63 A different galaxy [1/2]

Part 1

Chancellor's office

Senate building

Coruscant

Palpatine made his way to his comfortable chair and crashed into it. To think things were finally looking up just a tiny bit, before those never sufficiently damned idiots… Bah, Jedi! He should have know they would find a way to kriff everything up.

Speaking about them… The Chancellor leveled a flat stare at the pair that walked in after Veil.

"Master Yoda, Master Kenobi." Despite all his experience in politics and durasteel self-control, keeping his tone clipped and curt was all he could do while struggling with overwhelming need to fry the closest Jedi with Sith Lighting. "An explanation is in order. A good one."

"What he said." The general nodded and crossed his arms, while giving a pointed look at the Jedi.

"It's your fault!" Kenobi pointed at Veil.

"How did you figure that out? Some of your people have been on my case ever since Windu lost it and almost attacked me while I was risking my life saving Jedi lives. Moments like these make me wonder why I bothered..." The other Sith grumbled.

Well, besides the good PR, Palpatine had to wonder the same thing. Letting the idiots die would have prevented so much headaches!

"Shaak Ti. Apparently she believes that you seduced her, slept with her and then discarded her for power and Mandalorian bride." Obi-Wan shot back.

"You slept with a Jedi Master?" Palpatine asked. A trace of indignation crept in his voice. What the kriff?! Sidious had been stuck playing the kind old man trying his best to keep the Republic from imploding thanks to idiot Senators and seldom had the opportunity to go out and have a bit of fun… which consisted mostly of removing complications to his plan.

Veil on the other hand had all the fun – leading battles, apparently literally kriffing up the Jedi and enjoying every moment of it. Sidious had seldom loathed someone in his life as much as Veil and the Jedi in general right now. He barely bit off a snarl and had to make a valiant effort no to reveal his nature as a Sith in front of the Jedi's grandmaster.

At this moment, Sidious had no trouble believing that Veil was a Sith of old and because of it, hated both the man and Bane. The founder of his Sith Order had taught his apprentice that the old Sith were short-sighed fools. That stealth and keeping a low profile would make the Bannites ultimately triumph and see the Jedi crushed once and for all.

And yet, Veil stood right here, proudly proclaiming his status for all the galaxy to see… and no one but the Jedi appeared to care. By the Force, because of that revelation the Jedi were too busy tearing themselves apart – it would be hilarious if it wasn't the danger that they just might bring down Palpatine's ambitions for a galactic empire along with the Republic if something wasn't done about the fools.

If he only knew all it took was revealing his nature, Sidious would have been tempted to do it himself. Yet, now it wasn't the time nor the place for such a stunt. Doing something this audacious might just be one push too many and lead to the Republic flying apart at the worst possible moment.

"I'm afraid I missed that. This revelation came in as a shock..." Palpatine trailed off. He hadn't been paying attention for a bit.

"That's one way to put it." Veil shrugged. "If it was my intention to seduce and corrupt Master Ti as you put it, I wouldn't have kriffed it up. She would either be turned or dead. What happened about the no attachment part your conservatives are preaching? There's nothing forbidding sex in your rules or the Jedi Code. Just attachments." The general snipped back.

Palpatine raised both eyebrows at that idea and gave the Jedi a speculative look. Did the Jedi of all people had more fun than him too? He dismissed the idea. They wouldn't have been able to keep it low profile, right?

"Delkatar, you of all people should know something about women. I've read about your exploits back in the day." Obi-Wan stated flatly.

"Sleeping with women after they've tried to kill you or before you try to kill each other isn't exactly the greatest endorsement in that regard. On the other hand, having a lots of sex with many different women kinda made up at least in part for dealing with copious amounts of deranged lunatics on daily basis. I hoped the latter was done for when I found myself in the future, but you Jedi took up the slack after just a few months of peace and quiet." Veil shook his head.

Obi-Wan gave out a long suffered sight.

Kriff it all, sex was overrated for a Sith… Right? Sidious shook his head and wondered how this surreal conversation started. He was sure the Jedi were to blame. Somehow.

"No matter how… interesting this topic is, I believe we aren't here to discus the general's sex life. Even if its the reason for this debacle." Palpatine grumbled.

"Don't look at me. It's not my fault the Jedi couldn't handle their affairs as an adult. Shaak Ti trying to skewer me with her lightsabers next time we meet would have been perfectly understandable. If what you insinuate is true and she's to blame for practically pushing the Order to splinter, that's a big no-no in a time of war."

"Obviously you have a long history with women trying to kill you. I wonder why..." Obi-Wan snarked.

No. Sidious grunted. He wasn't even going to think about it. It was irrelevant with how many Jedi or Sith Veil had slept. The important thing was that the Jedi obviously had access to records he lacked and they were convinced that Delkatar Veil was indeed a Sith of old which changed things. And while thinking about the past, kriff Bane too. So much for the superiority of the Bannites when all it took for the Jedi to be marginalized and on the way to extinction was a single one of the old Sith re-appearing.

Palpatine took a deep breath and focused.

"I've obviously gotten one shock too many today, because my thoughts are drifting. Might you be so kind to clear up a few things for me?" The Chancellor asked sweetly. "First, you believe that the good general is really a Sith from the time of the Great War that happened almost four thousand years ago?"

"That he is. Four thousand years old and he's still able to cause trouble for everyone." Obi-Wan grumbled.

"I aim to please. Besides it's not like you have a reason to complain. If it wasn't for me pointing out some truths, you would still be single and brood worse than Skywalker."

Kenobi let out a long suffered sight as if to say "You see what I have to deal with?!".

"Good to know. Second, am I to understand that the corruption Masters Tiil and Piell talked about was that the general slept with an adult woman and then proceeded to aid you in marrying Duchess Satine Kryze? And before it slips my mind, congratulations for your marriages." Palpatine waved at Veil and Kenobi.

"I think you have covered it, Chancellor. Unless I'm mistaken?" The general looked at Yoda, who stood slumped over his cane.

"True that is. You betrayed her Master Ti believes. Convinced your actions sinister are, she is. Threat to the Jedi she sees you." The grandmaster spoke quietly.

From where Sidious stood, Shaak Ti was correct. Veil's very existence was tearing the order apart and the foolish woman was unwittingly helping him. Palpatine would applaud her under different circumstances. Perhaps even trying to recruit her. However, with the woman far away on Kamino and he himself being stuck on Coruscant dealing with an ever increasing amount of idiocy, that was simply out of the question for the time being. Still, he was going to keep her in mind in case Master Ti didn't piss off Veil enough with her meddlesome ways that disposes of her if he met her before Sidious got the chance.

"Master Yoda, I know that my words and tone aren't fit for someone in my position, but I have to ask… What the kriff is wrong with you people?! Jedi Masters coming in front of the full Senate and accusing one of the best generals the Republic has in the middle of a war for her very survival of what amounts to high treason… because he slept with an adult woman even if she's a Jedi Master. Oh yes, the general helped another Jedi Master marry. That's so sinister and corrupting I'm at lost for words. Have you people lost your kriffing minds?!" Palpatine stood up and shouted.

Kriff it all, at this rate he was going to reveal himself as a Sith before the hour was out.

"I've been wondering the same." Veil had the temerity to be amused by the whole mess, making Palpatine loath him even more if that was physically possible.

"Emotions. Attachments. Path to the Dark Side they are. The conservative Jedi stand against it. Corrupting the Order Veil is, they believe. Luring Jedi to the Dark Side they see him. The death of the Order they fear. Desperate they are." Yoda explained.

At any other time, Sidious would be cheering. A big faction of the Jedi getting desperate, kriffing everything up and forcing the GAR to step up and purge them on the eve of the Confederacy coming to win the war with an armada or two was the worst timing ever. It was sheer madness.

Then again Jedi. Why was he surprised?!

Calm down, look at the situation from the bright side, Palpatine thought. Once the substance behind the Jedi's accusations became public – something he would ensure happened later today, the Order was going to be finished sooner rather than later.

Plan… He needed plan. Figure out how to prevent the situation from further blowing in everyone's faces if at all possible and once the Jedi were out of sight have a chat with Veil about a contingency plan for purging the Order, rebuilding GAR officer corps while keeping morale up before the CIS onslaught hit.

The Sith Lord had the sneaking suspicious that no matter what he tried the Jedi were going to kriff things up even more spectacularly and force his hand. He almost laughed. Here they were, two Sith Lords conspiring how to keep the Jedi from committing a collective suicide.

The Force sure had a twisted sense of humor.

"This madness ends now!" Palpatine slammed a fist into his desk. "Master Yoda, what exactly is the situation within the Jedi Order? How many of you support the agenda of Masters Tiil and Piell?" The answer of that question was hopefully not too many. What was even more concerning was how many Senators allied to that infuriating Cathar woman were going to listen to those two lunatics.

They were going to be a huge headache and Palpatine was determined to place any setback caused by the Separatists squarely on their shoulders then hang them all with them. He would tremendously enjoy doing so, provided that the Republic was still standing and he was still a Chancellor when the dust settled. It was unfortunately that various fools made that more and more unlikely lately.

"Evenly divided the Order is. Things worse Master Ti did." Yoda glared at Veil who shrugged.

"You can't simply order them to cease and desist until the war is over, can you?" Palpatine sighed. Of course not, kriffing Jedi.

Yoda simply shook his head.

"Master Yoda, should I be watching my back for Jedi assassins?" All humor was gone from Veil's faces. "You're aware what happened the last time. I let my grudge go because the Jedi Order I knew had been destroyed a long, long time ago. If Jedi led assassin come after me or even worse, anywhere near my wife, there will be consequences."

The cold fury emanating from Veil made it crystal clear what consequences he had in mind and Palpatine cursed silently. Under any other circumstances, he would have taken that statement to arrange something and blame it on the Jedi. Now he had to worry what the idiots might do without any prompting from his corner.

Why did he want to become Chancellor and later Emperor, Sidious wondered. Because right then and there the ultimate power he would wield if his plan succeeded didn't seem worth it.

This time Palpatine was paying attention and saw how Obi-Wan winced at Veil's words. From what Sidious gathered, Darth Vael had been married and his wife assassinated, though his records were ambiguous on the details. Now knowing that the Jedi were apparently to blame, put things into perspective. It also indicated that whatever was Veil's long game, making sure that the Jedi weren't around for it was a given. What Palpatine doubted was that the other Sith had planned for the fools coming apart this soon and in such a spectacular fashion.

Well, it wasn't like the Jedi weren't surprising Sidious either.

"That's enough accusations gentlemen. I don't care who slept with whom or why. What I want to know is how we prevent this madness from crippling the Republic." Palpatine decided it was high time to stop all this bickering and find a solution. "The Senate will be back in session in just a few short hours and we need solutions!"

"Chancellor, how much support do you enjoy in the Senate right now? Would it be enough when combined with Amidala and Mothma's little clique and Corellian support to keep Sylvaris' cronies from winning any vote they might force?" Veil asked.

So his meeting last night had been productive. That was good for the time being. "We should have the support of at least two thirds of the Senate at best. Some of the new Senators are still wild cards and its anyone's guess how they would vote after the earlier commotion." Palpatine said after thinking about it for a few seconds.

"They still don't know about the intelligence reports, do they?" A thin smile appeared on the general's face.

"They shouldn't. Unless someone in ONI or SIB talked, in which case I'll make personally sure they get what's coming for them." Palpatine smiled back. It wasn't a nice smile.

"What intelligence?" Obi-Wan asked warily.

"You know that CIS offensive we all know its coming soon?" Veil asked.

"Obviously not enough about it." Kenobi deadpanned.

"Intel finally got reasonably accurate estimates." The general cited the conservative numbers making Obi-Wan groan.

"I believe you see why I'm so upset." Palpatine grumbled and received a nod from Kenobi.

"Some will find the existence and contents of those reports convenient." Obi-Wan cautioned.

"And I find this Jedi created debacle's very existence and timing highly inconvenient." Palpatine shot back.

=RK=

Part 2

GAR Medical center Green-51

Location classified

Ahsoka was getting more and more frustrated. She has been cooped in the same old space station for about a month now, while she fully recovered from her wounds. Healing her injuries should have taken much less time and it actually did with the obvious physical ones – a long dip in bacta solved that issue.

Tano's issues ran deeper – she apparently used more Force than she could handle before being knocked out back on Geonosis. As a consequence she had suffered some nerve damage that was thankfully fixable with a lot of time spent in healing trance. That however was currently a problem. Thanks to her overload, every time she accessed the Force, Ahsoka felt like being electrocuted – the normally soothing feeling of energy passing through her now lit her nerves on fire.

That was the primary reason why she was stuck on this boring space station – to recover in peace and with the help of a truly awful concoction left by Delkatar so she could drink it once per day. If Ahsoka hadn't believed that man an evil Sith, a single taste of the bubbling and frothing… thing she had to drink was more than enough to convince her otherwise.

It was truly unfortunately that the concoction actually helped her feel better and soothed her body allowing her to enter a healing trance for short periods of time without feeling like screaming her head off in pain

The only bright spot in this whole unpleasant arrangement was a mixed blessing at best. While Ahsoka wasn't actually alone surrounded by unfamiliar medical personnel and strange clones, Rex and what little remained of the 501st were recovering in the same facility. On one hand, it was great to have some familiar faces around and someone she could talk with. However, even while doing her best not to access the Force and thus avoid pain until she recovered, Ahsoka could steel sense the men's feelings.

Rex and the other survivors positively loathed Skyguy. To be honest, she had trouble putting in words what they felt towards her former Master.

Ahsoka wasn't sure that she could disagree with them either and that sent her head for a spin. What Anakin did… The young Togruta shook her head in frustration. She too liked Padme a lot. In fact, Tano looked up to the Senator because of the older woman's unwavering convictions. Ahsoka wasn't really surprised to learn that Skyguy has fallen for Amidala and even married her, no matter it was a breach of the Order's rules. The Padawan actually approved.

Tano could even understand where Anakin was coming from. She hasn't been in love, yet she knew that she would do anything within reason to keep the people she cared for safe… even if it wasn't supposed to be that way according to the Jedi Code.

"That doesn't make me very good Padawan, I guess." Ahsoka mumbled.

Tano sighed and opened her eyes, cutting short another unsuccessful attempt at meditation. The same old, painfully familiar white wall greeted her gaze. Her room wasn't particularly good. It was painted an almost blindingly bright shade of white and contained little more than a bed, small locker and various pieces of bundled up medical equipment if the place was needed to treat injured soldiers.

If it wasn't for a limited connection with the hypernet and some books left by Veil, even with Rex and company around Ahsoka might have lost it by now. At least she had almost completely recovered – the Padawan was experiencing only an odd irritating chaffing feeling when using the Force – nothing she couldn't handle. The best thing was that she had only two doses of that terrible drink left and the she should be free to go.

A mischievous smile appeared on her face. The latest news she saw were quite entertaining and Ahsoka couldn't wait to find out the real scoop once she was back to her master. To think that Obi-Wan of all people would marry – a Mandalorian Duchess at that! For sure that was going to sent the whole Order for a spin! Apparently the same was true for Veil, who got hitched too. Ahsoka frowned. Neither of them called about it! It was irritating! At least she could understand it – with Grievous attacking Mandalore and making a mess of the place, then Delkatar becoming Mandalore… Ahsoka was sure that they both had their hands full lately, but was it so hard to pick up a comm unit and call?!

The Togruta shook her head in irritation. She couldn't wait to be out of this place and give them a piece of her mind. She could have been recovering either with them on Mandalore - a CIS attacks notwithstanding or back in the Jedi Temple.

It had to be less boring there, right?

Ahsoka's comm unit beeped and she frowned. Usually no one but Rex and a few of his buddies called… In fact…

"I forgot about the card game, didn't I?" The Padawan frowned. There weren't many ways to pass the time here and playing cards was one of the better – and wasn't that a sad state of affairs?

Ahsoka got herself out of her meditation position, stretched and headed towards the mess hall. She groaned while passing through depressingly familiar and uniform gray corridors. It was like the whole station was designed to bore patients out of their minds so they could be in a hurry to get back on the battlefield.

Huh. That actually made sense. And people called the Sith evil…

The mess hall was disgustingly ordinary – no more different than any other the GAR had either at barracks planet side, space stations or ships. Whoever designed this needed to be spaced without the benefit of a suit or worse.

Ahsoka scanned the mess hall's occupants. On the far right were the kitchens, where a group of droids were busy cooking and serving food. At least the eating here was much better than the MREs Ahsoka had to eat often while on a mission. It wasn't nothing spectacular, especially compared to Dax's steaks, but it was still quite tasty and there was usually more than enough of it, especially meat. As a Togruta, Tano emphatically approved of the protein rich diet.

The rest of the mess hall was what everyone should expect – rows of plain metal tables surrounded by benches bolted to the floor in case something went wrong and gravity was lost. There were half a dozen groups of clones eating dinner along with two groups of normal soldiers – Axanar Rangers and the remains of tank crews that ran afoul of Confed heavy weapons.

The Padawan found Rex surrounded by a group of 501st survivors in the corner to the right. They had commandeered a table there and even had snacks. Ahsoka still wasn't sure how the legion's quartermaster was able to procure the oddest things while trying to adjust to his prosthetic legs.

"Ahsoka, over here!" Rex waved at her when he noticed her.

The Padawan cracked a smile and waved back.

"What will it be tonight? Sabaac, Pazaak, or something more exotic?" The Togruta asked. "Where are the others?" She continued.

Only Rex, Echo, Fives and Boomer were at the table.

"Got bored with cards and up to no good, I'll wager." Boomer shrugged. "Either that or watching re-runs of Skywalker being escorted to a detention center."

"We owe whoever smuggled that video a case of Corellian Brandy or whatever they like." Echo nodded enthusiastically. "Watching that bastard being marched to prison made my day."

"I… saw." Ahsoka muttered. To say that her feeling were mixed would be a joke. She still admired Skyguy and saw hims as both her teacher and a great big brother. Yet, at the same time she couldn't help but hate him for what he did to the 501st and all those other poor bastards who trusted him with his lives.

"What do you think?" Rex asked his brothers.

"I'm sick of sabaac." Echo shrugged. "Pazaak too to be honest. It's gotten kinda old."

"I want to shoot droids." Boomer shrugged.

"What about you, Ahsoka?" Rex asked.

"Same old. Still bored out of my skull." The Padawan sat across the commander and slumped over the table. "I can't wait to get out of here. What about you? Any news? How long before you're leaving?"

"I'm stuck here for at least a week so the doc can be sure my implants won't create any complications." Rex grumbled.

All Ahsoka really knew about it was that the survivors of the 501st had been offered the opportunity to receive some experimental enhancements that were going to make them better soldiers. At least a few troopers who were injured bad enough to require a medical discharge were expected to return to service, though in their case it was to be a few more months of additional surgeries and therapy.

Others like Rex, opted for a lighter augmentations, which would allow them to return to the front that much faster.

"On the bright side, I'll should be clear to talk about some of what I got in here," Rex patted his chest, "once its reasonably sure there won't be any issues."

"Neat. So can you bench press super droids or is that classified." Ahsoka asked.

"It's a surprise." Rex shot back.

"It's not like shooting droids is your job boss." Echo quipped. "You just leave all the fun to us and be a proper and respectful commander."

Rex gave his friend a dirty look. "I'll remind you about this the next time I have to drag your ass out of trouble."

"That's why you're the boss." Echo grinned. "Pulling us out of trouble is in the job description!"

Someone cleared his throat right behind Ahsoka.

"Commander Tano? Lieutenant Lok. I've got a message for you from the Jedi Council." A Clone in a Navy uniform introduced himself.

"Really?!" Ahsoka perked up. "I'm finally getting out of here?!" The Padawan exclaimed.

"Can we come too?" Fives pleaded. "We're dying of boredom here!"

"Ma'am, you're to report to a medical flight for Kuat tomorrow. From there you're to board a transport for Alderaan. You're being reassigned to the Agri-corps there." Lok announced.

The excited smile froze on Ahsoka's face. Her huge eyes blinked in confusion and she stared at the Lieutenant.

"Heh. Who of you jokers put him up to this?!" The Padawan glared at Rex and company who didn't look amused, but just confused. Tano frowned and used the Force to better sense their emotion. Only confusion all right.

Ahsoka turned her eyes to the unlucky lieutenant and glared at him. "Please repeat that. I could swear you just told me to go kriff out to the Agri-corps!"

"Uh… Ma'am, those are your orders. We authenticated them as per SOP. They come from the Jedi Temple, Council codes."

The Padawan stared at the junior officer. Did one of her friends get their hands on the codes and was making fun at her expense? Ahsoka dismissed that thought. If someone pulled such a stunt, they would be in so much trouble it wouldn't be funny.

What did this leave?

"This has to be some kind of mistake..." Ahsoka shook her head in denial. She was a good Padawan! Sending her to the Agri-crops would mean she wouldn't become a Jedi! That simply couldn't be happening, right?!

"Ahsoka, please calm down." The Padawan flinched when a large hand was placed on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

She looked back at Rex and gave him a wan smile.

"We still have some time before you should be reporting anywhere, so why don't we make a few calls?" The commander suggested.

"Master Kenobi. I'll speak with him!" Ahsoka perked up. "Lieutenant, I need to use the comm station."

"Uh, Ma'am..."

"You heard the lady, Lieutenant." Rex glared at his brother. "Please lead the way. We all want to her what general Kenobi has to say about this… mess."

"Yep. There's no way they're sending you to be a what? Farmer or something?! You're one of the best Jedi Commanders in the whole army!" Fives exclaimed.

The rest of the 501st voiced their support too.

=RK=

Reaching Obi-Wan turned out to be harder than Ahsoka hoped and that didn't help how she felt. It was only Rex's presence that prevented her from climbing up the walls. It took about an hour before he call came in and the Jedi Master activated his comm.

"Yes? Ahsoka?!" Kenobi sounded surprised when he saw she was calling.

"Obi-Wan! You've got to help me! I just got a message from the Council that I have to go to the Agri-corps! You know what that means! Almost no one comes back from there to become a Jedi!" Ahsoka blurted out before she could think.

"You forgot to mention that!" A familiar voice exclaimed off screen.

"Ah. Is general Veil there too?" Ahsoka looked sheepish at letting her mouth run in front of her brain.

"I'm here too snips and certain someone forgot to mention you're in a bind too." The Padawan was sure Veil was giving a pointed look at her master.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple Ahsoka. I was expelled out of the Jedi Order earlier today." Obi-Wan sighed.

"What?!" Ahsoka exclaimed along with Rex and company.

"This really isn't the best time for that conversation. I'll call you later, all right?" Obi-Wan looked away from the screen.

"Is there something else you need to tell us, Master Yoda, Master Kenobi? Or is it just general Kenobi from now on?" Another voice asked and it sounded awfully familiar.

"Is that the Chancellor?" Rex asked. When Ahsoka and his brothers looked at him, the commander shrugged. "What? I watched a couple of interviews he gave last night. That sounds like him."

"Yes, it's the Chancellor." Obi-Wan confirmed. "The same Jedi Masters who in their infinite wisdom decided to sent you to the Agri-corps for your own good have been causing problems for everyone today." The former Jedi looked anything but amused at that revelation.

"Watching any news outlet will give you some idea of the fun we're having here." That was Delkatar. "Commander Tano, am I to assume that you don't wish to spent the rest of the war cooling your heels on some Force forsaken agri-world in the middle of nowhere?"

"We'll its actually Alderaan, but no I don't!" Ahsoka spoke clearly. There had to be a way out, right? Even if the Council had kicked Obi-Wan out… Eh, right. If they did that to a Jedi Master what chance did she have?

"The way I see it at worst you'll simply have to re-enlist into the GAR if you so desire. That's if there's an issue with you retaining your current rank. That would be a question better answered by the legal department. Worst case, you might have to go to a military academy before being let back in command. However..." The general trailed off.

"If I don't follow the Council's instructions, they'll kick me out of the Jedi Order too, won't they."

Obi-Wan wincing and shaking his head was all the answer Ahsoka needed. "I'll have to think about it. Can I call you later today?" She pleaded.

"We'll be busy tonight, but I'll call back once I find a bit of free time." Obi-Wan said.

"Thank you, Master and sorry for interrupting you all." Ahsoka winced at that.

"It's all right. We needed a bit of distraction anyway. Stay safe, Ahsoka." With those words, Obi-Wan cut the connection.

Ahsoka stared at the screen and began shacking. "Those, those… utter bastards! Argh!" The Padawan shouted as a wave of anger hit her.

"Hey, Snips, you heard the generals." Rex gave her a one handed hug. "It's going to be all right. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

"All I've ever wanted was to be a good Jedi!" Ahsoka snapped.

"Uh, weren't there some Jedi general Veil met with on Corellia? I remember reading something about that before Geonosis. Then there's general Kenobi. I'm sure he'll train you if you ask. It's not like the Jedi could stop you if none of you are part of their Order, right?" Fives asked.

"I… don't know what to do." Ahsoka grumbled. She glanced up at the Clones. "Thank you guys for trying to cheer me up."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Boomer quipped.

"To keep you in one piece after you've pissed off every droid in the region." Echo slapped Boomer's back.

"That was just once!" The Clone exclaimed.

"Once was more than enough!" Fives added.

=RK=

Part 3

Chancellor' office

Senate building

Coruscant

"There are no more surprises coming from the Jedi Order you two know of today, right?" General Veil gave Yoda and Kenobi a pointed look.

"Don't look at me!" The former Jedi shook his head.

"In flux the future is." Yoda freely gave up that useless piece of wisdom and Sidious was sorely tempted to issue Order 66 then and there, damn the consequences. Cleaning up after the Jedi were gone couldn't possibly be harder than countering their idiocy.

Right?

"Call the conservative Jedi to explain exactly what that supposed corruption is." Veil nodded at Kenobi. "Let them explain how Obi-Wan getting married has suddenly made him a murderous rage monster or something. That will go down real well after he put down Grievous and thus made most Republic citizens sleep a bit better."

"I like this!" An almost genuine smile appeared on Palpatine's face. "Though you'll have to explain to the Senate how you almost corrupted Master Ti and that you didn't become Mandalore just for power. You didn't, right?" Sidious gave the other Sith a searching look. It was clear why the general actually did it, but no one really needed a confirmation…

"Yes, that might work. Bo should be present for that part too – both as a show of support and to confirm that our marriage wasn't simply motivated by political expediency." The general nodded thoughtfully.

"This will be excellent. If you present it good enough, the media will lap it up." They might stop hounding his office too and go after Veil for a change – well, at least until the general was off Coruscant. That thought led Palpatine to consider running the Republic from a spaceship or station – there the access would be even more limited and a lot of nuisances could be kept away. "The same goes for you, general Kenobi." The Chancellor smiled at the former Jedi.

"We can't have the public believing that you two married just for power as certain Jedi Masters accuse you of."

Considering the likely outcome if those ideas worked, Yoda looked even more distraught and resigned than earlier. Watching the Jedi's grandmaster in such a state was the highlight of this kriffed up mess for Sidious. After all, it was the green little monster's fault that the Jedi were such a kriffed up mess.

"That's a good start and with a bit of luck will give rest to the Council's accusations." Veil said. "However, what we discussed doesn't do much to reassure the Senators fearing the rise of a new militant Mandalore."

"We can weather that, at least short term. Deal with the Jedi's accusations and any motion to move against you or your Mandalorians within the Senate will be squashed. We'll have more subtle problems with the esteemed Senator from Cathar and her allies. They'll probably do their best to sabotage any joint project between Mandalore and the Republic outside the strictly military ones." Palpatine mused.

The Mandalorian issue was complicated even before the latest entanglements. On one hand, if the Mandalorians were to become useful allies any time soon, the Republic had to help them recover from the orbital strikes and especially with rebuilding their fleet. They would need a lot of equipment for the army too, at least in the short term. Unless he could convince the Senate to foot the bill and expect repayment after the war, that would be problematic. The simple alternative was a combination of military and economic aid combined with long term trade deals that would favor the Republic as a part of the Mandalorians paying for what they need. That was the problem – Sylvaris and company could either slow down any negotiations or even sabotage them making things harder.

Then there was the simple fact that even if everything went without accident, more powerful Mandalorians meant Veil having a stronger position too – something that Palpatine wasn't looking up to, especially not after just learning that the man actually told the truth about his origins. The ancient Sith had caused all too many troubles and chaos without a solid power base – while starting with nothing but the clothes on his back in fact. Yet, short term that was of little consequence. Veil couldn't openly move against Palpatine any more than he could do the same against that man. Such an act would be akin to a political suicide at this time and would likely bring down the Republic with them, leaving the galaxy to the Separatists.

"General Veil, may I suggest that you call and discus things with you wife. Meanwhile I need to talk with some of my allies in the Senate, judge how everything is going and try figuring out what Sylvaris and those two Jedi Masters are up to right now, preferably before we reconvene at six." Palpatine announced.

"I'll be doing that. Obi-Wan, you might want to talk with Valentra about keeping your rank now that you aren't a Jedi. With a bit of luck, he can help you avoid any legal complications. Unfortunately for Snips, given her age her case will be more interesting if she decides that farming isn't for her."

Sidious gave out a bitter laugh. Once upon a time he would have found it highly amusing if the Jedi sent one of their more competent members to waste their time in the Agri-corps. Doing so to a military commander who apparently knew what she was doing, when the war was about to enter a critical phase for no good reason… It was enough to want to exterminate them on sheer principle and it had nothing to do with him being a Sith.

"General Veil, general Kenobi, when one of you speaks with Commander Tano next time, please send her my regards. Also, inform her that the Army of the Republic will be diminished if she decides to leave for a more peaceful life as a farmer. If she chooses to remain a military commander, she'll have my personal support and recommendation." Palpatine gave them his best grandfatherly smile.

"Will do, Chancellor." Veil nodded and Obi-Wan voiced his agreement a moment later.

"If that is all, let's go to work people! We have a Republic to keep from imploding!" Palpatine stood up to bid good bye to his visitors.

=RK=

Ambassadors office

Mandalorian Embassy

Coruscant

"We're to ally with the Republic why exactly?" Bo sneered.

The sisters were in the Ambassador's office, discussing their progress on cleaning up the building. The Duchess had taken charge of the building and packed the old ambassador off to a well deserved retirement back home last night. Then she proceeded to root out any Death Watch sympathizers and had people sweep the Embassy for bugs, while Bo was getting bored during the talks with her husband's prospective political allies. It was a sad thing that those were the best he could do on such a short notice, yet better than she actually expected given the history between their people and the Republic.

On a brighter note, the sisters and their people had the embassy more or less secured by noon. Most know people with known DW leanings were either professing their change of heart loud and clear or had done a runner. Still, Bo had anyone with prior ties to Vizsla's goons sent back home too in order to avoid any future complications. The place was cleared of bugs and there were a lot of them, especially devices tentatively identified as Confederate in origin.

Bo-Katan and Satine were in the Duchess' newly claimed office, discussing what to do next – a lavishly decorated place that any self-respecting warrior would find gauche at best, when Delkatar's hearing began and they switched on the news to watch. That in fact was what prompted Bo's furious exclamation.

"We need their resources and fleets, at least until we can rebuild our navy." Satine sighed and gave her an exasperated look. "As you very well know."

"It doesn't mean that I have to like it!" Bo snapped.

"On the contrary, dear sister. As long as there's someone who can see or record you, that's exactly what you're supposed to do. Take it with a smile, no matter what you feel. Do you think I'm amused by where circumstances placed me?"

"I don't see you complaining for being in Kenobi's bed." Bo shot back.

"I thought you'd outgrown being an air-headed bitch. I guess I was wrong." Satine sighed.

"Hey! You aren't the one to act high and mighty!" Bo snapped, but then her attention was caught by a commotion on the screen. The cameras showed a pair of Jedi ascending next to where Delkatar and that Cathar woman were verbally sparring. As the show went on, the sister watched it with and ever-growing exasperation.

"Jedi. And to think that once they were worthy opponents." Bo grumbled. "Are they trying to start another war or something?" She looked at her sister. "You're the politician. What do they wish to achieve by accusing my husband of everything they can think of?" Then Bo snorted. "They forgot to accuse you too. I bet one of the Masters they talk about is your husband." She felt furious that the Senators dared level accusations in such a disrespectful way against Mandalore. That he was her husband too just made things worse, because for some odd reason she was getting fonder of him as time passed.

"Make trouble for us all, that's for sure." Satine had a sour expression on her face. "With this madness going on, we'll have a damn hard time securing the military aid and trade deals we need in order to pay for rebuilding the navy and creating a proper army to fight this war."

"Well that escalated quickly. Satine, please tell me your New Mandalorians end game wasn't turning our government inro such a quagmire." Bo waved at the screen where the Senators were getting positively rabbity and the Chancellor had to call a recess. The last thing she saw before the news channel began running a commentary while showing the same videos again and again was her husband leaving with the Chancellor and two other Jedi who apparently tried to reign in their fellows and failed miserably. "Satine..." Bo looked at her sister, who refused to answer. "You did, didn't you..." She growled at her sister.

"It sounded like a good idea at the time?" Satine tried. Bo glanced at the screen that was showing screaming senators. "Uh-huh. If you really believe that, I have a nice vacation spot to sell you. On Tatooine."

"This is so not the time." Satine glared at her sister.

"Oh, it is." Bo smiled. "Ribbing you prevents me from doing something stupid like going to the Senate and giving them a piece of my mind."

"It's a good thing that you aren't our ambassador." Satine groaned.

"Hey, I wouldn't want your job even if you paid me premium rate!" Bo exclaimed.

"You know you aren't a mercenary any longer, right?" Satine grumbled.

"I still get paid, just not in money." Bo beamed at her sister. "One of these days we really should compare notes on who's better – a Jedi or Sith. My money is on my Sith."

"You know, for a few days I had almost forgotten why we didn't get along." Satine sighed.

"What? We get on just great!" Bo shook her head. "Enough fun sister. I'll go make sure the security is at heightened alert. After this, I won't be surprised if we see some trouble."

"Talk with the Republic officer responsible for keeping order in this sector of Coruscant too." Satine added.

"Good idea. See you around and have fun."

"With Mandalore presumably in talks with the Chancellor right now I'm largely redundant. Besides, I haven't officially been accepted as an ambassador to the Republic – it was meant to happen tonight, though I doubt it." Satine said.

=RK=

In the next few hours no trouble to speak of really materialized for the Embassy. Nevertheless, Bo had the security on alert and the Coruscant Security Major responsible for the area had anti-riot police on standby just in case.

Bo was wondering if this was the quiet before the storm or if simply the events at the Senate had caught everyone by surprise and no one had thought to cause trouble for the Embassy on purpose. She guessed that the later was likely; besides, no matter how much she wished to crack some heads to relieve her anger, it was for the best if there were no accidents. Bo had just finished a sweep on the perimeter and was heading for the security center when her husband called. She found a secure room where they could talk privately at his request and frowned at his holographic image.

"What is this madness in the Senate?" Bo asked.

"Certain Jedi doing an excellent job of being a pain in everyone's asses and all our fans being terrified of what we might become now that Satine's people aren't in charge." Came the succinct response.

"I'm not sure if I should congratulate you for keeping so calm, or be irritated that you didn't show them their place." Bo frowned.

"I have no intention of starting another war, much less when we have the Confederacy to worry about. I'm pretty sure that there will be more accusations tonight, especially that I became Mandalore just for the power it gives me."

"Your buddy the Chancellor just announced that from today you're no longer one of the most powerful men in the galaxy." Bo snorted.

"Yep. When all is said and done, no matter how good our people are, they can't compare to the combined might of all GAR combat formations." Delkatar chuckled.

Bo smiled at the implied "yet" she heard in her husbands tone. Not yet indeed. By the time this war was over, who knew?

"Did you call because you missed me or is it something work related?" Bo asked.

"Can't it be both?" Delkatar wigged his eyebrows making her chuckle. "We had enough fun last night to keep you sated for a bit."

"So it's work then?"

"Hey, I'm a Sith! We have legendary stamina when we put our minds to it!"

"That was a pleasant surprise and one of the reasons I keep you around." Bo chuckled.

"I knew you married me for just for my body and skills in bed." Delkatar mock-pouted.

"Being handy with a lightsaber helped your case too." Bo grinned mischievously. "Both of them. How much trouble is the Senate going to cause us?"

"I'm relieved to hear that." Delkatar sighed and the amusement went out of his face. "Potentially a lot. That's why I'm calling. We'll need to present a united front this evening. I'm sure there will be insinuations if not accusations that the only reason we married was so I could more easily claim the title of Mandalore."

"That will play right into the hands of our detractors, won't it? Both here and back home."

"Yes. Just the accusation will be troublesome if not answered promptly." Delkatar said.

"Then we do so. I didn't marry you just to be in bed with the new Mandalore, though I'll admit that's a pleasant feature."

"I'm enough of a selfish bastard not to marry without reasons besides the political and what's best for Mandalore or the galaxy as a whole."

"You know, I find that more reassuring than a declaration of undying love. I'll make my way to the Senate, then we can talk face to face. See you soon."

=RK=

Senate Chambers

Senate building

Coruscant

My second appearance in front of the Senate today had a different arrangement. Instead of walking in on the same platform with Palpatine, who was nearby with Yoda and Amedda, I shared one with my wife along with Obi-Wan and Satine. If someone didn't know better, they might have mistaken us for an oddly attired group of Senators – all of us wore our armors to put an emphasise that two of us were GAR generals among other things.

Unfortunately, the situation wasn't what we would have desired. As far as the Chancellor's contacts could figure out, Till and Piell indeed spent the last few hours talking with Senator Sylvaris and her allies, with the latter actually listening and more importantly agreeing with some of the Jedi's concerns. At least as far as we knew, Amidala's cronies were still on board with supporting me for the time being. That alliance combined with Palpy's people in the Senate should be enough to keep the situation from becoming a complete and utter disaster instead of the nasty clusterkriff it was.

At least we all were on the same page and ready to fend off the inevitable accusations that were going to follow. The big question was how reasonable the conservative Jedi were going to be in presenting their arguments if they got the chance to speak, because they were either going to hang themselves with their words or actually become an even bigger problem.

Six o'clock came and Palpatine opened the session by beseeching the Senators to act more professionally than earlier today and then summoning us so we could answer our accusers. As our platform arose to stand besides the Chancellor's so did that of the Cathar's Senator and she was quite cramped with both her honor guard and the pair of Jedi Masters.

Our greeting didn't go much better than the earlier one – this time Sylvaris was glaring at my wife too, something that made my hackles rise. I wondered if they would try to provoke me by going after Bo. While it wasn't going to work, doing so would place them near the top of my current shit list on general principle.

"Senator Sylvaris. You and your… acquaintances leveled some quite severe accusations at one of the Republics most accomplished generals, in a time of war no less. I would like to hear what evidence you have and what you mean by claiming that general Veil has been corrupting Jedi. As I understand it, general Obi-Wan Kenobi, another one of our best military officers is actually one of the people supposedly corrupted. He looks well enough to me." Palpatine spoke slickly. His face was a perfect picture of concern mixed with confusion.

"We will be glad to make things clear for the Senate, Chancellor." Piell stood a bit straighter, though that didn't particularly help him considering that the Jedi Master was perhaps a few centimeters taller than Yoda. "As Jedi we're governed by strict rules, many of which might not make much sense to beings who aren't Force Sensitive. No matter what we might wish, those rules are in place for a reason."

Well, kriff. Either Piell and Tiin were more worldly than I anticipated or one of the Senators they spoke with earlier not only agreed with them but decided to clue them in. This was going to be much more complicated than I hoped.

"The rules that are relevant right now are those concerning emotions and attachments as well as marriage. All those things are forbidden to us as Jedi." Piell continued, prompting some exclamations and a lot of grumbling from the Senators.

I wondered how much they really knew about the Jedi Order and how the Jedi were supposed to live.

"There is a very good reason for the existence of those rules. The Force, the source of our so called space wizardy..." Piell actually cracked a small smile at that, "it allows us to perform some extraordinary feats."

Damn it, why did the conservatives have to have someone apparently reasonable as a speaker? "That is one of the reasons we were called to become officers in the Grand Army of the Republic and continue to defend her in that role. Yet, this power we wield, it comes with a price as with all things. If we allow our emotions to run free, if we allow ourselves to form attachments - for a Jedi, nay for every Force user such a thing means to flirt with the Dark Side."

Piell paused so his words could sink in. I was tempted to interrupt him, but held my tongue. Even appearing to be concerned by his words might do me a disservice here and now. It might make people wonder if I feared what he had to say and thus making them consider the Jedi's speech even more seriously.

"You see, as some of you might know, the source of our powers, the Force, it's not a simple energy field we can use as we would the energy cell of an aircar. It has two facets – what we call the Light and Dark Sides respectively.

We Jedi walk in the Light and have been using it for millennia to safeguard the Republic from the Sith." Piell glared at me. "From the Dark Side. While we use our powers to heal and protect, which is the essence of the Light Side, the same can't be said for our ancient enemies. For you see, the Dark Side twists any who wields her until even his closest friends and family could no longer recognize them. It thrives on fear, anger and suffering, it compels those who wield it to heinous acts. Every student of history in these chambers knows what the Sith did during their many wars with the Old Republic and a specter of that dark time stands right here claiming to be our ally!"

"That's a nice, moving speech, Master Piell. Bravo!" I actually applauded the Jedi who was taken aback by my gesture. "Shall I answer these accusations now or should I wait so you could get them all off your shoulders?" I asked lightly.

"Might as well, Sith." Tiin shot back.

Hopefully he wasn't going to be as eloquent as his buddy.

"You've weaved a masterful deception that even fooled some members of the Jedi Council itself. Integrating yourself into the Republic's army and making yourself indispensable. Becoming Mandalore. I'm sure you've prepared a whole speech about how necessary it was. About how you had no choice but to seize power when offered. Yet, your actions betray you. They show us a pattern even before we look at our records to see what you did in the past against the Republic." Tiin continued to glare at me.

"It's a clear pattern your actions paint. A convenient one too. Perhaps too convenient. A Sith of old that came from nowhere to offer his services to the Republic – the same nation he spent decades trying to destroy. It was so convenient that you were the only Republic general in a position to take command when our military headquarters was hit during the Confederacy's treacherous attacks upon this very world. It's even more convenient that a short time later you found yourself in command of all Republic combat forces – a virtual unknown with no connection or loyalty to anything or anyone within the nation you're supposed to protect."

"That's rich after your colleague just announced how attachments are bad for Force Adepts." I quipped, then waved him to continue. At least a few senators laughed at that, but too many were listening – either considering believing what Tiin was talking about or how to twist his words to suit their on agenda.

"Then we have what happened on Mandalore. You were sent there to negotiate an alliance or neutralize a potential threat. Yet, you spat on your duty to the Republic and grasped at the chance at power the local situation offered you. Here you stand, as Mandalore, no matter the mere fact you hold that position is a conflict with your oath and duties and a Republic general. Some would call it treason!" Tiin announced, firing up the Senators.

This time Mas Amedda was able to quiet them down quite fast, yet the evening was yet young. While the commotion was going on, I did my best to look like I wasn't concerned at all by the accusations. Yet, I wanted to strangle the bastard. If someone coached Tiin and Piell how to relate to the average citizen better tonight, I would want to have a chat with them too – one that would end with a lot of screaming and blood.

When the Senate was more or less quiet again, Sylvaris stepped between the Jedi Masters. "This is what we accuse you of! You betrayed your oath to the Republic and your duty by becoming Mandalore. At the very least you should be removed from any post of power authority within the Republic and can't be trusted with the command of our soldiers. You did your best to become Mandalore, no matter the consequences. Even went far enough to go for a political marriage so you could gain that title!" The Cathar announced. "Yet, that's not all, is it? You're trying to bring the Sith back, aren't you?" Sylvaris gave me a predatory smile.

Beside me, my wife stiffened, even if she expected that accusation and gave a baleful glare to the Sylvaris. I was pretty sure that if it was to Bo, the Cathar would go extinct along with their Senator. I placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, which made her relax a bit.

"It's sadly true. Despite the ongoing war, despite all the work Mandalore has to do as a Republic general, one of his first actions after revealing himself to the galaxy was to take an apprentice. Some of you may wonder, why I'm making such a big deal of this, am I right?" Piell looked around and smiled. "After all, a lot of Jedi Commanders and generals serve in the army and have their Padawans with them, right?"

There were a lot of agreeing voices and confusion. The bastard was going to put Aria in the limelight too.

"Yet, shortly after the attacks on Coruscant, you took a second apprentice, didn't you, general?" Tiin continued. "Not just a random Force Sensitive you ran into while discharging your duties, oh no. You took a Dark Jedi under your wing, one of Dooku's disciples. Aria Astra, the Chiss woman who led the attack on the Jedi Temple itself!" Tiin all but roared at me, making the whole Senate buzz at that news.

While Aria's identity wasn't a secret, I had done my best to keep her past exploits a low profile in order to minimize friction with the Jedi. So much for that idea.

"Instead of having her face a trial for her crimes, you rewarded her for murdering Jedi by offering her training. By making her even deadlier killer. I wonder how long it would be before you deem here ready and unleash it upon us? How long it would be until this body, nay the whole Republic is under your sway and turns into something we couldn't recognize?"

It was a good thing that my patience had been forged under the ranting of Sith Lords who had the power and inclination to torture me to death, practically bring me back and repeat if I interrupted their "speeches". That's the primary reason I didn't do something foolish, no matter how irritating I found those two Jedi Masters. Well, they were right… generally speaking even if they got all the details and my motivation wrong. Nevertheless, your average Sith from my era would have pulled off something similar if they could control their urges well enough. That or joined the Confederacy so they could usurp control from Dooku and continue with the newest replay of the Sith versus Jedi and Republic war.

"Is that all, Master Tiin? Any more accusations? Perhaps about kicking puppies and stealing candy from toddlers too?" I quipped.

"I wouldn't put it past a Sith." He shot back.

The sad thing is I knew Sith who found such stunts amusing.

"That's quite the long list. You make me sound as the love child of Dooku and Grievous – and image I won't thank you about." I shuddered.

"I didn't need that either." Bo grumbled quietly.

"Its an impressive list of accusations, I'll give you that. However, I wonder why you didn't speak more about me corrupting Jedi. After all, you started with that earlier today." I smiled and patted Obi-Wan's back. "I present you one count of corrupted Jedi. You expelled him about it earlier today because of it too."

I made a grand gesture towards the Senators. "You can see him, right? General Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Negotiator as the media loves to call him. He's been rather famous for his exploits as a peacekeeper even before the war began, one of the main reasons why he earned that moniker. Some of you probably recognize his wife, who is standing beside him – Mandalore's new ambassador to the Republic, Satine Kenobi formerly Kryze. The same woman who struggled for years to bring peace to our people, but unfortunately the terrorists of the now defunct Death Watch organization and the Separatists conspired to lay waste to her efforts."

Satine gave the Senators a regal nod, but refused to acknowledge them otherwise. Sylvaris and her friends could have been invisible as far as she was concerned.

"Its a curious thing, the reason why Obi-Wan was removed from the Jedi Order. Look at him – one of the Republic's greatest peacekeepers fell in love with a woman he had so much in common with when they met at the end of the Mandalorian Civil War and did their best to stop that senseless fighting which turned us against each other. Is it so surprising that they fell in love? What I find wrong in this whole affair is that Obi-Wan had to deny his love for more than a decade or risk sanction from the conservative members of the Jedi Order. But enough of me." I nodded at Obi-Wan. "I'm not their Sith Master as the esteemed Masters Piell and Tiin practically accused me of being. My friends, my family in fact can speak for themselves."

Kenobi took a step back and leveled a cool gaze at the people who engineered his expulsion from the order.

"Chancellor Palpatine, Senators." Obi-Wan spoke in a serene voice. "Some of the accusations leveled at me by members of the Jedi Council are true. It was more than a decade ago on a peacekeeping mission to Mandalore that I met a wonderful woman I fell in love with and thus I broke the Council's rules and traditions, even if I didn't act on my emotions at that time. Yet this war brought me back to Mandalore, where I met Satine once again. As it turned out, during our long separation, my feelings hadn't withered and died as should happen to a good Jedi. I found them stronger than ever when I saw Satine again. She still held her convictions of a peaceful world and didn't waver no matter what the galaxy threw her way. How could I not love such a woman?" A fond smile appeared on Obi-Wan's face. "As we struggled to find a solution to the escalating Dead Watch crisis we grew closer and reached the conclusion we wished to spent the rest of our lives together. I knew the possible consequences of that choice and I do not regret it."

Obi-Wan looked straight at his accusers. "In fact, now as a married man, I found out that some of the Council's rules fears are unwarranted. My love for Satine, my emotions, they haven't brought me closer to the Dark Side. Instead they made me a better man. What I find dangerous is how the Jedi Order keeps denying that its members feel emotions. How they fail to teach, no how WE failed to teach our Padawans how to deal with their emotions. That's something I'm guilty of and I'm sure that this failure played no small part in the actions of my former Padawan, Knight Anakin Skywalker. While he is responsible for his actions, at least a part of the blame rests squarely on my shoulders and on the failure of the Jedi Order to properly prepare him for the real world outside the Temple's walls. There was no Sith plot, Senators at least as far as Skywalker is concerned."

That gave the Senate some food for thought. On the plus side I wondered how long it would be before Obi-Wan and Satine were approached by someone wishing to turn their marriage into a holodrama or something.

"I can see you actually believe what you say, Obi-Wan." Piell nodded sadly. "It might even be true in the short term. However, what would happen if something happens to your wife?" The Jedi Master raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Not that I wish the Duchess anything but the best. Yet, accidents happen. Dooku and his Confederacy happen as we saw with tragedy that truck Senator Amidala." Piell stared Kenobi. "What will you do if your wife is injured by enemy action or even killed? How long would it be before you seek vengeance and fall to the Dark Side? How long after that before you turn into a danger to all you believe in right now? That's why the Dark Side is so dangerous! Not many embrace it just because they want power, well unless they're Sith. It happens for vengeance, from fear or anger."

"Vengeance you say?" Obi-Wan smiled. "I can answer that question. The night I we married," He took and squeezed Satine's hand, "A Confederacy fleet led by Grievous attacked Mandalore. At the same time Death Watch executed simultaneous strikes all over the planet. Satine and I were nearly killed in the orbital strike. Satine's sister was grievously wounded while fending off an assassination team that infiltrated our home. Good reasons for fear and anger. A good reason for vengeance, right?" Obi-Wan practically radiated serenity at that moment. Even a Force blind person could sense that, I was sure of it.

"Look at me and tell me do you feel the taint of the Dark Side upon me? After all I did confront Grievous on Mandalore and killed him in combat. Yet it wasn't for vengeance. It was for justice – for everyone he murdered on Mandalore and across the Republic since the war began. And do you know why I choose no to seek vengeance? Not to feed the Dark Side even if it was tempting after the attacks?"

Piell and Tiin simply stared back in disbelief.

"It was because of Satine. Because I knew that if I let myself under the sway of the Dark Side, I would cease to be the man who she loves. Being in love isn't something to fear or a path to the Dark side. Its a way to keep yourself from falling when the goings get though. I believe this answers your questions!" Obi-Wan sent a glare at the Jedi and took a step back.

"Indeed, general Kenobi. While I might not be an expert, I've read about the Dark Jedi and Sith, especially after general Veil first appeared. You certainly don't look or act as one. I'm sure that Master Yoda can confirm that too."

"In the Light general Kenobi walks." Yoda rumbled.

"I'll admit I've found myself in a few situations that offered me certain opportunities and I did do my best to take advantage of what happened." I stepped forward and continued my defense. "I was the right man at the right place during the dastardly attacks on Coruscant. I'm an experienced military leader and it was obviously that with GAR command and control disrupted someone needed to take charge. I not only had the rank for it, but the necessary experience to do the job better than most. Perhaps I should have left the Jedi fend for themselves – that would have allowed me to reach the Senate sooner, though its anyone guess if such a thing would have changed events that transpired in this very chamber." I shrugged. "I have to admit something – I did have different motives than simply aiding the Jedi when I led a relief force to the Temple."

That admission caused a stir. At least a score of Senators shouted – in either approval or disapproval.

Before Piell or Tiin could interrupt me, I forged on. "My motives were driven by fear. I was a Sith who found himself in command of all Republic troops on and near Coruscant. I was afraid what the reaction would be – both among the Jedi and the public if I didn't do my best to relieve the Jedi Temple, no matter that it might not have been the best tactical or strategic option. After all, most Jedi, even the Padawan are always armed – both with their lightsabers and the Force and they're trained how to use those weapons. The same couldn't be said for the thousands of Senators in this building." Take that. I could play the blaming game too.

This time, the Senators were quite pissed off and Amedda had his hands full in restoring order. The Jedi were suddenly less popular than they were just a few moments ago. That earned me deadly glares by Tiin and Piell, while Yoda had slumped over his cane and shook his head. Even Obi-Wan wasn't too pleased with where I led the conversation. On another down side, I was sure I was making Palpy's evening.

"Now that we can hear ourselves, think..." Palpatine spoke after Amedda was somewhat successful in quelling the Senators. "You'll have opportunity to ask general Veil questions once he finishes answering the Jedi's and Senator Sylvaris' accusations. I hope that we can do this tonight instead of needing another recess to calm down." The Chancellor looked like a grandfather scolding his unruly grandchildren. Damn, it the man was good at this job.

"Thank you, Chancellor." I nodded at Palpy and returned my attention to the conservative Jedi. "While on the topic of the attack on the Temple, we'll of course I took Aria under my wing! The poor girl, an I don't use those words lightly, is as much a victim as any Senator, Jedi, civilian or military who died during the Confederacy terror attacks here or on Naboo. What some of you probably don't know and other obviously didn't bother finding out," I gave Tiin and Piell a pointed glare, "is one simple fact. Aria Astra is a Clone created just weeks before the attacks. She got some rudimentary training, was told that the Jedi and the Republic were the evil enemy and then sent here to die. Emotionally she was a child at the time, one turned into a weapon by the monsters who run the Confederacy. Yet, these honorable Jedi would have held her accountable for things beyond her control or understanding. All Aria knew was how to fight and who her enemy was supposed to be."

I paused and pointed at the Jedi Masters. "Those two and their supporters would have seen Aria imprisoned because she was a victim. They wouldn't have known how to help her deal with what she did during the attack on the Temple even if they somehow figured that she needed help in the first place. You heard them! Emotions have to be disregarded and ignored. All that would have achieved would be to either destroy Aria or bring her deeper in the clutches of the Dark Side."

"We heard this tale before. There is no way back from the Dark and your apprentice was already a Dark Jedi when she led the attack. She's nothing more than a rabid weapon who needs to be kept away for the safety of us all." Tiin declared and I smiled at him.

"A rabid weapon, is she? Chancellor, if I may?" I pulled a data pad I had attached to my belt and floated it right into Palpatine's hands. "I'm sure that without verification or coming from me, some people won't believe that report."

"It will be my pleasure, general." Palpatine snatched the data pad a bit too hastily and began reading. Then he made a call to GAR HQ for verification. "This report cites the actions of one Aria Astra, a brevet commander serving in the Mandalore theater of operations after Grievous attacked. She is recommended for Medal of Valor during the operation that saw the termination of Pre Vizsla, the leader of the Death Watch. The recommendation was made from Commander Niner, the leader of the Commando Omega Squad."

Palpatine cleared his throat and began to read.

"The reasons given: 'Commander Aria Astra went beyond the call of duty and risked her life to ensure the successful rescue of teenage girl taken hostage by the Death Watch… Commander Astra's actions resulted in the neutralization of all enemy elements in the AO and the rescue of one Mira Ordo, age fourteen, who had been rigged with various explosives… As a consequence of her actions, Commander Astra was grievously wounded and it still in recovery. She knowingly and without flinching took a course of action she knew would lead to serious injury of her person or even her death to ensure the safe recovery of the hostage and successful neutralization all enemy combatants without risk for her subordinates. As per policy, the full text of the recommendation will be made public, because it holds no classified information about the incident in question."

"I don't know about you, but those don't sound like the actions of a deranged lunatic or an out of control weapon which happens to be danger for others."

Tiin and Piell looked at each other but declined to comment. I would have loved if they accused us of fabricating the report. What happened was all over Mandalore and one of the primary reasons why Omega squad kinda adopted my apprentice as an honorable member or something.

"Next, the topic that began all of this." I made a dismissive gesture. "My sabotaged mission to Mandalore. My dear Senators, it was obvious to everyone with eyes to see that there were people withing the Republic government, perhaps even this very building, who wanted me to fail and did their best to ensure it." I was very pointedly staring at Sylvaris. Oh, I had no idea if she had anything to do with it but right now it didn't matter.

"As it has been pointed out, I'm a man out of my time. Someone who just in the last few weeks found his place in this strange new galaxy. Despite that known fact, I was sent to negotiate an alliance with the Mandalorian people. While I once had many good friends among them and still was familiar with Mandalorian culture, my knowledge has been outdated. A lot. Nevertheless, I was sent to negotiate an alliance, with no diplomatic assistance. Even the Republic's ambassador to Mandalore was recalled and left before I reached Mandalore. My only support was Obi-Wan Kenobi and his fortunate personal connection with Duchess Satine and let's be honest – instead of discharging his duties as a Republic general, Obi-Wan was sent with me not to assist me in my mission but to watch me because of the fears of certain Jedi Masters."

I took a deep breath and let a bit of my anger show.

"What I was given were contingency orders. That if an alliance with the Mandalorians couldn't be secured, that I was to neutralize any potential threat that Mandalore could pose for the Republic. Orders that Chancellor Palpatine was pressured into issuing by members of this very Senate." Now I was playing a very dangerous game.

My announcement ignited the chambers. Those who were glad that the Republic had gained a potentially useful ally were screaming at their colleagues who wanted Mandalore dealt with. This was getting quite old and this time Amedda had little success in making the Senators behave as grown ups.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted by lacing my voice with the Force. For a moment I was surrounded by an aura made by Dark Side energy that made the chamber live with shadows before I reigned in my temper.

Tiin and Piell had pushes Sylvaris behind them and had their hands on the hilts of their lightsabers. The Jedi Masters were glaring at me coldly and appeared ready to pounce at me.

Great. The last thing I needed was to start a fight in the middle of the Senate chamber. At least doing so would be a brutally simple way to solve the whole Jedi issue, especially if I was the one attacked. Of course, no matter how tempting it was I couldn't afford to do it – the kriffing consequences would be too much for the Republic to handle right now.

At least I got the Senator's attention.

"For those who are paying attention, that's what a Sith Lord looks like. I can assure you, neither Obi-Wan, nor my apprentices are Sith. I know from experience what it means to deal with many Sith, most of whom are inevitably slaves of the Dark Side. That's a headache that I would go to a lot of lengths to avoid. In fact it was one of the primary reasons why I offered my services to the Republic once I figured out when and where I was and what was the galactic situation."

I exhaled slowly and did my best to keep my anger in check.

"Now where was I? Yeah, my mission to Mandalore." I looked at Bo and smiled fondly. "And my wife." I sent a glare at my accusers then ignored them and turned to look at the subdued Senate chamber. "After meeting Duchess Satine and her Prime Minister, the situation on the ground became painfully clear. The Death Watch had been gaining more and more members, most of them warriors who wanted to experience honorable combat in this war we're all fighting. They trusted Vizsla, believed him and his Confederate masters that a lot of the atrocities performed by the CIS were thanks to either rogue elements, accidents during the fighting or Republic propaganda. Given our shared history, a lot of Mandalorians believed Death Watch's version of events. That put me in an unpleasant position. My orders were to secure Mandalore as an ally yet, if I acted on them, the best I could hope for given the situation was to help ignite a civil war between Satine's supporters and Death Watch. A war that would have inevitably led to Republic and Confederate involvement as both sides came to aid their allies on the ground."

"Those were the options I had. Either burn Mandalore to the ground to make sure it would not be a threat to the Republic or engineer and alliance with Satine's government that would have led to a civil war, because Death Watch's leadership were Confederate creatures. I could do nothing more, couldn't make another choice. Not as a Republic general. However, then I was presented with another option." I paused and looked at my wife then at Satine.

"Its been a some time before there has been someone worthy enough to be chosen as Mandalore. Yet, risking the wrath of this Senate and my position within the Republic army by taking a long shot was the best option I could find to prevent seeing another world burn. So I took it. In hindsight, its obvious Pre Vizsla wasn't confident in his chances when he decided to try for the position too. We know what happened next – Death Watch and the Confederacy executed a sneak attack aimed to remove Satine's government and assassinate me. That happened the same night I married my wife, mere hours after we gave each other our vows in fact. It was in the aftermath of that devastating attack that the surviving Mandalorian Clan Leaders chose me to lead our people in the war against the Confederacy and decided to grant me the title of Mandalore." I sighed.

"I didn't do it to gain additional power. In fact, by becoming Mandalore I gave up a tremendous amount of power. Before making this choice I was secure in the position that gave me command of all Republic combat units. I was one of the most powerful beings in this galaxy right behind Chancellor Palpatine and Count Dooku thanks to his position as Commander in Chief of the Confederacy. I was aware that once I came back to Coruscant, I would be forced to give up my position as Supreme Commander of the field forces, perhaps even ordered to resign from the Republic military altogether. Despite that I chose to become Mandalore, because I believe that it was the right thing to do."

I smiled at my wife then turned my gaze upon the Jedi Masters and let the Dark Side flow through me. The surrounding temperature fell and shadows gathered around me.

"Speaking about wives… You dare a lot, Jedi." I hissed in a tone dripping venom. "I was married once before. From where I stand its been just a few short years since my first wife Ashara Zevos was murdered. She was a Jedi, you know. One who never left the light, never ever thought about becoming a Sith or even a Dark Jedi. Yet she was assassinated by Old Republic special forces led by members of that era's Jedi Order. In and era where no Sith dared marry for love in fear of retaliation, I did it. I married a Jedi because I fell in love with her, no matter how many better options I had to enhance my standing within the Empire. I find it infuriating that you dare stand here and even insinuate that the only reason I married my Bo was so I could have an easier time becoming Mandalore!" I snapped.

My wife took my hand and shook her head. I closed my eyes and reigned in my temper. The Dark Side receded and I could feel the Senators taking a collective breath of relief.

"I'll better take this, dear." Bo smiled fondly at me and her eyes shinned with determination. "I'm a proud Mandalorian Warrior. Marrying just for politics… that very accusation spits on our very culture." My wife's voice rang through the chamber. "Was the situation we found ourselves in play a part in our decision to marry? Yes!" She declared proudly. "It decided the timing. I personally would have enjoying a longer courtship, but things like that are for time of peace not one of strife and war. My husband and I fought beside each other on Ryloth. We took each others measure and both liked what we saw. We were attracted to each other ever since then, but the war separated us and we went our own ways. Then, months later, we met again in Sundari and had to fight together again when Death Watch agents tried to assassinate my husband and thus not only strike a blow against the Republic but destroy any chance of alliance between our people. We reconnected in the aftermath of that attack. Grew closer. The only thing that my husbands decision to seek the title of Mandalore did was prompt us to marry sooner." Bo's lips turned into a proud smile. "As far as that other Jedi my husband supposedly tried to corrupt… I have to take the blame for that accident."

Well, now my dear wife had everyone's attention. "I'm aware he was attracted to Master Shaak Ti, who reminded him of his deceased wife. He admitted that much. It was also obvious that Delkatar wasn't sure if he liked her because who she was, or because of how much the Jedi was like Ashara. It is also true that he had sex with Master Ti once, before the situation on Geonosis was resolved and he had to come to Mandalore." Bo's smile widened. "If anything, my knowledge of his… encounter with the Jedi Master, played a bigger part in my decision to marry him sooner rather than latter compared to any political consideration. If things have turned differently, my husband might have pursued a serious relationship with Master Ti. Personally, I'm glad he didn't and quite pleased that he chose to marry me instead of a powerful Jedi."

"Thank you. All I would say about my tryst with Master Shaak Ti is that I'm sorry. Sorry that I couldn't end things between us on a better tone and that events conspired so that informing her about my marriage in person didn't happen. However, I'm not sure what Master Ti expected and even if she wanted a serious relationship. She is a Jedi Master and as Masters Tiin and Piell pointed out, emotional entanglements are forbidden. As far as I know sleeping with each other on a single occasion doesn't break that rule. And even if Master Ti has been ready to pursue a serious relationship with me, the sad truth is that what my wife told you is correct. I still can't tell you if I was attracted to Shaak Ti because of the wonderful person I believe her to be or because of how much she reminds me of my first wife. There could have been no healthy relationship until I had made my mind about that and I have no idea when or if I could do so."

I looked back at the Senators. At least some were enjoying the free soap opera, while others looked disturbed from my demonstration of the Dark Side. Kriff it, I should have kept a better lid over my temper.

"There was a cold, politically motivated calculation about my relationships. However, it wasn't about my marriage with Bo. In fact at the time I had no idea if we would have a chance to meet again before the war was over. No my concerns were about Master Shaak Ti and how the Jedi Council would have reacted if I decided to pursue a relationship despite my misgivings. I was on the opinion that doing so at the time would have been mistake that would lead to something like what's happening today. The biggest difference would be that Shaak Ti would have been expelled just like Obi-Wan Kenobi. Perhaps even attacked by over-zealous Jedi who believed her fallen to the Dark Side and becoming a Sith herself. I deemed the potential consequences too dire and decided not to pursue anything but a potential friendship with Master Ti." I shrugged. "Then I went on my mission to Mandalore and as they say, the rest is history."

"Well, I for one I'm very glad that things turned as they did." Bo winked at me.

"This is a heartening story, general Veil." Was that a false tear in Palpatine's eye? "I believe that our good general has answered all accusations leveled at him in more than satisfactory manner. As for his intentions – his actions speak for themselves. He pointed out the truth. If general Veil was a Sith out for power, he would have never done a thing to jeopardize his position as Supreme Commander field forces. He would have seen Mandalore burn to guarantee his support in the Senate. What I personally find disturbing, is that members of the Jedi Order, Jedi Masters no less, decided it would be a good idea to throw such accusations without proof, much less thinking things through." Palpatine leveled a severe look at Tiin and Piell. "Your timing couldn't be worse. In less than two months the Separatists will be in a position to unleash an offensive that will make the war so far pale in comparison. Unfortunately, the reality of capital ship build times means that they will have completed their build cycles from when the war began very soon and before all the Venators we laid down could be finished. For two to three months, our enemy will have a great advantage in material we will find hard to overcome. Right now, when the whole Republic and her allies should be standing together – united and prepare for the coming storm, you my fellow Senators and Jedi are doing your best to divide us. I hope for all our sakes that you didn't succeed."

While Bo and I were finishing our little presentation and Palpy was talking, the Senate was growing noisier and noisier. Now it exploded with questions and demands. Before the commotion could grow too loud, Palpatine was able to make public the preliminary intelligence report for expected increase on CIS combat strength in the coming months.

Then the Senators went mad.