Remaking the Future (Book #1 in Bridging the Gap)

Chapter 13 - Prepare to be Green (Teagan)

I duck reflexively as several more blaster bolts are fired at us, before the assassin's speeder suddenly takes a wild turn around another building, almost losing control in the process. Anakin easily flies after, still looking totally unruffled by the many near crashes we've had. I'm even willing to believe that he's enjoying the chase. I shudder, turning my attention back to the man we're pursuing. Seriously, hasn't the bounty hunter realized it's impossible to escape?

I catch a flicker of warning from the Force as his speeder whizzes another direction, trying to suddenly turn a corner far too sharply. It crashes straight into the side of a building and bounces back. I can't help but cringe and hope that there was no one right inside the building who was injured. Smoke and flames start leaking out of the engine, and the speeder spins out of control. It hurtles towards the ground far below for what is sure to be an explosive end.

Although there's hardly a reason to follow anymore, Anakin drops our speeder down after it. The wreckage already seems to be burning, if the smoke billowing out is any indication. When it hits the ground, it explodes into a ball of flames just like I'd expected. I watch with a horrified fascination, unable to tear my eyes from the flames.

"Shouldn't it be obvious that you don't try to out-pilot Anakin?" mutters Ramona, eyeing the wreck that was once a speeder. She doesn't seem too upset that the man crashed. Anakin smirks at her comment, but from his slightly irritated expression, I can tell he's upset the bounty hunter crashed. I'm sure he wants answers as much as – no, more than – we do. He'll never get them now. At least not until he discovers Palpatine's identity.

Ariana lets out a long sigh, "At least we survived this. Let's just hurry back for training now. There's nothing else we can do right now."

***

We train with Anakin for a while before he leaves to attend the next Council meeting. We, of course, already know everything that will happen in it. Obi-Wan will be sent to Utapau to fight Grievous. And he'll win, of course, but in the end, he'll lose everything. If he was here, Anakin would never have turned, and the Jedi never would have been destroyed. The galaxy would have been spared so much devastation. It's almost ironic that one simple decision caused such horrific results.

Shortly after the Council meeting is over, Obi-Wan takes his turn in our training. A surge of conflicting emotions rush through me when I see him again. We'll likely only see him once more: when he leaves tomorrow. I hope with all my heart that it also won't be the last time Anakin sees him, which is what would have happened if we weren't here to save Anakin.

"I heard about the assassination attempt," Obi-Wan tells us almost immediately.

"We knew it was coming," admits Ramona with a sigh.

"We're in a dangerous situation now. We've gotten the attention of the Sith Lord," Ariana explains, and I can feel her anxiety spike. Since we're talking to Obi-Wan, we can go into more details than with Anakin. We have an unspoken understanding that telling Anakin would arouse his suspicions about the Sith's identity, especially because of the conversation with Palpatine last night. That's not true for Obi-Wan.

I sense that it's not the right time for him to find out. Honestly, I can't trust that Anakin won't do something stupid if he finds out right now. It's better for Sidious to reveal himself when he's ready. I shiver slightly, unwilling to admit aloud how worried I am, though we're no stranger to people wanting us dead. It's a common occurrence back on Earth, but here in the Star Wars universe, the technology is so much more advanced, and it can be harder to know what to expect. And since we're dealing with Sidious, anything is possible. We have no way of knowing to what lengths he might go to eliminate us before we become too dangerous.