Under The Cover Of Darkness

Chapter Eight

"What," Anakin growled, leaning over the interrogation room table, "did you do to Obi-Wan?"

Luke was having a profound moment of déjà vu.

"I told you that already."

"Yeah, and that was before he started getting mind controlled by a fucking Sith, so sorry if I don't believe you anymore."

Luke's stomach dropped. So that had been how they had found out that the cuffs had been sabotaged. Mara would make sure to rub in the fact that she had been right when he told her, since she had assumed Ben had been caught as soon as the Jedi had come to replace the cuffs without any explanation for their detection, and without Obi-Wan, one of their primary interrogators.

Luke had been trying to be optimistic. In his defense, it had worked for him under much longer odds. Like at Endor.

So much for that.

Luke shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh really? You're a Sith, Obi-Wan's being controlled by a Sith, and it started the day you attacked him. I can do basic math."

"Like I told your Master, I Fell two days before I got captured, and was anointed as a Sith one day before. So when exactly do you think I had the chance to learn long-lost Sith mind control techniques?"

"Perhaps your Master explained it to you back when you secretly didn't have working Force binders."

Luke's genuine incredulity began to make itself apparent. "Do you really think I could learn a technique well enough to successfully attack a Jedi Councilor, in four days, without having ever done it before?"

Anakin just narrowed his eyes. "Is Obi-Wan Kenobi being controlled by you or Vexion, a construct, or a separate entity?"

"How would I know?"

"Does whatever's controlling him have any other abilities or any harmful side effects?"

They'd known Ben might be caught eventually, had tried to plan for it, but why did it have to be so soon?

And the Force only knew what Ben had actually told the Jedi about himself. Certainly Anakin hadn't seen fit to provide Luke with any details, so there was no way to know whether or not Ben had said anything to associate himself with them, or the Sith, or said anything at all about any motives, real or imagined.

Luke really hoped that Ben had a plan, and ideally, that his plan had more to it than "Lie to people until I can't manage it anymore."

Luke loved Ben. He really did. But he'd also had to cope with the results of going into Bespin completely ignorant.

And the revelation that he'd made out with his sister.

So yeah, he knew that Ben was supposed to have been a great tactician. They'd come to a true rapport after the truth had come out and Luke's initial feelings of betrayal had settled. But that didn't mean he liked the idea of not getting any input on the plan.

Which he wouldn't, it looked like, since they'd apparently locked Ben up in a different cell complex than Luke, Mara, Volyn, and the Inquisitor.

From the way the Councilors had acted when they'd come to recuff him and Mara, Luke strongly suspected that Ben was locked up somewhere even more secure.

Because after all, if it was him in the position, Master of the Order dealing with Sith from without and possessing those from within...he knew who he'd consider the bigger threat. It would be the Sith possessing the person who knew all of his secrets and had access to all of his systems.