Title: Hidden Shadows Seeking Light

Rating: I wish I knew. I am putting it at PG-13 just because I don't know any better and would rather err on the safe side.

Genre: Drama/Mild Angst

Feedback: I would love to get feedback on this story. I would appreciate it if everyone would put down their flame throwers though because this is only my second time out and I know I made mistakes on the first story and have no doubt I will make many on this one. I need constructive criticism so that I will get better not mean comments that will only serve to make me cry. I thank each and every one of the readers who take the time to review this story. I love fan fiction and hope to write stories that can entertain others as much as their stories have entertained me.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. They are, were and will always belong to Mr. George Lucas creator of an amazing universe. Not only does this story contain elements of the universe that Mr. Lucas created but also the Alternate Universe (AU) found in a wonderful story called An Untimely Frost by CYNICAL21.

Just to a little guide as to what things mean:

/-/ Bond thought //-// Private thought "-" Speaking aloud

************************************************************

He was running again. His legs felt heavy as he forced them to continue to carry him away. He could hear the rumbling of the ground as it split. He could see the cracks over taking his position. He wasn't going to make it. He wasn't going to make it. His lungs burned and begged him to stop, but he couldn't. He hadn't a moment to spare.

He scanned the horizon in front of him looking for hope. He saw none and then just as the pit opened before he saw him. It was Qui-Gon Jinn, his Master, he would save him. Anakin got an odd feeling of deja vous. He felt it was a warning of some kind but couldn't spare the time to consider it further as he felt the ground crumpling beneath his feet. He leapt grateful for the feeling of his Master's hand on his arm. Opening his eyes he found himself staring into the face of the dark lord. He felt his throat close in panic paralyzing his cry for help before he uttered it. He felt his heart race. He clung to the sith holding tight as he felt the hot steam rising from the bottomless pit beneath him. He scrambled to find purchase with his hands not trusting the man holding him. He felt afraid of what was in the pit. What if he fell forever? What if he burned alive? What he if never found his way out? Holding on to the sith with a death grip he accepted that this was his destiny...

Master Yoda watched as the boy thrashed in his blanket moaning for mercy, running from a future too terrible to speak of. The compassion within him urging the old Master to wake the boy , but the Force forbidding him to. The boy had to see. The boy had to realize. The boy had to choose.

Mirilent stood outside the door watching through the small window. She trusted Yoda with the fate of this boy. She watched as the small green being suffered along side the padawan. She knew he would not let it go too far. She felt grateful that his young one was in the hands of one so wise. If only her Obi-Wan had been in Yoda's hands and not Jinn's. He would not have suffered as he had. He would not be where he is now. He would be safe and not missing. She allowed her mind to wander to the places she had sworn she would avoid.

She had seen him beaten and broken before. She had nursed him back to health more times than she cared to remember. The more time that past the slimmer his chance for survival. Glancing once more at the struggling boy she forced herself to trust in the Knight. He always seemed to pull through and was at his best when things were at their worst. Considering all that she had learned from Yoda, where ever Obi-Wan was he was definitely at his best.

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Darkness was everywhere, fear, greed, corruption, torture, betrayal, and death. It was everywhere he turned. He saw it in the faces of the oppressed, in the sorrow of the mourning, in the brokenness of the enslaved, in the eyes of the people, and in the hearts of their leaders. Fear like he had never seen before. These people were not just afraid. They were terrified. Obi-Wan sank deeper into the Force longing to escape all that was being revealed to him but at the same time longing to see the threat so that he could face and defeat him

The Force lifted the Knight out of himself bringing him to an overall view of the galaxy surrounding him. If was from this detached perch that the Knight was able to discern what evil had befallen the universe he had once defended. This was now a universe ruled with an iron hand. The leaders of this time cowered before the power of a mighty force willing to sacrifice their ideas, hopes and dreams settling instead for the survival.

Starting at the center, a planet he recognized as Coruscant, he watched as a dark shadow crept outward consuming first one and then another system until the entire galaxy was shrouded in darkness. It was like a plague wiping out life and replacing it with something resembling a life but void of the joy of living. There was bitterness, resentment, anger, rejection and above all fear. Each emotion banded together forming a collar which choked the courage, determination and hope from the citizens of each planet.

Obi-Wan marveled at the number of star ships Each one was enormous in size and ominous in their appointments. These were the vessels used not only to gain power but also to threaten and intimidate in order to keep it. He saw a small planet growing closer to his position. It looked like a moon, but he could sense it was machine. He furrowed his brow wondering why someone would need to create a planet or moon. He watched as a blinding beam of light shot forth shattering a planet, ending millions upon millions of lives. He heard their screams through the Force and felt himself sink to his knees throwing his hands to his ears in order to block out the pain and anguish of a civilization selectively discarded.

So much pain and corruption, it washed in and over him. This could not be the Republic. This could not be the galaxy he had pledged to defend and protect. What horrible menace could delight in such destruction? The images shifted to a familiar structure. As he found himself in the Senate Chamber, Chancellor Palpatine was speaking. He struggled to hear the words but could not make them out. Instead he watched the faces of the delegates. He felt drawn to one seat in particular. Bail Organa from Alderaan. His seat was empty draped in dark cloak , the symbol of loss and mourning.

/Aldeeran./ He thought. /It was Alderaan./ The planet that he had witness being blown to bits. He had met Senator Organa. He was bright and enthusiastic. He was noble and beyond corruption. Casting his eyes back to the speaker's platform Obi-Wan realized why Organa was gone now. He had not been one to sit by idly while darkness consumed the Republic. He had been eliminated as had his planet and all that he stood for.

/Where are the Jedi? Where are they?/ Obi-Wan cried out to the Force a sense of dread building in his stomach forcing the bile to creep up his throat. He swallowed hard but failed to rid himself of the bitter taste of what the Force was about to show him.

Bodies upon bodies lay scattered through the galaxy. Masters, Knights, and Padawans hunted down like criminals, slaughtered for the sake of slaughter. Some on display and some merely rotting in the sun on some forgotten planet where they had hoped to escape their pursuer. Hunted down because of who they were, the connection they shared, the pursuit of their existence in direct opposition to the cruelty that was controlling the galaxy. Obi-Wan search the images seeing many familiar faces. His heart ached as he realized all that would be lost. The Order would fall. The Jedi would be eliminated. The sith would reign. It was the sith. This was their plan. This is the universe as they would have it. He had to find the one, the one who was capable of bringing down the Order.

He cried to the Force begging for answers, but he could see the no enemy. Patiently he waited then standing among the fallen corpses he saw him. Draped in a black cloak staring out over the sea of fallen heroes of the Republic a lone figure stood with his back to the knight. His cloak billowing in the wind, he seemed as though he were a man celebrating a great victory.

Obi-Wan could see the sith's shadow cast upon the sand. It was dark and imposing. Darkness surrounded this sith. He wore it as he did his cloak, covering every part of him. It seemed to flow from him, through him and around him. As though at his very core there was nothing but a huge black hole filled with hate and fury.

Obi-Wan drew closer to the sith waiting for the man to turn, so that he could see the sith that he had to defeat. This was the one he had to eliminate as the last of the Jedi, defender of truth and justice. He laid his hand upon his saber ready to strike the killing blow so that he could put an end to all the suffering this man inflicted upon the masses. Sensing Obi-Wan, the sith stiffened before he finally turned to face the last of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan's eyes went wide in shock and horror as the sound of the sith's hateful laughter echoed within his mind. Obi-Wan didn't feel the tears of denial and regret streak down his cheeks. He didn't realize that his hand had dropped from his saber. He didn't feel himself stumble back as he attempted to comprehend what his eyes were telling him. He was looking into the sith's face. This sith was the enemy. This sith was the betrayer. This sith was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

**************************************

"Bant? Bant?" Mace hissed into the comlink. He sighed in frustration as he looked helplessly around the room. She was gone. He had no idea if she had moved out on her own or had been discovered. He had found no evidence of a struggle but then how much would there have been had the young Knight been confronted by several sith. He released his concern for the Mon Calamarian into the Force and tried once more to reach Siri and Garin.

"Garin. Garin?" He whispered into the device. "Siri?" He called. He cursed as he returned the comlink to his tunic. He hoped that their comlink was defective because if they were willfully disobeying his orders they would both have hell to pay once they were all back at the Temple. Mace wondered for a moment if such correction would be necessary. Unless they succeeded with their current mission he had to wonder how long the Temple would stand. He released his anxiety again into the Force.

He had found little on his scouting mission other than the fact that the sith out numbered them greatly. He was disturbed by the fact that no member of the council had sensed the presence of the sith existing right under their noses. He and Yoda both had realized that they were having more and more difficulty accessing the Force but had no idea the vast proportions of the problem.

Mace took a deep breath and centered himself. He had to remain focused. He had to remember his mission. He wasn't here to save the temple or rid the planet of sith, though if he were successful he had no doubt that both subsequent goals would be met.

/Now what?/ He thought trying to consider his options. He had to get to Obi-Wan. He had to reach the Knight before the sith managed to kill him or worse yet turn him. He couldn't be concerned with the rest of his search and rescue team at this point. He would have to carry on alone. Hearing a sound outside the door he grabbed his saber and prepared for the worse.

Just as the door activated he brought his saber to bear pulling up just in time to prevent him from separating Master Galia's head from her body.

"Adi." Mace spat more like a curse than the name of a dear friend. Adi was leaning in against the wall taking deep breaths trying to regain her balance.

"Mace, what were you doing?" She turned on him anger seething in her eyes. "You could have killed me. Do you realize that? You could have killed me." She whispered angrily. Mace realized how frazzled the young woman's nerves were as he found tears forming in her eyes. He wondered what she had endured. Putting his saber away he reached out taking the woman into his arms.

Adi relaxed for a moment against the man's hard strong body. She could feel the strength he possessed. She felt herself pull from his natural calm allowing his presence to steady her in his arms. It felt good but at the same time reminded her of another set of arms she was aching to feel around her. She felt a sob catch in her throat and forced it to remain there. She was a Master. She would not cry. She was stronger than this. It was too early to abandon hope.

Mace pulled away taking the woman's face in both of his hands staring intently into her clear blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Adi. I didn't mean to frighten you. If it's any consolation I was terrified myself." The both smiled at that. He noticed the tears still pooling in her eyes. She had been through so much since they left Coruscant. He realized how close she had become to Obi-Wan. It was after all the talk of the Temple. No wonder she was so frayed. It was understandable with the one she loved in the hands of a dark lord. Mace didn't want to consider what the man was about to endure.

"We'll find him. Don't lose your faith. He's strong." Mace whispered giving her another reassuring hug. He felt her nodded against his chest. He held her until he felt her body relax further.

"I know where he is." Adi stated. "I just have no idea how to get to him without being detected." Mace nodded.

"Well there are plenty here to detect us. I am astounded that so many sith have been trained let alone trained practically beneath the very Temple." Adi nodded sighing in disgust as well.

"We must reassess our connection to the Force but first things first. Dooku is here." She announced.

"I heard that he had turned. I had hoped he was dead. It is a better end for a Jedi. Better dead than dark." He spoke without thinking . Looking up he realized his mistake. "Adi." He began as she shook her head.

"It's okay. I know what you meant." She whispered. "And you're right."

"I 'm not saying he'll turn. I know he won't." He stated.

"You're right again. He'll be the one whose dead." Her words hung in the air as they stood considering each other for a long moment.

"Perhaps it won't come to that." Mace declared trying to sound hopeful. "Is Qui-Gon with him?" He asked.

"I've no idea. I was separated from Qui-Gon. I was set aside for breeding stock." She bitterly added.

"Breeding stock?" Mace almost laughed. "What do you mean?"

"It appears that once our Knight turned the dark lord wanted to insure that his chosen one had hardy offspring." She stood placing her hands on her hips. Mace fought the urge to laugh. He had never seen Adi this upset before. She was indignant. He felt sorry for the dark lord if he ever crossed paths this the beautiful master.

"I'm sure he would have killed you if you had asked him to." Mace said. "If that's any comfort." He smiled and watched as Adi relaxed a bit and even smirked.

"You're right I'm being ridiculous. It's just demeaning." She stated and her friend nodded in agreement.

"Demeaning to you and good news for Kenobi." He wiggled his eyebrows earning him a punch in the arm.

"So please tell me you aren't alone." Adi commanded changing the subject as she wondered what reinforcements the Master had with him. Mace shifted a bit uneasily on his feet. Adi raised and eyebrow.

"Mace?" She demanded.

"I brought three additional knights." He announced.

"Good and how many Masters?" She asked.

"No other Masters. We discovered some security issues and well I had to think of people I knew I could trust. " Adi sighed understanding but once again feeling very out numbered.

"Okay three knights is better than nothing." She said getting ready to activate the door.

"Adi." There was something about Mace's voice that the woman didn't like. Looking slowly over her shoulder she saw the sheepish look on Mace's face and knew that this was not going to be good news.

"Mace?" She questioned.

"I don't exactly know where they are." Mace replied. "We've lost contact. I suspect Bant is captured and Siri and Garin are more than likely moving on their own accord if I know them at all." Adi nodded considering.

"Well then I guess it is just the two of us. How are we going to get to him without them getting to us?" She asked feeling a growing pressure to get moving once more. There had been an urgency hanging about her since the moment she had awaken.

Mace moved to the closet and pulled out another sith cloak.

"You know what they say when in Galibin do as the Galibin do." He handed her the cloak.

"Is this the same "they" that always says hind sight is twenty/twenty?" She asked sarcastically as she began to put on the cloak.

"No "their" the ones who also say unless you have a better idea keep your smart comments to yourself." Adi smirked.

"Oh are "they" the ones that say that." She joked lightly.

"Yes and I am "they" so finish putting on that cloak and let's see if we can't save the universe."

"Isn't that the job for the Chosen One?" She asked her voice sounding small and distant.

"It is but everybody needs a hand now and then." His voice was soft as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"How are we ever going to do this?" She asked feeling the despair rising up once more.

"I don't know. But I know that we must and so we will. Let's move." He activated the door glancing down the long corridor before they moved from the room and began heading in the direction of their friends.

***********************

"We're close." Siri whispered.

"To getting expelled from the Temple."Garin said sarcastically as he finished his friend's thought with his own.

"Stop." Siri chided not in the mood for her friend odd brand of humor that is if he was indeed kidding.

"Disobeying Master's orders?" He once again added his own flare. Garin was definitely having second thoughts about moving forward without Windu's knowledge and presence.

"Garin."

"You are expelled from the Temple along with Siri." He said bitterly wondering what it would be like for the two of them to be standing before the Masters hearing those terrible words.

"Will you just shut up? Talking to yourself is a very bad sign." Siri spat tersely.

"I'm not talking to myself I'm talking to you. We are going to fry for this." He declared.

"If you want to hide out in a room until everything is safe and sound or until Master Windu comes and holds your hand then find a room and cower, but otherwise keep your mouth shut and keep moving." Siri turned her full attention back to the task before them.

"I don't cower." He defended. "I tend to huddle in a trembling mass. It might look like cowering but it's different." She punched his arm playfully grateful that he was back on task.

Garin moved forward keeping his concentration focuses on sensing any and all life forms around them. He paused holding up his hand as he motioned for Siri to back into a recess in the wall. Covering his hand over her mouth to prevent her complaints from giving away their position, he held his own breath as they watched two sith walked past them. Once they had past both Knights sighed in relief.

"How is it that they did sense us?" Siri asked.

"I'm not sure." He couldn't understand it. He knew that he and Siri had both been masking their presence as much as possible. They had become experts at it over the years. They had started young, playing a childhood seeking game in the crèche. It was second nature to them both. Bant hadn't been as successful as they had in developing this skill. She had always been the first one discovered in the game. Siri was usually second with either Garin and Obi-Wan being the last one found depending on who the seeker was at the time.

He found his mind distracted by thoughts of Bant. They had not heard from her since they had ended their earlier transmission. He had thought that she would have caught up to them by now. The fact that she had not found them yet nor had she contacted them led him to believe that perhaps she had been captured. He hoped he was wrong and yet something inside of him told him he was right.

He reached for the comlink and discovered he had accidentally disengaged it.

"Sith." He spat. "I turned off the comlink. I wander if Bant or Master Windu have been trying to reach us-" Before he could finish his thought he felt Siri pressed against him.

"Garin?" She asked hoping that he too was feeling what she was feeling.

Looking up into her friend's face she knew that he had.

***************

Looking into the face of what it was that he would become, Obi-Wan felt his first taste of terror. So this was what he was capable of: the murder of innocence, slaughter of friends, and executor of the helpless. The young Knight shuddered as sobs racked his body. How could he have done such terrible things? How could he have become that which he despised and fought against? Failure that was the feeling that rose up within him, it was pure self loathing and failure.

"Always in motion the future is." He heard Yoda's voice calling through the haze of the Force giving him something to hold on to. He clung to it as if it were his last shred of hope. As if it were his last gasp of air standing between him and utter destruction. Yoda's words meant hope to him. Hope that he could stop this devastating future from occurring. Hope that he would be strong enough to withstand whatever devices the dark lord had in mind to turn him.

Knowing that Sidious held the ones who came first in his heart caused his resolve to slip just a bit. It was one thing to give up his own life, so much more to give up those that he loved. He knew it would be his decision. He knew it was something that he would be forced to live with. His natural wit kicking in, he was reminded that he wouldn't have to live with it for very long since moments after they died he too would be one with the Force. The difference was that he had the power to choose, where as their only decision had been to love him, care for him, and to save him.

Opening his eyes he saw the universe laid out before him bleeding and broken. This was his destiny. Standing here now he realized this was the moment he had been born to fulfill. Only he had the power to prevent this. This was the glory of being the Chosen One.

He felt a bitterness within himself. He was chosen to live so that either he could die after of course having the pleasure of watching those he adored tortured and killed, or he could allow the universe to fall into the hands of darkness and millions die. Even though they were faceless and nameless millions, they each did have a name to someone and a face that brought a smile to another. Taking a shuddered breath the Knight wiped away the tears that were still falling freely down his cheeks. There of course was no choice. He knew what he had to do but somehow knowing what he had to do didn't make facing it any easier.

He felt the new love he had for Adi aching in his heart. He longed to see her one last time. He wanted to have the chance to tell her all that she had meant to him. He wanted the chance to tell her how much it meant that she would come for him. That she came not out of obligation but out of love. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for all the things that they would never get to do now. He mourned the memories they would never have the chance to make.

He wanted a chance to undo the damage that still lingered between he and Qui-Gon. The man had been like a father to him. He had been his world for so many years. He had seen the Master at his best and at his worst. Somehow those golden moments at his best erased the pain he had felt while Jinn was at his worst. Or perhaps it was just something about love. Maybe love really did have the power to erase the pain of past mistakes.

Facing his uncertain future Obi-Wan now realized that there was no such thing as unforgivable. Everything was forgivable where there was love. Qui-Gon had made mistakes, painful mistakes, but were those mistakes unforgivable? No. He would forgive the man once and for all. He just chose at the moment to release it all. He didn't need to keep those bitter painful memories around to shield him from futures encounters. There would be no future encounters. Letting go of the bitterness, rejection and resentment he sent it out into the Force.

Obi-Wan thought for a moment about Anakin. He had befriended the boy but beneath it all he had felt jealous of him. Had he but known what fate held for the Chosen One, he could never have been so cruel as to have envied the boy. Obi-Wan realized he had never really envied Anakin's status as the Chosen One or even the fact that he had replaced him as Qui-Gon's padawan. He had envied the boy because he had known something that Obi-Wan had never had. Anakin had felt his mother's love. He had been loved unconditionally. It had never been a matter of how many katas he could perform, how well he did in an astronavigation course, or if he negotiated a proper planetary treaty. He was just loved because he was born. He belonged to someone.

Obi-Wan had struggled at times to feel that he belonged to the Order. He had begun to feel a part of it and a sense of belonging only to be cast away. It never had returned the same way to him. He had never again felt as though he were home. Always he had shielded a bit of himself. No one knew but he always now kept a bag packed just in case he were forced to leave again.

Taking a deep breath Obi-Wan released his envy into the Force accepting that some little boys get mothers and some get to save the universe, but all in all he had lived a very good life. He had been given Tahl after all, so maybe just maybe Obi-Wan Kenobi had felt a mother's love, albeit for short time he did so cherish those precious memories.

Feeling a prompting from within Obi-Wan found himself seeking out a deep corner of his mind. He could see the memories there. They were painful. He rarely visited this corner. Nothing good here to remember, so why bring it all back now? He wondered but the Force persisted so on he went. He felt it before he saw it. Fear. It was dense like a fog paralyzing his progress, obscuring his vision, and altering his judgment. He saw himself as a thirteen year old initiate desperately seeking a master. He was there in his room practicing before the match with Bruck. Obi-Wan knew it was his last chance to be chosen. If Master Jinn refused to take him as his padawan then he would never be a knight of the Order.

The Knight felt his own despair watching as he parried and thrust knowing full well that Bruck would find some way to make him look clumsy in front of the Master. It was when Yoda knocked on his door to notify him that is was indeed time for the match that Obi-Wan felt a wave of fear. It filled him with an overwhelming sense of defeat.

He hadn't remembered this part. He hadn't remembered how afraid he had felt but now it was clear to him once more. He had been terrified of failing. He had never felt worthy and now today the whole Temple would know it once and for all. He watched as the boy before him sat on the floor drawing his knees to his chest resting his head to his knees rocking to and fro. He could hear himself whispering over and over something but he couldn't make it out. He struggled to remember.

"Please, please, please, please pick me. Please, please, please, pick me." Over and over he said it. Begging the absent Master or perhaps the Force for mercy, for a chance, and already watching it as history Obi-Wan realized it was a prayer that would go unanswered. Qui-Gon would never pick him. In fact it was he that picked Qui-Gon forming an unintentional bond on their ill fated trip to Bandomeer.

He watched himself once more as a young frightened boy and was reminded of another frightened boy he had seen recently. Anakin was so full of fear. Obi-Wan had felt him near hopeless as a candidate but now seeing this boy rocking before him, the Knight was forced to reconsider. Perhaps it wasn't wrong to fear. Perhaps it was wrong to allow the fear to overshadow one's life and one's actions. Fear is of the dark side, so Obi-Wan walked bravely into the painful memories in front of him and released it once and for all. He could still see the boy rocking in desperation but he no longer felt the suffocating fear that he had only moments before.

Obi-Wan thought over his life for a moment. How many life threatening situation had he faced? How many times had he endured torture and threats of harm? How many times had he stared death in the eye and refused to blink? Never had he felt fear. Always he had trusted the Force. He realized he felt no fear at losing his life, but was terrified of being rejected. It was one thing to die willingly for a worthwhile cause, but something different to be cast away as worthless. There was something to fear, but he chose now to fear it no more.

There was a sudden tremor in the Force as Obi-Wan felt it pushing against his shields merging with that part of the entity which existed outside himself. He felt as though he were an observer. He was watching something marvelous play out. He only wished he had a data pad so that he could record it. This was something worth telling time and again.

He watched as the light began to glow brighter and brighter. Each and every shadow swept away by the power of the light. It was warm, accepting, and beautiful. It was encompassing. Obi-Wan knew then that it would encompass him. He would become it and it would become him. He wondered in that moment what would be left. Perhaps this was truly how suns were born. Brighter and brighter the light grew as he felt things he had never felt before.

He could feel the rhythm of the building around him, the hum of the light rays coming from over head as they filled the room, he could hear the heartbeats of each and every being in the building growing into a symphony of life. He smiled as he realized that the planet itself had a life force. He could feel the water as it raced through the planets crust then down further to the pools of magma bubbling and churning. He felt it all and knew that somehow he was connected to it.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt a surge of power. He understood. He saw how to control it. He felt whole as he had never felt before. No longer was he the shattered thirteen year old, feeling unworthy to be Qui-Gon Jinn's padawan. He was no longer the rejected young man blamed for a death of his only mother. He was no longer the man on the brink of knighthood whose fears were realized in an instant as a master turned and walked away once and for all. No now Obi-Wan Kenobi was something different all together. He was a Jedi. He was a Knight. He was Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Chosen One.

The Force no longer felt like a part of him. He felt at one with it as he had never experienced before. He could no longer feel where he ended and it began. He no longer had to reach for it because it resided in his finger tips and in the palm of his hands. In was in him, around him and moving through him. He felt like a vessel holding it and yet with the power to wield it as well.

Smiling now he opened his eyes once more seeing the universe as the future now held it. A galaxy where truth and justice reigned, a place where the weak and the strong worked side by side for the benefit of the other, a universe where corruption was not tolerated and integrity carried more weight than a Republic credit.

The Knight smiled seeing that his sacrifice would be worth it. His life would make a difference. He could stop the darkness here and now. He had nothing to fear, no one to envy, no one to forgive, merely a job to do. No longer a prisoner to his past; Obi-Wan boldly embraced his future.

Pulling out of his meditation, Obi-Wan was relieved to find Qui-Gon Jinn still close by. He smiled at the Master with a renewed confidence. He was rewarded by the steady calm smile of the other man.

"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked sensing a difference in the man before him. The Knight smiled in response then spoke with an unerring determination.

"I'm ready Master. Now I'm ready."

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I'm hoping for two more chapters maybe three to have this finally brought to a close. I do appreciate everyone sticking around. I think we've been doing this now for what six or seven months? That's devotions guys, thanks. I know there wasn't much action in this one but it is a major turning point for our knight. Now we can all boldly face the future...well we can once I write it this week. Thanks again.jesse