Chapter Text

Chapter 1

The pain was excruciating, the smoke suffocating, the fear and death felt within the Force was even worse. Obi-Wan felt like he wasn’t in charge of his own body, he couldn’t seem to get it to obey his commands, it was almost as if he was under water. A strange sort of panic settled over him as a fleeting memory suddenly surfaced.

 He’s been here before, it’s only a tub full of water, he had used the Force to push the water away so he could breathe. This was only a memory, a nightmare he’d been through before.

He called upon the Force and pushed.

But nothing happened this time. He remained submerged. 

It was then that he realized that he was floating inside a tank filled with a green viscous liquid, his body’s immediate reaction was to panic but he called upon his Jedi training and slowed his heart rate. He’d need to remain calm in order to escape.

He was wearing a breathing apparatus, at least there was not a ticking clock when it came to air, but that did not put him at ease when he felt the fear within the Force, it was odd, the feeling was his but also not his - he didn’t quite understand it. 

But, what he could make sense of was the immediate need to run .  

He searched for a seam on the transparisteel, but unsurprisingly found none. He then reached up and his fingers brushed the lid of the tank, it was then that he realized that the tank was much smaller than a normal bacta unit. He pushed on the lid, but there was no give, it was likely sealed electronically. 

The green ooze made it difficult to see outside the glass, but he could make out the silhouettes of several people. He banged on the glass with his open palm, but received no acknowledgement, when that didn’t work he used his fist which rattled the inside of the tank more than anything. 

Eventually his efforts were rewarded as a figure drew closer to the tank and he was greeted by a face he had hoped to never see again. The same face who had tortured him all those years ago, albeit a couple of decades older, stared back at him on the other side of the glass. 

Her voice was muffled, but it still sent a chill down his spine.

“We may need to adjust SP-12’s sedative, again.” She huffed with an exhausted yet annoyed tone. 

“Increasing dosage could damage…” A medical droid argued.

“Do as I say, we know heightened stress levels WILL cause damage.” Zan Arbor snapped. 

His senses were dulled after a moment, and he felt an odd disconnect from his body. He tried to fight against the sedative, but knew that he was just wasting precious energy. He meekly hit the transparisteel again with his fist, mostly out of desperation and that was when he caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the glass. But the image staring back at him was not his own, it was of a face he held dear.

Siri. 

Pleading blue eyes stared back at him as his eyelids began to droop. And finally as he fell into complete darkness, he heard another voice inside his head.

/And all shall come to pass thanks to the Mother of Evil’s great sacrifice; life shall be birthed to stave off death./ 

Something beeping startled Obi-Wan awake, he felt slightly disoriented as his senses caught up to his body. He looked around at his surroundings and found himself sitting at his kitchen table. Datapads and old archive schematics scattered around him, it was clear that he had fallen asleep mid research. He found a hologram of an imposing structure floating directly in front of his face.

Oh right, the Citadel mission.

He and Anakin along with their best men had been asked to undertake a stealth rescue mission to the place that was supposed to be impossible to break out of, let alone break into. A place for Jedi to be locked away if they were to ever lose their way. A barbaric necessity he had never quite understood until he had met a Sith in person and seen just what their powers unchecked were truly capable of. 

The beeping that had roused him again demanded his attention and he had to search for his buried comlink. As he pulled it out he realized it was a number he didn’t recognize, this wouldn’t normally mean anything except this was his secured military line. 

“General Kenobi,” he answered, his voice still groggy.

“Master,” a voice he had not heard in years replied. “I hope I’m not troubling you.” 

“Ferus,” he asked. “Ferus Olin?”

“Yes Master, it’s me.” Ferus replied. 

“How are you? How…how did you get this frequency?” Obi-Wan’s mind finally caught up to the situation at hand. 

“I’m okay, Master and…I can’t say.” Ferus replied. 

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. Ferus Olin was many things but cagy had never been one of them. This certainly was odd. But before he could comment, Ferus continued. 

“I don’t have much time left before someone could trace us, Master.” Ferus said. “I just was wondering if you’ve heard from Master Tachi recently?”

“Trace you…wait,” Obi-Wan scrubbed a hand down his face. “Did you hack into the GAR communications system to get my frequency?”

“Master, please.” 

The worried tone in Ferus’ voice gave him pause. He had been around the younger man quite often, much to his own Padawan’s dismay and a display of emotions was very unlike Ferus, he’d only seen it once before - right before he left the Jedi due to a terrible accident which resulted in the death of another Padawan. 

“No, I haven’t heard from Siri. She’s on a mission” Obi-Wan gently replied. “She’s not due to check in for…” 

Obi-Wan glanced at the date on his datapad, realizing for the first time that his friend had missed her last check in with the Council by more than eight weeks. In fact, now that Obi-Wan thought about it he couldn’t remember the last time she had checked in with either himself or the Council since leaving that night on the Negotiator.

That had been nearly six months ago - had it really been THAT long? The war really warped any real sense of time. It wasn’t unheard of for her, or any Shadow to go silent for long periods of time, but it did raise some red flags if no one had heard from her.

“Ferus, what aren’t you telling me?” Obi-Wan asked.

There was nothing but silence on the other end and for a moment Obi-Wan thought he may have lost connection with the former Jedi. 

“Um, we had been assisting her with a mission.” Ferus’ voice sounded conflicted. “But we lost contact about six months ago. And then last night I…I sensed something.” 

 The image of Siri’s reflection in the stasis tube from his dream drifted across his mind, causing him to shudder. He inhaled deeply, there was a strong possibility these were connected, but to jump to conclusions and misinterpret could make things worse. 

“Do you know what…” Obi-Wan stopped himself from asking, demanding to know the details of her mission would be a gross violation of his powers as a Council Member and High General, if it had been any other Shadow operative he wouldn’t even think about asking an outside operative. 

He would have to find a way to trust Siri, she was a powerful Jedi and well prepared for missions to go sideways. 

“Master Kenobi?”

Ferus’ voice made him realize that he’d been quiet for too long, he cleared his throat and spoke in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. 

“I know it’s difficult, Ferus, but we need to trust in Master Tachi’s skills.” Obi-Wan said, desperately trying to believe his own words. “And trust in the Force.” 

“Yes Master.” 

Obi-Wan could hear the lingering concern in the former Jedi’s voice, from many late night conversations with Siri he knew that Ferus would always do his duty to the fullest, but often struggled to understand the reasons behind them. 

“Ferus, I will check in with the Council, perhaps she has contacted the Shadow office.” He said after a moment. “If I hear anything I will let you know.” 

“Thank you, Master Kenobi.” Ferus said, his voice more hopeful. “And if I hear anything I will let you know.” 

“See that you do.” Obi-Wand said with a genuine smile. “Though, perhaps you can simply reach me on my personal comm. Let’s not hack into the Republic Military system next time?”

“Sorry Master.” 

“No harm done,” Obi-Wan replied, hoping that was true. “May the Force be with you, Ferus.” 

“And with you,” 

Obi-Wan sat back in his chair as the transmission ended, his hand automatically coming to his chin to stroke his beard. He didn’t know if it was the dream, the call from Ferus or the upcoming Citadel mission that was putting him on edge. Likely it was a combination of all of it. 

Either way, he had a bad feeling about this.

– - - -

His anxiety did not improve much as the day went on, if anything it grew worse. He had to actively work to shield it from the other Jedi in the room as they went through the mission briefing, though Anakin, attuned as he was to his former Master kept glancing his way with a raised eyebrow. 

/”Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs.”/

Qui-Gon’s advice replayed inside his head, as it often did at times like this. He tried to follow it, but the Unifying Force was tugging at him, vying for his attention. 

As the meeting came to an end he followed Anakin and Plo Koon out into the hallway, he was only half listening to Anakin cryptically announce that he had a plan to get past the life form scanners when a voice called out to them. 

“Master, I’m sorry I’m late.” A young and vibrant presence came up quickly behind them. “I just heard about the briefing. We’re going after Master Piell, right?”

Obi-Wan could sense Anakin’s protectiveness come to a head as they all looked down at the hopeful face of Ahsoka. He of course had mixed feelings about bringing the Padawan on this mission, on the one hand she was more than capable, and a Padawan’s job was to learn at their Master’s side - even if the mission is dangerous. On the other hand, this was not an ordinary mission, and he understood and even agreed with Anakin's hesitance in bringing her. 

But regardless of his feelings this was Anakin’s choice to make and he would support the decision as a Former Master and as a member of the Council. 

“You two have much to discuss.” Master Plo said, a hint of amusement in his voice. They both knew that Anakin was in for quite the fight. 

He and the Kel Dor Master left his two arguing Padawans and continued to make their way down the hallway in relative silence. Obi-Wan’s thoughts drifted back to his conversation with Ferus, he knew it could just be a coincidence that Siri’s old apprentice called the same day he had a dream…or vision about her in grave danger, but there was just something unsettling him. 

“I can almost hear your thoughts from here.” Plo Koon said, softly. “Do you have any misgivings about the mission?”

Of course he did, they were breaking into a place that was literally built to imprison Jedi with outdated archive schematics. But that wasn’t really it, no, the thing that was nagging at him through the Force was elsewhere, elusive.

The last time he had felt this way…

Oh Force. 

Without warning his anxiety peaked and it caused Plo Koon to usher him into one of the large window bays, he kept both hands squarely on Obi-Wan’s shoulders. 

“Breathe, my friend.” Plo Koon encouraged. “Just breathe.” 

“I’m good,” Obi-Wan said after regaining control of himself. “I’m sorry, Master.” 

“No need to apologize, Obi-Wan.” The older Jedi replied. “Are you alright?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, thank you. I’m not sure what came over me.” 

“It is understandable given the severity and weight of your upcoming mission.” Plo Koon said, not unkindly. 

“It’s not that,” Obi-Wan shook his head, feeling suddenly as if he were just a Padawan again. “I sense something…”

He shook his head and chuckled. 

“It’s nothing, I am just getting distracted.” 

Plo Koon had known him his entire life, and was one of the few who could see through his shields. The older Master folded his arms within the billowing sleeves of his Jedi cloak as he looked carefully at him through his goggles. 

“Your thoughts betray you.” He simply replied.

Obi-Wan sighed and turned his attention towards the window. It was overlooking the courtyard that was home to the Great Tree. He could see a group of younglings training beneath its branches with Master Sinube. His gaze then drifted over the wall and landed on the Republic Senate Dome in the distance and a strange chill ran down his spine. 

He realized that Master Plo was patiently waiting, not rushing him to continue. 

“The last time I sensed something like this was during the blockade on Naboo.” He finally spoke. 

“I see,” Plo Koon’s deep voice rumbled. “That is significant.” 

He wasn’t so sure, he chalked most of it up to his old anxieties which he had spent a good part of his knighthood overcoming. But it was odd that even with everything else that he’d been through since that fateful mission to Naboo he had never felt the same elusive bad feeling since. It was like some creature that was emerging from its hiding place just long enough to feed and then disappearing back into the darkness. 

After Qui-Gon’s death he had mentioned this feeling to Yoda who had a look in his eyes that told Obi-Wan that the ancient Master had had a similar feeling, but had cautioned him to remember his visions from his younger days and to not get lost within his own head by seeking answers within something that is always in motion. 

He could sense a similar warning about to come from the Jedi standing next to him. 

“I’m sure you have another voice inside your head telling you to focus on the here and now.” Plo Koon said, receiving a small chuckle from Obi-Wan. “And so I will not remind you to do that.” 

“However,” Obi-Wan looked over with a wry smile.

“However,” Plo Koon echoed. “I will caution you to be mindful of your interpretation of this bad feeling, rarely is the Force so straightforward.”

He nodded, he of course knew this, how often had he taught that very same thing to Anakin? He reached out and laid a hand on Plo Koon’s shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. 

“Thank you, Master.” He replied, genuinely. “I will not allow this to cloud my judgment moving into this mission.” 

“I sense you will need to be the type of leader you often lament being on this mission, Obi-Wan.” Plo Koon bluntly replied. “The Force will guide you, but you cannot second guess yourself on this one. The stakes are far too high.” 

Obi-Wan often hid his anxiousness within a sarcastic quip, but he swallowed that impulse now, being anything but honest in this moment would do nothing for him. The mission was one that could turn the tide of the war, no matter what else happened he must get the Nexus Route information back to the Council.

“I understand, Master.”

Plo smiled around his breathing mask. “May the Force be with you.” 

“And with you, Master Plo.” Obi-Wan returned the smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

Before they turned to go their separate ways Obi-Wan stopped the Kel Dor Master one more time. 

“Plo,” he used his name instead of his rank given this would be a more personal conversation. “You’re close with Master Gallia, yes?”

Obi-Wan of course already knew the answer, but needed somewhat of a segway into the topic he needed to breach. Plo Koon turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Her Master and I were very close, I helped raise her.” Plo Koon responded. “So, yes…”

“Has she mentioned if she’s heard anything recently from Siri?” Obi-Wan asked. 

Something shifted in the Force, it was very small, but not insignificant. It was Plo Koon’s turn to look out the window. 

“She has not.” Plo said, quietly. “She was lamenting after Primeday’s Council meeting that Siri appears to have missed all of her check-ins in the last six months.” 

Obi-Wan nodded, he wasn’t entirely surprised by this, but it didn’t help ease his concern.

“Why hasn’t an investigation been ordered?” Obi-Wan asked. “I understand that with Shadows there different procedures, but surely six months of silence is enough to at least look into it.”

The Kel Dor sighed. “I’m afraid after the death of Master Tholm and now with Master Piell missing the Shadows have unfortunately been mostly on their own. Master Windu is temporarily managing their operations, but…”

“He’s overwhelmed.” Obi-Wan replied. “As we all seem to be.” 

“The more this war drags on the more it feels as if that was by design.” Plo said, his voice just barely over a whisper. 

“It would be a smart move by the Sith to render our undercover operatives useless.” Obi-Wan said, reaching up to stroke his beard. “And our intel is already spotty at best.” 

“All the more reason to rescue Master Piell.” Plo Koon said, getting their conversation back on track. “Focus on the mission in front of you, it’s what Siri would want.”

“You’re right, of course.” Obi-Wan nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Thank you, Plo.” 

“Adi tends to worry, as any Master does.” Plo added, gently. “Adi is good at not allowing it to get in the way of her duties, but…”

“I suppose as Masters we never quite stop worrying about our Padawans.” Obi-Wan said with a breathy chuckle, glancing over his shoulder towards Anakin and Ahsoka. 

“She did mention over Caff this morning that she thought she may have had a vision about Siri in some sort of captivity.” Plo said, as if suddenly remembering. “Which is a bit odd because Adi is not prone to visions.” 

Obi-Wan felt a tightness in his chest at this revelation, it was far more difficult to call this a coincidence now that three people who shared a bond with her all had a dream about her in danger. 

“Could this have something to do with your bad feeling?” Plo asked after a moment. 

“I don’t know.” He admitted. 

Plo nodded, sending waves of sympathy through the Force. “Be mindful of your thoughts, young one. Fear will cloud your judgment, instead trust your instincts.” 

Before Obi-Wan had a chance to respond, Anakin came up from behind them. 

“We’re about ready.” He said, a lingering tension still clinging to his Force presence. 

“How did Ahsoka take the news?” Obi-Wan asked, turning his attention away from Plo Koon. 

“How do you THINK she took it?” Anakin sighed in that particular way all Masters raising teenagers did. 

In any other context Obi-Wan would find it highly amusing. 

“Well, if she’s anything like you, I'd expect not very well.” Obi-Wan said, unable to help himself. “I remember more than once you stowed aboard one of my ships because you insisted on coming with me, even though I explicitly told you to stay at the Temple.”

“Yeah, but that was different. You actually needed me on those missions.” Anakin said, defensively. 

“Right. Of course, how could I forget?” Obi-Wan sarcastically replied.

“Besides, Ahsoka would never do that.”

The two Jedi Masters exchanged knowing glances. 

“We should get going,” Obi-Wan said, turning back to regard Plo Koon. “May the Force be with you, Master Plo.” 

“And with you Obi-Wan, Anakin.” Plo responded with a slight bow of his head. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin reciprocated with a bow of their own and turned towards the direction of the hangerbay. 

“And Obi-Wan,” Plo called out before they could leave. “Trust your instincts.” 

Obi-Wan nodded and then turned away from Plo and fell into step with Anakin as they traversed the halls of the Jedi temple. 

“What was that about?” Anakin asked. 

“Nothing, just nerves for the upcoming mission.” Obi-Wan replied, not wanting to put Anakin more on edge. “Speaking of which, what is your brilliant idea for getting past the life form scanners?”

He absolutely dreaded the amount of excitement rolling off his former Apprentice. If he didn’t have a bad feeling before, he definitely had one now. 

“Oh, you’ll see!” 

*****

The sound of the Klaxon alarm was so loud she couldn’t even hear her own thoughts. She cursed herself for believing that overconfident yet imbecilic Phindian, Sobeck. She should’ve evacuated the moment she knew the Jedi had infiltrated the Citadel. 

“Backup everything and then wipe the terminal!” She shouted at the med droid who had been assigned to her. 

“I am a surgical droid, I am not programmed…” the droid began, in its frustratingly monotone voice. 

“Worthless droid!” Zan Arbor shouted. 

She ran towards the data terminal, her fingers unable to type as fast as she wanted due to her nerves causing them to shake uncontrollably. She could hear the guns in the distance, though much closer than she had anticipated. 

If the Jedi were to discover what she was doing…no, she didn’t have time to go down that road. 

“Prep SP-12 for transport!” She exclaimed, flexing her fingers in an attempt to stop the shaking. “We leave in five minutes” 

“Proper preparation for transit of SP-12 will take 2.5 standard hours.” The 2-1B droid replied, unfazed by the Klaxon’s wail that seemed to grow louder by the minute. 

“Do whatever it takes, cut the clone free if you must.” Zan Arbor said in a rushed tone, pulling the data spike free of the terminal and wiping the memory. “The loss of SP-12 is not optimal, but acceptable if you have no other choice.” 

“Understood, doctor.” The droid, however useless it was, at least loyal it was loyal. 

“I will send you coordinates to our location on Weyland once I have them.” Zan Arbor exclaimed, grabbing whatever else she could easily dump in a bag. “Under no circumstances are the Jedi to know of Project Necromancer, do you understand? Even if that means we have to destroy the specimen.” 

“Yes doctor.”

Zan Arbor took one final look at her hard work, of course now that she had finally been able to produce legitimate results the Jedi got close. She knew it had been a risk for them to hold SP-12, but what they gained in the end far exceeded the dangers. 

Hopefully her benefactor would understand if they lose SP-12.

An explosion rocked the walls and the skittish scientist turned and ran. She would rather face the ire of Hemlock and her benefactor than a Republic Court or law and the Jedi.

She really didn’t know any better. 

– - - 

Consciousness returned frustratingly slowly, the muffled sounds of an alarm and a battle tugged at her instincts, urging her to wake up faster than her body wanted. Not feeling the effects of a sedative was a rare occasion and she couldn’t waste this opportunity. 

Her body was still not cooperating, however, as she felt her stasis pod drain of liquid and the 2-1B droid began to unhook the various machines attached to and inserted into her skin. She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, threatening to force her back under. 

She hated this feeling, reality kept slipping away, causing her to question what was real and what was a drug-induced hallucination. She had been disappointed on so many of her escape attempts to learn that it had all been inside her mind, but she would never let that stop her from trying. 

One day it would be real, one day she would escape this hell. 

She waited until the droid’s back was towards her and she forced her body to move, sitting up and ripping the breathing apparatus off her face while simultaneously calling on the Force to push the surgical droid across the room. 

Even that small amount of exertion caused her to nearly collapse back into the tank, the drugs in her system enticing her to slip back into blissful slumber, but she fought it, trying to purge as much from her bloodstream as she could. 

She swung a leg over the lip of the open tank, and tumbled to the floor in a mess of sticky fluids and wires. 

The alarm blared on and an explosion shook the room, even in her state she could sense the approaching battle droids racing down the hall, she wasn’t sure if they were coming for her or (more likely) to aid in the not so distant battle. 

Either way she wasn’t waiting around to find out. 

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in one of the many metallic surfaces in the room as she made her way towards the door. She hardly recognized herself without hair, her face was far too pale and she was completely nude. She knew she didn’t have time to dwell on it, and so she instead pulled out the last IV from the crook of her elbow, ignoring the blood now trickling down her bare arm. 

For now, she needed to escape, the rest would just have to wait.

She inhaled deeply, shaking her head to try and keep the ever persistent sedative at bay and stealthy made her way out the door and into the hall where the alarm was unbelievably louder. Her bare feet slipped as she slowly made her way further down the hall, she allowed instincts and the Force to guide her, as her eyelids continued to grow heavy. 

“The Jedi have moved into the caves,” a deep and staccato voice rang out above the alarm. “Ready the Anoobas. I want every available unit searching, they cannot escape.” 

She peered around the corner and saw a Phindian with what appeared to be a nervous eye twitch speak to a tactical droid.

“And will one of you PLEASE turn off that blasted alarm?!” The Phindian screamed. “I can’t hear myself think!” 

The mention of Jedi was both relieving and terrifying to her, it meant that if there were Jedi on the planet they must have a ship, but every time Jedi had been there to rescue her on her other escape attempts had so far all turned out to be a hallucination. Given her track record this didn’t bode well for her chances of this one being real, but she pushed down her anxieties and continued to make her way down the hallway, searching for a ship. 

Without warning a terrible sharp cramp erupted from her lower abdomen, she couldn’t stop herself from doubling over in pain. She tried to stifle her moans, but found it nearly impossible. She held onto the wall with one hand, the other cradling her stomach. 

She closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeper, hoping to push the pain out through the Force. She was so preoccupied with her symptoms that she didn’t notice two patrol droids coming up from behind. 

“Halt, who are you?” One of the droids called out to her. 

Unsure if her reaction was out of fear, pain or anger she reached out to the droids and lifted both of them into the air with the Force, then closed her fist which caused both to crumble in on themselves and fall to the floor. Luckily she was certain the noise was drowned out by the Klaxon alarm, but she was certain it was caught on camera. She would need to move, and quickly before someone saw her. 

The pain subsided just enough for her to be able to walk, and she slowly found her way to the landing platform, the Force was oddly with her as she came across no other guards, they had obviously been called away to hunt down the intruding Jedi. 

She wouldn’t look a gift Orbak in the mouth, and ran as fast as her weary legs would carry her to the nearest shuttle. 

As she made it to the pilot’s seat another powerful cramp nearly incapacitated her, she cried out again and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Between the pain and the sedatives she knew her body wouldn’t hold out much longer, but she was so close to freedom and she couldn’t stop now. 

She pushed down everything except her focus on flying the shuttle and lifted off. The Navicomputer warned her of the presence of Republic cruisers in orbit above the planet and she thanked the Force. 

But as she took off into the atmosphere she realized that this shuttle had been calibrated to droids only and had no life support. 

“Kriff me.” 

She looked at the coordinates of the Republic ships and decided they were close enough that it was worth the risk, she could make it, she had been trained for situations like this and could hold her breath - though, her body usually wasn’t already this fragile. 

She decided it beat the alternative, no matter the outcome she refused to go back to her captivity and the experiments and so she pushed the shuttle as fast as it would go, through the purple and yellow glow of the atmosphere and into space. 

The temperature drop is what hit her first, her already naked body shook uncontrollably as she coaxed even more speed out of the sheathiped towards the three Republic Ventators. She knew she couldn’t hail the ships, because she couldn’t use the breath she’d need to speak which meant she’d just have to hope they wouldn’t shoot her down as she approached. 

She reached deep within herself and called upon the Force, hoping that if any Jedi were on board they’d sense her coming. 

Her vision began to black out completely when she noticed the ships began to turn, preparing to make the jump to lightspeed. She had only one chance, she pushed the shuttle past it’s breaking point and somehow managed to make it through before the Ventator’s huge doors above the flight deck could close. 

*****

Plo Koon had just given Admiral Coburn the order to make the jump when out of nowhere a Separatist shuttle came barreling through the bay doors at an alarming speed. The small craft hit the flight deck and slid down the row of fighters with a shrill sound until it crashed against the far wall. 

Troopers immediately grabbed their weapons and the seven Jedi  each activated their sabers, preparing for an ambush. Obi-Wan turned to Anakin who glanced back and nodded. 

“Snips, I need you to take Admiral Tarkin to the bridge.” Anakin instructed his Padawan. 

“But I…” 

“Ahsoka, I mean it.” Anakin’s tone left no room for argument.

“Yes Master.” 

Obi-Wan and Anakin covered Ahsoka’s retreat, they were not sure what this ship was, likely some sort of detonator, but they couldn’t risk Tarkin or Ahsoka, the information both had was far too important. 

As the Jedi slowly approached the downed shuttle, the Force felt strange. It was as if the elusive feeling that had put him so on edge earlier was right in front of him now. Obi-Wan could vaguely hear Plo Koon calling for a bomb squad over the Force ringing in his ears. 

“Wait,” 

He and Adi Gallia spoke in unison and then both locked eyes with one another. 

“It can’t be,” he said, searching Adi’s eyes for answers. 

“Siri…” the Tholothian replied, her blue eyes growing wide.  

“Hold your fire!” Obi-Wan called.

“Obi-Wan, what is it?” Plo Koon asked. 

“I’m trusting my instincts, Master.” He replied as he placed his saber back on his belt and ran towards the ship with Adi Gallia on his heels.

He ignored the confused looks that were sent his way by troopers and Jedi alike and instead jumped onto the wreckage of the shuttle. The crash had completely crushed the door, making it impossible to open it. He was about to burn a hole through the side with his saber when he heard a knocking on the cockpit dome. 

What appeared to be a human hand slapped the side of the transparisteel, though it was very weak. Obi-Wan ignited his saber and sliced through the dome and freed the person trapped inside. And a bald, naked woman with blood dripping down her arms in various places gasped for breath and attempted to pull herself out, but it was clear she was too weak. Obi-Wan felt his heart break as two familiar blue eyes peered up at him from under heavy lids. 

He immediately dropped down into the cockpit next to her and then noticed the blue tint of her lips and the goosebumps along her bare skin. He shed his vambraces and his outer tunic and wrapped it around her shivering form. She reached for his face and ran her fingers through his coarse beard, as if trying to confirm he was real. He smiled sadly at her and then gently maneuvered himself so he could lift her out of the cockpit. He cradled her against himself and climbed out. 

Adi was waiting next to the ship and assisted him in bringing her out. Siri suddenly cried out in pain which nearly caused Obi-Wan to drop her, thankfully Adi was there to help him safely bring her to the ground. 

“Siri, Padawan, what happened?” Adi asked, though Obi-Wan knew Siri was in no condition to answer. 

He looked up at Plo Koon who replied in a reassuring voice. “Medics are on the way.” 

Obi-Wan numbly nodded, and turned his attention back to his friend. Siri had rolled onto her side and was holding her abdomen, she was clearly in a great amount of pain. Obi-Wan was not adept at Force Healing, though he was better at it than some as Lanteeb had proven. His former Padawan worried that Obi-Wan was reckless with giving away his lifeforce to heal others, but he would gladly give some of his energy to his friend if it could help ease her pain. He reached down and placed his hand over her eyes, calling to the Force and sending healing energy into her. 

It was then that he felt something incredibly out of place. Something unnatural. 

Without thinking he recoiled as if he had been burned, luckily the medical team arrived at the same time and took over in helping Siri. 

“Obi-Wan, are you okay?” Anakin asked.

He could sense Anakin’s concern, but he didn’t have time to deal with it. 

Something was very, very wrong. 

*****

TBC

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Scars

*****

A white flower. That is what she sees in those precious few moments of lucidity. A single white flower resting next to her on the pillow. That has become her anchor, the thing she uses to cling to reality. 

It’s a piece of nature, out of place in the sterile lab of pain and horror where she is being held. She is uncertain why there is a fresh one whenever she wakes, but it’s always there, like clockwork. 

She eventually recognizes it to be a Nabooian rose - she remembered that the queen’s handmaidens had braided some into Qui-Gon’s hair for his funeral. Now a white Nabooian rose rested ominously next to her head after each nightmarish procedure. Was it a gift, or an offering, she didn’t know. 

Perhaps they were planning to braid it into her hair. Perhaps she was already dead and simply awaiting to be put to rest. 

No, there would be less pain if she were already one with the Force. - Wouldn’t there?

Regardless of the reason for its presence, the white Nabooian rose greeted her first, then the violation, and finally the pain. That was how she knew it was real. 

It was when there wasn’t a rose and she was surrounded by kindness that she began to distrust. Dreams of friends and family, of the warmth of the Temple and touch that didn’t violate. That was usually when she ran. Whether it was a hallucination or not, she couldn’t risk it, she had to run until she was sure.  

Her numerous escape attempts (real or imagined) had so far always ended the same way, it  landed her back in the stasis tank every single time, back to the void and darkness that came with sedation. Then she’d wake up again to a white Nabooian rose on her pillow.

Again and again with no end in sight. 

This time when her bloodshot eyes slowly opened it took a moment for them to adjust to the stark white walls of a med center which to be fair wasn’t an unusual sight for her to wake up to. But then she immediately turned her head to see the pillow next to her was empty. 

No white Nabooian rose. 

Her pain also felt far away and muffled, not gone, just delayed. Her body also felt heavy, as if she had been sleeping for too long. She took a chance and scanned her surroundings using the Force and nearly cried when she sensed nothing but lightness and familiar signatures nearby.

It felt like Adi Gallia, Plo Koon and Obi-Wan Kenobi…could it possibly be?

No, she had been shipped off to Lola Sayu for security reasons, they had wanted to isolate her, but she couldn’t remember why. She had been alone - there was no logical reason for three of the people she loved most in the galaxy to be there. Her heart sank as she surmised that this was yet another hallucination. She was still alone.

She bit back a loud sob, she couldn’t let herself lose it now, she had vowed that she wouldn’t ever let them see her break down.  

Her heart rate must’ve betrayed her, however, because the medical device that tracked her vitals chimed a piercing alarm. She quickly closed her eyes, hoping that they would be fooled into thinking she was still unconscious. As her eyes drifted closed she caught a quick glimpse of the medical personnel who came to check on her, it wasn’t a droid but a living being who looked eerily similar to one of the GAR clones. This was not the first time she had hallucinated about the clones - how often had she woken up on Obi-Wan’s ship only to discover the terrible truth?

This time she was in a military infirmary, with a clone she didn’t recognize. Perhaps this time it was real and she was safe?

She closed her eyes, not willing to take the chance. She had to find a way to run, and detox from the drugs in her system before she could be sure. 

The medic came closer to the bed in order to check her vitals and Siri used the distraction to call to her hand a vibro-scalpel that she had noticed sitting on a med tray next to the door. As soon as the weapon reached her palm she sat up and held it against the exposed throat of the medic. 

The man was still a trained soldier so he did not panic, but his amber eyes grew wide with surprise. She did her best to keep her voice level, though it was rough due to a lack of use. 

“Kindly remove the IV.” She demanded. 

“General Tachi, you are in the medical bay of the Fourth Fleet, under the command of General Plo Koon.” The clone stated. “You’re withdrawing from several powerful toxins, it would not be wise for me to remove that IV.” 

Siri pressed the blade closer to his neck. “I appreciate the medical advice, but do as I say.”

The clone did not budge. 

“I said, remove the IV, soldier.” She growled. “That’s an order.”

“I’m sorry sir, but in a medical situation my Commander has given me an order to continue your medical care as prescribed.” The medic stated. “I’m afraid in this case a Medical Officer outranks everyone, including you.”

Siri knew she had precious little time to waste, if she were going to leave she couldn’t allow this hallucination to stop her. She used the Force to pull the IV out of her arm, ignoring the blood now streaming down her arm and pushed the scalpel directly beneath the medic’s chin. 

“You will take me to the hanger.” She said, allowing urgency to creep into her voice. 

“Sir, we are in hyperspace.” 

She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t want to do this. “You WILL take me to the hanger.”

“I will take you to the hanger.” The clone repeated. 

*****

Anakin Skywalker, being the potential offspring of the Force itself usually excelled at everything. In fact there were very few things he wasn’t the most accomplished at. At nine years old he was the first (and so far only) human to win a Pod Race, at nineteen he was the youngest Jedi general in the Clone Wars with the highest victory tally. He had mastered nearly all of the lightsaber forms so expertly that he had been asked to record a series of training videos for Padawans by the Saber Master himself. 

Yes, there was very little that Anakin wasn’t (as the Chancellor would say) the best at, but when it came to mastering his emotions he often felt like he was still a novice - even after a decade of Jedi training. His Master, on the other hand, seemed to be fluent in it and it got on pretty much every nerve that Anakin had. 

His ability to keep a level head even in the most stressful situations was why Obi-Wan was in charge of not only one battalion, but the entire Third Systems Army, and why his nickname was the “Negotiator” (though a far less impressive moniker than Anakin’s own, in his humble opinion). 

Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed like he was always in complete control of his emotions, and for the longest time Anakin wondered if the man even ever felt anything at all. But few knew Obi-Wan the way Anakin did, and over time he had grown to learn all of Obi-Wan’s “hidden” emotional tells. 

He had a particular way he stroked his beard whenever he was frustrated, and another completely different way he stroked his beard when he was nervous. The right side of his mouth would slightly curve upward if he was about to do something reckless (or flirt with someone, much to a young Skywalker's chagrin). His eyes in particular always gave Obi-Wan’s emotional state away, it was almost as if he felt every single emotion through his eyes alone. 

But there was one particular sign of Obi-Wan’s that always put Anakin on edge, one he had thankfully only seen a few times in the course of his apprenticeship, but it always indicated that Obi-Wan Kenobi was actually afraid. 

He would ring his hands. 

Anakin did his best to focus on the holographic image of Mace Windu, but he couldn’t stop glancing over at Obi-Wan. The man hadn’t stopped wringing his hands since the medics took Siri Tachi out of his arms and rushed her to the infirmary. Anakin had even tried giving him a cup of tea in hopes of giving his hands something else to do, but the cup had long been abandoned and the wringing ensued. 

Anakin bit his bottom lip, one of his own nervous tells. The competitive side of him usually loved to see Obi-Wan emotionally off balance, it made him feel better about himself, but seeing his old Master legitimately afraid was a bit too far and stoked Anakin’s need to fix things. 

Obi-Wan was prone to anxiety, he knew that, you couldn’t call yourself Obi-Wan’s friend and not know that the man’s connection to the Unifying Force often made him anxious. But true fear, that was different. And it was very obvious to the former Padawan that his Master was afraid of something, it had started after he recklessly attempted to heal Siri Tachi, but the man refused to talk about it and Anakin tried to not feel resentful that Obi-Wan didn’t trust him enough to tell him what was wrong. 

How could he fix things if he doesn’t even know what needs fixing?

He felt a little bit better when he realized that Obi-Wan wasn’t sharing it with the Council either. 

“We have no way of knowing how long she was in captivity.” Plo Koon said, interrupting Anakin’s thoughts. “But there is no outward indication that she was tortured.” 

“There are many forms of torture, not all of them are physical.” 

Anakin glanced over at Adi Gallia who was, at the moment, far less conspicuous about her emotions. He understood, and sympathized with her anger, he remembered what it felt like when they had rescued Obi-Wan after two months of being tortured by Ventress, the need to do something, to avenge the one he loved. The anger and desire for vengeance he understood. 

He glanced back at Obi-Wan’s hands and inwardly sighed. 

As if sensing the same thing, Mace turned his full attention towards Obi-Wan. 

“You have been strangely quiet, Master Kenobi.” Mace said, not unkindly. 

“I don’t have anything to add.” Obi-Wan exclaimed, suddenly folding his arms across his chest, hiding his hands from everyone’s sight. “At this point everything is speculation, until either she wakes up or she’s been examined by the Temple’s healers. It does nothing to sit and wonder about what could have happened to her, a road like that only leads to pain.”

Anakin raised an eyebrow, for Obi-Wan to not have anything to add to a conversation meant his Master was worse than Anakin had realized. He was dwelling on his fear, something the Jedi warned each other about constantly. If Anakin had a Wupiupi for every time Obi-Wan himself had reminded Anakin to be mindful of his thoughts he’d be able to free all the slaves on Tatooine. 

As if on queue, Yoda spoke next.

“Mindful of your thoughts you must be, Master Kenobi.” The wise Master spoke gently. “Fear will only cloud our way through.”

“Of course, Master.” Obi-Wan answered, but resumed his hand wringing. 

Yoda hummed to himself and briefly locked eyes with Anakin, and for just a moment he could see his own concern reflected inside Yoda’s giant orb eyes. Anakin nodded to the patriarch of his lineage, indicating that he sensed it too and that he would look after Obi-Wan. Yoda closed his eyes in a silent, grateful acknowledgement. 

Obi-Wan clearly noticed the exchange and was now stroking his beard in his frustrated way, well, at least he had stopped wringing his hands Anakin thought to himself. 

“Master Kenobi does make a good point, we should not assume anything until we have the full picture.” Mace exclaimed, as if coming to Obi-Wan’s defense. “For now, our focus needs to be on completing the mission. I do not see Master Piell with you, what has happened?”

Anakin felt his heart drop, in all the commotion of Siri’s arrival he had completely forgotten that they hadn’t informed the Temple of Master Piell’s tragic death. He exchanged glances with Obi-Wan, who he deferred to making the report since he had been in charge of the mission. 

“Master Piell was attacked by an Anooba when we were en route to the rendezvous point,” Obi-Wan said, his voice soft. “He succumbed to his injuries. He is now one with the Force.” 

Everyone present took a moment to allow the news to sink in, a collective feeling of mourning was released into the Force. 

Before anyone could continue the meeting a shift in the Force alerted the Jedi a split second before Ahsoka came barging into the room. 

“Masters!” The young Togruta seemed nearly out of breath. “Come quickly, it’s Master Tachi…she…she…” 

“Snips, are you alright?” Anakin ran towards his charge, checking her for injuries.

“Yes, but Master Tachi has gone crazy!” Ashoka replied “She’s taken a clone hostage, screaming about how none of this is real.” 

“Where is she?” Anakin demanded.

“She’s headed for the hanger I think.” Ahsoka replied. 

Adi Gallia and Obi-Wan were out the door before Ahsoka could even finish her sentence, the other Jedi on their heels. Anakin glanced over his shoulder at Ahsoka as he ran down the hall. 

“Hey! Wait for me!” She called after them. 

Anakin skidded to a stop, causing the Padawan to nearly crash into him. “Snips, go find Rex and stay on the bridge with Tarkin.” 

“Ugh, not him.” Ahsoka grumbled.

“We can’t risk losing the information you are carrying.” Anakin explained, glancing towards the Jedi who were racing down the hallway. 

“You don’t think Master Tachi would try to hurt…”

“Snips, we have no way of knowing what Master Tachi has been through,” Anakin exclaimed. “In her right mind she’d never hurt you, but if she were in her right mind she also wouldn’t threaten one of our men.”

“But, I want to help.”

Anakin sighed. “Sorry Snips, it’ll be a cold day in Mos Espa before I let you near her right now.” 

The young Togruta’s eyes narrowed. “You’re being over protective again! I thought I proved I could take care of myself.” 

“Ahsoka,” Anakin didn’t have time nor the patience for this, but he knelt down in front of his charge anyway. “I know you can handle yourself, but Master Piell trusted you with information that can make or break the Republic. Your duty is to protect that information, not go chasing after Master Tachi. Don’t worry, Obi-Wan’s got this.” 

He looked at her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Ahsoka reached up to tug at the end of one of her Lekkus (one of her nervous tells), her eyes fixated in the direction Obi-Wan and the group had run to. 

“Are you sure?”

Anakin sighed, rising to his full height. “I hope so, Snips. I hope so.” 

*****

*****

He had foolishly hoped that Ahsoka had been wrong, but as he rounded the corner that fed into the hanger what little hope he had was demolished at the sight in front of him. Siri was still wearing only his outer tunic, holding a vibro-scalpel to the neck of one of Plo’s medics. 

Several members of the 104th had their blasters aimed in her direction.

She was backed into a corner, blood was dripping down her right arm, her eyes wild and unable to focus as she shouted at the other clones surrounding her. 

“Unlock the fighters!” She demanded as she pushed the scalpel closer to the clone’s throat. 

“We can’t do that, sir.” Commander Wolfe tried to explain. “We’re in hyperspace.” 

“Troopers, set your blasters to stun, but hold your positions.” Plo Koon commanded.

“General Koon,” another clone, one of Plo’s medics by the look of him, came to meet them. “She was heavily sedated, I don’t know how she is even standing right now.”

“It takes quite a lot to put a Jedi under.” The Kel Dor explained to his men. 

“Shadows are also trained to withstand even higher doses than most Jedi.” Adi Gallia added, working hard to keep her breath steady. 

“We didn’t want to give her too much, her tox screens showed traces of H4B still working out of her system.” The medic, Stitch explained. 

“H4B, isn’t that what’s used to keep patients in a medically induced coma?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“Yes sir.” The Clone Medical Officer, Stitch, replied with a solemn nod. 

“She is likely hallucinating.” Adi said. 

“I believe she THINKS she’s hallucinating.” Stitch added. 

“We need to find a way to convince her that this is all real before she hurts herself.” Plo Koon said. 

“Or she hurts someone else.” Anakin added as he entered the hanger.

“We need to sedate her.” Stitch replied. 

“We can’t risk putting more drugs into her system until she can get a proper screening at the temple.” Adi said.

“Perhaps a sleep suggestion is in order.” Plo suggested. “One of us just has to get close enough.”

“Siri, Padawan,” Adi stepped forward, her voice calm. “Please, put down the scalpel. I promise that you’re safe.” 

“I’m sorry Master, but I can’t do that.” Siri responded, pulling the clone medic closer. 

“Padawan…” 

“Siri,” Obi-Wan stepped forward, placing a hand on Adi’s shoulder as he walked by. “My friend, I know you don’t want to do this.” 

“For once, you’re right, Kenobi.” Siri’s tease held no emotion. “I don’t want to do any of this.” 

Obi-Wan pulled his saber from his belt and tossed it over to Anakin. He ignored the concerned yet perplexed look on his former Padawan’s face and turned back to regard his distraught friend. 

“Obi-Wan…” Anakin’s voice was cautious. “Are you sure this is wise?”

“Wise? No.” Obi-Wan said, softly, keeping his focus on Siri. “Necessary? Yes.” 

“Steady, men.” Plo reminded his men. “We’ll follow your lead, Obi-Wan.” 

He didn’t respond, in fact he didn’t acknowledge anyone other than Siri. Obi-Wan approached her slowly, his hands held up so she could see them at all times. Siri kept the clone medic between herself and him, pressing the blade closer to the clone’s throat, threatening to turn it on. 

“Obi-Wan, drop us out of hyperspace and let me go.” She demanded. 

He still didn’t respond, but kept his eyes locked on hers as he inched closer. Siri tightened her grip on the medic and shook her head wildly. 

“No,” Her voice was nearly a whisper. “Please don’t…”

He ignored the quiver in his brave friend’s voice and took another step closer. He was close enough now to reach out for her arms, he pulled her right arm away from the medic and freed the man from her grasp. Not taking any chances, the well trained soldier rolled himself out of danger. 

This left Siri and Obi-Wan staring one another down, both too stubborn to be the one to look away first. Siri moved the blade beneath Obi-Wan’s chin, he could feel it scraping the hairs of his beard. 

“You’re not real…” her voice was so soft that he doubted anyone else could hear her. “You’re not…real.” 

Obi_Wan kept his eyes on hers, but moved her free hand towards his own torso, lifting his under tunic and exposing his bar skin. Siri’s eyes traveled downwards towards his abdomen and then looked back up at him in concern. 

She then reached out with her free hand to touch him, her fingertips were like ice as they connected to his bare skin. He could then feel her fingers tracing three puckered pink scars on his left side just above his hip. She tilted her head to the side in a silent question, her eyes subtly watering as they searched for answers. 

“Grievous,” he answered her unasked question. “But, I almost had him this time.” 

A wet laugh broke the tension and she dropped the scalpel. Then, as if the only thing keeping her upright was the adrenaline of the situation she crumbled like a puppet with its strings cut as soon as the tension eased. Obi-Wan was quick to catch her before her head could hit the ground. 

“Obi-Wan,” she said as her eyelids dropped. “Please…don’t let them…no bacta tank…please. Promise me.”

He nodded and placed his hands over her eyes and sent the strongest sleep suggestion he could muster to her through the Force. It didn’t take much persuasion however to cause her to submit to slumber, but he wasn’t taking any chances. 

He cradled her in his arms for a brief moment, wrapping his tunic tighter to cover her exposed body. He wanted to give her whatever dignity he could. 

Plo’s medical team were quick to rush in and place her on a hover stretcher. Obi-Wan placed a chaste kiss on her temple and nodded for them to take her back to the infirmary. 

“You may want to use restraints this time, Commander.” Obi-Wan said, keeping his eyes on Siri. 

“My thoughts exactly, sir.” Stitch replied. 

“Oh and Stitch.” Obi-Wan called out to them. “No bacta tanks.” 

“Sir?”

“Please.” 

*****

She nervously hovered just outside his office door, desperately hoping someone would need to speak to him so she could avoid this conversation for just a bit longer. Dr. Jenna Zan Arbor bit her bottom lip as she rang the chime, the obsidian colored door slid open and allowed her to enter. 

She couldn’t look him in the eyes, but she could feel him watching her. She didn’t want to speak first, and instead helped herself to a Corellian whiskey from the small bar in his office. Eventually he cleared his throat and said the inevitable. 

“He is displeased.” 

“I was told that Lola Sayu was a secure facility.” Zan Arbor replied, still refusing to sit down. “I am not the one who brought another Jedi to the prison. If he wants someone to blame, then Dooku…”

Hemlock just stared at her from over his clasped hands. 

“That idiot warden took all of my guards, I had no choice but to evacuate.” She exclaimed. 

“Without the mother?” Hemlock asked, his voice like ice.

“There was no time.” She said in a defensive tone. “The Jedi were infiltrating the Citadel.” 

“The Jedi had no idea you were even there.” Hemlock responded. “That was by design.” 

“You weren’t there.” 

Hemlock sighed. “No, I wasn’t. But I won’t make that mistake, again since you CLEARLY cannot be left unsupervised.” 

“Not all was lost, we harvested enough from her that if we find another host…” Zan Arbor tried to pivot the conversation away from her failure. 

“Finding a host to carry to full term has proved to be a challenge.” He reminded her. “That was the reason we secured SP-12 in the first place, doctor.” 

Jenna swallowed down her nerves, she was growing tired of men talking down to her. “We’ll find another one.”

“I have learned that SP-12 made it back to the Temple on Coruscant.” Hemlock’s voice was deadly quiet. “I do hope, for your sake that you remembered to wipe the data terminal before you fled.” 

“How dare you,” Zan Arbor hissed. “I have been an expert on Midichlorian manipulation before you were weened from your mother’s teat. Don’t you dare talk down to me, boy.” 

The corners of Hemlock’s lips curved upwards. 

“None of this is possible without my work, and I will have more respect from you and your benefactor.” She demanded. 

Before she could continue she felt her throat suddenly close up, invisible fingers wrapped tightly around her throat and she was lifted into the air. She clawed at her non-existent assailant, trying to free her throat. She kicked wildly as a hooded figure emerged from the shadows. 

“Your arrogance is no longer amusing, dear doctor.” A deep voice rasped as the phantom fingers around her throat tightened. “You lost my prize, and yet I see no remorse.”

“I’m…sor…sorry.” She weezed out as best she could. “We will get SP-12 back…”

All at once the hold on her released and she crumbled to the ground, gasping for air. 

“Oh, I have no doubt that my pet will come seeking answers, eventually.” Sidious hissed. “In the meantime, my dear doctors. The work must continue.”

The powerful wraith stood above her now, she could just make our his gold eyes beneath his hood. 

“Do I make myself clear?” He asked. “I do not wish to come down here again.”

Jenna Zan Arbor shook her head. “Perfectly clear, Lord Sidious. The work shall continue.” 

“Good.” Sidious exclaimed, thankfully moving away from her and towards Hemlock. 

“Now, bring me the child.”

*****

Anakin wasn’t sure if the chill in the air was caused by the lingering morning cloud coverage over the Capital City of Coruscant, or because of everyone’s concern in the Force over the loss of Master Piell and the condition of Siri Tachi.

Either way, it sent a chill down his spine and he didn’t appreciate it.

“ A job well done, General Skywalker. ” Captain Tarkin held his hand out towards him, pulling him out of his brooding thoughts.

Anakin clasped it with his gloved, mechanical hand and looked at him with furrowed brows. 

“ I wish more Jedi had your military sensibilities. ” Tarkin continued, shooting a not subtle glare in Obi-Wan’s direction. 

The lanky man then turned towards his shuttle, leaving the two Jedi on the temple’s landing platform. 

“ Perhaps I can inform the Chancellor of your valor .” He said, over his shoulder. 

Anakin felt a rush of pride course through him, he looked forward to hearing what the Chancellor thought of all of this. But before he could really dwell on the idea, Obi-Wan interrupted his thoughts. 

“ I’m not sure what to make of your…new ally. ” The older Jedi said, not hiding the judgmental disdain in his voice. 

“ Well, I think we need people like him. ” Anakin replied, sternly. “ This is a war. If we aren’t willing to do what it takes to win, we risk losing everything we try to protect. ” 

Obi-Wan turned back towards Tarkin’s retreating form. “ Unfortunately, war tends to distort our point of view. If we sacrifice our code, even for victory, we may lose that which is most important…our honor .”

They watched as Tarkin’s shuttle sped away towards the Senate building without another word, until finally Obi-Wan broke the silence. 

“I should go check on Siri before we debrief the Council.” He said and took a step towards the temple. “Maybe she’s awake and can let us know what happened.” 

“Speaking of that.” Anakin placed a hand on his shoulder. “What the kark was that back there?”

“Language, Anakin.” 

“I don’t understand how you got her to let go of that trooper by doing a strip tease.” Anakin tried to make light of the situation.

Obi-Wan inhaled deeply and released a breath before speaking, Anakin grew impatient and awaited a cryptic answer which was typical of his old Master.

“Early in the war, Siri and Quinlan were discussing what tactics the Shadows use to handle certain dire situations.” Obi-Wan began. 

“Like what, exactly?”

“Specifically what to do if they ever found themselves under the influence of certain mind altering substances.” Obi-Wan continued to explain. 

“Can’t they just use the Force to push the toxins out of their systems?” Anakin asked. 

“Not always, sometimes they are given Force suppressants or their mission requires them to hide their Force signatures, so they have developed other methods.” Obi-Wan said. “They said something that I always found fascinating.”

Anakin rolled his eyes. “Of COURSE you would.”

“Our minds struggle with fine details when either dreaming or hallucinating.” Obi-Wan ignored him and continued.

“Like?”

“Like the weight of a particular object, or the pattern of certain fabrics or…scars.” Obi-Wan said.

“Scars?”

His Master nodded. “The way the skin puckers, the coloring as the injury heals. The imagination never quite gets it right.” 

“So…earlier, when you convinced Siri that she wasn’t hallucinating.” Anakin raised an eyebrow. “You were showing her a scar?”

“Yes, but there is more to it than that.” Obi-Wan said. “You see, if it’s a scar they have seen before then their memory will fill in the details, it has to be a new scar.” 

His mind reeled at the intimacy this revelation implied, but before he could comment he noticed Obi-Wan wringing his hands again.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, Anakin. I suppose the stress of the mission has caught up with me.” Obi-Wan deflected. 

“Obi-Wan,”

Anakin folded his arms across his chest and gestured to Obi-Wan’s hands with his eyes.

Obi-Wan deliberately turned his back towards Anakin and kept his focus on the city’s horizon. For anyone other than Anakin he looked as calm and stoic as ever, but Anakin knew the man better than anyone and the slump of his shoulders told him everything he needed to know. 

“I sensed something,” Obi-Wan confessed. “When we first pulled Siri from her escape pod. And then again as I gave her the sleep suggestion. Something dark…something I've sensed once before.”

“When?”

The Force seemed to shiver as Obi-Wan turned to face him. 

“Zigoola.” 

Anakin felt a wave of anger rush through him, the memories of the emaciated husk of his best friend that had returned from that awful mission with haunted dreams filled him with a protective rage. And though Obi-Wan had shared only the bare bones of what had happened on that mission, it was more than enough for the sheer mention of the planet’s name put Anakin on edge. 

“What do you think it means?” He asked 

“I don’t know,” Obi-Wan replied, softly. “But I have a bad feeling about this.” 

****

TBC

Chapter Text

Author’s Note:

To those of you who saw the update alert and got excited I first want to thank you for sticking with this story despite the long delays in updating, your comments and your encouragement mean everything to me. Secondly, I wish to apologize that this isn’t a story update - well, not really. It’s more of an update on the delay and a plea for more of your patience. 

The last 6 months have been…a lot. 

• The loss of my cat of 13 years, who grew deathly ill while I was away on vacation
• Fired from a job that while high pressured gave me a sense of purpose and was at least somewhat creative. I also lost the job as an act of betrayal when I was used as a scapegoat to save my boss’ skin. …I was the sole breadwinner at the time as well, so there was intense fear of becoming homeless for a couple of months.
• My brother, who is my best friend and who I live with was diagnosed with a brain tumor (which is what also killed our father a few years ago); and we had to fight with his insurance just to get all the tests and doctors he needs. 
• I started a new job, that I hate…for far less money. 
• I live in Los Angeles and while my house was safe from the wildfires (it was scary for a bit), many people I know/love weren’t so lucky. 
• I had an interview for my dream job and didn’t get it. 
• The Country / Republic that I love is crumbling before my very eyes, with the rise of fascism to take it's place. 
• I have a sibling who is non-Binary, a nephew who is Trans (who I called my “Padawan” when they were growing up) who I’m now constantly terrified for as hate is rapidly and openly spreading. 

And most recently I learned that I am losing my central vision and probably within the next 5 years will not be able to read / write, drive or continue as a Special FX makeup artist which is my other creative outlet (and career).

Needless to say, I’m struggling to find the energy to write these stories, but I know that coming back to fanfiction and the world of Star Wars helped me with my depression before, so I’m really trying to get back into it.  The reason I wanted to let you all know what is happening is to hope that you’ll have patience with me as I try to get back into the mindset of this story. I have full intentions of finishing it, I just might have to get some shorter / angst riddled ones off my chest first. 

It’s kinda too close to home right now to write about the rise of an Emperor who is deceiving an entire population when you’re an American right now. 

Thank you all for sticking with me, and I promise I will finish this story - it just might take a bit longer than I expected. 

May the Force be with you…always.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

“Zigoola,”

Despite a lifetime of training to master his emotions Mace Windu found himself struggling to quell the fear that was currently creeping up his spine. His anxiety had been rising since the call from Obi-Wan and Anakin had come in requesting a rescue from their Citadel mission and had only increased as the situation shifted and a strange/new plot had unfolded. 

“Calm down, Anakin.” Obi-Wan said with a long suffering sigh.. 

“How can I, Master?” Anakin replied with a frustrated arm gesture. “You have been tense ever since we found Siri and you can’t just blurt something like her Force presence feels exactly like the Sith planet that nearly killed you and expect us not to have a reaction.” 

“He isn’t wrong.” Mace interjected and if the situation wasn’t so precarious the expressions on their faces would’ve been amusing. “I sense great fear in you, Obi-Wan.”

To his credit Obi-Wan took a breath and cast some of said fears into the Force before continuing. 

“Until I can fully process what I sensed it would behoove us to not overreact.” Obi-Wan argued. “I could be distracted, or simply allowing my personal feelings to cloud my judgement. Master Tachi is a dear friend and seeing her in that state…well it’s more likely that my concern is leading my thoughts. And because of that it’s imperative to keep our focus in the here and now.” 

Mace shared a side eye with Plo Koon before clearing his throat to grab their attention.

“Your argument, while a very important lesson for any of us to be mindful of, however, it is worth noting that it is important to also trust your instincts.” Mace said and tried to ignore the way that Anakin gestured towards him in agreement..

“See, they agree with me,” Skywalker exclaimed. “That should prove how ridiculous you are being right now, Obi-Wan.” 

“Anakin,” Mace gently scolded. 

The young Knight shrugged unapologetically. “Just saying.” 

“Obi-Wan, what we’re trying to say is that Zigoola is, as we understand it, not a comparison you would make lightly” Plo Koon said in his usual understanding tone of voice. “Considering you never speak of it unless ordered to.” 

In his peripheral Mace could see Anakin nodding emphatically. He reached out and placed a gentle hand on the young man’s shoulder and stepped closer to Obi-Wan. 

Obi-Wan Kenbobi was rarely ever seen without perfect posture, somehow even with broken ribs and being pulled from a smoldering wreckage the man still managed to look outwardly composed. To see his shoulders slump and to have him lean against the wall behind him as if he were physically deflating only added to Mace’s concern. 

“In my few lucid moments on Zigoola what struck me most was just how dark the planet felt in the Force.” Obi-Wan’s voice was hushed in a way that indicated he was afraid speaking of this topic out loud might doom them to return to that awful place. “There was absolutely no life to be found anywhere, and yet a Force signature lingered, rooted in pain and suffering and…death.” 

The other three Jedi were stunned to silence by the implications of the Sith planet’s hellscape.

Obi-Wan sighed. “The only word I can think of to even begin to describe how it all felt is…unnatural.” 

“And this is what you sensed around Siri?” Mace asked, his voice gentle.

“Not around her,” Obi-Wan looked up at him, his eyes intense and afraid. “A part of her.” 

Mace could easily sense the collective shock of those within the room through the Force.

“So what does THAT mean?” He asked, folding his arms across his chest. “Did she fall?”

“I’m not sure, Anakin.” Obi-Wan’s voice was hollow. “But it feels more complicated than that.” 

“Maybe that’s why she was at the Citadel,” Anakin’s Force signature shook with nervous energy.

“Might I remind all of us that Lola Sayu was controlled by the Separatists at the time.” Plo Koon added. “If she was being held there in secret by Dooku that makes me less likely to believe she has fallen.” 

“Still, given what happened with her while en route to Coruscant we must be vigilant with her security.” Mace added and Anakin fiercely agreed. 

Before Anakin could voice his thoughts however his comlink chirped with a message, distracting him. 

“I gotta go,” he unceremoniously announced to the group. “The Chancellor wants to see me.”

“He’s just going to ask you for the other half of the coordinates,” Obi-Wan said without preamble.

Mace watched as Skywalker rolled his eyes in response. “You don’t know that.”

“Don’t I?”

“Yeah well, we’re going to share them with him in the end.” Anakin exclaimed, moving towards the exit. “I don’t know why we have to be so difficult about it.” 

“There are checks and balances set up for a reason, my young Padawan.” Obi-Wan explained in a well practiced teacher voice. “That is how Democracy works.” 

“Sure. And while the Senate debates these checks and balances the Separatists gain more and more ground.” Anakin lamented. “Maybe the war would be over by now if we had less checks and balances.” 

Obi-Wan let out an exasperated sigh. “May the Force be with…”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Mace felt a shiver run down his spine, as he watched the young Jedi leave the room. It was not unheard of for Jedi Padawans to learn from those outside the Order, in fact it was often encouraged to round out their education. But it had never sat well with him the way Palpatine had managed to outmaneuver the Council and force a mentorship with one of their Padawans when the boy had been so young and new to the Temple..

It always seemed innocent enough on the surface, Anakin had saved his planet afterall, though so had Obi-Wan who Palpatine virtually ignored. Mace inwardly sighed, his trust in people had taken a serious beating since Dooku’s betrayal on Geonosis, it was something he was meditating on. 

And yet there was something about Palpatine, especially as the man gained more and more unchecked power over the Republic.  

It also didn’t help that Siri had tugged on a loose thread implying that the Chancellor might be under the influence of Darth Sidious. If that were true then that would mean they may have placed an unpredictable, powerful and vulnerable Jedi in the sights of the Sith Lord.

It certainly seemed like the Sith were specifically targeting Obi-Wan, was that to potentially remove him from Anakin’s life? And what role did Siri play in all of this now? 

The shatterpoints forming around the entire situation were powerful enough to give Mace an instant migraine. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, he then felt liquid at the base of his nose. He reached up to wipe it clean and his fingers came away red.

“Mace,”

He could hear the concern in Obi-Wan’s voice, and he could sense Plo reaching out to support him in the Force. 

Before Mace could respond a Milarian Padawan appeared at the waiting room door. Her golden eyes looking at the three Council members with trepidation. Mace offered her a small smile to indicate that he was fine. The girl offered him a tissue and returned the smile. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Masters.” She said in that soothing voice only healers manage to perfect “But, Healer Che is requesting an audience with Master Kenobi in her office.” 

The surprise from Obi-Wan came and went quickly in the Force and he offered the young healer his own polite smile and gestured that she should lead the way. He departed from their sight with a respectful nod of his head and Mace was left in the waiting room with Plo Koon. 

“I need to speak to Masters Yoda and Gallia before the Council gathers.” Mace said softly as they watched Obi-Wan disappear down the hallway. 

“The Corellian Jedi who brought her to us all those years ago warned of the possibility of susceptibility to darkness.” Plo said, his voice full of sorrow. “Given her ancestry.”

“With all my heart I hope this is nothing more than a coincidence.” Mace replied. 

*****

The sneer appeared on his face without his notice, but he quickly wiped it away. He could sense Anakin Skywalker’s presence long before his Secretary announced his arrival. Though well trained, the boy still shined like a beacon in the Force, so full of delicious raw power.

Power he could not wait to dominate. 

But unfortunately he would still have to wait for that day, because despite his numerous efforts the boy still clung to the Jedi like a lifeline. His loyalty was something that Sidious fully planned on manipulating to orchestrate Anakin’s fall, but it would take time to convince the boy that the only one on his side, was, and always had been Palpatine. And much to his dismay it would require time and a considerate amount of effort to create the perfect rift between his future Apprentice and his obnoxiously noble Jedi Master. 

He would continue to remain patient, that was something he learned early on as a Sith Apprentice, timing was everything. And besides, there was something much more urgent that he needed to attend to. 

His prize had managed to escape his clutches. 

It really did not come as a surprise, she was exceptionally powerful herself, it is what had attracted him to her in the first place. She was not his equal, no one really was, but her power was no less alluring. 

He recalled in his youth speaking to the ship captains who sailed on the vast ocean waters of Naboo who would often describe the untamed sea as a woman. Mysterious and powerful, with an unpredictable nature who had the potential for both tranquillity as well as devastating violence. 

His prize reminded him of the sea, beautiful and terrifying all at once. But unlike Anakin Skywalker she did not wish to break her, not in the same way at least. No, she was meant for something far greater. 

And with her bloodline it made her nearly perfect. 

It was no surprise to Sidious that she had been the only vessel to produce results for him, bred to him a host body strong in the Force that has continued breathing for more than a fortnight. This child however, did not carry his genetic makeup, no, that would come later. Not until the tests were perfected they needed to be cautious. 

This loss would set them back, but the challenge it would be to bring her back made him salivate, he would take pleasure in playing this game of Loth Cat and Mouse. 

He donned the mask of Palpatine as the young Jedi entered his office. “Anakin, my boy, it is so good to see that you made it home from that  dreadful place.”

His bones protested as he rose from his seat, and he cursed his aging body. This was yet another reason he needed to recapture his prize and continue his experiments. 

“Your Excellency,” Anakin offered a smile of his own and a polite bow. “Let’s just say that I was glad to see the Citadel in our rearview mirrors.” 

Palpatine allowed himself to let out an amused laugh. “I can only imagine, Captain Tarkin was giving me a bit of a report, though I am surprised that he only had a portion of the information.” 

The guilty look on Anakin’s face was priceless. “Master Piell passed the other half of the code to my Padwan, and made her promise to only give it to the Jedi Council.” 

“I can imagine that it would be hard for the girl to disobey a dying wish.” Palpatine waved him off. The code really didn’t matter to him, it was simply another piece to the puzzle in distracting the Jedi from discovering the truth. “I was so sorry to hear that we lost yet another Jedi General, and a member of the Council to boot. How terrible, I’m so very sorry Anakin.”

“Master Piell was a good man,” Anakin lowered his head in sorrow. “We lost a lot of good men on this mission.” 

The opening was almost too easy. 

“I heard a rumor from Captain Tarkin that you also rescued a Jedi that you didn’t even know was being held at the Citadel?” Palpatine asked, the concern dripping like honey from his tongue.

“Yes, Master Tachi.” Anakin reply, a brief surge of unforeseen anger rose in the Force, but was quickly tamped down and replaced with concern. “She’s a Jedi Shadow.” 

“Oh, that is such a relief to hear that she’s safe.” Palpatine crooned. “I was so worried when she missed her last check in. 

A spike of jealousy came and went quickly in the Force, Sidious inwardly smiled when he realized that Anakin did not like the idea of Palpatine favoriting other Jedi.  

“Is she well?” 

Anakin shrugged. “I’m not sure, she looked okay, other than a shaved head, but…”

“But,” 

“She felt really weird in the Force, I can’t explain it.” Anakin sighed. “It has Obi-Wan spooked.” 

Of course Obi-Wan Kenobi would be able to sense the darkness surrounding his prize, the man had been an unreachable thorn in his side for far too long. 

“The poor dear,” Palpatine decided to sidestep the topic of Kenobi for now. With Anakin’s loyalty to that insufferable man he knew he’d need to pick and choose his battles. “Perhaps I should send something, to let her know how much the Republic appreciates her sacrifice.” 

“I don’t think that’s necessary, Chancellor.” Anakin said, rubbing the back of his neck in that nervous habit of his. “As Jedi it’s our duty…”

“Oh yes, I know your DUTY.” Palpatine said in a tone he hoped came across as sincere. “But there is nothing wrong with a friend wanting to send something to cheer up someone he cares a great deal about.” 

The jealousy spiked again, much to his delight. 

“I guess that would be allowed,” Anakin admitted. “I’m sure she’d appreciate the gesture.” 

Palpatine clapped the boy on his shoulder. “I will have my Assistant send over a bouquet at once.”

*****

There had only been three other instances in this life where he could remember ever being called into Vokara Che’s personal office. The first time he had just returned to the Jedi after the whole Melida/Daan fiasco, there had been some concern over his malnutrition and lingering PTSD. It was the first time he sat in this very same chair as the Master Healer and his own Jedi Master discussed a recovery plan of action. 

The second time had been just a couple of months after accepting Anakin as his Apprentice, the boy had been highly susceptible to viruses not native to Tatooine in those early days and had come down with a nearly fatal case of Endorian Mumps. As an overwhelmed new Master, he couldn’t remember ever being so frightened in his entire life.

The third visit to this office had been directly after Geonosis, he could still remember how exhausted Vokara looked as she informed him that they would not be able to save his Padawan’s arm and the boy he had been charged to train and protect would now have to be fitted with a prosthetic and would likely have to relearn how to use a saber. 

He could oddly thank this bloody war for not giving him enough time to dwell on that particular failure.

Needless to say, his track record for discussions held in this office were not great and despite his efforts to master his emotions he struggled not to fidget in the chair as Vokara finished typing notes into her data pad. After what felt like an excruciating period of silence the Twi'lek healer looked up at him with a sad expression on her face. 

“Can I get you anything?” She asked, a strange trepidation in her voice. “Water, tea, maybe a cup of Caf?”

This did not bode well if she was edging around the reason for him being called into the office. One of Vokara Che’s best known traits was her bluntness.

“I’m fine, thank you.” He replied. “While the invitation to share tea with you, Master Che has oddly been something I never knew I always wanted, I am sure you’re rather too busy to really indulge me.” 

“As usual, you are too perceptive for your own good, young one.” She offered him a weary smile. 

“Vokara, please.”

Her dark blue lekku twitched every so slightly as she nodded and began.

“I will be presenting my report on Siri Tachi’s condition to the Council later this afternoon.” She said as she clasped her hands together and placed them on the desk in front of her. “But, I’m afraid that I am going to need your consent to add an important piece of information to my report.”

“My consent?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow. “What could you possibly need my consent for?”

“When Master Tachi was brought into the emergency ward she was hemorrhaging blood internally.” Vokara began, placing a hand up before he could interrupt. “We were able to stop the bleeding, and stabilize her, but I’m afraid that we were unable to save the child.” 

The color from his face drained almost instantly and he could swear he could hear his heart beating inside his ears. He looked up at her in shock. 

“Might I…have that water now?” 

Vokara nodded and poured him a glass of tepid water from the metal pitcher on her desk, she slid it to him and he immediately drained it of its contents. For her part he could tell that the doctor was hesitating to continue. 

“We did a blood test on the infant and the results seemed to include not just Siri’s, but your genetic makeup.” She explained, slowly. “This is why I would need your consent to add this to my report.” 

“But I haven’t seen Siri in months, it can’t possibly…we…it’s not possible.” He hated that he was struggling for the right words. “We were always so careful.” 

Vokara’s face blanched and she shook her head, quickly. “Oh my, oh, I was unaware that you and Master Tachi were…intimate.” She took a deep breath. “No, oh Obi-Wan, I apologize. The child’s DNA appears to be made up of multiple different sources, including yours.” 

So many conflicting thoughts wrestled with emotions inside of him as he realized that he and Siri hadn’t actually procreated. His brain suddenly reminded him that he was still in the middle of a conversation and would have to dissect his feelings later. 

“I’m sorry, Master Che, but what does THAT mean?” He asked. 

“My best guess is that this child is an attempt at cloning a Force sensitive.” Vokara answered, softly. “Your DNA is but one of many that appears to be the genetic makeup of this child.” 

“I don’t understand.” He replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I’m afraid we don’t understand it either,” Vokara sighed. “We’re still trying to identify all the strands of DNA, but it’s proving to be a challenge. It is very complex.” 

“How would someone have my genetic material…”

He stopped his question when he noticed the look on her face. Memories of needles in his back and excruciating pain came roaring back to him. It was obvious that Vokara had come to the same conclusion. 

“Zan Arbor,” he said. 

“That’s my best guess.” She replied with a solemn nod. 

He ran a hand down his face as he tried to absorb everything “How is she, does she know?”

Vokara offered him a sad smile. “Siri’s condition is stable, I can’t share much more than that until I address the entire Council. I am sorry.” 

“Can I see her?”

“I’m afraid she’s requested no visitors.” Vokara explained. “I have a strong suspicion that she is still trying to decipher if this isn’t a hallucination caused by some incredibly strong narcotics. Give her time, she’ll need her friends soon enough.” 

Obi-Wan nodded and rose to his feet. “You have my consent, of course, to include mention of my involvement within the report, hopefully it helps in the investigation.” 

“Thank you, Obi-Wan.” She said, “I am sorry I didn’t present this news to you in the best way, I didn't mean to make you think…I had no idea you both were…again.” 

Obi-Wan let out an amused huff. “We’re not really…we’re just…finding some solace during these troubling times.” 

“I understand, and you don’t need to explain it to me.” She smiled at him. “I am not your Master or the Council. But, as a physician I do want to caution you moving forward…” 

Vokara forced him to make eye contact with her. “Siri has just been through something that none of us can begin to fathom.

“I understand,” 

Vokara shook her head. “No, Obi-Wan, I’m afraid you don’t.”

“Vokara?”

He knew that Vokara Che had seen it all during her tenure as the head healer, very little could upset the stoic Jedi Master and there was a sadness and fear in her eyes that put him on edge. It took a moment for her to gain control of herself again and her features softened as she looked at him.

“She is going to need all the support she can get right now. She will need you.” Vokara placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just, be patient with her trauma…and cautious.” 

Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, of course. Thank you, Vokara.” 

“Of course,” The Twi’lek healer said, opening her office door for him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish my report for the Council.”

Obi-Wan offered her a silent farewell and headed towards the door, he stopped just before crossing the threshold and turned his attention back towards the Temple’s Master Healer. 

“Master, may I see the child?” 

**

He offered the Padawan Healer a shallow bow in gratitude as he moved past them and into the softly illuminated room. He found himself in a space of great reverence, where younglings who happen to succumb to illness or (in the most rare occasions) injuries are dressed and wait for their final resting place. 

Despite living in a collective, Jedi funerals are each very personal, and the bodies were attended to by a member of their lineage. When it came to their youngest members, however, the ones who had not entered into an official lineage yet this sacred duty was entrusted to the seeker who brought them to the temple or a Creche Master. 

He slowly approached one of the small beds in the center of the room, the gentle smell of incense wafted through the air and the glow rods were set at gentle blue color which gave the entire space an ethereal feeling. 

His eyes finally landed on a tiny bundle beneath a white shroud that was emblazoned with the Jedi sigil. He slowly knelt next to the bed and gingerly lifted the cloth and felt his breath hitch as a tiny, peaceful face was revealed. 

He had of course wondered what it would be like to have biological children, it was only natural to question the choice he made to sacrifice that more traditional way of life for one in service to  the people of the Republic and the Force. 

He realized this was likely the closest he would come to having a child with a woman he cared deeply for. 

He had expected to feel a sense of paternal loss as he looked upon the babe. 

And yet all he felt was violated. 

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, casting his anger into the Force. It was not this poor child’s fault, he was as much a victim in all of this as his poor mother. With shaky fingers Obi-Wan reached out and tried to straighten the unruly copper hair. 

“There is no death,” he whispered softly. “Only the Force.” 

As his fingertips touched the head of the child a woman’s voice came from behind him, breaking the silence in the small room. 

“Be with me…”

He turned quickly, surprised that he hadn’t sensed anyone coming up from behind, but found no one there. 

“Be with me…”

The voice now came from his right, he turned again and again was met with an empty room. 

“Who’s there?” 

He called out to the voice. While he could not see them he could sense a connection to them. 

“I need someone to show me my place in all of this.” 

He tried to reach out to this person within the Force, but could not locate the source of the voice. He suddenly felt dizzy and immediately took his hand from the child’s body, nearly falling to the floor as the connection ended. 

Obi-Wan sat for a moment and tried to grasp what had just happened, his sight eventually landed upon the baby and the Force was screaming a warning at him, but he could not decipher what it wanted him to do. 

He eventually rose to his feet and then wrapped the baby beneath the shroud, laying his hand on its small chest. 

“I believe there is more to you than we thought, little one.” He said softly. “Rest easy now.” 

His comlink chirped and he pulled it off his belt to answer it as he turned towards the door. 

“Obi-Wan,” Mace Windu’s voice sounded exhausted even through the comlink. “The Council is gathering now.” 

“I’m on my way, Master.” 

He took one last look at the baby before the door closed behind him. 

*****

Consciousness was both a blessing and a curse for her. A blessing because it allowed her another chance to escape, but a curse because absolutely everything hurt. As she used her training to filter out as much of the pain as possible she closed her eyes and took stock of her surroundings using the Force. 

For the first time in months the Force felt lighter, the best way she could describe it was that it felt relieved. This should have made her feel safe, but it oddly put her more on edge, to let her guard down meant more unspeakable things would be done to her. 

The logical side of her brain tried to argue that things were different this time. Her Master had been there, Obi-Wan had been there and showed her a scar - but until she knew for certain that the drugs were out of her blood stream she couldn’t allow herself to fully rest. This was why she refused any pain medication, she needed her wits about her. 

It should’ve been a sign that the medics had reluctantly agreed to her demands, and the fact that she woke up a second time from a dreamless sleep and was not encased in a transparisteel  cylinder full of liquid. These were all positive signs that her ordeal was finally behind her, and that she had made it home. 

And yet, she couldn’t shake the disturbance she felt in the Force, something she couldn’t quite pinpoint, but was lurking within the shadows. 

She sat up as gingerly as she could, her entire abdomen was immediately protesting the movement with an agonizingly sharp pain. She lifted her hospital tunic and stared down at her bandaged midsection,  

It took her far longer than she wanted to get her body to respond to her commands, proving that there was indeed still lingering medication in her bloodstream. After what felt agonizingly too long she was able to swing her legs over the side of the bed and hoister herself onto her feet. Her abdomen immediately protested the movement and the world tilted briefly, but she was successful in the fact that she was now standing. She closed her eyes and called on the Force to steady her balance and ungracefully shuffled towards the fresher.

She turned on the faucet and groaned as her body bent over slightly in order to reach beneath the water, she groaned again as her core protested rising back up to her full height to splash water on her face. She savored the feeling of blissful cool liquid on her skin for a moment before opening her eyes and looking at her reflection for the first time in months. 

Despite months of being a prisoner she didn’t physically look too terrible, her skin was extremely pale and her head had been shaved, but as a Shadow she had done worse things to her hair. It appeared that other than her abdomen her scars would all be internal from her months of torture. 

It was at that moment that her eyes caught sight of something on the side of her skull. She turned her head and tried to see what it was and that was when everything came crashing down around her. 

It was a tattoo…it was a barcode. A barcode with an assigned number etched into her skin just below, as if she belonged to a herd of Nerf. 

A brood-mare was the far more accurate term for what she was. 

She reached out with trembling fingers and traced the barcode in the reflection of the mirror, emotions bubbled to the surface so fast she didn’t have time to process them before a new one exploded behind her eyes. It wasn’t until she felt shards of glass in her palm that she realized she had inadvertently used the Force in anger to shatter the mirror. 

She numbly stared at the crimson blood dripping from her fingertips onto the white porcelain sink before returning to her hospital room. She came to an abrupt stop as soon as she saw the bouquet sitting next to her bed. 

White. Nabooian. Roses.

The scream that ripped from her throat pierced the silence and came in tandem to the blast of energy she sent through the Force, hurtling the vase across the room and smashing it into pieces. She came back to herself standing in the center of the room, breathing heavily and bleeding from her left hand. She knew that someone would be there soon to check on the disturbance and she suddenly felt very trapped. 

Siri dug deep within her dwindling reserves and utilized her training to push down the pain in her abdomen and then used the Force to unlock the window. 

She was gone before the Padawan Healer on duty and the Temple Guard stepped into the room.

*****

TBC