Its been so long since I've updated this story but with the extra time on my hands I managed to get a little inspiration for this work. I am trying to get updates out for as many of my stories as I can while all this quarantine stuff is going on. Hopefully that means there will be another update for this soon.

Until then,

Happy reading!

Chapter 7

Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat and squeezed his eyes shut. The last document he had read had mentioned— albeit briefly— a rumored Sith power supposedly originating on Korriban. In general, access to material on the ancient home world of the Sith was restricted even to those on the Jedi Council. He doubted he would be able to access it on this night and it would probably require a special request to either Master Yoda or Master Windu… or perhaps he may need to acquire such documents using… less than respectable means. It was an option he didn't want to consider but depending on how imminent the danger Anakin was in, he may not have a choice.

Heaving a sigh, he looked up and glanced down the expansive hallway, hoping to see Anakin returned from retrieving the document on the geological site where the artifacts were recovered. He had hoped that the geography of the area may give an indication on how the objects had arrived so far from Korriban, hopefully leading them to a specific individual, but he had his doubts that it would show anything now.

Glancing down the hall, he couldn't see Anakin. Slowly, he rose from his seat. He could sense him in the Force, but… he felt far away. As if he had left the Temple. "Anakin?" He called.

No answer.

His legs felt numb from being seated so long, but he ignored it as he started to walk deeper into the archives. He glanced down each of the stacks, growing more concerned the farther he went. Briefly he kept track of where he was in the stacks, keeping in mind where he figured Anakin would find the document. Turning off of the main aisle, he felt drawn to a stack that Anakin must have passed through. He made a left, and then a quick right, before suddenly stopping. Near the center of the stack was a single datachip. Upon closer inspection, it was the document that Anakin had left to retrieve. His stomach dropped as he clenched the chip in his hand and quickly turned and ran. "Anakin!" He ran, all his research forgotten as a terrible feeling gripped him. Something had happened. Or it was happening. He couldn't tell. His senses stretched into the Force, trying to find Anakin within it having trained him since he was a boy, it was normally as easy as drawing a line to connect two points. But now, it felt distorted. As if he was being diverted over and over again as if the connection was faltering.

His breath caught in his throat as it felt as if a hand was wrapping around his neck. Fear. Confusion. Anakin's name was on the tip of his tongue as he gasped. He knew where he was. His cloak billowed out behind him as he ran for the living quarters. Three levels up, and down a darkened hallway was one of the Padawan wings. The fear seemed to grow stronger as he drew closer and as he neared the end of the hallway, he understood why. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan lunged at his former apprentice, grabbing him by his collar and thrusting him backwards until Anakin landed on his back. He gasped as the breath was knocked out of him, but Obi-Wan did not release his hold of him. "Anakin," Obi-Wan said, his eyes narrowed close to anger, as he stared at the young man.

His eyes were glazed over as if waking from a deep sleep. The blue of his eyes was lined with amber streaks almost luminescent in the darkness. Blood was splattered on the side of his face and scratches lined the sides of his face. "Obi-Wan?" His voice was heavy as his eyes slowly focused in on his face.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked, his fists still bunched in Anakin's tunic.

The younger Jedi's brow knit tightly as he brought a hand to the side of his head. "I was getting those files you wanted," He started, his eyes slowly lifting away to look at the hallway they were in. "But… this isn't the archives…"

Obi-Wan gave a small nod and prodded his mind just a little to make sure he was okay before he slowly loosened his grip. Anakin slumped to lay on his back. He gave a breathless comment to how weak he felt in that moment and Obi-Wan took the opportunity to look back at the Padawan who Anakin had pinned moments before. The young boy lay lifeless on the ground. He reached back and lightly placed his fingers on the boy's head. Dead. He already knew that before he touched him. What was he to do now?

"Come on," He said, shifting to stand and reaching a hand down to help his friend stand. Anakin was weak on his legs and slumped heavily against him. "We have to go. now," He said, guiding him out of the corridor and careful not to let Anakin see what he had done as they wordlessly made their way out of the Temple. They could not stay there now. It would only be a matter of time before the Padawan was found. And it would not be long after that when attention on the matter would shift to them. It was imperative that they leave and find somewhere to work out a plan.

Obi-Wan helped Anakin into the speeder and climbed in after, firing up the controls and paying no mind to the small alert about flight clearance. Breaking such rules had become so common in wartime that the main security alarm for it had been disabled. He flew the speeder around aimlessly for a while. They needed a place to lay low where they would not raise much suspicion. Logic told him that going to Padme's would not accomplish that and would most likely draw them more attention than they needed right now. But as much as he wished it were otherwise, she was already in the know on the whole situation and thus the only ally he could honestly rely on at the moment. With a course in mind, he made the sharp turn to direct the speeder towards the penthouse. His comm unit in hand, he opened an encrypted call to her and after the third ring, she answered. "Senator, sorry to disturb you but…" He paused a moment as he glanced over at Anakin's slumped form next to him. The younger man didn't even react to hearing his wife's voice on the other end of the call. Were it not for his shaky breathing and the occasional blink of his eyes, it would have been far too easy to confuse him for a corpse. "Something has happened. We're alright but need to speak with you." On the other end of the call he could hear her moving about as she got up from bed and made arrangements for their arrival. He could hear her worry in the few words she spoke and he wished he could shed more light but he didn't want to risk it. Not yet.

The speeder cut through the sky swiftly as Obi-Wan flew to avoid traffic. As he neared the veranda of the senator's apartment, he banked the speeder to the left as he pulled up right to the steps. Anakin made no move to get out, lost in his thoughts and physically weak. Carefully, Obi-Wan helped slide him out, allowing his friend to lean heavily on him as Padme quickly descended the steps, draped in an elegant robe as she joined them outside. "Anakin," She reached for him, taking his face in her hands as she looked him over, eyes locking on the scratches on his face and arms. She frowned as she brushed his hair from his face, and Obi-Wan felt his friend relax at the gentle loving touch of his wife.

"We'd best go inside," Obi-Wan said, shifting his hold as he followed Padme inside. She gestured for him to help Anakin sit on one of the long couches by a small fountain. The moment he was seated, Anakin slumped forward, his arms resting on his knees as he stared blankly at his trembling hands.

"What happened?" Padme asked, taking a seat next to her husband and gently placing a hand on his bicep.

The older Jedi frowned. "A young Padawan is dead," He said, barely pausing for a moment to register the senator's mild shock. "The body will be found by the morning, and that'll lead to a thorough investigation. He needs to leave. Sooner rather than later." He watched as Padme looked to Anakin for something — anything, any kind of reaction — but there was nothing. He sighed and continued. "You need to take him somewhere safe."

Her head snapped towards him, "You're not coming?"

He shook his head, "I need to follow up on a lead. And do what I can to keep the investigation from leading back to him," He said. "Take him somewhere and don't tell me where. The less I know about where you'll be, the less likely it'll be that you will be found."

Padme's brow furrowed as she looked down at her lap. The conflict within her was clear. She loves Anakin, but with everything going on, he couldn't blame her for being afraid. The unpredictability of the situation made them being alone dangerous. The thought crossed his mind to have them also contact Ahsoka on Mandalore for help… but asking her to leave Maul an active threat was dangerous in a completely different way. She took a deep breath before she met the Jedi's eyes again and gave a reluctant nod, "We'll leave immediately then," She declared.

"I'd stay to make sure you get off world safely but…"

She gave an understanding nod, "You have things that need to be done before all this reaches the surface. I understand." Rising from her seat she reached into the folds of her robe, "I'll wake my security and have them ready my ship. Once we're off, I'll arrange for a place to stay."

Obi-Wan bowed his head in respect toward her before looking back down at his former Padawan. He still had yet to say or react to anything, and the Force around him swirled with unease. Crouching low he placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a firm brotherly squeeze, "Anakin," He said. "I will do all I can to help," He promised.

He gave a weak nod, "I know, Master," He said, his voice a low mumble that sounded almost shy. "I-I'm sorry I'm putting you through this."

"This isn't your doing," Obi-Wan said, trying to reassure his friend. "Meditate while you're away. Try and find peace within yourself and cast it outward," He advised. "I don't know if it will help, but it may balance the darkness that hunts you." Anakin thought about the suggestion for a moment. Meditation thus far felt wrong since all this had begun, but at least it might make it feel as if he were doing something more than waiting for a solution. He gave a small nod and watched as Obi-Wan departed, hoping that he would be successful in his mission.