Whirlwind of Chaos

Chapter 47 - Zygerria

Author's Note: A familiar face shows up... ;)

Thank you, loldelegate! :)

~ Amina Gila

"No sign of the colonists," Obi-Wan observes, as they cut through the last of the droids in strangely silent Kiros village. "Commander, secure the area."

"Yes, sir!" Cody says, turning to give orders to the others.

"Perhaps the Separatists did something with them," Ahsoka points out, scowling. "Though I would have expected them to use them as shields not... disappear with them."

"Maybe something else is going on," Anakin suggests quietly.

"Massacring them would be pointless," Obi-Wan points out. The Separatists might be brutal, but that would give them absolutely nothing.

They don't have to wait long before Cody comes back. "The perimeter is secured, sir, but the Separatist commander has barricaded himself inside the tower. He sent a message for you." Cody withdraws a comm, displaying the hologram of a... Zygerrian?

That's unusual. They've haven't seen any Separatist commanders of that species, that Obi-Wan recalls. "Master Kenobi, come to the tower," he says, tone clipped and... sinister, somehow, "We will negotiate terms for surrender."

Seriously?

He's planning to surrender just like that?

"That was easy," Obi-Wan replies, dryly.

The Force suddenly coils around the comm, and it's yanked to Ahsoka's hand. She crushes it, eyes burning with anger. It isn't until then that he notices Anakin also seems... upset? He always gets touchy about these things, but Obi-Wan has never seen it this strong before.

"Zygerrian scum," Ahsoka spits, "We aren't making any deals with the likes of them."

Of course, he shouldn't be surprised, given her past, when Zygerrians are very often slavers. But especially considering her emotional involvement in the situation, Obi-Wan can't let her do this. "He asked for me, Ahsoka," he replies, "Your job is to locate the Togruta colonists."

"Then let me go with you," Anakin asks, standing. He's leaning slightly against the structure he was beside, and somehow, Obi-Wan thinks it's to cover the slight tremor running through him. He's obviously upset about something, though Obi-Wan doesn't know what.

"I believe you would be of more help to Ahsoka here," he points out.

"I know what these people are capable of," Anakin argues – he does? – "I don't want you to go there alone."

This is... somehow a very strange attitude, from his padawan. Obi-Wan feels like he's missing something big. "He said he was going to surrender."

"He said he would address surrender terms," Ahsoka counters, "He never said he was going to do it."

"He couldn't seriously expect that we were going to, when we have him surrounded," Obi-wan replies, flatly.

"Yes, he could," Anakin argues, "They're slavers. They always have back-up plans. They'd level the whole city, kill all the inhabitants, or worse, if they wanted to."

Truly, Obi-Wan can't make sense of it, but he already knows it's what has to be done. "Then you need to find the colonists first. Stay here. I will determine the situation and tell you what I find." Neither of them are happy, but there's not time to debate about it. They need to move.

***

Obi-Wan will admit the relatively pointless fight with that Zygerrian was satisfying, though he would have preferred if he hadn't had to intentionally drag it out so long by pretending he was losing. But it's predictable enough that the moment he pulls his lightsaber on him, the Zygerrian throws a bomb at him and runs for it.