Author's Notes: I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed and/or added this story to their favorites. I really wasn't expecting this to take off so well. While I work on this, I'm also working on my "Destiny Interrupted" Metroid series, but I will try to update both regularly. Thank you for your understanding and support! :)
Chapter 3: Into The Unknown
The Royal Palace rested atop a plunging cliff-face, surrounded by beautiful waterfalls and the most breath-taking of views. And Theed, the capitol city of Naboo, radiated around the majestic, ancient building. It was the home to Naboo's elected sovereign and meeting place of the Royal Guard. A mighty, imposing structure by all accounts, the Theed Royal Palace wasn't without its gentle side. Many of its areas were decorated with art of all kinds, fountains, waterfalls, flowers of the most beautiful variety. A powerful, protective paradise fit for a Queen. Obi-Wan had been here for a week already, meeting with Queen Neeyutnee for daily briefings on the suspected whereabouts of Padme's assassin. So far, he or she had yet to present themselves; Obi-Wan figured today would be no different. No matter. He was very much used to playing the waiting game.
Quietly, Master Kenobi sat with the sovereign in one of the many dining rooms of the palace, sipping at a cup of tea that had been offered to him by a servant.
"Your presence is greatly appreciated, Master Jedi. I am sorry we've nothing more to report on Senator Amidala's assassin at this time." said the Queen, dressed in a dark red ceremonial beaded dress.
Obi-Wan shifted, and came to cross his legs. He gently settled his cup on the glass table. "Thank you, Your Highness. I can assure you, I intend to see this investigation through, no matter how long it takes."
"I am confident in your skills, Master Kenobi." replied Queen Neeyutnee.
Just then, in stormed two Royal Guards, panting for breath as if they had been running. "Your Highness, Senator Amidala's assassin has been spotted!"
Both Obi-Wan and Neeyutnee rose to their feet and approached the guards. The Queen had her hand over her chest as if she were fretful. "Let us delay no longer. Master Kenobi. See to it that the assassin has been swiftly brought to justice."
Obi-Wan turned his attention to her as the guards caught their breath and composed themselves. He bowed in silent acknowledgment of the Queen's orders before moving into a run from the large hall to get some answers and maybe, put an end to this dispute once and for all.
Venturing into the capitol city, Obi-Wan treaded lightly around the bustling atmosphere, knowing the assassin could be anywhere, or anyone; but having read over the entire case to the point where it had become apart of his memory, Obi-Wan was sure he would know the assassin when he seen him. He had to be extra careful. One false move, and it would be the end of him, the end of his relationship with Anakin. And knowing that was reason enough for him to augment his senses. Carefully, he swam through the sea of patrons looking at the many merchant stands that were scattered about, and through the rivulet of people coming from the shops and bazaars that peppered the cobblestone promenade. He soon came to a crossroads, more stands and shops awaiting him on either end. A patron, dressed in a long, elegant robe was standing next to a bazaar that sold spices and flowers.
"Excuse me, my friend. I'm looking for someone." said Obi-Wan.
"Well, you found someone. Now what do you want?" scolded the human male, rather cocky in his tone of voice.
"Yes, quite. But, for the life of me, I have no clue what he - or she - looks like." feigned Obi-Wan. He knew exactly what the person looked like.
The man briefly glanced down at the weapon hanging from Obi-Wan's belt. His ruby-colored eyes bolted open, his expression turning sour with a hate unbefitting of the Naboo. Obi-Wan stepped back as the human pulled a blaster from the holster hidden on his left hip. The innocent bystanders peacefully walking about their business quickly scattered as hysteria filled the normally quiet town market.
Obi-Wan quickly brandished his lightsaber in defense and carefully deflected - with both his weapon and his mind - the blaster bolts screaming towards him so that they would not injure one of the many beings running away from the market turned battlefield. Another shot rang out from the blaster, and then another, and yet another, forming a deadly chain of daggers ready to slice into their target. The Jedi twirled his lightsaber with exceptional skill and ease, deflecting the assault. His attacker then fled down the street. Shutting down his lightsaber, Obi-Wan quickly followed suit.
Eventually, Obi-Wan cornered his target after a lengthy run through the city streets after the attacker ran into a dead end. There, surrounded by a high cobblestone wall, his attacker stood, back turned to the Jedi Master, looking for a way out. Then, he slowly turned around to confront Obi-Wan. Still, he clutched at his seemingly pathetic weapon. It would take more than a clumsy blaster rifle to take someone of Obi-Wan's skill down, however. "You don't scare me Jedi Scum." coughed the humanoid with a mocking grin.
Kenobi outstretched his palm faster than the man could blink, pulling the blaster rifle from the slimy grasp of the now-wide eyed attacker in front of him. Holding it in his hand, Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber and casually sliced the weapon on half. Then, he dropped it to the floor and kicked it aside with his boot.
"Who are you?" asked the Jedi Master as he approached.
"I'll tell you nothing, Jedi Scum."
Obi-Wan inched closer as his attacker stepped back against the wall, his back digging painfully into the jagged stone wall behind him. Kenobi narrowed his eyes, a chunk of his golden-ginger hair fell limply in front of one eye. The grip around his weapon tightened, the power of the weapon humming against his hand. He then came to raise one hand and wave it in the air. "You will tell me." he said, the Force flowing through his hand.
"I will tell you." repeated the humanoid imp, his eyes glazed over and mindless.
"Who are you?" Obi-Wan repeated, his tone more controlled, but still gentle.
"I am Ranik Draykon," he confessed.
Kenobi sheathed his weapon, having gotten the answer his wanted. "Are you the one responsible for the assassination attempt on Senator Padme Amidala?" he asked, coming to a knee with Ranik having collapsed to the floor. Obi-Wan looked hard into the man's glazed eyes.
The man took a deep, painful breath as he clutched his chest but refused to divulge his identity. "I...am." he replied behind painful breaths.
"Who hired you?" asked Obi-Wan with calm urgency, concerned by the man's ragged breathing.
Ranik choked behind his response, "A...power...ful...accomp...lice...," before his body suddenly erupted into a fit of convulsion. Obi-Wan attempted to keep him steady, watching in mild horror as the man's pale face broke out in a blistering, red, puss-filled rash, his eyes, nose and mouth bleeding. Obi-Wan could feel the him burning beneath his clothing, as if his body was literally on fire and quickly reached inside one of the pouches on his belt to retrieve his medkit in the hopes of saving the man's life, but was troubled to find that Draykon had already died in the brief moments the Jedi's attention had been elsewhere.
Lowering Ranik's eyelids in respect, Obi-Wan regretfully reached for his commlink.
Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda sat in Yoda's private meditation room with their legs crossed, a holoprojector in front of them. A message from Obi-Wan. They listened with interest. "I managed to uncover Padme's assassin. His name is Ranik Draykon and he said he works for somebody powerful, before he suddenly perished due to unknown causes."
"Explain these unknown causes, Master Kenobi." Mace replied.
"He fell into convulsions before his face and other extremities became covered with what looked to be a blistering rash; at that point, vessels within his eyes, nose and mouth had ruptured, his body quite feverish, killing moments afterward. Furthermore – and perhaps more troubling – I was unable to sense even the slightest Force signature prior to his death."
Mace rubbed his chin, deeply concerned by his fellow Jedi Master's observation. A fatal ailment completely immune to Force detection...It was enough to make his blood turn cold. "Master Kenobi, listen carefully. You must notify the proper authorities immediately. We will dispatch the MedCorps to Theed; until we know what we're dealing with, consider the entire planet at risk; the Chancellor must be informed of this development immediately. Return to Coruscant at once, Master Kenobi."
"Yes, Master. Kenobi, out."
"What could this mean, Master Yoda?" Mace asked, the hologram of Obi-Wan having disappeared.
"Difficult to see. The darkness, the future clouds. Meditate on this, we must..."
Hours later, his duties done, Obi-Wan sat in the cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter en route to Coruscant, feeling more confused about this puzzle than before. True, he had found the one responsible for the assassination attempt on Padme's life, but the meeting with Ranik also opened up a whole new arena of questions yet to be solved, chief among them being what exactly killed him whether or not it posed a danger to the Jedi Master and the planet's denizens. And then there was Anakin. Earlier, Obi-Wan had sensed a disturbance in the Force. He sensed pain... Anakin was suffering terrible pain. Master Kenobi gripped the controls tighter, the thrusters bursting with a temporary boost in power and rocketing the starfighter faster through space. He had to hurry.
"What the blazes?" The radar had picked up an unidentifiable fighter heading toward him, and fast. "R4, see if you can bring up identification." Obi-Wan said to his astromech droid. A flurry of bleeps echoed through the cockpit, then, a bright blue screen flickered to life from the control panel. "It says it's from Coruscant... The Temple...?" Master Kenobi nearly hurled his starfighter into a corkscrew at the surprise of seeing that Anakin had come, but at the cost of disobedience. "Anakin? Anakin, this is Obi-Wan. Do you copy?"
"Master? Yes, I copy. Where are you going?" Anakin asked, a little concerned.
"Never mind that. Where are you going? I thought I told you to remain at your post until I returned?" Obi-Wan replied in his usual serious, Coruscanti accented voice. But a part of him couldn't help but smile a little at hearing Anakin's voice again.
"I was heading for Naboo to help you, Master," he confessed, feeling nervous about what his Master would scold him for this time around. After all, he had disobeyed a mission; Anakin knew Obi-Wan – and the Council - would have a field day with his brazenness. With their ships closing the distance between each other, Anakin hung a tight left in his customized Delta 7 fighter and boomeranged around Obi-Wan's craft, and came to join him on his right side. The pair made the jump to lightspeed.
Anakin and Obi-Wan had landed safely inside of the Temple hangar, never so glad to be home and – despite Obi-Wan's displeasure - together once more. They shared a tender moment of embracing behind Anakin's yellow Jedi Starfighter out of caution, but with the war in full swing, the Temple hangar was all but empty. Obi-Wan kissed the side of Anakin's neck and inhaled his familiar scent of fine leather tinged with a hint of musk, the warmth of his strong embrace smothering him. "Master. I didn't mean to defy you but...I couldn't take it anymore."
Obi-Wan ran his fingers through Anakin's shaggy hair before willing his hand to rest against the younger man's strong cheek. "...I will overlook this only once, Anakin. If you are to learn anything from this, let it be to not repeat what has transpired here today. Should you fail, I will have no choice but to bring you before the Council."
"Yes, Master. It won't happen again, you have my word." Anakin followed his pledge with a kiss to Obi-Wan's lips and lingered there for a minute to remember the strong taste of his mouth. "...I love you."
"I love you too, dear one."
Obi-Wan Kenobi sat before a databank inside the vast Jedi Archives, his immediate work area surrounded by many smaller terminals and control panels used for other forms of research. Anakin kept his boredom to a minimum by browsing the many levels of the Archives, which contained possibly the most information on and about the galaxy in the entire universe, in addition to housing works of fiction from the galaxy's greatest writers and poets. A Temple student or instructor could find nearly anything to suit their taste and Anakin was no exception. While surveying a holobook shelf on the 2nd level of the Archives, his eyes caught sight of a holobook on Naboo and its ecosystem, people and history.
Inside, nothing was revealed to him that he didn't already know about the planet from his former studies...except for one thing in particular that caught his interest. `Naboo Lake Retreat' huh? It's beautiful, and no sand for miles. Strange...I feel like I've been there before... Anakin thought to himself. Dreams. They had been with him since he was a little boy. His mother always told him dreams remained as such if not for motivation and determination. But if it hadn't been for Qui-Gon, Anakin would still be a dreamer, a slave. Turning the book off, Anakin returned it to its rightful place and headed downstairs to check up on Obi-Wan, but still kept the pictures of the surreal location in his mind as if it were a dream. A dream he wanted to make a reality.
Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration as he looked at the bright screen in front of him. No information could be found on either Ranik Draykon or the mystery ailment that killed him. Blast. One step forward, two steps back, it seems. As he looked away from his place of work for a minute to rub his eyes, he felt a familiar squeeze against his shoulder. A surprised gasp escaped him as he looked to find Anakin sitting down next to him. "Sith, Anakin! You know I don't like it when you do that." Kenobi scolded, lowering his hands to the chair's arm rests.
Anakin raised his arms over his head and rested his head against them, a grin on his face. "Sorry, Master. I forgot. So, were you able to find anything?" he asked.
Obi-Wan stood up, fetched his cloak from behind the chair, and put it on. He shook his head with disappointment. "No, absolutely nothing. About him or what killed him."
His former apprentice came to a standing position, eclipsing him in height by only a fraction. "Great. Nothing like the both of us being confused. You and Draykon and me with...well, everything else. Master, I still have much on my mind. Like something isn't right." Anakin stressed and slumped over, disgruntled by his lack of vision.
"Patience, my young one. Another solution will present itself in time." Obi-Wan replied, taking the younger man's broad shoulder in his grasp. "Until then, why don't you head back to Senator Amidala's residence; I must go speak to the Council."
"That...might be a problem, Master." Anakin replied.
Obi-Wan noticed the younger man gnawing on the inside of his mouth. It usually meant he was nervous about something. "Oh?" asked Obi-Wan, pensive. "Anakin...please don't tell me..."
Anakin held his hands up, shaking his head and grinning. "No, no. Nothing happened to her, don't worry." He brought his hands back down to his sides. "It's just...while you were gone, the Chancellor notified me that he would be overseeing Padme's protection from now on; a pair of his Red Guards are to be with her at all times."
"But I thought he wanted you to be her escort until the investigation was finished? What happened?"
Anakin willed himself into a slow walk, Obi-Wan following at his side, hands behind his back. "That's what I thought as well. Sometime after you left for Naboo, Padme and I were talking when she suddenly got a call from the Chancellor; said he wanted to converse some urgent business with her. The meeting lasted hours, and when I finally heard back from Padme, she told me I was relieved of my duties, that she was now under the protection of the Red Guard."
Obi-Wan expelled his concerns over the development into the Force. But he knew he would be lying if the sudden news didn't cause him to feel a pang of unease at the thought of the senator being in the care of the Chancellor's enigmatic Red Guard.
Having sensed Obi-Wan's concern, Anakin promptly answered the nagging question on his Master's mind, "I've already notified the Council, Master."
"And?"
Anakin grinned before pulling his Master behind a nearby pillar into an embrace. "Well, they weren't exactly pleased having the Chancellor intervene in Jedi business, but the good news is, I'm all yours until further notice."
Obi-Wan felt himself smile.
"There's...something else, Master." Anakin began before nibbling briefly at the inside of his mouth again.
Obi-Wan could sense the younger man's nervousness through their Bond, his hand cupping Anakin's cheek in reassurance. "Take a breath, Anakin. Gather yourself, and start again."
Anakin took a breath, but instead of attempting to speak again, he merely grabbed Obi-Wan's free hand and pressed it to his mid-section. "This might be able to explain it better than I can at this point... Can you feel it, Master? Something wonderful has happened – is happening. At least I-I think it is... I'm not sure."
He could...definite and strong in its unmistakable existence. A Force signature, completely different from his or Anakin's...pulsing, warm, constant. And another... equally strong. Obi-Wan kept his hand stationary for a good long while, his mouth agape, until finally coming to his senses, Anakin's bold blue eyes gazing down at him. Obi-Wan felt himself smile again despite his perplexity. "I can feel it. And it feels wonderful, Anakin. You're..."
Anakin gave a slow nod.
"But how?" gasped Obi-Wan.
"It's...complicated." Anakin replied. "And best not to talk about here. Let's go to your quarters."
Once inside the privacy and comfort of Obi-Wan's living quarters, he and Anakin sat together on the simple couch in the small main room, with Obi-Wan still trying to wrap his head around the unmistakable fact – he'd sensed it himself – that Anakin was pregnant despite being very much physiologically male. In the five years they had been involved, Obi-Wan had never once witnessed anything to dispute this irrefutable fact...save for that Anakin exhibited especially strong sexual urges during the median period of a month, and then for several days after that. But Obi-Wan didn't really consider it to be anything out of the ordinary, at least nothing to make him question Anakin's sex outright.
It was what Anakin admitted next, however, that made Obi-Wan rethink himself.
"I'm an Omega-class male."
Suddenly, it all started to make perfect sense to Obi-Wan. From what little he actually knew of the class, nearly every known humanoid species – including humans themselves – had what the Republic classified as "Omega" beings, those who were able to sexually reproduce via a suitable partner regardless of their sex, so long as conditions within the Omega permitted it. Due to their rarity, however, not much else was known about them. As a result, the opinion on Omega-class beings was mixed throughout the galaxy – they were praised, often worshiped akin to a god, in certain territories, and regarded as Sith-spawned abominations in other, often far less progressive, galactic territories. Luckily, Coruscant, with its proverbial melting pot of galactic cultures, saw Omegas as being just one more flavor in its already bustling menagerie of diversity.
The Jedi Order, however, did not. It was a secret, however, only to those permitted to serve within their ranks, the rest of the galaxy was none the wiser for it, still believing them to be the epitome of diversity. But Obi-Wan knew – underneath their image of acceptance was a deep distrust of Omega-class sentients due to their unpredictable behavior and inbred desire for companionship and offspring. As a result, they were not to be trusted, and anyone identified as being such would be prohibited from serving in the Order. Such beings were usually identified shortly after submission into the Temple Creche as infants; if they were found to be Omega-class, they would be sent back to their birth parents.
Anakin's case, however, was different. He'd been admitted into the Order as a Padawan at the age of ten, and as such had not been subjected to the usual testing of those far younger than himself; but Obi-Wan suspected the Order's lack of oversight was due more to his fate as the Chosen One than due to his "old" age. And now he was pregnant with Obi-Wan's children. Kenobi considered it to be both a blessing and a curse – more so to the Order than to himself or Anakin, however. Now into the third year of the war it was no secret now that the accomplishments of Kenobi and Skywalker had long become etched into the holopages of galactic history itself, even earning them nicknames like "The Hero With No Fear" and "The Negotiator" by the local HoloNet reporters. And to lose them both on account of prejudice...well, Obi-Wan knew there was to be no coming back for the Jedi Order from that.
As far as Obi-Wan was concerned, prejudice against Anakin, was prejudice against him as well. And no amount of persuasion would convince him otherwise.
Obi-Wan laced his fingers into the fingers of Anakin's gauntlet-covered mechno-hand, his other hand coming to rest against the mid-section of the Knight's black synthleather tabbard.
"...I take it you're not angry." Anakin finally said, half-smiling and enjoying the warmth of Obi-Wan's touch.
"Force, Anakin, of course not. A bit perplexed, yes. But, if being with you has taught me anything, it is that the Force works in mysterious ways." Obi-Wan replied before cupping Anakin's cheek in his palm. "Our children are a blessing, Anakin. They are the will of the Force. Never forget this."
"Never, Master." Anakin replied before stealing a kiss from his Master. "I love you."
Obi-wan lowered Anakin's head to his shoulder, nuzzling it before closing his eyes. "As do I, my dear one. As do I."
