Obi’Wan was leaning against the desk, feeling exhausted from the long fight in which he just mao pull through narrowly missih. Although his breathing had stabilized, he was still deeply drained of both his mental and physical energy.

  He was drenched in perspiration, and his sweaty body had been covered in yers of dust that were still lightly filling the air of the utterly destroyed pub.

  It was at this moment, when he felt his chest strict, as if a heavy weight had fallen on his breast… He couldn’t help but gasp in the ominous sense of disfort.

  He lifted his hand to his chest, massaging it slowly, trying to make the disfort lessen. While thinking, somewhat worried about the situation.

  Did I push myself too much? I guess these ret days were pretty stressful. I am really going to take out that vacation, if we mao rescue Senator Amida.

  There was another wave of ominous sensation, then a warning for danger burst into his mind with a rarely seen iy. He sehe iy of the warning; he had long learo listen to his instincts. Those instincts have saved his life more than he could t.

  Because of that, he didn’t turn around to look for the source of danger, but immediately ducked down behind the ter. In his haste, exhaustion and slight panic, he fell on his left side with a thud.

  -Bst it!

  He cursed as the dull pain pulsed through his body. But it was all he could say before all hell broke loose around him. A series of blue streaks of ionized sers burst into the ter and the shelves above it. Some of those still held many bottles of alcoholic beverages. Which have burst apart from the shots, or simply fell down with the freshly destroyed shelves.

  However, all of this has gone unnoticed by Obi’Wan. His mind was too occupied to care about this.

  Those blue sers, and the sound of the ons that released those shots… He had heard them tless times. They were the standard e bster guns: DC-15A bster carbines.

  He also realized one more thing: those shots… they were meant to kill him, and they would have killed him if he had allowed himself just a sed of hesitation before he ducked.

  His eyes narrowed. This must be the reason for that weight, which I still feel pressing down on my chest. The only pusible expnation is that jedi are dying around the gaxy in rge numbers. If that is the case, we have beerayed…

  This proves that the cellor is ihe Sith Master we were looking for, all this time! We were pletely blinded by his maations!

  I only hope that it is not too te. We might still be able to stop him, even if we have to die for this mistake! We have to…

  One of the heavy witles dropped from the shelves and actally hit the taken off helmet, which beloo the dead mandalorian. The helmet had turo its side from the impact, and a solitary thermal detonator rolled out from its shadow.

  The thermal detonator was already activated, and its shining red light immediately drew the attention of Obi’Wan.

  -This bastard bounty hunter!

  He shouted in shod immediately reached for the grenade, quickly throwing it towards the ining es. Soon there was a tremendous explosion, shaking the building once more. And raising another cloud of smoke into the air.

  Using this cover, and the momentary fusion of the injured es, Obi’Wan gathered his remaining strength and bolted from the shadow of the ter, leaving the cursed pub behind through a lightsaber created opening ial wall.

  While running towards the dark sidestreets, he couldn’t help but shook his head in amazement. That bounty hunter was one of a kind… Even on the verge of death, the man had mao booby trap his ow.

  Ironically, this ued a has proved to be the ohat saved his life.

  He silently thahe fallen warrior, and the ever so mysterious force for this truly ued rescue. He had no doubt about the force's role in his escape. Many of his rades have perished while he was saved. He could feel it through the force. The only question on his mind was, why?

  What role does the force have for him, that he o be saved? And if there was such a role, would he be ready to fulfill it?

  These and simir thoughts circuted in his mind while he was trying to figure out what to do, or where to go .

  Then, at the most ued moment, his holo-unicator started beeping with the familiar pattern.

  -Of course, now I wonder who could be calli this time?

  He began to search his pockets for the cursed device with a sigh. To his pleasant surprise, he found it in the sed pocket he reached into. He pulled it out of his cloak with a genuine smile.

  -Oh my, it seems that even in our darkest moments, there is still some light to find relief in.

  He could never have guessed how true that sentence would feel in a minute. When he opehe small circur device, a familiar fad voice appeared.

  -Master, I need your help quickly. I sehat something terrible is happening with the jedi… and the temple is utack by es! Padmé is in daoo… I ’t reach Master Yoda, and most of the other cil members. I want you to tell me what is going on! Now!

  Obi’Wan froze on the spot when he heard and saw Anakin being alive, and mostly fine. He felt a heavy rock being lifted from his chest. As a wave of relief spread over his stressed body.

  Then he heard what he said and asked, without even saying hi to him… and he felt a wave of annoyance slowly overwrite his peaceful emotions. he less, he easily masked his slight dissatisfa and answered with a little-bit of sarcasm.

  -Anakin? Good to see you too! Where have you been all this time? I thought you were dead! Did you know how I felt when our e disappeared out of nowhere?! And where is Ahsoka?! Is she alright? And how do you even know about senator Amida’s kidnapping? Did you take a vacation somewhere oer rim and e back seeing the hat your friend had been kidnapped? Why do you even care about her so much? I get that you are friends, but you have a bunch of other friends too who need your help, for example right now!

  Anakin seemed slightly taken aback by Obi’Wan’s outburst, but he shook it off and answered with a determined expression.

  -Because she is my wife!

  Now it was Obi’Wan turn to feel like he was being spped. His eyes widened and his expression seemed a few years older as the cold realization seeped in that his ex padawan was not telling some ridiculous joke to him. Based on his expression, at least. A few silent seds went by then Obi’Wan came back to his senses and shouted in plete disbelief.

  -THE WHAT?!

  Seeing this rea, Anaki frustrated and shouted back at Obi’Wan, copying his behavior.

  -She is my wife! That’s why… and yes, Ahsoka is alright, but she is not here… Probably for the better…

  He whispered that st bit while looking aside.

  -Anakin!

  Shouted Obi’Wan to gain back his stupid padawan’s attention. Anakin looked back at his master as the tter tinued his speech.

  -I am extremely disappointed in you… you, yoing to be kicked out of the order for this. I ’t hide this from the cil… that… if there will be something remaining of it, that is…

  -Is that all? I know that already…

  Asked Anakin, and the cheeky question made Obi’Wan feel even more annoyed. So he shouted back, with reinvigorated fervor.

  -No! That’s not all! You are a lier, and… and a pervert on top of it!

  -Pfff! Hahaha! Seriously, couldn’t you e up with anythier?! It seems that I truly worried for nothing this whole time…

  -What? It's not a ughing matter!

  Shouted Obi’Wan, but his strict tone already cked the inal edge.

  -Master?

  Asked Anakin, with a gentle voice that seemed to melt his master's cold exterior.

  -Yes? What’s now?

  Obi’Wan was suspiciously preparing himself for another wave of shog truths. Do they have kids too? But that ’t be. Am I going to be a grandpa? That would feel like that, definitely… I am not even that old, by the force!

  -It’s good to see you too.

  The clearly relieved and warm smile of his padawan that he had missed dearly for a couple of years now was back. And Obi’Wan could no longer decide if this entire fiasco was something to be happy about or sad.

  He shook his head forcefully, as the situation was far from ideal to think about such matters.

  -Anakin! This matter is not dropped yet, we will tihis ter, I want to know everything! Do you uand?

  Anakin raised an eyebrow at hearing that, with a jovial smile, while adding a pyful ent.

  -Now, now master. Which of us is the perverted one here?

  -I… didn’t mean THAT! And you know it damn well! Now shut up and listen to me. I was just about to rescue your senator and retty close to success. As, my own e troopers decided to practice their aiming skills on my back!

  A worried gnce passed over Anakin’s features, as he interrupted.

  -Are you alright, master?

  -I am fine… but I barely got away thanks to the force. At least I mao defeat Ventress before that happened.

  -By defeat you mean…?

  -Yes… I mean that…

  -Whistle, I see you weren’t zing around. So where is Padmé now?

  -She should be with Master Luminara, and a mysterious bounty hunter. We fought together with two more of their people. Without their help, I would have died.

  The expression on Anakin’s face seemed siderably darker, hearing the seriousness of his master’s voice.

  -Then, I shall personally thank them for this, when the opportunity arises.

  -I am afraid that won’t be possible, as both of them fell, before the reinfort could arrive…

  There was a moment of sileweewo jedi, as they thought of the many lost rades they had fought alongside in the past few years. Most of them were es.

  Anakin asked with a spike of fused anger.

  -Why would the es turn on us? I ’t uand…

  -It almost certainly has to do with the Sith Master, and his plot.

  Anakin was surprised.

  -The Sith Master?

  -Oh, pardon me, of course you didn’t know of this… Not long before the es turned on us, Master Yoda called me and said that the jedi shadows had found the identity of the Sith Master we were looking for. They were heading out to front him. Then the es hit us. Which means that the suspi was right.

  -Tell me, master, who was this bastard, who created this massacre against us?

  Obi’Wan looked at his padawan thoughtfully… He saw that Anakin was already stressed out with the current flow of events. Who wouldn’t have been? He shook his head weakly, realizing that it wouldn’t serve any purpose to further antagonize him, especially taking in their retionship, and he said curtly.

  -It doesn’t matter, for now, Anaki’s trust this issue to Master Yoda and the rest of the masters to handle. We o find your wife, and Luminara… they didn’t know that the es are attag every jedi, and a band a e hit squads are following their sigers. I will send you my coordinates and…

  -No need, I have already retraced your current position. I will be there in a mio pick you up.

  -I see… Then I will wait for you.

  There was no ao his statement. Anakin had already cut the e.

  -Bst it, I am seriously getting too old for this… I hope the temple hold, at least for now… The younglings must have been terrified…

  Ihe Senate building, the senators present were in an uproar.

  -What is going on? Who ordered the es to attack the Jedi temple?

  -There is a battle going on in the middle of Corust!

  -Not just on Corust. I have heard reports that suggest a gaxy wide assassination attempt has started against the Jedi Order and every member. The executors of su order are the members of the e army!

  -This is mutiny, I say, mutiny!

  -Calm dowors, my informators state that the jedi cil has tried to create a coup against the cellor.

  -Then where is your proof? And even if some members would do such a thing, that would never justify a genocide against the entire Jedi Order!

  -That is right! My father was saved by a jedi in the past!

  -I was also saved by them!

  -They are not evil! There must be a reason!

  -He speaks true, we ot let the Order who have defehe gaxy for so long perish under our very eyes!

  -But what could we do? Our most potent units have always been the es!

  -Not always! We just o call in all the reserves, and anize our defense against this rogue army!

  -Rogue army? You are speaking of the e army! Have you lost your mind?

  -I did not lose my mind, and I dare say, it’s nothing more, nothing less, then a rogue army, and I call for the vote by my right as senator of the Gactic Republic to decre them as such!

  -That's right, we ot let the jedi fall!

  -That's right!

  -He speaks the truth!

  -However, we ot wait until the reserve troops gather. We o send reinforts to the temple immediately, and it must be an effective one!

  -Are you all uanding the weight of such a decision? The cellor will be very disappointed in all of you, to seo those who tried to take his life!

  There was a moment of silen the giant hall of the sehen the man’s voice, who was leading the rescue operation to help out the temple, echoed in a threatening tone directed at the man who has interrupted their discussion more than a few times now.

  -If the cellor wishes to direct a plete genocide against an order that has served the people of the Gactic Republice its creation. Then the Jedi ht have been right to try to annihite him! Such a man would be nothihan a threat and a traitor to us all!

  -Justice!

  -We o help the Order!

  -Send in the Senate Guards, and every soldier who is not a cursed e!

  -I have already pced a bounty on every single bucket head in the gaxy… The payment will be deducted from the treasury, of course!

  -How dare you do such a thing? This is nothihan abusing your position as treasurer!

  -Haha, you are wele to file a pint! Then I might also file one against you then. Did you think I didn’t know that you leaked money into your personal at?

  -Wha-what? Suder!

  -SILENCE! We don’t have time for petty arguments now! I ask for another vote to mobilize the Senate Guards to support the temple!

  -Yes!

  -Yes!-

  -Yes!

  -NO!

  -Yes!

  -Yes!

  -Yes!

  -Then it is decided, we shall stand with the Jedi! They have helped us over the turies. Now it shall be the time for us to help them iime of need! May the force help us all!