A year and ten months ago...

The Twilight II exited hyperspace with a thunk so ominous for a few heart-stopping seconds Ahsoka wondered if the sublight engines would actually kick in or not. Then, blessedly, the engines coughed to life, and the ship puttered off toward Coruscant on its pre-programmed flight path.

"Thank the Force," she muttered, transmitting their clearance codes to the nearest Republic cruiser and slumping back in the pilot's seat. Her Master was always reluctant to let her fly if he was there to do it, but in a rare show of faith in her piloting skills he'd handed the controls over without a fuss – something about faulty wiring to retract the exit ramp he needed to attend to before they landed.

It was the third such problem they'd run into that day. The ship was a modified YT-1300 freighter Anakin had scraped off a junk heap mid-patrol of the reclaimed industrial sector on Cato Neimoidia, and with the recent demise of its predecessor, the first of its name, the Twilight II had become his new baby.

She still had no idea how he'd been able to make it fly.

"I can sense your frustration," Obi-Wan quipped from where he was flying copilot beside her, breaking the melancholic silence he'd kept to for most of the trip. "Do remember to focus on the positives instead of letting gratitude turn to sarcasm. It's always a blessing to return to Coruscant unscathed."

Ahsoka gave him a long look.

Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "All right, but I'll admit I do share your sentiment."

"Thank you." Then, more loudly, she added, "It's a wonder we got here in one piece! I really wish our resident tech kleptomaniac wouldn't sign his run-down, spark-spewing pity projects up for every second mission that comes our way!"

"Hey, hey!" Anakin yelped from the common area down the corridor. "Say what you want about me, but no loose wire jokes!"

Ahsoka snorted. "You're repairing loose wires right now, SkyGuy!"

Anakin grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like a string of Huttese insults, but made no retort.

"Well, really," Obi-Wan huffed. Whether it was directed at Ahsoka's deliberate provocation or Anakin's mouthy response, she couldn't be sure.

"I'll have you both know this 'pity project' can make 0.5 past lightspeed," Anakin said primly as he ambled into the cockpit, wiping his left hand on a rag. "And according to Master Obi-Wan, speed is apparently critical for this mission."

"If getting to Coruscant quickly is so important, why did they send Master Kenobi all the way to Cato Neimoidia to relay the message?" Ahsoka asked, turning in her seat to look at him.

Anakin shrugged and opened his mouth to speak, but Obi-Wan beat him to it. "Secrecy is also paramount – even more so than speed. It was a calculated risk. Using couriers is not so uncommon a practice it would arouse suspicion, and it eliminates the need for a holo-transmission that could be hacked."

"Well, Master, you're here with us now, and I have Artoo scan the TwiTwo for bugs on the regular," Anakin said, flopping down in the passenger seat behind hers. Ahsoka tried not to roll her eyes at the silly moniker; she knew she was one to talk, but she still hoped it wouldn't stick. "What's all this about?"

"The Council will convene to determine how to manage a situation of galactic importance. We felt there was a need for a... different perspective. Insight from Jedi with fresh eyes and ears – or montrals, alternatively."

Which means practically nothing, Ahsoka thought, and Anakin's perplexed half-grimace told her he was thinking the same thing. Everything is a 'situation of galactic importance' these days with the war going on.

Still, something about the way he'd said it prickled at the back of her mind. With the death of its leader Duchess Satine a month before, even by conservative estimates the Council of Neutral Systems was on the brink of collapse. Fifteen hundred star systems ripe for Separatist plunder was an open secret if Ahsoka had ever heard one, but maybe there were other stakes she didn't know about – stakes the Jedi Order had a personal interest in. Besides, she'd never seen Obi-Wan more thoughtful than he was when Satine was somehow involved.

Anakin leaned forward until he was nearly level with the front seats. "Obi-Wan, you're dragging us all the way back to Coruscant for a Council meeting? Why not find a pair of Jedi stationed closer to the Core? Seriously, we were this close–" he made a minuscule gap between his thumb and index finger, "–to taking the planet when you came to call us away."

"Anakin–"

"I even had to save your life for the ninth time when your transport crashed and you got captured," Anakin interrupted him. "What charges were they going to execute you on? The usual 'war criminal guilty of crimes against the Confederacy' spiel, or did they not even bother saying, considering your track record?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Come now, Anakin. It doesn't count if I was already in the process of escaping, even if the odds were grim. I understand you're unhappy to be away from the battle – which I could reproach as unbefitting of a Jedi, though I expect it will fall on deaf ears ­– but you'll have all the answers in a few minutes."

Anakin crossed his arms. "I say patience, then," he said after a long moment.

" 'Patience'? That's rich, coming from you." Obi-Wan looked at Ahsoka, his eyes twinkling as he nodded to Anakin. "It appears some of the things I've told this one sank in after all. I pray he deigned to pass them along to you, young one."

"I like to think I got the best of both worlds," Ahsoka soothed, taking her cue from both prescience and simple understanding of their personalities to diffuse things before Anakin's temper rose too high. The amount of input Obi-Wan had in Ahsoka's apprenticeship was sometimes a touchy subject. "But we could still stand to get to the surface a little quicker, for both our curiosity's sake and the alleged 'galactic importance' of this Council meeting."

"Snips, I like the way you think. Now move so I can land this bucket of bolts without running anyone over in the Temple hangar bay."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ahsoka groused, but did as Anakin asked. Even as she turned up her nose when he dove into the pilot's seat with a gleeful cackle, she couldn't keep her lips from quirking. She'd been his Padawan nearly three years now and they'd both grown a lot, but some things never changed.

A soft current of worry undercutting Anakin's elation like a stream beneath bedrock caught her attention as she got settled again. Obi-Wan was good at hiding his emotions, but the Republic capital and the billions of people living there were still far enough away that every bit of leakage through his shields was tangible.

"Best of both worlds, indeed," Obi-Wan said in afterthought. Anakin grunted a distracted affirmative, too caught up double-checking their clearance codes had been received and accepted to reply in words.

Ahsoka frowned, watching him disengage the autopilot from his end while Anakin did the same at the pilot's station. She was surprised to notice Obi-Wan's usual care and delicacy for everything he did were almost completely absent. He worked by rote, letting old reflexes take over while his thoughts swirled.

Whatever it was that had happened, Obi-Wan was badly worried. Shaken, even. Ahsoka hated to say when she had a bad feeling about something; in the company of Jedi who could read her mind, it was pointlessly redundant unless she was aiming for an eventual 'I told you so'. But with Obi-Wan's melancholy earlier and even deeper sense of preoccupation now that the bright surface of Coruscant hung before them, she was sorely tempted to do it anyway.

Ten minutes later, the TwiTwo (Ahsoka begrudgingly agreed it was less of a mouthful to say on the fly than its actual name) came in for a surprisingly smooth landing in the crowded Temple hangar – courtesy of Anakin's quick reflexes and knowing touch. However, it was another five before they actually made it out of the ship, on account of more rewiring Anakin had to do to actually get the ramp down.

And then another five before they left the hangar, since Anakin insisted on saying hello to every droid, mechanic, and security guard he knew. With the amount of his free time he spent there, that was pretty much everyone on duty.

Thankfully, they made good enough progress reaching the nearest turbolift and the top of the Temple's tallest spire that Obi-Wan only sniped at Anakin's timekeeping faculties once. That done, he settled into another deep, contemplative silence that made his mental noise seem louder in comparison.

"Any pointers before we go in, Master Kenobi?" Ahsoka asked as lightly as she could when they disembarked, touching a hand to his arm to rouse him. Bad feelings or not, his withdrawn manner was really starting to make her nervous.

"Only a recommendation the two of you mind your words – and your minds."

"Don't we always, Master?" Anakin shot back with a grin.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard pensively. "This is a very delicate time, and I can assure you tensions are high. The mission the Council is about to assign you may be the most important one of your lives."

"But what is the mission?" Anakin sighed. "Obi-Wan, stop being evasive and–"

He fell silent as the door to the Council chamber slid open to admit them. As was customary for someone of his rank, Obi-Wan entered first, inclining his head to his fellow Council members before taking his seat. Ahsoka and Anakin followed a moment later, and gave deep bows to show their respect to the full Council.

Or some of it, at least. It was protocol to hold meetings with as many Council members present as possible, even if some were off Coruscant. With the war calling experienced Jedi to the farthest corners of the galaxy, Ahsoka had gotten used to seeing those who were away as holograms. But today the only five seats filled were the ones that held flesh and blood: those of Masters Yoda, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin.

The door shut behind them, and Yoda lifted a clawed green hand in greeting. "Knight Skywalker, Padawan Tano, welcome I bid you. Better circumstances for your return to the Temple, I wish there were."

"Thank you, Masters," Anakin said, and crossed his arms over his broad chest in a gesture that looked intimidating, but Ahsoka knew was really to hide his hands in case he started to fidget. "Excuse my forwardness, but what's going on?"

Yoda, Windu and Plo Koon exchanged looks. Saesee Tiin's leathery face that was usually so kind darkened considerably, and Ki-Adi shot him a sympathetic glance. Obi-Wan tucked one leg up over the other.

When none of them spoke, Anakin pushed on. "Master Obi-Wan told us we have a new mission. But he wasn't forthcoming with the details, and it's making us very..." Across their bond Ahsoka sensed the word 'worried' flit through his mind, but instead of speaking it he paused, searching for another the Council would look more favorably upon. Strong displays of emotion never sat well with them, and if Obi-Wan's advice had any weight to it, that was especially true now.

"Concerned," Ahsoka chimed in before the silence became awkward. Anakin shot her a grateful look out of the corner of his eye.

Master Yoda hummed throatily and scratched his chin before glancing at Master Windu again. It must have been an unspoken signal; a moment later, Windu leaned forward in his chair and said, "Chancellor Palpatine has been assassinated."

Anakin's presence in the Force flared a blinding white – confusion disbelief the time Obi-Wan faked his own death FEAR – that burst along the edges of Ahsoka's senses. His carefully crossed arms slumped apart and hit his sides with a slap, every effort to project a stoic front forgotten. "This is a joke."

"Unfortunately, it isn't," Master Mundi said. "He was found dead in his home on Coruscant three days ago following a Senate gala. Poison is suspected, but thus far no discernable cause of death has been found."

Anakin exhaled shakily, balling his hands into fists so tightly the servos in his prosthetic whirred with the strain. Ahsoka reached for him on instinct, forgetting the Council was even there as she slipped an arm around him and sent as much warmth and support through their bond as Master and apprentice as she could.

Anakin and Obi-Wan bickered about interpretations of the Jedi Code, the Order's involvement in the war, and when to negotiate versus press an advantage on the battlefield. Anakin and Senator Amidala bickered about the slowness of the Senate and how much power the military should really have. Anakin and Rex didn't bicker much, but Rex was his subordinate and knew there were some lines he could not cross. Anakin and Ahsoka were too alike, so much so they fought like gundarks at the slightest divergence. But it had never been like that with the chancellor.

Things were easy, smooth, with him. Anakin had always returned from their talks refreshed and eager to chew on some bite-sized piece of political theory or Republic military doctrine he'd picked up. It was important to him that one of his oldest mentors and closest friends shared his views when so many others did not.

Now all of that was gone.

Ahsoka was a Jedi fighting in the Clone Wars. She was accustomed to the deaths of acquaintances and subordinates, but all her mentors were living; she couldn't imagine what Anakin was feeling. What she did feel, though, was a cold tangle of dread in the pit of her stomach when she looked at the situation with a broader lens than caring for her grieving loved one.

They were at war against an enemy that only seemed to grow stronger with every day that passed. Now their leader, someone she and Anakin both agreed was instrumental in keeping the Republic war effort together, was dead. The enormity of the situation struck her like a freight tram, and she was extremely glad she was already holding onto Anakin. He barely registered the extra weight, compensating for it on reflex, when she found herself leaning on him for support.

"What do you need us to do?" Anakin gritted out, making Ahsoka jump. "Are we going after his killer? Because I swear, if you ask it of me, I won't rest until the one responsible is brought to justice."

You won't rest even if they don't ask, Ahsoka thought, wrapping her arm a little tighter around him. You didn't when we thought we'd lost Obi-Wan.

He caught it over their bond, and his presence shied away in denial.

"I admire your spirit, Skywalker," Master Windu said, his voice tight in what Ahsoka could only assume was a warning for Anakin to compose himself, "and you'll get your chance. You and your Padawan will be heading the investigation alongside carefully chosen specialists from the military and police force."

"Why us, Master?" Ahsoka asked, reiterating Anakin's question to Obi-Wan on the TwiTwo. "We appreciate the chance to uncover the truth, of course, but we were on the frontline. Was taking us away the best choice when there are other Jedi closer to the Core to choose from?"

Windu frowned, but Master Plo made a soothing gesture with one clawed hand before he could speak. "Little 'Soka makes a good point. We would do well to tell them why they were our first choice so they may better fulfill our expectations."

Ahsoka smiled faintly at him. His aura warmed in return.

Master Yoda nodded in agreement. "Part of the reason, your distance from the Core Worlds was. Far away were you and your Master when this transpired, and free of suspicion, you will be."

"Your Master also had the chancellor's ear, and vice versa," Windu added, and surprisingly, it was without rebuke. "He'll spot discrepancies another might miss. As for you, Padawan Tano, due to you and your Master's friendships with a number of politicians, you've spent more time in the Senate than most Jedi have lately. Others' knowledge of politics may be more extensive, but yours is far more current."

"If it's insight into Senate workings you want, I recommend we bring Senator Amidala into our investigation," Anakin said, a little strength coming back to his aura as he spoke the name. "She represents the chancellor's homeworld. She could make much sharper observations than either of us."

"If the need arises, she will be informed by the Council," Obi-Wan said gently, but with finality.

Anakin stepped abruptly forward, and Ahsoka linked her arms reluctantly behind her back. "But, Masters–"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Anakin, as helpful as Senator Amidala might be, it is vital that we manage the outflow of information. If the chancellor died of natural causes, intelligence leaks are less of an issue. But if it is revealed prematurely that he met a violent end in the very heart of the Republic, it would spark panic."

"The chancellor has remained popular since the start of the war, even as approval for the Republic continues to plummet," Master Windu broke in. "A leak could have catastrophic effects, and Darth Maul and Count Dooku have both named themselves enemies of the Republic. We haven't heard news of Maul in some weeks–" he glanced meaningfully at Obi-Wan, who averted his eyes, "–but I wouldn't put it past Dooku to use this opportunity to his advantage."

Master Tiin inclined his head. "He could take out key star systems while the Senate is still getting back on its feet. There is a strong possibility the Jedi would have to take control of the Senate and compel the delegates to elect a new leader before the tide turned in his favor."

"To a dark place, this line of thought will carry us." Yoda shut his eyes and hummed uneasily to himself. "Great care, we must take."

"Indeed," Master Plo said. "The Jedi Order has long held broad discretionary powers for investigations into suspicious deaths and assassination attempts on major Republic figures. However, our position has grown very precarious. The investigative team has already had to send bribes and threats of legal action to a dozen HoloNet news broadcasters to ensure their silence."

Windu looked up sharply, surprise brightening his aura in the Force before he schooled it into blank neutrality. Master Plo's colored with resolve and a hint of tension. Speaking up had been his choice alone, and not part of an agreed-upon plan.

Ahsoka frowned, and Anakin mirrored it. Was the Council really resorting to bribes to keep this contained, even if they were divided on the issue? The Jedi Order subsisted on donations and a portion of the Senate's tax earnings – both of which came from Republic citizens. The war effort was already bankrupting the Republic. Was this really how they were spending what little money they had left?

Master Plo met her gaze through his goggles, and though his expressions had never been the easiest to read, she could tell he was hoping his candor would grant her some sort of deeper understanding.

Ahsoka sighed quietly. The implications of Chancellor Palpatine's death, she understood. The implications of the public being made aware of it in the wrong way from the wrong sources, she understood. But she couldn't wrap her head around how the Order fit into all this talk of reputations and bribes. The Council said she knew more about politics than most Padawans, but so much of it still confused her.

"I'm not sure I like the sound of bribery," Anakin began hotly.

Obi-Wan cut him off with a warning look. From his aura in the Force, Ahsoka could feel he didn't completely disagree, but he'd told them before this was not the time or place for stepping out of line. "Neither do we, Anakin, but allowances must be made in a time of crisis for the sake of the greater good. It gives the chancellor some respect in death, and it buys us time – time we must use wisely."

The panel on Master Windu's chair beeped. He entered an access code into the keypad, and read the text that appeared on the small screen above it. "Your ride to Chancellor Palpatine's estate just arrived. Emergency evacuation tunnels between the Senate buildings, the Temple, and the chancellor's home were recently finished. Using the tunnels will give you greater freedom of movement while still maintaining discretion. The pilot will take you from our access point in the Temple sublevels."

"Yes, Masters," Anakin growled. Ahsoka touched his arm, and he nodded, forcing himself to relax.

"May the Force be with you," Yoda said. Ahsoka and Anakin bowed in return – Anakin more shallowly than was probably polite – and withdrew.

Anakin's thoughts roiled, crashing together so violently it would've been uncomfortable to stay so close to him were she not used to it. Frustration, fear, longing – and more than anything, an overwhelming desire to see Padmé. Ahsoka suspected the nature of their relationship was deeper than it seemed, but she tried not to think too deeply on it for all of their sakes. Still, she knew the Senator was a comfort to him like no one else, and Anakin needed comfort right now.

"Go find her, once we have a free moment," Ahsoka murmured once they were safely inside the turbolift and a few dozen floors down.

"What?"

"The Council forbade you from telling Senator Amidala about the chancellor, not from seeing her. If the Senate isn't in session, she may be in her office. You can use the tunnels to get to her quietly."

"I think it was implied..."

"Not literally enough for them to say you'd disobeyed a direct order."

"It seems you've learned even the things I wasn't trying to teach you." He chuckled hollowly to himself. He was silent for a long time after that, his mind a game of tug-of-war. Then, finally, he said, "No. No, Padmé can read us both like an open book. She'd have it out of me in less than an hour."

"Well," Ahsoka said, "I guess we can make do on our own, right?"

He nodded, and though his face was dark and pensive, his presence in the Force lightened, just a little bit. He wasn't okay – and he wouldn't be for a while when he had to conduct a whole investigation through grief that was still fresh – but that was enough to give Ahsoka hope he would be soon.

Nearly two years in the past, Ahsoka and Anakin have been recalled from the frontline to find all is not as it should be. Did Chancellor Palpatine die of natural causes, an accident, or more nefarious means? He has many enemies, both personal and political, and the two Jedi may be out of their depth trying to track them all. Anakin is adamant he and Ahsoka not confide in Senator Padmé Amidala, his secret wife and staunch ally. But with the gap widening between Anakin and the Jedi Council, once she learns something is amiss, will he allow her to take matters into her own hands? Only time will tell...

You may remember this from the author's note on chapter ten, but the end of the Clone Wars happened differently in SOTE – and about eight months earlier than in canon. To break up important parts of the story, I'm gonna be using flashback chapters that jump back to the time Anakin and Ahsoka investigated the chancellor's murder (instead of the bombing of the Temple hangar) and explain how everything went down.

Anakin being in conflict with the Jedi Council is important to the story, and while they're already not on the best of terms, without Ahsoka's trial to drive a wedge between them, Anakin has less reason to be resentful. To compensate for that, I'm trying to write the Council not as black and white, but rather as a political faction whose actions don't always in line with their beliefs as they try to serve the Senate and the greater good both. Also, putting Anakin in this situation will bring up lots of memories from when Obi-Wan faked his death at the Council's behest...

Though Anakin is grieving and Ahsoka feels pressured to be there for him and that's tough to write, the first part of the chapter was a blessing because MY GOD DID I EVER MISS WRITING THE BANTER BETWEEN THE THE HOLY CLONE WARS TRINITY OF JEDI COOLNESS

Besides, you know me – I love the chance to sneak in a couple of iconic lines. Can you spot them all?

I'll see you guys in the next chapter!