the Force and feel the engagement throughout Coruscant space as though the whole battle were happening inside his head.
His vehicle became his body. The pulses of its engines were the beat of his own heart. Flying, he could forget about his slavery, about his mother, about Geonosis and Jabiim, Aargonar and Muunilinst and all the catastrophes of this brutal war. About everything that had been done to him.
And everything he had done.
He could even put aside, for as long as the battle roared around him, the starfire of his love for the woman who waited for him on the world below. The woman whose breath was his only air, whose heartbeat was his only music, whose face was the only beauty his eyes would ever see.
He could put all this aside because he was a Jedi. Because it was time to do a Jedi's work.
But today was different.
Today wasn't about dodging lasers and blasting droids. Today was about the life of the man who might as well have been his father: a man who could die if the Jedi didn't reach him in time.
Anakin had been late once before.
Obi-Wan's voice came over the cockpit speakers, flat and tight. "Does your droid have anything? Arfour's hopeless. I think that last cannon hit cooked his motivator."
Anakin could see exactly the look on his former Master's face: a mask of calm belied by a jaw so tight that when he spoke his mouth barely moved. "Don't worry, Master. If his beacon's working, Artoo'll find it. Have you thought about how we'll find the Chancellor if-"
"No." Obi-Wan sounded absolutely certain. "There's no need to consider it. Until the possible becomes actual, it is only a distraction. Be mindful of what is, not what might be."
Anakin had to stop himself from reminding Obi-Wan that he wasn't a Padawan anymore. "I should have been here," he said through his teeth. "I told you. I should have been here."
"Anakin, he was defended by Stass Allie and Shaak Ti. If two Masters could not prevent this, do you think you could? Stass Allie is clever and valiant, and Shaak Ti is the most cunning Jedi I've ever met. She's even taught me a few tricks."
Anakin assumed he was supposed to be impressed. "But General Grievous-"
"Master Ti had faced him before, Anakin. After Muunilinst. She is not only subtle and experienced, but very capable indeed. Seats on the Jedi Council aren't handed out as party favors."
"I've noticed." He let it drop. The middle of a space battle was no place to get into this particular sore subject.
If only he'd been here, instead of Shaak Ti and Stass Allie, Council members or not. If he had been here, Chancellor Palpatine would be home and safe already. Instead, Anakin had been stuck running around the Outer Rim for months like some useless Padawan, and all Palpatine had for protectors were Jedi who were clever and subtle.
Clever and subtle. He could whip any ten clever and subtle Jedi with his lightsaber tied behind his back.
But he knew better than to say so.
"Put yourself in the moment, Anakin. Focus."
"Copy that, Master," Anakin said dryly. "Focusing now."
R2-D2 twittered, and Anakin checked his console readout. "We've got him, Master. The cruiser dead ahead. That's Grievous's flagship-Invisible Hand.''
"Anakin, there are dozens of cruisers dead ahead!"
"It's the one crawling with vulture fighters."
The vulture fighters clinging to the long curves of the Trade Federation cruiser indicated by Palpatine's beacon gave it eerily life-like ripples, like some metallic marine predator bristling with Alderaanian walking barnacles.
"Oh. That one." He could practically hear Obi-Wan's stomach dropping. "Oh, this should be easy . . ."
Now some of them stripped themselves from the cruiser, ignited their drives, and came looping toward the two Jedi.
"Easy? No. But it might be fun." Sometimes a little teasing was the only way to get Obi-Wan to loosen up. "Lunch at Dex's says I'll blast two for each of yours. Artoo can keep score."
"Anakin-"
"All right, dinner. And I promise this time I
His vehicle became his body. The pulses of its engines were the beat of his own heart. Flying, he could forget about his slavery, about his mother, about Geonosis and Jabiim, Aargonar and Muunilinst and all the catastrophes of this brutal war. About everything that had been done to him.
And everything he had done.
He could even put aside, for as long as the battle roared around him, the starfire of his love for the woman who waited for him on the world below. The woman whose breath was his only air, whose heartbeat was his only music, whose face was the only beauty his eyes would ever see.
He could put all this aside because he was a Jedi. Because it was time to do a Jedi's work.
But today was different.
Today wasn't about dodging lasers and blasting droids. Today was about the life of the man who might as well have been his father: a man who could die if the Jedi didn't reach him in time.
Anakin had been late once before.
Obi-Wan's voice came over the cockpit speakers, flat and tight. "Does your droid have anything? Arfour's hopeless. I think that last cannon hit cooked his motivator."
Anakin could see exactly the look on his former Master's face: a mask of calm belied by a jaw so tight that when he spoke his mouth barely moved. "Don't worry, Master. If his beacon's working, Artoo'll find it. Have you thought about how we'll find the Chancellor if-"
"No." Obi-Wan sounded absolutely certain. "There's no need to consider it. Until the possible becomes actual, it is only a distraction. Be mindful of what is, not what might be."
Anakin had to stop himself from reminding Obi-Wan that he wasn't a Padawan anymore. "I should have been here," he said through his teeth. "I told you. I should have been here."
"Anakin, he was defended by Stass Allie and Shaak Ti. If two Masters could not prevent this, do you think you could? Stass Allie is clever and valiant, and Shaak Ti is the most cunning Jedi I've ever met. She's even taught me a few tricks."
Anakin assumed he was supposed to be impressed. "But General Grievous-"
"Master Ti had faced him before, Anakin. After Muunilinst. She is not only subtle and experienced, but very capable indeed. Seats on the Jedi Council aren't handed out as party favors."
"I've noticed." He let it drop. The middle of a space battle was no place to get into this particular sore subject.
If only he'd been here, instead of Shaak Ti and Stass Allie, Council members or not. If he had been here, Chancellor Palpatine would be home and safe already. Instead, Anakin had been stuck running around the Outer Rim for months like some useless Padawan, and all Palpatine had for protectors were Jedi who were clever and subtle.
Clever and subtle. He could whip any ten clever and subtle Jedi with his lightsaber tied behind his back.
But he knew better than to say so.
"Put yourself in the moment, Anakin. Focus."
"Copy that, Master," Anakin said dryly. "Focusing now."
R2-D2 twittered, and Anakin checked his console readout. "We've got him, Master. The cruiser dead ahead. That's Grievous's flagship-Invisible Hand.''
"Anakin, there are dozens of cruisers dead ahead!"
"It's the one crawling with vulture fighters."
The vulture fighters clinging to the long curves of the Trade Federation cruiser indicated by Palpatine's beacon gave it eerily life-like ripples, like some metallic marine predator bristling with Alderaanian walking barnacles.
"Oh. That one." He could practically hear Obi-Wan's stomach dropping. "Oh, this should be easy . . ."
Now some of them stripped themselves from the cruiser, ignited their drives, and came looping toward the two Jedi.
"Easy? No. But it might be fun." Sometimes a little teasing was the only way to get Obi-Wan to loosen up. "Lunch at Dex's says I'll blast two for each of yours. Artoo can keep score."
"Anakin-"
"All right, dinner. And I promise this time I
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