Chapter 21

Anakin understood his Padawan's disappointment. He despised retreating himself but he was glad she respected him enough to listen to his orders, eventually. These days he had much more sympathy for Obi-Wan, having raised him for a decade. Although he also now appreciated that having a Padawan was also a wonderful thing. Anakin pictured teaching Ahsoka for the next ten years and could practically see the grey hair he would have from the stress she caused him. He was rather surprised that Obi-Wan had managed to escape such things, although he was glad about that. Anakin rather liked his hair the colour it was but that was a thought for another time. The trip back to Coruscant passed pleasantly. He and Obi-Wan continued to sleep in the same bunk, no matter how small it was. In fact that almost made it better because it meant they always had to stick close to each other.

When they arrived, the three of them headed straight for the Council chambers. Inside, Obi-Wan took his seat while Anakin and Ahsoka stood in the middle of the room. Obi-Wan gave the full report.

"Master Plo was just in time. We were vastly outnumbered." Obi-Wan told them as he finished the report.

"Grave, this news is." Yoda sighed. "Free Felucia, we must."

"We simply don't have the troops to do so right now." Master Tiin pointed out.

"Then we need someone who can win without a large amount of troops." Ki-Adi Mundi stated. Every head in the room turned to look at Anakin who fidgeted under such scrutiny. Even Ahsoka was looking at him.

"You're assigning me back to Felucia?" He asked, just to be sure.

"Indeed. You will leave in a week so you have time to gather as many troops as you can manage." Mace Windu said. Anakin nodded his head. He and Ahsoka then left and went to do some sparring. Ahsoka was rapidly improving, clearly favouring the Ataru style of fighting. In fact her style was rather like Master Yoda's, relying on her athleticism to outmaneuver her opponents. Unfortunately for her, Anakin had made a habit of sparring with Master Yoda whenever possible so was well acquainted with the style.

Eventually, Obi-Wan came and found them. Anakin felt his presence but he didn't interrupt as they were still in the middle of fighting. His presence did make things more difficult for Anakin as he could sense the open admiration coming through their Force bond. While it did distract him ever so slightly, it also spurred him on to show off more. They called things to a halt when he disarmed Ahsoka for the third time in a row. She growled in frustration.

"You're doing great, Snips. You can't expect to be beating me just yet." Anakin told her. She sighed deeply. "I suggest using the time we are here to spar with some of the other Padawan's and get used to facing a variety of styles." He added.

"Sorry to put a hold on that plan but Master Yoda has sensed that someone is going to try and break into the Temple. We're on intruder alert." Obi-Wan informed them.

"Someone is going to break into the Jedi Temple?" Ahsoka looked at him in astonishment. "What could they possibly want?"

"That's a good question, Snips." Anakin frowned. "We don't keep valuable things here, the only thing of potential use is information."

"So, they are probably going to make for the library." Obi-Wan agreed.

"Aren't the Jedi transmitter codes a possibility? They are kept in the east tower." Ahsoka pointed out. Anakin gave her a proud smile.

"That is another option. Ahsoka, you head to the east tower, I'll take the library." Anakin stated.

"I'll monitor the perimeter defences from the central security station." Obi-Wan added. They all nodded and set off to their assigned locations. Anakin made it to the library but could see no disturbance. Master Enisence was at a terminal while Madam Jocasta was among the shelves. Nothing out of the ordinary. He commed Obi-Wan who informed him something had happened with the security systems and the intruders were now in the building. He also reported that Ahsoka had found nobody in the east tower. Obi-Wan found that there was a disturbance in the south tower. Yoda, who had joined Obi-Wan, suggested they were after the communication centre.

"Unless it's a distraction." Anakin pointed out. "They know we will most likely detect them so they enter a point that will draw our attention. I suggest that Ahsoka goes to check the south tower just in case and then heads straight on to the communication centre, while Obi-Wan heads to check on the east tower."

"Ahsoka is already in the east tower." Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Yeah but I think the south tower is the least likely option." Anakin shrugged. "If you head to the east tower you might catch them arriving." He disliked the idea of sending Obi-Wan towards the possible danger deliberately but he could look after himself better than most. It would be safer to keep Ahsoka away from the action if at all possible. Obi-Wan nodded.

"You stay where you are." He instructed.

"I planned to." Anakin told him with a smirk. He ended the communication and looked around again. Nobody new had arrived, however Master Enisence was muttering to himself and it made Anakin suspicious. He recalled the changeling that had tried to assassinate Padme. Then he moved between some shelves so he could get a better look at what was on the terminal. Anakin squinted, it seemed to be showing something about the internal systems. Just then Jocasta Nu told Enisence that the Temple was on high alert. Anakin watched as he knocked her out and assumed her shape. He cursed under his breath and commed Obi-Wan.

"Whoever it is, they are a shapeshifter. They are in the library and look like Jocasta." He whispered. "I have my eyes on them."

"I'll be right there." Obi-Wan told him. It was so tempting to just jump in but Anakin decided to wait for Obi-Wan. Instead he simply listened in on what the intruder was saying. After a few minutes he felt Obi-Wan's approach through the Force and silently made his way behind the intruder. As soon as the older Jedi entered the library, the intruder looked up and made to escape but Anakin already had his lightsaber aimed at their neck.

"Don't move." He stated coldly. Obi-Wan joined him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Getting paid." The intruder said with a faux innocent shrug.

"Who are you helping? What are they after?"

"I believe they wanted to get into the holocron vault."

"That makes no sense." Anakin frowned. "You can't open a holocron without a Jedi."

"No, but you could steal one to take to a fallen Jedi." Obi-Wan suggested.

"You think Dooku hired whoever this is?" Anakin asked.

"Possibly. I'll take the intruder to be properly arrested. You go to the holocron vault. I'll comm Ahsoka to join you." Obi-Wan instructed. Anakin nodded and began to make his way towards the vault when he felt a nudge in the Force. Something caused him to look around and spot a hooded figure moving towards the exit. Anakin stealthily leapt on top of the shelves and jumped across the gaps, following the figure. As he got closer, he could see a holocron in the person's hand. With one last jump, he landed in front of the figure, lightsaber drawn. He recognized the person as bounty hunter Cad Bane. Bane jumped backwards and went to pull his gun. Anakin used the Force to send it flying away before he could pull the trigger.

"Surrender!" He ordered. Bane grinned at him.

"I don't think so." A small droid appeared from nowhere, a flashing red light coming from the back of its neck. It was a bomb. Anakin dived to the side, yelling a warning to Obi-Wan, before trying to take cover behind the tables in the middle of the room. The bomb detonated just as he landed, the force throwing him forwards so he landed face down on the floor. There was a crack as his hand landed awkwardly beneath him and Anakin cursed as he was certain at least two fingers were broken. He jumped to his feet and looked around through the swirl of dust for Bane. A dark shape was fleeing rapidly. He followed, using the Force to summon the holocron to him. He caught it in his unbroken hand but Bane continued to run, out through the doors to the main Temple. Anakin followed, almost slamming straight into Ahsoka who had come running into the library. Together, they regained their balance and gave chase but Bane made it to his ship before they could catch him. Anakin cursed as he realised he didn't have any homing beacons to throw. Instead, he decided to throw his lightsaber in an attempt to damage the ship's engines. Using the Force to guide him, he threw and scored a hit but it wasn't enough to stop the ship from flying away. Although he guessed it wouldn't be going too far. It might make it to a nearby planet but no hyperspace. Sadly, there were quite a few planets in the vicinity.

Thankfully, his lightsaber had fallen just at the edge of the landing platform, allowing him to retrieve it before Obi-Wan could find out he had thrown his lightsaber away. He could already picture the scolding and probably give himself the lecture word for word. Glancing at Ahsoka he grinned sheepishly.

"I don't suggest trying that move yourself. Especially in front of Obi-Wan." He told her. She smirked at him. They were then summoned to an emergency Council meeting where Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan told them what had happened.

"You did well, Skywalker." Shaak Ti commented.

"We have the holocron but whoever sent Bane may well try again." Obi-Wan pointed out.

"We need to find Bane and find out who he is working for." Ki-Adi Mundi agreed. Anakin told them he had sabotaged Bane's ship, missing out the part about throwing lightsabers.

"Lead the search on Coruscant, Obi-Wan will. Skywalker and his Padawan, search nearby systems, they will." Yoda declared. The rest of the Council nodded their agreement. Anakin and Ahsoka left immediately. As they walked, he considered the planets in the system and none of them seemed a likely option. He suspected Bane would want an inhabited planet to hide in which made his best bet to stay on Coruscant and get a better ship, not head out to a barren wasteland where he would struggle to do anything. One look at Ahsoka's face suggested she was thinking the same thing.

"I think our best bet is Vandor-3." Anakin sighed.

"Our best bet is here." Ahsoka replied.

"I know but if Bane is here, Obi-Wan can handle it."

"You really think he would escape to the planet where the clones go to train?" Ahsoka scoffed.

"He's more likely to find ship parts there. Besides, they train outside the capital city. Inside, Bane might just blend in well enough. We'll head to Vanguard and see what we find." Anakin told her firmly.

"Yes, Master." Ahsoka said. "Shall I get Rex?" Anakin nodded and she bounded off. He hovered in the hallway and it didn't take long for Obi-Wan to catch up. Together they walked back to their quarters. Anakin grabbed some spare Jedi robes to take with him as well as his cloak that he used for disguises. He knew from Skarsuk that Vanguard-3 had a roaring black market trade that might be useful to investigate. At some point while Obi-Wan was distracted, he grabbed some of his money stash to take with him. It would come in handy, either for bribes or for picking up some things he couldn't get hold of on Coruscant. In fact, a trip down to Skarsuk might be in order. He could offer to pick up some cargo, if any was needed, in exchange for a name to go to for information. It would be a lot harder given that Ahsoka was coming with him but Anakin was sure he could find a way.

Once he was done, he returned to the living room area and pulled Obi-Wan into a hug. He was aware they didn't have long but given that they were at war, Anakin planned to treat every goodbye as if it might be their last one. Obi-Wan tucked his head under Anakin's chin as his arms wrapped around his waist. They stood like that for a few minutes and then Anakin sighed, pulling back.

"I'd best get going." Obi-Wan nodded, frowning slightly.

"Be careful." He warned.

"Always am." Anakin laughed.

"No you're not." Obi-Wan scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe not always but now I have a reason to be." Anakin told him softly. Obi-Wan gave him a smile. "I'd hate to see your hair turn grey from stress." Anakin continued. The smile turned to a mock glare.

"Oh, is that the only reason?" Obi-Wan asked indignantly.

"Maaaaybe." Anakin smirked.

"Well then, no goodbye kiss for you." Obi-Wan told him. Anakin immediately pouted. That was not playing fair.

"Fine. What I meant was that I will be careful because I always want to come back to you." He grumbled with a fake scowl. Obi-Wan snickered.

"Much better." Anakin leant down to kiss him. He didn't quite understand how it seemed to get better every single time. When they finally broke apart, it felt like he could fly.

"May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan."

"And with you, Ani." They hugged once more before Anakin departed. He met Ahsoka at the hangar and told her he had one more stop to make before he was ready to go. She gave him an exasperated look but said she would have the ship ready for as soon as he got back. Giving her a grateful smile, Anakin made his way through the familiar streets to the underbelly. Here he stopped in an alleyway to pull on his disguise. It didn't take long to find Skarsuk.

"Jake!" He exclaimed happily. "What can I do for ya today?"

"I'm making a trip to Vandor-3. Wondered if you need me to pick up any merchandise?" Anakin said. Skarsuk looked taken aback.

"Now that you mention it," He began. "I do need a few things. What do you need in exchange?"

"I need a contact who can possibly give me information about bounty hunters, and would know if any had arrived." Skarsuk inhaled sharply.

"You ask a lot."

"The reward is high." Anakin shrugged. Skarsuk considered and then nodded his agreement. He listed off the things he needed and told Anakin to speak to a Neimoidian called Lok Haako. He said to let him know that Skarsuk had sent him and that he would be able to procure most of the items Skarsuk wanted from Vanguard. Anakin thanked Skarsuk and then made his way back to Ahsoka quickly, only stopping briefly to remove his disguise.

"Finally!" She exclaimed when he finally arrived. "Bane could have probably fixed his ship by now."

"I doubt that." Anakin rolled his eyes. They took off. The trip was short and they were soon landing in the city of Vanguard. Ahsoka, Anakin and Rex left the ship and looked around. Anakin was surprised by how small it was. Vanguard might have been labelled the capital city but it was barely bigger than an average size town. He instructed Ahsoka and Rex to head to the clone barracks in the outskirts while he checked the town centre. Rex seemed to want to argue and send someone with him but Anakin insisted he would be fine. Giving in, Rex nodded and went off with Ahsoka.

With them shaken off, Anakin went to find somewhere he could put on his disguise before attempting to find this Lok Haako. It was easy enough to slip into a gap between two houses and ready himself. The tricker part was finding the Neimoidian. He made an educated guess as to where the black market area was most likely to be and set off in that direction. The Petroleum plant was off to his left as he wandered through the streets. It was noticeable as the largest building in the place and stood out a mile. Eventually, Anakin managed to 'persuade' one of the more interesting looking residents to point him in the direction of Haako. With directions it only took him a few minutes to arrive outside a regular looking house. It was no different from those on either side and seemed to be rather nice looking. He knocked and waited. A tall Neimoidian opened the door. He had greyish skin and horizontal pupils that were an interesting dark red.

"Yes?" He said.

"I happen to be looking for a Lok Haako." Anakin said, remembering to disguise his voice.

"It would seem you have found him." Lok stared at him for a few seconds with his unnerving gaze. "Please, come in." Anakin stepped under the outstretched arm and made his way into the living room area. Lok offered him a seat and refreshments. He did sit down but declined anything to drink.

"I was hoping to find someone who could give me information on any bounty hunters who had arrived in the city recently, within the last day. Our mutual acquaintance, Skarsuk, told me you might be the correct person to ask." Anakin didn't bother with subtlety. Most black market dealers did not appreciate it. Discretion, most certainly, but they generally preferred to get to the point. Lok's face gave nothing away as he sat back in his seat.

"Skarsuk may have been correct, depending if you have the means to pay for such information." Lok stated calmly.

"I do." Anakin said. They briefly haggled over the price and Anakin handed over half the fee. The rest would be given when he was satisfied with the information. He had learnt that trick the hard way. Lok informed him that no bounty hunters had arrived in the last two planetary rotations, however one had left the planet four days before. He gave a description that matched Bane and announced that he had been meeting with a bald woman. Anakin had to stop his eyes from widening. Was it possible Ventress was involved? He asked where they met and Lok told him, even giving him directions. Gratefully, Anakin handed over the rest of the payment, with some extra for giving more information that he had strictly asked for. Lok smiled in satisfaction and Anakin knew he had been right to add the extra. Neimoidians might be cowards but you didn't want to cross them when money was involved. He then placed the order from Skarsuk and Lok told him he would have the necessary items by the next morning. Then he decided to add on a few medical items that could not be found on Coruscant. While it had the far bigger trade, it also had far more policing than Vandor-3. Many more illegal things were brought here instead. With Maul after Obi-Wan, Anakin wanted to be prepared for anything.

Information gained, he made his way back to the ship. If Ventress was involved then it was definitely likely that Dooku had ordered the Holocron to be stolen. He wondered if Ventress was still here. Reaching out with the Force, he tried to sense her familiar presence but got nothing. He supposed it did make sense for her not to linger, especially once the mission was a failure. Maybe she had gone back to Coruscant. He was unable to contact Obi-Wan so he sent a message to Master Yoda informing him that Ventress may be there and would probably try again to steal the Holocron. He was very concerned that Obi-Wan couldn't be reached but then he might be undercover while tracking Bane and so not able to answer without giving himself away. Anakin couldn't sense any distress through their bond.

Ahsoka wasn't there by the time he got back to the ship so he settled down to wait, periodically trying to contact Obi-Wan. It was evening by the time Ahsoka and Rex returned and he had still not managed to get a reply. His stomach was knotting with worry but he filled the duo in on his findings. Their day had been much less successful. The clones had seen nothing out of the ordinary at all within the last week. They agreed to stay the night and scan the city for Ventress tomorrow, just to be sure.

The next morning, Anakin made his way back to Lok's before anyone else woke up. The merchandise was ready and he paid the price before immediately heading back to the ship. He hoped to get the stuff on board before anyone could see. Most of it was able to fit into his belt pouches but a few things were too big. He had just stowed the stuff in his quarters when Ahsoka came in, looking grave. He frowned.

"What's the matter, Snips?"

"Master, it's...it's Obi-Wan. He's missing." She said hesitantly. Anakin felt himself go cold. Then he cursed loudly. He knew he should have stayed on Coruscant, this whole mission had been a waste.

"Let's get going. Now!" He said. She nodded and left. Anakin sank onto the bunk, face in his hands. He needed to stay calm or he would not be able to find Obi-Wan but fear was threatening to overwhelm him. Focusing hard, he sent his emotions into the Force and jumped to his feet. They would be back on Coruscant within a couple of hours and then nothing would stop him from finding Obi-Wan. Not even the Jedi Council.

The second he was back on Coruscant, Anakin sped through the Temple to the Council chambers. He needed to know exactly where Obi-Wan had been when he had disappeared. The rest of the Council were already in session when he strode in, trying desperately to control his emotions.

"Knight Skywalker." Shaak Ti greeted.

"What happened with Master Kenobi?" He asked quickly.

"All we know is that he was tracking Bane towards the undercity when we lost communication with him." Ki-Adi Mundi stated.

"I should begin searching there."

"If Ventress is involved, she will be expecting you, Skywalker. Someone else should go." Mace Windu spoke up. It took all of his patience not to growl at the man. He was not sitting in the Temple while someone else tried to rescue Obi-Wan. Absolutely not.

"I can manage Ventress." He argued, grateful his voice came out calmly. The Masters studied him.

"I believe Skywalker is a good choice." Saesee Tiin said. "He and Padawan Tano are the only Jedi we can spare for this mission anyway. The wars in the Outer Rim are increasing. We are being spread thin as it is." Anakin bristled at the idea that they might not have even bothered looking for Obi-Wan if he wasn't here. If he had left for Felucia immediately instead of being told to wait a week, the Council might have condemned Obi-Wan to whatever fate had befallen him. His opinion of the Jedi Council sunk even lower.

"Agreed. Skywalker isn't due for a mission for another few days." Shaak agreed. Anakin hid a sigh of relief.

"Three days you have, to find Master Kenobi." Yoda told him. Anakin nodded and left the Council. He filled in Ahsoka on their new mission and went to collect the stuff for Skarsuk. If he was going to be starting his search in the undercity, his own contact seemed like a good place to start. He didn't have time to be worried about Ahsoka coming with him and he knew she would not stay behind. Then he prepared himself for the trip and found his Padawan.

"Master? What's that you're carrying? And what are you wearing?" She frowned. Anakin handed her a cloak.

"Put that on and hide your lightsaber. Do not let them know you are a Jedi. We are going to meet someone I know in the undercity." He stated. They quickly pushed their way through the crowded streets and Anakin led the way to Skarsuk's stall.

"Jake! Back already." Skarsuk greeted. Anakin handed him the items he had requested.

"Here you are."

"Ah, you are a good man. You've done me a service." Skarsuk gave him a smile that was only slightly vicious. In fact, for Skarsuk, it could almost be considered friendly. The Trandoshan handed him over the money for the goods he had purchased. Anakin handed half of it back, much to the man's surprise.

"Now, I need that service returned. Have you seen this man?" He held up a holo image of Obi-Wan. Skarsuk frowned.

"Yeah. He was 'ere yesterday, blunderin' around. I'm sure he thought he was being quite subtle but sell round 'ere long enough and you recognise those who don't belong."

"Anyone with him?"

"No that I remember. Although some fella was following him. Robot legs and black tattoos." Skarsuk said. "They both disappeared. Now, we're even." Anakin nodded, heart about to burst through his chest. So both Ventress and Maul were involved? One or both of them most likely had Obi-Wan. Ventress had always had some weird fascination with Obi-Wan, Maul wanted revenge and now they possibly both had him prisoner. And Obi-Wan had the nerve to call him danger prone!

"Cheers Skarsuk. I'll be seeing you." Anakin nodded and he guided Ahsoka away.

Master, what was all that about? And what's with the weird voice?"

"I promise to explain but not now. Maul and/or Ventress have Obi-Wan prisoner. We need to find him!"