Prologue
The steel cylinder fell to the floor, creating a loud clatter that echoed throughout the nearly empty chambers.
Obi-Wan trembled as he realized he had clumsily dropped it, and hastily snatched it back up into his hands. It had been five weeks since he had last held the weapon in his hand, five weeks since he had wielded its ethereal, viridian blade against that horrifying dark warrior. The link Obi-Wan once had with his master had been severed so suddenly, so ruthlessly. Even now, it still bled endlessly, creating a fountain of strife and agony within the young Knight. He had attempted to hide this upwelling of emotions for the duration of his stay at the temple, yet it remained an impossible task.
Master…
Agony beckoned for sorrow to join him, and yet again Obi-Wan descended into a sea of despair. Had he failed so miserably? Crimson flashed as he once again looked upon his master's corpse. His mind's eye filled with tears as it analyzed that tragic moment, when the Sith Warrior's blade skewered his master's chest.
No!
It was only for a moment that he had to endure that unbearable agony. The agony dissipated, only to be replaced by this intangible blanket of despair that hovered like a demon in the mist. It lurked about during Qui-Gon's funeral pyre- Obi-Wan could feel the demon burning holes through him as he exchanged pleasantries with various Jedi Masters.
Why were you unable to kill me, Jedi?
It mocked. It taunted. It ridiculed.
What is it you seek?
Vengeance.
You had your chance. Obi-Wan's expression flickered with disdain as the demon lowered its hood, revealing the face of the warrior that had slain his master. You failed.
With that, he was dispelled into darkness. Obi-Wan shuddered. Every confrontation with that demon left him more insecure, more vulnerable and exposed. Three things he had grown to hate over the past few weeks. He responded to this newfound sense of weakness by distancing himself from the other Jedi at the temple. The gap between Obi-Wan and the Order was growing.
The council had refused to believe his claims that Qui-Gon's murderer was indeed a Sith warrior. They instead insisted that it must have been some sort of rogue Jedi. Master Windu, as stolid and calculating as ever, named five high-end Jedi Masters that had left the Order in the past four years. Even Yoda could not see merit in Obi-Wan's claim; he only noted that the identity of master Qui-Gon's slayer was "shrouded in mystery".
To make matters worse, Obi-Wan was then made to testify before the Senate concerning the events that had transpired on Naboo and Tatooine. He related to the senators how the Federation attempted to kill him and his masterand how they witnessed the invasion of Naboo. He later chronicled the escape through the blockade and the reasons why they were forced to land on Tatooine for repairs. He gingerly told them of Qui-Gon's fall and of the "rogue Jedi" who had kidnapped Queen Amidala.
The Senate, as usual, had erupted into heated debate and meaningless squabbles. After Chancellor Vallorum's enforcer brought the chamber to silence, Senator Lott Dodd scornfully deposed Obi-Wan's testimony. He claimed that Queen Amidala had never left Naboo and had instead signed a treaty with Federation executive officer Nute Gunray. Using manufactured "proof" and "evidence", the senator quickly disproved Obi-Wan's account. The senate once again erupted into madness as Senators from numerous planets and systems declared their support for the Federation.
Obi-Wan, standing at the center of the Senate floor, was left hanging out to dry. Even Senator Palpatine of Naboo could not voice his support of Obi-Wan's story, there simply was no proof! Obi-Wan had no evidence; he only had his sworn word and testimony.
Should his testimony have not been enough? The Jedi have served the Republic for many millennia. It was a testament to the changing times that a Jedi's sworn testimony had no holdings in the Senate's chambers. Obi-Wan's jaw gritted. It disgusted him. He had sacrificed his entire life, his freedoms and his responsibilities, to serve the Republic as a Jedi. Yet in spite of that, the Senate held him in such low regard.
Yet he understood why. The Senate did not serve the people; they did not serve for the common good. They worshipped the golden credit. Those wretched Senators pursued their own vices- vices that Federation money and fringe-world blood had paid for. Obi-Wan had always thought highly of the Senate, yet in that single moment when he stood surrounded by their angry voices, he could sense the corruption that lurked beneath.
Obi-Wan knew from then on that something had to change. He believed that he could no longer serve an institution so corrupt- that the Jedi could no longer serve an institution so corrupt. Yet when word of Obi-Wan's blunder in the Senate quickly spread about the Temple it failed to garner any kind of latent response from the other Jedi.
Why? Why did no one care?
Obi-Wan had been on the precipice of making a decision all week. Now he was ready. He reverently placed his master's lightsaber down upon its pedestal and stepped away slowly. It was time to let go, time to let go of everything.