"Skywalker, it's about time." Mace said dryly as Anakin entered the Council chambers. "From what I understand you were able to rescue the Senator." He added in an unsurprised voice.

"Yes. Though i'm not sure what i've rescued her from, considering the state of things around here." Anakin said sarcastically. "She may have been safer chained to a wall in that neimoidian holding cell."

"The bombing was unforeseen, and devastating." Mace said grimly. "I can't believe we didn't see it coming."

"It's not as if everyone's sitting around meditating all day. There is a war going on, if you didn't remember." Anakin remarked.

"There's no excuse for not even sensing an event of this magnitude so close to the temple. One of us should have sensed it. I should have sensed it." Mace said with grim disappointment.

"A great Master once told me always to live in the moment." Anakin said, slightly reassuring. It was out of character for Mace to admit to any failing so openly. Anakin wasn't above acknowledging the significant gratification he felt for the man's admission, but more than anything else he just wanted to get on with things. Lingering on past regrets wasn't going to help take care of the matter at hand, and Anakin was a man of action above all else.

Mace let out a burdened sigh before giving a half hearted chuckle. "I think he told me that once or twice as well."

"So?" Anakin pressed, moving quickly past old sentiment. "Don't tell me our plan is to sit on our hands and wait for the local enforcement to stumble their way through an investigation."

"I'm afraid it's closer to that than I would like to admit." Mace said with a long sigh, collapsing gracelessly in one of the grand chairs that circled the room.

"You can't be serious!" Anakin nearly shouted.

"Don't you get it Skywalker?" Mace shot back. "I'm the last Council member here. And there must always be at least one of us in the temple. The rest of the Jedi here are healers and teachers. We've lost so many in the war, all the more capable Jedi are already in the field."

"Oh? And where does that leave me?" Anakin retorted, only slightly offended that Mace had lumped him in with the teachers and healers. Not that there was anything wrong with those roles, they were detrimentally essential. Still, it starkly underestimated his own capabilities. And being underestimated was one thing that raked on his nerves above all else.

Mace looked up at him with null enthusiasm- a look Anakin had seen too many times. It was an expression, that at times, told of pure disinterest and disappointment. Right now it spoke of the acute exhaustion Mace felt at his core. It still felt just as undeserved and demeaning. Anakin pushed past it, ignoring the gnawing feelings of resentment that conversations with Master Windu tended to bestow.

"Send me." Anakin nearly entreated. "I'm more than enough to take care of, whatever it is we're dealing with." Anakin said in a self assured tone. "And… what exactly is it we're dealing with?"

"First off, Skywalker, there is a difference between confidence and hubris." Mace said flatly, a single arched brow of judgement creasing his forehead. Anakin waited patiently for him to continue. "And second, what we do know is limited."

"Limited is better than nothing at all." Anakin said, crossing his arms.

Mace sighed again, shaking his head. "The bombing isn't a separatist attack. Maybe carried out by sympathizers, but whoever did it is definitely homegrown."

"Are we dealing with a group? Just one person?" Anakin asked, pushing for details.

"At the moment, it's unclear. The Senate bombing was carried out by remote charges attached to worker droids." Mace explained, his eyes narrowing.

"Worker droids?" Anakin asked. "Like, protocol droids?"

"Sanitation department transport droids." Mace answered. "They were dispatched from the recycling center about fifty levels beneath the senate district. Whoever planted those charges wanted to make a statement."

"So whoever planted those bombs had to have access to them at some point. Either at the recycling center, or the senate building…"

"Or any place in between." Mace said.

"But, I don't think it's over. I can feel something... Something bad, maybe even worse." Anakin said darkly.

"I sense it, too." Mace said with a grim, stoney expression.

"Well, if they were sent out from the recycling plant, I'll start there and see if I can find anything suspicious or telling." Anakin said resolutely.

"As soon as you find anything, report back to me." Mace said demandingly, as Anakin turned to leave.

"Of course." Anakin answered with a wave of his hand. "Oh, and just one thing," he said, spinning on his heel to face Windu again.

"Yes?" Mace asked, his face dull and expectant.

"The Organas. They're going to want to know that Padme made it home alright." Anakin answered.

Mace shook his head and sighed. "I'll send word."

….

Anakin walked towards the rather ugly, moderately sized atmospheric transport he had been allotted and keyed it to life as the hangar doors gave way yet again. Any other day he would have protested flying such an aerodynamically challenged craft, but instead he put his feelings aside and Immediately made a beeline for the recycling plant. He passively wondered if it had been Windu's doing on purpose as some sort of punishment for his insistence, but didn't think the man quite so petty.

Still, it felt awkward flying a craft that handled with all the elegance of a box hurtling through the air with a dying lift engine. It bobbed and tilted with a mind of its own, Anakin only half caring to keep her level enough as he descended. As the ship took another swooping dip, Anakin heard a shuffling from the back of the craft.

With narrowed curious eyes staring into the rearview mirror, Anakin tilted the ship purposely, making the craft buck and sway again. Sure enough the flash of a bronze shaded arm fell out of hiding behind the back seats. Just as quickly, it concealed itself again.

"Hey you, get out here." Anakin commanded, still watching in the rearview as he descended a few more levels.

"I know you're back there. Show yourself." Anakin ordered. A pair of fearful blue eyes beneath a set of youthful montrals and white markings looked back at him.

"Out here, right now." Anakin nearly growled as the youngling revealed herself hesitantly. "You heard me, get up here and strap in." He said sharply. Sheepishly the young togruta obeyed. "The last thing I need is a youngling flying around the cabin." Anakin grumbled under his breath as the girl buckled herself in the front passenger seat beside him.

"What were you thinking? Do you even know where I'm going? You're going to be in so much trouble when we get back to the temple. If we even make it back alive." Anakin lectured. The girl was careful to avoid eye contact.

Anakin glanced over his shoulder at her as they descended a few more levels. "So?" He asked, impatiently. The young girl looked up at him with wide, frightened eyes. "I asked you a question, young one. Do you know where we're going?"

"To find the bomber." She answered quietly. "I thought I could help," she added in a sturdier, hopeful voice.

"You're just a youngling. You're only going to get in the way." Anakin retorted fiercely.

"I'm not a youngling!" The girl shouted back, hurt in her words.

"Well, you're no Padawan." Anakin returned blandly.

"You don't know anything!" The girl shouted again, crossing her arms over her chest angrily.

"Whoa now, calm down young one." Anakin answered, noting the beads of tears in the corners of her eyes as they dropped even closer to their destination. Anakin could see the top end of the facility just a few levels below.

"I am a Padawan!" The girl cried, her voice warbling slightly.

"Saying it doesn't make it true. Where's your braid Padawan?"

"It burned." She said quietly. "It burned with my Master."

Anakin felt his stomach drop. It was foolish for her to stow away, but he wasn't heartless. "I'm sorry for your loss." Anakin said solemnly, his furocity dialed back a few notches. "But that doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't be here. What I'm doing is dangerous."

"I'm sorry." The girl said, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest. "But I can help. I'm tired of sitting around the temple everyday when I could be making a difference." She said emphatically.

"By making a difference, you mean getting yourself killed." Anakin returned sharply again. The young girl wilted under his words.

Anakin sighed. "Well I suppose there's nothing to be done about it now. But you better stay out of my way. The last thing I need is to have you running and getting yourself into trouble. Until we get back to the temple, you're my responsibility. And that means you listen to every word I tell you, got it?"

The girl nodded, her eyes brightening. "What's your name, Padawan?" He asked, slowly coming in to land outside the plant.

"Ahsoka." She said with a small, hopeful smile.

"I'm Anakin Skywalker." Anakin said, introducing himself with a flat expression that warned of little patience.

"I… know who you are." Ahsoka said, a small blush rising to her cheeks.

"Well then, my reputation precedes me." He said, stifling the smile he felt in response.

Setting down the transport, Anakin locked the controls and unfastened his belt. "Now you're going to stay here, understand?" He said seriously. The girl nodded.

"Say you understand." Anakin insisted.

"I understand." The girl said, annoyed.

"I shouldn't be long." Anakin shouted over his shoulder, exiting the transport. "And whether you're here or not when I get back, I'm leaving. So do yourself a favor and listen."

….

Obi-wan finally worked his way down to the recycling plant. It was quite a task since all air traffic was prohibited unless you had emergency clearance. He might have been able to snag that had he announced his involvement to the Council, but not only would it be nearly impossible to reach the council at the moment, but broadcasting his presence was the last thing he wanted to do. It was crucial for him to blend in.

And that wasn't hard to achieve considering his familiarity with the recycling center. When he arrived it was easy to find an old hazard poncho and toss it over his clothes to act the part of an employee. There was still a skeleton crew manning the facility, keeping everything functioning minimally. Most systems were shut down in the wake of the senate bombing for precaution since the plant was so close to the blast. It was standard procedure, Obi-wan remembered.

Passively he worked through the logic of how the plant and the bombings were related, and what made the plant a target to begin with as he weaved his way through the wearily familiar building. The answer to those questions didn't matter as much as preventing the disaster to begin with. And even of more importance, was saving Anakin's life.

Being completely honest with himself, he knew that was the only thing that mattered. The image of Anakin dead still made his stomach sick, though he did try to put that thought out of mind for the sake of objectivity. If he kept obsessing over it he wouldn't be able to function. He wouldn't be able to save him. And he would save him, at any cost.

So Obi-wan worked his way through the processing rooms as quickly as he could without drawing attention to himself. Eventually he reached the gangway that ran through the heart of the plant. It was the only direct way to and from the proton upcyclers. He climbed the rung ladder to get to it quickly.

He had barely taken two steps out onto the walkway when the primary lighting dimmed, giving way to the orange glow of the emergency systems as they came online. A staccato pulsing of klaxons filled the air giving a specific warning- hazard protocols. Obi-wan saw the scrambling workers as they hastily made their way to the nearest exits, as per procedure. Though right now, Obi-wan sensed that no hazardous leak had occurred.

The bomber was in the facility. It stood to reason that they would clear out the plant, to make their work easier. As the workers filtered out of the building, Obi-wan began to zero in on the perpetrator. He could feel them burning through the force, dark and twisted in anguish. And he could feel that they were very, very close.

Glancing down from the walkway Obi-wan saw the bright orange striping of another hazard poncho, identical to the one he had thrown on. The figure that wore it dashed towards the gangway. Through the emergency lighting it was difficult to see the being who approached him in any great detail, but already he could make out two lekku along with wide shoulders that suggested a masculine presence.

As the man came closer Obi-wan could make out the dark orange of his skin. As he climbed to the top of the gangway, he saw the way the man's body hunched down slightly. It was so subtle that no one else may have ever noticed it. Obi-wan knew it as the manifestation of a specific mental disposition more than anything else. He had seen the same in too many slaves to count. It was the mark of someone who had been broken, in one way or another. The man's aura suggested as much, the melancholy becoming even louder as he came near.

Obi-wan stood with his feet planted, facing the man as he approached him. The Twi'lek's body language became even more hesitant as he strode forwards, but pushed through it regardless. The man had come too far to stop now, for anything or anyone.

Naturally, Obi-wan assumed an authoritative pose. It wasn't something he had ever consciously practiced, it was just how Jedi were meant to carry themselves. It was only now that he came to realize, he hadn't stood in such a way a single time in over two years.

For a moment Obi-wan became acutely aware of how fragile he had become, in so many ways. So unsure of himself. So afraid. Even when he lurked in the lowest levels hunting predators and criminals, he had skulked and stalked from the shadows. He hated himself, let it hollow him out. He had stopped thinking of himself as a Jedi. It was why he kept his saber stowed away, afraid of the responsibility it brought. Afraid of his failings, afraid he would fail again. Afraid to stand up as he was now. Only now, he had no choice.

Adversity brought strength of spirit, or so Qui-gon used to say. Perhaps there was some truth to it, or more than Obi-wan would have liked to admit. Maybe it was why Obi-wan now stood unmoving, saber at his side. It came back to him easily, more than he would have imagined. Because now he was no longer the greatest danger to Anakin. Someone else had taken his place.

And still the man approached. There was a great deal of things one could glean from unspoken movements and gestures. Obi-wan thought about what he might have been telling others for the past two years. Probably the overwhelming message of leave me alone or I don't exist.

The man who now stood an arms length away tried to square his shoulders, to match Obi-wan's unspoken show of confidence. It was not a convincing display.

"You shouldn't be here." The man said loudly, his voice rich with a deep native ryl accent. From the sound of it, he couldn't have been long removed from his homeworld.

"Neither should you." Obi-wan replied in his Masterly voice. "Emergency procedures stipulate your evacuation of the premises immediately." Obi-wan said, pushing his words along with a touch of force suggestion.

He could see the man fight against it, without perhaps knowing what he was struggling against at all. His brows furrowed with some effort as his eyes hazed over with confusion. "No, i'm emergency response." The man answered back, speaking in words that sounded like questions.

"I don't know about that." Obi-wan said sharply.

The man's face cleared quickly, his expression turning furious. His hand reached towards the back of his belt where Obi-wan suspected a blaster was holstered beneath his poncho. "You need to leave." The man said fiercely, a wild glint to his eye. Obi-wan looked him over noting the bulging pockets that lined the sides of his pants. Detonators. There had to be five of them, at least.

Obi-wan could feel the volatile nature of the man's emotions, the way they teetered between the catastrophic duality of life and death. It wasn't just the innocent lives he would take, suddenly Obi-wan understood. The man had taken this on as a sucide mission. That made him even more dangerous and unpredictable.

"You don't have to do this," Obi-wan said as he reached a hand out slowly, doing everything he could to appear non threatening. It was crucial to calm the man down. At any moment he could set one of the detonators off and that would be the end of it. There was little that could be done about a blast of that magnitude.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." The man snarled. "But if you don't get out of my way, i'll make you." The man said, taking a quick stride forwards until they were only inches apart.

"I don't think you really want to do this." Obi-wan said, pushing another light wave of suggestion through the man's mind as he stood still blocking the path to the proton upcyclers.

A frightening realization dawned on Obi-wan, making his heart slam in his chest. If the detonators were able to get close enough to the heart of the system, it would strike the coaxium core. That, met with the force of five charges would turn the entire district into a crater.

Snarling, the man struggled against the attempted manipulation, pushing past it quicker this time. "Don't you dare tell me what I want!" He screamed, pulling the blaster from his hip and shoving the muzzle square against Obi-wan's chest.

"When I blow this side of Coruscant off the map, they'll know. Everyone will know!"

Obi-wan decided to change tactics, forgoing any further attempt to directly change the man's mind and pushing soothing tones through his aura instead. "And what will they know?" Obi-wan asked, his voice smooth and calm.

"They'll know the Republic failed!" The man shouted, his voice cracking as his eyes glossed over. "They'll see that democracy and basic rights are only for beings and worlds that have something to offer!"

"No one is going to see it that way. They are only going to see the number of innocent people killed." Obi-wan replied calmly. "You don't have to do this. You have a choice."

The man let out a startling, maniacal laugh that rattled Obi-wan to the core. "And these lives matter so much more than all the other innocent lives that no one could care less about!" He shouted, wiping tears from his eyes.

"No one cares about the innocent people who get killed by raiders and pirates. Or even worse, the ones who get traded into slavery!" The man snarled.

"This isn't going to change the galaxy for the better." Obi-wan said in a cool tone. "It's only going to cause more death and suffering."

"Death, suffering, it's the only thing that will make them understand. The Republic has to suffer, to understand the suffering of all the worlds they turn their backs to. All the worlds they leave to be picked over by scavengers and slavers." The man said insistently, with all the vehemence of a religious devotee.

"I think there are better ways, more effective ways to go about this. And you know it, too. Put the blaster down and we can talk about it." Obi-wan said earnestly, searching out the man's eyes.

"It's too late! This is the only way. Nothing is going to bring anyone back. My family-" The man choked, gasping for a breath.

"Your family?" Obi-wan asked, feeling the man's aura falter, making it appear his efforts in de-escalation were working.

Instantly the Twi'lek man's face turned placid, his eyes drifting as he pulled the blaster back down to his side. "When the confederacy invaded, the Republic promised they would help defend us. And for a little while, they sent their Jedi and their Clones to help us fight. But eventually fighting for us wasn't worth it anymore. They abandoned us." The man said, hurt welling in his aura, anger rising in his voice.

"After that we worked for slave's wages. We had to, the separatists forced us. Work for them or die, is what they said. So we did- work for them. They made us mine all our ryll for them to take. Once they had it all, they abandoned us too."

"I'm sorry." Obi-wan said genuinely.

The man pulled in a shaky breath before he continued. "After that, we were defenseless. First were the pirates and raiders. They took our spice, and anything else they could find of value. Then came the slavers-" The man said, well on the edge of a sob.

"They took my wife, my children!" The man cried, gasping for another breath.

Obi-wan felt a deep pain rip in his chest anew. "I know what it feels like to lose everything. I'm so sorry."

"That won't bring them back!" The man roared, taking another step forwards, pressing the muzzle of the blaster in the soft hollow under Obi-wan's chin. The balance in the man's aura tipped dangerously towards darkness as his eyes turned feral again.

"You're right. It won't. But neither will this. You're taking away other innocent lives, people just like your family. Like all the people who suffered on Ryloth." Obi-wan answered calmly as he slowly reached for his lightsaber.

The man's eyes caught a glimpse of Obi-wan's hand moving, seeing the flash of metal it slowly inched towards. "You're a Jedi!" The man snarled.

Obi-wan could see the blast before it happened and responded in kind. He dodged quickly to the side before the man pulled the trigger. Not quite quick enough, the bolt seared through the side of his jaw and ear, blackening his skin where it cut through his flesh. The pain was bright and distracting and the smell of his own charred skin was sickening. Willfully he put it out of mind, reaching with lightning speed to disarm the man before he could pull off another shot.

Obi-wan managed to rip the blaster from the man's grip before the Twi'lek dashed past him, sprinting towards the proton upcyclers. With snapshot aim Obi-wan pulled the trigger. It would have been a painless killshot, had there been a charge in the cartridge. The man had probably been saving that last bolt for himself.

Tossing the blaster aside Obi-wan reached out and pulled him back violently. Before he could get a hold on him the Twi'lek jumped over the railing to the main floor below. Glancing down Obi-wan saw the man rush from sight.

Instead of giving chase Obi-wan dashed towards the proton upcyclers. His heart slammed against his ribs as he tried to stave off the image of Anakin dead with little success. Any moment if he wasn't fast enough, not perceptive enough, all of his efforts might be futile.

Millions of lives might have been at stake but one of those lives mattered more to Obi-wan than all the others combined. It was wrong, selfish, and completely against the code. Then again it wouldn't have been the first time for him to have strayed so far. He didn't feel it was going to be the last, either. But did it matter? If he saved Anakin he saved everyone. The end result would be the same.

Finally Obi-wan made it to the floor where the upcycler was housed. Obi-wan scanned the room over searching for the bomber. It was a large space with an expansive ceiling. Several rows of hollow processing tanks filled the floor with ladders spiraling up each one of them.

At the far end of the room was a spherical nested holding tank. The outer shell was filled with a neutralizing compound that was meant as a failsafe in the event the system went off line and the coaxium was left to decompose. Decomposition meant durastic instability. The only way for the core to become volatile was if the tank was breached. Five detonators would more than achieve that goal.

Obi-wan quickly started towards the holding tank, hastening the pace as he heard a scream cut through the air followed by what sounded like a struggle. The acoustics of the room made it somewhat difficult to zero in on where the commotion was coming from. Even still, he quickly found the Twi'lek man behind one of the processing tanks, a frightened young Torgruta in his grip.

The bomber's eyes darted nervously between Obi-wan and the holding tank as he slowly made his way over, a lightsaber pressed against the young girl's side. It seemed that the girl was more ashamed than afraid, most likely because her own lightsaber was being used against her. Any Padawan would receive a stern scolding and more likely than not, some other punishment for such a serious mistake. And naturally where there was a Padawan in peril, a Master was not far behind.

"You think sending a child in as backup is going to stop me?" The man snarled, still slowly making his way towards the holding tank.

"I think you know there is still a way out of this." Obi-wan said calmly, matching the man step for step.

"Try any of your Jedi tricks and i'll kill her!" The man screamed.

The girl looked at Obi-wan with apologetic eyes. Obi-wan reached a hand out as if he were trying to tame a wild animal. "No one else has to die. We can all walk out of here alive." He said, gently coaxing.

"No!" The man screamed. "It's too late for that!"

The man now stood in front of the spherical tank, the girl in his grip looking beyond frightened. She could probably sense death in the air, just as Obi-wan now could. It felt like lead in his stomach, heavy and raw.

"Ahsoka!" A voice shouted. Anakin's voice.

Obi-wan didn't allow himself to turn and look as he heard the running steps come near. "You do anything and I swear, I'll kill her!" The bomber cried out, jabbing the saber harder against her side, making the girl grimace.

Obi-wan felt his fingertips go numb with fear, but he forced himself to stay objective as well as he was able. "I told you to stay in the ship!" Anakin shouted, well past furious.

"I-I'm sorry," the girl stuttered, her wide eyes glossed over with fearful tears.

At last, Anakin came into view, marching in from the far side. He was taller than when they last met, or at least it seemed so. Perhaps it was the way he carried himself, his shoulders broad and square. Not a trace of fear in his stride. Anakin was powerful, he always had been. Now, he had grown into his power, had learned to own it. Obi-wan always figured it by his list of victories and accomplishments, but to see it was another thing entirely.

The man shifted, keying a button hidden in his sleeve. A symphony of beeping timers sounded out from his pockets, as the tiny white-blue lights from the detonators blinked to life. "Now we all die." The Twi'lek man said, taking the saber from the girl's side and pressing it under his chin.

The Torgurta ran from his grip to Anakin's side. Her back was still turned when the Twi'lek man ignited the saber, the bar of green piercing his skull through and falling out of his grip as his body collapsed on the floor. His pockets were still blinking, beeping, counting down. Less than two minutes from the sound of it.

"Get out of here." Obi-wan said, his voice barely holding a steady tone.

Anakin spun around, registering his presence for the first time. His face blanched, his expression cycling through confusion, anger, pain. Heartbreak and rage flooded the air around them, nearly as explosive as the detonators that continued to blink with warning. The girl reached out and took her saber back, holstering it at her side as she watched the two of them with little regard to the imminent threat of danger that counted down.

Obi-wan took a breath and strode over, standing inches away from him. From his Anakin. "Please, take the girl and leave while you can. I can contain the blast." He said in a level tone, as if they had never missed a beat. As if he hadn't spent the last two years running from the same man who now stood in front of him.

"I can't let you- you'll die if you-" Anakin said, his chest rising and falling quickly. "Why are you here?" Obi-wan could see the hurt, the fear glittering in his jewel blue eyes. Terrible pain was written loudly on his face, and it was all Obi-wan's fault. But pain was better than death. If Anakin was in pain, he was alive.

"Just go, Anakin." Obi-wan begged.

"I can't-"

Obi-wan felt himself break as he lurched forward, pulling fists of Anakin's hair in each hand as he crushed their lips against each other. Anakin yielded, aggressively and desperately exploring the soft warm cavern of his mouth. Obi-wan could feel the years of need calling out through their bond as Anakin pressed hands against his chest, feeling him as if to make sure he was really there.

And still the beeping quickened, reminding Obi-wan that their time was up. But it had been up long, long ago. He should have been thankful for this last moment, one last taste of what should have never been. What ruined him and made his life whole all at the same time.

Obi-wan put hands on Anakin's chest, pushing him away hard, sending him back a few steps. Anakin looked at him, wounded, holding a hand to his swollen lips. Twin rivers of tears streamed from his tortured blue eyes. This was the boy he had broken before, trapped inside the brave, beautiful man he had become. All of Obi-wan's failings shined back at him in those eyes, accusing him. Obi-wan broke under their weight.

"I love you." Obi-wan nearly whispered.

"How dare you," Anakin said low, his chest heaving.

"I know. I'm so sorry." Obi-wan said, his chest hollowed out with remorse.

Anakin turned away, wiping his face on his sleeve. "Come on, Ahsoka, we've got to go now." He said, trying for a steady voice.

The beeping and flashing quickened still. Obi-wan pulled the Twi'lek's body, throwing it across the room to the opposite side from where the holding tank sat.

Ten seconds.

For the first time in a long time, Obi-wan felt the warm rush of serenity fall over him. And it was a strange feeling, as his heart still broke and crumbled inside of him. Become somehow, he knew everything was going to be alright.

Eight seconds.

He tried to gather himself, pooling as much force energy as he could to cushion the blast. He thought of his Master, Qui-gon. He tried not to think of all the ways he had failed him and dishonored his memory. Perhaps in this one last thing, Jinn would have told him he was doing the right thing. Maybe he would have even been proud.

Five seconds.

No, he wouldn't have been proud. It was the least he could do. A Jedi would always be ready to give their life for the lives of others. When the time came, it wasn't something you ran from. It was something you accepted.

Three seconds.

And Obi-wan accepted. Not because it was what a Jedi was supposed to do. Not because of the millions of lives that would be saved. But because he could save Anakin. He would save him.

He already did.

One second…

The blast began, bright orange-white light blooming around the Twi'lek's corpse. Obi-wan strained himself, taking the brunt of the energy as best he could. It unfurled in a torturous slow motion, which really only spanned a few seconds. As Obi-wan drained himself of every ounce of force he possessed, it felt like a small lifetime.

And then he was done. He had given all he was capable of giving. He was empty, used up. The white light overwhelmed him, turning to darkness in the next second. And then there was peace. Blissful, heart wrenching peace.