#council smakdown

[arielsojourner]

Part 19 of Luke and Vader Save the Galaxy by Time Travel. 

This has taken on a life of its own. How am I ever going to reach an end here?  I don’t even know where most of this came from.

Send help.

–Reports of Tatooine’s liberation and uprising are slow to spread to the mainstream media, though the holomedia boards and sites are full of stories and holosnaps being shared around by clones and other young sentients.  When news reaches Obi-Wan on Mandalore he groans because he knows, he just knows that Anakin is there. The very second he felt safe enough to leave Anakin, leave Naboo, his former Padawan decides to go haring off across the galaxy. Before Obi-Wan would have just let it go, but now he knows better.  He worries; Anakin is not invincible nor all powerful. He is battered, and worn, and he is tired, though he is still standing. Going back to his home planet, going back into danger so soon after everything may be too much for Anakin to bear. If it wasn’t for the knowledge that Captain Rex and the others have his back and that Luke is with them, Obi-Wan would already be on the first ship heading towards the Outer Rim. The Force tells him that he can wait and trust, that the clones will not leave Anakin alone and that Luke who has already done so much for Anakin and his family, will do his utmost to protect him.  

Of course when Satine tells him that she will be hosting a diplomatic entourage from the Separatist Alliance as part of the signing of the Reconstruction Accords and that his presence at the event has been requested, he seriously thinks about ignoring the Force’s direction and heading for Tatooine anyway.

When he sees who is leading the entourage he literally lets go of Satine’s arm and nearly bolts out of a window. The Duchess tries to grab him, but it is Quinlan Vos yelling Obi-Wan’s name that has him freezing guiltily, a few steps from freedom.

“Oh, let him run Quinlan,” Ventress practically purrs from beside Knight Vos. “I’ve missed the sight of Jedi running in fear since the war has stopped.”

Obi-Wan’s shoulders tighten and he whirls around. “As I recall, it was you who turns tail and run at the first hint of trouble.”

“Really? That’s not what I recall.”

“Then I suggest you seek medical attention for your spotty memory, my darling,” he snaps back at her.

“My darling?” Satine and Quinlan echo together. Obi-Wan flushes, kicking himself for forgetting he had an audience of someone other than Anakin. Quinlan looks ready to burst out laughing, his eyes dancing with the possibility of years of teasing. Satine looks unimpressed, her eyes flashing under her arched brows.

“Come, come,” Ventress says with a laugh. “You must allow the great Negotiator his little games.” She takes Quinlan’s arm. “You know him well, Quinlan. He only ever flirts with those he attacks. He saves his venom and his arguing for those he loves. Haven’t you seen the way he is with Skywalker?”

Quinlan is now snickering. “Does that mean you love me too, Obi-Wan?”

“Now look here, Anakin was my Padawan and he is happily–“ he bites his tongue before he says more, but it looks like it is too late. He runs a quick hand over his beard. Anakin is going to kill him!

“Happily, what?” Satine says, moving forward, having caught Obi-Wan’s slip. “Happily . . .  married? A Jedi married?”  

He wants to say no, of course not. Jedi don’t get married. Jedi are forbidden from marriage. Marriage is attachment. Attachment is forbidden. But, he sees hope in her eyes, burning like a candle and cannot bring himself to snuff it out.

But is it his secret to tell? He thinks of Anakin and Padme together, his former Padawan so lovesick Obi-Wan was frequently embarrassed on his behalf though Padme finds Anakin’s devotion adorable. He thinks about the fact that while he and the Order didn’t realize that Anakin was more than just visibly partial to Padme (and given how obvious it was it is a miracle the Sith Master hadn’t wiped out the Order years ago for their obliviousness!), most of the 501st and the 212th knew. When they had left Coruscant on the Dauntless, the clones traveling with them didn’t blink an eye at the Senator or the children staying in Anakin’s quarters and instead offered their congratulations.  Palpatine sending assassins after Padme and the babies meant he knew.  He looks over at Ventress who is smirking and very “overly familiar” with Knight Vos. She already knows. She is watching him like a hawk to see if he hides behind the Code, ready to tear into him like a coward if he does. Satine and Padme were close friends. Anakin had told him that he was done hiding and done pretending or being ashamed of his family.

But still he did owe his brother some discretion.

He clears his throat and says, “I can neither confirm nor deny that any Jedi of the Order is happily married at the present and celebrating the birth of their twin children.”

Satine’s connects the dots and her face lights up with joy. “Twins!” she exclaims. “Oh, Padme!” She scowls suddenly and punches Obi-Wan in the arm. “I need to send congratulations and a gift, and a belated wedding present. There are traditions! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Obi-Wan rubs his shoulder, ignoring the laughter from Vos and Ventress. “For a pacifistic you are so prone to violence, Duchess. And I haven’t told you anything about anyone. I admit to nothing.”

Quinlan shakes his head. “Damn, I don’t know how straight laced High Councilor Kenobi managed to train a Jedi like Skywalker, but I think Master Jinn would be proud.”

Ventress rolls her eyes. “All of you goodie goodies are blind. The two of them may as well have taken out a sign and broadcast their marriage all over the holonet. Even some of the the battle droids figured it out and they have the processing capacity of a multi-tool. If it wasn’t for Luke and Vader who had more sense than all your Order put together, Sidious would have steamrolled over all of you and you would only have had yourself to blame for not seeing it coming.”

“Come on,” Quinlan says to her, tugging her towards the banquet hall doors. “I’m starving. Let’s leave them alone and hope the Duchess can get Obi-Wan to loosen up some more.”

Neither the Duchess nor the Jedi notice them leaving.

Satine reaches up to place her hand on Obi-Wan’s. “So a Jedi can get married and have children with a Senator and be happy,” she says quietly. “It is possible.”

“Yes,” he says hoarsely. “It is.”

–When Ahsoka gives her report to the Jedi High Council (via holoprojector) about the Tatooine liberation campaign, she speaks with confidence about their actions, unflinching and sure in the face of the wrongs that they have righted. There is some debate about whether Luke had any right to invade Tatooine in the first place. Ahsoka calmly reminds the Council that if Tatooine counts as Republic space that is news to her and to the rest of the galaxy.  The Republic and the Jedi Order hardly cared when it was the Hutts killing, brutalizing and enslaving sentients, why should the Republic or the Jedi Order now protest that someone was stopping them? Either the planet belonged to the Republic and the Republic could hardly invade its own planet to enforce the law or the planet was outside of the Republic’s jurisdiction so the Order didn’t really have any say in what happened there in the first place, Ahsoka logically points out.

“Be that as it may, Republic forces were utilized. The Republic has a treaty with the Hutts as part of the war effort,” Ki-Adi Mundi reminds her.  “This could start a war with the Hutts.”

“The war is over,” Ahsoka says in response. “The treaty with the Hutts expired the moment the war ended. This was not an invasion. There were no GAR forces on Tatooine. Everyone who went volunteered and gave of their own time and chose to visit the planet. It’s a free galaxy after all, unless you are saying that the clones don’t have the right to free time and to travel where they wish, Master?” she asks sweetly.

“No one is saying that. The clones have the same rights as anyone. But, you were there, Ahsoka as was your master. You represent the Jedi,” Master Plo says.

“It is in the purview of Jedi to take action in the face of violations of sentient rights throughout the galaxy. From a young age we are all taught that the Jedi Order is to uphold the law and that includes the law against slavery, against torture, against murder and theft,” Ahsoka argues with growing passion. “Master Skywalker and I had every right to be on that planet and a duty to aid the local people in winning their freedom from slavers and the Hutts.”

“And where is your Master?” Mace asks. “Why has he not come before this Council to explain himself?  Palpatine is dead at the hands of a rogue Jedi and a armored Sith Lord. Where was the Chosen One in all of this? Where has he been? His long time connection to the Supreme Chancellor was well known. Why wasn’t he there or at the Temple during the attack? You were instructed to bring him back to Coruscant  for questioning, not go on unsanctioned military campaigns in the Other Rim.”

Master Yoda raises a hand, as if warning the Councilors to speak more softly. The gardens are full of other Jedi and clones and sound carries.

Ahsoka’s eyes narrow and she folds her arms across her chest. “Questioning? Is this Council accusing my Master of wrongdoing simply because he was in communication with Palpatine? Weren’t all of you also in constant communication with the Sith Master? Didn’t you all meet with him privately, take orders from him, pass on intelligence to him, help save his life in a war he orchestrated from start to finish? Why then is it only my Master who must be questioned? Why is he somehow the only one responsible for everything? What about all of you? Why aren’t you questioning yourselves?”

“Padawan, you will control yourself!” Mace said sharply. “He has claimed to be the Chosen One–“

“No, he hasn’t!” Heads turn as one to look at Obi-Wan Kenobi’s icy expression lit in holographic blue.  “The only people who have ever claimed that Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One are the High Council and my own Master Qui-Gon. Not once has Anakin claimed to be the Chosen One. He has never taken on such a title. He has avoided it like the plague. It is each of us who have raised and debated that claim, who have demanded he measure up to a prophecy that I, to this day, have never even seen nor read. It is each of us who have censured him when he fell short of whatever imaginary and arbitrary expectation we set against him.”

“Master Kenobi–“ Master Yoda interjects but Obi-Wan does not back down, he stands instead. Beyond the trees and the little corner of the gardens the Council has claimed as its own, a crowd is gathering.

“No. Enough. I will not be silent any longer. I will not bite my tongue and bow my head to the will of this Council when it is wrong. I will not allow you to censure Anakin for not being some promised messiah or some paragon of virtue. I am sick of this and if I had been a better Knight and a better Master I would have stopped this years ago. Anakin Skywalker is a Knight and Master of this Order and entitled to all respect and rights thereto. Sheev Palpatine was a Sith Master and we were blind to it. We let him into the Temple and around our students. We took orders from him and never once stopped to question anything until it was nearly too late. Padawan Tano is right.  Instead of focusing on Anakin and his imagined failings, we should be looking at ourselves and trying to figure out just when this Council grew more interested in enforcing its own will over the Will of the Force!”

–When Obi-Wan finally realized who Vader and Luke were, he knew he had to tell his former Padawan. They had long since decided that there were no more secrets between them, no more lies. Obi-Wan just had no idea how he was going to tell him. Words failed him. He blathered on for a bit and Anakin just stared at him in silence, arms crossed, until Obi-Wan gave up and blurted everything out: “Your son Luke is the same person as Vader’s son.”

“I know,” Anakin said calmly.

Obi-Wan collapsed back into the couch behind him. “You do?”

“Yes, it’s obvious.” Anakin sounded just like his seven year old son when he said it like that, complete with eye rolls “Wait, you didn’t know?”

“How was I to know something like that? Time travel is utterly unfeasible from a scientific perspective,” Obi-Wan demanded. 

Anakin eyed him incredulously. “They have the exact same name,” he said slowly as if Obi-Wan is being deliberately dumb. “They look exactly alike. He grew up on Tatooine,” Anakin defended. “It was obviously the Force.”

“The Force doesn’t work that way!”

Anakin snorted, “Tell that to the Force!”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth and then closed it, realizing that to keep arguing was absurd. He ran a hand over his beard. “Luke, young Luke, I mean, he thinks he’s the grown up Luke’s clone. You may want to talk to him about that.”

Anakin laughed. “Well, it’s as good an excuse as any.”

“He also thinks Leia is Padme’s clone. Really, Anakin, I don’t know where he gets these ideas but a conversation may be in order.”

“Three months ago Luke believed that Artoo and Threepio were his godparents and that somehow meant that both he and Leia were part droid.  This,” he said wiggling his prosthetic right hand “didn’t help,” he explained to Obi-Wan completely deadpan. “I’m not too worried about Luke.”

And Obi-Wan couldn’t help but agree. Luke Skywalker was an endearing child, a powerful beacon of light in the Force. His older counterpart was unorthodox to say the least, but a good and gentle man who frequently traveled the galaxy raining down equal measure of destruction and mercy upon people, a legend already. Obi-Wan shook his head and smiled. “That boy . . .”

“Leia, on the other hand . . .” Anakin said trailing off. “She wants to join the junior legislators like her mom for their summer program. She also told me she thinks Luke and her are old enough to get tattoos like all the troopers do. She’s been eyeing the art supplies and Padme’s makeup with a very odd look on her face. I swear I’m going to walk in one day and find her doing Force knows what to her brother or herself.”

They have strayed off topic. Obi-Wan was not blind to that. He let Anakin do it. If his dearest friend didn’t want to talk about it, he would not force him. He barely wanted to give voice to the truth either. There is a part of Obi-Wan that has parsed out how it must have happened, how Anakin came to Fall and his heart breaks at the mere thought of it.

Instead Obi-Wan hoped that Anakin could read his thoughts in his eyes, and feel what he wanted to really say past the lump in his throat. For my part in it, I am so sorry, Obi-Wan thought. You are not to blame. You did nothing wrong. Believe me. You are not Vader, but even if some version of you became him, even then the other you helped save everyone. He defeated the Sith. He protected us. He came back from the Dark. There was still good in him. His son believed in him. There is so much good in you.

“I am sure Leia will take the junior legislators by storm, much like her mother. She doesn’t want to be Queen, does she?” he asked worriedly. Both he and Ahsoka were waiting until the twins are a bit older to start their training in earnest.

“No, she says being Queen is too limiting. Thank the Force for small blessings. I just don’t know what Luke will do while she’s away at the program.”

“I am sure we will think of something.”