Chapter Text
The Council rarely met together, the war keeping most of them busy. The fact that a man they had previously thought to be dead was now in a cell for murdering the Chancellor was enough to get everyone together. Obi-Wan glanced around the chamber, noticing how all seats were now filled, either by an actual councillor or their hologram.
“Has the Senate been informed of what happened?” Mace Windu asked. Obi-Wan could see the vein throbbing in Mace’s head, indicating how close the Korun was to needing to channel his anger before he burst something. Given what had just been heaped onto Mace’s already full plate, Obi-Wan could feel for the man. Bringing Qui-Gon to the temple had caused a thousand or so little upsets that were spiralling out of control. The biggest of which was the Zillo beast. Temple protocol required Qui-Gon to be held in the holding cells… but when they attempted to take him to the cells, the beast growled in a very predatory way. The only place they could keep Qui-Gon was in one of the interrogation rooms. The beast itself was currently curled up around the temple, presumably sleeping. Obi-Wan could feel the eyes of the other councillors on him, shaking himself from his thoughts.
“No, not yet,” he admitted. The other councillors nodded. Yoda looked thoughtful.
“Sure, we are, that Qui-Gon this is?” he asked, voicing the question everyone had been thinking. Was it really Qui-Gon? Obi-Wan was sure it had been. His signature in the Force had been the same as it was when he had been alive. But Qui-Gon had died… Obi-Wan had felt his mater’s life extinguish in his arms. Yet… he was here, in the temple. Alive. He couldn’t explain it, even to himself… but it felt right. He was about to say as much when Ahsoka burst into the room. The Togruta girl looked shocked and slightly frightened, panting slightly from running.
“Masters… Count Dooku has just surrendered himself to the clone troops on Braakas!” at her words, a ripple of shock bubbled through the assembled councillors. Obi-Wan resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to prevent the headache that was now starting to build up behind his eyes. Of course something would happen with Dooku today, because the universe was just determined to make things that much more complicated.
“Bring him back to the temple, General Kenobi and Skywalker will. Best suited to the task, they are.”
Obi-Wan’s head snapped up at Yoda’s words, his expression torn between horror and determination. Intellectually, he understood why Yoda and the council would want he and Anakin to collect Dooku, but that didn’t change the fact that Qui-Gon was sitting in an interrogation room, inexplicably alive after all these years. Part of him wanted to beg the council to let him stay and question his former master. A bigger part, a part that was still a general, understood that keeping Anakin far away from Qui-Gon for a few days would be a good idea. With a short nod, Obi-Wan bowed to the assembled councillors, turning sharply to stride from the room. Ahsoka followed behind him, waiting until they were well away from the council chamber before speaking.
“Master Kenobi, I didn’t want to mention this in front of the council, but there’s something else you should know,” she said, falling into step beside him. Obi-Wan sighed, glancing down at the young padawan.
“What is it, Ahsoka?” he asked, preparing for the worst.
“Hondo’s involved. Somehow. The clones wouldn’t give more details than that,” she replied. Obi-Wan barely contained a curse, wondering if it was possible for this day to get more complicated. He stopped himself before he could allow his mind to wander further. Given how the universe seemed to be very much against him right now, it would not help to encourage it. He nodded, quickening his stride slightly.
“And where, pray tell, is Anakin? I’d like to get this taken care of as soon as possible,” Obi-Wan asked. Ahsoka flashed a tight smile.
“Where do you think he is?”
Anakin stood at the window of the interrogation room where Qui-Gon was held, his frame tense as he watched the prisoner. If Obi-Wan was thrown for a loop with Qui-Gon’s return, he couldn’t begin to imagine what Anakin was feeling. Qui-Gon had brought Anakin to the Jedi, had freed him from slavery, had changed his life so dramatically that Obi-Wan was sure that there was more than a little hero worship in there. In contrast, Palpatine was… well, Palpatine was probably the closest thing Anakin had to father figure. A father figure who was also a patron. It had bothered Obi-Wan that Palpatine took such an interest in the boy, but he never gave it much thought until now. It should have bothered him more that the Chancellor had politically favoured a young Jedi apprentice from a backwater like Tatooine. Obi-Wan frowned slightly, moving to stand next to Anakin. Why had he thought that? He’d never had reason to question Palpatine’s interest in Anakin before.
In the interrogation room, Qui-Gon meditated, hands folded in his lap, expression serene. He looked just as he had all those years ago, right before the disastrous fight in the Theed Generator Complex. Obi-Wan glanced up at Anakin, noting the tense set of his jaw.
“Is it really him?” Anakin’s voice was low, his anger barely contained.
“Yes. I’m sure of it,” Obi-Wan doubted he could lie to Anakin at this point. Despite only spending a short amount of time with Qui-Gon, Anakin would be familiar enough with his force presence to recognise him. Anakin drew in a deep breath, his frame still tense, only releasing some of that tension on the exhale. Obi-Wan glanced up at his former apprentice, eyebrow raised in question.
“Better?” he tried not to sound too concerned, although it was hard to stop acting protective towards the younger man. He could still remember the small boy he had suddenly been required to raise and train. Anakin nodded, a sharp movement that hardly eased Obi-Wan’s worries.
“What did the council want? Are we going to question Master Qui-Gon?” the younger man asked. Obi-Wan shook his head, gaze returning to his former master. As if sensing their presences on the other side of the glass, Qui-Gon had opened his eyes and was watching the window. Obi-Wan knew it was impossible for the other man to see them, but if he didn’t know any better he could swear his master was staring at them.
“No… we’re to travel to Braakas and bring Count Dooku back to Coruscant. Apparently, he surrendered to the clone troops stationed there. Oh, and Hondo is involved somehow,” Obi-Wan replied. Anakin let out a bark of laughter, turning from Qui-Gon to look at his former master. When it didn’t appear that Obi-Wan was joking, the younger man cleared his throat.
“You’re not joking, are you Master.”
“Sadly, no. I have the terrible feeling that this thing with Dooku has something to do with Qui-Gon.” At this, Anakin actually perked up a little.
“So… this might just be a Sith trick?” the unabashed hope in his voice was enough to break Obi-Wan’s heart. Of course his former pupil wouldn’t want to accept Qui-Gon had murdered Palpatine in cold-blood.
“Maybe,” Obi-Wan replied. Anakin nodded, turning from the window.
“Shall we go?” Anakin sounded almost chipper. Obi-Wan nodded, turning to look back at Qui-Gon once more before he followed Anakin. Whatever they found on Braakas, Obi-Wan suspected it wasn’t going to make things any clearer.