Glass Houses: An Alternate Star Wars
By Grey
I.
Obi-Wan Kenobi took a deep breath and tried to trace the path of the Force running through him. For a moment, he imagined that he felt Qui-Gon's essence surround him, guide his nervous hands to stillness, much like the elder Jedi had done when Obi-Wan was young and prone to anxious fidgeting. It was a comforting thought on a day of few comforts.
He ducked his head to better see the parade below. It was, arguably, the grandest celebration he'd ever seen, though the coronation on Tanaka Prime had been a sight. Streamers and confetti colored the sky, as the victorious Gungan army moved down the open road, to the cheers and welcome cries of Theed's citizens. They marched happily on towards the Palace Front, where Queen Amidala and her recent ally, Gungan leader, Boss Nass, stood proudly in wait. Their smiles rivaled the sun for its glow.
Nearby them, however, was a cloud. Newly elected Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, his arms crossed loosely over his chest, watched the scene in silent appraisal. Obi-Wan frowned. He never trusted politicians, with their open smiles and secret agendas, especially not ones who ascended to power quickly. He didn't understand why more people weren't suspicious of the new Chancellor, the one man in the known universe that had gained from the ordeal at Naboo. But never mind. The matter was out of the general public's hands now, into Jedi territory and the duty of an unlikely assassin.
Maintaining his balance at the top of the roof, he moved up to his knees and braced the arrow-gun over a shoulder. It was heavy and awkward in his arms, nothing like the smooth grace of a saber, but he was a Jedi, and therefore, adaptable. He took a moment to learn the feel of the trigger beneath his finger. Uncivilized, he told himself, but then there was little honor and grace and civilization in his current mission. He slipped the focus over his eye and used the magnification to get a better picture of his target.
Palpatine looked old, but not feeble. Like Master Yoda, he gave the impression of knowing more than any one man should be able to learn. His mouth was a straight, dry line, and his eyes observant. The Force was different around him, too, murky and rippling, like a disturbed pond.
Obi-Wan sighed and flipped off the focus. His eyes fluttered shut while he searched the Living Force for further guidance. The arrow-gun found aim, his finger tightened and-
The shots were silent, and so no one realized what had happened, until the Chancellor clutched his chest and gasped. One hand curled into the fabric of his new uniform. His face shifted in a ball of pure fury, which was let loose into the Force so fast that Obi-Wan found himself wincing. The cry wasn't one of agony and shock, but rage and hate and sworn vengeance on whoever had stolen his life before the network of plans could be linked together.
What Palpatine meant by this, Obi-Wan didn't know. But there was no time to find out. Palpatine was the Chancellor and the search for his murderer was already underfoot. He bundled up the arrow-gun, tossed the sack over his shoulder, and retreated down into the lower part of Theed, where, among the crowds, a Jedi could be easily lost.
"This went well," Mace Windu declared, in the small room occupied by a handful of Jedi, among them sitting Obi-Wan and Yoda. The lighting was poor, but that seemed fitting, given the situation.
Said Obi-Wan, "We tread a path near to darkness." He was buried, mostly, in the tan comfort of his cloak. All that was visible of his face was his tight-lipped mouth. He didn't normally have the kind of clout that allowed for such words to be spoken –all in the room were his clear superior- but he'd decided that his actions of the day warranted him at the least, a temporary voice among the council.
"Correct young Kenobi is," Yoda agreed, solemnly. "But necessary, our actions were. Our information was accurate. A master of the Dark Side, Chancellor Palpatine was."
"Of course," Windu continued with a nod. "We must be careful in this aftermath that we not become that which we sought to destroy here today. Kenobi?"
"Yes, Master Windu?"
"Your Padawan awaits your return in your ship."
"He will wish to speak with Queen Amidala before our departure. They have become friends and he may want to offer her condolences in the wake of the Chancellor's death."
"Allow it, but do not linger long. This is no place for Skywalker. The Council wishes to address you both formally in five days time, on Coruscant."
"Yes, Master Windu." Obi-Wan took a bow and began his walk past the Jedi Masters. He felt partially relieved that his time on Naboo was finally nearing a definitive end. The planet made control a decided effort.
"Kenobi?"
He turned and dipped his head towards Yoda. "Yes, Master?" The green, ancient Jedi looked at him hard, as if to look through him. Obi-Wan wondered what he was trying to see.
"Conflict and confusion, I sense in you."
Obi-Wan raised a brow. "I have never before killed a man who was not directly threatening my life." It was left at that. He gave a customary pause, in case the masters wished to hold him in their presence further, and then gathered himself once more and departed away, to find his Padawan and leave Naboo.
The boy was on the cold steps leading up to the ship's entrance, his head bowed to mask his face. But he sensed Obi-Wan's approach at once, snapping up to alertness, eyes wide and passionate. "I heard about the Chancellor!" Anakin Skywalker cried. "I tried to find you or Padme, but no one would let me through, not even when I told them I was a Jedi."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, security is very high right now. They hope to catch the Chancellor's assassin before he has a chance to escape."
"Will we be assisting the search?" Anakin wondered.
"No." Obi-Wan shook his head. "You are a Padawan, new to the ways of the Jedi and the Force, and a murder scene is no place for you, I'm afraid. We're to return to Coruscant at once."
"But we can't just leave!" The boy protested. Obi-Wan watched his face twist with frustration and wondered if he'd ever been so young and reckless. Obi-Wan didn't know what to think of his new situation. He was only just a knighted Jedi himself. It wasn't custom to take on a Padawan so soon, but the choice was out of his hands, decided for him by Qui-Gon and the Force. He had to train Anakin, had to find a way to put order and sense into the child's mind. Was there order and sense in his own?
He'd forgotten how sensitive Anakin was, because it surprised him when the boy's face softened with uncertainty. "Obi-Wan, do you wish you didn't have to train me?"
"A Jedi does not concern himself with wishes of that sort," Obi-Wan answered, carefully dampening his thoughts and feelings.
"But wouldn't it be easier?"
He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We grow through challenge Anakin, and must never try to avoid it. I was a Padawan myself when I first stepped on this planet a short while ago, and now I am a knight with a charge of my own. This alteration to my life requires adjustment, yes, but I do not wish it away. And I am pleased to have as my apprentice one whom my master held in such very high regard." They exchanged small smiles, and Obi-Wan patted the top of Anakin's head. "Come on inside now. The queen is unable to see us off as she would like, due to circumstances, but she's left you a brief holovid."
It was encouragement enough for Anakin, who was eager to follow anywhere his new master might lead.