Ch6

Thrawn was leaned against the wall propped on a pillow against the black and silver durasteel that made up the Destroyers interior; even the medward was from the same durable material made to survive boarding attempts. The lights were dimmed to a low power, the faint glow of the blue bacta tanks giving the room an ethereal shade, reminding Thrawn greatly of the glow of Csilla.

Shifting deeper into the pillow and studying the datapad before him Thrawn was mildly surprised at the figure that had suddenly paused by the entrance to the room. Darth Vader, the air and demeanor around him was subdued and Thrawn got the impression that he had wanted Thrawn to notice him before making his full entrance.

"Kenobi?" He was not mistaken. Obi Wan Kenobi's gate was more relaxed than that of the Darth Vader. He made his way slowly pulling up a standard medward chair to Thrawn's bedside, the chair groaned under the weight of the metal suit he was wearing as he settled into it. His hands came up hesitantly to remove the top half of his mask, unsealing it with a hiss, and revealing blue green eyes, though now more green than blue this time around, and a headful of slightly unruly short brown hair. "It's me. I'm back for the time being it appears…"

The silence lingered as Obi Wan observed a tank aglow in blue waters in an uncomfortable silence. Thrawn was about to resume his readings when the man sighed heavily. "How was Arkanis, truly?"

Reciprocating the sigh and putting aside the datapad Thrawn laced his fingers together before him in thought, feeling only the slightest twinge of pain running up his left arm as he did so. "The system is heavily undermanned; if we want to retain control of the sector we need two Star destroyers and five Dreadnaughts at the very least. It also wouldn't hurt to have several competent officers on board the ships in question, officers capable of thinking beyond the fear of a quick execution that follows when deviating from standard military engagement protocol."

"That bad?"

"It is a large sector." Thrawn unlaced his fingers folding his arms across his chest glowing crimson eyes narrowing in the semi darkness at the blue green ones. "Fear is a useful tool as much as any but only when used in moderation. Strict regulations make for good cadets but bad officers. That being said the sector itself is experiencing a rise in piracy. If we want its obedience we need to flex our muscle." They were spread too thin and it would only be a matter of time before an interested party took notice.

"I believe we can spare the ships …I'll speak with the Emperor," Obi Wan winced at the name before taking in a deep and modulated breath then exhaling the tension that had been building up within him. "Perhaps I can make him see reason or at least convince him that some regulations could be made more lax for efficiency."

"Perhaps."

"About Tatooine…I should not have contacted you as I did…" There was unveiled apology in Obi Wan's tone and from the lines at the corners of his eyes and furrowed brow Thrawn could tell Obi Wan was frowning behind the mask that covered the lower half of his face.

Thrawn wasn't sure how to respond to the unspoken apology that hung in the air, one that no doubt Obi Wan had specifically come for, so he tactfully changed the subject. "Have you spoken with the boy yet?"

"Not as of yet. I thought it best to wait until I was myself to speak with him."

"Will you train him to be a Jedi then?"

"I sense great power in the boy. But he is too old, would the Jedi have found him he would have been considered too old to be trained as one." The two sat in silence before Thrawn stirred at length rousing from his musings frowning thinly. "The alternative would be to train the boy as a Sith."

"It would be." Thrawn changed the subject once more. He was no Jedi or Sith though he knew and had read of both. Regardless of what path chosen the boy would be a useful addition, of that there was no doubt. The only difference being a Jedi had a more placated demeanor and logical approach though they were by far and large pacifists, a Sith apprentice could be just as powerful if not more useful when time would come for battle. It mattered little to Thrawn so long as the Sith in question had his sanity about him when out of battle.

"I read the Alderaanian accord. Transparency for the house treasuries would only alienate the people who already think we do not trust their government body. If only government funding was made transparent we would have more supporters' house Alde included. We could then set up Watchers who would quietly monitor the inflow and outflow of the ruling houses private treasuries. The usual procedure."

"I know of this." Thrawn raised a blue black eyebrow. "Let them stew in their confusion, once their outrage is at its peak we'll change the accords and then Alderaan and its people will have no choice but to submit."

"Clever."

"Quite."

The two men sat in their musings for some time. At length however Obi Wan rose sealing his mask, and made his way back to the bridge.

-0-0-0-

Anakin was bored. Scratch that Anakin was beyond bored. Commander Thrawn had left him in the medward hours ago for vaccines. He wasn't sure why he needed so many, he never got that sick but then again he never had left Tatooine either so maybe other planets had a gajillion diseases or something.

"Hey can I go now?"

"I do not see why not." The medical droid replied. "I have already administered the requested medical tests and vaccinations, you are fit for duty."

"Thanks!" He hopped off the medbed making his way to the door as the droid busied itself with some datapads and medical equipment littered all over one of the desks. The door opened at his approach and he peered around the corner curiously. Thrawn had told him to stay and wait until Darth Vader came, he didn't specifically say where to wait though so he'd just wait in the hanger bay or somewhere with a lot of droids and starships.

The hall was empty. Silently he made his way through the hall his eyes wide at how massive the place was. He pressed himself quickly to the wall as a man dressed in a grey uniform passed by in the hall across from the one he was in, but the man paid him little attention as he peered and was busily tapping away on a datapad. The man having gone, Anakin made his way to the other direction from where the man was heading, and he passed several more officers who had suddenly made a turn into the hall. He kept on walking though trying to pretend like he belonged, that usually worked. One of the men did look back, he could feel the eyes on him. He closed his eyes trying to tell the man that there was nothing weird about him being on the ship, their boss was the one who'd dragged him to be here in the first place. The man hesitated but he hadn't been that focused on Anakin and after a few brief seconds the man turned to his colleague and continued with his even pace.

Anakin let out a sigh of relief. That didn't always work but sometimes if he thought really hard of not wanting to be noticed people would just ignore him. Now that he thought about it maybe it had to do with the force power Darth Vader was talking about. He kept on walking until he heard the heavy footfalls of many people. Looking around he froze as he tried to figure out where he could run and hide.

The five Stormtroopers made their way down a hall. One of them frowned as he looked around, he could have almost sworn he'd heard someone, another officer maybe, but there was no one in sight. One of the other troopers slapped him on the back and he turned to keep on walking, no doubt it was just another officer that had turned into a different hallway.

Up above a small face grinned down at the men that had just passed. Anakin waited for the last of the troopers to pass before turning to inspect the ventilation shaft he'd went up and hidden into. It was so wizard! And it was rather spacious too. Something told him to turn back and keep going straight in the direction from where the troopers had come from.

Turning right and crawling farther through the vent Anakin emerged at another grate. Pushing the grate outwards he found himself in a large hanger bay. "Wizard!" He blinked up at the rows upon rows of Tie fighters in the far end of the room. Two Fury class Interceptors stood side by side with a third closer towards him on the left its entry ramp ajar and various droids bustling over and welding its bent and broken right wing.

Hesitantly Anakin made his way to the front of the shimmering dark blue barrier which separated the hanger bay from the galaxy and vastness beyond. He gazed in awe as a squadron of Tie fighters swept around in a claw like formation before banking up and flying around and out of sight from right to left across the viewport. "Wizard!"

A droid binary warbled in agreement from the side of the starship it had been repairing. Its welder unit sealed inside its cylindrical body and it itself propelled itself via jets down onto the floors of the hanger from the starship it had just been welding together.

"One day I'm gonna fly ships like those and be the bestest pilot ever!" The droid warbled some more before driving up to him while warbling some more. "R2-D2? I'm Anakin it's nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind if I just call you R2 though cause R2-D2 is kind of a mouthful."

The droid whistled in assent and drove off beckoning for him to follow. "Hey wait up!" Excitement getting the best of him Anakin chased after the droid that was speeding past the starships and into another hanger bay adjacent to the one he was now in.

"Hey! Wait!" the droid turned a corner sharply and he found that he was in another corridor this time. "Where are you going?" This new hanger was mostly empty save for a sleek one man piloted ship in the center with a choobooza amount of modifications. Anakin whistled lowly at the design and the thrusters and engines. This starship could fly and it could fly fast. "Woah!" He walked around it as the droid warbled something or other only to get a low whistle in response. Anakin looked up sharply as another droid propelled itself from its droid port in the sleek looking starship. It was a dull red and seemed a far more polite than the blue and white droid that was R2.

"Hey there, what's your name?" The droid whistled and warbled. "R4-P17? Can I call you R4?" The droid warbled that what it was called was not important and that it had a message.

"Um can I hear it?" The droid warbled something or other and then agreed, but only if he got the message to an Obi Wan Kenobi.

"Um I don't know him sorry, but if I meet him I guess I'll tell him." The two droids had a brief argument about whether it was ok to show him the message but R2 seemed convinced that he should listen to the message and after a minute R2 whistled in agreement.

Anakin scrunched his nose as he waited patiently for the holo message to play. When it did a pretty woman came up. She had a weird hair getup and wore armor but she looked worried. "This message is for Obi Wan Kenobi, whoever receives this message relay this message to him. I can't say more but he'll know what to do. Help us please Obi Wan you're our only hope." Anakin frowned as the recording ceased to be wondering who the woman in question was and who this Obi Wan she was looking for was.

He was considering taking the sleek looking ship for a spin when both droids suddenly warbled in alarm and scattered. He could hear a deep and low breathing, the air becoming uncomfortably cold as he turned around to face what felt like the darkness itself…

-0-0-0-

Contrary to what many believed Darth Vader was a fair man. He almost always made clear his threats and almost always followed through with them. That being said he always gave those facing his distinct wrath an alternative to their painful deaths. And bowing their knee to the empire and the emperor seemed a fair exchange for their pitiful lives. It was truly unfortunate not many could see that. On this particular day however Darth Vader was feeling more humane than was the norm and so Obi Wan Kenobi had the reigns. Quite a good thing actually given the current situation. After all it wasn't every day that a powerful young and impressionable force sensitive was on board, one who somehow managed to bypass all security to the hanger. Fortunately said young one did not seem to be wanting to escape which was to his benefit.

"What are you doing here?" Heavy footsteps resounded on the polished floors of the hanger bay. The deep baritone of Darth Vader's suit rang out as the footsteps paused and the child frowned as if bracing himself for something terrible.

"I'm just looking at the ships…I'm allowed aren't I?" The voice was petulant but laced with a distinct amount of willpower and demand. Anakin had turned in his outburst and now stood only feet away from the masked man feared throughout the galaxy as the right hand of the emperor, hands balled at his sides. Said mask was impassive as the looming figure of Darth Vader peered down at the boy.

Now how to deal with the miscreant? Best to set firm boundaries, laced with threats a voice whispered in the back of his mind, after all wasn't it better the child was safe then disobedient and suffering later? "Despite what you may think you are not here to sight see. I have extracted you from your backwater planet to share my power and knowledge with you."

"It's called Tatooine just so you know! And I don't need your power, it doesn't feel healthy at all."

"Silence!" Anakin found that he could not speak as an invisible force cut off his air supply and he was caught suspended in the air choking for breath. "I did not say that you could speak! You will listen to what I say and you will obey or their will be consequences!"

After a short period of time during which the child struggled for breath Obi Wan decided that a point had been made and dropped the child now wheezing for breath to the ground. "Now then, I believe an introduction is in order, I am Darth Vader, Sith Lord and loyal servant to the empire and the great emperor." His voice wavered as he mentioned his dear old master and he snarled behind his mask at the thought of the man. "You are a force sensitive. A powerful force sensitive whom I shall train in the ways of the force. You may resist at first, you may struggle and rage, and hate but through all these emotions you will become powerful, more powerful beyond even myself. I want you to remember this feeling of helplessness you feel now, and let it be your first lesson. Pain is weakness leaving your body. And only through your hate can you surpass myself and reach true power."

Throughout the tirade Anakin was panting and wheezing for breath face down on the ground his face tilted at an angle looking in disgust at the Sith Lord, a look that seemed out of place on a child of his age. Now having regained his breath he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees before rising to his feet chin tilted up in defiance. "My name is Anakin! Anakin Skywalker! And I don't need to choke people with invisible force powers to make them listen! When you freed me and my mom I thought all the stuff those sleemos on Tattoine said about you was all just a pile of bantha poodoo, but you're just like Watto and all the other sleemo slavers! I hate you! I hate you all! And I'm gonna protect everyone from you!"

The force roiled around the child in a dangerous maelstrom of unfocused and untapped power. Obi Wan Kenobi smiled thinly behind his mask as the power roiled around him basking in what he could do with such a powerful apprentice. "That's good Anakin! Let the rage surround you and consume you! Center yourself in the power and focus it into your hand. Unleash it and make yourself its master!" He rejoiced at how easy it would be to turn the child, but was confused when the child closed his eyes and released a breath of his frustration and anger. "No! I won't do what you want me to do! I won't let it make me sick! I won't become you!"

The Obi Wan in him rejoiced at this admission, but the Darth Vader in him had tasted the raw power and wanted to have this child as his apprentice. "That's just too bad is it not?" His voice deepened as his eyes flickered to a blood red, his face settling into a mask of indifference behind his mask. "For I don't remember giving you a choice. Since you are so adamant in your insistence that you don't want to be like me then you leave me no choice but to begin your training right here and now. I had originally thought to allow you the illusion of choice but now I see that there is little point. You will fall young one. And through you I shall gain a powerful ally and apprentice." He gathered his hate and anger into his right hand, a ball of crackling power and agony, one that would bring his new apprentice to his knees. It shot out like spider webs, deep purple in hue arcing and crackling towards Anakin, but they did not reach him. Behind the mask Obi Wan's eyes widened in horror as a man jumped before Anakin his chest absorbing the most impact as the Chiss braced himself against the current. It was Commander Thrawn, still clad in nothing but his Imperial fatigues and a bandaged chest, his crimson eyes widened in terror. "Are you insane!? He's just a child! You could have killed him!"

Obi Wan's eyes snapped to a blue green, he withdrew his hand as if burned as he beheld his disheveled Commander now fallen to a knee and Anakin trying to hold his ground behind him, and then at the power he had just tried to unleash onto a mere child. An involuntary shudder passed through his body as his eyes beheld the temple corridors, and the younglings strewn about within them.

"My Lord!" Vaguely he could hear someone calling his name, and then several someones calling his name. Than the voice of a child, "Get away from him!"

Then the first voice again. "Anakin! I believe its best if you go…Now!"

He shook his head against the weakness and the haze, the darkness in him hating him for it. He shook his head and suddenly it was all over and he was brought back into the hanger bay. Several imperials and a disheveled Commander all staring at him in concern. He snarled his eyes snapping to crimson and with a wave of his arm sending several of the flight officers against the walls of the hanger bay before turning on his heel and stalking out. The force roiling about and around the Darth Vader of fear of his weakness and anger and hate, at what he'd become.

-0-0-0-

He passed through corridors of men at their stations, his presence in the force screaming danger and causing the men to cringe and flinch as he passed. The door to his rooms and meditation chamber opened and then closed with a hiss. He pulled his holo punching a frequency known only to him and a scant few. He didn't have long to wait though it was clear his call had been rerouted somewhere into the mid outer rims. The image of a man clad in mandalorian armor flickered into existence. "My lord?"

"Did you find it yet?"

"This temple is empty; it's been picked clean, and not recently. I've searched it, thoroughly as you instructed."

"That's not good enough!"

"With all due respect I can't find a holocron if the temple has no holocrons in it! This is the tenth temple and it's emptier then the ones my sources provided for me!"

"It has to be somewhere out there!

"You can't expect me to keep doing this! I want a lead! I've held up my end of the bargain to its fullest! You owe me Sith and you owe me far more than credits!"

"And you will get what I promised once you deliver."

"You must be joking!"

"I'll double the last payment owed to you! Just get it done!"

"Do you think credits will satiate my revenge!? I want his location! I demand it! I've wasted over a year, searching temples. I've even found you relics. That's more than anyone's done on your end."

"Don't try my patience Jango, they weren't the right relic!"

"They were something! When we agreed to this you said if it took me more than several months you'd give me a lead! I only signed such a vague contract because you gave me an offer I could not refuse. I kept my end of our agreement, give me something, or I end this mad search."

"Alright!" Darth Vader was not one to make concessions lightly, but when he'd made that contract with Jango Fett he'd known the chances of finding the holocron were slim if at all existent. But its absence in his master's collection had given him some modicum of hope. That somewhere out there was a holocron powerful enough to help him find a balance in the force. He wasn't sure how long to make the contract for but even he knew he had little connections at the time and barely anything to dangle before the headstrong and rebellious bounty hunter. But he had something. Something that even the great Jango Fett could not pass up, and it was this name that had bought him the time and the several relics he now hid in his possessions. "The man you seek is on a planet located in the outer rims. I will give you its name a month from this day. There are several temples in the outer rims. I suggest you relocate yourself to that area and make yourself useful until then." He pressed several controls on a display, transferring the designated sum through a fake account to the bounty hunter. The man in question checked the transfer on a device of his own before nodding at the scrap of information given. Though his helmeted face gave nothing away Darth Vader could feel his anticipated eagerness at the hunt to come through the force. "Everything seems in order. Good doing business with you."

"Just get me that holocron in the name of the force!" His desperation leaked into his voice but he'd had quite a day and was satisfied when the bounty hunter nodded and flickered out of existence.