Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Korkie burst from his bedroom into the open concept common room and kitchen, pulling on his school uniform jacket haphazardly. His auburn hair was slicked back with a wave in it, perfect as always, but his clothes were in disarray. He was carrying his boots.

“Kahl! I wanna get to school early. Let’s go.”

Kahl sat at the island eating his breakfast and reading while his father put two eggs and toast on a plate for Korkie.

“Um, excuse me, you have to eat breakfast and we also have to discuss the Gala tonight.” Ben asserted to his son.

“Skip practice after school, be here by 5, ready by 6 I know.” Korkie shoved the eggs onto the piece of toast and tried to wolf it down as quickly as possible. “Come ON Kahl.” he said through a full mouth so it came out slightly distorted.

“I’m not leaving early just so you can suck face with your girlfriend.” Kahl made a face and kept attempting to read.

“I’ll tell Lagos’s little sister that you like her like her if you don’t.”

Kahl whipped his head up at his older brother angrily, a few strands of blond hair shifting into his vision.

“But I DON’T like her!”

“She doesn’t know that.” Korkie smirked mischievously.

“Fine! Gods.” Kahl slid off the stool and grabbed his bag. “Bye, Dad.”

Ben decided he didn’t really have the energy to attempt to control teenagers and said goodbye.

Satine came out of their room and he poured her cup of caf

“Hey.” he said simply. They’d fought the night before and he wasn’t sure just how mad she still was.

“Hey.” she said quietly. The silence hung for a few beats. Ben said nothing because he wasn’t willing to apologize and she clearly wasn’t either. “Where are the boys?”

“Already left for school. Korkie was in a hurry.”

She nodded and sipped her caf. He considered not giving her her morning messages but he didn’t want to put her at a disadvantage when she walked into Small Council and didn’t know what the hell was going on. Plus it was a point in his favor and maybe he was feeling a little petty.

“Sera called. The Hyper Comm Cartel is cutting off all supply. Officially. They will not be conducting business with any neutral worlds from now on.”

“We knew that was coming.” she sighed, “we still have the Republic supplier.”

“Yes, the people who haven’t ever threatened you with cutting off whatever meager things they can spare for a non-member world. The people who still allow us a representative without our commitment, even now. The people we’ve never caught poking around our system. Yet you still refuse to side with them.”

“I can't do this with you this early in the morning.” she stood up, taking one last sip from her cup and throwing on another layer to complete her outfit. “I won't be able to stop by before the Gala so I'll meet you there.”

He nodded and she left. They’d been in the same fight on and off for the last six months and he understood her position. They’d seen too much war. Mandalorians were reinventing themselves as a peaceful people instead of a warrior race and joining the Republic or the Separatists would ruin that image. But ever since the Clone Wars had started he’d felt the distinctive pull of the Force that he hadn’t felt in so long pulling him to his Jedi family. To the Republic.

But she was the Duchess of Mandalore and everything in Mandalorian space. And he was just her husband. His time to make a difference was over when he’d walked away from the Order.

So now he would do what he could and throw a Gala to support the Foundling Foundation, taking in orphans and other displaced children from both sides of this war and giving them a place to stay while they found new homes or living relatives were sought out.

He finished his own caf and headed to the Grand Hall where the Gala would be thrown to help with any finishing touches.

Of course Mar, Satine’s brother who was technically in charge of the Foundation, was nowhere to be found, so Ben took over. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure why Mar had basically hijacked his idea for the Foundation, but he assumed it was just to piss him off. It seemed to be Mar’s favorite pastime. Ben was the one who had gone on actual missions to recent warzones and taken the children to different planets that had pledged to foster. He was the one to do some surprise inspections. Mar enjoyed the titles but didn’t do any of the work to earn them.

When everything seemed taken care of, he headed home to get dressed and make sure the boys were ready. Ben put on his finest blues, the Clan Kryze signet embroidered into the shoulder. He was more than used to these kinds of parties with the social elite of the galaxy and they didn’t make him nervous anymore, but something about this one did. He decided to blame that annoying whisper of the Force that had been getting louder and louder over the past 6 months, telling him something was wrong.

“Kahl? You ready?” Ben stopped at the door to his second son’s bedroom and Kahl walked out, dressed and ready to go exactly on time. “Course you are. You’re always perfect.” Ben pulled him into a quick side hug. Kahl rolled his eyes.

“Kork! You ready?”

Korkie of course didn’t answer, so Ben knocked. “Korkie I swear if you’d been talking to Rena this whole time and not getting ready…”

“I’m GOING, get off my back!”

Ben sighed and put his boots on while he waited.

“Why is he always so…I don’t know. Difficult?” Kahl asked.

“That’s what happens when you’re 16. You become difficult.”

“Well I’m definitely not going to do that. He’s impossible to talk to anymore.”

Korkie finally came out of his room, surprisingly perfectly dressed and ready to go. Ben couldn’t help but notice how Korkie was practically his clone, same hair, same eyes. And now almost the same clothes.

“Let's get this over with.” Korkie lead the way out of the apartment to the waiting speeder.

When they arrived in the almost empty atrium Ben leaned over to Korkie and said quietly. “I know you’re probably planning to sneak off anyway, but stay for 2 hours and make sure your mother sees you. That’s good enough for me.” He knew how boring these kinds of things could be and Korkie was subjected to a lot of them as future Duke of Mandalore. Korkie gave a little smirk back but didn’t say anything.

“Wait, do I get to leave early too?” Kahl questioned, clearly having overheard what was supposed to be a private exchange.

“Hey. You.” Someone shouted at them.

Ben glanced around and saw Ursa kicking off one of the pillars to follow them. He bent his head a little to whisper to both of them.

“Uh-oh. Aunt Ursa. Save yourselves. Run!”

Korkie rolled his eyes but took off after Kahl when he got a head start and raced him up the steps. Ben turned to face Ursa, her arms crossed.

“Ursa. Nice to see you.”

“Oh fuck off with the niceties, Ben.” Ursa Wren snarled, making a rude Mandalorian gesture.

“Um. Ok.” he said, taken aback, “Interesting way to start a conversation…which may I remind you, you initiated.”

“You haven’t come to visit your niece, you ass. She’s WALKING now. WALKING, Ben.”

He moved closer to her so only she could hear what he said next.

“I’m sorry, sister.” he retorted, “I seem to remember your last words to me were ‘stay the fuck away from me, don’t you dare show your face at home’. So I assumed I was not welcome at Krownest.”

“And you think I meant that?” she said incredulously.

“I’ve never known you to be one for jokes. Only the occasional cruel one.”

“I was mad because I’d just finished talking to Satine. And you are an extension of her.”

“She has that effect on people. But you’ve been putting up with her for a long time so you should be used to it.You shouldn’t take it out on me.” He crossed his arms like he was now the angry one, but lowered the temperature of the discussion.

“I’ll visit if you want me to. I’ll stay away from you if you want me to. I owe you a lot, you know you call the shots.”

“Are you still on about not being my real brother? Aliit ori’shya tal’din. You aren’t a foundling, you’re family.”

“Yes, I know family is more than blood, but you seem to forget that that ceremony never actually happened.”

“Paperwork says otherwise. And I say otherwise. And if you still feel so indebted to me then I order you to come and visit Sabine.”

“That name is dangerously close to Satine. Maybe you don’t hate her as much as you pretend to.”

“Don't make me rescind the offer.” She growled, and they stood in the aura of a pointless sibling fight for a bit. Then her voice turned softer. “Try to have fun tonight. You deserve it.”

“It fits the backstory,” he replied with almost no feeling.

“Or maybe you just happen to have a heart. Have fun.” she said in a more demanding tone. “I’ll try. I just don’t like being in the spotlight. I know I literally married a public figure but I prefer to be two steps behind and two to the right, not being asked about how hard it was to be an orphan by people who have never had to fight for anything in their lives.”

“Ben, it’s one night. For an important cause. You can fade into the background again tomorrow.” She paused and looked down, offering her hand to him. He grabbed her elbow and she grabbed his, a sign of solidarity and trust.

“I want to see you by the end of the week. I…have to tell you something.”

“See that’s how you get me to visit. Make a cryptic statement.” He smiled. She returned it, still seeming distracted by whatever news she had for him. She snapped out of it after a moment and let go of his arm, putting on a devious look.

“Remember. Fun. Oh, and avoid Countess Camilla. She’s a toucher, I hear.” She smirked as she waggled her fingers in a very groping manner and walked backwards for a few steps before turning towards the entrance to leave.

“I regret telling you that! Wait, you’re not staying?” He shouted after her.

“Hells no! I hate the spotlight as much as you.”

And with that, she was gone. The luxurious speeders started to pull up to the landing pad and the doormen smoothed their attire and hair in one final check before heading out to meet the guests.

-

Ben was used to these kinds of parties, but he didn’t usually have to speak this much. His story was a pretty good testimonial on why taking in orphans was worth the time, effort, and money- even if it wasn’t technically true. From random off-world family living on a moon in the Mandalorian system to losing his parents and being fostered and eventually adopted by Clan Wren, then marrying the ruler of the system? It was pretty impressive.

In fact, he’d repeated it so many times over the last 19 years it was starting to become the truth in his memory. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a story. A dream he’d invented, the fantasy of a child with no parents imagining himself to be a hero.

What was very frustrating was that many of these people did not care. They had the capability to change so many lives that had been ruined by their active participation in the Clone Wars, yet they had as many excuses as to why they couldn’t be involved as Kouhuns had legs.

He extracted himself from another group of people and stood alone off to the side, hoping a small break would help him regain some of the charm he was losing over the course of the evening. He grabbed a drink from a passing waiter and searched for Korkie in the crowd to make sure he hadn’t run off yet.

“Well if it isn’t the man himself, Lord Kryze!” an excited voice said, breaking off from a smaller group.

Senator Bail Organa. Ben beamed back at him and held up his drink.

“Senator Organa. I wasn’t sure you’d make it.”

“And miss the chance to talk endlessly about Leah? Please.” He shook Ben’s hand and they both looked out to the party.

“How is she? Still settling in?”

“Hells no, she acts like she was destined to be the Queen of Alderaan. Once she trusted us she immediately started getting in trouble. She’s learned how to crawl out of her crib. Her favorite hobby is sneaking up on the guards like she’s a Nexu. Luckily, she makes the growling noises to go with it.” He rolled his eyes and laughed a little.

“Korkie did the same thing! But he was a secret agent. Luckily our people don’t carry blasters so he only got kicked a couple of times.” Ben laughed the more he thought about it, “Satine made me sleep in front of his door for like a month, it was awful!”

“Alright, definitely no spy shows in her near future.” Bail chuckled too, “They’re both teenagers now right? I don’t think I’ve ever met them.”

“Yeah, they’re around here somewhere. Korkie will be pretty obvious, me but shorter,” he gestured to his own face. “Kahl inherited the blonde so he stands out a bit in a crowd like this.”

Bail suddenly saw someone of interest and raised his hand to get her attention.

“Senator Amidala! Come join us.”

A beautiful brunette turned her head when her name was called, smiled gently and made her way to them.

“Senator Amidala of Naboo, meet Lord Kryze. He’s the one who’s really behind all of this, doing the groundwork. And matched us up with Leah.”

“Senator,” He dipped his head in deference. “I’m sure you’ve already heard plenty about the organization-”

She held up her hand, cutting him off.

“Lord Kryze, you do not have to try and convince me of the merits of fostering children who need it. The documents are already sitting on the Queen’s desk, waiting for her signature on Monday.”

“Oh. Well that is much appreciated Senator.” he tried to recover. “I…if you don’t mind me asking, why did you attend if you’re already invested?”

She smirked slowly and he resisted the urge to mirror her.

“I can never resist an opportunity to dance.”

The band began a quick final tuning around the corner and out of sight. Ben felt drawn to her and he didn’t know why. It was that Force pull rearing its ugly head again. He ignored it as he usually did and instead focused on where Bail pointed.

“They’re on their way to fetch us.”

They clinked glasses, finished their drinks and set them aside as their wives approached.

“Come find me after your first dance, Lord Kryze.” Senator Amidala smiled to him.

“Oh, Padme. I hate to break it to but he’s the same as me. His kids have more political power than he does.”

Ben blinked twice, startled by such a frank comment.

“Thanks, Bail. I thought we were friends.” He said sarcastically, “But he’s actually wrong. I’m less influential. At least you’re a Senator. I’m a professional….husband?” Ben wasn’t really sure exactly what he was, “I’m not worth the effort.”

“Well, all the same.” She stepped closer to him and lowered her voice. “I’d appreciate the dance. I’m actually trying to avoid someone. And you seem like not a total creep. Plus everyone is always avoiding someone at these types of things. We can help each other.”

“I don't seem like a creep. Compliments all around from you two, huh. I’ll try to fit you into my schedule.”

She gave a short greeting to the Queen and Duchess as they arrived and then she was off. Ben took Satine’s hand and they joined the swirl of skirts and capes and tails and other finery from around the galaxy on the next step count.

The song was half over before Satine spoke.

“You’re quiet.”

“I have no idea what you’ve had to deal with all night, I thought you might want some peace.”

“You’re not angry with me?”

“No more than usual.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled as he released her and they completed their separate steps before joining together again at a swell in the music.

“And you? Are you mad at me?”

“No more than usual. Do you ever think about our first dance?” She asked.

“Which one, the one where you kept stepping on my feet or our first real one.”

“I was stepping on your feet on purpose because I hated you.” She said seriously.

“And I wasn’t moving my feet out of the way because I was hoping you’d trip.”

They separated again and when she returned he pulled her close, pressing his forehead to hers.

“Yes, I think of those dances all the time.”

The ones that Qui-Gon insisted on teaching them on the pretense that the Duchess was learning nothing while they were wandering around in jungles and other deserted places hiding out from bounty hunters and True Mandalorians trying to kill her. She should at least learn some dancing since she had a partner to practice with.

Ben now assumed Qu-Gon couldn’t stand the bickering and was desperately trying to make them work together. And maybe overshot the desired effect. By a lot. So far over that Ben had given up his life as a Jedi and completely changed his identity to be with her.

“Things were simpler back then.” She whispered back.

“I don’t know, there were a lot more people trying to kill you back then.”

“I don't think the number ever changed, they just hide in the shadows and wait for their moment to strike now. Forcing me to choose a side.”

They stuck to a simple swaying slowdance for the rest of the number instead of following the waltz everyone else was doing, silent for the rest of the dance while she leaned her head against his shoulder. Like she was drawing strength from him to face the rest of this party. The song ended and she was away in a second, the solemn and commanding face back in place, greeting Mina Bonteri who probably very much wanted to make the Duchess pick the Confederacy.

Bail and Breha had always been dancers so he was left on his own. Everyone seemed to have broken off into their own factions for conversation. These people were at war with each other, he was surprised they’d mingled this long. From his people-watching he saw Korkie slip out one of the back entrances. It was almost 10, he’d lasted longer than Ben had thought he would. Another thing that didn’t surprise him was seeing Mar -his red hair was pretty hard to miss- striding out of the party confidently with a Twi’lek who looked like she was trying to sneak. Could there be an innocent explanation? Ryloth had just been invaded by the Separatists and this representative was trying to work out a deal for some of her planet’s refugees? Or was Mar just being a cheating slime ball like Ben expected him to be.

Ben didn’t have any time to dwell on Mar because he thought he caught a flash of Kahl on the dance floor and he anxiously awaited for the opening between dancers to allow him another glance. Yep, there he was, dancing with a human girl. Ben smiled to himself. He’d always been slightly worried about Kahl. Kahl seemed mature beyond his years, disinterested in his peers, preferring the company of adults if he was forced to be around people. He’d gotten along fine in school, he had friends but he’d never gone to anyone’s house to play. Ben found this extremely weird since Korkie couldn’t stop himself from socializing if he wanted to, but Kahl seemed happy enough so he’d let him do as he pleased. But talking to a stranger his own age AND dancing with her? Satine was gonna freak out when he told her.

The song ended and some of the couples left the dance floor. He saw Camilla in an incredibly revealing dress speaking to another man younger than him and he tried to blend in with the crowd heading to the balcony to avoid her. Just in case he hadn’t aged out of her gaze.

But of course on the way to his escape, he happened to see Senator Amidala who seemed to be trying to exit a conversation the other participant wanted to continue. He sighed. That Jedi thing to always help those in need rearing its ugly head again. And the slight pull he’d felt toward her when Bail had introduced her was now much stronger. If he ignored it, it would only get worse.

Ben came up behind the annoyance and cleared his throat.

“I’ve been looking for you Senator, may I have this dance?” He glanced sideways to eye this guy up and down, “And maybe the next one, too.”

“Excuse me, sir, I was speaking to Senator Amidala.” The man said, looking offended at Ben for butting into their conversation.

“Yes,” He replied, “You were.” He held his arm out for Amidala and she took it. They walked out onto the floor, leaving a speechless man behind. “I really hope that was the man you were trying to avoid. Or I’ve just eviscerated a perfectly good conversation and maybe relationship.”

“Oh no. You read that right. That’s Senator Clovis and he’s kind of had a thing for me for a while. I’ve been trying to deflect him without being downright rude because he’s the representative for the Banking Clan, but after that I think he’ll leave me alone for a little while.”

He held one of her hands for an inside turn.

“Thank you.”

“It was nothing. It’s kind of fun to boss people around when they have no idea who you are. Never know. I could be a king or something. Better not to offend me.”

She snorted “You’re sure you’re not actually royalty? At least nobility. You have the aura of power when you want to.”

“No, But my sister is a Clan leader and my wife is the Duchess so….proximity to power teaches you things.”

“Like how to get them to see they should side with the Republic?”

Yep, there it was. The reason she’d wanted to talk to him. “Senator Organa already told you I have no power in that. Our system is neutral and will remain so with the rest of the Council of Neutral Systems. We have made our stance clear.”

“What if I told you the droid factory the Republic tried to build in secret was bombed yesterday.”

“Sounds tragic, but not my problem.”

“What if I told you if things stay the way they are now, the next wave of clones will basically be trapped on Kamino and unable to deploy because of Separatist control of space lanes. And the Senate, or…more specifically Chancellor Palpatine is considering accepting citizens into the military for regular enlisted infantry and navy, not just as officers.” She looked into his eyes very seriously now. All of this was news to him. This was much worse than was being reported.

“You think Mandalore joining the Republic would turn the entire tide? We’re traditionally a warrior race but we’re moving away from that. We aren’t what you think we are. Not anymore.”

“Well unless you can come up with a way to find a bunch of new Jedi out of the ether, then you’re the next best thing.”

And then something he’d never felt before came over him. A feeling so strong it was like being possessed. What he imagined a Jedi Mind Trick to feel like.

“There’s a section in the Jedi’s Codex that allows them to recall any padawans who did not find masters before their thirteenth birthday. Or anyone who left the Order for any reason.”

She crinkled her eyebrows, suddenly deep in thought.

“Is that true? How do you know that?”

How DID he know that? He didn’t know that. He’d missed the last few steps of the dance and now they had completely halted. He felt like himself again but he couldn’t explain what had come and gone so quickly. He shook his head to clear it then nodded to her, picking up the step again, trying to pretend it had never happened. He wasn’t even exactly sure what he’d said so he went back to where they were before.

“I appreciate your faith in my people’s abilities but that’s going to be a no thank you from us.”

She didn’t reply, still in her own world of what he’d said. Before he’d been drawn to her like a magnet and now their poles had reversed and he couldn’t wait to get away. The song ended and he bowed quickly,

“Nice to meet you, Senator.” and he was off to find the most gregarious person in the room so he wouldn’t have to say much of anything for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Ben and Kahl rode home together, Kahl half asleep, leaning against Ben’s shoulder, his hands wrapped around his dad’s arm.

“Some people talk so much and say nothing at all.” Kahl mumbled.

“I know.”

“I don’t know how Mom stands it. I’m so glad I’m second born.”

Speaking of the first born, Korkie had been nowhere to be found at the end of the night. Ben had expected him to at least have the decency to slip back into the party and make it look like he’d never left, but maybe Korkie wasn’t as smart as Ben thought he was.

Ben had to nudge Kahl awake when they pulled up, and both retreated to their rooms.

-

Satine had yawned no less than 5 times on her ride back from the Gala. She set a slow pace to the apartment door, the guards matching stride without complaint. She felt heavier and heavier and when she finally made it to her bedroom she just couldn’t be bothered anymore and flopped down on her side of the bed, facedown and screamed into her pillow.

“That bad, huh?” Ben asked and she heard him put down his datapad and crawl out from underneath the covers. Then she was freed from her shoes, but she still remained as she had fallen.

He then got to work on her outer skirt, unzipping it and pulling it down.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“Only if you promise not to argue with me tonight.” She said into the pillow. He somehow must have understood because his reply made sense.

“I think you’ve argued with other people plenty tonight. We can call a truce.”

He worked on her ornamental belt ties next. She turned her head so she could actually breathe and be understood.

“I don’t think one single person asked me about the Foundation. All the Republic people told me how I had to fight to stand up for peace. This regulation and that treaty and blah blah, as if we haven’t been watching Chancellor Palpatine grant himself more and more power by the day. And all the Separatists basically tried to bribe me or tell me that neutrality is basically the same as wanting independence, which is what they want, how can I not see their point of view.”

“It’s been like that since the beginning, nothing new.” Ben said simply, agreeing with her but letting her continue.

“You’d think they’d have changed their tactics. Do they think I didn’t hear them the first 500 times? It’s insulting.”

With the belt off, Ben unzipped the shrug and her dress and rolled her over to face him, but she stared at the ceiling, still back at the Gala in her head.

“I’m sorry I forced you into this, I thought it would be good for the Foundation. From the reception I got I don’t think it was worth it now,” he said.

He pulled at her wrists and the tight sleeves came off, leaving her in the base layer of the outfit.

She sighed and looked at him. Really looked at him. These kinds of moments were her favorite, where he simply helped her like it was nothing. Having someone who wasn’t required to help her, but did it anyway meant the world to her. He wasn’t afraid to challenge her and not back down from an argument. He would play devil’s advocate when she was trying to solve a diplomatic problem and even though she wanted to strangle him sometimes for being so difficult, he’d made her a better ruler than anyaone who was still alive could.

And she was losing him. He was capable of so much more than standing at her side. She’d captured his heart and clipped his wings, anchoring him here with her. With the boys. And she’d do it all again, no matter the consequences.

“Ok I can’t tell if that’s sleepy face or drunk face.” Ben pushed his lips to one side in contemplation. She smiled sleepily back.

“It’s happy you’re here face.”

“Oh, definitely tired face then. I just put you through a gauntlet of a Gala, the only reason you’re not yelling at me is because you’re too tired.”

He swung a leg over her and straddled her, then went to work on her headpiece, pulling out the pins expertly.

“Ben, I’m way too tired.” she drawled as if she was annoyed with the advances he wasn’t actually making. He pulled the headpiece off and set it all on the nightstand.

“Everything always has to be sexual with you.” he replied, sounding disappointed in her. She ran her hands up his thighs in response. “See, there you go again.” He smiled and shoved her hands off but leaned down to kiss her. If she could stay in moments like this, and be slightly more awake, it would be paradise. She knew they were drifting apart and this war was going to drive a wedge between them. One they might not be able to endure. But for right now he belonged to her and that was all that mattered.

He pulled back slightly and whispered. “Pajamas, or not pajamas.”

“Too much work.” she replied and closed her eyes while he pulled her dress down and off, then put the covers over her. She was asleep by the time he had settled next to her.

-

Padme Amidala arrived home at sunset on Coruscant. She was so tired from the journey back from Mandalore she wasn’t sure if it was the same day’s night on Coruscant or if she’d missed a full day. She’d changed on the ship so she was already in simple pants and tunic, and considered crawling into bed with what she had on.

All thoughts of sleep left when she entered her bedroom and saw Anakin there, apparently having fallen asleep on top of the covers while waiting for her. A surge of joy swept through her and she took two quick steps to him, then thought better of touching him while he slept and whispered his name. He woke almost immediately, sitting up as if he was definitely not asleep, just resting his eyes, and smiled brightly at her.

“We’re back for the night, I didn’t have time to call you. But you weren’t here when I snuck in so I thought I’d wait and hope…”

He didn’t have any more time to talk, she’d slid herself across the bed on her knees and claimed his lips with a kiss. He didn’t need any encouragement and started to explore her curves, territory he’d traveled many times before. Thankfully he’d taken his belt off already so she could start in on the chest plate and tunic he wore but stopped herself before she lost herself in the moment.

“Wait, I have a question first.”

He groaned into her collarbone, not stopping what he was doing.

“I hope it’s an easy question because I'm not sure I'm thinking clearly.”

She smirked and swung her leg over so she was straddling his lap, making him pause his activity, and put her arms around his neck.

“What’s a Jedi Codex?”

“Wow, you think you’re going to get a more intelligible answer from me by sitting like that? Ok. Um. It’s like an old rulebook. The Code is in there, rules about how to get promoted to a Knight and Master. Boring stuff like that. Why?”

“So I was at a party tonight on Mandalore.”

“Was fucking Clovis there?” Anakin stiffened.

“Yes, but I got rid of him. Focus, Ani. Ok, party on Mandalore. And someone mentioned something about there being a part of the Codex that allows the Jedi to recall any padawans who never finished training. Or people who left for whatever reason. Is that true? That would definitely help, right?”

Anakin stared at her, confused.

“I don’t think so, I’ve never heard of that. What kind of people are you talking to at these parties who would know more Jedi stuff than I would?”

“A Mandalorian, I’ve never seen him before. Lord….I don’t know. Bail knows him. Kinda cute too.” she teased.

He gave her a theatrical unamused look, letting her know he did not take that comment seriously for one second.

“A Mandalorian? They’re neutral. And definitely not friends with Jedi, that much I know. Too much history of trying to kill each other.”

“Will you look into it? Please?” She ran her fingers through his hair, knowing this conversation was important but also wanting to be done with it so they could do something a lot more fun.

“I’ll try, but don’t get your hopes up. I know you want to help but…it’ll be ok. I’d kind of like to forget about it tonight if you don’t min-”

“Agreed.” she cut him off and shoved his chest down onto the bed, picking up where they left off

Chapter Text

It hurt his heart to leave this early when Padme was still dead asleep but if he wanted to make it to the Archives, research and still deploy on time so no one would ask questions, it had to be this way.

Being in the Archives felt a little strange, this wasn’t a place he frequented. He probably hadn’t made an appearance here since he was Qui-Gon’s apprentice. Now he made Ahsoka do all the research. In the name of her training of course.

He sat in an alcove with the most recent edition of the Codex and skimmed. There was no way he was actually going to read all the by-laws. Certainly no one he knew would ever be put on trial by the Jedi. Well, except maybe him. He reached the end of the document and pondered. Nothing.

His comm beeped. Ahsoka.

“Hey Snips”

“Hey, where are you? We’re still leaving in two hours right?”

“Yeah, I’m…actually in the Archives.”

“Ok, Master,” her tone indicated she absolutely did not believe him. And who could blame her. Some of the lies he came up with so he could go and visit Padme were just downright ridiculous. But she never questioned him.

“Just make sure you’re here for take off, or let me know if I have to stall them.”

“No, seriously Snips. I’m in the Archives. And I could actually use your help. I’m looking for something in the Codex but I haven’t found it.”

“Did you try the older versions? Sometimes they don’t transfer everything to the new version if it doesn’t really apply anymore. That's why some numbers are missing in the current one.”

“Uhhh…”

“I’ll be there in 15,” she sounded exasperated, cutting off the call before giving him time to respond.

Anakin knew she’d be much better at this but he also didn’t like it when she was better at something. He went back to the main computer and searched for the oldest version of the Codex available, then asked Jocasta for the file.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but she always seemed to be suspicious of everyone so he tried not to take it personally. She returned with a massive drive, gently setting it on the counter.

“How do I even read that?”

“The last time it was moved to an updated disk was 500 years ago so I’d appreciate it if you were careful with it,” she pointed to a console he’d never noticed before in the corner, “Over there. It will take a few minutes to load. Be patient with it.”

She looked at him like she very much did not expect him to be patient with it.

“Thank you.”

He hefted the storage drive and carried it to the console, taking some time to figure out how to connect the device. The drive buzzed to life and started loading when Ahsoka arrived.

“Master, why are you interested in-how OLD is that thing?”

“Nu says 500 years old. But it’s originally from the Sith Wars, so like 4,000 years old.”

She crossed her arms and slid her weight to one side, assessing him.

“What are we doing?”

He liked how she immediately said ‘we’. Whatever crazy ideas he cooked up, she was always there to add to them.

“I just….have a feeling. Something in here is going to help us boost our numbers.”

“Ok…” she sat down next to him and read the lines as they loaded. Painstakingly slowly. By section 60 of the book, Anakin was having trouble focusing. Half of what was written didn’t seem to apply anymore, and the other half was thing’s he’d skimmed in the most recent version.

Ahsoka looked bored out of her mind as well, but kept up with the lines as they loaded and she scrolled.

“I will never complain about how slow a datapad loads ever again. How did anyone ever get anything done 500 years ago?”

“I don’t know, but I definitely remember why I never come here.” Anakin leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“Hey. This was YOUR idea, don’t make me do all the work.” She elbowed him.

“It’s for your training.” he drawled, but opened his eyes and went back to reading.

And there it was. Section 74. He re-read it to make sure he wasn’t imagining it.

“Holy shit it’s real.” he said a little too loudly, earning him a glare from Master Nu who was helping a young child at a desk.

“Sorry….,” he lowered his voice, “Snips holy shit it’s real.”

“In the event of catastrophic loss of Jedi numbers that endanger the survival of the Republic, the Jedi Order may recall any Initiates who did not find a Master or left of their own volition. The choice to return must be voluntarily made by former Initiates, who will be called Jedi, but will not bear a title until they pass all requirements to earn that rank.” Ahsoka read aloud, mystified by what she was saying.

“Can we do that?” she looked to Anakin, hopeful.

“Why isn’t it in the most recent one? That could be a problem.”

But Ahsoka was already on it, whipping out her datapad that mercifully loaded at lightning speed.

“Section 72, updated 100 years ago, Section 73, rule struck down a thousand years ago, no longer applies…Section 74. No notes. Does that mean it was just missed by accident?”

“Force, Ahsoka, don’t let Master Nu here you say her records may have an error.” He widened his eyes at her like he hadn’t just gotten in trouble a minute earlier.

“It doesn’t say it doesn’t exist anymore. We have to tell someone about this.”

“We will, but we better get going. Rex is probably wondering where we are. Go distract him.”

It was getting very close to their departure time. Of course the cruiser wouldn’t leave the system without its General but Rex would hold it over his head if he made them wait. Again. Anakin waited for the ancient thing to power down, unhooked the connection and returned the large drive to the front desk. Jocasta looked like she wanted to interrogate him about why he needed it in the first place but he gave a quick thanks and walked as fast as he thought would be allowed in a library after Tano. Out of the Archives, he sprinted through the temple, waited impatiently in the turbolift, and jogged to the gunship where Ahsoka was talking to Rex.

“General, ready to go?” Rex nodded a greeting and said nothing else.

“Sure, Rex but we can’t leave the system until I get a transmission through. To…” he hadn’t thought who he’d tell if this information was actually correct.

“Master Koon.” Ahsoka finished, “Right, Master?”

Ahsoka looked up for confirmation that the Jedi who had always had a bit of a soft spot for her would be the best council member to tell.

“Yes. Master Koon. Please.”

Rex stared at them for a second, probably wondering what they were up to but didn’t question it. Merely spoke into his comm to ready a connection with Plo’s Battalion when they arrived on the Resolute.

Plo was waiting for them when they entered the comm room, the connection glitching occasionally.

“Master Skywalker. Padawan Tano. Something important to tell me?” He greeted them, the only change in facial features coming from the bobbing of his breather mask.

“Yes Master. Ahsoka was researching in the Archives and discovered something in the Codex. Section 74 isn’t in the current version, but according to our records it was never updated or marked as void. So we looked up an older version and it could be very helpful considering our current situation.”

Ahsoka read the text verbatim out loud again, looking triumphantly at Plo when she had finished.The Master did not reply right away, crossing his arms in his trademark fashion.

“An interesting entry. From the oldest version we have you say. May I ask what your original project was that brought you down this path, Padawan?”

Oh. She gave a sidelong glance to Anakin. They had not discussed what she was supposed to be doing, since this was not her project in the first place.

“Master Skywalker thinks it important for padawans to be well versed in the Codex, especially with a war on and many of the rules and traditions falling by the wayside.”

Anakin tried not to look surprised. It was a great lie, but also a terrible one. Everyone knew he didn’t give a shit about the rules and only followed the ones he absolutely had to to remain in the order.

Plo seemed to share this sentiment, even if it was hard to read his expressions. If he didn’t believe it, he didn’t say so. An explosion sounded in the distance, but the three of them remained unphased.

“I’ll present this information to the Council once we’ve finished this skirmish. Thank you for coming to me. Excellent work, Padawan.” Ahsoka seemed to stand taller from the praise.

“Skywalker.” Plo nodded his thanks and disappeared.

“Wow, I did the work and you got the credit.” Anakin teased.

“Um, you forced me to take the credit. And I think he believed my lie.”

“I don’t think he believed it for a second, but it doesn’t really matter. He’s going to present it to the Council and that’s all I care about. We need help out here. The only reason we got to come back was because you had to pass that test.”

The one test the Jedi had not put on pause for the war. Psychological fitness.

“And I passed, no problem.” She said, walking to the door of the bridge.

“You can take us out, Admiral.” Anakin said to Yularen as he entered and Anakin exited following Ahsoka.

“Yes, General.”

“Hey. Snips.” He caught up to her as he felt the familiar jolt of going to hyperspace. “You know…it’s ok if you didn’t pass, no problem. Most of us pass, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. It just means we’re good at hiding it.”

She was the only one he would ever say this to. This subject was even off limits with Padme. She didn’t need to know about the nightmares or the moments he became momentarily paralyzed when he went from relaxed to on alert. Their relationship was the sanctuary where their problems stayed outside and they just existed as two normal people in love. He needed it to stay that way. Maybe one day they would talk about it. But they were very far from that day.

“I know, Master. But this war has been going on the entire time I’ve been a Padawan. I don’t really know what normal is supposed to be.”

She didn’t seem bothered by this but he was. His padawanship had been anything but easy, between Qui-Gon being cryptic as hell, being branded the Chosen One, and then ostracized by his peers for having it easier than them, or whatever benefit they thought he’d received by starting late and having to play catch up. But at least no one was trying to kill him every single second of every single day. He’d been able to fall asleep in safety. Make mistakes that wouldn’t cost him his life. Ahsoka did not have that luxury.

“Well maybe we just changed things. And you’ll get to see what normal was like for me.”

She gave him a playful judgemental look.”With you, Master? I don’t think anything has ever been normal.”

He smirked. “True, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Chapter Text

Ben usually let Kahl have his quiet mornings,but this morning it felt like his father was doing everything he could to contain some kind of excitement, even if he was stonefaced. Kahl narrowed his eyes.

“What is it?”

“Oh nothing,” Dad said slyly and a small smirk crossed his mouth. “I was just wondering who you were dancing with last night and I want to know everything is all.”

A chill of nerves passed over him and he very much wanted to go and hide somewhere.

“Oh so you were stalking me?”

“Kahl, like five hundred people saw.”

“Well..it’s embarrassing….” wow he was starting to sound like Korkie.

“Alright, you don’t have to tell me anything. Only one more question and you are free. Did you have a good time last night?” his father was still smirking a bit, clearly happy at the development.

Truthfully, he hadn’t had a great time but he never did when there were a lot of people around. He’d built up a tolerance to larger groups of people over the years but alien emotions were…well…alien. He’d made sure to be seen of course, but he’d spent much of his time out on the balcony. Fresh air and distance always helped when he was feeling overwhelmed. And out there he’d found a girl, clearly bored with her surroundings. She clearly either wasn’t used to wearing fine dresses or she didn’t care for them since she was sitting on the floor, legs dangling off the edge and her arms crossed, draped over the first level of railing.

He’d left her alone, still trying to mentally push everyone away.

“Did your parents drag you along, too?”

He looked over to her, her long black hair intricately braided but she was playing with it and it was starting to loosen. She was pretty, but more importantly she was one of those people who either didn’t feel as deeply or knew how to keep it to themselves, he wasn’t sure which.

“Yeah, kinda.”

“My mom’s trying to get in with all the high society people but she doesn’t seem to realize that old money looks down on new money.”

“If she earned her fortune she’s allowed to be proud of it.” Kahl shrugged.

“She designed the Venator-Class Star Destroyer and with the war, she’s makin’ bank. What about you?”

Kahl sighed, “Born into it.”

She giggled a little at his response.

“Well don’t feel bad, it’s not like I did anything to earn it either. We get all the perks but it comes with all their expectations, too. Do they want you to turn out exactly like them?”

“I suppose so. But I’m the second son, so as long as I don’t turn out to be a total disaster they’ll be happy.”

“I envy you. And I’m sure your brother does, too. All I want to be is a mechanic and I’m out here forced to start hunting for eligible bachelors at fifteen because-” she changed her voice into a mocking tone he assumed represented her mother, “All the good ones will be dating their future wives by the time they’re twenty.”

Kahl didn’t reply, thinking about how neither would envy him if they knew he wasn’t normal. That he had some kind of superpower he very much wanted to be rid of. Also, people really thought about those kinds of things?

“Do you want to dance?” she asked and Kahl was taken aback.

“Do you think I’m one of the good ones who will be dating my future wife by the time I’m twenty?”

“What do I care,” she stood up from her spot and dusted off her dress, “you seem cool and all, but I’m not interested. I plan on making it on my own. But to keep my mother happy, I should probably at least pretend to try.”

her saying she was not interested in him made him all the more interested in her. He agreed, and they danced together on the main floor. He felt ridiculous that he couldn’t help but stare at her dark brown eyes, her blacker than black hair, the dress that she seemed to hate. The more he paid attention to her the happier he felt, which somehow lead to an equal amount of embarrassment. She hadn’t seemed to care that he was becoming more and more awkward by the second and she’d given him a quick kiss at the end of the song.

“Thanks second son. Nice to meet you.” And she was gone before he realized he’d never asked her name.

Maybe now that he’d replayed it in his head it wasn’t such a bad evening after all.

“Yes, I had a good time. Now please leave me alone.” He rolled his eyes and started to read when Korkie came out of his room, a rolling wave of sadness and anger mixed together. Kahl put a hand to the side of his forehead. Great, this feeling was going to take him til at least the end of second class to get rid of.

He wasn’t sure if his dad noticed Korkie’s disposition and kept quiet or if he too was off in his own little world. The second Mom arrived, the silence was broken.

“Mom, can I go to your finance meeting today? It sounds super interesting.” Korkie asked with enthusiasm.

“Ah!” Ben held up a finger to Satine before she could answer. “I recall someone having a navigation test they probably haven't studied for around that time. Absolutely not.”

Korkie glared at him.

“When do you leave for a relief mission again? It’s not soon enough. Come on Kahl.”

He grabbed his bag, and Kahl didn’t argue. The sooner they got to school the sooner he’d be away from Korkie. He gave his parents a little sympathetic shrug as he walked out the door and didn’t attempt to talk to his brother the whole way to school.

-

That evening, Ben sat in the stands with three of his old school friends watching their children play Get’shuk. They’d formed a friendship playing this game themselves, when it was a lot more brutal. When the Clan Civil War ended, almost everyone had lost a family member. Everyone was tired of the killing but the Clan rivalries and need for revenge still ran deep. One of Satine’s many efforts to help everyone release their anger and integrate into a unified society again was to force all Mandalorians under 20 into at least one year of school to catch up on all of the education they lost and all able bodied adults into Get’shuk leagues based on age.

The first matches had turned into all-out brawls, the ball laying forgotten somewhere. But slowly, they worked through their collective need for catharsis on the field. And off the field, last names and Clan loyalty meant a little less.

Now, the tradition continued because centuries of being a warrior race did not erase itself in a generation. All Mandalorians still had a little bit of bloodlust left in them and some violence in a controlled setting worked wonders.

The ball was thrown, kicked, and ran down the field while every player was engaged in taking the other team down if they had the ball or not. Sweep kicks, tackles, body slams, scissor takedowns, gut punches, everything was legal. The only catch was you could not hold your opponent down and only four or five blows could be exchanged before a referee droid would beep to stop you.

Korkie could be a little ruthless, but surprisingly the game had taught him to stop and think who should face his aggression rather than just the closest person to him. And it settled whatever Clan or social scores needed to be resolved. Nothing bonded you to future leaders of the system than trying to mercilessly take out other future rulers of the system.

Amis moved down the field and bumped Korkie, asking him to take a shield role as Amis continued the play. But Korkie shoved back. And then shoved again, leaving the ball open for Concordia to steal. They did and the rest of their teammates shouted in annoyance, but switched to defense. Amis held his hands out in annoyance as well and tried to join the group but suddenly Korkie tackled him, throwing a punch.

“Come on Kork, not your own team!” Ben shouted with the crowd. But Korkie didn’t stop. Amis defended his face and tried to wrestle him off but Korkie wouldn’t relent. The referee droid beeped. He switched to rib punches and the human referee blew the whistle. Korkie continued the beating and the fans from the stands started shouting and booing.

Concordia scored and Lagos ran over before the next play began to try and drag Korkie off of Amis. He shoved her away. The jeers grew louder, the coach shouted and the referee blew the whistle four times. Ejected from game.

“What the fuck, Korkie.” Ben said mostly to himself.

The largest kid on the team, Iviin’s son, grabbed Korkie from behind, locking his arms so he couldn’t swing anymore and lifted him off of Amis, dragging him off the field and Korkie continued to shout. Amis, still laying on the field shouted something to him as well, more an exclamation of confusion rather than anger.

I think you should go get him Ben, he’s not calming down.” Jynna suggested worriedly.

“And so my son doesn’t get ejected from the game for beating yours up because what the hell, Ben.” Iviin, who could be quite scary when he wanted to be, growled.

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” He didn’t say goodbye and ran down the bleachers and onto the sidelines to grab Korkie from Ceran.

“I got him.” Ben said to the kid, grabbing at Korkie’s arms to take his place, “Get back out there, you’re already down a player.”

“Thanks Mr. Kryze,” Ceran released him and Korkie stopped fighting quite so hard.

“We’re gonna have words, Korkyrach. You can’t do that, man.” Ceran glared at Korkie and jogged back onto the field.

Ben pulled him into the locker room, threw him on the floor of the shower room and turned on the cold water. Korkie let out one last growl and stopped fighting, breathing hard as the water ran over him.

Ben said nothing, only blocking the entrance so he couldn’t escape. Waiting for the adrenaline to wear off before they spoke. Slowly it did, his breathing slowed and he put his head in his hands.

Ben decided the quiet approach would be best.

“You want to talk about it?” Ben asked empathetically.

“I lost my temper, that’s it.” Korkie said, still trying to control himself.

“Try again, Kork. You were upset at breakfast too.”

Korkie looked up from his hands to glare, but answered.

“I saw Amis kissing Rena at our spot last night. And she told him she was only dating me for the prestige. I guess she thought I’d be at the Gala all night.”

Yikes. Ben didn’t have any advice on that.

“Have you beaten her up yet, too? Or do I get to meet you in the principal’s office for that tomorrow.”

“No, I already broke up with her. I just…he’s supposed to be my best friend. It’s really fucking hard to know who is my actual friend and who is hanging around because I’m the future Duke.”

Satine wouldn’t be much help in this arena either. While he’d been in school for that year, fighting his way into friendships and pretending to fall in love with her when he was already fully head over heels, she had been running the planet. Alone. She didn’t have friends. She still didn’t really have friends. She had a few of her father’s old advisors and governors to rely on. And she had him.

“I wish I had advice for you, but sometimes people are just shitty. You can’t ever really know until you see who sticks around when you’re in trouble.”

Korkie slid out of the water’s path, seeming to have cooled his temper, but he didn’t turn it off.

“While we’re here….do we have a problem? Between us?” Ben asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway.

Korkie closed his eyes and a pained look crossed his features.

“Yeah, kinda.”

Ben waited for him to gather his thoughts.

“Why can’t you just be on her side? Almost everyone on the ruling council is. The opinion polls say most people are happy with staying neutral, especially as things get worse out there. Sure, people complain about the rationing but not enough to want to go to war.”

Ben hesitated. There really was no way to explain it to Korkie without telling him some secrets he very much wanted to keep to himself.

“It’s complicated.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know why. Sure you guys fight sometimes, but you always back her up in the end. And you’re not.”

The kid did have a point. He’d been trying to convince Satine since the day the war began and she hadn’t budged. People seemed content with their stance. He was the outlier, but he was still convinced this would end with some kind of hostile takeover. Whether from within, the Separatist, or the Republic the result would be the same. They would be used as a pawn.

“I should be more supportive.” he admitted, “Things are just…different for me.”

The last buzzer of the game sounded and Ben pushed himself up from the door frame.

“You ready for Coach’s verbal assault?”

“Please,” Korkie snorted, “He’s nothing compared to Mom. But it would be nice if she didn’t find out about all this?” he requested, a hopeful look in his eye.

“I can keep a secret.”

-

Ben stayed up late that night, going over the new numbers for the Foundation from the Gala. Partially because it was important but mostly because he wasn’t sure he could hold his tongue about the Confederacy’s recent win in the Gordian Reach. They were closer and closer to Mandalore’s doorstep every day. But Korkie was right. Except for some extremists, everyone seemed happy with the situation. He’d have to learn to get on board and hope he never had the opportunity to say I told you so. The HoloNet played in the background, some boring Senate debate was being discussed with declassified troop movements scrolling on the bottom. He started listening when the overly dramatic but attention catching announcer cut into the program with breaking news.

“In a stunning turn of events, the Jedi Council has moved to invoke an ancient rule from their Code. All former members of the Jedi Order are being asked to return to the Jedi Temple to help defend the Republic from the threat of the Confederacy of Independent Systems as they spread throughout the Outer and Mid Rim. Any being falling into this category is not being conscripted, but asked to return on their own free will to stop the scourge that threatens our borders. Volunteers should present themselves at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant within the next 14 standard rotations for consideration. And to any of you about to join the ranks of the noble Jedi Knights again, we thank you for your service.”

“Holy shit, it’s real.” Ben whispered to himself.

They were calling him back. Senator Amidala had been right about just how dire the situation must be. They wouldn’t use an ancient rule, one that had never been invoked before, unless it was serious. But he wasn’t that person anymore, in more ways than one. On Usra’s advice when training him to be a Mandalorian and not a Jedi, she had told him to let the past die. And he had. He hadn’t truly connected to the Force in…years. Except for the random pulls he’d felt the last few months and the incident at the Gala, there had been nothing. He wasn’t even sure he could float a pen anymore. Then there was the other problem that all records for Obi-Wan Kenobi stopped 3 days after he’d left the Order. If he looked himself up in Republic records he was probably listed as presumed dead.

But they were calling him back.

How was he supposed to leave his family? He couldn’t just disappear. They’d have to come clean to the boys, at the very least. And if anyone ever found out he had a family, they could be used against him.

Despite all his questions and doubts about this path, he did not have to wonder if it was the right one. It seemed to be the only one. He’d only ever felt this strongly about one other thing in his life. The pull of destiny to leave the Order and stay with Satine. But now, it was telling him to do the exact opposite.

The HoloNet continued to play but he didn’t hear any of it while his soul cracked in two. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ben Kryze had opposing views on where they belonged. And Kenobi had been asleep for a long time. But now he was awake and Ben had no chance of defeating him.

Chapter Text

Ben was up early and off to the Foundling Foundation before anyone else was awake. He’d left a note he’d be on Krownest tonight so no one would look for him until next morning. He waited in the office for his friends to arrive, trying to figure out exactly what he’d say. But once they were there the lie was easy. He had secret business for Satine and would be using them as an alibi but he’d be on his own.

Jynna, Ruus and Iviin didn’t seem too phased. He’d done this a lot when he was sneaking off to meet Satine before they were married and he’d done a couple of other maybe not so above board ambassador trips over the years. They kept his secrets and he kept theirs.

After agreeing to meet tomorrow to leave for their trip, he went to hunt down Mar. As much as he didn’t want to speak to his brother-in-law, it was important to prep him for inconsistencies in his whereabouts. He found Mar in the fitness club - of course why wouldn’t he be here- at the punching bag. He’d always been startled by the differences between Satine and her brother. Where Satine was petite, blonde hair, blue eyed with a fiery temper, Mar had the same eyes but was more muscular with a shock of red hair and always looked like he knew something you didn’t. Or maybe he only acted like that to Ben. Everyone else seemed to like him.

“Mar, I’m heading out on another relief mission,” he scanned the area to make sure no one else was close enough to hear over the pumping music, “and I plan on being gone for a long time.”

Mar paused for a few seconds, catching his breath and glancing at him like he was an annoyance. “Ok.” was all he said before he started in again.

“Meaning you’ll have to handle more of the financial stuff.” He could tell the man was still listening, but still hadn’t deemed it important enough to give him attention.

“And if you can’t get a hold of me I might be away. Things Satine might not want others to know about.” Ben looked for some kind of acknowledgement and Mar seemed to nod, but he wasn’t sure if it was just part of his boxing move or not.

“So don’t panic if things don’t add up when you talk to my team. Is what i’m saying.” he finished and Mar finally stopped and started to unwrap his hands.

“Oh. Ben.” Mar gave him a look of pity and said between breaths. “I’m not really worried about where you go. In fact, most people probably won’t even notice you’re gone.”

He punched Ben’s shoulder a little harder than was necessary and turned to head to the locker room. “Have fun out there.”

Still an asshole. Ben set his jaw and pushed down the anger Ursa had seemed to embed in him as a Mandalorian trait, as natural as swordsmanship and flying with a jetpack.

Thinking of Ursa, it was time to go see her. He’d set up his alibi here and he’d promised to visit. But now it would be a homecoming and a goodbye.

-

He arrived at the Wren stronghold on Krownest as the sun was setting with only Alrich and Sabine to meet him.

“Ben! Nice to see you, it’s been a while.” Alrich smiled.

“I’m sorry I didn’t visit sooner. Usra and I-”

“Usra was being Ursa? You don’t have to explain my wife to me, Ben.” He smirked and rocked a sleeping Sabine gently in his arm. “I’m glad whatever it was is fixed.”

Ben wasn’t sure he’d go that far.

“I think coming home is enough of a truce. To meet this little one.” he looked at Sabine, hoping this war would be over before she could have any memory of it. “Ursa says she’s walking?”

“Well…” Alrich turned to head back inside, Ben keeping pace, “that’s a bit of an exaggeration. She can walk if you hold her hands. She’s trying really hard though. Truthfully I’m not sure I'm ready.”

“They don’t stay little for long.”

“How are your boys?”

“Oh you know. Kahl is somehow older and wiser than me even though he’s 14 and Korkie is an absolute mess of hormones and emotions. So. A normal 16 year old. I can’t believe I fought a war at his age.”

Technically two wars by then, but who’s counting.

“I assume the Duchess is planning to keep history from repeating itself, still? Not every generation on this planet needs to be traumatized by some kind of conflict.”

“Oh. Staunchly.” he assured.

“Ben. Decided to grace us with our presence, I see.” Ursa strolled in, dressed in clan yellow gold and gray as always.

“I decided I better honor our deal and arrive by the end of the week so you did not end me.” he mirrored her stance to try and piss her off.

“We have a lot to discuss.” she sounded on edge.

There was silence for a beat.

“Ok, I know when I’m not wanted,” Alrich laughed, “I’ll be in the studio if you need me and I’m sure Sabine will sleep better while I paint rather than listening to you two fight,” he turned to go and said over his shoulder, “try not to kill each other.”

Neither retorted. Ben was already nervous enough with his news, but seeing how off balance Usra was stressed him even more.

“Roof?”

“Roof.” She agreed.

They both took their places, legs hanging off the edge and wrapped in blankets. Krownest was never warm, but with the sun setting even they required something to keep warm.

The silence was palpable as they each stared at the sunset.

“I heard the news. You wanna go. Don’t you.” Ursa finally said. It wasn’t really a question.

“Yes.”

“Does she know yet?”

“I haven’t said anything but she’s not stupid.”

“I don’t know, she did some pretty dumb shit for you, maybe she is that stupid.” Ursa glanced over at him, “The situation hasn’t changed Ben. Back then the people would never accept her as a leader if she married a former Jedi. It’s like sacrilege. And now…if you reveal yourself it’ll throw everything into chaos. And people might be fine with neutrality now, but news like that? We don’t need another factor.”

“I don’t plan on telling the public. I’ve already set up an extended mission for the Foundation. I barely attend public functions. No one will notice, and if they do there are enough people to make excuses for me.”

“Well, it looks like nothing has changed over the years, you’re still fucking insane.”

“It worked last time.”

“Yeah because you were some nobody. A war had just ended. It was easy to claim you’d been a foundling of a lesser clan who my mother had taken in after they all died. This is…more complicated.” she sighed.

He flashed back to the conversation they’d had on this very roof 19 years ago. He stood next to Satine, explaining their plan to her. She’d stood on the edge, arms crossed, back to them.

“Ursa, please. We just need to know where your father is. Or your mother.” Satine pleaded.

“They aren’t here. Whatever you need you can ask me.”

“Like I said. It’s about Obi-Wan. He protected me this last year and well….” Satine reached for his hand and he took it without hesitation. He was still getting used to this not hiding thing but he was sure this is what he wanted.

Ursa glanced over her shoulder at them and laughed.

“Oh my god you fell in love with your Jedi protector? Are you trying to break EVERY rule Mandalorians hold sacred? First you want us to give up our warrior past, next you want us to accept a Jetti?” She glared, “I’m questioning whether siding with you was a good decision after all.”

“That’s why we need your parents. They stuck to House lines for the war, but they changed their minds. And this will make me forget they ever opposed me. I want them to take him in. As a foundling. Teach him how to be a Mandalorian like every other foundling. He’ll take the waters and he will be one of us. No one has to know anything before that.”

“You’re both insane. You’re 16. You think this little romance is going to last?” Ursa began pacing on the edge.

Obi-Wan looked at Satine. He’d never been more sure of anything in his life, but it was a valid question. She looked up at him.

“If it doesn’t work out then he can go about his life as a Mandalorian or somewhere else as Obi-Wan Kenobi. If he leaves, no one will hold it against your family that a Foundling didn’t stick around. It’s happened before.”

“That’s not going to happen. I’m here for good.” Obi-Wan said, still looking into Satine’s eyes. He was SO sure. The feeling of utter peace bloomed through him, the conflict of what decision he would make these last few weeks finally gone.

“You’re not allowed to speak yet.” Ursa snapped, still pacing. Obi-Wan made a face but obeyed. He didn’t want to piss off a person who would have to keep this secret.

“If I do this for you. You have to do something for me.”

“Ursa. I’ll make a deal with your parents, and I can owe you a small favor. He’ll just be your brother, you can pretend he doesn’t exist if you want to,”

“Where ever you were before Unification…you must not have had very good information.” she stopped pacing and stared into the distance again, her voice strained. Obi-Wan sensed a buildup of emotion from her but stayed silent. “I meant what I said. They aren’t here. And they never will be. My father died two months ago, along with both my brothers.” She turned to look at them and even though her face showed pure anger, tears still rolled down her face, “And Mom died two weeks ago. In the last battle of the war wouldn’t you know it. It wasn’t them who broke away from House Vizsla and pledged loyalty to you. It was me. As Clan leader in their stead.” she sniffed and angrily wiped one of her eyes. “So whatever deal you make, you make it with me.”

Satine seemed speechless. It was rare that she hadn’t thought of every variable before she presented a plan.

“I- I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Ursa.”

“I chose your side. It was already tipping in your favor anyway. But I guess I’m a pacifist too, because all I could think about was how to end this as quickly as possible. Even if it meant turning my Clan against our House.”

“I appreciate it.” Satine still seemed to be reeling from the news, the argument taken out of her.

“So I need you to do something for me.” Ursa said again, through gritted teeth. “And for yourself. Because I am thought to be too young to lead the Clan. I know my cousin will be here soon. Probably in an hour or so, knowing him. To fight me for the position. And I will lose. And he will go right back to being loyal to the House and this could start all over again. But if you officially appoint me then I can doctor the family archives. I’ll forge my mother’s signature and date it from 3 weeks ago so there’s no question about its legitimacy. And he can be my brother. “ she glared over at him, “Adopted. Brother.”

“Ursa, I’m 17 and going to lead an entire system, age doesn’t matter to me. We’ve all grown up faster than we should have. That is a favor I am more than willing to grant.”

From Obi-Wan’s point of view it seemed like a win-win if Ursa was already on her side. Making her Clan leader could only help.

“What will we call him. He can’t go around here with a name like Obi-Wan.” Ursa looked at him, up and down, still sniffling a bit.

Silence.

“You can talk now, Jedi.”

“Oh.” he cleared his throat, “I’ve gone by Ben before.”

Ursa stared at him like he was the dumbest being in the galaxy while she tried to cool her rising temper.

“You really want to go around with the name Ben Wren? Really?!”

“It won’t be Wren for that long.” Satine piped in, squeezing his hand and looking up at him lovingly. He squeezed back.

“Ugh. Disgusting.”

And here he was again, with an admittedly more insane plan.

“I’m not really asking for help this time. Just…your approval I guess.”

“What about the boys?”

“I’ll have to tell them. I probably should have told them earlier but…until the war started Obi-Wan Kenobi was a different person. Someone I knew once. Not me.”

“Well I don’t know if Obi-Wan Kenobi or five hundred thousand Jedi can keep the war from Mandalore.” she flopped back to look up at the dark sky as the stars slowly appeared, “I wanted to see you because of my own conundrum, remember?”

“Oh no, you’ve hidden battle droids downstairs?” Ben smiled and leaned back onto his hands.. His attempt to lighten the mood didn’t take.

“Bo-Katan was here the day before the Gala.”

“Wait, Satine’s sister? The exiled to Concordia for refusing to give up her warrior ways sister?”

He looked over at her in surprise but she refused to look back.

“As if there’s another one, dumbass.”

He held back his retort that he hadn’t known Mar existed until he’d punched Ben in the face for kissing Satine.

“And?” He pressed when she stayed silent.

“And she asked if I was sick of being neutral. Of going hungry sometimes because of supply issues only six months into this thing. Of forsaking my heritage. She said she was putting together a group to do something about it and asked if I wanted in. She said it was small but I don’t know if I believe that. She seemed very confident, walking in here like I wasn’t going to tell on her and if I did, it wouldn’t matter. It’s got to be bigger than just her and a few others.” Finally she looked over to him.

“I said no! Stop looking at me like I just joined a terrorist group. Gods, Ben.” She folded her arms behind her head in frustration then continued,

“I wanna do something about it. I really do. I know you do too, since you’re willing to risk everything to go play Jedi again. But we can’t descend into civil war. If we aren’t a united system, both sides will be here to start a war by proxy. If they even have the decency to keep to the shadows.”

Well, at least someone agreed with him. And this proved he wasn’t being overly paranoid for no reason.

“I’m not sure what we can really do without proof. You know Satine won’t believe her sister would start a rebellion. Even if she chose exile over coming home.”

Ursa sighed, “Yeah, I know. That’s why I was going to tell you. So we could investigate together. But now you’re leaving so I guess I’m on my own.”

“You’re never on your own.”

“Last week you were on about how we aren’t actually siblings.”

“We both say things we don’t mean all the time.”

“Then let’s be honest for once. I know you needed me to be your fake sister so you could learn to be a Mandalorian and marry Satine and live happily ever after but I needed a fake brother way more than you needed a fake sister. I was alone. And while you were stuck here learning to be like us, I was not alone.”

“I needed you just as much. After 6 months away from Satine, wondering if maybe I’d ruined my entire life? And all the bullshit at school we both went through? You were all I had, too.”

They stared at the stars in silence for a good long while, thinking about where they had been and what lay ahead. They’d spent many nights like this, when they were the only occupants of the stronghold that lonely year after the war.

“Do you think she’ll go with it? Or do you think she’ll divorce me so she won’t be associated with the Republic if I’m found out.” Ben finally asked.

“Please, she loves you more than anything. She'll throw a fit and then let you go.” Ursa said without a second thought.

“I hope you’re right. I don’t think I can go back to being Ben Wren again.”

“Seriously, of all the names you could have picked.” she rolled her eyes at him and he laughed.

“I should go. I plan on telling them and leaving tomorrow.” He reached into his pocket, “I brought you a long range comm. It’s only good for distress signals but if you ever really need backup, I’ll come home. No matter what.”

She sat up as well and took it from him, fiddling with it a little, then nodded.

“Likewise.”

He stood, then crouched down to hug her from behind.

“Ugh, you off-worlders- so emotional.” she grumbled but reached up to touch his arm and leaned her head into his bicep.

“Please, I’ve seen you have a tantrum over a jetpack. Mandalorians contain the emotions of three normal beings.”

She smiled and didn’t argue.

“Love you, Ursa.”

“Come back alive, Ben Wren.”

He released her and jumped down to a lower level of the roof, then slipped into the house through the window they always used. She stayed seated, pulling her legs in close and wrapping her arms around them, blanket pulled tight.

Ursa watched his ship take off and soar up until she couldn’t tell the difference between the engines and the stars, wondering if that was the last time she’d see him. And if she’d made a mistake telling Bo-Katan she wanted in.

Chapter Text

When Ben arrived back on Mandalore that morning Satine was waiting at the speeder dock. She hadn’t slept all night, wondering if he’d even return at all. She’d known the second she heard the broadcast that he was gone. He’d been slipping through her fingers as the boys got older, as the war got worse. And now that he had a way back to his old life no amount of arguing or threatening would stop him. She didn’t even want to try. They’d only say things they didn’t mean.

“Good morning, my love.” Ben said when he approached, keeping his distance as if that would protect him from her venom. She had none, but he didn’t know that yet.

“You’ve been avoiding me.” she said simply.

“A little.” he conceded.

“Because you didn’t want to tell me you were leaving me, or you hoped to be gone before I noticed?”

“I’m not leaving you I’m…going on a temporary assignment. I’ve made arrangements to go on an extended Foundation mission, no one will notice. Nothing will change.”

She knew he meant that her secret of marrying a Jedi would not have to come out, but how could he say nothing would change. Everything was changing.

“You think you can be two people at once. Everything to everyone. A classic Kenobi move.”

“I have to do something and this is the only way I’ll be able to live with myself.”

She turned towards the path home but waited for him to join her. He let out a breath and did. Now that they were closer, she spoke in a whisper, more sadness leaking in with every word. The more she let her despondency slip into her words, the more concerned he looked.

“I thought you were happy here.” she said.

“I am happy here.”

“Then why are you doing this. You don’t have to do this.”

Please, please notice that you’re killing me. She thought.

“Because I have to, Satine. When you find people who need help, you help them no matter what. And they are my family. In a way. I can’t ignore them.”

“We’re your family. Don’t ignore what is in front of you.”

“I’m not. I’m doing it so they won’t have to go through what we went through.”

She smiled sadly, “We can change your name, your heritage, your friends, your job. Everything. But that little piece of Jedi that I hate is still there.”

He looked genuinely troubled now. He’d been expecting an argument. For her to try to stop him. She wasn’t fighting, but pleading with him in her own way. Satine wasn’t sure he’d notice this resignation was a warning. Begging him to reconsider.

Do something, stop this. Before it’s too late.

His final decision would determine his fate.

“I knew I wouldn’t get to keep you forever. So I’m letting you go, if that’s what you want.” she said, making sure her voice stayed even. She had pride, even when she was urging him to reconsider.

Stay, stay, stay.

“When this is over, it’ll be like it was.” he reached for her shoulder but she pulled away. He looked hurt, and it hurt her too. They were almost home.

“It will never be like it was. I don’t want a part of you, I want all of you.”

You’re losing me, this is collapsing before your eyes and you don’t seem to notice.

“You don’t want to argue? About anything?” he raised his hands from his sides, in question. She’d heard the old phrase ‘if you love something let it go’. This she could believe. But she could not agree with ‘if it’s meant to be it will come back to you’. She was not foolish enough to be hurt by the same person twice. Her tone hardened, the Duchess in her place.

“I will not send Mandalore into another war and you will not avoid the fight any longer. We are at an impasse. There is nothing left to say.”

“Qui-Gon used to say that if we weren’t arguing, then we were really in trouble.” Now he was the one who was defeated. She had accepted it was the end and he was only not seeming to realize it.

“Yes Ben. We are.” her expression stayed as unchanged as stone. She was on his side until he left. And then…she’d make it clear he shouldn’t return. At least not until the end of the war. “Go tell the boys. Then I expect you’ll want to be off as soon as possible.”

-

The conversation with the boys went about as expected, thank the gods. Ben couldn’t take another shock like the one he’d received from Satine’s beleaguered acceptance. Korkie freaked out, which was expected. The only part he hadn’t expected was for Korkie to question if he was even his real father or not. Satine had stayed as still as a pillar throughout his entire explanation, but the question of Korkie’s parentage woke her up, and they talked over each other to shoot that theory down. ‘How dare you say that to your father-’ ‘We look almost exactly alike-’ ‘What is wrong with you-’

“Well how am I supposed to know! You both lie about everything else apparently!” Korkie shouted, filled to the brim with anger.

Kahl had been bouncing his leg at lightning speed, clenching and unclenching his fists but had remained silent until now. “So you’re a Jedi. So you have Force powers.”

“THAT’S what you care about?!” Korkie now sent his venom over to Kahl, “Not that they’re both fucking lying? Not only to us but to the entire planet?!”

Ben decided to ignore Korkie and answer Kahl who seemed to be being reasonable but was also in a fair amount of shock. “Yes. But I haven’t done it in a long time.”

“How do you know you’ll be able to do it again?”

“Kahl.” Korkie yet again interjected, trying to get his brother to understand. “Jedi and Mandalorians have been enemies forever! If everyone knew-”

“But they won’t know. Will they Korkyrach.” Satine had what Ben called the ‘question-me-if-you-wish-to-die’ face. She wasn’t actively working against him, that was something.

Kahl couldn’t seem to take it anymore and ran to his room.

“So now we have to lie too?! This is ridiculous,” Korkie snatched his school bag with as much aggression as he could muster. “Have fun dying for the Republic since they matter to you more than us.” he stalked out the door. Ben sighed to try and release some of the tension around him but Satine eyed him as if he were a thief.

“Time to pack.”

While he threw some things in a bag, he tried to ever so gently relay the information he’d gotten from Ursa without actually making any accusations.

“Please be careful, Satine. I think something is brewing on Concordia. There are rumors.”

“I’m very aware I have enemies. There is nothing else to be said on this subject either. Worry about yourself. Kenobi.”

-

Kahl climbed into his closet and shut the door since it was the furthest away from the kitchen where everyone else was. He closed his eyes and put his forehead to his knees. So it wasn’t some kind of psychic ability, and he wasn’t the only one. This was a Force thing. Hopefully.

He felt Korkie’s volcano of anger leave and he could think a little clearer, with his mother clearly dissociating because she seemed to feel nothing. The determination and heartbreak that must be coming from his father was manageable at least. As he’d done his entire life he tried to understand why people felt the way they did and what he could do to make it better. What all 3 of them would need to reach equilibrium. He could fix his mother and brother later, Dad was the immediate problem. He was heartbroken. And they’d all been angry with him. Maybe he needed to be supportive? He pushed away his own feelings of betrayal and thought about what he should say to make him feel better just in case he never saw him again. Because what if he really never saw him again?

The pressure of everything was starting to alleviate, which meant they’d left the apartment. He wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to say goodbye, even if he couldn’t stand the idea that his father had had the solution to all of his problems the entire time and had never bothered to mention it.

-

Satine and Kahl walked him to the platform where his friends waited by the landing ramp.

Ben turned to Satine first. Somehow a wall had been built between them in the hour or so he’d been home. Or maybe it had been building for the last six months and he had pretended it wasn’t there. She was right in front of him, yet they already seemed worlds apart.

She lightly grabbed his chin and pulled him in for a simple kiss.

“Maybe one day, but not today.” She whispered. He closed his eyes and saw himself with a padawan braid, full Jedi robes standing at a dock on Coruscant saying goodbye to her. When he thought he could stand for them to follow different paths. She had said the exact same thing to him in what he’d considered to be the closet thing to a breakup their half-relationship would ever get and walked up the ramp, disappearing for what he thought would be the last time. And now it was his turn to walk away.

He returned to reality and met her eyes, one last longing look. One corner of her mouth tugged into a smile for a tick, then she looked away. She didn’t seem to have the same hope that everything was going to be ok with them.

Kahl squeezed him tight, like he’d never get to hug him again, burying his head in his chest.

“I want you to come home as soon as you can. And don’t worry about Korkie. He’ll come around. They both will.”

“Hey, who’s the parent here? I’m supposed to be making you feel better.” Ben teased. “I’ll be back. Promise.” The weight of leaving was now becoming too much in this moment.

There is no emotion, only peace

He tried to let it go.

Kahl pulled away and nodded to him, tears shining in his eyes, “May the Force be with you,” his voice cracked.

“And also with you.” Ben nodded, too.

He turned and did not look back.

There is no emotion, only peace.

-

Anakin could not believe this was actually happening. The Council had heard Master Plo’s suggestion to look into the old Codex and they had acted within a week. He was excited they’d be getting some reinforcements out there but he was already second guessing this idea. Basically untrained adults who had stopped their education before they were teenagers fighting on the front lines? This could be a total disaster. But maybe it would make a difference. The next batch of clones would be ready for service in 6 months. It would take…what…a month? To train the returning Initiates? That is what the council had decided. But he supposed it would be no different than the on the job training Ahsoka had received these last 6 months. At the age of 14.

That still felt wrong, too, but he’d grown to trust her. She made much better decisions than he had at that age. Hells, at this age. His rash decision making was still on display. Marrying a Senator in secret this year? Maybe Snips should be the one in charge.

He’d been selected to evaluate the new- or maybe old- recruits in the starfighter sim in a few weeks. He wasn’t sure who was in charge of the final matching process, but he’d compare and contrast skill against current Jedi. Who could keep up with whom, who would need more instruction in the field, and who- for Force’s sake- should be kept away from piloting in the vacuum of space at all costs.

But first, he had a Zillo Beast to deal with.

Chapter Text

Ben had the crew drop him off at a spaceport in Republic space then he boarded a public transport to Coruscant under Obi-Wan Kenobi. The last time he’d used this identity was on Coruscant, he’d flown to Mandalore under a random alias. Satine hadn’t agreed to take him back yet but those last few months of the Clan Wars they’d mused about how they could make this work and it always involved hiding his Jedi roots. So he couldn’t use the excuse he’d been on Coruscant all these years but getting on a public transport required Republic citizenship. It was hard enough to convince the Mon Calarmi at the ticket booth with his real identity, he couldn’t imagine trying to make it work with a manufactured one anymore. The war had restricted so much already, but when Seps were willing to plant bombs or steal important cargo how could the Republic not be paranoid.

The journey was slow with lots of stops between here and Coruscant. By the time he set foot on the city planet, he had a scruff of a beard coming in. He’d started parting his hair to the side, trying to distance himself from being Korkie’s near-clone.

Before he went to the Temple, where surely someone would recognize him he wanted to test out how to act. And who better than someone who knew him well but also wouldn’t question any inconsistencies too deeply than Dex.

“Table for 1?” FLO asked. She looked the same, a little wear and tear, but still as friendly as ever.

“Oh, actually I’d like to see Dex.”

“Table for 1, then.” The droid replied sassily, ”You want a cup of Jawa Juice?” she wheeled over to an empty booth and he sat, adjusting the brown poncho over one shoulder to reveal a blue tunic which was probably a little too nice to be considered common but it was what he had.

“Yes, please.”

“Someone to see ya, honey!” FLO shouted back to the kitchen as she wheeled away to take someone else’s order and get the drink.. “No clue who he is.”

Dex came out of the kitchen, looking annoyed that a stranger was interrupting his work.

“Dex,” Obi-Wan stood, “It’s been a long time, I’m not sure if you remember-”

“Do you think I’d forget my second-favorite padawan in the world?” He laughed and pulled Obi-Wan into a hug. A little stunned by such a warm welcome, he returned the hug a little late. He felt a stupid smile forming and it didn’t go away as they broke apart and sat down, Dex moving considerably slower than Obi-Wan remembered.

“Where have you been, Obi-Wan? Qui-Gon said you’d left the Order but not much else. You know how he was about tellin’ people’s business.”

Was. How he was.

“I- I didn’t realize he was gone.” The grin he’d developed was quickly fading. He’d been hoping they’d meet again. Qui-Gon had said they would when he’d left. When he’d said he’d been waiting for Obi-Wan to tell him his heart belonged on Mandalore for months. Qui-Gon was rarely wrong.

“Yeah, on Geonosis. Maybe for the best. I can’t imagine how he’d handle bein’ a General. Or the fact that Dooku is behind all of this.”

Obi-Wan nodded, trying to come to terms with this information.

“Where have you been?” Dex asked, “I thought you’d stop in one of these years but I didn’t think it’d take ya’ this long to remember me. I was beginning to think you were dead, too.”

“No I’ve been…around.” he shrugged.

“Was it worth it?” Dex asked. FLO dropped off their drinks.

“Was what worth it?”

“Whatever you left the order for. Or who.” Dex smirked. Obi-Wan somehow felt like a teenager being asked about his crush and averted his eyes, but a sheepish smirk appeared.

“Yes. Definitely.”

“That’s all I get? Come onnn you can tell me. You know I can keep a secret.”

“When I enlist I won’t be mentioning her so it’s better if you forget about it.”

Dex slumped a little.

“I figured that’s why you were back. Obi-Wan…I still have Jedi friends. And from what I hear, I’m not sure you want to get mixed up in this.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t thought it through.” he narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean your second favorite padawan? Hmm?”

Dex laughed “Well Qui-Gon kept coming back after you left. I think I reminded him of his link to you. He had a new padawan in time. She died on Naboo, facing down a Sith. Then he started training Anakin. Who is my all-time favorite padawan.”

“I’m sorry, Qui-Gon trained THE Anakin Skywalker? The one everyone won’t shut up about?”

“The very one.”

“Wow, I guess I really can’t compete with the supposed Chosen One, huh?”

“You always at least attempted to follow the rules. And you know how I feel about that.” Dex gave him a very disapproving look, “Anakin doesn’t let things like rules hold him back.”

“Sounds dangerous.” Obi-Wan sipped his drink. He’d forgotten how good it was.

“Only if you’re a Separatist.” Dex laughed.

“I think I’ll try to steer clear anyway.”

If Anakin knew Qui-Gon, it was possible his old Master had mentioned his reason for leaving. Doubtful, but possible.

“I’m glad you’re alive Obi-Wan. I really am. And I don’t pretend to understand human beauty standards. But that beard…”

“Hey!” Obi-Wan ran a hand over his cheek, “It’s growing in, give it another week or two.”

“Whatever you say.” Dex threw back his drink and finished it in a single gulp. “I don’t want to say goodbye already, but I should get back to it. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” The Besalisk stood slowly, bumping the table slightly with his belly.

“Thanks Dex. I’ll try to make it up to you. For not visiting sooner.”

“Just knowin’ you’re out there is enough. Lost too many friends already.” he lumbered back to his kitchen, waving one of his hands in farewell.

Obi-Wan lifted a hand to wave back. Or was it Ben? He wasn’t really sure anymore.

-

“So you haven’t gone by Obi-Wan Kenobi for 19 years?”

“No, I HAVE, I just haven’t happened to use Republic transport or public services so it looks like I haven’t been Obi-Wan Kenobi for 19 years.”

The intake Jedi narrowed his eyes at him. “I find that highly suspicious, Mr. Kenobi.”

“Lots of places don’t keep track of that. Hutt Space, a lot of the Outer Rim-”

“And other places of ill repute.” the Jedi finished.

“Look, you asked for us to come back. I don’t have a criminal record. I don’t have a family to protect or anything. Do you want help or not.” Ben crossed his arms, giving his best ‘listen to me or you’re grounded’ face.

“Fine.” The Jedi reluctantly handed him a card. “Take this to the next station to get measured for robes.”

Ben snatched it from him and moved to the next, admittedly short, line.

-

It had only been 2 weeks and it seemed like things were already falling apart. Korkie was used to skipping their morning family meeting when his father was out doing Foundation stuff on and off for the last six months. But this time he knew he wasn’t coming back and he couldn’t stand to be in any of the common areas longer than necessary. They felt empty. The stands at Get’shuk games felt empty. And most of all his heart felt empty. His father had lied all these years. And his mother knew. So he stayed away. It’s not like anyone would really notice anyway. Kahl was too absorbed in reading to notice if Korkie was home, and their mother was too busy running a planet to check if he was home by 10 on weekdays and midnight on weekends. Maybe she didn’t even know those were Dad’s rules.

After Amis and Rena’s betrayal, he’d been leaning heavily on Lagos. Luckily her parents barely paid attention to her so he had no trouble sneaking into their apartment, or arriving after school and never leaving her room. But he was pretty sure she was getting a little sick of his dejected attitude following her around 24/7, refusing to give her details on the fight he’d had with his father before he left. So he finally returned for the night.

He slipped in after school, the place quiet and almost completely dark. He heard music coming from Kahl’s room but it was locked. What a weirdo. And headed to his own room, locking it once he was inside. Ok maybe it’s not so weird. If he was going to be forced to be alone with his own feelings he didn’t want to be bothered either.

-

Kahl kept music playing whenever he was home, even if it didn’t really shield him much from Mom’s utter specter of gloom whenever she returned. He wanted to help her but they’d never really been close to begin with. Korkie always got to go with her on trips and meetings. He was left behind. And in trying to cheer her up, he realized he just didn’t understand. And maybe he was making it worse. So he focused on trying to find books on the Force and how the emotional sensing part worked. All he was finding was things he’d previously read on psychics when he thought that was the answer, or telepathy and precognition in non-human species. The only Force-related text that gave any kind of instruction was one on meditation to release feelings. All others required a formal request to be filed with a valid reason or a Jedi’s unique chaincode login. Korkie was much better at hacking, but he didn’t think even if he could explain why he needed to break into the Jedi Archives that Korkie could do it.

So he’d settle for the meditation training for now. He’d try anything to rid himself of this ability so he could just be normal like everyone else.

-

Satine sat in the study. She simultaneously wanted one of the boys to come and talk to her and also to be left alone forever. She hadn’t realized just how much Ben had become almost her entire world outside of work. And with him gone, she was discovering just how much she’d relied on him to puzzle out solutions to Mandalore’s problems - usually with some witty banter that threatened to move from fun to actually pissing her off. And that she really didn’t know anything about the children. Her parents had never really been overly affectionate, she had been mostly raised by a nanny until she was about 10 and started following her father around at work. She’d told Ben she’d make a horrible mother and she was now certain that she was right. He’d always been so involved in their lives that she had the luxury of being around during the enjoyable parts and disappearing when she pleased.

He’d left a black hole in his wake and everything seemed to be collapsing into it. Usually she managed to claw herself out of it through pure spite. He’d made his decision to leave a mere 24 hours after he was given the opportunity. How dare he leave them behind so easily. So quickly, as if they meant nothing. She hated him for it.

But that anger could only last so long and she found herself laying around the house or her office, lost in thought. Living in the hope that this was some kind of dream and he was merely gone for a few days. That he would walk through the door and they’d be right where they left off.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan was exhausted from another day of training. Becoming connected with the Force was a young man’s game. Guided meditation was not easy. Trying to come to terms with his past, as the instructor said, seemed to be difficult for everyone in the room. His guilt over leaving his family, wondering if Korkie had forgiven him yet, and the question of if that Sith would have killed him instead of Qui-Gon’s other apprentice or if Obi-Wan could have ended this war before it started by killing the Zabrak then and there.

Even more annoyingly, while the instructor was telling them to release their worries into the Force, he heard Ursa’s voice telling him to envision killing his past. Of course everything had to be violent with a former warrior race. He was nowhere near levitating anything like some of the others were.

Hand-to-hand combat had been fun for the two days they let him participate. But he’d been dismissed with a passing grade and a comment from the instructor that he was ‘devastatingly calm’ when beating an opponent into submission. That one he genuinely thanked Ursa for.

They’d been allowed practice lightsabers to work on form, and after the first day of constantly fumbling with it because it did not have the same weight as the vibroblade he was so used to, he got the hang of it. At least he hadn’t burned his face like the Twi’lek next to him.

Collectively, they were definitely the saddest army you’d ever seen. Yet here they were, headed to Ilum to hunt for their kyber crystals. At least they’d all done this before, but they all looked nervous, himself included. The terrors the cave presented to children sheltered by the Order from birth would be nothing compared to what they could face now as adults. Everyone generally refrained from talking about their past but it was clear they’d all made mistakes that could haunt them in this cave.

They split up after Huyang landed the ship and gave them their instructions. Ben tried to follow his instincts, and wandered among the crystals.

Obi-Wan.

He signed, pretty sure that was the cave whispering to him and not one of the other recruits, and followed the call. Around the corner, he did not find an illusion of Satine dead, Kahl shutting himself away from society or Korkie becoming some kind of tyrannical leader trying to take over more systems in the name of Mandalore. Only Qui-Gon, sitting quietly, meditating, waiting for him.

“Obi-Wan.” he said without opening his eyes, his image shimmering slightly.

“Wow, you’re my greatest fear? I don’t know what that means but I should probably see a psychiatrist.”

“You always had to make a joke at the most inopportune times, Padawan.”

He’d forgotten how easily the man could make him feel a fool and sat across from him in a meditative position as well and waited.

“You’re afraid you made the wrong choice. Before.” Jinn said confidently, opening his eyes and staring at Obi-Wan as if he knew how this conversation would end before it began.

“Yes. But I don’t regret it. But maybe I should. Maybe none of this would have happened if I hadn’t given up my duty to the galaxy.”

“You always struggled to keep your concentration on the here and now, where it belongs. But if it makes you feel better, I would still be dead, this war would still wage, but the galaxy would be missing two Mandalorian boys.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“How did you know there was an old passage in the Codex that would allow you to return to the Order? The Force works in mysterious ways, but it always has purpose. It is not our place to question it.”

Obi-Wan nodded, contemplating for a minute.

“Or it was you. Dropping the idea for me. Since you have very clearly mastered life after death. And possibly hijacking people’s brains.”

“Who’s to say?” the apparition shrugged nonchalantly.

A non-committal answer, even though they both knew the truth. Some things never changed.

“I meant what I said to you at our last meeting. I did not struggle to select you as my padawan because you were not good enough. I sensed a greater destiny for you. Out there, away from the Temple. And also one among the Jedi. I did not want to contain you to the life of a peacekeeper if you were meant for something else. But you kept showing up, so I took it as the will of the Force. And at the time of our last conversation, I thought maybe you had fulfilled one, your Jedi destiny a vehicle to your larger one.”

“It meant a lot to me. All I ever wanted was your approval, and I got it on the least Jedi-like decision possible.”

“Our line of Masters and Apprentices has always been a strange one.”

“Yeah, no kidding. Adding the Chosen One to that lineage? A bold move.”

“Everything is as it should be. Release yourself from the burdens of the past and the anxieties of the future.”

Qui-Gon closed his eyes again, seeming to fall into a meditative state again. Obi-Wan took that to mean he was supposed to let go now so he tried to follow his Master’s example like he had so many times before and quieted his mind.

This time he had an easier time pushing away the what ifs and should’ve beens. Everything is as it should be. He trusted the boys would make the right decisions without him there to guide them. He accepted that lying was a necessary part of his reality. And most of all, deepest of all, that Ben the Mandalorian and Obi-Wan the Jedi were the same person. One did not have to hide while the other did the talking. No one was only one thing. They were stronger together.

He opened his eyes and Qui-Gon was gone. On the wall behind where his former Master had sat, a crystal glowed a most brilliant blue.

“Right again, Master. About a great many things, as always.”

He reached out with the Force and the crystal floated easily into his hand. Everything was in balance.

-

Korkie wasn’t overly surprised when he was called out of class. He missed plenty when his mother wanted him around to observe cabinet meetings and such. But she was not waiting for him. Instead it was Uncle Mar, who greeted him with a smile.

“Korkie. I hope I am not interrupting anything important, but I think you should come to your mother’s office.”

Korkie was puzzled by this and agreed, riding with Mar across the city.

“What exactly….Why did she ask for me?” he asked carefully, wondering what he was walking into.

“She didn’t. I saw her yesterday and she seemed off. I went back today and she’s still preoccupied with something. So I thought you might help her. Or help me to help her.”

As much as he hated keeping the secret, he’d decided long ago he’d do it for his mother.

“Oh, her and Dad got in a fight before he left for his Foundation mission. You know how they are.”

Mar nodded, clearly annoyed at the very mention of Ben.

“Yes, I’m very aware of how they are.”

“Why don’t you like my dad anyway?” Korkie chanced. They very rarely spent time with Uncle Mar or his wife and Korkie knew it was because Mar and his father didn’t get along but the family never spoke of it.

“I just never thought he was good enough for my sister. That when the chips were down and she needed him most, he wouldn’t be there.” Mar glanced over to Korkie for a second, raising his eyebrows as if he knew more than he was saying. “Maybe you’ll understand when Kahl starts dating.”

Korkie swallowed and looked out the window, unsettled by his uncle’s answer. He found her standing by the window, looking out at the city. Her desk had more paperwork on it than he ever remembered seeing.

“Hey Mom. I thought I’d see if anything interesting was going on.”

She jumped when he spoke and turned to smile at him. “Oh I’ve just got a lot of paperwork I’m avoiding, it’s all routine.”

She looked tired. And sad despite the smile. She was clearly missing him way more than Korkie was.

“I could help. I’m here already.”

“Oh I’m sure you have better things to do with your friends, Kork. I’ll get to it eventually.”

He crossed his arms. “How am I supposed to learn if you don’t teach me?”

She seemed to consider this and sat down at her desk, and motioned for him to sit.

“The most important one is one of the Republic based foodstuff shipments. They want to drop it off on one of the planets just outside Mandalorian space to save themselves time and make us transport it to the core world ourselves, or increase the shipping rate by 3%.”

Korkie considered.

“Hiring ships and crews for a big route like that might be so expensive, it’s worth paying the increase.”

“I’m halfway through the math but…” she seemed a little lost again.

“Well how about a math war. Points for speed and accuracy. Check it against a computer once we’re done.” He smiled hopefully to her. She slowly smiled back and was herself again.

“Challenge accepted.”

So they set to work, but Korkie knew he wouldn’t win the speed contest. He was far too distracted by the thought that keeping the version of his mother he knew from sinking into herself would be his responsibility for a while. He hoped he was up to that challenge.

-

It was finally match day. Anakin finished inputting the last recruit’s scores into a datapad and stretched as he walked, exhausted. It was frustrating work to watch someone try to keep up with him in a simulated space battle. Or worse, follow them. It had been 3 days of sim after sim of perfectly bland and standard flying. The kind that got a Jedi killed.

“All done.” He handed his notes to the clone who was collating all the information, nodded and walked off.

“Wait, General Skywalker, where are you going?”

“I don’t know, probably the mess hall then catch a nap?” he lied.

“Don’t you want to see who you’re paired with?”

“I already have a Padawan.”

This clone was clearly confused.

“Doesn’t matter, sir. Everyone’s got a padawan nowadays and now some of you have a Recall too.”

“A what?”

“That’s–what some of the men are calling them, sir. Sorry, sir.” The clone sounded very ashamed to have said it out loud.

Anakin contemplated for a second. It was technically correct and also the slightest of insults. He loved it. The clone offered him a datapad, and there he was, on the list, paired up with a name he didn’t remember.

“Alright, I’ll go deal with this.” he rolled his eyes, exasperated and went to find Master Windu who was doing dueling assessments. He waited until the bout was over - which wasn’t very long against someone like Mace- and approached.

“Master Windu I-”

“Yes, Skywalker, you’ve been assigned one of the new recruits. No, it is not a mistake. I have been asked many times today. I don’t know where they are supposed to go, if not with you and the other Knights.”

“But. Master.” He hesitated, not sure exactly how to say this, “I appreciate your trust in me, but I was only Knighted seven months ago. I was assigned a Padawan three months ago. I’m not sure another responsibility is a good idea.”

“Skywalker, I know we have not always had the easiest relationship. You may even feel I am harder on you than your peers. But that is because I had my doubts. And now I do not. You can handle this.”

“Um…Thank you, Master.”

This is gonna make it so much more annoying to sneak out to Padme’s.

“But one thing, Knight Skywalker. The person I paired you with, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Be careful of him. From his fighting skills and evasiveness when it comes to questions about his past…I’m not sure what to make of him. He could be dangerous..”

“If you’re questioning his motives, why didn’t we dismiss him?”

“You know why. You’ve been out there. Taking chances is better than losing.”

For once, Anakin agreed with him.

“If you ever feel that he poses a real danger to you and your unit or starts drifting a little too close to the line. A little over the line. Eliminate him..”

Anakin’s eyebrows flew up in surprise.

“Eliminate him? Master?”

“You heard me, Skywalker. If he is a problem, remove the problem in whatever way you see fit. Is that a problem?”

His mouth hung open for a second, then he found his resolve.

“No, Master.”

“Good. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a few more assessments left.”

Anakin left the room having gained an apprentice and lost some of his ever crumbling faith in the Jedi Order.

-

Obi-Wan and the others waited in one of the larger Temple sparring rooms that had basically been converted to barracks for them. It’d been weird sleeping on a bedroll on the floor surrounded by people, but he’d done it as a youngling and he was sure he’d have to get used to it again. Jedi Knights and Masters filtered in steadily, calling out names and taking charge of their new wards. When he heard his name he grabbed his tiny pack and walked to the door. To discover Anakin Skywalker, the one person he did NOT want as a teacher waiting for him. He was wearing dark robes, but none of the armor he was usually pictured with.

His fame was going to make laying low a lot more difficult.

“General Skywalker, your reputation precedes you.”

“Yeah, let’s go.” He sighed, turned on his heel and headed to the turbolifts at a fast clip. Obi-Wan had to add a little jog to his step to keep up.

The lift ride was deathly silent and when they got to his quarters Anakin pointed to the seating area.

“You can leave your stuff there, they haven’t figured out rooms yet so we can be close to each other.”

Obi-Wan set down his pack puzzled.

“Can’t I just sleep in the second bedroom?”

“It’s taken.” Anakin replied curtly. “Hope you’re ready to go cause we have a Senate mixer to supervise.”

Great, first Skywalker and then Senators? Thank the Force this day was almost over.

“Sounds….intriguing.” Obi-Wan replied.

“Only if you like to hear boring people talk about boring things. Let’s go.”

They walked to the speeder hanger and made the trip to the Senate party in complete silence. Anakin parked the speeder and turned to Obi-Wan.

“Look, Recall. I know you volunteered for this, but I didn’t. You just keep to yourself, I’ll keep to myself, we watch each other’s backs and we’ll get along great.”

“Fine by me.”

Well at least Obi-Wan knew he wouldn’t have to answer any personal questions anytime soon. Maybe this wasn’t the worst pairing ever.

-

The party was, as Anakin had predicted, a lot of boring conversations and politics. But he did enjoy it a lot more than the Gala because no one talked to him. He just stood in the corner, looking official and moved to a different spot occasionally. Anakin was doing the same, but occasionally greeting a few senators. He recognized a few of the guests from the Gala but their gazes almost never landed on him, as if he was invisible.

He was practically starting to doze off when a sudden unease rose up through his chest and he glanced to Anakin who was already looking at him. He must have felt something was off, too.

They both scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary and- the window. There was a small circular piece of glass missing. He couldn’t tell since it was dark outside, but their might be a droid–

His instincts kicked in and as two darts shot out from the hole in the window, Obi-Wan force pushed Onaconda Farr to the ground, the darts whizzing by a little too close for Obi-Wan’s comfort and embedded themselves into the back wall. Senators gasped in a moment of panic and then all attention turned to Anakin, who had shattered the window and jumped out to grab hold of the small droid that was now fleeing the scene. They all watched, including Obi-Wan, as Anakin disappeared into the night.

Then all attention turned to him and he realized he still had his hand out from the force push.

He just jumped out of a window. Onto a droid. You should probably go after him, stupid.

He snapped out of his momentary freeze and sprinted out the door to the speeder bay.

The Temple speeder they’d arrived in would be far too slow. He’d have to find something else. He hopped in the fastest looking speeder he could find and took off, trying to sense Skywalker.

He knew he was heading in the right direction, but this was the most high stakes use of the finding force signatures radar game he’d ever played. YESTERDAY, he re-learned how to do this YESTERDAY.

He felt he was close but with all these people and all this traffic…suddenly he felt like his target was dropping.

Oh. Well he couldn’t be sure but he was going to wager that Anakin was the man in the dark Jedi robes plummeting to his death, clearly having lost the droid somewhere along the way.

He kicked the speeder into a dive and at an angle to make his way over to a freefalling Anakin, avoiding space lanes and other small droids not following any designated path.

He almost matched the Knight’s fall rate and looked back several times to make sure they’d connect correctly, and finally he felt the speeder dip a bit from the new weight.

Thank goodness this was over-

“Move!” Anakin yelled at him as he grabbed the headrests and swung himself so his legs were touching the back of the seat

“What?” Obi-Wan questioned, while also doing what he was told, taking his foot off the accelerator and sliding over to the passenger seat.

“I saw the speeder right before he shot me down.” Anakin whipped himself into the driver’s seat and floored it, now seeming to play his own game of Jedi radar.

“There he is.” Anakin pointed quickly and adjusted to follow. “Hey where’d you get this anyway?”

“It looked the fastest.”

“So you stole it.”

“If I’d taken the Temple speeder we wouldn’t be having this conversation yet. Or maybe ever.”

Anakin smirked.

“You didn’t steal it, you commandeered it for Jedi business. If anyone asks.”

“Semantics.”

Anakin continued to smirk and followed the speeder into a dive, pushing the speeder as fast as it could go. “You learn quick.”

The wind whipped at their hair as Anakin continued to follow the speeder's dive and Obi-Wan was very glad he had moved over when he did. He definitely would have given up by now.

A large transport slowly moved into their intended path. It would most likely cut them off from their target. But Anakin kept diving at the same rate of speed as if he didn’t see it.

“Anakin pull up.”

Anakin’s only response was a small, slightly unsettling laugh, that grew the closer they got to the transport.

“Anakin, PLEASE pull up!”

He finally listened and leveled out at the last possible second, somehow managing to keep track of the suspect’s speeder.

“What is wrong with you?!” Obi-Wan asked, out of breath.

“Sorry Obi-Wan. You don’t like flying?” Anakin said extremely casually.

“I don’t mind flying, but what you’re doing is suicide.” He flinched as another speeder heading the opposite way got entirely too close. Anakin remained unphased.

The speeder turned into a route through a building and Anakin blew right past it.

“Didn’t they go the other way?”

“This is a shortcut.”

But this supposed shortcut was blocked by a construction crew repairing the side of a building and Anakin pulled off some evasive maneuvers that made Obi-Wan’s stomach turn.

When they arrived at the exit, their target was nowhere to be found. Anakin pulled the speeder to a stop and watched the exit, knowing full well they’d missed him.

“Huh.”

“That was some short cut.”

“You wouldn’t have done any better.”

“I wouldn’t have tried.” Obi-Wan shrugged in agreement.

“Maybe not.” Anakin sighed and crossed his arms, “But you did a pretty good job rescuing me. And you stole a speeder.”

“Commandeered.” Obi-Wan lifted a finger to correct him.

“You’re right, my mistake. But you did what you had to do when the situation required it. There may be hope for you yet, Recall.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Do we have to go back to that party or do you think the Senate guards have it under control.”

“Oh, definitely radioing in we lost the attacker. No way I’m going back up there. Only to return the speeder, that’s it.”

Obi-Wan relaxed a little on the drive back, though he still thought Anakin was cutting it a little too close with some of his turns. Sure he flew like a madman, but they seemed to share the same philosophy on getting the job done (even though they hadn’t gotten the job done) and a strong desire for privacy. Maybe he could get used to Anakin Skywalker.

-

Obi-Wan had opted for the couch in Anakin’s quarters rather than trying to figure out where he was actually supposed to sleep so late at night. He was on the verge of sleep when he heard the smallest hint of a door sliding, and the lightest footsteps in the small hallway. As a father, he knew exactly what sneaking out sounded like, but he stayed where he was keeping his breathing slow. The front door whispered shut and he wondered where Anakin was sneaking off to. And why he wasn’t allowed to sleep in the second bedroom. Maybe he hadn’t fully let go yet and was saving it for Qui-Gon. But he was too tired to focus on those questions and drifted off to sleep.

-

Anakin snuck into Padme’s apartment the usual way, undressed and crawled into bed. It was already so late and he had to leave so early he’d considered not waking her but there was no way he could keep himself from touching her perfect skin. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed himself into her back, which caused her to stir.

“Ani, what time is it?” she mumbled.

“Late.” he whispered, “Go back to sleep.”

“No. I don’t want to waste my time with you sleeping.” She rubbed her eyes and seemed to rally, “Where were you?”

“Senate party. Incredibly boring. You would have loved it.” He kissed her behind her ear.

“You had to stay that late? It’s got to be almost 1 in the morning.”

“Right, because there’s a new problem. You know those old untrained Jedi we brought back because of your beautiful brain?”

“Anakin, I literally learned that while dancing. You can’t give me credit.” she rolled her eyes, even though he couldn’t see them.

“I’m giving you credit. Anyway, they’re done training and one has been assigned to me. So now I have to avoid Ahsoka and a new guy,” he sounded indignant about the whole situation but the exhaustion was starting to take over and he didn’t have any energy left to be annoyed.

“What?” That woke her up a bit, “another Apprentice?”

“Yeah but he’s like. Old. So at least I don’t have to deal with his teenage hormones. And he actually did good at the Senate party. Saved Senator Farr’s life.” He was drifting now, with longer spaces in between words.

“Onaconda?” she sounded worried, “He’s like a mentor to me…”

“Mmhmm.” he mumbled, but she didn’t seem to notice, her mind now racing. They’d been working on some bills together to try and reduce military spending. Was that the reason he was being targeted?

“Anakin, I don't like this. The Senate is a mess with bills and counter-bills. Assassination attempts? And now you have to lead two battalions, plus train and apprentice and a–well I don’t know what you’re calling them, a Jedi but not officially an apprentice? It’s too much, we’re both too tired to focus on anything that’s actually going on.”

She waited for his response but all she heard was his soft, slow breaths. She wanted to continue this conversation but she knew he needed sleep so she let him be and tried to forget everything and just feel at peace in his arms like they were normal people in a normal marriage.

Chapter Text

“The situation has worsened over the last few hours,” Admiral Yularen briefed them, Admiral Block’s hologram from the Negotiator phasing out occasionally as they went through hyperspace. “Senator Organa is on the surface of Christophsis providing aid to the people but a Separatist cruiser and two more Trade Federation battleships arrived and dropped off reinforcements which are now heading towards his position. There is a regiment with him, but they are suffering heavy casualties and falling back closer and closer to his position. To make matters worse, that Separatist cruiser is still in orbit, waiting for us.”

Anakin, now in the robes and armor that Obi-Wan was used to seeing on the HoloNet, considered for a moment before laying out the plan.

“Admiral Block, you’ll have to take the brunt of the fire when we arrive, Admiral Yularen if you can get us out of hyperspace as close as possible to the planet without slamming into one of their cruisers, we’ll be ready to launch the second you give us the all clear. Once we’re away, jump out and jump back to aid Block from a more defensible position. Sound good?”

No one seemed to have any qualms with this idea.

“Alright, we’ll get to our gunships then.”

“Yes, sir.”

Block disappeared and Yularen moved to talk to his navigation team.

“Time to fly again, Recall. I know you love that.” Anakin smirked.

“If you’re not piloting, I’ll be fine.”

–

Obi-Wan stood in his beige Jedi robes, now with clone armor covering most of him. Anakin had made a comment about Obi-Wan needing all the help he could get to stay alive but in truth he’d picked the clone boots because he’d recalled that Jedi boots took forever to break in and in the last 19 years they clearly hadn’t changed their supplier.

He looked through the binocs to the marching droid army. After making it into atmosphere, Anakin had assessed the most defensible positions between Bail’s base and the army’s current location. They’d set up the rest of the 212th and 501st squads, then picked a set of towers on either side of the causeway and let the exhausted battalion that was holding the line retreat. Now the droids were making their way towards them, tanks and all, with no opposition.

The lift door wooshed open and a Clone clad in orange accents entered.

“We’re back Gener-wait. Where’s General Skywalker?”

“Other tower with Captain…Rex. You must be 2224? Uh, what is it again?” Obi-Wan was having a really hard time remembering all of their numbers and which ones had nicknames when only some had distinguishing features on their armor or face.

“Cody, sir. Commander.” He held out his hand to shake. Obi-Wan took it.

“Obi-Wan. Just Jedi I suppose. You can keep calling me Recall though, I’ll answer to that.”

Cody looked a little uncomfortable that he knew about the nickname, but did not make a comment.

“Recall, you all set up?.” Anakin commed over from the second tower. Obi-Wan gave Cody a ‘see? I’m used to it’ expression and raised his arm to answer back.

“Ready to go. Just a little closer and we’ll fire the cannon.”

“Sir, they’re splitting up,” a clone watching with binocs informed him. Obi-Wan furrowed his brow. They wouldn’t split up unless they knew they were here…

“Something’s gone wrong. Prepare your troops-” he didn’t get a chance to finish because battle droids were already streaming through the elevator, taking out the men closest to it.

On instinct he’d developed over the last month, Obi-Wan drew his blade and directed bolts back to the droids and clones fell back behind him to regroup.

“Our position has been compromised!” A clone on the far side of the room shouted. And just like that they were surrounded. His wrist beeped.

“Recall, what’s going on?” Anakin questioned in a worried tone.

“We’re cut off, the droids are onto us.” was his clipped reply, taking out another droid and deflecting a blaster bolt simultaneously. The situation was deteriorating rapidly. Troopers were using their guns to beat droids rather than shoot them as the quarters were getting so close. Obi-Wan heard breaking glass behind him, but focused on pushing back droids from the doorway in front of him, trusting the clones to cover his back.

“This way is clear!” Anakin said behind him, running up to join in.

“How did you get over here?” Obi-Wan questioned, confused but grateful for the assist.

“I improvised.” Anakin said simply, and they pushed their way towards an elevator.

Once they were all in the elevator, he took the time to breathe. He hadn’t been expecting that but was thankful he hadn’t frozen like he had when Anakin had jumped through the window yesterday. Was that only yesterday?

They arrived on the roof and everyone ran for the edge. Anakin looked down, then looked to him. “Now what.”

“You’re the one who appeared out of nowhere and hit the up button in the elevator instead of down. I assumed you had a plan.” Obi-Wan replied, annoyed. Why would he have any idea why they were on a roof?

Anakin was about to reply when the droids arrived using the same elevator and the firefight began again. A second elevator opened, containing a tactical droid with the other run-of-the-mill droids.

“I want his head!” Anakin shouted, pointing to the tactical droid. Obi-Wan gave him a concerned look but continued to defend himself. Was he asking him to go get the droid’s head?

He got distracted by a gunship coming in for a rescue and decided to ignore Anakin’s order, if it was even for him, and cover the clones as they hopped to safety. When they were all nearly on the ship, a clone charged the tactical droid and ripped its head from its place using a headlock as if this was a perfectly normal thing he did every day. They all climbed in and the door slid shut, leaving the tactical droid wandering around, neck sparking.

“Maybe this will tell us how they knew our plan.” Rex said, holding the head a trooper had handed over.

The other squads from the 501st and 212th had better luck at their positions so air support easily mopped up the mess Anakin and Obi-Wan had left in their wake. The day was won, Senator Organa was safe. But there was a spy in their midst and they were definitely part of the squad that had been with Anakin or Obi-Wan.

–

Rex and Cody had no luck with the droid head and the decision was made to split up, with Cody and Rex hunting the traitor in their midst and the Jedi going to Separatist headquarters to see if more intel could be found there.

Anakin and Obi-Wan took speeders towards Sep HQ and did not meet any resistance on the way.

“We’re definitely being watched by now.”

“Agreed. Which means our spy has probably informed them of our mission.” Obi-Wan replied.

“But they haven’t tried to stop us.”

“No, they haven’t.”

“Which means they want us to get to HQ. Which means this is a trap.”

“I can’t imagine what else it would be.”

“Well that’s unfortunate. For them.” Anakin smirked. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

-

Korkie headed to his mother’s office, which was becoming the norm. He’d try to skip different classes so he wouldn’t fall too behind but he was fairly disinterested in the whole concept of school when he had on the job training. When he arrived he was told she was in the throne room, speaking to the governors of the various moons in the system.

No matter, he could make headway on things they had already discussed. He asked an aide to accompany him-no one was allowed in the Duchess’s office alone unless it was the Duchess herself- and stopped dead when he found Mar leafing through datapads.

“Oh! Korkie. Maybe you can help, do you know where your mother put the paperwork for fuel allowances for the Foundation this month?” he kept looking.

Korkie exchanged a look with the aide, who looked mortified at what was happening.

“She finished that two days ago and sent it back. You should have it.”

“Oh…” Mar stopped and furrowed his brow. “I never saw it. I’ll have to ask for another copy I guess. Can I ask you for that?” He pointed to the aide, who nodded slowly.

“If you’ll…follow me, Lord Kryze.” she gestured back to the antechamber. They both followed her and she copied the information he was requesting onto a data chip, then handed it to him.

“Thanks, I’ll be on my way.”

“Uncle.” Korkie stopped him with a slight accusation in his voice, “You know you’re not supposed to be in my mother’s office without supervision.” He did not frame it as a question because he knew Mar knew better.

“Oh, yes,” Mar shrugged, “But no one was at the desk and it seemed such a small thing to trouble someone over. Won’t happen again.” he flashed a smile and gave a small wave before strolling away as if the conversation had not been charged at all.

“You let him in?” Korkie turned to the aide, the interrogation now on her.

“No! Absolutely not. I…I did get up for one second but that was because someone called and I had to go into the other room to look up the record!” she flustered, “I promise, you can check the security footage!”

He did just that, heading to the security hub and explaining his intentions and being searched at every level of security before he reached the hub.

“Mr. Skirata, good to see you again.”

“Always a pleasure, Marquis Kryze.” the man bowed, “How can I help?”

“I arrived at the Duchess’s office around 10:30 today. I want to see the security footage of the time before that. In the antechamber.”

Skirata requested the footage from one of his subordinates, then started the recording at 10:30, running backward. Korkie saw himself arriving - well, arriving but in reverse- a 10 minute stretch of the aide working at her desk, then her reversing into the back room, on a call.

“Start 4 minutes before that.”

The man did as asked and hit play. The aide answered the holocall, talked for a minute or so, then headed to the back. He watched the timecode. 10 seconds later, Mar arrived and waited at the desk for a minute and thirteen seconds, glanced around and headed into Satine’s office. The aide came back 42 seconds later.

“Hm.” Korkie crossed an arm and held a hand to his chin, considering. Mar’s story held up. He looked like he had legitimately waited instead of skulking in as Korkie had imagined.

“Do you want a copy, sir?”

“No, it was nothing. Just paranoid, I guess.”

“You can never be too careful.” the man agreed.

“Yeah.” Korkie said, dwelling for a few more seconds, then nodding to Mr. Skirata and exiting.

His suspicion should be assuaged, but the seed of doubt would not die in his mind.

-

Maul waited for them impatiently. The scout droids had reported two Jedi on the way. Of course one had to be Skywalker. But he couldn’t be punished for a trick of fate giving him the one Jedi who was off-limits. His master very much wanted them to win Christophsis. Especially considering the razor’s edge they were walking with kidnapping Jabba the Hutt’s son and trying to pin it on the Jedi. Both were vital to cutting the Republic off from Kamino and their supply of clones. So he would take the planet with as little effort as possible. Convincing a clone to go rogue with a little mind work and manipulation was easy. He should be blowing up their munitions depo about now. And now Maul got the bonus of ridding the world of one more Jedi.

He heard them stop their speeders outside the Separatist headquarters where he waited up a flight of steps in the main entrance.

Skywalker and another human strolled in. From his age, definitely not a Padawan. And from the way he carried himself, differing to the younger man. His shiny armor marked him as one of those returning Jedi. Maul smiled to himself. An easy kill. He stood imposingly with his arms crossed and waited for the pair to make the first move.

“Darth Maul, I presume?” The older man in white and beige said to him. He did not reply, only discarded his robe.

Anakin leaned over to the other. “He’s not much of a talker.”

Maul drew his saber, assumed a fighting stance and ignited both ends.

“Impressive.” the new one said.

“It’s really not.” Skywalker said, drawing his saber as well with the other man following suit. “Let me handle this.” And the battle to wound but not kill the precious Skywalker his master cared so much about began.

-

Kahl had followed the instructional manual on Jedi Meditation many times now and it became easier and easier to slip into a state of serenity where he could take the feelings he’d sensed during the day, examine them and then release them. He still had trouble getting rid of the heavy ones, especially from the foundlings. He had people he spoke to, people he’d always team up with on group projects and things like that, but he’d never really been welcomed into a group at lunch. Or after school. Which was fine, he’d needed that time to decompress when he was younger. He didn’t need it as much anymore but now it seemed too late. Everyone had placed themselves into their own category and he did not belong.

So ever since the war started and foundlings had been being hosted on Mandalore while the Foundation searched for any living relatives, Kahl had made friends with them. Their emotions were always intense, but he could make them feel a little more at peace. Having someone talk to them as if they were normal children and nothing was wrong really went a long way to increasing their mental stability.

He sat at his normal table alone and waited for the current rotation to join, mostly Twi’leks because of Ryloth’s continual instability with coups and now the Separatist invasion. He was surprised when an Iktotch boy sat down across from him, smiling.

“You wish to speak to me,” the Iktotchi said, a statement not a question. Kahl raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he’d ever met one of their species in person but he thought maybe one of the others had mentioned him to the new kid and this was some kind of cultural greeting he didn’t understand.

“Um. Hi. I’m Kahl.”

“Yes. You wish to speak to me. I do not know why. What is it?” The boy asked. Kahl kept his eyebrow raised and cocked his head a little.

“I’m sorry…I don’t think we’ve ever met. I’m not sure if…” he trailed off, not exactly sure what to say, “a topic you want to discuss?”

He saw a look of panic and a little fear cross the alien’s face but he didn’t feel it. Why didn’t he feel it?

“I am sorry. I am mistaken.” The boy quickly grabbed his tray and stood up, fleeing from the table.

“Wait, you can stay! I’m sorry if I was rude, I didn’t mean it!” Kahl yelled after him but the Iktotchi did not turn around. Weird. A few of the Twi’leks arrived and he decided not to mention it, opting instead for the mundane topic of the latest holoflick.

-

The duel had moved up the building, leaping from floor to floor was easy with the open centers of the building. Maul had made plenty of attempts to get to the new Jedi, but Skywalker had successfully demanded his attention, sparing the recruit from a quick death. He wasn’t so bad with a saber, but Maul could tell he was still uncomfortable in his role. He did not take chances. Sometimes he would get in Skywalker’s way rather than provide assistance. He thought of the communications array on the balcony of the top level. It was protected by multiple layers of laser gating. When anyone touched them they would be severely burned and the gates would lock. But for his purposes, all he had to do was trap Skywalker between two while he dealt with this annoyance. Then he could call a ship and make an exit.

On the top level he pinned Anakin’s saber down and force pushed with all his might, but of course that idiot had to get in his way, coming in to defend Anakin, and the brunt of Maul’s push hit him instead. The Zabrak would have rolled his eyes if he wasn’t focused on parrying Anakin’s renewed attack, driving him towards the gates. Well, no matter. Maybe Skywalker would have to meet with an unfortunate accident once they were outside.

They paused their efforts when the laser gates sealed them into different sections. Anakin paced, never able to stay still for long. Maul waited calmly, but glaring at the man who had ruined his plan. The less-than-a-padawan finally showed up at the beginning of the gates right as theirs deactivated and Anakin pounced with all the energy he had stored for the last 45 seconds.

But this was when he found Jedi were most vulnerable. He was worried about his partner, he thought he had his target cornered. The duel was almost over and sometimes Jedi choked at the very end. They could fight all day but that finishing move was a little too hard for them to take. They did not enjoy killing as he did.

Maul maneuvered him closer to the edge, each having one side of their body to the impossibly long fall. And then Skywalker made his mistake. The second Jedi stopped short as the first ray shield closed, sliding so hard with the effort to stop he almost fell over. Anakin chanced one second of attention to check on his partner and that was all Maul needed. He elbowed the Jedi in the face, forcing him to lose his balance and tip over the edge. Of course he was experienced enough to grab onto a ledge the next story down, but now he was trapped. He could not risk jumping up without being cut in half. Maul clacked one side of his saber on the edge to send sparks down at Anakin. Nothing that would actually matter, only to make him realize just how helpless he was. Then Maul turned slowly to the soon-to-be dead Jedi and smirked a devilish smirk.

Chapter Text

Once Kahl was home he worked on meditation practice, as was his ritual every day now. But he couldn’t settle. The Iktotchi boy’s insistence that they had something to talk about had bothered him all day and it continued into meditation time. He uncrossed his legs, frustrated with himself and looked up the boy’s species, laying back on the floor and letting the audio lesson begin.

“Iktotchi are native to the moon Iktotch, a harsh and windy place which orbits the uninhabitable gas giant Iktotchon. Iktotchi have very thick skin, developed to protect them from the violent winds of the moon. They also have down-curved cranial horns, which have the ability to regenerate. Their species is noted for the gift of pre-cognition, but predictions are very limited when away from their native moon. They are also known for their powerful telepathic abilities, which can be frightening to other species so they have developed powerful mental shields to keep their emotions and thoughts in and other non-Iktotchis out.”

“Stop.” Kahl said and sat up. That’s why he didn’t feel any emotions coming from him. He could prevent them from leaking out at will. And keep other people out. And keep other people out. He definitely wanted to talk to him now. Maybe he could teach Kahl the basics, something that could work for a human. The revelation overloaded him with joy and he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, knowing he had a lead. The Iktotch was right, he very much did want to talk to him. He was just a day early on the prediction.

-

The Zabrak kept his attention on the Jedi below, just in case he decided to try to jump. It would be stupid, but he’d seen this particular Jedi pull off the impossible before. His mind was focused on Skywalker, but his menacing gaze was for the second Jedi.

And 3…2…1

The laser gates opened and the Jedi attacked, clearly trying to move Maul from his position above Skywalker to get him back in the game but Maul held firm and waited for him to make a mistake. That was the problem with this Jedi’s chosen style. Ataru form was aggressive but lacked defensibility.

There. He twisted his blade the opposite way the Jedi expected and his saber flew from his hand. Maul finished his backswing, expecting the Jedi to spin away. They always did. He’d probably try a force push, or defend against Maul’s killing blow with a force shield.

But this Jedi did not behave as expected. What his years of Jedi hunting had taught him. This Jedi used the momentum from his turn and loss of lightsaber to slam his fist into his face.

Maul couldn’t think of the last time he’d been punched by a Jedi. Maybe never? This angered him and he quickened his swing towards the Jedi but he had to stop to recover his balance from the Jedi’s attempt to kick out the back of his knee. It hadn’t worked, but it had delayed Maul enough to piss him off even more. And then an intense heat struck his abdomen in a clean line. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he looked down to see the Jedi in a crouch holding Anakin’s dropped lightsaber in a reverse grip. He had….beaten him…Maul leaned back, no longer in control of his legs as both halves of him tipped over the edge. Some nobody Jedi had beaten him. This did not happen. This could not happen. And yet it was. As he fell, the shock started to wear off and turned to anger. A deep rooted hate he would cling to. If he survived this, he would have his revenge on this man. First he would find out his name. Then he would find someone he loved…

-

Obi-Wan was still crouched in the same position he had been when Maul fell when Anakin leapt up with almost no effort. The sudden appearance made Obi-Wan jump, as if he was expecting a reconstructed Maul to float back up to him.

“What the fuck, Recall! You killed a Sith on your second day as a Jedi?! Do you know how bullshit that is? I’ve fought him like 5 times! It’s so unfair!” Anakin would have continued on about the injustice done to him but he stopped when he saw Obi-Wan’s face.

He seemed almost in shock, trying to control his breathing. He hadn’t felt anything the entire fight. He knew he was far below Anakin and getting in the way, but he stayed focused and did what he could. He hadn’t panicked when he saw Anakin go over the edge, or celebrated when he felt his force presence so close, clearly hanging off the edge of something below. He hadn’t even felt fear when his lightsaber was ripped from his grip. When his meager Jedi training failed him, his Mandalorian one kicked in.

There is no such thing as fighting dirty in a real battle, Ben. Only staying alive. That ‘Honor is Life, without honor you have no reason to live’ part of the Creed is only for stupid fist fights between nobles.

So he’d gone for one of his sister’s favorites, a knee kick, and reached for Anakin’s discarded saber behind him with the Force, the blade working the same as the vibroblade she’d trained him with.

Except better. He’d fallen apart. He’d just…fallen into two. And now all those emotions were invading all at once. He’d killed someone. He didn’t regret it, but he hadn’t done it in such a long time. He’d forgotten the feeling.

“Hey. Hey! Kenobi. Look at me.” Anakin grabbed his shoulder and shook him a bit.

Obi-Wan did as he was told, closing the blade and handing it back to Anakin then making eye contact.

“You did what you had to do. That doesn’t make it easier. But you saved my life. And your own life. And that’s what you need to focus on.”

Obi-Wan heard him but he still felt as if he were somewhere else. In between fear and adrenaline.

“You hear me?” Anakin looked pleadingly at him. “It’s gonna be ok. You were amazing. Actually I don’t know what you did because I didn’t see it but I know it was amazing.”

Obi-Wan felt himself come back to his body and he nodded and stood shakily.

“It’s….stupid. To feel-” he started but Anakin cut him off.

“It’s not stupid to feel bad about killing. Even if he was evil, it is a life. To take something away like that…it should never be easy. When it gets easy, you are no longer a Jedi.”

Up until now, he couldn’t imagine Qui-Gon and Anakin getting along well. But in this quiet and profound moment it was like hearing his old master speak to him.

Anakin ignited his saber and slashed through the communications array then replaced it on his belt.

Aaaand the moment was gone. Obi-Wan smirked and shook his head.

“What? We’re already here, we might as well ruin their night even more.” Anakin smirked back.

“I lost my saber.” Obi-Wan replied, waiting for the ‘this weapon is your life’ lecture but Anakin continued to smile at him.

“Ah, you killed a Sith, you’re allowed to lose one. You can have one of mine, I carry extras. C’mon Kenobi, let's go, I’m sure there will be a few battle droids waiting for us downstairs already. You force push them to me and I’ll do the slicing.”

He called him Kenobi. Not Recall. Obi-Wan took one last look over the edge then followed Anakin.

-

They returned to the Republic’s base of operations where the atmosphere was a lot less excited than they were. While Cody and Rex had been hunting down the informant, Sergeant Slick, he’d managed to blow up most of the munitions depot.

“Everything except the heavy cannons. And we have more bad news. While you were gone, Admiral Yularen contacted us. Admiral Block had to jump to deal with another emergency in the system and the Resolute and her fleet were getting hammered pretty bad so they’ve pulled back until they can get reinforcements. The good news is from our estimates everything the Separatist fleet carried here is already on-planet. So unless reinforcements arrive, the numbers are set. We have more troops but no munitions. They have a lot more heavy stuff and a blockade so we can’t leave even if we wanted to.” Rex summarized, looking tired. Obi-Wan sympathized.

“Well we have good news and good news.” Anakin piped up, still cheery despite the briefing they’d just heard. “Our new Jedi here just took out Darth Maul, so their ground forces have no commander except tactical droids. AND. I destroyed the communications array at their headquarters so they should have trouble contacting the fleet until at least midday tomorrow.”

Rex and Cody exchanged looks.

“Recall killed a Sith? Sir?” They both stared at him in a bit of awe. Obi-Wan tried not to look as awkward as he felt under their gaze.

“Yes he did. And again, no communications for the Separatists until tomorrow.” Anakin smirked deviously at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan did not like it.

“So that means…?” Cody trailed off, looking confused.

“Party.” Rex smirked. “I’ll go tell the men. I’ll make the squads that were with Senator Organa take watch. They’ve been sleeping long enough.” Rex stood up with extra vigor and practically ran off.

“Party?” Obi-Wan questioned, looking to Anakin.

“Well, Rex and I made an agreement that when we finish taking a planet or someone kills a Sith we get to party. As long as the battle conditions allow it of course.” Anakin looked like he was on cloud nine. “And the conditions allow it.”

Within the hour, it seemed like everyone on Christophsis who had any spirits to sell had found a way to get it to the Republic base. Anakin was standing on top of a supply crate, drink in hand addressing the crowd.

“I know we’ve had a rough day, and it’s only day one of our service on-planet but we all have something to celebrate. Obi-Wan Kenobi, our very own Recall, has defeated Darth Maul in battle!”

All the clones cheered in their own disjointed whoops and hollers.

“Obi-Wan, get up here.” Anakin grabbed his hand and pulled him up to stand on the crate next to him. Obi-Wan felt himself blushing a bit, sheepish that they were all staring at him.

“212th, you have ten hours til shift change, so plan your night accordingly. The rest of you, who do we have to thank? Recall?” Anakin prompted the crowd into a chant.

“Recall, recall!” They all chanted, almost in unison. Obi-Wan still felt embarrassed, but grinned from ear to ear, then took a drink from his cup to the cheers of the troops. They all broke up into their groups, some of the enlisted men from Bail’s grouping breaking off to talk to the locals at the bar. The clones mostly kept to themselves, absorbed in their own exchange of stories and drinking games.

“We should catch up. Or I guess, start talking to begin with.” Anakin said, clapping Obi-Wan on the back and sitting down on the crate they stood on as some music started to play from a mildly damaged speaker, but it was all they had.

“I thought you said we keep to ourselves.” Obi-Wan sat down next to him.

“Well that was before I knew you were interesting. Where ya from?”

“I don’t know,” Obi-Wan shrugged, “same as you.”

“Ah, untrue. I grew up on Tatooine.” He took a long drink.

“Oh I didn’t know we were telling lies. Then I’m from Corellia.”

Anakin laughed. “No, idiot. I guess our backgrounds aren’t on the HoloNet but everyone at the Temple knows….Qui-Gon found me when I was 9, working at a junk shop on Tatooine. So I had a life outside of this. Just like you.”

Obi-Wan thought about this for a while, taking a little longer to process than normal. Wow, this stuff was good.

“A 9 year old working in a junk shop? In Hutt Space? I assume that means…” Obi-Wan trailed off not really wanting to ask the question he was asking.

“Yep. My mom and I were owned by this Toydarian named Watto. Qui-Gon needed ship parts. I podraced for them and won my freedom too cause he saw something in me.”

“Qui-Gon was always picking up strays.” Obi-Wan said lightly, taking another drink himself. Anakin narrowed his eyes.

“How would you know that?”

“I…well I’ve been meaning to tell you, but we’ve been a little busy. I was Qui-Gon’s apprentice before you. You would have found out by looking at what little is in my file anyway.” Gods, why did he feel like he’d been keeping a secret when he barely knew this person. He was allowed not to divulge personal information.

“The one that left.” Anakin nodded slowly, contemplating.

“Yes, the second disappointment of his career I assume.”

“Well considering, the first one turned to the Dark Side, you left, then his next padawan was killed by Darth Maul on Naboo, then there was me. Which one of us is the bigger disappointment, the one who left or the one who couldn’t save him?” Anakin finished his drink and hopped off the crate clearly done with this line of thinking.

“How about you tell me just how you did it. Since I couldn’t see shit dangling from the side of that stupid building.”

Obi-Wan’s brain was still stuck on what Anakin had said before, but he decided to ruminate on it later. He slid down as well and they made their way to the makeshift bar.

“Oh uh….well it wasn’t very Jedi-like. I lost my saber so I punched him in the face, kicked his knee, then sliced him in half.” he tried to look anywhere but Anakin, expecting some kind of judgment but Anakin burst out laughing.

“You punched a Sith in the face?!” he could barely keep it together. “You have to tell the guys that.”

“Isn’t that very un-Jedi like?”

“You’re not really a Jedi, remember? You get the best of both worlds.” Anakin leaned against the bar. The Christophsian woman serving drinks smiled as she eyed both of them.

“I hear you two are the heroes of the day. What can I get ya.”

Anakin smiled back, but didn’t respond to the flirtatious tone she’d taken with him.

“Just two more, please. I’m a Jedi,” he pointed to the Jedi Order insignia on his pauldron, “Sadly. But my friend isn’t. Well he is, but he’s one of those non-Jedi Jedi.” Anakin glanced at him a little devilishly and Obi-Wan gave him a sidelong, ‘what are you doing?!’ reaction.

The woman slid one drink to Anakin and focused all her energy towards Obi-Wan, tilting her head and leaning against the bar, arms crossed under her breasts just to make sure he noticed.

“And just the drink for you? Anything else?”

Oh no. Obi-Wan had not thought about his part of his plan. He internally panicked for a second, then tried to extricate himself from the situation as quickly as possible.

“Just the drink please.” He said in the nicest tone he could manage through his terror. He didn’t want to insult the poor lady. She removed herself from the bar top and poured him a drink, setting it down in front of him. “You come back if you change your mind. Either of you.” She smirked at him, clearly still not giving up and went to serve some troopers. They stepped away from the bar to make room.

“What was that? She was totally into you.” Anakin put his hands out, questioningly, “Sure, not until I said I was off limits, but come on. She’s pretty cute. You’re single, or they wouldn’t have let you out here into combat. Never know how long you’re gonna live in a war.” Anakin took a sip of his drink. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

“Are you trying to live vicariously through me or something? And since when are Jedi not allowed to have a little fun. As long as you don’t become attached, you can do whatever you want. At least that’s how it was when I was training.”

Now that Kenobi had recovered from the surprise, he expertly threw the question back on Anakin to deflect from his non-answer.

Now that HE was on the spot, Anakin looked like he was experiencing a minor moment of terror as well.

“I’m taking a break from women. I get attached too easily.” he said lamely and became very interested in Chopper’s story of what had happened at one of the other towers surrounding Organa’s position today. Obi-Wan pretended to be interested as well and the subject was dropped.

Hm. Interesting. They both thought about the other.

Chapter Text

Kahl waited to get in the lunch line a little later than usual, he wanted to give the Iktotchi time to sit down so he could sit by him. Sure enough, the boy sat away from the group of Twi’leks and a Dyplotid-a new addition today.

“Hey,” Kahl sat down across from the Iktotchi, “you were right. I do wish to speak to you. If that’s alright. I’m sorry if I upset you yesterday.”

The boy studied him for a few moments then seemed to let his guard down. “I was afraid I was wrong. This world is very different from my own. I am Rugor.”

“Kahl.” Kahl reached out his hand for a shake and Rugor’s hand completely encapsulated his own.

“What is it you wanted to discuss, Kahl.”

“Oh. I don’t want to be rude, we don’t know anything about each other.”

“It will drive me insane if I have to continue to feel the anxious excitement you are radiating for days while we discuss our favorite colors. Please.”

“Oh..” Wow, he supposed he really was that anxious that he’d offend Rugor and ruin the opportunity before he even started. “I…wanted to ask. About your telepathy. You just said you could feel my emotions. Can you…not…feel it? If you wanted to?”

“Yes, of course. But I am still practicing with aliens. My family and I-” he stopped, and though Kahl felt nothing coming from Rugor he could tell the emotional weight of losing at least one member of his family was re-emerging at their mention. “My people do not keep our emotions from each other. So shielding you would take effort.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you are sorry, calm your emotions.”

Kahl smiled a little and tried to feel at peace, meditating without fully trying.

“Much better. I did not know humans could do that so easily. Everyone else must just be rude.”

“No, we normally can’t. I’m…different.”

You are telepathic, too?

Kahl heard Rugor’s voice inside his head and his eyes widened. It was terrifying how easy that was for him to do.

“I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you. I thought…I thought that is what you meant.” Rugor looked like he was going to bolt again, embarrassed by his overstep into Kahl’s mind.

“No! No, it’s ok. I’m not…telepathic like that. I can feel other people’s emotions.”

“Empathic.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what you’d call it. And I want to stop it from happening. Could you…teach me? Maybe?”

Rugor considered.

“Have you ever tried to change someone’s feelings? To stop them from being sad and make them happy?”

“I can’t stop feeling other people’s feelings, much less change them.”

Rugor stared, as if that answer was not enough.

“I guess…when I was little. I tried to push them out and make them stop feeling things. But when I got older I realized that was kind of evil. People can feel how they want to feel, I just don’t want to feel it, too. Does that make any sense?” Kahl made a face like he wasn’t even sure he understood himself.

“My people, we have rules. You cannot make others fall in love with you. You cannot take away their grief. They must be left alone, no matter what. It is only to be used to sense deception or sympathize with another’s experiences.” Rugor sounded very serious.

“It is like a Creed? To your people?”

“Yes. An Oath. An Oath we all swear before we leave our home planet. If you break this oath you will be shunned by all Iktotchi.”

“Mandalorians have a Creed we live by, too. I think I can respect your Oath, the way you explained it.”

“Then I will teach you.” Rugor smiled a little and Kahl felt the tiniest bit of emotion seep out of the alien’s mental wall. He sensed happiness at finding a friend who could maybe understand him.

-

As expected, without a commander or a functioning communications tower in this sector of Christophsis, the droids did not come in the morning. According to the scouts, they were holed up next to their headquarters, which was now buzzing with activity, unlike last night when it had only been Jedi vs. Sith.

Anakin was up and doing rounds with Cody, though it was clear they both had a bit of a hangover so they spoke quieter than usual.

“I just can’t believe that Recall killed a Sith.“ Cody mused. “What’s his story?”

“I don’t know, maybe ex-military after he left the Jedi. He’s got the fighting skills.”

“I know he’s had an incredible first impression, but I don’t trust him, sir.”

“Neither do I, but you barely trust Ahsoka. You’re not a trusting kind of guy, Cody.”

“I trust my squad, everyone else has to earn it. Kept me alive this long, hasn’t it sir?”

Anakin shrugged as they got in the turbolift up to the watchtower. “Yeah, can’t argue with that.”

“Where is he anyway? Still asleep like Rex?”

Anakin smiled, thinking about just how hard the 501st had partied. It was nice to see them get some small reward for their sacrifices.

“No, I set up some platforms for him to practice his force jump. It’s abysmal. And once he gets sick of that, I left some remotes so he could practice deflecting blaster bolts.”

“How do you know he’s actually practicing and not slacking off?”

They exited the lift and Anakin went to the railing, lifting a pair of binocs.

“See? He doesn’t need supervision all the time, Cody. Have some faith.”

Cody took out his binocs and raised them too. Watching Obi-Wan leap superhuman distances would have been impressive if they weren’t only three feet off the ground. And if he hadn’t botched his landing the second they started watching, skidding off the rock and landing awkwardly on the ground. Cody let out a little snort.

“I told you. But he problem-solves quick.” Anakin stopped watching and looked to Cody, “And once Ahsoka is back they can practice together.”

“I’m not sure Commander Tano will like that.”

“You never know, maybe they’ll be best friends.”

-

Korkie tried to be a normal teenager - or as normal as he could be - for two days, visiting his mother at work during the day and going to get’shuk practice then hanging out with Lagos and Soniee afterwards. They still weren’t speaking to Amis. But that kernel of doubt about catching Mar in his mother’s office would not die. And during a particularly boring class of Huttese he decided he’d have to tail him to see exactly what his uncle was up to.

He ditched classes that afternoon, claiming he would be with his mother and went to the Foundation to try and track him down. He wasn’t there, at least from what Korkie could tell, so he tried his other office at the Sundari security force. He walked the halls, as far as he was allowed, and thankfully caught sight of Mar in a meeting with 5 other security force members. Korkie then sat outside the building in a little park, enjoying some fresh air while he did his homework and waited for Mar to walk home.

Finally the man left and Korkie tried to stay as far behind him without losing sight as possible. But Mar went straight to his apartment. Boring. Maybe he’d go out after supper though… He sat outside of the apartment, reading a datapad, then switching to a different spot where he could still see the door so it didn’t look like he was loitering for too long. Spy work was very time consuming and very very boring. Maybe he’d have to rethink this-

“Nice night to sit outside and read, huh Kork?”

Korkie about jumped out of his skin, leaping off the bench and turning to see Mar strolling up from the opposite direction of his apartment.

How in the fuck-

“Yeah.” He said, his nerves affecting his speech. “I just…needed some time alone.”

“Sure, Korkie. We all like our privacy.” Mar said flatly, his eyes bore into him. His uncle DEFINITELY knew he was following him.

“I suppose I should be getting home.” He grabbed his bag. “Lost track of time.”

Mar’s face somehow slipped into a nicer version of himself. The one he used to charm people. He gave Korkie a small smile.

“Happens to me all the time. See you around, kid.” and walked to his apartment. Korkie went in the opposite direction, still trying to figure out how his uncle had snuck up on him. And realizing he was going to need a way better plan because Mar was definitely up to something.

-

Satine watched the news reel of the Battle of Christophsis and got her first look at what her husband had become. She saw the man she’d fallen in love with, not the one she knew now. He’d never lost his attitude or his moral compass, but that air of authority had dissipated. The aura of power had faded as he cut himself off from the Force. He looked like he’d more than regained it.

Until now, she’d been mourning her loss. Frozen in a time loop of realizing he would leave, realizing maybe he thought he’d made a mistake and should have stayed with the Jedi to begin with. Realizing she had forced him to become a different person to keep her. And he was finally seeing it now, too, and left at the first opportunity.

And so she’d sat in some kind of delusion that he would return exactly the same as he was. It was just a mistake and things could go back to the way they were.

But now, watching this footage, she finally escaped her spiral. He deflected blaster bolts and sliced through droids gracefully as if he’d been born to do it. He had been born to do it. The report continued with stock footage of Darth Maul, the narrator detailing the Sith’s crimes and Kenobi’s thrilling defeat of the scourge.

And instead of missing him even more, she found anger, real anger, instead. She began to think of herself as a detour in his career. A distraction he’d suffered for two decades. He didn’t seem to be struggling with his duties as she was. He was excelling where she was stalling. Leaning on Korkie. And if he could move on then so could she. He had his job and she had hers. She would banish this foolish pining. Even if he did return things would never be the same, and she couldn’t hold onto the past anymore.

The Duchess in her would not let little Satine rule anymore. She had made herself strong when her parents had been murdered and she was alone. She would do it again. She would not be wasting any more time on Ben Kryze or Obi-Wan Kenobi. She turned off the HoloNet and vowed not seek out any more war bulletins.

-

Rugor and Kahl practiced identifying emotions they sent each other during lunch period for almost a week before moving on to shielding. Rugor had said identifying what other people were feeling, then building a specific defense to that emotion was important for the overall mental wall he would build for himself.

“Despair. Short term.” he said simply, biting into a fruit.

“Elation. Like being in love.” Rugor replied to Kahl’s emotional projection.

“Fear..”

“Hmm, more specific.”

“Um…Fear…”

“Fear, protection. Like if someone is in danger. Not because they are scared of the thing itself, they are afraid for another person.”

Kahl furrowed his brow.

“I am sorry, is that not a human emotion?”

“No, it is. I guess….I’ve just been misidentifying it.”

Rugor nodded and left him to his thoughts for awhile.

He had always carried around with him the fearful worry his father felt when he’d done things as a kid. Like the time he’d held Korkie’s block tower up when it was about to fall. He was probably…4? And he knew if it fell over Korkie would cry and other people’s sadness was a hard emotion to deal with. So he’d held it up until he felt his father’s emotions at seeing what he was doing. Fear. He was doing something he was not supposed to, so he let it fall. That wasn’t the only time he’d done things like that, but he’d learned quickly from Dad’s emotional reaction that this was scary. Different. Bad. And sometimes people’s words didn’t match their feelings.

Dad had always asked gently if there was anything Kahl wanted to show him or talk about. That he would help. And Kahl wanted to believe. But the emotional response had been different. One of fear. The need to protect, he now realized. Not genuine fear of him.

Kahl was beginning to realize that he hadn’t had to hide this power his entire life. Dad was a Jedi. He could probably do these things, too. He would have understood and helped him. Not cast him out as some kind of freak. Maybe he hadn’t had to keep everything to himself all these years.

“Confusion, sadness.” Rugor said, breaking his thoughts, “And regret.”

“Yeah.” Kahl said. That one wasn’t a projection though.

-

Korkie had taken a few days to devise a plan of just how he was going to track his Uncle’s movements without getting caught, then had to wait almost a week while he was off-planet. But finally he was back, and at the gym. Korkie was dressed much simpler than usual so he would blend in, carried a gym bag and wore a hat.

He walked in the building just as Mar was heading out of the locker room so he hoped to avoid his gaze if he surveyed the room when he got wherever he was going. He’d hacked into the gym’s systems last week already so he knew exactly which locker was his uncle’s. Placing a lock cracker on the keypad, he stood in front of it, hoping to shield it from view if anyone came in and let it go to work on the simple 4 digit lock.

Once the lock beeped he swung it open and grabbed Mar’s blaster from the locker, took note of the combination and carried the weapon and his bag to the refresher stall.

Sitting on top of the tank so his legs would be out of sight, he went to work taking apart the weapon according to the schematics he’d researched. He took a small tracker and placed it inside the handle so it would still function properly and be able to reload without being discovered. The tracker wasn’t very powerful, you could buy it in any store. He didn’t need to track Mar off planet, or even out of the city. There was no way he could come up with an excuse to follow him there. But if he went somewhere out of the ordinary in the city, he’d know about it. Korkie had just finished packing up and had opened the bathroom stall when he heard the door of the locker room pop open, so he swung the stall door shut again and went back to his uncomfortable hiding place.

“Did you find anything?” Mar spoke quietly.

“No. I went digging through their family archive, it looked pretty damn normal to me. People don’t generally hide their deepest darkest secrets in their family archive.” a woman’s voice replied.

“Some people keep journals. It was worth a try. I’ll go to Vlemoth Port when I can, they might have something.”

“You’re grasping at straws. Let it go.”

“Just help me when I ask, Jynna.”

“And when will this debt be paid? Ever? I have to do your bidding for the rest of my life?”

“Relax, you weren’t in any danger. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“No, not as long as I’m still useful to you. Be careful, Mar. You can only push people so far.” she snarled.

Korkie heard someone, he assumed Jynna, storm out. Mar seemed to take a little while longer to compose himself, then opened the door and Korkie was alone again. He waited a few minutes in case Mar had somehow figured out he was in here with his scarily accurate senses. Nothing. Korkie couldn’t wait anymore and slammed the door open, ran to Mar’s locker, typed in the code and replaced his blaster. He shut the locker and checked that the tracker was working on his datapad. The dot blinked, good.

Finally, to complete his disguise he went to the showers and wet his hair and dried it a bit, then headed out of the gym, keeping his eyes forward and his posture relaxed.

Once he was headed home, his brain had time to come down from the adrenaline rush and question exactly what Mar was looking for. And who’s family archives he was searching. If it was the Wren’s he could be searching for information on his father… The thing that steered him in that direction was the fact that Jynna was the name of one of his dad’s friends. And she was one of the four who was supposed to be covering his absence. Maybe she was not Dad’s friend after all.

Chapter Text

It had been a long stalemate between the CIS and Republic on Christophsis, the droids waiting for a higher level commander and Anakin knowing the Republic wouldn’t succeed in trying to gain any ground after they lost a lot of supplies in the depot explosion. There had been no rest for Obi-Wan though, between meditating to deepen his connection to the Force, jumping practice and training with the remotes he’d had enough to keep him busy, but that didn’t stop him from wondering what Kahl was reading. How Korkie’s games were going. If Satine was having trouble sleeping alone like he was. Were they taking care of each other? Did they miss him as much as he missed them? He’d catch himself lost in thought in the mess hall or at the lookout post. But no one seemed to mind, everyone thought he was bored out of his mind like everyone else. He was relieved the morning Rex walked in just before dawn to let them know the Resolute had finally returned, the full fleet accompanying her and they were making short work of the Separatist cruiser blockade.

“Send the ships up when they have it under control to re-supply. Wake me when they’re on their way back and we’ll finally get to destroy some droids.” Anakin said sleepily, and Rex left them.

“You awake?” Anakin murmured to Obi-Wan from the top bunk.

“How could I not be, you aren’t known for being quiet.” Obi-Wan griped back from the lower bunk.

“Ready for your first real battle?”

“Yes, I’d very much love to leave this place.”

Obi-Wan had a few reasons he wanted to leave, none of which he planned on sharing with Anakin. He couldn’t get Maul out of his mind and he hoped a change of scenery would help. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d somehow made a mistake, though he’d had no other option. He’d had way too much time to think about his family and no idea when he’d see them again. Oh, and he was very sick of dodging Bail Organa, who he felt would surely recognize him. The Resolute had left him and his relief mission crew on the planet as well when it had fled. They had been helpful to the people of Christophsis, but Obi-Wan had not planned on having to dodge a friend for this long.

“You’ll miss the quiet, I promise. Five nights of uninterrupted sleep? Unheard of around here.”

“If you stop talking you can get a couple hours more.”

Anakin snorted softly and tried to sleep.

“We got a problem.” Rex stormed in, flicking on the lights not 5 minutes later. Neither of the Jedi seemed happy about this but didn’t complain, both slowly sitting up. “More Seppie cruisers just showed up. And they must have a General with them because the droids are already forming up to march on us.”

“Alright, wake everyone. I think this might be the decision maker for Christophsis.”

Rex nodded and left to prepare his men.

-

“Ok, I’m ready.” Kahl said, sitting outside after school in one of the city’s public parks. Rugor sat across from him, a bit of a menacing look on his face as he broadcasted an emotion to Kahl. Well, it would have been menacing if Kahl didn’t know how kindhearted the Iktotchi was. They had moved on to the next step and were projecting specific memories at each other to train how to block them out. Rugor had said he was learning how human feelings - or lack thereof- worked so it was mutually beneficial. Apparently humans did not feel as deeply as the Iktotch did so he had to be careful not to overwhelm Kahl with his most basic of feelings.

Rugor was sending him something important, a feeling of pride. He closed his eyes and focused on the specific part of the wall to deflect and the feeling lessened to only a drip from a faucet rather than the ocean wave Rugor had been projecting.

“This is so much harder with actual feelings from memories.” Kahl opened his eyes and slumped a little. He was always so tired by the time he got home he didn’t have much time to check the HoloNet for any updates on Kenobi and Skywalker’s progress through the galaxy. He avoided his mother because he had no strength to block her out and though she was better, she still carried a certain level of darkness with her wherever she went, even if she looked put together to the rest of the world. All he did at home was sleep. His grades had actually started to suffer, but he didn’t care. Dad was always the one involved in their schooling, he doubted his mother’s contact information was even listed at the school.

“It is. But you have learned quickly.”

“Yeah, you mastered it on the first day, Rugor. I’m holding up your progress.”

“It is easier for me, remember. You have puny emotions.” Rugor joked holding his fingers close together to illustrate his point, and Kahl shoved him a little in return.

“Shut up, they are a very normal size for my species.”

Rugor laughed even harder at Kahl’s defense and Kahl rolled his eyes.

“You’d fit in with all the other humans our age, making everything into a dick joke.”

Rugor shook his head, still smiling. “They are all boring compared to you.”

“Yeah well I’d like to be boring. You’ve been here long enough to know that being different on Mandalore isn't fun.”

Kahl had seen the way some of the other children treated their non-human guests. Mandalore had always been unwelcoming to off-worlders, especially those of a different species. His people were still trying to free themselves from their racist past of believing they were superior to all other species and therefore had the right to conquer them.

“You accept me for my differences?”

“Yes.” Kahl said automatically.

“Then why are you trying to push your gifts away when they make you who you are? You will always be an empath. I will always have horns. Trying to deny it will only cause you pain.”

Kahl considered. They seemed like wise words, but from his point of view he only had his father as an example. Dad had hid his differences his entire life- well at least for Kahl’s entire life- and the second he revealed his true self everything imploded. Kahl did not want to be the cause of any further issues. He couldn't imagine Korkie’s reaction if he ever found out. But he could not explain that to Rugor.

“Hit me again.” Kahl changed the subject. The Iktotch gave him what seemed to be a disappointed look, but sent another emotional memory for him to block. One of pity.

-

“Do you think it’s weird they only sent two sections? And only B1s?”

“You’re forgetting the Octuptarras.” Obi-Wan said, crouched next to him behind some crates they’d set up as barriers and choke points if they had to fall back.

“Nah, those things are easy to kill, I can’t believe they still manufacture them. I’m more worried about the battle droids.”

“I’d love for you to prove that to me because I am definitely worried about them. They’re huge.”

“Alright. Rex? Stay with Kenobi. You’ll know when to attack.” Anakin winked.

“Yes, sir.”

Anakin slunk away from them and they waited a while. The Octuptarras were close enough to start firing at them now and they all hunched behind their cover.

“Where is he? If it’s so easy, what is he waiting for?” Obi-Wan asked, aggravated.

“Honestly, Recall, he’s got a flair for the dramatic. He loves to make an entrance. Give it a minute.” Rex double checked his blaster, not even looking for Anakin.

And almost as if on cue, Anakin lept from a building’s balcony onto the leg of one of the droids, dragging his saber behind him. Cutting the leg up the middle as he ran, he then jumped on top of the already toppling bulbous head. He lept expertly to the second droid's head and the third started firing at him. He deflected the bolts back, taking out one of the 4 cannons around it’s middle. The second cannon spun into place and Anakin continued to deflect bolts back. The standard droids were finally figuring out what was going on and started to fire at Anakin, too.

“Open fire!” Rex yelled and the clones recaptured the B1’s attention while Anakin repeated the same technique down the side of the domed head, lept gracefully from one droid leg to a new target. He cut the third, already mostly disabled droid’s last gun in half, stabbed into its red eye, then cut its leg so it fell in a way that he could gracefully walk down it, into the fray of battle droids.

“That was incredibly overly dramatic.” Obi-Wan said standing next to Rex, deflecting bolts back towards their owners.

“I told you.”

They didn’t even have to leave cover to finish off the remaining droids, many had been crushed by their own heavy artillery thanks to Anakin.

“I told you.” Anakin said, clipping his lightsaber back to his belt.

“Yes, almighty Master Jedi, I saw.” Obi-Wan sassed and Rex might’ve chuckled but Obi-Wan wasn’t sure. Anakin raised an eyebrow but ignored the comment.

“That was far too easy.” Obi-Wan added.

“General Skywalker.” Anakin’s comm crackled and he pressed his gauntlet to respond.

“Go ahead, Cody.”

“Looks like Seps have relief ships landing. One big one. And we have one small ship coming down, but it’s not the one we sent up. Haven’t been able to contact Admiral Yularen recently, we must be being jammed.”

“Alright, we’ll come back and see what he sent us, it better be good.” Anakin looked over to Obi-Wan, clearly bored of going to and from battlefields. “Back we go, Kenobi. Rex, hold position.”

Cody met them just outside of HQ, clearly not thrilled with the news he had for them, matching their stride when they reached him.

“It’s Commander Tano, sir.”

“That’s great! What else?” Anakin asked.

“No, I mean they literally sent just Ahsoka. No supplies.” Cody corrected, a little edge to his voice.

“So our transmissions aren’t getting through and they have no idea we’re in trouble?”

“Who’s Ahsoka?” Obi-Wan asked.

“His Padawan.” the Togruta leaning against the small transport ship said as they came into the basically empty weapons depot. She wore a maroon top and skirt with white leggings and brown boots to offset her red skin and white and blue lekku. “Who’re you?”

The answers were varied as they all spoke at once.

“Obi-Wan.”

“Jedi Kenobi.”

“Recall.”

“Ok…”Ahsoka looked confused, “Recall?”

“The Jedi who were called back,” Anakin answered, “Cody decided he needed a nickname.”

“It was Rex’s idea,” Cody muttered.

“He’s with us now. He’s a padawan but…not a padawan.”

“Wait, you have a padawan this young in a warzone?” Obi-Wan asked bewildered, “How old are you, like 12?”

“Almost fifteen.” Ahsoka shot back, clearly offended, “And aren’t you a little old to be joining a war? Like what, 45?”

Obi-Wan tried not to take it personally but he certainly was. She was guessing close enough to be serious with her guess but also far enough away to hurt his feelings.

“37.”

“Hey, you got a new fact out of him, good job Snips!” Anakin congratulated, and Obi-Wan looked away rolling his eyes.

“We do have other, pressing matters…” Cody broke in, “according to Ahsoka the Admiral did not know we were in trouble and in need of resupply when they arrived, which is why she arrived with nothing and the ship we sent up should have been back by now if it made it through the space battle. I think we’re alone down here until they resolve their warzone and we can establish communication.”

“We’ll just have to wait for the droids to come to us and the heavy cannons then.”

Rex commed Cody and he pulled the hologram up on the tactical holotable so they could all see.

“We’re here, Rex.”

“We have a problem. Separatists are advancing with an army of tanks.”

“Have the heavy cannons hit them with all they have.” Anakin said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

“The tanks aren’t the problem. The ray shield protecting them is. It’s advancing at the same rate as the tanks so we can’t do anything until they’re right on top of us.”

Everyone stood in silence for a bit, all unsure of a solution.

“We have to take out the ray shield.” Ahsoka stated simply, but with no plan of how.

“That’s suicide. How would you get past the tanks?” Obi-Wan said, upset by this idea.

Ahsoka smiled. “We can sneak by. Right, Master? The box trick.”

Anakin looked exasperated at the idea but agreed. “Obi-Wan you hold them off with Rex and buy us time. We’ll handle the shield.”

They both dashed off and Obi-Wan was left with Cody and the hologram of Rex to figure out how to buy time.

“We could use those lightsaber skills of yours over here. We’re going to have to fall back but you can slow that down.”

Cody chimed in next, suggesting they try and fortify the path to the cannons as much as possible to make Rex’s escape easier. Obi-Wan nodded. This was their arena. Even the 14-year-old knew more than him, he was in no place to argue. He just hoped he could deliver the help they were requesting.

-

Once they were much closer to the advancing tank line, ahead of Rex’s position, Anakin found half of a beat up crate and held it over his and Ahsoka’s head to make sure they would both fit.

“So the new guy’s gonna be with us forever?” Ahsoka asked as she crouched down and let Anakin lower the crate overtop of them, waiting for the droid army and the shield to glide right over them.

“Yeah, I guess. I’m not super happy about it either, but he has been helpful so far. And less trouble than you.” Anakin whispered now that they were hiding and smirked.

“Um, I just finished helping Master Luminara secure the Hutt Space lanes by rescuing Jabba the Hutt’s son from kidnappers, who turned out to be Separatists. She even had to fight Dooku. I am VERY helpful.” Ahsoka whispered back.

“Can’t wait to hear more about it.” Anakin whispered as the sounds of the droid army started to march around them.

“Yeah, what’s new guy Kenobi done compared to that?” Ahsoka snipped.

“Well, he did kill Darth Maul last week.” Anakin said matter-of-factly.

“What?!?!” Ahsoka whisper shouted.

“Aw, Snips don’t be jealous. You’re still my favorite Padawan.” He peeked to see if the droids had passed and they were almost gone. “Time to move.”

“And I thought of Box Idea. Very. Helpful.” Ahsoka emphasized as they started crawling along under their cover.

“I hate Box Idea.”

“I learned it from you.” She stressed, clearly annoyed.

“I think we’re clear.” Anakin whispered and lifted the crate off of them. They had passed the Separatist army, now all they had to do was worry about booby traps.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan ran to link up with Rex’s men who were now inside the ray shield and slowly being pushed back towards the cannons. When he arrived he took cover and sacrificed a few minutes to a micro meditation to find his center. He would survive this because he had to. Because Kahl and Korkie needed him. Because he would make a difference in this war so they wouldn’t have to fight and die like his generation of Mandalorians did in the Clan Wars, or like Ahsoka was now.

She is the same age as Kahl. He thought, then pushed it away and lept into the fray, freeing a clone from the grip of a Super Battle Droid, taking down multiple B1’s and deflecting laser bolts back into the marching formation. He tried to make every deflected bolt count since they were running low on ammunition, but he hadn’t practiced quite hard enough with the training remotes because he was missing his targets fairly frequently.

“Help Cody protect the heavy cannons!” Obi-Wan shouted as they neared a door. A great choke point to hold off the tanks for a while. They’d need at least 10 minutes to blast through. Rex’s men slowly fell back through the doorway, but Obi-Wan pressed forward, covering their retreat. They’d lost so many already.

“Recall! That’s the last of them!” Rex shouted, double wielding pistols, waiting for Obi-Wan to join him as the last through the door.

“Go, Rex. I have an idea!”

Rex did not seem to like this idea of leaving him behind, so Obi-Wan was forced to shove him through the door against his will with the Force. The door locked behind him. Obi-Wan was easily surrounded by Super Battle Droids and he deactivated his lightsaber, holding his hands up. They stopped firing and the lead tank’s hatch popped open, revealing someone who must have been a Separatist general. A well-dressed Kerkoiden. Well-dressed despite being in a war zone…this plan would work. It had to work.

“I surrender.” Obi-Wan said simply.

The droids immediately took his lightsaber while this new general, who Obi-Wan thought he recognized as General Loathsom - what a name- spoke to him.

“Now…Jedi…order your troops to stand down.”

Obi-Wan used the Force to lift three pieces of the surrounding rubble into a makeshift table and two chairs.

“General, have a seat.” he gestured to the arrangement he had just made.

“Have you gone mad?” The Separatist general questioned.

“I’ve conceded the battle. Now we simply have to negotiate the terms of surrender.” Obi-Wan put on his best talking-to-politicians voice that he’d mastered after all this time standing at Satine’s side. He’d learned just how to flatter, deflect and trap higher-class people into conversations they didn’t want to be in. Their etiquette training from childhood forbade them from breaking decorum. Loathsom looked skeptically at him.

“Don’t try any of your tricks, Jedi.”

“Surely there’s no reason we can’t be civilized about this,” Obi-Wan kept his face calm, but smiled internally. Got him.

The general exited his tank and took a seat at their awful table.

“Tis a rare honor to be able to meet one’s opponent face to face.” Always compliment, they eat it up even if they know it’s not true. “You’re a legend throughout the Inner Core worlds.”

“Thank you.” he brushed off the compliment, but Obi-Wan could tell he was making progress. “I’m so glad you decided to surrender.”

Obi-Wan sat as well. Always partially agree. They’ll drop their guard if they think you are on the same page as them.

“Well at some point, one must accept the reality of the situation.” Ben said. Obi-Wan felt like he had repaired the disparity between his two lives, but this arena was definitely a place Ben would have excelled. He cleared his throat. “Might we have some refreshments?”

If this works, this man will let you run him around in circles for hours.

“You!” Loathsom pointed to his droid, “Bring us something liquid.” The droid went back to the tank.

“Thank you.” Obi-Wan said, “This shouldn’t take long.”

-

Anakin battled droids that had popped up seemingly out of nowhere when Ahsoka had ran towards the shield generator and set off the booby trap- even though he’d told her specifically to watch out for booby traps. She set the charges they’d found in what remained of the armory and he distracted the droids, their number only growing when Ahsoka force pushed a destroyed droid into yet more of the booby traps.

He backed towards a wall with a hole in it. One perfectly sized for him. Finally Ahsoka finished with her charges and noticed his predicament, shouting at him not to move, then brought the hulking concrete slab down with the Force onto the remaining droids, crushing them but leaving him unharmed.

“I wondered how long it would take you to notice.”

“I was doing as I was told.” she retorted, “And being helpful.”

“Then why is the shield still up?” Anakin questioned, still not quite over his anger at her for setting off the droids in the first place. She glared at him and held out her arm, then pressed a button on her wrist and the charges exploded, blowing hair and lekku to one side from the force of it.

-

Once the tea arrived, Loathsom downed his cup in one swig, but Obi-Wan stirred it in the proper manner and sipped as he’d been taught so many years ago. He still had half a cup left, but he was running out of stall tactics quickly.

“And of course arrangements will need to be made for my troops’ food and shelter. Did you bring enough supplies with you?”

“ENOUGH! You are stalling.” Loathsome bellowed. How uncivilized. Maybe he wasn’t as high society as Obi-Wan had pegged him to be.

“Nonsense! General,” Obi-Wan tried to remind him of his rank and the attitude with which he should carry himself, ”There are numerous details to be discussed.” Obi-Wan winked.

That seemed to be the last straw. The Separatist General flipped the makeshift table and shouted for his B2 droids to seize him. He was lifted in the air, one droid holding each of his arms.

“If you don’t call your troops off right now I’ll have no choice but to end you.”

Obi-Wan sighed. Where was Anakin? Maybe that Padawan of his was slowing him down…

“Alright alright, calm down.” Obi-Wan activated his comm to Rex, who clearly sounded like he was having an awful time. “Stand down Rex. We’re out of time.”

“Negative, Recall.” Rex responded and Obi-Wan looked up to see the ray shield finally retreating. The loud booming of the heavy cannons began in the distance.

“Sorry, General, he said no and he outranks me.” Obi-Wan used the Force to push the droid's grip on him down while he forced himself up and into a twist before landing and shoving the two droids together with the Force. He then resorted to a very Mandalorian tactic and grabbed the General easily by the neck and used him as a human shield.

“Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” The General pleaded with his droids and Obi-Wan began another waiting game of how long this could play out. Thankfully he saw Republic gunships fly overhead and knew the Republic fleet must have won the space battle and was finally in a position to assist them. Soon enough, reinforcements arrived and took General Loathsome into custody and shut down his battle droid entourage.

Obi-Wan wondered if anyone had seen his negotiation attempt and if anyone would believe him if he told them.

-

Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan met up at their base once things were under control and the clones were handling cleanup and shut down of droids. Anakin was pleased it had gone so smoothly considering the disadvantage they had been at a few hours ago.

“You two sure took long enough.” Obi-Wan grumbled, joining them at the strategy holotable. Ahsoka made a disapproving face, but said nothing.

“Hey, I heard you surrendered.” Anakin retorted.

“Yeah and then I negotiated some banthashit terms for like fifteen minutes to try and keep their idiotic general distracted! You know how hard it is to negotiate terms of surrender for that long when you’ve only been in a warzone for a week?”

“Well it all worked out in the end,” Anakin said simply as if that made everything all better, “Ahsoka came by herself because we’ve been called to another situation.”

The girl gave Obi-Wan another judgemental glance and pulled up the most up-to-date map of the galaxy.

“General Grievous has been roaming around the last few weeks with a new superweapon of some kind that destroys cruisers like it’s nothing and leaves no survivors. The Council wants you to take the 501st to the Abregado system, Master. It’s where Master Plo last reported in. Almost an entire day ago now.” her voice wavered a bit.

Anakin felt sympathy for her, she’d always had a special connection to Master Koon and he wondered sometimes why he hadn’t taken Ahsoka as his own padawan. Maybe because Koon was on the Council and generally went on more dangerous missions and would put a padawan at greater risk, but was there really a difference? Ahsoka could just as easily die out here on the normal battlefields, whatever normal meant.

“I’m sure he’s fine, Snips. It’s not easy to outsmart Master Plo. Let’s get Rex and the guys loaded up and let Cody deal with cleanup duty.”

“Right, and Recall stays too right?”

“No, Kenobi’s got to come with me. I’m supposed to watch him at all times.” Anakin made an ‘I’m watching you gesture’, one corner of his mouth upturned.

“Wait, I can go on solo missions but he has to stay glued to you?” She laughed, “That’s a bit embarrassing.”

Anakin was now sure that she was not happy about the Kenobi situation, as he was beginning to call it. But he wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do about it since he didn’t like it either. Obi-Wan stood with his arms crossed, attempting to ignore the padawan and studied the map, looking bored.

“I don’t make the rules, he stays.”

“You break rules all the time.“ Ahsoka muttered, rolling her eyes and going to find Rex.

“Do I have to stay glued to you because you don’t trust me or because the Jedi don’t trust me?” Obi-Wan asked, still studying the map.

“Both. I don’t know anything about you except that you killed a Sith, survived a battle and have decent negotiation skills. And you’re 37. Apparently.”

Anakin had tried to extract information from the man after the Sith incident but he’d been quiet. For all he knew Obi-Wan was a well disguised Separatist agent.

“Fine, maybe we do need to get to know each other. I propose one question a day, each?”

Anakin considered this. He had plenty to hide, but what were the odds Obi-Wan would ask if he was married? And who said he had to tell the truth.

“Sounds like a deal.”

“Alright, if she’s only 14, how old are you exactly?”

“19.”

“You were knighted at 19.” Obi-Wan sounded like he didn’t believe him.

“Well yeah, Qui-Gon died, I got my arm chopped off, and the war started on the same day. It was probably worse than whatever the normal Trials are.”

“And then they gave you a Padawan. At 19.”

Anakin shrugged, he wasn’t sure what Kenobi wanted from him. He’d tried to tell the Council it wasn’t a good idea but no one ever listened to him. Obi-Wan slowly nodded and turned away, swearing under his breath.

“Hey, you didn’t answer your question!” Anakin called after him and smiled, hoping this would upset him even more. Obi-Wan stopped and half turned, waiting.

“What’s your favorite color?”

Obi-Wan’s face immediately scrunched with annoyance and he put his thumb and forefinger between his eyebrows.

“It’s kriffing blue, Anakin.” then he continued off to prepare for their departure.

Oh yeah. Annoying Obi-Wan was a lot more fun than annoying Ahsoka.

-

Korkie had become obsessed with watching Mar’s tracker. He’d actually left in the middle of a Modern Governments class when Mar had moved someplace unexpected to follow him. Mar had only been going to the movies with his wife. Between rummaging through his mother’s office and the cryptic conversation with Jynna in the locker room, Korkie knew something had to be going on. But Mar’s daily movements in the city were so mundanely boring he was considering giving up.

He still went to the office with his mother, but she definitely didn’t need him like she did the first few weeks anymore. He’d been monitoring the HoloNet obsessively, simultaneously hoping and dreading hearing the name Obi-Wan Kenobi in the news.

What he wasn’t prepared for was the first mention of him linking him to Anakin Skywalker and killing the Sith apprentice Darth Maul. He was still mad that Dad had left, but that kind of accomplishment was his entire justification for leaving. That he could and would make a difference and it was worth it. Even if that was all he ever accomplished, it was a significant pivot point in the war. He’d done what he’d set out to do already and Korkie could almost forgive him.

He still wasn’t sure if it was a mistake to call his mother over to watch the report. She’d fallen into her political personality, stone faced without comment on the news. But after that she’d seemed to snap out of her depression. She was efficient at work and he was rarely home to see how she coped there. He could only do so much and preserve his own mental stability. By avoiding home as much as possible and living on his own island of busy-ness with friends and school and volunteering for anything he could he kept himself from thinking too much.

And he definitely stayed away from Kahl, who always thought about everything too much. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually spoken to his brother. They hadn’t gone to school together in weeks. They’d pass each other in the hallways, but Kahl seemed lost in his own world as always, concentrating on something. His brother had always been a bit odd and he’d been distancing himself from him for a few years now but Kahl had stopped all attempts to engage in any kind of conversation and he was more than fine with that.

Tonight he was out with Soniee and Lagos at their favorite restaurant. The girls debated who was the hottest Jedi on the HoloNet. There were polls for these kinds of things now that the HoloNet was doing dramatic recreations of battles for their news briefs, sometimes with real footage, some AI generated. He listened and contributed occasionally, but his mind was elsewhere.

“You can’t say Aayla Secura just because she’s a Twi’lek. Everyone knows all Twi’leks are hot. That’s such a basic answer.” Soniee rolled her eyes.

“And I’m sure you’re gonna pick the other basic answer of Anakin Skywalker?” Lagos challenged, her arm in a sling from a Get’shuk injury.

“I’d do him.”

“You’d do like everyone on this list.”

“Um, excuse me, I would not do Yoda. Gross.” Soniee crossed her arms in protest and Lagos let out a little giggle.

“What do you think, Kork? Maybe Kit Fisto for you?” Lagos asked. Korkie came back to the conversation.

“I don’t know, I don’t keep up. Aayla is pretty.”

Lagos smiled in triumph that he agreed with her. His backpack beeped and he checked the tracker. Heading towards the shipping docks…. He grabbed his things and shoved them in his pack, throwing a few credits down on the table.

“Sorry, just remembered I’m supposed to be home.” he stood up but Soniee wouldn’t let him get away that easily.

“Well…we can come with you. We haven’t seen your dad in ages-”

“He’s not here, see you at school tomorrow!” he called back as he dashed off.

-

Korkie changed into the darker clothing he always carried in his pack now, just in case. He followed the tracker into a warehouse. He was close enough that he stopped relying on the beacon and was very careful going around corners. There were so many crates and the lighting was so dramatically dark in some areas and bright as day in others. He stuck to the shadows, finally seeing movement down one of the corridors.

Someone who was clearly trying to stay hidden as much as he was. He followed as best he could, but soon lost his target. He snuck a little further, crouching in a dark spot with the perfect vantage point of a large open area in the center of the warehouse. He learned over the crate dividing him from this main area to see if his mark had jumped over and headed in the opposite direction but froze when he felt a blaster press into his back. A voice slightly garbled by a Mandalorian helmet sounded disappointed in him.

“Oh, Korkie. Your father really didn’t teach you anything, did he?”

Mar.

Chapter Text

Why can we not go to your dwelling?” Rugor asked Kahl as they walked out of school together. “Because…I don’t know. What if my mother or brother is home?”

“My dwelling is not ideal. It is comfortable but there are many.”

Rugor lived with one of the families from Clan Skirata. A large but unimportant Clan, known for their acceptance of foundlings of all kinds. Which is why almost every non-human child was being fostered with one of those families. And things were beginning to get a little crowded.

“Fine, my place then.” Kahl agreed, not overly happy about it. He’d learned how to dampen almost any emotion thrown at him and he was elated. School was easier, he could exist around his mother and not be pulled down into her oscillating moods.

He didn’t know if he could handle Korkie’s intensity because he hadn’t actually seen his brother in weeks. He only came home late at night and went straight to bed. It seemed that Kahl was gaining more and more energy from not having to cope with everyone, and Korkie had less and less. Kahl thought about asking him what was going on, but he was not ready to answer the same question if it were directed back at him so he left him alone.

But now they were at the final stage of Rugor’s training regime for him. If you could feel emotions others gave off, you could also go looking for them in people’s minds. Or at least Iktotchi could. It was frowned upon to pry into someone’s mind, but it was important to be prepared if you met a less than savory mind reader who wished to do so. Rugor had said building that second layer of shields could be a painful experience, one they should not practice in public.

So here they were, using his empty home for practice. Rugor stopped a few steps into the doorway, between the kitchen and the common room and seemed troubled.

“What.”

“You did not tell me you lost someone as well.” He looked Kahl dead in the eye and seemed to stare into his soul, giving off waves of compassion. “I am sorry.”

Kahl locked his slight flare of anger inside, away from his friend. He did not want pity. He knew Rugor was now under the impression his father was dead, but using the word lost was still apt for their situation. He would not correct him.

“I didn’t know you could literally read the room.”

“You never asked.” Rugor shrugged, sealing off his emotions as he shrugged. “Can we practice in a different room?” Inside was clearly making him uncomfortable.

“How about the balcony? It is nice outside.”

“That is acceptable.” Rugor followed him outside.

“So you just…imagine breaking in. Like you’re a bank robber.”

“If that is how you want to envision it. You try first.”

They sat with their eyes closed, one concentrated on defense, the other offense.

Kahl could never get past Rugor’s defenses, and Rugor always got past his, revealing happy memories-the least dangerous kind- while Kahl tried to push him out. Rugor had seen the time he’d raced Korkie through the grasses of Naboo on vacation, bedtime stories with his dad where everyone lived happily ever after, winning his first cu’bikad match. Kahl had managed to shut him out before his dad shook his hand and said he was proud of him. Like they were equals, even though Kahl was 10. He’d even seen memories he’d forgotten he had.

They were so focused on their back and forth that they didn’t notice the sun setting or his mother coming home and staring at them for a while from the common room, wondering what the hell they were up to, before leaving them be.

-

Korkie slowly stood up straight from leaning against the crate putting his hands up, the blaster still at his back.

“I haven’t seen anything. Whatever you’re hiding, I don’t know anything about it yet. I’ll stop looking-”

“Shh.” Mar commanded. There was the sound of murmured speech a little way off and Mar removed the blaster from Korkie’s back and shoved him down behind the crate.

“Stay quiet.” Mar whispered right before a few horned Gotals appeared and waited in the center of the warehouse, still chattering to each other but too far away for Korkie to hear.

He glanced at Mar, who was focused on hitting buttons on his wrist gauntlet. Should he run? Once they were gone there would be no witnesses, Mar could kill him right here and no one would ever know who did it. While he was contemplating flight, two Mandalorian officers dressed in armor and a man in a cloak with the hood up appeared from the opposite way. They conversed with the Gotal but it was still too far away to hear much. He glanced over at Mar again and did a half turn so he could sprint away, but Mar grabbed his arm and shook his head slowly, holding his blaster up to his helmet in a ‘sh’ gesture.

The man, definitely human at least, shook hands with one of the Gotal and both parties backed away as if they didn’t trust each other, even though they’d just come to some kind of agreement.

Mar held Korkie’s arm for what felt like decades, though it was probably only minutes, before letting go and standing up. The black Mandalorian armor reflected none of the light, and had no clan or house signets, completely void of identification. Mar took off the helmet. Korkie glared at him.

“Friends of yours?” Korkie ventured, not sure exactly what Mar was capable of. Mar gave him a disappointed look.

“If they were my allies, why would I be spying on them?”

“I don’t know, why do you have Mandalorian armor?”

“So filled with questions, but not the right ones.”

“How about are you going to kill me?”

“If I was going to do that I would have done it already.” Mar replied clearly now annoyed on top of his disappointment.

“What was that about?” He finally stood, feeling a little more confident he wasn’t going to die in this warehouse.

“Finally a relevant question. Whoever that was meeting with the Gotals is controlling the supply of essentials on Mandalore. Specifically Sundari. We wouldn’t need to be rationing if whoever that was wasn’t controlling imports and hiding the excess here so he can create his own black market and get rich.”

“Why don’t you tell my mother and have an investigation?”

“Because the port authority is clearly in on the scheme as well since two customs officers were with him.” Mar pinched the bridge of his nose. “You really don’t think too far ahead, do you?”

Korkie was offended by this, but also felt like an idiot.

“So…you’re a good guy?”

“I’m doing my best to protect Mandalore. That’s all you need to know.”

“Assuming you’re telling the truth, then I want to help.”

Mar chuckled to himself at the idea.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you have zero skills. You’ll get caught immediately.”

“Then teach me.”

“I’m not a babysitter, Korkyrach.”

“This will be my planet one day. Duchess Satine has done so much to rebuild after the Clan Wars. I don’t want to see that progress destroyed by the Clone Wars. And, again assuming you’re telling the truth about hunting down war profiteers, I want to help. Or I tell my mother all about this and you.”

Mar let out a long breath through his nose, contemplating what to do with his nephew.

“How did you track me here?” he finally asked.

“Tracking device in your blaster.” Korkie crossed his arms, trying to look like he was confident.

“That’s fuckin’ smart, kid.” Mar nodded slowly, “Fine. I’ll teach you a little. But if you want in, you have to give me a secret. A useful secret I don’t already know. Nothing like you were scared of the dark until you were 10 or any bullshit like that.”

Korkie assessed this offer and decided to keep the one secret he could think of, besides his father’s true identity, to himself for now. This secret that he had discovered at the Gala might make Mar kill him out of pure and quick anger, so he’d wait until he felt a little more trust in this whole situation.

“Fine.” Korkie agreed.

“Meet me at the weapons range after practice. We’ll start with shooting.” He turned to leave, easily melting into the shadows. “And Korkie? Don’t tell your mother. She has enough to deal with right now.”

Korkie suddenly felt very alone with all of his new knowledge of a fledgling black market in Sundari and that his uncle was not after his father, at least for now, but seemed to act as some kind of spy or secret agent. For the good of Mandalore. Maybe.

-

“Kahl Kryze.” Rugor said seriously as he sat down at their lunch table, away from everyone else.

“Rugor….I can’t believe I don’t know your last name. I’m a really bad friend.” Kahl replied, surprised he hadn’t asked this question.

“We do not have family names. It is complicated.”

“Ok I feel less shitty about it then.”

Rugor did not smile.

“What’s wrong?” Kahl prodded into their emotional connection but Rugor did not give him anything.

“My uncle has finally been located. He will take me in. I get to go home, Kahl.” Rugor sounded happy, but looked sad. Kahl silently thanked him for not projecting that confusing combination to him.

“Do you…not like your uncle?”

“I love him. He has always been a second father.”

“Then why are you upset?”

“Because I will miss you. It is…hard to explain. When my parents died, I felt it. We are telepaths as well, not just empaths. And feeling the connection sever...I did not know how I would continue.”

Kahl waited for the Iktotch to say something else, but he was already pushing back his own emotions on the subject. They had never discussed their pasts. Only through memory projection. Showing only what they wanted the other to see.

“Teaching you helped me repair. Repair?” Rugor questioned his own word choice.

“Heal? Maybe?”

“Yes, that is closer. Heal. And form a new connection to you. You may forget me, but I will never forget you. When you feel great joy or great sadness, I will feel it too.”

“As if I would forget you.” Kahl rolled his eyes in an effort to keep from tearing up, “But that isn’t fair. I won’t be able to do the same for you.”

“You have done enough, Kahl. More than enough.”

“When do you leave?”

“I do not know. I know he will be here soon. You know I am bad at timing.” Rugor smiled sadly, also seeming to fight back whatever an Iktotch’s version of tears was.

“Then…can I ask you one last favor? After school? I have a memory,” Kahl said slowly, “It is in the back of my mind, but if I try to focus on it, it eludes me. Maybe it is because I was so young…”

“You wish me to find it. And show it to you.”

“Yes. I need to know.”

“I will do this for you, if it is truly what you want, my friend. But sometimes memories that elude us are hiding for a reason.”

Chapter Text

Korkie crept through the dark, making sure his feet didn’t shuffle so he stayed silent on his way to the target. He crouched behind a crate and pulled his blaster, aiming for the bullseye placed on another crate and released his breath slowly.
A shot. His suit beeped loudly, confirming he had been hit. Korkie stood up angrily.
“What this time?!”
His uncle sat a few feet in front of the target, reading a datapad lazily, blaster still pointed at Korkie.
“Heard you draw the blaster out of its holster. And you exhale too loudly.” He didn’t even deign to look up, continuing to read.
“No guard is paying attention to sounds that much! You just hear at supersonic levels or something.”
“If you can fool me, then an average guard will be childsplay. Back to the beginning. One more time, then I have better places to be.”
Korkie growled and kicked one of the crates. He’d been doing this same exercise ever since Mar taught him how to shoot. That was almost two weeks ago.
“Can’t we work on something else?”
“If you want to get any closer to keeping Mandalore safe, you owe me a secret. And since you haven’t told me any, your best bet is finding out who the mysterious man is at the docks controlling the black market. And in order to find that out you need to learn how to move quietly. You’re getting better, I must admit. Instead of sounding like an entire marching band, now you sound like one drummer. One very loud drummer.”
Korkie had been skeptical about Mar’s motivations and allegiances, but the more time he spent with him the more he seemed like a secretive asshole rather than a traitorous one. He didn’t have to worry if his uncle was only helping him because he was the future Duke. He did worry this whole endeavor could get him killed and Mar wouldn’t really be bothered by it. And though he definitely preferred his father’s self defense classes, he was learning a lot here. It was worth the risk. Even if he still felt totally clueless as to what was really going on. And exactly what his relationship was with Jynna. Clearly there was more than one thing going on on Mandalore since Mar had left finding the black marketeer to him as if it were unimportant.
“If I tell you a secret can we at least move on to something else and come back to this later?”
“I’m listening.” Mar said, though he still hadn’t looked away from the datapad.
“Well…you’re not gonna like it. Don’t shoot the messenger, ok?”
“Kork, it's a laser tag gun, remember? I reserve my right to shoot you.”
“Ok, I might’ve seen Valsi kissing someone on the night of the Gala. Someone who wasn’t you.” Korkie hated that he had to be the one to break the news. Didn’t Mar have friends who should be the ones accidentally catching his wife cheating? The man was insanely good at sneaking, shouldn’t he have caught her by now? And if he knew then why were they still together?
“You got a name for me?” Mar still didn’t look up, only scrolled up on his datapad.
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it matters. You’re saying you ‘might’ have seen ‘someone’. That’s incredibly vague. I need more than maybes and shadowy figures.”
“Fine.” Korkie said, getting more and more uncomfortable by the second. Instead of trying to preserve Mar’s feelings now he just wanted this conversation to be over. “I saw Valsi and Jynna kissing while you were giving your speech at the Gala.”
“Hmm.” Mar finally sat up and turned to look at him. “And where was this at the Gala?”
“One of the back staircases. I was leaving early and didn’t want to be seen.”
Mar nodded slowly, as if processing then replied matter-of-factly.
“Well at least they’re still being secretive. You’re too late with that one, Kork. I already knew that.”
Korkie knitted his brows together in confusion and stood there stunned, staring at Mar who stared back with no emotion on his face.
“Alright, you’re clearly so taken aback by your own news that we’re done for the day,” Mar stood, “I’ll be gone the next few days, use a remote droid to act as a sentry or something so you can practice. I’ll leave the place open.”
Korkie finally snapped out of it.
“That’s it?? You know and you don’t care?! She’s cheating on you.”
“We aren’t friends, kid. We aren’t going to discuss my feelings. And if you’re really that interested, once you bring me actual information, you can ask me about it with your one question.” Mar stretched then placed the datapad in his bag. “I expect improvement by the time I’m back.”
He walked out the door of the security forces training room they were using after hours without so much as a goodbye.

-

“Are you sure you wish to do this?” Rugor asked again as they settled out on the balcony of Kahl’s apartment, facing each other with legs crossed as always.
“Yes. I think it's important. I was like…3. So probably one of the earliest memories I have. Look for that.”
Rugor sighed and closed his eyes and Kahl followed suit. He let Rugor in willingly and felt as if his brain was a computer index, flipping through various flashes of memory but not letting any of them play out. Finally one with a man who looked like a Jedi appeared.
That one. Kahl thought, and Rugor seemed to pull on it, like a spool of metal wire and they both fell into the memory.

The surroundings seemed a bit fuzzy, but it was definitely their apartment. Kahl listened from the doorway of his room, careful not to be seen around the corner.
“Even if he does pass your test he will not be leaving with you.”
The memory was choppy in parts, but he seemed to remember most of it.
“You also seem to forget that a Mandalorian has not become a Jedi in almost a thousand years and I do not plan to break that tradition with my son.”
Dad sounded mad. Or afraid. Afraid mad. He felt afraid, too, the emotions of the memory were very strong, yet so simple and undeveloped.
“That is up to you, but it is important-” Another jump like a holovid skipping- “Taught how to control any abilities he manifests.”
Dad set his jaw to one side.
“Fine.”
Dad walked to his already open door and knelt down in front of him.
“Hey, Kahl. This Jedi wants to test you, see how smart you are, huh? ”
Kahl looked into his father’s eyes utterly confused by the difference between the words and facial expression, encouraging him to do his best, and the fear radiating off of his dad in waves, telling him if he passed whatever this test was it would be bad.
“What happens if I'm bad?” He asked. Kahl felt very strange hearing his own tiny little voice when he was reliving the memory as a teenager.
“There is no good and bad. No winning, no losing.”
If there was no winning….and Dad was afraid of this man…he should not play the game right. Right?
“Ok.” he said and followed the man in robes out onto the balcony.
“Can you tell me what the picture is on this datapad?”
“No. Only you can see it.” Kahl puzzled at the question.
“Try. If you close your eyes and focus, what picture do you see?”
Kahl closed his eyes and thought. A speeder. That was easy. But…he was going to be bad at this game on purpose.
“Um, a window.” He said the first wrong answer that popped into his head. This continued for a while, and it became more difficult with time because of the assault his father’s emotions were raining down upon him from the other room.
“And can you tell me how I feel? Happy, sad, mad?”
Psh, easy. Couldn’t everyone do this one? Sad.
“Sad.”
“Good.”
Another jumpcut and he ran to his dad who immediately scooped him up. “Hey, how’d it go? Are you a genius or something?”
Again with the voice not matching the feelings. Why was everyone so confusing? Why couldn’t they just say what they meant.
“I’m sorry” he said simply and started to cry. This was the worst he had ever felt and he wasn’t sure if he could cope with being a liar and making Dad mad or passing the test and making Dad mad. Both were equally upsetting.
Kahl felt his back being rubbed but he continued to cry.
“Well?” his dad wasn’t talking to him, the Jedi had come back into the room.
“He has some ability but nothing you should have to worry about. I can tell he gets it from you. You could have made a great Jedi.”
Dad’s anger melted away and he seemed at peace. He’d done good by being bad. He stopped crying and rubbed his eyes, suddenly exhausted and buried his head into his father’s shoulder.
“Yes. such a shame. I think you should go.” his dad used the warning-before-you-get-in-trouble voice.
Another stutter jump and he was laying in bed, tucked in, holding his stuffed bantha.
“Ok, nap time. Then we’ll do something fun.”
He was on the edge of sleep and the memory started to fade
“And Kahl? Don’t tell Mom about this ok? She would be scared.”
He nodded lazily. He never wanted to think about this ever again. Especially if it made his parents afraid. He wanted to be good and he wouldn’t do the things that had brought the Jedi to their door ever again.

Kahl snapped back into his own body, though he had never left, and inhaled deeply, then put his head in his hands.
“That explains a great many things.” Rugor finally said.
“I’m supposed to be a fucking Jedi but this stupid empath stuff confused me so much….shit.”
“Do you have other Jedi abilities?”
“No! Well I don’t think so…I’ve spent all my time trying to get rid of this! If I could do it, I probably can’t anymore.” he stood up, desperate for some kind of action. Something to throw or kick but there was nothing so he walked to the balcony and tapped his fist against the railing and stared at the sunset by the balcony’s edge.
“Now you know you are not alone. You have the Force.” Rugor seemed to be trying to calm him down but it just upset him more. “I am sorry your father has passed. He seemed to understand.”
“He’s not dead, Rugor he’s just…gone. And I don’t know when he’ll be back. And he’s the one who never told me in the first place, and that’s why I’m so messed up!” he started pacing now, still trying to find a way to release the energy he had built up.
“I am sorry I showed you.”
“No….no. I needed to know for sure. I guess I’ve known for months now but I didn’t really want to believe it.”
“You should seek him out. Wherever he is. There is always joy in finding a kindred spirit. You cannot grow if you keep secrets.” Rugor smiled a little and Kahl knew he was trying to use their friendship as an example. He’d grown so much these past few months because he was willing to admit the truth to a stranger.
“I have to think about it.” Kahl said finally and turned back to the sunset.
Rugor’s comm beeped and he answered it. It was his foster mother.
“Great news, Rugor! Your uncle has just arrived! He’ll meet you at the port.”
“I am on my way.” Rugor replied and ended the transmission.
Neither said anything for a while, dealing with their own emotions and trying to shield the other from them.
“Come with me.” Rugor finally said. “I want him to meet my best friend.”
Kahl nodded and they both started to move. He was not ready to say goodbye either.

–

Kahl finally got to see the Skirata’s house, which really was a crowded place but no one seemed particularly bothered by it. There was an undertone of sadness permeating the place but that wasn’t surprising considering everyone here was lost in one way or another. He closed his shields, he couldn’t think about that right now. Kahl followed Rugor around like a duckling, not saying anything as he packed the few things he had. Mrs. Skirata gave Rugor a large hug.
“You always have a home here, if you ever need one.”
“Thank you for your kindness, I will not forget it.” Rugor returned the embrace. She stepped back, having other charges to take care of and they were off to the spaceport, keeping the silence between them.
Rugor ran to his uncle who felt overjoyed at the sight of his nephew and the two shared some sort of handshake then touched foreheads and spoke in their own tongue. Kahl walked, not wanting to intrude on their reunion but now that there was no way to stall, dying for this goodbye to be over.
“Uncle, my friend Kahl.”
Thank you for- the voice that had entered Kahl’s mind disappeared just as quickly.
“I am sorry. I did not understand what Rugor meant. He said you were like us. Thank you, Mand’alor.” the uncle gave a slight bow.
Kahl knit his brow in confusion at the honorific, but the foreigner probably didn’t know the difference between Mand’alor and Mandalorian. He was sure he’d embarrassed himself when discussing Rugor’s culture more than once and the boy had let it go.
“It was my honor.” he sent a feeling of pride out, but he couldn’t keep the sadness from tainting it.
Rugor stepped forward. “Promise me you will talk to your father. Secrets bury who we truly are.”
Kahl lowered his head. “I will.”
Rugor put both hands on Kahl’s shoulders.
“We have a saying. It is like….Distance may separate us, but never our hearts. It is beautiful in my language.”
“It sounds pretty in Basic, too.” Kahl tried to smile so he wouldn’t cry. They embraced and separated, then Kahl nodded in goodbye. Rugor touched his heart and nodded too.
Kahl watched as someone he held dear walked away from him and boarded a ship again. Someone he may never see again. Someone who had made him who he was.
And then they left.
And he was alone.

Chapter Text

Anakin was not wrong when he’d told Obi-Wan he would miss the quiet they had those few days on Christophsis. Since then they’d rescued Plo and three clones from the destruction the Malevolence left in her wake. They’d fought the Malevolence and its ion pulse weapon before it could destroy a medical space station, but there were of course complications.

Somehow Senator Amidala had ended up in the vicinity and was taken hostage by Grievous. And of course this had meant boarding the Malevolence to rescue her. It had followed the pattern that was quickly forming on any mission Anakin undertook. They had a bad plan, the plan fell apart, and then they just winged it until everything worked out.

The highlights were: that Senator Amidala did not recognize him, thank the gods; he got to meet Grievous but didn’t have to fight him-again thank the gods, the cyborg was rumored to have four arms; and he was pretty sure he saw Anakin and the Senator standing a little too close to each other to be considered friends.

He’d wanted to use his question of the day on that particular incident all throughout their mission to Orto Plutonia to stop a war between the native Talz and a power hungry Pantoran Chairman who reminded Obi-Wan of Mar. Thankfully the man was dead now and peace had been restored.

He’d continued to think about asking the question when they were stationed on Felucia-or was it Florum? Things were beginning to run together. And when he, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Aayla Secura had crash landed on Maridun and Obi-Wan had been left behind to watch over a gravely injured Skywalker while the others searched for help. But he didn’t.

They’d latched on to questions about Qui-Gon, since they had that in common and hearing about the different versions of the man they both knew was fascinating. And because it was a little flicker of happiness in the constant flow of death and destruction. Asking Anakin about Senator Amidala might dim the bond they were building.

He’d been separated from Anakin and Ahsoka for the last two weeks or so, taking the 212th with him to meet up with Master Windu for the campaign to liberate Ryloth. He assumed he’d been chosen because either Mace was curious about one of the only Recalls still alive on the front lines. Or maybe it was because he spoke Twi’lek, who knew.

Either way, now that Master Windu seemed to understand that Obi-Wan could be trusted, he had let him go alone to destroy some heavy cannons that were preventing them from landing necessary equipment and marching for the capital city. A job that had not proved easy, but Waxer and Boil befriending a small, near-starved Twi’lek girl had made it much easier. She’d guided them through the tunnels to where the citizens were being held captive, right next to the heavy cannons to dissuade the Republic from attempting a bombing run. They’d successfully disabled the cannons without too much chaos.

“Do you see them?” he asked little Numa in her own language, as she looked through the crowd of passing Twi’lek, heading home to survey the damage or to assist the Republic in re-taking the capital. The longer she looked, the more distressed she became. He’d carried her around in the tunnels so he figured she wouldn’t mind him picking her up and putting her on his shoulders.

“What about now?” he held onto her legs, but she still felt the need to put her hands on his head and pull his hair to hold on. He squinted one eye at the discomfort and his hair fell in front of his other. It didn’t really matter to him, he didn’t know who they were looking for. It was all up to her.

“Not here.” she said every once in a while, sounding closer and closer to tears each time. If her parents were dead…Ben was used to entering the picture a day or two after the area was declared all clear. He’d never really been on this side of it yet. And now it felt so much more personal. To watch the realization that she was alone in the world, rather than entering after it had already happened and trying to pick up the pieces.

A scream from the crowd and Numa scrambling to get off of him let him relax. He set her down and she ran into her mother’s arms. He watched them, and thought about how he wouldn't get to hug Kahl on his birthday in 2 days. And it wasn’t just any birthday. He was turning 15 and would take the Creed. Kahl would no longer be considered a child the next time he saw him. He was going to miss the - arguably - most important day in any Mandalorian’s life.

“Kenobi, transmission from Master Windu.” Cody came up next to him and Obi-Wan cleared his throat. He didn’t have time for feelings right now.

“Thanks, Cody.”

“You alright, sir?”

“Oh yes, just feeling sorry for Waxer and Boil. I think they wanted to keep her around.”

“When Master Tholme was still alive, those two tried to smuggle a Tooka cat on board as a mascot. It was adorable but Tholme didn’t like it.”

“Tholme? Like Quinlan’s old master Tholme?”

“Wouldn’t know, sir.”

He’d asked Aayla, Quinlan’s former padawan, where he was since he was the only one of his friends from his previous time as a Jedi who was still alive. But she didn’t know. Everything was listed as classified in Temple documents. This was another line of thinking he didn’t have time for. Obi-Wan activated the holotransmitter Cody had handed him and Master Windu’s image stood in the palm of his hand.

“Master Windu, I assume you have no other problems you need me to deal with?”

“The landing went smoothly and we’re marching towards the city. Cham Syndulla has also committed his freedom fighters to the assault. Our odds are good.”

“Then what can I help you with, Master?”

“Skywalker speaks highly of you, Kenobi. Master Secura as well. And now I’ve seen how you conduct your team for myself. I cannot reinstate you as a Jedi, but I can grant you the rank of General and officially offer the 212th to you as yours to command. Separate of Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t really sure what to say. He glanced at Cody, but with his helmet still on Obi-Wan couldn’t tell how he felt about this change.

“I’m honored Master Windu.”

“I’ll inform Admiral Block before we begin heading into the city. You’re independent now, but you seem to work well with Skywalker so I’m sending you to Botajef. Skywalker and Tano took over the siege of a Separatist stronghold there last week.”

“Yes, Master. We’ll ship out as soon as we can.”

“May the Force be with you.”

Mace disappeared and Obi-Wan stroked his beard, which had become a new habit of his, thinking about this development.

“Congratulations, sir.”

“Do you really want to be with the recall, Cody?”

Cody took off his helmet and looked at him seriously.

“Nobody calls you that anymore, except Commander Tano. And to be honest, I’m a little relieved. I don’t know how Rex does it every day. Skywalker is effective but his tactics are…bold.”

Obi-Wan smiled.

“A nice way to put it. Let’s get going.”

“Neera!” Numa ran to him and hugged his leg. Obi-Wan patted her head and told her to be good for her mother. She repeated the same action to Waxer, who seemed touched by her attachment to him, and then to Boil who looked genuinely confused as to what to do with affection.

“What does she keep calling us, sir? She’s said it all day.” Waxer asked.

“General, sir.” Boil put a congratulatory tone on the word general.

“Neera means brother.” Obi-Wan said simply and gave a final wave to the girl before heading off to the transport that would take them back to the Negotiator.

-

Kahl tried to move on with his life the way it had been before, but things were different now. He’d finally had a real, true friend and he could protect himself from others’ emotions at will. Now that people weren’t so damn annoying, he was actually enjoying being around them. He went out to eat with the rest of the cu’bikad team after a tournament. He socialized in the hallways more often. Lyra even asked him to go to a get’shuk game with her and he was beginning to wonder if he actually DID like her like that. He was enjoying living his life as a normal person, but he found himself wanting to use his gifts just to make sure people meant what they said. What if they were just messing with him? He’d resisted up to this point, but it almost felt like he’d given himself a disability by making himself fit in. And since he now knew he’d purposefully failed a Jedi test, who knew what else he could do if he tried? Maybe he’d experiment with a Force push or something after his birthday. For now, he had to focus on that. Everyone would be there to watch him recite the Creed and take the waters and he was very nervous he wouldn’t be able to handle the anxiety and maintain his shields with everyone’s eyes on him. And the embarrassment that Dad wouldn’t be there to present him his pauldron with the Clan’s seal.

-

Obi-Wan stood on the bridge of the Negotiator, watching the spiral of hyperspace, stroking his chin in contemplation. He should probably be using this opportunity to rest but they were on their way to Botajef. The shipyards made public transport ships, but he assumed the Separatists wanted to convert them for their own military needs. But more importantly, Botajef was just outside of Mandalorian Space. Right on their doorstep. The Republic had made gains these past few months so he didn’t think the Separatists would start a war on two fronts. But Mandalore didn’t have anything on the same level as the cruisers or Trade Federation blockade ships that the Separatists did.

And most importantly, a trip from Botajef to Mandalore was probably only….2 hours roundtrip? He was so close. It was physically possible for him to make it to Kahl’s Creed day. But how would he sneak away with no one noticing…

“Congratulations, General.”

Obi-Wan startled a little. Admiral Block had snuck up on him.

“Thank you. I just found out I’m replacing Master Tholme. Those are big shoes to fill.”

“I think we’re all used to you by now. You’re a lot more cheery to be around than Tholme was. And a lot less dangerous than Skywalker.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “You know we’re on our way to assist Skywalker right?”

“As long as I stay up here and he stays planetside we’ll be fine.”

“What happened to Tholme? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Darth Maul got him. I don’t know much else, we weren’t deployed with him at the time.”

Obi-Wan made a small noise that he understood.

“How far are we out?”

“10 minutes.”

“I want to pack a few things, I’ll meet everyone in the hangar.”

Obi-Wan hadn’t worked out exactly how he would do it. But if there was a chance he could get to Mandalore, he’d need some civilian clothes and probably some credits. Things he kept in his quarters here where Anakin and Ahsoka were less likely to snoop.

-

Anakin stormed into their base on Botajef, still absolutely covered in slime. He’d tried to wipe it off but it just seemed to stick to something else when he tried to flick it off. Jesse, Rex, Hardcase and Fives followed him, also flecked with goo, a mix of amused and ashamed.

“You would not BELIEVE the day we’ve had.” He announced to the entire room. The twenty or so clones milling about were definitely interested. Ahsoka was clearly interested but also disgusted. Obi-Wan was mirroring her expression with his arms crossed.

“What happened to you?” Ahsoka’s tone conveyed even more disgust than her face did.

“Ok, we went to investigate the swoop bike droids. Which were totally real, by the way. So you owe me 10 credits. And they were led by this giant armored guy I’ve never seen before. So obviously I went after him and he just wouldn’t die. Chopped him up into pieces and he’d regrow his limbs. Or he’d re-form from his goo. He was made of tentacles I’m telling you. Rex, back me up.”

“Definitely made of tentacles.” Rex sounded confident and disturbed by the entire incident.

“So I cut off his head, arms, legs, chopped his chest in two. Thought that would be it, right? Hi, Obi-Wan.” Anakin’s brain tripped for a second, realizing Obi-Wan wasn’t here before and clearly Ryloth’s battle was over, one way or another. But this traumatizing experience was too important right now.

“But NO. 20 minutes later, we’re making sure the area is cleared and he just appears out of kriffing nowhere. Full body. Like nothing had happened. Except he couldn’t reform his armor that I’d chopped so his tentacle BODY was falling out in places.” He saw Fives gag a bit out of the corner of his eye.

“So I chop him some more, right? And he re-forms his body AROUND ME. AROUND ME!” Anakin knew he probably sounded insane but he didn’t care. The ride back to base had not cooled him down. He’d seen some weird shit, but this was by far the worst.

“He basically ATE me. But with his body.”

Hardcase seemed to be trying to contain a snort, but was doing a bad job. Obi-Wan was covering his mouth, Either in contemplation, or to cover a laugh. Cody’s face was blank.

“So then this asshole,” Anakin pointed over to Jesse, who still looked a bit forlorn about the whole thing, “Decided he should shoot a cable into the guy and see if electrocution would work. WHILE I WAS IN THERE.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Jesse shrugged sheepishly.

“Well it didn’t work, it just pissed him off. So I did a Force pulse in all directions and exploded him from the inside out. That did the trick but now we can’t get this gods forsaken goo off.”

Hardcase again let out a small laugh, but tried to cover it. This set Ahsoka off into a small giggle that she also tried to cover by clearing her throat.

“You have to admit sir, since you lived it is pretty funny.” Fives said seriously, but he was fighting a smile. A couple of the others in the room seemed to find it funny as well, but tried to keep it to themselves.

“It does make your hair nice and shiny.” Ahsoka added.

This had been a very serious incident to him and he was a little offended that they were laughing. But when he looked down at hismself, covered in shiny clear viscera, and then behind him to see the trail his footsteps were leaving…well. It was a bit funny.

“Come here, Snips, I wanna give you a big hug cause I’m so happy to see you!” He started towards her and she immediately ran, letting out a rare, real laugh. And somehow being temporarily trapped inside a tentacle man was worth it if she got to have a little fun for a couple of minutes.

-

Obi-Wan joined the rest of the gang, or at least those who were off duty, around a table in the mess hall for story swapping. It was customary when a squad of either battalion returned from a mission with something to report. The story could be disseminated from there out to the rest of the men. Once they’d figured out how to get the slime off - an anti-corrosion agent that required the user to wear a hazmat suit - Anakin made Jesse do the dirty work since he was still a bit mad about being electrocuted. And Waxer, the one who had the biggest heart, volunteered to help.

“So we’re on speeder bikes hunting for Grievous’s escape pod. We just passed some fields of some kind of crop when BAM, a commando droid shoots Rex right in the chest. None of us saw it comin’.” Hardcase was deep into his section of the story of the hunt for Grievous on Salecumi. “So me and Jesse took them out and went back to Kix and Rex. He was hit pretty bad.”

Rex pointed to his chest, where a section of the blue ARC trooper overlay armor had a hole clean through it.

“Think it saved my life.”

“So then Jesse…” Hardcase started to laugh, “Jesse says, I think this is a farm. And where there’s a farm, there’s a farmer.”

“I was not awake for this part.” Rex said seriously.

“Classic Jesse. Never the brightest.” Wooley laughed along with Boil.

“So we dumped him on the farm with this really hot Twi’lek.” Hardcase finished, then pointed to Rex.

“And I stayed in the barn. I’m not Kenobi.” he smiled good naturedly and Obi-Wan rolled his eyes but smirked back.

He’d developed a bit of a reputation, partially because sometimes flattery could get you a long way with your enemy but mostly because sometimes he would sneak off to be alone and they’d all come up with stories that he was picking up men, women and aliens with his skills of seduction. He’d let them believe this because it was a lot more fun than the truth. Anakin bored them with his constant calls back to Coruscant to talk with Senators - or maybe just one, Obi-Wan suspected - and the Chancellor. And he was sure they’d be disappointed by the real reason.

He’d try to look up any information on what was going on in the Mandalore system and to process emotions the others did not seem to possess. The clones had the excuse that they were engineered to not feel as deeply to avoid having to remove troops for mental breakdowns. This war was really all Ahsoka had known since the first day she left the safety of the Temple. And Anakin…he supposed Anakin was just a good Jedi who could release his feelings to remain balanced. Qui-Gon, the calmest man Obi-Wan had ever met, had been his Master after all.

But he wasn’t like them. He had people he missed. People he was fighting for. And no one to truly talk to without his guard up.

“Did you guys know he speaks Twi’lek?!” Boil blurted, interrupting Rex’s story, a breach of etiquette.

“Shut up, Boil, Rex wasn’t done.” Fives piped up.

“No, I was done. I mean I had to single handedly kill ten commando droids while injured but that’s about it. Since when do you speak Twi’lek?” Rex rushed through what was probably a good story, focused on Obi-Wan now. Time to put on an act.

“You’ll find it’s easier to connect when you speak someone else’s native language.” he kept a straight face, he always went for deadpan now as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Anakin crossed his arms like he was judging him.

“No one wants to hear about me having to fight a new Sith apprentice?” he ventured.

“It’s not all that interesting, she got away, along with Grievous.” Ahsoka joined the group, pulling up a stool.

“How would you know, you weren’t even there!”

“Redeye said so. And Mixer.”

“I want that story, but we can save that for later. From the sound of it we’re going to be here for a while.” Obi-Wan tried to make Anakin feel better. “But for now, I think Boil might explode if we don’t let him tell his version of Ryloth. I am curious how you found Numa.”

“Right, so we took the first two cities back fairly easy, worst thing that happened was Wooley got the shit scared out of him by a monkey lizard.” Boil started, setting the scene.

“Hey!” Wooley interjected.

“No, he’s right Wooley, you did jump a foot.” Cody nodded.

“So Master Windu and the 91st needed to move on to take the capital city back. But they couldn’t do it because of heavy cannons in a nearby city. And we couldn’t bomb ‘em because they were using civilians as human shields for the cannons. So General Kenobi sent me and Waxer ahead-”

“General?!” Ahsoka jumped in.

“Yes, after this story Master Windu promoted me. And put me in charge of the 212th.”

“Yeah, so no more Skywalker and Tano missions.” Wooley joked and lightly pushed Ahsoka. She did not seem to think this was funny and stood up, leaving the room without another word. Obi-Wan looked at Anakin who was watching Ahsoka, then met his eyes. Anakin gave his head a little shake. He wasn’t quite sure what was wrong either.

“Well congratulations, Obi-Wan. Getting promoted to General isn’t in the list of reasons to party but I think we can add it.”

“You’ll use any excuse.” Obi-Wan countered.

“It’s boring as shit here, you’ll thank me.”

“Um, sirs, my story?” Boil gently suggested. The line between friend and commanding officer could get confusing for the clones sometimes so they always erred on the side of caution.

“Right, sorry Boil. Continue.” Anakin nodded.

“So Waxer and me scouted ahead…”

Obi-Wan half listened while he contemplated how to fix his relationship with Ahsoka.

Chapter Text

“Ahsoka? Can I ask for your help?” Obi-Wan probed when she came out of her quarters the next morning. He was wearing his street clothes, still glad he’d brought them along for his own scheme but trying to blend in with the locals was a good second use.

“What could you possibly need my help with,” She said flatly, definitely still annoyed with him.

“Anakin said he asked the locals about ways to get into the shipyard without being noticed, but he went out as himself. With clones. And I think you and I might have better luck if we don’t go as Jedi.”

“Master Anakin wouldn't let me go last time because I look too young to be trusted with that kind of information.”

“Maybe so, but people might let something slip in your presence because they assume you’re too young or stupid to be listening. Use your youth to your advantage.”

She made an exasperated noise, then actually looked at him.

“Where did you even get those?”

“This is what I arrived at the Temple in.”

She looked like she didn’t believe him but let it go.

“So we go together?”

“No, I thought you’d have more luck on our own. Just go wherever feels right. Maybe you’ll actually meet someone your own age.”

“Everyone my age is supremely boring. But fine, I’ll try. We have nothing better to do anyway.”

“I don’t plan on telling Anakin unless we have something to report.”

“Both of you sneak around so much it’s like you both work for Republic Intelligence or something. It’s so annoying.” she changed her tone quickly, happy for something to do, “Meet back at the Twilight when the sun sets?”

“Whats…the Twilight?”

“Oh, it was crazy tentacle monster General’s ship. It’s a bit worse for wear but Anakin has decided we should keep it in case we need to get somewhere surreptitiously. See what I mean with the secrecy thing? It’s in the hangar.”

“Right. Commandeering a ship. A very Skywalker thing to do. See you there.”

He went his own way into the city streets, hoping to find someone helpful. But the pieces of a plan were coming together in his mind about how to sneak away for half a day. A non-Republic ship. A few hours flight to get home and back.

He went to one of the bars and got a drink. Sure it was 11 in the morning, but who was counting. He didn’t have a sleep schedule anymore and he was celebrating his promotion. One he wasn’t overly sure he wanted. He had a lot to think about, and he was sure Ahsoka would have more luck than him. So he might as well enjoy his few hours of anonymity.

“It’s a little early don’t you think?”

“You’re here too, I could say the same.” He looked to the woman who had sat next to him at the bar. She had pinkish-red skin and long hair that was a deep purple. She was striking and she definitely knew it. He couldn’t remember the species off-hand, but like Twi’leks they were known for their beauty in the average human’s opinion.

“Fair point. Just waking up or about to go to sleep?” She asked.

“Just waking up to another day of being stuck here I’m afraid.”

“Your ship got hit by the blockade, too?”

“No, it’s stuck in the shipyard. No clue how to get back to that side of the planet and not get murdered by 100 droids.”

“Rotten luck. At least the Republic showed up, but they sure don’t seem to be getting anywhere.” She sipped her drink.

“You haven’t heard anything from the locals about how to get over to the shipyard? If I could get there we could both leave this place together.”

“No.” She smirked slyly and touched his shoulder then ran her fingers down his arm. “But we could still leave here together anyway.”

Well this had been unhelpful. He’d been hoping for a local and he’d gotten this…Zeltron? He was pretty sure. He decided that he must be an average human because she was admittedly very attractive, but he didn’t actually plan on living up to his reputation. Not when he hoped to see Satine tomorrow. Maybe she’d forgiven him. Maybe she’d be happy to see him and they could spend the night together without argument.

“Sorry to disappoint you my dear, but I think I’ll be staying here to wallow for a while.”

“Suit yourself.” She shrugged, downed the rest of her drink and stood up, “If you change your mind I’ll be there tonight.”

He gave her a small nod and then it was only him, the bartender and a man who was passed out in a chair. Well..he hoped he was only passed out. This definitely wasn’t the place to be for information, but he stayed a while anyway, enjoying the almost-silence.

-

Korkie pushed up against a wall - well technically it was a simulated wall - to avoid Mar’s gaze as he patrolled in a semi predictable pattern like a normal guard would. He waited for the remote to pass by, only triggered by movement, and lightly jogged down the corridor to the locked door. He opened the panel and started fiddling, hoping to hack the lock by hand without tripping any mechanisms. The next droid would pass in a minute… he did as much as he could, then replaced the panel haphazardly - a droid wouldn’t notice - and climbed up into a small alcove above the door just large enough for him to fit.

The droid passed, he hopped down and finished his work with the door and waltzed into what he called the loot room. Of course there was nothing in here except for a button he pushed to let Mar know he’d successfully completed the mission and the simulation could end. But when he pressed it, an alarm went off and a remote came through the door, shooting at him. He pulled his blaster and took cover stunning the droid in 2 shots and the remaining remotes in one as they came through to find him.

A blaster came around the corner and took a shot at him before disappearing. Mar must have known he was hiding here somehow….he took aim at the spot and waited, firing at the hand holding the blaster when it reappeared. A loud beep sounded and finally, finally, finally it was not from his suit but Mar’s. His uncle stepped out from his cover.

“Alright, I am impressed. Don’t get used to it.”

He’d never said he was impressed before. Korkie had heard adequate, good enough and other variations of being average but never impressed. He beamed with pride and holstered his blaster.

“So?”

“So I’ll tell you when the black marketeers are meeting next and you go spy on them to find out the leader’s identity.”

“How do you know when they’ll meet?”

“Because every time those two guards are paired up on watch duty that’s when they take stuff in and out or have their little meetings. That’s how I figured it out the first time.” Mar canceled the simulation and the loot room fell away. Mar went to his bag and pulled out a datapad.

“Looks like….the 23rd is the next meeting.”

“But…-”

“I know, it’s Kahl’s Creed day. He’s my family too, you know. I’m sure you can do both in one night.” Mar looked at him expectantly and Korkie felt like this was a test. Was he willing to miss out on what should be an important family evening? Well the odds of his father showing up were slim to none, so why couldn’t he miss a little part of it, too?

“Won’t be a problem.” Korkie nodded, and Mar nodded back, satisfied.

“See you in two days.”

-

Obi-Wan returned to the hangar with absolutely zero information. The locals had been no help, and anyone who did seem to know something definitely wasn’t interested in talking to him. He didn’t have to look very hard to find a definitely non-Republic ship in the hangar and saw Ahsoka was already waiting for him on the Twilight’s ramp.

“Anything?” She asked as a greeting.

“Naasad.” he said, accidentally slipping into Mandalorian habits.

“What?”

“I found nothing.”

“Right…well I,” She fished into her pocket for a holodisk, “got an entire map of the sewers. Which obviously have outlets in the shipyards.”

“Impressive.”

“You’re not going to complain about having to walk through a sewer?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t say I'm thrilled, but I assumed we’d have to use unconventional means. Who did you get it from?”

“Street gang of kids. They’ve been sneaking into the shipyard to steal stuff they can sell or use.”

“I imagine you have a story of how you ingratiated yourself to them. And hopefully it wasn’t too illegal.”

“It’s best you don’t know.” she smirked.

“I agree. Though it might make Anakin proud.” The Knight really did enjoy some light crime to get the job done.

“I don’t think he’ll pay that much attention.” she tossed him the disc, but he wasn’t all that interested in the sewers right now. She moved to stand up, but he sat down next to her, hoping that would influence her to stay.

“Why would you say that? He’ll be even more impressed than I was.”

She sighed and stayed where she was.

“That’s the problem. He’s always overly impressed when I do something right. Like he expects me to fail. If he notices at all. Everyone notices when you do something.”

“That’s because they handed me a lightsaber a few months ago and expected me to be dead by now. I’m a curiosity.”

She didn’t reply, pulling her knees closer to her so she could rest her arms on them.

“I know I’m an unwelcome addition to the group, Ahsoka, but I’m not here to try and be a problem for you.”

“No, it’s not that. You really balance out Anakin’s plans into something that isn’t wildly dangerous. I wasn’t sure I was going to cut it for the first few months as his Padawan.”

“I seem to remember you being involved in rescuing Jabba the Hutt’s son and getting the Republic permission to use Hutt space lanes the first day I met you? That seems to be more than cutting it.”

“Do you remember when I told that story?” she asked.

“Yes, we’d left Christophsis and were on the way to see if we could rescue Master Plo’s fleet.”

“And who was there?”

Obi-Wan tried to remember, this wasn’t exactly something he’d cataloged, especially when he was still riding the high of surviving a battle.

“Me. Rex. Boil and…Wooley? Jesse.”

“Anakin wasn’t there.” she saved him from having to continue down the list.

Oh. He didn’t say it out loud, it was more of the dawning realization ‘oh’ in his brain where everything clicked. She wanted acknowledgement. Attention. And when she did get what she was looking for it was either because she had done something wrong, or Anakin was surprised by her. To be fair, Obi-Wan had been surprised by just how efficient the young Togruta could be, but that had worn off after a few months. He trusted her as much as he did Cody or Anakin. She’d always come through in the clutch and if she needed help she wasn’t afraid to ask for it.

“I know this is hard for you to believe but I was a padawan once, too. A real one.”

She did an exaggerated gasp and he rolled his eyes, continuing, “And I had very good reason to believe my Master didn’t want me. He rejected me at the Temple because he thought I was too aggressive and I was sent to the Agricultural Corps. The only reason he agreed to take me on was he had a mission on the same planet I was sent to and I saved his life. Twice. And I spent the next three years trying to get him to acknowledge anything I accomplished. All I thought about was what he would approve or disapprove of. But it was like he was purposefully looking the other way when I did anything important. I thought he saw me as a liability. That choosing me as an apprentice was a mistake.”

She looked at him as if he’d pulled her insecurities straight out of her mind.

“What did you do?”

“Well…you know how the story ends, I left the Order. But not because of that. And when I had made up my mind that I was quitting and went to tell him, I didn’t really care what he thought. Because I knew what I was doing was the right thing. And even though I was leaving him and breaking my oath to the Jedi, it was the first time he seemed proud. I didn’t really understand it then, but now I think he was happy I’d learned to do things for me and not for others’ approval.”

She went back to staring out at the hangar, contemplating this advice.

“And if it’s any consultation, Anakin doesn’t shut up about how amazing you are when you’re not around. It’s getting a bit tiresome.”

She snorted a little and gave him a sad small smirk.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been fair to you.”

“Ah, I know you’re jealous of the beard.” he stroked his chin, as he did often now. He was considering keeping this look even after the war ended.

“Ok, will someone please explain this human fascination not only with hair on your head but also on your face. Just…why?!”

She launched into a small rant about the idiosyncrasies of humanoids and Obi-Wan let her go. She actually had some good points.

“Crys’s hair is no uglier than Commander Gree’s. And if you shaved off that stupid beard you’d look way younger and maybe get an actual girlfriend rather than all your one night stands or whatever you’re doing.”

Obi-Wan was just about to defend himself when Anakin appeared from inside the ship.

“You think he could actually keep a girlfriend? He’d have to actually talk about himself for that.”

“Fu-Force Anakin,” Obi-Wan recovered in time to keep himself from swearing in front of Ahsoka, as if she hadn’t heard it all before, “don’t sneak up on us like that.”

“Yeah, you went to all the work of concealing your presence just so you could creep up on us?!” Ahsoka seconded.

“I’ve been fixing up the ship all day because you two disappeared on me. You deserved it.” he cleaned his non-mechanical hand with a rag. “Where were you two anyway? And why are you dressed like that?” he tilted his head to Obi-Wan.

“Ahsoka gathered intel,” he picked up the holodisc and tossed it to Anakin. “A map of the whole sewer system. A rather ingenious thing to search for, really.”

“Ah, sewers?” Anakin looked rather disappointed, “That’s gonna be a real treat.”

“See this is why I expected you to complain.” Ahsoka leaned over to Obi-Wan as a little aside.

“But…it’s a great idea, Snips. Tomorrow we can scout to find a nice path to the shipyards,” Anakin tried to look enthusiastic, but Obi-Wan could tell he was thinking about the smell, “Get this to Rex and Cody and they can try to line it up with the planetary map.”

Ahsoka stood up and took the disc back, looking happy enough that Anakin had said it was a great idea, and departed.

“Question time, Kenobi.” Anakin watched his padawan leave, still fiddling with the rag, “Why are you so good with kids?”

“Why do you think I’m good with kids?”

“You’ve randomly befriended like three separate kids at this point, counting the Twi’lek. And now you’re having a heart-to-heart with Ahsoka.”

“Because unlike you, Anakin, I have met an actual child. One who isn’t a Jedi. You’d be amazed how many of them there are out there. After a while you start to pick up on the fact that they want attention, just like every other being in the galaxy.”

“You have kids of your own?”

Obi-Wan glared at him. He was getting too close. “One question a day, Skywalker.”

Anakin rolled his eyes.

“My turn. Did you ask for a padawan? Or was she assigned.”

“I…I asked for a partner. Maybe someone close to my age whose Master had died and just needed their training polished up a bit before the Trials. Or someone else who had been recently Knighted. The Council sent her instead.” Anakin didn’t seem like he wanted to continue on the subject.

“I know you care about her. It’s alright to let her see that, you know.”

“Says the man who never really lets us see anything of the real him. I’m not even sure you meet up with half the trysts you say you do.”

Of course. Now he saw a solution to his Mandalore problem.

“Does this ship have a working hyperdrive?”

“One question a day, Kenobi.” Anakin mocked back at him.

“I’m asking about the ship, not you.” He left off ‘idiot’ from the end of his retort. It was implied.

“Yes, it works. Why?”

“Could I…maybe…borrow it? Tomorrow night? Half a day?” He raised his eyebrow.

“Why…?” Anakin asked cautiously, like this was a trap.

“Well…I met this person. And we kinda hit it off, but they’re in the hotel and it’s very overcrowded with all the people who lost their homes and…” Obi-Wan took a breath, really hoping he could sell this, “It’d be nice to have some time alone.”

“You want to use a Republic ship so you can get some action? Seriously?”

“It’s not a Republic ship, you stole it as of yesterday.” Obi-Wan countered, holding a finger up as a point of order.

“Commandeered.” Anakin corrected.

“Semantics.”

“You wanna leave the planet?”

“It would be nice to…maybe not let them know I’m associated with the Republic. And that we could go where we wanted.”

Anakin let out a breath, shaking his head like he was disappointed, or disgusted, Obi-Wan wasn’t sure which.

“You do plan on coming back right? Not running away with some girl you just met and getting married?”

Obi-Wan extended his arms, palms up.

“I want to impress them, not marry them. I signed up for this war on purpose, remember? And stop assuming it’s a woman.” Obi Wan was trying to keep his options open in case he couldn’t find that Zeltron girl from this morning again. He’d take anyone he could convince to go with this ruse. Anakin’s expression still seemed a bit pained.

“Fine, we can move it to the regular spaceport and you can go. But I plan on confirming that sewer map tomorrow and doing some kind of attack the next day so you better be back by morning.”

“You don’t need me for that…if I’m not back-” Obi-Wan tried to buy himself more time. Dusk til dawn was only about 9 hours here.

“No I don’t NEED you, but I don’t wanna have to deal with questions from the men. Or Ahsoka. Back by sunrise.” Anakin whipped out his developing parent voice.

“Agreed.”

“I just can’t believe you have time to think about this in the middle of a war. You’re a problem, you know that?”

“I’ve been told that before, yes.”

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan went back to the bar, which was much busier now, and searched for the Zeltron. There were a lot of different species enjoying drinks, so searching for red skin or purple hair was not as easy as he thought it would be. Finally he saw her in an alcove near the back entrance very much engaged in flirting with a man, her arms wrapped around his neck, playing with his hair. Obi-Wan’s shoulders dropped a bit, very much disappointed he’d have to hunt down someone else but she saw him and whispered something in the man’s ear and he left her with an air of excitement about him. Obi-Wan closed the distance and she looked expectantly at him.

“Hey. Um. You said if I changed my mind…” He stopped speaking. This isn’t exactly how he wanted this conversation to go. And now that he had paused he felt like he couldn’t start another sentence. Two women sitting nearby whispered to each other while staring at him and snickered. He was suddenly 14 again, asking Siri out on the closest thing a Jedi could have to a date with her friends giggling at him.

“Can we…talk somewhere?” he somehow managed to spit out, though he really just wanted to call this attempt off, go to a different bar and try to find someone else who felt trustworthy enough. She gave him a bit of a pitiful smile.

“Yes, out the back.” He started for the door, eager to go and she seemed to be lightly scolding her friends before following him.

“Sorry,” he turned around when they were in the alleyway alone and ran a hand through his hair to try and reset himself. The cooler night air seemed to help him think, but she looked a lot more attractive now that they were out of the darkness of the bar and he got a good look at her. He attempted not to notice. “I just…I have a rather unconventional request.”

She crossed her arms. “I doubt it.”

“So you lost your ship and you probably need credits to buy transport off this planet, yes?”

She gave the slightest inclination of her head in a ‘yes-and?’ kind of way.

“How about you go with me on a ship I’ve borrowed tomorrow night. Just a short journey somewhere and back. I need a copilot, it’s a light freighter.”

She raised one eyebrow. “Like a date?”

“No, but I would appreciate it if you told anyone who asked that it was.”

“Ok, you were right about an unconventional request,” she gave him the same pitiful look that she had in the bar, “Look. Honey. You can just ask me if I wanna get out of here, and then I’ll say yeah for a price, and then we can go somewhere and have a nice couple hours together. Like normal people. You don’t have to try to come up with some elaborate scheme.”

He huffed, he really should have thought out exactly how he was going to present this before he rushed over here. This was a disaster. He really didn’t deserve his fake reputation as a flirt.

“That sounds very nice but I’m not interested. No offense intended. All I need is a co-pilot, nothing else but your confidentiality required.”

She considered him for a few moments.

“And how much does this job pay?”

He pulled out some credits he’d taken for his journey from home to the Temple. Technically it was Satine’s money, which technically made it Mandalore’s money, but misappropriation of funds was probably one of his lesser offenses at this point so he wasn’t really bothered by it.

“This is half. Half now, half later.” he thought it would be enough to get her out of here. Again, she assessed him now more with curiosity.

“Alright.”

“Splendid, it’ll be the shittiest looking G9 Rigger freighter you’ve ever seen in your life at the spaceport.” He handed her the credits.

“Wow, such a charmer you are.” she sarcastically rolled her eyes.

“If it was a date I assure you I would have found something much more tasteful. See you at dusk uh-” he realized he’d never asked her her name.

“Vianna.”

He nodded. “Ben.”

She looked even more confused by his name, but only replied ‘See you at dusk’ and went back into the bar.

He walked back to base with a bit of a skip in his step. He was going home.

-

Kahl had accomplished nothing this morning, he was too nervous to eat. He stayed in his room, knowing his mother wouldn’t be around when he came out to wish him a happy birthday. Planet politics did not take a day off for birthdays. He assumed Korkie would not be around-he never was- and they’d had no word from Dad in eight months. Kahl tried to meditate but he was surprised by a knock on his door.

“Hey small ball recall off-the-wall tall Kahl, you awake yet? My gods you sleep forever.”

Kahl smiled. Korkie hadn’t tried to rhyme his name with as many things as he could think of in years. He stood and opened the door.

“Oh you are awake. Happy birthday, weirdo!”

Korkie stood holding the most poorly decorated cake Kahl had ever seen. It looked a little uneven too. He loved it.

“Did you make that?” Kahl asked, smirking.

“How did you know?” Korkie deadpanned.

Kahl leaned out his door and looked to the kitchen, which was a complete mess.

“I just guessed.”

“Have you been awake this whole time and I’ve been out here for like 2 hours waiting for no reason?” Korkie questioned.

“I…kind of assumed you wouldn’t be here.” Kahl admitted. This was the first time they’d really spoken to each other in months.

“Yeah I know I’m not here much but…well Dad’s not here to make a cake so. I tried.”

Of course he had to bring it up. But how could he not, it was probably on his brother’s mind just as much as it was his.

“Do you expect me to eat that?”

“Wow, how ungrateful of you,” Korkie looked down at his own creation, “I’ll taste test it first.”

They went to the kitchen, which looked even worse up close, and cut two slices for themselves. Kahl watched his brother expectantly, not hiding his delight at how unsure Korkie looked about the bite on his fork.

“For Mandalore.” He said finally and ate.

“You can’t just say ‘For Mandalore’ whenever you have to do something you don’t want to do.”

“I absolutely can, I can do whatever I want. I’m the future Duke.”

“Well?” Kahl waited for the verdict.

“It’s not bad. It’s not cake, but it’s definitely not bad.” Korkie took another bite. Kahl decided to trust him and tried it as well. It was a weird consistency, but still edible.

“It’s the thought that counts.” He finally said. Korkie rolled his eyes and lightly punched his arm.

“You make a cake for my birthday, you’ll see it’s not as easy as it looks.”

They ate in silence, his nervous stomach not happy that the only thing he was providing was sugar. But he wanted to stay here forever. He missed the old Korkie. The fun Korkie who wasn’t so serious and obsessed with what everyone thought of him or brooding wherever he went. But maybe Kahl would feel different after today.

“Do the waters actually do anything?”

“Of course not, Kahl. It’s just an old superstition. You really think it used to be a Mythosaur lair? Come on. The water’s just got special magnetic properties that help forge strong beskar. You know that, science boy.”

“Tomorrow you have to start calling me science man.”

Korkie laughed and shook his head. Kahl didn’t need to use his senses to know that Korkie was holding something back.

“Would you do the ceremony with me?” he suddenly heard himself asking. “It’s weird with Mom, and we both know Dad’s not coming.”

Korkie looked stunned, but his expression softened.

“Sure, brother. It would be an honor. But I do have to tell you something…I have somewhere to be after the Creed. I know I’m supposed to be here but…I was hoping you would forgive me. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

Kahl wasn’t sure how to feel, so he fell into his old habit of doing what would make others happy.

“It’s alright. It’ll be weird anyway,” he poked at the cake-thing, “were you trying to bribe me with this?”

“A little.”

“This is one of those times where a lie would have been nicer.”

Korkie shrugged playfully.

“You’d better get dressed, if I’m doing the ceremony I better get to the Armorer and see if Mom’s picked up your pauldron yet. See you in a few hours.” Korkie ruffled Kahl’s hair in the exact way he hated most and sprinted out the door when Kahl tried to chase after him.

-

Korkie contemplated why he’d shut Kahl out so much over the last few years on the way to the armory. Sure, his brother was weird, but he didn’t seem as strange and embarrassing as he remembered him. Maybe he’d have to make an effort to spend more time with him and see if it was a fluke or not. But even if he was a bit odd, he still loved him. And was more than happy to take his father’s place today.

The armory was fairly quiet, only a few security force members trading in old armor and parents presumably picking up their own child’s Creed Day present.

“Pickup for…Satine Kryze I assume it would be under.”

The desk clerk looked at his screen then back to Korkie several times, seeming to get more anxious by the second. He left and returned with another man, who also looked at the display.

“Something wrong?” Korkie asked.

“I…don’t know how to tell you this, Marquis Kryze, but we don’t have anything in our system for you.”

“What do you mean? It’s my brother’s birthday today.”

“I’m aware, sir. But we never got an order. I assumed you were using an heirloom…” the man looked like he was waiting for a bomb to go off when Korkie sighed deeply to control his temper. His mother had forgotten. Why hadn’t he realized this was something Dad would have taken care of, of course it wouldn’t even occur to her.

“It’s alright, I’ll figure something out,” he said in the nicest tone he could muster.

He raced back home, dashed into his room, and grabbed the pauldron he’d received on his Creed day. The Clan symbol with a few yellow highlights to acknowledge his father’s Wren heritage as shiny and new as the day it was forged.

He barely made it to the Mines in time and weaved his way through the crowd to get to the front of the antechamber where everyone was chatting before the ceremony.

“You’re out of breath, nephew.” Mar called to him, that fake gregarious smile plastering his face, “We wouldn’t have started without you. Kahl said you’ll be presenting today.”

Korkie was very aware that people were close enough to hear this conversation. He wouldn’t publicly embarrass his mother over this mistake no matter how much he wanted to. But he also wanted his uncle to know he had a reason to be late.

“I needed a signet.” He practically whispered. Mar ignored his reply and continued to speak at full volume.

“I know Ben’s upset he had to rush off this morning, I’m sure he really appreciates you stepping in. He entrusted me with this before he left.” Mar pulled something from a small pack he’d been carrying and handed it to Korkie. Korkie lifted the cloth that covered it to see a rather old pauldron, the paint was fading a little and it had a lot of customization on it. Lines radiating out to make the signet look like it glowed. A feather of wisdom in the corner. A mythosaur in the other.

“It was your great-grandfather’s and grandfather’s.”

Korkie was very confused. Why was Mar prepared with this? Why was he covering for his Dad? Why did he even have this?

“Thank you,” was all he could manage. Mar shrugged as if he was bored with the whole exchange.

“I’ll hold that for you,” he reached out and took Korkie’s own pauldron from him and put it in the pouch, “Off you go,” he finished dismissively, flashing another one of those smiles and turning to go back to Valsi’s side.

Korkie nodded and finished weaving his way to the entrance where Kahl and Mom waited.

“Not cool, Kork. Not. Cool. Where were you? I felt like a groom left at the altar or something!” Kahl nervously sniped at him.

“Sorry, there was a mix up at the armory. I got you something better instead.” he stared at his mother and she looked away. Her lack of acknowledgement told him everything he needed to know. She had forgotten and she hadn’t realized it until now.

“Ready?” Korkie asked. He knew crowds stressed his brother out, even if he didn’t really understand why. He was used to being looked at wherever he went.

“Yes, I was ready yesterday, let's get this over with.”

Chapter Text

Of course Anakin delighted in torturing Obi-Wan as much as possible, so he made sure the man was forced to come with them on their exploration of the sewers, looking for the ideal way to sabotage the enemy without destroying too much of the yard.

Ahsoka seemed thrilled to lead the way, stopping at exits she and Rex had marked last night for assessment. She really was doing a phenomenal job, having come up with this idea that no one else stationed here since the beginning of the siege had thought of. 15-year-old Anakin would not have been as focused, worked in a team, or been as easy to instruct. Since he’d started his training late but seemed to excel at everything, his Master always told him he had developed a bit of a superiority complex. 15-year-old Anakin would have ventured into the sewers to confirm the map himself and possibly gotten lost. That feeling of being better than everyone hadn’t really left until he’d lost his arm and his Master. If he hadn’t rushed into battle thinking he could take on Old Man Dooku himself, if they’d worked as a team… He was still trying to learn from that mistake and not rush into everything, but sometimes he couldn’t help it.

He was making himself go on this scouting mission to try and slow down. To do the boring parts himself. And to make sure Obi-Wan was stuck down here til the last minute so he was smelly for his date. Maybe he was a little jealous that the man could be so free with his dalliances. What would it be like to be able to tell people about Padme? To see her when he wanted? To go to dinner at a restaurant? Holocalls in locked side rooms did almost nothing to fulfill the longing in his heart.

“This one’s only one building away from a power generator. Without that, the Clankers won’t be able to recharge. Or at least not all of them.” Rex said as he came down the ladder leading to the surface.

“How many sabotage points does that make now, Snips?”

“Twelve.”

Anakin checked his chrono. It was getting a little late, by the time they made it back to their own base it would be nearly dusk. He glanced at Obi-Wan, who was shooting daggers at him.

“I think that’s enough, let's get back so we can prepare for tomorrow.”

The group started cautiously making their way back down the narrow paths, except for Fives who was now intentionally getting his feet wet, looking forward to hiding his smelly socks under Echo’s bed as a prank.

He hoped after they won the planet, their next stop would be Coruscant. It never was, but that didn’t stop him from dreaming. The Jedi would call them back eventually for their psych evals and that would guarantee him at least one day on-planet. He couldn’t believe how much he was looking forward to questions that no Jedi could be answering honestly at this point. Just for a few hours at home.

-

“Who stands before us today?” Korkie tried to use his most official sounding voice. Usually Creed Days were a close family affair but for the royal family, lots of planetary Governors and Heads of Clans came. They definitely had an audience.

“Kahl Kryze of Clan Kryze, House Kryze.”

“And what do you swear?”

Kahl tensed, somehow afraid he would forget the words he’d heard, read and recited to himself a hundred times. He tried to focus on his brother and keep his shields up.

“I swear on my name and the names of the ancestors that I shall walk the way of the Mand’alor and the words of the Creed shall be forever forged in my heart,” Kahl recited, then skipped the first line of the Creed since their mother objected to ‘strength gives you the right to rule’.

“Honor is life, without honor you have no reason to live. Loyalty is life, without your Clan you have no purpose. Death is life, die as you have lived.”

“This is the way. Enter the Living Waters and emerge as a full member of your Clan.” Korkie gave him an encouraging smile. The hard part was over.

Kahl turned and walked down the steps into the water, then floated on his back. He didn’t expect to magically feel different, but he did in a way. He took a breath and fully submerged himself, closing his eyes. It was all rather peaceful until a sound just on the edge of his hearing rumbled. He listened harder and it continued, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. It felt important, so important, that he hear it. He dropped his shields and the sound turned into a low animal growl. He snapped his eyes open, hoping some random creature wasn’t lurking in the water but he saw nothing in the murky depths. And he didn’t feel as if he was in danger. Despite the growl, he felt like this entity, real or imagined, meant no harm. The sound seemed to be saying something. Something with a J? Or an M… he was running out of air but he stayed under as long as he could to try and decipher it.

When he finally surfaced, taking a large breath, his brother looked worried then annoyed. That was clearly longer than he was supposed to have taken but he was almost sure he knew one of the words, assuming there was more than one.

Jetti. Mando’a for Jedi.

-

Obi-Wan had calculated he wouldn’t have time to shower at the base. He really didn’t care if Vianna could smell him from here all the way to Coruscant, but he wasn’t walking through the front door after months away only to fumigate the entire family. He’d grab some cleansing wipes and his civilian clothes, dash to the Twilight and clean himself up once they were in hyperspace.

Obi-Wan was in the front of the pack, and Anakin caught up to him.

“Question time. Do you think she’ll still get on that ship with you when you smell like a corpse?” Anakin asked in a low voice. The acoustics in this place were weird so they probably wouldn’t have understood anyway. Obi-Wan did not find this playful jab funny and let his spitefulness out.

“Yes. I do. Here’s my question for you, do you have any friends or have you driven everyone away by being an asshole.”

Anakin didn’t answer, and Obi-Wan wondered if he’d gone too far. He couldn’t remember Anakin mentioning any other Jedi the same way he’d talked about the antics he and his fellow Padawans had gotten up to in their youth. Of course they were all dead now…

He raced up the ladder to the sewer cover that was just inside their base and tried to walk as fast as he could without raising suspicion to his quarters to retrieve everything he needed.

He slipped out with his pack while everyone was in the showers, stayed at a dignified pace while within their compound’s boundaries, but once he made it to the city he took to the roofs of the buildings on the way to the spaceport. Less people would see him and no delays. He was thankful Anakin had put so much emphasis on acrobatics. Now he could have traversed these roofs in his sleep.

Obi-Wan boarded the Twilight, closed the landing ramp, changed as quickly as possible and shoved his armor and his lightsaber into a storage compartment and locked it with a passcode. He couldn’t have her snooping when she was waiting for him on Mandalore.

“Hello?!?” he heard a muffled voice call out, clearly not the first time they’d been looking for a response. He lowered the ramp and tried to fix his outfit and hair to look less disheveled.

“Hi.”

“Did you not hear me before?” Vianna strolled onto the ship, wearing some calf high boots, tight pants, a blaster strapped to her thigh like a gunslinger, and a flight jacket. She wore a lot more than she had at the bar, but yet again it seemed to him that she was getting more and more attractive every time they met.

“Sorry, last minute prep.”

“My gods, this ship smells like 500 womp rats died in it!” She wrinkled her nose and covered it with her hand.

“It’s not the ship, it's me. Let's get going and then I’ll clean up.”

“Ugh, I hope so. I know you said you weren’t interested but you didn’t have to employ olfactory warfare to keep me away. Kriff.” She sat in the co-pilot’s chair and started warming the engines while he worked on the nav computer.

“Are you sure this thing is space-worthy?”

“I was assured it was.” he said absentmindedly.

“That doesn’t inspire confidence.”

He sat down in the pilot’s seat and started the takeoff sequence.

“Guess we’ll find out.” When they hit hyperspace he relaxed a little and looked at the chrono again, trying to calculate. He’d definitely missed the ceremony but he should be home before anyone was asleep.

“Ok. One, go clean yourself somehow. Two, why do you smell like a biohazard?”

“Tried to find a way to the shipyard. It didn’t go well.” He stood and went to the crew quarters, a room with two bunks, a water spigot and a separate small room for a refresher. That was it. No shower. Welp, water spigot and the wipes it was then. He started stripping off his poncho and shirt when she came around the corner.

“Ew, are you using the sewer map like those little hoodlums who hang out in the commerce sector do?”

“Excuse me?” He gestured to his half nakedness, offended at her presence.

“Oh please, you look like every other human. Maybe even a little better. What’s the big deal?”

“You wouldn’t want me walking in on you without any clothes.”

She smirked “Is that a challenge? You know Zeltrons are never embarrassed, right?” She moved to undo her belt and he held up his hands to stop her.

“Ok, ok! You might be fine with it but I'm not, so go sit in the cargo bay.”

“Fine.” she rolled her eyes and left the crew quarters. He wet a cloth and attempted to scrub himself down as best he could, not sure he was making much of a difference.

“So what’s on Mandalore?” He heard from just outside of the doorframe, where she must have chosen to sit.

“I’m paying you to not ask questions, remember?”

“You never said I couldn’t ask questions, you said I couldn’t tell anyone.”

He sighed. He knew he made the right choice in selecting her because he could sense she could keep a secret but he wished he’d sensed her inquisitiveness. It was getting annoying.

“I have an important meeting, no cargo or anything for you to worry about.”

“I’d hope not since that would probably qualify as a neutral system aiding the Republic and showing favoritism.”

He stopped what he was doing and looked to the empty door. She knew he was Republic, but that probably wasn’t that hard for her to figure out, there weren’t all that many non-locals on Botajef.

“What makes you think I’m with the Republic?” he asked carefully.

“Wow. I’m not sure if you have a brain injury, or you think I have one. You think all you have to do is change your clothes and that’s a good enough disguise? I know who you are, Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

He hadn’t stopped looking at the door, so he saw her poke her head around when she revealed her secret. She smirked to herself, then leaned back out of view. “Sorry, I just wanted to see the look on your face.”

He probably did look a little stunned. He mulled over what this meant for him, and tried to remember to keep scrubbing.

“I assumed Anakin was the one everyone would recognize.” He finally said back.

“Where Skywalker goes, Kenobi and Tano are never far behind.” she replied as if this was a common phrase. He sat and took off his boots, ready to work on his calves and feet.

“Wait…do you not watch HoloNet?” Vianna asked, surprised.

“I don’t have much free time.” He spent almost all of his time being shot at, practicing deflecting blaster bolts because he was being shot at, preparing the men to go shoot at something, checking up on Mandalore news, or sleeping. He was sure neither he, Anakin, or Ahsoka had had access to accurate HoloNet in at least 4 months.

“Oh my gods, then you probably don’t know.”

“Know what?” he asked, resigned to the fact that he was probably about to learn something he wished he hadn’t. She again leaned into view but this time she had her hand covering her eyes, and shoved her datapad across the floor to him. He picked it up.

“Favorite Jedi All Time Stats?” he read aloud.

“Yeah. You’re number 9.”

She was right. There he was, definitely not laying low as he’d expected he would when he enlisted. Anakin was number 1 of course.

“People vote on this?” “Yeah, every week based on whatever news they’ve probably sensationalized. So there’s weekly and All Time scores for a lot of stuff.”

“That’s….” he wasn’t sure how to describe it.

“Sickening? Yeah kinda. But they’re masters at turning something filled with death and destruction into entertainment. It’s all fun and games til it’s your world getting destroyed, I guess.”

He sat with that for a while. Sometimes it did feel like a game. Just enough battle droids for them to defeat and no more. A cat and mouse game with Grievous and Dooku, neither side getting close enough to a major victory. The enemy knowing just enough to capture a planet or retreat without total loss. Drawing things out longer and longer.

“Hey, you alive in there?”

“Yes, just thinking.”

“Scrub up, I can still smell you from here.”

She was right, he set the datapad down and went back to work.

“So is that why you took the job? To figure out what I was up to?”

“Who doesn’t want to be able to brag that they met a famous Jedi? And you were adorable in your bumbling attempt to ask me on a fake date. And I do need the money.”

“Yeah, how did that happen again?”

“Seps had their blockade set up. I showed up with a delivery, they demanded my cargo, I said no and tried to high tail it out of here but they shot me down and took my shit anyway. Ship’s barely worth repairing, but I’m hoping I can convince a kindly shipbuilder to work on it after this place is Republic controlled again.”

“I wish you luck, but I don’t think you’ll need it.”

“I thought Jedi didn’t believe in luck.”

“Everyone seems to forget I am not a true Jedi.”

The soap seemed to be working and he began working on washing it all off with the cleansing wipes.

“You act like one. Skywalker though, he’s the one I'd expect to be the non-Jedi Jedi.”

“That makes two of us,” he pulled his shirt back on and walked to the door. “Smell.”

She stood and sniffed at him, getting a little closer than necessary.

“Much better. Now you just smell musty.”

“Thanks, I guess.” He went back to start putting on the rest of his outfit and she followed.

“So are you spying? Trying to convince the Duchess to join the Republic?” she pried again.

“It is very apparent to me that you are not a smuggler because you do not know how to keep your questions to yourself.”

“Sounds kinda racist of you to assume I’m a smuggler.”

He rolled his eyes.

“My point was to stop asking questions.” She was worse than Korkie. There was a beep from the cockpit, they would be exiting hyperspace soon. He pulled on his second boot and stood.

“Stay with the ship, under no circumstances leave. If you’re not here when I come back I’ll leave without you.”

“That is incredibly boring.” She crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip. He paid no attention to her, he was overflowing with the excitement and nerves of being home after so long.

“Think of it as easy money.”

They dropped out of hyperspace, he transmitted his landing code and they were touching down without him really paying attention. In his mind, he was already playing out their reunion. Hugging Kahl on his last day of childhood and calling him Mr. Kryze as a joke. Korkie would understand by now and want to catch him up on whatever the high school drama was. Satine would still be angry with him, but more happy that he was alive so she’d let everything go for a few hours.

He walked down the landing pad, pulled his hood up and took the back way home so he wouldn’t be seen, trying to appreciate just how beautiful the place he called home was and hurry at the same time.

Chapter Text

Korkie mentally thanked Valsi for holding his mom up at the ceremony so he could slip away and get his change of clothes before she’d get home. He’d hugged Kahl and thanked him for understanding, dashed off, and now he was here in the warehouse where the black marketeers did their business. But this time he had a better angle to take a scan and a voice recording so he could analyze just who was under that hood.

The bad part about this plan was he had to wait until they showed up, which could be any time during the bribed port authority guards’ 8 hour shift. The quiet building left him time with his thoughts, most of which revolved around Mar. If he knew his wife was cheating on him, and that she was with Jynna, why was he trusting her to do whatever dirty work he had assigned her? He was pretty sure she was some kind of lawyer, doing something illegal would risk her career. And what exactly were they after now that he knew it wasn’t his father’s records? But when he got his one question, he couldn’t really ask Mar something he had learned while spying on him. He’d have to find a different way to ask it.

He wouldn’t waste his question on why Mar had a pauldron ready to go as if he knew they would need it. Or why he had his own father’s. They could be passed down, but most people were buried with it. Sets of armor were all made to be unique to the wearer. Not that anyone his age ever got a full set of armor anymore. After seeing Mar’s he was a bit jealous. Maybe he would worm this one out of his uncle over the next few weeks. Sometimes he’d just get so tired of Korkie bothering him he’d let something slip.

And finally after hours of waiting, his targets arrived and he captured them perfectly on holo. But once he refined the footage and stripped away the shadows under the hood, he felt like he had won an awful prize. His mother was going to be so pissed when he told her who the head black marketeer was.

-

Satine was finally able to leave the Mines and make her way home. She knew she’d have to put on a good showing for Kahl’s gifts but she wasn’t sure she could. She was exhausted from the last few days. Deputy Minister Jerec and Prime Minister Almec had laid out the evidence that there was growing unrest on many of the planets and moons in the Mandalore system. And a splinter group of the exiled ‘True Mandalorians’ as they called themselves was forming. They seemed to be militant in nature. This wasn’t surprising to her, given that they’d chosen exile to Concordia and a few other moons in the system rather than accept a pacifist government. They believed in the traditional ways of conquering and bounty hunting their way through the galaxy, and she put up with them only because they had attempted to form a group a few years after the Civil War, but it had died so quickly she never learned who was behind it all.

And now they were becoming a problem again. The unanswered question was how big of a problem. She’d been receiving shreds of updates on suspects’ financials and who spies were tracking over the last few days on top of having to deal with the Governor of Concord Dawn verbally assaulting her for letting the Foundling Foundation ‘dump’ 100 more children than they had estimated on his planet. That was a complaint that SHOULD have been dealt with by Mar, but of course he was impossible to track down when she needed him. She regretted putting him in charge of the Foundation when he’d asked. He’d said he was turning over a new leaf. Working on bettering himself. And she wanted to believe him so badly. So she let him be President, choosing to attempt to repair her relationship with her brother over her husband. And look where that had gotten her. Iviin had been the one to finally help settle everything.

She had been so focused on keeping up with the extra workload that she’d completely forgotten Kahl’s signet. It should have been Ben’s job, but since she was currently pretending that he didn’t exist she hadn’t thought about what would be expected of him for Creed Day. She wasn’t sure which anger tactic Korkie would take; he was never consistent. Either she would have to deal with his tirade, which could only last 30 minutes or so, or his cold shoulder for weeks. She much preferred the yelling.

But when she arrived home she saw Kahl sitting alone, reading, already out of his formal attire.

“Where is your brother?”

“He said he had to be somewhere. But it’s ok, he made me a cake this morning.”

Satine looked toward the kitchen that had clearly been ravaged by a tornado and not cleaned since she’d given the staff the day off. So he hadn’t disappeared solely to get back at her, he’d planned to leave since this morning. What could he possibly be up to?

“Well no matter, if Korkie wants to miss out that’s his problem.” She went to her bedroom and retrieved Kahl’s present. He opened it and looked excited. She’d hunted down a complete copy of old datatapes about non-human anatomy and physiology since Kahl had expressed interest in being a doctor one day. And non-humanoid texts were few and far between in a place like Sundari where almost the entire population was human.

She heard the door open and expected to see Korkie, but it wasn’t him. It was Ben. Or Obi-Wan. She wasn’t really sure what she was calling him anymore. And time seemed to stop for a while, at least for her. He looked different with his hair grown out and swept to the side and a beard. She wasn’t sure which thing bothered her more, the beard or the fact that he looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. She still recognized him, obviously, but just like in the holo she’d seen months ago he carried himself differently. The aura of a leader who was sure of himself. It somehow made her angry. The same type of hatred she’d leveled at him when they first met.

Kahl had sprinted up to him and given him a hug. How could he forgive so easily? Ben had left them. And he’d returned as a different person.

“I didn't bring you anything but I have a story…”

She barely heard them talking, she was so upset. It was easier for her if he stayed away for good. Easier for everyone to move on. His presence was in direct contradiction of her coping mechanism.

“-Geonosian hive mind. It’s gross, you'll love it.”

“Can I speak to you?” she finally said, interrupting their conversation. Both turned to look at her, concerned, but Ben nodded.

“I want to hear about everything in a bit. Even the boring stuff. And all the dirt on what Korkie’s been up to, too.” Ben smiled to Kahl, “Where is he anyway?”

“He’s not here.” She replied as she led him to the study, away from Kahl. She knew he was old enough to know they were going to have words but even she didn’t like to fight in front of the children.

“What do you mean he’s not here?! It’s Kahl’s Creed Day.” Ben grilled her as they entered the study.

“Kahl said it would be fine. Why are you here?”

“What do you mean why am I here? It’s Kahl’s birthday. I know I missed Korkie’s but there wasn’t much I could do, we were all the way over in Abregado.”

“I thought I made it clear that once you made your decision to leave that we were finished.”

He seemed to contemplate that for a few moments, maybe he hadn’t accepted it. But he regained his composure and replied.

“I’m sorry you still feel that way. I don’t want it to be that way but I had to make a choice, and you chose how to deal with it. I don’t want to fight.”

“That’s surprising, considering how willing you are to fight and kill everyone you come into contact with,” she snarled.

“You know that’s not true, I do what I have to do to defend myself and my men.”

“You didn’t have any problem murdering that Sith. But that one’s acceptable because he was evil, right? Who knows how many more they haven’t publicized.”

She could tell he was holding back, but his annoyance was building.

“Would you rather he have killed me instead?” he asked.

“No, but you could have captured him.”

“It’s not always that easy, Satine.”

“And how many have died because of things you did on every planet you’ve been to?” She baited him and he took it.

“You think I don’t think about that every day?! At least I’m doing something. You’re standing by, watching as evil marches across the galaxy. How long do you think that will last before they come for you, too? You don’t seem to realize that history is repeating itself, but instead of the Mandalorian Empire it’s the Separatists. And you aren’t the conquerors this time, you’ll be the conquered.”

“We are perfectly capable of defending ourselves and they would be fools to start a war on two fronts.” A thought about the faction forming on Concordia and the fact that he may have a point only made her search for an opportunity to hurt him more.

“Oh so the violence that happens while repelling invaders is ok, but me defending the Republic isn’t?”

“It’s different.”

“How is it different? How is it any different than me killing bounty hunters who came after you during the Civil War. That upset you, but all the people who will die defending their homeworlds is ok? What if I stood there and watched them kill you because I was a Jedi who believed in a peaceful solution to everything. There’s a difference between wanting peace and wanting peace at any cost. I know you know that. You let New Mandalorians die for you.”

“I didn’t force them to take my side. I didn’t kill them.”

“Yes, but you had other people to do your dirty work for you. Like me for instance. You might not have pulled the trigger yourself but you’re just as guilty. We all have blood on our hands, you just hide them behind your back. At least I admit what I am.”

“Why don’t you go back to your glorious battlefield and continue living your life of contradiction away from me. I don’t want to see you back here.”

“You can’t just make me disappear, Satine. You can’t keep erasing people when they become inconvenient.”

He meant Bo-Katan. And to an extent, Mar. This was a conversation she didn’t want to have. Couldn’t have. Especially not now that the whirlpool of emotions she felt was back. If he’d stayed away this wouldn’t be happening. She was losing control and like an animal backed into a corner, she bit.

“We don’t need you here. Don’t make me take more drastic measures.”

“Drastic measures? I’ve stood by you through all your bad decisions. And you can’t stand by me on the one thing I’m adamant about? I left the Order for you. I gave up my entire life for you. You owe me at least something.” She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was losing his filter too. Maybe he’d always regretted leaving the Order. How long had he been unhappy? How long had he pretended just to try and make this work?

“I didn’t ask you to do that. You just showed up one day.” She didn’t mean it. The weeks they’d been apart after the war had been heartwrenching for her.

He let out a small huff. “What are you trying to say? That you felt sorry for me so you married me, had two kids and spent 19 years together out of pity?”

She didn’t say anything, only raised her eyebrows in agreement. He’d been the one who said it, so it was clearly something he’d thought about before. If she said nothing he’d destroy himself all on his own. But instead he shook his head and flashed a wicked smile.

“I know that’s not true.” “How can you be so certain?” she asked. Why was she doing this…

“Because you’re so selfish there’s no way you would have done something like that unless you were going to get something you wanted out of it. I’m not sure you ever think of anyone but yourself.”

That was two blows from him, and only one from her. She needed to even the score. Something that would keep this from happening again, but he continued talking.

“We don’t have to speak, but you can’t keep me off Mandalore. If I have the opportunity to see the kids I’m taking it.”

He turned to leave, but he didn’t realize he’d reminded her of the exact thing she knew would destroy him. She could insult his world view all she wanted and do minimal damage, imply that she’d never wanted him in the first place and only rattle him, but she wanted to go for the jugular.

“Oh, speaking of, Korkie’s doesn’t seem to miss you much, he never talks about you. And Kahl’s been doing better since you left. A lot better.”

“What do you mean better?”

“I mean he’s made friends. He goes out in the evenings. He’s had friends over. He’s happier, Ben. Maybe you were the problem.”

He did look hurt, but he immediately seemed to start running through scenarios that would make what she said impossible.

“Just because he’s acting more normal to you doesn’t mean he’s happier.”

She smirked at his weak response, “Go ask him yourself then.”

Ben glared back at her and walked out. She’d won. Or she felt like she had. She watched from the doorway as Ben went to Kahl’s bedroom door when he didn’t find him in the common room. There was no answer when he knocked. And when he opened the door to look in, the room was empty. It was even better than she imagined.

“I guess he didn’t actually want to talk to you that much.” she shrugged.

He stood looking into the empty bedroom for a few seconds, then replied shortly.

“It’s amazing how little you know about them.”

He pulled up his hood as he strode to the door and walked out without another word.

She knew what she’d done was wrong and she would pay for it tonight but tomorrow she would wake up and he would not enter her thoughts again, exactly as it was before today. She’d accomplished her goal.

-

The second his mother interjected and asked to speak to his Dad, Kahl knew all hopes he’d had of finally telling him the truth he’d discovered about himself were dashed. This had happened enough times that he knew they’d go and argue - moving to a different room didn’t stop him from having to feel it - and both of them would be impossible to talk to for a while after. Dad would try, but he was never fully paying attention. And Kahl needed full attention for news like this.

In the small amount of time between his weird experience with the voice at the Living Waters - which could have all been in his head - he’d decided he wanted to know more. Using his shields and living a normal life, making friends and enjoying things in the same way others did was great, but the Waters had confirmed to him that there was more. He was more. If he could learn how to shield what else could he do? And if his father wasn’t going to be around to guide him, the next best way to learn was books and holos. Which his dad had access to with a login to the Jedi Archives. He’d already exhausted all the public documents relating to meditation, he couldn’t imagine there was much on telekinesis or other unique abilities.

Kahl cracked his shields open the tiniest amount to feel what was going on in the other room, and it was as he expected. How could she do this to him? It was so disappointing that after all of his wavering on the subject of how he felt about his dad and the Jedi part of himself he’d hidden for so long that he finally saw the path he wanted to take and now it was being taken away from him. Kahl couldn’t tell him now. He wasn’t sure his father could take it. And who knew when he’d be back. Another 8 months? A year? Kahl couldn’t wait that long. He wanted, no needed, that Archives login.

Kahl had never really been prone to rash action, but he didn’t have much time to weigh his options. He tried to take a page from Korkie’s rush-in-without-thinking book and grabbed his datapad and a blank password key from his room and left the house, off to the landing pad he was almost sure his dad would have used. They had a private landing space close to the house that didn’t intersect any major roadways so they could come and go relatively unseen if they wanted to.

He broke into a jog, not wanting to give himself time to second guess. This was stealing…no. If he’d had a chance to explain, he would have been given the login info. It wasn’t stealing, it was just…skipping a step. He kept his mind busy trying to think of what the password would be to unlock the chain code.

He found a ship that looked rather worse for wear parked on their pad. Unless a very smart smuggler had somehow gotten here, this had to be it. He took a deep breath at the base of the landing ramp and went up. Thank goodness the ship was pretty small. He saw nothing sitting in the cockpit, so he went to the crew quarters and slammed himself against the wall of the cargo bay when he looked inside and saw a woman laying on the top bunk facing away from him, reading a datapad. Who was she and what was she doing here?

He chanced a glance towards her again and saw she had headphones on. And now he could hear the slight buzz of a beat coming from her way. There was no way she could hear him, but what if she happened to look over….

He did another quick survey of the room, looking for his dad’s clothes or armor or something that might be worth searching but he saw nothing. The only other place would be cargo hatches.

He crept to the storage compartment closest to him and popped it open. Nothing. The second hatch contained a holo transmitter and nothing more. Weird and unhelpful. He continued down the line, more and more anxious that she would hear him. He was not cut out for this. Finally, Kahl reached a locked compartment. This had to be it. He typed in the 4 digit code his father used for literally everything and it popped open. How predictable. Inside, some Jedi robes and clone armor was strewn. And it smelled so incredibly bad he had to avert his face for a few moments.

Before, he had had to remind himself to breathe. Now he definitely wanted to hold his breath. He dug around and found a utility belt, then searched the pouches. And there it was, the passkey. He plugged it into his datapad, then plugged in the blank key and went about the process to copy the data over. A password prompt appeared. Again he tried to channel Korkie who actually knew something about hacking and data systems. He started with his birthday and year. Not enough characters. He tried Korkie’s, then his birthday. Incorrect. He was making the assumption that the password would be number based, if anyone was able to break into the servers that contained all the passwords it would be very damaging to use his or Korkie’s name or anything related to Mandalore. Finally he hit the right combo, Korkie’s, then his, birth month, date, then the years. Parents were so easy to figure out, Korkie wouldn’t even be proud of him for how little real effort it had taken.

The data transferred in seconds, but he kept glancing back to the crew quarters. Now that he had what he came for, he had time to process what was actually going on around him.

This woman was not a clone. She was clearly not a Jedi from her outfit. Was she a pilot he hired to take him home? The ship looked so barren of any personal touches he couldn’t imagine this ship belonging to her. What if…

His datapad chimed quietly and he removed the original key and shoved it back into the utility belt, then closed the cargo compartment and locked it. He tried to exit as quietly as possible then sprinted back to the city. He passed a few groups of people, but most were already home for the night so there was no crowd to blend into. He kept a lookout to make sure he didn’t run into Obi-Wan Kenobi. Because he was very afraid that his dad might not exist anymore, or at least not in the way Kahl thought of him. Maybe he was starting a whole new life with whoever that purple haired woman was.

He rounded the corner that passed by the park and saw a man wandering as if he was looking for someone. Kahl ducked into the recess of the wall.

“Kahl? I’m…sorry, if you come out we can talk about whatever you wanted to tell me.”

His father spoke to the wind. The man paid special attention to the slide Kahl used to hide in at night when no one else was around and he’d needed to get away from all of the noise. Finally his dad moved on. Probably heading off to the fountain in the pavilion, another place he liked to go when he needed to be alone. But right now he didn’t wish to be found. He wasn’t ready to ask the questions floating through his mind and now he wasn’t sure he wanted to trust his dad with the knowledge that he was a Jedi, or something like it.

Korkie had given him hope by making him a birthday cake, but then let him down by disappearing tonight. His mother had given him an important family pauldron, but then let him down with her gift. A copy of ‘Anatomy and Physiology of Non-Humanoid Sentient Species’. Two years ago, when he’d wanted to be a doctor, that gift would have made him buzz with excitement. Until he realized that people who needed fixing physically and those who did the fixing were under a tremendous amount of emotional stress and distress. One tour of the hospital’s emergency room had taught him he wasn’t able to handle everyone’s intense feelings. At least not back then. He supposed his mother had missed the memo.

The strange creature from the Waters had made him feel special in a good way, but also like it expected more of him. That he needed to learn more. Hence the final disappointment, seeing his father but not getting to speak to him. And now wondering just how loyal he was to his family.

Kahl turned away from the empty park and walked home, more changed than most are on the day they ceremonially become an adult.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan searched for Kahl in the park. He knew he hadn’t hidden here in years, but maybe he was back to his old haunts. Obi-Wan wasn’t even really thinking about his fight with Satine. Her reaction was what he had expected 8 months ago. But what she'd said about Kahl to try and make him feel bad about not being around had only made him afraid. Kahl had always been an introvert. He wasn’t one for going out to socialize. Heck, getting him to go to school had been a challenge for the first year or so. Ben worried this sudden change in behavior could be an attempt to get attention, or attempt to cope with just how much he’d fucked up their entire household. And what was he so proud to tell him? Maybe the two were linked.

The pavilion had a few people milling about but no Kahl. He finally realized that his son didn’t want to be found when he tried the top of the city sector’s City Hall. The dome around the entire city did not make Mandalore an ideal location for stargazing, but Kahl had come up here anyway during his star chart mapping phase.

He’d completely blown it. Satine had held onto her anger for a very long time and there was nothing he could do until she decided she was done with it. Kahl had never reacted well to their arguments and he should have told Satine to shove it until he’d had some time with Kahl. The boy had grown so much taller since he’d been away and it only reminded him of how much he was missing out on. How tall was Korkie now? Actually, where WAS Korkie? Korkie had always been wrapped up in his own life but on his brother’s Creed Day? Even Korkie wasn’t that oblivious. If he had had any idea where to look for him, he would. But he didn’t.

There was nothing left to do here, but he lingered, meandering the streets, even swinging by the apartment again hoping Kahl would be outside waiting for him. Hoping fate would bring him to one of the boys. But it didn’t. And he went back to the Twilight, wishing he’d stayed on Botajef where he could continue to live in his imaginary world where everyone had forgiven him. He tried to leave Ben’s problems at the landing pad and traveled up the ramp then to the crew quarters where he found Vianna moving her head to her music.

“Hey.”

She couldn’t hear or see him from where she was propped up on the top bunk.

“Vianna,” he tried again, stepping on one of the ladder rungs and lightly touching her arm. She gave a little scream and balled her fist, ready to punch but stopped when she saw him and whipped her headphones down around her neck.

“Fucking gods, don’t sneak up on me like that.” she flopped back down, relaxing after her burst of adrenaline.

“Don’t listen to music so loud that you can’t hear people sneaking up on you. You’ll ruin your ears.”

She scoffed, “Ok, Dad.”

“Time to go.” He said shortly and walked out to the cockpit to warm the engines.

“You said you wouldn’t be back for another hour at least.” she hopped down and followed him, checking a few of the systems as they booted up.

“Things didn’t go as planned.”

She looked like she wanted to ask more questions but she stayed silent as they powered up, exited the atmosphere and engaged the hyperdrive. When there was nothing left to do except watch the spiral of hyperspace, he sat back, deflated.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

He stood up and went to the compartment where he’d stored his armor. No point in hiding it now and he needed something to do. She didn’t follow him to the crew quarters when he went to change. He took his time to try and keep himself occupied but he was quickly out of things to do again. He moved to the floor and sat in a meditative stance, letting everything hit him. It was better to do it now. If he bottled it up he didn’t know when his next opportunity would be. Obi-Wan recognized each feeling as it came to him and tried to dispel it. If Qui-Gon was right everything was as it should be. This was just a bump in the road. He shouldn’t worry. But he did. Those boys were his life and if he couldn’t be sure they were ok, then he wouldn’t be ok. He should have gone back to the house to at least say goodbye to Kahl. And maybe rogue Korkie would have returned. What -ifs and could-have-beens were something Jedi were supposed to avoid, but he couldn’t help thinking he was screwing them up even more than he had anticipated when he left.

He heard the distinctive ‘coming out of hyperspace’ warning beep from the cockpit but he ignored it and tried to sort himself for a little while longer. Eventually he realized this wasn’t something he was going to get past tonight. He needed time. When he opened his eyes, Vianna was lounging on the bottom bunk this time, reading her datapad again. She glanced up at him.

“We’re out of hyperspace. Couple hours ago.”

“I heard.”

She set the pad down.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, can I take a guess? You just got in a fight with your girlfriend because she hates that you’re gone all the time?”

He didn’t reply, he really didn’t want to talk about it and especially not with a stranger.

“Especially since you’re getting famous and have a bit of a reputation with what you do in your down time.”

“Wow, that made the news? As if there’s nothing more important to cover.”

“No, it’s just kind of a rumor. But I’m sure she doesn’t like it even if you’re doing it to cover up the fact that you have someone you care about. Since you’re not supposed to care about anyone in order to be out in the field.”

“You know way too much about this.”

“You’re not denying so I must be on the right track.” she crossed her arms, looking at him like she dared him to refute it.

“Well after tonight it looks like I don’t have that problem anymore. So this conversation doesn’t matter.”

“If there’s one thing I know about Mandalorians, it’s that they’re ugly when they’re mad but once you’ve earned their loyalty and you’re sure of it, they’ll stick with you. Even if you don’t deserve it.”

He considered, interested by this new information about her.

“If you knew someone in the Mandalore system who could help you out with your ship problem you should have said...”

“No, no. It’s an ex. I’m sure he’s glad to be rid of me.”

“Didn’t you just say they’re loyal in a pinch?”

“It’s hard for me to determine who’s loyal to me for me. It’s better this way.”

“I’m not following.” he admitted.

“Zeltrons give off some kind of pheromone that humans seem to find extremely calming and generally irresistible. All of you are always all over us to get our attention, our friendship, our love. Whatever they most desire. But it doesn’t really seem to work on people who are already in love.”

This explained a lot. He thought he was going crazy when she seemed to be more alluring every time they’d met. He was happy to hear it wasn’t his fault.

“I can tell you’re super into her because you haven’t made a move on me.” she added

“Someone thinks highly of themselves,” he teased, a small smile forming. She rolled her eyes.

“It must be nice to have everyone like you all the time.”

“Honestly, it’s the worst. I know they don’t actually like me, they just can’t help but get pulled in. It is really great for scamming people out of things, though. I almost never have to pay for anything if I can find a human.”

“Sounds like you would have done just fine without my credits,” he stood, stretching his legs.

“Probably. But this was a lot less work. And you didn’t hit on me the whole time. It was a nice break.”

“You’re welcome?” he chanced.

“Oh, and next time you need to jet off to see your girlfriend so you can make up and live happily ever after, don’t tell a girl you need to go to an unspecified location with her alone and you don’t want anyone to know about it. Real serial killer vibes, man. The only reason I agreed is because I knew who you were. And assumed the Jedi would have realized you were a psycho freak and rejected you.”

He thought about it, realizing just how shady it sounded from her point of view.

“Noted.”

“Also, always use this ship. I considered stealing it from you but it’s such a piece of shit I’d rather fix my broken one than steal this money pit.”

He tilted his head, surprised she’d considered leaving HIM on Mandalore when he’d threatened to leave her.

“Also noted.”

“Good. Ready to go back?”

“Not really, but what choice do I have?”

“Not much.”

They checked in with the fleet and were given clearance to land on base. Obi-Wan decided he really didn’t care if people found out about this ‘date’. The story would write itself. Anakin could be mad all he wanted but there was nothing he could do to stop him.

They powered down the engines and she gathered her things in her pack. He handed her the second half of her payment.

“Nice flying with you.”

“I have to remind you that your clothes still smell so I can’t say the same,” she jabbed at him, not meaning it.

They walked down the ramp just as the sun was rising, exactly on Anakin’s schedule. Clones were definitely looking at them but he paid them no mind. She stopped near the base’s exit and turned to face him.

“You look really sad for this to have been a fake date.”

“It’s not you, it’s me,” he replied sarcastically. She chucked a little.

“If you ever need a co-pilot or a smuggler, give me a call,” she handed him a small datachip of her contact info, “And since you’re newly single-” she leaned into him and kissed him, seeing if he would answer. And despite a small warning going off in his brain that this was a bad idea, he did. She deepened the slow kiss, now that he had let her in and he couldn’t help himself. He felt so alone and this was one spark of happiness he wanted to hold on to while he could. A place where he didn’t have to think.

But it came to an end as quick as a small spark always does, and he stared into her purple hued eyes that paired well with her hair.

“Look me up if she doesn’t come crawling back,” she said, backing away while still facing him for a few steps before turning and heading out the gates.

Before she was gone, those few moments of bliss were already wreaking havoc. He shouldn’t have done that. He hadn’t kissed anyone else in almost two decades. He’d given in so easily.

He noticed Anakin, Ahsoka and Cody standing together staring at him.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped, brushing by them as quickly as possible, “Come on we have a shipyard to invade.”

It was fitting they’d have to go through the sewers, at this moment that was where he felt he belonged.

-

Anakin watched Obi-Wan kiss this pink-skinned woman who was incredibly attractive and tried not to listen to the conversation next to him. It was strange to hear a 15-year-old girl and a grown man who was technically 11 discuss relationships when neither had any experience in anything.

“Ew, couldn’t they have done that on the ship?” Ahsoka griped.

“Pretty sure they did that on the ship,” Cody said.

“Gods, I gotta fly around in that thing! That’s all I’m going to be able to think about now!”

Obi-Wan had noticed them and clearly didn’t want to be watched, even though he was the one who landed on base when Anakin had told him specifically not to.

“What are you looking at? Come on, we have a shipyard to invade.”

And then he was gone, off to form up with the others.

“Wow, I thought that was supposed to make you happy. He looks way more pissed off than he did yesterday.” Ahsoka wondered.

“And yesterday he was in a sewer.” Cody added.

“That’s right, right? Sex makes humans all bubbly and happy?” Ahsoka asked them both, but again Anakin didn't want to be involved in this.

“How would I know?” Cody replied.

“I don’t know. You’re human.”

“Yeah, but not like…normal human. They try to dampen sex drive.”

“Oh. That’s…somehow more gross, I wish I hadn’t asked,” she wrinkled her nose.

“All part of the programming. Any insight, General Skywalker?” Cody asked.

“No, but I never want to be part of another conversation like this again.” He followed Obi-Wan’s path to join up with the others.

But they were right. Something was definitely off about Kenobi. He’d get to the bottom of it tonight after their victory.

“We can’t learn anything if you won’t teach us!” Ahsoka shouted after him.

Sometimes he hated this war for the strangest reasons.

Chapter Text

Korkie returned to a dark house and didn’t see Kahl that morning. Probably for the better, his mind was only focused on telling Mar his news. He skipped first period at school and went straight to Mar’s office. He knocked and the door wooshed open to reveal Mar reading, as he always seemed to be. Mar glanced up and almost rolled his eyes.

“I’m surprised to see you, I thought you’d be home all day.”

“Why…would I stay home all day?” Korkie asked, visibly confused. Mar seemed to return his confused look.

“Because….your Dad was here last night?”

“What? I didn’t see him?!” Korkie was taken aback. This had to be some kind of awful joke.

Mar tapped a few times on his datapad. “Ben Kryze, landing code cleared by security force systems at 8 last night.” Mar set down the pad and shrugged at Korkie.

“I…I was at the warehouse. Does it say a departure time?”

Mar leaned over to eye the screen without picking it up.

“Almost midnight.”

“I was…still at the warehouse…” Korkie couldn’t process this information. He’d missed him? Why hadn’t he waited? How had he missed him…

“Tough break, kid. I’m sure he’ll be back.”

“Why did you cover for him? At the Mines. Why did you say he’d just been here. We both know that’s not true.”

Mar seemed to search for the right words, calculating as ever.

“I might not be his biggest fan but that doesn’t mean you two should suffer. And before you ask, that’s the same reason I gave you my pauldron. I had a feeling. Second sons are so easy to forget.” Mar raised his eyebrows ever so slightly to make his point.

Korkie had never really thought about Mar being in the same position as Kahl. Mar was just his weird uncle who his parents never talked about. He’d kind of forgotten he’d existed until the whole stealing stuff from his mother’s office incident.

“Anyway,” Mar leaned back in his chair, “I assume you came here to tell me what you discovered last night.”

“Uh. Yeah.” Korkie tried to get his brain back on track, he always felt like he had a lot to think about every time he talked to his Uncle. He pulled up the recording he’d made, then the enhanced version of the image and audio.

“Prime Minister Almec. He’s the head of the black market ring.”

Mar nodded then responded calmly, almost dismissively, “Good job. I promised you an answer to one question. Do you have one?”

“Wait, that's it?! You’re not…surprised? Worried? Nothing?”

“Oh I already knew, Korkie. It was a test. But I did promise a question for this information and I’ll stick to my word.”

“You knew and you haven’t done anything about it? What’s wrong with you?!” Korkie practically shouted.

“Oh boy. How much time do you have?”

Korkie assumed this was Mar’s attempt at a joke even though his tone and facial expression didn’t change from his usual unemotional state. When Korkie didn’t say anything, Mar continued as if he hadn’t said anything.

“Because I’m hunting the higher ups. Almec is the top of the food chain in Sundari but where are the goods coming from? Specifically.”

Korkie agreed this made sense, but he was definitely pissed off that he spent the one night he could have seen his dad in a dusty warehouse. He could have apologized. He wasn’t really angry anymore. If the HoloNet was even half true, Kenobi was definitely becoming a key player in the Jedi’s overall strategy. And he was starting to understand to do what you thought was right rather than what was expected of you. He was supposed to be at school right now, after all.

“What is your end goal? I know it’s not just catching some black market dealers. What are you after, ultimately?”

Mar leaned forward and gave Korkie a sly smirk. It was mildly creepy but there was also a hint of…pride?

“Now that is a great question, kid. But before I answer, I want to know if you liked your little warehouse mission. Because if I do tell you, I expect you to help me with more information gathering assignments. We become a team, in a sense. Once you cross this line there’s no going back until this war is over. And if you back out, you do a veeery very good job of convincing me you won’t tell a soul. This is an important question Korkyrach. I want you to really think about it.”

Korkie knew he had no special power to judge someone’s character. He and Kahl hadn’t seemed to have inherited any Jedi traits that would have been oh-so-helpful in situations like these. Sure, Mar was kind of scary and definitely seemed like he’d been to prison or something. But Korkie also felt like he could trust him. He’d invested time teaching him things. He was interested in taking down a black market ring. And by far the weirdest, Mar had thought ahead on Creed Day. And he’d given up his own pauldron so Kahl could have one.

“I…don’t know how far I want to go with whatever your plan is. But I’m in if it protects Mandalore.”

Mar again seemed to give him an approving look.

“Do you remember when the clone army arrived to save the day a year and some odd months ago? Kicking off this war?”

“Yes…” that seemed like a dumb question to Korkie.

“Who was the genetic template?”

“Jango Fett. A bounty hunter who wore stolen Mandalorian armor.”

“Wrong. Jango Fett, of the decimated Clan Fett. You probably haven’t heard of him because the few Fetts who survived the Civil War chose exile.”

“No, my mom officially disavowed any real Mandalorian connection. He just looked the part because of the armor.”

“Family records say otherwise. Jango was officially disavowed from the Clan’s lineage the day after his identity was made public. And because he was a foundling, the Clan and your mother felt it was not lying when they did not claim him as one of their own.”

Mar gave him a few moments to think but he just couldn’t see how this was possible.

“A rather ingenious move by Satine, actually. Can you imagine if Fett WAS a Mandalorian and he played a direct role in the creation of the Republic army? There would be no way she could maintain her neutral stance in all of this.”

What if she lied. What if he was telling the truth.

“I want proof.”

“Well I don’t have the original copy of course, and I don’t really want to break into the Fett family archive twice. But here’s the downloaded copy.”

Mar rummaged through his bag, pulled out a data chip, typed in what looked like an incredibly long password, then slid the datapad to Korkie. It looked like the entirety of the Fett lineage, the tree having so many branches it would be easy to get lost in the names, years, and histories. But the bottom of the tree, which should be the widest by far, contained far fewer names than expected. As if a gardener had shorn the bottom of it off so it would be almost perfectly straight. He searched for Jango’s name. The document jumped to the record. JANGO FETT- CONCORD DAWN-FOUNDLING-DECEASED-DISAVOWED.

“You know the order of the entries is important. Deceased before disavowed. I’m sure they would have liked to reverse it, but family records are very hard to change. There is no delete key.”

“So…she lied. To everyone.”

“Oh, don’t be so harsh, Korkie. I would have done the same thing. And I think you would have too, in her position. Assuming you favor neutrality, I don’t keep up with your personal politics.”

“If you would have done the same thing…then what are we talking about? You still haven’t answered my question.”

“For about a week at the beginning of the war, everyone cared where the clones came from. Who created them? How did the Republic pull an army out of thin air? And then the battles and destruction and news about troop movements and preparing yourself in case of invasion took over. There is so much going on that no one has time to focus on the real question at the heart of it. Where did these clones come from, who set it up and most importantly who paid for it.”

Korkie contemplated. He understood. Kind of.

“And if you find out who’s responsible for creating the clones?”

“Then we find out how they’re benefiting. It could be Black Sun, I’m sure they’ve been doing quite well. It could be a shipbuilding conglomerate, I can't imagine how much money Kuat Drive Yards is raking in. Techno Union would be a good candidate too, since they produce most of the droids for the Separatists yet also own a stake in Kuat Drive Yards and maintain corporate neutrality. It could be the Sith Lord Count Dooku himself, who knows. There are a lot of people getting rich with a vested stake in perpetuating this war. So we follow the money.”

“Everyone you listed is incredibly dangerous.” Korkie said, as if Mar hadn’t noticed.

“I don’t expect it to be easy. It will definitely involve lying to your mother. Stealing, bribery, murder, everything in between. I think you’re capable of these things for the right cause. But that’s a decision you have to make for yourself.”

Mar paused, letting the information sink in for a few moments then stood up and leaned his hands on his desk.

“I’m following up on a lead in 3 days. Meet me at my ship if you want in. I still haven’t taken out that damn tracker you put in my blaster. Otherwise, go back to your regular life Korkie. Enjoy not having responsibilities while it lasts. Speaking of which,” Mar grabbed his uniform jacket from the back of his chair and shrugged it on, “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“I’m supposed to go to school after you say all that heavy shit to me?” Korkie still felt like he understood everything and nothing at the same time.

“Yes. I’m off to a meeting where I’m going to have some nice small talk with my boss, who I vehemently hate. Then I’ll drink some caf with the guy from accounting who never shuts up about get’shuk and has an incredible amount of gambling debt because he’ll tell me more about some of the port authority’s book balancing issues. Then Valsi and I are going out for date night. You have to compartmentalize Kork. You’ll figure it out.” He patted Korkie’s shoulder then steered him out of his office, which locked behind him.

“See you in 3 days. Or not.”

-

Anakin kept an eye on Obi-Wan as they retraced their steps in the sewers. A few of the other squads had already broken off to set their charges and wait for the order to attack. Once Ahsoka disappeared down a tunnel he sprang.

“I want to make sure your head is in the right place, Kenobi.”

“I’m focused, Anakin. I remember the plan. The question is how much you’ll deviate from your own plan.”

Usually Obi-Wan said that with a hint of humor in his voice, but he seemed very focused. Too focused. But Obi-Wan had never let him down before, so he let it slide. And soon he was alone with Echo and Fives, placing charges on one of the main battery hubs for the droids then sneaking back into the sewers.

“All teams in position?”

Every team checked in and they all activated their explosives as simultaneously as possible.

“See you at the rendezvous point, boys. Up!”

All over the complex, sewer covers slid to the side and clones poured out behind droids investigating the various explosions and fires raging. The work was surprisingly easy with Echo and Fives backing him up as if all 3 of them had gone through the simulations on Kamino together. He even had time to worry about Ahsoka. Even though she was with Rex and she could take care of herself he knew he was becoming too attached. There were so few people he could truly trust and he could not stand the thought of losing another.

But she appeared as expected at the rendezvous point looking no worse for wear. Slowly, all squads trickled in and they made their final push into the office building that should house any leftover droids and the tactical commander droid.

“Where’s Obi-Wan?” Ahsoka asked, near the middle of the pack as clones cleared rooms.

“Great question. Something must be keeping him. I’ll go find him. You finish up here,” he actively tried to follow Obi-Wan’s advice that she lived on attention and praise, “You don’t need me anyway, you’re more than capable.”

She nodded confidently and he fell back to go look for the other part of his trio.

-

Obi-Wan’s squad had been making great progress until a pale woman in a tight top and flowing skirts sprinted through their field of vision up ahead.

“Who’s that?” Cody asked, keeping his attention on the Super Battle Droid that was getting a little to close.

“No idea. It might be that new Sith apprentice Anakin mentioned. Ventress I think.”

“She seems to be going somewhere in a hurry.”

“I suppose.” was Obi-Wan’s tired reply. He really should have slept instead of meditated last night, even if he couldn’t imagine his mind being quiet enough to let him drift off. He deactivated his saber and lept impossibly high towards a ship in scaffolding. He glanced down with each leap, hoping to catch sight of the woman again, but she was clearly a few steps ahead of him when she popped up between him and his landing point, two red sabers drawn. There was nothing he could do to avoid her, but he escaped serious injury by deflecting one blade with his own saber and the second building up the Force in his hand enough to redirect it.

He landed semi-gracefully considering the interference with his jump and turned around to assess her. She did the same to him.

“The new Sith apprentice, I presume. Are you aware of what I did to the last one?”

“You will regret it. I am much more powerful than Maul ever was.”

“I’d prefer not to find out. If you surrender now, you could get a light sentence.”

She growled in response and lept over to his platform.

“Have it your way I guess.” He assumed his new defensive stance, he’d been working on learning Soresu the last few months. The aggression of Ataru had served him well in his youth but Satine’s pacifist ways had rubbed off on him. Soresu focused on deflection, efficiency and defense. She’d never understand this switch, and he never planned on trying to explain it to her. A lightsaber battle was a lightsaber battle and his hope to disarm or negotiate didn’t change the fact that she’d hate it on principle.

Ventress attacked, probing his defenses with precision strikes and he lost ground constantly, bringing her closer and closer to this ship still in ground-dock. It looked finished enough, but he wondered if it was special or if it was the only ship left in the area to make an escape with. He tried to find his center, he needed to be calm for this form to work properly. Ventress hadn’t been lying, she was a much more formidable opponent than Maul had been, and between the fact that he was still pissed off about last night and she left him no time to recover, a strong defense was turning into a desperate one. He heard blaster fire below, there was a larger droid presence around this ship than he’d expected. She definitely wanted it because it was important.

Cody had clearly made the same assessment because the squad was working their way up the scaffold ramps to the maintenance hatch. Ventress was pushing him back to this hatch as well. Even if the clones got there first, she would make short work of them. She was making short work of him.

He decided if it had worked once before it could work again, so he stood his ground, waited for an opening and went in for a physical brawl, punching out while blocking one of her blades and ducking to avoid the other. With this close of quarters she was forced to deactivate both of her sabers and deal with his punches and kicks. He had her, twisting her arm in a way that would force her to the ground but before he knew it she had turned it into a double takedown and he was on his back with the wind knocked out of him, Ventress with one knee on his chest and the other on his right arm. He shot his left arm forward but she immediately pinned it using the Force. She ignited one of her blades.

“A pity. I liked you. You were fun.”

He’d never really considered how he would die, but this did seem like one of the likely scenarios. He’d missed out on years of honing his skills and now he would pay for it. He knew Satine would never seek revenge but he wasn’t so sure about Korkie. He hoped he didn’t.

Cody and a few of the other clones arrived just in time, shooting at Ventress, forcing her to go on the defensive and release him as more clones were on their way. She looked down at him and smirked as if she’d enjoyed this immensely and was happy she’d get another opportunity to best him, then sprinted for the ship. She pushed Cody and 2 others out of the way with the Force before slipping into the hatch and closing it behind her.

Obi-Wan rolled on his side, still trying to regain his breath when he realized Cody and company would not be surviving this very long fall. He reached out to the Force, willing it to catch them or at least slow them down. Keeping track of all 3 at once was a challenge for him but he managed to catch all and lower them to the ground at his own speed, setting them down gently.

The ship's engines ignited quickly, skipping the normal startup procedures and pulling away from ground dock, a few cables and other minimal holds snapping and whipping around. He stood and called his lightsaber to him. He wasn’t sure he’d make it but he had to try.

Obi-Wan sprinted towards the fleeing ship and leapt as high as he could, driving his saber into the lower vertical wing like a knife and riding it downward as the saber cut through everything in its path, gravity doing the work. And when the saber ran out of things to cut it was time for him to save himself from freefall. Somehow the weightlessness and whistling of the wind as he fell had a calming effect so he could focus on pushing downwards with the Force to slow his descent. He still landed hard but not dangerously so. He moved from the kneeling position he had landed in with one knee up to sitting, propping himself up with the palms of his hands. That was by far the scariest thing he’d experienced in a long time and he hoped to never repeat it.

-

Anakin tried to backtrack to where Obi-Wan’s squad should be but they were not there. There was a very obvious trail of droid bodies to follow their detour, however and he heard the engagement before he saw it. A mid-size cargo transport was moored in dock and the droids seemed to be congregating there, Cody pushing forward up the temporary ramps leading to the ship. He looked up and saw Obi-Wan battling Ventress, but both weren’t using sabers. They punched, kicked, flipped, employing different martial arts techniques. And before Anakin had time to assist, Ventress had Obi-Wan pinned to the ground. A flame of fear ignited in his chest and he leapt as high and as fast as he could. He knew he would be too late. But he had to try.

Cody came to the rescue before he could, and Ventress took off for the ship. Cody and two other clones hurdled toward their deaths and Anakin reached for them through the Force. Obi-Wan already had a handle on them, but his extra help was able to give them a soft landing.

And again Obi-Wan was on the move before Anakin had time to call to him. The man leapt and drove his saber into the fleeing ship, tearing out a good section of one of the wings, but not enough to take it down. The smoking ship climbed out of atmo while Obi-Wan fell back to the earth. Again a jump of fear. This was not the controlled and calm Obi-Wan he was used to. The unpredictableness was throwing him out of sorts.

Anakin quickly raised his hand and attempted to help arrest Obi-Wan’s fall but when he lost sight of him he couldn’t maintain any kind of control. So he traversed the shipyard the short distance to Obi-Wan’s landing point to make sure he was alright. He knew he’d survived, but he could be hurt. And if he wasn’t hurt Anakin was going to lecture him for being so reckless. That leap for the ship was ill-advised and didn’t manage to accomplish anything anyway.

“Admiral Yularen,” Anakin commed up to the fleet. “There’s a ship leaving atmosphere, do not let it get away. It’s the Sith Apprentice.”

“We have nothing on our scope, sir. We’ll keep watch.”

Anakin ended the call and jumped down to Obi-Wan, who was sitting back as if he was in a bit of shock.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Good. Now do you care to explain what that was all about? Why did you let her take you down? And why would you do such an insane thing like jump for that ship?! It was incredibly dangerous. You can’t do things like that, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan slowly tilted his head up to look at Anakin, anger in his eyes.

“You do things like that all the time. You break the plan all the time, to go do something with almost no chance of success.”

“Yeah but I’m usually successful.”

“Oh so it’s fine as long as YOU’RE the one breaking the rules and YOU’RE the one taking the risk,” Obi-Wan briskly stood up and closed the distance between them, standing face to face now, “Stop being such a hypocrite, Anakin. You yell at Ahsoka and I for doing the same bullshit you do on a daily basis.”

Anakin was taken aback. Obi-Wan had never spoken to him like this. Never even shown a hint of anger. Extreme annoyance maybe, but never this. Why was he so upset that Anakin was concerned for him?

“I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“And WE try to keep you safe all the time! But you never listen. You think you’re invincible and will survive anything, but if I do it it’s rash and ill advised. I didn’t do anything to endanger the squad, only myself. Isn’t that always your argument on why it’s ok to act recklessly?”

Obi-Wan waited for an answer, but Anakin didn’t have one.

“Exactly. It’s not so fun watching someone else almost die is it? Now you know what it feels like. So save your lecture.” Obi-Wan stormed off towards where they’d last seen Cody and the rest of the squad.

Anakin watched him go. He was right, in a way. He did become protective when they did something he wouldn’t have given a second thought to doing himself. But why was Kenobi so defensive? Was he embarrassed Ventress had almost killed him? Or maybe that girl Obi-Wan had picked up had done a number on his psyche.

Chapter Text

Korkie suffered through school, but he’d been able to focus on classes. Compartmentalizing, as Mar had suggested. But when he returned home after practice, he let his mind run wild. Mar thought him capable of murder. What did that even mean? Should he be happy about that?

“Korkie. I missed you today.”

Mom must have come in at some point while he was contemplating on the couch, some useless HoloNet show on in the background.

“I was busy.”

“I see.”

The silence hung and an idea hit him, grabbing his datapad to research.

“So, your father was here last night.”

“Mhm.” He made a noise of acknowledgement. After the war started, she’d occasionally complained about Dad’s arguments about neutrality to him. He didn’t feel comfortable being in between whatever their issues were so he would give non-committal answers so she got the hint. And he was worried this was turning into one of those times.

He read through the site for Naasade. It literally translated to ‘nobody’, the Mandalorian intelligence agency. They had operatives stationed all over the galaxy, focusing on threats to Mandalorian space.

“Are you….upset you didn’t get to see him?” his mother asked but he didn’t really hear her. He was reading, skimming paragraphs where they outlined what they did without actually saying what they did.

But the bottom of the page caught his eye. In bold Mando’a lettering:

Become Nobody. Apply Today.

Half of a deep black Mandalorian helmet complimented the call to action.

“Nassade.” he whispered more to himself.

“Uh…sure. I’m glad that’s not an issue then.”

Mar must be part of Nassade. He had always been a shadowy figure in the family, disappearing and reappearing months or years later. Secretive as hell about literally everything. No wonder his wife was cheating on him, he was probably never home. And with his personality? Korkie didn’t understand how some people found partners.

“I’ll let you alone then.”

Korkie snapped out of his train of thought.

“Wait, are we just not going to talk about the fact that you showed up to Kahl’s Creed Day without a pauldron? What would have happened if he didn't ask me to do it?”

She looked like she was disappointed she hadn’t escaped this topic.

“I’m sure Mar would have given his to me, the same as he gave it to you.”

“Why did he have it anyway? If it was grandpa’s, shouldn’t it have gone to you?”

Now she looked fully uncomfortable.

“The war had just ended, it was already past his birthday. So we did it as soon as possible. And there was a lot going on, it was just easier that way.”

“So you have a habit of forgetting signets on Creed Days?” he accused.

She stared, first a bit hurt, then she pursed her lips.

“Things were chaotic back then. You wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” He stood, turning off the Net and going to his room.

-

Kahl did his homework the second he got home. Well. The things he absolutely had to do so he wouldn’t fail any classes. Then he pulled up the Jedi Archives, took a deep breath, and used his stolen credentials to log in. WELCOME ______ KENOBI was at the top. It was probably supposed to say Padawan or Master or something like that. The system didn’t know what to do with him. He explored exactly what was tracked so he could move in the account without his father noticing. Last login time was noted, but he knew that would be extremely hard to pay attention to with data transfers not being reliable during wartime. It also tracked search history, but he couldn’t find a viewing history. So he couldn’t search for what he wanted the easy way, but if he read something there was no way Obi-Wan would know.

There were some other things available, uniform ordering, basic location info for other Jedi, a place for personal notes, boring stuff like that. Obi-Wan only had one note and it listed birthdays, mostly for clones who didn’t all share the same birthday since they were created in batches. That was a lot of names to write on one cake.

Finally he began his search, going the long way through the site map. He found a lot of it to be restricted which was incredibly frustrating, but he settled into reading a much better description of how to meditate like a Jedi. To open yourself up to the Force. He settled in and reached out to the Force, hoping he would feel something at the very least. Hours passed, but there was nothing. No magical force levitated him, no disembodied whispers told him things. He did not feel any special sense of peace. What was he doing wrong?

-

“Admiral Block, do you read?”

“Coming in clear, Kenobi. How’s it going?”

“The Sith Ventress escaped in a ship, it should be slightly damaged, don’t let her get away. Shoot her down if you have to.”

“We’re on the lookout, sir. Skywalker already reported it.”

“Oh and Block? Personal favor when you have time. Find the 212th an assignment that will not require the assistance of the 501st.”

There was a slight pause, but Obi-Wan couldn’t tell if it was static in the comm or hesitation. “I can do that, General. Contact you in an hour to see if you’re ready to go.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Obi-Wan continued to stew on his way back to Cody. He was sick of having to defer to someone else. He felt surrounded by hypocrites. Anakin insisted on taking too many risks, then scolded him when he did the same thing. Satine hated violence but was completely fine with it if it was carried out in her name. But only sometimes.

Couldn’t he just get a nice simple mission and destroy some nice easy battle droids alone? Something engaging enough where he didn’t have time to think about all the disasters around him, but something easy enough that he didn’t have to ever have to feel that close to death again.

“Cody.” Obi-Wan was relieved to see the man up and giving commands to a few men.

“General. You took off,’ Cody pointed to the sky, “before I could say thank you.”

“Very funny. You saved me first, so I think we’re even. Did we lose anyone?”

“Three shinies. I’ve sent everyone else forward to join Rex. No other resistance out here.”

“Good. I’m ready to be done with this place.”

“I agree, sir.”

They were ferrying troops up to the Negotiator while it hung in low orbit in a few hours time, having restored the shipyard to the people of Botajef in relatively good condition, the useful droids and supplies being commandeered for Republic use. The locals could have the rest.

Obi-Wan did make a point to find Ahsoka and say goodbye, but he didn’t bother with Anakin. It would travel through the vines of clone connections to him.

He and Cody sought out the Admiral on the bridge who informed them that no ship matching Obi-Wan’s description had come from the planet. It was as if it had disappeared. There had been talk of the Separatists developing cloaking tech, it was possible that Ventress had been there to make sure the prototypes didn’t fall into Republic hands. So she lived to fight another day, it seemed. Obi-Wan didn’t want to dwell on her and asked what assignment Block had chosen for them.

With a still wrinkled nose at their smell, he’d relayed Tar Morden, destroying a crab droid factory job that only required two squads. Heavy artillery from the 187th was already in place and shelling the outer defenses. The rest of the 212th would go and assist the majority of Master Windu’s forces on Haruun Kal.

“Perfect. You and Commander Ponds can catch up, even though it hasn’t been very long,” Obi-Wan said to Cody.

“I’ll go with you, sir.”

“I’m sure you’ll have more fun on Haruun Kal, it has a high population of Force users. Just think of how many times you could be thrown into the air against your will.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I go where you go, sir. Commander Gregor can handle it.”

“If you insist. Go brief the men. Admiral, at your leisure.” Obi-Wan gave a small bow and went to go shower, hoping it was possible to wash away more than the smell with the recycled water.

-

Rex told him that Obi-Wan and most of the 212th were already on board their Venators, ready to head off to their next assignment before Anakin had finished cleaning up their mess and looting what they could from the Seps. He hadn’t even called Yularen to ask what assignments were awaiting Jedi assistance. Kenobi had cleared out like Anakin had a contagious disease.

Fine, whatever his problem was, Anakin didn’t care. Ahsoka would be happy it was back to the old days when it was just them and Rex against the galaxy.

But when it was their turn to leave, she didn’t seem happy. She must have grown attached to their trio, as he had. But she said nothing on the subject, only asked what the next assignment was.

He could barely contain his excitement that they were headed back to Coruscant and he would be accompanying Padme on a diplomatic mission to Mon Cala by order of the Chancellor. Ahsoka would have some time to rest at the Temple, which she didn’t seem too excited about but he didn’t pay her much attention. Not only was he going to see Padme, but he would get to spend time with her. Days. Maybe even a week. They’d have official duties of course, but they could find time.

They were barely delivered to the Temple before Anakin was off to Padme’s so they could have a very long…’discussion’ before their impending mission.

-

When Padme found out Anakin would be going with her to Mon Cala she felt her heart swell. Finally they would have some time with each other. Months of secret comms at strange hours wasn’t enough. Playing catchup of where the other was, what had happened in the Senate since their last conversation.

She’d known this wouldn’t be an easy relationship when they’d begun. She’d tried to resist the pull to him because of how complicated things would get. She had explained to him why this was a bad idea. But he was so confident, so enamored with her that she’d lost all sense and listened to her heart. There were times during his long absences where she questioned if she had made the right decision. Being married yet unable to tell anyone, going to parties alone and seeing all of her friends with their partners while she stood alone and didn’t seek out anyone. Everyone told her she was too young to give up on finding love and they had the perfect friend to match her with. She was running out of excuses. You could only say you were focusing on your career for so long.

But when Anakin came home, all doubt faded. His smile, his absolute adoration of her made everything she had to do to maintain this relationship seem inconsequential. She was on the right path and she’d make the most of every second they had together.

She’d chosen the sexiest dress she owned. There had been a tournament bracket she and Dorme had voted on. Then Dorme had delivered some food from one of her favorite restaurants, she’d set the table and had candles ready to be lit when he arrived. The night would be perfect and in the morning they would part ways, but only so they could take different routes to the Republic cruiser and not raise any suspicion. Because she had a Jedi protector no clones or staff would be necessary, only an extra pilot. They’d have the whole ship to themselves.

-

Obi-Wan and two platoons took gunships down to the surface of Tar Morden, rain gear, tents and extra waterproofing supplies with them. It was the rainy season and according to the heavy troopers on the ground it had not stopped raining for two weeks and showed no signs of letting up. There was no base, they’d posted up out of range of the factory’s defensive cannons but close enough to shell the outer walls. The cannons were on the side of a rocky hill, with a small camp two hills over and mud everywhere in between.

They added some temporary shelter walls so the new squads could be accommodated, then settled in to wait. It would be about a week before the cannon broke through the wall and they could begin their assault. Until then there wasn’t much to do but listen to the consistent boom of the shelling - only disrupted when gunners changed shifts- and the pattering of rain. Obi-Wan thought it was perfect. The troops Cody had chosen were mostly shinies, so he didn’t have to try and behave like his normal self. He’d been cordial to Cody of course, but he just didn’t want to talk. About anything. He’d left without talking to Kahl. He’d left without even seeing Korkie. He’d let Satine get to him. And he’d almost died. His last words to Satine would have been a fight, ignoring Kahl, and Korkie storming off after finding out he was a Jedi. He couldn’t let that be what he left them with if something did happen to him. He had to go back. But how? They weren’t in the same sector and they hadn’t even been left with a gunship, not that that would have been capable of getting him where he needed to go. He could call Ursa. Use the emergency button. But that would be the end of this entire ruse. He stared out into the bleak landscape, wondering when the sun would return.

Chapter Text

Kahl had decided he had to say something to his mother about what had happened two days ago. He’d hidden in books and meditation yesterday but now that he felt he wasn’t just surviving, a bystander in his own life while others’ emotions influenced his actions, he needed to learn to stand up for himself. And depending on how the conversation went, maybe he would tell her about who he saw on Dad’s ship. His goal was to get her to apologize for interrupting what little time he could have had with his dad, and for kind of ruining his birthday. But he also didn’t want to defend Dad because he was so angry that cheating was even a potential option.

He took a deep breath at the door to the study, steeling himself to be brave and entered.

“Mom?”

“Oh Kahl. I wanted to talk to you. I’m not good with apologies but I’m sorry about what happened with Dad. That wasn’t fair to you.”

Kahl was taken aback. He thought he’d have to pry this out of her, make her understand. But there it was, unprompted.

“Um. That’s…alright.” He lied because he hadn’t planned for this scenario.

“But I have noticed some changes in you. Good changes.”

“Yeah?” he said simply. He wasn’t 100 percent sure what she was getting at.

“And if you’re happy, then I’m happy. It’s good for you to make some friends and go out sometimes.”

For so long, this is what he’d wanted. To do normal things, have normal friends. But now that he’d had the opportunity and experienced it he wasn’t so sure that was the key to being happy. And the fact that she was happy when he had stopped acting like himself didn’t make him feel great.

“Actually, I was just-”

“I was getting a little worried you wouldn’t get over your awkward phase, but I saw you had a friend over a couple of times. And I heard you’re going out with the cu’bikad team after tournaments?”

He wrinkled his brow, taking in what she’d said. His awkward phase? That definitely wasn’t gone, but it was easier to hide.

“I’m not really different, I tried-”

She cut him off again.

“I just want you to know I’m proud of you. Despite the circumstances you’ve really come out of your shell. And maybe that’s because your father’s not around to coddle you anymore.”

What? No. She wasn’t listening. She wasn’t listening.

“You’ve so many other things to focus on, you don’t miss him too much do you?” she ventured.

He missed him desperately. But he also hated him. And would it really matter what he answered? She seemed to have her mind made up about how he should feel. He was so glad he couldn’t feel whatever she was feeling. Whatever it was reeked of manipulation even without his senses.

“No.”

It felt like such a betrayal to say he didn’t miss his dad. If anyone had ever tried to understand him, it was his dad. But at this very moment he didn’t miss him. He had his login, and that was all he needed.

And he also needed to get out of this conversation. He regretted wanting an apology. He should have let it go.

“I’m happy it’s not burdening you too much. Now, what did you want to ask me?”

“Um. I forgot. It wasn’t important. I have…homework to do.”

“Alright, I’ll be here if you remember. I love you, Kahl.”

It wasn’t something she said often. The way she looked at him, as if she wanted to be sure he’d heard and needed to hear it back even if it wasn’t true. He internally winced. He did love her, but he didn’t like her right now.

“Love you, too.”

She looked relieved. He retreated to his room but ran into Korkie.

“Hey Kahl. Sorry, I was kinda busy yesterday. I heard Dad came home? What happened? Did he have cool stories? A gift for Creed Day?” Korkie smiled, ready to listen. He looked hopeful, maybe desperate to hear anything about Dad. But what were the odds he was asking because he was interested in what Kahl had to say. He wanted to know if he’d been mentioned. If Dad had missed him.

“What do you care?” Kahl snarled and shoved past him with his shoulder. He shut the door to his room and locked it. Everyone in this house only thought about themselves.

-

Satine wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing, but Ben’s visit had seriously upset her and considering all of the other bullshit that was going on with the governors, the rise of this Death Watch cult and hints of a much more sophisticated black market in Sundari than previously thought she didn’t have time for him to disturb her focus again. When this war was over maybe they could work it out. When they could see each other every day and the time and distance didn’t allow her to create problems and scenarios in her head that didn’t actually exist.

And a few people had asked after him. Not many. Not enough that she couldn’t explain it away with Jynna or Iviin’s help. But the longer he didn’t make an appearance the more trouble it would become.

And lastly, she’d asked both boys. Neither seemed entirely bothered that he was gone, or that he had returned and left so quickly. And all of this led her to the conclusion that they didn’t need any more stressors on top of being teenage royalty living through a massive civil war.

Things would be easier if Ben Kryze was missing. It was extremely believable, considering the galactic climate. And then when he returned, they could find a story to easily explain it away.

She could type up a missing person and an incident report of a damaged Foundation ship being found. The head of her security force wouldn’t question her. She had documents before he did sometimes.

It was wrong of her. But she’d done questionable things in the name of Mandalore before, and if this would alleviate some of the pressure on her and not hurt the boys then she was willing to tell a few lies.

She started typing, dating the incident report for tomorrow night. She’d let him live for another day in case she changed her mind.

-

Anakin had been impressed by Padme’s romantic dinner and a holo night, with Dorme and 3PO acting as their waiters like it was a real restaurant and they were out for a normal evening. Sure, there were only 3 choices on the menu and Dorme liked them all so he didn’t feel bad for picking his favorite, but it felt freeing.

Padme had picked some mildly cheesy romantic comedy after they’d eaten. Well, he assumed it was a romantic comedy, they’d been teasing each other too much and he stopped paying attention a fourth of the way through. They’d left the common room before it was over.

And waking up and getting dressed at the same time instead of sneaking off in the wee hours of the morning? He wished they could do it every day until the end of time. He did crave adventure and excitement like he’d been criticized for by the Jedi, but if he could come home after every mission? Maybe someday. It was very unJedi-like to desire more. He should be happy with what he had.

The ride to Mon Cala was a long one and he should live in this moment, holding her in his arms, catching up on silly things that had happened to them between their first meeting on Tatooine and when they reunited after 10 years. He had plenty of ridiculous missions with Qui-Gon to regale her with, her stories played out more like soap operas of who was sleeping with who or who had politically stabbed her in the back. It was probably the longest discussion they’d had without being interrupted since before they were married. He wanted, no needed, more time like this. And he wasn’t sure exactly how far he’d go to get it, but if a solution presented itself where Padme could still be a Senator and he could still be a Jedi, or something like it, he would say yes with no hesitation. He knew that that should have scared him, but it didn’t. He was Anakin Skywalker. He had always done the impossible. He could figure this out, too.

-

Korkie had to find out on the news. Well actually, he heard it from a classmate then he looked at the news. The brief mention of some kind of vague accident or kidnapping. Ben Kryze was missing and Nassade was on the case. And that was it. Kids started looking at him with pity. And whispering. And even though this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened - he was royalty after all - he could not endure this one. He was so damn angry. Between classes he was a few steps from the door to skip the rest of the day when he thought of Kahl. He’d seemed super pissed off when he’d asked him about Dad. He probably didn’t want to talk to Korkie, but he also felt like he couldn’t leave him here. If he was uncomfortable, Kahl didn’t stand a chance. He turned around and went to Kahl’s locker. His brother was there as expected, but he had a confused look on his face.

“Come on. Fuck this place, lets get out of here.” “There’s still 3 more classes.”

“You’re smart, missing a day won’t hurt. Come on.” Korkie ordered.

Kahl had never been one for breaking the rules and he looked uncomfortable as they walked out one of the school’s side doors but he followed dutifully.

“Where do you wanna go? Plenty of time until we’re supposed to be home.”

“What is going on? Why was everyone acting weird at break?”

He didn’t know. But at least Korkie wasn’t breaking the news that Dad was actually lost or something.

“Mom’s being a psycho. She reported Dad missing and it’s all over the news. Or I assume it was her. Who else would it be?”

Kahl looked at his feet as they walked, heading towards the city center to find something to do.

“It’s my fault. She asked me if I missed him a lot. And I said no.”

“No, it’s her fault for always having to go so extreme. She was being weird even before he came back. She’s hiding something from me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Kahl, I just said it wasn’t your fault. Stop blaming yourself.”

“No, I…when they got in an argument I left because I didn’t want to hear them fight. And then when I got back he was gone. I should have stayed. To make him wait for you…” Kahl looked on the verge of tears, “It’s not fair that I got to see him and you didn’t. I should have stayed.”

Korkie had never understood how Kahl could put himself in someone else’s shoes so easily. To speculate emotions, then feel them so deeply. Korkie hadn’t always been kind to his brother about their differences, but at some point he’d realized that he couldn’t stand to see Kahl upset. Because he knew if Kahl was actually showing what was going on, it had to be much worse on the inside.

He pulled Kahl into a hug and they stood in the street while people passed by unaware of how important this moment of closeness was.

“It’s not your fault. He’ll come back. I’m sure he’ll come back to see us.”

“No. He wont.” Kahl sniffled into Korkie’s shoulder, holding on to Korkie like he wouldn’t be able to stand if he let go, “If he’s missing, he can’t use his security code anywhere. They’ll be all over him asking what happened and then…well obviously they’ll know who he is. I should have said I missed him but she wasn’t listening. And I was mad.”

Of course Kahl was three steps ahead of him like it was a game of cu’bikad. She’d made sure Dad could never return. Not without serious consequences. And there was nothing he could say or do to make it better.

“She never asked me anything, so at least she talked to you. Even if she didn’t listen. But we didn’t sign the report, she did. He’ll find a way back. I’m sure of it.”

Kahl seemed to be calming down but he didn’t let go for some time. Finally he pulled back, wiping his eyes and giving a small smile. Then he leaned back in, trying to smear his snot onto Korkie’s school uniform.

“Ah, gods, gross Kahl. You’re the worst!” He chuckled and pushed him away. Thank goodness a small bit of levity had returned, he wasn’t sure how far away he was from joining Kahl. His jaw hurt from biting back his own breakdown.

“Come on, I have an idea. Something to take our minds off it and get some frustration out.”

Kahl followed his lead, right beside him. As he always had.

Chapter Text

It had been a roller coaster of a day. Kahl had begun the day mulling over why his meditation skills hadn’t deepened after reading multiple articles on Jedi specific meditation. Then he’d hit an all time low when Korkie convinced him to skip classes, which he’d never done in his life. That novelty rush was immediately crushed by the fact that Dad wouldn’t be returning anytime soon. And he still partially blamed himself. Why hadn’t he stood up for himself? Why hadn’t he made her listen?

He’d embarrassed himself by crying, something he hadn’t done in front of anyone since he was 12. He’d trained himself that no matter how strong an emotion he was receiving was, he couldn’t express it outwardly. But now that he could protect himself from others’ feelings, he realized he’d never even thought about how to keep his own in, physically. Another task to add to the list.

And then Korkie had taken him to laser tag. Was it outdated tech that was for children? Yes. But did he have the time of his life, loading up a simulation and shooting zombies as a team, dramatically quoting action holoflicks and acting out extremely long and unrealistic death scenes when they were hit? Hells yes.

For a few hours he didn’t think about Rugor, his secret Jedi studies, his new friend group he didn’t really like, his father basically forced into exile. He was just a kid having fun with his brother. And in a way it was bittersweet. He didn’t know when he and Korkie would really connect like that again. It had been a few years, and now he’d gotten two in the same month? So he tucked it away in his memory, something he could take out when he was lonely. And tried to focus on his meditation instead of the argument Korkie and his mother were having in the common room.

-

“Do you know what it was like? You should have seen the way people were looking at us!”

“It’ll blow over, Korkie, calm down.”

“Calm down?! You just effectively killed Dad! What if I never get to see him again because you’re an asshole!”

“Don’t speak to me like that.” she gave him a commanding look, he glared back stubbornly but did not apologize.

“Did you think we wouldn’t care? You killed him!”

“He did that to himself.”

Korkie shook his head in disbelief and gave a little shrug, mostly to himself.

“I don’t know why you think this is ok. This is not ok.” he breathed.

He looked to her trying to understand how he could agree with her on almost every issue, even take her side in arguments with Dad, and yet she could do something like this, something so damaging, and look as if she didn’t feel a thing. If this is what being the leader of Mandalore was going to turn him into, he would much rather run away and work in a mine or something. He did not want to become Satine and Mar, both siblings so cold and focused on their own agendas.

Her silence was his answer and he turned to leave. Kahl would be fine, he liked to be on his own and he wouldn’t pick a fight with Mom.

“Where are you going?”

“If you knew anything about me, you’d know exactly where I was going.” he shot back.

“You aren’t allowed to sleep over anywhere on a weeknight.”

He practically laughed at her attempt at control. Since when had she ever paid attention to that? Where was she those first few months Dad was gone and he didn’t come home for weeks.

“What are you gonna do, Mom?” he couldn’t keep the sarcastic smirk filled with vitriol off his face, “Report me missing, too?”

He walked out and took the long way to Lagos’ place so he could attempt to cool off. What would they even talk about now? He had been drifting further and further from his friends the more time he spent with Mar, or practicing by himself. He didn’t care about sports or girls or grades like he used to. Soniee and Lagos were talking about University and he was thinking about going on whatever mission Mar was going on to hunt down the catalyst and inner workings of a galactic conflict. They had very different problems now.

It was getting late and he didn’t want to be locked out so he went to Lagos’s apartment, finding her youngest sister watching a holoflick that was probably a little too mature for her with their dad passed out on the sofa, bottle mostly empty on the floor.

“Hey Korkie.” she barely looked at him. He was a pretty common fixture in the household.

“Hey. Do you need anything? Like food or something?” he asked. From her dad’s state he probably hadn’t made her anything again.

“What am I 6? I can make my own food. Lagos is in her room.”

“Oh, excuse me ma’am. I wasn’t as mature as you when I was ten,” he gave her a dramatic bow and she rolled her eyes but smiled.

He passed the room both of Lagos’s sisters shared and went to hers, but stopped in the doorway. She was sitting on her bed, hunched over with her head in her hands, crying.

He stood, trying to make a decision to comfort her or to leave her alone. He never liked to be bothered when he was crying. But she must have sensed someone watching her because she turned and saw him.

“Oh. Korkie. I didn’t hear you come in,” she tried to wipe her tears away quickly. It scared him a little how easily she could put on a normal face.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Am I alright? You’re the one who’s crying. Are you alright?”

“I mean…about your dad. The whole school knows and I couldn’t find you once I heard.”

Oh right. He was supposed to be concerned for his missing possibly dead father.

“People were staring and I didn’t want to deal with it.”

“Do you know anything else besides what they said on the news?”

“No, not really. I guess I’m in shock or something,” he tried to sound like he was upset but it was a struggle. He didn’t want her pity, he didn’t want to talk about this at all. She gave him a hug, one of those hugs that really matter. Where he could feel that she really cared. He hugged back not realizing just how much he’d needed this.

“He’ll be ok. He can talk himself out of any situation.” Korkie was subtly proud of himself for dropping a tiny ‘The Negotiator' nickname reference that was gaining popularity for Obi-Wan Kenobi. She released him and sat on her bed in her usual spot and he went to his. The bottom left corner he’d proclaimed as his favorite when he was 8.

“But will you be ok? You’ve been…different the last six months or so. Since he started doing a lot of Foundling stuff.”

“It just feels like I’ve lost both my parents to this war and we’re not even in it. So…I mean I’m worried that he’s missing. But that doesn’t really change things for me.”

She looked away from him, practicing her composure.

“Why,” he tried slowly, “were you crying?”

“It’s silly.”

She tried to continue her excuse but he cut her off.

“I’m sure it’s not.”

“No, it is. Because I’m crying because your dad is missing and you’re not and that’s not ok. It should be the other way around.”

She again avoided looking at him. Should he be crying? He was sure if this was more than just a story he would be. Wouldn’t he?

“I’ve been avoiding it. I’m sure it’ll hit me eventually.” he tried to reassure her and himself.

“He’s kind of like a dad to me too…I know it’s not the same I have no idea what you’re going through,” she quickly said to make sure he knew she wasn’t trying to make this about her.

“I mean…well, you see what my parents are like. Your dad would actually ask me how I was. And bothered to listen,” she finally looked at him and quickly seemed to want to forget she had said anything, “How’s Kahl. How’s your mom?”

“Mom’s doing the denial thing as usual. Kahl…” He thought back to Kahl clinging to him, “He’s not taking it well.”

Thinking about Kahl crying into his shoulder reminded him that he wasn’t actually mad at Kahl specifically but…well maybe he was a bit. Why didn’t someone make Dad wait? Why hadn’t he waited on his own? And that took him to the reason Korkie needed to see him so badly. Even when he was still angry at the entire situation, he regretted his last words. Have fun dying for the Republic. What a childish thing to say. To not realize just how serious things were back then.

Normally he would bury this. Push on with some of Mar’s training or some stupid school function where he already made sure to keep the calm, cool, collected face of a future ruler on. But Lagos was giving him her full attention. Waiting, listening, for him to tell her how he felt. And he suddenly felt very tired of hiding.

“And maybe I’m not taking it the best either.”

It was his turn to look away and he swallowed hard. She pushed herself backwards on her bed until she hit the wall and motioned for him to join her. He did and he rested his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around him.

They stayed that way for a long time, not saying much. A few tears escaped his eyes. She occasionally stroked his hair. And slowly they both slid down the wall and fell asleep with the light on.

–

Anakin seesawed between bored and annoyed. They’d been sitting in the Dac Council chamber for hours listening to the members debate who should be the new King. No one really seemed to care who’d assassinated the previous King, which Anakin thought seemed to be pretty important but it never came up. Only if the young prince Lee-Char was fit to rule.

This was another stupid question since most important decisions were made by this Council rather than the King. And if he had to pick a king it wouldn’t be a weak child. A king should be the strongest, the most capable leader. Lee-Char had made a few statements on how he would rule, but there were no specifics and he backed down easily to the will of the Council. And this was why the Republic needed Chancellor Palpatine to take control like had, and continued to do. To break through the noise of the asinine arguments and dissenters to move forward.

He’d voiced a bit of his opinions to Padme when they were on a Council break and she had looked at him like he was insane so he’d shut up on the matter and stuck to managing air supply and telling her exactly how attractive she was in her skin tight wetsuit. He contacted the pilot of the ship when they were ready to surface and relay information of the proceedings to the Jedi Council and Senate. And the report was not good.

“They are on the brink of war. It seems inevitable with Riff Tamson riling the Quarren up into thinking they’ve been mistreated lately and it will be worse under a Mon Calarmi king.” Padme reported to Mace, and Yoda.

“It is only a matter of time before the Quarren withdraw from the Republic.” Captain Ackbar agreed.

“We cannot let Mon Cala fall into Separatist hands, and we defend members of the Republic.” Master Windu assured, “We’ll dispatch Master Fisto and Padawan Tano as reinforcements if things do erupt as you suspect.”

“Didn’t the Chancellor say he didn’t want to have a military presence here until war officially broke out?” Anakin ventured. Mace did not look happy with him for bringing up a valid point and he swore he saw Padme give him a side eye as well.

“Jedi Generals and their battalions are ultimately under Jedi control. We are happy to collaborate with the Senate and go where the military Council recommends. But we do not bow to one man. Getting his approval would take too long. Master Fisto will arrive by day’s end.”

Yoda nodded in agreement.

“I’ll prepare the Guard.” Captain Ackbar added.

The other Jedi faded away and Anakin was left feeling talked down to by the Council. Again. As usual. He was sure it didn’t help that Qui-Gon had been a bit of a loose cannon when it came to following Council rules. And that he had only been trained because of Qui-Gon’s sheer force of will. The disdain the Council had about the entire situation still haunted him, it seemed.

Once Ackbar had left the room, Anakin took the opportunity to try and lift his mood.

“So back down to the boring meeting arguing over some kid? We could stay up here. I’m sure it’ll be more of the same.” Anakin suggested flirtatiously. Padme glared at him.

“You can stay up here if you want. I’ll be doing my job.”

She walked out and he was left alone, feeling even worse than he had before.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan was beginning to despise rain. It had not let up since the moment they’d arrived on the planet. It hadn’t even changed to a mist or a downpour. It was a rhythmic, even shower, as consistent as the heavy cannon fire. Their camp was a few hillsides away, but the sound still echoed off the rocky mountains and hills. Cody and Obi-Wan sat in a little outcropping they’d made into a makeshift observation point. Mostly so they could have a different view of absolutely nothing than they got back at camp.

“It’s looking good. I’d say we’ll be through by tomorrow morning.” Cody approached and sat down next to him.

“Good, I’d rather get murdered by an army of crab droids than die out here of boredom.”

But he had needed the boredom. He’d needed time for his mind to spiral out of control trying to figure out how to fix all the mistakes he’d made at home and to bring himself back to reality that it could be quite some time until he could go back.

He’d mostly sat in silence, staring out at the muddy field. He wasn’t interested in playing cards or watching podraces or catching up on stories with the 187th clones. He’d sat up here in the makeshift lookout spot but he hadn’t been alone. Cody had been his shadow almost every moment of the day. He never spoke unless it was easy, meaningless conversation. He never pried or questioned. He just sat in the silence with Obi-Wan so he wouldn’t have to be alone. And even though Cody had no idea what was going on, he didn’t seem to care. He had decided he was going to stick around no matter what. And from that comfortable and comforting silence Obi-Wan felt like their friendship had really blossomed from two men thrown together during the ravages of war to one of brotherhood.

And today was no different. They’d barely said 5 sentences all day. But Obi-Wan was no longer contemplating what to do. He’d wait for another opportunity to go home, and before that he would apologize to Anakin. While what he’d said was technically true, who could blame Anakin for being protective? He knew how much guilt the man carried from Qui-Gon’s death even though he never spoke of it because Obi-Wan would have felt the same way. He’d slowly pulled bits and pieces about Anakin’s mother out of him, and found out she was dead. And he seemed to feel responsible for that, too.

He stood by the fact that Anakin had to learn to let go, but Obi-Wan knew just how hard it could be. When to let the boys walk to school by themselves. When to let them go by themselves when teaching them how to drive a speeder bike. When to stop reading bedtime stories because you were reading them more for yourself in hopes that they would stop growing up if you kept doing it just a little longer.

“Uplink came through!” someone shouted from the camp below and around the side of the mountain. Finally a ship had passed by their sector so data could be exchanged, giving them access to the latest news or sports to keep the troops occupied during downtime.

He offered the datapad to Cody first, who waved him off. So he logged in and pulled up a few random searches. There was something about a Venator exploding in hyperspace due to carrying below the minimum requirement of hyperdrive coolant, and there was a section of the Corellian Way closed down while crews tried to map and remove the debris. The Senate was arguing about funding for Phase 3 clone armor. He was only mildly interested in this news, it was mostly a cover before he hunted Mandalore news.

And the second headline made him feel like the world around him had stopped. He didn’t hear the rain or the cannons anymore. He was frozen, reading and re-reading it. He wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

HUSBAND OF DUCHESS KRYZE OF MANDALORE MISSING.

Finally he seemed to regain some control and he selected it, reading the short paragraph about his disappearance after some trouble with a shuttle. And that was it. No picture, no quotes from anyone, no further inquiry- or at least nothing that had been written yet.

He had struggled to mend the pieces of Ben Kryze and Obi-Wan Kenobi together in the beginning, but he’d felt like he’d crossed that hurdle. He could be both. As he read this, he felt like half of the evenly balanced parts of himself crumbled. This Mandalorian self turned black due to lack of oxygen and now Obi-Wan Kenobi would suffer because of it. A war had brought Satine and him together and now it was tearing them apart. Tearing him apart.

How could she do this to him? He’d seen her do some intense things before, but he never thought she’d go to this extreme. Not with him. But she’d exiled her own 13-year-old sister. She’d pretended Mar didn’t exist for years. If she could do it to her own siblings, why not him too? Fine. She could ruin any semblance of hope he’d had that they could survive this. But she couldn’t take away the boys. She couldn’t. And yet, she had. If he was ever going to see them before the end of this war, it would have to be someplace out of Mandalorian space. Where they would be in danger by default.

He must have put the pad down at some point, because when he came back to reality on that damp mountainside, he was looking at his feet, hands in his hair. And Cody’s hand on his shoulder. Not patting or rubbing his shoulder for comfort. Not even trying to get his attention or make him talk. It was just there, steadfast and without question. And that was why he loved Cody.

-

Korkie met Mar at his ship, a nice Mandalorian Gauntlet. He was sitting at the top of the landing ramp, dressed impeccably as always, smoking something.

“Is that a death stick?”

“No, it’s ryll.” Mar blew the smoke through the side of his mouth.

“You know that stuff can kill you, right?”

“I’m very confident I’ll be gone long before this catches up with me. You’re such a conformist.” He put out the stick and put the remaining piece into a case he slipped into his pocket.

“I’m currently skipping school to go wherever we’re going.”

“Is that supposed to impress me? Let's go.”

Korkie followed him inside, happy that Mar didn’t look at him any different. He didn’t give him a mournful look for his ‘missing’ father. Then again, who knew if Mar was even capable of real empathy. When they hit hyperspace he started in on his questions.

“Where are we going? Or is that classified.”

“Vlemoth Port.”

“Never heard of it.”

“It has a settlement of Old Mandalorians who left after the Civil War. They’re not exiles, they didn’t really agree with either side. Most of them are bounty hunters.”

“Great,” Korkie said skeptically, “And we need bounty hunters, why?”

“Jango Fett wasn’t really part of the group but he definitely stopped in from time to time.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because I saw him.”

“So you’re a bounty hunter.” Korkie stated.

“I’m retired.”

“Well that makes as much sense as my Nassade theory.”

Mar snorted. “Too bad you weren’t around to give me career advice when I was your age.”

“Retired huh?”

Mar turned his full attention to Korkie, various blue lights cascading across their faces from the spiral of hyperspace ahead of them.

“Do you think I’m lying?” “It makes sense, I just don’t think you’re retired.”

“I wish I wasn’t. Then I wouldn’t be spending so much time with you.” He stood and went back to the main bay. Korkie stayed in the co-pilot’s chair but had to investigate when he heard an incredible racket. Mar was nowhere to be found, but a storage compartment was open, and the floor of the storage compartment had slid into the middle of the room.

He walked over to the hole in the bottom of the compartment and looked down to see a secret hold that could hold about two people. A side panel lay diagonally in the space, propped against the wall.

“My god, how many secret compartments within secret compartments do you have?”

“Just the two,” he heard Mar’s voice echo through the chambers. He appeared, carrying a crate, and lifted it up to Korkie. “Little help?”

Korkie took the crate and lifted it out. Mar handed him a second one, then went to work securing the hidden compartment’s hidden wall. He climbed out and dusted himself off.

“One of them is for you.”

“You got me a present? I didn’t know you cared, Uncle.” Korkie was actually starting to enjoy their weird banter. He never knew what kind of barbed retort Mar would throw his way and that kept things interesting even if he was incredibly annoying to be around.

“It won’t happen again.” Mar said simply, peeking into one of the crates, deciding it belonged to him and dragged it over to the circular table and chairs that were bolted to the floor. And then he started to undress.

“What are you doing?”

“Changing. You should, too.”

Korkie looked into his crate. A full set of Mandalorian armor shone back at him, painted an incredibly deep navy.

“Rules,” Mar said as he slipped off his undershirt and replaced it with a skintight armorweave, then the slightly roomier armored suit, “You keep your helmet on at all times. They know me, but you should guard your identity with your life. Future Dukes probably fetch a great ransom price, even if these people are probably either neutral or loyal to you. This place has more than Old Mandalorians in it. Is that clear?”

Korkie hadn’t stopped staring at the armor. Something he never thought he’d get, at least until he became Duke and could change the rules a bit on what parts of the old culture were allowed to return. He touched the front of the helmet, needing to make sure it was real.

“Do you not like it? You can always change the color.” Mar watched him.

“It’s perfect.”

“Ok, calm down, Korkie. It’s just a set of armor.” Mar reasoned.

“Where did you get it?”

“That’s my business. Don’t worry about it.”

“That sounds suspiciously like you stole it.”

“Yes, Korkie, I hunted down a set of armor in your exact size and stole it and painted it myself. Honestly.” Mar rolled his eyes and went back to changing, removing his boots and pants.

Korkie was momentarily distracted by a glint from Mar’s calf.

“Um…your leg…skin..” Korkie wasn’t exactly sure what he was seeing, It looked like Mar’s right calf was tearing off, but there was no blood.

Mar looked down and swore.

“I thought that was fixed.” he stormed off and returned with some starfighter tape, the thing that could be used to fix just about anything, and wrapped it around the part of skin that was falling off.

“You….have a mechanical leg?” Korkie puzzled.

“Yeah, above the knee,” Mar indicated with his hand where it stopped. Korkie really couldn’t tell the difference between the syntheskin and his real flesh.

“Shattered kneecap, not really worth putting back together unless I wanted a limp for the rest of my life. It was easier this way. But the godsforsaken syntheskin is a nightmare. Don’t you dare tell anyone either. One of my only joys in life is when I’m fighting someone and they try to kick my leg out only to discover it’s metal.” Mar gave a small smile that seemed mildly unsettling to Korkie.

“Right. Uh…good to know.” He looked back at his suit of armor and started to change as well, continuing to stare at it. Mar resumed his lecture.

“Try not to talk to anyone, let me handle everything. Some of the townspeople are…weird. A little trigger happy with outsiders. This is a test and if you pass, maybe you’ll be allowed to talk next time.”

Korkie was only half listening, marveling at how the armor felt. The armorweave was a little too loose, he thought but he’d probably grow into it. He looked. So. Cool.

“Go admire yourself in a mirror,” Mar rolled his eyes again, and went to the cockpit to monitor their progress but not before muttering ‘teenagers’ under his breath.

Korkie knew Mar was making fun of him but he didn’t care, he dragged the crate into the sleeping quarters and admired each new piece he put on. Mom would have a heart attack if she knew he had a set of armor. And, he discovered at the bottom of the crate, his very own blaster. He slid it into its holster and put the helmet on. Somehow, he felt that this was how he was meant to look. Meant to feel.

“If you’re done preening, we’re out of hyperspace.” Mar poked his head in and seemed to stare for a second too long. Like the armor meant more to him than it did to Korkie. “Helmet stays on. No talking. Got it?”

“Yeah yeah.” Korkie had absolutely no desire to take any of the armor off. It was heavier than he expected, so he’d have to wear it a lot to get used to it, right? Right. It was a good excuse.

They touched down on the outskirts of what Korkie would deem a village rather than a town. He stayed just behind Mar, who carried his helmet with him under his arm. It felt strange to walk behind someone else. The only other person he’d ever had to stay behind was his mother and he was not used to playing duckling for any reason.

He tried to face forward as much as possible, but it was hard to not get distracted by people walking around in armor like they were their regular clothes, kids sparring with nearly harmless vibroblades or playing some version of get’shuk that involved a lot more wrestling and laughing and a lot less punching. They passed a building labeled armory that was billowing smoke. If Mar hadn’t stolen this armor, maybe he’d had it forged there.

And then he saw two blonde girls around his age, stripped down to armorweave, squaring off, One with a lance, the other with two daggers. They were both sweating, one had her hair in a ponytail like Lagos sported most of the time and the other in some kind of complex braid that ended halfway down her back. He couldn’t help it, he stopped and stared. He’d thought he’d somehow become immune to girls because of everything else he was dealing with, but he was definitely not immune to girls.

They seemed to notice and stopped their dance to look at him. One said something to the other and laughed. He raised a hand in greeting and plastered a friendly smirk on his face. They both looked a bit perplexed, awkwardly waved back, then seemed to laugh at their own private joke. Of course he then realized they couldn’t see his face and he must look like an absolute creep.

“Focus, Korkie.” Mar had seemed to notice he was missing and come back for him, shoving him along now.

“I hope you have better game than that or you’re never getting laid.”

Korkie very suddenly hated that Mar had anything to say about him when it related to girls. He wasn’t sure why he was embarrassed but he very much was.

They went into the largest building in town, which also happened to be the bar. How very classic Mandalorian of them. The place hummed with activity, and again Korkie tried to look professional and keep his eyes forward.

“Su cuy’gar!” a voice said from one of the booths to the side and Mar upturned one corner of his mouth.

“Hello, Nam. I’m surprised you are alive as well.”

The hulk of a man wore red armor on his shoulders, forearms and the top of his chest, and legs but for some reason didn’t feel the need to wear anything else. His chiseled abs were out on full display and Korkie wondered just who Nam was trying to impress. If it was Korkie, it was working. He regretted all the time he hadn’t been spending in the gym.

“I heard you were looking for me. I thought you were retired.”

“I am. I’m looking for information.” Mar slid into the booth on the opposite side and placed his helmet on the table. Korkie slid in after him.

“What kind?”

“You knew Jango, right? Fairly well?”

“Yes. Nu kyr’adyc, shi taab’echaaj’la.”

Korkie recognized this saying ‘Not gone, merely marching far away’ from the Memorial Shrine in Peace Park.

“Do you know anything about the Jedi that killed him?”

“What, are you going to avenge a man you barely knew? You’d need a lot more than you two to take out Mace Windu.”

“Was he the Jedi who Jango met to do the clone business? I wondered if Windu killed him to keep him quiet.”

“No, it was a different Jedi. I don’t remember the name though. That was years ago. But he did leave a logbook with me. I think he was worried this whole Kamino business could go sideways. But what did he expect, trusting a Jedi?”

“The money was probably too good.” Mar mused.

“What do you plan to do with this Jedi if I give you the name, anyway?”

Mar shrugged like it was obvious. “Kill him, of course. Using one of ours to create a super army, then murdering him after he’d outlived his usefulness? It’s like they’re trying to remind us of our place after we lost the war against them. Got half a mind to go to Kamino and steal whatever genetic data they have left.”

“You really have a vendetta, man. You need to let it go.” Nam sighed, shaking his head at Mar. “It’s worth coming out of retirement for. Even if I didn’t know Jango very well.”

“I know, I know. The only good Jedi is a dead Jedi.” Nam seemed exasperated, assessing Mar’s hard look as if he was a little disappointed.

“Fine, I’ll give you the logbook. But after this, no more. Either you’re in the business or you’re out.”

“Deal.”

“I’ll be right back. Please don’t start a fight.”

Korkie had grown steadily more panicked the longer this conversation went on. He knew no Mandalorian was a friend of the Jedi, but Mar seemed to outright hate them. His previous suspicion of Mar being after the Wren family records to expose Ben as a Jedi had been wrong, but he was now very very afraid he would somehow pick up the scent. Would he try to kill Dad? Had he really killed a Jedi before?

Mar looked over to him, like he wished to say something. He had the smallest look of…sadness? In his eyes. But he quickly looked away, staring ahead as they waited for Nam the Uber Muscled to return.

A woman climbed into the booth behind them and leaned over to whisper in Mar’s ear.

Of course. Could this get any worse? Why was he even here? Was the armor worth meeting every one of Mar’s scumball friends?

“I missed you.” is what the woman who seemed mildly alien, but from a species Korkie couldn’t place, said to Mar.

“I told you I’m not like that anymore.” Mar only half turned to look at her.

“Oh I’m sure I have something for you. It’s been a long time, after all.”

“Fine.” Mar said almost immediately, as if he didn’t need any encouragement, and stood up in the booth, hoping over the back to follow this admittedly very hot woman out of the bar.

“Get the logbook from Nam, kid. And…say something nice about his abs. He’ll love that. Meet you back at the ship”

Great. He was left to do the actual important work while Mar…ugh he didn’t want to think about it. At least Murderous Mar was away from him for a while. Maybe he needed to bail on this whole endeavor.

“Hey, where’d Mar go?” Nam had returned quickly with a small datapad folded in a leather case.

“Some girl,” he replied simply. Mar had told him to talk as little as possible and he didn’t want to upset him. Nam seemed incredibly annoyed with that answer and handed him the logbook with a rather ominous warning.

“Yeah, sounds like him. Hey, whoever you are, be careful. Mar is…he’ll do what he has to do to get what he wants. Don’t get in his way.”

“Right. Thanks.”

Think of a compliment…

“You must…get all the girls around here with abs like that.” he said lamely. He had no idea what else to say, but Nam took the compliment like it was the first time anyone had ever mentioned it,

“Thanks! My secret is this supplement I take, I could sell you some if you want,” he clapped Korkie’s shoulder and he stumbled from the force.

“No, thank you. I’m good.”

“Alright well if you change your mind, Nam Beroya’s the name.”

“Thank you.” Korkie said again, very excited to leave this place. On his way back to the ship, he looked for the sparring girls but they were nowhere to be seen. Then he spotted Mar and that woman in an alleyway with hands in places and mouths locked together. Korkie gagged and was happy he was wearing the helmet. He hurried to the ship, as if he was somehow going to glance those two AGAIN along the way and waited in the common area, contemplating all that he’d learned.

Chapter Text

Things had not gone well. The Quarren had left negotiations and then attacked the city. With Separatist forces which somehow managed to make their way onto the planet without detection so they could hit hard without warning.

Padme had been in firefights enough times that it didn’t bother her too much anymore, but an underwater fight when her helmet could crack and she could drown? And be outswam by almost everyone in this city? She tried to keep her anxiety and mild panic tamped down. Master Fisto had arrived just in time with his signature smile, reinforcements, and Ahsoka. It was always nice to see her, Padme felt reassured by her presence at Anakin’s side. That if he did anything rash he’d have backup. Or better yet Ahsoka could stop him from doing it in the first place. And when they’d needed more reinforcements the Gungans had so generously agreed to help their fellow Republic water dwellers and sent as many as they could. Anakin had destroyed the sonar tower and droids and ships and…well it had all been very heroic seeing him in action make her want him even more. Because, yes, she somehow found time to admire him in between trying not to get shot.

But now everyone had been captured and this battle had gone from a fight to terms of surrender. Once the Prince was found, it was over.

But until he was found, she had to watch Anakin be interrogated and tortured with electric eels by Riff Tamson. She was sure this wasn’t a first for Anakin. He lived with danger and violence every day on the front lines. But to watch? To be right there and not be able to help him after all he’d been through in his childhood, losing his mother, losing his hand. If she’d known where the prince was she would have told Riff to save Anakin and Master Fisto the torment.

But soon it was her turn. Riff returned, angrier than ever that he still did not have the prince in his clutches and changed tactics. He bit at her helmet, his enormous shark-like mouth almost fully engulfing the dome, and shook her violently, causing a crack in the transparisteel. She strained against her bonds to cover the crack with a hand but she couldn’t break free. Slowly water seeped in and he laughed at her terror. She tried to keep calm, but no one was coming to save them. They were on their own. And she was startled to realize that while she was panicking for her own life, she was also afraid of what this would do to Anakin. His need to save her, and the lasting effects if he couldn’t.

“Time is of the essence, Jedi, tell me where the Prince is.”

Anakin and Kit did not respond. The seconds felt like minutes, hours, as she waited for the water to rise to her mouth, trying to bend as far backwards as she could to keep the water away with gravity.

“I’m beginning to think you’re telling the truth and know nothing about the Prince’s whereabouts.” Riff swam around Anakin and Fisto as if he was out for an evening stroll.

She heard the message from one of the commanding droids that the prince had been captured but she was too overcome with her own predicament to listen anymore. She thought of her parents never truly knowing how deeply she’d felt for the boy she introduced them to over a year ago and all the lies she’d told them since. That she’d never see her nieces again. All her work in the Senate…she took one last large breath and tried to focus on Anakin. To say with her eyes how much she loved him. But once Tamson was out of the room, the two Jedi formed an air bubble using the Force to push the water back through the crack.

She took gasping breaths, grateful the suit was still working even if it required Jedi assistance.

“Ani, mesa have an idea!”

She’d almost forgotten Jar-Jar was even here.

“Not now Jar-Jar, we need to focus on the air for Padme.”

The eels attacked once again and both Jedi lost their concentration. The water started to slowly seep again, torturously slow.

And then Jar-Jar spit on her. Well. Her helmet. And the water stopped.

“Padme!” Anakin shouted, “I’m sorry I couldn’t.” “Uhh, I’m here. Everything’s fine. Jar-Jar…” She wasn’t sure how she could explain something she didn’t understand and looked to the Gungan.

“Yesa. Gungan waterproofing. Isa why we swim so good.” Jar Jar said triumphantly.

“Thanks, Jar-Jar” she said gratefully. She knew he couldn’t have done it earlier with Riff swimming around but she really wished he had. She would not be going diving anytime soon. Maybe ever again.

-

Obi-Wan was happy to hear Admiral Block calling right on time. Despite everything going wrong in his personal life, his professional one was just about perfect. The cannons had broken through the factory’s defenses within the expected timeline and the two platoons followed the plan flawlessly. They’d only lost 8 men. He’d had the opportunity to take out a little rage on the Crab droids, who were quite naive as to how to handle a Jedi in battle. Or how to handle Cody, who’d taken great joy in jumping on their backs and shooting down into their main power sources. The heavy cannon division from the 187th insisted on giving the factory a spectacle of a sendoff, so they’d placed charges then bombarded the place, now that the ray shielding ws down, and everyone cheered at the chain reactions the artillery fire caused. The worst firework display ever, but by far the coolest explosion Obi-Wan had ever seen, peppered with the sound of the rain. Sadly there were no supplies for a 501st style party but they made do. And now Block was on time to pick them up.

He hoped he could leave his conflicting emotions and sense of indecision behind. Leave behind the place where he’d written his goodbyes to Korkie and Kahl. Just in case. His near death experience with Ventress and being declared MIA by the Mandalorian government had made him realize he might not have a chance to say all the things he wanted to to them. At least writing it was easier than recording. He wasn’t sure he could make it through one. This place weighed heavy on his heart, but he seemed to be making a habit of wanting to forget everything that had happened on a planet and start anew. Refresh to when he’d first arrived at Christophsis and had no idea what he was doing, but had his convictions. When he was sure it was worth it. “What’s on the menu today, Admiral?”

“Well, the rest of the Legion is still on Haruun Kal. From the transmissions I hear, it sounds like a bloodbath. I’m sure they’d appreciate the help, but we also have a distress call coming from Kamino, requesting Jedi assistance as well. It seems General Grievous's fleet appeared just outside of atmosphere with almost no warning. 501st is already there to get newly issued armor and pick up a few new squads. And of course the men in training are stationed there. But not much else.”

Block looked concerned about both developing situations, but he didn’t give his opinion. Obi-Wan looked to Cody.

“What do you want to do?”

Cody did not take the decision lightly.

“As much as I want to help the Legion I belong to, we should protect Kamino. It’s my home, and home to all my younger siblings not ready for battle. This one is personal.”

“I concur. Admiral?”

“I’ll tell the navigation team and get the battery gunners ready.”

-

It felt like an eternity but it was probably only 10 minutes before Mar returned to the ship.

“You got the book?” Mar asked. He looked at Korkie and his eyes didn’t seem quite right. Korkie finally took off the helmet, assuming it was safe, and tried to get another look but Mar had turned his back, busying himself with picking up the clothes he had discarded to change into his armor. A task that seemed much more difficult than it should.

“Are you ok?”

“Yep. Perfect.”

Korkie narrowed his eyes at his tone. Mar hadn’t insulted him and the hint of boredom his voice always carried wasn’t there.

“Are you fucking high?”

“Calm down, Korkie it’s just a contact high, I’m still here. I have-” he checked the chrono on his gauntlet, “8 more minutes.”

Mar didn’t attempt to hide it anymore and turned to face Korkie. He looked relaxed. Maybe even happy.

“For stars’ sake, how am I more responsible than you?”

“What are you, a cop?” Mar sassed.

“No! I’m not!” Korkie stood up, and pointed at him. “You are, you idiot!”

“Gods, I didn’t know you were such a buzzkill. Not all of us are as perfect as you, Korkie.”

“You were born with just as much privilege as me, don’t act like you had it so hard.”

This seemed to strike a nerve. Mar tensed again, back into his old self but still slightly untethered to reality.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Everyone always says that, but how am I supposed to understand when nobody talks?”

“Fine, you wanna talk about it?” Mar spread his arms out in a gesture of defeat, a slightly wild look still in his eye. “Imagine watching people murder your parents when you’re fourteen. Imagine running from people who want to kill you. Imagine trying to protect your little sister but you’re fucking fourteen against adults with blasters. And now you’re a political prisoner they’re trying to convert to their side so they can use you as a puppet if they succeed in killing your older sister. But she’ll come for you right? She’ll help you.” he set his jaw and Korkie thought he might have a shimmer of tears just starting to form, but that could have been whatever Mar was on. His tone grew darker.

“But I’ve got news for you Korkie, she’s not coming. She has a strict no negotiating with terrorists policy, even for family. You’re on your own.” he closed his eyes, as if he was realizing he was saying too much. But he continued.

“And if you survive it, be sure to pretend it didn’t fuck you up. Don’t disappoint her or she’ll pretend like you don’t exist. She likes to erase people who are inconvenient for her image. Like Jango. Like my sister. Like your dad.” He met Korkie’s eyes and he had no doubt that Mar knew. He definitely knew. And he also now knew Mar’s stance on Jedi. Korkie felt a wave of fear move through him.

“That’s why no one wants to go to war, Kork. Because we’re all still fucked up from the last one. We all just have different coping mechanisms.”

He checked his wrist again.

“Time’s up. You ruined my high.” he seemed to almost growl, then said a few curses, more to himself, and headed to the bathroom. Korkie would hear him gargling then spitting, probably mouthwash.

Korkie sat back down, and stared into his new helmet. Nobody ever talked about it. Nobody ever really wrote about it. Obviously, he knew it had been horrible. People still left flowers at the Memorial Shrine, people still broke down and cried. And maybe this armor wasn’t as exciting as it had felt this morning. Maybe Lagos’s alcoholic father and Soniee’s eagle-eyed smothering parents deserved a little more sympathy.

This small little insight into the war, into his uncle and into his mother made everything make more sense. And he wanted to know more. His mother’s strategy might be to pretend everything was fine, but he knew you couldn’t fix something if you didn’t understand it first. If he was going to lead his people one day, he needed to know how they were hurt so he could heal them. He stood and went to the doorframe of the bathroom. Mar had both hands on the sink, head hung low. He looked so incredibly defeated, Korkie tried to back out. Clearly he needed more time, and now he felt guilty about pushing him. But Mar had heard him, of course, and set his shoulders, ran a hand through his hair and the uncle he knew returned in a second.

“You never said if you got the logbook.”

“Yes, I got it.”

“Did you compliment Nam?”

“Yeah, he tried to sell me vitamins or some shit.”

“If you ever end up buying it off him to make him happy, don’t ever take it. It’ll fuck you up forever.” Mar turned around, that stupid all knowing smirk on his face.

“Oh, the irony.” Korkie rolled his eyes. “Hey, uh-” he wanted to say something, before the moment passed and they never spoke of this again, “Thank you. For telling me. You’re right, I don’t understand. But I want to.”

Mar looked uncomfortable for a millisecond, then deflected as usual.

“Well, hopefully you’ve learned the lesson that you should definitely have drugs on you. Not for yourself, but to get someone talking. Let's get in the air, then we can take a look at that book.”

“Why did you even talk to that woman anyway? Just for drugs?”

“I don’t like your insinuation that I have a problem,” he brushed past Korkie and headed to the cockpit to warm the engines, “It was an accident. She's a spice runner, so she just naturally has trace amounts on her skin sometimes.”

“Gross.”

“You’re just jealous because I didn’t let you talk to those girls. You wanted to do the same thing I was doing.”

Korkie didn’t reply because Mar was partially right. Maybe he wanted to make out with one of them but he definitely never wanted to be found with his hands up a girl’s shirt in an alley. He had standards for himself.

“I figured she’d know who was smuggling things for the black market around Mandalore. And she gave me a name so it was worth it.”

“What’s the name?”

Mar narrowed his eyes.

“Mar?”

“Shut up, I’m thinking. Holden? Hawkins? Shit. And this is why I switched to ryll. I remember he has a Corona class ship. You know the saucer looking ones. Pretty uncommon.”

“Hopefully you’ve learned the lesson not to do drugs on a mission.” Korkie teased sarcastically. Mar looked like he was proud of him but he didn’t break eye contact, so Korkie did.

“You’re freaking me out, what’s your problem?”

“One more thing, then free personal information time is over. Hopefully forever. I know your dad’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’ve known who he was since the Civil War ended. And while it’s been entertaining to watch you squirm trying to hide your little secret, it isn’t funny anymore. Given the circumstances. And as much as I hate him I don’t want to kill him. So. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”

“You knew this whole fucking time and said nothing!? And you weren’t ever after him? What about a good Jedi is a dead Jedi?!” Korkie practically yelled even though he felt so relieved. One less secret to carry, but of course Mar knew. He always knew everything yet here Korkie was, surprised again.

“I used to believe that. Not anymore. And from my perspective, it was very funny.” his uncle shrugged. “I was hoping you’d get so desperate for information one day you’d come clean and I could dismiss it as old news again. It was so satisfying the first time.”

“You’re sick in the head,” Korkie said.

“Only being honest. And…I’m sure you can talk to your brother about what you’re going through but I’m here, too. I’ll listen. And try very, very hard not to make sarcastic comments.”

Korkie quirked an eyebrow, but Mar looked like he was being serious. More than one incident proving Mar had feelings in a day? Maybe the universe was collapsing into a supermassive black hole.

“Any insight into why my mom just cuts people out when she doesn’t like them or whatever you said before?”

“Oh that’s easy, she learned it from our mother.”

Korkie waited expectantly.

“Absolutely not.”

“Fine.” Korkie slumped in his seat. Mar picked up the logbook and started scrolling through. They sat in silence for a long time.

“Do you think Dad will make it?” Korkie asked quietly. Mar stopped scrolling and lifted his eyes to look out the cockpit window.

“I don’t know, Korkie,” he said seriously, and went back to reading. Korkie wished he had lied to him.

Chapter Text

Kahl had made some progress on his meditation skills, but he was always paranoid that someone would walk in, even when he had the door locked. Like they would somehow know just by walking by his door. And there was always someone to worry about. His mother and brother kept weird hours, cooking and cleaning staff generally entered on a schedule but they were the prime hours he was almost sure his family wouldn’t be home. He’d given up on finding focus until he discovered a place where he was sure he’d never be caught. Instead he worked on moving objects with the Force. He usually practiced in his closet, again because of the paranoia.

There had been some success, a cup swaying back and forth, a tiny model starship shaking vigorously, desperately wanting to fly but never making it off the ground. Until he’d heard a noise in the common room and jumped, somehow shooting the toy straight into the ceiling where it still remained embedded. At least that proved he could do it.

School was definitely not helping him find equilibrium, everyone stared at him when he wasn’t looking. The rest of the cu’bikad team who he’d finally befriended acted as if they’d been his best friends forever and would do anything to make him feel better. Even near strangers gave him their sympathy and asked if he needed anything. People really were attracted to tragedy, asking him questions to try and get a little closer to the story. If Rugor hadn’t helped him develop his mental shield he wasn’t sure he would have survived. If Rugor was here…he tried not to think about what-ifs. Jedi weren’t supposed to think of these things.

The only what-if he allowed himself was what if he could get away from everyone and be a hermit so he could actually learn to control more than just his shield.

–

Padme, Master Fisto, Jar-Jar and himself were taken to the prince’s execution, but the Quarren had decided they’d had enough of this Separatist plot that would not actually leave them in charge of their own planet after all. They had protected Lee-Car and armed the Gungan and Mon Calarmi prisoners to help with the Prince’s escape. Lee-Char defeated Tamson himself and was crowned King soon after. He’d proven himself to his people- Mon Calarmi and Quarren alike- and to Anakin as well.

Anakin was pretty sure Ahsoka had had something to do with inspiring some confidence in the young ruler, she’d spent plenty of time with him over the last few days and Lee-Char had given her a long and tight hug before they departed. Anakin wondered if the King would have gone in for a kiss if Ahsoka hadn’t been wearing an oxygen helmet. He’d teased her about it, but she’d only rolled her eyes and volunteered to ride back with Master Kit. She’d said he was going to teach her some advanced moves for her reverse grip fighting style, and Anakin wondered if she knew just how much he wanted to be alone with Padme. He didn’t really care though, she kept her mouth shut and he got what he wanted without having to make some kind of intricate plan.

“So,” he smirked, putting his arms around her from behind as she stared out one of the side windows, watching the hyperspace lines dance, “obviously we can’t have a nice dinner and a movie night again, but we could have ration bars and a movie?”

She didn’t push him away, but she didn’t melt into him like she usually did. She felt tense.

“How can you think about that right now?” she whispered.

“What do you mean? Everything worked out in the end.”

“I MEAN people died. And it was horrible. I’ve been in firefights before, but…the blood in the water, Anakin. They way it turned black after a while…the bodies floating…” She turned to look up at him and he could tell she’d been crying. He wasn’t sure if she was still holding back the initial floodgates or if this was the second round. He didn’t know what to say, so he hugged her close and she clung to him, seeming to find some comfort in that.

In truth, he hadn’t really thought about it. It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed that War had come up with a new way to be gruesome. It was the fact that he’d been exposed to so many new terrors over the last year, nothing really surprised him anymore. And before the Jedi, violence had been so common in his life that he saw it as a fact of life. An eventuality. He’d seen people do horrible things to one another as a child and the Temple had only been a temporary reprieve from reality until he went on missions with Qui-Gon and saw it again in many new forms.

He knew how to live in the here and now, as long as the few people he cared about were safe, fuck the galaxy. He continued fighting this war because Padme was a Republic Senator. And if the Separatists won, who knows what could happen to her. And sure, his Jedi duty, but she came first.

“I’m sorry you were there for everything. If I could have gotten you to a ship on the surface I would have.”

“No! You know I would have refused to leave. That’s not what I’m saying,” She pulled back from him, her face still a little wet from the tears, and put her hands on his upper arms. He did the same. “What I’m saying is…that was the first time I truly felt in danger this whole war. And I’m going to carry it with me for a while. But this happens to you every day. And you never talk about it. And I’m worried that you don’t talk about it to me. You can’t keep that bottled up.” She stroked his cheek, as if expecting him to break down.

But he didn’t want to talk about it. The times he thought he was going to lose Ahsoka, the occasional nightmares, those were on one side of the wall he’d built between his two lives. Padme and their marriage and his happiness lived on one side. And everything else was on the other.

“I don’t need to talk about it. There’s nothing to talk about.”

This didn’t seem to put her at ease, her look of concern only deepened.

“I know you’re strong, Anakin. I’ve seen it before, I saw it today and yesterday and the day before. It’s ok to be weak sometimes. With the people who care about you.”

She looked like she wanted him to say he missed his mom or he was afraid Ahsoka would die like Qui-Gon had, with him watching helplessly from the sidelines.

“Can’t we just have a nice trip? We don’t get opportunities like this often. We could talk about how Ahsoka told me her and the Prince went into the prison camp on purpose with no way out. Or Jar-Jar’s disturbing spit power.”

He hoped she’d drop the subject. He hoped she’d talk about whatever was still bothering her about the Mon Cala battle to Dorme or Sabe or someone. Or they could talk about it over holocom when they were apart. But not now when they were together.

She seemed to realize she was getting nowhere and tried to give him a little smile, even if it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Jar-Jar’s spit is an interesting development, I don’t know when that will ever be useful again.”

“Slip and slide competition maybe.” He smirked, pulling her back into the easiness of their relationship. She let out a small laugh that didn’t sound quite right from the tightness in her throat.

“Like I said, probably never useful again.”

“Come on, that sounds like a great cultural exchange kind of game you could invent. Start a Nubian tradition.”

“You come up with the strangest things.” She shook her head sarcastically.

“Qui-Gon used to tell me that all the time, but I'm not sure it was always a compliment. Now about the ration packs, this ship has some of the more high quality ones and recently they overproduced one of the worst flavors known to man and every battalion keeps shipping it around trying to get rid of it. And in short, I’m going to need to steal as many rations from this ship as possible.”

He smiled. She smiled. And they were them again.

–

Block exited hyperspace far enough away from the space battle that they had no trouble getting the gunships down to Tipoca City.

“General Kenobi, nice of you to drop by,” Master Shaak Ti greeted, sounding only slightly stressed considering.

“General Grievous is in the west quadrant of the city, but we also have some Tridents attacking from the south. A Sith has been reported but not officially confirmed. My team is guarding the genetics vault, so take your pick.”

The only active Sith was Dooku or Ventress and Kenobi was sure Dooku wouldn’t endanger himself on a longshot of an attack like this. And he wasn’t sure he was ready to face Ventress again.

“I’ll deal with Grievous, we’re due for a rematch. I do have bad news, there are only 64 clones with me. Not much of a cavalry to save the day. But we’ll do our best.”

“Keep me updated.” she signed off.

“Trapper?”

“West side, yes sir.” he confirmed and they set down on one of the landing pads, charging out to make room for the next transport.

Almost immediately they found a firefight, some shinies who were holding back a line of super battle droids. His troops started to assist while he crouched down next to a clone who was reloading.

“Have you seen Grievous?”

“Went to the right about 6 minutes ago. No idea after that, most squads aren’t talking.”

“Thank you, trooper.”

He always felt a little bad when he didn’t know their names, but it was possible this one didn’t have a nickname yet. He ignited his saber and entered the fray, focusing on keeping his center and anticipating blaster bolts as he dodged, weaved and sliced his way down the hallway towards the junction.

“Hey, save some for us!” he heard Cody shout. He smirked.

At the junction, no droids were coming from the right so he broke away from the battle, deflecting the few bolts shot after him and tried to guess what Grievous would be after. He didn't have much time to come up with ideas because he heard blaster fire and screams down a corridor. Sounded like Grievous’s work.

He followed the sounds and saw some young cadets running away from something. He slid into the intersection, drew his saber back and placed his other arm straight forward into his defensive stance.

“Hello there.”

Grievous pulled one of his sabers out of the last clone in his squad and turned.

“Kenobi.”

“We really have to stop meeting like this. You’re always doing something that makes me like you less and less.”

“I heard from the Sith assassin that you’re slipping. This should be easy.”

Wow, word really got around fast. Grievous began his dual bladed attack and Obi-Wan answered, ready to prove that he had bested Grievous before and he could do it again.

-

Korkie had done some thinking and he did not like a great many things about his trip to Vlemoth Port. But he couldn’t do anything about a lot of the things on that list, so he tried to focus on what he could control. Mar had spoken about Korkie’s mother with equal parts understanding and hatred. He didn’t know if what Mar had said was true, but he did know something was very very wrong with their sibling relationship. And Korkie had honestly forgotten that he had an aunt. He’d seen maybe two or three pictures of Bo-Katan in his entire life and they were all from when they were all small children.

He never, ever wanted that to be him and Kahl. He couldn’t imagine just pretending his brother didn’t exist. Or whatever Mar and Satine’s relationship was. They seemed to pretend the other didn’t exist, or when they did speak like it was some kind of official political meeting. Casual acquaintances.

He and Kahl didn’t really have a lot in common but he was going to keep that weirdo close to him, whatever it took. He’d already planned on taking Kahl to Krownest over school break to make up for missing the celebration after Creed Day, but now he was more determined to make it the best vacation possible. And if he was honest he needed it, too. He was most definitely going to get kicked off the team, he had been to practices and games so sporadically he was amazed Coach had put up with it this long. He was holding on to his grades, but just barely. Only a few more months and he’d be free. Well. Not free. He already had a place at University he was sure, but he wasn’t so sure he would go.

“Kahl?” Korkie knocked on Kahl’s door and he swore he heard something being dropped or thrown.

“Come in.” Korkie heard, Kahl’s voice sounding none too confident.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing. Why?” Kahl said way too quickly.

“You’re being mad suspicious.” Korkie narrowed his eyes.

“And you’re being mad paranoid. What do you want?”

Maybe hanging out with Mar was starting to get to him…

“I wanted to ask if you had plans over break. I thought we could go to Krownest. I told you I’d make it up to you that I missed Creed night, and hopefully it’ll double as a present to get away from here.”

“No I don’t- I’d love to go. Snowboarding sounds fun,” Kahl stumbled then recovered. “Are we going to stay with Aunt Ursa?”

“She said yes, as long as we don’t wake Sabine up from any naps. Then she’ll kill us. Of course.” Korkie smirked and Kahl returned it.

“Sounds like fun.”

“Good. Let’s go tomorrow morning.”

“Does Mom know?” Kahl questioned.

“You think she’ll even notice? She hasn’t been home in like three days and she won’t tell me what’s going on. I’m like banished from her office and council meetings suddenly. It’s banthashit. Tomorrow.” He pointed to Kahl in an authoritative tone and shut the door as he left.

Chapter Text

Kahl was excited for this random trip Korkie had sprung on him. Of course he’d scared the living daylights out of him when he’d knocked, since Kahl was practicing telekinesis, but he thought he’d done a pretty good job at playing it cool when his brother entered.

They hadn’t been to Krownest together in a few years. He loved it there. Sure, the tourists were at all the ski resorts but the Wren stronghold was secluded. Quiet. He’d loved walking the trails because you rarely met another person, and when you did they didn’t want to talk. They wanted to enjoy the peacefulness of the forest just as much as he did.

His entire plan for break was to hope Korkie was off with his friends and Mom stayed at her office so he could finally concentrate properly. But if he could get away from Korkie for even half a day, the woods would be even better.

The greeting they received was exactly as expected, Alrich pulled them both into big hugs saying how sorry he was about their dad and he was sure everything was fine because Ben could handle himself. Poor guy, he was the only one not clued into the family secret now. Ursa held Sabine, slightly detached from Alrich’s fussing over them, and gave them a respective nod. Kahl tried to act mournful and Korkie put on a tough act.

“Cookie.” “Close, baby. Korkie.” Ursa repeated.

“Cookie.” Sabine repeated with what Kahl considered to be an adorable emphasis on ‘Coo’.

“Well, we’ll work on it.” Usra relented. Korkie didn’t seem to care, he was somehow best friends with Sabine when she’d known him for .5 seconds. It was Kahl’s turn to hang back now. Children had always scared him, their unpredictable emotions were an ever spinning roulette wheel. And now that he was actively closing off everyone’s feelings, he understood how they acted even less.

“Can you say Kahl?” Korkie asked, having taken possession of her at some point.

“Kahl.” Sabine repeated perfectly.

“She likes me more.” Kahl teased.

“Um, I have an endearing nickname already, I’m clearly the favorite.” Korkie retorted.

“Ok, you can fight over the affection of a toddler later. You better start practicing.” Ursa took Sabine back, who seemed mildly offended to be separated from her new best friend.

“Practicing?” Kahl asked, “We know how to snowboard.”

A sly grin slowly developed on Korkie’s face.

“We’re not snowboarding. We’re gonna…what do you call it?” he asked Ursa.

“I don’t know. Ice skating. Ice sliding.”

“It’s gonna be awesome, just trust me.” Korkie said, excitedly.

Kahl had listened to Korkie’s instructions on how to use the super-slick boots with rough surfaces on the tip of the toe and the back of the heel, but he wasn’t so sure about this now that he was standing at the top of the practice hill.

“It’s just like snowboarding, but your feet are free. You’ll be fine.”

Kahl adjusted his helmet strap and took a deep breath, then stepped onto the slope, immediately picking up speed on the smooth ice. It was a lot like snowboarding but it was a bit more of a rush. He reached the bottom of the hill and saw Ursa, Alrich and Sabine had come out to watch. Alrich was cheering him on, Ursa as stoic as ever, and Sabine was interested in her mother’s jacket.

He put out his toe like Korkie had instructed him to slow down when he reached the flat ice at the bottom and stopped short, leaving the ground and doing a full flip from the sudden stopping force.

Ursa burst out laughing barely able to contain herself, almost as if she’d been waiting for it. Alrich clapped, giving him an encouraging ‘you’ll get it next time’ shout.

Kahl lay on the ice, wallowing slightly, and saw Korkie come down the hill and put his leg back into a crouch to use the toe stopper, maintaining his balance, coming to a stop easily.

“Did he do it?” Korkie immediately asked Ursa, who was still laughing. All she could do was nod in response. Korkie smiled.

“You intentionally told me to do it wrong?” Kahl growled, sitting up, trying to figure out exactly how to stand without skidding all over the place.

“It’s a rite of passage. Dad did it to me too, if it makes you feel better. And Ursa cackled exactly like that. You think I was gonna be the only one in this family humiliated the first time I tried ice sliding?”

Kahl glared at him and finally got back to his feet with very little dignity left.

“Again?” Korkie asked, still puffed up from his prank.

“Only if I get the chance to shove you off the course into a tree this time.”

“You can try. If you can catch me.”

Korkie had always been competitive and unfortunately it was rubbing off on him as well.

-

When Anakin and Padme touched down at the Senate on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine was waiting for them. Anakin attempted to look as disinterested in Padme as possible while the Chancellor asked her how she was. These pleasantries were quite short, as it turned out Palpatine was there for him. There was an important situation that required his expertise. Anakin stood a little taller at someone acknowledging his skills, but tried not to look it. At least not too much.

When they were alone, walking back to his office, the Chancellor seemed to deflate a little. Anakin had always felt special that his friend felt as if he didn’t need to keep up appearances around him, especially now that he was older.

“I am truly happy that Master Fisto’s fleet was there to assist you when it was, my boy, but it was also against the better judgment of the military council to have anyone that close to the situation. If the Quarren hadn’t decided to go to war when they did, a Republic cruiser in their space surely would have sent them over the edge.”

“I did bring that up in the conversation with the Council.” Anakin agreed. “They weren’t really interested in my opinion.”

“Such a shame,” Palpatine put a hand on his shoulder, “They should learn to trust you. You seem to understand military strategy more than the 4 Masters on the Council who handle troop movements. Sometimes they work directly against what the Generals’ strategy is.”

“There should be one person who knows where everything is, it’s too complicated with two different Councils.”

“My thoughts exactly. Which is what makes the job I have for you all the more important.”

They entered his office full of deep reds and blacks, and Palpatine went straight to his desk, pulling up a map of a building.

“Master Piell and Admiral Tarkin were captured by the Separatists on their way back from a secret mission to obtain coordinates for the Nexus Route. They are being held here, in the Citadel. Have you heard of it?”

Anakin had. A prison originally built to hold rogue Jedi, now in the hands of the Separatists.

“Yes, but no one has ever broken out before. Or broken in, as far as I know.”

“That is correct, and why someone with your level of skill is needed. I also suggest that Master Koth goes with you and your padawan. Plus a few elite squads from your battalion of course.”

“The Nexus Route is that important? To hold the prisoners in the Citadel until they get the information they want?”

“Yes. And one prisoner is doubly important to me. You were saying there are too many Admirals and Masters and Generals making decisions on troop movements. I've already set a plan in motion to limit these decisions to a council of three. Two Admirals, or Grand Admirals so there is a distinction in rank, and myself. And one of the Admirals I have chosen for this position is Tarkin. He is also held captive in the Citadel, with his Jedi General. He is the only Admiral I want to entrust these high level decisions to. Please bring him back safely, Anakin.” The old man had a pleading look in his eye.

“There are so many who would take advantage of the position. Weeding out who serves other masters besides winning this war takes a great toll on me.”

Anakin was more than happy to help take some of the burden off of the most powerful man in the galaxy. And being one of the only people to break into and out of the Citadel wasn’t a bad reward either.

“Of course, Chancellor. You can count on us to get the job done. I’ll meet up with Master Koth and we’ll go fetch Rex and his best from Kamino as quickly as possible.”

“That’s…another problem.” The Chancellor finally sat, looking even more tired than before. “Kamino is currently under attack from General Grievous. By the time you arrive to pick up your men, either they will have won the battle, or the planet will have fallen into enemy hands and we will be trying to take it back.”

A shiver ran through him. He’d left Rex where he should be most safe, but trouble had managed to find him anyway. Anakin needed to get moving. Now.

“I’ll update you when I arrive on Kamino.”

“Be safe, Anakin. I know you can do amazing things, but this is still incredibly dangerous. I wish it didn’t have to be your responsibility.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Chancellor.” Anakin bowed and raced off, calling the Temple to get Master Koth and a shuttle ready so they could meet Fisto’s cruiser when it came out of hyperspace to retrieve Ahsoka and be on their way. He didn’t see Padme waiting for him a few pillars away from Palpatine’s office, he dashed right by.

–

Obi-Wan was happy he’d forced Grievous to split his arms in two, now fighting with 4 arms and 4 lightsabers. But he was also very concerned that he couldn’t keep up with 4 goddamn arms. They’d traveled all the way back outside onto one of the landing platforms. Kenobi figured if he could lead Grievous away from whatever his objective was, it would delay and possibly foil the General’s plan if something happened to him.

He didn’t get the chance to find out though, some of the Tridents that had dropped off the super battle and aqua droids were out flying around and decided they didn’t like a nice good old fashioned duel and fired on the landing platform he and Grievous stood on.

The supports failed and the large platform slowly tipped to one side. Obi-Wan ran to try and follow Grievous back to the safety of the walkway, but then he was leaning, then all out sliding down. He caught the guard rail just before he fell into the ocean, and looked up to see Grievous who had used his taloned feet to climb to safety. His lightsabers were already clipped to his sides, watching Obi-Wan. Waiting. If he’d had an organic face, Obi-Wan was sure he would be smiling.

Kenobi tried to assess his situation; he could climb along the circular platform’s guardrail until he was close enough to the top to jump…the structure finally buckled and he and his handhold fell towards the sea. He heard Grievous laugh in the distance as he pulled his feet up, then Force jumped as far away from the platform as possible so he wouldn’t get sucked under when it landed. And then plunged into the ocean.

-

Korkie was still riding the high of ice sliding, even if it was still the boring version, mostly because Kahl had had so much fun. And Korkie felt a weird pride in teaching Kahl something. In himself for handing down a skill Dad had taught him for his Creed Day present and in Kahl for picking it up so easily. The entire day had been filled with shoving each other into the snow on the slope, teaching Kahl a new trick like switching his feet or sliding sideways, then devolving back into get’shuk on ice.

They’d both been exhausted when they came in for supper and they all ate at the table together. Something Korkie hadn’t done in almost a year. He could see the simple family event that was so common for the Wrens was affecting Kahl, too. He’d seemed a little sullen, so Korkie left him alone and played with Sabine instead. Kahl had always needed time alone so he didn’t think much of it.

He was a little offended when he came down for breakfast and Alrich told him Kahl had left for a morning walk and said he wouldn’t be back for a few hours. Now it was his turn to be gloomy.

“I know it’s jetpack day so you’re a bit disappointed. But he looked like he needed to do some thinking. And I didn’t want to spoil the surprise to get him to stay.” Alrich said.

“It’s alright, it’s a very Kahl thing to do, I just…I worry. With Dad gone and I don’t know just. Everything. I want him to know that I’m here, and he can tell me anything. And I don’t know how to really show him that because I’ve been kind of a shitty brother the last few years.” Korkie bared his soul a bit. It must have been the pancakes, lulling him into a weird sense of security. And then he immediately regretted it because Alrich laughed at him.

“I’m glad you find it funny.” Korkie retorted, shoving his plate away.

“No! No. Korkie. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because that’s really close to what your Dad said to me when he was here with you.” Alrich was very serious now and Korkie relaxed a little.

“Why? I mean sure, sometimes I’ve been a little meaner than necessary but we’ve always been fine.” Korkie said. Well. Things had been fine until the war started and for some reason everything Dad had said had pissed him off.

“I think he was having a bit of a panic attack about you growing up. You weren’t very interested in being here on a father son sort of trip, so he let you go to the slopes by yourself and you didn’t come back until midnight. He wanted to go with, but he thought he’d embarrass you and he wanted you to be happy. So then Ursa suggested ice skating and then they argued because Satine had said no jetpack or blaster lessons, blah blah, in the end he decided to teach you and by the time you two left, he seemed sufficiently happy that you had bonded.”

Korkie did remember going to the regular resort on that trip for a day, but nothing really stuck out to him. He only remembered the time they’d spent together; the ice courses they rode together, the tricks his dad had played on him that he planned handing down to Kahl, the feeling of freedom jumping off an ice ramp and some kind of sappy mini speech his dad had given him on the last evening of vacation. He’d been embarrassed then, since Dad was always mildly embarrassing, but now he wished he’d listened.

“Growing up sucks,” was the only thing he could think of to say. Things were simpler when he’d done as he pleased and not been so worried about everything.

“Don’t do it too fast, Korkie. Just be a good friend to him and he’ll know he can come to you when something’s wrong. I’m sure your dad will be back soon. If he’s anything like Ursa, nothing can hold him down for long.”

Korkie snorted internally. Alrich was so right, yet so very wrong. He could reconnect with Kahl. They could be best friends again. But no one, not even Anakin Skywalker or Obi-Wan Kenobi, could cheat death.

-

Obi-Wan felt like he lost the plot a bit as he sank into the water, idly thinking how long it had been since he’d taken the boys to Kalevala to swim. To relax on the beach. They’d have to go when he got back. What was with him and water lately? His momentum from the drop had finally slowed and he started to swim towards the surface, lungs hinting that something should be done soon. Maybe sooner than soon. Maybe now. He tried to swim faster but he wasn’t at all sure he would make it. Drowning. He’d heard it was one of the worst ways to go…

Suddenly something was beneath him, and he was being forced to the surface at a high rate of speed. When he broke the surface and gasped for air, he found he was riding on the back of one of the creatures native to Kamino that could swim in the oceans and fly in the sky, an Aiwha. He relaxed on the creature’s back, resting his face on its slippery skin.

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.” he said through rapid breaths, trying to recover. ”You can drop me off wherever. I don’t know where I am anyway.”

The creature paid him no mind and flew to a low level platform filled with water, where it had probably been trained to take any riders. He slid off the creature’s back, thanked it again and pressed the up elevator button. He wanted to give himself time to recover. He felt like he might have a concussion from hitting the water so hard but that would have to be dealt with later. He still had his lightsaber, somehow, and this battle looked far from over.

“Kenobi, do you read?” Shaak Ti called for him.

“Here. I took a little swim and Grievous got away from me.”

“He’s left the city, headed back to his command ship. A couple of other fleets have shown up and if he doesn’t leave now he won’t have anything to leave in.”

Obi-Wan didn’t reply because he couldn’t think of anything witty to say and he always had a comeback. Concussion was looking more and more likely.

“The sith assassin Ventress managed to break into the vault when I was busy with some MagnaGuards. She has the clone genetic code and she is headed….your way.”

“I’ll try to find her, but I must admit I'm not in the best shape.”

“I’ll send Rex and Cody as backup.”

She was easy to find, now that he knew what her Force presence felt like. Ventress was cutting away at the heavy blast doors that could be sealed to keep water out in the event of structure collapse. Or. To keep people in. She finished her circle and kicked the ruined piece outward. He watched it fly off into the distance, almost grazing him, then looked back to her. She stepped through and looked annoyed to see him.

“Did you hope that would hit me?”

“It would have been very funny,” she smiled, “but maybe it’s better this way.”

She raised her sabers and he drew his.

“I hope you practiced since last time.” she quipped.

“You caught me on an off day.”

They clashed, Obi-Wan not giving up as much ground to her as he had last time, but he was also staying more on the defensive. Maybe he was a little afraid of her, maybe he didn’t trust himself with his developing headache. He waited for her to make a mistake. And finally she did. She lost her balance, if only for a moment, and that allowed him to grab the canister strapped to her belt that contained the clone’s genetic code and run.

Traditionally, Jedi did not run from a fight but in this case it seemed like the sensible thing to do. She already had a low opinion of him anyway. Through the hole Ventress had cut to get outside, he saw Cody, Rex and whatever squads they were commanding running towards him, jumping through all the holes she had made previously to get here. Rex was in the lead. Force, was he happy to see him.

“Rex!” Obi-Wan wanted him to be ready for a handoff.

But someone jumped down from the rounded dome of the city structure onto the walkway. A large muscled figure with black dreadlocks and a yellow tattoo on his arm and across the bridge of his nose. The figure stood menacingly and Obi-Wan skidded to a halt. He wasn’t sure he could believe his eyes.

“Quin?”

Quinlan glared back at him but said nothing. Ventress had caught up with him now and he was surrounded on both sides. He couldn’t jump into the water. Even if he could control his fall a bit this time, he wasn’t sure he’d survive. He couldn’t throw it…he attached it to his belt and drew his saber. There wasn’t another option.

“We need to go.” Quin said to Ventress.

“He has the DNA.” she twirled one saber impatiently.

“Fine, but make it quick. No games.” Quin said.

Obi-Wan instinctively ducked before he knew why he was doing it. Rex and a few other troopers were firing at them, forcing Quin to draw his red saber and defect the bolts. Ventress did as well but with Quin protecting her she stalked towards Obi-Wan.

“Hey!” he heard Cody shout from the outdoor catwalk that ran around the outer perimeter of the city unit. Obi-Wan stood and threw the DNA canister,unassisted by the Force, willing Cody to catch it. He blocked her attack just in time, her blade singeing his tunic right below his ribs. She growled furiously and drove him backward towards evil Quin. But Quin wasn’t paying attention, he was still busy with the clones. Obi-Wan was able to step off the walkway onto the slanted side and Force leap to the catwalk where Cody had been standing previously. The Commander was long gone with the canister.

Ventress made to climb over and follow him but Quin reinforced their need to leave now if they wanted to live. She seemed conflicted but she relented, calling her ship with her wrist communicator. But the time she made it to the end of the dock, the ship was already waiting.

Quin looked directly at Obi-Wan as if the blasterfire was childsplay and he didn’t have to concentrate on it at all. And if Quin was anything like the boy he remembered, he didn’t. Quin deflected a bolt his way, narrowly missing him but far enough away that it almost had to be intentional. And then Quin smiled and winked at him. Winked. Obi-Wan stood dumbfounded as he watched his former friend join Ventress on her ship and head out to take their chances dodging the Republic fleet.

Obi-Wan immediately started to wonder if he had actual brain damage rather than just a concussion. That HAD been Quin, right? He’d always walked the line when it came to the Dark Side, but Obi-Wan never thought he’d actually fall. Well, clearly he had since he was hanging out with Ventress but he was also…teasing him? Winking like there was some kind of inside joke, except Obi-Wan hadn’t been there when it was created.

“Are you alright, General?” Rex asked, standing beside him.

“I think so, just a pounding headache and possible hallucinations but nothing serious. There was a guy with dreadlocks here, right?”

“I think we should get you inside, sir.”

Chapter Text

Kahl only walked one fourth of the way before he veered off, over a hill not too far from the trail. Close enough that he wouldn’t get lost but far enough away that no one would be able to see him behind the hill. He sat and meditated for a while feeling more at peace than he ever had before, able to let any thoughts or emotions pass through him like the Jedi teachings had described. And with this balance reached, he let down his mental shield, searching out any other emotions around him. When he was sure he was completely and totally alone, except for a few animal presences he picked up- which he had never been able to do before- he tried to lift a small stone nearby with the Force. It moved easily, as if he had picked it up with his own hand. He set it down and tried a larger one which did take considerable effort, but with concentration it hovered just above the snow. He could do it, he did actually have talent! He just had to be alone to do it.

The final test he had for himself was to move locations slightly, not looking at the rocks he had moved previously so he wouldn’t know exactly where they were. He followed the same steps, meditating quickly back to that state of flow, feeling the animals around him, then reaching out to find a rock. This was much harder as the rock wasn’t alive but it still had a place in the Force. It took quite a long time, but when he felt like he had a handle on the smaller rock he mentally lifted it without opening his eyes. He saw it in his mind’s eye and commanded it towards him.

Come to me. He reached out his hand as the rock slowly crept forward, wavering occasionally. He opened his eyes just as the rock brushed his fingertips. He smiled in amazement at himself. He was just like every other Jedi.

And then he noticed his surroundings. The birds were sitting in the trees looking at him. A few jackalopes looked on, some closer to him, some further away. Squirrels as well. They were all staring at him intently in eerie silence. He had 100 percent of their attention.

All the eyes on him sent such a wave of fear through him, he forgot about the rock and dropped it right onto his ankle. He let out a small cry, breaking the silence, and the birds began to sing again, most of them flying away. The others seemed to go back to what they were doing, some lingered longer than others, but they were no longer staring. The spell was broken.

That did not seem normal. He felt glued to the spot, trying to figure out what had drawn them. Why couldn't he just practice in peace? Even the animals had gathered to make him feel like he was doing something wrong.

Unless he was the one who’d gathered them without meaning to. He had ordered the rock to him. And maybe more than the rock. He very suddenly needed to be anywhere but here because he was a little afraid of that idea.

-

Korkie expected Kahl to return looking restored, but he seemed more upset somehow. He’d gingerly asked if Kahl wanted to learn part two of the surprise, praying he would, and was relieved when Kahl more than jumped at the chance to forget his hike.

Soon they stood on the lower part of the roof, only 10 feet up, with armor chest plates on, jetpacks slipped into the grooves on their backs.

“You’ll figure it out, it’s easier if you do it while falling.”

“It sounds like you just want me to jump off and break my legs.” Kahl said skeptically.

“That’s why I piled up a lot of fluffy snow down there.”

Kahl peered over. Jumping with no guarantee of safety…this was not his thing. This was ‘ask-questions-later’ Korkie territory.

But before he could continue his assessment, he felt a hand push him. He had no time to recover and plunged off the roof, screaming all the way down. He didn’t even think about the jetpack. All he did was panic. And then he was facedown in the snow. No, it was snow and….he dug a little deeper with his hand and found a large mat filled with air to cushion his landing. He tensed his jaw and blew air out forcefully through his nose.

Even through the glass of the window, he could hear Ursa cackling. And of course Korkie laughing from the edge of the roof. He looked over and even little Sabine was clapping happily at his spectacular fall.

“You alright?” Korkie said between laughs.

“Yes, no thanks to you. You could have told me there was a mat down here.”

“And ruin the fun?” Korkie beamed. “It’s part of learning to not be afraid. When you can fly you don’t have to look before you leap.”

Kahl rolled over onto his back. This was incredibly annoying. Korkie jumped and landed gracefully next to him, barely even moving the airbag with his touchdown.

“I’m sorry, it’s just a bit of hazing. You really will learn better by jumping off the roof and doing it this way. Promise.”

“How many more of your mean surprises do I have to endure?” Kahl stood up, brushing off the snow.

“That was the last one sadly. Dad was so right, it’s much funnier being on this side of it. Kahl rolled his eyes again and held his arms out in a T. Korkie started his pack, grabbed him and lifted him back up to the roof, flying in a slow corkscrew pattern.

“You have to get comfortable in the air, even when you’re not in control.”

“Stop tormenting me and put me down already.”

Within an hour, Kahl had to agree with Korkie’s methods even if he hated them. He’d fallen so many times or landed at weird angles that he was no longer really afraid of it. Once he had done things the wrong way, it was easier to see the right way. By sunset, he’d learned all there was and he and Korkie had taken a short flight over the woods. It was so much more exhilarating to jetpack. Speeders had nothing on this. Old Mandalorian tech was a lot more fun than he could have imagined. New Mandalorian rules of no armor or jetpacks except for Nassade were incredibly boring. This tradition, this kind of moment he’d remember forever, flying next to his brother while the sun set and the birds flew home for the night. Watching the lights from town and the ski slopes blink to life as being eliminated because of one war? When their people had endured hundreds of wars throughout the ages? It didn’t seem fair. What else was he missing out on?

By morning, he had a plan. This place was far too perfect for Force practice to ignore. He was up early, he hadn’t slept all that much, and searched for Ursa throughout the house. He found her by the shrine, sitting on her legs, head down. Remembrance of the dead was not something you interrupted unless you wanted to join them so he waited in the sitting room. When she appeared and headed to her office, he followed.

“Aunt Ursa, can I…talk to you? It’s important.”

She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow but did not stop him from following. She was kind of scary, but he’d have to get used to it.

“I um…with the whole thing with Dad, school’s been. Weird. And it’s nice here. I was thinking maybe I could stay with you? For the last part of the year?” he was not at all confident in this. She could very easily say no. His mother could very easily say no.

“Everyone knows, Kahl. You won’t find it any better here. At least at home you know the kids who are making fun of you or whatever’s going on,” she dismissed the suggestion without much thought and sat down, shuffling through whatever was on her agenda for the day.

Don’t back down. You always back down. You can do this.

“It’s…more than that. When we were out flying I was thinking of what else you learned as a kid that I didn’t. Or won't ever learn. And I want to know.”

This caught her attention and she regarded him for a few seconds.

“Learn what, exactly?”

“Maybe some…weapons training? Or just hand to hand fighting? If something happens, I want to be prepared.”

“You’re worried about something happening? Anything specific?” she questioned him and it almost felt like an interrogation.

“No, but with the way things are going. I want to be ready. Like you are. Like Dad was. Well, ok not exactly like he was. But you know what I mean.”

He tried to appear confident when he didn’t feel like he was at all.

“You realize if your mother finds out she’ll…I don’t know what she’ll do. Put me in jail forever?” she started to muse to herself about what her punishment would be.

“I know. And I’ll understand if you say no. But it feels important to me. For better or worse, it’s a part of who we are.”

She nodded slowly.

“You know, I half-expected this conversation. But I thought it would be Korkie asking me, not you.”

“He’s been weird lately. I guess I’ve been weird lately, too.”

“If you want to do this, I have to warn you I won’t be holding back. You will get hurt. And you will probably hate me. But that’s what makes you stronger.”

“I understand that. Or I think I understand that.”

“Good. If you can convince your mother, I’ll teach you.”

A smile slowly spread across his face. He’d done it.

“Don’t tell Alrich yet. I’ll talk to him and see just how much we should or shouldn’t tell him. He does like you though. Says you have a ‘different perspective on the world’,” she rolled her eyes,

“Artists.”

“Got it. Thanks, Aunt Ursa.”

He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He practically danced out of her office. This was the closest he was going to get to real lightsaber training. And he could practice using the Force without prying eyes. And hopefully the entire forest wouldn’t turn and watch him again.

-

Padme knew it shouldn’t bother her, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Anakin dashing past her without even seeing her. And opening her mouth to call out to him, just for some acknowledgement of her presence. Just for a goodbye kiss. But she couldn’t. They weren’t allowed to have that. Instead, she’d closed her mouth without uttering a sound and felt like she was stifling a scream for the rest of the day.

Bail had stopped by her office just as she was leaving, asking her to visit Senator Mothma with him that night. She had something urgent to share with them. The three of them had been spearheading a united front of opposition to Palpatine’s growing power and the blatant disregard for the Constitution. She wasn’t sure she could put up with any more politics. The only thing that would make her feel better was being with Anakin and that wasn’t likely to happen so the next best thing was to be alone where she did not have to put on an act. But Bail had insisted, and she found herself at the Chandrilan embassy, its soft whiteness feeling like a prison tonight.

Evenmoreso when she realized that she and Bail were the only guests. She felt as if she were walking into some sort of trap when they settled into a much smaller sitting room she’d never seen before, Bail and Mon sitting across from her.

“I know you are committed to furthering our committee to challenge the Chancellor’s power, the 6 of us have…said things in our meetings that could be construed as Separatist language at times. And we have all agreed our goal is to preserve the Republic as it should be, not what it has turned into. But a different opportunity outside of the committee has arisen, one that would require great secrecy.” Mon spoke with caution and Padme’s heart quickened the more they stared at her.

“What kind of opportunity?”

It was Bail’s turn to be nervous, now.

“An anonymous source has contacted me with information concerning the Army. Paperwork proving Republic self-sabotage, if the accusations are to be believed. And some allegations that Republic Intelligence either isn’t reporting things or reports are being changed.”

“We see subtle corruption cases brought to the Senate all the time. What makes this one so different to set you two on edge?”

They exchanged glances with each other. How long had these two been in league?

“There are…implications that the people responsible are on the Military Council. Or someone very high up in the Chancellor’s office.” Mon held back what she really meant, so Padme said it for her.

“Or the Chancellor himself.”

“Possibly. Again, we have no proof this source is legitimate. It could be a trap.” Bail held a hand out in placation to make clear he was not convinced.

This talk was dangerous. Very dangerous. To charge a Senator with corruption and win the case, an incredible amount of proof was required. What would be required to prove it if the source of corruption was the very head of government who had been in power far too long already, and would hold his title until this war was over? If it was ever over.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“The only people who know about this are the three of us. And if you believe that the Chancellor could be involved in perpetuating this war in any way, we hope you’ll join us in gathering evidence until we have irrefutable proof.” Bail finally came out with it.

That scream she’d been holding in all day threatened to break through. Her regular Senate work, their semi-secret committee to publicly oppose the Chancellor’s power abuses, her relationship with Anakin, and now this new secret felt like they were all closing in on her. She thought of everything and nothing all at once.

“Senator Amidala?” Mon said her name but it sounded like she was miles away.

“Padme.” She looked up and Bail was crouched next to her, his hand on her arm. When had he moved?

“You don’t have to be involved in this. We just ask that you don’t tell on us. Pretend this meeting never happened.”

“No. I’m in.” she said with concrete confidence, “The three of us have been dancing around this conversation for a long time. I think there is more going on with the Chancellor, and both of you do as well. It’s time we did something about it.”

Mon practically melted, she leaned back into the settee rubbing her eyes. Bail let out a relieved sigh and squeezed her arm.

“You gave us a bit of a scare.”

Her moment of panic must have been much longer than a moment. Had they really thought she wouldn’t agree with them? That she’d tell on them?

“I apologize for the lapse. I've had a stressful few days with the battle on Mon Cala. I’m very tired. When do you plan on meeting this source?”

“They’ve set random coordinates out in the middle of space. When we arrive we transmit a code, it’s an old Jedi military code no one else will be using anymore. We’ve decided to go together.” Bail stood and took his place next to Mon, who had regained her composure.

“That could very easily be a trap.”

“Yes, but if we set a meeting place this person might think we’re trapping them. Someone is going to have to have a little trust.”

“And we are trusting you with the coordinates as well. In case something happens, you’ll at least have a starting point for an investigation.” Mon handed her a holodisc.

She took it solemnly. “These conversations stay strictly between us. No friends, no family. We must talk through every situation and agree before we make any move.” she insisted.

“Agreed,” Bail said immediately. “Unless something does happen to us. I’d appreciate it if you told Breha.”

“I agree as well. But I don’t really care if you tell Perrin.” Mon sighed, standing. “We leave tomorrow night.”

She and Bail stood, following the social cue that this meeting was over.

“Good luck. Tell me the second you return, I’ll be anxiously awaiting your signal.”

She and Bail left the Embassy, smiles on their faces as if they’d had a wonderful meeting in case someone - she had no concept of who to even be suspicious of- was watching.

She kept that attitude until she was sure Dorme had gone to bed. She stayed up late into the night sitting by her window, knees to her chest, watching the traffic go by.

Chapter Text

“The Force was with you, Jedi Kenobi. That fall could have very easily knocked you unconscious and you could have drowned.” Shaak Ti explained in her calm, soothing cadence.

“I don’t feel particularly lucky at the moment.”

His head was still pounding and he felt incredibly tired.

“Jedi don’t believe in luck.” she said simply. “We’ll monitor you overnight, I’ll send a droid to wake you up every two hours. I’d like to keep you here another day but orders are orders.”

“Orders are orders from who?” He asked. He probably could have phrased that better.

“Maybe you’re not caught up on the news. Chancellor Palpatine has taken control over Republic High Command along with 2 Grand Admirals because of mismanagement. And by extension, what battalion goes where.”

“The hell is a Grand Admiral?” He asked bluntly. Again, he felt incredibly stupid. He hoped they’d given him some drugs he didn’t remember so he’d have an excuse for asking such stupid questions.

“An Admiral that Chancellor Palpatine particularly likes and promoted to a brand new title.”

Her voice flowed like a gentle brook that he had trouble picking up on her anxiety. This seemed like something he should care more about but he was already drifting off.

“Sounds nice.” was his reply. He didn’t see Shaak shake her head a little and pull the thin blanket up to his shoulders.

-

Korkie and Kahl took a short speeder ride to the canyons at the bottom of a mountain that no one paid attention to because it was far too rocky for ski slopes. Korkie greased their boots as he explained.

“The Wrens have been using this canyon for ice sliding forever apparently. There are lots of different twists and turns, jumps, crevasses. It’s dangerous, but that’s why we did lessons the last two days. If you’re going too fast or miss a jump or something just use your jetpack to correct. I’ll go after you so if you get in trouble I can catch you.”

He couldn’t wait to go again. He hadn’t been back since his dad had taught him, and the adrenaline rush was second to none.

“Again, this sounds like a you thing not a me thing.” Kahl said nervously.

“You liked the last two days though, right? I know Dad probably would have taken you to some kind of museum or something but…” he shrugged, “this is what I have. We don’t have to, we can go back home if you want. I won’t be mad.”

He wouldn’t be mad, but he would be a little disappointed. He paradoxically felt more and more like he needed something dangerous to keep himself calm.

“No, I’m in. But please don’t laugh at me.”

Korkie smiled. “Not this time. This is the big leagues.”

He waited for Kahl to take his deep breath that he always seemed to need, then stepped onto the steep slope, leaning into the curve, already letting out a whoop of excitement. Korkie followed.

They wove in and out of each other's paths, tried to do some aerial tricks off of cliffs, maybe had a little bit of a shoving match, but overall it was exactly as Korkie remembered. Freeing. He saw Kahl stretch his arms out like he was a bird off of a jump and copied him. This is where he wanted to stay. Only responsible for keeping himself alive in this moment between fun and mild terror.

When they reached the bottom, a frozen over lake, Kahl did a little spin, his arms in tight like an actual ice skater and let out a final exclamation of exhilaration.

“That was amazing! And scary. And amazing! You could do that course a hundred times and never go the same way twice! Don’t you want to try all of them?”

“You’re the only one who could remember where you’ve been and where you haven’t.” Korkie joked, lazily skating around on the flat surface.

“Well we should. Someday. Together.”

Korkie smiled and tried to hide just how happy it made him to hear Kahl excited about something. If they had to live through this, the least he could do was make it as fun as possible.

“I think a vacation once a year sounds like more than enough to map it all by the time we’re….50?” Kahl was gleefully doing mental calculations.

He couldn’t imagine living to be that old. Hell, he had trouble imagining living to take over the throne even though it had been drilled into him as his destiny since he was old enough to speak.

“I wonder how the freeze and thaw affects the paths…”

“Ok, you’re about to lose me, I’m not that smart. Just enjoy our last day, don’t over analyze.” Korkie quipped and attempted to see how long he could glide on one foot.

“Um. About that. I…asked Aunt Ursa if I could stay. And transfer here until the end of the year.”

Kahl said nervously, skating so he wouldn’t have to look at Korkie. Korkie immediately stopped his glide and skidded to a halt.

“Why?”

“School is weird. I thought a change of scenery would be nice.”

“Is somebody fucking with you? Cause I will fuck them up, you just tell me who.” Anger flared in him. The only person who was allowed to be mean to Kahl was him.

“No! No. I think I just need some time away after the whole Dad thing.” Kahl assured him.

“But I thought…we were starting to get along again.” Korkie said slowly.

Why did this hurt so much? Just when he had started to become aware of how important his brother was to him, he was going to disappear from his life, too.

“We are! It’s not you or anything, I was actually thinking it would be easier for you so you wouldn’t have to worry about me.”

“I want to worry about you.”

Kahl chuckled. “Ok, Dad. I don’t know what’s happened to you lately but you’re like smothering me with attention. You didn’t really care before.”

How could he explain? He couldn’t explain. Or he didn’t want to.

“Well I think I've more than made up for missing Creed night. I will officially leave you be. But you have to tell me about Krownest school. If it’s total shit or something. For Future Duke knowledge.”

“Fiiine. You’re not mad?”

“No, why would I be mad?”

He was mad, but only at himself. He wasn’t really sure why.

“I don’t know. I’m leaving you with Mom.”

“More like you’re leaving her with me.” Korkie smiled, the one he used to deflect. “We should head back. It’s a long flight back to the top.”

–

Obi-Wan was used to intermittent sleep, but being woken up by a medical droid whose only job was to make sure he hadn’t fallen into a coma and could remember his name was incredibly annoying. He’d only slipped up and called himself Ben once, after a dream. By morning he felt better but worse at the same time. Quin was with Ventress. Quin and Ventress and Grievous had escaped. Even if they didn’t get the clone DNA they’d come for, it still felt like a loss. And from the look on many of the clones’ faces, they felt it too. The Separatists had used uncharted space lanes to appear at Kamino without any warning. Nowhere was safe. And seeing the bodies of small clones still in school, older clones just about to graduate, and the veterans who had returned to defend their home scattered among the dead…it got to them.

It’s all fun and games until it’s your homeworld Vianna had said.

“Hey.” Obi-Wan said as he wandered up to their little ship that had survived the battle mostly unscathed. Trapper looked like he was doing a few last checks on an engine, Cody pretending to supervise, but actually looking out at the dark smoke still billowing from one of the domes.

“Not concussed, I see?” Cody asked.

“Oh definitely concussed. But the Army doesn’t care about that, do they? We’re supposed to meet up with the rest of the Legion, I can rest on the way.”

“Ship’s almost ready.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Obi-Wan asked, looking away from Cody to the smoke.

“About what?” Cody continued his short responses. Obi-Wan shrugged.

“We lost a lot of good men. We lost 99.” Cody looked like he wanted to continue but it was too painful for him. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It sounds like it matters a lot.” Obi-Wan reached across the gap between them and put his hand on Cody’s shoulder. The way he had for him. Things didn’t need to be said out loud all the time.

“Hit it!” Trapper shouted, jumping down from his perch near the engine. After a small whine, both engines flared perfectly.

“Ready to go.” Trapper smiled at both of them. “I’m ready to put this shitty homecoming behind us.”

“That makes two of us.” Cody said quickly and whistled for their squads who were milling about the dock. Obi-Wan slammed his eyes shut and scrunched his face up at the sound.

“Definitely going to need another pain pill soon.”

“Me too, after having to deal with Rex and company.” Cody tried to make a joke. Trapper tried to laugh. Obi-Wan tried not to notice how out of sync they all were.

-

When they returned to Sundari, Kahl had no trouble convincing Mom to transfer him to a different school. To experience the diversity of different systems within Mandalore space. He didn’t even have to whip out any tears about the effects of Dad’s disappearance on his social life. And before he knew it he was saying goodbye to Korkie, promising to keep in touch through text or audio message if anything interesting happened. He expected a lot of interesting things to happen, none of which he’d be telling Korkie about.

–

Anakin, Ahsoka and Master Eeth had formulated a plan on the way to pick up Rex and the 501st. Ahsoka monitored comms and reported the battle on Kamino was over quickly when Obi-Wan and a non-Jedi fleet had arrived for backup. Obi-Wan had been injured but was recovering. Anakin didn’t have time to worry about him, they’d cross paths again eventually. Instead, he told Ahsoka to stay behind. The Citadel posed enough danger that he wasn’t sure he could protect her and himself. She accused him of being too overprotective and she could take care of herself, but he insisted she stay behind and sit with Obi-Wan.

They used the Kaminoan carbon freezers to kick off their plan, avoiding the Citadel’s life form detectors, with R2 moving them around as cargo until the little droid could find a defroster. Of course Ahsoka had disobeyed his orders and snuck along anyway. Exactly as he would have done.

He’d scolded her the entire climb up the mountain face, through electromines and wicked winds, while she protested that he would not be the first to break into the Citadel without her and if their positions were reversed, he would have done the same thing. Master Koth switched to bringing up the rear of the group, if only to get away from the bickering Anakin assumed.

Ahsoka did prove useful to crawl through a vent and deactivate a ray shield, so Anakin stopped complaining even if his anxiety didn’t go down. Alarms activated and booby traps everywhere, they navigated to Master Piell and rescued him from an interrogation droid, then rescued the surviving officers. Anakin was relieved to find future Grand Admiral Tarkin among the living. They’d agreed to split up, Master Piell and Koth going one way and Ahsoka and Anakin another with Admiral Tarkin, since Piell knew half of the Route coordinates and Tarkin the other.

Ahsoka now led the way, she had a much better memory of the old cave systems they’d studied on the ship. The caves were more like cliffs with sheer drop offs into molten lava rather than caves, but they were still useful to make it back to their extraction point where R2 would hopefully be waiting for them.

“I’m beginning to admire the design of this fortress. It is rather formidable to evade.” Tarkin mused to Ahsoka.

“How can you admire such a horrible place?” she asked.

“Ah, you reveal your shortsightedness. This ordeal demonstrates how effective facilities like this are. Pity it fell into Separatist hands.”

Ahsoka slowed, letting Rex take the lead.

“Can you believe this guy?” She muttered to Anakin. She had taken a strong dislike to him from the second they rescued him.

“He has a point.” Anakin shrugged. He liked the Chancellor and if the Chancellor trusted this man, then he did too. Ahsoka did not appreciate this answer and sped up to get back to her role as navigator.

In the shuffle along the cliffs, Rex had drifted back to him, leaving Tarkin and Ahsoka up front.

“This guy is a real piece of work, General. He asked me why the Jedi allowed children to conduct missions as important as this one. Like he knows anything about Commander Tano’s record.”

“Well he is right, the Jedi are kind of insane for allowing teenagers into a warzone.”

Again, Anakin didn’t find nearly as much fault with Tarkin as everyone else did.

“Aren’t YOU a teenager? Sir?”

“Hey, I turned 20 last month, thank you for remembering.” Anakin said, offended.

“My mistake, sir. Imagine if he found out all the clones in this squad are twelve.” Rex joked. Anakin gave a polite smile, but his mind was on looking for wandering probe droids.

-

Obi-Wan tried to rest as instructed on their journey to Haruun Kal but he was almost afraid of falling asleep. The benefit of constantly being on edge, even in his sleep, was he never made it to REM. And if he never made it to REM, he didn’t dream. Apparently he’d felt safe enough last night to relax and immediately dreamt of returning home when the war was over, holding his arms out wide ready to squeeze the boys and never let them go. But they’d both stared at him blankly and asked who he was. They had no memory of him. That was why he’d slipped up to the droid. Wondering, hoping someone remembered Ben Kryze existed and he hadn’t invented him.

Half awake, Obi-Wan easily heard the whispers arguing outside of the crew quarters door. He got up and opened the door, ending the argument between Cody and Trapper. Both looked a bit startled.

“What do you want to tell me?”

“Uhh…we’re arguing about just how closely we need to follow our movement orders now that the Chancellor is in charge.” Trapper said.

Obi-Wan stared blankly, waiting for more.

“We received a distress signal asking for Jedi assistance, and we want to check it out but we also don’t want to get in trouble. Or get you in trouble.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “You think I care about getting in trouble with the Chancellor? He can go jump in a lake filled with Colo Claw Fish for all I care. Ship registration?”

Cody and Trapper exchanged looks but said nothing. His statement was technically treason but he was getting very sick of Senators trying to involve themselves in military affairs. They couldn’t even do their job of negotiating with the Separatists before they became Separatists and he doubted they were any better at tactical advice.

“A small Chandrilan cargo vessel but no other identification.”

“Good enough for me, let’s make a pit stop and check it out.”

Chapter Text

Korkie was standing at his locker on auto-pilot when Soniee slammed it shut, narrowly missing his hand.

“By the ancestors, you scared me. What’s your problem?”

He tried to open his locker again but she pushed it shut again.

“What’s my problem? What’s your problem. I know you’ve been doing the dark and broody thing for like a year now, even more now with your whole dad situation, but have you stopped to think about anyone but yourself lately?”

He gave her a confused look. If only she knew just how much he was thinking about Kahl in his new school where he couldn’t defend him. About Mar’s like three different emotional issues and what the hell was up with him.

“Have you forgotten about the Interschool dance, Mir’osik?”

“No, I was on the planning committee, remember?”

“Yeah, you were until you stopped showing up. Same as the get’shuk team. Same as everything else. I don’t know what’s going on with you because you seem to have forgotten that I’m your friend and you can tell me anything, but you need to get your shit together. These are the last few weeks of high school, we should be out partying and getting in trouble and making memories and shit. Even my parents have relaxed a bit. But you’re too busy doing whatever it is you do these days.”

She glared at him, but he could tell she wasn’t actually mad. She was hurt that he’d slighted her one too many times and he yet again didn’t have an excuse. Not one he could tell her.

“I know, you’re right, I should be around more.”

“And you should ask Lagos to the dance.”

“What? Why?” he asked. Somehow her look of contempt deepened even more.

“Because she wants you to ask her.” she replied as if he was the dumbest being in the galaxy.

“I’m sure someone has asked her already.” he tried to open his locker again, and once again she denied him.

“Yes. They have. But she said no.”

“Then maybe she doesn’t want to go.” he shrugged, he looked her in the eye and he could tell he was missing something.

“Gods, your one brain cell must be lonely. Ask her to the dance. GO. To the dance. Have fun, Korkie. You only graduate once.”

She reached over and man-handled his locker open, the door bouncing off the locker next to it.

“You may resume brooding.”

She stormed off and Korkie shook his head, unaware of why she’d been so demanding.

-

Anakin’s squad had made it through the caves, but Master Piell’s group had encountered many obstacles along the way, including losing Master Koth. Anakin was about to suggest they attempt a rescue when he felt Koth pass into the Force. The prison warden had captured a target that did not prove useful to him and had gotten rid of one of his problems. Piell must have felt it too, because he did not make the suggestion either. Instead Anakin had sent a message to R2 to move the ship to a new landing zone, sure it had been discovered by now. They were on Plan D? Maybe E at this point. Things were not going well.

“You aren’t even going to suggest attempting a rescue?” Tarkin questioned him after he’d made all his communications and they were climbing through a fuel pipeline to reach their new goal.

“He’s dead.” Anakin said simply.

“How do you know?”

“We know.” Ahsoka said, glaring down at the Admiral from her perch on top of the secondary internal line.

“Well you’ve earned my respect for being tactically inclined, but I wish I could say the same for your kind.”

“You lack faith in the Jedi?” Anakin asked. Ahsoka didn’t seem to want to stick around for this conversation, so she ran to scout ahead.

“I find their tactics ineffective. The Jedi Code prevents them from going far enough to achieve victory at any cost. Silly things like rescues and never leaving a man behind are the very reason why peacekeepers should not be leading a war effort.”

Anakin looked back, surprised at his bluntness.

“Have I offended you?” Tarkin asked.

“No,” Anakin answered, happy Ahsoka wasn’t in earshot to hear his reply, “I’ve also found that sometimes we fall short of victory because of our methods.”

“Then we agree.”

Ahsoka trotted back to them and crouched down. “I found a way out.”

They opened a hatch, which seemed to be clear, but the second Ahsoka lifted the lid all the way up, she had some commando droids as company.

“Again, maybe if a child wasn’t leading us, this wouldn’t happen.” Tarkin grumbled. Anakin ignored him.

“We have to go.” Ahsoka shouted down to them, deflecting bolts.

“There could be a whole battalion up there!” Tarkin bellowed back.

“Well, better than hiding in a fuel line.” Anakin shrugged and climbed up to assist his Padawan.

The enlisted men and Tarkin slid down one side of the pipe while the Jedi protected their escape. Anakin pulled a charge out from his belt and held it up to Ahsoka, continuing to deflect bolts.

“Would you like to do the honors of blowing up this fuel line?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure I’m old enough.” she sassed.

“Oh, I know you’re not old enough. You’re not supposed to be here in the first place.”

She glared and slid off the pipe, leaving him to do it. No one was any fun today.

-

Trapper exited hyperspace at the distress signal, and everything was thankfully quiet. There was a Chandrilan ship drifting, not even a faint glimmer of standby power from the engines. And an empty hyperspace ring floating, waiting for its user’s return.

“Seven life form signatures on the cargo ship, looks like the small fighter is docked to the cargo ship. No other ships in the area. They don’t respond on any frequency.” Trapper reported.

“That sounds like a trap.” Cody volunteered.

“It is curious. Maybe the fighter stopped to help?” Obi-Wan crossed his arms contemplating.

“Let's dock, send 6 as a scouting party.”

“I’ll ask for 5 volunteers.” Cody said, walking back towards the belly of the ship.

“4. I’m going.” Obi-Wan said.

“Sir, are you sure that’s a good idea? In your condition?”

“And let you have all the fun? Certainly not.”

Cody looked like he wanted to protest, but seemed to think better of it and went to find the rest of their squad.

The clones confirmed the air in the Chandrilan vessel was breathable and free of known contaminants, so Obi-Wan followed them in without a rebreather or any protective gear. The power was completely off. The only light was the sweeping beams of head lamps and a blue lightsaber glow until they found a console they could use to switch on the backup power.

The hallways glowed a dark red, providing light but making their search all the more ominous.

“Hello?” They called out periodically, but received no answer.

They’d split up and taken the two separate paths to the front and met up again at the short hallway to the cockpit. Finally they saw 3 people; a man, a woman and a teenage girl all bound and gagged leaning against the cockpit door. The girl seemed unconscious. Obi-Wan rushed to them sensing no danger, only urgency. He held his lightsaber up and he was surprised to see Bail Organa staring up at him with pleading eyes. Obi-Wan ripped away the gag and Bail almost screamed.

“It’s a trap! Run!”

Obi-Wan whipped around to see 4 people in Mandalorian armor, 2 in one hallway and 2 in the other, closing in on them. The clones had weapons ready but they continued to back away until these people registered themselves as friend or foe. Obi-Wan went out in front of them.

“Well, well. Look what we’ve caught.” One of the Mandalorians sing-songed.

“We’re here to provide assistance to a distress call. Do you require assistance?” Obi-Wan asked, knowing full well they did not. But he also wasn’t sure exactly what was going on here.

“God, they’re all the same.” One of the other Mandalorians said. It was hard to tell any sort of armor color because of the red backup lights.

“We’re fine, Jedi. It’s you who needs the assistance.”

“I’m not following.” Obi-Wan played dumb. He’d heard there were bounty hunters who took the Separatists’ million credit reward for a confirmed dead Jedi, but he didn’t think anyone was actually stupid enough to try. Yet here they were. His own people, no less. Well, if anyone was going to do it, it would be Mandalorians.

“Don’t play games with me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. We were hoping for a run of the mill Jedi, but you’ll be worth much much more to Count Dooku.”

“I’ll be worth even more alive.” Obi-Wan offered. He was confident he could handle this but with three civilians in the mix he wasn’t sure. They all seemed to think his idea was funny.

“You might be right. But it’s not worth the risk.”

They all raised their weapons, one had their arm outstretched, probably planning to torch them all, the others had various blasters.

“Have it your way then.” Obi-Wan took a defensive stance and hoped Cody had thought of the same plan as him, or could react to it quickly. Flamethrower guy started his attempt to burn Obi-Wan but Obi-Wan Force pushed him and his companion as far down the hallway as possible, blocking the first few bolts fired at him from the other attackers before feeling his lightsaber being pulled out of his hand.

The other pair had a magnetic sweeper aimed directly at him. The clones opened fire but they didn’t have much of a chance before their guns were also being pulled away from them. Obi-Wan lifted the remaining two Mandalorians into the air and floated them as quickly and as violently as possible into the corridor with their comrades, the Mandalorian with the magnet dropping it and consequently all of their weapons as well. The clones scrambled to re-arm themselves and Obi-Wan called his lightsaber to him. Now that they were all in one place, his work would be much easier and the others could escape. He glanced back and Cody was prepared as usual. Both Bail and the woman’s leg binders had been removed but he hadn’t had time for their hands. He carried the girl on his shoulder, and brought up the rear as the three remaining clones led the way, taking the powerful magnet with them. He nodded to Cody and reignited his saber. Cody nodded back.

-

Anakin led the way to their new extraction point. Now that they’d met up with Master Piell and his remaining clones, it was a somber walk. They’d lost four so far, one of them being a member of the Jedi Council. Worse, Anakin was sure he’d heard Anooba howls in the distance but the canyons they were traversing could be playing tricks on his ears.

He heard another and Master Piell stopped to listen.

“Vat is that?”

“Anoobas.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.” He spared the group the details of the first time he’d heard Anoobas being used to track down a group of escaped slaves when he was a child.

“They’ll lead the droids right to us.”

“We could surprise them, use the caves.” Ahsoka suggested.

“Or we could press on and get off this horrendous rock as quickly as possible.” Tarkin countered.

“We’ll surprise them, but let's find a better hiding place closer to the ship.” Anakin compromised.

He served as the bait, continuing on alone while the others waited in the shadows to confuse the hounds. Their plan worked, but only so well. The hounds brought the droids to both locations, effectively trapping Anakin with the ship and the others with droids on both sides. He fought his way through, trying to clear a path, but he couldn’t leave the ship vulnerabile. Tarkin and Rex were the first to make it to him, making it a little easier to defend the ship.

Anakin felt a short wave of shock and fear pass through the Force. Ahsoka.

“I’m going to go find them.” He told Rex. She was in trouble. They shouldn’t have split up. But a new wave of crab droids appeared over the ridge and he was forced to stay and protect Tarkin.

A few other clones joined them, finishing off the last of the droids while they were distracted with Anakin.

He felt a life force pass on. There was one less Jedi on this planet. He concentrated, thankful Rex was keeping watch. Ahsoka was still out there. She was alive. He could breathe again. The list of people he cared for still had the same number of names. But that meant Master Piell was dead and half of the Nexus Route was lost.

Fives came out of the smoke from the battle first, stopping when he saw the group standing, waiting, just behind the haphazard line of broken droids.

“We’re here, we’re here!” He called back then jumped the makeshift barricade. “Only Ahsoka and Echo left, sir. They’re right behind me.”

They all turned at the sound of blasterfire. Fives went towards it, standing on a crab droid to get a visual. The rest turned and ran towards the ship. Their time for escape was closing.

Anakin waited, halfway between both options. He could pilot the ship better than R2. But he couldn’t leave until he saw Ahsoka. Until he knew she’d be right behind him.

Fives started laying down cover fire and Anakin ran to join him, making his decision, but he was blown backwards by an explosion which seemed to set off a few more from the dead droid heap.

Ahsoka was next to him as he sat up, a few powder burns and a lot of dirt covering her but she looked uninjured.

“We have to go. There are commando droids behind us. I don’t think they made it.”

She was referring to Fives and Echo. He wasn’t sure what she’d seen, but they were both probably too close to the explosion to have survived.

“Let’s go.” He agreed standing and running to the ship's ramp, in sync with Ahsoka’s pace. She went up the ramp first, but he paused. He heard something.

“Echo!”

Fives.

“Echo, where are you?”

“Let’s go, General, what are you waiting for?” Tarkin demanded, grabbing his arm to pull him into the ship.

“There’s still one alive out there.” Anakin said absently, trying to locate where Fives’ voice was coming from.

“It’s just a clone, we’re wasting time.”

Just a clone. Fives was more than just a clone. He and Echo had been with him since the beginning. He was always up for a prank. Always lightening the mood in their down time. He’d just been promoted to ARC trooper. And he would not leave without Echo. And Anakin would not leave without them.

“I don’t leave my men behind.”

He dashed back into the smoke that was getting darker by the second.

“Fives!”

“Echo!?”

“Fives!” Anakin followed his presence and grabbed the clone by the arm.

“I can’t find Echo.” Fives said, sounding desperate.

Anakin thought for a moment, then pushed the smoke away from them in all directions using the Force. This revealed two commando droids who had been about to attack, and Anakin ignited his saber, slicing through one before it even had a chance to fire. He Force pushed the other into the lava below.

“That was close.” Anakin put his lightsaber back on his belt, coughing a little at the returning smoke. He looked to Fives, but Fives was looking in the opposite direction. At Echo’s helmet, laying in the flames without its owner.

“We have to go.” Anakin said as gently as possible. Fives said nothing.

“Fives.” he said with a little more authority that seemed to wake the man up. They both turned and ran for the ship, Ahsoka lifting off the second their feet touched the ramp.

Anakin took over as pilot so Ahsoka could focus on the navicomputer. Rex had already taken position in the gunner turret.

“It’s actions like that that cost us Republic victories.” Tarkin harped the second they hit hyperspace and were safe from anything the Citadel and its security forces could throw at them.

“Then I guess I’m just as guilty as every other Jedi of not having what it takes to get the job done.” Anakin retorted. He couldn’t believe he’d been getting along with this pompous jerk.

“But I will remind you we just did something no one else has ever done.”

“And yet we failed to complete our mission.” Tarkin criticized.

“No we didn’t.” Ahsoka countered. “Master Piell told me the coordinates before he died.”

“And he wouldn’t have been able to tell her if she’d left him for dead.” Anakin seconded.

Tarkin finally seemed to realize that everyone on this ship was tired of his attitude, and he concluded the conversation with praise that somehow also sounded like an insult.

“Then a job well done.”

Chapter Text

The four Mandalorians recovered from their Force flights quickly, the magnetic member of the group pulling out a regular blaster. Obi-Wan was thankful they’d switched to something conventional. They charged, all firing at him. He slipped into defense easily, directing the bolts back at them only to watch them bounce off of the beskar. What he wouldn’t give to get a little beskar for this army. They pushed him backward, but that was also what he wanted. Eventually he would meet up with his squad and they could ditch these bounty hunters on this Chandrilan ship.

He realized a little too late that one of the four was missing. Blast Mandalorians for working well as a team.

Then he was hit with another surprise in the form of molten slag. One fired at him, but no blaster bolt appeared. He was too late to block any of the tiny hot metal particles from hitting him, lodging into his fingers, upper arm and stomach below his chest plate.

A slag thrower? Really? What century was this? He didn’t even know those still existed outside of museums. Though considering how much it had taken him off guard and how much of a distraction the burning was, they should really come back into style.

The shooter seemed to be reloading and he didn’t want to go through that again, so he continued deflecting bolts with his saber and reached out a hand for the thrower. He pulled it to him and sliced it in half. The woman growled in frustration.

“If you can’t play nice then I’m going to take away your toy.” Obi-Wan quipped, going back to their pattern of him falling back while they advanced.

Ah, he’d found the missing Mandalorian. They fired a stun net at him but he dodged easily, the net catching one of their own. One down.

Losing a squadmate to the net probably wasn’t in the plan but him dodging seemed to be. While he was distracted with avoiding the net, he felt his foot being pulled out from under him. He rolled, trying to untwist himself from the electrowhip but it had ever so nicely caught in the bend of his clone trooper boot and calf guard. And it hurt almost as bad as the embedded slag. He was definitely switching to Jedi boots once he made it out of this. And that unfocused thought told him he was losing concentration. He was getting tired. His head throbbed.

Whip man’s friends continued to shoot at him while he was being dragged but rolling seemed to work quite well. Whip Man pulled a vibroblade out of its sheath on his back, ready to slash him when he got close. The blaster fire stopped so they wouldn’t hit Whip Man. At least he had some relief from that but now a vibroblade? What else did these assholes have in their Jedi kill kit?

Now that he wasn’t being pulled, the whip fell away from his foot easily and he focused on the sword fight with Whip Man. Vibroblades could stand up to lightsaber hits, that was true. But only for so long. And this warrior seemed to have forgotten that. Obi-Wan made sure to make contact with the same section of the blade and when he was sure it couldn’t stand anymore, he dealt the final blow slicing through the sword and the Mandalorian’s unprotected neck. He slumped to the floor, headless and Obi-Wan turned to face his remaining foes. They’d gotten the poor net victim free, but they were still unconscious from the stun. That left two.

Obi-Wan realized he’d made it to the place where his ship docked with this one. With a simple jump and flip over his enemies, he was ten steps away from freedom. Cody was waiting for him through the airlock with another trooper waiting to give him cover fire. He could see Bail looking on behind them, clearly in some form of shock. It was a little hard to focus on his face, dizziness had started to creep in no matter how much he tried to push it away.

Obi-Wan turned his back to Cody in time to see the Mandalorians follow him around the corner, blasters drawn.

“It seems we should call this one a draw.” Obi-Wan said, turning his lightsaber off but keeping it in his hand.

Neither opponent said anything. With their helmets, he had no idea if they were amenable to a truce or going to open fire again. So he kept his guard up, backing away to his friends.

Obi-Wan reached the hatch, all he had to do was step through the airlock. But of course in his one moment of distraction to step over the bulkhead both of the Mandalorians pulled out vibroknives and threw. Obi-Wan knew there were two, but he was much more concerned about the one aimed for Cody’s shoulder, a weak point in his armor. He spent those precious milliseconds pulling Cody towards the other clone with the Force. That knife missed, but the other found its target in the back of Obi-Wan’s thigh. He knew he made a noise as he knelt down but he didn’t really hear it.

He had offered these two a truce. He was going to allow them and their unconscious friend to live. He’d more than proved to them he would kill if he had to with their now headless friend as testament. But they’d refused to give up when they had no hope left. When he was one step away from ending this fight.

And attacking when your opponent has turned his back on you? He wasn’t sure what sect these Mandalorians belonged to but they had no decency. Something inside him seemed to click and he was no longer himself. Maybe it was the concussion driving him on, maybe it was Ursa’s training on how to be a proper Mandalorian. Maybe it was the Dark Side taking hold. Whatever it was, it gave him strength. He reached back and pulled the knife out of his leg then stood and pulled the other out of the wall.

They started shooting, and Cody and the others started shouting for him to pass through the bulkhead. But Obi-Wan held up a hand, creating a force field so no bolts passed through and he tuned out his friends. He took one knife and threw it like a shuriken, guiding it to curve into the first Mandalorian’s side, an armor weak point. It buried true and his first target went down. The second had thrown the knife into his leg, he was sure. He waited until he was quite close before using the Force to relieve the last one standing of his blaster.

Closing the gap the man threw a few punches, arming himself with a second vibroknife, refusing to give up. Obi-Wan dodged and blocked a few blows before his foe stabbed him in the shoulder blade just below the armor. He felt it, yet he did not. Obi-Wan went in for the jugular, burying the knife into the man’s neck whispering in Mand’oa to him.

“Honor is life, without honor you have no reason to live.”

As Obi-Wan said it, as he let go of the vibroknife and the man fell to the ground, he seemed to become himself again. He had done that. That wasn’t a normal thing for him to do. It wasn’t normal to lose control of almost everything like that. He wasn’t an angry person. Well, maybe sometimes he was but he was never someone who physically acted on it. What was happening to him? Or had happened to him. He felt normal now, except for the terror of knowing he did such a thing. And the pounding in his head and ears.

He turned back to the airlock and limped back. He hadn’t limped to get here, but now it seemed like he could barely walk.

Everyone seemed deathly quiet. The red-headed woman standing next to Bail was covering her mouth in shock. Bail seemed to be numb. Obi-Wan was happy he couldn’t see Cody’s expression under his helmet.

He practically fell face first through the airlock. Clones closed it behind him hurriedly. Cody yelled over his comm for Trapper to go. They detached and immediately did some fancy flying. Those 4 must have had at least one more friend in their squad to fly their own ship. They’d arrived too late as backup.

Obi-Wan halfheartedly tried to reach behind to remove the blade still in his back but gave up almost immediately. He felt the telltale lurch of hyperspace then passed out.

-

Kahl had spent the first week and a half at the Wren stronghold completely exhausted from running,weightlifting, climbing. Basically any activity besides sparring. Aunt Ursa had said it was important for him to build up some muscle and stamina before they began. He wasn’t out of shape, but he also wasn’t incredibly in shape like Korkie was.

When he was finally reaching a point where he didn’t fall asleep the second his head hit the pillow after a full school day and a full training session, Ursa started him on boxing with a hologram. Which was a lot more difficult than it sounded. And when she started sitting in and critiquing him, he started to hate it. Just as she had predicted. But her analysis was also right.

And she’d been right about school, too. Almost everyone was nice to him of course, they all wanted him to join their social circle. But he cheated every once in a while and reached out to the Force to feel who was actually interested in being his friend, probably for clout, and who secretly hated him. Then there were the few kids who didn’t bother to hide it, glaring at him in class or pretending not to see him on the way to the speeder lot and shouldering him onto an ice patch.

He didn’t really care, he wasn’t here to make friends. As awful as it sounded, even to himself, the only prominent family on this planet was the Wrens and he didn’t have to work for their clan’s favor. He wasn’t here to make friends, he was here to train with Ursa and to train himself.

He hadn’t had the energy to hike out to the woods, but he could tell he was getting stronger.

-

Satine lay in bed, watching the chrono on Ben’s side of the bed keep time, minute by minute ticking by. This was always her technique when he was gone on a trip with the boys, out late with his friends, anything that was keeping him away. He’d been gone almost 2 years, this technique of lulling herself to sleep with pure boredom had stopped working a long time ago. Instead she swam in regret rather than the loneliness that used to accompany the chrono.

How had she really thought she could keep this up forever? She’d shut him out before when they’d argued, she could be cut off from her air supply for days, weeks if necessary. But now she was adrift in space, oxygen tank running low, in a disaster of her own making. She needed to talk to him, to argue with him so she’d know what to do.

Another minute ticked on the chrono.

She could hold her breath through work. Through teaching Korkie things, when they were being civil to each other. But when she came home to get another breath there was nothing there.

She’d let Kahl go to Krownest without much argument. He’d gone back to his old ways after his birthday, and he seemed excited about Krownest. She was willing to give him anything that would make him happy since she’d snatched the last thing away without thinking.

The chrono continued its steady pace, the minute flipped over.

Korkie was getting better and better at separating work from family. He’d watched her do it for years, and he did exactly as he was taught. Too perfectly. She realized just how hard it was to be on the receiving side of how she ran her life.

He’d left her a birthday card and small cake in the kitchen on her birthday. She hadn’t come home until late - the rest of the System might have her birthday off but Duchesses did not take breaks when there was a galactic civil war happening on all sides of them - and she wondered how long he’d waited. If he’d waited at all. She wouldn’t blame him, she’d sent a cake ahead for his birthday, but hadn’t made it home in time. He’d left a note by the untouched dessert that he was out with friends but she was almost sure she heard him in his room.

Tick, another minute.

She didn’t know how to fix this. The Ben problem was unfixable. She’d been her own judge, jury and executioner on that front. She was trying to fix Kahl by letting him stay away. Satine could rebuild planetary infrastructure after a war but she was oh so good at breaking everything else. Maybe Ursa could repair him, harsh as she was. Korkie was an enigma. She wanted and needed him to learn the intricacies of the job. She hadn’t been so lucky to have someone guiding her at his age. It was hard to look at him and remember that she was his age, running a system alone. He looked so young, no wonder people had had trouble taking her seriously back then. But he also looked so heavy. Weighed down by things no eighteen year old should have to think about.

Another minute.

That was why she kept all of her Death Watch threat meetings closed to him. She’d lived with the threat and reality of that, and she didn’t want to pass it on. She should. It could be an important lesson. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it and he couldn’t bring himself to understand why she shut him out.

Something was going to break. Her relationship with Korkie? The attempt to find Death Watch leaders for negotiation? They’d claimed responsibility for bombing an empty city hall overnight. Maybe it would be her. She didn’t know how many more days she could wake up and put on the costume. The clock was ticking but she couldn’t read the timer.

Another minute.

Another.

Another.

Another.

Another.

Chapter Text

He dreamt, or was in a state between waking and sleep. Obi-Wan watched himself stab the Mandalorian in the neck from outside of his body. As a spectator in his own life. But then he rushed back into Obi-Wan’s body and looked down at what he had done. What the version of him he had no control over had done.

“Obi.”

He looked up at her gasp of horror. Satine, a younger version in common clothes, dirty from their trek through the forests, stared at the body. And then at him.

“Why did you do that?”

“Because he was trying to kill you.”

“You didn’t have to kill him.” she shouted at him, eyes glistening with potential tears.

This had already happened. He looked down again and saw the armor had changed to the first Mandalorian assassin sent to kill her during the Civil War.

“He wasn’t going to stop until you were dead or he was. There was nothing I could have done.” he tried to justify it to her. He didn’t like it either but he was right.

“You’re just like everyone else. Killing is wrong until it suits you.” she shook her head and turned away from him.

“Duchess…”

“No. Save your excuses.” She walked away and he was left with a dead body to bury. He bent down to drag the man towards a tree when its eyes shot open, still cold and vacant. The body grabbed onto his upper arm and his entire right side was suddenly burning cold. He jerked back and jolted out of the dream and into the waking world.

His arm and stomach were still freezing cold and his eyes darted around trying to figure out exactly where he was. He was in an infirmary, probably still on their smaller cruiser. He was alone. He was lying on his side folded over so much he was practically on his chest, shirtless with cold packs taped or bandaged to his hand, upper arm, neck and stomach.

He could still feel a few of the tiny pellets of slag lodged in him cooling off, but that pain had mostly subsided. He didn’t really want to move to check on the knife wounds. Moving would only open whatever work a bacta patch had accomplished anyway. Obi-Wan lay his head back down, satisfied he wasn’t in active danger and most likely not dying.

He knew he’d stabbed that man in the neck, that was part of the dream and the waking world. But the part about feeling as if he wasn’t in his own body was real, too. He had been angry at the hunters for making life more difficult than it needed to be. For potentially bringing trouble to Satine and her pacifist government with their old bounty hunting ways.

But like that night at the Gala when it seemed as though something else was controlling his tongue, telling Senator Amidala about the Codex’s old laws the recall Jedi, the attack on the Mandalorian had seemed sparked by a small thought in his mind escalated to action against his will.

And that was honestly the scariest thing he could possibly think of. To not have control of his own actions. A man possessed was a danger to himself and all his friends. Something that would surely put him in any number of facilities if he admitted it. He’d have to defend the actions as his own. But what if it happened again. What if this time it wasn’t for a good cause or to kill an enemy.

He was distracted from his own ruminations by some whispering. A quiet and urgent discussion was going on at the next bed over. Right, the unconscious girl. Hopefully she was alright. He Listened, extending his hearing with the Force.

“We don’t know if she’ll wake up in time for us to tell her the cover story. So it’ll have to be close to the truth.”

He recognized Bail’s voice. And he was sure Bail had to know who he was now. But that didn’t seem to be the topic of discussion.

“We can’t tell them the truth…we could say she was kidnapped and those Jedi hunters wanted to ransom her back to us. So we couldn’t involve the authorities?” a female voice suggested. The other person he assumed to be a Senator as well.

“It’s not the best plan, but I don’t have a better one. What if they ask why the kidnappers didn’t ask her mother for ransom?”

“I don’t know, they couldn’t get through? The people who answer communications thought it was a hoax?”

“We’ll leave how she got kidnapped up to her. We don’t know anything about that.” Bail said.

“Agreed. I can’t believe I lost the second disc…”

“We were a bit focused on not being murdered,” Bail absolved, “something is better than nothing. I’m sure she can do it again.”

“Are we sure we even want to do this? This is our first step into espionage and we could have been killed,” the woman dismayed.

“Depending on what’s on that disc, we might not have a choice. Morally.”

There was a short silence and the secretiveness of their conversation seemed to be over. The woman spoke at full volume now.

“I hope she wakes up soon. She’s so young…too young to be put through this.”

Bail said nothing in return. The quietness drew out and Obi-Wan fell back to unconsciousness.

-

Korkie met Mar by his ship, thankfully on a weekend this time. The headmaster had given him strict instructions that he couldn’t miss any classes for any reason for the rest of the year.

He was surprised to see Mar talking to Valsi dressed in the white uniform of a doctor with her white blonde hair tied back in a tight bun. He thought they might be arguing from the way Valsi was gesticulating, but Mar remained stone faced. They both stopped when they saw him approaching.

“Uh…good morning?”

Valsi smiled in that easy comforting way he’d seen at parties before, but he couldn’t tell if it was as practiced as Mar’s fake smile. She was also a doctor - a fact he’d forgotten until just now - so maybe it was genuine because she cared about people. He should really pay more attention to his extended family more…

“Korkie, we were just talking about you.”

He raised an eyebrow, that probably wasn’t good considering his earlier assessment of the situation.

“We,” she glanced over at Mar, who stared ahead, not acknowledging her or him, “would like to invite you to have dinner with us sometime. I’m sure you’re plenty busy, but if you ever get bored you can come and visit. Even if this one isn’t around.” She pointed her thumb to Mar.

She seemed so open and positive with this offer, it didn’t feel like Soniee’s parents saying he could visit anytime when they really meant they hoped he didn’t arrive without notice so they could prepare and try to impress him.

“That sounds kinda nice, thanks. Maybe later this week.”

“Actually, tonight I’m making-”

“Ok, time to go, social hour is over.” Mar grumpily interrupted her and she looked like she was going to clock him one, but she looked back to Korkie and gave another smile as Mar grabbed him, herding him into the ship like he was a shaak.

“Whenever, the door’s always open.”

“It most certainly is not, we have a very secure house, I don’t want to get murdered in cold blood.” Mar retorted, three fourths of the way up the ramp, practically shoving Korkie now.

“Don’t get murdered by the pirates, dear. Love you!” she shouted after them, a teasing tone in her voice. Mar only grumbled again, retracted the landing ramp, and finally stopped hovering over him.

“She seems nice, how come you don’t want me to come over?”

“I don’t go to your house and get in your business, do I?”

“What, are you worried I’m going to tell her about that drug dealer lady in Vlemoth Port?” He smirked while Mar started the ship and tried to ignore him. “I promise I can keep a secret.”

“No, I’m trying to discourage her nurturing instinct.”

“If she’s a doctor isn’t that like…exactly her entire life’s purpose?”

“She can do that all she wants at the hospital, I don’t take in strays.”

“You’re hauling me around with you when you don’t have to? Like you- I don’t know- picked up a stray?”

His questioning got to Mar much faster than he thought it would..

“Ancestors almighty, she wants a kid to take care of. She’s wanted a kid for years but I don’t do kids, so she’s latching onto you as a stand in, even though you’re basically an adult. Are you happy now?!”

“No, the more you tell me the more questions I have. Just adopt a kid or something.”

Mar finally rotated his chair and looked at him then gestured to his face.

“Korkie, look at me. What about me says ‘patient with children’?”

Well, he had a point there.

“Alright, alright. I won’t come over. But I do want to know why she married you, she’s way too nice.”

Mar sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead as if a headache was already coming on.

“Can we please focus on what our mission for the day is?”

“Something about pirates.”

“I found one of the smugglers running stuff into Sundari. The saucer ship guy.”

“So suit up and ask this guy who his supplier is so we can head up the chain of smuggler command?”

“That’s the idea.”

“Do I get to talk this time?”

“Yes, if you don't ask me any more questions about my personal life. Maybe you’ll question this guy into an early grave like you’re doing to me.”

Korkie chuckled and went to the double secret cargo hold.

-

When Obi-Wan woke again, it was because Cody was removing the cooling packs.

“Hey, I was enjoying being an icicle.” he mumbled.

“We’re going to check if they’ve all cooled.”

“Whoever did this tape job is a maniac.” Obi-Wan criticized. Cody pursed his lips. Clearly it had been him.

“Is the girl ok?” he asked instead.

“She’s awake. Says she doesn’t really remember much. Something about being kidnapped.”

Obi-Wan didn’t say anything in response. He wasn’t sure what Bail was up to, but he was going to trust him until he had a reason not to. Obi-Wan didn’t want to press too hard on their story, at least not publicly.

“She’s Asta Wessex. Lira Wessex’s daughter.” Cody looked a little concerned that Obi-Wan hadn’t asked any further questions.

“The ship builder?”

“That’s her.”

“Kidnap makes even more sense now.”

“I haven’t asked them anything, that’s just what I overheard. Figured you’d want to do the investigating.” Cody ran a scanner over him, he assumed looking for any remaining hotspots.

“It sounds like a Senate problem to me. We did our part, let them figure it out.”

Cody seemed satisfied he wasn’t smoldering from the inside anymore and started cutting some non-bacta gauze, taping it to his abdomen. Obi-Wan lifted his arm to get a look at the shrapnel damage but stopped when his shoulder screamed at him.

“How bad is it?” he asked.

“You’ll live.”

“Thanks for that detailed report Doctor 2224.”

Cody huffed out a laugh, but turned serious quickly.

“Since the patient has his sense of humor, maybe he is ready for harder questions. Who was that out there?”

Obi-Wan understood the question perfectly well but wasn’t sure how to answer. So he went with the truth. “I don’t know. I know what I did. I remember doing it. But it wasn’t…me. I know that sounds insane.”

Cody nodded and wrapped the last of the gauze and medical tape around two of his fingers that were swelling up. “Sometimes we surprise ourselves with our own feelings. Get some rest. We’ll be on Coruscant in a few hours.”

Cody left and Obi-Wan tried to relax but his mind was too filled with questions. Did those Mandalorian Jedi hunters just get lucky in capturing Senators? Or did someone tip them off. And tip them off to what exactly. Some kind of secret meetup, but with a teenage girl?

“Jedi Kenobi.” Bail appeared in his doorway. Obi-Wan sighed internally. He’d known this was coming, but he’d hoped to delay it until he wasn’t laying pathetically in the infirmary.

“Senator.” he acknowledged, hoping such a short reply would dissuade him. But of course it didn’t. He stepped in and scooted the chair as close to the bed as possible and sat.

“How do you feel?”

“I’ve been stabbed before, it’s not so bad. The slag thrower was a new one though.”

Obi-Wan fiddled with his blanket a bit, thankful Cody had pulled it up to his chest and covered all his injuries.

“I wonder if they stole it from a museum.” Bail mused, “An interesting secret they might want to keep to themselves.”

Obi-Wan didn’t think they were talking about slag throwers anymore and kept his voice low.

“The fewer people who know, the better.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” Bail raised his eyebrows.

“I don’t actually know the truth, so it’ll be very hard for me to tell anyone anything.” Which was true. He knew they were coming up with a cover story, but he hadn’t sussed out what they were hiding yet.

“Then maybe we can call this the first step to trust. I’ve always felt I could trust you, but maybe we should prove it to each other. In case we need each other’s help in the future.”

“You seem a lot less phased than I thought you would be.”

“I had my suspicions on Christophsis.”

“Then I have to commend you for being so brave, trying to rescue the Wessex girl from kidnappers who asked for ransom from her family. You did a good thing coming to rescue her, even if they played you as well.”

Bail furrowed his brow a bit. Obi-Wan pointed to the tops of the walls that didn’t go all the way to the ceiling. It was easy to overhear things in the infirmary.

“Ah. Well…” Bail kind of shrugged and stood, “I was doing what I thought was right.”

“And so am I.”

“Then we understand each other.”

“Yes. But next time don’t make me come find you. Invite me.” Obi-Wan knew getting involved in whatever Bail was doing probably wasn’t such a good idea but he was already cloaked in so much secrecy, what was one or two more? The only person he could possibly slip up to over time was Anakin. Or Cody, who seemed to become deaf and blind whenever he did anything he wasn’t supposed to be doing.

“I’ll be sure to add you to the guest list. Feel better soon, Kenobi.” Bail said at a normal volume and gave him a small nod-bow after hesitating on ‘Kenobi’. It was probably a bit difficult to remember when he had only known him as a Kryze up to this point.

“Maybe when I get a real doctor.”

“I can hear you!” Cody shouted from the adjoining room.

Chapter Text

The Corona class ship appeared just outside of Mandalore’s planetary sensor range, just as Mar had said it would. He hailed them, claiming to need medicine for his ailing mother back on Concord Dawn and he’d heard Hondo was the place to get what he needed. Korkie rolled his eyes at the story, but the pirate seemed to bite, asking what he had for payment.

Only the family beskar blade. Not the nicest, but it was all they could spare. The weirdly gregarious pirate again agreed.

Mar pulled his helmet on, and Korkie copied him. They only wore their helmets and chest plates to fit closer to their story of not having much to trade.

“I get the feeling this guy is going to try to screw us over.” Mar slipped two vibroknives into his boot, and checked his blaster on his hip.

“No. You think a pirate is going to try to do something pirate-y? He wouldn’t dare.” Korkie replied sarcastically as he pulled the sword a little way out of its sheath to have a look, then clipped it to his back. His fingers danced over his blaster as if he had to make sure he hadn’t lost it. He’d never been in a real firefight before and he was nervous. He hoped it didn’t show.

“I’m starting to find your humor endearing. Starting.” Mar emphasized, “don’t push it.”

Korkie smiled and they headed through the docking hatch.

They were met by two Weequay men dressed in the most stereotypical pirate outfits Korkie could imagine. He supposed stereotypes had to come from somewhere. Their leader stood waiting in the cargo bay which was filled to the brim with crates, some jewelry and weapons laying out in the open, waiting to be sorted.

“Ahh, some more Mandalorians who wish to do some business. Let’s see this special sword of yours.”

“I want to see you actually have the meds I need first. I’m not losing this blade for nothing.” Mar countered, letting his voice waver a bit.

“Fine fine. I see you know your tricks.” He gestured to one of the 2 men standing behind him to open a crate. The pirate did but it didn’t contain medicine, instead it was armor. The lid was replaced quickly, but Korkie could have sworn it looked Mandalorian style. Some people copied the style but if it was actual beskar….

The second crate contained various medical supplies and the henchman dug until he found what Mar had asked for, holding it up so he could see. His uncle seemed satisfied so Korkie unclipped the sword from his back and slid it across the floor.

Hondo drew the blade and examined it closely.

“Real beskar. It is a good trade. But as you can see I have more men than you do. And it would be more profitable for me to keep both and for you to be on your merry way.” Hondo seemed to be able to keep his mood cheery even when he was, indeed, trying to screw them over. His 4 associates started to raise their blasters, but before they could prepare themselves, Mar had already turned to the man behind him, landing a series of punches that seemed to daze him enough to allow himself to be used as a shield to block a blaster bolt from one of the others.

Korkie wasn’t far behind, ducking down and drawing his blaster to return fire. Mar brought the second guard behind them to the ground with what Korkie thought looked a lot like a move from get’shuk and a few well landed punches. Korkie hit his mark and brought down the third guard and Mar threw one of his knives into the fourth victim.

“Well.” Hondo said standing alone, hands halfway up in surprise, showing he didn’t have a blaster, “This changes things.”

Mar stalked towards him, the timid act gone.

“You can keep the sword if you tell me where that armor is going and who made it.”

“What armor, I know nothing of armor!”

“Don’t play games with me Ohnaka. The armor in the crate.”

“I can’t do that to my clients, it’s bad business. You wouldn’t want me to reveal your identity-”

“You don’t know my identity. And do you know what’s really bad for business?” He pulled the second knife from his boot and held it to Hondo’s throat. “Being dead.”

“Ok! Ok! No need to be so angry, it is going to some group on Concordia. They are the next stop.”

“Who.” Mar growled, flexing his grip on the knife.

“I don’t know! It’s a drop zone. They leave the money, I leave the armor. Same with pickup on Quantxi. Veeeery smart way to do things, my mother would be proud.”

Korkie wasn’t sure how this man still had the ability to try and be sociable while being threatened, but he was doing it.

Mar seemed to consider for a moment and Korkie tensed but Mar withdrew his weapon and tucked it back into his boot.

“Thank you. We’ll be on our way now.”

Mar turned his back on the Weequay, not seeming worried in the least that he would be attacked. Korkie wasn’t so sure and kept his blaster at the ready. Mar left the sword where it lay, grabbing the drug they’d originally come for.

“So you’re still honoring the deal? After I tried to steal your family sword?”

Mar shrugged.

“A deal is a deal.”

Hondo nodded slowly and shook his finger at him.

“I like you, Mando. You really are a noble people.”

“I wouldn’t test that theory if I were you.” Mar replied and gave him a nod, touching Korkie’s arm as a signal to put the blaster away.

He did and they backed out of the corridor, just to be safe. Back on their own ship, Korkie sealed the hatch and Mar kicked the engines into gear, getting as far away as possible and jumping to Hyperspace for a little random tour of Mandalorian space in case the pirates decided to try and track them.

“Wow!” Korkie slid into the co-pilot’s chair, pulling his helmet off quickly. He felt terrified that they could have died, but exhilarated from the rush. Horrified at just how easy it had been for him to shoot someone, but thrilled they’d made a clean getaway and gotten what they wanted and more.

“Finally something we have in common.” Mar also slipped off his helmet, sporting a smirk and gave Korkie a lighthearted punch to the arm.. “You’re an adrenaline junkie, too. I knew you’d come through.”

“I kinda feel like I’m gonna throw up.”

“It’s great isn’t it?” Mar chuckled.

Korkie didn’t agree at that very moment, but he wondered if he would tomorrow. He swallowed, trying to keep the nausea away and distracted himself. “What’s up with the armor?”

“I don’t fucking know. But I’m going to assume Death Watch is back. I can’t think of anyone else who would want that much armor, or have the money to pay for it. Or to have it forged off world.”

Mar crossed his arms, thinking.

“Death Watch is a splinter group from the True Mandalorians from the war, right?”

“So you do go to school sometimes.”

Korkie huffed. “It wasn’t that long ago, I have to know this shit if I’m going to be Duke one day.”

Mar leaned forward with an idea and searched the Navicomputer.

“Quantxi is a moon of Ord Mantell.” he shook his head, “Black Sun territory.”

“Not good?”

“Not good.”

Korkie noticed Mar rub his metal knee and wondered if he was doing it unconsciously.

“So now what?”

“This is way too dangerous for us alone. We have to figure out how to tell your mom without telling her.”

“I think she already knows. She’s been hiding something from me for weeks, she won’t talk to certain people in front of me. She’s more irritable than usual, which is saying something.”

“I’m sure she’s trying to protect you. She was your age when she took the throne. We had to grow up fast.”

“I would be more protected if I knew some terrorists were on the rise and might have it out for me.”

“All the more reason for you to leave this one alone. You would be very valuable to them if they captured you.”

“I’m just supposed to go sit around and wait for them to come after me? That’s bullshit.”

“I’m going to do the same thing. Whoever is in charge now probably knows who I am so I would attract way too much attention.. You know, the whole 10 months as a prisoner thing. I made an impression.”

“That was a long time ago, you were a kid.”

“Yeah, but anyone around my age probably fought me. The adults had a nice little fight club ring going. Unfortunately for them I learned faster than the other kids. So most everyone has a score to settle.”

“That explains the punching. I was wondering why you didn’t just shoot those two guys.”

“It’s a lot more personal.”

“Yep, you’re back to being a psycho again.”

Mar smiled. “I’ll make sure your mother is aware of the situation. Then it’s up to her. Gives us more time to focus on Jango and the clones.”

“Any progress on that?”

“The diary says he was contacted by a man named Tyrannus to be the template but not much outside of that. It’s a lot of complaining that he has to return to Kamino on a regular basis to give DNA samples and the rest is how much he loves his kid.”

“So how do we find Tyrannus?”

“No clue.”

“Cool.” Korkie miffed.

“I haven’t finished reading yet, I might find something.”

“Well read faster.”

“I have two real jobs, ya know. One of which got a lot harder when your dad left and I had to start doing all his work.”

“Which was actually supposed to be your work but you’re an unreliable jerk.” Korkie shot back.

Mar raised an eyebrow.

“Is what I heard.” Korkie finished, slightly less defensive.

Mar half-smiled. “It makes me happy to know I made his life just a little more difficult.”

“You know he never said anything awful about you. Maybe that you were lazy and didn’t do your job. And that you didn’t like him. But he doesn’t seem to have the same problem with you.”

He didn’t have a reply for Korkie, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Korkie retreated into his own, trying to recall what he knew about the factions that formed soon after the Civil War, Death Watch being one of them. And how exactly he would get information out of his mother on the current iteration.

“Who are you taking to Interschool?” Mar suddenly broke the silence, referring to the big senior dance at the end of the school year.

“Alright, now it’s your turn to stay out of my life. No one, yet. I’m not sure I even want to go.”

“You know it’s where your parents met. Supposedly. Even though we both know it’s bullshit, it’s a cute story.”

“So?”

“So…be a kid, Kork.”

“But high school is so fucking stupid. When everyone else goes home and gets high and plays video games or whatever they do, I go to Mom’s office and run rationing inventory. Things are just so different for me.”

“You have the rest of your life to be grown up. You can enjoy kid stuff one night and do covert missions with your cool uncle the next.”

Korkie smiled and deadpanned. “Oh my god do you think you’re cool?”

“I am so cool I didn’t even scold you for killing a guy.”

“I don’t think that’s what cool means.”

Mar stood, already working his armor off. “Go to the dumbass dance. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

Korkie sighed a bit dramatically, but he was the second person urging him to go. And he supposed he shouldn’t keep Lagos waiting for him to ask her any longer.

-

Obi-Wan hadn’t been in the Temple infirmary long when an army officer came to visit him. It was very strange to see a non-Jedi in the Temple, but the nurse had shrugged and left the room.

“I am here to investigate your failure to follow orders, General Kenobi.”

“I’ll be fine, thanks. If the knife wound was one inch lower he would have hit my lung and I would be dead. But please, continue.”

The man did, having registered no emotion at that information.

“Your orders were to rendezvous with your fleet on Haruun Kal, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So you admit to insubordination.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

He made a mark on his datapad.

“Did you make this decision, or was this an action of a clone Captain or Commander?”

“Just me.”

Another note.

“And do you have anything to say on record in your defense? You are not required to incriminate yourself further.”

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. “I’m sorry, what’s happening here?”

“You’re being charged with dereliction of duty.”

“Oh. Of course.” Obi-Wan replied as if that should have been obvious, “I realize my mistake of saving two Galactic Senators and a child. How stupid of me.”

“Is that your official statement?”

Was it? This was ridiculous and he wanted whoever had to deal with it to know he thought they were idiots. The Senate had far far far overstepped its boundaries on this one. But he also didn’t want to draw attention to himself especially now with the…whatever was going on with him.

“No. Officially, I’d like to say I was doing what I thought was decent.”

“Noted. You are suspended while this case is pending. Here is your case number. If you have questions please don’t hesitate to call the number on the card.”

“How long does this usually take?”

“Please do not hesitate to call the number on the card for more information.”

“Do I get supporting witnesses or something?”

“Please do not hesitate to call the number on the card for more information.”

They might as well have sent a droid for all the good this man was doing.

“Anything else?”

“No, you’ve answered all my questions to satisfaction.”

The officer didn’t seem to catch the sarcasm and saluted, then left. Obi-Wan tossed the card onto the end table. He needed to figure out what Bail was up to. It had to be something important if he was getting in trouble.

Chapter Text

The ride back to Coruscant had been quiet. They’d lost two Jedi trying to rescue one. The price was high, but they had the coordinates. Ahsoka had remained sullen, Fives barely held it together. Both seemed zoned out to a different planet. Anakin had nothing that would make them feel better, so he stayed quiet too.

When they landed at the Senate building, Tarkin strutted out to meet the Chancellor and a few of his supporters in the receiving halls. Anakin and Ahsoka followed. The clones didn’t bother to make themselves known.

“I have half of the coordinates, the child has the other half.” Tarkin finished explaining.

“I am glad to see your safe return, Master Skywalker. I knew you could do it.”

The pride he usually felt from the Chancellor’s compliments, especially in front of an audience, did not sink in as deeply as they usually did. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt uneasy about the entire situation he’d been placed in.

“Now. Let’s go to private chambers and get the coordinates registered so we can send them to nearby fleets.”

“Excuse me, your Excellency but I was specifically instructed to only reveal the coordinates to the Jedi Council.” Ahsoka spoke up confidently, though she looked like she feared the backlash of her statement.

“The Jedi are no longer part of the Military Council, we have streamlined the chain of command. You can tell us the code.” Palpatine gently assured her and turned, indicating they should get going.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that. I will honor Master Piell’s dying wish.” she stood a little straighter, defying the Chancellor again.

“We are no longer working with the Council on military matters for this exact reason. It only causes delays and unnecessary debates.” Palpatine sounded annoyed with her now.

“You’ll have to negotiate with the Council. I’m only a padawan.” Ahsoka crossed her arms. She was not budging.

“In the interest of galactic security, I advise you to come with us.” Tarkin tried to order her.

Ahsoka did not reply, only stood firm. The Chancellor glanced at him, as if pleading with him to control his Padawan.

“Snips, just tell them the damn coordinates. They’re going to get them anyway.” Anakin pestered. Palpatine was proving his point about reducing the number of voices in the decision making body right now.

“I’m sorry Master. Master Piell was on the Council and I have to respect his wishes.”

How is it that he could be friends with the most powerful man in the galaxy, yet he couldn’t get his Padawan to do the right thing? He looked back to Palpatine and the other Senators, trying not to be embarrassed.

“Then…I’m so sorry, Padawan Tano, you will have to be suspended from duty until all of this is cleared up.” The Chancellor went back to sounding sympathetic to her, even though she was standing in direct opposition of him and the war effort.

“I accept that.” she replied and turned back to the shuttle. She looked back to see if he would follow her. He bowed to the assembled delegates and got back on the ship, mortified.

They quietly dropped the clones off at the garrison before continuing their argument while they headed for the Temple.

“Do you realize how stupid you just made me look?”

“I’m sorry, Master. That wasn’t my intention.”

“Then why did you do it? It makes it look like you’re a Separatist or something. They’re going to question your loyalty.”

“Then let them. I’m on whatever side the Council is on.”

“We’re loyal to the Republic itself, to the Senate. We’re on the same side! Just trust the Chancellor and give them the stupid coordinates.” “The Chancellor isn’t the entire Senate or the entire war council. Some of the information will eventually leak to some Senators. Master Piell told me that the Senate could not be trusted. And I don’t know about you, but that Tarkin guy was awful. If he’s on the Chancellor's special council, I don’t trust it.”

“I agree, Tarkin is kind of an asshole. But he also has a tactical mind. I’m sure that’s why the Chancellor picked him.”

“My instincts tell me I can’t give up the numbers to just anyone.”

Anakin’s instincts told him the opposite. The Jedi Council had never liked him and Palpatine had always made the right moves throughout the war. He should have the coordinates.

“I guess if you’re fine with being stuck here for a while, it’ll sort itself out.” He tried to be diplomatic about it. Everyone was entitled to their opinion, even if it was wrong.

“I’m sorry I’m causing trouble.” Ahsoka apologized, sincerity in her eyes. She wanted his approval.

“I can’t fault you for listening to your feelings, Ahsoka. I don’t understand, but if that’s what the Force is telling you then it must be right.”

She seemed to relax a little and he did too. Things would work out. And in the meantime, he was home. After he saw the Chancellor to try and patch up this disagreement, he could go see Padme. He hadn’t had time to properly say goodbye and he needed to make up for it.

-

Kahl felt all the air leave his lungs as he was once again sent down to the mat on his back. Ursa had not been going easy on him and he wasn’t really sure why she expected him to be as good as her but it was really starting to piss him off. Anger wasn’t an emotion he was used to, he’d felt it build up in him many times as he’s absorbed it from others but he wasn’t really an angry person.

He lay there for a few breaths then sat up. Usra held a padded-glove out for him and he took it, rising to his feet.

“You maintain your defense for a really long time. It’s getting better.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

“Let’s try something else. I’ll only defend, it’s your turn to take me down.”

Kahl looked up at her, a little apprehensive. They’d tried this before and he felt strange attacking her when she was posing no real threat to him. But he put his fists up, willing to try.

He tried the combos she’d shown him, tried to move to her side with some footwork but he only broke her defense once before she finally dropped her hands. He did too, exhausted.

“You’re not trying.”

“I am.” he said between breaths, putting his hands on his knees.

“Not hard enough. I’ve been trying to get you angry for the last 3 sessions now. To make you want to hurt me to show me just how strong you are, but you just don’t have it in you.” Ursa squirted water into her mouth, then tossed him the bottle. He copied her and poured some over his head. It didn’t matter, he was already soaked with sweat anyway.

“You’re not a fighter, Kahl. You’re just not.” she said, almost disappointed in him.

He felt disappointed, too. He hadn’t even made it through this stage, much less what an actual fight with weapons would be like.

“I’m sorry.”

“And there it is again. You’re the most passive Mandalorian I’ve ever met.”

Now she sounded more agitated than disappointed. He wondered if it had finally become apparent to his Aunt that he wasn’t just different, but almost unacceptably so. He could get angry if he opened that door and let her calculated anger seep in to him. But Kahl still felt like he was figuring out who he was without the influence of everyone else around him. He wasn’t ready to break his own rule.

“I’m glad you tried for this long. I’m sorry I couldn’t do it your way.”

He left her looking utterly confused in the training room. He’d have to find his own path, as he always had.

-

As the hours dragged on past their expected return, Padme had grown more and more anxious waiting for Bail or Mon to make contact. Time could be weird in space, that could cause delay. Maybe they had to go to a second location to get their information. When they were a full day late she started to give in to the panic that they’d been captured or were dead. When should she say something? Report them missing?

Finally she saw a blank message from Bail and she could breathe again. They were at least alive. She figured out why they hadn’t tried to set up a meeting when she saw the news of a kidnapped girl and Bail and Mon going to deliver the ransom, only to be captured themselves and then rescued by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Great, a Jedi, some clones and a random girl had to keep secrets now, too? Far too many people were becoming related to this.

It was three full days before they met at her place and she got the real story. Their informant was Asta Wessex, daughter of the Venator designer Lyra Wessex. She was on her way to becoming a gifted mechanic and designer herself, which is why she’d noticed that Kuat Drive was using substandard parts in repairs, then verifying safety checks that hadn’t been completed. They had hard deadlines to meet that the Republic war council had set for them and they had to be completed if they wanted their money. The thing that had sent young Asta over the edge was when she found communication from the war office threatening her mother to lower the required amount of hyperdrive coolant for a Venator to carry. To potentially dangerous levels. And Lyra had done it, her explanation to her daughter being she did what she had to do.

When a Venator blew up and the Admiral in charge was blamed for not carrying enough coolant, Asta had gathered the proof and carefully chose Senators who would listen.

They still weren’t sure exactly how the Mandalorian Jedi hunters had found them. If it was because Asta was using a decommissioned Jedi fighter to make their rendezvous, if someone was on to them in the Senate, if it was just happenstance.

Whatever it was, they’d seemed disappointed with their catch and used a Jedi distress code to lure someone in for a rescue. And it just happened to be Kenobi, who was more than a match for them. Mon seemed quite scared of him, Bail tried to avoid talking about that part altogether.

They had the data proving the War Council had approved a lower coolant level, signed by Palpatine, two Admirals and Jedi Master Eeth Koth. The same level the Venator that had exploded on the Corellian Way had been carrying, but they’d lost that part of the documentation.

They weren’t sure if Asta would still cooperate with them after what she’d been through. But Mon was adamant that they had to continue. There was real evidence of corruption in the War Council and whoever it was had to be brought down.

“The person most likely to tell us what’s really going on would be the Jedi. Even if they aren’t on that Military Council anymore.” Mon said.

“Especially since they aren’t on that Council anymore. They can’t be happy that they’ve been getting cut out more and more.” Bail agreed.

“Yes, but why would a Jedi trust us? None of us know Master Koth.” Padme replied.

“No. But…I have a feeling General Kenobi will help us.” Bail chanced.

“He’s also insane. That is a bad idea.” Mon shot him down.

“Can you honestly say if you had abilities like that you wouldn’t take a little revenge for getting stabbed in the leg?”

“He’s a Jedi, he’s supposed to be above that.”

“He’s not a full Jedi and we’re at war. I’m sure a lot worse things happen that we don’t see. He’s trustworthy. I’d vouch for him.”

Padme was not sure where she fell in this debate. She’d never met the man, but Anakin seemed to like him even if he was a bit of a pain and made it more difficult for them to see each other. Bail trusted him. And Anakin trusted him. And she supposed that was good enough for her.

“I agree, Kenobi is much more on the outside of the Order. He’d be more willing to doubt them and do some digging.” she said.

“Sometimes it’s good to have dangerous people on your side.” Bail added. They both looked to Senator Mothma.

“Fine,” she caved, “but he can’t be seen with us again. It will raise suspicion. You’ll have to convince him, Padme.”

A small wave of panic rushed over her. She’d have to be very careful what she said. Anakin had told her things about him and now she’d have to try and remember what was public knowledge and what wasn’t.

“I can do it. Or I can try anyway.”

“Another problem is that he’s suspended. For disobeying orders. Which probably saved our lives.”

“Ridiculous.” Mon rolled her eyes.

“He’s not allowed to leave the Temple until he’s cleared. So you’ll have to convince him to meet up.”

“Anything else? Perhaps I should also invite a Wampa to this meeting and see how it goes?”

“It’s a long shot, Senator Amidala. If it doesn’t work, it won’t be for lack of trying.” Bail reassured her.

Mon took the documents with her for safekeeping and left first. Bail seemed relieved when she was gone.

“There’s another reason I trust Kenobi. And I probably shouldn’t tell his secret but it’ll make it easier for you to convince him to come. And my god I have to tell someone.”

“Ok?” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Do you remember that Gala on Mandalore last year? For the place we got Leah from?”

“Vaguely..” she couldn’t see what that had to do with anything.

“Duke Kryze? I introduced you. You danced with him.”

“A little…” she did remember him, he’d been the one to suggest the Jedi Codex loophole. But that shouldn’t matter to her, so she decided to lie a little about her recollection.

“Yeah, he’s Obi-Wan fucking Kenobi.” Bail’s eyes went wide, emphasizing just how big of a reveal this was.

She snorted. “Yeah, ok Bail.”

“Seriously, pull up Kenobi’s picture.”

She did, making sure he saw the doubt in her expression.

“Now imagine him without the beard and shorter hair and not in Jedi robes.”

“That’s a lot of imagining.”

But the more she looked, the more she saw it. And that would explain how he knew so much about Jedi rules.

“But how is he in two places at once? Maybe he has a brother or something.”

“Duke Kryze officially went missing a couple of months ago. And this finally explains why he hasn’t answered any of my messages for the last year. Breha was really upset when he went missing because we were thinking of adopting a second child.”

“So what, we’re going to blackmail him into helping us because we know his true identity?”

“Stars, no. Padme.” Bail seemed offended at her idea, “I talked to him on our way back to Coruscant. He said he was interested in what we were actually doing. And we’re friends. I just didn’t tell Mon that part.”

“And now I know why you trust him. He’s crazy enough to risk a galactic incident and accidentally pulling Mandalore into this war? Then he’s crazy enough to try and bring down the Chancellor.”

“Exactly.”

She’d learned so much. So much that she wanted to tell Anakin. But if he didn’t already know, she’d have to keep her mouth shut. Another secret to add to the list that she felt was pushing her away from him. Because if she couldn’t be honest with Anakin, who could she be honest with?

Chapter Text

After Ursa had told him he wasn’t cut out for fighting, Kahl has spent most of his free time practicing just off the nature trails. He’d discovered that summoning the woodland creatures was not a fluke. When he reached out and sensed them, then concentrated, he could get them to obey small commands. This revelation had been just as terrifying as the first time for a while, but Kahl slowly learned how to focus on one bird or squirrel at a time and let the others go. He hated doing it. Taking away their free will even if only for a few minutes, even though he made sure they were safe, felt like the power of a dark side user. Something he definitely shouldn’t be doing. But reaching for the emotions of living things came so easily to him it couldn’t be wrong.

He’d been reading about a time when the Jedi had many temples throughout the galaxy, rather than only one centered on Coruscant. When different groups, almost factions, of the Order had different ideas on how the Force worked and how it should be used. Most all of their beliefs were the same, but some Knights’ journals revealed they saw the Force differently than others. As visual sound vibrations, as waves of colors, by reading the intentions of others instead of listening to their words. That one had intrigued him the most of course. He was beginning to come to the conclusion that it wasn’t him who was wrong, the Order had become narrow minded over time and made his interpretation unacceptable.

Sitting in his room, ignoring yet another message from Korkie asking how things were, he returned to the main screen of his father’s Temple login screen. He was about to follow the long and annoying rabbit hole of the Archive map down to a different old Temple location when he saw two new notes in his personal section. Well, his father’s personal section. And one started off with the rules of cubi’kad. Which was a ridiculous thing for him to have since his dad had been the one to teach him to play it in the first place. He opened the note and scrolled through the basic rules. Maybe he’d had too many head injuries and was trying to remember the rules to teach the troops to play? But in the middle of the long description, he found something that didn’t match.

It seemed to be a real note, not copied from somewhere. The paragraph began ‘you’ll know this is for you.’. And he was certain it was for him. He was afraid to continue, but equally afraid not to.

You’ll know this is for you.

If this makes it to you, I’m probably not here anymore. I requested my things be sent to the Mandalorian embassy but I don’t know if this will make it to where it needs to go but I have to hope.

I’m sorry for how things went last time. I should have spent more time with you, I regret it every day. Whatever you were excited for, I hope you still are. I know things have never been easy for you, and I’ve always wondered if it was my fault. That I passed on enough Force sensitivity to make you feel the vastness of the galaxy and not enough to help you understand your place in it. I wish I was around to help you figure it out, but I know you. If anyone can discover who they are on their own, it’s you.

You’re important. You have a place in the galaxy, even if it isn’t on Mandalore. And if the Jedi phrase there is no death, only the force is true I will be by your side in death, better than I was in life.

Don’t shut your brother out. Sure, he’s annoying sometimes but he loves you. He’ll never let you down. Tell your mother you love her. Tell her I love her. And most importantly, I love you whoever you become.

Kahl cried like he hadn’t in a long time. Because he hadn’t. And the thought of never really getting to say goodbye had been on the edge of his mind for a long time. He felt stupid for doubting him this one, and maybe only, chance he’d had to see his dad. Even if he was hooking up with some random woman, that didn’t make him love him any less.

He’d known on some level that something was different about Kahl this whole time. And what Kahl had perceived as bad attention hadn’t been bad at all. If he’d just admitted it instead of twisting words to avoid the entire truth, things would have been different. His dad blamed himself, and Kahl blamed him too in a way, but he blamed himself more. If he would have just asked for help he would have received it.

He hugged the datapad to himself, as if that would somehow turn this last note he wasn’t supposed to have seen into a hologram of his dad so he could talk to him. But of course that didn’t happen.

He didn’t let go, but he did grab his comm device and sent a message to Korkie.

I miss you.

Korkie answered in less than a minute.

I miss you too. Let me know when I should come visit and kick your ass at ice sliding again.

He didn’t want Korkie to try and call him so he kept it short.

You wish.

He really did want to be alone and work on his abilities. Because if anyone was going to figure it out, it was him. And he wanted to prove his dad right.

Kahl held the datapad to him until his mind quieted and he was ready to press on with a new Temple and new Jedi diaries. He noticed the second new note in Kenobi’s personal file began with some Get’shuk scores. He knew it wasn’t for him, and didn’t open it.

He copied both datafiles onto the device. Just in case.

-

Padme sent a message to the Temple knowing it would probably be monitored. Especially since he was in trouble. She requested to meet him at the Temple so she could thank him for saving her friends, and it was granted the next day. She waited in one of the lower gardens, a place outsiders were allowed to see, and was surprised when he appeared with a cane, limping his way over to her. She met him halfway, not wanting to make him walk any further than necessary. He still put in the effort to give a small Jedi bow.

And now standing right in front of him, he was definitely Duke Kryze.

“What happened to you?”

“Didn’t Bail tell you? I got stabbed. Twice.”

“Yes, but…I would have assumed you’d have been in a bacta tank by now.”

“Oh,” he sighed, “Technically those are military property somehow, and I’m under investigation so I’m not allowed to touch military equipment. It’s a lot of red tape. So, the old-fashioned bacta patch way it is.”

“That seems a bit cruel, considering you saved three people’s lives.”

“I’d tend to agree.”

“I’d like to thank you. For what you did. They are close friends of mine. Especially Bail. But you know that already.” she looked him in the eye and he met her gaze then looked away. He got her meaning.

“It’s just part of the job.”

“Speaking of that, I see it as part of my job that this suspension goes away. Maybe I can give you a recommendation. Maybe you could…pick it up at my residence later tonight.”

He met her eyes again and gave her a small nod.

“I’m sorry Senator, I'm not allowed to leave the Temple. Maybe you can submit it to the Tribunal. I would appreciate it.”

“Then I will do just that. Thank you again, Master Kenobi.”

“It was nothing, Senator.” he bowed again and turned to make his way slowly back inside.

She did not linger, she felt like she was being watched from all directions and knowing that people who could sense extraordinary things were all around did not help. One could never be too careful these days.

-

Anakin visited the Chancellor after he and Ahsoka met with the Jedi Council, who were quite somber, the two empty chairs seeming to fill the room. The Council seemed divided as to if they had succeeded in their mission. They had expected 4 to return. They had expected to have the full Nexus route in their possession. And Anakin was sure they still expected to be on the War Council. They were also incensed that Ahsoka was being put on suspension, as was Obi-Wan for some kind of rescue mission.

But that didn’t give them the right to treat him like the enemy. When it was time to reveal the coordinates he was asked to leave. The reason they gave was he was not a Council member. But he knew it was because he was friends with the Chancellor. That they questioned his loyalty to them over Palpatine. And on his speeder ride back to the Senate he decided they were right. He would have given up the coordinates.

Because the Chancellor was a man who actually cared about him, not someone who only cared about the stupid Hyperspace route like the Council, he asked him how he was holding up first. If he was hurt.

“I’m fine. It was tense, but I’m pretty used to that. I’m more upset about my Padawan’s refusal to listen to me.”

“Well, she is a teenager, it’s only natural for her to defy authority. Even if people will suffer. You mustn’t blame yourself. You’re not the only one with influence over her, I’m sure other Masters have swayed her to the Jedi way of thinking that the Senate is actively against them.”

“I don’t understand why we have battle lines drawn between us. We’re supposed to be on the same side.”

The Chancellor sighed, sitting down in his office chair, as if the weight of the galaxy was suddenly too heavy for him.

“To be honest, we have the same problem in the Senate itself. We’ve lost members to the Confederacy, but of the ones that remain there are some who are just as against progress as the enemy is.” He seemed to think better of this reveal, sitting up straighter. “I’m sorry my boy, that is not your problem. You have enough to worry about, you don’t need to hear about troublesome Senators. But I do want to warn you about your former…-protege? Kenobi. He may be involved in one of those irksome efforts.”

Anakin narrowed his eyes, concerned.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sure you heard from the Jedi Council that he’s been placed on suspension, but maybe you haven’t heard why. I’m sure they’ll tell you it’s because he wasn’t following orders and diverted to rescue some Senators. But saving lives would be a ludicrous reason to suspend someone. I've received reports from Republic Intelligence that there may be a plot brewing in the Senate for a vote of no confidence in my leadership. And the rumors involve Jedi, maybe the Jedi Council itself, supporting this movement.”

Palpatine hadn’t been looking at him this whole time, busying himself with a few things on his desk, but at that moment he looked to Anakin’s and did not break eye contact, as if analyzing him for a response.

“He rescued two Senators who may be involved in this plot. There is a possibility they had planned to meet Kenobi beforehand, but were ambushed by marauders.”

Anakin quirked an eyebrow. That didn’t sound like Obi-Wan, he’d always thought of him as someone who would do the right thing, even if it was against the rules. But he had always been secretive. Anakin had always chalked it up to a ‘normal person’ kind of thing. Something someone raised outside of the Temple did on the regular.

He had grown to trust Kenobi, and thought of him as a friend even if he had argued with him the last time they saw each other. He still had the man’s back, but looking back at Master Windu being suspicious of him, then himself, then Ahsoka and now Chancellor Palpatine…maybe there was something to it.

“I’ll keep a closer eye on him, but we don’t always travel together anymore.”

“You’d be willing to do that for me? I trust so few people anymore, Anakin. You’re one of the only ones I’ve never questioned.”

“Of course. If he’s involved in something I’ll find out.”

Palpatine looked so relieved, Anakin felt bad for not offering to look into Kenobi sooner.

“Thank you, Anakin. I can’t ask any more of you tonight. It’s late, I’m sure you need your rest and wish to check up on your Padawan.” He stood and ushered Anakin to the door, “and maybe Kenobi as well. I heard he’s still in the infirmary.”

They parted ways, Anakin’s mind buzzing with this potential plot and who else could be involved. He headed for Padme’s place, Obi-Wan could wait until morning and Ahsoka was used to him disappearing without explanation. He wanted to question her on if she knew what this whole mess was about but when he saw a speeder parked almost exactly where he parked to sneak into Padme’s he pulled off to the side and watched and waited. He didn’t sense danger, so he knew it wasn’t an assassin.

It was something much worse. He saw Obi-Wan sneaking along the same way he did, albeit much slower than he would expect of the man he’d trained. He was so shocked to see him out right after he’d learned Kenobi couldn’t be trusted that it took him a few minutes to gather himself and park where the other Temple speeder had just been.

What did it mean, what did it mean. There were only two options he could think of and neither were things he wanted to believe. Either Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala were having an affair or they were traitors to the Republic.

Chapter Text

Padme nodded off a few times that night, waiting for Obi-Wan to make an appearance. She did hear him, using the exact same entry point Anakin did - she should really get that looked at for when she wasn’t expecting a Jedi visitor - but considering his current handicaps he was still pretty stealthy. He’d gone for a darker color tunic so he wouldn't stand out so much. It looked strange on him, not dashing like it did on Anakin.

“Alright, what are you three up to?”

“Are you always this direct?” she asked.

“When I’m on a timetable I am.” he glanced at a chrono, seeming satisfied that he was still on time.

“We have documents saying the Military Council signed off on reducing coolant levels in ships. Master Koth approved it before the Jedi were ousted from the Council. We want to know why Master Koth signed it. If he signed it at all.”

Kenobi blew out a breath. “I won’t be able to find that out.”

“You only thought about it for one second, you’re going to give up that easily?”

“Master Koth is dead.”

“Oh.”

A silence fell between them. All of this had been for nothing. They’d reached a dead end.

“He was with Skywalker. On a rescue mission. It’s a long story, but maybe I can find out more about how he died.”

And maybe she could, too. But that wouldn’t do much good on the Wessex information.

“So that’s what this is about? Corruption?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“We’d have less problems if Senators learned to mind their own business and make laws, not direct troop movements.”

“None of us are doing that.”

“Well some of you are, both Ahsoka and I are in trouble for disobeying orders.”

“What did she do?”

“Also a long story. Master Skywalker left for a meeting with the Chancellor before coming to see me so I was able to sneak away, but I have to make sure I’m where I’m supposed to be before he returns.”

She thought that probably wouldn’t actually be a problem, Anakin would visit her after he was done with Palpatine. But she couldn’t tell him that. And she needed to keep this alliance open.

“Here.” She handed him a data card, “this is my private number. If you find something…suspicious that might point to corruption, we want to look into it. Some of us want to restore the Republic to what it used to be.”

He took it, tapping it a few times against his fingers.

“I do appreciate you keeping the whole Ben thing a secret. If you told everyone, it would get you exactly what you wanted a year ago. Mandalorians on your side.”

“I know. But that’s not how I operate. I’m sure it’s hard to have different viewpoints in a marriage.”

“You have no idea.” he rolled his eyes.

He’d never know just how much she understood him. If Anakin was once again having a private meeting with the Chancellor, he was pulling her husband closer into his web. A web that he didn’t seem to see and that she was trying to untangle. They both wanted the same thing: for this war to end. To be together. But after how he’d acted on Mon Cala, she wasn’t sure either of them would approve of the other’s technique to get there. And what happened to Ben and Satine - whatever that was - could happen to them.

“Unfortunately, there’s no good way to get a message to me. I only have the official channels.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

She was a pro at contacting Anakin surreptitiously when he was in the field.

“Be careful. We live in a scary time. Maybe even more so for you than for me.”

A chill went down her spine, knowing he might be right. She didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“I could get a message to Mandalore. If you wanted.”

“No, she doesn’t want to hear from me. And the boys…well maybe it’s best I stay away.”

She’d upset him, she could tell. She regretted bringing it up.

“I should go.”

And then he was gone. Their one lead was gone. Now all they could do was wait.

She heard the smallest of sounds, a speeder approaching from where Obi-Wan had just left. Anakin. She rushed to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water as he entered.

Even though she’d heard him coming, she still jumped a little as he stepped out of the shadows.

“Anakin!” she rushed to him, the happiness genuine and also faked. “I didn’t know you were back! It must have been important, you rushed off so quickly.”

He let go of her, looking down at her seriously.

“Was someone else here earlier?”

She fought the urge to blurt out ‘no’, looked like she was considering, then replied no. Then corrected herself.

“Oh, wait, actually Orn Free Taa was here earlier. Why?”

He only shrugged and pulled her close again. She relaxed into his embrace. One tiny lie to his face was fine.

“Did you just get back? Did you save the galaxy again?”

“I guess, but I lost a few along the way.”

She wasn’t sure if he was being quiet because he was still suspicious of her or if he was somewhere else, replaying whatever had happened.

“Do you want to tell me about it over a midnight snack?”

He smirked. “Yes.”

“Of the sandwich from the kitchen variety.”

“Yeah, what did you think I was thinking?”

She laughed, he put his arm around her shoulder to walk to the kitchen. And they were them again.

-

Obi-Wan waited in Anakin and Ahsoka’s quarters the next morning, reading up on what the Jedi Archives was releasing on Piell and Koth’s deaths. It wasn’t much. He wondered just how much he could get Anakin to tell him but that wasn’t his first priority. The last time they’d seen each other they parted on unfavorable terms. Anakin had been getting close to discovering at least part of his ever growing trove of secrets. Maybe it was time to extend some trust.

Anakin entered through the front door instead of coming out of his bedroom where he was supposed to be and looked startled to see Obi-Wan.

“I-was-”

“I just got here, you must have left early for some early morning meditation.” Obi-Wan filled in the gap for him, mentally marking yet another point in the ‘Anakin is dating Padme’ column.

“Yep. Exactly. What are you doing here?”

“I wasn’t sure how long you’d be allowed to stay, so I wanted to make sure I had the chance to apologize for snapping at you. I wasn’t having the best day, or making great choices. Which you’re aware of already since you watched me try to leap into the air as high as possible to destroy a ship.”

“Yeah, even I didn’t think that would work.” Anakin smiled.

“I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“I probably could have been a little nicer. I was just worried about you.” Anakin admitted. He seemed almost at war with himself.

“And there’s something else. I haven’t been entirely truthful with you. I’ve grown to trust you, and I don’t want to carry secrets all by myself anymore.”

Anakin tensed, maybe even looked angry. Obi-Wan questioned if this was the right move, but he’d made up his mind last night. If he ever expected Anakin to have his back 100 percent, he had to be honest.

“I wasn’t just going out for a date in the Twilight. That was a lie.”

Aankin seemed confused, like he’d almost forgotten the incident.

“Ok.”

“It was actually my son’s birthday and I went to see him.”

“Ah-ha!” Anakin pointed a finger at him as if he’d made a major discovery on his own, “I knew it! But why would that upset you?”

“We argued.” This wasn't technically the truth, but it was close enough.

“Oh.”

“And the other one wasn’t there.”

“The other one?”

“I have two.”

“Ah-ha!” he said again in the same tone then dropped it, “Wait, you just left them? All alone?”

“They have a mother, Anakin.” Obi-Wan answered, exasperated. “I didn’t just leave them in an alley and tell them to wait until I came back.”

“And you two are…still together?”

Obi-Wan wondered if it was normal curiosity or if he was searching for something in Obi-Wan’s answers.

“Not anymore.” Which wasn’t a total lie. She’d kicked him out of the house and declared him missing. If that wasn’t a sign that she didn’t want anything to do with him, he didn’t know what was.

“So you’re not a scumbag two-timer.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but chuckle, “No. Actually none of that is true either. The clones just kind of came up with it and I never told them any different.”

“Huh. I definitely bought into it. It all makes sense. How you talk to Ahsoka, the sneaking around if you’re trying to stay in contact with them…” Anakin looked like he was running calculations in his head to solve a problem Obi-Wan didn’t know existed.

“So…you won’t tell on me?”

“Pff, no. No Jedi follows all the rules all the time.” Anakin brushed it off as if it was nothing, but again oscillated back to seriousness,”Does anyone else know?”

Obi-Wan was relieved he was in the clear, but the way he asked his question, it seemed like it was worth a million credits. And Obi-Wan answered as carefully as possible.

“A few people. But I’d rather not say who. If I need to get a message to my family, they’re my only contacts. And you might know them. Could get a bit awkward in the future if you’re odd man out on the secret.”

Anakin nodded slowly. “I can understand that.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. He’d survived the reveal and he really did feel a little lighter.

“Do you have a picture or something?”

“No. I was afraid that would be too obvious. Actually I’ve been wondering if my whole probation fiasco is related to them. They live in the Mandalore system, attacked by Mandalorians,” He waved a hand, “Maybe they made a connection.”

“I’m sure it will resolve itself. Ahsoka’s will too.”

“Yeah what’s that about? I hear you two broke in and out of the most impenetrable prison in the galaxy?”

“Yep.” he smiled with pride.

“Sounds…intense. Perfect for you two.”

“Yep, another record for me.” He laced his fingers and stretched them out in front of himself.

“But not without sacrifice.” Obi-Wan brought him back to the reality of his accomplishment. Not everyone made it out alive.

“Yeah I…I wasn’t there when either of them passed on. Ahsoka was with Master Piell. And we lost Echo.”

Obi-Wan lowered his head, mourning the loss and feeling awful for caring more about the loss of Echo. The other two were just names to him, even if they were much more important figures.

“I’m sorry. I’m sure Fives is struggling.”

“I felt like…as if something else was going on. Like things happened for a reason. Like it was planned that way. Does that make any sense?”

“That sounds like the word you’re looking for is suspicious.”

“Maybe. But there was so much going on, so many factors to pay attention to. We barely escaped.”

“Maybe you and Ahsoka should talk about it. Get a different perspective.”

“I’m kind of mad at her for not handing the coordinates to the Senate. It’s just a stupid power play.”

“She’s just the messenger, Anakin. And she’s also still a child. She’s still trying to figure out when to follow the Force and when to break the rules.”

“Following my instincts and breaking the rules are usually the same thing for me.”

Obi-Wan sighed, remembering just how much of a headache being back together as a team could cause him.

“I’m aware. But not all of us can get away with that. Of all the mistakes she could make, this is definitely not the worst.”

“True, she could have a death stick addiction.”

Obi-Wan gawked at him, adding a smile at the strange hypothetical. “I guess so.”

“What!’ Anakin defended incredulously, listing all of the things she could possibly do that would be worse than siding with the Council over the Senate. “She could break the Twillight again - and we are so not done talking about your kids by the way -, ugh do you remember when she broke away from our starfighter group because she thought she had a better shot and I had to go rescue her from that gas nebula cloud? That was worse than siding with the Council…”

Obi-Wan had missed Anakin. He always knew how to lighten the mood. And now Anakin held one of his secrets. He could only hope he’d keep it when his loyalty to Obi-Wan was tested.

Chapter Text

Anakin was conflicted. What the Chancellor had told him was very concerning. Plots and secrets, connecting two of the only people he cared about to traitorous activity. But they were also just rumors, wisps of smoke with no solid evidence. What he did have evidence of was how his wife and his former tag-a-long acted.

He walked into Padme’s house so fucking angry he could barely contain it. But then he saw her. She could do no wrong in his eyes. She showed no signs of loving him any less. Only a little nervousness when she lied about no one visiting. He couldn’t stay mad. He couldn’t stay suspicious. Because if he didn’t have her, what else was there?

He’d decided he would make sure Obi-Wan stayed away from her and that would solve the problem. But before he’d had a chance to build his anger and throw a few punches, Obi-Wan had explained the meeting last night without even knowing it this morning.

Obi-Wan was always puzzling people and their intentions out before Anakin could. He was always a few steps ahead. Which would be the perfect kind of trait for a traitorous spy. But the odds of him knowing that Anakin and Padme were together and then also knowing Anakin had been watching them, only catching him at the last minute of his escape…it would take 3PO forever to say the number. It just wasn’t possible. So Obi-Wan sharing his giant secret could not be a ploy, some tactic to manipulate him. And he wasn’t hunting for secret Republic information, it seemed like he was trying to hide his own.

But Palpatine was seldom wrong. He didn’t know what to think, so instead he felt. Looking to the Force to center himself, find his way, listen to his instincts. Qui-Gon had always said he was prone to putting blinders on and following his fear when he was confused by conflicting information. So he meditated and sorted every conflicting feeling, every possibility that kept him from making sound decisions. And when he found nothing clouding his way, he looked to his link with Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. They seemed bright and clear, as it always had been. But there was something. Something dark near his fellow Jedi, about to close in on them. On all 3 of them. He felt the need to confront it, whatever it was. If they did not go to it, it would come for them.

When Anakin came back to the present, he felt exactly as worried as he had been when he’d begun his meditation, but for different reasons. He checked the active military chatter. Something was going on, he’d know it when he saw it. That dark something that was going to test them. He wasn’t sure how long he read, but when it refreshed again, right at the top was a report of a mysterious distress signal sent from the Crelythiumn system, beyond the Outer Rim and explored space. That was it. He felt that they could save the galaxy if they went to investigate that distress call.

He exited his room and found Ahsoka working on a data pad with a paused video game on the larger holoscreen.

“Where’s our lame friend?”

“Ha ha. He’s boring and limping, I get it. Med bay, switching out his patches and making sure he’s not going to creak like a rusty droid when he’s healed up.”

“Why is your game paused?”

“I’m teaching Obi-Wan. It’s. Hilarious.”

“Right, well I’m going to go talk to the Chancellor and then we’re heading out on a mission today, so be ready.”

She furrowed her brow. “Did you forget I’m suspended? Obi-Wan, too?”

“Oh both of those are bullshit, I can make that go away.”

“So…you’re not mad anymore?”

“No, I’ve realized that if I were in your position I would have done the same thing. You don’t have a relationship with the Chancellor and I do. I know I can trust him and you don’t. So it makes sense.”

She seemed quite relieved. Normally he would have kept his next thought to himself. He was already too attached to her. But he knew Qui-Gon would have said something like this to him. And even if that had made him too attached to his Master, still missing his guidance and his praise almost two years later, he felt that it had made him a better person. He was better because of his attachments. And maybe the Jedi didn’t know everything all of the time.

“And if I were your age, I’m not sure I would have stood by my beliefs if my Master ordered me to tell the secret. That deserves respect.”

Ahsoka seemed to take his words in, and process them like they were the most precious gems. She was about to reply when Obi-Wan entered, with only a slight limp.

“Good news! No cane anymore! You didn’t cheat while I was gone did you?”

The moment was broken and she slipped into her normal banter she used with the both of them.

“Of course not! I. Am an upstanding Jedi who would never cheat.”

“We’re both currently marked as criminals, so I don’t know what you’re capable of right now.”

“Which I am going to go sort out right now.” Anakin interjected as Obi-Wan sat down on the sofa and picked up his controller.

“I’d love to see it, but after the interrogation I had, I can’t imagine I’ll be around for long. That woman seemed to think I was guilty of blowing up a planet.”

“When I come back, we’re leaving for a mission. Be ready.” Anakin pointed to them, totally ignoring both of their skepticism.

“Hey everything is backward, Ahsoka, that's cheating.”

“It’s not cheating, it’s challenging.”

He left while they continued their petty argument that wasn’t an argument at all.

Anakin went to military headquarters, a place he rarely visited. But two out of the three people who controlled the fate of his padawans would be there and he needed this resolved now.

Romodi’s assistant refused to allow him entry, saying the Grand Admiral was booked for the day and did not take walk-ins, even from Generals.

He had more luck with Tarkin’s assistant, being able to drop his name with ‘rescuer from the Citadel’ emphasized after it.

“General Skywalker, this is most unusual. I’m very busy.” Tarkin, with more steel on his rank plate than before, held a hand to his chin trying to piece together what Anakin could want.

“I need you to review Ahsoka and Kenobi’s cases. Now. They’re on suspension for stupid reasons and it’s costing the war effort to have them sit here and rot.”

“Their cases are in line, just like everyone else’s.”

“But they aren’t like everyone else. And sure, Ahsoka should have told the Senate, but she was under express orders from another General on the Council to keep the route a secret. Your quarrel is with the Jedi Council now, not a Padawan.”

Tarkin seemed annoyed. “I can’t make this decision alone, I’ll need Romodi or the Chancellor to sign off too.”

“Then call Romodi up. I’ll wait.”

The two stared at each other, a battle of wills waging without words. Tarkin seemed to surmise that Anakin had a lot of time to kill and a lot more patience to get what he wanted. So he grumbled while he commed Romodi’s assistant, telling him to call as soon as he was free.

“And Kenobi too.”

“Skywalker, I at least know your Padawan’s case. I don’t know anything about Kenobi, he’s not even on my schedule for this week.”

“Long story short he disobeyed orders to follow a distress signal and ended up saving two Senators and the daughter of a prominent family. He’s being punished for that? What would have happened if he hadn’t been there.”

“I’m sure the Chancellor had a good reason to bring the case.” Tarkin brushed him off while he searched and read on his datapad.

“Do you want your Admirals getting suspended every time they make an unauthorized move? You’ve been out there. You know you can’t wait for approval for everything. If you see an opportunity to win, you take it. An approval order can take minutes when seconds matter.”

He felt like he was channeling Padme. Maybe he had picked up something from listening to her speeches in the Senate when she wasn’t available to call him when they were apart.

A beep, and Tarkin answered the comm, Grand Admiral Romodi’s image appearing on the desk. “Would you take a look at case JT4598? It’s the one about the Nexus Route. Do we really need to detain this girl?”

Romodi pondered, reading. Anakin tried to stay quiet, but he couldn’t help flexing and wiggling his fingers, anxious to get this over with.

“I thought you didn’t like her.” Romodi said lazily, clearly unaware of Anakin’s presence. Tarkin looked to Anakin, seeming to wish he wasn’t here and now even more desperate to get him out of his office. “It’s just a Padawan. Let's argue with the Jedi Council, not a child.”

“Fine.” Romodi agreed, again without much thought.

“And JT4559. Seems like a waste of time to prosecute.”

Again the pause for Romodi to read stretched on into eternity for Anakin. He looked around Tarkin’s office for anything to hold his interest but it was as boring and minimalistic as the man himself.

“Hostile witnesses, a good word from 3 separate Senators who weren’t the victims…but the Chancellor is the one who made the complaint.”

“The Chancellor can play politics in his own theater. I don’t see how answering a distress call falls under failure to follow orders. After Kenobi and company were dropped off on Coruscant the rest of the clone company carried out initial orders and reported to their post.”

Romodi seemed to him and haw, and Anakin was getting worried he wouldn’t win both of these cases. And that would not be acceptable. He’d have to kidnap Obi-Wan and bring him on the mission or something…

“Asta Wessex, isn’t that Lyra Wessex’s daughter?”

“Yes, why.”

“She was kidnapped by these Mandalorians and the Senators were bringing a ransom for her. Don’t you know Lyra?”

“Yes, she was pretty upset about that…I can’t really prosecute the man who saved her life. Lyra would… I’ll sign off if you do.”

“Done. That’s all I had, Grand Admiral, thank you for your time.”

“Don’t forget about the Geonosis offensive. We have to move soon before they dig in.”

“I’m sure they already are. I’ll look at it.”

Tarkin ended the transmission, inserted a data chip and copied the two case dismissals then handed it to Anakin who was bursting with pride on the inside. He couldn’t wait to tell Padme. He hoped she’d be impressed.

“Thank you, Admiral. One more thing, I want an assignment to the distress signal from Crelythiumn. For the three of us.”

“Stars above, how is a signal from an old station that has drifted out of orbit for 2,000 years of any concern to you?” Tarkin was losing whatever patience he possessed.

“It’s a matter of life and death. I can feel it.”

“Fine. Anything else? Would you like to be King of the Nemodians as well?”

“No, that’s all. Thank you, Admiral.”

Anakin realized he’d forgotten the Grand on Admiral and was thankful he didn’t need anything more from the man.

“Skywalker, do not come back to my office without an appointment. You will not get in next time. Am I understood?”

I’d love to see you try and stop me. He thought.

“Of course. Thank you, sir.”

Tarkin gave him a final disappointed sneer as he left. Anakin commed R2 to have the Temple ready a ship for them.

-

To counteract the loneliness and the huge amount of free time he had now that Ursa wasn’t training him, Kahl took a jetpack and went ice sliding in the canyon frequently. He felt like he’d graduated from moving rocks, even if it wasn’t something he was very good at. Inanimate objects were much more difficult. So he practiced careening down an icy canyon with dangerous drops and obstacles while staying connected to the Force. Trying to let it guide him to make the right decisions, what path to take. And the more comfortable he got with letting go, the better he got. He’d never seen or sensed another soul out here, save for the birds and rodents of the canyon. He knew he’d never have to come up with an explanation, never looked over his shoulder just to double check he was alone. And when he found something he could use as a ramp, using the Force to propel himself as far and as fast as possible was the only place he felt fully and totally relaxed. Where he belonged. In nature, alone but connected to everything, and free from judgment from others or himself. He didn’t wonder what was the right thing to say or do out here. No one would catch him. He was free.

Of course this couldn’t last forever and he fell into his same quiet, trying to not be noticed patterns the rest of the time with Ursa and Alrich and at school.

Honestly, he couldn’t stand the kids here. They’d been raised in much more isolation than he had, aliens were not common in Sundari but he’d seen enough of them coming and going he thought nothing of it. Any non-Mandalorian kid, part of the Foundling program just waiting for a more permanent temporary home or return to their families, were automatically shunned. No matter how human or inhuman they looked. Something he’d definitely have to report to Korkie when he talked to him. Something he could actually tell him about his experience here.

Ursa had never been the fun type anyway, but she seemed to become more serious as time went on. More stressed. He wondered why, but he didn’t think it was any of his business.

She’d asked him to come home right away after school today for training. This was curious since they hadn’t trained in two weeks, but he didn’t ask questions.

“I have an idea.” she said simply as she wrapped her hands. He did the same.

“You won’t need that.” Kahl raised an eyebrow at her. She really thought he wouldn’t even land one hit? How nice.

“You aren’t good at the Mandalorian way, but there is more than one way to fight. I’ve only practiced for two days, but hopefully it’ll make more sense to you than it does to me.”

She turned on the holographic fighter, but kept her hands at her sides, loose.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You might not want to fight, but that doesn’t stop people from wanting to kill you. I remembered how Ben - er- your dad acted when I first started training him. He could avoid everything I threw at him, but he’d waste his opportunities to knock me to the ground. So instead of breaking you of that frankly stupid style, maybe you should lean into it.

“If you think it’s stupid, why would you…” he wanted to try this, he shouldn’t question it. If he made too good of a case she’d change her mind before they’d even started. But she looked like she knew something he didn’t. Something she very badly wanted to tell him. Something that frightened her, even though he wasn’t sure that was a feeling she was familiar with.

“Because you said you wanted to be prepared. Just in case. And I worry that just in case is more and more likely.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant. He didn’t keep up on every single news story but he was sure he would have noticed if there had been a rash of violent piracy or some kind of rebellion on any of their worlds.

The hologram moved to attack her as programmed and instead of raising her hands to block she sidestepped out of the way. On the next attack she redirected the punch, which scored as a hit because the system was not programmed for this, and again maneuvered out of the way, letting the fake person waste their fake energy on the followthrough.

“I’m not very good at it, but maybe you want to try. It’ll be easier with a person.” She turned off the hologram. He nodded.

They worked for a few hours, and he felt so much better only being required to protect himself rather than pursue a victory. He invented new moves to avoid her, they talked about footwork and how he could learn to trip someone up but with Ursa who was a master at keeping herself grounded it was impossible. He ‘d have to think about that one. But the longer they practiced the more he felt as if he was falling into that meditative state that brought him so much comfort and freedom in the canyon.

He worried she’d notice. That she’d comment. But she seemed much more focused on making sure he learned this so they could move on to kickboxing, avoiding blaster bolts, sword fights.

He went to bed that night exhausted, but happy. Things were back on track

Chapter Text

“So what are their names?” Ahsoka asked.

She and Obi-Wan had not expected they’d actually need to be ready to go when Anakin said he was going to fix their suspensions, but they’d scrambled and were now on the way to some old outdated signal that Anakin seemed to think was the key to everything. They’d grilled him about his feeling, what it meant and for who, but he didn’t have any answers. Just that feeling they all knew to follow. The journey to the edge of explored space was a long one. And the topic had changed to him.

“I can’t believe you told her. It’s a secret, Anakin.”

“Yeah but not from her. We’re a team.”

“A trio.” Ahsoka reinforced.

“That’s…adorable and nice of you but you have no secrets to give me in return.” He said.

“I helped Barriss break into the Master’s database a couple of days ago.”

“You WHAT?!” Anakin exclaimed.

“See? Secrets.”

“Why?!” Anakin asked, flabbergasted.

“She…has a hunch. That things aren’t right. And she needed proof.”

“While you were on probation?! Ahsoka you can’t just-”

“Break the rules like that?” She finished.

“Exactly like you do all the time?” Obi-Wan added.

“Ok, I don’t like it when you two gang up on me.”

“If she finds nothing, then no harm done.” Obi-Wan reasoned.

“I’m going to pretend I don’t know about this…” Anakin said, running his hand through his hair.

Obi-Wan logged the information that Barriss might be a valuable ally for Padme and Bail in the future. “I thought we were talking about your secret life before the Jedi.”

“Right, names.”

“I’m not going to tell you that, knowing you two you’ll take a side journey to meet them when we aren’t together.”

“Fine, you’re seriously married?” Ahsoka continued.

“Yes, for now.”

“Ominous.” Ahsoka was enraptured now.

“No, she’s just not happy with the whole Jedi thing, so we’re separated. I don’t know how it will end once this is over.”

That was the truth. Satine could hold a grudge for decades. And he wasn’t sure he would return home the same as when he left. At the very least, he had a few scars on his neck and hands where they couldn’t get the slag from the Mandalorians out easily. What was different on the inside, he wasn’t sure. Something dangerous that had made him attack that man when he could have gotten away.

“Well if it doesn’t work out, you can always stick with us.” Ahsoka said. As if she was promising, in a way.

“Agreed.” Anakin gave a half smile, “If only for the stories. Like what was your job, before?”

Another hard one.

“I was a stay at home dad for a long time. And…consulting, I guess you’d call it. The only marketable skill I had was Jedi negotiation tactics.”

“You could have been a mercenary or something?” Anakin suggested.

“Sounds incredibly violent and the opposite of the whole peaceful Jedi thing.”

“I read the report, you chopped off a guy’s head and knifed another one in the neck.”

“Oh my gods.” Ahsoka reacted, somewhat disturbed but maybe a little proud.

“I’m not really sure what happened…I guess I have more of a temper than I thought.”

“He knifes a guy and says he has a temper.” Ahsoka quipped, then looked to Anakin, “If he was a stay at home parent that means his wife is rich.”

“Ooo, good point.” Anakin agreed.

“I agree, I also do not like it when you both gang up on me.”

“Maybe she’s a Senator or something and that’s why he doesn’t want us to know.” Anakin theorized.

No, that one’s you. Obi-Wan thought, but kept it to himself.

“Mandalore’s Senate representative is a man.”

“Who’s to say you’re not married to a man?”

Now he knew they were just teasing him. It had become a game again, to guess where he had been with who.

“Because Merrik is much too young for me and he’s also kind of a dick. And my children are biologically mine.”

“Gross.” Ahsoka immediately replied.

“I never understood where the whole idea that I was bisexual came from anyway. I wasn’t even trying for that.”

Anakin seemed to find this supremely funny, but Ahsoka changed lines of questioning.

“What’s it like, to stay in one place all the time? To have a normal life?”

“You mean a boring life.” Anakin chimed in.

Obi-Wan wondered why she was asking. Because Jedi didn’t attach themselves to a location, or because she’d only known the world outside the Temple as a galaxy at war.

“It might sound a bit boring, but it’s a lot like the Temple. You become connected to the people around you. You know they’ll always have your back. You’re just allowed to acknowledge it.”

That was what he had noticed, coming back to this life. Jedi still formed attachments, even if they claimed they didn’t. No matter how hard they tried to keep people at arms length, it was not natural.

Telling Satine he loved her all those years ago had been the thing that felt unnatural. That went against everything he had been taught. But now he knew that knowing the boys were out there, waiting for him to come back safe. Hopefully Satine, waiting for him to come back safe. That is what gave him strength, maybe more than he’d had before. And Satine’s rejection may be why he kept failing at critical moments. He’d certainly been making bad decisions ever since Kahl’s Creed Day. But somehow he felt like he was back to hoping she’d forgiven him. And maybe that would keep him from getting stabbed or worse now.

The navicomputer beeped.

“Alright, time to stop the interrogation.” Anakin joked. “We have to investigate the signal that’s going to change the galaxy.”

He sat as they exited hyperspace into the blackness of empty space where some kind of beacon, ship, anything, should be.

-

Asajj Ventress was incredibly bored with errands. She knew that was part of being the Count’s assassin and semi-secret apprentice, but it was far below her skillset. She liked to farm these kinds of tasks out to her own semi-secret partner, Quinlan Vos. She wouldn’t say she trusted him, but he was reliable for information and small and boring errands of bringing rogue small time Separatists or smugglers into line. This errand, however, could bring about a powerful alliance and tip the scales in favor of the CIS. And involved enough shady organizations that she felt better with some backup at her side. She was sure she could handle it herself but…well maybe she just wanted Vos along so she wouldn’t be bored.

She had come across the former Jedi in about the same state as she had been before finding purpose with the Sith. Trying to deal with the loss of his master, disenfranchised by the people he used to call family. His master had taken responsibility for him, shielded him from the Jedi Council’s scrutiny over his heritage. His potential for darkness. But now that master was gone, and the Jedi were not all that sure about his loyalty.

They’d never accepted her either, she had been allowed to be trained because Master Narec vouched for her. Rehabilitated her from the broken child she had been in service to Hal’Sted. And once he was gone…well they hadn’t rejected her, but they’d also never come to get her. Narec was dead, she was semi stranded on a planet filled with pirates and they never called to come get his body. Or bring her to the Temple.

Now she realized that they were quite distracted with the beginning of a galactic war, but she still felt the rejection. The Jedi had never trusted the Nightsisters. Or Kiffars like Quinlan, apparently. Psychometry was a little too close to a Jedi ability, something beyond their understanding, and therefore suspicious.

She wondered if the Jedi realized that was how the rest of the galaxy felt about them.

So Quinlan stayed with her. He’d been around for almost a year now, and she greatly enjoyed his company. Sure, he was annoying but his easy going nature and wit had endeared him to her slowly. Deep down, she was worried she was becoming more loyal to him, more attached, than she was to Dooku. To the Dark Side as a whole. He’d embraced her way of thinking, but still remained in the gray. And she found herself less and less angry.

But this was the path she’d chosen. And she would see it through.

Master Dooku had heard whispers of Black Sun conducting business with some Mandalorians, and anyone who was creating trouble for a neutral system was a friend of the Separatists.

It was her job to find these rebels and make a deal with them if they were worthy of Dooku’s time.

Wearing a much more common flight suit, lightsabers hidden in a pocket, she boarded the Corona-class saucer right before it left the port on Quantxi. Vos silently followed behind her. The surprised Weequay crew drew their blasters to stop her.

“Who’s in charge here?”

“That would be me.” an overly friendly voice replied, emerging from the crowd of crew. “But if you will excuse us, we are about to depart.”

“Are you carrying cargo to Mandalore?” she asked, ignoring his well-mannered attempt to get her to leave.

“The Mandalore system, yes.”

Quin started straying to one side, where many crates were haphazardly stacked, a pile of random junk dumped on one.

“What is your cargo?”

“I’m sorry miss a….miss,” he left it at that when she didn’t volunteer her name, “but everything in and out of Quantxi is the property of Black Sun. If you want to know, why don’t you ask them?”

Quin was clearly making the crew nervous as he got closer and closer to flanking them, but he stopped at the first row of crates, touching one, then another casually. He then dug through the pile of stuff on top of the crate. His formidable presence seemed to stop them from stopping him.

“I have a contact on Mandalore I need to meet. Maybe we could buy passage on your ship if you aren’t transporting anything too illegal.”

She had no intention of doing this but she wanted to make this make at least a little sense to the pirates.

“Are you part of Black Sun?”

“No.”

“Then no.”

“Come on, do a girl a favor.” she didn’t bother trying to put any flirtation into it. It wouldn’t work with Quin here. While she was having this stupid negotiation, Quin must have placed a tracker in the pile of junk or on the crate. They should be more than ready to go but he was taking forever.

“This is not a passenger vessel. Not a profitable endeavor.”

She finally looked directly at Quinlan, annoyed at how daft he could be sometimes. But he was lost in thought, or more likely a memory, while holding a boring looking sword.

“Hey!” she yelled to him, “Quit touching their stuff, these low lifes aren’t worth our time.”

He snapped back to the here and now, put the sword down and shrugged.

“Nothing interesting anyway.” he said and headed for the landing ramp.

“Thanks for nothing.” she backed away, then followed Quin down the ramp and caught up with him.

“They are carrying Mandalorian armor, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, did you have a stroke while completing such a simple task?”

“I got distracted,” he agreed. This wasn’t a good enough explanation for her, and she made sure it showed in her expression.

“The sword. It was Mandalorian, and I thought I recognized someone in its memory. But it didn’t make sense.”

“Someone I should be worried about?” She said it in a way to indicate someone who could jeopardize their mission, but she secretly wondered if it was someone from his past he’d had a relationship with. Which was ridiculous because they were not together so there was nothing to be jealous of. She’d had weird thoughts like this more and more recently and she didn’t know what to do with them. Just because she and Quinlan flirted didn’t mean he was in love with her. That would be like her and Kenobi falling in love. Gross.

“Well, either no one has touched that sword in about twenty years, or it's a totally different person. I don’t think it’s anything. It was just strange.”

He still seemed to be wracking his brain, trying to make his vision make sense but she moved on, boarding her ship and warming the engines. The tracking beacon beeped. At least he was capable of completing a job before becoming distracted.

“We know it’ll be somewhere in Mandalorian space, so I’ll set coordinates for open space and then we’ll figure it out from there.” She explained to him.

“And if we make this deal, will I finally get Tyranus’s approval?”

She’d told him that Dooku knew about him. He didn’t. She’d told him that if he did enough of these little jobs with her, he’d eventually recognize Quin and take him on as a second Sith assassin. Or a personal bounty hunter at the very least. That was never going to happen.

She wasn’t sure why she was lying to him. She wasn’t even sure he wanted to be a true Sith.

She just didn’t think about it, hoping things would stay this way as long as possible.

“Maybe. You know no one can influence the Count.”

He sighed, exasperated, and went back into the common area, not bothering to sit with her through the hyperspace journey. She knew he was pouting in his own way. But if he was impatient, that was his problem. He’d figure it out eventually. She was ruthless and had been using him to make her life easier. That’s what she told herself.

Chapter Text

“So…” Ahsoka questioned as they sat idle in the empty space where the coordinates had led them. There was nothing in any direction. No life form readings, no debris readings. Nothing.

“Let me check the coordinates again.” Obi-Wan busied himself with the bulletin from Republic Intelligence, checking it against the navicomputer.

The ship’s power glitched and faded, leaving them in the red emergency lighting darkness. Anakin sighed.

“Will you flip the power coupling switch again, Snips? I thought I had it fixed.”

She turned her back, Obi-Wan continued to mess with the computer and he cycled a few switches. None of them were looking out the cockpit windows, so he wasn’t sure when it appeared, but something was now there. A large 3 dimensional diamond. A ship? Maybe a floating space port?

“What’s that?” Ahsoka pointed.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees it. It wasn’t there a minute ago.” Anakin agreed.

“It’s pulling us in.” Obi-Wan added.

This really should have signaled him to try and beat whatever tractor beam this was. They didn’t know what it was, it could be the Separatists, the Sith…it was black with red running lights in intricate patterns all across the surface.

But for some reason, Anakin just didn’t do anything to stop it. The center of the diamond broke apart into two triangles, a bright white light emitting from the small line. They were heading toward it. Into it.

He was transfixed in a way. Not worried, only curious. The other two must not be alarmed either. They seemed to watch it with the same interest he had.

The next thing he remembered, he was waking up with his face against the control console. He felt groggy, but upon assessment he didn’t seem injured. He looked out the window and saw a tropical-esque scene of vibrantly green trees on a bright sunny day.

“I must have passed out.” he said more to himself than to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka who were also waking up.

“Then who landed the ship?” Obi-Wan asked, activating the navicomputer again.

“It wasn’t me…where are we?” Ahsoka rubbed her head.

“This is getting more unusual by the minute, I don’t know where we are in the galaxy, much less what system.”

“The readings say the land mass is larger than an asteroid. And the atmosphere is breathable.” Ahoska added.

“Everything seems to be operational but…nothing’s working.”

The trio contemplated all of their confusing information for a few moments, trying to come up with a logical explanation. But none came to mind.

“I guess we have to take a look.” Ahsoka said and lowered the landing ramp.

They all exited, Obi-Wan using the binocs to look at the floating islands in the sky.

“Are you the One?” a whisper drifted through Anakin’s mind. It was a little alarming he hadn’t sensed who or what it was coming from, and his normal everyday shields had not prevented this entity’s entry.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Ahsoka asked.

He guessed that answered that question. But within a second, he felt a presence form that had not been there before.

“Are you the One?” Anakin turned to the sudden person standing only feet from them. A pale face, with voluminous green hair that seemed to float and stay together at the same time. He wasn’t sure he would say she was glowing, but she had some kind of radiance about her. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan whipped around surprised. Maybe she was only making herself known to him.

“The One what?”

“He must have sent for you. I’ll take you to him.”

“To who?” Obi-Wan asked. Anakin was glad he could see her too.

“Follow me. We must move before nightfall.”

She started down a path without checking to see if they were following.

“Ok you saw a green haired lady, right?” he double checked.

“One who doesn’t like to answer questions? Yeah.” Ahsoka confirmed. “Could be a trap.”

“I’m not sure we have much of a choice. We’ll be alright as long as we stick together.” Obi-Wan encouraged. So they followed her.

Obi-Wan was doing his best to keep up, but he still wasn’t 100 percent. The medics had sent his last few rounds of bacta patches along with them. He could walk just fine, but climbing up a precarious cliff for what he thought to be hours now was wearing him out.

“Who are you?” Anakin asked the strange woman.

“I am Daughter.”

“Ok.” Anakin did not sound convinced. “And what do you…do here?”

“We guard the Wells.”

“And how long have you been guarding the Wells?” Obi-Wan had felt a strong pull of the Force here in every single thing, maybe even down to the core of the planet. But the later in the day it became, the more the foliage changed. The more the signatures changed. This place wasn’t on a galaxy map and maybe it wasn’t in the galaxy at all.

“Since Father decided they needed to be protected. Since the Rakata.”

“A year would be nice.” Ahsoka muttered. He had to agree. Rakata sounded slightly familiar, something from ancient history, but he wasn’t sure if it was a person or a planet.

He was falling behind Anakin a bit, his leg muscles were getting tight. Ahsoka didn’t say anything, just stayed with him, making sure he wouldn’t be left behind.

And it seemed like a good thing he was slow.

A rock slide suddenly dislodged large boulders ahead of them and he had to jump and roll to the ground to avoid getting crushed.

Anakin radioed right away.

“Are you two alright?”

“Yes, just fine. But there’s definitely no way around these new rocks. Ask your friend if there’s another way around.”

“She’s very clearly not my friend because she disappeared. Why don’t you go back to the ship and try to send a distress signal or get it working. I see a mountaintop with some kind of structure on it.” Anakin’s voice changed for his last sentence, or maybe it was just the comm connection. “I’ll find what I’m looking for in that monastery.”

Ahsoka exchanged a slightly worried look with him.

“Be careful Anakin. If we can get the ship working we’ll meet you there.”

But he was already gone.

“We better get that ship working. This place is…strange.” Ahsoka helped him up.

“And night might not be as welcoming as the day.”

They retraced their steps back to the ship as quickly as they could.

-

Ventress changed into her normal outfit, purple skirt, skin-tight top with an opening to show off her breasts. Vos lounged at the table, clearly watching her.

“If you’re going to gawk, you could at least talk to me. Or can you not do two things at once?” she teased.

“I don’t think you’re ever going to take me to Dooku.”

Shit, they were going to talk about this now? Couldn’t she just toy with him in peace?

“Why would you say that?” she asked.

“Because I don’t know why you keep going back to him either. You know he has a master. And Sith are touchy about that whole ‘rule of two’ thing after the whole extinction thing.”

“So?”

“So that makes you number three. Disposable. AndI would be four.”

She had considered this more and more recently, now that she wasn’t as blinded by rage like she used to be. But this was another thing she didn’t want to face, so she ignored it.

“I’m sure Dooku has plans to kill his Master.” she said offhandedly.

“Do you even know who that is? It’s not cool you do all the work for someone you don’t even know.”

“What is your point?”

“My point is..I don’t know. You should ditch him. Just do your own thing. You don’t need him.”

That sounded nice, to be in control of her own life for once.Going wherever she wanted. Maybe with Quin. But as much as she was questioning her attachment to the Sith, she also knew she was in too deep. There is no way Dooku would let her leave with her life- and all of his secrets.

“I don’t think that would end as happily ever after as you imagine.” she finished changing, clipping her lightsabers to her belt.

“Well maybe you should get rid of him then, before he gets rid of you.”

She looked him in the eye, and he looked back. He was serious. He was seeing what she would say.

Before she could reply, the navicomputer beeped, they were coming out of hyperspace at Concordia, where the beacon had led them.

“Well,” Quin shifted into his laid back self again, smug smirk returning like he hadn’t been serious a day in his life. “I am so looking forward to negotiating with some argumentative assholes who think their race is superior to everyone else's.”

He stood and pulled his cloak on over the shirt with cutoff sleeves that showed off his biceps.

“They aren’t over that yet? Do they not remember they lost that war?”

“Come on, honey. They’re terrorists. Of course they forget that part.”

“If you call me honey again I will break your orbital socket.”

He smirked and raised eyebrows in a way that made it seem like he’d enjoy that. She tried to ignore it as she passed him, she needed to focus.

“Don’t go showing off with the Force. You’re just the big and stupid muscle, remember?”

A man in red armor stood at the bottom of the landing ramp, arms crossed, impatiently waiting for her. 6 other Mandalorians in full armor stood behind him, blasters drawn. She’d disturbed them from their task of loading the crates that had been dropped off onto skiffs.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Someone who has taken interest in your little rebellion.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“If you’re truly looking to overthrow the Mandalorian government, you’re going to need funding. But if you aren’t interested…” she turned to head back up the ramp. Quin didn’t have time to turn around before he replied.

“Wait. What…kind of funding.”

Worked every time.

“Enough to move out of hiding. More than a tenuous connection to Black Sun can get you.”

The overly blonde man considered.

“What do you want in exchange?”

“Once you are victorious, Count Dooku would require you to enter the war on the Separatist side. You are, after all, searching for independence.”

The man considered again, glancing at his comrades.

“We should discuss this further at my compound.” he gestured for his guard to lower their weapons and held a hand out towards the skiff.

“You are a smart man, Governor Vizsla.”

They exited her ship fully and she used the Force to lift the remaining crates onto the skiff. They clearly didn’t like that, but they would have to get used to it if they were going to serve a master who wielded the Force.

-

Anakin continued his trek to the mountain monastery. The peak with the shining top, some kind of diamond shaped jewel floating above it, had only just come into view when the rock slide happened. It seemed so far away, a couple hours hike. But after his conversation with Obi-Wan, it seemed much closer. The path became easier. He reached it in what seemed like impossible record time.

If the foliage changed with the time of day, there was no reason that distance should follow any of the rules he was used to either. Anakin finished climbing the steps just as the last light of day left the sky, almost as if on purpose.

The chamber he entered was massive, a long and wide walkway bridge leading to a shrine with two stone creatures he’d never seen, one on each side. And in the center was an old man, older than Dooku, with an impossibly long beard gathered in his lap. Meditating.

Anakin approached him, trying not to think about what was below these carved walkways. How far would you fall? If distance was not measurable here maybe the fall was infinite.

He sat down in front of the ancient man, he assumed to be named Father, and waited. Preparing to meditate if that’s what he was supposed to do. This place felt perfectly balanced, the ultimate location to connect to the Force and feel all aspects, good and evil without his own personal biases or experiences clouding his interpretation.

“Welcome, Anakin Skywalker.”

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. The man’s lips moved but it felt as if the planet was speaking to him.

“Are you a Jedi?” This man had a presence so loud and large, he’d never experienced anything like it before. Daughter was a close second and the third, Yoda, was light years away. He knew he needed to be careful with this being.

“That is a very simplistic question. I am not a Jedi or a Sith. I am more. And so are you, if you are The One.”

“I’m…not sure what that means.” He had a guess that he meant the Chosen One prophecy but he was so tired of hearing that. Of dealing with the pressure of hundreds of thousands of millions counting on him to make the right decisions.

“The Chosen One prophecy. I see all that has passed and what is still to come. I was curious to see for myself if you are indeed The One.”

“That’s a myth.” Anakin wasn’t sure if he believed that or not, but it was what he told himself so he could sleep at night. Not every little thing he did would affect the galaxy.

“It is not. But I am not sure it is you. Would you like to find out together? One test will give us our answer.”

Anakin narrowed his eyes. The man was asking him a question but he felt like he didn’t have much choice in the answer. People would still talk, one way or the other. But if he could know for sure…someone as powerful as a being called The Father would know. He sensed no deception.

“Alright.”

-

Ursa had cared about teaching him what he wanted to know before but Kahl seemed to be in the accelerated program now, moving into more advanced martial arts and dodging blaster bolts training almost simultaneously. The better he became, the less energy he seemed to use. Ursa was always exhausted after their sparring sessions but he was relatively unphased. This made her angry of course, but it also seemed to change her perspective on his way of doing things. Watching him as if she was filing it away for future use.

She also seemed to be sneaking away somewhere more and more often, leaving him with Alrich and little Sabine to distract him. He’d asked Alrich where she’d gone but he never seemed to get a straight answer. There were rumors at school that there had been bombings around the system, protesting their neutrality in the war. Kahl never saw any official sources, and he wondered if so many people talking about so many rumors made them more or less credible. But Ursa and Alrich were on edge, so he took that to mean the rumors were true.

Kahl didn’t have to wait more than a week for that to be confirmed. The ski resort two cities over was bombed, the local station covering the destruction. A group called Death Watch taking responsibility. No deaths, only moderate injuries.

He walked into the house after school to see Ursa on a call with his mother.

“With all due respect, Duchess, I think he’s safer here. This is their first attack here and Sundari is a much more valuable target.”

“Nothing has happened here. There is a lot more security here.”

“Again, I must disagree. I know you’re suppressing it in the press so I don’t know your situation, but I can only assume they are trying to get your attention. And the longer you ignore them the bigger the targets will become. Kahl is safe here.”

Kahl stayed out of holo range. He didn’t want his mother to know he was listening. It was weirdly nice to see that she cared about him and he wondered if she’d act the same in his presence.

Satine seemed distressed at Ursa’s counter argument, letting out a huff but she didn’t have a rebuttal.

“If anything else happens there I want him home.”

“Understood.”

“Tell him I love him.” his mother’s tone softened. She seemed to want to say more. And Kahl realized Ursa might be angry with her for classifying her brother as missing.

“I will.”

Usra had to have heard him come in, he had not been quiet. But she didn’t hint he was there, and she didn’t return the more familial tone Satine had used

“And be careful.”

“You as well.” Ursa gave a small bow and ended the transmission, then turned to Kahl.

“You can go home if you want, I just thought I’d make the case for you staying.”

“What is going on?” Kahl asked.

“This isn’t the first attack from Death Watch.” She seemed extremely nervous, more nervous than she had been talking to the Duchess of Mandalore. “It’s been kept quiet, so the Republic or Separatists don’t know there’s in-fighting. But they are very unhappy with neutrality. I’m sure you’ve heard.”

“Yes, but I didn’t know if it was true.”

“It is. And it’s probably worse than we know.”

“What are we going to do about it?” When he said we, he meant his mother. His family. He realized after he said it it was probably strange phrasing for Ursa to hear but she understood him.

“Apparently, nothing. Ignore their temper tantrum until they go away.”

Kahl furrowed his brows. He’d never been invited to follow his mother around to meetings and he'd never really cared to stay informed on whatever Korkie was learning. It all sounded incredibly boring to him. But this didn’t seem like a good idea to him.

“Which is not a good idea because once they have a following they don’t go away.”

“How do you know?” he asked.

“Because my family was on their side the first time. I know how they work.”

That admittance was more than enough to shut her down. Ursa headed for the training room.

“Time to accelerate your training.”

“It wasn’t accelerated enough already?” He questioned with a groan.

“No. Not anymore.”

He didn’t have time for any reading that night. He fell asleep, forgetting to message Korkie to let him know he was alright.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan was looking forward to a little rest on the ship. He’d change his bacta patches, probably accidentally catch himself looking at the scars on his neck from the slag that the healers hadn’t been able to fix, then hand Ahsoka tools so she could fix the ship. Anakin had taught her well and she was infinitely better than he was at understanding different components.

They saw the ship, exactly as they had left it, for only a few seconds before he sensed danger, then was lifted into the air by a white and green griffin-like creature. He struggled but then thought better of it, considering how fast they were climbing. Ahsoka was also being carried by her arms, exactly as he was, but by a much darker bat-like creature.

“What ARE these things!?” Ahsoka shouted still struggling. “Let me go!”

“I guess we’ll find out when we get there.” Obi-Wan shouted back over the wind in a much calmer tone than hers.

And finding out did not take long. The monastery that had seemed impossibly far away, even more now that they had walked back to the ship, was only a three to five minute flight. The geography of this place was giving him a headache. They landed in a courtyard on opposite sides of each other, still being held by their captors. Ahsoka struggled more than he did and managed to free one arm, but the creature was definitely not going to let her escape.

“Let them go. I will not play your games!” Anakin shouted to the figure Obi-Wan assumed to be the Father. He looked ancient and all knowing.

“Oh but I think you will.” The Father chided, his voice seemed to come from multiple pitches, as if his voice was everywhere or everything. “I have ordered my children to kill your friends. The question is. Which one will you save?”

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure when the man had moved to the upper deck of this strange arena, but he was there in an instant. The laws of distance didn’t seem to matter to anything on this planet.

“Anakin, save Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan urged him. He couldn’t be held responsible for her death. If she was gone and he was here…

Anakin looked at him with the same guilt. But Anakin would have to carry that with whatever choice he made.

The creatures dug their talons in and both he and Ahsoka seemed to try to keep quiet through the pain, but neither fully succeeded.

“Let them go!” Anakin urged the Father again.

“Only you can stop my children.”

Anakin seemed to focus. Obi-Wan hoped he had noticed just how strange and strong with the Force this planet was. Maybe it could help someone as powerful as Anakin.

And then a voice he didn’t recognize came from his friend. The same type of lower and higher pitched voices accompanying his own.

“You will let them go.”

Anakin raised his hands, pushing the two winged beings backward while they still had a grip on him and Ahsoka. Then they slowly raised into the air. The sky seemed to shift between night and day, clouds forming and dissipating as quickly as they had come. The Force permeated around him, like the humid atmosphere of a tropical planet. The floor of the courtyard, some kind of yin and yang symbol glowed. And he was afraid. Not for himself, but for Anakin. He had access to so much more than he’d ever had before. For someone like him, this place was dangerous. He was capable of existing on the same level of these god-like beings.

The griffin dropped him and he watched Anakin pull both the light and the dark into the center of the circle, then push them out into the walls. The Son and The Daughter both crumpled, shifting back into their bipedal forms. Anakin picked them up again and brought them in front of him, holding them down.

They both struggled against him, the sky swirling even more rapidly.

“Stay down.” the voice that did and did not belong to Anakin echoed throughout the arena. And finally the two gave in.

“And now you see who you truly are. Only the One could tame both my children.”

“Ok. So I’m the One. Will you let us go now?”

“But…you do not understand. This is your destiny, do you not feel it? I am dying. And without my presence to balance my children’s whims, the galaxy will become more and more chaotic while they battle each other.”

Maybe Anakin understood and just didn’t want to admit it to himself. He stayed silent.

“You want him to stay here.” Ahsoka finally filled the silence.

“I can’t stay here. I have things to do out there. I have a life out there.” Anakin dismissed the idea. Obi-Wan didn’t blame him. Having to keep watch over two diametrically opposed children was not an ideal eternity.

“But…it has been foretold.” The Father seemed confused.

“Well then someone heard wrong.” Anakin again stood his ground. “I’m not staying.”

“I…cannot force you. Why don’t you sleep on it? You all must be tired from your journeys.”

Ahsoka raised her eyebrow skeptically.

They were very far from their ship. Assuming the ship was still there. And trying to run from these 3 would not be easy. He wasn’t sure how they’d gotten there and he wasn’t sure how to leave this dimension or whatever it was. Obi-Wan gave Anakin the ‘attempt negotiation before aggressive negotiations’ look. Anakin didn’t seem to like it, but he agreed.

“We will stay one night. A normal, standard rotation night. And I will give you my final decision in the morning.”

Obi-Wan was internally proud Anakin had made sure they wouldn’t be trapped here in eternal night for the rest of their lives until he gave in.

“Agreed.”

The Daughter stood behind Obi-Wan. And when the conversation with her father was over she touched his shoulder.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Please let me fix it.”

The slash on his arm stopped bleeding instantly, closing before his eyes, leaving no scar.

“And the others too.”

He rolled his shoulder, which had begun to ache on the very uncomfortable airlift over. It moved perfectly. No tightness remained. She walked to Ahsoka and did the same to her arm as well.

The Son stood by, watching. Obi-Wan couldn’t figure out what was going through his mind. He may be influenced by the darker side of the Force, but he also did not seem to carry any feelings of hatred for his sister- at least from what Obi-Wan could tell. Maybe Anakin had a better idea of what the hell was going on here.

“I will show you to your rooms.” The Son nodded, leading the way. They all followed, skeptically.

“Don’t trust them, Master.” Ahsoka whispered to Anakin.

“Gee, ya think? The Father told me he could see all of the past and all of the different futures that could happen. But he seems really surprised that I said no….”

“Maybe he only saw the options he wanted to see? They’re basically gods, who knows how they work.” Obi-Wan pondered.

“Well whatever’s going on with them, be careful. I don’t think we’ll be getting a good night's sleep.”

The Son stopped at the first room in a row of 3 doors.

“For the Togruta.”

Ahsoka gave them one last worried glance and entered her room, which seemed to be styled like a forest, maybe something reminiscent of her home world she never knew.

They continued with the strange formality, stopping at the second door.

“For the Lord.”

Well shit. Of course they would know. Anakin looked confused and held up a finger to question him, but Obi-Wan stepped forward, shrugging his shoulders as we opened the door to a sparse room, with all those barely noticeable accents that felt oh so much like home to him.

“Oh when this is over, we are having a looooong conversation, Kenobi.” Anakin almost scolded him. Obi-Wan smirked. He wasn’t happy about letting that one out of the bag, but it was most satisfying to see Anakin so curious and not able to ask any follow up questions.

The door shut and he really was feeling tired. Though he suspected he might be getting a little help from their hosts. A mythosaur symbol in the stained glass shone down on the floor, bright with moonlight. A small table with a jug and a few glasses sat in the corner. Obi-Wan uncorked it and smelled. Definitely ale. He did miss it, but he’d clearly read too many bed time stories to the boys because he thought better of eating or drinking anything when in a different dimension or realm, lest he be stuck there forever. The sleeping mat was already against the wall in the classic never-leave-your-back-exposed Mandalorian style.

With nothing else to do, and the adrenaline of the day wearing off he sat, then laid down. And before he knew it, he was asleep.

-

Kahl’s school was ablaze with chatter over the Death Watch attack. People stared at him. People whispered. Kahl tried to pretend he didn’t notice. This was manageable until lunch break. He sat in his usual spot, with his usual friends. He rarely spoke but they didn’t seem to mind as long as they were hanging out with a prince. But today, no one came. He slowly, feeling extremely uncomfortable. It was one thing if he isolated himself, it was another to be shunned.

“A little lonely today, Kryze?”

Kahl recognized the voice. One of the Iviins. It seemed like half the boys were named Iviin here.

He looked to the side and saw the boy, a few years older and way larger than him, standing with his arms crossed. Kahl shrugged and turned back to his food.

“Maybe that’s because no one likes a coward.”

Kahl didn’t react. Name calling had never boiled his blood the way it had Korkie’s. Words were just words after all.

“Hey. I’m talking to you.” Iviin shoved him and Kahl was forced to abandon his chair. “You can’t just ignore what’s going on and live in your peace-loving little bubble.”

“You understand I don’t run the System, right?” Kahl replied calmly. He knew he wasn’t going to get out of this one, but he hoped the boy would give up if he gave him nothing.

“Your entire family is a disgrace to the Mandalorian name. Ni-duraa.”

Kahl was underwhelmed by this attempt at insults.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, it’s a free system.”

Iviin didn’t seem to know what to do with this failure to match aggression.

“I’ll eat somewhere else if my presence is so offensive.” Kahl stepped towards the boy to grab what remained of his meal. Iviin wanted a fight, and a fight he was going to get. He took a swing at Kahl, and Kahl easily avoided it. Iviin was much larger and slower than Ursa. The second punch practically felt like it was moving in slow motion as Kahl sidestepped again. This enraged him even more and Iviin unleashed a volley. Kahl continued to back up calmly, as if this were a game. Because to him it was.

When he found the wall of kids who’d gathered to watch the fight, cheering and screaming at Iviin- some in support, some telling him to stop being stupid- he redirected Iviin’s energy, sending him into the crowd. He fell, taking another student down to the ground with him. Most kids laughed, a few yelled at Iviin to get up.

“You don’t always have to fight in order to win.” Kahl said simply and tried to break through the ring of students around them.

“This isn’t over.” he heard Iviin say as people further out of the ring parted to let him through. He grabbed what remained of his lunch and threw it away. He wasn’t hungry anymore.

-

Anakin slept more peacefully than he had in years. His dreams came with a narrator, explaining that the Celestial beings he saw floating about the galaxy and creating, destroying, reshaping planets were the earliest things he could remember. There must have been something before, as there were planets and stardust and gravitation to play with, but the Celestials knew nothing of before their arrival in this galaxy. They created and tested things on different planets. Daylight, darkness, one sun, seventeen moons. Intelligent creatures, single cell organisms. But over time, as everything had been thought of already, every new scenario tried, they grew bored. His brothers and sisters slowly left the galaxy in search of new things. Until he was one of the only beings left.

First came The Son, who brought much calamity, destroying the first space faring civilizations through no fault of his own. But this destruction, close to annihilation, brought forth The Daughter to balance out The Son’s destructive power and renew everything dead. The Wells sprung to life soon after, and any of the new civilizations rising from the ashes who learned about it attempted to gain its power. The attempts became so many, and the strength of the children so great that withdrawing from the galaxy was the only way to protect the people in it. And here they were. But a new change was upon them. A new evolution.

Anakin woke up with a start, his dream forgotten quickly. He sat up, assessing his situation as he had done hundreds of times before. The air felt heavy, a charge like lightning still carried by it. He saw the Father crumpled on the ground, smoke rising from him.

Why the fuck was he in here and what had Anakin missed… The man raised his hand slowly to him, struggling to stay conscious. Anakin crawled to his side.

“What happened? What can I do?”

“Son…” the usual surround sound of his voice was much weaker this time. He could hold on no longer and passed out. Anakin could still feel he was alive, but he had no idea how to help him. And he was more immediately worried about what havoc The Son was wreaking if he would do this to his father.

Anakin darted out of his room, passing by Obi-Wan’s. His Force signature remained even and calm. Still asleep. But Ahsoka…where was Ahsoka.

He opened her door and found the room empty.

“Ahsoka?”

He wasn’t sure why he was calling, he knew she wasn’t there. He kept looking around, more for clues than for her. He went to the window and looked down into the courtyard where he had bested both siblings and saw their ship there.

So many things didn’t make sense right now, but he didn’t have time to assess how it got there. The Son was dragging a bound Ahsoka out into the courtyard. He’d stupidly left her legs untied and she was getting a few good hits in when she momentarily escaped.

No time to find a way out of this confusing place. He leapt out the window and slowed himself by pushing downward with the Force when necessary. It was easier here. He practically felt like he could fly here. If he tried.

But by the time he’d made it to the bottom and into the courtyard, The Son had already transfigured himself into his creature form, carrying Ahsoka away towards a dark tower with a green light above it, similar to the clear one above this monastery.

He wasn’t going to test that flying theory, so instead he went into the ship and grabbed one of the two mini speeders aboard. He folded it out and checked the battery was full. Then sped off into the night to hunt down that asshole who’d stolen his padawan.

Depending on how this went, maybe The Father wouldn’t need anyone to manage his waring children because one of them would be dead.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan woke in the Jedi Temple, under the shade of a tree in one of the gardens. He felt at peace. Like he used to, before he’d almost been rejected from the Jedi. Before he’d started going out on missions with Qui-Gon. Before he was introduced to the outside world.

“Sleeping instead of meditating again?”

Qui-Gon, the way he’d known him, hair a little shorter, no gray coming in, sat cross legged on one of the rocks in a fountain. The man loved fountains.

“I guess I was.”

“You have to stay on guard, Padawan. The outside world is a dangerous place.”

“I’m very aware.”

“Even so. There are things you may not have considered. Celestial beings who can manipulate the Force on a god-like level, perhaps.” Qui-Gon cocked his head, waiting to see what Obi-Wan would say.

“Weird, I just ran into those three. But thanks for the heads up.” Obi-Wan was beginning to realize that this was a dream. Or a vision. Or…something.

“There are four.”

“What?”

“They can project their will upon people. Control them.”

“Well they can also shape-shift so that doesn’t surprise me.”

“And that ability to control has started growing stronger. Allowing them to latch onto people for a minute or so. In the real world. Outside of this prison.”

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow and held a hand to his chin.

“Projecting will onto people…”

He wasn’t sure just how much he should say, or if whatever was creating this dream world already knew everything in his head.

“Exactly like what has happened to you. Twice.”

Yep, definitely knew everything. So Qui-Gon had either ascended very far up the Force Spirit ranks that he didn’t know existed or this wasn’t Qui-Gon at all.

“So was the Qui-Gon in the caves on Ilum you, too?”

The image of him seemed to shimmer, though the background stayed intact.

“I don’t…-”

“It’s alright. I’d rather not play games.”

The image flickered and disappeared this time, revealing the green haired angelic Daughter in Qui-Gon’s place.

“I am sorry to trick you. I wanted you to be comfortable. I liked this memory.”

“Me too,” he said sadly. In a way, this place and time might have been the beginning of the end for him as a Jedi. Before trying to please everyone around him, the Melinda/Daan debacle, the year with Satine. Everything that had tested if this is really what he wanted. What if he had stayed. And if he was apparently being manipulated by these beings, who was to say that choice had been his to begin with.

“Father is worried. He grows weaker. We grow stronger, but unstable. The Wells ebb and flow more frequently, instead of the constant stream they have had for centuries.”

“What does that have to do with manipulating me? Why?”

“I needed to tip the scale in my favor. I needed you to help the One stay on his path.”

“So you mentioned the Codex.”

“Yes.”

“And pushed me to join the Jedi again?”

“No. You didn’t need my help for that.”

“And the stabbing the Mandalorian?”

“The Son.”

“Shouldn’t you be fighting over Anakin? Not me?”

“In your world, he already belongs to someone else. He just doesn’t know it yet. You have not been decided.”

Well that was ominous. It sounded like a very bad thing, but there was no way for him to think of every single possible scenario that could befall them in the coming months or years.

“But now that you are here. The One is in danger. He is now open to manipulation from The Son.”

“And how do you know your brother isn’t doing the exact same thing we’re doing right now?”

“Father is protecting his mind. Allowing him to make his decision unswayed.”

“It would seem to benefit your father if he swayed Anakin a bit.”

“He is not my father. Or my brother. Not in the way you understand it. It would take too long to explain. But manipulating The One is not his way. But…he gets more confused as time goes on. He loses track of where we are and can live in the ‘what is to be’.”

Obi-Wan signed. He felt a lot better about the whole Mandalorian thing but all of this information was not very useful. He couldn’t ask Anakin to stay here. He didn’t want him to. But if the man really did die and these two spiraled out of control…they did seem to have the power to do a great deal of damage.

And then he thought of something.

“If you’re here with me…and The Father is with Anakin…who is protecting Ahsoka?”

“I had to make a choice.”

“Who. Is protecting. Ahsoka.” He asked a lot more forcefully.

“I did what I could.”

“Wake me up. We have to check on her.”

“But…will you help me convince the One to stay?”

“No.”

“Please. We need him. The galaxy needs him.”

“He makes his own choices.”

“He must be selfless.”

“If he’s supposed to replace The Father, who is a balance of both, then he is allowed to be selfish as well. He’ll let the Force guide him, and we have to accept his choice.”

She looked mournfully at him. Like she knew something awful was about to happen, or had already happened and he was late to the party.

“Thank you for telling me, but I have to do what I think is right.”

“I will not keep you any longer.” She whispered and the dream faded away.

He didn’t wake up as he normally did, slowly becoming conscious, then opening his eyes. The grass he had been sitting on turned into the cot. The tree became the table with the ale. The rock face where she was perched disappeared and she floated, cross legged, effortlessly. He didn’t have to blink for it to change, it just slowly did like he was watching a holo.

She unfolded her legs and touched the ground.

“We have to check on Ahsoka,” he stood.

“I do not sense her.”

He didn’t either. He tore down the hallway to her room to find the door ajar, the Padawan’s sleeping mat in disarray. There had clearly been a struggle.

“He took her. Where would he take her?” Obi- Wan didn’t wait for her reply, he ran the other way to go to Anakin’s room. The Father would be able to help them.

The Daughter gasped. He didn’t know why until he opened the door. Anakin was gone, which was his first concern. Had he been taken, too? But then he saw The Father in a heap. Smoke rose from his robes. Obi-Wan had only been around Force Lightning twice in his life but it left a distinct feel in the air.

The Daughter rushed to his side, turning him over onto his back. She ran her hands above him, searching for injuries, looking for something she could fix.

“Is he alive?”

“Yes. But he is weak. I have to help him.”

“And I have to help my friends.”

“You will not be able to defeat him without me. Without Father.”

“Anakin can do it if Ahsoka and I help.”

“No.”

“Well, I don’t have many options. Waiting around is not one of them.”

She couldn’t seem to concentrate on her healing when he was upsetting her. But he didn’t have time for this. Who knows how much of a head start they had on him, and he didn’t have any kind of transportation. And if distance was distorted like it always was on this planet he might never get there.

“I will help you. But please let me make sure he is stable first. Then I will take you to the Well.”

She could get him there in an instant. And making sure The Father lived to help control this out of control world did seem pretty damn important right now.

“How can I help?”

-

Kahl knew Iviin would follow through on his promise that this wasn’t over, but he thought he’d take it out on him. But apparently he’d had enough of Kahl for the day and wanted an easier target.

Kahl stepped out into the cold afternoon, his breath forming whisps as he trudged to the speeder lot. He heard something around the corner of the building and let his shoulders sink. Kahl knew Iviin would follow up on his promise that this wasn’t over, and he’d probably involve his friends to get back at him for embarrassing him in front of so many people.

He was surprised when he rounded the corner, ready to surprise whoever was waiting to jump him, but saw Iviin shoving the newest Foundling kid into a wall. Kahl stood there, confused for a moment and wondered if the boy’s completion was always that red or if he was just that frightened of Iviin.

“Hey!” he shouted before Iviin could lay into the boy any more. “Aren’t you looking for me?”

All three turned to look at him, but Iviin didn’t release the other kid.

“No. I’m busy.” he punched the boy in the stomach and Kahl heard the same noise that had led him around the corner of the school again.

“He didn’t do anything to you.”

“He doesn’t belong here. Mind your own business, little pacifist.”

“He doesn’t have a home to go back to, you asshole. Let him go.”

Kahl felt himself getting hotter. Maybe this is what Korkie meant when he described his temper.

“Or what? You’re going to run and tell Mommy? She’s not going to do anything either. All I’ll have to do is pretend I’m sorry and all will be forgiven.”

The current target of Iviin’s anger tried to block his chest and stomach when he saw another swing coming but Iviin went for the face instead, knocking him to the ground.

“If you want to fight then let’s fight.” Kahl had never felt this way before. Anger was a strange thing that made you braver than you should be. And definitely stupider. Iviin smiled and turned to Kahl, his two cronies following suit. 3 to 1 was nowhere near fair, but Kahl felt his blood pumping but he also felt that familiar twinge of fear, regretting the situation that had barely begun.

Through his mess of emotions, he searched out their Force signatures, focusing mostly on their ringleader. The closer he got the more Kahl remembered just how much taller he was than him.

He latched on to Iviin and glared, looking him in the eye.

“Why don’t you get lost.”

And then something happened. Something that had never happened with any of his practice runs with the small forest creatures. Something he’d tried so hard to do when practicing with Rugor. He broke into Iviin’s mind. He’d been in this situation before when Rugor had let him in, leafing through memories like files in a datapad.

And Kahl panicked. He hadn’t been trying to do this, he wanted out before Iviin realized what was happening. Before he saw something he didn’t want to see. Kahl tried to backpedal out, but it seemed like he was stuck, quicksand keeping him there, time slowing down while the memories that flipped by went faster. A birthday party, a visit to a graveyard, lots of arguments, lots of violence.

Kahl realized that in order to get out he’d have to choose a memory. And he was running out of time. He knew he was only mentally trapped, but he felt like he was hyperventilating until a memory of a lonely forest flashed by and Kahl mentally rewound to that one and fell in.

Suddenly he was Iviin, walking through the untouched snow up a hill. He was alone. And he felt upset. Finally they reached a break in the trees. It looked like there had been a fire and the forest was re-growing but slowly. He sat down on a fallen log inside the mature treeline and stared out. And Kahl felt incredibly heavy.

Finally Kahl was pulled out to his own body, taking a few steps back. He’d only done it once before and the experience was disorientating and terrifying since he apparently couldn’t exit on his own free will like he had slipped into Iviin’s mind.

Kahl tried to recover, balling his fists and ready for a fight, but Iviin had gone almost catatonic.

“Dude, what are you waiting for?”

“Yeah, you want me to hold him?”

His two friends encouraged, but Iviin didn’t seem to be on this plane of existence anymore and Kahl’s blood switched from hot to cold. What did I do, what did I do…

“I have to go.” Main Iviin finally said to Iviin 2 and his other friend, then turned and walked away with purpose. Both cronies seemed confused, but followed him trying to get him to say why they were letting Kahl go.

Kahl tried to steady his breathing, but he sounded like he’d just finished a marathon, sharp and quick breaths as he looked around for something to make this make sense.

He locked eyes with the rosy-skinned boy who looked just as afraid as he did. Kahl wasn’t sure who the boy was more afraid of, Iviin or him. He needed to leave, he needed to…what? He didn’t know how he’d done whatever he’d done so he didn’t know how to fix it.

Finally he turned and fled, running to his speeder and going straight to the Wren’s. He didn’t want them to comfort him, he was afraid he could do the same to them on accident.

He sat in his room replaying what had happened over and over again, becoming more and more afraid of what would happen if he ever got angry again.

Chapter Text

Anakin reached the tower faster than he should have, but he’d really started to give up on all expectations that this place would follow conventional rules.

He drove the speeder as far as he could into the tower, searching. Ahsoka was up, somewhere. He found a staircase and started climbing, leaping up entire flights. He didn’t know what The Son’s plan was but he was hoping Ahsoka wouldn’t have to find out.

He found another courtyard, this one in black stone, dotted with white spots, he assumed for stars. The Son stood in the center, Ahsoka on the opposite side still bound. Apparently magicked to the spot, she struggled but got nowhere.

“Don’t listen to him, Master!” she shouted to him, and The Son only vaguely gestured back to her. She spoke no more.

“Let her go, you psycho.”

“I’m sorry. I had to do it this way to get you as far away from The Father’s influence as possible. I mean you and your Padawan no harm.”

“Sure have a funny way of showing it.”

“He is not in his right mind. He has trouble seeing what is to come. And he has brought you here too early. You must return to your world.”

“I already told you I’m not staying. Now let her go.”

“Have you ever thought about what bringing balance to the Force truly means, Chosen One?”

Anakin rolled his eyes. Philosophical debates about his stupid prophecy bored him to death at this point.

“What if I could show you. The things you will do in order to bring what my Father calls balance.”

“The future is not known. It can be changed.”

“Of course. There are many different versions. I can see them all. And in all, you bring great pain. But if I show you…maybe it can be prevented.”

Anakin knew he should not trust this being. He had kidnapped Ahsoka. He had hurt his own Father. But what if he was telling the truth. The Daughter had not been pure good. She had hurt Obi-Wan on purpose during the test. Maybe The Son was not entirely evil.

Before he could agree, The Son was right in front of him. He touched Anakin’s arm lightly, barely a whisper of a touch and they were somewhere else. Surrounded by lava, on a small island. There were symbols etched into the rock they stood on, and when he looked up, it seemed that they were inside a volcano somehow.

“This is one of the Wells. Only here can a mortal see many versions of his future. You must touch the pool.”

Anakin noticed in their little island of safety a dark pool. He went and stood above it, contemplating. Was he really going to do this? The Son clearly had ulterior motives but…this planet was the Force. He didn’t think it could lie. They had retreated from the galaxy to protect these very pools everyone had been seeking.

He knelt by the inky water. It looked thick like engine fluid. The closer he got, the more temptation overtook him. He had to know. He touched the water, as all beings did when they made it this far.

The lava faded away, the sludge overflowing its pool into the heat and cooling it instantly.

“I can save your wife from certain death.”

He looked over to the voice and saw Chancellor Palpatine smiling to him. Not his normal smile. A disturbing, evil smile.

“You promise no harm will come to her?” He heard his own voice, and saw himself standing in front of the man he’d always considered to be a father figure.

“I cannot promise. If the Jedi get to her first…”

“They wouldn’t-”

“They want the children, Anakin. They’ll do anything. You know that.”

And apparently he agreed because he saw himself kneeling. And then going to the Temple, 501st behind him, slaughtering all those who had been his family.

And then he was dueling with Obi-Wan. His friend who was trying to kill him. Who had helped keep his children from him. Twins.

And then he fell. And then he burned. And he was alone in a mental prison, doing the bidding of an evil man who had put him in this physical prison, one he needed to survive.

The scene reset.

Dreams of Padme screaming for his help. Begging for him

“Only I can save your wife from certain death.”

Again he bowed. This time he found Obi-Wan and Ahsoka first.They were dead before they’d finished greeting him. Again the Temple burned, again Padme did not make it like his new master had promised. But the twins did. And Sidious used them to control him. And it worked.

The timeline reset.

Anakin had been captured by Dooku. Who seemed to be surprised by his Master, Palpatine’s, arrival.

“It’s time to find out who is worthy.”

He fought with Dooku, fought and fought. And finally the old man tired and Anakin destroyed him. And turned his attention to the real Sith, the real mastermind behind everything. He was going to end this here and now. But he was too weak. Palpatine bested him, a dark shadow standing behind him, as if influencing the Sith’s moves. It was not The Son, but someone else. Something….darker.

And then he fell. And then he burned. And he was alone in a mental prison, doing the bidding of an evil man who had put him in this physical prison, one he needed to survive.

The scene reset. He joined a somehow alive Darth Maul on a conquest of Mandalore, bringing them under Republic rule and killing Obi-Wan and his entire family in the process.

The scene reset.

The scene reset.

The scene reset.

“Enough!”

He couldn’t take it anymore. There was not one set point at which he could change his decision to change the future. It seemed if he sidestepped one, another one arose. It seemed inescapable. The only difference was who died first.

Palpatine, a man he had trusted… he couldn’t believe it. But he had watched it unfold time and time again. Palpatine and some other force that felt like these god-like beings but different always won.

And it would not only ruin his life. That he could sacrifice. But everyone he loved. The wider galaxy as a whole suffered from his actions.

This could not be balance. He wouldn’t do it.

“And now you see the fate you will return to. And if you stay, nothing will stand in his way.”

Anakin was still on his hands and knees, a few fingers in the pool that had flowed back into its borders, the lava and heat returning.

He was mad. As mad as he had been when his mother died. The rage filled him. Rage that he had been tricked. Stupid enough to fall for Palpatine caring about him. Stupid enough to believe the Jedi wouldn’t find the twins. The twins he now knew about before Padme did. They existed but she would not know for another two weeks. He had to protect them from the Sith. From the Jedi. From himself.

“How do I stop him?”

The Son smiled, happy they were on the same side now.

“I will help you. If we leave this place, we can defeat him together. My mother’s influence is weak enough.”

Yes, the Mother. A mortal who drank from both pools to become a god like her family and instead descended into chaos. A being only tamed and imprisoned 1,000 years ago, ending the last Mandalorian-Jedi war. Her power was beginning to seep out, as The Son and Daughter could do from this place. To influence the events that brought them here.

This is what the Force wanted.

-

Asajj left Quin on Niamos. It was a bit of a party spot, and she wondered if leaving him with so many things to indulge on was a bad idea. But what did she care? He could do whatever he wanted with his down time. With whomever he wanted. Right? Right.

She’d actually discovered it when tracking down a Separatist, well, separatist who had absconded with some of Dooku’s money. And even though the man seemed to be swimming in it, he was also quite frugal when it came to getting robbed.

Meanwhile, she was working with General Grievous in their attempt to take over Sullust. What few forces had made it to the surface had been easily destroyed. B1s didn’t stand a chance by themselves and they hadn’t been able to get more heavy equipment through the Republic Venators defenses. Her plan had been to sneak over and start sabotaging them from the inside, ship by ship, but of course a Jedi had to be with this fleet. And they were now engaged in a space battle all their own, most other fighters ignoring them.

She’d told Grievous she was busy, so she was extremely annoyed when he commed her.

“Your master is calling, assassin.”

“Tell him I’m busy.”

“I did. He insisted.”

Dooku appeared before her and she lost her advantage on the Jedi fighter. She moved to try and hide behind some of the larger Sep cruisers until this intrusion was over.

“It has come to my attention that you have been hiding something from me, Ventress.”

“What are you talking about, Master? I’m very close to killing a Jedi as we speak.” Well maybe not at this exact second but…

“You have a little apprentice of your own. And I do not tolerate treachery.”

She looked down at him, surprised. She was almost sure he’d known about Quin. Not as an apprentice but more of a partner in crime. There was no way he hadn’t heard about Kamino. Those striking miners, that double agent on Toydaria…why was this a problem now?

“He’s not an apprentice, merely a tool so I can work faster.”

“You have grown too bold, my apprentice. And because of that, you are my apprentice no longer.”

“Master, please. I am loyal to you and only you.” she was not afraid yet, but it was creeping in.

“If that is true, then this is unfortunate. But a risk I cannot take. General.”

Ventress realized Grievous had been here the whole time, listening to her downfall.

“You may open fire.” Dooku’s image disappeared, leaving only Grievous’s cackles between coughs.

“I am glad to be rid of you, assassin.”

He gave his best evil laugh and ended his connection too. His flagship opened fire on her. Two squads of vulture droids broke off from their previous path and went after her.

He really meant it. He was really going to try and kill her. Ventress stopped trying to make sense of the why and prioritized how to stay alive. It was far too cluttered inside this space battle to go to hyperspace. If she went to the edge, Republic and Separatist cruisers would probably attempt to pick off an easy target. The planet was controlled by the Republic so landing sounded like a great way to get captured or stranded for some time.

As the vulture droids shot at her, she flew towards the surface, hoping to use some of the Venator guns as protection from her pursuers. They persisted and she went closer and closer to atmo. This was the only way she could think of to get out of this without ending up on the surface. She killed the engines as the droids peppered her with blaster fire and vented the exhaust, which gave off some smoke now that she was close enough to oxygen. And she fell out of the sky, looking like a ship with no hope of recovery.

The squad let off a few more shots, which she prayed hadn’t actually disabled the engines and they left her for dead, or as a Republic prisoner if she was still alive when she crashed.

She waited as long as her nerves could take, then started rebooting all her systems. Alarms blared as they had before. Asajj tried not to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information being told to her. But on the last step of restart, the engines flared and she thanked whatever god Nightsisters prayed to for her luck. The Republic Ion cannons on the ground noticed her and started firing, but she was away from them quickly, heading back out to the neutrality of space.

Ventress punched in the recall coordinates in the navicomputer, which should take her to Niamos. She didn’t let it finish computing the entire journey before she engaged the hyperdrive. Hopefully they hadn’t noticed her. And she was really and officially dead to them. Because Dooku would be sorry. And it was much harder for him to see her coming if she could hunt him as a ghost.

She stewed in her anger while she fixed a coolant leak, she replayed the betrayal as she rerouted circuits to avoid damaged parts of the ship.

And when she got to Niamos, the ship was barely limping along despite all her efforts. The city wouldn’t allow her to land since she looked like she was going to crash any second, so she was forced to the outskirts. Which was probably a good thing because it was not a smooth landing. She left a scar in the sandy soil when her engine continued to apply speed unevenly and her landing gear skidded all over the place.

Quinlan had been right. It had only been a matter of time. And she hadn’t listened. Maybe it was time to start listening to him. He’d suggested killing Dooku, so she knew he’d help her. Maybe that was what he’d actually wanted all along. But she didn’t care if he’d been trying to manipulate her, he hadn’t succeeded. This idea was all her own.

She walked away bruised from the crash, but she was alive. And she was fueled by revenge.

Chapter Text

“I can send you into the Well, with your friend and my brother. But I cannot follow. You will be trapped down there.”

“I won’t be trapped, Anakin is on my side.” Obi-Wan said, without questioning that he and Anakin could get out of there together.

She looked at him sadly. He wondered why.

“If that is what you want.”

“Will you help Ahsoka? If you can?” He asked.

She nodded and reached out, barely brushed his shoulder. He didn’t feel as if he had moved, rather that space had moved. He was in a flow of lava, standing on a solid island, The Son and Anakin before him.

“Anakin!”

Both of them turned and looked, surprised at his arrival. Obi-Wan was surprised to see Anakin in such distress. His face had changed, the skin around his eyes dark, practically black.

“Obi-Wan. We have to leave. I know how to end the war.”

“What did he tell you?”

“He showed me that Chancellor Palpatine is Darth Sidious. I- He will kill all the Jedi.”

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow. That didn’t seem possible. Sure the Chancellor was a slippery politician who seemed to get away with everything under the suns but a Sith?

“We have to go. We have to kill him.”

“Anakin we’re going to need some proof, I don’t think ‘the embodiment of the dark side told me’ is going to hold up to questioning.”

“I don't care, I’m going to end this before he can finish his scheme.”

“And what does he get out of it?” Obi-Wan gestured to The Son, who had so far been watching with glee.

“Oh nothing, I’m just here to help. We don’t have to be enemies.” he said smoothly. Anakin seemed to take this at face value.

“He’s manipulating you.” Obi-Wan said simply.

“You’re trying to do the same thing right now, Kenobi.” The Son volunteered and stood next to Anakin. Anakin’s glared at him now, this discussion was over.

“If you will not help, then you will have to stay here.” Anakin said. “Let’s go.”

The Son touched Anakin’s shoulder and in an instant he was gone. But The Son stayed.

“You know, before my father brought you all here, I was having a great time trying to sway you. Of course you had to be difficult.” he flicked his wrist as if he was pushing an annoying fly away.

“But no matter. It was good practice.”

“You won’t get away with this. He’ll realize you’ve tricked him before you can finish whatever your plan is.”

A slow smile drew up at the corners of The Son’s mouth, eventually revealing his sharp teeth. “He’s mine now.”

He disappeared too and Obi-Wan slumped. Well shit. They could be at the Father’s tower by now, flying off and stranding him and Ahsoka here. Maybe the Father could lure another ship here?

Before he could find a solution to that problem, he had to find a solution to this one. How to get out of this hole in the ground. Obi-Wan ignored the dark pool at the other end of the island, almost whispering to him. Whatever Anakin had seen surely hadn’t helped, and he didn’t expect it to have a happy ending for him either. Even if he was tempted….

He looked up, mentally planning his climb up the rock face. This was going to take some time.

-

Mercifully, it seemed that the school hadn’t called the Wrens about the fight during lunch period and so Kahl pretended nothing had happened. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at school. He got the same looks he had yesterday, but nothing new. None of the teachers paid him any mind.

He prepared for lunch, in case Iviin had a new idea on how to bully him for something out of his control but nothing came. In fact when he looked around, Iviin 1 was nowhere to be seen. His two best friends sat with their group, but one seat stayed empty. And when they saw Kahl looking at them, they tucked their heads down.

Curiouser and Curiouser.

It was dusk and he was reading a particularly interesting entry on secret planets used for lightsaber kyber crystals that were now lost to time and how some seemed to transport the seeker into a different plane of existence temporarily when he heard the door chime.

They’d had a few visitors on business and a few of his distant cousins drop by, but never this late. He went to the top of the staircase to see who it was and froze.

It was the school headmaster, and Ursa looked like she was already on the defensive.

“Kahl isn’t a violent kid, Headmaster. Believe me, I wish he was. Whatever he’s claiming, Kahl didn’t do it.”

“I understand, that’s why we’re trying to get both sides of whatever happened here.”

“OR. You could just believe me. Ask any of his teachers.” Usra’s tone was already terse, which Kahl would have appreciated if he wasn’t trying to figure out what was going on and what he should say.

“Honey- Honey, he’s not fighting with you.” Alrich intervened, a hand on her shoulder as if trying to control the wild animal he knew she could become when in an argument. “Maybe you should go put Sabine to bed and I’ll sit with Kahl and talk to the Headmaster. We both know he didn’t do anything wrong.”

Ursa shifted her eyes to her husband like a predator, but he only gave her a small nod. She seemed to trust him on this one, but made sure the Headmaster got the ‘i’ll murder your family if you accuse my nephew of anything’ look before exiting.

“She’s very protective of her family.” Alrich smiled, trying to clear the tension in the air. “Kahl? Will you come down and answer some questions?”

Kahl took the stairs slowly, trying to formulate a plan but the few seconds he gained didn’t help him any. He didn’t know what to expect, but this man knew something was wrong with him.

“We’re aware you got into a bit of a tussle with Iviin Saxon yesterday at lunch.”

“Um…yes. That wasn’t my fault, he started it.”

“It’s alright your um…” he didn’t seem sure what he was supposed to call Kahl, so he just skipped it, “it’s alright, that’s not what I’m here about. Did you do anything else to Iviin?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like…take him into the woods?”

“No.”

The woods, the woods, he’d chosen a memory of woods what did this mean.

“Did you see Iviin yesterday after lunch?”

“Um…yes. I saw him outside after school.”

He didn’t want to lie but he didn’t want to say more than he had to. Alrich stood next to him, calm as could be. Kahl had made sure not to look at either of them directly in the eye. But he broke his other rule, taking down his internal wall and opening himself to Alrich’s calmness. How could he be so calm, how could he trust Kahl hadn’t done something awful. Because he doesn’t know what you’re capable of.

“And you spoke?” the headmaster pressed.

“He…wanted to continue the fight we had earlier but I told him to leave me alone. And…that was it, he walked off.”

“He walked off and nothing else happened?”

“No.”

“Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

He was beating up a kid and I broke into his mind by accident and it could happen again because I can’t control it.

“Will you please tell us what this is all about?” Alrich interrupted.

“It seems,” the headmaster sighed, relaxing a little, “That Iviin never made it home last night. There were search efforts last night and all day today. He was found up in the mountains, near the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War. We’re not sure why he was wandering there but he seemed to have been up there all night with no food or supplies. He didn’t want to go home either, he seemed set on staying up on the mountain.”

“That is strange…but what does that have to do with Kahl?”

“Well…” the Headmaster tensed again, “Two of Iviin’s friends say they were with him when he confronted Kahl. And that he…did something. To Iviin.”

Kahl tried to keep his breathing even, keep his emotions neutral.

“Like what?” Alrich chuckled. “Transported him with his mind up to a mountain he’s never been to before?”

“The boys called it magic. That Kahl told Iviin to get lost before he wandered into the mountains. I don’t know why they’d say that, but they seem to think Kahl is responsible. But to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if Iviin decided to run away for a little while and his friends are making something out of nothing. But we have to check out these kinds of things. You understand.”

“Of course.” Alrich nodded and put a hand between Kahl’s shoulders. Like he trusted him.

“I hope he’s alright,” was all Kahl could manage.

Alrich showed the man out, the two cordially talking about the things children will make up to cover for each other, and then they were alone.

Alrich’s usual smile dropped and he stared at Kahl, clearly wanting him to meet his eyes. Kahl continued to look down.

“What really happened?”

“Nothing. Just what I said.”

“You’d better think of a better answer than that before Ursa realizes our guest has left.”

“He was beating up another kid.”

“And what, you beat him up so badly in front of his two friends who did nothing to stop you that he ended up with a concussion and wandered into the mountains for 24 hours? Next story, Kahl.”

“What did you do?” Ursa stormed in.

“He got in a fight at school.” Alrich summarized the part he seemed to believe.

“Did you win?”

“Honey, no.” Alrich looked at her annoyed.

“What, it’s a valid question.”

“Yes.”

“Good! Now what’s the problem?”

“The boy he fought with was wandering aimlessly in the woods for over a day.”

Because I told him to get lost. Those were the words I said and that is what he did.

“Sounds like you must’ve hit him pretty good.” Ursa said, giving him a light punch in the shoulder. He was confused.

“Ursa-” Alrich started, but Ursa continued.

“That right hook has really been coming along.” She glanced at Alrich, and finished halfheartedly, “but fighting is not how you should solve your problems.”

Alriched touched his forehead, his brow wrinkling as he mumbled. “Just a preview of what things will be like when Sabine goes to school…” then continued at full volume, “I don’t care what you two do in your free time but keep it out of school. Bully or no bully. Understood?”

Kahl nodded. Alrich gave Ursa a look and left the room.

“I hate that look. It means that conversation is definitely not over. And this one isn’t either.” she pointed to her office and Kahl hung his head again, doing as he was told. He wasn’t sure how many more excuses he had that would make sense.

“Does your mother know?” she said the second she shut the door, which surprised him.

“Know what?”

“That you have Force powers.”

“I don’t have-”

She laid into him like a prosecutor with a guilty party on the witness stand, circling for the kill.

“Don’t. Kahl. Don’t play games with me. I broke your dad of those instincts, knowing where a punch or kick is going before it happens. That’s why you can defend yourself so well, you sense threats to you before they happen. And why you’re so shit at attacking. Because it doesn’t protect you. I’ve seen it before and I’m not an idiot. And whatever happened with that kid sounds like a Jedi mind trick to me. There’s no other explanation. Does your mother know?”

He felt like the world was collapsing around him. Would she tell his mom? What would she say? Would she be angry with him? Angry at Dad instead? And the more immediate threat of if Ursa was going to shun or kill him.

“No.” he whispered. Do not cry. That will only make it worse.

“Does your dad?”

“No.” he repeated. He went back to that regret of running away the night he had planned to tell him. Maybe things would be different if he had just stepped out of that alcove. If he’d waited at home.

“Did you do it on purpose?” her interrogation tone had dropped, leaving a much more sympathetic one in its place.

“No.” he whispered a third time, feeling tears starting to well. No, he’d told himself no and it was happening anyway. He wished he knew how to shut out his own feelings like he did with everyone else’s.

Ursa took two steps to close the gap between him and hugged him. At first he was afraid that by touching him he might fall into her mind, but it had never happened that way before. She was probably safe. He hugged her back. He couldn’t believe of all the people in the galaxy his Aunt was the first to know. And she had not been afraid. But she didn’t know what he’d really done yet.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” he whimpered into her shoulder, even though he’d already answered that question.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”

“I’ve been trying to figure it out and I made it worse.” he didn’t hold back his fear and disappointment in himself, letting the tears flow, clutching her harder.

“It’s always easier when you have a friend.” she held him and let him cry. He wished she’d press his head into her shoulder the way Dad always did, and then immediately wished he hadn’t thought of it. She wouldn’t be able to help. The only person who could was light years away.

“We’ll figure it out.” she said again.

“I’m dangerous.” he didn’t know if he was warning her or making sure he knew it himself.

“Ha. If you break into my head you’ll be the one in trouble, not me. Tomorrow you’re staying home from school and we’re going to figure out what happened. And then you’ll make it through the last two weeks of classes without any trouble. But right now, you need to go to bed. Things will be better in the morning.”

He didn’t believe her but he nodded. He was still afraid of what he was capable of, but he also felt like a weight had been lifted. Someone knew. Someone besides Rugor who was half a galaxy away knew and hadn’t turned away.

“Thanks.” he mumbled. He meant it, he just couldn’t really believe anything right now. She patted him heavily on the shoulder, her affection for the day having been spent.

He went to his room, holding on to hope that things would be better in the morning when she found out the full truth.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan hadn’t made it all that far up the rock face when he heard a speeder engine descending. He looked up and waved. Ahsoka.

“Need a ride?” she asked.

“Boy am I glad to see you! What took you so long?” he hopped from the rock wall to the back of the speeder and she drove them upward.

“Well you know. Being kidnapped takes time. And then everyone just left me in a courtyard. I was almost free when our feathered friend rescued me. She said Anakin is following The Son.”

“Yes, and they plan on leaving the planet together to kill the Sith. Who is supposedly Chancellor Palpatine by the way.”

Ahsoka didn’t seem all that phased. “That guy always did give me the creeps.”

“We might be too late if they’ve made it to the ship already.”

“The Daughter said she’d hidden it. I don’t really know what that means, I was pretty focused on driving out here to get you.”

“If they’re still here we have a chance to talk some sense into Anakin.”

He saw her nod. She didn’t question they could do it. Just like he hadn’t questioned that when he got into that Well, Anakin would be on his side. He hoped she was right.

The Daughter waited at the mouth of the Well.

“Are they still here?” he asked her immediately.

“Yes. They are looking for the ship. I keep moving it.”

“How can we stop them with the Father out of commission?”

Ahsoka glanced at him, a bit surprised but said nothing. He’d forgotten to mention that to her on the ride up.

“There is…I do not want you to hurt my brother. It is not his fault.” She was clearly distressed.

“How do you see this ending, if we let them leave?”

This seemed to upset her even more. He did feel sorry for her. All they’d brought her was pain and unwelcome change. But she made up her mind quickly.

“I will take you to the sword.” she nodded.

“While you get the sword, send me to the ship so I can disable it. Even if they find it they won’t be able to leave.” Ahsoka offered.

“Good idea.” Obi-Wan agreed.

The Daughter gave Ahsoka a sad look, even sadder than she’d been when she sent him to the Well, probably already knowing he had no hope of succeeding in helping Anakin. She must know something. She sent Ahsoka away, and then they were transported to the outside of a cave.

She silently led the way inside. Light crystals, maybe kyber, hung from the ceiling and lava flowed below. She pointed to a platform in the center of the cave, halfway between the crystals and the lava flow.

“I cannot go any further.”

He took a deep breath, hoping there wouldn’t be any booby traps along the way. Leaping a few steps down, then from large stone to large stone he made it to the center. He reached in to touch the floating object. As he pulled it back, it transformed into a strangely designed sword. It hummed. He didn’t like it. It didn’t feel evil, but he felt like he had too much power. Too much sway to change everything in the galaxy with this blade. Something a mere human should not hold. But he did. And he carried it back to The Daughter and out of the cave.

“Now to the ship.” she said simply. He nodded.

-

Ventress sat on her repaired ship after a meeting with the Clan Mother, safely on Dathomir. They had been reluctant allies with Dooku and the Separatists in exchange for being left alone. It was something that happened to her kind quite frequently, how she came under the care of Hal’Sted.

Mother Talzin had told her that Dooku had already come to them for assistance with a new apprentice as the Sith had with Maul and, in a way, her.

But that dark path had changed. It had been re-routed without her consent, as it always seemed to. But she would make her own dark path. She would get revenge. She always did, at least in some small way. But this, she hoped, would be an absolute and final revenge. And maybe she would be free. And maybe Quin would stay. He’d stayed, even though his avenue to becoming another of Dooku’s acolytes was gone.

Asajj thought back to when she’d made it back to his room, the trek into the city exhausting her even more than she already was. He’d been in the room alone, of course all half dressed and hot (which for some reason annoyed her) and he sprung to help her, laying her down on the bed and propping her head up, getting food, water and bacta.

He’d taken care of her while asking questions about what happened. And in her weakened state, for the first time in a long time, she felt safe. Like she had with Ky Narec as her teacher, maybe even as a parental figure for her.

“He will pay for throwing me away.”

“I believe you, but for now you need your rest. We can plot revenge tomorrow.”

“We?”

He’d been kneeling down at her bedside, finishing his medic work and looked down. She remembered the way a few of his dreadlocks had fallen forward, escaping from behind his shoulder. She remembered thinking about how attractive he looked, then about how disgusted she was with herself because she had more important things to do than think about how pretty a man was.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” He looked up a bit sheepishly like he knew telling her this now, when she had already been betrayed, was not a good idea but he continued.

“I…never wanted to be Dooku’s student. I wanted to kill him. I have been using you, too.”

Well, at least he had no reason to kill her now. She was such an easy target. He did not want her position, and she didn’t have it anymore anyway. Asajj wondered if she’d known on some level.

“I figured out a while ago that you were never going to take me to him but…I stuck around anyway. And now we both want the same thing.”

“How do I know you’re not lying now, like you did before?” she really shouldn’t be arguing. She could defend herself if she had to, but she wasn’t sure what the cost would be.

“I guess you don’t. But I stayed because I was worried about what would happen to you. And I’m glad I did.”

She remembered drifting in and out of sleep then, and feeling him lay down on the other side of the bed, facing her but not touching her. She’d felt safe like she had with Master Narec, but this was very very different than how she’d felt about Narec.

And she still wasn’t sure, nearly a week later, how she felt about how she felt. She was attached to him in a way she never had been before. Love was going too far, but she was more afraid of him leaving than she was of facing Dooku again. Of course she hadn’t told him that. Or showed him. Ventress had been quite cantankerous while they repaired the ship together. Almost as if she was trying to push him, see how much it would take to get him to leave. But he thought it was funny and was mean right back.

“Are you sure about this? We could do this together.” he sat down across from her, taking her out of her musings.

“Yes. They hate Dooku as much as I do. And Mother Talzin’s magick is suited for this kind of plan. Plus. Deception is your favorite game.” she didn’t really care that he’d lied about his intentions since she’d known something was up. But she still liked to tease him about it.

“That is absolutely not true, I’ve been dying for something exciting the last few months. The only thing was the Battle of Kamino and I was only given backup duty. I wanna do something.”

She did too, but a different thing. And she was sure he’d kiss her back if she grabbed him, but she wasn’t sure where that would lead. What happened after they killed Dooku? Would he run back to his Jedi Order and leave her satisfied but alone? She couldn’t invest whatever small section of her heart still beat with him until she knew the answer to that question.

“Patience. A new apprentice who is actually on our side will ensure we do the job right the first time. There won’t be a second opportunity.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Master Boring. I will reflect on your teachings. And then take a nap, I mean meditate.” He stood and headed to the bunk beds of the crew quarters.

She let the corners of her mouth turn up in a smirk because he wasn’t there to see it.

-

Ursa interrogated him about every detail of the incident, where everyone stood, when he got nervous, when he felt anger. He answered all that he could remember without meeting her eyes.

“It has to be because you felt angry. I’ve been trying to get you angry for weeks and all you’ve been is indignant. I’m not a Jedi expert but you’ve never done it before. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

He nodded. Talking to someone else about it had calmed him down significantly, but she barely had any experience with this. How could she possibly know?

“Kahl. Look at me.”

He looked at her forehead.

“In the eye.”

He hesitated.

“You have to prove it to yourself that it’s not going to happen again. That next time you’ll have warning.”

He tensed and let his eyes slide down to hers. Nothing happened. She stared at him and he stared back. He looked away and back. Nothing. She remained expressionless, like she’d sit there for hours, making and breaking eye contact if it made him feel better.

He closed his eyes and breathed deep, as he always did when he searched for people’s emotions through the Force. He made sure he had a strong sense of hers, a calm neutral feeling, and looked at her. Again there was nothing.

Kahl gave her a small smile, his confidence growing again. He felt her happiness for him, her smile back a little underwhelming compared to how she reacted internally. He let the connection drop and shut the door to that part of his mind easily.

“Should we practice some swordsmanship? Since now I know that was your end goal all along?”

“Yeah, making you angry is going to make me happy.”

She rolled her eyes.

“I am going to enjoy lightly slicing the shit out of a child today and not feel an ounce of guilt for all the trouble you put me through.”

Despite her tone, he didn’t wonder if he was an annoyance to her anymore. Dad had always had trouble describing his sister, the best he’d ever come up with was that she’d act like she would sell you to the underworld for one Credit but that just means she loves you.

And he was starting to think Ursa would go to the ends of the galaxy to help him if she had to.

-

Anakin and The Son teleported to the ship at the Father’s monastery. Or where the ship should have been. It was not there.

The Son growled.

“Daughter.”

“Can you find it?”

He needed to get off of this planet. Once he’d accomplished his mission he could come back for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. Maybe he could even take the Father’s place if Padme could come with him. And the twins of course. What a way for them to grow up, surrounded by this powerful energy.

They hopped through a few locations, finding nothing. He felt sick from all of the jumps now, this was not something even he was built to withstand. They rested. Well, he rested and The Son stewed with anger.

“She can’t keep it up forever. She will grow tired.”

Anakin barely listened, he was lost in thought about how hurt he was. How the Chancellor could do this to him. And in some versions how Obi-Wan could do this to him. The Jedi…enemies everywhere. He could trust no one. He wasn’t sure if that made him more angry or afraid.

“There. She has stopped.”

They jumped one last time to a jungle area with mountains all around, similar to the place they had landed and saw the ship close by. They walked to it, as Ahsoka exited with the second mini speeder that came with the ship. She saw them and jumped on, trying to make a fast getaway. But The Son was not about to let that happen.

“Let her go, she’s not in the way.” Anakin said to him, but he didn’t seem to hear. The Son used the Force to pull the speeder towards them, holding it in place while the engine whined against the pull.

Ahsoka lept off, drawing one of her sabers and landing gracefully in a defensive position.

“You can’t listen to him, Master.”

He knew how it looked. And he knew she was right. But he was not totally allied with this being. He would do what needed to be done to protect the galaxy. And then he would figure out how to defeat this dark force. He had already proven he was powerful enough to control him. Everything would be ok.

“I have to do this, Ahsoka. I have to save you and everyone else.”

“I can’t let you leave.” She stayed in her defensive stance, strong in her conviction that she was not moving. She wasn’t in front of the ramp, but she would make their lives difficult trying to get to it.

“I grow tired of this. You have outlived your usefulness.” The Son sneered, reaching for her with the Force and pulling her in towards him and deactivating her lightsaber on the way. She held out both of her hands, fingers spread wide.

“No!” Anakin shouted far too late. He had been too concerned with his own plans for the future to see what would happen here. How could he not see it…

The Son touched her forehead just as Ahsoka activated her second lightsaber. The one she had apparently been sneaking behind the both of them while they talked. The flash of green went straight through The Son’s chest and he screamed as his touch killed her in an instant.

The lightsaber deactivated and fell next to her body.

The Son howled with rage rather than pain. A lightsaber could not kill him. Anakin didn’t think anything could. He stared at her, mouth open a bit in surprise. She would get up. But he did not feel her there anymore. This could not be happening. He was doing this to protect her.

Anakin fell to his knees beside her, dumbfounded. He had always been able to sense danger. Always able to save everyone at the last second. Almost always. Almost always. Almost…

“Anakin?”

He heard Obi-Wan’s voice. He looked up, trapped in grief and regret and responsibility for this. His friend stood with The Daughter, holding a strange sword.

“I- He-” He didn’t know how to explain.

“You led him to the sword?!” The Son shouted, his voices echoing off the mountains around them.

“I don’t know how else to stop you. You attacked Father.”

“He was taking too long to die so I helped him along.”

“How dare you?! He loves you!” she shouted back at him. Anakin could only pay attention to them, the Guardians too strong to ignore.

“He holds me back. As do you!” The Son attacked her and she defended. They transformed into their winged versions and growled and screamed at one another taking to the sky to finish this fight.

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan knelt down by him. By Ahsoka. He didn’t have his guard up. He didn’t distrust him, after what Anakin had said to him in the Well. After how he had acted.

“Maybe they can fix it.” he looked hopefully to him and Anakin was conflicted. Maybe they could bring her back. If they could take life so easily, returning could not be all that difficult.

“I still have to kill Palpatine. Sidious.”

Obi-Wan nodded slowly, looking down at Ahsoka again. “You don’t need The Son for that. We’ll help you.”

“Only The Son can stop him.”

“And who told you that? The Son?”

Obi-Wan had a point, but he had not completely let go of this idea. Of all the vision he had had. What would happen if he did not sacrifice and work with The Son.

“I will cause. So much pain.” he struggled to speak it. Replaying Padme’s death, Obi-Wan’s death…but then he looked down at Ahsoka. She was supposed to be here.

“I understand you’re worried about the pain you will cause in the future. We all worry about that. But look at the pain you’re causing now.” Obi-Wan spoke quietly to him. “What would Padme think?”

And those were the magic words, it seemed. What would she think? How could he explain? And the future where he worked with The Son…that future had not been revealed to him. What if it was so much worse than all the other options before him….

“ENOUGH.” A voice boomed that practically shook the entire planet. The Father appeared, throwing both of his children in opposite directions. He floated down to the ground between them and in front of the trio. Or. The duo…

“You have the sword.” The Father said to Obi-Wan, surprised.

“I didn’t know what else to do.” The Daughter pleaded as Obi-Wan stood, holding it like a lightsaber.

“You have the sword.” The Son repeated, but much more joyously. He reached his hand out and Anakin felt the darkness wash over him. A deluge that would have controlled him if he hadn’t come back to his senses. If he wasn’t staring at Ahsoka’s body wondering what Padme would think of him. What his future children would think of him.

The Son snarled like a wild animal and turned his focus to Obi-Wan. Which Anakin thought was funny, until Obi-Wan relaxed and started walking towards The Son.

“Obi-Wan? Hey…” and then he felt The Son’s aura coming from Obi-Wan. At some point he had been swayed. Even just a little part of him that The Son now had hold of.

“Obi-Wan, no!” he reached out with the Force and tried to pull Obi-Wan to a stop. He did stop, but he tried to push forward through Anakin’s hold on him.

The Son became frustrated, as he always did, and pulled the sword from Kenobi instead, abandoning his hold on the man. Obi-Wan seemed very confused as he flew back towards Anakin who caught him and set him down safely. “What happened?”

There was a clash of fists and wings and claws in front of them that distracted him from answering. The Son and Daughter attacked again, The Son electrocuting his sister and sending her to the side. He shot forward towards his father, stopping mere feet from him.

“What have you become, my Son? It was not always like this.”

“I grew up. And learned that I am more.”

The Son raised the sword and the Father raised his hand in preparation for a block, but The Daughter leapt in front of him. To save her father. And the sword drove into her, her glowing aurora immediately starting to diminish.

The Father caught her as she fell. The sword disappeared from The Son’s hand, apparently having returned to its cave. He stared at his empty hand and then at his sister in shock. He wailed in anguish, this time because of pain in his own heart rather than anger and took to the skies, fleeing the scene.

Obi-Wan sat up from Anakin’s arms and looked at him, surprised. What now? Anakin didn’t have an answer. They both ran to the pair.

“What have you done, my child?” he asked her.

“I need to protect you. He would have killed you.” she replied, her voice fading from its multi tones.

“But I am an old fool who thought he could control the future, Daughter. You are not.”

“I want to help your friend.” she pointed to Ahsoka. “It is not her time.”

Anakin and Obi-Wan exchanged a glance. “Is that possible?”

“If you help her.” The Father said.

“Please. And hurry.” The Daughter whispered. Anakin did not need to be told twice. He sprinted over to Ahsoka and picked her up, carrying her to The Daughter. She felt so light when she should feel so heavy. She was too young. This had to work.

He lay her down next to The Daughter, then placed himself behind their heads. He looked up as Obi-Wan and The Father watched. Obi-Wan nodded. He believed Anakin could do it. So he closed his eyes and touched both of their foreheads. He was not sure how he knew what to do, but he unlocked himself as a channel for life energy to flow through. His fingers raised as the both women floated and he felt it cascade down his arm. A glow seemed to surround them but he could see nothing, only white. Finally they both dropped and he caught himself with his hands. He looked to the sister, her complexion now that of a regular human. Her eyes closed, her green hair not flowing in the non-existent wind. He looked to Ahsoka, waiting, hoping.

She sat up suddenly, sputtering and coughing, looking for her enemy. And when she saw him and not The Son she asked ‘Did I get him?’ before he could pull her to him.

“Oh, Snips. I was so worried about you.”

“What happened? Did he get away?”

Anakin wasn’t sure how to answer. He really didn’t want to tell her she’d been dead.

“Uh. Yeah. He knocked you out and killed the sister. Daughter. Whatever.”

She hugged him back, but not as tightly as he was hugging her. He would not forget this lesson. He would use what he had learned here to take Palpatine down in a way where everyone made it out alive.

“Uh, if I didn’t get him, why are you hugging me so tight? Not that I don’t appreciate it.” she joked and he realized how much he was overreacting in her eyes. He let go.

“Well you still did a good job.”

“Thanks, Master. I’m glad you’re back. But now what?”

The Father took over.

“With my Daughter gone, the balance has been affected. The pain in the galaxy will only grow. I will contain my son as long as I can and mourn what has happened because of my foolishness. And all that is to be.”

“I can stay. If we kill him, the balance will be even again.” Anakin offered.

“No. You do not understand what it is to love a child so deeply, yet know they could destroy the very fabric of the galaxy. Well…” the Father looked to Obi-Wan, “Maybe you do.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. Anakin just let it go. The man was upset, and maybe he was losing his senses and confusing timelines a bit. Anakin was pretty sure he, the Jedi and Obi-Wan would know if he had a child that powerful.

The Father turned back to Anakin.

“You are not ready. I have called you too soon. And my Son has broken the laws of time. You have seen the future and it will alter your path. I cannot let that happen. You must not remember anything that transpired here.”

“But if I don’t remember what we learned, I can’t kill Sidious before-”

The Father had already held up a hand. Anakin did not get to finish his argument.

He woke up in their shuttle, face on the control panel.

“Did we crash?” he asked, rubbing his head, the grogginess of sleep slowly leaving him. He looked over to Obi-Wan who was just starting to come to as well. Ahsoka was slumped in the passenger seat behind him. He looked out into the vastness of space. There was nothing, just like the last time he checked.

“Did you crash?” Obi-Wan asked, rubbing his head as he sat up.

“Hey.” Anakin said indignantly, “I don’t know what happened but we’re at the coordinates for that signal. Maybe there was a life support glitch?”

Obi-Wan pinged the nearest long range sensor and it returned that their last ping was only 10 minutes ago.

“I guess searching for the thing that’s going to save the galaxy was so boring we all fell asleep.”

“Yeah, the computer didn’t record any life support malfunctions. But maybe something’s wrong with it, too.” Ahsoka piped up, also checking her station for answers. “Do you still feel whatever you felt?”

Anakin searched. It had been so strong only moments before. His absolute need to get to this spot. But now there was nothing. “No. It’s just gone.”

“Strange. You’re always right about these kinds of things.” Obi-Wan contemplated, stroking his beard in thought.

“I guess it was a false alarm.”

“Well, it was a nice and easy trip. And General Kenobi and I aren’t potential criminals anymore.” Ahsoka joked.

“Being a criminal was a nice vacation. But I suppose we should head back if you don’t sense anything out here.” Obi-Wan agreed.

“Yeah.” Anakin took more time than necessary when entering the coordinates to where the 501st was located. Something here had brought him closer to his friends. Something here gave him the tiniest twinge of sadness. Something here… but there was nothing here. And he forgot that last little bit of memory the second they hit hyperspace to return to their lives.

Chapter Text

They had sent Savage out into the galaxy, obedient to Dooku, but with insurance policies attached. He had a tracker in his lightsaber as well as his armor breastplate.
Asajj and Quin had watched and waited while Mother Talzin checked in on him by scrying every so often. He was not having a great time with Dooku as his master. Dooku had ruled her by reminding her the Jedi were the enemy, through anger and revenge. But Savage did not have that kind of history and the only way Dooku seemed to know how to control him was through fear and pain. The amount of Force Lightning he withstood sickened even Ventress. She had really been on his side?
Now she was on her own side. They’d finish this and she’d bounty hunt only those she deemed worthy of punishment. That’s where she had decided she would be most useful.
But for now, they waited.

Finally the day came that seemed like a perfect opportunity. It was long enough into Savage’s training that Dooku would be losing his suspicion of him, and he still didn’t know Asajj was alive.
Outside of Cato Nemodia, which had plenty of traffic, they’d found the Separatist cruiser Savage was on. As well as Dooku. She wouldn’t mistake his Force signature for anyone else.
“If we don’t time this right you know we’re going to be dead, right?” Quin asked her, shutting down all non-essential systems.
“Would you like to leave? I can take you down to Cato Nemodia.”
“Ugh, no thank you.”
“Then shut up.”
He did as he was told and when the cruiser’s engines started to flare to prepare for hyperspace, Asajj zoomed in under it, flipping upside down so they could attach to its underbelly, Quin deactivating all system that would be noticed by the proximity alert, hoping to mask their attaching.
“Now.” she flipped off the engines and they drifted closer and closer. Quin’s eyes were closed, hands on the magnetic guides. She knew he was using his senses to search for the perfect moment but it was still a little concerning to see someone doing something so precise with their eyes closed.
He flipped the switches and the magnetic seal beeped only seconds before they were in hyperspace.
She slumped her shoulders relieved. He stood and put a hand on her shoulder, leading his mouth close to her ear and speaking lowly.
“You don’t have to shut up about the amazing job I just did.” he let go of her and headed back to the cargo hold/common area/sleeping quarters. On this ship, it was all in one.
She again found herself wanting to shut him up with her lips rather than her words, but she had to remind herself to wait. Wait until Dooku was dead and she’d see what he did.

-

The trio met up with Rex and the 501st on Rugosa, just as they were finishing up their campaign for the planet. This battle had been set up in some strange negotiation that the winner would have the favor of the Toydarian king, who would join their ranks instead of remaining neutral as they had throughout the war.
“It’s strange.” Obi-Wan said, reading the briefing on the battle up to this point while laying on the back of an AT-TE as they lumbered to the front lines. “Asajj didn’t start this whole negotiation. Dooku did.”
“You two are on a first name basis now?” Anakin gave him a disgusted look, standing next to the barrel of the vehicle’s missile launcher.
“We’ve run into each other a lot.”
“So she isn’t involved this time. So what?”
“So this is exactly what Dooku usually uses her for. She stirs the pot, leaves to hunt me down and flirt with me while trying to kill me, then comes back to finish what she started if they win.”
“She only does that because you flirt back. She doesn’t do that shit with me.”
“Maybe you’re not as appealing.”
Anakin rolled his eyes at the barb.
“So your girlfriend won't be here today. Be happy.”
“She hasn’t been spotted in a while.”
“Obi-Wan.” Anakin shielded his eyes to look back at him, “I’m fairly sure the like…three massacres where Jedi were killed were probably her. She’s around.”
Obi-Wan let it go, even though that really didn’t seem like Ventress’s style. Maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did.

-

Finally the Interschool dance was here, only one more week of exams and he would be free forever. Until University. He examined his outfit in the mirror, feeling self conscious. Lagos had seemed surprised when he’d asked her to the dance, but she already had a dress and told him the color so they could match. So he supposed she wasn’t all that surprised. He was nervous about his deep green tunic because he’d picked it himself. So many other people had controlled his formal dress since he was a child, he wasn’t even sure what he liked. And without input from any of his family it had been an awkward experience. So awkward he’d even considered calling Valsi. He knew she’d know what was best but he ignored the urge. He’d literally met her maybe 4 times. They’d spoken for less than 5 minutes. He couldn’t ask her for that kind of thing.
He smoothed his hair down one last time and tore himself away from the mirror, heading to Lagos’ house.
He ran into her walking to meet him before he made it to his destination. She wore a short and tight dress, a deep green with thin shoulder straps and corset-style boning. Something he’d definitely never seen her wear before. She might have worn tight things that showed off her curves before, but in typical Mandalorian fashion they were always practical pants or jumpsuits, just in case a fight broke out. Her short hair she always kept tied up was down with a few light waves in it.
With all the changes put together she looked like a different girl. Like she wasn’t the same girl who had played in the dirt and climbed trees with him on family vacation when she was allowed to attend. The same girl who had given him a horribly hand drawn birthday card every year, just because it was funny at this point. And for the first time in his life, the thought that she was incredibly hot crossed his mind. She looked grown up. And he realized he must look that way, too. Because they were. And maybe that meant things would change for them, but he wasn’t sure he wanted them to.
One thing that hadn’t changed was that look on her face she had so often when she’d been fighting with her father and she was trying to hide it.
“Wow.” was all he could say, like an idiot.
“Wow good, or wow bad?”
“Wow, good. Like holy shit good. Are you trying to make everyone else feel ugly?”
She laughed and rolled her eyes, absentmindedly whipping an errant tear from her eye.
“My dad wasn't too happy.”
“He’s never happy, who cares. Are you happy?”
“Yes.”
“Then let's go, mesh’la.” He bowed exaggeratedly. She repeated the same reaction but held his hand as they walked to the Grand Hall where all the other soon-to-be graduates from the entire planet were headed.
“Did you hear Soniee told her parents she’s going with Amis? She’s not, she’s hoping to find some hot boy from a different school.”
“That girl is going to go feral when we go to University. I’m actually kind of afraid for her. And more importantly the people who have to share a room with her.”
“That’s us, you idiot.”
“I’m allowed to be concerned for myself.” he bumped her shoulder with his. “We’ll keep an eye on her, she’ll be alright.”
“Do you hear sirens?”
They both slowed to listen but they really didn’t have to, the noise only grew, joined by more warning sounds at different pitches. They exchanged a look and hurried to the corner, peaking around to see the Grand Hall with smoke rising from the entrance, security forces and rescue workers still pulling up to the scene.
“Ancestors.” Lagos whispered, watching the chaos unfold, people rushing out, supporting their friends. People rushing in to find any other survivors. Korkie couldn’t look away either. Why? What could have started a fire? Was it a bomb?
He got his answer when a large hologram of a shriek-hawk symbol lit up, text above and below.
“Pacifism does not protect you.” Korkie read out loud, more for himself. That armor was not the only thing Death Watch was being supplied with.
“We should go.” Lagos said authoritatively, but she didn’t move. Neither did he. Where should they go? What if his house was being watched? What if they were being watched right now?
His comm beeped and he was a little embarrassed that he’d felt a tingle of fear go up his spine over a stupid comm noise.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?”
Mar.
“On the corner to the east of the Hall.”
“Don’t move.”
“Ok.”
He grabbed Lagos’s hand again while they waited for the seconds to drag on in the half light of the emergency crew’s lights and the half dark of night.
“Behind you.”
He recognized Mar’s voice and turned in relief but Lagos let out a little sound of surprise and balled her fists ready for a fight.
“It’s ok! It’s my uncle.” He reassured her while Mar took a step back, weapon in hand.
“Oh. You have an uncle?” She seemed confused.
Mar ignored her existence, looking up to the dark balconies overhead.
“We have to get out of here. Preferably fast. My apartment. Let's go.”
Lagos was already taking off her shoes which did not seem practical to run in. They followed Mar’s jog, stopping periodically when Mar felt someone was getting too close to them or they needed to cross an intersection.
The further from the scene they got, the more he relaxed and the more it sunk in. Had they expected him to be in there? Was it just a statement piece to break onto the scene and gain support somehow? Why?
When they reached Mar’s he did some kind of special knock before unlocking the door and letting them go first. Valsi stood in the middle of the room, hand over her mouth, watching the live holo coverage of the disaster.
“Korkie.” she instantly slipped out of whatever trance she might have been in watching the news and crossed the room to hug him close to her.
“Are you alright?” She touched his face and looked him over, searching for any signs of trouble.
“We’re fine, We weren’t there yet.”
Valsi moved on from him and gave Lagos the same hug she’d given him even though she’d probably never seen the girl in her life.
“How about your feet?”
Lagos didn’t seem to know what to do with this much attention.
“Just dirty.” she answered quietly.
Mar had finished with the door, blaster relaxed against his shoulder, and was immediately on comms, relaying to the rest of the security forces that Korkie was safe while he checked all the windows were locked and the blinds drawn.
“I did that already, but it will make him feel better to check.” Valsi whispered to them, a small smile on her face.
When Mar finished his conversation he called to her.
“Val! Safe Key?”
“Done.” she gestured to the two blaster pistols laying on the coffee table. “I know what to do when you’re not here, you know.”
He held up his finger, in a ‘sh’ motion and they all listened. There was a very distant but steady booming Korkie had never heard before.
“What is it?” Lagos asked, barely audibly while they continued to listen.
“Ion cannon.” Valsi and Mar answered together.
Korkie exchanged a look with Lagos and grabbed her hand again. He knew they were safe but he didn’t feel that way.
“No air strike sirens. Must be trying to shoot someone down who’s trying to escape. We’re safe.” Valsi reassured them, touching both of their shoulders.
“They put camera droids on the house and someone to stand guard is on the way. But it doesn’t look like they were after Korkie so I think we can relax. I’m going to make a few more calls.” Mar disappeared into a room and Korkie and Lagos were left standing awkwardly in the living room with Valsi, news coverage playing in the background.
“Well I think we’ve heard enough of that.” she turned off the holo, then turned back to them. “Ugh, look at how adorable you two are. I will definitely be taking stills later, you don’t have a choice. If they’re still doing Inter-school the way they used to, you two are probably hungry?”
They were supposed to have dinner before the dance, but Korkie definitely didn’t feel hungry. Lagos still seemed a bit shocked to be in a strange house with strange people he claimed to be his family.
“I’m not really hungry…” he responded, feeling a bit bad to turn down her offer but she didn’t seem to care.
“Nonsense, once you smell it you will be.”
Apparently they didn’t have a choice on the food either.

-

The King of Toydaria was grateful they had won the battle, a bet he had never agreed upon. He’d been attempting to join the Republic this whole time, but Separatists had blocked his transmissions and kept him on the run in order to prevent this stupid battle from ending.
The negotiations had gone well, Ahsoka had had a great time brushing up on her Huttese with some of the palace staff and now it was time to go. Because the 501st still hadn’t been reassigned so there was no hurry to get back, Anakin had intentionally broken their little starship in order to test Ahsoka’s repair skills.
He followed her around, watching her every move but saying nothing.
“Would you stop? You’re freaking me out.”
“You have to be able to think clearly under pressure, padawan. Me following you around is nothing compared to having to get a ship to hyperspace in the next…” he checked his chrono, “Six minutes or we all die.”
She huffed and went back to checking a circuit board.
“Please don’t let us die, Ahsoka.” Obi-Wan said with little to no feeling, not adding to the atmosphere Anakin was trying to create. Anakin glared at him. Obi-Wan held up a hand in placation. “I’ll be outside.”
Good. Anakin played an alarm tone from his datapad and now it was Ahsoka’s turn to glare at him. She reached over to another panel and reset the fuel flow dampeners, and he turned off the alarm noise, proud of her.
Obi-Wan raced up the landing ramp. “We have a problem.” he clipped quickly.
“Oh now you come in with the acting.” Anakin replied, irked.
“No, something is going on in the palace. I heard a scream and it feels wrong.”
Anakin stopped focusing his energy on putting mental pressure towards Ahsoka and reached out. He felt the disruptive chaos as well.
“Ahsoka, stay here. It’s one of the navicomputer terminals, I recalibrated it wrong. Get it fixed just in case we need to chase someone.”
“A terminal?! That would never happen in the scenario you gave me!” she said angrily.
“Anything is possible. Get us flight worthy, Snips. We’ll be back.”
“Fine.” she was exasperated by the situation.
He ran with Obi-Wan to the palace, and found the path of destruction that had caused the uproar. Dead guards, dead staff. They exchanged a look and Anakin knew Obi-Wan was thinking of those other attacks where there were no survivors. Time to see if it really was Ventress.
They made their way through the palace, following the havoc and their senses straight to the throne room where an incredibly tall yellow and black Zabrak was trying to capture the king as he flew from platform to platform, just out of the hulk of a man’s reach.
Obi-Wan gave him a look before they ignited their sabers in unison and started the climb to engage this new terror. Yes, yes Obi-Wan had been right it wasn’t Ventress. He was sure he would hear about this later.
Anakin blocked the first saber swipe from the new Sith, but he was surprised at just how much force was in it and had to leap back to the previous platform to deflect all of the energy. This guy was something else. Dual blade, incredibly strong. Where had he come from?
They kept him busy as a team, but the armored man had time to Force pull the Toydarian king back from escaping out a window every time he came close. And he was clearly becoming more frustrated by each escape attempt.
The assassin kicked Obi-Wan down a level, Force Pushed Anakin back, and threw his saber at the king, slicing him straight through.
Kriff. Anakin was sure he’d wanted the king alive. He hadn’t thought this would happen. Now everything they’d worked for was for nothing. He had no idea who the successor was, or how this would end up looking. The Jedi got blamed for things Ventress had done before. He wouldn’t be surprised if it happened here too.
His work apparently done, the Zabrak made a break for it, leaping down to the ground. Obi-Wan got in a well timed blow on the back but his armor protected him, and he shoved Obi-Wan hard into a wall.
Anakin jumped down too and gave chase, checking in on Obi-Wan mentally, who gave him the go-ahead. He’d be along soon, he just needed a few seconds to get his breath back.
The coward ran to a ship parked slightly in the treeline, just outside of the palace. Anakin pulled a small tracking device and activated it, throwing it onto the ship as it powered up and fled the planet.
Obi-Wan ran up behind him only a few moments later.
“What, you didn’t jump on it to try and stop him?” Obi-Wan said between breaths
“No, that’s something you would do, remember?” Anakin gave him a playful shove.
“True. I hope Ahsoka’s ready to go.”
“She better be, I told her what was wrong.”
They both ran back to their ship to follow this new threat.

Chapter Text

Valsi had been right, once the vegetables started sizzling Korkie was back to being hungry again. She was becoming fast friends with Lagos, inquiring about where she’d bought her dress and how they both had similar haircuts and therefore similar hair problems, whatever that meant. He was relaxing. And he was beginning to feel like he was home. Valsi wasn’t Dad, but she was interested in what they had to say. She asked questions. She treated them like adults.

But that relaxation led him to remembering what he used to have and might never have again. He tried to stay present in the conversation so he wouldn't go to that place in his head.

When food was ready, Valsi lit a candle and placed it in front of them, winked at him and took a plate for Mar and herself into a different room. Why the wink, he didn’t really know.

“How come I’ve never met these people before?” Lagos asked him.

“Mom and Mar don’t get along and he hates my Dad. But since he left we’ve been getting closer.”

“Well she’s nice. Maybe she could be our adoptive mom.” she teased.

“Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing.” He really should have asked her about his formal wear. If she was this happy to feed two surprise guests, she would have loved it. And he could see what Mar meant about her nurturing instinct.

“Is it bad if I kind of like this better? Than the dance? I feel like we haven’t talked in forever. I miss you.”

He knew he’d been absent, but he’d had other things to occupy himself. Mar taking him to the long range shooting range, trying to keep track of Dad, constantly worrying about Kahl’s short responses to his messages.

“I know, it’s my fault. I’m not trying to shut you out, it’s just…a lot. A lot all the time.”

“I know I’m not trying to guilt you. I just want you to know I miss you, that’s all. You grew up and I’m still playing catchup..”

“Well, hanging out with Mar toughens you up.” I killed someone two weeks ago and I haven’t stopped dreaming about it. I don’t regret it but I’m afraid I’ve started down a path I can’t turn around. Also I miss my Dad. He thought. No, don’t say that out loud.

“Yeah he seems…interesting.”

“He taught me how to shoot better. He says I’ll get to fly his ship one day but I don’t believe him.”

“Come on, you learned how to shoot and didn’t teach me?! Hello, Korkie, rude. And now that this happened-” she cut herself off, pushing the last of her food around her plate, “It seems like an important skill we might need.”

“I’ll find time to teach you, then.” He meant it, but he wasn't sure when. If Death Watch was this serious of a threat, he was going to have trouble sneaking anywhere anymore. And maybe there was something he and Mar could do to help stop them.

He tried to catch up on the school gossip as friends messaged Lagos to make sure she was ok. No one messaged him. And things just kept coming back to the distressing subject of where they were supposed to be.

“Alright, if you two are almost done with dinner, I have rearranged the common room for a dance.” Valsi peeked around the corner, clasped her hands together like that gesture could contain her excitement, then disappeared again.

They both looked at each other, intrigued what that could really mean and went to check it out.

All the furniture had been pushed against the walls, only half the lights were on to try and set a dance floor mood, soft slow dance songs were already playing in the background, and streamers and other things that looked like birthday decorations hung throughout the room.

“Ta-da!” Valsi stood triumphantly in the middle of the ‘dance floor’. A few very sad looking balloons roamed the floor, blown by a fan.Both he and Lagos must have looked surprised because Valsi’s smile grew even wider.

“I did what I could on short notice. Now. Holos!”

Valsi took her time, making sure they posed correctly for formal holos, her excitement infectious. They needed no encouragement when they were asked for silly poses, even if Korkie felt a little guilty for having fun so soon after a terrorist bombing.

“Oh…My Gods of the Cosmos.” Mar asked horrified, “What happened in here?” He crossed his arms leaning against the doorframe decorated with pink streamers. Korkie found the juxtaposition funny.

“Ah, just in time! First dance!” Valsi held her hand out to him.

“Absolutely not.” Mar said in his usual disinterested voice. He stood up straight and tried to exit but she’d changed the song quickly and stared at him, waiting. It must have had some significance because Mar rolled his eyes, but took her hand and pulled her close.

“Happy?” he grumbled.

“Very much so.”

Korkie felt awkward intruding into their lives, into this moment. He felt even more awkward when it came to dancing with Lagos, but she seemed to follow Valsi’s example and held out her hand, joining herself to him and leading him in a few steps. He looked over at Mar, still embarrassed because it was only them and Mar gave him a little head tilt with a smirk.

And ever so slowly steered Valsi out of the room.

“Ow!”

“Sorry, didn’t see that door frame there.”

“It’s literally covered in pink streamers you buffoon.”

Korkie heard Mar snicker as their voices faded into the kitchen.

“You know I’m a terrible dancer. And colorblind.”

“And a terrible liar.”

When they were alone, Lagos put her head on his shoulder.

“What happens now?” she asked.

“I hope Nassade hunts down whoever did it and puts an end to the whole thing. But I don’t think it will be that easy.”

“Do you think Soniee’s parents will let her go to University still?”

“If she pretend dates Amis, yes.”

Lagos chuckled. “And you?”

“I don’t know. I planned on it but…there are things I have to do. And I should help fix this.”

“I don’t want to go if you’re not there.”

“Your parents will kill you if you don’t go. You’ve always had the exact opposite problems from Soniee.”

“Who cares, I’d rather be with you.” She took her head off his shoulder and looked him in the eye. They were only inches apart and he suddenly had those familiar butterflies he always got right before a kiss. “I’d rather see you.”

Their lips met and he felt the electricity but it felt like it was at the wrong voltage. He loved her, he really did. She’d been one of the only constants in his life, especially now. She’d never abandoned him. And she was a good kisser. But he also felt a tiny sense of dread in the back of his mind.

She pulled away first and took a full step back from him, letting her hold on him drop.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been…feeling different lately. Like maybe…we were a thing.”

“We could be a thing.” he replied quickly. He wasn’t sure they should be a thing but this night had changed how he saw her and maybe how he saw himself.

“I know, but we’re just kids and what if we screw it up and we break up and we aren’t friends anymore.” she grabbed one of his hands with both of hers and squeezed. “I love you. But I can’t lose you. I need you to be my friend.”

“I can’t imagine life without you as my friend.” he wasn’t sure what he wanted, and he wasn’t all that sure she knew what she wanted either.

“Ok then….let’s just pretend I’m not being stupid and be the same we’ve always been.”

“You’re not being stupid.”

“Fine then, not stupid. But…now you know.”

They had literally just agreed to stay friends but he immediately wanted to kiss her again. Even if she was right, he still wanted to do it. And clearly she wanted him to, too.

“Now we both know. For the future.” he took her other hand. The more they talked about how they should calm down the closer they seemed to become. He couldn’t keep to his word and leaned in to kiss her again. She didn’t stop him, letting go of his hand and wrapping it around his neck. This time it didn’t feel like nearly as much of a bad idea.

A knock at the door caused both of them to jump and before they could recover from the surprise, Mar was already stalking in, blaster held low and ready.

Another knock.

“Marquis Kryze?” a voice asked.

“Yes?” both he and Mar answered. Mar glared at him and whispered.

“This is my house dumbass, they’re asking me.”

“I have a man out here, claiming his daughter a - Lagos Eldar? Is inside? His credentials check out, but it’s up to you if you want to let him in, we’re still on Security Level 1.”

There seemed to be a bit of muffled argument on the other side of the door, and Mar looked to Lagos, who had turned red.

“It would be better if I go with him, if that’s what he wants.” she said quietly.

Mar glanced back to Valsi who had been observing from the doorway.

“I got it.” She went to the door and Mar backed up, out of sight.

“Mr. Eldar, so glad to see you. Lagos is just coming, she hadn’t made her way home because of the lockdown. Being in the same house as the future Duke is the absolute safest she could have been.” Valsi said, using a different but still overly friendly voice than what she’d used with them.

Lagos slowly let go of his hand and grabbed her shoes.

“See you at school.” she murmured.

“That’s Count Eldar to you.” he snarled at her, “Just give me my daughter, I don’t want her hanging around here with the likes of you.”

“Ah, well if you’d like to use formal titles then I would like you to recall I am a Countess so we are on equal ground.” Valsi stopped for a smile and a slow blink. Lagos passed her, going to stand next to her father. “You really have a lovely daughter, Count. You should be very proud.”

He only glared and lumbered away. Lagos looked back once, then followed him. Valsi shut the door.

“You want me to kill him?” Mar immediately said. Valsi groaned.

“You can’t solve every problem by killing people, Mar. We’ve talked about this.”

“He’s an asshole.”

“Yeah and so are you, but I don’t ask people to kill you when you piss me off. Which is why I’m the one who answers the door in this house so we don’t end up with a homicide on the doorstep.” she crossed her arms. Korkie yet again felt like he shouldn’t be there.

“He can’t talk to you like that and get away with it.” Mar murmured but dropped the subject. Valsi rolled her eyes and turned to Korkie.

“Do you want to stay the night here? I’m sure the Duchess will be quite busy tonight so your apartment might be a little too quiet tonight.”

If only she knew just how quiet it was most nights.

Mar did not seem to like this idea and gave her a questioning glance. Either she didn’t notice, or pretended not to.

“Oh, I should probably go home. But thank you for the dinner and destroying your common room for us.” He glanced around one more time, taking it in.

“You’re welcome back anytime.” she gave him another hug, and he didn’t want her to let go. He was growing so used to feeling alone, or hanging out with mostly impassive Mar, he hadn’t realized how much he needed affection.

“We take care of each other. Welcome back anytime. For anything.”

Valsi restated and gave him one last squeeze. He knew that was the cue to let go. He suddenly felt self-conscious that Mar had seen a little weakness from him, but Mar had lost his indignant expression, exchanging it for one of contemplation.

Mar and the guard walked him home. They didn’t say much, only that he’d be escorted to his exams tomorrow and there were no fatalities from the bombing.

The apartment was dark as expected. He turned on every light on the way to his bedroom and didn’t turn them off again. He might have felt safer at Mar’s but alone he could relax. He could allow himself to worry that this was only the beginning. He could be confused about how he felt about Lagos. And he could keep the light on while he fell asleep like a child afraid of the dark without judgment.

-

Ahsoka had the ship ready, engines running, when they returned.

Now they sat in space at the beacon’s last point, waiting for it to reappear. The navicomputer had already calculated all mapped routes from here to anywhere that he could have possibly followed.

“Another Zabrak? Like Maul?” Ahsoka asked.

“Yes, but he was huge.”

“Like crazy huge.” Anakin added, “And mean. You know how Ventress and Obi-Wan are practically on a date every time they fight?”

“Yeah.”

“Excuse me, what?” Obi-Wan butted in, but they both ignored him.

“Not like that. This guy’s hardcore.”

“If he’s so tall, he’s probably not used to having to defend above him. If you can get some height, that might help.” Ahsoka speculated.

“Hello?” Obi-Wan again tried to interject.

“Good idea, you’re the best at that but…I don’t really want you dealing with this guy. We might need backup depending on where he goes. And we definitely need to report location to military command and the Jedi Council.”

“Yeah, yeah. Stay with the ship, I know.” she said disgruntled.

“It’s an important job.”

The tracking radar beeped, and Ahsoka slid over to look at the location.

“Middle of space, along one of the plotted routes.” she sent the coordinates over to Obi-Wan who only had to confirm and they were in hyperspace already.

“Were you saying something, Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked.

“No, no, I thought better of arguing with you two.”

-

Savage had left for some kind of mission, but Ventress and Vos stayed attached to Dooku’s frigate. When Opress came back, they would strike. The second he bliped into the space around them, Vos started the process of torch cutting their way into the ship, their access hatch open to the bottom of the cruiser. That’s the entire reason they had stolen this ship, because the access point was in the floor and would line up perfectly for cutting through without raising suspicion.

They both dropped down, or up depending on your point of view, into the Separatist cruiser and gently placed the circle of charred floor where it had come from. It looked horrible with molten metal still gleaming red orange, but droids were stupid and probably wouldn’t notice. They followed Savage’s beacon into Dooku’s room, where he was electrocuting Savage with Force Lightning once again.

“That’s no way to treat your apprentice.” Ventress made her entrance with Quin behind her, crossing her arms. The look of surprise and confusion on Dooku’s face was worth all the waiting, all the planning.

“Savage, you can amends for your mistake by killing this witch.” Dooku ordered. Savage seemed too affected by the lightning to make a move yet.

“I don’t think so Dooku.” She looked to Savage, “Remember where your true loyalties lie, Savage.”

Savage slowly opened his eyes, looking up to her. He called his saber to him, ignited both blades and attacked her. She barely had time to deflect, she was so surprised. This was not part of the plan. He was supposed to listen to her.

Dooku lunged for her as well, but Quin was there to block him. He seemed quite happy he might get what he wanted all along. But 3 vs. 1 would be better.

“I thought you said he was on our side!” Quin shouted between parries and fancy footwork to avoid Dooku.

“He is!”

“I don’t think he is!” Quin shouted again while Opress landed a strong blow on her saber, sending her stumbling.

“I’ll have to try the failsafe.” Mother Talzin had made sure that if Savage did not listen, one tap of the forehead from her would remind him of his true memories, and his true people.

Savage knocked her down again and Quin came to the rescue, standing in his way and sending Opress backwards with a push. He followed after Savage, but Dooku was on the attack again before she really had time to recover. She absorbed the Force Lightning coming from him into her blade, feeling it in her hands but knowing this was far better than the alternative.

She looked over and saw Savage kick Quin’s saber out of his hand and lift him up by the neck. He only needed one hand even for someone as tall and strong as Vos and started choking. Quin kicked, trying to free himself, and shoved his palm into Savage’s forehead, like he was trying to activate some kind of door all the while gasping for air.

Idiot, it only works if I do it.

She flipped and tumbled away from Dooku, launching herself over Savage’s head, close enough to touch him on the forehead exactly as the Mother had told her.

Savage became immediately discombobulated and dropped Quin, standing there like a zombie.

Quin coughed and sputtered on the floor as he called his lightsaber back to him and blocked an attack from Dooku. Ventress was back in a second to help him.

“Savage! Remember where your true loyalties lie!” she shouted. Savage jolted a little and then came back to himself. He turned to her and Dooku and she jumped back, not sure if it had worked. But Savage went straight for her old master and she felt a flair of triumph. This plan was going to work.

Chapter Text

The trio knew they wouldn’t get away with the stealth option, so they decided blasters blazing to incite confusion was the best plan.

Luckily when they came out of hyperspace there was only one ship waiting, Dooku’s flagship. The crew seemed incredibly surprised, and since Dooku was never fully in the action they were slow to react. Ahsoka had shot up both of the CIS cruiser’s main artillery guns and short circuited the shielding for an entire bay of vulture droids before they seemed to act, and by that time they had already landed.

Obi-Wan and Anakin ran off, while Ahsoka jumped in the pilot’s seat and took off again, a horde of fighters following her. Obi-Wan had already pre-programmed some random jumps for her so she could create confusion or escape and return if necessary.

“Keep us updated, Snips.” Anakin said over comms.

“I’ll keep count of how many I shoot down.” she replied confidently.

“Dooku’s here.” Obi-Wan said as they casually fought their way through the B1s located in the hangar.

“A two-for-one deal.”

“Maybe three-for-one. Do you sense Ventress?”

“I don’t know, you two know each other so well.”

Obi-Wan had time to give him an exasperated look before he ducked and dodged into the center of a droid grouping so he could get them all with one slash.

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow, still reaching out and finding something else unexpected. Anakin had to cover him from a few shots.

“I think Quin is here, too. It’s been a long time, but it’s close to what I remember from Kamino.”

“Wow, this really is a party. Dooku loves to try and kill me, Ventress loves you, and I’m pretty sure Quin and the new guy hate us both equally.”

“You feel it too, right?” Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin pushed two droids into a line of more as they made their way into the hallway. They knew the cruiser layouts well by now and followed the most direct path to where their senses were taking them.

“Yeah, but I also feel some kind of conflict. Maybe they’re arguing about who’s the most evil.”

Confusion did seem to reign on the cruiser, they didn’t meet much resistance, only the occasional patrol or garrison released to stop them.

-

Savage had been taking a beating from Dooku. He’d been leaning heavily on the Force Lightning, which Savage didn’t seem to know how to block. Idiot. She’d known he was more muscle than mind but Mothers, Savage, put it together. She and Quin were blocking the lightning with their sabers. Sure, even they were occasionally roasted, but Savage became more fearful each time he was hit.

And then, while Asajj was laying on the floor, recovering from her most recent dose of lightning, the door opened. And in stepped Kenobi and Skywalker. Great. What have I done to deserve this. Was her first thought. But this made the fight 5 vs 1 if they would work together for a while. She ignored the two, hoping they would figure out what was going on in the melee and lept back in to protect Savage’s backside from the Count’s blade. The blade, yes, but the lightning, no. Savage fell yet again and looked up at the fight, despondent.

“He’s too powerful.”

“Don’t give up now, Savage. We have to defeat him.”

“I can’t.”

“We can together!” she yelled at him as Dooku kicked her back once again and Quinlan got a dose of lightning. Quin was then thrown into the wall and slid down, momentarily out of the fight. Ventress stood up but was surprised to be lifted from the ground by a Force Choke. She looked to its source, but found that Dooku was also hovering above the ground in the same situation she was. It was Savage. He was turning on both of them.

“Savage, no. We have to stop him.”

“Neither of you care about me!” he shouted and squeezed harder.

The Jedi came to the rescue, attacking Savage and diverting his attention to fighting them. She and Dooku dropped to the ground and for a moment they shared in their misery. Before they clashed again.

She was honestly confused who was on what side at this point. The Jedi did want Savage and Dooku dead, but she couldn’t be sure they didn’t want her as well. Dooku was now on his own side and Savage was also alone? Or maybe back to Dooku’s side, she wasn’t sure. Just her enemy for now, that was all she knew.

Thankfully the chaos was broken up by Dooku opening up that trademark floor hatch he had built into all of his personal cruisers so he could escape to the undertunnels and make it to a ship or an escape pod without being stopped.

She knew of it’s existence so she was the only one who noticed it opening. The old man slipped down out of the fight and she dived in after him. He would not get away. She would die before she let him get away. The upper hatch sealed above them. Dooku turned slowly to assess her.

“I regret having to let you go, my padawan. But my Master demanded it of me. He said you were growing too powerful. And he was right. But not too powerful for me.”

“Let’s test that theory.” She held her saber in a defensive stance. He attacked with his normal graceful movements and she defended with her aggressive style, as always.

-

Anakin and Obi-Wan entered Dooku’s chambers and were met with a very confusing melee. Quin, the Zabrak and Ventress were all fighting Dooku. The air crackled with an incredible amount of Force Lightning.

Obi-Wan had a strange sense he’d been around this smell recently but couldn’t place when. He almost immediately forgot about it when the Zabrak was hit with a strike. He stayed down, whisps of smoke rising from him.

“He’s too powerful.” the yellow Zabrak said, despondent.

“Don’t give up now, Savage. We have to defeat him.” Ventress yelled.

“I can’t.”

“We can together!” she yelled at him as Dooku kicked her back once again and Quinlan got a dose of lightning. Quin was then thrown into the wall and slid down, momentarily out of the fight.

Obi-Wan became even more confused when Savage lifted both Dooku and Ventress up in a Force Choke.

“Wait…who’s on what side?” Anakin asked him.

“I have no idea.” Obi-Wan admitted.

“Ventress and Vos were trying to kill Dooku so I’m going to assume they’re safe?”

“I guess. Savage seems like the biggest problem right now. And even if he is with Ventress he’s definitely not on our side.”

“Agreed.”

They both flew into action, unfortunately saving Dooku from a painful death. Anakin and Obi-Wan were trying to corral Savage, but apparently Dooku was unappreciative of their rescue, because he struck Anakin with some Force Lightning. Obi-Wan stood in front of him, protecting him from Savage while he recovered on the floor.

In the confusion, Dooku slipped away somewhere, down a secret hatch. He barely caught Ventress leaping down after him before the hatch closed.

“We lost Dooku.” Obi-Wan informed Anakin.

“Who cares, this guy is more than enough to deal with!”

Savage let out a shriek and sent Obi-Wan flying backward into the wall. Anakin had recovered by now, but Obi-Wan could tell his mechanical hand was giving him trouble. The calibration must be off.

Savage bolted then, out the door and back to the hangar, Obi-Wan assumed. Anakin looked to him. Obi-Wan nodded and gave him a mental okay. Just like earlier, he’d be fine he just needed a little time to recover.

While he was trying to stand, Quin plunged his red saber into the sealed access hatch where Venress and Dooku had disappeared.

“I don’t think so.” Obi-Wan grabbed him with the Force and shoved him back into the far wall, grabbing his saber and igniting it in Quin’s direction.

“I have to help her.” Quin growled, annoyed at him.

“Look I have no idea what’s happening here, but I know you’re not getting away with her. Or. Them.” Wow that didn’t sound as authoritarian as he wanted it to.

“I’m on your side!” Quin argued, standing again.

“You’re running around with a Sith assassin.”

“Obi-Wan, please.” Quin practically rolled his eyes. “My mission has been to get close to Asajj so I could kill Dooku. And clearly everything has gone to shit but we aren’t going to get this chance again.”

Ok, that could make sense. Since he knew Quin could have definitely injured, maybe even killed him on Kamino but didn’t. And Quinlan had always walked a little closer to the line when they were children. This kind of mission was plausible.

“And I wouldn’t have blundered my ass through Kamino just to save you and also have some plausible deniability with Ventress.” Quin was getting tired of having to explain why he was still a good guy but a lot had been happening in the last few minutes and Obi-Wan was still catching up.

“Ventress isn’t with Dooku anymore?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No. He betrayed her. Surprise. She’s…confused. She’s not all bad.”

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure he could agree with that sentiment since she had been basically stalking him across the galaxy and trying to kill him at every turn. But he’d never known Quinlan as a liar. Well, Quin was definitely a lair, but he felt after all this time he could still tell the difference between the charm that had gotten them out of trouble many times and the truth.

“I have a better idea.” he put his saber away and commed Ahsoka.

“You alright?” he asked.

“I’m alive.” she replied, clearly busy.

“If you see any escape pods, shoot them down.”

“Roger, roger.” she said, making fun of the droids while fighting for her life and closed the comms.

“She’s funny, I like her.”

“The only other way for Dooku to get away would be the hangar. Maybe we can cut him off and help her that way. Let’s go.”

They both took off for the hangar, and Anakin and Savage and whatever other chaos they would find there.

Chapter Text

Satine was so incredibly tired from yet another crisis meeting. Another bombing. Bolder each time. There was no keeping this quiet. But that also meant that since their attempt to quietly deal with the terrorists was shot in the face, they could conduct investigations and arrests much more openly. And this was no vacant building, or one or two deaths. This was a highly populated area. This was an event for children.

Her secondary strategy, to make sure they were seen as the villains rather than some revolutionary heroes, had worked. They had gone too far too fast without support. But at what cost? She knew Korkie was safe, but what if he wasn’t. They’d been warned yesterday by an informant that a much bigger bombing was going to happen. That there would be casualties. That things were only going to escalate from here. This was a test. A proof of concept.

And they were right, as they’d always been.

Security forces had thwarted most of the plot, at least from what they could tell. She was sure she’d have a mountain of new information in the morning.

But what if they hadn’t had that inside informant, what if they hadn’t added extra security, what if they’d slipped past anyway.

She had been convinced her entire life that she had no mothering instincts. She rarely worried about the boys. Maybe because she knew Ben was always handling it. Or maybe she was just a horribly selfish person incapable of caring. But after the most pressing tasks had been assigned, press statements had been greenlit, etc etc she left for home. Satine could barely keep herself from running. Once she was inside she did, running through the fully lit house to Korkie’s bedroom, sliding the door open just enough so she could slip in.

“Kork?” her whisper came out strained, scared.

“What.” he mumbled softly, barely opening his eyes against the light.

“I was just…” she sat on the edge of his bed, “worried about you.”

“I’m fine.” he sat up and she realized he hadn’t taken off his dress clothes before getting under the covers.

She pulled him to her and hugged him into her shoulder, forcibly holding him there. Partially because she was afraid if she let go something horrible could happen to him and partially because she didn’t want him to see her cry.

“Mom, my neck doesn’t bend that way. I'm like way taller now.”

She let go, only enough for him to readjust his head into the top of her shoulder rather than the front. She didn’t apologize, he’d hear it in her voice.

He wrapped his arms around her too.

Was this permission to let the curtain drop? To see the things that only came out when she was alone. She couldn’t do that to him. Not all the way. He was almost grown, but that didn’t mean he should have to handle her burdens. No matter how alone she felt.

“I made mistakes.” she settled on, voice wavering a bit.

“We all do that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Death Watch. I thought I could protect you, I thought they would go away like they did before. But…”

“I understand.” he didn’t sound like…anything. Just accepting.

“I didn’t want you to go through what I went through.”

“Mom, I understand. You don’t have to apologize for that. I should have trusted there was a good reason you were being weird.”

Was it really so easy? He was forgiving her now, when he had all the ammunition in the world to be angry with her? Lying, shutting him out, treating him like a child, letting him go to a party that she knew could be a potential target with no warning…

“But now that I know, I want to know everything. It’s less scary that way.”

“Ok. Ok I can do that.” She had recovered a bit. There was something concrete she could do to fix that. Finally, a thing she could fix.

Korkie dropped his hold on her but she didn’t let go. She wasn’t done. This honesty thing was really helping.

“I’m sorry about what I did to Dad. I thought….I don’t know what I thought. I was trying to do the right thing.”

She’d slumped more into him now, rather than holding him to her. He’d put his hands back around her in support. She felt so guilty for letting things get to this point between them, for what she’d done to Ben, for currently leaning on her own son hoping he would tell her it was going to be ok, like he’d already done.

But she didn’t get what she wanted, and she didn’t blame him one bit.

“I’m….glad you’re sorry. But, I can’t-. I’m just not over it yet.” He admitted.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just want you to know I realized I was wrong.”

“That is kind of a big step for you.”

She could hear the small smile in his voice and she gave a short laugh, her stuffed up nose from crying making it sound strange.

“Thank you.”

They had both finally had enough of their hug and Korkie sat back a little to get a little distance.

“Lagos and I hung out at Mar’s house while we waited for the all clear tonight.”

“Mar? Is that where you were? How was…that?”

Satine really hoped her brother stayed away from Korkie, even if he had become more responsible in the last 3 years or so. That didn’t make up for all the warnings and fines for low level drugs, illegal weapons, the few arrests for underground fighting, that one time he was a murder suspect…she wasn’t sure if she was remembering it all.

“He’s…not much of a talker. Valsi’s much nicer. I kinda…liked it. They are family after all.”

“You have to be a careful with Mar. I’m sure he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, but I don’t know if you should trust him.”

“Oh yeah, I definitely got the feeling I shouldn’t lend him money or let him use me as an alibi for anything.”

Satine tried not to smile. He was right, it was just the way he said it.

“But Valsi cooked us dinner and turned the living room into a dance floor and she said I should come back to visit sometime. So I might. Maybe. I don’t know.”

Satine had always felt a little bad for Valsi, tying herself to Mar so young and sticking with him through his long absences and run-ins with the law. But Satine supposed she had to stand firm on her choice of husband, considering she was low born and if they divorced she’d barely get anything. That and her father was in prison on various charges related to organized crime. A mid-tier man used as the fall guy. The press had been brutal. Associating her entire family with the first iteration of Death Watch after the war, before it fell apart. Hopefully people wouldn’t remember that now, almost 15 years later. But if she left it would get dredged up again.

“You’re old enough to make your own judgment calls Korkie. You can go if you want to, just keep your guard up a bit.”

He nodded and yawned.

“Right. Bed. You have exams tomorrow.”

Korkie groaned and she stood up and went to his door.

“Lights on?”

“Off.” he nodded, assuring her and himself that he didn’t need them anymore.

“I love you, Korkie.”

“Love you, Mom.” he said it casually as he lay back down. She knew that he actually meant it this time and turned off the light.

-

Anakin had tried to delay Savage as long as possible, since he was hellbound on escape. Anakin was even getting assistance from the battle droids now, all firing at Savage so he was overwhelmed. Today was just getting weirder and weirder. Obi-Wan and Quin sprinted into the hangar and tried to absorb the scene.

“A little help?” Anakin shouted as Savage Force pushed in all directions, sending droids flying in everywhere. He cut the ones headed towards him easily, actually sad to lose them for once since they’d been his allies.

“Dooku!” he heard Vos shout. He must be on their side since he still had his saber and Obi-Wan wasn’t on guard. Quin took off across the hangar, heading for Dooku and his ship. Obi-Wan looked to him, then Vos. He was conflicted about where to go, but followed Vos in the end.

“Hey! Some friend you are!”

“You’re the Chosen One, you'll be fine!” Obi-Wan shouted back.

Kriffing Chosen One bullshit again. Savage tried to run to a nearby ship, but Anakin pulled him back and Savage attacked with new fury while the battle droids that were still operational recovered.

He’d never admit it if anyone asked, but he was distracted by the lightning show coming from Obi-Wan and Quin’s battle. He was worried about them. Dooku was probably getting desperate at this point. And where was Ventress? Hopefully not sneaking up behind him to slit his throat.

Savage was getting smart and picked up a Super Battle Droid with the Force and pointed it at him and the other droids, depressing the blaster’s internal burst firing mechanism. Anakin ducked behind a crate just in time and waited out the barrage. The droid's arm overheated and the firing stopped but he was too late. Savage had made it to the ship and the landing ramp was closing before he could make a run for it.

Damn it. All that work for nothing. He turned around to help Obi-Wan and Vos but they’d had about as much luck as he had. Quin lay on the ground, having suffered a lightsaber wound to the leg that didn’t look serious, but enough that he couldn’t walk properly and Obi-Wan stood in front of him defensively like he always did for Anakin when he had made a stupid mistake, but Dooku had him lifted in the air, choking the life out of him.

“Ahsoka, shoot down any ship that comes out of the hangar.” he commed her quickly while he ran towards them.

“Shoot the escape pods, shoot the ships. I have my own problems, ya know!” she shouted back.

Too bad they hadn’t brought R2. He could have recalibrated the droids from inside the cruiser, or helped Ahsoka with shooting down fighters.

He got close enough to Dooku and gave a mighty Force push, sending the old man back onto the landing ramp of his ship, which was probably a bad idea but it got Dooku to let go of Obi-Wan. The Sith got to his feet and fled to his ship, flaring the engines almost immediately so all three of them had to shield themselves from the heat. Quin was doing most of the work for Obi-Wan and Anakin was on his own. The small fighter shot out of the hangar and they were left battered, singed and bruised. But alive.

-

The teachers wrote off Iviin’s story about Kahl as nothing, but the students weren’t so sure. No one looked at him directly - that must have been the last thing Iviin remembered, like he was some sort of basilisk whose gaze turned you to mush - and no one spoke to him. He didn’t mind so much. At lunch he practiced katas in his mind and tried to decide what he wanted his forearm armor to look like.

Ursa had to tell Alrich something. He was too smart and she didn’t want to lie to him anymore, at least not about Kahl. So she told him Kahl had low level Force sensitivity. And it only came out when he was angry. And it must have frightened Iviin who then turned it into something much larger than it was.

This seemed to satisfy him, anyone could randomly be Sensitive. It didn’t run in families as far as anyone knew, though Kahl wondered if the Jedi’s attachment rule had been to keep them on the light side or to keep control of individuals rather than families. Alrich had always been accepting, or ‘loving your neighbor and shit’ as Ursa put it, so he didn’t care that Kahl was different. And Ursa had decided Kahl needed some armor if he was going to defend himself and not kill anyone. Specifically vambraces to block attacks in a pinch.

Production of beskar armor was tightly regulated now but it wasn’t illegal to own things forged before the war. Ursa brought him two red pieces from the family vault and told him Alrich would help him paint them. Anything but red.

Kahl found these instructions strange, but he didn’t question her. And so he contemplated colors and their many meanings between classes. The Wrens wore yellow, but it could also mean remembrance. The Kryzes wore blue, which could also symbolize reliability. Alrich had them stripped down to their base silver color and Kahl liked it, even if it was plain. Silver could mean seeking redemption-which he somehow felt he was-or a blank slate. But he saw it as a combination of the two black and white concepts. Being a Jedi and a Mandalorian. A pacifist but respecting the ways of the old warriors. That it was possible to be both.

So that’s the way they stayed.

As always, the most interesting topic in the school shifted quickly from him to Inter-school. And the Monday after Inter-school, the campus was abuzz. Some of the Seniors had not returned. Another bombing, this time in Sundari. At the Grand Hall. Some had been injured and stayed on Mandalore for an extra day or two to heal up, other parents weren’t allowing their kids out. But these hadn’t been isolated incidents. The other attendees from planets all over the System had experienced bombings as well. There had been whispers that one of the more extreme True Mandalorian factions was on the rise again, Death Watch. But Sundari’s incident left no room for doubt now. They’d left their symbol.

And what Kahl found the most crazy was that some of them agreed. He listened to conversations as he passed, complaining about the food rationing that had only gotten worse after another Republic cruiser blew up and blocked one of their major hyperspace lanes. Others pointed out that this was clearly not the first attack and the government seemed unwilling or unable to stop them. That the Separatists had offered assistance, that the Republic had offered assistance…

He needed to make sure Korkie was ok.

Hey. I’m hearing about Inter-school being bombed???

Yeah, we’re alright. Come home.

You said you were alright

Yeah but Rep is sending an investigator

Ew.

I helped/forced Mom to request a certain Jedi.

???!!

He’ll be here tomorrow.

I’ll be there ASAP

I expected you to say something about final tests.

Kriff final tests.

Hahaha you’ve been hanging out with Ursa too much. See you soon

Kahl knew he shouldn’t be as excited as he was. People had been hurt. But their pain meant he could see Dad again, so it was hard to be upset. Kahl needed to tell his father about everything.

Chapter Text

Ahsoka brought the abused ship in for a landing. It was not meant for this kind of combat for this long, but she’d done a good job keeping it in running order. Now that Savage was gone, the battle droids were a little confused but had reverted back to their normal programming, shooting at the Jedi. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and a limping Quin got on quickly and they made their escape.

“You could have at least cleared the hangar! Droids out there, droids in here. You fly!” she gave up controls, definitely running low on focus and adrenaline.

As if he was going to let anyone else fly. Obi-Wan thought and went to the medkit to get something for Quin.

Ahsoka gave Quin a guarded look as she made her way back to the turret to help Anakin get them out of here without any more damage.

“I don’t think she likes me.” Quin croaked. Obi-Wan coughed before his reply.

“She has no idea who you are.”

It was Quin’s turn to cough now. “Ya know, I usually don’t mind being choked, but Savage didn’t listen to my safe word.”

Obi-Wan dropped the medkit next to Quin, exasperated.

“You clearly haven’t changed. Still as offensive as ever.”

“And you haven’t either. You can pretend to be offended all you want but you thought it was funny.”

He supposed some things were timeless.

“Are you going to explain this Ventress thing to me or am I going to have to interrogate it out of you like I usually do.”

“I’d rather share with the entire class so I don’t have to tell it twice.”

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. He had missed Quin.

-

Dooku had defeated her, but Ventress had managed to survive by cutting a pipe and spraying steam in his face, allowing her to escape. She slunk her way back to her and Quin’s stolen ship, slipped inside, and waited. She tried to calm down from her brush with death and reach out for him. Hopefully he was ok. Maybe Savage had calmed down once Dooku had left and had listened to Quin? But when she searched and searched for him through the Force she didn’t find him. Or Savage. Or the Jedi. She looked at Savage’s beacon and it didn’t register a signal. That gave her no indication of if he was alive or dead, only that his trackers had been disabled. And in the melee and sheer amount of lightning, she wasn’t surprised.

But where was Quin? He could be dead or captured by the Jedi, depending on what if anything he was guilty of in their eyes. She’d been stressed, but she thought she would have felt it if he’d died. He must have left with the Jedi or on his own. That was the only thing that felt right.

So that settled it. She’d failed in her mission. She’d lost the element of surprise with Dooku, her secret weapon Savage, and Quinlan. Ventress closed the hatch and detached from the cruiser, imagining the fail safes for hull breach didn’t activate and Dooku died from lack of oxygen. She would never be so lucky. She didn’t know where to go, she couldn’t go home. Not after she’d let down the entire clan’s plan for revenge. So she set for Niamos again. She needed time to think about her next move. Maybe she could find a little peace the way normal people did.

-

“Wow.” Anakin said after Quinlan was finished regaling them with his story of undercover work as Asajj’s lackey for the past year. He felt like maybe he was leaving a few parts out and Anakin wondered if this attachment to Asajj was a little more than he was telling.

“So I want to try and find her before I report to the Council. I know she’s a criminal, but if she’s willing to switch sides she could really help us out. She knows how Dooku thinks and what projects he has in the works.”

“With the way the Senate’s been lately, I doubt she’ll get a deal. They’ve been after us already for some banthashit.” Obi-Wan gestured to Ahsoka, too.

“You?” Quin scoffed. “I thought you were going to have an aneurysm when we snuck out to 1313. They clearly got the wrong guy, you wouldn’t break a rule unless there was a blaster to your head.”

“Hey. I was much more calm the second time.” Obi-Wan said defensively.

Now this is what Anakin had been craving. Young Obi-Wan stories.

“What’s 1313?” Ahsoka asked.

“It’s a nightclub.” Quin replied, “On level 1313 in Coruscant.”

That seemed like a pretty low level for Jedi to be going, but also genius because no one would suspect them of being Jedi.

Ahsoka screwed up her face, not believing Obi-Wan would ever be in a nightclub.

“What?” Obi-Wan looked confused by her expression.

“It’s just not a very…you thing to do.” Anakin chipped in.

“Oh, psh, Obes was a lot of fun when we were little. Then he got all serious cause Qui-Gon was serious,” Quin was going on in a fake all-important tone, “then he lightened up because he realized it was impossible to be the perfect little Jedi and then he ditched us for a girl.” Quin shrugged.

“Oh we’ve heard about the girl.” Ahsoka announced, “assuming it’s the one you married.” she looked at Obi-Wan. He shifted uncomfortably. It was Quin’s turn to be surprised now.

“Woah, woah, woah, you married her? The-”

“Shut up, Quinlan.” Obi-Wan cut him off. Clearly Quin had heard about this girl before Obi-Wan left the order. Anakin wished he had something to snack on while they watched this holodrama unfold.

“You didn’t tell them?”

“I’m trying to keep it a secret, you idiot. To protect them.” Obi-Wan rasped, his voice still not recovered fully. Quin just smirked.

“Them. So there are kids. Hey. Come here, Obi-Wan. I haven't gotten a hug to make up for lost time.” his tone was incredibly casual. Too casual.

Obi-Wan immediately stiffened. “You stay the fuck away from me.”

“Aww, you’d deny your oldest friend some physical affection?” Quin continued to speak to him way too sweetly and scooted over towards Obi-Wan who stood up immediately.

“I don’t know what you want to see, but we talked about this. It’s rude and you know it, just ask me a question like a normal human being.”

Ahsoka and Anakin exchanged sidelong glances. He had no idea what was happening.

“But I’m not human.” Quin stood too, slowly stalking him.

“So I assume you still don’t have any friends because you continue pulling this bullshit.” Obi-Wan glared at him, in a defensive stance as he slowly backed away.

“That’s hurtful, man.”

“So is you looking into my memories without my permission, man.” Obi-Wan mocked back at him. Quin finally dropped his arms to his sides and slumped his shoulders a bit.

“You’re no fun. I just wanted to see what your kids looked like.”

“This guy’s a weirdo.” Ahsoka muttered so only he could hear.

“Yeah, but this is amazing.” he muttered back.

Obi-Wan relaxed too, “You could just agrh-” Quin leapt at him and tackled Obi-Wan to the ground. Anakin stood, some kind of muscle memory of protecting his friend when he was in trouble, but then relaxed. They were just…fighting like children apparently.

Obi-Wan was defending his face in the most undignified way, slapping Quin’s hands away every time one came a little too close.

“You’re such a child!” Obi-Wan yelled at him as Quin pinned one of his arms down and touched Obi-Wan’s forehead. Anakin looked back at Ahsoka, brows knitted. She had her head cocked all the way to one side, arms crossed.

It only lasted for a few seconds, then Quin let go and stood, holding a hand out for Obi-Wan. He didn’t take it, glaring up at Vos.

“I was right. Next time you see him, warn him about playing with swords and pirates. Could get dangerous.” Quin dropped his hand and walked back towards Anakin and Ahsoka. Obi-Wan couldn’t see, but Quin was sporting a large grin as Obi-Wan sat up, now desperate to follow him.

“Wait, what does that mean? How do you know…Quinlan, tell me what you know.”

“Oh noooow you think my gift is useful and important.”

“I always thought it was useful and important. I just didn’t think it was polite to use it on your friends.” Obi-Wan was right next to Quin now, waiting for him to drop any information.

“Look I don’t know, man. I was on a pirate ship and touched a Mandalorian sword and saw someone who looked exactly like teenage you in armor slide a sword across the floor to a pirate. That’s all I got.”

Obi-Wan looked angry and scared all at the same time.

“Don’t you have two?” Ahsoka finally added herself back into this strange interaction.

“Yes.” Obi-Wan answered. Quin punched him in the shoulder like he was proud of him.

“How do you know which one it is?”

“There’s only one troublemaker in this family.” Obi-Wan sighed.

“That’s rough, buddy.” Quin said in a commiserating tone. Obi-Wan gave a tired glare.

The long range transponder went off and Anakin looked to Ahsoka to answer it. He didn’t want to miss a second of this. She looked disappointed but went back to the cockpit to answer, then pulled up the transmission on the larger table in the common room and came back.

“General Kenobi? I thought you were on Toydaria.” It was Cody.

“We were. There was a…it’s a long story, Cody. What is it?”

“Been trying to ping you for a couple hours now, finally heard you were in a different sector. Urgent orders from Command, they want you to go and investigate some concerns about the Mandalorian System raising an army.”

Quinlan looked like he was going to die of happiness and Obi-Wan just looked like he was going to die.

“We can all go.” Quin excitedly piped.

Cody looked down at his datapad. “I’ll send the brief over, but it says Kenobi and Kenobi only. He’s the only Jedi in good standing with the Mandalorian government.”

“I’ll bet he is.” Quin waggled his eyebrows.

“It says ASAP so I’d reset your navicomputer. Then Skywalker and Tano are expected back on Rugosa to ship out. And you…” he looked at Quin a little confused.

“Oh don’t worry about me. I know where I’m supposed to be.”

“Right.” Cody said, not totally convinced. He gave a nod and disappeared.

“Where do you think you’re supposed to be?” Obi-Wan asked, slight accusation in his voice.

“Oh don’t worry, Obes. I won’t tag along with you and ruin your date. I’ll go to Rugosa with Skywalker and borrow a ship. I’m still set on finding Ventress.”

Quin got up and went towards the cockpit, presumably to reset the navicomputer to Mandalore.

“That guy’s your best friend?” Ahsoka asked. Anakin had to agree with her skeptical tone. He supposed he never really had friends at the Temple.

“A friend, yes. He’s the only one who’s still alive so I guess that makes him my best friend from back then. Unfortunately.”

“I like him.” Anakin asserted. It was weird, but he did like him. They acted how he imagined brothers did and it was fascinating. “And he knows who your mysterious wife is.” Anakin added a playful jibe.

Obi-Wan didn’t really seem interested in any banter, he was only half here. This Mandalore mission wasn’t going to be one they were allowed to joke about apparently.

“Come on Snips, we have some repair work to do.”

She didn’t argue. She must have felt it, too.

-

Satine knew Ben would be arriving in an hour or two and she couldn’t focus on any actual work, so she organized her desk and messages. Korkie had suggested Ben when she told him a Republic investigator was coming to check on the stability of the System considering all of the now public bombings. There were rumors that they were building up an army. She hadn’t bothered to give the Senate officer any helpful details since she was still mad at them for not cleaning up the debris blocking the Hydian Way, creating shipping delays. She assumed this was on purpose. Their other strategies hadn’t worked.

She didn’t take much convincing, Ben had a relationship with their government under his old name and he would most certainly be on their side. Even if he hated her for what she’d put him through, he’d still stand by Mandalorian neutrality if that was what she wanted.

“Your highness, your brother is here requesting an audience.” an aide peeked in.

She let her shoulders visibly fall and rolled her head to rest on the back of the chair. Great.

“Show him in.” she set herself into her usual posture and attitude with a deep breath. She could handle whatever he threw at her.

He entered all proper as usual, nicely dressed, looking the part. But after the door shut and they were alone - well alone with two palace guards who were now stationed inside and outside her door - he flopped over into the chair, one leg draped over the arm.

“Sister.”

“What do you want this time?”

“Why do I always have to want something? I could just be here to visit my dear sibling.”

She stared blankly at him and he shrugged. “It was worth a try.” he sat slightly straighter, but refused to be normal. “I’m here to warn you about Bo-Katan. And Concordia. Those are the sources of your explosive troubles.”

“And how would you know that?” she asked, eyebrow raised.

“I hear things. And the last time I saw her, she was hanging out with two of the guys you nabbed for setting the Grand Hall bomb.”

“You visit her?”

This was much more surprising than Bo-Katan’s possible link to the terrorists. She had decided to side with them at the end of the war after all. But Mar speaking to someone who had been associated with the subset of warriors from Death Watch was unbelievable. They’d been the ones who’d held him captive for most of the war and he’d told her many many times she had let them off far too easy. And now that they’d blown the second chance she’d given them, she wished she’d have taken Mar’s advice.

“No.” he said, “You know they turned her against us. And she was too young to know any better back then. But I show up on Concordia and make sure she sees me every once in a while. So she knows there’s a way out if she gets sick of her cult. But I think it’s too late for that.”

This was the longest civil conversation they’d had about their sister in at least a decade. She didn’t really know what to say.

“You never gave up on her?” she finally questioned.

“No. I don’t abandon people when they make mistakes.” he replied with an edge to his voice. She saw it there, the Mar she knew, ready to remind her of all her mistakes. Of why they didn’t talk. But he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and relaxed.

“Anyway. I wanted you to know. So you wouldn’t be surprised. I know you don’t show family favoritism, but I’m sure you haven’t thought of her in a long time.”

She didn’t want to admit he was right. Bo had only come up when she and Ben had fought months ago now. And she hadn’t dwelt on it.

“I’m sorry. About what happened. I had to make a hard choice.” She did not want to sacrifice her little sister- probably too young to really make the decision on her own- to those people.

But the only people who had objected were her and Mar. For personal reasons. And she had more people to think about than Mar and Bo-Katan.

“I know. I’m very close to forgiving you.”

“Speaking of suddenly forgiving me and getting close to family, I hear you’re trying to earn some kind of rapport with Korkie.”

Mar rolled his eyes. “He’s weaseled his way into my life if that’s what you mean, yes.”

“You could get rid of him if you wanted. You ignore me with a level of skill that is impressive.” she almost smiled at him. That had been her talent when they were children, but he definitely bested her at it now.

“I suppose…I see a boy who doesn’t know who to believe anymore. And no one who knows the full truth that he can talk to. There’s a lot of anger in that. And if he doesn't put that somewhere it will eat him alive.”

They stared at each other for a beat. They were not talking about Korkie anymore. Or not only Korkie.

“I’ve been teaching him how to shoot,” Mar continued, “and before you freak out it’s harmless. He needs to know how to defend himself and shooting is part of that.”

She was already freaking out before he told her not to freak out.

“We don’t do that kind of thing anymore, Mar. What else are you teaching him, that he should go out and conquer worlds we lost a long time ago?”

“I think you’ll thank me the next time Death Watch shows up and he lives. Ancestors, you’re so uptight. I don’t know how Ben dealt with you. Speaking of, Korkie said something about a Mister Kenobi being on his way. Are you still mad at him?”

“Why would I be angry with a Jedi I haven’t seen in years?”

Mar smirked and gave a little laugh. “Right, ok. Still sticking to that story.” He finally sat in the chair normally and leaned forward towards her. “Try not to hold a grudge. Look where it got both of us.” Her brother raised his eyebrows and cocked his head a bit to make his point, then stood.

“I assume you’ll be on a field trip to Concordia by the end of the day. And will finally prove me right that Pre Vizsla is a piece of shit and deserves a slow death. But I’ll settle for prison.”

“Didn’t you literally just tell me not to hold a grudge?” she replied, confused. He’d hated Pre since the end of the war.

“Hmm, don’t hold a grudge against people who don’t deserve it.”

“Seems very subjective.”

“I’m working on it, give me some credit.” He turned to leave, getting the last word in before the doors opened. “I’ll be back to tell you I told you so.”

She rolled her eyes. Mar was still Mar. But she liked this version that she could actually have a conversation with much better than the one she remembered. And she wasn’t nearly as worried about Korkie hanging out with him. But the blaster lessons…ugh. She couldn’t think about that right now. She needed to focus on Ben. She didn’t hold any grudge against him anymore. Quite the opposite. She needed to make up for what she had done. She was hoping she could get him back.

Chapter Text

The Jedi cruiser landed on Mandalore and Obi-Wan was certain he wasn’t ready for this. He was so excited to see Kahl and Korkie again. And Satine had to want to see him, she’d called for him specifically. He was still mad but…Jedi let those kinds of things go. If they could move forward the way they had been before, he’d be willing to forget about it. There was just no way to prepare.

“Hey.” Quin came up next to him while the landing ramp lowered and walked down with him, “Gonna save you some time. Ventress set up a deal between Dooku and a cult on Concordia. Vizsla’s the guy I think.”

“I would call it a terrorist group, not a cult.” Obi-Wan corrected.

“Whatever, what’s the difference?”

“Fair.”

“There. Now you two can pretend you haven’t solved the mystery yet and get in some gooood-”

“Ok, Quin,” Obi-Wan held up a hand, trying to be annoyed but laughing a little instead, “Thank you. Appreciated.”

Anakin had walked down to join them too as Satine approached, looking extremely serious. Korkie hung back by the speeder to take them into the main part of the city.

“She looks like a ball of fun.” Anakin muttered to both of them and Quin gave a small snort. Obi-Wan elbowed him in the ribs hard.

“Ah!” Quin touched his side, but quickly forgot about it. “Nice to have you back, Obes. I missed you.” Quin clapped him on the shoulder and headed up the ramp, leaving Anakin.

“Good luck.” he said skeptically.

“Thanks.” Obi-Wan went to meet her halfway and bowed. The charade began.

It had been weird, being introduced to his own son. Korkie looked so much taller. Older. Wiser. Maybe they did need to be re-introduced. Korkie hadn’t lost his nervous ticks of bouncing his leg or tapping his fingers against each other when he couldn’t wait for something to be over.

“-Must be the work of offworlders,” Almec droned on, “all our warriors were exiled to Concordia after the war and have died out.”

Korkie was sitting next to Almec and gave the largest eye roll Obi-Wan had seen in a long time without fear of being caught. Obi-Wan tried to contain himself. Usually he was the receiver of those eye rolls and he had missed them so much. To think of how many embarrassment-free days Korkie had had without Obi-Wan around to ruin them for him. He tried to focus on Almec’s rant about why this wasn’t their fault, it was an outside group, but not the Separatists, so he should just leave. But it was difficult because the man kept telling half-truths or outright lies.

“Sorry to interrupt, Prime Minister, but I was here about twenty years ago. If the exiled have only been gone for 20 years, how could they have died out?”

“Their ideals died out.”

“Of course. Continue.” Obi-Wan acquiesced and let him start again. He was clearly too busy talking to really look at Obi-Wan. It was best to let him go.

They reached the edge of the palace grounds, and Almec continued, but Satine interrupted him.

“I think it would be a good idea to take a walk. You haven’t seen the city since the war. Things have changed a lot.”

“That sounds wonderful, from the ride here it looks like Mandalore has prospered under your leadership.” He was trying to score points, and he saw Korkie roll his eyes again and turn to leave. He felt proud of himself.

They set off, a few guards in tow. He was very used to their private conversations not being all that private when they were out. He wouldn’t let the entire facade drop, but he could relax a little.

“So. Death Watch is getting quite bold.”

She looked at him and they carried part of the conversation silently. I told you so he said with his eyes. Shut up she said with hers.

“Yes. But we’ve stayed unresponsive. The more attention they try to get the more they reveal themselves.”

“But at what expense, I wonder.” Our child’s life? his expression said.

She rolled her eyes. “Out of 15 bombings, only two people have been killed and three wounded. They want attention, not casualties. Like a petulant child.”

“I’ve heard through my own channels that they’ve recently gained some funding from the Separatists,” Obi-Wan said, “Tying together our two suspicious threads. The attempt to destabilize the government and that rumor of Mandalore arming itself.”

Her brow furrowed. This must be new information for her. They approached the Memorial Shrine they had erected after the Clan War to honor all those lost, named and unnamed. He remembered the day they’d dedicated the shrine. Satine had said something profound and he’d been proud to be newly married to someone as insightful as her. All the Clan leaders were in attendance and laid their own momentos at its foot. She’d laid lilies down to symbolize peace and rebirth. And she’d worn them in her headdress ever since.

And in an instant, it was gone. The shrine exploded in all directions, hitting passersby and collapsing into a heap. They both shielded their eyes from the initial blast. They were far enough away to not be injured. Satine ran in and Obi-Wan and the guards weren’t far behind.

“Duchess, it isn’t safe for you here.” he urged her as she tried to wake a man knocked out from the impact. He stirred and she ignored Obi-Wan. The sirens started in the distance. He reached into one of the many pockets in his belt and handed her some bacta gauze wrap, then stood up to address the crowd.

“No one leaves until they’ve been interviewed.”

The ones still standing were trying to help other victims, onlookers were gathering in horror. Only one tried to slip away. Predictable.

“You there.” He pointed. People in the crowd were stunned he was pointing at them, but turned to look behind them and opened a path up for him to see a man break into a run. He sighed internally. Why did they always run? They knew Jedi were superhumanly fast, right?

“Stay here.” he ordered her. Satine’s guards were still with her so he felt safe leaving her to pursue this suspicious person. He followed behind, hanging back to see where he would go. If he would lead Obi-Wan to bigger and better prey. But he only seemed to be panicking. He turned to the left and Obi-Wan knew it was a dead end balcony before the man did. So he was definitely not from Sundari. He looked over the edge in desperation.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I only want to talk.” Obi-Wan stopped by the doorway, not wanting to drive this possible assailant into even more panic. Instead he turned and fired a blaster at Obi-Wan. How inconsiderate. He’d been polite. He dodged easily and deflected the man’s physical attacks as well.

“We don’t have to do things this way.” he tried to reason again. But Satine appeared in the doorway. Of course. She’d never listened to him, why would she start now?

This seemed to send the man over the edge quite literally. He stood on the railing and turned back to them, spreading his arms wide and shouting ‘Compassionate leaders will burn’ in Mando’a with a Concordian accent before leaning back into the oblivion of a fall that would surely kill him. Satine ran to the railing, though he tried to stop her. It was best if she didn’t see. It would be best, but she’d never done things that were best for her.

He approached her while she held her face in her hands in horror. He put a hand on her shoulder. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure just how much affection she would want from him but it was important to him that he reminded her that he was there. She turned and buried her face into his shoulder. He held her to him and wondered if she’d forgiven him or if she was just upset enough not to care.

She didn’t stay like that for long. She pulled back, looking up to stop the tears she suddenly looked ashamed of and he wiped under her eyes with his thumbs like he’d done many times before.

“To Concordia then?”

Almec had vehemently denied Concordian involvement, but the man had a Concordian accent, and all of the previous Death Watch members had relocated to Concordia. Besides, Quin had already told him that was where Ventress had brokered a deal.

She nodded. “We’ll use escorting the body as a cover so we can get more information.”

“We?”

“I’m going with you, of course.”

“I don’t think so.”

She looked at him like he’d just told her Gundarks could fly.

“You don’t tell me what to do.” she said simply and walked back to her waiting guards. He sighed. Why was he married to her again? She was so frustrating.

-

Obi-Wan finished pushing the shuttle into hyperspace and set everything to autopilot.

Satine sat next to him, watching. She was wearing that pink tunic with lighter pink sleeves and form fitting pants, complete with knee high boots. He knew that she knew it was one of his favorites. And Satine never did anything without purpose. She wanted him to forgive her and she would employ any and all means necessary.

“I could have handled things better.” She started off in an apologetic tone.

He didn’t reply, even though he wasn’t busy with anything anymore.

“I over reacted.” She continued.

Still he said nothing.

“Are you going to say anything?”

“Hmm? Oh I’m sorry, my ears seem to have disappeared, could you report them missing for me?” he said sarcastically. Was he ready to move on from this and just be a happy family again? Yes, yes, so much yes. He missed her too much to be mad anymore. But since she was already attempting an apology- the exact words ‘i’m sorry’ had always eluded her- he thought he’d let her suffer for a bit more.

“You’re being petty.” she said, annoyed.

“Sure. But it’s pretty small scale compared to listing your husband missing because you were mad he came back for his kid’s birthday.”

“You popping in and out was dangerous for them. And for you. Eventually someone would have caught you.”

“I agree. Objectively, putting me down as missing would explain a great many things to a lot of people. It was a good idea. And I would have supported it. If you’d done it for that reason, and not just because you were pissed off. That was pure selfishness.”

“I realize that, I’m trying to tell you I regret it.”

“And what about now? You think no one will notice this? Standing right next to each other in public?”

“Korkie begged me.” she was now getting defensive.

“I thought nobody told you what to do.”

“And to think I missed you.”

“While you’re angry, I should tell you I have it on good authority that Pre Vizsla is part of Death Watch.” he said.

“Alright, now the galaxy really is ending. You and Mar agree on something. You need to stop basing things on family name and the war. He was a child then, even younger than us.”

“I’m basing it on Republic spies seeing him making a deal with the Separatists.”

She slumped a little, “Nassade has him marked as highly likely. Along with most of the Vizslas. My sister. And strangely, your sister.” she looked to him, sorry to break the news, “I know Ursa’s family was originally on Death Watch’s side. And the only reason she jumped to our side was without the Wren Clan’s support they were all but finished. To end it quickly without any more death. I don't believe she’d switch sides again when she knows the consequences of another civil war. And if they win, continuing wars after that.”

“She…may have mentioned being recruited before I left.” Obi-Wan admitted, “Bo-Katan came to see her. She must have decided to do undercover work. She wouldn’t actually go back to that. Now that she has Sabine to think of. She always told me she was paranoid about having to raise a child in a war and that they’d turn out exactly like she did. That’s why she waited so long, she was always worried Mandalore wasn’t stable enough. But the joke’s on her, I guess.”

“You never told me that,” she said, annoyed, and then again calmly. “You never told me that either.”

“Can you imagine if she knew I’d told you now? The blood and carnage.” he chuckled. Satine shook her head vehemently, not wanting to think of it.

“So…do you forgive me?” she asked softly, extending a gloved hand.

“I have conditions.”

“Oh no.” she lamented and withdrew her hand.

“When we get back, I get to spend time with the boys. And you have to stay out of it. I mean…if they want to see me. I don’t want to force them.” he’d thought of them rejecting him many times. That dream where they didn’t remember him still haunted the corners of his mind when he was close to sleep.

“You saw Korkie at the spaceport. Took everything he had in him not to fling his arms around you. And Kahl flew home to see you.”

“Flew home?” Obi-Wan was confused.

“He’s been going to school on Krownest.”

“Satine, you did not send him to that boarding school. I told you that will not sort out his socialization issues. He’s different, not broken.”

“Calm down,” she held up a hand, “I didn’t send him to boarding school. He wanted to do a semester on Krownest. He asked to stay with Ursa. I let him. He’s never asked me for anything before.”

“Oh.” Obi-Wan tried to understand why Kahl would gravitate to Ursa. Maybe it was to Alrich. That would make more sense.

“I know I’m a horrible mother, but I do try my best. Boarding school was a bad idea and I regret thinking of it.”

“You’re not a horrible mother.” he sighed. He’d said it to her many times before. This debate was well worn.

“Ben, I took you away from them. I basically skipped Korkie’s birthday because I was so busy. He and I are getting along again but I feel so bad about it. I forgot Kahl’s pauldron for Creed Day.”

“You what?!” That last one set him off.

“I know, I KNOW.” she sounded more upset than him. “That’s why you need to come back. I’m ruining them.”

“I’m sure you’re not ruining them. I always made sure they understood that you had a lot more people than just us depending on you. But damn, Satine. Creed Day?!.”

“This is why I wanted to have a nanny. In case we were both busy with something. I loved my nanny. But you were so against it.”

“They didn’t need a nanny. They had me.”

“And now what do they have, Ben.”

The silence hung between them. He didn’t have an answer.

“I know we had to be adults at their age. And we’re both trying to make sure that doesn’t happen. But I think it’s kind of happening anyway. So I’d appreciate it if you told me what to do with them. Because I have no idea.”

She looked desperately at him. Satine did not look desperate very often. He wasn’t sure he could remember the last time. It sounded callous even in his mind, but he didn’t know she cared about them all that much. He’d practically had to beg for Kahl, and he didn’t even bother to try and press his luck for a third. Not that she hated them or anything. They just seemed to be a puzzle she couldn’t solve.

If he had the answer to what she was asking him, he would have told her. But he’d been gone for two years now. He knew nothing about them. Teenagers changed from week to week. He might as well have been a stranger.

“If I knew I’d tell you. I have to talk to them first.” He held his hand out to her this time.

“Then let's work together to fix the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. Partners?”

She held out her hand again and he took it, though that looked like that wasn’t enough to make her feel better. She still looked haunted by her own actions.

They exited hyperspace and he let go, heading down towards the governor’s mansion.

“So we’ve agreed Pre is evil?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Try to get him to incriminate himself over dinner? Have the guards record the conversation?”

“I just remembered that I used the high society etiquette you taught me to defeat a Separatist General, you’ll love the story.”

“Ben, not the time.”

“Fine, but you would have been proud.”

Chapter Text

Pre played the perfect Governor, just sad enough about the loss of one of his citizens, just concerned enough about how their journey was and if they needed rest. Concordia had been quite quiet through these war years, not throwing as much of a fuss as places like Concord Dawn, so Satine really hadn’t spoken to Pre Vizsla often, and maybe only once or twice alone. She’d been neutral on him, and appointed him when the majority of Concordians had voted for him for Governor. Now, she heard that arrogance in his voice his father had always carried, saw the too-proud way he stood. Knowing he was continuing his father’s legacy of terror put her on edge. How many people had he fooled? He did have a certain charisma about him that made her want to believe that Ben’s intel was wrong. If she didn’t have the Nassade reports as well, she might have dismissed it.

They settled in a sitting room-like antechamber, right off of the grand dining room while they waited for food to be prepared. Pre poured them both drinks.

“A Republic investigation seems a little…over the top don’t you think?” Pre looked skeptically at Ben as if he were an object and not a person. Even if it wasn’t her husband, it would have annoyed her.

“Someone is feeding lies to the Senate. That we are increasing our armaments and Death Watch is close to overthrowing my government.” she answered.

“You got all of that from a few bombings?” Pre looked to Ben again.

“I’m only here to investigate what I’ve been told. I have no opinion one way or the other if these rumors are valid.”

Ancestors, his accent had really come back with a vengeance. She tried to ignore her distracting thoughts about him.

“If it is true, then it would almost have to be someone at the higher levels of the Separatists. To agree to fund this cult. And maybe someone in our government, too.”

He seemed to be thinking so deeply. Again, if she didn’t know better she would believe him.

“What about Concord Dawn?”

Of course he would blame them.

“That’s our next stop after Concordia. We wanted to make sure to return the body promptly, out of respect.” Ben said.

“But why? Why are the Separatists so interested now?” she asked.

“You do lead the Council of Neutral Systems now. They have been chipping away at them since the beginning of the war. The more neutrality crumbles the better for the Separatists.”

She sighed internally. It always went back to neutrality. Always, always, always.

“Think of it as a compliment.” Pre smiled. Sinisterly? Or maybe she only saw what she knew was true now. “Someone very powerful wants you dead.”

Oh, he was just complimenting himself. Less sinister, more narcissistic.

“I never accepted compliments well.” She returned and decided to change the subject. Maybe they could get more out of him at dinner. Maybe someone who wouldn’t be as careful as he was being.

“Will your wife be joining us for dinner?”

Pre looked at her, genuinely confused. “No, I’m..sure Kata won’t be joining us. Unless you two have reconciled and she didn’t tell me?”

Satine was confused as well now. She’d barely met with him and she was sure she hadn’t met his wife. Her memory was almost perfect when it came to faces and names.

“I don’t think we’ve met yet, so I am not sure what we could have disagreed on.” she finally said.

Pre’s confusion deepened even more.

“I would assume you’d met your sister. But I suppose royals do things differently than normal people. I know it has been a long time, but surely you haven’t forgotten Bo-Katan.”

The world slowed while she tried to absorb this information. Pre Vizsla had married her sister Bo. Ben sputtered his drink, coughing to distract Pre. He claimed he’d forgotten just how spicy Mandalorian ale was. He asked for some water and Pre turned to get the pitcher.

She flashed back to the weeks after the war. Where Mar wouldn’t tell her much about what had happened to him and Bo-Katan while captured, but he was adamant that they had started brainwashing Bo-Katan when they had failed to convince him to turn against her. Bo was only 14 at the end of the war. Mar was only 15, but he’d always been defiant. His own person. Bo-Katan usually deferred to him to protect her. To speak for her.

Mar said they were separated. Mar said they’d tried to control him by threatening Bo. Mar said he didn’t see her after that but he knew Pre, the movement leader’s son, was taking care of her. He wouldn’t give her details, he didn’t have evidence. But he was adamant that Pre was grooming her to be his father’s puppet if they ever succeeded in killing Satine.

And it wasn’t that she hadn’t believed him. She did. But what could she do?

At the final negotiations before they signed the treaty to end the conflict so many years ago, she remembered trying to trade to get Bo-Katan back. She tried. But they refused. And on that final day, Bo had taken a step forward from the group and declared that she belonged with them. That she renounced Satine. That she would rather be exiled than return to her home with her siblings. What was she supposed to do?

Bo-Katan went back to her group and stood next to Pre. Satine tried again. Despite what Bo-Katan had said. Tor Vizsla refused and tried to paint her as the villain, going against the girl’s wishes. There were no other options. She would have to concede her sister for the greater good.

Mar lost it. He yelled at her that Bo-Katan wasn’t 15 yet. She could not make her own decisions and Satine was her legal guardian. She had to ignore him because she didn’t have an answer, a justification that she could bear to say out loud.

He glared at her and turned to the Jedi. Obi-Wan wasn’t there. Qui-Gon had sent him home. She knew he knew that she was in love with Kenobi and maybe found the distraction good for her when they were staying hidden in the shadows, but not when she needed to focus on her job.

“How can you let her do this? This is wrong. She’s just a child, she doesn’t know what she wants. I thought you Jedi were supposed to stand against injustice.”

“I’m here to make sure the negotiations remain peaceful. Not to make judgment calls.” Qui-Gon had said calmly. He was so neutral in fact, she couldn’t tell if he was on her side.

“Come on, Kata.” Pre had said, ushering Bo-Katan away. Kata, that had been Mar’s pet name for her. Not Bo, like the rest of the family called her.

Mar’s gaze snapped to Pre and he’d broken into a run , “I’ll fucking kill you, Pre.” Qui-Gon had caught her brother with the Force and lifted him just high enough that he couldn’t touch the floor and carried him out with his invisible threads, Mar screaming the entire way. “I’ll fucking kill you if it’s the last thing I do. You’re all monsters, every single one of you.”

In the real world, Pre had returned with a glass of water for Ben, who still seemed to be distracting Pre since she must look shocked. When he raised his hand to take the glass, he bumped her with his arm to try and get her to snap out of it.

Pre had definitely noticed though. He seemed to stare her down, a small sly smirk there. She knew he saw this as a power play. And maybe that had been part of the long game. Bo-Katan would legitimize his rule if he managed to get rid of her. And Korkie and Kahl… That fear from the Inter-School bombing flared again.

“Are you well, Duchess?” Pre asked, still keeping his triumphant look plastered all over his face.

“I…you must forgive me, I think I am more tired from the last few days than I realized. Maybe I should return to Mandalore.”

“I’ll work with your security forces from the Capitol to get more of an idea of what is going on here. I’m sure I’ll return to interview the bomber’s family.” Obi-Wan informed Pre, as if asking for his approval.

“Of course. You are welcome any time, I’m eager to be done with these terrorists as well.”

-

“Are you alright?” Ben asked her as they sat down in the cockpit of their little transport ship, the guards once again stationed in the cargo bay. He was definitely concerned about her.

“We didn’t get anything to implicate him.”

“Not what I asked.”

They lifted off and he headed up to escape the atmosphere of the moon.

“Yes, fine. We still need proof.”

“You practically turned into a statue when Pre told you he was married to your sister. So I’m going to assume that’s something you didn’t just forget to tell me. You didn’t know either.”

This family had way too many buried secrets.

“No. I didn’t know. He did it on purpose…” she had that look again, like she’d gone off to outer space and left him on-planet with Pre.

“Usually people marry people on purpose?” he wasn’t quite sure what the problem was. It was probably a bit distressing to find out her sister was married to the probable leader of Death Watch. But they hadn’t confirmed that yet. It was unfortunate. It would be even more unfortunate if she was involved, but she’d been out of the family for 20 years. It was kind of expected….

“Why are we leaving?” she asked.

“You said you wanted to go home.” This was an incredibly confusing conversation.

“I said that so we could get away from that creep and get some evidence. He’s got to be using one of the old mining facilities. If new beskar armor is popping up the raw material has to come from somewhere.”

“And you think you should go and investigate a place that’s possibly crawling with angry Mandalorians with me?”

“I have my blaster. And two guards.”

“If they’re wearing beskar you’re going to have to hit them twice to actually stun them.”

“So?”

“So, I don’t want Korkie to become Duke before he turns 18. You stay in the ship unless I call for backup. And I swear to Mand’alor the Preserver if you say I don’t get to order you around, I am sending us to hyperspace right now and I’m coming back by myself.”

“Fine.” She seemed annoyed with him, but maybe a little grateful too. Whatever she was stuck on from their meeting with Pre, she needed time to mull it over and get it out of her system before she would be of any use.

He turned the ship around, heading back down to the surface.

-

Satine sat in the ship, trying to decide how she felt. She hated that Pre had kept a hold on her sister this entire time, she hated that she’d done nothing about it, she hated that Mar hadn’t told her. She hated that Ben was right about her staying in the ship, and that despite the heavy situation they were in she still had time to go all schoolgirl and think about how attractive he looked back in his robes. And the clone armor was helping, even if it was something associated with the violence she abhorred.

“I deployed the cam droid.” she heard over the comm channel they’d opened before he left.

She pulled up the screen and saw what he saw. The processing center that definitely looked like it was operational. Ore sitting on the conveyor belt and everything.

“Not abandoned.” she said.

“Definitely not.” he continued further in. She couldn’t see him but she knew the droid was hovering around him, looking every which way. “I hear something up ahead.”

She stayed quiet as the droid rounded the corner slowly, peaking into a room lined with different pieces of Mandalorian armor. Shit, that was a lot. Way more than they’d estimated. There was a man moving things out of crates and into the stacks of red armor. Red for Vizsla? Or scarlett red for defiance she wondered.

Hey!” she heard a loud shout come from behind the droid. Sounds of grunts and blows came from behind the droid who edged ever further into the light of the armory. She heard a lightsaber drawn.

“Obi-Wan?” she didn’t want to distract him, but it sounded like he needed help. A third Mandalorian in full armor appeared and shot the cam droid out. And now she had no way of knowing what was going on. She tried to call again on the comm channel but it was silent.

“Send the footage we have to Nassade and call for backup. And the Prime Minister. We have to help him.” she said to her two guards, who had been looking on.

“He never asked for help.” one said while the other busied himself with the comms array.

“Stars, I pray I never need help when you’re in charge Iviin. If someone shoots at me, assume I need help.” He was one of the newer guards, recently promoted to being her bodyguard. She probably shouldn’t be quite so hard on him.

“I’m inclined to agree with him, Duchess. He’s a Jedi after all. They are supposed to be able to take care of themselves.”

“Well we’re going to help him. Or I am. You can come if you wish.” she picked up her blaster and left the ship, knowing they wouldn’t have much choice but to follow her.

Chapter Text

They took the elevator down into the processing plant. It was deathly quiet. She was pretty sure he’d taken the left tunnel…two armored Mandalorians appeared from that tunnel suddenly and she stopped in surprise. So much for a sneaky rescue. The two started shooting and her guards immediately engaged. Satine slipped by them, apparently forgotten for the moment and ran down the tunnel. Hopefully he was ok. Sure, she pretended he didn’t exist sometimes but if something actually happened to him. If she knew it wasn’t just a story she told herself..

“Are you there?” her comm crackled. She silently celebrated.

“Yes I’m here. What happened?”

“I…fell into a spot of trouble. I would appreciate that rescue we previously discussed.”

An incredible clang, then an intense and continuous grinding sound filled the tunnels, making her want to cover her ears.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“Oh just follow the loud metallic sound. That would be the machine that’s about to crush me to bits.” he said way too casually. He didn’t sound the least bit nervous.

She followed the sound, or at least she hoped she was, it was echoing everywhere, and stopped at the next intersection to listen. There was a light to the right and this looked similar to the place Ben had activated the cam droid. She peaked around the corner and saw two more guards. This would require a detour. Satine recalled a control panel a little ways back and retreated to it, inputting an alarm code, setting off sirens that increased the noise to a deafening level. She hid in an alcove as they rushed by then sprinted to Ben.

He was upside down in a force field used for suspending beskar so it could be crushed easier before it went into the grinder to remove any excess rock. Why was he upside down? How had he managed this? He was inching further and further to the crusher. She located the control tower and started her climb

“What took you so long!?” The cool attitude from earlier had evaporated.

“Patience is the Jedi way.” she mocked him a little, hoping that would calm him a bit so she could focus on figuring out these controls…

“I seem to be fresh out of patience right now.” he snapped.

Why were there three whole stations for one rock crusher? Who designed this thing? She was just hitting every button at this point hoping something would happen.

“Satine…”

He was so close now. Too close. She pulled a lever and the crusher froze, but he continued moving. Well, progress.

“Hey!” a shout from where she’d come from. She only took a second to look at the two Mandalorians coming back. She mashed more buttons and the force field finally dropped, Ben flipping backwards to avoid falling into the pit then bouncing over to confront the Mandalorians.

She slid down the ladder railing, taking in more of the room and assessing their exits. They had what they needed. Maybe not on Pre specifically but plenty to get all the search and seizure paperwork through the courts.

Ben stood, slipping out of a fighting stance and flexing his knuckles.

“You look like you enjoyed beating them up a little too much.” she gave him a displeased look.

“I had to even the score. And they had much better armor so I was at a disadvantage.”

She tried leading them back through the tunnels she took to get to him but she really wasn’t sure she remembered the way. Satine hadn’t been thinking of that at the time.

“Where are your guards?”

“They got caught up near the entrance. I’ll recall them once we find the elevator. Speaking of, do you remember where it is?”

“Mmm, I think it was left, left, right, right from the entrance?”

“I was thinking left, right, right, right.”

“Well there can only be so many elevators in this place.” he shrugged. He was just so calm. How could he be so calm after what just happened? He’d always taken everything in stride, and that was what she really loved about him. She might act commanding, but some things just gave her anxiety she could not shake. This was what she’d needed the last 2 years. For him to say ‘we’ll figure it out together’ without really saying it.

They got to the disputed turn and she chose one. It led to an elevator, thank goodness.

They stood next to each other as the doors closed.

“I never heard a thank you,” she teased him a bit.

“I never heard you ask me if I was alright.”

“Are you alright?”

Ben had never been not alright. He didn’t lose at things like that.

“Yes, and thank you for the rescue.” he smirked a little and brushed off some of the dust that was gathering on her brightly colored jacket.

The elevator opened and there was a Mandalorian standing guard right next to Ben. He turned and looked at them confused. Ben hit him with a quick volley of blows to the face and he fell to the ground out cold. They looked around at the scene- a crater filled with Mandalorian Gauntlet ships, equipment, weapons…and a lot of Mandalorians in armor.

“This is not the way we came in.”

Did he know he was funny when he said things like that? She was never quite sure. Sometimes it was definitely on purpose and others he was completely oblivious as to why she was laughing at him. This was definitely not a time to laugh since the Mandalorians were noticing them, but it was still funny. Her irrational mirth doubled when he started hitting the down button on the elevator and it refused to respond.

“Are you pressing the right button?” she asked.

“There are literally three buttons.” he retorted. The shooting began and he grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the elevator and behind some conveniently placed crates for cover.

“That didn’t answer my question.”

“I didn’t question your button choices at the rock crusher.”

The controls were hit by stray blaster fire and sparked, hurtling the elevator downward. His shoulders dropped.

“I suppose we have to stand and fight. Or in your case just stand. Actually no, that makes you a bigger target.”

“I did not miss you.”

He smiled and stepped out from behind the crate, reaching for his saber. Which was not where it was supposed to be. He even looked down for it to confirm it wasn’t there. He then ducked back down next to her.

“You were saying? About standing and fighting?”

“Yeah, yeah.” he reached for the fallen man’s blaster with the Force and slid it over to them. He shot a few, then focused on the three flying in with jetpacks. He finally hit one in the jetpack, which exploded and sent the other two flying off in different directions. The unfortunate explosion victim fell near them, smoke seeping quickly from the jetpack. She hoped he was ok. Not ok enough to get up, but ok enough to make it out alive. A figure jumped at Ben through the haze and tackled him to the ground, pulling his blaster out in one motion. She had to do something. Satine looked down and picked up a large stone from the gravel floor.

“You there!” she shouted, hoping to buy him some time. It worked and the man looked at her. She chucked the stone, hitting him squarely in the visor as he bucked off a few shots at her, then ducked back down. Ben kicked his legs out thanks to the distraction and stood, sending him flying backward with the Force.

“Hun?” he’d run back to check on her.

“I’m fine.” she’d been lucky. It was worth it, that clone armor wasn’t going to protect him against much of anything. He was relieved, and went back to assessing their situation.

“I think we have evidence on Pre.”

“How so?”

“I don’t know, he seems like the kind of guy to wear a cape, don’t you think?”

She furrowed her brow and poked her head over again. Yep, the guy with the half cape covering only one shoulder almost had to be Pre. Walking in front of 3 of his fellow terrorists, he said ‘Failure’ as he passed the man Obi-Wan had pushed backward and shot him with no mercy, not even a second glance to make sure he’d finished the job. He walked up to them menacingly, and took off his helmet. Pre had a smug look on his face, like he was going to surprise both of them with his betrayal and was visibly upset when neither of them reacted.

He started a speech which she felt like he had probably rehearsed. Maybe not for this moment, but for the big reveal at a later time.

“For generations my ancestors fought proudly as warriors. And now our Duchess tarnishes our race, our Creed. And your association with her sentences you to death.”

“This guy belongs in the Sith lineup with dramatic lines like that.” Ben muttered. She wasn’t the least bit worried that he would lose. He wasn’t concerned, so she shouldn’t be either.

Pre threw him his lightsaber, which confused both her and Ben. Pre whipped off his cape and pulled out a distinctive hilt for a sword. But there was no blade. She stared, transfixed by it. Was it? It couldn’t be.

“This saber was recovered from your Jedi Temple by my family after it was stolen from us so long ago. And since then it has been used to end so many who stood in the way of us reclaiming our rightful place as one of the major rulers of the galaxy.”

The blade ignited a strange black, with white edges. So much like a lightsaber, but something completely unique. With an angled tip, a wider and flatter blade and a different sound. Satine’s heart sank. Pre had the Darksaber. That was going to make things a lot more difficult for her.

Pre continued, pointing the blade at Ben.

“Prepare to join them. And she won’t be far behind you.”

Ben ignited his saber as Pre launched himself at him and they began their duel.

The Darksaber changed everything. It would be a rallying point for their cause. Whoever possessed the Darksaber was seen as the rightful heir and protector of Mandalore. As long as the blade was won in combat and the previous owner was killed by it. A classic Mandalorian myth filled with violence. But it was real. It was in front of her eyes and she still couldn’t believe it was real.

Ben and Pre were fairly evenly matched. A lightsaber fight with two lightsabers was just a sword fight after all. And Mandalorians of her generation certainly knew how to do that. Ben did seem to be getting in better kicks, sending Pre backward a few times but not enough to stop him.

Just how long had the Vizslas had the blade? And what were they waiting for? She was watching the fight of course, but this was a lot to process in one day. Pre was evil, Bo-Katan was married to him and the Darksaber existed.

Pre was knocked backward again and his three goons picked him up. He looked frustrated. And he must have known that he was running out of time to escape.

“Warriors, finish him.”

All three bent down, which confused her until the rockets shot out of their jetpacks. Ben dodged all three artfully, no surprise there. But the rockets started a slow turnaround back to them. They were locked on and wouldn't stop until they found their mark.

“Satine…” the warning and worry in his voice made her worry. She saw Pre and his crew backing away slowly but not all out fleeing. They wanted to make sure the job was done.

Ben was running towards her, a hand outstretched. She met him and he shouted ‘hold on’. Satine grabbed him like he’d instructed her when they were teenagers. An arm around his neck and another under one of his arms, doing her best to hold on to his robes. That stupid clone armor made it more difficult but she was ready for one of those horrible jumps into the air that felt like flying until they were falling and she could see the trees coming up to meet them over his shoulder.

But instead of up, he jumped down the elevator shaft into complete darkness, an occasional small service light passing by in her vision, with the heat of the exploded rockets that couldn’t make that sharp of a turn following them down, closer and closer.

She wasn’t really sure how they landed, there was a decent amount of rolling or flipping. But she ended up on the rocky ground of the mine with him covering her with his own body. She felt like her boots were going to melt into her feet as the flames wooshed out of the elevator shaft. Once that was over and Ben rolled off of her she realized she was absolutely and perfectly alright.

“Are you alright?” she asked him, the terror of the experience switching from herself to him.

“Yeah. Why do you ask?” he stated calmly between breaths.

She smacked his armored chest plate and he laughed. He always pulled this kind of shit during dangerous situations.

“Are you actually alright?” she demanded.

“Might have messed up my knee on the landing. But otherwise, yes.”

“Come on then. We have to get out of here.” She stood and held out a hand. He took it and stood on one leg.

“Ok and definitely a rib. If it wasn’t cracked before it definitely is now.”

He tested out his other leg and seemed to do fine with a little limp, but she put his arm around her shoulder anyway and helped him along.

“Do you know the right elevator this time?” he teased.

“I am passing a law that requires all mines to install ample signage after this.” she replied seriously. All of this could have been avoided with some kriffing arrows on the walls. He laughed and held his side.

“Ow, ow. Don’t make me laugh more. That was the most politician response I’ve ever heard.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know, that’s why it’s funny.”

-

Pre growled as he watched the Jedi and the Duchess leap out of harm’s way. Of course they would discover this place and ruin everything. And get away. From how the Jedi had fought, a fall down an elevator would not kill him. Pre wouldn’t get that lucky. But maybe where one roll of the dice resulted in failure, a second roll could turn the game upside down.

“Should we follow him, sir?” one of his crew asked.

“No. We’re out of time. Don’t worry, I have information that will ruin her now.”

He grabbed his helmet and cape from the ground and boarded the last Gauntlet. Count Dooku would not be pleased with how much money they had just lost in this base. And he’d lost his influence on the Duchy’s investigation, he could have had them chasing their tails for months. All that armor, all that beskar. Abandoned. They had started working on other bases, but this one was a heavy blow.

The Count would want to stop funding. His only hope now was to convince Dooku that he knew a secret. Some information that could be guaranteed to sway the people of Mandalore and create enough doubt, along with the Darksaber, to secure him the throne.

A secret he would only reveal if he was allowed to rebuild with full Separatist support. And if Dooku was stupid enough to cut the creditflow and miss out on the information that Ben Kryze was not in fact missing, but masquerading as Obi-Wan Kenobi, then there were plenty of other people who would be willing to pay top dollar for that information and aide his crusade.

-

His knee was much better by the time they made it to the surface where they had left their ship. The place was swarming with Concordia security forces and a few Nassade higher ups milling about. Some of the agents who hid their identities behind black armor were there too, but the possibility of a fight or any kind of interrogation was nil so they were getting ready to depart and leave the crime scene analysts to their work.

Obi-Wan and Satine were separated so they could recount their experiences and he was a little embarrassed to admit that he’d fallen into that stupid force field upside down from one stupid kick from a Death Watch member. The woman taking his statement didn’t seem to think it was all that bad but she didn’t show much emotion to begin with.

Satine’s two guards had been killed in the incident, and they were offered an escort off planet or a new pilot but Satine declined.

He primed the engines and they were off. He couldn’t wait to see Korkie and Kahl. Satine stood next to the pilot’s seat and brushed her fingers over his neck lightly, making him shiver. She paused on the scars from the incident with the Mandalorians that reminded him if he got mad enough apparently he could snap. He tilted his neck to one side so she could see better.

“Would you believe some people still have slag throwers?”

“How uncivilized.” she leaned down and kissed one of the scars, getting back to what she’d started.

“You better be careful.” He warned her. Of course she knew what she was doing, and he knew why she hadn’t wanted an escort. Or at least he really hoped he knew.

“I don’t know what you mean.” she whispered into his skin.

He moved forward in the seat and reached backwards to guide her to his lap. She offered no resistance and kissed him on the lips. It definitely wasn’t a comfortable position but they wouldn’t be here for very long.

“I’m still mad at you.” he said when she let him breathe and pressed her forehead to his. His hands were definitely wandering already, in contradiction to his words.

She smiled slowly, a devilish look in her eyes.

“Show me.” she challenged and playfully bit his lip. Well what choice did he have? He was still mad but they’d brokered a truce. Time was short. When would he be back next? They could argue when this was over.

He grabbed her thighs to hold her while he stood up and let her wrap them around his waist as he carried them out of the cockpit.

“It’s a short flight,” he commented.

“Then you better hurry.”

He did as he was told.

Chapter Text

He re-adjusted her outfit and she re-adjusted his before they opened the landing ramp.

“Your chin is red.” Ben noticed.

“If your face wasn’t as spiky as a quill dog it wouldn’t be red. You have to get rid of that thing.”

“It’s kind of my trademark now.”

“Well, I hate it. You look older than you are.”

“Any other feedback?”

“Excellent experience, would do it again.” she said completely seriously.

He shook his head and smirked.

“Thanks for the great rating, tell your friends.”

“I certainly will not.” she gave him one last soft kiss, one last gaze. Then activated the landing ramp and walked down far ahead of him, as if he was some annoying Jedi meddling in her nation’s business.

This was what he’d fallen in love with. The duality of playful closeness divided by periods of pretending the other didn’t exist. Why it worked on him, he didn’t know. But did anyone really know why they did what they did when they were in love?

He followed her down and left her to her business, updating whatever ministers needed to know about the extent of the Death Watch threat.

He followed a palace guard to the room that would be his while the Republic and Mandalorian governments decided their next moves. And to wait and hope that the boys came to visit him, since he was not permitted to wander freely.

-

Korkie had been so excited to see his dad that he didn’t realize how much he’d missed Kahl until he saw him. He immediately filled his older brother roll by annoyingly squeezing Kahl way too tight in a hug. When Kahl flailed he set him down and he had the realization that Kahl was quickly catching up to Korkie in height. When had that happened?

Korkie tried to shove Kahl down when they peered around the corner together, trying to figure out exactly where Dad was staying and how they’d sneak in. But it wasn’t so easy now.

“Ancestors, when did you get strong? You can't learn that from a book.”

“So. how do we get in?” Kahl ignored him.

“Well…I can probably just ask for an audience. I don’t know about you though. Would it be weird if we both wanted to meet a Jedi?”

“As Mandalorians? Yeah that would be weird.”

“If I go first, I could request an audience then after we get to talk a while I can leave and distract the guard with questions so you can sneak in?”

“Are you gonna take forever and I get like 5 minutes?”

“What? Noooo.” Korkie joked, then said more seriously, “Actually I don’t really know what I want to say. Just that I’m ok with all this I guess. Cause I feel bad about when he left. But also fuck you for leaving.”

“You’re still mad? It’s been almost two years.” Kahl seemed confused.

“I can hold a grudge, it’s a very Mandalorian trait.”

“Ok, whatever Mom. Your plan is good, I’ll come back in like…2 hours?”

“Yeah ok.” Korkie said absently as Kahl shoved him a bit for no reason right before he went back down the hallway to kill two hours.

Did he want to be like Mom? In many ways yes. But…ugh why was Kahl getting to him. Stupid.

He went up to the guard and knocked on the door, explaining he wanted to begrudgingly thank the Jedi for saving his mother’s life. The guard didn’t seem to give a single shit. He wondered if he’d figured it out and he and Kahl really didn’t even need this ruse. He wasn’t going to say anything to anyone. But just in case.

Dad opened the door and gave him a little bow, which kind of grossed him out, and exchanged pleasantries. Sure he’d bowed before, but it had always been as a joke. Once the door was shut he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He flung himself into his dad’s arms. This was where normal had lived, and maybe he would find it again.

“I’m sorry about what I said.” his head sat over his dad’s shoulder now. Was he too tall, too old to be doing this?

“I forgive you because I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Was he being nice or had he actually forgotten? Korkie had carried regret for so long and it wasn’t even bothering him?

“When I said you cared about the Republic more than us?” he reminded.

“Oh, that. I kind of dropped two very large bombs on you. I didn't expect it to go well. I thought we’d get to talk it over again over dinner but Mom wanted me to get going. And then you mister-” his tone changed to one of scolding, “where were you on Kahl’s Creed night?”

“I was…” ugh they were on to the hard hitting questions already. He didn’t plan on lying. He was even going to tell him about Mar, ok maybe not everything about Mar, but somehow now he felt guarded. Maybe it was too much to explain in one evening.

Dad put a hand on his shoulder before he could come to grips with an answer.

“You don’t have to tell me everything, Korkie. I understand if you don’t trust me anymore. I don’t really deserve it after abandoning you for this long. Just as long as you’re ok.”

What is wrong with you, you wanted this and now you won’t even speak?

Kahl hadn’t been home until recently. Mar was a creature of silence when he was teaching him sharpshooting, only saying something to give directions and tips. He had been shut out by his mother until recently. And every other hour of the day he was either socializing or working out to avoid his own thoughts. Did he even know how to talk to someone without being careful of what he said anymore?

“I’m ok.” he said simply, then added, “I mean everything is shit. But I’m alright.”

Awkward, awkward, awkward.

He thought they would fall back into things like friends who hadn’t seen each other in 6 years could do easily, picking up where they left off. But nothing was the same. They both looked different, acted different. Shadows of people they used to be.

He knew he was upsetting his dad, even if he hid it well. He gestured to the sofa.

“Do you want to watch a game? I saw the Razor Cats won the league last season.”

“Yeah, I haven’t caught up this week.”

Thank the being who created sports. Whenever they watched a game they never really watched the game. Sure, maybe the first few minutes. But then it was background. Something to talk about in a lull. And he felt he could say harder things if he didn’t have to look anyone in the eye.

“Is Kahl in Sundari yet?”

“Yeah, we’re switching off so we don’t draw attention.”

The silence didn’t permeate quite so loudly with the commentator and the cheering crowd.

“You think they’ll win again this year?” Dad asked.

“Not a chance, they traded Iviin Saxon because they’re morons. Soniee screamed when she found out.”

Dad chuckled. “She always was a bit dramatic. Soniee and Lagos ok? Did you ever patch things up with Amis?”

Oh right, Amis. That was one of those ‘quick best friends and quickly forgotten once gone’ kind of things. Soniee had always been a constant. And Lagos…well she’d help him bury a body if he needed her to.

“I don’t know about Amis, I don’t talk to him anymore. The girls do though. All four of us are rooming together at University.”

At least that was the plan. If he went. Maybe it was best to hold that back right now. He would know all of this mundane shit if he was here. But could he say that Dad leaving wasn’t worth it? For the galaxy’s sake? Mom had to make sacrifices, the job came first. The nation came first. And it didn’t mean she loved them any less. Sacrifice for the greater good was something that was part of his destiny as well. If he didn’t hold it against Mom - well most of the time - and he knew one day he would be standing there desperately hoping someone would forgive him for not being around when he had to work, he had to let him in again. Be open.

“I taught Kahl how to ice slide for a Creed present.” he started with the easiest thing.

“Was he any good?”

“Yeah, he was a natural. After I pulled all the banthashit tricks you pulled on me of course.”

He smirked, thinking of watching Kahl scream as he fell off the top of the house.

“See, it’s nice when Ursa is laughing with you and not at you, isn’t it?”

“And Sabine. When she was paying attention.”

Dad lit up at this first break in the wall, but that hurt stayed in the background. He could just tell.

“I’m so glad you two are spending a little time together. And…thank you for stepping up when I’m not around. I know that comes pretty naturally to you, but it’s not your job. And you did it anyway.”

Korkie loved that he acknowledged it, but he didn’t really know what to say back. He was mad he had to do it. But he’d also learned something from it and gotten closer to Kahl. Or tried.

“That’s why he decided to stay on Krownest. I think he kinda needed the solitude, and he really loved the canyon. Would you believe I actually kind of miss him?”

“I miss Ursa, and that’s even harder to understand.”

“Yeah you really lost the fake sister lottery on that one.”

Dad snorted and he laughed at it. Maybe they weren’t so different. Maybe old home still existed.

“I took Lagos to Inter-School.” he changed the subject, the news flowing out of him easier now. His dad smiled while giving him a side eye begging for more information.

“Oh? And…since you couldn’t go to the dance, what did you do?”

He must have heard the basics on the news and from Mom.

“Well…Uncle Mar took us to his place until they gave the all clear.”

“And then?”

“We stayed there actually.” he tried to judge Dad’s reaction but it didn’t seem negative so far. “And Valsi made us dinner. And turned the living room into a party room. And we danced a bit.”

“Sounds…romantic?” Dad chanced.

Nooo, he knew this was coming but he didn’t have the answers he was looking for.

“Yeah. It kinda was. I don’t know how I feel about it though. She’s my best friend. And she could be my girlfriend. But what if I screw it up and then I don’t have either?” he wanted to say more. The pros and cons that were constantly one-upping each other in his mind. But that was confusing and frustrating so he stopped talking and looked back to the game. At least he understood that.

“You two have been friends for so long, neither of you would hurt the other one on purpose. So even if it doesn’t work out like that, it’ll be fine as long as you talk to each other.”

“That was the most Jedi answer that’s not an answer.” he rolled his eyes.

“Maybe but it’s still true.”

The Razor Cats scored and they watched in silence for a bit. He had the urge to scoot over and tuck in under his dad’s arm. How they used to when he was little. He hadn’t done that in plenty of years and he felt stupid for letting his mind regress that far back. He was almost 18, almost an adult. Even if adult children still needed their parents they didn’t need them that much. So he went for the hardest subject that was the furthest thing from talking about himself.

“So are you and Mom good?”

Dad contemplated for a bit.

“Yes, I think so. We both feel how we feel, but life’s too short to be angry all the time. We’ve made it through every argument about where you would go to school, government policy, what counts as work when she's supposed to be relaxing, blah blah. We’re tied together and I don’t think either of us are letting go for anything.”

He knew that. He’d always known that. But the time and distance had made him forget. And this had been an extreme case, but the cycle was exactly how it had always been. Except Mom usually didn’t have time to enact whatever insane plan she’d concocted while angry before she cooled down and could come to a compromise.

“Good. Cause she’s been annoying.”

“She’s under a lot of pressure. Hopefully less now that we have Death Watch on the run.”

He’d completely forgotten the entire reason Dad was even here. Korkie had only thought about what he wanted out of this. How incredibly selfish.

“Who was the ringleader?” he asked.

“Pre Vizsla.” Dad shrugged. “You shouldn’t judge people by their family but he did live up to the stereotype.”

Pre’s father had been the leader of the True Mandalorians during the war. He’d survived it and even got away with only exile and a few minor charges. But he was killed soon after. Korkie absentmindedly wondered if it was Mar.

“Oh and he also had the Darksaber. Or I assume it was the Darksaber. It acted like a lightsaber but it was black and shaped like a vibroblade.”

“Wait, that’s real?”

He’d always assumed it was a children’s story.

“Tarre Vizsla was a real person, and I guess the sword is, too.”

He tried to remember the details of the story, but there were so many versions. Tarre was one of the rare Mandalorians who showed promise with the Force and had become a Jedi. He united the clans with the Jedi Order to defeat the Sith. A very ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ lesson for young Mandalorian warriors. After they won, he’d accepted the mantle of Man’dalor while remaining a member of the Order and forged a blade to balance his heritage and his commitment to the Jedi philosophy. But once things had settled and the clans got along, he passed his responsibilities on to Man’dalor the Uniter and disappeared, along with the blade. Or had he given the blade to Man’dalor the Uniter? But in order for the owner to be the true wielder it had to be won in a duel from it’s previous owner…

The last anyone had heard, the sword had been stolen by the Jedi. And maybe stolen from them but the Temple refused to confirm its existence, much less its status.

And this was why legends were stupid.

“You’re sure. Maybe it was some new weapon.” Korkie reasoned.

“Pre sure seemed smug about having it. I assume the plan is to use it to claim he’s the true ruler.”

“As if that would work.”

“Don’t discount tradition, Korkie. We still have a ceremony that almost every single Mandalorian child goes through where they bathe in the magic water of the lair of a creature that never existed.”

He supposed that was true. The alarm beeped. He silenced his communicator. It was time to switch with Kahl.

The Kybucks scored a goal.

He stood up.

“I promised Kahl. I’ll distract the guard long enough for him to slip in.”

Dad stood too. Korkie felt like there was so much left to say, but he didn't know how to say it. A little panic settled over him. How to leave when he didn't want to. How to carry himself like an adult. Maybe the silence between them was only a beat but for him it stretched into eternity.

‘“You’re smart, Korkie. Trust yourself. With the Lagos situation, with Death Watch, with everything. You’ll know what to do.”

Korkie nodded, and hugged him again. Maybe Dad wouldn’t notice if he couldn’t see his face.

“So about your distraction. I am incredibly hungry and would do just about anything for food that isn't a ration bar.”

Korkie smirked, that made things so much easier.

Chapter Text

Chapter 56—Read TO HERE

Kahl was waiting at the spot they’d separated. He hadn’t done anything but pace and worry and sit and worry. He was going to tell Dad, but how? How to explain how he had hidden it, why he’d hidden it…and the current situation it had led to.

Korkie was late, surprise surprise. It was so annoying he could show up to official meetings, business stuff on time but for the rest of his life his brother ran on his own clock. A future Duke was never early or late, but always precisely on time.

“Hey. Get under.” Korkie whispered in as he rounded the corner with a room service hoversled, a light cloth draped over it.

“What are you doing? You’re late.”

“It took me a while to convince the kitchen I’d deliver Dad’s food personally ok. You’re welcome for figuring out how to get you in by the way.” he said mildly offended that Kahl wasn’t praising his plan.

“What is this a holo flick from a hundred years ago?”

“So cliche no one would ever suspect it.” Korkie chimed happily.

“This is stupid.”

“Get under the damn cart or I’m ditching you and you can figure it out yourself.”

Kahl rolled his eyes in annoyance but relented and stooped to stay under the cart and away from the repulsors. He practically had to walk on all fours to keep from falling over in the strange crawling upright position.

“I brought the food the Jedi requested. The kitchen was crazy busy. Maj says hi, by the way.” Kahl heard Korkie charming the guard like he did with everyone. Somehow he could be so oblivious to what was going on around him, yet he knew what kitchen staff member fancied which guard.

Kahl struggled to keep up with the stopping and starting of being handed off to the guard, then waiting at the door and being pushed in. He felt so ridiculous, but when the door closed and he knew the guard had exited he flopped down and rolled out from underneath his cover. Dad was already laughing.

“You’re ridiculous.” he laughed. He sounded like him, he acted like him. After last time, he’d been worried they could never go back to how it was before. But he relaxed more and more every second he was in his father’s presence.

“It was Korkie’s idea.”

“Of COURSE it was, he loves things that are just dumb enough to work.”

He stood and practically fell into a hug. He knew he was going to get emotional no matter how much he told himself not to. He was still working on dealing with himself now that he wasn’t dealing with everyone else all the time.

“I missed you so much.”

Wow, he thought he’d last longer than three sentences without tears. He fought against them and was able to win at least for now but he couldn’t speak.

Finally they let go and he wiped his eyes quickly, wondering why he bothered. It was going to happen again soon.

“I have to tell you something.” He needed to get it out, delaying had done him no good last time.

“I’m listening. I’m not going anywhere this time.”

A small acknowledgement of apology that he knew he needed but also opened up that disaster of a time all over again. He tried to ignore it and also somehow seemed to forget everything he had rehearsed over the past couple of hours.

“I have Force powers. Kind of. And it’s a mess and I need help. Real bad.”

Wow. So eloquent, so graceful.

Kahl watched his expression and couldn’t help himself, he had to drop his walls just for a little bit. He felt that same feeling. The one he’d called straight up fear, but Rugor had taught him was a protective fear. A concerned and loving fear. Stars what an idiot he had been all these years. There was confusion in there as well, but he distinctly felt the emotion that had made him into this..

“When did this start?” Dad finally asked.

“I guess when I was born.” he shrugged, “I just got really good at hiding it.”

And then something new happened. He felt a presence brush up against his in the plane of existence where the Force lived. It was like a handshake, a greeting. An acknowledgement.

And he felt the cascade of different emotions mix, confusion, surprise, and most heavily guilt.

“I…I never told you a Jedi came to test you when you were small. I had noticed before he showed up but it seemed to fade with time as it usually does when you don’t practice. I thought…I’m sorry Kahl.” A pause. “I don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry. I should have known but I wasn’t connected to it anymore. I should have noticed and I didn’t. Or I didn’t want to.”

That seemed true to Kahl, he’d seemed different the last time he saw him. And he was definitely different now, radiating on a frequency only Kahl had occupied for a long time.

“It makes more sense now. Since you were a Jedi. Are a Jedi. Whatever. But it’s not the same as the stuff you do.”

“What is it like?”

“It’s all emotions. Everyone’s emotions all the time.”

Dad furrowed his brows, thinking about his new information. Kahl hadn’t put the wall back up yet and he wondered if he should. The guilt seemed to be all consuming as he contemplated.

“You don’t have to feel so guilty, if I hadn’t hidden it this wouldn’t have happened. Every time something happened you’d get scared and that made me scared. And it doesn’t matter anymore.”

He’d spent so much time mulling this over he didn’t need any comfort anymore. No apologies for the past, only hope for the future that he wouldn’t be invading people’s minds unwillingly.

Dad seemed surprised, and then shook his head knowing he shouldn’t be surprised considering what he’d just learned. As if everything over the last almost 16 years was slowly clicking into place.

“It’s ok, one of the Foundation kids taught me how to build up a wall to keep people out.” he added, and raised it up now. He’d confirmed what he needed to and people deserved their privacy now that he could give it to them.

Dad opened up his arms towards him, offering a hug with the saddest look on his face. Kahl obliged, he wasn’t sure if it was meant to comfort him or his dad more.

“I’m so sorry you had to do all that alone.”

“It’s always been there so I didn’t really know any different until recently.”

“It explains so much. I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”

Yep, this was definitely more for him than for Kahl. But he supposed he’d had years to think about this, it was quite the shock to hear.

“You tried, you took me to therapists.”

“Yeah, who were useless.”

“I doubt any therapist in this system’s had to deal with people like us.”

Ugh, if he squeezed him any tighter he wasn’t going to be able to breathe.

“We can talk about all that stuff later. I need help. I can…do things. Things I can’t control.”

“Right.” Dad let go of him, suddenly filled with the purpose of problem solving. His two great loves were debating with Mom and problem solving. “What can’t you control?”

“Um..” how was he still nervous to explain this? lt was normal, this happened to other Jedi. “I sometimes accidentally get into people’s heads. Not just their feelings, their memories.”

He didn’t say anything, only listened and that made Kahl all the more nervous, talking faster for fear he would stop altogether if he gave himself space to.

“And I can also tell them what to do sometimes. Birds and stuff mostly but it happened with a person once and I don’t know how I did it or how to stop it. I couldn’t find anything listed in the Archives. Also I snuck onto your ship and stole your login last time and I’m really sorry.”

“Alright that was a lot, one thing at a time. You stole my login?”

“Yeah, also who’s the red lady?”

“The red lady?” he questioned and then it dawned on him. “Oh. I needed a co-pilot for that hunk of junk so I hired her to help. It’s technically Anakin’s ship but it’s held together by glue and sheer force of will so I wanted someone who knew more about engines and wiring to come with.”

Thank the gods. He felt stupid for ever questioning it.

“You and Mom were fighting and I wanted to make sure I could figure out what was going on with me so…I stole your chain code. Sorry.”

“Honestly I’m just impressed. Has Korkie been teaching you this renegade behavior?”

Kahl smiled for the first time since they’d reunited. “No, but I pick up things here and there.”

“If it helped then who cares if you stole it, criminal.If I’d known I would have just given it to you anyway.” he lightly punched Kahl’s arm. Something he did to Korkie all the time so he wasn’t really expecting it. “Now the other part about the mind control. That sounds like a really strong mind trick or suggestion. If it’s happening with animals, I know how to stop that. But we’re going to have to catch a bird or a mouse or something to practice.”

He saw the wheels turning, and didn’t want him to go too far down that path.

“I’m more afraid of what happened at school. I transferred to Krownest so I could have a little more space to practice. But…I think I got too angry and I accidentally got into a kid’s head. And I told him to get lost and he wandered up to a mountaintop I’d seen in a memory until someone found him. And I don’t know how I did it.”

“It never wore off?”

“It was almost two days. So. No.”

He thought and Kahl anxiously awaited reassurance but all he got was a loud stomach grumble.

“Uh…I was legitimately hungry when I asked Korkie for something from the kitchen…”

And honestly now that he didn’t feel like he was going to throw up he could eat, too.

-

Kahl waltzed into his father’s mind with no difficulty. He’d let him in of course, but he hated this. Rugor had been so…different. A black void with only a few spots of color he could walk to. Things he’d been fine with Kahl seeing. Iviin had been like a dex of information cataloged in chronological order. This felt like being in their house, things categorized by room.

Mom’s office sounded loud but without there being any sound. That must be where their professional lives and arguments lived. The living room was a bit of a mess but not in a bad way. He looked out to the balcony. It was dark and stormy out there, which didn’t really make sense. The dome did have artificial rain but never the thunderclouds that were gathered out there. What was out there hiding in the dark?

The door to his room opened and his fixation on outside was broken. But just as he was about to walk in he sensed something behind him. A sliver of a something of a presence in the kitchen. Something dark, dangerously dark. But that wisp of a possibility disappeared from his remembrance as he fell through the floor into a memory. He hadn’t expected that, he thought he would be able to choose.

He was slowly, awkwardly sliding down a slide. A slide Kahl knew well. The one he hid in sometimes at the park. It was so weird to see it from his dad’s perspective, practically kneeing himself in the face as he turned to the side and let his feet and back wedge him in place in the yellow plastic tube away from the world.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

He looked at himself, so mopey. Did he always look so serious like that? So tired?

The silence extended for a while and he remembered he was supposed to be trying to leave this memory voluntarily before it ended.

He imagined detaching himself from the perspective he was in. But his dad’s feelings were very distracting once Kahl started telling him about how a girl at school found out her dad had died and HE’D started crying. Like an absolute jerk. It wasn’t like his dad was dead, what an insensitive and embarrassing thing to do. But her emotions had blanketed the whole school like a seismic charge that continued with aftershock after aftershock. He was old enough to know that no one else seemed bothered by this but he couldn’t hold it together. Not against something this strong.

Of course he’d left that part of the story out, only saying he’d imagined it happening to him and he’d felt bad.

The new part of this scene was the absolute helplessness his dad felt as he listened to him. Or as he now listened to himself. Dad tried to reassure, but in the background he was listing everything he’d tried and what he possibly had left to try. They’d tried doctors but there was nothing physically wrong with him, a couple different therapists, a grief counselor to help him let go of all the emotion that seemed to weigh so heavily on an 8 year old. Kahl didn’t remember that one, or maybe he hadn’t realized that’s where he was.

Meditation, heck he was considering taking him to Jedha. Maybe it really was a Force thing and the Guardians of the Whills would know what to do. -Gods, his calf was cramping, hopefully Kahl would outgrow this slide hiding place soon.- But Kahl never described it as something he would recognize as a Force power. And as far as he knew Kahl didn’t have the gift of prophecy or visions. He had caught him lifting a few things with the Force when he was very small but it hadn’t happened in years now. The Jedi assessor hadn’t detected anything major.

He didn’t care that Kahl seemed to be incredibly sensitive to being around large groups of people or major life events, but it bothered him that it bothered Kahl.

You alright?

The voice came from outside of the memory. Right, he went back to trying to escape. He faded the world out, like a slow fade in a holomovie. Like blinking incredibly slowly. When he opened his eyes again he saw himself but he also saw his dad. He’d done it! He was free! Except…now what? He couldn’t get himself to move anywhere. He could only watch the memory unfold in third person, truly spectating his own life. He wasn’t trapped here long though, the memory seemed to be sucked away from him and he slammed back into his body, sitting cross legged opposite his dad. Like he and Rugor had done to practice so many times before.

“Have you ever done that before? Separated from the perspective?”

Dad seemed completely unphased by the experience but Kahl felt like he had to catch his breath. He was so tired.

“No. Did I do it right?”

“Yes, as far as I know. I can’t do what you do. I was only trained on pushing people out if they ever got in. But what you did seemed right to me. When you did whatever you did I couldn’t tell you were there anymore. So I wasn’t sure if you were trapped or scared or what.”

“I was ok. But I was stuck. I couldn’t move.” Kahl flopped backwards onto the floor. He needed a break, maybe even a nap.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I wish Quin was here. He was my friend when I was a kid. He has the ability to read the memory of objects. He could help you more.”

“It’s just nice to know I’m not some kind of freak.”

“Oh. Quin’s a freak. But there’s also nothing wrong with that.” He could hear the light tone in his Dad’s voice. He could tell Kahl wasn’t panicking anymore. Things were going to be ok. Or they would be ok until Dad left again…

“How do I stop from accidentally doing this?” he was back on his mission. He could not be left alone again with the possibility of doing it again. But Dad sighed.

“I wish I had an answer for that. Quin would know. I’ll hunt him down and get you an answer as soon as I can, Kahl. I’m sorry I don’t have anything else to offer besides that.”

Roadblock after roadblock. This had all been one step forward two steps back. Why was it so hard.

“You said you and Aunt Ursa decided it was because you were angry?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Well you’re not an angry kid, Kahl. So I don’t think you have all that much to worry about. I’ll talk to Quin and I can leave you a message on my Temple account…” he trailed off. Oh, Kahl knew what he was thinking about. And he didn’t want to think about it either.

“Did you see there’s a notes section? On there?” he ventured.

“No, I was trying to search articles without you noticing.” Kahl half-lied.

“There are notes. When I know something, you’ll know something. I'll hide it in some other document.”

“Can we try again? I think I made a lot of progress.”

“Sure but I can tell you’re tired already.”

“One more?” he asked again.

“One more.” Dad agreed.

Chapter Text

“Asleep on the job?”

Obi-Wan startled awake, standing quickly ready for whatever Cody was about to scold him for, but it was Satine standing before him, a sour expression on her face. He caught the datapad that had been laying on his chest with the Force before it hit the floor.

“Show off.”

He was extremely confused why she was being so snippy with him, they’d parted on good terms. But was this really surprising? Was this not par for the course, one of the reasons he still loved her? He was raised in such a regimented way that when he encountered the chaos of Qui-Gon he couldn’t get enough of surrounding himself with people who were unpredictable.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

“No, I was perfectly happy when I woke up. And then I was briefed on the message the Republic sent back about the Death Watch situation. They are still convinced I am building up an army to join the Separatists, WHICH WOULD BE WITHIN MY RIGHTS,” she practically shouted, “and want to send a review committee so I am going THERE to tell them to shove off. And you’re escorting me.”

Kahl sat up and yawned, hidden by the couch until now. She leaned over so she could see him better, then looked back.

“Why is our child sleeping on the floor?” she said, overly calm.

“That’s where he fell asleep?”

“Why was- you know what? I don’t want to know.” she threw her hands up. “The Coronet will be making a stop here in two hours. And Skywalker is joining us with his clone commander and yours for some unnecessary reason as well. So enjoy dancing to keep this a secret.”

In direct contradiction to the tone she’d had with him this entire conversation, she closed the gap and kissed him quickly, sliding her fingers through his hair.

“I hate your government.” she said when she pulled away.

“It’s not my government…!” he didn’t have much time to finish his argument because she kissed him again.

“See you in two hours.”

“Hey, don't be mad at me if I have to take a Republic stance!”

“I will.”

She left and he sighed.

“It’s great to know you two are still gross.” Kahl said chucking the pillow Obi-Wan had given him back onto the bed no one slept in.

“It’ll happen to you too, one day.”

“No thank you, I opt out.” A pause. “Don’t tell Mom, ok? Korkie doesn’t know either…”

“You’ll have to tell them eventually.”

“Why? I got away with it for this long.” Kahl said.

“True. But it can be difficult to not fully be yourself.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Will you be ok? By yourself? I can find a way to get out of the Jedi thing. If you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”

And he would. He knew whatever the Force had planned for him as a Jedi still wasn’t done. But he would ignore that for Kahl. Because he finally knew how to help him.

“No, I think I’ll be ok. This helped. And when you ask your friend that will help more. So you have to go back.”

“Ok but…you know how to get a hold of me using the notes now. If you need me you better call. None of this putting other people’s emotions first thing.” He knew Kahl wouldn’t call unless he was literally dying. How could he convince him that he mattered more than some dumb war, some stupid destiny he couldn’t even see yet.

“I will.”

-

“Korkie what are you wearing?” Satine asked him exasperated. He was dressed as usual, a smart blue and gray tunic. But he had on a winter hat that looked suited for Krownest, not the moderate temperatures Sundari.

“A hat.”

“Are you sweating?”

“Profusely.” Korkie admitted.

“Then why are you wearing it?”

“So Dad and I don’t look too similar. I wanted to say goodbye.”

She sighed and gave him a hug. He looked a bit ridiculous but his hair had been growing out a bit. They did look a little too similar.

“Suit yourself. I’ll be back in a day or two, depending on how long it takes these stupid off-worlders to use their brains.”

“You sure I can’t come with?”

“Yes. Things are dangerous enough here. Coruscant will be worse. And don’t you dare try to slip your guards. You’ve had relative freedom your whole life, you’re going to have to get used to them shadowing you all the time sometime.”

“What if I’m with Uncle Mar?”

She thought for a moment. If she said no, then he’d probably want to do it more…but if she said yes then he would be less protected…how to reverse psychology a teenager was too confusing.

“Yes, if he’s around then fine. But you are not to be by yourself. Understand?”

“Fine.” he agreed, exasperated.

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

-

Anakin, Cody, Rex and R2 stood outside the Coronet, waiting for cargo and passengers to load and unload.

“Where’s General Kenobi?” Rex asked.

The Duchess had just boarded with her guards, and as far as Anakin knew he wasn’t supposed to let her out of his sight. He was clearly doing a horrible job because he was talking to some rich looking teenager. The sooner they got going the sooner he got home to Padme. And the sooner he could tease Obi-Wan about all the things Quin had told him about. And find out more information on his Mandalorian wife. Or ex-wife. Obi-Wan and the kid were just out of hearing range, and they definitely weren’t speaking Basic or Huttese so he wouldn’t have understood anyway.

Stars, what if that’s his kid? He thought to himself, but he was pretty sure Rex and Cody didn’t know about that. And Ahsoka had been dropped off on Rugosa so they couldn’t speculate together.

But Obi-Wan bowed and finally came over to greet them.

“So what happened with Savage?” Obi-Wan asked after he did his customary special handshake with Cody. Those two must have been really bored on that siege mission they’d had to take the time to invent a handshake.

“In the wind. I dropped Quin off on Dathomir instead of going all the way to Rugosa with him. I didn’t want to stick around to find out if he found Ventress. Those witches give me the creeps. Was your mission…” he smirked a bit, “Productive?”

“We uncovered the leader of Death Watch, the so-called army built by the Separatists, so yes. Apparently the Chancellor still isn’t convinced that it’s a cult and not a government funded entity, so here we are.”

“You and the Duchess did, huh?”

“Yes.” Obi-Wan responded flatly, not taking the bait in his tone and switching the conversation to Rex and Cody, “Well you have your marching orders. Protect the Duchess and her court, Death Watch is on the run but they may have had a backup plan. Or the Separatists have their own ideas.”

They both nodded and Obi-Wan led the way up the landing ramp with the last of the passengers.

“I sense some anxiety about the Duchess. She couldn’t be any safer.” Anakin again tested him.

“I know.”

“So you two are close?”

“I knew her when I was a Jedi. Before. Mandalore had a civil war and Qui-Gon and I were assigned to protect her. It was about a year long mission, so we spent a decent amount of time together. That war killed a lot of her people, hence her aversion to violence. And a reluctance to join either side.”

“You didn’t stay to help? After their war ended?”

“Jedi bring peace. Once that’s achieved, it’s up to them what they do to maintain it. You know that.”

“Well you left the Jedi for a reason….and your family is in the Mandalore system.”

“Yes that…started because of the war, yes. She was from Kalevala, not Mandalore.”

He was getting close. Obi-Wan was dodging. And now he had to look up where Kalevala was.

“The Duchess has requested your presence, Master Kenobi.” one of her guards reported to them.

“We’re on our way.” Kenobi answered and gave Anakin a look. Almost…a worried look.

“You haven’t met her before?” Obi-Wan asked.

“No, why?”

“Prepare yourself, she can be…difficult.”

“Sounds fun.”

“I’ll be very curious to see if you change your mind after this.”

-

Obi-Wan had almost forgotten to yell at Korkie for whatever was going on with pirates and swords. What Quin had seen. The look on Korkie’s face when he asked him what he’d been up to was priceless, but he played it off as getting Mar a sword he had asked to borrow and he didn’t know anything else. Obi-Wan wasn’t so sure about that but they only had so much time so he reiterated that Korkie had to trust his instincts about people. And situations. And not to wear ridiculous hats to hide their matching hair color, the hat was almost more distracting than if they’d been standing next to each other as lookalikes.

It was also very difficult to fight in their third language, Twi’lek, so not even the guards understood what they were saying, and even harder to say goodbye in a meaningful way. But maybe that was for the better. No tears this time. They were winning this war and he hoped he’d be home in a year or less. They’d see eachother soon.

And now it was time for Anakin to meet Satine. This was going to be interesting. He knew she’d be putting on an act. And so would he. But just because they were acting didn’t mean they wouldn’t become legitimately angry at each other. And of course she’d chosen the room with the dais just to torture him. To remind him of the vacation they’d taken to Naboo on the Coronet. How they'd snuck away from the boys to this room…Don’t think about that. She was already winning the mind games and they hadn’t even started.

The door opened and revealed her sitting on the firm cushioned dais surrounded by throw pillows.

“We have been deceived that we must be part of a war, but the second we join we have lost.” She had said things like this plenty of times to her followers on the Council of Neutral Systems, which had dwindled to 1,500 since he’d left. Most systems that had left had been invaded and neutrality did not keep their freedom. They had to make a choice, like he feared would happen to Satine.

“Some would say that the best defense is a swift and decisive offense.” He piped in to announce his presence, Anakin following closely.

“Ah, I’m sure you’ve all heard of the half truths known as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Quite the General now, aren’t you. Leading with swift offense that affects innocent people.”

Everyone looked at him. Even Anakin. She was starting off strong.

“Your highness is too kind.” he said, letting her get away with it. No one else saw the spark in her eye, the one that loved to spar with him. “This is Anakin Skywalker, who will also be escorting your court and the other patrons on this ship to Coruscant.”

“I know who you are. Tell me, do you remember a time before Jedi were Generals? Or are you too young?”

It was nice to know she could still find everyone’s weakness almost immediately.

“We’re protectors, m’lady. Yours at the moment. We have always fought for peace.” Anakin recovered. Or so he thought. Obi-Wan knew he was about to be eviscerated as he had been before with this line of discussion.

“An amusing contradiction-” she began, but Obi-Wan decided it would be better to save Anakin the embarrassment.

“What Master Skywalker means is we are protecting your right to hold neutral views.”

“I did not ask for your protection.”

“No. But most of your court did. And the other guests on this ship, when they found out just how much Death Watch wants you dead.”

“Even extremists can be reasoned with. This is a matter we can resolve internally.”

“You would be safer with a Republic outpost in the system. As a precaution.”

He knew that would set her off, she’d been hearing that line from Republic representatives for 3 years now.

“We do not want, and will never need, Republic intervention.” she practically snarled at him.

The crowd seemed to be growing a little uncomfortable with their argument, which was what Satine was probably going for. The more they were mean to each other the less likely people would connect the dots.

“Hopefully you can hear yourself think over the clanking of battle droids.”

“The sarcasm of a soldier.” she rolled her eyes at him.

“The delusion of a dreamer.” he chided back.

“I think you have both proven that there are two sides to every dilemma. We have all had a long morning, I think it would be best if we take a break for lunch.” Orn Free Taa offered, standing between them to make peace.

Satine did not look like she was done with him, she was having fun. And honestly so was he, but he nodded, backing down, bowing in the customary Jedi way with Anakin following suit, then leading Obi-Wan out into the hallway to supervise the transition to the dining room.

“Have you changed your mind?” Obi-Wan asked Anakin.

“Are you kidding? That was amazing. I’m very excited to watch you two argue over lunch. You very clearly have history. Maybe even something a little more…intimate than history.” Anakin flexed his eyebrows.

“Like I said, a year is a long time. They sent bounty hunters after her. We were always on the run. You learn how to get under each other’s skin when you spend that much time isolated from the rest of the galaxy.”

“Sounds romantic.” Anakin smirked.

“I don’t think you know what that word means.”

Anakin was right, but he didn’t have to know that.

“It’s obvious you have feelings for her. Very weird feelings, but feelings. If you and your wife get divorced, you two could get together.”

“She’s married.”

“I learned from my five whole minutes of research on her that her husband’s dead.” Anakin elbowed him.

Uniter, Redeemer and Avenger, Anakin. I’ve only been missing for a little over a year.

“Well as you can see, we do not agree. I don’t think that would last very long.”

“But it would be fun. I would love to watch you ruin each other’s lives.” Anakin continued to revel in the idea, even as his comm beeped and Rex informed him that R2 was freaking out and they’d lost contact with two of their men.

“I’ll go.” Obi-Wan offered.

“No, no, I’ll go. The clones and I can handle it. You guard the Duchess and the Senators. When I come back maybe you two will be making out.”

Obi-Wan glared at him and Anakin shooed him on as he backed away towards the elevator.

Maybe they were protesting their relationship a little too much. And now it was going full circle to observers.

Chapter Text

Anakin was only annoyed by Rex’s call to the cargo bay because this was quickly becoming the most fun Obi-Wan had ever been. Meeting Quin had been incredibly interesting and it had made Obi-Wan more real. He had been a tangible thing that proved Obi-Wan had a life before this war. He’d never seen Obi-Wan as perfect, but he was certainly vying for one of the galaxy’s favorite Jedi. And one of the Jedi’s favorite Jedi, too. But Quin’s stories and now this Mandalorian queen encounter was proving he hid his complicated stuff. Like Anakin did. And maybe one day they’d both be able to show their complicated stuff and not be afraid of the other’s reaction.

“Alright guys, what’s the problem? I’m missing the most dramatic lunch you can imagine for this.”

“There’s a large container open with its contents missing and I have two men unaccounted for.” Rex informed him.

He mildly regretted making a joke out of their request for backup, they all seemed very serious.

“Well it’s not like it got up and walked away.” he commented about the cargo. R2 whistled.

“Yeah I suppose if it was a droid it could have gotten up and walked away, point taken. Lock down the elevators while we search. Stay in pairs. R2, come with me and use your scanners.”

The buddy system worked for most, but not all. He heard firing and rushed towards the sound in time to see Rex using Cody’s ‘stand on top of it and fire into its brain’ tactic on a spidery droid with four eyes. The contraption went down, sparking and Rex hopped off still eyeing it like it would get up again.

“Copycat.” Cody accused good naturedly.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Rex agreed with him.

“Well that explains why that crate was so big.” Anakin inspected the remains of the droid. The closer he got, the more holes he saw… “Wait, there are-” but he was too late. Tiny, miniature droids were springing from their dead mother’s carcass, tripping over each other in a race to attack the clones and him first.

He ignited his saber and bounced the ones that jumped at him off his blade. They were easy to kill but they were so small. So fast. The clones were shooting of course but if even one of those little assassin droids made it to their necks, their helmets…a few fell screaming, trying to get the pests off but succumbing to the venom.

Anakin used the Force to push them back, but that wasn’t an overly effective technique either, unless they were gathered together. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the telltale flash or a red droid eyes crawling across the ceiling.

“There’s a second big one!” he informed those that were left. Cody started shooting at it while Rex tried to cover him from the droid flood. But one person wasn’t enough, the droid made it to the elevator door and used one of its many limbs as a torch to cut a hole in the elevator doors, climbing up into the shaft.

“Shit. Obi-Wan?!” he commed quickly. The alarm that the sealed elevator had been breached began blaring.

“What did you do?” Obi-Wan answered.

“It’s not my fault but there’s a spider assassin droid climbing up the elevator shaft and it’ll be able to cut through once it’s up there.”

“That sounds like very much your fault.” Obi-Wan replied dryly.

“I’ll be up when I have the situation here under control.”

“What’s the situation down there-”

Anakin cut off the call. Obi-Wan was going to need to focus soon, and he needed to as well. When they got upstairs, EMP grenades would be the best way to deal with it. Too much blaster file in the dining room was likely to hit a civilian.

-

Satine saw the look of concern cross Ben’s face after he’d left the table to take a call from Anakin. It was comforting to have him to spar with. She was so grateful that they’d had time on their ride back to Mandalore, she wasn’t sure if she could have kept control of herself up to this point without some release.

To be fair she was baiting him, making sure she set up in the same room they’d made their own years ago and watching him try to ignore it was probably doing more damage to her resolve than it was to his. She hated all the violence that surrounded her and her people but….well she did like it when he saved her. When she knew she didn’t have to take care of herself. And now he was literally her knight in worn armor- a much better sign of a good warrior than shining armor- what else was she supposed to think about again? Oh right, the Senate threatening to send a Republic presence into her system to keep an eye on her…

An alarm started blaring, ruining the little fantasies she was crafting in her mind.

But the Jedi stayed calm and kindly asked them to move to the back of the room as if he were an usher at a theater. They did so and he stood at the ready while a torch cut through the door.

Ben easily sliced through a few of the assassin droid’s spidery limbs before driving the saber into one of its two red eyes. It slumped over the destroyed door’s bottom half.

Ben relaxed and so she relaxed too. Some people clapped but he didn’t acknowledge it. He was always so shy when someone noticed he’d done something impressive. And it was so cute. Maybe she could find a way to sneak him into wherever the Senate had set up her lodgings tonight…

Ben used the Force to push the ruined droid out into the hallway, everyone was milling back to their seats. But something wasn’t right. Ben had answered another comm, and had drawn his saber again, just as a flood of tiny droids that could have fit in the palm of her hand climbed through the hole in the door, heading straight for them.

Everyone panicked except for the few guards they had inside the dining room who sprung into action. And so did she. She reached high up her dress to her deactivator that she kept strapped as high up her thigh as possible. Getting it out was a little undignified but who could care at a time like this? Ben went with the hold them back with the Force strategy, but plenty of the compact droids escaped his hold.

She picked off the breakaways and many of the Senators and aides got behind her too. How was no one prepared for these kinds of things? A Mandalorian was always ready for a fight, even if they didn’t want to hurt anyone.

Anakin arrived with a few clones in blues and yellows, chucking a few grenades in to deactivate the droids. They were everywhere now, and any sense of organization among the civillians had been lost. She found Ben in the fight and he naturally went back to back with her. They’d done this before half a lifetime ago. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel young again or incredibly old.

“Do you always carry a deactivator?” he asked her casually.

“Yes, and you know exactly where I keep it.” she said in what she hoped was a racy tone.

“Don’t hit on me right now, I’m busy.”

“I’m multitasking, why can’t you?”

He replied in a modest tone.

“Because I’m an innocent little Jedi and when you say stuff like that I have to use a lot of brain power to interpret your erotic meaning.”

“You’re so full of shit, you were never that innocent.”

He laughed loud enough to draw attention.

Most of the droids were dealt with now, so he moved away from her toward Anakin. She wished he’d stayed. She knew he couldn’t, but she missed him so much. This is why she’d locked her heart away for a long time. Connection to something you didn’t fully have was distraction. And she wouldn’t have him again until this war was over. But maybe hurting and feeling alive was better than burying it and being cold to everyone..

“Keep one alive.” Ben shouted to Anakin over the shooting lightsaber wooshes.

“Why?!?”

“I have a theory.”

“Gods, this is Geonosis zombie worms all over again! You’re not going to study them!”

“Just do it!” Obi-Wan replied grumpily and Anakin didn’t argue anymore.

She smiled a little to herself as she finally stopped shooting. If he had to be away from her, at least someone was annoying him almost as much as she did.

-

Obi-Wan took the one surviving droid and hovered its angry flailing self under a glass lid on top of a plate as if it would be served with the next course. He was pretty sure no one was hungry anymore, but they hadn’t been allowed to leave the carnage of the dining room yet. He needed to run his experiment even though he was very afraid his hypothesis would be proven as fact.

Anakin had gone back down to the cargo bay to see if there were other crates of the same origin.

Obi-Wan entered the room again, where most were sitting at the table but in a much more informal way.

“I have one last course for you all before you retire.” he was being a bit dramatic but with the way this day had gone he felt it called for it.

Orn Free Taa seemed to be excited about this prospect, but when he pulled the cloth back to reveal the tiny angry droid he proclaimed he had lost his appetite.

“You see, I have a theory. That this dangerous cargo could not have made it on this ship with such esteemed guests without one of their help. One of their approval stamps. But this Death Watch co-conspirator wouldn’t want to run the risk of being killed by his own assassins. So.” he held the droid towards a specific being at the table as he slowly walked around, and it jumped and climbed at them. Ben thought it would have spat and snarled if it could.

“He would have programmed these droids to not attack him. Wouldn’t he. Senator Merrick.” Obi-Wan stopped in front of the Mandalorian Senator. And weirdly, all he could think was Come on Tal. I voted for you. Now I feel like an idiot.

But the droid stopped fighting its captivity and then aimed itself at the being next to Merrick who was further away. Obi-Wan was waiting for the moment to sink in more for everyone at the table but Merrik didn’t seem to have time for that. He stood and stoved the plate and cover hard out of Obi-Wan’s hands, sending the droid skittering into an aide’s lap who screamed and tried to get away as it climbed her clothes. That weird feeling sat in the back of Obi-Wan’s brain, just out of his perception. The one that had happened before he killed those Mandalorians who didn’t need to die. Something that was familiar but he couldn’t remember where he had met it before. The baby assassin droid detoured with a leap onto the table with the goal of getting to Satine.

While Obi-Wan tried to get a hold of the droid - somehow 500 had been easy but one was difficult- Merrik pulled a blaster he must have picked up from a fallen guard and grabbed Satine around the neck, putting the weapon to her head.

The droid got confused because its end goal was next to its master, so it changed direction again to the nearest Senator. The group again ran in every which way in terror, learning nothing from the previous encounter. Obi-Wan knew he had to deal with this droid first and as Merrik backed out the door with Satine that darkness moved from the crevasses of his memory closer and closer to his perception. Closer to taking him over. For a moment - only a moment he’d allow himself- he let it. And Obi-Wan was able to catch the droid with the Force and crush it into a small ball of metal and poison. See it wasn’t so bad. It helped him focus. It got things done.

No, no, no. He knew this presence, he knew it from somewhere he couldn’t remember. And he knew it was evil. It would help, but the consequences would cost more than he was willing to pay.

Normal Obi-Wan would have been off after Satine in a heartbeat. To keep track of her and her captor, surprise him or talk him down or stall until he could get assistance from Anakin. But fighting this overwhelming urge to let the pulse of anger he’d felt when he’d rescued Bail and Mon Mothma, it was taking a lot of his strength. If he hadn’t been stabbed. If he hadn’t passed out…what if he’d turned on Cody or Bail or the Wessex girl? It was too dangerous for everyone around him. Better to wait and get control of it than put the others in more danger.

The other Senators and aides were staring at him. The threat to them gone, but the threat to him still lingering.

With some quick meditation, deep breaths and reminders that he was a Jedi who could be serene in the direst of circumstances, he was finally ready to go. He wondered how much time had actually passed. It couldn’t have been more than a minute or two.

“Anakin, Senator Merrik is the traitor. He’s kidnapped the Duchess and I’ve lost them. I sense they’re heading upward.” he commed Anakin, knowing he needed help. With the situation, and maybe a little with himself. He could remind him who he was.

“Great!” Anakin whispered with fake enthusiasm, “I got problems of my own right now. There’s one more mother assassin droid down here.”

“Well when you get the chance.” Obi-Wan replied with about as much sarcasm and closed the comm starting on the communications floor of the ship. This was the problem with ships that were built tall instead of long. So many decks.

He stepped back into the elevator to go up to the bridge- they’d unexpectedly dropped out of hyperspace, and that could never be good- and he saw Anakin in the lift.

“Bridge?”

“Figures.” Anakin replied. A pause. “You seem more tense than usual.”

“Well it’s kind of a big deal.” he tried to deflect. Anakin’s presence had not worked on that lingering darkness in him.

“Probably a bad time to ask but are you sure you two were never…ya know.”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.” Obi-Wan was losing it. If Anakin pried with one more question he was going to spill it all. And then he’d have to threaten Anakin with his knowledge about his relationship with Padme and that would drive them apart…

Luckily, the ship was suddenly hit by multiple impacts, bringing the conversation to a close.

“Rex, what’s going on?” Anakin immediately commed his Captain.

“We got clankers. Pierced the hull on multiple levels. 2, 17, 56, 122-”

Anakin pressed the 17 on the console.

“I’ll deal with the 17s, they’re closest to the Duchess.”

“Understood, General.” Rex cut off the communication once blaster fire started on his end, apparently very busy with problems of his own.

“I’ll deal with these guys. You go find your girlfriend.”

The elevator door opened and Anakin stepped out.

“Right. Wait, she’s not my-”

The doors closed just as Anakin was forming a smirk and super battle droids were appearing behind him.

Lovely.

The elevator dinged at 2 and Obi-Wan drew his saber before stepping out onto the bridge where Satine stood still held tightly by Merrik, surrounded by bodies of dead crewmen.

“Ah, Kenobi. I’ve been expecting you. Just stay there for a moment.”

Merrik moved past him out of the bridge and down the corridor where the senior crew slept. A ship like the ones the Separatists used to pierce hulls and drop off Super Battle Droids waited at the end, but no enemies were present. It was being used for escape rather than attack.

“You’re under arrest.” He tried to get his normal bravado, that normal Kenobi personality the HoloNet apparently loved. But he was being dragged down.

“Maybe but I don’t think you’ll make good on that. You see I’ve wired this ship’s engines to blow. If I press this button - he made a show of waving the handheld detonator- then we all die.”

Merrik smirked, pleased with himself.

“Don’t risk so many people for me.” Satine begged him, looking at him trying to make eye contact. But he was only half here. He was fighting a battle she could see and one she couldn’t. Obi-Wan could end this faster. With a 100% chance of success. All he had to do was snap Merrik’s neck with the Force. Easy. Obi-Wan followed Merrik as he backed closer to his freedom, making no decisive move. The hallway kept going in a loop. Maybe there would be someone behind the Hull Breecher. Someone who could make more rational decisions that he could right now.

But no one was there. And Merrik stopped at his escape ship. The end of the line.

“Time to go. Say farewell, Duchess.”

Do something. But not that something, he willed. But he felt paralyzed, it had taken over before. It could again.

“Obi. It looks like…like I might never see you again.” Satine stumbled over her words. Something she rarely did, even under pressure. “I don’t know how to say this but-I loved you the moment you came to my aide all those years ago. Well…maybe not that exact moment but soon after.” she corrected herself.

He finally met her eyes while she said her heartfelt goodbye to him. One he realized she meant. And he felt more like himself with every word she said.

“Oh I don’t believe this.” Merrik grumbled.

“This is hardly the time…” he started, but she gave him the ‘do as I say’ look that Merrik could not see. He knew, she just needed to trust his acting skills. “but…Had you said the word I would have left the Jedi Order. For You.”

All of this was true. Things they already knew, but somehow saying them out loud after so long made them real all over again. Obi-Wan could fix this without that power. As long as she was there to be his guiding light.

“How touching. You two make me sick.” Merrik mocked. Satine visibly slumped like she was defeated and the Senator believed it. He looked back to find his footing into the escape craft while she spoke in a hauntingly defeated rasp.

“You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrik.”

And then the girl Obi-Wan knew appeared, stomping on her abductor’s foot, moving her head forward so she didn’t get shot and elbowing him in the ribs while loosening the blaster from his slackened grip. She twisted away and pointed the weapon at her former captor.

“And slugs are so often trod upon.”

Was it weird he really just wanted to pause this whole scene, take her in his arms and kiss her? Sometimes she just did these things that made him forget all the reasons he’d ever been mad at her.

Merrik was only shaken for a moment.

“An interesting twist, but I still win. If I escape without you, I’ll blow up the ship once I’m away. And if you try to kill me, I’ll press this button and we all go down together. But if you shoot me, Duchess, then you’re a hypocrite. All that passivity has meant nothing. You are a fraud. And you Master Kenobi,” the Senator turned to him, “You are no stranger to violence. You could easily save this ship and be a hero to everyone. Well.” Merrik’s eyes turned back to Satine, “almost everyone. So. Who will be the first to be labeled a cold blooded killer. Or will you be too weak to do anything and all go down-”

A blue lightsaber appeared in Merrick’s chest, a look of shock crossed his face and then no emotion would ever cross it again. He fell to the ground dead while Anakin deactivated his lightsaber from behind the Mandalorian Senator, floating the detonator in the air with the Force and flipping his saber hilt before clipping it back into place.

“Anakin…” Obi-Wan exhaled, happy it was over but it really wasn’t the Jedi way to stab someone in the back.

“What?! He was going to blow up the ship! And you two wouldn’t stop doing Old Cinema Drama Hour straight from the classic holos. What was I supposed to do?”

Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber. Satine dropped her weapon.

“Well. He is right, that was some good acting. If you weren’t a Jedi I’d say apply for the theater. But now, back to diplomacy.” she mused as she fixed her hair. She’d lost her headdress somewhere between the dining room and the bridge.

She walked right past him like he wasn’t even there, but ran her finger across his shoulder blades where Anakin couldn’t see.

He let out an internal scream. Do not follow her. Do. NOT.

“Tune in next week to see if the Duchess and the Jedi can resist the pull of love!” Anakin said in his rendition of the being that gave Clone Wars updates on the HoloNet.

“You’re insufferable.” Thank the gods you’re here to distract me.

Obi-Wan pushed Anakin backwards lightly with the Force. Anakin smirked and moved to stand next to Obi-Wan and put his arm around his shoulders.

“Ah, you like it.”

And Obi-Wan found that he did.

Chapter Text

Anakin was tired, but he knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep until he got this ship moving again. He was grateful the entire crew hadn’t been killed on the bridge, the off-duty crew temporarily locked in their rooms in case of depressurization from the Burrower craft.

They certainly weren’t going to be able to fix those kind of hull breaches to be hyperspace worthy, so once they disabled the very real bombs attached to the engines it was sub light power the rest of the way. A 10 minute journey now turned into a 10 hour one.

This was ruining an entire night he could have had with Padme but he was hoping they’d be forced to stick around until this whole Mandalore business was solved. And hopefully it’d take days.

While he and the remaining engineer worked on double sealing the hull breeches, he contemplated just how sure he was that Obi-Wan was fucking married to the Duchess of Mandalore.

He thought back to when they left Obi-Wan and the Duchess and her son were there to meet him. He hadn’t paid attention until he found Ashoka lying flat at the top of the landing ramp.

”What are you doing?”

”Doesn’t that kid look like Obi-Wan? They have almost the same hair color.”

Anakin never flattened himself to the floor so fast, but he missed it. The ramp closed too quickly. And then the kid was wearing a hat when they’d left on the Coronet. But from the way they spoke to each other it didn’t seem like they’d just met two days ago.

And then there was the way he and the Duchess argued like an old married couple. Like he knew all her tricks and she knew his. Kenobi had NEVER been that nervous during a crisis before. And comparatively, today had really just been a mild to moderate Tuesday for them. 80% sure they were married? Maybe 90.

No wonder he’d been so cagey about it for so long. And wow would they have a lot in common if all this was true. Maybe he could finally tell someone about Padme. Someone would finally understand.

And where was Kenobi right now? Anakin smirked to himself. The Duchess wanted to try and get some sleep before her Senate meeting that was now moved to tomorrow. And she wanted him to stay in the common room of her quarters so she felt safer.

Stay in the common room, his ass. 90-95% sure.

-

Satine had gone about her business, back to the other Senators to fill them in on what had happened and to finish lunch. But the only person who was hungry was Orn Free Taa and he was always hungry. The clones and what was left of her security detail reported the ship was free of bugs and bombs.

Now that the stress of today and yesterday were wearing off a bit she was so tired. She hadn’t slept much, wondering what Ben was doing. Wondering what he and the kids were talking about. Wondering if they were telling him how horrible she had been. And probably continued to be.

She was fairly sure she wouldn’t sleep but she told everyone she was retiring for the rest of the journey. She told her guards to rotate out- they were clearly as exhausted from the battle as she was. Satine reassured them one would be enough- she’d asked Jedi Kenobi to stay in her common room as a last layer of defense. She wondered if she should have just said her husband, because they didn’t argue with her like they normally would.

And now Ben was here and they were discussing what had happened, still professional. She’d double locked the door but she just couldn’t drop the act right away. It felt too risky.

But when she did it felt like three years of tears rolled out. He didn’t say or do anything, just stood there and held her while she cried into his chest, clinging to him like some kind of child.

”I’m so sorry for everything I did.”

”We had this conversation already. I know you well enough to know you didn’t mean it. And I’ve made some pretty big mistakes, too.”

”I don’t know why I’m crying.”

”Being held hostage seems like a good reason to me. The list goes on but that one is enough.”

”I’ve been through worse than stupid Merrik. I shouldn’t be crying.” She once again tried to insist to him that she was doing something wrong.

”Would you just let yourself feel your totally justified feelings for once? Don’t explain it, just…let it happen. If you bottle it up it’ll control you.”

”Are you trying to Jedi me right now?” She pulled back from him so she could look at him. He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

”I have no idea what you mean.”

”Oh shut up and take off that armor.” She sniffed.

”What did I just say about feeling our feelings?”

”I want to cry in a more comfortable place, you idiot.” She pushed him away. There was air in the room. She could breathe. Sure, she was wasting it on tears but there was nowhere else to put them.

He pulled off all his armor in a practiced routine, setting it down in a specific order and laying down on the couch, propped up by some pillows. More lounging she supposed. She kicked off her shoes and pulled the annoyingly elaborate skirt she’d chosen to wear because she knew it was another one of his favorites off. Her headdress was already off, lost somewhere, and climbed on top of him, laying down on his chest with her body between his legs.

”Why does everyone betray me?”

”Starting with the heavy hitters, huh? Vizsla, because he a small man who’s been trying to impress his dad even though he’s been dead for what, 15 years? Merrik because he’s an upstart and he saw potential to move up the ladder without having to put in much effort. Me because we have different points of view on how to best protect the System.”

Satine had considered it the deepest betrayal possible in the beginning. But she couldn’t live like this anymore. She could learn to forgive. She already had.

Ben broke the silence that had followed.

“Because maybe I was worried that the boys were almost grown and after that I didn’t have much purpose. Maybe I wanted to be important to the Republic again, I don’t know. I’ve thought about it a lot and at least some of it was selfishness.”

A few more new tears slid down her cheek and onto his tunic.

”Why wouldn’t you be important once the boys are grown?”

”I know you like talking to me about what decisions you’re going to make but…we both know you don’t actually need me. And once Korkie’s off to University…you don’t want your dad’s advice. It’s time to make mistakes. And-“ she felt his chest catch a bit. She wasn’t the only one getting emotional. “Kahl needs me but…maybe you were right he’s done better on his own without me. He’s come really far.”

”Did you get in an argument with either of them?”

”No.”

”Do they miss you?”

”I think so.”

”You think so.” she openly scoffed at how underconfident he was, “Then stop worrying about if you’re needed, and more about if you’re wanted. I don’t know about them, but-“ she couldn’t finish without a sharp inhale of breath before another tear leaked out, “I want you around. All the time, 24/7. It’s better to be wanted than to be needed.”

They both sat in silence for a while, arms wrapped around each other.

”It’s your turn.” Ben finally said.

”I let my sister stay with a cult, possibly against her will. To keep the peace. I never told you because I knew you’d hate me. And look at what happened. Married to Pre Viszla? What if she loves that monster. Worse, what if she doesn’t.”

”I’m sure lots of people would be upset, but you know I have to make those kinds of choices all the time. Like today. If Merrik was smarter. If he’d made it further in his plan, I would have ended up standing there and watching you disappear. Because you were right, I couldn’t let an entire ship blow up and kill hundreds of people. And you couldn’t either.”

”So it’s ok I sacrificed my baby sister.”

”No. But what choice did you have? Really?”

She knew he was right, this was the conclusion she’d come to every time the subject had surfaced in her mind. Every time her and Mar argued about it. But it was nice to hear it from someone else. That she wasn’t crazy, that at least one other person in the galaxy agreed with her.

The beat of his heart in her ear and the warmth of his arms was lulling her to sleep, crying always made her tired. She was awake enough to hear what Ben said next but not enough to respond before she drifted off to sleep.

”When something bad happens, really bad. And I’m worried I won’t be able to fix it…it’s like I become a different person. A darker version I can’t control. And I’m afraid of it.”

For an unexpected sleep, she slept soundly. She even slept through his nightmare of what could have happened if he hadn’t been able to resist the pull of the dark. If her voice hadn’t been there to stop him.

-

Ben was never sure when would be the last time they were able to be themselves so he now treated every goodbye like it would be their last chance. That morning after they’d dressed- and maybe fooled around a bit…It wasn’t HIS fault he couldn’t control himself after so long. They had a long goodbye, almost a competition of who would be the one to initiate the last kiss. Who would give the last piece of information.

Did you know your son is hanging out with your brother? Yes, Mar’s been turning it around. Like he said he would.

Did you know your son is also learning to shoot from my brother? I’m fine with that, but aren’t you mad? Yes, but in the current situation what am I supposed to do to stop him?

Did you know all the clones think I’m constantly having hookups? You? Please, you can flirt but your follow through is abysmal.

Did you know the Deputy Director of Nassade fancies me? Bold. What a fucking idiot. Wait unless.. Ben. Seriously? Ok, ok. But if he does actually ask you…can I eviscerate him? Yes. With words. To be clear.

When I come home we have to go on vacation on Kalevala. You know I hate it there. I know but it could be cathartic.

Same team, no matter what. Same team.

But it came time and the Coronet limped to a landing platform not far from the Senate building as the sun rose in red and orange hues over the planet that was a city.

The Duchess exited with the rest of the Senators and were whisked away to the morning session, there were new developments in the Mandalore issue.

Obi-Wan stood at the bottom of the landing ramp watching the speeder go, the other passengers who just had the ride of their lives milling around him.

“Hey. Especially happy this morning?” Anakin teased, crossing his arms to match Obi-Wan.

”I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

”Sure you don’t. Where to? We could be boring and go to the Temple. Or we could go with Rex and Cody to 79s.”

”It’s 8 in the morning.”

”On this planet. We all had a rough day, man.”

”I see you’ve picked up some of Quinlan’s mannerisms.”

”So?”

Obi-Wan sighed. “Let’s go to the bar.”

Anakin slapped him on the back in encouragement.

-

Satine didn’t have much time to prepare once she was in the Senate building. They’d been waiting for her, but she was ready like she always was. No authoritarian government masquerading as a democracy was going to get one up on her by trying to throw her off balance.

”If the Republic has a presence in the Mandalore system, given our history, many people will then see these Death Watch terrorists as liberators. We do not take kindly to being watched over as if we are children or as a dangerous animal that cannot be reasoned with. No matter your good intentions, it will be seen that way. Death Watch is a real threat, I don’t deny that. But I do deny governmental funding of them and I also deny any Republic assistance.” She paused for effect.

”We have identified many of the leaders of this cult and at least three have been arrested while the others have had their assets frozen. They are not strong enough to destabilize our government.”

”I must interject, Duchess.” The Supreme Chancellor stopped her, “A message was delivered to my staff this morning from Mandalore. From…Deputy Minister Jerec.”

Oh, that was good. Jerec had always been loyal to her, this she was certain. She had always had trouble trusting anyone, even her ministers. Even Prime Minister Almec still was on her ‘trust but with caution’ list. Jerec was one of the few who’d made it into the ‘give 100% honest opinions, no political bullshit’ category.

His face appeared in front of the Supreme Chancellor’s dais and a smaller version in all the pods of every Senator- some offering translation services.

”The actions of our government have once again taken us into a period of civil war. To acknowledge it would be to invite panic in the streets.”

Agreed.

“A civil war on the scale of our previous conflict is more than a mere possibility, it is an eventuality. Death Watch is far stronger than we thought. To combat it effectively we will need Republic assistance.”

Wait, what?

”No, no, this isn’t right. Minister Jerec would never commit such lies to record!” She tried to speak over the recording but she was drowned out. No one was listening to her.

”Our Duchess acts out of pride and rejects the help of offworlders.”

The recording had skipped more than a few times. Something that could be attributed to transmission errors bouncing off communication satélites between Coruscant and Mandalore but the Republic would use Venator signal boosters…it shouldn’t be this choppy. Something was very very wrong.

”Mandalore has always valued its independence over everything. The Duchess will ultimately cause our defeat. Republic intervention will solve our internal problems.”

”Lies. This isn’t right!” She practically screamed over the murmurs echoing through the chamber.

“I will speak with Jerec immediately.” She demanded as she floated her pod closer to the Chancellor. She didn’t care WHAT time it was on Mandalore or wherever he was. Someone was going to wake that man up and he wouldn’t have ears left after she finished berating him.

”I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Deputy Minister Jerec was killed a few hours ago in a Death Watch bombing at the Kryze fortress on Kalevala.”

That house is kriffing cursed she thought to herself - a rather unimportant thought given the situation. She burned at the added accusation that he had died at her house. Burning from the inside like a hyperdrive core about to explode. What was happening?

“Let us ensure his death was not in vain. Let us vote to committing our military might to defending the Mandalorian people.” Palpatine said gently, like a concerned grandfather.

”Defending? I think the word is occupy. An unsanctioned occupation that tramples our right to self-determination.” She could barely contain her rage. She kept her voice as calm as possible, no reason to give them bait to call her a hysterical woman. But how was she supposed to stay relaxed when they were literally ignoring her.

”We wish to save you.” The chancellor did acknowledge her. Oh here comes the stomach-turning Republic savior bullshit that made her skin crawl

“You will turn my system into a military target. Which will bring your war to us, not fix our internal struggles. We do not want you. We will continue to maintain our neutrality.”

”We will put it to a vote tomorrow afternoon.” The Chancellor finalized the conversation and moved on to the next issue on the docket, something about giving the military tribunal more power so they didn’t have to wait for the Senate to judge high ranking officers like Fleet Generals. They could do it themselves. Which sounded like yet another check and balance of the system being removed. But Satine was too angry about her own situation to care about anyone else’s.

She’d go to wherever they’d appointed her to stay and meet the reinforcement of guards that had been sent after the incident on the Coronet and plot her next move. She needed that original recording. She needed to talk to Jerec’s wife or husband or sister or someone who would know why he said the things he did.

”Your Highness, wait.”

She turned ready to spit venom, but she reined in her vitriol when she saw Senator Amidala. They weren’t exactly friends but they certainly weren’t enemies either.

”You knew that man? Who sent the message?”

”Yes. And he would never say such things. But that is not your concern.”

”I…how can I help?”

”With respect, Senator, I think I’ve had more than enough of the Republic’s help for one day. Naboo has been a member world for so long you might not even realize how much your rights are trampled on every day.”

She turned and continued her determined path to her speeder. The further away she got from Amidala, the more she wondered if all the betrayals she had suffered over the years were steering her towards destruction. She was powerful enough to fix her own problems. And anyone who tried to help, well she ran them off.

Had she not just learned her lesson with Ben? And unlearned it with Merrik and Vizsla and Jerec…

She stepped into the speeder and continued her pondering while they flew until the engines gave a great rattle and they drifted to the left.

”What’s wrong?” She asked her driver.

”The engine’s power is sporadic and…and the navigation is out.” He was clearly busy fighting to keep the speeder stable. “You’re going to have to jump. I don’t think I can slow down.”

They lurched once again, slowing down significantly before shooting forward again.

”There’s a platform ahead.” The driver called out, her guards already planning their strategy. All this for her. She’d been shadowed by guards and attempts on her life when she was younger but…all these people who had to change their lives for her. Who died for her. Maybe her and Ben should have run away like they talked about when they were stuck on Draboon. Sleeping in the hammocks to keep away from the vemon-mites, and sleeping in the same hammock because they knew Qui-Gon wouldn’t be back for two days. Pointing out star systems they knew from this viewpoint of the galaxy. Talking about what kind of careers they could choose on each planet.

One of the guards wrapped himself around her to prepare her for the jump. She realized it was Ruus, Ben’s friend. It was hard to tell them all apart with their helmets until you got up close. At least she knew he could be trusted and wouldn’t chuck her into the abyss of Coruscant, lost to the pitch black lower levels.

Poor Ruus landed quite hard on the platform their driver- she wished she remembered his name, she’d definitely met him a couple of times- had aimed for. They’d been losing altitude as well, and she saw him try to signal the traffic droids for help. She saw the little droids blare their sirens, try to stop oncoming traffic to let the rogue ship pass but not in time. A larger freight mover couldn’t slow down in time. And after the collision there was little left of what was her speeder to fall downward to the lower levels.

She stayed sitting, as she was instructed, watching the security droids and a few organic officers arrive through the gaps in her guards legs as they waited for rescue. And she was a child again, hiding behind guards legs while a firefight erupted, being carried like she was a valuable sack of potatoes, as if she couldn’t run herself. Maybe she had been frozen as she felt now. She didn’t remember much of her parents’ assassination. This was bringing too much of it back so she tried to focus on her own sleeve. The perfect, even stitching. It felt like hours, but it was probably only a few minutes before another ship pulled up this one much faster and flanked with two swoop bikes, both people in plain clothes and armed to the teeth if you looked close enough.

They drove around for a while, her lodging was being changed in case that was sabotaged as well. By the time they got where they were going she was over the shock and back into a feverish rage. Those Nassade agents had worked quickly and tracked the speeder back to a garage where they pulled security cam footage and saw a man in Mandalorian armor, Death Watch signet on his shoulder, paying the attendant to take the speeder out for a spin when it was specifically reserved for Mandalorian dignitaries.

Chapter Text

Korkie knelt, head and shoulders above the stack of sandbags arranged into a line to provide cover. Lagos was next to him, holding a blaster with one hand, trying to work on her aim now that she had been taught the basics and was doing well on 2 handed shots.

The holograms of cans refreshed and she aimed. He watched the cans but after the first shot he watched her. For uh…blaster practice purposes. There was so much that he loved about her. She never let him get away with anything just because he was royalty. And she was beautiful in her short shorts and tucked in tank top perfect for the weather. When he did something stupid she was always on his side. Until they were in private and then she’d tell him he was a fool. If she wanted to go out dancing again like they had on Interschool night, he definitely wouldn’t say no to having an excuse to be that close to her again. Was that weird? Maybe it was weird. But she hadn’t totally shunned him over their last kiss. She was here, right? At super secret blaster practice. That meant she liked him. Or maybe it was the way it had always been and they were friends.

“Are you going to say something or just keep staring at me?” she questioned hardly.

“Oh, I was…just watching for your breathing. Mar says that’s important.”

She raised an eyebrow, then grabbed his face by his chin and turned his head so he could see the cans. Or where the cans should be. All were gone.

“Aaaaand you did an amazing job, good breathing.”

Way to go, idiot.

She let go of his chin, stood up and slapped him on the back.

“You gonna help me move it further away or what?”

He followed her like an obedient servant, hoisting one side of the console and moving it another 10 feet. When he set it down, he dusted off his hands and shielded his eyes from the blinding sun to look at Mar and Valsi, sitting on a makeshift bench crafted out of old storage containers. They were protected from the sun by an old cloth overhang, much larger than the one that was over their sandbag fort. Outside of the domes sunburns came fast. They were lucky it wasn’t a windy day.

Mar was straight up sleeping, arms limply crossed, head lolled back in an inelegant manner and mouth wide open. Mar had been up all night listening to all the activity on various comms channels concerning all of Death Watch’s attempts on Mom’s life while on her journey to Coruscant. Mar had messaged him like seven times that night saying to call him when Korkie woke up, but he hadn’t checked his messages right away. A knock at the door while he was making himself breakfast, a skill he’d finally mastered, scared the living daylights out of him.

Mar had wanted to be the one to tell him. And give the details that his dad was fine too, since whomever came to inform him wouldn’t find that information to be relevant to him.

And then all the sudden Nassade’s Deputy Director was in his house reciting the series of events in slightly less detail than Mar had, urging him that this new development called for Korkie to change up his schedule. Just in case.

He’d suggested a trip to visit Kahl on Krownest, but he didn’t want to do that. Something was going on with Kahl. The Wrens already had a few extra guards staying at their house. If Mar and Lagos and Valsi came with, Korkie’s new entourage might upset him even more. Kahl had always been sensitive to groups of people he didn’t know well.

When the Deputy suggested the fortress on Kalevala Mar immediately shot it down. His words still stuck with Korkie. Something he knew he’d never ask his mother about and something he would never forget.

‘I know you’re a little young to remember Rookie, but let's not make the same mistake twice.’

Dad had taken them to the castle a few times and it was fucking cool. He didn’t understand why it stood empty for years on end. Waiting for him to explore it with Kahl and Dad. He loved the high walls and ornate paintings of battles fought long ago. But Korkie knew now that he was older why they didn’t stay at the fortress when his mother was traveling with them. Her parents had been assassinated there and she hated going back. And apparently Mar did too.

Deputy Reeves hadn’t seemed to have thought of that and he looked a little shocked and embarrassed.

Mar said he would take Korkie somewhere no one would find him. Reeves protested, but Korkie agreed with Mar and there was very little the man could do about it. He left dispirited.

And now they were out here with Lagos and Valsi doing some target practice. With his supposed protector openly snoring, Valsi’s legs draped across his lap with her nose in a datapad.

“Do you think there’s something strange about them?” Lagos asked, covering her eyes as well.

“Which part? There’s a lot of strange about them. And my parents. And your parents.”

“I mean like they love each other. But…it’s complicated. Like us.”

They looked totally normal to him. That was something his parents would do when they were on vacation. Though his mother would never wear a giant sun hat like Valsi had.

While he didn’t agree with her based only on a glance at a tableau of one afternoon, she wasn’t wrong either.

“Yeah I’m preeeetty confident that they’re both cheating on each other.” he admitted. It was nice to have someone to tell.

“Well holy shit ok, I guess I was more right than I thought.” she stopped looking at them and headed back to the shade.

“Wait, what do you mean…like us.” Korkie followed again, realizing he should’ve processed that earlier.

“I mean…it’s complicated.” she said simply, clearly not wanting to elaborate.

Was that complicated good or complicated bad? Should he ask? When did talking to her become so difficult?

He just shut up rather than say something foolish and watched her do all her safety checks with the blaster before she got ready. She stood this time, something she hadn’t practiced one handed yet.

Korkie adjusted her elbow without really thinking, as Mar had roughly done to him so many times. But when she turned to look at him their faces were so close. He let out a breath but forgot to take another. And suddenly he was breathing her, his lips on hers, their blaster lessons forgotten. She slowly lowered the blaster then threw it over the sandbags grabbing his neck like she had the first time, deepening the kiss.

All that complicated stuff he’d been thinking about before fell away. It was nice here. He’d missed this easy overwhelming feeling he hadn’t felt since before his life fell apart. But this was different. Korkie thought he knew everything there was to know about Lagos, but they were both discovering something new and exciting right now.

He’d always heard there were fireworks or butterflies, but sounds of an approaching speeder that was probably weird right? Not very sexy.

Lagos pulled away suddenly when everyone else seemed to be moving around him. Mar was setting down the binocs and Valsi stood, gathering her things in no hurry.

She turned a little red, and he was still a bit confused what was happening, coming off his high.

“I wonder who it is.” Lagos said simply and went to go stand next to Valsi who was waving to the newcomer.

Jynna, still dressed in her formal justice department outfit, stepped off the swoop bike, raising her goggles which demonstrated just how dusty she’d gotten on the ride from Sundari.

“We have problems.” Jynna announced to the crew as they all gathered. She glanced at Korkie, a little wary of him, he thought.

“What now?” Mar rasped, coughing in fits.

“That’s why I told you to wear a mask if you were going to fall asleep.” Valsi interjected before Jynna could answer him and he waved her off annoyed but still coughing.

“Deputy Minister Jerec sent a message to Coruscant to reinforce the Duchess’s argument.”

“That sounds like a good thing.” Valsi did the talking for Mar while he guzzled some water.

“It would be. But the holovid played for the Senate sounded like he wants Republic invasion. It had to have been altered. They vote tomorrow morning.”

“Where is he?” Mar croaked angrily.

“Second problem. He’s fucking dead.” Jynna crossed her arms. “At the Kryze fortress on Kalevala. And two others. Luckily, less important.”

“I fucking told that idiot it was in indefensible position.”

“Told who?”

“Rookie.”

“Why are you so mean to him, Mar. Get over it. Reeves is good at his job. He advised against it but his boss overruled him. Boss was upset Reeves let you take Korkie, too. Saw that paperwork come through my office this morning.” Jynna said matter of factly.

“For the leader of the secret service he’s so incredibly obvious it hurts.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t trust them to get anything done right now if I were you. Once the immediate crisis is over we’ll have to investigate Director Ordo.”

“So wait, the head of Nassade is on Death Watch’s side? And somehow the Republic got a message that we actually want to be invaded?” Lagos asked.

Jynna didn’t seem overly surprised at her presence, Dad had allowed him to bring her as a playmate so he and Jynna could have lunch in peace without Korkie constantly interrupting. But she did stiffen a bit, realizing maybe not everyone in this group should hear everything. Korkie hadn’t really figured out a way to tell her his dad and Obi-Wan Kenobi were the same person. So maybe it was best that little wall stayed up.

“Easy, get a warrant for Jerec’s personal records, resend the original recording or we courrier it to Coruscant ourselves.” Valsi suggested.

“Not easy. Getting the records of a dead man is significantly more difficult than the records of an alive man.”

“What?” Mar responded, confused.

“He’s not around to defend himself or appoint a defense to shield his privacy, and even if we did an emergency order through the higher court-” she cut herself off, “It’s just not going to happen before tomorrow, ok? Too complicated.”

“Then we steal it.”

“Hell Mar, you really are stupid. You know how many security force members are going to be investigating a bombing and all communications leading up to it? Best hacker in the world couldn’t get it without being discovered.” Jynna rolled her eyes.

“We’re sure Jerec would never say what he said? He’s not another secret Death Watch guy?” Korkie asked. He was sure he’d met Jerec but he hadn’t left a strong impression on him.

“Yes, from how he’s acted publicly. And Jerec couldn’t lie to save his life.” Valsi confirmed.

“How would you know?” Mar asked.

“Ah, ah. Doctor stuff. Patient confidentiality.” she wagged a finger at him, “But he tried to lie to me about something and it was. SO bad. It wasn’t even that embarrassing either.” she shrugged.

Jynna closed her eyes and shook her head, disturbed by whatever her brain had dreamed up.

“Ok, if it wasn’t altered before it was sent, it would be in the Senate archives right? We could have someone…look at it?” Korkie suggested, his thought falling a little flat at the end.

“But how would we know if it was altered before or after it arrived?” Lagos asked, 100% into whatever this was. Damage control group? Make sure we don’t get occupied and actually start a war group?

Everyone was silent, thinking about how to prove something they weren’t even sure was true. What if Jerec had been tortured into saying the exact statements he said to the Senate?

Mar sighed. “I know someone.”

“Oh, Man’dalor the Uniter please tell me it isn’t one of your crazy ex girlfriends.” Valsi sighed too, an angrier one than Mar’s.

Lagos glanced over at him trying to betray no emotion to anyone except him. Um I guess everyone just knows about this her eyes telegraphed over. He was honestly just as surprised. But Mar knew about Valsi’s affair, maybe they were…swingers? Was that the word?

“She’s not crazy.” he defended.

“She dated you. She’s crazy.” Jynna sassed. Mar glared. “But I can’t think of anyone else. So I guess crazy ex-girlfriend is the best we got.”

He went back to the crates and grabbed his datapad, took a deep breath then started typing.

“You’re not going to call her?” Jynna cut at him again. And Valsi gave her a mournful look.

“Lay off.” she said simply and Jynna listened.

Korkie furrowed his brow at Lagos and she gave the smallest shrug in their non-verbal conversation.

Mar finished his message and set the pad down, acting like it had been a Herculean task, running his hand through his short hair.

“Let’s run under the assumption she agrees to meet. And that the broadcast to the Senate was edited. Then what?” he asked.

“Like Korkie said. The Senate communications would have a copy and so would Republic Intelligence. RI runs a pretty tight ship from what I’ve heard so Senate would be easier.”

“Easier for what?” Lagos asked.

“To break in to.” Korkie finished.

“My god, you’ve turned him into a criminal.” Jynna said despondently. Valsi shot her a look again and Jynna held her hands out, confused at how else she was supposed to act.

“He’s right though. If it was altered before it was sent we’re screwed. If it was altered after it was received we have a chance. And clearly the Senate can’t be trusted to fix it since they let an altered copy through the first time.” Valsi agreed.

Mar’s device dinged and he picked it up a little too quickly. Because he knew they were on a timetable to stop an imminent vote for Republic intervention? Or because he really wanted to talk to this girl.

“She agreed to meet. In a couple hours at Vlemoth. She’ll be able to look at the feed of what the Senate saw and tell us if it was altered. From there I can head to Coruscant and I’ll…figure it out from there” Mar finished his plan as lamely as Korkie had finished his idea about the Senate archive.

“Take the swoop. It’ll get you back to town faster. We’ll take the kids back.” Jynna offered.

“Wait, I want to go, too.” Korkie piped up.

The reaction was the same from everyone.

“No.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Korkie…” Lagos grabbed his forearm and he looked to her. She was confused. She thought he’d had about the same training she was getting now.

“It’s alright, Mar and I have gone on other missions before.”

“But not like this.” Valsi objected.

“You let him go on the pirate mission.” Mar volunteered.

“That was different.”

“Doesn’t seem that different to me.” he shrugged but offered no more resistance.

“If there’s something we can do to stop the Republic from voting for invasion, then I have to do something. We can’t trust anyone else, there are too many traitors within the people who are supposed to provide security.”

He didn’t have to check on Mar’s response; he knew he was on his side already. As Valsi started her protest, he noticed a shift in Jynna.

“Mar shouldn’t have to go alone. I’ll just be back up like always.” he shut down Valsi. “Jynna? What do you think.”

“I think you’re exactly like your father.” She shook her head, her eyes sad. But it seemed like a compliment.

“I say let him go.” she relented.

“Jynna.” Valsi gasped at her. Lagos also seemed equally upset that the adults were allowing this.

“He’s already made up his mind, the only question here is if we help him or make him sneak around and get in more trouble.”

“Well that’s settled.” Mar grabbed the rest of his things and shoved his pack into the side pouch of the swoop bike. “I’ll call after our meeting at Vlemoth. You ready, Kork?”

Valsi was still attempting to formulate a counter argument and he couldn’t tell who she was angrier with, Mar or Jynna. Lagos gripped his arm tighter, not letting go.

“You’ll be ok?” she asked, concerned.

“Yeah. It’ll be fine, I’ll be with Mar.”

When had the safest place he could think of switched from I’ll be with Dad to I’ll be with Mar. No, no time to think about that now. Seeing Dad again had brought it all back again, the missing and the wanting that had ebbed away with time.

He vaguely heard Jynna lecturing Mar on making sure he didn’t go too fast on her swoop and getting a traffic ticket when they got to town.

“Ok.” Lagos hesitated for a moment then gave him a giant hug. One of the ones only she could give. He hoped he gave that same kind of energy back to her. Korkie backed away waving to her, then Jynna and Valsi. He got on the swoop behind Mar, holding onto him as they sped off.

Chapter Text

“So no charges will be filed?” Satine growled at the Chancellor in his office, with Mas Amedda standing at his side.

”There is no proof of sabotage.”

”I literally handed you the vid proof of sabotage. And with a few hours work using the city’s traffic cameras and droids we can track them until we find identifying markers.”

She left off the you fucking idiot, but it was implied.

“I agree there is proof.” Mas Amedda spoke up, “This is proof that Death Watch is out of control. And you can’t keep them reined in. Obviously. So we will.”

”That is patently offensive. You can’t do this.”

”It is up to the Senate now. There’s one thing that could potentially sway them but…” he paused for dramatic effect, she assumed, “no, you would never sacrifice such a thing for your people, you are too committed to your own ideals.”

She immediately knew exactly what he was saying. He wanted beskar. He wanted her to give them one of the strongest materials in the known galaxy to shape into weapons and armor so they could go on killing. New beskar hadn’t left the system since a few months before the war kicked off and she was planning to keep it that way. Did he think she was an idiot? Desperate enough to cave to his blackmail for not even a true promise to stay away from her System? And if she did agree she was sure he’d expose her for paying bribes, under the table deals, something.

Sheev Palpatine had been Supreme Chancellor for most of her reign and he’d always been difficult to deal with. But he’d never been this bold. He seemed to think he was a god now. And maybe he was. He’d slowly been siphoning so much power from various branches that maybe no one could stop him anymore.

”I don’t know what you’re suggesting and I certainly wouldn’t engage in it even if I did.” She stood. She was going to find a way to get the original copy of the message from Jerec. Very few had succeeded in threatening her and she was not going to allow that number to go up any higher.

-

Obi-Wan tried not to fidget, waiting outside the Chancellor’s office. She was going to be so pissed, and he would be the first person she saw that she could take it out on. But better him, who knew she didn’t mean it, than some poor random half-ally. He could get her back onto a problem solving train of thought rather than a vengeful one.

Satine exited the Chancellor’s office so quickly he practically missed her and had to run after her.

”Sa-Duchess.”

She must have recognized his voice because she slowed down and didn’t yell at him. He was actually a bit impressed, given the circumstances. He felt like he had a nest of hornets in his chest. He couldn’t imagine how she felt.

”If you…You know I’m on your side. We can make a plan.”

”I know, but with such a short time before the vote I don’t know if we’ll make it.”

”What?” He was confused.

”What?” She finally stopped and looked at him, also confused.

”The Senate just voted…didn’t anyone tell you?”

”What.” Her voice was so even, so dark. He hadn’t heard it in a long time. Did she really not know? Was that not what she was doing in Palpatine’s office?

”They voted for occupation. Troops move out at sunrise…”

“Haar’chak!”

’That criminal’, she said. Which had a lot worse meaning than what it translated to in Basic, and a lot of other insults he wasn’t even sure he fully understood came out of her in a whisper through gritted teeth. He glanced at her guards and even they looked a little surprised.

Obi-Wan didn’t really have any words of comfort for her, especially since he hadn’t mentioned that it was his battalion that would be doing the occupying. But she cut herself short when she saw someone approaching. Senator Amidala was here, hopefully not weighed down with more bad news for them. She looked different. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe she was less stressed than the last time they’d spoken. Or more stressed.

”Your Highness, I’m sorry you did not get the result you were hoping for.”

”Yes, please send a condolence card when my home world is wiped from the map as a civilized nation after you and the Confederacy are done with it. Assuming I am alive to read it.”

Padme definitely heard Satine but she didn’t miss a beat, continuing the conversation. She must hear things like that every day.

”I have an idea. I…we should go somewhere to talk. Privately.”

Obi-Wan had always taken Amidala to be a decent Senator he could support, and steer Satine towards. But he wondered if she would be sticking her neck out this far for someone who clearly didn’t want her help if he wasn’t mildly involved in their…whatever underground endeavers her and Bail were doing.

Satine thought a moment and then looked to him. She didn’t need his approval but…she wanted his opinion. So she could feel secure in her decision, she always said.

I am the most powerful woman in the entire system, but…sometimes I just want to ask someone’s permission. To make sure I’m not going mad and flying us all straight into a black hole.

He gave the same non-committal reaction he always did, which actually meant ‘yes definitely go for it’.

”Fine, but I choose the location. I won’t have anyone listening in or attempting to assassinate me again.”

”I understand.” Padme said simply and waited for her to tell her more.

Satine again gave him a nearly imperceptible glance.

Oh this was his job now??

”I have an idea, but I don’t know if either of you two will like it.”

-

Korkie and Mar didn’t speak at all on the bike ride back. Mar was going pretty fast and it was too windy to hear anything anyway. He had to keep his eyes closed or squinted to keep the sand out. They made a quick pit stop at Mar’s place.

He went in quickly, straight to a bedroom that looked quite girly and then a strongbox.

“How much do you have on you?”

“What?” Korkie asked.

“Credits, how many credits.”

“Oh.” He dug in his pocket. “50.”

“You’re the poorest rich person I know.”

“I don’t carry it WITH me.” Korkie protested. “And it’s not mine anyway, jeez.”

“Can you withdraw 1,000 right now? Before we leave planet?”

“Are you asking me for a loan?”

“Yeah, I have to pay her for looking at the holo somehow, don’t I?”

“Why don’t you just take money out?”

“I’m on a stipend.”

Korkie screwed up his face at him, holding his hands out in confusion.

“Your mother doesn’t trust me with the bank account anymore.”

“Probably for this exact reason.” Korkie sniped.

“I didn’t say she was wrong. Are you gonna do it or what?” He pulled two cases out of the safe, which Korkie thought probably contained way more than 1,000.

“I think she’ll notice 1,000.”

“She didn’t notice you almost failed your Navigation final for school. I doubt she’ll miss 1,000.”

“How do you know about that?!” Nobody knew about that….

“I know things. I could tell her.” Mar lightly threatened while he closed the safe. Korkie knew he didn’t mean it because that would get him in trouble as well, but he did have a point. Korkie pulled out his datapad and wired in the credits.

“Ok, can we go now?”

“Yes.”

They were silent again on the ride to the ship, mostly because Korkie was a little afraid of Mar’s driving and knew that he was definitely going to get a ticket on Jynna’s bike. This was kind of an emergency though. He let the nerves wear off while he pulled their armor out of the super secret compartment and Mar set course for Vlemoth Port.

Korkie was halfway through slipping on his armor weave when a revelation dawned on him.

“Why was only one side of the bed slept in in your bedroom?”

“Dank farrik, Korkie. Sometimes you are so smart and other times you are so stupid I don’t know how you got this far in life.”

Um, ouch. Unnecessary.

“Valsi and I aren’t a thing. We’ve never been a thing. Ok that’s not true, we were a thing for a few months. But she’s gay. She’s with Jynna.” He exasperated.

“Huh?” Ok, his grunt of a response did warrant the label stupid but…what?

“We dated when we were like…16? For a few months until she told me she was a lesbian and then we just kind of…put on a show in front of people. Like we were still dating. It’s a long story but it was easier that way. We got married because it was mutually beneficial. She does what she wants, I do what I want. We’re friends. We live in the same house. We cover for each other. That’s it.”

He thought back to how unsurprised Mar was about him seeing Vianna and Jynna together. When he made Jynna do…whatever covert work he had asked her to do, and they were tense with each other. When Mar hadn’t given a single shit about him threatening to tell Valsi about that random girl on Vlemoth. How openly they’d just talked about his exes an hour ago.

“Oh.”

“I was trying to keep you away from the house because I wanted to protect all our secrets but Val just kept insisting so it’s not my fucking fault. She clearly doesn’t care if you know and I’m sick of dancing around it.”

“So that was her bedroom.”

“Of course. Do you think I’d allow her to paint flowers on the wall? I’d feel like I was in a mental asylum if I had to look at that every night as I fell asleep.”

“So I was right, you guys are swingers.” he nodded, smirking to himself a bit.

“What?!” it was Mar’s turn to look confused.

“You know, where you can sleep with whoever you want.”

“That’s an open marriage you idiot, swingers is when you trade spouses.” he made a face, clearly grossed out by it.

“That’s kinda the same thing.” Korkie countered.

“No it’s not. And we’re neither since we aren’t together to begin with. Back in the day we called it being someone’s beard.”

Korkie didn’t really know what to say back. He knew other places around the galaxy weren’t as free as others and that some of the outer worlds of Mandalorian space were much more conservative. But this seemed like a lot of time and effort to conceal something that really shouldn’t matter all that much.

“Does that clear everything up?” Mar asked, distracted with preparations.

“No, I have more questions than I did before. Why are you still doing it when it doesn’t matter anymore?”

“Sharing time is over. Ask Valsi, she’ll looooove to answer all your questions. After all, this is all her fault.”

What a killjoy. But maybe Valsi would spill a lot more details than Mar ever did…

The exiting hyperspace alarm sounded quietly and he finished pulling on his gunbelt. Mar let Korkie pick the landing zone and set the ship down with the autopilot computer on to correct him if he made a mistake. Korkie assumed it was to shut him up. If he was busy landing the ship he couldn’t think of more questions.

“Who’s this lady we’re meeting?” he asked as they walked down the ramp, slipping on his helmet.

“She’s a humanitarian smuggler, really good with tech and slicing.” Mar hadn’t even bothered with any armor since everyone knew him here. He had hidden a few knives on his person though.

“How the hell are you a humanitarian and a smuggler at the same time?”

“She moves supplies to blockaded regions so people can eat food, get meds. Moves refugees out of warzones. All that nice people shit.”

“And she dated you?”

“Why does everyone act like I’m such a bad guy?!” Mar asked incredulously.

-

Both Padme and Satine had enough security to make their secret rendezvous more of a caravan, but Coruscant had too many people doing too many strange things at any given moment for anyone to notice.

Padme had convened with Mon and Bail after the first encounter she’d had with Duchess Kryze and they all agreed. Something was very wrong here. And it again involved Mandalorians or rogue Mandalorians. And while all 3 of them wished for Mandalore’s support, Mandalore’s beskar, Mandalore’s soldiers- so fine their entire clone army was modeled after one Mandalorian man- she didn’t want the System to be forced into joining their cause.

And what cause was it, really, at this point? The 3 of them were trying to destroy the current system too, just for different reasons than the CIS.

So they would try to help the Duchess. And Obi-Wan. She hated to think it, but this crisis was a welcome distraction from her own crises. She was pregnant. She and Anakin were going to have a child. And it was so incredibly exciting and terrifying that she never relaxed anymore. It was one extreme or the other in her mind. She would finally stop having to feed her want for children with visits to her nieces. Her handmaidens and her parents would probably get into fights over whose turn it was to watch the child…children..the twins thing was still something she hadn’t fully come to terms with yet. These two would want for nothing and be loved wholly by her circle. But, how did she answer the question of who the father was? How would he take the news? If he was excited and stayed around, how would they keep the children from telling people about Anakin? Would they have to lie to them until they were old enough to keep secrets? What if they had the Force. Was the Force genetic? Who knew, Jedi weren’t supposed to have children. And if they did, they didn’t have a relationship with them. So how would they ever know if they had passed it on?

Padme stopped her mental spiral when she deduced where they were going. Dex’s. Of course, they were both trained by the same person, they’d both have the same friends and horrible taste in food apparently. She really hoped the smell didn’t make her nauseous. Great, something else to worry about.

The backroom/kitchen was very crowded with one of her guards and one of Satine’s keeping watch on the front while they huddled to talk things over with Dex nervously glancing at her. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to acknowledge that he knew her, she supposed. It was actually quite sweet of him to still attempt to keep Anakin’s secrets and help Obi-Wan and absorb the fact that Obi-Wan had married the Duchess of Mandalore and keep orders moving out of the kitchen at the same time. At least someone else’s juggling act was as complicated as hers for once.

“I think that’s everything.” Obi-Wan said, drawing her back to the matter at hand. Now everyone knew everything. Well. Close to everything.

“I have a few contacts in Republic Intelligence who are monitoring things as best they can. After the recording was played for the Senate, we received word that one of them had information for us. He also just happens to be Mandalorian, so the odds are good he’s a loyalist and wants to help us help you. I have a time and place if you want to send one of your agents.”

“I’ll meet him myself.” Satine didn’t hesitate.

“Hun.” Obi-Wan immediately interjected.

“Don’t hun me. We don’t know how far Death Watch have infiltrated into our ranks. What if the Nassade we send isn’t on our side?”

“I could go.”

“Right, it’s not like everyone in the galaxy knows who you are or anything.”

“You were literally on the HoloNet this morning.” Obi-Wan countered.

“Nobody watches the Senate channel. Come on, Ben. I’ll wear a disguise.”

“Fine. But I’m going, too.”

“I refer back to my previous point.” Satine retorted exasperated.

“I’ll wear a disguise.” Padme saw Obi-Wan’s triumphant smirk and she saw into her future. This little vignette of people in similar positions who had made it work and were completely comfortable with each other. Two strong wills crashing together and instead of trying to win, twisting together to become more powerful. Maybe everything wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be worth it. She couldn’t wait to be there.

“Once you finish your meeting you can regroup at my apartment, if you trust me now. You know how to get in, Obi-Wan.” Padme offered. They didn’t need this neutral greasy ground anymore.

Satine looked at him expectantly, eyebrows up. He shrugged sheepishly. She lightly smacked his chest.

“Maybe you are better at the follow through than I thought.”

“You have to stop underestimating me.” he teased back. “Ooo, thanks Dex!” Obi-Wan took a takeout bag filled with food and they exited. “For everything.”

“Next time come for a social visit, not to plan crimes.”

“Can’t promise that, but I’ll try.”

Padme was not offered a bag, which she had mixed feelings about. Sure the environment was making her queasy but…well she really wanted a ronto burger. She needed to make a few stops before she headed home for the evening, she’d have to pick one up somewhere else. She gave Dex a small smile when she didn’t think the others were paying attention and he raised one of his lower arms in a wave.

Once she told Anakin the news they could visit Dex. He’d be over the moon with excitement. Next time.

Chapter Text

Once they were away from the restaurant Satine started the inevitable argument with her security team, of course they didn’t want her to do this handoff with some stranger. And certainly not alone. The point that the Jedi would be with her was a little less impressive as he chowed down on a burger dripping juices into its paper wrapper, but she got her way eventually.

She changed into the plainest thing she had with her and Ben removed a few layers of tunic so he was down to a much simpler look.

Now she loitered around the entrance to the alleyway, the large pin that marked her as the informant’s contact securely on the outside of her maroon cloak. Ben was waiting in the alley, concealed behind some heating equipment and making sure no one else was setting up in the alleyway to ambush them.

Satine spotted the man before he spotted her even though he wasn’t wearing the same kind of marker. But she could see his blonde hair under his hat and he had an Iron Heart design on his tunic. A Mandalorian at heart, even if he worked for the Republic.

She turned into the alleyway as he approached and they met further in.

“I know it’s not exactly what you were looking for but…this is worth it. Someone is doctoring evidence to push my homeworld into the war and you have to do something about it. I’ll owe you one, I don’t care.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary. We want the same thing.” she replied, lifting her hood enough that he could see her face. He was visibly shocked, unsure of what to do with himself.

“I didn’t expect to see- Your Highness.” he bowed.

“I appreciate your loyalty to your home ah-”

“Davu, Duchess.”

“Davu. What have you discovered?”

“It’s the full recording from Jerec. Where he urges the Senate to stay out-”

Satine wasn’t sure what order things happened in next. She was thrown several feet back into the wall, still on her feet. There was a blaster shot and a welp of surprise, a lightsaber drawn and then more blasterfire.

She pulled her deactivator out of her cloak, not that it would be all that much help. Ben was already bouncing off the alleyway walls up to the sniper, leaving her standing there as a police droid descended onto the scene. Her standing over a dead body holding a blaster. Its red and blue lights started to rotate, the siren for more assistance blaring.

Great, just great.

She shot the droid, and it fell to the ground, deactivated. She knelt down and started searching Davu’s pockets. She felt a little disgusted with herself for looting a corpse but she needed that recording. He’d died for this, he’d want her to have it.

The police droids with more than one circuit arrived, sprinting towards her telling her to freeze. She ran, leaving without what she’d come for. Now what? Where was Ben when she needed him.

She ran a few more blocks before someone grabbed her and she shrieked in surprise as they tumbled over the railing down, down, down multiple levels of Corucsant’s skyscraper city.

-

The sun was just peaking over the horizon but the bar they’d been to last time was still open and there were plenty of patrons sitting in the booths and lurking in the shadowy corners. Mar sat at the bar and ordered a drink from an old man missing a large chunk of flesh from his chin. Korkie sat next to him, waving off the bartender. He figured he was supposed to keep to his no talking, helmet on rules.

He felt the questions buzzing in him like a hive of bees and sitting still at this bar, not talking, not moving, not nothing was making them invade his body from his brain. He bounced his leg and tried to focus on watching the fight on the holoscreen above the bar. Maybe his mother’s attitude towards violence had rubbed off on him a bit, he didn’t really understand fighting for fighting's sake. It was incredibly boring to watch.

“Mar?”

His uncle turned on his barstool, smirk already forming to greet this weird ex-girlfriend of his when a fist came flying at Mar’s face from a woman with smaller blonde braids funneling into a larger one that whipped across her shoulder as she followed through with her blow. Mar fell off his stool, even sliding a few feet back as he tried to catch himself. He was up into a crouch quickly while the woman shook her hand out, her eyes darting to Korkie. She looked like a woman possessed by a demon, one that would not rest until she got what she wanted and Korkie very much did not want to get in her way. He held up his hands, he knew he had a helmet on but he really didn’t want her to punch him, too.

“Lada?” Mar chanced, squinting at her as if trying to place her.

“So you do remember me. Good. I wondered if I was just one in a long line of people you fucked over. That means I don’t have to remind you of what you did to deserve death.”

Mar stood up, still in a defensive position, hands loose but ready.

“Look, that was a long time ago, maybe we could-”

“Maybe we could what, Aleksander? Or Nikolai. Or Iviin. Or Mar. Whatever you’re calling yourself these days. Maybe we could WHAT?” she snarled and picked up Mar’s beer, smashing the bottle in half holding what was left out in front of her.

“If you’re gonna fight, take it outside.” the bartender said. Like this was the least exciting altercation he had seen in years.

“Hey lady, what’s his charge?” another Mandalorian sitting at the bar asked. He had armor too and he was probably bigger than Mar and Korkie put together.

Mar looked legitimately worried about the situation and he started walking backwards to the entrance, making sure he didn’t take his eyes off of her.

“He killed my brother.” she growled, “And I don’t need any help getting my revenge.”

Mar ran. He turned and full on ran. And she followed, a shriek of rage fading into the distance as they left the building.

Korkie knew he definitely would have ran if it was him. But Mar? Mar was…Mar. He always seemed ready to fight anyone at any time. Either with a derogatory comment or fists. Korkie couldn’t believe he was running from an unarmored and barely armed woman.

The man who had inquired about her reasoning shrugged and went back to his drink then noticed Korkie was apparently frozen.

“Do you know that guy?”

“Uh…no.” he said quickly and turned back to the bar. Great, what now? Stay here and wait for their contact? He didn’t know what she looked like or her name. He was pretty sure the woman who had attacked Mar wasn’t the person they were waiting for. Unless Mar accidentally didn’t realize he had killed her brother? Ugh, maybe he should go help him. They were on a time crunch and if Mar got stabbed or died or something his hope of helping his mother and his people was over.

He got up quietly and exited the bar, heading in the direction that he’d last seen them. There were regular town sounds, but it was pretty easy to pick out the shouts that didn’t belong to the normal crowd noise. He followed that, and the looks of people who were still interested in what the disturbance was all about.

Finally, he found them, Lada pinning Mar down and him countering her to get away but never getting far before she brought him down again.

“Nobody sent me, it was personal. It wasn’t about you.” he shrieked at her.

“You made me think you loved me! It’s about me, you chakaaryc. I wasted eight months on a man who ended up killing my family?! I vouched for you. I didn’t listen when people told me…” She was starting to cross the line between angry and so angry she was crying.

Mar got away again, but they were close enough to a market display of blasters and other weaponry. Lada grabbed a blaster from the table and shot Mar without hesitation. Korkie’s heart stopped for a few beats as Mar fell hard, not catching himself on the way down.

A stun. The blaster had been set to stun. He breathed again. This lady really wanted to kill him.

She looked at the blaster, disappointed, and chucked it back on the table then picked up a vibroblade. The merchant watched her but said nothing. She wasn’t going far and maybe this was normal outlaw Mandalorian fare to test weapons first before buying them.

She rolled Mar over. He was awake from the light stun, he’d just lost temporary control of his motor skills. She sat on his chest, her knees pinning his arms down.

“You killed my brother.” she said simply, calmer now, “And sent my father to prison for the rest of his life.”

“They deserved it,” Mar struggled to spit out. “If you want me to say I regret it, I’d rather die.”

“Why did you have to destroy me, too? Was anything real?”

“What do you want to hear, Lada?”

“The TRUTH.” her voice cracked between a scream and a cry again.

“Fine, I followed you around until I had a good opportunity to introduce myself. I learned all the things you liked so you’d keep me around. It had nothing to do with you, you were the only way to find out where the rest of your family was hiding.”

The conversation got quiet as Lada leaned in closer and moved the knife closer to his throat. Korkie withdrew his blaster, setting it to stun.

“I KNOW. You don’t think I know that?!” Lada burst out suddenly.

“Just do it already. You’ll be doing me and my family a favor. I’ve been dying for someone to hurry up and kill me for twenty years.” Mar said loud enough for him to hear again. He was relaxed. Korkie worried he actually meant it. And that she meant it, too.

He stood, taking aim at her. Even if he hit Mar too it was only a stun. He’d have time to drag him out of the immediate area.

“Wait.” a voice from behind said. He turned, startled that maybe she had backup, but an absolutely beautiful woman with pinkish red skin and deep purple hair was beside him.

“I’ll handle it.”

She must know this girl, she approached the two with no fear. Mar seemed to have given up even though he definitely should have regained the use of his limbs by now and Lada seemed to be weighing her options.

“Hey. Did that asshole ruin your life, too?” the newcomer said, stopping a few feet to the side so Lada could see her but she wasn’t in striking distance. “He’s not worth murdering. Least not in front of all these witnesses.”

Korkie’s confidence in her was dropping quickly.

“You heard him, he wants you to end it. It would be more torture to keep him alive. He knows what he did. Personally, I wish him a long life of being haunted by himself. But if you wanna kill him I won’t stop you.”

Lada didn’t move for a while. But her resolve seemed to be fading.

“I do not forgive you.” she spit in his face and slowly stood up. “And remember Mar. I could change my mind anytime. Best watch over your shoulder.” she flicked the knife into the ground near his ear.

“You should tell me about it over an ale.” the red woman said, putting her arm around Lada’s now sunken shoulders. She practically carried her back the way they’d come, giving Korkie a bit of an apologetic look as they passed, the tension in the air fading away.

Mar sat up and Korkie didn’t know what to do. What was he going to say after all that? He put his blaster away, wondering why Mar had done…well whatever he’d done. Assuming he did it. Korkie didn’t really have any doubts on that front. Most people seemed to avoid his uncle like he was a pest, but they were nice if Mar ever trapped them at a party. He’d had a reputation of unsavoriness that was only ignored because of his position in the line of succession. Everything he’d seen of his uncle so far was maybe not nice but not scary.

But maybe he should be worried. That initial instinct of distrust. They always said trust your instincts…

Mar stood, wiping blood away from his nose, a large black eye already forming from the initial punch. And then he saw Korkie. And now both of them didn’t know what to do.

Korkie watched him cycle through emotions, like he was trying to find the right one he wanted to wear. Finally Mar settled into angry, one of his favorites, and stalked by Korkie gruffly mumbling “Thanks for the help, I’ll remember it.”

He didn’t follow Mar right away, watching the merchant pull his knife from the ground and clean the dust off. Then sit down to start sharpening it. Everyone went back to their business, chatting about the incident as if it was a light rainstorm that had passed through.

Why was everyone like this? Was he not old enough yet to be completely blaise about almost witnessing a murder? Whatever happened to them during the last war…he hoped it never happened to him.

-

Satine clung to her captor as they fell down the Coruscant stories, passing hundreds or thousands of people going about their lives on the way. Even if this person was Death Watch, she really needed them to keep her alive until they landed. The flare of a jetpack let her know this was definitely a Mandalorian, but as they neared a landing spot she didn’t want to wait to find out what kind. She wanted at least some kind of head start. Some element of surprise. So she did the only thing she could think of. She bit down on the bicep tucking her close to their body and he growled but didn’t drop her until they were on the ground.

As he released her she shoved an elbow back to them, hard, hitting in the stomach, right where the armor stopped.

“Ow! It’s me, damn!” she heard Ben’s voice and was instantly relieved though her body still felt like it was vibrating with energy. “Did you not hear me the first two times I said it?!”

“No…sorry.”

He rubbed his arm, “I can’t believe you bit me!”

“I didn’t know what else to do!” she shot back, still high on her fight or flight response.

“It was impressive, but listen to me next time.” he chastised.

“I didn’t hear you!” she yelled then paused a moment, “and thank you.”

She hated to admit he looked attractive in a mix of Jedi and Mandalorian gear. Not that Mandalorian armor was sexy. It was a tool of war and therefore definitely not sexy at all. She had to keep reminding herself of that.

“Now what?” she asked.

“Did you get the recording?”

“No.”

He sighed. She knew it wasn’t at her, but it still made her feel bad all the same. What a waste.

“I suppose we commandeer a speeder so we can get back to our speeder and go to Senator Amidala’s apartment. We know the original recording exists, we just have to find another way to get it.”

“Do you mean steal?”

“What?”

“You said commandeer a speeder.” she clarified.

“Semantics.”

“You really have become quite the bad boy since you left.”

“Yeah? You like it?” he flirted.

“No.” she said incredibly unconvincingly, “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Anakin waited for Padme in her apartment as always. She’d installed a lock on that faulty window he always used to sneak in and she hadn’t unlocked it. That wasn’t a problem for him, he’d lifted the catch easily but it was a little rude. He’d said he would be home tonight. Well, he’d said last night but all of the banthashit with the Mandalorian Senator had delayed them.

Then Obi-Wan had ditched him at the bar suddenly. He finally figured out what he’d seen, an attack on the Duchess of Mandalore. Again. Those people really did live up to their reputation of being stubborn and ruthless.

So when it was an acceptable time to leave the guys, Rex and Cody were pretty hammered by then, he’d gone to her place. And waited. And waited. And now it was dark. Dorme had given him an apologetic but encouraging smile when she passed by him sitting in the chair in the bedroom. This wasn’t the first time he’d waited for her for hours, but Dorme seemed more uneasy about it this time. What was Padme up to-no. He trusted her. He trusted Obi-Wan. He trusted Ahsoka. Nothing anyone said was going to change his opinion without evidence.

Finally, he heard her come home and say hello to Dorme. He stepped out and said hello too, causing her to almost drop the takeout bag she was holding.

“Anakin! I- I’m so sorry I forgot. I was…running errands and…- I forgot you were home.”

“Don’t worry, I know you’re busy. I’m a day late, too.”

She set the bag of takeaway down and seemed transfixed by it. And then her eyes glassed slightly with tears.

“I didn’t bring you anything.”

“Babe, it’s ok, it’s just food” he tried to laugh it off and hugged her and she only lightly hugged him back. “What is going on with you?”

“I have to tell you something.” she whispered. Dorme took that as her cue to leave. And now he was worried.

“Ok. What is it?”

The longer she hesitated the more time slowed and his heartbeat quickened.

“I’m pregnant.”

His heart froze to match time, skipping what felt like several beats.

“No. Really?” he said breathlessly, not fully believing her.

“Yes. Are you mad?”

Everything snapped back to its normal beat and he was finally capable of a better answer.

“Of course not, that’s great news!” He lifted her up, spinning her once then setting her down quickly.

“Wait can I do that still? I’m sorry.”

“Of course you can, I’m not suddenly made of fine Rodian glass.” The look of relief on her face made him happy but…

“Did you think I wouldn’t be happy? This changes everything!” he said excitedly.

“Yes, Ani, and I’m happy too but that’s the problem. It changes everything.”

Right. Their relationship problem that would now only magnify with another person in it.

“That…is a good point but let's just be excited for a bit. Then we’ll worry about details.”

He really couldn’t contain himself, he felt like he needed to run somewhere or jump off an especially tall building to get it out. He could tell she wasn’t quite as excited as he was so he tried to contain it but this was the best news. It would make them even more of a normal family. And baby made three.

“Does Obi-Wan know about us?”

Ugh, did she really have to bring up Obi-Wan at a time like this?

“I think he has his suspicions but no I haven’t told him. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well…he might be over later.”

“Why?” he tried to keep the edge out of his voice. He was supposed to be happy. Why was she ruining this?

“He’s uh…helping the Duchess of Mandalore. She's in trouble. Senate stuff. The Republic is occupying the entire system starting tomorrow. And I told her she could come and stay here if she wanted. I could probably hide you from her, but not Obi-Wan. He’d definitely sense you, right?”

Now he felt stupid for questioning her even if it was only in his mind.

“Yeah, that’d be a problem. But boy do I have something to tell you now! Obi-Wan told me like a month ago that he’s married. And after the ship ride to Coruscant, I’m pretty sure he’s married to the kriffing Duchess of Mandalore.”

He’d told Obi-Wan he wouldn’t tell anyone, but Padme didn’t count.

“Oh?” she sounded surprised but not surprised, “What makes you say that?”

He listed the reasons on his fingers, over emphasizing each one.

“Well, they fight like an old married couple. There’s occasional weird sexual tension. There was a kid on Mandalore who I’m pretty sure was the Prince and he looked almost exactly like Obi-Wan. Last night after some crazy shit happened- I’ll tell you later- she wanted him to sleep in the common room of her quarters. Yeah fuckin right, they were definitely sleeping together.”

“That is actually pretty convincing evidence.”

“Hells yeah it is! And now he’s off helping her do…whatever you said about the Senate? It’s obvious.”

She wore the look that meant she was deep in thought and he should wait before he said anything else. She wouldn’t hear him if he did.

“You’re right, from the way they acted at the Senate and when they made their plan to help set the record straight, they’re definitely together.”

“Ha! I knew it!” He was so proud of himself, so proud he was going to be a father, just so…bursting with energy.

“I love you.” he said as he pulled her close and kissed her. He couldn’t stop himself, everything was going right right now and everything had been so shitty out there on the warfront until the Toydarian king had died and eventually brought him home. Sorry, King…King of Toydaria, whatever your name was.

He wanted to lift her up again and carry her off, show her just how much he appreciated her, the one thing- well two things now- that kept him grounded.

“Ani, wait. Obi-Wan and Satine remember?”

He groaned in annoyance. “He’s always finding some way to ruin my day.”

“If we know about them then they can know about us. You can finally tell someone.”

She looked up at him, a relief from feeling sorry for him in her eyes. She had Dorme and her sister to share their secrets with, but he had no one. And it would be nice to be his full self around Obi-Wan. But relaxing around one person could mean slipping up in front of others. Having a confidant might actually be more dangerous than being alone.

He didn’t have more time to think on the matter and if he should leave or hide and conceal his presence because Satine came sliding through the unlatched bottom window.

-

Korkie finally found Mar back at the ship. He was smoking one of those ryll cigarettes, a roll of gauze tape next to him. Korkie felt SO awkward. What was he supposed to say. And Mar had definitely seen him come around the corner. He couldn’t just..leave. Where would he even go? And while this was changing his opinion on Mar, they were also on a timetable. Mandalore needed saving and he knew Mar wasn’t actively trying to kill him. So whatever else was going on, they’d have to figure it out later.

So he approached silently and sat next to him on the other side of the ramp. He looked out at the town while Mar took another drag and picked at his bloody arm with a tweezers. He heard small pieces drop on the ramp and glanced over to see bloody glass shards.

“If I knew it was this easy to shut you up I’d get assaulted a lot more when you’re around.”

Korkie looked over without trying to hide it this time. It was pretty hard to hide where you were looking when wearing a helmet. Head turning was essential.

“Did we miss our meeting?”

“No, she’ll know where to find us when she’s done.”

“The lady who stopped the fight?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t know what to say to that. It made sense but didn’t.

“We don’t have time.” he finally settled on.

“You want me to go get her while she commiserates with Lada and start the whole thing over again?” Mar asked gruffly, somehow not flinching as he pulled on the shards.

Korkie didn’t have a retort, so he shut up. And waited. And waited. It was only twenty minutes or so but it felt like an hour.

The red lady strolled up like she owned the ship, a satchel over one shoulder and a bag of ice in the other. She knelt down in front of Mar and gently put the ice onto his eye. Mar said nothing to her, only taking the ice from her and holding it to his face himself, head down. And then she turned her attention to him.

“Hi. You must be a friend. I certainly hope you’re not a bounty hunter. Mar’s supposed to be out of that business.”

“Uh…” did the not talking rule apply to her?

“He’s my nephew.” Mar said simply, pulling the disc that contained the original transmission from a pocket on his belt and handing it to her.

“Oh, lovely. I was a little worried he might be your son. I’m Vianna. I’m glad to see you’ve been doing some family bonding.” She smiled at Korkie. He was surprised to find himself smiling back. She put him at ease like she had before when she certainly hadn’t earned his trust to make him relax. But he did.

“Korkie.” He took that as a signal that he could take off his helmet. Somehow she looked even better without the helmet filters that were supposed to make things clearer.

She dug in her bag and brought out some kind of device he couldn’t really identify and sat down, leaning on the hydraulic arm of the ramp, perpendicular to Mar. No one spoke as she scrubbed through the file, snippets of audio replaying over and over.

“Edited after transmission. The glitches aren’t normal artifacting from relay stations. And don’t follow a pattern.” She handed him back the disc and kept her hand out expectantly.

“So it’s worth breaking into Republic Intelligence to find the original.” Mar summarized.

“Yes, but I wouldn’t go to RI. The Senate comm center would have it and is less heavily guarded. There’s a relay station…”

Korkie found it incredibly hard to focus on the conversation, it was boring and not at all important anyway. What WAS important was Vianna. She had a glow about her. Her dark violet hair shimmered whenever she moved. It was mesmerising in a way. Her body was almost fully covered but she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. A fleeting thought of just how gross and weird it was to be this fascinated with someone who had definitely slept with your uncle crossed his mind, but he let it pass.

The ting of metal against metal jolted him out of whatever he’d been thinking about. He looked down and saw the bloody tweezers next to him, having bounced off his armor.

“You finally listening?! Did you get any of that?” Mar glared at him. Shit, had he missed the plan?

“It’s not his fault, he’s a teenager.” Vianna defended.

“Yeah, yeah.” Mar dismissed and stood, scooting the glass off the landing ramp with his foot then retreating inside with a few things Vianna must have given him. Korkie had missed him bandaging himself up, too, apparently.

“You have a payment for me, I hear?” Vianna spoke to him again, and he pulled out his datapad and transferred her the 1,000.

“So…what are we going to do again? I wasn’t listening I guess…” this was so embarrassing.

“Oh, sweet boy,” she patted his cheek and he felt electrified by it, “don’t worry, I’ll go over the plan again over comms, I’ll be easier that way. You better get going.” she handed him an earpiece. He took it and she gave him another bright smile, then trudged back down the ramp.

Right, get going. He went inside as the ramp slowly retracted and the engines wound up.

“So, she’s helping us?” Korkie felt so stupid for asking.

“Wow, you zoned out even earlier than I thought. Yes.” Mar responded.

The ship was already in hyperspace and he was armoring up. Korkie sat there awkwardly.

“If she’s helping, why didn’t she come with us?”

“She needs time to find some schematics. Needs a better comm connection. And. If we get caught she doesn’t want to get sent to scary prison forever like we will. Which reminds me, are you sure you want to do this? You won't do well in scary prison. You could stay outside as a lookout.”

“What!? Come on, you don’t trust me?”

That was the wrong thing to say and he knew it immediately. Mar paused and finally said.

“I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to do it anyway.”

“She looked pretty serious to me.”

“It’s not in her nature. I did care about her, back then. Just not enough.” Mar sighed and snapped on his armor over his injured arm, wincing.

“You said you didn’t.”

“I thought it would be easier for her if I was just a run of the mill monster. Now.” he quickly changed the subject, “Vianna will call in a few minutes and PLEASE pay attention this time.”

Korkie nodded, not saying another word. He really didn’t want Mar to ask him why he hadn’t been paying attention in the first place.

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan drove them to the mostly hidden spot under Padme’s apartment, two floors down. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d never see it. But someone else clearly knew about this spot because there was already a speeder parked there.

“Who else is here?” Satine asked him. She’d been pretty quiet on the drive over, either lamenting the loss of the recording that would solve all her problems or crafting a new plan to fix this by morning.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to guess Anakin. I’m pretty sure he and Padme are dating.”

“Oooo, salacious.” she put on her most gossipy voice.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment and reached out.

“Most definitely Anakin. And he’s extremely happy about something so maybe close your eyes and loudly announce your arrival.”

“My? Arrival? Don’t you mean our arrival?”

“Well to get in you have to go through a window. And it’s 2 floors up so..I’m going to have to float you first then follow once you’re inside.”

“Absolutely not, I hate it when you do that.”

“It’s been like 20 years.”

“Yes and I still remember it like yesterday. It’s unbecoming.”

“Alright what do you suggest?”

A news broadcast about her being a suspect in a murder went over the airwaves and he reached over and turned it up, “Miss Wanted Criminal.”

“It’s Missus. And I can’t believe those morons can't tell the difference between a deactivator and a blaster.” she flustered.

“I’ll call Cody. He’s friends with Fox. He’ll fast track the case so they’ll have the footage by morning. And they’ll figure it out when they eventually find the guy on the roof.”

“Ben you didn’t….”

“Calm down I knocked him out, stole his jetpack and tied him up with his own ascension cable. Sad, really.” he lamented.

“Well I appreciate it.”

They sat for a bit, him still in the armor chestplate, her incredibly interested in watching the traffic.

“We have to go up sometime.”

“I don’t know what we’ll accomplish up there that we aren’t down here. Out of ideas. Tired. Hungry.”

“I offered you fries.” he teased. She didn’t find it funny from the look she gave him.

“Amidala had one contact. Maybe she has another. And we know there are Nassade watching the apartment. We’re safer inside than out here.”

“I suppose at least if we go up we get to ruin their good time.” she sighed.

“You’re evil.” he said simply, then added, “I was thinking the same thing.”

He floated her up to the window as nicely as he could. Obi-Wan wasn’t exactly used to moving things around in a controlled fashion. It was usually throwing something explosive at things. Or catching someone from falling where lack of gracefulness could be forgiven.

He climbed up the few leaps and handholds he needed to get to where he was going and slid in after her. She was already standing, brushing herself off and giving a small speech.

“I’d like to inform you that I’ve also been accused of murder, of which I am not guilty. But if you don’t desire to harbor a fugitive from the law I will understand.” she finished catching the two mildly stunned people staring at her.

“Hi, Obi-Wan.” Padme greeted and he gave a small wave of acknowledgement as he stood and closed the entry window.

“Doesn’t everyone know you’re a pacifist?” Padme returned to the original conversation. Obi-Wan was happy to see they both had all their clothes on.

“Yes, well a lot of things that don’t align with me or Mandalore’s stances have been happening lately. So I’m not surprised.”

“I was hoping you might know someone else who could help us.” he added, now that he was more engaged in the conversation. Anakin looked too stunned at all four of them being together to say anything, but Obi-Wan was used to having to ignore learning someone was having an affair, then talking to them like he knew nothing. One of the weird skills he picked up around royalty and rich people.

Padme sighed deeply. “I can’t think of anyone on this short of notice. If we had more time maybe. But even if occupation does start, we could still fix it two days after the vote if there’s new evidence. I’ve never hired a thief, but a bounty hunter would be the most accessible way. You two probably know someone who could post a job to the Bounty Hunter’s Guild?” she looked to him and Anakin.

“I’m sorry are we just not going to discuss this?!” Anakin finally spoke up. “You two are most definitely married and we’re just not going to say anything?”

“Yes, congratulations Anakin you figured it out.” Obi-Wan knew they’d blown it on the Coronet so it didn’t exactly take a star cartographer to draw that conclusion. “And you two are together. I’ve suspected for about three years.”

“You have not, there’s no way you could have known.”

“You weren’t exactly careful. When we rescued Padme from the Malevolence you two were making out on the trains. Significant glances, randomly knowing stuff about politics when you’ve never shown interest in the subject.”

“Well what about you,” Anakin shot back defensively, “You were always…”

Obi-Wan waited, but Anakin didn’t seem to have anything.

“It was just obvious.” Anakin sniped.

The women had moved on to much more productive topics, discussing where the recording could be found in the Senate communications library.

“It won’t be easy to get in, but it would be way easier than the Ministry of Intelligence.” Padme mused.

“Well we certainly can’t send them.” Satine gestured to him and Anakin, “They could do it but if they get caught they’ll be in a lot of trouble. If one of my agents goes, it will make us look worse.”

“We could go in disguise?” Anakin suggested.

Anakin didn’t even really know what he was stealing or why. But he’d do it for Obi-Wan. And Obi-Wan felt so lucky he was matched with one person he didn’t want as a partner three years ago.

“I’m not sure what you would wear, I suppose we could ask Bail for something?”

There was a knock at the door. They all went silent while Padme went to answer it. Dorme appeared from a hallway but stopped when she saw that Padme was going to get it, but did look extremely confused how 2 new people had arrived without her knowledge.

There was a short conversation Obi-Wan couldn’t hear, and Padme returned to them with an unmarked shipping box, the smaller ones used to move data chips around.

“She said she’d checked for any kind of booby trap and it’s clean. It was dropped off by a man in black Mandalorian armor but they weren’t sure if it was one of yours or an impersonator. It’s for you.” Padme handed the package to Satine.

She glanced at him and carefully opened it, pulling out a note, and reading it to herself.

“The suspense is killing me.” Anakin crossed his arms. He’d never been a patient man.

“It’s the original recording. At least according to the note. It looks like Nassade wasn’t happy with our plan and wanted to make sure we had a backup.”

She handed the disk to Padme, who went to get a reader.

The holo played as she held it up between the four of them. Obi-Wan nodded along to what Jerec had really said. This was the man he knew, and Satine seemed relieved that she hadn’t misjudged yet another person in her government.

While she listened, he grabbed the paper note from her hand and read it while she gave him a dismayed look.

“Just in case you don’t have this yet, I took the liberty of securing a backup copy. DD RR. Who’s DD RR.”

“Deputy Director Rook Reeves, it’s how he signs everything.”

“OHHH,” Obi-Wan smirked, “The one who hit on you because he thinks I’m dead? You certainly do have a suitor.” He teased.

She snatched the note back.

“He’s doing his job. You’re just jealous he sees me more often than you do.”

“So are you two dating?” Obi-Wan continued to pester, “Is he a good kisser? Writing Rook Reeves Plus Satine Kryze on the title page of your datapads?”

“It sure sounds like you’re encouraging the relationship.” She sassed back. This was so much fun, he hadn’t gotten to annoy her in so long he had to pack as much in as he could.

“Can I come to the wedding? I’ll stand up and say I object. It will be very dramatic.” he touched his chest dramatically.

“No. I’m not inviting you.”

Anakin and Padme exchanged a look, like they were worried this was actually some kind of weird fight. But Obi-Wan knew he’d reached the limit and pulled her close to his side.

“He’s really damn good at his job. He deserves a raise.”

Satine patted his chest, following their same old pattern but looked disgusted when she touched metal instead of cloth.

“I agree. And we can’t do anything until the morning so…we’ll leave you two alone. Sorry to have disturbed you.”

Satine gave a small nod to Padme and Anakin and headed to the door. And then remembered they had not arrived through the door and could therefore not leave that way either.

“Or…perhaps we could stay.”

“She doesn’t like it when I use the Force to carry her around.” He added.

“I have plenty of room, you can stay in the guest bedroom.” Padme smiled. Anakin didn’t look as happy about them staying, but he didn’t protest.

“But where will Anakin sleep?” He played at seriousness. “You two wouldn’t be sleeping in the same bed. The scandal.”

“Um..we’re married.” Padme said a little sheepishly before Anakin could get out the retort that Obi-Wan was looking for.

“Wait, what?” He replied, completely surprised by this information.

“Ha, so you don’t know everything DO you Kenobi? Or…Kryze? Wait.”

“I thought you two were just dating.” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“AND we’re gonna have a baby.” Anakin smiled triumphantly. Padme smacked his arm.

“Ani.”

“What, we can’t tell anyone else. They might as well know.”

Satine gave him a quick glance meaning you have weird friends that no one else caught. He had to pause a few more moments to process.

“Ok fine, you win this round. Definitely didn’t know that.” Obi-Wan conceded.

“He is a bit like Korkie.” Satine nodded to Anakin.

“Our oldest. The troublemaker.” Obi-Wan explained.

“Hey.” Anakin rebuked.

“It’s not an insult.” Satine sounded annoyed.

“We’ve all had a rough few days. Maybe it's best we get some sleep.” Padme offered.

Obi-Wan couldn’t agree more. As nice as it would be to sit down and have something that approached an average evening that could be called a double date, he wanted Satine all to himself. Things had fallen into place. They didn't have to worry about what tomorrow would bring. They’d win tomorrow and tonight they could relax.

Aaaand Satine’s comm beeped.

“Speaking of the boys, it’s Kahl.” she said, pointing down the hallway to where the spare bedroom presumably was. Padme nodded.

“I can’t wait to tell him you’re wanted for murder.” Obi-Wan said.

“Decidedly not. And take off that armor, I don’t want to have to hear about how he doesn’t get to have any and you do.”

“Yes, dearest.” Obi-Wan followed behind her like he always did, wishing he could follow her around every day for the rest of time and end this war and secrecy business.

“Hi Kahl. Did you make it back to Krownest alright? Yes everythings fine, how do you know about that already!? No of course I didn’t-”

Obi-Wan briefly walked backwards to look at their hosts and smiled sheepishly, mouthing a thank you to Padme and Anakin, giving them a small wave as he disappeared around the corner with her.

Chapter Text

A FEW HOURS EARLIER

“Left, two intersections, and then it’s on the left.”

Korkie and Mar skulked through the dimly lit hallways of the Senate comms archive, located in one of the Senate’s satellite buildings. Korkie’s heart raced even faster, if that was possible, as they reached the last door before the archive they needed. He placed the special datapad onto the last lock and watched the decoder run. Vianna had briefed him on how to use everything she’d given Mar. He’d used a lock cracker before, but this one was far more advanced so he required a little guidance when it hit a snag.

“This is taking forever.” Mar muttered, continually looking down the corridors for any guards.

“Would you shut up and let him do his job? He’s doing better than you’ve ever done. Since you’re somehow technologically illiterate even though you’re younger than me.” Vianna shot back.

Korkie ignored them easily, his parents acted like this allll the time so he filtered it easily. And if they bickered like his parents, maybe they were still in love. The lock blinked green and the door slid open. He stepped in, going to the terminal in the center, ignoring the banks of data that occasionally blinked with activity.

“Time code is 14:35:06.” Vianna reminded him of the time frame they were looking for.

Bank 9. He moved over to the wall and clicked the small device into the droid port and connected the lock cracker to a different jack.

“Oh my gods. Honey, you’re fired. I’m hiring this kid. He's perfect.”

Korkie could feel Mar turning to look at him, but he refused to look up.

“Uh…” Vianna sounded concerned.“...guys? The terminal’s already unlocked. It’s already been cracked. Why would it already be cracked?”

Korkie couldn’t think of an answer that made any sense, but they didn’t have much time to think about it.

“She went that way!” he heard a clone shout from a far away hallway. Mar immediately shut the door and took cover behind the main terminal.

She? Didn’t they mean they? There were two of them, how could they have been confused for a single woman?

“No pressure, babe, but please hurry the fuck up.” Mar sounded tense.

“Don’t call me babe. Done, it’s loaded onto the cracker. Don’t lose it.”

Korkie pulled the things they’d brought, the kiosk looked untouched. No alarm sounded.

“Got another route of how to get out of here?” Korkie asked.

“There are 2, but they are all kind of in the same place so…”

“So we should have painted our armor white to look more like clones.” Mar said.

“Wish we’d thought of that earlier.” Korkie agreed and clipped all the devices to his belt, then pulled his blaster.

Mar took point, opening the door and stepping into the hallway then heading back the way they came.

“0421.” Korkie whisper-read the code to the door they’d previously unlocked. If they could go through every door they’d previously opened…

Some blasterfire in the distance made both of them look back. Who else was down here?

The door opened and Mar hurried to the next one. He might be bad at technology but he had a mental map of the route back without having to be told.

They passed through another door, noticing other corridors that had been previously closed were open, and stayed quiet and efficient. It was easy to stay quiet since an annoying klaxon had started shrilling every few seconds.

Running through the next corridor, the noise from the blaster fight seemed to be getting louder. And then Korkie was slammed to the ground, bewildered at what had hit him with such force. He rolled into a crouch, ready for a fight and saw a girl wearing all black, a headscarf wrapped tightly around her so he could only see her brown eyes filled with absolute terror.

“Who the fuck are you?” Mar was pointing a blaster at her.

“Who? What’s happening?!” Vianna asked anxiously.

“I was….” The girl never finished, they were all startled by a lightsaber cutting through a door farther down the hallway. A red lightsaber.

“What is this a fucking convention?! Vee, exit. Now. I don’t care if it sets off alarms, there’s a Sith down here.”

“A12, right?”

They both looked around for a marking.

“Yes.”

“Ok, door to the right. Then after that just push, it’s an emergency exit.”

Mar popped the lock cracker onto the door they needed and paced impatiently. The lightsaber had stopped cutting so whoever it was must be fighting some clones.

Korkie held his hand out to their mysterious new companion.

“Is the Sith after you?”

“How would I know? Maybe she’s after you.” the girl got up cautiously on her own, looking at the walls herself now, trying to orient herself.

“We’re leaving, the exit is through that door.” He pointed to where Mar was.

Why am I being nice to her, she could whip out a blaster and kill us the second we turn our backs…

“Oh, the exit is also two stories above a walkway. Sorry.” he heard Vianna say in his ear.

The door cracked open and revealed a door labeled EMERGENCY EXIT. They were going to make it. Mar opened it, setting off an incredibly loud alarm. The hallway turned red.

“It’s a damn ladder,” he announced.

The circle of molten metal clanged to the ground and Ventress stepped through, not wearing the same garb he was used to seeing her in on the rare holo they caught of her fighting Dad. She looked a lot more like a bounty hunter or assassin rather than a Sith.

She didn’t even notice them at first, looking down the other corridors for enemies. But then he felt her lock eyes with him. You have beskar on, you have beskar on, it’s gonna be ok, you have beskar on.

“Hey!” Mar shoved him towards the cooler air of outside and grabbed his second blaster, shooting at the door lock, which sparked. It slowly started to close as Ventress approached.