Chapter Text
Obi-Wan was running late to Senator Sheev Palpatine’s funeral services.
He hurried into the ornate, high-ceilinged hall where the ceremony was soon to take place, attempting to give an impression of Jedi calm and reserve even as he jostled his way to the front of the crowd of Coruscant’s politicians and power-players, seeing the queen of Naboo assembled there with her retinue. A brief search in the Force told him that Sabé was playing the role of monarch today, and Padmé that of handmaiden.
He approached the group and bowed. “Queen Amidala, it is an honor to meet you again so soon, even under such lamentable circumstances. On behalf of the Jedi Order, I convey my deepest sympathies for the loss of Senator Palpatine. Naboo will certainly miss his dutiful efforts on behalf of the public good.”
“Knight Kenobi, we thank you for your condolences,” Sabé replied with the queen’s usual monotone delivery. “We welcome the Jedi as friends of Naboo. We hope that you will join us in our mourner’s box for the service.”
“I would be honored, your Highness,” Obi-Wan bowed once more.
With that, Sabé turned away from him, and Padmé moved to his side. “I'm glad you came, Obi-Wan. It feels like years rather than weeks have passed since you left Naboo. All is still well with our mutual friends?
“Quite well.”
“And with yourself?”
“All my ails have forsaken me now that I am restored to your invigorating company,” he returned with a grin.
Padmé was surprised into a laugh, and he smoothly angled his body to evade her attempt to jab him with an elbow. Someone cleared their throat nearby, and they both schooled their faces into more serious expressions, eyes darting around guiltily at their surroundings.
Padmé looked up at him inquiringly. “And the Senate’s investigation into Palpatine’s death? Do you know if the Jedi were able to aid them in uncovering any new information?”
“I believe the Jedi tasked with the case have now concurred with Senate Security that it was a heart issue, no evidence of foul play.”
“Well, that at least is a relief, I suppose, though of course I am sorry to lose him, and after we have already mourned so many lost during the invasion.”
“He is one with the Force, now, and you will continue to honor him with your dedication to public service. The people of Naboo are lucky to have you in this time of hardship,” he told her earnestly.
Padmé pressed his arm in thanks, and then they were both being directed to file into the foremost mourner’s box with the queen.
Stationed behind Padmé and the other handmaidens, he turned his gaze to the assembled mourners in search of his true target. There—silver hair, tall enough to be spotted easily above the rest. But it would have to wait. The service was beginning. Obi-Wan turned back to the front of the hall and finally let his eyes rest on the raised platform, the casket atop it. A closed casket, of course, though he knew it was empty. There had been nothing left of the body, after.
____
Obi-Wan caught up with his quarry as the funeral attendees filed out of the hall and toward the line of waiting transports. Though the Count took no notice of him as he drew near enough to walk at his side, he knew the former Jedi Master would have already sensed his approach in the Force. “Master Dooku,” he greeted softly, with a dip of his head.
“Young Obi-Wan,” came Count Dooku's deep-voiced reply.
“I was hoping to speak with you. ” Dooku’s face showed no trace of surprise, but Obi-Wan could feel the Force-equivalent of a raised eyebrow at his use of Dai Bendu.
They paused in front of a luxury speeder. “Very well,” Dooku allowed. “Though I am departing Coruscant directly. Come, you have the length of the journey to the spaceport to relay whatever message you have brought.”
The back of the speeder was separated from the driver by a soundproofed panel, with a comfortable arrangement of seats inside. They took places across from one another, eyeing each other silently for a moment before Dooku spoke. “You have earned your Knighthood.”
“Yes.”
“And your master?”
“Still breathing.”
Dooku remained silent, inscrutable but for a telling twist of his mouth. Ah—not so uncaring about the fate of his former padawan after all. Obi-Wan took pity on the man. “His injuries were severe. They have kept him in a prolonged healing trance since we returned from Naboo, but Master Che expects him to make a full recovery.”
Some tension left the straight line of Dooku’s shoulders.
“Of course,” Obi-Wan added, “you could have heard news of him sooner if you had answered the Council’s comm requests. Master Yoda says he has not been able to reach you even through personal channels.”
“I know what the Council wishes to say.”
“I’m not sure that you do.”
“I have heard it before, and they have heard me in turn. I tire of repeating myself to no end.”
“Master Dooku, the Jedi are leaving Coruscant.”
Silence. A sharp flare in the Force. Finally, Dooku had lost his composure. He narrowed his eyes upon Obi-Wan. “Leaving Coruscant,” he repeated doubtfully.
“Certain circumstances have arisen which have given the Council cause to lose confidence in the Galactic Senate," Obi-Wan began delicately. “Our terms of service to the Galactic Republic under the Ruusan Reformation are no longer tenable. We expect that our efforts to rewrite those terms of service will be met with resistance from the Senate, and so the Jedi Order is readying itself to evacuate the Coruscant Temple.”
The Count continued to stare at Obi-Wan. He made no reply.
“This cannot be so shocking to you,” Obi-Wan ventured. “I know the official reason for your leaving the Order was that the people of Serenno needed your leadership in a difficult time. But you made no secret of your criticisms of how the Jedi operate under the authority of the Senate. Think what would have happened if you hadn’t stopped to question the official Senate briefing on your mission to Galidraan—the Mandalore sector would look very different today.”
“What do you know of Galidraan?”
“My master and I were briefed on the incident before our own mission to Mandalore some years ago. It was then the most recent contact any Jedi had made with Mandalorians.”
Dooku huffed. “My criticisms of the Senate’s hold over the work of the Jedi were summarily ignored for decades, including my concerns over the near-disaster that was Galidraan. What has changed?”
“That is not for me to say. You must speak with the Council.”
Dooku’s gaze only turned more piercing. “I heard of your encounter with a dark Force-user on Naboo. Are you suggesting you know nothing of the Council’s reasons?”
“I am suggesting that you speak with the Council.”
“And where exactly is the Order to go?”
“That is the question. We must be very careful, of course. Our position upon breaking the yoke of the Senate will be tenuous. The future of the Order will rely on the good opinion of the people of the galaxy. We must do everything we can to convince them that by abandoning the Senate we are not also abandoning the public. In fact, we are endeavoring to reach more beings than ever before. To that end, we plan to disperse the Order among many temples, spanning the length of the galaxy. We have quietly begun negotiations with those planetary leaders who we deem sympathetic to our cause.”
“And why have you come to me?”
“Well,” Obi-Wan smiled ruefully, “we are hoping that you may be a planetary leader sympathetic to our cause.”
“A Jedi temple on Serenno?”
“Yes, if you deem it possible. Though we are asking more than that. The Order has need of your strategic mind, Master Dooku. We are on the brink of the greatest change the Jedi have undergone in a thousand years, and we are walking a dangerous line. There is no one more suited to navigating that line than you.”
Here the speeder stopped at its destination, and the door was raised to display the bustling spaceport outside.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath and made his final plea. “The true purpose of the Jedi is to follow the will of the Force. We must take that responsibility into our own hands now. The Council will contact you soon, Grandmaster. I ask that you answer this time.” And with that, he stepped out of the speeder and departed.
____
Upon his return to the Temple, Obi-Wan went directly to his quarters. Pausing in the entrance, he was struck anew with the absence of his master’s presence—the Force barely held echoes of him here now. He turned to close the door behind him, sagging forward to rest his forehead against the frame.
Ten breaths, he told himself. He would allow himself to wallow for the span of ten steadying breaths.
That self-pitying endeavor completed, he shunted his feelings into the Force. There would be time to meditate later. Now, he moved to retrieve a small, packed travel bag before leaving his quarters and heading toward the crèche.
Entering the sunny rooms of Raka Clan, he was surprised to see all ten of the clan’s initiates sitting quietly with their eyes closed, posed for meditation. He was struck by a sense of wrongness, emptiness, and his alarm grew he realized what was amiss—he could not feel the initiates’ presences in the Force.
Crèchemaster Reaimm approached him. “Be at ease, Knight Kenobi. They are practicing a new technique today.”
“I certainly didn’t learn shielding techniques this advanced as an initiate. If I couldn’t see them with my eyes, I wouldn’t know they were there.”
“Yes,” the Mirialan master replied. “That is the next step: learning to cloak themselves deeply enough in the Force to hide their physical presence as well.”
Suddenly he understood.
“We are living in uncertain times, Knight Kenobi. ”
Obi-Wan was prevented from replying by the worthy distraction of a supernova blooming back to life in the Force. Anakin had apparently noticed his arrival.
“Obi-Wan!” he called, rising and running quickly to his side. “Are we going to visit Jinn?”
“Yes, Anakin, as long as you have permission from Reaimm.”
Anakin turned pleading eyes on his crèchemaster. She did not hold him in suspense for long, nodding her head and bidding him to mind Knight Kenobi.
Obi-Wan and Anakin walked their now well-trod path to the Halls of Healing, Anakin barely pausing for breath as he recounted everything he had seen and learned in the few days since they last made this visit. Obi-Wan allowed himself to be buoyed up by Anakin’s enthusiasm.
As always, Obi-Wan had to repress his instinctive flinch upon entering Qui-Gon’s room and seeing his master lying still, appearing smaller than should be possible with his abnormally tall frame. He laid a comforting hand on Anakin’s shoulder and steered him to their usual chairs.
As they sat at Qui-Gon’s bedside, Obi-Wan spoke softly to Anakin, guiding him once more to focus his senses on Qui-Gon’s Force presence and to identify the markers of his continually-improving health.
“Very good, Anakin. Your focus has already improved. Now, there is one more thing we can do for Jaieh Jinn. Center yourself in the Force, and tell me—what is something in this galaxy that brings you great contentment, great joy?”
“Podracing?” Anakin asked eagerly.
Obi-Wan sighed. He had learned much more than he ever wished to know about podracing since meeting Anakin. “If you must. Now turn your mind to the feeling that podracing gives you. Hold it close. Then reflect that feeling back out through the Force. In this way, you can create an uplifting impression of comfort that will linger in Jaieh Jinn’s room.”
The effects of this Force technique on Qui-Gon’s actual rate of healing were probably negligible, but Obi-Wan knew from experience that having such a task would do much to settle Anakin’s wish to help.
Without warning, an overwhelming wave of sensation crashed over Obi-Wan, jolting through his well-fortified mental shields to overflow him with wonder. He felt a shock of energy, as if he’d taken a strong shot of caf. And the wave was still moving, the tide pushing further out. Every being in the Halls of Healing probably felt as if they’d taken a strong shot of caf by now.
“Obi-Wan?” Anakin opened his eyes to look at Obi-Wan worriedly. “Did I do it wrong?”
Obi-Wan blinked. Stared. Blinked again. “No, young one, you did quite right.”
Anakin’s future master would certainly have a formidable task on their hands.
He stepped out of the room to reassure Healer Che that all was well before she came to investigate for herself.
“Anakin,” he began once he had returned from this effort, “I have something to ask of you. I must leave Coruscant today on an important mission, and I will not be able to visit Jaieh Jinn while I am away. Can you look after him in my absence? As long as he remains in his healing trance, I believe that feeling your bright energy will encourage him if you continue to sit with him as we have done.”
Anakin was already nodding eagerly. “I can do it!”
“Thank you, young one. Ja’eni Reaimm will make arrangements for you to continue visiting him with another escort.”
But now Anakin frowned. “How long will you be gone?”
“I can’t be certain, but I will come to visit you again on my return.” Anakin was settling in well with his fellow initiates, but Obi-Wan did worry about leaving him with one less familiar face. Force-willing, his mission would go smoothly and he would soon return.
Anakin was not satisfied. “Can’t I go with you? If your mission is important, I can help!”
“Ah, but if you come with me, who will make sure Raka Clan wins the initiates’ Capture the Kyber tournament on Taungsday? I know your friends are counting on you. Unless you were secretly hoping for Bear Clan to prevail?”
“Bear Clan?!” Anakin protested in horror.
“Perhaps you’ve placed a bet on Bear Clan’s success and are now attempting to stack the odds in their favor.”
“Obi-Wan!”
“Oh, well, my dear, I’m very sorry if I was mistaken. In that case, I know you’ll want to remain in the Temple to aid your fellows. The victors’ trophy is quite impressive, if memory serves. In the meantime, listen to Ja’eni Reaimm, continue learning well—and may the Force be with you.”
“Fine. And with you too, Obi-Wan,” Anakin made in grumbling reply. Obi-Wan grinned.
____
With Anakin safely returned to the crèche, Obi-Wan boarded his ship and programmed his route in the navicomputer, setting course for Tatooine.