Where Kenobi Must Die
Sidious had known from the beginning. If his plan was to work, if Skywalker was to be his ultimate apprentice, then the boy needed to be trained. Palpatine couldn't do it, not without revealing himself, and other factions were not as consistent. And so it made perfect sense to allow him to be trained by the Jedi; the added irony of the Jedi creating their very destruction brought many layers of satisfaction. The master had to be one that Skywalker would cling to, bond with, adore and admire - so as to make the master's inevitable death and/or betrayal all the more succulent. The master had to approve of Sidious seeing Skywalker, so he could plant the necessary seeds to fracture the relationship at a moment's notice.
He had been, at worst, mildly concerned who the boy's master would be but ultimately any Jedi would do, because he could manipulate any Jedi into doing his bidding. When word arrived that Kenobi had been chosen, and Sidious looked into the man's records, he'd been pleased beyond all expectations. An attachment prone, grieving, untested knight? Sidious was tempted to turn him on sheer principal, but Kenobi's role was already set and he needed a different kind of moral fiber for his next apprentice and his role in Sidious's plans.
The bond between the two was astonishing; even Sidious could detach himself enough to see and admire, marvel at what the two had created. The problem, however, came when the depth of the bond began to undo all the work Sidious had done to corrupt Skywalker. The deliciously dark tendencies the boy had were quickly and effectively quelled by Kenobi through the bond. The cracks Sidious had painstakingly put in their relationship had been swept away; the two were resolving their differences left and right and not to the Sith Lord's satisfaction.
He had learned more, since making Skywalker his personal representative. His access to the boy was much more consistent and he always had a penchant for talking to those he trusted. From Palpatine's harmless, skeptical questions, Sidious had gleaned and inferred a startling amount of information about what their bond could do.
It also explained why Kenobi was so damnably difficult to kill.
His chosen style of combat was nauseatingly defensive, making direct combat difficult, but not impossible. What Sidious learned, however, was that even systems away, Skywalker could sense his former master's danger and send word to Kenobi's accompanying clones to warn them and visa versa. This gave Kenobi an added layer of protection that was difficult to penetrate. Skywalker also dropped hints that the bond might possibly do even more, but for the fact that neither had time to experiment.
Of the two ways to decimate Skywalker's attachment to Kenobi, betrayal had been categorically nullified because of that wretched bond. Killing him, however difficult, was therefore, the only remaining option.
If they didn't have time to experiment, then Sidious would do it for them.
Obi-Wan peered out onto the crowd, sipping a wine glass full of water, and mentally debating why he was there. There was a war going on, people were dying, systems were falling, and yet there he was, at a "political function."
He'd much rather be tortured by Ventress.
No, on second thought, he was glad to remember there were worse things than politicians. He felt Anakin stroke the bond through all their constructed filters, feeling the bad memory and mentally hugging him. Really, Anakin was entirely too demonstrative, but at the same time, Obi-Wan would privately admit that he had grown very fond of hugs and the wisdom behind them.
Sipping his water, he threw his gaze over the crowd again, senses alert to any danger. The intel - or rather, Palpatine's intel - was that there was "significant chatter" about something happening at this event; and of course the logical thing to do - cancel, delay, or relocate, were all categorically ignored; and since CorSec clearly didn't know what they were doing, a Jedi would be necessary to watch over the distastefully expensive... gala. Obi-Wan was mentally cataloging the crystals and fine wines and dresses and other fanfare, estimating their worth, and translating it into better armor for clones, more blasters and artillery, better training for independent thought, or even just more water rations. The thought disgusted him - even more so when he realized he was thinking like a soldier and not a Jedi. The two had always been mutually exclusive, when had that changed?
Obi-Wan shook his head, rubbing his beard. The interviews with Dooku continued to be fruitless, they learned very quickly that having either Obi-Wan or Anakin present was a Bad Idea, as Dooku seemed to love baiting Anakin, either literally or vicariously through Obi-Wan's bond with his partner. Worse, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin was sharing any information they did glean from the man - the occasional hidden base or planned strike - directly with Palpatine. Nothing as yet drew the hidden Sith Lord out, but the entire situation made Obi-Wan uncomfortable.
Summoning a waiter droid, he had his glass refilled and walked the perimeter of the promenade. CorSec already had guards - sentient and droid alike - positioned strategically up on the roofs, and also in the side alleys and major traffic ways. Obi-Wan felt he should be in the crowd for quick action if it was necessary. Something was hedging around the edge of his perceptions. He had a decidedly bad feeling, but every time he cast his feelings out he could not get a sense of direction, and so he moved about, picking out the Senators he knew. There was Padme with Bail and Mon Mothma; over there was Mas Amedda and Orn Free Ta, the Ryloth Senator. There was the Ithorian delegation and over there the Rhodian Senator and his staff. Disturbingly, there were many faces he didn't recognize. Midterm elections had brought about an enormous change in representation - and some of it not for the better, if Palpatine's latest vote was any indication.
Obi-Wan rubbed his beard again, tugging a favorite strand as he walked invisible through the crowd. He wished they had enough information to draw the Sith out and force his hand. Whatever Anakin's opinion, Obi-Wan hated waiting as much as anybody; he just understood the necessity of it and the overpowering abilities it had.
A presence entered the function, a strong Force presence, and Obi-Wan blinked when he realized who had arrived, immediately walking over to her.
"Ahsoka?"
The Togrutan Padawan started. "Master Obi-Wan?"
Then, together, "What are you doing here?"
Obi-Wan chuckled softly and raised his glass in a mock toast. "Security," he explained in dry tones. "Only the best for the Senate, you understand."
Ahsoka stared, wide-eyed. "You mean while everyone else-"
"Be mindful of where you are, Padawan," Obi-Wan interjected quickly, forestalling Ahsoka's outburst. The last thing the Jedi needed was bad press. The Sith would live it up. "You?"
"Senator Amidala asked me to come," she said in awkward tones. "Anakin says its good practice for my perceptions and instincts, but he never asks me about it. Padme does."
Sipping his overly-filtered water, Obi-Wan sent a soft question through the bond, and only got back a guilty sounding, Don't ask, that told Obi-Wan enough. Turning his attention back to Ahsoka, he said, "Then let's point you to the Senator. Unless you can do it yourself?"
Ahsoka closed her eyes in concentration, and Obi-Wan felt a muted pulse of her presence. Leaving her to her devices, the Jedi master went back to work, casting his senses out to ascertain where that bad feeling was coming from. It was just on the edge of his perception...
An hour later he'd finished his second glass of water and was again wondering why he was even there. He cast his senses out to locate Ahsoka and see how the Padawan was doing, but could not find her presence. Frowning, he circled the promenade again, wondering if she had left without saying goodbye. Impetuous she may have been, but she was never outright rude, even with Ana- Obi-Wan pulled up short, his eyes widening fractionally, the only visible sign of his shock.
For Ahsoka hadn't left, she was at the other end of the gala, talking animatedly to Bail and Mon, and Obi-Wan couldn't sense her. He pulled in and focused, but he realized he could sense no one on the promenade, not even the other security people. He called out to the Force for help but it didn't answer. Everything felt flat, distant, lifeless; there was no song or color or feeling, it was just... absent. Even Anakin's omnipresent voice was gone.
He couldn't touch the Force.
Space, he couldn't touch-
Don't panic! He cursed at himself. Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic! Don't think about Rattatak and how that felt, don't flashback to those memories; DON'T PANIC! Obi-Wan forced himself to breath, a slow deep breath. Accept this, accept the Force isn't there, won't answer your touch. Let go of the sense of isolation and loss of comfort and work through it and do not panic.
Obi-Wan took another deep breath, closing his eyes and holding it, counting to ten in a few languages and at last, let go. His rational mind, after those ten seconds of fear, finally kicked in and started working again. Somehow he'd been given a Force-inhibitor, and when his mind wrapped around that the fear finally fell away, he looked at his glass of water and knew immediately how he'd been infused. Of course the water tasted over-filtered, it was to block any taste of the inhibitor; and the sense of danger didn't have a direction because it was in his hand. He was no good this way.
He opened his comm to the rest of security. "Something has happened," he said in low, quick tones, "If something is going to occur at this event it will be soo-"
Pain shot through his shoulder and instinct kicked in after that. He made himself fall limp to the floor as screams filled the air of the function. His lightsaber was in his hand and ignited an instant later and he was on his feet.
The promenade had erupted in blaster fire; multiple shots from multiple directions; the Senators were sitting ducks against the onslaught. Obi-Wan was already shouting orders, both to CorSec and to the politicians: you that way, you this way, go over there, come here, flank left, duck! And so on. His shoulder burned but he ignored the pain in favor of blocking all the blaster bolts he could see. Though he was without the Force, he was still a combat veteran and his blade-work's quick centralized movements needed no enhancement. He mentally made a note to thank himself later for switching Ataru to Soresu.
"Ahsoka!" he called out, knowing she was here somewhere.
"Master Obi-Wan!" she answered, appearing by his side. "My master's been screaming at me since you started to panic. Something about Force-inhibitors and no shields, are you okay?"
"I was not panicking!" he shouted, hoping Anakin got a headache from his reprisal and glad he didn't have to feel the result. Oh, his mind was so quiet now...
Shoving the thought aside he said, "The part about the inhibitors was true. I'm blind to the Force now. Watch my back while we block these snipers."
"Got it." The two danced around each other; Ahsoka's Djem So was startlingly like Anakin's and it gave Obi-Wan an added layer of security as he easily fell into step with the Togrutan Padawan. He tried not to favor his shoulder; the healers were going to yell at him again. The two covered the Senators as they retreated; some, like Padme, had taken blasters of their own and were firing back but most were running in terror, having never seen such violence personally. Obi-Wan cursed in disgust at the thought.
Slowly backing up, Ahsoka parallel to him, he continued to shout orders in the comm. "Most of the snipers seem to be on the rooftops! Concentrate your efforts on the northwest corner of the promenade and the east-southeast alleyway! We'll focus on getting the Senators out of here!" One glance at Ahsoka showed that she knew what to do, and broke off her defense to circle around so that the two could cover more ground and secure an exit.
Obi-Wan edged his back to a wall; without the Force he couldn't see the shots coming from behind and without another Jedi to cover him he needed to be creative. Padme came up beside him, blaster in hand. "Where do you need me?" she asked.
"Anakin would kill me if I let you get hurt," Obi-Wan offered in a dry tone. Even all the way on Corellia, he knew his partner was likely listening to everything going on. "But if you have a few moments, having three people secure an escape makes the work much easier. We're aiming for South Street." A blaster bolt came much too close and Obi-Wan's duck only worked by millimeters.
"Are you alright?" Padme asked, seeing his burning (and smoking, he realized with detached interest) shoulder and perhaps seeing something in his eyes.
"Under the circumstances," Obi-Wan said with another smile. "I rather think I'm doing quite well. If we're lucky they're only trying to kill us."
Padme smiled before leveling another shot with her blaster; her aim was impeccable, Obi-Wan noticed, and that one moment's inattention was enough. A blast connected with the Jedi master, in almost the exact same location, and his shoulder erupted in fire, enough for him to gasp and stagger back, enough for his head to fill with white noise as the pain superseded any thought he could generate, enough for him to fall backwards.
He lay there, staring at nothing, for time undetermined, before he could finally manage to think. He gasped at the agony in his shoulder; the healers were going to kill him, and he fought with himself to accept the pain, thank his body for the warning that he was a nerf-herding idiot, and push it away to roll onto his side and get up. The world was spinning around him; he either must have lost a lot of blood or had hit his head - both were just marvelous ideas that Obi-Wan decided did not need investigating. Fighting to get his bearings he swung his lightsaber about, testing his one-handed swings. His other arm was useless now.
The crowd had thinned, and the blaster fire was marginally less. Ahsoka was standing on an overturned table, her green lightsaber flicking back and forth in quick but powerful swings against the blaster fire, her face etched in concentration as she aimed her blocks back at her attackers. Padme was waving to Senators, beckoning them to the exit that they had secured. Several were cowering under tables or behind mutilated decorations, unable to quench their fear enough to get moving.
"Ahsoka!" Obi-Wan called out, swinging his good arm and blocking more blasts. "Get to the pinned Senators and push them to the escape!"
"Master Obi-Wan! Are you al-"
"Now Ahsoka!"
The Togrutan Padawan made a face; she never liked retreat, but stopped blocking blasts and darted forward to the fist cluster of Senators. Obi-Wan could hear little over the blaster fire, but he could certainly see her shouting some heated and most likely pointed words to them. So much for not getting bad press, Obi-Wan thought wryly.
It was hard to concentrate through the pain, especially without the Force, but many - Anakin at the top of that list - would say that Obi-Wan was nothing if not a person with a strong will. He forced all the pain aside when he could, and when he couldn't he did it anyway. Muscle memory served him greatly; his body swept through the movements without any thought, leaving him to survey his surroundings to decide where best to move next. Padme had found a great position - to be expected because she wouldn't put her unborn child blatantly in danger, and Ahsoka blurred past her with no less than five Senators in tow, giving them an utterly indelicate Force push to keep them moving before darting back out into the promenade to rescue more.
What was taking the CorSec so long to take the snipers down?
That one thought distracted him enough for a third blaster shot - again to his shoulder (were they doing this on purpose?) - followed quickly by the sound of an explosion, and Obi-Wan remembered very little after that.
"Obi-Wan?"
Ahsoka looked up from her spot next to Padme and Bail at the medipost. Bail had been skeptical when Ahsoka told her that her master would be coming immediately, but now it seemed moot as she snapped to her feet and dashed forward.
"Master!" she said, filled with relief.
"Snips," the tall Jedi said, his face black with worry. "Where is he? Is he alright?"
"He's in surgery now, Ani," Padme said quickly, stepping up to join the pair.
"Master," Ahsoka said, "I think..." she paused, looking around at everyone milling about the halls, the nurses and other Senators and patients. Bail-Senator Organa watched the dialogue with passive but intense focus, and suddenly Ahsoka was all too aware of how many people were here.
Use the bond, Snips, Anakin offered, not quite soft because of his worry but lacking the edge that was prickling everywhere else around his presence.
Ahsoka closed her eyes and made herself remember what had happened, Master Obi-Wan's comment that he had been slipped a Force inhibitor, the damage to his shoulder from three blaster shots, and worked on her feeling that the attack on the Senators was... off, somehow. She couldn't put her finger on it except for those three very precise shots. In war even those with the best of aim couldn't shoot like that in melee unless it was deliberate, but CorSec said those that they had captured wouldn't be the type with that kind of discipline, and Ahsoka really didn't know where to take her line of thought after that.
"I understand, Ahsoka," Anakin said, his voice an octave lower than it normally was. He was crackling in energy, the Force around him potent and dangerous. Ahsoka found herself involuntarily shrinking back. "And you," he said, turning to Pad-Senator Amidala. "We are going to have an extended conversation about what you think is safe when you have..." his eyes darted down, perhaps to the floor, "expectations."
Ahsoka, confused, saw Senator Amidala's back straighten and her eyes harden. "Yes, Master Jedi," she said in shockingly cold tones, "I expect we are. In the meantime," she added, "Perhaps you should take a walk. I don't think Ahsoka is ready to see one of your tantrums yet."
"I don't-"
"Leave, Master Skywalker," Padme said in absolute authority. She put a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "Work through your emotions, or else you will make us unhappy."
Just like that, it was as if a switch was flipped, and all the pressure on Ahsoka's mind dissipated. Her master's shoulders slumped, and his head dipped down. "I'll go check on the medics," he said in dark tones, glaring but somehow also looking sorry at the same time. He stomped off and Ahsoka found herself releasing a breath. Turning, she saw that Padme had her eyes closed, a hand on her stomach as she took a breath of her own.
"How did you do that?" the Padawan asked. "How is it that you and Master Obi-Wan can... can... do that?"
Padme smiled softly, looking to Ahsoka. "Once you understand that he throws tantrums like a child, it's very easy. But don't tell him I said that," she added in a conspiratorial whisper. Her face became serious again. "Do you know why the function was attacked?" she whispered.
Ahsoka shook her head, forlorn. "No, but something about it feels off, and my Master seems to know, or at least better understand, what's happening."
Padme nodded. "I suspect he would. We should go back to waiting. He'll need to see calm faces when he gets back."
"They were trying to kill you."
Obi-Wan stared blearily at his former Padawan, longing for ye olden times when Anakin would jump onto his bed and hug him desperately, or get him breakfast from the apartments at unholy hours, or even just said, "Hi," when he awoke.
"That's not funny," Anakin growled.
"Well do forgive my irreverence when I'm lying on a healer's sleep-couch filled with Space knows what kind of drugs after being shot at," Obi-Wan retorted. This was hardly the time for Anakin's tantrums.
"It's not a tantrum!" Anakin hissed, much too vehement for his normal tones. Obi-Wan processed - slowly - what Anakin had said before. He could dimly feel Anakin's roiling emotions: worry, concern, anger at someone, and no small amount a fear.
"I'm fine," Obi-Wan tried to reassure.
"No you're not," Anakin hissed again, glaring at his master. Only then did Obi-Wan look down and see the horrifyingly large amount of bandages and bacta patches that surrounded his shoulder and torso. He knew about the shoulder, but how...?
"After the third shot they blew up one of decorative columns. The shrapnel ripped into you because you didn't have the Force to protect you. They knew exactly how to get to you. It was all about getting to you." Anakin looked down. "I wasn't there to stop it. You could have..."
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, knowing too well what Anakin was thinking, even without the dim voice in the back of his head to tell him. "I didn't," he said softly. "I didn't. If you are right - and right now I'm entirely too drugged to form a rational opinion on that - then we know that Dooku's information was correct."
"But-!"
"Think about what he said in that first interview. He said, 'He has been known, on occasion, to try very, very hard to kill you.' On occasion, Anakin, on occasion. Whatever his priorities or plans are, the Sith isn't making my destruction a priority. We have time to plan accordingly." He paused, taking a breath that hurt, and letting it out. Ah, to feel the Force again, it was small favors like this that made him grateful.
He felt Anakin's emotions shift. "How do you do that?" he asked.
"Do what?"
"See the bright side in everything? How can you feel grateful knowing that a Sith Lord wants you dead?"
Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "I suppose it's a matter of one's point of view."
Author's Note: Mwahahaha. We're sure you all remember back when Palpatine was pondering and told Dooku that Obi-Wan Kenobi had to die. Some of you thought that meant immediate action chapter. Well, here's an example of attempting to trap him. See, Obi-Wan's a) too stubborn to die b) too skilled to die c) too connected to Anakin to die d) etc, etc, etc. There have likely been several attempts from that previous chapter to this that have all been disguised as ambush or something that Obi-Wan still miraculously survives.
In some ways, this chapter feels very random, but it's necessary to show that Sidious is attempting to adjust his plans. He wants a turned Anakin and by the Force he's going to do his best to turn him. This will also be one of the last truly "drabble"ish chapters. (Frankly it's amazing that we don't qualify this as a fully chaptered story by this point...). Chapters will feel more and more connected from this point out.
Also, this diverges from canon quite significantly. As if arriving in Padme's fifth month of pregnancy and not her eighth wasn't enough of a difference. ^_~ This is totally independent of any of the movies and not related to anything in the EU (that we're aware of...)
Some of you have commented that Obi-Wan has too much control over Anakin. We would counter and say that Obi-Wan doesn't have control at all. He'll be extremely frustrated and annoyed with Anakin's many hare-brained stunts. But Obi-Wan is someone that Anakin knows and trusts and will listen to. Similarly, Obi-Wan has a far better understanding of Anakin's headspace and can push the right buttons as a result. Similarly, if Obi-Wan were ever to reach epic anger or anything like that, Anakin could talk him down in no time flat. It's just that Obi-Wan is usually calming Anakin, not the other way around. Anakin will still do what he thinks is right, but he has people he can trust for advice instead of trying to figure it out on his own and feeling that no one's in his corner.
Next week: Where Dreams Become Nightmares. (Gee, wonder what this chapter is about...)