The Unseen

Chapter 23 - Master of the Sith

Obi-Wan can't really say how it happened. He had been shopping like he often does, when four stormtroopers had surrounded him. They hadn't said anything, but he knew they were studying his face. Finally, one of them declared that they had to take him in for questioning. At that point, Obi-Wan had known that it was a lost cause because they would quickly realize who he is, so he tried mind tricking them. It would have worked. It should have worked just like it in the past, but someone nearby saw.

"Jedi!" the man – officer, perhaps – had yelled, snapping the stormtroopers out of the daze which Obi-Wan had put them in.

Obi-Wan flips backwards, landing several yards away as they start shooting... stun bolts. Strange. He thought Jedi were supposed to be killed on sight. He almost regrets not bringing his lightsaber with him, but they had all agreed it was far more dangerous to carry that kind of weapon than not.

"It's Kenobi!" the officer reports into his commlink. "He was here just as you predicted, Inquisitor." The word sends a chill down Obi-Wan's spine as he races through the streets, the stormtroopers in fast pursuit. He doesn't sense any cold, malevolent presences in the immediate vicinity, but he refuses to take any chances.

Bystanders shriek with alarm, scrambling to get out of the way of him and the troopers following. He knows he can't go back to their home; he has to go elsewhere and find a place to lay low until he can rejoin his family. It would probably be best if they escape the planet altogether and go to Tatooine as they'd discussed. Obi-Wan can catch up to them later. Or if he's meant to die protecting the others, he's willing to let that be his destiny.

A stun bolt glances off his arm, sending a spasm of pain through his body, though he refuses to let that slow him down. Just then, as he rounds yet another corner, a troop transport turns out of a nearby alley. Stormtroopers leap from inside, pointing their weapons at him. He can try leaping to the rooftops, but if he does, he imagines they'll use the larger cannons to shoot him down, and he'd rather not be responsible for the deaths and injuries of helpless civilians.

Slowly, he raises his arms in the air as a sign of surrender. He's instantly swarmed, the troopers searching him for weapons – finding none – and pulling his wrists back to cuff them. The Force instantly dampens, and Obi-Wan forces himself to remain steady. He gets a brief sensation through the Force of Ahsoka's nearby presence. He's not surprised, and if it weren't such a great risk, he would try calling out to the Force for her to leave. Since he doesn't know where the Inquisitor is, it's too great a risk to take. He refuses to endanger Anakin, Ahsoka, and the twins.

"Take him to Coruscant," orders the officer, stalking up, hands clasped behind his back. "The Inquisitor will be accompanying him in his personal shuttle. The Emperor has expressed a personal interest in this Jedi. He wishes to see him."

Obi-Wan's mind silently supplies the word torture, and he forces himself not to flinch or shudder. All of them had known what the risks would be should they be captured. He has no idea who leaked the information to the Empire, but it doesn't matter anymore. Maybe they were simply taking far too many risks.

He's hustled onto the troop transport, numerous blasters aimed on him should he try to make a reckless escape. It's not long before they reach the Imperial base in the city, and he's led to the hangar bay accompanied by a dozen troopers.

The Inquisitor is there, but he's obviously masking his presence, because even with the Force dampeners, Obi-Wan should have been able to sense a faint aura of darkness. He feels nothing, even when he struggles to probe. The Pau'an's face breaks out into a malicious smile. "Master Kenobi," he declares with relish, "I must say that you've been exceedingly difficult to track down."

"Glad to please," Obi-Wan retorts sardonically, holding his head high. Based on what Anakin had told them about the Inquisitors, he suspects this is the Grand Inquisitor. More likely than not, he's the new Sith apprentice.

The Inquisitor scoffs, spinning on his heel and motioning for the stormtroopers to bring Obi-Wan aboard. He's secured in a cabin, four troopers remaining inside to guard him. He doesn't say anything, not when the shuttle lifts off, and not during the long hours of hyperspace. All he can do is silently hope that his family managed to escape safely.

***

Obi-Wan doesn't know if it's been hours or days since he was secured in the dungeon cells of the Imperial Palace, formerly the Jedi Temple. It sickens him to see what the Sith have done to his home, but he refuses to let his aggravation or grief show. He knows he can count on Anakin to try and rescue him, not that he actually wants that to happen, because it could well be a suicide mission. It's the thought that counts, he supposes. Anakin will probably leave the twins on Tatooine before coming here to rescue him and destroy Sidious with Ahsoka.

Even though the cell is meant to hold Force sensitives, keeping them cut off from the Force, Obi-Wan still knows when Sidious is coming. The temperature in the room seems to plummet to a new level of freezing, and the shiver which snakes through him is not entirely physical. He might not be wearing Jedi robes, but he still can convey the cool and collected persona which has been attributed to the Negotiator.

The cell door slides open, and the Emperor himself walks in. Obi-Wan straightens, rising to his feet. "To what do I owe honor?" he asks sarcastically with a sketchy bow.

Sidious's expression conveys dark amusement as the door closes behind him. Yellow eyes bore into Obi-Wan, and they scare him far more than Anakin's ever could. He truthfully doesn't think his brother could scare him, even if he was trying to kill him – like on Mustafar, he refuses to add. Sidious, on the other hand, gives a whole new meaning to the word creepy.

"I hope your accommodations are to your satisfaction, Master Kenobi," sneers the Sith Master.

"Oh, yes," Obi-Wan answers mildly. "The Council should have hired the interior decorators which you clearly did not use. It would have been even more homely."

Sidious narrows his eyes, a hint of anger flaring up. "What have you done to Lord Vader?" he demands, stepping forward. "I know you had a hand in his disappearance."

"Done to him?" Obi-Wan echoes. "Why nothing, though I may have had a hand in his demise." He forces himself not to smile, because from a certain point of view, it's the truth. Vader is dead. Anakin is not. Anakin has accepted and merged Vader into himself.

"Do not play games with me!" hisses Sidious. "I ask again, where is Lord Vader?"

"I'm here in your prison cell," Obi-Wan points out. "How do you think I could know the answer to the question if I'm here? It's not as though I have a ghostly messenger to spy on the goings on of the galaxy."

Sidious snarls, raising his hand, lightning arching from his fingertips. Even if Obi-Wan wanted to move, he has no room to do so. The force of the electricity sends him crashing into the wall behind him as he lands on the floor writhing from the searing agony through each nerve. He's gasping for air when the assault lets up, and he finds that he doesn't have the energy – or control of his limbs – to try and drag himself back to his feet.

"Where. Is. He?!" roars the Sith, looming over Obi-Wan's fallen body.

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you," Obi-Wan shoots back. "Thankfully, I have no idea where he is." It's the truth. It's not impossible that Anakin would completely alter the plan after he was captured. Knowing how Jedi can be broken and tortured for information, it's probable.

Lightning seizes his body again, and he cries out against his will as the intensity increases. The barrage continues until he thinks he'll probably slip into unconsciousness from the pain. That's when it stops again. "Spare yourself the pain," coaxes Sidious. As if that tactic would really work on him. Obi-Wan's been tortured before, and he's endured every. Single. Time. This might be a Sith Master, but Obi-Wan knows that if he holds onto his determination then he'll last longer than Sidious' patience.

He can only hope that Anakin won't be too devastated if he dies. Anakin has his children to worry about, and he cannot afford to do something rashly. Obi-Wan hopes that he was able to teach his former Padawan how to let go in the past year they spent together. Maybe – maybe he needs to trust himself, trust that this time he was able to succeed where he'd failed in the past. If he doesn't let himself doubt, then Sidious will never win.