Murder the Dawn: Chapter Seven: Nightmares
In which Padme meets with Dooku, and we get a glimpse into Anakin and Obi-Wan's relationship as they get back from Ansion.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Even speaking with Dooku, Padme could not help but be surprised at just how gentlemanly he was. How amiable. She supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised, considering how he was brought up, but even so...
“So you are saying,” Dooku said, “That this Master of yours may be able to bring peace and order to the galaxy where the Order failed?”
“For his part, yes.”
“Very well then.” Dooku stood in one fluid motion. “Take me to him.”
“I will.”
***
It was another one of those dreams that Anakin kept having.
The beginning of the dream was innocuous enough -- if anything, he was back on Mandalore (somehow, despite everything that had happened there, Mandalore still gave him warm memories when he thought about it. Probably thinking about Jar-Jar helped. And Satine. And Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon -- unfortunately, Obi-Wan didn’t seem to have gotten over Qui-Gon’s death. Something in him -- something had broken in him that day. Anakin could only wonder, with the way Obi-Wan looked at him at times, if he wasn’t truly seeing Anakin -- only remembering Qui-Gon. And even that thought stung) and, somehow, his mother was with him. And she was smiling -- warm and gentle and kind and happy, just so happy, that he had managed to succeed.
“You’ve done it, Annie. You’ve done it. You have brought hope to those who have none.”
And even now, something in him loosened.
And with her was Qui-Gon -- the way the two of them stood together, almost like they belonged by one another’s side. The way Qui-Gon looked at her -- something about that look, Anakin could not help but wonder --
And then the dream shifted.
Shmi, shattering into bloody glass along with Qui-Gon, without any time to say goodbye. Himself, dueling a mysterious man with a blue lightsaber -- brother against brother.
And the girl from Mandalore -- the girl that Obi-Wan had told him about. Small and slender and beautiful, with amber eyes, amber with the Dark Side, and rich brown hair. She seemed almost like an angel -- an avenging angel, sent from the Corellian hells to torment the living.
Finally, Anakin managed to wake in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. He looked around, observed his quarters, and realized, with relief, that he was safe and sound. That everything was all right.
And even that realization made him break into tears, tears of mingled sorrow and gratitude. Gratitude that it wasn’t real, that it was only a bad dream - and if it was a premonition of the future, he would do whatever was in his power to prevent it.
He didn’t want another tragedy for him, or anyone else, after Qui-Gon’s death. Everything had to pass into the Force eventually, he knew that, but seeing Obi-Wan’s pain - sometimes, Anakin mused, Obi-Wan didn’t seem to see him whenever he looked at him. He seemed, mostly, to be remembering Qui-Gon.
And that hurt the worst of all.
In some of his more irrational moments, he could not help but wonder if Obi-Wan was deliberately trying to antagonize him - if Obi-Wan hated him for seemingly “stealing” Qui-Gon’s attention from him. Which wasn’t fair - if anything, Obi-Wan seemed to like him. After all, he tended to defend him in Council meetings even during the times when he didn’t really need defending. And he was a good Master, a wonderful Master, as powerful as Mace Windu and as wise as Master Yoda. If one was to ask Anakin about how he felt about being Obi-Wan’s apprentice, he would have, truthfully, answered, that he was grateful to be in such a position.
Obi-Wan was a good man and a great Jedi - the problem was that he very rarely seemed to recognize it. Sometimes it was quite an amusing and even quite touching trait, how Obi-Wan tended to downplay his successes, saying, mostly, that if not for Anakin he wouldn’t have gotten this far, but at the same time, it was frustrating on multiple levels. For one thing, if anything, the Order seemed to have taught Obi-Wan well in terms of sending mixed signals, for the older man seemed to fluctuate between praising him and condemning him badly enough for him to be embarrassed to be seen by other people.
Granted, it wasn’t Obi-Wan’s fault - he no doubt was trying to do his job - but even so, he could not help but hate Obi-Wan at times for this. The older man had a talent for alarming and confusing him.
And the fact that he didn’t recognize his own potential, how he seemed to unintentionally cripple himself - he could still remember what he had said on Ansion, when one of the snobbier noblemen had ridiculed Obi-Wan, when he had said that Obi-Wan would never be Qui-Gon Jinn, that he was a pale imitation of him.
“Don’t listen to him, Master. Personally…I think you’re one of the best Jedi out there.”
Obi-Wan had been stunned then, stammering a quick thank you to Anakin, telling him to get some rest. Even now, it was quite amusing and touching to see Obi-Wan caught off guard in such a fashion.
It was true that Obi-Wan was no perfect mentor, but there was something in him, Anakin mused, that he hadn’t seen before - not as a child, at least.
Obi-Wan seemed to fluctuate between being kind and being cold, but at his heart, he was a good man - and Anakin was thankful to be his Padawan.
“Anakin! Anakin, get up here!”
His master’s voice snapped Anakin out of his thoughts, and he quickly pulled on his Jedi robes over his pajamas. Anakin sighed.
Hopefully it’s not about the coordinates…
But then again, he had a feeling that Obi-Wan would be far from happy about his little “shortcut” to Coruscant anyway.
Obi-Wan was odd like that.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Even speaking with Dooku, Padme could not help but be surprised at just how gentlemanly he was. How amiable. She supposed that she shouldn’t be surprised, considering how he was brought up, but even so...
“So you are saying,” Dooku said, “That this Master of yours may be able to bring peace and order to the galaxy where the Order failed?”
“For his part, yes.”
“Very well then.” Dooku stood in one fluid motion. “Take me to him.”
“I will.”
***
It was another one of those dreams that Anakin kept having.
The beginning of the dream was innocuous enough -- if anything, he was back on Mandalore (somehow, despite everything that had happened there, Mandalore still gave him warm memories when he thought about it. Probably thinking about Jar-Jar helped. And Satine. And Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon -- unfortunately, Obi-Wan didn’t seem to have gotten over Qui-Gon’s death. Something in him -- something had broken in him that day. Anakin could only wonder, with the way Obi-Wan looked at him at times, if he wasn’t truly seeing Anakin -- only remembering Qui-Gon. And even that thought stung) and, somehow, his mother was with him. And she was smiling -- warm and gentle and kind and happy, just so happy, that he had managed to succeed.
“You’ve done it, Annie. You’ve done it. You have brought hope to those who have none.”
And even now, something in him loosened.
And with her was Qui-Gon -- the way the two of them stood together, almost like they belonged by one another’s side. The way Qui-Gon looked at her -- something about that look, Anakin could not help but wonder --
And then the dream shifted.
Shmi, shattering into bloody glass along with Qui-Gon, without any time to say goodbye. Himself, dueling a mysterious man with a blue lightsaber -- brother against brother.
And the girl from Mandalore -- the girl that Obi-Wan had told him about. Small and slender and beautiful, with amber eyes, amber with the Dark Side, and rich brown hair. She seemed almost like an angel -- an avenging angel, sent from the Corellian hells to torment the living.
Finally, Anakin managed to wake in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. He looked around, observed his quarters, and realized, with relief, that he was safe and sound. That everything was all right.
And even that realization made him break into tears, tears of mingled sorrow and gratitude. Gratitude that it wasn’t real, that it was only a bad dream - and if it was a premonition of the future, he would do whatever was in his power to prevent it.
He didn’t want another tragedy for him, or anyone else, after Qui-Gon’s death. Everything had to pass into the Force eventually, he knew that, but seeing Obi-Wan’s pain - sometimes, Anakin mused, Obi-Wan didn’t seem to see him whenever he looked at him. He seemed, mostly, to be remembering Qui-Gon.
And that hurt the worst of all.
In some of his more irrational moments, he could not help but wonder if Obi-Wan was deliberately trying to antagonize him - if Obi-Wan hated him for seemingly “stealing” Qui-Gon’s attention from him. Which wasn’t fair - if anything, Obi-Wan seemed to like him. After all, he tended to defend him in Council meetings even during the times when he didn’t really need defending. And he was a good Master, a wonderful Master, as powerful as Mace Windu and as wise as Master Yoda. If one was to ask Anakin about how he felt about being Obi-Wan’s apprentice, he would have, truthfully, answered, that he was grateful to be in such a position.
Obi-Wan was a good man and a great Jedi - the problem was that he very rarely seemed to recognize it. Sometimes it was quite an amusing and even quite touching trait, how Obi-Wan tended to downplay his successes, saying, mostly, that if not for Anakin he wouldn’t have gotten this far, but at the same time, it was frustrating on multiple levels. For one thing, if anything, the Order seemed to have taught Obi-Wan well in terms of sending mixed signals, for the older man seemed to fluctuate between praising him and condemning him badly enough for him to be embarrassed to be seen by other people.
Granted, it wasn’t Obi-Wan’s fault - he no doubt was trying to do his job - but even so, he could not help but hate Obi-Wan at times for this. The older man had a talent for alarming and confusing him.
And the fact that he didn’t recognize his own potential, how he seemed to unintentionally cripple himself - he could still remember what he had said on Ansion, when one of the snobbier noblemen had ridiculed Obi-Wan, when he had said that Obi-Wan would never be Qui-Gon Jinn, that he was a pale imitation of him.
“Don’t listen to him, Master. Personally…I think you’re one of the best Jedi out there.”
Obi-Wan had been stunned then, stammering a quick thank you to Anakin, telling him to get some rest. Even now, it was quite amusing and touching to see Obi-Wan caught off guard in such a fashion.
It was true that Obi-Wan was no perfect mentor, but there was something in him, Anakin mused, that he hadn’t seen before - not as a child, at least.
Obi-Wan seemed to fluctuate between being kind and being cold, but at his heart, he was a good man - and Anakin was thankful to be his Padawan.
“Anakin! Anakin, get up here!”
His master’s voice snapped Anakin out of his thoughts, and he quickly pulled on his Jedi robes over his pajamas. Anakin sighed.
Hopefully it’s not about the coordinates…
But then again, he had a feeling that Obi-Wan would be far from happy about his little “shortcut” to Coruscant anyway.
Obi-Wan was odd like that.