A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys! This chapter did not really vibe with me, but I kind of thought it was important to have in so I forced my way through it. Thank you for all the kind reviews since the last update! I appreciate you all!
Saturday, 7:25pm; Jedi Temple.
Palpatine watched the two Jedi walk off, Anakin heavily leaning on his crutches. Kenobi followed him closely, shooting one last glance in the Chancellor's direction before they rounded a corner.
Anakin had been jumpy. Quite obviously nervous to be near anyone. And he'd struggled to stand for the duration of their short conversation, he'd become progressively more pale as time went on.
That wasn't part of the plan. Not at all part of the plan.
And then there was the case of Kenobi. Palatine had sensed it, the badly contained anger, the feelings which he had buried so deep inside himself that he was beginning to convince himself that they didn't exist. A feeling Palpatine used to know quite well. But he had also sensed a slight protectiveness from Kenobi, one which could cause problems.
The anger was to be expected, the protectiveness also. It was just another thing he would need to factor into the plan. But Anakin was a problem. The boy was wary of him. Wary of everyone from the looks of things. But that could set them back a long way, far longer than Palpatine was willing to make up.
"Chancellor, we have the speeder ready for you."
The voice pulled him away from his thoughts, and he realised that it had been quite a few minutes since the two Jedi had disappeared around the corner. His aides were used to it now, and left him alone. Usually.
"Thank you, Tennant. But I have somewhere to be tonight."
"But- Sir, the"
"Everything will be organized. You will all proceed to the Senate and meet me there." Palpatine ordered.
The aides had their uses, but most of the time they were a hassle. It was all for physical appearance, the Chancellor had to be protected at all times, in all places. But it was slowly becoming more and more easy to sneak away. They hadn't noticed his absence the last time he'd gone, and that was for several hours. No, Palpatine thought he would be quite safe.
He motioned the aides away, waving them on reassuringly.
"I'm only staying in the Temple. There are hundreds to protect me. Besides, an old man needs some time to himself."
They walked away briskly, albeit slightly reluctantly. Palpatine waited until they had disappeared around the same corner the two Jedi had five minutes before, then he himself slowly walked the opposite direction.
The Chancellor had no intention of staying the Temple. It was by no way a safe place for him, what with the thousands of Jedi, all connected deeply with the Force. He tried to avoid it as much as he could without arousing suspicion, so the meeting had been as short as he could possibly make it. Especially since it had been Master Windu and Master Yoda, the only people who he would consider a threat. Apart from maybe Kenobi, though in a different way.
It took him about five minutes to reach the hangar. Another two while he climbed into a speeder and unlocked it. He didn't fly very well, but it was important that no one could track him this time. That's why he chose to steal a speeder, rather than use one of his own or have someone fly him. Pulling up his hood, he made sure that it covered most of his face before he manoeuvred it out of the Temple.
The sky was busy at this time of night. Thousands of ships filled the air, a mass of twinkling lights which obscured the stars. For a while Palpatine followed the mainstream traffic, sinking into a meditation. It was one thing he'd perfected, the ability to function normally while he spent his time submerged in the Force, careful to mask his signature so he wouldn't be picked up.
Eventually he started to descend deeper, further towards the planet's surface. The traffic slowly thinned, until a silence descended and all Palpatine could hear was the gentle humming of the engine. And, of course, the occasional shout or scream. The Lower Levels by far exceeded the stereotypes. Palpatine had been surprised when he'd received news that Anakin went down there. He'd thought that the child wouldn't have the guts to. Especially with Kenobi's teachings embedded so prominently in his mind.
When he reached the right level he pulled to the side and parked. Careful to lock it securely, he stepped out, pulling off his sash as he went. It was perhaps the most recognisable part of his outfit. Without it he could be anybody, just someone walking by. With it he was instantly recognisable, bearing the colours of the Republic.
It took him about five minutes of walking before he got to his destination, some small club, lower than most of the others, therefore quieter. It took another two minutes to slip in and sit down. And another six before someone joined him.
"You're late." Palpatine said. His schedule was tight enough without people keeping him waiting.
"Yeah. There was a patrol outside my flat. I couldn't think of a way around them."
Marius took a sip of the drink he'd brought over, water rather than anything alcoholic. "You sure it's sensible that they know who I am? I haven't been able to walk around properly since the Jedi contacted the authorities."
"Within good time the authorities won't matter anymore. Until then you'll just have to keep your head down." The Chancellor replied. Marius's scowl deepened as he looked away. The Chancellor quenched his momentary pity for the man, remembering one of the reasons they'd decided to finally meet up again.
"When I said you could touch Skywalker, I meant that you could knock him about a bit. Not permanently damage him." He said, voice hushing to a whisper.
"He'll be fine. Do you know how annoying he was to put up with? I had to watch him every moment -"
"What I saw today was not fine. The boy could barely walk."
"He'll be fine." Marius repeated, waving his hand dismissively. Palpatine leveled him with a cold glare.
"We have an agreement remember. Different causes, maybe, but I do think that we can still help each other."
"So far you've done little to help mine." Marius shot back.
"I've funded you, given you pointers. Told you how to find out information. I think you're the one who's done little in return, my friend."
"I tortured a teenager for a week. Which was not something that I signed up for."
"Ah. Someone gave you the wrong information I see."
"Not that you bothered to correct it." Marius replied.
Palpatine sighed inwardly. Sometimes Marius's moral code was more annoying than admirable.
"It will be worth it though. The boy will be vulnerable, on edge. And Kenobi will be as weak as possible."
Marius stirred. Palpatine smiled under the hood. He was finally getting somewhere. "I sensed great emotional turmoil from him."
Marius didn't answer. "I realise that you want to get back to your little revenge plot, but all in good time my friend. We can't strike yet. Another blow to soon would be suspicious, and the chances of getting Skywalker back now are slim. I have a feeling Kenobi won't leave his side."
"Why don't we lure them both out then? You get Skywalker, I get Kenobi, then we disappear off the planet."
Palpatine felt his smile widen.
"I'm afraid my plans are far larger than just disappearing with Skywalker."
"Well whatever they are, the longer we wait the more time they'll have to prepare themselves. I think it's only a short while before they know who I am. Then what do we do? I won't exactly be able to walk along the street. It's hard enough as it is."
"We must wait. I promise that it will be soon, but if they're more settled back into daily life it will be easier to get back Skywalker. I can help, but I only have so much influence over him."
Marius sighed.
"I still don't see why we need Skywalker -"
"I need Skywalker." Palpatine interrupted.
"Yes, I know you need Skywalker. But how does this help me? Why should I have to be the one dragging the kid around?"
"You doubt me?"
"I don't doubt your skill, I doubt your intentions. So far you've told me little and left me to my own devices. You told me to go after Skywalker, instead of Kenobi, when from what I can see Kenobi barely cares for the boy."
"I think you underestimate Kenobi. Despite what he may seem, he isn't emotionless."
They descended into silence. Palpatine watched Marius's steel grey eyes dart around the packed room. He'd chosen a corner booth, enclosed but in a perfect position to be able to see the entire club. And everyone in it. The Chancellor didn't think that anyone would attempt to question them, but he preferred to be safe. For now he had to keep his power under wraps, as if he exposed himself he'd have to kill everyone who saw him.
He didn't know if Marius knew who he was. He hadn't mentioned it, but hadn't bothered to hide it really. He didn't see the point. The man was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really care about what was happening in the world around him. Even if Marius did know that he was the Chancellor, there wouldn't be a massive issue. As far as Palpatine knew, the man had no one close to him to tell.
"So what's the next move then?" Marius asked suddenly. Palpatine waited until a gaggle of Twi'Leks had passed the table, then responded.
"Nothing. Wait for them to act. Either they try to forget and move on, as the Jedi should, or Kenobi's hot headedness will mean that he starts trying to find you. If that happens, then we can get Skywalker while Kenobi is away. Otherwise, we can lure Kenobi away somehow."
"Once I have Skywalker, am I actually going to meet Kenobi this time? I'm tired of hiding. I just want to get this over with."
Palpatine glared at him, careful to make sure his eyes didn't flash yellow.
"Once we've got Skywalker, yes we will make sure Kenobi sees him. Once that's happened, deliver Skywalker to me."
"What do you want with him?" Marius asked.
"Nothing that concerns you."
Marius tensed.
"Because I'm not going to deliver an innocent teenager into the hands of someone I barely know."
"Oh calm down. I promise you, he'll be completely safe. I'm helping him, not hurting him." Palpatine snapped. "Besides, you can't exactly talk."
"It was your idea."
Marius seemed to want to say more, but took another sip of his drink instead. He then took a deep breath.
"As long as you won't hurt him, then I'm fine with it. The kid's been through enough already, I don't want him to suffer much more."
Palpatine restrained from reminding Marius that he was one of the reasons Anakin had been through a lot.
"He'll be perfectly safe."
They sat silently. Palpatine had no more he needed to say. They'd discussed everything that they needed to. He was just prolonging the time when he had to return to the daily drag of his duties. Marius didn't seem in a hurry to leave either.
Ten minutes later, Marius finished his water then glanced at his watch.
"The patrol should be gone now."
That was it. Much like there was no greeting, there was no goodbye either. Marius stood up, leaving the bottle. Then he walked away from the booth, pushing his way through the Twi'Leks and out the back door. Palpatine watched him leave, then sat by himself quietly. Slowly, slowly but surely, everything was falling into place.
Saturday, 11:42pm; Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan was... on edge, to say the least. Something felt wrong. Very wrong. It was almost like the Force was warning him, urging him to do something. But he couldn't figure out what.
Anakin was still asleep on the couch, though as fitfully as ever. He kept tossing and turning, making it impossible for Obi-Wan to bring himself to wake Anakin up so that he could move to his room. So, figuring that it was best to leave him to sleep, Obi-Wan left him alone. He felt better being able to keep an eye on him anyway.
It felt like the warnings he got whenever Anakin was in danger. The sharp jab of awareness which was focused towards his Padawan. But Obi-Wan couldn't see how Anakin was in any danger. They were in a secure location. Apart from the fever, Anakin was fine. The man who had kidnapped him had disappeared off the face of the map, at least for now. But still Obi-Wan felt anxious to the point of feeling sick. And he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.
In the end he sat down at one end of the sofa, putting his head between his hands. Taking deep breaths, he focused. He reached out with his mind, ignoring the bright presences of the hundreds of other Jedi in the Temple. Passed the people of Coruscant. And...
He hit a wall. Almost as if someone was blocking him, keeping him away. There was just a black wall of darkness where there should have been hundreds, thousands, more people. Yet he could feel nothing. The jarring warning was still there, but it's meaning dancing out of reach.
After a minute more of trying, Obi-Wan cursed quietly and stood up. It was too late to go investigate the disturbance. Besides, he couldn't leave Anakin, and Anakin wasn't exactly in a good position to be chasing after something which could quite possibly be a figment of Obi-Wan's imagination.
He needed to get out there. Every moment wasted was another moment where the man who kidnapped Anakin got further away, slowly slipping through their fingers. Now that Anakin was safe they wouldn't need to worry as much about potential repercussions. Anakin wouldn't be in danger for every little step they took in the right direction.
But at the same time, Obi-Wan now felt his intentions splitting. On one hand he wanted to go hunt the man down, ignoring all the code, find out the actual truth for once. But he couldn't leave Anakin. He'd promised Master Che that he'd keep an eye on him, and besides, he didn't think either of them would take the separation very well.
Sighing, he sat back down, resigned to staying away from the mystery. He just felt so restless, the jabbing ache in his head making it impossible to seek rest or meditation. The only thing he could really do was wait, either for sleep or for Anakin to wake up again. Which looked like it would be sooner rather than later, judging by his shuffling.
Obi-Wan looked at him for a minute, then laid his hand on Anakin's forehead. He frowned as he felt the heat burn against it. It hadn't been that bad earlier. The last thing they needed was a relapse, not so soon after they'd made their first step forward.
Dragging himself off the chair, he moved to get some water and a washcloth. The night was going to be just as long as he predicted.
A/N: There you have it! Palpatine was particularly hard to write, but now we know that he definitely has plans. A few things I'll address, a couple of you are hoping to see Kyla again, and I can assure that she'll turn up in some future chapters too! She's going to have some influence in the plot (minor though as I don't want this to be too OC centered). And you all want to see Anakin back in his classes, and I promise it's coming! I just don't want to rush the recovery too much.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to review!