A MESSED UP DESTINY

A STAR WARS STORY

Chapter 29

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

Hello there everyone and welcome to chapter 29 of the story! Today's chapter picks off a few moments before chapter 28 ends, with Obi Wan and Anakin having just entered the Abandoned Warehouse on Coruscant in search for Siri, hoping that she is still alive. They'll find something neither could have expected, but I'm leaving the surprise for later.

Disclaimer: This chapter features the first ever Sith Phantom duel in the main story and the second overall, with the first one being the driving plotline throughout Shadows of the Sith. More of these fights will appear in the future, since Anakin and Revan are always out there trying to destroy these bygone Sith before they can pose a threat to the Republic.

Now, without further ado…let's get right to it!

To save a Jedi! Having located Jedi Knight Siri Tachi to an abandoned warehouse on the Republic's capital planet of Coruscant, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker and Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi set out to retrieve her and return their comrade to the Temple without any further complications. Meanwhile, a duo of Sith Phantoms works against the Jedi, eager to destroy the defenders of the Light in their quest to avenge their long dead sister, who had once been killed in the Great Sith Wars. Will our Jedi heroes be able to save Siri from their clutches, or is disaster just around the corner, waiting to catch them off guard?

Coruscant, Abandoned Warehouse, Obi Wan's point of view:

Anakin wasn't at fault. This was the first time I had admitted this to myself without any hesitation, knowing that there was nothing to be forgiven once this was over. He couldn't have known we'd end up in this situation, so Siri getting herself in trouble wasn't his fault. Logically, I knew this to be true. It was -quite simply- a fact, but a part of me was looking for someone to blame other than myself, and Anakin happened to be the perfect target.

A former Sith Lord who'd committed thousands of atrocities and billions of murders was just the type of person who'd do something like this and not give half a dime for the consequences…but Anakin wasn't that person. He wasn't Darth Vader anymore. Vader wouldn't have felt remorse or the guilt that threatened to overwhelm my brother as we snuck through the empty warehouse in silence, a Sith like him wouldn't go through the trouble of providing a shoulder to lean on, would never accept the blame for any of their actions, much less for something they couldn't have prevented.

I should stop blaming him. I know I should, but Siri of all people might be dead because of his screw up. Qui Gon had supplied both advice and reassurance of her being alive, but I couldn't get the thought of 'What if?' out of my head. It was as if my darkest thoughts were filling my head, leaving little room for anything else.

Anakin –to his credit- seemed to be almost relaxed for a mere moment, before suddenly flinching in surprise. "There it is again!", he whisper-yelled to me. "That presence! There's something…familiar about it."

I was tempted to ask what he meant as we turned the corner, but never got the chance to, as a hooded figure awaited us, backed up at least a dozen members of the Coruscant Guard. Our lightsabers were in the air in seconds, as were the Clone's rifles. The Sith Phantom –I presumed it to be one of the two Qui Gon had warned of- let out a low chuckle before sending a massive Force Push our way, causing me to lose my footing, if only for a moment.

Anakin appeared to be completely unaffected, something he himself confirmed moments later, as if he had read my thoughts. "It'll take more than that to beat us.", he said, as if he was making an observation instead of taunting a deadly enemy.

The Phantom chuckled in return, and wordlessly motioned for the Clones to open fire. In the seconds that followed, I was back there again. Anakin was nowhere to be found and the Coruscant Guard members had been replaced by troopers of the 212th, with Cody himself leading the charge.

"Blast him!" A single shot from an AT-TE. Falling. Crashing into water.

"Kill the Jedi!"

"Blast them, blast them! Open fire!"

"Sir, nobody could have survived that fall!" Cody and his men searching for me. Confusion and betrayal run through my mind as I escape their sights and hide.

A blur of sapphire light ran up to the Clones and their blasters were all cut in half before my very eyes, and a flash of light brought Cody and his brother to their knees. My Clone Commander…no, my friend, panted, out of breath. The blast had knocked the wind out of him. I rushed to his side, helped him up, and watched as his signature armor was replaced by the standard red of Commander Fox's men. Had this all been an illusion?

It would seem that the answer was yes, since Anakin was beside me once more, helping the other Clones to their feet. Once they were all recovered, my brother asked them what had happened, resulting in a wave of confusion from the Clones being detectable in the Force.

"General…did we…?", the squad leader asked, not having to finish his inquiry for the question to be answered.

Anakin waved it off immediately, trying to indirectly reassure the men that everything was fine. "Nothing we couldn't handle. They don't call us the best fighters of the Order for nothing, Jek.", my brother told the squad leader, apparently recognizing the Clone from somewhere.

Jek nodded to him, and one of his brothers pipped up, eager to make it up to us if his emotions were any indication. "Orders, sirs?", the Clone asked, causing Anakin to hide a smile I knew came from being proud at the Clone's efficiency.

"Return to Commander Fox and tell him that this operation is now classified to the highest access level. No one, not even the Chancellor, is allowed to know anything about it.", Anakin answered, and curiosity flashed in many of the men's minds. Having sensed this, Anakin added a few more words to emphasize his point. "This appears to be Jedi business of the highest degree. We're here to determine if a Sith Lord is involved and I'll inform the Chancellor myself once Master Kenobi and I are done. Your squad will say nothing to no one. The same goes for any of your brothers we manage to rescue.", my brother told the Clones, but they took it as an order, and agreed to comply with a few nods of affirmation.

As soon as the Clones rushed down the adjacent corridor and towards the exit, Anakin turned to me, hiding none of the worry he was feeling. "Are you alright?", he asked, voice full of concern.

"I'm fine. Let's keep moving", I dismissed him. No need to waste time talking about the past when Siri was still in danger.

My brother was not convinced, but silently agreed to let it go for now. We continued walking through the Warehouse's corridors and –after breaking through some barricades and walls that were in the way- encountered another group of Clones. They hadn't spotted us yet, so I motioned for Anakin to be quiet and not attract attention as I came up with a plan to deal with them. To my surprise, he obeyed wordlessly, understanding that I wanted to take charge here.

"Alright. There's six Clones ahead. Can you use Force Slow on them like you did with Grievous? I'll pull their blasters away and we can neutralize them after.", I inquired, and Anakin immediately got to work.

In the next few seconds, the Clones ahead seemed to almost freeze in place, though one could see them still moving –trying to turn around- if they looked carefully. Taking his nod of affirmation as my que, I quickly pulled their weapons away, and Anakin let them go, causing the Clones to look around for a moment, trying to understand what had happened. They spotted us instantly, but a blinding flash of light stunned them, even knocking one to the floor.

When asked about what had happened to them, they simply said that they remembered a dark shadow looming near them, and that a hooded figure had extended a hand towards them. No Clone seemed to have any recollection of this figure's face, but Anakin said that was to be expected.

Reaching out to my surrounding through the Force, I detected no immediate threat, and placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder, preventing him from moving forwards. In truth, I was quite curious about this flashing light he had used against the Clones, for it had left them unharmed, but also stopped whatever was making them attack us.

"Anakin…what was that light?", I asked, not wanting to delay despite my curiosity.

Anakin shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was the norm for him –it probably was-. "Force Light. Dispels Dark Side energy from an area or person. It is how Revan and I deal with Sith Phantoms.", he supplied, also offering a way to defeat a Phantom, which was useful since this would be my first time dealing with one.

I nodded to him, my curiosity gone for the time being, until another inquiry flashed in my mind a moment later. "How does this relate to the Clones if they aren't Sith?", I asked him, causing my brother to look at me strangely for a split second. Had he expected me to know these things?

"Oh…Force Corruption.", Anakin replied. When he saw my questioning look, he went into further detail, knowing that I hadn't understood. "Think along the lines of the Mind Trick, but the user forces the victim to comply with orders, almost like a Force-Powered Inhibitor Chip. It's fallen out of practice for centuries now, but these Phantoms are from before the Ruusan Reformations and excel in it.", Anakin added, elaborating further. I had to stop myself from asking how he knew this, since we were wasting time and Revan had probably told him anyways.

"Obi Wan?", Anakin asked suddenly. "You okay? Before, you seemed…", he started to say, voice full of worry.

"Later, Anakin.", I replied immediately, dismissing his concern. "We're wasting time, remember?"

The reminder seemed to push Anakin back in action, as he clutched his lightsaber inside a mechanical fist, his eyes flashing yellow for a moment so short I could easily pretend to have missed it. "Right…", he confirmed. "Let's keep moving."

After a few more twists and turns around the corridors of the Warehouse, it became clear that we might just have gotten lost. Oh well, a place like this can't be that big anyways. We'd find our way back eventually, but we had to move with haste. I could sense Siri's presence now, but it had nearly faded. She was dying, and any more delays would cost her dearly.

I moved to turn a corner, but Anakin suddenly flung me into the nearest wall with the Force, just as a vibroblade slashed through the spot I'd been standing in moments before. The assailant was a Sith Assassin of some sort, but Anakin simply snapped their neck before I could so much as get my footing back.

I was about to thank him for the save, but then a chilling laugh…no, a cackle echoed all around us, and more Assassins revealed themselves, quickly surrounding us. It took less than a second for blades to spark to life, but the Sith made no move to attack. Instead, the two Assassins that were directly in front of us stepped aside, and the hooded figure from before emerged from the shadows behind them.

They motioned to me and to themselves, following with a few odd gestures and almost comically drawing in the air with one finger. I was befuddled by this, but Anakin sighed heavily, his eyes flashing a well-concealed yellow I would have certainly missed if not for pure chance.

"She wants you to go with her.", Anakin said, presumably translated whatever sing language these gestures were in. "The sings were Old Sith Runes, and she wants to split us up.", he elaborated, probably having sensed my confusion.

"Can't she speak?", I questioned, but Anakin only shook his head in exasperation.

"She has a plan of some kind, otherwise she'd just yell at you to follow her orders. These spirits think themselves smart, but their arrogance can be their undoing. Just…be careful. Sith Phantoms tend to have better plans than what you're used to dealing with.", Anakin said, taking a deep breath before clearing his throat. A series of incomprehensible screeches then left my brother's mouth, prompting the Sith to…laugh?

I wanted to ask what Anakin had told her, but the Assassins suddenly unsheathed their blades and pointed them at us, indicating that I had to go with her. Anakin only nodded in reassurance before I did so –albeit reluctantly-. The Sith…Lady, I suppose, then motioned for me to follow in a more understandable series of gestures, and I obeyed, ignoring the worry forming in the right part of my stomach. Anakin could take care of himself, I had to save Siri.

Suddenly, screams and shouts began echoing from behind us, and a faint glow could be seen lighting the corridor I had just left. Seemed to me like Anakin had already gotten to work.

"Kill the Jedi!" Shouting, coming from the Sith Assassins.

"He's killing us all! Help us! My Lady!" Screams of bloody murder followed them.

The yells of dying men could be heard, coming from further and further away as I walked down whatever corridor their 'Lady' led me through. "Aghhhhh! Stop him! Somebody sto-" Whoever was yelling never got to finish that sentence, for the unmistakable sound of a lightsaber cutting through armor was heard right after, signifying their death.

As if having appeared from thin air, a Sith Assassin, badly wounded, limping and using a staff of some sort for support. Or was it a pike? I suppose it didn't matter. They were helping someone else run from Anakin's –probable, given the screaming- location.

A red glow then appeared at the end of the corridor, and within a mere second, both their heads lay on the floor, their bodies turning to ash a moment later. The Sith Phantom recognized the danger to its existence and ran, but I was far too stunned by the color of the blade to even move. Since when had Anakin acquired a Sith Lightsaber?

Panic began flowing through my mind as images of Darth Vader's crusades from the early days of my exile on Tatooine popped into my head –back when I'd sit in the bar and torture myself by listening to his exploits via Imperial Holonet- as I recalled the images of burning villages and towns, legions of Stormtroopers rushing to conquer and enslave more planets for Palpatine's Empire. Anakin's Force Presence was cloaked in darkness and he was wearing it proudly, as if it was a battle scar and not a deadly power that had once nearly consumed him.

"Anakin?", I asked weakly as soon as the red glow got close enough.

Sensing my fear, my brother disengaged the blade and tried to take a step towards me, but I backed away out of instinct, wanting some time to absorb the information. Anakin mirrored my movements, probably because I was projecting heavily into the Force right now.

After a moment of silence, I could see him put the saber away, instead calling for the other, pulling it to himself with the Force. "Sithspit Phantom had Cortosis Armor. Fried my other blade, had to use this one to not die while she ran off.", Anakin offered, trying to explain his actions.

Resisting the urge to yell, to scold him, to do something, I simply sighed. "Anakin…I'm afraid to know…but, how did you get this blade?", I asked in a hushed whisper, barely audible to him.

Only then did he seem to understand that I was afraid for him, for his mental and physical wellbeing after seeing him wield the weapon of a Sith Lord. Anakin made a face, looked over his shoulder for a moment, and then took a deep breath. "I got it from Ilum. The Kyber crystal was formed this was on its own, I didn't corrupt it or anything, okay?", Anakin asked, though it was only to make sure I was listening.

Seeing that I wasn't panicking as much, my brother kept on going. "Qui Gon said that red represents action, power, danger, energy, passion, confidence, and sometimes warmth. It fits perfectly for moments where I act outside of being a Jedi, and you can't deny that it suits me, in a way.", Anakin rambled, letting out a forced and nervous laugh at the end of his last sentence.

Making a mental note to add this to the 'things to yell at Anakin about after Siri is saved' list, I let out a long sigh. Anakin nodded in affirmative, sealing an unspoken agreement of talking about this later. I nodded back and he flashed an encouraging smile, though I didn't manage to stop myself from telling him to keep it for the cameras.

He sighed, knowing I was still pissed about this entire situation, and accepted the talk that would come later, once we had actually rescued Siri. "Come on. Let's go find our Phantom duo.", Anakin said, trying to encourage me. It had partial success, since I wasn't focusing on his red blade anymore.

"Yes, but do make sure we also find Siri.", I told him in the most casual tone I could muster, for banter's sake. Anakin seemed to light up at this, but that quickly went away as more screams echoed from across the hallway, and it wasn't either of us causing them.

I barely spared a glance to my brother as I ignited my saber and leapt into action, jumping into a room full of Sith Assassins and Troopers, all armed and waiting for us at the entrance. On the other side of the room was an armored figure, cutting down Assassins and engaging with the third and final squad of Clone Troopers. He turned to Anakin and I for a moment, but it was enough for me to recognize me.

"Figures that Revan is here…", I mumbled under my breath, carefully steering my thoughts away from questions regarding why he hadn't come to help us out beforehand.

"Seems like he's having fun.", Anakin observed, and only then did it register that Revan was challenging the Sith Assassins and Troopers, taunting them into getting close enough for him to stab them with…a spear?

"What the…", I began to utter, but Anakin cut me off, leaping into action and cutting through every hostile in the room as if they were common Battle Droids.

After perhaps ten seconds of combined efforts from Anakin and Revan, all Sith Troopers and Assassins were dead, with only two figures still standing, a third laid on the floor behind them. A blond mop of hair popped out under the hood this person wore, and I recognized her instantly!

"Siri!", I yelled into the air, rushing to her side. Weirdly, the Phantoms made way for me to pass through, each focusing on one of the former Sith Lords in the room. It was…nice of them, I supposed.

Revan spun his spear around, showing that he had perfect control of it. "They're all wearing Cortosis Armor! Don't let them touch your sabers!", he warned, and Anakin looked at his mentor's spear with a look I'd never really seen on him before. I couldn't identify the emotion he was feeling.

My brother's eyes then fully turned gold, his iris bordering on red for a split second before he put his lightsaber away and produced a spear of his own, out of seemingly nowhere. Was this some Sith power I didn't know of?

"The Darkshear, or the Spear of Midnight Black, is a Dark Side Force Ability, Master Kenobi. It can create a near imperceivable weapon that functions like a common spear, but is immune to the effects of saber-shorting tech and gear like Cortosis Armor. Since you can't use it, I recommend you go on the defensive until Lord Skywalker and I defeat these abominations.", Revan chimed in, as if –who am I kidding, he certainly did- had read my thoughts.

Not wanting to show my befuddlement at the existence of such a power, I flashed both my allies a cocky grin -much like Anakin's- and replied appropriately. "I happen to be the Master of defense, Revan. That won't be a problem."

Anakin visibly suppressed a chuckle at the joke. "Seems like I've been rubbing off on you.", he commented, before turning his attention back to the Sith Phantom in front of him.

In the way the four of them were standing, it seemed like a duel was about to begin. One could have dropped a credit on the floor and the sound would have echoed on forever. The aforementioned squad of Clones now unconscious thanks to Revan, my attention could be fully placed on getting Siri out of here.

I tried to move her, nudging her slightly, but faced notable resistance. Siri stirred, muttering something softly under her breath. "Obi…", she said, her voice filling my heart with a warmth I had been missing for months now, one that no one else in the Galaxy would ever be able to replace.

She stirred again, trying to get up on her own. I moved to help her, but another whisper stopped me. "My sweet Obi Wan…", Siri mumbled, voice as angelic as I remembered.

I helped her up, but she fell to one knee, face shrouded by the hood of her robes. "My dear Obi Wan…are you ready to die?", she asked, screaming the last part as she pounced on me, knocking me on the floor. I didn't have time to react as Siri called her saber to her hand.

It clicked, then ignited, a blood red emanating from what had once been a beautiful azure blade, blue as her eyes, which were now emanating a sickening golden glow. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, especially the yellow that surrounded her iris. The gold in Anakin's eyes had seemed tamed, almost peaceful and in some way soothing compared to the feral glow present in Siri's.

While observing her, I never noticed bringing the saber to my neck, only seeing her eyes flicker for the shadow of a moment, before reverting back to the color of a Sith's. I saw her raised the blade, aiming to take my head, but didn't –couldn't- fight back, not even to defend myself.

It was the transparent tip of a spear that intercepted the blade that would have cut my head off, with Anakin at the other end of it. "Obi Wan! You have a saber, use it!", he urged me, and in that moment, all the anger and frustrations I'd been harboring ever since Mace's transmission back on the Negotiator just…exploded. The two Sith Phantoms were sent flying through the wall, with Revan and Anakin, who was urging me to raise a blade at the woman I loved.

Siri, on the other hand, was only stunned from surprise, with a satisfied smile forming on her face at the sight in front of her. "Good, my love.", she praised. That emotion you've been deprived of…it offers power! Use it, and join me!", Siri urged, and for the slightest of moments I wanted nothing more than to take the hand she was offering me, to be with her again…but my mind prevailed in the fight against my heart, making me step away instead of embracing her like I should be.

"Siri…I-I…don't know what to do.", I admitted to her, offering no resistance to her pleas. I…I couldn't fight her. This was different than either Satine's or her own death. Those times, I had been fighting to protect them, not to hurt them. Raising a saber against her…was simply unthinkable, but this sense of utter betrayal was something I simply couldn't handle.

Siri smiled at me, her warm and precious smile now looking dark and menacing, in a way that Maul's never had before, even when he was gleeful at the thought of killing Satine in front of me, just to make it hurt even more. "Just take my hand, silly. I love you, Obi. We always were better as a team than when we were working apart. Remember that time we both put those older Padawan's in their place?", she asked in a voice that expressed nothing more that pure, unconditional love towards me, and the memory of two defeated Padawans, both close to Knighthood, flashed before my mind.

I couldn't help myself. My hand moved on its own, reaching for Siri as a dark mist formed in her own, her eyes glowing with satisfaction, her smile promising something more than being separated by the Clone War, only seeing one another every few months, promising a future where we were together…but a shout from Anakin made me stop myself, just an inch away from intertwining Siri's hand with mine.

"Obi Wan! No!", Anakin screamed, but didn't get to do more as the Phantom he was fighting jabbed at him, forcing to turn his attention back to his duel. That wasn't a problem however. He'd win for certain, and then everything would be well. I'd get him to understand how I was feeling, and as my brother, he would surely accept my decision. After all, it's one he himself once made.

"You must fight it! Don't give in!", Revan yelled at me, but I simply couldn't, even if I wanted to. How could I have even thought of raising a blade against my beloved?

"Obi Wan please! You're my brother! I can't lose you!", Anakin yelled, and I snapped at him. How dare he suggest that I hurt Siri? How dare he?

"I love her! You can't take her from me!", I shouted to him, ignoring the fiery landscape that a similar conversation had taken place on, since things were different now.

"Master Kenobi! The Dark Side is clouding your judgment!", Revan warned, but there was nothing for him to fear. Siri wouldn't put any of us in danger, she loved me, after all.

"Brother! Listen to me! You have to save her!", Anakin yelled again, but…hold on, save? Save Siri…isn't that what I came here to do?

"Don't listen to that Jedi Obi…we're finally together. He's only trying to tear us apart!", Siri accused, her voice turning into pure venom as she emphasized what Anakin was…but he wasn't a Jedi. He was a Sith, or a former one at least. He of all people, should understand.

"Obi Wan, I know you feel betrayed, hurt! And I get that the only thing you want is to bury yourself in Siri's arms and never come back up again, but remember what happened to me! The Dark Side led me to attack Padme! She was my Angel and I killed her! Don't make the same mistake!", Anakin shouted to me, and Siri said something accusatory in response, but I couldn't hear her. My mind was stuck on what Anakin had said.

Anakin should understand. He'd been through this all…and nearly killed Padme, the love of his life because of it. I couldn't stand the thought of putting Siri into danger, much less of hurting her myself! If taking her hand now would hurt her in the future then…

"I can't do it!", I exclaimed, ripping my hand away from hers. Siri retreated, visibly shocked by my sudden denial of her promises, and with that dark mist went away with her.

It was as if my burdens and dark thoughts were suddenly lifted, as if a mental barrier had been destroyed, and the thoughts and desires in my mind were finally mine again. This caused me to stumble and lose balance, but I found my footing. Only after taking another look at Siri did I begin to find her eyes sickening again, and a big part of me was weirdly happy to see her like that.

Siri, on the other hand, looked positively livid at my rejection of her offer and tried to jump me again, but I dodged to the side, raising a saber to block a swing that would have cut me in half. I couldn't bring myself to counter with any form of offensive, but Anakin came to my rescue my reaching out with his left hand and holding Siri still with the Force, the Sith Phantom he had been fighting now clutching its neck as if it had been stabbed there, which wasn't out of the realm of possibility since this was my brother, after all.

"Anakin! How do I-", I began, half-panicking and trying to ask for some sort of instruction or the lesson regarding that 'Force Light' he had used earlier to free the Clones.

My brother seemed to understand what I was trying to say and hastily searched for the right words, looking to Revan for confirmation before turning back to me. "Search for your bond with her through the Force. Once you find it, hang on to the Light and start pushing –no, flooding- your bond with it. Don't stop until her eyes turn fully blue and you see the Dark Side disperse. She'll scream and beg you to stop, but you can't. Not if you want to save her.", Anakin instructed, and at the same time, Revan took a hit to the shoulder from the Sith Phantom he was fighting.

Anakin rushed to help him, impaling his opponent through a gap in her armor, avoiding the Cortosis. She wailed in an attempt to resist, but Revan then threw his spear at her, impaling her in the neck. Anakin begun dispelling the Dark Side from her corpse, and I turned my attention to Siri, who was still frozen in place.

Following my brother's instructions, a small ball of Light Side energy appeared in my hand, and then, clear white tendrils slowly expanded from it, heading towards Siri's immobile body. Her eyes darted around inside their sockets as she desperately tried to get herself to move away, but she found herself unable to.

Siri screeched when the tendrils touched her, letting out inhuman screams and thrashing around on the floor, her body now unfrozen, free from Anakin's hold of it through the Force. As the mist around her began to clear, Siri continued thrashing and yelling, breaking more and more of my heart with every scream, but I couldn't stop now.

Her beautiful, entrancing eyes were beginning to clear themselves of the sickening yellow and malice that had corrupted them previously, now becoming as clear as Naboo's skies. Siri's screams stopped after a few more moments of torture, and along with them went the darkness this entire Warehouse had been drowning in.

It seemed that Revan and Anakin had done their own jobs perfectly, as had I, though this marked the first time in my entire life where I seriously considered talking to someone about this whole thing, just to get it off my chest. Anakin would probably be the best person to talk to. After all, he certainly understood better than anyone else what had happened to me, and he was my brother. Besides, by the look of him, I wasn't the only one who yearned for someone to talk to about all this.

Siri stirred again, whispering my name like she had…however many minutes ago, but this time there was only confusion in her voice, though if the image of golden eyes were any indication, this wouldn't be the last time I'd have to face something like this…less I completely avoid sleep, and by extension, nightmares.

Wordlessly, I helped her up, supporting her weight since she was too weak to stand. Revan had disappeared, along with the Cortosis Armor worn by the Sith Phantoms, which I had clearly –in hindsight at least- heard clanking on the floor when they were killed, and was therefore different somehow than the rest of their attire, or their followers, who had been eradicated completely, along with any trace of them ever being here to begin with.

Anakin, for his part, was helping up the Clones from the Coruscant Guard, explaining that a Dark Sider had attacked them and that they were lucky to be alive, which wasn't a lie in any way. My brother was simply…omitting some few details about what actually happened here, not that this bothered me. I'd actually if the Council didn't get involved in this affair at all, but I doubt I'd actually get that lucky.

With the help of the Clones, it wasn't too difficult to find our way back to Commander Fox and his men, now up my a full thirty six, the exact amount of troopers he had lost in the Warehouse to begin with. The Clone Commander expressed his gratitude, swearing on his life that he and his men would keep this to themselves unless Anakin directly ordered them not to –which did seem a bit excessive- and immediately calling for a Gunship to take us Jedi to the Temple.

Mace was waiting for us at the Landing Platform, but Anakin snarled at him when he tried to demand answers to our whereabouts, causing my fellow Jedi Master to recoil in surprise.

"Listen Windu. I am mentally exhausted and about five seconds away from cutting your head off, so you either move out of our way, or the janitor will have to drag your corpse out of it.", Anakin said, but it wasn't him talking, not really anyways. It was Darth Vader peeking through the cracks of his Light, but I'd find mental space to put those worries until I had finished with my upcoming mental breakdown, the one I desperately needed Qui Gon to guide me through, less I end up Falling despite everything that happened today.

Mace promptly jumped out of the way and immediately began barking for Anakin to get back there and promising several dozen reprimands for his un-Jedi-like behavior…before promptly choking on his own saliva as I pretended not to notice Anakin's right pinkie finger clenching ever so slightly.

As soon as that was dealt with, we rushed Siri over to Master Vokara in the Halls of Healing, leaving her in good hands before quickly slipping away to avoid questioning as to where, when, or how she was found. I was about to make a run for my quarters and just deal with everything in the secure confines of my room, Anakin held me back, stopping me for a moment.

I looked over my shoulder and saw him, looking guilty and afraid of what would happen now that our previous discussions would no longer be interrupted by more important matters such as saving someone's life, but I simply smiled at him, causing a confused frown to form on his face.

"Anakin…I don't blame you for what happened today.", I told him, lowering my mental shields so that he could sense my honesty. "It was outside of your control, you couldn't have prevented it.", I added, trying to reassure him.

Anakin still looked guilty, and said nothing for a moment. Then, something I never thought I'd hear in my lifetime. "I made a mistake.", he admitted to me in a hushed tone, now wanting anyone else to hear.

Taking a deep breath, I placed a hand on his left shoulder. "The only mistake you made was not telling me about your…friends and your second saber. So long as that doesn't happen again, we're good.", I said to him in the calmest tone I could muster, doing my best to get him to see the truth.

"The love of your life nearly died, and you don't blame me? How can you not?", Anakin asked, genuinely not believing that I had just forgiven him.

"Because, Anakin, you may have made a mistake, but you prevented me from making an even bigger one today. You saved me, brother. It mores than makes up for a silly miscalculation on your part.", I uttered, pouring absolute honestly into every last word.

Anakin's eyes lit up at my answer, and he hesitantly reached a hand out to me. "Brothers?", he asked, and I didn't even need to hear the question before foregoing the handshake and wrapping him in a hug. When it ended, I moved to continue towards my quarters, but then it registered that Siri still needed me.

Having read my thoughts, Anakin used the Force to stop me from running off, knowing that even though I wouldn't admit it, all I wanted to do was rest and just…talk to my father, even for a little while. "Say no more, brother. I'll keep an eye on your girlfriend, you go get some rest.", he offered, and I took up on it immediately, but not before I teased him once more, for banter's sake.

"Anakin, Siri is not my girlfriend!" The look of mock horror on his face was enough to make me laugh, but I managed to hold myself together to finish the joke. I leaned in whisper in his ear, as if half the Temple didn't know due to those gossips the Jedi call Padawans. "We're a little past that…"

"Oh get out of here you old hermit! And if I find you not resting, nothing short of a Separatist invasion is saving you from me!"

And…scene! There you have it everyone, chapter 28 part 2, so chapter 29 of A Messed Up Destiny. This one was a bit shorter than I had in mind during the first draft, since I had to cut out some Revan exposition scenes for the sake of pacing during the Obi Wan vs Dark Siri scenes, but I'll give you guys the basics down in the epilogue. Also I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has left a review on the story! You guys are all great and I really appreciate you taking such an interest in my work to actually take the time and write something, however small it may be!

Now…there are a lot things that happen in this chapter, so without further ado…let's dive in…to the exposition!

Firstly, the Clones. I feel like I have to address what exactly happened to them, though I do think it was made rather clear in the chapter itself, but here I am, for clarity's sake. So…Force Corruption is a powerful Dark Side Ability that's basically a stronger version of the Jedi's Mind Trick, but it forces the target to obey the will of the user, regardless of what that may be. The Sith have used this for some pretty nasty stuff over the millennia, but it is possible for a Jedi or someone with Force Training in general to resist the effects, like Siri tried and failed to do.

Clone Troopers actually had very little experience fighting Sith and they didn't really know what to do when encountering one, let alone how to defeat them. They fell back to what they do best, shooting stuff…which doesn't work with Sith unless there's a whole army on the Clone's side. Since they have no experience with Sith in general, they also have no training in resisting Sith Mind Tricks or other telepathic abilities like Mind Shard and (you guessed it) Force Corrupt. So the Clones that attacked the Jedi here being forced to do so and have little to no recollection of what happened during the time they were being controlled, hence Jek needing to ask what happened to them after Anakin releases them from the Sith's hold.

Secondly, the Sith Phantoms themselves. These two…are tricky to explain. I wanted to expand upon them and flesh them out as antagonists, but Anakin and Obi Wan would have no way of knowing anything about them since Revan was unavailable and the scenes just really screwed with the pacing of the chapter overall, so they've been sent to the "Notes and Drafts" folder, where they shall remain for the foreseeable future. I might have a conversation between Revan and Anakin next chapter to flesh them out a bit more, but I'll see how that goes.

Also, the hooded figure that Obi Wan follows at the beginning is actually Siri, hooded. She doesn't talk because Obi Wan would recognize her voice, and she's been keeping an eye on them since the beginning, hence Anakin saying that he senses a familiar presence both in this and the last chapter.

Thirdly, Obi Wan's flashback. Do any of you remember back in Book 1 where Anakin mentioned that Obi Wan might also get flashbacks at times? Yeah, this is where this pays off. Basically, Clones shooting at him triggers the flashbacks with Cody and the 212th, which is…not good to say the least. Take note of the line "…I'd have to face something like this…less I completely avoid sleep, and by extension, nightmares." because it will come up again later.

Fourthly, Obi Wan's near-Fall to the Dark Side. This scene…was just…it gave me chills even as I was editing! Obi Wan's one weakness, the one thing that's ever been able to truly hurt him as a character, is the loss of a loved one, regardless of how this occurs. Whether it be death like Qui Gon and Satine, or betrayal like Anakin and Cody, Obi Wan is only put through true pain when he losses someone, and this trait was used against him in this scene.

Obi Wan loves Siri. Not only because they've spent their entire teenage years together, but also because she's someone who understands him on a deeply personal level that even (canon) Anakin never reached. She was his confidant and friend, so when this evolved into her being something more than a friend, he had already fallen in love.

During this scene, Obi Wan is pitted against Siri in the worst way possible. It's a repeat of Anakin's Fall, in a sense. Siri has "Fallen", but this time, Obi Wan knows it wasn't by choice. She's being forced to do this, trying to fight back if the yellow in her eyes retreating for a moment is any indication to him, and he can't bring himself to hurt her in any way. When offered the chance to finally be free of his burdens and have a future with her, he hesitates, still putting his duty above his personal feelings and notice that we never see their fingers intertwine. Obi Wan never accepts Siri's hand, but she is the one to grab a hold of him.

Lost in thought as he is now, Obi Wan can't think clearly, and begins to convince himself that everything will be alright in the end. That this Fall into the Dark is worth it, somehow. Notice that his thoughts here, along with the dialogue, are made to mirror his argument with Anakin on Mustafar, a warning sign Obi Wan notices…and promptly ignores. Having never been so open to emotion before, his love for Siri nearly spells disaster and it's only when Anakin robot-logics him out of it by saying that the Dark Path hurt Padme and will inevitably hurt Siri, something Obi Wan views as unacceptable while under the Dark Side's influence, that he snaps out of it finally and manages to stay in the Light.

Lastly, something to look out for in the future. It's made clear that the Cortosis Armor worn by the Sith Phantoms was not part of their original gear and was taken away by Revan. I wonder what a lightsaber-resistant alloy could be used for in the future…

Next time: With Siri safely in the hands of the Jedi Healers, the Council demands to know everything about her rescue, putting Anakin and Obi Wan in a difficult position. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing under the Senate Building's roof as Darth Sidious investigates the mysterious assassin known only as Phantom, and comes close to discovering one of Anakin's most closely guarded secrets…

Additional author's note: I've decided to move these stories (as in the entire "A Messed Up Destiny" storyline) to the main "Star Wars" category. Also, to those whom it may concern Satine x Obi Wan is no longer the main ship, and I've decided to keep Siri x Obi Wan instead.

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!