Chapter Text
The planet Vanqor was desolate and miserable, and aside from Tatooine, it could've been hailed as the worst desert planet in the entire galaxy. But that wasn’t why everyone avoided it. No, it was the ten-foot creatures with four arms and sixteen claws and twin devil-horned-shaped ears that kept everyone out– well, mostly everybody. One of the most vicious creatures to ever exist, Gundarks were famed for their unparalleled power that enabled them to lift massive creatures like Hutts from off the ground and into the sky as if they were paper and tear through them just as easily.
Which is why it was such a shame that right now Obi-Wan was being chased by at least twenty of them.
“Master, they're gaining on us!”
“You don’t think I know that?! Quickly! We just need to make it back to the ship– Jump!”
Just as a Gundark was about to make a meal out of Obi-Wan the Jedi Knight used the Force to make an impressive leap into the air which let his fingers scarcely graze the hole that he originally fell into. Anakin was at his side a moment later, and the two wasted no time hoisting their bodies toward the surface and racing for their ship. Shoving the control lever forward and mashing the hyperspeed button, Obi-Wan was never more grateful for Anakin’s ‘caution into the wind’ flying style– but he’d never tell his Padawan that of course. Turning his body away from the control board and toward his Master Obi-Wan was surprised to see how angry his Padawan looked.
“What the kriff is wrong with you Master?!! Why would you go into a Gundark den just for a lightsaber?! We could’ve gone to Ilum to make another one like last time! You could’ve been hurt!”
“Anakin, a Jedi’s lightsaber is their life. And Master Windu– I mean the Jedi Council–” he corrected after noticing how Anakin’s anger spiked at the mention of his least favorite Master “has mentioned their concern over how flippantly you seem to treat your lightsaber.”
“Who cares about losing a kriffing lightsaber or two?!”
Anakin sprung up from his chair and the impact of his feet hitting the metal floor sent shockwaves through the cockpit. His fists clenched at his sides as he stood there radiating tension and fury. It was as if a thundercloud had suddenly descended.
“You could’ve been hurt.”
“Anakin, I’m a Jedi Knight–”
“And Qui-Gon was a Jedi Master!” Anakin snapped. “No, you don’t understand! I can’t take any risks with you… if I lost you… if something bad were to happen… that’s something I’ll never let happen. Today was too close to Naboo.” Anakin fell back into his seat and wrapped his hands around Obi-Wan’s. His grip was tight like it had been on the night of Qui-Gon’s funeral.
“Don’t do something like that again. Ever.”
Obi-Wan shook his head sadly. He had said the same things to his Master a long, long time ago.
“Anakin. Jedi are forbidden to have attachments because as Jedi we cannot afford the luxury of safety… or security. Remember Padawan, there is no emotion, there is peace. It’s true this mission was dangerous, but the Council only sent us because they knew we could do it. I don’t know what the Force was planned for us, but I do know we can do anything as long as we’re together.”
Anakin grumbled a little and shook his head.
“Why would the Council send us here anyway? What’s there to see besides the Gundarks and… ugh, sand?”
Obi-Wan suppressed a laugh at how Anakin’s face twisted in disgust at the word sand as if it were somehow worse than the four-legged demon spawns that had just tried killing them a couple minutes before.
“Trust the Council, Anakin. There may be only twelve members but they’re the best of us and only want to see good for the galaxy.”
Anakin looked like he wanted to argue.
“Please?”
He let out a frustrated groan.
“Fine. If it’s what you really want I’ll do as the Council asks even if most of their decisions are stupid. And you’re right, Master. Not about the Council or their pointless rules but about us.”
Anakin stopped talking for a moment to bring their embracing hands to his forehead.
“As long as we’re together we go anywhere. Be anything. Do anything.”
“Yes,” Obi-Wan smiled. “As long as we’re together.”
Obi-Wan was feeling distinctly un-Jedi-like as he laid on Senator Amidala’s couch with his Padawan’s arms wrapped firmly around his body. It was the middle of the night and while Anakin’s presence was a source of familiar comfort being squeezed like he was about to be turned into juice kept him from sleeping soundly. He looked over at his Padawan and groaned internally.
What would Master Qui-Gon say? What would Master Windu say?
Do you really mean it Master? That I’m the closest attachment you have?
Obi-Wan scrunched his eyes shut. Maybe he could go back to bed. Maybe he could act like it was all a dream. Maybe he could go on pretending to be an actual good Jedi instead of a failure.
Master, you must know that I love you more than anyone else in the galaxy.
Obi-Wan jerked up so quickly that he shook the entire couch and sent it scraping against the floor creating a high-pitched shriek that rolled throughout the room. The Jedi beside him let out an irritable groan.
“Seriously Master?” Anakin yawned cantankerously, “Maybe next time you wake up you could try a little harder to start an earthquake? You practically shook the entire building.”
“You’ll survive losing a little beauty sleep Anakin. Besides, it’s not like you’ve been especially subtle of late either, what with your routine visits to the Chancellor– don’t try to deny it– I see the way you sneak away after every Council meeting. You say you just want to get some ‘lightsaber practice’ in, but I’ve never once seen you in the training halls even after you say that’s where you’d be.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to the Chancellor!”
“Anakin. The training halls are to the right of the Council chamber. You always go left.”
“I happen to prefer to walk. And just because I take a different route doesn’t mean I’m going to see the Chancellor even if his office happens to be there– there’s a lot of things to do left of the Council chamber!”
“Then why claim you leave early for ‘lightsaber practice’ in the first place? And how’d you know that the Chancellor’s room is to the left of the chamber? Only Jedi Masters are supposed to have that very important and very classified information. ”
Anakin groaned. Obi-Wan’s lip tugged upwards.
“Ugh. Fine. It’s true that I have been going to see the Chancellor. But that’s only because there are things I can only speak to him about because I trust him. And also because he’s not a Jedi. But mostly because of the first part.”
On the surface, it was hard to find fault with the Chancellor. Palpatine was a kind and agreeable man who Obi-Wan felt personally beholden to because of his help on Naboo and the fact that he attended Master Qui-Gon’s funeral. But still. He couldn’t help but feel something was… off when he spoke with the seemingly helpless old man. Obi-Wan couldn’t quite pinpoint exactly what he felt was so dangerous specifically about him, but he knew he didn’t like the way he looked at Anakin. And he especially didn’t like the idea of them having private conversations.
He had known for some time that his Padawan had been making secret visits with the Chancellor but Obi-Wan found it hard to stop him. He knew Anakin looked up to Palpatine like a son does a father and he didn’t want to drive a wedge between the two of them despite his better instincts. He genuinely wanted to trust Anakin’s testimony and believe in the Chancellor’s seemingly endless goodness… but something stopped him.
It was the same feeling that told him to run when he saw the Sith lord that killed his Master.
“There, Master!”
Outside the Senator’s room, a tiny droid floated in the air as it cut a hole in her bedroom window. It looked like it was inserting something into the broken glass.
A wand of blue light emerged from Anakin’s hilt and cleaved the Senator’s bedroom door in half as though it had been made from tissue.
There. Obi-Wan felt it before he saw it. There was something small and almost undetectable but undeniably there and in the room. Igniting his own lightsaber he spotted what appeared to be a centipede positioned on top of the Senator’s defenseless body and poised to strike any second. Too bad for it that Anakin was already in the process of striking.
“Get away from her!”
With more force than what was necessary, Anakin brought his lightsaber down upon the creature and viciously sliced its body in half, sending two pieces of half-charred worm flying across the bedroom in opposite directions. Anakin turned to Padme and started checking her for any sign of injury while Obi-Wan rushed towards the window and shattered the clari-crystalline glass using the entirety of his body and grabbed hold of the droid that was hovering just outside the Senator’s bedroom. To Obi-Wan’s great misfortune, it also happened to be hovering ten stories above the busiest aircraft street on Coruscant.
In a flash the droid raced away from the window and sped into the neighboring Coruscant apartments. It desperately hit signs and violently bounced off of nearby walls in an attempt to fling the uninvited passenger off its body, but whether because of his strength as a Jedi or fear of becoming sky-paste Obi-Wan held on tightly and made no sign of letting go. But just as his hands were growing used to the strain, a bolt of plasma struck the droid and killed it instantly in a miniature explosion and sent Obi-Wan perilously plummeting into oncoming traffic.
Obi-Wan knew as a Jedi that death was inevitable and always just around the corner, but he never imagined that his end would be brought by an airspeeder. A small part of him always suspected Anakin would be the death of him.
I heard that Master!
Obi-Wan whipped his head around wildly in search of where the voice came from.
Down here!
Out of the corner of his eye, Obi-Wan spotted a distinct yellow airspeeder with a frantically waving driver in it. Twisting his body and maneuvering his arms and legs he fell towards the passenger side of the ship and with a loud thud landed on the hardest seat of his life.
“What took you so long?!”
“Oh you know Master,” Anakin replied conversationally, “I couldn’t find a speeder I really liked. None of them had the right cockpit or the right engines or–”
“There Anakin! By the gladiatorial arena! They’re trying to escape by foot!”
Obi-Wan held tightly to the speeder as Anakin brought it down for a nosedive. He heard laughing beside him.
“Really Anakin?! I can’t believe you find this fun! Anakin that’s enough– we’re close enough to pull up! Pull up now! What’re you doing?! PULLUPANAKINPULLUP!”
Just by barely an inch the ship managed not to crash into the ground, and after the longest second of Obi-Wan’s life, shot up again into the sky.
“Sorry Master,” Anakin said, not sounding sorry at all, “I forgot you don’t like flying.”
That was it. He had to find a new Padawan or else he really was going to die because of Anakin. He silently swore to himself that he’d never get on a ship with Anakin again in his life if he could help it.
“When we get back to the Jedi temple,” Obi-Wan rasped between ragged breaths, “I’ll personally demand the Council to revoke your flying license.”
Anakin batted his eyes innocently at Obi-Wan.
“Oh Master, you’re only saying that. You and I both know that I’m the best pilot in the entire Jedi Order. Besides,” his voice lowered, “We’ve caught up.”
Bringing the ship down to dock at the arena, Obi-Wan and Anakin leaped out of their seats and cautiously approached the assassin’s ship. It was empty, but there were footsteps revealing her escape route.
They were about to chase after her but just then, like a bolt of searing thunder, a sudden and evil presence speared through the Jedi and pierced their hearts in a lance of hate.
Anakin and Obi-Wan jerked their heads backward. A lone but imposing figure dressed in black stood in front of their ship.
How in the Force–
The danger they gave off was impossible to miss– and for Obi-Wan, impossible to forget. Just like last time a moment of silence passed before the Sith flung off his robes and brandished his double-sided saber to the pair of Jedi.
The Jedi Knight inhaled audibly.
“I see you haven’t forgotten me,” the Sith lord hissed. “You’re the only Jedi I’ve encountered twice.” He bared his fangs at Obi-Wan. “That ends today.”
“Only because we’ll end your wretched life,” Anakin sneered back.
Memories of Naboo flooded into Obi-Wan and the image of Master Qui-Gon’s face stabbed at his heart. He balefully made eye contact with the Sith. Even though he knew it was against the Jedi Code Obi-Wan would be lying if he said he hadn’t fantasized about getting revenge for his fallen Master more than once.
How many Jedi had this man killed? How many more lives did he plan to take? Obi-Wan’s lightsaber burst into blue flame.
He was ready to fight– to kill– but he had to do something first. He turned to Anakin.
“Anakin, go and find the assassin,” Obi-Wan instructed softly but firmly. “I will face the Sith Lord alone.”
Anakin looked at him in disbelief and exclaimed in equal parts outrage and concern, “You seriously expect me to leave you with a Sith Lord alone? Master, you can’t make me do this!”
“I won’t ask again!” Obi-Wan bit out harshly. “It’s likely that the moment Senator Amidala was attacked the Council was informed and as we speak are on their way to aid us! Anakin listen to me! The sooner you find the assassin the sooner we can escape– go now!”
Anakin opened his mouth to argue but Obi-Wan wouldn’t let him.
“I am your Master Anakin and I’m ordering you to go now! Please, this is for the both of us! You know I’m right!”
Anger, frustration, and fear for his Master filled the features of the Padawan’s face, and Obi-Wan could feel Anakin’s desire to stay by his side, but deep down Anakin also knew that this was their best option. He released a roar of fury but in the end, obeyed Obi-Wan’s command with pained obedience and begrudgingly chased after the assassin. Obi-Wan could hear Anakin’s thoughts pound through his skull:
DontdieDontdieDontdie.
Obi-Wan knew that he wasn’t as strong as Master Qui-Gon, at least not yet, and there was no possible way for them to both safely make it out.
I will protect my Padawan.
The Sith Lord was inching towards Obi-Wan and the two Force users began circling each other.
Is this how Master Qui-Gon felt?
Obi-Wan wondered if during his final battle his Master’s thoughts were more with his Padawan than his opponent or even himself.
The Sith Lord sneered. “Isn’t this poetic? The Master always sacrificing themselves for the Padawan? ”
He lunged towards Obi-Wan and their lightsabers met in a fierce clash of red and blue. Obi-Wan staggered backward slightly at the brute force coming from the Sith Lord.
“I’ll gut you like I did your Master and then send you to the same place as him!” He leaned into Obi-Wan’s direction more and brought the Jedi Knight to a single knee.
“Die!”
By the time of the Naboo invasion Qui-Gon had three apprentices. The first one he had was a girl who died shortly into her Padawan training to a mere droid. Qui-Gon curled his lip.
Pathetic.
The second one was male this time and he died to a mercenary because he failed to deflect a simple blaster ray. True, it might have come from an S-class disintegrator but still.
He was weak.
The third one was an interesting case. Unlike his previous apprentices who had been forced upon him and had no interest in, Obi-Wan intrigued him. Even when compared to other Jedi and Sith Qui-Gon had uncanny skill in Force visions– he was among the earliest to foresee the birth of The Chosen One and the first to make contact with him.
When he first made contact with Obi-Wan he felt the same sensation he did when he met Anakin.
This child will be important to the entire galaxy forever.
He took Obi-Wan under his wing when the boy was only twelve and made honest attempts to train him. During their partnership Qui-Gon found himself impressed by the boy’s skill in lightsaber combat and negotiation; he far surpassed his peers academically and physically even if he insisted on being modest about his skills. He was also very amusing; the boy had quite the tongue on him and was always ready with a witty reply or sarcastic remark, but he also was deeply insecure of himself despite his genius. Qui-Gon knew he recited the Jedi code and oath every day to the point where he would mumble it in his sleep sometimes. His brow would crinkle with worry every time he chanted the first line of the Code: There is no emotion, there is peace.
Cute.
The Jedi Master found himself fond of the boy and for a moment sincerely desired to make Obi-Wan his Sith apprentice. But he knew Dooku and Sidious wouldn’t allow for changes in the plan.
Looking down from atop the arena he stared at his former Padawan battle with his associate Sith Lord Darth Maul. He narrowed his eyes.
Show me the reason the Force called out to me when I saw you. Show me that I did not waste my time training you. Show me how you will change the galaxy.
Show me who you really are, Obi-Wan.