The trip to Sardis IV took two days and not once could Anakin convince his Master to discuss what had happened at Dexter's Diner.
According to Obi-Wan, the matter was settled and the topic was closed. He did not want to talk about Padmé, past or present, "Coruscant Connections," or any other aspect of his personal life. They were on a mission and their focus should remain on that alone, Obi-Wan had told him that morning in the cargo hold during katas.
The only problem was that Anakin knew his Master was distracted. He knew this because he had bested his Master in two out of three sparring matches this morning, and he had never been able to do that before.
Something had happened in that diner. Something bad enough to have affected Obi-Wan this way. The man was distant and was obviously having trouble concentrating.
But there wasn't a whole lot Anakin could do about it since he wouldn't even talk to him about it.
Hopefully, his Master would have everything straightened out by the time they reached Sardis IV. He had to. Their mission was vastly different from their previous visit, when all they had done was witness the coronation ceremony of a new queen.
There would be no erotic dancing performed this trip.
Instead, they were being sent to protect the planet's new leader from an uprising of a rebellious faction claiming their bloodline was the only true inheritor of the throne.
The situation was highly volatile before they had even arrived, with the rebel group having taken control over many sections of the capital city of Nusar.
They would need to be at their best; in touch with the Force, centered, calm, and focused.
Anakin glanced over to his Master who had previously been studying the layouts of the capital, but now wore a somewhat glazed appearance as he stared out the viewport. It was then Anakin began to worry.
Everything will be fine, the boy shirked off his concern, turning his attention once more to the navigational controls. After all, Obi-Wan was a Jedi Master. He was always ready.
The immediate events that occurred when they exited their ship however, proved the apprentice wrong. The Jedi were abruptly lured into a fierce battle in an area previously believed to have been secure. The Force rang out with danger on all sides as the two Jedi fought to find cover. The palace was just a few meters from their position, and they had to get there at once in order to protect Queen Milana.
Obi-Wan peered around the crumbling edge of a gray stone building to map out an escape route when the Force jolted with warning.
There was very little time to react. A large caliber mortar shell slammed into the wall above them, collapsing the already unstable structure. With a fierce shove, Anakin found himself lying in the dirt on his back, while Obi-Wan fell beneath the mound of rubble.
A small band of palace guards soon approached as Anakin frantically dug out his Master. With their assistance, they soon had carried Obi-Wan to the palace and had taken him to see the royal physician.
No broken bones, but he did have a severe concussion, along with some subdural hemorrhaging.
"Would you like for us to prep him for surgery?" The elderly man asked the shaken apprentice who sat staring at the blood-caked hair of his Master.
"No." Anakin murmured quietly. "He's already beginning to heal himself. With my help, he should wake soon."
The apprentice glanced up at the medic and attempted a smile to show his confidence, but the truth was, Anakin wasn't very optimistic.
He could sense his Master's Force aura was off for some reason. He was not recuperating as quickly as he should have been; as he had always done in the past.
The physician shrugged and slowly moved away, followed by his younger assistant, but Anakin stopped them short of leaving the room entirely.
"Is your communications still working?"
"Yes." The younger man replied. "For the time being."
"I need to use your datacom, if you don't mind."
"Go right ahead, young man." The elderly man stated kindly before motioning his companion to leave the room.
That was good news at least. With his Master incapacitated, he would need to contact the Jedi Council. Another team of Jedi would need to be sent to Sardis IV as soon as possible. The fragility of the situation here would not await Obi-Wan's recovery, especially since he didn't know how long that was going to take.
But there was one thing that Anakin did know.
Something was wrong inside his Master's head, and the concussion and hemorrhage had very little to do with it.