Chapter 33 - Allegiances

Author's Note: So, there's a few things I want to say. First of all, we're slowly approaching the end of the story. Lol. Maybe it doesn't quite seem like it yet, but we are. I'm estimating that the fic will be around 40 chapters when it's done. :)

Second, I know I was once going to get into therapy in here, but... that's not going to happen anymore. Yeah, they all need therapy, but someone actually suggesting that, much less everyone even accepting it just... isn't happening. They seem to be sorta working things out on their own though. Maybe in the future, post-epilogue, it'll happen? Idk. Lol.

Finally, the next chapter should be posted around August 10th. ^-^

To Plague: Yep! Anakin and Padme are working things out, and yeah, Padme will have some... choices to make. ;)

~ Amina Gila

Vader had listened quietly as Anakin told him about his meeting with Padme. It went well, far better than Vader had either anticipated, or hoped for. He had thought she might continue to be somewhat antagonistic, but instead, she's willing to listen. She's willing to try and be open-minded about his rule, and that sends a complicated surge of emotions through him. For him, it's been so long since she died, so many years, and he still loves her and misses her, but the pain of her loss has begun to fade. She's not as important to him as she once was; he has a whole new family to focus on.

But there had been a time when he'd thought he could overthrow Sidious and put Padme on the throne in his stead. She had rejected him then, and it had hurt. It feels like… closure, almost, having her here, even if she's not his and never will be, and knowing that she's trying to accept him as the Emperor. It – he thinks he might be able to let go of her a little more now and move on. He might be able to let go of her betrayal, of her rejection.

With so many people who need him, depend on him, and support him, he can't afford to be trapped in the past. It's time for him to focus on what he has, on who he has, and learn to heal and let go of past wounds.

Ahsoka contacted them, then, and told them about how Barriss had come to her in secret, warning her about the Jedi. She thinks the Order will split, Ahsoka had reported, expression worried and anxious, And she thinks that those who walk away will try to kill you.

But Vader had been expecting as much, so he isn't taken by surprise. Actually, he'd been counting on it. That's why he acted as he did. He wanted to push those Jedi who oppose him out into the open, so he knows who the biggest threats are. Obviously, there will still be threats within the Order, those who lie low and try to gain his confidence, but he didn't come this far by being stupid. He's got Anakin to watch his back, and an army of protective clones who would die for him, even if he would rather that they not.

He's not worried about himself. Ahsoka and Omega will be much bigger targets, and that's why they're being so well protected.

Vader doesn't know if Barriss is truly being sincere, not after what she did to Ahsoka in the future he lived, but he still remembers what she'd said about how the Order was losing its way, and that is not dissimilar to what she told Ahsoka now. He can't trust her fully, though he does think that she's being honest about her intentions. He thinks that maybe they can actually trust her to be on their side this time.

To confirm Barriss' words though, it might be best for him to try and see if he can get any information out of any other more… agreeable Jedi. And thankfully, he has just the person in mind, though he has no idea how cooperative or not, she'll be, even if she doesn't fully realize what he's after.

Omega and Ahsoka are in his office, along with Anakin, of course, accompanied by their constant shadows – Clone Force 99 – when the new Senator from Ryloth arrives for his meeting. Cham Syndulla. After Orn Free Taa's death, Syndulla was chosen as his replacement. Unlike Taa, Syndulla is a good man who genuinely cares for his people. He suffered alongside them during the Clone Wars, led them into battle as he fought to free Ryloth. It only seems fitting that he is now to be the one who will lead them in the Senate as well.

He's accompanied by his wife and their young daughter, who hangs in the back, looking around wide-eyed. She's never been to a planet like this before, Vader knows, and she could be a target by anyone who dislikes Syndulla. And there will be many such people.

But thankfully, they're not staying long – they just came to meet with him personally, to speak to him about the situation on the planet before Syndulla's wife and daughter leave along with a Jedi escort who will help them stabilize their planet again. And the Jedi he chose are Depa Billaba and her Padawan, Caleb Dume.

They arrive shortly after the Syndulla family, and for a moment, Vader looks between the assembled people, Anakin standing at his right shoulder as always. "Omega," he says, looking to her, "Why don't you and Ahsoka show Hera around the Senate? You may take the Padawan with you for security."

It'll be good for Caleb and Hera to get to know one another, especially since they'll be living on the same planet. For Caleb to help the people, he needs to know them first, and Vader feels that this is a good place to start.

Omega brightens instantly. "Sure," she chirps, reaching out to grab Hera's hand. "C'mon!"

The Syndullas give Hera their silent consent, and Depa also nods to Caleb, and the four children leave the office together, followed closely by the clones. The Force twinges, something shifting into place, and though Vader can't quite say what it is, it feels good.

Once the meeting is over, Vader motions for Depa to wait while the Senator leaves the room. "I should like I word," he says to her, waiting until the door has closed to speak. He picked Depa because she has a young padawan, and because he senses no malice or anger from her which is directed at him, unlike for so many other Jedi. He does not trust her, but he can trust that she will be more truthful with him than most.

"Of course."

"My announcement. What do you think of it?"

Depa glances between him and Anakin. "It will change the Jedi," she says finally, "And perhaps the Order needs changing, but the consequences of this… will be very long-lasting." She's not vocally against it, at least.

"The other Jedi, many of them will not be so… accepting," Vader notes, carefully probing for more information.

Something flickers across her face, but it's gone so fast that he can't read it. "No," she admits, "Many are not happy with your rule. You're a Sith. You… are our enemy because of it, but…" She pauses, hesitating, "You also ended the war. We were meant to be peacekeepers, and you've given that back to us. I think you'll find that there are many more Jedi than you realize who are not opposing you. I – my padawan is still young. I – I was never comfortable with him being on the frontlines, but it was our duty."

Fondness flickers through her eyes, mingled with concern, and Vader thinks that she might be more attached to Caleb than she even wants to admit. He's her child, just like Ahsoka was once his, and perhaps she doesn't know what it means to have parents, the way he once did, but that doesn't change her affection for her padawan. She wants what's best for him.

"It was unfortunate," Vader agrees, "Children should not be asked to fight our wars with us."

"Yes," she murmurs, "They should not. I… Caleb struggled with the war, with leading. It was hard on him, and I think this will give him a chance to heal. It wouldn't have been possible if not for you, and I know that. I know – I know you are a Sith, and we are Jedi, so we are sworn enemies, but the Jedi are your people, too."

Don't destroy us, she doesn't say, but he can feel it in the Force anyway.

"I have no quarrel with your people, Billaba," he answers. "If we work together, we can restore order and bring peace that much faster, but I cannot trust the Jedi to help me."

Her chin lifts. "I will," she tells him, voice steely. "Maybe you didn't mean to help us, but you did. You have. Many Knights, and even Padawans, are grateful to you for ending the war. Maybe you're just trying to lull us into a false sense of security, but I don't think so. I think that, if you were, you wouldn't be giving us so much autonomy and freedom. You're reconnecting us with our roots, with what we were meant to be. That's your plan, isn't it?"

Vader's lips twitch despite himself. She isn't wrong. "Perceptive," he replies. "I do not think the role of warriors fit the Jedi. You were not made for it. Most of you have never been trained for it. You claim to serve the people, and I am giving you that chance to prove yourselves."

"I – thank you," she says, bowing her head. "I know there are many who will be upset by your announcement, but there are also many who are not, and I – I want you to know that I, at least, am willing to support you."

It's strangely humbling and touching in equal measures. Vader hadn't given much thought to what would happen if some Jedi began to actively support him; he'd resigned himself to the idea that they would forever be on opposite sides, even if they learned to co-exist. Seeing that it is no longer the case is… uplifting. "I am grateful," he assures her, and she looks at him for a long moment, nodding, before she leaves.

Silently, he turns to Anakin, but neither of them speaks, both wondering the same thing: if Depa, formerly a Council member, is willing to support them, how many other Jedi would also be willing to do the same?

Maybe they really do have more people on their side than they realize, and it fills him with a giddy sense of relief at the knowledge that he's beginning to win over the Jedi, or some of them, at least, even if they don't know who he is.

(Stubbornly, he refuses to think of Obi-Wan, refuses to wonder if he will ever support them without knowing the truth, and even if he does know the truth.)

**w**

"It has gone too far for us to continue ignoring it," Mundi states firmly, looking around the Council chambers. "Vader is now attacking our very way of life. He seeks to crush us, and then, when we are weak, destroy us entirely. We must act before it's too late!"

"I believe he is testing us," Plo agrees – or maybe he's not agreeing, it's hard to tell.

In the Force, he is calm, but there is a distinct feeling of worry there, too, not that Obi-Wan can blame him. He doesn't think anyone in the Council chambers right now is truly calm, not after the most recent announcements by the Emperor. And aside from his worry, he's angry. Vader is attacking hundreds of years of Jedi tradition, as if he thinks he knows better than them somehow, as if he's attempting to irradicate them entirely.

And he's a Sith. It would be foolish of them to think that he not, when all the evidence points to the contrary. All this time, they've waited and wondered when he would make a move against them. Maybe, Obi-Wan can't help but think bitterly, this is it. Maybe this is to be the end. Maybe it's really time for them to kill Vader or die trying. It's not as if they have a choice, if he'll be working on dismantling the Jedi and all they stand for.

"That much is clear," Windu concurs. "It is simply a matter of what he is testing us for."

"He wants us to react," Gallia says slowly, "But in what way, I am uncertain."

"He's a Sith," Obi-Wan points out. "I have no doubt that he wants the Jedi gone; he'll just not go about it openly lest it cause a civil war again. I – I do think that he's trying to avoid war. He wants to win the public's favor. He's turning them against us, and the public is in overwhelming support of these latest measures. I don't think we have a choice but to comply with him."

There's a heavy pause of silence.

"I am inclined to agree," murmurs Plo. "To oppose him would be an act of war, and we are meant to be peacekeepers. Starting a war that we have no hope of winning would be foolish."

"If we are to be destroyed, at least we'll die as Jedi, not through being choked to death by a would-be Emperor," exclaims Mundi. He sounds angry. Outraged. And Obi-Wan feels the same. What can they even do though? Plo is right, though he hates to admit it.

"That would be foolish," argues Shaak Ti. "The clones do not support us. The public does not support us. Perhaps it would be best for us to leave Coruscant entirely, to take our people and leave. We can survive in the Outer Rim. The Jedi have not always lived on Coruscant, and if we want to preserve our traditions, leaving may be our only option."

"And leave the people to be corrupted and influenced by the Sith?" demands Rancisis. "We need to fight."

"We are supposed to be peacekeepers." Gallia's voice is quiet, and the strain on her is as obvious as it is on all of them. "Going to war in this nature, of our own and not at the behest of the Senate, would in and of itself be changing our traditions. At least under Vader, we are being granted the chance to go back to doing what we used to: helping the people."

"You cannot possibly support him," Mundi says, aghast.

"No," she asserts firmly, "But I cannot deny that he is not totally crushing us. These… changes he has requested will be hard, but we will still endure. We will still be peacekeepers. The alternative is to take up arms and go to war. That is not what we were ever meant to be. The missions Vader has handed out are to help the people from the war, and there are many younger Jedi who… have mixed feelings about his leadership."

"I have heard it as well," Windu replies. "I heard through Depa that many younger Knights, and some Padawans, are in favor of Vader's leadership. Though they are wary of him being a Sith, they are relieved to see an end to the war. They are grateful to have the chance to reconnect with the Force, to find calm and to help people instead of fighting them."

"And there are also many who want Vader dead," Rancisis counters, "There are many who would take up arms against him if they had the right leadership."

"Divided the Order is." Yoda's ears twitch, almost mournfully, as he looks around. "Grave care we must take. Dangerous times these are. Clear it is that obey the Emperor we must, lest destroy us utterly he does. Flee Coruscant we cannot. Needed here we are."

That much goes without saying. Shaak Ti had only been making a point, not stating something that she actually thought they should do. It would hardly be practical anyway, being on the run from the Empire with so many thousands of people, especially younglings. It wouldn't be worth it. Probably better to follow Vader's command and assess the changes and impacts on the next generation of Jedi as they reveal themselves. Besides, it's not as though they can realistically find many of the younglings' families. With the war, so many planets have been ravaged and destroyed, their populations displaced, and it would take far too much of an investment to locate their families, an investment that the Order cannot afford to make.

And Obi-Wan cannot imagine that Vader cares nearly enough to give them any funding for such a thing, either.

Still, though, he worries, because he saw how much of an impact it had on Anakin to know his mother. He struggled with his attachment to her throughout his entire life, and it is probably true that some of it was because of his troubled past and his childhood as a slave – Obi-Wan still cannot truly fathom it; he has had encounters with slaves before, but the concept of actually being a slave is merely a concept to him. It's not something he has any personal experience with, as is true of most Jedi – but it was because of knowing his mother that he never learned how to relinquish his attachments.

Or at least it was much of the reason.

And Obi-Wan cannot imagine what it would do to the Order, as a whole, if the next generation of Jedi knows their biological families. It could end in nothing short of disaster, hundreds of young Jedi being tempted by the Dark Side, a problem they would never have faced if they learned how to let go like the Jedi teach. That is why it's so important to be taken to the Temple when they're young. Anakin struggled because he wasn't, and to have hundreds of younglings in the same situation? It would be a nightmare.

Mundi is right. It would destroy the Order, and it is very possible that it's what Vader hopes to accomplish. The Sith is nothing if not cunning and thorough.

The Council deliberates for many more minutes before finally agreeing that they have no choice but to concede to and go along with Vader's most recent demands. Yes, it will change everything, drastically, but… it's either that or risk something far worse. Perhaps they can find a way to get around whatever negative consequence there will be for encouraging attachments to the past. Certainly, it will be better than the alternative: entering a war they could never win.

"I cannot abide by this decision," Mundi states, looking around the chambers, "Though I respect that the Council has made a choice. I cannot remain in the Order and continue to cater to the whims of a Sith, any Sith, even if he's the Emperor."

Obi-Wan feels his heart drop into his boots, even if he had suspected this was coming.

"I as well," agrees Rancisis.

"Where will you go?" asks Shaak Ti, dismayed, "Where will you even go?"

"The Force will guide us," Tinn replies, looking to the other two Jedi Masters. "There are many Jedi who feel as we do, and if Vader truly wishes to prove that he doesn't mean us ill, he will have to let us walk away without repercussions."

That's true, and Obi-Wan doesn't quite know how to label the emotions that he feels. Helplessness maybe. The Order is falling apart in front of his eyes, and there's nothing he can do to stop it. Nothing. And not for the first time, he silently curses Vader for coming and meddling in this way. If – if Vader hadn't taken Anakin, maybe things would make more sense. Maybe it's not the Jedi way for them to be close, but Obi-Wan has gotten so used to not being able to push Anakin away that not having him here, knowing he's not coming back, is jarring. He doesn't know he'll ever truly be able to accept it.

"I understand," Windu states, speaking for the Council, "May the Force be with you. We will stay in contact."

"Let us know when you're ready to make a move," Mundi says. "We'll help."

They don't need to say anything more, because they all know that they're going to do something against Vader. It's just a question of when.

It's at that moment when a message marked urgent pings Obi-Wan's datapad. It's a priority message from Vos, and he looks at it, feeling a whole new sense of dread wash over him. "Something has happened," he reports, the Force prickling around him, tendrils of cold seeping down his spine. "Vos has just sent me a message. He's found a sighting of Maul."

The room freezes.

"But Maul is dead," objects Plo, "You killed him."

Obi-Wan looks away, expression twisting. "That's what I thought, too, but apparently, he has somehow survived. Maul has returned." It makes him feel sick, just saying it, knowing that Qui-Gon's killer is out there, alive. He wants to pursue, wants to give chase and bring Maul to justice once and for all.

"Act in haste we should not," cautions Yoda before Obi-Wan can request permission to hunt him down and eliminate him. "Investigate this we should."

"Yes, of course," he agrees numbly.

"We should not tell Vader," Windu states firmly. "Maul is a Sith, and we cannot take the chance that Vader will… recruit him. Perhaps we can use Maul as bait to… lure Vader out. It is time to bring an end to the Sith and their corruption."

There's a finality to the words that sends a chill down Obi-Wan's spine for reasons he can't even understand, no matter how much he agrees with Windu's declaration.

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