Where Things Aren't Right

Mace stood at the foot of the gurney, arms folded as he regarded the person in it. Skywalker sat, his own arms crossed, as he openly glared at the Council member. They stared at each other in silence. Mace wondered why Skywalker was being so difficult. It shouldn't be so hard, a report on what had happened on the frozen planet of Norscan. Obi-Wan had already given his report and now it was simply Skywalker's turn. But the Padawan was merely radiating frustration and displeasure towards Mace.

The Council member wished Obi-Wan there to act as intermediary, but the Knight had been called to oversee the delivery of supplies to the station that Skywalker had been brought to due to such severe hypothermia. He didn't understand why Skywalker was being so silent about this. He'd been injured on missions before and never had an issue with reporting. He'd been sent out just as they'd returned to the Temple before, and there were never any problems. But Mace seemed to be the last one Skywalker wanted to see at the moment and wouldn't even say why.

Very puzzling.

... And annoying.

Not to mention disrespectful since Obi-Wan had left with a quiet "Behave," tossed to his headstrong Padawan.

"Padawan Skywalker, I merely wish to know your part in what happened on Norscan. That is all."

Skywalker scowled horrifically before stiffly running a flesh hand through his loose hair. "I know," he growled before letting out a deep breath. "Look I... It's just that... Arrrgh."

"Whatever you're feeling, Padawan, release it to the Force. It is hampering your ability and needs to be released for you to have a clear mind."

"You are not my master," Skywalker grunted. "Don't act like you are!"

Mace narrowed his eyes at such insubordination. "I am not the master who trains you, but I am a master, and your disrespect is unacceptable."

Skywalker took a breath for rebuttal, but let it out instead, clearly trying to regain some balance.

"Look, Master Windu, I..." there was a faint growl that sounded like it was directed elsewhere, "I... apologize... for my rudeness," he finished grudgingly. "I... something has me on edge and I don't know what. There, I admitted it, happy, Master?"

"It is not about my happiness, Padawan Sky-"

"Not you, I was referring to my Master."

Mace narrowed his eyes. Something... wasn't right about this conversation. It sounded like Obi-Wan and his stubborn Padawan were communicating directly, despite the distance from the Medical Center to the docking bay at the other end of the space-station, well over a kilometer away. Being able to communicate at such distances was exceedingly rare. At best, there would be general impressions and feelings. Not such a direct and specific link.

Skywalker seemed to notice that Mace was suspicious of this and became more visibly guarded.

Mace let out a breath and all irritation into the Force. "Start at the beginning. What was the situation after you separated from Knight Kenobi?"

With full sarcastic commentary, Skywalker started, haltingly, to explain his part of the mission to save Chokt. He was in the middle of how the droids had blown the tower out from under him when he suddenly stiffened, started swearing loudly, and threw back his sheets, ripping out his IV and stumbling out of his gurney to grab his lightsaber.

"Padawan Skywalker," Mace said sternly, intent on lecturing the young man about his behavior.

"No time," Skywalker shouted, rushing past him for the door. "Something's wrong. Something's wrong. Master, what's happening?"

Mace frowned, opening himself up to the Force. He felt no disturbance, and he hurriedly chased after the Padawan. "You do not have leave to be out of bed, Padawan Skywalk-"

"Just shut up Mace," Skywalker snapped, grinding to a halt so quickly Mace was hard pressed not to run into him. The Korun Jedi was about to reprimand the boy for his rudeness when he saw the closed eyes and tight face. He was concentrating incredibly hard and his presence was swelling in the Force. His eyes were darting back and forth behind their lids and his mouth was turned down in a vicious frown.

Blue eyes snapped open, intense. "Separatists," he murmured, and dashed off again pushing aside Mace without thought. "Master! Separatists are about to come out of hyperspace!"

"Padawan Skywalker, what are you trying to-" Mace's reprimand was cut short as the Force sung in warning only microseconds before the entire station rocked, causing Mace and Skywalker to stumble to one side. The Council member allowed himself a brief moment to marvel at the Padawan's precognitive ability before hoisting himself to his feet and grabbing said Padawan's arm to lift him as well. The hypothermia was not completely treated, his skin was cold to the touch and shivers still ran down his body. But being barefoot and clothed in only a medical wrap seemed to mean nothing to the boy as he steadfastly continued to march down the halls.

"Bantha kriffing poodoo I forgot my communicator," he mumbled before pausing at a terminal and inputting some codes. "Cody? Cody! Where are you?"

"Bridge, sir," crackled a response. "Seppies came out of hyperspace and rammed us; starboard docks from the looks of it."

"I know all that!" Anakin growled, apparently just as disrespectful to others and not just Mace. "Where's Master? Where's Obi-Wan? Is he still at the docking bay?"

"I don't know, sir; but I've got reports that super battle droids and droidekas have breached the hull and are swarming everywhere. I need to position the men."

"But where's Obi-"

Mace took the tranceiver. "This is General Windu, Commander Cody; you can expect Padawan Skywalker and myself to make our way over to the docking bay and assist the clones already in combat. If you can contact General Kenobi, let him know we're on our way."

"Sir, yes sir!"

Mace ended the transmission and leveled an aloof glare at the Padawan. "You're thoughts betray you," he said in even tones as he started a light jog down the halls; it would take several minutes to traverse the halls and find the right lift that would take them to the docking bay. "You're more concerned for the welfare of you master than the security of an entire space station." Mace thought of the time Anakin was still a youngling, seeing his master off on a mission and hugging him - hugging him! - before he left. It was such an obvious sign of attachment and Obi-Wan had done nothing to hinder it being attachment prone himself. Now he was seeing the results; already Anakin was not thinking of others but of his attachment to Obi-Wan. He had an extremely deep bond with his master, if the telepathy he seemed to be demonstrating was any indication, and the Jedi frowned upon such deep bonds.

"Don't judge me," Anakin hissed, overtaking Mace's quick jog and pushing the pace to an outright run. "He's in danger, I can sense it."

Seven or eight minutes later they came upon a lift that Skywalker all but threw open, slamming his palm into the control panel to in put his desired destination.

Mace tried again, annoyed that they were both out of breath because of Skywalker's reckless haste. "There is no passion, there-"

"There is serenity. I know, Master Windu," Skywalker retorted, interrupting Mace. "There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no emotion, there is peace. Master Obi-Wan has taught me very well, thank you. I know the code inside an out."

"One would not know it with your actions and your thoughts at this time," Mace asserted.

"Don't you dare," Skywalker answered, lifting a cybernetic hand and shaking it at Mace. "Don't you dare insult my Master when it's me you have a problem with!"

The Council member frowned. "I have no 'problem' with you, as you put it. It would appear that you are projecting your inner turmoil. The better question is perhaps why you have a problem with me."

The boy glared, his mouth turned down into a petulant pout, his eyes wide in concealed emotion. Mace held the gaze, having no fear of the child; he was a tower of patience and calm, and ultimately Skywalker could not hold the stare, turning away and lowering his gaze. The Councilor allowed himself an internal smile of satisfaction that Jedi principles could calm even the wild Skywalker. He made a mental note to suggest this to Kenobi when the current crisis had abated.

"When we arrive our first priority, Padawan, is to assist the clones," Mace instructed. "Not to look for errant masters."

Skywalker utterly ignored him. Mace was about to repeat himself when he watched the Padawan's face pale and a hand clutch to his thigh, the metal digits fisting around the cloth of his medical wrap. Wide, startled eyes turned to Mace. "Master Obi-Wan," he said in hushed, almost confused tones, "I think he's hurt."

"Padawan, now is not the time for-"

"Blaster shot. In the thigh. It burns." Skywalker winced and rubbed his leg, metal and flesh hands caressing the muscle before pulling back to Skywalker's confused face. "It was him, right?"

"Do you not know?" Mace asked, incredulous. What delusion was this? Had the hypothermia somehow affected his mind?

The lift rocked to one side, the lights blinking before turning off entirely, and a sickening grinding sound exploded around the tiny elevator. Both Mace and Skywalker collapsed to the ground, the boy's cool hands bracing against anything for support. They were both quick to their feet, Skywalker launching himself at the terminal, pressing buttons until he ran out of patience and ignited his lightsaber, slashing it through the doors and using the Force to shove the door open. Mace grabbed his arm before the boy could explode out into the corridor. "Patience Padawan," he said firmly. "We do no know what awaits us."

Skywalker wrenched his arm out of the iron grip - an impressive feat. "You may not," he spat, "but I do. I know every droid, every blaster, every clone that's out there; it's all in my head. Now just shut up and let me do my job."

He dashed off.

Mace sighed through his nose and marched off. Damn Skywalker and his impulsive lack of self-control. He might be content to march off into the heat of battle and risk his life and those of everyone around him, but Mace would not. He took a few quick turns before climbing a narrow series of stairs to one of the docking bay's observation decks. The deck was filled with gold B1 droids and a small squad of clones with brown markings. Mace ignited his lightsaber and became a blur of purple light; leaping and thrusting and viciously cutting. When the droids were sparking husks on the floor, Mace allowed himself a grin of satisfaction of a job well done and turned to the clones.

"Sir! Commander Ponds at your service!"

"What's the situation, Commander?"

"Separatists battleship came out of hyperspace with so much speed they rammed the docking bay. That was the plan; they used the confusion to overwhelm the facility. We tried to stop them but they're out and infiltrating, don't know where to."

"I see," Mace said, opening up another terminal and sending a coded channel to the bridge. "Commander Cody, this is General Windu. Droids have escaped the starboard docking bay and are infiltrating the space station. They may be heading to your location to take over. Have your men ready."

"Yes, sir!"

"Commander Ponds, how many men do you have at your command?"

"Sir! The Lightening Squadron is at your service!"

Mace looked out the transparisteel window overlooking the docking bay. It was a mess of droids and clones, but Mace could quickly see the ebb and flow of the battle. He glanced at the ships, the fuel tanks, the transporters. He looked up, an idea springing in his mind. "Commander Ponds," he said. "Take your men and see if you can get to the catwalks above the hangar. You can place your artillery and have the advantage in the fight. I will cover you from below. We can stay in contact with my communicator."

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Go."

"Come on ladies! Let's get a move on!"

Ponds and his men dashed down the narrow stairs in disciplined rank and file, Mace hot on their heels. They turned one way, he the other, and soon Mace was out on the battlefield. Two quick strikes, a leap, and a Force assisted pulse of energy gave him the room he needed to decide where to focus.

"Hey, we have another Jedi!" one of the gold droid called out.

"Oh, great, another one."

"We'll be okay, we got the last one so we should be-"

The droid never finished its sentence and Mace cut off the machine's head, launching himself into the fray. The droids tried to overrun him, but he was master of the aggressive Vapaad form for a reason, and the machines were simply no match for him. Green and red blasters rained from every direction, but Mace countered all of it, deflecting his shots only when he could aim the specifically at droids that were hurting or overrunning clones in his line of sight. This in turn gave the clones time to regroup, form up, or reload, reengaging with firm resolve and cover fire from Ponds and his men above. With each step Mace took, he turned the tide of the battle.

His goal was simple: the breach where the droids were pouring into the docking bay. There had to be some way to plug the hole, per se, either on his end or theirs, and he needed to assess the damage in order form a plan. Droidekas rolled up to assault him but a sweep of the hand sent them careening over the heads of clones to bash into the stations walls, crumbling before their shields could be erected. SBD, their wrists raised and firing steady streams of light, also fell to Mace and his fighting prowess. He was beginning to enjoy himself when he saw a pair of blue lightsabers. Smiling slightly, Mace continued his assault and watched as the two joined him.

"Late for the party I see," he said lightly.

Kenobi answered first, "It would appear that you simply started without us."

"Someone had to," Mace replied, focused on his work.

"Can't you ever just be nice?" Skywalker demanded, plowing through droids as Kenobi worked around his Padawan, his defensive Soresu complimenting Skywalker's aggressive Djem So. "You always have to nitpick every little thing! Never mind that we've taken care of all the droids outside the docking bay you have to-"

"Anakin, now would be a very bad time to antagonize a Council member," Kenobi cut in, his lightsaber swinging tight arcs around Skywalker while the Padawan used the Force to push a dozen B1 droids aside like flower petals.

They were even with Mace now, and the Councilor saw the tight bandage wrapped around Kenobi's thigh, just where Skywalker had grabbed his when he'd suffered his delusion of his master being hurt. Was it not a delusion, then? Had young Skywalker managed to sense not only his master's danger - something any Padawan could do - but his master's own injury, feel it so intensely he thought he himself was injured? Mace had never heard of such an occurrence before, he could not understand how that could even happen.

Something... wasn't right. He looked at the two with his special insight, trying to put his finger on what was happening between the two, but the cacophony of the battle was too distracting, and he was forced to refocus on the overwhelming assault of droids.

He would examine the phenomenon in more detail later. Perhaps Master Yoda would have some insight.

For now, the three Jedi had a battle to fight.

Author's Notes: Where to start... This was the very last drabble to be written in this story. This whole story has been an experimentation for us. We've always done fics sequentially with a definite plan for beginning, middle, and end and an outline. This story had plenty of ideas (and kept generating more) and while we were writing part one we were anxious to do part two. While doing part two, we REALLY wanted to do part three. Even doing the parts didn't go in order. We jumped around from the areas we had inspiration back and forth. One minute doing a drabble near the middle, then back to the beginning, off to the end, and somewhere in between. The result was the whole making-sure-we-had-a-good-sense-of-flow for this part is very difficult. There's definitely Beginning of Clone Wars, Middle of Clone Wars, and near Anakin's Knighting.

Once we had moved on to part three, and had enough distance, we came back and read this part from beginning to end to see if it flowed well. There was always something missing between the beginning of the Clone War and a chapter you'll see in two weeks. We poked and prodded and tried to do something, but we were in part three mindsets and having a difficult time coming back to this. We tried to do a chapter with Ventress, a chapter with Dooku, there were many iterations that didn't seem to get beyond even one page. There was just no inspiration.

Then one day, Image sat down and produced this.

We're not complaining. Of course, this could no longer be chapter twenty, but chapter 19, but it was fine. We still worry about the flow, but it's hard to know for sure just because we're so close to the story, despite some distance.

This will mark the first chapter from someone's point of view OTHER than Obi-Wan and Anakin. You will see other's views sporadically, and Padme will become more and more important. Particularly in part three (gee, what a surprise).

Mace can be somewhat difficult to write. He's such a tightly-controlled person that it's hard to really know what his thoughts are unless you've read books based on him (which we haven't) like Shatterpoint. By RoTS, he clearly believes in Anakin as the Chosen One, likely because of everything Anakin's been able to do over the course of the Clone Wars. But we don't know what his thoughts of Anakin are before RoTS. People seem to find it easy to make Mace antagonistic, but we don't see that. We'd imagine that Mace is nothing but puzzled by Anakin. At least we hope it comes across as accurate to his character.

Next week: Anakin learns something Obi-Wan has done.