Chapter 6

Obi Wan considered himself lucky that the Council had been in session. Technically, he had been supposed to partake in this meeting as it discussed efforts to finally track down and capture General Grievous, but since he had cited an emergency, which was true enough, he was arriving late. When the doors to the Council Chamber hissed open, he could sense the slight annoyance they felt towards him for being even later than he had promised.

However, he had spent the last few hours since seeing the message with procuring low-key shuttle for Anakin and himself by calling in about a dozen favours and severely bending the Coruscant Traffic Registry laws.

As the masters filed out of the chamber, Yoda and Mace Windu were the last to leave. Obi Wan seized the opportunity and approached them.

"Masters, something has come up that I need to discuss with you."

Yoda inclined his head. "Something to do with young Skywalker it has, hmm?"

Obi Wan had decided to stretch the truth and omit Padmé's part in the matter. "Only in so far that he discovered that it was something to be dealt with and brought it to my attention."

"Then what is it?" an impatient Mace Windu asked.

Over the next ten minutes Obi Wan gave an edited version of what had taken place. When he finished, the two elder Jedi Masters looked at each other, before Windu indicated that he would follow Master Yoda's lead.

"Something to consider, this is." Yoda turned within himself for a minute before looking back at Obi Wan. "About it, what do you want to do?"

'Here goes nothing.'

"I want permission to leave Coruscant and for Anakin to accompany me."

"Why? Skywalker is too important here on Coruscant."

"Doing what exactly, Master Windu? We are both between assignments right now."

Windu swallowed his reply, and instead decided to be reasonable, because even for all the impertinence of his reply, Kenobi was right. At the moment he and Skywalker were, while not officially on leave, not really needed with their commands, as both sides would be licking their wounds from the Battle of Coruscant for at least another two or three months. Oh, there was always something going on in the Rim, a huge chunk of the council had only attended as Holograms for a reason. But sending two of the orders most accomplished Jedi off on what he considered to be a fool's errand?

"When Sith are involved, all measures we must take."

Windu nodded in agreement. "Indeed. In can't say that I feel comfortable with the both of you on this... treasure hunt," he said with visible distaste, "but if there is even a hint of Sith involvement it makes sense to send two of our best Jedi to investigate."

Obi Wan registered the highly unusual commendation of Anakin's abilities with the silent wish that the Master tell that to the recipient in person. However overblown Anakin's distaste for the Council might be, the assembly of Jedi hadn't exactly done much to earn his respect, especially lately, and he was guiltily aware that he had all but ignored the problem. Small wonder the boy thought that he wasn't trusted, because at least in Windu's case, it was actually true. He vowed to do something about that soon, but right now they had a more immediate concern.

"So we have your permission?"

"Yes, Master Kenobi. Go out you will, and news to us bring soon. After Grievous send you we wished, but Master Fisto in your place has volunteered."

Much later Obi Wan would feel somewhat guilty for the relief he had felt in that moment, considering the fate Fisto had suffered, but at the time, he was glad that he could go on his little 'treasure hunt'.

"Yes, Master Yoda." Obi Wan gave a respectful short bow and left the chamber as quickly as his dignity would allow. Much to his amazement, Anakin was still where they had agreed that he would wait, near the entrance to the Room of a thousand fountains.

"So?" he asked, clearly expecting a negative answer.

"We have permission, with an emphasis on speed."

Obi Wan didn't mention what Mace Windu had said because the way he was now, Anakin might not believe it. Better keep that for a better time and place.

Anakin on the other hand was visibly surprised, but only shrugged after he'd recovered his faculties. "Then the Council is capable of quick and decisive action after all. Probably because there's the Sith involved."

But he wasn't going to begrudge them doing it, because Padmé aside, he really, really wanted to find out what was going on. He hated being kept in the dark.

"So I take it you've already made arrangements?"

"Yes." Obi Wan confirmed. "A hyper-space capable commercial shuttle sans crew is waiting for us at a docking port on the opposite side of Coruscant. The flight plan is the biggest work of fiction since the first Mon Calamari Opera and the two persons who rented it look nothing like the two of us, should anyone come and ask."

Before the war, Anakin would have marvelled at his old Master's potential for deception, but now he only nodded. "That should buy us enough time to leave the system towards wherever it is The Watcher is leading us."

Obi Wan looked at him sideways. Anakin showed the kind of eager enthusiasm to get going that had been sadly absent of late, and Obi Wan was glad to see it back. Maybe not having to lie to everyone around him any more lifted some of the burden that his old friend always carried on his shoulders.

"Pa..." Anakin remembered where he was. "Senator Amidala has suggested that we take R2-D2 with us. He might be useful in this. Knowing you, you would have wanted him to come along anyway, so I brought him with me. He's waiting by my speeder."

"Very well then, my former Padawan, shall we get going, or is there something you need?"

Anakin denied needing anything, as Jedi always travelled very light.

Less than an hour later two down on their luck Freelance Traders and their droid, having gotten it and the shuttle with the last of their money left, having filed a course towards a rimworld and taking a course that would give them almost twenty minutes in tight-beam range with the main comms relay for the Coruscant system. That arrangement wasn't all that unusual, for someone of means at least as capacity was severely limited. But then again, on Coruscant there existed a large number of legal and illegal ways to earn the credits one needed.

The shuttle Obi Wan had procured using a Jedi Order slush fund meant for situations like this one looked like it had been on the front lines of the war. Outwardly at least, because Anakin quickly noticed that the craft was in excellent repair and very fast and nimble for anything it's size.

Obi Wan was too busy with aiming the tight and uninterceptable laser beam from a Republic-issue set at the relay.

In a series of hurried beeps, R2-D2 acknowledged the data connection with the relay, though he questioned the need for such a primitive and low-speed form of communications technology.

"Don't worry, old friend." Anakin said soothingly and patted the droid's metal dome, "You will always be my go-to guy."

With a happy affirmative beep, R2 went about the work searching the relay's storage banks, though because of the low rate of transmission it would take some time.

"You know," Obi Wan said as they leaned back in their seats and waited, "it always amazes me that you can understand him without an interpreter."

"I aim to please, Master."

Anakin mock-bowed without getting up. "Padmé thinks it's endearing that I consider R2 to be a true friend, and not just a droid."

"Of course she would. She's your wife, and has to support you through good and ill."

Anakin said nothing, but reflected on how refreshing and liberating was to finally talk about his being married to someone other than his wife. That it was his oldest and best friend and the brother he'd never had was only icing on the cake. Somehow, ever since that talk they'd had in Padmé's rooms, he felt... lighter, it was easier for him to calm himself during meditation.

And yet, the dreams were getting worse, and he feared more for her death than ever before. For a short moment he considered confiding in Obi Wan about this too, but.. no. If these truly were visions, then he, Anakin Skywalker, would have to deal with it.

"I said," Obi Wan repeated for the second time, "I said that R2 seems to have found something and we are moving away from the relay. Where were you?"

"I'm sorry, Master. My thoughts wandered a bit."

Obi Wan suppressed the urge to say that he thought he knew where they had wandered. "R2 is downloading the message into the buffer, but it will take some time. He once again has reminded us that the tight beam doesn't allow for more."

With a smirk, Anakin turned towards R2. "You can be glad you're not working for someone else. Like Obi Wan for example. He would have had you disassembled already."

With an indignant beep, R2 turned and went back to work.

"'Hah, never!' Well..."

Chuckling, Obi Wan said: "Your droid knows me well."

Anakin just grinned and tapped the beat of song that was very popular on Naboo right now into the duraplast casing of his flight instruments.

Without warning the message popped up over the central console.

It wasn't another hologram of The Watcher, Instead it resolved into a star chart of the Core Worlds before focussing on a single one. To Anakin it looked like any number of human-colonised worlds, blue, green and with white clouds. So instead he brought up the details. He glanced at Obi Wan before setting the NavComp to work on a course.

Obi Wan shook his head. "Well, haven't been to Corellia in a while."

"Hrm."

"What is it?"

Anakin turned in his seat. "Corellians are smart-arse, cocky, impatient and reckless."

"So they are exactly like you." Obi Wan countered with a roll of his eyes. "I don't see your point."

And for once the great Anakin Skywalker was without words, as he closed his mouth again without saying anything.

But his grin made it clear that he had taken the words in the way they were meant.

"Corellia it is then, Master. Hyperspace."

He pushed the throttle full forward and the ship jumped.

The Watcher smiled with satisfaction as the shuttle carrying the two Jedi towards jumped. It had been a great risk to stay and watch, but risks had to be taken in this.

The run to Corellia was a quiet one, as both Jedi used the time to meditate, each for his own reasons. Anakin sought to calm himself and ease his worries about his wife, while Obi Wan sought guidance from the Force about the very same matter. He never even considered turning them in, but there remained the issue of what to do when the twins were born. But today the Force remained silent, and he was no closer to a solution when the autopilot dropped them out of Hyperspace right on the system's territorial limit.

With an automated query to Corellia Space Traffic Control was immediately alerted to their presence.

"Unknown Shuttle, this is Corellia Space Traffic. State your crew, cargo and purpose."

Anakin sat back into his chair and flipped the switch of the comm unit. "Corellia Space, this is the independent trading shuttle Tiberian. Two crew, one droid, and as of yet, no cargo. We hope to pick up some at Coronet."

Arrivals like this were so common that they excited no real notice, which was why Obi Wan had chosen it, and sure enough, the voice soon assigned them a vector to the inner system, an approach run to the capital city of Corellia and a landing platform in the city's commercial district.

"Thank you, CTS. Tiberian will proceed as instructed. Out."

As they approached, the pad was still filled by a white and blue painted YT-1300 freighter, so the shuttle made a wide circle while the crab-clamp like ship took off and flew off to parts unknown. Anakin landed the shuttle once it was gone.

He shut down the drive before turning in his seat to look at Obi Wan.

"You do realize, this could still be a trap. We could be walking into a hive of Assassin droids."

"But of course. But that's never stopped us before. When did you become the voice of reason and caution?"

Obi Wan had a good idea when that happened, but he didn't push it, because he knew that Anakin was right. And anyway, there was no reason to take pointless risks.

"So we probably shouldn't go in there sabres blazing. The Watcher wouldn't like it, and I do want to find out what's going on first."

There was the old Anakin. Obi Wan nodded and stepped to the back of the shuttle. When he returned, he carried two of the nondescript dark brown ponchos that people all over the Galaxy used to hide behind. "No sense in broadcasting we are Jedi."

Thus disguised as down on their luck traders from Coruscant, they exited their shuttle, only to be immediately approached by a pair of men, one a customs official, the other a CorSec Lieutenant.

"Identification and Licence please."

Obi Wan and Anakin handed over both without hesitation, as they were very much genuine, just not made out to their real names. Anakin made a mental note to one day ask Obi Wan where he had gotten them on such short notice. Normally this sort of thing took at least two days to arrange. It had probably been through Drax and one of his old underworld contacts.

"Is something amiss?"

"No, not with you in particular." the Lieutenant replied. "It's just that since the Separatists attacked Coruscant and the new Security Laws were passed in the Senate, we have to inspect all traffic to and from Coruscant a lot more closely."

The two Jedi shared a quick glance but said nothing. The customs official then went on to search the thoroughly empty loading bay of the shuttle before returning with a shake of his head.

"To be frank," the Lieutenant went on, "it's little more than annoying make-work. My superiors and the Senate are in panic-mode right now, and we do have more important things to do than search every freelancer shuttle that comes here."

"Sir," the Official interrupted, addressing himself to Obi Wan, "your shuttle has been inspected and certified as not carrying any dangerous or prescribed items. You are hereby granted entry into Correllia."

"Thank you."

A few more pleasantries were exchanged before everyone went his own way.

Once the others were out of earshot, Anakin glanced at Obi Wan.

"Master, are you ready to spring the trap?"

"Lead on, my former Padawan."

R2 beeped an obviously exasperated set of tones, but Anakin patted his dome, looking at Obi Wan as he did.

"I don't know, I quite like his humour."

"I'll have you know," Obi Wan protested, "that you found it funny enough in the past."

Throwing a glance at R2, he said: "I'll never understand how you can understand him. It's strange."

"Padmé thinks it's endearing."

Of course she would, Obi Wan thought but didn't say out loud.

"So, where to from here?" he said instead and made a show of looking around.

Anakin closed his eyes for a moment, trying to reach into the Force, and was frustrated when it failed to provide him with guidance. "There is too much activity here, though not much Dark Side. We probably have the Green Jedi to thank for that."

Obi Wan had his own opinions on those renegades, so he said nothing.

"We will have to rely on the message then. R2, lead us please."

Beeping an affirmative, he took off down the street, the two Jedi in hot pursuit.

The Watcher stood in an alcove of a small street-side eatery and was satisfied. Everything was going to plan.

tbc