Chapter 81: 81. Chapter (Shared universe 22.)

Obi’Wan was leaning against the desk, feeling exhausted from the long fight in which he just managed to pull through narrowly missing death. Although his breathing had stabilized, he was still deeply drained of both his mental and physical energy.

He was drenched in perspiration, and his sweaty body had been covered in layers of dust that were still lightly filling the air of the utterly destroyed pub.

It was at this moment, when he felt his chest constrict, as if a heavy weight had fallen on his breast… He couldn’t help but gasp in the ominous sense of discomfort.

He lifted his hand to his chest, massaging it slowly, trying to make the discomfort lessen. While thinking, somewhat worried about the situation.

Did I push myself too much? I guess these recent days were pretty stressful. I am really going to take out that vacation, if we manage to rescue Senator Amidala.

There was another wave of ominous sensation, then a warning for danger burst into his mind with a rarely seen intensity. He sensed the intensity of the warning; he had long learned to listen to his instincts. Those instincts have saved his life more than he could count.

Because of that, he didn’t turn around to look for the source of danger, but immediately ducked down behind the counter. In his haste, exhaustion and slight panic, he fell on his left side with a thud.

-Blast it!

He cursed as the dull pain pulsed through his body. But it was all he could say before all hell broke loose around him. A series of blue streaks of ionized lasers burst into the counter and the shelves above it. Some of those still held many bottles of alcoholic beverages. Which have burst apart from the shots, or simply fell down with the freshly destroyed shelves.

However, all of this has gone unnoticed by Obi’Wan. His mind was too occupied to care about this.

Those blue lasers, and the sound of the weapons that released those shots… He had heard them countless times. They were the standard clone blaster guns: DC-15A blaster carbines.

He also realized one more thing: those shots… they were meant to kill him, and they would have killed him if he had allowed himself just a second of hesitation before he ducked.

His eyes narrowed. This must be the reason for that weight, which I still feel pressing down on my chest. The only plausible explanation is that jedi are dying around the galaxy in large numbers. If that is the case, we have been betrayed…

This proves that the Chancellor is indeed the Sith Master we were looking for, all this time! We were completely blinded by his machinations!

I can only hope that it is not too late. We might still be able to stop him, even if we have to die for this mistake! We have to…

One of the heavy wine bottles dropped from the shelves and accidentally hit the taken off helmet, which belonged to the dead mandalorian. The helmet had turned to its side from the impact, and a solitary thermal detonator rolled out from its shadow.

The thermal detonator was already activated, and its shining red light immediately drew the attention of Obi’Wan.

-This bastard bounty hunter!

He shouted in shock and immediately reached for the grenade, quickly throwing it towards the incoming clones. Soon there was a tremendous explosion, shaking the building once more. And raising another cloud of smoke into the air.

Using this cover, and the momentary confusion of the injured clones, Obi’Wan gathered his remaining strength and bolted from the shadow of the counter, leaving the cursed pub behind through a lightsaber created opening in the metal wall.

While running towards the dark sidestreets, he couldn’t help but shook his head in amazement. That bounty hunter was one of a kind… Even on the verge of death, the man had managed to booby trap his own helmet.

Ironically, this unexpected action has proved to be the one that saved his life.

He silently thanked the fallen warrior, and the ever so mysterious force for this truly unexpected rescue. He had no doubt about the force's role in his escape. Many of his comrades have perished while he was saved. He could feel it through the force. The only question on his mind was, why?

What role does the force have for him, that he needed to be saved? And if there was such a role, would he be ready to fulfill it?

These and similar thoughts circulated in his mind while he was trying to figure out what to do, or where to go next.

Then, at the most unexpected moment, his holo-communicator started beeping with the familiar pattern.

-Of course, now I wonder who could be calling me at this time?

He began to search his pockets for the cursed device with a sigh. To his pleasant surprise, he found it in the second pocket he reached into. He pulled it out of his cloak with a genuine smile.

-Oh my, it seems that even in our darkest moments, there is still some light to find relief in.

He could never have guessed how true that sentence would feel in a minute. When he opened the small circular device, a familiar face and voice appeared.

-Master, I need your help quickly. I sense that something terrible is happening with the jedi… and the temple is under attack by clones! Padmé is in danger too… I can’t reach Master Yoda, and most of the other council members. I want you to tell me what is going on! Now!

Obi’Wan froze on the spot when he heard and saw Anakin being alive, and mostly fine. He felt a heavy rock being lifted from his chest. As a wave of relief spread over his stressed body.

Then he heard what he said and asked, without even saying hi to him… and he felt a wave of annoyance slowly overwrite his peaceful emotions. None the less, he easily masked his slight dissatisfaction and answered with a little-bit of sarcasm.

-Anakin? Good to see you too! Where have you been all this time? I thought you were dead! Did you know how I felt when our connection disappeared out of nowhere?! And where is Ahsoka?! Is she alright? And how do you even know about senator Amidala’s kidnapping? Did you take a vacation somewhere on the outer rim and come back seeing the news that your friend had been kidnapped? Why do you even care about her so much? I get that you are friends, but you have a bunch of other friends too who need your help, for example right now!

Anakin seemed slightly taken aback by Obi’Wan’s outburst, but he shook it off and answered with a determined expression.

-Because she is my wife!

Now it was Obi’Wan turn to feel like he was being slapped. His eyes widened and his expression seemed a few years older as the cold realization seeped in that his ex padawan was not telling some ridiculous joke to him. Based on his expression, at least. A few silent seconds went by then Obi’Wan came back to his senses and shouted in complete disbelief.

-THE WHAT?!

Seeing this reaction, Anakin felt frustrated and shouted back at Obi’Wan, copying his behavior.

-She is my wife! That’s why… and yes, Ahsoka is alright, but she is not here… Probably for the better…

He whispered that last bit while looking aside.

-Anakin!

Shouted Obi’Wan to gain back his stupid padawan’s attention. Anakin looked back at his master as the latter continued his speech.

-I am extremely disappointed in you… you, you are going to be kicked out of the order for this. I can’t hide this from the council… that… if there will be something remaining of it, that is…

-Is that all? I know that already…

Asked Anakin, and the cheeky question made Obi’Wan feel even more annoyed. So he shouted back, with reinvigorated fervor.

-No! That’s not all! You are a lier, and… and a pervert on top of it!

-Pfff! Hahaha! Seriously, couldn’t you come up with anything better?! It seems that I truly worried for nothing this whole time…

-What? It's not a laughing matter!

Shouted Obi’Wan, but his strict tone already lacked the original edge.

-Master?

Asked Anakin, with a gentle voice that seemed to melt his master's cold exterior.

-Yes? What’s now?

Obi’Wan was suspiciously preparing himself for another wave of shocking truths. Do they have kids too? But that can’t be. Am I going to be a grandpa? That would feel like that, definitely… I am not even that old, by the force!

-It’s good to see you too.

The clearly relieved and warm smile of his padawan that he had missed dearly for a couple of years now was back. And Obi’Wan could no longer decide if this entire fiasco was something to be happy about or sad.

He shook his head forcefully, as the situation was far from ideal to think about such matters.

-Anakin! This matter is not dropped yet, we will continue this later, I want to know everything! Do you understand?

Anakin raised an eyebrow at hearing that, with a jovial smile, while adding a playful comment.

-Now, now master. Which of us is the perverted one here?

-I… didn’t mean THAT! And you know it damn well! Now shut up and listen to me. I was just about to rescue your senator and was pretty close to success. Alas, my own clone troopers decided to practice their aiming skills on my back!

A worried glance passed over Anakin’s features, as he interrupted.

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-Are you alright, master?

-I am fine… but I barely got away thanks to the force. At least I managed to defeat Ventress before that happened.

-By defeat you mean…?

-Yes… I mean that…

-Whistle, I see you weren’t lazing around. So where is Padmé now?

-She should be with Master Luminara, and a mysterious bounty hunter. We fought together with two more of their people. Without their help, I would have died.

The expression on Anakin’s face seemed considerably darker, hearing the seriousness of his master’s voice.

-Then, I shall personally thank them for this, when the opportunity arises.

-I am afraid that won’t be possible, as both of them fell, before the reinforcement could arrive…

There was a moment of silence between the two jedi, as they thought of the many lost comrades they had fought alongside in the past few years. Most of them were clones.

Anakin asked with a spike of confused anger.

-Why would the clones turn on us? I can’t understand…

-It almost certainly has to do with the Sith Master, and his plot.

Anakin was surprised.

-The Sith Master?

-Oh, pardon me, of course you didn’t know of this… Not long before the clones turned on us, Master Yoda called me and said that the jedi shadows had found the identity of the Sith Master we were looking for. They were heading out to confront him. Then the clones hit us. Which means that the suspicion was right.

-Tell me, master, who was this bastard, who created this massacre against us?

Obi’Wan looked at his padawan thoughtfully… He saw that Anakin was already stressed out with the current flow of events. Who wouldn’t have been? He shook his head weakly, realizing that it wouldn’t serve any purpose to further antagonize him, especially taking in their relationship, and he said curtly.

-It doesn’t matter, for now, Anakin. Let’s trust this issue to Master Yoda and the rest of the masters to handle. We need to find your wife, and Luminara… they didn’t know that the clones are attacking every jedi, and a band a clone hit squads are following their signal emitters. I will send you my coordinates and…

-No need, I have already retraced your current position. I will be there in a minute to pick you up.

-I see… Then I will wait for you.

There was no answer to his statement. Anakin had already cut the connection.

-Blast it, I am seriously getting too old for this… I hope the temple can hold, at least for now… The younglings must have been terrified…

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Inside the Senate building, the senators present were in an uproar.

-What is going on? Who ordered the clones to attack the Jedi temple?

-There is a battle going on in the middle of Coruscant!

-Not just on Coruscant. I have heard reports that suggest a galaxy wide assassination attempt has started against the Jedi Order and every member. The executors of such an order are the members of the clone army!

-This is mutiny, I say, mutiny!

-Calm down senators, my informators state that the jedi council has tried to create a coup against the Chancellor.

-Then where is your proof? And even if some members would do such a thing, that would never justify a genocide against the entire Jedi Order!

-That is right! My father was saved by a jedi in the past!

-I was also saved by them!

-They are not evil! There must be a reason!

-He speaks true, we cannot let the Order who have defended the galaxy for so long perish under our very eyes!

-But what could we do? Our most potent units have always been the clones!

-Not always! We just need to call in all the reserves, and organize our defense against this rogue army!

-Rogue army? You are speaking of the clone army! Have you lost your mind?

-I did not lose my mind, and I dare say, it’s nothing more, nothing less, then a rogue army, and I call for the vote by my right as senator of the Galactic Republic to declare them as such!

-That's right, we cannot let the jedi fall!

-That's right!

-He speaks the truth!

-However, we cannot wait until the reserve troops gather. We need to send reinforcements to the temple immediately, and it must be an effective one!

-Are you all understanding the weight of such a decision? The Chancellor will be very disappointed in all of you, to send help to those who tried to take his life!

There was a moment of silence in the giant hall of the senate. Then the man’s voice, who was leading the rescue operation to help out the temple, echoed in a threatening tone directed at the man who has interrupted their discussion more than a few times now.

-If the Chancellor wishes to direct a complete genocide against an order that has served the people of the Galactic Republic since its creation. Then the Jedi Order might have been right to try to annihilate him! Such a man would be nothing less than a threat and a traitor to us all!

-Justice!

-We need to help the Order!

-Send in the Senate Guards, and every soldier who is not a cursed clone!

-I have already placed a bounty on every single bucket head in the galaxy… The payment will be deducted from the treasury, of course!

-How dare you do such a thing? This is nothing less than abusing your position as treasurer!

-Haha, you are welcome to file a complaint! Then I might also file one against you then. Did you think I didn’t know that you leaked money into your personal account? 

-Wha-what? Such slander!

-SILENCE! We don’t have time for petty arguments now! I ask for another vote to mobilize the Senate Guards to support the temple!

-Yes!

-Yes!-

-Yes!

-NO!

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Then it is decided, we shall stand with the Jedi! They have helped us over the centuries. Now it shall be the time for us to help them in their time of need! May the force help us all!

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