The Clone Wars: Duty: Juma9

Luke would have liked to dispatch a few more droids, but glimpsing down on the numbers, notably the droidekas, he reflected that his Master had indeed taken the most sensible route and that he'd no longer be of most help by jumping at them.

To Luke, the more droids he destroyed, the less danger there was. To him, to his Master, to the clones, to the planet below, the entire system, and the galaxy. Granted, what he did had less an effect than bantha spit had on a planet's climate, but it was only now when he saw those numbers rubbed in his face, that he understood the futility of it. As if Ryloth hadn't been enough, but if everywhere everyone was as overwhelming outnumbered as on Ryloth... Luke pushed the hopelessness aside before it could grow any stronger. Focus on the here and now, as his master liked to repeat.

Duty first. The few for the many.

Luke crawled over a downwards path in the ventilations system, blindly finding his way forward.

There was no light and Luke only sensed, not saw or even heard his Master a few paces in front of him. Somewhere along the line windows for ventilation in the shaft stopped appearing every dozen feet, leaving them feel their way through it. As they were Jedi it hardly presented a problem; Luke almost didn't notice the absence of light in such a cramped, simple space.

Suddenly there were voices, drifting to him, but they were muffled and Luke didn't understand the words. For a short while they did nothing, just listening, and then his Master broke the shaft open, startling Luke, and slipped out, landing with a soft thud on the ground.

Crawling forward, Luke saw an alien Jedi of a race he couldn't identify standing next to his Master, lightsaber drawn, but not ignited, and a Skakoan stood facing them. Neither party let the other out of their eyes, leaving Luke with no indication of what to do. Watching and contemplating for a moment Luke followed out of the shaft, enjoying the short fall to the floor, before landing softly with bent knees. Stuck in a cramped duct, Luke might be able to retrain the surprise moment, but he could also very easily become a liability in a fight.

It was hardly a contest in his mind.

"Who are you?" His Master asked, voice as blunt as the question. A clear sign of Obi-Wan Kenobi being serious.

"I thought Jedi knew everything," the Skakoan mocked, his deep voice reminding Luke of his only experience with the race before. He tried to distance himself from the first impression; not every one of their people was like Sut Drugal. Or Wat Tambor. Though, as it seemed, in this case Luke's animosity might not be a problem.

As the Skakona drew closer, Luke let his eyes drift over the entire appearance, noting several weapons, a troubling confidence in face of three Jedi to whom he was getting closer than any enemy would and an even more concerning confidence in his Force-signature.

Luke immediately jumped to the conclusion that they have been walking into a trap. Of some kind. Or, at least, that the Skakoan had something to hold over them, assuring him, of his safety against the arrest the Jedi just threatened.

Luke was unfortunately proven right when the Skakoan revealed a detonator in his large hand, threatening in return. Luke's mechanics obsessed mind, not exactly off topic, but definitely seduced, wondered how detonators worked on the inside and if he could gleam some information about the bomb from it. Hastily he suppressed the distracting path his mind was choosing, but the damage was already done. As close as the Skakoan had come to them, information sunk in Luke's mind with clarity gained only from the Force.

Saying something, the Skakoan pressed the button of his trigger; the words and voice passing right over Luke in his concentration; a bead of sweat tickled down Luke's temple, his eyes were closed and his grip on his lightsaber had become lose.

"What is this?" It was bewildered and loud, making Luke's concentration slip.

He grit his teeth, throwing more of his mind at the task, losing a bit of awareness of his body with each beat against his wall of will.

Suddenly Luke sensed the mechanism break and with sudden loudness, startling him, he heard the clatter of metal against metal as two cut halves of the trigger fell to his Master's feet.

Luke stared untill a warning urged through the Force and Luke threw himself sidewards, only barely avoiding falling into the wide cleft to the sides of the bridge as he latched on the observation platform with his hands. His lightsaber fell, but Luke had only a moment to spare to look after if before the Force urged him again to move. The hissing of lightsabers and explosions rattled the floor and through the air, flimsy pictures of the fight built up in Luke's head as he pulled himself up.

Luke hurried, but he wasn't fast enough. Just as he heaved his upper body back onto solid ground the Skakoan came flying in his direction, large hand outstretched, reaching for Luke's neck. The Force soared and in a split second decision Luke pushed away from the slid ground, falling backwards.

He heard Obi-Wan yell his name, but Luke was too focused on the Skaoan following after him. Had he not know better, not read the irritation, fear and slight amount of disgust Luke might have thought the criminal was trying to catch him. However as it was, he could guess the intentions were going in the opposite direction and Luke had no wish to become a hostage.

Luke changed his angle, falling headfirst now in an attempt to gather speed, but it proved futile as well. The Skakoan's jetpack supported him far better than generated gravity could do for Luke. If only he hadn't lost his lightsaber!

Another split second passed and Luke suddenly knew he couldn't avoid capture anymore and that if he didn't slow down soon Force cushioning wouldn't be enough.

Impulsively he stretched out, angled horizontally, and he slowed down immediately, but Luke wasn't satisfied. Reaching with the Force he closed the distance between himself and the Skakoan, catching the alien off guard for long enough to escape his immediate grip as he crushed against the chest armor instead. Feeling like a fly against a speeder's windshield, he let himself glide to the side, under the skakoan's arms and to his back. Struggling, his leg was caught and he was almost pulled back, but his hands had found halt at some equipment and he wouldn't let go with is hands attached.

Kriff it, he needed his lightsaber.

The air rushing past his face got slower, Luke noticed, drawing on the Force and rushing it through his blood. A human child could not have enough power to resist the pressure otherwise.

The hand on his leg tightened and the boy only had a soft click as warning.

His body was set on fire, burning, aching. Blue danced before his eyes, sparkling, painfully. He screamed.

Just as suddenly as the pain started it stopped. Luke slacked, the motion setting his nerves on fire. His body did not react to his instinct of stiffening. His eyes felt heavier than a star destroyer, but he tried till he forced them open, the effort almost for nothing.

Luke couldn't focus his sight. There was a green and sliver blob that he somehow knew was strong and malicious. It made him aware there were sounds fling just above his head. Luke tried to focus on them, but the noise just continued; irregularly, sometimes so loud it threatened to split his skull open.

An restless itch inside inside him forced him to try harder.

There was danger and danger was bad. Luke screwed his eyes shut, the images not helping. He fought nausea down as he focused to listen.

At first he had no idea how much time was passing, but gradually as he identified the words as rumbled orders demanding to activate the bombs and choice words and double check. Those words made sense in a distant part of his head. Luke's sense of time returned.

He smelt burnt hair, couldn't move his hands and knew he was hanging overhead. The Force only gave very vague aid; he was still feeling numb and couldn't properly calm his mind to sense more.

He cracked his eyes open a slit again, bringing his thoughts into order. He was captured. By the Skakoan from the station over Naboo. How much time had passed? Where was he? Where was his Master? And, most importantly, what was he supposed to do?

Thinking, Luke pretend unconsciousness, though maybe that didn't particularly matter as he was slung across an armored shoulder and the Skakoan wouldn't see what Luke did behind his back. But he wasn't going to press his luck.

Luke settled to wait, eventually. There wasn't anything he could to without information about the most important things and even less he could do without being collected enough to use the Force.

Obi-Wan was struggling not to feel guilty at having his Padawan of one-and-a-half weeks be kidnapped.

So far he was doing an admirable job of taking care of pushing thoughts of that direction out of his head. Focus on the moment, as Master Qui-Gon would say. If he wished to feel responsible, then he could do that after he saved his Padawan from the clutches of a yet unidentified criminal. Fortunately there had been only one sign of the boy being in pain early on, when Obi-Wan and Master Plo were still falling through the shaft.

By the time they had landed on solid ground the pain resonating in the Force was gone, as was the Skakoan and his Padawan.

Only a lightsaber on the ground had been there as a hint.

That was not a good sign, but Obi-Wan was calm. A lightsaber was not everything, despite what they liked to say. To those with the Force there were always other possibilities. The lightsaber was only very important.

Obi-Wan sensed Luke. The boy was still alive somewhere above him, a bit to the right and a lot ahead, still moving. Just from sensing his lifeforce, however they did not learn the exact location of him and the Skakoan. A vague direction, yes, but not exact location or the aim. Obi-Wan resolved to focus on establishing a training bond a bit more from now on.

He and Master Plo had split up some time ago now taking different ways in the same direction in an attempt at cutting the Skakoan's path or reaching his objective faster than him.

Sadly Obi-Wan didn't advance as fast as he had with Luke earlier. The droids had changed to a more aggressive and active programming and were now patrolling the station in greater numbers.

Obi-Wan couldn't guess reasons other than that the Skakoan's objective must not have been completed yet. It was fortunate, because otherwise he would probably lose his apprentice for the second time in less than two weeks and more finally.

He activated a plasma bridge with a push of the Force and was reminded of the little incident where Luke did something to the detonator in the communications room. It was something he had to ask later, because other than sensing Luke's use of the Force Obi-Wan did not know what Luke did.

But that was for later, once he got his apprentice back.

He was standing in front of an elevator now, button pressed, and when the doors parted Obi-Wan couldn't say he was surprised it was filled with battle droids. Though that did hardly matter.

Inside Obi-Wan closed his eyes. Only after a few beats of calm listening did he chose which button to press.

Three stories higher, he halted his ascent, pleased to notice an immediate lack of blasters fired in his direction. The droids who were there, not having noticed his arrival, were all quickly taken apart.

Naturally his good fortune didn't last though, and soon Obi-Wan was fighting again, losing count of the number after he took great care to destroy the commando droid with the communication unit out first.

In between, another explosion rocked the station. They had been coming irregularly for quite some time now, but there was no need to evacuate yet. Especially since Cody had arrived by now and was helping Commander Wolffe disable the bombs. How they had been set on a republican military space station beforehand was another troubling matter altogether.

Just as Obi-Wan was about to take another step forward he halted, listening and reaching with the Force. Not a moment later he was hiding inside a small room, probably used for maintenance.

Truly, the Force looked out for its servants. Through the faint gap he had left open the red of emergency lights fell through and Obi-Wan saw a great shadow pass his position. A great shadow with a beacon of bright energy slung over his shoulder and clanking guards following.

Carefully he brushed with his mind against Luke's consciousness and was relieved to sense a reaction. Luke was conscious and only in mild discomfort. Quietly Obi-Wan unclipped his student's weapon from his belt.

The Skakoan had passed now and Obi-Wan sensed him heading down the straight corridor. That there was no cover to hide was a bit troublesome, but with his back turned and Obi-Wan being silent he could manage.

Following stealthily, he poked at Luke's mind again, trying to make him sense his idea subtly. Would he broadcast his thoughts there was no doubt Luke would pick up on his idea, but the problem was that even non-Force-sensitives were capable of noticing it. To them it would often appear like gut instinct, but it was sadly accurate.

There was no need to risk it, as Luke tilted his head slightly and Obi-Wan glimpsed his flushed face. Not a second later the lightsaber in his hand flew down the corridor, landing securely in Luke's hand. What absolutely didn't go as Obi-Wan would like was that the boy wasted no time in activating his weapon.

The snap-hiss alerted the Skakoan like only few other weapons ever could and predictably he whirled around.

Feeling exasperated and foolish, Obi-Wan activated his blue saber moments after he was found.

To his credit, the Skakoan needed only a blank second before he ripped Luke from his shoulders, holding him by his feet and overhead.

With a spite of adrenalin and excitement and dread from different sources Luke, lightsaber activated in one unbound hand in a reverse grip, made with his arms a fast pushing gesture.

The Skakoan staggered backwards, his tall form swaying from the Force-push, while the momentum dragged Luke in the opposite direction. But the Skakoan didn't let go and Luke was still hanging upside down from the large hand. A spike of pain showed his move didn't go without price either.

Obi-Wan, defending from shots from the droid entourage, watched with half his mind focused on his new student how the child made a quick twist with his wrist, completely without hesitation, and cut into the Skakoan's hand, only stopped from taking the limp by the armor.

With a deep hiss of pain Luke was dropped. Barely managing not to break his neck during the fall, Luke cut through the binders holding his feet together and rose to his legs.

His student's position far from positive, Obi-Wan advanced, forcing the two droidekas and two super battle droids to focus on him.

Five seconds had passed and Luke was not taking the hint to retreat, instead using the destroyers' distraction to penetrate the shield with the deactivated hilt of his weapon. One was down, but the others had decided Obi-Wan was far less dangerous than Luke now and readjusted their aim. The Skakoan had recovered from the smoldering armor burning his flesh and directed his full wrath at Luke now, possibly beyond thinking rationally at that point.

Obi-Wan had enough. Calling his apprentice's name Obi-Wan was prepared to Force-summon him should he not react.

It surprised him when Luke did exactly as told; jumping over the last destroyer, he twisted in midair and landed with his back to Obi-Wan, retreating.

We are going to talk.

Obi-Wan didn't know Luke well just yet. And to understand and anticipate his movements he needed to. What was the reason for Luke's retreat at exactly this timing? Was it because he sensed Obi-Wan's order? Or because he saw he was outclassed? Or because of a whim? Or something else entirely?

To work with his new student, to teach him, to protect him, it was not enough just to have a feeling of his character. Obi-Wan needed to know him. Luke was reckless, and restless, but Obi-Wan had to understand what those traits made him do; if they prompted him to disobey orders or blinded Luke's mind or the opposite.

The Skakoan, cowardly as criminals so typically are, ran. His jetpack gave him the needed speed while the remaining droids bought him time.

The rage Obi-Wan felt resonating from the alien was in equal parts troubling and good news. Rage and anger made people do things they wouldn't with a clear mind. The Skakoan was likely to make a mistake soon or he was going to be more radical.

Obi-Wan reflected a volley of shots at the super battle droids and then reached out with the Force and crushed the last destroyer.

"Running again," Luke cursed under his breath beside him, already setting to run headlong after him, but Obi-Wan caught his tunic.

Leveling a stern look at him, Obi-Wan made a show of looking him up and down. "Patience. Are you alright?"

"Yes," Luke answered, his eyes driffting to the Skakoan's direction before snapping back to Obi-Wan. "He electrocuted me, but I'm fine."

Obi-Wan jerked him back once more. "Electrocution is serious. You will go to the infirmary after we are done here, understood?"

"Yes, Master." Luke rolled his eyes. "But we won't be done if we lose him."

"We will not gain anything by following."

Tht stopped the boy short, making him frown. Glancing once more down the corridor, Luke sighed and collapsed his blade. Still impatient, but also a direct gaze of exasperation and expectant resignation. It was a look a Padawan, with having many authorities hanging over him to order him around, had no business having.

Obi-Wan expertly ignored it. "Tell me, what will we gain by mere following," he asked rhetorically. "Were you him, what would you do? Followed by people who completely outmatch you and a good number of your troops?"

Luke opened his mouth to reply, then pressed his lips in a firm line, growing pensive.

It didn't take him long to think, to set his focus aside and reconsider, to adapt to Obi-Wan's change of pace, his impromptu lesson and to remember that Obi-Wan was in charge, his Master and more experienced.

"...If I couldn't outrun them, then I'd look for a way to make that possible...", Luke trailed off. "By buying time or laying a trap."

"Very good," Obi-Wan acknowledged, not surprised. "Now if you were running what would be the worst thing to happen?"

"Getting caught." Luke replied promptly, then added after another short pause, "getting interrupted while I was still building a trap or...getting cut off."

"Right again. So logically that is what we will be aiming for," Obi-Wan replied, calling up a small map of the ship in his palm.

Luke eyed it with interest. "But how do we know what that is?"

Free hand stroking his beard, Obi-Wan suppressed a small smile. "That is the trick."

Kul Teska, mercenary bounty hunter and genius scientist, was infuriated, dissatisfied and angry for multiple reasons.

(He was also slightly scared, but would never admit it.)

He had, after careful planning, hard working and gaining a reputation, his hands on a big-paying job. Who the client was had, at the time of acceptance, been far less important than the amount of credits promised. That it had been Sith Lord Count Dooku had not made much of a difference other than if he did, well, stratify the rich leader of half the galaxy, more similar work was sure to come. Be it from the Count himself or others with big pockets.

What had been on his mind at the time was the money and that there was no better advertisement. For his intellect and his experiments.

Now, that he was in the middle of doing his job, things looked much less glorious.

Now the consequences of failure, which wasn't going to happen, were becoming more apparent.

The Sith, Count Dooku, was not one to let disappointment pass. Never, under no circumstances. Teska had, in fact, been hired more than once already to ... take care of such people. Never directly, but any criminal worth his money would know how to read between the lines.

So he had constructed a careful, precise plan, payed much money for the equipment, for bribery and all for it to fail because of a technical error.

His plan had fallen to scrambles; the Jedi were making it worse with every passing moment, his right hand wasn't functioning perfectly because of that brat.

And now threatening to blow up the escape pods as the next move had no meaning when not a single clone had reason to be in them.

Teska was forced to take an elaborate route through the ship, calling and moving through many of the droid troops under his command to shake the lightsaber wielding maniacs and to make his escape to his shuttle. (Never underestimate a Jedi; more often than not it was the last thing to do. Such a thing was law in the underworld.)

All because of a single error.

Which was impossible. He had build the mechanism himself and were he anything less than magnificent, less than triple checked, he would have been dead a long time ago.

There were contingency plans, of course; an escape pod with separate bomb and detonator, a private ship carefully hidden, the borrowed separatist cruiser on remote control. But the thing was they were contingency plans, never truly meant to be used. He couldn't even remember the last time something didn't go according to plan.

Still, there was much left to do. Only because things didn't go according to plan, didn't mean they didn't go at all. Initially he had accomplished everything here he needed to do here.

He was done; to Ryloth it was.

And everything would be still on track.

He entered a loading hanger; his ship standing to the side, ready to take off, no clones or Jedi in sight and once he had put this station behind him everything would be fine.

Behind him the hanger doors shut closed, and a sharp hiss later security plasma screens slid over the solid shutters and Kul Teska knew he had miscalculated. "Hello Skakoan. Fancy meeting you here."

Turning, he came face to face with the Jedi. The human mature one.

Clearly, the Jedi had been expecting him. That was unexpected, unplanned and after the trail the he had led... that would have been enough time to get ahead, come to think of it... But-"How did you know I would come here, Jedi?" His thoughts raced. A spy? No, Droids were incapable of such things and besides, none of those had known where he planned to go. A bug, transmitter? No. Teska had enough fine-tuned electrical and mechanical equipment strapped to his body that the faintest pulse would have disturbed the system.

Their mystical Force? No way of knowing.

"My student overheard some decisive things and the rest was simple logistics," the Jedi that his optical support system identified as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the 'Negotiator, Jedi Master, one of the heads with the highest price on his head in this war of theirs, explained. A light tone to words that were doubtlessly meant to provoke. "Of course you would have an escape ready and I find myself thinking that of course it would be far away from any place the clones would retake as priority. How many places but here does that leave, taking into consideration how bombs have been planted in the escape pods?" Teska's scanners located a second lifeform as the Jedi gloated, hidden well out of his sight. And a third, whose location was... troublesome. "I answered your question, now you will answer mine. Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Kul Teska," he sneered. The Jedi, the Republic, no, the entire galaxy would soon speak his name in fear. He had survived much worse. "What I want is not of your...interest."

"Oh," the Jedi raised an eyebrow and his weapon. "I doubt it." Recognizing it from the short skirmish in the com room, Teska knew that the blade and the wielder were much more dangerous than they looked. "I suggest you surrender so that we may discuss your stay in prison. Cooperation on your side will go over well."

The human was also far too assured of victory for only these minor hindrances. Teska felt his disgust twist his face. "You are far from winning, Jedi."

The Jedi seemed to consider his reply as if had never even though he'd be denied. "We outnumber you three to one even without the clones waiting outside the doors."

He was being underestimated. Everyone could see their arrogance was going to be the Jedi's undoing. "There are no clones waiting outside." Fool, anyone with a bit of sense would know that he did not carry his equipment for fun. Lifeform scanners were the basics for everyone. Especially non-allies of the Republic.

Visibly unconcerned by having his bluff called, the Negotiator tilted his head in support of his words and Teska realized maybe he wasn't being underestimated after all. It left him with a bad feeling. "You are still outnumbered and outgunned. My student informed me of the great amount of fire power your ship possess. Illegally."

Despite himself Kul bristled. So what if there was a heat signature inside his ship? That didn't mean anything. The ship in this hanger was his. He had put much work into it. That meant it was not only heavily modified with weapons, boosted with better engines and provided with much extras, the hardware running it was protected by biometric lock, voice recognition, personal password and remote control from his person. There was no way anyone could have gained access to the weapon systems. Inconceivable! "How low for Jedi to fall to deception. It-"

The scorn died in his throat when against all sense two sets of his ships front Nd-53 laser cannon whined with charging energy.

"You were saying...?"The Jedi looked at him pointedly, amused. "Surrender."

Without hesitation Teska entered a code into the terminal on his arm in rage.

Seconds later his personal freighter exploded into a wave of fire, debris and scraps of weaponry.

His ship was gone, but so was the Jedi's advantage over him, the Jedi brat and the Negotiator's composure.

Slipping in concentration was highly dangerous in the best of situations. Currently he was not in the best of situations.

Fortunately for Obi-Wan however and unfortunately to the bounty hunter, Obi-Wan had very much practice indeed in being caught off guard, surprised or shocked or downright blindsided and recovering from it without losing his life in the worst circumstances.

So while batting miniature missiles aside and reflecting laser fire right back, Obi-Wan recovered his composure, let himself be drawn into the beat of fighting and recovered enough form the dropping of his stomach to reach out with the Force.

Luke's presence was the first thing he felt. Very much alive. With a shade of pain. But alive. And not in danger of dying. That was all he needed to know and Obi-Wan, having been joined by Master Ploo, put his mind back into the fight.

He had time to wonder how Luke had survived that later and he could ask how he sabotaged the detonator later. There would be the opportunity later. Because they were both alive. And the Skakoan did not have the skill to kill kill anyone present.

For all the wide array of weapons he carried on his person, and high mobility the Skakoan was not and would, at this rate, not be able to lay a hand on either Jedi Master. Indeed, it was so one-sided that Obi-Wan hesitated to call it a battle. The Skakoan shot everything he had, from simple blaster fire to grenades even to modified miniature rockets and it was all redirected, avoided, reflected back or simply cut in half.

The only reason this target practice was still going on was because the bounty hunter employed an effective (relatively speaking) hit-and-run strategy; with his great aerial movement neither Obi-Wan nor Master Plo had any way of moving within reach of their lightsabers.

Briefly, Obi-Wan had considered using the Force, but it wouldn't be much help here. Pulling him in had too many disadvantageous repercussions along with that the Force wasn't meant to be used to create fear and panic.

No, some other plan had to come and, as Obi-Wan was quickly coming to realize, of course, his student, who seemed to be unable to play dead, to not endanger himself when hurt, came up with one.

Why, oh why did he have to have the insane idea of using a certain ship's remains as ammunition? When he was very clearly hurt enough to resort to flat out block his pain with the Force to just move. The boy was just asking for trouble. Even more troubling, he also seemed to have no idea of his limits.

Resigned and knowing he was just wasting his focus, Obi-Wan projected a pinpoint order into the Force. Luke ignored him spectacularly well as he aimed lances of leftover metal at the Skakoan.

The first shot missed.

The Skakoan noticed Luke was still alive.

The second missed as well and clattered to the ground most unimpressive.

However Luke had never relinquished control of the first and, with Obi-Wan's quick aid, hit the Skakoan over the back of his head so hard the metal bent. But it wasn't fast enough and two miniature rockets raced at the boy.

Who Luke couldn't move. Luke's eyes widened.

Obi-Wan didn't hesitate a second and threw his saber at them while Master Plo used the opening to jump at the Skakoan.

Sliced by a lightsaber, the rifle of the alien's right arm exploded, catapulting him back against the looking glass. It cracked and broke and the Skakoan was sucked outside along with Obi-Wan's weapon.

The void of space sucked the air and objects out of the hanger bay. Obi-Wan reached into the Force, strengthening Luke's hold and creating a save bubble to make the debris avoid the boy.

Not one second had passed.

Master Plo threw his saber at the air-lock control panel.

A total of two and a half seconds after it began, air was no longer sucked into the endless vacuum of space.

Obi-Wan relaxed his tense muscles, pulled his Force-senses back from his student and got to his feet, sighing.

"Well," he said, "that could have gone better."

"Agreed," said Master Plo, distancing himself from the air-lock he had almost been pulled out from.

Luke however was not getting up and as Obi-wan approached him he saw more than enough reasons to be careful about the attempt; over all he was covered in black grime, fine metallic debris clinging to his blackened hair, the clothes were burnt off his left arm, the skin scorched with angry blisters from underneath the blackness and red blood trailing down from his hair.

Obi-Wan examined the head wound carefully. Luke hissed, but the Jedi Master was relived it was only a shallow cut that was already stopping to bleed.

Luke's left arm however seemed to have caught the most of the explosion (the part he had not been able to ward off), but all in all the extent of his injuries wasn't lethal. They were the kind of injuries, though that hurt from the slightest movements and Luke seemed well aware of it as he continued building a more solid block against the pain in his mind.

Obi-Wan fixed him with a look.

Luke looked back, wide eyed and innocent.

What have I done to deserve this, the Jedi Master wondered. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Preparing to get up, Master."

"I don't think so," Obi-Wan countered sternly, getting to his feet to make his point. "You are not going to move until the medics come and treat your wounds and even then only with my permission."

"I think, Obi-Wan," Plo interrupted, a rather serious note to his raspy voice, "there is no on going to come in here within the immediate future."

The heavy blast doors had been forced open, but the plasma screens were not so easily manipulated even with the Force. Usually they deactivated when a security code was entered into the corresponding panel, but said control had been fried by Obi-Wan's lightsaber to prevent the bounty hunter's escape.

Normally that was not a problem as with using lightsabers the projectors in the walls could be destroyed as well, but the only saber left inside the station was Luke's and Luke was currently shaking his and cursing at it when only sparks came out.

"It appears we are trapped," Obi-Wan said, stating the obvious. Now, how to get out…

"If you'd allow me to get up, Master," Luke said, pronouncing it just so to show that he wasn't really all that keen on hearing Obi-Wan's opinion, "I can get it to open. I'm very, very good with mechanics. I think."

"The panel doesn't look like mechanics are going to do much good." He helped the boy up nonetheless. If there was no way of getting in or out then they had to get creative and for that Luke would have to move either way. Obi-Wan was not naïve enough to think Luke would do as told once he had left his sight anyway.

Luke's arm was hanging limply at his side as he picked a pace where it would be agitated as little as possible. Just because it didn't hurt didn't mean it wasn't hurt. "I don't need the panel. At least I didn't before…" Luke said, putting his hand on the wall near the controls.

He closed his eyes, his face slackeed and Obi-Wan felt the Force stir around him. He traded a look with his fellow Master, who was watching Luke intently.

It occurred to Obi-Wan that the first and only time Plo Koon had seen Luke was when the boy had appeared. The Kel Dor didn't know how ordinary Luke was (except his Force-potential; that wasn't ordinary at all). Obi-Wan wondered what all the other Masters were expecting.

Without any warning, the red plasma screens hissed out of existence.

"Ha!" Triumphantly, Luke rounded to Obi-Wan. "Told you so, Master."

"That you did," Obi-Wan agreed patiently, "but do I want to know on what you have tried this before?"

Luke only shrugged, not picking up on the Jedi Master's very suspicious look.

"Do you?" Then, not awaiting a reply he continued. "Just earlier. In the comm room. I thought detonators probably, 'cause it used a button, worked by connecting a flow between two opposing parts and if they get together they create a sequence to blow the bombs. I figured it wouldn't work it the button can't be pressed. So I stopped the button from being pressed. And before that back on the Resolute. Once."

Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair as they walked through the ship back to the communication's room. Dear Force, he thought, this is going to take time to get used to. Again. "You fiddled with the Force inside the detonator?"

Now Luke noticed the meaning Obi-Wan had been aiming at from the beginning and his eyes widened for a moment before he schooled his features into a meek expression. "...Yes?"

Sighing, Obi-Wan wondered if explaining the problem would even make a difference. "You could have activated it."

"...But I didn't," Luke said back, frowning and clearly disregarding his Master's criticism. "And he wanted to do blow us all up anyway."

Obi-Wan sighed again. This was just… even with his elaborate vocabulary he had already used up all his expressions in regards to Luke. Nostalgia or Déjà vu did simply no longer cover it. "Just… don't do that anymore. At least not without asking." Anakin most certainly would not have listened to that. And right now Obi-Wan felt more than ever that he had no idea who he was talking to.

"Yes, Master."

Meanwhile Master Plo had requested medics to meet them there and for a team to pick up their lightsabers.

Obi-Wan hoped to get his back before they made contact with Anakin or he'd never hear the end of it.

Thinking about Anakin brought Obi-Wan back to the conflict at hand.

This station was of no relevant importance other than its connection to Ryloth. Ryloth though had just been freed, the Separatist leaders captured and shipped off world. If the Separatists had wanted anything so important it demanded a high risk attack on one a middle rim world surely they could have done it before they lost Ryloth. There had been enough time, certainly.

Tactically from a military standpoint this attack also had no meaning. Naboo, the home world of the Chancellor; it was the one planet the Senate would not allow occupation of and it was correspondingly well secured. Two Jedi Masters were on the scene and another two would arrive within a few hours.

This move made no sense.

Hopefully they'd find some clues in the communications room.

On an intellectual level Luke had known that the current war was galaxy wide. He also knew how large the galaxy was. But experiencing 'galaxy wide' was something completely different from knowing.

Galaxy-wide meant war was everywhere, would spread everywhere and nothing remained untouched from it. Everything was involved in some matter or form and increasingly more violent.

Still, to see a system that was protected and at peace (as much as anything can be at war) deteriorate into a war zone this quickly was… impressive. In all the wrong ways. It was frightening.

Luke could only imagine the kind of pressure that rested on everyone's shoulders. Knowing was different from experiencing; once Luke saw more of the galaxy he'd feel it too. He already felt plenty of pressure, though; from the Ryloth campaign there was still something left in his mind that he hadn't had the chance to work through.

Everything was moving too fast. In the back of his head he still thought about the need to free the people right now, about not making a mistake because there was no time, or else all effort on all fronts would be in vain.

But it wasn't like that anymore. Time wasn't counted by the seconds anymore and haste now, when it wasn't so much about fighting as it was about thinking, might make him miss clues or other kinds of misses that couldn't be afforded (no known time limit didn't mean no risk; not at all). The circumstances were different and they needed adapting along with overall still the same threats.

It was very, very difficult for Luke right now and he had a feeling it would only get worse.

They were back in the communications room. Last time Luke hadn't had the opportunity to get a good look at it before falling down the shaft, but it still seemed almost like a different room altogether. There were clones back at the stations and controls, the proper lights were back, and the shaft was closed.

A team of medics had been request because Luke flat out refused to be put in some bed. Maybe it was childish, but lying in bed and letting others take care of it just didn't…didn't feel right.

Not even Master Windu's presence could deter him from that.

It was incredibly frustrating, though.

Grumpily, Luke picked at the white bacta bandages at his left arm. From his hand up to his shoulder there was not a spec of skin visible and while that wasn't so bad, the lack of mobility certainly was. It was his own fault, he supposed, for failing to notice the detonators inside a ship he had hotwired and then not being able to redirect that blast around him, but now he couldn't even hold his lightsaber with that arm anymore.

(Not that he even had one to use right now. Not that he was in any position to do repairs. Not that he had permission to do it anyway.)

He wasn't even allowed near the terminals even though Luke was sure he could work faster on them with one hand than the clones. (He didn't even particularly need a hand.)

Luke found his lack of work and use very irksome, not to mention he was getting bored fast. He could control boredom, but he'd rather his self-control was not wasted on it.

"Generals," one clone suddenly spoke up, addressing Masters Kenobi, Koon, Windu and Fisto. "We have found a record of a transmission tracing deep into Separatist territory. Its recorded time concurs with the assault. Do you wish to see it?"

Luke got to his feet (the medics were intent on him sitting thanks to his head wound), sensing even before Master Windu gave his consent. "Put it up."

The useful thing about communications centers was that they were built for the purpose of, as the name said, communicating and routing transmission to great numbers; holoprojectors and recorders were built into the walls and floors and all kinds of holograms could be projected throughout the entire large room.

It turned out to be very useful when a perfect recording of the Skakoan's conversation with Count Dooku of all people was shown, not one data-file missing.

"I traced the Gravity Core to Ryloth. I'll need your remaining forces on the planet to keep the Republic occupied until I can retrieve it," the Skakoan, Kul Teska, if Luke remembered correctly, had said.

"Your weapon had better been worth it, Teska." Count Dooku didn't look much like a Sith Lord, were it not for the uncompromising cold look in his eyes. His posture was arrogant, but nothing remarkable.

"It will," Teska had assured, conviction in his voice that was not easily faked. "When the Naboo sun reaches its zenith above the facility the Gravity Core will tear it apart along with the rest of the system."

"Very well, just recover it."

"You needn't worry, Count. Now if you will excuse me, I have company."

The recording ended with the entrance of the Jedi, nothing more forthcoming.

"See if you can get a connection to Ryloth. We need to warn Anakin." Master Kenobi, stroked his beard thoughtfully, appearing not at all disturbed by the grave danger they had just uncovered. "This… weapon mustn't fall into the Separatist's hands." Communications were probably jammed again, though.

And, Luke realized, now there is a time limit again. He had to change his perception and his mental approach back again. It was difficult and annoying, but Luke hoped it'd get batter with practice. He didn't feel good, being this overwhelmed.

"Contact Coruscant," Master Windu ordered promptly as well. "Give them a report. And check the database for all information on a Skakoan by the name of Kul Teska."

As it turned out, Kul Teska was a Skakoan mercenary. He used to be a respected scientist of the Techno Union, had an accident that forced him to retire and his area of expertise lay with Gravity Science.

Luke exhaled. A sun destroying weapon was not just a bluff then. Not just an exaggeration.

"Master," Luke asked, putting the pad with Teska's profile aside and interrupting the silent united musings of the four Jedi Masters. (Weren't four a bit many?) "How do we know where this facility he spoke of is? Depending on where, the time available to us changes, doesn't it?"

Frankly, Luke wasn't sure how to even start searching for it. Logic dedicated that any and all kind off mildly illegal facilities be protected from scanners; depending on the degree of illegality the shielding would be better. Something with the potential to wipe out an entire Republic system would be highly protected.

And without scanning, there were six planets in the system and those had a varying number of moons. That was not even going into the possibilities of hiding such a facility.

Also: time limit.

Obi-Wan Kenobi nodded. "It'd take days to start any proper searching. But our presence here is not a coincidence. Senator Amidala was supposed to be our contact and she is not the type to wait because we missed the rendezvous. I've been trying to contact her for a while, but-"

"Generals! An incoming transmission form Ryloth."

The Jedi exchanged short foreboding glances. "Put it through."

"Naboo Station, Juma 9, this Padawan Tano from Ryloth. Please respond." The blue illuminated form of Ahsoka and Master Skywalker blinked into existence; the young togruta's expression twisted with worry and her Master's carefully blank except for thin lines of his lips behind her. Both lit up when the transmission connected in reverse and they became visible on a planet many lightyears away.

"Juma 9 here. Hello Anakin, Ahsoka," Master Kenobi greeted back. "Would I be correct in guessing you encountered some complications?"

Master Skywalker crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes impressively at Master Kenobi. "You would. From what we heard you didn't do much better. Doesn't look so good either." Unnecessarily he also glanced pointedly at Luke, who was covered halfway in bandages.

It took some effort not to react, but Luke kept his face blank and pretended it was not he who was talked about. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at him worridly, but mostly seemed satisfied with him being alive enough to even out her own expression and posture.

"We ran into some trouble, yes. You know all about how that goes."

"Very funny, Master."

"I wasn't being-"

"Sirs. We have two other incoming signals." Interrupted one clone, and Luke was a bit amazed he dared to do so. Was talking over their superior not something of a dire breach of protocol?

At Mace Windu's gesture the holograms of two other Jedi Luke didn't know and Master Yoda appeared. "Skywalker, mmm." Master Yoda immediately began. "Report you have, yes?"

If Master Skywalker was surprised at how Master Yoda fitted into the picture, he didn't show it. Luke for his part wondered even as he listened."Yes, Master. We encountered a large Separatist force led by a skakoan agent. He was after some kind of crate stolen by Cad Bane. The Skakoan escaped with the crate and Bane slipped away."

The twl'lek woman took a small step forward."If the crate is the same one from the ship we discovered, it is extremely dangerous."

"Agreed." Master Windu's expression was always grim, but now it seemed even more so; the shadows of his lines deeper, his eyes flatter. "We have reason to believe this crate is a scientific project created by the Skakoan Kul Teska. It has the potential to wipe out a system and they want to use it in a facility on the Naboo sun."

"Hmmm." Master Yoda hummed, unusually grave. "Find this weapon we must."

"But how?" Luke asked again, the words slipping out before he could stop them. All eyes turned towards him, millions of light years away or not. I started it, I have to finish it, rang in his mind and it sounded far truer and deeper than the occasion called for. Luke choose not to dwell on what it said about his state of mind if his attention leaped uncontrollably. Squaring his shoulders a tiny bit and winching as it made his arm hurt, he continued, "the system alone is huge. We don't even know what kind of facility-"

"Sirs!" This time it was Luke who got interrupted by the same clone. There was no such thing as luck or bad luck or coincidence, but Luke found the timing today just annoying. Even as he was thankful for the many attentive eyes being taken from him. "A third transmission incoming over the emergency code channel."

It was a human woman. Dressed in tight closing, a blaster in hand with a worried and weary expression. Looking at her, Luke felt the strangest tug of recognition in back of his mind. It was very different from his impressions of Masters Yoda, Kenobi and Skywalker, drilling into the back of his head.

But at the same time he knew he did not know this person.

"This is Senator Amidala-"

Luke dropped his eyes from her, only listening with half an ear as he tried to fight of a sudden wave of nauseating headache.

"-Separatist base-"

Luke couldn't focus on anything but her voice. He was staring at his feet, but he didn't see them even before the blurring started.

"-Behpour-"

He was forgetting something. He knew he was forgetting something. Something important. But the very thought was ludicrous; he forgot everything.

...Someone?

"-like they're- "

He tried to remember. He tried harder then he had ever attempted anything, even diving into his own mind like it was something to be picked apart. In total disregard of everything else. There was a feeling building up inside him, getting stronger with every time his heart pumped hot blood through his veins that if he didn't remember, his life was meaningless.

"I think I have been spotted."

The feeling quickly turned to desperation, then mixed with anger and frustration. Despair fully set in as the last clue, the feeling of recognition disappeared. It brought tears to his eyes, made his heart ache with a great, big hole.

All of a sudden he had to wonder why he was as he was, why he did as he did. It didn't feel like it mattered. Because the only thing that did, Luke did not know.

Nothing but emptiness was left in its wake.

Luke's head felt dangerously light and his stomach was only a step away from emptying its contents.

Master Yoda sighed heavily with a touch of resignation that made Luke reflexively empty his mind and raise his shields, expecting it all to be for naught anyway until he noticed that no attention save for his Master's was on him.

Luke didn't even dare entrain the notion. Then a moment passed, then another.

Had they not noticed?

They were Jedi. And Luke had just about experienced a mental breakdown.

How had they not noticed?

Doing his absolute best, Luke schooled his face into his best blank expression even as he reeled on the inside.

Attempting to focus his mind, to push the implications away for later, to get emotional distance and calmness, Luke listened to the ongoing debate. It was important. The life of a star-system depended on it.

Luke knew this, but he couldn't bring himself to really care about the future of billions of beings.

He couldn't focus.

"She is in danger. We have got to do something." Even the attachment Luke knew he shouldn't feel, never had a choice with but still had for Master Skywalker suddenly seemed flat and irrelevant.

"We will, Skywalker," dismissed Master Windu, who was suddenly no longer intimidating. "Have you and your troops finished up on Ryloth?" Intimidation came from fear and lack of confidence. Why fear when there was nothing to fear for? To have confidence, there had to be someone to have it first. Luke did not feel alive or like a person right now. Like an outsider observing, like a recorder recording, like a holo-movie that was to be analyzed.

Luke watched and listened and distantly saw how all things, all different sides clicked seamlessly into place.

The timing was fortunate, with Master Skywalker just being done on Ryloth. Master Skywalker's fleet was the only one in range. Any other necessary equipment could be found on Juma 9, apparently.

There was no such thing as coincidence.

And even as he noted this, it had the same importance to him, a dust corn on the planet below had.

...that was not good, was it? ...was it?

"Sent out scouters to Behpour. We need more information."

Luke's eyes lost focus and rolled up in the back of his head. His conscious was long gone before he hit the ground.

…a dream...it feels like...a dream.

There is nothing and no one.

No colors, no air, no darkness.

But, oh, there is life.

Everywhere and everything that doesn't exist. Nothing but life, but no lives.

…

It is only gradually that the sensations give birth to questions.

Two eyes, whose owner previously has not thought to exist, open.

There is nothing.

Yet there is everything there ever was, all knowledge there ever is to be.

Yet even as the thought blooms, the potential of everything seeps away.

It is replaced by things and matter.

Two eyes see orange-yellow sand, waved up into small mountains as far as infinity. At the same time two eyes see green, soft plants, caressing breaths of air, something cool and liquid.

Water.

It is cool to the touch. The heat marks skin that previously was not known to exist.

The bright sun burns white in the eyes.

Their eyes close.

Ahsoka only noticed Luke's eyes flicker open because she was annoyed.

Annoyed at him, in fact.

She was sitting at his bedside, not so much out of an actual desire to do so, but because she had no better place to be while she studied the biology, anatomy and chemical make up of Behpour. For the assault, her Master expected her to know everything there was to know about the very small and unstable planet. It was drudgery. Unreasonable for him to expect to memorize it all within the few hours that had passed since they had left Ryloth.

On top, Ahsoka had a splitting headache. She had not slept in over thirty hours and was watching as the only person who should be suffering with her slept. Luke slept peacefully the time away, slept literally past the work he should be doing.

She almost wished to change places with him.

Almost.

While she was envious (but Jedi didn't feel envy) of the rest Luke got, she had in no way any desire to otherwise change places with him.

If she ever got hurt as badly as Luke did, her Master would be irritated (and irritated for a long time), which was not something Ahsoka ever wanted. Then once Skyguy would stop being irritated (or appear to be; Ahsoka had a feeling it was more of a mix between anger and fear), his over-protectiveness would be upped a few notches. Which was also something Ahsoka would like to avoid.

Nor would she trade for Luke's wounds.

Ahsoka had overheard the clones and apparently Luke had gotten caught in an explosion. It explained the burns, but the droid treating him had said something about electrocution. In any case, he was hurt badly enough to faint on the spot.

Not an easy point to get Jedi to.

Curious as she was to find out what had happened on Juma9 while she had been cleaning up droids, and as much as she wanted to lie down and catch a bit rest for her eyes, she did not want to trade places with him.

Not at all.

But she was still annoyed.

Luke did not have to fry his brain with facts that likely won't matter. She did. While he slept.

It irritated her just a bit.

Maybe he noticed and that was the reason he woke up just as she was once again glaring at him, wishing for the break he got.

"Hey," she smirked, showing her sharp teeth. "Sleeping beauty returns to the world?"

Under the sterile lights of the infirmary, Luke's tan skin looked fragile and sick like 's eyes blinked sluggishly, his gaze still clouded as they drifted around to meet her.

Ahoska stilled. Instead of the deep and bright blue Ahsoka had almost come to characterize with him, his eyes seemed to be gray and numb; something Ahsoka would willingly push on the lights and medications he was was pumped full of, were it not for the flatness and lack of anything resembling recognition or understanding.

"Luke?" Her voice was lowered, whispering and careful; an expression of the dropping feeling of apprehension-turning-into-fear that she was not supposed to feel.

He stared at her and for all that it showed, he might have been staring at nothing at all before blinked, once, twice, and Ahsoka imagined she could see the color flood him.

"...A-Ahsoka?" His voice sounded raspy, as if he hadn't used it in a long while, his eyes didn't seem gray anymore, his skin stopped looking like it would break at the smallest bit of contact. She handed him a bit of water. He swallowed and shook his head, like a dog. "I... What- What am I doing here?"

Ahsoka quirked a grin with some effort. It is nothing, she told herself. It is just drugs. Drowsiness from waking up. Exhaustion from his injuries. "You fainted. At the end of the briefing." At his lack of reaction she added, "about Bephour and sun-killing inventions."

"...ah. That." To see him remember that affected Ahsoka more than it probably should. To see him lack the urgency that Ahsoka was fighting with was unsettling, to see his apathy to it was worse. Luke's state of mind affected Ahsoka a lot mote than it probably should.

….Kriff it, but she had to meditate. Unbalanced was not good; not centered before a deployment was even worse. Right now Ahsoka was too easily shaken, unbalanced.

But she had no time. Again.

As much as she disliked the exercise, sometimes even she needed it. And when she did, she never had the time. All because of the war.

Ahsoka pushed emotions as far down. She pushed her datapad in Luke's face as he attempted to rise (still eerily blank-faced). "Here. Study that. We got a briefing in thirty." Where she was gleeful that she would not be sitting through it as the lone child among clones and officers. "Master Kenobi wanted me to tell you that you better not try to leave your bed for anything else. And that he has your lightsaber."

As Luke's face remained empty, Ahsoka suppressed a shudder. She waved over her shoulder. "Have fun."

It was only once the heavy metal door had slid closed behind her, that Ahsoka let her cheeky facade fall.

He had not recognized her. In those first moments.

Luke had woken up, and he was Ahsoka's only friend and he had not known her.

All of a sudden it was frighteningly clear to her what memory loss meant. Memories, bonds, feelings, friends, hope, inspirations, determinations, motivations, people, his character. Luke had nothing like that anymore. Not knowing who he was meant he forgot all that. No matter how important anything might have been to him. And he didn't even know the importance to him of what he had forgotten. Memory loss was far more than lack of information.

Ahsoka was absurdly afraid of it. With the understanding she now had.

It took a way who he was.

Ahsoka had promised him to help, to search with him for who he was; when either of them got back to the temple, with chances and clues they might stumble upon in the course of the war.

But now a little voice in the back of her head whispered. If he gets his memories back, will he still be Luke?

She wanted to help him, she really did. The frustration and confusion, the fear of not knowing was horrible. Ahsoka wanted to help him with that. Not as a Jedi, but as a friend, as a partner.

But he was her only friend.

The only friend she ever had.

For the first time in her memory, she wanted to be selfish.

Disclaimer: This chapter's plot is once more based on the game Star Wars The Clone Wars Republic Heroes.

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