Obi-Wan was beginning to understand Anakin's occasional fear of sleep. If he had one more nightmare, he might gain it as well. He blinked at his pillow, then sat up, glancing over to see that Han was still fast asleep.

Good. He thought, I'd rather think for a while, and he doesn't endorse sitting still and meditating.

He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, Luke claims to be Anakin's son, how could that possibly be the case? But no answer came to him from the Force, only a certainty that it was true. They do resemble one another, except… Luke has so little of Anakin's darkness. Now, with Luke, Anakin is losing it, of course. I haven't seen him this happy since his mother died. We can't hide Luke and Han forever, though. How am I to explain this to the council?

He heard the door open, and someone crawled around the bed, "Master Kenobi?" a voice asked.

"Luke? What are you doing here?"

"Father's having a nightmare, and I can't wake him up. It's starting to really worry me!"

"I see," Obi-Wan said, and Luke crawled silently back around the bed, standing up as he entered the hallway. Obi-Wan followed him, and then led the way into Anakin's room. His apprentice was, sure enough, writhing in his sleep, crying out. Luke's body language became very closed, nervous, and Obi-Wan took his friend's shoulder and shook hard.

"Anakin, wake up, you're having a nightmare," Anakin didn't respond, "Wake up, Anakin. Anakin, you're scaring Luke."

Anakin blinked, gasping air, "Master?"

"Are you all right?"

Anakin sat up, noticed Luke, who was still standing awkwardly aside, and looking frightened, and put an arm around him, "Palpatine is going to be kidnapped," he said matter-of-factly.

"Again?"

Anakin sighed, nodding, "Again. We should go tell the council."

Obi-Wan nodded, but his comm beeped. He quickly turned away from Anakin, who was hugging Luke and quietly promising that the dream had been nothing to worry about. Now was probably not the best time for the Council to learn of Han and Luke.

"Yes, Master?"

A small holo of Yoda activated, "Kidnapped, Chancellor Palpatine has been."

Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin, "You never fail."

"Not when the prediction is negative," Anakin said.

"Your job, it is, to rescue our leader once again," Yoda said, "Believe, I do not, that the Separatists have taken him far."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said.

The comm deactivated and he looked at Anakin, who had released Luke, "We should go," he said.

Anakin nodded, "Come on, Luke, you should come as well."

Luke nodded, and Obi-Wan said, "I'll go wake Han."

"I'll get Rex to find us a couple of extra ships," Anakin said, standing up, and stepping into the maintenance hall behind his room.

"Wait for me!" Luke exclaimed, "I'm coming too!" he bolted after Anakin.

Obi-Wan returned to his room and shook Han gently, "Wake up, Han. We're going on a mission."

Han blinked, "Again? I thought this place was supposed to be more peaceful than home. Man, I might as well be back with the Alliance."

Obi-Wan watched as he pulled himself up, "Anakin is getting us ships to fly. We're rescuing the Chancellor."

Han yawned, shook his head hard, and stood up, "All right. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Luke certainly has more enthusiasm in the mornings than you do."

"Tell me about it. That kid can be up at any time of the day."

Obi-Wan led Han after the Skywalkers.

"I get the feeling this happens a lot," Han said through a yawn.

"More often than I'd like, certainly."

Han laughed, "I bet. Where is Luke?"

"Running after Anakin to help with the ships."

"Gods, he's taking this well."

Obi-Wan shrugged, "He's happy here. Dare I ask why you're here?"

Han rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms out in front of himself, "Accident. Something wrong with the hyperdrive."

"I'm sure Anakin would be happy to take a look at it for you."

"I can take care of my own ship, thanks. I've already got it running, and the blasters work. I want to get the shields back online before we go home, though."

Obi-Wan nodded, "That would be wise."

"Dunno about wise, sounds like trying not to get killed to me. Where are the ships we're headed to?"

Obi-Wan turned a corner and gestured to them. Luke and Anakin were trying to pry their R2 units apart from their conversation. They finally succeeded as Obi-Wan and Han neared them.

"Hi, Han," Luke said cheerfully as his droid wheeled around and ran into his legs, as though annoyed, "Hey!"

Anakin laughed, and received the same treatment.

"Not having any trouble with your droids, I hope," Obi-Wan teased.

The R2 units whistled in proud unison.

"Can we get going?" Han asked impatiently, "I'd like to get this over with so I can get some more sleep."

Obi-Wan nodded, "I agree. We should complete our mission in good time."

Anakin vaulted into his ship, and Luke did the same. As Obi-Wan bent his legs to follow them, he noticed Han looking at his own ship with confusion and frustration on his face. For a moment, he was confused himself, then he realized that Han needed staircase brought over so that he could climb into his ship.

He opened his mouth to call for a technician to bring one, but Han shouted suddenly, and he turned to see the smuggler soaring through the air to be gently lowered into the seat of his ship, swearing loudly.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said as dangerously as he could, when trying to hold back laughter.

"It wasn't me!" Anakin protested.

"Of course it wasn't," Obi-Wan said, "It's never you."

"It really wasn't, this time!"

"It was me," Luke volunteered, and when both Obi-Wan and Han turned to glare at him, he held up his hands defensively, "It wasn't me who said we should hurry."

Obi-Wan leapt into his ship, thinking as he did so that Luke might have shared a slim devious streak with his father.

Over the comm in the ship, Anakin's voice was projected through Obi-Wan's cockpit, "Hey, Luke, I'll race you to the separatist ship."

"Okay, see you there!"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and watched as the two ships roared out of the hanger bay.

"Can't I race?" Han called after them, sarcastically, but with poorly veiled disappointment that he had been forgotten.

"I'm never invited either," Obi-Wan said kindly.

"Yeah, but that's different, you hate flying," Han's ship rose off the ground, and Obi-Wan followed him closely.

In the moments it took for Obi-Wan to debate arguing the point, Luke's voice came over the comlink, triumphant, "I win!"

"No, you don't," Anakin answered, mocking Obi-Wan's most soothing tone, "It doesn't count when your opponent's ship gets sabotaged."

"I thought you said you liked flying pods," Luke mocked.

"Fine, you win," Anakin said.

"Don't worry about him," Obi-Wan said, "He's a very sore loser."

"Hey!" Anakin exclaimed, "Oh, and Master? You have some vulture droids on your tail."

"I've got them," Luke said, and Obi-Wan watched as one of the leading ships flipped over itself and soared back towards him, firing.

"Thank you," he said as the colours and shrapnel of the resultant explosions sparkled outside the cockpit.

"No problem," Luke said simply, "I think I've got one too, can you take care of it for me?"

"Certainly," Obi-Wan answered, and removed the threat. Anakin, meanwhile, had been soaring around them, destroying as many ships as he could target.

"Someone cover me," Han's voice said.

"I'll take him," Obi-Wan said, "We should hurry to the chancellor; they may be desperate enough now to simply kill him, and not keep him as a political prisoner."

Anakin swore, "I knew he shouldn't have approved the creation of another ten thousand clones. I'll guard Luke and Han with you, then you go in before me, all right?"

"Alright," Obi-Wan said, and he followed Anakin's lead to choose a defensive position with which to shield Luke and Han's landings in the ship. He then followed them into the hanger bay, and waited for Anakin to follow them. In a cloud of shrapnel from still another vulture droid, he did.

Luke's cockpit opened, and he slid down the hull of his ship, as Han scrambled out of his own, and Obi-Wan gently used the Force to set him on the ground. Anakin's lightsaber poked through the viewscreen of his ship, quickly cutting a circle, and he jumped away from it, rolling to the ground, just as it burst into flames.

Picking himself back up, Anakin looked at the others and explained hastily, "Vulture droid got something in there."

Luke and Han were both deprived of the opportunity to see Anakin's embarrassment, Obi-Wan noticed, as they were both looking around at the ship.

"The Alliance uses these ships," Luke said when he caught the look Obi-Wan was giving him.

"Excellent," Anakin said happily, apparently having already forgotten his burning ship, "You should know where they'd keep prisoners."

"Sure," Han said, "Except these ships don't have prison barracks."

Anakin's face fell slightly, and Luke hastily added, "I know where it's most secure on these ships."

Anakin brightened, and Luke took off, racing into the ship.

"He never stands still, does he?"

"Not unless you've chained him like that," Han answered.

Anakin was long gone, eager to finish the mission, and Obi-Wan ran after him, Han following, occasionally yawning grumpily.

By the time Obi-Wan caught up with Anakin and Luke, they'd nearly crossed the ship. He turned a corner to get them back in sight, and watched as Luke suddenly froze in his tracks, causing Anakin to nearly run into him.

Obi-Wan stopped as well, and Han, who had managed, with difficulty, to stay near him all the way, panted, "What's… wrong?"

Obi-Wan relayed the question to Luke, who shrugged with a slight frown and dashed onwards.

Han yawned again, and raced after Luke. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, who was still looking at the corner Luke had disappeared around with concern. As he realized he was being watched, he shrugged, and followed their friends. Obi-Wan continued as well, and only slowed when the rest of the group came back into sight. Luke had the same confused, worried look on his face, but he was showing his father the door he thought they needed.

Sensing the chancellor beyond the door, Obi-Wan thanked him.

"Anytime," Luke said lightly, his face returning to a slightly less nervous expression, though Obi-Wan could sense the worry still there.

Anakin opened the door, and, sure enough, there sat the chancellor. Still watching Luke's face, Obi-Wan saw another flicker of doubt cross his face, and his concern mounted.

Anakin hurried in, lightsaber in hand, headed straight for the chancellor, as though his only thought for use of the weapon was to free the man. Luke and Han followed more cautiously, and Obi-Wan was careful to look back down the corridor and to each side as he entered the door.

It was fortunate that he did.

"Anakin! Duck!"

His apprentice did so immediately, and the shot flew over his head. In an instant, all three Jedi had their lightsabers out, and Han was holding his blaster. Han quickly took down the droid that had shot at Anakin, and it's falling body revealed a number more droids, which Luke leapt towards, and Han continued firing at.

"Luke!" Obi-Wan called, "Those are commando droids! Be very careful!"

Luke nodded, and folded himself into a ball, rolling between the droids, slicing at their legs. Anakin quickly followed him, and Han managed to shoot down another one. Obi-Wan hurried to the chancellor and cut away the binders on his wrists, deflecting the droid's blasterfire when necessary. He helped the chancellor to his feet, and led him to the door.

"Master!" Anakin yelled from inside the room, "We have company!"

"Sith!" Han added, although Obi-Wan felt he was just using it as a swear.

"Stay here," he told Palpatine, "Take this," he added, summoning a blaster from the ground inside the room.

Palpatine nodded sharply, and Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber once more, ducking back into the room. Dooku had engaged Anakin, and Luke was valiantly searching for a way to join the fray and protect his father. Han was firing shots at the battling duo, most of which Luke ended up deflecting away from them again.

Obi-Wan joined Anakin, trying to make room for Luke to slip in as well, but the Jedi continued to look bewildered, and Obi-Wan wondered why he didn't know how to join. Granted, Dooku was doing everything in his power to keep Luke from doing so, but nonetheless, it should have been simple. Obi-Wan had seen him duel, after all, and he was quite good.

"Go to the hall," Obi-Wan directed Han, and the smuggler was out of the way just before Dooku pulled out of the battle for just long enough to use the Force to bring a large piece of the ceiling crashing down where Han had just been. Where Luke was still standing.

"Luke!" Anakin yelled, and he immediately broke away from the battle, tearing towards the fallen metal.

As the dust cleared, Obi-Wan was glad to see that Luke had crouched, thrown up his arms, and apparently, a Force shield. Everything had fallen in a perfect little circle around him, and he sat in the center of the debris, shaking, but unscathed.

Anakin was at his side in an instant, and Obi-Wan watched as he yanked the boy to his feet, looked him up and down for any tiny scratches or bruises, and returned to Dooku.

"I can tolerate when you do that to my friends, my teachers, but you do not, I repeat, you do not, do that to my son!"

If he had done it as a distraction technique, it worked perfectly.

"Son?" Dooku asked, apparently against his better judgement.

Anakin laughed harshly, "Yes, my son, but that's a long story, and somehow, I don't feel like you have. Long. Left."

With the last word, he thrust his saber down so suddenly, and so aggressively, that even Dooku, widely acclaimed master swordsmen, wasn't expecting it. The most missed of the Lost Twenty fell, and Anakin cast his corpse one last scathing look before he hurried back to Luke, who he had dropped back to the floor in his eagerness to teach Dooku that last violent lesson.

Luke, for his part, had recovered from the surprise quite well, and was on his feet again, fighting one of the few remaining commando droids. Anakin dispatched it, and Obi-Wan hurried out of the room to see that Palpatine and Han were all right.

Anakin and Luke ran out of the room after him, and Anakin used the Force to slam the door on a number of droids, which had headed out after them. One got through, and Obi-Wan sliced through it as it hurried after Luke.

"Thanks," Luke panted, deactivating his saber.

"Now we have a problem," Obi-Wan said, "We have the chancellor, but we haven't got a way off of this ship."

"The escape pods are that way," Luke volunteered.

"That's good information," Obi-Wan said, "But they don't have steering systems."

Luke nodded pensively, "Maybe we could use the ships we've still got and use the repulsor lifts to keep one pod steady?"

Anakin nodded approvingly, but Obi-Wan shook his head, "Our mission was to get the chancellor back alive."

"It can be done safely," Anakin protested.

"No, Anakin."

Anakin sighed, "Should we take the ship?"

"Can we just check if the pods have steering systems?" Han asked.

Palpatine nodded, "I would be glad to get off this ship quickly."

Luke shrugged, "Okay, let's go."

However, Obi-Wan noted that, while the others hurried off, Luke watched Palpatine's receding back with the same expression of consternation.

"Are you all right?" he asked, and Luke jumped.

"Yeah, fine," he said absently, hurrying off after the rest of the group.

Now what could be troubling him? Obi-Wan thought.

"No steering systems," Anakin reported, as Obi-

Wan entered the hanger, "Looks like we won't have much of a choice. I say we use Luke's idea."

Obi-Wan frowned his disapproval and began looking around the group for others who disagreed. To his deep frustration, Han was nodding doubtfully, Anakin seemed quite confident in the idea, and Luke was positively glowing at Anakin's acceptance of his plan.

Desperately, Obi-Wan turned to Palpatine.

"It seems as though your young friend's idea might be our only course of action," Palpatine said gravely, "I have complete trust in Anakin's piloting skills, and the skills of any he trusts."

It seemed it was Anakin's turn to glow for a bit.

"Pride does not become a Jedi," Obi-Wan snapped, annoyed that he had been so unanimously voted down. Usually he could count on at least one Jedi, and most of the clones, to agree with him. It seemed Luke took after his father, "I reserve my right to a ship with steering systems."

"I know how to use gravitational fields," Han said, "Smuggling tricks."

"I'll take a ship as well," Anakin said.

Luke looked around at the others before slowly turning to Palpatine, "That leaves me in the pod with…" he seemed hesitant to continue the sentence, and pointed nervously at the chancellor before murmuring, "Him?"

Obi-Wan smiled, "Sorry, Luke. If I thought it could be done without a major battle, I'd force Anakin to be the one to ride in there."

"I don't think you have the courage to try to tell me I'm not allowed to fly," Anakin laughed.

Obi-Wan shrugged good-naturedly, "He's right, you know."

Luke blinked up at Obi-Wan as though he expected to be offered a different option, and he was tempted to give in, and allow the young Jedi to fly his own ship.

When he realized he wasn't going to be saved from the prospect of uncontrolled falling, Luke turned back to Palpatine again, and Obi-Wan couldn't bring himself to believe it was his imagination that said Luke was more frightened of the politician than the landing.

He couldn't help feeling a little bit sorry for Luke, so he took off his comlink and passed it to the boy, "Let us know if you're feeling uncomfortable."

Luke looked at it doubtfully, "I already am."

Obi-Wan frowned at him and he sighed, "But thank you anyway."

Anakin smiled, "Don't worry, Luke. I'll try not to drop you from too high up."

Luke didn't even blink, but Obi-Wan noticed his gaze drifted back towards Palpatine, "I guess we'd better get this over with."

"Yeah," Han said, and he and Anakin headed off back towards the hanger where they'd landed. Obi-Wan cast one last glance over his shoulder as they turned the corner and saw Palpatine already climbing into the pod, while Luke watched them, clinging to the comlink as though it was his last link to life.