The Guardian's Path

Chapter 17 - Reflections

Obi-Wan takes first watch over Custos and Anakin, so he sits in the security center on the prison level, watching them through the cameras. He can hear their conversation, but he doesn't really feel too bad about listening in, since it's not as if they didn't already know that they were being observed. Besides, he's curious – and even more jealous than he was before.

Why does Anakin respond to Custos to readily? Why does he respond to him in a way that he has never responded to Obi-Wan? Why can a Sith get through to Anakin while the Jedi cannot? That, most of all, confuses him. What would make a Sith – a Fallen Jedi – so much more able to understand Anakin's conflict? Obi-Wan knows that Anakin has struggled with the Dark Side, but he never dreamed that Anakin would Fall; he'd always thought that Mortis was a fluke, something which would never be repeated.

If he wasn't in so much shock, he would probably be hurt that Anakin could betray the Jedi, betray everything he's ever been taught in such a manner. He and Anakin have argued in the past, but it was never anything like earlier. He's still a bit shaken over Anakin's harsh accusations, though he doesn't know if Anakin meant any of them, or if he said it to hurt him, to make him upset.

"Like you're one to talk. You're the one who is jealous for absolutely no reason. Maybe you wanted this to happen. Maybe you wanted the Council to imprison Custos so you could take his place."

It's not true, of course, because Obi-Wan would never do such a thing out of spite or pettiness. He's a Jedi. He is above those feelings. He lets go of his darker emotions and desires instead of acting on them. Perhaps, he wonders suddenly, that is why Custos is able to reach Anakin so easily – he doesn't let go of his emotions since he's a Sith; he embraces them, acts on them. He openly demonstrates his affection towards both Anakin and Ani, and that is not the Jedi way.

Is that what Anakin wants? Does he really desire a deeper emotional connection than he can rightfully get as a Jedi so much that he's willing to turn to a Sith? It seems outrageous, ludicrous even, but it also makes sense. Too much sense. Anakin has always been emotional by nature. He has long been driven by his emotions, feeling things far more deeply than anyone else Obi-Wan has ever known. Obi-Wan has done his best to discourage Anakin's attachments, but Custos seems to be doing the opposite. He was encouraging Anakin to use his attachment to someone – he really, really would like to know who – to bring himself back to the Light Side.

Did it work? Obi-Wan doesn't know, but he'll find out when he goes to speak to Anakin again. If it did, then everything Obi-Wan has ever believed will be thrown into doubt, so perhaps that is why he is putting off his visit. The Jedi teach that no one can turn back from the Dark Side, that someone who Falls will be irrevocably lost. Obi-Wan has never had a reason to doubt that, not even when he met Custos. But if Anakin has done so... then it means the Jedi's teachings are not always right. If Anakin's attachment to someone was enough to pull him back, then what does that say about how the Jedi view attachments?

It's not something Obi-Wan is very keen to consider since it risks uprooting everything that he has ever believed in. He didn't want to lock up Anakin like any other criminal, but given the situation, given the way Anakin seemed willing to fight his way through anyone between him and Custos, Obi-Wan had agreed with Windu. Imprisoning Anakin until he could be calmed down or otherwise dealt with was the best option. It would be ironic in a painful, bitter way if Custos was able to accomplish what Obi-Wan himself could not.

Perhaps he did though. The only way to find out is if Obi-Wan goes to speak to Anakin. He needs to do it eventually, but he'd wanted to wait until he could calm himself from what transpired. It's been nearly an hour by now, though, and Anakin has been quiet ever since his initial conversation with Custos. Perhaps it is now time to check on him and see how he's doing.