Ghost of Nightmares Past/Chapter 7

AMBUSH

Obi-Wan pushed himself on his morning exercises once more, trying to loosen up for his morning spar session with Anakin. Not many people had turned up; a few padawans, including Ahsoka, Garen and a few other older Jedi. Obi-Wan turned to the clock, and frowned.

He was late by ten minutes.

Typical, he told himself. Always late.

Finally, the doors flew open, and Anakin walked in, his sabre at his belt, walking as though he was the greatest person in the universe. He stared around for a moment, and spotted Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan smirked at him, before saying, "Late, as usual, aren't you Anakin?"

Bruck smiled through Anakin's lips. "Slept in Master." He said shortly. "Shall we get ready to duel?"

"What about your stretches Anakin?" Obi-Wan said, moving towards the referee droid, who stood, ready to be activated, at the side-lines. Bruck pulled off Anakin's robes, and turned to stare at the crowd that was slowly gathering. The benches were nearly full now. His eyes found a young Togruta girl at the front, matching the description Aalto had given him. So, this must be Ahsoka Tano.

Leave her alone! Anakin's voice cried in his ears.

She's mine now, Bruck told him, now, don't mess with my plan today. He turned to see Obi-Wan walking back towards him. Your Master looks so much different from when I last fought him. Bruck took note of the shortened Auburn hair and the trimmed beard.

Leave him alone too! Anakin yelled at him, his voice sounding panicky.

Bruck pushed Skywalker's voice to one side, and readied himself for the duel. Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair, before pulling his sabre from his belt and igniting it. It shone with a whitish-blue tinge. Bruck pulled Skywalker's blade from his belt and ignited it too. The referee droid came to the middle, and said, its voice boring. "Now, play clean. Keep to the rules. Settings turned down, no killing. Understood?"

Yes, Bruck thought, smiling to himself. But my settings aren't going to be turned down for this man. He watched Obi-Wan turn a dial on his sabre hilt, and Bruck sent a thought to Skywalker. I want you to watch your Master die for what he did to me, and then you get the blame!

"Ready?" The referee droid announced, and the crowd began to look eager. "In your stances please!"

Obi-Wan shifted into a stance that Bruck knew well was the Sonseru stance; back leg bent slightly, left arm forwards and blade held back above the head, with the weight on the back leg. Bruck didn't know what Skywalker's stance was, so shifted into the one with blade in front. His decision was right, because the droid raised its arm, just as a small green figure wandered in, carrying his walking stick. Master Yoda himself had come to watch the fight.

"BEGIN!" The droid shouted, backing off.

Bruck attacked first, and struck Obi-Wan's blade. He felt the strength behind his defensive stance instantly, as though he had been training with it for a while. Obi-Wan attacked next, and Bruck parried. He pushed and sliced at Obi-Wan's chest, causing the Jedi to lean back slightly to evade it. Bruck aimed for his side, but Obi-Wan parried that by pointing his sabre to the ground, using a back-hand right. Bruck shoved his shoulder into his chest, causing the Jedi to back off. "I've never known you to play dirty Anakin," Obi-Wan wheezed, dodging Bruck's attacks, letting himself time to recover.

"We have to go full out in order to improve, don't we Master," Bruck hissed at him, parrying Obi-Wan's blow.

The duel was lasting too long for Obi-Wan, he could see that. The Jedi was tiring, but Bruck could feel a strain happening to his muscles, or rather Skywalker's. If he was going to do it, he needed to do it now. He forced himself at Obi-Wan, causing them both to parry their blades, and fall to the ground. "Stop!" The referee droid yelled, and Obi-Wan pushed Bruck off him, getting to his feet. The referee droid rolled towards Bruck, and said, "Indecent move. Penalty. Point to Obi-Wan Kenobi!"

The crowd shouted mixed comments, most in Obi-Wan's favour, as the Jedi walked back to his spot, twirling his blade in his hand. Bruck smiled, and, as the droid backed off, he attacked.

Obi-Wan spun around, as he felt the hatred rushing from Anakin, and forced his blade up, and tripped him, causing his friend to fall to the ground. But Anakin side-kicked him, before kicking him in the stomach, causing a crack to be heard, and making him slide away across the floor. Panting, Obi-Wan struggled to his feet, as the droid cried, "Point to Anakin Skywalker."

Obi-Wan prepared himself for the next assault, raising his blade above his head again, but, suddenly, his side gave a pang of pain, and he fell to his knees. The crowd was silent.

"Time out," Obi-Wan heard Garen call. Obi-Wan managed to get one of his feet below him, clutching his side as it gave some stabs of pain. Garen rushed towards him, and took his arm, "You alright buddy?"

Obi-Wan kept his voice low, as he spoke to Garen. "I think he's cracked one of my ribs. My right side. I'm not sure."

Garen frowned at Anakin, who was twirling his blade in his hands, staring at them. "He isn't fighting how I use to remember him."

"Something is up," Obi-Wan said, as the droid came towards him. "Help me up Garen, so I can get this duel over with."

"No way," Garen said instantly, helping him up. "Obi-Wan, if you're injured, you should call surrender."

"I know that is the rules. But I want to check something." Obi-Wan said, holding his sabre tighter in his hand. "This is not Anakin's style of fighting. It's...familiar." He nodded at the droid, and called, "I am continuing the duel."

The crowd cheered slightly, and Yoda gave a satisfied nod. Garen glared at Obi-Wan, as he placed most of his weight on his left side instead of his right. He would have to change stance. Garen retreated to the edge of the side-lines, as Obi-Wan, instead, placed his blade in the Ataru stance, holding it to his side. He was going on the offensive now. The droid raised its arm, and shouted, "Begin!"

It was over in moments. Obi-Wan parried Anakin's blade, and, instantly, the younger Jedi punched his right side, causing him to yell in pain, and the crowd screamed, "Foul!"

However, the droid ignored them, and Obi-Wan pushed Anakin back. The younger Jedi stood, in a completely different stance to before, and leapt through the air. Obi-Wan seized his chance. Extinguishing his blade, he leapt high in the air, ducked Anakin's swing and struck him in the chin lightly, causing a moment's distraction, before seizing his wrists and kicking him away to the ground, causing an all might smack as he struck it. Obi-Wan landed softly, but his right leg buckled as the pain from his cracked ribs erupted through his body. The droid instantly wheeled towards an unconscious Anakin and cried, "Point to Obi-Wan Kenobi! Anakin Skywalker unable to continue!" Obi-Wan waited, as the droid shouted, "Winner, Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan struggled back to his feet, as the crowd applauded, and felt the pain rush through his body. Garen was at his side in an instant, pulling his arm over his shoulder and leading him to a bench. "You know," Garen said hotly, "That was pretty reckless!"

"What, the fact that I continued to fight with an injury or I changed stance?"

"Both!" Garen said hotly, as a med droid touched Obi-Wan's injured side, checking for any serious injuries. "Obi-Wan, you never used Ataru since, well, you know. Qui-Gon."

Obi-Wan ignored him, and winced as the droid bandaged his side tightly, and began to stand, a bit better, and walk away, towards the exit. "Very good," Yoda said shortly, as he approached Obi-Wan, walking next to him, "Impressed at the change in stance, I am."

"Thank you Master," Obi-Wan said, slightly confused.

"Sense something troubling you, I do."

Obi-Wan stared at the unconscious form of Anakin, as Ahsoka tried to shake him awake. "I have never known Anakin to fight dirty before, and his stance seems...unlike him."

"Indeed," Yoda said, his voice low. "And worries me that..." He stopped.

Obi-Wan felt it too, and, once more, someone screamed above them.

Shaak Ti was just happily walking through the hall of the fountains when she spotted something scarlet glistening on the ground, and saw a foot just visible by the fountain. She rounded the fountain. She screamed instantly.

Two Jedi were with her instantly; Yoda and Obi-Wan. Already, more people were beginning to turn up, and most of them covered their mouths or stood and pointed at the body. Obi-Wan rushed forward, and turned the Jedi over.

It was Aalto.

Blood soaked his hands, as he removed them from Aalto's chest, where a sabre wound was visible, still smoking. He stared up at Yoda, who approached wearily. "Disturbing, this is." He said lowly. "Take the body to Bant, you will."

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan said, and he motioned to Anakin, who strode forward instantly. Together, they lifted the body, and carried it down the hall and through a quiet door.

Bruck watched as Obi-Wan struggled slightly to carry Aalto, and smirked slightly. Now would be his chance. He dropped what part of Aalto he was holding and dived for Obi-Wan, causing him to fall to the ground, with his hands over his neck. Obi-Wan kicked Bruck over him, and turned, spluttering, to him. "Anakin, what do you think you're doing?"

"Haven't you worked it out yet?" Bruck snarled at him. "After all, you murdered me a few decades ago, didn't you?"

Obi-Wan stared at Anakin, and suddenly backed off, shaking his head violently. "No..." He said defiantly, "No, it can't be you Bruck." He glared at him; Bruck controlling Anakin, Bruck forcing Anakin to kill innocent people. "Why?"

"Revenge, Kenobi," Bruck sneered at him. He raised his hand, and Obi-Wan felt tightness around his neck. He reached up to his throat, clutching it, as he choked. "Now, let's see how well you can fly!"

Bruck flung Obi-Wan through a window, making him to get cut instantly by the shards of glass. Quickly, Obi-Wan activated his rope binds, and the sharpened end dug deep into the temple stone work. He felt a massive tug on his arm, and clung tightly to it, slowly sliding down it, burning his hands. He landed hard on the roof of the temple floor below, and lay on the cool stone work, staring above at the sky, panting. He could see Bruck above, Anakin's black clothing billowing around him, before he turned and rushed away. Obi-Wan sat up, and, pressing a button on his comm. Link, instantly said, "Ahsoka? Are you there?"

"Master Kenobi?" Ahsoka's voice issued from his wrist. "What's wrong?"

"Can you, er, bring a speeder round to the roof of the Temple?" Obi-Wan said hesitantly. He heard her snigger slightly, and she logged off. Wrapping his cloak around him, Obi-Wan waited for five minutes, when he saw one of the Jedi speeders heading towards him. He waved, and Ahsoka steered towards him, and landed it close by. She was in a fit of giggles, as he slowly clambered in. "Very funny young one," Obi-Wan said, rolling his eyes.

"What were you doing on the roof anyway?" She chortled.

"Well, Anakin attacked me, or rather a Phantom attacked me, and he forced pushed me out the window." Obi-Wan explained quickly, and Ahsoka nearly crashed in shock.

"But...why?"

"Because the Phantom that possesses him is seeking revenge for something I had done." Obi-Wan answered shortly. "I must speak with Master Yoda this instant."