Crimson Eyes ~ Sequel to: The Valkyrie, An Obi-Wan Story (completed)

Chapter 4: The jedi Vaults

"New to us, her powers are. Learn from her, perhaps we can."

"She is dangerous, master Yoda." Master Windu's stern voice echoed through the council chamber. All masters either nodded or remained unmoving, their gazes stuck on the pavement amid the room. "There is no telling what will happen if we keep her here."

"As I've told you before, master, the queen is not - " Anakin started to argue, frustration already clear in his voice, his arms crossed before his chest in a defensive posture as he continued to tell the masters of his experience with the Valerian royal. In his opinion, the queen wasn't dangerous at all. If anything, she would be a great asset to the Republic if she were to join.

Obi-Wan on the other hand was fidgeting with his beard as usual, his legs folded over each other as he sunk deeper into his thoughts. He'd felt her presence the moment she walked inside the temple, following her every move as she travelled through his home. He couldn't concentrate on the discussion at hand, his worry seeping into his mind.

He had tried to keep her away from this place. Before, she was safely locked up on her own planet amongst people that loved and supported her. She was safe to practice her beliefs, her powers. Here, she was surrounded by enemies and people that would try to take advantage of her the moment her guard was down. Even though he knew she could defend herself there was a nagging thought at the back of his head, that sinister sith lord that taunted him every day. Her being here was one step closer to Maul finding out about them, with all the consequences that would follow.

As time passed by he felt her slip away from his grasp until he couldn't feel her any longer as if she was being hidden from his sight by something else. Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes in thought, feeling Ahsoka's familiar presence still evident in the library.

"As stated in Master Kenobi's report, she fell to the dark side before. What's to say it won't happen again?" Ki-Adi-Mundi questioned, concerned eyes eyeing all his fellow jedi. "She is unbalanced, untaught, is known to succumb easily to emotion. The power she wields could easily be turned into a weapon against the Republic. If we try to teach her, we might only empower that which might be turned against us."

"Right, you are, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi." Yoda's eyes narrowed in thought. "Yet, judge her on previous mistakes, we cannot. Give her a chance to prove herself, we must. A conduit of the force, she is. Study her, we will." His green eyes seemed stead-vast in his decision until he saw the nervous state in which Obi-Wan resided. "Master Kenobi, your opinion on this? Know her best, you do."

He sat up straight at the mention of his name, his eyes clearing as he focused less on the force and more on the meeting he was attending. In the corner of his eyes, he could feel Anakin's hard gaze staring him down. Much to his surprise, Anakin was keener on defending their Valerian friend than him.

"Queen Lyanna is..." Obi-Wan sighed deeply, his fingers tangled in his beard. "She is very powerful; unlike anything we have ever seen before. I must admit that sometimes I too was sceptical yet she has proved me wrong time and again. She is resilient but she is also unbalanced and passionate. If we are to keep her here to study her we have to be careful."

Mace Windu sighed in response, leaning his elbow on the armrest of his seat. "We'll have to keep a close eye on her, for sure."

With that Obi-Wan's heart sank, feeling the distrust in his close friends. He could never explain the amount of trust he had placed in his Valerian friend for he was afraid he might show too much attachment to her. In the end, he started to doubt whether or not his trust was well placed, for he was afraid his own feelings were clouding his judgement.

The beeping of all their commlinks disrupted the council's discussion, their eyes flickering down to see the alarm burning on their wrist guards. "The vaults?" Master Plo Koon mumbled, seeing that he supposedly opened the entrance mere seconds ago.