Two days later:
~Obi-wan's POV~
"You know, Bail, we can handle this ourselves," Obi-wan said as he and Bail walked from the temporary room of council, trailing the twelve other members.
Bail, though, shook his head. "No," he said resolutely. "This is my Alliance and also my responsibility to keep it safe, you Jedi don't get all the credit," he told Obi-wan firmly, though with a twinkle in his eyes.
Obi-wan smiled and folded his hands behind his back. "You seem to want to get more involved," he noticed. Bail's force signature gave a half shrug. Obi-wan wished he could see his face, or even the bags he knew to be under Bail's e yes. He needed rest.
"Not exactly. I only have more time too. There are no reports coming in, no supplies that have yet to be stolen, no debates of major importance. Besides, the other senators are all over the blockade searching for things to do. The clone's optimism in the face of hard work has inspired them," yes, of course. The clones did inspire many.
"If you have more time then you should spend it sleeping," he replied calmly. "What? Do I look like I need rest to you?" Bail teased. Obi-wan smiled. He suddenly had the urge to tell Bail that he could barely see him at all. But that would not help anyone.
Obi-wan decided that he, himself, was much more tired than originally believed to have thought such a thing. No wonder, he had not slept recently either, no doubt Nava would get him for it later.
He almost smiled at the thought. Besides, he reasoned, turning back to the task at hand. I have gained much more than I have lost. Drawing on the Force, he narrowed his vision to peer inside of Bail's body. As if his eyes had suddenly transformed into microscopes, the round visage of blood cells appeared.
Obi-wan felt worry graze at his heart. Bail's white blood cells seemed to be on the muck, again, which meant he was getting sick. "Yes. Are you sure you're alright? I sense you might be getting sick," he commented worriedly. Bail, after all, had been a good friend of his for years. Bail laughed haggardly.
"Sick or not, I am going to this interrogation, Obi-wan. Admiral Ackbar is a dedicated general, and I want to get the whole story of what Dooku said," meaning he wanted to be there for himself to make sure they got the whole story. The Jedi council, at the moment consisting of Fisto, Mundi, Mace, Yoda, him and Bail, were on their way to the containment brig where Admiral Ackbar had been detained.
"I think you underestimate our abilities, but no matter. Hopefully we can get this done and over with quickly so that you will rest," Obi-wan said, with a shake of his head as he pulled back his force sight. "I won't rest after this either," Bail said cheerily, just to annoy him, Obi-wan was sure.
"I have a meeting to go to," Obi-wan grimaced, and Bail laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "How does it feel to be the antagonized instead of the antagonizes, hmm?" he wondered impishly. "Padme has told me of your work schedule," blasted woman giving away Jedi secrets.
"She exaggerates, like her husband," he harrumphed, though the irony was not lost on him. Hadn't he been planning on antagonizing Nava later today because of this same thing? Sometimes Obi-wan could swear the force had a sense of humor.
"Besides, you have far exceeded my own limits, chancellor, and that is a feat not to be ignored," he pointed out. Bail went silent moment, thinking as they rounded the last corner. "Alright. They'll survive the meeting without me. Mostly I sit there taciturn anyway. Are you aware that you are a very peremptory man?" Asked his friend. "So I've been told," Obi-wan lied serenely as the two sentinels by the door saluted and the ray shield acting as door slid away with a quick flash.
Obi-wan recoiled, surprised when he sensed Lux already inside. He scowled and hurried in, standing by the young general who was leaning casually against one the wall. "I highly doubt you've been given permission to leave bed, Lux," he probed softly, facing the foolish young man.
Lux's heart was racing, and his smelt of sour sweat, the effect of him walking here must have exhausted him. Obi-wan placed a hand on one shoulder, steadying him. "A few pillows under the blankets and the meds'll think I'm fast asleep. They won't bother the fake me. Besides, I'm the one who gathered the accusation, I have to be here to back it up," Lux insisted. Obi-wan recognized stubbornness when he saw it. A quick check of the force told him the others were waiting for him.
He was the one who always led these things. The Negotiator for life; and Lux had known it. No wonder he had taken such great lengths to get there before the rest of them.
Grinning ruefully, abashed at his honorable defeat, (he must be losing his touch, for force sakes) yet strangely proud, he patted Lux's shoulder and shook his head. "You'll pay for your obstinacy later," he assured him, without a doubt. There were limits to the body, after all.
"But for now, very well. Take it easy, though," he warned. "Promise," Lux said back, gratefully. Obi-wan knew that Lux had no intention of keeping that promise. He remembered being that young, that stupid.
He turned back to the patient group and the admiral sitting nervously at the table before them. Obi-wan felt guilt rush through him. Admiral Ackbar, was, indeed, an honorable and loyal soldier in this cause, his belief in democracy and freedom was strong, but to all things there was a hidden purpose. All they had to do now was discern whether the hidden purpose of their new friend was unscrupulous or not.
Blast you, Dooku, for making us doubt each other this way, he thought bitterly. "General Kenobi," greeted the admiral, with a hint of relief in his crotchety voice. Obi-wan banished all emotion and scoured it from his face.
"Admiral Ackbar, please accept my apologies, we merely have some inquiries to make of you," he said sincerely. Immediately, the force was awash with suspicion and fear. The other council members blinked in unison, a sure sign they had not missed it.
Obi-wan continued on as the feeling suddenly banished. Who had taught a non-Force user to hide his emotions from the Force by shielding? Most did not even know the practice was available to them, and surely Dooku were not that foolish? "Noted. But this time he seemed especially…Unhooked. Like he was slowly sliding into deeper insanity," or mayhap he was.
"I have done nothing wrong, have I?" Admiral Ackbar asked. His voice, unpredictably, was scoured of any emotion, almost dispassionate. "That is what I mean to find out," Obi-wan answered pleasantly. "There have been rumors, you see, of spies, aboard the ships," he began cautiously.
"Of course there are," the seasoned war veteran leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, large globular eyes reminding Obi-wan painfully of Bant. "You know this, Master Kenobi. There are of course Empire spies aboard. They are everywhere. Do you think it could be one of my soldiers?" Obi-wan felt sickening disgust roll within him.
Would this man truly blame it on one of the men or women under his command just to clear his own name? Why? Admiral Ackbar was an honorable man, he had sensed from the beginning. Why this sudden change in attitude?
"No. Dooku says it's you," Lux called over, from the shadows, huskily. Obi-wan did not even spare him a glance, watching Ackbar intensely. His heart, only Obi-wan could see; jumpstarted at this revelation.
The more aquatic species did not sweat, but Obi-wan could smell the scent of fear on him acutely. The force whispered unrecognizable things in his ears. He harnessed it, called it to his side, straightened the tangled piece of gooey clay into a rock of concentrated precision.
He heard the sound of children, screaming as they were dragged from their underwater home in hiding, a wife begging for mercy, for her children's life, the Count's thrumming voice demanding treason in exchange for love, life, purpose, Ackbar's defeated moan and acceptance to save his family.
Coercion. Of course.
"Dooku? Count Dooku? Son, I know you must have been hurt pretty bad in the head, but that villain is a liar born and bred. Surely you can't take his word for anything," the force knew what the others could not. Obi-wan sighed and stroked his beard sympathetically.
Desperation made sure the man's words did not falter, painstaking agony forced his mouth to move, Obi-wan understood the feeling. He would not mince words, nor make the wait any longer. It was akin to torture.
"Dooku has your family, doesn't he?" he asked softly. The Force imploded with a burst of alarm that bespoke it all. "How could you assume such a brazen thing? I am not a traitor!" Obi-wan shook his head and took a step back, relinquishing control.
Ackbar might as well have signed the papers admitting to it at that moment. The passionate desperation in his voice gave him away. They all heard it. Bail let out a grumbling sigh as the Jedi masters glanced at one another.
Mace stepped forward. He was the most understanding of them all. Obi-wan remembered the story of his own lost love, Tilda. She had been captured and used as a bargaining chip for one of Mace's oldest and most challenging nemesis's. The villain had offered Mace a choice, save the woman he loved or save the hundreds of innocent people on his execution list. Mace had picked duty over love and lived with the regret to this day.
"The Force says otherwise," he could sense his friend's disgust and revulsion through the force. It was not directed at Ackbar, but Dooku. Mace held in his lowest contempt cheaters and those who did not play by the rules of honorable combat. Using one's family against them was the lowest of the Sabbacc moves, the strike of unredeemable disgrace.
The force unfurled, like a slowly projected display of a growing plant, into awareness. Ackbar knew he had been caught, had watched the Jedi at work. His shoulders slumped; he bowed his large head in defeat. "I am sorry," it was spoken earnestly, if not spat with frustration.
"There is nothing to be sorry for. You did what you had to do to protect them, but old friend," Mace heaved a sigh, subterranean sorrow being released into the force's depths. Sometimes, Obi-wan had found, the force granted you a mirror in someone else.
You often saw your pain in their eyes, your mistakes in their actions, the weight on your heart reproduced on their shoulders. And sometimes seeing that was harder than seeing it in yourself, because it was just another reminder that suffering was a disease not only restricted to one or two, but all. Suffering was a fair judge.
"You must know that the Sith have already killed them. On some level, you are too wise to think anything different," he spoke the truth gently. Bail inhaled sharply and looked to him, as if seeking guidance.
Obi-wan nodded mutely to his unspoken question, without taking his eyes from Ackbar. It was the Sith's way to lie and destroy. Ackbar's family was already dead; his services were being conducted for free.
"You lie! The Sith need them to keep me in line!" Ackbar snapped, angrily. He knew it, and knowing it was what made him so angry. Knowledge was power…And sometimes it was also heartbreak. "Have you spoken to them?" Mace asked callously. "Have the Sith allowed you to see them over holo-gram?" He wondered.
Ackbar's eyes grew wide with mute terror, but he held firm. "N-no. Dooku said when my work was finished I would see them. I have done good work. He has no reason to betray me," he stammered. Mace clucked. "The Sith need no reason to kill," he growled, black eyes darkening to the darkness before a thunderstorm.
"Admiral," Bail cleared his throat and said authoritatively at the exact wrong time to say anything. "I understand your position, and I am sorry for the loss of your family, truly… But the Jedi are right. They are dead. And I need you to tell me everything you told the Sith," and this was why they didn't bring politicians into the interrogation chambers.
Obi-wan could almost hear Lux smacking his forehead. Wrong timing, Bail, he thought as the Light Side of the force shrunk away from the sudden rage Ackbar turned to Bail with. "Tell you? I am not telling you anything! Nothing is worth the lives of my family!" he shouted.
"Your family is dead," Luke pointed out kindly. He sounded rather raspy. Obi-wan would deal with him later. "Why…Why…How dare you! You are only saying that to get me to cooperate! I should think innocent lives were more important to you Jedi than a blasted planet!" Ackbar shouted.
Obi-wan had to hand it to him; he could reach a rather loud volume. "Now there's no reason to be rude," he placated, using the force to niggle under the tight strands of desperation and anger.
"Innocent lives are our utmost. That is why we need to know what you have informed the Sith. And what they want next. It could save lives, hundreds of soldiers. It could all send us back out to the galaxy earlier. Please, Admiral, this is the only way," Mace said softly, leaning down to place his hands on the table, his eyes softened into compassion.
Ackbar looked away, eyes aflame. "I will tell you nothing," he snarled defiantly. The force locked with his resolution. He was not joking, then. They would get no answers, indeed. Yoda hymned beneath his breath. "This conversation, over it is," he decided, with a concluding clang on the hard floor. "But he hasn't told us anything yet!" Lux objected. Bail's thoughts mimicked the younger man's explicitly.
"Antagonize a grieving man we will not, young Bonteri. Leave him here, we will. If wish to talk he does, then listen again we will. Until then, on a lookout are we to keep, for trickery," the oldest among them huffed, glaring at the sick adolescent disapprovingly. "And in bed, should not you be?" Yoda added in a bark.
Lux ignored that, instead choosing to narrow his eyes at Ackbar as if the answers to their questions were prescribed in flesh. Obi-wan sighed and lifted one of his comrade's arms over his neck, supporting him.
"Yes, he should be in bed, Master Yoda. I will escort him there," he offered as the doors opened and they filed out. Lux put up no fight, resigned to his fate with as much dignity as a person with fever could manage.
Obi-wan stopped as they exited, laying one hand on Mace's shoulder as they passed. His friend was abnormally stoic. "Go get some rest, my friend. We'll handle this," he assured him.
For once, Mace put up no fight. Obi-wan wondered if he had the energy. Nodding wordlessly, the dark-skinned man walked away silently, and soon disappeared to pay homage to his dead lover. Sighing, Obi-wan dragged Lux after him back to the med-bay, where he sensed several beings already inside, frantic. "No one would know, did you say?" he asked dryly as they walked up.
He sensed Anakin, Padme, Nava and Intrepid scouring the room anxiously. He could feel rather than see Lux blushing. "Um," he announced hoarsely. "Looking for me?" he asked. "Lux!" cried Intrepid, swiveling round.
Upon noticing Obi-wan's charge, she raced forward to take Lux from Obi-wan and usher him to bed, all the while patting him on the major extremities anxiously, and searching for further injury. "What are you doing out of bed? You have a fever! Are you mad?" She demanded, irate, as she then hustled about finding towels, thermostats, and tea packets. Lux sighed as he settled into bed, doomed to his fate.
"Yes, I've been driven mad by you and Ahsoka's worrying," he groaned, covering his eyes as if he could not stand the sight of them. Obi-wan assumed it was really because the room was spinning. Fevers did that to you. "Get used to it," Obi-wan assured him callously.
"Where was he?" Nava asked as her force signature wafted over to feel Lux's forehead. Her concern for others came easily, once more Obi-wan felt admiration harden in his chest for her because of it. "He managed to sneak into the interrogation rooms," Obi-wan said, without any scruples at the fact that Lux was signifying hurriedly to say nothing. He was bound and had vowed to preserve truth, after all.
Besides, he had told Lux he would pay for his obstinacy.
"What? Why?" Intrepid demanded; lying a cold rag on top of his head and plucking a spoonful of some atrocious medicine into his mouth. Lux coughed haggardly. "Yuck! That's disgusting! What are you doing, poisoning me? Ugh…Anyways, I had to see if Ackbar would confess, and he did, sort of," Lux explained, still gagging on the wretched stuff. Obi-wan shivered.
He remembered that medicine as well. He felt sorry for the poor boy. Medicines were things put in Jedi trials. Not for children.
"To being a spy? He is one?" Padme gasped, looking to him. Obi -wan nodded. "He is being coerced. Dooku had his family," he explained. The force darkened with fury, then lightened with its spontaneous release. "They're almost assuredly dead, but Ackbar won't believe it, and he won't tell us what he's told the Sith about us so far," Lux picked up.
Padme groaned and rubbed her temples. "Brilliant," she moaned dryly. "I'd better go talk to Bail," yes, they would need to plan for the next move. Hopefully, Padme would not be coming into the interrogation rooms next time. These things required a delicate touch, and eloquence. Despite being an exceedingly good diplomat, Padme was also very much like her husband in the fact that she believed in being blunt over all things.
"Speaking of talking," Obi-wan turned to his best friend. "Anakin, you might want to go see Mace. He might accept your help at the moment, as opposed to us," he said, with a nod. Mace trusted Anakin now, and Obi-wan knew how acutely the boy reminded the older man of Qui-gon. Perhaps he would open up to Anakin.
"Help? With what?" Anakin asked, surprised. He still had much to learn. "The interrogation reminded him of some rather vague and painful memories of his own past," he responded calmly.
He raised his brows. "And about a certain someone who he's lost," Anakin was a slow learner, but a good one, too. Indeed, Obi-wan could almost imagine the line creasing his brows as he thought about it…Thought about it…Thought about… "Oh! Force, you mean his…?" Anakin trailed off.
Obi-wan nodded, merely. "Go," he said, waving his hand to dismiss him. Anakin did not need telling twice. With a quick kiss on Padme's cheek, he hurried out of the med-bay to find Mace.
Good. Someone needed to watch after that man.
Nava laid a delicate hand on his arm. "What will happen to the admiral now?" She asked softly. Obi-wan shrugged. "He will be detained until further notice," he replied with a sigh. Nava nodded, scowl etched into beautiful features he would never see again with his own eyes.
"I sense trouble on the horizon," she muttered. Obi-wan chuckled dryly. "My dear, I have felt that every morning for the past five years. You are a bit of a late bloomer, don't you think?" he teased.
Nava replied by squeezing his bicep and nodding absently as she gazed down at Lux, being held down and spoon-fed his medicine by Padme and Intrepid, who were having trouble restraining the weak but stubborn male.
Obi-wan read Nava's thoughts. They are so young, he pondered, and then wondered what trouble lay ahead for these oh-so-young war veterans.
Next chapter begins one of my greatest achievements: the battle that lasted one hundred pages! Suffice to say, it'll take up a good chunk of the story.