Chapter 4 - Deception

Zygerria is the first real time in years that Anakin's outright confronted slavery in the way he always used to know it. The clones are slaves, yes, but seeing Zygerria was different. Having to act as essentially Miraj's slave while he thought of a way to get everyone else out was different.

Especially knowing that Ahsoka was imprisoned in a cage and could be killed simply for the slightest misstep on his part, while Rex and Obi-Wan had been captured, being treated like slaves too. They got out and everything is fine now – even if the scars will always stay – but Anakin can't get it out of his head.

"The Jedi can't allow this to happen again," Anakin says firmly, standing on the Togruta Governor's balcony, overlooking the Togrutan population. The people are settling back in, but they've all changed from what they went through. Something they never should have had to go through.

"No one on the Council would argue with that," Obi-Wan replies.

Maybe not but that doesn't mean anyone takes it seriously. "What are we really doing?" he asks bitterly, unable to help it.

"All we can."

Then why is it never enough? Why does it always feel like no one even tries? He knows there's not enough Jedi, especially with the war, but what's the line between fair reasoning and excuses? "What good is the Republic if it doesn't possess the strength to protect all the people?" That's what it's supposed to do. That's what he naively thought it did once.

"Fair point," Obi-Wan concedes, turning to look over the city. "However we must take care not to trade one form of oppression for another."

That's beginning to feel like an excuse too, even if he's being honest, even if he knows it's a fair concern. They just need a leader who actually cares, though, and then it shouldn't be a problem. "There's a difference between imprisoning slaves and enforcing justice."

And the second is what they really need if anything in the galaxy is ever truly going to get better. And the truth is... Anakin is tiring of waiting for the Republic or even the Council to let him do something about it.

"Are you... alright, Master?" Anakin asks after a pause. Obi-Wan might not be showing much effect from whatever happened on Kadavo, but it couldn't have been easy, even for him.

"I'm fine, Anakin," Obi-Wan promises. He shifts a little closer, reaching out to touch Anakin's shoulder. "If... in the past, I have been dismissive about slavery, I apologize. I was on Kadavo for such a brief time but I still cannot imagine living with it every day, much less as a child. I understand now... that letting go of it isn't something that happens easily, but if anyone can do it, I believe you can."

"I'm trying, Master," Anakin replies quietly, but the truth is, he doesn't know how. It's the literal thing that's defined his existence from the start. And even as a Jedi. "No one in the galaxy should have to live as slaves. Maybe someday, no one will."

He'll find a way to make it happen. Somehow.

**w**

"I've been thinking, Master," Ahsoka begins as they walk through the streets.

"Uh oh," Anakin deadpans.

"I'm serious," she grumbles, "It's something the Zygerrian queen said. That the Jedi have become slaves for the Republic by serving a corrupt Senate. She said we'd betrayed our own beliefs by going from peacekeepers to warriors. Do... you think there's any truth to what she said?"

Of course that's bothering her. It had bothered Anakin, too, but he'd been focused enough on the mission he truthfully hadn't taken much time to stop and think about it. But Ahsoka is different, and she never wanted to fight in the war. It isn't something she's ever been comfortable with. "Being a Jedi means we are devoted to freedom," he goes for finally, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That we are willing to give up our own so others can be free. So maybe we are slaves, from a certain point of view, but the difference is that any freedoms we've sacrificed, we chose to. These beings had no choice, and if we hadn't come to them, they would've been slaves forever."

"I'd say the sacrifice is worth it," Ahsoka tells him fiercely, "Every single rotation. After the war is over, I want to end slavery in the galaxy. I mean finish it. Once and for all."

Anakin laughs. Once, he'd been a child, lost and carefree, and he said the same, but now that he's older, he sees things aren't so simple. "That's an awful big job. Maybe too big, even for us."

"If you've taught me one thing over and over again, it's that one person can make all the differences in the galaxy. Whaddya say, Master?"

Anakin smiles down at her with every bit of the adoring he feels in his heart. "You got yourself a deal, Snips. When the war is over, we'll team up and wipe out slavery once and for all. And hey, maybe we'll even get Rex and some of the boys to pitch in."

"Well," Ahsoka agrees, "It would be nice to finally give them a fight they chose, too."

Anakin couldn't agree more.

**w**

Why a sniper would risk attacking a Jedi on Coruscant, Anakin has no idea. The police droid sirens are ringing as Anakin races through the streets, trying to catch up with the sniper who attacked him, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan.

Another blaster shot rings out suddenly and he hears Obi-Wan's grunt of pain. Anakin spins around, right in time to see Obi-Wan, hand pressed over a wound on his chest, falling over the railing of the top of a building.

Panic floods him full-force. "Obi-Wan!" he yells, running toward him.

Ahsoka's on the ground next to him but he's not moving. "I got him!" she yells back, "Go!"

He doesn't want to when he knows that wound could be fatal but – Obi-Wan's survived worse. Ahsoka will take care of it. They have to get to the person who did this.

Anakin takes off after him, trying to catch up but he's not fast enough. The sniper disappears into the streets below, losing him with a smoke bomb.

Heart still pounding, Anakin runs back to where Obi-Wan fell. Ahsoka's sitting on the ground, half-holding him. He's not moving.

"How is he?" Anakin demands, sprinting over and dropping next to them.

"I don't know. It's – bad," Ahsoka replies, breathlessly.

Anakin's heart is hammering in his throat as he reaches for Obi-Wan's wrist because he needs to know – the pulse is still there even if it's weaker than it should be.

If this was one of his boys who was so close to – to dying, he wouldn't hesitate to share the injury, to Fuse, if it meant saving his life. But this is Obi-Wan and he physically can't do that with him. If he can't Fuse with Ahsoka, he definitely could never become one with Obi-Wan – the more thought is downright weird anyway, because Obi-Wan is his... father. They're not equals. They never could be. Obi-Wan will always be above him on multiple levels and he's used to that but – It's an infuriating hindrance in a case like this. Anakin lifts him into his arms, careful not to jar the blaster wound and takes off as fast as he can to the nearest medcenter.

**w**

"I heard General Kenobi was injured," Cody comments. He sounds more exasperated than worried which is fair, but Anakin can see the concern in his yes.

"He was," Anakin replies, resisting the urge to pace, "I don't know what the situation is. They aren't telling anyone." That means it might be pretty critical, but he doesn't know and he doesn't understand why the healers won't tell him anything about it.

He can still sense Obi-Wan's Force presence in the back of his mind so he's –

Of course, he's alive. But that doesn't mean Anakin isn't worried because that shot could have killed anyone else.

"I'm sure we'll hear a report eventually," Cody offers.

Anakin sighs. "Yeah." He should try to think about something else but he can't. "How are things up here?"

"Filing endless reports," Cody replies dryly, "The usual."

Anakin snorts. "Have fun."

Anakin's comm beeps suddenly and he pulls it out to check the message. It's something from Palpatine, asking to speak to him about a lead on the bounty hunter. If they know where that criminal went, Anakin is going to track him down.

**w**

Anakin didn't think the bounty hunters could be much. They might be Cad Bane, Moralo Eval, and Rako Hardeen, but Anakin and Ahsoka are as capable as any. He was wrong.

Orodia does not go as planned in any shape or form. He was supposed to intercept the bounty hunters, to put them down before they can hurt anyone or come after Palpatine like the rumors say. But there's more going on than that.

The whole thing goes so fast after they spot Bane. He's half lost in the Force, letting it guide him – but when Hardeen crashes their ships together and takes them both down, he's thrown onto the rocky ground below.

Hardeen comes out – foolishly – and Anakin jumps at him without care of his already existing injuries. He's not at his best, but neither are the bounty hunters, and he came here on a mission.

How it happened, he really, really couldn't say, but somehow, the bounty hunter gets ahold of his lightsaber. Anakin's twisting around behind him, fully ready to make the same move Obi-Wan always does on him when this happens and yank his lightsaber away with the Force, but he stumbles and the next thing he knows, the lightsaber is ramming into his gut.

Anakin gasps, stumbling back and hitting the ground on his knees as the pain overwhelms him, hand pressed to the wound.

The lightsaber extinguishers, and the quiet panicked hiss of Anakin throws him off.

Hardeen doesn't know him, but he feels a flare of life in his mind. Obi-Wan.

The blue eyes looking at him in panicked horror are familiar, even if the face is wrong.

"Obi-Wan?" he whispers, eyes wide.

Hardeen – Obi-Wan – is still standing over him, frozen.

The sound of a lightsaber activating and Ahsoka's snarl of fury catches Anakin's attention next and he looks up sharply to see the Togruta Force-leaping towards them, fully intent on lopping off the bounty hunter – Obi-Wan's? – head.

That's what finally spurs Hardeen into motion and he turns to take off as Ahsoka lands on the ground in front of Anakin, lightsabers raised defensively.

Bane and Eval come out of the shadows then, motioning for Hardeen to come. Anakin's pretty sure that's the only reason Ahsoka didn't outright try to kill Hardeen when she had the chance. She waits, expression positively feral, as the others take off, before she finally drops to her knees next to him.

"Anakin?" she asks urgently.

"I – I'll be okay," he rasps. His side is burning and – The injury wouldn't be that big of a deal most of the time, but that was Obi-Wan. And he stabbed him. It was an accident. He knows that. But he still hurt him. And since when was Obi-Wan on this mission in the first place? He thought he was still injured and possibly in critical condition.

Anakin's supposed to be involved in protecting Palpatine, which is undoubtedly what this mission is about, so why was he left out of this?

"Sure you will be," Ahsoka huffs, looking very unconvinced.

"Ahsoka – " Should he tell her this? He doesn't know but...

"What's wrong?"

"Obi-Wan is fine. He – he's Hardeen."

Ahsoka freezes, eyes going wide. "He – ?! But he stabbed you!"

"I know," Anakin grits out, drawing in another pained breath, "It – it was an accident."

"I don't care!" she exclaims, fury bleeding into her voice, "How could he do that?! And why did no one tell us about this?"

"I don't know," Anakin sighs. That's what he doesn't understand.

"Ugh. I can't believe this," she nearly growls, "Come on. Just – let's get you back to Coruscant. I guess we don't need to be arresting Master Obi-Wan." Her voice is dripping with bitterness as she says it, slipping an arm around him to help him stand.

Anakin stumbles to his feet with a pained gasp, leaning his weight on her.

That was Obi-Wan. That was Obi-Wan. And he hurt him. And it was an accident, and he knows that, but he can't stop thinking about it.

**w**

"As long as you stay resting, this shouldn't take too long to heal," Kix declares, hovering over him.

Anakin tugs his robe back down to cover the stab wound. He wants to stop looking at it, if only so he can stop thinking about how he got it. It wasn't that deep, and it doesn't hurt that much, but he can't get that moment out of his head. "I don't know if I'll be able to," he admits very reluctantly, looking to the medic, "I'm supposed to be protecting Palpatine right now."

"I don't think you're in a condition to be doing anything like that right now, Skyguy," Ahsoka says grumpily, arms crossed.

"Maybe not but I can't just – "

"Your ribs are nearly fractured and you were already stabbed," Kix replies flatly, "If a trained bounty hunter comes after you, you could end up far more seriously injured. How did this happen to begin with?"

"I – " He doesn't know how many of these details he should be saying.

"Obi-Wan happened," Ahsoka scowls, still glowering.

Kix sort of jerks. "What?"

"That's not – The mission went badly, okay? It's nothing to worry about," Anakin says with a sigh.

Kix doesn't look remotely convinced. "Well, regardless of how this happened, you need to at least rest for now, sir."

"...Fine."

No use in arguing that point. He's exhausted anyway and he still doesn't want to think about how this happened.

**w**

Rex is only back at the cruiser from his non-stop assignment to protect Palpatine that Anakin gave him because it's the end of his many hour shift. He's not expecting to hear that Anakin was injured while he was away, or to run into a very flustered looking Kix who's saying something about General Kenobi hurting his General.

And he has questions right now.

Anakin is laying down when he goes inside, Ahsoka sitting next to him holding his hand.

"General?" Rex asks uncertainly. He doesn't want to disturb him, but – All he can think about right now is Krell and since when did Jedi do the same things to each other that some do to the clones?

"Is everything alright?" Anakin asks, clearly catching the look on Rex's face.

"Not really, sir," he replies bluntly. "I heard that you were injured."

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Really," his general assures, smiling weakly. It looks forced.

He'll just be blunt, then. "Why did I hear Kix saying that General Kenobi was the one who... did it?"

Anakin was injured with a lightsaber and he looks like he was beaten up badly and – Kriff.

"It was, uh, a misunderstanding," he replies, though he looks far more hurt over it than he's letting on. Probably then he can even talk about right now. "He – the details are classified right now, but we were in a ship crash, and the fight with him got a little out of hand. He thought I'd move faster than I did, apparently."

Rex thinks that's supposed to make him feel better. It doesn't.

"So it wasn't... intentional?" he asks a little warily. When Kix said it happened because of a mission going badly, he'd half wondered if it was – because of the same thing that happened when their trainers got angry at them on Kamino. Rex has long since accepted that even if Anakin's a Jedi, he's still so much like the clones, and...

His general's eyes widen, as though a realization suddenly sinks in. "What? No. Of course not. He would never hurt me on purpose."

That's slightly relieving but only slightly. "Well," Rex says with a sigh, mildly embarrassed by it, but still uncomfortable and definitely extremely upset. "After Umbara, I'm not fully sure about anything anymore."

"I know," Anakin sighs, "I don't understand all of what happened, either. The Council... made a decision I don't understand. There are things I should know that they aren't telling me, and I don't know why. This was my mission, and they put Obi-Wan on it instead. We can't work together if we don't even know what's going on."

Yeah. They had the same argument with Krell on Umbara. "Maybe that's becoming an increasingly frequent Jedi thing," Rex offers dryly.

"I don't know." He can't remember the last time he saw his general this upset. "I don't know any of this."

"Maybe you should just get some rest," Rex requests, "The boys and I can cover for a while. You look like you need it."

**w**

Anakin's not quite expecting Cody to be the next one to show up in the medbay but maybe he should have. "Are you... alright?" Cody asks, eyeing him uncertainly.

"...Don't tell me these rumors are spreading." Seriously, Ahsoka did not need to say that. Not that he blames her for being so upset. So is he.

"About how it was General Kenobi who did this?" Cody guesses, "I heard something about that and I didn't... know what to make of it."

Anakin still can't believe Rex thought Obi-Wan did that on purpose. Even if it was probably a fair concern, from what he knew. And none of his boys trust the Jedi anymore after Umbara. "It was a mistake, something that went wrong on a mission. Nothing you need to worry about. But... he is evidently fine from when he was hurt now, in case you were concerned."

"I thought he would be," Cody says.

"He has gotten into worse situations than this," Anakin agrees. He knew his master would be fine, but he couldn't help worrying. People die every day. That doesn't mean he really thinks his master could ever be one of them, though he had thought the same about his Mom until he started dreaming of her. She nearly died.

"Didn't know what to think of the rumors I was hearing," Cody says dryly, "That didn't sound like something he would do but – I haven't known him very long."

"He would not," Anakin assures. The mere thought is ridiculous but it is true that Cody's only known him for two years. And he knows Cody looks up to him a lot because he's in charge of them, so worrying about something like that would not be pleasant.

"It's different with him than it is with you and Rex," Cody comments. "Your boys act like you're one of them. I can see why. General Kenobi is... he's different. He's respectful of us, but I guess it's not really the same."

"He's a Jedi," Anakin points out, "Jedi aren't supposed to get personally attached." He knows Obi-Wan cares about him far more than he should by the Jedi way but there's still times he's distant even with him.

"I can see that," Cody admits. Anakin doesn't miss the faintest traces of – it's not really longing, but just a general... desire for something a bit more. Cody's never had anyone take care of him in a parental way before, to be fair. None of the clones have. Sometimes, Anakin thinks most of the younger clones see him as something like a parent. It's slightly overwhelming sometimes, even if he'd do anything for them.

He just wants to give them all the life they deserve.

"I am grateful to have him as a general," Cody says, and Anakin gets a flip-flopped feeling of deja vu. He'd said almost this exact same thing to Padme once not so long ago. "But I guess, sometimes, I really wonder what it would be like for a nat-born to want to be one of us."

"I wouldn't exactly call myself a nat-born," Anakin points out, "I was created by the Force. I only have one parent."

"I'm still not fully sure what that means, sir," Cody tells him.

He laughs. "You don't need to. It's not important, but I guess my birth is about as exotic as yours. It's nice, not being alone."

The clones are his family, the only ones he's ever had, and the only one he ever needs.

**w**

The rest of the mission goes better than Anakin expected. They stop Palpatine's near kidnapping by bounty hunters and later Dooku on Naboo even though Anakin's feeling frustratingly dizzy and unsteady on his feet by the time it's over.

The Council never really explained to him why they left him out of the mission. Everything they said didn't make sense and they didn't really even seem apologetic about it – Sometimes, Anakin really doesn't understand. He's tried to be a Jedi, but it feels like it's never enough. He's come to accept it and a part of him feels like he's reverting to being more a Child of the Desert than a Jedi now that he has the clones but it still... hurts. It still makes it feel like he doesn't belong here somehow.

The moment Dooku is gone and Palpatine is safely away from danger, Obi-Wan comes over to him.

"You look terrible," Anakin informs him flatly. The moment the lightsaber burned into his side replays through his mind again and he tries to shove it away.

"That's the first thing you have to say?" Obi-Wan asks, near incredulous. Anakin really wishes he looked like himself for this conversation.

"Your voice sounds terrible, too," Anakin goes on, even if it's really not funny. But seriously. "I'm never going to be able to take another one of your lectures seriously again."

Obi-Wan sighs. "Anakin, I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen." Anakin can clearly feel his horror and sincerity.

"I know," he assures, "It's – it's fine." Obi-Wan rarely ever apologizes to him. He doesn't quite know what to say if Obi-Wan's feeling awful enough about something to actually do that.

"You're hardly standing straight. You are not fine. How bad is it?" Obi-Wan's hand lands on his arm. Despite what just... happened, the gesture is still comforting.

"I may have run away from Kix to come here," Anakin admits grudgingly. He is exhausted, though that's probably from being briefly electrocuted by Dooku more than anything else. "Why didn't you tell me about the mission?" He'd been so worried about him and he understands it was for the mission, but it still hurts.

"The Council thought it best that as few people knew about it as possible."

"But I was on the same mission."

"As per the Chancellor's request," his former master replies, "The Council had a different plan to ensure his safety."

"So, the Council kept me out because they didn't approve of the Chancellor's plan, and they were taking it out on me."

Obi-Wan sighs. "That's not the term I would use, but I suppose you are not entirely incorrect."

He doesn't mean to be as bitter about it as he is, but he can't understand, and really, he could have blown the whole mission. It wouldn't even have been his fault if the Council never told him what he needed to know. All Yoda had to say was that he can be unpredictable and dangerous, which –

Any Jedi can be dangerous. Anakin's not special in that way. Any Force-user can be. That's why the Jedi are trained so strongly against using emotions. Anakin has always struggled with control, but that doesn't...

Palpatine had said the Jedi don't trust him, and he was right.

Obi-Wan sighs. "Anakin, I'm sorry it got that far, and that I didn't tell you. The confrontation on Orodia got out of hand."

No kidding. He doesn't want to think about it, though. Obi-Wan stabbed him. "I shouldn't have come after you." The Council did call it off, but he doesn't know what he was supposed to do – pursuing the bounty hunters would have been the right thing to do if not for what the undercover plan was.

"I didn't intend to harm you," Obi-Wan tells him awkwardly. Anakin feels his regret far more than he's voiced, probably things he'll never be able to. This is awkward for them both, and Anakin doubts his master will be able to talk about it.

He can't, either, and nor does he want to. The wound still stings. The fight with Dooku tore it open again.

"You should rest," Obi-Wan tells him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Anakin leans into it, sighing quietly. Obi-Wan's clearly intent on hovering and after what just happened, he doesn't mind. He does want to rest and he doesn't want to think about this anymore right now.

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