Obi-Wan couldn't believe it.
Anakin was gone. Truly gone.
It took them until nightfall to realize what had happened, when Fives came back, scraped and bruised but otherwise unharmed, claiming to have never seen him. They had been concerned then, but when no one could reach his communicator, and neither Jedi could reach him through the Force, then it was near panic. They organized search parties, only to find the shattered remnants of his comm, and nothing else.
Ahsoka, to her credit, kept her cool through the entire frantic search, guiding the troops as if they were searching for an important data chip, but Obi-Wan could see through her facade. She was just as worried as the rest of them, if not more.
They called off the search just after dawn. About half of the Separatist fleet had left, and the remaining droids had made no effort to attack. They must have noticed their distraction and left, if they didn't have Anakin in binders or dead and were satisfied.
As the day dragged on, it was becoming ever more clear they wouldn't find him. The best they could hope for now was that the Separatists had taken him prisoner, but even that was unlikely. His Force signature had disappeared completely. Not like if he had gone into hyperspace, or even been drugged. Those left a lingering bond, like a thread tied at only one end, but their old bond had snapped, erased as if it had never existed in the first place. Just like his training bond on Naboo.
They were supposed to move in, take the base, but Obi-Wan couldn't imagine just, continuing on like that. Forcing Ahsoka to immediately take command of the 501st as if Anakin was simply away for now, he couldn't make himself give the orders. He gave in, and called the Resolute for pickup.
No one told Yularen why, but it didn't take Jedi intuition to figure. He met the weary group in the hangar, as he often did, and before too long, asked the dreaded question. Ahsoka winced as if struck, while Obi-Wan had only looked up from his spot with Ahsoka on the ground, shaking his head. The Admiral understood. He asked, "Shall I inform Coruscant?"
Gathering his meager strength, he said, "No, just set a course. I will speak to the Jedi council. We will go from there."
He hadn't realized he would have to until the words were out of his mouth. Yularen nodded, turned sharply and left, not a moment too soon. Obi-Wan couldn't blame him, who would want to stick around?
Ahsoka had been leaning on him, even her famous strength faltering. Jedi commander or not, she was still fifteen, and going through something no padawan should have to. He shifted gently, bringing her focus back to now, and said, "Ahsoka? You should go rest."
She replied, humorlessly, "Only if you do too."
"I will, soon."
They both knew that wasn't true, but it satisfied her enough. She nodded slowly and stood, never once meeting his eye. He wouldn't be surprised if she blamed herself for this whole mess, he knew he did after the fight with Darth Maul, but even that would have to wait. For now, he needed to speak to the council.
Obi-Wan sequestered himself away in his quarters, everyone giving him a wide berth on the walk over. Rumors spread fast among the clones, no doubt the entire ship had heard by now. Inside, he turned all the lights off, released as much of his turmoil into the Force as he could, and made the call.
Master Yoda answered, a small mercy, asking, "Master Kenobi, a surprise this is. How goes Felucia?"
He respectfully bowed his head, "We had to pull away master. The Resolute and Negotiator are on their way to Coruscant as we speak."
Yoda's ears shifted, "Oh, go wrong, something did?"
'Now or never.' He said, "Anakin is missing. We ran searches, and only found his destroyed communicator. Neither Padawan Tano or I are able to sense him."
"Hmm, troubling, this is, very troubling. Taken by the Separatists, was he?"
"Not that we know of, master. I fear the worst."
Yoda tapped his cane a few times, "Made the right choice you did, in returning. Discuss this matter more, will shall, when you arrive."
Obi-Wan bowed again, "Thank you, master."
"May the Force be with you, Master Kenobi."
The call ended, and Obi-Wan felt a small flame of anger light deep within him. Referring to Anakin as nothing more than a 'matter' couldn't sum up the scale of what had happened.
He sighed and released his feelings to the force, for neither the first nor last time today. They would do him no good, and he couldn't stop yet. Ahsoka still needed him.
Ahsoka sat in her room, cross-legged on her bed, as if meditating, but really staring blankly at the wall. He tapped softly on the open door, not wanting to startle her, to which she responded, deadpan, not looking away from the wall, "Come in."
He sat next to her on the bed, gently saying, "The council knows."
Sounding completely unlike herself, she asked, "How did it go?"
"Well, all things considered. Master Yoda will gather the council for a hearing once we reach Coruscant.
She stiffened, so slightly that most would never notice, "Will I have to speak?"
"I suspect not."
A long moment passed, Ahsoka visibly processing the news. Eventually, she asked, "What's gonna happen to me?"
He internally recited, 'There is no emotion, there is peace,' hoping to find the elusive feeling. "I will finish your training, unless you would prefer Master Plo, or someone else."
"No, I want you," she sniffed quietly, and continued in a lighter, but still sad, tone, "I guess you'll be my master after all."
"It seems so."
Another long silence passed, until Ahsoka asked, "How are the boys holding up?"
She certainly was a Jedi, always thinking of others before herself. "I spoke to Cody before we left, he says they're, coping. The clones will be alright. The question is, young one, how are you?"
She took some time to answer, "It… it doesn't feel real, not yet at least. I just, can barely imagine Master Skywalker being…"
Ahsoka trailed off, no more willing to finish her sentence than Obi-Wan was to hear it. He urged, "Try to keep some faith, nothing is certain quite yet."
"Master, do you really believe that? I felt his signature drop, and I know you did too."
His shoulders dropped, what little conviction he had left, gone. "No, I don't. There is a chance, but," He paused, struggling for the words, "I don't expect to see my old padawan again."
The bond had well and truly snapped, just like with Qui-Gon. He could think of no other explanation.
She bit her trembling, lower lip, looking down and away as well. He stood, and said, "If you need me, I will be in my quarters."
Ahsoka nodded, still not meeting his eyes. Just before shutting the door, he added, "Please, don't hesitate to stop by."
Back on Coruscant, he let Ahsoka go straight to her room. If the council acted anything like they did during the Naboo crisis, she would be better off far from the proceedings. If the council truly felt the need to speak to her, she could be summoned. Obi-Wan could handle it for both of them.
Only a few council members, Masters Plo, Windu and Yoda, were actually in attendance, the rest scattered throughout the Outer Rim. Not even the death of the Chosen One could halt the Clone Wars. Master Windu prompted, "What do you have to report, Master Kenobi?
His lip twisted down, so Yoda hadn't told the council. Opening himself to the Force, he told the story again, for what he could only hope was the last time.
As he concluded, the expressions of the council members ranged from quiet surprise, to no reaction at all. Master Plo, visibly unreadable but radiating worry, asked, "How is Padawan Tano handling this?"
"As well as can be expected. She has requested to complete her training with me."
Plo said, "That seems wise. Masters?"
Each said 'aye', with Windu being the last to agree. Hand on his chin, appearing deep in thought, he said, "Naboo's secession could be connected to Skywalker's disappearance, with his, history with the Senator."
Obi-Wan ignored the suggestion, "My apologies, Naboo has…?"
A brief grimace flashed across Windu's face, soon replaced by Jedi serenity. He explained, "While you were on Felucia, Naboo, along with several other outlying systems, seceded to the Separatists."
"When?"
Plo answered, "Almost immediately after your departure."
He stood, staring like a padawan caught in a lie. "I, this is, unexpected."
Yoda nodded along, "Unexpected for all, this is."
Master Plo began, carefully, "Obi-Wan, do you think young Skywalker could have, defected? With Senator Amidala?"
"No," He replied, more firmly than he intended, "My former padawan would never. He was completely loyal to the Republic, and as I said, he is one with the Force now."
Windu slightly inclined his head, "Even so, that does not entirely disprove the role of the senator."
He hated it, but Obi-Wan could almost see Windu's meaning. Anakin, in a rage, believing the Separatists had stolen Padme from him, throwing himself at Grievous, alone. Head bowed, he admitted, "That is a possibility."
"It is settled then. Commander Tano will be promoted to general, and take control of the five hundred and first, and be apprenticed to Master Kenobi. All in favor?"
Obi-Wan stood respectfully as the council agreed, feeling almost whiplashed. In a matter of less than an hour, and without a single mention of his status as the Chosen One, Anakin's life had been wrapped up into a neat package.
On his way back to Ahsoka's room, he considered if Anakin had been the Chosen One at all.
-Bonus
As the holo of Tyrannus faded, Darth Sidious let his all-knowing persona drop, replaced by a deep scowl. Master Windu had already come by, fully convinced that Skywalker had died on Felucia, as if every Force sensitive alive wouldn't feel if the Chosen One had died. His first move after had been to contact Tyrannus, and find out exactly what he suspected, Skywalker deserted and followed the damned senator, and threw a spanner in all of his plans.
Everything hinged on Vader, from Order sixty-six, to continuing the Empire. He needed a powerful enforcer at his side for anything to work, and Dooku, nor his assassin could take the place of the Chosen One at his side, not even Master Yoda or Kenobi could. He had it programmed into his clones for the order. There was no question, he committed to Vader entirely, for almost eleven years now.
What he hadn't committed so fully to, was the Republic.
The thought nearly made him grimace, but it was, by far, his best option. Skywalker would not return to the Republic, certainly not if he was willing to fake his death to escape, and at least for the beginning, Sidious needed him ready and willing. It would require a complete reversal of the Clone Wars, and risked devastating both sides to the point of being nothing left to rule. He had stacked the odds to the Republic side from the beginning, and would have to find a way to undo eleven years of work, and soon.
The Confederacy itself even posed risk, the largely human citzens of the Republic were used to heavy government, and had almost twenty-thousand years of development behind it, but the CIS had none of that. Their mostly alien citizens, something he supposed he could tolerate, were recent insurgents, living in a nearly lawless, mess of a state. They would be much more difficult to subdue into good, Imperial citizens, and ran a far higher risk of another uprising, possibly right away. For the Confederacy to win the Clone Wars, he would have to subjugate the entire Republic, not just the Jedi, with battle droids, and put the timing, and very existence, of Order sixty-six in question, however, in all truth, he had no choice.
He would build his Empire out of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and start immediately. Time was his true enemy here, more than the Jedi, even, as the longer he waited, the more the risks grew. And he could not fail, for all the Sith that came before, and all the Sith that will come, he could not fail.
Darth Sidious turned to face the Coruscant skyline, hands pressed together in thought. He had much to do.