Chapter 6
Anakin drove down the streets of Courscant just trying to think things out. His whole world had turned entirely upside down. His wife had been kidnapped no doubt by a Sith Lord and could be parsecs away. As he drove he thought about the vision. The voice had seemed so familiar though, almost like it had come from somewhere in his past.
As the young Jedi stopped at a busy intersection he just happened to look to his right. There in the distance was the building from his vision. Anakin quickly made a sharp turn to the right. He raced down the busy streets toward the building. As he drew closer the ebb in the force that told him his wife was near grew stronger. In fact as he parked at the side of the building he could tell he was at the right place.
It was a tall silver building which served as a hospital for the Senators of the planet. Anakin made his way to the back of the building to sneak inside. He was going to have to be extra careful. Then suddenly the young man caught sight of a hooded man and some clone troopers entering the building. The man spoke softly in a hissing tone, "Is everything going as planned?"
"Yes Darth Sidious. She is on the fifth floor. The baby will be here soon."
The evil sith nodded his head and entered the elevator. "Good. Everything is proceeding as planned."
Anakin's heart skipped a beat. He knew that man and anger swelled within him. He uttered a single word, "Palpantine." So Obi-wan had been right all along. It made Anakin swell with rage at the fact that he had been duped for so long. How could he have believed in that man? The Jedi realized it was best if he called for help.
He pulled out his comlink and heard his mentor's voice on the other end, "Yes?"
"Obi-wan, it's Anakin. I've found Padme and the sith."
Obi-wan leaned forward in his seat, "Where are you?"
He heard his friend's voice come over the com unit, "I'm at the senator's hospital downtown. I have to go ahead, Padme is about to give birth."
Obi-wan swallowed hard. He could sense the anger swelling within Anakin though he was several miles away. He spoke calmly, "Anakin, I'm on my way there now." He opened the door and headed down the hall to the front door. "Anakin, be careful. Don't underestimate the power of the dark side."
Anakin listened to his friend's comforting words. He was in a hurry and didn't have time to keep talking. "Master, I need to go. I'll meet you in the hospital, on the fifth floor."
"I'm on my way. Be Patient." He then cut the link. Obi-wan waved for a taxi and boarded asking the driver to take him to the hospital.
The taxi took off and headed down the congested streets of Courscant. And naturally it had to be rush hour. The taxi was soon caught in a traffic jam. Obi-wan was not pleased with the delay and found himself silently wishing he had paid more attention to Anakin's shortcuts.
After half an hour the taxi had barely covered three miles. They still had ten more to go. The Jedi Master soon realized he would reach the hospital faster on foot than he would in this traffic. He quickly got out and began to run down the streets of Courscant.
By the time Obi-wan reached the hospital it had been forty-five minutes since he last spoke to Anakin. The Jedi made his way up the stairs and to the third floor. He noticed immediately that something was amiss. He couldn't feel Anakin's presence anywhere. "Oh don't let him be dead."
"If you're referring to the traitor he's not dead. He ran away five minutes ago."
Obi-wan turned on his heels to see Ferus Olin standing behind him. He asked frantically, "What do you mean?"
The younger Jedi motioned for Obi-wan to follow. He led him down a long hall to a back room. When the Jedi entered, Obi-wan could see the body of Chancellor Palpantine lying dead on the floor. He had the marks of a lightsaber through his mid-section. He voiced aloud, "Anakin did this?"
Ferus nodded, "I came in just as Anakin struck the Chancellor down. I ended up having to fight him. I managed to get him disarmed. He then scooped up Senator Padme and two newborn babies. He threw several objects at me which I managed to dodge. But somehow he still managed to get away in your speeder."
Obi-wan was shocked. Anakin had turned to the dark side. Somehow that just didn't seem possible. A nagging feeling was in the back of his mind that something else was at work here. A buzzing noise brought Obi-wan out of his thoughts. It was a security guard. "Somehow Skywalker managed to make it to a landing platform. He took one of the senator's personal ships. He took off from the planet. We haven't been able to track the ship."
Ferus nodded and looked over at Obi-wan waiting for the older Jedi to make the first move. Obi-wan sighed. He needed to go back to the temple and think this through. No doubt the council could help more than anyone. "Let's head back to the Temple Ferus. We need to report to the Jedi council."
Ferus Olin followed Obi-wan out the door and nodded, "Yes Master Kenobi."
Meanwhile somewhere out in the expanse of space was a family fleeing away from the republic. The young man at the cockpit had a slight smile on his face. And yet there was sadness in his eyes at the same time. "I'll be back," was the silent promise he made as Courscant and his old life slipped away into the unknown.
A/N: Well that's the last chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed this story and I am grateful to all the kind reviewers. And just so you know there will be a sequel. Yes that's right a sequel. It should be out either later this year or early 2005. Hopefully this year, but it just depends on how quickly I can get the story done. Here's a quick summary and title of the upcoming story. I hope to see all of you faithful reviewers again next time around.
Title: Fall From Within
Rating: PG-13
Summary: AU. Obi-wan Kenobi is desperately searching for his former padawan, not knowing what really happened in the final confrontation between Palpantine and Anakin on Courscant. At the same time darkness has crept over the Jedi Temple. There is a traitor within its sheltering walls. But not even the Jedi Council can tell who it is. What will it mean for the Jedi Order and the disillusioned Republic that they protect.