RESOLVE II
3.
Obi-Wan swept his gaze over the familiar façades of the CoCo Town commercial district as he piloted an airspeeder along the Coruscanti skyways. The area was a little worse for wear, evidenced by the dulled durasteel and dilapidated permacrete that formed the bones that held everything together. But despite the signs of age the area was still well trafficked. Service droids kept the walkways and rooftops clean. A sign, perhaps, of the pride of hard-working maintenance crews and support staff working in those upper levels of the industrial sector.
Dex's Diner wasn't the only eatery in the area, but it was certainly one of the most popular. Frequented by spacers, freighter pilots, and other well-travelled beings it was also occasionally a treasure trove of information. And sometimes it was a stage for tall tales to be told.
Obi-Wan parked the airspeeder in an open spot a short distance away from the diner. He shut down its systems and gracefully leaped out, not bothering to tell his silent padawan to do the same. He knew Anakin would follow. After placing a Republic credit chip into the parking meter Obi-Wan proceeded down the sidewalk at an unhurried pace.
Pedestrians gave the Jedi curious looks, some gave them a wide berth. That didn't necessarily bother Obi-Wan. Usually it was the result of a superstition they held. If he'd been born without the Force thrumming through his being, perhaps he too would feel strangely about the Jedi. In a small corner of his mind, however, he felt a vague sense of apprehension at the skittish behaviour some beings displayed around members of the Order. But, as with all anxieties, he did not dwell on it.
Through the horizontal windows of Dex's Diner Obi-Wan could see that it wasn't as busy as he'd seen it in the past. Not surprising, considering the lunch rush was over. Obi-Wan led the way through the rounded doorway. A bell chimed to announce their arrival, and Obi-Wan walked straight for a set of empty seats along the colourful plastoid counter.
Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of the Besalisk through the circular window that separated the kitchen from the seating area. Moving hurriedly in the kitchen was Dex. He briefly paused to see the new customers and his scaly face broke out into a large grin.
"Obi-Wan! I haven't seen you in weeks," he said, waving a large hand as he disappeared behind the wall once more.
"Hello Dex," Obi-Wan greeted loudly.
"I'll be right with you my friend," Dex's voice carried over the sound of clanking metal and a crackle that sounded suspiciously like fire. But there was no burning smell or warning in the Force, so Obi-Wan sat back calmly and waited patiently in his seat. Next to him Anakin fidgeted with the sleeves of his robe.
"I hope you remember your lessons on toxin filtering," Obi-Wan remarked offhandedly.
"I never needed to use it here, master," Anakin said. "You forget. . . my stomach is durasteel."
"Oh. . . yes," Obi-Wan nodded. With carefully weighted sarcasm he said, "Your constitution always did impress me. Especially that time you accidentally ate those—"
"Let's not revisit that particular memory, master," Anakin said quickly. A clear sign that he'd rather not talk about it. Obi-Wan laughed, fondly remembering when a twelve year old Anakin accidentally ate poisonous kelp while on a survival training exercise. Obi-Wan had needled him to study up on his flora for weeks, and Anakin had adamantly argued that he was well-prepared and promptly ignored his master to pull apart an outdated hyperdrive generator. At the time Obi-Wan had let it go, deciding that a hard lesson would impart greater wisdom than a lecture. He'd almost regretted his decision when Anakin spent an entire day in a fevered and pained daze as the poison triggered nerve endings to produce pained joints and muscle spasms.
Hermione Bagwa sidled up next to the Jedi with two menus. Obi-Wan noted how her blue eyes stayed on Anakin's form as she offered up the items. There was curiosity there. She tucked a few stray strands of blond hair behind her ears, two large golden loops swung gently from the lobes.
"The usual, Obi-Wan?" Hermione went back behind the counter to collect the jawa juice pot.
"Just water today, thank you Hermione," Obi-Wan held up a single hand. "I'm still on duty I'm afraid."
"Aren't you Jedi always on duty?" she put the jawa pot down and grinned.
"It's a matter of degrees," Obi-Wan leaned his elbows on the counter and glanced sideways at his padawan, who seemed rather preoccupied with the counter top. Odd. "What would you like to drink, Anakin?"
"Water is fine, thanks," Anakin said, nodding his head to Hermione.
"You two didn't come all the way out here just to drink water, did you?" Hermione shook her head and turned to pull two fresh glasses from a cupboard beneath the counter.
"Of course not," Obi-Wan said pleasantly. "I'll have the club sandwich."
"What about you sweetie?" Hermione asked the young man whose eyes were still stuck to something on the counter only he could see.
Anakin finally looked up and met Hermione's eyes. "I'll have a nerfburger and potato wedges," he said. Obi-Wan was barely able to repress his smile. He was sorely tempted to tease Anakin. Didn't he say how his tastes had grown more sophisticated less than an hour ago?
"Admit it," Obi-Wan said when Hermione entered the kitchen to relay their orders to Dex. "You're looking forward to that nerfburger."
"It's only to remind myself what it tastes like," Anakin crossed his arms over his chest. "I haven't had one in years, master."
Obi-Wan laughed quietly, and turned to face the entrance when the bell chimed. He watched as two men—one Sullustan and one human—dressed in SoroSuub Corporation uniforms walked in. They were deeply engrossed in what appeared to be a riveting discussion, judging by the way his padawan suddenly jerked to attention and watched their progress across the diner's floor. They spoke in galactic basic, and Obi-Wan caught a few words like FA-4 pilot droid and X-34 landspeeder before he lost interest.
"Master can I—"
"Go on," Obi-Wan nodded his head towards the SoroSuub employees. He watched a grin spread across Anakin's face before the young man jumped off his chair to go strike up a conversation with the new arrivals.
Obi-Wan shook his head with a fond smile. Give his padawan anything that even remotely resembled a machine and he was happy. This will do him good, Obi-Wan thought as he watched Anakin's progress. He could not hear their quiet conversation, but he watched as the Sullustan suddenly burst out laughing and scooted over so Anakin could take the seat next to him in their booth.
Obi-Wan sighed. It was so easy for Anakin to make friends with random strangers, but among the Jedi he struggled.
"I see that padawan of yours has abandoned you," Dex came around the counter and placed a club sandwich plate in front of Obi-Wan.
"It happens every time I remove the leash," Obi-Wan said and Dex burst into guffaws. He grinned in response, stood and gave the Besalisk a friendly hug. It was always a little strange to get hugged by four arms. Obi-Wan felt at a disadvantage, and was strangely amused by the thought. He took his seat again and said, "This isn't exactly a social call, Dex."
"The thought never crossed my mind," Dex said. "You Jedi are a different breed, eh?"
"I suppose we are," Obi-Wan sighed. "Dex. . . Let's say, for the sake of argument, I wanted to build myself an army. How would I go about doing that?"
"An army?" The Besalisk frowned. "What would you need an army for?"
"It's a hypothetical question, Dex," Obi-Wan kept his voice low. There weren't many customers, and those who did occupy the various booths didn't exude any kind of intent. The Force sailed smoothly through the diner. There were no disturbances, but it wouldn't hurt to remain cautious.
"Well, I suppose that would depend on the scale of this. . . hypothetical army," Dex lowered his voice and leaned an elbow on the counter top.
"Let's say. . ." Obi-Wan hesitated. Master Yoda had said nothing of how large the army he'd seen during his meditation had been. But he'd sensed the old Master's disquiet. And if Yoda was disturbed by it, then surely the scale would have been terrible. "Millions."
"Millions!" Dex's whisper was filled with distress. "I hope this really is a hypothetical situation, my friend."
Obi-Wan sympathised with Dex's sudden alarm. He felt it pervade through the Force, which was unusual in itself, since Besalisks were nearly Force opague. Similar to Hutts. Obi-Wan glanced over at Anakin to see if the young man had noticed it too, but he was still engrossed in his conversation with the SoroSuub men. Hermione walked by and handed over two plates of sliders and Anakin's nerfburger combo.
"I hope so too, Dex," Obi-Wan turned back to face his friend. "But if you can think of anything you've encountered in your travels that would assist in creating such an army, I need to know."
"Well, there's always Baktoid Combat Automata," Dex said. "They manufactured the droids that were used to invade Naboo, no?"
"Baktoid is the most obvious, yes," Obi-Wan agreed. "But that is not what I had in mind."
Dex ran a finger over his moustache. He seemed to be in deep thought. Obi-Wan no longer sensed any particular feeling from his friend, but the Force imparted a certain awareness to him. Its call was urgent, as though telling him what the Besalisk was about to say was important, and that he needed to pay close attention.
"Maybe. . ." Dex looked to the side, thinking. "I wonder. . ."
"What is it, Dex?" Obi-Wan forced his beating heart to slow it's sudden adrenalin fuelled rhythm.
"There's a planet about 12 parsecs outside the Rishi Maze, towards the south, called Kamino," Dex finally said. "The Kaminoans are cloners."
"Cloners?" Obi-Wan frowned. "That seems. . . possible. Especially if one wanted to keep it a secret."
"If your next question is going to be about where to find the money to fund such an operation, I can't help you, Obi-Wan," Dex said. "And I hope your enquiry is exactly as you say. . . hypothetical."
"So do I," Obi-Wan scratched his beard. He stared at the club sandwich in front of him. His appetite was suddenly diminished. No doubt by the speculations that ran through his mind.
He wouldn't make any assumptions until he had more information, but if Sifo-Dyas did somehow set something like the creation of a clone army into motion, he would have needed funds. Obi-Wan sighed. The lead Dex offered seemed both promising and disturbing, but he needed more information before he could present his findings to the Jedi High Council. He quickly dug into the sandwiches, despite no longer being hungry, and planned his next move.
"Thank you, Dex," Obi-Wan said after swallowing the first mouthful. "You're information is indispensable, as always."
"Any time, Obi-Wan," Dex said. "I better get back to the kitchen and prepare for the dinner rush."
Obi-Wan nodded and watched the Besalisk make his way to the kitchen. He finished half his food before he decided it was enough to sustain him through the late afternoon and evening. After gulping down a few mouthfuls of water he stood to find Hermoine. Once the bill was settled he looked at Anakin. The young man was still avidly discussing machinery with the SoroSuub men. He should take Anakin with him, but he'd not seen the young man so engaged in months. With a sigh and a brief thought that he would regret what he was about to do, he walked up to their table.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan waited until he had his padawan's attention, then said, "I have urgent business at the Senate. Take the speeder back to the Temple once you're done here. No detours, or I will know."
"Yes master," Anakin's eyes lit up. "No detours, I promise."
"Good," Obi-Wan briefly rested a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "I'll see you back at the Temple for evening sequences and meditation."
Obi-Wan left Dex's Diner and quickly made his way down the wide walkways of CoCo Town. The Senatorial district was within walking distance, and Obi-Wan used the opportunity to study how the Force flowed through the city dwellers. Throughout his travels and training Obi-Wan had encountered many different kinds of planets, and each had a unique presence within the Force. Some overflowed as a river might during monsoon season, while others were as bereft of the Force as the planet Hoth was of warmth.
Coruscant had always felt like a conundrum to Obi-Wan. He could sense the vitality of the Force in almost every living being on the great city planet, but beneath the surface something deeper lay. Something hidden, shrouded. As a youngling he'd often woken up in the middle of the night with a feeling of wrongness. When he tried to explain it to Master Ali-Alann the crèche master had taken him to Yoda. The Grandmaster then told him the story of how the Jedi Temple had been built on a Force nexus, over the ruins of an ancient dark shrine. He explained that the wrongness he felt was an echo of that darkness, and that Obi-Wan should draw in the purity of the Force if and when the echo returned to him again.
Decades later Obi-Wan could still sometimes feel that fleeting echo of wrongness, and wondered why he struggled to let go of those childish concerns.
The enormous Senate building loomed in front of Obi-Wan and he did not need Master Yoda to explain to him the bad feeling he got every time he neared it. Politicians were power hungry, greedy and dishonest. Perhaps that was an unfair generalisation, but as a Jedi Obi-Wan had seen far too many precarious situations at the mercy of some politician's agenda dissolve into chaos.
There were exceptions like Tyro Caladian, of course. The Svivreni worked tirelessly to combat corruption and injustice, and met the risk that it presented to himself with a courage equal to that of any Jedi.
A slew of negative emotions flooded Obi-Wan's senses as soon as he crossed the threshold of the Senate building. Ego warred with pride while greed slipped by like a serpent in the grass. Despite the assembly of aggression a speck of determination and hope did break through. Without slowing his quick walking pace Obi-Wan drew the Force around himself and warded off the distracting emotions of the politicians.
He reached Tyro's office without incident. Where he expected to find a secretary, he found an empty room and an open door. Unusual. Obi-Wan walked to the open doorway of Tyro's office and saw the Svivreni studiously pouring over a stack of holofiles. Plastoid storage boxes littered the floor, no doubt filled with even more files, and Obi-Wan wondered what cause Tyro was currently tackling. He paused just inside the doorway and softly rapped his knuckles on the durasteel control panel set into the wall.
Tyro's head tilted towards the doorway and as soon as he saw Obi-Wan standing there his face lit up into a grin as bright as the Tatooine sun. "My eyes are happy! It is the face of my friend Obi-Wan!" He leaped off his chair and met the Jedi at the door, then opened his hand, closed it, and placed it over his heart in a traditional greeting.
"Hello Tyro," Obi-Wan mimicked the same greeting. "How have you been?"
"You know me, Obi-Wan. I am always busy!" Tyro plopped back down into his chair and indicated for Obi-Wan to take the empty seat on the other side of the desk.
"I'm afraid I might be adding more to your load today, my friend," Obi-Wan leaned back in the chair and ran a hand through his hair. The Svivreni picked up on Obi-Wan's apprehension almost immediately.
"I always have time for anything you need Obi-Wan," Tyro said. "I see it as my duty to help the Jedi when I am able to. Tell me what it is you need help with."
Obi-Wan made a gentle waving motion with his hand and the door slid shut, offering them a modicum of privacy. He leaned forward in his chair and laced his fingers together, then said, "I'm looking for a credit trail that leads back to a Master Sifo-Dyas."
"A Jedi Master?" Tyro asked. At Obi-Wan's nod of acknowledgement he said, "That will be very difficult, Obi-Wan. Jedi don't normally leave trails like that because none of you actually own anything."
"That's why I came to you directly. If this trail exists it's probably hidden by some sort of subterfuge. I don't know much about corporate dealings, but it is my understanding that in certain practices dummy corporations can be set up to protect an individual or another corporation from certain liabilities, including hiding ones identity."
"Yes it's certainly possible," Tyro rubbed his chin. "What is this about Obi-Wan?"
Obi-Wan leaned back in the chair again and crossed one leg over the other. How much of his speculation should he reveal to Tyro? He would trust the Svivreni with his life, but he did not want to endanger him unnecessarily. Danger was the only word that adequately described the bad feeling that thrummed through his veins since Dex mentioned the word cloners. Yet, he knew that he would cripple Tyro's abilities if he did not tell him everything he suspected.
"First you must understand that all I currently have is speculation," Obi-Wan sighed, then ripped off the band-aid before he could change his mind. "There is a possibility that Master Sifo-Dyas commissioned the creation of an army, and an investment like that would likely stretch into the billions."
At first Tyro's face showed no reaction to the words spoken, but then his brows pulled together in a deep frown. "This is troubling," he said. "You know of the debates? Do you think it has anything to do with it?"
"I don't know Tyro. . . Possibly," Obi-Wan kept his eyes on his friend. He could feel Tyro's distress in the Force. The Svivreni was doing an excellent job keeping the outward appearance of calm. Regret stabbed through Obi-Wan that he had needed to involve this good being in such an investigation at all.
"But you feel investigating this is important?"
"I feel it is dire," Obi-Wan said.
"Dire," Tyro parroted and looked down at his hands. "I will help, of course. But I worry, Obi-Wan. What if it turns out to be true?"
What indeed, Obi-Wan kept the thought to himself. Instead he gave his brave friend a reassuring smile, and said, "Don't fret, Tyro. If it proves true, then a solution will present itself."
Twilight filtered in through the wide windows of the Jedi Temple, setting the interior aglow with deep, fading oranges. The artificial lighting balanced the retreating natural light, but in the salle balcony Yoda chose to disable that imitation of light. He stood in the shadows, overlooking the figures in motion below. He studied their movement, and their spirits.
From one he sensed a quiet reserve, a humble maturity, a hard-won serenity. From the other he sensed youthful recklessness, twisting uncertainty, and inner turmoil. Yoda shook his head sadly. The boy had been through much.
Yoda felt his fellow council master in the Force before the Korun man stepped through the doorway behind him. The presence of Mace Windu was hard to miss. As if to compensate for this his steps made not a sound as he walked into the room. Yoda watched his progress, nodded his head in acknowledgement when their eyes met, and waited for him to speak.
"Have they been at it long?" Mace asked.
"An hour, perhaps more," Yoda said.
Below them in the salle Obi-Wan and Anakin performed lightsaber sequences in perfect synchrony. Obi-Wan flowed through them as a leaf in the wind, while Anakin's precision was more closely linked to a droid executing its programming.
"He focusses too much on the movements themselves," Mace observed.
"Yes," Yoda agreed. "Set him right, Obi-Wan will."
They watched as Obi-Wan abruptly stopped his own sequence and indicated for Anakin to do the same. The master and padawan kept their voices low, but Yoda sensed that Obi-Wan was seeking to help his padawan find balance, as was the intention of the exercise. Annoyance leaked into the Force at the correction. Yoda frowned and narrowed his eyes.
"The boy resists the wisdom of his master's experience," Mace remarked quietly.
Yoda hummed his reply and kept his vigil, studying the nuances of the interaction between the two Jedi below. Obi-Wan responded to Anakin's annoyance with a compassionate smile, and brought a hand to rest on Anakin's shoulder as he explained something. His hand then strayed up to the young man's cheek as he drove the point home with a light tap of fondness and a smile. Anakin's annoyance faded and reshaped itself to gratitude. The two moved apart and began the sequence again. This time Skywalker had his eyes closed and within a few movements of the sequence his presence became more serene, more balanced.
"I'm impressed," Mace said.
"By the master, or the apprentice?" Yoda asked.
"Both," Mace raised his brows as he continued to study the performance. "Skywalker's temperament has always been volatile, more so since his return to us. Yet despite this Obi-Wan manages to ground him. Skywalker is talent unlike any we have ever seen. He will become the greatest of us if he can find balance."
"Put too much faith in talent, you do," Yoda said.
"How do you mean?" Mace frowned and turned to Yoda.
"Meaningless is talent if not properly nurtured. Not a requirement for greatness talent is," Yoda shuffled forward, towards the railing.
"Of course, but there's no denying Skywalker's potential," Mace stayed still.
"A matter of perspective, potential is," Yoda turned and looked up into the eyes of the Korun master. "Tell me, master Windu. . . down there, what do you see?"
This was a trick question, Mace knew. He glanced over the railing to the synchronised sequences below. Quite simply he saw a master and a padawan, but he ignored the obvious, looked past it until he thought he'd found what Yoda was implying. "I see a contradiction," he said.
"Very good," Yoda chuckled. "Different from each other they are. One strong, one weak. But which is which?"
"That is also a matter of perspective, and of context," Mace said. "Obi-Wan's strength is quiet and understated. As a youngling he wasn't expected to amount to much, and yet before us stands a master who has overcome the direst of trials."
"A strength that is earned, stronger than any innate strength is," Yoda said.
"So from your perspective Skywalker is weak?" Mace asked.
"Much to learn he still has," Yoda nodded his head. "About his place, his purpose. Struggle to find balance without these answers he does. Lean on Obi-Wan's strength he must, but fear I do that too proud he is to so do."
"Obi-Wan must show him the way," Mace said.
"But choose to follow, Skywalker still must."
The two council masters watched the rest of the Jedi's training in silence. Yoda listened to their spirits through the Force. One stood balanced upon the shifting waves, while one continued to stumble along, occasionally finding harmony only to lose it again. The old master could feel the balanced teacher reaching out to the stumbling student, to lead him and hold him steady, but the helping hand was neither seen nor accepted.
Yoda meditated on it until long after the two Jedi finished their training. He knew that Skywalker would either accept his master's help, or he would fail to find balance. And if he failed. . .
The future was unclear. Such blindness was foreign to Yoda. Yet with every year that passed the shroud of the dark side grew thicker, and Yoda's field of vision grew more narrow. It was only a matter of time before the galaxy reached a turning point.
Instinct told him that Obi-Wan and Anakin would be at the centre of it all.