The Chosen Apprentice/Chapter 40

Shinai was standing on a ledge several floors below and it took Anakin a few minutes to catch up with him. The former Jedi stood there, sneering at him.

“What took you so long?” he asked, letting go and falling further down.

Anakin let go and followed him until they were more or less eye-level again. Shinai showed no sign of attacking, at least not yet. So Anakin tried to reason with him.

“Shinai, this doesn’t have to happen,” he said.

“Yes,” Shinai laughed, “it does.”

“What are you trying to prove here by running?” Anakin persisted, ignoring Shinai’s attitude. There must be someway to get through to him.

“I don’t need to prove anything,” Shinai spat. “I just want you to leave me alone!”

He jumped off the ledge and Anakin followed him, landing after Shinai on a ledge further below.

“Don’t you ever quit, Skywalker?” Shinai demanded.

“Not until you do,” Anakin told him. “You have to answer for your crimes.”

“If you mean that Neimoidian, then I did you a service,” Shinai mocked. “You probably wanted him dead as much as anyone else did.”

“No, I know the difference between wanting someone dead and actually killing them,” Anakin said. “I don’t think you do.”

With a cry like a wounded animal, Shinai ignited his lightsaber and struck at Anakin. Anakin quickly deflected his blow, but the force of it sent them both off the edge and further down.

--

Arrin’s room was not hard to find and neither was the boy himself. Obi-Wan found him in bed beneath the blue-coloured coverlet with starships printed on it. The boy was sleeping, curled into the foetal position, a stuffed bantha toy in the crook of his arm and sucking his thumb.

Obi-Wan wondered how much he had seen, and how would it affect him. He watched Arrin sleep for a few moments, wondering what was going to be done with him. Obi-Wan knew he had to get him out of her for in the extremely unlikely event that Anakin was not successful Shinai without a doubt would return. And only the Force know what he’s going to do with his son, Obi-Wan reflected, a Jedi’s son…

Through the Force, though it was rather raw and untrained, Obi-Wan could sense the potential within the sleeping Arrin. Why hadn't he thought of it before? But first things first; he had to get rid of the boy’s mother.

He left the room and picked up the woman’s body where it lay. What was her name? Martreyea, Anakin had said. He carried her to another bedroom and lay her down on the mattress, covering her with a spare blanket.

Then he went back to the boy and gently nudged him awake.

“Mmmm….Mom, leave me alone,” Arrin murmured, turning over without opening his eyes.

Obi-Wan prodded him again. “Arrin.” He whispered. “Arrin, you have to wake up.”

Arrin opened his eyes, then widened them as he stared up at Obi-Wan. “Who are you?”

Obi-Wan blinked, how much did he remember. “I’m a Jedi,” he answered. “My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi and you…your mother says you have to come with me.” He had tacked on the white-lie at the last moment as he needed a plausible reason for the boy to follow him

“Where’s Mom?” he asked. “She said my Dad would be coming soon.”

Obi-Wan paused, how was he going to tell him that his father had killed his mother and now was fighting somewhere in Coruscant? But Arrin had seen all this, hadn't he?

He examined to boy’s face critically, there was no trace of any sort of emotion there that Obi-Wan could associate with what had happened. Had he even remembered?

“You’re father’s gone away and you have you are to come with me,” Obi-Wan said, picked up a jacket off the floor and helping Arrin put it on. While Arrin looked up at Obi-Wan rather curiously, he did let the Jedi help him off the bed. “Quickly now.”

“Where are we going?” Arrin asked, he still had the stuffed bantha under his arm.

“We’re going…to the Jedi Temple,” Obi-Wan said, hoping that the plan that he had worked out in his head would come to fruition. Somehow, Obi-Wan mused, this feels like a very familiar story.

Arrin looked up. “We are?” They were in the living room now, the Coruscant nightscape both audible and visible through the broken window.

“Yes, take my hand,” Obi-Wan instructed as he opened the door and they went out.

--

Anakin had to ignite his own lightsaber to parry the blows from Shinai’s all the while the two of them were in freefall. He gripped it tightly, hoping to the Force he wouldn’t drop it. This is insane, he said to himself as he blocked Shinai’s attack. He knew they couldn’t go on like this for ever for one thing they would run out of air to fall through.

Fortunately they passed through one of the many skyways that ran through Coruscant and both of them were able to land on a passing airspeeder. If there was any surprise on the part of the occupants as to the extra passengers, neither Anakin nor Shinai took any notice.

His lightsaber ready, Anakin leapt from his speeder to his own, using the Force to extend the length of his jump. This was fortunate as a moment after Anakin left the airspeeder the driver made a right turn, but he was never to know this.

They fought for a moment on the hood of the speeder, dazzling and shocking the people inside before Shinai jumped onto the speeder in front and Anakin followed him.

“What do those Jedi think they’re doing?” asked the Dug driver to his mauve Twi’lek companion.

She shrugged.

--

What followed was a relentless chase through the skies of Coruscant that was as dangerous as it seemed. To a red open-topped speeder where Anakin had to jump over the inside to get to the front, from there to a white bus and then a run and jump to a blue and white diplomatic transport.

Still Shinai was ahead and still Anakin followed, running and jumping and not getting any closer. The clever option, he knew, was to commandeer a vehicle as he and Padmé had done on Avingnon and pursue Shinai that way, but there was no time and what was he going to do with those already inside? Somehow Anakin figured that wouldn’t take as kindly to freefall as he did.

Another open speeder, then a small green one with a flat roof and then finally a hovertrain where Shinai stopped and waited for him.

When Anakin landed on the train he jumped again, this time right at Shinai with his feet in a smooth kick that knocked him back. But Shinai was on his feet within a moment and attacking Anakin the next, whirling his lightsaber in a devastating arc to bring it smashing down above Anakin’s head.

Anakin side-stepped the blow then intercepted it, dangerously skirting the edge of the hovertrain so as to come up behind Shinai. Then he attacked, first short, sharp blows that had very little impact, just to soften Shinai up. Then one overwhelming lunge that had the former Jedi leaning far back against the metal surface with Anakin's lightsaber at his throat. But instead of following through, Anakin paused.

“Go on,” croaked Shinai. “You have won, you have beaten me. My life is forfeit.”

Still Anakin didn’t move. Part of him wanted the blade to continue its path, to finish the job, but for what? Shinai was not really a Dark Jedi, he was a bounty hunter who had been a Jedi, the attacks he had made were not for his own reasons, he had been hired to do them. And there was no revenge, the closest he could come to that was the death of Adi Gallia about four years ago and he had not known he well at all.

So what is it then? he asked himself, I have him here at my mercy, I can kill him now…but I need a reason. And the reason was not for the Council, not for Obi-Wan but to explain to himself why he had taken a life when he needn’t have. Did he need a reason? Could he let Shinai go?

Anakin took Shinai’s lightsaber off him which was pressed uselessly against his chest, the blade at an impossible angle. He then deactivated his own weapon.

“What are you doing?” Shinai asked in surprise.

“I’m taking you back to the Temple where you will explain your actions to the Council,” Anakin told him.

“Why are you sparing me?” Shinai asked. “I know this wouldn’t be your first kill, Skywalker, you know how easy it is.”

“That’s the difference between us, then,” Anakin said. “Just because it’s easy, doesn’t mean its right. I thought you would have learned that before I did.”

Was it something in Anakin’s words? Or was it earlier when he was about to finish Shinai off, but wouldn’t? Either way, Anakin detected a change in Shinai. While the former Jedi had not returned from the dark side, he seemed to regard Anakin with respect.

“Yes,” he said at last, “I did learn that, but I’d forgotten.”

Anakin held out a hand in friendship. “You’ll come now?” he asked.

Shinai shook his head. “No, I don’t deserve that. You were right, Skywalker, about the difference between us.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t start again,” Anakin said.

“No,” Shinai murmured. “It’s far too late for me.” He paused, as if he was remembering something. “There’s one more thing.”

“Your son,” Anakin murmured.

“Don’t ever tell Arrin about this,” Shinai said. “Make sure he’s all right.” He stepped off the edge of the speeder bus.

“No, Shinai.” Anakin tried to stop him but it was too late.

For a moment Anakin made as if to follow him, then what he saw below made him stop. He saw Shinai ignite his lightsaber as he fell, he saw the blue blade move in a circle and—though he did not see what it did—he could feel the pulse of Shinai’s life vanish from the Force. Was he dead?

Probably. Yet Anakin had a sinking feeling that he wasn't, but nevertheless he would not be bothering them again, or anyone else.

So what am I left with? he asked himself, looking around at the brightening sky as the hovertrain cleared the line of skyscrapers, I don’t even have a body.

With a grim smile he got out his comlink.

--

Obi-Wan was just outside the Council chamber with Arrin when his comlink buzzed.

“That didn’t take long,” he said into it, knowing it was Anakin. “Where are you and how soon can you get here?”

“Are you near the Council chamber?” Anakin asked.

“Yes,” replied Obi-Wan uncertainly.

“Come out onto the balcony.”

Not knowing quite what to expect, Obi-Wan did as Anakin said. He noticed a hovertrain quickly pass the Temple, there was someone standing on the top. Someone waving at him. Obi-Wan shook his head as he returned the wave.

“Anakin, what the blazes are you doing up there?” he asked impatiently.

“Admiring the view,” Anakin replied. “It’s great up here, you should try it.”

“Where’s Shinai?” Obi-Wan asked. Anakin was out of view now.

Anakin’s answer was quick and monosyllabic. “Gone.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Dead?”

“I don’t know,” Anakin told him.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Obi-Wan demanded.

“I mean exactly that,” Anakin retorted, “I don’t know.”

Obi-Wan knew he wasn’t going to get any more answers out of him. “Anakin, for the sake my own sanity get off at the next stop,” he said. “You’ve got ten minutes to get back here.”

“What’s the hurry?” Anakin asked.

“Nothing,” Obi-Wan replied. “I just want to make sure there’s nothing to distract you on the way back.”