by Jude Watson
He had to trust in the Force.
Blinded, Obi-Wan rushed forward. He felt the air against him as a guide. Objects displaced air, and with the help of the Force, a Jedi could feel the displacement and adjust. Obi-Wan raced forward confidently. His vision would return. In the meantime, Omega was close. So close he could hear the creak of his armor-weave tunic as he moved his arm….
A wrist rocket. Obi-Wan dodged and weaved, knowing the targeting laser system was working to get a fix on him. He moved like quicksilver, flowing from one position to the next. He heard the rocket release and he put on a burst of speed, running blind, running straight at Omega now. He felt the whistle as the rocket whizzed by his ear.
"I love watching you run," Omega said. "Ready, set, go!"
Another wrist rocket. Obi-Wan Force-leaped. He felt the rocket behind him and he swerved at the last minute. The rocket crashed into a tomb.
Splinters of rock showered over Obi-Wan.
"I could do this all day," Omega said.
Blinded, breathing hard, Obi-Wan allowed himself a fraction of a moment to rest. Inside him blazed the memory of every battle with Omega.
From the beginning Omega had set out to confound him, humiliate him, destroy him. He had set out to impress the Sith by attacking the Jedi, and he had managed to do it again and again, always escaping at the last possible moment. He had even managed to kill a Jedi Master. Yaddle had sacrificed her life for this man's greed and revenge.
It had to end here. It had to end now.
He saw streaks in his vision now, a sign that his sight was returning.
He just needed a few precious minutes.
"You mentioned having the help of the Sith, Omega," Obi-Wan said, raising his voice to carry without shouting. "How is that you've ended up alone back here?"
"I'm not alone," Omega said. "I have his help."
"Really? Can you feel him? I can't. And remember, I'm the one who can feel the Force. Not you."
"You arrogant fool," Omega snarled. "I am to be a Sith! He told me so.
" "And you believed him." Obi-Wan was beginning to make out the shape of the tomb opposite him, fragments of shape fracturing the orange streaks in his vision. "Flattery will get him everywhere, it seems."
"He wasn't flattering me! Right now I am a Sith without the Force. I can use his power." There was a note of defensiveness in Omega's voice.
"It seems to me that he gets to use you."
"He would not abandon me!"
The shapes took sharper form. His vision wasn't perfect, but it would have to do.
Obi-Wan stood. "You'd better hope so."
He could just barely make out Omega standing behind the E-Web. "Your arrogance will bring you down, Obi-Wan!"
"Funny. I was just about to say the same." Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber again. The blaster bolts were so powerful they sent shock waves down his arm as he deflected them. The fire was fast and furious. Where was Anakin? He could use his help. Or someone's…
He had to concentrate on the moment. Not on what he didn't have.
You have everything you need, my Padawan.
This time, Qui-Gon's voice was kind. The voice was inside him. It was true, it was real, and it gave him strength.
His lightsaber whirled, spinning in an arc to gather momentum with each strike against the bolts. He could hear Omega breathing heavily. Obi- Wan was sending bolts back to him at a steady pace, but Omega was managing to evade fire as he deployed the E-Web repeating blaster.
The orange streaks were fading now. Obi-Wan could clearly see the outlines of the last tombs. Omega was silhouetted against the blaster bolts that sent faint, electric illumination through the air. He was gripping the blaster on the tripod, intent now in the full fury of his lust to take Obi- Wan down.
Something Anakin had once said floated through his mind. Anakin knew more about machines than Obi-Wan ever wanted to know.
Funny. No matter how advanced, a weapon always has a flaw. It can always turn against itself.
The flaw. What was the flaw?
The E-Web needed two operators because it was liable to overload if one operator didn't keep track of power flow. If overloaded, it wouldn't simply shut down — it would backblast.
Obi-Wan put on another burst of speed. He went after each blaster bolt with skilled parries. But instead of advancing he moved laterally. He only appeared to advance.
Out of rockets now, Omega tore off the wrist launchers. They were heavy, and he was getting tired. Sweat was pouring down his face. The E-Web was smoking now, and he didn't notice.
Obi-Wan's arms began to shake from the effort of deflecting the blaster bolts. He was tired. His vision was still faulty. With sudden clarity, he realized that he could lose this battle. He was calculating on the failure of a machine he wasn't terribly familiar with. He was counting on a bit of luck.
It took all of his concentration. One stumble could send him straight into a blaster bolt that would rip through him like pudding.
Through the smoke, across the haze, Omega's blue gaze was hot and burning. Hate blazed at Obi-Wan. Omega was screaming incoherently now, his voice barely heard over the sound of gunfire. The E-Web pounded and smoked.
Obi-Wan stumbled and hit his knees. Omega smiled. He leaned forward to aim.
The weapon gave in. It shuddered and stopped for one small instant.
Omega shook it.
The blast was tremendous. A concentration of energy blew Omega back, his body dangling in the air, a shocked expression on his face. He slammed into the tomb wall. Broken. The shock on his face faded as his life drained from him.
"You…" It was all he managed to get out. Obi-Wan heard pounding feet behind him. Anakin ran up and stopped. "Master — "
"It's all right. He's gone." Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber. "It's over."
"I was caught in an energy trap."
"You got out by yourself. That's good. Come, Padawan." Obi-Wan turned.
"Let's see to the others. We A gathering roar came from behind him. Omega threw himself forward, a blaster firing in his hand, his teeth bared. "You killed my father! You…
will… not… win!"
Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber as he turned. The moment he had not wanted to come had arrived. No matter how much he had wished to stop Omega, he had never wished to kill him. He remembered how Xanatos's death had haunted Qui-Gon. He did not want the same fate.
But fate had taken away his choices.
His lightsaber rose, as if in slow motion. Yet it moved faster than an eyeblink. It came down and cleaved into Omega.
He fell to his knees.
Instead of retreating, Obi-Wan walked forward. He did not want to see Omega die, but no one should have to die alone.
Omega looked up into his face. His lips were drawn back over his teeth in a gruesome smile. A spasm of something crossed his features. What was it? Satisfaction, Obi-Wan realized. What did it mean?
"Do you think you won? You didn't," Omega said. Every word was an effort. "I know… who he is." He toppled over, curling up like a child.
"You will wish… you did."
Still smiling, still holding his hatred and rage, Omega let go of his life at last and collapsed into the dust.
Something rushed out, as if a great power had removed its protection from Omega.
The visions of the Sith Lords faded. The dark side of the Force retreated. The Sith would not be found. Obi-Wan knew he had withdrawn both his presence and his protection.
Obi-Wan tucked his lightsaber back into his belt. "Let's see to Darra, " he said.
Soara cradled her in her arms. Tru had wrapped his cloak around her.
Ferus sat on the ground, his head in his hands, and did not look up. Siri and Ry-Gaul stood on either side of the group, as if guarding them from harm. But harm had come and done its work.
Darra was dead.
Obi-Wan knelt in front of her. Her eyes were closed, her face composed and impossibly calm. Anakin watched as Soara
very gently unraveled Darra's Padawan braid. She plucked the bright ribbon from the coils of soft hair and held it in her fist. Tears streaked down her face. Anakin could never have imagined seeing Soara Antana, fabled warrior, in tears.
Anakin heard Darra's voice rise like a cry inside him. Stay with me until I fall asleep. It's lonely here.
Chapter Twenty-two
The Great Hall seemed more vast, the journey to the Council room longer than Obi-Wan ever remembered. His legs had never felt so heavy. He walked without seeing. He felt strangely numb. He had never felt so tired.
He knew about the rumors at the Temple. He knew that Tru's lightsaber had been faulty, that Ferus had fixed it secretly, that neither of them had told their Masters. He knew that Tru had been censured. Ferus was in seclusion but would be facing the Council directly after Obi-Wan.
He knew these things, and he knew that in the eyes of the Council, the mission had succeeded, in part. They had caught Granta Omega. Zan Arbor had escaped, but the Council felt she was easier to track.
Without Omega's wealth, she would not find it easy to hide.
They had missed uncovering the identity of the Sith, but the Council did not fault them. They had been close to him. They had uncovered one of the planets that sheltered him. They had taken a small step forward.
He should feel some sense of satisfaction, but he did not. Obi-Wan found himself wondering about things he had not thought about since Qui- Gon's death.
Was the loss of Darra's life worth what they had obtained?
Was there something he should have done that he did not do?
Had the first vision of Qui-Gon in the tomb come from the Sith, or deep within him?
Had he failed?
Darra's death would once have been an aberration. Why did he feel it was a portent? With every second that passed, he felt more death approach.
Time and again he had to shake off the memory of Granta Omega curling up like a child as he let go of life. What could he have been, if he had not been in the grip of his obsession? The Sith found weakness and exploited it. They took a flaw and twisted it into a weapon. Whoever the Sith was, he had goaded Omega, used him, and abandoned him. How could the Jedi fight someone who had no mercy for anyone or anything?
Over the last few days, Anakin had retreated to the Map Room where he liked to meditate. Obi-Wan couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt that somehow Anakin was involved in what had happened to Darra. Not directly, but somehow…
He hated himself for having this feeling. Of course, if that were true his Padawan would have told him.
Obi-Wan found himself outside the Council Room doors. He tried to clear his mind before he entered. Some days it was difficult meeting so many Jedi gifted in Force-sensitivity at once.
The doors slid open. The full Council had assembled. The members all acknowledged Obi-Wan as he took his place in the middle of the room, where he had stood so many times.
"A sad conclusion to the mission, it was," Yoda said. "Grieving are all of us."
"Darra Thel-Tanis has joined the Force," Mace said. "We will celebrate her life."
"Uneasy we are with the conduct of the two Padawans, Ferus Olin and Tru Veld," Yoda said.
Adi Gallia nodded. "We have reconsidered our decision to speed up the trials for chosen Padawans. We fear we put too much pressure on them."
"We need additional Jedi, it's true," Oppo Rancisis said. "But we see now that we cannot rush readiness." "Our mistake, it was," Yoda said.
"Mistakes we cannot afford during these times," Mace added, and then said, "We will commend your Padawan for his bravery. To face a Sith is the hardest task for a Jedi. Anakin showed ingenuity and bravery throughout the mission."
Yoda peered at Obi-Wan. "Something to share with us, you have?"
Obi-Wan hesitated. He had doubts. He had fears. He had sorrows. But this was not the place.
"No, Master Yoda," he said.
"Disappointed your Padawan will be, to hear that we have cancelled our plans to accelerate Knighthood," Yoda said.
"Yes, Anakin will be disappointed," Obi-Wan said. "He is not good at waiting."
"Then wait, he should," Yoda said, nodding.
"Thank you, Master Kenobi," Mace said. "You may send in Ferus Olin."
Obi-Wan bowed and retreated. When he walked into the outer chamber, Ferus stood.
"They are ready for you," Obi-Wan told him.
Ferus turned a face to him full of such misery and heartbreak that Obi-Wan was moved.
"You are not here to be punished, least of all by yourself," Obi-Wan told him.
"I must go on living," Ferus responded. "That is my punishment."
Chapter Twenty-three
Anakin waited until he saw Obi-Wan leave the outer chamber. He wasn't ready to talk to his Master yet. He waited until Obi-Wan was gone, then slipped inside.
He didn't want to see Ferus face-to-face, but he had to find out what was going on. What would the Council do? Now, of all times, Anakin felt a strange attachment to his fellow Padawan.
The shock of Darra's death hadn't worn off. He still couldn't grasp it. He still couldn't believe it wasn't possible to see her again, to hear her voice. If the Force was so powerful, why couldn't it stop death? Why couldn't he break through that wall and see his friend again?
He felt a rustle behind him, and saw Tru backing out of the chamber.
"Tru!" Anakin called. Reluctantly, Tru edged in a few steps. "Do you know anything?"
Tru shook his head. He didn't quite meet Anakin's eyes.
"I haven't seen much of you since we've been back," Anakin said.
"I know."
"I'm sorry about the censure."
"I deserved it."
The question burned on Anakin's tongue. "Why did you go to Ferus instead of me to fix your lightsaber? I would have done a better job."
"I didn't go to Ferus," Tru said. "He came to me. He had noticed that it was on half-power at the end of the battle in the monastery. But I wouldn't have gone to you because I wouldn't have wanted to get you in trouble. You would have kept my secret. Just like Ferus did. I was wrong not to tell my Master. I was wrong to let Ferus stay silent. I was just about as wrong as I could be."
"You were thinking of the mission," Anakin said. "We were all wrong,"
Tru continued, as if he hadn't even registered what Anakin had said "We did our best," Anakin said. "And Omega is dead."
"So is Darra."
Tru turned and walked out.
Anakin started after him. Something was wrong. Something had changed between him and his friend, and he didn't know why.
He stopped when the Council doors opened. Ferus walked out. He almost walked by Anakin without seeing him, as though he was blinded by his feelings.
"Ferus?"
Ferus turned. "Anakin. Well. I think you should be the first to know.
I have resigned from the Jedi Order."
"What?!" Anakin felt shock ripple through him. "But why?"
"Because I was responsible for Darra's death."
"That's not true! You couldn't have known — "
"But I did. I knew that Tru's lightsaber had malfunctioned. I offered to fix it secretly. I did not tell his Master or urge him to do so. His lightsaber failed in battle, and Darra was killed trying to protect me."
"But you thought you'd fixed it!"
Ferus stopped. He gazed at Anakin for a long moment.
"You knew?" he asked. "You knew Tru's lightsaber had broken? You must have seen me fixing it." "I didn't say that."
"No. You didn't. But there are only the two of us here, Anakin. You don't have to lie."
Anakin said nothing. As usual, Ferus was trying to trap him, trying to show Anakin how much nobler he was.
"When we got back, I took it to the Jedi Master Tolan Hing," Ferus said, naming the Jedi who was known for his expertise in the workings of a lightsaber. "He told me that that the fusing between the flux aperture and the power cell needed a slight adjust
ment. Nothing major — Tru might never have noticed it. Except that in battle, the power drained faster than normal."
"I don't know why you're telling me this…."
Tru's voice came from behind him. "Because you fixed the flux aperture. And you would have known that it needed to be rechecked after the power cell boost."