Chapter 14
Neither Obi-Wan nor Qui-Gon slept particularly well that night and so were up and eating breakfast by 5th hour, it was then that Obi-Wan realised something.
"Why aren't you angry with me?" He asks as they eat.
"Have you done something worthy of my anger?" Qui-Gon asks looking rather confused, he did not exactly anger easily and knew of no mischief that his Padawan had been up to.
"I did not tell you about my father, or Uncle, or that I was adopted. In fact, I actively lied about it, though I suppose less so than in the other timeline."
"Obi-Wan, I do not appreciate that you lied to me, or hid something from me. However, I trust you implicitly and truly believe you had your reasons for doing so. It is not as though I asked specifically about your time before you joined the Jedi."
"I suppose we do not know that much about each other really." Qui-Gon looks thoughtful at that, realising it to be true and knowing he is the reason. "That is not the only reason though, is it?"
"No, it is not. I have hidden something from you as well and so am in no position to be upset with you for doing the same. Having raised a Padawan yourself, or well, remembering Ben do it, I am sure you know that there are sometimes things you just do not tell your Padawan, this was one of those things. You simply did not need to know, had that been all of it I would not have felt so guilty. Honestly though, it does affect you somewhat, yet I still find myself unable to tell you."
"Unable to or do you simply not wish to tell me?" Qui flinches.
"Both I suppose, mainly the latter. The truth is I am afraid of your reaction." Obi-Wan reaches across the table and covers Qui-Gon's hand with his own.
"Master, there is very little you could do to make me think less of you. So, unless you have secretly joined the Sith, you need not fear my reaction. Whatever it is, tell me when you are ready." Obi-Wan says with a reassuring smile. Qui-Gon very carefully puts a calm smile on his face and hides the hurt his words caused.
"Honestly, I thought as much." Obi-Wan's comm beeps before he can respond to that.
"What the Kriff is Garen doing up at this hour?" Obi asks as he answers.
"Language padawan!" Qui admonishes.
"Sorry Master. Garen, good morning."
"Oh good you're awake, and swearing, odd. Okay, you knew Arl before she learnt to eat whatever is put in front of her without complaint, right?" Garen asks hopefully, Obi rolls his eyes.
"G, she was born a slave." Obi reminds the man that he recalled being another version of his best friend, only Bant was more his best friend in this timeline. It was rather confusing but it helped Obi separate Ben's life from his own.
"Right, I did not think of that, okay but if I were making her breakfast before talking to her about something she probably does not want to talk about, any idea what I should make?"
"Beside bourbon?" Obi asks jokingly, Qui-Gon spits out his tea.
"I never pictured Arl a heavy drinker." Qui says while coughing.
"She's not, but that doesn't mean it would not help his chances. Look bring an entire pot of tea, make some pancakes, and somehow bring up Anakin beforehand." Obi-Wan tells his friend.
"Thank you! I shall let you go back to swearing now, real quick though, pancakes are those flat things Arl taught Mace to cook?"
"Yes, only they are not supposed to be burnt, just flip it when it bubbles and then give it maybe a minute on the other side." Obi-Wan says having learnt that lesson the hard way.
Arlie wakes up to the smell of melted butter and tea, she opens her eyes and sees her brother-padawan holding a tray of food beside her.
"Breakfast in bed?" He offers, she smiles and moves over making room for him to join her on the bed.
"What's the occasion?" She asks, Garen thinks it says a lot about how she's grown that she did not automatically think he'd broken something like she would have a year ago.
"Well, for one, your birthday. Also, you are going to be dealing with a hyperactive six-year-old soon. Anakin's initiate test is later today remember? We all know he'll pass and run around like a crazy person excitedly for a few hours." Arl smiles fondly and nods in agreement, Garen vaguely feels bad for manipulating her but he did make her happy so perhaps it is worth it, that brings him back to his true intention here. "Hey Arl."
"Yes Garen?" She asks looking amused, 'she so has me figured out.' he thinks.
"Yesterday, Obi-Wan said you jumped off the building that Vader killed me in." Garen says, Arl tenses slightly at the memory but nods for him to continue, "Well, you, uh…"
"Spit it out, idiot." Arl tells him with the same amused look, the poor boy was beetroot red and Arl could not work out what the hell he was trying to say.
"You told us before that you watched him kill the love of your life and it drove you off the building." Garen says in one go, Arl sighs but remains calm, she was an adult(ish), she would deal with the situation as one.
"Okay firstly, I jumped off the temple not that building, and it was about eight months after, and more importantly Garen, it was a different life. Our relationship was complicated from the day you and Xan met."
"So, I wasn't, I mean, we weren't…" he says awkwardly, she resists the urge to roll her eyes.
"We were not together. Something almost happened between us once but…the war got in the way, you fell, stuff happened. After the war I tried to find you, when I did Vader killed you. I did love you very much, but like I said, it was a different life."
"So, you don't, like, love me like that?" Garen asks, Arl thinks her answer over.
"Garen you are sixteen, I am both fifty and ten. Either way, I decided a while ago that we were both far too young for me to even have to think about it yet. My feelings for you in the other timeline, I left behind there for him. He was the one I loved, you are a different you. One day, I may develop those feelings for you, it is quite likely given it has happened before, but circumstances are vastly different. Either way, I made a choice to deal with that particular situation when I grew up again, it would be ridiculous to think about it now." Arl tells him, he looks calmer as he realises she is right.
"Okay, cool. You know I love you though, right? Regardless of anything else you are my best friend and my kin, no matter what form the last one eventually takes." Garen tells her, she smiles widely.
"I know Garen, and I you."
"Hey, one more thing, Obi-Wan called me 'G' earlier, and I think you've called me that in the past…is that something from the other timeline?" Arl laughs and nods as the two share the pancakes and tea in front of them.
"Yes, it was the nickname I gave other you, mainly because you hated it. It was revenge for him telling everyone I was raised by pirates." She says, he laughs too.
"Why don't we do this? Separate it? Like, if you were to talk about things that happened before we met with people I don't know, or if I were to do the same. Treat the people from the other timeline as completely different people, 'G' be your old friend that I've never met, and just the time you lived before you met us. One life." Garen suggests, Arl smiles warmly.
"One life, I like the sound of that."
A few hours later found all of them in the conference room that was once converted into the war room.
"Wow, never really thought I'd see this place again." Arlie says as she walks in, albeit hesitantly. (Different life, different room. Different life, different room.) She repeats to herself like a mantra.
"It's trippy, right?" Obi says from his seat, "You think that's bad? Check out the seats people chose." Arl looks around and spots it after a moment before laughing.
"What about the seats?" Ki-Adi asks confusion clear on his face.
"After the war started, this room was converted into a war room that the troll and I used to run the war. Every person in here that was on the council is sitting in the same seats they did in the war." Arl says calming herself.
"Who was on the council during the war?" Plo asks curiously, Arl looks to Obi who shrugs uncaring.
"Well it changed a bit over the years, but throughout the war there was…Depa, Adi, yourself, Eeth, Ki-Adi, Even, Yarael, Saesee, Shaak, Winni, Kit, Yoda, Mic, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and myself."
"I am afraid to ask but, you've mentioned to us before that during the war, many Jedi fell. How many of the people in this room fell during the war?" Mace asks looking as though he'd rather not, she finally sits down as she ponders the question.
"Well, Qui-Gon was dead, Terza died early in the war as did Bant, and Dooku obviously did. Beyond that only five and a half did not." Arl tells them.
"Well that's bad but not too…wait…did you say did not?" Eeth asks, Arl nods with a grimace.
"How can you have a half?"
"Well it got way too close for comfort but they did not truly fall. Breakdown quite severely yes, but not quite falling."
"Who did not?" Dooku asks, Obi-Wan narrows his eyes for a moment before seeming to catch himself and stop.
"Tahl, Bellan, Quin, Obi, and Myself. Yoda was the half." Everyone looks around surprised and horrified.
"I wish I wasn't asking this but, how much damage did we do?" Plo asks nervously.
"Well, very little. Most of the people in the room fell but remembered whose side they were on, only three turned against us when they fell. Of those three only two actually harmed people. Of those two only one did not come back to our side." Obi-Wan tells them.
"So, one of us in this room, fell, harmed people, and stayed on the dark side? That's what you are telling us?" Depa asks disbelievingly, "I am sorry, I do believe you, it is just hard to accept."
"If it helps, it was not one of the council." Garen tells them, they look surprised at him confused on how he would know, until they noticed Dooku, Mic, and Mace also not looking surprised and realise Arl must have told them already.
"Who?" Adi asks.
"Why do you wish to know?" Arl retorts defensively.
"I suppose we do not need to, after all, we are not truly talking about the people in this room." Depa says, Arl looks gratefully at her. "I have to admit, I was a little surprised to hear neither you nor Obi fell." She admits hesitantly unsure how they would react, to her surprise they both burst out laughing.
"Sorry." Arl says after they manage to calm themselves, mostly. "It's just, he asked who fell during the war. Wait, when did you fall?" Arl asks Obi-Wan.
"After you died, not because of." He says quickly before she can blame herself. "I did a stupid thing and paid the price. You?"
"After watching Vader kill Garen." She says noticing Obi flinch at the name, "Sorry. Anyway, I kind of lost it."
"Well yeah, you jumped off a building." Bant says, Arl stutters a laugh.
"That was a while after, but seriously you have the most amazing ability to be completely unfazed by everything."
"Is that why I didn't fall before I died?"
"I don't know, the war had only been raging for three months before you died, you may well have later had you survived the campaign." Arl says her voice sounding choked of grief, Garen, who is seated beside her, grabs her hand. She closes her eyes for a minutes reigning it in. She sees Obi-Wan with his face in Qui-Gon's shoulder, his own shoulders shaking tellingly. "During the war, a lot of things happened, but war continued on."
"You have never had a chance to deal with it." Terza realises looking disturbed by that. "Will both of you consent to getting an evaluation from a mind healer?"
"Hell fucking no." Obi-Wan growls.
"Language padawan." Qui-Gon says for the second time that day, Arl cannot stop the amused smile at that.
"If they are informed of what has happened, I will. So long as it is my decision whether nor not I actively go to see one afterwards."
"I can live with that, I really just want to know the kind of…damage…we are dealing with here." Terza says realising too late how callous she is being, then realises the people in front of her lived through a war and probably care very little for beating around the bush. "Obi-Wan, I could make it an order but I would rather you go willingly."
"You can order me all you like, I am still not going." He says crossing his arms and looking completely at peace, speaking as though he were commenting on the weather.
"I'll buy you Corellian Brandy if you sit through a single evaluation." Arl offers earning disapproving looks from others.
"Can I drink it before the session?" Obi-Wan asks, Arl looks to be considering it.
"No!" Bellan says incredulously momentarily forgetting her shyness. She then shrinks in on herself before remembering something. "I am doing a partial training on mind-healing. I am not qualified or an expert but would you at least sit through an unofficial evaluation with me?" She requests, Obi-Wan looks at her as she widens her eyes hopefully.
"Dammit." He mutters.
"Thank you." Bellan says smiling widely.
"Well, I know your skills so I approve of this." Terza says mainly to assure the others in the room that her padawan can do this successfully.
"Brilliant now, we need to better coordinate our efforts. We must all be updated on how things are progressing as well. Aa, if you wish I can take over your mental shielding instruction which will leave you more time for your defence classes. You should consider merging the initiates and padawans in with the knights. If they are at the same level as you claim it seems like a waste of valuable time doing them separately. I do believe you should continue with Xanatos' private shielding lessons partly because you work well with him and also so that I refrain from breaking his face repeatedly. Leave the research to Bant, Tahl, and Dooku unless they request help. Mace, Master Fisto, and Master Yoda are going to create plans for capturing Sidious/Wrath for all of the locations I give you on places he may run to should he grow suspicious. Believe me when I say that will be very important. Master Qui-Gon and I will be designing a cell to hold him, Arl in your free time we could use your input on that. Healer Terza, if you have time it would be useful for you and your padawan to create a sedative or toxin that will shut down his brain enough to prevent him from…de-possessing it. Everyone else here needs to be working different angles to find proof of his wrong doings." Obi tells them all, they seem surprised at the unsubtle conversation change but none disagree. "I am missing something, what am I missing?"
"The possibility that they already know about Arlie." Quinlan suggests, the room looks at him in confusion, well, not the actual room, but it's occupants do. "Even not counting what Xanatos knows, we still do not know what happened in Telos IV." Dooku and Arlie both visibly flinch at the mention of it, Arl runs her hands over her scarred arms.
"There was evidence of torture." Terza admits.
"Yes, and I do not believe Arl had been tortured prior to then." Obi-Wan admits, "That I knew of…" He says at Terza's contemplative look at Arl who shies away from it.
"There may have been a thing that happened that you do not know of that…well…I did not give them what they wanted but believe me when I say, I cracked like a nut in the paws of a starving squirrel. That being said, I have spoken with Wrath since Telos IV and he gave no indication of knowing anything more than he already did. He's not especially subtle. How did you…?" Arl asks, looking at the senior Healer questioningly, Terza purses her lips.
"I thought you were going to talk to her." She comments looking at Mace unhappily, he awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, Arl raises an eyebrow.
"We should talk about this later Arlie." She seems suspicious, "Trust me?" Her eyes widen fractionally, though he's unsure why. She nods her consent.
"You've also missed the part where they need to know everything that Wrath has done to find proof of it." Micah says looking between Mace and Obi, changing the subject entirely, the two look at each other and both nod.
"Sheev Palpatine is my father." Obi tells the room.
"What?" Dooku whispers to Arl surprised.
"You didn't know?" Arl asks him quietly, he shakes his head.
"He is also my half-brother." Mace adds.
"That one I knew." Dooku says feeling marginally better.
"Wrath possessed my father and killed my mother in front of me. He then put my two siblings and I up for adoption." Obi continues, Arlie can feel Dooku's rage growing and sees Qui-Gon edge closer to Dooku.
"Master, you must calm yourself." Qui tells him quietly, Dooku takes a deep breath.
"I killed my Master to save Sheev and instead I made things worse for him." Dooku whispers quietly, his voice thick with grief.
"I cannot begin to understand how much that must suck but you really need to get yourself under control Dooku. This is not the time nor the place for this." Arlie reminds him.
"Yes, thank you Arleia." He snaps quietly glad everyone was listening to Obi-Wan talking. He uses the opportunity to centre himself as best he can, knowing he will have to leave the temple soon, he has been grounded too long.
"You led them." Arlie says suddenly looking at Dooku as pieces fit together in her mind.
"I what?" Dooku asks confused.
"You led them but you did not make them follow, not in the beginning. You had supporters, many in fact. Too many for it to have started then. Too many droids all ready to fight for it to have been as quickly deteriorating as we believed. It's fourteen years before the beginning of the clone wars, but how long would it have taken to set up. It may not have been all them, the Republic was corrupt long before Sidious, so did he start this or simply encourage it, and when, how. I need more, I can't blasted think. Only so much processing power a ten-year-old brain can have, this is another reason Obi was a good idea, he's older. But no because there had to be setup, but where did it start? The home planet perhaps? The stronghold? How did you do it though…" Arlie mutters to herself not noticing when people quietened and began listening to her.
"Arl?" Mace asks, she spins and looks at him.
"You, I spoke to you, and then…wait…Obi, when did Dooku leave the order?" Arl asks.
"Dooku left before the war?" Qui says surprised, Dooku shushes him.
"Let her think."
"Um, that was around the same time you started dating…" Obi begins saying but Arl cuts him off.
"No need to get into that kriffing fiasco, that would have made me twenty-eight?"
"Or eighteen, depends on your definition but yes." Most of the room looks confused by that statement but run with it for now.
"So, eight years from now, but there were signs, he was in trouble, I knew that, I mentioned it. But not to you." Arl says in dismay, "Because your Master was avoiding me." Dooku shushes Qui-Gon before he even speaks this time. "Because it did not start when I thought it did, either theory, when his father's lawyer contacted him. That was when he warned me to keep Anakin away from Palpatine." Arl says.
"And why the fuck didn't you listen?" Obi asks still angry about that.
"Oh shut up you knew he was a murderer and you let your padawan and little brother near him as well. Now more importantly, that means it was not for another three years."
"What isn't?" Mace asks voicing everyone's thoughts.
"The start of the war we did not know we should have been fighting. Three years from now, at most, Wrath contacts you Dooku. I am not sure what he says but you joined him. Everything was very different, but to get you to join him he had to have given you a damn good reason, or…" Arlie begins.
"He gave me no choice. Or at least, no good choice." Dooku finishes.
"Exactly, we should work out what that is but more importantly, it is very possible that he has been using his senate seat and the influence it brings, avenues it opens, to begin sowing the seeds of destruction throughout the Republic."
"Arlie are you suggesting that the clone wars may happen regardless of whether or not we stop Wrath?" Obi asks, Arl notices his hands balled into fists with a slight tremor.
"Under a different figure head, unless he manages to sway Dooku again, unlikely especially if we can work out what he had on him. But even if we very publicly discredited Sheev, Wrath is not so stupid as to allow anyone to realise who has been pulling their strings, we very nearly didn't. We did not realise until a month or so before the war started."
"And when she says we, she does not mean me because she left me out of it." Obi says sounding irritated.
"I wanted to keep Ani out of it and given how you reacted when your father first arrived, can you blame me for wanting you out of it as well?"
"No, I wouldn't if it had been your decision but I know my Uncle and I know it was his. Seeing as it has not happened here, the only one I can reasonably be annoyed at is you. Now answer my force damned question." Obi-Wan demands angrily standing up.
"Yes! I am saying the war may happen anyway." Arl says loudly, the entire room freezes at the admission, even Arl.
"No." Obi says harshly after a pregnant pause.
"No?" Arlie asks.
"No. I do not care if I have to assassinate the man myself while he is possessing my father, I do not care if I have to kill every gods damned seppie out there. That war will. Not. Happen." Obi-Wan says through gritted teeth though everyone could see the tears and fear in his eyes, the whole body tremors and the sickly pale tone of his skin.
"Obi-Wan, I need you to…" Terza starts saying as she rises and steps closer to him, Obi's eyes widen and he steps away several steps, Terza stops moving but Obi doesn't he turns and rushes to the door.
"Ob-Wan!" Qui-Gon says worriedly.
"I got this." Arl says going after him and ignoring the fear she feels and her own tears.
"Like hell you do, you set this off." Qui says catching up and moving with her, they only have to go down the corridor before they find Obi-Wan standing frozen in the middle of the hallway, staring at little Anakin Skywalker who is sitting on a bench happily laughing at a bird that has somehow gotten into the temple.
(There are no birds on Coruscant.) Arl thinks before shaking her head disbelievingly at herself.
"Obi!" Ani cries happily when he notices him, he runs towards him when Obi drops to his knees and catches the young boy in his arms.
"Anakin, oh Ani." Obi says holding the boy tightly and burying his face in his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Anakin asks, Obi nods.
"Yeah, I am now. I got you back."
"And I am never leaving, so don't be sad." Arl chokes back a sob before she centres herself, she would be strong, she will not break down until the job is complete. Not the Sith, but her promise. She would make the Jedi ready to evolve and then, then she would lay down with Ani and Obi and Owen and Garen and Xan and cry, grieve, break apart so that they could help put her back together. But not yet, now she would be strong, and she could, for her brothers she would do anything and she would do this.
"Ani, what are you doing here?" Arlie asks, the young boy looks hurt.
"My test, you forgot?" The boy asks sadly, Arl's eyes widen and she shakes her head.
"No Ani, of course I did not forget! I just did not realise the time." She says looking at the time on the chrono in the hall.
"If everything is all right here, I'll go remind them of the time as well." Qui-Gon suggests, Obi-Wan nods to his Master. "Obi-Wan, just remember, you aren't Ben, his mistakes are not your own." His padawan smiles gratefully at him and relaxes more.
"What was that about?" Arl asks.
"Uh, Master Qui-Gon and I were talking last night about um, before. I was saying it was hard to keep things straight in my head and he was reminding me that Ben and I are different people." Obi says mindful of the boy in his arms.
"Intelligent." Arl says approvingly.
"Who's Ben?" Anakin asks wanting to be included in the conversation.
"An old friend of mine." Arl replies easily.
"Oh, is he here? Can I meet him?" Anakin asks.
"Sorry Ani, I haven't seen him since I came here."
"Then how does Obi-Wan know him?"
"Uh, he was my…uncle, and we were really close, but he made a lot of mistakes. Yesterday Arl and I were talking about how similar he and I are and I was worried I would make the same mistakes." Obi-Wan says making it up on the spot yet making it sound completely believable.
"Oh, well where is he now?" Anakin asks.
"He, uh, died. A few days ago, that's why we were talking about him." Arl facepalms discreetly at Obi-Wan.
"I'm sorry about your Uncle Ben. And your friend." Anakin tells the two of them.
"Don't worry about us Ani, we'll miss him but, Good Old Uncle Ben left us a lot of work to do so we'll keep busy." Arlie tells her brother who smiles seeming less worried.
An hour later Anakin came out of the Council chamber with Garen and sees Shmi, Obi-Wan, Arlie, Dooku, and Qui-Gon waiting for him, he sprints over to them with a massive grin on his face.
"I passed!" He says happily leaping at his mother who easily catches her son.
"Congratulations Ani." Shmi says holding her son close. Obi puts a hand on his back and smiles proudly at him.
"Our Masters said if you would like, we'll have a celebratory dinner at our place and invite some of the initiates so that he can get to know them before he goes to the creche?" Garen offers Shmi who smiles gratefully.
"That would be lovely, if you're sure it won't be an imposition." She replies.
"Not at all Lady Skywalker." He replies.
"Garen." Shmi says.
"Sorry, Shmi." He amends sheepishly.
"How about we go to the commissary and get some lunch?" Arl suggests, they all nod and begin heading to the door when a blonde girl a year younger than Obi-Wan and Garen comes sprinting up to them.
"ARL!" She yells desperately, "He just went crazy and I didn't mean to hurt him but things exploded and…" The girls says, coming to a standstill in front of Arlie.
"Siri calm down, what are you talking about?" Arl asks her, she'd never seen the usually fearless girl so terrified.
"Xanatos." She replies.
"Where." Arl demands sounding very cold suddenly, running after Siri when she runs off, Dooku following without a word. "Go on without us." Arl calls back to the others as an afterthought.
Siri led them down to the holding cell where Xanatos was being checked over by a healer.
"Get out." Arl demands as soon as she enters the room.
"Hey, you cannot be here…Master Dooku." The healer says when he notices him behind her. Arl has little patience and grabs the guy by his collar.
"Get. Out." She says again, Dooku nods to the guy who leaves quickly. Probably to tell on them to Terza, she'd understand. Arl moves and heals Xanatos, except the broken leg.
"Why did you stop?" Dooku asks seeing the leg still broken, Siri and Dooku were standing outside the cell, only trusting her to be alone in there because if it came to a fight she would win, she looks at him with a dry look on her face.
"Because he is about to wake up and I'd rather he be unable to move until I'm sure who is in control."
"You think a broken leg would stop a Sith lord?" Xanatos' voice says behind her, she knew instantly it was not her friend speaking.
"Wrath." Arl says before turning back around.
"His shielding is impressive, it took me a while to break through, especially without him noticing and alerting someone. But you should know Kitten, you cannot keep his mind from me forever." He says giving her a look of pitiful condescension.
"Did you want something or just to gloat?" She says forcing herself not to flinch at his name for her.
"Join me in the mindscape and we'll talk…Arlie!" He says, her name coming out as a sudden terrified shout.
"Xan?" Arl asks hopefully.
"Arls, I don't, what…that's enough of that."
"Xan, listen to me, fight this. I know you can, you are stronger than you know, fight."
"Oh, he won't be coming back Kitten, wait…what is this?" He says before Xanatos' face suddenly goes blank, his eyes devoid of life as he drops to the ground. Arl calmly walks forward, careful to make sure this was not a trick before bending down and sensing him still alive.
"He is alive."
"What happened?" Dooku asks, she looks at Xan's eyes.
"I've no idea." She says touching his forehead to sense any darkness or light, any consciousness at all. Then he starts screaming and convulsing, she changes tasks and attempts to calm his mind to control the convulsing as she searches for the source of his pain.
"By the force, what are you doing to him?!" Terza demands as she arrives outside the cell.
"It is not me, I am merely searching for the problem. Wrath isn't in here, but neither is Xanatos." Arl tells them retreating from Xanatos' body and looking up to them. Xanatos continues to writhe and scream. Terza enters the cell and kneels beside her and Xan's body. "I can put him under but that's all anyone can do for him, his consciousness is not present in his mind, he's just a shell."
"What?" Dooku asks, everyone looks truly horrified, it was the most expression anyone had ever seen on Dooku's face. He hears the hitch in Siri's breathing, although he does not know her he draws her into his arms. The girl buries herself in his robes terrified but trying to calm herself, he holds her and pushes calm serenity into the force, the girl calms slightly, as do he and Terza. Arl has blocked herself from it though. "What was that mindscape Wrath mentioned? Could he be there?"
"Only one way to find out, I have to go there." Arl says settling into a meditative position but she feels a hand on her shoulder stop her, she looks up to see Obi-Wan.
"You cannot go in alone, let's get Xanatos to the healer's wing, you and Dooku go and find him. I'll help Healer Terza monitor you both, I know what's dangerous and what is not." Obi-Wan tells her, she hesitates, unsure how he'd know, and nods, they head off to the healer's.
"We should take Vos as well, he's more impartial than either of us and he's our partner." Dooku tells her, she nods before smiling at him.
"Our partner? You've claimed him as well then?" Arl asks jokingly, the two weren't assigned to each other but after the experience the three went through, it was an unspoken agreement that they would not be separated.
"More like adopted him, overgrown child." Dooku grumbles.
"Overgrown child? Must be looking for me." Vos says entering the healing room they were in.
"How did you…" Arl begins to ask.
"I felt your terror, both of yours and feelings of desperation that suggest a stupidly reckless plan, figured I'd come join and save your asses. And complain about not being included but I guess I was going to be anyway." He says with a smile, "So what are we doing?" he asks taking the seat beside Arl. Xanatos was on a bed in between Dooku and Arlie.
"First step is entering Xanatos' mind, after that just follow my lead. I'll explain when we get there." Arl says.
"Arleia, do me a favour. Don't get lost, your Masters would kill me." Obi-Wan tells her, she smiles softly at him before entering a light meditative trance and entering Xan's mind, she feels Dooku and Quinlan do the same.
Arlie, Dooku, and Quinlan enter Xanatos' mind and follow it to the 'Mindscape'. Once there she delves in deeper and urges them to follow, it's quick work to bring them to the mindscape, they did not hesitate to follow her direction at all.
"Welcome to the mindscape." Arl says to them as she embodies herself, they follow her example and do the same though Vos' is a little shimmery for a moment before Dooku reaches over to ground him, though they could not touch, Quinlan could follow the feeling of the 'limb' to end up in the same state.
"Okay, where to now?" Quin asks surprised that his voice fills the entire area despite it being a normal volume.
"This place is your perception, all of it is what your mind sees, what you hear is all of what your mind hears. It is complicated, I do not fully understand, I've only been here once but it is vaguely similar in its reliance on perception to a place I spent...well…no time in when I was a child."
"Which time?" Dooku asks teasingly, he feels more than sees her glare.
"The first time."
"You know, I have never actually heard you speak of when you were really a kid."
"Look this is not exactly the most secure place, Xanatos' mind has no shielding, anything can get in and take control, that's why he is strapped down and why we are in a hurry. Let's get going. Now, focus on what you can feel, there should be a bond, like a piece of string, thin but fixed firmly in place."
"Found it." Dooku says.
"Same."
"Good, follow it with me, we are going to the mind of a Sith. One more thing, shield yourself well from everything in here except each other, that way if one of us comes under attack the other two can strengthen our shielding. It's likely we will learn a lot of things about each other so let's just agree to not go looking for things and still be friends after this, yeah?"
"Arlie, I…" Dooku starts saying.
"If you want to save your Padawan, this is how we do it, pick a priority because if you are not 100% with us then turn back now and we will get him." Arl replies, her annoyance becoming all they can feel before it fades quickly. She opens herself to them and closes off to everything else, Vos follows her lead and eventually Dooku does as well.
"Oh…damn." Vos says now understanding why Dooku was so hesitant, "Oh we are going to have one long conversation when we get back and I reserve the right to be pissed. But for now, let's just get going." Vos says, although they can feel his anger and feelings of confusion tinged with betrayal, they sense no fear.
They follow the link through to another mind, this one dark and clouded, it reeked of corruption but there was something broken and reeling in a corner of it.
"Oh gods." Arl says suddenly.
"What? What is that?" Vos asks wanting to know what it was that seemed to be in such agonizing pain.
"We are not in Wrath's mind. We are in the body he possesses, this is what is left of Sheev Palpatine."