FicWad

A/N: This will be the last update for a while, as a series of highly unfortunate events have conspired against me, and I will be offline for the foreseeable future. Thanks to my reviewers so far! :)

Disclaimer: All herein belongs to Lucas.


Chapter 5: Denied.


Faces, blurring into each other. Faces, vibrant and alive, glowing with inner power. Pregnant Mrs. Skywalker, she does not hide it as well as she thinks, oh no... Maul, long gone, wasteful death, that. Yellow eyes bright with scorn.

"It is over, My Lord." A baby crying in distress.

Windu, then. A snarl above that purple blade. Darkness creeping into the edge of vision.

"Oh good, you've captured him." The wind tugs at his robes, the glass crunches underfoot.

"I love you, father..."

Unmasked now, let him believe he is winning. "Reveal ourselves to the Jedi..." Press him but not too hard. An opening - ignore it, although all the instinct in him screams out to strike. Strike now, and... Oh, the boy. So bright, it almost hurts. Raw, electric, so very passionate.

Control. There must always be control. Lord Tyranus's eyes accuse him.

A young woman, her face oddly familiar, reaches out her hand. Her cheeks are wet with tears.

Kenobi. How was he here? Strike!

"You cannot have him." In an instant, denied. "I stand between you and..." Lightning crawling from his fingertips, sparking across that bearded face to no effect. Impassive, unmoving. He knows it is a tantrum, and he does not care. If only the blasted Jedi would move!

"Failure stems from weakness." What weakness? What error? Plagueis taunts him, and he longs to strike out at the...

..."master, or the apprentice..." Unmasked, vulnerable, hunted.

A blue blade, slanted across the chest. Am I not a master? Blue eyes, serene. "I deny you."

Am I not the master?

Blue blade slashes forward; it is as if his flesh is insubstantial, as if he is nothing. Burning, blurring, the world slips sideways and Skywalker's eyes trail tears as they fade.

Nothing is not what I am! Control. Failure. Where is the key?

Darth Sidious sat bolt upright in his bed, gasping for breath. Reflexively, his hand groped across his chest, checking for wounds, until his brain caught up and informed his body that he had been dreaming.

Kenobi, Windu, Skywalker... Calmer now, he pushed the covers aside and padded on bare feet into his tiny sitting room. He poured himself a brandy, and leant against the small sideboard unit, deep in thought.

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. Kenobi, the great Jedi Master... Killing him would, eventually, be a pleasure. He regretted very much that he could not do it himself, not just yet. No, it had to have been Windu. The Jedi that Anakin viewed as a threat, the Jedi that most disliked, even distrusted the Chosen One. It had to have been Windu. Anyone else, and it wouldn't have worked. If only Kenobi had been on Utapau, where he was supposed to have been...

He shook his head, and sipped his drink. If only was going to get him nowhere. It was imperative that he split the Kenobi-Skywalker team up. He had always hoped that Padme may be the catalyst for Skywalker's rift with the Jedi, and in a way, she was. They had succeeded in keeping the marriage secret, which was unfortunate on the one hand, but gave him wonderful leverage over the both of them on the other, but... Something needed to /give/, and quickly. Killing Kenobi could very well drive Anakin to the Dark Side, but it could just as easily send him further into the arms of the Jedi. He did not want Anakin to see him as an enemy, as a threat, and killing the boy's former master would not win his confidence back. The third outcome was a Dark Anakin outside of Sidious's control, and that was equally intolerable.

It was regrettable indeed that Kenobi's health must remain excellent for the near future. As must Padme's, as the only leverage he currently had on Skywalker. The Tusken massacre would hardly wash now Skywalker had earned the Council's trust by unmasking the Sith Master.

The Sith Lord swilled his brandy around in the glass, eyes narrowed as he stared blankly at the opposite wall. How had he not anticipated the Council's deceit? They were usually so transparent, so good that it almost defied belief. His relationship with them had become fraught over the last few months, certainly, but...

Failure rankled and twisted within him, souring his stomach. He was the Sith Master, he had played this game too well and for too long to lose now. Failure was not, and never had been, an option. He could almost hear his master's mocking laughter. He remembered the agonising consequences of past mistakes, and winced.

Pain drove home a lesson like nothing else. So. This was a lesson, then. Why had he failed? Had he fixated too much on the best possible outcome of events that he had utterly ignored the Council's fears about his relationship with young Skywalker? It seemed likely. He had become too used to being able to manipulate the esteemed Jedi Masters of that inner circle, too used to getting his own way with them. He had forgotten, he mused, that they had their own minds, their own needs and desires. He had, in short, begun to regard them as little more than inconveniences in his path to power, rather than the Great Enemy they were.

They needed to break his influence, his hold, on their Chosen One. Naturally, then, they would not send Obi-Wan Kenobi to the other side of the Galaxy, despite his careful manipulations. They had sent Mundi instead. He nearly laughed. He had almost outsmarted himself. He had not asked them to send Kenobi, but he had asked them to send Anakin, knowing full well that they wouldn't. With Kenobi the only other Master on the Council who could be spared, he had assumed that they would send him. And they had allowed him to continue in his assumption, choosing not to inform him that Ki-Adi Mundi had left his command and taken over the Third Army. If he had specifically asked them to send Kenobi, then it would have been that much harder for them to wriggle out of it.

Lord Sidious allowed himself a sardonic chuckle, feeling only a little better. He must continue to place his faith in Anakin's concern for his lovely wife and unborn child, and hope that Obi-Wan Kenobi took the official Jedi line about such matters. It would be so much easier if Kenobi alienated Skywalker himself. But was he that foolish?

And in the meantime he must leave this damned moon and begin once again to search the patterns of futures, examining them all, every possible outcome. Never again would he forget that the possibilities were endless, and ever changing.

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Two red and grey Actis Interceptors popped from hyperspace, emerging in the shadow of a tiny, misshapen moon orbiting an unnamed gas giant. Obi-Wan Kenobi disengaged his fighter from its hyperspace ring and arced in towards the airless, rocky satellite. Since they hunted a master of the Force, he felt it best to keep their approach as low-key as possible, thus they used the cover of Mist's brother moons to stalk their prey.

The pearly white orb of Mist seemed to rise over the rocky landscape the two Jedi starfighters sped across. Obi-Wan spoke into his comm. unit. "Now, remember the plan, Anakin."

"Obi-Wan, I came up with the plan." Anakin Skywalker sounded exasperated. "Don't you trust me?"

Although the words were said lightly, the Jedi Master knew that the question was entirely serious. "Of course I do," he said, injecting a note of reassurance into his voice. He very much wanted to reach out with the Force and let Anakin sense his complete trust, but that was unwise on two counts. He did not want to risk Palpatine sensing their approach, and he suspected that Anakin might instead sense his concern rather than his trust. His former apprentice had been tense and closed during their journey. But now was hardly the time for second thoughts.

Anakin said nothing more, edging his Interceptor closer and taking the lead as they left the barren moon's cover and angled towards Mist's darker side. Within minutes, the thick yellow fog had enveloped their starfighters completely, and visibility was reduced to virtually zero.

Obi-Wan was forced to rely on his astromech unit and the ship's state of the art scanners to guide his hand, and as they chased along a great river, the droid informed him that they were fast approaching the head of the valley that contained Mist's largest settlement.

"There's a flat space at the next loop of the river," Anakin said, and Obi-Wan checked his own scanners.

"I see it," he said, watching the monitor.

Swinging about, the two Interceptors landed in perfect unison in a mossy field between an outcropping of a large fungus and the river. It was a good spot, as the fungus and the mist shielded the ships from the view of Mist's spaceport, and the river itself covered the approach from the valley.

Obi-Wan strapped on a small breath mask and exited his fighter, leaping from the cockpit onto the ground. It squelched. Concerned, he looked over at Anakin, who stamped experimentally.

"I think it'll be alright," he said after a moment, his voice slightly muffled through his own breath mask. "But we had better not be too long."

Obi-Wan nodded, and drew the hood of his robe up. Together, the two Jedi walked in silence, past the fungus copse and onto what appeared to be a rough road.

The outskirts of Mist's main settlement loomed unexpectedly out of the fog fifteen minutes later, and they joined the throng of sentients that hurried though the shrouded, crooked streets. Many of the beings wore breath masks and long cloaks, and the typical Jedi robe did not seem too out of place.

They stopped at a wide crossroads to permit a string of crude carts to pass, and to confer. The fungus farmers and smugglers ignored them entirely.

"The best bet is to check out whatever passes for a spaceport here," Anakin said, warily watching a group of Gammorreans that lingered outside a nearby cantina.

"I agree," Obi-Wan murmured, also keeping a weather eye on the locals. "But Quinlan's agent was in the employ of Korr Vark..."

"We could split up," Anakin suggested.

"I thought we agreed not to separate," Obi-Wan said, a note of severity creeping into his voice. "Darth Sidious is an accomplished warrior, and we will need to work together."

Anakin gave him a long look, then nodded. "Very well. Spaceport, then?"

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Darth Sidious pulled his shabby great coat tighter about him as he hurried down the town's main thoroughfare. His irritation with Korr Vark almost exceeded his impatience to be off, but at least the Shistavenean had eventually proved reliable. The Night Hunter's engines were, at last, in full working order. He stepped around a group of thuggish Gammorreans loitering outside their favourite cantina, and was forced to duck out of the way as a line of heavily laden carts wound their way clumsily down the street. Once the creaking, shuffling line had passed, he picked up his pace once more, weaving around groups of fog-shrouded beings. He was passing one such pair standing on the corner, when a horribly familiar voice whispered out of the fog.

"Spaceport, then?" Anakin Skywalker's voice said beside him, and Lord Sidious felt as if someone had just poured a bucket of ice down the back of his neck. He forced himself to pass them calmly by, although every instinct told him to run. If he had to fight, then he could not kill either of them, and he suspected that Kenobi, for the other had to be he, felt no such restriction.

Once across the street, he glanced back. Figures loomed out of the yellow fog, and vanished back into it without a trace. He dared not open himself to the Force, the only sure way of knowing exactly where they were. He ducked his head, and strode on towards the landing field that served as the official spaceport.

Every now and again, he looked back but there was nothing behind him but shapes that were obviously not human. The tightness in his throat eased as he approached the spaceport. And then he felt it, a crawling sensation in the Force, as if something alive had just skittered across his mental shields. Instinctively, he glanced behind him. Two robed figures emerged from the swirling mist.

Licking dry lips, the Sith Master evaluated his options. Somehow, he had been recognised. He suddenly cursed the yellow fog that had made it impossible for him to see the Jedi until he had been practically on top of them, and decided that he might as well simply run. Calling upon the Force to augment his speed, he dashed for the gate onto the landing field, knocking a Chadra-Fan and a young Rodian aside as he ran. He felt the Jedi now, and they were running too, urgency swirling about them.

The wall surrounding the spaceport loomed before him, and he turned along it, drawing more power to himself until he felt that his feet might actually leave the ground. One behind him, and one... above?

Automatically looking upwards, he saw nothing, but Anakin must be up there on the wall. There were shouts from surprised beings behind him. The gate now, and he pelted past the astonished Togorian guard into the open ground beyond.

He swerved between two freighters, and the clang of boots on a starship hull announced that the younger Jedi was still keeping pace with him above. Mentally cursing each and every Jedi he could think of, the Sith Lord slipped his lightsaber from his sleeve just as he sensed Skywalker come to the ground directly ahead of him. That could only mean that Kenobi was behind, and sure enough, the Jedi Master strode from the mist into the freighter's floodlights. There was going to be a fight, despite his efforts to the contrary.

Halting, Sidious glanced up at the freighter beside him.

"Don't even think about it, Your Excellency," Obi-Wan Kenobi said from behind him.

Ahead, Anakin Skywalker emerged from the fog, his lightsaber hilt in his hand.

"You are under arrest for crimes against the Republic, and against sentience." The Chosen One made a show of the fact that he had not ignited his blade. "Please, we do not want to hurt you."

I'm sure you don't, Sidious thought, but did not say. Instead, he smiled coldly at the Jedi Knight. "And I thought I was guilty of being a Sith. That is all your Jedi Council is concerned about."

Anakin glanced past Sidious, at his former Master, and the Sith Lord seized the opportunity to barrel past the boy. But Anakin moved too fast, and drove his shoulder into the Sith Lord's chest, throwing him back. Winded, Sidious retreated a few steps.

"We do not want to hurt you," Anakin repeated. He stepped towards the older man, fairly radiating concern and kindness.

"You'll forgive me if I do not believe a word you say, my boy," Sidious growled, hefting his lightsaber. He did not want to escalate the confrontation, but... "If you think that I am going to 'go quietly', then you are very much mistaken." He ignited his blade.

Simultaneously, the two Jedi ignited their own, and the fog about them glowed with eerie colour.

Sidious stood his ground, waiting. All he needed was an opportunity for escape.

There was a tense silence.

Kenobi moved first, a sweeping uppercut from the waist. Sidious batted it aside, and flowed under the Jedi Master's guard, driving him back with an elbow to the throat.

They waited.

The Jedi moved in together, and Sidious ducked under Skywalker's azure blade, turning Kenobi's and dived for the narrow gap between the Chosen One and the freighter.

The Force threw him back. With a snarl, he spun around, weaving his blade before him in a defensive arc.

Skywalker struck now, blinding fast but half-hearted. Avoiding it easily, the Sith Lord snapped up a kick at Kenobi. The Jedi Master grunted as it connected with his chin. Sidious thrust with the Force, shoving Kenobi back and to the ground.

He flowed forwards as the Jedi Master surged upwards with his blade. Sidious hissed as it grazed his forearm, and he spun away from it and drove the hilt of his saber into Kenobi's face. The Jedi went down again, stunned.

Anakin and the Sith Lord faced each other in the freighter's floodlights.

"Anakin, please. This is ridiculous." Sidious tried for a no-nonsense, grandfatherly tone.

The young Jedi met his gaze squarely. "I promise that no harm will come to you," he said. "Tell me how to save Padme."

Their blades sparked and squealed as they clashed together in a stately dance. It was almost pure forms, neither intended to wound or kill.

"I grow weary of this charade, my boy," Sidious said. "We both know that if it comes to it, the Jedi Order will cheerfully see me die. And if that happens..." He smiled coldly.

Anakin pressed the attack a little, forcing the Sith Master to resume a defensive stance.

"You have committed horrendous crimes," Anakin said quietly. "I will do my duty."

"At the expense of your wife?" Sidious snapped, blocking another medium strike.

Anakin said nothing, and the Sith Lord smiled.

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Obi-Wan became aware of a throbbing in his left temple, and winced inwardly. The old man didn't look it, but he was strong.

Voices faded in and out of his hearing for a moment, and he waited for a second or two before venturing to open his eyes. A pair of muddy boots and the ragged hem of an old coat obscured his field of vision, and he realised the Sith Master stood over him, with his back turned. He groped around for his lightsaber, before catching a sentence and his hand stilled in shock.

Wife?

Oh, Anakin, /no/.

"Join me," the Sith Lord whispered. "We will save her together." Their blades locked against each other.

Obi-Wan's heart seemed to stop. Anakin's reply was so long in coming.

"No. Tell me how to save Padme and I promise you..."

"Your promises are worthless!" Sidious's voice became a twisted mockery of Master Yoda's. "Destroy the Sith, we must. Your Order has never suffered mine to live!"

The Jedi Master felt the Dark Side swirl about them, and he resumed the frantic search for his weapon. It lay several feet from him, next to one of the freighter's landing struts. Reaching out his hand, he summoned it to him as the air about the two combatants became alive with coruscating bolts of electricity. Anakin deflected them with his blade.

It was too late. As he shakily climbed to his feet, pushing back a wave of nausea, the power cell of Anakin's lightsaber gave out as it was overloaded, and the younger Jedi was blasted back against a freighter and knocked unconscious.

The Sith Lord fled.

Obi-Wan let him go, turning his attention to Anakin, who lay spread-eagled in the mud.

How had events spiralled so far out of control?

Wearily, he reached for his comlink and called the Republic cruiser /Shield/, waiting in the next system.

"Make the jump to the edge of the system, and intercept any craft leaving," he instructed. The comm. officer acknowledged the order, and Obi-Wan tucked the comlink away and bent over Anakin as he groaned and sat up.

"Did he get away?" Anakin asked, groggily.

Obi-Wan hauled him up. "Not quite. We still have a chance to catch him. Let's get back to the ships."

They both looked up as engines thundered overhead, and a long, lean ship disappeared into the fog.