"So how soon should we hear from Corellia?"
"No idea this time, besides Obi-wan and Anakin both told me to stay out of this mission period unless the true government calls for me to help them reestablish order"
"Does he even know what he's doing to you when he keeps you in the dark about his missions?"
"Actually yes he does because I told him early on, however there are times when it's best that I don't know about the mission unless I have to become part of it for whatever reason. If something major happens to them I would most likely feel it unless they're blocking me and if I find out that's the case after they get back they know what's going to happen"
"What do you mean?"
"I only received a second hand report once during the war this time and it wasn't pretty. In the original time line I received second hand reports about them constantly and whenever we were together I confronted them about it, mainly Obi-wan because we were friends but occasionally I got onto Anakin as well, though I'm almost positive Padme was worse for Anakin even though they rarely got to see each other during the war"
"Because those two were married?"
"Exactly, and they're married this time as well but with the approval of the Jedi Council"
"So what happens?"
"Oh you'll see, the last time you didn't because of the fact that it was on the battlefield and you were busy else where's and by the time you got back it was over"
"And this time not only am I alive but we'll most likely be on Coruscant"
"Exactly"
Over the next several days Bail managed to get back to some sort of sleep pattern that he was used to and he even got in some time for several Kor Soth Let spars and endurance work. Not to mention three different lectures, one from John, one from Yoda and once it truly sunk in what he'd done the Jedi Council as a whole decided to lecture him on how dangerous what he'd done was even with his self defense training. The Council lecture was ultimately the worst because of the fact that they decided to bring in his old training master who taught him his style and just having his old sensei look disappointed in him was enough. Then they got a call from Corellia and it wasn't the backup that had been sent originally, it was two clones
"Generals, the backup you sent got themselves killed, execution date was upgraded to five days and the clones undercover as part of Corellia's security forces are either dead or captured with the other regular Corellia security people due to a firefight"
"What happened?"
"Simple, there's a rebel group we didn't know about that decided to act without approval of their hidden leaders, they tried to rescue Generals Kenobi and Skywalker and Commander Tano and those with them and ultimately failed in the rescue attempt because they didn't do any planning ahead of time. The only good thing is that we already took out the factory so at least until more Separatist ships come, which won't be easy the enemy doesn't have any reinforcements"
"Okay we'll inform the Senate and then make plans to take the Separatists down once and for all before the execution happens"
Comms are cut and that's when they realize that Bail was still there and wasn't looking too happy
"Kenobi and Skywalker are going to get it when they back, they're blocking the bond on my end which means I never felt pain from them, I was also not informed of this immediately by you guys"
"We thought we had time"
"Well now I know and I am also going to be telling Padme about this, and Master Jinn if I can find him"
"Oh Master Jinn is already aware of what's happened because while they've been keeping their pain from you that's not the case with Master Yoda and Master Jinn, though they've only barely noticed and that means only when it's so severe that it slips through their tight barriers"
"I'm still telling Padme"
The entire Council winces at that knowing that Padme wasn't going to be too happy with them either, but they also knew that Anakin was going to get it when he got home for getting himself captured in the first place. Bail and Padme had good reasons to insist on the few rules they had shortly after the war had begun and one of them was that unless it was a security reason no secrets were to be kept about Jedi missions, especially those involving Kenobi and Skywalker because even though they were part of the Senate sometimes they would simply be unable to know about Jedi missions in order to keep everyone safe just in case someone overheard the conversation and then met Palpatine and he discovered through an unsuspecting person. However if capture is made public or the Council knows of injuries then the two were to be informed immediately like the Chancellor was about captured soldiers even if they couldn't do anything about it. At first the Council, except Yoda, were confused about the insisted rules until they got a taste of how the war affected the two and when they were reminded that Bail and Padme remembered the war originally that's when they truly realized that they had good reasons to insist on the few rules they had
"Can you give us a few days to attempt a rescue first? I don't want Senator Skywalker to worry about her husband unnecessarily and you know she would if she heard about his capture now"
They saw Bail actively contemplating their request and finally, slowly they saw him nod in agreement and also verbalize it
"Fine, I'll give you a few days to attempt a rescue, however depending on the results either I tell her what you kept from us or you guys get to tell her but either way she's finding out, and if you don't tell her after the rescue and I find out I'm going to tell her that you broke the agreement"
"Understood"
With that Bail left to go to his office so that his security team could plan a test on the Council and the Council was left being reminded that while Bail was a Senator and normally placid he was scary if messed with. The recent incident was a good reminder that Bail was a trained martial artist this time around while through Yoda and Obi-wan they had learned that he had only learned blasters in the original time line
"So, who's going to be teaching the older initiates who are close to being chosen as a Padawan Senator Organa's and Senator Amidala's rules?"
Plo Koon volunteered this time because the last time it had been Mace Windu and since they tried to rotate the duties it only made sense, the only way out of the rotation was death or a mission. He started with teaching them other rules and guidelines they might have to follow and then finally got to the rules Bail and Padme had set at the beginning of the war
"Okay now then who has heard of either Senator Organa or Senator Amidala?"
Pretty much everyone raised their hands and the few that didn't had good reasons not to know about them despite all the times they were in the news
"Those two have some rules with us and they have very good reasons to have those rules though we can't tell you those reasons for security purposes"
"Master Windu, why did you allow two Senators to dictate rules to you if you can't explain the reason why?"
"That's going to have to come at a later time most likely"
"Are the rules hard for you to remember?"
"No they're actually really simple but necessary unfortunately"
"Then what are the rules?"
"The first and primary rule is that we're not to keep injuries or captures of Knight Skywalker and Master Kenobi from the two of them for longer than twenty-four hours depending on several factors, one of which is just how good communication in our area is. The second rule is that if something happens at the Senate building and we're involved make sure the other Senators are protected before asking after them, but that's only because Senator Organa has training in Kor Soth Let while Senator Amidala knows how to use blasters. The third rule is that if they have diplomatic missions they are in charge unless we tell them that we sense something in the Force, when that happens they turn control over to us. The fourth rule is that if they insist on informality in private we have to be informal. The final rule is that unless there's a security reason missions aren't to be kept from them especially missions involving Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker. Senator Organa has another rule stating that any major injuries or deaths in the Jedi Order are to be reported to him within forty-eight hours of the Jedi returning from their mission, or if no Jedi survive then the clones they were with. Senator Organa has reasons behind that extra rule"
"Why do you have to make reports about the first two Jedi sooner than the other Jedi Master Windu?"
"That's one of the things that must be kept from you for security reasons, as well as why Senator Organa insists on knowing about all the Jedi in the first place"
"Master Windu, are you sure they have good reasons or did they simply tell you they have their reasons and you took them at their word?"
"We know their reasons behind the rules asking after each one depending on what the rule was"
"Fine, we'll obey the rules once we are Padawans, but Master Windu what if we're sent to Tython before we get to the front lines?"
"It will still be good to know the rules just in case they go there for whatever reason and depending on what the Force says you might find out their reasons behind the rules they established"
The Padawans wouldn't know for a while, if they ever found out but the primary reason behind the rules was the fact that Bail and Padme remembered another time line and the clone wars from that period. Bail had survived nineteen years after the war to when Alderaan was blown up. Windu knew that Bail needed to know these things for his own sanity. When originally asked about the rules Bail asked Windu personally if he needed a reminder that Bail saw the end of the Jedi and the rise of the Empire and lived through nineteen years of suffering because of that. Afterwords Bail talked to the Council in private about some of what the people lived through in the Empire and they realized that the Rebellion was the only thing that would have given people hope
"Master Windu, what about if we're with other Senator's do they have their own rules we have to follow when around them?"
"No, just remember not to talk about missions unless directly asked because the Senator might not know all the missions we're undertaking...wait you do have one more Senator that there's a rule we have, Senator Mon Mothma knows certain things now for reasons we can't explain, if for whatever reason she's called to the Jedi Temple and you're with her you are to stay with her until she safely reaches the Temple, you will know she's being called to the Temple or wants to go to the Temple with a code phrase. That code phrase is future dreams"
While that was going on in the Temple Bail was back at the Senate and had called his security team and informed them of the fact that the Jedi Council had requested a test
"John and I picked out several scenarios from which you can choose or you can make up your own scenario, just remember that it can't be anything too extreme or damaging"
"Time limit?"
"Sundown, and it can't start until after the noon meal"
"This is going to take a few days"
"Don't worry they know it's going to happen but part of the test is not knowing when it will happen"
"Okay, that actually makes it easier because we want to make plans of our own, the scenarios you made are good Senator but standard"
"True, oh and be warned one of the scenarios is because the Senator isn't too happy with them right now"
"Indeed, they have a time limit on them in regards to something important"
"What did they do to have that imposed on them?"
"Sorry but I can't discuss that at the moment"
"But Senator..."
"NO! I am not going to discuss certain things ever in regards to the Jedi. If I say something is off limits than it's off limits period" (thinks) "though if things turn out like before then I will reveal the truth to them so that they understand just why I have been so stubborn about everything since shortly before the war began"
John clicked his fingers as a prearranged signal that he wanted to talk to Bail in sign language
*I want to talk to Master Lenira for a bit even though we no longer see him on a regular basis, I don't know why but I get the feeling that he's supposed to know about the whole future thing that's been going on for so long. I want him to meet at the Jedi Temple so that Master Yoda can confirm my feelings so that I don't accidentally reveal something to him that he shouldn't know*
*Works for me, by the way what do you think of me revealing the truth after we completely abandon Alderaan?*
*That's not going to happen for so long I don't think that's a good idea, besides you need to run it past the others*
*That's not the case, I want to fool the Empire but I want mandatory moving started within the next week, we're leaving Alderaan before the war is over*
*So it's no longer going to be voluntary for a few years like originally planned?*
*No, one of the things Yoda and I talked about in private was about the move to our new home planet and he said that the Force urged him to tell me to start the move now. I think the greater darkness is going to be attacking more frequently once the war ends. We also need to discuss our clone allies because something is up with the Jedi and it involves them somehow*
*Understood, after this mission?*
*Works for me*
They then go back to speaking out loud for a valid reason
"Say has anyone seen Marcus since last Monday?"
"No...why?"
"John..."
"On it"
John goes to one of the computers and quickly types something which makes no sense to the group not knowing of something done soon after John almost killed himself
"I can't find it sir, either it's being shielded or it's been destroyed"
"Let's hope it's only shielded because if it's destroyed we have big problems on our hands"
"No kidding"
"Senator, John what are you talking about?"
(Sighs) "I have a question first, do you guys remember the days after John survived the assassination attempt?"
"Yeah, you stayed at the Jedi Temple mostly for the first few days because we weren't exactly able to protect you what with our worry over our security chief"
"All of you were sedated at one point or another to get sleep, what you don't know is that I had special tracking implants designed at that time and when John woke up we discussed putting the implants in you, after the most recent attack when a fellow Kor Soth Let user rescued me I decided it was time to put the implants in you. As such I secretly had a Jedi healer come to your sleeping quarters and while you were asleep give you a mild sedative so that you wouldn't wake up for the minor procedure, John himself was awake but only due to the fact that I needed him awake in case anything went wrong. I know I should have told you guys sooner but it was mainly for my own piece of mind that I did it, and to be honest I wasn't quite sure what your reactions would be"
"I have just one question if it's a painless procedure that can be done awake why not just order us to have the implants when awake?"
"Part of the reason is so that the enemy wouldn't know because those quarters are not secure at all despite all my attempts to make them secure. My office is one of...three that is secure enough to have this discussion but that's only more recently despite the fact that I have been trying to get it this secure since the war began but only shortly before my main Jedi protector left were we successful"
"Yeah we've noticed Master Kenobi being here frequently"
"Ah but he's not my main protector, my main protector stays in the shadows more often than not and as such you never see him. However he has other duties to attend to now so the security had to be upgraded and fast and we finally succeeded in doing so"
"Senator why are you so security minded? I know you have to be careful because of the Separatists but this is a bit extreme isn't it?"
"Unfortunately I can't tell you anything now then make your plans for the Jedi Temple, they do ultimately have to be approved by me but whatever you think is best is what we'll go with"
"Senator, is the rift between you and the Jedi Council going to affect your protection?"
"No because they know why I'm angry at them and actually understand, now your plans need to be made but remember it can't be permanent or too damaging understood?"
"Yes sir"
"Senator one more question why does the mission have to be after the noon meal besides the fact that the Council said so?"
"The Jedi are always alert now a days but it appears that their alertness is more severe before noon meal and at night and the Council doesn't want a Jedi to unsuspectingly kill you for doing something requested from them"
"So it's a safety measure"
"Exactly, you're more likely to be captured then killed between the noon meal and sundown"
Bail was doing paperwork when suddenly Mon Mothma requested a meeting in his office which he granted. It would turn out the meeting was because of the fact that she wanted to discuss a bill with him but hadn't been able to reach him while he had stayed at the Temple