A/N: Welcome to Book II of the Resolve series! If you haven't read Book I, you can find it by visiting my profile page.

Summary: Tempering Anakin's emotions had never been an easy task. Obi-Wan struggles to get his padawan to open up when duty again demands his attention. The Sith have been scheming for a long time, and the small clues discovered are starting to reveal big troubles.

RESOLVE II

1.

Streaks of soft golds and pinks stretched across the Coruscant skyline. The early morning light glimmered on the horizon, bringing with it the promise of another busy day on the city planet. Citybikes and airspeeders flew through the skylanes as commuters set out to continue their daily routines.

In the Jedi Temple initiates performed their morning meditations before their classes would begin. Some Padawans, Knights, and Masters were practising their lightsaber forms, while others submerged themselves in deep meditation within the Tranquillity Spire. More yet started the day with quiet contemplation in the privacy of their own quarters.

Obi-Wan Kenobi sighed.

The small domicile he shared with his nineteen year old padawan didn't see much peace these days. Ever since he'd finally tracked the young man down and saved him from Dooku's corrupting Sith influence a restlessness had settled within the walls of the Kenobi and Skywalker quarters.

Droid parts and oily rags littered one corner of the room, while small servos, bolts, hydrospanners and wires attempted to get into every nook and cranny. Obi-Wan once even found a functioning vocabulator—of all things—in the refresher.

He was going to lose his hard-earned Jedi calm.

"I should be going with you, master," Anakin said as he watched Obi-Wan step on a small piece of hard plastoid. "Oh hey I've been looking for that!"

"For stars' sake, Anakin," Obi-Wan had just about had it with the droid business. He'd indulged the young man for months now, but enough was enough. He didn't even bend down to pick up the little plastoid covering. No, instead he indulged in a very undignified use of the Force and flung it in his grinning padawan's direction. "You need to have this mess cleaned up before I return or I'll have the service droids come in here and remove everything that's not standard issue."

"I still don't see why I can't go with you," Anakin kicked a servo-coupler to the cluttered corner. Obi-Wan ignored the scuff it left on the floor in favour of keeping a cool head. The only mastery that matters is the mastery of self, the Jedi Master reminded himself.

"You know why you can't, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed and clipped his lightsaber to his side. He checked his utility belt one last time for good measure, then threw on his cloak.

"It's been four months. I'm fine!" Anakin whined in a very unbecoming and un-Jedi-like way.

Obi-Wan raised a single eyebrow and pulled his mouth into a thin line as he regarded his padawan.

"I'm sorry master," Anakin said. Obi-Wan appreciated that he didn't even need to say anything, but the apology still sounded disingenuous. "It's just. . . I'm going stir crazy being cooped up in the Temple all the time. I need to go out there and do Jedi things again."

"You can do Jedi things here in the Temple, Anakin," Obi-Wan tried to reason. "In fact, I recommend it. I know you don't want to, but the sooner you reflect on what happened and come to terms with it, the sooner you can join me in the field once more."

"But I have come to terms with it," Anakin argued. "You just don't want to take my word for it!"

"Getting angry only makes matters worse, Anakin. You need to convince the mind healers and the council that you're fit for duty. You've not opened up about Dooku's treatment of you. . . not even to me," Obi-Wan watched as Anakin flinched and looked away. "And until you do it's unsafe for you to be in the field."

"Why?" Anakin threw the plastoid covering in the corner. "Why would it be unsafe? There's nothing wrong with me, master."

"There might be, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, compassion shone from his eyes. "Something like post traumatic stress isn't always immediately apparent."

"And how would a perfect Jedi like you know! You don't feel anything!" Anakin yelled. He shrank back on himself almost immediately. He should have known it was unfair of him to judge his master like that.

Obi-Wan pushed the sting of Anakin's harsh words away. He needed to be patient with his padawan. The young man had always struggled with his emotions, and the long trial under the Sith's thumb would only have amplified the problem. It concerned Obi-Wan greatly, but he needed to be careful.

Jedi were not unfeeling. They simply mastered themselves to the point where an outsider could misunderstand it for a lack of emotion. That wasn't the case at all and Anakin knew better. Or at least, Obi-Wan thought he did. Perhaps he needed to show his padawan that it was all right to be vulnerable.

"I was your age when, for weeks, I was plagued by a recurring vision," Obi-Wan sat down on the only meditation cushion not occupied by a piece of one of Anakin's projects. "Qui-Gon and I had been sent to Antar IV to investigate the disappearance of Tayvor Mandirly, an agricultural expert who'd gone to the Colfillini plantations to investigate a rumour that employees were being worked to death.

"I found him, hidden deep in one of the fields, nailed to a wooden post. He'd been burnt alive. And the Force," Obi-Wan swallowed. Fifteen years later and he still found it difficult to speak of it. "The Force showed me what transpired there. The crime lords cut out his eyes first, so he couldn't see what they would do to him. Then they cut out his tongue so he couldn't beg them to stop. They stripped away his flesh to cause him pain, but not enough for him to lose consciousness. They broke bones. He was still alive, and fully aware, when they set him alight. I saw it all. Every moment. I lived it.

"By the time Qui-Gon arrived on the scene I was on my knees and bawling like a child. Not once did Qui-Gon rebuke me. He encouraged me to speak to him about it, to tell him what I had seen, how it made me feel, and he never once considered it a weakness that such cruelty affected me so viscerally. He helped me meditate on it, but for weeks following that day I'd wake up in the middle of the night, screaming. Some days I'd unknowingly pause in the middle of lightsaber sequences and relive the vision. Over time it got better, but. . . such cruelty has a way of staying with you.

"I do feel, Anakin," Obi-Wan stood again. "I've simply learned to master my emotions. And the first step to mastering your emotions is understanding them. You cannot understand them if you try to ignore them."

Obi-Wan approached his padawan and gently squeezed his shoulder. Anakin kept staring at the floor, brows pinched together. With some dismay Obi-Wan turned and headed for the door.

"Master," Anakin said.

Obi-Wan stopped with his hand on the door console. He turned and watched as Anakin's eyes darted around, as though searching for the words he wanted to say.

"When will you be back?" He finally said.

Obi-Wan hid his disappointment. He wanted Anakin to trust him enough to be honest with him. This silent, shielded version of the boy—who once was so open with him—was a troubled sea that tossed him back to shore every time he tried to help soothe the raging storm.

"A week if all goes well," Obi-Wan said. "Two at most. I'll be in comm range the entire time. If there are delays I'll let you know."

Anakin nodded his head and juggled a hydrospanner between the fingers of his left hand.

"It doesn't have to be me, Anakin," Obi-Wan said as a parting thought. "It's all right if you prefer the anonymity of the mind healers, but you must work through this if you hope to move forward."

Yet, despite his words Obi-Wan hoped that Anakin would open up to him. He'd gotten him back from the Sith, but still he feared he was losing him.

Boko Lan inspected his lightsaber hilt. He checked the pommel cap, making sure that it was adequately tightened. It was a nervous habit he'd never grown out of. The young Togruta man clipped his weapon back to his belt and straightened his spine. He looked out over the concourse and observed the comings and goings of droids and Jedi alike.

Soon he would leave on a mission with the Obi-Wan Kenobi.

It was the worst kept secret in the Temple that Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was the only Jedi in a thousand years to battle a Sith lord. And not just once either, but twice. His struggles against the Sith was quickly becoming the stuff of legends. It was as though the Force itself had chosen him as its champion against the dark.

Well, his former master had scoffed at him when he'd mentioned it to her, and told him that such admiration served no purpose. Kenobi certainly deserved respect for overcoming such trials, but to elevate him to some sort of deity was unkind, irresponsible, and dangerous.

How so? He'd asked.

Because what if he fails and dies? What then? Will you fall to your knees and give up because your hero wasn't able to vanquish evil? We are Jedi, not gods. We can do only as much as the Force allows us. Kenobi deserves our respect, but he is not infallible. To hold him as such is an injustice done to him.

Boko had to admit his master was right. As always. Still, he couldn't help the jittery excitement that coursed through his veins at the thought that he was about to go on a mission with the revered Jedi. He checked the chronometre on the far wall.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was late.

Something important probably delayed him, Boko reasoned. He unclipped his lightsaber and checked the pommel cap again. Stop it, he scolded himself and quickly stowed the weapon against his side. To prevent himself from doing it again he folded his hands into opposite sleeves of his robe, then dropped into a light meditative trance where he stood waiting.

"Boko Lan?"

Boko snapped out of his trance and turned his head towards the speaker, then promptly dropped into a deep, respectful bow. "Master Kenobi!"

"Sorry I'm late," the Jedi master returned the bow.

"There's no need for apology, master," Boko said.

"Let's get things underway, shall we?" Kenobi held his arm out towards the hanger bay, then led the way inside.

A small republic shuttle sat prepared on the launching deck. Boko stood behind Kenobi and watched the exchange between him and the ship-requisitions droid as he signed the starship out. He then followed him up the ramp and took a seat in the co-pilot's chair.

"Tell me about yourself, Lan," Kenobi said as he started flicking switches on and doing pre-flight checks. The nav console lit up like a Coruscant night and the master quickly began the calculations necessary for their trip. The blue and yellow lights danced across his face.

Boko sat with his hands gripping the armrests of his seat. His master had always had him take care of navigation duties at the start of a journey, but Kenobi had things under control. He wasn't sure what to do with himself, so he simply sat and watched as the more experienced Jedi took charge as though he were on a solo mission.

"I'm recently knighted, master," Boko said.

Kenobi turned in the pilot's chair and gave him an amused grin. "Tell me something that I couldn't read in your holofile," he said, then continued doing the last few system checks.

"Yes master," Boko sat a little straighter in his chair, the blue stripes of his headtails turning a darker shade in the Togruta version of an embarrassed blush. "I. . . like to read."

The master laughed.

An electronic beep signalled the completion of the final check. Kenobi fired up the ion engines and gently eased the shuttle out of the hanger bay. They shot into the sky and into lower orbit where they logged their flight plan and cleared their departure with Coruscant Space Control.

"Well don't clam up now, Lan," Kenobi said. He'd spoken to the CSC Official with his most proper voice, but now the amusement had taken firm hold again. "Or else this is going to be a very dreary flight indeed."

He'd expected a serious, self-contained and stoic man, but Obi-Wan Kenobi seemed to be the personification of defied expectations. The master's amusement sang in the Force around them, and somehow Boko suspected he was the butt of some cosmic humour.

Twenty minutes in the master's company and already Boko could see that Obi-Wan Kenobi was not at all what he had expected.

They entered hyperspace without incident. Obi-Wan stood up and stretched his legs. The ship wasn't large, but it did have a small galley and two bunks in what served as crew quarters.

He wasn't sure what to make of his new companion yet. The young Knight, twenty-four standard according to his holofile, was a little stiff. But that wasn't uncommon among the ranks of the newly knighted. Fresh from their Jedi trials they were out to prove themselves in the field. Obi-Wan didn't remember experiencing a similar pressure. But then, he'd skipped the traditional trials when destiny decided to throw a Sith lord his way, followed by the challenge of training a nine year old former slave boy with stupendous Force-sensitivity. The idea of proving himself had never even entered his mind. Instead he'd been thinking about not failing in the promise he'd made to Qui-Gon.

No, his knighting hadn't been conventional, and neither was his path getting there, nor what lay beyond it.

Obi-Wan briefly wondered how a young knight like Boko Lan saw him, then discarded the thought. It wasn't important.

The galley had a small preserver installed and was fully stocked with meal packs. Obi-Wan avoided those and went for the small cabinet beneath it. He waved a hand and the panel slid open to reveal a set of sabaac cards. Perfect.

When he returned to the cockpit his Togruta companion was deeply focused on a datapad. He caught a glimpse of the content as he sat down in the pilot's chair again. The young knight was studying the mission material. Probably for the twelfth time, judging by the waves of nervous tension rolling off the poor man. Perhaps sabaac could wait.

"Relax, Boko," Obi-Wan said, using the knight's first name to try and ease his stress.

"I am relaxed, master," Boko said.

Obi-Wan supported his head with his hand, one finger tapping away at his temple, and turned his chair to face the Togruta. He raised an eyebrow at him and gave the young knight a small, knowing smile.

"Maybe I'm not as relaxed as I thought I was," Boko finally admitted.

"What troubles you?" Obi-Wan asked. "The mission?"

"No master. The mission seems pretty straightforward," Boko placed his datapad on the console beside him. Obi-Wan could feel him calling upon the Force to calm himself. Interesting.

"Then what is it?"

"It's foolish master," Boko voiced the thought while staring out the cockpit window.

"Foolish or not, I'd prefer if you could unburden yourself so I can worry about you less during the mission," Obi-Wan said, a kind twinkle in his eye.

"Forgive me master," Boko bowed his head. "I am. . . out of sorts in your presence. Your reputation precedes you and I fear I may not live up to your standards."

"Standards?" Obi-Wan said, the urge to laugh almost overwhelming. But he would not laugh at the young knight's admitted insecurity. To do so would be cruel. "My only standards are mission success and minimum casualties. Put everything else out of your mind. I am just another Jedi, Boko. Think of me as such."

"I'll try, master," Boko said.

"I said those exact words to master Yoda once," Obi-Wan said. "Do you know what he did?"

"Oh, of course," Boko said. "Master Yoda would say there is no try, only do or do not."

"Yes, he did say that," Obi-Wan nodded his head and grinned. "But he also pushed me down an arboretum irrigation hole."

"What?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan chuckled. "He walked me to it, calm and kindly as can be, then he used the Force to lift the heavy cover and promptly shoved me in. I was six at the time and we were practising Force-assisted jumping. The target was to achieve a height of three metres. I had to jump five to get out of the hole."

"Did you make it?"

"Not at first," Obi-Wan said. "By nightfall my tunics were soaked, I was cold, hungry and tired. It was quiet. I thought everyone had left. I thought I was alone. And that was the moment I realised that even if there was no one to help me, the Force was still there. It calmed me, filled me with hope, and so I jumped one more time. That was the first time I saw Master Yoda look pleased."

"Our own fears and insecurities blind us to the Force," Boko said.

"Precisely. You have nothing to prove, Boko," Obi-Wan shuffled the sabaac cards and watched as the tension left the young knight's shoulders. Satisfied, he tapped the deck of cards against the armrest of the pilot's chair and said, "Care for a game?"

"Are you sure you wish to go against a Togruta, master?" Boko grinned, leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. "At the risk of sounding boastful, my Togruta inborn senses make of me an unfair opponent."

"Oh, I'm not worried," Obi-Wan dealt the cards, and was pleased to see that the young knight finally found comfortability around him. Still, he would give him a thorough thrashing because, "Qui-Gon Jinn trained me well. Even in sabaac."

From space Taanab looked like unrefined emerald. Waterways criss-crossed over green fields that stood rooted in soil rich in life-giving minerals. It was one of the most productive farming planets within the Galactic Republic, and played host to many corporate businesses in the agricultural industry. It was also located within the Inner Rim territories, which made it ideally placed to spread food products to the Republic's many worlds. When the Jedi Order needed to choose locations to base the Jedi Agricultural Corps, Taanab was selected alongside six other planets.

Obi-Wan eased the shuttle onto the landing platform of the Agricorp HQ on the outskirts of Pandath, the planet's capital city. The Agricorp insignia on the roof of the building caught his eye. He took a deep breath and blinked the sudden sting away. He'd been unprepared for the swell of emotion he'd feel upon seeing it.

When he was thirteen there'd been a brief time when Obi-Wan believed he'd be an Agricorp worker. But past twenty years later it almost felt like it had been in a different life. It reminded him of Qui-Gon, of the man's initial reluctance to take him as his padawan, and it reminded him of the twelve years he ended up spending under the great Jedi Master's guidance.

Obi-Wan pushed the past from his mind and did a post-flight check on the fuel levels and hydraulics. The comfort of routine chased away the grief he still sometimes felt at his master's passing.

"We'll check in with the headquarters first," Obi-Wan said. "Then I want to head over to the grounds and see the damage. Perhaps we can pick up a trace of the perpetrators."

"As you say, master," Boko acknowledged and followed Obi-Wan down the shuttle's ramp.

It was a short walk to the administrative building. When they arrived a human woman came out to greet them. She wore the standard issue Jedi Agricorp uniform, which consisted of dark brown tunics, knee high nerf-hide boots, as well as a leather utility belt. Her black hair was pulled back into a thick braid, and a set of goggles hung about her neck. Around her brown eyes twin patches of clean skin stood in contrast to her dirt-stained cheeks. Obi-Wan noticed her clothes held similar stains.

"Welcome Master Kenobi, Knight Lan," she greeted. "I'm Kalsha Torryk. Thank you for coming so promptly."

Obi-Wan bowed in greeting. Next to him Boko did the same.

"What can you tell us about the situation?" Obi-Wan followed Kalsha as she led the way inside.

"They struck again before sunrise today, and we're still fighting fires," she said. "We think it's a pirate gang from Norulac, but we have no evidence to support the claim."

"You think it's the same pirates who raid outgoing freighters each season?" Obi-Wan scratched his beard. "They've never targeted the Jedi Agricorp before. Why start now?"

"I don't know, master Kenobi," Kalsha sighed. "Our produce go to underprivileged systems and those suffering from blight or natural disasters. The pirates know this, which is why they've always steered clear of us and our vessels."

"Have the attacks destroyed any crops?"

"Yes," Kalsha tapped a few commands on a datapad and handed it to Obi-Wan. It highlighted the affected fields. "As you can see, an entire Colfillini field was burnt down this morning. Before that our muja trees were infected with woodworms, which fortunately we were able to remedy without losing any of the trees. Five of our milk nerfs were stolen a week ago, and two days ago we managed to stop a similar theft of our robas."

"And the pirates' history?" Obi-Wan frowned. "From what I recall their modus operandi is theft. They haven't outright destroyed harvests before, have they?"

"Not that we know of, no," Kalsha took the datapad back and frowned at the illuminated screen. "What are you thinking, Master Kenobi?"

"It's too early to speculate," he said. "I need to visit the scenes."

"Then let's get started," Kalsha said and led the way to one of the Agricorp speeders.

Obi-Wan sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle as they sped past plantations and storehouses. He did not glance about to study the environment. Instead he kept his stoic gaze on the dash as he considered the possibilities. The vandalism, while certainly not beyond their capabilities, seemed unlikely to come from the Norulac pirates. They weren't known to even enter the atmosphere, never mind staging elaborate property damage. No, they were dealing with something else. Anarchists, possibly. Why else would someone attack a relief organisation?

Whoever it was, Obi-Wan resolved to get to the bottom of it quickly.

Boko glanced around the burnt Colfillini field. The tall stalks had shrivelled in on themselves and turned as black as coal. What surely was once a perfectly healthy green and white field now lay wasted by the devastation of fire's destructive power.

He watched as the Jedi Master slowly walked around the field, looking at the embers and ashes of what was left. His Togruta sense of smell could pick out the scents of humans, colfillini, earth, ash, smoke, and several scents he couldn't identify. His outstanding visual acuity didn't do him much good there. Any physical traces had been destroyed along with the colfillini.

At one point the Jedi Master came to an abrupt halt. Boko had seen a flash of unease pass over his face before he hid it behind perfect Jedi restraint. He did not sense any discomfort from the master though. In fact, he didn't sense anything from him at all. Which wasn't unusual, but he wondered why the master had reinforced his shields so heavily.

Experience informs habit, he mused, and wondered what the story was behind that flash of disquiet he'd seen pass over master Kenobi's face.

"So, what do you think?" Kalsha asked.

Master Kenobi turned in a circle, surveying the field, then closed his eyes. "Give me a moment," he said.

Boko felt the Force rush to the Master then. He contained his surprise at the clarity of the Master's connection. Small pebbles raised up from the earth as the Master dropped into a meditative trance right then and there. Boko knew what he was doing. His own master had forced him to study the discipline once, but he'd never made any real strides with it. To look into the past or the future of a place, or an object, at will was an imprecise and difficult skill. So when Obi-Wan Kenobi opened his eyes again, and the pebbles dropped back down to the ground, he didn't expect any earth-shattering revelations.

"It's not the pirates," the Master said.

"You're certain?" Kalsha frowned and cocked her head to one side.

"Quite," Master Kenobi said. "It's a local band of ruffians whose only goal is to sow discord on Republic worlds. Which is why they targeted the Jedi Agricorps and not any of the other agricultural conglomerates. They go by the name of The Reapers. Not very imaginative if you ask me. They seem to think that causing the Jedi some trouble will, ah, up their street cred. They'll attack the eastern storehouses tonight. They'll use ion grenades to knock out the security systems and then plant time delayed firebombs."

Boko stared.

"How in the world do you know all that?" Kalsha asked, an incredulous laugh jerked her shoulders.

Master Kenobi shrugged, "It doesn't always come so easy," he said. "But I have developed a certain affinity for seeing into the past of a place if I am able to root myself in its present. The gang had an interesting conversation shortly before they set the colfillini ablaze."

"I'm amazed. All I sense when I stand here is malice," Kalsha shook her head as a pleasant smile stretched across her face. "And that's why I went into the Service Corps and you became a Jedi Master."

"Your path is as worthy as any Jedi Master's," Master Kenobi said, then gave Kalsha a quick bow. "Knight Lan and I will await these miscreants at the storehouses tonight. We'll bring this to a quick and decisive end, but I think we need to coordinate with local law enforcement as well."

"Yes, of course," Kalsha said. "I'll comm them."

Boko followed behind Master Kenobi and Kalsha as they headed back to the speeder. As he stared at the Master's back he realised the man wasn't particularly tall. Taller than average for a human, perhaps, but his build was wiry. He was built for speed, not power. And he was strong in the Force in ways that Boko found rather striking. Master Kenobi's humble demeanour belied his great strength, he realised.

Boko wondered if he'd one day be able to measure up to the man.

"And now we wait," Obi-Wan spoke quietly into the cooling air of dusk. He and Boko had spent the afternoon studying the layout of the storehouses, taking note of what lay within them and consulting with Kalsha about what could be done to protect the harvests in case things did go awry. Service droids assisted them all afternoon in moving grain towards the inner stores, but they were in the middle of a harvest and there wasn't much room to go around.

Local law enforcement officials decided it would be best to catch the gang in the act, and while Obi-Wan did not favour endangering the Jedi Agricorp infrastructure, he understood why it was necessary. In a court of law A Jedi's perceptive abilities only meant something if tangible proof was involved. And, quite frankly, Obi-Wan didn't want to go anywhere near a court hearing if some greasy-haired silver-tongue lawyer was going to attempt to call him a liar.

Obi-Wan sat on the roof of the eastern most storehouse, hidden behind a ventilation duct. His datapad lay in his hand, a security grid displayed bright on its surface. All indicators were blue, and would turn red once the motion sensors were triggered. Next to him Boko's head swivelled in a deliberate, slow arc, as though he were tracking something. Obi-Wan looked up from the datapad, and noted the closed eyes and the frown of concentration on the Togruta knight's face.

"Do you hear something?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes," Boko said. "Three speeders approaching from the north-east. Approximately nine hundred meters and closing."

Obi-Wan stuck his head out around the ventilation duct and held a pair of macrobinoculars to his eyes. "I see them," he acknowledged once he found the dust trail the speeders kicked up. "I count eleven men."

"Armaments?" Boko asked.

"Blaster carbines by the looks of it. Nothing we can't handle with a lightsaber," Obi-Wan placed the macrobinoculars and his datapad next to Boko, then stood and straightened his robe. He grinned at the young Knight and said, "Show time."

The criminals turned out to be rather incompetent when faced with two well-trained Jedi Guardians. Obi-Wan's experience and Boko's youthful enthusiasm took them down in short order. The Jedi struck them unaware as soon as the first firebomb was set. That would be sufficient evidence and Obi-Wan didn't want to risk any damage to the Jedi AgriCorps grounds.

Night had fully settled in on the compound when local law enforcement finally drove the bound band of anarchists away. Obi-Wan wiped his hands on a proffered rag. In a desperate move one of the criminals had activated a firebomb. The resulting explosion had taken out a sizeable chunk of a water canal and had sent muddy debris cascading over Obi-Wan's position.

"Thank you Kalsha," Obi-Wan said, handing the rag back to her.

"You're welcome Master Kenobi," Kalsha said and tucked the rag into her belt. "You promised a swift end and you've delivered. I doubt they'll trouble us again."

"Let us hope so," Obi-Wan said as he stared into the distance.

"You don't seem convinced, master," Boko observed.

"I'm merely being cautious," Obi-Wan said. "It might be a good idea for us to stay a few days and make ourselves visible, just in case the cell sported more members than the eleven we apprehended tonight. When we get to quarters I'll contact the Council of AgriCorps Masters and defer to them."

Kalsha led the way back to the speeder and drove them to their temporarily assigned quarters. When they arrived Obi-Wan noted a boy of around fourteen run out of the barracks with a look of urgency on his face.

"Kalsha," the boy said. "Is that Master Kenobi with you?"

"Yes it is, Yagin," Kalsha said as she powered down the speeder. "What's the matter?"

"There was an urgent communication for Master Kenobi just now," the boy said, then turned towards the Jedi Master and bowed. "Master Kenobi, Master Windu bids you to contact the High Council immediately."

A bad feeling settled in Obi-Wan's gut as he made for the republic shuttle's comlink.

A/N: The event involving Obi-Wan and the colfillini incident on Antar IV was mentioned in the Wild Space novel. I thought that was a very interesting way in which the Force could be perceived. In the same book Obi-Wan witnesses, during Alchaka meditation, Anakin's military mission half a galaxy away (he witnesses the past in this case as well). I like the idea of Obi-Wan honing such an unpredictable skill, and I'll be using that concept again a few chapters down the line.

As I write this story largely for fun and practice, I'll be experimenting a little with how I write things. In Book I if Obi-Wan wasn't in the scene, it wasn't written. That will not be the case in Book II, and we'll see into the minds of other characters as well. With one exception; Anakin. I have a good reason for not writing anything in Book II from his point of view. That will hopefully all become clear in Book III, which at this stage is about a quarter of the way done. Hopefully I will have it all written and squared away before the final chapter (15) of Book II is posted.

Thanks for reading!