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~*~
Ars Hollis is, by all accounts at least so far, a decent man. Bail finds him competent and agreeable enough, Obi-Wan knows. His voting record reflects someone who genuinely cared about the wellbeing of the people of the world he represented.
Truly, the only thing against the man in Obi-Wan’s heart mind is that it still felt wrong to see him and his staff in Naboo’s pod. His heart still aches every time he looks over and sees a man he barely knows, rather than the fierce, strong young woman he knows, respects, and even loves. Padme Amidala would always be family to him in a way. Even after…everything.
The matter before them is not Obi-Wan’s area of expertise so he lets his mind wander down the path of memories.
“The Emperor himself has declared that Anakin Skywalker cannot remain on Coruscant,” Mace Windu announced. “He feels Skywalker was too close to Palpatine. He needs time and distance to, in the Emperor’s words, get his head on straight. Mind healing will be required.”
Obi-Wan’s heart clenched at the knowledge that Cody was the one sending Anakin away. A small part of him couldn’t help but wonder if it was punishment aimed at him as much as something aimed at Anakin. After all, he’d rejected more than one invitation from Cody in the last weeks. Forcing Anakin away, when Obi-Wan had no choice but to remain, would be a cruel way of showing his power. Most of Obi-Wan knew Cody wouldn’t do such a thing. But a small part of Obi-Wan kept asking how well he’d really known Cody after all. He’d never expected him to take over the Republic like this.
“Do we have a choice?” Obi-Wan asked quietly.
Mace shook his head. “The Healers who have been looking after Skywalker these last weeks since…everything, agree that he needs to get away from Coruscant.”
Yoda nodded. “And far along with child, Senator Amidala is. Settled away from here before the birth, they both should be.”
Padme’s pregnancy had been a revelation almost equally as shattering. Obi-Wan had, of course, known of a relationship between Anakin and Padme. But a marriage and children were something else entirely.
Obi-Wan forces himself from his memories as the Senator for Naboo rises to speak. Hollis delivers his speech quickly and efficiently, responding to questions from the previous session regarding a bill his committee is currently working on. Were he from any other world, Obi-Wan could see himself liking the man a great deal. Now more than ever though, Naboo is a wound on his heart that would never heal. He’d lost Qui-Gon there. And in truth, he’d lost Anakin there too. If only he’d been there when Anakin had left Naboo for Tatooine. Maybe the worst could have been avoided.
“Everything alright, cyare?” Cody asks.
Obi-Wan offers a sad smile. “Just thinking, darling.”
He knows that Cody isn’t convinced, but they’re in public. Cody won’t push.
Instead, Cody just reaches for his hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
~*~
There’s a message from Padme waiting on his comm the next morning. Updated pictures of the children. Luke and Leia are beautiful. Obi-Wan hopes, desperately, that the children never see the worst that their father is capable of.
He thinks back to the horrifying revelation of exactly what had happened on Tatooine. Watching the vid had nearly made him sick. The worst part was that Anain had known, had agreed, to have these sessions recorded with the clear understanding that Padme, Cody, and the Jedi Council would have the authority to view them. Obi-Wan still doesn’t know what it says about Anakin that he’d agreed so readily and yet never once held back.
“They were animals, and I slaughtered them as they deserved,” Anakin snarled.
The mind healer frowned. “They were living, sentient beings.”
Anakin shrugged. “So were many who the Tuskens killed. They didn’t give a damn how old someone was when they attacked a moisture farm. Why should I?”
Obi-Wan’s hands trembled as he turned off the vid.
Cody pulled him into a strong embrace. “This is why I can’t trust him, Obi-Wan. Why I can’t have him around. He’s free to live his life on Naboo because I have no legal grounds to punish him under. The Hutts are the recognized law on Tatooine, and they have no laws against what he did. And Tatooine isn't part of the Republic so the Republic- now my Empire- wouldn't have legal ground for anything against him. I’ve been told by no less than a dozen lawyers that going after him officially would set a dangerous precedent. As much as I want justice for the Tuskens, I can’t create future problems. Not for a situation where nothing would be fixed. It wouldn’t bring them back.”
Shuddering, Obi-Wan nodded, clinging desperately to Cody. “I understand. It's always been a…difficulty of the legal structures of the galaxy, how to handle cases where we know someone did something terrible, but they did it in a place where it isn’t illegal or at least won’t prosecute for it. And you’re right. In this case, it would be just. But a long reaching precedent like that has too much risk of being abused.”
Cody pulled back and pressed a kiss to Obi-Wan’s forehead.
“There’s nothing official about it. No matter how far anyone digs, they’ll never know. But as of now, Anakin Skywalker is exiled to Naboo. He’s not allowed to leave the planet without my or Fox’s permission. Even if he gets that, he’s not allowed on Coruscant without my direct approval. And I am telling you now, I’m unlikely to ever give it,” Cody explained. “Alpha 17 will handle it personally if Skywalker tries. It won’t be pretty.”
That conversation with Cody had been one of the most difficult of his life. Knowing when to be Emperor Cody and Jedi Master Kenobi and when to be just Cody and Obi-Wan is still one of the most challenging parts of their life. But as Cody held him close and explained everything, Obi-Wan hadn’t for a single moment been uncertain which it was. That wasn’t Emperor Cody. That was Cody, just Cody, explaining his actions to Obi-Wan, to the man he loves, who, unfortunately, also loves someone who’d done terrible things. Obi-Wan knows he couldn’t have faced Emperor Cody at that moment; he is grateful to have been able to cling to Cody and grieve.
And then all of that was made worse by finding out that Padme had known. Anakin had confessed it immediately and still Padme married him after.
Obi-Wan will always love Anakin and Padme both, but he knows now he cannot trust them. He knows also that neither of them is who he thought…who he wished they were. He hopes, for Luke and Leia’s sake, that they find contentment in what their life can be now. The children deserve to be happy. They aren’t to blame for their parents’ actions.
The smell of tea pulls Obi-Wan from his troubled thoughts.
“Bad news?” Cody asks, gesturing at the comm as he hands over the cup of tea.
Obi-Wan shakes his head as Cody settles beside him with a cup of caf.
Gesturing with the comm, Obi-Wan explains, “No. Padme sent pictures of the children.”
Cody nods tightly. He’s still furious over the whole thing. Obi-Wan doesn’t blame him for it in the slightest. They don’t talk about Anakin much in general, and after finding out just how much Padme knew, Cody doesn’t want to hear about Padme either. Usually, Obi-Wan saves talk of the twins for Rex. Like Obi-Wan, he has complex feelings on the matter of Anakin and Padme, but he loves their children. He’ll have to make time to see Rex later.
“Was there anything important on today’s schedule?” Obi-Wan asks, trying to force himself to focus on something, anything else.
Shaking his head, Cody replies, “It’s a quiet formwork day save for mid-meal with a few ambassadors and a meeting with Bail this afternoon. The meeting with the potential wedding planners was moved to tomorrow. Motee and Barrage wanted more time to finalize the list for us.”
Warmth spreads through Obi-Wan’s heart for a moment at the reminder that he and Cody are going to swear vows. It’s the reminder he needs that not everything is so dark and heavy on his heart.
Obi-Wan considers Cody’s plans for a moment. “Did you want me at the meal? It overlaps with a Council meeting, but I can call in from your office for part of the meeting and then step out for the meal.”
Cody leans in and kisses Obi-Wan softly.
“I can handle a few ambassadors,” Cody assures. “Bail and Riyo will be there with me. Wooley, Motee, Barrage, and Gree too. I appreciate your support, always, but you’re still on the Jedi High Council and that matters too. I take you away from those duties enough.”
Motee had taken a short leave of absence after the revelation. Obi-Wan isn’t sure if she went to Naboo to confront Padme or if she just needed space to process what they’d learned. When she returned, she’d offered Cody her resignation. Cody refused to accept it without a meeting. He told Motee that she was under no obligation to continue working for him if she didn’t wish to, but as she hadn’t known he certainly wasn’t going to hold either Anakin or Padme’s actions against her. Fortunately, she rescinded her resignation and continued on. Obi-Wan knows that she too feels as he and Rex do.
Loving people, even in platonic fashions, is a complicated thing.
“I love you, Cody,” Obi-Wan says quietly.
Setting his caf aside, Cody pulls Obi-Wan into his arms. Obi-Wan smiles softly and sets aside his tea.
“I love you too,” Cody says before kissing him softly. “And I’m here, cyare, if you ever want to talk. I know everything with them has been difficult, but you’re not alone.”
Obi-Wan leans into Cody’s warm embrace.
“I know,” Obi-Wan assures. “Most days it's alright. But sometimes…sometimes it all just rears up, and I think about it for a while. I need a long meditation session while I’m at the Temple, I think. The Room of a Thousand Fountains always helps when I’m most unsettled.”
Cody presses a kiss to Obi-Wan’s brow.
“Then make sure you take the time for it,” Cody insists. “I have plenty of formwork to keep me busy today. And if I run out, I’m sure Wooley will magic more up for me. He always does.”
Obi-Wan snickers. “He does have a gift for it, doesn’t he?”
In a little while, they’ll need to get up and finish preparing for the day. In a little while, they’ll need to be Master Kenobi and Emperor Cody once more. For this moment, they can be just Obi-Wan and Cody.
~*~