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Obi-Wan played cards, gambling with higher and higher stakes.
Next to him on the floor, Quinlan sat in a dark green slave outfit, waiting for the game to end.
They had a plan.
They were actually looking for information. So far, it was going well.
Every report from Cody as he snuck around collecting data was promising. Nothing was actually going wrong yet.
Obi-Wan tugged on Quinlan's chain.
Quinlan leaned on him.
Obi-Wan grasped his hair and tugged. He watched everyone's reactions. Soon.
They were going to clean out the money, then fight their way out and go. It shouldn't be that hard.
Only... Obi-Wan was starting to realize their opponents were cheating.
They had expected some cheating.
But not this blatant cheating that was getting their opponents further and further ahead.
Obi-Wan was, in a way, cheating.
Quinlan was communicating with him in the Force to help him.
Obi-Wan was using the Force in other ways, but he was not cheating with traditional methods. That was a fast track to problems, when others caught on. He was the outsider, they would be furious if they caught him cheating.
Since they did not know he was a Jedi, there was no way to even be suspicious of him cheating, though there was no good way to prove it if they did know.
It was keeping Obi-Wan ahead, making him look lucky and ensuring that he did not lose too much.
They got another update. Cody was done. He'd just need a bit longer to get out.
Obi-Wan hummed as he took his winnings from the latest game, having bluffed his way to a win despite having a terrible hand. Most of his opponents were basically out of money.
"How about we up the ante?" he suggested.
They all glared at him.
Obi-Wan smiled innocently. "Rather than starting with any money in this time... I'll put in my slave. This Kiffar." He pulled Quinlan into his lap.
Quinlan kept his eyes down, letting Obi-Wan manhandle him.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Obi-Wan and Quinlan.
Kiffar slaves were loved almost as much as twi'leks but they were far rarer, and far more pricey.
All they had to do was win this game and they could have one of their own.
Obi-Wan smirked as everyone sat back down and put down their bets.
Cody now had the time he needed to get out of the maze of the building.
The one detail Obi-Wan and Quinlan had not told Cody though, was that once slaves were involved, the stakes were higher. The games would get cutthroat, and these people had not been holding back to begin with.
There was a high chance Obi-Wan would lose this game of cards and get in a worse position for a while.
They were prepared for that, of course, but it did mean that things would get worse before they could get better.
In a way neither were comfortable with.
But it was the best distraction they had.
Obi-Wan was pleased to get a good hand this time but he kept his neutral face up as he joined in the conversation going on around the game.
Rounds went on, until they were almost done.
Then they upped the ante with a second slave for those who had slaves.
"I don't have a second slave with me," Obi-Wan sighed, reaching for his credits.
"Oh, you just brought the Kiffar with you? I can see why. He must be a good bed warmer. How about you put yourself up?"
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I am not a slave."
"But you could be. You would be a fine specimen."
Obi-Wan laughed. "As if I would willingly do that."
"Who said it has to be willing?"
Obi-Wan leaned forward. "I could just get up and leave right now."
"Fine, fine. One hour to the victor. Every time we increase bets, another hour. Then you are free to go without your slave."
"Very well." Obi-Wan conceded.
Efficient manipulation tactic. The hour bet was actually what they wanted.
It was hard to tell if they would attempt to make him a slave or not that way, but regardless, it would not stick.
I don't like this. Quinlan sighed. They just keep pushing... The bad feeling is getting worse.
We have plans, Quin. As soon as Cody signals that he's made it to the ship, we'll get out.
I had hoped it wouldn't make it this far.
Me too.
I'm worried that they want you too.
I know. They quite neatly set that up.
They did. Probably a trick they use often.
Obi-Wan hummed and took his turn, checking his cards, and pleased to see that his hand was where he wanted it after the discard.
The bets were raised. Obi-Wan stayed in.
And then it was time to reveal hands.
Obi-Wan's eyebrows went up when one person had a hand that was a higher value than his own.
It should not have been possible. He had been keeping track of cards, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't supposed to be that good and starting an argument when they were looking at him like that... well. That was definitely a bad idea.
"I win."
"I see that." Obi-Wan conceded. He leaned on the table with a sigh. "How do you wish to proceed?"
"Oh, we don't have to go anywhere yet."
Well, that meant that everyone will still be distracted at least. Quinlan was not happy at the direction this was taking, because it being public would feel worse, even if it was better for Cody.
"I see." Obi-Wan stood and waited. As long as Cody gets out. Then we can let loose and get out. Ready?
No, but it needs to happen anyway.
Obi-Wan handed Quinlan's chain over, then waited, chin lifted defiantly, but acting just a touch nervous.
Quinlan shivered at the wandering hands.
"Green, good choice. Really complements his features."
Obi-Wan smirked. "Doesn't it?"
"And you look good in blue."
Obi-Wan took a step back at getting his full attention.
"Ah-ah, come now, you agreed. You're mine for three hours. Considering how much money you lost me and my friends... I fully intend to make the most of it."
That could indicate they wish to keep you, Quinlan noted.
Doesn't matter. Cody shouldn't need more than an hour, two tops, to get out. Then we can go .
"I have never done this before," Obi-Wan admitted. "I don't know what you want."
"Good of you to admit that."
Then he kissed Obi-Wan without warning.
Obi-Wan struggled automatically, but stopped when he felt a sting. "What was that?"
"Just a little something to ensure... compliance."
Kriff. That's not good.
No, it's not... It might be down to you.
I know.
You've gotten me out of worse situations.
I know.
It'll be okay.
I don't like this.
I know. I don't either. But Cody is relying on us to make sure he gets out and to safety.
Right. I still don't understand why it had to be him.
I don't either, but the Chancellor insisted. We'll unpack that once we finish this out.
Feels like a set up.
Completely. Again... after.
Sorry. Thought a distraction would help.
A distraction would help. Thinking does not.
By then, Obi-Wan had been stripped and brought to a couch in the lounge area while everyone laughed.
Quinlan was sitting on someone's lap, acting the part of cowed slave with no defiance left.
It gave him more room to observe before things got worse.
This building was a casino on a planet outside of the Republic. They were openly criminal, and it was a party planet.
There was a reason Obi-Wan arrived with a 'slave'.
In order to keep Cody from being unnoticed as he looked for the information they needed on possible alliances with the Separatists, Obi-Wan engaged the owners and other higher ups in a game of cards so that they would not notice if things went wrong.
If they could draw a crowd? More distracted people to not notice Cody.
They had succeeded, and now there were a bunch of voyeurs cheering on 'taking care' of an arrogant upstart causing them all to lose money.
Obi-Wan had purposefully cleared out some other games and done slots for two hours before Cody entered the building so that if something went wrong, Obi-Wan was not associated with that.
Apparently, people were annoyed with him.
Quinlan had to stop looking around and thinking as hands started wandering. His breath caught and he closed his eyes before giving him what he wanted.
He could feel the smug satisfaction and that only made him feel worse.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes. His limbs felt heavy, and his head was murky. He knew he didn't want what was going on, but he found that even protesting took too much energy.
Maybe if he gave in, it would be over faster.
It wasn't. He was pretty sure there were multiple people and it wasn't stopping. It wasn't stopping. It wasn't stopping.
Obi-Wan whimpered.
"Next time you should reconsider playing cards if you aren't prepared to face the consequences."
Obi-Wan squinted at the card dropped on his face as everyone laughed.
What was going on?
It came back to him.
The drug was already wearing off. But he was so sore all over. They had wanted to make him hurt.
He curled up on his side when no one appeared to put their hands on him. When they didn't-
He cut off a choked sob.
"We're only one hour in, Ben. Don't worry, everyone goes through this rite of passage at some point. Sometimes, we decided to keep them as slaves, sometimes we wait and see if it happens again. Sometimes we decide that we're going to let you go."
Obi-Wan curled up tighter, eyes squeezed shut.
"Brats like you live off of your parents money and you need a dose of humility. Now you can rise up against it next time instead of being a smug asshole about it. There are rules to this sort of place."
Obi-Wan sniffled and nodded, ignoring the hand stroking his hair.
Where was the signal? It had been a whole hour.
"Drink some water. There's still two more hours."
Obi-Wan whimpered.
Quinlan pretended he wasn't worried about Obi-Wan, though he was. He knew Obi-Wan had been passed around more than he had at that point. He knew the drugs made it worse.
There was also the lesson they were trying to impart on the young upstart, so they were far rougher on him than on Quinlan.
They didn't care about Quinlan's comfort, it was just about experiencing a Kiffar for them. Which meant they were not as power hungry and rough on him as they were on Obi-Wan.
Quinlan hoped that this was all worth it. That the Chancellor hadn't sent them on a worthless trip, just to traumatize them. No matter how they approached it, with the Chancellor's expectations of Cody doing it alone... there was no scenario that did not end with at least Quinlan dealing with some sort of trauma.
He numbly obeyed and followed instructions.
Until he got the signal at close to two hours into the three hours. He carefully showed none of his relief, just poked at Obi-Wan in the Force.
Time to go.
Obi-Wan shared his relief.
They took a moment to debate the best way to go about this, especially with the lack of clothes.
Then they moved.
Neither used their lightsabers. They didn't want to reveal themselves as Jedi if they could help it.
They took the crowd by surprise and were able to pull their clothes back on.
Obi-Wan grabbed his winnings and took off, leaving everyone stunned as Quinlan followed, sprinting.
There were yells and shouting after them.
They reached the ship before the crowd could catch up.
"Go Cody!" Quinlan yelled as he slammed his hand on the button to close the ramp.
To his relief, the crowd didn't get a chance to even attempt to get on the ship.
They were safe.
Quinlan turned to Obi-Wan and hugged him.
Obi-Wan clung to him, burying his head against Quinlan's shoulder.
Quinlan knew he was crying. He was having a hard time holding his tears in himself.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until they were steadier.
Then they went to get cleaned up and get Quinlan his real clothes.
Obi-Wan stored the winnings.
Once they were sure they could get through this without shaking, they joined Cody.
Cody turned to them and sighed. "It was... not good."
"Not good?" Quinlan asked.
"Not worth the trouble," Cody clarified. "Sorry it took so long, they kept finding me and trying to stop me but they were also desperate to not let their bosses know some clone was getting at their top secret information."
Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "Alright, what did you get, then?"
Cody laid it all out. Most of the secrets were about how they played their card games.
There were some overtures from the Separatists, but as it was a party planet, they preferred to be unassociated with any group.
There was very little on the Separatists beyond the implication that they were getting desperate.
Cody then informed them about how there were files to suggest that they were looking for deserter clones to be strippers, or to just take any they could find if the opportunity arose.
Quinlan took a deep breath. "Kriff. It was a trap, had to be. Send in Cody alone, push us into doing something that would set everyone off..."
"How would you have handled it if the Chancellor had only wanted us to get the information?" Cody asked curiously. He glanced between them, noticing something off, but not certain what was going on.
Quinlan hummed. "If it had to be during business hours, I would have gone in or sent Obi-Wan in. You and whichever of us stayed behind would be causing chaos. Pulling alarms, doing pranks, anything to get security, the owners, and patrons to run around and miss anything out of place. Maybe even figure out a way to get everyone to evacuate. Obi is good at causing chaos, but not as good as I am so that's why it's a debate on which of us is on distraction and which is on information gathering."
"And... if not business hours, we would absolutely just go in as a group, two on lookout and taking out anyone who might catch us and get out as quickly as possible."
"Both of those sound like better plans."
"But that's not what the Chancellor wanted," Obi-Wan said quietly. "And I think... I think we need to focus on why wouldn't he want us to do something that way. Why did he want us to do something that way? How much does he know about this planet, that casino in particular?"
"Good questions," Quinlan agreed. "I feel like the Chancellor just wanted us out of the way or something."
Cody nodded. "But why?"
"That's what worries me," Obi-Wan said grimly. "He's already accumulated a lot of power. Things that Anakin have let slip imply that the Chancellor has been feeding him lies, but can't tell Anakin that because 'he's the Chancellor!' And think about all the issues we've had with missions going wrong, when they shouldn't have. Unless someone close to the Chancellor... or the Chancellor himself let it slip."
Quinlan nodded. "It's a game of cards for him. He keeps raising his bets and cheating. He has the best hand, and all we can do is catch a glimpse of cheating as we scramble to keep up."
Cody gave him a weird look for the analogy then nodded. "So he's playing both sides. Why? What does he get out of it?"
"I have a theory," Quinlan said immediately. "But no proof, and his record is too clean to find anything hinting at it. But... it'd make sense."
"Get on with it." Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at him.
"He's the Sith." It was the first time that Quinlan said it aloud.
He shared a startled look with Obi-Wan when the Force chimed with Truth truth truth and relief that someone had figured it out.
Cody blinked. "You really think so?"
"The Force says it's true," Obi-Wan said quietly. "And even without that... it explains a lot of things. Such as how the Trade Federation blockading Naboo perfectly set up the Chancellor to become the Chancellor."
Quinlan nodded grimly. "The problem is, what do we do with that?"
"We can think about that later. What is wrong with both of you?" Cody asked.
Both stared at him in shock.
He softened. "Look, you're both shaking, and pale... what happened?"
"Playing cards. And playing with fire," Obi-Wan responded quietly.
"Apparently, they hate it when people come in to clean them out so they conspire to get a bet going to ah... beat the insolence and arrogance and whatever out of a person so they never do it again. And Obi handed them the perfect opportunity by putting me as his slave up for bet."
"What?" Cody gaped.
"That was always the plan," Obi-Wan said softly. "Slaves are usually a great way to give distractions, and driving up the stakes with a slave brought us a lot of attention, so less attention on you for your journey out."
"I didn't want you to do that for me... I wouldn't want you to go through anything like that for me. I'd rather die."
"Why do you think we didn't say anything?" Quinlan asked lightly.
"Are you okay? What did they do?" Cody asked.
"We will be okay. I am unharmed." Quinlan assured him. "Obi got it a bit rough but we took care of that."
"Got what rough?" Cody asked.
Obi-Wan and Quinlan shared a look but couldn't come up with something to say.
Cody looked between them, brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what had happened.
Then it hit him.
"No... they didn't. They didn't... not rape?"
"It's normal in the world of crime."
Both Jedi were surprised by how furious that made Cody.
He stood. "I need to go punch something." He walked away.
Obi-Wan stared after him. "I have never seen him so close to losing his temper..."
"Huh. Guess he cares about you."
"He was including you, Quin."
Quinlan blinked. "He was? Why? You're his general."
"I would say because he cares about you too, Quin," Obi-Wan said dryly.
"...oh. Huh. When did that happen?"
"Oh I don't know, around the time you started crushing on him."
Quinlan sputtered. "You weren't supposed to know."
"Quin, come on, I know you. It's pretty obvious. I can share. But it's better to wait until after the war anyway."
"Assuming he'd want both of us."
"Quin, let's not think about it after what we just dealt with, okay? I really would rather not think about it."
"Sorry," Quinlan mumbled.
Obi-Wan wrapped an arm around him. "It's okay. Come on, autopilot is on, let's go get some rest."
"Right."
Quinlan leaned on Obi-Wan as they walked to the bed. "...hang on. Share? You would be interested in that?"
Obi-Wan snorted. "For someone so smart you can be incredibly oblivious to how people feel about you." He kissed Quinlan's temple. "I've always been comfortable with however you want to define our relationship, okay? Regardless, I will always love you."
Quinlan smiled softly. "That's why you protested the plan so much isn't it?"
"Obviously. I know how much that sort of thing affects you. It affects me too, obviously, but you always seem so... breakable when something like that happens."
Quinlan sighed. "You're so much stronger than me."
"I don't think I am. You handled that well. You were more in control of yourself than I was."
Quinlan looked away. "I guess. But now it's over and I'm just left feeling..."
"Unclean? Broken?" Obi-Wan suggested quietly.
"Yeah. Used. Like we're nothing more than playing cards."
"Because that's what we were to them. But you and I both know that we're more than that, and we can get better. We'll schedule mind healing when we get back."
"Alright."
They curled up together on the bed and cried themselves to sleep.
Cody walked in an hour later and sighed, watching them. He kept his distance...
Until first Obi-Wan, then Quinlan had a nightmare.
He moved to wake them up, but found them latching onto him for comfort instead.
He decided this might as well happen and set an alarm.
Cody watched them sleep, thinking about all the ways they were both important to him. And all the ways he wanted to hurt those that hurt them.
At least they had an idea on the Sith. They could start creating a plan soon.
But first, they deserved this rest. He hoped it brought them peace of mind.