Chapter Seventeen: Conversion and Dispersion
Obi-Wan didn't want to move. His mind was reeling. The past few days had been too much. Palpatine, the Jedi review, now Anakin. Had that really been his apprentice? That angry man that had just attacked and threatened him?
Padme was at his side, cautiously trying to help him up. He looked up at her with confused eyes. "You're married?"
Her eyes fell. "Yes."
"How long?"
"Four years."
He pulled himself to his feet. "How did you keep it a secret all this time?"
"We snuck around. We never showed affection in public, spoke to each other only in official capacity. Unless we were here." She looked around the apartment.
He saw it now, what it had been used for. It was a young couple's home. There was two of almost everything. There was a masculinity to the apartment as well that was unsuited to a young woman like Padme. "How long has he been acting like this?"
"He's been erratic for days… since his Trials."
"His Trials?" Obi-Wan asked. "What happened?"
"No one told you?" Padme asked, shocked.
Obi-Wan allowed himself a wry smile. "I've been busy."
"He failed, Obi-Wan. Ever since… He went to the Chancellor earlier… if what you've told me is true, I am so afraid that Palpatine has somehow… converted him to his cause, his darkness."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not Anakin. No."
"I hope you're right," she whispered. "I hope you're right."
*
"You were right. He betrayed me- with my own wife. The Jedi are nothing!" Anakin poured out his frustration into his speech to Palpatine.
"The Jedi fools will be destroyed, Anakin. Their fire, already dim, will go out of the universe. Take your revenge on Obi-Wan! Make him pay for his crimes!"
Anakin nodded. "Yes, Master." The words came out naturally and Anakin froze. It was his typical response to a command, but it felt so right when he addressed Palpatine as "master".
Palpatine smiled. "Go now, my young apprentice. Take your revenge and your journey to the Dark Side will be complete."
The words frightened and exhilarated him. Palpatine held power that Anakin had only dreamed of. Tapping into the Dark Side could give him that power. And with it, Anakin could destroy Obi-Wan and take Padme back. She would be his- and so would the galaxy.
*
"Why was I not contacted with this?"
Mace Windu's stare did not falter. "Your mission on Dantooine was our concern. There was time enough in the future to tell you of your apprentice's failure."
"Anakin is my Padawan, my priority! He needed me, and I knew nothing!" Obi-Wan knew he was bordering on insolence, but he wasn't thinking about that. He thought only of Anakin's eyes as he screamed his threats, the hate on his side of their ever weakening bond.
Yoda shook his head sadly. "Anakin's turning we did not foresee."
"Anakin would not turn!" Obi-Wan declared, his voice not altogether stable.
The Jedi Masters before him were not convinced. "Sense darkness in him I do," Yoda said. "Broken the Code he has."
Obi-Wan wasn't ready to give up just yet. "He loves her, Masters. Surely that cannot be wrong!"
"Wrong it is not if a commitment to us he did not make. But that is not the breech of which I speak. Anger, hate- rule him now they do."
"I cannot believe it. Not Anakin."
Before Yoda or Mace Windu could speak, Kacher Jasan and Bail Organa entered, serious looks on their faces. "Palpatine has struck."
The other four in the room fell silent as Kacher quietly explained. "There was a revolt against the Republic on Golrath. Hundreds were killed in less than an hour. It has to be Palpatine's agents, but people are blaming Dooku. An emergency session of the Senate was called. It was voted on…" Kacher could not continue. She looked away, her petite stature seeming even smaller than usual.
Organa finished for her. "The Senate declared Palpatine emperor."
Obi-Wan blinked. It was like a nightmare. Emperor… The Republic was a democracy! There was no supreme ruler. It wasn't possible…
Organa continued. "Palpatine stood with Anakin Skywalker, one of your own, at his side and was declared emperor."
Obi-Wan felt every ounce of color drain out of his face. Anakin… "No," he murmured. Beside him he heard Padme, sitting quietly until then, cry out, then felt a steadying hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Mace Windu, his eyes sympathetic.
They all ignored him. "The Jedi order has been disbanded for misconduct and incompetence," Kacher said, giving a compassionate blue-green glance to the three Jedi in the room before going on. "Its not official but I don't think they're going to let you live very long."
"How is it possible? Anakin wouldn't do this… The world… He was supposed to keep it safe for his son…" Padme was crying, rocking gently. She didn't seem aware of anyone else in the room, just wrapped her arms around her stomach and cried.
Obi-Wan glanced at Windu and Yoda and with the permission given by their short nods, Obi-Wan turned to the defeated senator and scooped her up in his arms. She pressed her face against his chest, the tears falling silently.
He carried her out of the room and down the hall to a small lounge. He laid her down on the small couch and kneeled beside her. "Padme?" he asked gently.
She looked up at him with huge brown eyes. "Tell me this is a nightmare, Obi-Wan… Tell me it's not true."
"I wish I could." He felt tears well up in his eyes; he blinked them away. "You're pregnant."
She nodded. "Six months now. With the right gowns, it doesn't show."
"I've been so blind, Padme. So blind to so many things. I thought that if I was stern, he would learn humility. I thought if I limited him, he'd learn patience. I thought I was ready to train him. How could I have been so wrong?"
She was too weak, to dejected to argue. "How can this be happening?" she asked softly.
"It's not too late. It's not… As long as he is alive, there is hope. I won't give up on him." He smoothed her hair back gently. "Stay here, Padme. Rest."
Obi-Wan didn't want to move. His mind was reeling. The past few days had been too much. Palpatine, the Jedi review, now Anakin. Had that really been his apprentice? That angry man that had just attacked and threatened him?
Padme was at his side, cautiously trying to help him up. He looked up at her with confused eyes. "You're married?"
Her eyes fell. "Yes."
"How long?"
"Four years."
He pulled himself to his feet. "How did you keep it a secret all this time?"
"We snuck around. We never showed affection in public, spoke to each other only in official capacity. Unless we were here." She looked around the apartment.
He saw it now, what it had been used for. It was a young couple's home. There was two of almost everything. There was a masculinity to the apartment as well that was unsuited to a young woman like Padme. "How long has he been acting like this?"
"He's been erratic for days… since his Trials."
"His Trials?" Obi-Wan asked. "What happened?"
"No one told you?" Padme asked, shocked.
Obi-Wan allowed himself a wry smile. "I've been busy."
"He failed, Obi-Wan. Ever since… He went to the Chancellor earlier… if what you've told me is true, I am so afraid that Palpatine has somehow… converted him to his cause, his darkness."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not Anakin. No."
"I hope you're right," she whispered. "I hope you're right."
*
"You were right. He betrayed me- with my own wife. The Jedi are nothing!" Anakin poured out his frustration into his speech to Palpatine.
"The Jedi fools will be destroyed, Anakin. Their fire, already dim, will go out of the universe. Take your revenge on Obi-Wan! Make him pay for his crimes!"
Anakin nodded. "Yes, Master." The words came out naturally and Anakin froze. It was his typical response to a command, but it felt so right when he addressed Palpatine as "master".
Palpatine smiled. "Go now, my young apprentice. Take your revenge and your journey to the Dark Side will be complete."
The words frightened and exhilarated him. Palpatine held power that Anakin had only dreamed of. Tapping into the Dark Side could give him that power. And with it, Anakin could destroy Obi-Wan and take Padme back. She would be his- and so would the galaxy.
*
"Why was I not contacted with this?"
Mace Windu's stare did not falter. "Your mission on Dantooine was our concern. There was time enough in the future to tell you of your apprentice's failure."
"Anakin is my Padawan, my priority! He needed me, and I knew nothing!" Obi-Wan knew he was bordering on insolence, but he wasn't thinking about that. He thought only of Anakin's eyes as he screamed his threats, the hate on his side of their ever weakening bond.
Yoda shook his head sadly. "Anakin's turning we did not foresee."
"Anakin would not turn!" Obi-Wan declared, his voice not altogether stable.
The Jedi Masters before him were not convinced. "Sense darkness in him I do," Yoda said. "Broken the Code he has."
Obi-Wan wasn't ready to give up just yet. "He loves her, Masters. Surely that cannot be wrong!"
"Wrong it is not if a commitment to us he did not make. But that is not the breech of which I speak. Anger, hate- rule him now they do."
"I cannot believe it. Not Anakin."
Before Yoda or Mace Windu could speak, Kacher Jasan and Bail Organa entered, serious looks on their faces. "Palpatine has struck."
The other four in the room fell silent as Kacher quietly explained. "There was a revolt against the Republic on Golrath. Hundreds were killed in less than an hour. It has to be Palpatine's agents, but people are blaming Dooku. An emergency session of the Senate was called. It was voted on…" Kacher could not continue. She looked away, her petite stature seeming even smaller than usual.
Organa finished for her. "The Senate declared Palpatine emperor."
Obi-Wan blinked. It was like a nightmare. Emperor… The Republic was a democracy! There was no supreme ruler. It wasn't possible…
Organa continued. "Palpatine stood with Anakin Skywalker, one of your own, at his side and was declared emperor."
Obi-Wan felt every ounce of color drain out of his face. Anakin… "No," he murmured. Beside him he heard Padme, sitting quietly until then, cry out, then felt a steadying hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Mace Windu, his eyes sympathetic.
They all ignored him. "The Jedi order has been disbanded for misconduct and incompetence," Kacher said, giving a compassionate blue-green glance to the three Jedi in the room before going on. "Its not official but I don't think they're going to let you live very long."
"How is it possible? Anakin wouldn't do this… The world… He was supposed to keep it safe for his son…" Padme was crying, rocking gently. She didn't seem aware of anyone else in the room, just wrapped her arms around her stomach and cried.
Obi-Wan glanced at Windu and Yoda and with the permission given by their short nods, Obi-Wan turned to the defeated senator and scooped her up in his arms. She pressed her face against his chest, the tears falling silently.
He carried her out of the room and down the hall to a small lounge. He laid her down on the small couch and kneeled beside her. "Padme?" he asked gently.
She looked up at him with huge brown eyes. "Tell me this is a nightmare, Obi-Wan… Tell me it's not true."
"I wish I could." He felt tears well up in his eyes; he blinked them away. "You're pregnant."
She nodded. "Six months now. With the right gowns, it doesn't show."
"I've been so blind, Padme. So blind to so many things. I thought that if I was stern, he would learn humility. I thought if I limited him, he'd learn patience. I thought I was ready to train him. How could I have been so wrong?"
She was too weak, to dejected to argue. "How can this be happening?" she asked softly.
"It's not too late. It's not… As long as he is alive, there is hope. I won't give up on him." He smoothed her hair back gently. "Stay here, Padme. Rest."