~I awake with a start, quickly brought out of sleep by the absence of Anakin. He no longer lies with me, and I cannot sense him near, I fear he might not be back very soon, and the thought of being alone with my injuries frightens me. I need his love now more than ever, though I do feel much better this morning, the events of yesterday have left me insecure. I have a new fear of the emperor that I did not have before, for now he controls my life.
As I brood on these things, it occurs to me that Anakin is not far off at all, but merely in a room a ways down the hall from here, perhaps his quarters, I shall go and investigate, for I cannot simply lie here and allow myself to be lost in my thoughts.~
Obi Wan slowly gets to his feet, wincing in pain and picking up a black robe from the bedside table. He gazes at it for a moment and sighs, missing his warm soft brown one, he found this coarse dark material depressing, and it is yet another reminder of who he now belongs to.
He shrugs it on, clutching it tight around his nude body, finding that it did little to keep the chill from his skin. He hurries outside, using the force to find Anakin's room. He stops outside the door and knocks, not wanting to intrude if his Master did not want him there.
Anakin looks up from his bed, immediately sensing Obi Wan, he sighs and gets to his feet walking over to the door and pressing the button, as it slides open he gazes at Obi Wan for a moment, taking in how truly weak and defeated he looks. He places his hand on his shoulder and gently guides him inside without a word, leading him to the bed and gently setting him down there.
"Are you going to be alright? You look terrible Obi Wan."
Obi Wan gazes up at him and nods, "I'll be fine Anakin, I'm just still a bit weak that's all. I'm sorry if I have come when I am unwanted, I, I was afraid."
"Afraid of what? The Dark Side?" He glares at him, suddenly feeling disgusted at Obi Wan's weakness.
He looks up, frightened, and quickly shakes his head, "No Master! It was not true fear, I was just uneasy I suppose is the word, not afraid, but you were gone, and, it, it upset me Anakin."
Anakin takes a deep breath and nods slowly, "I suppose I can understand that, though I still do not excuse it. You must not be frightened so easily Obi Wan, especially not in the presence of our master. He will kill you if he senses that weakness in you."
"I understand Master. I am sorry; I will not let it happen again."
Anakin nods and points to Obi Wan's robe, "Are you wearing anything under that?"
Obi Wan looks startled and shakes his head, "No Master, I did not think I had anything else to wear."
"Well you should. I will go and get you something, perhaps just like your old clothing only in black?"
"Alright, but can I at least have my boots back Anakin? I would also like my robe, though it isn't black, but I truly cannot stand this one."
Anakin glares at him for a moment but nods anyway, "Of course. I will simply have your old robe dyed black, but for now you wear that one. I also do have your boots here. You may get them, they are in my closet. I'll be right back with your clothes. Our Master has requested that we come to his office this morning and I do not think he would approve of you wearing nothing but that robe to such a meeting." He smirks slightly and heads out of the room to get Obi Wan some clothes.
Obi Wan sighs and gets to his feet, heading over to the closet and sliding the door open, he reaches down and grabs his boots, glad to see them again, he supposed the rest of his clothing had been taken by the Emperor and Anakin had probably been lucky to get these from him. He could not imagine how Anakin would go about getting his robe.
Anakin soon returns, carrying clothing for Obi Wan. He lays it down on the bed and nods to him, "Well, get dressed, our master will already wonder what has taken us so long."
Obi Wan nods and takes off the robe, pulling on the black clothing and his boots, wishing he could wear something a little less.. black. He pulls on the robe over his clothing when he's done, looking to Anakin for approval, "How do I look?"
Anakin looks him up and down and smiles, "You look good, really. Now, let's get to his office before he comes looking for us."
Obi Wan nods, and together the two of them head out of Anakin's quarters and to the office they'd entered before.
They find the Emperor as usual, sitting at his desk with his hands clasped, "Ah, there you are. I expect your lateness this morning is due to your injuries Lord Eternus?"
Obi Wan nods slowly and bows his head, "Yes Master. I'm afraid I've caused Lord Vader to be late as well. My apologies my Master, but I did not know what I should wear." He gulps, fighting back his fear, uncertain whether he was to be punished for this or not.
Palpatine merely nods and flicks his hand dismissively, "It is alright, I suppose I didn't show you around properly at all yesterday, and in all fairness I did take things a bit too far. Anyway, I have much more pressing matters to discuss with the both of you. A small band of Jedi apparently escaped from the temple during the siege. It would seem that they are attacking clone troops on the streets of Coruscant. I want the two of you to investigate these claims. If you do find any sign of them, I wish for both of you to immediately begin tracking them down. Once you find them, wipe them out."
Anakin nod slowly, "It will be done my master."
Obi Wan also nods, but not with quite as much enthusiasm as Anakin, he was not prepared to kill any Jedi that had survived the attack, "About how many of them are there? Just from a tactical standpoint master, I'd like to know what we're up against."
Palpatine surveys him for a minute, apparently deciding that there is no harm in such a question, "About eight from what I understand, mostly children between the ages of 8 and 15, though I believe there are a couple older ones among them. It should be a fairly easy task for the both of you. Indeed I believe even just one of you could handle them, that is if these Jedi even exist."
Obi Wan bows his head and lowers his gaze, "Of course Master. We shall do what must be done."
Palpatine nods, "You are dismissed, report to me when you return."
Anakin turns to leave, grasping Obi Wan by his shoulder and leading him out, "Yes Master."
Once the two of them are a ways down the hall Obi Wan gasps in pain and collapses, clutching his side and shaking his head, "I don't think I'm well enough for a mission Anakin, you must go without me."
Anakin considers it for a moment and nods, leaning down to scoop Obi Wan into his arms, he carries him back to his quarters and lays him on the bed, "You rest, get well Obi Wan. I will take care of these Jedi. It will not take long for me to track them down."
Obi Wan simply nods, not wishing to say anything for fear that his voice might betray him.
Anakin gets to his feet and heads out the door, determined to track down these Jedi and put an end to their rebellion.
Obi Wan watches him go and takes a deep breath once he's out of the room. He was not truly as weak as he'd been putting on, but he could not go with Anakin to kill these Jedi, he would instead try to find them first and get them safely off of this planet before it was too late.
Once he's sure Anakin is far enough away, he slowly gets to his feet and picks up his lightsaber from the bedside table, attaching it to his belt and taking a deep breath. This was going to be dangerous, he was not at his best at the moment, but he'd always been a better tracker than Anakin, plus being a member of the Jedi Council he already had some idea where these Jedi might be hiding, there was a certain district of the city with many hiding places that would serve them well, but only certain Jedi knew of it, and Anakin was not one of them. He only hoped that one of these young Jedi knew about this place, surely someone had informed them when the Temple had fallen under attack.
He gazes at himself in the mirror for a moment, the black robes billowing around him, he no longer felt like himself dressed like this, but he had no other choice, he had lost who he was. He strokes his beard thoughtfully, suddenly he found himself looking far too much like his old master, Qui-Gon, and it terrified him. What would his old master have said about giving himself to the Sith like this? No doubt he'd have been horribly disappointed as he had often been with Obi Wan. It pains him to think of this, and it suddenly occurs to him that he no longer wants this beard to remind him of his old master and what he might say or do.
He searches frantically through the top drawer of the stand, finding an old metal razor. Technology had long progressed to other forms of hair removal, but he felt that this was right for the occasion.
He quickly works to rid his face of hair, not bothering with anything to soothe his skin and nicking himself several times, but it was as though the pain were simply meant to be part of it. He throws the razor down when he is through, shaking as he gazes into the mirror, feeling as though he might break down with sobs as the blood runs down his face. He hastily wipes it away on his robes, marveling at how the black seemed to absorb it as though it were nothing, leaving no stains or signs that there was blood. Perhaps this was why the Sith chose black for their robes.
He pauses a moment longer in front of the mirror, noting how much younger he looked. It was as though he were starting over, and in many ways, he truly was. He was on a mission to become something so much more than a Jedi, or even a Sith, but a being that used both sides of the force, and yet, for some reason he could not get those remaining Jedi out of his head, as young as they were they might prove future apprentices for this new order, this new way of thinking, using both sides of the force. Whatever the cost, he had to save them, if they were truly out there.
Taking a deep breath, he heads out of the room, placing his hand on his lightsaber for comfort as he heads to the elevator, climbing inside and jabbing the button that would take him to the ground floor.
When the elevator stops he hurries out of it and down the steps to the street in front of the capitol building. He jogs along the sidewalk, finding a speeder unattended. He climbs inside and quickly hotwires the ignition, taking off up into the mainstream of air traffic. He gets his bearings and heads in the direction of the quadrant he knew the Jedi might be hiding in. Using the force to guide him he follows the trail, though it was very weak from such a distance. He could definitely sense them now, this was no myth or mere heresay, there were in fact still some Jedi left in the city, and he knew he was slowly getting closer and closer to them.
The Emperor had been correct, there were in fact eight of them, six Padawans all 15 and younger, and two older Jedi, a man he did not recognize who felt to be in his early twenties, and a woman he knew to be Melia Trion, a human Jedi whom he'd grown up with in the Temple, she was about one year younger than him and he'd known her very well when they were children, but he'd not spoken with her in some time. He would've been glad to see her again had it been under any other circumstances.
He reaches the area in which he can feel their power the strongest and lands his speeder, hopping out of it and looking around, this was an especially dark and dingy part of the city, clearly filled with poverty and crime, no doubt Melia had known to bring the others here, this area was not concentrated on by the government, and probably only a few clone troopers were ever sent here, but of course their disappearances had been noticed, and perhaps some sloppy mistake had led the emperor to think that there were Jedi behind the attacks, either way, their time was limited unless Obi Wan could find some way to save them.
Reaching out with the force he senses Anakin, still a great distance from here, but he was beginning to head this way. Obi Wan knows he has to hurry or else he'll be discovered by Anakin, and all will be lost.
A loud shout and blaster fire down a nearby alleyway brings him back to his senses and he hurries across the street, away from the line of fire and into a building which the force felt particularly strong in. He's stopped by a feeling of heat against his already burned neck, the blue glow of a lightsaber nearly blinding him as another blade is held close to his eyes, its owner bearing a gruff male voice, "Tell us who you are or I'll blind yah!"
He feels the blade suddenly lower from his neck, and a familiar female voice shouts, "Obi Wan! Tetrun! Lower your blade! It's Obi Wan Kenobi!"
He sighs in relief as the blue blade is extinguished, leaving his eyes intact, though he's now seeing spots, "Melia. You must listen to me! You are in great danger, the Sith that destroyed the temple is on his way here. He will kill you all. You do not stand a chance, you must let me help you get off of this planet, NOW!"
Melia nods slowly, turning to the Padawans that were hiding in the shadows, "Gather your things, we are leaving." She turns back to Obi Wan, gazing at his face in the dim light that was flooding in through a broken window. "You haven't changed a bit Obi Wan. I thought you'd grown a beard the last time I saw you, but now, you look just as you did so many years ago."
He nods and sits down on one of the few ragged chairs in the room. "I had grown a beard, but I decided to shave."
Tetrun steps forward, gazing anxiously at Obi Wan, "What's it like out there? What is going on? Is the Jedi order to be reformed elsewhere? What are we to do?"
"You are to get very, very far away from here and hide, hide until the time is right. I am working on a plan to defeat the Sith Lord, in time you will be able to return here, and the Jedi order will be reformed, though I fear it will never be the same."
Tetrun nods and sighs, "I expected as much. We'll be lucky if we survive just getting off of this planet, all of the main space stations are flooded with clone troopers."
"Not to worry. I am an expert at dealing with mindless warriors, I can get you off of this planet, but I must be very careful to cover my tracks. Your main concern must be the Padawans, we will keep them in the center, keep them protected, though the strongest of them may help us fight, we do not want to risk the younger ones, Jedi lives are far too precious to waste." Obi Wan sighs with these words, looking uncomfortable and stroking his now beardless chin.
The Padawans come back into the room, packed and ready to go, all of them looking frightened.
Obi Wan gets to his feet and nods, tugging his hood over his head, "Come along, we haven't got much time." He heads out the door to his speeder, waiting for them to follow.
Tetrun and Melia escort the Padawans to the speeder and all of them struggle to get inside, the smaller children sitting in the laps of Tetrun, Melia, and a couple of the older Padawans.
Obi Wan climbs into the pilot's seat and sparks the ignition, taking them up into air traffic again, reaching out with his senses to find Anakin, who was still a good ways away, though he might now be close enough to sense Obi Wan. This thought makes him uneasy and he flies as quickly as possible towards the nearest spaceport, weaving in and out of traffic, though he hated flying, he was really quite good at it.
He soon lands the speeder at the spaceport and hops out, drawing his lightsaber and gesturing for the others to do the same. All eight of them climb out and draw their sabers as well, ready for a fight.
He leads them towards the main entrance, flicking his hand and slamming the guards against a wall, knocking them both out before they even saw them coming. The nine of them enter the spaceport with little more resistance, they head for docking bay number nine which is nearest, hoping to secure a ship before being spotted by any clone troopers, they arrive there easily enough, but once inside Clones fire at them from every angle, the door slamming down behind them, giving them no means of escape, unless they wish to leap off of the landing platform, loosing their progress entirely.
Obi Wan fights to deflect the fire back at the clones, taking out several of them with their own shots, but he knows this won't work for long, "Melia, Tetrun, deflect the shots, protect the Padawans! I'm going to clear the way."
He runs away from the group, slicing through clone troopers along the way, using force speed to move more quickly, cutting a path through to the nearest ship. He then rushes up the ramp to the balcony taking out the clones that were firing on the small group of Jedi from above. He kills each clone differently, slicing some of them in-two and impaling others, for the first time having truly no care for the lives he was taking. It was, in his eyes, a necessary slaughter; they had become like an attacking pack of animals and had to be put down.
He fights on, fueled by his rage, moving with a speed he'd have thought only Master Yoda capable of. He doesn't stop until every single clone is down. He then pauses where he is, gazing around the hanger, using the force to make sure not a single one had survived. He finds but one, weakly clinging to life on the ground floor below. He jumps down from the balcony and drives his lightsaber through his chest. The clone gives one weak cry and goes silent. Obi Wan then hangs his weapon on his belt and heads over to Melia and Tetrun who are standing with the Padawans looking completely shocked, "Get on board that ship!"
Melia stares at him in confusion but nods slowly and gestures for the others to follow his orders, though she remains still, "Obi Wan, I, I've never seen anyone fight like that, only a Sith has such power, only a Sith fights so cruelly."
Obi Wan gazes at her sadly and nods, "I know Melia, but such things are necessary if I am to save you all. Their deaths were necessary; I cannot have any survivors here to testify that I was involved. You must go, now. Anakin is coming; he will kill you if you are not gone before he arrives.
"And what will he do to you Obi Wan?"
"Nothing, I will not be here when he arrives either."
She quivers slightly, staring down at the floor, "Obi Wan, have you become a Sith?"
"No. I promise you that." He takes a shaky breath and hangs his head for a moment before gazing back into her eyes, "I have learned to use the dark side of the force Melia, but I am not a Sith. You will see in the end, but for now you must go, you must hurry! Trust me, please."
She nods slowly, gazing at him for only a moment longer before rushing up the ramp to join the others.
Obi Wan watches as the ship slowly rises into the air and heads out into space, he knew they would be safe, it was an Imperial ship and they would not be questioned or even noticed as they left the planet. He had but one thing to do now, cover his tracks.
He heads back up the ramp to the balcony and into the main control room, checking the log to see what messages had been sent, he finds that no request for backup had been sent, the clones had not had time to do so. They had however put into their logs that a group of Jedi had broken through, but it was merely a log, so it posed no immediate danger to the small band of escapees, by the time it was read, they would be far, far away from here.
He had now but to destroy all the security recordings, which was easy enough a task. He hacks into the security database, using the pass code of the nearest dead Clone General he could find. He works quickly to delete all security holograms from the point at which he'd entered the spaceport, until now. He then stops all security recording for the entire spaceport by causing the system to crash entirely. He could now leave without being detected. He runs back down the ramp and leaps off of the landing pad, using the force to land smoothly on the ground several feet below; he glances over at his hotwired speeder, only to find that it was being searched by clone troops, "Blast!" He looks around for some other means of transportation and finds a small one-man ship he could easily hotwire. He climbs onto it and works to get it started, quickly rising into the air and heading at top speed back to the capitol. He was sure he would have to explain where he'd been, so he stops at a bar near the capitol building, stepping inside for a drink.
He knew it was near enough to the building that he could walk home from here. He takes a seat at the bar and orders the usual, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from other customers. They knew of the so-called Jedi rebellion, and most of them had known he was a Jedi, so it was no doubt that they'd call someone to come and take care of him, but this was of little concern to him as he'd be able to take out any Clone Troopers that might be sent.
He reaches out with the force now, finding Anakin who seemed to be lost and confused at the moment. He smirks softly to himself with satisfaction, the confusion was good, it meant that Anakin did not know the Jedi had escaped from the planet, but he had lost the trail all the same or perhaps never truly picked it up. He would most-likely be heading back home now, in fact, he seemed to now be heading this way.
Obi Wan sips his drink as he feels the familiar presence of Anakin growing closer and closer, though he notes that the confusion does seem to be gone from his mind. He now seems to be hot on the trail of someone, but whom?
He orders another drink as he finishes his first, wondering what exactly Anakin was on about now.
When his second drink arrives he sips at it thoughtfully, feeling Anakin growing steadily closer and closer until he bursts through the door of the bar and rushes towards Obi Wan with his lightsaber drawn. Obi Wan draws his saber instinctively and turns to block his attacker, looking shocked when he sees that it's Anakin, he'd known he was here, but he had not expected this. "What are you doing?!"
Anakin looks just as shocked as Obi Wan and hastily lowers his lightsaber, shaking his head. "I didn't realize it was you. I got a call from the emperor, he said someone here had called in a Jedi sighting so I came to take care of it, I thought it might be some of the Jedi Rebels." He laughs and shakes his head. "You know, I almost didn't recognize you, it's been years since I've seen you without a beard. What made you decide to shave?"
"Oh you know, I wanted to look young for you." The two of them exchange a smirk and Obi Wan slowly gets to his feet. "Shall we leave then? I'm ready to head home for the night."
Anakin looks uneasy and sighs, "I did not find the Jedi, and in fact I'm not sure I sensed anything at all. I'm afraid my Master will not be pleased at this news, speaking of which, what are you doing here? You didn't feel well enough to go on the mission and then I find you here getting drunk?!"
Obi Wan looks distinctly uncomfortable and hangs his head, "I felt I needed a drink Master. I am sorry I did not come with you. I am well enough to drink, but not well enough to fight."
Anakin glares at him for a moment, thinking it over, then nodding, "Alright. Well, let's get back home. We must deliver the unpleasant news."
Together the two of them head out and back to the capitol building, hurrying inside and getting on the elevator. Once on the top floor they go to the Emperor's main office, both of them feeling uneasy as they step inside.
Anakin bows to Palpatine and shakes his head, "I am sorry my Master, I did not find any Jedi, perhaps the reports were incorrect, but I could sense no one with the power of the force other than the three of us on this planet."
Palpatine stares for a moment then nods, "Very well, and what of the Jedi report in the bar?"
Anakin sighs, "Merely a false report my Master. There was no Jedi there, merely someone wearing a cloak."
He surveys them both for a moment, fixing his hands together and laying them on his desk, "Alright, rest for now, then tomorrow I shall decide if the rumors were even true. Perhaps we'll get some better clue as to where they might be hiding if they are here."
"Of course my master," Anakin bows again and the two of them head out the door, he grasps Obi Wan's wrist and leads him with him to his own quarters. "You will be staying with me tonight. I need some release after such a frustrating day."
"Of course Master." Obi Wan bows his head slightly and allows himself to be led into Anakin's quarters, the door closing behind him. He quickly undresses as Anakin does the same.
He watches as Anakin's nude form approaches him, every muscle and curve of his body standing out in the dim light. He finds himself just wanting to worship that beautiful boy.
He drops to his knees as Anakin gets closer, facing him and reaching out to take hold of his growing hardness.
Anakin gasps as he feels Obi Wan's hand enclose around him, and he eases closer, until the tip of his swollen flesh is against Obi Wan's smooth cheek, rubbing himself against that soft skin.
Obi Wan shifts his head to the side, pressing his lips to the hard hot flesh and slowly taking him into his mouth. He sucks hard at the velvety skin sliding his tongue along the most sensitive grooves in his Master's arousal. Having done this several times before he knew exactly how to please Anakin to the fullest. He begins to press forward, taking him all the way to the base, letting the hard hot flesh ease down his throat, he then slips back and forwards again, creating a gentle rhythm and using his hands to slowly stroke his lower belly and thighs.
Anakin grasps and reaches down, entangling his hands in Obi Wan's hair, holding him still and beginning to thrust into his mouth, wanting the rhythm to be faster and rougher as he feels himself already nearing orgasm.
Obi Wan does not object, he merely keeps his throat relaxed, allowing Anakin's arousal to slide in and out of his mouth, using his tongue to tease the tip each time he slides almost out of him.
Anakin shudders, thrusting a few more times and reaching his finish. He screams and shouts Obi Wan's name, desperately clutching him against him as his hardness expands and contracts deep within his throat.
Obi Wan swallows the rich taste of Anakin, knowing the clutching of his throat muscles would make the feeling all the better for Anakin. He was pleased that he could give him this release at a time when it was in fact himself that had caused Anakin's frustration.
Anakin groans as his muscles slowly relax, feeling truly satisfied. He eases himself out of Obi Wan's mouth and gazes down into those blue-green eyes. He reaches gently out to him, stroking his cheek for a moment and slowly helping him to his feet, "Is there anything I can do to help you now my love?"
Obi Wan nods slowly, "You can hold me while I sleep, and be here in the morning when I wake up."
Anakin smiles, and tugs Obi Wan into the bed with him, wrapping the blankets around them both and pulling him into his arms. He kisses his neck gently and hugs him, "I can do that."
Obi Wan sighs happily and snuggles against him, truly amazed that all had gone well today.
~I lie here, listening to his gentle breathing as he falls asleep. I am very fortunate to still be with him after today. It was foolish of me to lose sight of my true goal here. I risked everything to save those Jedi, but amazingly, I've pulled it off, and I'm still here with Anakin. But I cannot afford to make anymore moves like that one. It is true, I need those strong with the force to establish a new order once Palpatine is gone, but if I do not hold my position here long enough to get rid of the Emperor then all will be lost. I must focus more clearly from now on. I must not lose sight of what must be done here, and above all I must never risk my position again just to save a few lives.
No life is anywhere near as important to me as Anakin's, nothing else matters, only saving him from himself.~
~The End. Until Part 5~