!"
Anakin jolted upright, his eyes suddenly alight. "That's it!" Padmé turned to him with a frown.
"I just said-" He shook his head.
"No, not blaming it on them! We just need to find records documenting that Palpatine was playing both sides, and that when the Jedi tried to get him to turn himself in, he attacked!"
Obi-Wan blinked. "That- that may actually work. If we can find the evidence." Anakin grinned.
"Time to go back to the Chancellor's office."
Obi-Wan just sighed. "You're not even a Jedi even more and you're still dragging me into trouble." Anakin blinked at him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Master." He protested, a faint grin playing over his lips. (Obi-Wan couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen his friend so carefree, and it ached somewhere in his chest to know that it took a Sith and leaving the Jedi to bring that spirit back.)
The Jedi sighed. "Of course you don't." He waved his hand. "After you."
How was this his life again?
Oh right, the Force.