When You Come Home

-27-

"Did you say Maul?"

The whiteness of Obi-Wan's face and weakness of his tone made Anakin pause. "You know him?"

Obi-Wan sat very still, those blue eyes fixed on Anakin. "Do you?"

"Not personally."

"... after I killed your mother ...."

"Not exactly," he amended.

"Do you know him?" Ahsoka asked, suddenly interested in Obi-Wan. "We met him once, a couple of days ago. He isn't a very nice person."

"You met him?" Obi-Wan asked breathlessly.

As much as Anakin wanted to continue the questionnaire, he wrestled his curiosity and that unfamiliar essence of revenge into his back pocket, instead wrapping the scarf of urgency around his neck. "How about we discuss this on the way? Right now, we need ideas for how to get out of here."

"Have you tried the ladder?" Obi-Wan asked distractedly. He indicated vaguely to a place behind the two teens. Before Ahsoka could insist she had tried everywhere, he gestured with a little more intention to a hole in the floor. Located along the far wall, hidden by a stack of books and a handful of rubble, was the top spokes of a wooden ladder. Ahsoka flashed her torch on it as she approached it, peering down the hole. She let out a whoop of joy, punching the air.

"How could I forget?" she rushed on excitedly. "Mandalore had a series of underground networks built, sort of like catacombs, where they would keep food, beds, and other items necessary for survival. Because of their tortured, war-torn past and all that, they had these as refugee camps, until Duchess Satine came into power. They became redundant when Mandalore settled into a state of peace, so they must have been turned into libraries and places to store old things."

"And how does this ladder remind you of Mandalore's extensive past?" Anakin inquired, using her torch to look down the hole.

"Oh, because the rooms were always double-layered," she responded as though it was obvious. "That's why I couldn't find a door out of here."

"Ah, I see," Anakin said absently, scoping out the new territory. "The first issue I can see is getting Obi-Wan down here."

Ahsoka carefully cleared away the books, making easy access to the rim around the hole, then slammed the heel of her boot onto the edge. Anakin jumped at the cracking sound, worried that the whole place might destabilise, but she seemed uncaring, kicking and pushing until the hole was half again its original size. "There!" She seemed pleased with her efforts. "That should be easier."

"Easier how?" he asked, but he was catching on. "Obi-Wan, how do you feel about a piggyback?" Without waiting to acknowledge the worried expression on his brother's face, he went over to him. "Ahsoka, can you help him stand?"

Despite it having been her idea, she seemed hesitant. "Are you sure you'll be able to carry him? I mean, we could just ...."

Anakin didn't even grace her with a reply, turning around and crouching down so she could assist Obi-Wan into a clumsy piggyback. He sucked through his teeth in pain, but he settled quickly and gave Anakin a thumbs-up.

"I'll lead the way." Ashoka gripped the flashlight between her teeth, then began climbing down the ladder.

Anakin tested Obi-Wan's weight on his back, then placed his foot on one of the rungs and started downwards. The wood of the ladder creaked and groaned, with some of the rungs spinning in their cups and almost throwing the teens off. Aside from the ladder itself wobbling and jiggling, a few of the rungs were missing or broken. It was a slow process, especially as the ladder was at least twenty feet tall.