Chapter 3
Names

Obi-Wan sipped his tea and silently studied his most unexpected guest. Sprawled on the couch across from him lay the mysterious boy from the hospital. He was wrapped up in a blanket and fast asleep, finally looking peaceful. Now what I am supposed to do?

"He can't stay here, you know." Nejaa reminded him softly, so as not to wake the boy. "You probably shouldn't even have brought him here in the first place."

"I know," Obi-Wan sighed. "But what would you have done with him?"

"I really can't say," Nejaa sighed. "So when will you call the Council?"

"In the morning." Obi-Wan replied. "It's too late now, everyone is likely asleep."

"You know they wouldn't mind being woken up for this." Nejaa pointed out.

"True," Obi-Wan conceded.

"Why don't we place that call now and get it over with." Nejaa suggested.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded after a moment and set his tea aside.

Master Halcyon nodded and the pair of them rose and headed out. Obi-Wan paused at his doorway to glance back at his most unusual guest. The boy remained completely dead to the world and so he left without worrying…too much.

Don't try to sneak out of here, I doubt you'd make it unnoticed…

Something was off. He wasn't sure what at first. But then it came to him. He was entirely too comfortable. In his childhood, his bed had been a simple shelf with some sheets and a pillow. More recently it was a cell-like room with a cold metal cot. And most recent of all was a wide variety of uncomfortable places from ship holds, to sewer pipes, to sharp rocky ground. Now he was very comfortable, probably the most comfortable he'd ever been while asleep. He opened his eyes.

He was in a very cozy room, laying on a couch, and wrapped up in a blanket. The lights were dim though not completely out. Next to the couch was a low table with a cup sitting at the far end. It was very quiet, and he sensed that no one was around.

For a moment, he couldn't fathom where on Corellia he was. And then he remembered…

He'd snuck out of the hospital, but he'd forgotten all of his things in his panic. And then a pair of Jedi had tracked him down. One had been cold and hostile, the other had been kind of nice. Surprisingly, the Jedi hadn't killed him on the spot for being a Darksider. And he'd lost it and cried like a child… And then the Jedi had brought him back to…the Jedi Temple, Corellia.

Sithspit! I have to get out of here!

He clumsily squirmed upright, hindered by the warm, soft blanket. He peeled himself free of it, swung around, set his feet on the cold, hard floor and… 'Don't try to sneak out of here, I doubt you'd make it unnoticed…' A strange echo in his mind made him freeze. That sounded like the voice of the nicer Jedi with the beard. Did he say that to me? He wondered.

With a shrug, he stopped worrying about it and cocooned himself in the soft blanket again. There really was no way he could slip out of a Jedi Temple so it was simply better not to try. So he uneasily resigned himself to wait and see. He didn't have long to wait.

The door behind the sofa whooshed open and two men came in. One of them was the nice Jedi, the other the not-so-nice Jedi. He cowered in the blanket, suddenly feeling his anxiety rocket out of the atmosphere. Why did I go with them? Whatever made me think that doing that was a good idea?

"Oh, you're awake." The nice Jedi remarked, clearly surprised. "Are you feeling better?"

"I-I suppose," he admitted guardedly, pulling the blanket tighter about himself.

"Good," the Jedi nodded, taking a seat in a cushioned chair next to the couch. The other Jedi took up the second chair and remained silent.

"So, where were you?" He asked, watching the two Jedi nervously.

"We had to place a call to Coruscant." The nice Jedi replied.

"Coruscant?" He asked stupidly.

"Yes, we had to inform the Council of our findings." The other Jedi frowned.

"The Council?" He paled and tensed. I'm dead!

"Please relax, nothing has been decided yet." The first Jedi assured him. "Now, I believe we all should introduce ourselves. I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"I am Jedi Master Nejaa Halcyon." The second Jedi added stiffly.

He remained silent, still reeling from the admission of the call to the Jedi Council, and he didn't trust the two Jedi either. Both Jedi waited for him to say something. When he continued to not speak, Master Halcyon looked increasingly unhappy.

"If you don't feel comfortable telling us your name, you can make one up for us to use." Knight Kenobi suggested hopefully.

He hesitated for a long moment, then gave in and used the name that the cruel Count and his Master had given him. "Vader."

Both Jedi looked rather unhappy with his answer. "Vader?" Master Halcyon frowned.

Vader just shrugged and tried to bury himself deeper in the folds of the blanket. He said make up a name, so I did…sort of.

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Knight Kenobi asked politely.

Vader mutely shook his head, ignoring his dry throat and empty stomach. He didn't trust the Jedi to bring him anything that wasn't tainted by drugs or poisons.

"Well then, it's quite late. Why don't you get some sleep?" Knight Kenobi suggested, getting up from his chair. "I'll see you tomorrow?" The Knight asked as Master Halcyon stood up to leave.

"Yes," the Master replied tersely with a stiff nod. In seconds the older man was gone, leaving Vader and the slightly younger Knight behind.

"Good night," Knight Kenobi bowed and moved to a different door, one that led to the Knight's sleeping quarters.

"What's so good about it?" Vader muttered to himself.

The Knight paused. "What is so bad about it?" The Jedi countered.

"'m stuck in here, surrounded by Jedi, with no way out." Vader sulked.

"Why would you want to leave? You're safe here." Knight Kenobi wondered.

"No 'm not." Vader grumbled.

"Yes you are." Kenobi insisted.

"'m not." Vader muttered stubbornly. "They'll find me n' matter where I go an' they'll get me. If some of your 'friends' don't get me first."

Knight Kenobi looked annoyed. "They won't find you here, so long as you don't touch on the Dark Side. And aside from myself, Master Halcyon, and the Jedi Council, no Jedi knows that you're here. Now go to sleep young one."

Vader scowled, but did as he was told…sort of. He flopped back down on the couch and closed his eyes and waited for the Knight to leave the room. Once he knew he was alone he opened his eyes again and began to think furiously.

Knight Kenobi is weird. Why the Sith Hell is he so damn nice to me? And why the heck is his voice so familiar? Did I hear it somewhere before? Wait…wait, when I was sick…was he the guy that brought me to the hospital in the first place? This…this whole mess is his fault! …Argh!

With this realization, Vader quietly fumed and raged until unconsciousness finally claimed him once more…