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thelovelylolly · 4 years ago

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Savior (Part 2)

Part 1

Summary : You and Obi-Wan started a secret relationship after your first interaction in your penthouse. You two flew between your planet and Coruscaunt to visit each other. But as the war picks up, you and Obi-Wan start to drift apart until one day everything went downhill. The jedi were killed and so you assumed Obi-Wan was dead, grieving him privately. But when the Empire plans on blowing your planet to shreds, you are sent away. What happens when you crash land on Tatoonie?

Warnings : Very lightly mentioned adult themes, typical star wars violence and (sadly) death, angst (?), and kind of a happy ending

Note : Thank you to @lilbabyhoneypot for the story idea! Hopefully this is a good ending! Sorry if this isn’t what you expected.

Your relationship with Obi-Wan was so amazing, but it had to be a secret. At first, it was hard to keep up making excuses to travel to Coruscaunt for your father but once he retired and gave the throne to you, it was easier. Of course, you requested Obi-Wan and his apprentice to attend your coronation. You and Obi-Wan “celebrated” later that evening.

You allowed him to continue to call you ‘princess’ since you were obsessed with him calling you that. Obi-Wan didn’t mind at all. You spent a lot of your time in Coruscant, for Obi and for political reasons, so after a long day, Obi-Wan would walk into your penthouse and collapse onto the couch. He would call you over and you almost always had tea ready to go. It was just a peaceful, quiet relationship.

But all good things must change.

Obi-Wan was always hopping planet to planet, fighting battles with his clone squadron. You sent him short holo-videos of yourself to cheer him up, which he treasured. He sent you videos as well, but they were short and inconsistent. You didn’t mind, but you missed him so much.

Obi-Wan was currently on Utapau, hopefully defeating General Grevious and getting very very close to ending the war. You were excited because after the war, you could relax a bit. Get a break from all the politics. The only thing that bothered you was when Obi-Wan left. Usually, he would spend the night before with you, doing whatever you wanted. In the morning, you two would eat breakfast together with tea (of course) then he was off on his mission. But this time, he just sent you a message when he was on his was to Utapau. It was eating at you, was he trying to distance himself from you? Did he start to lose feelings?

Standing on your balcony, you took a breath of crisp Coruscant air to try to clear your mind. It was night time, which meant lights were on everywhere. Your eyes were watching speeders zoom by below you when something unusual caught you eye. You shifted your gaze to the jedi temple and saw smoke escaping it. In a panic, you quickly grabbed your red cloak and raced down to your speeder in the garage, speeding off to the temple.

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You parked your speeder on a small dock, getting out to walk into the temple. But you were stopped by clones. “What’s going on? What happened?” You asked.

“The jedi have been declared enemies of the republic, you need to leave, ma’am.” One clone explained. Suddenly, a young padawan jumped over them and started to deflect the blaster shots with his lightsaber. You watched in horror as the padawan got shot in the abdomen multiple times.

“No!” You exclaimed, crouching down and pulling the dying child into your lap. You watched as life slowly escaped the padawan, his eyes staying open as his took his last breath. You sighed sadly and closed his eyes, laying him down gently. You stood back up. “What have you done?! He was a child! Where are the other padawans?” You yelled.

“General Skywalker took care of them.”

“Anakin....what? No...”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” The clone paused for a moment to aim his blaster at you, along with the others. “It’s time for you to leave.”

You nodded and quickly went back into your speeder, taking off.

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You had called Bail Organa to your penthouse since he also went to the jedi temple. You sat on your couch, you mind going into dark territory since you thought Obi-Wan was dead. “Bail, we need to get the senate to stop this.” You spoke up.

“No, we need to find any surviving Jedi to see what they want to do. I think the Chancellor ordered this to happen.” Senator Organa replied, sitting down next to you.

“I don’t think any survived.”

“Were you close to any of them? I noticed you always requested Obi-Wan to be your jedi guard.”

“Promise not to tell?” Bail nodded in reply. “Me and Obi-Wan have a secret relationship, but with the clones turning on the jedi, I don’t think he survived. His own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, killed younglings at the jedi temple.”

It went silent, the only noise being the busy city outside. “Return to your planet, I’ll do what I can here. You need to be there in case someone or something wants to attack.” Bail said, breaking the silent.

You both stood up, embracing each other, then Bail left. You began to pack up your things. Before you left, you wrote a quick note in case Obi-Wan did survive and came looking for you. Then you boarded your usual ship and went home to your planet.

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

Years passed and the Empire rose to power. Bail Organa didn’t contact you, but the sith lord Darth Vader did. He forced you to put your planet under imperial rule, which basically meant you were just a puppet for Vader. You were sick of it.

You laid awake in your large bed at night, moon light slipping in through a window. You stared at your ceiling, your covers feeling cold. You were haunted by things. Obi-Wan being presumed dead, that padawan dying in your arms, watching the temple burn and hearing of the Empire rising. Your bed felt empty without Obi-Wan next to you, but you didn’t know what else you could do except try to move on and serve your planet. You father had passed due to age which left you alone. Alone in a galaxy that seemingly hated you.

The next day, Darth Vader himself decided to visit the planet. Usually, it was a high ranking imperial but this time, Vader wanted to come. You were dressed in one of your usual extravagant dresses, your crowing sitting on your head. You kept your chin up, you weren’t intimidated by a sith lord. “Darth Vader, what brings you to my planet?”

“I came to check in on things, some of my men have heard of protests against the Empire here.” Vader replied.

You crossed your legs and leaned back. “I haven’t heard of such things, I’m sure my people are obedient to me, their ruler.”

“Must I remind you that the Empire rules this planet.”

“I’m not useless, Vader. It’s my planet, the throne is my birth right, you can’t change that.”

“I suggest you don’t speak like that. I know how you used to act in the senate, Obi-Wan used to support it, didn’t he?”

You shot up from your throne from the name of your old lover. “You shall not speak of Obi-Wan to me. Leave. Now.” You ordered. Darth Vader simply turned around and started to walk out, but stopped to talk to a imperial that was apart of your council on your planet.

“Ready the Death Star. We will destroy the planet tomorrow.” And with that, Lord Vader left. You looked beside you at your advisors, confused.

That night, you met with your council (minus any imperials) to discuss how to avoid people’s death. They decided that you would leave first, then they would start evacuations of everyone else. You were to pack that night then depart at first light. So that’s what you did.

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

You and a few other higher ups boarded a ship and were to be flown to a different planet that wasn’t on the Empire’s radar. It was supposed to be a easy and safe trip. Key words : supposed to be.

You were flying over a sandy planet when imperial tie fighters began to shoot at your ship. “We’re going to have to crash land, your majesty!” The captain yelled.

You were shoved into a safe room while everyone else braced for impact. The safe room was essentially a escape pod in case the ship crashed, which was going to happen. But due to the impact, you blacked out.

When you woke up, you slipped out of the little pod to be met with so much sand and sun. You looked around for anyone else but saw the ship covered in black smoke. You couldn’t bring yourself to go look for anyone, you already lost so much. You didn’t know how long you were out but you decided to start walking. To where, you didn’t know, you just needed to make some sort of progress. You flipped up your brown cloak’s hood and started to walk in the hot sand.

It had to be hours since you started walking and you saw nothing. It was hard to walk since you were in a simple dress. You felt like someone was watching you while you walked by a small group of mountains, but you couldn’t bother to investigate. The heat was overbearing and you felt dehydrated, your steps became slower and you felt like your feet were on fire. You couldn’t keep going so you just let you body take the wheel. Your body hit the sand as your vision blurred. You slowly closed your eyes, accepting the worse.

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You opened your eyes but you weren’t in the desert anymore. You were in a sandy little house, on someone’s bed. Your head hurt, causing you to groan and close your eyes again. You heard someone walk in and over to you. “I brought you something to drink, hopefully it’ll help.” A voice said, helping you sit up and drink a cool liquid, most likely water.

You easily drank the entire cup. “You are lucky you fell where you did, anywhere else you sand people would probably take you. What are you doing out in the desert, princess?”

Princess.

Your eyes shot open and there in front of you was Obi-Wan, well and alive. His hair and beard had grown a little bit with a few bits of white mixed in. His eyes were just as gentle as the last time you saw them. You quickly pulled Obi-Wan in for a hug, which he gladly returned. You two held each tight and close.

“Obi, I missed you so much. I thought you were dead. Bail Organa didn’t contact me after the jedi temple was burnt down and I left. I-” Obi-Wan cut you off by kissing you. It was sweet and deep and passionate. You tilted your head to deepen the kiss, but after a few moments you two had to separate for air.

“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing on Tatoonie, princess?” Obi-Wan asked.

“The Empire destroyed my planet, or at least planed to. My council decided it was best if me and a few other higher ups escaped. But we were shot down and crashed down here, I was the only one who survived. Why didn’t you contact me?”

“Because the empire would come looking for me. Padme gave birth to twin’s so be and Senator Organa each took one into hiding from Anakin. I gave his son to the Lars who live not too far away. But Anakin turned to the dark side and was the reason all of this happened.”

“Wait what? I thought Anakin died. Darth Vader told me that when I asked about him.”

“Oh dear, Anakin became Darth Vader. I- I watched him burn on Mustafar. It scars me to this day.” Obi-Wan sounded like he was on the verge of crying. “I thought- I thought I lost you in the chaos. Bail told me you were sent back to your planet but we didn’t know if you were safe. I’ve been so alone for so long.”

You cupped Obi-Wan’s cheek in your hand. “Obi, I’m so sorry. It looks like I don’t have anywhere else to go, maybe now we could continue our relationship now. I love you so much, I don’t want you to feel alone.”

Obi-Wan gave you another kiss then a hug. “Thank you.” He said, muffled by him putting his face in the crook of your neck.

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After that, you and Obi started to a have a peaceful life. You and him were able to openly have a relationship, even though there wasn’t anyone to show off to. Sure, both of you had those nights where you had nightmares or stayed up crying, but you had each other now. Sometimes it would lead to you falling asleep in each others arms, other times it would lead to other things. Even with the empire ruling the galaxy, as long as you had Obi-Wan, you would be fine.

“Hey, Obi?”

“Yes?”

“You do know I love you, right?”

“Yes, I do. I love you, too, princess.”

#obi wan kenobi x reader #obi-wan x you #obi-wan x reader #obi-wan imagine #obi-wan #obi-wan kenobi #obi-wan fic #star wars #star wars x reader #star wars x you #obi wan kenobi x you #x reader #imagine #i- i love this #like space jesus is your secret jedi boyfriend #and you're a queen?!#obi wan kenobi x royal reader

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belanger2416 · 4 years ago

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Ok so I’m gonna try to do this:

I know I’m late and I’m probably not gonna post everyday but it’s gonna be a small challenge for me as it will familiarize me with fanfiction by giving me a guideline. It’ll probably be a torture for you to read but feel free to ignore it. I may also not do them all and give up at some point if I notice it’s too much with school and work and all. I also won’t do them in order because I’ll be choosing the ones that inspire me the most. Also sorry they are probably gonna be short 😅

So here’s the first one I’m doing: Number 17; Cold

Cold

Pairing: Loki x fem!Reader

Word count: 711

Summary: You come back from work freezing and your boyfriend, Loki does something about it

“This snow storm outside is raging!”, you said as you closed the door of your appartement. You’ve had this appartement for about 2 years and have been sharing it with your boyfriend, Loki, for about a year. You two have met while he was on a mission. He had gotten hurt and you, a woman who had taken the first aids class, had spotted him and went to tend to his injuries as best as you could even if it endangered your life. You both got hypnotized by the other and mere weeks after, you two were a thing. You now lived together and you both couldn’t be happier in this healthy relationship. Tonight was no different than the other nights. As always, when you came back from work, Loki was reading a book in his chair, waiting for you to come back. He looked up at you but instead of his normally soft and sweet eyes looking at you with love, his look quickly turned to concern as he saw that you were trembling. “Are you okay darling? You look like you’re freezing!” “Well this storm was unexpected and I didn’t take a coat with me this morning. Stupid decision.” “Come here I’m gonna warm you up” He got up from his chair gesturing for you to get in it. He then disappeared to your room and a few minutes later, he came back with your favorite blanket. It was a blanket he had bought you a few months ago. It was so soft you almost couldn’t believe it when you first took it. It was your favourite color: Teal. He just thought of you when seeing it thus offering it to you as a gift. You thanked him for the blanket and snuggled up in it while he disappeared again, this time in the kitchen. He came back about ten minutes later, two cups of jasmin green tea, your favorite, in his hands. Instead of giving one to you though, he settled both of them on the living room coffee table and then took you in his arms bridal style. Not understanding what he was doing, you let out a playful and surprised scream as he took you to the sofa in the living room where you would have enough room to cuddle. He kissed you softly as you settled on the couch, both of you snuggling with the blanket. You then took the cup of tea in your hands, enjoying the heat on your hands, still cold. “This is nice” you said softly. Loki chucked softly, kissing you forehead. You could feel him smile in the kiss, making you blush slightly from the affection. He then asked “Shall we order takeout darling? I don’t know for you but having food delivered to us while we just stay here together never sounded better before” You laughed softly and agreed with him. You both settled on pizza for dinner tonight. He grabbed the phone on the table, dialed the number by heart and ordered. The pizza arrived 30 minutes later; minutes that passed too quickly to both your liking, neither of you wanting to get up from your comfortable position. You proposed to go but Loki insisted that you stay all snuggled up, getting up at the same time to keep you from saying no. He came back a few seconds later, the smell of the food making you realize how hungry you were. It didn’t take long for the pizza to be completely eaten. You then settled on watching a movie and put on something on Netflix. It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep all snuggled up in Loki’s arms. He couldn’t help but admire your sleeping figure, wondering what he did to deserve such an amazing woman in his life. He turned off the TV and brought you to your bed, cuddling next to you. You woke up in the process but as you were about to drift off again, you looked at him with your sleepy eyes and thanked him for the night. “I love you”, you said softly. “I love you too” he answered with the same soft tone you used. You cuddled and it didn’t take long for you both to drift off.

So here it is I guess. I’m actually nervous about publishing this on my blog but I’m doing it anyway. If you read this I’d really like if you could give me feedback on what I could do to make it better. That would be really appreciated 😊

Tagging some mutuals who might be interested in this (no pressure on you to read it knowing you are not all Loki blogs): @lovesmesomehiddles @justanotherpadawan @mcu-padawan @anakin-danvers @lets-do-get-help @whatafuckingdumbass @obaby-wan @ohhellokenobi @nobie @lokiloveforever @lokihiddleston and anyone else I might have forgotten

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rogue-wonderful · 4 years ago

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Ok I’m actually doing it. Here’s Chapter 1

aka “Not quite NaNoWriMo but I’m going to actually try to make some progress on this fic this month” aka “Maul and Eldra go on a space roadtrip”

Rating: T (so far)

Tags: Past abuse, Past torture, Implied/referenced torture, Past child abuse, Past violence, Eldra and Maul have PTSD (will update as needed)

@greenreticule is an amazing beta and an even better friend

Let me know if you want me to tag you!

A03 Link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21328261/chapters/50794984

Chapter 1: Falling

“One more time, I think I got it” the sky blue Twi'lek panted out. She disengaged from her opponent and settled back into her stance, trying to shut out everything except for her own movements and connection with the Force. “We’ll see about that!” taunted the Human, her mischievous grin making her face look disconcerting in her blade's golden light. Darsha Assant was very talented and this was a tough maneuver, but Eldra Kaitis was determined to get it right this time. Focus, be in what is, not what will be Eldra let out a few breaths, connecting again to the Force. "Ok, go." Darsha immediately attacked. "I still can't believe you get to go fight pirates, it’s so exciting!" Darsha said mid strike. Her golden blade making an arc above Eldra's lekku as she slashed, trying, and failing, to get an opening into her training partner's defence. "We're investigating a corruption charge involving trade routes in that sector." Eldra slashed at the new opening at her friend's legs. Darsha parried and blocked, immediately launching into a stab at her friend's chest. Eldra guided Darsha's blade to the side as she hinged her body away, angling for an overhead strike. "And we don't know if it's pirates, my master said it's probably going to be lots of sorting through paperwork and negotiating a treaty with the local governments." she continued. "Boooorrring" Darsha blocked the blow, circling to the outside of Eldra’s range to get a better angle of attack with her next strike. "Hey we all can't fight crime syndicates and work with jewel thieves like Kenobi does." Eldra shot back as she mimicked Darsha's movement. Blocking the overhead strike then moving to her opponent's outside. "True. But one can dream, right?" Darsha paused, then went for Eldra's head again. Eldra laughed as she ducked, slipping her opponent and launching herself over her friend’s shoulder before they locked blades again, the blue and gold making a familiar hiss as they touched. Eldra stopped and deactivated her blade, Darsha's soon followed. Eldra leaned over and hugged her friend as they walked side by side to the closest eating hall. "One can dream." she agreed. ------

She's holding her master. there's so much blood She can't heal and shield them both from the blaster fire, it's just too much. She puts pressure on the wound with one hand and deflects with the other. It's not enough. She's not enough Her Master is trying to say something and Eldra can't quite make out what it is. If she was better she could do it. She could save them. She doesn't. ------ "Im sorry," Eldra choked out through a bloody mouth after her last beating, "you're going to have to do better than that." "Oh, I plan to, Padawan. I plan to." The elegant woman answered. She turned to leave the hanger Eldra had been caught in but stopped at the blast doors. "You know, if you'd just stop all this escaping nonsense we would stop punishing you. I want you to be pretty for whoever buys you" "Kark. you." Eldra spat. Xev Xrexus laughed, "Tut tut, such language!” She turned to one of the guards holding Eldra down “Otto? Please show our guest back to her cell and make sure she can’t move this time. Oh, and send for a med droid. She needs to look presentable." “Yes, Ma’am” The guard jabbed something into Eldra’s side. She fought the growing darkness in her vision as long as she could, managing to throw off her captors and make another run for it. The floor rushed up to meet her. ------ The torture droid's needle stings as it pierces her neck Eldra wonders if it's going to be numbing or burning this time

------

She could be turned

The thought was almost a physical blow, one Maul could not afford to ponder on as they fought. If he slipped his concentration now Eldra Kaitis would kill him as surely as he would kill her when he got the opportunity to strike.

He saw an opening and roundhouse kicked her across her jaw, her body flying backwards with an audible crack. He hoped his disordered thoughts would go with it.

They didn't.

As he tried to close in, she suddenly flung out her hand, force pushing him into the cliffside wall nearby. The impact took the breath from his lungs. In slow motion he saw her throw her saber towards him, and wondered if this was the end, but noticed the trajectory was off.

How disappointing. He had thought she was better.

"A wasted effort" he glared at her, his tone dripping with contempt even as she pinned him to the cliff wall with the force. "If you're going to throw your weapon, make sure you hit your target" "I wasn't throwing it at you" she smirked

He looked up just in time for the first rock to nail him across the forehead, a sharp pain suddenly there as it took his left front horn clean off. He fell back, the rockslide flashing like a stuttering holo transmission as the stones buried him.

------

Pain

Its dark

He can't breathe right.

This is not how I die

His hand shot out of the pile, clawing at the starlight, at air, at life.

Where is she?

He unearths himself, reaching for a sign of her light in the force.

He needs to finish this. This is his fight. This is his revenge. Eldra Kaitis' life is his to claim. He is Sith. She is Jedi. She must die.

His master can't know

His head hurts.

Where is she?

------

"If I would have known it was my last drink before heading to prison, I would have made it a better vintage" Xev Xrexus remarked calmly, then chuckled to herself. "But fair enough Padawan, you've earned it I suppose. Shall we? She held her hands up almost playfully for the restraints she assumed were coming. Even now, she couldn’t bother to say Eldra’s name.

Edra just stared at this woman, the one who had made her life an absolute hell for months.

How dare she?

A wave of anger swelled in Eldra

HOW DARE SHE?

Eldra had been beaten, starved, cut off from the force, for months. Hunted even. And after all that. Sold. The bitter word kept repeating, thrumming through her whole body, each repetition more poisonous and twisting in her gut than the last. Sold. Sold. Sold Sold SOLD Eldra had just fought and bested a Sith Lord, and this woman had the nerve to make jokes? After she enslaved her, this piece of bantha shit actually had the nerve to laugh. Like it had been some small prank she could be forgiven for.

Enslaved. Her.

Eldra was drowning in it, the anger, the cold

Her eyes met the women's and she raised her hand, the dark swirling around her. A sharp smell in the air, sparks and crackles of lightning dancing from her fingers.

Xev Xrexus died very painfully, her inhuman screams echoing through the empty station, her last sight a pair of pitiless golden eyes burning into her from a glowing storm.

#eldra kaitis #darth maul #darth maul fanfic #space roadtrip

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the-lupine-sojourner · 5 years ago

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The Tale of Astoria Kenobi [Chapter 2] [Obitine and Anidala Featured] [Dad!Obi-Wan/Daughter!OC]

Sorry I forgot this last night! Anyway, here it is!

Y’all have @sunshineisdelightful to thank for, honestly, pretty much all the scenes in this chapter lol.

Sunshine (apt username cus they’re so sweet!) mentioned some fantastic ideas and I ended up using about all of them in this chapter. XD

So next chapter will skip to her Gathering and then it’ll be her hearing about Obi-Wan and Anakin’s adventures protecting Amidala and she really wants to go to Kamino with her ‘uncle’ but she can’t.

And then Plo Koon is like ‘wanna be my Padawan?’ and Astoria’s like ‘yes please!’ and is so thrilled that such a wise, powerful Counsel Member would offer to train her in the Jedi Arts.

Anyway! Tag list! :) A huge thank you to all of these people! @elite-guard-hardygal, @forcearama, Sunshine, who I tagged already, @fwtcanimelover, and @babycollectiondragon135 (I can’t tag you! TT^TT) are all amazing people! If you want to be included in the taglist please just let me know!

Last thing is Links. Chapter 1 Link and the Prologue Link

Now, let’s get to the chapter!

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

I’ve been here at the Temple five years now, and I still haven’t managed to quite master meditation.

I try my best, but though I make some progress, I never get to the point the instructor describes. I’ve never felt the Force around me like he says I should.

It’s embarrassing and no amount of tutoring by Uncle Obi seems to be helping.

Try as I currently might, the end result is failure.

“I just don’t get it!” I groan, flopping on the ground in frustration.

I was trying yet again to understand what Uncle Obi was talking about, but nothing helps.

“Astoria, flopping around and getting frustrated isn’t helping.”

“If you say I need to ‘clear my mind and let my emotions go’ one more time, I’m going to smack you.” I grumble without thinking, sitting up and crossing my arms grumpily.

“I should like to see that.” He teases, chuckling.

“Sorry, Uncle Obi.” I murmur, sobering. “I just...it’s frustrating I still can’t get this.”

Obi-Wan sits beside me, chuckling and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “You want to know something?” He asks.

“What?”

“When I look into your connection to the Force, and follow it into your core, I see a bright ball of energy, giving off wild, unfocused waves of light. It’s almost stronger than the connection I see in Anakin.”

“Really?”

“Almost.” He scoots me around to face him. “I want to help you, Astoria, believe me. In fact, I could calm your mind myself so your connection to the Force will be clearer. But, if I do that, I risk hurting you and your connection to the Force, and that I will not do. So, we have to take the long way, but we’ll get there.”

I manage a smile. “Thanks, Uncle Obi.”

“Now, shall we try one more time before bed?”

I sigh. “Yeah, just once more.”

This was one of my favorite times of the day, when my adopted uncle and I can just talk and enjoy each other’s company, even though in the presence of other Jedi I have to call him Master Kenobi.

For the first year, I was allowed an adjustment period where the Counsel let some things slide, like informal names and my energy, but after the year ended, they then began to curb those habits and hold me to the standards of the other Younglings.

I was grateful for the adjustment period and am doing my best to live up to the expectations of the Counsel, which made it all the more frustrating that I couldn’t grasp meditation yet.

=#=#=#=#=

“Oh, sorry Master Windu!” I mumble, scooting out of his way after nearly running into him rounding a corner.

“Eyes forward, Youngling.” He replies, not unkindly.

“Yes, Master.” I intone respectfully. He surprises me by turning back curiously.

“Were you headed to meditation?” He asks.

I shift sheepishly. “I’ve got a private lesson from Master Yoda. Seems he’s noticed my repeated failures.”

“Way I see it, the only thing he sees is your potential. Don’t be harsher on yourself than those around you, young one.” He says, surprising me with his gentle tone.

I nod, feeling better. “Thank you, Master Windu.” He nods and I bow my head in farewell. “I’ll be off now.”

“May the Force be with you, Astoria.” He says and I’m shocked he remembers my name.

A very high-ranking Jedi master remembered my name!

I walk down the hall, giddy.

“Something to celebrate, hmm?” Yoda asks, amused, when I walk into the meditation room he was in, noticing my wide smile.

I sit across from him. “Well, it’s just...it’s silly. Let’s start.”

“Meditation, you will not learn if clouded your mind is, little one.” Yoda replies, smiling and tilting his head. “What distracts you, hmm?”

“I almost ran into Master Windu. He gave me a bit of advice and remembered my name. I shouldn’t have let it distract me, Master. I’m sorry.”

“No error it is to find pleasure in small matters, but distractions, they should not become. Now, begin, we can, hmm?”

“Yes, Master Yoda.” Together, we begin to breathe deep and quiet our minds (or try to, in my case).

“Your mother, cloud your thoughts, she does.” Yoda muses.

“Well...she seems stressed lately. Worried about something. She never talks about what’s really going on on Mandalore. I can’t help being curious.” I reply, feeling childish.

“Allowed contact with their families Jedi are, but one must learn balance. Detach yourself from your training, you cannot.”

I flinch subtly, biting my lip. “I won’t, Master. I’m sorry I’ve been a bit distracted lately.”

The meditation practice had dissolved into a lecture.

Great. Master Windu was wrong; Yoda only wanted to scold a failing Youngling.

“Failing, you are not. Succeeding, you are not. Only trying, you are.” Yoda says as if he had read my thoughts.

For all I knew, he had read them like a book.

I frown. “What does that mean, Master?” I ask.

“Do or do not, young Astoria. There is no try.”

“Master, I’m just not getting meditation.” I point out. “I’ve been going to classes and practicing with Master Kenobi when he can help me, but nothing’s working.”

“Clouded and stormy your emotions are. Never learn meditation you will, if these emotions, settled they are not.”

“Yes, Master.” I bite my lip. “It’s just...I guess I’m not sure how to settle my emotions.” I confess.

Something about Master Yoda made me want to truly open up to him. So I did.

“Learn to let go you must.” Is his calm, enigmatic reply.

“What do you mean?” I ask, not understanding.

“Means do not concern yourself with things you cannot change, it does. Relax your mind and it will become calm and clear.”

And so Yoda and I begin trying to calm my emotions.

It sorta works, and soon enough I’m released to combat class.

My favorite! I’m ahead of the Younglings in my group in combat, actually.

I try not to let myself be too aggressive and competitive, but it’s really hard.

I wish they’d let us fight with actual lightsabers, not the low-powered youngling sabers we use, but I suppose that’s too dangerous right now.

I can’t wait to get my lightsaber crystal and make my hilt!

=#=#=#=#=

“Little Astoria, that move was rather reckless.” Plo Koon calls from the sidelines of the class.

He sometimes oversaw training from the sides and would call out advice to any struggling Youngling.

“Sorry, Master!” I call back, blocking a swing and swinging my leg to trip my opponent up. I then point my practice saber at the boy I was dueling. I think his name is Roman, but I can’t remember.

“I yield.” He says, annoyed that he lost...again. I turn off my blade and extend a friendly hand.

“You’re improving.” I note as I help him up.

“How are you so good at this?” He asks.

I shrug. “I’m not sure. I just...know what to do.”

Plo Koon strides over as the instructor dismisses the class. “In some ways, Astoria, your connection to the Force is instinctive and clear, but in others...you lack discipline and focus.”

I shuffle my feet as Roman awkwardly walks off. “I know, Master Plo, but...I just can’t seem to understand meditation like I can combat.”

“One day this mystery will be solved, young one, but you must continue practicing and learning what you can from your lessons. Never give up when the path before you becomes uncertain.”

“Yes, Master.” I reply. “I am trying.” He puts a hand on my shoulder and I think, if I could see his whole face, I’d see a smile.

“I know you are, and one day you will master it. Astoria, I believe that when you master your connection to the Force, you will become quite an impressive Jedi Knight.”

I grin and automatically hug him. “Thank you, Master Plo!” I cheer. The Jedi were getting used to my hugs by now and Plo Koon even returns the hug with one arm before gently peeling me off.

“Come along, young one, or we’ll miss our lunch.” I nod and skip down to lunch.

I may dislike the food, but I’ve learned ways of coping with that.

Every once in a while, when a Jedi went out to do a bit of shopping for basic essentials, I would ask to go with them.

Usually, that meant a pleasant trip with Master Kenobi as he shopped for things like soap and toiletries and I got to get some fruit and actually flavorful food.

I’d also grab a few spices like salt and pepper to liven up the bland food they serve at the Temple.

That food was grating on my nerves, but at least I had some ways to combat the lack of flavor.

In fact, Master Fisto needed to pick up some special lotion or something so his skin doesn’t get too dry being out of water for so long. We had pools and things in the Temple, but he couldn’t be in them as much as he’d like. I’ll ask if I can go with him after lunch.

=#=#=#=#=

“Master Fisto, may I have a word?” I ask, jogging to catch up to him.

He turns with his trademark broad smile, even crouching a little to be at my eye level. “Of course, my little friend.” He replies. “What can I help you with?”

“I was wondering if I could go with you to the marketplace today. I know you need lotion and I would like to get some more salt and pepper.”

“The food is not to your tastes, I take it?” He teases with a smirk.

“Well, not exactly. The food’s alright, but with salt and other spices, it’s a bit better.”

He laughs, patting my back cheerily and nearly making me fall over. “I feel the same way, young one. I’ll let you come.”

“Yay! Thank you, Master” I cheer, jogging to my room to grab the tiny allowance Younglings were given each month for whatever basics they needed.

Master Fisto and I leave side by side. “It’s always refreshing to step out of the Temple, is it not?” He asks.

I nod. “Yeah. I like it here, believe me, but it is also nice to get out every once in a while.”

“Come, let us get to business.” He calls, walking toward the small speeder that would take us to the marketplace.

“If I may, why don’t you spend more time in the pools and gardens if you’re from an aquatic planet?” I ask tentatively, coming to stand beside the Jedi Master.

“Well, I am a member of the Council. I have many duties that require my attention.”

“Oh.” I reply. “I was just curious.”

“Never let yourself feel bad for merely asking a question, Astoria.” He says gently. “Curiosity has led to many, many great inventions and discoveries.”

I nod. “Thanks, Master Fisto.”

“Of course, Astoria. Ah, here we are!” He cheers when we arrive at the marketplace. “You typically come with...Master Kenobi, that right?” He asks.

I nod. “Yes. He’s close friends with my mother, and I enjoy his company as well.” I reply carefully, not understanding why he was asking or smiling so broadly.

“I see. No shame in that. Come, we’ll hurry along and be back in time for your meditation lesson.”

I groan. “Yes, Master.”

“Do not think of this as punishment, Astoria. We are merely trying to help.”

“I know, Master, but I’m just not getting it!”

“That right there is why you fail.”

“I don’t understand.” I confess.

“Astoria, you view meditation as a block on your path that you cannot get past. That is why you fail.” My frown remains. I had no idea what he meant. “You need to start looking at it as a challenge to overcome, that can be overcome. If you look at it like that, you will be able to reach your potential that much sooner.”

I hum in thought then sigh. “Why is it I can rise in combat so easily, but stumble at meditation?” I ask.

“That, only you can answer, Astoria. But think on my words and the path forward will become clear.” I nod, absently side-hugging him as we near the spice store.

“Thank you again, Master.” I say, then wave to him as we go separate ways to gather our supplies.

“I’ll meet you at the transport in twenty minutes.”

I nod and enter the store.

“Ah, Astoria, my favorite little customer.” The store clerk greets. He was a human, like me, I think from the same planet as Uncle Obi, But I can’t remember for sure.

“Hello, Gastor.” I reply, walking automatically to the salt section.

“Ah, those are brand-new. Put ‘em out this morning.” He says when I grab a small container of a spice mix. It held a lot of good spices with the salt as the main component. I like the look of it, but it’s fairly expensive, so I reluctantly put it back. “I could cut you a deal since you come in so frequently.” Gastor muses idly, noting my interest before I put it back.

“No, but thank you, Gastor. I might be back for it later, but for now I must say goodbye.” I retort lightly, pretending to be emotional.

“Trust you to get attached to spices.” Gastor fires back and I pretend to be insulted, hand over my heart as I move further back toward the other spices.

I hear other customers come in, and feel something...unsettling. I don’t know what, but I know something’s amiss.

“Hello, Gastor.” Somes a slithery voice I immediately distrust. I sneak a little closer and see a tough-looking Twi’lek man and a few other thugs I can’t place.

“Look, I’m just waiting on one last shipment, then your order will be ready.” Gastor pleads, and I instantly am on guard, creeping nearer. I still had time to deal with these goons, buy the spices, and maybe even pick up some shampoo and conditioner as well before meeting Master Fisto at the speeder.

Taking a breath, grabbing a container of standard salt and pepper with granulated garlic and onion mixed in, I walk toward the counter.

“Ah, are you, er, ready to check out, miss?” Gastor says, and it’s clear he is uneasy, sweating as he glances between the thugs and me anxiously.

“Oi! We were here first!” The Twi’lek growls.

I notice a small blaster in his hand and a knife in the other.

“I’m sorry, but as your order is not yet ready- -” Gastor says placatingly.

“Get it ready!” The man interrupts angrily.

“Sir, he said it’s not ready. That’s it. Check back later. I’ve gotta get- -” I’m suddenly grabbed by one of the other thugs (maybe a man from Florum, but maybe not), fingers tight around my throat, and hauled into the air.

As I choke, I begin to feel something pooling in my gut, in my core, even, like a coiled spring.

I instinctively trigger it and find myself suddenly sure of what to do.

I feel a wave begin at my core, expanding outward and suddenly I am let go and the thugs, as well as Gastor, are pressed against the wall.

I take a breath and release the wave and they fall.

Despite being excited by what I had just done (wasn’t that the Force I just used to push these thugs back?), I walk calmly forward. I wasn’t quite done with them. “Gastor here said your order wasn’t finished.” I begin. “So you will return home to wait patiently for it and return when he tells you it is ready. I hear of you bothering him again, and I will not hesitate to return.”

The thugs cower away from me. “What’re the Jedi doing here?” I hear one whimper as they take off running, bumping into each other trying to get out of the door.

“You’re training to be a Jedi?” Gastor asks, breathless in shock.

I nod. He’d never asked and I never volunteered that information.

Uncle Obi says it’s not the Jedi way to broadcast who we are. We are humble servants of the Republic and peacekeepers. That is all.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you. We’re not supposed to broadcast it.” I explain and hand him the credits needed for the seasonings.

“That’s alright. I should have guessed. You’re wearing Jedi robes, after all.”

I chuckle. “Assumptions often lead us astray, Gastor. Anyway, thanks for the seasonings. I use it on my food at the Temple.” I lean in conspiratorially. “They don’t season their food at all. It tastes so bland!”

Gastor laughs and shoos me away. “Well, don’t let me keep you away from the Temple any longer. And thank you for your assistance with those pests. They come in demanding cheap spices in bulk. I can’t keep this up.”

I sigh. “They should leave you alone, but tell me if they come back when I restock.” I call over my shoulder and wave as I leave.

I spot Master Fisto a ways away. The shop with the lotion was the same shop I got my shampoo and conditioner, so I walk over to him.

“There you are. Did you find suitable spices?” He asks.

“Yes, I did.” I reply. I felt the news of my use of the Force bubbling up, but something told me it might be better to wait til we were back at the Temple.

“Good. We’ll pick up the last things we require and return before we’re missed.” Fisto says and I jog lightly over to the bottles of hair products, grabbing the ones I typically use. It was nothing fancy, just cheap products to serve their purpose. Plus, they were very cheap.

Once Master Fisto and I are through with our purchases, we walk together toward our transport. “There’s something you want to tell me.” Mastesr Fisto muses, chuckling. “What happened in the spice shop?” Somehow it doesn’t surprise me that he already knew something happened in the spice shop. “I saw a few men running from there in terror. Did you see something that happened?” It’s clear he’s teasing, but I humor him.

“A Jedi stopped them harassing the shop owner, apparently,” I reply. “but I didn’t see them.”

Fisto laughs, dropping the facade. “Well done, Astoria. It seems you finally unlocked another aspect of your connection to the Force.”

I nod. “Thank you, Master. They were demanding spice for far cheaper than the owner was selling. I convinced them that wasn’t a good idea. I...don’t know how it happened, but I was able to stop them choking me with the Force.” I explain. “It felt...incredible!”

“Don’t abuse that power, Astoria.” Fisto cautions. “Practice restraint and only use that power when needed, and you will find yourself the better for it.”

I nod. “Yes, Master.”

The transport arrives at the Temple and we walk together, back to our rooms to put our purchased items away.

Once that’s done, it’s off to another session with Master Yoda.

This time, however, it seems to go smoother than previous sessions. Whatever I unlocked in the spice shop eases the path toward understanding meditation and using the Force as the instructor says we should be able to.

Now, I just need practice and I’ll soon be able to manipulate the Force and calm my mind on command. This is amazing!

“Learned something you have, hmm?” Master Yoda asks, smiling.

“Yes, Master, I think I have. I went out with Master Fisto to pick up more shampoo and conditioner, among other things, and I ran into some unsavory characters. They were threatening me, even had me by the throat, then something...happened, inside me, and I was able to use the Force to push them back. They ran off once they knew I was in the Jedi Order.” I explain briefly.

“Good, good, young one. Great strides in your training, you are making.”

“Thank you, Master Yoda.”

“Now, perhaps, meditation you can learn, hmm?”

I chuckle. “I hope so, Master.” I get into position and begin trying to calm my mind and focus on my connection to the force. True to Uncle Obi’s words, it was like a ball of energy, wild and untamed. Reaching out and feeling that same coil in my core that I’d felt in the spice shop, I begin to see the waves of energy focus into beams that lead off into the vastness of the Force.

I breathe deeply and try to see if I can find other people’s connections.

Right in front of me, of course, is Master Yoda’s connection. His energy ball was bigger than mine, shining out like a sun with beams also leading out in every direction.

“Yes, Astoria. These connections you feel, see all of them, you can. With training, see distant places and future events you can.”

I release my concentration and open my eyes. “Really?”

“Yes, Astoria, you can. If wills it, the Force does.”

#Fanfiction #Star Wars #SW #Tale of Astoria Kenobi #obi-wan #satine #Obitine #Anidala #SW OC #OC #Original Character #Original Female Character #Jedi OC #Uses both Clone Wars and the movies

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oh-great-authoress · 5 years ago

Note

For the Star Wars asks: 3, 14, and 38?

O God in Heaven Help Me, @the-coruscanti-blogger, these are so hard, but. Okay. *rubs hands together* Let’s do this.

I’m so sorry if it’s a little chaotic!

3. Favorite Character from the Prequels

*sighs* This is a hard question for me. Reaaaaallllly hard. I will answer with one, but I must add my next two favorite Prequel Era characters because I feel it would be wrong not to, that’s how much I like them.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Anakin Skywalker (I’m sorry your no. 1 is my no. 2! 🥺)

Asajj Ventress (technically she’s from TCW, but it’s still the same time period, so…)

14. If I Could Change One Two (technically three) Thing(s) About the Star Wars Universe, What Would it They Be?

Let’s make it two(ish). Asajj Ventress (I would have loved to see her helping out the galaxy when she could, being an awesome Gray Jedi, you know? It would’ve been so cool) and Ben Solo would live, and somehow, I don’t know, the seven traditional forms of Jedi lightsaber dueling would be revived.

38. Fic Recommendations (this was the easiest one for me.)

Mission Report by Ruth Baulding

This is amazingly hilarious. This was one of the first Star Wars fics I ever read. It’s Anakin and Obi-Wan writing a report for the Jedi Council. That’s it.

Live Broadcast by Ruth Baulding

Anakin and Obi-Wan from the point of view of a holo-jockey on a Separatist-annexed planet. It involves a lot of comedy, and it’s really good.

You Shall Become (Me) by Jedipati

How to describe this? This is AU comedy gold. Let me just use the author’s own summary, because their words are the best. “The Guardian of the Sith Temple doesn't particularly care for the new breed of Sith, for all that they've been around for 1,000 years. But they're the only Sith the Guardian knows about. Until one day… Alternately, "How to accidentally join the Sith without really trying."”

Quintessence by Mathematica

This shifts POV from Anakin and Obi-Wan to that of the Jedi Council as The Team reports to them about their latest mission.

Essence of Amity by Above the Winter Moonlight

Inspired by the previous fic, Anakin and Obi-Wan are assigned to a diplomatic mission somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, and everything possible goes wrong for the Master and Padawan.

Canzonet by Pyxelle

This is more Obi centric but this is worth the read. Ani and Obi are sent to a planet to mediate a dispute. The problem is, the inhabitants of the planet cannot understand spoken language, they only understand singing.

(I have a thing for comedy featuring The Team 🤣)

Now for something more serious. I know you said that you wouldn’t stop Anakin from turning because then we wouldn’t get Darth Vader — and I also love Darth Vader, but this next fic is so amazing, I’m pretty sure you might (almost) not miss Darth Dadakin.

When Darkness Seems to Hide This Place by IllyanaA

This AU has it all, Skeevy Sheevy being Skeevy and EVIL, spectacular adventures and skin-of-their-teeth rescues, Ani & Obi being bad*ss, honest and open about their emotions, and being the best brothers to ever brother, Anakin being an Amazing Dad, Awesome Ahsoka, nuanced side characters, and a not-dead Asajj Ventress. This is a 50 chapter epic, but I’m telling you, once you start this one, you’ll have a hard time stopping.

Rise, Lord Kenobi by LilyWanKenobi

This is an AU Obitine where Obi-Wan is the heir to the Stewjonian leadership, and as the heir, he is called upon to fulfill his duties upon his father’s death.

The Height of Subtlety by WinterSky101

Bail hosts Padmè, Anakin and Obi-Wan for a dinner party at his place, and no, there are no secret couples in this group, no siree!

One of my jams is Leia makes up with Dad fics, so these are a few:

Father and Daughter by Morwen Tindomerel This references some events from Legends but it’s still quite in canon up to now.

gunpowder and shades of grey by irnan This fic uses the Legends names of Leia’s children, just so you know.

Restless Warrior by Aria Saralyn This is a oneshot longform masterwork. This must be read.

Darkness by Firefly Alchemist After Ben Solo turns to the Dark Side, Anakin comforts his daughter.

Interview With A Sith Lord by KaelinaLovesLomaris

This fic shows that there was more to Captain Piett’s promotion to Admiral than met the eye.

These following fics use the Legends Canon, and these fics by the same author, frodogenic, are so incredibly good that I had to put these on here. It’s an AU fic series that all hinges on the idea that instead of bodily picking up Skeevy Sheevy in RotJ, he used the Force instead to yeet him into the reactor. Luke and Anakin decided to deal with everything else later because the Death Star was about to blow and they have to get out of there. In this ‘verse, Anakin is able to return to the Executor which was still intact because Admiral Piett was able to raise the shields in time for her to avoid her bridge being blown to pieces. However, despite that, her navigation computers have been completely damaged and so, with seconds to spare, they hightail it out of Endor only to land in the Unknown Regions. These fics pick up twenty-some years after RotJ, and are spectacular in their scale. The feels and the snark and the humor are strong with these. You will have emotions in some parts, and want to bust a gut laughing in others. I know I did.

Meet the Skywalkers While this is technically the first in the series, this one is the latest story in the AU. The author is slow to update, but it’s really, really worth every single wait.

Lord Vader’s Limpet Darth Dadakin babysits one of his grandsons.

Driving Lord Vader Anakin Solo goes to the Space DMV to get his license. Only catch? Grandpa’s the one taking him there. From there, it gets funnier, and heartfelt by the end.

Four Letters, Starts With L Luke gets hurt while being all Jedi Master-y and Dad comes to visit him in the hospital. So sweet, it’s cavity inducing.

Late Afternoon by camweasley

Post-TRoS fic. Ben comes when he can.

we’ll sit and talk the stars down from the sky by catefrankie (tumblr is @catefrankie if you’re interested)

Post-TRoS fic. It’s still a dance with them, if not a more simple one. It’s still complicated though.

Catharsis by KCMarsala

This is TRoS fix-it fic with sass, sads and laughs.

Hope May Vanish, But Can Die Not by DancingInTheStorm (@enthusiasticallyobessed)

A TLJ Luke study with a beautiful and touching appearance from Anakin.

I have so many more, but I wanted to keep things short (hah) so I will end it here, but not before I recommend…

Would it be so bad if I recommended my own fic, Gray Guardian?

It’s an AU focused on Force Ghost! (ish. You’ll see) Asajj Ventress, basically being young Jedi Initiate Ben Solo’s Guardian Angel. Jedi Master/Uncle Luke’s there too, along with a lot of Anakin (father and son feels), and Obi-Wan (he gets lots of brotherly feels with Anakin too and a lot of feels in general), with guest stars Yoda and Qui-Gon. It features a bestest frenemies forevership with Asajj and Obi-Wan, and a Reylo Endgame.

Please let me know if you read any of these and your thoughts about them, and please don’t hesitate to ask me for more fic recs, or more questions from that ask page!

If any of the links don’t work, just let me know, and I’ll fix them!

God bless you, and stay safe and healthy!

Nadia

#star wars #star wars asks #fic rec #the coruscanti blogger

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bookgirlfan · 5 years ago

Text

“Master Qui-Gon was the best of us,” Master Obi-Wan said fondly, his tone soft with old memories. Ahsoka had heard a similar tone from many a clone trooper talking about a brother lost in battle, but these memories sounded older and rawer. “He had his flaws, of course – he wasn’t very fond of the Council, would always follow what he thought the Force wanted, no matter what anyone else said – but he was a good man, and a good Jedi.”

“Like you?” Ahsoka ventured quietly. Master Obi-Wan was the best man she knew, and a Jedi of great skill. She’d seen him on the battlefield, she knew what he could do. There was a reason he became a High General so quickly.

Master Obi-Wan smiled, grim and shadowed from the war that cast a pall over every happy moment. “Better than me, little one. Much better than me.”

Privately, Ahsoka would have to disagree. She couldn’t imagine anyone who could be that much better than Master Obi-Wan. Skyguy was an amazingly powerful Jedi, definitely, and Master Plo was still her personal hero, but as much as she admired them, she still wouldn’t say they were ‘much better’ than Master Obi-Wan. Still, she didn’t let any of that show on her face. If Master Obi-Wan thought Master Jinn was the best, well, that was his Master. Wouldn’t any Padawan say the same?

“Are you talking about Master Qui-Gon?” Ahsoka startled as Anakin entered the cockpit. How had she not sensed him coming? She must be more tired than she thought.

“He was amazing. He was the one who took me from Tatooine, you know. He bet his ship that I’d win the Boonta Classic pod race, even when I’d only ever crashed before. He believed in me more than anyone else.” Anakin’s eyes shined with unabashed hero worship.

Ahsoka glanced at Master Obi-Wan to share a glance of disbelief – she knew her Master was a genius with machines, but winning a pod race that he’d always crashed at? No Jedi could be reckless enough to bet on that – but frowned when instead of returning her gaze, he was looking away.

“Even in front of the Council he still wanted me. They really haven’t changed much, still as stodgy as ever, but he knew better than any of them.” Anakin continued on, but Ahsoka was only half-listening, too busy trying to catch Master Obi-Wan’s eyes.

Master Obi-Wan still wouldn’t look at her. Normally by now he would have exchanged an eye roll with her, or started bickering with Anakin, or something, but instead he was just sitting there. And it wasn’t even his normal kind of sitting either, lounging over his seat, or sitting forward and poised to listen – he was sitting with limbs tightly together, making him look smaller, almost as if he didn’t want to be seen...

Ahsoka blinked. He was even hiding his Force presence! If she hadn’t been looking right at him, she would have completely forgotten he was there, her notice sliding past him like pingus on Hoth.

It didn’t feel right, Master Obi-Wan being so quiet and still. Words were his weapon, even more than his lightsaber was, and even though she knew he’d been on stealth missions, like any other Jedi, she’d still never seen him this quiet and withdrawn. She could hear the wrongness of this in the Force, even if Master Obi-Wan was keeping his shielding locked down tight.

“You could at least pretend to be listening, Snips.”

Anakin’s voice shocked her out of her contemplation, bringing her attention back to him. She hadn’t even noticed when he’d stopped speaking, or if he’d caller her name before this. “Sorry, Master.” She opened her mouth, about to say something about Master Obi-Wan’s odd behaviour, but changed her mind last minute, instead saying, “I was afraid if I listened any longer, I’d just fall asleep.” Whatever was happening with Master Obi-Wan, he obviously didn’t want Anakin to know.

“Now you’ve missed your chance.” Skyguy smirked at her. “Now that I’ve done some repairs, we can go full speed to Coruscant, but it will still take eighteen hours, and I’ve got first dibs on the bed.”

He disappeared from the room before she had a chance to object, but even if she had the chance, she wouldn’t take it. She wanted to find out more about why Master Obi-Wan felt so small in the Force, and why he didn’t Anakin to know. Once, she’d thought they told each other side everything. Now she was older, and knew that it wasn’t quite that easy, but surely there were no secrets that could cause a divide this big! The only thing that could have come close was Anakin and Senator Amidala’s relationship, but everyone knew about that.

“Master Obi-Wan?” she started hesitantly. “Could you tell me more about Master Qui-Gon?” That was there they had started overall, and she still didn’t believe all Skyguy’s stories. “Did he really bet his ship on Anakin winning a race?”

Master Obi-Wan smiled at her, but it still seemed smaller and more reserved than it was before. “He did, yes. Everything Anakin said was true, Master Qui-Gon did have faith in him, even when none of the Council did. He said he’d take Anakin on as his own padawan to make sure Anakin would have a place in the Temple.”

Ahsoka frowned. “But weren’t you already Master Qui-Gon’s padawan?”

Master Obi-Wan’s brow rose slightly, but he didn’t stop smiling. “And where did you hear that?”

“Everyone knows that! You were the Sithkiller! You slayed the first Sith in a thousand years, and you were still a padawan!”

“You should be mindful of things ‘everyone knows’, Ahsoka,” Master Obi-Wan chided lightly. “Just because everyone knows doesn’t mean everyone is right.”

Ahsoka frowned. “But if it’s wrong, why didn’t you say something?” Master Obi-Wan was notorious for not sharing information, but there was no way he would accept praise for something he hadn’t done. It was totally unlike him – unless maybe that was the secret? Maybe Master Qui-Gon had Fallen on Naboo, killing the Sith in anger before dying, and Master Obi-Wan didn’t want anyone to know and tarnish his Master’s memory. That did sound like something he might do.

“I didn’t say it was wrong. Only that just because everyone says something is not enough reason to believe it.” He leaned towards her. “Think, Ahsoka. How might you find out for yourself if it is true?”

“Asking someone who was there?” she snarked at him. He chuckled, but didn’t say anything. She took that as her cue to keep thinking. “I guess... I could check the Temple records? All missions are recorded there. Or I could ask Anakin, or Senator Amidala. They would know.”

If she hadn’t been paying such close attention, she never would have noticed Master Kenobi’s split second hesitation as it hummed through the Force.

She frowned. Another piece of the puzzle, but she still didn’t know what the puzzle was making! “Master? Should I... not talk to Anakin about what happened on Naboo?”

“Anakin is your Master, Ahsoka. You should be able to ask him anything.”

Well that completely avoided the question. “But did something happen that I shouldn’t talk to him about? I don’t want to ask something that will hurt him.” Or you, she added silently. “Compassion is the way of the Jedi.”

Master Kenobi’s smile grew more genuine. “Well done, Padawan.” He sighed, features smoothing out into solemnity. “Anakin prefers to keep his memories of Master Qui-Gon sacred, remembering him more as a hero than as a man. He doesn’t like to think or talk about the details of what happened on that last trip to Naboo, and I... I have to say, I encouraged it. After Qui-Gon died, it was a very painful time for me, and I didn’t want to talk about it to anyone. In addition, my apprenticeship was, shall we say, rocky at times, and I didn’t want to mar Anakin’s opinions of Qui-Gon. He was a good man, and a good Jedi, and he deserves to be remembered as that.”

Ahsoka blinked. That was not what she expected, and she wasn’t sure if it actually answered her questions.

Master Obi-Wan stood up, and Ahsoka knew better than to try and continue the conversation. Master Obi-Wan obviously still missed his Master, and part of Ahsoka felt guiltily relieved. She couldn’t ever imagine not wanting Anakin in her life, or not missing him if he was gone. But if even Master Obi-Wan couldn’t do it, how could anyone expect her to?

“I’m going to go check on the piloting systems,” she said hurriedly, standing as well. She needed some time alone to think about and mediate on everything she had learned, but if she said that, Master Obi-Wan might think she wanted help, and that would defeat the whole purpose.

She slipped out of the room, heading to the cockpit. Inside, she could stare out at the stars, watching the infinite galaxy rush past. That hum of Force and light and galaxy always gave her a feeling of being one with the universe, part of something larger than herself. She quickly slipped into meditation.

What was Master Obi-Wan hiding? Was he even hiding anything at all? Maybe he really did just not want her to talk to Skyguy about Master Jinn, and she was just overthinking it. But no, she’d felt it in the Force – when Master Obi-Wan had talked about Master Jinn, the Force had almost... shivered. She didn’t quite know how to describe it, but there was definitely more to it than just not wanting her to tell Anakin.

So, what would it be that Master Obi-Wan didn’t want to talk about? Could be anything, really. Master Obi-Wan didn’t really talk about himself, and almost never about anything personal. Maybe it was just that he missed Master Jinn, but that seemed too easy. Besides, why should he hide that? It wasn’t as if it he was letting it stop him from doing anything. Even when they were on Naboo, he acted the same as ever.

#my writing #star wars #star wars prequels #star wars: the clone wars #going through all my old stuff to procrastinate writing new stuff

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fireflyfish · 7 years ago

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Tano and Kenobi: Honest Money

Previously on Tano and Kenobi...

Stranded on the desert planet of Tatooine on the Outer Rim, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Satine Kryze are taken in by the generous and compassionate woman named Shmi after she witnesses Ahsoka's defense of an innocent young woman in the Mos Espa marketplace. They discover that Shmi is a slave, owned by Gardulla the Hutt and the mother of a young two year-old named Anakin, a boy both Master and Padawan feel a powerful and immediate connection to.

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Obi-Wan stared in wide-eyed shock at the young boy cuddled up against Shmi, a brilliant supernova disguised in the form of an angelic, chubby-cheeked toddler. For him, Anakin glowed, no, radiated in the Force like a newborn star, his aura taking up the entire alcove they were sitting in and most of Shmi’s small apartment. In fact, if Anakin had been awake when they arrived, Obi-Wan was confident he would have been able to sense the boy from outside the building.

Never in his life had Obi-Wan met anyone who had such raw and blinding power in the Force. Not even the masters at the Temple could compare with the purity of the light coming from the small two year-old in Shmi’s arms.

And somehow, beyond all logic and reason, somehow Obi-Wan knew him.

Obi-Wan knew this child.

Anakin…

Shmi cooed at her son, who looked away from Obi-Wan for a moment to receive a kiss on the forehead from his mother and conversation in the room started up again between the women as Obi-Wan sat in his chair, dumbstruck by just how magnetic the boy was. He could hear Satine talking about something, no doubt important and pertinent to their current troubles but Obi-Wan paid it no heed, mesmerized by blue eyes peeking out from under wispy blond bangs that were just starting to curl.

I… I know you. Somehow, I’ve always known you.

A smile blossomed on Anakin’s face and he reached out to Obi-Wan, the brightness of his spirit intensifying. It was clear he wanted to move closer to Obi-Wan but Shmi held him fast against her side, laughing at something Ahsoka said as she quietly shushed Anakin. Ahsoka didn’t seem to be as affected by the boy, and Obi-wan wondered if she couldn’t sense Anakin’s power in the same way he did.

Watching in befuddled amazement, Obi-Wan saw Anakin’s brows furrow he tried to reach out over his mother’s arm for Obi-Wan where he sat on the far side of the room. Obi-Wan waved his hand but he sensed that it would not be enough for the boy, who decided that maybe wiggling would get him closer to his intended target.

Satine, Ahsoka and Shmi just laughed at Anakin’s antics as Obi-Wan stared.

Deciding that brute strength wasn’t getting him what he wanted, Anakin went limp and tried to slide out of his mother’s grasp and down her leg like a stick moving downstream with the flow of the river.

That got Shmi’s attention and she turned her head to look down at Anakin, surprised. “What are you doing, Ani? That’s dangerous!”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to hesitantly ask if he could hold Anakin but he needn’t have worried.

Anakin made his desires quite clear with a very enthusiastic and full body flail in Obi-Wan’s general direction, happy nonsense sounds filling the room to another soft sigh of delight from Satine and a broad grin from Ahsoka.

“Ani? What is it?” Shmi asked, confused as her son resorted to bouncing against her hip in between straining toward Obi-Wan. “Do you want to see Obi-Wan?”

Anakin wiggled with greater strength and let out a plaintive wail. “Waaaa!”

“M-may I hold him, Shmi?” Obi-Wan asked, a little embarrassed that a mere child had affected him so but he could sense Anakin’s desires so clearly it seemed more expedient to simply ask than wait for Shmi to decipher Anakin’s intentions.

“Oh, of course,” Shmi said, a little confused as she handed Anakin over to Obi-Wan. “He can be a bit fussy with new people, so if he starts crying it isn’t your fault.”

Obi-Wan nodded solemnly as he accepted Anakin into his arms and settled the boy on his lap. Shmi stepped back with a worried expression on her face, but Ahsoka offered to help her cook dinner for the five of them. Satine offered to help as well, leaving Obi-Wan and Anakin alone together.

Looking down at Anakin, Obi-Wan felt a familiar warmth blossom in his chest as the boy peered up at him, his eyes round. “Hello there, little one. Aren’t you a bright little star?”

Were you what I felt on that pirate ship? Is that even possible?

Anakin canted his head to the side and stuck his thumb in his mouth, sucking on it as he marveled up at Obi-Wan. His eyes darted over the older boy’s face before lighting on his padawan braid and he reached for it with one chubby hand, immediately giggling as he gave the braid a good solid yank.

“Ow!” Obi-Wan yelped and tried to extricate his hair but a ferocious pout appeared on Anakin’s face followed by a pathetic whine that seemed designed to destroy his resistance. “All right! All right, you can… ow… play with my braid. I suppose you’ve never seen a Padawan braid before, living out here on Tatooine.”

Anakin had apparently not and found the little braid fascinating. It was so fascinating that he had to show it to his newest friend and shoved Obi-Wan’s own braid in his face. “Waa!”

“Oh! Yes! That’s my braid, Anakin,” Obi-Wan grimaced at another tug on his hair, deftly retrieving the symbol of his apprenticeship from the boy in his lap who was now trying to snuggle into his robes. “Ah… are you still tired?”

“No,” Anakin mumbled, closing his eyes and letting the full might of his spirit unfurl to greet Obi-Wan, to give his new and favorite friend an enthusiastic greeting in his special place where everything was bright, shiny and full of energy. His new friend was there, cool, quiet and still, like his mother’s hands when he was sick or a cup of water from Abarrane. Obi-friend was new and different and Anakin wanted to see more and more and…

There was a wall!

Something had stopped Anakin and he recoiled backward, offended. Nothing had ever stopped him before. This was his special place!

His and now Obi-Friend’s.

“Gently, little one,” Obi-Wan murmured as he carefully guided Anakin’s overwhelming Force presence out of his mind, letting out a sigh of relief when the boy’s sheer power was gone from the forefront of his awareness. “Sweet Force, you’re powerful.”

Master? Did you feel that?

Yes, but we’ll talk about it later. I don’t want Shmi thinking we’re here to steal her child. Ahsoka said, sending Obi-Wan a funny image of Satine painstakingly dicing a melon with Shmi’s help.

Nodding, Obi-Wan turned his attention back to Anakin, who was still broadcasting his spirit like a boundary beacon, and smoothed Anakin’s hair back out of his eyes and smiled. “I guess I’m on crèche duty then, young one. Shall we play a game?”

Anakin frowned up at Obi-Wan, his screwed up in concentration. He watched Obi-Wan reach down into his bag and rummage around before pulling out small piece of flimsi that he proceeded to crumple up into a little ball.

Obi-Wan could sense the boy’s almost overwhelming curiosity in the Force and he gently pushed Anakin back to the edges of his physical form. “This game is called ‘How High’. And it’s a game that I played when I was your age.”

Picking Anakin up and moving to the bare but clean floor of Shmi’s living room, Obi-Wan held out his hand and reached out with the Force, slowly and steadily levitating the small ball of flimsi up into the air before letting it fall back into his palm.

Anakin was mesmerized and he watched intently as Obi-Wan repeated the process several times. By the time Obi-Wan was done demonstrating how to play, Anakin had fully receded back into himself and the overwhelming radiance was gone.

After a few failures and one wild horizontal Force push, Anakin eventually started to get a feel for how to properly float the flimsi ball up and off of Obi-Wan’s palm. Utterly delighted with his success, Anakin let out a peal of happy laughter, drawing his mother’s attention from the kitchenette.

“Ani, no! Stop that!” Shmi gasped, hurrying over to her son, gathering him into her arms and trying to hide him. “What are you doing?”

“I… I’m sorry!” Obi-Wan gasped, standing up as Ahsoka and Satine rushed back to see what happened. “It was just a game! I promise I meant Anakin no harm!”

“What happened?” Ahsoka asked, her gaze going from Shmi and Anakin to Obi-Wan. “What were you doing, Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan looked up at Ahsoka, pleading for understanding. “I was just teaching him ‘How High’! That’s all I swear! I didn’t do anything, Master! I promise!”

Shmi held Anakin close, smoothing his hair back and kissing his forehead, whispering softly to him. “It’s alright, Ani. Shhh… small and still, my little dragon. Small and still.”

Satine frowned, her hands on her hips as she gazed back and forth between the two Jedi and Shmi and Anakin.

Trying to calm the worried mother, Satine stepped forward, gesturing to Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. “They’re Jedi, Shmi. I promise you they mean you and Anakin no harm.”

Ahsoka gazed over at Satine with wide eyes, caught off-guard by her forthrightness. “Ah… yes, we are. And like Satine said, I swear to you on my honor as a Jedi that Obi-Wan and I mean you and Anakin no harm at all.”

Shmi looked back over her shoulder at the two of them, doubt and suspicion on her face as she tried to soothe her son, who did not appreciate being unceremoniously removed from the most interesting game he had ever participated in. “You are Jedi? Prove it.”

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka shared a glance and each removed a lightsaber from where they had hidden their blades, Ahsoka’s in the shaft of her boot and Obi-Wan’s tucked behind his back under a tabard.

Ahsoka held her blade out to Shmi. “Here. Take it. Take both of them if you would like.”

Please trust us. We’re not here to hurt you. Ahsoka’s chest constricted with worry and fear that Shmi would kick them out and not only would they have no place to stay but she would forbid them from seeing Anakin again, thus ruining her best chance to save him, and his mother, from a life of slavery.

Shmi took a step forward, and then another, reaching out to take Ahsoka’s lightsaber and snatch it back to her chest. She examined the smooth hilt, the connector from where she hung the blade from her belt, and the activation button. Shmi held it out in front of her, pointing it at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, her arm shaking. “How do I know you didn’t steal it from a Jedi? How do I know I can trust you?”

Obi-Wan stepped forward, holding up his hands. “Because we’re just like he is. He knows things, doesn’t he? Things he shouldn’t know. He knows who is untrustworthy before anyone else does. Things move around the room when he’s happy or the lights flicker, don’t they?”

And with a slow, steady motion, Obi-Wan held out his hand and lifted the small ball of flimsi off the floor and into his hand. Anakin, squirming to break free of his mother’s hold, reached out with a chubby hand towards the flimsi, grunting with exertion to lift the small, mangled ball into the air with the Force. Shmi watched the small object hover a few inches off of Obi-Wan’s hand before it shot up at the ceiling and fell back to the floor in a rough arc.

Shmi swallowed and thrust the saber hilt forward. “Do that again. Prove to me that Ani didn’t do that.”

Obi-Wan glanced back at Ahsoka, who nodded and gave him permission to do whatever he felt was necessary.

Prove I am a Jedi? If my saber didn’t do it what will?

Obi-Wan straightened his robes and let his eyes wander around Shmi’s living area, trying to breathe through his nervousness and fear. How could he prove to Shmi that they were Jedi, that they weren’t just two strangers with lightsabers?

His boot brushed against the flimsi ball from before and a bolt of inspiration struck him.

Taking a seat cross-legged in the middle of the floor, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and began to breathe slowly and deeply as his spirit unfurled, mixing and flowing with the Force around them. Ahsoka could feel the warmth of her padawan, like liquid sunlight as it moved past her and Satine, and swirling around Shmi and Anakin.

The Force hummed softly and then, as if it had been given a command no one else could hear, every piece of furniture in the small living area began to lift up off the ground. Slowly, carefully they inched higher and higher, the blanket floating free from the chair it had been draped over, Obi-Wan’s bag bumping gently into the leg of the stool he had been sitting on. Even the rug hovered over the floor, throwing a shadow over Shmi’s foot as she gaped in amazement and Anakin giggled in delight.

Master, I can’t… hold all of this…

Ahsoka closed her eyes and took over, steadying out Obi-Wan’s control, smoothing out the weaknesses in his technique. He was still young and while his display of power and control was amazing and a testament to his growing prowess, there was still much he had to learn.

Even so, Ahsoka was so proud of Obi-Wan and he could feel it as they worked together to just as slowly and methodically lower the floating furniture back to the floor.

Anakin found the whole thing delightful and Satine let out a softly murmured curse in Mandalorian.

Shmi, however, looked like she wanted to cry. “Jedi… Real Jedi...”

Turning away from the Jedi, Smi let out a soft sob as she hugged Anaking tightly, kissing his forehead and whispering to him in a language the others didn’t know. She pressed a hand to her mouth before nodding and turning back to face Ahsoka and Obi-Wan. “Take him. Take my Ani. Please! Take him before Gardulla can legally claim him. Please, save my son!”

“What?” Obi-Wan blinked, confused and almost exhausted from all the effort he had been expending into the Force. “But he’s not old enough.”

“Please!” Shmi begged, gesturing to Anakin. “He’s special and once Gardulla knows, she will take him away from me. She will sell him to people who will do terrible things to him. You must take him back with you to the other Jedi. Please!”

“We won’t let Gardulla take Anakin away from you, Shmi,” Ahsoka said, taking a step forward to reclaim her saber from Shmi, who was holding Anakin tight. “And we’re definitely not taking him and leaving you behind either.”

“What?!” Shmi gasped, watching Ahsoka as she reached forward to ruffle her son’s hair. “What are you talking about? I am a slave and you have no money. You must leave me behind. It is the only way!”

“Nonsense,” Satine huffed, her arms folded over her chest and her mind made up. “We will find a way to free you, Shmi. You have my word of honor as a Mandalorian. Won’t we, Master Jedis?”

Ahsoka turned to smile at Satine and nodded. “Yes, we will.”

We won’t leave your mother behind this time, Anakin. This time we’re taking the whole Skywalker family back to Coruscant.

Dinner was a happy affair with Anakin making a sloppy mess of his food and Shmi’s stunned reaction to have two Jedi in her home and eventually learning that Satine was the Duchess of Mandalore.

“A duchess?” Shmi gasped, her expression delighted. “How did you come to be on Tatooine, so far from home?”

“It’s a long story,” Satine said but she and Obi-Wan worked together to regale Shmi with a condensed and lightly dramatized story of their escape from Mandalore and their flight around the Mid and Outer Rim.

Anakin found it exciting but he was also sitting on Ahsoka’s lap, happily playing with her lekku as she tried and failed to get him to eat more of his sweet melon soup. By the time the meal was over, she was wearing more soup on her front than Anakin got into his mouth but Shmi only laughed and said, “He is a picky eater to begin with, so anything I can get in him is good. And he almost never eats tusk melon soup. You did a great job.”

Shmi reached forward to take Anakin out of Ahsoka’s arms and she reluctantly handed him over, feeling cold and bereft as he was carried off to a bath by his mother. While it was strange to think of the small child in Shmi’s arms as the same person as her master, his Force presence was so hauntingly familiar that it almost felt like Anakin was standing behind her, quietly watching over her and her attempts to save his future.

It only made her miss him all the more.

Oh, Skyguy… if only you were here. If only you could see how amazing Obi-Wan is. I wonder if you ever knew, how much you two really had in common. I… I don’t think you did.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and bowed her head, the grief for her lost masters pooling in her throat and behind her eyes.

“Master?” Obi-Wan spoke up, his voice quiet and low. “Shmi wants to show us where we can bed down for the night.”

Ahsoka opened her eyes and turned toward her padawan. “That’s good. I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted.”

“You’re not the one who had to play ‘How High’ with Anakin for nearly forty five minutes while you were cooking,” Obi-Wan grumbled with a half-smile as Ahsoka wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close, a grin on her face.

“Oh, how you suffer, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Your life is just filled with endless trials and tribulations, isn’t it?”

“Well, at least it’s not boring.”

After a night spent tossing and turning as she tried to figure out a way to earn the money necessary to get everyone off of Tatooine, Ahsoka woke up early and headed out into Mos Espa to search for work. Shmi was already up, quietly brewing some tea as she spotted Ahsoka heading towards the door.

“Master Jedi!” she whispered, not wanting to wake any of the children still asleep.

Ahsoka stopped and came back into the kitchenette. “It’s Ahsoka, Shmi. You don’t need to call me ‘Master Jedi’.”

Shmi smiled. “I still cannot believe it. There are two Jedi staying in my home. It’s… It’s like a dream.”

“It’s the will of the Force,” Ahsoka replied, reaching out to squeeze Shmi’s hand. “I was getting ready to go out into Mos Espa and see if there was any work I could do. Any recommendations?”

Shmi frowned, her head bowed. “No. Not that I know of. Any kind of protection work would be for Gardulla and her men have no doubt already told her about you. I don’t suppose you can fix moisture vaporators? Or droids?”

Shaking her head, Ahsoka accepted a cup of tea, letting out a sigh as she leaned against the wall. “We’re well and truly stuck, aren’t we?”

“Don’t you Jedi say ‘the Force will provide’?” Shmi teased gently as she picked up her own cup of tea. “I’ll ask my friends before I leave for Gardulla’s palace. Perhaps they know of some honest work for you.”

Bowing, Ahsoka thanked Shmi for her help, and for the lovely cup of tea, before she headed out into Mos Espa.

After her sixth failed attempt at finding a job, any kind of job, Ahsoka was ready to admit defeat, at least for the moment. She stepped out of the relentless heat and light of the twin suns, into the cooling shade of a cantina, moving through the midday crowd to an empty spot at the bar. Her stomach rumbled but she didn’t have the credits for food and settled for ordering some muja juice. At least it was cold and had some calories and enough sugar in it to keep her from collapsing before she made it back to Shmi’s home. Which it looked like she was going to return to in defeat.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck, the stress of the past few days making the muscles there tight, which was starting to give her a headache. She wasn’t sure how they were going to get out of this mess, not without the Force smiling benevolently on them and sending a random Jedi out to Mos Espa on a completely unrelated trip. And considering Tatooine wasn’t a part of the Republic, the chances of that happening were almost infinitesimally small.

I don’t know what to do! I’ve found Anakin and his mother but she’s a slave! I don’t have enough money to buy her freedom, let alone the credits needed to get us all back to Coruscant in one piece and this doesn’t even include Satine! I’m responsible for her as well!

Ahsoka let out a groan and let her head fall forward onto her arms, resting on the bar top.

Closing her eyes against the dry breeze barely moving a wind chime hanging in a far window, Ahsoka allowed herself a few moments of real fear and despair as she sat there, her hands wrapped around the cooling glass of juice. Life continued on around her, the soft murmur of conversations drifting in and out of her mind as bad idea after worse flashed into her awareness only to be tossed out again.

While Ahsoka was confident she and Obi-Wan would be able to survive for an extended period of time on Tatooine, if it came down to that, she was positive that it would end badly for Satine and there was no guarantee that Gardulla wouldn’t try to sell Shmi and Anakin. Yes, Qui-Gon Jinn found them on Tatooine when Anakin was nine but Ahsoka had already fundamentally altered the timeline and that meant anything was possible now.

What do I do? How do I get us all off this dustball if we don’t have a ship or credits?

“Hey! Turn it up! I want to hear the odds on the race!” a voice called out through the crowd, creating a soft swell of agreement from several of the cantina patrons. The bartender walked past Ahsoka and turned up the volume on the holodisplays.

“This is Fodesinbeed Annodue with all the latest from Tatooine and the upcoming Boonta Eve Classic!” the obnoxiously cheerful announcer said to a crowd that had suddenly quieted down. “Here is your race report!”

Ahsoka lifted her head up and peered over at the holodisplay, watching as racers’ portraits flickered across the blue-white light of the projector. Explaining the pertinent stats of each pilot, the announcer went on to give the current odds on them. She watched as the list of names rolled past her and lamented the fact that there was no Anakin Skywalker to bet on when a memory came to her.

“What was it like, in the podrace?” Ahsoka asked Anakin as they waited for the Shadow’s overheated power couplings to cool down. “If you don’t mind me asking?”

It had taken her almost a year and a half of serving at her master’s side to work up the courage to ask him about it.

Anakin glanced back over his shoulder at Ahsoka and shook his head, a small smile on his face. “For you, Snips? I’ll tell you the whole story.”

And he did, telling Ahsoka about meeting Padme and Qui-Gon Jinn, about the bet the Jedi Master made without telling anyone and of how he won the Boonta Eve Classic in spite of Sebulba’s best attempt at sabotaging his pod.

“It wasn’t the biggest upset in podracing history,” Anakin laughed, managing to find a picture of his win deep in the archives of the holonet. “But it was close.”

“What was the biggest upset in podracing history?” Ahsoka replied, marveling at how young her master was.

“That was was before my time,” Anakin explained, putting the holo projector away. “A Dug named Tavel Glint was the odds on favorite but he lost out to an Aleena racer by the name of…”

And then Ahsoka’s memory failed her but she quickly scanned over the roster of pilots and nearly let out a shout.

At the top of the list, in pole position was a familiar name, “T. Glint, Dug”.

Quickly reading through the rest of the list the list of pilots, Ahsoka felt the air rush out of her lungs when she saw that there were two Aleena pilots, both with equally long odds. The announcer and the audience in the cantina was laughing as he speculated on the likelihood of either racer winning.

“But if you’re going to hold a blaster to my head, I would put my money on Rostig Pharr,” the Troig in the holoprojector advised, winking at the screen. “Three hundred to one odds are better than five hundred to one, no?”

Ahsoka let out a soft groan and rolled her eyes. Frantically trying to recall anything from that distant fragment of her memory, she focused on the two names, repeating them over and over in her mind as the chatter of the announcer washed over her.

“So if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the Mos Espa Grand Colosseum! The racers will be tuning up their vehicles and taking some practice laps! Ladies, you might even be able to get Tavel Glint’s autograph!”

Gasping as another idea struck her, Ahsoka jumped up out of her seat, tossing her credits on the bar and hurrying out of the cantina.

She had to get to that race track.

Obi-Wan and Satine spent the day in the neighborhood, helping the women babysit the local children. Satine and her blonde hair was enormously popular with the children, who marveled at her pale, silken curls. They had never seen people like Obi-Wan and Satine and asked them every question that came into their little heads.

“Are you two married?” one little child asked, marveling at a scattering of tiny freckles on the back of Obi-Wan’s hand.

Blushing, he shook his head. “No, we are not married. I am Satine’s protector, her guardian.”

“Why aren’t you married?” the older woman, Jaffe, cackled as she carefully darned up a hole in her husband’s sock. “She seems pretty enough. A bit skinny but a few babies will take care of that.”

“I’m… I’m…” Obi-Wan gaped at Jaffe, which only made her laugh harder as Satine rolled her eyes.

“If anyone is too skinny, it’s Ben,” Satine said, bouncing Anakin on her hip with a smile. “I bet you can’t even grow a beard.”

“Excuse me!” Obi-Wan huffed, glaring at Satine as two charming, giggling girls ran their fingers through the messy fringe of his hair that had been growing out all this time. “I am perfectly capable of growing a beard. I simply choose not too. It’s… too hot and messy. I would look like a Wookie.”

Satine laughed and turned to Anakin, who was sucking on his thumb and quietly observing the fracas. “Do you hear that, Anakin? Beards are ‘too hot and messy’! Why I’m positively insulted. My father had a beard and he looked ever so charming.”

Anakin’s only response was to yawn and curl a hand tighter around Satine’s collar.

“See? He agrees with me,” Satine grinned, letting out a shriek when Obi-Wan stood up and chased after her, grumbling, “He does not! He’s two. He doesn’t even know what a beard is!”

Jaffe leaned in to elbow Abarrane. “See? They should exchange the three cups in front of Azul’ir and make it official.”

Rolling her eyes, Abarrane called out to the squabbling teens. “Satine? Ben? It’s time for Anakin’s nap.”

And as if to prove her point, Anakin let out another yawn and went back to sucking his thumb.

After they laid Anakin down for a nap, leaving him Abarrane and Jaffe’s care, Obi-Wan and Satine decided to walk back to the main street of Mos Espa and search for a way to make some money to get them off the sandy hellhole that was Tatooine and back to blissful climate control and safety.

“I shall never, ever complain about the temperature control again,” Satine groaned as she held up the hood of her robe over her head. “The heat is positively stifling. And the sand is everywhere!”

“Well there’s no windbreak to stop it from blowing in,” Obi-Wan sighed as he walked alongside the Duchess. “It’s almost as bad as no wind.”

“No, nothing is as bad as no wind,” Satine said, shaking her head emphatically. “I’m just glad we haven’t had to deal with a sandstorm.”

“Do they have those on Mandalore?” Obi-Wan asked as they stepped around a small dice game. “I’ve never really thought to ask you about the planet outside of the bio-domes.”

Satine shrugged, the topic of conversation painful but she was learning to live with it. “They exist and sometimes they can be so large that they cut off Sundari from the other cities on the surface. My aunt told me that there was once a sandstorm so large, it nearly buried Feldari. Now, mind you, she told me this when I was five but I had nightmares about it ever since.”

“That’s terrible,” Obi-Wan said, stepping aside to let a particularly angry-looking Besalisk storm past him. “I had no idea the weather could be that dangerous on Mandalore.”

“I wonder if my ancestors had known what was going to happen to their planet, if they would have stopped their warmongering ways,” Satine murmured, her voice low. “My family would often visit my uncle’s estate on Kalevala, where I would spend all day outside, running through the gardens and the woods, so happy to be surrounded by life and plants. I loved climbing trees.”

“If you ever get the chance to visit the Temple, I think you would love the Room of a Thousand Fountains,” Obi-Wan said as they came to the first major intersection of the main road of Mos Espa.

Taking a moment to allow a landspeeder to pass them by, the two crossed over in front of a large grey duracrete building. Its windows were barred and there was one entrance with a few disreputable looking humans lounging in the cool shade. They were sporting heavy blasters and cheap knock off Mandalorian armor, according to Satine.

“How can you tell?” Obi-Wan asked as they turned the corner of the building, coming to a row of flickering holo posters embedded in the outer walls. Each holoposter displayed a different bounty target, their faces rotating slowly as information flashed underneath the portrait. The amount of money placed on each head flashed in bright red, demanding to be noticed by people passing on the street.

“It’s not fitted properly,” Satine laughed, her voice low as she whispered to him. “Those lopsided plates must leave such a rash! And no true Mandalorian warrior goes anywhere without his helmet.”

They laughed at this until the posters flickered to a new set of heads and Obi-Wan saw something out of the corner of his eyes that drew his attention.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Obi-Wan his heart stop and his blood freeze in his veins as Satine’s face gazed back at him from the blue-white haze of the holoposter. It was an older poster, showing the Duchess in her formal headdress and robes of State.

“Ben, what are you staring at?” Satine asked, laughter still in her voice until she too turned around and saw the poster advertising a bounty on her head of three hundred thousand credits. Her hands darted out for Obi-Wan’s arm and she clung to him in a moment of blind panic. “What… what does that mean?”

Obi-Wan tried to swallow the hard knot in his throat as he forced air in and out of his lungs, trying to clear the fear from his mind. He was a Jedi and he had to think rationally, to let his emotions pass through him like a wave and find his equilibrium in their wake.

According to the poster, an anonymous party based out of the Mandalore System was searching for the missing head of state, the Duchess Satine Kryze who was most likely in the company of a Jedi, possibly two. The bounty specifically instructed that she was not to be harmed and to be returned to a Guild detention center in order to collect the full bounty on her head. The last line was bolded in terrifying crimson.

Injuries will result in a reduced pay out and disintegrations would result in a non-payment.

They were trapped in place, watching the death threat on Satine’s life hover in midair before them until the posters flickered to a new set of bounties and the spell was broken.

Suddenly their cheerful walk to the market of Mos Espa felt like a dangerous passage through enemy territory. Satine pulled her hood further down over her face as Obi-Wan pulled his up and turned them away from the holoposters.

They crossed the road in front of them, ignoring an angry honk from a Ithorian in a beat-up landspeeder, and turned back around. Silently they made their way back to Shmi’s home, praying that no one noticed them as they passed.

Ahsoka did not seem to be all that surprised at the price placed on Satine’s head when she returned before sunset, accompanying Shmi back from Gardulla’s palace.

“But Master! Three hundred thousand credits is a fortune!” Obi-Wan insisted, as he took a large package from Shmi, following her and Ahsoka into the kitchenette. “It is more than enough to make anyone think twice about keeping our secret!”

Satine was playing with Anakin in the living area, helping him make a tower with a set of old wooden blocks that had been bleached by the suns. She did not get up to join Obi-Wan in impressing upon his master that they were all in danger, knowing that it was useless.

They were going to be betrayed. It was inevitable.

Three hundred thousand credits was a lot of money in the Republic and she could only imagine how much more that was worth out on the Outer Rim where the economy seemed to driven by the twin engines of greed and cruelty.

It wasn’t like Satine could blame whoever their eventual betrayer was. Three hundred thousand credits was the kind of money that could free someone from a life of poverty, could free a family, free a beloved in bondage or start a new life on a faraway planet, safe from the nefarious clutches of Gardulla the Hutt and the Hutt Syndicate.

“Oh, Anakin,” Satine sighed, handing him a long skinny block that he used to promptly knock over his tower with a laugh. “What are we going to do?”

Looking up at Satine’s long exhale, Anakin frowned. He pushed himself upright and toddled over to Satine and offered her the one block that still had a bit of color on it, a lovely faded turquoise. He held it out and very shyly mumbled her name, or rather what he considered her name to be. “For ‘Tine.”

Satine smiled at Anakin’s generosity and took his favorite block into her hand, reaching out to brush the back of her hand against his cheek. “Thank you, Ani. That was very sweet of you but this is your favorite block. Don’t you want to keep it?”

“No,” Anakin shook his head. “For ‘Tine.”

“Oh!” Satine felt a sudden rush of love and heartache wash through her. Here was a little boy, who had nothing, not even his own freedom and yet all he cared about was making her happy, comforting her in a dark time. He watched her expression with a solemn face, his lower lip quivering as he watched her place the block in her lap.

“Oh you sweet boy!” Satine said, pulling Anakin into a tight hug and kissing his forehead, which made him giggle a little as he hugged her back. She held him tight, reminded of how Bo-Kat had been the same when she was his age.

I miss you so much, my dearest sister. I hope you are safe and happy with Aunt Julia and Cousin Pre.

“Happy?” Anakin asked as he gazed up at Satine, his blue eyes round. “Happy ‘Tine?”

Satine nodded. “Yes. I am happy. Thank you, Anakin.”

Late that night, as Obi-Wan was trying to meditate his way to some peace of mind or at least get some rest if he couldn’t find sleep, Satine rolled over and hissed at him. “Ben? Are you awake?”

“I am attempting to meditate, your Grace,” he grumbled, glancing over at Satine. “What is it? And keep your voice down. You’ll wake Anakin.”

“He’s in the next room,” Satine whispered. “He can’t hear me.”

“Fine,” Obi-Wan rolled onto his side and faced Satine, her eyes luminous in the moonlight coming in from the window. “What did you want to speak to me about?”

“I have an idea on how to save us,” Satine announced, her expression nervous and excited. Her eyes scanned Obi-Wan’s face as she continued on. “I know how we can get enough money to purchase Shmi and Anakin’s freedom as well as get us off this planet! Within a week.”

Obi-Wan blinked, leaning back a little, suddenly very worried. He hadn’t been able to think of a way for them to leave in the next year, let alone within a week. “What is this plan of yours?”

“It’s simple,” Satine said, her aura radiating with conviction. “You turn me in and collect the bounty on my head. You saw that poster. They’ll give you three hundred thousand credits. That’s more than enough money to purchase Shmi and Anakin’s freedom. That’s even enough money to buy a ship to fly off this sandy hellhole.”

“Are you mad?” Obi-Wan horrified at the very suggestion that he and his master would put Satine in danger like that. “Absolutely not! We are not turning you over to bounty hunters!”

“It’s the only way!” Satine insisted, peeking back over her shoulder to make sure that no one else could hear their argument in the cold blue radiance of moonlight. “I’ll be perfectly safe there, Ben! No one would dare attack the the detention center and then once you and Ahsoka have executed the rest of the plan, you can break in and rescue me!”

“No!” Obi-Wan refused, pushing himself up on his elbow to glare down at Satine, trying to remember to keep his voice down. “You are not some… some… piece of jewelry we can sell to a pawn shop and then recover when we have money again! This is insane. It would never work!”

“Oh no?” Satine huffed, sitting up so that she could properly return Obi-Wan’s scowl with her own, her arms folded over her chest. “Do you have a better idea, oh mighty Jedi?”

“Better than selling you to bounty hunters?” Obi-Wan gaped. “Yes! I do! And none of them involve risking your life at the hands of unsavory, dangerous criminals!”

“Well then let’s hear them,” Satine threw a hand up, gesturing wildly.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to illustrate his plan but then he remembered that he didn’t have a plan and felt his cheeks burn with shame and frustration.

“Well?” Satine egged him on, her voice carrying an edge of hauter to it. “You don’t have one, do you?”

“No plan is better than your foolishness!” Obi-Wan shot back. “Satine, they could hurt you! And there’s no guarantee they’ll pay out the bounty to me. Especially if they think I’m the Jedi that’s supposed to be protecting you. They might throw me into a cell with you.”

“Then we’ll disguise you!” Satine said, warming to her own idea. It made perfect sense and it everything went according to plan, it would take Culling Blade at least a week to get to Tatooine and by that time they would all be on a ship, winging their way to safety on Coruscant. “Admit it. This is the best course of action.”

“It is not,” Obi-Wan fumed, folding his arms over his chest. “I refuse to aid you in this… this… idiotic nonsense!”

“Idiotic nonsense?” Satine repeated, offended and hurt. “I am trying to do the right thing, to save an innocent family and my friends, and this is how you react?”

“Yes!” Obi-Wan said, suddenly very worried that if he couldn’t shut Satine’s plan down now, she was going to enact it anyway, while his back was turned. “Please, Satine! Be serious! There is no guarantee those bounty hunters are… that they will… Oh! Be reasonable!”

Sensing she was finding a way past Obi-Wan’s resistance, Satine pressed her advantage. “Culling Blade wants me alive. No one would dare hurt me in there. I shall be safe as houses.”

“I cannot believe I am hearing this!” Obi-Wan groaned, covering his face with his hands. “I am telling my master when she wakes up and I assure you, she will not be pleased.”

“No need,” came an exhausted but amused chuckle from the other side of the spare room where Ahsoka was supposed to be sleeping, facing the wall. “And Obi-Wan’s right, Your Grace. That is a very bad plan. I’m not even sure my master would approve and his favorite attack plan was ‘shoot first and hope someone’s alive to ask questions of later’.”

“Master…” Obi-Wan groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“It’s all right, Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka exhaled as she sat up, putting her back to the wall. “And I admire your willingness to sacrifice yourself, Satine, but I’m not letting you risk your life like that.”

“But I won’t be in danger!” Satine insisted, a sinking feeling blossoming in the pit of her stomach. They were going to reject her plan and doom them all because they prized her temporary comfort over Shmi and Anakin’s freedom. “And besides, this is more important than me. I cannot leave Shmi and Anakin here in bondage while I am free to swan about Coruscant like some kind of spoiled royal!”

“No one is leaving anyone anywhere,” Ahsoka yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “Besides, I already have a plan to get us out of here.”

“You do?” Satine said, exchanging a look with Obi-Wan who peered up at his master, confused, wondering why she hadn’t told him about her plan. “When were you going to tell us?”

“Tomorrow at breakfast, but I suppose I’ll have to move the time table up,” Ahsoka smiled wearily at two teenagers. “The Boonta Eve Classic is coming up in two days.”

“Yes, I’ve seen the banners,” Satine said, exchanging another glance back at Obi-Wan.

“Abarrane and Jaffe told us all about it when we were watching the children this morning. Lots of people come from out of the system to watch the race and gamble,” he added.

Ahsoka nodded, yawning again as she turned to gaze out the window, a grin dancing at the corners of her mouth. “Yes. So I went to the track, consulted the Force, and made a few wagers.”

“With what money?” Satine asked, confused. “We don’t have nearly enough money for you to earn even half of what we need!”

“I wagered enough,” Ahsoka said, turning her gaze back to Satine and Obi-Wan. “Trust me. If everything goes the way I think it will go, we’ll have more than enough money to get us all off of Tatooine.”

Obi-Wan frowned at his master as a sudden wave of foreboding overcame him, his senses stretching out to find the twin pinpoints of starlight that were his master’s weapons. His own blades glowed in the Force, like banked coals waiting to be called back to life, but his master’s?

They were nowhere to be found.

“Master? Did you sell your sabers?”

“Yes, Obi-Wan. I did. I don’t suppose I could borrow one of yours for a little while?”

#Tano and Kenobi #Ahsoka Tano #Obi-Wan Kenobi #Satine Kryze #Anakin Skywalker #Shmi Skywalker #Ooooooooooh boy....#Well I hope everybody enjoyed Anakin being a cutie!#Because now it's time to bite our nails and watch a podrace #@_____@#I really hope Ahsoka knows what she's doing #And that the Force gave her an inside tip #Force: It's a sure bet Ahsoka! A SURE BET #Ahsoka: >_____>

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