Glad you enjoy, Farore.
Well, 'more' is here, Athena :-)
************* ************
A few hours later Obi-Wan found himself staring out the viewport of a small passenger transport at the bright colourful sphere that was Coruscant. Lines of buildings, smeared by the clouds – white and pristine in some places – it was almost hard to believe something pristine could exist on this planet at all – and in some places tinted with bluish black or gray, burning with disturbing red on the east where the sun was chasing away the night. The streaks of liquid red, dancing on the clouds covering the gigantic city fell in resonance with Obi-Wan's uneasiness, which stirred to life deep within him.
To quell the sudden anxiety the Knight ran over the Council meeting once again.
The Council had wanted to see them about the matter that was the last thing Obi-Wan would have thought about – his family.
"We received a message from your family," Master Windu had said in a tone that suggested it was Obi-Wan's fault such a thing had occurred.
Obi-Wan couldn't help but raise a skeptically surprised eyebrow. Out of the corner of his eye he had noticed Master Gallia cover her mouth quickly.
"The message," Mace Windu had continued in a deliberately louder voice. "Informs us that your mother is dying."
Only a person very familiar with Obi-Wan's body language could have noticed the subtle shift in his posture, the sudden rigidity, uncharacteristical for him. Anakin, for his part, wasn't yet apt at reading such subtle nuances of his Master's poses and thus was lead to believe the grievous information, poured over them in an almost callous way, had no effect on Obi-Wan whatsoever.
"Your family requests your presence. You are granted permission to go and take your Padawan with you. Your transport leaves in two hours."
Sensing the end of the briefing, whishing to get away from the scrutinizing gazes of the Council to digest the startling information. Another death – though this time of a person he could barely remember – his own mother. He had suddenly felt sick. Why was it so that he knew so little of his mother that he couldn't even envision her face? How had he come to that? But he couldn't let his emotions show, not before the Council, not before anyone. But especially not before the Council – he, the young Master of the Chosen One, couldn't afford the luxury of showing his weakness before the Council. He must be perfect. A lopsided ironical smile had tugged at his lips, never reaching his eyes. ~Perfect!~ Swiftly he had turned and walked out of the round room he had once regarded as a sacred place – no more.
"May the Force be with you," he had heard almost as an afterthought coming from Master Windu.
Bant had been waiting for them in the docking bay. He smiled; he had never learned what had she wanted with them. Words had died on her lips unspoken as she saw his eyes.
"What is wrong?" she had asked, her silver eyes full of worry and readiness to hear anything he had to say, readiness to be there for him. He had told her, and she had offered her support, though not much needed – yet.
She was always there for him – like a relative, a sister.
Another smile, this one full of mirth for a change, blossomed on his face as he remembered an episode just after he had introduced Anakin and Bant to each other.
"She's my sister," Obi-Wan had told his Padawan.
Ani's blue eyes, blazing with energy, had immediately gone wide with wonder. "Wow, wizard!" he had finally exclaimed.
Obi-Wan had looked at him in confusion. Then, realizing what his Anakin must have thought, he had slapped himself on the forehead.
"No, it's not like that at all," he had said, trying, unsuccessfully, to contain a huge grin that threatened to spread on his face when he imagined what his AND Bant's parents must look like in Anakin's eyes. "She's my soul-sister. Have you ever heard about soul-bonds?"
Anakin had nodded, trying to remember what he was taught in the Force-bonds' class. Then his face had abruptly brightened. "And Master Qui-Gon was your father just like…" He had trailed off seeing something dark and haunted rise in the blue-green depth of Obi-Wan's eyes.
They had never talked about it again, but sometimes Obi-Wan caught Anakin's scrutinizing gaze and knew from the shreds of thoughts the bond brought to him that the Padawan wondered if THEY would ever have anything like what Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had shared. And sometimes – to Obi-Wan's surprise and worry – those thoughts bore taints of fear.
********* **********
The spacious corridor of the Senate building was nothing but luxurious, draped in red and black – to the liking of the Supreme Chancellor. Tall windows gave way to sunlight, and the mischievous rays played on red drapes, making them glow like fire, and avoided black as though scared.
A woman was walking the corridor in a swift but graceful pace of a purposeful feline. At the door to the Chancellor's office she paused, spotting a tall shining-clean mirror on the wall.
She looked in the mirror and studied her own reflection thoroughly, as though a stranger, assessing herself critically: beautiful, though not with a classical beauty. Shoulder-length dark-blond hair lying in a curly mass over the red jacket; hematite eyes sparkling with contained energy.
~Here stands the chancellor's aide Nais Kobierta," she thought sarcastically with just a slightest touch of sadness. "The former... no, better not go there. Funny that the Chancellor would hang a mirror here. Does he really love his own reflection so much – not that he loves anyone else. A newly found Narcissus,~ she snorted. ~Or maybe it's one of his toys, designed to watch everything and everyone?~
Sometimes she wondered if Palpatine had paranoia but she soon discovered that, in fact, he loved to be in control, to have absolute power over everyone. That thirst for control was only complimented with his talents – he was an excellent strategist – and he was taking pleasure in planning the scheme of things, then watching other beings follow his scheme, thinking they were acting on their own volition.
The thought of being watched made her uncomfortable, and she quickly stepped away from the mirror. The door to the office opened, revealing a spacious room, decorated – as the corridor – in red and black gamma. A huge window on the far wall opened a breathtaking view at the Coruscant's panorama: tall buildings with windows burning liquid yellow in the sun; rows of traffic lined the sky with their regulated ornament; and bottomless darkness of levels upon levels upon levels down to the surface where sun never reached.
The room's two occupants turned their heads to the new arrival. The Chancellor was sitting at his desk dressed in a formal dark blue gown with intricate embroidery. Sun, caught in his graying hair, dyed them silver. Standing before him was a much younger man. His oily eyes ran over the woman's figure speculatively until they met her dark ones. The fire in his eyes immediately died to give place to servile deference, flavoured with a relish of fear.
"Do you understand your task?" Palpatine's shrill, rasping but somehow sugary voice had a well-concealed note of impatience to it.
"Yes, My Lord." The man before the Chancellor bowed and following the dismissive gesture of Palpatine's hand left the room.
The Chancellor's light blue eyes turned to regard Nais. As usual, she felt shiver run up her spine and coldness settle in the pit of her stomach under the gaze of those eyes – cold eyes that held unimaginable powers. Oh, she knew what power he possessed…
"Kenobi and Skywalker are leaving the Temple," Palpatine finally said, enjoying the effect his look seemed to have on his servant. "I've sent Madis to follow them."
Nais wanted to ask how he knew but then thought better of it. Shaking off her discomfort she walked over to the table. "And where are they going?" she asked, sitting down onto the tabletop easily. The Chancellor wouldn't have allowed such familiarity to anyone else, but Nais had special privileges.
"Kenobi's homeplanet. I take it his mother is dying." The tone of his voice suggested he was talking about weather change on another planet.
Nais leaned forward, twisting a prized pen in her slender fingers absentmindedly. "Why are you so interested in those two anyway?" she asked lazily.
"Not in the two of them." Palpatine reached his hand to stroke her hair that hung before him seductively, gleaming with honey-gold in the bright mid-day sun. "I only need Skywalker. Kenobi is needless to me."
"Why don't you take the boy then? Why letting him stay with the Jedi?"
A look of disgust crossed his features. "He's too young yet. A child with no discipline and patience. Faugh! Let him torment the Jedi for a while, and when he's not that… lively he'll come to me. It is unlikely there's going to be any trouble with that. Besides, his knowledge about his future enemies would give him an upper-hand."
"You've planned it all out, haven't you?" she purred, leaning even closer to him.
*********** ***********
The Temple garden breathed with serenity, sounds of nature creating a pleasant background for meditation. And the small Master with drooping ears seemed to enjoy the vibrant yet calm presence of the Force here. Soundlessly the tall dark-skinned Jedi Master approached his counterpart. Pausing for a moment – hesitant to interrupt or, perhaps, just content to observe for a moment – he lowered himself onto the grass. His companion didn't seem to notice him at first, and silence ensured for a long second only to be broken by a gruff voice of the elder Jedi.
"Heard from Dooku have you, Master Mace?"
"Not since the last time we talked. He still believes there is a Sith in the Senate. But it's impossible, isn't it? If the Sith were there we would have noticed it."
"Noticed the appearance of the first Sith we have not." Yoda said, opening his eyes to look at Mace pointedly. "Disguise the Dark Side its servants well it does."
"It does, of course, but the Senate... It's too hard to believe." Windu shook his head firmly.
"Perhaps, true it is." Yoda said after a small pause.
"Why do you think so?" Mace was careful to let just a little bit of his suspicion to leak into his voice, but enough for another to notice.
"Master Sifo-Dyas..."
"What about him? He's dead for more than a year already."
"So he is. Talk to me he wanted. A few hints he dropped, though nothing specific. Sith never mentioned he but something about the Dark Side he said. A meeting we were to have..."
"And?" It wasn't in Mace's nature to hurry Yoda, but this time he could hardly contain his impatience.
Yoda's ears drooped even more as though something was weighting down on them. "Killed he was before talk we could."
"You mean someone knew about your meeting…" Words were eluding Mace as he struggled to take in the startling revelation, but the chain of thought had already started to unravel in his mind.
"Be more alert we must."
*********** **********
A black hooded figure watched the docking bay of the Temple intently, careful to stay in deep shadow to avoid being noticed. The Jedi on the landing platform paid the mysterious figure no attention as it was concealed in the darkness of the Force just as well as shadows of the walls concealed it from accident gazes. The figure watched the three Jedi part, and the Mon Calamarian woman step away as the other two – Master and Padawan – boarded the awaiting ship. Two eyes, gleaming in the shadows with an inner glow, followed the transport until it turned into a dot to mix with myriads of another dots on the dome-shaped carpet of Coruscant's sky.
"Well, well, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You've chosen the wrong apprentice, but don't worry, I'll relieve you of the burden," the figure murmured before turning to blend with darkness.
************ ***********
