A/N: Ok, I wrote this a while ago and it's been sitting in my computer doing nothing. So, I figured I'd post it and see what everyone thinks. Please review. And remember, if you've read my story Shattered Mirror, this story takes a totally different path. It's an alternate idea I had before writing Shattered Mirror.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, well except for Azah Keel, she's mine.
Alone
"Not even the younglings survived." Obi Wan stated, the shock filling his voice.
"Killed not by clones this Padawan. By a lightsaber he was." Master Yoda added, surveying the room full of dead children.
Obi Wan bent down to closer inspect the body of one boy. "Who? Who could have done this?" He asked painfully.
Suddenly the Force surged and both Masters looked to each other. "I know who it was." A voice said as its owner stepped out of the shadows, hood over their head.
Obi Wan drew his lightsaber, igniting it, but stood his ground. This persons presence seemed full of pain and sorrow, not evil. "Who are you?" He asked.
"A friend." They said, pulling their hood back and revealing their face. It was Azah Keel, one of Obi-Wan's friends since childhood.
"Azah! You're alive." Obi Wan stated in shock, stepping forward and deactivating his lightsaber. "What about the others?"
"Most are dead." She said matter-of-factly, "But there were some other Knights, as well as a few Padawans, and an entire clan of younglings that I sent into hiding, for their own safety. I ran interference for them." She sighed, "Oh, Obi Wan, Master Yoda...I've never seen so many clones in my life, and so many Jedi are dead." Azah continued, growing more and more tearful with every word. It was obvious that she was struggling to keep her composure.
"Where?" Yoda inquired, finally stepping forward to join the two younger Jedi.
"Underneath the Temple, in the heating and cooling vents." She explained with a wave of her hand toward the floor beneath their feet.
"Find them we must. Tell them safe it is not." Master Yoda said, looking up, his hands resting uneasily on his gimmer stick.
"Yes Master." Azah nodded. "But what of the other Jedi? Those spread abroad?"
"Why we are here it is. Master Kenobi?"
Obi Wan continued. "We came to recalibrate the coded message being sent from the Temple. It appears that the clones have sent out a message telling all surviving Jedi to return to the Temple. What they do not know is that it is a trap, meant to finish off any Jedi left in the galaxy."
"So this betrayal isn't only here at the Temple? It took place all over the galaxy?" Azah asked, furrowing her brows.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. We don't know how many are dead." Obi Wan stated, looking away out the windows at the smoke that was still rising from the building.
"Remember why we are here we must." Yoda chimed in, beginning to move for the door.
"Yes Master." Obi Wan replied, following the small Master. He gave a quick glance toward Azah and she followed as well.
"I have recalibrated the code, warning all surviving Jedi to stay away." Obi Wan informed, turning from the transponder.
"For the clones to discover the recalibration a long time it will take." Yoda replied, moving out of the room.
Obi Wan finished with the message and followed him out. Azah had been waiting outside and she cast Obi Wan a weary look which he returned as they moved on.
"Wait. Master." He said, stopping. Obi Wan turned to the camera history bank. "There is something I must know."
"If into the security recordings you go only pain will you find." Yoda warned.
"I agree Obi Wan, you're better off not knowing what I do. It will cause you too much pain." Azah added, walking up beside the diminutive Master.
"I must know the truth, Master." Obi Wan insisted, entirely ignoring Azah's comment. With that said he turned on the playback feature of the Temples cameras. He watched as Anakin wiped out Jedi after Jedi, even the younglings.
Yoda sighed, closing his eyes and lowering his head. Azah mirrored his response.
Obi Wan shook his head in disbelief. "It can't be. I can't be." He repeated, trying to wish away the scenes in front of his eyes. The next scene brought even a startled look to Azah's face.
"You have done well, my new apprentice. Now, Lord Vader...go and bring peace to the Empire." The Sith Lord was speaking to Anakin who was knelt in submission before him.
Obi Wan quickly turned off the feed. "I can't watch any more." He stated, the pain and shock written upon his face and in his words.
"Destroy the Sith we must." Yoda said, emphasizing his words with a tap of his gimmer stick.
"Send me to kill the emperor. I will not kill Anakin." Kenobi insisted, walking up to face Yoda.
"To face this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not."
"He is like my brother, I cannot do it."
"Twisted by the dark side young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader."
"Send me then Master Yoda." Azah stepped up, stopping the Master in his retreat.
"Retrieve the surviving Jedi you must. To fight this Sith Lord, strong enough you are not, just as Obi Wan." Yoda chastised.
She sighed, dropping her head. "Yes Master Yoda."
"I do not know where the emperor has sent him. I don't know where to look." Obi Wan insisted, trying his best to get out of having to face Anakin. He was sounding like a Padawan again.
"Use your feelings, Obi Wan, and find him you will."
Yoda then exited, moving slowly as he always did, leaving Obi Wan and Azah alone.
Obi Wan stood, where Yoda had left him, shaking his head. "I can't do it Azah, I simply cannot face him this way."
"Obi Wan, you are a Jedi Master, by far superior to my talents. He was your Padawan, your friend, and even if he isn't the same boy you trained you still know him best. You know his strengths and his weaknesses, that gives you an advantage over anyone else in the galaxy. And if you refuse to face him, in battle of not, then he has already won this war."
He stood, taking in her words and processing them. Then he sighed, realizing that everything she said had been true. "You're right. Thank you Azah." Obi Wan said, moving over to embrace her. When they separated he smiled at her. "And do not sell yourself short. Your wisdom is far beyond mine, my friend."
She smiled in reply, patting him on the shoulder as they moved on to face their duties.
"When was the last time you saw him?" Obi Wan questioned Padme.
"Yesterday." She replied, walking away.
"And do you know where he is now?" He asked, following her into the living area,
"No."
"Padme, I need your help. He is in grave danger."
"From the Sith?" She suddenly turned to face him.
"From himself." Obi Wan corrected. "Padme...Anakin has turned to the dark side."
"You're wrong. How could you even say that?" Suddenly she was angry, but Obi Wan didn't blame her, he hardly believed his words himself.
"I have seen a-- a security hologram..." Obi Wan said, turning away with a pained expression gracing his features. "of him...killing younglings." As the words left his mouth he brought a hand to it, covering his lips as the urge to cry welled up in his throat.
"Not Anakin. He couldn't."
Obi Wan was suddenly composed again, the perfect Jedi Master that he always was. "He was deceived by a lie. We all were. It appears that the chancellor is behind everything, including the war." He said, walking back over to face her, power behind every one of his words. "Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for. After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice." All Obi Wan could do was hope that the true of his words would shine through to Padme because if it didn't, he wasn't sure what he would do. He was still just as sorrowful as she was.
"I don't believe you." Padme replied, walking away. She seated herself on the sofa, shaking her head.
"I can't." She whispered to herself, trying to make Obi Wan's words disappear.
Obi Wan sat beside her, looking at her with compassion and pleading. "Padme. I must find him."
She turned to look at him, tears in her eyes. "You're going to kill him, aren't you?"
Obi Wan swallowed, barely getting out the words he knew he must say. "He has become a very great threat."
"I can't." She was shaking her head again, looking away from his pleading, sorrow-filled eyes.
Obi Wan quickly resigned himself to the fact that she wouldn't tell him what he needed to know. She was still in love with Anakin. He stood, moving away so that she would not see the confusion that came over him. He gathered himself enough to turn. "Anakin is the father, isn't he?"
Padme looked down, breathing heavily, unable to answer his question. What she didn't realize was that her reaction had answered for her.
"I'm so sorry." Obi Wan said consolingly as he turned again to leave. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head as he moved toward his fighter. He used the Force to open the cockpit and climbed in, flying away as Padme sat on the sofa, alone again.
Obi Wan was flying around in circles, he knew what he needed to do but he couldn't force himself to use Padme that way. He knew that he needed to follow her, that she was certain to go after Anakin to see if what he'd said had been true. He knew what he needed to do, that didn't necessarily mean he wanted to do it. Just then his commlink beeped.
"Kenobi here." he responded.
"Obi Wan, good, I'm glad I caught you." It was Azah. Her beautiful Coruscanti accent filled the cockpit of his fighter, it nearly made him smile.
"How can I be of service?" He asked, falling back into routine.
"No, I was hoping to be of service to you." She said, "I've been watching you fly around in circles for an hour now, it's obvious you could use some counsel." Azah was nearly teasing him now.
"Has it really been that obvious?"
"Considering that the only Jedi fighters left on Coruscant to my knowledge are yours and mine, yes, it is that obvious."
Obi Wan sighed, "I don't know what to do." He said, "I have to sound like the most incompetent Jedi Master in exsistence right now, but I need a second opinion."
"What would Qui-Gon say right now? Something to the effect of, 'You know what is right, follow your instincts, let your feelings guide you.' sounds right."
"That is exactly what he would have said, and its exactly what I didn't want to hear. I know what I need to do, I simply don't want to do it."
"Obi Wan," Here she sighed, "Stow away on Senator Amidala's ship, if she is going anywhere now, then it is probably to Anakin. She'll lead you straight to him."
Obi Wan could tell that Azah hadn't wanted to let on that she knew exactly what was happening but he'd left her no choice. "You know, sometimes you shock me with the depth of your intellect and your insight into a situation."
"Oh, come now Obi Wan. The situation isn't that difficult to read, besides, you're nearly broadcasting your feelings to me." Now she was teasing.
"Is it my fault that you're telepathic?"
"No, but it is your fault that we have this blasted bond between us." Azah replied, holding back her laughter. It amazed her that even though the situation at hand seemed impossible and that nearly all of the Jedi Order had been wiped out, she could still laugh. Obi Wan always had that effect on her, and she had always been one to cheer those with a broken heart.
Obi Wan let out a hearty chuckle, a sound Azah hadn't heard in ages. At the sound of his laughter she burst out herself.
"Thank you Azah." Obi Wan finally said. "Even in the direst of times you can still manage to bring a little joy into my life. What would I do without you?"
"Oh, probably be crazy old hermit somewhere." She said and suddenly a picture of Obi Wan as a hermit came to mind, but it wasn't a dream. It was a vision, one she wouldn't share with Obi Wan. She suddenly knew his future and that he would end up on Tatooine, as a crazy old hermit to the locals. Azah stifled a little laugh, then her heart fell when she realized that she may never see Obi Wan again.
Obi Wan had laughed at first but Azah's sudden silence had alarmed him. "Azah? Are you still there? Azah?"
"Yes, Obi Wan, I'm sorry. Just thinking is all."
"Of me?" He was teasing her back now.
"As a matter of fact, yes." She said defensively. "I'll miss you Obi Wan." Azah's voice was full of sorrow and pain.
Suddenly the reason came to Obi Wan, "I'll miss you as well Azah."
"May the Force always be with you."
"And may the Force always be with you too."
As she turned off her commlink, Azah felt a stray tear fall from her eyes onto the floor of the landing platform. She suddenly knew what it felt like to be in a world without the Jedi, it was to be alone.
There you have it, please review!