Boundless as the Sea

Chapter Sixteen

"You...wanted to see me, Masters?" Anakin stood before Mace Windu, Yoda, Obi Wan, and a few other council members in the briefing room, slightly apprehensive.

It was Mace Windu who spoke. "Skywalker, there's something you should see." He pressed a button, and an image appeared before them.

Anakin lips formed into a snarl. "Cad Bane."

"It's a recorded holo-message. We were unable to trace it," said Windu.

Bane's menacing voice projected through the room. "Hello, my Jedi friends. If you're watching this, then that means that I am in the middle of working on a special new project. In case you didn't know, I have a wide range of skills, one of which includes getting rid of unwanted Jedi. Well, my current client wishes me to let you know that one of you is my next target. They think that the fear will drive all of you to madness, which is something that should be fun to watch. I'm not gonna tell which one of you is gonna be...disposed of...but I will tell you this. It's someone who has gotten in my way and survived, something that I consider to be a rarity. I'll be seeing you around, Jedi."

The image vanished. Murmurs circulated throughout the room. Anakin crossed his arms.

"How do we know this isn't some sort of trick? He said himself, the fear is supposed to drive us insane. What if this is just a way to get something from us? Or...turn us against each other?"

Obi Wan stroked his beard. "The real question is, who is he working for, and who of us supposedly has a target on their back?"

Yoda stepped forward. "Meditate on this, we must. Underestimate this bounty hunter, we cannot."

♦️

Cad Bane contacted the Sith Lord when he knew he was alone.

"Did your message get through?"

"I took care of it. I highly doubt that any of those Jedi fools are thinking of our real target. Now the only thing to deal with is how and where to do the job."

"I'm sure you'll think of something. Just remember to make sure Skywalker is present, but you cannot let him know that Senator Amidala is in danger. He is very strong in the force."

"You want me to kill him too? I would love to be the one to end the life of the Hero With No Fear."

"No! He is to remain alive. Do not fail me, bounty hunter."

"Yeah, alright." He ended the conversation.

♦️

Anakin, Obi Wan, Mace and Yoda sat cross-legged in a circle in a meditation room.

"Clouded, my vision is. See the future, I cannot," said Yoda as his small, green eyebrows furrowed.

Mace spoke up. "I can sense that there will be an attempted murder. This is no trick."

"Can you sense who the victim might be?" asked Obi Wan.

"No, nor can I tell whether or not Bane will succeed."

"Anakin, do you sense anything? Anakin?" Obi Wan looked at his former Padawan and could tell that he was in deep meditation. All of the sudden, Anakin opened his eyes and sucked in a breath.

"Anakin, what did you see? Do you know who the target is?" asked Obi Wan as Mace raised an eyebrow.

"I'm...not sure, Master. But I think that whoever hired Bane is a Sith."

"Interesting, this is. Why a Sith would hire a bounty hunter to kill a Jedi, I know not."

Mace stood up. "I think we all need to be well-rested. Keep your lightsabers on you, and clear your minds of distractions. We'll get to the bottom of this."

As they walked out of the room, Obi Wan raised an eyebrow when he saw that Anakin was headed in the opposite direction of his quarters.

"Anakin, where are you going?"

"Uh, the Mess Hall. All this suspense has made me hungry."

"Anakin, it won't be open. You know that. Here, I'll walk with you to your quarters; it's on the way to mine."

Anakin was about to argue, but decided that it would be best to not raise his former Master's suspicions. So, he simply nodded and walked with Obi Wan to his quarters, which he had not slept in since his argument with Padmé.

"I'm sure we'll solve this in no time, Anakin. In the mean time, stay sharp for anything that triggers your senses."

"Yes, Master."

♦️

After waiting a few minutes, Anakin ducked out of his quarters, and quietly sneaked out of the temple. It was much harder than usual, considering all the clones assigned to keep on the look out for suspicious activity.

I can't tell Padmé about Bane. I can't have her worrying about me. I need her to stay strong in order for me to stay strong. I just hope there isn't an attack tonight. I wouldn't wanna miss the fun.