Chapter 5 – Obi-Wan's Plight

Anakin held her as she fell asleep in his arms; but he could not sleep. Repeatedly he thought of why he did not go to Coruscant when Obi-Wan suggested it. His pride, again his foolish stubborn pride has prevented him from doing what was right. If Obi-Wan died because of this, Anakin thought he would never get over it. He decided to see Master Yoda when he and Zak arrived at the Temple. Maybe Yoda would find some wise and understanding words to help him. At first, he feared that the other Jedi would blame him for his failure to understand the reason for the nightmares, but then on further thought, he knew this would not be the case.

"Hold on Obi-Wan, my friend, my brother, I will find you, I promise." He thought out to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan lay on the floor of a cramped storage locker. It was pitch black and there was no room to move even he had been able to. His hands were secured behind his back with binders that continually sapped what little strength he had left. His head throbbed and his shoulder was on fire. He did not remember them taking him off the transport. The last thing he remembered was Zak's face as he shoved the boy into the escape pod and his last words: "Why?" Then he had been shot from behind, he vaguely remembered trying to get up, when he was hit on the side of the head with the butt of a blaster. Obi-Wan hoped that the boy had found Anakin; Anakin would take him back to the Temple where he belonged and Yoda would help Zak get through the loss of his master and find another. He held out little hope for himself. He did not know where he was, who had abducted him or where they were going. If he did not know, how could anyone find him? He accepted this, calmly, as a Jedi would; although he had regrets about dying, that he would never see young Zak knighted, that he would never speak with his good friend again, play with his children and see them grow up; and that he would not see his other children born. But he rejoiced in the fact that he would soon be one with the Force and see his master, Qui-Gon. He tried to stretch in the cramped space of the locker, but it only increased the pain in his shoulder. The door to the locker opened and Obi-Wan was temporarily blinded by the outside light. He was dragged roughly to his feet and taken to a cargo hold.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, legendary hero of the Clone War. How nice of you to join us." A voice said.

Obi-Wan blinked, still trying to adjust his eyes to the light. When they did, he could hardly believe who was standing in front of him. The figure was holding a lance; he brought it up and hit Obi-Wan hard in the chest. Pain ripped through him and he fell to his knees gasping for breath. He was hit a second time and he fell forward and lay face down unable to move.

"There, that should send Skywalker a message. He'll surely come looking for you now." The figure said.

"Take this Jedi scum back to his...room; I am quite tired of looking at him."
The two who had brought him in now dragged him out of the cargo hold and threw him back into the locker. The door slammed shut, leaving him in darkness once again.

Zak was up before daylight. He felt well rested and was eager for them to be on their way to Coruscant. He knew that Anakin must have a plan for finding Obi-Wan. Padme was already up and preparing breakfast. Zak's clothes were laid across the back of a chair, clean and mended. She turned to him as he entered the kitchen.

"Good morning, Zak. You look much better this morning." She said pleasantly.

Zak frowned; he did not feel better.

"I will feel much better when Master Anakin and I find Obi-Wan." He told her.

"Don't worry, Zak, Anakin will find him. Everything will be alright, you'll see." Padme assured him.

Anakin walked into the kitchen. Zak noticed that he looked tired and knew that he had not slept. But Anakin voice was cheerful and he did not seem to be bothered by the events of the day before.

"Zak, I hope you're ready for a ride. I'm taking Padme's yacht to Coruscant. After what happened yesterday, I don't want to chance public transport." He told Zak.

"I just want to find Master Obi-Wan." Zak answered flatly.

"And we are going to do that Zak." Anakin promised, "I want to find him as much as you do. He was my master once, too, just as he is yours, and now he is like my brother. You understand that; don't you?"

Zak looked down, he felt ashamed. Anakin was trying to be helpful and encouraging even though he was greatly upset and he, Zak, was acting ungrateful, "I'm sorry, Master Anakin. I…just…I'm sorry." He said.

"I know, Zak. We will find him, I promise." He answered him gently. "Now, you must eat and dress, we should leave for Coruscant as soon as possible."

Having not eaten anything since earlier the past day, Zak was famished. He did not realize how hungry he was until Padme set a plate of food down in front of him. Then, thoughts of Obi-Wan intruded; Obi-Wan, he knew, had not eaten either, and probably wouldn't. Zak put down his fork.

"Zak, I know it's hard, but you won't do Master Obi-Wan any good if you make yourself sick by not eating. I need you to be strong." Anakin told him.

Zak nodded; again, Anakin was right, so Zak forced himself to eat. Before they had finished, another communication came from Coruscant. It was Yoda.

"Grave news I have for you, Anakin." He said.

Anakin steeled himself for the worst.

"Obi-Wan wasn't on that transport, was he?" He managed to say.

"Yes, missing he is. Taken off the ship he was. Alive, we do not know. Missing Young Zak is." Yoda told him.

"Zak is with us, Master Yoda. Obi-Wan put him in an escape pod and he came to us last night." Anakin replied.

"Ah, good news this is. Say what happened did he?" Yoda asked.

"Yes, Zak said that Obi-Wan was shot just after he put Zak in the escape pod." Anakin answered.

Yoda closed his eyes in concentration. After a moment, he opened them again.

"Alive he still is, Anakin. Feel his life Force, I do." Yoda reassured him.

"I felt him as well, last night; but he was in pain, Master Yoda." Anakin said.

"Know this I do, Anakin. Find him quickly, we must." Yoda replied.

"I am bringing Zak with me to Coruscant; we are leaving very soon." Anakin told him.

"Waiting for you we will be. May the Force be with you, Anakin." Yoda answered.

"May it be with us all, Master Yoda." Anakin added, "I will see you on Coruscant in a few hours."

"Find him we will, Young Skywalker." Yoda promised.

Yoda's image faded, and Anakin took the bad news to Padme and Zak.