The world changed in the space between heartbeats.

In one moment, Jedi Master and former High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi sat with Anakin Skywalker in a private room in the Halls of Healing.

In the next, he sat in what seemed to be a sitting room of a hotel suite, or perhaps rather generously-sized guest quarters. After so many years in his hut on Tatooine, the room appeared almost obnoxiously luxurious, though he doubted his host, whoever that was, would describe it as such.

And there was tea. Two cups rested on the table where he sat, though he felt no other presence in the room, which even more than the décor suggested he was in friendly territory. But where, exactly?

Obi-Wan stretched his awareness through the Force to try to determine where he was.

He felt Anakin's presence first, bright and glowing like a star. Second was a presence hadn't felt in more than thirty years but knew so well he'd never forget it: Qui-Gon Jinn.

The two of them together suggested he was still on Coruscant, but this planet felt far too rich in flora and fauna for Coruscant. Naboo, perhaps?

Qui-Gon had died on Naboo. Perhaps Obi-Wan could prevent his death?

Before he could formulate even a portion of a plan, the door slid open.

Obi-Wan's breath caught.

Nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker bounded into the room, and came to a complete, sudden, wide-eyed stop at the sight of him. Behind him, Qui-Gon Jinn did much the same.

"Dag!" the boy exclaimed, then looked up at Qui-Gon. "You said he was old, but I didn't think you meant this old."

"In my defense," Qui-Gon said dryly, "he was younger when I left."

"This is Naboo, then?" Obi-Wan asked as Qui-Gon detoured to the kitchenette for another cup and the teakettle that sat on a warmer.

Qui-Gon glanced over his shoulder wryly. "Just after you killed the Sith."

"Except it was my other self," Obi-Wan murmured. "The general, or the padawan?"

"You're a general?" Anakin asked.

"I was." Obi-Wan smiled at him. "High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi at your service."

"Wizard!"

"The general," Qui-Gon said as he brought the cup and kettle to the table, pouring for Anakin and topping off his and Obi-Wan's cups. "Is that important?"

"Certainly," Obi-Wan declared. "If only because you survived it. What is our current circumstance?"

"The Council and the Chancellor are due to arrive shortly," Qui-Gon answered. "You – the general, to use your term – wanted to change something about that."

Obi-Wan could guess what his younger self might have meant, but he knew the first thing he wanted to change even before Qui-Gon slanted a glance toward Anakin, who was sipping his tea cautiously.

"I expect it's much blander than you're accustomed to," he said, and Anakin looked up. "Tatooine has excellent tea, but it's quite spicy."

"It's not bad," Anakin said. "Just…different. I like caff better than tea, though."

Obi-Wan bit back a smile at Qui-Gon's shocked expression.

"I'm certain we can find some caff for you," Obi-Wan said, "but in the meantime, would you like your first lesson as a Jedi?"

Anakin turned wide, eager eyes on him. "Really?"

"Really," Obi-Wan assured him. "It's not flashy or showy, but it is foundational."

Anakin frowned. "What does foun-day-shun-ul mean?"

"Basic," Qui-Gon offered. "Fundamental. The first step."

Anakin nodded before looking at Obi-Wan expectantly. Qui-Gon wore a similar expression; no doubt he was curious what Obi-Wan – this Obi-Wan – considered foundational.

"Do you know how the Jedi access the Force?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin shook his head.

"With our minds." Obi-Wan tapped his temple. "We first concentrate on what we want, and then we ask the Force to help us do it."

Anakin's expression turned thoughtful. "Like deciding what you want to build before you build it."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Exactly. So, knowing that, what's the first thing we should do for our minds?"

"Um." Anakin's forehead creased with concentration. "Um – train them? So we can get exactly what we want, not something close?"

"That is an important step," Obi-Wan acknowledged, "but not the first. The first, most basic and yet most important thing we do for our minds is protect them."

Anakin scowled, obviously suspicious. "From what?"

"Jedi are not the only Force-users in the galaxy," Obi-Wan said gently. "Not all of the others share our beliefs as to the sanctity of our minds."

Anakin's eyes widened again. "And some beings might try to hurt my mind?"

Qui-Gon cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, yes. It's not common, but it is wise to be prepared."

Anakin's expression shifted to determination. "How do I protect my mind?"

BREAK

An hour later, Anakin had rudimentary shields in place. No matter how subtle Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon tried to be, Anakin was immediately aware of their attempts to touch his mind and could block them. His responses were more instinctive than skilled at this point, but for a first attempt, Anakin's shields were most impressive.

Obi-Wan wasn't surprised when the mental effort involved in creating shields combined with coming down from the excitement of the day to make Anakin yawn hugely.

"It's not even dark yet," Anakin mumbled.

"No," Qui-Gon said, "but you've had a busy day."

While Qui-Gon got Anakin settled into bed, Obi-Wan cleared away the remains of their tea before retreating to the small sitting area which, thanks to the layout of the suite, had less of a direct line of sight and sound to the bedroom. If he and Qui-Gon kept their voices low, Anakin shouldn't be able to overhear them talking.

And talk they would; Obi-Wan was certain of that if nothing else in the last crazy hours.

Qui-Gon returned and sat beside him. "Why did you insist on teaching him shielding so soon?"

Obi-Wan stretched his senses through the Force – the Force that still radiated warmth and Light, though he could feel the Darkness encroaching on it. And a particular Darkness approaching the building where they sat. The chancellor, along with the Jedi Council. He'd have to speak quickly.

So he met Qui-Gon's gaze evenly. "Because I failed Anakin as his master once, and I will not do so again."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "You said that before, but I cannot believe you would fail as a master."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, but let the sarcastic, snappish, answer he wanted to make bleed away into the Force. Instead, he focused on the most important thing in this moment.

Instead, he said, "While I admit and accept my mistakes as his master, I believe a Sith began manipulating him almost as soon as he came into the Order's care."

Qui-Gon frowned. "You – the other you – the general? – said that a Sith was at the heart of the Senate."

Obi-Wan nodded. "It's the truest thing Dooku of Serenno ever said."

"Dooku?" For all that Qui-Gon kept his voice low, his exclamation couldn't have been sharper.

"Yes," Obi-Wan allowed. "But that is not important at the moment. My apologies."

"Not important?" Qui-Gon stared at him as though he'd suddenly sprouted fur like a Wookie.

Obi-Wan waited him out.

After long moments, Qui-Gon visibly controlled himself, enough to make a credible attempt at an even tone. "Then what is important at the moment?"

Obi-Wan thinned his shields, allowing Qui-Gon to sense his certainty. "Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith at the heart of the Senate."

Qui-Gon's mouth actually dropped open a millimeter or two. "Are you certain? The general didn't know who it was."

"Mm. Then the general came before the-" Obi-Wan cut that sentence off in favor of, "I wasn't certain at that age," Obi-Wan replied.

"But you are now," Qui-Gon mused. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "And that is why you don't want Anakin to meet him?"

"Sheev Palpatine manipulated and groomed Anakin Skywalker to follow in his footsteps." Obi-Wan swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat. "Anakin fell to the Dark Side and took the galaxy with him."

"No." The denial seemed automatic. "He-"

"Yes, he."

Obi-Wan's sharp retort cut off whatever else Qui-Gon might have said, and for long moments, Qui-Gon simply sat there, apparently lost in thought. Or absorbing his shock. Or both.

"You believe the Sith did something when he first met Anakin," Qui-Gon observed finally. "Something so long-lasting that it corrupted Anakin completely."

Obi-Wan nodded. "And I believe Palpatine reinforced it every time they met afterward."

Qui-Gon blinked. "How many times would a child meet the supreme chancellor?"

"Many more than I liked," Obi-Wan answered. "But the Council overruled me on the grounds that it helped relations between the chancellor and the Order and harmed nothing. They were wrong."

Before Qui-Gon could pursue that line of thought, his comm pinged. He checked it quickly and frowned.

"The chancellor and the Council are on their way."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "The chancellor cannot see me, for obvious reasons, and also because if I am in the same room with him, I may kill him on the spot, despite that at this time, he has committed no crimes."

"That you know of," Qui-Gon corrected gently. Obi-Wan accepted the rebuke with a nod. "And the Council?"

Obi-Wan hesitated only briefly before deciding. "Mace and Yoda, if they are here. No one else."

Qui-Gon nodded and slipped from the room. Unwilling to take any unnecessary risks, Obi-Wan rose and started down the short hallway to the main bedroom, pausing only at the door to Anakin's room to confirm that the boy was still asleep.

Once in the main bedroom, Obi-Wan closed the door enough that he couldn't be seen – an extra layer of privacy should anyone manage to get past Qui-Gon and barge in – and simply stood, breathing in and out, waiting.

He didn't have to wait long. A murmur of voices, then a sharper word from Qui-Gon if the timbre of the voice were any indication, another moment of silence, and then the door to the suite slid open.

Mace Windu entered first, followed by Yoda, and Qui-Gon brought up the rear. Beyond Qui-Gon's shoulder, Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of the chancellor and a couple of other Council members before the door slid firmly shut and a chime confirmed it was secure.

Mace barely waited for the chime before he said, "We are all aware of your quirks, Qui-Gon, but you were rather rude to the chancellor."

Qui-Gon smiled serenely, apparently unperturbed. "He was rather rude to us, demanding to meet Obi-Wan and Anakin even after being told both are asleep."

"Asleep, both are not," Yoda replied.

Qui-Gon merely raised an eyebrow. "Does the chancellor know that?"

And Obi-Wan took that as his cue to step forward into their line of sight. "He might."

Mace's lightsaber was in his hand and active with impressive speed. "Who are you?"

Obi-Wan bowed to them, the bow of one master to another. One Councilor to another. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, at your service, Masters."

"He speaks truly," Qui-Gon said. "Though I have not performed a genetic test for obvious reasons, I recognize his presence in the Force."

The masters' focus changed, and Obi-Wan allowed his shields to thin – not so much that they would get full impressions, but enough to allow them to confirm his identity and his sincerity.

Yoda crossed behind Mace and hopped up onto the small sofa. "Happened, what has?"

That seemed to ease Mace's concern, at least somewhat, as he deactivated his lightsaber and summoned one of the dining chairs to sit on. Obi-Wan allowed his amusement to show. Mace might be outwardly peaceful, but he'd chosen a seat and a location that would allow him to fight at a moment's notice.

In a probably-vain hope of reassuring Mace, Obi-Wan very deliberately sank into the most luxurious, softest, chair in the sitting room – a seat that would hinder his physical actions at least somewhat.

Qui-Gon sat beside Yoda. At Obi-Wan's inquiring eyebrow, he cleared his throat.

"As Padawan Kenobi and I were facing the Zabrak," Qui-Gon began, "there was a…surge in the Force. When it retreated, my padawan was gone, and in his place-"

"This man," Mace finished.

"No," Qui-Gon said. "An Obi-Wan Kenobi perhaps ten years older than my padawan, twenty years younger than the man before you."

"Another surge, there was?" Yoda asked.

Qui-Gon nodded. "An hour and a half ago. That's when-"

He broke off, apparently uncertain how to continue.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Obi-Wan will do. But if there is need to distinguish me, Padawan Kenobi, General Kenobi, and Master Kenobi will do."

"Which are you?" Mace asked suspiciously. "The general or the master?"

"The master."

"How came you here?" Yoda asked.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I've no idea. And this is not my first…stop, for lack of a better word. my first stop was during the war that made me a general."

"War," Mace repeated dumbly. And again, "War?"

"Change this, you wish," Yoda said. "Risk, it is. Understand this, do you? Willing to take it, you are?"

"To save the Republic?" Obi-Wan asked. "To save the Order? Yes, I will gladly take that risk."

Mace raised an eyebrow. "Even knowing that you cannot predict whether your changes will make things better? Or worse?"

Obi-Wan met his gaze steadily. "I did not exaggerate when I said I mean to save the Republic and the Order. I cannot imagine any changes I make could possibly lead to a worse outcome."

Mace and Yoda still appeared skeptical, so he added, "Besides, my younger self could reappear at any moment, so you will be making these changes."

All three masters looked startled. Obi-Wan wasn't surprised that Qui-Gon recovered first.

"What changes do you think we should make?" he asked.

Obi-Wan blew out a breath, releasing his tension to the Force with it. "Once I give you the information you need, Masters, I defer to your judgment to your approach to the matter."

He angled his gaze to Qui-Gon. "With the provision that we've already discussed."

Qui-Gon nodded his agreement. "I will ensure his safety."

Mace frowned. "Whose safety?"

Obi-Wan inclined his head in thanks to Qui-Gon before focusing on the two Councilors.

"Anakin Skywalker's," he said, and the two masters frowned.

Both of them had been against training Anakin, and to this day Obi-Wan wasn't certain what had changed their minds. He hoped they'd had a better reason than it being Qui-Gon's dying wish, but now he'd never know.

"So he is truly the Chosen One?" Mace sounded skeptical. "The one to bring balance to the Force?"

Obi-Wan smiled grimly. "From a certain point of view."

Yoda hmfed. "Riddles, you speak in."

"I learned from the best," Obi-Wan countered. Then the moment of amusement passed and he took a breath, regarding each of his fellow masters in turn.

He'd spoken to them before – before, in his personal timeline; it would be another ten years or more in real time – about Anakin, the prophecy, and the Sith at the heart of the Senate. He'd told the Council during the Clone War, and to his knowledge, they were (or perhaps would be; time travel was confusing on many levels, but most especially grammatically) doing something about it.

But by the time of the Clone War, the worst of the damage had already been done, and the most the Council could hope for was a rear-guard action followed by years, if not decades, of cleanup.

Perhaps by speaking to the Council at this time, Obi-Wan could prevent the worst of the atrocities from happening, even if the earliest clones might already be in production.

"What does it mean," Obi-Wan asked just as the silence began to stretch too long, "to bring balance to the Force?"

The other three sat in uncomfortable quiet for a moment, apparently considering the question, before Mace cleared his throat.

"I don't know that's ever been successfully defined," he said.

Obi-Wan sat back and steepled his fingers and prepared to repeat himself somewhat. "Then allow me to propose a thought experiment. How many Sith are there?"

"Always two, there are," Yoda said.

"The master and the apprentice," Mace added by way of clarification. "I understand you and Qui-Gon believe that you, a version of you, killed the apprentice."

"That is true," Obi-Wan said, "but outside the scope of the thought experiment. How many Jedi are there?"

Yoda and Made exchanged a glance.

Mace shrugged slightly. "I'm not certain of the exact number. Perhaps twenty or thirty thousand."

Qui-Gon's sharp inhale indicated he understood.

"So to bring balance to the Force, at least numerically…" Qui-Gon trailed off, unable or unwilling to voice the inevitable conclusion.

So Obi-Wan finished for him. "The Order was destroyed."

Mace's tone was carefully neutral when he asked, "By Anakin?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not directly. Anakin was lured to the Dark Side, groomed by a Sith Lord."

"The Zabrak's master you mean?" Yoda asked.

"Yes."

"Who is the Sith Lord?" Mace asked, though Obi-Wan suspected he'd already deduced the Sith's identity.

"Sheev Palpatine," Obi-Wan answered. "And Dooku of Serenno is – or will be – his apprentice."

"Impossible," Mace declared. "We would have sensed it."

Obi-Wan understood Mace's reluctance to believe. He himself hadn't wanted to believe he, let alone the entire Order, had been deceived, but truth didn't care what anyone wanted to believe.

Regardless, there was one way to convince them.

"Meditate with me, masters," he said, "and you may judge the truth for yourselves."

BREAK

An hour later, Obi-Wan surfaced from his meditation to find the other three masters…shaken, was the best description he could come up with.

"Understand now, I do," Yoda murmured, "why to avert this future you wish."

"The Sith have been planning for a very long time," Mace observed.

"The question is," Qui-Gon said, "who was Palpatine's – Sidious' – master, that the Jedi missed everything that's happened?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I never had any opportunity to learn who it was, but I suspect if you were to go through Palpatine's history in great detail, you would discern it quickly enough, if it's necessary."

"Necessary, you think it is not?"

Obi-Wan made a so-so gesture. "A matter of historical interest, and perhaps for determining who amongst that being's circle of acquaintances might also be tempted to follow the way of the Sith."

Mace rubbed his forehead, a sure sign that this situation was rife with shatterpoints. As if any of them didn't suspect that already. "What do you propose we do?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "A bounty hunter with a slugthrower is the most practical and efficient option."

Shockangerdisbelief.

Obi-Wan sat calmly, waiting for that reaction to be put into words.

Finally, Mace said, "Assassination is not the Jedi way."

He didn't sound as certain as he might have before their joint meditation. Obi-Wan didn't call him on it.

Instead, he said, "I've spent much of the last twenty years contemplating my failures, as well as the Order's failures, surrounding the rise of the Sith and especially Emperor-now-Chancellor Palpatine. If there is another equally effective alternative, I've not found it."

Qui-Gon blew out a breath. "I've been called a maverick many times, but this…the Senate will not approve."

"Do we serve the Senate?" Obi-Wan all but snapped, "or do we serve the Force?"

The silence lingered longer than he would've liked.

Finally, Yoda sighed, a deep, heavy, galaxy-weary sound Obi-Wan would never have thought could come out of a living being, even one as old as Yoda.

"Retire from the Council, I shall," he said. "Needed, younger perspectives are, to face this ancient enemy. Nominate Qui-Gon my replacement, I will."

"Me?" Qui-Gon's mouth actually fell open a centimeter.

"And speak with Dooku, we should," Yoda continued as though Qui-Gon hadn't spoken.

Mace cleared his throat. "Even knowing that he has the potential to fall to the Dark Side, if he hasn't already?"

"Mm." Yoda adjusted his gimer stick across his lap. "Hurt, he was. Address it, we did not. Adjust his path, we may."