Star Wars Episode IIIAU: Sith Rising (Star Wars AU Series #1)

Crashing the Gathering

Obi Wan's POV

"Why would Palpatine be going to Ilum?" Ahsoka asked as we were putting on full body parkas. We were on an emergency ship to the perpetual winter planet of Ilum.

"Remember the Gathering, do you, Ahsoka? Led six younglings here, you and I have." Yoda reminded.

"Did Palpatine hire another Sith apprentice? Cuz I swear, he wanted Anakin to be his apprentice." Plo wondered aloud.

"Doubt, I do. Only two Sith, there are, at a time." Yoda clarified.

"I've always assumed Palpatine was a bit of a nutjob." Windu admitted.

"What I don't understand is why Anakin doesn't seem to notice the fact that Palpatine's evil." I noted. He should know better than to trust a murderer. I wish he would let me in on what has been going on inside that brain of his.

"Well, first off, Palpatine's been influencing him all this time. Second off, he thinks of Palpatine as a friend. Third off, he could've killed Palpatine right then and there that night in the Chancellor's office. Instead, he wanted me to keep him alive." Windu explained.

"Well, that clarifies things a little."

"Here, we are." Yoda announced. We all looked at the white planet of Ilum from afar.

"Now I remember this place." Ahsoka muttered.

---

"Petro!" Ahsoka cried when we reached the entrance of one of the crystal caves. Petro, wearing a dark blue parka with a hood, turned to face us.

"Petro! Are you okay? What about the younglings?" I asked.

"Um...yeah. I saw Palpatine and some other person wearing a black cloak head inside. I don't know about the younglings, though." Petro admitted.

"How many were there?" Plo asked.

"Four."

"Stay there." I instructed as the five of us entered the crystal cave.

---

"Okay, so we'll split up and look for the younglings. Obi Wan and Yoda will team up, while Ahsoka, Plo, and I will join forces. We'll meet Petro outside when we're done. Remember, we don't have much time." Windu instructed.

"Understood." I said before Yoda and I set off.

"Many presences here, I sense." Yoda said as he tried to feel a youngling's presence.

"Well, younglings are supposed to use the Force to find their kyber crystal, I think." I said. I had never chaperoned any of these Gatherings.

"Right, you are, Master Kenobi."

"We don't have much time." I said as Yoda immediately clutched his chest.

"Sense a disturbance in the Force, I do." Yoda noted as we reached a fork in the road, or should I say cave.

"Where's the disturbance?" I asked, but Yoda did not reply. He just simply ran down one path in the cave, and I followed him.

"Now that you mention it, I sense it too." I said as I grabbed my head in pain. Moments later, we saw something very eerie...

A pale youngling was lying with his limbs sprawled all over the frozen floor. His skin felt colder than ice. But the creepiest part about it all was that the youngling's eyes were open and his mouth was, too. Blood was dripping from the corners of his mouth. I felt a chill down my spines.

"Yeesh. Gives me the chills." I said.

"Agree, I do. Take this youngling back, you must. Keep looking, I will." Yoda instructed as he moved forward. I picked up the stone cold youngling and carried him out of the cave.