Unwilling predator and cunning prey, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku are swept into an anomaly of the Force; a rift between worlds. In Minas Tirith, the Free People celebrate the demise of Sauron when unexpected guests bring a new danger. In all this, the Negotiator must discover a middle way or powers will collide and worlds will be shattered.

A/N: Happy belated birthday, Kam! This is my first ever try at a crossover, I hope you enjoy it!

The Negotiator's Test

Part I: Convergence

Obi-Wan Kenobi never was a fan of flying, but right now it wasn't the flying that worried him; it was his impending encounter with the man he was pursuing. He knew it was dangerous and very, very foolish to try and capture Separatist leader and Sith Lord Count Dooku by himself, but he also knew how crucial it was to remove Dooku from the war, a task that had weighed heavily on the minds of Obi-Wan and his cohorts on the Jedi High Council, especially after the failed attempt to capture the Sith Lord on Boz Pity.

Obi-Wan would have felt far more comfortable if Anakin was with him, but unfortunately the Hero With No Fear and the Negotiator had been sent on separate assignments so Obi-Wan was on his own. He knew that more than likely this would end in a duel and he couldn't help but remember his defeat on Geonosis. If Yoda hadn't come in the nick of time, Obi-Wan and Anakin would both be dead now. Obi-Wan just had to hope that his dueling skills had improved enough in the past three years to challenge the Sith Lord, at least enough to hold him until help arrived. That led Obi-Wan to another problem; he had tried, on multiple occasions, contacting the Outer Rim Command but he couldn't get any signal out here and Dooku was leading him into uncharted space. That concerned Obi-Wan; he didn't expect Dooku to make such a risky move, the Count didn't seem one to face the unpredictable, so what might the Sith be hiding?

Despite the all too present sense of foreboding, Obi-Wan continued onward and hoped that he wasn't flying to his death.

Leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and Sith Lord Darth Tyranus was counting on his bluff working, but it seemed to be having limited success. Why was Kenobi being so persistent? Tyranus would have expected such rash behavior out of Skywalker but Kenobi was supposed to be the cautious one; what could make him remain in such pursuit of Dooku? There couldn't possibly be Republic ships so far out in the middle of nowhere. As if to accentuate that thought, Tyranus's navigation screen began to blink, before finally going dark. So he had traveled beyond the limits of exploration, and yet still Kenobi trailed him. If he kept on much longer, Tyranus would be forced to turn around and head back towards Grievous's waiting fleet, whose location Tyranus would really rather the Jedi not be aware of. It was bad enough that he had been caught making his way there from Serenno but it would be far worse if he led Kenobi to the fleet, which could result in Tyranus having to speed up his plans and make the assault on the Galactic Capital of Coruscant before the fleet was ready.

Perhaps he could whirl his small Geonosian Solar Sailer around to fire on Kenobi...but fosh it, this ship didn't have any weapons. It was really a foolish choice to fly this ship to Grievous's fleet but it was Tyranus's preferred transport and he hadn't given the defenselessness of it a second thought. How foolish indeed; he should have known his Vulture Droid escort wouldn't last long and it hadn't, leaving him stranded and still light years from any Separatist bases. Tyranus's gaze was then directed to a beam of red light the zapped past him, nearly grazing the cockpit of his ship.

"Kenobi must be desperate to end this chase if he is willing to fire on a defenseless enemy," Tyranus mused to himself. "How out of his character."

Tyranus's amusement quickly faded as he thought about how much worse this made his position. If Kenobi continued to shoot at his ship, there was little Tyranus could do to stop it. This was precisely why Tyranus despised small-scale starfighter battles; there was so little control and it left him so helpless when all his influence and all his power were of no help to him. Larger battles, where he could direct his vast array of battleships and cruisers, that was a different matter, but this...this type of fighting was not something Tyranus enjoyed. He was in the midst of considering how humiliating a death this would be when his scanners began beeping furiously.

"A nebula..." he muttered, reading off the results, and sure enough he could see a swirling blue cloud emerging in front of him. Perhaps he could make use of it. It was very small from what Tyranus could see of it. Perhaps if he continued towards it and pulled up at the last moment he could force Kenobi into it. It wasn't very likely to work but Tyranus was, for once in his life, desperate. As he flew closer, however, it seemed less and less like a nebula and more like...something else. It seemed to have its own Force presence, or a multitude of Force presences within one. He began to doubt the safety of his plan when his danger alerts began flashing. Tyranus yanked the navigation stick and while his ship swerved, it only continued to be pulled, now backwards, into the mystery before him. He could see Kenobi's starfighter rocketing after him and the Jedi was soon close enough that Tyranus could make out the startled expression on Kenobi's face as he, too, was sucked in.

Then the pulling stopped. Tyranus gave a small sigh of relief until he saw blue sky racing past him and he felt his ship plummeting to some unseen surface. He tried calling on the Force to slow his descent but concentration wasn't easy to find in such a situation and his efforts didn't seem to be doing much good, nor was the parachute-like structure that billowed out in front of his ship. Tyranus's chances of survival weren't looking so good. As the ship began to spin, he saw a massive white city, built into a mountain and far closer than he would have liked. It would be only seconds now. Darth Tyranus braced himself for the impending crash.

It was a day of celebration in the white city of Minas Tirith. It marked five years since the day of the Battle of Morannon and the destruction of the One Ring. The city was brimming over with people from all across Gondor, Arnor, and Rohan, even from as far as Esgaroth, all gathered to partake in the day of celebration for the defeat of the Dark Lord Sauron and in remembrance for all who had fallen in the War of the Ring.

It was over this event that Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King Elessar Telcontar, first High King of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, presided. Surrounding him were some of his closest companions; Arwen Undomiel, his queen, Elladan and Elrohir, sons of the now-departed Elrond Halfelven, Legolas Greenleaf and Gimli son of Gloin, and also Eomer, King of Rohan. Also present in the expansive throne room were the last of the Elven kings in Middle Earth; Celeborn, Lord of Lothlorien and Thranduil, King of the Wood-Elves of Greewood the Great and also the Dwarf Thorin III, Stonehelm, Lord of Durin's Folk.

Elessar could hear the many noises of the vast crowd being assembled on the great courtyard which covered the spur of rock that overlooked the other six levels of the city, and Pelennor Field beyond that. There was a great excitement in all those assembled; for the anniversary of the great victory of the Free Peoples, for the time of feasting and fellowship among all, for the address of the High King over the Mean of the West. For all but the youngest of them, the dark memories of the War were still fresh, but for today they were overshadowed by something greater; the freedom of Middle Earth from the dominion of Sauron.

"My Lords," said Faramir, young Steward of Gondor, as he entered the silent room, "all is in readiness for your appearance."

Elessar smiled and stood up from the Throne of Gondor. "Signal for the doors to be opened."

When the orders were relayed and followed, Elessar and those with him emerged into the bright Courtyard of the White Tree. All eyes fixated on the High King and the Lords of the West as they came forward.

"Good people. Citizens of this city, and of the greater territories of Gondor, people of Rohan and Arnor, inhabitants of Rhovanion and further lands, Noldor of Imaldris and Mithlond, and Sindar of Lothlorien and Greenwood, Dwarves of the Iron Hills, Erebor, and the Glittering Caves, and Hobbits of the Shire, I welcome you all here on this day of celebration for what was won, and of remembrance for what was lost in the War of the Ring, now five years past. Peace has come upon us at last..." Elessar trailed off, his gaze, and that of all others, turned skyward. Blazing from the heavens and rocketing directly towards the center of the city, was a fiery missile, as if some meteor was shooting down on them. The worst part of it was that if it held its current course, the projectile would land in the middle of the crowd.

"Everyone, clear the courtyard!" bellowed Faramir. "Get to the safety of the lower levels!"

As the crowd panicked, Guards of the Citadel rushed about, making every effort to ensure a smooth evacuation. Thranduil disappeared, making sure of the safety of his people, and he was soon followed by the other leaders. While the people had far from fully dispersed, by the time the fire-shrouded object crashed down on the citadel, everyone had been removed from that section of it.

"There is someone inside!" shouted Beregond, Captain of the Citadel Guard, gesturing to the metallic hunk that had come to a screeching halt before the White Tree.

Before Elessar and those with him could approach, a figure emerged from the crashed vessel in a flurry of brown clothing and red light and before anyone could react, Beregond had fallen and his murderer was engaged in combat with two other Guards, who desperately fought, both for their own lives and to keep this man from attacking the fleeing citizens. They did not last long and soon both had also fallen to the strange blade, which was rounded in length and glowed with a crimson hue. An arrow flew from Legolas's bow towards the man but was incinerated before reaching its target.

Elessar and his companions approached, surrounded by a formation of Citadel Guards. Elessar unsheathed his famous sword, Anduril, Flame of the West, and moved forward to meet this strange being in combat. The blades, one silver and one scarlet, met several times, but each clash resulted in little, with Anduril unable to make prolonged contact with the red blade, which appeared to be wrought of pure energy. Gimli swung his axe, only for the haft of it to be sliced in two with one weightless cut of the crimson weapon. The Sons of Elrond surged forward, only to be blasted back by a surge of seemingly sourceless lightning. Legolas's bow, the one of the Galahadrim, given to him by Lady Galadriel, snapped in his hand and his white knives shattered as he drew them, leaving only Elessar and Arwen standing.

The King and Queen stood their ground for several more strokes but this man was like nothing either had ever fought before. He raised his hand, presumably to blast them with some new power, when another figure, in similar, lighter clothing and with a blue-bladed weapon, leaped in between them. A torrent of lightning crackled from the older one's fingers only to be absorbed by the blade of the newcomer. The two fought each other, blades crashing together in a shower of sparks. With the enemy distracted, it was not long before the two combatants were surrounded by Citadel Guards with lowered pikes.

"Stand down, Dooku," said the blue bladed one.

"And so be taken in to a Republic jail? I think not, Kenobi," retorted the elder, though he glanced around nervously.

"You're outnumbered," said Kenobi, "with no droid army to save you or shuttle to escape on."

Those words, droid and shuttle, were new to Elessar. He guessed they were part of the tongue spoken by these strangers, in addition to their strange, accented application of the Common Tongue. It was hard to guess who these people were; while they appeared human, the powers shown by them indicated otherwise, leading Elessar to suspect some greater power at work.

"Fine," spat Dooku and his blade shimmered to nonexistence. "But your ship is in no state to fly, nor can it hold more than one passenger, so I would like to see how you can hold me."

The metallic handle of the elder's blade flew into the open palm of Kenobi as the guards shoved Dooku a distance away from Elessar. Arwen, meanwhile, had knelt beside her unconscious brothers and begun to speak softly in the tongue of the Undying Lands.

"They will be alright," said Kenobi, moving to stand over the Quuen's shoulder, "the lightning merely stunned them."

"So you have seen this done before?" guessed Arwen.

"Unfortunately yes," answered Kenobi, "though it takes far more power for any long-lasting effects. But I have forgotten my manners, I am Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, and that unpleasant man over there is Count Dooku, the leader of the Separatists himself, though I am sure you have heard of him?"

"I have not," said Elessar, stroking his chin, "I have never before seen any like you. However, now is not the time for introduction, I will make sure you are properly treated before any discussion. Faramir," called Elessar, "lead our guest to lodging and ensure that he is provided refreshments. My Steward will make sure that you are properly cared for as a guest in our halls. In the evening, we can discuss the events that brought you here."

"Come this way, please," said Faramir, leading Kenobi away.

"Legolas, Gimli, help me find the other Kings and Lords. We must hold council immediately."

Part II: Speculation and Discoveries

Obi-Wan had a bad feeling about this.

In fact, it more more than just a bad feeling. The Negotiator was very concerned about what he had gotten himself into.

Obi-Wan's greatest worry at the moment was the lack of any way off this planet. The people here knew nothing of the Clone Wars, nor did they have even the most primitive of technology, which meant they must have received almost no offworld contact. This meant Obi-Wan had to way of transporting Dooku off of this planet and, while he had not had the chance to test it yet, he was sure he would be unable to communicate with the Jedi Council or Republic Command.

Also strange was the way the Force felt on this planet. It was difficult to explain but it seemed to just hang as an essence in the air; untapped and unconnected. Obi-Wan did not consider himself an expert on the Force, he certainly never had attained Qui-Gon's understanding of it, but he could feel the change. While this in itself was not worrisome, Obi-Wan was concerned by the lack of connection to anyone else. No longer could he sense Anakin, or Yoda, or any of his other Jedi friends. Only Dooku, in some other part of the city; a blot on the serene landscape of the Force in this place.

"What is this city called?" asked Obi-Wan, hoping to generate conversation with the silent captain.

"This is Minas Tirith, Sindarin for Tower of the Guard," replied Faramir. "It is the center of the realm of Gondor and seat of the High King Elessar, who you met briefly. More important, I think, is where you hail from. You use weapons and powers never before seen in these parts, yet seem as ignorant of us as we are of you."

"That may be difficult to explain," said Obi-Wan with a chuckle as he gazed over the white buildings that towered on either side, with a great mountain to their face. "You see, there are other planets, other worlds than this, ones where technology has been invented so one can travel from one solar system to another with ease. Over all of it governs the Galactic Republic. Until recently we had peace but the galaxy has broken in two politically and I am a general for the Republic. I came upon this place quite by accident," he said, recalling how he had been unwillingly pulled in by the nebulous structure. In fact, the more Obi-Wan thought about, the more he was unsure this was a planet at all, though what else it could be he had no guess.

"That is odd indeed," said Faramir. "I had no idea such grander places existed. Perhaps the Elves will be able to make more sense of this than I can."

"Let us hope so. Even I am confused somewhat by the nature of these circumstances, and of this world," replied Obi-Wan, though unsure of what Captain Faramir meant by Elves.

"Here are your quarters for today," said Faramir, leading Obi-Wan into a well furnished, at least for the tech-less city, room, with a full table and a large bed.

"Thank you," said Obi-Wan.

"Now I must return to the King and discuss matters with him," said Faramir, excusing himself, "there are butlers nearby should you require anything."

Obi-Wan sat down, enjoying the relaxation after his hard day. The food, a wide assortment of meats and breads, among other delectable, were spread out before him and the Negotiator made full use of them. Soon it would be time to consider how to get off this planet with Dooku but now was not the time. No solution was immediately forthcoming and Obi-Wan decided it best if he was well-rested and meditated before giving the matter extensive thought. He would have to trust that these...Gondorians he believed they were called, would be able to keep Dooku contained for a while. With that still on his mind, Obi-Wan drifted off to sleep.

Darth Tyranus paced in his cell, waiting for the guards to become suitably distracted before accessing his comm. It didn't take long for the strangely armored men to become settled enough for the Sith Lord to patch into his communication device.

"General Grievous, this is Count Dooku, come in," he ordered, using the sophisticated Trade Federation technology. "General Grievous?" the call refused to go in.

"A malfunction? Impossible," the elderly Count spat. "Even out here there should be no difficulty reaching the Invisible Hand."

"Keep it down in there," complained one of the guards.

"Fully my intention," muttered Tyranus, sitting down cross-legged. Even without comm service, there were still ways a Sith could communicate. He closed his mind, stretching it out in waves, searching for his elusive Master, Darth Sidious. Nothing. This planet seemed cut off from the rest of the galaxy. In fact, the only Force signature of any value was that of the slumbering Kenobi. There were other, stranger, ripples that Tyranus picked up but he could not make sense of them. Dotted around the city, there were such beings that held some power of their own, though it seemed fully unconnected to the Force. How very odd. Tyranus stretched his mind even further, sweeping over a wide array of sparsely populated terrain and across a vast ocean until...a wall hit his mental prongs with such force that his eyes flashed open and his consciousness returned to his own body.

"How very odd indeed," he mused to himself.

King Elessar cleared his throat and silence fell upon the throne room.

"So you all know why I have called you here in such haste," began the High King. "Today, during what ought to have been the midst of celebration, two people, the likes of which have not been seen before in this age, came down seemingly from the sky itself. It is crucial that we discover in all haste the measure of power contained by these two...entities, and whether we are able to identify them. So far, we have seen displays of swords conjured up of no material other than energy itself, the summoning of lightning from the fingertips, and power over matter of various forms, enough to shatter steel weapons; all of this done with no visible effort."

"It is indeed disturbing," said Celeborn, Sindarin Lord of Lothlorien. "I do not know that even the Dark Lord himself had sway over such immediate and violent powers, despite his far-reaching terror. This even rivals the many feats I witnessed by Melian the Maia during my days in Doriath, many ages past."

"Maiar would be my guess as to their origin," revealed Queen Arwen. "From all I have seen and heard, I can only imagine they would be of high standing among the Ainur but there is no other possibility that springs to my mind."

"Unless they be of the Lords of the West; the Valar themselves," said Lord Glorfindel, head of Imaldris and one of the last remaining High Noldorin in Middle Earth.

"I find it hard to believe the Valar would bring about such an event," said Celeborn, "but I will not shun the thought wholly from my mind, though I would be wary of voicing such thoughts against the Great Ones."

"I meant no offense," assured Glorfindel. "It is quite possible there is some higher meaning in this that we do not see."

"You seem to exclude the chance that these beings may not be out of Aman, or even of any race familiar to the Eldar," observed King Thranduil of Greenwood. "They may even be a new creation of Illuvatar, or an old one that never before has come in contact with us."

"Perhaps it would be best if we ask them ourselves," suggested King Eomer of Rohan, the first person other than an Elf to speak since the debate began. "There is a chance the friendly one will be forthcoming with answers."

"I agree," said Elessar, rising. "Speculation, it seems, will bring us nowhere and Lord Kenobi has shown no hostility thus far. Evening approaches and soon he will be called before us, wherefore we can discern what we may of his origins and intent.

"Then let us have it done with," said Gimli, stamping his axe on the spotless floor.

Elessar smiled. "Faramir, if you would."

"Of course, My Lord," obeyed the steward, exiting the chamber.

"Let us now gather in the main dining hall and discover what we may," said Elessar, leading the others out into the fading day of Minas Tirith.

Part III: The Test

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, now well-rested and refreshed, was led back up to what must be the palace of the city and was given a seat at a massive dining table, the contents of which far outshone what he had experienced earlier that day. Before the meal could actually begin, though, he was introduced to each of the assembled lords and assailed with a vast amount of names and titles all at once. There seemed to be different species among them; there were normal humans, but also Elves, who carried themselves differently and had a sense of wisdom gathered from many long years, though none held any signs of aging. Dwarves there were also; a short, well built race who lacked any of the serenity of the Elves, rougher in both appearance and mannerisms.

After being given a respectful amount of time, the questions began. There was a great deal of talk about Maiar and Wizards and some fellow named Gandalf, but Obi-Wan got the general idea that the things the Elves spoke of were some beings of power, and that they believed him to be one of these Maiar or one of the other names they mentioned. It wasn't going to be easy to explain the Force to them.

"I am afraid I do not have the slightest inkling of what you mean by these words," admitted Obi-Wan after the questions had subsided. "It would seem I know as little of you and your world as you do of mine. I am a Jedi, a keeper of the peace and defender of the Republic, the galactic government which rules over the thousands of known star systems," Obi-Wan explained, trying to say it in a way these people could understand. "The Jedi gain their power from an entity known as the Force, which guides us and allows as to preform superhuman feats, perhaps similar to the magic you speak of. For many centuries we had peace and the Jedi had no opposition in our preservation of it, but in recent years our old foes, the Sith, returned to prominence and war has started. Count Dooku, the man you hold prisoner, is a Sith Lord and the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which opposes the Republic and the Jedi. How I came to this world is anyone's guess, though I have a feeling that it is entirely separate from my galaxy."

The Elves all frowned, nearly in unison, and looked around at each other. A few exchanged words in a fluid tongue that was altogether unfamiliar to Obi-Wan. Everything the Negotiator had said must have been difficult for the Elves to comprehend, which Obi-Wan could understand, though it left him unsure of how to proceed.

"I would guess that there is some great power at work here that eludes all of us," said the King, Elessar. "Perhaps we must simply come to terms with the possibly that this matter is beyond our comprehension, no matter how much we seek to make sense of it."

"I think the greater challenge we will face is in getting Count Dooku to cooperate with us," revealed Obi-Wan. "While I am yet unsure of how to proceed, I doubt he will agree to any choice made by those he considers as enemies. And if it comes to a fight, I doubt I have a ability to subdue him again."

"If we're going to decide how to accomplish what we need to do, we had better decide what it is we want to you do in the first place," pointed out one of the Dwarves.

"Perhaps they are not meant to be sent away," said the Elf Celeborn. "I believe it is folly to assume there is no reason for their coming here."

"Maybe so, but keeping Count Dooku here will only being unnecessary danger on you," stated Obi-Wan. Throughout the conversation, he had tried to discern what the Force might be telling him, just as Qui-Gon would say to do, but he felt nothing. It was almost as if this land, and all that had happened here, was not the Will of the Force, if that was even possible.

"I propose sending them into the West," said the Wood-Elf Legolas. "Let the Lords of the Undying Lands decide what is to become of them. Then shall we know if this is the will of the Valar, or of some outside power."

"Or an instance of mere chance," pointed out King Eomer. "Not everything that happens must be dictated by Higher Powers."

"Possibly..." said Lord Celeborn, though he did not appear at all convinced. Obi-Wan wondered if the faith these Elves had in the Powers they spoke of was a point of contention between them and the Men, or perhaps the disagreement was personal. So much was strange about this land.

"If only Mithrandir were still with us, and had not departed into the West," lamented Legolas.

"Indeed, but it is clear that whatever we decide must be done so of our own counsel," said King Elessar. "And I for one agree that we should bring them to the Grey Havens and then on to Tol Eressea and see what comes of it, for there is no warning in my heart against that course."

"I only hope Dooku can be convinced to do this..." muttered Obi-Wan, for he knew the task of persuading the old Sith to go along with the plan would fall to him. It was difficult, though, to even know if the course of action was a good one, for he knew so little of this land and what he was going to be sent into.

"I cannot guarantee Dooku's cooperation," warned Obi-Wan, "but I will do what I can."

Darth Tyranus roused himself at the sense of Obi-Wan approaching. The old count smiled; it wasn't only the Negotiator who had deals to offer.

"Ah, Master Kenobi, what a pleasure," said Tyranus as the younger Jedi came to stand in front of his cell. "I take it you wish to negotiate with me."

"I have a deal to make with you," said Obi-Wan, just as Tyranus expected him to. "I want you to go willingly on the Elven ships west. They believe it might get us a way out of here, and you can escape this city and return to the Confederacy unharmed."

"You will need to offer more than that," scoffed Tyranus. "Perhaps...your allegiance. My offer from Geonosis still stands. You must know that the Jedi are faltering. There is nothing you can do to prevent their fall, but join me and we can prevent Darth Sidious from taking over the galaxy."

"You mean to say I can only defeat the Dark Side by joining it?"

"Come now, Obi-Wan, have more sense than that. There is more to the Force than just Light and Dark. You see, one can never truly topple the other; to find balance in the Force, you must create a balance between the two parts of your essence, the Light Side and the Dark Side."

"Your belief of the Force has been twisted by the Sith."

"Oh has it now? And how is that any worse than the way yours has been manipulated by the Jedi?"

Obi-Wan hesitated. "You misinterpret the meaning of balance in the Force," he said at last. "Balance is for there to be harmony between all living things, through the Light Side of the Force. The Dark Side is only a corruption and a mockery of the true core of the Force."

"It seems then, that our beliefs are at an impasse," sighed Dooku. "But you will learn the truth before you die."

"We will see. You still must choose whether to remain stranded on this world, perhaps forever, or to swallow your pride and accept this possible way out."

Tyranus frowned. It was difficult to fault the Negotiator's reasoning. In most cases, he would be wary of a trap but Obi-Wan was once the apprentice of Qui-Gon and Tyranus knew him to be a good Jedi; he would not deceive even a Sith in this matter. However, there was no assurance that Obi-Wan had not been fooled and was even now dooming himself.

"A way that has been proposed by these primitives," guessed Tyranus. "How can you know it will get us out of here...I understand you wish to go into the West of this land. Have you not sensed what lies in that direction? It is a great power, one that is not harnessed by the Force. I would not go there if I were you."

"I believe our coming here was a mistake," said Obi-Wan, "and not the intent of the Force or of any other Power. If this is the case, then going into the West will be our only way to leave here. It is a risk, yes, but the alternative is remaining here forever. I know we are enemies in our own galaxy but today you must trust me."

Was it possible for a Sith and a Jedi to work together for a common end? Even as he thought it, Tyranus began to realize it was the only way out. Trust...it was not something he had done this fully in many long years but now he was called to do it again. Darth Sidious would never need to know of this place...Tyranus could return to head of the CIS and forget all that had happened here. That would have to be worth the risk and the distaste of the solution.

"We will become enemies again as soon as we return to known regions," assured Tyranus. "Do not think this...favor will spare you from the Sith."

"I never expected it to."

Part IV: Lessons

King Elessar gazed over Mithlond, the Grey Havens, and over the Elven vessel docked there to carry Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku away into the West. He did not know, nor could he ever fully understand how Obi-Wan had convinced his enemy to allow himself to be taken on the White Ship, but now it had happened. The crisis was abated and life in Middle Earth could return to what it was. In future years the anniversary of this day would remember not only the defeat of Sauron, the Dark Lord, but also of the Coming and the Departing of these strange people from another world, another universe. It would serve as remembrance that peace, no matter how costly to win, could be broken in a moment if not guarded.

"Farewell, Obi-Wan," said Elessar. "I wish you the best of fortune in your own world and that you may return swiftly to it."

"Thank you," replied the Jedi. "This experience is not one I think I shall ever forget, and I have learned many things from it, both of myself and of life as a whole."

"I believe all of us have something to take away from this," agreed Elessar, as Obi-Wan turned to board the ship. "In fact," he said to himself, "I believe I am finally beginning to understand the purpose of this."

Perhaps the Elves would not see it, perhaps they could not, but Elessar had taken this experience as both a warning and a gift.

Always treasure peace, for you never know when it might end.

Obi-Wan stood at the ship's prow, watching as a sheet of mist came ever closer, or was that just the ship's movement propelling it? It seemed as if they were being drawn to the fog while at the same time it billowed forward, blowing forth to envelope them. As Obi-Wan's vision became clouded on all sides from the mist, he saw, or rather, felt a light piercing through it, causing the entire frame of the ship to glow in a beautiful spectacle. Soon Obi-Wan was deprived of all vision and he felt himself rising, floating upwards.

"So you were right," said Dooku. "This scheme of your really did work, for even now my sense are returning."

"Indeed. There is some power here greater than all of us."

"So it would seem."

"Remember, no one else must ever hear of this place, lest the balance of the universe be broken."

"Agreed," said Dooku as their essences began to separate and Obi-Wan felt the Count drifting away, even as the long-missed presences of Anakin and Yoda and so many others touched his consciousness. Obi-Wan was glad to be back, but at the same time, he knew he would be a changed man. Even that short stay in Middle Earth had taught him so many things about the Force and what he truly believed. It was a memory he would treasure always.

Obi-Wan? he felt a familiar questioning voice enter his head. What happened?

It was nothing, Anakin, only a dream. Yes, only a dream.

THE END