This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but I did want to update relatively on time. :)
Obi-Wan dashed down the entrance hall of Ventress' castle, his lightsaber clutched in one hand. Anakin's presence was once again gone from his mind. If he got back to the ship and found that Anakin had knocked himself out by hitting his head on a table or doorframe, Obi-Wan was going to be extremely displeased.
With the clones at his heels, he raced into the courtyard. A dark presence loomed in the Force – Count Dooku had been here, and recently. First Ventress, then Grievous, and now Dooku? All they needed now was for Cad Bane to arrive and wreak havoc on what remained of the mission . . .
They rounded the front of the ship. Jesse was sprawled on his back, staring at the sky with a bemused look on his face. His helmet lay a few feet away. Rex was on his knees nearby, one hand uselessly pressed against his helmet.
"Where's Anakin?" asked Obi-Wan, glancing around.
The two clones looked around, then at each other. Jesse let out an exasperated huff and sat up slowly as Rex replied, "We – uh – don't know, sir."
Cody stepped up beside Obi-Wan. He didn't say anything, but stood at attention, obviously waiting for orders.
The situation was spiraling out of control. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and shut his eyes for a moment, thinking.
"All right," he said, his voice calm. He turned to Longshot and Ghost, who held Ventress by the arms, keeping her upright none too gently. "Take her to the cargo hold and secure her. I'll join you in a moment. Cody, Rex, set a guard and then report to me. We need to regroup."
They obeyed hurriedly, and Obi-Wan entered the Twilight. Kix met him at the door and cast a critical gaze over him. "Sprain your shoulder, sir?" he asked.
"Just a bruise." Obi-Wan appreciated the medic's devotion to his work, but he simply didn't have time at the moment, despite the fact that he really could use a muscle relaxant right now. "How are the men?"
"Boomer was hit pretty hard, sir – not sure what that Sith lightning is, but it packs a wallop. Flash and Trap were hit too, but not as bad. If you're all set here, I'm going to head back to the hold and give the prisoner a sedative."
"Good idea," said Obi-Wan. "Give her something that'll keep her asleep for at least an hour. I take it Wooley and Oddball are still in the cockpit?"
"Yes, sir. They haven't broken through the jamming yet, but they're working at it."
As Kix left, footsteps sounded on the ramp behind Obi-Wan, and he moved further into the ship to let the clones enter. Rex and Cody came to a halt in front of him and saluted, moving in perfect synchronization as usual. "Perimeter is secure, sir," Cody reported.
"Very good," he replied, half-sitting against a supply crate. "We now have a decision to make. Our mission objective has been completed, but it seems that Count Dooku has somehow managed to capture Anakin. I don't suppose you noticed anything unusual, Captain?"
"Yes, sir," said Rex. "The general moved slower than usual. Count Dooku managed to take his lightsaber before knocking him unconscious."
Obi-Wan tugged his beard a little harder than usual. "That's . . . not good," he pointed out, disregarding the blatant obviousness of this statement.
"No, sir," Rex deadpanned.
Obi-Wan paced across the small room, thoughtfully considering. He stared at the wall for a long moment before coming to a decision. "I will have to find some way to rescue Anakin. Still, we did manage to accomplish the mission objective. You men should take the Twilight and get Ventress safely to the Negotiator."
He turned in time to catch Cody giving Rex a sideways, questioning look. The captain managed to look doubtfully back without changing his expression. It was unusual for Obi-Wan's orders to be met with silence; he raised an interested eyebrow and waited.
"General, once we leave the atmosphere and re-establish comms, it'll be an hour before the Negotiator joins us," said Cody.
"I'm sure you'll be able to keep busy for the duration," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully, collecting his robe and a small holdout blaster from alocker.
Rex stepped forward. "Respectfully, sir – the 501st can handle a lot, but Ventress isn't going to let herself be held prisoner. She'll likely find a way to escape before the Negotiator can reach us."
Obi-Wan attached Ventress' lightsabers to his own belt and covered them with his robe as he considered. Kix would give her a strong sedative, but there were techniques that Force-users could employ to quickly render toxins or sedatives powerless. Even without lightsabers, she was dangerous – lethally so. Hadn't she sabotaged an entire cruiser less than a week before, and escaped without so much as a scratch?
And yet, it would be foolish to keep the Twilight here. What if Dooku staged a rescue for Ventress? What if Grievous came back? What if Dooku was simply using Anakin as bait, and trying to lead Obi-Wan into a trap?
He straightened, glancing at the two officers in front of him. Regardless of the many enemies they faced, he knew that he had to decide. Every second spent in wavering was a second wasted.
"Cody," he said. "Do you have civilian clothes?"
"Just fatigues, sir."
"They'll be better than the armor," Obi-Wan replied. "Here's the plan. I'm going to look for Anakin, and you are going to follow at a distance. Dooku will be watching for me."
"Yes, sir."
"If everything goes well, we'll be back here shortly." Obi-Wan fixed him with a calculating gaze. "However, in the event that I am captured, you are to return here immediately and take charge of the mission. Ventress must be returned to Coruscant. You will have to report to the Council and they can organize a rescue."
"Understood, sir," said Cody. He saluted and left immediately.
Obi-Wan turned to Rex. "Until Cody or I returns, you're in command. Keep a sharp eye on the prisoner and on your surroundings."
"Yes, sir," said Rex. "We'll be fine, sir. Ventress might be able to use the Force, but I figure if stun lasers work on General Skywalker, they'll work on her." He tapped his right-hand pistol with a forefinger and left to check on the men.
As Obi-Wan waited for Cody's return, he realized two things – first, that Rex had, a moment ago, hinted that it was too dangerous to leave Ventress without a Jedi as a guard; and second, that now Rex seemed quite confident about handling the prisoner himself.
These two apparently conflicting statements brought him to the inevitable conclusion that he had been manipulated. Obi-Wan rubbed at his nose thoughtfully. In his experience, clone officers tended to emulate the habits of their generals; Anakin had certainly never been accused of subtlety, and Rex had followed his lead. So had Ahsoka, come to think of it. They, along with the entire 501st, rushed into battle against overwhelming numbers with cocky bravado, as though defeat were unimaginable.
Cody, on the other hand, worked closely with Obi-Wan; he'd watched as terms of surrender were discussed, as treaties were drawn up and altered, and as Obi-Wan talked his way out of more than one inconvenient situation. It was very likely that Rex was learning from one or both of them. Setting aside this admittedly concerning line of thought, Obi-Wan looked up as his commander approached, dressed in the grey fatigues that all clones wore when off-duty.
Obi-Wan moved quickly out of the ship and towards the wall. They would need to enter the city, and trust to his senses in order to find Anakin – or Count Dooku. Cody moved close behind him, his gun at the ready.
"Try to move more casually," Obi-Wan said as they reached the gate. "Anything or anyone who looks official or professional is looked on with suspicion here. You have to be careful not to draw attention."
"Yes, General." He put his blaster in its sheath. "I think the uniform might look too official as it is."
"Yes, but it will still draw less notice than armor. I should make sure to have an extra cloak on hand next time." Hopefully there wouldn't be a next time, but one could never be too prepared. As this mission was proving time and again.
"I'd rather be able to move than remain unnoticed," said Cody with a smirk.
"It's easier than it looks." With that, Obi-Wan slipped out into the road, making a mental note never to tell Cody about the first mission he'd gone on with his master. They had just left a meeting with the planetary officials when Obi-Wan had tripped on the edge of his traditional, floor-length Jedi robe, and then stumbled again when trying to regain his balance. Master Qui-Gon had said nothing, though his mouth had given a suspicious twitch as he led the way back to their quarters.
Smiling a little at the memory, he moved farther into the city, Cody trailing fifty meters behind him. His mind caught the faintest sense of Anakin's general direction, and he turned onto a wide street that led toward a massive, fully enclosed building. At least he was still on the planet's surface. That would make a rescue much easier.
Ah, the irony of Obi-Wan thinking that Anakin is more reckless than he. . . Sometimes I think Obi-Wan's more reckless, but just in different ways. Anyone have any idea what that huge building is . . . ? :)