"Yes. Once the Chancellor has had his fill of cameras."

She nods.

"I'll let you go then."

And off to face the politicians. Worse than a battlefield any day.

Anakin - doesn't actually go straight back to their rooms. She mostly stops to make sure the girls are all accounted for and okay, that there's nothing they critically need and the ones who do need critical care are getting it - 

She doesn't want them to fall through the cracks. (Slaves always do.)

But they look out for each other, too, and soon enough she's satisfied they'll be as okay as they can in the short term, and heads into the Temple to find her and Elesse's rooms and just... 

Collapse.

(She dreams every death on that battlefield.)

Elesse enters softly, a few hours later.

She stirs anyways.

"'lesse?"

"I'm here." She sits next to her Padawan.

She curls into her teacher a bit.

"Mmmm... Stuff okay?"

"More or less. The Chancellor does want to meet you at some point."

"And while the Senate was locked in, they voted in favor of creating a Republic military. They're asking the Jedi to lead it."

...That's not good.

She grumbles and curls into Elesse more.

"Are we gonna?"

"Given that we have recently come into possession of an army, it will be argued that we would be irresponsible not to."

She nods.

"Don't - want those girls to have to be soldiers. Don't want someone who doesn't care to lead them, either."

"They seem... enthusiastic about their intended job."

"They are." She's very confident of that. None of them shied away from her command, and she was far from the only one enjoying that battle. "Still should get citizenship and stuff. A - choice, technically, even if they don't take it."

"The Republic has, historically, not been good about clone rights. I will suggest we make this a condition of our acceptance."

"It should be. I'm fine fighting. Jedi shouldn't be - part of slavery, though."

"Your views will have weight, I think."

"Can do politics, if I have to. Can do people, if - if it'd help."

"We should see what Master Yoda wanted."

"Yeah."

She thinks she'd keep having the - nightmares, she guesses, though she doesn't feel bad in them - if she went back to sleep, anyways, and she feels more rested than she was.

Yoda is in his private meditation room, the half-shut blinds letting bars of light and shade fall across the room.

"A great darkness I sense," he says. "But clouded, the Force is." He opens his eyes. "Act upon what we know, we must. To Serenno the two of you will go. Investigate Dooku. Of his apparent fall, the truth we must learn."

She nods.

"What of the clones under our care?"

"With care that matter must be approached." He pokes at Anakin with his stick. "Strong feelings on the matter you have, young Skywalker?"

"As strong as on anything. But - the Republic doesn't have a track record I approve of with the rights of clones, or even with enforcing its anti-slavery laws. It's not a matter of emotion or not, to find an unaddressed problem that fits your own background, interests, knowledge, and abilities, and to then want to see it through - or at least see it handled by someone else to an extent you would be satisfied with."

"I believe I am well suited to - be in the clones' corner, as it were, and to advocate for them. I also don't presently have responsibilities beyond learning and assisting Elesse, so I don't have severe conflicts of interest or even a notable lack of spare time."

     "Created the clones were, for the Jedi yet without our knowledge. Why, we must ask. Master Vendar, what think you of this, hm?"

"I think it is the responsibility of the Jedi to protect the rights of all sentients. Whatever else the clones may be, they are at least that."

     "Correct you are. Ignore this matter, we cannot." Yoda, the little green gremlin that he is, chuckles. "To find these clones, you the Force sent. Trust your instincts about them, I will. While gone you are, to the Council I will speak, and then to the Senate."