Chapter Ten
There is No Chaos. There is Harmony.
Obi-Wan studied the ceiling of his hermitage, the only light coming from the single candle on his cracked table. The past several days changed his perspective on the galaxy completely; he gave himself over to another person, and he suddenly felt more whole than he ever had before, healthy. He couldn't recall a time he'd been truly happy, at least like this. Relaxed, and because of this, he felt a new relationship with the Force, as if the Light enveloped him and Mayli. He knew this was love.
Did the Jedi have it wrong? Could someone love another, romantic love, and still be a Jedi Knight, a Jedi Master? After putting his trust in Mayli, giving her his heart and body, he felt more attune to the Force than he had since before the fall of the Jedi. Perhaps closer to the Force than ever before. The Jedi Code embraced serenity and harmony, things he'd finally achieved with Mayli the past few days, and the Jedi preached putting others before yourself. Isn't that the very foundation of love?
Obi-Wan sighed deeply. He had no one to discuss this with and found he didn't care. He'd made his decision to be with Mayli and didn't regret it one bit. He needed to live his life and be happy, like Beru said.
His mind drifted pleasantly to making love to Mayli, her soft, curvy body next to his, her voice deliciously moaning his name. He loved making her laugh and feeling her grip him tightly with her limbs and being inside her, the warm tightness. He felt himself getting aroused just thinking about all they'd done together, and his hut suddenly seemed very empty.
He'd returned to his home earlier in the day, finding minimal damage, a rock having dented his landspeeder by crashing into the tarp. Otherwise, the suns shined down, and the landscape showed no change after the storm. So goes life on a desert world.
Mayli's garden sustained damage, but only a bit, one side of the raised garden having collapsed. She simply shrugged, saying things could be worse, and they could fix it in one day's work.
And now he lay in bed, waiting to fall asleep but only thinking of her and seeing her in a few hours to repair their defense system and the garden. Finding sleeping difficult, as he'd dozed in her arms the past few nights, he flopped over on his stomach when a knock sounded at the door. Mayli.
Leaping out of bed and crossing the room in a single bound, he threw open the door to find his lovely woman standing in the night in her sand robes, clutching a small cloth bag.
"I'm having trouble sleeping without you and…" she began, but he didn't let her finish.
Obi-Wan grabbed her to him, crushing her lips to his, arms moving around her body.
"I cannot sleep either," he said. "Join me."
Within moments, she'd donned her sleep shirt and lay next to him in bed, the serenity capturing him wholly. He wrapped his body around her and felt complete.
Two days after the storm, the couple spent time repairing the Tusken security system, some of the audio equipment having fallen down in the heavy wind. In the afternoon, they finally got to the garden, working together to patch up the plants that took root. Obi-Wan enjoyed the manual labor, the two of them silently working, his mind wondering to their upcoming trip to Water and their future fight training sessions and their sabacc game that evening, hoping he could finally beat her. The realization he no longer thought solely of the past astonished and comforted him. He'd begun to move on.
A delighted gasp from Mayli brought him out of his thoughts. He looked across at her, holding a little green plant in her palm, her broad beautiful smile, which he'd come to adore, on her face.
"Obi-Wan, look! This one is beginning to flower! We might have some fruit in a month," she continued to study the plant with glee.
Looking at her, Obi-Wan suddenly felt his breath leave his lungs. Her happiness at something so simple, so beautiful as the beginning of a plant flowering, filled him with pure joy, and the Light Side of the Force penetrated his spirit. She stood before him, holding the plant, dirt smudging her face, sand in her hair, and robes covered with grime from their work. She looked absolutely stunning, the most incredible thing he'd ever seen, and Obi-Wan had been all over the galaxy, like Mayli, who also possessed a quick wit and adventurous heart.
His pulse quickening at these thoughts, he spoke, barely above a whisper, "I love you."
Mayli's gaze left the plant and met his in shock.
"I love you, Mayli," he said again, the Force strengthening his words. The Jedi Code was flawed. Love. Love was the Light Side.
She clutched the little plant and stared at him, her mouth slightly open.
"I love you too," she said softly, and Obi-Wan watched as a single tear spilled out of her eye and down her cheek.
They stood looking at each other for several moments before she set the plant down and walked toward him. Standing in front of him, she took both his hands in hers.
"I think I was meant to come to Tatooine," she said softly, looking up into his eyes.
"Me too," he said.
"I don't usually believe in such things but you and I, Obi-Wan…I've never felt this way before about anyone."
"Yes," he said, wishing he could form more coherent sentences, but this revelation about love simply overwhelmed him. Luckily, Mayli continued.
"When I first arrived here, I just wanted to leave, and now…all I want is to build a life here with you," she said, then laughed. "And eat this fruit in a couple of weeks."
Obi-Wan laughed too, then leaned down to kiss her, marveling how he'd been in such a state of despair weeks ago, and now felt hopeful for the future. Sure, a future on Tatooine, but a future no less. While the feelings of guilt, failure, and anger still existed, new emotions of hope, trust, and love surged in him.
He kissed Mayli, so very glad she'd chosen the hermitage a hill away, that she'd pulled a blaster on him, that she'd initiated their friendship, that she'd discovered he was a Jedi. Despite the painful experiences which brought them together, something wonderful seemed to emerge.
On Christophsis, the opening act of the Max Rebo concert wrapped up their set, and Dia raised her eyebrows as the surrounding crowd began to chant the Ortolan's name. Soon, the little long-snouted alien appeared, to great cheers, and the concert began. Lingering toward the back, Dia began to scan for Mayli and the auburn-haired, bearded man, hoping they would be at the this first show. After disposing of Mayli, they could take the Force-user back to the base to open the holocrons, perhaps persuade him to join the Scholars. Dia wondered if he knew of his powers, was a trained Sith, or if he accidently stumbled into opening the holocron.
Dia came out of her thoughts and became more aware of the surrounding environment, shocked at the enthusiasm of the crowd for an ugly beast playing rather mundane music. What a gimmick! She eyed the creature onstage, wondering if the Scholars should really invest in Max Rebo. Since he requested to only be paid in food, hence his concerts in eating establishments, he might be a good moneymaker, with little effort. Dia's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Something to consider if they had to follow the tour longer.
Not able to locate Lail, Dia easily found Jac up near the front of the crowd, toward the edge of the stage, surrounded by the admirers he'd gathered over the past several days, playing up his expertise on Max Rebo. Dia watched as, from time to time, he'd scan the crowd. Despite all the little tarts around him, he seemed to be diligent in his search of Mayli and her consort. Good boy.
Walking into the foyer, Dia didn't see the pilot there either, just heard the thumping of the bass, the roar of the crowd. A group of middle-aged Givins rushed in, apparently upset at being late. Dia just shook her head. Max Rebo better enjoy the fame now; he would mostly likely end up playing in some crime lord's personal cantina in a few years.
Entering the concert again, she weaved through the crowd and found Jac walking beside her.
"Nothing yet," he said in a low voice. "I don't think this is the place. Sometimes I get a sense of déjà vu when I come to the point where a future vision becomes the current moment. I don't feel…"
"Hey Jackie, baby, come back over here!" yelled a scantily clad young woman, waving her hand for Jac to return to the group near the stage.
"In a minute," Jac said in a light, happy voice, quite unnatural coming from his mouth. He turned to Dia. "I saw Lail across the room. Doesn't look like he's spotted anything either."
"What did the man look like again?" asked Dia.
"Maybe just younger than middle age, fit…the hair was distinctive, full beard, not even close to balding," he said, thinking. "That blonde-red color." He nodded in the direction of his group of women, chuckling. "Like the one Number Three seems to be attempting but failing."
"Number Three?" asked Dia.
"Yes, I always take her third. She's a bit wilder than the others. Number One…" he indicated the taller girl. "She's calmer, a good warm-up. And Two, well let's just say…"
"Let's not," said Dia smoothly but looking at him in disgust. While she herself enjoyed using sentients for different reasons, sometimes simply to practice various methods of murder, she found Jac to be indulging a bit too much in his sexual desires.
Jac suddenly seemed to realize he'd been speaking very informally, and he cleared his throat, standing up a bit straighter. "I apologize, Master Dia."
Dia waved him off and walked away, weaving again through the crowd. No Mayli, no companion. Just a growing headache.
Obi-Wan and Mayli sat in the evening, studying their cards, finishing up their last hand of sabacc before turning in for bed. Mayli told him a story about her first time piloting a ship through hyperspace.
"And my dad said," she paused, then deepened her voice in imitation of a man, which still had a light, feminine quality to it. "Mayli, remember to triple check your coordinates or your ass is going to look like a shooting star."
The couple laughed, but a sudden wave of nausea gripped Obi-Wan. In imitating her father, Mayli's voice sounded like the female calling to him from the holocron. After his previous interaction with the object, she'd hidden it upon his request, hoping to keep it away from him until they could take it to the Dune Sea for destruction.
But suddenly he couldn't help himself.
"Where did you hide the holocron?" he asked.
Mayli's laughter at her father's comment ceased at his drastic change in subject.
"Why?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Well, I just thought maybe…before we destroyed it…I could see who made the cube," he shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant, but his heart knocked in his chest. He wanted the holocron. Now.
"No," she said firmly, then pretended to study her cards.
"Just to look at…"
"No," she said again. "Something happened. You became…something else…when you held it." She studied him. "And I tried to destroy it but couldn't. It's evil and…"
"You tried to destroy it?" he gasped.
"Yes, took a hammer to it. Threw it against the stone walls outside. Nothing happened," she looked at him with so much love, thoughts of his longing for the holocron shifted back to the Light, and he felt the nausea and desperate need sink away. "You don't need that, baby. Not at all. You said you shouldn't touch it, and you won't see it again until we throw it into the Dune Sea. Remember, I take care of you, you take care of me. And right now, I'm keeping you from the Dark Side."
Obi-Wan went back to sabacc, the cards he'd received certainly not a winning hand. Oh well, next time. He threw them down and crossed the table to Mayli, kneeling beside her and wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Thank you," he whispered, kissing her neck.
Unfortunately, that night brought more thoughts of the Dark Side, Obi-Wan tossing and turning beside Mayli in a half-sleep before slipping into a vivid nightmare. He entered Emperor Palpatine's office at the capital, like he'd done several times while the Sith Lord had been chancellor.
"Ah, yes, Master Kenobi," the Emperor said in his smooth, silky drawl. "Have a seat."
Obi-Wan took a chair across from the man, resisting the urge to pull out his lightsaber, which hung on his hip.
"Well, it looks like Anakin Skywalker chose the Dark Side," Palpatine said matter-of-factly, although Obi-Wan could hear a slight smugness in his voice. "You must feel dreadfully disappointed. Betrayed even."
Obi-Wan stared at his nemesis, thinking about all the time Anakin spent with the Sith, the Jedi wondering what he could have done, could have said, to stop the tide of tragic events.
"Well?" cooed Palpatine's voice in a slight taunt.
"Yes, I feel betrayed. Disappointed," Obi-Wan said, trying to keep his composure.
"But aren't you most upset with Master Yoda?" the Emperor prodded. "After all, shouldn't he have noticed me? Isn't he the most powerful Jedi on the council?"
Obi-Wan didn't speak, realizing fully this was a dream, and Palpatine only echoed Obi-Wan's thoughts and doubts about Yoda.
"Aren't you infuriated…" Palpatine continued, leaning forward with an almost friendly smile, his face undamaged, as Obi-Wan knew him for years. "Aren't you infuriated at Qui-Gon as well…pushing you aside for the Chosen One?" The Sith laughed, a rather unpleasant sound. "And then to have a student thrust upon you…you, barely a Jedi Knight. Trained him to be my disciple." More laughter.
"I was…it was my obligation…what Qui-Gon wanted…and…" Obi-Wan stammered, feeling his fists clench. "Anakin made his choice…I couldn't…" He stopped. He felt his lightsaber, heavy on his hip, and he wanted to ignite it and slash Palpatine through.
"You're angry. So angry. I can feel it," continued the Emperor. "Embrace your anger."
"No," Obi-Wan said weakly, wishing he sounded a bit firmer, but failing miserably.
"Tell that foolish woman you are with to give you the holocron," the Sith Lord continued. "Open it. Find the knowledge within."
"No…I'm not going down that path," he said, his voice still uncertain. What if the holocron could help him restore the galaxy to the Light?
"You are a fool, Master Kenobi," the Emperor said, leaning back and shaking his head. "A failed Jedi Knight who finds peace and solace in a simple woman who is not even Force sensitive, a low-life pilot. Living in a hut instead of your grand temple. Giving your student away." The smile was back. "But there is great power within you. Great indeed. Embrace your anger…at Yoda, at Anakin, at Qui-Gon…at me. Let it become a part of you. You are a powerful man, Master Kenobi. Use your hate of those others, of yourself, to fuel your future. You were one of the great Jedi, now being slowly swallowed by sand. Embrace the Dark Side, embrace your destiny!"
"No!" he screamed, rising to his feet, igniting his lightsaber with a snap-hiss, lunging at the smirking Sith.
He sat straight up in bed, yelling, causing Mayli, snoozing peacefully beside him, to sit up with a startled yelp.
Obi-Wan rose to his feet, wearing only his underwear, and began pacing around his home. Anger boiled though his veins. The Palpatine in his head…that was himself. He needed to get this under control. He needed…
He grabbed his pants, pulled them on, and stormed outside, not even listening to Mayli, who seemed to be saying something. He walked to the ledge overlooking the vast expanse of desert, the first sun just peeking over the horizon.
He employed some breathing exercises he'd often used during meditation. Maybe he should return to his routine of training and meditation, attempt to reach out to Qui-Gon.
Anger continued to boil, the guilt, the failure, the betrayal that haunted him for months before the arrival of Mayli swam in him, and he stared at the rising sun, his blood on fire. He simply couldn't calm down.
"What happened?" came Mayli's soft voice, startling him. She wore her sleep shirt under her robes, her feet bare. The sight of her, the concern on her face, calmed him slightly. "Bad dream?"
"Yes."
"Tell me."
He did, and when he was done, he found her regarding him thoughtfully.
"It's okay to be angry," she said finally. "I am angry beyond belief. I'm glad I met you, but I've lost everything else. And I am angry."
"But I cannot get angry," he said, frustrated. She clearly did not understand. "Anger is the path to the Dark Side."
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's true."
"How would you know?" he snapped, receiving a flash of rage in her eyes in return.
"Because I've been pissed plenty of times in my life and haven't gone out and slaughtered an entire monastic organization," she hissed back.
"But you are not Force sensitive. When you can touch the Force, you…"
"What, are better than everyone?" she said, obviously offended. "Or weaker, letting your emotions at the time define who you are forevermore?"
He opened his mouth to argue but stopped. Goodness, he did think he was better, more special, more capable. Or did he find himself weak, ready to fall into the Dark Side at any moment? His brain became muddled, the mix of emotions swirling within him. And no Master Yoda to process things with.
That ridiculous, stupid Yoda who let all this happen.
Clenching his fists again, he turned from her and stalked off.
"Stop!" she yelled at him. "Obi-Wan, you cannot just push these emotions back. Let these feelings out." She grabbed him and forcefully turned him around, surprising Obi-Wan with her strength. Of course, she had taken on a womp rat with a wall panel. "Say it. What makes you angry?"
"This is ludicrous."
"I'll start," she said, sounding calmer, more formal. "I'm angry that I lost my business. My contacts, everything I've worked so hard for." She paused. "Your turn."
He didn't speak but found himself staring at her. She looked fierce, which suited her, and he felt better. Yes, maybe she was right. She'd been right about so much. He loved her, trusted her.
"I'm angry at Master Yoda for…for…everything!" he shouted at her. "Why didn't he see that Palpatine was the Sith Lord. He was supposed to be the most powerful on the council. How could he not notice?"
"Right, yes! How could he not see it?" she agreed.
"And Qui-Gon…he was wrong. All this time I believed in him, my mentor…and…and…I spent my entire time as a Jedi Knight training Anakin…Qui-Gon was wrong!" he yelled at her, and she nodded.
"My family," she said loudly, in a heated voice. "I'll never see them again. Ever. They think I'm dead. They'll never know." Tears were falling down her cheeks.
"And Anakin…Padme…so stupid," Obi-Wan yelled again. "The clones…they tried to kill me…and…I actually thought we were friends…I…" He took a deep breath. "I felt Anakin was my brother. He…" He looked Mayli in the face, the hot tears falling freely, seeing her crying more as well. "I did everything expected of me. Went above and beyond. And I'm here, in exile. The trainer of a Dark Lord of the Sith, no less, responsible for numerous deaths. I feel…abandoned by the Force." Shocked by his own words, Obi-Wan realized the truth in his statement.
Mayli nodded. "Yes," she said simply.
Then, turning toward the desert, she took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs into the morning air. After running out of breath, she stopped abruptly, her voice echoing in the soft wind.
"Let it out," she told him.
So he did. Taking a deep breath like Mayli, he screamed, gathering his energy from his core to let out the yell into the dawn. He continued his wail until his lungs were completely empty and collapsed onto the ground on his knees, Mayli falling beside him.
His body felt empty of everything, air as well as the anger. Placing his forehead on the ground, hands beside his head, he remained like that for several moments, allowing the air again to fill his lungs. He'd never really emoted like this, always choosing meditation, pushing back the anger, but he had to admit this felt good. Great, actually, releasing the pain into the world, letting it fly away from him.
Obi-Wan suddenly became aware of what he may have looked and sounded like just now, and snapped his head toward Mayli. But she simply sat on her knees, regarding the sunrise. Then she looked at him, her face red from crying.
"Now, what is good?" she asked.
"You," he said.
She smiled. "What else?"
He sighed. "I have a chance to start again, the Jedi, with Luke, and maybe his sister, if they are Force sensitive."
"Yes," she said. "What else?"
He paused. "Master Yoda. I just remembered the last time I saw him. He was…broken. Like me. A failure. But he's still alive…there is hope for the Jedi." He paused again, thinking of dream Palpatine. "And we will learn from our mistakes." He looked at her. How lucky he was to run into such an insightful, intelligent, not to mention sexy woman. "Now you. What is good?"
She smiled, looking back out at the desert. "You. Ithorian perfume. Beating you continually at sabacc." She finally looked at him, mischief in her eyes. "Winning against an oh-so-powerful Jedi Master night after night."
He felt a grin pulling his lips up, and he began to laugh. Hard. His body once again racked with a myriad of emotions. But she was right, it felt so good to let it out into the world. And he didn't feel any closer to the Dark Side. He just felt better.
Lying on his back on the sand, he continued to laugh, tears once again streaming down his face. He finally stopped, and simply lay there with his eyes closed, his body slowly returning to a normal state. When he finally opened his eyes, unaware of how much time passed, he found himself alone, unsure when Mayli departed.
A wise woman, Mayli. He needed a presence like that in his life, wished he had met her earlier. Her words came back from last night – they would take care of each other. Obi-Wan always prided himself on being self-sufficient, but he could now see this was not an admirable trait for someone teetering near the edge. He needed Mayli.
That afternoon, Mayli looked at her meager remaining funds, cringing. Since liquidating her accounts months ago, she'd been running low on credits, with no way to earn more. Well, maybe. Perhaps she should consider work on planet, running transport between towns. Nodding to herself, she made the decision to look into that when they visited Water the next day.
Wishing she had a rich royal to fund her exile, like Obi-Wan, she decided not to tell the Jedi about her worries. He would most likely offer to help, which would make Mayli feel like she was taking advantage of the situation. She wanted him, not his credits. She'd always took care of herself, earned her own money. Now would be no different.
She hadn't seen Obi-Wan all day, but knew he was walking amongst the hills. Mayli felt proud to have helped him that morning, process his feelings. Of course, she learned this from her mother. Don't keep things bottled up, talk to people about your feelings, let it out. Seems the Jedi encouraged accepting things and moving on. But what about when things were difficult to accept, like losing the entire Jedi Order, like Obi-Wan? And the Jedi fear of anger. Not all anger made some turn into Darth Vader. While she wished she owned some of Obi-Wan's powers, she felt grateful not to be raised Jedi.
Smiling at the memory of him laughing uncontrollably, she suddenly realized the suns were beginning to set. Would she see him tonight? They did need to talk about their trip in the morning, when they would leave, who would drive.
An idea swept through her mind, hoping Obi-Wan would be game, and she grinned as she removed her clothing, then put back on her outer robes, making sure to slip on her boots to avoid burning her feet on the sand heated throughout the day.
Walking around, she quickly found him near the ledge opposite of where they'd screamed into the desert that morning, this time watching the suns set, leaning against the rock wall in the shade. He's spread out his outer robes to sit on, and simply looked out to the horizon.
Sitting down next to him, she noticed he looked a lot better than when he awoke that morning.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Excellent," he said. "My mind is…not as troubled, although, I think I will always be a little…angry."
"You have a right to be," she said simply. She nudged him with her shoulder playfully. "Want to fill your mind with something else?"
"I'm not sure if I'm in the mood for sabacc. And those holocomedies I bought are dreadful," he said.
She giggled and stood up before him, blocking his view of the suns and letting her robe slide to the ground, now naked except for her boots. She saw his eyes widen and take on that hungry look she'd become familiar with the past week. Oh yes, he was quite sexy indeed. She felt herself begin to throb as he regarded her.
Standing up, Obi-Wan walked toward her, reaching out his hands to put on her hips. "Mayli…you are so beautiful. And wise."
"What?" she laughed. "Wise?"
"Yes, you getting me to emote…to release my anger, my disappointment," he said. "You were right."
"Ah yes, the three little words all women love to hear," she purred as she pushed her body into his, and he kissed her deeply.
Suddenly pulling away, he looked at her shocked. "Mayli, what if someone sees? We're out here in the open."
The couple turned and glanced across the desert, seeing absolutely nothing but sand. She turned back to Obi-Wan, and they both laughed as she tore at his shirt, and he began to remove his pants.
Down to just his underwear, he picked up Mayli and placed her beside him on his robes, Mayli delighting in his strength. Lying beside her, his fingers immediately moved between her legs, finding her clitoris, and stroking her there as he moved half on top of her, sucking and nipping at one of her nipples, then switching. She arched her back, pleasure rolling through her. But they were moving too fast…but goodness, he was making her wet.
"Mayli…my wise desert flower," he said, moving up to her lips, his mouth warm on hers.
"Obi…we…slow down…ah yes," she moaned as he removed his fingers and pressed his erection against her, still covered by his underwear.
"Slow down?" he mumbled, his face now hovering over hers. "Mayli, I'm just emoting, like you taught me. Letting it out."
She giggled. She enjoyed when he was playful, as he still had a bit of a formal sensibility about him most of the time. He disengaged himself from her and sat up, his back against the stone wall, legs stretched out in front of him, the bulge in his underwear beckoning to her. She lay beside him.
"I just want to enjoy you," she said, her eyes moving from his face to his hardness and back again.
"Same here," he said.
She moved up to sit on her knees in front of him. "So, maybe take one thing at a time."
"Okay," he said, looking at her intensely before blatantly ogling her bare breasts.
After staring at each other for several seconds, Mayli's body getting hotter by the moment, she decided slow was not an option for either of them, especially as he absentmindedly ran his tongue over his lips.
Surprising him, she moved quickly, pulling his underwear down and straddling him at the waist, her opening pressed against his ready penis. The position was delicious for both of them, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, his back still against stone wall. He looked up to kiss her briefly before biting at her nipples.
"Mayli, I must admit, I always did find breasts pleasant to look at," he mumbled in between her cleavage. "But I never realized how touching them, kissing them, biting them, could make me feel."
"And…me…yes…too" she barely got out as he continued his attack. She arched her back, and found herself automatically grinding against his erection. "Obi-Wan…you are so hard…I want…"
"Yes, inside," he groaned.
She shifted a little in her sitting position and gasped as he thrust himself inside. He also moaned deeply. Mayli rode him in a steady motion, feeling her orgasm build deliciously. He'd stopped his work on her breasts and simply groaned in a steady rhythm as they moved.
Mayli felt her orgasm explode and she cried out, shocking herself with the loud volume. She opened her eyes to see him grinning broadly at her, a look which prolonged the feeling.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you," she said, the intense climax consuming her for several moments before beginning to subside. She ran her hands up through his hair, grasping it tightly, pulling him in to kiss him hard.
He moved suddenly, Mayli soon finding herself on her back, Obi-Wan thrusting into her roughly, grunts and her name and I love yous coming from him. His intensity, his want, his need, sent a deep shudder of pleasure through her, and she moved with him, giggling in between groans. He finally released with a deep gasp, Mayli feeling his member throb within her, a pleasant warmth fill her. She felt so close to him, like they were one in the same, and as he lay gently on her, reclaiming his breath, she ran her hands softly along his back, feeling in absolute peace.
Then they heard it, the sound of machinery. A distant whir. The couple's eyes met, both wide, then they scrambled from their position, both pressing themselves against the rock wall just in time to see a starfighter soar over. They stared out after it, Mayli recognizing the symbol for the Empire painted on the back of the ship before it got too far away.
"I don't know that style or brand," she said.
"Me neither," shrugged Obi-Wan, then turned to her. "Patrols?"
She nodded. "Guess they noticed Tatooine."
"Let's hope we're not that interesting," he said, his eyes still on the distant ship. He laughed. "Hopefully the pilot didn't get a show."
"Well, if he did, I say you performed very well," she teased, pulling on her robe and boots as he dressed. She looked over to see his face burning scarlet, and smiled. Simply adorable.
The next day in Water, Mayli and Obi-Wan expected some sort of Imperial presence, but found none. The town remained sparsely populated, and they gathered their items quickly. Mayli carefully budgeted her money, hoping Obi-Wan did not notice, and he visited the bank himself for some credits, spending them freely.
"How were the Jedi funded?" she asked him as they locked up her landspeeder and headed toward their final errand, making an appointment with Jabba the Hutt at the small office near the oasis.
Obi-Wan looked thoughtful. "The Republic. We also had donors across the galaxy." He laughed. "You know Mayli, I never really thought about it before."
How nice for you, Mayli thought, trying not to feel spiteful. But she remembered him being removed from his family before he even knew them, and she felt a bit embarrassed by her previous feelings. He'd lived a very different life from her.
Obi-Wan stopped just before entering the office. "I think maybe you should make and go on the appointment by yourself. I will come, of course, just not go inside the palace."
"Why?"
"My face may not be unfamiliar to some of Jabba's people," he said, concerned.
Mayli remembered some of his stories and nodded, about to enter the office when she spotted a flyer hanging in the door. She pointed to it and smiled back at Obi-Wan.
"Look Ben," she said. "The Max Rebo concert. Just a couple more weeks."
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at the blue creature. "I'll trust your opinion in music, Mayli.
After going back and forth with a rather bedraggled looking human female for nearly ten minutes, Mayli scheduled a two minute meeting with Jabba the Hutt at his palace in eight standard days. Walking back outside to meet Obi-Wan, she felt a bit of relief. She'd spent the past couple of days hiding the holocron in various places, hoping he wouldn't find it, resist the urge to look. The sooner that dreadful cube was gone, the better. She was responsible for bringing the Dark object to him to begin with, and he did not need to be around something so toxic. He'd asked about it several times, and his tone always seemed unnatural, intense. He needed to be away from the blasted thing. She would take care of him, as promised.
Joining Obi-Wan and kissing him lightly on the lips, she took his hand and they headed toward her landspeeder, ready to go home.
Author's Note: In the next chapter, one of Jac's future visions meets the present, and Mayli finds herself confronting the Dark Side.
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