Chapter Text
Obi-Wan Kenobi didn’t know what to do. The Council forced him to go on a mission with his Padawan, who was refusing to talk to him, and his grandpadawan, who also wasn’t talking to him (at least she doesn't immediately leave the room the moment he walks in, though). Anakin had been avoiding him so far on their entire journey. Either hiding in his rooms or fixing up every single ship on the hanger bay.
The Jedi Master didn’t agree with everything the Council wanted him to do for the Rako Hardeen mission. For example, he hated the fact that they had to use Anakin’s emotions to prove he was really “dead”. That had been Master Windu’s idea. The entire Council knew Anakin always had trouble suppressing his emotions, especially when it came to the people he was loyal to. For Anakin, you were either the lucky few whom he trusted with his life, or someone who always saw his cold shoulder. Obi-Wan, who’d been one of the lucky few for his entire life, had a whiplash the first time he’d tried to talk to Anakin and the Knight had just walked out of the room. Yes, he was guilty for using Anakin’s emotions against him, but couldn’t his former Padawan see that this was all for the greater good? Even Obi-Wan’s commander had given him the silent treatment for the first day, but then he got over it. In fact, the only person who seemed to be mostly unaffected was the 501st Captain Rex, who’d only given Obi-Wan a few glares for his brother and general’s sake.
Obi-Wan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood at the command bridge. This couldn’t go on forever. They had a mission to accomplish, for Force’s sake. It was to go to this remote planet in the Outer Rim to investigate some ancient Temple and retrieve anything that was inside. They had no idea if it was a Sith or Jedi Temple.
“Sir,” Cody said, coming in, “we’re coming out of hyperspace now.”
Obi-Wan took a deep breath. “Can you tell Rex to get Anakin and Ahsoka?”
“Yes, General.”
In a few minutes, the door slid open again and the leading commanders of the 501st walked in. Anakin’s bond with him was still closed, his shields high and impenetrable as ever. Ahsoka gave him a glance in what Obi-Wan assumed as an acknowledgment that he was in the room with them before turning around and looking at some machine her master was fiddling with in his hand.
“General Kenobi,” Rex greeted the Jedi Master.
Obi-Wan dipped his head, “Captain Rex.”
There was a couple minutes of awkward silence before Cody started going over the mission. Anakin still hasn't looked at him once.
“Our only job is to go inside this temple, look around, and retrieve anything we find. Everyone got it?”
“Yes, Cody,” they all chorused.
“Good. We’re approaching the planet now.”
°˖➴☆➴˖°
“Master, this place gives me bad vibes,” Ahsoka whines as they walk down yet another dark corridor. “I don’t think there’s anything in here. Can we please leave soon?”
Rex tilts his helmet at the General, “Sir, I agree with the Commander. I don’t like this.”
The blue glow of Anakin’s lightsaber illuminates his face. “Not yet, Snips. I can feel something and we’re getting closer.”
Oh great, Rex thought, another one of those Force things happening again. He’s dealt with enough weird Force artifacts already, and doesn’t really want to meet another one. Who knows what this one will do to them.
Obi-Wan doesn’t like how the shadows seem to be eating away the glow of his lightsaber. He doesn’t know exactly what Anakin can sense that’s nearby, but he’s getting a weird tingly sensation in the back of his head that suggests there might just be an artifact when they take their next turn.
“Sir,” Cody asks him, “are we almost there?”
“Yes, Cody.”
Finally, they turn left and come across what looks like giant black gates. Anakin waves his hand and the doors slowly creak open. Ahsoka shivers when they walk in, this room’s temperature is much lower than the rest of the temple.
“This place reeks of the Dark Side,” Anakin mutters, probably to himself. It appeared that they were in some sort of long hallway, and there are huge statues of people in cloaks on both sides staring down at whoever is walking through.
Finally, Cody could see some sort of red light emanating from an object at the end of the corridor. It looks like a dais made of stone with a glowing prism in the center, and Cody didn’t even need the Force to tell him that the thing looked like it would bring bad news.
Ahsoka watched as her Master confidently walked up the steps, then began to examine the Sith artifact from all sides. His hand reached out to take it–
“Anakin, don’t just grab it!” Obi-Wan shouts.
Anakin didn’t bother hiding his rolling eyes. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, Obi-Wan,” he snapped. His anger had been simmering on this entire trip and now it’s about to boil over. He didn’t need Obi-Wan trying to order him around like he was still a Padawan. Anakin grabs the Sith artifact before anyone could stop him. There was silence as they all stared at the object in his hand.
“See?” He said, throwing his other hand up, “You’re all so dramatic. Nothing’s going to happen. Now let’s get out of here.”
Rex shrugs and follows his general as they leave the Temple. He’s not gonna lie, he half expected some Force osik when Skywalker had grabbed it, but nothing did. This was probably the easiest mission they’ve done since the war started. One by one, they all filed behind the General and walked out of the temple.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Obi-Wan mutters to himself.
It wasn’t until they’d gotten out of the temple that Ahsoka started having a strange feeling in the back of her mind. She caught up to her Master, saying, “Master Skywalker, do you feel that?”
Anakin frowned, “I don’t know, a little? I’m sure it’s just the Sith artifact, Snips. It’s making you nervous.”
As they put more distance between them and the temple, Obi-Wan could’ve sworn the Force felt like it was slowly pressing down on him. Anakin stops walking and puts a hand on his head, a deep frown on his face. “Ahsoka, do you feel that?” Obi-Wan tried not to let the fact that Anakin had asked the young Togruta instead of his master bother him, but it was hard. The Force pressed harder and harder on them until even Cody and Rex were looking around with their blasters raised.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them seemed to give away and then the group was in free fall. Cody would deny it for the rest of his life but Obi-Wan could’ve sworn the girly scream was coming from his commander.
Then, abruptly as it began, they all slammed onto a smooth floor, the breath knocked out of their lungs while there were several gasps around them. Obi-Wan groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Above him, there was a young man with ginger hair and a Padawan braid hanging off his right ear.
“Hello there.”