Anakin didn't know what started it, but his faith in the Jedi Order and the Republic wasn't what it used to be. The Republic had become undeniably corrupt, anyone with eyes could see that, and the Jedi Order was more concerned with kissing the Chancellor's ass and treating their members like children than actually helping people.

Once, he watched a Separatist broadcast, justifying it to Obi-Wan with, 'You have to know who you're fighting, right?', and was surprised to find the speaker echoing what he had been privately thinking for months. It even included a testimony from a defected GAR officer, who called the movement 'What the Republic was always meant to be.'

Late that night, while still thinking about the broadcast, an idea struck him like lightning. He hurried to set up his private comm, and Padmé answered in her nightgown, rubbing her eye. She asked, "Anakin, is everything alright? It's late here."

"It's better than alright, I just had an idea that will solve almost all of our problems.'

Looking more alert, she replied, "I'm listening."

"The Separatists are our chance. If we left and joined them, we wouldn't have to worry about the Jedi Order anymore, and you could serve in their Sentate. They accept Jedi defectors, a few joined at the beginning of the war. It could work."

She hesitated a moment, mulling it over. "I would have to speak with the Queen first, but you're right. This could work."

They continued working over details into the early hours of the morning, and by the time the lights came back on on the Resolute, they had a plan.

Padme convicted the Queen to meet with her on Naboo as soon as she was avalable, which ended up being two days after the fateful comm. She wanted to meet in person on the strong chance her comms were bugged. Padme knew that if the plan leaked, she would be tried, and possibly executed, for treason.

When she arrived on Naboo, she knew that it very well could be her last time. If the queen didn't agree with her plan, she'd have to make a quick exit, and say goodbye to Naboo for a very long time. She drank in Theed as she walked, trying to memorize every detail of the city and of the palace.

In the throne room, Queen Neeyutnee waited for her, surrounded only by her handmaids, as requested. As soon as she sat, the queen prompted, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, m'lady, I've been having some concerns, about the Republic, of late, and wanted to share them."

"Yes?"

"Well, the Republic doesn't seem to listen much, do they? Nearly every bill I've introduced in the last year have gone nowhere, despite public support, Nute Gunray never answered for the invasion, and we received almost no Republic help during then either."

She nodded along, "I agree, the Republic can be, slow to act, but I'm not sure what could be done about it."

Padme had practiced this part what felt like thousands of times, but it still made her more nervous than any speech, "The Confederacy is always accepting new systems. I've listened to Count Dooku's addresses, and what he says, it makes sense. The Republic only cares about Core worlds, Mid-Rim systems like us are an afterthought at best. The Confederacy is based in the Outer Rim, and they are open to change."

The queen didn't instantly reject it, which was better than expected. "But Chancellor Palpatine has been our greatest supporter, it would ruin his career."

"The Chancellor is very nearly a dictator, I doubt he could be voted out, even if his homeworld left the Republic."

Neeyutnee ventured, "If, we were to leave, how would it be done?"

Taking it as agreement, Padme said, "Tell the Advisory Council, I will handle the Senate."

Anakin was still off in the Outer Rim by order of the Jedi Council, and if everything went well, was probably halfway to Raxus by now. They had agreed not to contact each other until the last one reached the CIS capital, to prevent either being tracked. Padme had a ship waiting for her at the top level docks, with R2, 3PO and everything she wanted to keep out of her senatorial apartment already loaded. She walked with Bail to the Senate building, acting like everything was completely normal. Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she felt nearly sick with nerves.

In the meeting, she bided her time, waiting for the Separatists to come up in conversation. Padme knew the clip would be played near countless times, and if she was going to be a Separatist senator, she needed to give them something good.

Her chance came when On Free Tal made a less than subtle dig at the Trade Federation, making the entire Senate dissolve into a squabbling mess in record time. Padme piloted the module to the senate floor, and was recognized. She began, "The issue is not if the Trade Federation has Separatist ties, that should be common knowledge by now, it is that they are right to. The Separatist leaders have been saying that the Republic is a lost cause for years, and my time in the Senate has thoroughly proved this to me. The issue is that we, as allies of democracy, should all be Separatists. The Republic is too choked by corruption, bureaucracy and tradition to be saved," she had to shout her last few lines over the rising chaos, "Twenty thousand years is long enough! It is past time for change, the CIS is the way of the future!"

She returned her module to it's normal spot, largely unnoticed in the chaos. Every senator had something to say about her speech, and as much as she wanted to hear them squabble, she couldn't risk sticking around to listen. Padmé drew the hood to her cloak up as she walked out of the Senate building for the last time, not even considering looking back.

After a short time, Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan arrived on Feluica, and command began to send down troops. They set up camp in a forested area, to hide them from the Separatists, while scouts hunted for the Seppie base. He helped set up tents, then waited with the rest of the troops for the scouts to return.

Just as the sun had gone down, the clone scouts returned, bearing good news. The Separatist base was barely five klicks away, and exposed enough that with air support, they could take the base with just the 212th and 501st.

Late that night, long after everyone else had gone to sleep, Anakin was up. He didn't need to be, everything was prepared for the next day, but the hammering stress wouldn't let him sleep. Out of every scheme he had ever pulled, every time he took a death-defying risk, that all paled in comparison to this.

His worry must have bled through his bond with Obi-Wan, waking his old master. He asked quietly, voice thick with sleep, "Anakin, what's wrong?"

"Nothing master," He replied, scrambling for an excuse, "Just a dream. Go back to sleep."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be fine."

Anakin really needed to hear that, even though Obi-Wan didn't really know it. "Thanks master."

The day of the battle arrived, and although he put on his usual fearless face, he couldn't remember a time when he had been more nervous. He marched out with the rest of the 501st, deflecting droid bolts but the thousands and waiting for his opening.

It came in the form of a missing clone. After they split up into three groups to avoid a particularly large amount of droids, no one could find the ARC trooper Fives. Taking notice of the opportunity, he claimed to have seen him and went to search for him alone.

As soon as he was certain he wasn't followed, he set his wrist and Jedi communicators on the ground and smashed them both. The last thing he needed was being tracked. He hid in the shadows, up in the trees, and waited for the next step.

Anakin didn't have long to wait, a pair of B-1 battle droids came along only a few minutes, likely scouts. He dropped down in front of them, and they both recoiled in surprise. They tensed up on their blasters, but before they could fire, he threw his hands up and shouted, "Hold your fire! Hold, your fire. I surrender."

The droids let their blasters slack, seeming rather confused for lacking facial expression. "You, surrender?" It turned to it's companion, "Since when do Jedi surrender?"

"Since now. You need to take me to your commander, I need to speak with them."

The second droid said, "I guess we could take him to the general, although he might just kill him."

The first droid responded, "I don't think that's our problem. Come, Jedi. We'll take you to the general."

Anakin knew the Separatists had many generals, and they had a tendency to promote whoever asked, so logic said it didn't have to be Grievous, but the Force said otherwise. The droid general gave off a very unusual signature, not organic or droid, dead nor alive, Force sensitive or not. That and the bloodthirsty rage that saturated the Force wherever he went created something potent and unique, and he could almost feel traces of it on the battlefield and even lingering on his droid escorts.

They marched him to and through the base, with almost every droid and organic inside stopping to stare at him. It seemed they didn't get Jedi visitors too often.

As suspected, Grievous was in the command room, full of green data terminals and every series of droid. Anakin knew that with the sheer number of droids in that base, that if Grievous wanted him dead, he wouldn't even have a say in it. Grievous wheezed and began, "So this is why you called me here."

He rose, black cape trailing behind him as he leaned uncomfortably close to Anakin's face, scrutinizing every detail. "So this is Anakin Skywalker. I expected someone with your reputation to be a little… older."

Grievous looked different than he remembered in holos, he could have sworn the cape was white on the outside, and one more thing he couldn't quite place. It clicked in his head and he replied, "General Grievous, you're shorter than I expected."

A mechanical sound came from Grievous, possibly a laugh, which quickly dissolved into hacking coughs. The first battle droid wedged himself in between the two generals and said, "Jedi Knight, Anakin Skywalker has surrendered to us."

"Oh, he has? A foolish ploy by the Jedi, I suspect."

"It's not, the Republic has no clue I'm here. They'll notice I'm missing any time now, and go looking for me."

"And why should I believe you? Jedi scum."

"Give it a cycle, my troops will be frantic by nightfall, and your spies should be able to prove that. I'll even give you the location of the camp, if you don't already have it."

Grievous hesitated, which was better than the lightsaber strike he expected. "Throw him in the detention center, we will see if he tells the truth."

Anakin had never been so relieved to be put in a cell. Since he wasn't dead yet, that meant he had a fighting chance. He had been in so many of these prisons, even tied upright in electro-binders, that he could probably escape if he wanted. The only issue was his lightsaber, the droids took it, and it was probably in Grievous' collection by now.

During the night, he felt Obi-Wan and Ahsoka reach out to him, through their now closed bonds. He didn't enjoy hurting them, but he needed time to establish himself within the CIS, time he wouldn't have if they tracked him through their bonds to the base.

Grievous returned sometime in the morning, metal hands clasped behind his back and bright light streaming in. Anakin shielded his eyes as Grievous said, "It appears you told the truth, my spies reported that the clones and Jedi searched through the night, and are now in full retreat. But this does not prove you are not a spy yourself."

Anakin thought fast, "Republic channels will prove it, I have all the codes. All my Republic knowledge is as good as yours."

"Why would a Republic general betray so much? What do you want, General Skywalker?"

"I thought it would be obvious by now, I want to join the Separatist cause."

That sent Grievous into a long coughing fit. Eventually, Anakin said, "What, are you not accepting new recruits?"

Grievous finally stopped hacking, "It is not my decision. I will take you to Count Dooku on Raxus Prime. He will make the choice."