A/N: I am so glad that you all liked the fight between Obi-Wan and Mace. It was a blast to write. Don't worry; there will be other fights in the future. This will be a short chapter, sorry about that. As a heads up, I'm going to be out of town for about a week and don't know if I will have computer access. I'll try and update again before I leave and if not, then right when I get back.

Ch. 26: Trying to play God

Floating in the black sea, Obi-Wan looked into the past, present and future. Everything blended together. Past was future, future was past. The moment they touched for the briefest nanosecond, the present exploded in a supernova before dimming into the black. He saw civilizations die and rise again in different forms. Only one civilization caught his mind's eye in particular.

Republic

Old Republic

On the outside it looked healthy, a time of prosperity, a golden age. But Obi-Wan knew better, such an ideal was an illusion. The government was rotting from the inside out. A virus called the Sith was destroying all the hard work that countless millions gave their lives for. And like a virus, the Republic would not know of its' existence till it was too late. By then, countless precious organs and resources would have fallen and all that would be left is a rotting corpse for the maggots to feed on.

He witnessed a galactic civil war that birthed the atrocity called Vader. Obi-Wan watched as the Empire spread before him like oil. The darkness was poised to swallow a desert planet when a bright light shined forth. Peering closer, he noticed that the light was actually four distinct individuals. The younger two shone with such heat that it burned his mind. Next to the youngest, a light shone with a grayness that was soothing. The other light flickered in and out, but her presence was still felt. It was Xanatos and Nyree living together with a child he did not know of and another who seemed to be an extension of his essence.

Obi-Wan had seen this vision countless times. Every since his time on the mining facility, the dream chased him to no end. Despite the repetition, the vision still surprised him and carved out another long scar in his soul. A darker cloud than that of the Empire appeared from nowhere. Vader was driven by guilt and hatred for himself. This new cloud was driven by one thought: vengeance. The two clouds clashed over the desert planet.

Lightening crackled, thunder rumbled, rain of acid and death plundered down from the stars. No one cried or screamed when the four lights below faded away into nothingness. Their deaths did not reach the deaf ears of Vader or this other Sith Lord.

Dry eyes that wanted to shed tears burned as Obi-Wan took in the sight once more. But instead of allowing the grief to cut him, his soul hardened and blazed away the grief. Obi-Wan began to pull away from the vision. He didn't want to know which of the evil Lords won or what happened to the galaxy. He just knew that the last hope for salvation had died. The Force had granted him this vision and it was his duty to prevent it at all costs.

Pulling further away, waves began to rise and crash into him. Obi-Wan couldn't change the future full out. A Sith Lord would rise and the Republic would crumple. There was no stopping it. But maybe he could tweak it.

The waves crashed harder and Obi-Wan felt himself shift. He sensed far off in the distance, Xanatos and Nyree landing on her home planet. A twinge of guilt passed through him. He had lied to his brother. Nyree was not in danger…yet. But he needed to get Xanatos out of the picture for awhile. He had to get 'captured' by the Jedi to do what was necessary to preserve the light. If he wanted a future with Nyree it had to be now. Part of him screamed that it was not the time to go back, that when Naboo was under siege was the right time to return to the Jedi. But he couldn't wait that long. Vibrations bounced through the sky. Obi-Wan closed his eyes and the sea became still as glass.

Opening them, he was greeted with a bland, gray ceiling. Glancing down, he noticed the pair of Force repressors hand-cuffs on his wrists. The cuffs glowed a light blue, revealing that his wound had been covered with bacta and was healing nicely. Turning his head to the side, he locked his gaze on the door of his cell. Outside he could hear the bickering of two close friends.

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In his arms, Qui-Gon shifted the gurgling sand-colored hair baby.

"Mace, Obi-Wan did nothing wrong."

"Jinn, he implanted a powerful Force suggestion on you to go board some random cruiser to Tatooine!"

"But I found him, this child whose midi-chlorians are off the charts. He's even higher than Yoda. Obi-Wan led me to him. He's the one Obi-Wan has been referring to all these years."

Mace studied the baby. Qui-Gon had said that his mere kid could become more powerful than Yoda. But all he saw was an infant playing with a tiny bubble seeping from his mouth. "Jinn…"

His friend inched forward, "He could be the one, Mace. The Chosen One."

The dark-skinned Jedi shook his head, "You're crazy. That prophecy is just a myth." Eyes turning towards the door, worry flickering in the chocolate eyes. With a wave of his hand, the door swished opened.

Obi-Wan quickly turned his head up so when the door opened, his gaze was upon the ceiling.

Qui-Gonzoomed into the small cell taking in Obi-Wan for the first time since he had returned. "Mace is this really necessary? Force cuffs? He's only a boy!"

At the same time, Mace and Obi-Wan answered, "Yes."

A playful grin lit the teenager's face. Mace shook his head and sighed, "Kenobi, once we reach the Temple you will be trailed and locked in a holding cell until we figure out what will be your true fate."

Sitting up, Obi-Wan swung his legs over the cot, "You found the child."

Somethingin how the words were whispered and the abrupt change of subject made Jinn take a step back; holding the baby closer to him. "His name is-"

"Anakin," spat Obi-Wan as if the name was poison.

Qui-Gon narrowed his eyes, the Force called to him to be careful for his was threading on thin ice. "Obi-Wan what is it? Why are you acting this way?"

The dark cloud that hung on the teenager's face dissipated and the cocky attitude that Mace knew so well returned. Resting this back against the wall, Obi-Wan ignored Jinn and Anakin, locking his cold eyes on Mace. "I'll play your games for now, Jedi."

Mace's lips thinned. Motioning for Jinn to follow him, the two walked out of the cell. Jinn stood by the door, looking at it, as if he could still see Obi-Wan inside. Anakin began to busy himself with the elder's hair, having no sense of the danger lurking around him. Mace continued to walk, never looking back. When the distance between him and the door felt long enough, only then did Mace release his breath, whispering his troublesome thought into the air. "Why do I feel that we are playing his game, instead?"

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A/N: I know it's short, but it's the shortest one I wrote down. The others will be the average to long lengths because I'm finally tying up some loose ends. Next time: Obi-Wan is back home. Is this a good or bad thing? You'll just have to wait and see.