Thank you for your reviews, and sorry for the wait; I started working. Here's the next chapter!

...

Padmé was en route to Coruscaunt when Panaka beckoned her over to a small holoscreen in the wall, which showed a rather blurry video of Cody and Rex.

"Is this the clone army you spoke of?" He asked.

"Yes- they're Anakin and Obi-wan's officers." She murmured. They looked so young! So did she, but still.

"They remember, obviously." Panaka commented.

"Yes. They're good men. We should find a way to pick them up."

Panaka commed the cockpit.

"Typho, change course to the planet Kamino. The Queen is concerned about this army and wished to send aid."

You could hear the incredulity in Typho's voice when he replied.

"You want to take the queen to an unknown planet where cloners operate? Uncle, are you feeling alright?"

Padmé smirked into her hand as Panaka cleared his throat.

"Lieutenant Typho, understand you are on speaker. Please greet Her Majesty."

You could have heard a pin drop.

"My apologies, Your Majesty," Typho managed to get out after a couple seconds, "I did not mean to cause offense. However, you must understand that your safety is our highest priority. I feel uneasy taking you to such a place alone."

"Your concern is noted, Lieutenant, but I do have a plan." Panaka wryly interjected. "Set the course."

Padmé giggled at him. He raised his eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" She asked.

"Of course I do. It involves asking for cloned handmaidens. They would make excellent decoys, don't you think?"

"Panaka!" She shrieked, scandalized.

"It's a ruse! I know Naboo's stance on being rights!" He held up his hands.

...

In the Kenobi-Skaywalker apartment, a furious planning session was in the works. The plans ranged from 'steal a fighter, get to Kamino, and go from there' (Anakin) to 'petition the Council for an investigation mission' (Obi-wan) to 'dress up like Kaminoan pleasure women and seduce them' (Quinlan). None of the plans were foolproof (especially Quinlan's), but they were honest efforts. Siri thought the planning session was going well, which should have been a sign that things were about to take a turn for the worst. The universe took this as a sign to let the door chime ring yet again.

"Goodness gracious." Obi-wan mentioned wryly. "I've gotten more visitors today than I have in years."

Anakin winced, then Obi-wan winced as well. They both smiled sheepishly, and Obi-wan got up to open the door. They seemed to be working through whatever was troubling them. However, what was outside the door brought in entirely new kinds of trouble. The forbidding face of Yoda stared up at him, with Mace Windu and Depa Billaba behind him looking mostly amused.

"Knight Kenobi, it has become clear to us that you have not been entirely honest about your purpose for this convocation."

This would not be good.

.

Quinlan frowned, then smiled, and then crossed his eyes. Might as well exercise all the muscles in his face while he was at it. The Council members paid him no mind (how rude!) and instead kept their attention on Obi-wan. That had to be remedied. He straightened up and took a deep breath to begin reciting the Constitution of the Republic (at a top volume, naturally) when he felt Bant's elbow strike his solar plexus. All his air whooshed out in a huff and he spent the next several seconds trying to regain some oxygen and keep up a manly appearance (that is, not choke or cough). When he regained his bearings (and his breath) the masters were waiting in silent expectancy for Obi-wan's reply. They weren't disappointed; It was classic Obi-wan.

"Why on earth would I lie to the Council, masters? I understand that such a large gathering is suspicious, but we can hardly be accused of plotting treason, sedition, or extraordinarily sticky pranks, can we?"

Mace got a funny look on his face and glanced side-eyed at Quinlan. He just grinned back. After all, sticky pranks were so last century. Sand was in now.

.

Bant was still a bit confused, and pitied Siri. She knew the least about the future, and the situations that the others spoke of. As it was, she herself was struggling a bit to keep up. It didn't help that the Council had decided to make a foray in, and even Obi-wan's vaunted negotiation skills couldn't keep them away from the truth for too long. She decided to break the ice.

"We time traveled, masters."

You could have heard a pin drop. Mace lost all expression on his face, and Depa Billaba raised her eyebrow. Yoda, however, looked satisfied. He gave a small cackle and turned to Mace.

"To expect this, I told you. Believe me, you did not. Trust the Force more, you should, hmm?"

Mace started to look like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"Yes, Master Yoda. You must admit that your vision did bear exceeding resemblance to a dream, though. Who would suspect time travel?" Yoda shook his gimer stick at him, and then turned and whacked Anakin with it, almost hitting Obi-wan with the blow. Then, he turned and did the same to Ferus, and then Quinlan. Bruised ankles were becoming epidemic in the apartment.

"To the dark side, you fell! A most unwise decision, that was! Do better this time, you will!" He scolded. The three mentioned looked embarrassed and replied, more or less in union, with the required rote apology.

"Yes, Master."

Bant winced. She had been whacked a couple times herself. It wasn't pleasant. She contemplated going to the kitchen for ice, but decided that there was simply too many people in he apartment. Ferus had given up standing on the ground and had climbed onto Siri's shoulders, and there still was no room to turn around in the tiny living room.

.

Ferus was getting tired of being shoved. Even on his Master's shoulders, he felt the mass of people in the very small room oppressively. Perhaps because of his instincts during the Clone War and later the Rebellion, but so many people in one place was starting to make him paranoid. There is no better target than a room packed full of generals. He noticed Knight Vos climb a low bookshelf and sit on the top, before he was pulled back down by Bant. He then tried to put her on his shoulders, even though she was already carrying Ahsoka. He had almost accomplished the great leaning Tower of Jedi when the masters noticed, and Depa Billaba spoke for the first time.

"I suggest we adjourn to a larger room." She deadpanned, pointedly looking at Ahsoka clinging to Bant for dear life and desperately trying to not hit the ceiling. Ferus snickered in spite of himself. And these people were the last, best hope of the Galaxy.

.

Ahsoka was busy trying to keep from giving herself a concussion when Anakin waved to her to catch her attention. He had shifted to only one of Obi-wan's shoulders and patted the other, the one closer to her. She balanced on her admittedly precarious perch and leapt over to Obi-wan, who near buckled under the added strain. Evidently Anakin had forgotten to tell him the plan. He grabbed each of them by the back of their robes and swung them off his shoulders to glare playfully at him, which was possible because of the slow emptying of the room into the hall. He gently pushed them in front of him out the door, past the passerby goggling at the sheer number of people in that one small apartment (there were mutterings of a 'Kenobi clown speeder'). The Council members led them to a medium sized room, furnished with a large table and a fair amount of chairs, and overlooking the skyline of Coruscant. She sat on one of the chairs and looked around, and noticed that Obi-wan and Anakin were missing. She could have sworn they were right behind her.

.

Anakin and Obi-wan were not right behind Ahsoka. Or rather, they had been, but they had taken a left when she took a right and somehow ended up in the hangars. They expressed their bemusement to each other as they got into a conveniently located transport with no little weaponry, commed the Temple spacecraft control, and took off. They continued to bemoan their mystification until halfway out of the atmosphere, where they just couldn't stop themselves from laughing any longer. Anakin had missed this- though he could personally do without being stuck in the body of an eleven year old.

"Obi-wan? How long do you think it will take to get back to where we were before?" This was veering into dangerous, emotional territory, so perhaps said Jedi could be excused for dodging the true question.

"Thirty years, give or take."

Anakin near face faulted, but he had learned through painful experience that flying was an activity that required all of one's attention. His men had set up a "Screechin' Skywalker Landings Kit" including treatments for concussion, whiplash, and even a couple neck braces. He had not been amused.

"You know what I mean, master." This was too important to let slip away into the void.

.

Anakin always did pick the worst times for emotional conversations, Obi-wan recalled. It must be a quirk of his. He just wish he didn't do it so much while he was flying- it's bad enough without pouring out one's soul on top of it.

"I'm not sure it's possible Anakin. I'll still be able to talk to you and fight alongside you, obviously, and eventually I will start trusting you again, but I'm not sure if we'll ever be the same."

"I don't think so either. I'd just settle for something similar."

"Optimistic, for a Sith Lord."

"Pessimistic, for a Jedi." The conversation was delving into an uncomfortable vein, so Obi-wan changed subjects.

"We're in the Kamino system. Coming out of hyperspace... Now." The familiar jolt of real space accompanied the visual of Kamino, as stormy as ever, and...

"It that the Royal Nubian craft!?"

"Oh. Right. Did I forget to mention Padmé remembers too?" Anakin somewhat sheepishly answered.

...

Cody had almost fallen asleep to the steady thumping of the astromech droid the Kaminonans had reprogrammed into a battering ram when a new and familiar sound came to his ears.

"Rex, is that what I think it is?" He nudged his brother. Rex, who had already drifted off, half sat up and listened. However, he then lay back down again.

"Go to sleep, Cody. It's just the generals arguing again." He mumbled. Rex was evidently less awake than he appeared. Cody just rolled his eyes and shook him again.

"Rex, vod, wake up more and analyze that statement you just made." Rex protested, but eventually woke up more fully.

"I still don't understand why the generals arguing merits this much attention. It's not that uncommon... Oh. Oh!" Rex, poor kid, finally got it.

"We better get in our armor!" Cody exhorted his friend. They suited up in less than thirty seconds, and packed away their respective trinkets. They aimed the blasters at the door and waited for whatever was on the other side to show themselves.

.

Rex needed a cup of caf. Badly. He rubbed his eyes a final time before putting on his helmet, newly painted with the jag eyes, on. The thumping stopped to the sound of a lightsaber. Cody hit the door switch, and it whooshed open to reveal the generals bickering over the melted remains of the unfortunate astromech.

Both he and Cody saluted.

"Sirs!" They barked. Protocol, while not very useful in this situation, needed to be followed.

"At ease." Obi-wan told them. They both relaxed, but still remained wary. The generals' sabers were still out, and they might feel some resentment over Order 66.

General Kenobi noticed their scrutiny and looked sad. He put away his saber and motioned for General Skywalker to do the same.

"We don't blame you." He murmured. General Skywalker looked guilty for some reason, but an explosion interrupted them before they were able to talk more.

"So much for diplomatic negotiation." Obi-wan murmured. They began running through the maze of corridors towards the docking pad, joining up with two dark men and a strange painted woman- was that Senator Amidala?!- hurtling towards two vessels, a peacetime Jedi transport and a Nubian Royal vessel. The cruiser took a hit from the dock guns and exploded, but the Royal Cruiser's superior shields protected it well. They leapt in and took off, barely ahead of the Kaminoan fleet.

"So." Rex cut in.

"I have a feeling we missed something."

...

Notes:

In canon, Typho is Panaka's nephew; I figured he's also one of his most trusted men.

I figure the Nubian vessel has really really good shields, like the reinforced cars that dignitaries ride in IRL. In Episode II, someone went to great effort to blow it up from the inside instead of, say, planting several dozen thermal detonators on the launch pad.