A MESSED UP DESTINY

A STAR WARS STORY

Chapter 26

Disclaimer: Disney owns everything and I make no profit from this.

Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 26 of the story! Today's chapter picks up a few moments before the last one ended, and begins with the same conversation Anakin and Obi Wan had, before moving on to discussing Siri's death and the mission of destroying the Malevolence. I'll definitely include Plo Koon in this one, since seeing someone as powerful as Anakin Skywalker use the Dark Side, especially when that is the man training Ahsoka Tano (the closest thing to a daughter Plo has) is not something he'll shrug off easily and there's bound to be some heat between the two.

Note: Just as a reminder, I'll be taking another week-long break from writing to go on vacation with family, from the 2nd of August to the 8th, hence me uploading twice this week so I can try to finish the Malevolence Arc before I go. Also, while the destruction of the ship itself won't take priority as a main plot point, there will be action scenes in this chapter.

Post-Edit Note: Hey guys, just so you know, the Malevolence Arc is now a three part Arc. Yeah, I know I was supposed to finish it today, but you'll be getting the third and final part before Monday (probably on Sunday), which is when I leave for vacation. I have no intention of leaving you guys hanging, but this chapter was getting way too big for my liking, and if I combined them as I wanted to do in the beginning, much of the action and battle for the Malevolence would have been cut to short paragraphs instead of the drawn-out descriptions and conversations I wanted to include.

Anyhow…without further ado…let's dive straight in!

Trouble on the Resolute! Still reeling from the news of his lover's death and with General Grievous' new Flagship at large, Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi is tasked with leading a task force aiming to deprive the CIS of this new weapon by destroying the ship and ending the threat once and for all. Meanwhile, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker has a heated discussion with Master Plo Koon, who worries about his darker side influencing the young Jedi's apprentice…

Resolute, Anakin's quarters, Obi Wan's point of view:

As Coric and the other medics -who I had told Rex to call in, on the condition that Anakin would never find out- arrived at the Hangar to take the members of the 104th away to make sure they weren't suffering any injuries, Ahsoka bombarded Anakin with questions as to why he hadn't told her about the mission and why he hadn't tried to find her so she could come along. To my own surprise, it was Cody who stepped in to defend him, flashing Anakin a smile from underneath his helmet as I quickly dragged him away, wanting answers on how my Commander had almost unveiled a plan that was nearly a year in the making, or why in the Sith Hells he got the impression of Anakin being a Separatist spy.

I may have been a bit harsh when yelling at him about that particular fact, but I wasn't exactly thinking straight in that moment, still terrified by the possibility of being discovered by the Council -or even worse, Chancellor Palpatine- and losing by brother along with my hopes for a brighter future than the one we had left behind almost a year ago.

In what I interpreted as a desperate attempt to direct the conversation away from the current topic –Anakin had been yelled at enough already, I admitted to myself- my brother proceeded to tell me all about his mission with Cody and Oddball, and of how he rescued Master Plo from the clutches of Grievous, but when he reached the end of his story is when my emotions got the better of me.

"And then…I'm not sure why I did it…but I…might have blasted the Malevolence with copious amounts of Force Lightning?", he said, though it came out as more of a question, since I could sense his hesitation in telling me about this, fearing my reaction to the event.

Under normal circumstances, Anakin would have no reason to be nervous about such a thing, since we had had many discussions in relation to his use of the Dark Side over the past year, and I myself could always sense that his Darkness never outgrew the near-blinding Light of his Force Presence, so I hadn't been worried about him turning in a long time…but today…was different. Perhaps it was my emotions getting the better of me again, perhaps it was my inability to find mental peace since Mace had given me the news a few hours back, but I just…snapped at him.

"Anakin, please don't tell me you destroyed an entire flagship with the Force?", I asked my brother, upset about everything that had happened today, and quite frankly, tired of having to cover for him when the Council was involved, though I never blamed him for his reactions during Council Meetings.

After all, if I didn't have impeccable control of my own self when conversing with others on any given topic, I certainly would have slapped them all for the sheer stupidity of their plans and ideas regarding…everything, really.

Not being in the mood to get yelled at again, Anakin was quick to reassure me that he had not in fact destroyed an entire flagship with a Force Storm, though his attempt at convincing me didn't go very far. A+ for effort, I suppose... "Uh…no? I mean, it didn't blow up! I promise!", he tried to defend myself, but I wasn't having it.

"Anakin!", I shouted at him, coming off much louder and harsher than I had intended. "You do realize that Master Koon saw you do that, yes? A member of the Jedi High Council saw you use a Sith ability in battle!", I continued, angry at him, at the Council, at the Galaxy as a whole. I…I never had quite recovered after Siri's first death, and to lose her so quickly after just getting her back…was pure torture for me. Was this the pain Anakin had felt while burning on Mustafar, because my body certainly seemed to be on fire at the moment, one that was slowly licking away at wounds that had never truly healed.

Anakin suddenly narrowed his eyes at me, staring at me inquisitively as I tried to maintain eye contact, desperate to hide my thoughts from him. He had enough on his plate with everything that was going on, my burdens were not something he needed at the moment. Anakin -curse his need to always help everyone- continued to stare into my eyes, into my very soul with a piercing glare that made me feel like I was still a child, a Padawan who had just been called in by the Jedi Council.

A few seconds –seemingly hours- later, I relented, unable to take it anymore and my gaze shifting to look at the floor before I sat down on my brother's bed, with Anakin quickly mimicking the action. It was clear to him that something was bothering me and there was no getting out of this until I told him what was going on, I knew as much after all the years we had spent at each other's side.

Taking a deep breath, Anakin did my best to mimic my tone of voice from when he was the angry one, as a kid, and I was trying to comfort him, hoping it would at least do something to get me to talk. "Is something the matter?", he asked me gently, the way I had done many times in a different life, a long time ago.

After that…I couldn't keep my emotions at bay any longer. I buried my face in Anakin's shoulder and he did his best to hug me without moving much, clearly not wanting to disturb me. The thought was appreciated, though my despair swallowed that emotion whole, sending it into the same dark abyss it did everything else when Satine had died, in the throne room of her own palace, at the hands of Maul.

A few moments, no, minutes of silence passed before I dropped the final wall of defense, feeling the intense need to just talk to someone, anyone and told Anakin what was on my mind. As I would soon discover, it was one of my wisest decisions to date.

"Anakin…", I muttered, my voice shaking. "It's Siri. She… she's been killed.", I told him, and the floor fell from under my feet. It had been on my mind ever since Mace called to inform me of her death, but admitting it to another person made it infinitely more real.

Anakin said nothing for a moment. He didn't ask questions, didn't pry for information on how I knew or if I was sure, and I was simply content in staying there for eternity, in the comfort of the one person who still cared about me in a Galaxy filled with those who –if not now, then someday will- wish I was dead.

The moment –or however long it truly was- passed as I felt him sending as much Light to me as he could through our bond, this energy accompanied by our fondest memories together. Visions of us training, going on missions and laughing at the retellings of those tales with the men came to mind, along with an emotion I hadn't fully felt since the last time I had seen her. Happiness. It was…strange, to say the least, for me to be so open to emotion, but it felt…right. As if the Force itself was beckoning me to accept what I had been given, so I did.

And as a veil of Light and comfort fell over my mind, so did a brown robe over my shoulders. It was a robe that I knew, one that should –by all accounts- still be in my quarters on the Coruscanti Temple, but one that was here, accompanied by the man I had once loved as a father.

"Padawan.", Qui Gon whispered, as if afraid to break the silence. He tried to say more, to perhaps tell me of how these feelings will pass, or of how the Force will always be with me, similar to what he had done when Siri and I had broken up as teenagers, seemingly an eternity ago, but I shushed him, content with staying under that brown robe for a few minutes as my mind emptied itself of all my worries and fears of the future, keeping itself solidly in the present. I closed my eyes, if only to rest for few moments.

When I opened them again, the first thing I registered was an argument right outside my door, one said in whispers and hushed tones, but an argument that I sensed could have terrible consequences if not stopped right this moment. Groaning from having to get out of bed, every inch of my body protesting the idea, I slowly stepped out of the room, stopping for a split second to wonder where Qui Gon's warm robe had gone before continuing forwards. The door opened before I could reach it however, and in barged an irritated Anakin and a very pissed Plo Koon.

A few minutes ago, Training Room 5, Anakin's point of view:

I had exited my quarters barely an hour ago, leaving Obi Wan to a warm and blissful sleep he very much needed after the day he had gone through. For the past hour, I had busied myself in the training room reserved for Ahsoka and I, ruthlessly hacking away at the duo of practice droids I had brought from the Temple on Coruscant. The two machines were made to wield electrostaffs, and after modifying them to the best of my ability, were the closest a droid could get to being a Magna Guard without having been manufactured in a Separatist Droid Foundry.

Even on the highest difficulty, these things were a joke, but still a good way to practice forms I wasn't as well-versed in, hence me blocking strike after strike in Soresu stances, the 'last holdout' when it came to completely mastering lightsaber combat. It wasn't that I didn't know how to effectively perform the moves to defeat an opponent while using the form, it was simply a matter of having difficulty with waiting for an enemy to make the first move. This…was the Form furthest from my style, but I had to practice as much I could if I wanted to beat Revan in a sparring match after the Malevolence had been destroyed, since he had promised to give it a go and give me a run for my credits, a promise I knew he would certainly keep.

Dodging another swipe from the droid on my left, I quickly jumped away, holding myself back from unleashing a flurry of strikes that would surely get past the defense of anyone not named Obi Wan Kenobi and annihilate the machine entirely, something I knew shouldn't be done at any time, less I want to have to fix these things again. And with how many times I've turned them into scrap piles, it was my opinion that they've had more than enough.

Deciding to end the training session since Ahsoka was still busy hanging out with Rex, I lifted both droids in the air, deactivating them with the Force before placing one in each corner of the room that wasn't on the same side as the door, for symmetry's sake if nothing else. It was then that I noticed the Force Presence lingering outside the room, trying to hide itself and take me by surprise.

For a moment I considered rushing out there with a blade aimed at the individual's throat, but I stopped myself immediately, thinking that with three other Jedi on the ship an intruder would have been caught already, and noting that Ventress –or even Dooku had I been looking for him- wouldn't be able to hide from me, not to mention that they had no reason to even be here to begin with.

Having deduced that it couldn't be Obi Wan because he was still asleep and that Ahsoka was still happily playing a game of tag with Rex and Domino Squad, it could only be one person, who would have reason to hide their presence in the Force from me.

"Master Koon, you may enter. No need to hide.", I called out, sensing the Jedi Master's surprise as I did so. Had he really not expected me to know he was there?

After taking a moment to –presumably- compose himself, Plo Koon entered the room, his posture a bit stiff. Had he sustained an injury during our escape? "Knight Skywalker.", the Kel Dor Jedi greeted, though his tone was a bit…cold.

Turning to face him, I spoke again, trying to find out if there was something bothering him. "Is something the matter, Master Plo?", I asked gently, sensing what I knew to be fear in his mind, though it was fear for another, not himself.

Koon cleared his throat before shooting me a glance that said it all, and I understood that he was here to talk about my counter attack on the Malevolence. "This is about the Malevolence, isn't it?", I inquired, if only to confirm my suspicion.

He nodded and came closer, before standing next to me and turning to look at one of the deactivated droids, silently refusing to meet my gaze. "Have you ever been lectured on the dangers of the Dark Side, Knight Skywalker?", he asked me in a tone that was very much unlike his usual warm demeanor.

Feeling a bit nervous about this escalating into a fight, I nodded silently, not wanting to say anything he might interpret as me challenging him. I liked Master Koon, and I was in no way going to let this little…hiccup ruin the friendliness he showed me, since he was one of the only Jedi to even do so to begin with.

"Then you surely understand what happens when someone Falls to the Dark Side. That this individual can be a danger to others, especially those who will try to help them instead of worrying about their own safety.", Master Koon continued, and I suddenly understood why he was so cold towards me. He was worried for Ahsoka's safety, and I wasn't sure whether to be happy that another Jedi cared, or offended that he'd think I'd ever hurt her.

I gave a small nod to him, indicating that I agreed with what he had said, since none of it was objectively –or historically- wrong. "Master Plo, if this about Ahsoka…I'd never hurt her.", I told him, not even having to try and sound convincing, since I was being honest with the man.

Master Plo let out a long sigh, as if tired. He probably was, since dealing with Grievous was no joke for anyone who didn't have as much control of their powers as I do. "I'm not saying you'd do it on purpose, I know you wouldn't. But perhaps it would be a good idea for you not do this again, before you do something you'll live to regret.", the Kel Dor warned, obviously worried about both Snips and myself.

While his concern about my wellbeing was touching, I couldn't take his advice. Darth Vader, and by extension the Dark Side itself, had left an impact on me, one that I could still feel even a whole year since the last time I wore that horrible suit, and I was already doing everything I could to ensure that there would be no more Falls to the Dark Side, that I'd never hurt a loved one again, not like I had on Mustafar all those years ago.

I didn't quite know what the acceptable answer to his sentence might have been, so I did my best to offer reassurance without making any promises I knew I wouldn't keep. "Master Kenobi is aware of the situation, as is Master Yoda. I assure you, we've been working on it for quite some time.", I told the Jedi Master, hoping that this would put him at ease.

A flash of determination sparkled in Master Koon's eyes, visible even through his mask. "If what you have told me is true…then perhaps I need to discuss this with Master Kenobi myself.", he uttered, and I nearly panicked. Obi Wan was in no mental and emotional condition to have this conversation any time soon, at least until we figure out what really happened to Siri, because something –perhaps the Force itself- was telling me that she might still be alive, though that could just be my own wishful thinking.

Shoving any thoughts of Siri away from my mind and focusing on the present, I dashed to the doorway and blocked Master Koon's path, to which he would have raised an eyebrow if he had any. "Skywalker…what are you doing?", he asked in genuine confusion.

Having not thought this through at all, I stammered through my response, hoping to get Master Plo to drop this until after we destroyed the Malevolence, just so we didn't have a giant fleet-destroying superweapon to worry about on top of everything else. "Obi Wan is…resting…at the moment. He's had a hard- an exhausting day and I don't think- I believe it would be unwise to…", I tried to tell him, but he cut me off with the raise of a hand.

Narrowing his eyes at from behind his breathing mask, the Jedi Master gently pushed me out of the way with the Force, and I was too stunned to resist, only managing to chase after him as he dashed to my quarters, where he had sensed Obi Wan to be.

A few moments later, Anakin's quarters, Obi Wan's point of view:

"Well I'm telling you that he's resting! Is it so unbelievable for him to have a hard day?", Anakin whisper-yelled at Plo, who had just entered the room and seemed angry and worried at the same time.

"Skywalker, if you do not let go of me right now, I-", Plo began, clearly ticked off by what I assumed to be Anakin's attempts to stop him from disturbing me. Fortunately for both my brother and I, Plo fell silent when I cleared my throat, cutting him off.

Shaking my head in mock disappointment, I examined both of my fellow Jedi and was glad to see no signs of them having fought before now, something I was grateful for. Turning to face Anakin, I addressed him first in the most 'Master Kenobi' tone I could muster, having just woken up. "Anakin, while I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing, there appears to be a problem more important than my sleep schedule.", I deadpanned to him, hoping he'd catch on to what I was doing.

My brother smiled at me mischievously. "What sleep schedule? You haven't had a proper nap in at least a week!", he said, mocking my tendency to put the needs of others before my own to an extent that oftentimes made Coric quite worried for my health. While I knew he was right, this wasn't the time for that conversation.

"Obi Wan, I'm not sure if you know this, but-", Plo began, probably about to address the fact that Anakin had nearly destroyed an entire Flagship with the Force. I cut him off before he could finish, but if this was how he reacted to that, I wasn't too keen on finding out about his opinions on my brother's more deadly powers.

"Plo, I beg you. I'm quite possibly having one of the worst days of my life and I don't really care that Anakin used the Dark Side. It's not the first time and won't be the last. He's only ever used it in defense, so if you have any problems, please talk to Master Yoda.", I told him seriously, not giving the Kel Dor a chance to protest.

Plo still tried however, having one last argument to make. "But Master Kenobi! Ahsoka could quite possibly be influenced by these actions, whether Skywalker is doing it on purpose or not!" Plo was clearly worried about Ahsoka, and I let out a sigh at this, understanding that he saw the young Togruta as the closest thing he'd get to a daughter.

"I've already told you, I have no intention of doing anything to hurt her!", Anakin interjected, barely keeping the anger out of his voice. Anger I knew wasn't directed at Plo himself, but rather the notion of him putting his own Padawan in danger.

Plo let out a sigh before responding, clearly frustrated. "I believe you, but I can't risk her getting hurt.", he said honestly, his gaze softening from behind his breathing mask.

Deciding this to be a good time for the argument to end, I put my own word in, ensuring that Plo understood this discussion was over. "Plo, I understand how you feel, but Ahsoka is in no more danger her than she would be under any other Master, not to mention that her improvements in both saber combat and usage of the Force have been phenomenal so far. I promise you, no harm will come to her and if Anakin ever loses control, I'll be sure to round him up before anyone at all is hurt.", I said with a determination that surprised even myself.

Upon hearing this, Plo nodded, silently accepting my promise and also promising to hold me to my word if anything went wrong, which was no less than I expected. I nodded back, sealing the unspoken agreement and allowing him to leave with his mind mostly at ease.

Anakin sat down on the bed the moment the door closed, his eyes expressing more gratitude than words ever could, but also asking a question I dreaded to answer. Taking a deep –and shaky- breath, I sat next to him and prepared my response.

"Mace called a few hours ago, right before Cody came to see me. He told me they had sent her to investigate a string of murders in the Senate, and that they haven't heard from her in days. Her last communication stated that she had tracked someone she believed to be the perpetrator to a warehouse near the LiMerge Building in the Works, but when Commander Fox was sent to investigate, his unit found nothing, and the Chancellor ordered for the Coruscant Guard to take over the investigation, meaning that he has full control of the area.", I told him, and my brother's eyes flashed in recognition of something, perhaps the name of the building itself. "I…I think he might have killed her, Anakin.", I added before hugging him again, unable to get a blasted grip on my emotions.

Anakin didn't respond immediately and was seemingly lost in thought until I was well enough to nudge him, so for quite a while. His next words formed the most frightening sentence I had ever heard. "The LiMerge Building is Sidious' secret hideout. Knowing what a sadistic Sith Spawn he is, he probably has her locked up somewhere inside.", Anakin said, and with those simple words, my world shattered. Bloody Darth Sidious had her and this was all my fault!

Seeing me in distress, Anakin tried to offer Light as he had previously, but I pushed him out of my Force Space, wanting to be alone. As I did so, I missed his eyes emitting a faint glow of yellow, his hatred fully directed at the Sith Master. As Qui Gon would later tell me, it was in that moment that the Chancellor nearly fell off his chair inside his office, crying out in pain over what the on-site Medic would diagnose as a migraine, not really knowing the cause of the incident.

By the time I got a message for an emergency Council Meeting, Anakin had left already, quite possibly gone to prepare the fleet and men for the impending attack on the Malevolence. I was in no mood to deal with the Council at the moment, but duty was duty and it couldn't wait, so I reluctantly accepted the call and was patched in.

"-and I'm telling you, it's not Sidious' style. From what little we know, he seems to be a manipulator who either tricks or pays others to do his work for him. If a Sith Lord did attack the Chancellor, I'm certain it wasn't him." Anakin's voice echoed in the room, my brother having been into yet another argument with the Council.

Mace was quick to respond –or at least try to-, but was cut off by Yoda when the Grandmaster raised a clawed hand to silence him. "Discuss this possibility later, we will. Focus on this…Malevolence, we must. Allowed to use this weapon on our Medical Station, Grievous cannot be."

"I agree.", said Shaak Ti, patched in from Kamino as always. She seemed to be putting up a front, for I could tell the constant rain and thunder were starting to get to her, since Togrutas were not used to such climates, and it must be depressing for someone to live in a place where it rains constantly. "Regardless of why Skywalker is having these prophetic visions, a task force must be assembled to defend our wounded, or else we'll have much bigger problems on our hands than a Sith Lord supposedly running around on Coruscant.", she added, clearly trying to hide her frustration with the other Council Members, Mace in particular, since it was quite possible he had brought Sidious up.

"Knight Skywalker and I have already assembled an armada thanks to the efforts of Admiral Yularen. We request permission to go after Grievous and if able, bring him to justice while also defending the Station.", Plo spoke up, and the majority of the Council nodded in agreement, with only Mace still being skeptical.

"And who shall lead this task force?", he asked, eyes narrowing at Anakin once more. Yoda really ought to take care of that sometime soon.

Deciding that I wasn't about to let anyone undermine Anakin, not to mention that he was the most experienced in leading an army and the best pilot, I motioned for him to be the leader of this fleet. "I believe Anakin would do well in leading us. He's the best pilot we have and his unorthodox tactics are sure to confuse Grievous, since he won't be expecting them.", I said, but Mace seemed to disagree.

"I'd rather a more capable Jedi be in Command here. Master Kenobi will lead the task force, and I recommend you avoid any other incidents like the one on Ryloth.", he said in a cold tone, staring at Anakin as he did so.

"Hey! It worked, didn't it?", my brother tried to defend himself, but Mace was quick to counter.

"You crashed a Venator into their Flagship! How could it have possibly not gone up in flames?", he more shouted than asked, before realizing what he had just said.

"Exactly.", Anakin said with a smug grin on his face. "There was a 100 percent chance of destroying their ship, and I did just that. I'm glad you agree with me Windu.", he added, purposefully leaving out Mace's title before immediately disconnecting from the call. Plo did the same and I followed, but not before I told the Council that Anakin would still be in Command of this mission.

I didn't stay to hear any of them complain about it and went on with my day, keeping my mind on the mission and away from Siri as Qui Gon would have instructed if he hadn't been busy investigating what actually happened to her, something I was told about only after the destruction of the Malevolence.

Sighing to no one in particular, I went to find Cody, seeing as he and I would have to prepare our own portion of the Fleet to defend the Kaliida Shoals Medical Station, something Anakin hopefully –and probably- had a plan for, since I was in no condition to brainstorm ideas, or go to battle at all, really, not that the latter would matter to anyone but my brother, that is.

Dragging myself through the Resolute's corridors, I arranged for a transport to bring me back to the Negotiator and suddenly remembered that I'd have to face Grievous again. Perhaps this time I could defeat him without either of us getting fatally wounded, or exploding in a mess of flames and burned organs like he had. Yes, gathering proof of Sidious' existence for the Council was a good idea, and a good way to distract myself from…everything…until we got back to Coruscant. If we succeeded in capturing the 'Good General', as I had often called him once upon a time, this day would not have been a total disaster…

And…scene! There you have it everyone, chapter 26 of A Messed Up Destiny! This one…was supposed to be about a thousand words and serve as the beginning to the attack on the Malevolence, but things got a slight bit out of hand, as you can see from today's word count.

Anyways, this chapter –while lacking in action- is quite plot heavy, so let's get to the exposition, shall we?

Firstly, Obi Wan opening up to Anakin. I feel like a lot of people don't realize how difficult it is for Obi Wan to open up to anyone about his worries, inner turmoil or fears of any kind. He's perceived by many (in-universe characters) as the 'Perfect Jedi', something Anakin himself believed during the Clone Wars, so for him to openly talk about or even admit to having a problem in the first place is a huge thing, especially since it is Anakin he talks to.

Remember, Cody went to see Obi Wan just a few minutes after he had gotten the news from Windu, and while Obi Wan could have chosen to confide in his friend and comrade, he hid his troubles from him, doing it so well that even Cody didn't notice something was wrong, else he surely would have mentioned it to Anakin by now, which he didn't do at any point in time.

And even with his own brother, Obi Wan still doesn't want to tell him, thinking that sharing his troubles with Anakin would burden and hinder him, something expressed by the line "He had enough on his plate with everything that was going on, my burdens were not something he needed at the moment." Obi Wan believes that he should always put the needs of other's before his own, and does so to the point where it affects his own health, something Anakin brings to light with the line "What sleep schedule? You haven't had a proper nap in at least a week!" and Obi Wan even thinks about the fact that Coric is often worried about his wellbeing, so for him to tell Anakin everything that is bothering him is a huge step.

Secondly, Qui Gon. We haven't seen him in a while, and that is intentional in a way. If you guys have read any of the side stories, Revan is always mentioned at one point or the other when the story is being told from Anakin's point of view. He is always there, helping our heroes from the shadows, while Qui Gon is more there for emotional support and comfort as we've seen back in Book 1 where he goes to visit Padme and Anakin on Naboo after their argument, getting Anakin to calm down and open up to the woman he loves.

Qui Gon is someone who offers comfort and advice during times of need, hence him appearing to Obi Wan here, even doing the fatherly thing and giving Kenobi his robe to use as a blanket. Beyond that, he also works in the shadows like Revan, but his role is much less active. While Revan constantly helps Anakin keep his men alive during missions and destroy Sith Phantoms in his spare time, Qui Gon works in the background to ensure everything runs smoothly, keeping an eye on the happenings of Coruscant and more specifically, on Padme when Anakin isn't there to protect her.

Thirdly, Plo Koon. I'm being completely honest when I say that I wish we got to see more of him in the Clone Wars. Master Koon is a very interesting character in general, but his relationship to Ahsoka is what I want to focus on here. For context, Plo was the one who found Ahsoka when she was three, her village having been raided by pirates a few days ago. He brought her back to the Jedi Temple to train with the other younglings and remained a constant figure in her life, filling in the role of a father for her when she was young.

In this chapter, we see Plo trying (and failing) to come off as intimidating to Anakin. He's acting coldly towards someone who he believes might put the closest person he has to a daughter in danger, because of his use of the Dark Side. He's worried about Ahsoka's wellbeing after having trained under Anakin for over six months now, and since he knows nothing about Anakin having overcome the Dark Side and returned the Light, he's rightfully afraid. Also, while Obi Wan changes his mind regarding taking action when it comes to Ahsoka and Anakin, he isn't entirely convinced that Anakin is fine after having tapped into the Darkness so –from his point of view- intensely (remember that he has zero clue of Anakin's true power in the Dark Side of the Force) and is concerned about both. Hopefully actually going on a mission with Anakin and seeing how he acts on the field will change his mind, but only time will tell.

Lastly, Siri. Despite giving an explanation as to what happened to her in this chapter, I have NOT confirmed that she is alive or dead, with you guys only having Anakin and Obi Wan's gut feelings to go off of when it comes to figuring out which of the two it is. Also, the 'series of murders' mentioned by Windu are going to be extremely important for the plot once the gang returns to Coruscant, where they'll be directly involved in finding the culprit and saving Siri from Palpatine, if she's still alive, that is.

Next time: With the attack on Kaliida Shoals Medical Station well underway, Republic Forces are backed into a corner by the vile General Grievous and his Fleet's superior numbers. Their only hope is to destroy the Malevolence and cause the Separatists to retreat, but when Senator Amidala falls into Grievous' clutches, a defensive operation will have to turn into a rescue mission and not all our heroes will have it out alive…

That's all for now everyone! Reviews are always welcome, whether it be to ask question or to chat, and I'll see you all next chapter, but until then, May the Force be with you!