Obi-Wan had long felt a broken man and believed there was little left that could further shatter him. Now, as he walked down the rows of his dead brothers and sisters encased in their yellow tombs, the man knew the depths of his pain could indeed reach deeper still.

Face after face, old and young, he knew them and his heart wept. He couldn't bring himself to look away.

At the far end, one of the cells was different. It was darkened and there was a monitor on the wall. Whoever it was, they were in some sort of stasis and they were being siphoned like a lab rat judging by the tubes coming from the cell.

Obi-Wan hesitated next to it, stepping closer. Why kill all the rest and keep this one alive?

The force tugged at him, whispering and urging with more persistence.

He brought his face closer, peering inside.

A hand slammed glass, palm out, clawing with desperation, followed by a second mechanical one that punched the glass weakly. The monitor on the wall blinked to life and an alarm started beeping. They were awake. They were aware somehow!

Instinct told Obi-Wan to silence the alarm and desperation to save at least one of his family drove him to slash the panel and force the door open.

A tall emaciated man fell half into his arms, held up by tubes and attachments. It was reminiscent of what had been described when they rescued Echo from the Separatists.

"Get these off me." The man gasped. Struggling weakly. "Before they come. Not enough time. Need to move!"

Obi-Wan's heart stopped as the face lifted to reveal the face of the jedi. His eyes were swollen shut and his skin pasty white with marks where the tubes had been sitting. While he appeared to have been kept alive, it seemed only just enough alive for the empire to get what they wanted from him.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan breathed, hardly daring to trust his own eyes, and yet, here he was. The boy he knew. His brother. Alive, if only just.

"Obi-Wan!?" The relief was palpable in Anakin's voice as he reached blindly for his master. The force sang. "I knew it! I knew you would come for me! Kept waiting…"

"Anakin how- What?"

"There's no time! Obi-Wan, the Chancellor! He did this! He's a Sith! We're all in danger-" Anakin struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on his master and cursing under his breath when his knees collapsed.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEASE!"

The blood chilling scream of a child filled the air and the force around them like a dense wave of terror.

Anakin visibling recoiled and gripped Obi-Wan's arm harder, cranning his head and trying to open his eyes without success. "What was that? Where are we!?"

Dread filled Obi Wan's heart. That was Leia. She was close and terrified.

"No time! Tala! I need a distraction, NOW!" Obi-Wan dragged Anakin to an inlet and shoved him into it. "Stay here. Stay hidden."

Anakin's face twisted with that all too painfully familiar stubborn look. "What?! No! I'm coming with you!"

"Don't argue with me! You can't even walk! I'll be right back. I promise." Obi-Wan snapped, anxiety for Leia coursing through him as he sprinted away from the impossible phantom behind him to the child he was bent on saving.