Obi-Wan awoke in the Healer's Ward of the Jedi Temple with great confusion. His vision blurred slightly before his body stabilized enough to take in his surroundings. Anakin was pacing by his bedside, which was no great surprise. It seemed that with every passing day into the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan ended up back in the Halls of Healing as Anakin protectively watched over him. Obi-Wan's penchant for injury was starting to become somewhat of a joke among the Jedi. As a precaution, Bant had mandated both Obi-Wan and Anakin get cleared by her after every mission.

Taking a closer look around however, Obi-Wan noticed this wasn't the normal ward. The walls were too pristine, nearly glowing with the white intensity. The room was much too small, the size of someone personal quarters. His was the only bed. He and Anakin were the room's only occupants. Anakin was still walking around the room, from one end to another, but never casting a glance to where Obi-Wan was laying. Obi-Wan tried to swing his legs over the bed, but his legs unresponsive. He couldn't even raise his torso above the horizontal position on the bed.

Obi-Wan started to panic. He knew what ward he was in. This was the terminal ward. It was seldom talked about and all the Jedi in the ward were mentioned with hushed tones. This was where the lost causes were sent. Untreatable illness, incurable diseases, contagious virus, or worse, Jedi whose minds had been permanently addled by Sith artifacts or torture. No one in this ward recovered.

But why was he here? Surely, he didn't have any horrible virus if Anakin was allowed in with him. Obi-Wan still had his sanity, so why was he here? Surely his paralysis was temporary? He tried calling out. He opened his mouth, trying desperately to catch Anakin's attention. No sound issued from his throat. He tried to signal Anakin through their bond instead, harnessing a wave of the Force and sent it flooding through their bond. Anakin didn't look up, and nor did he return the Force wave. His Force signature was oddly absent. Bant walked into the room, her Force signature also going unnoticed. Obi-Wan should have been able to sense her coming in. How could he not feel his best friend and former Apprentice?

"Anakin, get some rest."

"I'm fine."

"Knight Skywalker, I can make that order."

Anakin looked pleadingly at her. "Please, just let me stay. I need to be with him."

"Anakin, there hasn't been a change for almost a year. You still can't feel your Force-bond?"

Anakin shook his head. "I haven't felt it since – since I lost him on Jabiim."

Bant took Anakin's hand gently in her own. "I know you don't want to discuss this, but the Jedi Council has decided it is far past time. As far was we know, there is no antidote. Obi-Wan has no access to the Force and his lack of reactions suggest he's got severe brain damage."

Anakin turned white. "I know. He would hate to live like this. If he's even really living anymore."

He and Bant both turned to face Obi-Wan. Bant pulled out a syringe with a needle the length and width of her thumb.

"Bant, wait."

Anakin bent over Obi-Wan, pressed almost nose to nose with him, and Obi-Wan saw for the first time that Anakin's corneas were crimson.

"I am the Sith Lord," the creature hissed, "and once you are dead, I will kill every Jedi who walked the halls with you, starting with Bant."

Obi-Wan opened his mouth again to scream, this time his voice echoed in the room. He was shouting, words were lost on his tongue to the hoarse cries. Bant never hesitate and still thrust the syringe into his upper arm. He watched the contents of the syringe push into his veins. His screaming never stopped.

"I would appreciate if you could stop screaming, Master." Anakin muttered. Obi-Wan was slung over his shoulder, held by Anakin's left hand as Anakin struggled to fend off battle droids with his free hand. Finding Obi-Wan barely conscious in the middle of a battle field, a holocron clutched in his hand, had been lucky, but also inconvenient. Anakin had felt their bond go silent after the explosion and stay that way for several weeks. Only recently had he felt it flair back into existence, pointing him into the midst of the battle field to find his wounded comrade. It did make escaping much more difficult though; Anakin was already fighting a losing battle to gain his troops more time to evacuate the planet and now he had an weak and injured Jedi Master on his back.

"Commander Skywalker, the last of the troops have been boarded. We've prepared your and General Kenobi's transport."

Anakin nodded. "Rex, get a medical team ready immediately, then send word to the Council." Obi-Wan had fallen unconscious. At least he wasn't still screaming.

It had been over a month: they had clearly lost Jabiim. That was going to be a huge blow to the Republic. There was nothing else that Anakin do. He had lost over half the troops that had been deployed, Force, he had almost lost Obi-Wan. He might still lose Obi-Wan if they couldn't determine what was wrong with him. Anakin lightly patted the holocron in his pocket. Whatever it contained must have been important if Obi-Wan had felt it worth stealing.

Rex lead them to their transport and summoned a few clones who immediately took Obi-Wan from Anakin's grasp. Anakin would have liked to follow, but he trusted Rex and the clones under his watch. He would have to brief the Council and ready his reports about the events that followed. There was also the holocron to look into.

Rex came into Anakin's quarters an hour later. "Commander Skywalker, we've just went into hyperspace. We should arrive back by tomorrow."

Anakin nodded. "Thanks, Rex. How's Obi-Wan?"

"General Kenobi's condition is stable. A few minor abrasions and bruises and three severe lacerations. He's been in and out of consciousness, but life signs are stable."

Anakin nodded. "Let me know if we get any transmissions from Courscant."

Anakin waited until Rex left and he accessed the holocron. A hologram of an attractive middle-aged woman appeared. It took Anakin a few seconds to place a name to the woman. Jenna Zan Arbor. The woman who had imprisoned him in the Zone of Self-Containment after having tormented Qui-Gon years before:

Jenna Zan Arbor's official records. These are the results of the fifth test of the drug Lapsis Ballator. Subject is a young male, approximately 1.7 meters. Mid-chlorian count is about 6,700. Drug was administered twenty days ago. The drug appears to have suddenly suspended all brain and nervous system activity. The subject is now deceased. Trial fits with the previous four.

Jenna Zan Arbor's official records. These are the results of the sixth test of the drug Lapsis Ballator. Subject is a middle aged female, approximately 1.5 meters. Mid-chlorian count is around 6,500. Drug was administered seventy days ago. Over the weeks, the subjects had encountered a decreased mid-chlorian count. Current count is around 150. Reactivity to tastes and smell were affected first, followed by sense of touch. Subject is displaying evidence of blurry, fading vision and hearing loss. Brain activity seems strong, although she seems to have lost capacity for speech. Vital signs appear normal.

Jenna Zan Arbor's official records. These are the results of the tests seven, eight, nine, and ten of the drug Lapsis Ballator. Subjects were young females, between 1.4 and 1.6 meters. Mid-chlorian counts are between 5,200 and 7,000. Drug was administered ninety days ago. To date, all test subjects have normal brain activity and are in stable condition. The addition to the drug appears to have prevented subjects lapsing into comas. Subjects lost their vision, sense of taste and smell and touch, hearing, and experienced drastically lowered mid-chlorian counts. Subjects different in order they lost their sense and length of time it took. I have determined the drug to be successful and safe to administer. Test subjects will be disposed of.

The rest of the holocron was composed of equations and formulas. They didn't mean anything to Anakin. He would have to show them to Jedi Council. Where had Obi-Wan gotten this? Holocrons were used mainly by Jedi and Sith. It was also unlikely that Jenna Zan Arbor would have let such information be taken from her so easily. Who exactly had Obi-Wan encountered during his absence?