Author's note: I had intended to update this twice a week, but a death in the family put a kink in the plan. I should be able to post regularly from now on. By the way, does anyone know if, and how, I can fix my title so it says "Obi-Wan" instead of "ObiWan"? I can't get it to accept the hyphen.

Chapter 2: Satine

Obi-Wan and Siri followed their guide along a stone walk through verdantly green landscaping which led up to the steps of Duchess Satine Kryze's palace in Sundari, the capital city of Mandalore.

Prominently displayed in several places on the manicured grounds were large signs that proclaimed "Peace Park." Siri studied them, bemused, as they passed by.

"Pacifist Mandalorians?" she whispered quietly to Obi-Wan. "I never saw that coming. Did you?"

Mandalorians had long been known as the fiercest warriors in the galaxy, but Obi-Wan knew what Siri was asking him. He had had the privilege of getting to know Satine personally many years ago, back when she was a frightened young woman on the run from insurgents who were threatening the stability of the government. He and Qui-Gon had worked to ensure her personal safety for over a year. Now, she was not only leader of the New Mandalorians but also a respected voice on the Council of Neutral Systems, a group of galactic leaders who had banded together in the hopes of remaining neutral during the Clone Wars.

"That period of fear and violence early in the Duchess' life had a tremendous impact on her," he told Siri. "When things settled down and Qui-Gon and I felt it was safe to discontinue our protection, she swore that as Mandalore's leader, she would never subject anyone else to the terror she had felt, no matter how richly they might deserve it. Apparently, she meant it."

"But it's left her and her people incredibly vulnerable," Siri said. "These terrorists controlling Death Watch - they've been unbelievably bold in their attacks because they know she won't fight back."

"It isn't that she won't fight back," Obi-Wan said, "she's just determined to do it in some way other than violence. From what I've heard of her leadership, she's skilled in the political arena and she's good at winning allies. Once we get her safely to Coruscant and she testifies before the Senate about Death Watch's activities, she'll have the opportunity to do just that."

"But Chancellor Palpatine suspects she may be secretly in league with the Separatists already. He's going to try to pressure her to throw Mandalore's official support behind the Republic. You know he will."

"It doesn't matter. She won't do it. You have no idea how stubborn she can be. She'll do anything she can to ensure Mandalore remains independent. Anyway, it doesn't matter what we think. We don't have to get involved in the politics, thank the Force. All we have to do is make sure she reaches Coruscant safely."

They had reached the top of the palace steps, and their guide led them through a spacious anteroom and into a formal receiving chamber. There, surrounded by elegant white columns and canopied by rich red drapes, the Duchess Satine Kryze sat gracefully on an elevated platform scattered with cushions, a pensive expression on her face. She wore a rich blue gown and a curving headdress that framed her face and obscured most of her blonde hair. She glanced up as Obi-Wan and Siri walked in and bowed respectfully to her.

"Your Highness, I present Jedi Masters Siri Tachi and Obi-Wan Kenobi," their guide said with a bow, then at a nod from the Duchess he exited the room.

The Duchess regarded Siri silently for a long moment, then turned to study Obi-Wan. He couldn't help but take in a soft breath and hold it as her light blue eyes locked with his. Suddenly he felt as though his knees were turning to water.

Oh, no. Not good.

It had been so long since he'd seen her, and so much had changed since then, for both of them. He had hoped against hope that she would no longer have this power over him, but here it was, as strong as ever, and entirely against his will.

Not good at all.

Siri nudged Obi-Wan discretely with her elbow - they had agreed beforehand that he would do the talking, since he already knew the Duchess - but he found himself completely speechless. After an awkward moment, Siri realized he wasn't going to talk and smoothly stepped up.

"It is our pleasure to accompany you to Coruscant, Your Highness," she said politely - and Siri could be beautifully polite, when she wanted to be. "You have our assurance that you will be safe with us there to protect you."

"This is entirely unnecessary," Satine said firmly. Her crescent-shaped earrings swung gently back and forth against her ivory neck. "I have my own bodyguards to protect me. I have reason to believe that Chancellor Palpatine insisted on the presence of Jedi only because he wishes to make it appear that I am allying myself with the Republic. It will not work. I have no intention of allying myself with either side."

"I promise you, we were not instructed to persuade you to our cause." Obi-Wan had found his voice at last. "We were told to keep you safe, that is all."

"The Jedi have a new definition of 'safe' these days," Satine said. "I remember a time when the Jedi were peacekeepers. Now they are militarists." Her voice was low with disappointment, and she looked at Obi-Wan directly as she delivered this speech. He felt himself melting somewhat under her intense gaze, but he also felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Not by choice, Your Highness," he said as politely as he could.

"Of course you have a choice," Satine said sharply. "One always has a choice."

"I beg your pardon, Duchess. It isn't my intention to argue."

"That's a shame," Satine said, her mood suddenly lightening. She leaned back on her cushions and a smile touched her face. "You and I had a lot of wonderful arguments back in the day, didn't we? And yet we always managed to be pleasant to one another."

"A tradition that should remain unchanged," Obi-Wan said with a slight bow, and he couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Speaking of change..." Satine said. "I have a question to ask you."

"I would be happy to be of assistance."

Satine rose from her cushions and descended the shallow steps from her platform until she stood on the last step, at eye-level with Obi-Wan. She looked at him seriously for a moment, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"Why did you grow the beard?" she asked curiously.

"Why did I... what?" Obi-Wan floundered for a moment. It didn't seem the appropriate venue to explain to her that he was embarrassed that his own Padawan - former Padawan, now - was taller than him, and that he had grown the beard in an attempt to emphasize his greater age and experience. Finally, he decided to use an evasion tactic. "Why, what's wrong with it?"

Satine shrugged gracefully. "It hides too much of your handsome face."

A few feet away, Siri was now fixing her best Steely Jedi Gaze directly on Satine, who seemed completely oblivious to it.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat sheepishly and desperately changed the subject. "We'd like to meet with your head of security, Your Highness, and thoroughly inspect your ship before we depart."

"Of course. My aide, Pedar, will see to the arrangements." A middle-aged man stepped forward at a gesture from the Duchess. "It is good to see you again, Obi-Wan," Satine added in a low voice. "And a pleasure to meet you, Master Tachi."

At a nod from the Duchess, Pedar escorted the Jedi from the room.


Obi-Wan had never before used the word "embarrassing" to describe the devastating blast of a thermal detonator, but that was the first word that popped into his head when a bone-shaking explosion suddenly rocked the ship and knocked them out of hyperspace, leaving them drifting in empty space.

After all, he was the one who had supervised the clones who inspected the ship and declared it free of explosives.

The hull of the ship was not breached, thank the Force, but as reports came pouring in from the crew members stationed near the engine room and the recycled air of the ship became acrid with the smell of scorched machinery, it quickly became clear to Obi-Wan that they would not be going anywhere in a hurry. Duchess Satine, to her credit, chose not to waste any time casting blame, but calmly ordered the bridge crew to use the communications array to send a distress signal back to Coruscant. No sign of the saboteur had been found yet, so a squad of four clone troopers surrounded Satine, each with a high-powered blaster rifle held across his chest, ready to protect her if anyone approached too closely.

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan and Siri huddled together and occupied themselves with trying to guess who on board was capable of sneaking a thermal detonator on board and exploding it without detection, and what their next move might be.

"The Duchess said she brought only her most trusted aides on this journey," Siri whispered to Obi-Wan, "but I sense we have a traitor in our midst." Nodding his agreement, Obi-Wan looked at the aides bustling around the bridge shouting orders to each other, and his suspicion was kindled. It could have been any one of them, or even several of them working in league. He was itching to charge off, lightsaber in hand, to search the ship bow to stern with Siri and root out the traitor or traitors before they could harm Satine, but he knew the situation called for more finesse.

A half-formed idea popped into his head, and he quickly whispered it to Siri. "It's brilliant," she whispered, her eyes shining.

"But where should we hide Satine, to keep her safe in the meantime?"

"I've got an idea about that," Siri said with a mysterious smile. "The perfect place. Somewhere they'll never look for her."

They stepped away from each other and approached Satine, who was watching over the communications officer's shoulder as he sent the distress signal.

"Your Highness," Obi-Wan said in a voice perfectly audible to everyone on the bridge, "I think under the circumstances it would be best if we escorted you to the safe room now."

Satine's shoulder's sagged, and Obi-Wan couldn't blame her for not relishing the thought. The safe room was a tiny space located in the center of the ship. Its walls, floor and ceiling were heavily armored to be able to withstand a great deal of bombardment. Many Senators and other powerful galactic leaders had a similar room installed in their personal transports in case of emergency. He could see in Satine's eyes that she wanted to object, wanted to insist that she remain on the bridge and in control of the situation, but when he leaned toward her and added in a quiet undertone, "Please?" she hesitated only a moment before capitulating.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the center of the ship.

"Wait," Satine said, craning her neck trying to see through the clone troopers surrounding her. "I think we just passed it!"

"We're not taking you to the safe room," Obi-Wan said.

"But you said-" Satine stopped. "Oh, yes, I see. You'll be staking out the safe room, then?"

"Yes. Since the saboteur must be someone close to you, they would have known there was a safe room on the ship and they would have planned for it. When he or she arrives to finish the job, we'll be waiting."

"Waiting to take them captive, you mean," Satine said firmly. "I will have no killing on my ship."

"We have no intention of killing them. We want to question them," Obi-Wan assured her.

"And no amputations either!" Satine added suddenly. "Leave that lightsaber right where it is on your belt!"

Siri rolled her eyes expressively, but thankfully Satine didn't seem to notice.

"Where are you taking me, anyway?" the Duchess asked.

"Yes, where are we taking her?" Obi-Wan asked Siri, realizing she had never said.

"Somewhere safe," Siri said with a gleam in her eye. They had reached the back of the ship now. Siri stopped in front of a door and pressed a control. The door slid open and Siri gestured gracefully for the Duchess to enter first.

"Ugh! It stinks!" Satine said, holding her nose and backing away. "What is this place?"

"The garbage chute," Siri said.

"The garbage chute?" Satine said, outraged.

"The garbage- Siri!" Obi-Wan glared at her.

"What? It's the last place on the ship anyone will think to look for her!"

"I think this is a little beneath the dignity of a Duchess and a lady, Siri!" he hissed.

"That's exactly why it's so perfect!"

"Keep going," Obi-Wan ordered the clones. "We're going to find a better hiding spot."

"No, Obi-Wan," Satine said abruptly. "It's fine."

"No, it isn't! We'll find-"

"We're wasting time," Satine said. "We'll all feel pretty stupid if the saboteur comes upon us arguing like this." And before Obi-Wan could stop her, she jumped into the chute.

A squishy splash sounded a second later.

"Brave girl," Siri said admiringly in the silence that followed.

Obi-Wan buried his face in his hands. Then he heard four more splashes one after another; the clones diving in the chute after her.

Obi-Wan lowered his hands and fixed his sternest Steely Jedi Gaze on Siri, but she was unmoved. "Well, shall we?" she asked brightly, and without waiting for an answer she turned around and headed back toward the safe room.

Annoyed, Obi-Wan followed her. They stopped when they were just a few corridors away from the entrance to the safe room. Siri quietly unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and glanced back to make sure Obi-Wan was ready.

"No lightsabers, remember!" he whispered in her ear.

"Are you crazy?" Siri hissed back. "I'm not fighting them bare-handed! What if they have blasters?"

"But Satine said..."

Siri made an impatient noise. "Since when do Jedi take orders from royalty?" Then, at a silent look of pleading from Obi-Wan, she sighed deeply and clipped the lightsaber back on her belt. "All right, all right! But I'm doing it as a personal favor to you, not her!"

Obi-Wan let a smile spread across his face until it crinkled the corners of his eyes. "Thank you," he said warmly, touched by the gesture. Siri only growled in response, and then side by side they rounded the corner.

The plan worked beautifully, for a change, and after a short wait and then a rip-roaring, knock-'em-down fistfight, Siri and Obi-Wan had their man in custody. It was none other than Pedar, Satine's personal assistant, and once they had him in binders and surrounded by clone troopers, they questioned him and he readily and proudly proclaimed himself to be a member of Death Watch and a "true Mandalorian warrior" unafraid to act on his own to bring down a pacifist "embarrassment to the name of Mandalore."

Seeing that everything was under control, Obi-Wan left the rest of the questioning to Siri and returned to the garbage chute to retrieve Satine. He leaped lightly down, using the Force to slow his fall so he wouldn't splash her any more than necessary when he landed in the waist-deep water at the bottom of the chute. He found her perched high on a pile of junk, her dirty purple gown and dampened hair somehow doing nothing to lessen her beauty even in the harsh light of a garbage chute.

"It's all right," he told her softly. "You're safe now."

At his instructions, she stepped onto his boots and wrapped her arms around his neck. He put one arm around her waist and with the other hand activated his liquid cable launcher. The cable shot straight up and its sharp point embedded itself in the metal near the chute's entrance. Obi-Wan thumbed the control to retract the cable, and together they rose slowly into the air.

"This certainly brings back memories," Satine murmured in his ear.

Yes. It certainly did. Memories that were as painful as they were beautiful, Obi-Wan thought with regret.

Once they were safely at the top and the clones had used their own grappling hooks to climb back into the corridor, he escorted her to the place where the prisoner was being held.

Satine listened to Pedar's confessions to Siri with remarkable calm for several minutes, but suddenly she interrupted and strode straight over to Pedar. "What's this?" she demanded.

Satine put her fingers under Pedar's chin and looked closely at his left eye, which was rapidly becoming puffy and discolored. She glared at Obi-Wan and Siri. "I said no fighting!"

"No you didn't, you said no lightsa-" Siri began indignantly, but Obi-Wan quickly clapped his hand over Siri's mouth.

"We're very sorry, your Highness," he said sincerely. "It won't happen again."

"I thought they called you 'the Negotiator,'" Satine said to Obi-Wan in disbelief. "Is this what you call negotiating?"

"It's called aggressive negotiations," Siri answered for Obi-Wan, shoving his hand away from her face.

"The Code permits it," Obi-Wan added hesitantly.

Satine waved her hand, as if pushing the argument aside. "I don't think I have the fortitude for one of our pleasant arguments right now, Obi-Wan," she said wearily. "All I want right now is to get cleaned up." She gathered up her wet skirts and swept out of the room.

"I think I could use some cleaning up myself," Obi-Wan said, glancing ruefully at the puddle on the deck created by his dripping tunic and trousers.

"Go on ahead," Siri said. "I'll finish up here."

Obi-Wan enjoyed a long, hot shower in the guest quarters he'd been assigned while the droids washed and dried his clothing. He had just finished dressing and was standing in front of the mirror, lost in thought, when Siri wandered through the door. She had never been one to stand on ceremony or bother with knocking.

"Obi-Wan, the Duchess says we've had an answer from Coruscant and they're sending another ship to retrieve us. It should arrive in about- OBI-WAN KENOBI!"

Obi-Wan jumped nearly a foot and frantically spun around, looking to see if another attacker was somehow in the room with them, but they were alone.

"Siri, you nearly gave me a heart attack! What's wrong?"

Siri put her hands on her hips and fixed her Steely Jedi Gaze on Obi-Wan, and suddenly he appreciated just how intimidating Siri could be when she put her mind to it.

"Put that razor down this instant," she said, enunciating each word very clearly, "and leave that beard right where it is!"

TO BE CONTINUED