#Anakin definitely met Obi-Wan as a younger man

[phoenixyfriend]

The Family Tree is... a Disaster

Takes place in the TCW Leverage AU. It does contain a few deviations, namely that the narrative ended up shifting Plo's role in Ahsoka's life, and Ventress's role overall.

This is mostly just dialogue where I outline the fuckery that is the disaster lineage family tree, not actual fic. It stemmed from my incessant need to justify "25yo Obi-Wan somehow got custody of 9yo Anakin without Shmi dying."

Warnings for: canon character death (modernized), canon violence (modernized), and references to Nazis and white supremacists (Palpatine collects WWII weaponry as a parallel to his canon display of Sith artifacts in his office as chancellor, and Ahsoka thinks it's sketchy)

----

"Okay," Cody says, setting down a glass of whiskey as he drops into the seat across the table. "What the hell is your family tree like?"

Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow, and continues cleaning off the definitely-not-stolen crystal komodo dragon he'd won in today's job. "I beg your pardon?"

"You and Skywalker," Cody says, gesturing between Obi-Wan, who is just sitting there minding his own business, and Anakin, who is across the closed-for-tonight bar and doing something inadvisable on the pool table. "You've said he was your brother, and mentioned raising him, which, sure, I'm over twenty years older than my youngest brother, people take over parenting roles all the time. But you have different last names, have mentioned stepfamilies that the other doesn't have, reference things as 'your aunt, not mine,' and I am just getting... very confused. I figured it was personal and I could leave well enough alone, but considering your older brother almost shot us today--"

"Okay, Xanatos is not my brother," Obi-Wan immediately says. "Just. I just have to stop you right there. Xanatos was a student of my father's for a time, but I promise he's not family. Nobody except maybe Komari would consider him even close, and she doesn't count since she's in prison for life and the farthest thing from stable."

Cody gestures. "That, Obi-Wan. That's what I'm talking about. I don't even know who Komari is."

Obi-Wan purses his lips in a failed attempt to not smile. "Do you actually want the explanation? It's long and unnecessarily complicated."

"So's mine," Cody snorts. Obi-Wan waits, patient and pleasant, and is rewarded when Cody sighs. "Please."

"Of course, my dear. To answer your first question, though, Anakin is my half-brother." With a smile, Obi-Wan digs a piece of paper and a pen from his briefcase. "So, center of the chain: me, my father Qui-Gon, my grandfather Yan, and my great-grandfather Yoda. With me so far?"

"Easy enough. Do you have to go back that far?"

"Great-grandfather Yoda is still alive and regularly escaping the old folks' home to terrorize younger relatives, so yes," Obi-Wan says. "Given that you may just meet a tiny, meddling relative of mine when he's bored, we do in fact have to go back that far."

"...how old is he?"

"We don't know for sure. A hundred and eight-ish is the best guess." Obi-Wan shrugs. "It's not a huge deal, mostly he likes bothering Anakin these days. Anyway, grandfather. Yan Dooku. Inherited a minory duchy from his maternal grandfather decades back. Mostly hangs around there because he's on terrorist watchlists in the States."

"Oh, lovely."

Obi-Wan grins. "Trust me, it gets worse. Anyway, grandfather never actually married, but spent most of his time with his 'best friend' Sifo Dyas, who died about a decade back."

"Gay?"

"Well, we know that now, but they got together in the seventies, and this was back when they were both working government jobs, so, you know. It happens."

"Good to know," Cody says. "So, Yoda's kid is Yan, who inherited a title and land from a maternal relative, and had a life partner but never married. With you so far."

"All of Yan's kids were adopted," Obi-Wan continues, sketching out the first branch away from the Yan/Sifo partnership. "Rael was actually grandfather's cousin, maternally, and ended up in his custody after getting orphaned at five. These days, he does most of the stewardship duties at the Serenno Duchy. His daughter Nim is teaching military history at a university in Germany."

Cody nods. "Uncle number one is named Rael, technically your dad's cousin, has a daughter. Got it."

"About a decade after Rael, they adopted my father, Qui-Gon. He and grandfather fought, frequently, but they did care for each other. My father was a botanist, did bio-engineering. We'll get back to him later, because he's where things get complicated." Obi-Wan made sure to leave room around the name. "Just a few years older than me was--is--Komari Vosa. She is... serving a life sentence. I think she fought Jango once."

"She fought my father?"

"To the best of my knowledge, they both almost died, yes," Obi-Wan says. "She's in maximum security these days. She was an assassin. I'll get a call if she breaks out, and I'll let you know along with everyone else."

"Bad news auntie, got it."

"Last adoption, sort of, is Ventress," Obi-Wan finishes off. "A few years younger than me, is technically grandfather's personal assistant and does secretarial work and the like, but we all know he's planning to leave as much of the inheritance to her as he is to the rest of us. She's aggressive and unpleasant, but she takes care of him and hasn't actually threatened to kill any of us yet, so that's fine."

"How'd she join?" Cody asks.

"Ky Narec was a friend of Qui-Gon's; Ventress was his daughter. Ky died a few years after Qui-Gon did, and Ventress was a mess, after." Obi-Wan shrugs and scratches that connection into the little sketch of a family tree as well. "Grandfather offered her a job until she got herself back together, and then she just kind of... stuck around."

"Youngest aunt, more of a cousin." Cody summarizes. "Now we go back to your father?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn was a man of many skills," Obi-Wan says drily. "Adequate birth control was not one of them."

It's almost a pity that Cody wasn't drinking anything, because going by the way he chokes, Obi-Wan's pretty sure the spit take would have been spectacular.

"I'm sorry," Cody says. "Can you repeat that?"

"I was an accident," Obi-Wan says, not even bothering to hide his smile. "So was Anakin."

"So that sounds like... a story."

"It is," Obi-Wan confirms. "My biological mother has never been in the picture. They had a fling, she wasn't sure if she'd want to abort or give me up, just that she wasn't ready to be a parent, and Qui-Gon volunteered to take full custody so she could go back to her life after the birth. I've never met her, but I kept her family name. You can consider her irrelevant beyond that."

Cody nods.

"So, when I was about a year old, Qui-Gon reconnects with an old flame, they get married two years later. Step-mother number one is Tahl. Lovely woman, I absolutely adored her, and she had a daughter, my stepsister, Bant Eerin."

"I met her, right?" Cody asks.

"Yes, she was the doctor who patched up my bullet wound a few months ago," Obi-Wan says. "With the giant glasses that make her look a little fish-eyed."

"She was nice."

"She is," Obi-Wan agrees. "At any rate, that was our family for a while, and then Tahl died when I was fourteen. Bant wanted to go to a magnet school for medical studies, and Qui-Gon's grief was... not optimal for taking care of multiple teenagers, shall we say, so Bant moved in with her paternal uncle, Kit Fisto, and Kit's son Nahdar. He's a marine biologist, incredibly friendly, and has no idea of any of the rest of my side of the family's questionable activities. If you ever meet him, you will pretend that we are a legal firm with a team of security consultants."

Cody raises a brow. Obi-Wan despairs. "Best you could do?"

"We're not that likely to run into him." Obi-Wan draws out a new line. "So, Qui-Gon deals poorly with grief. This is also around the time that Xanatos came around to ruin our lives a little. He was a very rich and unpleasant man, but he's dead as of four hours ago, so you don't have to worry about him. Or his son."

"His son?"

"Anakin handled that," Obi-Wan says. "Thoroughly. Granta Omega is no longer an issue. He's not dead, but... well. Anakin has his ways. Er--I should probably mention Feemor; he was my father's assistant at the university for a long time. Anakin and I still call him our uncle."

"Also a person to avoid mentioning criminal activity to?" Cody prompts.

"Well... no, but only because I don't think he'd care. The man is, forgive me, more of a 'walking sweatervest' than I am. He's a very bland and unassuming man. He once described himself as the background character of the soap opera that is my family's existence."

"Sounds like a charmer."

"Oh, he's very kind and clever, and witty as well. I adore him, and he really is family. He's just also very, very normal. Not boring, but..." Obi-Wan trails off and shrugs helplessly. "He's an editor for an agricultural research journal. Also not someone I anticipate us running into."

"Noted."

"Right, so, Qui-Gon dealing poorly with his grief didn't involve much drinking, but there were a few months of him trying to... lose himself in the pleasures of the flesh?" Obi-Wan tries, and then deflates at the look on Cody's face. "He was slagging around. Shmi got pregnant with Anakin, who was born when I was sixteen. Shared custody at first, Qui-Gon got him weekends and every other holiday, that sort of thing, and then they got married because they actually did like each other well enough, and it was easier on the taxes."

"So Shmi is stepmother number two."

"Shmi is stepmother number two, yes." Obi-Wan sketches in Anakin and Shmi. "About nine and a half years after Anakin was born, Shmi and Qui-Gon were in a car accident with... well, it later turned out it wasn't an accident, there was a hitman called Maul involved, he's actually Ventress's second cousin or something, I don't know. Grandfather handled most of that problem. Qui-Gon died, Shmi was in intensive care, and I got custody of Anakin as his nearest adult relative. We weren't very close before that, because I was off at university by the time he was old enough to form memories, but that changed once he started living with me. I more or less raised him as a single parent from that point."

"This is why he jokes that you're like a father to him."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan says. "Shmi took about a year to recover enough to move again, and grandfather covered the costs. She still had to live with a dedicated carer and attend daily physical therapy. At that physical therapy, she met Cliegg Lars, whose son Owen was also a patient there. They hit it off, and three years later, they married. When Anakin refers to his stepfamily he's talking about the Lars out in Nevada."

"Nevada?"

"They have a farm. A very, very normal one. We don't drag them into our activities, unless we have an at-risk person who needs a safe house." Obi-Wan pauses, and then decides this really needs to be stressed. "This is important to me and Anakin, that we don't get them involved unless there's absolutely no other choice. Shmi's been through a lot, and the Lars are busy enough running the farm."

"Works for me," Cody says. "We've got enough safe houses that it shouldn't be an issue. I'm guessing this story doesn't end there, though."

Obi-Wan grimaces. "My own love life has been... a bit of a mess."

"I already know about Kryze, at least."

There's that. "I was temporarily engaged to a friend, Siri Tachi, shortly after high school. We were in a relationship, but this was mostly something done to appease a relative of hers that was getting overbearing to the point of absurdity, and she couldn't just cut them off. We broke off the engagement after the relative passed, and we're still friends."

He notes that down, then adds the other embarrassment of his early years. "First marriage was actually a drunken joke between myself and my best friend when we were in college. We got it annulled a few months later because we just didn't have time to drop by the courthouse before then, and he's actually engaged to Asajj now."

"Asajj?" Cody asks, watching in fascination as Obi-Wan tries to mark in both his own short marriage and the newer, long-term engagement without crossing any lines. He settles for just writing the name twice and including an asterisk with 'this is the same person.'

"Ventress," Obi-Wan clarifies. "Yeah, Quinlan's a fun guy. His little sister, Aayla, treats Anakin like a beloved younger cousin."

"Are they also off-limits for criminal activity?"

"No, Aayla's the one that taught Ahsoka how to vent-crawl," Obi-Wan says. "And I'm pretty sure Quinlan has contacts in every major government branch, criminal organization, and Fortune 500 company on the planet. I reach out to them regularly."

"Resources, then."

Obi-Wan nods. "Some time later, I married Satine. We had a son; you've met Korkie. We split due to incompatibility a year and change before Qui-Gon's death. Satine doesn't engage in criminal activity, but Bo-Katan is..."

"I've met Bo-Katan. I know what she's like, Obi. You don't have to explain."

"She works with Maul sometimes."

"...the man who killed your father?"

"Yes. It's all very stupid and convoluted." Obi-Wan still writes her in. "So, that's them. Korkie goes to boarding school, and I try not to involve him in anything. Anakin and Ahsoka like to teach him self-defense and the like, but Satine is adamant that he stay unaware of my less legal dealings until he's an adult."

Cody shrugs. "Makes sense. Is that every--wait, no, Skywalker's married."

Obi-Wan grins. "Yes, and Padme's got twins on the way."

"I was there when he told us," Cody says drily. "He was very loud about it. Okay, how does Ahsoka fit in?"

"Hold on, I forgot Beru," Obi-Wan mutters. "Owen's fiancee. Same rules as the Lars. Okay, you asked about Ahsoka. Right. So. Um."

He dithers. Cody waits for him, and then Obi-Wan just gives up. "Ahsoka, dear, would you like to explain how you joined the family, so to speak?"

Ahsoka looks up from whatever she and the boys are doing--there are multiple beer glasses and straws and duct tape involved, and Obi-Wan doesn't really want to know--and then flips off the table and over to Obi-Wan and Cody. She looks over the family tree chart, and then says, "Oooh, did you tell him about the cult?"

"You were in a cult?" Cody demands.

"No, Komari was. She was head priestess or something. I dunno, it's why she's in prison and stuff."

"I did not tell him about the cult," Obi-Wan mutters, already regretting this. "The Bando Gora aren't a problem anymore. I've already gotten to explaining how you and Anakin know each other."

Ahsoka rolls her eyes, steals his pen, and starts sketching in around Quinlan's name, over by Asajj since Obi-Wan's section is too crowded. "Okay, so, Quinlan's adopted. His dad is Tholme, and Tholme's dad is Plo Koon. Plo Koon is good friends with my Auntie, Shaak Ti, who raised me. They live next door to each other, out in the country, and I'd play in his yard a lot, because he had puppies, and he took me to visit his bees. Whenever Auntie needed a babysitter, she asked Quinlan or Aayla to do it since she knew and trusted them, and Aayla needed pocket money."

"This is so unnecessarily complicated," Cody mutters.

"It is!" Ahsoka chirps. Her grin is far too sharp. "So, this one time, Aayla was watching me when I was fourteen, and she was just helping me with my physics homework. BAM, the door slams open, and in stumbled Skyguy with his arm missing. I've never met him before, and my first introduction is him shortly after he's gotten an unplanned amputation."

Anakin, on the other side of the room, giggles. Obi-Wan just sighs. The Fett brothers appear to be in the land of 'horrified fascination.'

Ahsoka revels in it. "There's blood everywhere, I'm screaming, Aayla's panicking, Anakin's halfway to unconscious and insisting we can't call the hospital, and nobody can get Obi-Wan on the phone. Quinlan's in another country, and Auntie Shaak and Uncle Plo are at a movie, so they've both got their cellphones off. Tholme was faking his death at that point to get away from an incident with the Irish Mob, so we didn't even try him."

"What the actual fuck," Rex breathes.

Ahsoka continues with relish. "We get Bant to pick up, and she's there an hour later with Padme, because Padme knows how to drive the way Skyguy does, and the entire drive there is just Auntie Bant on speakerphone telling Aayla how to stop the bleeding and get him stabilized while Padme's screaming at traffic at the top of her lungs."

"I owe Aayla a fruit basket," Anakin muses aloud. "The anniversary of her saving my life is coming up, it's warranted."

"Five years, baby!" Ahsoka crows. She fist-pumps.

Obi-Wan just drops his head into his hands. "You're killing me, children."

Anakin shrugs, grinning. "You know, I think Fett Senior might have been involved in that fight."

"My shitty dad cut off your arm?" Rex demands.

"No, I think he was busy fighting the Interpol guy," Anakin says. "But he was definitely there. I think. Blood loss kinda got to me after a bit, but I'm pretty sure Jango Fett was there, and also Boba might've been hiding in the getaway car?"

"I need another glass," Cody mutters. He doesn't stand up, though.

"Wait," Rex says. "So who cut off your arm?"

Anakin shrugs with an unsure noise. "Someone tried to convince me it was Grandpa Yan, but he was in the middle of a court case in Italy for some kind of parole violation when it happened, so he had an alibi."

"...did he actually violate parole?" Cody asks, and Obi-Wan thinks he looks like he doesn't know if he actually wants an answer.

Ahsoka shrugs. So does Anakin. Obi-Wan carefully looks at a spot behind Cody, and doesn't explain anything about wine tastings used as covers for illicit arms deals.

"The arm?" Rex prompts, sounding a little desperate to get back to the question he likely thinks is the most important.

"I still say it was Skeevy Sheev," Ahsoka chimes in.

"It wasn't Palpatine," Anakin snaps.

"Your creepy older friend who took you to operas and gives you fancy gifts and knows way too much about swords who was conveniently there to talk to the police and cover for you so you didn't get arrested for getting in the middle of a gang war in the first place, yes," Ahsoka says, dropping into a chair and sighing dramatically. "The guy who definitely hasn't been trying to convince you for a year and change that your wife is cheating on you with your older brother."

"Ahsoka!"

"What? He is."

"Anakin," Rex says, "your life sounds like a trainwreck."

"I'm not going to assume a frail, elderly man cut my arm off!" Anakin protests. "Even if he wanted to, he doesn't exactly have the muscle for it!"

"Grandfather's older," Obi-Wan points out, even though he knows it won't help. "And he definitely still could."

"Ha!" Ahsoka shouts.

"He could have hired someone?" Cody suggests. "Doesn't need to do it himself, if he has enough money."

Obi-Wan has a sneaking suspicion that Cody is deliberately stirring the pot as revenge for Anakin sending him eighty-seven cat memes inside an hour during last night's dinner.

"You all suck," Anakin declares. "Also, what the hell do you mean 'knows way too much about swords,' Ahsoka? You know way too much about swords!"

"Yeah, but I'm like ninety-percent sure that his antiques are Prussian and mid-century German military officer dress uniform relics, and pairing that with the Nazi pistols he's got on display--"

"He's just a history buff! And his family's German, of course he prioritizes that region, it's not like he doesn't have Russian or French or English antiques in there too, it's all sides of the war and--"

"I'm just saying he's almost definitely sending me sketchy glances like he thinks I'm planning to steal the silver on the three occasions you've had me with you when you stop by, and I'm pretty sure it's got less to do with my criminal record and more to do with me being, you know, not white."

Anakin looks ready to blow, so Obi-Wan interrupts. "Ahsoka, you were explaining how Anakin passing out on Aayla and scaring us all half to death led to your friendship?"

Ahsoka blinks at him, and then sticks her tongue out at Anakin and turns back to the chart. "So basically, Skyguy had to recuperate in Uncle Plo's living room for a week or two, and I kept showing up to bother him because he was bored and nobody would give him a laptop for 'security reasons,' because he had to lay low and stuff. He made me help him sketch out designs for a prosthesis and do all the writing for the math he had to do for the 3D printer, and we got to chatting."

Ahsoka hops up and back onto a table, legs swinging below her. "I decided he was cool and started following him around while he was getting used to only having one hand, mostly because I was bored. He showed me how to hotwire a car, and explained the best places to put a bug if you were looking to make it sneaky, and he picked my pocket to show off so many times when he was walking around Uncle Plo's house that I made him teach me that, too. And, uh, then Aayla found out and they got into a shouting match about it and decided they both needed to teach me parkour so I could get out of any mess I got myself into, since I was obviously going to follow them into a life of crime."

"And you did," Anakin says, far too proudly. "You're the best thief in this half of the country."

"Only because Aayla moved out east."

Anakin rolls his eyes and pulls Ahsoka into his side, digging his knuckles into her skull. "Best thief! You are the best thief! Be proud of yourself!"

"Let go!"

"Never!"

Obi-Wan sighed heavily and rubbed at his forehead. "Children, please."

"You're not my dad," Ahsoka growls out at him. "Skyguy, I'm going to bite you!"

"Good luck, the only arm you can access is the one that's going to break your teeth."

Ahsoka shrieks in outrage and stomps on Anakin's instep.

It's almost funny, for all that Obi-Wan's seen it play out a million times before, but the really interesting part is seeing Rex's look of fond dismay.

Obi-Wan thinks he might be adding a branch out to the Fetts soon. He's not actually sure if Rex is interested in Anakin or Ahsoka, and he's smack dab between them in age, so that's not a help either, but... well. The expression is familiar enough.

"Please tell me you don't match-make," Cody mutters to him.

"No, I plan to let the pieces fall where they will," Obi-Wan responds, just as low, and far more amused. "I'm simply trying to predict where those landings are to be."

Cody looks at him, and then back at the roughhousing trio, and sighs heavily. "You know, I really didn't think that you technically being minor royalty was going to be the least convoluted thing in your story, Obi-Wan."

He laughs, because it's true. "I'm first in line to inherit the title, since Rael denounced his claim. Nim isn't interested, and Qui-Gon's dead, so... I'm next."

Cody makes a face. "Delightful. I'm guessing that's not a connection we can safely make use of."

"No more than the Kryze or Naberries, I'm afraid." Obi-Wan claps him on the shoulder. "Chin up, I've plenty others in the metaphorical rolodex, all far less legitimate and far more amenable to work with our little outfit."

"Rolodex, really?" Cody snorts. "You're not that old."

Obi-Wan smiles winningly. "You don't know how old I am, Cody. All my IDs are fake."

"Anakin's twenty-four, and you're sixteen years older than him, going by the story you just told me," Cody points out. "I do know how to do basic math, Obi-Wan."

"I had to try," Obi-Wan admits. "I threw a lot of information at you all at once; I'd hoped you missed some of the ages in there."

"I have eight brothers," Cody scoffs. "And literally dozens of cousins, plus niblings, uncles, aunts, and so on. I have experience on this."

"If I asked you to list of the age of every single relative you have, you'd be able to do it?"

"Do you want me to draw a chart? I can draw a chart."

Obi-Wan can't help but laugh. "I'd be delighted, my dear."

Cody rolls his eyes, but Obi-Wan thinks--it's hard to tell in the dimmed lights of the closed bar--that there's a hint of a blush on the man's face. Obi-Wan lets himself slouch to the side, drops his head to rest on one fist, indolent debauchery in every line of his body. Cody does his best to ignore him, but Obi-Wan knows how to smile lazily and blink slowly and draw a man in.

(The whole 'indolent debauchery in every line of his body' phrasing is Anakin's, from back when he was a teenager trying to read highbrow literature to impress a cute girl... and to come up with new insults for his older brother.)

"So," Cody says, with a cough meant to somehow distract Obi-Wan from whatever's showing on the man's face. "Why, uh, why is your grandfather on terrorist watchlists?"

"Well, he didn't initially do anything," Obi-Wan says. "He was just a gay man who didn't hide it quite well enough, and had too much money and too white a face for someone to just call the cops on a faulty report. The Red Scare was technically over by that point, I think, but if a few people made suggestions that he was more loyal to the country that gave him a noble title than to the United States... he received a few warnings, of course, and it could have all blown over..."

"But?"

"But my grandfather is not a man to do things by halves, and instead decided that if the government was to list him as a threat, then he would oblige and make himself a threat," Obi-Wan finishes. "Living up to their labels, rolling with the assumptions, whatever you'd like to call it. It all irked him, and so he made some incredibly questionable decisions to make the government's lives harder. Some weren't bad, like donating to anti-war foundations that were protesting the Gulf War and the interventions in Yugoslavia, that sort of thing, and some were... nobody really looks well on gunrunning, you know."

"For fuck's sake..."

"Indeed," Obi-Wan chuckles. "Ironically, he has minimal opinion on the optimal form of economics, for all that virulent xenophobia and the remnants of anti-communism were involved in the whole mess. He just wanted to create problems for the people that were causing him problems."

Cody shakes his head. "I want to judge that, but you've met my father."

"Jango Fett is, indeed, also not a man to do things by halves," Obi-Wan agrees, attempting to nod gravely but breaking into a smile at the end. "That man is absurd."

"At least he's not dragging Boba into it anymore," Cody mutters. He drags over the fresh sheet of paper and pen that Obi-Wan offers him. "Okay, right, let's start with Jaster..."

[inkformyblood]

You Speak Of Grace

Commander Cody Week Day 02 Origins [ @commandercodyweek ]

Pairing: Codywan

Summary: Cody is about to meet his new Jedi, but he will make sure his men are as prepared as they can be. Little does he know that Obi-Wan is anything but what he was expecting.

“Once more.” Cody’s voice rang out as the test alarms died away, eliciting a fresh wave of groans from the assembled clones. From behind his helmet, Cody glanced over the group, running through the list in his mind once again. The heavy gloves hid the faint trembling of his hands as his fingers danced over the datapad, drawing up another scenario. “Test Scenario 00726. Oya!”

Distantly, Cody could almost hear Alpha-17’s low rumbling laugh echo forth from his memory at their displays of grumbling compliance. He carefully ignored the brother at the back — Crys, he thought, judging from the bright yellow daubed over his pauldrons and the dark hair growing up through the unnatural yellow dye — who ducked behind a console and emerged after swallowing down the last dregs of his caf.

The consoles rang shrilly as they ran through the necessary checks once more, heads lowered as the other clones focused on their own work. Cody sensed movement just behind him, but didn’t turn, watching the grey painted shape of Helix, their medic, move up behind him in the reflection of a console.

“Permission to speak freely, sir?”

Helix’s voice was soft but no less filled with purpose, expecting to be heard and understood. Cody was the Commander of the Battalion, but Helix was the medic, and that was something entirely different.

“Granted.”

Helix tapped the comm on his wrist, shifting to a private channel, and Cody stifled the reflexive twinge of fear that rattled down his spine. Fear was useful, Alpha-17 had barked at the younger clones in the Command Track, echoing the words of the trainers before him, but it was also dangerous. Drawing in a deep breath, letting it flow through him rather than rule his thoughts, Cody switched to the private channel as well.

“You are doing a good job,” Helix murmured, his voice slightly distorted over the comm. “You are already a good commander, and having a Jedi won’t change that.”

Cody didn’t respond, didn’t want to think about what Helix could read in the sudden stillness of his hands or the lines of tension that flickered into life along his shoulders, but merely nodded, his throat tight.

Helix lightly tapped the back of his wrist guard against Cody’s hip in a silent benediction. “I’m going to head down to medical. Over the next few days, I’ll need to check on the troopers and the Jedi to get a baseline.”

“I’ll draw up a rota,” Cody promised, adding yet another item onto his mental checklist. Dimly, he spared a thought for how his brothers in the command track were faring. Their own comms channel had been eerily quiet since they had received their battalion allocations and left in the early hours of the morning with one final message each of “Oya”.

“Appreciate it,” Helix said with an inclination of his head and stepped away. The other medics, Border and Patience, shadowed him like ghosts, barely half a step behind in a haunting unison that would have made the trainers proud.

Cody turned back to the men, tracking their progress as they worked through the machines, feeling a warm glow of pride settle in his chest. This would work. This had to work.

A warning prickled at the base of his skull, and Cody was already turning to face the doorway by the time his mind had drawn the context clues together.

As Helix left, his pace had slowed slightly, and the soft whoosh of the doors closing took longer than it should have. One of the troopers had raised his head, gaze fixed at something over Cody’s shoulder as one of his hands formed the beginning of the symbol for ‘Mother’, a warning of being watched back on Kamino. But the critical clue was the message flashing from the Command Track Chat from Bly that only read ‘oh no my Jedi’s hot.’

“Hello there.”

“Hello, sir,” Cody said, running on instinct as the rest of his mind went blissfully blank. The only information he had been given was a name and a grainy holo picture to recognise his Jedi by. A small thrill ran down his spine at that thought. Possession was still something all the clones were getting used to, and the knowledge that this man was his, was theirs, was more than Cody could have thought possible.

“Jetti on bridge,” Cody barked over his shoulder to the others, feeling the weight of their eyes on his back.

Obi-Wan smiled, the edges of his eyes — so unbelievably blue, like the point where the ocean met the sky — crinkling. “Please, Commander, call me Obi-Wan.”

“Obi-Wan,” Cody repeated with a nod, further committing it to memory. He was grateful for the helmet that was still covering his head as he felt the heat settle in his cheeks. Full armour was cumbersome for now, but it had been better to be safe than sorry.

“From what I understand, you have names as well?” Obi-Wan’s gaze darted around the room; his voice pitched low. “I don’t wish to cause any offence; this situation is very new to me.” He tucked his hands into his sleeves, clasping them in front of him.

“CC-2224 is my designation. But my name is Cody, sir.”

It was as if Cody’s words ripped the oxygen from the room, every trooper freezing in place in perfect military rest. Obi-Wan had to feel the pressure lowering onto his shoulders, but he merely grinned once more.

“Cody. That’s an excellent name and a good choice.” Obi-Wan paused, glancing around the room and meeting the gaze of every trooper who quickly lowered their heads back to their consoles at Cody’s signal.

“I trust I can count on you to keep me right, Cody? I will defer to your expertise.” Obi-Wan’s grin was as warm as sunlight, intoxicating when it was directed at just Cody, and he felt his cheeks burst with heat once more.

“Yessir,” Cody said, snapping back into parade rest out of habit.

“I’m not sure what the Kamioans have told you, but if you’re amenable, full armour outside of active combat isn’t required.” Obi-Wan paused with a heavy sigh, looking far older than he was for a moment before he pushed whatever memory it was away. “This isn’t my first war, but no need to make it harder than it needs to be.”

“So,” Cody swallowed, turning his head slightly to track Boil and Waxer’s whispering, their heads pressed together out of the corner of his eye, “Permission to dismiss the men to store their extras?”

“Permission more than granted, Commander.”

If Cody had thought that his mind went blank before, it was nothing compared to being alone on the bridge with Obi-Wan. In every scenario, every training simulation or exercise, nothing could have prepared him for this moment. Alpha-17 and the others took after Prime almost perfectly, and that applied to his lack of attraction as well, at best able to offer rough support to a heartbroken trooper in basic training.

Obi-Wan began to move around the bridge, glancing over the simulated manoeuvres that had been programmed in with a gleam of interest in his eyes. “If you want, Cody, you can store your belongings as well. We’re going to be working together for a while, and I see no reason to start out with extreme formality.”

Cody’s hands were steady as he reached up to remove his helmet, subtly pressing at the itch that had erupted two hours ago at the nape of his skull as he did so. Obi-Wan’s face softened as he watched him, unable to hide the obvious curiosity in his eyes.

“I can definitely see the resemblance.”

Cody laughed, the noise startled out of him, jaw snapping shut with a click.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he began, but Obi-Wan cut him off with a wave of his hand, his shoulders shaking with barely suppressed laughter.

“Please, don’t apologise, Cody. If there is anyone at fault, then it is me.”

“No, sir.” Cody paused to find the correct words, tapping his fingers against the edge of the datapad as he thought. This wasn’t what he had been expecting, Obi-Wan wasn’t what he had been expecting, but he always had been quick on his feet. “As you said, no reason to start out with extreme formality. No fault here.”

Obi-Wan hummed quietly as he thought, and Cody took a moment to inspect the Jedi he would be serving under. The robes hid much of his frame, but Obi-Wan had moved with confidence, despite the fact that the fabric wouldn’t give much protection or possibly act as a hindrance. Cody made another note on his mental list, needing to confer with the other Commanders once everyone had settled again.

“I think this is going to be an excellent partnership, Cody,” Obi-Wan said at last. “With that in mind, with the full reassurance that you can tell me no at any time for whatever reason, would you like to join me for a cup of tea? I believe there is some final paperwork to go over.”

“Yessir,” Cody answered before the full implication hit him. Obi-Wan would be sharing, even serving most likely, something precious of his, something he had deliberately chosen to bring aboard a battleship, knowing the cargo restrictions. “I’d be honoured.”

“Excellent! Anakin, my padawan—” Obi-Wan paused, and Cody wordlessly fell into pace at his side, a few inches shorter than the other man as he titled his head to continue watching him, “—he never quite got the taste for it, unfortunately.”

“I am looking forward to it, sir.”

Obi-Wan gave him a look, his grin all fond curled edges.

“Obi-Wan,” Cody corrected himself. He felt like a fool to hope, but it was a hope he held onto tightly.

Out of sight, Cody tapped a message into the Command Chat before silencing it, knowing the explosions it would spawn. ‘Mine’s better, vod.’

[smokahuntis]

The beauty & the sith

Pairing: Darth maul x Jedi

Warnings: Canon details changed for plot purposes. Mentions of death. The battle of Naboo.

Summery: A tale as old as time. A young Jedi falls into the trap of a careless sith to protect her father.

Authors note: this will be a series, hopefully

“I’m going to the library, father” (y/n) said as she fixed her lightly colored robes and clipped her saber to her side. Her father, Qui-Gon, looked up at her from his scroll with a soft smile. (Y/n) was his only child, not his biological daughter, his niece rather. The Jedi let him take her in after the death of his sister, he raised her as his own along side Obi-Wan.

She was always so smart, so strong willed and compassionate. She was just like his sister and she reminded him of that every day. She reminded him of the brave women his sister was, and how much light she put in his life, and everyone she met. (Y/n) was just like her in every way. Especially in the color blue.

“Where did you get those robes?” He asked curiously as he closed his scroll, setting it aside.

“Oh- I found them in my chest” she smiled looking at him. Probably a gift from Obi-wan, she was used to getting things from him. (Y/n) never had a problem with Obi-wan, but she was definitely not interested in him. He was like a brother to her, but to him she was much more.

Qui-gon nodded and smiled softly “you look lovely in that color...be safe” he said standing up and kissing her head “stay away from boys” he teased her. She only shook her head and looked up at him.

“I don’t think any of the men in this temple will ever be a bother to me, father” she whispered as she tied her hair back into its ribboned braid.

“And they better stay that way, or I’ll have a long talk with the council” he said sternly as he held his hands together.

“What if they are members of the council?” She asked with a smirk, always having to question the things he says just to know the answer, never for real importance.

“Then I’ll speak to master today privately about the matter.” He said looking down at her.

“Whaaaat if it’s Master yoda?” She asked again. Her father only gave her a look before pushing her to the door gently.

“Go on, before someone takes what you’re looking for” he said as she giggled and walked out the door.

“Waaaait, I didn’t get to ask what you are doing today” she said as they now stood in the hall out side their temple apartment. He nodded and sighed.

“Yes that is important...” he said in a tone that made her look at him with worried eyes.

“What’s going on...” she whispered softly as she grabbed his hands.

“The boy we’ve saved, anakin... I believe our discovery of him has raised some attention... master yoda senses a disturbance coming... Obi-wan and I are the ones attending the matter” he informed her quietly so no others heard.

“Why didn’t you tell me I could help you-“ she started but he cut her off.

“You are not yet ready... please just go to the library... I’ll see you tonight for dinner” he smiled at her and kissed her head as she let out a heavy sigh. She knew not to argue with him on Jedi matters, yet she did it often. But something about the way he said it, she knew to leave it alone and go about her way.

(Y/n) was quiet as she made her way down to the library. Keeping her nose in her current books as she went, many people greeted her as she passed. Many whispered as she walked away. Always so quiet, so closed off. Except for the people she trusted, Obi-Wan, her father and now anakin. Even tho anakin was only a child, there was something about him she trusted, something familiar. She could never place it, but she didn’t care to much about it either.

“And what are you reading today?” Obi-wan hummed plucking the book from her hands as she came into the library. She looked up at him and reached for it quickly.

“Obi-wan!” She whined and tried to jump to grab it. He was so much taller then her , it was way to easy for him to hold things from her grasp.

“The fires of Dathomir?” He looked at her curiously. “Now why on earth would you be reading something like that?” He asked flipping three the pages, stopping on a academic drawing of the zabrak male. “And the only image is a naked man” he said handing it back to her.

“It’s to represent common tattoos of the Dathomorian people” she said in a matter-of-fact tone as she walked more into the library. Obi-wan on her heels as she went to put the book away. “Plus, I’m already finish with it, I was just reviewing it.” She said as she used the force to slip it back into its shelf.

“Did you pick that book because you were bored of because of Darth maul?” He asked leaning against the shelves as he looked down at her.

“Darth Maul?” She asked confused, her father knew her well enough to not mention the sith, she always had weird dreams about the sith. So anytime they had sith problems, unless it was necessary, he didn’t inform her.

“He didn’t tell you...” Obi-wan sighed “there was this Zabrak on Tatooine that attacked us, tried to get Padmé and take anakin... goes by Darth Maul” Obi-wan said softly.

“And no one told me till now?” She crossed her arms a little frustrated.

“I thought he would... it seemed necessary, I’m sorry sunflower I didn’t know” Obi-wan said trying to be calm about it, and calm her too.

“Tell me about him...” she said sitting down.

“About Darth Maul?” He asked as they sat down.

“No, about you” she said looking at him, a smirk grew in his face.

“Well-“

“Yes about Darth Maul” she cut him off before he could continue. Obi-wan shook his head and started talking about it and what happened on Tatooine. They sat there for awhile discussing the events before she realized.

“Aren’t you meant to be with my father?” She asked him as she grabbed a book about Zabraks.

“Well yes, but he had a meeting with the council I was told I wasn’t allowed to go to... so I figure I’d talk to you” Obi-wan said looking at the time.

“And how did you know where to find me?” She said flipping three pages.

“Where else would you be?” He answered before she stopped and glanced up at him.

“I go... other places” she started

“Like where?” He hummed lifting her chin.

“The... gardens” she said closing the book abruptly before someone came into the isle they were at.

“Obi-wan... master Qui-gon is looking for you” the younger twi’lek said with a kind smiled. “Good morning Miss Jinn” she hummed to (y/n) before walking away. (Y/n) looked up at Obi-wan and smiled.

“Good luck” she said letting him go before she went into her research.

It seemed like only minutes had passed as she read her books, but as she looked up the light peeking threw the large windows had become a burnt orange. The sun was setting fast over Coruscant, Barely giving her enough time to put her things into her bag before leaving. It wasn’t uncommon for her to forget time while reading. Some days she’s been in there till late at night.

As she made her way threw the temple she started to feel this strange ache in her head. Unlike anything she’d felt before. Longing, that’s what it felt like. Like being lost in a crowd of people, only searching for one person that you just can’t find. And that’s what she was doing, before even noticing it she was running threw the temple to find the source of this feeling.

She started to become warm, the feeling in her chest, her stomach. The anxiety, the force guiding her, she didn’t know what was happing next she just knew she needed to get to it. Wherever it was. Her feet guided her, her brain on hyperdrive before she found herself in the shipping bay. Frozen as she finally found the source of this emotion, her father. Fighting against a sith she had never known. The description only matching that to Darth Maul.

She couldn’t get passed the red chambers fast enough, she couldn’t reach him in time. The piercing heat of the saber went threw her father with in second before the zabrak noticed her. The sob escaping her throat alerting him of her presents as he pulled away from the Jedi master. The red barriers fell and she was quickly at Qui-Gon’s side.

In this moment she didn’t care about the sith, she only wanted to hold her father. “No- no - dad” she whimpered picking up his head and setting it on her lap. “Please look at me” she whimpered as his eyes opened weakly and face turned to a grin.

“I knew you’d find me...” he whispered. “I... I needed to see you.. one last time” she whispered reaching his hand uo to her face. She let out a sob as she leaned into his touch

“It was you- you brought me here...” she whispered as he nodded.

“I needed you to see this... I needed you to be here” he whispered as his touch began to tremble.

“Why...” she grabbed his hand

“Because I love you... I need you to know that...you’re- you’re my daughter and I love you” he whispered as he closed his eyes.

The barriers flashed again as Obi-wan entered the room. Maul was quick to grab (y/n) uo from the floor and hold his scorching blade to her neck.

“Him or her” he growled in such a deep tone it vibrated her back. She could feel his warm skin threw their robes.

“No- no” obi-wan grabbed his masters saber but she stopped him.

“No! Save him!” (Y/n) cried. “Please Obi-wan!” She looked at him as tears streamed down her face. Something about maul felt familiar, and she trusted that enough to put her life on it. “Take him to the infirmary! I’ll be okay! Please!” She cried looking at them. Maul’s grip on her hit tighter as she spoke. A deep chuckle came from his throat and right into her ear.

“So compliant... it’s like you want to be taken” he purred before looking at Obi-Wan “you heard her... take him” he growled again before Obi/ wan picked up his master and looked at (y/n)

“I’ll save you” he said reassuringly.

“Save him first!” She yelled at him before he ran off to help Qui-Gon.

That moment set the markings for the rest of her life with the amber eyes sith. Fear racked threw her body like it owned its every cell. But his warm comforted it like a warm blanket. It made her uneasy, her mind already in a panic as Maul drug her to his ship. She didn’t speak or sob, she just froze.

She didn’t say anything to him as he hauled her up to his ship. Setting her down on the passenger seat and strapping her into it.

“Don’t move” he said sternly as she looked up at him. The only response she could conjure up was a whimper. He just shook his head and started the ship quickly “you’re pathetic...” he mumbled before the ship roared to life and took off. All she could think about was that

She gave her life to a zabrak.

Tag list: @a-dorin @localnightmare13 @botherbother-blog @jayden-rose-leon @randomfangirl7 @syncopated-beet @two-black-leviathans @zamoragoddess

I currently do not have a Darth Maul tag list so if you want to be apart of this series or Darth Maul all together just let me know

[anna-pixie]

padawan -> obi-wan kenobi {part three}

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

hello!! i have written and rewritten this part a lot, and i still can’t decide whether i am completely happy with it, so honest feedback is encouraged!! ty all so much for your love on the last part, i hope you enjoy <3

summary: you and obi-wan head out on another mission, but something has got him in an awful mood (lmk if you guys figure out what his mood is about before the next part!!)

pairings: obi-wan kenobi x reader

warnings: mentions of sex

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

“Y/N, when you said you were serious about your training I expected I would see you there on time each morning.” The familiar lilt of Obi-Wan’s voice jerks you up from your incredibly deep sleep. You wipe away the drool from the corner of your mouth and gaze around your room with bleary eyes. 

There’s nobody there. 

Then a knock sounds from your door and you realise that your Master is too respectful to just barge into your room without permission. 

“Come in, Master.”

You hear the hiss of your door sliding open and smile sheepishly as your favourite bearded face peers around into the unhomely expanse of your room. Unlike the Jedi Masters, padawans weren’t encouraged to decorate their rooms. That’s a privilege earnt through time and experience. You’re thankful that you went to bed wearing a large jumper last night, though as you stretch the material exposes your stomach ever so slightly. 

“I broke my datapad yesterday…” You trail off, knowing that this is the third one you’ve gone through this year, “I didn’t have anything to set an alarm on.” An innocent smile graces your lips as Obi-Wan sighs, sitting next to you on your unmade sheets as he returns it with his own wry grin. 

“Whatever am I going to do with you, Padawan?” You know your Master well enough by now to be able to tell what he is feeling by the tone of his incredibly expressive voice, and thankfully right now he doesn’t seem too annoyed by your lack of care for your datapad. However, you also know that you’re treading on very thin ice, that you’re going to have to start putting a lot more effort in unless you want him to give up on you like everyone else has. 

It’s been a few weeks since you met Ahsoka which gave you the motivation you needed to get back on track. To say it’s been a hard few weeks would be an understatement. You’re up every morning before the light, fighting and learning and meditating with Obi-Wan. The two of you spend a lot of time together alone in the mornings and evenings when most other people in the temple have already retired to bed, but a lot of your time in the day is shared by Anakin - he thinks it is a great idea to train you and Ahsoka together. 

Now that was a kick in the teeth. 

You like Ahsoka, you really do, but it’s so humiliating to be trained alongside someone so much younger than you. Especially in front of the man you’re head over heels in love with. And, as another cherry on top of the cake of your shit life, the senate has been quiet as of late, which means Padme has plenty of free time to come and oversee your training sessions. Keeping an eye on the Jedi Temple, she says, but everyone sees the smiles exchanged between her and her Jedi. It makes you feel queasy. 

How are you supposed to focus on training when your biggest distraction is hanging in front of you everyday?

You have to give it to Obi-Wan, he tries his best to steer you away from the pain caused by seeing Anakin and Padme together. He stands directly in your eyeline when he knows they are near each other, so that you can’t see anything except his smiling face. When Anakin suggests lunch with Ahsoka and Padme, Obi-Wan regretfully informs him of the non-existent prior engagements the two of you have with a sneaky smile your way. 

With all the hardship of the past few weeks, you’re happy with how close it has brought you and your Master. 

“Can we just leave it for today, Master? Please.” You flop back down onto your bed, your eyes remaining on Obi-Wan as you send him your best pleading, doe-eyed look. 

“Sadly, we’ve been called away to war so I’m afraid that isn’t an option. It seems as though this is going to be a long operation. We’re first needed in Umbara, it seems as though General Krell has been executed by the clones. After that we go straight to Mandalore.”

“The clones executed a Jedi General?” Your voice is high as you stand up, heading over to your small closet and quickly rifling through your clothes to find something that would hold up for a few days. 

“It appears that he was a Separitast sympathiser. He turned two clone units against each other, forced them to kill their own.”

Your eyes are wide as Obi-Wan continues to explain the situation awaiting the two of you on Umbara, and your heart clenches as you think about what the Clones must have been gonig through during their time there. You know attachments are forbidden as a Jedi, but you can’t help the close relationships you have formed with some of the soldiers. Captain Rex is like a brother to you. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

An hour later, you’re holding onto the bar above you as your ship takes off in the direction of Umbara, Obi-Wan looking more jittery than you’ve ever seen him as he paces around next to you. 

“You okay, Master? You seem shaken up.”

“I’m fine, young one.” He dismisses you with a shake of your head, “Come with me, we may as well get some training in whilst we’re enroute.” He doesn’t say anything else, just turns away and heads out of the bridge with not so much as a glance back to make sure you’re following him.

What on Alderaan is going on with him?

His mood doesn’t let up during training, you’ve never seen him come at you so relentlessly. If it wasn’t for the fact that they knew you so well, the passing clones would probably assume that the two of you were fighting to the death in your training room. 

A cry escapes your mouth as he knocks the saber from your hand, as it clatters to the ground and rolls somewhere you don’t bother to look for, you expect him to stop. However his saber remains active, and he seems to be in a trance of sorts as he swings for you once more, only stopped from making contact with a part of your body when you swing your leg out from beneath you, causing the two of you to fall to the ground with a low grunt from him. His saber falls from his grasp in the same way yours did, and you work on figuring out how to calm him down as his body cages yours into the ground. 

The only noise in the room is the sound of you both breathing heavily, and when your eyes finally look up and meet his again you almost feel as though he has used the force to steal your breath away from you. His blue eyes capture yours, not letting up as his gaze seems to only darken the longer the two of you lay there. 

You can’t help but be reminded of a similar situation you found yourself in with Anakin a while ago, the two of you ended up tangled on the ground after a round of playful sparring. It was all heavy breathing and dark looks and you remember that all you could think was how much you had wanted him to kiss you in that moment.

So why, Maker tell, do you have the exact same feeling now? You thought that your crush on Obi-Wan had been a silly, fleeting thing back when you first began training under him. You didn’t think it would return with a vengeance, your mind silently asking him to lean down further as you struggle to pull your eyes away from his own. When you and Anakin has been in this same situation, you had hoped that he was going to kiss you, so it was humiliating when he finally tore his gaze from yours and pulled himself away from you with an awkward cough. 

You think that Obi-Wan will do the same. Of course he will, he’s the most rule abiding Jedi you’ve ever met. 

That’s why, when you feel his lips being placed softly on yours, you think you’re just hallucinating. It takes your mind a moment to catch up to what is actually occurring, your eyes fluttering shut as he pulls away and then presses his lips to yours with more fervour once he realises that you aren’t going to push him away. 

The hand that almost struck you with his saber minutes before reaches up, holding onto your jaw whilst the other keeps him steady on top of you. He breathes heavily as he kisses you, your breath minging as you savour the feeling. This isn’t your first kiss, you had snuck out to the clubs of Coruscant before and kissed random boys before, but this was different. This was your first kiss since you had fallen in love with Anakin. All those nights you had spent dreaming, hoping, praying that he would be the next person you kiss. Yet here you are, your lips moving feverishly against your Master’s as you thread one of your hands into the long hair at the nape of his neck. 

You must stay like that, basking in the feeling of each other for a good few minutes before a loud bang from the corridor snaps you both out of the spell you had fallen under. Obi-Wan quickly gets up, sticking out his hand to locate his saber, unable to look you in the eye as you slowly rise from your position. Your mouth tingles and your eyes are wide as you stare at the side of Obi-Wan’s head. 

He smooths his hand over his beard and mumbles a quick, “That shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry, Padawan.” before leaving the room hastily. You flinch at the way he says the word Padawan, like he is reminding you both that what you just did was not only forbidden but also extremely morally wrong. You’ve never been one to care about such trivialities, but Obi-Wan is definitely a fair bit older than you, to say the least. 

As you catch your breath and find your lightsaber, you think to yourself that it’s good that you were interrupted, because if you weren’t then you might’ve been found by a soldier who would’ve reported what he saw back to the council. You ignore the part of you that wishes you would have continued, that thinks of how well your lips worked together and how at home you felt with his body on top of yours. And most of all, you ignore the part of you that wonders if him kissing you had anything to do with his sudden mood change since departing for the trip.

The rest of the journey is slow and quiet, you take some time to meditate and gather your thoughts, knowing you’re in no state to be dealing with anything important right now. A soldier offers you something to eat but you have to decline, with the way your stomach is turning you know you won’t be able to stomach any food. 

Obi-Wan seems to have retired to somewhere quiet on the ship, you don’t see him until you touch down on Umbara. The capital has been captured now, and that is where you will spend the night before heading to Mandalore, however you must first deal with the execution of General Krell at a nearby facility that was taken by the clones. 

You walk silently alongside your Master, an awkward tension in the air that is an extreme change from your usual playful banter and general good moods. As you approach Captain Rex and his troopers, he shoots you an inquisitive look, which you quickly brush off with a whisper that you’ll talk to him later. 

The situation is resolved quickly, you and your Master both know you can take Rex’s word for the events that transpired, and you make sure Krell’s body is properly taken care of. 

“We’ve only got one spare speeder on us, General, so Y/N will have to ride with one of the boys.” Are Captain Rex’s departing words before his gunship takes off towards the capital, leaving you, Obi-Wan and a few more troopers to travel back via speeder. 

“You can ride with me, Y/N.” A clone who is about to depart shouts over to you, though your attempt to walk in his direction is thwarted by a sudden, harsh grip on your forearm. You turn quickly, shocked to see Obi-Wan shake his head, gesturing over to his own speeder instead. 

“She’ll ride with me.” 

The trooper offers no argument, simply saluting the two of you before speeding off towards the capital with a trail of dust in his wake. 

You notice that Obi-Wan still hasn’t directly addressed you since the incident on the ship, so you stay quiet whilst climbing onto the speeder, waiting for him to say something. A squeak leaves your mouth when you’re pushed forward, Obi-Wan’s large body enveloping you from behind as he reaches past you to grab hold of the handles, and you’re off before you can even think about what is going on.

“We need to talk when we get back.”

Are the first words spoken to you, and the last, because he quickly falls silent. Though, you can’t help the warmth that spreads through you when his chin rests on your shoulder, his beard scratching your cheek oh so slightly. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dinner in Umbara is a quick affair, you scoff down what you can, not talking as much as usual due to your preoccupied mind. Obi-Wan disappeared after you both briefed Master Windu who is still back at the temple, and you wonder if he is off meditating somewhere, trying to reconcile for the ‘mistake’ that the two of you made. 

You’ve been fighting your own inner turmoil about the situation since it happened earlier that day. Once you finish your food, you retire back to the uncomfortable bed in a tiny room at the top of the large building, assuming that Obi-Wan has decided to forgo the conversation and ignore you altogether. 

As you lie on the hard metal, your mind wanders over the past few months. You wonder how Anakin would react if he knew you and Obi-Wan had kissed. Would he be angry? Jealous? Happy? Deep down you know you would want him to be jealous, you would want him to be angry at the thought of any other man having you in the way that he wants you. 

But he doesn’t want you in that way, you remind yourself. Does Obi-Wan even want you in that way? You know he is a well revered man, and nobody can deny how good looking he is. If he really was looking for a romantic, or even just sexual, connection he could probably find that anywhere - why would he get that from plain old you?

A pang of sadness hits your gut as you think about him regretting the kiss, returning to Coruscant and finding another girl that he would rather betray the Jedi code in order to be with. And with wide eyes and a whisper of ‘oh no’, you realise that this is exactly how you felt when your feelings for Anakin started growing stronger. Just what did that kiss stir within you, surely your years old feelings for your Master haven’t suddenly resurfaced, right?

A knock on your door startles you, that deep in thought you hadn’t heard anyone approaching your rather isolated room. 

“Y/N?” It’s Obi-Wan. 

“You can come in, it’s open.

He slides the door open, his actions sheepish and small and not at all like the overly confident man he usually is. It pains you to see him like this, stumbling and second guessing everything he does. 

“You shouldn’t leave your door unlocked when you’re not on Coruscant, anything could wander in.”

“Sorry, Master.” You’ve shuffled to the edge of the bed now, Obi-Wan sitting beside you, mirroring the exact position you were in when he woke you up this morning. Before everything turned into a mess. 

“I… I’m so sorry, Padawan. I abused my position as your Master and I never should’ve even thought about doing something like that with you. Especially after you confided in me about your feelings for Anakin, I don’t want you to think that I’m taking advantage of your vulnerability.” His voice is so shaky that you barely recognise it, and a wave of sadness hits you when you realise that he must’ve been carrying this burden of guilt around with him all day. 

“Obi-Wan, it’s fine. You didn’t force yourself on me, I was completely on board when it happened, in fact I quite enjoyed it. I know it was wrong, against the code or whatever, but I won’t tell anybody. Please don’t feel guilty.” You make sure he keeps his eyes on you, a delicate touch on his cheek to keep him faced your way. A sigh emits from his mouth and your heart swells in your chest when he leans his head into your hand, seeking your comfort. 

“I’m tired, Y/N. This war, I’m beginning to feel it’s toll.”

“There’s no shame in admitting you need a break, Master, but it’s not just tiredness that is eating at you right now. I know you, there’s something else going on. You can tell me. Is it something to do with Umbara, Mandalore, anything?”

“Thank you for your concern, Padawan, I’m quite alright.”

“Don’t do that, Obi-Wan.” Your voice wavers this time, “Don’t use that title as a way to brush me off. Yes, I’m your Padawan, but I hope that by now I’m also your friend.”

“Jedi aren’t supposed to have friends, Y/N.”

You scoff, removing your hand from his face as you turn away from him, not wanting to look at him as he lies to you. 

“I was always jealous of him, you know.” He speaks again, after a few minutes of slightly uncomfortable silence. 

“Of who?”

“Anakin.”

You turn back, your interest peaked as he looks at you. You swallow, a blush coating your cheeks as you note that his eyes are as dark as they were before. Before he kissed you. 

“What reason could you possibly have had for being jealous of him? Oh, Maker, don’t tell me you’re in love with Senator Amidala.”

He chuckles, “No, little one, I was jealous of him because he always seemed to have your attention when he cared so little for you. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at him.”

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

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[boonki]

something there, something more

a little continuation of a fever prompt, the first part here and the second part by @sonderwalker here! from this prompt list 

Cheers to our pining boys stuck together in the snow

______

The email he had been anxiously awaiting for dings his phone, and in the early morning light of his room, only a single lamp to illuminate the intimate space, he rolls over in bed to fumble it from the nightstand, blinking at the bright screen. 

To the University of Washington community, 

For the safety of our students and staff, classes have been cancelled for the day due to the snow conditions and road closures. Please wait for updates from your teachers on how best to proceed with assignments and exams. Updates on future cancellations will be issued nightly no later than 7 pm. Best, 

President Palpatine 

The same giddy relief that once met him as a college student still worms its way into his heart as a professor, an unexpected day off, no plans ahead of him, just hours and hours of free time. Except, he supposes, a quick email out to his students to continue their essays as normal and wait for the update on Friday’s class. He isn’t sad about losing the day’s lesson plan, it had mostly been a filler class. 

He hums lazily, a sleepy grin pulling his lips back. 

For the first time in weeks, he clicks the lock button and rolls over, stuffing his face into his pillow, and falls back asleep. 

___

Hours later, the sun already cresting in the sky, hidden behind layers and layers of clouds shedding snow, he pads around his kitchen, pulling ingredients out of his fridge and pantry: carrots, chicken, celery, chicken broth, some garlic, an onion, and some noodles. 

When he was younger, his mom had always whipped together chicken noodle soup on the colder days, and when she passed away when he was a teenager, he kept the tradition alive. In the silent, airy space of the kitchen, he feels closer to her cutting up the ingredients and carefully dropping them into the pot, can feel her gentle hand guiding him. The ache of her death has long since passed, but Obi-wan can’t help but wish she were here with him, oiling the stove for the chicken and passing him the garlic to press. 

Somehow, in the many, many years since her death, the habit of cooking for two hasn’t left him; every time he makes this recipe, he ends up with days worth of leftovers. 

The wood floor is cold beneath his bare feet; he didn’t think to put warm clothing on before coming downstairs, head still foggy from sleeping past noon. He knows his hair is sticking out in every direction, and that he could probably use a quick beard trim, but there isn’t anyone to judge him here. No pets, no roommates, just him and his big empty house. 

The smell of the soup bubbles up at him: rich and inviting. He takes a spoon and sips on the broth, using his teeth to grab a very hot carrot that mashes easily in his mouth, a good sign that he can turn the heat down to let it simmer while he gets ready for the day. Some small part of him knows his destination, but the majority of him is still in denial. He has so much soup to share, though. Why let it go to waste? Besides, it’ll be a quick drop off so he can come home and finish the blanket he’s knitting, maybe read a few chapters of his library books. There’s something about an expected day off that makes the mundane feel enthralling. 

He pads back upstairs, lost in thought as he goes through the motions of pulling a sturdy wool sweater over his head, brushing his teeth, combing his hair back, ignoring the shoddy state of his beard. Anakin had looked so horrible the other day, all pale skin and hollowed out eyes, his voice catching on itself, and god, his cough. Worry pangs Obi-wan’s heart, did Anakin have anyone to take care of him? Make sure he doesn’t die of a fever? He can’t go out in this weather to get take-out, and there’s no way he would be cooking with the state he’s in. 

In the back of his head, Obi-wan knows there are very large excuses he’s making for the car crash of the truth: he wants to go see Anakin. 

When he gets back downstairs, the soup is perfect. His mom would be proud. 

___

Snow cakes the road ahead of him, and what should have been a ten minute drive turns into a forty minute one. Obi-wan thinks he has at least six different knots in his back and neck from sitting so close to the steering wheel the entire time, peering intently through the fast-paced windshield wipers as if the effort of looking harder would have any effect on his ability to see in front of him. When he finally pulls up in front of Anakin’s apartment building and finds a neat little spot to back his car into, he lets out a deep breath and slumps into his seat. Maybe this was not as good of an idea as he had hoped it would be. 

He hadn’t even texted. Should he text Anakin? Is showing up at his door, soup in hand, too much? Too forward? Obi-wan is already anxious about pushing the bounds of their relationship too far; what if Anakin thought he was trying to groom him, thought he was a creepy old man with nothing better to do?

Obi-wan hits his head against the steering wheel. 

The weird thing is, he doesn’t mind how inappropriate their relationship had become. Obi-wan had liked coming to his building, liked texting him about casual plans. He just worries his enthusiasm is one-sided. 

It’s been so long since he’s had anything resembling a relationship, so he feels brand new to it again; it’s like riding a bike: the skill will never leave you, but if you take a ten year gap, you might need to wobble a bit before you glide. Obi-wan is wobbling. 

Because he does have a crush, doesn’t he? Isn’t that why he’s here, sitting in his cooling car with homemade soup, outside of some boy’s apartment building? Why else would he go to such measures- especially on his day off? God, he feels so juvenile. 

He hits his head on the steering wheel again. 

The cold is starting to seep through the seams of the car, so he takes a deep breath, grabs his soup, and steps out into the snow. It crunches underneath his boots, leaving a trail of footprints all the way to the door of the building, which swings open easily for Obi-wan. 

He fishes his phone out of his pocket. Anakin had texted which one he lived in, but it had felt too… like too much, last time he came. He hadn’t wanted to intrude on Anakin’s personal space.

#344. 

The elevator ride is both too short and too fast, his anxiety rising with each floor. What if Anakin didn’t like chicken noodle soup? He definitely should’ve texted. But the doors glide open and the wide expanse of the hall looms in front of him, stretching for what seems like forever in both directions. The floorplan seems to be circular; a little guide that reads “301-322 left, 323-344 right” with arrows points him in the right direction, so he sets off to the right, each step waking up a new butterfly in his stomach. 

When he reaches 344, he stares at the door for a moment, considering the fact that Anakin is on the other side of the thin wall, completely unaware of Obi-wan. Something yanks at him to turn back, but Obi-wan would feel even more pathetic if he went home with a full bowl of soup, and Anakin does probably need it, so. Here goes nothing. 

The bell ding-dongs from the interior, the sound muffled. Obi-wan hears nothing, and then slow footsteps and a lock being unlatched. 

Anakin is wearing his sweater. 

“Obi-w- Professor Kenobi, hey,” Anakin rasps out, eyes wide open, clearly startled, and sounding a bit better than he had a few days ago, but not by much. His bangs are held back by a little clip, shooting a tuft of hair straight into the air. “Sorry if I missed your text, I’ve been asleep-” 

“Ah,” Obi-wan shuffles in place, embarrassed. “I didn’t text, which I realize now that I should have, but-”

“No,” Anakin cuts in, “that’s okay.” 

They stand there in awkward silence before Anakin points at the bowl Obi-wan is clutching to his chest. 

“You brought soup?” 

Obi-wan looks down to the container like he’s never seen it before, cheeks burning like lava. “Yes! I, well, you see my mother and I always made soup when it snowed, and I always make extra, so I thought you’d, well,” he chances a peek at Anakin, whose features are slackened in a soft smile, “I thought you could use some given that you’re sick and it’s snowing.” 

“Have you eaten yet?” Anakin asks, ignoring his bumbling explanation. 

“No,” he thinks back, “I didn’t get the chance.”

Anakin drags his door open and steps back, gesturing for Obi-wan to come inside. “Let’s share, then.” 

Obi-wan balks at the open door, because he knows once he crosses that threshold there is no going back between them. He’d have officially been in Anakin’s apartment, sharing homemade soup with Anakin, taking care of him while he’s sick. The intimacy of seeing how someone lives, to see all the details of their existence on display, who they are when no one else is around… that sort of intimacy frightens Obi-wan. 

“I don’t want to be an imposition,” he starts, only to get cut off by a particularly nasty sneeze from Anakin. “Bless you.”

“You’re not, so come on.” Anakin reaches forward and tugs on his arm, and really, Obi-wan has no choice. 

While he had never actively imagined Anakin’s living space, he had always assumed it would be something akin to a sparse bachelor pad, dirty and meant for college students who couldn’t afford any better. But this is a pleasant surprise: a black rug and couch sits neatly against the wall of a tidy and cozy living room, branching off to a kitchen and a door Obi-wan assumes is Anakin’s bedroom. There are a few mirrors behind the couch, and a few (fake?) plants spotted around the room, even a candle on the coffee table. 

Anakin leads him into the kitchen and Obi-wan sees now this is where the mess lies; computer parts, nuts, bolts, tools, and loose wires scatter the counter, leaving little room for anything else save the sink and a hand towel. He stands there and waits for Anakin to clear a space for the bowl, muttering about how he didn’t know company would be over otherwise he would’ve picked up a little. 

Obi-wan doesn’t know if he even wants to ask what Anakin is making. 

The bowl is transferred into the microwave, cooking for a few minutes on low to properly reheat, and Obi-wan sets out to find some spoons so he’s not left in awkward, still silence. 

“Sorry there’s no table, I never really have anyone over and it takes up so much space, so,” Anakin is blushing, either embarrassed to have someone over or still running a fever. Maybe a bit of both. “Oh, here, in that drawer,” he motions to Obi-wan, crowding into his space to pull open the drawer. Obi-wan stiffens at their proximity; he can feel the heat pouring off of Anakin, and he grips the spoons like his life depends on it. 

They perch by the counter, listening to the hum of the microwave. 

“What are you doing during winter break?” Anakin asks him, breaking the quiet. 

Obi-wan breaths in, thinking of his answer. “I’m not sure, probably just relax. Maybe work on my library books, plan for winter quarter.” 

Anakin scoffs, and it turns into a full blown hacking spree. When he’s done, he winces. “Sorry, your plans are so sad my whole body freaked out.” 

He snorts. “My plans aren’t sad. What are you doing, then?” 

“Well, now that I’ve graduated, I suppose I should be looking for a job, so probably that.” Anakin stares up at the soup rotating in the microwave in contemplation. 

Something small and sad tugs at Obi-wan’s heart. He had forgotten that Anakin wouldn’t be around anymore. No more impromptu office visits. 

“But,” Anakin continues, “it would be nice to have help with my resume and interviewing.” He glances at Obi-wan out of the corner of his eyes. 

The microwave beeps: the soup is finished reheating. 

“Of course, I’d be happy to help.” Obi-wan says, warmth flooding his tone. He’s grateful that Anakin still wants him in his life, still wants his help. 

Anakin sniffles and splits the soup into two bowls, handing one to Obi-wan, who is still holding both their spoons. 

“You wanna watch something? We can sit on the couch.” Anakin says, and motions for Obi-wan to follow. Obi-wan tentatively settles into the couch, which is surprisingly cushy, as Anakin flips open Netflix and pulls up The Great British Baking Show. 

“Is this okay? It’s kind of addictive.” Anakin looks suddenly self-conscious about his choice in television, grabbing a set of glasses from his coffee table. They are way too big for him and nearly slide down his nose in seconds. Obi-wan might combust. 

“I didn’t know you wore glasses.” 

Anakin shifts. “Only to see long distances, I mostly just use them for watching things.” 

Obi-wan nods at that, and throws a hand up in the air towards the TV screen. “This is fine, I like cooking shows.” 

“They’re definitely my guilty pleasure, I’ve always wished I was better at cooking.” Anakin blows on the soup on his spoon, eyes glued to the TV.

The hosts introduce the challenge, and Obi-wan looks down at his soup, stirring it all absentmindedly. “I can teach you, if you want. My mom passed a lot onto me before she, well.” Obi-wan smiles at him. “I’d like to think I’m a pretty good cook.” 

Anakin pushes his glasses back on his face. “If the soup is anything to go by, I believe you.” 

He chuckles, shifting his attention back to the TV. Helping Anakin find a job, teaching him how to cook- they’re both just trying to find excuses to stay in each other’s lives. It’d be endearing if it weren’t so sad. 

The episode drags out, a winner is named and someone gets sent home, and Anakin and Obi-wan are long finished with their soup, the bowls having been discarded onto the coffee table a while ago. When the credits roll, neither of them get up, and the next episode autoplays. Obi-wan hopes he isn’t overstaying his visit, but Anakin seems comfortable and relaxed. Anakin offers him a blanket, and Obi-wan drapes it over his lower body, slouching further into the couch. 

Over the next few hour long episodes, they seem to inch closer, fully lounging now. Jokes are made, laughter is shared, and Obi-wan keeps handing him tissues, grateful that he isn’t wiping his snot on the sweater’s sleeve. 

He still can’t believe he’s sitting here on Anakin’s couch, watching a cooking show, while Anakin sits next to him wearing one of his sweaters. 

Maybe he is the one with a delirious fever? 

The fourth episode draws to a close, and Obi-wan spares a glance at one of the windows, where the afternoon had faded into evening. “I still don’t think she should have won, did you see the state of her frosting?” He stands up and stretches, sighing in relief when a few of his bones pop, laughing when Anakin’s do the same. “I should probably get going, though, it’s getting dark.” 

But when the pair make it to the window, they are greeted by glistening white, snow almost completely covering the cars parked outside. There’s no way he can drive home in this, and they both know it. The air seems to thicken between them. 

“Hey, you can crash on the couch and drive home once the snowplow has been through?” Anakin, though standing right next to him, seems miles away, his tone small and unsure. 

“Surely not, you’ve already let me stay long as it is. I’ll…” he trails off, thinking. 

“What, walk home?” Anakin supplies, shaking his head. “Absolutely not, you can stay. I don’t mind,” he places a hand on Obi-wan’s arm, “really.” 

“You’re right, I don’t have much of a choice.” Obi-wan laughs under his breath. Still, if he did have the choice, he’d want to stay. Not that he’d ever admit that to Anakin. 

Anakin takes the few steps back to the couch, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around himself like a cape. “Well, should we finish the season then?” 

_____

It’s midnight by the time the pair are too tired to stay awake, drifting off into separate spaces. 

“Can I borrow something to sleep in?” Obi-wan asks Anakin, who is standing in the doorway to his room. From what Obi-wan can see, it looks a lot like the living room, all blacks and soft fabrics. 

Anakin’s eyes widen. “Uh, yes. Hold on.” He disappears into his room and comes back with a blue flannel pajama set. “Here, the bathroom is just across the kitchen.” 

Obi-wan takes the little pile of clothing from him with a soft thanks and retreats to the bathroom to change. The pants are entirely too long on him, and the shirt hangs on him, clearly meant for someone who has a little broader shoulders. But the set smells like Anakin, and Obi-wan wants to breathe it in forever. 

When he comes out, Anakin bites back a smile, holding his lower lip between his teeth. He doesn’t say anything though, and Obi-wan is both disappointed and relieved. 

“So there’s a bunch of blankets on the couch for you, let me know if you need anything else.” He says, backing into his room. 

Obi-wan clears his throat. “Of course. Goodnight, Anakin.” 

Anakin dips his head and closes his door. “Goodnight.”

In the dark of the living room, Obi-wan shakes the blankets out so they lay flat over the couch, and slips his legs under them to get comfortable, laying on back to stare at the ceiling. 

What a day. 

If someone had told him this was what his snow day would’ve looked like, he would’ve laughed in their face. Just under two weeks ago, they had been huddled together in his office, working on Anakin’s paper like normal. And now, he’s spending the night at Anakin’s apartment. And while Anakin technically isn’t a student anymore, and certainly not his student any more by a long shot, there’s still a sticky and uncomfortable unease sitting in his gut; he doesn’t know how old Anakin is, but Obi-wan is surely much older than him. Plus, he doesn’t know if there’s a power play at hand, what if Anakin just thinks he’s being a creepy old man and feels obligated to let him stay? 

But he thinks about the way Anakin’s flashed with happiness when Obi-wan laughed at one of his jokes during the show, the way they inched towards each other, Anakin’s face when Obi-wan came out of the bathroom in his pajamas. 

Needless to say, Obi-wan doesn’t get much sleep. Instead, he thinks about the fact that Anakin is also lying down, just a thin apartment wall in between them, and watches the large snowflakes drift down in silent waves outside. 

Obi-wan wonders if Anakin is sleeping in his sweater. He hopes he is. 

[glimmerglanger]

Oooh, can we see Ahsoka’s generation of padawans discussing Obi-Wan’s heat allergies? I imagine there’d be rumours, fears, even pity?

Ohhh, definitely. I think it’s grown into something of an urban legend, almost. Everyone coming up with their own versions of what happened, all kind of warped by age and retelling. ANYWAY:

~~~~~~

Ahsoka heard about Master Obi-Wan long before she was assigned as Padawan to Anakin. She’d heard about his heroics, frequently. There had been entire class periods dedicated to the solutions he’d found to various crises around the galaxy, throughout her early training. She’d, privately, always quite wanted to perform the Kenobi Maneuver

Those were the things she learned from her instructors. She learned other things, too, in whispers from her crèche mates, as they huddled under blankets when they just started to grow up. 

She’d heard all about his allergies, by the time her blood started to get warm for the first time. The stories were old, whispered down from one group to the next for so many years. As Ahsoka got older, she began to wonder how many of them were true, but…

But at thirteen, she’d believed every single one of the tales, about how Master Obi-Wan had once been a youngling like them, and almost died the first time he tried to take suppressants. She heard the medics did some experimental, awful things to him, with droids.

There were whispers, considerations about what it might have been. Worries about what would happen if the suppressants didn’t work for them, if they’d have to do the same thing. Surely, Ahsoka reasoned, the healers had come up with a better solution by now.

She heard that he’d had to - to turn to some alphas in his crèche batch, because the droids didn’t work, which made her wrinkle her nose. Honestly, Ahsoka would rather have suffered through an allergic reaction than let any of the alphas her age touch her. Then again, she’d never liked alphas very much, never got the warm feeling in her gut that other omegas said they did.

At the time, Ahsoka hadn’t given that much thought, either. She didn’t, not until she met Barriss, and got more flutters than she knew what to do with.

There were stories about Master Obi-Wan’s old master, too. Some of them were horrible, and Ahsoka couldn’t even listen to them without wanting to punch something. She refused to believe the Council would let it happen the way some of the others claimed.

But...but it wasn’t hard to access information about Master Obi-Wan’s apprenticeship. There was proof, right there, that he’d been initially rejected. So, when the older younglings said that Master Jinn had only changed his mind after a heat…

Ahsoka hated the thought, looking at Master Yoda or Master Ti as they walked through the Temple and wondering. She couldn’t imagine they’d let… something like that happen. Especially not Master Plo Koon. But the stories persisted, lingered around through the air, warnings and rumors that felt like part of the fabric of growing up as an omega at the Temple.

They all knew Master Obi-Wan. Every single one of them. And Ahsoka thought they all worried, even if they claimed not to, that they would be as unlucky as he’d been.

The stories got harder to believe once she actually met Master Obi-Wan. He shone and he was so - so strong. Capable and kind and skilled. He taught her how to sink fully into meditation, how to get rid of the nightmares that tried to crawl into her skull after a fight, after holding a dying man.

He held her, when she could not get rid of all of them, not complaining even when she made his robes all messy, unable to stop the tears. “Sh,” he said, rubbing a hand down her back, and she felt - alongside the relief - a bitter kind of guilt about all the stories she’d heard about him, the ones she’d spread onward, whispered to the younger omegas in the crèche.

[adelcrait-old-account]

Some possible scenes/ideas that could happen now that it’s officially confirmed that Hayden is coming back as Darth Vader (and I just remembered that he’s only played suited!Vader for one/two scenes so excuse me while I go cry):

The ghost of Anakin coming to haunt Obi-Wan on Tatooine: a personal favourite of mine. As far as I know, Obi-Wan found out that Vader survived a few months/years after Mustafar, so he never met Vader in the suit until A New Hope. Meaning that Ghost!Anakin could be either a flashback version of his younger self, as in, that’s how he would be if he [Anakin] lived, or most likely a suited Darth Vader hallucination. Maybe a distorted voice switching from Vader’s to Anakin’s like it did in Rebels during his fight with Ahsoka, and “blaming” Obi-Wan for everything that happened? Either way they’re going to talk to each other or at least acknowledge each other’s presence, either as an Anakin hallucination or a Force manifested Darth Vader presence. But seeing them together in one shot, in live action after so so many years, would be enough to send me to uncontrollable tears. Rating: 10000/10 I would definitely not be okay after watching this and it would be the only thing I would talk about for the rest of the decade. Very Angst/Hurt and little Comfort because we all know how their story ends.

What’s Darth Vader been up to? It’s been ten years since the Empire became a thing, and while we know what he’s been doing through comics and other media— we don’t really know what he’s been doing when it comes to... well, Obi-Wan. The show is about him, after all. We know Vader’s obsessed with finding Obi-Wan because hello, it’s Anakin we’re talking about, but we don’t really know what he does in his free time. With this being said, if we get any shot of Vader’s daily routine I won’t be able to handle it. Show him walking around an imperial ship, staring into the stars, being moody and add a sparkle of ✨drama✨ because turns out that I missed seeing this sad dramatic man on screen more than I realised. Rating: 66/10 definitely would cry again.

Maybe yes, maybe no, but 10 year old Luke Skywalker. It hasn’t been confirmed but the series is going to be set ten years after Revenge of The Sith; so Luke and Leia would be about ten. I don’t think I should elaborate on this one, but Obi-Wan was never too far behind Luke, so maybe a scene or two with a smiley blond kid on Tatooine could appear. Obi-Wan quietly watching him play in the sand, always from a distance, and making sure that Luke was safe. Rating: 100/10 of things I could definitely not handle.

Any scene that shows Vader’s scarred face and head would be top tier. Bonus points for yellow Sith eyes. They wouldn’t bring Hayden back and not show that he’s under the Vader mask, so this is most likely going to happen. This is most likely going to happen. Oh my god this is actually happening... Rating: 100 AHHHs/10.

These are just some ideas out the top of my head but regardless of what they do I am happy and glad they brought Hayden back. I loved him as Anakin and I hope his experience now will be better than it was fifteen years ago. He’s the perfect age to play Vader, as he always wanted to, and I just know that I’m so starved for prequels content that some character could just say “Lord Vader is in the planet” and I would be like “hell yeah he actually is!!!”... I’m very excited and so used to talking about Hayden returning in conditionals and “somedays” that now that it’s actually happening I don’t know what to do with myself.

[rinrinp42]

@kitsunekage88 replied to this post with this:

Jango/Obi Where Obi saves Boba who drags him home to sell his dad all about it and Jango falls hard and fast ?

Obi-Wan did not usually feel thankful when his Padawan could not come on missions, but Anakin could be a bit…

Well, Obi-Wan did not think that the young Mando’ade[1] that had been in the middle of the warehouse the Spice dealers when he busted in would take well to Anakin’s particular type of self-righteousness.

“That was so cool! You just jumped down an’ then Pow! Zap! An’ you dodged like, like, an aiwha[2] in the sky!”

Obi-Wan smiled at the child. There was something about how he bounced back from being a hostage that was endearing.

“You gotta meet Buir[3]!”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan told the boy.  No doubt his parents would need reassurance that the drug dealers would not be seeking retribution – or that said parents did not need to hunt them down either, “And where is your Buir?”

“Our ship’s in the docks!” the boy grinned up at him, one tooth lost from his grin, “We just came here ‘cause Buir needed to meet some people.”

Obi-Wan nodded as he held out a hand.  The boy took it.

“Can you tell me what your ship looks like?  Or who your Buir was meeting?  I’m Obi-Wan by the way.”

“’m Boba!  Buir said they were aliit[4] from when he was younger!  He was gonna in-tro-duce,” he sounded out the word, “me after he first met them.”

And then these drug runners had taken the boy.  Vengeance wasn’t the Jedi way, but Force, Obi-Wan almost wished he had been harsher on them than he had.  An interrupted family reunion.  Maybe he’d let slip a few names when returning Boba…

Speaking of.

“Which dock Bob’ika[5]?”

Boba looked up at him, wide eyed.

“You know Mando’a[6]?”

“A friend taught me,” Obi-Wan told him, the old ache from thinking about Satine barely hurting, “but she has a very Sundari[7] accent, so you’ll have to forgive that.”

“’sokay!  The Cuy’val Dar[8] have a lotta different accents!”

Those who no longer exist?  Just who did this child belong to? Obi-Wan fought back the urge to frown.  His Master had endeavored to keep news of Mandalor away from him after their mission, so maybe it was a new faction?

“The dock Bob’ika?”

The boy nodded, “right, it was, uhhh, Jenth-Osk?”

Obi-Wan glanced around and, upon finding signs, started in that direction.

“…Obi?”

“Yes Bob’ika?”

“Your friend… she wasn’t Death Watch right?  ‘cause Buir says they’re all hut’uun[9].”

Obi-Wan had a moment of surprise at the idea of a child using such language, before shaking it off. He didn’t know the situation. Anakin learned most of his worst language from overhearing things as a child.  Just because Obi-Wan himself and Quin had begged Rael to teach them and the Knight had, does not mean that was how everyone learned.

“No, she hates Death Watch.” But Obi-Was was sure that she’d hate the Cuy’val Dar just as much given how Boba was enthralled by Obi-Wan’s battle prowess.  Not that he’d tell the boy that.

“Jate!  I knew you wouldn’t be friends with hut’uun!  You’re too good a warrior!”

Force but this child was bringing back all the ways that Obi-Wan had loved Mandalor.

And this port was far too crowded.

“Bob’ika, would it be alright if I carried you?  I would hate to find your Buir only to no longer have you.”

Boba paused and thought about it before nodding.

Obi-Wan carefully swung the boy up onto his shoulders.  Boba held on as he quizzed Obi-Wan about other battles the redhead had been in.

“Bob’ika!” a voice cut through the crowd.

A Mando in blue and grey beskar’gam pushed his way towards them.

“Buir!” Boba yelled back, wiggling.

Obi-Wan reached up and pulled Boba down, getting the boy’s feet back on the ground just as the Mando got to them.  The Jedi was impressed at how he was able to both hug Boba to him and subtly point a weapon at Obi-Wan.

“Buir, Obi-Wan saved me! The laandur[10] ge’huttuun[11] that took me didn’t expect him an’ then he jumped down an’ it was so cool!  I bet he could take Kal easily!  But not you Buir,” the boy was quick to assure his parent.

The Mando tipped his helmet towards Obi-Wan.

“Well, I might just owe you Jetii[12],” he spoke, standing up still holding onto Boba.

“I was already tracking them down, if anything, Boba yelling at them how they were laandur and cowards helped me.”

The Mando laughed at that.

“Still, I owe you if only because you took care of taking them out for me.  I don’t know how they even got ahold of him…”

Boba was definitely not looking at his parent now.  Obi-Wan’s lips quirked.  Well. Children would be children.

“If you would like,” he spoke carefully, not wanting to offend but wanting to keep hearing that Mando’ade accent – even if it was a Concord Dawn[13] variant and not the Sundari variant that Satine carried, “I may have a few suggestions on how to keep an eye on a curious child – my Padawan is 15 and I’ve been raising him since he was 9.”

Even without the Force, Obi-Wan thought he would have known that under that helmet the Mando gave a slow grin.  Small gods but Obi-Wan was starting to feel like he did when Quin dragged him out for a night out with Aayla keeping an eye on Anakin for him.

“Well then,” the Mando said, “why don’t you join me for lunch and you can share.”

He turned then, moving towards a Firespray-31.

“The name’s Jango by the way.”

Oh, this man was going to be the death of Obi-Wan, he was sure.

But he was pretty sure that the reverse was going to also be true.

And a little death was always fun.

[1] Mandalorian(s) – children of Mandalore

[2] Also called air whales, a non-sentient species of winged cetaceans native to the planet Kamino

[3] Mando for parent (Mando is a non-gendered language)

[4] Family, clan – can also mean clan name, identity

[5] Diminutive suffix – also added to a name as a very familiar or childhood form (Obi could be considered being too familiar using this but Boba’s also, like, 6 so.)

[6] The language of the Mandalorian people

[7] The capital of the planet Mandalor

[8] Lit. “Those Who No Longer Exist” – 100 individuals called by Jango that trained the Clones

[9] Coward (worst possible insult)

[10] Delicate, fragile (sometimes an insult – weak, pathetic)

[11] Bandit, villain, petty thief – can also mean a serious criminal you have no respect for - abusive

[12] Mando for Jedi

[13] An agricultural frontier world in the Mandalore sector of the Outer Rim Territories – Jango’s birth planet

[starwarsfic]

Gai'se bal Mande 1: Alpha-17

Originally posted September 4, 2020

Summary: There's one basic fact of the galaxy that lots of people agree on: Qui-Gon Jinn does not deserve to raise Obi-Wan.

Details: Alpha-17 & Obi-Wan. Time Travel AU. Mandalore Mission AU. For the Punch Qui-Gon and Adopt Obi-Wan challenge.

xxxxxx

Death came in battle, it was all that Alpha-17 could hope for.

That it was battle against the Vod'e, the younger siblings he'd raised and trained and who'd gone suddenly, horrifying blank-faced before turning on the Jedi around them, left something to be desired.

He thought of the ones off Kamino, legions of Vod'e that could very well be doing exactly the same thing. Trusted--some even loved--by the Jedi around them.

He thought of Kote. And how he'd entrusted him with Obi-Wan.

His heart ached.

And then he hit the water, the impact knocking him out, the current sucking him under, and stopped thinking.

***

Alpha-17 came awake with a gasp. He hadn't expected to come awake at all, so he did as he had been trained to and accessed the situation before allowing any signs of waking. He was lying on grass, somewhere with moderate temperature on the cold side. There were at least two people in the immediate vicinity, he could smell the faintest fumes of blaster fire but not hear any of the telltale sounds of armor.

"Hey, are you okay?" The voice was on the young side, the words were Mando'a, the accent familiar--achingly familiar, he realized.

He opened his eyes and a too-young version of Obi-Wan was leaning over him, staring down at him. Was this the afterlife? Were one of the religions that said there was some sort of 'heaven' after death right? But he'd think he'd be staring into Obi-Wan's face as he'd been when they first met, that those eyes would be alight with recognition.

This...this kid was younger than a shiny and definitely didn't recognize him. He had the telltale Padawan haircut, which looked somehow extra ridiculous and extra adorable on his fluffy red hair. He wasn't wearing robes, though, instead dressed like some sort of spacer.

Beside him was a girl, a little older than him, light colored hair and--oh.

Oh.

The Duchess. His General and the Duchess.

"What--what year is this?"

The two exchanged looks, clearly concerned for him. "You fell out of the sky, there aren't any ships around. Whatever happened to you--you're disoriented."

"I'm not," Alpha-17 insisted, sitting up and inspecting himself.

The blaster marks were there on his armor, but the wounds were gone. His bucket was missing, too, but that was probably for the best--the armor he might be able to pass off as Mandalorian style, but he couldn't do that with the helmet.

Neither of them recognized him--neither of them would have seen Jango Fett before, he didn't think. How old would Jango have been right now? Would they be too close in age and looks to risk showing his face?

He spared a moment to think about tracking him down, it wouldn't be hard to get a slip on him, he wouldn't be expecting anyone to know as much about his skillset as Alpha-17 did.

"It's 7938 CRC," Padawan Obi-Wan finally says, watching Alpha-17 for a reaction.

"Right, that scans," he stated, in acknowledgement, remembering his General liked that sort of thing. "I want you to reach out with your Force banthashit, and ask it if the next thing I say is true or not." Obi-Wan's eyes widen and, after another quick look at Kryze, he nods. "I'm from the future."

Kryze lets out a disbelieving noise. Obi-Wan, who'd been crouching beside him, falls flat on his ass, still staring. He believed him, then. That made things slightly easier.

"Duchess, you're dead. I'm dead, or was. You...Obi-Wan, you probably are, too. There was a war," before Kryze could say anything about how there was currently a war, he waved a hand, "a galactic wide war. Lots of people died. If I'm back here, now...it's so we can prepare for it."

All through his words, Obi-Wan's eyes hardened, his face chilling into the determined look Alpha-17 recognized from battle. He'd been in battle, he realized, now, and before now, even. He'd said as much when they'd talked about his past. Obi-Wan might be missing a few decades of experience, but he wasn't missing his earlier knowledge of warfare.

"You believe him?"

"The Force is--it's hard to explain, Sat'ika. It's ringing with truth all around him, screaming at me to believe him."

Kryze had the resigned look of someone who had worked with a Jedi for long enough to know they were all completely crazy and also actually did have mysterical powers.

"Fine." She stood up a little straighter, looking down at him with an air of authority at odds with her dirty spacer disguise. "What's the plan, then?"

***

He told them enough, Obi-Wan confirmed anything with the Force that Kryze thought was just too unbelievable. It wasn't hard, after that, to get their help tracking down Jango (Alpha-17 remembered just enough about his stories to have a good guess of where he might be) and, even though neither of them seemed too hot about it, killing him.

Taking his identity felt creepy, but they needed it--the Duchess of the New Mandalorians and the Mand'alor of the traditionalists working together? Yeah, they needed that.

And if anyone noticed the gaps in "Jango's" memory, well, there was a lot of trauma there. No surprise he'd repress most of his old life.

Eventually Jinn tracked them down, too, clearly not knowing what to make of the fact his charge had gone so far off the rails she'd allied with a missing political rival.

Definitely no one was surprised that "Jango" didn't want a Jedi involved in anything (Obi-Wan didn't count, of course, but there were lots of reasons people could give for that), and he blocked him out of their planning meetings.

Frustrated and petty, Jinn drew Obi-Wan away just a day after they all reached Sundari. "I...suppose our work here is done, then. Padawan, it's time to return to Coruscant."

"So you can send him off alone in another warzone?" Alpha-17 challenged and the people around them tensed in anticipation, knowing how much "Jango" liked the apprentice. "Let him starve for a few more months when he's supposed to be growing?"

Jinn's eyes flashed with anger, his expression reminding Alpha-17 of Anakin--who'd been nineteen, not some old man entrusted with raising multiple kids. It was impossible to believe this guy raised someone like Obi-Wan Kenobi, though he figured that was because Obi-Wan mostly raised himself.

"Obi-Wan is my Padawan learner, as his Master--"

"You're supposed to take care of him, not treat him like a neglected strill that will keep obedient because it doesn't know better."

"Jango," Obi-Wan tried to interrupt, but Alpha-17 shot him a look and he backed down and shuffled away, Satine gripping his arm, both seeming more curious than concerned.

Maybe it was Obi-Wan's easy obedience towards Alpha-17 or maybe it was the protective anger Jinn was feeling in the Force, but he stepped forward, looking down at Alpha-17 like his height was something to be intimidated by and not just a quirk of genetics.

Alpha-17 had spent too long dealing with the longnecks to give a shit about Qui-Gon Jinn being taller.

"Our mission is over, Mand'alor," the title was hissed in displeasure, "and it is time to return to our home."

Alpha-17 turned towards Obi-Wan, whose eyes were wide. They'd discussed this--the need to prepare Mandalore for what was to come, the fact that the Republic, the Jedi Order, couldn't be as ready. He took a breath, let it out steadily, as he did when he was releasing emotions in the Force. Then he nodded.

"Ni kar'tayl gai sa'ad," Alpha-17 stated, the room erupting into chaos as "Jango Fett" adopted a child.

Jinn clearly didn't know what that meant, but knew there was some significance. He strode forward and, instead of stopping in front of Obi-Wan to speak to him as Alpha-17 had been expecting, he grabbed Obi-Wan's arm.

"We're going, now, Padawan."

He didn't get more of a tug in before Alpha-17's fist landed cleanly in his kidney. Letting out a wheeze, the older Jedi stumbled away, Obi-Wan just managing to get out of his grip. Satine was whispering frantically to him, glaring at Jinn as she did, probably telling Obi-Wan how unacceptable Jinn's move had been even if Obi-Wan had been conditioned to think that was alright.

"You're leaving, Jinn. And you're not taking my son with you."

The Mandalorians around them weren't the Vod'e, would never be as close or know him as truly, but they were still Mando'ade, and quickly filled in the space to block Obi-Wan from Jinn's view as he turned his attention back to them.

The Jedi Order would protest the whole thing, probably fed some lies by Jinn about what actually had happened, but there were more than enough people here to know and spread the truth through the sector. There was nothing more Mandalorian than fighting the Jedi and with any luck this might even get Death Watch interested in "Jango's" rule.

xxxxxx

"gai bal manda" is the Mandalorian adoption rite, it means "name and soul." This is me doing my best to pluralize that into "names and souls"

[labyrinth-runner]

For the fic prompts, has anyone requested n. 31? For obidala, with Anakin as the kid

50 Days of Fics: Day 24

Alright. Sorry for the late post on this one. I woke up and got roped into gardening. This one gave me a bit of pause because the obvious thing that feels most Canon would be for Obi to be a single dad. But... I didn’t want to go with obvious.

Prompts: I cancel our first date when I find out you have a kid because no thank you, and then I meet your kid a few weeks later and we start to get to know each other and when they introduce me to you I feel like an idiot

Obi-Wan looked down at the text from his date saying that she was running late because she needed to find a sitter... Sitter for what? He thought, and then realization dawned on him. She has a child. He quickly typed out a reply saying that she shouldn’t worry and that they could just go out another time. It was a lie, but it was letting her down gently. He wasn’t ready to be a dad. He was more of a big brother type than a dad. Besides, as a teacher he already had enough kids in his life to begin with, His plan was to slowly ghost his way out of the budding relationship. He knew that wasn’t the best option, but it was better than outright saying “I’m sorry, you have a kid and that makes you no longer an option.” No, this was definitely for the best, regardless of how attractive the woman from the coffee shop had been.

Weeks had passed since his canceled date and he hadn’t thought about it. He went about his daily routines of teaching self defense classes and karate. One day, a new student, Anakin, joined his class. He was younger than the other boys, but he showed great promise, quickly surpassing them.

“Well, Anakin, I must say, I am quite impressed,” he told the boy after he had earned a new belt. Obi-Wan had knelt down to his level to help him tie it.

“I have a good teacher,” the boy smiled. Obi-Wan gave him an amused smile. 

“Tell me, Anakin, why did you want to learn this?”

“I wanted to help my mom,” he replied. “She’s always helping everyone else and I figured that if I could learn to protect myself and her, then that would be one less thing for her to worry about.”

Obi-Wan placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s very admirable, Anakin. Your mother must be very proud.”

Anakin smiled at him before saying goodbye for the day.

As the weeks passed on, Obi-Wan grew closer to Anakin. He was becoming his star pupil, yes, but there was more to it than that. He learned a great deal about the boy. His hopes, his fears. Obi-Wan began to care about him in a way that he really hadn’t cared about a student in a while. 

This all came to a head when he took Anakin to a competition. The older opponent played dirty, causing Anakin to get injured. Obi-Wan took him to the hospital after leaving a message on the voicemail of the number Anakin had given him. As they waited for the doctor to arrive, they heard a worried voice calling out for the boy.

“Anakin! Please, nurse, where is my son, Anakin Amidala? I was told he was taken here,” a woman said. 

“Mom, I’m in here!” Anakin called out.

Obi-Wan heard heeled footsteps as she came through the doorway. 

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry I’m late. You know how the rules are in the courtroom. I didn’t check my phone until recess. The judge was kind enough to to let me leave,” she said as she hugged her son. She looked up at the man sitting with her son.

“Obi-Wan?” she asked in confusion.

Anakin’s eyes widened. “Right, Mom, this is Sensei Kenobi. Sensei, this is my mom.”

Obi-Wan let out a nervous chuckle. “Oh, Anakin, we already know each other.”

Padmé’s face was unreadable as she looked at him over Anakin’s head. “Mr. Kenobi, a word.”

Obi-Wan nodded. He knew he was in for an earful.

“Ani, we’ll just be outside, okay?” Padmé reassured.

“Yes, mom.”

Padmé walked with Obi-Wan out into the hall before rounding on him. “You let him get hurt?” she hissed.

Obi-Wan winced. “His opponent played dirty. It wasn’t our fault.”

“Does he play as dirty as you? Ghosting someone after cancelling a first date.”

He deserved that. He was speechless.

“Tell me honestly, Obi-Wan, was it because I have a child?” Padmé sighed.

Obi-Wan sighed. “Yes. But, now that I’ve met your son, I feel like an idiot.”

“Good,” she chuckled, “You should. He’s a great boy.”

“He has an even greater mom.”

“Are you two flirting?” Anakin called from in the room. “Mom, is Sensei Kenobi going to be my new dad?”

Padmé blushed. “That’s if Sensei Kenobi can redeem himself first, if he even wants to.”

“Oh, darling, I want to,” he smiled.

[delicatefury]

TDPL ask. Are they going to get in some good time with Cody/other clones/the Council as individuals? (I saw the Leia snippet and I empathize with her frustration, but it's still cute.) And, uh. You don't have to give spoilers, of course, but I am very interested about how the kids and Anakin will react to each other, and if they'll tell Anakin the truth.

So, I don’t know how to do read mores on mobile (and without a laptop it’s all mobile), so I’ll just type ***Spoilers*** when we get to the good stuff.

So first off, of course they’re going to get quality one-on-one with a lot of people. Mace and Yoda are the first Jedi Obi-Wan tells about Luke and Leia’s, uh, heritage so that also makes them pretty first in line for padawan-sitting. (Yoda gets slightly more details than Mace. How much more is still undecided). I can also see them spending time with Depa and Plo-Koon and even Kit Fisto, but other than that, I don’t know enough details about the other members to hazard a guess.

As for the clones, hell yeah they are! Though Cody will probably end up spending more time personally with Han, Luke and Leia are downright claimed by the clones before they reach the Jedi temple. Unfortunately, the 212th doesn’t get nearly as much love as the 501st, so I don’t have as many to play around with and Luke and Leia have already met the three most developed ones. It might take some time to naturally build up OC clones for them to get to know.

And thank you about the snippet. I kinda get the impression that (thanks to the Force, her heritage, and her own stubborn determination) Leia’s pretty used to being the top of the class of things. It would definitely be frustrating for her be surrounded by people with the same natural abilities (not because they’re better, but because the difficulty scale better matches what she’d actually find challenging). She’s used to showing up her own tutors, not having them correct her before she can even see something’s wrong. I kinda borrowed from some of my own frustration of having to relearn how to study in college and law school. It’s hard to develop the work ethic to grind away when you never had to before.

And I’ve written about this before, but I can’t remember where but... Anakin and the kids... have a very awkward relationship. Especially at the start. Anakin’s major flaw is his possessiveness. And now there’s not one, but two little Jedi prodigies taking his master’s attention and affection and having a completely different and more open relationship and it’s not fair. Except, as any big sibling can tell you, a parent’s relationship with your younger siblings is different for a lot of reasons, and actually having child-rearing experience is one of them.

As for the twins, well... Luke’s exuberantly excited to meet Anakin Skywalker, hero of the Republic, Jedi Knight Extraordinaire. This is his dad before the dark side. The man he’s only really gotten glimpses of, and mainly through Ben’s journals. And they have a lot in common! Although, knowing what Anakin’s capable of as Vadar puts a damper on things, Luke’s just that more determined to try and change things. He pesters Anakin on philosophy and what Luke knows of the Jedi verses what Anakin assumes of the Jedi.

Leia glowers. A lot. She knows what Anakin’s capable of, so he’s considered suspicious until proven able to change. She doesn’t trust him, she doesn’t like him, and their personalities can be too similar in ways that pretty much guarantee they’ll clash. But she’ll try to get to know him. For Luke. And Master Obi-Wan.

Now, for the fun.

****SPOILERS AHEAD!!*****

Anakin will eventually be told, but it’s not for a long time. A very long time. A very heightened, plot heavy time.

Obi-Wan would prefer he’d never be told, to be honest. It’s Luke and Leia’s decision and until they’re 100% on board, he won’t betray their trust. Once they’re comfortable, he’ll find a way to break the news to Anakin gently.

Sidious on the other hand knows how important family is to Anakin. And knows how much he hates it when the Jedi keep secrets from him. It’s just a question of when dropping the secret will cause the most damage.

As to which one tells him and in what manner? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you really wanna know, drop another ask and I’ll flag it with #TDPL Spoilers for anyone who doesn’t want to know.

[strrne]

Give Me a Signal, Ch.5

Chapters: 5/?

Word count (so far): 13043

AO3  Ch.1 Ch.2  Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.6  Ch.7

Summary: When Padmé Amidala is unable to contact Coruscant while negotiating a loan on Scipio, the Senate suspects trouble, and sends Anakin Skywalker to go check on her. Of course, the resourceful senator isn’t really in any trouble – don’t flatter yourself, Rush Clovis – but there’s definitely some brewing.

(or; rewrite of the tcw S6 Clovis arc; anidala + a gen very plotty plot)

Chapter 5

”Have you seen my 87’s?!” Anakin demanded from Obi-Wan before the Jedi Master had barely taken a step into his former Padawan’s temple quarters.

Obi-Wan tilted his head, not entirely thrilled with what he was looking at. Tousled hair sounded too deliberate, too carefully arranged into some roguishly appealing look – no, this was disheveled hair, framing a pair of red-black under-eyes and a matching scowl.

“Your eighty-sevens?” Obi-Wan echoed, as Anakin didn’t bother waiting for an answer, and instead dove headfirst into an already half-scoured drawer, and started tossing things out, “Well that depends. Would that be the 87 times you've crashed your ship within the last week?”

“Ha, ha,” Anakin interjected, now doing some sort of handstand on top of the only barely heavy enough piece of furniture, and still somehow managing to rummage the contents.

“Or the 87 times you’ve already rolled your eyes at me during this conversation? In both of which cases, yes, I was there to witness it.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“Or could you possibly be referring to the 87 conversations we haven’t had about you and Senator Amidala?”

Anakin turned his head, but Obi-Wan was having trouble taking him seriously in his present position; hands gripping on the drawer edges, toes almost hitting the ceiling, Jedi tunics and undershirts falling all over his reddening face. The Jedi Master shook his head, with fondness. Was it beneath the Chosen One to do something like a regular person? At least he once used to find new and exciting ways to assert his maverick status. Now the attempts were just getting more mundane and desperate.  

“Anakin, get down from there.”

At his Master’s orders, Anakin performed his 88th crash landing within the last week, making Obi-Wan grin and shake his head. The younger Jedi just gave a 'go on, if you dare' sort of gesture with as much dignity as he could muster.

Obi-Wan straightened his shoulders - he needed to do some mustering of his own - and while he did, Anakin took shelter behind his tinkering table. He grabbed a seemingly random tool and challenged it to a staring contest.  

“Anakin, you’ve met Satine,” Obi-Wan finally began. “You know I once harbored… feelings for her.” The Jedi Master sighed, already exhausted, wondering how deeply he would have to delve into this topic until he got something out of Anakin. The boy's shields were up - which in itself was an indication of something.

“It’s not that we’re not allowed to have these feelings. It’s… natural.”

Anakin made a barely audible, frustrated sound. Obi-Wan felt that this conversation was dangerously close to turning into another generic lecture about attachments - which Anakin seemed to all but tune out these days - not to mention an excavation of some painful memories of his own. He'd have to try something new. The 'fate of the Republic' could be at stake, according to his bad feeling anyway - and if that turned out not to be the case in the end, well, then he would formally renounce feelings for all eternity.

On a whim, Obi-Wan spluttered out a string of words that neither Anakin nor himself could make out.

“What?”

Obi-Wan drew a deep breath.

“What exactly is the nature of the relationship between you and… Padmé?”

Anakin stared at him, with caution in his eyes, although it seemed the outermost layer of surprise had been scraped off by Obi-Wan’s initial forewarning. He now sat down behind the table, holding in his hand some kind of model spaceship. He peered inside the minuscule cockpit, pulled out some sort of funny-looking wrench, then put it down in obvious disappointment.

“A 44 won’t cut it,” he muttered under his breath.

“Anakin, answer the question.”

“You didn't answer mine. For your information," he brandished the tiny tool like a weapon, "a 87 looks like this, but bigger, and with a sort of a mount between the jaws. Oh, and the Senator and I are just friends.”

Obi-Wan scratched his head, wishing he had written down the lines he had thought up in the shower this morning. He had tried to approach the topic softly; tried to – as they called it – relate to him. What could he have possibly done with Padmé that he had not with Satine?

“Anakin, I have eyes.”

“Yes, Master, and let me just say, that dreary tunic really brings out the color.”

Dreary? Obi-Wan clasped the hem instinctively. So uncalled-for...

“I can sense that you’re upset about her working with Rush Clovis.”

This at least brought about a reaction - an immediate one - as Anakin slammed another bewildering piece of durasteel against the table.

“Last time they worked together,” Anakin snarled, “he almost got Senator Amidala killed, and I would’ve been responsible.”

“How so? She is her own person, and responsible for her own life.”

Anakin glared at him, recognizing the insinuation.

“What do you expect me to say?” he scoffed, before a very curious expression spread on his features. He paused for a moment, and his voice faltered ever so slightly as he added, without blinking, “That we have been secretly married for the past two years? Hoping to start a little family once this blasted war finally ends? To hell with the Order and their rules?”

The words startled Obi-Wan before he fully registered their meaning. But as soon as he did, he began examining them more closely. There were two options really: this was pure, unadulterated sarcasm, a form of communication he himself was dearly fond of. Or this was the so-called ‘lying by telling the truth’ ploy, a maneuver he had also used in the past. Usually very effective… usually.

“...Alright then,” Obi-Wan said simply, trying to process the notion. “Big wedding?"

Anakin seemed to think they were still trading jokes.

“Bit noisy."

"Noisy?"

"Threepio wouldn't stop making speeches."

And perhaps they were? A tinge of doubt seeped into Obi-Wan’s mind. It was just too ridiculous, too bold, even of him. Not to mention the very level-headed Senator… no. The insolent kid was just trying to avoid another scolding by playing off the whole thing as a joke altogether.

Anakin, a married man? For two years… before even being knighted? Marriage – with a ceremony! Official documents! Probably some kind of symbolic jewelry… and a devotion far more passionate, far more selfish than that of serving the Galaxy. If it was the truth, there was no sermon spectacular enough that he could give. Why had he ever bothered? This whelp was already laughing soundlessly in his face, and so was that wily politician… his supposed wife. His wife!

Obi-Wan mentally shook his head for even having entertained the idea. Something was going on between them, that much was for certain, but this… this was too much.

“Very good, Anakin, you can quit making fun of me now.”

-

Clovis closed his eyes and tried again. A lot was riding on the success of this investigation. A good majority of the Senators didn’t trust him, his colleagues would sooner or later find out he was attempting to bring them down, a Jedi Knight was most likely plotting his murder, and Padmé...  

No – most importantly, for once in his life, for the love of everything the war had not yet tainted… he wanted to do the right thing.

The analysis sounded a bleep on its arrival.

It had come up blank again.

“Clovis, I’m exhausted,” Padmé confessed, getting up from the couch and walking up to the window. “Please, answer me honestly – is the evidence adequate? Is it enough to convict the Core Five?”

Clovis thought about the question long and hard, leaning his head on his fist, until his knuckles almost penetrated the skin on his lower jaw.

“It’s… it's enough to bring them to trial.”

Padmé spun around, running her fingers through her fairly simple, curled hairstyle.

“And when they do stand trial…” she twirled a ringlet around her finger.

“Padmé, I’m sorry, but I don’t know,” Clovis confessed, no longer bothering to hide his concern. He made a frustrated wave at the screen, “I think… I think this might be the wrong file. It shows that the accounts exists, and that they’re not grouped with the regular accounts, and have some special features… but it won't display any details, and it -well, you can't see the money flowing from the Republic account to these ones. They can simply insist that these are just some empty accounts they created as a spare, or something. We can keep digging further, but…”

“Nothing will likely turn up. I understand,” Padmé said, turning her head away. Clovis put down the processor and went up to join her at the window. She was very evidently keeping a professional distance, but, like Clovis, seemed to have dropped some of her politician's pretenses of self-possession and stoicism.

“What are we going to do, Clovis? Even if they fail to notice the stolen files, they'll never let us into the vault again.”

Clovis gave a deep sigh, motioning restlessly without saying anything, until Padmé was compelled to ask him what he was thinking about.

“The thing is, Padmé… I don't think the Senate even needs proof. I don't think they'll wait for proof.”

“Why would you think that?” Padmé questioned, sounding almost shocked – or affronted.

“You saw how they welcomed me. Everything from 'This is a most interesting development'” to… 'we will keep a watchful eye on you, Clovis'. They still see me as a traitor and a Separatist. They probably think I'm trying to hide the evidence, with- with some kind of reverse psychology trick. What I'm trying to say is, they don't want the evidence from me. Should we manage to acquire it, they'll only accept it because of you, because you're here to legitimize it.”

Padmé lowered her eyes, nodding gravely as she stroked her embroidered blue sleeve.

“But trust me,” Clovis went on, “they will get the evidence. They'll find a way into that vault alright. You see, it's not just me they despise. It's not just the Core Five that they don't trust. You've already heard the whispers, haven't you? They hate my home and my people, and seem to think we want to pick a fight with the Republic.”

“Clovis, that's–“ Padmé began, now definitely shocked and affronted. Clovis just shook his head.

“There are already rumors going around about what's really going on with our holo signal. It's all over the holonet. They're saying the Clan as well as the police department employ private networks to communicate in secret, and that all the mechanics are all bribed into not doing anything. And why is our law enforcement suddenly under suspicion? Any guesses? Why, it is because a pair of Jedi Generals recently got themselves arrested. Your Senate now believes all our laws archaic and worthless - and no doubt, cannot wait for an excuse to invade Scipio and instate the Republic constitution at the earliest opportunity. Some sources have already speculated that Skywalker's imprisonment was some kind of open declaration of war – which we haven't been able to correct, and you know why? Because of the connectivity issues. It's a vicious circle."

Clovis paused, but not nearly long enough for Padmé to interject. In fervor, he suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, causing her to recoil and look away, “You have heard the whispers, right? Or have you just willfully turned your head away, as you Republic Senators always do? For pity's sake…I overheard the Supreme Chancellor himself badmouthing the Muuns and making a fuss over his golden boy Skywalker. He is the most powerful person in the Galaxy, Padmé, and if that is what he thinks of my Muun brothers...”

Padmé was still silent, but her expression seemed to betray more knowledge than she let on. Before Clovis could question her about it, she spoke instead, “Clovis, I don't pretend to have all the answers or even the consolations. So forgive me if I ask you a question instead. Something I still don't understand.”

“Do tell.”

“General Kenobi told me that the law is still technically valid, but mostly overlooked, and, I imagine, rarely ever applicable. Why, in this rare case when it did apply, was it then enforced? Who brought it up? And how did it all turn into such a complete and utter farce? I'm afraid I was too busy with the contract on Scipio to truly appreciate who was responsible.”

Clovis sighed, trying to buy himself some time to calculate what parts of the truth he wanted to tell – as well as ponder if he even knew the entirety of it.

It had all begun when he had – rudely – eavesdropped on Padmé after she had initially refused to cooperate with him, only to learn that her holo call to Coruscant hadn't gotten through. She had surmised that the Senate would suspect trouble and send 'help' – which in the Republic's case, always seemed to mean a pair of 'peacekeepers' with rock-levitating abilities. He had surmised that because Padmé was involved, said help would most certainly turn out to be General Skywalker, with whom he'd already had one mutually unpleasant encounter – whom he had since looked into – just enough to confirm his suspicion that the man was neither a mere pilot nor in any way indifferent to Padmé Amidala.

For a moment, he had accepted the man's arrival as a necessary evil – like a tropical storm on a planet one had studied and still chosen to live on – until he’d realized it wasn’t just his face the gale would whisk against.

He had studied Scipian law long and meticulously. He had worked hard to acquire this position. He’d always been driven and diligent, he had memorized every letter, even the most nugatory footnotes – because he was going to be a hero; because he was personally going to make sure that the negotiations with the Republic would proceed smoothly, whether or not there would be a corruption to expose. He would regain Republic's trust as their representative. He would do everything right, and nothing, nothing – no trifling detail nor full-blown scandal – was going to jeopardize that.

That's when he had remembered one of those trifling details – Article 356; the correct negotiation protocol. What if someone else had done their homework? What if the trifling detail was a full-blown scandal just waiting to happen?  What if there was just one high-ranking Muun official who shared that overzealous servant boy’s sensibilities? No – not on his watch – preventing any and all of such scenarios was his personal responsibility.

The fact that it would probably be Skywalker he'd get to send packing was just an added bonus.

Of course, he wouldn’t be there personally. The Jedi he expected to welcome (not) didn't seem like the rule-abiding type, and he definitely wouldn't take any orders from him. He was better off keeping this from Padmé as well – namely, the fact that he had personally made sure a Republic scout wouldn't be allowed to ascertain her safety – law-based reason or not, he had yet to regain her trust.

Clovis had sent an anonymous memo with the Clan’s signet to one of the lower-level assistants, with an order to contact the law enforcement and have them deport the Jedi on their arrival. Padmé would only find out much later, and none of this could be traced back to him.

What had happened at the spaceport, he still didn’t know. He did suspect the Jedi to be violent, if not downright psychotic. If he had refused to leave, his arrest had probably been unavoidable  – much like bad weather. But even then, Clovis had never expected the police to cling onto an archaic law with such stubbornness, to the point of tainting and almost spoiling the contract negotiation.

He knew that the Clan held power even the police department – hence their ability to finally incorporate Skywalker's release into the contract – so why even have a symbolic investigation? Why even hold him at all, if he was just going to be released anyway without charges?

He had to admit, it did almost seem like someone was purposely trying to cause a public outcry.

As well as a personal one. For Clovis was still convinced he’d eventually have to brave a full-blown hurricane; one with a personal vendetta against a mountain cabin that had already crumbled once and only newly been rebuilt.

They had also released the other Jedi, Kenobi, early. Why only him? What were the odds that someone else, besides himself, had a personal aversion to General Skywalker, and wanted to go about expressing it in the completely opposite way? Pretty high, now that he thought about it. But really, what was the point of angering an already angry man – who would benefit from that anger? What was the use?

“Padmé, I… I don't know.”

-

At midnight, in his quarters, Clovis was roused by a surprise visitor – or wherever life-sized holograms landed on the sliding scale of trespassing.

“Hello, Clovis. Have you had your fill of desperation? Would you quite prefer acquiring the correct data, exposing the full extent of the Banking Clan's corruption in a single, easily accessible file?"

[inkognito97]

Ok so in the sith family au before anakin came along and screwed up obiwan’s family relationship can we have a life day scene with him being happy he got presents? With him having an angst moment about his birth mom but happy he has a new better home?

@mostie01

Something was not… right, Obi-Wan could feel that as soon as he had woken up. He did not like this feeling, not one bit. Nevertheless, he pushed his fluffy blanket away and was immediately hit by the colder air of his room. He shivered a little and hurried to get dressed. Usually he loved autumn, with all the colorful leaves and he liked the rain as well, but he could do well without the cold. Obi-Wan huffed, as his father’s words came back to the front of his mind. ‘Cold’ did not existence, its rightful definition was ‘the absence of warmth’.

Obi-Wan was brought out of his philosophical musing, when his stomach made itself known. This was one aspect of his life that he would forever be grateful for. Back with his biological mother, days had went by, without anything to eat. Here, with his new mother and his new father, he had food two to three times a day. And sometimes in between as well. 

The ginger haired Sith hurried on small legs towards the kitchen, where his parents were already seated. Qui-Gon was taking care of one of his exotic plants, while drinking tea and Tahl was reading on a datapad, drinking coffee. Obi-Wan had to grimace, he had been allowed to try the black liquid, but he had found that it was absolutely horrendous. He rather kept with his father’s tea, which the older male found rather amusing, especially if he found his own cup suddenly absent.

“Good morning,” greeted Obi-Wan. Immediately two pairs of eyes looked his way. 

“Now, look who finally woke up from his long slumber,” Tahl teased.

Obi-Wan ignored it, he was not THAT late. “Indeed,” continued Qui-Gon, “and on his life day…”

Obi-Wan froze, he had been on the way of sitting next to his mother, intending to have breakfast, but he found that his appetite had suddenly left him.

“Obi-Wan?” the long haired man had immediately caught his son’s changed mood, and he was already halfway standing, when the younger male broke out of his stupor. There was terror in blue-green eyes and Obi-Wan hurried to get away from them. He did not get far, not when his back his the kitchen wall and it only fueled his fear.

Tahl and Qui-Gon exchanged a worried look. “Hey,” tried the honey skinned female. She had motioned for the taller male to sit down again. Meanwhile, she crouched down to be on eye-level with the distraught boy. “What’s the matter, little one?”

Obi-Wan flinched violently, when she reached out to touch him and he sunk helplessly to the ground, hiding his face in his arms. “Don’t hit me,” he pleaded.

Now it was the parent’s turn to froze. Again, they exchanged looks, this time in confusion and terror. Determination settled in midnight blue eyes, as the man walked over to the covering boy. He ignored the increasing trembling, in favor of sitting down on the cold and hard ground too, so that he could properly pull his boy against his chest. It did not take long for Tahl to join their little circle as well.

“Obi-Wan, sweetheart, is this about… your mother?” Tahl asked after she was sure that the silent tears of her boy had ceased. The ginger haired male nodded. Qui-Gon’s arms tightened just a fraction. “Will you tell us, please?” she was using her sweetest and calmest voice.

“She always hit me on my life day,” cried Obi-Wan, he was hard to understand, because he had his face still buried in his hands. “She said,” he hiccuped, “she said, it’s my punishment… for being born.” The tears started anew.

Gently yet firmly, did Qui-Gon pry away the distraught boy’s hands from his face and despite the resistance, he succeeded. “Obi-Wan,” he looked deep into teary blue-green eyes, “listen. The day you was born, is the happiest day for your mother and me.”

“Right before the day we met you,” added Tahl.

Hope appeared in blue-green eyes and the Sith couple deemed it save to lean forward, to each press a kiss to one side of Obi-Wan’s face. 

“We love you, little one,” said Qui-Gon, “and we would NEVER hit you.”

“Promise?”

“We promise,” Tahl wore a small smile that was hesitantly returned by the young boy.

Obi-Wan wanted to say something else, but something cold and wet that touched his arm, made him flinch. Surprised, he looked down and found Prancer, trying to get his attention.

“See, even Prancer loves you,” Qui-Gon picked the cat up and handed it to his son, who cuddled the feline close to his chest. The feline in question, just enjoyed being handled this way.

“You know Obi-Wan, since it IS your life day, your father and I got something for you,” Tahl was amused to see her boy’s brows furrow. 

“You did?” he asked confused.

Qui-Gon chuckled. “It’s tradition,” he explained.

The honey skinned female pulled out of the embrace and went to retrieve their little present. They had thought long about what to gift their boy, but eventually they had agreed on something.

“What is that?” Obi-Wan asked, after he had traded Prancer, who was eyeing the wrapped boy with as much curiosity as his owner, with the present.

“Go on and open it,” encouraged Qui-Gon. Even after the present had been revealed, Obi-Wan still had no idea what it was. “It is a starship model, from-”

“From the ship you brought me here with,” concluded Obi-Wan. He was suddenly full of excitement.

“Do you like it?” The question was kind of superfluous, but Tahl asked it anyway.

“Yes,” he turned, “thank you.” He pressed a kiss on each of his parent’s cheeks, before he turned to his father. “Help me?”

Qui-Gon hummed, “But first, breakfast.” 

Obi-Wan nodded eagerly. It was not hard to see that this was the best life day, he ever had.

[grim-on-the-darkside]

Star Wars Quotes regarding the Expanded Universe and it’s place in things under Lucas. -------------------------------------

I’ve shared quotes on this subject in the past, I don’t believe I have shared these ones, some I have only found recently, and other’s I had but I’m not the most organized person, so I found them again. I apologize if some of these are repeats, I tried to avoid that as much as possible. All of these quotes are verified, but you should never take anyone’s word for that on the internet. Feel free to verify them yourselves.

Anyone who would like to use these quotes and include in some of their works, by all means. It isn’t always easy to get to the truth of things, there is a great deal of misinformation on the Internet. It is only my wish to see George Lucas’ legacy remembered for what it was in truth. He gave us such a wonderful gift, that has touched the lives of so many, in so many ways. Wherever our interests may lie, I feel we own him something in return. - This is a decisive subject, and its been so for many years. This is in no way intended to speak to the artistic value found in the EU, that is a totally subjective consideration. There are no right or wrong opinions. Just opinions and everyone is entitled to their own.

I just want his Star Wars to be remembered as it truly was and his words and vision as they truly were. In the end, we all share our love for his creation with each other.

Star Wars is Forever.

"The importance of The Clone Wars that cannot be understated is that it was the last huge expansion of the Star Wars universe that came directly from George Lucas." ~ Pablo Hidalgo

--------------------

"I always think of the research you speak of as what I knew about the EU before I took this job. As I stated above, working directly with George changes the way you see the EU and everything in it."

~ Dave Filoni 2008

----------------

DAVE FILONI: The First Time George Lucas Talked About Ahsoka https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAjnLseHQwA

--------------

"I get all my information on the Clone Wars from him. [George Lucas]"

"I can pitch him ideas and say 'lets do certain things', but at the end of the say he will say 'yes' or he will say 'no', and than that is the way it's gonna go." ~ Dave Filoni, 2019

-------------

"From Issue 77 Of Star Wars Insider, Using Dark Empire & The Thrawn Trilogy As Examples. "So so episodes beyond Return of the Jedi exist? Nothing beyond possinle story points and ideas, certainly not fleshed out story treatments or scripts. Fans often wonder if Dark Empire or the Thrawn Trilogy were based off those notes or are meant to be Episodes VII, VIII, IX. - That's not the case. Those works are the creation of their respective authors with the guidance of editors at Lucas Licensing. They are not, nor ever were, meant to be George Lucas' definitive vision of what happens next" ~ Pablo Hidalgo, 2004 https://ibb.co/K9PMgH3

[This is a screenshot of the Original Text that I found]

-------------

“Everything that I’ve worked on at Lucasfilm has been considered canon.” ~ Dave Filoni

--------------------------------------

“Working on ‘Clone Wars,’ it was always canon.” ~ Dave Filoni

---------------------------------------

One of the main characters in the feature film, a 90 minute introduction to the series that hits theaters August 15, is Anakin's teenage Padawan, Ahsoka. Lucas said:

   "[With Ahsoka] I wanted to develop a character who would help Anakin settle down. He's a wild child after [Attack of the Clones]. He and Obi Wan don't get along. So we wanted to look at how Anakin and Ahsoka become friends, partners, a team. When you become a parent or you become a teacher you have to become more responsible. I wanted to force Anakin into that role of responsibility, into that juxtaposition. I have a couple of daughters so I have experience with that situation. I said instead of a guy let's make her a girl. Teenage girls are just as hard to deal with as teenage boys are."

~ George Lucas 2008

https://io9.gizmodo.com/george-lucas-spills-all-about-clone-wars-at-skywalker-r-5033398

-----------------------

"Understand, that the Holocron's primary purpose is to keep track of Star Wars continuity for Lucas Licensing and to some degree Lucas Online. To my knowledge, it is only rarely used for production purposes."

~ Leland Chee 2005/6

[Lucas was in Production]

-----------

"Star Wars continuity, even EU continuity, does not rest on my shoulders. Our licensees submit product directly to either our editors or our product development managers. The Holocron serves as a tool for them to check any issues regarding continuity, and after that, if the editors or developers have any questions, they pass it along to me to check for continuity. At the same time, I am constantly on the lookout to make sure that any new continuity being created gets entered in the Holocron. With regard to the the films and The Clone Wars, I am not involved in continuity approvals though I have often been asked to provide reference material."

~ Leland Chee

-------------------

"The question selected from The Furry Conflict poll was: How much does the Expanded Universe influence the movies?

As I asked him, Lucas leaned back a moment and said to me “Very little.” When he first had agreed to let people write Expanded Universe books, he had said “I’m not gonna read ‘em” and it was a “different universe” and that he wanted to keep away from the time period of his saga. He jokingly complained, however, that now when he writes a script he has to look through an encyclopedia to make sure that a name he comes up with doesn’t come too close to something in the EU.

He later commented that the future of Star Wars may lie in other venues outside of feature film."

- "Marc Xavier", November 2003, "The Furry Conflict and the Great ‘Beard‘ of the Galaxy"  (report based on a Q&A session with George Lucas which occurred at USC on 11-19-03)

--------------

"Q: in that vein, is it possible we'll see more Star Wars TV product?

A: Because I"m retiring from this part of my creative life, I'm open to more TV Product. but not more feature films, the story is complete. [and any other story wouldn't be my philosophy and views,] the books are not the same philosophy as the movies."

George Lucas 2003

---------------

Q: Can you quote any good story other than the movies?

A: No, I don't think so. (laughs)." ~ George Lucas

----------------

"George's view of the universe is his view," Chee says with a slightly grudging tone. "He's not beholden to what's gone before."

~ Leland Chee 2008

----------------

"And then there's the very top level of canon, the inviolable, infallible level of Truth, marked GWL—George Walton Lucas. It's the divine word of the Creator who stands outside his universe and is not subject to the rules that govern it."

~ Leland Chee 2008

Meet Leland Chee, the Star Wars Franschise Continuity cop.

[Actually, it was more like that Chee was standing outside of his.]

---------------

"Understand, that the Holocron's primary purpose is to keep track of Star Wars continuity for Lucas Licensing, and to some degree Lucas Online. To my knowledge, it is only rarely used for production purposes."

~ Leland Chee [I'm not sure about the exact date on this, but I think its from around 2004 or 2005]

[Lucas worked in production]]

------------

"I've been against a multiverse even before Disney"

~ Leland Chee 2018

[No, really? =p ]

--------------

"Is the "C" class part of the overall continuity alongside "G" class?"

As far as LucasBooks and Lucas Licensing are concerned, of course it is. LucasBooks and Lucas Licensing hold sway over the content and storylines of the Expanded Universe, and thus have every right to declare a canon of those materials. Whether this internal declaration is subscribed to by parent company LFL or Lucas himself is another matter, one which, though interesting, is outside the scope of this Holocron-oriented thread.

Leeland Chee 2004

-----------------

"So with the Story Group overseeing all of the content in film and television and elsewhere, we don’t have to retroactively make those changes. We can anticipate those changes. We can seed things in one medium [and see them grow] in another. So we might be seeding things in books or TV that you might not realize is substantial until years down the road. And if people knew what the road map looked like, they would just be floored.”

Leland Chee, 2017 - SYFY WIRE

[Chee is much happier working for Disney. He finally got what he wanted. A one Universe Star Wars.- Which would be great besides for that whole Disney part! =p]

----------------

“In these early drafts, the planet was called Had Abbadon. The name Coruscant came from author Timothy Zahn for his 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire. It's actually a real word that means ”glittering” or ”giving forth flashes of light.” When it came time to name the city-planet for Episode I, after considering several other names, Lucas decided to go with the already established Coruscant."

- Steve Sansweet, LFL/Fan Relations, June 2003

------------------

“As far as I know he hasn’t read any of my novels. From what I’ve heard Lucas is a visual man, he likes the comic books for the visual aspect. Frankly I don’t think that he has time to read so I am not offended.”

-Timothy Zahn, Author for the EU, The book report interview November, 1997

-----------------------

That means Zahn’s books won’t be directly adapted, but the author says that was always the case: “The books were always just the books.”

“It could be an entirely new storyline, but if he picks and chooses bits and pieces from the expanded universe, we’d all be thrilled to death.”

~ Timothy Zahn

-----------------

"Q: Did George Lucas intend for Boba Fett to die in the sarlacc, despite what others may say or print?

A: Yes, in George's view -- as far as the films go -- the baddest bounty hunter in the Galaxy met his match in the Great Pit of Carkoon where --unfortunately for Mr. Fett -- the ghastly sarlacc made its home.

However, Lucas also approved Fett's comeback in the expanded universe. And of course, by going back in time with the prequels, the Star Wars creator has brought Boba Fett back to life himself, albeit at a much younger age."

- Steve Sansweet, LFL/Fan Relations, December 2002

-----------------

As far as I know, George Lucas himself is not involved. He has a liaison group that deals with the book people, the game people, etc. They do the day-to-day work. Occasionally, he will be asked a question and will give an answer."

"I did meet Lucas once for a few minutes."

~ Timothy Zahn

[They spoke about 1930′s cinema and Samurai movies. They never even talked about Star Wars! How nuts is that!]

Timothy Zahn’s Trilogy was outstanding. Gotta give him his due.

---------------

In 2014, Disney declared the Expanded Universe was no longer canon. It became ‘Legends’. What do you think of this, seeing all of your work suddenly become non-canon?

"Those of us writing the EU were always told, all along, from the very beginning (have I stressed that strongly enough?), “Only the Movies are Canon.” Sure, it was disappointing."

~ Kathy Tyers, EU author [Truce at Bakura] Interview: April 2018

https://starwarsinterviews.com/various/authors/kathy-tyers-author/

-------------

EU Disclaimers [Stating these were not George Lucas' Sequels and not what he would use.] - [I did not take all of these personally, but they do match those that I did.]

https://ibb.co/GfwK0CB https://ibb.co/Tr3dj06 https://ibb.co/19B66B1 https://ibb.co/p1mCFcm https://ibb.co/rtSVh7d https://ibb.co/Tcm7dFy https://ibb.co/ygQXjCN https://ibb.co/GRvmV7V - Jonathan W. Rinzler is/was an author and editor for Lucas Licensing's book division. In 2005, he was hired to write three Star Wars guide books,respectively Star Wars: Visionaries (although he only wrote the introduction of this one), The Art of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and The Making of Star Wars Revenge of the Sith. He later went to write The Art of Revenge of the Sith that same year. In 2007, he wrote and published The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film amongst many other such works for Star Wars.

This is more than a disclaimer, it's a quote, this is a question directly to him as he worked in Lucas Licensing asking him if the Expanded Universe wasn't considered canon ever why did Lucas allow it to exist. Answer - Money. He was also a personal acquaintance of Lucas' for many years. He also is quoted as telling the story as to why Lucas hated Mara Jade so much. -

Rinzler, George Lucas “Couldn’t Stand” The Character Of Mara Jade - http://starwarshub.net/2019/02/01/according-to-author-j-w-rinzler-george-lucas-couldnt-stand-the-character-of-mara-jade/

[Lucas said [paraphrasing], ‘Jedi don’t marry. They take vows.’

[This site also contains a good amount of information on the only legitimate sequel trilogy to Return of the Jedi, the one Lucas came up with himself and completed Treatments for Episodes, 7, 8, and 9 in 2011.]

For a more in-depth look at Lucas’ Sequel trilogy treatment in so far as we know it, these are excellent sites and we know a lot more about his Sequel trilogy and his vision for how the Saga was truly meant to end. There’s some beautiful concept art to be found as well.

George Lucas’ Episode VII - https://medium.com/@Oozer3993/george-lucas-episode-vii-c272563cc3ba

George Lucas' Ideas for His Own Star Wars Sequel Trilogy-https://io9.gizmodo.com/george-lucas-ideas-for-his-own-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-1826798496

STAR WARS: The Original Plans for the Sequel Trilogy - YouTube -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1dM9qFe4p0

https://ibb.co/jvph85c

[selcier]

Obikin Fanfiction Recommendations

I’ve been thinking about typing this up for a while now. 

This is by no means an extensive or exhaustive list. These are simple a few fics that I remember vividly for various reasons. Many of theme are masterpieces in their own right without the added benefit of being fanfiction. And many are fics that I have read over and over again. These are also fics that have inspired me to to my own writing. 

Please also keep in mind that these recommendations will include some constructive criticism. While I love them all, there are comments that I think need to be said in any recommendation. I’m not going to be adding warnings (those are in the links) but I want to give a larger picture of the piece besides fawning over how much I love it. 

There are many fics that are not on this list that I actively read and love and I’m always looking for more! I have excluded works that I love but are in the beginnings of their development as a cohesive story. This list also does not include any tumblr ficlets. I love those too but they are more difficult to keep track of. If you follow me, I tend to reblog everything I love so you can find more that way. If you have any recommendations to send me, please do! 

I have tried to tag authors when I know them on tumbr. 

In no particular order:

His Face in the Rearview Mirror by starscry

The car breaks down a week and a half into his trip. 

What a beautiful AU. Fast cars, sexual tension and a great retelling of TPM. I’m drawn to this fic for its detail and mood. I can feel the heat of the desert in every scene. I can envision Anakin’s upbringing in the descriptions. I desperately want them to justkissalready the entire time; there is a fantastic level of tension throughout the narrative. This is the type of short but fulfilling read I go back for many times. Its currently on hiatus but I’m crossing my fingers that starscry will finish it soon. 

Fringe Believers and Hopeless Wanders by iiscos

A Jedi falls in love with a kind, but poor mechanic aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.S.C. Terranova. A Star Wars/Titanic AU 

This fic is definitely an inspiration for my own writing. Its paced fabulously with a steady rise of plot and tension. And while it follows closely to the original plot of Titanic, all the Star Wars details are fleshed out in loving detail. It also has the same feel as Titanic; a romance that doesn’t make any logical sense but that is captivating none the less. Unfortunately, this fic is also on hiatus it seems as the author seems to have moved on to other fandoms. However, keep in mind the original tags were ‘happy ending’ so I’ll go with that. :)

Favorite line:  “ Obi-Wan in his formal Jedi robes, clean and simple against the lavish backdrop, searching for familiar faces in the dining saloon.” For some reason this image keeps with me. I liken it to the line from the RotS novel in which Obi-wan stands in the expanse of carpeting in Padme’s apartment looking lost. The parallels reduce me to a sobbing fool. 

wicked thing by imaginarykat

There are rumours of yet another Sith Lord hiding among the Separatists. The Council sends Anakin to investigate. Anakin has a bad feeling about this.

or,

the story of how Anakin exists in a perpetual state of intense embarrassment, Kenobi is enjoying it a little too much, and everything is, generally speaking, a gigantic mess.

Ah yes. The opus of the Sith!Obi-wan movement. May we be forever blessed. This fic sucks you in from the very first moment. The insight the reader has into Anakin’s mind is a fabulous take on his character and I love the inanity he brings. Oh course, the whole plot is rather contrived; but that’s part of the fun. Fanfiction is for nothing more than indulging our every whim and a myriad of possibilities. I particularly enjoy that we’re meant to not fully understand whether or not Kenobi is using Anakin or not. And whether or not Anakin is already his apprentice or not. Unfortunately, the last few chapters have been lacking direction for me. But I’ve still enjoyed reading them and still look forward to experiencing the story with the characters. Not all obikin needs to be sadness and flames. 

Favorite line: “His mouth opens to speak even though his mind seems empty of all thought; only one word escapes his lips, one that tastes of defiance and submission and fire all at once.“Master.” “ Hot damn yes. This is why I come here!

Ad Verecundiam by DarthSnug

Time Traveling Sith Lords seems like a matter for the Council, so Obi-Wan puts the man’s sudden arrival at the Temple out of mind. He has other things to worry about after all: his Trials, for one, and his former Master’s stubborn insistence that young Anakin Skywalker must be trained.

Then the Council approaches him, saying that their reluctant darkside guest is specifically asking for him, and in standard fashion, Knight Kenobi finds himself getting into all sorts of terrible trouble without much backup at all.

This is probably the least developed fic on this list. Only three chapters in, however, and I’m hooked. So far, it hasn’t gotten caught up in extraneous scenes or pointless divergences to the plot and I’m hoping it continues to do so. I’m enjoying, despite the fantastical nature of the canon divergence, the reality of the narrative. Characters have reasonable and relate-able reactions to outside influences. The Council is appropriately suspicious, Kenobi is appropriately obeying the Council’s orders-but-not-really. I’m excited to see where this is going especially as Vader is clearly not necessarily remorseful about his actions. He hasn’t turned into the good-guy yet. I think we all forget what a Sith is supposed to be canon. They aren’t just dangerous and handsome, they have ugly goals. I’m hoping that this fic explores that option. 

Solider, Poet, King by @glare-gryphon

Second chances are very rarely given, but the Force smiles upon two of its favorite children and returns them to a time before their actions have met their consequences. Anakin Skywalker, also known as Darth Vader, seeks redemption while Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, disillusioned with the Jedi Order and its Code, falls to the Darkness. Trapped out of time, Master and Apprentice must once again work together to stop Sideous’ plans from reaching fruition and bring Balance to the Force—all the while dodging the Jedi, the Sith, and their feelings for each other.

I admit, I’ve re-read this at least ten times. It came with me on the plane to Thailand, comforted me next to the fireplace this holiday season and was there for rainy days this spring. This is a fic I cannot gush about enough. The first time I read Chapter 1, I thought ‘oh this sounds interesting, if cliche.’ But then i was hooked. Glare, in all their writing, adds such a depth to the characters without distracting lines of exposition. As the reader, you’re desperately on Anakin’s side hoping that he finally gets his happy ending. And you feel Ben’s pain on having to live again. You want them to succeed. This is compounded with the spiraling-out-of-control relationship Padawan Obi-wan has with Qui-gon and the ongoing fight against Sideous. 

I am worried that this fic has gotten too large and that there are too many spinning wheels to pull together in the end. But that hasn’t dampened my ability to enjoy it as it is. And I’m not sure if this is intended (although I certainly enjoy it), but there is an underlying strain of ‘wrongness’ about Anakin and Ben’s relationship. This isn’t a happy story, I think. I don’t want it to be happy. 

Favorite line:  “ Vader’s durasteel wrist is pinned to the stone by one of Adelfos’ boots, preventing the younger Sith from moving. His back is to Obi-Wan like this, but the Padawan can see Vader’s face through the man’s legs. Whatever Vader sees when he looks up into the man’s cowl, the shock hits him like a speeder. Blood drains from the Sith’s face and he’s trembling, mouth opening and closing like he’s trying to form words but doesn’t quite know what to say.” This line gives me chills every time. I love feeling Anakin’s surprise though the lens of Padawan Kenobi. Beautiful. 

as good a place to fall as any by @glimmerglanger 

Obi-Wan and Anakin are sent to find a rumored weapon from the Old Republic on a mission directly from the Jedi Council, taking them away from the front lines at a vital time. During the course of the mission, they find far more than trouble than the anticipated and stumble into a series of events that leads to unintended attachments, misunderstandings, a fierce love affair, bloody victories, and an eventual end to the Clone Wars…

I’m a big fan of a/o/b fics done well and this one is fantastic. While the dynamics are certainly part of the story, it is more focused on the emotional relations between characters in the backdrop of a war. Each chapter is almost a mini story with a full plot and satisfying ending. It does have that same feeling of a story arch in the Clone Wars where you know the main conflict will be resolved even as the over-arching conflict (Anakin and Obi-wan’s relationship) continues on. 

And I can’t say enough about the tiny world building elements that glimmer adds. In the first chapter, they focus on the a/o/b dynamics as if it were any physical condition in a modern world. Its not sexualized from the stand point of the characters (until, well, it is sexual). And they way that Obi-wan addresses his crisis is so in character. He really struggles with his decision and is eventually overrun and guilty about his choices. 

Favorite line: ““I don’t remember what that’s like, either,” Anakin said, and he sat up, scrubbing at his face. For a moment they sat, and then he reached out, and tugged on a strand of Obi-Wan’s hair. A cautious smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “I like seeing you like this.”

Obi-Wan snorted, wishing he had not removed his tunic. He could feel the blush on his skin. “Messy?” he asked, abandoning the cot and the intimacy, before it tempted him beyond his ability to bear it. Already his emotions were in a tumult, as they had been since he had thought Anakin would not breathe again. It was best not to think about it.” Urgh the pain and happiness rolled up in these scenes sends me to tears. 

Admire the Foliage by the AngryAssassin 

Anakin is left to his own devices on an unknown planet and naturally, he gets himself into trouble. Obi-Wan helps him out. Porn with a little tiny bit of plot.

I would call this porn with absolutely no plot whatsoever. But I don’t even want to tell you how many times I’ve read it. Be forewarned for plants, vines, tentacle bits, possible non-con, threesomes of a sort, voyeurism, and other nsfw things. 

Thank you and have a great day.

Wake the Storm (part i of the Ouroboros series) by @bedlamsbard 

Considering that he had picked up what was probably a Sith artifact, promptly passed out in the middle of a war zone, and apparently woken up twenty years in the future with Obi-Wan having taken up residence in his head, Anakin thought he was entitled to have a few questions.

This is the first fanfiction I had my husband read. Overall, it is not a full Obikin story but I love the undercurrent of tension. (Both between Old Ben and Jedi Knight Kenobi). And while the plot is based on a slightly outlandish theme, its pulled together tightly across multiple times and space. And when we get to see the interactions between Kenobi and Padme, my heart breaks every time. 

Many times in fic, we take the idea that Obi-wan will leave the Order to be a given. Like it isn’t hard to give up everything you’ve ever known to seek out a different life. Like that isn’t a terrible decision to make. In this story, this idea is treated with the respect it deserves. Its easy for us, as readers, to make these decisions for the characters but it is much more difficult for them to choose. In this fic, we see Obi-wan struggle between being who he really is (in this case, Anakin’s friend), and who he really wants to be (a Jedi Master). 

And we also see another version of that Kenobi who did not make such a decision and the ramifications of that. I’m torn between empathy and hatred of that version. But i fully enjoyed the exploration of one character who underwent such a drastic split. 

Overall, this seems like it would be an exploration of Anakin (and I think it was intended to be one), but I see it more of an exploration of Obi-wan. And, of course, the sequel is every bit as thought provoking and well written. 

Favorite line: “Obi-Wan leaned against the wall beside him, his face hidden behind one hand. “I saw what Vader left behind.”Again, the smell of sulfur and burning flesh, a sound that might have been screaming. Anakin’s stomach heaved again, making him clap a hand to his mouth, but there was nothing left to vomit up. After a moment, the Force impressions vanished.” Well, i have many, many favoirte lines. But this is from the second chapter. Every sentence is so well planned and full of nuanced. Be still my heart. 

The Light You Leave Behind by laventadorn

Ahsoka has left the Jedi Order, and Anakin is haunted by the last words he spoke to her on the steps of the Temple: “I understand, more than you know, wanting to leave the Order.” But perhaps leaving does not mean walking away; perhaps, it means only taking a different path.

For Obi-Wan, things are even less simple. The darkness clouding the Force seems to whisper behind him; with Anakin gone, he feels half-blind. Does his way lie with the Order that has raised him, or with the two Padawans he has lost?

Because Anakin and Ahsoka have set out to learn what they can about the Sith - and to destroy them, once and for all.

This is another rec that is still in it’s infancy. But I’ve been sucked in to the pure feelings of this world in all the relationships and their dynamics. I would consider this, so far, a bit more on the gen side but the sheer stress between Anakin and Obi-wan and Anakin and Ahsoka is captivating. I especially love the way Obi-wan just holds himself back at every turn and how much the reader can feel his distress. 

The last chapters were a bit more plot focused than the first few. I am not really sure at this point what type of direction this story will continue in. We seemed to leave behind the emotional tension to focus on moving the story along. That isn’t the type of story I normally enjoy but I’m hoping it returns to its roots a bit more in the future. 

Favorite line: ““Well,” he said eventually, “that wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.”

Anakin’s forehead crinkled in clear confusion as his eyes cut toward Obi-Wan, as if trying to figure him out. He reached out in the Force, a tentative brush that Obi-Wan couldn’t bring himself to meet. He had to keep his shields shut tight or he might -

“I thought you were going to tell me you’re leaving the Order.”” Kill me know. Obi-wan, just kiss him already!!!

 Finding Balance by moonstone 

The Dark side clouds everything, even to eyes that should see through the murk with ease. Darth Sidious has miscalculated, drastically, and the waiting game for his enemies is now at an end, and Balance is at hand.

Another Sith Obi-wan here. But a bit different. In this, Obi-wan has always been a Sith, even when living with the Jedi Order. He’s been biding his time before creating his own Empire. I love how cold he is in this one. And how all the members of the Rebel Alliance are unsure of what he might do. Will he keep his word? Will he kill us all anyways? 

I think, in this story, the relationship between Obi-wan and Anakin takes a bit of a back seat to to the world-building and overall plot development. In this case, i love that aspect. I want to see Anakin scare the shit out of people when he pulls up in a Destroyer, and I want to see them scramble for words when the Emperor ends up injured in their base. 

Its a simple story and not overly complex. And I love it for that. 

The World Undone by lilyconrad @writegowrite 

Anakin Skywalker, proud symbol of the strength and purity of the Jedi Order, is the target of a strange and handsome Sith named Obi-Wan, whose only goal seems to be pulling Skywalker down into the dark with him.

This is an all-around great read. Very entertaining, a great host of characters, good plot, fun story, sufficient sexy scenes. I had a great time reading it and its a staple for the fandom. 

I especially love the brutal nature of Kenobi in the beginning and the way he plays with Anakin throughout the story. I love seeing how their relationship evolves from enemies to sparring partners to friends to lovers. It is so, so satisfying. And also, Anakin is a joy to read here. You know that something fishy is going on in the background but have no idea what! I was glued to the screen in the scene when Anakin comes back from the Council. I think that this is a great additive to the story. I wanted to learn more about what was going on just as much as I wanted to finally see them make-out. 

However I did miss that brutal quality as the story progressed. This is purely a preference and has no bearing on the quality of the story (because the quality is superb), but I felt it lost its Sith-like edges with the introduction of Anakin and Obi-wan’s back story. Suddenly, we were meant to sympathize with Obi-wan. I feel like that took away from his character as a Sith. Sometimes, I don’t want to apologize for the characters. I want them to be dangerous and awful in their own way; like a first testament god. But like I said, that was a matter of preference. I do feel like it is the prerogative of the writer to create the story they wan to see. After all, that’s why fanfiction exists. And I applaud the author for creating a dynamic piece that covers such a wide variety of topics, characters and stories. 

[glare-gryphon]

Horizon Light - Part 5

Horizon Light – Part 5 ~2600 Words Chapter Tags: Anakin’s Potty Mouth

Skywalker's pained grunt echoes through the Kwoon as he topples to the mats one again. His practice staff rolls away, bumping into Obi-Wan's leg where the older man sits in meditation. For a long moment, he considers not acknowledging Skywalker's latest failed attempt at running through his forms. The last couple of times had been met only with snappish replies, but Obi-Wan has always been a teacher at heart. He's more accustomed than he'd care to admit to the petulance of unwilling students.

"Do you want some help?" He finally cedes, cracking open one eye to watch Skywalker struggle to his feet. The younger ranger is flushed from ears to chest, sweat gleaming against bared skin in the light of the Kwoon. He'd stripped off his tank as soon as the piloting team here before them had left, leaving him bare except for the bandages around his ribs, his dog-tags, and a standard-issue grey fatigue pant that every PPDC employee has at least one set of. Obi-Wan prefers their tan counterparts, but Skywalker's taste seems to run more toward the darker end of the color spectrum.

"No," Skywalker replies, as firm and unhappy as the last few times he's spurned the offer. Obi-Wan does not press further than that, lifting Skywalker's staff by one end and offering the other to maintain the maximum distance between them.

Despite now sharing quarters with Skywalker, who rudely rips the staff from his hands, the pair have rarely come within arm's reach of the other since their encounter in medical. Obi-Wan studiously tells himself that what happened between them was simply a fluke, but he'd rather not test that theory. There are already enough rumors going around about them now that they're officially on record as paired; he doesn't want to give anyone any more fodder than he already has. Which is why these early morning sparring sessions they’ve been assigned in the Kwoon are so nice.

The shatterdome is always bustling with activity, but there is far less foot traffic past the entrance to the Kwoon in the traditional off-hours. It gives them a chance to practice their forms, or meditate in Obi-Wan's case this particular morning, without the hassle of prying eyes. Those who are awake at this hour are too busy to butt their nose into places they don't belong. There is no downtime in war—there is always something to be done. Training, maintenance, research. They are facing an enemy the likes of which have never been seen before; they have to be able adapt as fast as the creatures that climb from the Breach. If you don't adapt, you die.

Obi-Wan, by his own definition, should have been dead a long time ago (In his defense, he did give that one his best effort). Adaptation should come easy for a jaeger pilot, but there are just things you have to draw a line on. Like moving on past your former copilot and the love of your life, or asking for help when you can't quite seem to figure out how to find your center of gravity during a complicated combat maneuver with a new hindrance to your depth perception.

Skywalker hits the mats again; Obi-Wan sighs, and gives up on his meditation. If simply sparring with Skywalker had taken as much out of him as it had during their compatibility test, then he's more out of shape than he though. Considering that the brass is probably going to expect them back in the conn-pod for active duty as soon as Horizon is up and running again, he probably should work on correcting that issue. He may not like Skywalker, but he can't sabotage the younger ranger's chances of survival in the field with sub-par preparation.

Collecting his own staff from the box in the corner, Obi-Wan allows himself to fall into the opening stance of his forms. In the Academy, he'd trained in a more defensive form instead of the offensive that many of the other cadets had preferred. There was always something about the flowing movements and steady pace that drew him in, and when he was partnered with Qui-Gon, that knowledge became an indispensable counterpoint to the man's own aggressive forms.

It is, he notes, watching Skywalker run through his own paces from the corner of his eye, a counterpoint to Skywalker's as well. Obi-Wan hasn't looked into Tano beyond what he's been told and what he saw in Anakin's mind the day of their drift, but he assumes the girl must have specialized in a defensive form as well. That's the only way he can see someone as recklessly aggressive as Skywalker surviving in the field for as long as he has.

It's embarrassing how fast his muscles tire—how little time it takes before Obi-Wan has sweat through his shirt. Unlike Skywalker, who seems to have no problem displaying the scars left by his circuitry suit, Obi-Wan is hesitant to remove the soiled garment and continue his workout bare-chested. It’s a ridiculous thing to be shy about, considering that most jaeger pilots have scarring here or there either from mishaps in training or field combat. Still, he has to consider his options for a very long moment before he strips out of the shirt, folding it neatly and setting it off the mats alongside his boots. Skywalker’s boots and tank have been thrown into a messy pile that makes Obi-Wan’s teeth grind. One of these days he’s going to have to give the boy a lecture about organization.

As he makes his way back to where he’d left off in his routine, he can feel the other ranger’s eyes on his back. Considering his hesitancy to be seen in less than full attire, let alone his unwillingness to even be in Skywalker’s space for more time than he has to be, the raised patterns on his flesh are a new sight. Unlike Skywalker’s own scarring, which is closer to the fractal patterning left behind by a lightning strike, Obi-Wan’s follow a set pattern around his shoulders and chest—an imprint of the circuitry’s suit’s delicate wiring. The suit is only built to conduct the impulses of one hemisphere of the pilot’s brain. The strain of supporting Obi-Wan in single combat had overheated the suit, leaving behind burns still fresh enough to be raised and red.

Pushing Skywalker’s attention to the back of his mind, Obi-Wan falls into the pattern of his forms once again. The soreness of his muscles is effective in wiping all thought from his mind but the focus he has on getting from one position to the next. There is no Skywalker, no jaegers, no kaiju. There is only the routine. Why hadn’t he done this before, again?

Until, that is, Skywalker speaks. “Kenobi?” He asks, sounding strain, snapping the older ranger out of his trance. He glances down at Skywalker, sprawled out on the mats, and realizes that he hadn’t even heard him fall again. Skywalker isn’t looking at him, face turned toward the far wall, but the flush to his skin has deepened to something more red than pink. “I could—I could use some help. If, you know, you’re still offering.”

Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to Obi-Wan that Skywalker would ever take him up on the offer of assistance. Now that he’s come down from whatever high ledge he’d been stubbornly clinging to, however, Obi-Wan finds himself quite amicable. “Of course.” He extends a hand, hauling Skywalker to his feet. “What seems to be giving you trouble?”

“You know damn well what—” Skywalker starts, and Obi-Wan watches him have to physically bite back whatever he’d intended to end that sentence with. “It’s this motion. I can’t… find my balance. I can do it fine without the staff, but it something about it keeps tripping me up when I’m armed.”

“Show me.”

Skywalker scowls, but takes the opening stance of his form and, at Obi-Wan’s gesture, begins the routine. This is the first time he’s really had a chance to study the younger ranger uninhibited. Skywalker carries himself with a predatory grace that many young ranger cadets only dream of being able to maintain. He moves with ease, defined muscles shifting and flexing beneath his tanned skin. Sweat beads on his face and along the line of his jaw, rolling down his neck and chest until it's soaked up by the tightly wrapped bandages around his ribs.

Obi-Wan's attention is pulled back to the bigger picture, however, when he sees what's causing Skywalker trouble. A long, sweeping movement of the staff combined with delicate footwork. In the process of passing the weapon behind his back, from his right side to his left, he angles it too far, getting it caught between his legs and sending him tumbling to the floor when he attempts to take the next step in his footwork.

"Fuck!" Skywalker hisses, pushing himself to his feet. "Do you see what I mean?"

"I believe I do," Obi-Wan replies. "Come here, please."

Hesitantly, Skywalker approaches. The last time they were within arm's reach of each other on these mats, they'd beaten each other senseless. He's right to be wary, but Obi-Wan has no ill intentions for him now. Skywalker had asked for his help; he's willing to give it.

Gesturing for Skywalker to turn, he steps up behind the other ranger and places hands on his hips to still his nervous shuffling. Obi-Wan doesn't think about the intimacy of the action: the heat of Skywalker's skin under his palm, the way sweat sticks their skin together, the minute hitch in Skywalker's breathing when Obi-Wan’s own tags brush against the space between Skywalker’s shoulder blades just above his bandages. He's slipped into teaching mode, everything forgotten but aiding the younger ranger in correcting the problems in his form.

"Your problem is the same one I pointed out during out spar," Obi-Wan murmurs, adjusting their posture until they stand in the position right before the move. "You're overcompensating—thinking too hard. Your body know what it's supposed to do, even if you can no longer see what it's doing. You have to let it. Run through it a few times without the staff, and try to really feel what it is you're doing."

Skywalker does, Obi-Wan moving with him and taking in his form as he does so, pausing them here and there to point out a particular extension or shift he believes the younger ranger needs to pay close attention to. He notices the growing tension in Skywalker's form—It would be impossible not to, as close as they are—but isn't sure what's causing it.

Together, they run through pattern twice over. They're halfway through the third when Skywalker breaks from the form mid-stride, elbowing Obi-Wan in the side with a sharp, panicked snarl of, "Get off me!"

Obi-Wan stumbles, caught off guard, and Skywalker is quick to slip away. The younger man rushes from the mats, not even bothering to put on his boots and tank before he continues on and flees the Kwoon, his belongings held awkwardly in front of him. Obi-Wan watches him go, confused and rather annoyed. It's rude to ask for help only to leave before it's given.

With nothing to do, and their scheduled time in the Kwoon nearly over anyways, Obi-Wan makes his way off the mats. Shirt and boots are pulled on, and he returns to their quarters, hoping that whatever had come over Skywalker has passed in the meantime.

When he arrives, the bathroom door is locked and the younger ranger appears to be in the shower. Obi-Wan can hear its steady stream, but little else from inside the room. He’d rather been hoping that Skywalker would use the communal showers, as he’d made a habit of doing in the first few days of their cohabitation, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, Obi-Wan is forced to remain in his sweaty clothes until the younger man is done. He does strip back out of his shirt, however, now that the door is closed and he’s safe from prying eyes.

Glancing around the room, he takes in the signs of their new life. Their personal kitchenware is tucked away in cabinets, still open from where Skywalker must have had a drink upon his return. Leather bomber jackets, emblazoned with the heraldic symbols of their jaegers, are draped on a hook by the bathroom. While they both have continued to wear the old ones, it’s only a matter of time before shows up at the door with a new, matching set in honor of their partnership.

On the back of their door, the Horizon’s logo has been painted in white. It stands out in stark contrast to the aging metal, the empty space below it reserved for their tally of kills. It will still be a few weeks before their first drop, to make sure their partnership sets, but there is already anticipation itching under Obi-Wan’s skin to be out—to take revenge on those creatures for what they did to his copilot. He can’t help but wonder if this is his own thinking, or if it’s something bled over from Skywalker in their last drift. If he had to guess, he would pick the latter.

In the bed area, photos and blueprints are haphazardly taped to the roof and wall around Skywalker’s cot. The drawers in the storage space below the mattress are askew, hastily folded and tucked away clothes spilling out from their confines. A collection of miscellaneous mechanical parts—gears and wires, scraps of metal—litter the surface of the cot, waiting to be meticulously repacked into an open drawer in the storage space below. Skywalker’s half of the space looks comfortable. Lived in. A sharp contrast to Obi-Wan’s own.

Bed made regulation-net, clothes folded and stored, the only personal effects Obi-Wan really has are the boxes of Qui-Gon’s belongings—still yet to be unpacked—and the small, potted plant he’s placed over in the kitchen. He hadn’t had much even before giving up his humble life as a schoolteacher. As a child, he’d had money, notoriety, respect. Anything any everything a little boy could possibly want. By the time he’d struck out on his own, he’d wanted a simpler life. By the time the first kaiju came through the Breach, the material had ceased to matter entirely. There was only the war.

By the time Obi-Wan gathers up a change of clothes, the shower has cut off and Skywalker emerges from a cloud of steam. His hair is still wet, but he’s at least donned a pair of clean pants and a tank that clings to his damp skin. He presses past Obi-Wan, intending to pull his boots on and probably head to breakfast in the mess, but the older ranger catches his arm before he can get away.

“What happened in the Kwoon?” Obi-Wan asks, tightening his grip on Skywalker’s arm when the other ranger attempts to pull himself loose.

“None of your damn business, Kenobi,” Skywalker hisses, shoving Obi-Wan off him with his free arm. “Just drop it.”

“If it was something I did—”

Skywalker steps quickly back into his space, pulling himself up to his full height and using the few inches between them to his advantage. He means to intimidate; Obi-Wan is embarrassed to admit it works. “I said drop it.”

Obi-Wan flinches away, and before he can say another word, Skywalker has spun on his heel and stormed from the room. Having not gotten any answers for the younger ranger’s unusual behavior, Obi-Wan grits his teeth, snatching up his fresh clothes and storming into the bathroom. He should have known better than try to help.