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Chapter 35 uploaded Thursday, May 4th
Chapter 36 uploaded Saturday, May 6th
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
ALDERAAN
Padme Amidala woke up as the ship touched down. The landing pad was inside a gigantic, seemingly abandoned warehouse. On the inside it was bustling with movement, techs scurrying around, a handful of pilots working on their ships, and a team of medics cutting through it all. The ramp lowered immediately, and the medics were on board in an instant. They put an oxygen mask on Anakin's face and wheeled him out on a stretcher faster than medical droids, and Padme rushed out to follow them. She could tell Obi-Wan was behind her, but put all her attention on keeping track of Anakin's gurney, which seemed to be moving faster and faster. They wound down several hallways, and Padme lost them as they went into what seemed like an operating room, two nurses stopping her at the door.
"I'm sorry but you can't go in ma'am, it's a sterile room," one of them said, the other hurrying in to assist. Padme nodded, trying to get a glimpse of Anakin before the doors closed. He looked so pale.
"Padme, we should let him do his job," Obi-Wan said gently from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded again, and turned around, the man slipping into the room. "Why don't we sit down?" he suggested, guiding her over to a single chair that had been placed absentmindedly in the hallway ages ago. "We're on Alderaan, it's known for its excellent medical care even by other Core Worlds, he will be fine," he reassured her. Suddenly she felt so guilty.
"Obi-Wan I should be comforting you!" she exclaimed, "he's your former Padawan!" They had trained together and fought together for nearly fifteen years, and she was thinking of herself when he was just as concerned as she was.
"This is far from the first time Anakin has given me a scare like this," he said lightly, but Padme could hear the worry in his voice. She didn't fully understand the Force and all the abilities that came with it like the Jedi did, but Palpatine shooting electricity from his hands couldn't be an easy thing to cope with.
At least an hour passed in silence. A middle-aged woman came up to Obi-Wan and said something, and moved off to the other side of the hallway. "Padme I understand you and Anakin are close and have been spending a lot of time together recently, but Senator Organa has asked for you to help him assist the rebels," Obi-Wan said quietly. Only a day ago Anakin had revealed the true nature of their relationship, but now was certainly not the time to burden her with that knowledge, or anyone else for that matter.
Sighing, Padme looked at the doorway Anakin had disappeared into. She couldn't bear to leave Anakin, but there was nothing she could do now.
"Alright. Where is he?" she asked, getting up "and Obi-Wan and I would like to be notified immediately if Anakin's condition changes," she said, regaining her diplomatic demeanor. The woman gave them a curt nod and led them into a spaceship gray room, Bail sitting at the table and Mon Mothma's holographic image hovering above the table.
"Padme, it's so good to see you're alright," Mon Mothma said.
"You too, Mon Mothma," she replied. "Bail I cannot thank you enough for allowing us to stay here," she said.
"It's not me you should be thinking. Mon Mothma is the real mastermind behind all this rebellion business, I'm just the spokesperson," he joked. He exchanged a few more pleasantries, but his features hardened, and he leaned forward. "We have a whole host of things we need to discuss, but I believe the largest bantha in the room is the status of the Jedi." Obi-Wan nodded, taking the cue, and stepped forward.
"I'm sure you've discussed this with Master Yoda, but I would like to repeat it. For the moment we've decided to lay low and find out more about Palpatine. I have gathered some records of his time on Naboo, before he had to start covering his tracks. He's very powerful, and frankly the Jedi are too weak to take him on at a time like this," Obi-Wan said. "And may I ask where Aayla Secura is? I'm sure she would like to be here for the discussion."
"Master Secura feels confident in your ability to speak for the Jedi. She's currently with one of our intelligence divisions," Bail told him. Obi-Wan nodded. Knowing Aayla, she had probably rewired their entire communications systems at this point.
"How many of you remain?" Mothma asked.
"Twenty-seven confirmed," Obi-Wan answered. "Four Jedi Masters, one Knight, six Padawans, and sixteen younglings. We believe more Jedi may have survived, but we have not established contact with them."
"I see. What specifically do the Jedi intend to do while they are avoiding the Imperials?" Mothma inquired.
"We've found an area of the galaxy we can hide in. Yoda is training the younglings, although I believe we will have a more detailed plan laid out soon," he replied. Mothma nodded. "It is my belief that while the Jedi will need to keep a low profile, we will be willing to assist your movement in any way we can."
"Thank you, Master Kenobi," the Chandrilan Senator said. Obi-Wan bowed and stepped back, Mothma speaking with the other two Senators about plans for the rebellion such as intelligence, operations, recruitment, etc, all various things Obi-Wan only had to sit and listen to. They were discussing an attack plan against a command post in the Mid Rim when the Force began to roil. Obi-Wan recognized Anakin's Force signature immediately, his stomach churning at the thought. He mumbled something to the Senators, and bolted out of the room, heading straight for the medical area. The Force was up in a frenzy, making it difficult to concentrate. It was unlike anything he had felt before, the Force had never been this unsettled. With horror, Obi-Wan recognized the oppressive presence of the dark side. He doubled his pace to the medical bay. Whatever the healers were doing, it wasn't going to help Anakin fight off the dark side.
"Are you alright?" Padme asked as Obi-Wan quickly stood up and left, mumbling something about not feeling well. His fingers were pressed against his temples like he had a migraine, and Padme couldn't get a good look at his face. Gesturing for Mothma and Bail to continue without her, she followed Obi-Wan out. He was heading toward the medical area, and Padme felt as if her heart would stop. Anakin, she thought. Obi-Wan pushed through the doors to the sterile room, and Padme froze when she saw the sight in front of her. The doctor and nurses were pulling Anakin out of the bacta tank, a seemingly routine medical procedure. The nurse from before saw them and made his way to them.
"I'm sorry you can't be in here," he said, taking them by the arm and pushing them towards the exit.
"Please I need to see him," Padme said, looking over the mans shoulder.
"Allow me to help. He's in distress, I can sense it through the Force," Obi-Wan said at the same time.
"He's in a coma not in cardiac arrest," the nurse said firmly. "Wait here." Obi-Wan shoved the man off, and ran to Anakin's side. The nurse took off after him, and Padme followed. She saw Obi-Wan grab Anakin's hand and close his eyes, a tranquil looking crossing his face. The doctor and nurses watched in confusion, unsure of what to do. A moment or so passed, no one moving out of fear of questioning the Jedi's authority or interfering with whatever he was doing. Suddenly Obi-Wan grimaced and his eyes flew open. He stumbled back, concern all over his face, his eyes focused only on Anakin. The medical personnel assumed he had frozen from shock, and attempted to guide him out, but he pushed them away.
"He's locked in a trance," he said shortly, wadding up his cloak and tossing it to the side. "I need to help him, he's too weak to get out."
"What are you talking about?" the doctor asked. "The man needs a sedative!"
"If you know how to handle injuries caused by a Sith then please help, otherwise leave!" Obi-Wan barked, his tone of voice sending the doctor scurrying. In a softer tone of voice he continued, "Padme, I need you stay and anchor me."
"Anchor you?" she repeated, stepping forward, ready to assist in anyway she could.
"Yes. He's trapped in some sort of trance that I'm afraid Sidious caused. There's not much time to explain, I'll have to go inside his mind. If it's too dangerous down there, I'll need to follow your signature back out," he said, pulling up a gurney from the side of the room and laying down on it. "If he starts moving or goes into distress, try to calm him down or pull me out. Whatever you do, do not let the doctors sever the connection. It will only make it worse." Sensing her distress, he took her hand, "it will be alright. Just hold my hand."
"I will," she told him. Obi-Wan nodded to her, and intertwined his right arm with Anakin's left. He closed his eyes, and seconds later his body went completely still, to the point where Padme thought he had died. Alone with two unconscious Jedi, she began to run her fingers through Anakin's hair as she had countless times before whenever they were alone. "Anakin come back. Whatever's going on it isn't real. Come back."
Palpatine glared at him, the glow from his red lightsaber casting eerie shadows across his face. Their lightsabers were locked, and Anakin pushed his single lightsaber against both the Sith Lords, the man he had considered his friend. The pressure of the lightsabers reverberated throughout the Force, a maniacal grin spreading across the Emperor's face. The old man cackled, and suddenly the opposition to his lightsaber dropped, as Palpatine deflected a stray blaster bolt. Without thinking, Anakin froze it in midair, concentrating in on stopping it before it hit its mark. He looked over and was shocked to see Padme had entered the room, her blaster aimed straight at Palpatine. She quickly moved out of the way of the suspended bolt, which made its mark in the wall behind her. Obi-Wan and Aayla charged through the doorway, lightsabers drawn and ready to attack. Anakin turned back to face Palpatine and allowed the Force to guide him in battle as it had so many times before. He was surprised when the old man leaped back, but the unsettling calm in the Force warned him of an incoming attack, like the calm before the storm. Sensing she was in danger, Anakin leaped in front of Padme. The lightning hit him before he saw it leave Palpatine's hands, and Anakin barely felt himself hit the ground, the Sith lightning overwhelming him. It was he could feel, see, or smell, and for a moment Anakin thought he was going to die. He heard the sounds of a battle and Padme's voice, but it was distorted and faded like his head was in a bacta tank.
Somehow the pain fell away, Anakin sat up, blinking, trying to make the outlines of the wall and equipment before him come into focus. He was in a hospital, he could tell that much, but it had dated medical droids and supplies, bearing more resemblance to the illegal shops in the underworld of Coruscant than the Halls of Healing. He heard a woman cry out to his left, and saw with horror it was Padme. He shoved himself off the floor and tried to move towards her, to comfort her, but his limbs would not obey. All he could do was watch, the very last thing he wanted to do. She was panting heavily, and her skin was shiny with sweat. She was so pale and shaky, Anakin wondered why they weren't doing anything more for her. No one in the room acknowledged his presence, not even Padme. He scoured the room for a medical droid, but there were none to be found. Unable to do anything else, he reached into the Force to try and free himself, but it was unresponsive.
"Obi-Wan," she said softly, turning her head. "Where is Anakin?"
"I'm right here!" Anakin said loudly, trying to wave his arms.
"He had to stay on Mustafar," Obi-Wan answered. "Get some rest, you're exhausted," he told her. Mustafar? Anakin thought, bewildered. That was some backwater mining world, why would he be there?
"He said he would be here. He said he would help me," she whispered.
This has to be some kind of nightmare, this can't be happening, Anakin thought with terror. He tried to grab his wife's hand, but it was like there was a bantha holding him down. Growing more frantic as Padme began to slip away, Anakin tried to reach into the Force, but found nothing. It's just a dream, it's not real, he told himself. But it was all happening right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Padme's head lulled to the side, and Anakin tried to grab her hand, but he was as immobile as ever. Horrified by the sight in front of him, he felt a trail of warmth fall down his cheek as tears spilled from his eyes. He closed his eyes, this couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening. His head pounded, the reality in front of him pressing in on all sides. Focusing as hard as he could, he blocked it out, and eventually the weight fell from his chest, and he opened his eyes to a completely different scene.
He was standing in the atrium of the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan and Yoda kneeling down next to a body. Confused why Yoda and Obi-Wan were at the Temple, he quickly realized with horror that the bodies around him were those of younglings. He had stopped this before, he had gotten the younglings out of the Temple before Windu and the clones could harm them, hadn't he? Obi-Wan stood up, a grim look on his face.
"Not even the younglings survived," he said gravely.
"Killed not by clones, this Padawan was," Yoda said, distress evident in his voice. "By a lightsaber he was."
"Who? Who could have done this?" Obi-Wan asked, horror written all over his face. Never before had Anakin seen his always controlled master display such strong emotions so easily. The two silently made their way through the Temple, the carnage around them speaking for itself. Anakin was tugged along, and left to sort through the destruction on his own, unseen and unheard by his fellow Jedi. As Obi-Wan and Yoda conducted their business in the communications room, Anakin leaned against a wall in shock, finally able to rest. He thought he had saved all the young Jedi, but that obviously wasn't the case, the bodies of those he thought he had rescued littered the floor of the Temple now. What was happening? How could he have let it happen? He was the Chosen One, or so the Council said. He should have been able to stop this! He lashed out at the wall in anger, the sound of his fist colliding with it not disturbing the Jedi next to him.
"There is something I must know," Obi-Wan said, taking a detour to the security footage dataport.
"If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find," Yoda warned.
"I must know the truth, Master," Obi-Wan answered, his eyes on the moving holographic images. Anakin stared as well, wanting to know who had killed so many innocents. The faces of the fighting figures came into view, and Anakin fell back against the wall in shock. "It can't be, it can't be," he vaguely heard Obi-Wan say in front him. Anakin's heartbeat became a deafening war in his ears, and he was unable to see anything other than himself killing the Jedi. He was the killer. He had struck down dozens of younglings and Padawans. He had killed Shaak Ti. And it was him who was kneeling before Darth Sidious as his new apprentice. Anakin's vision began to blur, grief and remorse taking over him.
"I can't watch anymore," Obi-Wan said, mercifully turning off the display.
"Destroy the Sith we must," Yoda said, rapping his staff on the floor, reminding Obi-Wan of his sworn duty as a Jedi.
"Send me to kill the Emperor," his friend said. "I will not kill Anakin." If they hadn't just watched him massacre the Jedi Order Anakin might have felt touched by the statement, but the horror of his actions had stunned him into a stupor, unable to think of anything else. How could he have done that? He was a Jedi Knight, why would he ever kill so many of his comrades? He had been on missions with many of them before, how could he ever turn on them? This isn't real, this isn't real, he thought to himself desperately. It was impossible to be in the Jedi Temple, not when he was fighting the Emperor only moments ago. But he still felt sick and weak, and Obi-Wan and Yoda were arguing right in front of him.
"To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not," Yoda said firmly.
"He is like my brother, I cannot do it," Obi-Wan answered. Brothers? Anakin thought to himself. Obi-Wan had never been very open with his emotions, and he had even thought the older Jedi was a little cold, but evidently he shared the same feelings as Anakin did. And told still hold onto them after seeing the unspeakable things he had done spoke volumes. Hearing those words slightly comforted Anakin, despite the dire situation around them.
"Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is, consumed by Darth Vader," Yoda said sadly. Whatever walls he had thrown up to block out the reality surrounding him came tumbling down. No matter how he looked at it, he had become a Sith Lord. He was no longer Anakin Skywalker, but a man who called himself Darth Vader and had destroyed the Jedi Order, and was no doubt going to hunt down the men before him. He had become the very thing he swore to destroy. This was all so wrong, how had he allowed himself to join the same side that had robbed him of his arm? He heard Obi-Wan speaking, and focused on that, if only to distract him from what was happening for only a moment.
"I don't know where the Emperor has sent him. I don't know where to look," he protested.
"Use your feelings Obi-Wan, and find him you will," Yoda said simply. The scene before him began to fade out of focus, and soon he was standing on a landing pad on a volcanic world that had various machines built into the rock. He could only assume it was Mustafar, having never been to the mining world personally.
"Come away with me," he heard Padme's voice from behind. Whipping around, he was shocked to see her standing barely ten feet away, sorrow and desperation in her eyes. "Help me raise our child, leave everything else behind while we still can," she said. The pain in her voice hurt and angered him. Someone was causing her pain, and he was not going to treat the person behind it kindly. She stepped away from him slowly, a look of horror on her face. "I don't believe what I'm hearing. Obi-Wan was right, you've changed," she said softly.
"Padme what are you talking about?" he asked, his heart rate increasing as she moved further away. He had no idea why he and Padme were on this rock, or why she seemed so terrified of him. For the first time in his life he was frozen in indecision.
"I don't know you anymore. You're going down a path I can't follow," she cried, her chest heaving up and down and her voice echoing around him. A misplaced sense of betrayal began to come over him, and Anakin pushed it aside. He had no reason to feel betrayed by Padme, he had to be mistaken, it couldn't be right, nothing about this was right.
"Stop now! Come back!" she exclaimed, tears falling down her face. He heard something move on the ship, and he looked up. A surge of anger rose up from his chest at the sight of Obi-Wan Kenobi, guilt quickly following. Why was wrong with him? Obi-Wan was the only one who could stop this!
"Obi-Wan you have to help!" he yelled, making his way over to the man he considered to be a brother. Obi-Wan always had a way to help him, no matter how confusing the situation. Padme wasn't a Force-sensitive, and Anakin hoped that would be the difference that would make Obi-Wan see and hear him.
"Let her go!" Obi-Wan shouted, causing Anakin to stumble backwards. Let her go? he thought, bewildered. The only 'her' here was... he turned to look at his wife and fear coursed through his system when he saw her lying on the ground. He ran over to her, kneeling down next to her and checking her pulse. It was there, but it was so weak and erratic, she needed a doctor. He tried to use some Force healing, but it was like his connection was severed. Looking down, he realized her stomach was much too large for a woman who was only three months pregnant. That means it's not real, none of this his happening, he thought to himself desperately.
"You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind, you have become the very thing you swore to destroy," Obi-Wan said icily, circling him. Anakin slowly got up, keeping a close eye on Obi-Wan's movements. Padme was laying vulnerable on the ground, and even if this was a nightmare, Anakin was taking no chances of her being harmed.
"Only a Sith deals in absolutes," Obi-Wan said sadly, taking his lightsaber out of his belt, "I will do what I must."
"Obi-Wan don't!" Anakin yelled, backing away from the man he had considered a brother since he was ten years old. No matter what nightmare he was stuck in, he would not fight Obi-Wan. As Obi-Wan lunged towards him, the landscape swirled around them and next thing he knew Anakin was standing on a dark and rocky bank next to a river of lava. Obi-Wan was looking sorrowfully at a figure on the ground, and Anakin realized with horror that it was him, missing his legs and his remaining biological arm, and with the trademark yellow eyes of a Sith. Pure hatred was etched on his doppelgangers face, and Anakin stumbled backwards, shocked at the sight before him.
"You were the Chosen One!" Obi-Wan said, his robes singed and his hair damp with sweat, "it was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!" The mangled figure before him only groaned in pain, and Obi-Wan bent to pick up the lightsaber that had been dropped in the battle.
"I hate you!" the figure screamed, crying out in pain.
"You were my brother Anakin," Obi-Wan said, his voice breaking. "I loved you." Anakin watched in horror as the robes of the nightmare figure caught fire, quickly spreading to the rest of the body. Obi-Wan turned away, and left him on the bank. Overcome with terror, Anakin fell to the ground, breathing heavily. He had joined the Sith and slaughtered countless Jedi, fought Obi-Wan in battle and been dismembered, and Padme had died. He had failed the Jedi, Obi-Wan, and Padme the same way he had failed his mother. They were all suffering, something he could not bear to see happen to people he loved.
What kind of sick vision is this? Anakin thought, his heart beat becoming faster and faster. He pinched himself in a childish attempt to wake up, but the suffocating heat and smell of burning flesh remained.
"What's happening?" he cried out. What sort of twisted nightmare was he in that conjured up all these horrid situations? He had to end this, he couldn't take anymore of it. Concentrating with all his might, Anakin pushed the overwhelming scene in front of him out of his mind, focusing on Padme and Obi-Wan, trying to go back to them. They had to be alright, this couldn't be his reality. It couldn't.
The air around him turned to ice, and Anakin shivered as a cold wind began to blow, his body feeling like lead as he sensed the oppressive presence of a Sith. The volcanic landscape of Mustafar no longer surrounded him. Instead, he was on a flat dusty plain, fog blocking his view of anything more than a few feet away.
"This is what you become," a raspy voice boomed. "There is no escape." Anakin turned around, trying to locate the source of the malevolent presence. Breathing still shaky, he drew his lightsaber, ready to engage this Sith.
"I'll never become a Sith!" Anakin yelled, trying to draw the enemy out.
"You are not powerful enough to stop it from happening," the low voice hissed. "In a different shape or different form, these events will come to pass!"
"No they won't!" he protested, pulling his lightsaber close. The icy presence drew closer, making his limbs feel like they were made of lead. It was so close, he only needed to strike it down...
"You think you are so powerful Skywalker, but the dark side is unstoppable," the voice continued, echoing around him. "It may not be Mustafar, but it could be Naboo, Tatooine, Coruscant, Alderaan. Your wife will die, Obi-Wan will betray you," the voice seethed, the wind whipping up into a frenzy.
"No!" Anakin growled.
"You are weak, Skywalker," the voice boomed. He sensed the danger, seconds before it happened, but the Force push was too strong. Anakin went flying through the air, roughly landing on his side. He saw the dark figure emerge from the fog, a hood over its face. "You will never save them!" It raised it's hands, and Anakin barely raised his lightsaber in time to block the Sith lightning. He allowed his lightsaber to absorb the shock, and pushed himself off the ground as the hooded figure drew a blood red lightsaber.
Padme looked around nervously as the machines began to go into a frenzy. Anakin's heart rate doubled in a span of seconds, and various other numbers on the screens began to climb as well.
"Anakin," she whispered, running her hand through his hair, "come back. I'm right here, just follow my voice." She looked up as some nurses came in and began to fiddle with the machines and pull things out of drawers.
"Obi-Wan, Anakin's in trouble, hurry," she said urgently. Anxiously she took Anakin's free hand in both of hers. "Anakin it's me, Padme. Whatever you're seeing it isn't real. Just follow my voice and come back to me," she pleaded, "I love you."
Anakin swung the Sith's blade away, trying his hardest to keep his focus on the evil in front of him. All through the battle he had been deluged with memories and visions that weren't his, Padme dying, Obi-Wan fighting him with a resigned look in his eye, him killing Agen Kolar in the Chancellor's Office and kneeling before the Emperor, it terrified him. He didn't think he was capable of such things, but they were so real, just like everything else that had happened.
"Anakin," a soft voice said, distracting him from the battle. In his moment of weakness, the Sith shot another bout of lighting at him, knocking him to the ground. "It's me, Padme," the beautiful voice continued, and Anakin gasped in shock. It couldn't be her, he had seen her die. But then how could he feel her warm presence, hear her smooth voice? Anakin cried out in pain as the Sith Lord struck him with lightning again, pulling him from his thoughts.
"It isn't real," she continued, her voice becoming louder and clearer, causing the Sith to take a step back. Anakin coughed, recovering from the shock. "Come back to me," she said, and Anakin reached for her through the Force. Somehow the fog didn't cloud as much of his vision, and the Sith wasn't towering over him anymore, he was standing far away. The icy feeling in the pit of his stomach began to melt, and the lead in his limbs began to disappear. He clung to their Force connection, letting it pull him up out of the darkness.
Padme didn't let her attention waiver from Anakin's face for a moment. He had been crying out unintelligible words for the past few minutes, and thrashing around. It had taken all of her strength to keep him and Obi-Wan connected. If something happened to her husband, if the Emperor had done something to him..., she jumped back in surprise as Obi-Wan sat up next to her.
"Are you alright?" she asked as the Jedi Master looked around, slightly dazed.
"I'm fine," he said, quickly getting up and looking at Anakin. "His shields were too strong for me to get to him, but he pushed me out, which means he's becoming more aware," he told her. The brown and blue eyes didn't look away from their friend as he lay on the table, twitching and murmuring things they couldn't understand. Suddenly Anakin's eyes flew open, and Padme let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in.
"Anakin!" she exclaimed, resting her hand on his cheek.
"Padme?" he croaked, lifting his head to see her better. "You're alive," he whispered, before falling back onto the table.
"I'm sorry you need to leave," the doctor said, grabbing both of their arms.
"But-" Padme protested, pulling her arm out of his grasp. She looked to Obi-Wan for assistance, but he was focused on Anakin, a worried look still on his face.
"He's alright Padme, we should wait outside," he said, gently taking her arm and leading her out, giving the doctor a steely glance. He led her away from the swarm of doctors and nurses and out into the hall to the chair.
"We can't leave him in there!" Padme exclaimed, standing back up.
"Padme he broke the connection, he needs medical assistance now," he told her.
"What do you mean?" she demanded.
"While I was in his mind, I sensed a dark side presence. I tried to investigate it further, but it was a bond between Anakin and the Emperor that I could not interfere with," he explained. "A piece of the dark side had attached itself to Anakn's mind, trapping him in visions is what I assume after what we just saw. My guess is when Palpatine used Sith lighting, he used the Force bond he has cultivated with Anakin over the years to break through his shields, and caused him to have illusions. It's very difficult to maintain and execute over such long distances." He didn't show it, but Obi-Wan was horrified and enraged by what Sidious had done. To trap his former Padawan in his own mind, forcing Anakin to live in what could only be terrifying visions based on the pain and suffering he had felt through his own Force bond with Anakin, Obi-Wan wanted nothing more than to hunt Sidious down and destroy him. The man had no business inflicting such misery on a young man who had fought with everything he had for the Republic, only to be hunted down like a common criminal.
"What should we do now? Will Palpatine do it again?" Padme asked, drawing him from his thoughts.
"No. The dark side bond is gone. The best we can do for Anakin now is remain calm and be there when he wakes up. No doubt he will be at the very least confused when awakens, and any preexisting turmoil will only overwhelm him," the Jedi Master warned. She nodded in agreement, and sat back down in the chair. Anxiously, Obi-Wan checked his Force bond with Anakin to make sure the boy was still alright. He could sense the tension in the boy remaining from the images he had seen in the visions, but there was no menacing darkness, and certainly much less distress. Obi-Wan took in a deep breath, focusing on calming himself and Padme. The two of them were Anakin's two strongest Force bonds, and Obi-Wan did not want their anxieties to be projected into the Force and picked up on Anakin, who desperately needed serenity.
Satisfied that he and Padme were calm enough to stabilize Anakin, Obi-Wan excused himself and went to call Yoda over the holo. The Sith they were dealing with was far more dangerous and powerful than they had realized, and they could not afford to spend any more time sitting and waiting for the Sith to show a weakness.