Chapter 53
A week goes by, and Siri finds herself getting close to the crew. She has been mainly eyeing Qui-Gon to see if he has changed, only to be greeted with kind smiles and even offered meditation sessions by the former Maverick along with Bant. While living on Tython has been taking a toll on them, Siri would be a fool if she cannot see that Vader gives the crew a choice to what they wish to do with their lives.
He had many chances to use her emotions for Obi-Wan to twist her over to the dark side, but Vader did not. To prove his good intentions as well, Vader also allowed Siri to remain around Obi-Wan, making him smile and even exchange what life has been like outside of the Order. Vader honestly reminds her of Master Yoda in his lightest moments but he rambles more about the Force.
One day, Obi-Wan and Siri is lounging on the couch, and Vader walks in. "I believe that I have found something locked away. Unfortunately, only those with the light can open the door, but I feel the Force tipping me to that direction. The Jedi must have locked something away that they didn't want for the future to see."
"So we are off to the Jedi Temple then?" Obi-Wan asks, folding his arms across his chest.
"No, not the Jedi Temple, but further down. It seems that the Jedi has been hiding something from their generations." Vader replies, eyeing l Obi-Wan for a moment before his gaze falls on Siri. "Bant and Qui-Gon has been informed, but it's best to be safe than sorry. You three are the only true Jedi on board with all morals intact. Obi-Wan, you stay here. Shmi needs to be safe."
Obi-Wan is swaying between arguing and accepting, but eventually, the man chooses the latter. The man cares about her as if she is another mother, and she can feel the odd Force Bond between them.
Siri hesitates for a moment before obeying, grabbing the Jedi cloak she had abandoned earlier before watching the holo-movie with Obi-Wan, and placing the cloak on her back. She is still a true Jedi and would follow those beliefs no matter what.
Siri moves to stand alongside Qui-Gon and Bant before each begins following behind Vader. Vader's presence demands respect even though the man treats them all like equals. Vader can easily kill them all with his power but he chooses to keep them in and work alongside them.
Siri didn't know much about the Sith but Vader being one given the ones she read about back in the Archives is beginning to get debunked more and more.
The trip is long, and Siri honestly didn't know how Vader's legs didn't buckle after hours of walking, but eventually, they find what they are looking for.
It is a small enclave like the one that they have all been shown when they were training, but this one is different from the one back on Dantooine. It still vibrates light like most things concerning the Jedi but there are forbidden secrets in here, and the enclave seems to have not been open for so long that they wonder how the wooden door still stands.
Vader moves over to the side, crossing his arms across his chest, and staring at them, waiting for them to do what they have to do.
"Vader, you can reach for the light more so than Yoda," Qui-Gon declares, moving over to the door and placing his hand on it. "How can you not access it?"
"The Force has a will for us all," Vader replies, placing his hand on his chin. "Ultimately, me reaching for the light can be successful but it would take a toll on my body. The darker side within me can present a complication."
"It can consume this place with darkness," Bant realizes slowly, her teeth grinding together at such a beautiful and light planet that can become plagued with darkness.
Vader didn't respond but the realization for them is enough to make them understand.
After a moment, Qui-Gon steps back, outstretching his hand to the door. Naturally, there is resistance that tests the former Jedi Master but Qui-Gon keeps himself grounded in the light.
Siri is next to follow, sensing the man needs her assistance. She can feel the door creaking slightly but that is all as she puts forth a lot of effort. It is so simple to reach for the darkness through impatience but she also keeps herself steadied in the light.
Bant also offers her help, proving to be the most traditional Jedi of them all. Qui-Gon is rebellious and Siri has followed that streak, but the Mon Calmarian Jedi Master has to be the one who remained mostly loyal to their Codes. Yes, she is with the crew but she would not even think about romantic attachments. She doesn't even think of them as a family but rather only as friends who have been dragged into an uncomfortable situation.
Still, Vader didn't seem to be offended by her presence and respected that Bant may never truly be turned away from the Jedi Order. Siri wonders if Vader is yet pulling a Revan and recruiting Jedi and Sith left and right.
Finally, the door is removed due to their combined effort, and the three take a moment to fall backward while Vader walks in, staring around at his dark surroundings before continuing to move.
"This place must have been lost during the time of the Old Republic," Siri says, feeling an unnatural darkness creeping through her system. It is not of the dark side nor her own darkness but complete darkness.
"Can we blame them? This place gives me the creeps." Bant replies, her large form having to duck under branches and wooden sticks which can impale her eyes out if she is not careful.
Every moment, even with Vader leading them, Siri is growing tenser and tenser. She is not afraid of the dark and was even one of the Younglings who would sneak out of the Dormitory back in the day, but now she is feeling herself questioning that belief at the borderline darkness in a light planet.
Is it possible that Tython was rotten to the core, a planet where ever the light cannot even completely touch without some form of darkness?
And Siri feels the world around her turn even darker and she senses the presence of Vader, Qui-Gon, and Bant suddenly disappears.
"Guys! Guys!" Siri exclaims, feeling a sudden tremble fill her at the loneliness. She realizes that she has never truly been alone like this as she had the Jedi before she decided to go on an alternative destiny, and for the past week had been surrounded by her companions, namely Obi-Wan who she has grown a lot closer than back on Coruscant during their Jedi days.
"Where did they go?" Siri murmurs under her breath, her hand slowly creeping down to her weapon when at last she feels movement behind her.
"Obi-Wan," Siri says, eyeing the man across from her.
"Oh Siri, you had me worried there for a second. I was pissed with Vader when he had come back without you." Obi-Wan replies, and although everything seems to be in place, Siri can sense that something is not right about her friend.
"How long do it take you to find me?" Siri queries.
"I found you in under a day but that have been the most worrying day of my life," Kenobi retorts, walking forward and wrapping his arms around her. All of Obi-Wan's embraces, she has returned, but something about this embrace... it just doesn't feel as warm as usual.
"Release me," Siri commands slowly, her hand pushing up against Obi-Wan's chest. "Release me now."
Obi-Wan looks at her curiously but obligates, unhanding her, his face showing a genuine hurt for a moment, before total darkness takes its place.
"You dare betray me?" Obi-Wan asks, his hand clenching up into a fist, and Siri feels her lungs stop breathing properly. "I have done everything for you, was willing to do whatever I can to keep you safe, and yet you still turn away from me as you did before. Siri, you really are a serpent - I should have seen through it."
Siri's heart clenches more at those words. She remembers the first time when she had given Obi-Wan to the Council maliciously without even talking to him. Does Obi-Wan even know about that little detail?
Siri's hand goes for her lightsaber only to stop short, knowing that she cannot fight Obi-Wan properly. Obi-Wan had so many faults from his time as a Jedi; borderline arrogance and rush to battle in his younger years which made Siri even angry at the time, but his intentions have always been moral.
"They were right. You truly didn't care about me." Kenobi flicks his wrist, twisting his lightsaber around himself.
"Stand down, you don't have to do this," Siri steps forwards, fearlessly. "Obi-Wan. Come with me. Run away with me, come to me, don't go down this path." She knows that Obi-Wan is not the type of man who would stand down, that once he puts his mind to it, he can be the fiercest Jedi there is.
Her hand is shaking, and she throws her lightsaber across, just to get her point across. She doesn't want to fight him again. She might be willing to defend herself, and whoever Obi-Wan tries to kill that doesn't deserve it, but she cannot. That's when she pauses. She remembers when she almost had been tempted to kill Bant for attacking Obi-Wan, and she doesn't know if she can do it again.
"Obi-Wan, I'm begging you. I don't want to have to fight you."
"You're not the one I want to fight," he replies coldly. He's standing in front of the woman as if nothing else matters. "Don't you see? Vader and Qui-Gon both abandoned me, and yet there is one that would try to kill me."
Siri shakes her head, sweat going down her belt.
Obi-Wan steps forwards and reaches up, laying a hand on her cheek, seeming to be regretful for his previous actions. "Siri," Obi-Wan says, his voice sounding calmer yet still off-putting than before. This isn't the Obi-Wan she knows. "You're too blind to the faults of the Jedi. Even Vader came to abandon me. Everyone I know have abandoned me, yet you have the chance to join me so we can run an Empire together."
She shivers, knowing that Obi-Wan can be a good talker when he puts his mind to it. "I-I... And then what, Obi-Wan? We run an Empire, have children, leave the galaxy in total darkness, but after...? What about the countless that you had slaughtered? The ones whom you abandoned for this mad jest of power? Qui-Gon? Vader? Can they all be ignored?"
The man stares at the ground, pain and foreboding coming off of Obi-Wan Kenobi, before at last, he tilts his head up. "I cannot dwell on them forever. Qui-Gon had made it clear that he is disgusted by the man I have become and Vader started me down this path but couldn't even support me through my full transition."
Siri takes several feet away from her, not able to ignore the obvious. Obi-Wan had almost choked her previously, had shown outright possessive behavior, and was willing to do whatever he can to crush those that crossed his path. This is not the Obi-Wan Kenobi that she knows, as much as she wishes others.
"Where's Bant?" Siri asks, pondering where her friend is.
Obi-Wan didn't reply.
"You killed her, didn't you?!"
"I am doing to do whatever has to be done," Obi-Wan replies sharply, seeming to be deeply regretful. "Bant stood as a threat against our relationship. She had to die."
"No!" Siri grits out. "No! You have become a monster!"
"You betrayed everything we've believed in. You betrayed of my teachings," a familiar voice echoes behind her, and Siri flips around to see the sharp gaze of Qui-Gon Jinn, green lightsaber activated. She has never seen the Jedi Master angry before like this.
Fear rushes through her quickly, instincts instantly telling her to stop them before this carries out of hand.
Except...
It's Obi-Wan who takes the first step, his much taller form approaching the man.
"Master, have you come here to say that you forgive me? To save my soul?" Kenobi's voice goes quieter, dimming the room in utter darkness, sending a tremor through Siri's spine, despite how she can sense Obi-Wan never wanting to hurt her.
"No," Qui-Gon replies in a cold tone, his angry expression maintaining.
"No, this isn't right! You both love each other! Stop!" Siri shouts, rushing forward in front of the two men.
A Force Blast her across the room, causing her to hit her head hard as she groans.
A shout of fury vibrates across the room and the sound of clashing lightsabers seconds later makes her realize to her horror what happens. Siri stands up, her head vibrating with sensations, but she can still see them.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are fighting already, in a deadly dance of green and orange. She knows without a doubt that Obi-Wan would win this contest. Obi-Wan had learned much from his years and he still is the Master of Soresu. Soresu is a lightsaber form that requires patience and hours of meditation for those attempting to learn it. Qui-Gon is a great duelist, he was Master Dooku's pride and glory and would have surely been one of the Order's best duelists of his successful apprenticeship to the Count alone. Additionally, Qui-Gon at his peak dueled Master Windu to a draw repeatedly during practice sessions.
His ability to duel the Sith back on Naboo to a draw despite being exhausted from running to his ship in the Tatooine desert at full strength is damn impressive - especially since no Jedi had fought a Sith in 1000 years, and the Sith, being the culmination of 1000 years of the Rule of Two was leagues and leagues better than the last Sith a Jedi went up against.
And even now, Obi-Wan is on an impressive defensive. Whenever Qui-Gon tries to mock him with a movement of his lightsaber, Obi-Wan is able to see right through it, blocking all of the blows, before crawling right around the Maverick, taking small nips and strikes against Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan is taunting him and it is only a matter of time before the man in particular snaps the bait, finishing him off for good.
Qui-Gon has a thorough understanding of the Force — he communes with it more deeply than any other Jedi of his time, and was more aware of the things which made the Jedi principles great. He knows to defy authority at times. Obi-Wan is calm, controlled, and incredibly well-disciplined. He followed orders but had the wisdom to question anyone when they were wrong. He would have made a great Jedi, largely due to Qui Gon, but that all means nothing now.
Obi-Wan sends a kick against Qui-Gon which sends him spiraling backward. Pivoting his lightsaber around himself, Qui-Gon headbutts his former Padawan in question and the closest man he has to a son, before swiping his lightsaber in the air in his direction. In a blur, Obi-Wan blocks the strike before sending his own, causing Qui-Gon to take several steps back.
Obi-Wan cuts around, placing himself directly on top of Qui-Gon, and starting to push him onto the ground. "Do you not feel it, my Master? Death that has long hounded you?"
Their lightsabers crackle as they both send a Force Push to each other. Qui-Gon takes several heavy breaths, his lightsaber still flickering as Kenobi begins to come to him, raising his lightsaber to end his life.
Siri jumps into the battle, sensing Qui-Gon's coming to death. She cannot last with knowing that Obi-Wan was able to successfully murder Qui-Gon so she stabs her blue blade to block his blade before kicking Qui-Gon back, giving him the precious chance to recover and regain his breath.
"I should have known that you would have sided with them," he didn't yet but snarls, breathing rapidly. Anger, pain, and betrayal flare into the Force around Obi-Wan, and Siri recognizes it for it. She is afraid too, fearful of the latter, and she couldn't believe that this could ever happen.
Qui-Gon tosses his lightsaber into the air, catching Obi-Wan by surprise for a moment, but allowing Siri to gain the chance to send him flying backward. He has a strong defense even when shocked, and he manages to recover, their lightsabers creating a firm *X* and the man leaning in, his orange lightsaber illuminating the air.
Siri begins to send attacks, knowing that they have no other choice but to disarm Obi-Wan. Like with his Master in particular, Obi-Wan deflects each of the slashes and hacks, twisting his lightsaber as she tries to keep her lightsaber in her hands, before finally he flings the hilt out of her hand.
Siri can feel herself shake as Obi-Wan approaches.
"You cannot fight forever!" Obi-Wan's voice is sharp and cold. "You cannot protect me from my destiny."
"You're right," Siri deactivates her lightsaber and stands down, seeing that the battle is fleeing. "I have to accept that my fears can be short-founded. What you choose to do affects my destiny yes but I cannot live in fear like this."
Obi-Wan poises himself over her, seeming to be conflicted for only a second, before poising his lightsaber in the air. "And thus, you prove yourself as a better individual than I could have been. However, it would not save you, my former love."
Before Siri could have reacted, Kenobi cuts to her direction. Siri should have felt something - anything - as he bisects her, but all she feels is a simple void, losing all emotion.
Siri blinks and she can see the world around her return to normal. Qui-Gon is bowing before her, a sharp smile across his lips, and Vader and Bant are some meters away. While his peaceful face is a loving sight to awaken to, the younger female is still recalling his angry expression in the vision.
Siri never wants to see such an expression on the man again. Qui-Gon's peaceful and smooth features prove that he is good at doing what he can.
"We have lost you for a bit but you were murmuring things off in your... sleep," Qui-Gon declares, seeming uncertain how to word the last word, but earning him a bemused stare nevertheless.
Siri is debating whether or not to tell him about what she has seen. She knows that Qui-Gon cares deeply for Obi-Wan as if he is his son and would protect and love him. He has accepted him for all his flaws, but that vision may have very well just been the makings of her deeper fears. She has after all been worried about how Obi-Wan can lose control and the light that is still embedded in him to become a complete monster.
But she is afraid of the fact that he may judge her. Aside from Bant, Siri is meant to be the other Jedi among them, never showing fear in even their sight. But her frantic emotions are something that the cave itself feels. It isn't the first time she had seen a vision. Through her Younglings days, she has seen visions of things occurring before they could, but nothing ever major.
Siri is tossing back and forth between telling him the truth or not. "I have seen something... despicable. Terrible! I have no idea of what it is."
Qui-Gon places a hand on her shoulder. "Allow me to see it."
Siri trusts Qui-Gon but she isn't exactly comfortable with someone being able to see her thoughts. Only Master Gallia was able to see her, and even in the end, she abandoned her. Siri trusted her and looked at her fondly, believing that maybe there was so a chance that they were deeper than just Master and Apprentice.
In a way, she has been lost without her Master who she thought would have taken her side. She had gone before her in confidence and Adi-Gallia shoved everything in her face. The next time they actually interact with one another, Siri doesn't imagine that ending too pretty as it's possible that Gallia came to accept that she has apparently been corrupted by Obi-Wan.
Ferus however is a whole other story.
She misses her Padawan every day and she hopes that he understands one day why she had made the choice to leave the Order. But for now, Siri has to focus on herself, not the past.
Siri opens herself up to Qui-Gon and he gently delves into her mind, shocking Siri at his affectionate grip, before digging deep, ensuring that he doesn't damage her mind. She can feel he doesn't pull out personal memories and instead go for the ones that are recent.
She can sense his pain, his horror, and at last, the agony becomes too much as he retreats from her mind. Qui-Gon might not be able to sleep for days.
'Go figure.'
"That... is unexpecting," Qui-Gon declares after a few breaths. "I presume that your deepest fears are being brought to light in this place. The light runs strongly here, and although there is darkness, we can both agree that it is not the dark side. This place must want you to acknowledge your fears."
"I-I fear Obi-Wan becoming a monster," Siri admits. "I sensed his fall on Naboo so many years ago and went to the Council in the belief that they would have helped him."
Qui-Gon nods. "You must train yourself to let go of what you fear to lose."
That sounds so much like something that Master Yoda would say, but Siri can understand why both men would say such a thing. Siri's fears are what can lead her to her downfall. Even if Obi-Wan does fall, that doesn't mean that she should have to fear it yet. After all, Qui-Gon saw it, and although it did shock him, it didn't do so as much as her.
"He is strong, Siri," Qui-Gon says with a slight chuckle. "Obi-Wan is stubborn and defiant. I would also never give up on him like that."
Siri is reassured by the words but she knows that it might be a while before she can feel truly assuaged. She is not going to lie. Before she came to Tython and confronted Obi-Wan for herself, Siri expected to see a Sith whispering ramblings about the darkness and that the Jedi would be proven right; but instead, she saw a man who is lost and carries much hate in his heart but not wanting to become a power-hungry maniac like the one she has seen in her vision.
It was not the dark side that created that vision. It was the combination of her fears, of what Obi-Wan can become, and she left herself emotionally valuable to her own emotions.
"Come now," Qui-Gon says, sensing that her fears are beginning to calm. "We have to continue our journey."
Despite the journey being prolonged by Siri's breaking down and almost screaming bloody murder, the group finds themselves back at the journey at hand quickly enough. Vader showed his concern for Siri when she appeared to lose her mind, but Qui-Gon and Bant had expressed their concern more so than he could have.
Vader can see through the darkness but he cannot fault Bant for activating her lightsaber. After all, it is possible that they can encounter something that has been buried in here, but Vader can feel the Force nudging no danger.
The Force is leading them somewhere but he cannot put his finger on it.
Vader finally sees something purely purple, and he takes several cautious steps toward the light, keeping a firm eye for the danger of any sort. He sees the Holocron, sensing something is different about this one from the Jedi and Sith ones, his hand rubbing over its edges. He can see no light nor dark but rather distinct gray.
Vader calls deep into the light and dark before the Holocron at last cracks open. "Whoever open this next would be worthy. While I was a Jedi, recently I began to see things differently, and I can't stand for their righteous ways. In my travels, I have located Jedi Holocrons, different from the ones that are of my time. Perhaps future generations would come to understand them."
Behind the stones, gems lightly dim as if summoned by the man in question, all equal amount of blue like the ones in the Temple. These are the ones that the Jedi mustn't have noticed when the Jedi switched locations.
Despite that, Vader cannot fault the Jedi Order for choosing to leave.
Tython was located in a dangerous area. In some areas they were in such close proximity, stars would collide and rip the cores from each other. Due to the gravitational pull of the vast number of stars and the prominence of dark matter concentrations, local space-time was severely warped, making hyperspace travel difficult at best.
The inhabitants likely emigrated to better planets and systems as hyperspace became a more reliable technology. The Tython system inhabitants had no hyperspace. They weren't technologically advanced compared to the outside galaxy, specifically the Rakatan Empire. Also, travel to the system would likely be very difficult, and not worth the effort for most scholars.
Non Jedi historians or archeologists may be interested in those other planets, but Jedi had no real interest in them. The Jedi really only cared about their own history. Think of it like this...most historians focus on a specific time period or civilization. Someone studying ancient times doesn't really have time or funding to explore contrasting civilizations, especially if there are no connections between the two. The Jedi stayed on Tython and had all their headquarters there, thus all relevant information would be there as well. They don't care about the rest of the system.
The cloaked figure pulls back his hood, revealing an aging man with a long white beard, his eyes speaking years of wisdom. "I have found myself living through decades of degrading. The Sith are rising to power, and I fear that one day they would be too much for my fellow Jedi to either fall to the bait themselves or perish. If there is a case where Jedi can finally seek the ways of the true Jedi Order, I have done this favor. I'm hoping someone will wake up, to finally do something about this corruption..."
Vader can see the cloaked figure's shame. Even though the man must be long gone, his body probably buried deep underground, this man is not just another faceless individual among that decaying Order. Not all of the Legends are famed and known after all, and quite frankly, if Vader manages to drag this galaxy back kicking and screaming, he wouldn't want to be remembered as a Legend either.
"I put down my weapons, buried my lightsabers, and I want them to never be located. They were mine, part of what I represented. The clothes I would leave behind as well as this Holocron. I am the last Je'daii and I would not allow the ancestors of my legacy end like in disgrace. May the Force be with you."
"Wow," Bant says, her large voice ironically representing all of what them - namely Vader - are thinking right now. "I guess that there are secrets that the Jedi didn't represent."
"I'm taking his clothes and Holocrons back to our ship," Vader replies.
"Vader, we can hardly cramp ourselves and supplies in. Have you forgotten that we lost the Falcon?" Qui-Gon asks, snapping out of his awe to face Vader. Truthfully, the Jedi wanted to learn about the past but the Freighter is too cramped as it is and that was one of Plagueis's nicer ships.
Kriff, they really needed to get the Falcon back.
"I rather have access to them instead of coming to the hands of scavengers that may come here."
Obi-Wan is not really having a good day. Aside from dealing with a pregnant Skywalker, he has been trying to locate the Falcon. All of the tracking devices that Vader on that ship have to come up with something.
Ugh!
Aside from feeling absolute happiness around Siri, there is still that shadow that the void of Anakin left him with. He didn't care what he is like now nor the fact that it's been months that Obi-Wan Kenobi forgotten the timing. He would drag Anakin back with him kicking and shouting no matter what.
Obi-Wan is about to leave it when surprisingly he finds something; a beeping.
Taking his chances immediately, Obi-Wan pounds his hands on the location. The Falcon is not in the Deep Core much to his horror but rather in the Outer Rim.
Anakin!
It is within tracking distance, and Obi-Wan can reach the pilot through scrambled devices. Hopefully, Anakin didn't get himself killed, but he might actually be looking for Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan finally clicks on the communicator system. The comm buzzes for a moment before falling dead.
"No! No!" Obi-Wan exclaims, banging onto the tracking and communication system frantically. He needs proper coordination or at least finds the location of the Falcon, knowing that if he passes this up, he might never see Anakin again.
Not ready to make that sacrifice, Obi-Wan almost screams in frustration as he prays to the Force to stop being cruel to him. He cannot deal with the pain in his chest, the fear that came with never finding Anakin, and the reality of being rejected by the Jedi. He is still hunted by that similarly to how Anakin is hunted by his slavery past.
And he feels relief again filling his chest when he finally finds the Falcon yet again.
"The Millennium Falcon, come in."
Obi-Wan is angry when he is met with static.
After five minutes, Obi-Wan repeats in a much louder voice, "The Millennium Falcon! Come in!"
If whoever is on board the Millennium Falcon doesn't respond, Obi-Wan would lose all of his sanity. A part of Obi-Wan is afraid to the ship now homing nothing but smugglers. If it does, well, the poor fools would be hunted down until the beauty is returned to them, and all of it known coordinates would be ripped apart one by one.
"Lord Kenobi," a metallic voice responds, familiar to Obi-Wan but not the one that he wanted to hear.
"Repeat," Obi-Wan replies, blinking as he is unsure if he has heard that voice properly.
"Lord Kenobi," the form of the Droid that Anakin constructed himself begins to come into existence on the other side, disappointing Obi-Wan further. "I have been ordered by Lord Skywalker to locate Lord Vader. Where is he?"
"Long story," Obi-Wan replies, trying to avoid how sheepish his voice sounds. "Where is Anakin?"
"Apparently, my Master is in danger but I have saved his last location." Threepio replies, his voice dripped with worry that didn't shock Obi-Wan as he is extremely loyal to Anakin no matter what he walks them into. Anakin can be on the edge of the galaxy, and Threepio would follow due to pure obedience to his Master. "I have saved his coordinates."
"Put in the coordinates. Tython."
Threepio clicks a few buttons, and Obi-Wan is happy to know that Threepio is at least saved. He knows how devastated Anakin would be if Threepio was harmed in this adventure, but Obi-Wan would be happy if they can at least find the man. Plus, when was the last time Threepio had been powered on?
The poor Droid must be barely operating, and even now Obi-Wan can see the rotten armour of the Droid. Anakin would have had a panic attack, but a quick probe through the Force confirms that Anakin isn't with Threepio right now. That means he might be in great danger.
If he is, Obi-Wan would find him, and maim him for running off, before helping him.
"Shmi needs to know about this," Obi-Wan says to himself, knowing that the woman would find out eventually anyhow and would be utterly pissed off if Obi-Wan did not tell her.
"Know about what?" A voice chides from the side gently, and Obi-Wan turns to the woman who his father figure cares about so much.
Obi-Wan hesitates for a moment before straightening himself. "I have located the Millennium Falcon..."
Shmi's eyes go wide and she speaks as calmly as possible. "...and?"
"I found Threepio and he knows where Anakin is at!" Obi-Wan exclaims, his emotions bursting. "According to him, Anakin sent him to talk to Vader and we are waiting for him to bring the Falcon."
Shmi's hand goes to her stomach and Obi-Wan wraps his arms around the woman before she could have toppled over. Obi-Wan wipes the sweat from her brow, knowing that the last thing the woman needs currently is stress.
Calming her down successfully, Obi-Wan sends a slight Force Suggestion which knocks her out, before wrapping his arms around her now limp body, and lowering her onto the ground.
This is a Force Suggestion that Qui-Gon taught him, and as much as Obi-Wan hates to use it on someone who has grown so important to him, he wouldn't want to have her possibly going through stress over this. She's having a child after all and they wouldn't have the best materials to deliver the baby when the time comes.
Vader nor Qui-Gon would be happy when they discover that Obi-Wan did what he did with Shmi but he does not regret his decision. It is one that he'd made out of a moment of pure instinct.
Not allowing her body to hit the ground, Obi-Wan lifts her up and manages to place her onto the bed before beginning to think. He has been under Tor Valum's control, and he remembers how helpless he felt when he was about to bring the mortal blow down among Shmi, and he wouldn't risk such a thing again.
Obi-Wan wonders if Vader would have been able to resist it, or Qui-Gon. It didn't matter at the end, does it? Their destiny is to fight this ancient evil and perhaps remove him from the galaxy permanently. If they do not, the galaxy would collapse in the future, and Obi-Wan cannot imagine his possible descendants always having to worry about the dangers of a Sith that should have been dealt with a long time ago.
Another failure that leaves the Jedi open to being eliminated someday.
Obi-Wan waits for a while until he can feel the presence of Vader. The man is confused to why Obi-Wan is closing him off but he doesn't press as Vader walks back to the ship along with the rest of the crew.
"Obi-Wan," Vader says expectedly.
"I found a leak to Anakin," Obi-Wan replies, making Vader and Qui-Gon's eyes go wide. "Threepio is coming here and he is bringing the Falcon!"
Anakin has grown to hate the dark, even though it is a part of him.
Every day has been the same thing. The murmurs in the back of his head, the commands of the darkness to do evil things that would have led him down an unforgivable road, and Skywalker eagerly waiting for Vader to finally arrive. Even that eventually became unlikely. Valum stopped beating him but the pain still lingers as Valum can control anything he wants, and Skywalker cannot stand against that power alone unless he fully accesses the darkness.
He would have never thought it would have felt so disgustingly overwhelming, but in a way, the darkness enlightened him. Anakin feels something within him changing aside from the facial hair on his face that should be shaved sooner or later.
A small part of him still holds out hope that Threepio was successful in locating Vader, but a bigger part of him acknowledges the next time that he sees his mentor, Anakin might as well be far more broken than he already was.
He acts like his slave. He fights and fights for Valum, winning every challenge that Valum throws at him, even though he knows that those individuals would soon be of the physical realm. He can feel the darkness trying to seize control in every precious moment, the dreamless periods of sleep as the shadows crawl up his mind, and he finally realizes something.
Anakin is no longer angry. He is dead.
No not physically but of resisting the darkness. He doesn't want to live like this anymore and he has been tempted to acknowledge the darkness. He was always a fighter, back when under his mother's hold and only that being enough for him, and he can only recall those times.
A song rings through his mind but he doesn't like to think of the idea of singing it. It is a song that promises to release him of all his agony. It is a song that would finally give him the strength to be able to hate Vader. It is a song that would finally give him the chance to kill Vader.
He can feel the irritation coming from Valum, the individual that have been trying persistently to morph himself to become his Master, but that doesn't mean Anakin would give himself in so willing. Valum doesn't care about him and would sooner replace him when someone far more powerful comes along like Luke did in the other timeline.
Eventually, Anakin reaches through the Force and he can feel Obi-Wan. A smile comes up at seeing him with another woman who must be some years younger than him. So, Obi-Wan is the type who makes those sorts of moves? Anakin would not let his brother live it down.
As quickly as they fall comes, Anakin forces it down. If Valum discovers about Obi-Wan's feelings through Anakin, he would find out about his brother's new friend, and that would place her in danger. He needs to continue stalling before Valum could get what he wants. Anakin is afraid to see the day when he becomes Valum's personal conduct.
He reaches for Vader and he can feel that he is still searching for him. Valum can cut him off from reaching out to them too far but he cannot disallow him the opportunity to inspect their conditions. Their Force Dyad goes beyond deeper, and no one could ever shatter the relationship, that being proven the day Vader arrived to the galaxy, placing a cloud among Anakin Skywalker back on Tatooine.
Anakin smiles, feeling lighter than he has been when he was dragged into this war with the Jedi. He tried to be Vader's best student but he knows that his mentor has been trying to teach him to be his own person. He cannot blame Vader for trying as both of them have suffered so much in their kriffed-up childhoods and the scars are still there.
Vader would take a bullet let alone a lightsaber for him, and Anakin didn't know that someone would have gone so deep. He certainly didn't deserve it after the way he had treated him. He didn't mean to call him out, he was just angry at those years of deceptions and the life denied to him where he could have been raised instead of on a ship.
So as much as he keeps it hidden from Valum, he is still light as much as he can be if not lighter, and that would be the strength that Vader and Anakin would use to stop Valum. No one can defeat the Chosen Ones themselves, for the Force is planning something, and Anakin cannot wait for the day to cut the ancient Sith Lord down.
In a way, Anakin is glad that this has happened. This enlightened him to the fact that Vader tried with him and Anakin was almost corrupted by the Bogan - the darkness. He should have known and he hopes now that he can escape so he can become the better protege of Vader, can finally strive to become his own man unlike he has been for the past years.
Anakin waits for the day for Vader to come. He knows that his mentor would not fail. Skywalkers are too confident in what they believe in. They are both Bogan and Ashla and even Valum cannot compete against that.
Bogan would abandon Valum someday, and Skywalker cannot wait for that day to come.