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Obi-Wan knew he looked like a mess. He knew he looked shaky and that he had a manic look in his eye. He knew that he was swaying in place and he knew that Mace was about ready to leap out of his chair and usher Obi-Wan into his own (for all the good that would do. Mace was there via Holo, not physically).
His entrance into the Council chamber was louder than he meant it to be. He hadn't allowed Adi and Plo to call and schedule a meeting. There wasn't time for that. He left them behind as he made his way as quickly as his aching knee allowed him to go (which wasn't very fast and Adi and Plo both managed to catch up to him fairly quick). So, with Adi and Plo on his heels, the frantic copper-haired Jedi threw open the Council chamber doors with all the flourish of someone in a hurry.
He vaguely remembers mumbling out apologies to the other Council members as he made his way to the center of the room. The subtle shifts of curiosity and concern from his fellow Jedi were sent softly to him through the Force.
He knew Adi and Plo both watched him warily as they made their way to their seats. He knew there were some mutters of disbelief and outrage from others as well. He paid them no mind.
He didn't have the time.
Which is why, when Mace opened his mouth to speak, Obi-Wan barreled on as through Mace hadn't attempted to question him.
"The Sith Lord is on Coruscant." His voice is hoarse and the words are quick to leave his lips. The silence that sat thickly in the air caused Obi-Wan to falter and wonder if they understood him. He made to repeat the statement, but Mace held up a hand and stopped him.
"What makes you so certain?" He asks with concern on his features. Mace worried about his friend constantly (everyone knew that), so to see him in such a state of disarray threw him slightly. Yes, seeing Obi-Wan out of it and disheveled was nothing new these past days after his mission, but it still worried Mace and the other Council members.
"The Force," Obi-Wan states, gazing intently at his friend. When no reply is spoken, Obi-Wan huffs and shifts on his feet as he thinks. No one bothers him as he brings a hand up to stroke his beard whilst he sifts through everything going through his mind. Finally making a decision, he nods and lowers his hand. "Because of what happened on Zigoola, my shields have been a mess lately." There are nods from the other Masters. This was not new information. "I've also felt the dark side more clearly these past few days than. I think this is due to the events on Zigoola as well."
The subtle flinch that seeps into the Force is not actually all that subtle. Every Jedi in that room remembers Obi-Wan's debrief of that mission.
How could they not?
"So, while I was in The Room of a Thousand Fountains meditating, I found that the dark was still there. It pressed against my mind and the walls of the Temple. At first, I assumed it was the Sith Temple underneath this one, but I knew that wasn't the case." Obi-Wan knew how it felt to be inside a Sith Temple. What he felt during his meditation was not that. "So, I searched the dark that was pressing against me." He held up his hand to stop any outbursts. "The light didn't stop me. It was as though the Force wanted me to look into it."
No one spoke, but they could feel the Force ring out in support of Obi-Wan. Truth. He speaks the truth.
"Masters," Obi-Wan shuffled and tucked his hands into the voluminous sleeves of his robe. His eyes dropped to gaze intently at the pattern on the floor he stood on. "I've felt much darkness over the years I've been a Jedi," He lifts his head. "I've never felt something like what I felt in that moment."
Unease spreads through the Force as Obi-Wan recounts how the darkness felt.
It was silent.
What were they to say?
"A Sith Lord on Coruscant," Mace mutters through clasped hands. "Could you pinpoint an exact location?" Mace asks only for the sake of the galaxy. If his friend doesn't know, he doesn't want to push him. Not when he looks as though a light breeze could knock him over.
Obi-Wan shuffles once more and nods.
"The Senate District. Namely the Rotunda and Offices." He mumbles the answer, but he knows they heard him.
The silence is crushing. Obi-Wan trembles under the weight of it. He needs to hear them say something. He can't hear they're thoughts. He can't feel what they're thinking. He can just feel the warm blanket of the light washing over him.
But it's still too quiet.
As though sensing his discomfort, the Council focuses back on the matter. Mace eyes him carefully.
"Here's what we're going to do."
