Phase 1: A galaxy torn asunder pt1

=RK=

Part 1​

Jedi Temple

Coruscant

Two weeks ago, Obi-Wan Kenobi became the most powerful man in the galaxy.

Eleven days ago, when he was de-canned from a bacta tank, he was appraised of that fact.

It didn't take him long to figure out that his new status was a poisonous fruit.

Billions of soldiers, tens of thousands ships were his to command. In that respect nothing changed – in theory anyway. Obi-Wan still was the supreme commander of the Republic military. He had the authority to save or condemn whole sectors of the galaxy.

Kenobi was in a position for which many would kill for, yet all the former Jedi desired was to go back in time. Just two weeks. Was it so much to ask for?

Obi-Wan sighed. Coming back to the Temple was a mistake. There were ghosts here - friends and acquaintances alike; his brothers and sisters. The only family he knew before Satine. Kenobi wasn't sure if the Jedi Temple was tainted by so many people dying here or if it was just the Force playing tricks on him. The Dark Side reigned unchallenged and its influence was unsettling.

What use was the power he held in his hands when the galaxy was so broken? The Jedi Order was for all intents and purposes gone. The lucky ones managed to flee Coruscant before Yularen's fleet arrived and locked down the whole planet.

Even now, there were whole Clone armies spread all over the planet either maintaining the martial law or hunting down Jedi. Even as GAR's Supreme Commander, Obi-Wan lacked the authority to call off Order 66. He could do anything – condemn or save whole sectors of the galaxy, but only as long as his orders didn't interfere with the hunt for the Jedi.

It was Cody of all people who made that stance crystal clear.

For a thousandth time, Obi-Wan cursed himself for a fool. When he found the Clones on Kamino all those months ago, he should have been even more curious.

"I should have asked better questions..." Kenobi sighed. Even now he was unaware of the full scope of the contingency orders binding his army. Cody told him all he could, though he inferred that there were at least few other orders beside 66 which could be given or stopped only by a dully elected Chancellor.

That was a problem.

"Sir, the Senate is already in session." Lieutenant Nile reported. The young Clone was in charge of Obi-Wan's security detail.

Kenobi looked around the huge and very empty antechamber of the Jedi Temple. There were only his Clones in here and the ghosts of all the Jedi he failed. There wasn't a security detail in existence that could protect Obi-Wan from the intangible shades of the dead.

Power. Obi-Wan frowned at that thought. He would never understand why people seek it. Now that he had it in spades it was more trouble that it was worth. It couldn't give him what he wanted, nor what he needed.

The galaxy was still broken. The Clone Wars were far from over. The Republic itself was ready to tear itself apart.

A pained sigh escaped Obi-Wan's lips. There were too many ghosts here. He doubted he would be visiting again any time soon unless he absolutely had to. Satine was right, coming here was a mistake, yer he couldn't stop himself. He simply had to face his failure.

No matter what the Jedi or the Clones did, Obi-Wan was the supreme commander of the military on that fateful day. It was his responsibility to stop such madness from unfolding – contingency orders or not.

"I'm sorry." Obi-Wan apologized to the dead.

"We understand, sir." Nile whispered. "We'll get the bastards who escaped and avenge our brothers."

Kenobi looked at the lieutenant and an expressionless helmet stared back. Yes. Obi-Wan lost many friends on the day of the coup. Brainwashed or not, the Clones suffered the same. Of the battalion stationed at the Temple, only ten people survived. Most of them would require a lot of replacement limbs and implants if they were to recover.

Obi-Wan felt like weeping. The Sith couldn't have landed a greater blow to the Jedi if they tried. To think that the Council was to blame… even if they were apparently right – Palpatine of all people turned out to be a Sith…

Kenobi wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Logically it was Palpatine who trained Maul and was ultimately responsible for the Naboo Crisis, Qui-Gon's death and this whole war. Obi-Wan wanted to believe that was the case so much it hurt. He needed to believe that the Council had very good reason to destroy the Order and threaten to break up the Republic through their coup.

There simply was no proof! Oh, Palpatine was a Sith all right. The few surviving recorded fragments of his fight with the Jedi and the sheer carnage in his apartments were proof enough.

However there was no proof the Chancellor had knowingly worked against the Republic. On the contrary, there were mountains of evidence surfacing that pointed at the opposite conclusion. For more than a week evidence of monstrous corruption at all levels of the Republic government were coming to light as Palpatine's dead man switches were coming online.

Solid evidence that was impossible to dismiss.

"Let's not make the Senate wait. They're too much trouble at the best of times." Obi-Wan intoned. He gave one last look to the antechamber and turned around to leave.

On his way to the transport, Kenobi's mind went back to the events of the past week. Did Palpatine plan it this way, he wondered. Did the Chancellor intent to throw the Republic into chaos upon his death or was what his recording said true?

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and his mind drifted back to the first data-dump from Palpatine's dead-man's switch…