Chapter 2 - Obi-Wan

Author's Note: Unexpected developments happen. ;)

~ Amina Gila

At first, Obi-Wan doesn't know what woke him. Usually, it's the sound of screams and the smell and sight of flames – or the laugh of a boy long gone. For how much he sees the past constantly, even in his every waking moment, Obi-Wan isn't immediately sure it wasn't nothing but a normal nightmare that woke him.

The cave is dark and quiet, too quiet almost, except for the distant sound of a howling animal. He was too used to being around people. He has been his entire life, but most of all, he's not used to not having that blinding bright Force presence near him constantly.

But there's something else wrong right now. Obi-Wan slowly sits up, scanning the cave. But no, it's nothing right here.

It's somewhere else.

It's... a disturbance in the Force. He knows that for sure, even if he hasn't truly reached into the Force since... everything. He tried and he can't, and even if he still meditates – he's done it his whole life, there's no way he couldn't do it every day – it's... he can't find any calm whatsoever. All he can think of when he reaches for the Force is Anakin, and then he can't feel the Light at all.

But he can still feel this now, and it feels wrong.

But what sends a chill through him most of all is that he's felt this before. During the Clone Wars, when Anakin was still with him. (Before he killed him.)

The Mother.

She –

Why does he sense her now? He doesn't feel it anymore, but the ripples in the Force from it have yet to fade.

That doesn't even make any sense, because she was dead. They'd managed to destroy her, purely by luck, so how could she be alive now? He has no idea, and the truth is...

Maybe she'll take out the Empire for them, he thinks with a morbid sense of satisfaction.

Because really... nothing really matters to him out here anymore. Except watching over Anakin's son and preparing for the day that he'll take down Sidious. Somehow. When the time comes, Obi-Wan will have to train Luke. He doesn't even know how he'll be able to do it, but if it's the final straw against the person who took Anakin from him, he'll find a way.

So, what happens with Abeloth really isn't his concern. Not anymore. Not since the galaxy stood by as the Jedi fell. It's their own trouble to face now.

**w**

He doesn't think much of it again, at least not until he's out in the Mos Eisley working for the day when he again starts to sense that something's wrong. And it's... This time it is his concern because it's centered on Luke. Maybe he can't feel the Force anymore, but that is something he would sense anywhere.

Luke is in danger.

It's probably Tuskens, but he isn't going to waste a moment in getting over there, even if it's probably something Owen can handle. He excuses himself from his job – knowing full well he might be fired for this – and scrambles to where he's keeping his eopie. Riding so quickly through the streets in the day like this is a sure way to attract attention, but he doesn't have another choice. On second thought, taking something other than an eopie is probably better.

He borrows a speeder instead, using up some of his spare credits.

Sand blows around him wildly as the speeder streaks across the sand, the homestead finally coming into view. But even from here, he can see that it's smoking.

Force, Luke –

And what's hitting him most of all is how wrong the Force feels here. There's something...

Abeloth.

That's who it feels like, and he has no idea why. His heart is pounding anyway as he jolts the speeder to a stop outside the homestead, jumping off, and frantically scanning it for any signs of life.

He moves through the house swiftly, quickly realizing that Luke isn't there. Not that he sensed him there in the first place, but it's more disturbing to visually confirm it. He doesn't know where Owen is, but Beru is lying motionless on the floor.

He hurries to her side, hastily checking her over. She's still alive, at least, and he shakes her back to consciousness as fast as he can. She jolts awake with a start, eyes wide, looking around almost frantically. "Luke? Where is he?"

"I don't know. What happened?" Obi-Wan demands.

"Someone attacked us. It looked like a Tusken, but it was using the Force. I think," she replies, breathlessly. "Owen wasn't here, and it was going after Luke."

"He's still alive, wherever he is," Obi-Wan tries to reassure... himself more than her, as they hurry back outside, scanning the horizon.

"It took the speeder," she realizes, eyeing the empty area the speeder must have been, "We can still track it. We keep a tracker on all of them, in case they get stollen."

A wise decision, on a place like Tatooine. "I will follow. It was not a Tusken. It is... a being of the Force, I believe."

Obi-Wan takes off in his own speeder, watching the moving tracking beacon of the other one on a screen Beru gave him as he follows it through the streets.

He can only be grateful he manages to catch up to the moving tracking beacon in time, right as it stops moving, because sure enough, she abandoned the speeder somewhere. He pauses on the roof of a nearby building, scanning the streets for any signs of her, through his macrobinoculars.

The figure up ahead is moving through the streets with a hood pulled close, though there's a bundle in her arms that he knows must be Luke.

Except there's no way he'll be able to get to her in time because she's already heading onto a waiting ship. He jumps to the ground anyway, sprinting in that direction as fast as he can. No one bothers to so much as glance his way; why would they, after all? People run through the streets for no apparent reason on Tatooine all the time.

It's been so long since he's reached into the Force, so long since he... blocked it off, that it doesn't come nearly as naturally as it should when he does. He always thinks of Anakin, but he lets that determination, and the anger and pain that it always comes with, fuel through into his movement as he rips the tracker off the waiting speeder, throwing it onto the fleeing ship instead.

It's also been a long time since he's done things like that, but the beacon still hits its mark. He can only hope that it's going to stay there, because he'll have to somehow get off-planet to follow her.

He'll have to borrow a ship somewhere – then again, because he's going for Owen, he thinks he'd be willing to lend him something to do this. Not that Owen has that kind of money either, but they'll have to make do with what they have.

He won't let Anakin's child be hurt.

Although, if he's going to chase down this creature, he needs to get his lightsaber. And that thought is...

This is for Anakin's son. He knew a day like this would come eventually.

He heads back to the cave he's staying in immediately, going a distance away to where the lightsabers are still buried in the sand. He's not closed-off enough from the Force that he doesn't somewhat sense the faintest twinge from them.

Quickly, he digs them up, but he's not prepared for the wave of emotion that hits him as he opens the container again, staring at the two lightsabers lying side-by-side. Relics of another era now, even if it was only a couple years ago.

A couple years ago that Anakin was with him. A couple years since Obi-Wan took –

He sharply banishes the memory of the screams and fire from mind, and the smothering wave of guilt that comes with it, with the knowledge that he was the one who – who killed him.

Obi-Wan withdraws his own hilt, clipping it somewhere it won't easily be seen. His gaze lingers on Anakin's a moment longer before he slips it away, a crushing heaviness weighing his every move as he reburies it in the sand.

He's about to head out again when he hears the comm buried in his cave beeping. That's odd. The only one who would call him on it is... Bail.

Why would he be calling him now? Force, don't tell him something else is wrong. He has to focus on Luke right now. Still, he hurries into the cave, answering the comm – it's a risk that Abeloth will get too far in the meantime. There's no time for this.

"We need your help, Obi-Wan," Bail says. He looks almost frantic.

"With what?"

"Leia disappeared. We don't know who took her. We've searched everywhere, and it doesn't appear she is even on planet anymore."

Leia too?! Why is this happening now?! Both of Anakin's children are in danger, and... He's supposed to be watching over them, to destroy the Sith. He can't fail to protect them both. (The way he did Anakin.) But right now –

"The same happened to Luke. I need to focus on tracking him right now," Obi-Wan replies, "Perhaps there's someone else who can help you."

Bail is understandably alarmed at that news, reluctantly agreeing that Obi-Wan needs to focus on locating Luke right now. But what Obi-Wan really doesn't understand is why Abeloth would come after Luke. And he has no idea if Leia's disappearance at the same time has any connection or not. Likely... it does. Is Abeloth working for the Sith now?!

That thought is enough to send him speeding into motion again, racing across the sand towards wherever he can find an operable ship to pursue. He has to find Anakin's son, no matter what.

It's been so long since he was last on a mission, and all he can think of is that... the last one before Utapau was when Anakin was with him. Anakin was with him the last time he had to deal with Abeloth too, and now he's gone. (Because Obi-Wan killed him.) He doesn't know what other choice there was, but...

"There's still good in him."

None of it makes sense, even years later, because Anakin was always so Light and good. And compassionate.

Unbidden, memories of the last time he dealt with Abeloth rise to mind, of when his padawan was still with him.

**w**

Obi-Wan is still more than a little shaken over Krell's betrayal, only to promptly get a call from Anakin. He looks pale and shaken, and it sets Obi-Wan on edge instantly, especially when he hears the report. They have no idea what this creature is, but it could be a creation of the Sith, for all they know.

"I will be there immediately to assist, along with the 501st," Obi-Wan assures them. Just in case, he'll bring some of the 212th too.

The sheer wrongness in the Force hits him instantly, as he flies down for the surface of the planet, though pinpointing the creature's exact location will be harder.

He gives instructions to his own clones first, before going to find Anakin, who has meanwhile been taken to the medbay on his own cruiser. The planet is in total chaos. War refugees were staying here, and now much of what they just finished re-building has been destroyed.

Obi-Wan pauses by the currently open entrance to Anakin's room, at the sound of voices from inside. Mill – he heard in the briefing that she would be here; he vaguely remembers her from Cato Neimoidia – is sitting on the edge of Anakin's bed, next to him.

He's currently sitting up – Obi-Wan distinctly remembers hearing that he's supposed to be resting right now. Not that he's even surprised Anakin's doing the opposite.

"I can't believe she's gone," Mill says quietly, a tremor in her voice.

Anakin reaches over, squeezing her shoulder. It takes Obi-Wan a moment to realize that the girl is crying. Her master did just die. It's... not surprising.

"We will stop whoever did this," Anakin promises finally. They sit in silence for several long moments. "We can meditate together, if that would... help," he offers, finally.

"It's okay," Mill replies, looking up at him. Her voice is a little more even now. "I shouldn't have disturbed you right now."

"I'm fine," Anakin assures her, "If you will be alright alone –"

"I... will be," she replies, relatively unconvincingly, "Thank you, Master."

Anakin nods, giving her a small smile. "Have you seen Ahsoka?"

"She was resting, like you should be," Obi-Wan interrupts, stepping into the room.

They both start slightly, and Anakin's hand drops back to his side. Mill scoots off the edge of the bed, standing, and excusing herself from the room.

Anakin's gaze lingers on Mill a moment longer, until she's gone, before he looks to Obi-Wan. "Master?"

"You've looked better," Obi-Wan tells him dryly, to cover his own concern. Anakin does not look well at all, whatever happened when he fought the creature. He didn't give many details on that.

Anakin huffs out a breath. "I have had worse. I am fine. I always am."

"Are you?" he asks, slightly irked. The way he always keeps pushing himself can be annoying sometimes. "That you have had worse doesn't mean you're fine now."

"The building collapsed on us, but I was shielding," Anakin replies, "I do not know what this being could be, but I think it was trying to suck out my... life."

What?!

Obi-Wan's blood runs cold. "And you're telling me you're fine?!"

"It was not able to do it," Anakin defends.

"Clearly," Obi-Wan retorts sharply, "Or you wouldn't be here." The very thought floods him with a bone-chilling fear – he knows how easily Anakin could get seriously injured, but it never happens, except on Geonosis. Sometimes, he thinks he forgets how easily he could lose his once padawan in this war.

"I don't think it was powerful enough," he continues. More focused on the mission than the fact that he could have died, unsurprisingly.

Obi-Wan knows he needs to focus on the mission right now too, but still. Anakin came so close to dying, and the creature that nearly did it is still out there. That thought is motivating enough to get him to focus on what they can do about it. "I wasn't aware any Sith knew how to do that anymore, or that they were able to outright... mind-control. The troops are out looking now. They'll notify us if they find anything."

Anakin nods, though something about the look in his eyes betrays how tired he is.

Obi-Wan reaches out, lightly touching his shoulder. He wants to do more than that, with how afraid he is of what could have – nearly did happen – but he holds it back. "You should rest."

"Be careful, Master," Anakin advises, momentarily leaning into the touch.

"You're telling me to be careful?" Obi-Wan huffs.

"Yes, you do not want to increase the number of times I've had to rescue you, do you? It is already at seven."

"Six," he replies, flatly, pushing Anakin back down on the bed. "And you won't be saving anyone if you can't walk. Then I would have to rescue you."

"That would be a first." Anakin dares to look like he's trying not to laugh.

"There were times, when you were young," Obi-Wan shoots back.

"Years ago."

"So don't make this another," he warns, his own amusement showing momentarily. He watches as Anakin shifts into a presumably more comfortable position on the bed, eyes slipping closed.

**w**

Obi-Wan doesn't have to wait long to hear from the clones. Cody calls, saying that they have yet to sight anything suspicious, except apparently, one of the clones – Boil – is acting strange. Obi-Wan knows him... somewhat. He and Waxer are higher in command. Waxer was just lost on Umbara.

He instantly leaves to join the clones, to see Boil pacing back and forth when he arrives. Which in and of itself is weird, because he... doesn't stand at attention like the others immediately do.

And the Force around him feels off. It feels like the creature is somewhere close, though Obi-Wan sees nothing.

"I saw it over there," Boil is insisting firmly, gesturing to a spot off in the trees.

"No one else saw anything, Boil," Cody objects, "There is nothing on our scans."

This is strange, though he's momentarily inclined to agree with Boil because he definitely senses something. "We go in together," Obi-Wan decides, "We can scout out – "

"I have to go now," Boil cuts him off, turning to walk away.

Okay yes, he's definitely being strange, because clones don't interrupt or outright contradict their Generals like that.

"Boil," Cody chides, sharply.

"How do I know none of us are being affected by the creature like the other Jedi?" Boil demands. There's a strangely... almost crazed look in his eyes, as he yanks his helmet on, and stalks away.

"Boil, stop," Obi-Wan calls, warningly. It's doing something to him, isn't it?

He doesn't listen, though, just keeps moving, disappearing over the hillside.

"I'll go after him," Obi-Wan replies, motioning to several other clones to accompany him. "Finish scouting out the area we talked about before, first." He has the distinct feeling that Boil may be leading them right to this creature... but if that's the case, it must be doing this intentionally. It's probably a trap.

Just to make sure – no, not because he might need saving, thank you very much Anakin – Obi-Wan calls his former padawan, letting him know to come in if he's capable.

**w**

Obi-Wan is certain he feels death in the air up ahead of him when he finally catches up to Boil, but the clone is the only one standing in the clearing. His Force presence feels even stranger than before. It's too bright. Like a Force sensitive, which Biol very much is not. Something is very wrong with him.

"What are you doing?" Obi-Wan demands, when he doesn't even turn around at the sound of someone approaching.

When he does, the movement is very... un-solider like, somehow. "Foolish of you to come here," he says, voice coming out more like a snarl.

Obi-Wan instantly draws his lightsaber. "What are you doing?" he demands again. It's not impossible that he's a traitor, too, especially given what happened with Krell. It's hard to say who they can trust right now.

Boil laughs, suddenly shifting form, changing into a... woman? Something about her instantly makes him think of the Ones, because of how unnatural she looks, even if he can't place what about her is so odd. And that means – what did she do to the clone?

Likely, he's probably dead and somehow, this creature was able to shapeshift into his form, however that's possible.

"What are you?" Obi-Wan demands.

Her expression darkens. "I am the Mother."

"... the mother?" he repeats, dubiously, "Of what?" Wait, someone please tell him this is not another being like the ones on Mortis. He's still not convinced that wasn't just a vision. But this is very obviously real.

She growls, hurling him and the rest of the clones back with the Force. "I sensed you," she hisses, "You and two others were there when my family died. Did you do it?"

She's related to the Ones? He shouldn't even be surprised, given her strange title.

"Your family killed each other," Obi-Wan replies, bluntly, "What are you doing here?"

"The galaxy will pay for what they have done," she hisses, "They destroyed my family, and I will destroy theirs."

Is she serious? As if what happened to them was even the fault of anyone else. "And how will this 'revenge' reverse your family's choices?" Obi-Wan shoots back.

"The galaxy will share my pain," she snarls. "I am Abeloth, the bringer of chaos."

That sounds vaguely familiar, he thinks. The Council did a little research about the Ones, after hearing the report on Mortis. "It's no wonder that's all your capable of causing, then," Obi-Wan replies, dryly, "If you were truly 'in pain' perhaps you would consider not spreading it further."

Abeloth snarls, a Force wave slamming into him again, throwing him to the ground. The clones start shooting as she comes for him, and Obi-Wan hastily scrambles back to his feet, slashing for one of her flailing tentacles as she bats aside the clone's shots with the Force, then crushes their necks.

His blade slashes through several of her tentacles, and she instantly whips towards him, practically vibrating with anger. The sudden limb loss doesn't affect her nearly as much he would have thought it would. Somehow, he's not surprised about that. Not if she's similar to the Ones, except... this one feels like it shouldn't exist.

She lunges at him again, and he slashes at her with his lightsaber, nearly stabbing her except she... blocks the blade with the Force? He pulls back, ready to swing again, only for the Force to suddenly start tightening around his neck, lifting him into the air.

She's going to end this here and now, and there's nothing he can do to stop her. A blinding panic claws through him as he struggles to fight against it, except his vision is going dark around the edges from lack of oxygen. Nothing he throws at her is anywhere near enough to break her hold. She's just dragging it out now, and –

That's when the hold suddenly lets up, and he feels the brilliant but somehow soft supernova of a presence close by. Struggling to catch his breath, Obi-Wan looks up to see Anakin attacking Abeloth.

Ahsoka and a group of the 501st are with him, as they fight her off. All they can do is try to keep her distracted and avoid getting killed, but with how powerful Anakin is, it seems he's somehow able to hold most of her attention.

Obi-Wan still remembers how he was somehow able to control both the Son and Daughter back on Mortis. He's never seen the true extents of Anakin's power, and it's... admittedly almost unnerving to know that anyone is capable of that level of sheer power. But this is Anakin, so Obi-Wan finds it as more a fact of life – anyone else, and it might actually concern him, but not his once padawan.

The moment the creature is distracted enough, Obi-Wan leaps at her from behind, driving his blade down through its head. It tries to shake him off, but Anakin throws his own blade into her chest, and Obi-Wan jumps free as the body falls to the ground.

For a heartbeat, no one dares to move.

But nothing happens. She continues lying there, motionless.

"What is that?" Rex asks, moving a little closer, still keeping both his blasters trained on her.

"She's like the Ones. She wants revenge for their deaths," Obi-Wan replies.

"That explains her... power," Anakin replies, still holding his lightsaber towards the motionless form.

"It's dead now," Obi-Wan assures, deactivating his blade.

Anakin frowns, glancing around. "But I still sense her."

**w**

Finding the ship goes a lot slower than Obi-Wan might have liked, but finally, he's going in pursuit of Luke. He can sense the boy close, along with the twisted presence of Abeloth as he heads for the surface, doing a planetary scan to see if he can locate the ship.

Except when he does find it, there's no one inside anymore. She's taken Luke somewhere, and Obi-Wan has no idea where or how to go about finding him. But he has to figure something out, somehow.

Once, a lifetime ago, when Anakin was here, they would occasionally meditate together if they were trying to track something, but now, that's not an option. Or Anakin could try accessing all the cameras in the area, to see if they could spot who they were looking for.

And actually... that's not necessarily a bad idea, but this planet isn't very inhabited, so Obi-Wan doubts she's anywhere near any civilization. Likely, that wouldn't work either, which leaves him stuck again on how to approach this.

He's still pondering that when he suddenly senses something. Even with how little he feels the Force now, he still senses it when...

It's something of a black hole in the Force, and it's so glaringly familiar. That same overwhelmingness and brilliance, just now burned black, literally.

Except that's not possible because Anakin is dead. He cannot possibly be sensing him right now.

Obi-Wan must be imagining things. Perhaps he's been thinking too much about his lost padawan. Not that it feels like there's ever a moment of his time where he's not thinking about him.

But he could still swear he feels that presence touch his, sudden rolling waves of fury and darkness crashing into the Force around them, and he could swear it's rapidly coming closer and closer.

The sky is darkening now, as he heads off across the mountainside, trying to track down the direction where he thinks the Mother has gone.

"Master Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan finally asks the air around him, uncertainly.

There's no response now, any more than there always is. But still, something is wrong, and it's – It's not possible because Anakin is dead. He's imagining things. He has to be. He's just losing his mind, or maybe Abeloth is trying to confuse him.

That must be it. It would make sense. He needs to keep moving.

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