"Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, losing his patience. "What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked as Anakin paced back and forth on the ship.
"I just want to find that damned Sith and get out of here," he said bitterly.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, taking him by the shoulders, "We'll find him and return to Coruscant. What's really bothering you?"
"Haven't you ever felt like you don't really know anything? Like everyone is hiding something from you? Haven't you ever felt like no matter how hard you try, no one trusts you?" Anakin shouted, and those words broke his master's heart. He wanted to tell him the truth, he wanted to tell the plan to go to hell, but he knew that would be worse. If he was the one to tell him the truth, Anakin would feel betrayed by Padmé, and that would be worse.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, taking him by the shoulders, "we'll find him and return to Coruscant. What's really wrong?" "Anakin," Obi-Wan said, unsure how to explain things. "We all trust you. I would put my life in your hands without hesitation."
"Even so, you didn't trust me enough to tell me about your fake funeral."
"Anakin, that was a mistake," Obi-Wan said, feeling guilty. "I shouldn't have done that to you. I should have told you when you came looking for me. There's no excuse for my mistake," Obi-Wan said, bowing his head.
"Why? Why didn't you trust me? I understand the Council doesn't trust me; they never have. Why you?" "You were like my father!" Anakin cried.
"Because I didn't want to lose you," Obi-Wan said. "Because we can't be attached, and you're like my brother."
"What?" Anakin asked, barely understanding.
"This mission was different, different from all the missions we've been on. You would have gone, but I knew the kind of trials we'd be put through. If you had gone, I wouldn't have been able to fully concentrate on the mission. I would have wanted to save you instead of all those bandits I had to save."
"Obi-Wan, I could have killed you that day," Anakin confessed honestly. "I wanted to kill the man who murdered you. I wanted to kill him, but I knew you wouldn't have wanted it that way, and it was you. Why didn't you tell me then? When we took you to prison?"
"I wanted to kill the man who murdered you. I wanted to kill him, but I knew you wouldn't have wanted it that way, and it was you. Why didn't you tell me then? When we took you to prison?" "I only wanted to protect you, Anakin. When I look at you, I see the boy I knew on Tatooine. At first, when I agreed to be your teacher, I had doubts, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I had too many doubts. I didn't understand what Qui-Gon saw in you, but then I understood. You only want to save everyone around you. You would give your life to save those you care about."
"Why did you agree to train me even though the Council didn't want it?" Anakin asked, finally asking the question that had haunted him for so many years.
"Because the Council is wrong," Obi-Wan confessed. "Because they can't forbid us from forming bonds, because they ask us to fight for an ideal while losing everything. I myself have already lost everything, Anakin. I don't want to lose you too. Please know that I will always be there for you," Obi-Wan said, taking him by the shoulders.
"Thank you, Master," Anakin said, feeling a strange warmth in his heart, a happiness he didn't feel very often. He felt accepted.
"Is there something you need to tell me, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at him seriously. It was now or never; he hoped he would tell him the truth.
"Yes," Anakin said, lowering his gaze, "but I can't tell you now. Please, give me a little more time, Master," Anakin pleaded, and Obi-Wan smiled.
"As much as you need," he said, placing a hand on his former apprentice's shoulder.
"You're like a father to me, Obi-Wan. Losing you that day was almost as hard as losing my mother."
"I'm so sorry for that mistake, Anakin. I'll never do something like that to you again."
"I hope so," Anakin said, stepping back, a little calmer.
"When he finds out about our lie, he'll be disappointed," Ahsoka said, entering the room.
"Let's hope that when the time comes, we all have a good explanation."
"There will never be a right time to give an explanation like that."
"I hope not." "Hard days are coming, but what I told him is true. He's like a brother to me. If I have to give my life to save him from the darkness, I will."
"Is what you told him true? Do you think the advice is wrong?"
"Of course it's true. I have plenty of reasons to know it's wrong."
"Why haven't you done anything to change it?"
"Because it's not easy to change something like this."
"I hope all this doesn't turn out badly," Ahsoka said, going to her room.
The journey to Mandalore was quite long; it took approximately 27 hours to approach the location. The planet was in complete chaos, but there were no Separatist roadblocks or any of the planet's own. Something was very strange.
"Padmé, are you following us?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yes. Why aren't there any roadblocks?" Padmé asked.
"I think the information you gave us is true. Getting here is actually proving too easy."
"We'll cross Mandalore's atmosphere in a few minutes. I'll stay here for a while until you advance toward the moon, Zanbar."
"Okay, be careful. This could be a trap."
" "On second thought, we'll circle Mandalore from the other side. It'll take us a little longer to reach Zanbar. Give us the coordinates," Padmé requested.
"Be careful," Ahsoka said, cutting the transmission.
It was very convenient for Padmé's ship to circle Mandalore. They would cover both flanks, and Padmé could report any unusual situations. Her ship was much smaller and had senatorial access, but it was still extremely dangerous.
The Jedi cruiser arrived at Zanbar, and Ahsoka told Obi-Wan the whole truth.
"Maul," Obi-Wan said, and Ahsoka felt a disturbance in the Force. He was sure that even Anakin hadn't felt it.
"Master, what's happening?" Ahsoka asked. "Isn't that Dooku here?"
"No, I'm sure it isn't," Obi-Wan said, continuing with the mission. Anakin arrived a minute later, but Obi-Wan had already moved forward with his squadron.
"What was that?" Anakin asked.
"We received information that the Sith present here is not Dooku," Ahsoka said.
"Who is it then?" Anakin asked, confused. "Why do I sense Obi-Wan's emotions so strongly? Ahsoka, what happened?"
"He said it was someone named Darth Maul."
"Obi-Wan's old enemy," Anakin said, confused, not understanding what was happening. This mission was becoming stranger and stranger.
They arrived at the location, and it was as deserted and dark as ever. There was no sign of a Sith in that place.
They had to be cautious and explore the area carefully. They walked through the swamps, searching for any sign of what they were looking for. It was then that a large temple appeared before them. Obi-Wan immediately sensed the presence of that being he hated so much. He shouldn't hate; he was a Jedi. But he also shouldn't have attachments, and yet he already had them.
"Obi-Wan isn't focused on this mission," Anakin pointed out.
"I've never seen him like this," Ahsoka said.
Obi-Wan was trying to stay calm, doing everything he could, and finally, hearing Anakin and Ahsoka's murmurs, he managed to calm down, calming them in the process.
"Padmé, is everything alright on the other side?" Obi-Wan asked, trying to be quiet.
"All clear," Padmé indicated. "We'll approach the temple from the other side," Luke said, and before he could tell them not to, they cut him off.
"Sir, something's wrong," Rex said, and Anakin shared his thought. "I think we're walking into a trap."
"I think so too," Anakin said, but as soon as they had advanced just a few meters, a green gas began to seep from the ground.
They tried to resist, to hold their breath, but it even penetrated the clones' armor. They only saw a yellow gaze watching them from above, and then everything went black.
Anakin began to wake up and felt his hands were bound. He tried to free himself.
"Hey, be more careful," Ahsoka said, realizing they were back to back with their hands tied together.
"How did this happen to us?" Anakin asked, annoyed.
"Where are our squads?" Ahsoka asked fearfully.
"They're fine, I can feel them," Anakin said, assuming they were in some cell.
"We have to get out of here," Obi-Wan said, tied up a few meters away.
"Finally, you awaken, Jedi," a voice said, and Obi-Wan glared at him with hatred. Anakin had never seen that look on his master's face.
"Darth Maul," Obi-Wan said calmly. He shouldn't show his anger; he had to be at peace. Hatred was what Darth Maul wanted to see in him.
"What's with this rather flamboyant entrance?" Anakin asked, mocking the Sith.
"Children are supposed to be quiet when their elders speak," Darth Maul retorted.
"You don't look very old. Do those horns count the times you've been defeated?" Ahsoka teased, and Anakin wished he could have high-fived her.
"You didn't teach these boys well, Kenobi," Darth Maul said. "Do you still hold a grudge against me?"
"You will not disturb my mind," Obi-Wan declared, kneeling calmly.
"You will not leave here alive," Ahsoka said, understanding that he was right. This was Sidious's plan: to kill Obi-Wan in front of Anakin to hasten his fall to the dark side.
"Is this how you intend to face a Jedi? By tying him up? Very brave of you," Ahsoka said, annoyed. She had to save Obi-Wan.
"Ahsoka, don't bother him," Anakin said. "He's too scared to face us."
"You are very brave, children," Darth Maul said. "But I will enjoy seeing the horror in your eyes when Kenobi is dead."
"That won't happen," Anakin said, trying to free himself.
"Is this how you intend to face a Jedi? By tying him up? How brave of you?" "It will happen, but first, you'll want to know that you're not the only ones your master has failed," said Darth Maul, and Obi-Wan lowered his gaze. He was in the same position as that time, kneeling before Maul, the day he lost her, the only woman he had ever loved.
"What do you mean?" asked Anakin.
"Haven't you told them? Haven't you told them how you let her die? How she died waiting for you to save her?"
"I'm not going to hate you, Maul," said Obi-Wan, needing all his years of training not to hate him. To spare Anakin that image before Maul finished him off, he wouldn't take his apprentice away too.
"Oh, you will," Darth Maul said, descending the stairs to approach them. "You will, just as you wanted to do that day. I've let you wallow in your misery all these months, let you try to forget her. No matter how hard you've tried to extinguish the hatred growing in your heart, you haven't been able to."
"I only feel sorry for you," Obi-Wan replied calmly.
"No, I feel sorry for you and for her. She died in your arms, declaring her love for you, and you let her body grow cold on the floor," Darth Maul said, seeing the horrified looks on the two faces behind Obi-Wan.
"Master, who are you talking about?" Anakin asked, and then he understood. "Satine? Is Satine dead?" Anakin asked. He knew they had invaded Mandalore, that the whole planet was in chaos, but he thought the Duchess had escaped, perhaps that his master had helped her hide that time she asked for his ship. He had hidden it from the council; he should have gone with him. This was his fault too.
"Master, I'm sorry. I should have gone with you."
"This isn't your fault, Anakin. No one could have known what would have happened."
"Oh, it is, Kenobi. You could have killed me after I killed your master. Hatred consumed you, and grief controlled your actions, but you didn't. You could have cut off my head, but instead, you used a Sith technique, eager to use our own techniques to mutilate me."
"Master, don't listen to him," Anakin said. "It wasn't your fault."
"I spent years with only one name on my mind," Maul said hatefully. "I spent years plotting my revenge. Even when I came back from madness, my brother was killed, and I was given one last mission: to kill you. Do you think I wouldn't take the opportunity?"
"I spent years plotting my revenge." "Why does Darth Sidious want me dead?" Obi-Wan asked.
"His motives are none of my business. I will simply enjoy making you suffer, just as I suffered for years."
"So much talk. Why don't you free us and show us how good you are in battle?" Ahsoka challenged.
"Silence!" Maul ordered, using the Force to throw them several meters away.
"I told you not to provoke him, Ahsoka," Anakin said, getting to his feet with the ropes still in his hands.
"Yeah, that was a bad idea," Ahsoka said, trying to get up next to Anakin, but she fell, embarrassingly.
"Finish this once and for all, Maul," Obi-Wan challenged. If he had to die, the last lesson he would give his apprentice would be to remain calm in the face of adversity, a lesson Anakin should never forget.
"Aren't you interested in knowing how much she suffered?" Darth Maul asked. "Did you really think my vengeance would end with that stupid moment?"
Obi-Wan looked at him, confused. His revenge had been killing Satine; now he would complete it by killing him. What else did he need to know?
"Oh, you should have stayed, made sure she was dead, but all she saw was you escaping with her sister," Maul laughed, and everyone stared at him in shock.
Using the Force, he dragged a body from a cell, Obi-Wan's heart pounding faster and faster. It couldn't be, it was impossible. Darth Maul smiled at his misery and uncovered the body of the woman he had been hiding for months.
"Satine," Obi-Wan whispered, staring in shock at the woman's body.
She was wounded and weak, much thinner, and looked as if she hadn't slept well in months.
"What did you do to her?" Obi-Wan asked, and both Ahsoka and Anakin felt the disturbance in the Force again.
"Master, remain calm," Anakin said. He had thought the day would never come when he would have to use those words, but no one, not even the great Obi-Wan Kenobi, could remain calm in such a situation.
"Master, we must do something," Ahsoka said desperately, trying to free herself.
Darth Maul smiled, watching Kenobi writhe in his misery. If he didn't want to hate him, then he would force him to.
"It seems you will have to continue suffering, my dear Duchess," Maul said, and Satine's body trembled.
"Don't fall into his trap, Obi," she said, and soon Darth Maul began to use the Force to torture her.
Her screams echoed through the hall, and Obi-Wan's composure vanished. He didn't have the strength to watch her suffer again.
"Let her go!" he shouted, and in his rage, he broke her bonds.
Darth Maul smiled and lunged at Obi-Wan, who blocked his attacks. Without his lightsaber, it was nearly impossible to face him. Darth Maul had his lightsabers concealed in his clothing, but with their hands bound, Anakin and Ahsoka couldn't draw them, and Obi-Wan was barely getting a chance.
"Master, don't fight him!" Anakin shouted.
"And now you will die," Darth Maul said, using his double-bladed lightsaber.
Obi-Wan knew he would die, but he couldn't bear to see Satine suffer. He loved her, he had always loved her.
"Obi!" Satine cried, trying to crawl to him.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes, awaiting death, but then, just as Darth Maul was about to deliver the final blow, he was struck down by a blaster shot. It wasn't a shot that would kill him, but it would knock him unconscious. He looked back and saw that he had been shot twice more.
Anakin watched, completely shocked, but Ahsoka sighed in relief.
"Was it necessary to shoot him so many times?" Luke asked, and Leia shot him once more.
"Just to make sure he wouldn't wake up," Leia said, and Padmé laughed.
"Luke, help you—I mean, Anakin," Padmé said, realizing she'd almost said, "Help your father."
"Their lightsabers," Leia said, throwing the lightsabers but keeping Obi-Wan's in her hand.
Luke helped Anakin and Ahsoka.
"What are you doing here?" Anakin asked, confused but grateful.
"Long story," Luke said, scratching his head.
"How did you know where we were?" Anakin asked. "Ahsoka?" he said, looking annoyed at his Padawan.
"I think we're in a lot of trouble now," Ahsoka said, igniting her lightsabers. Soon they were surrounded by an army of battle droids. It was obvious Sidious was going to help Darth Maul.
"Now the action begins!" Rex shouted, running from the same spot where Padmé and the twins had arrived.
"Good nap, Rex?" Anakin asked.
"Very good, until we were rescued," he smiled, looking at Padmé, then, almost imperceptibly, winking at Anakin, who just rolled his eyes.
Getting out of there would be difficult; it was swarming with battle droids.
"I have an idea," Anakin said, running to where Padmé, the twins, and the squadrons were. Ahsoka followed him. "Senator Amidala, what a surprise," he said when he reached Padmé's side, and she smiled.
"Master Skywalker, in a similar situation again?"
"Perhaps we can get married again, just like at the Battle of Geonosis," he whispered in her ear when no one else could hear.
"What's your brilliant idea, Master Skywalker?" Padmé asked, blushing.
"Ahsoka, Leia, Luke, help me," Anakin said, and everyone understood.
They pushed the droids with force and knocked down the entrance; it wouldn't stop them for long.
Anakin hoisted Darth Maul onto his shoulder; he would serve as their prisoner. Obi-Wan carried Satine, who had fainted in his arms. Obi-Wan didn't say a word, too overwhelmed by all that the woman he loved had suffered.
As more droids appeared, Luke, Leia, and Ahsoka took them down with their lightsabers. Padmé fired at the more distant ones, and Anakin used the Force to push them back. The troops cleared the way as more arrived from the other side.
"Our ship is this way," Padmé said, "but we won't all fit."
"You go. We'll hold them off," Anakin said.
"No way," Padmé said stubbornly.
"Ahsoka, Luke, Leia," Obi-Wan said, "take care of Satine." He handed the battered woman to Luke, who carried her gently.
"What?" "I won't abandon you," Ahsoka said, dragging Maul inside the ship.
"Make sure that idiot doesn't wake up. We'll see each other in a moment," Anakin said, and Ahsoka, annoyed, did as she was told. Luke and Leia weren't happy about it either, but they had less battle experience. They had already played a crucial role that day, saving Obi-Wan and his father from the dark side.
It was impossible for Padmé to leave Anakin's side, and he reluctantly agreed. Together with the troops, they continued fighting their way through the hundreds of Separatist droids. After long hours of relentless fighting, they reached the ships, boarded, and returned to the Imperial cruiser where Padmé's ship was already waiting.
"You're safe," they smiled when they saw them arrive.
"Satine," Obi-Wan said, running toward the woman who was connected to a ventilator, too weak and unconscious.
"She'll be alright. She just needs to rest," Ahsoka said, looking sadly at the scene.
"Nothing that has happened here must be known," Anakin instructed Rex, and the trooper nodded. "Nor the presence of Senator Amidala," he added, and Rex nodded again. Padmé was grateful that Anakin had understood she shouldn't be there; it would have been problematic if the chancellor found out. She hadn't intended to be discovered, until the entire situation at the temple forced them to act.
"Senator Amidala," Anakin said with a smile, "would you mind accompanying me so you can tell me how you got here?" he asked, and began to walk.
"It will be a long story, Master Skywalker," Padmé said, following him and concocting a believable story that didn't involve revealing several details about a plan to overthrow the chancellor.
"We have plenty of time before we return to Coruscant," Anakin said, closing the door to the room they had entered.
"We have plenty of time before we return to Coruscant." "Ani," Padmé said, hugging him. It didn't matter if he was upset.
"Padmé," Anakin returned the hug and then kissed her passionately. It had only been a few days since he'd seen her, but holding her in his arms felt like paradise. No annoyance could overshadow that feeling.