Chapter 29: Dwindling Numbers

When the Jedi left the Separatist base, they saw nothing but smoke and flames, the streets littered with the twisted metal of broken droids and the mangled, bloody bodies of hundreds of clones. The long boulevard was littered in debris and bodies as far as the Jedi could see, and Qui-Gon clutched at his chest, the pain of hundreds of lives extinguished felt keenly in the Force. The high-pitched screech of a sleek black and red cruiser pulled them out of their daze, and they watched the ship speed away, if for nothing else, to focus on something other than the massacre before them.

Quinlan stepped forward first, coming to kneel before a blaster that was splattered with blood, and he closed his eyes, laying his hand on the weapon and feeling it with the Force. The vision jolted him like a ship going in to hyperspace, and his mind was filled with visions of chaos and panic, clones running and shooting against an enemy that was completely impervious to blaster fire, and Quinlan's eyes widened as he focused on the cause of the panic. Rampaging through the streets was, in fact, a rancor, but the beast was far bigger and far more ferocious than the Kiffar tracker had ever seen. Large horns and tusks rose out of it's pale gray skin, and the feral beast wore the torn cockpit of a starfighter on its head, the transparisteel of the viewport serving as shielding for the beast's vulnerable eyes, the metal twisted around the horns and fixing it to its head like a primitive helmet. With a sharp gasp, Quinlan released the weapon.

"It was a rancor."

"A rancor?" Anakin asked, and the Kiffar nodded. He knew that the clones said it was a rancor, but Skywalker had thought they were mistaken. Rancors didn't live on Christophsis. They didn't live on Tatooine either, but Anakin had heard from his brother Owen that the resident crime lord, Jabba the Hutt, kept one as a pet. Maybe this one was an escaped animal as well.

"Not like one I've ever seen, but yes." Quinlan frowned.

"I don't understand," Qui-Gon whispered, his hand coming to his chin as he considered all that had happened. "Rancor will rampage through basically everything. We came as soon as we got the call, so...where is the beast?"

"...that's a really good question." Quinlan's eyes scanned the area and quickly found the path the rampaging rancor had taken. "I'm going to go look for the beast. You get back to camp with Ahsoka and see how bad the damage is." The Kiffar didn't wait to hear Qui-Gon's protests, and within a moment, the tracker was bounding and leaping over piles of bodies and debris as he followed the careening trail.

"...come on, Anakin," Qui-Gon said softly, picking up the still-dazed Togruta and slowly starting down the boulevard before he stopped, shaking his head and heading off toward a smaller side street. Skywalker jogged to catch up with him, shooting one last look at the field of battle, and he felt rage simmer deep within him. The Separatists would pay for what happened here.

"What happened?" the Padawan asked softly, and Qui-Gon shook his head.

"I don't know exactly. But this wasn't a battle. This was a trap. Obi-Wan knew our plan. That's why this happened."

"He wasn't just lucky?"

"There's no such thing as luck, Anakin. There's only the will of the Force, and Obi-Wan has been manipulating the Force for a very long time. This happened because he willed it."

"...so we have a traitor."

"That seems likely, yes."

Anakin's blue eyes narrowed. "We need to find the traitor, and we need to take this planet. We can't let all those clones die for nothing." Qui-Gon said nothing, and Skywalker bit his lip, kicking at the dust on the ground. At least these streets weren't wet with blood. "...what happened in there with Kenobi, Master?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Anakin stopped, collecting his thoughts as he observed his Master's blank features. "He's Sith, isn't he? He could have killed us all, more than once. He was holding back. Why."

"I want to say it's because he's still himself. That he's...salvageable." Qui-Gon shook his head. "He isn't, I know this. Yoda knows it. He's...patient. He's planning something. Maybe it's because of the Jedi we brought, maybe it would have gone differently if someone else were here instead of us." He sighed deeply, clutching the Togruta close to him. "We need to change our approach. Going after Obi-Wan is too dangerous, but if we want the war to end, we need to capture him and Dooku. The Confederacy will collapse without them."

Anakin looked up into the sky, breathing deep and even as he observed clone transport ships flying overhead as they lowered out of sight behind the buildings of the city. "...well, we could avoid him. You're right. We...need to be patient."

"...are you sure Obi-Wan didn't mess with your mind? You, suggesting patience?" Anakin flushed deeply, his teeth grit as he felt his ears burn.

"I'm trying to learn, Master! You keep advising patience, and today, I actually listened. I fought with a Sith and didn't lose a hand, so I think maybe it was good advice."

"...you did very well." Skywalker looked up at the Master, and the man, despite the weight on his shoulders, was smiling faintly. "You put life before killing the Sith, you protected us instead of focusing on the attack. You were...centered. I've never felt you harness the Force so well."

"...you think?"

The Master nodded. "I'll be forced to give a good report to Master Yoda. He may die of shock."

The compliment was a touch backhanded, but it was said with a light heart, and it was a compliment none the less. Anakin grinned. "It...felt good. I hated letting him go, but...well, we'll see him again, probably sooner than we want."

"That is a certainty. The Force certainly has a cruel sense of humor..." He sighed deeply. "Three times...what is he planning..."

"...the first time doesn't count. That was a mistake, he meant to leave before we got there. But on Mandalore, he wanted us there, and today...well, he obviously was waiting for us."

"More importantly, he left. He obviously doesn't care if the planet comes into Republic hands."

"...what kind of commander doesn't care if he loses a major battle?"

"...one that's thinking three steps ahead." Qui-Gon groaned loudly. "This is like playing against Obi-Wan in holochess or dejarik, and I've never known anyone to play the game better. He lost Christophsis to move pieces so he could trap us later."

"...Master, I really hate this guy."

"I understand the feeling." They came out from the small, twisting streets to the Republic encampment, and they found order slowly being restored by fresh battalions of clones, the blue individualized stripes and designs on the bright white armor indicating that the 501st legion belonging to Qui-Gon had arrived from the Resolute. The battle in space above the planet continued, but the Separatist blockade had been hopelessly broken, allowing both sides to freely send new troops to their front lines. The camp was thankfully untouched. The rancor seemed to not get that far before it disappeared. Clones lay dead and dying all around the encampment, but the new arrivals had brought medical droids and supplies, and the wounded were being tended to.

When Anakin spied the familiar blue pattern on a clone's helmet, he rushed to the man and tightly hugged him, the clone gasping and struggling to get away as his brothers pointed and laughed. "You Jedi are...affectionate..."

"Compassion is our greatest quality!" Anakin chirped. "I'm so glad you're alive, Rex!"

"Me too..." he removed his helmet, running his hand over his shaven head. "Not many of us got away." He saluted when Qui-Gon approached, the old Master nodding slightly, and the clone and the Padawan fell into step just behind the Jedi. "Sir, I'm sorry. We failed you in this battle, we-"

"At ease, soldier. You did your part to the best of your abilities. We failed you. It was a trap, and we didn't sense it." He laid Ahsoka down on the ground, and Anakin quickly found some spare cloth to put the Togruta upon.

"A trap? I thought we were trapping the clankers," the clone said softly, and Qui-Gon bent to caring for the young Padawan.

"Anakin and I feel we have a traitor in our ranks." The clone tensed.

"Sir, we are trained on Kamino to follow orders! We wouldn't-"

"If that's what we wanted, we'd be using droids. You are people, Captain Rex. You think, you reach your own conclusions." Rex bit his lip and looked away, and Anakin thought he saw a faint touch of color come to the clone's face. "...also, the Sith we are fighting is a known mind manipulator, so there's that."

"If there's a traitor in our ranks, I'll find him, sir."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Tell us about what happened."

"I already gave my report to General Yoda, sir, but if you'd like-"

The Master's eyes widened. "Yoda is here?"

"Unaware, you have become, Qui-Gon," came the thin, amused voice. "Old, you are" The tiny Master laughed, and Qui-Gon rose, bowing deeply, and Anakin followed suit.

"I am pleased to see you, Master Yoda," Qui-Gon said softly, watching as the tiny Master hobbled to Ahsoka's side and laid his hand on the girl's head, eyes closed in concentration as he felt and supported her presence in the Force. "Is Ahsoka going to be alright?"

Yoda grimaced, a soft groan expressing his displeasure. "Unequipped, this Padawan was, to handle the Dark Side. Healing, she will need. Recall the Jedi, we must, to teach them. Dangerous, Obi-Wan has become."

"You mean to bring all the Jedi back to Coruscant?" Anakin asked, dumbfounded. "But we're at war, Master, we can't bring everyone back and leave the galaxy undefended!" Skywalker found Yoda's stick once again bearing down on his head, and he winced, rubbing the place he was struck. How the Master managed to hit him on the head from so far down on the ground was a mystery he would never solve.

"Capture Obi-Wan, we must. But not possible will it be, if fight against him, we cannot."

"Master, he won't kill us, he-" The stick once again found its way to Anakin's head.

"No Jedi, he has killed. Not yet, that we know. But saw inside him, I did. Anger and hate, there is. Restrained, Obi-Wan has been, but long, it will not last."

"If he's restraining himself," Qui-Gon said softly, "than perhaps there's some of his old self left in him."

Yoda nodded sagely. "Yes. But aid the Dark Side, it does. More dangerous, it makes him, than ancient Sith. Remain guarded, we must." He tapped his stick against Rex's armored leg. "The rancor, captain."

"R-right." Rex cleared his throat. "The Separatists sent a third wave of droids to face us. We were suffering casualties, but the trap was working. We suffered setbacks when that...woman showed up." Rex sneered, and Anakin couldn't help but repress a chuckle. The clone had been outraged to discover that the Separatists employed Force wielders as well, believing the Republic to hold the monopoly on the ability.

"We took care of her quickly enough..." Anakin drawled, a smug smirk on his face.

Rex nodded. "When the Jedi left to assist General Vos, we..." The clone cleared his throat, shaking his head as if trying to make sense of the images in his mind. "It was a rancor, General. Enormous and gray with huge horns and it was..." He growled, crossing his arms. "It was wearing a ship on its head, General. It was outfitted for combat, and blasters don't work against it. It ran through us like we were nothing."

"Did you order a retreat?" Qui-Gon asked, and Rex nodded in affirmation.

"As soon as I realized we had no way of taking it down. But by then, it was too late. I ordered the retreat, but not all companies followed me out. They were massacred."

"How many survived?"

Rex shrugged. "Torrent company mostly made it out. But the others...there were less than a hundred of us on the ground before General Yoda arrived with reenforcements." Anakin bit his lip and had to look away. They had nearly a thousand clones on the ground when the sun rose that morning.

"Master, we should have stayed."

"I'm beginning to think you're right. Our lives aren't worth the loss of so many."

"Sir, we were born for this," Rex started to say, but Qui-Gon held up his hand to silence him.

"Why you were born is irrelevant. What matters is that you were born. All life is precious, even those that were manufactured as you were."

"How did you stop the attack?" Anakin asked, and the clone looked puzzled.

"We didn't. The creature just...left. It was rampaging and tearing through us and everything in its path and then it just stopped. It looked like something called it away, but we didn't hear anything."

Qui-Gon could feel a pit form in his stomach, and he looked at his Padawan and Master Yoda. They both felt it too. "...Quinlan went after the beast. If it's out there, he will find it."

"And it's not." They all looked up to see Quinlan Vos return, breathing heavily and covered in dirt, his tunic shredded from his battle with the Sith and a long, thin burn running up the side of his face. Qui-Gon hadn't noticed it before. "I followed it's trail, and it began and ended in the same place, and until recently, there was a ship there. It left on a ship."

They were silent for a long while, little Master Yoda closing his eyes and sinking into meditation while the others wrestled with a growing sense of dread. "I've never heard of a rancor behaving that way..." Anakin said softly. He couldn't take the silence. He needed to talk about this, or it became far too frightening. "I've never heard of a rancor looking that way either. Aren't they brown?"

"Normally," Quinlan growled, rubbing at the burns on his forearms. He frowned. It looked like he was manacles, and nobody kept Quinlan Vos. He'd have to pay Obi-Wan back for this. "There are several variations of the species. This one is a Bull Rancor. Native to Felucia, and a great deal bigger and more dangerous than the common species." He crossed his arms over his chest and winced as he rubbed against the burn on his chest. "Felucia is a Confederate world, so if they're taking in beasts now, that's a good place to start."

"But how are they taming them?"

"I've heard the Nightsisters of Dathomir tame the rancor as a part of their training," Qui-Gon said softly, and Quinlan grinned at the other Master.

"They do. And that hot piece of ass they brought with them is a Nightsister." He paused. "Not Obi-Wan. Ventress." The Kiffar rolled his eyes. "Force, Anakin, Obi-Wan can't be a Nightsister, stop being so ridiculous..."

Skywalker shook his head. All he could do was play along, or the ridicule would continue. "Sorry, Master, it won't happen again. I didn't mean to get in on your territory."

"Could the rancor belong to Ventress?" Qui-Gon mused, stroking his beard as he thought.

"Or Obi-Wan," Quinlan drawled. "When we traveled together, we went to Dathomir to meet the leader of the witches there. Obi-Wan knew her, he could have learned to tame them from her."

"Why couldn't he just do it himself?" Anakin said under his breath, but all the Jedi Masters heard him, and they all looked to him. The Padawan could feel his ears burn. "He's obviously powerful. Very powerful. I tried to get a feel of him through the Force while we fought, and it was..I've never seen anything like it." He bit his lip for a moment and looked to his Master, those dark blue eyes downcast. "...we know he can control minds. Not just weak ones, but Jedi. Ahsoka and I aren't weak, we know how to shield, and he commanded us all the same. Controlling a beast like a rancor isn't exactly a stretch."

"...I don't want him to have a rancor!" Quinlan wailed, kneeling beside his Padawan and scooping up in her arms. "I'm going back to the ship. I need medical attention and Ahsoka..." The Kiffar's face suddenly fell, and he clutched the small girl to him tighter. "...I don't know what she needs. I've failed her, and it won't happen again..."

"Will you be back?" Anakin asked, and Master Vos shook his head.

"Between you and Qui-Gon and Yoda, you'll capture the planet in no time at all. I'll just get in the way." Quinlan left without another word, Rex following closely behind him, and Anakin scooted closer to his Master.

"...can I ask you something?" he whispered, and the Jedi nodded. "Why did you take me from Tatooine?"

"This is hardly the time for-"

"No, it is the time for it, Master," Anakin snapped, much harsher than he intended. "I've now seen Obi-Wan in the Force, and it was overwhelming. You've always said my potential is nearly limitless, but I'm not even close to the strength of him!"

"You are, Anakin..."

"No, I'm not! He held his own against three of us, he controls people's minds, he is so close to the Force I can't see where the Force ends and he begins! And you threw that away for me?!"

"I didn't throw him away, Anakin!"

"Maybe not, but he thinks you did, and that's what matters right now, because that's what he brings to the table every time we fight him. You're the Master that threw him away, and I'm the boy that replaced him. No matter how you look at this, it isn't good."

"Right, Skywalker is," Yoda softly rasped, his eyes still closed, and both Jedi sank to their knees and sat before him. "Powerful, the Dark Side has made him, Skywalker. Study, you must, focus, you must have, if face him, you will."

"...but he is stronger than me." The Master just shook his head.

"More powerful, the Dark Side is not. Strong, he is, but stronger are the Jedi."

"He took on three of us at once!"

Yoda's closed eyes clenched tighter. "A Master he is, of the Dark Side. A Jedi Master, he would have been, if with us, he had stayed. Knowledge he has of both sides of the Force."

"...how do we defeat him, Master?" Qui-Gon asked softly, and Yoda opened his eyes and looked at the Jedi.

"Know that, I do not."

"We'll just have to get stronger," Anakin mumbled, rising to his feet and brushing himself off. "Master Yoda, when I fought him today, I...I felt in tune with the Force like I never have before. It was calming and comforting and I felt so centered, I..." He took a deep breath. "I need to be able to do that at will. I believe you. Calm and focus are a Jedi's weapons, but Obi-Wan uses them too. Can you help me learn to be closer to the Force?"

The small Master nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Help you, I can."

"Thank you, Master."

Qui-Gon rose, laying his hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "Anakin," he whispered, his voice careful and measured. "I took you from Tatooine because it was the will of the Force for us to find you. The Force is always trying to balance itself, and if the Dark Side is on the rise...maybe you are part of the Force's plan to return balance." He looked away. "Obi-Wan was ready. Or, I thought he was. I never would have let him go if I knew it would lead to this..."

"...I know, Master." Anakin smiled softly and slowly hugged the towering Qui-Gon. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to be so harsh. Force, you must think I'm awful."

"No," the Master smirked. "Just impatient. You still have much to learn."

"Tell me, you must, about the battle." Yoda rasped, and Qui-Gon nodded, quietly telling the Master about the trap they laid for the Separatists, about their fight with the Dark Sider, Ventress, about how they came to the Separatist base to find Obi-Wan standing over Quinlan Vos, his young Padawan in the corner and struggling to resist the Sith. Anakin watched the ancient Master frown as Qui-Gon detailed exactly how the fight went, and even though the Jedi had triumphed, Skywalker felt that they had lost. Allowing the Sith to escape had saved nobody.

"We all thought he was holding back, Master," Qui-Gon concluded softly, and Yoda nodded.

"Agree, I do." He closed his eyes, his long ears lowering as he seemed to be searching for something that nobody else could see. "A disturbance, there is. Meet this Sith again, I must."

"He's long gone by now," Qui-Gon drawled, "And we have a planet to liberate. How shall we go about this?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do until Rex finds the traitor," Anakin replied. "Making plans seems like a bad idea when we have someone that may be telling the Separatists all our plans. With any luck, he was killed by the rancor..."

"...perhaps we can use this to our advantage." Anakin looked to his Master and saw a pleased smirk cross his face. "We could have a strategy meeting to discuss our next tactic so the traitor gets the information we want them to. That gives us the ability to predict and control our enemy's movements."

"...that's very risky." Anakin grinned. "I like it." They were about to begin their secret planning when the com on Qui-Gon's wrist started beeping incessantly, and when he answered, he was greeted with the angry cursing of Quinlan Vos.

"You know, there are children present, Quinlan."

"I'm not a child!" Anakin protested, but another volley of curses shut the Padawan up.

Suddenly, the cursing stopped, and Quinlan sweetly purred, "Oh, Qui-Gon. Guess where I am?"

"...what have you done."

"Nothing! I'm on the Resolute! Ahsoka's resting, they say she's going to be fine."

Qui-Gon exhaled with relief. "I'm glad to hear it. I don't want your Padawan on my conscious."

"Yeah, she's a tough one!" Vos laughed, his previous anger forgotten. "I'll have to teach her what I can about resisting that Sith idiot, but I'm admittedly not very good at it. Maybe Yoda will help."

"He's already requested that the Jedi return to the Temple to learn how to counteract the Dark Side."

"Oh, can you do that?"

"It won't work on you, Quinlan." They couldn't see the Kiffar, but Anakin knew he was pouting. "Are you sure you won't come to help take Christophsis? We could use your help, and it's not like you will be going home. We need the ships."

"Oh!" The cursing resumed, and the Jedi sighed, listening to the creative profanities come cracking over the com. "Guess where I am," Quinlan snarled.

"The Resolute. We've had this conversation."

"No, I got distracted," the Kiffar hissed. "You are always distracting me."

Qui-Gon sighed. "You lack focus..."

"I've always lacked focus! Do you see the problem here? I'm on the Resolute!"

"You came here on my ship, Quinlan, and it seems I've correctly assumed you'd be returning to it." Qui-Gon rubbed at his temples, Anakin feeling the frustration of his Master, but Yoda, sitting and silent behind them, had a growing sense of unease.

"Right, well, my ship isn't here, Jinn."

"What do you mean, the Dauntless is engaging the Separatists, we left the 212th aboard to serve as the fighting force in the air while we engaged the ground troops."

Anakin gasped when the Force pulled at him, his being reaching out and feeling the energy of the things around them. He understood Yoda's anxiety. There wasn't a disturbance in the Force. There was a rip in it. "Oh no..."

"I mean, Qui-Gon," the Kiffar said slowly, "my Dauntless is gone. I watched it leave."