When Ahsoka stumbled into Obi-Wan's room and launched herself toward him, Obi-Wan was too startled to do anything more than put his arms around her as she began to sob. She sat on the edge of his bed and rested her forehead on his shoulder as she wept. Obi-Wan gritted his teeth to avoid crying out in agony as she leaned against his bad leg. He was much more willing to suffer through the pain than to push Ahsoka away, however. There was nothing to say, so Obi-Wan held her silently as she cried. He knew that no words would make the inescapable reality feel any better. Anakin was gone and he didn't know what either of them were going to do without him.
"I just-I can't believe he's really gone," she finally whispered, her sobs fading into hiccups. "He's gone."
"I know," Obi-Wan said, "I know."
Ahsoka clung to him for only a few minutes more before she pulled back, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Master Kenobi. I just-" She broke off, shaking her head as tears began to fill her eyes again.
"It's alright, Ahsoka. I miss him too." He said quietly. It was easier to hold himself together for Ahsoka than for his own sake.
"The Council...they told me that I have to choose a new master. But I can't, Master Kenobi, not so soon after-" Her voice broke, and she left the statement unfinished. Obi-Wan frowned.
"Three days?" He asked, horrified. "It's customary to give Padawans at least two weeks to mourn their Master's death before they must select a new Master, even considering the war. What are they thinking?" Ahsoka just shook her head, and buried her face in his shoulder again. He tightened his grasp around her.
"I'll talk to them – there's absolutely no reason for them to make you choose so soon." He said reassuringly. "And...when you're ready to decide...if you'd like, I would be honored to be your master." He practically was a second master to her already, with the amount of time that he and Anakin had been assigned to work together. Transitioning between Masters – especially after a death – was never easy for a Padawan, but becoming Obi-Wan's apprentice would probably be the least painful transition possible for Ahsoka. Ahsoka finally pulled back from Obi-Wan, swiping away the tears in her eyes. She smiled weakly.
"Thank you, Master Kenobi. I...I can't decide now, but thank you." She said, her voice shaking. She stayed for a while longer, describing what had happened on Takodana after Obi-Wan had fallen unconscious. He was deeply saddened to hear that three clones had died getting him back to the shift safely – they were his men, he was supposed to protect them, not the other way around. As soon as he was able, he promised himself he would visit the 212th's barracks to thank the men who had rescued him, and to pay his respects to the ones who had died in the attempt.
Eventually, Ahsoka had to leave – with Anakin gone, there were several logistical matters regarding the 501st that she had to deal with – leaving Obi-Wan alone once again. A few minutes after Ahsoka left, Obi-Wan grabbed the comm link sitting on the table beside his bed and entered Mace Windu's frequency.
"Care to inform me why in the name of the Force the Council gave Ahsoka three days to choose a new Master?" He said in lieu of a greeting.
"Hello to you too, Obi-Wan. Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Obi-Wan was in no mood for Mace's sarcasm.
"Mace, she ran into my room crying. What was the Council thinking?" He heard Mace sigh.
"There's a lot to catch you up on, and it will be easier to do in person. Are you still in the Halls of Healing?" Mace asked.
"Yes, Vokara isn't letting me leave for another day at least." Obi-Wan said.
"I'll be there in ten minutes." Mace said, ending the call. Obi-Wan absently picked up his datapad, and continued typing out his report until the door opened without warning to reveal Mace. He entered the room and sat in the chair beside Obi-Wan's bed.
"Force, you look awful." Mace said.
"So kind of you to say so, Mace." Obi-Wan said, raising an eyebrow. "So what the hell were you all thinking?"
"The Chancellor's been putting pressure on us ever since Anakin vanished, Obi-Wan. I don't know how he knew about Anakin's death since we still haven't officially declared him dead, but as soon as you and Ahsoka got back, he's been insisting we send you back in the field. He says it will 'boost morale' and 'assure the people of the Republic that the war effort will still go on even without the war's greatest hero.'" From his sarcastic tone, Obi-Wan guessed that Mace was directly quoting the Chancellor. "In your case, the severity of your injuries gave us a reason to hold him off, but for Ahsoka...your injuries only made him more insistent that we send her out again as soon as possible."
"And the Council is allowing him to dictate what we do with our Padawans? Force, Mace, I know the Chancellor has been grasping for more and more power, but surely he can't do this-."
"Obi-Wan, he wanted Ahsoka to be promoted to General and knighted." Mace's words and the flat tone they were delivered in stopped Obi-Wan cold. "He wanted her to take Anakin's place, since the 501st and the public are both already familiar with her. Sending her out this quickly with a new Master was a compromise to get him to back off."
"But she's only seventeen! Even Anakin wasn't knighted until he was nineteen, and he was the youngest knight in a century." Obi-Wan said, stunned. "Knighting padawans has always been a decision that was strictly up to the Council. How in the Force did the Chancellor try to argue that it was any of his concern?"
"He said that the Grand Army of the Republic was under the control of the Senate, and as an officer in the army Ahsoka fell under his jurisdiction." Mace said.
"Force. Will the Senate back him up in all this?" Obi-Wan asked. "You spend more time dealing with politicians than I do."
"I don't know, Obi-Wan. The majority of the Senate has been worshiping every word Chancellor Palpatine's said recently, and there's many of them who would love to have more direct control over the Order. So far, we've avoided having to refuse a direct order from the Chancellor. We don't know what would happen if we did, and frankly, the Order cannot afford to alienate itself from the Senate. We can't fight both the Separatists and the Republic." Mace said, sounding tired. Obi-Wan rested his head on his good hand.
"Damn. When did things get this bad?" Obi-Wan asked rhetorically. Mace answered anyway.
"You've been away on missions for most of the past several months. It's been getting steadily worse, but the Chancellor has never pressed this hard before." Mace rested a hand against his temples, as if trying to ward off a building migraine. "I'm afraid that Anakin's death may be a turning point for the Order's relationship with the Senate. Little as I like to admit it, Anakin's friendship with the Chancellor may have been the only thing holding him off from trying to control us more directly."
"This feels wrong, Mace. I sense that there's more going on here than we can see." Obi-Wan said.
"I do too, Obi-Wan, but for now there's nothing we can do other than try to appease the Chancellor." Mace said, sounding resigned.
"I offered to take Ahsoka as my apprentice, you know," Obi-Wan remarked. Mace stared at him.
"Damn it Obi-Wan, you have a talent for making things difficult for yourself, don't you?" He asked. Obi-Wan didn't bother answering. "Did she accept?"
"No," Obi-Wan said. "She needed more time to accept Anakin's death before she could decide." Mace's glare diminished slightly.
"Do you realize what kind of position the Council will be in if she does accept? You're Temple-bound for the next month at least. As your apprentice, she would be as well. The Council will either have to tell the Chancellor she won't be able to go back into the field after all, or they'll have to separate her from her new Master and send her out into the field with another knight."
"If we refuse Palpatine, we run the risk of Palpatine ordering us to send her into the field. If we send her into the field of our own accord, we'll break the Order's customs regarding keeping padawans and new masters together and risk Ahsoka's already damaged mental and emotional state." Obi-Wan said quietly. "It's an impossible position."
"It certainly is. Force, Obi-Wan, you couldn't have waited an hour longer to hear about the current situation before you offered to take her on?" Obi-Wan began to reply, but Mace waved off his response. "It doesn't matter now. Plo Koon is also planning to offer to take her as an apprentice. With any luck, she'll chose him, and we'll be spared this mess."
"It's still her decision, Mace. Politics or not, the Council can't take that away from her." Obi-Wan said.
"I kriffing know that, Obi-Wan." Mace snapped. Then he sighed. "Just...be careful. Don't let your emotions in this matter blind you to the implications of your actions."
"I won't, Mace. But the Council has to draw a line somewhere with the Chancellor. If we don't...there's no telling what we'll become." Obi-Wan said.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Mace said. Abruptly, he stood up. "I should go. Vokara made me swear that I wouldn't stay long before she would let me in here." Obi-Wan smiled wryly.
"Of course she did. Thank you for telling me about everything that's happened." He said.
"May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan." Mace said as he walked to the door. As the door closed, Obi-Wan heard him mutter, "You're going to need it."
For most of the rest of the day, Obi-Wan was left to his own devices. At one point, Tacha Ora came back with a tray of food for him. He wasn't the slightest bit hungry, but he knew Vokara would scold him if he didn't eat, so he picked at the plate. Eventually, he fell into a restless sleep. After he had slept for only a few hours, however, he was woken up by his comlink beeping on the table next to him. He groped for it with his good hand and switched it on.
"Kenobi," He said into it blearily.
"We need you in the Council chambers," Mace Windu said without preamble. "We've just received a rather disturbing transmission, and the Council is convening to discuss it."
"Mace, I can't walk. I can't even get out of bed, let alone make it to the Council chambers."
"Vokara Che is on her way with hover chair now. It's about Anakin, Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan's heart seemed to stop at the mention of Anakin.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Obi-Wan said, and ended the call. Unfortunately, this meant that he was left alone with his thoughts until Vokara arrived with the hover chair. During the call, Mace had sounded...not shaken, not exactly – Obi-Wan didn't think any development would actually be able to actually shake Mace Windu – but he had sounded….perhaps perturbed was the right word. There weren't many things in the galaxy that could surprise Mace, and the fact that it had to do with Anakin...well, if Obi-Wan was honest with himself, it scared him. What horrific manner of death had the Jedi investigation found?
Finally, the door to his room opened to reveal Vokara pushing a hover chair.
"I'd like you to know, Obi-Wan, that I strongly protested against this," She said, clearly irritated. "I would have very much prefered for your leg to not be moved for at least another twelve to twenty-four hours. Master Windu absolutely insisted that you be at this Council meeting, however, so you'll be going in a hover chair. Do not at any point try to walk, you'll only increase the damage to your leg and lengthen your recovery time. And you are to report back to the Halls of Healing as soon as the meeting is over – your leg will need another healing session before we can release you for good, and I'll need to take another look at your arm-"
"I'll be back, Vokara," Obi-Wan said, cutting off Vokara's rant without any of his usual sarcasm. She looked at him in surprise. "Mace said the meeting is about Anakin," he said, to answer her unasked question. The irritated look slid off her face.
"Force, I'm sorry, Obi-Wan." She said. He shrugged, the movement lopsided due to his broken collarbone. There really wasn't anything else he had to say about the meeting.
"I'll help you into the chair, then." Vokara said. "I don't want you moving that leg any more than you absolutely have to." Pushing the chair to the edge of the bed, she moved to help Obi-Wan disentangle his leg from the bed's blankets. She then backed up and closed her eyes, extending a hand with an expression of intense concentration on her face. Obi-Wan felt himself being slowly lifted up off the bed, and moved through the air to be set down gently onto the cushioned chair. He grimaced as he was set down – he disliked the feeling of being held by nothing but the Force when he wasn't the one in control of it.
"Controls for the chair are by your left hand," Vokara said. "I assume you'd rather pilot the chair on your own?"
"Yes, thank you Vokara." Obi-Wan said, gingerly trying out the controls to get a feel for them. Since he'd be stuck with this thing for at least a week, he made a mental note to ask Hronda – a friend of his who had been hover chair bound ever since an illness contracted as a youngling had cost her the use of her legs – for advice on how to navigate the Temple's many levels while in a chair. Since the Council chambers were on the same floor as his room in the Halls of Healing, he doubted it would be an issue tonight, but it would probably come up later in the week. Cautiously, he moved the chair forward, toward the door and out of the room. He was grateful for the fact that the halls were nearly empty – a side effect of the late hour – since it meant he didn't have to navigate his way around people as well as the halls themselves. When he finally made it to the Council chambers, he was the last one to arrive. It would have been ludicrous to try to get himself out of the hover chair and into the Council chair that he normally claimed, so he simply wheeled the hover chair in front his seat and remained in the chair. Mace waited a moment to make sure he was settled, and then spoke.
"Now that we're all here," he said, looking out at the Jedi – some there physically, and some there only as holograms, "An hour ago, the following message from Garos IV was received by one of the Temple communication monitors. She immediately alerted myself and Master Yoda about its contents, and after watching it...well, you'll see why we believed it to be necessary that the full Council reviews it." As Mace spoke, he tapped a button on the side of his chair, and a hologram of a clone in armor sprang to life in the middle of the room.
"Generals, we urgently request backup. At least a hundred of my men are dead, and more are wounded...General Skywalker led us into a trap-" the sound of blasters could be heard from the message, and the clone broke off his message and turned around briefly to return fire. Obi-Wan's mind was caught on the word "Skywalker." How…? Anakin was on Coruscant, he couldn't have been on Garos IV…
The clone's message wasn't finished though. After a few moments, he lowered his blaster and turned back to the transmitter.
"We were betrayed, Generals. General Skywalker led us into a Separatist ambush, and then began attacking my men alongside the droids. He-" The clone's voice cut off as a blur swept across the hologram, neatly severing the clone's head from his shoulders. As the clone's body crumpled, another figure stepped into view, leaning down presumably to turn the hologram off. Even through the blue light of the hologram, the new figure looked to be in horrible physical condition. His long hair was greasy and hung unkempt around his face, and his eyes were dark and lifeless. Even stranger, a curling dark symbol – a half circle crossed through with three curving lines – marred his right cheek. If the figure hadn't been moving, Obi-Wan probably would have mistaken it for a corpse.
It took him a moment to recognize it was Anakin.
Obi-Wan couldn't breath. For a moment, pure joy swept through him – Anakin was alive, and the proof of it was right in front of him. Horror beat the joy back, however, as the implications of the message he'd just seen hit him. Anakin was alive, but in what state? What had happened that could have caused Anakin to slaughter his own men?
"How can he be alive?" Obi-Wan's voice was choked and hoarse . "I felt his death. Ahsoka felt his death."
"Clearly, you both were mistaken." Agen Kolar said dryly. "Knight Skywalker is obviously quite alive and well, considering his actions in betraying the Republic." Obi-Wan fought back a surge of anger. Kolar had always been vocal in his distrust of Anakin, and it seemed that the master's disdain had not decreased after news of Anakin's death.
"It's likely that Skywalker has been tortured or coerced into serving the Separatists." Kit Fisto's hologram flickered as he spoke. "He showed no signs of the Dark Side when last we spoke several days ago."
"A Jedi isn't broken in a day, Master Fisto," Agen Kolar argued. "Skywalker was last seen on Coruscant less than than forty-eight hours ago. Even Dooku could not have tortured him into submission so quickly." Obi-Wan watched numbly as arguments began to break out among the other Council members. Part of him was screaming that Anakin wasn't a traitor, could not be a traitor, and everyone on the Council needed to know that. The rest of him was frozen, unable to move or say anything. Anakin was dead – but he wasn't. He was alive, and the Separatists had him, and they had to save him-
A sharp wooden rapping noise silenced the arguing Masters. Yoda stood up from his chair, his gimer stick resting on the floor.
"Coercion this is not. Betrayal, this is not." He said.
"But Master-" Kolar began to argue until Yoda's glare silenced him.
"Recognize the tattoo on Skywalker's cheek, I do. The symbol of Ataraxia, it is." Yoda said darkly. Dead silence filled the Council room for a moment, and then-
"Master, that's impossible!" Saesee Tiin exclaimed. "Ataraxia has not been used for over two thousand years. The knowledge of how to perform the ceremony has been lost for centuries."
"Lost to the Jedi, perhaps." Yoda said. "Lost to the Sith, it were not. Powerful, Dooku has grown. Possible it is that found an ancient holocron, he has."
"It would explain why Master Kenobi and Padawan Tano suffered so much psychic backlash. Ataraxia breaks any Force-bonds the victim has." Mace Windu said thoughtfully.
"It would also explain the sudden reverse in Skywalker's allegiances." Ki-Adi-Mundi said. Obi-Wan was still frozen, unable to believe or comprehend what Yoda had said. Ataraxia was an abomination, a violation of the Force. It was a fate that was considered by many Jedi historians to be worse than death. For Anakin to have suffered such a fate was unthinkable, and yet that was the truth that was staring him in the face. As Obi-Wan struggled to come to terms with this, the Council's conversation moved on without him.
"The Senate won't take it lightly that one of us – let alone such a notable and publically known Jedi – has gone rogue. We must stop Skywalker before he inflicts more damage on others," Ki-Adi-Mundi said.
"We'll assemble a team of Jedi Masters to search for Skywalker and stop him, by any means necessary." Most of the Council nodded at Mace Windu's words.
"Masters, you can't really mean that! Anakin is a Jedi, and we do not kill our own." Obi-Wan's voice was choked and hoarse, but he finally managed to speak.
"Obi-Wan, you know that there is no way to save someone from Ataraxia," Plo Koon said. "Anakin Skywalker's body may still be breathing, but the Anakin you trained is dead."
"You know know Skywalker better than any of us; can you really say that he would not rather be dead than enslaved by the Sith?" Mace asked. There was nothing Obi-Wan could say to that, and so he only shook his head in silence as plans were made for the hunting – and potential death – of the man who was both brother and son to him.
Once it was decided which Jedi would be sent to hunt Anakin, the Council meeting was dismissed. Obi-Wan was almost grateful for the hover chair, because even if his legs had been functional, he wouldn't have trusted them to support him right now. He was one of the first Council members out of the chamber's doors. He thought he heard Mace call his name, but he ignored him – he didn't really feel like speaking to any of his fellow Councillors right now – and hoped that Mace would take the hint. Luckily, he did, and Obi-Wan continued to move alone down the empty hallway.
Ahsoka. He had to tell Ahsoka. The thought broke through the fog that had taken over his mind ever since he had seen the holo. Ahsoka deserved to know that her Master was alive, and yet worse than dead. Without consciously trying to, Obi-Wan found himself moving down the hallways that led to the quarters that had formerly been shared by Anakin and Ahsoka. He knew it was the middle of the night, and Ahsoka was probably asleep, but he simply couldn't wait. Vokara would insist that he return to the Halls of Healing for at least another day, and he would prefer what he was about to say to not be overheard. He pressed the buzzer on the door panel that alerted the occupant to visitors without opening the door. Several moments later, the door slid open to reveal Ahsoka. Her eyes were puffy and red, as though she'd been crying.
"I have...news." He said, uncertain on how to begin. "About….about Anakin." Ahsoka's eyes widened, and she stepped back from the door to allow Obi-Wan's chair to glide through the doorway. She led him to the chamber's small sitting room, where she sat down on the cramped couch in the corner of the room. Anakin's Force-presence hadn't quite faded yet from the room, and Obi-Wan could feel it as though it was a ghost - which in some ways, he supposed it was.
"Have you ever heard of Ataraxia?" He asked Ahsoka. She blinked. Clearly, that wasn't what she had expected him to say.
"No, I haven't, Master Kenobi," She said, sounding impatient.
"It's a practice of the ancient Sith used to control Force-Sensitive beings. The Sith literally pours the Force into the victim's mind to overwhelm them. The Force acts as a drug, creating a state of euphoria for the victim that completely numbs them to the world around them. The Sith can then control the victim's body as they please. The victim becomes a puppet of the Sith, and their lightsaber, if they have one, turns gray due to their confused connection with the Force. It's not surprising that you've never heard of it – until today, there hadn't been an instance of it for two thousand years." Obi-Wan said.
"Until today?" Ahsoka asked, her voice a whisper.
"The Council received a message from a clone on Garos IV...Anakin is alive, Ahsoka, but Dooku is controlling him." Obi-Wan said. Ahsoka's face crumpled.
"No," she whispered. "No, that's not possible. Skyguy wouldn't...Anakin would fight it, he wouldn't let Dooku-"
"I watched him kill one of his own men, Ahsoka. Dooku has him." He hated to say it, hated to put her through this, but she deserved to know. This time, she didn't cry. Obi-Wan almost wished she would, because anything would be better than the cold, hard look on her face.
"We're going to get him back," Obi-Wan said. "There's no known cure for Ataraxia, but I plan to spend every minute of my medical leave researching it. If there's a way to save Anakin, I'll find it." Hope began to dawn in Ahsoka's eyes.
"I'll help you." She said resolutely. "Even though Anakin is alive...I'm sure the Council will still want me to choose another Master. If you're my master, then I'll be given leave for as long as you are. I can help you research. That is...if you'd still be willing to take me as an apprentice," she said, suddenly uncertain.
"Of course I'm still willing to take you." Obi-Wan said. "And I'm sure I'll need the help. Uncovering information on Ataraxia won't be easy. We'll have to sift through most of the information the Order has stored on the Sith to find anything." It was a daunting task. There was no list of files that contained information on Ataraxia - it was too obscure of a topic to be catalogued - and the Order kept extensive records on the ancient Sith. Most of the files were heavily restricted, but as a council member Obi-Wan had access to nearly all of them.
"We can do it," Ahsoka said, somewhat grimly. "Anakin would never forgive us if we left him to be controlled by the Sith."
"No, he wouldn't." Obi-Wan agreed, equally serious. He didn't say it aloud, but he knew they were both thinking it: Anakin would rather be dead than live under the Sith's control. "We'll save him, Ahsoka." He said, because he didn't want to think about the consequences if they couldn't.
Hey look at that, I actually managed to post a chapter within a decent time frame. Chapter 4 has not been started, however, so it probably won't be this fast. I'm doing my best to avoid giving actual deadlines/time estimates, because that...historically has not worked well for me. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter!