Okey dokey, so.. I tried to write a chapter from Boba's point of view, but that didn't work! So I tried to write the scene between Palpatine, Dooku and Anakin and that didn't work! So I've decided to go back to the source and return to our much beleaguered hero as he comes to terms with the aftermath of the whole Sith lords encounter. Hopefully I still have some surprises for you in this story and it has some legs under it again after a really tough bout of writers block. I guess we'll see what you all think of the direction it's going in, shortly! Thanks to all the readers who have been coming back to this, I hope to keep you entertained for a while longer.
Of course, it helped that Clone Wars is back on and the Blu-ray SW is out! So here goes, review or not, no pressure! But please bear in mind that this is supposed to be confusing, as it's written from Obi's perspective. Thanks.
The room was vast, he could tell that from the air flow that swirled around him. Even if his other senses seemed muted, his sense of touch of this breeze seemed heightened in that moment. He could barely see what was in front of him, everything was blurring in and out of focus and he couldn't concentrate properly. He could tell he was sitting down, hunched forward, his elbows resting on his knees. Every muscle in his body ached with a deep draining pain and his side felt warm and heavy. He'd been wounded there, hadn't he? Seemed like a long time ago now, a long time…
He reached up with his right hand to scratch at the thick stubble that was itching on his face and noticed his left hand was rising with it. Trying hard to focus on his wrists, he suddenly became painfully aware of the glowing blue force binders circling them, their incessant low hum the only sound his ears were capable of hearing right now. He lifted his hands to examine them further and his head also lifted at this point, taking in more of the space around him as his eye gained some control.
The republic senate, that's where he was right now, he suddenly realized, the cascade of senate booths swooping up to dizzying heights above him, the sight of which only adding to a rising sense of nausea. And then it hit him, he couldn't feel the flow of the force at all. Even when he had been in force binders before, he had still been aware of its presence around him, the comforting feeling of it just outside of his reach. But this was something different. It felt like there was nothing there, no connection to anything else around him, just a blank thick heavy fog within his mind that pressed down on his consciousness. He gulped down several breaths of air to prevent himself from throwing up and felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look into the concerned eyes of someone he vaguely knew from some of Senator Amidala's meetings. It was Bail Organa, the revered senator from Alderran, what was he doing there and what was he trying to say?
Then Obi-Wan realized it wasn't that the senator was trying to say anything, he was quite clearly saying something, something slowly and carefully to make Obi-Wan understand him, it was just that Obi-Wan was not capable of understanding him in his current condition.
How had it come to this? How was he reduced to this shell of a man in front of the whole senate? He tried desperately to remember his last coherent thought before this waking dream state had descended upon him. He closed his eye to Bail's alarm, trying to think as clearly as he could, but Bail was shaking him to get him to open his eye again, which he suddenly felt obliged to do. The shaking actually seemed to work, because this time his eye was able to focus almost completely on Bail's face and his voice was no longer a mush of sounds, but words were actually forming into some coherence.
"..can you …me Obi-…?...need to pay…right now. This is imp… come to your senses, young man. Can you understand what I'm saying to you?"
Obi-Wan blinked slowly and Bail hung his head, sighing heavily at Obi-Wan's slow response and glazed eye. The look of pained anguish creeping over the former Jedi's features wasn't helping alleviate Bail's concerns either.
"This won't do," he said to himself and he rose from Obi-Wan's side to face the senate and the emergency leadership who had assumed the role of Chancellor in the power vacuum left by the assault on the senate and the death of Palpatine only seven days ago. Bail looked out at the half empty senate floor, so many former friends and some enemies no longer present, no longer within the republic! It had astounded the man of peace how quickly the aligned worlds had hemorrhaged away from the hold the former Chancellor had held over them and the republic that had lasted for a thousand years was disintegrating before his tired eyes.
"Please, Co-Chancellor Amedda, this is unacceptable, the accused is barely aware of his surroundings,"
/Accused?/ thought Obi-Wan, looking into the distance in his attempt to see the horned, blue councilman. "he must be allowed more time to-"
"The accused will stand at this time, Senator, and answer for his crimes before his known associates can attempt to claim him. Stand, Kenobi!"
Automatically, Obi-Wan stood on his very shaky legs and Bail was at his side, steadying him. Obi-Wan seemed only partly in control of his actions, finding himself influenced surprisingly easily by the directions given to him by those around him.
"I'm accused…?" his voice sounding croaky and crackling, Obi-Wan looked to his helper for answers, but none came as Bail refused to look him in the face as he led him to the podium. He placed Obi's hands on the stand to keep him from immediately falling back down and Obi leaned forward to place less pressure on his still aching side.
Before he left, Bail was able to whisper "I'm on your side in this," then he looked up to the rest of the room and stepped back behind the confused former Jedi. Obi-Wan, for his part, was still trying to fathom what the heck was going on. He looked back up to the central station where Amedda towered above him as a giant blue flickering flame and he tried once more, in vain, to change the focus of his eye to the central station of the senate.
"You stand before this senate as the last surviving member of the conspiracy with the separatist leadership to destroy the republic and assassinate Chancellor Palpatine. How do you plead?"
"Last surviving…what? What has happened, is Palpatine dead?"
"Your co-conspirators were able to murder the Chancellor in cold blood within these very walls," Amedda raised his arms and a low growl seemed to spread around the senate floor. "Thankfully they perished as the Battle for Coruscant was fought and won by our loyal troops, those same troops having secured your person for this tribunal." A half-hearted cheer was pulled from the assembled crowd of senators, but most remained silent. Obi-Wan could only clutch desperately at the podium in front of him, the words not making any sense in his mind.
"You are the only one left of your little band and will face the consequences of your actions. How do you plead on the charges of conspiracy and intent to commit murder?" His concentration suddenly found a pin point of clarity at the implications of Amedda's words.
"They're dead!" cried Obi-Wan with rising panic, "Anakin, Ryn," a sudden awful thought struck him, "oh, Force, Boba! Is he alright?" He looked around at Bail, who could only look into Obi-Wan's hauntingly unfocused eye, once again the answers not forthcoming from the senator. "I tried to kill him… must hate me … only trying to stop Maul…to stop Grievous…" he began mumbling in his confusion, trying to organize some semblance of thought within his mind.
"What did you say?" asked Bail quietly, gleening only half of Kenobi's meaning just as Amedda began speaking again and Obi-Wan found he could do nothing but turn to listen to the former Chancellor's aid. Bail cursed under his breath at the distraction Amedda had won over Obi-Wan.
"So, you admit your association with the enemy. He admits his guilt even before this house."
"Where is Boba? He's just a child!" yelled Obi-Wan.
"The accused will refrain from such outbursts or he will be restrained further!" called Amedda and he struck his staff down to silence the murmuring senators.
"Now that we have established your guilt in the conspiracy and assassination of our beloved Chancellor, we demand that you reveal the full extent of the Jedi order betrayal. Tell us, who else knew of your secret mission to undermine the Chancellors allies from your trusted position inside the Naboo political system?"
"My what…!" said a highly confused and increasingly distressed Obi-Wan. Anakin, Dooku and Boba were dead and now the Jedi were thought to be traitors? Maul and Grievous were free to ravage the galaxy and he felt he was the most hated person in the republic! What in the name of the Force was going on here? Was this even real, or some hideous nightmare he had found himself twisted into? His concentration was rapidly failing him again, his vision blurring in and out of focus and the dialogue was flying around his head like increasingly buzzing insects.
"I have no … idea what … you're talk…" Bail was at his side as he began to sag down to the floor of the floating bay, "please… what's happening to me?" he asked desperately of Bail, whose face was shocked by the former security chief's deteriorating condition.
"This is enough," he said as he supported Obi-Wan and then he turned up to the councilors, his eyes locking with Amedda's.
"This is enough!" he called out and pulled Obi-Wan gently to the bay seating at the back of the floating booth, allowing him to lie down completely on the seating. Then he turned back to the council.
"You cannot expect to get anything reliable for your inquiry from Kenobi under these circimstances. He is still recovering from severe injuries and the force suppressant medication you insisted he be placed on is obviously affecting him both physically and mentally. I refuse to have this man subjected to further public hearings until his health can be stabilized and the dose of drugs reduced to something more manageable to his system."
"I will not have this only remaining conspirator in any position to be able to escape the justice of this body," called out Amedda, the two other councilors nodding in agreement. Bail rolled his eyes at the predictable response of Amedda's chosen co-council. He had quite obviously avoided any kind of balanced arrangement, choosing from known sycophants to the Palpatine regime, which Bail had to admit had kept the republic together, but strained it to breaking at every opportunity. Bail's personal choice for interim chancellor, Mon Mothma, had quickly been shut out when the whole conspiracy over the Jedi had been revealed and her name had been implicated in the papers. That had been the point at which Bail had realized the evidence was completely fabricated. All he could do now was try to get to the truth through Obi-Wan and keep the young man alive long enough to discover that truth. However, the strain Amedda was trying to place on Kenobi's shoulders would grind the former Jedi into the ground if Bail didn't do something to protect him. He was risking a lot to be Kenobi's advocate, but he wasn't about to let the last of the republic descend further into the paranoia and fear that had enveloped it.
"I agree we need to make sure he faces the consequences of his actions, but what can we truly learn from him in this state?" Bail turned and gestured to the semi-conscious body lying on the seating behind him. Sadness swept through him as he looked on the crumpled form, his remembrance of the strong, loyal young man to his dear friend Padme making him even more determined to keep Obi-Wan as safe as possible under the circumstances.
"Have you forgotten the attempt to retrieve him?" called out Amedda from above him.
/Ah, yes/ thought Bail, /you mean the attempt on his life that was masked to look like a rescue attempt/. It had been sheer luck that Bail happened to be visiting the medical facility where Obi-Wan was being treated in bacta for his side wound. The senator had merely thought to check up on him at that time, having been given permission to represent him by the co-council. He had found the attack in progress, so he and his security detail had proceeded to fend off the would-be assassins, but Amedda's associates had quickly twisted the event into the lie of an escape attempt. Since then, Kenobi had been removed from the tank before his healing had finished and been placed under heavy guard within the detention cells of the senate building with minimal contact with anyone. Amedda still needed Obi-Wan for this sham of a tribunal, but once it was over ….
"We cannot risk him being taken from us," continued Amedda, "before our questions are answered in front of the remaining loyal representatives of the republic. This hearing must be completed in public, we must be open with our people, and he will be present for all proceedings. The faster we get this done, the sooner we can get back to defending ourselves from the threats of the separatists, the Jedi and the rogue clone army. However, this organization is not without mercy, a mercy this man did not show our former Chancellor. We will call a short recess for Kenobi to gather his wits, however I will not allow his dose of force suppressant to be reduced. Once he leaves the senate floor I do not want him to be in any position to influence his guards. We shall reconvene in one hour."
"Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose," said Bail under his breath as he bowed and returned to his young charge. His friendship with Padme over the years had led him to admire the young man lying before him and it was for her sake that he would stand by Obi-Wan now. The booth was floating back to its docking port and Bail knelt down before the glazed eye of the former Jedi.
"You'll have to endure this a while longer, I'm afraid, my friend," and he pulled Obi-Wan into a sitting position. A republic guard entered the booth and Bail stepped back as he approached Obi-Wan, whose mind was no longer in the senate chamber, but fixated on the horrific words that had been forced upon him. They thought his hiding had been some organized plot! They thought the Jedi were traitors because he had been too afraid to return to them all those years ago. He had started out wanting nothing but to save the galaxy from the nightmare of Sith rule, only to find that his nightmare had become something much worse and he had been its instigator.
He felt a sharp scratch at his neck and the muted feeling of his senses expanded exponentially and he slumped forward, his body feeling like the Galtro slime Dex used in his more exotic slush drinks. He felt strong arms grab him by his sagging shoulders and lift him to his feet and he was hauled out of the booth and down the hall that shone a bright red in his unfocused eye. He must have passed out at that point because the next thing he knew he was being shaken again by Bail and when he opened his eye this time, it was much easier to focus on the face of the senator.
"Well, you look a little better, but you're still not all here, are you, Obi-Wan," said the Senator with a worn, sad smile. He handed Obi-Wan a glass of water and helped him hold it to his lips. Obi-Wan felt the cool liquid sooth his throat and stomach, and the nausea eased a little, his equilibrium still out of reach, but at least the room had stopped tumbling out in front of him.
"Now, just sit there a moment and get your head a little more cleared. They'll be back for us shortly, and I'm sure you have questions. So I'll start and then you can ask me whatever you want."
Bail moved to sit opposite Obi-Wan and moved his chair so that their knees where almost touching. He leaned in close as Obi-Wan settled back in his chair to listen to the Alderanian speak.
"Firstly, Boba, as far as I'm aware, is fine and well protected within the ranks of the rogue clones."
"Thanks goodness, dear Boba," sighed Kenobi deeply, his throat protesting its use slightly. But his confusion only increased. "Rogue clones?"
"Yes, after the events at the senate building, a large group of the clones began abandoning their posts and formed themselves into their own army. They attacked Kamino two days ago and have occupied the planet in liberation of their nation, or so they have claimed."
"Jango…" whispered Obi-Wan, remembering Boba's desire to free his father, "They went there for Jango Fett, their father."
"Of course!" exclaimed Bail, "I had forgotten he was sequestered there at the Kaminoans request. They claim their aggressive tactics were only to take that planet, but the senate is very concerned that they plan further attacks against the republic in retribution for the enslavement inflicted on them from birth. After all they are warriors, born and bred."
"And now they have the freedom to be something else, anything else that they wish to be," Obi-Wan was surprised at how terrible he sounded, but glad to see Bail recognize the earnestness in his voice. He chuckled to himself and said quietly, "they have no obligations to each other," thinking of the conversation not so long ago that he had with Boba over his plans to free his father. Then his last coherent moments aboard Maul's ship above the Coruscant skyline came flooding back to him and he shuddered at his emotions and actions in the hangar before his young friend. "He must hate me so much. No wonder he abandoned me."
"You weren't abandoned, Obi-Wan," interrupted Bail, "from what I understand, you were arrested and taken from Boba's ship along with a rescued Nawe, by four clone troopers who decided to remain loyal to the republic and jump ship. If anything, Boba and the remaining clones were trying to prevent them leaving with you. Why would you think he would hate you?"
Bail's words only made Obi-Wan feel more retched over his actions with Maul. He gulped down a few more breaths before he could explain himself to the senator. "I tried to kill him…, to kill Boba…, to kill us all on that separatist ship. It would have been the end of the sith for good, Maul and Grievous were both aboard and injured. I could have finished the whole awful business with one shot and it was breaking my heart to do it, but I had no choice, I had to take the shot." His voice was gaining strength with each word, but it was a strength born of rising guilt and frustration at his impotence to change anything for the better.
"So what happened?" asked a concerned Bail.
"I…that's the last thing I remember… I mean… I was about to… The rest is…" he shook his head once again, the nausea rising up and this time there was no fighting it, the contents of his stomach erupting onto the floor to the side of his chair as he leaned over the arm rest.
"Oh…I'm so sorry…" he said quietly as Bail rose to call for assistance. Then he moved to Kenobi's side.
"It's quite alright, Obi-Wan, let's wash your face and hands, that should help you feel better." The senator helped Obi-Wan to stand and led him to the fresher in the corner of the office they were in. Obi-Wan looked over the room as they moved through it.
"How did I end up in here? Why am I not in a detention cell?"
"There was no way I was having you sent back down there in your condition. It's the force inhibitor meds they've been pumping into you over the last five days that are really making your recovery difficult and there was no way you could recuperate down there. Besides, my personal offices within the senate are rather conveniently placed just across from my booth on the senate floor, so I had you moved straight here after that last session."
"Didn't you hear what Mas Amedda said? I'm a traitor to the republic!" scoffed Obi-Wan. But his tone changed as he looked at the young man at his side. "You are risking a great deal for me, senator," he continued more thoughtfully as he cleaned the thin layer of sweat off his face and neck. He had to admit that did make him feel better. "I don't know how I can repay you for your kindness. And quite frankly, I'm somewhat baffled why you would try."
"Well, if we're being frank with one another other, you can talk to me about everything you know of what happened that day. I was there on the platform and even I don't really know what happened between the six of you up there. Elite Guard Nawe is under such heavy security it is near impossible to get to see him at the moment and the two of you are the only ones your really know what happened on the separatist ship."
"Nawe," said Obi-Wan quietly as they moved back to the seating, the cleaning droid having done its job well. "I'm sorry the poor lad was dragged into this. Do you have any idea how he is doing?"
"Officially, he's still in a medically induced coma after the injuries he sustained on the separatist ship. But I have my concerns for his safety, and yours."
"What do you mean?"
"Three days ago there was an attempt on your life, someone does not want you testifying in these hearings. I have a feeling Nawe is as equally in danger, but his actions that day to try to prevent Palpatines assassination, as the Coruscant media saw it, gave him the notoriety of the Hero of the republic and it makes him more useful alive to Amedda and the council, at least at this time. Things are changing so quickly and so unpredictably that his security could change at any moment."
"This is… wrong, so… very wrong." Obi-Wan was mumbling again and Bail reached forward to rest his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder, hoping to bring him back to his senses.
"I know it's difficult for you under the circumstances, but I need you to focus on me right now. We don't have much time before they come back for you and anything you can tell me about what happened that day will help me to help you. The Chancellor's evidence against the Jedi has been so damaging and I need –"
"Wait! What evidence, what are you talking about?" Obi-Wan was almost out of his seat at Bail's words and the senator had to keep his hand pressed into Obi-Wan's shoulder and push him back into his chair before he could aggravate his various wounds further.
"Please, Obi-Wan, you need to remain as calm as you can, you are still far from healed." Obi-wan sighed heavily, his blood pressure rising to audible levels within his head.
"Alright, but this must be explained to me now, what is this madness?"
"It boggles the mind, it truly does, but apparently Palpatine had been gathering evidence for years on the illegal activities of the Jedi order and how they had influenced system worlds with increasing un-republic tendencies."
"That's preposterous!"
"I agree, my friend, but there it is. The evidence that was presented after Palpatines death was rather damning, but an obvious fabrication, in my personal opinion. However, I am one man in a galaxy of worlds who have long held the belief that the Jedi held a position of too much power. Many of them have been looking for an excuse to disband the order and use force sensitives for themselves. Had the evidence come to light before his assassination it would have been more carefully examined, I'm sure and been found wanting. However, the assassination of Palpatine has elevated him to something of a revered all-knowing being of unprecedented integrity in the eyes of the narrow minded, and you'd be surprised how many of them there still are left in the republic."
"By the force," gasped Obi-Wan, "by striking him down we made him more powerful than we could possibly imagine! The order has been disbanded?"
"All Jedi council members have outstanding warrants against them, along with some senior knights, but the majority of the Jedi have simply been told to return to their homeworlds, no longer held to the Jedi temple with Jedi Order obligations. Sadly, a great many are missing, but now that the war against the separatists has resumed, the senate has little time to track down the wayward remnants of the Jedi. What were you thinking in taking Palpatine on so publicly?" exclaimed Bail.
"That was the point, to take him on publicly so he couldn't hide behind his republic persona. He was the Master of the Sith, didn't everyone see his actions on the platform? I may be doped up to the nines, but I know what I saw, what I felt. Heck, my muscles still ache from the electrocution he inflicted on me and –" His body was trembling at this point, remembering the agony of the force lightening wracking his body and the look of horror and anguish plastered across Nawe's face as he too took the dark lord's punishing power through his limbs.
"Just breathe, Obi-Wan,"said Bail, sounding suddenly very distant, "let me get you some more water." He swept from the room and Obi-Wan leaned back, his head flopping back so he could stare at the ceiling. As much as he tried, he couldn't bring his breathing under control and the lightheadedness he had been feeling all day was swamping his consciousness again.
The glass window behind him shattered and he spun up from his seat as the maelstrom of the Coruscant atmosphere rushed in. He instinctively ducked down in front of the chair to protect himself as a shower of glass shards rained down around him.
"Bail, don't come in here, I think it's another attack!" he yelled over the howling wind and stayed hidden a moment longer, hoping the senator heard him and didn't inadvertently end up in the line of any fire that entered the room. But it quickly became clear that no fire or ship or intruder was coming and he looked tentatively up from his hiding place. The wind had died down somewhat and Obi-Wan could feel the flow of the force pulling him to the opened window. He felt his mind lean in to the feeling of the flow around him and through him, cleaning him better than the face wash had. He was very surprised at the sudden lack of force inhibitors in his system, but his attention was quickly drawn to the opening as the wisp of a cloak fluttered above him and he looked up just in time to see a figure move up the side of the building and disappear from his line of sight.
"Bail, there's someone out here," he called back to the senator, but got no response. "Senator!" he called again, but no sound came from the apartment, only the wind whipping around his body.
He looked up and felt the surge of the force around him again, compelling him to follow the dark figure, so he climbed out onto the ledge and pulled himself up over the side of the building to follow the wisping cloak. It was a strain on his injured side, but he found the gentle slope of the building aided his ascent and he found a channel running between the apartments that allowed him to conceal his presence from anyone inside the building, or outside in a security craft.
/Well, this is rather convenient!/ he thought to himself as he continued his slow progress up the building. He was becoming unsure of his motivations for following the figure, and just where the figure had gone to, when out of the corner of his eye he saw the cloak flutter again as though the figure had just slipped inside the wall ahead. On approaching the same area, he saw the faint outline of a door in the paneling, something he would have completely missed if he hadn't been looking for it. He felt around the outside edge for a moment, trying to find a latch or handle. His hand smoothed down the left edge to a series of hidden keys, and his fingers seemed to dance over them until he heard a click and the door opened slightly, allowing him access to a narrow walk way leading back into the building. It was musty and cramped, but still the draw of the force pulled him on and he found himself following it's every command of his tired limbs. He stumbled on down the path until it came to another closed panel and he felt around this one again for a keypad of some kind. On finding nothing, he sighed heavily and sank his head against the door. What was he doing here, how had he even got this far without alerting someone? Why was the force even leading him through this maze? As his head rested there on the door, it seemed to heat up with his presence and it slid open suddenly, his body weight upon it sending him sprawling to the floor.
Coughing, he picked himself up as he examined the surprisingly large room he found himself in, the hooded figure staring right at him. He leapt back at the sudden sight of the figure, who lunged at him and slammed him into the wall behind him, its fingers grasping his throat. He reached up to pull the hands away, but nothing would shift them, the vice grip tightening around his neck and throat. His legs buckled under him and he crashed to his knees, pulling the figure down slightly with him, causing the hood to shift and Obi-Wan raised his left hand to knock it off the face completely.
His eye widened in horror as he looked into the eyes of his younger self, the face of the young padawan who had taken on Maul in the reactor room, the padawan braid tumbling from behind his right ear. There was so much hate reflected in those eyes, the hate for Maul, the hate for himself in being too slow to get to Qui-Gonn, the hate for Qui-Gonn for rushing ahead and leaving him behind.
"This is your place!" his younger self spat out and the grip at his throat continued to tighten.
OBI – OBI – OBI – OBI – OBI – OBI – OBI – OBI – OBI
Bail poured out a little of the water from the glass as he had over filled it and just wiped off the outside. He looked at his reflection in the mirror of his modest kitchen area, thinking to himself what was he doing here, what did he really want to achieve? A groan from his charge brought his attention back to the here and now and he headed out to find Obi-Wan in a fitful sleep. Concerned for the young man, he put the glass of water down and moved to his side. A quick glance at the chrono and he knew the guards would be returning soon, so he decided to wake Obi-Wan so they could perhaps speak a moment more before the time was done.
He touched Obi-Wan's shoulder lightly and shook him gently at first, then with more vigor as the former Jedi seemed unable to respond.
"Obi-Wan, you need to wake up, I need more from you, come on, my friend," he continued to shake him, but without response. He slipped in front of him and placed both his hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders and shook him harder this time.
The response was immediate, as Obi-Wan's eye flashed open and he grabbed Bail's throat roughly as his had been grasped in the dream. Bail saw hate and fear fill Obi-Wan's eye, but it quickly faded to horror at the recognition of his victim and the grip loosened.
"I'm so.." he started to say, the anguish and shame of this actions washing through even those two words, but it was too late for that as the republic guards entered to return them to the senate floor. They immediately took in the scene of Bail kneeling in Kenobi's strangling grip and raised their weapons. Obi-Wan saw it too and switched to pull Bail's body against his as he spun him around, now holding him in a head lock.
"I'm sorry about this, Senator, truly I am," he whispered in Bail's ear as he pulled him up to stand in front of the two guards. "Drop your weapons, now, or I snap his neck." He barked at the guards. They hesitated for a moment and Obi-Wan tightened his grip, causing Bail to wince and suck in his breath sharply. "Now!" he yelled and tried to enhance his voice with the force flow he had felt in his dream, but it was still a fog within his mind and totally useless until his body had a chance to flush the force poisoning drug from his system. But their fear of getting the senator killed out-weighed their bravado and the pikes clattered to the floor.
"Seal the doors," once again there was the hesitation and concerned shared looks between the guards and Bail. His voice and determined gaze had them convinced, however, and the two guards sealed themselves in with Obi-Wan and Bail. "Get down, flat on the floor," continued Obi-Wan as he moved to the discarded weapons. He had to pull Bail down so he could reach the nearest one and, still holding Bail in the head lock he flipped the charge from kill to stun and aimed at the first guard.
"You don't have to do this, Obi-Wan," said Bail as he misread the young man's intentions not having seen the switch to stun, "there is no need for killing here."
"I couldn't agree more Senator," he said as he fired into the backs of the prone guards, the blue haze surrounding them for an instant as their bodies slumped against the floor, unconscious.
"There is nowhere for you to go, Obi-Wan," said Bail quietly as he felt the grip Obi-Wan had on him lessen, and he tried to swing his elbow up to catch Obi on the jaw, but the former Jedi leaned back to avoid the hit and swept under the senator to face him with the pike lifted to his chin. Staring down the pike with some sadness in his eyes, Bail continued, "I could have helped you."
"I know, that's why it's especially hard for me to do this, but in the long run it will turn out for the best, trust me." And he pressed the pike to Bail's collar bone and pressed the trigger, catching the limp form of the Alderanian as he passed out from the blast. Obi-Wan laid him gently on the floor and made sure all three of them were clear of the window behind them. A quick search of the republic guards and his binders were slipped from his wrists, which he rubbed to reduce the tenderness he felt there. The binder removal did nothing to help his connection to the force, but at least it was one less thing to worry about.
He had to find that room, it was obvious what it had been, Palpatines inner sanctum and could act as a safe haven for him at this time. There was no way anyone would understand his actions towards Bail as the guards had seen them, and he couldn't let Bail involve himself further in the situation that was already well out of hand.
It disturbed him to think that a part of Palpatines memory seemed lodged in his mind and his encounter with his younger self in the dream had shaken him greatly, but the potential wealth of information he could get from that room would be invaluable if he could get it out to his friends and he could hide there at least for the time being and recover from the inhibitors that still drained his force connection.
How to get out of the window, however? With the doors sealed it really was his only hope out of the building and he did know exactly where to go, unnervingly. He picked up one of the discarded pikes and pulled out the safety mechanism to re-wire the thing to overload. Then he placed it at the seam to the window frame. He could hear the guards outside the door begin cutting through and he hoped he had enough time before they were upon him. He pulled the three bodies to cover and crouched down himself as the high pitch of the pike pierced his ears and he blocked the sound with his hands.
The pike exploded and the glass shattered at the impact, sending shards across the apartment and wisping away into the Coruscant air in the turbulence that followed. Kenobi quickly got to his feet and pulled himself up and out of the window, just as the doors behind him split open and he quickly ducked into the channel his dream had shown him, concealing himself completely from the agitated guards rushing through Bail's apartment.
Still concealed by the channel walls, he quickly made his way to the door panel he knew was there and fumbled for the keypad. This time his fingers didn't glide so easily over them and he had to concentrate as hard as he could to come up with the correct combination, another disturbing part of this escape route, the fact that he was tapping into the dark lords knowledge to aid him.
He slipped inside the walkway, just as the unmistakable engine noise of a republic skiff came up the side of the building, but Kenobi was secure in the knowledge that no one had seen him. His heart was still racing and his side ached terribly from all the activity he had exerted on it, but he stumbled down the path to the second door.
He pressed against it as he had done in the dream, but this time nothing happened, the door remained closed. He pressed on it again several times, trying to figure out what could make it open, but nothing he did would work. He slumped to the floor, his exhaustion reaching its peak and he closed his eye for a moment to gather his senses and his breath.
He awoke to a nagging feeling pressing on his mind, a tendril of living force seeping through the fog of the inhibitors and he shook his head, reaching tentatively for the familiar feeling. He breathed a deep sigh at its touch in his mind, welcoming him back, if strained by the remnant of the drug still running in his system.
The force! The door had a force activated mechanism, probably one attuned to Palpatines own unique persona, no wonder he was having trouble accessing it. Obi-Wan could feel the dark memoires of his traverse through Palpatines mind, the cold shards of the dark side pressing into his mind like picks of ice, trying to slice and puncture his inner light. The voice of Palpatine in his head, the arrogance and hatred like a decaying ooze that wanted to seep into the punctures left by the shards. Obi-Wan had tried so hard to keep them from penetrating his concealed inner light, but there had been something there within himself, buried deep with his grief and fear that had moved to embrace the false strength the dark side seemed to be offering him.
The door suddenly popped open and he found himself tumbling inside the room, much as he had done in his dream. He sprang to his feet, half expecting his younger self to be there ready to throttle him, but no hooded figure met his eye, only the large and sparsely furnished room of the sith lords hidden inner sanctum. There was a simple couch, a large desk and chair and two other exits from the room. It was obvious that one led to Palpatines actual office, but the other one would need to be investigated further, just at a later time. He was done in and needed a longer rest than the slight recuperation his nap outside the force door had afforded him. He settled himself on the couch and got some much needed sleep, the drug wearing off all the time and allowing him to sink deeper into the comforting arms of the force as it welcomed him back gladly into its flow.