Part 39 (2/2)
”His transmission was garbled.” The blade came up. ”He promised you would be left in pieces.''
In the main holocomm center of the Jedi Temple, high atop the central spire, Obi-Wan used the Force to reach deep within the sh.e.l.l of the recall beacon's mechanism, subtly altering the pulse calibration to flip the signal from come home to run and hide. Done without any visible alteration, it would take the troopers quite a while to detect the recalibration, and longer still to reset it. This was all that could be done for any surviving Jedi: a warning, to give them a fighting chance.
Obi-Wan turned from the recall beacon to the internal security scans. He had to find out exactly what he was warning them against.
”Do this not,” Yoda said. ”Leave we must, before discovered we are.”
”I have to see it,” Obi-Wan said grimly. ”Like I said downstairs: knowing is one thing. Seeing is another.”
”Seeing will only cause you pain.”
”Then it is pain that I have earned. I won't hide from it.” He keyed a code that brought up a holoscan of the Room of a Thousand Fountains. ”I am not afraid.”
Yoda's eyes narrowed to green-gold slits. ”You should be.”
Stone-faced, Obi-Wan watched younglings run into the room, fleeing a storm of blasterfire; he watched Cin Drallig and a pair of teenage Padawans-was that Whie, the boy Yoda had brought to Vjun?-backing into the scene, blades whirling, cutting down the advancing clone troopers with deflected bolts.
He watched a lightsaber blade flick into the shot, cutting down first one Padawan, then the other. He watched the brisk stride of a caped figure who hacked through Drallig's shoulder, then stood aside as the old Troll fell dying to let the rest of the clones blast the children to shreds.
Obi-Wan's expression never flickered.
He opened himself to what he was about to see; he was prepared, and centered, and trusting in the Force, and yet . . .
Then the caped man turned to meet a cloaked figure behind him, and he was-He was-Obi-Wan, staring, wished that he had the strength to rip his eyes out of his head.
But even blind, he would see this forever.
He would see his friend, his student, his brother, turn and kneel in front of a black-cloaked Lord of the Sith.
His head rang with a silent scream.
”The traitors have been destroyed, Lord Sidious. And the archives are secured. Our ancient holocrons are again in the hands of the Sith.”
”Good . . . good . . . Together, we shall master every secret of the Force.” The Sith Lord purred like a contented rancor. ”You have done well, my new apprentice. Do you feel your power growing?”
”Yes, my Master.”
”Lord Vader, your skills are unmatched by any Sith before you. Go forth, my boy. Go forth, and bring peace to our Empire.”
Fumbling nervelessly, Obi-Wan somehow managed to shut down the holoscan. He leaned on the console, but his arms would not support him; they buckled and he twisted to the floor.
He huddled against the console, blind with pain.
Yoda was as sympathetic as the root of a wroshyr tree.
”Warned, you were.”
Obi-Wan said, ”I should have let them shoot me . . .”
”What?”
”No. That was already too late-it was already too late at Geonosis. The Zabrak, on Naboo-I should have died there . . . before I ever brought him here-”
”Stop this, you will!” Yoda gave him a stick-jab in the ribs sharp enough to straighten him up. ”Make a Jedi fall, one cannot; beyond even Lord Sidious, this is. Chose this, Skywalker did.” Obi-Wan lowered his head. ”And I'm afraid I might know why.”
”Why? Why matters not. There is no why. There is only a Lord of the Sith, and his apprentice. Two Sith.” Yoda leaned close. ”And two Jedi.”
Obi-Wan nodded, but he still couldn't meet the gaze of the ancient Master. ”I'll take Palpatine.”
”Strong enough to face Lord Sidious, you will never be. Die you will, and painfully.”
”Don't make me kill Anakin,” he said. ”He's like my brother, Master.”
”The boy you trained, gone he is-twisted by the dark side. Consumed by Darth Vader. Out of this misery, you must put him. To visit our new Emperor, my job will be.”
Now Obi-Wan did face him. ”Palpatine faced Mace and Agen and Kit and Saesee-four of the greatest swordsmen our Order has ever produced. By himself. Even both of us together wouldn't have a chance.”
”True,” Yoda said. ”But both of us apart, a chance we might create . . .”
=20=.
Chiaroscuro C-3PO identified the craft docking on the veranda as a DC0052 Intergalactic Speeder; to be on the safe side, he left the security curtain engaged.
In these troubled times, safety outweighed courtesy, even for him.
A cloaked and hooded human male emerged from the DC0052 and approached the veil of energy. C-3PO moved to meet him. ”h.e.l.lo, may I help you?”
The human lifted his hands to his hood; instead of taking it down, he folded it back far enough that C-3PO could register the distinctive relations.h.i.+p of eyes, nose, mouth, and beard.
”Master Ken.o.bi!” C-3PO had long ago been given detailed and quite specific instructions on the procedure for dealing with the unexpected arrival of furtive Jedi.
He instantly deactivated the security curtain and beckoned. ”Come inside, quickly. You may be seen.”
As C-3PO swiftly ushered him into the sitting room, Master Ken.o.bi asked, ”Has Anakin been here?”
”Yes,” C-3PO said reluctantly. ”He arrived shortly after he and the army saved the Republic from the Jedi Rebellion-”
He cut himself off when he noticed that Master Ken.o.bi suddenly looked fully prepared to dismantle him bolt by bolt. Perhaps he should not have been so quick to let the Jedi in.
Wasn't he some sort of outlaw, now?
”I, ah, I should-” C-3PO stammered, backing away. ”I'll just go get the Senator, shall I? She's been lying down-after the Grand Convocation this morning, she didn't feel entirely well, and so-”
The Senator appeared at the top of the curving stairway, belting a soft robe over her dressing gown, and C-3PO decided his most appropriate course of action would be to discreetly withdraw.
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