How blind can you be, don't you see;
How blind can you be, don't you see;
How blind can you be, don't you see:
The gambler lost all he does not have!
Darth Sidious looked back and forth from Ventress to Obi-Wan. The former looked simply petrified with fear. The latter looked like he was trying to put on a brave face, but sadly failing. Oh, how Darth Sidious enjoyed this! He had forced a man to make the worst decision one could ever make: self, or lover? Granted, Obi-Wan and Ventress weren't quite lovers yet, but Darth Sidious suspected it was only a matter of time until the galaxy got to see what a cross between a Rattataki and a human looked like. He suspected it was a very pallid human with a very upturned nose and hair only on their heads. Icy blue eyes and auburn hair, given the parents. A tendency to wear rather disturbing makeup, and most definitely Force-sensitive. Sidious thought, for a moment, that perhaps, he could have just let them be. It might be easier trying to raise the children to his standards than to try to turn the parents. Too set in his ways was Jedi Kenobi; too tainted by Kenobi was Sith Ventress. Besides, she would never leave him. Not now, anyway. Sidious waited, watching with detached interest as Obi-Wan tried to sort himself out.
Finally, he reached a decision.
He took a step to the side, gently setting Ventress down right inside the door. Sidious could see the thinking behind it; it would be nearly impossible to hit Ventress with any attack, as long as the battle stayed outside the room. So, Sidious immediately began planning to get inside. The doors were jammed open, anyway, and nothing he could do right then and there could close them. In his efforts to save Ventress, he might have doomed her. Well, he had restored her ability to use the Force. He would have to keep an eye on her. Obi-Wan whispered something to her as he straightened, letting her go; their hands lingered together, and Sidious fought the urge to retch at the sight. Such sweetness, such light, such love-it was almost unbearable. He began amplifying his next attack; a Force-lightning strike meant to cripple. As soon as their hands left each other, he would strike.
A blue lightsaber sprang to life.
Sidious's smirk stretched across what little was visible of his face. "You fool," he snarled. "Young love clouds all. You will both die here; and you, Kenobi, will die first!" Sidious extended his hand, and blue-white lightning flared to life, arching towards Obi-Wan in a deadly stream.
Obi-Wan planted himself firmly in front of Ventress, raising his blade and catching the lightning on the blue saber. "You will not harm her," he said firmly. "And I will not die."
"Such confidence," Sidious said slowly, "so wasted."
Obi-Wan refused to move, standing his ground against the Sith lord. He refused to attack, though, knowing full well that it was Sidious who had to make the first move. His blue lightsaber stood in the firm guard of Soresu's opening stance, forming a barrier between himself and Sidious. Red versus blue quickly became the mantra, symbolic of the eternal struggle between good and evil. And, as Sith and Jedi finally came to a catastrophic collision, Obi-Wan could feel it in his bones that he wasn't going to come out of this alive.
But, as long as Ventress did, he could die a happy man.
Sidious finally sprang forward, his impatience getting the better of him. Red light met blue light, clashing in a violent exchange of sparks. Under their crossed blades, the Force flowed, and was eventually blocked. Each combatant built up the pressure on the other, their hands exactly mirrored back and forth to each other, neither willing to give up. Obi-Wan felt the dark lord bearing down on him, and fought back with increase ferocity. Sidious could sense this increase in the light, and fought back with more power from the dark. On and on, this struggle commenced, seeming to stretch forever but in reality, barely spanning a few seconds. Finally, the shatter point broke, and the Force sprayed out in every direction. Obi-Wan and Sidious were both forced away from each other, and both were left snarling from the encounter. The touch of the opposite side of the Force had left each of them tainted. Sidious dove right back in, utilizing every technique he knew of to dispatch Obi-Wan once and for all.
But Obi-Wan would not fall.
His love for Ventress gave him courage; it gave him hope. He was beginning to question the Jedi principles of forbidding love. The courage he had gotten from trying to protect Ventress was something that would decide the outcome of the battle, and something he didn't think he would have gotten if he was fighting for only himself. If he couldn't work up the nerve to step in and protect her, he didn't think he would have stepped in at all. He would only ever face down the most powerful Sith that ever lived for Ventress, and Ventress alone. Well, maybe Anakin. Qui-Gon, if he were still alive. Obi-Wan was decided to find that there were decidedly few people he would step up to protect like this. And he blamed it on the Jedi forbidding attachment. As his blade and the dark lord's crossed once again, Obi-Wan felt something inside of him simply snap. He was going to protect her, or die trying!
The duel stretched on for what seemed like hours. Ventress pulsed with the Force, scared, wounded, weak, and unsure of herself at every turn. She wanted to help, but knew she would only get in the way. She wanted to do something, but didn't want Sidious's attention to be reflected or redirected onto her in any way. She could see her love fighting furiously to save her, and felt like crying. She didn't deserve such unconditional love. All she had ever done was cause him pain, and here he was, fighting for her and risking his life at every twist and turn. Obi-Wan fought the dark lord like he did it every day; he ate fear for breakfast. And yet, somehow, he wasn't making any headway. Sidious matched his every blow, but couldn't seem to fight back. Or he wouldn't. Either way, Obi-Wan was satisfied with living a little longer. because every moment he had gave Anakin some more time to arrive, and at least save Ventress, if not him. Obi-Wan tried valiently to keep up, but he could feel his muscles tiring. His breath became ragged; his form and steps lost their polish. His heart beat like a drum; even the Force screamed his tiredness. Still, Obi-Wan fought on: if only to save Ventress. He shocked himself with his dedication: he had never loved before, nothing like this, ever. The only thing that even came close was his father-son relationship with Qui-Gon. And even that...it wasn't like this. He wouldn't be able to live if Ventress died...and so, he forged on.
Sidious's blade knocked his at the wrong angle.
The hit was forceful enough to jar his lightsaber from his grasp, and the metal cylinder deactivated and clattered away from his outstretched hand. Obi-Wan felt something terrible wrench his arm as the force of the blow knocked his saber away; he was pushed roughly to the ground by a Force-shove and a swelling in the dark side. Obi-Wan caught himself on his elbows, but he was almost flat on his back otherwise. Ventress was right beside him; he had been knocked back far enough to be thrown into her cell.
As Obi-Wan slid back along the ground, Sidious called the young Jedi's lightsaber to his hand. The blue blade activated once again, but this time in the hands of the Sith. Obi-Wan skittered backwards, casting about desperately for something-anything-he could use as a weapon. There was nothing. Obi-Wan found himself suddenly staring up the length of the blue blade that belonged in his hand, and felt anger worm its way up his throat. Still, he pressed it down. This temple was a death trap; he had been a fool to come here. And now, he was going to pay for that in blood. He was going to die here, and nothing could change that.
"Ventress," he whispered, reaching back and taking her hand. "Don't be afraid, alright? Whatever happens, don't forget that I do love you. If he lets you live, don't ever forget that, no matter what he does to your mind, your memories, your thoughts. Just think of me, and remember this last moment. No regrets; promise?"
"No regrets," Ventress said softly, taking his hand in her own. "We die together."
"It's everything I owe you not to have to suffer like this. While I don't want you to, if you feel you must, I can't discourage you."
"Please, don't. Living without you would be…unbearable."
"Don't think like that; we're not even dead-"
Obi-Wan looked up again, and swallowed hard. Well, if he wasn't now, he would be in exactly four seconds…at least he knew Ventress would be coming with him. Maybe they would meet again in whatever Force-forsaken hell they were being banished to. Well, wherever they were sent after this, he was sure it would be heaven as long as he was with her. Sidious's scowl said it all; he didn't even speak. The dark lord raised his crimson blade, and Obi-Wan closed his eyes. This is it, he said to himself. This is how I'm going to die. But, wherever I go, at least I won't be alone. The sinister whoosh of a lightsaber falling filled his ears, and Obi-Wan closed his eyes against the killing blow.
The crackle of another lightsaber completely caught Obi-Wan off guard.
He looked up, now thoroughly confused. Who had stopped Sidious? How? Why? The answer came in a purple rod, stretching out across his and Ventress's prone bodies, limning their features purple. The back of a shaved head met Obi-Wan's sight, and his heart nearly exploded with joy. Master Windu! But how had he known? A strange sense of déjà vu passed over Obi-Wan as he recalled Geonosis. Then, it struck Obi-Wan: Anakin. Anakin had called him through their bond, and gotten his location. He must have realized the severity of the situation and gotten some masters together to come after him. The sound of footsteps alerted Obi-Wan to the presence of more people; but all of them held a light Force-signature. And none of them held a heavy, metallic clanging in their gait. Obi-Wan felt ready to faint with relief; rescue. And not a moment too soon.
"Master Kenobi," Mace said tersely, still holding the shocked Sith at bay, "please, get out of here. I have others who will deal with these Sith appropriately-"
"I'll take Ventress," Obi-Wan said firmly. "She trusts me."
Mace looked confused, but decided to trust Obi-Wan. He nodded once, and then set both of his hands on his blade. He stepped behind the sword, and used his entire weight to push Sidious back and away. Sidious slid back across the permacrete floor, still in shock as to Mace's arrival. He raised his blade to block Maces strike, and Mace began his duel with the Sith. A flurry of blue and green soon accompanied the purple blade, and Obi-Wan caught sight of Yoda, Shaak Ti, Agen Kolar, Kit Fisto, Stass Allie, and Adi Gallia as they all rushed in, lightsabers swinging wildly, as they all rushed the dark lord of the Sith who had somehow managed to elude them for so long. Obi-Wan scrambled to his feet, turning immediately and sliding his hands around Ventress's waist. He helped her to her feet, and noticed, with pain of his own, that she could barely stand. Doubtless, she had simply picked the leg that hurt less and just stood on that. As it was, he had to be holding half of her weight. Obi-Wan swept his arms under her, picking her up and simply running out of the room with her. He almost ran over a Jedi healer who had arrived, and the two of them moved a safe distance away from the room where lightsabers were currently flashing back and forth faster than the human eye could follow. Obi-Wan knelt down on the floor, in the shelter of a pillar, holding Ventress across his lap and assuring her he wouldn't let her go. The Mirilian female dropped to her knees as well, concern wrinkling her forehead as she reached out to Ventress.
"Massive trauma," Barriss Offee whispered, as soon as her fingertips brushed Ventress's forehead. "Everywhere. Oh, my...oh, damn. This is bad."
"But…not irreparable, right?" Obi-Wan asked slowly.
"She needs bacta," Barriss said. "Now. Lucky for both of you, we have a bacta tank on the ship. The bones, though…oh, we're going to have to re-break them. And then set them. And then splint them. And then put her in the bacta. Otherwise, the bones will heal the wrong way. Actually, they've already started. That's why we need to re-break. I don't know if I brought enough anesthesias for this…" Barriss shook her head, retracting her hand. "I could use the Force to do it, but that might take a lot out of both of us, and she doesn't nearly have the strength for it."
"Take it from me," Obi-Wan urged. He was willing to do whatever he could to save her. Barriss, being previously left out of the loop, glanced at Obi-Wan with some puzzled look on her face before hesitantly agreeing to the procedure.
"Alright, this shouldn't hurt," she said, addressing Ventress. "Please, let me know if it does."
Ventress could nothing more than nod at that point. Barriss set her hands on the worst of the broken bones: the broken ribs. "All of these are broken," she murmured, green light swirling around her hands. "Force damn it. Who kicked you, General Grievous?!"
"Maybe."
Barriss heard the sharp edge to Ventress's voice, and let the subject drop. She closed her eyes, focusing the Force within her, and then drove it into Ventress's body. The broken bones immediately began shifting, and then realigning themselves perfectly. One by one, every broken bone was mended, and Ventress could literally feel the awkward sensation of having her bones move around in her body. Obi-Wan could feel himself losing strength quickly, as Barriss stole the energy necessary to complete the procedure. She worked as quickly and efficiently as she could, using energy from both herself and Obi-Wan. By the time Barriss had finished, Obi-wan felt like he was ready to pass out. Barriss was breathing hard, and her heart rate was significantly accelerated. She drew heavily from the Force to stabilize herself; since she was using it for herself, it required no energy output. Obi-Wan did the same. Ventress, though, was feeling much better.
"Let's get out of here," Barriss said softly, "Before we're caught in the crossfire."
A/N: Oh, aren't I spoiling you, updating the very next day? :D Well, since all of you were so great about reviewing for this-and trust me, I was absolutely floored by the response to this story-I figured I owed it to you guys. Review, please!