"Well my boy, here we are," Senator Palpatine stated with a flourish as he opened the doors to his private apartment at 500 Republica. Accepting the unannounced invitation to go in first, Obi-Wan Kenobi walked into his new home in awe. Shifting his shoulder pack slightly, the youth turned around in a slow circle. He had never seen anything so luxurious before in his life. The living room alone was larger than the dorm he used to share with ten other initiates! The shock must have been plain on his face, for Palpatine laughed.
"I know it might seem a little opulent at first, but it truly is some of the best comforts and necessities money can buy. Believe me, you'll get used to the amenities sooner than you'd think." Obi-Wan turned to look at the man before him in slight disbelief. After living the life of a Jedi for pretty much his entire life, the boy was pretty sure he would never get used to living in such excess. In fact, the more Obi-Wan contemplated it, the more uncomfortable he felt in the lavish quarters.
"Well, let's get you settled into your room. You could probably use some more rest after that incident on the ride here," the politician reasoned, mentioning Kenobi's collapse on the flight back to Coruscant. Obi-Wan involuntarily shuddered at the reminder; his mind still raw after the brutal attack that it had withstood. Realizing his ward's discomfort, Palpatine rested a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder, and Obi-Wan felt the ache in his head diminish along his new, fledging link with his force-sensitive uncle. Smiling weakly in thanks, the ginger-haired youth thanked the Force, not for the first time since meeting this man, for sending Palpatine to come and get him.
During his trip back with the Senator, Obi-Wan had suddenly felt Qui-Gon's presence exceedingly strong in the Force. In fact, it had felt as though the vaulted Jedi Master was standing right next to him. Walking through the hallway leading to his temporary quarters on the Senator's ship, the youth had stopped in surprise at the feeling of warmth and light he felt at the contact.
Reaching out with the Force, Obi-Wan moved to touch the link with the Jedi Master when all of a sudden the warmth and light of the contact transformed into a cold, inky darkness. Terror and panic had gripped the boy in the blink of an eye. Never before, in all of his tender years, had he felt such fear. But, then again, never before had the light abandoned him to the icy grasp of darkness. Then, before he could contemplate what was happening, an unbearable pain lanced through his head; sending him into the welcoming embrace of unconsciousness.
Obi-Wan didn't know how long he had been out for, but he awoke in his temporary bed with Palpatine hovering above him; his face a mask of worry. After asserting that his new ward was more or less physically fine, the two had talked about what had happened. As much as Obi-Wan still wanted to deny it, Palpatine had had only one explanation for what had transpired and, unfortunately, it made sense.
Whether it was the Jedi Council, or, more likely, Master Jinn, someone had discovered the undesired bond and utterly obliterated it. At first, Obi-Wan had protested. There was absolutely no way that Qui-Gon, or the Council, would have broken the bond in such a fashion. They would never intentionally hurt him in that way.
It was at this point in their conversation that the youth was harshly remind by his Uncle that the Jedi he was protecting had indeed caused him pain; first, when the council dismissed him from the Order and secondly, when Qui-Gon turned his back on him and walked away on Bandomeer. Both actions had been deliberate, knowing the pain Obi-Wan would endure by having his hope crushed and his dreams shattered.
Palpatine had asked the boy if the Jedi had seemed to care about his feelings, his pain at these points in time. From his place on the bed, the ginger-haired youth had only been able to shake his head slightly in the negative, his face grave. His whole world had been thrown on its edge in the span of a week and this latest discovery sent a wave of desolation through the boy.
How could the Jedi be so cruel? How could they do something that had felt so evil? Then, as though something had finally clicked, Kenobi questioned why he had felt such darkness when the bond was being broken. Surely the Jedi could not have done something that felt so undeniably dark. Palpatine had smiled humorlessly at the question and retorted with some questions of his own.
"Do you truly believe the Jedi to be perfect? Do you believe that everyone in their ranks lives everyday fully entrenched in the light; never straying? Do you think that they never give into their baser feelings? Take your Master Jinn, for instance," the politician pointed out assuredly. "Can you honestly tell me, even in your short time together, that he never seemed to give into his darker emotions?" Palpatine asked gently, waiting just long enough for Obi-Wan to shake his head slightly in the negative, the pounding in his temples not allowing him to make any further motion.
"No. I didn't think you could." Palpatine had responded sympathetically, as though the answer was truly no surprise. "No living creature that feels emotion can claim that they never experience any negative emotions, whether they be anger, fear, jealously, or pride. These are natural feelings, my boy. Even the supposedly perfect Jedi are vulnerable to their lure. That being said, does it truly seem so farfetched to think that whoever broke your bond was so disturbed by its formation that they just lashed out to rid themselves of it? It is amazing what someone can do in a fit of passion."
The youth had stared at his guardian through clouded vision, not sure on what to say. Obi-Wan found himself torn between defending the Jedi and believing Palpatine's explanation. While a major part of him still could not believe that a true Jedi would commit an act that could cause such intentional pain; the other part of Obi-Wan saw how unbalanced Master Jinn had been when faced with his fallen apprentice. There were definitely a lot of unresolved feelings in the Jedi Master, that much was certain.
Before Obi-Wan could contemplate the matter further, Palpatine had suddenly placed a palm on his forehead. Apologizing for keeping the boy talking when he should be resting, the youth felt some of the pain he was feeling recede. Closing his multi-hued eyes, Obi-Wan sighed in relief and dimly became aware of a connection opening between himself and his warden. Not coherent enough to realize what was happening; the boy opened his heavy-lidded eyes and whispered a word of thanks to the man above him. Then, not being able to fight off the sleeping suggestion that washed over him; Obi-Wan succumbed to unconsciousness.
Shuddering again at the memory of the pain and emptiness he felt during the breaking of the bond, Obi-Wan followed Palpatine to his new room. As he had just moments ago, the Senator introduced the boy to his new living arrangements. Opening the door, the elder gentleman motioned for the boy to enter the room first. Re-shouldering his pack, Obi-Wan hesitantly entered his new personal quarters.
For the second time in a matter of minutes, Obi-Wan felt as though his jaw was going to hit the floor. His suite was enormous! The surprise of seeing his quarters was short-lived though, for his shock quickly turned to dismay as the boy got his first look at the view from the wall of windows that ran the entire length of the room. There before him, just off in the distance, stood a terrible reminder of what he had lost. Dominating the cityscape that made up his view stood the Jedi Temple.
Darth Sidious smirked as he watched the shoulder pack Obi-Wan was holding fall to the floor with a dull thud as he took in the sight of the Jedi Temple. Pure misery swirled in the Force around the One as he walked ever so slowly over to the windows. Once before the glass, a shaky hand rose up and came to rest on the window, as though trying to grasp that which was stolen. Through the misery a sharp bolt of indignation thread its way through the Force; just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.
The Sith Lord's smirk widened the flash of fury. Yes, this would be all too easy. Not that he expected anything else. The Jedi had done him a great service when sending the youth away. All the boy thought he knew had been pulled out from under him. His confidence was shattered. His faith deteriorating. The One was adrift with no direction, no purpose. However, that would soon change. Already, Sidious was subtly chipping away at the boy's remaining dedication to the Jedi, working to turn him against those who had betrayed him.
Sidious was no fool. He knew that Obi-Wan did not fully believe his explanation for the broken bond. But that did not matter; all that matter was that the boy doubted himself. He doubted the Jedi. It was a step in the right direction.
This room was just another subtle jab at the boy's fragile state of mind. It was a reminder of his supposed failure and the injustice the Jedi had forced upon him. Although it had been quickly suppressed, the unfairness of his situation had sparked anger in the One. The Sith Lord would be certain to fan that spark into a flame and then fan that flame into an all encompassing blaze. Schooling his features, Palpatine stepped up to his ward.
"Oh my boy," the kindly voice of Senator Palpatine spoke to the youth. "I am so sorry. I truly did not even think about the Temple being there. All of my sleeping quarters face this direction and I guess I don't even notice it. Why don't you come away from there and get some rest? Tomorrow starts a whole new life for you." Not taking his eyes of the building in front of him, Obi-Wan nodded slightly. Then, dropping his hand from the cool glass, the youth turned his back on the Jedi Temple.
I know, I know...not much excitement in this chapter. It is kind of a filler chapter to answer some questions and get everyone on the same planet. That being said, now things should start picking up. ;) Hopefully you all enjoyed it!
I want to thank everyone who has reviewed (especially the ever faithful TamsynDell, charie, Russian Mushroom Number Three, & Phoenix Red Lion). In order to get this chapter out, I am not posting individual replies at this time. I'll update this chapter as soon as I have them finished. However, I just want everyone to know that I have read every single one and truly appreciate the support!!!!!!!
Until Next Time...