Chapter 53: Echoes of Pain

Aila had a long day. Her brief meeting on Corellia had been successful. Afterwards, she had returned to her ship so that Captain Sellanti and Lieutenant Alarna could take her to Alderaan. As they had promised earlier, they showed her how to take-off and land her Nubian cruiser.

Take-off and landing did take more concentration than the actual flight, but Aila did not find it too difficult. She was sure that by the time they returned to Coruscant, she would be fairly proficient in flying her cruiser and would no longer need the services of Captain Sellanti and Lieutenant Alarna. It was not that Aila did not enjoy their company, she liked both Sellanti and Alarna, but she also liked the idea of not being dependent on them.

Being late in the evening, Aila was spending the night at a hotel on Alderaan. In the morning she would depart for Roon and subsequently Naboo for her final meetings before returning home. Alderaan was a beautiful planet in both its natural landscape and its architecture. As she walked down the long hallway leading to her hotel room, Aila admired the elegant building.

Captain Sellanti and Lieutenant Alarna were following closely behind Aila. They had insisted on escorting her to her room, and Aila saw no reason to refuse them. As Aila passed by a window she stopped and smiled at the view of the distant snow capped mountains. She often complained about snow on Earth, but when she did not have to shovel it, she had to admit that it was beautiful.

Tearing her eyes away from the view, Aila silently wondered what Obi-Wan was up to this evening. Just as this thought came to her, Aila heard an anguished cry in her head, "Nooooo!" At the same time she felt a wave of grief, anger, and pain through her Force bond with Obi-Wan.

Aila staggered and pressed herself against a nearby wall to steady herself. "Obi-Wan!" She called out as her knees nearly buckled from the intense emotions she was feeling from him.

"Milady, are you all right?" Captain Sellanti and Lieutenant Alarna asked simultaneously as they came closer to help her.

"Obi-Wan, what is wrong?" Aila asked out loud while at the same time trying to project it through her Force bond. She completely ignored Captain Sellanti and Lieutenant Alarna who had matching looks of concern. Aila's focus was on her husband, he was on a mission and she should not feel his emotions since their Force bond should have been closed off. She was deeply concerned by the emotions she could feel him projecting to her. "Obi-Wan, are you all right?" Aila asked desperately once more.

However, the only response Aila received was that her Force connection to Obi-Wan was abruptly cut-off after she heard a faint roar of anger in her head. She nearly fainted from the sudden cut-off of the Force bond, having not been ready for it, but Captain Sellanti had firmly gripped her arm to keep her steady.

"Milady, what is wrong?" Captain Sellanti repeated.

"Obi-Wan." Aila repeated dazedly as she tried to process what had just happened.

"Your husband?" Captain Sellanti asked.

Shaking her head to clear it, Aila ignored the looks of concern on her escorts' faces as she said, "I need to contact the Jedi Temple." Then without waiting for a response from Sellanti or Alarna, Aila quickly walked the last few feet to her room.

"Milady?" Sellanti and Alarna both asked. Both were completely confused as to what was happening.


Anakin twisted in his sleep; his bare chest rose and fell rapidly as his breathing became erratic in the throes of his nightmare. While shaking his head back and forth as if to evade the images disturbing his sleep, he mumbled, "No. No. Mom, no. Don't, no." And then with a violent start, Anakin woke up shouting "Obi-Wan!"

"Anakin, are you all right?" Padmé asked with worry as she ran into his bedroom. It was dark, but the moonlight peeking through the retreat windows gave her enough illumination to see where she was going. She had heard his cries of distress from her bedroom and had hastened to his side. She had not taken the time to properly wrap her navy blue robe around her and as she sat down on the bed next to him. She failed to notice that the robe was wide open and revealing her white, low-cut, silken nightgown.

Anakin did not answer Padmé, in fact he barely noticed her as his thoughts raced with what he had just seen in his dreams. Not only had his mother been in intense pain, but so was Obi-Wan, but he was not sure why. Anakin had never had that happen in one of his nightmares. His heart was racing and he was gasping for breath as he recalled the images from his nightmare.

"Anakin?" Padmé prodded again as she gently laid a hand on one of Anakin's bare shoulders. She could not stop the elevation of her own heart rate at the feel of his toned skin. She shuddered slightly as she felt his muscles flex under her palm.

Padmé's light touch startled Anakin out of his reverie and his eyes quickly locked on hers.

Seeing that she had his attention, Padmé repeated her previous question. "Are you all right?" She dropped her hand from Anakin's shoulder and placed it in her lap once she realized how awkward the situation was.

Anakin shifted his tangled blanket around before shakily answering, "Ye… yes." He then dropped his face into his hands as he recalled the images from his nightmare. He was finding Padmé's presence soothing, but also distracting. He longed to pull her into his arms and take comfort in her presence, but he needed to think about what he had just seen. He had been having nightmares over the last month, but something was different about this one. The pain and anguish he felt in it seemed real.

Padmé and Anakin remained silent for a while, neither knowing what to do. Anakin was lost in his own thoughts and Padmé was awkwardly sitting by his side. She wanted to help, but she was unsure of what she could do. When Anakin finally let out a long drawn out sigh, Padmé slowly began to stand up from the bed to leave him alone for a while. However, before she could take a step, Anakin had gently captured one of her hands with his and softly said, "Don't go. Please stay."

Padmé's heart skipped a beat as she felt Anakin's calloused hand upon hers. She could not deny his request and sat back down on the bed next to him. "You were having another nightmare, weren't you?"

"Jedi don't have nightmares." Anakin lied, trying to sound like he was not bothered by his previous dream even though he was currently seeing flashes of it in his mind.

"I heard you." Padmé stated evenly, knowing that Anakin was lying to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Anakin was silent for a moment as the last images of his nightmare flooded his mind. He grimaced at the sight before gazing up at Padmé, his cerulean eyes locking with her chocolate orbs. He longed to drown in those eyes in the hope that they would erase the images that were currently behind his own eyes. He gave out a long sigh before stating, "I saw my mother."

Padmé continued to listen while she gave Anakin's hand a gentle and reassuring squeeze.

"She is suffering, Padmé. I saw her as clearly as I see you now." A tear threatened to escape Anakin's eye and he looked away and blinked rapidly in an attempt to hide his show of weakness from Padmé.

"It was just a dream." Padmé stated reassuringly and she absently ran the back of her fingers through Anakin's hair. In the back of her mind she knew she should not be doing this, but she could not stand to see her Jedi protector in pain and was doing her best to ease it. She rationalized that she was only helping a friend.

"I have been saying that for the last month, but this was different. I could feel my mother's pain."

"You miss her, it is only natural…" Padmé began before Anakin interrupted her.

"I felt pain from Obi-Wan too. It was related to my mother's pain, but why I do not know. Something is not right." Anakin fell silent for another minute before giving a deep sigh. He knew something was terribly wrong and he needed to find out what it was. He dropped his gaze to his lap when he came to a decision. "I know I'm disobeying my mandate to protect you, Senator, but I have to go."

Anakin looked up and met Padmé's gaze as he finished his statement. She could see worry and anguish cloud his features as he continued. "I have to make sure my mother and Obi-Wan are all right. Something does not feel right. I have to help them."

Unable to stand the pain in his eyes and voice, Padmé softly replied, "I'll go with you. Then you can still protect me and you will not break your mandate." If she were being honest with herself she would have realized that she could not stand the thought of Anakin leaving without her. She cared deeply for him, and although she would not admit it, she longed to spend as much time possible with him.

In gratitude, Anakin softly pulled Padmé's hand, that he had been holding, to his lips and graced the back of it with a soft and tender kiss. "Thank you, milady." Then with a hint of regret in his voice added, "I apologize. I don't have a choice. I must go."


"I am sorry milady, but the Jedi Temple generally does not accept calls from outside." The hotel clerk Aila was speaking to over the comm. in her room stated. Aila was trying to get the clerk to connect her to the Temple, but the clerk kept insisting that it could not be done. Aila had shooed away Captain Sellanti and Lieutenant Alarna so that she could make her call alone. Her cruiser's crew had shared a look of concern, but had been considerate of Aila's wishes and left her alone.

"Look." Aila stated sternly as her brow furrowed, irritation was evident in her voice. "Make the connection and tell them this is Aila Kenobi, wife of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and it is urgent that I speak with someone at the Temple."

The clerk's eyebrows raised in shock at Aila's words. "You are married to a Jedi Knight? I thought it was forbidden?"

Aila rolled her eyes as she coldly stated, "Obviously not, now please make the connection. This is urgent." Aila was growing increasingly agitated with each passing moment. She was worried about Obi-Wan and had no way of knowing what was wrong.

"Very well milady, it will be a moment." The clerk stated amiably. Then Aila was put on hold while the clerk connected to the Jedi Temple. Aila paced back and forth before the comm. unit while she waited. After two minutes, the clerk opened the transmission again, "Milady, your transmission has been accepted."

"Thank you." Aila said as the image of the clerk faded and the image of Master Windu appeared before her.

"Milady?" Master Windu asked. By the tone of his voice, Aila could tell that he was not happy about this transmission.

"Master Windu." Aila began respectively. "Has the Temple heard from Obi-Wan?"

"A few days ago, he is completing his mission."

"Is there a way to check on him, I really need to know that he is all right?" Aila stated, an edge of plea evident in her voice.

"No milady, he is in pursuit of a bounty hunter. He will check in once he has successfully completed the mission."

"Yes, but…" Aila paused before continuing, "I think something terrible has happened."

Master Windu cocked an eyebrow at Aila as he asked, "And how would you know?"

"I don't know." Aila sighed. "It is a feeling. I think Obi-Wan is in trouble."

"Well, the Temple has not had any distress calls. Are you sure you are not overreacting?"

Aila took a step back in shock at the Jedi Master's claim, "I am not making this up. I felt a great deal of pain from him. Someone needs to check on him."

"There are thousands of Jedi in the Temple, milady that have far greater Force abilities than you. We have sensed nothing out of place." Master Windu stated condescendingly.

"Yes, but…" Aila tried to plea again.

"Nonsense, Obi-Wan is fine." Windu scoffed.

"Can I speak with Master Yoda or Gallia?" Aila asked, knowing she was getting nowhere with Master Windu.

"They are both busy at the moment. They do not need to be bothered with this. Your husband is fine. He will return to Coruscant once his mission is completed. Now if you'll excuse me milady, I have more pressing matters to attend to." With that final statement, Master Windu ended the transmission with Aila and exited the Temple's communication room to join Master Yoda in a nearby meditation chamber.

Master Yoda was shaking his head and had a worried expression on his face. This did not go unnoticed by Master Windu who carefully studied the elder Jedi's expression. When Master Yoda ended his meditation and turned his face towards his colleague, Master Windu was shocked to see a glazed look to the elder's eyes, "What is it?" Master Windu asked with the concern he should have expressed to Aila.

"Pain, suffering, death I feel." Master Yoda stated with his eyes cast to the floor. He appeared to be grieving over something. "Something terrible has happened. Kenobi is in pain. Terrible pain." He elaborated.

Master Windu's eyes shot up in surprise at this declaration, but he did not inform the diminutive Jedi of his previous conversation with Aila.


"Why that…" Aila stopped herself from calling Master Windu a few choice and highly inappropriate names. She glared at the comm. unit as she decided on her next course of action. She should have known Master Windu would not take her seriously, he had never been happy with her relationship with Obi-Wan. He had been the source of the majority of Obi-Wan's problems with the Jedi Council and it did not seem that his opinion of her had softened over these last three years.

Aila knew that she needed to contact someone within the Jedi Order who would be willing to help her, but there were very few that would. Aila's options were limited to Yoda, Gallia, and Anakin. Unfortunately based on her previous conversation with Master Windu, it did not look like she could get in contact with Masters Yoda or Gallia, and Anakin was on a mission to Naboo.

However, she did know that Anakin was on Naboo and more importantly not at the Temple. He was the best option to contact, but she did not know how to get in contact with him. Considering her options, Aila came to a decision and prayed that it would work, "Ma'am?" Aila asked as she contacted the front desk clerk of the hotel again.

"Yes, milady?" The clerk asked.

"Please connect me to Supreme Chancellor Len Itappa on Coruscant."

"The Supreme Chancellor?" The clerk asked with shock.

"Yes, this is urgent. Tell him this is Aila Kenobi. I suspect he will accept the transmission."

"As you wish." The clerk stated skeptically as she set to her task.

A few moments later, the smiling face of the Supreme Chancellor greeted Aila as he said, "Aila, how nice of you to call. I do hope your trip is going well."

"It is going well Chancellor, but I am calling for an urgent unrelated matter."

Itappa's features fell in concern, "What is it?"

"I need to get in contact with Padawan Anakin Skywalker. I think something is wrong with Obi-Wan, but the Temple won't tell me anything. I am certain Anakin will let me know what is going on."

"Oh dear, do you have any idea if Obi-Wan is safe?" Itappa asked.

"I am not sure." Aila answered desperately. "That is why I wish to speak with Anakin. The Temple will not help me, you were the only one I could turn to."

Itappa shook his head, "I cannot believe that the Temple is still giving you and Obi-Wan grief, but I will be more than happy to help. As Supreme Chancellor I know where Padawan Skywalker and Senator Amidala are in hiding and I can connect you with them now."

"Oh thank you so much, Chancellor. You have no idea how much this means to me." Aila stated with a large smile coming across her face.

"My pleasure, milady." Itappa waved off Aila's gratitude. "Just let me know how Obi-Wan is once you find out."

"Of course." Aila nodded and she turned a bit grim with worry once more.

"I will connect you now." Itappa stated and Aila watched as she saw the Chancellor press a few buttons on his comm. console. The transmission ended before Aila could say "Thank you," once more. Instead, Aila began to pace again as she waited for Anakin or Padmé to accept her transmission.


"Hello?" Padmé asked skeptically as she answered her comm. unit. She had been busy packing a few things for her trip to Tatooine with Anakin when she had been interrupted by the comm. It was odd that she was being contacted because until now Anakin and her had not been disturbed then entire time during their stay. Only a select few were aware of her hiding place.

"Senator Amidala, this is Aila Kenobi. Is Padawan Skywalker there?" Aila asked quickly, Padmé could hear a slight edge of panic in her voice.

"Yes, he is." Padmé answered, shocked that Aila was the once calling.

"Senator, I apologize for disturbing you. Chancellor Itappa patched me through to you." Aila explained her actions before asking, "Can I speak with Anakin, please?"

"Of course." Padmé stated and then added, "You can call me Padmé, there is no need to be formal with me. Give me a moment and I will find Anakin."

"Thank you." Aila stated as Padmé disappeared from view. Aila shifted nervously from foot to foot while she waited for Anakin to appear.

"Milady?" Anakin asked, startling Aila who had cast her eyes to the floor momentarily.

"Anakin, do you know where Obi-Wan is?"

"Umm…. Yes, why do you ask?" Anakin asked, wondering what Aila wanted to know. He had just had R2D2, Padmé's faithful astromech droid locate Obi-Wan's tracking signal and had found it on Tatooine.

"I fear something awful has happened. I received some feelings over our Force bond and I think he may be in trouble."

"He is on Tatooine and Padmé and I are getting ready to head that way now. I felt strong emotions from him too."

"He's on Tatooine?" Aila asked with surprise. "Why?"

Anakin shook his head. "I am not sure, but I will find out. I will contact you again once I know more."

"You should not be leaving Naboo, you will get in trouble with the Council, tell me where to go. I will leave."

Anakin shook his head; "Obi-Wan would kill me if I let you go to Tatooine alone. It is not safe. It was my home once, I know what to expect and my Jedi abilities will aide me so that Padmé is protected. Besides, I have other matters to attend to while there."

"Like what?" Aila asked with surprise.

"My mother lives there, I need to see her." Anakin said, failing to tell Aila that he was worried for his mother's safety. He could tell she was distressed over Obi-Wan and there was no point in adding his own worries to that.

A look of shock came across Aila's features as she recalled the Star Wars movies. An image of a dark cloaked figure with deep amber colored eyes came to mind and she shuddered involuntarily. She did not know what to say to Anakin in response. It was likely his mother was dying and he would soon be feeling intense pain. Trying to divert this for a little while longer Aila said, "Look, I will be ok. Just tell me where your family home is, I will land outside there."

Anakin shook his head, "It is too dangerous. Let me get to Tatooine and assess the situation. I will contact you when I find Obi-Wan."

"But…" Aila began desperately, she feared for Anakin's future if he went to Tatooine. Obi-Wan had spent too long trying to prevent his fall to the dark side.

"No, Obi-Wan would prefer it this way." Anakin stated sharply. "You have my word, I will contact you once I have something to report. Now if you excuse me, Padmé and I need to finish packing."

Regretfully, Aila nodded her head; there was no talking her husband's stubborn padawan out of this trip. She sighed as she resigned herself to the worse. Aila finished her transmission with, "Just be careful. Be mindful of your feelings."

"I will and thank you." Anakin stated before ending the transmission.

Aila stared at the blank and silent comm. console in her hotel room with great trepidation. Her husband was possibly in trouble and Anakin was going to face his destiny. However, Aila was confused as to why Obi-Wan was on Tatooine. He never chased the bounty hunter there in the movie. She guessed Obi-Wan had been right; the future was different from the movies. However, that did not give her any comfort since she feared her husband was in serious trouble and his padawan might be walking into it as well.