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Future of the Jedi

Chapter 5

"Have you heard from them?"

Anakin glanced up at his mother as she approached him, holding a tray laden with three varieties of drinks. He smiled and reached for a tall glass filled with green, smooth liquid. Shaking his head, he replied: "No. It's weird not being able to really sense them. I can't keep a track of them so easily."

"Did the Council believe you may use your familial bond to aid them?" she asked.

Anakin shrugged. "I think it was a possibility. They did want to send them as far away as possible. I don't mind if the Council had concerns I may help them from afar. They had the same worries about Obi-Wan and I when it became clear how unique our bond was. It doesn't surprise me the same concerns were brought up for my children. But they did want to challenge them. As the children of the first Jedi Knight to be born, Luke and Leia's skills and futures have always been discussed and theorised on. We've spent long hours in session discussing their progress."

"What is the consensus of the Council?"

"That they'll be powerful Jedi if they choose to walk on that path," replied Anakin. "Both of them are strong in the Force. They also have a twin bond too which enables them to help one another and alert each other if either were in trouble. The mission they are on shouldn't be too dangerous. The Republic has been monitoring Xancra since it was discovered. It's a complicated situation out there at the moment but a suitable first assignment for two Padawans."

Shmi still looked a bit worried. "I was like this whenever you went on missions with Obi-Wan. I couldn't help worrying. You're lucky you have this bond with them."

Anakin frowned. "There are drawbacks to it too. If something happens to them, I can't do anything about it. To feel your children's pain is horrifying and as a parent you are constantly thinking 'I should have been able to stop this'." He took a sip from his drink. "I know they'll be fine because they have Ahsoka and Obi-Wan there. I can always trust those two to look after my children, just like Obi-Wan trusts me with his."

Shmi caught his eye. "You do wish you could be there though, right?" she smiled knowingly. "Like I used to do?"

He grinned. "Yeah. They've been prepared for this for years. They know what they are doing."

But it was then he felt a shift in his bond and a disturbance echo into the Force that made Anakin pause.

Obi-Wan was in trouble.

And if he was in trouble…

Luke. Leia.

The rubble shifted and was lifted off of her allowing Ahsoka to remove the Force bubble she had used for protection. She sprang up, using the Force to twist around in the air and pulled her twin lightsaber blades from her belt and activated them, landing neatly on her feet in front of the President's unconscious body, protecting him.

Casting her eyes about she saw to her horror that Obi-Wan, though still unconscious, was being held up by two other Xancrian's, who wore heavy armour and had a blade to his throat and one to his heart. The meaning was clear. She snarled, trying to think of a way to get themselves out of this situation and to prevent this diplomatic incident from spiralling out of control any further. "Release him!" she demanded.

"We are not here to negotiate with you, Jedi!" screeched the first male voice she had overheard from underneath the rubble. "We've come to take back what is ours and to ensure our planet becomes great again! Change is not going to happen to our world whilst I still live!"

"Even though it is the will of the people?" questioned Ahsoka. "Your party was taken out of power because you refused to change! The old ways are dying out. Less and less of the Xancrian people desire your way of life. There are far more poor people in this world than those of the elite. Unless you change, your party will never have a say in the running of this planet again!"

The male Xancrian shook his head, his hair colour a mixture between yellow and orange, signalling that he had links to the former ruling party. Clearly this Xancrian had some pull with this party that he was able to organise this attack. "The poor should not be allowed to elect who rules over them. The elite need to stay pure. To mix with them tarnishes our genes and infects the rest of our people with diseases that are not catered to them."

Ahsoka could not believe what she was hearing. He was insane. "Everyone deserves to have a choice. It's not too late to make a change, to consider other people for once in your life!" she urged, already knowing what the response would be.

His eyes narrowed. "K'Roach, how would you like to feel Jedi blood on your hands?"

"I desire it," answered the one holding a blade to Obi-Wan's throat.

This group of assassins – if they were as such – were insane.

"I give you a choice, Jedi. Surrender your weapons and leave with us or we will kill this one and his blood will run free and stain what remains of this chamber."

Ahsoka cursed under her breath. "I can't let you take the President."

"Then your friend will die." He nodded towards K'Roach who had glee shining in his eyes. "My comrade has a taste for blood."

Ahsoka bit her lip. "You want to use us against the Republic?" She was trying to stall and as she stood there, she remembered Obi-Wan talking to her about a vision he had shared with Anakin before this mission had begun. He had mentioned about them being separated from the Padawans and how he and Ahsoka would become prisoners… Damn it.

With that knowledge in hand, she couldn't let Obi-Wan die. Not now.

"We do. Having two of its most powerful Jedi would ensure concessions could be made to us to ensure we still benefit from government money but no longer be a part of the bloc. We have thought of our strategy wisely." The leader glanced towards his comrade. "Now, will I have to spill his blood or will you come quietly?"

She already knew what she had to do, but Ahsoka hated the very idea of surrendering. But she knew to trust Anakin and Obi-Wan's visions.

Reluctantly, she deactivated her lightsabers and dropped them to the floor, kicking them across to the leader. "Here. Take them." She stepped aside revealing the President's body and held up her own hands to show she was unarmed. "I surrender."

Anakin had excused himself from this mother quite quickly after sensing the change in the Force. He hoped he hadn't aroused any suspicion. He didn't want to unnecessarily worry her. He raced back to the apartment he shared with Padmé, went straight to his meditation room, and sunk into the Force, reaching out for Obi-Wan's bond.

Being far-away from one another, this was one of the instances in which Anakin couldn't really talk to Obi-Wan through their bond. They could still sense one another but not communicate and as Anakin reached out to his friend's Force presence, he realised there was a dimming feeling to it: Obi-Wan was unconscious. He wasn't aware of what was going on around him.

Frowning, Anakin moved his attention to his bond with Ahsoka. Their Padawan-Master bond was still intact but rarely used by them now that they were no longer Master and Apprentice. There was a remarkable difference between Obi-Wan's bond and Ahsoka's. Ahsoka's bond was more vibrant, bristling with energy.

She was still conscious. But he couldn't reach her to talk to her either.

Frustration welled up inside him. Next he decided to reach out for his children.

He was relieved when he sensed they were still alive and from what he could tell, they had been separated from their Masters. Anakin grimaced. He didn't like the idea of them being left on their own, unless all four of them had been captured… But they seem quite far apart…

He could only conclude that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had been captured but his children had escaped, which meant they were out there on their own with no one to guide them.

Realisation struck and he knew he had to convene with the Council.

They couldn't leave Luke and Leia on their own on an unfamiliar and hostile world, especially if Obi-Wan and Ahsoka had been taken and his children had escaped. The Republic would have to intervene.

Damn it. Why did they insist on testing them on their first assignment?

"Nice to see you awake, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan sat up, having regained consciousness only a minute before. His body ached and his head felt fuzzy. He remembered an explosion happening and then – "Urgh… I got knocked out, didn't I?"

Ahsoka chuckled. "You did. You missed the fun part though. At least you didn't have to hold up a shield to stop the rubble from falling on you and crushing you. The blast flung you backwards and our captors dug you out quite quickly. I was further underneath the rubble."

Obi-Wan frowned. "You surrendered?"

"I had to. They were going to kill you," she replied.

"Ahsoka…" He didn't like that. "My life isn't more important."

"You had a vision where we were both prisoners and Luke and Leia were left on their own. We're now in that position. We're following the will of the Force by allowing this to happen. You had that vision for a reason." Ahoska pointed out reasonably. "Besides, the Council wanted to test Luke and Leia. Perhaps they knew this was going to happen."

"I'm on the Council, Ahsoka. They did want to test them but they wouldn't knowingly send them on a mission where they get separated from their Masters for their first assignment. This assignment was chosen for them because of the unique learning opportunity it would afford them. This whole world and its chequered history with the Republic would have allowed Leia the opportunity to expand on her diplomatic skills. Luke needs to learn the value of diplomacy, something he hasn't been keen on though it is a skill he would be rather good at. Granted, I didn't expect them to be denied entry to the crucial meeting but on reflection, I think it was a good thing. Whilst we are stuck here, both of them are out there and are in a position to call for help if need to," explained Obi-Wan passionately. "But they are only thirteen. I have faith they will take the right steps, but their journey to Jedi Knight will be difficult. They'll be tested more so than any other Jedi their age. They are the first children of Jedi to become Padawans. They'll change the Jedi Order."

Ahsoka leaned back against the wall, folding her arms across her chest. "I think we all know what their potential could be. They just have to learn how to use it wisely." She glanced around the small cell. "We could bust out of here."

"We could," he agreed, "but I think we're supposed to be here. We may be able to take this group down from the inside. Where is the President and the Vice-President?"

"They escorted them to a cell down the corridor from ours," she answered. "Borodin has said we will meet later to discuss our limited options." She rolled her eyes.

"Borodin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"He appears to be the leader of the group that attacked the palace. He isn't the leader of the Aggara party. There hasn't been any mention of him yet. I do wonder if this is a rogue fraction of the party, intent on reversing the changes made to their society and their political beliefs." Ahsoka noted. "Let's just wait and see, shall we, Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "We wait." And hope Luke and Leia send out a call for help.

They traversed back through the jungle where the pod had been released during their descent into the city. It had landed amongst a small clearing surrounded by trees. A few broken branches lay scattered around it, signifying slight damage to the plants as the pod had landed. The comms on their wrist had displayed the exact location of the pod and the twins had moved quickly and stealthily out of the city by using the waste ducts and sewer line to make it out into the jungle.

They hadn't had much of a choice considering the chaos the city had been in when they'd escaped from the palace. They figured if they needed to get out into the jungle, getting out stealthily would have been their best option.

Luke had come up with the idea of the sewers and they both had leapt down into an open grate that workman had been working in when the bomb in the palace had gone off. It had taken them, what Luke estimated to be, a few hours to get through to the other side as they kept taking wrong turns before they eventually made their way out of the city walls and into the jungle.

It was dark by the time they found the pod.

Luke walked around the pod, inspecting the hull. "No damage. I'll take it up and broadcast the message to the Temple." It only made sense. He was the better pilot of the two of them.

Leia crossed her arms over her chest. "And I'm supposed to wait down here whilst you fly up into space?"

"Only one seat," he answered. "I'm the better pilot."

Leia sighed. "True. But what if something happens down here and you are not with me?" Despite her bravado, Leia was scared. They were on their own on a foreign world with no idea of what they were going to do after sending this message.

"I'm always with you, sis," smiled Luke, holding his hand to his heart. "In here. I can always sense you."

Leia bit her lip. "I think something is gonna happen. They'll notice the pod going up into the atmosphere."

Luke looked worried. "Hide. Hide away from here. I'll land the pod somewhere else. If they do see the pod leaving then they'll come to this location." He activated the door to the pod, opening up the cockpit. He moved to swing his legs up into it but stopped and turned back to his twin. Hugging Leia, he whispered in her ear. "Be safe and stay in contact. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Leia nodded, before hoisting her pack onto her back and keeping her lightsaber held tightly in one hand, before she turned and rushed to the edge of the perimeter.

Luke lowered the canopy and started the ignition. The pod's engines roared into life and he set a course for a point just above the atmosphere. Glancing back at his sister before she leaped into the bushes, Luke wished her good luck through their bond: Stay safe, little sis.

The pod shot up into space leaving his twin sister alone in the jungle.

To be continued...

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Next chapter will be posted next week...

the-writer1988