Title: Force's Tempest

Timeframe: RotS (AU)

Characters: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padme, Sidious, Yoda and a few minor ones

Summary: Events on Mustafar happen a bit differently and change the course of galactic history.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, Lucas owns everything.

Note: At last I got around to writing another multi-chapter fic (took me long enough, I know :P).

I'm really enjoying writing it and I hope you will enjoy reading it as much.

Chapter 1:

Anakin stood on the landing platform on Mustafar, his dark cloak flapping in the fiery winds and waiting for the ship to arrive. He could clearly sense his beloved Padme on board and the prospect of seeing her again made his heart beat faster, but his anticipation changed into anger when he sensed another presence on board also – his old Master's. So she had betrayed him, too, as all the Jedi, including Obi-Wan, had. But he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that the Chancellor had betrayed him also, in some way, which made no sense at all for he'd been the only one who'd always been loyal to him, hadn't he?

Obi-Wan sat silently in the copilot's chair next to Padme as the ship descended through Mustafar's atmosphere, feeling as if the weight of the galaxy rested on his shoulders. Yoda had told him to kill Anakin, if necessary, but deep in his heart he knew that he could never kill the man he'd learned to love like a brother. So all he could do was hope. Hope that Anakin hadn't gone down the path of darkness too far, that he could still be brought back to the light.

Padme brought the ship down gently on the landing pad and turned to Obi-Wan, in whose eyes she saw her own pain and sorrow mirrored, hoping that she hadn't made a mistake by taking him with her. By unspoken agreement they both stood up and moved towards the ship's ramp, only her love for the man outside giving her the strength to go on for she couldn't allow herself to be weak now. Not now. Now that she had to be there for Anakin.

Even the Force seemed to pause as Padme and Obi-Wan went down the ramp towards Anakin, Obi-Wan slightly behind her. They stopped about two meters short of him, although Padme's heart ached to just fling herself into his arms, but she knew that that probably wouldn't be the best idea right now for Anakin glared daggers at them both.

"Anakin, I…" Padme began, but Anakin cut her short angrily. "You've brought him here! Even you have betrayed me!"

"No Anakin! I love you, I never betrayed you!" Padme cried, tears starting to flow down her face, illuminated by fire.

"Liar!" he screamed, his rage threatening to overtake him, but then he heard a steady and calming voice say, "No Anakin, she doesn't lie. I'm not here to kill you."

And to Anakin's astonishment Obi-Wan stepped forward, unclipped his lighsaber from his belt and let it drop to the floor, all the white looking calmly in his eyes. Obi-Wan knew he took a great risk with this move, but he sensed that there was still good in Anakin and that a fight would only make everything worse.

Anakin slowly stepped closer to him, recovering from his surprise, and Obi-Wan answered the unspoken question. "Because you are my brother and I love you Anakin."

For a second he saw shock reflected in Anakin's eyes, but then he snapped, "Love! What do you know of love Obi-Wan? You always were the perfect, heartless Jedi Master, ordering me around. Never showing any weakness or emotion."

"No, Anakin, I…" Obi-Wan tried to protest, but Anakin hissed, "No Master. I've enough of your lectures!"

Taken by a deep-rooted anger, convinced that this man before him was responsible for everything that had ever gone wrong in his life, Anakin gripped Obi-Wan's throat with his mechanical hand and squeezed. Obi-Wan fought to breath as a veil of red descended on the world. He wanted to tell Anakin all the things left unsaid between them, but his locked throat kept the words inside his head. Fighting to stay conscious he dimly heard scream as if from far away. "Anakin, stop! You are killing him!"

And miraculously Obi-Wan felt Anakin's grip lessen until his hand fell away completely and as his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground he could breathe again, taking great gulps of air in at once. He looked up and saw Anakin standing over him and looking at his hand with a mixture of horror and surprise, as if a part of him was terrified at what he'd nearly done and the other surprised that he'd let go. Sensing that that was his chance, Obi-Wan asked pleadingly, "Please Anakin. I'll show you the truth if you want to see it."

Anakin started slightly, having been so immersed in himself that he'd forgotten his surroundings.

"How?"

Instead of answering, Obi-Wan opened his mind up and reached through the bond they still shared out for Anakin, who reluctantly met his touch and let himself be guided into his former Master's mind. He felt Obi-Wan's pain and sorrow over the death off all the Jedi and the destruction of the Order, the guilt over his turning, the love he felt for him and in a way even Padme, the hope that they could turn him back to the light, the despair over the Sith's rise. He saw his Clone troopers turn on him and nearly killing him, Palpatine self-electing himself as the new Emperor and the security hologram in which he saw his beloved Padawan murdering Jedi. And even those memories were tainted by the guilt he felt for everything that had happened.

With this knowledge of Obi-Wan's deepest emotions Anakin suddenly felt ashamed. He'd destroyed Obi-Wan's world, murdered his friends and nearly killed him and Obi-Wan still loved him and wanted him back? Even worse his gentle and compassionate Master, the epitome of good, blamed himself for everything that had happened?! With that knowledge the damn broke at last and he fell to his knees, weighted by the sheer horror of his evil deeds, sobbing, "What have I done?"

He didn't notice Obi-Wan kneeling down beside him until he put an arm around him in a gentle embrace. "The man who did this wasn't you Anakin. You were tricked and deceived into becoming that monster, but Anakin Skywalker could never have done that."

But I killed so many people. Even younglings." Anakin whispered brokenly. "I don't deserve to live."

Obi-Wan gripped his shoulders a little stronger. "Don't think like that Anakin. What was done is done, and you can't change it, but you can change the future."
When Anakin didn't respond, Obi-Wan's voice turned slightly bitter. "Do you think it'll help anyone if you kill yourself now? Your family needs you! Or do you want to break Padme's heart any further than it already is?"

His piercing but beautiful and clear blue-grey sought Anakin's own. "Or mine?"

"No, no I wouldn't want that." Anakin whispered, horrified by the notion, pulling himself together visibly.

At that moment a feeling of dread washed over Obi-Wan and he sensed a powerful sinister presence drawing nearer and he stiffened involuntary.

Sidious.

"What's the matter?" Anakin asked alarmed, feeling Obi-Wan tense up beside him.

"You and Padme have to leave the planet at once." Obi-Wan said quickly, standing up and pulling Anakin with him. He hurried over to Padme, who'd waited a few meters away, giving them the time and privacy they'd needed, knowing that she'ld have plenty of time later to be with Anakin, a confused Anakin following him.

"You have to hurry! Take the ship and leave for Polis Massa. You'll meet someone you can trust there and there's a medical facility there." Obi-Wan told them both urgently, ushering them to the ship.

"But what about you Master?" Anakin protested.

"I'll take your ship and Artoo and meet with you as soon as I can" Obi-Wan assured him, although he wasn't half as sure as he sounded.

"But…"

"No buts. Please do what I say this one time, Anakin." Obi-Wan interrupted him firmly, his gaze serious, though everything in him screamed to just leave this hellish planet with his former Padawan.

"Okay, but be careful Master." Anakin agreed reluctantly, but not wanting to defy him again after the disastrous results of the last time, while Padme boarded the ship.

"I always am. Mostly it's the others who aren't and drag me into trouble." Obi-Wan responded dryly and then added warmly, "And may the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master" Anakin answered reflexively, but he couldn't shake a very bad feeling about this goodbye as he disappeared into the ship after Padme with a last worried look back at his friend.

Only seconds later the silver spaceship lifted off and disappeared into the dark sky, leaving Obi-Wan behind, standing alone on the landing platform, his cloak billowing in the hot winds of Mustafar, a lone warrior, bright as a star against the impending darkness.

Review please!!