Dreams

Chapter 3.

I vaulted out of my starfighter, and dust crunched under my boots as I landed on the ground. Glancing back at Obi-Wan, I waited for him to get out of his ship as well. Conversation on the flight to Geonosis had been minimal at best. Neither of us had found words to say. Even though we were in separate ships, I had sensed Obi-Wan's unease and consistent distraction. I had taken it on myself to make sure everything worked smoothly, and anything spoken over our headsets was mostly instructions and directions. His unspoken request to be relieved of the duty today hadn't passed me by, though it concerned me.

"You okay?" I asked him quietly. The illogical side of me reasoned that, if I kept my voice low, maybe my question would slip under the "duty radar," instead getting an answer from the "friendship sector."

Obi-Wan's hand rested on his ship's wing for a moment, but he quickly retracted his fingers, tucking them into a loose fist. He smiled at me. "Come on, Anakin. Let's find our mystery item."

I silently followed him with my eyes until I fell into step beside him. Looks like my question was discovered by the "duty radar." There's always another time. His non-answer actually answered my question more than his words could have, though. I'd be keeping an eye on him for this mission.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said without looking at me, his tone lined with an edge of playful warning, "what are you scheming?"

"Me?" I repeated mock-innocently. "What am I scheming? Why should I be scheming anything?"

"You've gone quiet," he replied promptly. "That usually means you're thinking."

I considered his statement for a moment. "Maybe I am. But let's not worry about that." I drew out the holographic projector and clicked the button. "What are we actually looking for?"

We stopped just inside the droid factory and examined the floating, shimmering object. It was black and might have been spherical once, if it hadn't been crushed and malformed. Its charred insides were partly visible where the metal had split, and broken glass was sprinkled throughout and around it.

"Any ideas?" I asked Obi-Wan, still peering at the hologram.

"Huh?" He glanced up quickly, then registered what I had said. "Oh, I see. Um ... it looks like it could have been a droid."

I eyed him suspiciously. Obi-Wan didn't get distracted like that. But I only made a mental note to keep an even closer watch on him. "You might be right actually." I pointed to the singed wires and burnt circuitry inside the metal shell. "It must have been set on fire or something. Why would the chancellor want a broken droid? And why would anyone else care about it?"

"It must be a special broken droid," Obi-Wan said knowingly, the old twinkle returning to his eye.

I returned his mischievousness with a smirk. "Then we'd better go get it."

We sneaked through the dark corridors of the droid factory, avoiding any of the bug-like Geonosians and listening carefully for anyone else who might be doing the same as us. Using the factory as a through-way shaved off walking distance and cut down our time, even though we risked being discovered. I wasn't too worried about it, and I knew Obi-Wan wasn't either. We had each other's backs.

The sandy arena loomed up ahead of us, and even before we entered it, the remains of our last visit here were still visible. The carved columns lay in pieces, the grandstands were all but destroyed, and debris and droid bits littered the edges of the former execution ring.

Obi-Wan hesitated in the archway, unwilling to cross the threshold. His hand gripped a post in the wall, and his face was pale as his eyes glazed, watching history unfolding as though it was the present.

I stopped beside him, placing my hand on his shoulder, silently offering him what I could through our Force bond. Slowly, his hand loosened its hold on the post, and instead he put his over mine, giving it a tight squeeze.

"When you're ready," I said quietly.

He shook himself out of his memories. "Come on."

We split up, each going around one side of the ring, both hugging the walls as they seemed to hold the most treasure. I picked through the rubble, discarding fragments of stone and small rocks but digging through any machines or droids I could find. I had to fight myself not to get lost in the inner workings of the technology, but one of the more complete droids caught my eye – too much for me to pass over. I knelt beside it, picking it up and fingering it. It would only take a minute ....

I jumped when my comm buzzed, so I tapped it quickly. "Hello, this is General Skywalker responding." Then I glanced up and realized Obi-Wan, on the opposite side of the arena to me, had his left arm raised as he spoke into his own commlink.

"Hello, Anakin, it's Obi-Wan."

I frowned at the reluctance I could hear in his voice. "Hey, what is it?"

"I've had something come up, and I-I'll be responding to it, if that's okay with you."

I sat back on my calves and watched him from across the ring. He seemed fixated on the ground, the wall, or the sky. What was going on? I tried to keep the apprehension out of my tone. "Yeah, sure. That should be fine. I won't be expecting you back on Geonosis?"

"No. Head back to Coruscant once you've completed the mission."

As much as I wanted to press him for information, I didn't want to hold him up. "Okay, have fun."

"Thanks, you too." 

Then my commlink went dead. Our words, though well meant, seemed flat and weak. I stayed sitting on my knees for a minute or two, staring into the middle-distance as I sensed Obi-Wan's presence slowly disappearing. Like a candle being pinched, it vanished completely as his starfighter jumped to hyperspace.

Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I looked at the crumpled droid in my hands and realized with a start that it matched the one in the hologram. If Obi-Wan had stayed a few seconds longer .... I quickly shoved the thought aside. He had things he needed to do. He must have had his reasons.

Straightening up, I held the droid carefully, being careful not to lose any of its important parts, and then started the exit regime. It took everything I had to stay on task. Memories of this place and of the night just past washed over me, trying to drag me into the dark depths of despair and worry. Images of Obi-Wan, injured and weak, competed with dreams of Padmé, dying and in pain. Obi-Wan lay in my arms, his strength failing, the gentle touch of his fingers to my cheek the only action he could give to show his care for me. Padmé lay on a bed, her features screwed in agony as she cried out to me, pleading for my help.

Tears closed my throat, and I had to make a conscious effort to keep oxygen coming into my lungs as I sneaked through the dimly-lit halls. My hands shook as I clutched the broken droid. Why did everything seem so much harder and so much more real when I was alone?

I stumbled over a rock, nearly dropping the prize in my hands. I shouldn't think like that. I knew Obi-Wan had a reason for leaving. That didn't stop the loneliness, though.

Sighing softly to myself, I slipped through the last doorway that stood between me and freedom. There stood my yellow starfighter with my beeping droid friend, R2-D2, and it would be an understatement to say I was pleased to see them. I was purely relieved. If I didn't have to stay on this planet any longer, then I wouldn't. 

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So we've got some angsty feels in this chapter. Obi-Wan seems angst, and Ani's angst, and things are just looking a little messy.  :/

But really, what is Obi-Wan doing? What's going on with him? And why isn't he telling Anakin about it ...?

I hope yous are enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Thanks so much for reading! ^.^