Chapter 44 – Lost and Found

Coruscant

Cursing, Quinlan dropped the commlink on his legs. The call had been interrupted. He didn't quite know what to make of it. There was only one thing he could be sure of. Someone had the device. Whether or not it was Obi-Wan, he didn't know.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. They needed outside help. It was only a matter of time before Palpatine would simply start tearing up the entire underground.

The sound of footsteps brought him back to attention. Quinlan opened his eyes and stared at the dark brown boots of Master Windu, who now stood before him.

"Master Windu," he grumbled, not having enough energy to deal with the Korun master. Now that the adrenaline was out of his system, he could fall asleep right here on the spot. Still, he forced himself to look up.

"Vos." His expression was unreadable as usual, but even Quinlan could see that the Jedi Master was more than exhausted. The two men stared at each other for a moment, as if neither knew what to do with the other.

To Quinlan's surprise, Windu then sighed and let his shoulders slump. The Jedi settled next to him against the wall and angled his legs so he could rest his arms on them. "Were you able to reach him?" he asked wearily.

"No," Quinlan replied curtly, too surprised by the Jedi Master's action. Windu did not look at him, but stared silently at the wall opposite them. He didn't seem intimidating that way at all. Just like a man who was already gnawing at his last reserves of strength. "How are the kids?", he asked after a moment.

"Troubled," the jedi kneaded his fingers absently, "Most of them have nightmares. They see the clones marching into the temple. Or Skywalker slicing through their throats with his lightsaber."

Quinlan's mouth went dry. He had expected that Anakin must have been at the temple during the raid. Still the confirmation settled an uneasy feeling in his gut. "He's not himself."

"Is he?", Mace turned his head and watched him intensely, "The Jedi have turned a blind eye for far too long. We knew the boy was dangerous; that he has a penchant for the dark side. When he was younger, we thought Obi-wan could still control him. But as we've learned lately, that's not the case."

"Are you blaming him for this?" asked Quinlan, tilting his head and shaking off the fatigue. This conversation was far too important. He had never been there himself, but he knew Obi-Wan had done his best when it came to Anakin. And had even risen above himself.

Gritting his teeth, the Jedi Master averted his gaze. "I know he's not at fault. The only responsible one is Palpatine. But still, I wonder what would have happened if the boy had never been found."

"Palpatine would have found a way to track him down. For a Sithlord, a beacon in the Force like that can't go undetected forever, trained or not."

"You're probably right," Windu ran a hand over his bald head, looking a little lost. "Listen, Quinlan..." he swallowed and searched for words, "I'm actually here because I need to talk to Obi-Wan. There's something he should know."

Master Windu had never called him by his first name in all the time they had known each other. Something was on the man's chest. "I could tell him as soon as I get a hold of him."

The Jedi Master's expression became distorted. "I would prefer to tell him in person. That would be the least I could do."

Someone had died. Quinlan could tell that from Windu's face. But before he could say anything back, Master Che entered the small room.

"The chip is out," she said without much introduction, holding it out to the Korun Master, who then took it from her hand, "I have determined that only one component has been damaged. It looks like some kind of memory card. Maybe the program for the clones was stored on it."

Quinlan stared at the small device in the Jedi's fingers. "That means if we manage to destroy that exact component, we could free them?"

The healer shrugged. "That would be a possibility."

Perhaps this was finally a small glimmer of hope they had needed for so long. He tore his eyes away from the chip and looked toward the Jedi Master. "How's Rex?"

"The procedure took a little out of him, but he should wake up soon."

Master Windu looked at him sympathetically. "You should go see him. Would it be okay with you if you gave me the commlink? Then I would try again to reach Obi-Wan."

Quinlan hesitated for a moment. He didn't know why, but he had always found it difficult to trust Master Windu. Today was the first time the stone mask the Jedi had worn all these years had fallen. To see that a normal human was hiding underneath, shattered his image of the strict Jedi Master a little. Knowing that his silence was getting strange, he quickly fumbled for the commlink and handed it to Windu.

"Here, good luck." He knew he sounded harsher than he intended to be, but his energy was leaving him again. The presence of the two Jedi masters were too much. The years away from the jedi, alone by himself, had made him get uncomfortable in the presence of other force sensitive beings in the long term. Well, it more likely was the presence of Master Windu, as he never really got to like the man.

Not wanting to stay any longer than necessary, Quinlan tried to get to his feet. As soon as he got into an upright position, however, his world began to spin and he felt dizzy. He almost tripped, had a pair of strong arms not caught him by the shoulders.

"Easy there," spoke Mace's dark voice beside him as he held him upright.

Quinlan took a deep breath and his vision cleared again. "I'm fine." He raised his hand meekly and the hands on his shoulders retreated tentatively.

Without waiting, he stormed past Master Che, who looked a little worried. He needed time to get used to the jedi again.

"He still remembers", said Master Che, watching how Quinlan disappeared around the corner.

As if he hadn't noticed. Mace knew that he had left a lasting impression on Vos. But unlike Kenobi, who had always stood by the Kiffar's side in his childhood days and defied him at every opportunity, Vos was almost evasive toward him.

"What exactly do you mean? The part where they dyed my hair or were forced to replace the markers in the sewers?" he mused. A half-hearted laugh escaped his throat as the memory came flooding back. Despite everything, he liked them, even if he had never shown it openly. And now, as their ranks thinned further, Mace wondered more and more what all their teachings were even worth if in the end no one remained to pass them on. His smile faded again.

"You should try to reach Obi-Wan again," Vokara said knowingly, "But at least try to be a little empathetic. The man's been through a lot lately."

"Haven't we all?" muttered Mace with a sigh, laying his head back against the earthen wall. A little dirt trickled down onto his nose. "But yeah, I'll do my best. You know he was my friend, too."

"I never meant to imply that he wasn't, Mace. We're all running on our last legs, it's easy to forget the manners." With that the Twi'lek healer turned and left the room, probably to look after the kids.

Mace watched how the dirt got dislodged from the ground and began to settle again after a while.

He moved the commlink between his fingers. Normally, it was easy for him to find the right words in different situations. But Mace was not blessed with a silver tongue like Obi-Wan. Although the man was the youngest in the council, hardly anyone before him had displayed such diplomatic skills as he. And he was also an excellent fighter. It had pained him to see the Jedi so broken over the last few months. At that time, he had expressed to Master Yoda that he had been interested in choosing Obi-Wan as his Padawan. But the diminutive Master had denied him, had said that Qui-Gon should take the boy. He had not been the only one who wanted to take the boy under his wing. Plo had also agreed. Probably the Kel'Dor would have been the better choice. Obi-Wan would have needed a master, to whom he could have entrusted his worries. Qui-Gon had been too blinded by his former student's mistakes, had dismissed Obi-Wan's determination and persistence as anger and imbalance. Much had already gone wrong at that time.

With unsteady fingers he activated the commlink and dialed the stored number. He did not know how to say it, had no words ready. Mace just knew that he had to do it.

The device beeped softly when the connection was successfully created.

"You have disappointed me, my apprentice." Sidious paced back and forth in front of his desk; hands folded in the sleeves of his robe. "You let yourself be defeated. And yet the man wasn't even a Jedi anymore," he sneered.

Vader knelt at his feet, head lowered to the ground and still twitching from the Force lightning that had shocked him just a few seconds ago. "I'm sorry, master," the boy rasped, voice dry from screaming.

Sidious came to a stop in front of his kneeling student and looked down at him. He had to drive this weakness out of him. "Stand up," he commanded harshly.

The boy clambered to his feet, his gaze still turned to the ground, his disheveled hair falling in his face. With bony fingers, the Sith snatched Vader's chin and bent his head so that he had to look at him. His golden eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted into a snarl. Just as he had suspected. Big eyes stared back at him. Lifeless, but blue. How pathetic.

"I expected better from you," he growled, disappointment lacing his voice. Pulling his hand back roughly, he left a small cut on his cheek. Vader didn't move. Too stunned by fear. "It seems like I have to show you again how to use your powers."

With small tendrils, he reached for Vader's consciousness and pulled on their weak connection. Soon their bond would be brimming with strength. Then he would be his. "Reach out to me."

Sidious felt a brief hesitation from his student's side but then he felt Vader open up and they both connected. He laid a gentle hand on Vader's temple and closed his eyes.

"Good, good. That's right, my boy. Now repeat after me."

He let the darkness flood their connection, making it pulse like the heart of a predator.

"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion.

Through Passion I gain Strength.

Through Strength I gain Power.

Through Power I gain Victory.

Through Victory my chains are Broken.

The Force shall free me."

He spoke in a deep, resonant voice and let the boy follow him. When he opened his eyes again, he was pleased to find that he was now looking into the equivalent of his own. "Never forget those words."

"Of course, master."

Now it was time to give the boy some motivation. It had been his attachments that had brought him into conflict with the Jedi. Now they were to be his path to the dark side.

"What is it you long for, my dear?", he asked, turning to face the large glass front.

"I don't think I can follow, master."

"Something you fight for. A passion."

He heard Vader shift uncomfortably behind him. "I- I don't know. I guess."

A sinister smile crossed Sidious' face. "Then let me help you."

Moving over to his desk, he pulled out a small holoprojector and piece of flimsi.

He waved Vader closer and placed the objects on the table. With a wave of his hand, the device came to life and an image of Senator Amidala was projected in bluish light.

"Do you remember her?"

The boy's eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head questioningly. "No. Should I?"

Humming, the Sith settled into his chair. "That's what I suspected. Perhaps you should sit down."

Stiff as a board, his apprentice moved to the seat shown and settled down.

"You know I would never lie to you. I just found out myself a little while ago. Padme Amidala is your wife. You were married on Naboo a few years ago. You had to keep your marriage a secret because Kenobi forbade you to get too close to her. A slave was not allowed to have relations. Now, when I freed you from his clutches, you apparently lost parts of your memory."

Vader stared at the small shimmering figure on the desk, fury visibly simmering under his skin. "So, you're telling me that Kenobi not only took away my freedom but also the woman I love?"

Sidious nodded. "But not only that. See for yourself."

He slid the flimsi across the table. When this document had fallen into his hands, he could hardly believe his luck. The ideal tool for his plan.

There wasn't much written down on the sheet. The name of the hospital, a date and three names.

Padme Amidala, Luke and Leia.

Vader's fingers began to tremble as he read the text. "I am a father," he whispered in disbelief. Anger reflected in his yellow eyes, and Sidious had to hold the holoprojector to keep it from falling off the table as his student's control faded.

Eyes shot up and bore into him. "Where's my family?", Vader growled.

"I don't know. Kenobi took them with him", he said earnestly, "But if you reach out with the Force I'm sure you can find them powerful as they must be with you as their father. And when we find them… we'll destroy the jedi – together."

His apprentice was one step closer to the edge. All it needed now was a good push.