Chapter 11 Beyond Reason

Zak paced within the small confines of the ship; his anxiety and concern growing by the second. Every minute he remained on the ship, he knew endangered his master's life more and more. He promised that he would stay only so long before he decided Master Obi-Wan needed help….how long was that? An hour, two? Less, maybe? Half an hour? Or less still? He reached out to touch his Master's mind and could feel the anguish there; Master Anakin was not listening to him, "Master?" "Stay where you are, Padawan." But how much longer could he continue to obey? Not much longer, no matter what Master Obi-Wan said.

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Padme forced herself to calm down as her ship traveled toward the Mustafar system. In the passenger's cabin, her children were strangely silent, even baby Hadrian seemed to understand, somehow, the importance of their trip. Padme herself began to wonder why she had brought them with her; what if Anakin was beyond help? What if he….no, he would never hurt them, any of them. Ferri sat beside her in the co-pilot's seat; she knew his main concern was what would happen to him after this was over. For the second time within days, Ferri was in defiance of the Council; considering his past behavior on Myrkr, his feelings were understandable and Padme began to feel sorry for him, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Ferri; you did your part, it was unfair of me to jeopardize your future any further." She said.

Ferri shook his head and laughed sadly, "I jeopardized my own future on Myrkr. Besides, Master Skywalker was trying to help me even though I think he would have been happier if I had been sent into the Ag Corps; I owe him." He replied and then after a slight hesitation, "And I like him…alot."

Padme sighed and smiled, "I have to tell you that I had very little sympathy for you after what you did; but I'm beginning to think that he may have been right about you after all." She told him.

"Right about me? What has he told you?" Ferri wondered.

"Probably what he's been telling you." She answered and then unbuckled her harness, "I'm going back to check on my children."

Ferri closed his eyes in thought; maybe it didn't really matter if he were sent away after this. Maybe the only thing that was important was for him to finally do the right thing; and maybe that was to protect Master Skywalker's family from Master Skywalker until he came back to himself.

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In meditation, Yoda reached out to the distant Mustafar system, to the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker. He could feel the young man's confusion and fear for his wife, but he could also feel his anger and his hatred. Then he focused on the Chosen One's former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi and sensed anguish, pain, great love and fear, not for himself, but fear for the young man he considered his brother. As Yoda pulled back, he caught an echo of another Force sensitive consciousness. Focusing on it, Yoda detected several others with it. He shook his head sadly as he came out of his meditation and then turned to his companion, "Unfortunate it is that Lady Skywalker has chosen to disregard our counsel." He told Master Windu, "To Mustafar she is going."

Mace sighed heavily, "Then we can only hope to get there before it is too late." He replied.

"And Ferri with them is." Yoda added.

"Ferri? Why would he be with them?" Mace wondered.

"Ask him we should, when we see him." Yoda answered.

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Obi-Wan backed away, still unarmed as Anakin moved toward him, "Come on, Obi-Wan; at least make this a challenge." Anakin taunted.

"I will not fight, Anakin." Obi-Wan repeated as he backed into the corridor at the opposite end of the control center.

"Well, I guess you really have nothing to live for, do you; your precious Order is gone, you have nothing left." Anakin said as he continued to advance.

"The Order is not gone; but I would rather die than fight you." Obi-Wan replied.

"Why? You'll lose anyway; I've become too powerful." Anakin boasted.

Obi-Wan shook his head, "I know how this will end; I know your nightmare. It will not end in my death." He answered.

Anakin laughed, "Now it's this nightmare foolishness again; do you think me such a fool, Obi-Wan?" He retorted.

"I have never thought you a fool, Anakin." Obi-Wan told him.

"Well, I think you are a fool; why did you come here? What did you hope to accomplish?" Anakin asked, stepping closer and taking a swing at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan easily dodged away, "To make you see that what you think has happened is a delusion; you think your nightmare is reality, but it's only in your mind, it's not real." He explained as Anakin swung at him again.

Anakin laughed again, "So you're saying that nothing I think happened really happened? You insult my intelligence." He replied and swung again, this time grazing the sleeve of Obi-Wan's cloak.

Obi-Wan sighed as he shrugged off his cloak and shook his head, "Search your feelings and you'll see the…" He started and was cut off when Anakin swung at him again, "the truth, Anakin."

"Fight me, you coward!" Anakin exclaimed, swinging again.

"No." Obi-Wan answered.

"Why? Wouldn't you rather die fighting then be cut down like a coward?" Anakin asked.

"If I fight you, I will not be the one cut down." Obi-Wan said.

"Again with the nightmare? When are you going to give that up? The only nightmares I've had were about my mother, which led to her death because YOU wouldn't take them seriously; and about Padme which I do not intend to let happen." Anakin replied.

"Oh, Anakin; don't you see that your nightmares about her are only part of it? They were a warning, my brother; not to go down the Dark path." Obi-Wan told him.

"Right; well, it's a little late for that, don't you think?" Anakin answered sarcastically.

"Think, Anakin; you killed Chancellor Palpatine in his office that…." Obi-Wan began.

"NO, YOU'RE LYING!" Anakin screamed and struck out with such force that Obi-Wan instinctively drew his weapon to parry it.

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Zak decided he had waited long enough; they were fighting now, he could sense that much, and he must stop them before the fight went too far. He could not bear the thought of what the outcome of that fight might be if he did not intercede. Leaving his own cloak behind, he left the ship, heading for the control center building.

It was measurably cooler there and he decided that the equipment here must be heat sensitive, therefore needing some kind of climate control. The corridor leading to the inner chambers was silent and deserted; nevertheless, Zak proceeded with caution and warily entered the room at the end of it. He gave the ruined droid only a cursory glance before continuing to the doorway at the far end. As he entered the far corridor, Obi-Wan's discarded cloak lay on the floor and he could hear the distant sounds of clashing lightsabers; abandoning all caution, he hurried toward it.

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Yoda sighed, "Too late we are; the battle, begun it has." He stated, nodding sadly.

"Then we must trust that Zak and Obi-Wan will be able to handle him before things get too out of hand." Mace replied.

"Too late, it already may be." Yoda told him.

"No, I will not believe that." Mace countered.

"And into that, Lady Padme, taking her children is. Fear for all of them, I do." Yoda said.

Mace looked grimly out the viewport and did not answer.

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Padme knew things were going badly when Hadrian began to cry and one look at the faces of the twins confirmed it, "Daddy's fightin' Ma Obi." Luke said sadly.

"No, they can't be; Obi-Wan said he wouldn't fight him, he promised." Padme replied, but knowing somehow that her son was right.

"Dint have a choice, Mommy; Daddy's real mad." Leia told her.

"Then we are too late." Padme answered, trying to keep her emotions in control.

"No, it's never too late." Ferri said from the doorway to the cockpit, "Zak told me that."

"If the fight ends the way it does in Anakin's nightmares, then it will be too late." Padme explained.

"It isn't over yet; and Zak is down there too, so it must be different from the nightmare already." Ferri pointed out, "Because Zak told me that Anakin killed him in the Temple."

"What could Zak possible do?" Padme wondered skeptically.

"Well, he thinks Zak is dead, so at the very least, it's going to confuse him. Besides, Luke said that Master Skywalker was fighting, he didn't say Master Kenobi was fighting back." Ferri answered.

Padme opened her mouth to disagree with him, and then realized he was right, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that." She replied instead.

"I can't tell you it will be alright; I don't have that kind of foresight. All I can tell you is that it isn't finished yet, any of it, and anything can happen." Ferri told her, "Trust in Master Kenobi, and trust in the Force."

Padme nodded, "We don't really have a choice, do we." She said.

Ferri shook his head, "Not really, no." He agreed.

It dawned on Ferri that he was finally beginning to understand what Zak meant by trusting, truly trusting, in the Force and listening to its will. He realized, at that moment, that he had been listening to it when he agreed to go to Mustafar with Lady Skywalker. Sadly, he wished he had come to know this before the incident of Myrkr….

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Obi-Wan did nothing more than parry Anakin's powerful attacks. He could feel Anakin's rage building, and with it, his strength. With the resolve not to allow the outcome of the nightmare fight to become real, Obi-Wan refused to counterattack; even if he were to die as a result. He continued to hold out hope that Anakin would come to himself again; but as Anakin continued to pound him relentlessly, Obi-Wan began to tire.

"Anakin, listen to me; you are fighting for no reason. Reach out for Padme, for you family, and you will find them in the Force." Obi-Wan pleaded.

Anakin ignored him and lashed out again; Obi-Wan's blade met his, but Anakin's former master only partially blocked it and the weapon hit his upper arm arcing down, leaving a bloody slash from Obi-Wan's shoulder to his elbow.

With a cry of triumph, Anakin raised his lightsaber for the killing blow as Obi-Wan's weapon hit the floor and he dropped to his knees.

"No, Master Anakin!" Zak cried, rushing between them, lightsaber ignited to defend his fallen master.

Anakin followed through and struck Zak's blade hard enough to force the young Padawan to his knees.

"Who are you?" Anakin demanded.

"He's my Padawan, Anakin." Obi-Wan answered.

"Lying again, Obi-Wan; now you'll both die." Anakin promised as he raised his weapon again.

Zak powered down and looked up at him, "Then perhaps that is the will of the Force." He replied calmly.

Anakin stared back at him and then at Obi-Wan, clutching his injured arm, "You would allow this boy to die for you?" He asked.

"Would you kill this boy who is no match for you, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked in response.

Anakin scowled at him, powered down his weapon and started to turn away, "I don't know." He admitted.

Zak stood up and turned to help Obi-Wan to his feet. Anakin turned back and shoved Zak into the wall, "But you I would kill; because you have taken Padme from me." He said, pointing an accusing finger at Obi-Wan.

"No one has taken her from you, Anakin." Obi-Wan assured him, "Come back to Coruscant and you can…"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up." Anakin ordered, as he clubbed Obi-Wan in the side of the head with the hilt of his lightsaber.

Zak moved to Obi-Wan's side, "Think about what you're doing, Master Anakin; he is like your brother." He said.

"I don't have a brother; not anymore." Anakin replied and turned back down the hallway.

"Anakin? Can you hear me? I'm worried for you, please come out and talk to me." Padme's voice sounded throughout the hallway, "Come out to the ship and talk to me, please."

"I knew you had her; I'll deal with you later." He said accusingly as he glared the partially conscious Jedi Master before rushing down the hallway.

"Go…go with him, Zak; make sure…." Obi-Wan instructed.

Zak nodded emphatically, "I will, Master; will you be….?" He answered.

"Fine…just…just go." Obi-Wan answered.

Zak nodded again and then scrambled to his feet and hurried after Anakin.