Batmanuchiha - You are very welcome.
Chapter 46
The gentle lurch of the fighter coming out of hyperspace lulled Ben from the peaceful currents of a meditative trance. As the small craft disengaged from its transport ring, he opened his eyes, looking out at a red planet surrounded by a ring of asteroids.
"Where are we, Master?"
Despite devoting his attention to rest and healing, his head still ached. Reaching up, his fingers found a very painful lump. It definitely was not as bad as it could have been, but he would have preferred to be at his best right now. The fighter pitched slightly. He took a deep breath as a wave of nausea washed over him and placed a hand against the canopy to assure himself the cockpit wasn't spinning. Fortunately, his master didn't seem to notice.
"The name of the planet is Geonosis," Obi-Wan said as he studied the display on his consol. "It appears that the Fetts have discovered the homing device. It has been disengaged, and they are entering the asteroid belt."
"I guess we are following, then?" Ben commented dryly.
"Hold on."
Obi-Wan pulled the fighter into the slowly drifting rocks, navigating easily. A sudden, animated beeping from their astrometric droid drew both Jedi's attention.
"Sonic charges," Obi-Wan said. "Stand by."
The Jedi master sent the fighter into a sharp dive, throwing Ben against his harness. The charge went off, its shock crumbling rock and anything else in its path. Though caught in the fringes of turbulence and pelted with a shower of dust and debris, the fighter sustained no damage. Obi-Wan pulled the vessel up again as the second charge detonated, and then pursued the Fetts through a narrow tunnel in one of the asteroids. A crescendo of warning rose in the Force as they exited, right before laser fire erupted behind them. Obi-Wan dodged, the ship flipping and rolling as he weaved between asteroids while avoiding the weapons' fire. Ben closed his eyes, trying to hold any dizziness at bay as Obi-Wan muttered, "Blast! This is why I hate flying."
A sarcastic retort sprang to Ben's mind, but he kept it to himself, knowing their lives depended on his master's concentration at the moment. The fighter jarred as laser fire scorched the side of the ship. An urgent beeping from Arfour echoed throughout the cockpit.
"Yes, I know we are hit," Obi-Wan said.
Another series of beeps, and Ben looked out the cockpit to confirm what came up on his tactical display, and what he already knew through the Force. The danger had just escalated. "We have a missile on our tail, Master."
Obi-Wan increased his speed, whipping the fighter through the asteroids, hoping to crash the missile into one of the large rocks.
"It's gaining, Master."
"No dodging this one," Obi-Wan murmured. "We need to set down … there. Arfour, prepare to jettison the spare parts canisters. Release them … now!"
The missile hit the debris, exploding as Obi-Wan settled the fighter to the side of the asteroid and powered down the engines. They waited, relieved that the ruse seemed to fool the bounty hunter.
"Well, I think we've waited long enough," Obi-Wan finally said.
The fighter detached from the asteroid, starting its descent toward Geonosis. As they neared, Ben could see a large fleet of Trade Federation ships.
"Master …"
"I see them. We best steer clear."
Obi-Wan stayed low, skimming along the planet's surface. Spying a rocky overhang, he pulled the ship beneath and landed. Both Jedi scrambled from the cockpit, wind whipping at hair and cloaks as they looked out over the barren landscape.
"Which way were those ships?" Ben asked, scanning with electrobinoculars as Obi-Wan checked their bearings. He turned back to see his mentor's face set into a concerned frown. "What?"
"If I asked you to stay with the fighter, would you listen and not try to follow me?"
"That depends. Is it an order, master to padawan?"
Obi-Wan let out a frustrated sigh, and Ben understood the meaning. As a master and senior padawan team, they had built a level of trust where his master no longer felt the need to give orders.
"You are still not well." Obi-Wan pinned him down with a stern gaze.
"My head hit a duracrete wall, Master. I am positive I have a concussion, but it wouldn't be the first time. I feel better after meditating in the fighter than I did, and as far as I'm concerned, if I am still walking and not permanently dizzy after all the acrobatics in the asteroid belt, I'm doing pretty well." Obi-Wan's light chuckle gave him some hope that he wasn't going to be left behind. For good measure, he added, "I don't think you should go alone."
"If I think your condition is deteriorating in any way, I will send you back, no arguments?"
"Yes, Master."
Shmi looked so fragile lying on one of the clinic's simple cots. It wasn't the Healers' Ward of the Jedi Temple, but the facility had been enough to save her life, and for that, Anakin thanked the Force. He lifted her calloused hand, roughened from years of hard work as a slave, and then as the wife of a moisture farmer. For him, it didn't matter if her life was hard, as long as she was happy. Anakin knew she was. He felt the sting of tears welling up in his eyes and reached up to wipe them away.
What if they had been too late? He didn't even want to think about what he might have done. As it was, he had nearly torn through his master, intent on murdering an entire village. It sent a hollow feeling to the pit of his stomach, the feeling of filth clinging to him like skin, the stench of fear and darkness threatening to smother him. He could sense it. The Darkside laughed at him and still vowed to claim him.
He was aware of Shmi squeezing his hand and looked up sharply. The dullness of pain medications could not hide the love that shone from his mother's eyes. "What's wrong, Ani?" she whispered.
"I almost lost you."
"But you didn't." She attempted a smile.
"And, I almost lost myself." He looked away, afraid what he was about to say would shatter her image of her son. "I touched darkness, Mom. I wanted revenge for what they did to you. I raised my saber and fought my master when he tried to stop me." He pulled his hand away from her, wrapping his arms around his body. "I don't know what's going to happen now. I'm afraid, but Jedi aren't supposed to fear."
"Your master is a wise man. I know that he will help you. He always has."
"You're right. I should go talk to him."
Fear and dread twisted at his stomach again as he left his mother's room. Anakin hastened down the corridor, following his master's Force signature. When he opened the door, he stopped. Xanatos looked so at peace. He hadn't felt the Light pulse so strongly around his master in a long time, and he didn't want to intrude. It was Xanatos that sensed his apprentice near and opened his eyes.
"How is your mother?"
"She woke up. I got to talk to her for a little bit."
"That's good."
The silence stretched between them for a few moments, Xanatos allowing his apprentice to gather himself.
"Master Yoda was right about me," Anakin finally said in hushed tones. "He said that he sensed fear in me, especially about my mother. He said that my path was shrouded. Will the Council put me out of the Order, now?"
"Why would they cast you out of the order?"
"I touched the Darkside, Master."
"If they let me back into the Order after trying to kill my master and inciting a civil war, I think they will be gracious," Xanatos explained with confidence that Anakin found calming. "But, I won't lie to you, Anakin. There will be questions. Master Yoda, at least, will sense something happened, if he hasn't already. The Council probably will have some harsh things to say to me, and I want you to be prepared."
"To you?"
"About my failings as a master, I believe."
"But I was the one that gave into my fear and anger," Anakin protested. There was no way he was going to allow it. The very thought of his master being reprimanded before the Council for his behavior angered him. Too quickly, hot anger flashed, only to be replaced by shame as he realized how quickly the emotion had consumed him. He bowed his head.
Gentle fingers lifted his chin until he was facing his master once again. "Padawan," Xanatos said gently. "I should never have allowed you to come to Tatooine. It was an emotional decision on my part. By doing so, I allowed you into a position I knew you could not handle."
"I should have been stronger."
"You expect much of yourself, young one. The Darkside is a formidable enemy. I am supposed to be a Jedi master and I almost lost myself as well. If it hadn't been for …" Xanatos stopped, flustered, unable to complete the sentence.
"You heard him?" Anakin asked in mild surprise. "You heard Qui-Gon?"
"Yes," Xanatos answered. "Did you?"
"Master, I have heard his voice for a long time."
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"I didn't know if you would believe me. I assumed you would think I was losing my mind." "You taught me … other masters taught me that we become one with the Force when we die."
"Well, he was quite unconventional in life, I suppose we couldn't expect him to follow the rules in death."
Anakin suddenly felt crushed under a burden of concerns, his fear making him feel small and alone. His mother was right. The man who could help him, who had always been there, sat in front of him. For reasons Anakin was at a loss to understand, his master had pushed past betrayal that should have hurt and not abandoned him, and he was glad.
"Master, I'm afraid." The confession came blurting out more forcefully than Anakin had intended.
"About what?" Xanatos asked with immediate concern.
"The call was so strong. I felt powerful, invincible even. I still feel it," Anakin admitted. "What if I can't resist it next time?"
"I have faith in you, Padawan, but we both have lots of work before there is a 'next time. We can't let the darkness drive a wedge between us."
"Will the Council separate us?"
"That's not going to happen, Padawan," Xanatos said gently. "I would leave the Jedi before I allowed that to happen."
Anakin nodded, relief washing over him.
"Come," Xanatos said. Anakin kneeled down on the floor beside him. "Let's help you find some peace."
The urgency to contact the Council was foremost in both their minds. What they had found on Geonosis was a Separatist base of sorts. Between fifty to one hundred Federation Starships in neat rows, thousands of battle droids filing onto the waiting crafts. Inside large Geonosian towers, they had found a droid factory, then a conference room where Count Dooku had sat with representatives of the Trade Federation, the Corporate Alliance, the Commerce Guildw, the Intergalactic Banking Clan, and the Techno Union – all pledging their support to the Separatists, to Dooku.
Our friends in the Trade Federation have pledged their support. When their Battle Droids are combined with yours, we shall have an army greater than anything in the galaxy, The Jedi will be overwhelmed. The Republic will agree to any demands we make.
War was coming.
"The transmitter is working, but we're not receiving a return signal," Obi-Wan said. "Coruscant is too far. Arfour, can you boost the power?"
The droid beeped a negative reply.
"Master, maybe we can contact Master Xanatos and Anakin on Naboo. It's closer."
Obi-Wan jumped into the cockpit at the suggestion. "Xanatos, Xanatos, do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Xanatos? Anakin?" Obi-Wan let out a sigh as he studied the display. "They aren't on Naboo."
"Do you think something happened?" Ben asked worriedly.
"I don't know. I'm going to try and widen the search."
"Master, hurry. We've been detected," Ben urged softly, sensing the presence of a scout.
"There, those are their tracking signals, but they are coming from Tatooine."
"That's not good," Ben said.
"Perhaps they just needed a more remote place for the Senator." The Force urged that time was fleeting. "Xanatos? Xan, do you copy? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi." A mournful beep was the only response.
"That would be the Senator's astrometric droid," Ben said.
"Hello, Artoo," Obi-Wan said. "Record this message and take it to your mistress, Padmé... and the Jedi." Obi-Wan slipped from the cockpit and stood. "Xanatos, our long-range transmitter has been knocked out. Retransmit this message to Coruscant." Posture straight, robe pulled around him like the model of a Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan began a more solemn address. "We have tracked the bounty hunter Jango Fett to the droid foundries on Geonosis. The Trade Federation is to take delivery of a droid army here, and it is clear that Viceroy Gunray is behind the assassination attempts on Senator Amidala. The Commerce Guilds and Corporate Alliance have both pledged their armies to Count Dooku and are forming an …"
"Master!" A pummeling of blaster bolts descended on them as Ben dove in front of his master, saber ablaze. His features fell downcast as the fire he deflected bounced harmlessly off of shields instead of reducing the droids to a pile of debris. "What are they?"
"Destroyers," Obi-Wan said, his own saber drawn and ignited. The droids closed in from all sides, each swing of a saber adding ricocheted blaster bolts to the blaster fire already peppering the fighter. A stray bolt hit the ground at Obi-Wan's feet, sending the Jedi master tumbling backward.
"There's too many of them," Ben said before a blast to his upper chest knocked him against the charred fighter.
Bridges were being rebuilt, a new level of trust blossoming between master and apprentice as Anakin opened up and shared his fears and found understanding and acceptance. Shields lowered, everything he had been trying to shoulder on his own was released to the Force, embracing his master's promise that he would not have to bear the burden alone. As the beginnings of new peace filled them both, they returned to the Lars family and their charge.
As they stepped into the waiting room, Xanatos' comlink chimed. "Yes?"
"Umh … Master Marojni, Sir?"
"Yes, Threepio," he replied, recognizing the voice of the protocol droid.
"Mistress Padme's droid, Artoo, has a message. He is quite insistent we reach you. It is from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. He seems to be in some sort of trouble …"
"I'm on my way back."
Anakin made eye contact with Cliegg and Owen as the Jedi and senator hurried from the clinic. It was a plea to watch after his mother, one he knew would be more than honored.
Xanatos couldn't seem to get the speeder to go fast enough. An eternity passed before the ship and homestead came into view. The speeder was barely parked before he was stumbling, kicking sand in his haste to reach the ship. They listened to the beginning of the message, and Padme began to forward it on to the Jedi Council. Ben's cry of 'Master' tore through Xanatos, the image of both Jedi flung to the ground emblazoned in his mind. He gathered his composure as Master Windu's voice broke in.
"Xanatos, we will deal with Count Dooku. The most important thing for you is to stay where you are. Protect the Senator at all costs. That is your first priority."
"Understood, Master," Xanatos said, bowing respectfully. He had no intention of staying on Tatooine, but it was best to let the Council believe he was in compliance.
"They'll never get there in time to save them," Padme began immediately. "They have to come halfway across the galaxy. Look, Geonosis is less than a parsec away …"
"I know," Xanatos mumbled, already well aware of what she was thinking. "Anakin, I need you to stay here with the Senator …"
"No!" Anakin shouted emphatically.
"Padawan?" Xanatos questioned, adding a hint of sternness in his voice to remind the learner of his place. Too much had already happened on this mission, and he wasn't about to test fate.
"Those droids took down both Obi-Wan and Ben in a matter of minutes, Master," Anakin protested. "You may need back-up."
"And the Council just gave us a direct order to protect the senator," Xanatos reminded Anakin.
"Since when have you always followed the Council's mandates?"
Xanatos rested his forehead in his hand, using his thumb and fingers to massage his temples.
"I will go crazy sitting here knowing Obi-Wan and Ben are in trouble and you are there alone," Anakin admitted honestly.
"Padawan, I think we are already in enough trouble as it is …"
Both Jedi were drawn for their argument as the engines on the ship roared to life. Senator Amidala sat at the controls with a smug smile pasted on her face.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Xanatos asked.
"I am going to rescue Master Obi-Wan and his apprentice."
"No," Xanatos said sternly. "The Council said for you to remain here."
"First of all, I don't answer to the Council, Master Jedi," she challenged. "Second, your orders were to protect me, so if you plan to do that, you will have to come along."
The situation was momentarily out of his control unless he wanted to use force. As tempting as that was, Xanatos reluctantly strapped himself into one of the seats. Obi-Wan and Ben were in danger or worse. Time was wasting. Still, he would have to address this mutiny before they reached Geonosis. Senator Amidala seemed to be as unpredictable and rebellious as Anakin, and he couldn't have the woman they were supposed to protect running loose on a hostile planet.