Twenty-Two

"I don't have a good feeling about this."

Obi-Wan wasn't the only one currently harboring that same reservation. Both Ahsoka and Anakin were manifesting the same sentiments. He was, however, the only one of the three to voice his hesitance out loud. Truthfully, after all they had encountered and experienced, this latest obstacle should hardly give him pause, but Obi-Wan couldn't shake the tentacles of dread that had started to unfurl in the pit of his stomach.

They stood together on the shoreline and observed the heavy mist rising from what Obi-Wan could only presume was the most massive lake he had even encountered. He had no visual confirmation of that because seeing anything through the thick fog that permeated the entirety of the cavern was next to impossible. Only the general dampness of the cave walls and the gentle lapping against the shore gave away the fact that there was any water source there at all.

There was a muted glow that was refracted through the dense cloud cover and shimmered on the cavern walls like dancing beams of light. It cast everything in such an ethereal shine that Obi-Wan might have found it hauntingly beautiful under different circumstances. At the moment, however, his most pertinent desire was to find Luke and Leia and get out of there. But he knew the execution would be easier said than done. The mist made it impossible to discern the edge of the water but, based on what he could see and how far the cloud cover stretched, Obi-Wan could only assume that the body stretched for several kilometers, perhaps more. He stroked his bearded chin and looked over at Anakin for clarity.

"Lake, river, pond or stream?" he asked flatly.

"Lake."

"I presume we will need to cross it in order to reach the children."

"You presume correctly," Anakin replied.

"And I don't suppose there's some sort of transport available to simplify that endeavor, is there?" he continued in the same dry tone, "Or should I prepare myself to swim for it?"

Anakin made a face at him. "Did you expect that any part of this trip would be easy?"

"Of course not, but I hadn't factored in crossing large bodies of water either." With a grim expression, Obi-Wan gestured towards the lake. "Let's get on with it then. Please, lead the way."

With a cool confidence he didn't necessarily feel, Anakin strode forward and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka fell into step behind him. The mist curled away as they started forward, revealing a path of smooth, flat stepping-stones that led off into the water. He might have been relieved to see a path there if he weren't aware of what they were all about to encounter very shortly.

For the first time, it became possible to view the actual surface of the lake and note how remarkably pristine the water appeared. The urge to stoop down and draw his fingers through the placid surface was strong but Anakin staunched the impulse and turned his attention to the flattened rocks instead. In his estimation, that seemed like the most reasonable place to cross since, despite Obi-Wan's dry jesting, swimming was absolutely not an option. He started there. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan cautiously followed behind him.

As they traveled further in, Anakin began to realize that the water didn't appear to be as deep as he had been anticipating. The lakebed remained visible beneath the translucent currents even as they moved farther and farther away from the shore. The shallow depth almost made the need to keep on the stone path feel unnecessary, but Anakin knew better than to step off of it. Wading through the lucent water wasn't an option though the reason for that didn't become readily apparent to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka until several seconds later.

Almost on cue, Ahsoka asked, "What is this place, Anakin?"

"It's called the Lake of Apparitions."

That answer was received with an unenthused grunt. "Really? Do I even want to know why that is?"

Ahsoka had no sooner asked her question than she received her answer in the most startling manner possible. Before she could mentally prepare herself for the sight, she stifled a reflexive yelp and watched with shocked disbelief as the first pair of feet came into view followed by legs, torso and finally a face. The mist rose higher, revealing that the waters just below them were filled with dozens upon dozens of people, lying head to feet in neat, endless rows as if they had been carefully placed there. While they appeared to be sleeping as they floated silently beneath the surface, Ahsoka suspected strongly that was not the case. She instinctively scooted closer to Obi-Wan.

"You do know we're walking through a gravesite right now, don't you?" she muttered to him in an underbreath.

"Yes. I am very aware," he muttered back. Despite his bland tone, it was evident from his facial expression that he was just as unnerved as she was. "I knew this was a terrible idea."

"This is so creepy," she uttered in a singsong tone.

"Would you two relax?" Anakin sighed plaintively, picking up on their growing unease through the Force, "These aren't actual bodies. This is what remains after we die and return to the Force. This lake is the final resting place for all Force sensitives."

Ahsoka stopped short at the explanation. "You mean after we die," she countered with special emphasis, "You're destined for something else."

He smoothly ignored that implicit reminder and pressed on. "Regardless. These aren't people, at least not their physical bodies. They're shadows of what they once were."

"Are you saying that this is where I'll come when I die?"

Anakin turned a solemn glance back at her. "Yes. This lake is a manifestation of the living Force."

"Everyone comes here?"

"Everyone…with a few exceptions," he amended after a cryptic look.

Ahsoka contemplated that disclosure. Her thoughts rolled back to the countless Jedi knights that they had lost during the brief but bloody Clone Wars more than a decade earlier and even more recently to those knights and padawans that had been lost in Preet's Purge. One glance at Obi-Wan confirmed that he was considering the same thing as he peered down into the faces beneath the water. As they tentatively made their way forward, Ahsoka slowly began to recognize some of those faces. Some she hadn't seen since her childhood. Others were recent losses. Most of them had been extremely dear to her.

Tears welled in her eyes when she considered how perfect and peaceful they all appeared. There were no flaws, no blemishes, no battle scars or injury, no evidence of time or trauma etched deep into their features. They were like angels, radiant, floating, and eternal. She hadn't realized how much she had needed the reassurance that those dear, deceased friends were all safe in the bosom of the Force until she had actual visual confirmation that they had all made it home. They were truly a part of the living Force now.

She glanced up at Obi-Wan again and was rather surprised to see her usually stoic former master struggling with his own emotions as well. She had never seen him so vulnerable before. Ahsoka watched him scan the water with avid eyes. It was apparent to her that he was looking for someone specific.

"Have you found him yet?" she asked in a gentle tone.

Obi-Wan looked at her sharply. "Who?"

"Master Qui-Gon," she whispered, "That's who you're looking for, isn't it?"

He hung his head with a sheepish grunt. "Am I that obvious?"

"It's alright to admit that you loved him, Master."

"Hey, you two!" Anakin called back to them, "I realize this is a trip down memory lane for you but, we don't have time to be caught up in nostalgia. Let's remember why we're here."

It wasn't Anakin's intention to sound cold or unfeeling, especially because he could empathize with how unnerving it felt to see the faces of loved ones that had been lost for so long. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to let himself be sidetracked by sentiment. Now that his Force bond with Luke had been reopened, Anakin was being inundated with the boy's emotions to a near overwhelming degree. There was still a great deal of confusion and anger swirling about inside of Luke but there was also love and longing for Anakin. Luke didn't bother to shield that at all. But the feeling that was most prevalent, the thing that caused Anakin to move with purpose and single-minded determination was fear. Luke was terrified.

Anakin couldn't be sure if that fear was for himself or if it was for Leia. What he did know was that it was pervasive. Blind panic quaked all around Luke, encompassing him in a stranglehold that robbed him of his ability to breathe, to think, even to move. He wanted to flee, but he was being held in place, weighed down by something that was systematically breaking him apart, piece by meticulous piece. There was nowhere for him to run, nowhere to conceal himself, no place for him to find refuge and security at all because danger and darkness were everywhere.

Dad! Dad, please hurry! Help us!

"Obi-Wan! Ahsoka!" Anakin barked, "We need to move now!"

He was already bounding across the rocks before either of them could question what had provoked his renewed urgency. It was enough that Anakin was suddenly moving as if untethered, which could only mean something terrible had happened…or was going to happen. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka instinctively gave chase and tried to match his impetus though they were unable to keep time with his incomprehensible speed. The distance between them continued to widen despite their efforts to catch up. Their preoccupation with keeping pace with Anakin made them impervious to the plethora of faces that zipped past in their periphery as they charged forward. One particular face, one with distinctive tattoos and burning yellow eyes that flashed open the instant they swept past, escaped their notice entirely.

Without warning, the blur that was moving up far ahead of them came to an abrupt stop. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka finally managed to catch up with Anakin but that were unable to immediately determine the reason he had slowed so suddenly. Seconds later, however, his reasons became abundantly clear.

The glowing water of the lake had become dark and dense, so much that it almost resembled some kind of liquified tar as it rolled and splashed up against the stones on which they stood. It was no longer possible to see the bottom of the lake or much of anything at all below the water's surface. The difference was so stark that it didn't even seem like the same lake. Obi-Wan absorbed the transformation with a deep grimace of concern.

"What is happening here?" he asked Anakin.

"We've reached the Depths of Eternity."

"Oh, Anakin," Obi-Wan groaned woefully, "Why does that name sound so very regrettable?"

"Because it is regrettable. This is the deepest part of the lake," Anakin explained, "If you fall in, you will sink for eternity. Not even I will have the power to pull you back."

"Sink for eternity, you say? Hence the delightful name. How wonderful!"

"Exactly. These waters are dangerous. You and Ahsoka need to tread carefully from this point onward."

"Of course, we do," Obi-Wan grumbled, his sarcasm especially heavy, "What would this trip be without the constant threat of complete annihilation? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm having an absolutely lovely time!"

He had barely finished muttering his complaint or taken his first cautious step forward when something unseen shot up from the black depths of the water and grabbed hold of him. Anakin reacted quickly, as if he had been anticipating the attack all along. In a single, fluid motion, he had effectively loosened the assailant's grip and flung the specter aside before Obi-Wan had even fully comprehended what was happening. He teetered for balance and Ahsoka kept him from toppling into the dark water completely by catching hold of his forearm in a firm grip. Once Obi-Wan managed to right himself, he realized that Anakin had thrown up some sort of shimmering, protective shield all around them and just outside of that shield, floating in mid-air and grinning madly, was Darth Maul.

"You've got to be joking," Obi-Wan uttered in longsuffering.

Maul clicked his surprisingly white teeth in a travesty of a smile. "Kenobi. My old nemesis. You're not dead yet. Please, allow me to remedy that for you."

"No, thank you. Your efforts on Mandalore were quite enough."

The mad grin stretched further. "Oh, but I insist."

"Really, Maul? Are you truly holding a grudge against me from the grave?" Obi-Wan balked, "Isn't this beyond ridiculous, even for you? Have you not grown weary by now?"

Anakin followed the exchange as much as he was able before his thread of patience snapped and he brusquely interjected. He deliberately wedged himself between Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, forcing the Zabrak to acknowledge his presence for the first time. "I'm in no mood for your games, Maul! Let us pass!"

"Look at you, Skywalker. All bright and shiny and new. It appears that I was right about you after all. I forgive your failure to show proper gratitude for the part I played in this marvelous transformation of yours."

"Move aside!" Anakin enunciated from between clenched teeth.

"Oh, gladly," Maul replied in an accommodating tone, "I have no interest in you any longer, Skywalker, or your tiny Togruta here. Be on your way…but leave Kenobi with me."

Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber from sheer force of habit, though she had already come to learn that the weapon served no benefit to her beyond shadows. Just as it had been on Mortis, in beyond shadows almost everything was impervious to the laser heat of her blade. The place was comprised of the living Force. In that realm, her lightsaber served as little more than an illuminator in the dark. Still, she gripped the hilt skillfully, as if she meant to cleave Maul in two for a second time if he gave her cause.

"Who are you calling a 'tiny Togruta'? If you go after my master again, you'll see how 'tiny' I am, Maul!"

He had the audacity to snap his teeth playfully at the threat. "She's feisty, Kenobi. I like her."

Ahsoka tried not to shiver in revulsion under Maul's leering stare. It was the first time that she had ever encountered the Zabrak in the flesh…theoretically speaking since, in this case, he was not flesh at all but an apparition. While she, Obi-Wan and Anakin had spent several weeks chasing him across the galaxy after he and his brother had embarked on a bloody rampage that left dozens dead and the Republic on the verge of a political coup, Ahsoka had never come face to face with her enemy in that time. Even when he'd attacked Mandalore, she had been tasked with seeing the Duchess' royal advisors to safety, so she had missed that final confrontation that had left Anakin on the brink of losing himself and her master precariously near death. Seeing him now, Ahsoka didn't find him nearly as menacing as she had imagined he would be.

That wasn't to say that he didn't look fearsome. His razor-sharp horns, angular, red and black tattooed features, and piercing yellow eyes were a terrifying sight to behold. He looked demonic and yet there was also something about him that was oddly beautiful in a way…almost otherworldly. He appeared just as perfect and whole as all the other lifeforms they had encountered in the lake…good, noble Jedi who had all died doing good, noble things. It seemed incongruent that Maul should be here among them when he had committed such evil. Ahsoka couldn't understand how he could radiate the same incredible light and peace that they did.

"How are you even in this place?" she hissed more to herself than to him, "You're a Sith! You don't belong here!"

"Don't I? Foolish child," Maul tsked softly, "There are no Jedi or Sith in the depths. Only the Force. We are all the Force now. We are equal here."

"Hardly! How dare you equate yourself with them?" Ahsoka spat, "They spent their entire lives serving a greater purpose! You only served yourself!"

"And yet I am here, little one…just as they are."

"You don't deserve it! You literally just tried to kill Obi-Wan a second ago!"

"You make that sound like a bad thing. Is not the point to rejoin the living Force, to leave our crude bodies behind and become something greater than ourselves? That is the conclusion for us all. I merely wish to help Kenobi along faster in that endeavor."

Obi-Wan tried not to snort aloud at Maul's manufactured benevolence though he couldn't resist throwing out a derisive, "Your benevolence astounds me, Maul."

Anakin, growing progressively more aggravated with the exchange and unnecessary delay, growled again, "Maul, get out of the way! I don't have time for this! My children are in danger!"

Maul surveyed him with speculative eyes. "You're as pushy as ever. I find your manner quite ungrateful, Chosen One. Look at all that you have achieved, all that you've become…because of me. And not a single thank you either." He looked over at Obi-Wan and laughed, as if he had delivered some inside joke that was only between the two of them. "I must say, Kenobi, you did a very poor job with this one."

"Move," Anakin ordered brusquely, "Or I will move you."

"I know very well that you can, but you know that I will come right back. You don't control the Depths, Skywalker. Neither does she."

"You mean Abeloth?"

"Who else?"

"Where is she?" Anakin demanded, "Where is she keeping my children? Tell me!"

"Do you imagine you'll simply barrel in and save the day? She is not Sidious, you know," Maul whispered, his tone a strange combination of seething hatred and unrestrained glee, "She will not be weakened or vanquished by her affection."

"Affection," Anakin scoffed, "He had no affection for anyone besides himself and neither does she! This place has driven you even more mad if you believe otherwise."

"No. It has made everything so startlingly clear. Sidious did love you in his way, or at least he loved the idea of what he could create in you. That is why he hesitated to kill you that night in his office when you confronted him. And that is why he is here now, and you stand there."

The mere thought of Sidious lurking nearby somewhere beneath the blackened surface of the water filled Anakin with a plethora of conflicting emotions. The thought of confronting his former mentor again was both daunting and thrilling. His inner vanity wanted to flaunt how powerful he had become in Sidious' face. Despite Sidious' mastery over the dark side, Anakin had every confidence that he could subdue the Sith lord with incredible ease, but that was a Sith's inclination and Anakin recognized that. Besides that, he didn't relish the idea of being confronted with the man who had compelled him to throw away everything that had been precious to him with both hands.

Anakin couldn't be sure how much of what Maul spoke was truth and what part was fabrication, but he did know that the Zabrak was deliberately baiting him. It was highly probable that Maul wanted to provoke Anakin's anger purely for his own amusement. Anakin resolved not to give him the satisfaction. He stood in stony silence, glowering at Maul darkly but the Sith assassin was not finished. He was determined to get under Anakin's skin one way or another.

"I can beckon your old master if you wish," Maul revealed in a silken tone, "Perhaps you would like the opportunity to settle your differences."

"He was never my master."

"Not in this life," Maul purred. There was a crack in Anakin's stony façade at the revelation, but just barely. Maul pounced, nonetheless, determined to widen that small fissure into a gaping hole. "Yes. I know it all. There is nothing hidden here in the Lake for those who seek the knowledge." Anakin tightened his jaw, biting back his sharp retort. Maul burrowed deeper.

"He is aware of your transformation, and he is pleased with what you have accomplished. You have become so much more than he could have fathomed. He does wrongly take credit for things that are not his doing, but there's little point in quibbling over details. You are clearly what he and I have made you."

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way," Anakin hissed, "You can do that of your own volition, or I can move you."

"I've already stipulated my price, Skywalker. Pay it and you cross this lake unmolested."

"Alright," Anakin snarled, having reached the limits of his patience, "My way it is then!"

He started to cast Maul backwards when the Sith suddenly dove beneath the water and out of view. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka fruitlessly scanned the fathomless depths in hopes of tracking his movements, but Anakin was already fully aware of where the Zabrak would surface next. When he emerged underneath the dome of Anakin's protective shield near the rocks just at Obi-Wan's feet, Anakin started to push him under again but something else beat him to the action. Another figure rapidly rose from the churning waters to drag Maul back down.

Anakin expected to hear a struggle or brief thrashing, but only an eerie silence followed as Maul gradually disappeared fully from view and the mysterious figure rose in his place. As the person gradually took shape, Anakin's eyes widened in shock. He stumbled back a step, the astonishment nearly causing him to drop his shields.

A surprisingly youthful and restored Count Dooku regarded him, his expression unsmiling. His dark hair was brushed back in perfect waves, his thin face, bearded face noble and authoritative. Anakin might not have recognized him straight away were it not for his dignified posture. Even in death, Dooku remained a distinguished gentleman.

The last time Anakin had seen the man was that night on Korriban when he had electrocuted him with his own Sith lightning. Imbued with dark power, Anakin had taken his life for the pure enjoyment of making an example out of him to Sidious. Though he sometimes struggled with disappointment in himself over his actions that night, Dooku's death was not something he allowed himself to regret at all, mainly because he knew the Sith lord had been far past the point of seeking redemption. He hadn't wanted it. Dooku didn't regret any of the atrocities he'd committed. Anakin, for all the terrible wrongs he had done, had never quite reached that point, though not for lack of trying.

In his estimation then, Dooku needed to die because change wasn't possible. But he didn't expect that Dooku would share that same conviction. For that reason, Anakin wondered if he'd risen from the depths, not to save them from Maul but for the sole purpose of settling the score between them. Anakin didn't fear that Dooku could exact any real harm against him. That was an impossibility now. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, however, were another matter. Anakin instinctively tightened his protective fortress around them.

"Do not fear me, Skywalker," Dooku said, correctly reading his thoughts, "I mean them no harm."

"What about me?"

Dooku chuckled softly. "It has been a long time, and much has changed since we last met."

"You'll forgive me if I remain skeptical. Have you come to finish what Maul started?" Anakin asked warily.

"That would be foolishness on my part, would it not? We both know that you cannot die."

"That doesn't mean you can't still take your revenge against me in other ways."

"Revenge is a tiresome concept," Dooku sighed, "In many ways, you freed me that night on Korriban. I finally have the thing I sought all along. Peace."

"And Maul?" Anakin prompted, "He doesn't seem to share your sentiments."

"It is not malice that drives him. He is like a child and obsessed with Obi-Wan to the point of fanaticism." Dooku turned to acknowledge the aforementioned for the first time since emerging from the Depths. "He seeks your companionship only. You are what gives him purpose. And we all need purpose…even in this place."

Obi-Wan shuddered at the implication. "My companionship? Are…Are you saying that Maul cares for me in some way?"

Dooku shrugged lightly. "Hate and love are both expressions of deep passion, Obi-Wan. He wouldn't be the first to muddy the two."

His deep-seeded revulsion over the theory kept Obi-Wan from dwelling on it further, and he switched the subject entirely by asking, "Why did you help us?"

"I have no desire to see you dead, young one."

"Oh, really? Since when?"

"I have never wished ill upon you," Dooku insisted, "My purpose was merely to expose the corruption within the Republic and the Order. Those who sought to cripple my endeavor to do so contributed to their corruption and became part of the problem. You were in my way. That is all."

"But you became the very corruption you sought to destroy! Can you not see now that you chose the wrong path?"

"I disagree. The Republic and the Order have been cleansed as a result of my actions. They are undergoing a glorious rebirth…because of me and Maul and Sidious. I have no regrets."

"You would do it all again? Betray Master Yaddle? Follow Sidious? Irreparably damage the Order? Even knowing all that you know now? You would willingly plunge us into darkness?"

"Yes. It was a necessary evil. Qui-Gon would have understood that better than anyone."

"Do not speak of Qui-Gon!" Obi-Wan snapped, "He would have never sanctioned you betraying your own brothers!"

"Perhaps not. But even he knew that the Order needed to die." He inclined his head towards Anakin, who had remained tensely silent throughout their exchange. "As does your Celestial friend here."

"Why are you here?" Obi-Wan muttered wearily, "Why not Qui-Gon? I want to hear these things from him! Why did he not come instead of you?"

There was a thread of bitterness in the last question that featured prominently. For that reason alone, Anakin hesitated to rush Obi-Wan's exchange with Dooku along even though he was growing increasingly more agitated the longer they stood there. He recognized the profundity of the moment.

While Anakin didn't know the precise details of Obi-Wan's relationship with Qui-Gon, especially because Obi-Wan had never been particularly forthcoming about his past, he recognized that their relationship had been a complicated one. Obi-Wan had spent most of his tenure as Qui-Gon's padawan struggling to find worthiness in his master's eyes. Their philosophical differences on what did and did not constitute duty had always been a sticking point between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. Even Obi-Wan's determination to train Anakin hadn't been born from an actual desire or even any real conviction that Anakin should be trained, but because he hadn't wanted to be seen as a failure in Qui-Gon's eyes yet again.

Anakin could empathize with those complex emotions. He had wrestled those same feelings when he had been Obi-Wan's padawan. Based on that experience, he discerned that Obi-Wan very likely had a lot of unacknowledged resentment for his old master. It was a delicate situation and Anakin didn't want to rush Obi-Wan through his grieving process, but at the same time, his children were in danger and that was the only thing that Anakin could focus on.

"Obi-Wan, I know this is very difficult for you, but we really need to move now."

That forceful reminder of why they had come beyond shadows and what was at stake was enough to reorient Obi-Wan. His expression became an impassable mask once more. "Of course. My apologies for the delay, my friend," he said before turning his attention back to Dooku, "Thank you for your assistance with Maul."

"I will see to it that he does not impede your journey any further."

"We would appreciate that greatly."

"By the way," Dooku added as Obi-Wan started to turn aside and fall into step behind Ahsoka and Anakin, "Qui-Gon has not forsaken you, boy, if that's what you imagine." Obi-Wan froze and slowly pivoted to face Dooku again. "He is not here. I don't know where he went after he died, but he did not come to this place."

"Do you know where I can find him?"

"I do not," Dooku replied sadly, "But you do. You just don't know it yet. And you will find him eventually." He nodded towards Anakin. "He knows that as well."

Anakin nodded his wordless confirmation of Dooku's declaration before adding softly, "In due time, Obi-Wan. I promise you."

Obi-Wan nodded, his expression clouded with emotion when he replied, "It can wait."

Dooku smiled. "When you see him again, send him my greetings and tell him that I miss him."

"We will," Anakin replied.

"Be wary, Chosen One," Dooku warned as they turned to depart, "Abeloth is not an adversary to be underestimated. She is relentless and…highly motivated. The same influence that Sidious held over you is the same influence Abeloth holds over your daughter. Do not think she will relinquish her easily. You have a fight ahead of you."

Ahsoka sidled closer to Anakin as they began to put distance between themselves and Dooku's apparition. "What did Dooku mean when he said that Abeloth has the same sway over Leia that Palpatine had over you?" she asked anxiously, "Do you…do you think she means to turn her?"

"I know she does," Anakin said, "She thinks Leia belongs to her. Abeloth doesn't want to destroy Leia, Ahsoka. She wants to break her…and then remake her in her own image."