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Satine had learned to appreciate the quiet periods. Over the fast few months since she had been forced away from Kalevala, away from her home she had lived hand to mouth and under a state of constant chaos.
It could not be more removed from the life she had lived on her father's estate.
She would have laughed at the idea that she would have been so thankful for a few hours, sat in a forest clearing with nothing to hold her attention back then. Yet she was, so desperately thankful.
She stared across at Padawan Kenobi. He sat cross-legged, eyes closed. He breathed evenly. Satine sighed.
She did not understand the boy.
Master Jinn was easy to get along with, he was easy to talk to. He spoke freely, talked with her about her childhood, about the ways she hoped to build her future. She had helped her grieve the loss of her father. If anything he had become a surrogate father figure. The fact that he was a Jetti didn’t even factor. If it wasn’t for his lightsaber she wouldn’t even know he was a member of the order on which her childhood horror stories were built.
Padawan Kenobi on the other hand… It was like he was another species altogether. He was reticent to talk, the few words that he would talk about were abrasive, aggressive, argumentative. He didn’t seem to even know how to hold a conversation. He was the exact type of condescending Jetti that their stereotypes were based upon. It was incredibly frustrating.
It was like he wasn’t even human. She would give almost anything to just see him knocked off balance, to prove that he wasn’t actually an artificial droid. To prove that he wasn’t so perfect.
That Satine could admit to herself, might be the thing that bothered her the most, the fact that this boy was her age, yet seemed so much more in control of himself. It made her feel inadequate. She was supposedly a figurehead for a movement in the system, someone who was supposed to inspire a side in a civil war. She had only really been able to cope with her own insecurities by justifying it with her age. Surely no teenager could be perfect.
Yet Padawan Kenobi was proof that her notions were incorrect. It drove her mad.
“You are staring duchess.”
Satine jerked out of her thoughts. Kenobi had opened his eyes. They were staring at her, ice-like. Piercing into her soul. It was like he could read all of her ugly thoughts. He was disconcerting.
“That is an assumption you should be beyond Padawan, I was merely admiring the wildlife.”
Kenobi’s lip quirked. “I didn’t know there was such interesting wildlife in the area just behind me, I must be missing out.”
Satine scowled. “You’re more than welcome to go and look Padawan. Or you could keep living inside your head and miss out on actual life. It's your choice.”
Obi-Wan smirked as he pulled himself to his feet. “Duchess your wish is my command.”
He turned and stepped through the trees.
Satine barely stopped herself from making an obscene gesture at his retreating back.
“You Know,” Master Jinn said in an inquiring tone. Satine suppressed a jump. She had almost forgotten that the Jedi Master was there, her attention so focussed on his apprentice.
“I think you two would actually get along quite well if you didn’t spend all of your conversations trying to antagonise each other.”
Satine scoffed. “Get along, I mean no offence here Master Jinn but I cannot think of a person who I have less in common than your apprentice. I probably have more in common with members of the Death Watch than you have.”
Qui-Gon shook his head, looking amused. “Oh to be a young again,” he mused. “The misunderstanding of one's emotions will always amuse me.”
Satine began to stand. “I’m sorry Master Jinn, what exactly are you implying.”
Before Qui-Gon had the chance to respond the air was rent with a pained yell.
“Padawan!” The Jedi was on his feet with his lightsaber ignited almost immediately.
He strode forward into the forest.
“Stay here” he shouted over his shoulder.
Satine ignored him. She grabbed hold of her blaster and followed him into the darkness of the trees.
It didn’t take long to reach Kenobi.
He was lying on the floor, face racked in pain, an ugly red welt on his arm.
Qui-Gon knelt down next to him, grabbing him by the shoulders.
“Padawan! Padawan what happened.”
Obi-Wan only gave out a pained moan.
Satine scanned the trees, looking for anything that had caused it. She froze when she caught sight of the nest.
It was a large bulbous shape, located in one of the highest branches of the tree. It was a deep ugly brown. Satine recognised it. Anyone educated on Kalevala would recognise it. They were taught how to recognise the nests in their earliest days at school, such was the risk.
Venom Mites.
They were creatures that they were taught never to interact with. A sting from the mites could be fatal, even at the best they could cause violent hallucinations.
“Master Jinn,” She said quietly, standing perfectly still. “Don’t move”.
Qui-Gon looked at her, concern on his face.
She slowly raised an arm, pointing at the nest.
He raised his head to look up at it. He let out a breath as he saw the nest.
“The leaves he breathed. Is there any of the leaves?”
She knew what he meant. There was a specific type of plant whose leaves could draw out the venom. It seemed a strange quirk of evolution that where the Mites lived the Doral plant grew. She scanned the foliage. She couldn’t see any. She grew frustrated with herself. She should have paid more attention to the wilderness survival courses her father had insisted she take. She never enjoyed them, always thinking them useless, why would she need to know those sorts of skills. Politics and diplomacy were the things she’d need to know.
Or so she’d thought.
“I can’t- I can’t see any.”
But no. There they were, the distinctive wide flat leaves emerging from a plant on the other side of the clearing.
She glanced up towards the nest. It was quiet. It could very easily be that Obi-Wan disturbing the nest had caused the Mites to flee. She stumbled forward, pulling the leaves from the plant.
“I’ve got them.”
Qui-Gon nodded.
“Come on Padawan. We have to go back to camp.”
Kenobi just mumbled incomprehensibly.
Master Jinn scooped Obi-Wan up into his arms and turned, marching away from the nest quickly. Satine glanced back at the nest once before following.
Obi-Wan looked much smaller in Qui-Gons arms. He seemed more like a child. When she had hoped that he would appear more human, this was not what Satine said.
By the time they reached the camp, Obi-Wan was feverish, beads of sweat rolling down his face. Qui-Gon lay him down next to the fire.
He looked indecisive, worried.
“I don’t know too much about these mites Duchess. I knew of the leaves but how... how do they work.”
“I don’t know everything she offered… But I have what we were taught about first aid.”
He stepped away from Obi-Wan, waving her forward. She scrunched up one of the leaves placing it on the wound. They were supposed to be wet she remembered. If they were wet it drew the venom out more easily. But they had no access to water. She didn’t know what to do.
The bite started to turn yellow under the leaf. The venom being drawn up to the surface.
But it didn’t break the skin.
She bit her lip. She needed liquid of some type.
She swallowed back some bile rising in her mouth.
Her eyes widened.
It would be a way of doing it. An unhygienic, rather disgusting way. But a definite way.
She hesitated.
Obi-Wan started shivering.
She didn’t have time for hesitation.
Satine grabbed one of the leaves scrunching it up before putting it in her mouth. She winced at the bitter taste before spitting it out again and putting it on Obi Wans wound. She grimaced at the slimy sensation but pressed down harder.
Obi-Wan shuddered, but the yellow puss finally broke the surface.
She kept up the pressure, the small flow gathering strength until there was a stream of the liquid coming from the bite.
Obi-Wan breathed quickly, his eyes twitching. He did not seem to be able to see her, to see anything. She had to keep going. She had to get the venom out. She wished she knew more, had a better grasp of the remedies. She was going off half-remembered tales of remedies. If she was remembering wrong, she could be condemning Kenobi. Condemning the boy who had risked his life so many times for her, even though she had never even tried to hide her dislike of him.
She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if he died.
She replaced the leaf.
The pus was beginning to lose its colour. That was good she thought, that was always a good sign. She could remember that lesson.
By the time she applied the fourth leaf the pus had lost nearly all its colour. It began running clear as if it was water.
Satine released the wound, sitting back on her haunches. She was breathing heavily, she felt more exhausted than she did after a battle despite having done very little physical work. She was mentally tired, her emotions drained.
She glanced around them. It was twilight, she hadn’t even noticed the light fading so focused she had been on her task.
“Will he be ok.” Master Jinn asked. It was the least confident she had ever heard him.
“He should be, the venom is out. It can’t do any more damage.”
Obi-Wan flinched before giving out a pained moan.
“Then why is he still like this.”
Satine winced. “The venom’s hallucinogenic. Whatever got into his bloodstream just has to work through his system now. He’s going to have to ride it out.”
“No!” Obi-Wan shouted before bucking upwards. His arm began to reach forward. Satine could recognise a jittery version of one of his lightsaber forms. Qui-Gon darted forward, pulling Obi-Wan into his lap. He pinned his arms to his side.
“It’s ok Padawan. It is going to be ok.”
Obi-Wan shook his head distressed.
“Anakin. You’re Lost” he moaned “This is the dark speaking, not you.”
“Whose Anakin?” Satine asked. Qui-Gon shook his head perturbed.
“I’ve never heard that name” he muttered.
Obi-Wan thrashed again. Qui-Gon tightened his grip. “Step away from her”
“Peace Padawan, it is not real” Qui-Gon whispered quietly, rocking him from side to side. “You’re safe here.”
Obi-Wan clawed at him, face contorting into despair.
“I loved you!” he howled before he fell backwards eyes closing.
Obi-Wan curled into himself sobbing quietly. Qui-Gon folded himself over his Padawan, clearly trying to protect him from his imaginary assailants.
Satine felt like a voyeur, observing something she had no real business or right to bear witness to. She didn’t have permission to see Obi-Wan in this way. If she had learnt anything about the boy she knew he would be horrified to see him in this state.
Obi-Wan sobs petered out. His movements became slower before he slumped backwards into an uneasy sleep. Qui-Gon breathed out a sigh of relief.
He looked up at her. She thought he was going to chastise her, for antagonising Obi-Wan in the first place. After all, if she had never sent him off in the first place, Obi-Wan would never have been bitten in the first place. The whole series of events was her fault.
“Thank you, Duchess.”
“Sorry,” she said, taken aback.
“Thank You for saving my Padawan.”
Satine hunched over. She didn’t think she deserved any thanks. In some ways, she had asked for this. Asked for something to humanise the Padawan. And it had worked. It had humanised Obi-Wan, proved that he was just a boy her age. And she hated herself for it.
She’d learn she swore to herself as she lay down to sleep. She would have to learn to be more empathetic. The system deserved that. If she was to rule Mandalore she needed to better understand other people, without having to see them suffer. Obi-Wan had proved that she judged too quickly. She just hoped he would be there to see her change.