Ch. 24: "Will Things Ever be the Same Again" - Europe, Final Countdown
Obi-Wan woke and realized that he lay on something other than the grass on Arioch. Slowly he opened his eyes and recognized the soothing colors of the Temple Healer's Wing. That didn't make any sense. How had he gotten here? And why…. He started to get up, gasped in pain, and lay back down. Oh, right. Sunlight lit the room through the large transteel window, splashing across the medical couch. With a deep breath, he slid into a light trance to investigate his physical injuries. One large burn in his side had Bacta in it, and a few other aches that had come from the movement rather than any blows Di'ona had landed. The burn would take longest, of course, but the rest wouldn't take long to heal. He slid deeper into his trance and began to rebuilding his shields. They crumpled before he got very far. Except, of course, the block on his bond. That remained strong as ever, he discovered when he tried to find his Master.
Coming out of the trance, he reached out to find the room shielded, and it relieved him. Of course, Theela would never let an unshielded wounded Jedi loose in the Healer's Wing.
The door slid open, and Theela stepped in, almost as if his thoughts had summoned her. "Good afternoon, Padawan Kenobi," she said, looking at the readouts of the machines next to the medical couch he lay on. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, she turned to him. "How are you feeling?"
"Good," he said.
"You tried to get up."
Obi-Wan smiled sheepishly. "I woke up confused," he admitted.
"You need to rest, Obi-Wan," she said. "You spent most of last night in Bacta. Master Jinn has asked me to tell you he'll be back as soon as he can. The council called him in a short while ago."
Obi-Wan grimaced. "They'll want me to explain," he mumbled.
"Possibly, but not yet. If they want to hear what you have to say before I release you, they'll have to come in here."
Obi-Wan smiled at the thought of the Council crowding into the too-small room, stepping on each others robes and trying to remain dignified while Yoda's hover chair floated over their heads.
Theela smiled back at him. "Master Satoru would like to speak to you as soon as possible. Do you feel well enough to see him?"
"Yes. He can probably make my shields go up again," Obi-Wan said. "It's not a new problem." At least now he knew why it happened, if not how to stop it. Maybe it worked the same as the other problems his former Masters had placed in his head. If so, Master Jinn could fix it.
"I will comm him and let him know you're awake."
When she'd gone again, Obi-Wan tried to relax. Knowing no one outside of the room could get into his head comforted him only a little. He didn't like that anyone who came in could access his mind. He lay still, trying to raise his shields, using every technique the Council had walked him through at 13. Nothing remained up. Most of the time his shields collapsed before he'd gotten far at all.
He paused to rest, and the door opened to admit Master Satoru. "How are you feeling?"
"A little off-kilter, Master," Obi-Wan admitted. "My shields won't stay up. I hope the rules we discovered still apply."
"A friendly approach will bring them up?'
"Yes, Master."
Before Master Satoru could do anything, the door opened and Qui-Gon stepped in. Obi-Wan rocked back as his shields slammed up so tightly he felt claustrophobic for an instant.
Master Satoru looked at Qui-Gon, and then at Obi-Wan. "That's interesting," he said.
"And not a little frustrating," Obi-wan said ruefully. "Although that's the fastest they've gone up. Usually it takes some time for my shields to react when Master Jinn is around. At least I know who caused the problem in the first place."
"Who?" Master Satoru asked.
"Di'ona," Qui-Gon said.
Master Satoru nodded. "I see. But no idea what she did, or how to fix it?"
"I have some ideas," Qui-Gon said, "but I need to speak to you and to Master Ashthoret before we act on these."
"Will there be another attack?" Master Satoru asked. "Do we need to worry about her meddling again?"
"I don't believe so," Qui-Gon said after a moment of silence. "Everyone involved has been accounted for and captured."
Obi-Wan glanced at his Master, surprised at his tone of voice. He couldn't tell what Qui-Gon felt though. He hated this block!
The door opened and Theela looked in. "Master Jinn, your presence is requested by the Council again. They have informed me that Obi-wan must accompany you." She looked furious. "I have made it clear to them that I don't think Obi-Wan is well enough. Although one of my objections seems to no longer be valid. Are you in control of your shields?"
"No," Obi-Wan said. He pushed the blankets off him, thankful to see he had clothes on. The sleeping leggings had been tied so loosely he hadn't noticed. He started to sit up, and Qui-Gon gently helped him get fully upright. His breath caught as his side pulled, and he leaned into Qui-Gon's arm around his shoulders.
"As long as I am with him, I believe that won't be an issue," Qui-Gon said.
Theela nodded, still scowling, and walked fully into the room. She brought a hover chair with her, a robe folded on the seat. She picked it up and gave it to Qui-Gon. "Help him into this," she said.
Obi-Wan needed the help. It hurt to move his torso at all, and having Master Jinn's support made it a much less painful experience. Qui-Gon helped him off the medical couch and into the hover chair. Obi-Wan sighed and sagged. If he hadn't felt so horrible, he'd be more embarrassed about going before the Council in less than his formal tunic.
"Make sure they don't stress him out," Theela said. "Let me know if something goes wrong."
"I will," Qui-Gon said, and they left.
Obi-Wan did not like the hover chair. Sitting in it hurt. When they arrived in the ante-chamber, he stifled a sigh of relief because they finally stopped. Qui-Gon moved around to face him, concern on his face and a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I don't like this any more than Theela does," he muttered.
"We can't ignore a summons from the Council, can we?" Obi-Wan asked, struggling not to sound as tired as he felt. The pain wore him out.
Qui-Gon snorted. "I should have ignored this one."
Obi-Wan chuckled shortly. "That would have done nothing for your standing with the Council."
"I don't think my standing with the Council can get any worse," Qui-Gon said wryly.
Probably not, Obi-Wan thought, for once partially grateful for the block on their bond. He hoped they wouldn't wait too long.
The doors opened almost immediately to let them in. Obi-Wan got to his feet before Qui-Gon could touch the hover chair controls. Qui-Gon looked at him, questioning, then nodded and led the way into the Council chamber. Obi-Wan followed, but stopped long before Qui-Gon did. Qui-Gon turned to look and him, and Obi-Wan thought he looked… guilty? The look got him moving again, and he approached Qui-Gon slowly, his eyes on the other occupants in the center of the chamber.
Sorin stood to his left, dressed in a neutral blue, his hands bound before him. Next to him stood Kalifa Sendar, but she didn't look like she stood there to guard him. Her hands were also bound before her. To his right stood Denk, in Jedi robes like Kalifa, but without his hand bound. They hung at his sides.
"Padawan," Qui-Gon said, extending a hand to bring Obi-wan closer, and Obi-Wan dragged his eyes from the back of Denk's head to look at his current Master. Even slower than before, he walked forward until he took his customary place at Qui-Gon's right shoulder. He didn't like standing so close to Denk. They'd said they'd banished him. So why was he here? Obi-Wan flinched as Denk turned, but Denk didn't look at him as he left the room. Jedi escorted the other two out as well.
"Master Jinn," Mace said, and Obi-Wan focused back on the Council he stood before. He tried to concentrate on what the beings said, but he found it hard. His side burned more now, and he felt like someone drove a vibro-knife into his right temple. "Your Padawan must speak for himself."
Obi-Wan blinked. He had to what? "Yes, Master?"
"What happened?"
"On Arioch?" The pain in Obi-Wan's head increased, and his right eye began to ache so he didn't dare move it.
"Yes, Padawan Kenobi." Mace spoke with a definite note of long-suffering in his voice, and Obi-Wan wondered how long they'd tuned him out.
"I was meditating outside the cabin," he started, his right hand drifting up to press briefly on his temple. He realized what he'd done and snatched it back to his side. "She froze the air around me, and took my lightsaber. But she couldn't hold me, like they used to be able to, and I got free. I held her off using the staff we'd borrowed from the Monastery." He reached to show it to them, and remembered he'd dropped it in the battle. "She wanted to kill me, and I did my best. I managed to get my lightsaber from her," He'd left that, too, and at least he remembered soon enough so he didn't reach for it. Some Jedi he would make if he left his weapons and all evidence behind. "She must have guessed she'd lose mine, because she had another one, and we fought on." The room swum; pain stabbed into his eye, spreading around to his other temple as if Di'ona directed it. No, he thought hazily, she can't. She's dead. "I got through her guard. She wounded me before she died."
"Where did she get the lightsaber?"
Obi-Wan had no idea who had asked, only certain that Yoda hadn't. "She didn't say," Obi-Wan said. "She only said she had control of my shields, that she gave me the nightmares. She said they'd never stop." He felt like his head would burst and he gripped it with both hands. Then he remembered where he stood and forced himself to let go and look up. He saw a small green blur whet Yoda sat, with Mace Windu a darker blur next to him.
Qui-Gon's hand fell heavily on Obi-Wan's shoulder, steadying him. Obi-Wan leaned into it thankfully. "Masters," Qui-Gon said, and his voice made Obi-Wan's head ache all the more for its proximity, "my Padawan is still recovering, and is under the care of Master Healer Ashthoret. I need to return him to her."
"We have no more questions at this time," Mace said. "We may have more…."
Obi-Wan heard no more as the pain in his head erupted and everything went black.