A shorter chapter this time! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 35 – Blood and Sand
Obi-Wan watched how the small, blue crystal twirled in the air in front of him. It wasn't humming with joy and content anymore. The song had fallen silent, all that was left was the crystal's physical appearance. It was allowing him to use it as a power source, nothing more. He had changed, Obi-Wan noticed with a dull expression – and still did. He didn't know who he was anymore.
A jedi? No, he broke the code. He had used the Dark Side. He had let his attachment get the better of him. And the jedi were gone now. His home was gone.
He certainly wasn't a jedi no more. Those days had passed.
A brother? He had forsaken Anakin. Left him with Palpatine. Brothers should stand side by side, even in the darkest hours. No, he didn't deserve that title.
A husband? He hadn't seen Satine in days. She didn't know what he had done to save her. Obi-Wan knew she would resent him for that choice. The ring he had for her was probably lost in the burning ruins of the Jedi Temple. He didn't know if he was still the man, she had fallen in love with all those years before. The whole thing left a bitter taste on his tongue. Maybe he shouldn't be a husband either.
Pain was the only thing he brought to the ones he loved or cared about.
A friend. At least he could try to be that. Quinlan had left him. Obi-Wan had never expected to see the man again. Least of all at this time. Maybe he should have used the chance to talk to him. Make ammends. But his own anger had gotten in the way. Obi-Wan knew he should forgive Quinlan; it was just that he just couldn't forget what had happened. You don't just drop a friend, only to resurface later. His friend had hurt him and it had taken him years to apologize just once. He didn't know if he could forgive Quinlan so quickly; he was tired of always being the second choice. Still, he needed a friend. Now more than ever.
Anakin's bond had left a gaping hole inside his mind and Obi-Wan had a hard time with shielding himself. It felt like the Force itself was torturing him. His head was still throbbing badly from the ordeal and he wasn't sure if his previous head injury was finally backfiring at him. Master Che had warned him about the possibility that the bleeding might return if he was exposed to too much stress. Not that he could have changed any of the things that had happened in the last few days, Obi-Wan thought bitterly. He only realized now how much he had needed Anakin – had depended on him. Anakin might not think the same about him, but that had never mattered to Obi-Wan. He would have gladly taken his friend's place if it had meant that Anakin would walk free and would be left in peace.
He sadly never got that choice.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and let the hull of his lightsaber close around the crystal again. As the hilt dropped into his outstretched hand, he thought about what was about to come.
He knew that Maul was waiting for him on Zygerria. The Sith had run away from him the last time, almost killing Satine and taking Ahsoka in the process. One way or another, this would be the end. For whom, was still open.
Obi-Wan just wouldn't make Ahsoka pay for his mistakes. She deserved better. She deserved Anakin. It was the truth, Obi-Wan had chosen Ahsoka as his next Padawan back then. For once, at least, he would have wanted to make the choice himself. The Council had agreed with him when he had made his request. He was all the more surprised when she was assigned to Anakin instead. He had felt betrayed and degraded at that point, yet he couldn't help but be happy for the two of them as he watched their bond begin to grow and glow.
After that, he just hadn't had it in him to choose a Padawan again.
His fingers ghosted shortly over to his commlink. Biting his lip, Obi-Wan thought about calling Satine.
He let his hand flop down again after a moment. It was too dangerous. The Empire was looking for all of them. He had no doubt that Palpatine might send the 212th and Anakin - Vader - after him. No, he needed to stay hidden as long as he could. Which also met closing himself off from the Force.
Letting out a breath, his eyes settled back on the view port. He's been flying for little more than a day now. Zygerria was almost within reach. Avoiding the main hyperspace routes hadn't been easy, but it was way too risky to use them. Obi-Wan hoped that at least some of the jedi had survived. But he knew their chances were bad, especially for the ones who were stationed at the front lines. The Force was still a thunderous whirlwind of pain and death; he could not tell if any of his friends had survived.
Plo. Kit. Master Che. Probably dead. Maybe alive. He couldn't tell. And might never know.
He hoped that he wasn't too late for Ahsoka. If Maul or someone else had laid a hand on her - Obi-Wan didn't know if he would be able to stop himself.
Knowing that it would take a few hours until he would arrive at Zygerria, he decided to rest for a while. He would need all his strength, if he wanted to have a chance. The pilot chair wasn't comfortable by any means and it pressed against the bruises Obi-Wan knew were blooming all over his back, arms and legs, but it was the best he would get. Quinlan had provided him with a droid to help him out, yet the possibility to be attacked on route was far to great, for him to lay down in one of the cots in the back.
Leaning his head against the backrest, Obi-Wan tried to settle down for a few hours. Despite not having slept properly in days, sleep just wouldn't come. No, he couldn't do it. The images that popped up in his head everytime he closed his eyes were too much. With a gasp, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees and head resting in both hands. He squeezed his eyes shut, trembling fingers resting over his eyelids, and tried to breath through the panic that wanted to overcome him.
A soft beeping noise tore him from his daze. As he opened his eyes and twisted his head in his hands a little, he was met with the sight of a small astromech next to him.
R2, was the first thing he thought. But no, this wasn't Anakin's droid. The R2-unit in front of him was yellow and white. He huffed at the droid's inquiry for his wellbeing. Even the droid was concerned for him now.
"I'm fine", he grumbled and ran his hands through his hair, "go back to your work or whatever you've been doing."
The droid whistled unhappily on the blunt dismissal, but began to retreat. Obi-Wan wasn't really fluent with Binary, that had always been Anakin's thing, but even he understood how the droid mumbled something about him being an 'ungrateful and grumpy human'.
In another time, he might have had a witty remark on his lips. Now, he only stared blankly in front of him.
He didn't know what he should see in the never-ending darkness that occupied the viewport. The blue streaks of hyperspace zipped by constantly, making him dizzy when he looked at them for too long. Perhaps that was the only thing that hasn't changed. He still hated flying.
a few hours later
Obi-Wan must have fallen asleep at some point, the exhaustion finally getting the upper hand on him. His neck cracking painfully as he was jolted from his slumber, he noticed that the little astromech was back and whistling loudly at him to finally wake up.
"I'm awake", he mumbled, rubbing his reddened eyes, "You can stop torturing my ears now."
His headache hit him again with full force and the shrill beeping sounds coming from the droid weren't helping him at all. Thankfully, the droid finally stopped blaring and studied him with its green sensor, as if it had noticed his discomfort.
"Don't look at me like that", Obi-Wan sighed, "I'm not dying on you, if that's what concerns you. I've just got a headache."
'You look terrible', the droid beeped, 'especially for a human.'
This statement somehow managed to make him laugh. "What do you know about human aesthetics?"
The astromech began to ramble something about his travels with Quinlan Vos, but before the droid could elaborate deeper on its experience, Obi-Wan had to interrupt it.
"You know what? Stop right there", he waved his hands in front of him, "I think I don't really want to know where you got this particular information."
"Just remind me to punch Quinlan when we meet again", he stated dryly and turned back to the viewport.
Zygerria bathed the cockpit in a yellow-reddish light and it was as if the heat of the planet was already scorching Obi-Wan's skin. Desert planets had never been among his favorite places, least of all probably Geonosis. But the second place definitely went to Zygerria. Even though it was the first time he visited this planet, Obi-Wan already had a strong dislike for it. The droid was whistling something about getting sand into its gears, making Obi-Wan smile sadly. Let it be a droid to remind him constantly on his lost padawan. Anakin had always ranted about how much he hated sand, much to his own amusement. Obi-Wan remembered how he had once placed a jar full of sand in Anakin's room, with a note that he would pour it out if the boy didn't stop playing tricks on him. Of course, this was only meant as a joke, both men had laughed heartily about it afterwards. And it definitely hadn't stopped Anakin from further pranking his master.
Obi-Wan chuckled softly, those had been good times. Before the war. Before Anakin started pushing him away.
He steered the vehicle down towards the planet's surface, landing somewhere in the outskirts. Pushing himself out of his seat, he went to grab the robe Quinlan had given him and pulled it over his head. Obi-Wan pushed the button to open the ramp and turned his head towards the astromech.
"You'll stay here. Keep the ship ready for departure", he looked at the city behind him, "I have a feeling we'll have to make a quick getaway later."
Obi-Wan stepped down the ramp, the sand crunching under his boots. A light breeze stirred up a little of the ground, and he hoped the sand wouldn't get stuck in his brace.
The hood over his head provided him with a little shade over his eyes, but it was still far too bright for his liking. His disguise was far from ideal, but Obi-Wan didn't plan to stay undercover for long. He just had to reach Maul without being attacked first.
With the plan in his head, he began to limp toward the city. He gained entry via one of the less frequented side alleys, observing his surroundings with a keen eye.
The Zygerrians were fighters. Strongly built by nature and biting at the same time. If he could avoid it, Obi-Wan did not want to get into a fight with them unnecessarily. And then there were the slaves. Many Togrutas. Young or old obviously made no difference to the Zygerrians. They were all valued equally little, used like a piece of furniture. Obi-Wan's stomach twisted. He wanted to help these people, but he was alone. Even with backup, this would have been madness, but like this, it was nothing more than suicide. Tightening his jaw, he forced himself to look away. It went against everything he had ever learned, but he didn't know any other way to help himself. The Jedi were no more. He was nothing more than a man who knew how to use the Force. If he had the strength and resources, he would free them all, he promised himself.
Obi-Wan slipped further into the city, getting near what looked like the palace. Maul most likely would be there. The closer he got, the louder the noise became. The fighting pits. Of course. He knew that the Zygerrians pitted the slaves against each other like gladiators. The fights were brutal and bloody, often fought with ancient metal weapons. The slave owners bet on the participants, hoping to make as much profit as possible from this bloodbath. And from the sounds of it, the spectator stands were filled to capacity.
He could feel Maul's aura pulsating inside the arena. The Zabrak was waiting for him. Obi-Wan sneaked inside and peaked into the sand pits.
There he was. Standing on a podest, blood splayed beneath his feet, bodies littering the ground, was Maul. They had promised these slaves their freedom if they defeated this monster. A death sentence, but for many of the desperate people a last spark of hope. Obi-Wan growled and watched how Maul lifted his hands on the podest, calling for more opponents.
His hands clenching, Obi-Wan steadied his breathing. He had to do this. Maul was his way to get Ahsoka back.
With that, he jumped down on the rough sand, landing with a thud. His face still hidden by his hood; he approached the madman.
"Maul."
The Zabrak whirled around, a bloody weapon in his hand, an evil grin on his face. "Kenobi, how nice of you to finally join us."
Next chapter: Obi-Wan vs Maul!
I still don't know how the fight is going to end or how they will fight at all!
Let me know what you think :D