Star Wars: The Good Ending

Obi-Wan

Kenobi had seen his old apprentice angry before. Sometimes it was manageable, little more than abject frustration, but the worst he'd ever been on the receiving end of it was when he faked his death and assumed the identity of his supposed killer, only to face  off against Anakin, who very nearly killed him.
    That was nothing compared to the raw, visceral fury rolling off Anakin in waves now. It was so infectious, so destructive, it clouded Obi-Wan's senses and made his head hurt. The young Jedi had felt the disturbance rippling through the Force, and rushed to check on his children, only to find the Council Chambers empty, the large window shattered, and Ahsoka, Luke, and Leia gone without a trace. Security holograms revealed the truth almost immediately, that Maul had finally revealed himself.
    An emergency meeting of all Jedi Masters was called to discuss the state of the order, and as Ahsoka's second in command, Aayla Secura was appointed as the standing grandmaster until Ahsoka was found. Anakin had been the only one not in attendance.
    Kenobi found him at the military headquarters, angrily addressing Admiral Tarkin, very obviously roiling with anger. Obi-Wan only just caught the tail end of what Anakin said before dismissing the admiral.
    "-Jedi called in to apprehend him, or capture him. One way or another, I want him and his accomplice brought in alive."
    Obi-Wan tentatively approached Anakin who'd begun to set out of the building, into the massive courtyard.
    "I'm- surprised you want Maul alive and didn't simply have them order a kill on sight," Obi-Wan gently pointed out, if slightly hopeful Anakin was growing out of his more violent impulsive tendencies. The Jedi Order had completely divorced from anything to do with the Grand Army of the Republic, but Anakin's status as the chancellor and her children's bodyguard afforded him a unique status in the military.
    "Of course. Because I want to kill the bastard myself," Anakin growled as he stormed toward the shipping docks.
    "Anakin you can't seriously be-"
"You don't think I will?!" Anakin stopped dead to turn and yell at Obi-Wan.
    "I didn't say that! But you need to calm down."
"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?! Ahsoka and my kids were kidnapped by a deranged, homicidal sith lord, and you want me to CALM DOWN!?"
    "Will you please think with your head and not your lightsaber for once in your life?!"
    "I'm sorry master, would you like me to meditate on this? Sit around and wait while he does god knows what to my family?!"
    He started walking again but Obi-Wan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, "Will you please just think for one second?! He's not going to hurt them, that's not the game he's playing."
    In the dim artificial lighting, the harsh shadows cast across Anakin's face made him near unrecognizable. His eyes burned hotter than fire, and it was all Obi-Wan could do not to flinch at his intense gaze.
    "I-" he growled, suddenly quiet, his words dripping with contempt, "am done, playing games with Sith Lords," He shoved his old master's arm off his shoulder and stormed off. Obi-Wan watched him leave, knowing there was nothing he could say to bring Anakin to his senses.
   
    The next couple weeks were miserable. Padme seemed to be coping by throwing herself into her work completely, shutting out the rest of the galaxy. All available units in the Republic were assigned to find Ahsoka, Luke, and Leia, along with a 50 million credit bounty placed on Maul's head. Many Jedi had been assigned to track him down, with no one actually finding anything. Anakin drifted on and offworld, constantly switching between trying to be there for Padme, and chasing every thread he could grasp at.
    Obi-Wan was on Obadia with Quinlan Vos, a tip from Barriss Offee who'd found the last mission report Ahsoka had filed. The Pykes were in cooperation with the Republic, but were known members of the Crimson Dawn Syndicate. Obi-Wan was known for his negotiating tactics and Quinlan had relatively good relations with them due to his time undercover, so things seemed to be going well. They'd allowed the two of them to search the fortress, if just to prove they had nothing to hide.
    Vos trailed his fingers along the dark stone walls, probably trying to find any trace of Maul that left an imprint, so far his search had turned up nothing.
Of course, Obi-Wan had worried about Anakin, who was clearly getting increasingly desperate to find something, anything. He wasn't on Coruscant that morning when they received the tip about Maul, otherwise he'd probably be with them.
    Obi-Wan's thoughts were interrupted by Quinlan stopping in his tracks, gesturing for Obi-Wan to as well.
    "Did you find something?"
"Possibly. Not Maul, but the apprentice he had with him. She was here, just a couple dozen rotations ago. She was looking for information on-" He paused and closed his eyes in concentration, before almost visibly stumbling back, looking like someone slapped him.
    "Are you-"
"I'm fine," Vos interrupted, swallowing hard. "I'm not sure what she was looking for, but it was important."
    "Do you think you can find out what?"
Quinlan opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by the beeping of Obi-Wan's holo device. Kenobi pulled it off his belt and answered, a small projection of Deppa Bilaba greeting him.
    "Master Kenobi, you're being summoned back to Coruscant by Chancellor Amidalla."
    Deppa had been assigned to protect Padme following the abduction, and appeared to be contacting him on her behalf.
    "Did she say what for?"
Master Bilaba frowned, looking uneasy, "No, but I suggest you hurry, she's very- distressed."
    "I'll be there soon as I can."
She nodded and the hologram dissipated. Obi-Wan turned to his friend who looked a tad shaken. "Will you be alright to find out on your own?"
    "Oh yeah, I'll let you know what I find."
The two said their goodbyes and Obi-Wan rushed back to the ship, plotting the course back to Coruscant, arriving in just a couple of hours. He landed it outside the Senate building and all but ran inside, quickly arriving at Padme's office, where Commander Thire and Deppa Bilaba were waiting outside the door.
    Deppa Bilaba was a very pretty woman, with creamy brown skin, dark hair, kind eyes, and a distinctive gold piercing on her brow. She'd grown up alongside Obi-Wan, being only a few years older, with Mace Windu as her Jedi Master. However, unlike him, she had a very pleasant demeanor, with a nonexistent temper and earnest gentleness. Obi-Wan had always thought that if anyone should have kept their seat on the council, it should've been her.
    "Well, that was fast," she pointed out briskly.
Obi-Wan worked his shoulders and brushed the dust off his robe, "What are you doing out here?"
    "The chancellor requested I stay outside, she was insisting everyone leave her to work," Deppa explained.
    Obi-Wan nodded and walked inside, closing the door behind him.
He half expected the office to be a disaster, but it was quite the opposite, everything in neat order, not a leaf of paper out of place. Padme was sitting at her desk signing paperwork, when she noticed Obi-Wan's arrival.
    Safe for her eyes, no doubt red with crying, and the deep, dark sleep deprived circled around her eyes, the chancellor looked perfectly normal. To anyone she'd seem to be completely fine, but Obi-Wan could feel the despair rolling off her in waves.
    She rushed up to meet him, wringing her hands, clearly distressed.
"Do you know where Anakin is?!"
    Obi-Wan blinked as he took a moment to process her question. Anakin had barely talked to him since their argument outside the Military Complex.
    "He was tossing and turning all night, then suddenly got up and left before the sun was even up, he didn't say where he was going, I can't get a hold of him, Obi-Wan, he's a mess right now, I'm worried he's going to get himself killed!"
    She was pacing across the floor, biting at her nails and holding back tears. "I can't-" her voice cracked, "I can't lose him too," she said quietly.
    He steadied her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Padme, sometimes I think it's the will of the Force nothing's able to kill Anakin," he said gently, "Don't worry, I'll find him."
    Padme nodded gratefully and Obi-Wan rushed out, trying to think of any way he could find his lost padawan. He arrived back at his ship, where R4-P17, his little red astromech, was waiting for him. She beeped and whirred, no doubt trying to tell Obi-Wan something.
    "What about R2?"
More beeping.
    "Dathomir? Why?"
R4 beeped some more.
    "A distress signal. Well I'd guess we should start there. The pair boarded the ship and set course for Dathomir, the home of the Nightsisters, or at least it was. Asajj Ventress had been the last of her kind after they were massacred by General Grievous, and Obi-Wan alongside Quinlan Vos had buried her there well over three years ago. That was the last time he set foot on the planet.
    Obi-Wan passed the time via meditation, and before he knew it, they sprang out of hyperspace in front of the red planet. They moved slowly through the fog, careful not to hit any of the trees, and their scanners detected another Jedi issued shuttle nearby, assigned to who else, but Anakin Skywalker.
    He ordered R4 to stay with the ship, before following R2D2's distress signal into the mist. He was able to feel Anakin's presence, but felt like he was walking in circles, when suddenly he tripped over a familiar astromech.
    Artoo whirred excitedly and zoomed back into the crimson fog, leaving Obi-Wan to quickly follow him.
    Anakin was lying face down on the ground a good distance away, completely motionless. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan raced to his side, sliding to a halt on the ground next to him. He wasn't dead, thankfully, but he seemed to be pretty worse for wear.
    Obi-Wan took him by the shoulders and shook him a couple times, trying to wake him up. "Anakin!"
    Anakin groaned and his blue eyes fluttered open, blinking repeatedly like they themselves were filled with fog, "Oh, it's you," he said surprisingly calmly. He sat up and looked around, like he was lost in thought, or completely out of it.
    "Mind telling me what in the name of the Force you're doing here?"
Anakin sighed and rubbed the side of his head, "I had a dream, one of those weird ones that mean something. I saw a lot of red smoke, so I came here. I thought it made sense, this is Maul's home planet, isn't it?"
    Obi-Wan was a bit taken aback by just how calm Anakin sounded, considering he's had the temperament of a hurricane for weeks now, but his presence felt like that of a gentle rain. Sad and gloomy, but peaceful.
    "Yes, it is."
Anakin sighed and stretched his arms, patting Artoo on whatever it was that counted as his head. "So I took off and came here. I was pretty out of it though, so I was just walking in circles till I guess I passed out from exhaustion."
    Obi-Wan looked at Anakin and sighed. The calmness was refreshing, but a bit off putting, simply because of just how sad and defeated it felt.
"Anakin, when was the last time you actually slept? Or ate?"
    Anakin looked up to the sky and chuckled dryly, "Honestly master, I have no idea." He frowned and leaned back, not even trying to hide his fatigue, he'd quite literally run himself ragged, "You really believe what you said?"
    "About what?"
"That he won't hurt them?"
    "I do. I don't believe he'd go through so much trouble, just to kill them."
Anakin sighed, "I hope you're right. They're not hurt, I can feel that much. Scared, but unharmed. As for Ahsoka, I can't tell."
    "We're going to find them, Anakin."
He didn't answer, instead staring blankly into the scarlet mist of Dathomir. Obi-Wan stood up, and offered Anakin a hand. "Let's go, Padme is worried sick about you."
    Anakin grimaced and smacked his forehead, "She's gonna kill me."