Galaxy of War || A clone wars fanfiction

Chapter 40

(Obi-Wan's POV)

(Flashback)

"Obi-Wan, you do understand what you need to do, right?" Mace asks me.

"Yes, I do," I sit back in my council chair and rub my beard. 

"Your padawan and Skywalker, they won't be happy," he continues, pointing out what I already know.

"I know," I take a deep breath. "But it's a risk that I'm willing to take. Hopefully they will understand. At least in time."

(Time skip to the assassination)

"All right, here's the plan. Anakin, you flank him on the right. Ahsoka, you cover the lower streets. I'm going after the sniper. Lora," I have to take a break. "You stay here." I can't have her see me get shot. I know that she will find out, but force, I can't have her see me 'die', that will break her.

"What!?" Lora exclaims outraged. I understand her very well. I know that she doesn't like to be sidelined. 

"You need to make sure he doesn't escape," I try to convince her. Please work. I see her about to argue, so instead I just make a gesture for the others to begin their hunt. I'm just praying that what I'm about to do won't result in her not forgiving me.

(Current time)

I wake up with the best sleep I've had in a long time. I even woke up with a smile on my face. I know that the fight to win Lora's trust back is going to be hard. She's stubborn and resistant. But I will fight with nail and tooth, with everything I've got. And I will, I will win the fight. I just need to figure out how.

I enter my refresher and take a shower before getting ready for the day. The entire time I have this smile on my face. If I can stay positive, it might rub off on her. It has worked before, it'll work again. I don't blame her for being mad. She had a point about Qui-Gon. His death affected me a lot. He died in my arms, for her, even though it was a fake death, I died in hers. She experienced everything with her own emotions. I know that it was wrong to use her and Anakin as a reaction, but the council needed me to do my job. Back on Felucia, I promised her that I wouldn't put the council over her, and I did that exact thing. But this wasn't just about me or the council, this was about the Supreme Chancellor. That must count for something?

I open the door and my smile instantly slides off my face. Master Yoda is sitting on the couch, looking at me. He has a somber look on his face. What is he doing here?  He has never come to visit me this early before. A weird feeling hits me. No... it can't be. My eyes shift between him and Lora's door. I rush to her door and slam it open.

"Lora?" I find her room empty. I turn back to Master Yoda confused. "Where's Lora? Where's my padawan?"

He slides off the couch and walks in front of me. Silently. His hand reaches on his back and pulls out a lightsaber hilt. Lora's. "She wanted you to have this."

My hand goes to my mouth instantly in shock. She left? She promised. "Master, I don't understand. She told me she would stay. She promised." I pace around the room.

"Stay, she couldn't. Conflicted, she was," Master Yoda explains. "Find out for yourself, she didn't want you to." His words make my heart drop further than ever. I sit down onto the couch and let my head fall between my shoulders. I broke her trust, and even then, she cared enough to not want me to find out on my own. She could just have left and not told anyone. But she found enough mercy for me to let someone know. I just wish that would have been me. I would have tried to stop her again, I would have begged. But even then, if she chose to leave, at least I would have had a chance to say goodbye. My daughter is out there somewhere in the galaxy, only the force knows where, I might never see her again, and I never got to say goodbye to her.

"What do I do now?" I whisper.

"For you to find out," Master Yoda says before exiting the room. Leaving me behind horrified and clueless. Since I became a Jedi Master, I've trusted in my abilities and in my knowledge. Always prepared for anything. But right now, I just feel hopeless and lost. Tears well up in my eyes. I try to wipe them away, but they just keep coming. I don't know what to do. What to say. How will I tell Anakin? Ahsoka? Oh force, how will I tell the clones? They've grown very fond of her and have become almost more loyal to her than me. How will they react to hearing what I did? How I drove their Commander to leave the order.

A knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. But I don't have the strength to answer it. "Obi-Wan! Are you in there?" Oh force, it's Anakin. I can't face him right now. "I'm coming in!"

"No-" I don't manage to stop him. He barges in with Ahsoka in tow. Their happy faces kill a part of me.

"What happened? Are you alright?" He instantly turns worried when he sees me.

I can't answer him. I shake my head as more tears come.

"Where's Lora?" Ahsoka asks. I lift my head to meet her eyes. In that moment they both understand. Anakin steps back and covers his mouth with his right hand. Ahsoka just stills. No movement, just staring out into space. We're like that for a long time. None of us are able to process the loss of the girl we saw as our daughter and sister.

"How long have you known?" Anakin breaks the silence. He's still not looking at me.

"I just found out," I clear my throat. "She left at night." He sucks in a sharp breath before turning around and walking out of the room. Before long, Ahsoka follows suit. Leaving me alone. Again.