Chapter Text
Chapter 2; Old Allies And New Discoveries
The results of the rumoured ‘coop’ were arguably best visible in the lower levels.
Signs of battle, old Stormtrooper armour and an overall tense atmosphere that was not as present in the Senate and Temple district had Obi-Wan on edge. It was not dangerous as Tatooine was dangerous but there was a much higher chance that Obi-Wan would be recognised.
While there were less Clone Troopers down here, their presence was visible and could be felt. These were not in a jovial mood like the ones they had seen before and seemed to be on patrol– working.
Whether they were looking for someone or just letting it be known that it was not a good idea to mess with them, Obi-Wan couldn’t say but he made sure to avoid their eyes entirely– keeping to the shadows and carrying Luke.
The boy was tired from their walk and had promptly fallen asleep clinging to Obi-Wan, arms around the Jedi’s neck and legs around his waist while hiding his face against Obi-Wan’s neck.
Obi-Wan would love to have a nap too.
He would love to sleep in general but luck had not been on his side in that aspect.
Moving through the shadows, Obi-Wan passed some of the hide-outs he knew of. Some were completely gone, old signs of battle telling a tale he did not like to think about. Others were otherwise used, no longer part of Dex’s underground network.
Eventually though, he found something he hadn’t expected to find. A flyer stapled to a board.
There were a lot of those kinds of flyers. Shops ‘reopening’ now that they could do so again after the laws were changed. One of those stood out.
‘Dex’s Diner - Grand re-opening!’
Force damn it.
He just passed through CoCo Town on his way here but had chosen not to pass the former– or well– current location of Dex’s Diner to avoid making himself more sorrowful than he was already feeling.
Groaning softly, Obi-Wan headed back the way he came.
Once he got back to CoCo Town it was already dark. The entire district was bubbling with life and joy– beings partying and drinking. Many Clone Troopers amongst them,
Obi-Wan kept to the shadows, avoiding others as he cradled Luke to his chest, hiding him to the best of his ability. It had been a lot easier a few years ago, when Luke was smaller. Still, he slipped between the beings celebrating and quickly found a rebuilt version of Dex’s Dinner.
It looked just as bad as it had before the rebuild when Obi-Wan knew the building couldn’t be older than 5 years. Dex must have insisted on them rebuilding it the way it was because that was the only logical explanation for the outdated architecture.
Slipping inside, Obi-Wan almost froze upon seeing the place crawling with Clones. Some laughing, others sitting together quietly. To Obi-Wan’s credit, he didn’t freeze and walked as if he belonged there, making a bee-line for the kitchen.
“Oi! No loitering back ‘ere, ya know the r–”
Dex Jettster loomed over Obi-Wan, making the Jedi look up and in doing so exposing his face to the light.
The Besalisk looked the same as ever– except for the fact that one of his arms was missing and he looked much older than he had when Obi-Wan last saw him. Stress must have been a large factor in that because it was crazy to see how much the man had aged in only 5 years.
“...Kid…”
Up until this point, it had been Obi-Wan’s goal to get to Dex. Now that he was here, he had no clue what to say or do.
“I–” Obi-Wan felt tired, swallowing thickly as tears filled his eyes. “They– I don’t–”
Dex, clearly seeing the distress, recovered from his shock and regained some colour as he pulled Obi-Wan along, “Come, not here. Upstairs.”
The apartment was not much different from what it had been either and Obi-Wan didn’t know how to feel about it. He almost immediately walked up to the big sofa that Dex owned and gently set Luke down on it, moving to cover the boy with a warm blanket.
Dex entered the apartment behind him but not before shouting at his staff that he would be back in a bit.
Obi-Wan turned to face his old friend again and was met with a big hug.
“We thought you were dead.” Dex sounded choked up, “They had a public announcement and everything.”
“I was unaware.” Obi-Wan’s voice sounded rough– unused and choked up as well, “I– I don’t understand… What is going on here? What happened? I have not had much news during the past 5 years and now… Did you know there’s a kriffing statue in front of the Temple?! And since when is there a Temple square? What happened to Sidious and why– why are you letting Clones drink here? I don’t–”
Dex pulled away from their hug and looked at his younger friend, “Breath, kid, deep breaths. Don’t spiral. You look tired. Why don’t you sleep and I will–”
“No. I need to know.”
I need to know if I can trust you.
Judging from Dex’s reaction to how Obi-Wan distanced himself from his hug and how he placed himself between the Besalisk and the boy sleeping on the sofa it was clear that Dex understood.
“What did you hear?”
“Rumours.” Obi-Wan retorted, short and cautious.
“Okay.” Dex sat down, away from Luke and Obi-Wan, leaving enough space to ensure that the Jedi felt a little more at ease. “Okay, so I heard you were looking for me, right? Like 5 years ago?”
Obi-Wan hummed.
“So, I was getting my arm cauterised at that time,” Dex pointed at the stump that was left of his arm, “Your boy– can’t say he was very nice when he asked if we were involved in helping Jedi off Coruscant.”
Anakin took Dex’s arm.
Force…
Anakin took Dex’s arm.
Guild must have seeped into his expression because Dex shook his head, “His deeds are not on you, kiddo.”
That didn’t help.
“Go on.”
“When they left to kriff knows where, some of my allies got me out of their custody and fixed me up. I went underground after that.” Dex explained, “We kept helping, we kept smuggling beings off Coruscant but soon had to stop when that Emperor fellow got full power. Then those Stormtroopers started showing up and we knew it was time to take business elsewhere.
“Spent some time with the Rebellion but ended up coming back to Coruscant somewhere last year. You see, rumours found us that some of the Stormtrooper fellows suddenly regained personality– and as it turns out, there is a whole lot more to why they suddenly changed and turned on ya’ll. I can’t say I know the details but it seems that they were not exactly on board with the idea’s good old Palpy had set out. Infiltrated the Palace– no sorry it’s Temple again– and killed the kriffer. Then things got real quiet and they stopped releasing information other than that they were in charge now and to get used to it.”
“Who is in charge?”
“Whoever was on top before– ya know, during the war and all.”
Cody.
“They killed Jedi.” Obi-Wan gritted.
“Listen kid.” Dex started, “I dun’t know what happened, but this is different– they are different.”
“How involved with them are you?” Dex’s hesitance to answer was enough for Obi-Wan to decide he did not want to know. “You never saw me.”
Dex pursed his lips, “Kid–”
“I am cashing on that favour you owed me.” Obi-Wan cut Dex off. “We were never here.”
With that he gathered Luke into his arms, stealing Dex’s blanket in the process, and leaped out of the back window.
—-------
One of the reasons Obi-Wan had chosen not to go to Alderaan before coming to Coruscant was mostly due to Bail’s presence on Coruscant.
He hadn’t want to go to Alderaan considering the fact that there was no direct line to the planet, meaning their trip would have taken longer and came with more risk each time they had to change ships due to how the public transport ships ran.
While Breha mostly stayed on Alderaan, Bail travelled to Coruscant for his position as Senator frequently. In all honesty, Bail should have been Obi-Wan’s first stop but he had hoped to find answers with Dex rather than worry the man with his presence.
Now he had no other choice.
So here Ben was, sneaking into a Senatorial Apartment, dressed as a guard whose uniform he commanded and carrying his sleeping nephew. How Luke could sleep through all of this kriff, Ben had no clue but he was glad for it.
It was in the middle of the night when Obi-Wan slipped into the apartment and was quick to lay Luke on yet another sofa.
A soft click and the pressure of cool metal against the back of his neck told him he had not gone as unnoticed as he had hoped.
“Why are you here?” Bail demanded.
Obi-Wan raised his hands, “Just visiting, old friend.”
The pressure vanished immediately as Bail lowered the blaster and gasped, “Obi-Wan?!”
“Shh.” Obi-Wan turned and gestured to Bail to speak softer, pointing to the boy softly snoring on the sofa.
“You brought Luke here?!” Bail exclaimed in a whisper, “Why are you here?! What happened?”
“Nothing!” Obi-Wan replied, leading Bail away and taking off the ridiculous hat the guards wore in the building, “We weren’t attacked.”
Bail relaxed but only a fraction, “You’re here.” He pointed out.
“Rumours do reach my outskirts of the galaxy.” Obi-Wan replied. “Is Palpatine truly gone?”
“You should sit down for this.” Bail looked at Obi-Wan with a grave expression.
Not long later, Obi-Wan was back in his clothing and seated on a chair. Bail– dressed in his pyjamas due to the late hour– had prepared tea for the two of them. Luke was sleeping, completely dead to the galaxy.
“What did you hear?”
“Clones took control of the Empire and made being Jedi legal.” Obi-Wan blurted, “It’s a trap.”
“Well– okay– no.” Bail settled down in his chair, looking as tired as Obi-wan felt. “Where to start…”
“The beginning?” Obi-Wan offered, earning an annoyed glare from Bail but he was too tired to be as civil as he once was. He wanted answers.
“It started about a year ago from what I could figure out. Clone Troopers started… vanishing, just packing up and leaving without a trace. It got to the point where it couldn’t be ignored anymore but no official statement was ever released on the matter. Then, a few months later, a very sudden revolt occurred. One day everything was quiet as usual, the next half of the Troopers stationed on Coruscant started to attack other Troopers. As it turned out, one of Palpatine's personal guards shot him through the head with a slugthrower.”
Force…
“A slugthrower?!” Obi-Wan had to remember to keep his voice down.
Bail nodded, “Coruscant was stuck in a small planetary war for a few days before the revolting Troopers took over completely. It was then that former Commander Cody stepped forwards and took control of the Senate.”
Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “So it’s true?”
“They claim to have been under the influence of something which caused them to follow an order without being able to question it. No free will… We can not prove it but seeing as they went from being cold and detached to going back to the way they used to act… I am inclined to take their claim seriously.” Bail continued. “The first thing they did was lift the Purge on Jedi that had been in place since the end of the war. They cleared out Palpatine's Palace and turned it back into the Temple, statues–”
“Oh~ we have seen the statues.” Obi-Wan butted in, “Where did they get the reference?”
Bail snorted, smiling for the first time since Obi-Wan got there, “Drawn from memory from what I heard.”
Obi-Wan paused, then looked at Bail again. “You never contacted me.”
They could, in cases of emergencies.
“Neither did you. I didn’t because I can not tell if they are telling the truth– they have given no proof to back their claims up and while I want to believe them, I can’t be sure.” Bail admitted, “I can’t risk my daughter over this, Breha would kill me.”
Obi-Wan nodded, “I understand.” He agreed, “But I need to make sure that any survivors keep away from here until we can prove their claims. The Galaxy still holds plenty of hatred for Jedi– especially after the War, we can not risk it.”
“Now it’s your turn,” Bail nodded at the sleeping boy on the sofa, “Why is he here?”
Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan admitted, “Owen refused to take him in.” He sighed, “He cursed me out when I told him and his wife about the passing of his stepbrother and told me to kriff off. I raised Luke for the past 5 years. I couldn’t exactly leave him with a stranger while I went to see if this whole thing was a trap or not.”
Bail looked back at Obi-Wan, “That’s a big risk.”
“I can not say I was in the right state of mind when I decided to come over.” Obi-Wan sighed, “But I need to make sure this isn’t some scheme to draw in what Jedi are left– I need to warn others to stay away. I can’t do that while having Luke with me…”
Catching on, Bail hummed, “You want me to babysit.”
Obi-Wan nodded, “And take him to Alderaan if need be.” He added, “Luke knows about his birth parents and about you and Leia. I made a point of not lying to him.”
Rubbing his jaw, Bail nodded, “I will take care of him, he will be safe with us for now but know that I am leaving for Alderaan in three days.”
“Three days.” Obi-Wan nodded. “Do you mind if I sleep here for a few hours? I haven’t gotten the chance in about… 4 days?”
“Obi-Wan!” Bail scolded. “Sleep, I will make sure you have the privacy you need. Did anyone see you when you got here?”
Obi-Wan hesitated, “I went to see Dex but left because he has apparently been in contact with Troopers.”
Bail nodded, “Would they come looking for you here if he does tell on you?”
“No.” Obi-Wan shook his head. “I don’t think he would. Though, as it turns out, I am a horrible judge of character.”
—------
“Why can’t I come?” Luke pouted.
Obi-Wan tried not to sigh, they had been having this conversation ever since Obi-Wan explained that Luke would be staying with ‘Uncle Bail’ for the time being. “Darling, I need to take care of some… errands and those errands are a little too complicated. Uncle Bail is a very kind man and he has agreed to take care of you.”
“But I wanna see the city too!”
“How about I show you around?” Bail, the saviour himself, crouched down next to Obi-Wan and smiled at Luke, “We can go to the zoo and see animals, or the museum and try a milkshake–”
Luke’s eyes widened, a gleam of joy in his eyes, “Wreally?!”
Bail nodded, grinning as the boy cheered.
Obi-Wan was just glad their goodbye wouldn’t be drawn out much longer. “I’m going to say bye now.”
It dawned on Obi-Wan that– if this all was one big trap and if he did get caught up in it– this might be the last time he saw his little beacon of Light.
Luke pouted again, but nodded. “Hug?”
“Of course.” Obi-Wan tried to smile as he hugged the boy tightly. Bail looked at him with concern for a moment then smiled again as Luke broke away and skipped over to where Obi-Wan’s outer robe laid.
“Here, Uncle Ben!” The boy said as he handed Obi-Wan his robe and grinned up at the Jedi as he straightened to his full height.
“Why thank you.” Obi-Wan laughed, “Now, be good for Uncle Bail, listen to him and don’t run off.”
Luke nodded as Obi-Wan put his outer robe into his bag and straightened his guard uniform. He needed it to sneak out unnoticed and would be changing back into his outer robe the moment he got out of here.
About an hour later, Obi-Wan was out in the streets of Coruscant again. He had slept for a grand total of 4 hours, ate a few bites of actual non Tatooinian food and drank four cups of tea before leaving Bail and Luke.
They had agreed that Bail would take care of Luke for the next few days and take the boy to Alderaan if Obi-Wan hadn’t returned by the end of the three days. They would leave at the first sign of real trouble, so if things did turn ugly, Luke would be safe and taken care of.
Obi-Wan had a bit of trouble deciding where to start his investigation but he figured the Jedi Temple would be as good as any place.
One of the advantages of being on Coruscant was the fact that there were few beings that knew the city planet better than Temple raised Jedi.
Obi-Wan had been raised on Coruscant and was very familiar with how the districts near the Temple were set up. The train routes, taxi services and places to commandeer a speeder were all familiar too. He knew those sneaky shortcuts– thanks to Quinlan– and all the best hiding spots and Jedi-only sneak routes down to the lower levels.
What he also knew, where the Shadow entrances the Jedi Temple had. The ones no one– not even most of the other Councillors– knew of unless they were a Shadow themselves.
Again, Quinlan’s bad influence proved to be an advantage.
Getting to the Temple, even in daylight, was not too hard to do without being noticed. This time around, Obi-wan made a point of taking the back entrance, not willing to glance at the statues that now stood in front of the Temple for a second time.
As he got to the Temple grounds, it was clear that there were more Clones set up there. It seemed to be guarded though few actually went inside. In fact, Obi-Wan could barely feel anyone inside the huge structure.
Getting in was a little complicated with the patrol but Obi-Wan managed to reach the Shadow passage unseen and slipped inside.
It was odd.
The Temple echoing every small noise.
Never before had the Temple been as empty as it was right now.
There was an odd odour of cleaning supplies in the air, an undertone of copper mixed in. What blaster bolts had been there before were gone, either cleaned or resorted. The Temple’s floor was partially covered with a deep red carpet but it looked like someone was making the effort to remove that flooring and remove the glue keeping it down from the marble floors.
A pile of similarly coloured banners in the corner suggested that they were recently taken down and whoever did so made a point of ripping the fabric up as much as possible.
Obi-Wan felt like a ghost as he moved through the Halls.
There was a lingering Darkness but it was slightly faded. Obi-Wan pursed his lips. It was clear that no Sith was nearby. There were Troopers though– 212th Troopers on patrol from the looks of it. Obi-Wan found himself looking down into the main hall as they passed below his perch.
Moving quietly as a Shadow, Obi-Wan slipped through the hallways and headed straight to the control room where the camera system had once been. Obi-Wan had locked it the last time he had been there, just after he changed the call to return to the Temple to a warning to stay away.
It brought back some repressed memories Obi-Wan was not all too fond of.
Breaking into the security station was pretty easy. Almost too easy. The message Obi-Wan had sent out into the Galaxy was still being transmitted. The dust that released from the station suggested no one had been in there for a while.
They had changed the access code before leaving to deter anyone from messing with the system.
From the looks of it, the holosecurity was still engaged and had been making records. Perhaps that would give some insight on the entire situation on Coruscant.
Bail had mentioned the date when the Clones took over and Obi-Wan decided to start looking for the footage of that date.
His codes still worked, meaning Obi-Wan had an easy time getting into the footage and searching through the footage.
It took him about an hour to find what he was looking for– he had to take a break for a short time as a patrol duo passed the room but managed to find the footage he was looking for.
The entire Temple had been draped in dark red and black fabric, covering the ancient mosaics and marble that the Temple was known for. It looked much darker, the outside light seemed to have been blocked out, creating an ominous darkness inside the large halls.
The High Council Chamber had been transformed into a throne room of sorts– it disgusted Obi-Wan to see.
There sat a shell of a person on a throne, black hood draped over him as he spoke with someone on a Holocall.
Palpatine looked like a walking corps. Pale, white hair, wrinkled beyond his years. He looked very different compared to the last time Obi-Wan had faced the man. As if a lot of his life force had been drained from him, leaving only a shell of what he had once been.
Two Troopers flanked the ‘Emperor’, one of which carried an altered version of the standard rifle Troopers usually carried.
Obi-Wan couldn’t see any paints that identified the Trooper but something seemed to whisper in the back of his mind.
Fox .
As the Holocall ended and the ‘Emperor’ sat back in his chair, the Trooper in question moved to stand right behind him, aimed the rifle and shot.
No warning. Nothing that tipped the Palpatine off.
A simple pull of the trigger followed by a gross amount of blood.
Obi-Wan felt nauseous watching the scene.
There was no denying it. Palpatine was dead and had been killed by a Clone.
The other Trooper didn’t react and merely rounded the desk to secure the room. Then the door burst open and a blaster fight started. Obi-Wan watched it until the two Clones inside the Chamber came out as victors and closed the recorded footage.
Obi-Wan had a killer headache.
He would love to have something to numb it but had sworn substances off when he started taking care of Luke. At least misusing those substances to the point of feeling numb. Not that he could get much in the Jundland Wastes.
Shame, really.
Shaking the confusion and disgust off, Obi-Wan knew he needed to slip away before the next patrol passed his hiding place.
Just because Palpatine was gone, didn’t mean that it was safe.
—-----
Obi-Wan: *Sneaks into Bail’s apartment*
Bail: *Always prepared to deal with assassins* ( -_• )/̵͇̿̿/'̿'̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ( ᵕ • ⤙ •)
Obi-Wan: Is that a blaster or are you just happy to see me? ( ¬⤙¬)/̵͇̿̿/'̿'̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ( ͡º ꒳ ͡º ) |( ᴗ oᴗ) ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁
Obi-Wan: –so you’re going to stay with Uncle Bail for a bit
Luke: But I wanna stay with Uncle Ben! ( •ᴖ•｡)
Bail: We’ll go have fun! Buy you some ice cream and toys and–
Luke: Okay! (˶ᵔᵕᵔ˶)
Obi-Wan: *Sees Palpatine’s death*
Obi-Wan: Well… that escalated quickly. ( ˶°ㅁ°)