Chapter 20. Masters, Masters Everywhere

"Well, Obi-Wan?"

The urgent matters of the moment had been discussed, and strategies agreed upon, but Jedi Master Yoda's holographic image still stared at Obi-Wan, not speaking, but also not releasing him.

"Master?" Obi-Wan asked, not understanding.

Yoda finally let out an impatient grunt and banged his stick audibly on the floor. "Well, I said?"

"I'm sorry, Master Yoda. I don't understand. Was there more?"

"Ask for help you must, Obi-Wan, when you need it!" Yoda said testily. "What troubles you? Your opportunity to speak with me is now. Soon enough, another such moment might not come."

Nothing got past Master Yoda. Chagrined, Obi-Wan received the reprimand as a pupil would, with bowed head. But he also accepted the opportunity to pour out the tale of his misdeeds at the medicenter and his struggles with fatigue and meditation. Master Yoda listened intently. And wonder of wonders... instead of criticizing Obi-Wan's choices, he responded with solicitude, addressing with wise counsel the specific difficulties that Obi-Wan was experiencing. The session turned into a wide-ranging lesson about the soul-dampening, energy-dragging nature of the Dark Side of the Force, and the many techniques of protecting against it while remaining fully connected to the Light.

"Mounting everywhere, the Dark influence is, as storm clouds gather on the horizon. But the Dark One's specific attention to Tatooine preceded the blockade. Perceived its effects long before the ships arrived, you did, Obi-Wan."

"As he ... it... perceived my presence ... Jedi presence ... here on Tatooine."

"Just so."

"I will do as you have taught me, Master Yoda. I am grateful for your counsel."

"Courage, you must have, Obi-Wan! When confusion and uncertainty we face, our best efforts are the right efforts. No matter the outcome."

"Thank you, Master." Obi-Wan felt lighter and brighter, like a newly banked fire.

A short time later, clean, wearing pristine robes, and efficiently shielded in the Force, he felt entirely himself again. When Eirtaé rejoined him on the Bridge, looking like a holovid princess, the momentary glow of well-being made them both smile.

"Better?"

"Much, thanks!"

Then Eirtaé saw the tactical holodisplay, and all smiles ended.

"How long before they attack?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "There are no signs of immediate battle preparation. The Jedi Council agrees with me that at the moment, it appears to be a show of force. A political statement."

Eirtaé stared at the screens. Their greenish glow reflected on her face, highlighting lines of worry. "What does it mean, Obi-Wan?"

"War, I think. This isn't just about Tatooine. This is the beginning of something much larger."

"Padmé has been warning about the possibility of Galactic war for some time. She believes that preparing for war, as with the Military Creation Act, encourages war, and that the solution lies first and foremost in diplomacy." Eirtaé's lips compressed. "That is the reason for her fierce opposition to the very idea of a Grand Army of the Republic."

"You disagree?"

"I have always felt that it wise to prepare for the worst. I don't know how Padmé could have come to a different conclusion after the unprovoked attack on our sovereignty ten years ago. But she was Queen then. I was not."

The comment hung oddly in the air between them, piquing Obi-Wan's curiosity. But it wasn't the time for personal discussions.

"The Jedi Council also has foreseen war," he said, "but I have not been privy to the Council's views on centralizing the Republic's fighting forces."

Padmé arrived then, and with her, Anakin, of all people.

There was a brief scuffle in the hatch bay when Typho's best relieved Anakin of his cycler rifle and tried to do the same with his lightsaber, but Anakin settled down when Padmé convinced him to relinquish the rifle while preventing his Jedi weapon from being confiscated. By the time Obi-Wan arrived in the bay to see what all the fuss was, Anakin was hovering uncertainly behind Padmé, his precious lightsaber clutched in one hand, the other clenched into a fist, looking pained and wary. It was no wonder, considering the wave of dark energies he had brought with him onto the Veritas. They raised the hairs on the back of Obi-Wan's neck.

"Anakin," he said quickly. "What is it? What is wrong?"

"I need your help."

"Yes, I can see that."

Their eyes met. A challenge flared, and then was gone. Anakin looked down at his locked fist and opened it slowly, as if it took all his will to pry his fingers loose one by one. On his palm was a jewel-like crystalline object. Its sides were enclosed with delicate, elaborate filigree that looked like ornamentation.

Obi-Wan knew better.

"Where did you get that?"

Anakin frowned, as if he was struggling with an answer. "I got it from Dooku," he muttered hesitantly. "But I don't know what it is."

"It is a holocron." Obi-Wan stared at the object, riveted by the intensity of its presence in the Force. Its dark presence.

"I don't know what that is." Anakin bit off the words, as if it pained him to say them.

"Very few people do." Looking around at the curious faces that ringed him, Obi-Wan chose his words carefully. "Essentially, a holocron is a device used by the Force-sensitive to record and to communicate information." He stared at the object. A Dark holocron. For Anakin. From Dooku. Gods! "I think it would be best if Anakin and I spoke alone."

Anakin's fingers closed around the crystal again. A reflex. A defense.

Obi-Wan took a deep breath, a quieting breath, and thought of Master Yoda's words: When confusion and uncertainty we face, our best efforts are the right efforts. No matter what the outcome. If he, an experienced Jedi Knight, had needed a Master's support and reassurance, how must it be for Anakin, adrift as he was in a stark new world full of perils and uncertainties?

He came to me for help.

He sought out Anakin's eyes, endeavoring to express only warmth and reassurance. "I can easily teach you how to use it. Then, if you like, I will leave you in privacy to explore its contents. Come with me. There is a quiet space we can use."

"All right," Anakin agreed. The crystal was still clenched in his fist, but his shoulders relaxed a little. When Padmé patted his arm encouragingly, he stepped forward to follow Obi-Wan.

When they had gone, Padmé strode off in the direction of the Bridge, seemingly indifferent to her grimy appearance or to the trail of sand she left on the floor in her wake.

The Veritas had been built with a small, view-free chamber adjacent to the Bridge. Whatever its original intended use, the practical, hardworking Naboo had turned the space into a somewhat cramped meeting room. At its center stood a round table of satiny durasteel, surrounded by small repulsor seats that could be tucked underneath when not in use. The soft, indirect lighting made the metal tabletop glow faintly, like a full moon seen through dark glass.

On display at the center of the table was a purplish faceted crystal shaped like a four-sided pyramid that rested on an elaborately faceted base. It was perfectly transparent but for the complex lines of filigree that ornamented its exterior, muting some of its inner fire. For fiery is was; once Anakin placed it in the center of the table it awakened, its color changing unceasingly, the way a clear prism shoots colors from its facets when struck by an outer light. But whatever animated the crystal on the table came from within. The artificial lighting the room was indirect and dull.

Obi-Wan stood with his arms crossed gazing at it, grateful again for the fortunate timing of his talk with Master Yoda. Surrounded in Light and balanced inside and out, he was able to stand before the object objectively and without pain. For truly, the crystal was an object of the Dark Side.

On the opposite side of the table, Anakin mirrored his posture, but that was the only similarity between them. It was as if Anakin had brought the planet inside with him; he smelled of sweat and dust and engine oil and the lumbering beasts that wandered Mos Eisley's rutted streets. Even his silence ached with clashing energies and emotions. He seemed at once as impenetrable as the rock cliffs and as changeable as the sands.

"A holocron, or holographic chronicle," Obi-Wan explained carefully, "is an organic crystal-lattice device that can store enormous quantities of data. Holocrons are Force-activated, and only really usable by the Force-sensitive, which makes the information they contain quite secure from non-Force users. Master Qui-Gon and I once discovered one among the displays in a small museum on Rexus Prime, which the locals, not knowing better, had labeled and displayed as a local ornamental object. Jedi archivists later identified it as having originated in a different part of the Galaxy, long before the founding of the Republic. Holocron technology has existed for hundreds of thousands of years, long predating the Jedi Order. That means, of course, that the Sith race used such devices long before the Jedi even existed."

He paused, hoping for a reaction from Anakin. None was forthcoming. Did Anakin know about the Sith, ancient or modern? Did he know enough to connect the Sith with Qui-Gon's murder? It was impossible to tell.

"The Jedi use holocrons as a teaching tool. Unlike other forms of data storage, holocrons are interactive in a unique way. Each one contains a gatekeeper which, when activated, can perceive the nature and skill level of the user, and either provide access to or block the data contained within the particular device, according to its programming. There are thousands of holocrons in the Library in the Jedi Temple, some very ancient. There isn't a Jedi alive who, as a Padawan, didn't try to hack a holocron for forbidden information, but as far as I know, none ever succeeded. Holocron gatekeepers are that good."

Anakin's tense expression softened a little, but still he asked no questions.

"Once the device is activated, the gatekeeper appears, like a hologram in a holotransmission. In fact, talking to the gatekeeper is very much like talking to a person on a holo. The best ones are so versatile and responsive that it is easy to forget that one isn't speaking to a live person. But that is where the resemblance ends. A holocron is created for a specific reason. If it is a broad purpose, like storing knowledge for transmission to future generations, any Force-sensitive user can access its contents. If it is intended for only one user, only that person can activate that holocron.

"I have to ask you, Anakin - how did you come upon this particular holocron? Was it given to you directly?"

Anakin shook his head and then added, somewhat reluctantly, "It was hidden. My lightsaber began vibrating in a particular way when I got close. I wouldn't have found it otherwise."

"Well, then." Obi-Wan nodded. "That suggests that this device was quite specifically intended for you alone. It may have been programmed to remain quiescent until a designated time. The technology required to build one has similarities to that required in building a lightsaber, although it is of course far more complex. This particular holocron might even have been designed to harmonize only with your weapon.

"I have to say, this is the first time I have seen a holocron shaped like a pyramid. The ones I am familiar with have four or more sides. Color-changing holocrons are also rare." Obi-Wan rubbed his chin, studying the restlessly glowing crystal. "Let us see whether this one works in the same way as others."

Removing his hand from his chin, Obi-Wan passed it over the holocron. The crystal's inner light flared, becoming almost blinding.

"Ow!" Obi-Wan jerked his hand back, shaking it out as if he'd been zapped by a plasma bolt. It felt like he'd been zapped with a plasma bolt.

A hologram of Dooku's face appeared, and grew eerily until it nearly filled the space between them.

"Welcome, Anakin," the face said. Then it swiveled to face Obi-Wan. "Jedi BEGONE!" it roared. Coming from a gigantic, purplish holographic image, the effect was quite startling.

The sides of Anakin's mouth twitched.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "See? The gatekeeper is a powerful, and discerning, guardian of the information within the holocron." He bowed mockingly to the simulacrum of the former Jedi Master, whose features he recognized from the huge bust that still graced the Temple library. "As you wish... Sith."

With a last glance at Anakin, whose entire attention was focused on the holographic face, Obi-Wan left the small room and gently slid closed the door behind him.

Safely on the other side of the door, he paused to take a deep breath and to wait until his knees stopped trembling before rejoining the others on the bridge.

Even for a Jedi, it can be hard to face a truth when you don't want it to be true.

Dooku - his Master's Master! - was one of the Fallen.

He collected himself and hurried to the bridge, demanding that it be cleared. Padmé protested, but Captain Typho whispered something in her ear, and she reluctantly left with the others. Eirtaé brushed by Obi-Wan with the barest whisper of a touch on his forearm. Moments later he again stood before the holographic image of the ancient Jedi Master Yoda: his Master's Master's Master.

Yoda listened carefully to what Obi-Wan had to say. When Obi-Wan was done speaking, he sat silently, his holographic image radiating pure Jedi composure.

"Long, the line of inheritance is, from one generation to the next," Yoda said at last. "Tightly woven, the strand of trust that binds them, one to the other. Painful beyond expressing it is, when that strand breaks, leaving the ends to drift."

So, he was not as composed as he seemed, then. No more than Obi-Wan.

"Dooku wants Anakin. He is cultivating him!"

"That he is."

"Master Yoda, we must prevent Anakin from joining the Sith!"

"Long have we foreseen this possibility for Anakin's destiny. Take action, we did, to prevent it. Know, we did not, that Dooku might be its instrument. Wrong, we were, in our belief that such gifts as Anakin's would not seek expression without training."

"That is why you expelled him from the Order!"

Yoda's great round eyes fixed Obi-Wan's. Despite the static of the holotransmission he had the sense that he stood directly in front of the Jedi Master.

"Cautious, you must be, Obi-Wan. Cautious! Your impulse it is, to prevent this event at all costs. Arose out of a similar sense of urgency, did the Council's decision to remove Anakin from the path of training. But learned we have, by our mistake, that destiny is the strongest binding of all."

"Then ... nothing can be done?" Obi Wan's voice barely rose above a whisper.

"One thing, and one thing only, can change a being's destiny, Obi-Wan."

"What is that, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, bracing himself for the answer, dreading to hear it... dreading...

"Free will. His own free will."

Ohhh. The holotranmission hissed and crackled softly in the ensuing silence. Or was it the sigh of Obi-Wan's slowly released breath?"

"Not... death, then?"

Yoda scrunched up his face. "Like a Tathian serpent, destiny is. Stopped with a single stroke, it cannot be; cut off one head, and three grow in its place. Cuts short an existing path, does death, but forces, influences, actors connected with the emptied path may leap in to fill the void. Only by conscious choice, is a new journey created."

Relief, hot and sweet, ran through Obi-Wan's veins and shook his knees. I won't have to destroy Anakin ... I won't have to ... thank the Force... It took a moment before he recovered enough to ask, "Then what am I to do here, Master?"

"Befriend Anakin, you must, while he finds his way."

Obi-Wan shook his head sadly. "Oh, Master Yoda. After what we did ... after what I did to him... that is very unlikely."

"True friendship does not demand anything in return, Obi-Wan. Gives without asking, it does. A friend to Anakin, you must be, whether or not he responds in kind." The old Jedi smiled faintly. "Once before, you set out on this path. Escape your destiny, you also cannot, it seems."

Without realizing it, Obi-Wan had crossed his arms tightly against his body; a defensive posture if there ever was one. "There is no guarantee that I will succeed at this. In fact, it seems unlikely."

"Do everything in your power, you must."

Obi-Wan let out a sigh so deep it sounded like a groan. Master Yoda watched him patiently, resting his chin on the hands that in turn rested on his ever-present stick.

"And if I fail?" Obi-Wan ventured. "If Anakin joins the Sith..."

"Best, it would be," Master Yoda said, "if that does not happen."

Obi-Wan looked down, holding himself tightly. Once again, the Council had made plain that it was all on him - everything rested on him. An entire Council of Jedi Masters had failed, and yet somehow they believed that he might succeed? He couldn't imagine why. And he certainly didn't want to think about the consequences if they were wrong this time, too.

"I will do as you ask, Master Yoda," he murmured at last. He had never refused a task, no matter how impossible-seeming.

"Have faith in you, I do, Obi-Wan."

When Obi-Wan left the bridge, hurrying toward his cabin with his head down, in desperate need of solitude, Eirtaé met him in the corridor, where she had been waiting for him. Before she could speak, he shook his head, and hurried away.

Left alone with the strange device after having endured a lecture from Obi-Wan Kenobi (in fairness, it had been a decently helpful lecture, but still...); knowing that his planet was under threat, and that the threat might be none other than his teacher and mentor, Anakin was torn by so many different emotions that he hardly knew what to feel, much less what to think. He had even less idea what to say when it slowly dawned on him that the first move was his. After its outburst, the larger-than life Dooku-image remained silent.

Anakin cleared his throat. "I want to know what is going on here."

That seemed to do the trick.

"Greetings, Anakin," Dooku's image beamed again. "Congratulations are in order for having successfully completed your last test. Because you are alive, and you have succeeded in finding this holocron, you are now ready for the next set of lessons."

Lessons? What? "Lessons! I have no time for lessons! I want to know what is going on. Why is a fleet threatening Tatooine? Is it yours?"

"Now, Anakin, what would you say is the most important skill for the Force-user?"

"You're serious? We're doing a lesson right now? Here?"

"Pay attention. This is crucial. What is the most important skill for a Force-user?"

Anakin stared at Dooku-that-wasn't-Dooku. What was this thing? How interactive was it really? Because it certainly wasn't listening to him.

"Well, Anakin? Surely you have an answer of some kind to propose?"

So it was listening .. But only for what it was programmed to hear. Was that it?

Useless piece of crap.

"OK. How about this: the most important skill for a Force-user is to not get blown up by a fleet that is threatening his planet ... OW!"

The moment the words were out of his mouth, something zapped him ... hard... on the tender side of his neck. Exactly like that damned training remote, he thought, with a fleeting flash of sympathy for Kenobi.

"Now let us try again," the Dooku-hologram said imperturbably. "What is the most important skill for the Force-user?"

"Uh..." Anakin equivocated, rubbing the side of his neck, "... uh..." And then it hit him. "The ability to establish a connection with the Force," he said quickly, remembering his powerful first lesson on the Serena, which had almost cost him his lightsaber.

"That is indeed important, as you have learned. But consider this: how do you know when you have established such a connection?"

"Uh..." Once again, Anakin felt stupid. Somehow, Dooku always made him feel that way. "You ... just know."

"How do you know?"

Anakin kept his hand on his neck, just in case. "You can feel it. Things work better. Everything is easier, in a way."

The hologram nodded. "The signs are sometimes subtle, are they not? Difficult to distinguish?"

"Yes," Anakin had to agree. "That's why it was so hard to learn to trust in the Force. Unless you know what you are looking for, it's very hard to perceive."

Holo-Dooku smiled. "Exactly. So while the connection with the Force is crucial, there is another skill that comes first. The most basic skill of all."

Anakin stared at the familiar face. It seemed to stare back. Its expressions were perfectly responsive, just as if he was really talking tothe man himself. In spite of his frustration with the lesson, Anakin was intrigued by the programming that went into a holocron. Here was yet another interesting thing to learn...

"Well?" The face was frowning.

Uh-oh. Apparently he'd let himself be distracted too long. Keeping his hand on his neck, Anakin stammered out something... anything ... to prevent being zapped again. "Um... the ability to tell whether you're connected with the Force?"

"That is one way of putting it. Clumsy, but accurate in the largest sense. Because we deal with the invisible, the subtle, the most important skill for the Force-user is discernment. By this I do not mean only the capacity to identify things or to distinguish among them. True discernment is the ability to look into the very heart and nature of everyone and everything we encounter. To see while also perceiving. To recognize in everything around us, no matter how mundane, its right place and meaning within the Force. Discernment gives us the capacity to understand not only the thing itself, but what is behind it."

Well, that was pretty abstract. Anakin wasn't sure he understood what the holocron was getting at. If it asked him to restate all that, or worse, to offer specific examples, he'd get zapped for sure. He was certain, though, that there was more to this lesson than appeared on the surface. He had that same sense of wariness, of heightened attention, that kept him safe in the desert, say, or warned him about other people's hidden intentions.

Anakin took his hand off his neck and leaned forward.

"I thought I do that all the time."

"You do it instinctively. You perceive more deeply than others because of your innate connection with the Force. But you must learn to do it consciously, waking moment of your life! When you look, you must see not only the surface, but what lies beneath. When you hear, you must hear beyond the obvious to the very harmonics of the Force. Everything you perceive with your ordinary senses is but a shadow on the wall. Reality - true reality, or the Truth - is not the shadow you see, but the light that casts it." The hologram's gaze grew even more intense, if that was possible. "This light - the power - is behind everything. You must learn to know the true nature of reality."

Anakin scowled. This was not a lesson like the others. He didn't like abstractions. He liked practical lessons. What he liked even less was what he was feeling. He sensed shadows. Shifting eddies in the Force. Nameless caution twisted through him, making him sweat.

Anger, too, gnawed at him. He didn't know why.

"Then you, too, are a shadow," he declared boldly. "What's behind you?"

To his surprise, the hologram began to laugh. "What indeed? What indeed!"

The holocron began to glow as before, when Kenobi had tried to activate it, only the glow kept increasing until a sudden flare obliterated Dooku's face. Before he could think, Anakin's blue blade leaped out to smash away an energy bolt that could have done serious damage if it had struck him. The clash was blinding. Dooku's laughter hung in the air long after the light subsided.

"Your skills are improving," his disembodied voice said, sounding amused.

"Not fast enough," Anakin muttered, trying to slow his furious breathing. "What was the point of that?"

There was no answer. The holocron was once again a small object at the center of the table, glowing faintly with a distant inner pulse.

Anger, pure and raw, surged through Anakin. Faster than a rock lizard's tongue, his left hand shot out to seize it, to crush it in his fist. Diamond-hard facets cut into his palm. He squeezed harder, trembling fiercely, as if he could crush the inner life out of the thing. When blood began to drip onto the table, he finally slammed it back down on the tabletop and let go. The colors brightened, and Dooku's face rose up again.

"You're supposed to be INTERACTIVE!" Anakin yelled, shaking.

"Greetings, Anakin," the hologram intoned serenely, as if greeting him for the first time. (A new program? What WAS this?)

Anakin's blade emerged again, ready to destroy.

"I have a message for you about your mother."

The blade hung in the air.

"If it turns out that her condition requires new eyes, you should know that the best cloners in the Galaxy can be found on a planet called Kamino. Perhaps your Jedi friends can help you to locate it?"

The hologram vanished. The colors stilled. Once again, the holocron looked like nothing more than a museum piece, a curiosity from a faraway place.

Anakin's blade hung uncertainly above it a while longer before disappearing as well, leaving the small room cloaked in its usual dull silence.

Toward twilight of that long, anxious day on the Veritas, delicious smells began to waft through the corridors. The musical ring of fine dishes and cutlery being laid out drifted with it. It was the first time in many days that the entire Naboo contingent was together in one place. Primitive planet or no, looming invasion force notwithstanding, the Naboo were going to sit down to a civilized dinner. Danil had scavenged the best he could find of local provisions (the weekly black market had provided some surprising delicacies) and had slaved all afternoon in the small galley kitchen. It occurred to Padmé that she hadn't seen Anakin for several hours. Wondering whether he had left the ship without saying goodbye, she set out to look for him. To her utter relief, she found him on the bridge, bent over the navicomputer.

"There you are. I thought you might have gone."

Without looking up, he held out one arm to her. She crossed the bridge to him. The beckoning arm slipped around her waist, drawing her close to his side, while his other hand restlessly worked the flashing screen.

"What are you doing?"

"Have you ever heard of a planet called Kamino?"

"No... but it must be in the databanks."

"It doesn't seem to be."

She leaned over him to look. Her hair, which she had washed and left to hang loose, brushed the side of his face. He stilled, breathing deeply, and turned to look up at her. The expression in his eyes was ... well, he looked as if he were seeing her for the very first time. Wonder. He smiled. The sides of his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

"Dinner is almost ready. Will you join us?"

His arm tightened around her waist. She leaned into him.

"I lost track of the time."

His other arm came around her, and before she knew it, she was sitting sideways on his lap in the big navigator's chair, the skirt of her loose gown hanging over the side. He was still wearing his old clothes, but with the neck was open and the sleeves were pushed back, as if he'd had a good wash and not bothered to refasten them. He smelled faintly of fine soap.

"What's that?" she touched a red welt on the side of his neck.

He reached up to take her hand away. Held onto it. "Nothing."

"So ... dinner?"

"I don't know. I need to talk to Remy..." He broke off in mid-sentence and whirled the chair around to face the entrance to the bridge. Obi-Wan stood there. Anakin pulled Padmé a little closer; almost like a shield, she thought.

"Pardon the intrusion," Obi-Wan said politely. "Anakin, I have a message for you from Dax. The treatment of your young friend Lupie is complete. It seems that he will make a complete recovery. Dax is ready to see treat your mother tomorrow morning, if you approve."

Anakin let out a great sigh. "That is very good news. Thank you." He leaned down to Padmé. "I should go see him," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

She nodded, slipping hastily off his lap. Padmé hurried past Obi-Wan, whose gaze followed her just a little, out of the corner of his eye.

When she had gone, Obi-Wan moved closer. "What are you working on?"

"I'm trying to find a planet that doesn't seem to exist."

"How do you know of it?"

"Dooku. The holocron."

"Ah. Do you... do you need any help?"

"It's a funny thing." Anakin leaned back in the big chair. "Dooku - the holocron, I mean ... said that I should get my Jedi friends to help me find it. What do you suppose he meant by that?"

"If you don't mind me asking, in what context did this come up?"

"He mentioned my mother." Anakin recited the holocron gatekeeper's exact words.

Obi-Wan sank down in the pilot's chair next to him, looking deeply throughtful. "I am quite certain that the MedLab that Dooku provided for you is capable of cloning required body parts."

"It is. I've read all the specifications."

They stared at one another.

"It certainly sounds like a cloaked message," Obi-Wan said at last, "but one whose meaning may not become clear until the planet is indeed found." He gestured toward the navicomputer. "Have you had any luck?"

Anakin shook his head. "None at all. It's as if Kamino doesn't exist."

Obi-Wan frowned. "Every known planet is in that database. Perhaps the name "Kamino" is a code of some kind?"

"He... it ... said that it has to do with cloners."

"Cloners! This is strange indeed." Obi-Wan thought for a moment. "If you like, I will ask the Jedi archivists for help. We have resources unmatched in the Galaxy."

Anakin shrugged. "Sure." He stood up. "I'm going to go see Lupie and the guys. If you find anything, you know where to find me."

Obi-Wan nodded.

"Well," Anakin said, a little awkwardly, turning to leave. "Goodbye..."

His former Jedi Master stood as well, looking nearly as awkward. "You know, Anakin, none of this would be possible if you had remained a Jedi." He gestured vaguely toward the door to the bridge, where Padmé had disappeared, but Anakin knew exactly what he meant.

"You mean, friendship wouldn't be possible if I were a Jedi?"

"Friendship, yes. Great friendship. But not... this."

Anakin rolled his eyes and stomped off, this time without a shred of hesitation. Outside in the corridor he nearly collided with the woman called Eirtaé, who quickly stepped out of his way, looking a little flushed, as if she had been eavesdropping. For some reason, Anakin's face also felt hot. He nodded brusquely at her, and made his way to the hatch bay.

If he'd had a mirror, he would have realized that he was blushing to the roots of his hair.

For the third time that day, Obi-Wan spoke to Master Yoda. This time, they discussed the possible existence of a planet of cloners called Kamino.

"Clever, my old student is. Never to be underestimated. Possible it is, that Anakin's message is in fact meant, not for him, but for the Jedi."

"I thought so immediately, Master."

"More and more new pieces, this puzzle has. Bring them together, we must. Find your missing planet, I will." He looked sharply at Obi-Wan through the holographic static. "Told you that much, at least, Anakin did. A positive sign, that is."

"He only told me because he needed my help."

"A good beginning it is, Obi-Wan. Stay with him, you must. Help when he allows it. But take great care. For now, your constant companion, the Dark Side is."

"Not if I can help it, "Obi-Wan muttered, in a highly uncharacteristic outburst of of expressed opinion.

Master Yoda was still smiling when the transmission ended.