Anakin hurried as quickly but inconspicuously as he could through the vast Senate atriums and corridors down to the West entrance to meet Obi-Wan. He felt a swell of relief when he sensed Padmé's presence following closely behind him.

Another presence made itself more strongly known within his mind. He allowed his senses to hone in on Obi-Wan's location but frowned deeply when he felt that his former Master was indeed injured. He quickened his pace.

Just as Anakin crested the threshold of the secondary entrance and made his way down the stairs he spotted Obi-Wan's profile silhouetted in the night against a large white pillar. As Anakin approached, Obi-Wan's wounds made themselves more and more apparent.

Appalled, Anakin gawked at Obi-Wan's tunic that was now stained entirely crimson on the back around several pieces of hideous transparisteel shards that were embedded in his former Master's flesh. The ugly blaster graze on his shoulder did not escape his notice. Nor did the bruises under his Master's eyes and the odd stiff painful way in which the aging Jedi Master was holding himself.

"Obi-Wan, what happened?" demanded Anakin grasping his friend by the shoulders as the older man stumbled forward and sagged in his grip. "Where's your armor?"

"Shhh, Ankain," pleaded Obi-Wan. "Please don't cause a scene."

Anakin flushed with anger and anxiety, and then released it. He glanced around to make sure that his outburst hadn't attracted any unwanted attention.

Obi-Wan dug a trembling, bloody hand into the fold of his tunic and produced the coveted disk.

"Get this to Senator Amidala as quickly as you can, Anakin. Satine is counting on it."

Just as Anakin took the disk from Obi-Wan's hand, his Master's strength finally departed. Obi-Wan sagged heavily in Anakin's grip and closed his eyes.

Anakin gently lowered Obi-Wan to the ground and propped him up against the pillar he had been hiding behind. "Sit tight, Master, while I get this to Padmé. I'll be right back."

Anakin disappeared briefly into the shadows of the other pillars and found his wife who was waiting for him silently in the darkness. Wordlessly he strode up to her, placed the disk in her hand and clasped it shut with affection.

Padmé nodded to him in a silent promise to have it broadcasted immediately. Then she glanced at Obi-Wan who was lying still on the ground. When she looked back into Anakin's eyes, he nodded his silent promise to her that he would ensure that Obi-Wan would be expertly taken care of. They parted quietly and took off briskly in opposite directions.

Anakin ran back over to where Obi-Wan lay and took a knee by his Master's side. "Master what in the Sith did you do to yourself this time?" he whined nervously.

Obi-Wan grimaced. "Nothing more than the usual," he responded softly, licking at the blood that was trickling out of his mouth and onto his lips.

"You're hit in so many places, Master, I can't tell the damage. What was it?"

"It was Death Watch… A Bomb… Shrapnel…" Obi-Wan drifted away.

"Master? Obi-Wan? Ughh sithspawn!" Anakin spat, eyeing on the ugly shards that stuck out of Obi-Wan's back.

He made an urgent call to the Jedi Temple. "This is Skywalker, I am bringing Master Kenobi into the Healer's wing with severe shrapnel wounds."

Anakin heard a mushy hiss and then a response. "Roger, Master Skywalker. Healers will be ready for you in the Hospital Wing. Anything else we should know?"

Anakin grabbed on of the shrapnel shards, yanked it out forcefully, put pressure on the wound and sniffed the end that was covered in Obi-Wan's blood.

"Yeah," he replied angrily to the Jedi on comms duty at the Temple. "Poison."