Chain Reaction

~ Seven - Scolding from a Senator - Obi-Wan ~

It all makes sense, and yet no sense at all. Yes, it is unsurprising that the Chancellor is a traitor, and even add Tarkin's betrayal into the mix doesn't change that. However, for such treason to continue on for such a long time, years, and for us Jedi to not notice? Even Master Yoda? It's hard to believe. 

"Why am I to be questioned by the Jedi Council Master Kenobi? I had thought that this would remain under wraps for the time being..." I stare at her, incredulous. "The Council needs to know about this Senator, there is no getting around that. For someone who has sworn herself to democracy, you don't seem that upset about letting a criminal get away with his crimes." Cody and Rex don't say a word, but I know what they are thinking. Why would she and the others not want to alert anyone about this? Only Force knows what he has done, and none of it can be good. 

The doors open to the Council Chamber, where a majority of the Council is present physically, the rest on holo, spread across the galaxy due to the war. 

"Senator Amidala, good to see you, it is." Kindly, she bows in respect, despite her hardened eyes and colder presence. "Thank you, Master Yoda." Master Windu doesn't hesitate, diving straight to the point. 

"Master Kenobi has told us of your investigation and news on Chancellor Palpatine and Admiral Tarkin. Why didn't you contact us on this?" To my surprise, her presence in the Force turns cold, disbelieving, and angry. She scoffs, not even attempting to hide her shock at his statement. 

"Says the man who fell for peer pressure and decided that the trust of one of your own wasn't as important as the words from a judgmental admiral. For someone who claims to be peacekeepers, you don't seem to bother thinking about keeping the peace within the minds of the padawans, your lineage or not." Master Windu almost appears to want to growl at her. I understand his disliking of working so closely with politicians and the Senate, especially as a militaria force, but he doesn't even seem to want to contemplate her words. 

She's right after all. 

We didn't trust Ahsoka, even after her unconditional commitment to the Jedi Order and the men. We expelled her without the blink of an eye. It was Anakin and herself that stood by her side through it, not us. We were a large portion of the reasoning behind the duo leaving, and no one but her seems to see that. A hush falls over the members, including me. Master Windu is highly respected within the ranks of the Order, and, like Master Yoda, isn't usually given a scolding. Not since Anakin. 

"I didn't come here to be interrogated. If it were up to me, I wouldn't have come here at all! You are more focused on being right an any and every scenario, that you have missed the reality of your situation! We might work with respect together as members of the Republic, but this is a matter regarding my family. People you have deeply hurt with your arrogance! 

But of course, that doesn't matter, does it? All that matters is what you see as truth, and yet no one seems to recognize the fact that we have all been played! This isn't a war we are fighting, but a puppet show being orchestrated by the very thing you swear to specialize in destroying! If it wasn't for my husband and sister, we would still be trapped in this mess without even realizing it!" 

Her breathing is heavy from the shouting, her rant causing everything, including the Force, to go silent. A dropped pin could be heard like a blaster shot in the unrelenting silence as the truth sinks in. 

We've all been played, a much larger situation than any of us could have imagined. What Padme told me, Cody, and Rex in her office was only the half-truth. There is more to this, much more. But she doesn't trust us enough to indulge it, and no wonder. It's clear now that we have caused more damage than we ever could have thought possible, and none of us noticed. 

"I will not divulge the entirety of what is really happening, because I don't trust you. I don't think I can trust you for a long time, because of the damage reaped from your ignorance. But I can tell you this much: me and my allies have friends, friends who are helping us prevent this plot from succeeding, and the plan has already been set in motion. Two of them being my husband and sister. You will notice differences, but you are not to interfere. If you do, everything will be for nothing. You are simply to act as if this never happened, got it?" 

A universal nod from all members of the Council, including Masters Windu and Yoda, and like clockwork, the Force reawakened itself, breathing with life once more. With not so much as a glance of remorse, she leaves, the doors slamming in her wake. For a few agonizing moments, the unyielding silence returns, holding us all hostage in its grip. The Force tense, almost like a reminder that this was something we all needed to hear and accept. 

"Adjourned, this meeting is." Without another thought, I dash after Padme, catching up with her just as she is about to leave the Temple. A wave of nausea lashes at me, causing me to wonder if this was how Anakin felt when he chased after Ahsoka so long ago. The desperation, that nothing else mattered, regardless of anything prior to it. The need to follow. "Senator please, wait." 

"What is it?" My heart clenches as I wince, but I don't chastise myself over my lack in the Code, but instead, on what I have lost due to my ignorance. This whole mess is partially my fault, and I deserved just as much as Master Windu that lecture. If I were in Anakin and Ahsoka's place, I would have left too. But it took a scolding from a senator for me to realize, let alone accept that. 

"Anakin, he's your husband, isn't he? I am not blind Padme and am not here to call out your words from before. We deserved everything that you threw, the reality of what is really happening. I was never blind Padme, back when Anakin was still in the Order. Though I tried to be, for Anakin's sake. And for yours. Anakin has loved you since the day you met, in that horrible junk shop on Tatooine. He's never even tried to hide it, though we did not speak of it. We...pretended that I didn't know. And I was happy to, because it made him happy. You made him happy, when nothing else truly could. Yet all I have ever done is scold him for going against a Code that he really never could follow. He just was never meant to." 

To my utter disbelief, she smiled. A tired one, one that revealed much more than she ever spoke about before. "Ani loves you, you know. So does Ahsoka. Both of them forgave you a long time ago. You were always more than just a master and fellow Jedi, you were, and still are, Anakin's brother and a father-figure to Ahsoka. They know you took in the 501st after their leaving, they know you cleaned out their quarters, all of it. They might never understand you, but that is something they both accepted." 

"That is all I can hope for, I suppose, given the circumstances." Gently, she hands over a comm link, unlike most in appearance, but the grey metal is almost comforting. On the bottom is a simple engraving, a symbol similar to the Jedi Order's but with a sword and a swirl design that reminds me of mist. 

"Ani and 'Soka wanted you to have it. If you have an emergency, use it. Only for emergencies though. There is going to be a lot of confusion changes soon, and we need you to be ready. Are you up to it?" I look back up at her, and a memory trickles into my mind. It was so long ago, yet it feels as though it were yesterday. It was only a few days into Anakin's padawanship, and he had been homesick, missing his mother. Mediation training was doing him no good, and his group classes were not helping the matter. 

Only lightsaber training did the trick. 

It distracted him from his attachments, although his thirst for victory was concerning. However, that particular day, it was worse off than usual. I had told him that we needed him to be ready, in any situation, including the ones that seemed unimportant, because they were. I had asked him if he was up to it, to which he grinned and rose from his quarters to get ready. His replied words ring through my ears, and I can't help but smile softly. Back then, I hadn't thought much about it, but now I understand. He never backed down from that promise. No matter what trial ahead, he always took it on without a moment's hesitation. The words fall from my mouth before I can prevent them. 

"I always will be Padme; I always will be."