Chain Reaction

~ Fourteen - The Fallen - Obi-Wan ~

The darkness of the Force, the heaviness, is suffocating. Now that I know of it, it seems as though its completely obvious. I'm not truly certain on how me and the other Council members, or in fact, the entire Jedi Order, was unaware of it. I can tell from Master Windu's expression, concentration and thoughtfulness, that he's thinking similarly. The two of us, and a good majority of our clone forces, are slowly evacuating the Jedi Temple, younglings and padawans first, their masters and the more experienced ones last. A temple guard approaches us, bowing in respect, to which we do similarly. 

"Master Kenobi and Master Windu, we need you both to assist Master Jocasta Nu in relocating the sacred texts." Without a word, the two of us immediately head to the sacred library. My mind is brimming with unending thoughts and worries. So many actions, possibilities, could go wrong. 

What if Sidious finds out?

What if the Grey Jedi get discovered by the Sith?

What if Anakin or Ahsoka or the others get captured or worse, killed?

And we still have no idea what Anakin's plan truly is. 

He only gave us brief descriptions on tasks to complete. As partial to Anakin's normalcy of 'improvised planning' it was done with no explanation of what his end trajectory is. However, the dark expression that plagued his face gives me a brief idea. Sidious. If Sidious caught wind of what was happening and captured one of us as a means of retrieving information, we couldn't provide any but what he had provided. A means of insurance. I cannot blame him for taking such a step, especially under the circumstances. 

"Ah, Master Kenobi, Master Windu, thank you for coming." 

"What can we do Master Nu?" There are several boxes filled to the brim with texts, many satchels, bags, whatever is available to keep with sacred teachings of the Jedi Order without seeming suspicious. Many of the shelves that used to be lined with the glowing scrolls, are empty, but there are still many more that must be packed and moved. It's painful, to see the Jedi Temple, the home of the Jedi Order for thousands of years, now being abandoned, yet understandable. It's the first place that Sidious would attack in order to take out the Jedi Order completely. 

"I simply require help finishing the packing. There is a larger section over there that I cannot focus on right now." We both nod, heading in the direction of untouched scrolls. 

"Do you really believe Skywalker has this covered?" I glance over at Master Windu, to notice his expression is one of concern, instead of the usual stern blank face, a rarity for him. I nod, beginning to pack the scrolls, utilizing the Force to complete the task faster. We need all the head start we can get. "Anakin has changed over the years. I can tell that he is finally happy and at peace. This is the final step towards balance in the Force." 

"Why place so much trust in him? After everything we have seen his do, the Dark Side has been a part of him ever since the beginning." I stop what I am doing, turning to face him. Personally, I am quite done hearing such things come out of him mouth about my brother. Perhaps its against the Code, but at the moment? Such matters must be taken. 

"Anakin might not be the perfect Jedi. However, we had a say in how to further raise him into the Order once he was admitted. He was a slave, an issue we haven't even begun to investigate and remedy, and his mother was the only person he could truly trust for his entire life up until that point. We did nothing to help him regarding the trauma, nothing to help him make peace with his previous life, nothing at all! His mother was perhaps the only person that kept him sane for his entire life, and all we did was force him to try and forget her. 

We claimed him to be the Chosen One, yet each time he was in our presence in the Council Chambers, we treated him as an outsider or even a criminal. We tried to force him to confine to our teachings, yet, if you truly think about it, we did the very thing his slavers did to him! We may not have treated him as property or cruelly, yet we acted as if he was unwelcomed from the start, and only if he conformed to the guidelines, he would be accepted. The clan he was placed in treated him as an unwanted guest, as did almost everyone else here. To be completely honest looking back, I am not certain why he stayed all these years. 

Maybe that was his dream that the Jedi Order was good, as he did as a child. He probably expected us to at least look into the slavery trade, not completely ignore it! Anakin is a brother and has put our trust in us. So yes, we can trust him. It is the least amount of courtesy considering we never did all this time." 

I stop to catch my breath, my opinion of him now out into the open. For a moment, I thought Windu would go into a lecture about disrespect, just as I just did to him without truly realizing it. I go back to finishing the packing, and Windu says nothing the entire time, thickening the tension in the silence. 

Until I notice a tug. A tiny tug. The kind of pull that is almost imperceptible, unless one has already do so in the past themselves. A pull of a single string within my Force bond with Anakin, that has grown since our reunion. If you can call it that at least. Allowing the pull to take me wherever it wished, a vision comes into my mind. One of Anakin, and Sidious. Anakin is kneeling at Sidious' feet. My heart leaps in my throat. What is he doing? 

"Please, just help me save Padme's life. I can't live without her." Sidious breathes, his eyes closed, his voice feral and pleased with himself. 

"The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith, you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth Vader." 

"Thank you, my master." 

"Stand, and go, to the Mustafar system. The Separatist leaders reside there. Destroy them." 

"As you wish." 

The vision ends, a lump forming in my throat. However, not because of the vision, Anakin would never fall, but because I now understand. Oh Force, this is the most outlandish plan my brother has concocted yet.

"Kenobi, what is it?" 

"We need to evacuate. Now."