The twins spent the rest of the day researching their boot camp and getting excited, even though they wouldn't be leaving for another week. Anakin and Padmé were excited to celebrate the occasion with them, but they had a meeting to attend first.

Fulcrum wasn't invited to all Rebellion council meetings, but his presence was essential with what had just happened on Malachor. His report would be the main topic of discussion, as well as the development of Chopper Base. The Rebellion was at a transition point, which meant their next set of actions would shape the near future of all rebels.

Secretly, Padmé was excited about this meeting. She and Bail and Mon Mothma had a bit of a surprise for Anakin, one she thought he would like. They had entertained this idea for a few months, but there hadn't been a good time to suggest it to him until now.

"It hasn't started yet, has it?" Anakin asked from behind her, shutting and locking the door. They trusted their family, but there was always the chance the Empire could have snuck a bug into the mansion.

"Not for another three minutes," she assured him, looking back down at her datapad. "You're right on ti-"

Her gaze floated from her datapad to Anakin's choice of clothing. He was donning a brown tunic and trousers and actually looked quite nice...

...except for the fluffiest, brightest pink socks Padmé had ever seen in her life. No shoes.

"Ani, seriously?"

"What? They aren't going to see my feet anyway," he objected before thinking again. Resting one foot on the holotable, he pulled his pant leg up to his knee, exposing the entirety of his shin. "Not unless I do this."

"Please don't. None of the other council members want to see your calf muscles in high definition."

"You do."

"We're married. There's a difference."

"They're good calf muscles."

"Not the point," she reminded him, but she couldn't help laughing. Yes, they were excellent calf muscles.

Anakin finally relented and returned both feet to the ground, but he pulled Padmé close and kissed her on the forehead, lingering just long enough that they both got to relax for a moment.

Then they got to work. Although Bail knew that the two of them were married and Mon Mothma knew they were friends, they always made an effort to act professionally on calls like this. Anakin got the console up and running, securing the transmission before activating it and stepping back. Bail joined the call first, his flickering image appearing across from Padmé's.

He smiled when he saw the two of them. "How did the negotiations go?" he asked, referring to boot camp for the twins. Bail liked hearing about the twins, and Padmé liked sharing.

"They're excited," she told him, smiling. "I'm sure they would go to boot camp tonight if they could. They don't want to wait."

"In their defense, they have been waiting for a while," Anakin pointed out, crossing his arms. "You can't blame them for wanting to get some action after staying at home their whole lives."

Padmé shook her head, but Bail laughed. "I must say, I'm looking forward to the day they join our cause. If they're anything like the two of you, then they will be powerful allies."

"Oh, that was never in question," Padmé assured him, only making him laugh more. They had to put a hold on the domestic talk, though, because Mon Mothma joined the call.

She seemed to relax when she saw Anakin. "I must say, it's a relief to see you alive, Fulcrum. Your report was startling at best."

Anakin couldn't help but agree. "It wasn't the smoothest investigation I've ever been a part of," he admitted, "although that's becoming more normal these days."

The three senators nodded in agreement. Their purpose was to make things not smooth for the Empire, so they could easily relate to the feeling.

"Before we get to that, I think a 'brava' is in order," Mon Mothma suggested, turning to Padmé. "I never got the chance to congratulate you on your recent victory in the senate. That might have been your most impressive debate thus far."

"It was definitely too close for my liking," she remembered, her gaze drifting off. An impressive debate always meant a tough one, and while she appreciated the compliment of her persuasive skills, she'd rather not have to use them. "It's for the better, though. Someone has to protect that order."

Bail folded his hands behind his back. "Have you received any backlash?"

"Dooku dispatched a Star Destroyer to Naboo," she explained, "but it should pull back in a few weeks. Nothing that our people can't handle. If any problems arise, I'll deal with it."

That was good enough for them. Bail looked at Anakin. "Could you indulge us in a more detailed report from Malachor?"

A report was different than a story in Anakin's mind. Stories were about the journey, but reports were more centered around the outcomes. "Should I start with the worst news or the best news?"

"Worst news. Let's end on a happy note."

"In my mind, it's a tie between Maul's return and Kanan Jarrus's injury," he told them solemnly. "Kanan for more obvious reasons: he's going to need time to recover, and I don't know what his path forward will be. I doubt he'll leave the Ghost crew, but until he finds his footing again, his involvement may not be what it has been in the past."

Mon Mothma's eyes narrowed. "I don't remember this. Did you mention this in your other report?"

Shaking his head, Anakin explained. "He had just been admitted to the infirmary on Chopper Base. I didn't want to jump the gun on his condition in case new developments came up. However, the last time I checked in with him, he was stable and resting.

"Maul isn't a direct threat, but he could be a pain in the neck moving forward. The Rebellion has avoided the Syndicate for years because of their involvement with him. Now that he's getting mixed up in rebel-Imperial exchanges, that may become more difficult."

"Is he alive after Malachor?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Groaning went around the circle. Anakin hated to be the bearer of bad news, but someone had to do it.

Sighing, Bail realized, "There's not much we can do about that. Our best option is to see what actions he and the Syndicate takes. We don't need another enemy at the moment."

"I believe Maul will see the situation similarly," Anakin predicted. "On Malachor, his main focus was Jadis. He had no great love for Jedi either, but the Rebellion itself is not a threat to him at this time."

"Will it stay that way?" asked Padmé. "We can't afford to be caught off guard by his forces."

"I don't disagree, but unless you have a plan to assassinate him, I'm not sure we can do anything about it," he explained. She took the point.

Bail kept the conversation moving. "The Imperials?"

Now that information, they could use. "I did get visual confirmation that Jadis is Offee," he announced again, looking around the council. "We had a small conversation before we fought. I'm planning to look through our new intel with this in mind. If we can track her movements, we'll know where the trouble is headed. Dooku wouldn't deploy her if it wasn't worth the time."

"The Inquisitors?"

"Two of them are dead," he told them, "which might be the best news I have as far as the Rebellion is concerned. Dooku is running out of agents to do his dirty work for him."

Bail made eye contact with Anakin. "Was Jinx Daru one of them?"

He shook his head again. "No, but he is still in the service of the Empire. Unless we can make contact with him outside of his Inquisitorial work, there may not be much we can do to convince him to switch sides."

The Alderaanian senator's face dropped. "I haven't told my delegate about him yet. I don't know the best way to explain what happened."

"Maybe I can help," Anakin suggested. "Kanan and I were the ones to speak with the Eighth Brother. I should probably be the one to tell him."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "It's my loss too. There's no one else to be responsible for it anymore."

"I imagine most Jedi Masters don't have to deal with these types of problems."

"Most Jedi Masters are dead, so no, I don't think so."

"Well, there is that."

Padmé facepalmed at their dark humor. She exchanged glances with Mon Mothma, who looked equally as exasperated. Men.

Besides, they had to keep talking. There was another thing that required Anakin's attention. "Skywalker, what do you make of Chopper Base, now that you've seen it?"

He nodded approvingly, thinking back to what he remembered. "It's still in its early stages of development, but it's promising. Commander Sato is already broadcasting signals to lengths we haven't reached in the Outer Rim yet, which will boost our coordination before long. Having a depot for the fleet to set down will come in handy."

"Have supply runs and missions transitioned smoothly?" Mon Mothma asked.

"Very. It wasn't hard for pilots to make the change. If anything, I think they enjoy being on solid ground rather than a transport, for once."

That made sense. The senators also spent their fair share of time running around. Settling down wasn't an option when your work brought you all across the galaxy.

"How would you describe it?" Mon Mothma probed, folding her hands behind her back.

Anakin wasn't quite sure where this conversation was headed, but he answered anyway. "Right now, at least, it reminds me of a pit stop. It's good for pick-ups and drop-offs, or for transmitting messages that have a ways to go."

"Not a grand-scale military base, then?"

"Not right now. It could get there, but Phoenix group might need a few more hands if that were the case. Why do you ask?"

Padmé and Bail exchanged a smile. "One of the ideas we had while we met was that it may be time to establish something... bigger. More on the scale of the types of bases the Republic had during the Clone Wars."

He remembered those types of bases. "Something tells me you weren't thinking about expanding Chopper Base."

"We were thinking about starting another one," Bail explained, looking around the group for support. "The Rebellion is growing. It may need something new. Something you, in particular, have an eye for."

That sounded excited, Anakin had to admit. He crossed his arms, trying to play it cool. "Your first problem will be finding a location. It was hard enough for Pheonix group to find a spot to settle down in. If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, you're in the market for a very specific landscape."

"That's why we wanted to bring this to you," Mon Mothma said. "If anyone can find this specific landscape, it's someone with your expertise that knows what a full-scale base needs. Yavin 4 was a bit of a jackpot; I doubt something that niche will fall into our laps again."

"The Rebellion has the funds to begin construction if we can find a location. By 'we,' I mean 'you,'" Padmé clarified. "We can start from the ground and work our way up, but we need to find the ground first."

Bail let his gaze drift. "It's not the type of mission we usually ask of you, but after Malachor, I'm afraid your identity as Fulcrum may be compromised. If we can keep you out of the fire without wasting your talents, then I believe we should try. Not to mention, supposing that we build this base, it will need a general to oversee it. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather trust to do this."

Nudging her husband, Padmé asked, "What do you say? Interested?"

He grinned, trying not to show just how interested he was. "As soon as I'm finished here, I'll start scouting out locations. There's got to be something out there that will work."

"We were hoping you'd say that," Mon Mothma sighed, relaxing a little bit. "I'm afraid I can't stay much longer, but I eagerly await your results. Good luck, General Skywalker."

"Thank you, Senator," he replied, and he watched as her image flickered out.

Bail made to do the same, but before he did, he looked up at Anakin. "Thank you again for offering to talk to O-Mer. When were you planning to call?"

Anakin glanced at the time. "Probably in the next few hours, if that works."

Nodding, he looked at both of them. "Enjoy your vacation, and tell the twins good luck at boot camp."

"We will," Padmé promised, and Bail logged off for the day.

The call ended, and the lights in the room brightened again. Anakin turned to his wife. "You knew, didn't you?"

"I didn't want to ruin the surprise," she insisted, smiling. "General Skywalker, back in action."

He laughed and hugged her, kissing her on the forehead before setting her back down on her feet.