Title: Labyrinth
Author: Jedi Rita
Rated: PG-13
Chapter Nine
Mace Windu deactivated the holovid and turned his dark eyes on Adi Gallia. "So what do you think?" he queried, his tone even and neutral.
He sat in a conference room with Master Adi and her padawan. Adi did not answer at once, reviewing the holovid in her mind. The Twi'lek, identifying herself as the Hammer's leader, had made the demands herself. There was no sign of the captives, and her threats had changed. None of the body parts promised in the first holovid had been sent, and now the threat was dropped altogether. The conclusion, therefore, was obvious. "She's bluffing. They don't have them any more."
Mace nodded slowly. "So Obi-Wan and Anakin were successful."
But that conclusion was not so obvious. "I don't think so," Adi said. "If they had been, why would the Hammer pretend like they still had them? And why wouldn't we have heard from Obi-Wan by now? No, I don't think they ever succeeded in locating the terrorists."
Mace considered her words carefully. "Which leads us back to the question of what happened to Senator Organa and the others." He leaned back in his chair and ticked the options off on his long fingers. "They may have died in custody, whether accidentally or on purpose. They may have been rescued by someone other than Obi-Wan and Anakin. Or they may have escaped."
Bo-Neda, Adi Gallia's 16-year-old padawan cleared her throat self-consciously. "Or someone else may have abducted them from the Hammer."
Mace raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Adi silenced any objection he might have raised. Adi's perceptiveness was legendary, and her padawan shared this trait. "It is definitely a possibility. We have certainly learned that there are a number of powerful, secret interests at work here. It was one thing when clones could only be developed at a normal rate of growth, but now that the Gungan technology makes it possible to grow human clones in less than five years, it changes everything. The technology will prove far too profitable for anyone who wants to grow their own laborers or soldiers, and they will not want their access to it to be limited by any laws proposed by the conference. The Hammer is probably just a front, a distraction to divert our attention from the real plot to subvert the conference."
Mace considered what she had said. The past few years had seen an alarming rise in criminal and other extra-governmental organizations, both in numbers and in power. Every month more and more Jedi were dispersed on missions to deal with the increased activity, and they returned with disturbing reports: of governments held hostage by crimelords, of trade lanes terrorized by pirates, of distrust in the forces of law and order who seemed increasingly unable to curtail the power of brigands and rogue autocrats. Sometimes isolated incidents proved on closer examination to be connected, while other seemingly related events proved to have no traceable link. The galaxy seemed to be enmeshed in plots, but was there only one force behind it all or a coalition of forces? Nothing could be taken for granted any more, but neither could the Jedi discern any pattern to explain the chaos.
Mace sighed in frustration. "It is hard to know what to do when we don't know what we're up against. If they escaped, has Obi-Wan found them yet? If they were abducted, who took them and why? And what happened to Obi-Wan and Anakin that they have not contacted us?"
"Well, we know that it is next to impossible to send communications transmissions from the lower levels. If they were all right and their speeder were functional, they would have come up and contacted us. We must conclude at the very least that they have
no means of transportation." Adi Gallia set her jaw, and Mace recognized it meant she had made a decision. He also knew that once she had made up her mind, no one could ever dissuade her. "Bo-Neda and I will go looking for them," she announced.
Mace had to at least try. "I don't like to send anyone into a situation we know so little about."
"But the alternative is to do nothing, and that is completely unacceptable. At the very least we need to find out what happened to Obi-Wan and Anakin."
Mace acquiesced. "Very well. But the two of you shouldn't go alone."
Adi smiled. She knew Mace wanted to go himself. With all the unrest in the galaxy, he had increasingly taken on an administrative role with the Council, coordinating the numerous missions that everyone else was sent on. He hadn't been in the field in years, and she knew he longed for action. But this mission was not worth sending two members of the Council on. "I agree. That's why I'm planning on asking Bant to accompany us."
"Bant?" Mace echoed in surprise. "But her skills are in negotiation. I doubt that particular talent will be needed here."
"Yes, but she is also a discerning investigator, and she is good friends with Obi-Wan. Her connection to him may help us track him down." She could tell he was disappointed but he put it aside. She continued, "We will contact the Temple every hour, so you will know if something happens to us."
"And one other thing," Mace requested, his eyes betraying his concern. "Wear locators. If you vanish, too, I want us to have at least a chance of tracking you down." It was his way of saying, Be careful.
Adi nodded grimly. "We will take no foolish chances." She looked at her Padawan. "Come, Bo-neda. Let's get ready."
*****
At first Obi-Wan had tried to walk on his own, leaning on Bail's arm for support, but it soon became apparent that his injuries were too severe. Before long both Bail and Jar Jar had to support him, their arms hooked under his, and they had to carry more and more of his weight. They rested frequently, and while the rests helped Obi-Wan, he also began to tire more quickly. Anakin wanted to help Obi-Wan himself, but the others argued that he needed to keep his hands free in case they encountered any danger. Padme occasionally took the place of Bail or Jar Jar in order to give them a break, but she was not strong enough to carry Obi-Wan for long. They did not make much progress during the rest of the day. They made camp early, falling asleep as soon as they had finished eating.
The next morning found Obi-Wan greatly weakened. His bandage was soaked through with blood, and he burned with fever, indicating that infection had set in. He could no longer walk on his own. No one wanted to give voice to their fears, so they set off in silence, Bail and Jar Jar again supporting Obi-Wan, and Padme and Anakin keeping a tense look-out for any danger. As they trudged on at a mercilessly slow pace, Obi-Wan made no sound, though the corners of his mouth grew caked with dried blood from where he had bitten his lip. Each time they clambered over mounds of broken rock or slogged through a puddle of dank sludge, Bail heard Obi-Wan's low groans. His muscles protested at having to carry Obi-Wan a second day, and Bail had no idea how he could keep this up for as long as it would take them to finally get out of the underworld's morass. He knew the Gungan was exhausted as well, although Jar Jar never complained. Bail had seen the raw skin on Jar Jar's shoulders and arms.
Both the constant grime and heat, as well as Obi-Wan's weight, were ravaging the Gungan's amphibious skin.
Bail stumbled, his foot twisting on a loose rock, and Obi-Wan bit back a cry as he fell sharply against Bail's side. His eyes were screwed shut, and sweat flowed down his face and dripped off his chin, soaking his stained tunic. They were all covered with filth, and Bail worried about the fact that they could not keep Obi-Wan's wound clean.
He regained his footing, but when he put his weight on his ankle it twinged in protest. Wearily, he called out to Padme and Anakin, "Stop. We can't go on any more."
Padme turned back, glancing at her chronometer. "It's only mid-day. We haven't gone very far."
"I know," Bail gasped for breath, "but I'm exhausted, and Obi-Wan is in too much pain." He and Jar Jar lowered themselves to their knees, easing Obi-Wan to the ground, as Anakin stood over them, deep lines of worry etched into his face. Carefully Bail began to change Obi-Wan's makeshift bandage. Anakin gave his master some water, tenderly cradling his head as he held the bottle to his lips. When Obi-Wan finished, Anakin handed the water to Jar Jar, who needed it more than the rest of them. Padme drank only after everyone else had their turn, eagerly swallowing the half cup that remained.
She glanced at the weary threesome gathered around Obi-Wan, wincing when she saw the blood oozing from Jar Jar's flayed skin. She hated forcing him to such an arduous task, but she had no choice. None of them did. "How long do you need to rest?"
Bail didn't answer, merely kneaded his aching shoulder while staring at Obi-Wan. Padme sighed in resignation. They were never going to make it out of there at this pace. "All right. We'll camp here. Let's scout out, same detail as before. Bail and me on water, Anakin and Jar Jar hunting for our dinner."
As tired as Jar Jar and Bail were, they were grateful for the opportunity to get up and move around without having to carry Obi-Wan. They dispersed along with Anakin. Padme found that she didn't have to go far for water. There was a leaking pipe nearby with relatively clean water, and she even found another salvageable bottle. She returned before the others did and approached Obi-Wan for the sterilization tablets in his belt pouch. She thought he was sleeping, but when she unsnapped the pouch, his eyes opened. The look in them troubled her. She knew he only revealed a fraction of the pain he must actually be feeling.
He watched her as she dropped the tablets into the bottles. "Padme," he said, his voice almost a whisper.
"The water will be ready in a couple of minutes," she told him. "Are you hungry?"
He shook his head slightly. "Listen. You're going to have to leave me behind."
Padme suppressed a shudder. She had just been thinking the same thing, but it sounded even worse coming from him than from her own mind.
"I can't possibly keep up," Obi-Wan continued. "And Bail and Jar Jar can't keep carrying me."
"If we build a litter --"
"No. It will still slow you down. Anyway, the move is killing me."
The resignation in his voice chilled her. She didn't want to believe he could die, but she had not wanted to believe it of Qui-Gon, either, and this was no time for wishful thinking. She searched his face in silence, then asked, "Tell me truthfully. How bad are your injuries?"
"Not so bad. If I can get to medical care, I'll be fine. I might last as long as a week before that, but...." He trailed off, not certain how bad the internal bleeding was. Obi-Wan had never been a good healer. He couldn't put himself into a healing trance, and Anakin wasn't skilled enough to do it for him. A week was probably stretching it.
Padme's mind worked furiously, playing out various scenarios. "We can leave someone with you," she suggested, but who?
"No, there's no need."
"But if the bounty hunters are tracing us through the Force...." Or was he intending to sacrifice himself as a decoy so they could get away?
"I can keep the Force drawn close around me. They won't find me."
Padme hated to leave him alone, but the only one who would be much of a defense would be Anakin, and they needed him in order to get out. At last she nodded her head in concession.
When he saw that she wasn't going to argue with him, Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly in relief. She was a true leader, capable of making difficult decisions and moving on. He knew she could get the others out of the underworld. Reassured, he opened his eyes again. "It will be hard for Bail and Anakin, but they'll follow you. They both respect your judgment. I know you'll get them out of here, and you'll make it back to me."
Padme wished she shared his confidence. Had the Force given him a vision, or was he merely expressing his hopes? "We'll leave you with plenty of food and water so you'll be fine until we get back." An image rushed upon her of Obi-Wan, alone and slowly bleeding to death. She hadn't realized how much she had warmed up to him, but now, faced with the prospect of losing him forever, Padme realized how much she had come to rely on his quiet strength, his unwavering loyalty to duty. She couldn't bear the thought that they might not make it back to him in time. What would happen to Anakin then? A wave of tender worry overcame her, and she relieved it by tending to Obi-Wan now, gently washing the blood off his lips and wiping his brow with the cuff of her sleeve.
Obi-Wan suppressed a smile as she ministered to him. Even Padme was fussing over him now! He watched her as she did what she could to make him more comfortable. At last he said, "I have a confession to make." Padme stopped in surprise, not sure she wanted to be his confessor. Obi-Wan smiled. "I woefully underestimated you when we first met. I thought you were young and naive."
Padme's mouth twisted into an ironic grin at this unwitting confirmation of what she had once thought of him. "Well, I *was* young and naive."
"Maybe. But you were also wise. You have a clarity of vision, a purity of heart that some of us who tend to be more prejudiced could learn from. It's good that Anakin admires you so. He could learn lessons from you that I can never teach him."
Now that she actually had his praise, she grew embarrassed by her criticism of him. "You're a good teacher," she assured him.
"In some things." His brow furrowed as he looked away from her, and Padme realized his confidence was not as overweening as she had thought. He looked back to her. "I hope you will always be a friend to Anakin. He needs friends."
Padme hesitated. "You sound like you're bequeathing him to me."
Obi-Wan grinned broadly at that. "Don't worry," he assured her. "This is no dying request. I fully intend to go on being his master and to teach him all I can. I only meant...." He hesitated awkwardly. "Well, I know he's not your responsibility."
"Of course he's my responsibility," she protested, "as are you. Anakin has a special place in my heart. He is a special boy."
"He is." Again, that dark look of doubt shadowed his features. Then he smiled again and the darkness passed.
*****
The others eventually returned, but Padme said nothing about their decision. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and rested while Anakin cooked their food. After they'd eaten, Padme encouraged the others to rest as well, while she excused herself to look for a suit-able hiding place for Obi-Wan. Not too far away she found a small room with only one narrow entrance. The room contained an old counter which Obi-Wan could lie behind and still be able to see the doorway. Anyone who might try to enter the room would have to come in single file, making it easier for Obi-Wan to pick them off with a blaster.
Satisfied, she rejoined the others. Jar Jar lay on the floor dozing. Anakin was inspecting one of the rifles, not for any purpose, but just to have something to do. Bail lay stretched out next to Obi-Wan, quietly telling him a story about some Senate intrigue. Every time they stopped, Obi-Wan would ask Bail to talk to him. It didn't matter what the Prince said. Obi-Wan seemed to draw comfort from the sound of his voice, and Padme had found herself growing used to it as well.
Reluctantly, she interrupted Bail. "I found a good hiding place," she announced, looking at Obi-Wan.
"Hiding place?" Bail echoed, as Jar Jar roused himself from sleep.
Clearing her throat, Padme unconsciously assumed her royal voice. "Obi-Wan can't travel any more. He's going to stay here."
"What?" Anakin sat up, stricken.
Padme kept her gaze on Bail, seeking to convince him first. "He'll die if we keep moving him." She could see the struggle in the Prince's heart. He wanted to protest, but he also knew how bad Obi-Wan's injuries were.
But Anakin would be another matter. He got to his feet and towered over her, trembling with barely contained fury. "I will not abandon him!" he whispered.
Padme did not flinch or look away. Her voice steady, she said, "We're not abandoning him. He'll be able to conserve his strength, and we will travel that much faster, which means we can get back sooner with help."
"Then I'm staying with him."
Padme shook her head. "We need you to guide us out of here. He needs it."
"I can stay," Bail offered, and Anakin flushed in anger to hear the Prince take on a role he considered his by right. Bail continued, "I'm hardly an asset on this journey, anyway."
"No," Padme stated firmly. "He will be able to conceal himself better if he is alone. He and I have already discussed this and it's been decided. We'll leave him with the ration supplies, all our water, and a blaster. That's all he'll need until we get back." She didn't want to talk about it any more or prolong the farewell. They needed to get underway. She needed it, needed action to stave off her mounting despair. "Come on, let's move him into the room."
The others responded automatically to her command, although Anakin dragged his feet, a scowl on his face. They gathered around Obi-Wan, two on each side of him, wedging their hands beneath him and hoisting him up as gently as they could. Padme guided them into the appointed room where they settled him behind the counter. Bail folded up the remains of Obi-Wan's robe and placed it under his head, then without looking up, asked, "Anakin, would you fetch the supplies and bring them in here, please?"
Anakin stiffened, and Padme put a comforting hand on his shoulder to draw him away, Jar Jar looking on in sympathy. The three of them left the room. Anakin fumed, "Who does he think he is, bossing me around?"
"Give him a chance to say good-bye," Padme counseled gently.
/And what about me?/ Anakin silently cried. He was just the padawan. He was sent to fetch things, to take care of the others before his own master, to follow orders, never to follow his own heart. Sullen, he gathered together the supplies, a glorified errand boy. He nursed his resentment. It was easier to deal with than grief.
Bail reappeared almost immediately and nodded to Anakin. The boy got to his feet and passed down the long hall to Obi-Wan's room. He knelt by his master's side and arranged the food and water within Obi-Wan's easy grasp. He just had to stay with Obi-wan. He couldn't leave him. He had turned his back on his mother, and she had vanished from his life. He had remained behind when Qui-Gon told him to, and Qui-Gon had been killed. If he could just stay within sight of Obi-Wan, nothing could happen to his master, could it?
Obi-Wan watched his padawan, his heart aching for the boy. "I know you want to stay with me, but they are relying on you to get them safely out of here."
/But I need you,/ Anakin despaired. Why didn't his master understand? Anakin was lost without Obi-Wan to guide him, to keep him on track. Alone, how could he keep that dark beast inside him secure? Anakin feared what would be unleashed in him without his master's calming presence. Obi-Wan was the last thing he had left to lose.
Obi-Wan opened a pouch on his belt and removed a small knife which he used to cut off a long lock of his hair. Wordlessly, he reached up to Anakin and began to undo the boy's padawan braid. He wove his own hair in, then refastened the braid and lay back, wearied by the physical effort. "We are bound together, Anakin. I am never apart from you. You can and will lead the others to safety and come back to me. I do not doubt you, any more than I doubt myself."
Anakin ran the braid through his fingers. Even in the near total darkness of the room he could see Obi-Wan's hair entwined with his. Obi-Wan would be this close to him. Maybe he could make it. "I will come back for you." The words echoed in his heart. He had made the same promise to his mother, and he had yet to fulfill it. But he would someday, and he would not fail Obi-Wan, either. On impulse, he leaned down and kissed Obi-Wan on the forehead, then got to his feet and left the room before his courage could fail him.
Obi-Wan lay in the darkness, listening to the sound of Anakin's footsteps fade down the hall. When he could no longer hear him, he raised his hand to his forehead where Anakin had kissed him. The boy could be such a trial sometimes. Correction: most of the time. And then on rare occasions he would open his heart to Obi-Wan, engulfing his master with a love almost violent in its intensity. It awed Obi-Wan to know he inspired such devotion in Anakin, but at the same time it frightened him. Somehow this wasn't the quite the way a master-padawan relationship should be. The basis of the relationship should be mutual respect, cooperation, and a desire to learn. Not love, and certainly not the need that underlay so much of Obi-Wan's relationship with Anakin. Of course love inevitably grew between master and apprentice, but it usually took time. It had been years before Obi-Wan had finally felt he had earned his own master's love. Maybe that was why he had resented Anakin so much
when they'd first met. It had wounded him to see how quickly Qui-Gon was willing to take the boy on as his Padawan, whereas he had had to work so hard for Qui-Gon's approval. Obi-Wan had assumed responsibility for Anakin not because it was his own wish, but because his beloved master had requested it of him, and his loyalty to Qui-Gon was so deep that he could not refuse.
Obi-Wan had inherited a very wounded, deeply grieving boy, and he quickly learned that if he was ever going to teach Anakin anything, he would have to love him first. Surprisingly, this had not proven to be difficult. In the wake of Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan himself had been completely bereft. He had needed comfort in his loss as much as Anakin did. It had been easy to channel his love and devotion for Qui-Gon to Anakin instead, and he in turn had become a substitute for the mother Anakin had left behind. So the normal course of the master-padawan relationship had been reversed. It was not the boy's fault. The error was entirely Obi-Wan's.
But they did not exist in a vacuum. From the beginning, the Jedi Council closely monitored Obi-Wan's progress with his remarkable pupil, and they sensed that Obi-Wan's style was unconventional. Of course the situation had started out unusually when they even agreed to let Anakin be trained at all. Obi-Wan had rapidly become as convinced as Qui-Gon that Anakin needed training, if only because his power was so great. The depths of Anakin's ability in the Force amazed and even frightened Obi-Wan. Without training, Anakin in time would have discovered how to use the Force on his own, a course that would have led inevitably to disaster. Anakin needed training, but Obi-Wan secretly wondered if he would ever become a Jedi. He lacked the discipline and grounding that were instilled in students from infancy. Obi-Wan always had to improvise with Anakin, who took nothing in the Temple for granted and constantly challenged why the Jedi did things the way they did. Jedi Masters far wiser
than Obi-Wan often found themselves unable to answer Anakin's questions. How, then, was Obi-Wan supposed to teach him? More often than not he was left with having to trust his instincts, to compromise on rules, the way he looked the other way when Anakin ventured on his own from the Temple. The irony was that Obi-Wan, who had always been so orthodox, so troubled when Qui-Gon disagreed with the Council and bent the rules, found himself even farther from Jedi tradition than Qui-Gon had ever ventured. He now consulted with the Council as seldom as possible because he feared that if they knew how much he had compromised, they would expel Anakin from the Order. And as he and his padawan grew more isolated from the rest of the Jedi, their need for each other increased. Obi-Wan could not bear the thought of losing Anakin, but he feared that his attachment to the boy would ultimately do him more harm than good. And if he were to die, he didn't even want to think about what would
happen to his remarkable but troubled young padawan.
Author: Jedi Rita
Rated: PG-13
Chapter Nine
Mace Windu deactivated the holovid and turned his dark eyes on Adi Gallia. "So what do you think?" he queried, his tone even and neutral.
He sat in a conference room with Master Adi and her padawan. Adi did not answer at once, reviewing the holovid in her mind. The Twi'lek, identifying herself as the Hammer's leader, had made the demands herself. There was no sign of the captives, and her threats had changed. None of the body parts promised in the first holovid had been sent, and now the threat was dropped altogether. The conclusion, therefore, was obvious. "She's bluffing. They don't have them any more."
Mace nodded slowly. "So Obi-Wan and Anakin were successful."
But that conclusion was not so obvious. "I don't think so," Adi said. "If they had been, why would the Hammer pretend like they still had them? And why wouldn't we have heard from Obi-Wan by now? No, I don't think they ever succeeded in locating the terrorists."
Mace considered her words carefully. "Which leads us back to the question of what happened to Senator Organa and the others." He leaned back in his chair and ticked the options off on his long fingers. "They may have died in custody, whether accidentally or on purpose. They may have been rescued by someone other than Obi-Wan and Anakin. Or they may have escaped."
Bo-Neda, Adi Gallia's 16-year-old padawan cleared her throat self-consciously. "Or someone else may have abducted them from the Hammer."
Mace raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Adi silenced any objection he might have raised. Adi's perceptiveness was legendary, and her padawan shared this trait. "It is definitely a possibility. We have certainly learned that there are a number of powerful, secret interests at work here. It was one thing when clones could only be developed at a normal rate of growth, but now that the Gungan technology makes it possible to grow human clones in less than five years, it changes everything. The technology will prove far too profitable for anyone who wants to grow their own laborers or soldiers, and they will not want their access to it to be limited by any laws proposed by the conference. The Hammer is probably just a front, a distraction to divert our attention from the real plot to subvert the conference."
Mace considered what she had said. The past few years had seen an alarming rise in criminal and other extra-governmental organizations, both in numbers and in power. Every month more and more Jedi were dispersed on missions to deal with the increased activity, and they returned with disturbing reports: of governments held hostage by crimelords, of trade lanes terrorized by pirates, of distrust in the forces of law and order who seemed increasingly unable to curtail the power of brigands and rogue autocrats. Sometimes isolated incidents proved on closer examination to be connected, while other seemingly related events proved to have no traceable link. The galaxy seemed to be enmeshed in plots, but was there only one force behind it all or a coalition of forces? Nothing could be taken for granted any more, but neither could the Jedi discern any pattern to explain the chaos.
Mace sighed in frustration. "It is hard to know what to do when we don't know what we're up against. If they escaped, has Obi-Wan found them yet? If they were abducted, who took them and why? And what happened to Obi-Wan and Anakin that they have not contacted us?"
"Well, we know that it is next to impossible to send communications transmissions from the lower levels. If they were all right and their speeder were functional, they would have come up and contacted us. We must conclude at the very least that they have
no means of transportation." Adi Gallia set her jaw, and Mace recognized it meant she had made a decision. He also knew that once she had made up her mind, no one could ever dissuade her. "Bo-Neda and I will go looking for them," she announced.
Mace had to at least try. "I don't like to send anyone into a situation we know so little about."
"But the alternative is to do nothing, and that is completely unacceptable. At the very least we need to find out what happened to Obi-Wan and Anakin."
Mace acquiesced. "Very well. But the two of you shouldn't go alone."
Adi smiled. She knew Mace wanted to go himself. With all the unrest in the galaxy, he had increasingly taken on an administrative role with the Council, coordinating the numerous missions that everyone else was sent on. He hadn't been in the field in years, and she knew he longed for action. But this mission was not worth sending two members of the Council on. "I agree. That's why I'm planning on asking Bant to accompany us."
"Bant?" Mace echoed in surprise. "But her skills are in negotiation. I doubt that particular talent will be needed here."
"Yes, but she is also a discerning investigator, and she is good friends with Obi-Wan. Her connection to him may help us track him down." She could tell he was disappointed but he put it aside. She continued, "We will contact the Temple every hour, so you will know if something happens to us."
"And one other thing," Mace requested, his eyes betraying his concern. "Wear locators. If you vanish, too, I want us to have at least a chance of tracking you down." It was his way of saying, Be careful.
Adi nodded grimly. "We will take no foolish chances." She looked at her Padawan. "Come, Bo-neda. Let's get ready."
*****
At first Obi-Wan had tried to walk on his own, leaning on Bail's arm for support, but it soon became apparent that his injuries were too severe. Before long both Bail and Jar Jar had to support him, their arms hooked under his, and they had to carry more and more of his weight. They rested frequently, and while the rests helped Obi-Wan, he also began to tire more quickly. Anakin wanted to help Obi-Wan himself, but the others argued that he needed to keep his hands free in case they encountered any danger. Padme occasionally took the place of Bail or Jar Jar in order to give them a break, but she was not strong enough to carry Obi-Wan for long. They did not make much progress during the rest of the day. They made camp early, falling asleep as soon as they had finished eating.
The next morning found Obi-Wan greatly weakened. His bandage was soaked through with blood, and he burned with fever, indicating that infection had set in. He could no longer walk on his own. No one wanted to give voice to their fears, so they set off in silence, Bail and Jar Jar again supporting Obi-Wan, and Padme and Anakin keeping a tense look-out for any danger. As they trudged on at a mercilessly slow pace, Obi-Wan made no sound, though the corners of his mouth grew caked with dried blood from where he had bitten his lip. Each time they clambered over mounds of broken rock or slogged through a puddle of dank sludge, Bail heard Obi-Wan's low groans. His muscles protested at having to carry Obi-Wan a second day, and Bail had no idea how he could keep this up for as long as it would take them to finally get out of the underworld's morass. He knew the Gungan was exhausted as well, although Jar Jar never complained. Bail had seen the raw skin on Jar Jar's shoulders and arms.
Both the constant grime and heat, as well as Obi-Wan's weight, were ravaging the Gungan's amphibious skin.
Bail stumbled, his foot twisting on a loose rock, and Obi-Wan bit back a cry as he fell sharply against Bail's side. His eyes were screwed shut, and sweat flowed down his face and dripped off his chin, soaking his stained tunic. They were all covered with filth, and Bail worried about the fact that they could not keep Obi-Wan's wound clean.
He regained his footing, but when he put his weight on his ankle it twinged in protest. Wearily, he called out to Padme and Anakin, "Stop. We can't go on any more."
Padme turned back, glancing at her chronometer. "It's only mid-day. We haven't gone very far."
"I know," Bail gasped for breath, "but I'm exhausted, and Obi-Wan is in too much pain." He and Jar Jar lowered themselves to their knees, easing Obi-Wan to the ground, as Anakin stood over them, deep lines of worry etched into his face. Carefully Bail began to change Obi-Wan's makeshift bandage. Anakin gave his master some water, tenderly cradling his head as he held the bottle to his lips. When Obi-Wan finished, Anakin handed the water to Jar Jar, who needed it more than the rest of them. Padme drank only after everyone else had their turn, eagerly swallowing the half cup that remained.
She glanced at the weary threesome gathered around Obi-Wan, wincing when she saw the blood oozing from Jar Jar's flayed skin. She hated forcing him to such an arduous task, but she had no choice. None of them did. "How long do you need to rest?"
Bail didn't answer, merely kneaded his aching shoulder while staring at Obi-Wan. Padme sighed in resignation. They were never going to make it out of there at this pace. "All right. We'll camp here. Let's scout out, same detail as before. Bail and me on water, Anakin and Jar Jar hunting for our dinner."
As tired as Jar Jar and Bail were, they were grateful for the opportunity to get up and move around without having to carry Obi-Wan. They dispersed along with Anakin. Padme found that she didn't have to go far for water. There was a leaking pipe nearby with relatively clean water, and she even found another salvageable bottle. She returned before the others did and approached Obi-Wan for the sterilization tablets in his belt pouch. She thought he was sleeping, but when she unsnapped the pouch, his eyes opened. The look in them troubled her. She knew he only revealed a fraction of the pain he must actually be feeling.
He watched her as she dropped the tablets into the bottles. "Padme," he said, his voice almost a whisper.
"The water will be ready in a couple of minutes," she told him. "Are you hungry?"
He shook his head slightly. "Listen. You're going to have to leave me behind."
Padme suppressed a shudder. She had just been thinking the same thing, but it sounded even worse coming from him than from her own mind.
"I can't possibly keep up," Obi-Wan continued. "And Bail and Jar Jar can't keep carrying me."
"If we build a litter --"
"No. It will still slow you down. Anyway, the move is killing me."
The resignation in his voice chilled her. She didn't want to believe he could die, but she had not wanted to believe it of Qui-Gon, either, and this was no time for wishful thinking. She searched his face in silence, then asked, "Tell me truthfully. How bad are your injuries?"
"Not so bad. If I can get to medical care, I'll be fine. I might last as long as a week before that, but...." He trailed off, not certain how bad the internal bleeding was. Obi-Wan had never been a good healer. He couldn't put himself into a healing trance, and Anakin wasn't skilled enough to do it for him. A week was probably stretching it.
Padme's mind worked furiously, playing out various scenarios. "We can leave someone with you," she suggested, but who?
"No, there's no need."
"But if the bounty hunters are tracing us through the Force...." Or was he intending to sacrifice himself as a decoy so they could get away?
"I can keep the Force drawn close around me. They won't find me."
Padme hated to leave him alone, but the only one who would be much of a defense would be Anakin, and they needed him in order to get out. At last she nodded her head in concession.
When he saw that she wasn't going to argue with him, Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly in relief. She was a true leader, capable of making difficult decisions and moving on. He knew she could get the others out of the underworld. Reassured, he opened his eyes again. "It will be hard for Bail and Anakin, but they'll follow you. They both respect your judgment. I know you'll get them out of here, and you'll make it back to me."
Padme wished she shared his confidence. Had the Force given him a vision, or was he merely expressing his hopes? "We'll leave you with plenty of food and water so you'll be fine until we get back." An image rushed upon her of Obi-Wan, alone and slowly bleeding to death. She hadn't realized how much she had warmed up to him, but now, faced with the prospect of losing him forever, Padme realized how much she had come to rely on his quiet strength, his unwavering loyalty to duty. She couldn't bear the thought that they might not make it back to him in time. What would happen to Anakin then? A wave of tender worry overcame her, and she relieved it by tending to Obi-Wan now, gently washing the blood off his lips and wiping his brow with the cuff of her sleeve.
Obi-Wan suppressed a smile as she ministered to him. Even Padme was fussing over him now! He watched her as she did what she could to make him more comfortable. At last he said, "I have a confession to make." Padme stopped in surprise, not sure she wanted to be his confessor. Obi-Wan smiled. "I woefully underestimated you when we first met. I thought you were young and naive."
Padme's mouth twisted into an ironic grin at this unwitting confirmation of what she had once thought of him. "Well, I *was* young and naive."
"Maybe. But you were also wise. You have a clarity of vision, a purity of heart that some of us who tend to be more prejudiced could learn from. It's good that Anakin admires you so. He could learn lessons from you that I can never teach him."
Now that she actually had his praise, she grew embarrassed by her criticism of him. "You're a good teacher," she assured him.
"In some things." His brow furrowed as he looked away from her, and Padme realized his confidence was not as overweening as she had thought. He looked back to her. "I hope you will always be a friend to Anakin. He needs friends."
Padme hesitated. "You sound like you're bequeathing him to me."
Obi-Wan grinned broadly at that. "Don't worry," he assured her. "This is no dying request. I fully intend to go on being his master and to teach him all I can. I only meant...." He hesitated awkwardly. "Well, I know he's not your responsibility."
"Of course he's my responsibility," she protested, "as are you. Anakin has a special place in my heart. He is a special boy."
"He is." Again, that dark look of doubt shadowed his features. Then he smiled again and the darkness passed.
*****
The others eventually returned, but Padme said nothing about their decision. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and rested while Anakin cooked their food. After they'd eaten, Padme encouraged the others to rest as well, while she excused herself to look for a suit-able hiding place for Obi-Wan. Not too far away she found a small room with only one narrow entrance. The room contained an old counter which Obi-Wan could lie behind and still be able to see the doorway. Anyone who might try to enter the room would have to come in single file, making it easier for Obi-Wan to pick them off with a blaster.
Satisfied, she rejoined the others. Jar Jar lay on the floor dozing. Anakin was inspecting one of the rifles, not for any purpose, but just to have something to do. Bail lay stretched out next to Obi-Wan, quietly telling him a story about some Senate intrigue. Every time they stopped, Obi-Wan would ask Bail to talk to him. It didn't matter what the Prince said. Obi-Wan seemed to draw comfort from the sound of his voice, and Padme had found herself growing used to it as well.
Reluctantly, she interrupted Bail. "I found a good hiding place," she announced, looking at Obi-Wan.
"Hiding place?" Bail echoed, as Jar Jar roused himself from sleep.
Clearing her throat, Padme unconsciously assumed her royal voice. "Obi-Wan can't travel any more. He's going to stay here."
"What?" Anakin sat up, stricken.
Padme kept her gaze on Bail, seeking to convince him first. "He'll die if we keep moving him." She could see the struggle in the Prince's heart. He wanted to protest, but he also knew how bad Obi-Wan's injuries were.
But Anakin would be another matter. He got to his feet and towered over her, trembling with barely contained fury. "I will not abandon him!" he whispered.
Padme did not flinch or look away. Her voice steady, she said, "We're not abandoning him. He'll be able to conserve his strength, and we will travel that much faster, which means we can get back sooner with help."
"Then I'm staying with him."
Padme shook her head. "We need you to guide us out of here. He needs it."
"I can stay," Bail offered, and Anakin flushed in anger to hear the Prince take on a role he considered his by right. Bail continued, "I'm hardly an asset on this journey, anyway."
"No," Padme stated firmly. "He will be able to conceal himself better if he is alone. He and I have already discussed this and it's been decided. We'll leave him with the ration supplies, all our water, and a blaster. That's all he'll need until we get back." She didn't want to talk about it any more or prolong the farewell. They needed to get underway. She needed it, needed action to stave off her mounting despair. "Come on, let's move him into the room."
The others responded automatically to her command, although Anakin dragged his feet, a scowl on his face. They gathered around Obi-Wan, two on each side of him, wedging their hands beneath him and hoisting him up as gently as they could. Padme guided them into the appointed room where they settled him behind the counter. Bail folded up the remains of Obi-Wan's robe and placed it under his head, then without looking up, asked, "Anakin, would you fetch the supplies and bring them in here, please?"
Anakin stiffened, and Padme put a comforting hand on his shoulder to draw him away, Jar Jar looking on in sympathy. The three of them left the room. Anakin fumed, "Who does he think he is, bossing me around?"
"Give him a chance to say good-bye," Padme counseled gently.
/And what about me?/ Anakin silently cried. He was just the padawan. He was sent to fetch things, to take care of the others before his own master, to follow orders, never to follow his own heart. Sullen, he gathered together the supplies, a glorified errand boy. He nursed his resentment. It was easier to deal with than grief.
Bail reappeared almost immediately and nodded to Anakin. The boy got to his feet and passed down the long hall to Obi-Wan's room. He knelt by his master's side and arranged the food and water within Obi-Wan's easy grasp. He just had to stay with Obi-wan. He couldn't leave him. He had turned his back on his mother, and she had vanished from his life. He had remained behind when Qui-Gon told him to, and Qui-Gon had been killed. If he could just stay within sight of Obi-Wan, nothing could happen to his master, could it?
Obi-Wan watched his padawan, his heart aching for the boy. "I know you want to stay with me, but they are relying on you to get them safely out of here."
/But I need you,/ Anakin despaired. Why didn't his master understand? Anakin was lost without Obi-Wan to guide him, to keep him on track. Alone, how could he keep that dark beast inside him secure? Anakin feared what would be unleashed in him without his master's calming presence. Obi-Wan was the last thing he had left to lose.
Obi-Wan opened a pouch on his belt and removed a small knife which he used to cut off a long lock of his hair. Wordlessly, he reached up to Anakin and began to undo the boy's padawan braid. He wove his own hair in, then refastened the braid and lay back, wearied by the physical effort. "We are bound together, Anakin. I am never apart from you. You can and will lead the others to safety and come back to me. I do not doubt you, any more than I doubt myself."
Anakin ran the braid through his fingers. Even in the near total darkness of the room he could see Obi-Wan's hair entwined with his. Obi-Wan would be this close to him. Maybe he could make it. "I will come back for you." The words echoed in his heart. He had made the same promise to his mother, and he had yet to fulfill it. But he would someday, and he would not fail Obi-Wan, either. On impulse, he leaned down and kissed Obi-Wan on the forehead, then got to his feet and left the room before his courage could fail him.
Obi-Wan lay in the darkness, listening to the sound of Anakin's footsteps fade down the hall. When he could no longer hear him, he raised his hand to his forehead where Anakin had kissed him. The boy could be such a trial sometimes. Correction: most of the time. And then on rare occasions he would open his heart to Obi-Wan, engulfing his master with a love almost violent in its intensity. It awed Obi-Wan to know he inspired such devotion in Anakin, but at the same time it frightened him. Somehow this wasn't the quite the way a master-padawan relationship should be. The basis of the relationship should be mutual respect, cooperation, and a desire to learn. Not love, and certainly not the need that underlay so much of Obi-Wan's relationship with Anakin. Of course love inevitably grew between master and apprentice, but it usually took time. It had been years before Obi-Wan had finally felt he had earned his own master's love. Maybe that was why he had resented Anakin so much
when they'd first met. It had wounded him to see how quickly Qui-Gon was willing to take the boy on as his Padawan, whereas he had had to work so hard for Qui-Gon's approval. Obi-Wan had assumed responsibility for Anakin not because it was his own wish, but because his beloved master had requested it of him, and his loyalty to Qui-Gon was so deep that he could not refuse.
Obi-Wan had inherited a very wounded, deeply grieving boy, and he quickly learned that if he was ever going to teach Anakin anything, he would have to love him first. Surprisingly, this had not proven to be difficult. In the wake of Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan himself had been completely bereft. He had needed comfort in his loss as much as Anakin did. It had been easy to channel his love and devotion for Qui-Gon to Anakin instead, and he in turn had become a substitute for the mother Anakin had left behind. So the normal course of the master-padawan relationship had been reversed. It was not the boy's fault. The error was entirely Obi-Wan's.
But they did not exist in a vacuum. From the beginning, the Jedi Council closely monitored Obi-Wan's progress with his remarkable pupil, and they sensed that Obi-Wan's style was unconventional. Of course the situation had started out unusually when they even agreed to let Anakin be trained at all. Obi-Wan had rapidly become as convinced as Qui-Gon that Anakin needed training, if only because his power was so great. The depths of Anakin's ability in the Force amazed and even frightened Obi-Wan. Without training, Anakin in time would have discovered how to use the Force on his own, a course that would have led inevitably to disaster. Anakin needed training, but Obi-Wan secretly wondered if he would ever become a Jedi. He lacked the discipline and grounding that were instilled in students from infancy. Obi-Wan always had to improvise with Anakin, who took nothing in the Temple for granted and constantly challenged why the Jedi did things the way they did. Jedi Masters far wiser
than Obi-Wan often found themselves unable to answer Anakin's questions. How, then, was Obi-Wan supposed to teach him? More often than not he was left with having to trust his instincts, to compromise on rules, the way he looked the other way when Anakin ventured on his own from the Temple. The irony was that Obi-Wan, who had always been so orthodox, so troubled when Qui-Gon disagreed with the Council and bent the rules, found himself even farther from Jedi tradition than Qui-Gon had ever ventured. He now consulted with the Council as seldom as possible because he feared that if they knew how much he had compromised, they would expel Anakin from the Order. And as he and his padawan grew more isolated from the rest of the Jedi, their need for each other increased. Obi-Wan could not bear the thought of losing Anakin, but he feared that his attachment to the boy would ultimately do him more harm than good. And if he were to die, he didn't even want to think about what would
happen to his remarkable but troubled young padawan.