A/N - As promised here is the next instalment I have just got back from my trip hence the slight delay! This chapter catches up with the Jedi and continues on from the last chapter hope you all enjoy!
Yeeeee (interesting name :) ) - thank you :D I'm glad you like the way I write them! More of them in this chapter!
Annie Walker - Thank you I did indeed :D Exactly Dooku firmly believes he is right in this instance, more right the Jedi council. He has warned them time and time again its no wonder he wasn't happy with being ignored, and Qui-Gon's death was the last straw... Indeed Dooku's plans are ambitious and Obi-Wan is foremost at the front of those plans! Yes poor old Qui-Gon... Here is the next chapter as promised :D
Grand-Master Yoda of the Jedi order did not take any fluctuations in the force lightly, for some time now he had spent more and more time deep in meditation seeking any source of the imbalance, few were sensing, in the currents of the force. It had only become apparent after the tragic events of Naboo which lead to a great Jedi Master losing his life and revealed an awful truth, the Sith had returned.
Most others on the council and master's around the temple too were very cautious and disbelieving of the prospect of another Sith at large. Yoda had lived for over 800 years however and was far more attuned to the force than any other Jedi alive, he felt now more than ever a great shift in power and disturbance in the force, two there always was the master and the apprentice.
The disturbance in the force seemed to be growing larger and more ominous by the day, however hard he tried Yoda couldn't ascertain or pinpoint the source of the shift. The only thing that was becoming clearer was the knowledge of two Jedi's future intertwining with the deadly threat, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and his padawan Anakin Skywalker.
Shaking his head slightly Yoda could scarcely believe it, Obi-Wan was like a magnet for the dark side. That boy had seen and faced more darkness in his short number of years than any other Jedi had the right to in their entire careers. He was even part of a lineage that dabbled with darkness, not just once but twice, it also just happened the same teaching lineage that Master Yoda was a part of having trained Master Dooku when he was a youngling.
That had indeed been a blow to the order, but not an unexpected one. Well not for Master Yoda at least, he and Dooku had been at odds over the ways of the order for some time and he had been outwardly displaying more and more flirtations with the dark side. Of course he had never embraced the dark side physically whilst under the temple roof, but Yoda had started to notice the tendrils attaching themselves to his former padawan's mind enticing him with power. It was not the first time Yoda had seen it in his exceedingly long life time, he had intended to take intervention to the next level and approach his former padawan directly however before he could do so news reached them all that Dooku had left the Jedi order to return and claim his birth right. It had always felt like Dooku was running away from something, whether that was the darkness or the Jedi order itself Yoda never could determine. Any attempts of communication with his old padawan were rebuffed.
Now as Yoda attempted to reach out to connect with his former padawan all he found was darkness, it was like staring into a bottomless dark pit which left the force surrounding him in turmoil. Yoda sighed, it was beyond a tragedy when one of their own fell to the enticing dark side. They were lost, and if truly fallen trapped in that state for the rest of their living days. A fate worse than death. Dooku had been a powerful Jedi, Yoda ought to know he trained him himself. Having that kind of power but for evil was extremely deadly, Yoda realised now that he had made an awful mistake not going after Dooku when he first left. There was no use dwelling on the past however, the here now and future were all that mattered.
He pulled himself from the deep trance-like state as a familiar presence strode towards the entrance to his chambers, force signature in a state of urgency and slight controlled panic.
Yoda lifted a clawed hand and swiped the door open just before the fidgety Jedi Master chimed the bell, to his credit however Mace Windu didn't look the slightest bit frazzled at the fore sight. He was evidently far too used to it. Indicating to a meditation cushion beside him, Yoda waited patiently for Mace to start. He could already sense something had gone very awry and couldn't help but get the nagging feeling that it and his concerns were connected.
"Master, something troubling has been bought to our attention." Mace spoke grimly.
"Go on." The small master indicated as he felt the force surge around the korun Jedi.
"It's Kenobi and Skywalker, they never arrived on the Senator's home world." His tone was flat to most outsider's, but Yoda knew better he had too felt the disturbance in the force recently and too shared in Yoda's beliefs about the Sith. Mace was worried.
"Hmmm."
This was very troubling news indeed, Obi-Wan was a very competent Jedi. This assignment had not been tricky and there were no signs of any serious difficulties, hence the council had agreed to send a padawan as young as Skywalker out too.
The darkness seemed to swirl around the padawan even more than his master, ever since Yoda first laid eyes on the youth he had felt it. Yes there was no question the boy was strong in the force, exceedingly strong and could one day even rival himself with his powers if trained correctly. It had been a very difficult decision to allow Obi-Wan to train Skywalker, he had been adamant however and would have done so with or without the order's help. At least this way Obi-Wan had the support he needed, force knew he needed it with that one. With Skywalker it wasn't just like Obi-Wan where darkness seemed to be attracted to him, it was if his future lead to a point where light and dark converged. Yoda had never seen or sensed anything like it, this latest news and his latest revelations in mediation did not make matters better. It seemed whether they liked it or not Obi-Wan and Anakin would be facing a trial with darkness, he just hoped Skywalker was ready for it.
"We have received the call for help from the planet, they say the ship the senator was travelling on is now 8 hours over due. The last communication they had with them was before they jumped to hyperspace after they had boarded," Mace continued interrupting Yoda's reverie.
"Very troubling, this is. The dark side in their future I sense."
Mace looked very alarmed when Yoda muttered the rest of his sentence, he could not be sure what Kenobi and Skywalker faced. But one thing was for certain, it stunk of the dark side of the force.
"We should send out an investigative team, the planet says they have located the ship. It appears to be stationary in space and is off course, it took them this long to locate it in the first place and it isn't replying to communication calls."
"Yes, send more Jedi, will we. Important, I sense this is." Yoda agreed with his fellow council member whilst starting to rise to his feet, hand stretched out catching his flying gimmer stick.
Shakily Yoda lead the way out of his chambers, intent on sending out an investigative team as soon as possible. Mace followed soon behind him also deep in thought. Yoda couldn't shake the bad feeling the conversation had left him with, as much as he tried he couldn't identify Kenobi and Skywalker anywhere in the force, but there was one thing that was very clear. Their futures were clouded at best.
Being in a meditative trance was always a new experience every time Obi-Wan undertook it, even though it was a timeless affair where essentially the mind disembarked from the body Obi-Wan felt as though he hadn't been in this state for very long before physical surroundings started to manifest before his eyes. Never before had he been involved in such vivid visions, or for that case been a part of them. Not until Dooku went crawling around in the deep recess' of his mind however…
The feeling was much like earlier when Obi-Wan had found himself reliving his recollection of the events on Naboo, Oh force no not again. His fears and misconceptions were quashed as the surrounding became clear and Obi-Wan recognised the innards of the Jedi temple. Home.
Glancing around he quickly ascertained that he was situated in the upper levels of the temple, more specifically the long expansive corridor that lead to the council chamber. Obi-Wan glanced around, no people, no way to determine when this was supposed to be. He drifted towards the window in hopes of finding an answer to the query, hopefully he would be able to recognise any significant changes in the skyline to a certain decade in his life.
Reaching the viewport Obi-Wan sighed as the sight that greeted him was almost identical to the one he had passed with Anakin when they had been summoned for their first assignment, even though that felt like years ago in itself. That meant whenever this was, it wasn't far time-wise from the here and now. With the pattern these memories seemed to be showing him, Obi-Wan was fairly certain he knew precisely what this memory was and again had absolutely no interest in reliving it.
His worst fears were realised as a chime on the lift indicated arrivals to the floor, the imposing form of Qui-Gon Jinn strode out as soon as the door's opened partially, charging forward at a brisk place determination emitting from his force aura. The sight of his younger self following dutifully to the right and a few paces behind brought a lump to his own throat, he had shown his loyalty and dedication up until the last moment. Even as Qui-Gon cast him aside like an old possession, moving onto his new project.
Shaking himself mentally Obi-Wan once again felt his limbs negotiate the pathway to the council chamber doors, following closely behind the duo.
Obi-Wan observed as his younger self fidgeted slightly on his feet, he could sense the bad feeling his younger self was feeling even now. He had been right, as he always was with his bad feelings.
His feet drifted forward as the pair were ushered into the council chamber, glancing round Obi-Wan noted nothing had really changed between then and the present day. Then again it had only been 3 years even if it did feel like a life time. His eyes surveyed the domed room before falling to the small figure standing directly in front of the council members.
Anakin Skywalker stood in the centre of the room, Obi-Wan marveled at the fact he wasn't even slightly intimidated. Here were the 12 most powerful beings in all the galaxy and the boy acted as if he didn't have a care in the world, which to be fair now Obi-Wan knew him better was not as surprising. Anakin was certainly a confident child.
Obi-Wan observed the proceedings dejectedly as Mace Windu announced the boy would not be trained, they saw how dangerous he could be then and there. Anakin was far too old to be taken as a youngling they all knew it. He felt his younger self's anxiousness rise as he witnessed the tell-tale signs of Qui-Gon's defiance. If only he had known his true motives…
"Clouded this boy's future is," Yoda spoke out indicating to the young form of Anakin Skywalker.
There was a long pause in the room, everyone seemed to wait on edge for the famous maverick to dispute their decision. Of course what he actually ended up declaring shocked everyone.
"I will train him then."
A substantial punch to the gut, he whipped his head back towards Qui-Gon just as his younger self did staring in disbelief as his master stepped forward to stand behind Anakin and place his hands protectively on his shoulders.
"I will take Anakin as my padawan learner".
As if the feelings couldn't get any worse, that line had him almost on his knees. All breath in Obi-Wan's lungs was snatched away as he felt everything his younger self was feeling. It was dizzying to say the least.
He felt the waves of anger slam into him which were obviously directed at Anakin, it made him wince. It was misdirected pain, the real person at fault here was Qui-Gon not Anakin.
The rest of the council's conversation dulled to an annoying buzz, the pit opening in Obi-Wan's chest widened to an alarming rate threatening to swallow him whole. How had he remained so calm upon the surface? He could feel his turbulent emotions now 10 fold. The shock, anger, rage, confusion, betrayal…
What had he done wrong? What could he have disappointed Qui-Gon with so greatly that he would resort to this? He didn't even have the decency to discuss it or even the possibility of it before the meeting, his mental shields and the training bond slammed shut with such ferocity Obi-Wan nearly toppled over then and there. His younger self didn't fare too much better either. Time seemed to slow, he glared over at the man he once looked up to as a father, with his hands draped over Anakin's shoulders. Completely shunning Obi-Wan, in body and in spirit.
Qui-Gon's actions that day were like a hundred cuts to his heart, the agony and confusion emanating from his younger self was too overwhelming. Mercifully he was spared the rest of the memory as the room faded to a brilliant white leaving behind the physical embodiments of the Jedi, the turbulent emotions remained though. The damage was done, even without being witness to the rest of the memory, he had lived through for a second time the heart-breaking words pouring out of his master's own mouth.
"I will take Anakin as my padawan learner"
The words echoed throughout Obi-Wan's tormented mind until he felt as though he was clawing at his own skull, desperately seeking to scour the traumatising memory from his psyche. A new setting started to make itself known to him, he was back here again.
Obi-Wan wandered aimlessly, eyes downcast, restless legs barely carrying him onwards traversing his favourite path in the room of a thousand fountain's. Why was he still coming here? He had always associated this peaceful setting with serenity and so it fathomed him that now of all times, when his emotions and feelings were in complete turmoil battling to overcome his calm state, his mind had brought him here. Dooku had definitely messed with something when he had been crawling around inside his head, whether that was just drudging up all these painful memories or breaking down barriers Obi-Wan's mind had erected long ago to save himself the agony, whatever had been done it was becoming exceedingly difficult to remain objective and detached. He was vexed.
He couldn't deny that to himself, he had never truly resolved his frustration towards Qui-Gon. Especially the last few days before he passed into the force, everything just happened too suddenly there was no time to question his master properly or deal with his unwanted feelings. Then his master had died… Obi-Wan had been thrust into a whole new world and all previous emotions and grievances stayed in the past, or so he thought, until Dooku came into his life and questioned everything that he once thought deeply buried.
Obi-Wan kicked a rock which was adjoining the path way with such force it went flying across the space and crashed with a splash into one of the many water features littering the room, every time he persisted to let these disturbances leave his mind the stronger they came back. Dooku wasn't lying, he had been there himself when Qui-Gon had announced another padawan. In front of him. In front of the entire council. Just as though he was yesterday's garbage.
Rage threatened to boil over the surface as he felt his own heartbeat rise, flashes of the memory playing out through his head. The shock over his master's abandonment of him stabbing at every inch of his body, hot tears threatened to escape once again as the emotions of that meeting came flooding back.
Another rock, much larger this time but that didn't stop Obi-Wan booting it for all he was worth, yelling out into the empty air as he did so.
"What did that pathetic life form ever do to you?"
Not so empty then.
Qui-Gon towered over him large as life, he had appeared seemly out of nowhere. If Obi-Wan was honest with himself however, he certainly had not been paying attention to his surroundings, he had been dangerously lost in his thoughts. The worrying part though was the subject of those thoughts, and here he was fixed towering and righteous in his way.
The tone of the question had been playful at best, mirth glittering into his old master's eyes before he acknowledged the aggressive posture of his former padawan and burning gaze. Obi-Wan was certain the Jedi Master had sensed his feelings, felt his unsavoury thoughts as the elder men's gaze grew into a stern look. Obi-Wan was very used to seeing this glare, it was always immediately followed by a reprimand, well he was no longer this man's student and had absolutely no intention on having a conversation with him. In his current state of mind it would only end badly.
"I don't want to talk to you." Obi-Wan spat, maybe a little more harshly than necessary, before barging past his old master trying desperately to ignore the pang of guilt sparking in his chest as he glimpsed the hurt pass over Qui-Gon's features.
"Padawan!" The stern voice bellowed over the short distance, all mirth and humour lost in the undercurrents of disappointment.
Obi-Wan halted outright, that tone and word with his master's voice used to have been enough to have him quivering and begging his mentor's forgiveness. 'That was in the past,' he thought bitterly to himself before continuing forward at a quickened pace not willing to take part in the conversation for a second longer.
It seemed fate, or the image of Qui-Gon, had other ideas however. A strong grip yanked his upper arm attempting to twist him round, a decade of reaction honing and Jedi training had Obi-Wan in motion before his mind even caught up to what his body was doing. In one fluid motion the towering form of Qui-Gon Jinn went sailing over his shoulder, arm twisted painfully behind his back in an attempt to force the elder man to release his vice-like grip on his former student's forearm.
Of course Qui-Gon had been training far longer than Obi-Wan, well before the boy was even born, so instead of that being the end of things he flipped the tables on Obi-Wan almost instantly, whipping around whilst sweeping his legs round in an arc. Obi-Wan went down hard in a tangle of limbs as the elder man's legs swept at his own, he still had Qui-Gon's arm in his grip and his opponent still had hold of his arm. Obi-Wan halted the man's attempts of rising by delivering a brutal kick to his unprotected chest.
In less than a second of them both being on the floor, were the two men enthralled in a desperate grappling match, both franticly attempting to find purchase. Qui-Gon looked furious, and Obi-Wan didn't feel too chirpy either. The alarming emotions radiated from either man as they sprawled on the floor, flipping each other over, twisting limbs in all manner of angles attempting to incapacitate the other. The match came to almost a standstill as either man had their legs tangled around the other's necks, applying pressure in an attempt to pacify the other.
"What has gotten into you Obi-Wan?!" Qui-Gon squeaked as best he could with his padawan's thighs squeezing even tighter around his larynx.
Instead of answering the plea Obi-Wan strove to scramble as far away from the elder Jedi as he could, swiftly he released his old on his master and swung all of his limbs round in time to crash against Qui-Gon's hold. With a grunt the elder man released his limbs and grappling hold long enough for Obi-Wan to roll away and rise, heart threatening to race right out of his chest, breath coming in angry sharp intakes. He glared down at the still sprawled and equally panting form of Qui-Gon, sweat glistened the man's forehead. He didn't attempt to rise, only laid back in a more comfortable position, feigning non-aggressive intentions. Obi-Wan was not fooled, he had started to lose trust in this man the day he renounced his training.
"I have nothing to say to you," he venomously spat at the fallen man and sauntered away briskly before anymore harsh words spilled out of his mouth.
"What lies has he been pouring into your head? You can't trust him you know!" Qui-Gon called back, desperately attempting to break through Obi-Wan's frame of mind.
The exclamation was enough to stop Obi-Wan in his tracks, he whipped his head round intent on studying the man's face seeking treachery or at the very least signs of deception.
"Ha! Trust, you're one to talk… I was there Master. I felt everything!" He turned to face Qui-Gon who was in the process of rising to his feet again, a little worse for wear after their latest discussion.
The remark was far more bitter and hateful than Obi-Wan intended but the message was sent loud and clear, Qui-Gon even stumbled slightly as the projections he was sending over the memory in question found his mind.
"Padawan…"
"Leave it!… That's what you do best, master." The ending of the retort wasn't much louder than a whisper, but Obi-Wan knew his master had heard him anyway as a mask of hurt and despair sprawled across his sweat soaked features.
Obi-Wan stormed off to seek a place far far away from Qui-Gon Jinn, blood boiling, temper fuming. He didn't even wait around to find out if his master had anything to say to defend himself over the memory and how callously he had acted, he would probably justify it by saying 'I serve the force Obi-Wan'. Obi-Wan did not care to listen to what ever fabrication that his master would have come up with so quickened his pace into a light jog, whilst wishing to be done with this place.
His prayers were soon answered as the ambience of cascading water dulled and the now disturbed haven blurred away into nothingness leaving Obi-Wan alone in his mind, teetering on the edge of meditation which ended abruptly as he surfaced from the unhelpful experience disappointed with himself. The meditation was supposed to have aided in releasing the emotions and unharboured memories he was experiencing, it seemed to have just made matters a whole lot worse however…
When Obi-Wan cracked his eyes open not much seemed to have changed in the surroundings, Anakin was still knelt in front of him and by the looks of things was also bringing himself out of his deep trance. Obi-Wan was again impressed with his padawan's leap of skill, he was usually too impatient to meditate for a prolonged period of time, yet here he was surprising his mentor yet again. Obi-Wan's smile fell as Anakin surfaced with a pained expression, accusing and questioning emotions swirling around them.
Obi-Wan sighed, his padawan had gone looking again and had most likely stumbled across the very memory Dooku had tried to use earlier to turn them against one another. He had said to Anakin then that he owed him an explanation, he realised the longer he left this the greater the rift would become between them.
"I'm guessing you saw the council chamber memory?" Obi-Wan questioned glancing down at Anakin's emotion filled gaze.
"It wasn't what I saw master, it was what you were feeling." Anakin's voice trembled slightly, eyes shooting downcast unsure of himself all of a sudden.
"I owe you an explanation I know that."
At that Anakin's head shot up, evidently he had been expecting more stalling or just flat out denial. Obi-Wan was not going to do that to his apprentice, he owed him an answer. He had been out of line in the said question and the anger directed towards Anakin had been misguided, his real source of frustration and blame should be placed firmly on Qui-Gon's shoulders. He was the one who caused the entire thing and for such a seasoned diplomat, he couldn't have handled the entire mission in a worse way.
"I thought it was all your fault that my master was acting that way," Obi-Wan began, total honesty being the way forward with the conversation.
"Did you really hate me?" Anakin squeaked, already afraid of the answer.
Obi-Wan groaned mentally, this was not going to be easy. Anakin deserved the truth though and he was going to tell him everything. He then paused for a moment, waiting until Anakin glanced upward again before preparing himself for a difficult conversation.
"You have to remember Anakin I was Qui-Gon's apprentice for over a decade, he raised and made me into the Jedi I am today. Imagine if I declared my loyalty to another padawan and cast you aside, how would you feel?"
It took Anakin only a few moments to mull over the dilemma before snapping back with an expected response.
"I would be furious at whoever it was!"
"Precisely and you have only spent a few years with me, I'm not saying it's right to feel that way. It wasn't." Obi-Wan hung his head in shame as the ill thoughts of Anakin filled his head again. Here and now.
"If anyone deserved my wrath it was Qui-Gon. He did not handle that situation well to say the least, but at the time I still looked up to him as a mentor so my perception was clouded," Obi-Wan continued, determined to get the rest of the explanation out before his temper flared again over the memory of Qui-Gon Jinn.
"I never thought of it like from a padawan point of view, Qui-Gon didn't tell you what he was going to do before then?" Anakin seemed to be seeing the entire conversation in a whole new light now.
As Obi-Wan shook his head in denial Anakin scooted closer to lean against the elder Jedi again, Obi-Wan was thankful Anakin was being understanding and seeing the affair from his point of view. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if the relationship with his padawan was ruined because of some stupid rash feelings he had years ago which should never have been directed at the boy anyway.
"I'm truly sorry for feeling that way towards you, Padawan. I certainly didn't mean what I thought and believe me when I tell you this. You coming into my life has been a blessing I certainly don't deserve." Obi-Wan beamed down at his padawan, feeling extremely grateful that he had been thrust into his life. It had given him a purpose, a bond he never knew he was missing.
Anakin grinned back at him picking up on the projected thoughts with ease, it seemed things were right in the galaxy once again. The Kenobi/Skywalker team were back where they belonged, as brothers.
"I like being with you too," Anakin replied smirking, it was like they had their own little language.
Their joyous moment was harshly interrupted by none other than Dooku's pet witch, the force field sizzled out of existence allowing the accompanying guards to enter the cell and haul Obi-Wan to his feet.
"Where are you taking him?" Anakin exclaimed, only staying put after a warning look from Obi-Wan was directed at him.
"To see Dooku of course." Ventress smiled sweetly back before leading the way out of the cell.
Obi-Wan cast one more glance back to Anakin, conveying for him to be calm and that he would be alright. Well he hoped so anyway, one could never really be certain when it came to Dooku…
A/N - I'm getting pretty bogged down with uni work at the moment so I'm not sure when the next update will be, as always I will endeavour for it to be up as soon as possible!
Until next time...
