Author's Note and Thanks: I am so sorry it has taken me forever to get even one chapter updated. My computer battery's dying and I've been sick and working. RL is a real pain in the butt, people. As for my comp troubles, I've finally decided to bite the bullet and get a new one. cries I will soon be retiring my baby and getting a new one. My heartfelt thanks go out to those who have been patient with me during all of this. I really appreciate your continual support, though this story is long in coming. I hope it lives up to expectations. Thanks so much, Padfoot Reincarnated, Lea Nikkaya, Alley Parker, Sherlockian Slytherin, and SVCrystalGreen.
BTW: Mace is part of the Council at the time of Qui-Gon's apprenticeship. I don't think he really was but as I can't see Yoda being the one Dooku approached with his problem, I am not going to worry over it. If it bothers anyone, let me know and I'll see if I can find any reference to who (other than Yoda and Yaddle) who were on the Council at the time.
654321
Anakin ended the call with his Master, sighing. Things were spiraling out of his control and he wasn't sure he wanted it to stop. When he was busy, when he was pulled in several different directions, he didn't have a moment to himself in which to stop and think.
"Padawan Skywalker, of your mission, I bring you news."
"I don't have a mission for the Jedi Council anymore," Anakin flatly replied, meeting Yoda's gaze evenly. It was unnerving to him that he hadn't heard the communicator go off. Or even remembered pressing the button to receive the message. And yet, he must have because he could clearly see and hear Master Yoda before him.
Yoda frowned, unsettled by his words-and the anger tinged aura about him. "As long as Jedi Padawan you are, obey the orders of the Jedi Council you will." The words he spoke were stern but with enough softness there to give the Padawan leeway to apologize and listen to him.
"Considering that the Jedi Council," he sneered as he spat out the words viciously, "Has forced my Master out of the Jedi Order, I refuse to follow their ridiculous orders any longer. Clearly, they are no longer following the will of the Force-and have decided to take it out on my Master."
"Of what do you speak of?" Yoda asked, eyes narrowed. Though he wished deny the spoken words, he knew of Anakin's innate honesty. Painful or not, the boy would never knowingly lie.
Anakin blanched, shocked. "You don't know? How could you not know what just happened? Aren't you the leader of the Jedi Council?"
"Of equal rank we are," he sharply retorted. "Hold one Jedi above another we do not. Heard nothing of this development I have. Pressing business on Coruscant developed and away from the Temple to take care of it I was called."
The honesty in Yoda's voice and eyes silenced him temporarily, making his doubt for a moment what his instincts told him. "I don't understand," he muttered. "If you don't know, if you weren't even there, then how did this happen? Surely such a decision could not be made without you."
"No explanation for you I have. Find out what has been going on at the Temple I shall," Yoda ended their conversation, unsettled by what he'd heard. Deeply disturbed, he stepped away from the console and stared out where the Jedi Temple was.
Something was going on back there that he did not understand-and it was not pleasant to contemplate what it could be.
"Master Yoda," Palpatine's voice oozed into his ears as though he was pouring his presence into the Jedi's soul. He approached the diminutive Jedi Master, carefully making his way through the remains of the vessel. "I had hoped to find you still here. What news have you to share with me? I'm afraid that even my considerable influence with the holo-net crews has finally been exhausted. They are pressing us all for more details, though they assure me that they will respect the rights of the families and will not reveal names until they have been notified."
Never before had Yoda felt a disgust for the Chancellor as he did at that precise moment.
Pausing for a moment to wonder why, he could not come up with anything-except for the rather strange blank space in the Force the Chancellor appeared to be. Shaking his head for the living demanded his immediate attention, he answered the question with a deep, sorrowful sigh. "News that I have to share, only bad it is. Several passengers in agony they are, wounded to point of death I fear. Most others on board, dead I fear they are."
"How tragic this is. Do I know any of the dead?" he asked, probing delicately. "Any of the injured? Or is that something I should not be asking now as I am not family, merely the Chancellor of the Republic. If you wish to inform their families first, I shall understand. There is no telling how they may take the news-and to find out about it second hand...well, that would be worse."
They stood, staring at the wreckage and he couldn't stop the shiver that rocked through him. The damage to the ship was tremendous-beyond anything he'd been expecting to see. The fact that anyone survived what he saw, well, that was truly miraculous.
Yoda's head bowed in acknowledgment, almost as if to prepare him for what was to come. "Right to ask these questions of me you are. Sorry to inform you that close to the dead and injured you are."
"Perhaps we should talk more in my office about this," Palpatine suggested, shivering in the chill wind. He looked about, as though to assure himself that, save for the rescue crew and his own core of body guards, they were alone.
One never knew what his enemies might make of this situation-though Palpatine could well image the ramifications of their thoughts and words anyway.
This attack had occurred on Coruscant's own soil.
He, as the Supreme Chancellor, should have been more prepared for its eventuality-especially knowing what he and the rest of the Senate did about the Separatists. They should have been more mindful of the reports they were receiving. Instead, they had been complacent and ignored the growing threat.
"Another time shall we talk, Chancellor. Urgent business to the Jedi Temple I am called," Yoda said.
"Of course," he quickly said, though he did not like the sound of Yoda's words. For the first time, he felt a bit of fear over the Jedi and what might happen to the Republic-and to him-without them. "You must take care of the Jedi first for we shall need them in the growing crisis. I hope that this situation will be quickly resolved. I trust that it shall not affect your duty to Republic."
"Of that not sure I am," he softly mused.
So softly his voice was that the Chancellor almost did not hear the startling words.
Almost.
"What do you mean? Surely nothing terrible has happened to the Jedi in these trying times? We who live in the Republic need your calm and strength now more than ever," he exclaimed, stopping their forward motions so abruptly one of his guards nearly crushed him.
"Do our best to help in this time of need we will. But warriors we are not," he reiterated Mace's words to the Chancellor quietly. After a moment, they began to walk again. "To others the Senate may have to turn to if unable to counter this threat the Jedi are."
"Have you any suggestions to offer for I fear that the Senate will not wish to create an army from their own people. They will listen to any advice the Jedi have," he pointed out. "And I do not wish to create an army by suggesting it myself. As the Supreme Chancellor, my voice should remain neutral until it is apparent that a deciding voice is needed."
Yoda was silent as they entered the elevator, pondering his reasonable words. On the way down, he finally spoke, "Of this situation, Knight Vos a great discovery has been made. While tracking a weapon left behind by Senator Amidala's assassin, found something on an outer rim world-one call Kamino-have clones been created for the Jedi."
"Clones? For the Jedi? For what purpose?" Palpatine asked, nose wrinkling up in disgust. It was a distasteful thought. But he was also intrigued by what Yoda shared. "And why did no one think to inform us of this discovery before? Should we not have been told?"
"Accident happened before tell you of this discovery we could," he calmly answered, meeting his gaze evenly, no guile there. "To deceive you was not our intent. Master Sifo-Dyas to Kamino many years ago he secretly went. Ordered the creation of the clones without our prior consent and knowledge he did. The purpose of his actions in doing this, the Jedi Council knows not. Only that in the name of the Jedi Council and the Republic did he do this."
"I see. But if the clones were ordered for the Jedi to use-whether or not that was your intent-would they not be loyal to you alone?"
The doors opened into the surprisingly quite docking bay and they walked over to where Yoda's ship waited for him. Slightly vexed because he could not answer these questions, he had to stop what he was doing. He breathed deeply and released those emotions into the Force.
Calmed once again, he spoke, "A good point you have brought up whose answer I cannot give you. Talk to the Kaminoans you should. More knowledge have they of this situation than I they will. Until later we speak, farewell."
"Good-bye, Master Yoda. May I see you again under far better circumstances."
"It is to be hoped that so it shall be."
Palpatine watched him leave and made his way back to the Senate, his mind swirling with unanswered questions. Clones, deaths and injuries on his own soil, strange happening at the Jedi Temple, it all added up to great confusion. And many opportunities for an enemy to strike at him, to harm his cause.
He did not like the feeling that he'd been thrown for a loop and would not be able to regain his ground in this quagmire of a situation.
654321
The Jedi Council was divided upon rather even lines upon the issue of the expulsion of one Obi-Wan Kenobi as Master Yoda walked in. "A meeting of the Council called it has been. But notified of it I was not. Of what speak you that call me and wait you could not?"
"The expulsion of Kenobi for he has put attachment before duty," Mace stiffly explained.
"He is not doing anything wrong," Master Galia quietly said. "As he put it to you-and then you to us, he is following the will of the Force."
"He only says that he is. But he is not," Master Rancissis reflected. "It is attachment that causes him to turn from us. From the beginning of their partnership, it has been apparent that Kenobi follows that boy about-not the other way around."
"If the Force has spoken to Obi-Wan, then doubt it not we should."
"Of course, you would say that. He's always been a pet project of yours."
Yoda's eyes narrowed, going cold. "Favorite games play I do not. Dark are the words you speak. Troubled is my mind by this dissension that in the Council exists."
"The dissension within is not with us, Master Yoda. It is in you."
A gasp came from the Council at Mace's words, even those who sided with him on the issue of Kenobi were appalled by them. "Master Windu, think more carefully upon your words," Master Bilaba cautioned, fearing for the man she thought of as her father.
"I have no need to think about them, my mind has never been more clear than it is now. The Dark Side has clouded many of our sights. It has weakened us through its persistent growth. We know it but we do not admit to it. And why? For fear of losing what we have."
"It is right that we do not speak openly of our weaknesses. The Republic looks to us for answers and guidance-for continual stability. These are deeply troubled times and the people we serve need us now more than ever. If we tell them that we are falling in our own abilities, that we cannot see as once we had, panic would reign. Was it not you, Master Windu, who once said that the good of the people must come before the needs of the few?" Knight Mundi said.
"I did-which is why I maintain that Kenobi should be expelled from the Order. He has put the welfare of one person above his commitment to the Republic," Mace stated. "I do not and will not deny that I think he has fallen into the shadow of the Dark Side. Are we agreed?"
Though there was still some doubt as to the rightness of this action, the Council agreed-save Yoda. But, as it had been with the decision regarding Anakin's training, he was outvoted. Silence reigned for a moment as what they did sunk in, Yoda's head shook.
"If Obi-Wan no longer a Jedi is, then lost the Jedi have truly become. Depart I shall for serve among those who are lost I cannot. And will not," Yoda sadly announced. In the shocked silence, he pulled out his lightsaber and dropped it on the floor.
"Gone are the Jedi if hear the Force you cannot," he said, adding a warning. "The Dark Side's shroud fallen it may have. But aid it the Jedi now are."
With sorrow weighing down his feet, he turned and left.
In the wake of his leaving, they could only stare at his lightsaber in shock. To lose Obi-Wan was a small price to pay to preserve the Republic they swore to uphold.
But to lose Master Yoda?
That was something that a few members found unalterably unforgivable. Five lightsabers joined the one on the ground. Five Jedi followed after him, unable to stay in the wake of his words.
Outside the Council's chambers, many Jedi were in a state of shock. "How could this be?" One could hear the question whispered about the halls of the Temple. "Obi-Wan Kenobi? Expelled?"
"Something must be wrong with the Jedi Council," Padawan Offee murmured to her Master, hearing the whispers. "His spirit did not seem weak when we met him. In fact, I would say that he has one of the strongest spirits I've ever been allowed to meet."
"There is more at work here than what we can see, Padawan. Do not always trust the first thing you hear for deception can lie in wait in the most innocuous of words. We must find out more before we can honestly judge a situation," Master Unduli counseled.
"Yes, Master. Forgive my impatience," she apologized, though she was pretty sure that whatever it was that caused the trouble involved one arrogant Padawan-Anakin Skywalker.
"Do no be so hasty to judge his Padawan either," she gently rebuked. "Padawan Skywalker is under a tremendous amount of pressure to be more than the rest of us. I will not deny that he has a tendency to be arrogant but it is not without reason-or provocation. None of us are immune to arrogance."
Flushing, Barriss bowed her head.
"It is something to be aware of," she finished calmly.
"I shall be more mindful, my Master."
A gasp erupted in all corners-all the hallways and rooms of the Temple as Jedi upon Jedi felt a pain rip through them. Tearing apart their mental shields, bringing many to their knees in agony.
The Force shrieked once and was silent.
654321
Count Dooku sat, reclining in the chair upon his balcony, overlooking the rose garden. Breathing in the peace of the cooling evening, he wished that it could last, knowing with the practicality that was at the core of his soul, that it would not.
It would not be long before he was required to leave his home behind him-perhaps forever-in favor of...other pursuits. Pursuits that, while necessary, were not the things that he wished to do.
This whole business was wearisome to him.
Still, needs must be satisfied before wants were filled. It may have been one of the few things upon which the Jedi and Sith agreed.
"Darth Tyrannus," a raspy voice that held a kind of silken smoothness to it, called out and jostled him from his thoughts.
"Master," he greeted, quickly putting aside his drink and rising to kneel before the image. "What is it that you wish of me?"
Sidious stared at him, a thoughtful look on his face. "Have you any news of the Skywalker boy?"
"No, my lord. It is as if he has simply vanished from the Galactic Republic, leaving not even a hint of his signature behind him. I have not even been able to trace him on any of the neutral words. I still have many bounty hunters looking into it," he replied.
"And Kenobi?"
Dooku flinched slightly, though, oddly enough, there was no reproach in his Master's tone of voice. He had not thought that his Master had been aware of his own private search for the Jedi he could consider a grandchild, had he any desire to do so.
Reading his thoughts, Sidious gave a slight chuckle as he replied, "Yes, Tyrannus. I know of your efforts to find him for they are not as hidden as you obviously believed. Before, I would have been displeased with your actions, thinking that you wished to betray me and return to the fold. But now...now, I am pleased by what you have done."
"You are?" he asked, puzzled by his words.
Surprised.
He would not have thought such a thing possible and he was slightly afraid of what it meant. Though his new Master was disdainful of Kenobi and his potential as a apprentice, he had been inordinately interested in getting rid of him. Almost obsessively so.
And Dooku had wondered why, though he did not have the courage to ask his Master after it.
Why it was so imperative to kill the boy if he was only mediocre in skills. Not even worth a glance or a place in his far reaching plans. Of course, he understood that Sidious was upset with the boy for killing his own apprentice, but there was something more to it.
This change of heart caused him to admit to the truth he kept buried deep within himself. He simply wanted to save the only link he had to his own Padawan from Sidious' plans.
Kenobi deserved better than death, far better.
Dooku had watched the boy almost as intently as he had studied Qui-Gon Jinn. There was much in this young man that was unique and perfect. If not for his own disappointments and commitments, he might have taken the boy as his own Padawan.
Yes, the boy was a quick study and intelligent. He would make an excellent apprentice of the Dark Side, if only he could convince the boy of that.
And if he couldn't, well, death still was not the answer.
Far better that he be hidden away until this whole mess was over-and his Master had forgotten Kenobi when he'd achieved his goals. The boy could live safely in anonymity.
"Yes. I believe that he is the key to finding young Skywalker. Where is he?"
And it all circled back upon that wretched child, Dooku thought, resentfully. That brat had been one of the reasons his Padawan lay dead even now. He was an inanity, a commonplace child. Powerful in the Force, but with no true capacity for what was required of them for he stubbornly clung to his loyalties, to his family and friends.
And yet, his Master had invested a lot of time in the brat. A lot of effort in becoming his friend, his trusted advisor. It would not be wise to mess with whatever intentions his Master had for him. "Up until a few days ago, he was on Alderaan."
"Was on Alderaan?" he repeated, angered by the news. Angered that he had not though about it himself for it was so obvious that he would go to Alderaan. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been under his very nose the whole time, within reach of his own network of spies and had still managed to elude him.
Now, who knew what had become of him?
"No, my Master, he was not on the vessel with Senator Organa and Senator Amidala. For some reason, he left in the middle of the night-using the Force to disguise his path." Honestly, it was rather ingenious of the boy to do that-yet, it left him feeling utterly frustrated with him.
"He must be going to join young Skywalker. Find him, my apprentice. Your other assignments may wait until this is accomplished. Find him-and bring him unharmed. Alive, he may yet be of use to me."
"As you wish, my lord." Dooku waited until Sidious had faded away before rising and watching as the holo-chair walked away. Walking a few paces to the edge of the balcony, he rested his hands on it and leaned forward, staring intently out at the night sky.
Looking out at his vast lands bordered by the sea, he appreciated once again the fertile lands that allowed him to live comfortably in this most confusing of times. He studied the rose bushes and smelled them mingling with the salty air, sighing.
Unbidden, a memory of Qui-Gon and his first-but not only-visit to Seranno.
Early on, Master Dooku realized that this relationship would not be easy for him to adjust to.
If his rooms got any more disorganized, he'd never know another day of peace and order until the boy had become a Knight. With a resigned sigh for he knew he had to do something to make this work, he went to see Master Windu. "Hello, old friend," he greeted him. "I have a favor to ask of you, if I may. It is about my Padawan."
Intrigued, Mace nodded that he could proceed. Listening to him, a frown formed on his face. "You know what you ask is rather unprecedented."
"But not unreasonable if the outcome is what I believe that it will be. Our relationship will improve if we have time to get to know each other. In all honesty, I had not expected him to be so...high spirited."
Mace chuckled. Dooku was putting it mildly. "You were warned that he was not quite right for you. A mastery of a particular sword form does not a match make for a sword master."
"I maintain my position on this. He is the Padawan I want," he stoically said.
"No one doubts your commitment," Mace soothingly said. "We just do not thing that one of your temperament is the one for Padawan Jinn. Nevertheless, the Force has blessed your union and we will follow its wisdom in this. I will speak with the Jedi Council."
"Thank you," he murmured. "Are you on your way now?"
"No. i am free until early this afternoon. Why?"
"Then I invite you to practice with me, to see if your new sword form can compete with time honored ones." The two made their way down the hall, unconcerned with those who followed after them.
Qui-Gon shifted in his chair restlessly, almost wishing to press his face against the plasta glass and look out at Seranno. The transport had taken them away from Coruscant three days earlier and he had yet to do more than sit in the chair, meditate, and read. Compared to what was going on, he doing it boring.
Excitement thrummed in his veins.
He'd never been anywhere outside the Temple before. From all he heard, no Jedi Padawan every had this chance so early in their training. He liked the feeling of notoriety this gave him. The envious looks of other Padawans his age made him smile, pleased to be at the center of attention.
And, though it felt odd to be away from the familiar sounds and feel of the Force that surrounded him there, he liked the feel of it just as much away from the others. It felt cleaner and fresher somehow when he was away from all of the Jedi. Like they were no longer clouding his mind and taking up space so that he could pursue what was really his gift-his own voice in the Force.
Besides, what was the harm in it? He only wanted to see where he was going. Surely, Master Dooku wouldn't object if he was really quiet about it. If he didn't do anything to disturb him, he could take one look outside.
But his Master's stern rebuke rang in his ears. It was one of many he'd heard, but this one stuck with him far longer than the others had. 'You are a Jedi Padawan, not a gaping monkey. Sit down and be quiet.
Glancing over cautiously, he saw that his Master reading his datapad and turned back to the window, really tempted to peek. Slowly, he started to shift, taking care to not show it. His robe was clutched tightly in his grip so that it wouldn't fall.
Or get caught on anything again, he thought, blushing slightly as he fingered the slight tear in his sleeve.
"Sit back down, Padawan. We shall be there soon," Dooku said, eyes never leaving the words he read.
Qui-Gon sat back, deflated. In truth, he was a little afraid of the man who was his Master. There was an icy cold perfection about him that chilled him where their bond connected them.
Landing, they disembarked and walked out into the watery pre-dawn light. The tang of salt mingled with a new perfume-a scent Qui-Gon couldn't recognize- teased his senses with its exotic flavor. The scent reawakened his keen curiosity and he looked about him-until his Master's irritated sigh reached his ears.
Falling behind him, his feet felt weighted down under the disappointment he felt. He didn't know what to say or do here. It was a strange feeling for he'd always felt at home in any situation. He wondered if he'd ever know how to get along with his new Master-if he ever would.
And not for the first time did he wondered just why he'd been chosen.
"I still find myself wondering about that," Qui-Gon quietly said, startling his old Master. "Why you chose me out of all the others. I was far from your ideal of the perfect Padawan."
Dooku's eyes were wide as he stared, mind grasping to deal with the reality of what he saw. "This cannot be real," he denied, head shaking to reaffirm his words. "You cannot be here, standing before me"
"You know that I am," he countered gently. "Your eyes do not deceive you, though your mind tells you that it is so."
His hand trembled slightly as it reached out, stopping short of touching the specter in front of him. "How is this possible? You should not be here. All we know, all we believe, says that this is impossible. You are defying the very reality that we know to exist."
"All that I know of you says that you serving the Sith is impossible. I well remember your absolute distaste and disgust over the Sith holo-cron. Over any Jedi who could not stay true to the path before them. Yet, you are," he argued back. "Open your mind, Master, and see the truth. You are not as far gone as you think for all that you have done many a dark deed."
"Your belief in me is both foolish-and laughable."
"Then why do you want to protect Obi-Wan? Protect him even though he is an enemy of the Sith? An enemy of all that you now claim to be?" he softly questioned him. "Why even now do you plot to deceive you new Master?"
"I do no such thing," he denied, voice hollow of any conviction.
"You cannot lie to me, Master, for though I stand before you in the very image of your former Padawan, I am still part of the Force. And you cannot hide the truth from the Force."
It was inescapable, this logic Qui-Gon used and Dooku leaned back, defeated momentarily by him. "What would you have me do?" he finally asked.
"Tell the Jedi what you know," he said simply, as though it was that easy of an answer.
A scoff escaped his lips and his voice dripped with disdain as he shook his head. "Those blind fools? They are diseased, Padawan. A disease that corrupts their very essence and life, blinding them to the very obvious truth that is in their midst. The darkness is there, has been there for years, and they have not been aware of it. Have not lifted a finger to try to stem the tide. There is no help to be found from revealing what I know to them."
"I said the Jedi, not the Jedi Council. There are many who would follow you for they doubt the Council's decision regarding matters of import. At least, when it concerns certain people," Qui-Gon said, amusement curling around his words.
"What do you mean? Surely the sheep who follow the Council's every whim have not suddenly discovered their backbones? That the Council, while wise in many ways, is not infallible to mortal weaknesses?"
"Not quite. But it appears that I've misjudged my Padawan's influence upon the Jedi as a whole," Qui-Gon mused, shaking his head. "If not for Anakin's startlingly strong connection to the Force, I would believe that he is the Chosen One."
"Power alone does not make one the Chosen One," Dooku sardonically said. "Surely I taught you that power is transitory and can easily be lost. Did you never listen to anything I taught you? Ever? And if your Kenobi has done something to awaken the slumbering consciouses of the Jedi, that makes him more valuable than a powerful trinket."
"But he's just Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon protested, seeing in his mind's eye the young man who followed him about the Galaxy so faithfully. Both with an affection for his Master-and an exasperation for him within those changeling eyes.
"I know-though you seem to have forgotten just how unique he is. In over two hundred and fifty years, no other Jedi has ever caught Master Yoda's eye like he has. No other person can claim to still have that attention. So, what has your paragon of a former Padawan done?" he asked.
"It isn't what he's done that has caused such a stir among the Jedi. Rather, it is the outcome of his decision that has. Obi-Wan is, even now, being expelled from the Jedi Order." This was spoken with sorrow for he knew what it cost his child to have turned his back on everything.
He ached for the son of his heart, but there was nothing he could do for him.
Dooku stared at him, appalled. "Are they truly mad? Have their wits gone begging? Skywalker's entire devotion and loyalty to the Order rests solely upon his Master's shoulders. They might as well gift wrap the boy and hand him over. And what Master Yoda to say to this? It does not seem like the kind of thing he would allow considering all he did to keep Kenobi within the Order.
"Master Yoda was not there when the decision was being argued over. When he had arrived, not even his words could change their stance," he said. "And I though you had no more interest in the Jedi."
"I do not-but even I know a true Force bond when I see it," he replied acidly. "Those two were made for each other-point and counterpoint. Logic to instinctual emotional genius. Rational thought to absolutely brilliant survival skills. Thus, there is balance. Fools, all of them."
Qui-Gon's eyes lit up, understanding at last, "That's what I was seeing and did not get."
"What?"
"It is nothing," he began only to be cut off by a fierce cry of pain and loss. Great enough and powerful enough to bring him to his knees and rend the Force in shreds. "Obi-Wan!" he gasped, fading from sight.
Chilled, Dooku stared out at nothing. Pain twitched through him, filling him up and pushing him out of the apathy that had clung to him ever since Qui-Gon's death. It exploded with the force of a supernova, smashing apart any notions of right and wrong, good and bad, light and dark.
Fear crawled over him and he saw blood. Rivulets, rivers, oceans and streams of blood flowing up from an endless open wound. He bowed his head, acknowledging that it could only mean one thing. Someone-or something-had been hurt, damaged within the Force.
Badly-possibly irreparably.
And he could only fear what it meant for the one who was hurt was Kenobi-Qui-Gon's final words could mean no other. Skywalker's rage would know no bounds-even Sidious would not be immune from it.
654321
Sidious glanced up from his contemplation of his hands, pondering just what he would do once he got that troublesome Jedi Knight in his grasp. The thought of making him squirm, making him pay for costing him his apprentice made him smile. Torturing him until he screamed, until he bleed from every pore of his worthless body would be just deliciously fun-except he wanted Skywalker on his side, not furious with his for harming Kenobi.
He knew, from observing them, that that would not do at all. The boy was painfully devoted to his Master and would not hesitate to kill him if it came down to that-which would not suit his plans at all.
But merely treating the Jedi as a guest would not serve. Kenobi was nothing if not suspicious and adapt at altering his shields from any perusal-no matter how skilled the seeker.
No, there could be nothing so easy as merely asking him for what he sought.
And yet...he hissed sharply, breathing in exquisite pain as it filled him. Smiling eagerly, he relished the feeling of absolute suffering-then his eyes narrowed. He knew the feel of that pain. On a day that was forever branded in his memory, he'd felt it then until another presence had soothed that ache away.
Kenobi.
The man was in pain-and so was his apprentice.
Rising abruptly, he stormed out of his rooms and down the hall, anger discoloring everything about him.
He had been betrayed-and he was not pleased.