Memories

Chapter 5.

Obi-Wan's POV

__________

Ten minutes earlier ....

I watched as Anakin froze in the doorway, his hand stuck on the doorframe, and I could feel his distress, though I had no idea what was causing it. For a few moments, I waited to see if he would move, but he seemed so thoroughly lost in his thoughts, I figured he would need prompting.

"Anakin," I started quietly, trying not to startle him, "are you going in?"

He looked back at me, and I winced to see the fear and pain in his eyes. He internalized something for a second before dropping his gaze reluctantly. "Um, maybe you guys had better wait out here, at least for a bit. There are a lot of people inside, and most of them will see three Jedi as a target. I can sneak in and have a look first. Stay hidden as best you can." He held Ahsoka's gaze until she nodded mutely and looked down.

I wasn't happy with this change of plans, but Anakin entered the building before I could say anything. Pursing my lips, I stood watching him disappear into the crowd inside. The Force was yelling danger into my ear, and I knew it was not a good idea letting him go by himself. But his stubbornness came from a good heart, even if it got him into more trouble than it kept him out of, and besides which, I trusted him. I just hoped he would contact us before he engaged Asajj, rather than afterwards. Something told me it was a vain hope, but time would tell.

"Master Kenobi," Ahsoka asked softly, "is that a good place to hide?" She was pointing to a small space between two wooden crates, just large enough for a couple of people to squeeze into.

I nodded. "Good spotting, padawan."

We crouched in the space, pushing the crates apart just a fraction so that we had a little more breathing space, then settled in for the wait. I kept a sharp listen out for Anakin, both through his commlink and through the Force, but it was difficult to make out exactly what was going on inside. The Force was thick and confused, mushing together in dark strains of blackness and threatening emptiness. I could still pick out Anakin's Force signature glowing as bright as a lamp, but if I tried to get anything more precise, my feelings became vague and indistinct. This was both a good thing and a bad one, for it indicated that the Dark Side hung in the air. It was good because that probably meant Asajj was here, but it was bad for the same reason. If Anakin went alone ....

Barely a minute had passed before we heard a commotion from further down the street, and both Ahsoka and I knew something was off. She exchanged glances with me, and I could see the conflict in her orange-coloured face. I felt the same.

A gunshot made up our minds for us, and we sneaked along to get a better view of the situation. I was mildly relieved that Anakin was not with us. If he had been, he almost undoubtedly would have ploughed in headfirst, whereas I preferred to figure out what was happening before I got involved in it.

A pair of thugs had a young man in his late twenties bailed up against a wall. The man was holding a small, leather satchel close to his chest, his blue eyes flicking suspiciously between the two thugs. His brown hair was plastered to his creased forehead with sweat, and he was at least a head shorter than his assailants, though he appeared to be average height. Both thugs were dressed entirely in black, despite the insufferable heat of the twin suns, and their faces were hidden by masks, though I guessed from their build that they weren't humans in race. A blaster mark had been burned into the ground almost licking at the man's cream boots, which I was glad to see. He hadn't been injured – yet.

"Hand it over," one of the thugs growled, his gloved fingers playing with the trigger of his blaster.

"I already told you," the man responded in a low voice. "It won't interest you. It isn't money, if that's what you're after."