Chapter 9: Elevated Lights
21 BBY, Coruscant
Obi-Wan Kenobi was proud of Anakin’s progress since the Clone Wars, though he did admit to being a little worried as to how naturally he had taken to war. However, that was something that would likely be addressed with time and wisdom. After all, Obi-Wan had once been the same, before he had become Master Jinn’s Padawan, always eager for battle. Master Jinn would have likely been a far better master to Anakin than he.
Obi-Wan had tried his best, but he often wondered if his best had not been enough. Still, even when he knew that Anakin was a great warrior and general, war was a great cause for worry. And so, when Anakin had gone missing… again, Obi-Wan had returned to Coruscant, hoping to find a clue as to how to find him.
He knew that he was still alive, as he still felt the bond between them remain. He awaited his return, and when he did, Anakin was… not unchanged.
From the moment that Anakin Skywalker had asked to speak with the Council, something he normally avoided like womp rats, he had known that something was different, likely every member of the Council had. When he had released his presence in the Force, the turbulent waves had disappeared, leaving behind a strange calmness that was not Anakin’s by any measure. In fact, Obi-Wan was certain that it would be a cold day in Mustafar before he would expect this sort of control from Anakin, though he hoped that he would have achieved it by the time he rose to become a Jedi Master.
The tale that he told, of a world named Maridun, would have made Obi-Wan incredulous, were it not for the obvious change in Anakin’s temperament.
Getting possessed by a Sith Holocron in an ancient Rakatan Temple. It sounded more like a Holoshow than truth, yet Obi-Wan felt the truth of every word spoken in the Force. How Anakin had somehow managed to crash on the only planet that could get him possessed by a Sith Lord was beyond him. The fact that... somehow Anakin was better for it also beggared belief.
Both he and Master Yoda had believed that taking a Padawan would have helped calm down his temperament, and in many ways, it had worked, but these results paled compared to what happened in this single escapade.
It was halfway through Anakin explaining the strange man, Harry Potter, who was maybe a smuggler, that somehow helped him defeat the Sith possessing him… with a blaster, and Obi-Wan was sincerely trying not to tear out his hair, that he felt it, a great disturbance in the Force just beneath the Temple.
He didn’t think that any Jedi in this sector could have missed it, given the fact that even the members of the council who had attended the meeting through holograms had visibly stiffened as well.
Yet, here he was, standing next to Yoda, Mace Windu, and Anakin, staring at the ruins beneath the Jedi Temple.
Shaak Ti was behind them, alongside Knight Secura and Ahsoka, likely having joined them in chasing down the disturbance in the Force.
None of them said anything, instead staring at the Sith shrine before them, which visibly held the taint of the Dark Side, coiling and spreading outward, from beneath the Jedi Temple. Eventually, even though the shock remained, Obi-Wan muttered mostly to himself, “How is this possible?”
Master Yoda spoke up, “Clouded, our sight has become. Blind, we were, to the machinations of the Sith.”
“How long has this been here?” he heard Ahsoka say behind him with horror in her tone.
Obi-Wan hummed at that answer, thankful at the question to distract himself from what they had just discovered: “If I had to guess, I would say that the shrine itself predates the Jedi Temple. We will need to search the Archives to be certain of its true origin, but I sense that it has been used in recent years.”
It was worrying. Obi-Wan could almost feel the Dark Side mocking their blindness, their failure. Most urgently, this showed that the Sith had been present in the Temple. Force, how blind had they been to not notice a Sith Lord in their midst.
“A sentiment that I concur,” Mace Windu answered, “this was obviously a ploy that had been in motion for a long time, far before Count Dooku left the Order. As for the origin of the shrine itself, I propose we task Master Jocasta Nu to search the archives. If the Jedi Temple was built atop a Sith Shrine, then there should be a record of it in there. This must be handled with care. We will need to seal this entire area and ensure that no one has access to it. But the most important issue is to figure out how this shrine was used against us.”
Anakin, who had been strangely silent since they left the Council Chambers, spoke up, “Shouldn’t our priority be to destroy it?”
Master Yoda shook his head in disappointment, “Much to learn, young Skywalker, you still have. Easier, destruction is. Greater strength, healing requires. A Force Nexus, destroy carelessly you must not. Wounds in the Force, such actions may leave. Besides, thwarted already, the machinations of the Sith here have been.”
Obi-Wan barely had time to turn to the Grand Master in surprise before seeing Master Yoda raise his hand towards the shrine in question. He still felt the Dark Side, its presence permeating in this entire cave, in every piece of dust, every stone, every breath of air. He could not believe what Master Yoda had meant when he said that the Sith had lost somehow.
Perhaps he meant that this was supposed to be a secret, one that had been revealed, weakening the Sith? Obi-Wan did not know, and before he could think further, his eyes widened as he saw a small light appear in the Grand Master’s outstretched hand.
It was small at first, flickering, as if it was struggling to take shape, but slowly it grew larger and brighter, banishing away the Darkness with its mere presence, and before long, the entire cavern had been filled with Light, until Obi-Wan felt the Dark Side repelled from his senses.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the Light began to fade away, and the Grand Master lowered his hand, falling onto his cane to right himself from exertion. He seemed out of breath, and everyone, even Mace Windu, turned towards him with pure astonishment.
He could feel the Dark Side having receded from this place, almost cleansed, and Obi-Wan could not help but marvel at the Grand Master’s technique. He had never felt such Light and Serenity before, not even in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.
Even as a member of the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan would confess that he knew very little of what went through Master Yoda’s mind. He was profoundly wise, and his understanding of the Force was beyond what Obi-Wan even thought possible. And while he knew of the Grandmaster's wisdom and knowledge, he could not but feel like a youngling once more, being awed by the Temple's master's use of the Force.
It was certainly a humbling experience to see Master Yoda's Light repel the influence of the Dark Side that had felt so suffocating earlier. The technique, if one could call it that, was probably lost or dismissed over the last thousand years. Obi-Wan supposed that he could see why that would happen, as Dark Siders had become quite rare after the defeat of the Sith all those years ago.
Master Yoda might have learned it out of curiosity, or thinking of a potential need in the future, as the Grand Master of the order, such was his wisdom.
Of course, it was then that Yoda looked at them and huffed with a hint of smugness in his voice, “Nine hundred years old, I may be… but still got it, I do.”
It took quite a bit of control not to snort at these words, though he could sense Ahsoka giggling in the background. Thankfully, Mace Windu, the voice of reason in the council, spoke up, “Thank you, Master Yoda, but I can still sense traces of the Dark Side remaining in Force Nexus.”
“All things heal, Master Windu… but the greatest cure, time is. Long has this darkness dwelled beneath the Temple. In a single moment, undone completely, it cannot be.”
Mace nodded in agreement, but Obi-Wan noticed that his former Padawan was certainly not happy with that answer. Before Anakin could argue with the Grandmaster of the order, he interjected, “Why now?”
They all turned towards him, and he clarified, “This shrine had remained hidden from our sight for a long time, so what changed this? What caused the disturbance in the Force?”
Mace nodded and spoke up, “Much of it is occluded by the Dark Side, but perhaps Master Vos would be able to discover more. His psychometry could allow us to see hints of what occurred. And if something unusual caused the disturbance, perhaps we would be able to find something in the security recordings.”
Shaak Ti interjected, “We will need to reassure the Jedi within the Temple. The younglings would be quite unsettled by a Darkness so close to their home.”
Obi-Wan nodded as he stroked his beard, “By that same logic, we will also need to warn most deployed Masters, Knights, and Padawans. They would have felt the disturbance, and I imagine they could be distracted during combat, perhaps fatally so.”
They prepared to look towards Master Yoda for confirmation, only to realise that the Grandmaster was not near them and was instead walking back to the Jedi Temple, without saying a word.
Anakin spoke up loudly, “Where are you going, Master Yoda?”
“A guest waiting for us, we have, do we not? Speak with him; we should.”
Obi-Wan froze at that. A guest?
It took embarrassingly too long for him to remember who Master Yoda referenced, Harry Potter, the strange man that Anakin had met on Maridun, “Should we not focus on the Sith Shrine, Master Yoda, instead of Harry Potter?”
“Ah, Master Kenobi, there is little more to do here. The will of the Force, perhaps it is, that our guest we speak with.”
Obi-Wan would have been incredulous at that answer if it weren’t for the fact that the moment he opened himself up into the Force, he could feel that it was overwhelmingly urging him towards speaking with Harry Potter.
He had thought that Anakin had been exaggerating about the fact that the Force had insisted on him taking the man to the Temple, but there was no denying how right Master Yoda’s suggestion felt. There was something regarding this Harry Potter that was tied into this… somehow.
All the Jedi, from the Grandmaster to Padawan Ahsoka, were silent during the path back to the Council Chambers, contemplating the events of what they had witnessed beneath the Temple and the depth of their failure. Well, Master Windu had a Datapad in hand, likely sending orders to seal off the Sith Shrine and ensure that it would remain observed at every moment.
It was when they arrived at the entrance of the Council Chambers and found it to be deserted, aside from something being nailed into the Durasteel doors… somehow. Mace gave a severe look to Ahsoka and Aayla, who were supposed to guard the man in question. Both of them looked guilty, but Mace quickly relented his look. After all, they could hardly blame the girls for leaving their post, given that they had done so to join them when the disturbance in the Force beneath the temple took place.
And so, Obi-Wan simply walked forward and grabbed the object in question, hearing his former Padawan ask with an incredulous tone, “Is that… paper?”
Wasn’t that a surprise? Obi-Wan hadn’t seen a piece of paper in the last few years, not when Datapads were much more prevalent and useful. Still, the Jedi Master nodded and read the message written on the piece of paper out loud: “Dear Jedi, I got bored from waiting, and since you all seemed very busy, I decided to go on a walk. As a gracious gesture, I leave you a cup of (very delicious) Hot Chocolate in recompense; hopefully, it will help you with your stress. With love, Harry Potter.”
Despite him reading the letter out loud, Obi-Wan had to admit to feeling incredulous at the words that had just come from his mouth. Anakin and Mace Windu obviously must have felt the same, given the fact that they actually leaned in to read the paper’s contents themselves.
He could feel a small crack in Mace Windu’s iron control, though only briefly: “We need to bring him back to the Temple. His presence must not have been a coincidence.”
Ahsoka immediately jumped at him, “It’s impossible for him to be involved in the disturbance, Master. He has been with us since the moment we left Maridun. He couldn’t have done anything, could he?”
She turned towards Knight Secura, who nodded resolutely.
“Perhaps, Padawan,” Mace acquiesced, “But it was the Will of the Force that you brought him to the Jedi Temple, and just as it is what urges us to speak with him, I do not believe that these events are unrelated.”
Obi-Wan could not deny that possibility, much as he wanted to. Ever since Anakin had returned from Maridun, events had unfolded with almost unnatural timing.
The Master of Vaapad turned towards him and spoke up, “Master Kenobi, you will go with Knight Skywalker and Padawan Tano to track down this Harry Potter and bring him back to the Temple. Skywalker said that this was his first time in Coruscant, and if that is true, he should not have gone far. Hopefully, he would be able to provide us with some answers…”
He nodded at the man, who gave him a grateful look. Mace then turned to Shaak Ti and Secura, “You two will accompany me. The disturbance in the Force and the reveal of the Sith Shrine beneath the Temple will require immediate coordination with the Temple Guard, and we will need to investigate…”
Unfortunately, he did not finish this sentence as a loud slurping sound stopped him completely. Every single Jedi near the council just froze and looked down towards the source of the noise.
It was Master Yoda, with a mug in his hand and a content smile on his face, “Mmm. Delicious, this is.”
Obi-Wan swore that he saw a vein on Mace’s forehead nearly pop from the sight, which was a strange contrast to his controlled features. Deciding that this day had already become far too absurd for him to properly process, Obi-Wan simply closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping that the world would eventually make sense again.
It unfortunately did not.
And now, he would have to scour Coruscant for this Harry Potter and return him to the Temple. That sounded simple enough, didn’t it? And yet, for some strange reason, Obi-Wan suspected that things were only going to become more complicated from here.
Yes, he definitely had a bad feeling about this.
AN: Well, that’s a bit of the Council reacting to what happened beneath the Temple. I had fun writing it, even if I rewrote it a couple of times. As I said before, I’m still getting the hang of writing a Star Wars story, so bear with me if anything feels off.
This chapter was a bit tricky to do. There was a balance that I needed to maintain about how much the Jedi could figure out from what happened, which I'm not sure came quite right. Yoda obviously knows more than he revealed to the rest, hence why I chose Obi-Wan's POV for this.
I'm still really hesitant about how I handled this chapter, to be completely honest. A part of me thinks that I made Yoda too 'trollish', near the end, but I'm not sure. Though I am looking forward to the next chapter. It should have Harry in Coruscant, which is bound to be... interesting.
Also, feel free to let me know if you have any things you'd like to see in that story. SW lore is pretty expansive, especially Legends stuff, and there's a lot that I'll probably miss, so I'm counting on you guys :)
As usual, I don’t mind rewriting this chapter depending on your feedback, so please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.