From Darkness, I Rise

by Kurenaino

The Jedi are thrust into a war that threatens to tear the galaxy apart, and prospects are bleak when the fearsome Sith Negotiator begins to win key victories against the Republic. Sequel to From Grace, I Fall. Also, more Sith!Obi keeps the sadness away. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.

38. Stage Set

Chapter 38: Set Stage

Quinlan Vos stood in the medical wing of the Jedi Temple, banging his head against a thick, steel wall while his Padawan sat silently beside him. After the absolutely devastating loss at the Battle of Haruun Kal, the Jedi were dispatched across the galaxy, all with battalions of clones at their command, all with fleets of ships equipt combat the Separatist might. The Jedi Temple felt empty now. So few Masters were left, so few Knights, and it seemed these days that all Vos saw running around the Temple were younglings and initiates. At least they seemed happy. They did not yet need to deal with the weight of the galaxy.

Qui-Gon and Anakin had flown off to bring the fight to Grievous, the cyborg General said to be in possession of a devastating ship that tore through anything that it came near, regardless of size. They had thought there was a good chance that Obi-Wan would be with him, seeing as how they had worked together on Haruun Kal with devastating results. Luminara was gone as well, escorting Senator Amidala on a diplomatic mission to Rodia that the Mirialan Master was certain would somehow go wrong, and given the Jedi's past with the Negotiator, she seemed the logical choice to defend the already influenced Senator.

Master Plo Koon was gone, trying to hunt down Kenobi's renegade ship, the Liberator. Master Yoda was gone, attending to a diplomatic matter regarding the King of Toydaria and the aid he could provide nearby, suffering Ryloth. Shaak Ti was gone, overseeing the advanced training of the clones on Kamino. His former Padawan Aayla Secura was gone, fighting to liberate some invaded neutral world. Kit Fisto, Adi Gallia, whoever the kriffing hell else, they were all gone too, and with Mace Windu still recovering in a bacta tank, the Jedi Council was largely absent from the Temple. They had been called to session, but Quinlan ignored the summons. He was still a month away from being deployed, and the Jedi didn't listen to him anyway.

The Kiffar groaned when his head hit the wall again, and he looked behind him at the two bacta tanks in the room, each one holding a Jedi Master that had failed on Haruun Kal, Mace's injuries physical, and Depa's mental. Neither were showing signs of waking up any time soon. For the tenth time that day, Quinlan's eyes drifted to the lightsabers on a nearby table, stacked with the folded robes of the Jedi in the tanks.

"Master," Ahsoka said sharply, the Kiffar's dark eyes looking to his Padawan. "You can't." He had smiled softly at that. Despite all the things going wrong, Ahsoka Tano was going right. She had throw herself into her studies, and in the time they had been in the Temple, her powers, both physical and through the Force, had grown exponentially. She took the Sith's mental intrusion into her mind very seriously. But she also understood that it was the Jedi that had failed Kenobi. The more she learned about him, the more complicated the situation became. She didn't want revenge. She just wanted answers.

"...I know." The temptation to learn what happened was almost overwhelming, since nobody alive had seen Obi-Wan or the disastrous fight between him and the Jedi. Mace certainly could shed some light on the matter, if he chose to wake up, but Depa...it didn't seem like Master Billaba would wake up again. While her body still continued to function, her brain activity was nearly non-existent. Her mind had been utterly destroyed, and nothing the medical droids or the Jedi healers did seemed to work. Lightsaber burns covered their bodies, burns that should have been fatal, but miraculously weren't. The burns on his own forearms held the answer to what had happened, as both Mace and Depa shared the similar burned rings around their arms. Kenobi's blade had been lowered in intensity. Death hadn't been the objective. At least, not at first.

"...how could Master Windu lose?" Ahsoka asked softly, and Quinlan sighed, dropping into a chair next to her.

"A few things could make that happen. A Jedi doesn't desire to kill, so..."

"Not even when they're fighting for their life?"

"Not even then. Though they do, death isn't the objective." He shook his head. "That's not what happened with Mace, though. It's not like him to back off, especially not when the Sith are involved." He took a deep breath. "He could have been defending something. Maybe Depa was injured first, maybe he was trying to protect her."

"Do you think that's what happened?"

Quinlan bit his lip, thinking for a moment, then shrugged. "More likely, Obi-Wan was just better. It's been years since Mace fought him, and now, Obi-Wan is being fueled by the Dark Side. He's going to be stronger than before."

"...is the Dark Side stronger?" Ahsoka asked, her blue eyes wide and trusting, and Quinlan had to look away.

"...yeah, it is. The other Masters would tell you otherwise, but from everything I've seen, from everything I know to be true...yes, it's stronger. If it wasn't, there would be no reason to fall, no way it could tempt us."

"...is that why the Sithkiller fell?"

Vos nodded slowly. "He was betrayed by the only family he ever knew. He felt he was alone and in the shadow of a younger, more promising Jedi."

"...Anakin?"

"Yes. Obi-Wan fell for power, Ahsoka, I've no doubt about that."

The Togruta looked at the bacta tanks, their soft glow illuminating the Jedi inside. She slowly reached up and pulled the Padawan chain that hung behind her lekku. "Do you think he felt that way when I met him?" Vos nodded. "...I feel sorry for him. Do you think we could still help him?"

Quinlan shook his head. "Obi-Wan doesn't need help, Ahsoka, he's doing fine."

"But he's fallen."

"What does that even mean, hmm?" Quinlan pointed to the bacta tanks. "He's fighting back, we're the aggressors. He's lost to the Jedi, but Obi-Wan isn't lost. I believe he can be reasoned with. He'll fight against us, yes, he'll kill us if he has to, but..." He groaned, running his finger down the long scar on his face that Kenobi had given him. "I don't know. I think, given the choice, he wouldn't kill the Jedi. Not all of us, at least."

"I was there on Christophsis, Master, he was in my mind! I saw what he did to you, he was torturing you!"

"But he didn't kill me, and I believe him when he said he was just keeping you out of the way. He only became aggressive when Anakin and Qui-Gon showed up."

"...he's going to kill them."

"You're right. He is." The Kiffar smirked. "Unless...he can be convinced not to."

Ahsoka crossed her arms. "And how do you expect to do that?"

"I don't know," he drawled, leaning back in his chair, his arms behind his head. "He and I need to sit down and have a little chat. Our relationship is a mess."

"Maybe, Master," Ahsoka drawled, leaning in and leering at the Kiffar, "if you weren't so hung up on a Sith Lord, you wouldn't be having these relationship problems. Why can't you just find yourself a nice Jedi, huh?"

"Sweetie, you know I like me a bad boy..."

"Excuse me?" The voice came from behind them, and both Jedi spun around and looked toward the hallway to find a young initiate with a bleeding forehead standing in the doorway, his short, ruffled brown hair unkept and his blue-green eyes wide and curious. Quinlan stood, and a broad grin spread across the initiate's face. "Hey, I know you! You're Master Quinlan Vos!"

"Uh oh," the Kiffar drawled, pulling Ahsoka up and holding her out in front of him like a shield. The Togruta wasn't amused. "Whatever you think I did, I didn't do it."

"You're a Master on the Jedi Council!" the initiate cried, trying to circle around the Padawan, but Quinlan rotated the girl around to keep her between him and the youngling. He couldn't have been more than ten or eleven, and Quinlan Vos did not handle children. "I've almost met all of the Masters! Almost! I met Master Luminara a few weeks ago, right before she was appointed!"

"If it was before she was elected, it doesn't count," Vos drawled, and the boy stopped and scratched his head, pulling at the little braid behind his right ear.

"...yeah, I guess you're right..." he mused for a moment before thrusting his hand out to the Kiffar. "I'm Caleb Dume."

Quinlan grabbed Ahsoka's arm and forced her hand out, the little initiate not seeming to care who's hand it was he grabbed, and he shook it vigorously. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere, youngling?"

"Yes," Caleb said. "Right here." His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I was, um...sent here. From training." He pointed to the cut on his forehead. "I...fell."

"You fell..." Ahsoka asked, deadpan when the Master behind her tried to keep himself from laughing.

"Yeah, see! My head is bleeding!"

"Yes, I can see that..." Ahsoka muttered. "Why don't you go tell someone that actually works here?"

"I looked around, but nobody's here!" the boy pouted. "Nobody's anywhere. How am I supposed to become a Padawan if there's no Masters to take me?"

"You're still a little young for that," Quinlan drawled. "Alright, kid, sit, I'll get you fixed up. Ahsoka, go see if you can find one of those idiot medical droids. Tell them that Master Windu is dead, if they aren't being cooperative." Ahsoka flashed a grin at the Jedi Master and ran from the room, Caleb shuffling to one of the vacated chairs and looking about the room. His teal eyes fell on the bacta tanks, and he couldn't look away. Quinlan returned to him and slapped a wet cloth to his forehead, but the boy hardly noticed.

"Who's that?" Caleb asked softly, pointing to the tank, and Quinlan looked to see who the boy meant.

"That's Depa Billaba," Vos said, wiping the blood off the initiate, smirking when he saw that the cut had already begun to heal.

"What happened to her?"

"She met a Sith Lord on Haruun Kal. He entered her mind and broke it, apparently."

Caleb gasped, looking at the Kiffar completely appalled. "They can do that?!"

"They can do anything," Vos drawled. "The Force is their ally, the same as us. They just...don't use it right."

"...does she have a Padawan?"

"No, and she's not likely to. She's in a coma, and nobody thinks she's coming out of it." Quinlan sighed. "But the Force hasn't left her so who knows. Anything is possible."

Little Caleb crossed his arms and frowned, his blue-green eyes lighting up with determination. "Well, she needs to get better soon, or I won't get a chance to get any of the action in the Clone War before it's over!"

Quinlan laughed at that, ruffling the boy's already messy hair. "You're feisty. That'll serve you well. But don't be too eager for this fight. The Sith are no joke, and the one we're fighting..." He whistled. "He's something else."

Caleb nodded and turned his gaze back to the bacta tank, and for just a moment, Quinlan felt a rush of the Force, a deep and powerful pulse that seemed to link the initiate with the Master. The Kiffar shook his head and looked at them, but the moment had passed. Perhaps this boy was on to something.

Quinlan cleared his throat. "When are the Initiate Trials?"

"Soon. They were going to be tomorrow, but..." He sighed. "Nobody's here."

"That just gives you more time to practice!" the Kiffar insisted, pushing the boy from the chair and to the door. "Your face is fine. Get out of here and get back to training. You'll never be a Padawan if you're skipping class to come meet the Council!"

Smiling, the boy bowed deeply and ran from the room, and as soon as he was gone, Quinlan grabbed the two lightsabers on the table and touched them with the Force, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he was flooded with the overwhelming memories of the recent battle. He had to know. He needed to know. The more he knew about Obi-Wan, the more prepared he would be when he finally faced him again.

---

Anakin and Qui-Gon sat on the bridge of the Resolute, carefully studying the reports from Haruun Kal. It had been nearly two weeks since the battle, and the Jedi had been bouncing across the Outer Rim in pursuit of Grievous, the cyborg General that had escaped their grasp on multiple occasions. He had even managed to survive the destruction of the Malevolence, which stood as a major victory for the Jedi forces, as the dreadnaught had been tearing through Republic ships like they were nothing. Quick thinking by Skywalker and a trap laid by Qui-Gon led the cyborg into making a serious error, costing him the ship, but the General had managed to escape. He wouldn't for long, though. They were keeping on his trail, and they wouldn't lose it yet.

Haruun Kal had been a nightmare. Of the two thousand plus clones that were sent, less than two hundred returned, and both Jedi Masters that were sent were still in intensive care, and Depa Billaba had yet to regain consciousness. On top of that, the native populations were just...gone. Vanished without a trace. Aspects of this battle had Grievous written all over it, but the rest of it reeked of Obi-Wan. It was up to Anakin and Qui-Gon to discover which was which, as it would help them in forming future strategies against the Separatist leaders.

The holotable they sat at began to flash with an incoming call, and without looking up from his reading, Qui-Gon activated the holoprojector, the image of Luminara appearing before them. Anakin stood and bowed.

"Master Luminara. How's the Senator?"

"Quite well," the Mirialan said. "She's managed to capture Viceroy Nute Gunray." The caf that Qui-Gon had been quietly sipping was promptly spewed on to the floor, the old Master coughing for a moment before he stood.

"You captured who?!"

"Didn't he escape Republic custody years ago?" Anakin asked, grinning widely when Luminara nodded. "Alright, way to go, Padmé!"

"Negotiations didn't go as planned on Rodia, then?" Qui-Gon asked, and Luminara shook her head.

"Not quite as planned, no. Rodia still declares for the Confederacy, but they are...more open to the idea of cooperating with us."

"So we captured the Viceroy on a Confederate world?" Qui-Gon asked carefully, his voice strained. "That isn't going to look good for the Republic."

"It won't be bad for us either," Luminara said, smiling. "The Rodians arrested him and turned him over to us. Senator Amidala has some very influential friends."

Anakin sighed heavily, ignoring a glare from his Master. "Tell the Senator to continue her good work," Qui-Gon said. "Are you transporting him back to Coruscant?"

"Yes, we're on the way now. We have him on board the Tranquility, it should be a smooth trip."

"Just remain vigilant, Luminara," Jinn warned. "Two weeks and none of our troops have seen any sign of the Negotiator, the Liberator, or Obi-Wan. We expected to see him when we were assaulting Grievous and destroying the pride of the Separatist Fleet, but he's nowhere to be seen." Qui-Gon crossed his arms. "He's up to something."

"Or maybe he's dead," Anakin drawled. "Haruun Kal was a slaughter. Maybe he died there."

"I sincerely doubt it," said the Mirialan, shaking her head. "Master Windu reports that the Sith was alive at the end of the battle. Besides, Haruun Kal was a slaughter for our troops, not for his." She shrugged. "Perhaps we should be grateful we haven't seen him. If he can defeat Mace Windu in single combat, than he can defeat us all."

"Mace is awake?" Qui-Gon asked.

"You didn't know?"

"I didn't."

The Mirialan Master smiled. "He regained consciousness yesterday, and Quinlan repots that today, nobody could get him to stop talking. Reports on Haruun Kal are being updated." Jinn nodded.

"We'll take a look, Luminara. I should contact Coruscant and find out how he's doing. Take care in delivering your package to safety."

Luminara nodded. "May the Force be with you."

"And also with you, Master." Qui-Gon cut the feed and quickly put in the call to Quinlan. "You know, Anakin," he drawled, the table beeping as the call was placed. "I have been thinking about you and the Senator."

Anakin swallowed hard. "Master, maybe now's not the best-"

"It is." His dark blue eyes observed the boy carefully, taking note of his every move and gesture, locking in on their connection and sensing the boy's feelings. "I think...perhaps you are not wrong to enjoy her company in...a romantic sense." Anakin's jaw nearly hit the floor, and the Master cleared his throat. "The problem, Anakin, isn't the attachment. After all, a Jedi draws their strength from their connection to others. A Jedi that remains unconnected to this galaxy will fail to understand what it is they are protecting."

"Y-yes, well..."

"The problem," the Master sternly said, "is when the attachment becomes possession. It leads you to put the needs of your loved ones before what your duty demands of you. It leaves you open to darker things if something were to happen to them..." Qui-Gon sighed. "I...saw how you handled your mother's death..."

Anakin tensed. "Master, I'm...sorry for what happened there, I...I couldn't think straight..." Anakin felt anger well up inside him and, taking deep breaths, he managed to tame it. "I know what I did was wrong..."

"It was, yes." Qui-Gon took a deep breath. "But it could have been worse. Much worse. You're...relying on others to get you through things, which is...human, I suppose. I relied on you to get through this whole mess with Obi-Wan, so..." Jinn sighed heavily. "I can help you to control and manage your attachments, so...you know..."

"...are you giving me permission to have a girlfriend?"

"It isn't permission, it's...acceptance. If it goes that way."

"...is it possible to be a Jedi like that?"

Qui-Gon shrugged. "In the Old Republic, Jedi often had families. It was an important part of building the Order."

"...a lot of Jedi fell."

"A lot of Jedi didn't." Qui-Gon took a deep breath. "If you doubt yourself, Anakin, if you think you may fall because of your attachment, than I encourage you to avoid it. But if you think you have the personal strength to do it...I can help you."

Anakin nodded. "I'll...meditate on it, Master. Thank you."

The holotable finally lit up to find the image of Quinlan Vos covered in dirt and far, far more disheveled than usual. "I need to get out of this Temple..." the Kiffar droned, shaking. "I need to get back to this war."

"That bad on Coruscant, Master Vos?" Qui-Gon drawled, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"I have been to the Senate twice today!" he snarled. "They're in an uproar over the capture of Nute Gunray." The Kiffar huffed in frustration. "Which is pointless, that Neimoidian sleezebag has no bearing in the war!"

"He's a war criminal," Master Jinn drawled, shooting his Padawan a look when Skywalker started laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, who isn't these days," the Kiffar growled. "If Luminara was going to bring in a war criminal, it may as well have been Ventress, I promised that banshee a date. Or Obi-Wan! Why not him!" He sighed wistfully. "I have missed having a lover's touch..."

"I think you'd have more luck with Ventress than Obi-Wan on that count," Qui-Gon said, his voice shaking with repressed laughter. Anakin's own helpless chuckling was proving to be contagious, and the Kiffar's frantic state wasn't helping matters. "And still, your chances would be zero."

"You just don't understand our love, dad!"

"It's not that, Quinlan. You're just not good enough for a cultured, city man like him."

"And then!" the Kiffar fumed, ignoring the other Master, "I had to teach the younglings. Younglings! Qui-Gon, the only ones left here are younglings and old, retired Jedi. If I have to hear one more story about the good old days from Master Sinube, I'm going to throw myself off the top of the High Council's spire."

"It can't be that bad..."

"No, it is that bad, Master," Anakin whispered. "You have my deepest sympathies, Master Vos."

"I hear Mace is awake," Qui-Gon interrupted, steering the conversation on course. "What is he saying?"

"Lots about the battle, but none of it's good," the Kiffar said, looking away from the hologram. "He's really shaken, Qui-Gon. Apparently, Kenobi absolutely destroyed him."

"Did Mace say how he managed that?"

"He's being vague abut it, but...he says Obi-Wan's fighting like a Jedi." The Kiffar crossed his arms in front of his chest when the Master and the Padawan sat up straighter. "He says he was calm and removed, and he exhausted himself against Kenobi's defenses before he even tried to attack."

"That isn't at all how he fought with us," Anakin whispered.

"No, it isn't...Quinlan, do we have any news from Master Billaba?"

Vos shook his head. "Negative. She isn't waking up. The others here don't think she will, but...I saw something last week that makes me think they might be wrong." He sighed wearily. "There was been this...initiate. He's been running through here every single day. I try to stop him, but he keeps insisting that it's the will of the Force. And the questions! Qui-Gon, he never stops!"

"Younglings rarely do..."

"I don't know how Depa is supposed to recover with all this commotion." He sighed heavily. "If she is to recover at all..."

"We'll keep her in our thoughts, then."

The Kiffar looked over his shoulder, then crept closer to the pickup on his end of the holoprojector. "Listen..." he whispered, checking again over his shoulder. "I took a look at Mace and Depa's lightsabers when they were out...no, stop, don't give me that look, Qui-Gon!" Vos hissed when Jinn shot him a glare. "I needed to know what happened. Obi-Wan hurt her, yeah, but he never tried to kill her, not like he did with Mace. He broke her. He found a way into her head and shattered her mind."

Qui-Gon was silent for a moment, breathing deeply before he asked, "Any idea on how to beat that?"

"Not yet, but I'm thinking of something. You and Anakin bring out the worst in him, though. It'll make him dangerous, but I think he could start making mistakes if we make him mad." Quinlan shrugged. "He's also shown to be really cautious around Master Yoda. If we can get them to meet again, maybe we can capture him. Or, I could sit down with him and talk to him, like I've wanted to."

"Terrible idea, Quinlan."

"I just don't think that playing on his field is a good idea, Jinn."

"Talking and negotiations are his field."

"Since when has talking been the domain of the Sith!" the Kiffar cried. "We're Jedi, we're supposed to be the diplomats, not the Sith Lords! They're the ones who are supposed to want things to break down into fighting, not us."

Qui-Gon sighed. "I'm not the expert in Obi-Wan, Quinlan. Talk to Master Yoda, he should be able to help guide your actions. In the meantime...just stop looking at those sabers, Vos. You know it's dangerous."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." he drawled, his long fingers tapping his cheek. "You take care out there. Mace says he may have crippled Grievous on Haruun Kal. Maybe you can use that if you manage to corner him."

"We'll keep that in mind, my friend." Quinlan grinned, waving as he cut the com, and Jinn leaned back in his seat.

"...do you think we can capture Obi-Wan, Master?" Anakin asked, and the Master took a deep breath.

"I don't think we can. Not unless he wants to be caught."

"So we need to kill him."

"...it may come to that," he said softly. "Pray it does not." Qui-Gon took a deep breath. "There may still be a way to get through to him. Let's hope that the Force shows us a way."