Author's note: So here's a recap of the story so far, since it's been a while:
Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were on a mission fighting Separatists when they both collapsed without warning. Ahsoka is otherwise unharmed by this, but Obi-Wan suffered numerous injuries including a leg injury that keeps him hoverchair bound at the moment. Their collapse is due to the fact that their Force-bonds with Anakin have been broken; initially this is believed to be due to Anakin's death, but it is then discovered that Anakin is being mind controlled by a Sith Lord (who is assumed to be Dooku, since Anakin is currently fighting for the Separatists). Last chapter ended with Obi-Wan telling Ahoska this, and Ahsoka deciding to accept Obi-Wan's offer of being her Master until they can save Anakin. The pairing has not been made official, however.
The sound of a door buzzer dragged Ahsoka from sleep only a few hours after she'd finally drifted off. Half-awake, she contemplated ignoring whoever was at the door and pretending she wasn't there. When the buzzer sounded again, she realized that probably wasn't going to be an option.
"Just a minute!" She yelled, trying and failing to not sound grumpy. As she grabbed a shirt at random from the floor - unlike most masters, Anakin had never been a stickler for neat quarters - she glanced at the chrono on the wall and cursed as she realized slept through two of her morning classes. Rummaging around in a pile of clothing next to her bed, she pulled out a pair of leggings and tugged them on. She then stumbled to the front door of the quarters and pressed the button beside the door. It slid open to reveal Plo Koon.
"May I come in, Soka?" He asked, glancing over her and taking in her rumpled and bleary-eyed appearance.
"Of course, Master Plo. You know you're always welcome." She said, surprise beginning to overcome her sleepiness. Though Plo Koon always made a point to spend time with her when they were both on Coruscant at the same time, she couldn't remember a time where he'd come to her and Anakin's quarters. Usually, he would just "happen to run into her" in the mess hall, or the Room of a Thousand Fountains, or anywhere else in the Temple. She'd always suspected Master Plo opted for "accidental" encounters rather than intentional ones to avoid making it look like he was trying to usurp Anakin's authority over her, but she'd never quite had the nerve to ask. But now, here he was, sitting opposite from her in the apartment's tiny living room.
"How are you doing, Ahsoka?" He asked her, after initial pleasantries had been exchanged.
"I'm-" She opened her mouth to say fine, and then closed it again. Master Plo wouldn't be one to judge her for lacking the constant serenity a Jedi was supposed to have in all circumstances. "I'm tired, Master Plo. The past few days...well, they've been a lot."
"Too much has been demanded of you for any padawan, even a senior one," he said. "You should not have been asked to choose a new master so soon after what happened to Master Skywalker. The Council had its reasons for the decision, but that doesn't make it right."
"Thank you, Master Plo, but I understand. The war doesn't stop for grief." She said.
"No, but perhaps it should." He said. He shook his head when Ahsoka stared at him, uncomprehending. "It's not important. Soka, I came here to offer to take you on as my apprentice, if you would have have me as a master." At this, Ahsoka sat bolt upright in surprise. This was something she hadn't expected. She'd always assumed that when she'd been assigned to be Anakin's padawan, it had been because no other Master had wanted her - more specifically, because Plo Koon hadn't wanted her. Master Plo was a master of the Living Force, and an incredibly empathetic being. With the war going on, she'd thought that he hadn't wanted to limit himself to taking care of a single apprentice when there were so many other beings - clones, other Jedi, and civilians alike - that he could help otherwise. It had stung, a little, at the time - she and Master Plo had always been close, and she hadn't been the only one who'd assumed that he would take her as a padawan when she came of age. But she'd moved on from that, once she'd realized that just because Master Plo wasn't her master didn't mean that their friendship couldn't be important anymore. But now...now he did want her as a padawan? She realized he'd continued to speak, and she'd been staring at him blankly.
"I'm sorry, Master Plo. I'm just...surprised. I didn't think...I accepted Master Kenobi's offer of taking me on yesterday." Ahsoka said, words spilling out of her mouth before she had the chance to think them though. It was always hard to read the expression of a Kel Dor wearing a face mask, but Ahsoka knew Plo Koon well enough to tell that he was surprised, and perhaps slightly dismayed by this news.
"You know that Kenobi will be recovering from his injuries for the next month at least." Master Plo said, his tone even flatter than it normally was. "He is in no shape to train an apprentice at the moment." Ahsoka stared at him in surprise yet again. She'd never heard him criticize another master before, let alone another counselor. She thought she could see shame in his expression a moment later.
"I'm sorry, little Soka." He said, more normally. "I shouldn't have said that, especially if you've already accepted his offer. But I am...concerned about Master Kenobi's motives for taking you as a padawan. If he is doing so out of a misplaced sense of guilt over what happened to Skywalker…" Plo let the thought trail off. "I am not certain that the rest of the Council will approve the pairing, especially since you both are grieving for Master Skywalker."
"Master Plo, you can't grieve for someone who isn't dead. Even with what's happened, there's still a chance-" She cut herself off as her sleep-deprived brain registered too late that she probably wasn't supposed to know about the transmission that had been sent to the Council.
"Kenobi told you." Plo said, resignation in his voice. "Force, Soka, did he come here immediately after he left the Council meeting? It was the middle of the night!"
"He didn't think Master Che would let him leave the Halls of Healing again, and he wanted to be the one to tell me," Ahsoka mumbled.
"Skywalker's body may still be moving, but your Master is gone, Ahsoka. Both you and Kenobi must accept that. There is no cure for Ataraxia." Plo said, his voice softening.
"I can't just give up on him, Master Plo." Ahsoka said pleadingly.
"The war has made us do many things we'd rather not do, Soka. This will not be the last difficult thing that is asked of you. You must let Anakin go." Plo stood as he said it. "Meditate on it, Ahsoka. Think about my offer. I care about you and Obi-Wan too much to let you both drag each other down in grief."
Ahsoka stood as well. "I will. And thank you, Master, for offering. It..it means a lot to me, even if I don't accept." Plo nodded, and left her with one final comment.
"Be careful, little Soka. This is too important of a decision for you to make emotionally."
"I'll do my best to meditate on it, Master Plo." She said, not quite looking at him. He didn't look completely satisfied with her answer, but left her quarters anyway, telling her that no matter what her choice was, his doors were always open if she needed anything. As soon as the door closed behind him, Ahsoka had to fight back tears. It was all so much; what had happened to Anakin, Master Kenobi's injuries, offers from both Master Kenobi and Master Plo. On top of that, she hadn't spoken to Rex since before the disaster on Takodana, she was missing classes, there were supply reports for the 501st that she was supposed to sign off on...she couldn't face anyone, not yet. She changed the door setting so that it would appear to the casual observer that she was out of the room, and then crawled back into bed. Maybe things would seem better after a few more hours of sleep.
On the other side of the Temple, Obi-Wan Kenobi was being released from the Halls of Healing with dire threats to stay of his leg for the next few days, "or I'll keep you here for an entire month" from Vokara Che. Obi-Wan headed straight toward the Archives on the other side of the Temple. Regrettably, this meant he had to pass by what felt like half the Order on the way there. Whispers and muttered comments followed him throughout the halls, though he did his best to ignore them.
"Is that Master Kenobi?"
"...his leg…"
"...do you think...permanent?"
"...Skywalker vanished…"
"...happened to him?"
By the time he made it to the Archives, it was very, very difficult to keep a polite mask in place.
"Force, Obi-Wan, what happened to you?" Jocasta Nu asked him in lieu of a greeting.
"I had a minor disagreement with a couple hundred Separatist droids on Takodana," he said ruefully, grinning slightly.
"Force," she said again, shaking her head. "What brings you to the Archives?"
"Since I'll be out of the field for the next few weeks, I thought I might as well enjoy my down time." Obi-Wan gestured to the shelves of files around him. "I've wanted to do some research on the Jedi Order of the Old Republic for quite some time now." It was a carefully constructed lie. It was believable enough - before the war, it had been common for Jedi Masters to do similar research when they weren't off on missions. Besides that, anyone who knew him knew that Obi-Wan hated to be idle, and would be desperate to do something during his weeks of medical leave. It would surprise no one that Obi-Wan was spending his free time researching Jedi dead centuries ago.
Jocasta Nu smiled, clearly pleased someone was making use of the Archive's resources. "Well, I can collect some files that might contain information you're looking for. You might also get something useful from Aloria's holocron in the Vault."
"Thank you, Master Nu." Obi-Wan said, directing his chair toward the Vault. After he keyed in his personal code, the door to the Vault slid open. It was a small, enclosed space barely wide enough for the chair. Carefully, so as not to knock anything over, Obi-Wan maneuvered the chair to the back of the Vault, where the holocrons were stored. They were laid out on a shelf, carefully catalogued by name of owner and approximate date of creation. Obi-Wan scanned them, searching for the one Jocasta Nu had suggested. It was toward the back of the shelf - a golden cube with a tiny, neat label "Jedi Master Aloria, Old Republic, Post-Jedi-Mandalorian War era." As he slipped the holocron into his pocket, his eyes caught on the triangular red holocron that sat beside it. "Darth Malev, Old Republic, pre-Jedi-Sith War era." It was from the right time period, he thought. And there was no place better to find information about a Sith ability than from the Sith themselves. Quickly, before he could convince himself otherwise, Obi-Wan grabbed the holocron and thrust it into his other pocket.
When Obi-Wan got back to his quarters and set the box of datacards Jocasta Nu had given him on the counter in his small kitchen, he locked the door and pulled the two holocrons out of his pocket. They looked innocent, glowing softly while sitting on his dresser. Much more innocent than dangerous things had any right to look.
Holocrons were a data storage item unique to Force-Sensitive individuals, since the information they contained could only be accessed through use of the Force. Modern Jedi holocrons were nothing more than that - memory cores used to hold important data securely, or vessels to hold information that Masters wanted to pass down to their apprentices. Ancient holocrons, however, were something entirely different. A thousand years ago, Force-users - both Light and Dark - had been trained in the art of storing not only data, but copies of their own souls in holocrons. The result was a semi-sentient interface that was able to interact with whoever accessed the holocron, and guide them toward the holocron's information in a manner consistent with what the holocron's creator would have wanted. This was what made Sith holocrons so dangerous, and generally forbidden to Jedi; the holocrons contained not only knowledge of the Dark Side, but also a malevolent force that would do its best to tempt a Light-sider into using it. It was why only members of the Council and Jedi Masters with permission of the Council were allowed inside the Vault, and why it was customary to inform Jocasta Nu any time holocrons were removed from the Vault. It was also why Obi-Wan hadn't told her he was taking it.
Twenty years ago, it would have been perfectly reasonable for him to take a Sith holocron for the purpose of research. He was a Master on the Council, and accordingly should have been able to resist the petty temptation of any holocron. But that had been before Dooku - an acclaimed Jedi Master in his own right - had left the Order, disappeared for a number of years, and then re-emerged as a Sith. And before Pong Krell had turned toward the Dark Side and against his own men for reasons that, over a year later, the Council still couldn't determine. These events - combined with the heavy fog that seemed to have fallen over the Force, dimming the senses of all Jedi - meant that now, anyone who expressed any interest in anything related to the Sith, even a purely academic interest, was quietly but thoroughly watched. And if Obi-Wan expressed such an interest right after he'd lost Anakin to the Sith...it would have looked very bad. The council would very quickly realize that he was researching Ataraxia, not writing an academic paper, and they would almost certainly try to make him stop. They'd definitely forbid him from training Ahsoka. He couldn't take the risk.
It was unlikely that his deception would be discovered. Since the war had started, it was rare that anyone went into the Vault, and even more rare for anyone to catalogue it carefully; everyone who had the rank to do so was simply too busy with the war effort. And the holocron was only meant as a last resort anyway. It was likely that some of the files that Jocasta Nu gave him would contain information on Ataraxia, or that the Jedi holocron would. But if both of those failed him, a Sith holocron might be the only thing that contained the information he needed to save Anakin.
He sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that. Opening a drawer at random, he shoved the Sith holocron into the very back, behind rows of neatly folded tunics. Grabbing a datapad, he moved back into the kitchen and plugged one of the datacards into the 'pad. He selected a file off the card, and began to read.
Six days later, Padme Amidala sat at her desk in her Senate office, reviewing legislature that had come up in the week's Senate session. This was one of the most exhausting parts of her job, she reflected, setting her datapad down for a moment to take a sip of caff. Trying to discern the meaning behind the legal jargon of suggested bills was exhausting in and of itself, but looking for the inevitable built-in loopholes and double-edged clauses made the process even worse, and Padme could feel the beginnings of a migraine stirring behind her temples. When a quiet knock sounded on her door, it was a relief to be able to turn the datapad off and call for them to come it. She was surprised to see Dorme enter, looking rattled. Dorme never looked rattled, none of her handmaidens ever did. Padme stood quickly, frowning.
"Dorme, what's happened?" She asked.
"My lady, have you- have you seen the holonews?" Dorme asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"No, I've been reading through bills all day- Dorme, what's wrong? Who's dead?" It was the only explanation for Dorme's state. Names began running through her head. "Is it Bail? Or Mon? Or…" She stopped as Dorme began fervently shaking her head.
"No one's dead, my lady, but…" She handed Padme a small pocket holoprojector. "You should see it for yourself." Padme clicked the projector on, and an image of a well-known newscaster appeared.
"In a shocking development, security camera footage from a government building on Kuat revealed Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, more commonly known as "The Hero With No Fear," leading a Separatist attack. Skywalker was responsible for the deaths of senators Onara Kuat and Giddean Danu, as well as the deaths of most of the ruling council of Kuat. Neither the Jedi Council or the Chancellor's Office have released information regarding what could have caused Skywalker's change in allegiance, but an anonymous source from the Senate told us that they've suspected that there was a Separatist spy within the Jedi Order for months, and that Skywalker's actions are confirming their suspicions." The man continued talking after that, but Padme didn't hear him. Anakin, a Separatist spy? It was impossible. It was laughably impossible. Being a Jedi was the core of who Anakin was - the idea of him throwing it away to join the Separatist was ludicrous. Padme turned to Dorme.
"They're lying, this can't be possible. I knew that the gossip magazines have been getting out of hand, but false accusations of treason are too far, even for them-" Padme began, but Dorme interrupted her.
"That's what I thought at first, my lady, but...there's footage." She gestured to the holoprojector, which was indeed displaying footage of what Padme recognized as the capitol building in Kuat City. Droids were marching through the building's courtyard in ranks, shooting anything that moved. And at their head marched a hooded figure holding a lightsaber. They casually turned back blaster fire that came their way, their lightsaber moving almost mechanically in its speed. The figure ducked to avoid a burst of sparks, and their hood fell back in the process. Padme's stomach lurched as it did, because there was no mistaking that the figure was Anakin. He had a strange tattoo on his cheek, and he was wearing armor of a style she hadn't seen before, but it was Anakin all the same. Anakin, leading battle droids, Anakin, deflecting blaster bolts back toward innocent people...hurriedly, Padme reached forward and turned the projector off.
"My lady…" Dorme began, but Padme cut her off.
"I need to make a call." she said abruptly. Dorme must have heard the warning in her tone, because she bowed slightly and left. Once the door closed behind her, Padme picked up the comlink on her desk and dialed in Obi-Wan's code. Technically, she wasn't supposed to know it, but Anakin had insisted that she memorize it along with his code in case of emergencies.
"This is General Kenobi." Obi-Wan's voice came through her comlink a moment later.
"Is it true?" She demanded.
"Padme?" He asked, sounding confused. "What are you talk-"
"The footage on the holonews." She said, her voice clear and detached. "Is it real?"
"Padme, I don't understand. What footage-"
"The footage of Anakin leading Separatist forces in Kuat City." She said, and she heard Obi-Wan inhale sharply.
"Can you get to Jedi Temple without being seen?" He asked, his voice strained. "This- I can't leave the Temple at the moment, and this isn't a conversation I can have over a comm."
"Yes- I can switch places with one of my handmaidens." Padme replied automatically. "But won't I be noticed when I enter the Temple?"
"There's a back entrance that opens near my quarters." Obi-Wan said. "I can give you directions for how to get there, and how to get to my quarters from there. If you move quickly, it's likely you won't be noticed by anyone." He described the back entrance, and the path that she would have to take. Padme focused on committing the instructions to memory - directions like that weren't safe to write down. Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of Obi-Wan Kenobi's rooms in the Jedi Temple. When the door slid open, she noticed with surprise that she was looking down at Obi-Wan sitting in a hoverchair. He smiled slightly when he saw her stare.
"They'll let me out of this thing tomorrow, but I'll be on crutches for a while after that," he said. "This is why I can't leave the Temple at the moment."
"What happened?" She asked, shocked. As far as she'd seen, Jedi rarely got themselves seriously injured - certainly not to the degree that Obi-Wan currently was. He shook his head dismissively.
"I took a few too many blaster shots to the leg. I'll be back to normal in a few weeks." He moved his chair backwards, indicating that she should come in. "I saw the footage of Anakin, Padme. I'm so sorry you had to see that." Padme stepped into the room and collapsed onto the nearest chair in Obi-Wan's small sitting area. Obi-Wan's chair floated over beside her. As he began to describe the chain of events that had lead to his injuries and to Anakin's betrayal, she could only stare at him in shock. The thought that the Separatist leaders were powerful enough to control even a Jedi - especially one as powerful as Anakin - was terrifying. The thought of Anakin in that state was even worse.
"I'm doing everything I can to get him back," Obi-Wan assured Padme. "But…"
"What?" She asked.
"I'm not sure how the Council will respond to the video. They might feel that it's showing too much weakness to admit that a Jedi can be controlled like that."
"They might label him a traitor." She whispered.
"Even if we can save him, he might not have a home to come back to." Obi-Wan said. "I know it's a lot to ask, but could you..." his voice trailed off, unsure.
"I'll do my best to advocate for him in the Senate." She said. It wouldn't be easy - any overt support that she gave Anakin would come of as suspicious. But there were a number of ways she could quietly raise allies who would be willing to fight for Anakin's acceptance once he returned.
"Thank you." Obi-Wan said, his tone converting more than the words.
"Is there anything else I can do? To help get him back?" She knew the answer would be no, but she asked anyway. He shook his head.
"Most of the files Ahsoka and I are using for research...I shouldn't even have access to some of them. They aren't meant for the eyes of non-Jedi." He said. The comment stung, though she understood it. It was how Anakin spoke sometimes, as though there were aspects about being a Jedi that she could never hope to understand. Which, to be fair, they probably did. She still wished she could do more.
"How long have you known?" She asked, changing the subject. "About Anakin and I." It was clear from Obi-Wan's complete lack of surprise at her behavior that he knew something, at least. The question brought a faint smile to Obi-Wan's lips.
"Padme, I raised Anakin for more than half his life. I can tell when he's trying to hide something."
"Oh." She said. "Anakin always said he would be expelled from the Order if you- if the other Jedi found out about us."
Obi-Wan didn't miss the slip. "Yes, well, Anakin has always has always underestimated my loyalty to him."
"Oh." She said again, unsure of how to respond. She'd always thought that Obi-Wan would have supported her and Anakin's marriage, but Anakin was so convinced otherwise that she'd never said anything. Now she wished she had.
"In any case, it doesn't matter now," Obi-Wan said. Padme was fairly certain that it did still matter to Obi-Wan, but she let the matter drop.
"I should get back to the Senate, before anyone discovers I'm gone." She said. Obi-Wan nodded his agreement.
"I'll keep you updated on our progress. Is the comlink you contacted me from earlier secure?"
"As secure as it can be," she said.
"I'll say what I can over comm, then. For anything else...are you familiar with Dex's Diner?" He asked.
"Yes, Anakin took me there once." It was a small, crowded place that was a far cry from the type of dining she was used to as a Senator, but Anakin had been so excited to take her there that she'd done her best to seem enthusiastic.
"If I comm you and say to meet in the usual place, meet me there in one standard hour. I have an arrangement with Dex - he'll give us an unbugged room, and keep quiet about seeing you there." Obi-Wan said. Padme nodded her understanding, and stood to go.
"Be careful, Padme. There are plenty in the Senate who will be happy to have a reason to have a reason to exert greater control over the Jedi. They won't take kindly to any interference from you." He said. Padme smiled wryly.
"I've been a Senator for a while, Master Kenobi. I know what I'm doing," she said. Obi-Wan nodded distractedly.
"Of course, I didn't mean to imply..." He trailed off.
"It's all right, I understand." She said. Even disregarding his leg injury, Obi-Wan looked horrible. She suspected he hadn't slept well since since he'd discovered what happened to Anakin - she knew she wouldn't. She could forgive him his lack of his usual silver tongue.
She quickly left the way she'd come. Her speeder waited where she'd left it, concealed behind some abandoned stalls. Twenty minutes later, she was back at the Senate buildings, with no one the wiser to the fact that she'd left.
"Cancel all my meetings for the rest of today," she told Dorme, who looked concerned.
"Are you sure, my lady? You're supposed to meet with-" She began, but Padme cut her off.
"Please, just do it. I can't handle anything else today."
"Of course, my lady." Dorme said. "Is there anything..?"
"No, I just need to be alone." Padme said, trying and failing miserable at faking a smile.
"Of course, my lady." Dorme said, and left the room.
As soon as Dorme was out of the room, the emotions that Padme had been trying to suppress all day bubbled to the surface. She sat down at her desk, placed her head in her hands, and began to cry.
"How did that video get released?" Mace Windu asked, his voice dangerously low. "The press should never have had access to footage from official government cameras. Even if they did, all war footage is supposed to be screened and approved by the Senate publicity committee to prevent tactical secrets from leaking. So how in the nine hells did the press get this information before we did?" He asked the assembled Council members. As soon as Padme had left Obi-Wan's rooms, Obi-Wan had notified the Council about the released video. They all sat, grim-faced, after the video had been played in the center of the room.
"No one seems to know what happened." Obi-Wan said. "I spoke to the Senate public relations chair an hour ago. Apparently, someone with authority approved the videos, but no one seems to know who did it or why."
"That's not a good enough answer," Mace said. "If someone is leaking Jedi secrets to reporters-"
"This wasn't exactly a secret," Agen Kolar commented. "It's not a matter of Republic security that this be kept quiet. The press does have a right to discuss current events in the war effort."
"That doesn't change the fact that the public heard about this before this council did. That information should have at least come to us first." Saesee Tiin said.
"There should be an investigation into this," Kit Fisto said.
"Regardless of how this information was released, it is a fact that it has been released." Plo Koon's voice cut through the low murmur of discussion that was building in the chamber. "We must decide what public statement the Council will make regarding Skywalker's actions."
"The general public will never believe the truth," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "Most people don't understand the difference between the Jedi and the Sith. If we reveal that Skywalker is being controlled by Dooku…."
"People will start asking who we are controlling," Depa Billaba finished. "They'd never trust the Order again after that."
"There are enough people who mistrust us already due to exaggerated rumors about Jedi mind tricks," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "If we publicly confirm that Force-Sensitive individuals can control the bodies of others, even other Force-Sensitives, the rumors would be out of control."
Obi-Wan looked around the room, his heart sinking as other Counciler's began to nod and mutter agreement toward these points.
"Masters, what about Anakin?" he said. "If we publicly denounce him as a traitor, and he is able to be saved from Ataraxia-"
"You forget, Master Kenobi, that there is no cure for Ataraxia." Mace Windu's tone was icy cold. "The man you trained is dead, and you need to accept it."
"Condemn Skywalker's actions, we must." Yoda said. "Comment on his motives, we will not. Explain his actions to the Senate, we cannot." Most of Council nodded approvingly.
"Skywalker's betrayal will severely damage our relationship with the Senate, regardless of what we say about it," Saesee Tiin said. "We cannot afford to admit vulnerability on top of that."
"Master Yoda and Master Tiin are right." Mace Windu said. "The Order is in too precarious of a position to allow us the luxury of displaying weakness."
Ever the diplomat, Obi-Wan could see which way the tide was turning. When a vote was called, his was the only one for revealing the truth to the public.
"Obi-Wan, a moment?" Mace Windu said after the meaning had completed. Obi-Wan paused, and moved his chair back to into the room to face Mace. As the other councilors filed out of the room, he studied Mace. The other man didn't look much better than Obi-Wan felt, and Obi-Wan suspected he wasn't the only one who'd had a few sleepless nights the past week - though Mace was more likely concerned with the state of the Jedi Order than with Anakin. When, a few minutes later, Mace Windu and Plo Koon were the only ones left in the room, Obi-Wan knew what was coming.
"You want me to rescind my offer to train Ahsoka," he said before either of them had a chance to say anything. Mace grimaced.
"Be reasonable, Obi-Wan. There's going to be hell to pay over that video. I don't even want to think about what type of concessions the chancellor is going to demand from us for this."
"He can't-"
"Oh, he won't in so many words. But I promise you, Obi-Wan, there will be consequences."
"And so the council has decided that sacrificing the emotional well being of one Padawan is an acceptable loss?"
"Do you really think Ahsoka would be that badly off with me?" Plo Koon spoke for the first time, his voice as unreadable as always through his vocal modulator.
"Master Koon, of course not, I only meant-"
"Obi-Wan, even if it wasn't for this business with the Chancellor, I would advise Ahsoka against choosing you as a Master." Obi-Wan stared at Mace in disbelief.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" He demanded coldly.
"That you're in no state to train an apprentice at the moment. You won't be able to walk properly for weeks."
"There are dozens of instances of Jedi with physical disabilities training able-bodied apprentices-"
"And besides that," Mace continued as though Obi-Wan hadn't interrupted. "Ahsoka needs to begin to move on from Anakin. You've made it quite clear that you aren't willing to move on yet. Do you really think it's healthy for Ahsoka to live in a state of false hope?"
"I think it's more healthy than pretending Anakin is dead when he isn't!"
"He is dead, Obi-Wan. For the love of the Force, there is no cure for Ataraxia. Even if you can't accept that, let Ahsoka have the chance to." Mace's voice softened. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, Obi-Wan. I can't stop you from requesting Ahsoka as an apprentice. But the Council will reject you. Spare us all the ordeal of having to reject a Counselor's request for a padawan." Such a thing had never happened as long as Obi-Wan could remember. It was rare enough for the Council to reject a master and padawan pairing - usually, it only happened when the Council thought a knight was too young and inexperienced to take an apprentice. It would cause a scandal if a well respected knight was denied a padawan for nebulous reasons. And with the storm that was about to break over Anakin's apparent betrayal...the Temple would need to present a united front. They couldn't afford an internal scandal at the moment. And a scandal would draw eyes toward him at a moment when he needed to go unnoticed - with too many people focused on his every move, it was too likely that his research and his theft of the Sith Holocron would be discovered. He couldn't afford to let that happen, not when he was the only person left still willing to fight for Anakin.
"I won't make the request," Obi-Wan said. Mace nodded.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan." He said. Obi-Wan ignored him and looked at Plo instead.
"Take care of her," He said.
"You know that I will," Plo replied. Obi-Wan nodded stiffly, spun his chair toward the door, and left to tell Ahsoka what had happened.