Posted 26/2/2019
RESOLVE III
12.
They'd all been herded into a large underground hall. Great pillars supported the high ceiling, the structure sound, even as dust trickled down from above as the storm continued to slam against the outer shell. The artificial light was bright enough to illuminate the entire space, and Obi-Wan could see the rows of tables that had been set up in the back half of the hall. Enormous doorways on each side led to smaller halls where what looked like cooking stations stood.
The gathered Jedi spoke in quiet, calm murmurs as they each found a spot to sit or stand to wait out the storm.
A chill crept up Obi-Wan's spine, causing him to shiver involuntarily the same moment a muffled crack reverberated through the stone. The storm was hitting the ancient temple hard.
"Are you all right?" Siri asked him.
"Fine," Obi-Wan said. He surveyed the scene before him, trying to spot familiar faces in the Jedi crowd, but he quickly gave up his aimless search to follow Siri into one of the smaller halls.
Children ranging from initiate to senior padawan age stood in a line, peeling vegetables and cutting them as instructed. Three cooks that Obi-Wan recognised as non-Jedi service workers prepared the meat. They spoke to each other with familiarity as they worked, occasionally dishing out orders to the young Jedi. Obi-Wan sensed acceptance from the cooks, but he couldn't help but wonder if they had families back on Coruscant that they'd been forced to leave behind at the Jedi Temple's sudden evacuation during the assault.
He followed Siri to the corner, where a small empty table stood with four seemingly fragile chairs around it. Siri quickly took a seat, gesturing for Obi-Wan to do the same. He did as instructed and turned his attention to the diligently working youngsters. Occasionally one of them would glance up and give him a curious look, or a smile, but they kept quietly talking among themselves as they worked.
"Do you have special kitchen privileges or something?" Obi-Wan grinned, unable to prevent the ludicrous image of a domestic Siri from popping into his head.
Siri scoffed. "Something like that," she said as she swiped loose strands of hair out of her face. "Ferus is responsible for scheduling kitchen duty. I thought he'd be here."
"He's all right then?" Obi-Wan asked, and at Siri's nod of affirmation he said, "I'm glad to hear it."
"In fact," Siri said. "He was knighted a few months after we arrived on Tython."
That gave Obi-Wan pause. He wanted to congratulate her on her padawan's knighting, but the timing seemed stressed. His own knighting had been sudden, and Obi-Wan wondered if Ferus had truly been ready, or if he'd been elevated because ranks needed to be filled after the many deaths.
"The trials gave him little trouble then?" Obi-Wan asked.
"No Jedi has little trouble with the trials of knighthood, but he passed them all," Siri said softly. "Sometimes I think it happened too soon, but he changed after Coruscant. We all did, in some way. But where some broke, Ferus was forged stronger. I'm proud of him."
"He'll do well," Obi-Wan said, and he meant it.
Siri looked like she wanted to say something in response, but Obi-Wan watched her eyes shift as something behind him caught her attention. He turned and saw Bail Organa and R2-D2 head in their direction, lead by Knight Doxor. Bail looked uncomfortable, a frown etched into his brow-line.
Obi-Wan waved them over and Bail was quick to join them, a great sigh escaping him as he lowered himself onto a chair. Doxor said a few polite words, and then left the way he'd come. R2-D2 rolled up to the wall beside the table and stood still, his dome spinning slowly as he surveyed the area.
"You look frustrated, Bail," Obi-Wan said.
"Yes, well," Bail said, tugging at his collar. "Your Jedi council listened intently, but I'm not so sure they grasp the urgency of the situation. They couldn't give me a straight answer, citing that they would follow the will of the Force. I didn't want to be impolite, so I didn't say it, but to me it sounds like an excuse to sit on their hands."
"The Jedi Order is based in surrendering to the Force, Bail," Obi-Wan said.
"Yes, you all have a lot of faith in the Force," Bail shifted in his seat. "But for people like me it's an incomprehensible fairy tale. I cannot rely on some mystic power to intervene on my behalf. I have to act."
"The Force doesn't intervene in the way you think," Obi-Wan leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "It guides us, envelops us, but it's not a guard dog that will jump to our defence at the first sign of trouble. The Jedi direct the flow of the Force to aid us, but it's not an absolute power."
"Then how do you explain what you did when we escaped from Obroa-Skai?" Bail asked. "That was the closest thing to absolute power I have ever witnessed."
Obi-Wan leaned back in his chair, squeezed his knees with strained hands, and took a deep breath. He still had no memory of that event.
"What are you talking about?" Siri asked.
"Obi-Wan deflected a star destroyer's turbolasers with nothing but his mind," Bail said. "I could see the Force surrounding him. I'll never forget that sight. . . that feeling."
"Bail, I don't remember that," Obi-Wan said. "If that is what happened, then what you witnessed is an example of a Jedi completely surrendering to the Force."
"What does that even mean?" Bail asked.
"The Force is. . . A mystery," Obi-Wan said, attempting to explain in a way that would make sense to Bail. "We Jedi spend our lives studying the Force in an attempt to gain better understanding. But at the end of the day, we are as ignorant of the will of the Force as any being who lacks an understanding of gravity. Such a being might describe the flow of a river as the will of the water. The fundamental reason remains a mystery to them. And like that, the will of the Force remains a mystery to Jedi. We can only surrender to it, open ourselves to its flow, and through a lifetime of training we learn to recognise the subtle signs that lead us to greater understanding.
"The council is not being purposefully difficult, Bail," Obi-Wan sighed. "They are seeking greater understanding so they can make educated decisions. The problem is that the dark side of the Force is like a blockage slowing the flow of a river, especially in recent years. Even here."
"Here?" Bail asked.
"The storm," Obi-Wan said. "It's not a simple atmospheric pressure system. I can sense its presence the way I can sense a living being. There is suffering in that storm."
"You can sense the storm?" Siri asked, brows coming together in a frown.
"You mean you don't?" Obi-Wan asked, confused. He felt it clear as day, as though someone had planted a sign-post right in front of him.
"No," Siri said. "Not even master Yoda can sense the storms."
"But little Talsi senses it," Obi-Wan said. "And you implied there were two others who can as well."
"Yes," Siri said, her eyes focussed intently upon Obi-Wan's face. "But they sense the danger it presents. None of them, as far as I know, have described it as an identifiable presence."
"Surely I can't be the only one?" Obi-Wan said, and when Siri didn't answer he frowned and said with incredulity, "I can feel the path it's cutting. From the valley side of the Temple heading to the west and deep into the mountains where it's strongest. It's like a giant beacon. Siri, do you really not sense it?"
"No, Obi-Wan," she said. "I think you need to speak with master Yoda."
All Obi-Wan could do was lean back in his seat and stare at the opposite wall with his mouth slightly agape and his brows pulled into a frown. How was it possible that he could feel every shift of the storm when not even the grandmaster of the Order could?
It made no sense.
Late into the night the storm finally subsided. Obi-Wan and Siri were still seated in the kitchen, but the cooks and working young Jedi had long since departed. Meals had been served and dishes had been cleaned, and the Jedi had turned in for the night or found peace and seclusion in meditative exercises. Bail Organa had also put his worries to rest for the day and was likely sound asleep as well.
"He should have been here hours ago," Siri said. The only sign that she was concerned at all lay in the way she ran her finger over the smooth grain patterns of the wooden table.
Obi-Wan wanted to tell her that Ferus was fine, but he didn't know Tython's environment at all. He didn't know what lay beyond the walls of the ancient temple. He didn't know what creatures lurked in the forest. And if Ferus had gotten caught outside in the storm there was no telling where he was and in what condition. But Siri didn't need to hear this, Obi-Wan knew. She was already aware of the possibilities.
"You trained him well," Obi-Wan said. "We must trust in that and have patience."
"You don't need to lecture me, Obi-Wan," she snapped.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I only meant. . ."
Siri sighed.
"I shouldn't have snapped at you," she said. "Forgive me."
Obi-Wan nodded, but otherwise remained silent. Everyone was on edge, and he could hardly blame them. Dramatic changes tended to have that effect on people, especially if they were used to things working a certain way. The Jedi had gone from living and learning in a secure temple integrated with all the conveniences modern technology provided, to a rundown, weather-beaten, time-eroded temple that held only as many systems of convenience as the Jedi had been able to restore thus far. But that wasn't the crux of it. Jedi were trained to survive with nothing but the Force to aid them, after all. No, it was these unusual storms. . .
"Do you want to go look for him?" Obi-Wan asked.
Siri said nothing for a long moment, the candle-light causing the shadows on her face to flicker.
Obi-Wan studied the candle. It was a stark reminder that even old knowledge had its uses. No doubt the kitchen staff had been told to render the uxibeast fat from the meat stores into tallow for candle wax so generated power could be rationed.
When you light a candle it casts a shadow, the unbidden thought—observation—presented a riddle for Obi-Wan's tired mind, but he pushed the thought aside.
"Yes," Siri sighed. "I'm sure he's fine, but let's see if we can find him."
Outside it was dark as pitch, but the skies soon lit up with crackling flashes that illuminated the terrain for mere seconds before plunging everything back into darkness. The accompanying sounds were delayed by many seconds, and Obi-Wan breathed a little easier knowing that the powerful natural discharges were far away.
Siri led them down the main pathway, its weather-beaten stones overgrown with moss near the far edge. They stepped off the path, guided by the brief flashes, and ventured out into the woodlands.
"If Ferus is out here he'll likely be in this direction," Siri said.
In another brilliant flash of lightning Obi-Wan noted the mountains. The place where the eye of the Force storm had been earlier lay straight ahead, and with the storm's passing he no longer sensed an immense oppressive aura, rather, a diminished light. A beacon to which he felt inexplicably drawn.
"What's out there?" Obi-Wan asked, pointing in the direction he felt the presence, despite knowing that Siri wasn't even facing him.
"Uxibeast herds," she said. He wasn't entirely surprised when she assumed he was speaking in general terms. "Predators, herbs, wilderness and everything that accompanies it. We don't venture far. Not much has been explored."
"Why not?" Obi-Wan asked, confused that a migration of Jedi wouldn't identify the ins and outs of their new home.
"We experienced our first Force storm mere hours after we landed here," Siri said. "We weren't prepared for it, and twenty-one Jedi lost their lives. The council decided it best to limit our ranging to only as far as needed to gather food. At least until we understand our environment better."
"What about scouting with one of the starfighters?" Obi-Wan had seen the small, agile starships sitting outside, none the worse for wear. He wondered if Garen had piloted one of them to Tython.
"We have no means to replenish fuel," Siri said. "No one flies. Not while the council is still debating. Patience has become a mantra."
An ironic little grin settled onto Obi-Wan's face, and he almost laughed as he said, "You never were one for the patient life."
"I won't deny it," Siri scoffed. "But they've been debating for literal years, Obi-Wan. It's not surprising that some of the younger Jedi have gotten curious and ventured away from the explored regions to see what's out there."
"I didn't think Ferus was the type," Obi-Wan said.
"He's not," Siri said, raising her voice to be heard over the howling wind. "But his padawan is!"
"Padawan?" Obi-Wan's eyebrows shot up. Ferus was only twenty-three years old.
Sudden movement in the distance prompted both Jedi to crouch low behind an outcropping of rock. They kept quiet as they observed the space, and it wasn't long before the silhouettes of two figures became identifiable. But it was their voices, more than their physical existence that caused Siri to breath a sigh of relief.
". . . Reckless," a masculine voice said. Obi-Wan instantly recognised the cadence of Ferus Olin.
"I know, I'm sorry, master," a young feminine voice said. "But I heard it."
"That is not the point, padawan," Ferus said. "You did not consult me before running off."
"You would have said no!"
There was a slight pause before Ferus spoke again. "I doubt I need to explain the problem with that statement to you. Or am I mistaken?"
Another pause, before a slightly sulky tone arose from the padawan. "I should have come to you first master. Out of respect, but I really thought it would get away if I didn't follow it immediately."
"It did get away," Ferus said, and Obi-Wan thought the young man was doing a remarkable job keeping the frustration out of his voice.
"Only because of the storm!" The padawan said.
Obi-Wan gave Siri an amused look. She simply shook her head.
"He's got his hands full with that one," Obi-Wan whispered.
"You have no idea," Siri said as she stood and moved to intercept the younger Jedi. As she stepped around the outcropping she raised her voice and said, "What were you chasing this time?"
"Master Siri!" The girl exclaimed before running towards them. Obi-Wan thought it rather remarkable how the dark proved little hindrance for her, but when the lightning flashed again he lost his surprise. The girl was a Togruta, and Togruta had inborn senses far superior to that of humans.
"She was chasing another phantom," Ferus said as he drew level with them. Obi-Wan moved out of the shadows then, which caused Ferus to do an almost comical double-take. "Master Kenobi. . ."
"Hello Ferus," Obi-Wan said.
"You're. . . How? We thought you were. . ."
"Wow, master, I've never seen you tongue-tied before," the Togruta girl said. She turned to Obi-Wan and gave a very respectful bow, then said, "Hello, Master Kenobi. I've heard a lot about you. Mostly because my master won't shut up about you, and I bet you have tons of great stories to tell. I'm Ahsoka Tano and I'm very pleased to finally meet you."
Obi-Wan didn't know if it would be appropriate to openly display his amusement when Ferus looked ready to fall over from shock. Whether it was from his padawan's casual manner, or because of Obi-Wan's sudden appearance, he could not say. Not that it mattered, as Siri decided to step in.
"Ahsoka, you know better than to go running off by yourself," she said. "Especially towards flesh raider territories."
The girl finally deflated.
"Yes, master," she said. "I'll head straight to the temple."
"See that you do," Siri said, tone slightly more forgiving. "We'll be close behind you."
The girl nodded and walked away into the dark. Before the shadows swallowed her whole Obi-Wan called out to her. "Ahsoka," he said, then waited for her to turn towards him. When she did, her eyes shining like a predator's in the night, he said, "I do have quite a few stories to tell, and I bet you have some of your own. How about we trade tales tomorrow, over some light sparring?"
The girl's posture straightened into rigid excitement. "I wouldn't miss it, master!" She said before turning back around and continuing on her way towards the temple.
The three older Jedi began moving as well, and it took barely a few seconds for Ferus to break the silence. "I'm not ready for a padawan," he sighed.
"You did end up with a spirited one," Obi-Wan said, and the smile could be heard in the tone of his voice. "From experience I can tell you that it's not easy, but the partnership ends up being its own reward. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"I'll have to draw on your confidence then, master," Ferus said. "I have little of my own at the moment."
Obi-Wan clapped him on the shoulder. "You have to believe you can train her," Obi-Wan said gently. "She will sense your hesitation. She does sense it. You are a great Jedi, Ferus. Trust in that and the rest will come on its own."
"I'm glad to have the benefit of your wisdom once more, master," Ferus said. "How did you find your way to us? How did you survive the assault? We were told you were with the vanguard when the last ship left."
"It is quite a long story," Obi-Wan said. "And I've told it many times today. I'll regale you with it another time. For now. . . What are flesh raiders?"
"As far as we can tell they're a species of hostile natives," Siri said. "They are primitive and uncommonly violent. We've seen them cannibalise their own. As such we steer clear of the hills to the south-west, and they haven't ventured closer. Not yet at least, but in our first weeks here we did learn that the sight of a lightsaber sends them into a frenzy."
"I see," Obi-Wan said. "Perhaps they have tribal stories of encounters with the Jedi of old."
"Most likely," Siri said. "Master Windu is concerned that they will grow bold one of these days, and venture to the temple."
"As the Force wills it," Obi-Wan sighed. The moment he said those words it felt as though a horde of butterflies had been set loose between his ribs. He stopped in his tracks and glanced towards the western mountains. That beacon was still there, that presence, whatever it was.
"Master Kenobi?" Ferus said.
"It's nothing," Obi-Wan said. It was dark, he couldn't simply run off to investigate. He wanted to. He was almost desperate to. But better sense had to win out. He did his best to push the pulsing feeling aside, and turned away.
That beckoning presence stayed with him all the way to the temple.
Morning brought a calm breeze through the valleys and hills surrounding the Jedi Temple. It was almost dream-like, the way the birds sang and little wisps of clouds travelled across the blue sky. It was peaceful, and yet, Obi-Wan felt far too tired to fully appreciate the calm after the storm.
He'd had a restless night.
Sleep had come to him in short bursts. He'd drift off only to snap alert with that odd feeling in his chest. Eventually he'd given up on trying to sleep, turning to meditation instead. But that had proven to be just as disturbed as attempting to sleep had been. He'd given up on getting any rest whatsoever when the first rays of sunlight crested over the eastern horizon. He'd made his way outside and simply watched the sunrise, watched as the last of the night's stars disappeared in the great luminosity of the Tython system's sun.
And still he felt the pull towards the western mountains.
Obi-Wan drew his borrowed cloak tighter around his shoulders. It was rather lucky that he and Ferus were of similar height and build. The young man had given him his spare set of tunics and robes, and for the first time in well over two years, Obi-Wan felt like a Jedi again.
An exhausted Jedi, but a Jedi nonetheless.
"Restless your sleep was," the scratchy voice of Master Yoda said, his gimer stick tapping rhythmically on the stone as he approached Obi-Wan. "Sense your anxiety I do."
"Yes, master," Obi-Wan said. There was little point in denying it. He palmed the kaiburr crystal he'd placed near his heart, where, as a padawan, the riverstone Qui-Gon had given him once resided.
"Hm," Yoda grunted, coming to a stop beside Obi-Wan. "Different you are, from the man I remember."
"Yes," Obi-Wan knew the old Jedi was right. "I'm weary, tired."
"Difficulty you have, in finding rest," Yoda said, nodding sagely. "Sense I do how the Force surrounds you. Different from before it is."
"I think it's trying to tell me something, master Yoda," Obi-Wan said. He finally turned his face towards the diminutive Jedi and knelt down on one knee. "Or lead me somewhere."
"Hm," Yoda grunted again. "Lead you here it did. Lead all Jedi here the Force has, but blind and deaf to its call most of us are. More clearly than any Jedi do you sense Tython's currents. Follow them you must. Perhaps then will you find rest once more."
Obi-Wan sighed. His chest tightened and he could feel the stirrings of emotion heat up his eyes. He closed them, willing the moisture away. When he opened them again the sky had changed and master Yoda was no longer next to him. He sprang to his feet and glanced around in confusion. Jedi were everywhere, coming and going. Their movements filled with urgency, lightsabers in their hands. There were shuttles and starships in the sky, and he realised that he recognised none of the designs.
A starship exploded in a brilliant starburst, its remains spinning wildly as it veered towards the ground and crashed with a mighty screech of metal and a wail in the Force as several beings lost their mortal lives. Obi-Wan's lungs seized.
What was happening?
Beyond the path the wreckage had carved Obi-Wan noticed the chaos of a terrible battle. Something hit him roughly in the shoulder. He spun and stared wide-eyed at the Jedi who had shoved him. He was human, brown eyes, golden hair and beard, scowling fiercely as he ignited a brilliant emerald blade.
"Don't just stand there!" The man yelled before storming down the path, away from the wreckage and towards the edge of the forest.
Obi-Wan's feet wouldn't move. This was wrong. It was all wrong.
He watched the golden-haired Jedi run to meet a wave of beings emerging from the forest's edge. They swung red lightsabers.
Nearly frantic now Obi-Wan turned in a circle, taking in the chaos, the explosions, the clashes of lightsabers, the stench of burnt ozone and other things he'd rather not give name to. He was there, somehow. . . somehow. . . the man had spoken to him.
What is happening?
A roar in Obi-Wan's ears nearly brought him to his knees, but he pushed through the confusion and panic in time to duck below a red blade aimed at his neck. The battle was upon him now.
He called his lightsaber to his hand on pure instinct alone and blocked the next strike expertly. Obi-Wan still didn't understand what was happening, but he could feel the people around him, he could feel the hatred of the man trying to cut him to pieces, could see, feel, beings die around him. And they obviously saw him. He was part of this battle, and the how and the why mattered not.
First he needed to survive, and then he'd figure out the rest.
The Sith came at him again, relentless. Fully aware of how little he had left in reserve Obi-Wan spared little thought to preserving the life of the man attempting to gut him like a fish. He side-stepped an aggressive downward strike and brought his own blade down upon the back of the man's neck.
A red-skinned humanoid with equally red eyes charged him next. They locked blades and within three more moves Obi-Wan cut her down too.
Three more red-blade wielders targeted him then, and Obi-Wan was hard-pressed to dodge and parry all their strikes. From his peripheral he noticed a hooded Jedi move towards him. He could sense the being's concern, their determination, and moments later it was two blue blades against three red.
It didn't last. The man that had rushed to his aid was cut savagely from shoulder to hip. He was dead before he hit the ground, and Obi-Wan had no time to even consider the other deaths occurring around him. He fought on, cut down another Sith, and felt it in the Force as more lives vanished around him.
Jedi and Sith alike slaughtered each other, and for a brief moment Obi-Wan wondered why he was taking part in this seemingly endless battle. Why was he there. How was he there? How-how-how-how-how?
Why?
Obi-Wan ducked, parried, jumped, Force-pushed, struck, killed. An endless cycle. A battle so fierce and he could scarcely believe the scale of it as he fought on. Jedi fell, Sith fell, and the numbers were thinning on both sides. Then he was surrounded by four Sith warriors, and this time no one would come to his aid.
He was alone on that paved walkway leading to the temple.
Fires burned where ships had crashed. Corpses lay scattered, some in pieces. Obi-Wan didn't dare keep track of how many he had killed. He prayed for it to be a dream, an elaborate vision brought on by his fatigue.
It felt so real.
The four Sith spread around him, flanking him. They would kill him.
They would kill him and Obi-Wan didn't know what would happen when they did.
He called a fallen Jedi's lightsaber to his left hand and ignited the brilliant blue blade. At least with two blades he might stand a better chance of blocking all blows.
Two Sith charged, one from the front, one from behind. Obi-Wan leaped into the air, his body spinning in an elegant acrobatic move he'd practised countless times in his life. At the top of the arc he was facing the ground head first, and was directly above the Sith that had charged him from behind. His left blade struck the Sith's neck and severed the brain stem. He died instantly.
Obi-Wan finished the rotation and landed neatly on his feet. He fought on, blades clashing, the Sith snarling at him like rabid dogs.
A whistling sound reached Obi-Wan's ears and a warning in the Force told him to move. He turned his back to the Sith and took three running steps before leaping. The explosion's concussive force hit him mid-air and he was sent flying. Something wet and warm hit his face, and when he hit the ground he did so with the elegance of a newly born bantha calf.
The wind was knocked from his lungs, and he wanted nothing more than to just lay there until he'd caught his breath, but there was still so much malice surrounding him. He staggered to his feet and saw half a Sith near him. Blood gurgled through the man's lips. Even as he lay there dying the man was trying to sweep his lightsaber at the Jedi's feet, trying to at least inflict injury.
Obi-Wan stepped away and glanced around. The fighting was still ongoing, but fewer blades now lit the fields. Projectiles still whistled in the air. He brought the back of his hand to wipe something from his cheek, and his hand came away coated in blood. He knew it wasn't his own.
"Tave qy kash nenx nuo tu tik. Tu'iea qo kash nenx tave tik qo."
Obi-Wan looked back down at the dying Sith. The man looked at him, not with cruelty, but with conviction and acceptance.
"Tave qy kash nenx nuo tu tik. Tu'iea qo kash nenx tave tik qo," the Sith said again, one last time before the life left his eyes.
The words held no meaning for Obi-Wan. He didn't understand. He didn't understand anything. He looked around again and wondered what could possibly have set off such a brutal battle.
How am I here?
He was still on Tython, still where Master Yoda had stood next to him, but he did not sense Yoda. He sensed. . . He sensed. . .
Obi-Wan turned in time to block another deathblow from a red-blade wielder. This one was masked, and as Obi-Wan cut the man's life short the sky changed. The smoke vanished, replaced by the blue expanse and wispy clouds above. Broken and burnt earth and metal wreckage was replaced by green growth and weather-worn stone. The sun, previously at its zenith, suddenly hung midway between the eastern horizon and its peak.
Breathing hard Obi-Wan turned around to face the temple. Adult Jedi stood watch, lightsabers in their hands, but none ignited, watching him with incomprehension in their eyes.
Obi-Wan looked from face to face, breathing still strained, muscles still coiled to act. He saw Siri, her face concerned and bewildered. Ferus stood next to her, looking much the same. Master Yoda and Mace Windu stood apart from the rest, closer towards him, but both still held their distance and merely watched him with a sort of grim fascination.
The smell of blood and ozone still assaulted Obi-Wan's nose. He looked at his hands. He was still wielding two lightsabers, both still ignited. His tunics were stained, dirt and blood and things he'd rather not identify clung to the fabric.
Obi-Wan allowed the plasma of both blades to retreat. He stared at his left hand. The hilt was foreign, ancient, and had no reason to still be in his hand. His hands started shaking and his knees felt weak.
It had to have been a vision of the past.
"Obi-Wan?" Mace Windu asked, voice tentative, as one might approach a wild animal.
Obi-Wan glanced again at his hands and tunics and wondered. . . If it had been a vision, why was he covered in the remnants of gruesome battle?
"Are you all right?" Mace Windu asked, taking a hesitant step towards him.
Obi-Wan glanced around again. No corpses littered the ground. He swallowed and took a step back.
"I don't. . . I don't understand," Obi-Wan said.
He fell to his knees, and was vaguely aware that he was beginning to hyperventilate.
"I don't understand."
His shaking hands clung to the hilts of two lightsabers. His vision swam.
"Obi-Wan?"
"I don't. . . understand."
"Obi-Wan!"
