Annnd I am back! Chapter 28! Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I began that story! thank you for all your wonderful reviews! This is a wonderful adventure and I'm so glad I can share it with amazing readers like all of you!
without further due, he's chapter 28! I hope you enjoy it! don't be afraid to review, I reply to everybody!
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The Temple dojos were dead quiet at this time of the day; even though the walls were still buzzing from all the excitement and the light energy of all the Jedi who trained within them for the last few hours, the tranquility of the room could almost compare to the one certain Jedi sought within the Meditation Chapel. It was almost strange, almost as if that quietness was out of place for that specific part of the Temple. It was always exploding with lightsaber sounds, grunts, applauding Initiates groups, Padawans asking questions or pants from exhausted Master who felt like a retune of fighting techniques was due.
Anakin has never been one to particularly enjoy silences like the one he was experimenting right now. They made him feel uneasy and afraid that the slightest sound he would make could disturb everything and everyone. In fact, the room was so quiet that he was even afraid to take a deep breath. At least when there was action around, he was able to move as he pleased…
Obi-Wan really didn't seem to mind the absence of sound, though. His old teacher was sitting cross-legged just in front of him in what Anakin assumed to be in a deep meditation. Of course, he could simply reach for the man through their bond to check his theory, but after a recent argument between the two of them, Anakin knew better than to disturb his former Master while he was connected with the deep layers of the Force.
Anakin let out a discreet sigh and looked down at his own crossed legs. Meditation has never been his thing. Doing it to search for information and answers through the Force in time of need and emergency, he never minded. But just sitting there to connect with the Force itself and release all the negative energies like Obi-Wan always told him… nah. Tinkering with his droids parts or even his Starfighter was much more efficient in doing the job. But when Obi-Wan had proposed to do so while they were waiting for the rest of the Council to arrive, he hadn't had the courage to say no.
Speaking of the kriffing Council, where were they?!
"Someday I will teach you patience, young Padawan."
Anakin lifted his head when he heard the voice of his former mentor break the silence of the room. The older Jedi still had his eyes closed and his head bowed in concentration, but Anakin could feel that the man's grip to the Force was not as high as it was seconds ago. Feeling guilt and wonder weight on his shoulder, Anakin looked down again. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you." He whispered, asking himself what it is he had done wrong to pull Obi-Wan out of his trance.
"You didn't." Obi-Wan added, his eyes still closed, "Your thoughts are naturally loud and I'm used to them by now. In fact, they are a reassuring presence in my mind."
"Hmm."
As he felt Obi-Wan slowly reconnect with the Force, Anakin, on the other end, disconnected completely from it and lifted himself off the floor, pacing around the large circular room with his arms crossed on his chest. He had difficulties to hide his hatred towards the Jedi Council right now. His antipathy for the small group of so-called Masters was flowing through his entire being and he truly did his best to try and hide it. Without success, of course.
"Anakin, please, do your old Master a favor and calm down. You're truly not helping." Obi-Wan added after a sigh; it was difficult to completely ignore his former Padawan's broadcasting emotions. If his shields weren't stronger, Obi-Wan knew the entire Temple would be able to feel him.
Anakin whined under his breath and threw his arms in the air. "I still can't understand why they asked you to prove yourself. Like you didn't do that many years ago!"
This time, Obi-Wan actually opened his eyes and his head turn toward Anakin's position. "I am deprived of my sight, Anakin. I may be still efficient in a dojo but nothing proves that I'm efficient on a battlefield. Their concern is understandable." He declared, his voice calm and reasoned.
Anakin scoffed. "Understandable my ass. You're their best swordsman on the field and they refuse to see it."
"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin." Obi-Wan lightly scolded, then got to his feet, walking to stand inches behind his old student. "Look, I truly appreciate your praise and your confidence in me. But the Council just wants to make sure I'm able to defend myself and others without being a danger to myself and others. Can you blame them?"
Anakin shifted from one foot to another, uncomfortable. "I know, I know… It's not about that specifically, but in general… You've proven yourself countless of times in your life and still they have difficulties trusting you. Force, you defeated General Grievous! What's more to prove?!" He exclaimed, frustrated. To his eyes, Obi-Wan was simply the best Jedi in their ranks; cunning fighting skills, excessively good flying techniques (though he hated it), excellent negotiation expertise and a good heart. It really got on his nerves that the Council still had the guts to request that the man proves his abilities. "And besides," He added, "You read how this Visas was able to get around even though she couldn't see! From what you told me, I wouldn't want to fight her face to face! That woman was deadly!"
Obi-Wan smiled and chuckled. What Anakin said was true; Visas Marr, even though blind, had been one of the deadliest warriors during the times of the Old Republic. Thank the Force she had turned to the light side before the end of the War, or the Sith might be still ruling the Galaxy today. "I conquer, Anakin. But that only proves how we must take her writings with a critical eye: she was under the influence of the Dark Side when she wrote those techniques…" He reasoned, understanding why the Council might feel uneasy with Marr's journal.
Anakin looked at his former Master with an annoyed smile. "You? Turn to the Dark Side? Get out."
Obi-Wan laughed with his former student, but quickly recalled Qui-Gon's wise words. "Our paths are never set in stone, Anakin. We never know what could possibly happen in our lives."
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying we could turn to the Dark Side one day?"
"I'm not implying anything of the sort, I'm just saying that the Force is full of surprises." Obi-Wan retorted, then chuckled. "Blast, with your kind of temper you might end up as a half-robot twisted evil with a breathing mask, for all I know!"
Anakin saw the image and laughed with good heart. He knew that Obi-Wan was only joking. "Oh kriff, thank the Force that's never going to happen!"
Obi-Wan smiled and winked at his old student. "Of course it's never going to happen. You're a good man, Anakin. I trust you with my life."
"Thank the Force for that, too, because without me you would be long dead by now!"
"Indeed!"
"How many times have I saved your butt by now?"
"Please, don't mention it."
After laughing it up, the two men fell silent again, the atmosphere a little more comfortable than it had been several minutes ago. For a moment, Obi-Wan considered going back to meditation, but he decided to do otherwise instead. It has been a long time since he had had the opportunity to catch up with Anakin. The last several months had been, well, difficult. For a start, he had to admit that he had been a complete ass for the first months of his recovery and speaking to anyone at the time hadn't been a very important part of his time. Afterwards, he had been occupied between negotiation missions, training and spending as much time as he could with his sweet Meila. Obi-Wan knew that if he was able to prove himself today that he would most likely be sent on mission soon – a fighting mission – and the couple dreaded their upcoming separation. Thinking of leaving her behind while he might not be coming back was harder than he had first imagined. To think that Anakin had been through this countless of times…
"Could I ask you some advice, my young Padawan?" Obi-Wan asked.
Anakin turned to face him, trying to supress the surprise in his facial expression at Obi-Wan actually asking him for advice. "Of course, Master, any time."
Obi-Wan sighed, not too sure how to approach the situation. "How do you, uhm… Cope when you go on mission and leave Padme behind?"
Anakin looked as his former Master and instantly knew where the man was going with this: since Meila had come back in his life, he had never truly been separated from her, not with the possibility of not coming back anyway. "It's never easy, Master, especially now that we have Leia around. I was lucky enough to be present when she said her first word. You have to accept that you are going to miss her, or else you'll fight more with yourself and it'll distract you. That's all I can say, really."
Obi-Wan nodded and stroke his beard in thoughts. "Speaking of Padme, how is she?"
"She's holding up." Anakin said, a small smile building on his lips at the thought of his beloved wife. "She misses Luke every single day, but at least now she smiles like she used to. Leia is our bundle of joy, she looks so much like her mother…"
"I'm glad to hear it."
"What about you, Master?"
A confused look on the older man's face. "What about me?"
"You and Meila." Anakin clarified, "Thinking of tying the knot yet?"
Obi-Wan's face reddened with a light blush at Anakin's words. "Oh, I don't think so…"
Anakin almost choked on his own saliva. Obi-Wan was so, so in love with this woman and he wasn't thinking about proposing to her? That didn't make any sense. "Why not?" He simply asked, knowing that Obi-Wan must have a really good reason.
"It's… complicated." Obi-Wan began, "A woman of her culture will only marry once she's ready to procreate, you see? The basic principle of marriage is based on having children and starting a family, not love."
Anakin laughed a little at Obi-Wan's words. "So? I sure would love to see little Obi-Wans jumping around! Come on, Master, you would make a great father…"
The smile that settled on Obi-Wan's face was a really sad one and his eyes dropped to the floor. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "The Facility's Master made sure that she… Well, the Master couldn't afford her to become pregnant so he… She can't have kids, Anakin." The older man explained, stumping on his words. Knowing that his sweet Meila couldn't realize her long life dream still hurt him at this day. He also decided to keep the fact that she had already been pregnant and the abortion to himself. It had been such a shock to her that no one needed to know this specific detail.
Anakin's first reaction's was complete shock. He certainly wasn't expecting that. "You mean they…?"
Obi-Wan nodded at Anakin's silent implication. "Yes, they did."
Anakin shook his head in wonder. "But, couldn't we try to like, cure it? I'm sure the Temple's Hall of healings would be capable of- oh…"
Anakin stopped talking realizing what he was about to say. Of course, the Temple had everything necessary to restore Meila's fertility or even increase her chances of procreating. But that involved heavy technological procedures not to mention laboratory life manipulation. Everything Meila stood against. After the argument the young Jedi had had with the woman on the subject back on Alderaan, Anakin highly doubted they would be able to convince her to go through the procedures.
Obi-Wan had heard his former Padawan's thoughts about the matter. "She would never accept this, Anakin. You know it."
Anakin's facial expression quickly passed from shocked to pissed. "Oh, son of a wompus!" The young Master groaned as he fought the sudden urge to hit something and break it. "I'm sorry, Master, I… I didn't know."
Obi-Wan gave him a reassuring smile. "It's fine. Just keep it to yourself, alright? Being stripped of her fertility might have been the most traumatic experience she has gone through."
"I can only imagine…" Anakin conquered, a question on his lips he was reluctant to ask. But Anakin being Anakin, he couldn't not ask. "How do you feel about that?"
The younger man expected his former Master to take a deep breath and stroke his beard in wonder as he pondered the question. He even expected the older man to hesitate to give a reply and to try to find some kind of excuse to explain his reasoning. But Obi-Wan was bold and straight when he answered. "It's better this way."
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Now Obi-Wan seemed uncomfortable. "You see, I can afford to go on missions and leave Meila behind. We both agreed to it and I can deal with the loss and the pains of the separation. It's different for a child, though…"
Instantly, Anakin understood. The look little Leia gave him when he left home not really sure when or if he would come back was indescribable. Padme understood the consequences of being with a Jedi. But how could a child understand such things? It was simple enough: as such a young age, they could not. "You are totally right on this, Master… I never considered this before."
Obi-Wan said nothing but fell deep in thoughts. The realistic part of his brain told him that no, he had no time to become a father. His life and soul was devoted to the Jedi Order and the Republic and he intended to keep it that way. He had already allowed his heart to open itself for Meila and he was pretty sure it was all he could bear. Thinking of leaving her was already hard enough and leaving a child, especially if it was his own, would probably be too difficult on his already overwhelmed heart. It really was best for him not to have any kids. The Code would probably not allow it anyway.
But… Seeing himself sitting in a rocking chair with a small bundle who had Meila's eyes and his copper hair sleeping soundly against his chest brought a warm feeling to his heart. Even though that scenario was biologically impossible if he respected Meila's culture, just the thought of having a small infant who would eventually call him daddy was enough to make him smile. Each time Luke jumped in his arms and cooed of happiness when Obi-wan came to see him in the crèche, the Jedi wondered what it would feel like to be able to cuddle an infant like this and call him his son. He might have sworn his life to the Jedi Order, but he knew that there would always be a part of him missing that part of life, having children, starting a family. A lot of normal people wished they could be a Jedi and right now Obi-Wan only wished to be normal. He had a feeling that if Meila asked him tomorrow to adopt a child, he would go through with it, with or without the Council's approval.
Still, Anakin wasn't convinced. He knew his Master probably better than he knew himself and deep down he just knew that Obi-Wan desperately wanted to drop one knee and ask Meila's hand. To be engaged in such a way with the woman he loved would probably make Obi-Wan the happiest man in the known universe. Just the way the man was smiling in Meila's presence was practically giving it away. Anakin hesitated a little, but decided to verbalise his opinion anyway. "But Master, if you really want to marry her…"
Obi-Wan looked slightly annoyed. "Just drop it, Anakin, please…"
"I'm only saying that you've done so much to respect her ways and her culture… why couldn't she do the same for you, just once?"
Beside him, Obi-Wan froze. Technically, Anakin was right: in his own culture, if he could say it like that, people constantly married for love, children involved or not. Just the thought of placing a ring to her finger unleashed butterflies in his stomach. It was, after all, something that had always been impossible for him. Still, he didn't like the idea of causing her pain by reminding her of her situation, which he knew would happen if he asked her to marry him. "I'll… think about it."
Seconds later, he heard the rest of the Council enter the dojo and Obi-Wan pushed those thoughts away in order to concentrate.
At the other end of the Temple, Meila was sitting on the living room floor right in front of the couch where Ahsoka was installed, slowly braiding her hair. The female Knight had had an afternoon leave and had decided to visit her new friend in Anakin and Obi-Wan's quarters. The two ladies did get along quite well. Smiling, Meila took one of the braids previously done by the Togruta and chuckled in amazement. "My dear, I cannot believe how you can possibly do such beautiful braids with not a single hair on your body!" She exclaimed as she admired the Jedi's fine work on her shoulders.
Ahsoka smiled as she finished another braid, putting it on the side so she could begin another one. "Well, I used to have a friend who would let me practice on her when we were very young. Her name was Barris and she had long, luscious black hair. Very easy to work with. One day she came in with her hair cut too short to braid, I was mortified!" She recalled, feeling a soft pang in her heart at the thought of her lost friend.
Meila smiled at the thought of black hair; everyone back on her home planet was blond or brunette, so black hair had always seemed fascinating for her. "Is Barris still within the Jedi Order?" She asked out of curiosity.
Ahsoka closed her eyes and sighed, her fingers stopping their work temporarily in Meila's curls. "She's in prison today, unfortunately."
Meila turned around to face the Jedi, completely shocked. "What?! What happened?"
Ahsoka looked down at her hands, searching her words. Even today, she could not bring herself to understand Barris' actions. "She had, uhm… different opinions concerning our way of action as Jedi. I can understand what she meant on a certain level, but she took extreme measures to prove her point while framing others to escape justice. That's something that I will never be able to forgive."
As she looked at Ahsoka, Meila's sixth sense rang in her heart. She had always been able to perceive emotions in others and right now, Ahsoka was broadcasting a deep sadness and betrayal in her words and somehow, Meila knew what had happened between those two. "She framed you, didn't she?"
At first, Ahsoka seemed surprised, but nodded. "It was Anakin who found out the truth. If he didn't, I think I would be in Bariss' place today… I-"
Meila shook her head and took Ahsoka's hands in hers. "Don't think about that, my dear. If I believe what Obi-Wan tells me about the Force, you wouldn't have ended up in prison while being innocent. You have a good heart, Ahsoka. Concentrate on that."
"Anakin told me how easy you were to talk to…" Ahsoka added, "He was totally right about that."
Meila released the Jedi's hand and winked at her. "We ladies must help each other, don't we?"
Ahsoka smiled and resumed to braid the other woman's hair. "I agree! Anakin also told me that you and Obi-Wan went on a little vacation on Alderaan, how was that?"
Meila chuckled to herself. It had been absolutely wonderful. It had given Obi-Wan the opportunity to push his condition aside and be himself again, to place the Jedi aside for a couple of days and simply be a man. It had been a weekend full of laughter, joy and passion. Especially passion, since her and the Jedi had spent quite a few moments in bed. She was glad that the fears of the facility were now cleared of her system; she had even been able to let Obi-Wan top while they made love without feeling any discomfort at all. She had to say that even if he was a novice, Obi-Wan knew just how to handle her body with as much passion than gentleness. It might seem normal for any couple for the man to top, but for her it was a huge improvement. "It was amazing, we even had a small food fight." Meila recalled, letting the details of her intimacy with the Jedi Master aside. No one needed to know that.
Ahsoka's hands stopped abruptly in her hair. "Excuse me?"
Meila had to laugh as she recalled Obi-Wan's stumped face after she had covered it with cream while he didn't expect it. "Yes, he had splashed cream on my face while we made dinner, so of course I had to have my revenge…"
"Hold on!" Ahsoka laughed, "You mean to tell me that Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, member of the Jedi High Council and legendary Negotiator… had a food fight with you?! That's hard to believe, he's always so serious all the time!"
"Oh trust me; he has a soft side…"
Back on the dojos, Obi-Wan stood in the middle of the round room, deep in concentration even though there was a dozen pair of eyes on him right now. As he took deep breaths, he recalled Visas' words in the journal he had meticulously studied for the past week. Closing his eyes, he repeated the woman's code once more in his head.
Life has deprived me of my eyes
So Darkness and Silence shall be my allies
With the Force as my guide to help me
I shall make all my opponents see
Obi-Wan had found himself to truly appreciate those trains of thoughts. Combined with Mater Yoda's teachings, Obi-Wan felt as though he could truly see everything around him and more. To be deprived of his sight had made him learn to look beyond simple appearances. His world might be forever surrounded in darkness, but right now he was sure he has never seen better. As he prepared himself for whatever the dojo was about to throw at him, Master Yoda's words echoed in his mind. Deceiving, your eyes can be. Trust them, you should not.
First came the arrows. Obi-Wan could proudly tell that he had seen them coming even before the programmed machine throw them at him. Still sitting in his meditation position, he skillfully stopped each one of them with the Force without even lifting a finger. If he concentrated enough, he was able to form a shield around his body with the Force. It was not powerful enough to stop ranged weapons shots or swords from passing through, but as least he could avoid small hits like debris or, in this case, arrows.
As soon as all the arrows were stopped, the training robots made their way to the center of the dojo. The second Obi-Wan sensed them, he lifted himself off the ground and unclipped his lightsaber, prepared for battle. Analysing his surroundings, he calculated a total of 15 robots, all armed with training sabers and ready to launch themselves at him. As he ignited his own lightsaber and placed himself in battle position, he smiled. He was so ready for this.
Anakin watched in amazement as Obi-Wan deactivated all the droids, one by one with as much elegance as he did when he was still able to see. Looking over at Master Windu, he carefully waited for the man's signal. The Jedi Master had previously asked him to jump in the battle when Obi-Wan didn't expect it and, at some point, to turn against his former Master to see how the man would react to the surprise. He was also requested to completely close the bond with his former Master. Enemies on the battlefield would certainly not warn him before attacking him.
Obi-Wan quickly found himself slightly overwhelmed in the training room. For each droid he disabled, two more started to attack. Not only that, but the room started to shoot blaster shot at him and he had to avoid them while fighting for his life against the droids. It was fine though; he wouldn't have any mercy on the battlefield for sure. At one point, he even used the shot blasted at him to his own advantage, deflecting the laser shots with his lightsaber towards the droids, hitting them right in the chest.
At one corner of the room, Master Mundi started to feel a little bid bad; he had been the one to propose that Obi-Wan prove his capacities as a warrior with his blindness. But as the minutes passed, it was clear that Obi-Wan was never truly weakened by the loss of his sight. They could almost tell that it had made the man even stronger than he was before and the Council really shouldn't have any reasons to doubt his capacities.
From the corner of his eyes, Anakin could see Master Windu give him a slight nod. Making sure his bond with his former Master was completely closed, he ignited his lightsaber and jumped in the middle of the battle, joining Obi-Wan to put down the remaining training droids.
Even though Obi-Wan couldn't sense him through the bond, he knew that the knight who had joined him in battle was Anakin; the man had a very specific fighting style and Obi-Wan could recognise it anywhere. As they both slashed their lightsabers into helpless droids, Obi-Wan turned to Anakin's position. "Fancy seeing you here, my young Padawan…"
Anakin removed his blades from the remains of the droid to slash behind him at another who was sneaking behind. "They wanted to know if you would be able to fight beside a handsome knight such as myself!" Anakin shouted as he deflected a blaster shot directed at his face.
Obi-Wan snorted. "Brat."
While the two of them continued to fight their way around the dojo, Master Fisto turned to face Master Plo Koon who was standing right beside him. "See? I told you he didn't need to prove himself…" He whispered as Anakin and Obi-Wan fought like two perfectly synchronised beings.
"Of course he doesn't need to prove himself," Master Plo agreed, "He never needed to do it in the first place, if you ask me. Obi-Wan has always been one of our most capable warriors. Let's just hope that this little show will shut the Council up about him once and for all."
And it did shut them up. In fact, the few members who had previously hesitated to send Obi-Wan on the battlefield stood there, speechless and conscious of their mistake. Master Windu, even though he was part of the ones believing in Obi-Wan from the start, knew the Council could never take something for granted. If a Jedi ever became arrogant, he could become dangerous. But in the case of Obi-Wan, it was now clear that he was as of now one of their best warrior in the Jedi Order ranks. There was no need for him to prove himself any longer.
Still, there was one more thing Mace wanted to see. Looking at Anakin right in the eye, he gave the younger Jedi the slightest nod to proceed with the last step of the 'test'. With a side smile, Anakin crushed one last training droid before turning around and jumping toward his oblivious Master.
Sensing something attacking from behind him, Obi-Wan quickly turned around protecting himself with his blue blade. To his utter surprise, the lightsaber blow clashing against his own was stronger and way more precise then the one typically done by a training droid. He even found himself straining against his opponent's blade, grunting as he pushed against it to stand his ground. As blasters shot were still flying around his, he had to cut the connection in order to avoid being shot. As he backed up from his opponent, he quickly analyzed his surrounding and realised who had just attacked him.
"Anakin, what-?!" He asked in shock as the younger man quickly joined him and assaulted him with lightsaber blows. He tried to search through the bond for some answers, but he found it completely turned down.
If Obi-Wan hadn't been previously overwhelmed, he definitely was right now. He could handle blaster shots and training droids, but one of the best warriors ever on the top? He didn't know how long he could hold on.
"Well, I certainly didn't see that coming!" He yelled as he blocked another fatal blow from Anakin's blade. If he couldn't do something physically, he would at least try to make a verbal contact with the man. That's what he always did when he was in trouble: trying to distract his attacker with words. That's what he did best, anyway.
And of course, Anakin fell for it. "You wouldn't see it coming on the frontlines, either."
Instantly, Obi-Wan understood. Anakin attacking him like this was simply another test to see how he would react. He had to do something, though. Anakin might just be playing the Council's game, he certainly wasn't sparring any efforts to bring his former Master down. Concentrating, he managed to push Anakin away for a second, enough for him to gather his energy and plunge himself in the Force.
It was as if everything was in slow motion around him. Obi-Wan took a deep breath as more and more Force energy was swirling around his body, building a powerful wall around his body. He could almost feel the Light Side of the Force pulsing around him and Obi-Wan could tell that it was one of the best feelings in the world. He also remembered Order 74, how thoughts of his sweet Meila had helped him become stronger before. With this in mind, he reserved his last thoughts for her, her eyes, her smile and the feel of her lips against his. The Force has never been stronger around him.
Anakin watched in awe as his forcer Master jumped in the air, curved in a fetal position and before he knew it, he was sent at the other end of the room, his body violently crashing against the wall, not enough to impose injuries but certainly enough to bruise. As he fell back to the floor, shaking his head to regain his thoughts, he noticed that the entire Council had been knocked off their feet, too. Obi-Wan had gathered the Force energy around to blast it evenly around him, crashing on everything in its path. Very clever move, Anakin had done it before.
But it's when he got back to his feet again that he noticed something was out of place. The room was strangely quiet compared to the battlefield ambiance it was in a couple of seconds ago. The only sounds Anakin could hear were small electrical shocks and the familiar rumble of machines powering down. Shaking his head a little to clear his vision a little, he finally saw in what state the room was in: all the training droids were scattered on the floor, completely disabled and/or broken down. Not only that, the machinery and the virtual equipment surrounding them was overheated, crushed down and had stopped functioning completely. Only a very, very powerful Force push could have done so much damage like this. The only thing was, a Force push that powerful would have hurt him, or even killed him. If he had hit the wall with the same Force energy that hit the machinery, he would probably have several broken bones and damaged organs. But he was fine, and so were the rest of the Council members. It was as if Obi-Wan's blow had been so precise that it had been able to distinguish the foes from the friends…
Anakin chuckled as he looked at his former who seemed as confused as he was. "How did you kriffing do that?!" He asked in amazement.
Obi-Wan seemed to catch his breath and removed a droid piece stuck on his tunic. "I don't know. I just did."
Seconds later, the rest of the Council joined them in the center of the dojo, Master Yoda walking to face Obi-Wan with a pretty large grin on his face. "Impressive, this was. Truly, Master Obi-Wan."
"I conquer," Mace added, "On behalf of the entire Council, I would like to apologize. It was a mistake on our part to ever doubt your capacities."
"No worries, really," Obi-Wan said with a smile, clipping his lightsaber back on his leather belt. "I must say I quite enjoyed the workout…"
"Let's head back to the Council chambers, so we can discuss the details of your next mission." Mace concluded before the group left the dojo to be repaired.
Several moments later, in the High Council's chambers…
"You're telling me that those Zygerian scums did it again?!" Anakin yelled, his voice echoing in the wall of the small room.
"Calm down, Anakin…" Came the almost automatic response from his former Master, "I thought that the Zygerian slave empire had been dealt with last year?" Obi-Wan then asked, turning to face the other Council members.
"It was," Master Fisto replied, "But we just had reports that the camps of Kavados, where we had previously imprisoned most of the Zigerian leaders had had a breach in the security last week. They took out our Clones and travelled back to Zygeria, where they slaughtered everyone standing in their way."
"They obviously had a great thirst for revenge…" Master Plo Koon added.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The news of so many lives taken for the quest of power always broke his heart. "Most distasteful way of grabbing power…"
Anakin was concentrating not to break something. "Slaver scums…"
"That being said, we will need to send squads there in order to overthrown this fast building empire. Reports from our Clone Battalions on site told us that the remaining peacekeepers have already surrendered to the Zygerians. Master Kenobi, you will lead this campaign beside Master Skywalker, Master Vos and Knight Tano. I trust you all to bring an end to this conflict." Mace declared before dismissing the rest of the Council.
As the left the tall, round tower, Anakin couldn't help but notice that his former Master had a nice glow in the Force. Smiling to see the man so happy, Anakin opened their bond again. "How do you feel, Master?"
Obi-Wan opened the doors in his mind to his former Padawan and smiled. "Just like good old times."
At the other end of the galaxy, Doctor Artkie sat at his desk, waiting for his visitor to come through. He was exhausted; he had been working around the clock for the past month to figure how to infect the Jedi without infecting the whole galaxy and bringing the world to an end. He had to admit that the Flare gave him a weird feeling. When confined within the glass of a test tube, it was completely innocent. But if it was freed in the outside world without any control on it, it would spread quickly and burn everything on its way like fire would burn wood. Sighing, Artkie looked at the small vial lying on his desk in front of him. It really was quite a feeling to know that you had the universe's most powerful weapon right in front of your eyes…
He had modified the virus' DNA in order for it to only attacks cells with a high number of Midichlorians; to be more specific, he programmed it to have a 'preference' for Force-sensitive cells. So technically, the virus was contagious, but only to those who had a 10,000 Midochlorian count in their cells and higher. This way, the virus would only attack the Jedi without destroying every living being. Convenient, for their situation anyway. They only had to manually infect one Jedi and the virus would do the rest. The fact that the majority of the Jedi lived inside of the Jedi Temple was a huge advantage for him; confined within the walls of the Temple, the Flare would spread quickly.
He was about to announce it to Lord Katharr. If everything went as planned, Lord Katharr would officially pay him and he would begin the procedure to administer the virus. All was finally falling into place.
As usual, Lord Katharr made a dramatic entrance in the small office beside his laboratory. At this point though, Artkie didn't care much. After working with the man for such a long time, he was getting used to it. The scientist waited for the taller man to be installed in front of him before tossing him to final report. "We're at the end of the bargain, Lord Katharr. The virus is at its full potential and ready to be administrated. It is now time to fill your part of the deal." He declared as Katharr opened the small folder containing the last details of their plan.
Katharr only groaned in response as he analyzed the details in front of him. "How do you plan on administrating it, doctor? The Jedi aren't easily fooled."
"The Jedi have one weakness: they fight for the weak, the powerless. They won't refuse to offer assistance if they can help. One of my spies confirmed that an uprising killed thousands of innocent on the planet Zygeria. With this kind of massacre, the Jedi will have to get involved. We will set a trap to lure them in. We only need to infect one and the job will be done." Artkie carefully explained in order for his more than stupid guest to understand.
Katharr nodded as he processed that new information. "And you say the virus has no cure?"
Artkie actually shivered as he realized to full power of what he was about to say. "None. It is simply too powerful. They only way it could be stopped would be if the Midichlorians could multiply, in which they don't. It is unstoppable."
Katharr gave the doctor an evil grin. "Good. Very good. I've already assembled an army with the help of several remaining War generals who wished to have revenge on the Jedi. We will take over the galaxy as soon as the Jedi are done for."
Artkie froze in his chair. "What exactly do you mean?"
Katharr laughed in his face. "Come on Doctor, I thought you were smarter than that. Do you really think I would bring down the Jedi by myself? Did you really think I would take my revenge and just let everything go? Of course not! The galaxy is going to be in turmoil the second the Jedi can no longer protect it. As soon as they are out of my way, I will finish what my father started."
Artkie was struck by that declaration. Count Dooku had been a very powerful leader for the Separatist cause. "How do you plan on doing that? The Republic brought the remains of the Separatists to ashes about a year ago!"
"That's what they believe!" Katharr yelled, crashing his fist against the doctor's desk. "When the remaining Separatists realised that the Republic had won, they went through every means necessary to conserve what little they had left. They hid, changed identities, or faked their death. They needed a new plan, a new strategy, so they came to me."
It all made sense now. Artkie had always found odd that a single man would go against the entire Jedi Order. It all seemed too… rushed. But now that he knew that Katharr had an entire army behind him, the plan was even more dangerous. But there was still one piece bothering him… "What about the republic Senate? Their clone army? After the War the Republic is stronger than ever, how do you plan bringing them down?"
Katharr stayed silent for a moment but pulled a small piece of paper from the layers of his black cloak before tossing it in front of the Doctor. Curious, Artkie grabbed it and unfolded it to reveal a drawing, a plan of some sort of machine. It was round and seemed to have a laser right in the middle of it. Frowning, Artkie turned to face the taller man. "What kind of device is this?" He asked, intrigued.
"That's no device." Katharr declared in a low voice, "It's a space station."
Once again, Artkie was struck by the man's words. "You mean that this is a space station?!"
"The most powerful that will ever be built. It has the power to destroy entire planets." Katharr explained, "My dad has been holding onto the plans since even before the Clone Wars started and I was lucky enough to grasp them before the Republic had any knowledge of it." He then placed his two hands on the Doctor's desk and bent so he would face Artkie directly. "As soon as I give my men the cue, this battle station will be built in an uncharted section in the galaxy. So let me tell you what will happen to the pathetic Senate if they stand in my way. Kaboom."
Artkie swallowed heavily thinking about it: entire planets being destroyed? Blown to pieces? What kind of crazy mind would it take to construct such a project?
Seconds later, Artkie placed a large metal suitcase right in front of the Doctor's nose. "Here are your credits for the final payment, old man. Contact me as soon as the plan is done and champagne will be on me." He said before turning over and leaving the room.
For several moments, Artkie didn't move an inch in his chair, starring at the little drawing in his hand. How could he have been so blind? Of course there was something more behind the fall of the Jedi! Frustrated by his own failure to see it coming, Artkie tossed the drawing aside and opened the suitcase: a fortune, even more than he expected. But as he closed the metal case, a weird sensation started to settle in his heart. Grabbing the case and lifting himself from his chair, he walked back into his laboratory.
He had a really, really bad feeling about this.
The morning of the departure to Zygeria came faster than Obi-Wan believed. He had to resist the temptation of staying in bed five more minutes when he had woken up next to his still sleeping sweetheart. It was still pretty early in the morning, but since it would take them about 6 hours of hyperspace travel in order to reach the Zygerian system, an early departure was in order. Also, High Generals such as himself were required to be present from the very beginning to ensure a secure transfer of their troops and to assure a departure on schedule. Nothing too shabby, he had done it plenty of times already. He sent a prayer in the Force that this time Anakin wouldn't do anything stupid that would delay them. Countless of innocent souls were counting on them, they didn't have any time to waste.
Feeling the bundle of blonde curls cuddled against his chest, he smiled and pressed a soft kiss in them, appreciating every single second as much as possible. As he sighed and allowed himself to close his eyes again, he opened their shared bond as wide as it could go, enjoying Meila's sleepy presence in his mind. At the other end of his mind he could also feel Anakin who was already up fumbling around in the kitchen to try to fill his bottomless stomach. Thank the Force the boy was filling up on cereals and nutriment bars and not trying to cook anything; Obi-Wan really didn't feel like dealing with a kitchen disaster this morning.
Nuzzling his sweetheart's curls again, he forced himself to completely wake up. He really didn't want to wake Meila in his arms, but last night she had made him promise to wake her up as soon as he woke up himself. To his utter surprise, when he had announced his departure, she didn't seem to be very affected by it. She had smiled to him and said that she was very happy that he got the thrust from the Council and that's it. He had reached for her in their bond and had discovered that the woman didn't want to talk about the subject any further. They had spent the evening as if nothing special was happening the next day.
After stretching all the sleep left in his limbs, he brought his hand in her hair and gently caressed her scalp while tugging slightly at her end of the bond. "Wake up, darling. It's time." He softly whispered in her head.
Getting the message, she stirred in his arms. "Hmm, already?"
He chuckled before pressing another kiss on her forehead. "Yes." He answered in his real voice, still weak from sleep.
About 30 minutes later, they both stood in the small corner near the hallway leading to the main hangar of the Temple. The couple wished to share their last minutes together in intimacy and not broadcast it to the whole hangar. They just stood there, holding each other's hand as Anakin made the last preparations for their Starfighters. Obi-Wan knew the younger Jedi had said his goodbyes to Padme last night, since the man was missing when Obi-Wan had checked on him before going to bed. When his comlink beeped on his arm, he knew it was time to go. Even though Meila was smiling to him, their bond was filled with touches of sadness and fear. With a sad smile, he took her in his arms and hid his face in the crook of her neck. At first, he wanted to resist the quickly rising sadness in his heart but he decided to listen to Anakin's advice and let himself be sad for the moment. He would be strong later.
Meila sensed his sadness through the bond and tried to be strong for him, even though her own sadness was overwhelming her. "Be safe," she whispered him in ear, her throat tight, "Go and change the world for me."
"I will." He replied before pressing their forehead together in a sweet embrace. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Swallowing his sadness, Obi-Wan brought her closer for a kiss, linking the two of them together, body and soul. When they separated, he caressed her face one last time before giving her an apologetic smile and turning away, staring to walk towards the hangar bay.
Meila watched helpless as each step the Jedi took away from her weighted heavier on her heart. Her heart was racing and she surprised herself when some small tears started to wet her cheeks. A small panic started to build in her heart at the thought that he might not come back. If there was one thing she knew, it was that slavers were ready for anything to keep the empire standing. She also knew Obi-Wan would never leave that planet before that empire was brought to ashes. He would either come back victorious or die trying. This is what they had agreed to. But it was way, way harder than she thought. She gasped lightly when the Jedi she loved was about to turn the final corner before disappearing…
"Obi-Wan!"
Concerned, the Jedi turned around as he heard his full name being cried out. As for Meila, as uncontrollable sobs took over her body, she ran all the way in the hallway to jump in the Jedi's waiting arms. As soon as she made contact with him, she held onto him for dear life and cried in his shoulder while he gently caressed her back, hushing her softly.
"I'm sorry…" She choked, "I thought I had strength, but I don't."
Obi-Wan kept her close and chuckled as a single tear escaped him against his will. His heart was pounding from the love and sentiment of lost. He loved her so, so much he didn't know what to do with himself. Before he even had to time to process them, the words were out of his mouth. "Marry me…"
Meila froze in his arms, not sure if she had heard right. "What?"
Realizing his own words, Obi-Wan pulled back from the embrace and dropped on one knee in front of her, taking one of her hand into his own. "My dear Meila, I can still remember the first time I saw you in that field of flowers. You blew me away that day and you still do it every single time I see you. Having you by my side makes me the happiest man in the universe and I would be most honoured if I could keep it that way for the rest of our lives." Tears were now flowing freely on his cheeks. "My sweet, sweet Meila, will you marry me?"
Sobbing, Meila looked at the kneeling Jedi in front of her and smiled, her heart overwhelmed with sudden happiness. She already found herself extremely lucky to have him by her side as a lover, but as her husband? That was even more that she could possibly ask for. She didn't even think twice when she answered him. "Of course, yes, yes I will marry you Obi!" She said as she cried happy tears.
Overwhelmed with joy, Obi-Wan got back on his two feet and grabbed Meila by the waist to gentle twirl her around. His fiancée. He had difficulties believing it and he had to resist the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. When his comlink beeped again, he wanted to get the blasted thing off his arm and throw it against the wall. "I'm so sorry, darling, I really have to go now…"
Meila placed another fast kiss on his lips. "Go ahead, my love. Make me proud."
There was a side smile on his lips when she pulled back. "Don't I always?"
Several minutes later, when Obi-Wan cracked up the engines of his red Starfighter, he still felt like he was floating in the air. His sweet Meila had said yes and would become his wife. If this was a dream, he wished to never, ever wake up. He hadn't even thought about popping the question, he simply did… The Force was swirling around him, the Light Side so bright he could almost see it with his blind eyes. If he listened closely, he could almost tell that the Force was blessing his union with the woman. Not only that, he could almost feel Qui-Gon's approving smile by his side.
It was only when he left the hangar that he realized that Anakin had already left without him. After programming his starfighter on autopilot to bring him to the waiting Cruiser orbiting around Coruscant, he let his astromech take over the control. Even if he became stronger every day to see and analyze his surroundings through the Force, he still felt a little rusty when he was confined within the cockpit of his fighter. Quickly, he connected himself with his private channel with the younger Jedi who was probably already close to the Cruiser itself. "Sorry I've been delayed…"
The other man gave a soft laugh at the other end of the connection. "By what? Saying goodbye to your girlfriend?"
Obi-Wan chuckled to himself as his heart gave another loud thud at the thought of being engaged. He still could not believe it and he felt like he would need some time to process the information completely. He made a mental note to concentrate even harder in front of his men; he couldn't afford to daydream in front of them or he would never hear the end of it, especially from Cody. "To my fiancée, Anakin." He corrected a slight blush on his cheeks.
There was a long silence at the other end of the connection and a swirl of emotions in the bond. "You asked her?!" Anakin exclaimed, then cried out several questions so fast Obi-Wan had difficulties understanding them all, "She said yes? Was she happy? How did you asked her? Oh my Force Obi-Wan this is incredible!"
The older Jedi smiled, "She said yes right away, I… I don't know what pushed me to ask her, somehow I just knew it was the right thing to do…"
"It's an exquisite feeling, isn't it?"
"Oh yes, it is…" Obi-Wan agreed, "Was it like this when you proposed to Padme?"
He could feel a tremor of happiness and sweet memories coming from Anakin's side of the bond. "I can't even describe it. We knew the war was coming and we just barely escaped with our lives after the battle of Geonosis. I didn't think twice when I asked her. It just felt so right…" The younger Jedi explained as he recalled the time he had dropped a knee on their way back to Naboo.
"Now I only wished I was there to share those moments with you, my young Padawan…"
Anakin sighed. "I know… You know, we were hands and feet against the rules at the time. We didn't want to risk anything so we didn't tell anyone. It was safer this way."
"Yes, I understand."
The two Jedi fell silent again for a moment before Anakin spoke again. "I'm docking right now. I'll gather our battalions for the first briefing."
"Very well, I'll meet you there."
Meila stared at the ceiling for what was probably the third hour in a row. It has been nine days since the last time she saw Obi-Wan and there were still no news. The sheets in his bed had been changed days ago and no longer held the Jedi's unique scent, leaving Meila disappointed and feeling truly alone. The night following Obi-Wan's departure, she had found some comfort in sleeping in his bed since it smelled just like him. She desperately wanted to reach out for her fiancé, get a glimpse of what was happening far away in the galaxy… But in order to avoid distracting him, they had both agreed that if there was to be any form of communication between the two of them, it would be initiated by the Jedi himself. But it has been nine days. Nine days of complete silence. The only thing helping Meila keep her sanity right now was the small light at the other end of their bond telling her that her fiancé was still alive.
Giving up on sleep for the moment, she quickly got back on her feet and started to walk towards the exit door. She had to do something, anything, to keep her mind off the subject. Entering the Temple's hallways, she sighed and started walking with no precise destination in mind.
Curiously enough, her feet lead her to the Halls of Healings. The large space was mostly quiet at this time of the day and Meila wondered for a split of a second if she was even allowed there. Afraid of being caught in a place where she wasn't supposed to be, she started to turn around before she practically bumped into Master Luminara, who greeted her with a gentle smile.
"Meila, my dear!" The Master Healer exclaimed, "What brings you to my sanctuary on this time of day? You're not sick, I hope?"
Meila fought to regain her balance, but gave the Master Healer a reassuring smile. "No I'm not, thank you… I just needed to get away for a moment and I ended up here… Having no news of Obi-Wan is starting to drive me insane…"
Luminara gave her kind eyes. "Don't worry, my dear. If anything very bad happened, we would have been notified. I'm sure Obi-Wan will give you news as soon as he's able."
Meila nodded, but her heart still wasn't convinced. "I know, I just…" Her throat was suddenly tight and tears were menacing to fall quickly. "I miss him very much."
Luminara was touched by the woman's tears. She may be able to ease the woman's pain a little; the Council had received a transmission from Obi-Wan and Anakin about two days ago and she was able to access it from her computer in the office. Since the woman had been kept away from the Jedi she loved for several days, Luminara figured that hearing his voice might not hurt her…
"Come with me, I'll show you something." She invited, bringing the woman with her to her office's door.
Once they were both inside, Luminara sat on her chair and started to enter several codes in her holocomputer. Meila smiled as she admired the way the Jedi's finger practically flew over the buttons until she gasped when a hologram of Anakin and Obi-Wan appeared before them. The recording was paused and the two Jedi stood still.
Luminara turned around to face Meila, "We received this transmission two days ago. Let me play it for you…"
The second Meila knew the recording was recent, she automatically scanned the man she loved for any sign of injuries. Fortunately, expect the dirty tunics, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. For the first time in almost a week and a half, Meila breathed better. She listened closely as the younger Jedi started speaking.
"-We were able to infiltrate the main structure without causing a mess. We will have to disable all the security systems, but we should be able to get to the main floor soon enough.- "
Obi-Wan nodded beside him. "-Indeed. We have sent several Clone Troopers to begin the evacuation process of the slaves. Keeping a low profile is capital right now. If they ever discovered our position, our mission might be jeopardized.-"
"We will give you an intel as soon as we can. May the Force be with you." Anakin concluded before the transmission was cut.
Meila smiled as the hologram dissipated. Just hearing Obi-Wan's voice again was enough to calm her. It reassured her that the Jedi didn't seem injured, either. Turning to face Luminara, she was about to thank her when a small knock could be heard at the office's door. Both women turned to face it, where a Senior Padawan was standing with a crying little initiate.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Master Unduli…" The Padawan began, "But the little one fell while running too fast and the wound is bleeding pretty badly…"
Instantly, Luminara was kneeling before the small infant. "Initiate Skywalker, did you have a little accident?" She softly asked the child.
Luke nodded frantically and pointed his scratched knee. "Boo-boo…"
"No need to cry little one…" Luminara reassured as she observed the wound before she faced Meila again. "Come my dear, I'll show you how to apply bacta patches."
In another part of the galaxy, Obi-Wan sat, cross-legged, eyes closed. How did he get captured? He couldn't say. All had happened so fast. The Zygerian had caught them completely off-guard, outnumbering them almost 10 to 1, and the next thing he knew, he was sitting in a cage Force knew where. He was able to tell from the bond shared with Anakin that the man had escaped the Zygerian's grip and was frantically searching for him right now. Thankfully, the younger Jedi was able to use their bond to track him.
It's when the voice of his captor finally spoke that Obi-Wan felt a dreaded feeling fall in his back. "Well, well… If it is not Master Kenobi himself… crippled, none-the-less."
Obi-Wan flinched slightly at the word 'crippled' but decided to keep his mouth shut. The chain holding his cage was very fragile and could drop at any moment, henceforth he concentrated hard enough to keep it in place. His senses in the Force told him he was situated at a very high altitude and he didn't particularly wish to fall.
The slaver who apparently stood in front of him was the same one they had dealt with when they had capture the clan of Togruta many years ago. The same one that had took pleasure in torturing him with a lightwhip before throwing him at the slave auction. Obi-Wan couldn't quite remember his name, but his stinking presence in the Force was enough to recognize him. Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan prepared himself for whatever the Zygerian would throw at him.
"What kind of fools the Jedi Council has to send a blind Jedi to stop us?" The slaver wondered, pacing slowly around the Jedi's cage.
Obi-Wan chuckled to himself. "Oh don't worry. I see more than you could possibly imagine."
The Zygerian growled loudly before giving a large kick at the cage, making it tremble dangerously. "I have waited a very long time to get my revenge on you, blasted Jedi! We might not be able to fight you physically, but ever since you brought us down last time I've been observing you, Kenobi… I might not bring you down by force, by that doesn't mean I don't have other means to do it…"
Taken aback, Obi-Wan froze completely. He had to fight very hard with himself not to show the sudden fear he felt at the Zygerian's words. "Come on now, there's no need to throw ourselves at each other's throat…" The Jedi said, trying to get the other man to talk.
Another growl, filled with mischief this time. "Don't play innocent with me Kenobi. We both know what I am talking about."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "We do?"
"Yes…" The Zygerian replied, "She's very beautiful, isn't she? And I heard she was a slave before? Certainly I could find her a place within our ranks?"
Instantly, Obi-Wan saw red. He wanted to shoot a death stare at the Zygerian, tell him he would rip him to pieces of he ever laid a single finger on his sweet Meila. But anger was uncalled for; Meila was still living in his quarters at the Temple – she couldn't be in a safer place. Just to reassure his own heart, he took a second to reach for the woman through their bond, to get a glimpse of where she was, what she was doing. And there she was, safely hidden within the Temple's walls, tending to a little child's bruised knee. Obi-Wan wanted to hide in the comforting presence of his fiancée forever, but now was not the time. Quickly, he cut the connection again and decided to play with the Zygerian a little.
"Oh yes, she is a beauty." Obi-Wan casually said before quickly changing the subject. "Would you mind bringing me a cup of tea? Infiltrating your tower was a tad boring and I could use some refreshments…"
The Zygerian fell silent, completely taken aback by the Jedi Master's words. Tea? He was menacing the love of his life and Kenobi was asking for tea? The Zygerian placed the Jedi's request aside and moved along with his plan. "You know, I think I have the perfect place for her, right beside the boilers and the-
"Mint and lemon would be great. Or do you happen to have morning rose?" Obi-Wan interrupted, completely ignoring the Zygerian's words. "I had the chance to taste it on a trip to Naboo a couple of months ago. Very exquisite, if you ask me."
The Zygerian growled loudly and gave a strong kick to the cage, almost making it fall in the process. "Listen to me, Jedi filth! If I ever find you little girlfriend, I will chain her up and make her work until she can't stand on her own feet! Do you hear me?! I will beat her up every single time she falls until she dies of blood loss from my whip!"
"My, my…" Obi-Wan replied in an insulted tone, "All this fuss over tea? Is this how you normally treat guests? No wonder the Zygerian Empire is so fragile…" He then clicked his tongue in disapproval. "So uncivilized…"
This time, the Zygerian's anger took over. Shouting in rage, he opened the cage and took the Jedi by the collar, determined to give him the beating of his life. But as soon as Obi-Wan felt freed of the cage, his knight skills kicked in and he easily freed himself from the Zygerian's grasp. It all went according to plan: the slaver wanted to beat the Jedi by angering him, but Obi-Wan turned the tables around and used the Zygerian's own temper against him. Soon, the slaver was glued to the wall with the Force, unable to move. Obi-Wan smiled as he approached him. "Now, surely we can discuss in a civilized matter? I'd still like that cup of tea…"
The Zygerian was about to say something, but before he had the chance to, Quinlan and Anakin busted in, seeming relieved that Obi-Wan was still alive and in control of the situation. Looking at the pinned slaver, Quinlan started laughing. "Hey Kenobi! You didn't tell me there was a party in here? Why wasn't I invited?"
Obi-Wan gave him a grimace. "Oh don't worry Vos, this party is pretty lame… They don't even have the civility to serve tea…" He then turned to Anakin. "How is the situation below decks?"
Anakin was busting with confidence in the Force. "All taken care of, Master. We captured the remaining slavers and the evacuation process is already underway for the rest of the captured innocents. Most of the Zygerian took their own lives before being captured, but we are bringing the rest of them to Coruscant's prison."
"Very well. Oh, there's one more thing I need to do before we go home…" Obi-Wan said before facing the Zygerian. He then released the slaver from his grip on the wall before sending him flying into the cage he was previously in, locking it up tightly. If the Zygerian tried to escape, the cage would give up and fall all the way down the tower. Chances of survival were… let's say, close to none. When he realized in what kind of position he was in, the slaver growled loudly. "You won't get me so easily, Jedi!"
Quinlan winked at the slaver. "Obi-Wan gets pretty upset when he doesn't get his tea. Maybe you should have listened to his request…"
Soon, the three men went down the tower to meet Ahsoka and Cody, who were waiting for them next to the transport destined to bring them back to their Cruiser. As soon as the Clone saw his General accompanying the two other Jedi, he walked to meet him halfway. "Good to see you in one piece, sir."
"Thank you, Cody. Status report?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Most of the civilians have already been sent away. Most of them were injured, so we sent them to a nearby medical facility before they'll be relocated to a safer place where families can take refugees. It will take some time before everything is done, though. Some of them don't trust us yet…" Cody explained as they both walked to meet Ahsoka.
The togruta was close enough to hear their conversation. "I'll stay here to make sure everything falls back into place, Master Kenobi. I'll join you with the rest of the battalion once everything is set."
"Great idea, Snips." Anakin said before turning to the two other Jedi. "Shall we get home? The Council will want our report…"
"Indeed." Obi-Wan replied, "Good luck, Ahsoka. Contacts us if anything happens."
Ahsoka gave him a reassuring smile. "I will."
As the three men walked their way to the ship, a group of evacuated civilians passed by them. They all looked half-starved and injured. A woman left the group and walked to Quinlan; she was very thin and pale, Obi-Wan assumed she was sick also. She brought her hands up and her voice was very weak when she spoke. "Please sir, a piece of bread? Or a cup of water?"
In front of this, Quinlan took pity. He reached in his belt and took all the rations he had previously put there and gave it to the poor woman. "Here, take these and share them with the rest of the group. You'll be given proper meals once you're safe on the ship."
As the Jedi put the small bars into the woman's hands, she jumped into his arms and started crying. "Thank you, thank you, you saved us… You saved us…"
Quinlan laughed softly and gave a reassuring tap on the woman's back. "Hey, no problem! Now, get on the ship and we'll take care of all of you."
The woman took the rations and got back to her group. As for the Jedi, they hoped in their transport and were fast on their way back to the Cruiser.
Several meters away, a man closed his barnacles and open his comlink. "Target hit, Doctor. The Flare has been sparked."
At the other end of the comlink, Artkie smiled. "Very good. Now, get back to the base."
