Riding the Wheel of If: Episode Twenty-Eight

by MrsHamill (thamill@cox.rr.com)

Archive: By Master & Apprentice, my site (http://darkpine.net/HiddenRealm/mm/mh.html), and SithChicks

Pairing: O/Other, Q/Other, O/Q

Category: Alternate Universe

Rating: NC-17 for the series; this episode rated PG-13

Disclaimer: Like the rest of us, I worship at the altar of St. George the logical plot killer.

Warning: The usual spoilers for TPM (like we all don't know what happened THERE).

Summary: In a quest to be with his beloved Master, Obi-Wan discovers more about himself and what the Force is trying to get him to do. This saga is near the end; I strongly recommend new readers do not start with this Episode; in fact, you HAVE to have read Episode 27 for this one to make sense.

Notes: We're approaching the end, guys, I promise. Thanks (as always) to Beta Reader Par Excellence Fox for her unbelievable help on this saga. I could not have done it -- any of it -- without you, luv.

A muffled bang heralding his arrival at yet another Temple, yet another reality, Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared from thin air. He sat on the grass in meditative lotus, his 'saber still lit, his mind mostly serene within the Force, thinking. Swiftly determining there were no people near him was his first move, a habit he had developed since his capture by the Sith. After ensuring his safety, he slowly cast his awareness out further, passively tasting this reality, getting a feel for where he was.

The peace he had brought with him from his previous sojourn both helped and hampered him. The things he had learned -- about himself as well as the one called Maul -- continued to twist and turn in his brain; but the serenity he had been rewarded with made his senses more acute, and made it easier for him to sort out what he was feeling. And right now, his feelings were of darkness and danger.

There was something wrong here... something quite wrong indeed. An oily darkness oozed at the periphery of his mental 'sight' and made him shiver. It was not like the Sith-controlled universe: that one was completely black and blindingly oppressive. This was more of a shadowy thing that hovered at the edge of his vision, hard to pin down. But there was also a familiarity about it, one that took him only a few minutes to recognize.

Palpatine was here. Somewhere. And that realization filled him with a perverse pleasure for a moment, before he released the inappropriate feeling into the Force, appalled at his reaction. Yes, he intended on destroying the Sith, but he would not descend to the man's level.

After a few more minutes of meditation to re-find his center and serenity, he deactivated his 'saber and stood. Clipping the 'saber to the back of his belt, he stretched high, feeling tendons and joints pop and crack, then slowly crumpled from his waist, allowing his fingers to dangle between his boot toes, while breathing out completely. Another deep breath and he stood, gradually, one vertebra at a time, rolling his head on his neck. // Need more exercise, // he thought to himself, then grinned wryly as he realized he just might get his wish if Palpatine was indeed here.

Pushing aside the low bushes, he carefully walked out into the garden proper, just in time to hear footsteps approaching. Dropping into a crouch, he concealed his presence while watching a dejected figure slowly emerge from the Temple towards the big fountain. A female; she was not wearing Jedi robes, but her hair was very short and cut in a ragged imitation of a Padawan's cut. She looked very familiar; her aura reminded Obi-Wan of someone. He struggled to recall who as he watched her sit by the side of the fountain and drag her fingers in the water. Her whole body radiated pain and sadness. Whatever the source of the darkness he felt, she was not it.

An automatic motion to tuck a curl behind her ear caught his eye. It was almost as if she was used to her hair much longer... Ah. Got it, he thought. At the same time as he figured it out, he frowned; she had changed, and what was she doing on Coruscant?

There was no one else in the garden, no one nearby by at all. Carefully, Obi-Wan rose from his hiding place and walked quietly to the figure seated on the fountain bench. Still wrapped in her shroud of anguish, she didn't see him approach until he was nearly before her. With a gasp, her head snapped up and she backed away, startled.

He put his hand up and stopped, meaning to reassure her. "Your Majesty, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he began.

Her eyes widened further and one hand came up to her mouth. All the color drained out of her face as she gasped, "Jedi Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan was barely able to keep her from falling into the water as she fainted.

In passing, Obi-Wan noted that the garden was somewhat overgrown and disheveled, as if no one had been taking care of it for a while, and he decided it was actually a good thing in this case. He gently stretched

Amidala out in a sunny spot sheltered by two large bushes in bad need of a trim, then erected a passive Force shield around their location to ensure they would not be seen casually.

Removing his robe, he folded it and placed it under her head, then lifted her legs and propped them on his backpack. Settling at her side, he bathed her face with a cloth he had wet from the fountain, murmuring to her. She looked a mess... her once luxurious hair had been badly reduced to little more than a shaggy cap; her face was pale, and her eyes sunken. She had a large bruise on her cheek, and Obi-Wan found others -- as well as half-healed cuts and scratches -- on her arms.

She began to come around, stirring slightly and moaning. He gently pushed the remains of her hair off her forehead and spoke softly to her. Eyes that looked five times their actual age finally opened and focused on him.

"Am I dead, or is this a dream?" she whispered.

"No to both," he replied, smiling with as much reassurance as he could muster. "I can explain, but it's pretty unbelievable."

Looking sad and lost, she said, "Unbelievable I can do. I'm used to unbelievable. Just not used to the dead coming back to life."

Nodding, he looked at his hands. "Ah. I take it I -- I mean, Obi-Wan Kenobi -- died here. Yes?"

"Yes. On..." she choked. "On Naboo. With his Master." The pain and misery in her voice were palpable, and Obi-Wan's heart went out to her.

"Ah. Well, you see, I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. Just not the same one that died on -- on your planet. In my world, my Master died but I did not."

Her eyes were puzzled and showed the beginning of interest, which was much better than the despair evident in them earlier. Settling himself comfortably, Obi-Wan began to explain, softly. "I'm from a different reality. I guess you could say a different dimension. I -- managed to find a way to transport myself between what Master Yoda calls all the possible "ifs"... the world as it would have been had certain things not happened, or happened differently.

"Think of it like a puzzle box. You've seen those, boxes or dolls nested one into the other?" She nodded. "Only in this case, all the boxes are the same, the same size, the same shape and color... but each one has just a tiny difference. On my world, Qui-Gon Jinn died at the hands of a Sith creature, which I then destroyed. Here, apparently, he killed us both. On several worlds neither of us died, and on others, Coruscant is a pastoral wilderness. I've even found myself female."

He grinned at her startled expression. "Hard to accept, isn't it? It took me quite a while to get used to the idea."

She struggled to sit up and Obi-Wan helped her, shifting his backpack out of her way. "Yes, hard to accept... If I hadn't seen your body immolated myself, I would tend to believe you're mad. But then, I feel mad myself most times, so what's the difference." Her voice was quite tonelessly dead.

Frowning slightly, Obi-Wan tried to keep his tone light. "I wouldn't say that, your Majesty. You were one of the sanest women I knew. Your plan to take back the palace..."

But she was shaking her head. "Just Dala. I'm no longer the queen of anything. Nor am I quite sane." She looked at his earnest face searchingly. "You... you didn't know that?" she added slowly. "You aren't a clone? You're not here to... to test me? My loyalty?"

"No," he said softly, taking her hand gently. "I'm not a clone. I'm not your enemy. You've been hurt, haven't you? What happened?"

She jerked her hand away from his, and he let her go immediately, sensing her reluctance to be held, to be touched. Her emotions were in turmoil and she had no Force abilities to keep them in check. "You... you really don't know?" she asked softly.

"No, I really don't," he said softly, reassuringly. "But I am quite -- intimately -- acquainted with the dark side, after the places I've been, so I doubt there's anything you can tell me that will shock me. I can already feel the darkness here."

"Darkness... yes. That's what Master Windu called it too. A darkness, he said." She gulped and looked down into the palms of her hands. "But in the end, realizing it was there didn't prevent him from dying."

Obi-Wan went cold. "Master Windu's dead?"

"Yes. He was one of the first ones." She glanced at the shaken Knight through her long eyelashes. "You really don't know, do you? Maybe... no. I can't allow myself to..." Her words trailed off into inarticulate muttering and she looked away. Realizing that indeed she was not quite completely sane, Obi-Wan bent his head and tried to catch her eyes with his.

"Let me try to help you, Dala. Please. Tell me what happened." When she wouldn't look at him, he sighed. "All right. Let's try this; I'll start, and you just jump in when I get something wrong." He took a deep breath and began, never taking his eyes from her bent head. "We all went back to Naboo with you. You got that ridiculous Gungan to take us to his people, and in a brilliant stroke you got them to agree to fight with us... for us. That was very well done too."

"They're all gone now," she whispered, a tear splashing unnoticed into her upturned hand. "He.. he wasn't happy with how well they did, you know..."

Blinking, wondering who 'he' was and filing the information away for further perusal, Obi-Wan continued. "You... you and your Captain--" her breath hitched and her hands grasped each other tightly at that-- "you managed to capture the Viceroy, while Qui -- I mean, Master Jinn and I fought the Sith below. Then Ani blew up..."

Faster than he would have thought possible, she twisted to face him, pressing her small hand over his mouth. Her eyes were wild. "Don't!" she hissed. "He'll hear you!"

Gently removing her hand from his mouth, he stroked it soothingly. "Who, Dala? Who will hear? Ani? Where..."

"Yes!" If it were possible to shriek at a whisper, Amidala managed. "He hears everything! Oh... if only your idiot Master hadn't insisted on bringing him back with us..."

Reaching out with the Force, Obi-Wan sent a calming pulse to the overwrought girl, even while he patted the small, roughened hand still in his. "It's all right, Dala, calm down. Tell me what happened. If both of us died at the hands of the Sith..."

"Yes," she said quietly, still frantic but beginning to calm under his influence. She scooted closer to him so she could whisper, but her eyes would not meet his. Instead, she nervously searched the glade around them. "Yes. You both did, and we thought it had died as well, but it hadn't, it was a clone." Obi-Wan nodded; she was obviously referring to the Sith and knowing what he knew now, that wasn't unexpected. "And your Council came to the immolation, and Master Windu took An.. took him as an apprentice." She snorted, still shaking. "That was his first mistake."

She bit her lip, hard, and finally, reluctantly, met his eyes. "We didn't know about Senator... I mean, Chancellor Palpatine. He was... he was my countryman! How..." She swallowed heavily, and seemed to find comfort in the gentle eyes of the man sitting next to her. "The next thing I knew, I was being sent for. The Temple... all the Jedi... well, they're mostly gone now. No one knows if Master Yoda is still alive. Master Windu was ripped apart. What Jedi didn't turn or pledge allegiance were killed. An.. he is the leader of the Jedi now. Just him. With Palpatine and that pet demon of his to back him up. I didn't want to go, we had heard rumors, but I wasn't given a choice, they killed Governor Bibble, Captain Panaka, told me they'd kill all of them unless I went. So I did. Now they're all dead anyway." Looking down from his too-sympathetic eyes, she murmured, "Dead, now. All of them. And it's my fault."

Knowing it wouldn't help enough but driven to say something, anything, to mitigate her sorrow, Obi-Wan gently touched her chin, trying to get her to look up. "Dala. It's not your fault. You're going to have to trust me on this. The Jedi are to blame, if anyone is."

Still wrapped in her own misery, she resisted looking at him. He sighed again, adding a note of theatricality to it. "This is nothing I haven't seen before... except maybe Anakin's involvement. I knew he was powerful... but... regardless. I guess I'm just going to have to make it all better. Again."

As it had intended, his droll words and aggrieved tone made her head snap up. "Wha.. don't be ridiculous. You can't. You're just one man."

"One man with two lightsabers," he grinned, drawing a weak, tentative smile in return. "That's better. I have a poisoned fang, my dear. And a secret weapon."

Puzzled but still bereft, Amidala looked at him clearly for the first time. "A secret weapon? What?"

"You."

"Me?" she squeaked. "How can I... I can't even help myself." Looking down, she added bitterly, "And I'm not even sure I want to."

Obi-Wan looked at her sympathetically; the once proud, intelligent and beautiful young woman had been reduced to near-rags and near-madness. What could have happened to bring this about?

Abruptly, he realized that even though they had been sitting in the garden for some time, no one had come looking for her -- no one had come by at all. "Where are the rest of the Jedi... or the Sith?" he murmured, casting his Force sense about for more people. "We can't very well stay here, but we do need to talk," he added. "Is there somewhere for us... where we won't be seen, won't be disturbed?"

She looked back up at him, her face a study. "They're all dead," she muttered. "Or sold into slavery. He and Maul, they installed cameras and listening devices everywhere, almost everywhere. There's only a few people here now, mostly droids control the Temple."

He could tell she was telling the truth. Through the Force, he picked up on only a few life signs and much of the unmistakable mechanical feel of droids and destroyers. Her words gave him pause; he would need free run of the Temple and the Force could not control droids. Then she spoke again.

"There is one place. When I can't come outside... The library. He hates it, hates to read, tried to destroy it but Palpatine wouldn't let him. Said it was too valuable. I..." she looked at him through her eyelashes, hectic color high on her cheeks. "I can show you. We won't be seen."

It didn't take long to ascertain that the library was indeed not monitored, and the dust that lay heavily everywhere confirmed no presence for weeks, if not months. It was a simple matter to use a whisper of the Force to cover their tracks with more dust so no one could tell they had been there. Obi-Wan was unwilling to use more than that amount of Force manipulation, lest he draw attention to himself or Amidala.

They talked throughout the day, and slowly, bits and pieces came together to solve the puzzle in Obi-Wan's mind. He determined that Anakin hit her because Palpatine encouraged it, and Obi-Wan knew that anger and cruelty were direct paths to the dark side. In a fit of rage over some imagined slight, Anakin had used his lightsaber to cut off her hair; she wept as she told him that, and he realized of all the indignities she had suffered, this one had sliced the deepest. Anakin was well and truly on the path to being a Sith, a fact which nearly broke Obi-Wan's heart. In his mind, he could still hear Ani howling that his Master was dead... at Obi-Wan's hand.

To the best of her ability, Amidala explained what had happened post-Naboo. From what she knew and surmised, Palpatine had swiftly gotten his hooks into the boy, giving him everything he wanted instantly. The life of a Jedi Padawan was not an easy one, and the lure of Palpatine and his path of immediate gratification quickly overcame any reticence Anakin may have had. Plus, Mace Windu was a harsh Master, as Obi-Wan knew, and the sympathetic ear Palpatine presented made Anakin's fall all the quicker.

"There were riots," Amidala told him. "And purges. We saw them on the newsfeeds... when they weren't censored. I think... I hope... some of the Jedi got away... Saying Yoda's name is a punishable offense. Palpatine spends a lot of time off-planet, but even when he's not here, his pet demon remains behind to keep an eye on things and to back up everything Ani says." Every time she said Anakin's name, she choked and shuddered, reflexively looking over her shoulder.

It was late afternoon, nearly dusk. The table between them was covered with the remains of smuggled-in food and old diagrams of the Temple. They used heavily shielded chiplights to keep anyone from detecting their presence, but it wasn't really enough and Obi-Wan suspected he'd have to quit soon. He also knew, through Amidala, that Palpatine was due back with Anakin soon, and he felt the need for a more secure hiding place once that happened.

As the day deepened towards evening, Obi-Wan sat back in his chair and regarded the girl before him with puzzlement. "I'm trying to make sense out of all this, Dala. Anakin is a boy... a powerful boy but still a boy. How..."

"Yes. A boy. He's just twelve now." She sighed and looked away. "He's... he's already told me what I'm going to be. To him. When he reaches... when he grows..." Burying her head in her hands, Amidala's shoulders shook for a moment before she got herself under control. Her voice was muffled when she spoke again. "I cared for him. I really did. He was such a nice little boy. But now..." Looking up from her hands, she stared hard at Obi-Wan, her eyes for once completely sane and desperate. "Why should I trust you?"

Obi-Wan merely returned her stare sympathetically for a little while, reassuring her to the best of his abilities through the Force. Finally, he spoke, quietly. "Because the Force has led me here, and I need to destroy Palpatine. Because he's been wreaking havoc across the realities, and the Force has to stop him, and I'm the Force's tool. Because I'm the only chance you've got."

"But you can't," she said, slumping again. "You can't. You... that demon killed you. The other you. What makes you think you could kill it now?"

Smiling crookedly at her, he answered, "What makes you think I want to kill it?"

Her eyes grew rounder as she stared at him in shock. "What?" she whispered.

"You've said it yourself," Obi-Wan replied, leaning his elbows on the table between them and regarding her earnestly, "Maul is here, even when Palpatine is not. I can't hope to compete or reason with Palpatine... there's only one thing to do with that festering boil and that's to lance it. But Maul..." He continued to stare at her, but wasn't really seeing her. "I know something about Maul. He can be turned. He can help us."

"You're as mad as I am."

Grinning, he answered, "Maybe. Maybe not. You see, I met him, in another reality. I've learned that the Force sends me nowhere without a reason..."

"The Force. Screw your sodding Force!" She nearly shouted it, then looked around quickly and modulated her voice. "The Force didn't help Master Windu when Ani had him tied to four speeders and pulled apart. The Force didn't help the Gungans when Palpatine dropped a tactical nuke on their underwater cities. And... and..." She pulled at her hair in an agony of frustration, and he gently reached across the table to pull her fingers free.

"Trust me, Dala. Trust in the Force. I will help you, and I will get Maul to help us. I promise." Carefully he caressed the fingers he still held, massaging them gently.

"It's impossible," Amidala said flatly. "You can't do it." She shook her head sharply. "He's a monster, a demon, not a man. And even if he could be 'turned' as you say, you'd never get close enough to him to try."

"But that's where you come in." Speaking quickly, he ad libbed a plan: luring Maul away, getting a Force collar on him. "I know where the collars are kept. I'm sure I could find a way to get to them."

"If they're still there," she argued. "You don't know that. I've seen those collars... they put them on the Jedi who won't pledge to Ani just before they're beaten and killed. They keep a few of the collared Jedi around as s laves. And once Maul goes missing, the whole planet will be swept to hunt for him. I don't care how careful you are, Palpatine will find you."

"But I'm not going out of the Temple," Obi-Wan replied, his voice still reasonable. "I won't need to. Look. Where's the first place they would search?"

She shrugged, intrigued despite herself. "Oh, I don't know. The immediate grounds. The living quarters. Then the close-by buildings. He'd lock down the ports."

"Exactly. But I know the Temple better than any of them. I grew up here. There are places I know of that don't appear on any of these plans... which will be missing anyway. They'll tear Coruscant apart looking for Maul... but he'll be here all the time."

Shoving her chair back, Amidala rose and started pacing jerkily. "It won't... it can't work..." she muttered. Obi-Wan let her pace off the nervous energy before standing himself and getting in her way.

She let him guide her back to her chair and gently seat her, then looked down as he squatted by her side. "Dala. Trust me. This will work. The first part is to get Maul separated from Palpatine.. and away from Anakin. Do you know if Palpatine will be leaving soon?"

Fretfully, she pulled at the ragged hem of her tunic. "Ani should be back soon. I'll... I'll need to be there for him. He's bound to tell me."

Nodding, Obi-Wan held her hands tightly. "Good. Find out, if you can. If you can't, that's all right too. I'll come by your quarters tonight, late."

"My quarters are monitored..." she began.

"Let me handle that," he smiled. "Don't worry, Dala. I know what I'm doing. I've been caught, I've... I've been... well. This will be tricky, but we can do it. This rat won't be caught in the same trap twice."

She stared at him, speechless, for some time, hope and fear warring on her face. He patted her clasped hands reassuringly, and she took a deep breath. "All right," she murmured. "Even if you fail, I'll undoubtedly be killed, and that's better than what my life would be now. I'll do it."

"Good girl." Rising, he pulled her to her feet. "Go on now, you don't want to cause any suspicion. Just behave normally. I'll see you tonight, once I've scouted some."

Abruptly he felt himself squeezed in a tight, frantic embrace. "Please, let this be real," he heard her gasp. "Let this nightmare be at an end."

Pulling her back so that he could look into her face, he said, "I promise, Dala. It's real. And together, we will see justice done."

Once again he found himself under her intense scrutiny. "I hope so. I hope... I hope you're prepared to kill Ani to succeed."

His mouth dry, Obi-Wan struggled to breathe past the tight band her words wrapped around his chest. "I--I hope it won't come to that..." he said, blinking rapidly.

"It might," she said, sadly. "It wouldn't at all surprise me."

Security was pitiably lax. Trusting in monitors and droids to maintain their hold on the Temple -- which they apparently felt was completely under their unbreakable control -- the Sith were unprepared for an intruder deep within their territory, and Obi-Wan used that to his advantage -- that, and the fact that they had used the Temple's own security systems, for the most part, and all codes were basically unchanged. Breaking into the monitoring facility was quite easy, as was hacking into the computer systems. By midnight, he had a list of every monitoring device in the Temple, and had picked his base, an old, shielded workroom so deep in the bowels of the Temple complex it hadn't been used in centuries.

Stealing old but still functioning monitors and computer pads, as well as food, clothing and other supplies, was the work of a few more hours. By late the next day, he figured he would be able to observe on any monitor in the Temple, as well as to keep track of all the security communications. He set up a cot and crept out to meet with Amidala.

Her rooms were among the first he secured for himself. Dressed as a workman, he glided down familiar corridors -- unfamiliarly silent and deserted -- until he came to her apartment. As he entered, he used a small Force-push to start the programmed tape loops that would ensure the monitors couldn't detect his presence.

She was in a restless sleep on her bed, her eyes puffy from crying. There was a fresh bruise on her chin. When he touched it in sympathetic pain, she jerked awake with a small cry.

"Shhh, it's all right, it's just me," he murmured, pressing two fingers to her lips. To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around him in tight, sudden hug, then subsided, trembling.

"I--I thought it was just a dream," she whispered. Then frantically, she looked up at the camera. "The monitors! They'll..."

"It's all right," he reassured her in a soft voice, sitting on the bed at her side. "I've taken care of it. They won't see me. What happened? Did Anakin hit you?"

She pressed trembling fingers to her chin. "He... he was back when I came back. He was angry I wasn't here. And angry about Palpatine. Said Palpatine is leaving tomorrow for a month and he can't go. Nothing... nothing gets Ani more upset than not getting his way."

Obi-Wan smiled grimly. "Excellent. Not tomorrow, but the day after, we'll take Maul. I'll have everything set up by then." He looked at her searchingly. "Will you be all right?"

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, she nodded shortly. "I think so."

Squeezing her shoulder in a tight, reassuring grip, he grinned at her. "That's the spirit."

Her lower lip trembled, but her cheeks were stained with red. "Are... are you sure...?"

"Yes, Dala. I'm certain. This will work. The nightmare will be over soon. I promise."

A very weak and trembling smile greeted that. "I hope so. Thank you, Jedi Kenobi."

"You're welcome, your Majesty. Now sleep. Everything will be fine." Gently urging her down to her pillows, he followed that with a slight Force nudge, which soon tumbled her over into dreams, sighing.

For a moment he stayed at her side, tenderly brushing her hair back. Only sixteen years old, he marveled, and she had the heart of a lion. Resolute, he stood and made his way back to his secret hideaway to sleep himself.

The next day and night were intense for the young Knight. He had much to do in the way of planning and follow up. He spent several hours running cable, checking monitors, following up on his preparations. It didn't take him long to 'liberate' several Force collars and to falsify the inventory so that the loss wouldn't be noticed. Droids were completely unimaginative, and the Sith used them liberally, trusting them rather than living creatures which would have actually been harder to circumvent.

When he was in his headquarters, he watched Amidala and Anakin, as well as Maul. Anakin's cruelty saddened and alarmed him, while Amidala's courage and tenacity in the face of such unkindness made his eyes mist over. He noted with some satisfaction that Maul rarely even spoke, rarely did anything but watch Anakin's antics with an impassive stare, much to the boy's displeasure. Obi-Wan made his plans quickly.

That evening, Maul noted with some interest that Amidala's behavior changed. She was quieter in reaction to Anakin's taunts, refused to be baited, and when he backhanded her, something in her eyes gave the Sith pause. Resolving to watch her carefully, he was rewarded for his efforts later that evening. He caught her surreptitiously leaving the 'audience chamber' while Anakin was busy with some small atrocity or other. She was obviously up to something, and his Master had warned him of possible duplicity before leaving. Moving quietly from his accustomed place against the wall, he followed her out.

He almost lost her twice in the labyrinthine and unfamiliar corridors, of which she showed remarkable and unaccountable knowledge. Before long, they were deep in the Temple, in a section that Maul had never seen before. She knelt near a servo-mech droid, fiddling with its dials, as he approached her. Something made her turn, and she let out a muffled shriek, falling to her rear-end as she saw him.

"Your Majesty," Maul said, his cultured voice devoid of all inflection. "I do believe I'm going to have to request your presence before my Master."

Frozen into immobility from her shock, she merely stared at him, wide-eyed. Involuntary movement of her eyes cued him to another's presence, and he whirled.

"Hello, Maul," Obi-Wan Kenobi said.

Not much rattled the being known as Darth Maul. But seeing a man he knew was dead, leaning up against the wall, grinning and very much alive, accomplished the near-impossible. His mouth fell open and for one brief instant, he was vulnerable.

That instant was grabbed for all it was worth by the real Obi-Wan Kenobi. While Maul stood frozen, staring at the holo-image projected by the droid, Obi-Wan stepped from an alcove and knocked him unconscious with the butt of his lightsaber.

Fastening a Force collar on the unconscious man, Obi-Wan turned to Amidala. "Excellent work, Dala," he said approvingly. "You did everything perfectly. You get back up to your quarters now, before Ani comes looking for you."

"The monitors have been fixed?" she asked, still pale but quite resolute.

"Yes," he answered, tying Maul's legs together. "They show you in your quarters all evening, reading. Now scoot. I'll contact you later."

A beautiful smile, the first Obi-Wan had seen on the girl since he arrived, graced her features. "All right, Obi-Wan."

"Remember your safe word!" He called out after her softly. She nodded and waved as she hurried away, leaving the Jedi Knight alone with his prisoner. "Well, Maul," Obi-Wan said, dragging the man down the corridor after securing the droid and wiping its memory. "Let's get started on your conversion, shall we?"

When Maul awoke, he found himself in an empty white room, tied to a comfortable chair with bonds made of the same material as the Force collar around his neck. He was naked to the waist and barefoot, and his head hurt abominably. Never one to waste movement, after one gentle tug to test his bonds, he stayed still. It was clear he was going nowhere.

"Ah, you're awake. I just put a pain patch on, you should feel the effects shortly." The soft voice came from behind him, and as he turned his head, the man it belonged to moved into view.

"You are dead," Maul said flatly, one portion of his brain welcoming the relief the medicated patch was beginning to provide. "I saw you die."

Shrugging his shoulders lightly, Obi-Wan spread his hands out before himself. "Ah... well. Rumors of my demise were a tad exaggerated." He dragged another chair before the bound man, then straddled it, leaning his head on his hands and studying Maul curiously.

When the Jedi didn't seem inclined to say more, Maul surprised himself by speaking. "What do you want with me? I would think Anakin would be more your speed."

Eyebrows raised, Obi-Wan considered that. "Why? Because he's younger? Because he's been under the influence of your Master less?"

"I--" Pausing to think, Maul considered the question seriously. He knew a lot about the man sitting before him, and if he truly was Obi-Wan Kenobi, he should not underestimate him. "I... don't know. I would think it depends on what you are planning."

"Oh, I'll tell you that," Obi-Wan offered easily. "I'm going to destroy Palpatine."

A muffled snort answered that pronouncement. "You are."

"Uh-huh. And you're going to help me."

"Oh. I am." Maul strove for amusement in his tone, but the absolute assurance from the man before him gave him pause.

"Yes. I'm just hoping I can do it without having to go through Anakin," he added a bit sadly.

Surprising himself again, Maul spoke honestly. "That little monster is beyond redemption," he said, then clamped his mouth shut.

Gray-green eyes regarded him soberly. "It seems your Master has corrupting the innocent down to a science," he finally said. "Let me get you a nutrient drink. You must be thirsty; you've been out for several hours. And we have much to discuss."

Though Maul wouldn't answer him, he shuddered slightly to himself.

Days passed. The search for Maul became frenetic, but Anakin's glee that his Master's number one man had been mysteriously disappeared could not be hidden. He refused to allow any of his security forces to contact Palpatine, hoping to find Maul himself and earn points with Palpatine, not to mention show up the man's 'pet demon'.

With Anakin throwing more and more time into the search, Amidala found herself happily ignored. She helped Obi-Wan by smuggling food and drink to him, giving him books and vids, and keeping him up-to-date on any new developments he might have missed. And Obi-Wan spent his time with Maul.

It didn't surprise the young Knight that there wasn't a lot of difference between this reality's Maul and the one he had just left. Intelligent and capable, there wasn't much that the yellow eyes missed, and that was what Obi-Wan counted on.

Their first evening passed with the Jedi beginning the story of his travels. No slouch himself, Obi-Wan was quick to note that the story of the travelling Palpatine did bring forth a slight reaction in Maul. It confirmed Obi-Wan's theory that this reality's Palpatine had probably been eliminated and replaced by the one who moved between realities. He simply couldn't imagine Palpatine voluntarily offering to share control in any reality.

Though Maul tried hard not to show any interest, it was also evident that the story of Obi-Wan's travels were fascinating to him. More than once his mouth opened to ask a question or request clarification on a point, before he managed to clamp it shut again. He forced himself to remember that he was indeed a prisoner of his worst enemy, an enemy that wasn't behaving much the way he was supposed to. As Obi-Wan talked to him, fed him and tended to his needs impersonally, Maul found himself more and more confused and off-balance.

Five days after he was taken, Amidala came with a delivery of food and news. Obi-Wan left the door to Maul's room open, deliberately, as he spoke to the girl. "You must be careful, Dala," he told her seriously. "Don't provoke Anakin. And remember your safe word... I can be there within minutes to help should you need it."

"I'll be all right, Obi-Wan," she answered, smiling shyly. "I know what gets him going and I'll avoid it. Don't worry about me."

"Well, I do," he grinned back at her. "Just be careful. Go on back now, before you're missed." A few more words, and Amidala left, then shortly thereafter Obi-Wan came to sit with Maul again, closing the door after him this time.

"She's in love with you, you know," Maul said, unexpectedly.

His face registering his surprise, Obi-Wan thought about it. "Do you think so? I'm just the only one who has been nice to her in years, I should think gratitude is all that's there."

"No, I saw her face." Maul swallowed heavily, fighting to overcome inclinations beaten into him over the course of years. "Why are you holding me? Why are you..." he trailed off, looking into Obi-Wan's face and seeing only honesty, sympathy and compassion there. It unnerved him further.

After a moment of study, Obi-Wan spoke, softly. "There's still one reality I didn't tell you about, Maul. The last one I was at. I met... a man. Let me tell you about him."

His nerves finally showing, Obi-Wan rose and began to pace. "He was a little shorter than me, had dark blue eyes and black, short hair. He... was the calmest man I have ever met, calmer even than my Master. There was a strength of purpose about him, and an unshakeable goodness and decency that simply overwhelmed me."

Slowly, Obi-Wan stopped pacing and came to sit again, although he didn't look Maul in the face. "He'd had a hard life. He was raised to be evil, you see, had only one path put before him, that of darkness. He thought... incorrectly, as it turned out...that darkness would direct his steps for the rest of his life. It took something extraordinary to convince him that darkness did not have to rule his life. Then, well, then he took his life into his own hands for the first time and began making his own decisions."

Rising to pace again, Obi-Wan continued. "I -- at first, I found it hard to believe that he could have changed. I doubted him. I asked him... why? How could someone be completely evil, completely dark, then make such a change? The light... it's not the easy way, as Anakin has found out. The dark is seductive... having tasted it, up close and personally, I understand that now. The dark is truly the easier path. Do you know what he told me?"

Sitting again, he gazed earnestly into Maul's face. Despite the shudders wracking the young Sith's body, he managed to force himself to look at the Knight as he spoke. "He said, remaining on the Dark path is not as fulfilling as living in the Light is. He told me, there is no peace, there is anger. Hatred, instead of serenity, and chaos instead of tranquillity. And then he said that having experienced both paths, he would choose the Light again."

The shudders were more pronounced now, and Maul began to unconsciously thrash at his bonds. But Obi-Wan held his eyes, and continued to talk, softly, seductively. "Then, then he told me something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. He said, we become our choices. That he had seen the beauty of the light, in a single person, and realized all his training was a lie." Obi-Wan looked deeply into tormented eyes and continued to speak. "By the time I met him, all that remained of his previous life had been erased... he had hair, and normal skin; he looked and behaved as a normal human male. All of his being a Sith was erased... all but his name. The only name he had ever known. Maul."

"NO!" The anguished shout was ripped from Maul's throat as he thrashed and writhed in his chair before his sweet tormentor.

Obi-Wan was out of his chair so fast that it tipped over, unnoticed. He wrapped his arms around Maul, holding tightly, bracing the hysterical man's head against his shoulder tenderly. "It's all right," he crooned. "It's all right. I know it's a shock..."

"Don't... don't... please..." Maul's body was wracked with dry sobs and trembling as he felt the other man's arms around him. "No...I can't..."

"Yes, you can, Maul," Obi-Wan said quietly, pulling away a bit to look at him in the face. "You can. He did. You can. You are the same as he was."

"No... NO! I'm not.... I'm not..." Maul thrashed again, tearing at the bonds that held firm, before slumping. "I... I watched you die..." he whispered. "I watched you die and I did nothing. I was glad... GLAD that your Master killed that damn clone before he died. It saved me from having to do it."

Tenderly caressing the deeply furrowed brow, Obi-Wan didn't speak other than making soothing noises, letting Maul talk himself out. "I'm not like him, Kenobi... I'm not. I can't... I can't turn. It's too late..."

"No." Gently, but firmly, Obi-Wan said the word and forced Maul to look at him. "It's not too late. It's never too late. Let me help you. Please. For his sake." After a moment of silence, he continued. "I told you the truth... I didn't believe him at first. I felt I couldn't trust him. That he was a monster... a demon that had killed my Master. But he never, NEVER held that against me. Instead, he comforted me. He was... he IS a good man. Maul, you are good man. Please don't doubt it. Look into your heart. You'll see it there."

Slumping even further, Maul began sobbing. After a moment, Obi-Wan stood and left the room.

The next time Maul woke, he was on a small cot, covered with a thin blanket. He still wore the Force dampening collar, and was still in the same room, but he was no longer secured to a chair. His mind screamed at him to escape, to leap to his feet, get out of the room and capture Kenobi. Telling his mind to go fuck itself, he remained prone and studied the ceiling above his face.

His dreams had been filled with sympathetic gray-green eyes topped with coppery hair, and a seductive, cultured voice. For the first time in his life, Maul felt something other than rage and anger... something so different he could not put a name to it. It frightened him, filled his chest with a nameless pressure that threatened to choke the life from him. And yet, he could not find it within himself to deny it.

Trying his best to analyze the feeling, he cautiously allowed it to fill his mind. Struggling to control his body's automatic reactions of fight or flight, he examined his feelings and tried to stand aloof from them. Just as he thought he had it under control, just as he felt he might have name for the feeling, the door opened to admit his captor, who carried a tray filled with wonderful smelling food. His stomach rumbled audibly and Obi-Wan grinned to hear it.

"Sounds like I have good timing. Here's your breakfast," he said.

Maul slowly sat up and accepted the proffered tray. As he began to eat, he realized he was right.

The feeling was contentment.

Just over a week later, Obi-Wan and Maul sat in the small command center Obi-Wan had created to observe on the Temple monitors. They had been arguing over a rather esoteric point of Force control, Obi-Wan taking the anti position and Maul the pro. The argument had been spawned by a book Amidala fetched for Obi-Wan the day before, one that Maul had proceeded to devour, by an ancient Jedi philosopher.

Now, however, they sat in companionable silence, Maul munching on a piece of fruit, and Obi-Wan skimming the monitors. Without turning towards his companion, Obi-Wan reached into a small container near the monitor he sat at, pulled something out and tossed it to Maul. "By the way, here. Meant to give you this the other day."

Catching the object, Maul examined it. It was a small electronic key. "What's this?" he asked.

"Your collar key," was the distracted answer. Maul froze.

"You..." He subsided, holding the small key in his hand, carefully not looking at the other man. Despite all the progress he had made, parts of his brain still belonged to the Sith. He fought them now, soundlessly struggling in his brain to keep the trust and faith of the man he had come to respect and even care for. Sweat broke out on his forehead as his internal fight continued for long minutes unabated.

Finally, he slumped, panting and dizzy from the effort of overcoming his long conditioning. Dragging his eyes off the key he still held in his clenched fist, he looked up to meet kind and sympathetic eyes. "Hold tight," Obi-Wan murmured. "You can do it. I have faith in you."

That was the impetus Maul needed. Taking a deep breath, he reached up with shaking hands and touched the key to the collar lock. As it fell open and clanged to the floor, the Force flooded back into his brain, bathing him in the Light.

Obi-Wan barely managed to catch him as he passed out.

"It hurts."

"I know. I know. The pain patch should kick in any second now."

"I'm... I'm going to..."

"Oh... here. Lean over here. Keep your eyes closed, it'll help with the dizziness."

"..."

"I think I've got something for nausea. Should I look?"

"No... please, no. Don't... don't leave..."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Th--thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Here. Put these on."

"?"

"Workmen's uniforms. The monitors are rigged to 'not see' anyone dressed like this."

"Why?"

"Got something to show you. You've been cooped up in here for almost a month, thought you'd like some fresh air."

"You mean... outside?"

"Uh-huh. You ready?"

"All right."

The West Tower, the tower of the setting sun, hadn't been visited in years, a fact that was evident by the dust and grime on the highly polished marble stairs. Maul and Obi-Wan climbed them, completely unobserved, in the twilight of the day. Reaching the top, Obi-Wan cleared the western window of cobwebs and brushed off the window sill before gesturing Maul to join him in sitting. They watched Coruscant's sun set in a blaze of reds and golds in silence, each thinking his own thoughts as the artificial breeze of Coruscant blew over them from the open transoms.

After full dark fell, Maul whispered, "Thank you."

Obi-Wan merely smiled in return. Not looking directly at him, but seeing his faint reflection in the glass, Maul continued. "It seems I've been saying that a lot lately, doesn't it?"

Shrugging, Obi-Wan said, "As often as you need to."

"It's still rather hard to believe you've done all this for me through some sort of altruism."

Snorting in laughter, Obi-Wan answered, "Hardly. I still need your help, you know. But... knowing you in the other reality, seeing what a good, decent person you are... I couldn't just leave you as you were." Looking at his companion askance, he added, "Are you happier now?"

Maul didn't answer for a time, looking out at the lights of Coruscant. When he did reply, it was softly. "I think you're asking the wrong question. I wasn't happy until now, Obi. Never before."

"Then I'm happy too. It isn't altruism to want happiness for someone you care for."

Maul turned away from the vista to study the man beside him. "Someone you care for," he repeated, slowly. "I've never had anyone care for me before."

"I know."

They sat in easy silence for a little while, until the room became completely dark. Then Obi-Wan said, "Palpatine will be coming back shortly, you know."

"Uh-huh," Maul said noncommittally.

"I was going to try and see if I could find Yoda before then, but time has kind of run out."

"I think he's still alive," Maul said in an even tone. "I hunted for him, but I have to admit, I didn't hunt very hard."

"Hmmm..." Obi-Wan replied. After a few more moments, the young Knight rose and stretched, smiling at his companion. "We..."

Both men suddenly froze and Maul slowly got to his feet, face distracted. "Something..." he murmured, and Obi-Wan held up his hand.

"It's Dala," he said finally. "Something's wrong."

"Could it be... Sidious?"

"I don't think so... I would sense him. So would you..." he added. Reaching out and touching the other man, Obi-Wan said, "We'd best go see what's up. The Force is nudging me."

"Me as well," Maul agreed. Silently, they left the room.

It didn't take long to determine what was happening. Returning quickly to the hidden command center, Maul leaned over Obi-Wan's shoulder as the Jedi quickly scanned the monitors he had co-opted. They found Anakin in a rage over the information that Palpatine was in the system, on his way to the Temple. The Sith was apparently not happy about not being informed of his trusted lieutenant's disappearance, a fact that gave Maul an obscure satisfaction.

Amidala crouched in a corner, her lip split and bleeding from one backhanded smack. Though Obi-Wan listened carefully, she had still not used the word that would bring him running to help her, and the Force was now urging him to caution.

"Should we go help her?" Maul asked quietly.

"I... I don't think so. Let me look elsewhere..."

Turning his attention from the Temple, Obi-Wan began surfing the other outside feeds from Coruscant proper. It didn't take him long to determine where the real threat lay... Palpatine was on the planet and making his way quickly towards the Temple. He turned to look at his companion, who had gone completely still.

"It's time," Obi-Wan said quietly.

Licking his lips nervously, Maul didn't answer. Standing, Obi-Wan took the other man by the shoulders and gave him a tiny shake. "Are you all right?"

"It's... it's not going to work...he'll know..." Maul murmured, his eyes still locked on the monitor that showed the progress of his former Master.

"It will work. Maul. Look at me." Slowly, troubled yellow eyes focused on kind gray-green ones. "You don't have to do this. You don't. I can..."

"No. You can't," Maul interrupted, touching Obi-Wan's face abstractedly. "Not alone. He'd eat you alive."

Grinning faintly, Obi-Wan said, "There's nothing that says for sure he won't have the two of us for breakfast either, you know."

"But we have a better chance together," Maul said.

"Yes, we do." They stared deeply into each other's eyes for a moment, then Obi-Wan pulled away slightly. "You'll need this," he said, reaching to the table and handing Maul his own lightsaber.

"But... you'll not have anything," Maul objected, hefting the 'saber.

"I've got my Master's," Obi-Wan answered, taking it out of his pack. "I'm used to it, and you can't use your double bladed one."

"No, I don't suppose I can," Maul agreed. Once again, the two men stood still, staring at each other. "We'd best go now, then," Maul finally said, and Obi-Wan nodded.

But he stopped Maul from walking past him with a hand to his arm, and when the former Sith turned in question, Obi-Wan leaned in slowly, kissing him gently.

Maul pulled away, blinking, his hand going to the lips that had been so softly caressed. Parroting another time and reality, Obi-Wan smiled. "It wasn't that sort of kiss," he said. "But I want you to know... The other me loved the other you. And if it were possible..."

Smiling crookedly, Maul leaned in and returned the kiss, gently stopping the flood of words. "I know," he murmured. "And if we pull this off..."

Grinning now, Obi-Wan interrupted him. "If we pull this off and are still alive at the end of it, we'll talk then. All right?"

Swallowing, Maul returned the grin with one of his own, one that transformed his face. "I'll remember that, Kenobi."

"See that you do. Ready?"

"Ready."

No matter how many plans they discussed, every one was flawed enough to shoot down. So they finally decided on one as simple as possible, hoping that a minimum of things would go wrong. Both of them tightly shielded, they dressed as workmen, Maul with his black leather beneath the coverall, and moved towards Anakin's 'throne' room. Obi-Wan secreted himself nearby while Maul stripped off the coverall and waited in an antechamber for the right time. Both could hear clearly.

Anakin's screaming tirade -- at everything and everyone around him -- was abruptly cut off as Palpatine swept into the room, accompanied by two members of his personal guard. His expression thunderous, he spoke to Anakin in icy tones that the boy answered sullenly.

"You forget yourself, young Skywalker," Palpatine said. "I should have been informed immediately of Maul's disappearance."

"It's not my fault your stupid demon couldn't protect himself," Anakin answered.

"Perhaps not. However, I can place the blame for my not being notified squarely on your small shoulders, can I not?"

"I TRIED to find him!" Anakin yelled. "He was obviously too stupid to stay out of trouble! It's not my fault! It's NOT!"

"Actually, it is," said a different voice. Maul stepped into the room and all the occupants turned in surprise. Palpatine's eyes narrowed.

"Ah, there you are, my apprentice. We were just discussing your alleged disappearance," Palpatine said, his voice even and his face devoid of expression.

"My Master," Maul said, bowing slightly, his own face impassive. "I managed to free myself over a week ago, but thought to observe how the Skywalker child acquitted himself in my absence," he said.

"Free yourself," Palpatine repeated. "From what?"

"It was Obi-Wan Kenobi, to my surprise. He and I fought, and he wounded me, but I did manage to kill him."

From the corner where she had been watching, ignored, Amidala suddenly shrieked and launched herself at Maul. "NO!" she screamed, her hands like claws. One of the guardsmen grabbed her and held her tightly, looking to his Master for direction.

Palpatine hadn't moved. He continued to stare at Maul, ignoring Anakin's gaping shock and Amidala's hysterics. "Obi-Wan Kenobi?" he finally asked, his glittering eyes expressionless. "What a surprise. How is it he survived?"

"I do not know, my Master," Maul said, quietly, also ignoring Amidala, who was now helplessly weeping. "He did not look the same as the one my clone apparently killed. Perhaps he too was a clone?"

"Hmmm," Palpatine replied. "How very interesting. And it appears our lovely Queen knew about his presence in the Temple as well. What shall we do with her?"

Maul shrugged. "That I do not know. I did not see her with him."

Still motionless, still staring hard at Maul, Palpatine said, "Would you like her, my apprentice? Perhaps as a... reward... for once again killing the Jedi."

A slight grimace of distaste crossed Maul's features. "As my Master wishes," he said blandly.

"No!" Anakin broke in, shaking his head like it pained him. "She's MINE! You PROMISED!"

Finally moving, Palpatine spared the boy a glance. "Child, you are beginning to annoy me," he said, the first hint of displeasure coloring his voice. Then, to his guards, he added, "Take her to Maul's quarters and lock her in. We'll see to her later."

As the guards removed the struggling and hysterically weeping girl, Anakin once again yelled at Palpatine. "I told you NO! Amidala's MINE, you bloody..."

"SILENCE!" Palpatine thundered. One hand shot out and a crackling blue radiance leapt from his hand to Anakin, throwing the child against the wall. Even from his hiding place, Obi-Wan heard the snap of vertebra and winced as the lifeless body slumped to the floor. "Pity," Palpatine said. "He might have made a decent apprentice."

Maul had not moved any closer during the entire time, and now looked at the boy on the floor dispassionately. "I believe I might have had something to say about that proposition, Master," he said quietly. "The boy did not comport himself very well these past few weeks."

"So I surmised," Palpatine replied. He had not moved as well, and now he turned his full attention back to Maul. "There is something different about you, Darth Maul," he said slowly, thoughtfully.

"That is entirely possible," Maul replied. "Things have changed in the last month."

"Yes, they have, haven't they?" Palpatine said. "The Kenobi you allegedly killed was not from this reality, you see. Neither am I."

Frowning, Maul considered his Master. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Master," he said.

"No matter. I'm sure he explained it all to you when he tried to convert you."

"Master?"

"Where is he? Nearby? What does he hope to accomplish? Whatever it is, it won't work. You're mine, Maul, not his, not anyone else's. I don't know what he was think..." Palpatine broke off in mid-sentence, and looked around, confused.

"Master?" Maul said again, still not moving. "Kenobi did try to capture me, but I don't understand why."

"You stink of him, Maul," Palpatine continued, unconsciously tugging at the collar of his ornate surcoat. "That useless, meddling little... What IS that smell?"

"I don't smell anything, Master," Maul said, puzzled. "And I'm not quite sure what you are referring to. I can take you to Kenobi's corpse, if you wish..."

Palpatine had been looking distractedly around the room, but that made his head snap back to focus on Maul. "His corpse? You can? He truly is dead? How extraordinary."

"Yes, my Master. He is long dead, I assure you." Palpatine was sweating now, and his eyes seemed to have trouble focusing on Maul, who was slowly approaching him.

"Don't touch me," Palpatine hissed at his apprentice, aware finally how close the man was coming. "You... you've done something... you and Kenobi..."

"Master," Maul said softly. "Come through here. You can see his body. I brought it up here for you. My gift to you, my beloved Master."

Snorting with amusement, Palpatine said, "Beloved Master, Maul? That doesn't sound like you. You've been plotting to eliminate me since I took you as my apprentice."

"Yes, my Master," Maul agreed, gently herding the now reeling man towards the side door to the room. "You are right. You trained me well. There can be only two, and soon I would have risen up to strike you down."

Laughing helplessly now, Palpatine said, "Ah... yes. And I would have killed you without a second thought. The Skywalker child would have taken your place, you know. But now, I'll have to create another clone until I can find a new apprentice worthy of my training."

Opening the door to the antechamber, Maul indicated Palpatine should precede him. "I am your loyal apprentice, my Master," he purred. "And this should prove to you my loyalty. See? Kenobi's body."

Palpatine inhaled sharply, wavering slightly as he saw a familiar body laying face down on the floor. "Could it be?" he breathed, then stepped into the room, only to trip and drop clumsily to one knee. Maul was by his side in an instant, one solicitous hand on the older man's arm.

"Let me help you, Master," he murmured into the man's ear, then with his other hand pressed the hypospray to his carotid artery. Palpatine turned, his eyes wide in shock then closing as the drug kicked in. Maul eased him all the way to the floor. Obi-Wan rolled over and helped Maul stretch him out, then placed a Force collar around his throat.

"I can't believe that worked... I was afraid I was feeding the gas out too slowly or he was going to break through your shields or something," Obi-Wan said, relief making him talk fast. Stripping Palpatine of most of his outer clothes, he continued, "We have to move fast. Go get Amidala and..." He paused, looking at Maul's face.

Maul looked down at his former Master, his jaw clenched so tight the muscle jumped. Obi-Wan stood and moved to his side, pulling him away from Palpatine and forcing him to look up. "Maul. Look at me. Talk to me. Are you all right?"

Swallowing heavily, Maul made his muscles loosen, trying desperately to breathe through the filters in his nose. "I-- I don't know..." he said finally, his voice raw.

"I'm going to give you another dose of aptrazine," Obi-Wan said, quickly preparing and injecting the antidote. "I had a feeling this might happen. There's a reason orlazen is banned -- it's extremely dangerous, and even wearing those nose filters you were bound to get some into your system."

Not stopping Obi-Wan from administering the drug, Maul wrapped his arms around himself. "Obi... I want..." He looked down at the prone man and his eyes went hard again. "I..."

"I know, Maul, I know," Obi-Wan said, then enfolded the other man in his arms, holding on tight. "I want to kill him too. I want to see him suffer as he's made others suffer... others like you, and the Gungans, and Ani..."

Resting his forehead against Obi-Wan's shoulder, Maul allowed himself to sink into the embrace for a moment, drawing strength from his friend. Finally, he pushed himself back up, but did not try to break the embrace. "Thank you. Again."

"Whatever you need, my friend," Obi-Wan answered. "Are you all right?"

"I--I think so." They looked at each other for a few more seconds before Maul continued. "You're right. We need to hurry. I'll go get Amidala, you get him ready. I'll meet you back here."

Of course it didn't go as easily as it could have. They had to fight their way past the personal guard to get Palpatine out to the garden, and Maul ended up having to kill two of them. They got Amidala out safely, directing her to pad 4B where a ship waited, its hyperdrive preset to Dagobah. She cried when she realized Obi-Wan would not accompany her and clung to him. Although she understood the need, and was willing to go, she was still a young woman. Both men hated sending her alone, but both knew what they had to do. Eventually, Amidala was convinced her to go, and they watched her safely away on her trip to find Yoda before turning their attention to Palpatine.

Obi-Wan found the device easily enough. Orlazen, administered both as a virtually odorless gas and directly into the bloodstream, would suppress his Force abilities and keep him unconscious. Despite the efficacy of the banned, highly dangerous drug, they were reluctant to rely on it just on general principle. Neither man trusted Palpatine to follow the rules in anything.

Shaped explosives in the main control room ensured the droid controller would be destroyed, then a timed release of more orlazen into the ventilation system made sure they would not be disturbed. Most of the beings working for the Sith were not Sith themselves, and with the Temple devoid of their masters, they would probably leave soon enough -- particularly if Amidala brought Yoda and other Jedi back.

Sheltered in the garden, Maul and Obi-Wan knelt over Palpatine's prone, collared and heavily bound body, Obi-Wan examining the device that apparently allowed travel between the realities. Maul also peered at it, curious. The device was small, hand held, with three dials, a button and an LCD. "Do you have any idea how to control it?" Maul asked.

Grinning wryly, Obi-Wan looked at his friend over his shoulder. "None whatsoever. But it's all right, the Force brought me this far, the Force will see me through. See US through." He stood, pulling Maul after him. "You don't have to come with me, you know."

"We've been through this, Obi," Maul replied. "There's nothing you can say that will keep me from coming with you. There's nothing for me here anyway."

Holding his shoulder in a tight grasp, Obi-Wan smiled sadly. "Then we'd better go. There's no telling how long the orlazen will hold him." Kneeling again, this time at Palpatine's head, he tugged the older man until he sat upright. "We'd best both hold on to the device, and make sure it's touching him as well. Ready?" Maul took a position next to Obi-Wan, setting his hand on the small black box, which Obi-Wan placed on Palpatine's breast.

Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan centered himself and reached out to the Force. He felt Maul's presence beside him like a shining star, and Palpatine's oily but neutralized aura as well. Then he heard Maul gasp.

"Oh!" he said, his eyes closed, reaching his hand to touch the red dial. Gently he twisted it, changing the display on the LCD. "Here," he whispered. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," the young Knight replied

Together, they pushed the button.

The shivers Obi-Wan felt had little to do with the cold of the wind blowing through the wrecked, dead garden. He stood staring at the unconscious body of the man he detested, and struggled to contain his anger and replace it with serenity. Wrapping his arms around himself, he fought to control the shudders wracking his body, without much success.

Suddenly, strong, warm arms enfolded him, lending him warmth and courage. He closed his eyes and leaned back against his friend Maul, saying, "I think it's my turn. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Through the softly spoken words, Obi-Wan could hear the smile. "There's something else bothering you besides that mynock in front of you, though. What is it?"

Basking in the gentle love emanating from the man behind him, Obi-Wan didn't answer for a moment. When he did, it was very softly. "I've been here before," he said. Maul didn't speak, but his arms tightened slightly. "It... it was after... my imprisonment. By...by..."

"It's all right," Maul whispered. "You've told me enough, and I've guessed some of it. Plus, you talk in your sleep, you know."

Twisting, Obi-Wan shot Maul a look that combined surprise with dismay, and made the smaller man grin. "Don't worry, no state secrets," Maul said. "But... I know how badly you were hurt. I'm sorry."

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan turned back to stare at Palpatine. "Not your fault, but thank you. I have reason to believe he might have set that little trap up, though I'm not sure how. Anyway. This is the ideal place to leave him... totally empty. Very little food, but enough to get by, and there's no way he'd be able to build another device like this one. I know. I've gone over pretty much every inch of this Temple. There wasn't much else to do while I was healing."

They stood together quietly, looking at Palpatine and thinking. Eventually, the Force nudged them, and they reluctantly broke apart. "Time to go, I think," Obi-Wan said.

"Yes. Although I must admit I would love to see his face when he comes around."

Obi-Wan snorted in laughter, then held out the device. "The Force seems to trust you with this, do you want to give it another try? We'll have to destroy it as soon as we can, you know -- I'd rather trust in the Force to guide me through my 'saber."

Agreeing, Maul took the device and closed his eyes, centering himself. The Force sang through him and the Jedi both, basking them in a glow so strong and so intense it quite took their breath away. Without even realizing what he was doing, he twisted the red dial again, changing the setting on the LCD, then taking Obi-Wan's hand he pressed the button.

Another Temple, another garden, another reality.

Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi walked together, heading for a particular secluded section. Several days worth of meetings with two Kenobis, Yoda, Mace Windu and a man who had once been a Sith was concluded, successfully, and Maul had been offered an apprenticeship with the Jedi. This reality's stunned and speechless Obi-Wan Kenobi (once again nicknamed Ben to Obi-Wan's continuing confusion) had finally begun to accept the fact that the creature who had killed his Master, Mar-Gon Jinn, was not the same as the man who now radiated as much peace and contentment as Yoda. Obi-Wan could see the seeds of fascination already sown, and was glad.

"It will be hard going for a while, you know," Obi-Wan said to Maul as they approached what he had come to think of as 'his' glade. "Don't give up."

"I don't intend to," Maul replied softly. "And nothing worthwhile is ever easy. That's one lesson you've taught me well."

Stopping in a shaft of early morning sunlight, Obi-Wan lifted his face to the warmth. "I wonder how Dala is doing?" he murmured.

"She is a survivor," Maul replied, admiring the way the light played off the coppery hair of his companion. "As is Yoda. I'm glad to have finally met him. Now I'm more certain than ever that he is still alive in that reality. She'll find him. Or he her."

Opening his eyes again, Obi-Wan looked at his friend. "Are you going through with the surgery?"

"I think so," Maul replied, fingering his vestigial horns. "It would be nice to have hair. Speaking of which, you ought to let yours grow out," he added, then his eyes widened as Obi-Wan laughed.

"What is it about my hair?" the young Knight chuckled.

Hesitantly, Maul reached out and ran his fingers through the softness. "It's soft and strong and beautiful, like you," he whispered.

Obi-Wan leaned into the caress, smiling crookedly. "I'll miss you," he said.

"I'll miss you too," Maul replied. He leaned in, one hand still cupping the back of Obi-Wan's head, and brushed his lips against the Jedi's. When he would have pulled away, Obi-Wan stopped him and kissed him firmly, letting his tongue trace the shape and softness of the other man's lips.

When the kiss ended, Maul's eyes were suspiciously bright, and he had to swallow before he could speak. "What kind of kiss was that?" he asked huskily.

"Remembrance," Obi-Wan answered, his own voice thick. "Good luck, my friend."

"And to you," Maul replied, loath to break their embrace, but finally, reluctantly stepping away. "Force be with you, Obi."

Not trusting himself to speak, Obi-Wan merely nodded, sank into lotus and ignited his 'saber.

EPILOGUE

Senator Palpatine of Naboo, self-styled Lord Sidious, last of the Sith, woke slowly, aware of coldness and discomfort, a situation unfamiliar to him. His head pounding and his mouth dry, he rolled to his side and gave in to nausea, dry heaving until he gained control of his stomach. After a moment, he sat up carefully, cradling his throbbing head in his hands and keeping his eyes closed against the dizziness.

He felt metal under his substantial chin and allowed his fingers to trace it... some kind of collar. With a start, he realized it was a Force collar, and frantically began searching for the lock.

It was welded shut.

Opening his eyes, he moaned at the sensory overload to his senses. It was dark, the faint, burned-out sun a dim red glow in the sky, and a chill wind blew relentlessly. Ruined buildings surrounded him, no matter how frantically he looked around. Searching his clothing, he realized he no longer wore his ornate robes; instead, he was dressed in an old, worn coverall. No pockets. No lightsaber. No device.

On the verge of hysteria, he twisted, ruthlessly suppressing nausea, hunting around his immediate environs. A glint to one side put his heart in his throat as he lunged for it, his fingers scrabbling to pick it up.

It was an empty bottle of root beer.

His howls of madness filled the echoing, empty buildings.