Well, hi guys. I am lucky enough to still receive reviews for "It's All in the Past" and I know there are people out there reading it who aren't making a peep, but I think I've outgrown the original story. It jumps all over the place too much and I have the itch to write a lot because I'm anxious about a new job and I need to take my mind off things. I don't know how much of a fanbase Obi-Wan/Satine has now, especially seeing as it's been half a year since she met her demise on The Clone Wars, but maybe I will be lucky and some of my old audience members will make the move over to here too.

Special thanks to everyone who made reviews for the original story - as well as those who either followed it or added it to their favorite stories. I'd like to throw a thanks out to pronker especially for reviewing the final two chapters of "It's All in the Past."

Now, let us begin.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was watching the sun rise from the Jedi Temple. Other teenagers his age in his time zone were still asleep, but not him. The only Jedi who were still asleep at this hour were sick or adjusting from a disrupted sleep schedule that they had acquired during a mission. Obi-Wan always watched the sunrise and the sunsets. He did this because he knew Jedi were supposed to feel at peace, and watching the sunrise and sunsets always made him feel this way. Sometimes Qui-Gon stood with him and sometimes he did not. Right now, Qui-Gon was meeting with the Jedi Council.

Obi-Wan was dedicated. An avid learner. He tried to build his self-esteem on the fact he was a hard-worker, but at times he wished he was more capable than he was. Sometimes he wished he wasn't so frustratingly average. Sometimes he imaged Yoda asking Qui-Gon how he, the padawan, was progressing. The Qui-Gon in his head always answered, "Well... he is very steadfast... But he has much to learn." Obi-Wan knew his desire to be more than average was prideful and un-Jedi-like, so he resented having these thoughts.

Obi-Wan heard the door open behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Qui-Gon stepping onto the balcony.

"That was fast," Obi-Wan said.

Qui-Gon sighed and looked out at the orange sky. "How much do you remember about Mandalore from your studies, Obi-Wan?"

"Mandalorians are warriors often fighting against the Jedi throughout history. Sometimes they banded with the Sith. Why?"

"And have you ever heard of the New Mandalorians?"

"I have... but I couldn't tell you about them," Obi-Wan admitted, feeling as if he had just proven himself average again.

"It is a faction. Mandalore has been in a state of civil war since -"

Obi-Wan quickly regurgitated the correct date, eager to prove himself.

"Correct, and anyway, the New Mandalorians are at war with an organization known as the Death Watch. The New Mandalorians promote pacifism while the Death Watch wants every Mandalorian to remain the ruthless warriors they have been in the past. Given the history between Mandalorians and the Jedi, the Jedi Council has come to the conclusion it would be beneficial for the Jedi Order at large that Mandalore adopts the nonviolent society model."

"So, we have a mission, then, Master?"

"An extended mission. We could be gone for a maximum of three years. Our mission is to help Duchess Satine Kryze, the chosen leader of the New Mandalorians, win the civil war."

Obi-Wan did not know how he felt about that. The thought that he could be stuck on Mandalore until he was twenty-years-old seemed like an extremely long time. He could not even imagine himself at twenty. He knew he would still be a Jedi, certainly, but what would he be like then?

Qui-Gon was watching him closely. "What are you thinking?"

He did not want to admit he was unsure whether or not he wanted to go. Obi-Wan knew he was supposed to be a peacekeeper, so this mission certainly seemed appropriate for a Jedi. "I'm thinking... Master, if the New Mandalorians are pacifists, how do they plan to win a civil war?"

Qui-Gon smiled faintly. "I suppose the answer will be waiting for us on Mandalore."

"When do we leave, Master?"

"In four hours."

Four hours! Obi-Wan could not help himself. "For three years?" he exclaimed.

Qui-Gon looked at him carefully. "Why not? How would you be better prepared by waiting until tomorrow?"

Obi-Wan couldn't give an answer. The thought that he would be leaving the place he had called home since he was three years old for such a long period of time was unimaginable. Yet this was a signal of attachment. He was attached to the Jedi Temple. This was another reason why he was a less than perfect Jedi.

"Attachment," Qui-Gon said, "does not always refer to a person."

Obi-Wan swallowed and said, "Yes, Master. Where is the Mandalore sector?"

"Outer Rim."

Duchess Satine Kryze was absolutely, positively sure the New Mandalorians needed a miracle if they were going to survive the war, let alone win it. The fighting had driven her from the capital of Sundari into the woods near the settlement of Bralsin. It was very late at night, but she could not sleep. She was in a tent and it was raining. There were no duchesses out in the woods. Here she was just another human being trying to sleep on a thin layer of plastic that separated her from dirt.

She had always been told when she was younger that fire cannot be fought with fire. More violence is not a solution to end violence. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love and peace can do that. The problem was she didn't think she could just love the Death Watch leaders into submission. She relied on her words. Her words had been instrumental in making her the leader of the New Mandalorians. Yet no matter how many hours she spent trying to think of the perfect thing to say to the rebels, she could not come up with anything. They did not want to listen to her speak. They wanted to kill her, just like they had killed her father years earlier.

Laying on her stomach, she poured over reports late into the night. Her eyes were so tired that she couldn't keep them fully open. She settled for squinting instead. She thought about maybe praying, but she didn't know who to pray to because she didn't believe in any God. Or what was it the Jedi believed in - the Force... Was the Force something you could pray to? Did the Jedi ever think: Please, Force, help me... She thought Force help me several times before giving up. Eventually, she put her head down face-first onto the ground for just a moment. When she lifted her head and opened her eyes, it was inexplicably light out.

"Duchess, there are these two men here to see you -"

"Who are they?"

"We don't know... they sort of look like Jedi. They have lightsabers, anyway."

She blinked at her guard several times, sure she had misheard him. Had "the Force" answered her? Was that possible?

"Adler sent them in. He insists they are safe, but they refuse to give up their lightsabers."

She stood and brushed the dirt off her clothes. She was wearing plain civilian clothing, because she did not want to be an obvious target - a light gray shirt and light blue pants. Nobody would believe she was Duchess Satine of Kalevala.

"Bring them forward," she said.

When Obi-Wan first laid eyes on her, he did not immediately realize that this was Duchess Satine Kryze. She did not look anything like the leader he was expecting. She was a teenager, maybe a bit younger than himself, and she was as grimy as everyone else around her in the middle of the woods. She had her hair tied back and dark circles under her eyes. She was small and looked as frail as a sick bird.

Then her blue eyes pierced both he and Qui-Gon and she spoke in a voice that clearly communicated she was the one in charge.

She scanned the two strangers. One was much older than the other. The younger man was in his late teens; he could not be much older than herself. The both of them certainly looked like Jedi. Both were wearing tunics and cloaks. Lightsabers were clipped on their sides.

"You are Jedi?" she asked, sounding more surprised than she had meant to. She was supposed to sound like she had been planning to see them, she knew that.

They both bowed.

"Yes, we are," the older one said. "My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and this is my padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"What is it that you want?" she asked suspiciously, her eyes still scanning them over.

"We want to help you, Duchess," Qui-Gon said.

"Why?"

"I am sure you know the history between the Jedi and the Mandalorians," Qui-Gon began. When she did not nod or answer, he continued, "The Jedi keep watch over what is happening on Mandalore. We have for centuries. There is a committee, who reside on Coruscant in our Temple, that has followed your speeches since before you were made the leader of the New Mandalorians. The committee ruled that it would be beneficial both to us as Jedi and the galaxy at large if you won this civil war and Mandalore adopted your peaceful model of society."

Satine considered this for a moment. She looked at the younger one, Obi-Wan. His face was blank. "And how long would you stay?" she asked.

"The committee came to the conclusion that it would take six or seven months before you regained control, but we can remain as long as three years. We are prepared to stay for a good amount of time."

Obi-Wan turned his head and looked over his shoulder. Then he walked off in that general direction with absolutely no explanation whatsoever. Qui-Gon briefly looked at Obi-Wan's retreating figure, but then looked back at her and did not explain what had just happened. She felt a surge of annoyance. Usually people did not just walk away from her without being dismissed.

She knew she had to weigh her options quickly. That was what leaders did. She took in a deep breath and said, "Fine. But just know, you both are responsible for your own safety. I won't have anyone risking their lives for you."

"That won't be an issue," Qui-Gon said, sounding amused.

She looked off in the direction Obi-Wan had disappeared. "Where did your... friend go?"

"Padawan. He went to go look for something he sensed."

Satine could make neither heads nor tails of this, but she pretended she understood. "And when will he be back?"

"Not long. He did not go far. I think he's already on his way back. What are your immediate offensive plans?"

"We... want to take the capitol first. Sundari."

"That isn't practical," Qui-Gon shot down. "Sundari is at the heart of the problem."

She was not used to being put down in this fashion. She opened her mouth to reply, but then heard cracking of twigs. She looked over in the direction of the noise. A man was coming toward her, his hands raised. Behind this man was Obi-Wan. His lightsaber was ignited and pointing toward the man's back.

Satine had never seen an ignited lightsaber before. She had only seen them in pictures. It was blue and surprisingly solid. It also emitted a humming noise, which she had not expected.

"What do you want to do with prisoners?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice sounding completely impassive, as if he had just done something as unremarkable as making toast.

Satine was dumbfounded. Not only had the Force sent her two Jedi - it had sent her two Jedi who were more resourceful than any of her men. There was no doubt the prisoner was a spy who would have reported their location, if he had not already.

"Turn that thing off," she swiftly demanded.

The blue blade disappeared and the humming stopped.

"Who are you?" she asked the prisoner in the same commanding voice.

The man spat and said, "I do not answer to you."

"Well," Obi-Wan began dryly, "I guess that means -"

But Satine had not asked him to speak. She turned her back and whispered something to Adler. After the prisoner was led away, she turned back to the younger Jedi. "Don't use that lightsaber unless absolutely necessary. I'm surmising you didn't even try to talk to him before igniting it, did you?"

Obi-Wan just blinked at her.

"It'd be better if you didn't carry those things around with you, but I know you Jedi all do."

"Erm... why?" Obi-Wan asked, looking completely perplexed.

"Because people who bring weapons with them everywhere do not want peace," she explained with as much patience as she could muster. "Do you really think you can have a peaceful discussion with someone if you both come to the table with blasters and lightsabers? No, you would have already made your choice to approach him as a potential enemy."

He looked at her with interest. She looked away.

"Last night's report will be ready in twenty minutes," she told Qui-Gon. "It will tell us how many civilians were killed, where the fighting was, and how many of our peacekeepers have died. If you are going to be on our side, you might as well know everything possible."

Qui-Gon nodded respectfully. "Of course."

"Um."

Satine looked back at Obi-Wan. "Yes?" she prompted.

"Sorry, but... how are you combating the rebels?" he asked sheepishly. "What kind of fighters do you have?"

"They're called peacekeepers. They use non-lethal weapons," she said. "They only stun the enemy. Then they are locked away. Once the war is over, assuming we win, they will all stand trial."

Obi-Wan swallowed but did not say anything further.

One hundred and fifty-six civilians were killed near Sundari yesterday. The enemy was on the move. Satine rubbed her forehead with her left hand.

"We need to move," the hologram of Casimir Camnor, her most trusted peacekeeper leader, told her. Casimir had light brown hair. He was young - in his early twenties. Fair skin. Satine trusted him with her life. "The prisoner that was caught by Kenobi is proof enough that the enemy is on to our location, if they do not know it already."

She took in a deep breath. "We've covered all over Mandalore - twice. Except for Sundari itself."

"Staying put will equate to death," Casimir said baldly. He hesitated. "I think we should consider moving to another planet."

"We've already run from the capital," Satine snapped. "I'm not running away from the whole planet."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "It is not running away, Duchess. It is being hard to pin down. Are there other planets in the Mandalore sector that are currently more peaceful?"

"Concord Dawn is -" Casimir began.

"I'm not going to Concord Dawn!" Satine insisted. "Forget it! We'll move one hundred kilometers from here. The forest offers us plenty of cover. I'm not taking one foot off Mandalore. My fate resides here on this planet. I will die here before I leave it."

Casimir sighed and shook his head. "Fine, but move north. We think some rebel groups are to the south of your position. Unless our Jedi have a better direction in mind."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "Matters are very unclear at times. We are not all-seeing."

"I can meditate about it," Obi-Wan said. "Give me three hours and I might get an answer."

Satine looked at him with interest. He did not meet her gaze.

"If you think it would help, I am all for it. But let's try to make it two hours," Casimir said. "I am very uneasy with the Duchess being where you are for much longer."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Done. I will certainly do my best." With that, he walked away into the forest. She realized she did not understand Jedi at all. She did not understand how he had found that spy earlier, nor did she understand how meditation would allow Obi-Wan to see where they should move next.

Casimir disconnected with the promise he would be available again when Obi-Wan returned with his answer.

"He is very skilled when it comes to meditation," Qui-Gon said to her. She turned her head and looked at him. "He is better at it than even I am. I am sure he will gain some insight into where we should go."

"I don't understand," she said as she watched her guards converse with one another. "How does meditation tell you what to do?"

He gave her a smile and said, "The answer to your question is complicated and it could fill several books... I will go and meditate as well. Perhaps I will gain some further insight."

Okay, I've tried really, really hard to not miss any typos. Let me know how you think I'm doing - I really do love to read reviews. :) Thanks guys.