This chapter includes a few minor time jumps and one major time jump. If anything is unclear please leave me a note and I'll try to add more clarification.

Chapter 13 – Green Buns and Jedi Business

"And this here is the cafeteria. We're gonna have a soup kitchen set up that'll provide hot meals to those that need it." Padme spoke as she walked Yoda, Obi-Wan, and a few other Jedi through the site. "The kitchen is behind there."

Obi-Wan peeked his head into the kitchen. "It's a little small for preparing full meals."

"We had budgeted to bring in prepared rations and that doesn't take up a lot of room to prepare," Padme replied.

Several of the other Jedi turned to mutter to themselves. Yoda shook his head. "Good food, healthy minds need. Expand the kitchen, we must."

"Yes, I think this wall behind here will go back a bit. What's behind there, another classroom?" Obi Wan planned.

Padme sighed and made a note for herself, then moved on. "On this floor and the next we have several classrooms set up. We were going to offer lessons in reading and writing Basic, Mathematics, along with a few trades classes that we can get volunteers to teach. Our aim is to help anyone who'll fall into the trap of working for the Hutts, though we won't turn away anyone," she continued. "There are plenty of rooms, so you can hold your own Jedi classes as well, but we were hoping you would agree to teach a few of the common classes. We won't be able to pay you anything. You'll be a volunteer officially."

"Agreeable that is," said Yoda.

Walking through Padme opened another door. And this is where the lounge will go. One of the other services we'll offer is to assign youths with a mentor. This space is designated for them to meet. It's still unfinished, but picture a nice bright mural painted on the walls along with couches and sofas all around the room."

"Actually, we had thought the space would better suit a training room," Obi Wan said. "We can set up another lounge in one of the classrooms, but we'll need a place to train our initiates their saber forms."

"Hmm," Padme expected they'd have some feedback in setting up the design of things, but she did not expect this.

"In private settings, too, mentors will need to meet. Miss this space, they will not. Activity and exercise the young need more," suggested Yoda.

Padme nodded along. She did see a logic to the Jedi Grand Master's advice. It was still sad to see her idea of a grand lounge go. "Can we still paint a mural on the wall?"


"Well, how did it go?" Anakin asked as soon as they got home.

"It went very well. I think the space will work for us." Obi-Wan answered. Anakin's eyes were still trained on Padme, however.

"Yes, I've got to set up a meeting with our contractor to discuss the changes we need to make." Padme hurried off to the study.

Anakin winced. "Changes."

"Not to many of them. We're only repurposing a few rooms. Adding a gym, along with refreshers and sleeping quarters. It will add a bit of time to the project, but the space will serve us well."

"Actually, I was thinking about that." Anakin started. "If we want to promote healthy attachments in our training, the usual communal living style won't be right. I spoke with Cliegg while you were gone, and he's going to arrange several apartments. We'll still need the funds, but then I remembered how Bail Organa offered to fund the Jedi Order."

Obi-Wan gawked. "But the Jedi Order has been self sustained for a thousand years. We're not going to sell ourselves out to a military organization for stolen funds."

"Reappropriated," Anakin quoted. "And we have been helping them with rescuing the children from the inquisitors."

"And the children into our care, we've taken. Hmm, talk to Bail, I will. Need the sleeping rooms and the refreshers we will not." Yoda settled that argument.

"What now?" Padme emerged from the study. "I've set up a meeting with Beru and I, and our contractor. You were just discussing the site again, weren't you?"

"Yes, it seems we will be moving the order into several apartments, and instead just use the Academy for training purposes."

"Oh, well, I'll need to modify the plans again then," Padme said. Anakin leaned in to whisper an apology and encouragement.

"Well, we have a meeting in the mental-scape to get to," said Obi-Wan.

Anakin gave his wife an apologetic smile, and slipped away with Obi-Wan and Yoda.


Tel-Mac arrived at the meeting and immediately glared at Anakin. "You," he growled. "This was supposed to be a Jedi meeting. Why's he here?"

"Terminated, Anakin is not. On this, we voted," Yoda declared.

"If we don't follow the code anymore, are we even still Jedi?" Tel-Mac sneered. "Come Kirak, This is not the Jedi council. Not anymore." Tel-Mac disappeared from the mental-scape and Kirak gave an apologetic glance, then disappeared as well.

The others were silent for a moment after they left.

"What are we going to do about them?" Coleman asked.

"We can't just force them to come back," Obi-Wan said. "And we don't have the power to stop them from using the Jedi name."

"We aren't seriously considering allowing them to break away from the order and do their own thing!" Maris was floored.

"We don't have the ability to stop them, but the empire does." Coleman suggested.

"We can't really consider turning our own over to Sidious!" Obi-Wan gawked.

"If things get bad. If they start to fall." Maris argued.

"No!" Anakin interrupted the argument. "This is my fault. I'll go. Argue with them to come back, and give it enough time to see the results of our experiment."

"No Anakin, you have a family to support." Obi-Wan argued.

"Need you, they do." Yoda confirmed.

"I'll go," Maris offered.

"Maris, are you sure," Coleman started. "You're still very much affected by the loss of Shaak Ti. You will be tempted to fall along with them if you go."

"Yes, it'll be good for me. I need to get away from the constant reminders. I was going to ask for a reassignment anyways," Maris stated.

Obi-Wan looked into her eyes with trepidation before he voted. "Yes." The others soon followed suit.

"Very well. Go to Ilum System you will," said Yoda once everyone had voted. "Give the order more time, you will persuade them."

"Yes, Masters," Maris nodded. As she sat back Anakin thought she looked more at peace than she had in a while. He hoped she was right about it all.


"Padme, darling. What's wrong?" Anakin had returned from the mental-scape to find his wife throwing her datapad aside and crying in her sleeve.

"Nothing!" she said with an irritated tone. "I'm just changing a years worth of planning to suit your Jedi needs."

Anakin looked up irritated. "I stood up for you and told them that the site wouldn't work. You were the one who said it was a good idea."

"Because it was the only idea. Ani, we have another baby on the way, and now a house full of Jedi. This needs to work." Padme wiped tears from her eyes. "You know what happened this morning? I walked in to take a shower and the refresher was occupied by a little green Jedi who neglected to lock the door. I'll never get that image out of my head!"

Anakin laughed, and his wife gave him a scathing look. "Like wrinkly green buns. I know, believe me I know." He got up and walked around to stand behind his wife, where he massaged her shoulders. "This is too much stress. It's not good for the baby. Tell you what. I'll take your notes to Obi-Wan and see what we can put together tonight. You, meanwhile, will go to sleep.

Padme tensed her shoulders like she was going to argue with him, but after a second she relaxed and nodded. "Alright. But you'll need to figure out how to expand the kitchen without updating the plumbing. We can't afford it. And we need to keep the exterior walls intact or we will face a host of other troubles with the city officials. They are corrupt and would never allow us to finish."

"Noted." Anakin took the datapad from his wife and assisted her walk to their bedroom.


"Ani, Ani." His wife's shoves woke him from a deep sleep. "Oh!" Padme winced in pain and clutched her abdomen. "I think it's time."

Adrenaline had Anakin fully awake in seconds. "The baby!" Anakin jumped out of bed and began to hyperventilate. He ran down a hallway and was caught by a very confused Obi-Wan.

Cliegg Lars had begun arranging apartments for the Jedi to move into, but such arrangements take time. Since they'd moved to Tatooine nearly three months earlier, several Jedi had moved out, but Obi-Wan opted to be one of the last ones resettled.

"Pad – The bay – Baby." Anakin stammered out.

Obi-Wan looked up to see Padme making her way out of their bedroom, carrying a prepacked bag. "Breathe, pull yourself together." He then ran over to assist Padme.

"I've got this, call..." Padme started.

"Call Dimi and Shmi." Obi-Wan ran to the comm and dialed the numbers as they had planned. If there was an advantage to having a house full of Jedi, it was that they were really good at planning. And keeping their heads cool in stressful circumstances.

Anakin, meanwhile, struggled just to breathe. Images from his old dreams, of Padme dying in childbirth flooded his mind. He had almost thought he'd forgotten about those dreams. It was so long since they'd haunted him. Before he knew it Obi-Wan was shoving him into a speeder next to his wife and they were on their way.


This chapter didn't exactly come out smoothly, but it was needed to get a few major plot points across. Next chapter you'll learn what I name the new Skywalker.