Chap 13
Sleep did not come easy for Obi-Wan that night. He lay in the spare room of Rynik's quarters, staring at the textured ceiling. Filled with a kind of anxiety he'd never known, the padawan squirmed slightly beneath the heavy worn quilt the Commandent had covered him with so many hours ago. Irritated, he rolled over, wishing he would be blessed with at least a few hours of sleep in a bed, as opposed to the cramped confines of a starship. The faint glow of the chrono blurred before his vision – almost dawn. Obi-Wan closed his eyes, nuzzling the pillow.
A short time later, the scuffing of footsteps resonated from beneath the closed door, and a bar of light appeared at its base. The soft undertones of male voices fuzzed in and out of his hearing. Deciding sleep wasn't an option anyway, he rose, though reluctant to leave the warmth of the sleep couch. He paused before the doorknob, listening.
"I just… wow. I can't believe you're doing that for her, Sir. That's just… I never though I'd see the day when you'd part with a SCW without a large sum of-"
"Yeah, yeah, cut it out. I'm half doing it just to see the look on their faces."
A few chuckles later, Obi-Wan opened the door.
"Hiya," Rynik greeted, his hair still damp from the fresher, his dress shirts freshly pressed as he buttoned up the last of them. The boy blinked rapidly, squinting at them from the doorframe of the dark room. The Commandent smirked, taking in the disheveled short Jedi. Wordlessly, Rynik waved towards the fresher, and the boy started in the direction. As Obi-Wan left the room, the main door sounded, a soft chime.
"Yes!" Rynik said without bothering to open the door, running a comb through his thick black hair. He threw the comb in his back pocket and stood to attention when Bareli strode quickly into his quarters.
"Be at ease, Commandent," the Scion asked, though his tone was rushed. The lord was dressed to the hilt, like some extravagant god come to visit the living. Robes of shining red silk lined in black and gold flowed over the whitest of dress shirts and darkest of black leather. Embroidered to near impossible detail, the designs of the ancient Askeni language traveled down the length of the garments, while the gothic design of the Scehault lion was bared proudly on the right breast. A belt that held a ceremonial Ghan blade hung balanced on Khas's hip, the sheath decorated in markings similar to those of the Lion. Rynik swallowed, looking down at himself.
"I feel underdressed."
"Not at all, good sir," the elder man soothed, snatching the ceremonial vest that was draped over the pilot's chair. Rynik swallowed again, extending his arms and allowing the king to dress him in the symbol of their people, the simple act of adornment causing the pilot to feel fierce pride and honor that the King was doing it himself. Finished, Bareli tugged at the bottom of the material, and stepped back.
"We represent the same honor, dressed thus or not."
"Yes, Sire."
"Good. Now, are the preparations made?"
Rynik nodded low, stance at one of attention. "Yes, my lord. I've had the Tiberious readied and flown to the southern Bastieel port base. She'll be prepped and ready for takeoff within the hour."
"Excellent," Bareli commended, "I shall see you and your young charge momentarily, then."
"Aye, Sire," Rynik bowed, and with a flash of red, the door hissed shut. He exhaled, glancing down at his dress clothing, perhaps even admiring himself when a clean padawan learner entered the main room. Sunlight, orange in the dawn, streamed into the room as Obi-Wan made his way to stand beside Rynik.
"You look… nice," the boy commented, raising and eyebrow quizzically.
"Thanks!" Rynik grinned, running his palms down the front of his outfit. "Are you ready to go? Have… everything?"
Obi-Wan nodded with a serene smile, patting his robes to indicate his belongings – his lightsaber, and the transmission device.
"Oh! I have one more thing for you, from the Scion," Rynik remarked, rummaging through his desk. "Ah!"
"Why doesn't he just give it to me himself?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning.
"Because after the ceremony… you and Spire are cleared to leave."
"…oh," the padawan whispered.
Rynik let a goofy grin cover his features, walking over to the boy, kneeling, and pulling him close.
"No worries, no worries," the pilot soothed, holding the soft ginger hair of the boy's head to his shoulder. "Besides, I won't be /that/ far away."
Obi-Wan grinned in amusement as Rynik pulled back.
"Now. Are you ready to get this show on the road?"
Obi-Wan nodded, feeling a bit underdressed himself. Then again, he was a Jedi, and this is what a Jedi wore. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Rynik pulled some last minute things into neat piles on his desk, and then motioned for the boy to follow.
As they strode into the hallway, it was chaos. People of all kinds were seemingly sprinting from one place to the next, an air of suspense heightening the boy's senses.
"What's this about?" Obi-Wan asked as he struggled to keep pace with the Pilot, the elder man weaving in and out of pockets of people with aged finesse.
"Politics, some unrest, and many of the Scehault Knights flew in for the ceremony today. General chaos, really," Rynik explained calmly while Obi-Wan tried not to be run over by the mass herd of individuals that moved against them. "Its usually not /this/ crazy." It had been perhaps an hour since sunrise, and the place was just exploding with people.
They halted outside the main audience chamber doors. Strangely, not many people lingered outside the massive wooden doorway guarded by two tall, plainly but regally dressed men. Obi-Wan blinked.
"Why do I feel like I'm about to get married?"
"Oh, Obi-Wan Kenobi, I'd be honored!"
The padawan burst into a fit of bright laughter, shared with the deep tenor of the pilots.
"Ahem," a Askeni guard murmured from his post at the door. Rynik sobered, but rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. The guard nodded, and opened the large engraved door to them.
Obi-Wan gasped as they entered – the place looked like something out of a bed time story he'd been told at the crèche' as a child. Sunlight streaming through enormous open windows that carved huge portions of the walls, banners decorated with reds and golds and whites billowed in the breeze. Everyone, hundreds in the room, were dressed formally, their elegant hair and clothing a sheen of extravagance.
Rynik walked fluidly to the front of the audience, the guards and spectators parting for him, some nodding, some smiling. Towards the alter and front of the commotion, a row of similarly dressed men and woman looked at Obi-Wan, their cool eyes examining him. He felt like a prized fish, being summed up. The padawan shoved his discomfort aside, following Rynik. They finally stopped in the front row of spectators, fortunate, for Obi-Wan was only thirteen and thus, rather short. At some unseen signal, the audience was seated in a rush of rustling cloth and air. Obi-Wan sat quickly, folding his hands loosely in his lap in a Jedi sign of attention.
Bareli Khas came forward from the wooden throne, his hands held before him in some kind of traditional manner. He addressed the audience without words, unclasping his fingers and holding his palms sideways as if embracing the whole chamber. After a moment, he turned to the line of similarly dressed people who had made Obi-Wan uncomfortable. From the line of them, a short one stood forward, her cool gray eyes sincere and calm. Without words, Spire unfastened the black clasp that held the ornate robe to her body, and let it fall to the floor revealing a sleeveless clinging back shirt. She stepped forward and strode past Obi-Wan, her back to him as she approached the Scion. From his angle, he could see that the sleeveless garment revealed a series of detailed tattoos that the shirt bared. The padawan recognized the symbols as the same shoulder design that the Scehault Lion bared upon his own. He assumed it was a mark of her knighthood on this world. She came before the king, and knelt, head bowed.
"Knight Enspire."
"My lord," her voice floated faintly from her bowed head.
"You are charged with the following-" Khas boomed loudly, withdrawing his sword and placing the shining metal upon her shoulder, the blade inches from her tattoos.
"A Scehault Knight is a guardian of life.
A Scehault Knight knows no fear.
A Scehault Knight trusts in the good of heart
For it is in the hearts of men that our future lies.
A Scehault Knight honors thy Scion and King
A Scehault Knight knows only sacrifice
For they know the one truth that binds us all –
The holy virtue, the holy valor
The holy truth
That all life is precious – a gift."
Spire raised her head, eyes solemn as she stared up into Bareli's own.
"Protect Life, Knight. Wherever it may be, However it ails you: Wherever it takes you, however far away-"
Spire answered-
"I give my oath – to protect life and the people of Askeni, the people of Ghan, and all whose hearts are capable of such valor."
Bareli took a step back.
"Then rise, Knight, and take your place."
The audience, from dead silence, turned to uproar, applause rumbling the seat Obi-Wan sat in.
Spire stood and faced them, a small smile on her features. Bareli lay a hand upon the back of her neck and waved the audience to silence again.
"Our Knight Spire travels far today, to a world vastly unlike our own," he announced, waving at an aid to his left. The small girl brought a decorated box to the Scion, who moved to stand beside Spire. "This is my gift to you."
He opened the box to her. Obi-Wan squirmed from his seat, trying to see what was inside. The expression on Spire's face registered a shock. With slow movement, she reached inside and withdrew a metallic object.
Spire looked at the mask in her hands, its smooth edges cool upon her skin. It was a washed gold color, in the shape of a feline. The painted markings around the eyes denoted its nationality immediately – the mask was that of the Scehault lion.
"It is a breather mask, for practical purposes," Bareli murmured for Spire's ears only. "In case of… anything. But more so – it is in case you choose to hide your identity. You do not have to come back to us, Spire. But you do not have to stay with them, either." He trailed an aging finger on the markings above the eyes. "It is so you may fight as a something other that what you were – so that as you fight, you remember what you have become."
Spire's hand quivered, a wetness she had not known in many years burning her eyes.
"It is… beautiful, sire. … Thank you," she breathed, the enormity of the gift and its meaning surely causing the sudden lump in her throat. She inhaled sharply and turned to the audience, holding the gift up. Another roar of applause was sounded.
"And also, my last gift to you and the young Obi-Wan Kenobi," Bareli announced, snatching a datapad from the girl as well, "Is this."
Spire took the data pad, confused. "What is it?"
"Registration and access code to the Askeni ship, the Tiberious."
Spire's jaw half dropped, eye brows following.
"You're not serious my lord! There are only four SCW ships that are tested and in working order! I can't possibly-"
"Yes, you can. Its an order."
Chuckles emanated from the audience at the bantering. Obi-Wan frowned, confused. "What's a SCW?" He asked, leaning over to Rynik.
"Self Contained Wormhole. New Astrotech from the Mavalari people. Really neat stuff, it essentially eliminates the need for Port Cullis Gates since it kinda… reverses polar relativity in the sector, re-char-"
"Rynik, my heads going to explode," Obi-Wan pleaded.
"It goes really. Really. Fast."
"Oh…"
Applause shook the two from their own bantering, and shortly after, the audience stood. Obi-Wan found Spire beside him, shrugging of the rest of her robes to reveal the same outfit he'd first seen her in, the black red and gold armor that half reminded the padawan of the old republic armor he'd seen in old holotexts. She spoke hurridly as she pulled her tunics on.
"Are you ready to go, padawan? The Tiberious is prepped and ready. Really, Commandent Draum, I was shocked you'd let one of your precious birds go."
Rynik smiled softly, crossing his arms.
"I know you'll take good care of her, Spire. The Tiberious, and Obi-Wan."
Spire eyed the two, and nodded. "I give my word to protect them. Come, Obi-Wan. Its time."
Obi-Wan swallowed, looking back at Bareli. The Elder man just smiled, nodding his farewell. The boy nodded back. He turned again, to regard Rynik. Obi-Wan stood defiantly, determined not to cry or show his sadness.
Rynik just shook his head, smiling.
"No worries Obi-Wan. I'll never be… too far away."
The boy mustered a smile. "Goodbye, Rynik."
Those warm brown eyes, so different than those of his master, had somehow warmed the cold that had taken his heart – And Obi-Wan was forever grateful.
"Boy!"
And that was it then – two minutes later he was hurrying with Spire down a dizzying set of corridors, and onto a lift, and more tunnels, then more lifts…
"Where are we going?" Obi-Wan asked, completely disoriented.
"The Tiberious is a very powerful ship, and ships like that, we only allow to dock to our secure port, its farther away than the one you arrived in," Spire explained patiently as the lift descended. "And, it's also underground."
The lift doors swooshed open to reveal a large hanger bay door.
"And that, is the Tiberious."
Obi-Wan was always fascinated by ships, though not to a level where it was troublesome to his master. But this ship made his eyes go wide in wonder.
It was actually smaller than the Alastor, but its sleek and slim design only intensified its beauty, the metal a deep black color with hints of cobalt. It had a fin, like a shark, at its top though not too tall, its gentle slope ending at its midhull. Two thin wings extended in a curved "c" shape. The vessel was all curves, with a massive engine located in the rear.
Spire strode purposefully towards the craft, stopping briefly to speak with some of the techs who were scurrying around the ship like ants.
The entrance to the Tiberious was open, so Obi-Wan scurried aboard, touching the sides of the ship as he entered the narrow corridor that led to the cockpit area, the smooth of the metal tingling on his fingertips. The cockpit was outfitted with two leather chairs, close together, each with a console that faced the forward view. Obi-Wan sat and examined the navigational console eagerly. He did not recognize the controls however – there seemed to be no apparently way to control the ship.
A few minutes later, Spire joined him in the adjoining seat, now clad in the armor/robe hybrid that he had seen her fight the Sith in. Rubbing her hands together almost eagerly, she pushed a blue button on the console
Well, that explains why I couldn't figure out the navigations, Obi-Wan thought as a flat blue hologram popped up in front of them. Spire tapped at it, setting coordinates.
The ship began to rumble, and the ceiling of the hangar door ripped in half to reveal the bright sunlight.
"Tiberious, you have a go. Good luck."
"Copy," Spire murmured, still tapping at the holo-map. The ships core engines came online, the whole craft buzzing with energy. It rose into the air seemingly without effort. Obi-Wan stared hard outside, the city of Bastieel, and the towering architecture of the capitol building. He never got to say goodbye to Bareli…
"No worries, Obi-Wan," Spire intoned, though her attentions were still on inputting data.
"Do you know Rynik that well? He says that a lot."
She shrugged. "I've worked with him on numerous occasions. He's a good man."
Within mere moments, the ship was already zooming through the atmosphere and out into space.
"Hold on."
And suddenly, the stars exploded.
Blinding white light bathed the craft and everything within its view window. Obi-Wan squinted fiercely, and felt the craft's inertia throw him deeply into the seat. He felt… as if he was going to break, a sudden discomfort filling his senses. Then, a moment later, it was over. Light, multicolor of light, surrounded the ship and seemed to ink past them at either a very slow speed or an incredibly fast speed. It was rather pretty to look at.
"How long will it take until we're home?"
She stiffened, but caught herself, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
"About six hours."
Obi-Wan's jaw dropped. "That's… amazing."
"Indeed."
The boy fiddled with robes, trying to formulate a plan. He didn't want to sit in silence for six hours… he wanted to talk to her, really really wanted to. But he didn't want to tick her off either…
"Can I speak with you about some… things?"
Swallowing, Spire sighed softly, siting back into the chair. "I expected we would, padawan," she said with an air of defeat, crossing her legs. "What do you want to know?"
Obi-Wan pondered this for a few moments, resting his hands comfortably on his lap.
"You don't have to tell me, but I'd like to know… about what made you leave the order."
/The question./ Spire swallowed thickly, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"It's a long story, padawan."
Obi-Wan nodded sincerely.
"We have a lot of time."
She sighed softly, gazing without seeing at the bulkhead she rested her feet on.
"This whole nightmare… started over five years ago. With your master, actually."
The boy frowned. "Really?"
Spire nodded, looking stiff and uncomfortable.
"I was seventeen when his previous apprentice, Xanatos, chose the darker path of the force. Qui-Gon, though ever the diplomat and serene Jedi master, was in emotional uproar. It hurt him deeply – it hurts any master to loose their padawan," she said, eyeing Obi-Wan skeptically, "And it was totally understandable. My master, Arkken Palamin, took him with us on a few missions. I got to know him a lot better during that time."
"What was he like?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Uh, he was an excellent diplomat, even better than my master. But he had a wall up, it was hard to get in for a while."
The boy's gaze fell downward. "I know what that's like."
"Indeed. We'll see to it he doesn't do that again," Spire promised.
"Anyway, go on!"
She nodded, rubbing her fingers on the edge of the padded seat.
"Um… right. So, everything was great. When I was younger, I began to take interest in the Narguto Saber form, from the days of the Old Republic. The form of the double-sided lightsaber. Pity, because none of today's Knights or Masters use that form. I don't know what compelled me to do what I did… but I knew that I wanted to be a Narguto master. From the first time I read about it. The perfect balance of defense and offence, a balance of light and dark… I knew I wanted it.
"My master completely supported me, even though Master Yoda said "it was a useless to learn a saber form that no one has used in two thousand years". Whatever," she said, shaking her head, "But I did it anyway. I learned right from the ancient texts, and then in away my master and I both learned. He helped me find the qualities that Narguto offered."
"But, you were one of the best duelists…" the padawan asked, confused.
"Indeed. Narguto is the light side form of an ancient form, Narsenchi. Narsenchi was the first form, from before the time of light and dark, when sith and jedi were the same. The sith continue to use the Narsenchi form, though the Jedi, even Yoda, has no clue-"
"How do you know?"
She froze, then scowled.
"I've dealt with them before."
Obi-Wan furrowed his brow, a feeling of cold coming over him out of the blue. He shrugged it off, and asked her to continue her story.
"Yes. Anyway. At the peak of my "padawan" career, I was a renowned duelist because once properly trained in Narguto, you're basically twice as deadly as someone your level with a single blade," a rare grin took her features, "and man, I owned in the saber tourney. Oh yes." The boy laughed, taking her by surprise with his mellow chuckles. She relaxed a bit.
"And then… we were called to a special mission, my master and I. Qui-Gon also accompanied. We were to investigate Jaongar II and its mysterious accumulation of its vast wealth."
Obi-Wan swallowed, vaguely remember reading about this in his datapad.
"Jaongar II was a world inhabited by the species called the Ondari's. Jinn, my master and I began to investigate, under cover as trade federation representatives… only to find that they were in civil war, a secret civil war. Half of them were humanoid, like us… and the other half had developed a kind of telepathic power. The normal humanoids felt threatened, and tried to exterminate the others…
"We got sucked into this ordeal. My master wanted me off world immediately, while Jinn argued that I would be useful. My master said no, that my mental shielding wasn't yet capable of sustaining our identities for long… and then, it was just chaos." She stopped, a deep frown settling over her demeanor. She was silent for many long minutes before continuing.
"The outskirts of the capitol city was attacked while Jinn and I were separated from Arkken. He had been talking with the underground of the humanoids, the ones who believed genocide was wrong, while Jinn and I had been acquiring data. Then, I felt it through the bond, terror… my master was in trouble.
"And it was just a nightmare, I couldn't… get to him. Guards attacked us, and then there were force fields in the way… it was like… I, I don't know. Jinn was leading us to where my master was, but it was like a catacomb, a maze… if only I'd been faster…
"And then I felt it."
"Felt what?"
Her eyes were tinged with agony, jaw clenched.
"I felt him die."
Obi-Wan shuddered. It was every Padawan's worst nightmare, to feel the death of their master through the bond. The absence of life, a chilling cold… he shuddered.
"And then… the rest is a blur," Spire said in monotone, staring at the blurring universe outside. "Jinn got me home to the temple, though I don't remember much of it. There was a quick funeral, someone about having to keep it quiet… and then… I just couldn't take it. I was weak, or something, I don't know. But I couldn't stand being in that temple, where I was once so strong, and knowing that I wasn't strong enough to save him. I ran."
"Spire… that's not true!" Obi-Wan protested, "I've read about you, you were the brightest, strongest… force, if Master Qui-Gon couldn't get to him…"
She shrugged.
A decade of silence seemed to pass before he spoke again.
"What happened then?"
She shrugged again, rubbing her fingertips almost violently on her biceps.
"I fell in with the wrong crowd. And then I decided that it wasn't helping me any, so I ran away from them too… for a long time, I was hunted by a lot of people for my blade talents. Eventually, I just couldn't do it anymore. Exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically, I was on some… planet, force if I know. Some big diplomatic thing was going on when I managed to half-hazardly land the stolen ship I was on, and I got out, ran into about fifty guards, ran again… trouble seems to follow me, I guess. A big assassination attempt was underway… the assassin guys happened to see me and my illegal park job, asked me to help.. I figured sure, credits are nice to have so I can eat. But… I couldn't do it. Ended up saving the diplomat's lives. Happened to catch the attention of a old fogy named Ardemis… and the rest is history."
She just laughed without humor, and shook her head.
"I think its noble, what you did."
"Oh, thanks," she said with a drawl, rocking her feet on the bulkhead. "Its in the past. Bareli is right. What I am now… is not who I was. Things will never be as they were in the past."
"And I think you're more than worthy to go to the Jedi Council and tell then what you've become…"
"I don't think so, Obi-Wan. I understand why you want that, because they're your family… but …"
"But they're no longer yours."
She nodded. "I… don't think I could ever be a Jedi again. I can't live like them… and constantly be reminded of him."
"What do you mean?"
"The Jedi, at least the modern Jedi, do not allow for the greatest of strengths, Obi-Wan. Even Yoda doesn't realize… do you know what's kept me from the darkside? What keeps you?"
The boy pondered this.
"I care for my friends, and my master."
"Yes."
"I don't understand-"
"There is no emotion… but oh there is. Anger, loss, fear, are all paths to the darkside, so the Jedi mantra tells us not to feel. But the feelings of love, compassion... those are the greatest strengths of all. Through love, you /can/ feel anger and loss and fear… I feel anger every day at myself for not saving him. I feel his loss every day, I feel fear that I will never see him again, even when I become one with the force, that I'm not worthy… but it is my love for him, even now… it won't let me fall. I've tried, oh I've tried… the dark is tempting, Obi-Wan…"
"And that's why you're taking me home," The boy concluded, nodding.
"I want you to be with the one you care for, Obi-Wan. And I know he cares, loves you too… or he would not have taken you as a padawan. Be safe with him, instead of being out here… the sith are here, Obi-Wan. And not the sith of two thousand years ago, either. Regardless what the Jedi Council thinks… and its dangerous. They're hunting you, but they can't have you as long as you, padawan and master are together."
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By the time that the Tiberious was back into republic space, Obi-Wan felt strangely at ease with the ex-jedi. The Tiberious stormed towards his homeworld, and Obi-Wan found himself feeling anxious, but not from Spire.
"I can't feel him, Spire…"
"Hhmmm?" She responded half heartedly, inputting data to find adequate and secret landing once they made it to the Jedi Temple.
"I can't feel my master."
"At least you're trying. I assume… never mind."
"That he's not? I think he is… was… for the first time in a long time," the boy said softly, gripping his chair as the ship rapidly dropped out of whatever ungodly speed they had been traveling.
"We'll see when we get there," Spire murmured, flicking through different subspace channels. "… oh force-"
"What is it?"
She grimaced, holding a bud up to her ear, listening.
"Mass terrorist act on the senate building."
"Force!"
"Yea. I'm assuming that's where your and the other masters are… lets head there first."
"Let's…? You're coming? I thought you didn't want them to know…"
Spire stood, letting the ship pilot itself, cloaked, to a hidden spot on Coresaunt's lower floor. She knelt, reaching for her belongings. "The one thing, my weakness back then… was my shielding. Well.. I met some people during my time away from the Jedi, and they taught me all there is to know about mental and force signature shielding. Techniques the Jedi don't even know of," she explained, pulling out the precious mask that her king had bestowed upon her, "And this time… they won't know its me. Not unless I want them to know."
She slid it on, its pale metal surface glinting softly in the night light as the ship descended upon the planet. She padded her forefinger against a hidden latch, and the mechanism latched itself securely behind her ears, the eyes of the mask glowing a faint yellow.
"For now, to them, I am a mystery," her distorted voice commanded. She looked like some hybrid of man and animal, her mask the fierce shape of the lion she so adored. She turned to exit the cockpit, but paused.
"Let me tell you a brief story, before we go," she breathed, "There is a legend amongst both sith and jedi alike – that the greatest of force users can return to this world after joining with the force – either as themselves, or in the shape of a great feline."
She stopped, and began to walk away.
"Wait!" Obi-Wan sputtered, following hastily, leaning heavily on the sidewall as the ship descended sharply.
The ship docked against an old, run down office building, one near the senate undergrounds. Spire jumped fluidly with the grace of the Ataro lightsaber style, much like his master and Yoda, but he knew better. Obi-Wan was also trained in Ataro, but over the past few months of his own training, was becoming adept at Shii-Cho as well…
As he followed the liquid form of the cat into the Senate underground chambers, Obi-Wan hoped he wouldn't have to use his newly acquired skills. But then, Spire stopped suddenly, raising her head as if the Lion of her mask was smelling the wind for its prey. She turned, regarding Obi-Wan and lifted her lightsaber, gripping it tightly.
He swallowed, and did the same.
The building was in ruins, pieces of destroyed metal poking every which way and dangerously obstructing their path. Spire whirled around, facing him.
"Obi-Wan," she rasped through the mask, "Can you sense them?"
He reached into the force… and felt… not something, but the absence of something.
"Yes," she agreed, "Something is wrong. They are… under force suppression or something. And I also sense something… darker." She turned glancing behind them.
"Ok. Here is the plan. Go in first, to that chamber on the left… and see what's going on. If he tries anything… you just get the masters, I'll deal with him."
"Wait," the boy said, grabbing her arm, "What him? Who him?"
She patted his head. "Just an old master of mine."
And with that, she was gone.
Obi-Wan swallowed thickly, gripping his saber as if it was his salvation. He padded softly through the wreckage, into the room that she'd told him to go…
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/ http/ - preview of whats to come….