Betrayal (Star Wars Fanfiction)

Hurt

The Force had never felt so lifeless.

That was all Obi-Wan could think while he followed the others. With every step he took away from the Senate building, the more disbelief and the distinct feeling of betrayal settled in his tired mind. Not even Bail's warning yesterday, when he had spoken of a terrible decision that he hadn't been able to influence even in his position, had prepared him for this utter shock and resignment that had befallen him as soon as the ultimatum had been forced upon him and his fellow Jedi. To either be kept away in the temple, cut off from the world, the Galaxy outside or leave the planet that had been the home of the Order for thousands of years as well as his own. He couldn't remember knowing any home other than Coruscant. Stewjon was but a distant memory, a birthplace in its own right, yes, but it wasn't home. Would the Senate truly be so arrogant to believe that they could simply pack some lightsabers and Holocrons in their bags and take the next ship to some space port to start a new life? There was so much history in the temple, not to mention that they didn't have the resources to just get up and leave. The big ships and cruisers belonged to the Republic and not every Jedi had a personal starfighter. And what about the padawans and the younglings? Surely they wouldn't understand why they were suddenly forbidden from visiting the markets if they chose to stay here, but be confined in their own walls?

What do we do? Obi-Wan asked himself not for first time since they had left that room with thousands of eyes glaring at him, judging him. And the men. Cody had been there, as had Rex and Wolffe. And all three of them had stared in complete shock after the alien Senator had spoken. He was sure they hadn't known anything about this decision. But oh, how it had hurt to see his Commander again, only to immediately be more or less dismissed by the majority of the Senators after all these weeks in which the Jedi had been "advised" by the Senate to stay away from their men for the time being. That should have been their first warning, shouldn't it? Perhaps they really had become blind to their surroundings.

"Come, Obi-Wan, it is no good to dwell here. We must return to the temple and inform the rest of the Council. Then we'll decide on what we do with this choice we've been presented with." Plo Koon's soothing voice broke through the muddled mess that his thoughts had become and he lifted his head to look at the Kel Dor. Somehow, despite the mask covering his expressions, the older master seemed just as exhausted as all the other Jedi he'd seen roaming the temple, not quite knowing what to do with themselves.

"This is not a choice," Obi-Wan muttered. Plo just nodded. Nothing else needed to be said about this matter just yet. He was sure however, that the Council would spend hours discussing this. And how were they supposed to tell the other Jedi? He could already imagine Anakin's enraged face when he would be informed about the whole situation. As a matter of fact, Obi-Wan had already been forced to stop his former padawan to sneak out with Ahsoka to visit the men despite the Senate's order. Even though he'd done that very unwillingly and had nearly been swayed to just throw caution to the wind in a moment of recklessness, grab his own padawan and join Anakin to see his battalion anyways. Talon would have appreciated that, surely. He allowed himself an amused smile for just a second, before he followed Plo and the other Jedi Masters to their small ship they'd taken to get here.

"General! General Kenobi!"

Surprised and with the Force suddenly becoming a bit more joyful, Obi-Wan turned around and saw Cody hurrying to catch up to them. With a wave of his hand, he signaled his companions to wait for him on the ship whereas he stayed in place until his Commander was standing right in front of him, looking at him in barely contained shock and anger, although he sensed that these emotions were not directed at him. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but feel guilty. The Senate had been right in one point after all, they really had all but enslaved those men, hadn't they? These brave individuals, though clones they may be, hadn't known anything else but war, regulations and loss. In this case, the Jedi deserved any sort of repercussions the Republic had in store for them. Although it hurt deeply to no longer see his men, no, damnit Kenobi, they're not your men, they belong to themselves, at his side every day, each and everyone of them deserved to live his own life. He was sure that the Galaxy had much in store for them. And perhaps knowing that they would be free of any burden concerning the Jedi Order or the Senate would make it easier for him to ignore that he was aching.