Consequences

Chapter 35 - Off the Front

Apprehension is rapidly mounting inside of me as walk through the hallways of the Jedi Temple to the Council chambers. From what we'd seen, Coruscant appears to be in an uproar. What have I caused? All I know is that from the feel of it – and through using logic – we're in seriously trouble. And possibly not only with the Council. Perfect.

As the doors slides open and we step into the room, the grave expressions of every member on the Council only serves to make me even more worried. What did we do? Why did I ever think that was a good idea?

"A serious mistake you have made," Yoda warns us sounding graver then I've heard him in a long time, "Spoken with us about your plan first, you should have. By exposing that we know who he is, a potential disaster you have set in motion."

As Anakin opens his mouth to speak, Obi-Wan interrupts. "What happened here?"

Windu's glare is severe enough to scare anyone but us. His thoughts of 'what possessed you to do something so stupid?!' is practically screaming through the Force. "Palpatine returned with the news that the three of you attempted to kill him, while Shaak Ti was defending him. He claims that she was able to hold you off until he got into an escape pod after which he saw you kill her. He insists that you must have Fallen to the Dark Side and possibly allied yourselves with Count Dooku."

Not again. I better not be accused of treason against the Republic a second time. And it'll be so much worse if I pulled my master and Obi-Wan into all this. I feel strangely numb as I stand in the center of the room, feeling almost as though we're about to hear our own death sentence. It reminds me altogether too much of that day hardly any time in the past but also a lifetime ago.

"Although there is obviously no evidence to back up his story beyond what he said, there's nothing to prove that he's the Sith Lord," continues Plo. I shift uncomfortably. I don't like their tones at all, and I'm getting the distinct feeling that whatever news they're about to tell us – and are taking an unnecessarily long time about – is extremely serious. Hopefully, we're not about to be thrown out of the Order and turned over to the Senate for trial. They couldn't risk something like that. But then again, they did last time, so who's to say they won't do it again?

"In order to calm the Senate, we have informed him that we will investigate the matter," continues Windu.

"But forces us, this does, to make a decision we do not want to," Yoda continues. My stomach plummets to the bottom of my boots, maybe lower, as I nearly hold my breath waiting for the decision sure to come.

"The three of you will be taken off the front lines and put on a meditative leave, effective immediately. Master Kenobi, I regret to inform you that you will be temporarily removed from the Council," Windu declares.

For a moment, we're all stunned into silence. It's better than I thought it would be, to be honest. At least they're showing some concern about what happens to us. They reacted in their own best interests by taking us off the front, trying to maintain their public opinion, but that puts the Republic largely at risk. Anakin and Obi-Wan are the best fighters out there, and without us on the fronts, who knows what will happen?

I wonder now why I even gave that suggestion. It was probably the stupidest, most reckless thing I've done in my life. I could have gotten us all killed. Even if we're still alive for now, we could easily be executed by Sidious if he wanted us to be, especially since we won't be at the Temple for protection. And I might even have ruined all possibilities of killing Sidious before he completes his plans. If we could redo that... I never would have suggested it. If I hadn't told Anakin about what happened in the past... well, I did what I did, and there's no going back now.

"How can you do this?" Anakin snaps, suddenly breaking the gloomy silence that had settled over the room. "We're needed on the front. This isn't going to help the situation. Did no one seriously raise the question on how he could be totally uninjured if we all tried to kill him?"