Zelina wasn't about to let the incident outside of the cantina slide. She had already lost Gambit and the Ruusanians with nothing to do in order to get them justice, she wasn't going to let the same thing happen to Pollix. However, this time, she had time to step back and breathe, to gather her wits and decide what she was going to do.

This time, when she confronted Palpatine, it would be with a level head as well as with a plan.

She had already gone to the Coruscant Authorities who, as she could have predicted, refused to investigate. As furious as it made her to be repeatedly blocked from getting any kind of justice for so many innocents, she managed to hold her tongue, saving her fury for when she cornered the Chancellor.

By then, she would be able to productively channel that fury towards getting some actual results.

She didn't go alone to the Chancellor's office this time. Instead, she brought back up in the form of two outspoken politicians, a select few of her men that were well enough to come, and a reporter that had been hand-picked by Padme to join them.

After the rumors that had followed her last, hot headed visit, she was going to make sure she wasn't going to get backed into a corner that painted her in some new kind of bad light. Not to mention, she didn't want to do something that gave the Council a reason to turn her over, which meant she had to be extra cautious.

Now, Zelina made her way down the hall towards the Chancellor's office, flanked closely by Padme and Satine, and the reporter Zelina did not know the name of on one hand, and the small group of her men on the other, consisting of Cruiser, Keen-Eye, Nex, and Sentry. She came even with the Red Guards outside of the Chancellor's door, choosing the guard on the right to address.

"We're here to see the Chancellor," Zelina announced in a far calmer voice than last time.

"The Chancellor requested privacy while he spoke with General Skywalker. Either wait until they are finished, or leave," the guard said coolly. He might have been one present for her last collision with the Chancellor, judging by that tone of voice.

Perfect, Zelina mused, something she'd never thought she'd think about Palpatine and Anakin being in the same room together. However, Anakin being in the room as well as a reporter was in her favor—she had been, in part, banking on her friend's presence.

Just another way to back Palpatine into a corner.

There must have been the flicker of a smile across her face, because Padme gave Zelina an inquisitive look as Zelina backed away to wait. Once they were a few paces from the Red Guards, Zelina answered the woman's unspoken question.

"If Anakin's in there, Palpatine might be on best behavior in order not to tarnish Anakin's mental image of him," Zelina murmured. "Normally, I hate the thought of the two of them around each other, but this time I was hoping Anakin would be here."

Padme nodded, and a silence of mixed emotions settled over their group. The reporter seemed mildly impatient, Zelina's men were varying degrees of nervous to be meeting the Supreme Chancellor their General did not have a high opinion of, and Padme and Satine were mildly worried about Zelina, but otherwise seemed to feel like this was simply business as usual.

Zelina allowed herself to drift while she waited, loosing any sense of time as she simply entered a state of light meditation as they waited for admittance. Everyone but the reporter seemed to realize what she was doing—she'd hope so, considering Padme and Satine both had some degree of a romantic relationship with Jedi and her men were around her far more than was normal for Jedi Generals and their soldiers—and gave her space, finding their own way to entertain themselves while they waited.

Eventually, one of the guards received a signal that whatever Anakin and Palpatine had been discussing was finished, and Palpatine would be seeing visitors now. The guards stepped aside, opening the door in the process and allowing Zelina's group inside, with Zelina in the lead.

Both Palpatine and Anakin—who was standing just behind Palpatine's desk—seemed surprised to see them. Anakin seemed surprised in general, which told Zelina he hadn't been paying much attention to nearby presences in the Force, though Palpatine only seemed mildly surprised to see the size of the group.

Perhaps Palpatine had been expecting her to come in a rampage and alone again.

Palpatine steepled his fingers together. "My, isn't this a surprise?" he remarked as Zelina's group came to a stop in front of Palpatine's desk. "To what do I owe the...pleasure?"

Zelina's gaze was fixed on the Chancellor, a false smile forced onto her face as she spoke the words she'd been carefully crafting since she'd recovered from the attack. She could feel Anakin's attention in the Force, shifting between Zelina and Padme the most, though occasionally flickering to the other members of Zelina's small group. Cruiser and the others were standing at full attention, though she noticed it was more because they were in the presence of someone important more than out of respect. The reporter as already hanging onto every word, and Zelina wouldn't be surprised if she was recording the conversation for later reference.

"I'm not sure how much you've already heard, but there was an attack the other night that claimed the life of a Republic Soldier and injured several others, including myself," Zelina began. She paused momentarily, though Palpatine was quick to interject.

"I did hear about that—such a terrible thing," Palpatine said, and Zelina had to fight to keep her pleasant air when she heard the false notes of his tone.

"Yes, it was," Zelina said, unable to help the cool undercurrent in her voice. "Are you also aware that when I went to the Coruscant Authorities about any efforts they're making to catch whoever was responsible, they informed me that there are no efforts, and were rather emphatic that there would be no efforts in the future?"

Palpatine's kept a perfect Sabacc face, and as always, Zelina couldn't get a good read on his emotions in the Force, though the momentary pause she felt was enough to give her the impression that he was not approaching this conversation with caution.

"I was not aware of that. Perhaps they simply do not have the resources or the proper leads to—"

"If that was the case, they would have said so—I was there with her. It was a blatant refusal to investigate," Satine cut in, receiving a sharp look from Palpatine for interrupting him. Satine didn't seem to particularly care.

Zelina pressed her current advantage, not wanting Palpatine to get much of a chance to talk his way out of the current situation. "I believe that what occurred outside the cantina the other night falls firmly under the category of domestic terrorism. It was an intentional attack that was specifically aimed at us, one that killed and injured members of the Republic, several soldiers and a Jedi." She gestured towards Keen-eye to speak up, and the man stood even straighter as he addressed the Chancellor.

"It's true, Chancellor. I saw the perpetrator right before the thermal detonator was thrown. They were aiming at us—General Du'ahn, specifically, though the use of a thermal detonator rather than a blaster or some other, more contained method proves that they did not mind, or perhaps even wanted to catch soldiers in the attack as well."

Once he was done speaking, Padme cut in, sticking to their plan to not give Palpatine any wiggle room to try and get around this. "Due to the severity of the incident and the authorities refusing to investigate, we felt that it was a matter that needed to be brought to your attention. If Coruscant Authorities will not even investigate an act of blatant domestic terrorism, then the people are not receiving the protection that they need, protection that will be vital if there continues to be incidents like this one."

"And what would you have me do, Senator?" Palpatine asked coolly.

"Insist they investigate the attack," Zelina said firmly. "And considering the corruption that they're displaying, I would investigate them as well so that more people aren't denied the justice they deserve."

Something wicked glinted in Palpatine's eyes, and Zelina was painfully reminded of the public's bloodthirsty call for justice regarding her right now. She staunchly ignored that, though, and focused on continuing to drive home her point.

"An innocent man died in the streets, with others injured. Some of them are standing before you right now, and some are still receiving treatment," Zelina said pointedly, gesturing towards her men. "Far too many Republic Soldiers already die every day on the front lines—they should not be at as much of a threat walking the streets of the Republic. The person responsible needs to be caught and brought to justice before they hurt or kill someone else. At the very least, there should be an investigation instead of this blatant refusal that we've found so far."

Zelina could see the displeased light in Palpatine's eyes as he gazed at her with outward contemplative calm. If there weren't so many people here including Anakin and the reporter, Zelina was sure he'd be spinning some elaborate but thinly veiled excuse. But with two well-respected politicians, a Jedi (even if their loyalties were being questioned), and a group of the very men attacked appealing for the investigation, it wasn't a matter that a good leader could blatantly ignore.

"I will see what I can do," Palpatine said vaguely.

"We have your promise you will push for an investigation to find whoever was responsible for the attack, then?" Satine asked.

"I said I'll see what I can do," Palpatine said in a cool tone, turning his displeasure on Satine instead of Zelina for a moment. Satine was unphased, and seemed largely uncaring to have Palpatine's ire directed at her, even momentarily.

"Any investigation attempt would be much appreciated by myself and the members of the 105th. We'll be following the matter closely," Zelina said evenly in way of closing, giving Palpatine a slight incline of the head in false respect, allowing a small smile to be sent Anakin's way before she turned and led the small group from the office...

...plus one. Anakin seemed to be following them on their way out.

Briefly, Zelina wondered how much it annoyed Palpatine every time Anakin left him behind to pursue her.

Anakin easily came even with Zelina several strides outside of Palpatine's office. "What was that?"

"That was me refusing to let another Gambit happen," Zelina said calmly.

"Don't you think you were a little unfair to paint him into a corner like that?" Anakin challenged.

"Please, if I hadn't approached him the way I did, he'd have brushed me off and the entire matter would go ignored—again."

"He's not as bad as you keep making him out to be."

Stopped and turned to stand in front of him, momentarily reminded that they had an audience of her men, Satine, Padme, and a reporter, but she ignored them for the moment as she focused on Anakin.

"He could easily cut the pressure on me in half, perhaps more, if he would simply make a statement that I did not threaten him in his office. Yet he remains silent and lets the accusations and the hatred towards me get worse to the point people are making attempts on my life in crowded public places. What does that tell you?"

Feeling her point had been properly emphasized, Zelina continued walking, leaving Anakin standing in the middle of the hall to stew over her words. She noticed the reporter lingered with him, but she didn't worry about it—he was perfectly capable of fending off the press on his own.

Turning to Satine and Padme, she gave them both a small smile. "Thank you for helping me in there—I can't really express how much I appreciated having the back up," she said sincerely.

"Of course," Satine returned easily. Padme put a hand on Zelina's shoulder.

"You asked us to let you handle things unless you asked for help. We're just glad you finally let us help," Padme said with a small smile.

Zelina patted the hand Padme had placed on her shoulder. "I'm sure you have other matters to attend to in the Senate—I won't keep you long. I'll have to return to the Jedi Temple now, myself."

Padme nodded, withdrawing her hand. "Of course—good luck."

"I hope we'll see results soon," Satine added before the two took their leave, which meant it was just Zelina and her men making their way to the exit now. Cruiser readily took his place on Zelina's right hand, the others falling into step wherever their strides put them.

"You handled yourself like a politician in there, Ma'am," Cruiser remarked. "I thought you said that you hated politics?"

"Oh, I hate them. Doesn't mean I can't play a strong short game of politics. I wouldn't last long term, but I can use them to my advantage when I need to," Zelina said thoughtfully. She held out a hand to stop him, as well as the others, turning to address them all. "Speaking of politics...there's something I need to tell all of you."

Their expressions turned wary at her words, the four of them coming to stand in a loose semi-circle around her.

"That's rather foreboding of you to say, General," Nex remarked, and Zelina did her best to ignore Keen-eye's searching gaze.

Zelina sighed. "I'm going to be keeping to myself for a while. I'd like to say until this all dies down, but I don't see things calming down any time soon. I've already had two too many of my men die away from the battlefield on my account, and I'm not going to risk another death." She held up a hand to stop their protests. "I appreciate the loyalty, deeply. But it's not your job to protect me, especially away from battle. That duty shouldn't rest on your shoulders when we're on Coruscant, and I'm not going to be putting any more of my men in a situation that could risk their lives when they're supposed to be getting a break from the front lines."

"All due respect, General, but it is our duty to protect you," Sentry said firmly.

"Not here," Zelina said firmly. "I won't have it. Gambit and Pollix didn't deserve what happened to them—it never should have. It'll save more lives for me to handle this quietly on my own from here on out, and unfortunately if I want to avoid dragging any of you into the middle of this or keep anyone else from getting injured or killed because of the circus that's going on with me right now, that means I'm going to have to keep my distance. I'm sure you'll be able to explain to the others," she finished softly, giving them a small nod.

None of them looked pleased, but she was doing what she felt was best. She didn't want any more deaths hanging over her head than she already did, and she didn't want to see any more of her men hurt on her account. She already hated it on the battlefield, but it was even worse when it happened here on Coruscant.

No more.

************************************************

Isolation wasn't easy, though Zelina hadn't expected it to be. She wanted to mingle with the 105th and keep those relationships strong, but she was afraid to endanger them needlessly. Obi-Wan was on Utapau, Anakin was gone more often than not, and as much as she wanted to visit Padme and Satine, she couldn't do it often, considering she was painfully aware that she wasn't entirely safe in a speeder on her way to their apartments. They were, however, the best candidates for her to have social interaction right now.

While she kept herself mostly cut off from the outside world, Zelina threw herself into her studies, training vigorously with Windu, going through the teachings and life of Satele Shan with a fine-toothed comb, practicing her healing in the Halls of Healing and doing further study in her apartment, and crafting and teaching lessons for her youngling students. She knew them all by name now, and she liked to think that she wasn't the worst teacher they'd ever had. They'd learned a lot under her from what she could see, with some already showing interest in particular lightsaber forms, and nearly all of them able to hold a masking of their presences—after Zelina masked them in the first place.

She'd be teaching the class again tomorrow, but that lesson was already prepared. Already she'd trained with Windu today, and while she could have worked on her studies, Zelina already made plans to go visit Padme and Satine at Padme's apartment. She was allowing herself this one trip, though it also meant that she wouldn't be able to see them again for a little while, just so her visits didn't become frequent and easy to predict and target. Besides, she did need breaks between the constant study and teaching, or else she would go mad. She loved to learn, truly, but she also needed variance in her routines. She'd always been one who needed to get up and do something, never able to remain inactive for long—and continuous study was something she considered to be inactivity, after so long.

The caution surrounding Zelina at this point was such that she didn't use the lift to get to Padme's apartment, as she usually did. Instead, with Padme's permission, she used Padme's personal landing pad, something Zelina had only done on the rare occasion.

It seemed Satine had already arrived, as she was waiting with Padme on the veranda as Zelina's speeder came to a gradual halt. As Zelina made her way towards the other two women, she noticed Threepio moving around with refreshments near the couches in the veranda.

Zelina gave Padme a hug as she approached, the other woman giving her arm a slight squeeze. "How are you?"

"As well as can be expected," Zelina said with a somewhat rueful smile, moving to give Satine a hug as well. "Isolation doesn't suit me, but it's necessary."

"Just don't isolate yourself too much, and you should do just fine," Satine remarked, and the three woman made their way inside to the veranda. Zelina sighed as she sat down on one of the couches, giving Threepio a small smile as she took one of the glasses of jogan juice he offered her.

"All right, ground rules for the politicians while I'm here—I would very much like to be free of any political talk while I'm here, so if there's anything politically important you have to tell e, I'd do it now so the rest of the evening can be politics-free," Zelina announced as she sat back in her seat. She was only mildly surprised when Satine and Padme exchanged knowing looks, Satine's becoming more pointed as a silent conversation seemed to pass between them.

Well this should be good, Zelina couldn't help but think.

"There is...something that the two of us have talked about bringing to your attention," Padme said slowly. "It's extremely sensitive, something of the utmost secrecy...some might be upset if they knew that we were telling you."

"But we believe that the Jedi should become a part of this, especially if they support peace and the Republic as much as they claim," Satine interjected. "And of all the Jedi, you're the one we know best aligns with these viewpoints."

"Viewpoints?" Zelina echoed, sitting up in mild surprise. Secrecy, peace and the republic...whatever this was, apparently it was important.

"There is a group of Senators who are determined to stand against Palpatine's current tyrannical reign. We want to see a return to democracy—have him release his emergency powers and allow the Republic to function as it's supposed to again," Satine explained.

"We've already approached him as the Delegation of the 2000," Padme continued. "Though there are more of us who are opposed, though are more cautious about outwardly standing against Palpatine's position...Senator Organa also wanted it to be clear that we're not Separatists. Mon Mothma described us as loyalists. We want to see a return of democracy and diplomacy, and a swift end to the war, preferably through peaceful means."

"By the continuing state of the Senate, I'm guessing he didn't pay much attention to the petition," Zelina murmured.

"No, he didn't," Padme said with a sigh.

"There have been debates to involve the Jedi, but...we're unsure where the Jedi would stand—with our...Alliance, or with the Chancellor," Satine explained.

"The Alliance," Zelina said without hesitation. Satine and Padme seemed surprised by her surety. "Aside from Anakin, the majority of the Council is strongly displeased with Palpatine and the Senate, from what I've been able to see. In fact, their suspicions of Palpatine run deeper than you know and I can say. They're alarmed by the power he's gathered and how long he's been in charge of the Senate. I'm sure Obi-Wan has mentioned it a few times, Satine?"

Satine nodded. "He has, during our more political conversations."

Zelina folded her hands in her lap, drink momentarily forgotten. "If the others didn't want you to discuss this with anyone else, specifically Jedi...why tell me?"

"Because we know how strongly you oppose Palpatine," Satine started.

"And how well you can keep a secret," Padme added softly. The weight of that statement was more than all three of them could put into words. Zelina could think of multiple secrets she carried between the three of them. "If we were to get an idea of the Jedi stance regarding Palpatine, without compromising the Alliance, it would be through you."

Zelina let out a long breath she hadn't noticed she'd started to hold. "The Council plays a dangerous balancing act. They want to appease the Republic and hold to their ties in the Senate, but they're suspicious of Palpatine and detest when the Republic intrudes on Jedi matters and autonomy—though they would probably never use the term detest. I think if your Alliance was to approach the Council, they might find an ally. I can't account for what Anakin would do, though—he's a bit of a wild card by himself, and as much as I hate it, he has a strong relationship with Palpatine. He might say something. Maybe not outright, but if Palpatine suspected something was going on and tried to pry, he'd probably talk."

She hated to talk badly about Anakin, but it was the truth. He was the risk when it came to Satine and Padme's Alliance approaching the Council.

"Though I am glad to hear that there are movements within the senate that are standing against Palpatine. I'm firmly of the opinion something needs to be done about him," Zelina added softly.

"We'll have to tell the others about what you've said. Perhaps something can finally be done about the state of our democracy," Padme said with a small nod.

Hopefully. If enough people listen.

*************************************************

"Give me a moment, I'll be right back," Satine said, excusing herself from the current easy flow of conversation that was shifting between the three women. Zelina waited until the duchess had disappeared around the corner to scoot closer to Padme.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but despite your efforts, you're starting to show," Zelina commented, gesturing towards the woman's abdomen. "May I?"

Padme smiled gently at her. "Of course. I've been wearing more and more elaborate outfits to try and hide it, but you're right—it's almost too obvious by now. I might have to take a personal leave until the baby's born, at this rate."

Zelina's hand pressed gently around Padme's belly, physically feeling for some sign of the life within. She could have stretched out in the Force to feel for the child, but she had the oddest impulse to let the little one have some privacy, despite the fact they were still developing and probably didn't have any sense of the concept.

She felt a small bump, unsure if it was an elbow, a hand, a knee, or a foot, but knowing it was the child within. "Oh..." she said tenderly. "There you are, little one..."

"Healthy and strong, according to the doctor," Padme remarked. "I've already told him I want it to be a surprise, so no details about the baby's sex or anything like that. Only health, and of course informing me if there's any problems."

"And so far, none?" Zelina asked.

"So far none. And the baby's almost ready to come out into the galaxy, too," Padme said with a smile that seemed equal parts warm, relieved, and reassuring.

"Good. I'm ready to start acting like an Auntie—he's going to be so spoiled," Zelina cooed.

"I still don't understand why you and Anakin are so insistent the baby's going to be a boy."

"Call it intuition, or a secret wish," Zelina chuckled.

"You haven't cheated and peaked with the Force, have you?" Padme asked suspiciously.

Technically...

"No, I haven't. I've been giving the little one they're privacy, so to speak," Zelina chuckled, withdrawing her hand and leaning back in her seat. Padme seemed to relax marginally.

"Good...I want it to be a surprise," Padme mumbled.

"I can't say the same about Anakin—I hadn't thought to ask."

"I said a surprise!"

Zelina laughed.

"Ah, Zelina, Padme, I believe the two of you are going to want to see this."

Padme and Zelina both looked up as Satine re-entered the room with a personal datapad in hand, looking over its contents with a furrowed brow. The woman's expression caused Zelina's laughter to die on her lips, though not because whatever the woman was studying was inherently bad—it just seemed like it was serious.

Scooting over so the woman could sit between them, Zelina let Satine sit down before she leaned over to see whatever it was that had Satine's attention.

The first thing she saw was that it was an article. The image of the reporter that accompanied the article also told Zelina that it was by the reporter that had come with them to corner Palpatine into investigating the attack on Zelina and her men.

This article, while about Zelina, didn't seem to be about the attack or the push for an investigation. In fact...there was a recording of Anakin accompanying the article.

"What?" Zelina exclaimed once her eyes fell on the recording. Before she could stop herself out of manners, she'd already reached out and hit play. Apparently Satine had started to watch the recording before she'd paused it and hurried back to the veranda to inform Padme and Zelina of the article, because it started in what Zelina assumed was the middle of a brief interview inside the Senate building.

"...was in the room with them and can say for a fact that she didn't make any threats on the Chancellor's life," Anakin was saying. A rush went through Zelina as she realized he was publicly speaking out against the rumors swirling around her. He had been in the room, so he could shoot down those rumors about her supposed threat just as much as Palpatine could.

She hoped her comment about how easily the Chancellor could stop that rumor hadn't caused him any guilt, because it hadn't even occurred to her to have Anakin speak out. It had been the Chancellor that the rumors regarded, so she'd considered it the Chancellor's responsibility to clarify what had happened, as much as she knew the man wasn't going to do it.

"If there was no threat made, then what was the reportedly heated discussion about?" the reporter asked.

"She came to confront the Chancellor about one of the 105th being executed without a trial or informing any of his commanding officers, herself included," Anakin explained. He looked slightly uncomfortable to have to speak out against the Chancellor, even if it was indirectly and momentarily, but he still said it, knowing it would be on the record. Zelina felt her heart warm at the thought.

"And the accusations that she's a Separatist Sympathizer and Spy? Do you have anything to say about those?"

A flash of annoyance crossed Anakin's face. "I've known Zelina since we were children. We've grown up together, trained together, and now fought together many times in defense of the Republic. She's one of the people I'm closest to; we tell each other everything. Never has she shown any sign of being a traitor to the Republic. I know she isn't. She doesn't always agree with some of the Chancellor's actions, but she's devoted to the Republic and the Order."

"What about the footage that shows her sacrificing Republic Troops for Separatists and fighting besides Separatists?"

"I don't understand how that footage was received so negatively. Separatist forces opened fire on civilians in the village that Zelina and her men were camped by, and she rushed to defend civilian lives rather than sit by and do nothing while a massacre occurred. Those that fought with her were civilians that could fight in defense of their people. Of all her loyalties, Zelina tends to put the people of the galaxy first before anything else."

Actually, I put Anakin before anything else, though I balk at the thought of ever being in a position where I have to choose between the people of the galaxy and Anakin. Would it be bad to say that I would desperately search for a third option, Zelina thought.

"This isn't going to put him in the line of fire, is it?" Zelina asked aloud, the worry clear in her tone.

"Actually...it might not. As low as the opinion of the Jedi is right now, the public loves Anakin. He's the face of the war, the Republic's hero right now. If anything, this will help...drastically, perhaps," Padme mused.

"When did he even do this?" Zelina murmured, scrolling through the article for the information she desired.

"The reporter did seem to talk to him after we left the Chancellor's office. Perhaps what you said prompted him to speak out?" Satine suggested. "He could have done it then, or even scheduled for an interview regarding you at a later date and just didn't say anything."

Zelina was quiet for a few moments. "I'm so used to being the one defending and looking out for him...it's nice to be the recipient every now and then. Especially right now. If this helps as much as you think it will, Padme...well, I can't begin to explain how much of a relief that will be."

**************************************************

After the news of Anakin's public defense of Zelina, it seemed a shadow she hadn't even realized had been hanging over them disappeared from the conversation between the three women. The evening progressed from pleasant to wonderful, with jokes and stories of happier, less war-torn times passing between them.

Around evening, however, the back of Zelina's neck prickled, and an unease started to settle over her. Padme seemed to be feeling the same thing, though on a much milder scale than Zelina. At first, despite all her training and experience conditioning her to instantly act on such a feeling, she ignored it. Mostly because of the faint and vague nature of the feeling. Steadily, the feeling began to mount in potency, causing the joy to drain from the visit as concern took root in Zelina's gut and her attention turned away from the conversation as she sought out the source or even the focus of the feeling that was now plaguing her senses.

Satine seemed to catch on to the fact that Zelina and Padme both had felt a drop in their joyful mood despite the fact there was no visible reason for such a mood change. As a result, Zelina's inattention seemed to be excused for the time being.

Cautiously, Zelina let herself dip into the eddies of the Force, reaching out in an attempt to locate what was making her feel so unsettled. As her senses stretched out across Coruscant, Zelina suddenly realized that the source was something more internal.

A bond. She was getting her sense of unease because of one of her bonds.

Turning her search inwards, Zelina disregarded the bonds she shared with the women she was currently in the presence of, checking first her connection to Obi-Wan, since he was the one that was currently on the front lines trying to kill General Grievous.

From what she could tell, he was fine.

Suddenly trepidatious, Zelina prodded at her connection with Anakin, the strongest of all her connections considering the depth of her emotions towards him, how long their bond had been forged, the trials they had endured together. The fact he was on the same planet and possibly a modest distance away from her might have helped the strength be a little clearer as well.

Despair. That's what she was sensing. Despair or devastation. One of the two could best describe the feeling. There was also a potent dose of fear mingled in there.

Wherever he was, something bad had happened.

Quickly, Zelina tried to locate where Anakin was, reaching out once more to find his presence, judging that he'd either be at the Temple or at the Senate.

He was in the Temple. She could feel the storm gathering around him due to his emotions, causing his presence to be tumultuous.

"I have to go," Zelina said abruptly, unsure if her statement had interrupted a conversation between the other two and unable to really bring herself to care if it had. She did need to go, right now. Anakin had been flighty recently, and she wanted to catch him at the Temple before he changed locations again so that she wasn't sent on a wild bantha chase.

"Are you sure?" Satine asked.

"Yes, I am, I'm sorry you two, it's been lovely, but I think I'm needed at the Temple," Zelina said politely, rising to her feet.

"Zelina—" Padme started to say with a note of urgency in her voice, reaching out to grab her arm. Zelina paused, looking at Padme expectantly, but the woman said nothing, shaking her head and withdrawing her arm as if to get rid of whatever thought or feeling had caused her strange action. "Never mind. Have a good rest of the night. And if you see Anakin, tell him—"

Padme hesitated, likely because of Satine's presence, but Zelina smiled, already having a general idea of what she was supposed to do when she saw Anakin—when considering she was headed to the Temple to see him in the first place.

"I know, don't worry, I will," she said with a reassuring smile, giving one last nod in goodbye to both before she made her way to the landing pad and left for the Temple.

Her concern only grew as she flew, the feeling of unease only strengthening as the minutes slipped by. She returned the speeder to the Temple's speeder pool, slowing down as she approached the hall. She could sense Anakin's worried presence, or at least echoes of it, in the hanger. Before she delved into the depths of the Temple, she reached out in search of Anakin's presence in the Temple so she actually had a destination in mind.

Chuba.

She couldn't sense him, which meant he'd already left again.

Damn Anakin and his flighty tendencies. She had to have just missed him. If he left, he might have been called to another meeting, which meant she wouldn't be able to get in and see him, anyway. She'd have to wait until he returned to the Temple to corner him and see what had been wrong, enough so to disturb her all the way in Padme's apartment.

Suppressing a disgruntled sigh, Zelina made her way into the Temple, unsure of where she wanted to go now that she was here but Anakin wasn't. he'd been the entire reason she made her way back, and now her purpose for coming back had fled out the same way she came in without Zelina having a chance to even catch a glimpse of him.

She wandered idly, letting her feet guide her where they would, and only mildly surprised when she found herself within the Temple's archives. She nodded to Jocusta Nu as she entered, the older woman used to seeing Zelina come and go for knowledge by now. A few paces into the main chamber, crowded around a table in the center of the room, Zelina spotted some of her students bent over datapads and flimsy, no doubt studying for their next class or finishing homework.

A small smile wound its way across Zelina's face, and while Zelina's unease didn't fade, she set it aside, a feeling constantly tickling in the back of her mind that she kept tabs on as she approached her students to see if they would like any kind of assistance from her.

*************************************************

Cruiser sat gathered in the main lounge that connected the rooms of the officers and Arc Troopers of the 105th with several of his brothers, Keen-eye, Dash, Nex, and Bruiser, waiting on Sentry and Hardball before they started a fresh round of Sabacc. They'd been on Coruscant long enough that by now, the men were getting jumpy, itching to get back to the front lines and away from the rumors and political conflict that had been plaguing their general since they set foot on the planet.

Personally, he never stopped worrying about his general considering the trouble she tended to find herself in and constantly attracted, and the recent accusations had done nothing to ease the burden of that concern. Even now, when he was supposed to be relaxing, his mind wandered to the release of the article that had featured General Skywalker, and his mixture of feelings over it. The dominating feelings tended to shift between concern for General Skywalker if his speaking out in defense of General Du'ahn only worsened the situation and brought him under fire as well, and immense gratitude that the man had come to General Du'ahn's defense.

Though considering the nature of the relationship between the two Generals, it wasn't that surprising. What was surprising was how long it took for him to come to General Du'ahn's defense.

Though perhaps her words in the Senate building had been what made him realize he could do something about the situation...

Cruiser's holoprojector beeped with an incoming message, and he tucked his current Sabacc hand into his belt, rising to duck into his room long enough to answer the call. The beep was insistent, and he had barely taken the device into his hand and closed the door to his room behind him when the person on the other end apparently used an override of some sort to force the connection, much to Cruiser's surprise.

It wasn't General Du'ahn contacting him, then.

A robed figure appeared on the small device in front of him, hood drawn to partially hide their face, though when the voice spoke, Cruiser immediately recognized who it was.

"Execute Order 66."