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“Ani?”
Anakin sighs. Kriff. He really doesn’t need this right now. He just…
He’d come home to their apartment to get a break from the disaster he’d just caused, running in Circles with nowhere to go. Lost in trauma and pain.
But he couldn’t seem to escape it even here, the love of his life’s gentle presence beside him.
“I didn’t want to tell you,” he confesses. “I… may have bitten off more than I can… Padme…”
Hesitantly, he turns around to look at his wife. His Angel…
“Dooku contacted me,” he says, still not able to look up. “I… I kriffed it up, of course, but… the Council will have to tell at least the Chancellor soon, and I…”
He trails off as Padme puts her arm around him, finally looks in her eyes and sees nothing but worry. He laughs.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he says. “It… brought up bad memories.”
“Ani…” Padme says, softly. “I’m still so sor-”
“Don’t,” Anakin cuts in. “I still don’t blame you, really.”
Padme just shakes her head.
“Because of me, you—”
“Discovered Sidious?” Anakin asks. “Saved the Republic? Didn’t Fall? Padme… there are no words that can explain to you what it was like to learn of that future, things that haunt me more than anything I endured.”
Padme jus looks at him, sorrow in her eyes.
Anakin sighs again.
“Please,” he says. “I just want to go back to sleep… with you. Only you, my only love.”
And maybe, if he tries hard enough, he can focus on that above… everything else.
Dealing with the Council had never been anything but hell. Being on the Council while dealing with them is worse.
“No,” he wants to say. “I really have no idea what I was thinking, and the fact that you could expect me to think rationally in a situation like that only proves your ignorance.”
It really is easier to yell at the Council than it is to be rational about their trivialization of major issues.
Honestly, (and he’s glad he has Kelna’s agreement about this because his friend has apparently only become more respected as a Healer since his capture… though the thing with Malii and Ria is still going nowhere) one thing the Order will absolutely need after the war is the freedom for Jedi and Clones to actually process the trauma of a war.
But, back to the point.
(He’s glad Artoo had gotten involved, that droid had been a lifesaver in figuring out what to do, in figuring out his head.)
He’d done his research. Actually, he’d started it years ago, but finding out that the “Ancient Nubian” that Sidious had taught him was actually the Sith language had already proven a lifesaver.
The Sith painted a very different picture of the Jei and Dai split. The Dai has been pushed down out of fear.
Ironic.
(And a repetition, had it not been for Mortis and Dooku.)
But, back in the moment.
“Look,” Anakin says. “Dooku’s demands can barely be called that. It’s a fair deal even if they inevitably cheat or ignore it. Have you even looked at their Code or do you just wing it like we do with ours?”
Yes, he’s definitely not going to shut up about this. Honestly, where in the Jedi Code does it say “no attachments”?
…another problem.
“We will need to contact the Senate about this,” Windu says. Anakin shakes his head.
“No,” he says. “With the emergency powers still in place, we only need to contact the Chancellor.”
Obi-Wan hmms. He was… sort of privy to Anakin’s thoughts, but Anakin hadn’t been thinking straight enough yesterday to remember to translate what Artoo had said.
“I trust Bail,” he says. Which, okay, good. Obi-Wan is actually respected.
He’s just vaguely tolerated, mostly because he’s right and they don’t want to admit it to themselves.
Yoda hmms.
“Vote on this, we will,” he says. “Against this, who are?”
Six sentients raise their hands.
“In favor?”
Five.
Yoda’s the tie breaker.
“…Do it, we shall,” Yoda says.
Bail stares.
“You are telling me,” he says. “That you want to recreate a sham war?”
Anakin shrugs.
“I already agreed to it, and it will get us results,” he replies. “I don’t know if this is the right choice, but it is a clear chance. And we could still win earlier than that. Besides, I have some… ideas, for the mean time. Like getting our soldiers rights.”
Bail sighs. He has no idea why he’s saying this but…
“Do it,” he says.
They’re winning at the end of the year.