A few weeks later…
Xavier and Wolffe stood in front of the terminal of the briefing room. He was scanning for biosignatures on Aleen so that they could drop off their supplies, but his check-in with Senator Amidala and Master Yoda was to take place any moment now.
"Commander Xavier," Padme greeted, "we've been waiting for your report."
"We've located clusters of life-forms on the planet's surface, Senator," Xavier explained, "There are thousands of survivors." Padme sighed in relief,
"That is good news. The Aleena will be very glad to see you," she said, Xavier nodded with a weary smile. He hadn't slept in a while with the continued missions, all of the 104th men were exhausted. Wolffe interjected, putting a hand on the sleepy Zabrak's shoulder,
"Yes, well," Wolffe sighed, "our orders are to get them on the path to rebuilding and move on. General Plo needs reinforcements as soon as possible."
"Your orders stand," Yoda affirmed, "With hope leave them, but return to the war, you must." Wolffe nodded,
"Yes, sir. We'll start landing procedures immediately." The image of the senator and Jedi fizzed away as he put his helmet back on and started heading for the hanger. "You gonna be able to stay awake for this mission?" Xavier glanced up at his Captain,
"We'll see how it plays out," he replied, they entered the hanger where clones and mechs alike were moving crates of food and medicine between the gunships and into the corvette-class shuttles. C3PO and R2 boarded a gunship along with a group of clones. As the clones boarded, one of the clones forcefully sat C3PO onto some of the supply crates. He recoiled dramatically,
"Must you be so rough?" The clone patted the translator droid on the shoulder,
"Oh, you think this is rough? Wait till we get to the surface." He walked off and held onto one of the grips.
"Leave 'em alone Wildfire," Xavier mumbled, grabbing onto the grip.
"Sir yes sir," Wildfire replied, giving Xavier a mock salute.
"Traipsing through a natural disaster zone is not my kind of diversion, R2," C3PO looked down at his partner to see him spinning in mockery, "Well you may be game for an adventure, but I certainly am not."
"You'll be fine Threepio, it's not an active warzone," Xavier replied, as the gunship pulled out of the hangar. Boost came over and slapped the back of the golden droids shoulder,
"Suck it up shiny."
"That will leave a mark," C3PO complained, As the platoon made for the surface of the planet, a lone Aleena riding a flying insect pulled up beside them,
"Kazabanee!" He yelled ecstatically in greetings. The Aleena took off in front of the gunships motioning for them all to follow. Warthog watched the scene as he piloted his gunship,
"Great," He sighed, "It's gonna be another one of those planets." He directed his gunship to where he had seen the Aleena descend. As the platoon landed, the 104th began unloading the crates of supplies as Xavier and his entourage met with the leader of the settlement. Nine small Aleena approached the, but one with a headdress stood out among them. He crossed his arms before the discussion began, and the leader stepped out to greet him.
"Hiro ra mak tik, shi faa zee Manchucho." He said waving his staff in the air excitedly, "Su top pik gee poshi-ne, teep?" he finished with his arms wide open in embrace. Xavier was too tired for this,
"Alright, who packed the translator droid?" he asked, forgetting that Threepio had been on his gunship.
"Hello! Hello!" The golden droid waved from behind a clone carrying supplies, "I'm here, Commander." He walked up toward the Aleena, thrilled to meet the species, "Oh, hello, um…Hiro, de treepo pan Repabolic. De poshi-ne su teep." The leader ran under C3PO and hugged one of his legs, "Oh, my, a local custom I suppose. Interesting." He let go and started dancing around, "Kana do, kana do, teep teep! Su faa zee Manchucho. Mak tik poshi-ne." Xavier glanced from the Aleena to Threepio,
"Uh… did you get all that?"
"Certainly I did. Commander Grerum, you have the honor of meeting King Manchucho," C3PO chuckled at Manchucho's exaggerated wave, "His message simply put is, welcome to our disaster. Glad you could come." Wolffe snorted, Manchucho turned to address the Aleena behind him,
"Su top pik gee pan kana aneema! Ratingda hota thrit rish ata!" He bounced as he spoke. C3PO translated for Xavier, "They will save us and feed our stomachs. The gods below will know peace once more." The Aleena cheered and chanted behind him as he talked, "They are expressing gratitude, Commander. The chant I a rather flowery way of asking, 'What's for dinner?'" Wolffe snorted again,
"How bout I leave you with them, you seem to like them very much." Xavier teased,
"Shut it Wolffe pup," Suddenly the ground began to shake, the clones, C3PO, and Aleena all struggled to find their footing.
"Commander" Xavier's comlink buzzed, "We're experiencing some settling from the original event. It's to be expected." Xavier nodded,
"An aftershock everyone." The Aleena stirred in panic, C3PO tried to calm them,
"Uh, no, no, please remain calm. I repeat uh, kata om teep. Kata om teep." Soon enough the ground stopped shaking. The Aleena shared glances between one another, then broke out into wild applause for their golden savior. "Oh, well, yes yes yes, Thank you. It wasn't actually me but thank you anyway."
"Trooper squads," Xavier turned to his men, "Scan for unstable ground. Mark unsafe areas." They scattered to carry out the order, "Let's get these cans unloaded!" The guns and landing shuttles dropped their loading platforms as clones and mechs alike brought waves of supplies down to the surface. Wolffe and Xavier walked with the Aleena and C3PO to explain their role in their restoration, though he was talking more to C3PO than to the Aleena. "Access and repair of their mainframe computers is job one. The R2 unit has uploaded the Republic's reboot manuals with instructions on how to make the equipment we're leaving operational." C3PO relayed the information,
"Ping, koso san koko to mana shey-bui." The Aleena gathered around him eager to hear what he had to say, "Artopey pik top gata Repabolic, myo na awa fan jeezzy." Manchucho raises his staff toward the droid,
"Kana do! Kana do! Do rish za nya?" The others nodded in agreement with his question.
"Do awanee. Do awanee." C3PO responded. The group all asked the same question,
"Rish za nya? Rish za nya?" C3PO turned to Xavier,
"They are asking if we 'would make peace in the ground.'" Xavier smiled at them,
"We're good, but not that good," He turned and called one of his men, "Sinker." The sergeant rushed over with Boost,
"Commander?"
"Take your team, the R2 unit, and a couple of Aleena to the mainframe station," Xavier pointed to the building in ruin with a large dish on top. "Let's get them back online."
"On it sir," He addressed Aleena, "All right little fellas, let's go."
"You've grown up," Wolffe remarked, he was right. Wolffe remembered the firstly shy youngling who'd gotten increasingly more loud as he warmed up. The kid had no idea how to be a Commander and had asked a thousand questions. Xavier hummed,
"That's what happens when time passes," he joked, Wolffe rolled his eyes,
"You know what I mean," Xavier nodded,
"You're part of the reason for that, you taught me how to lead. Guess what I'm trying to say in too many words is thank you,"
"You're welcome kid," he said, Xavier's comlink beeped.
"It's Jade," he'd managed to get a transmitter out to his sister so they could stay in contact, "I've gotta take this, can you handle all of it while I'm gone?"
"Remember who taught you how to be a Commander kid," Wolffe grumbled, Xavier rolled his eyes,
"I'll take that as a yes, I'll try to make it quick but Jade's a chatterbox."
"Guess it runs in the family," Wolffe said,
"Hardy har, I'll be back in a minute," and with that, the young Zabrak disappeared around the corner to answer his sister.
A few minutes later…
Wolffe and Xavier patrolled the market square, his helmet tucked under his arm while he told C3PO and Manchucho the details of the operation,
"We've marked out areas for a temporary hospital and a communal kitchen there," Wolffe pointed to a group of tents being put up. C3PO looked down to King Manchucho to explain,
"Do fata ura-to do-ra-ta za aneema." Manchucho shook his head and held his hands up,
"No-te! Some ree tee, some ree tee. Hi do pata rish mee-o,"
"The Aleena feel great shame," C3PO said, "He is saying, first, peace must be restored." He struggled to interpret the next phrase Manchucho has spoken as the king tried to aid him by pointing at the ground. "We must go inside- uh, under, inside." Manchucho shook his head at 3PO's translation, "He says no to the kitchen."
"This is a relief mission," Wolffe huffed at them,
"Maybe they don't allow public eating," Xavier suggested, Manchucho interrupted them,
"Po neeta soong meetee, soong meetee," He began bowing to the ground in worship, "hi do pata rish mee-o." Wolffe rolled his good eye,
"Do I need this?" he asked, Xavier shot him a look. The rest of the Aleena followed suit with their king,
"Hi do pata rish mee-o, hi do pata rish mee-o." Wolffe looked at the ritual, he didn't have time for this,
"Here's how it is, my orders are to deliver supplies and reestablish power and communication systems. Report back to the transport the moment that R2 unit has completed the download." He put his helmet back on his head and left the Aleena to continue chanting. "Tell them we'll be out of their hair in no time."
"Splendid, a firm hand," C3PO said, "Well done Captain, if I may say, well done."
A few hours later…
"Where is that blasted droid?" Xavier grumbled as the Aleena continued to yell at him in a language he couldn't understand. It was like when Esinon was younger and she would forget she needed to speak Basic for everyone to understand her. He rubbed his temples, "Boost! Do you know where Threepio is?"
"No sir, Sinker, and I will go look for him," the soldier replied, grabbing his brother's arm and dragging him off.
"Commander!" Sinker yelled, "We found him!" Xavier made his way to their position and peered over the crater. "Ey Shiny! You two finished with the repairs on the computer system?"
"My good sir, you may not realize it, but we have been on quite an adventure," Threepio replied happily,
"Really…Quite an adventure, huh?" Sinker drawled, the golden one was always being dramatic, "Get a load of this one," He said to his men. The Aleena were jumping with joy around the droids, clearly, they had just gotten distracted,
"Come on Threepio! We're leaving!" Xavier shouted, he turned to head back towards the camp. "I need a nap,"
"I'll cover for you," Wolffe replied as they both climbed into the gunship. The Zabrak gave a nod of thanks, Manchucho followed behind them as they were boarding,
"Do rish za nya! Kana do! Kana do!" C3PO turned to speak,
"You are most welcome, Your Majesty," He could see Xavier and the other clones turn around to board the ship, "Just doing our job in service of the Republic." He inched backward, not to be left behind.
"Threepio! Come on," Xavier snapped,
"I am coming Commander," the droid replied, tottering into the gunship all while arguing with his astromech friend.
"No, R2. I will tell the story. No one understands you anyway." C3PO and R2 both boarded the vessel, R2 whirred in disagreement. "It's only proper. I am the one who solved the riddle. I should be the one to relay the story." Wolffe and the others huffed as the two droids bickered…this ride was carrying two droids too many. C3PO continued as Wolffe shook his head, "I will of course report on your individual heroics. Do you think Senator Amidala will hold a state banquet...oh dare to dream R2, dare to dream." Wolffe tuned them out and turned to Xavier,
"As soon as we rendezvous with Master Gallia, we're offloading those two…"
"I couldn't agree more," he mumbled, rubbing his temples. Who thought a relief mission could be so exhausting?
A few months later…
"As we all know the Festival of Light is happening in four months. This morning we received a transmission from Quinlin Vos regarding this matter," Master Windu said, the council chamber darkened and a hologram of Quinlin appeared,
"Masters- I was right. Cad Bane is planning to attack the Chancellor but is not planning to do so until the Festival of Light. It's a long term, complicated plot. He's looking to hire someone to help him, I've attached a list of ten people he's considering." Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, the Chancellor wasn't his favorite person in the galaxy, but he had a duty to fulfill. "This is an inside job, whoever you pick needs to be a good shot, and knows how to sway someone with words-" the hologram of Quinlin looked behind him, he gave a quick salute and the transmission cut out. The lights came back on and the room stayed in silence.
Obi-Wan's stomach flipped, four months. Four months of undercover work. He knew it had to be him, but he was really wishing that it didn't have to be. Obi-Wan glanced at Mace to confirm his suspicions. The Master didn't look at him immediately, he stared at the floor before slowly nodding his head. Obi-Wan swallowed hard, he really didn't want to do this.
"Holy kriff," Master Fisto murmured,
"We can't take him away from his padawan," Master Allie said, "Esinon needs continued training,"
"She will continue to be trained," Mace said, rubbing his hands together. He wasn't very comfortable with this plan either.
"We don't have a choice," Master Mundi interjected, "If we don't save the Chancellor the war could be over as we know it." Everyone began to bicker, their voices growing louder and louder as Obi-Wan's dread grew.
"Do I have any say in this?" he asked, looking up from the ground. The room silenced, he tried to force a smile but failed miserably. "How do you know I will even be able to complete the mission?"
"Die you will, and take on Rako Hardeen's face." Master Yoda explained, Obi-Wan's heart clenched,
"How?"
"Hardeen has been hired to shoot you down. Once this has happened, you'll take a vital suppressor. You will be dead to the galaxy." What would Esinon think? What would happen to her? He knew Anakin wouldn't be happy, but he was an adult and could take care of himself. Esinon was still a girl. Would the 212th get taken out of service? Would they hear of his 'demise?' Probably, when a Jedi died, word traveled fast. Four months was a long time to be away from everything.
"What if I say no?" Obi-Wan asked, he wasn't one to usually argue with the council, because he was Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Jedi Order's poster child and a poster child doesn't argue with the council.
"Do this you must, for the good of the order." Master Yoda said,
"For the good of the order?" Master Gallia snapped, "You've all become political, caring more about petty politics more than morals!"
"Says the diplomat," Master Kolar shot back,
"Excuse me," she gasped, the voices of argument rose higher and higher as Masters turned against one another, and Obi-Wan resisted the urge to shrink into his seat.
"IF," Obi-Wan's voice silenced everyone, "If you promise that both my padawan and my men are cared for, I will take the mission."
"I can take Esinon on as my padawan while you are away," Master Fisot offered, Obi-Wan nodded, that's who he would have chosen anyways. Esinon looked up to Master Fisto as a father, she would be happy there.
"The 212th will be put on extended leave until you return. Esinon will go on missions with Master Fisto, and that will be the end of that." Master Windu said, "This meeting is adjourned," the council room doors opened and everyone filed out. Obi-Wan stayed in his seat, trying to take everything in.
"Worried you are," Master Yoda said, "Concerned for you padawan,"
"Yes, well I've never left Esinon alone for this long," he replied,
"Not alone she is, has Skywalker, Tano, and Fisto to watch her."
"I know, I know, I just…" he kept the last bit to himself, 'I don't want her to think I've abandoned her,'
"Learn to let go she must, far too attached she is," Master Yoda replied, "Cares for others she does but is not willing to let them go." Obi-Wan disagreed, Esinon loved people. He thought it was one of her best qualities, how she saw the best in everyone and tried to love them despite their failings. "Learn this through your death she must." Obi-Wan sat up a little more,
"You're testing her?"
"Kill two birds with one stone we will," and with that, the small Master left the room. Obi-Wan sat back in shock, placing a hand on his forehead, sometimes he really wished he had left the order when Satine asked him to. He was in too deep now to turn back,
"Esinon, please forgive me," he whispered,
That night…
"Master, are you alright? You've been quiet," Esinon said, fiddling with some code for an update on Spinner. Obi-Wan glanced at her from the spot he had just been staring at on the wall.
"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing, just lost in thought I suppose," he replied,
"Master, next week, there's this small festival that's happening here on Coruscant. Korkie and Duchess Satine are going to be there, and I thought it would be fun if we all went together." Esinon said, Obi-Wan froze for a second. He was going to die tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to go to that festival.
"Uh, next week?"
"Yes, do we have something scheduled then?" she asked tentatively,
"Well, we can see, I can't say we won't be deployed, but if it works out for us to go, I don't see why not," he said, forcing a smile. Esinon grinned,
"Great! I'll go tell- no one because I'm going to bed," she said quickly, "Goodnight Master, I'll see you in the morning,"
"Goodnight padawan mine," he said, watching her leave for her quarters. He was feeling more and more anxious with every passing minute, he didn't know if he could do this. He had to, he had to, for the good of the Republic. But how could he do this to Anakin? To Ahsoka… to Esinon?
The next night...
"What's the big rush?" Anakin asked as they walked back towards the temple.
"The council has called another emergency meeting," Obi-Wan said, Anakin sighed,
"I can see it now, another long boring debate." Ahsoka laughed,
"Would you rather they call you in to teach younglings?"
"Are you crazy?" Anakin asked,
"Yeah, they would probably all be reckless and destroying within the first five minutes." Esinon joked,
"Well I'd like to see you try Speedy," Anakin huffed, she laughed, a blast came from above, all the Jedi ducked, running for cover. More fire rained down upon them, Obi-Wan guarded his face as another shot came dangerously close to him,
"Did anyone see where that shot came from?" Ahsoka peeked around her box,
"A sniper, I see him up there," she said, pointing a finger,
"Alright, here's the plan. Anakin, you flank him on the right, Ahsoka you on the left, Esinon cover the lower streets, I'm going after him." they all gave a firm nod in agreement, before taking off. She ignited her lightsaber, bobbing and weaving through the people in the lower streets, keeping her eyes glued on the sniper. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke,
"I lost him, does anyone have eyes?" she asked into her comlink, shifting her gaze around for the assassin. She caught the sniper too late, he fired a shot. A pained yell echoed through the streets from her master, he stumbled over the edge, crashing in a whole bunch of boxes.
"Master!" she cried,
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin yelled,
"I got him, go!" Esinon shouted, running over to her Master. She pushed away the boxes, "Master! Master are you alright?" she yelled pulling his body from the boxes, his breathing was staggered and weak. She could see red staining his cream robes, blood. His body lay on top of her knees, she held his head, he lifted a hand brushing some of her hair out of her face.
"I'll always… be with you," he whispered before he gave his last breath. She felt their bond shatter, the warmth, the kindness, it was gone. All of it. She'd felt darkness before, but not like this. This was cold and empty, and numb.
"Master? Master! Obi-Wan! Please!" she sobbed, pressing her forehead to his, "Don't leave me," Anakin jumped down,
"How is he?" she looked up, tears streaming down her face, she opened her mouth to speak but all that came out was a strangled noise that fell somewhere between a sob, a gasp, and a scream. He knelt down,
"Obi-Wan?" he shook his former Master, "Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan!" Anakin's screams echoed through the streets, police swarmed the area, and paramedics arriving a few moments later.
Esinon didn't move, she just sat uncharacteristically still, staring down at her blood-covered hands and robes. The blood of her Master was now all over her body.
She was vaguely aware of Master Windu and Fisto arriving, of Anakin yelling and struggling, or Obi-Wan's body being removed from her arms, of Ahsoka sobbing.
Everything fell into an automatic response, as Master Fisto gently brought her to her feet and guided her into a ship. She wasn't sure where Anakin or Ahsoka were, but she didn't have the strength to worry or ask.
The next thing she was aware of was Master Fisto's apartment. It smelled familiar. Like caf and seawater. A stark difference from her own apartment where everything smelled like honey-lemon tea, and starfighter grease.
She sat down on the couch, her back straight and stiff like she would have as a youngling when she was about to see Master Windu or Master Yoda.
As her eyes shifted around the apartment she spotted a photograph of her and Nadar from when she was about five. Suddenly she was really wishing Nadar was here.
Her first tangible experience of a brotherly figure… well other than her Ewok brother on Endor. She missed him sometimes, he'd been the only one in their tribe who wasn't scared of her.
She was missing a lot of people all of a sudden, maybe to distract herself from the fact that her Master was dead.
The next morning…
She didn't remember falling asleep last night, but she woke up in Master Fisto's apartment, still on the couch.
"Yon kri tas, are you hungry?" Master Fisto asked softly, seeing she was awake. Esinon shook her head, "You should really eat something," he sat down on the couch next to her,
"'M not hungry," she murmured, her throat clogged with unshed tears.
"Please, you really should eat something," he coaxed, she didn't eat dinner last night to his knowledge. Shock had set in quickly on Esinon and she just couldn't seem to shake it. She looked up at him with a blank stare, her eyes sullen and sad, "Ok, we'll try again later." He passed her a cloak, Esinon knew that the funeral was tonight. Except she didn't know what was happening over at the Senate building where she had just been promoted to General of the 212th legion.
"Can I go back to sleep?" she asked, Master Fisto, sighed, nodding his head. Esinon pulled the blanket back up over her head,
"Sleep well yon kri tas," he said softly, rubbing her shoulder. A few minutes later there was a knock at his door, he stepped outside to find Master Windu.
"How is she?" he asked, there weren't many people in the temple that Master Windu showed great care for, but Esinon happened to be one of those people.
"She still hasn't come out shock," Kit reported, "Doesn't want to eat, only wants to sleep," Mace sighed,
"I'll see what I can do," Mace said, silence fell over them both for a moment.
"Do you… think we're doing the right thing?" Kit finally asked,
"Killing a Jedi was the best option we had, Esinon's tough. She'll survive." the elder Master replied, Master Fisto nodded, now was not the time to be having doubts. Besides they were in too deep to pull back now.
That night…
Esinon stood quietly among the other Jedi, she didn't cry, that wasn't the Jedi way. The only noise in the room was the weeping of Duchess Satine. She glanced over at Anakin, neither of them had said a word since it happened.
She stared at her feet, her cloak covering them slightly. No one saw, but Korkie was gripping her hand tightly the whole time. She just wanted to leave, so badly. Her Master's body descended into the ground, a yellow beam of light shooting up into the ceiling.
Her Master had been given the honor of being buried in the temple, he deserved it, for all of his heroic actions. Her mind was retaken from her former Master when her eyes fell on Master Fisto. Her whole life had changed in an instant, she was padawan of Kit Fisto and acting General of the 212th.
A few Jedi came and paid their respects to Esinon before she ducked out.
"Esinon!" someone called her name, she turned to see Duchess Satine who had come from Mandalore to the funeral. She paused waiting for the Duchess to catch up. "I'm so sorry about Obi-Wan, he always spoke very highly of you." Esinon didn't feel like talking, the Duchess handed her a slip of paper, "This is the frequency to my personal com channel if you need someone to talk to." she pocketed the paper, "He was very proud of you, and the woman you've become." Esinon bit back tears, keeping her composure,
"Thank you Duchess." she said bowing slightly, "I have to go, I have… uh… some pressing war matters to attend too with the 212th. I'll contact you later." She turned to leave but Korkie wrapped her in a hug, he didn't say anything, because he didn't need to. She gripped the back of his cloak tightly trying to keep all the tears from escaping, she finally let go and walked away as fast as she could.
Now she had to deal with the considerably more difficult task of telling the 212th… their General was dead.
She walked down the hall towards the hanger to get a speeder to go to the clone barracks. She didn't feel like running, she didn't feel anything. Just numb, only numb. She finally got to a speeder and sped towards the clone barracks.
She parked outside, but paused for a moment, her emotions surging. Everything was setting in, her Master was dead. The man who felt more like a father to her, than her biological father ever did, was dead. She sucked in a harsh breath, feeling a few tears slip from her eyes.
How was she supposed to tell Cody? The entire 212th that their General, their brother-in-arms, was gone. She was finally coming out of shock, and everything was coming crashing down.
She needed to get off this speeder, she needed to walk into the clone barracks, and she needed to tell her men everything. So that's what she did, she put on a brave face and kept marching.
They probably thought it was just another training exercise since she'd told them to meet in the training room. The Jedi Council had yet to announce anything to the public, but if she turned on the TV she would find images of herself holding her Master's body.
Soon cameras would be shoved in her face trying to get a glimpse at the GAR's newest and youngest General. She wasn't looking forward to that. She wasn't one much for the public eye.
She marched her way down to the training room, pushed open the door, and froze at the entirety of the 212th standing before her. She suddenly felt very, very, small. Cody smiled softly at her,
"Hello Commander," he greeted, Esinon's stomached did a flip, and she swallowed, hard. She could only manage a small wave, as she resisted the urge to phase through that door and run. But Obi-Wan wouldn't have wanted her to run, he would have wanted her to be brave. She would do this for him.
"I… I have something to tell you guys, you might want to sit down," she said slowly, swallowing down another bout of tears and sobs. The troopers of the 212th looked at each other before slowly sitting down. Esinon shifted from foot to foot, "Yesterday, General- Obi-Wan… was killed in action." Cody's heart dropped, it couldn't be, not Obi-Wan. That man has survived so much, "We were walking back to the temple, and- and there was a sniper." Esinon chin quivered, as she bit her lip staring at the shocked faces of her men.
"Did they catch him?" Push asked in between shaken breaths, Esinon shook her head, wringing her fingers. She hurriedly wiped at the welling tears in her eyes,
"I've been… reassigned as General." Those words felt strange coming out of her mouth, "Cody… you'll go back to being Commander, and…" She wanted to tell them that everything would be ok, but she didn't know how to convince people they would be ok when she wasn't ok. Cody saw how Esinon's kept wiping at her eyes and decided to do what was best for everyone.
"Dismissed," he said, the 212th troopers helped each other to their feet and out of the room. Esinon shifted out of the way of the doors, off to the side. Soon it was only her and Cody left into the room. Now she didn't bother to cover up the tears, she was staring at the ground anyways. The tears dripped off her face to form a small puddle on the mats. "General?" she fell into his arms sobbing. Cody hugged the small girl tight, he didn't say anything, he couldn't think straight. Esinon went limp in his grip, her chest heaving with sobs.
They both sank to the ground. Now that it occurred to him, this was probably one of the first times that Esinon got to cry, really cry, grieve Obi-Wan's death for the first time. He could feel anger bubbling up inside of him, that he had to see Esinon like this, that Obi-Wan was dead, that his entire life was turned upside down in an instant. He hugged Esinon a little tighter as her heartbreaking sobs continued,
"I-I failed!"
"Don't blame yourself," he whispered, trying to comfort the sixteen-year-old in his arms.
"I-if I was faster, and s-stronger I could have saved him!" she punched the ground weakly with her fist.
"Don't you dare say that General Kenobi would have never wanted-"
"P-please don't," she whimpered,
"Shhh, I have you, I'm right here." he attempted to soothe, but Esinon couldn't stop the words from spilling from her mouth.
"But what about when you're not here?" Cody paused for a minute, in shock from the words.
"I'm always gonna be here," he mumbled,
"Echo, Gregor, my mother, Obi-Wan, what if you're next?" she moved closer, hanging onto Cody for dear life, almost seeming afraid he would disappear right in front of her eyes. Every single life she had ever lost seemed to crash down upon her, every single person in her life who she had never grieved was grieved for right there, and Esinon was drowning.
The sobs and wails of failure and grief slowly subsided to small choked breaths, and then to soft snores. Cody carefully picked Esinon up and headed towards the mostly empty common room. He set her down in a chair, grabbing a blanket to cover her up.
"Cody, what's wrong?" Rex asked, glancing up from his datapad at the padawan sleeping in the chair not far off. Cody didn't say anything, he grabbed the remote turning on the TV, the holoprojector flickering to life. A male human new anchor, sitting in front of a desk. A picture of Obi-Wan in the corner of the screen. "We interrupt this regularly scheduled broadcast to bring you this breaking news," the screen flipped to a female twi'lek reporter standing in front of the Jedi temple.
"The rumors have been confirmed. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was indeed killed as of twenty-four hundred hours Coruscant standard time. He was shot in the chest by an unidentified bounty hunter." Rex placed a shaking hand over his mouth,
"It can't be," he murmured, it seemed a lot of people were saying that recently. The camera flipped to grainy, raw footage of the chase, Cody could barely make out Skywalker's form, but he could see Esinon darting along the lower streets. A shot fired and hit Obi-Wan in the chest, the footage cut out right before he hit a pile of crates below.
"This is all the footage that has been released, for legality reasons." The twi'lek reported, "Regarding General Kenobi's legion, his padawan Esinon Windcaster," a smiling picture of Cody's now General appeared in the corner of the screen. "Will be stepping up as General,"
"What!" Rex exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. Cody shot him a look and jabbed a thumb at a sleeping Esinon who shifted in the chair. "They can't do that," he said, in a hushed voice. "She's only sixteen, there has to be some rule that forbids the Jedi from doing that."
"I don't think it was the Jedi who did it," Cody replied, motioning to the TV where a video of the Chancellor entering the temple for Obi-Wan's funeral.
"The Chancellor promoted the young Commander shortly after General Kenobi's death," a video of the Chancellor appeared,
"Padawan Windcaster has my full confidence. She has proven herself as a leader many times before, and I'm sure she will lead the 212th to new heights." the video cut out,
"Unfortunately we have not been able to get a statement from the newest General in the GAR-"
"And you won't be getting one if I have anything to say about it," Cody growled and muted the TV. He sat down on one of the couches, placing his elbows on his knees and pressing his head to his fists. Cody sucked in a harsh breath, Rex sat down next to him putting an arm around his older brother. Cody didn't have words to describe the tornado of emotions he was experiencing.
"I- I'm gonna kill him. That sniper- I'm gonna make him pay." Cody snarled, "I'll hunt him down, there's nowhere he can hide."
"I know you want to hunt him down, but General Skywalker is already on that. Besides, Esinon needs you here, now." Cody sighed, feeling a few tears slide down his cheeks.
"I know, I know," he gritted his teeth, "But it hurts,"
"I know," Rex replied, pulling Cody a little closer. "But we'll get through this like we always do, together."
"Together," Cody agreed,
The next morning…
Esinon groaned, trying to stretch but found she was in a very confined position. She sat up, looking around groggily, she was in the clone barracks, in a chair that wasn't meant for sleeping. She vaguely remembered falling asleep here last night, after crying for a very, very, long time.
"You hungry?" she glanced up, to see Rex holding out a plate of food.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she grumbled, running a hand through her tangled hair. She resorted to trying to brush it out with her fingers,
"Because you haven't eaten in almost two days, and you need to eat eight thousand calories a day," he replied, holding the plate out to her again. She grabbed the plate just to appease him, she stared down at the food suddenly feeling very queasy.
"I was really hoping it was just a bad dream," she murmured, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"I know," he said,
"Does Master Fisto know I'm here?" she asked, slowly stirring the food on her plate around, trying to make Rex think she was going to eat any of this. She thought that if she tried to eat any of this, she'd throw up, she felt nauseous anyways from sobbing all of last night.
"Yes, he knows you're alright." Alright wasn't the word that Esinon would use to describe her current mood, "He thought it best to give you some space," Esinon made a noise somewhere between a cough and huff.
"I don't wanna be around Jedi anymore," she grumbled to herself, "Least not for a while,"
"You can stay here for as long as you'd like," he assured her,
"Till I get deployed you mean," Rex flinched, this shouldn't be happening, this wasn't right. She was too young. She was just a kid! Why couldn't the Jedi understand that! "Unless you haven't heard…"
"No, I have," Rex said, Esinon stared down at her food for a moment before returning to her task of brushing out her hair.
"I need a hairbrush," she mumbled to herself,
"I can ask Tup-"
"It's fine," she replied, deciding to pull her hair back instead. She knew she'd regret it later since it would be more tangled even later, but that was a problem for future Esinon. "Is the 501st getting deployed anytime soon?" Rex shrugged,
"We haven't gotten word about anything, things could change."
"They always do seem to do that, just when you're getting settled," Rex knew she wasn't talking about deployment anymore.
"I'm going to go check on Cody. Please just try to eat, a little bit, all I'm asking," he said, rubbing her shoulder. She looked down at her food to him,
"I miss him," she whispered, the blank stare she gave him cut deeper than any wound he'd ever gotten. Suddenly she was that scared little girl on Saleucami again, who had jumped at every little noise. He couldn't think of anything to say, any comforting words he could offer this girl in pain, who had just lost everything.
"Just eat, please?" she stared back down at her plate of food, finally stuffing some in her mouth just to please him. "That wasn't so bad, huh?" She gave him a tired smile, "I'll be right back,"
"Not goin' anywhere," she mumbled through a full mouth, finally realizing how hungry she was. Not eating in two days had taken its toll on the speedster… two days, two whole days Obi-Wan had been gone. It still didn't feel real, none of it felt real. She almost was wishing they would get deployed.
On Kamino when Echo had died, at least she had training to distract herself, now all she could do was sit with her thoughts. It was awful to sit in the darkness, the cold, and the fear that resided where Obi-Wan's bond used to be. She'd known that when one of them died the bond would be shattered, she just didn't expect it to hurt so much. It felt like a piece of her had died, it had. A piece of her had died, Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead, and there was nothing she could do to change that.
One week later…
The gunship rattled and shook as she tightened her grip on the strap,
"Hanging in there General?" Cody asked, she looked up at him and nodded,
"You can do this," she whispered to herself, the doors to the gunship whooshed open and they all sprinted out into the lush jungles of Dantooine, they ducked behind trees, avoiding the droids' fire. She peeked around the tree watching the droids' movements, "Cody, have you men split up and lose the droids in the trees. If we get them to split up it'll be easier for my squad to make a break for the base."
"Your squad?" he asked, she spotted Waxer not far away, and Boil close on his tail.
"Yeah, my squads, actually. Waxer, Boil, can you see me?" she asked,
"We see you, sir," Waxer replied,
"As soon as the droids split up, we're making a break for the base."
"You got it," Boil said, she sprinted out from behind her tree slashing through droids, her blade going through them like a hot knife through butter. This is where she took her rage out. On the field. Where no Jedi was there to judge her, it was just her, her men, the dirt beneath her feet, the blade in her hand, and the droids between her and victory. She could see the droids beginning to split, "Now!" She saw Waxer and Boil come sprinting towards her with their respective squads, they made a break for the base but were met with a new problem. A giant wall that was not on the holo map of the base last time she checked. How did scouts miss this?
"Sir, I don't mean to be a damper on the situation, but how do we get past this?" Boil asked,
"I'm formulating," she mumbled, it was too thick to cut through with a lightsaber, and they didn't have grappling guns to make the climb with… phasing! "Ok, here's the plan, we'll have to be quick, but I'm gonna phase us through."
"Grab hands everybody!" Waxer called, Esinon grabbed Waxer and Boil's hands, closing her eyes trying to concentrate on going into a phase. Deep breath in- gunfire- exhale- I lost him!- inhale- Obi-Wan!- exhale, she felt herself vibrate a few times but she couldn't, she couldn't phase.
"General," Waxer said, with urgency in his voice, her eyes whipped open as the pounding of droid feet grew closer,
"I can't do it," she muttered, hanging her head in shame, she should be better than this.
"Do what!" he shouted as the pounding filled their ears.
"I can't phase! We have to go," she said, making for the dense jungle, the troopers following after her. Obi-Wan wouldn't make this mistake, he would have known about the wall, and if he didn't, he would have come up with a plan that worked. He wouldn't have frozen up because of all the memories… all of those memories. They met up with Cody and the Republic was pushed back away from the base, she needed to come up with a new plan, and fast.
"General, are you ok?" Cody asked, laying a hand on the stiff teenager,
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just trying to figure out a way to get past that wall,"
"We have detonators," he replied,
"We do?" she perked up, he could practically see the gears turning in her brain. "Ok, ok, I'll take the charges and set them along the wall, the second that thing comes down, make a break for the base."
"Yes sir," she ran off to find the charges and headed for the wall, she quickly and strategically set the charges, they didn't have many so she needed to make them count.
She finished quickly and made it to a safe distance, but she was still close enough to see, she wanted to watch this, and take glory in watching the Separatists burn. Just as she was about to press the detonator a sharp pain stabbed through her shoulder, she whipped around to see a trio of commandos emerging from the bushes.
She pulled out her lightsaber deflecting a few bolts, her arm starting to go numb. Nerve damage, she guessed, Rex had complained about the same thing on Saleucami.
She stabbed her saber into the first commando, but she fell to the ground as another blaster bolt seared through her skin. She reached out with the force crushing both droids under her fist, she dragged herself to the dropped detonator and pressed the button.
The wall came down in a fiery blaze, she smiled to herself as it collapsed, she pressed her comlink,
"Cody, you have to storm the base yourself, I'm injured," she said, the adrenaline fading and the searing pain starting to set in.
"Sir, are you alright?" he asked panickedly,
"Just go! I'm fine!" she shouted, angrily ending the transmission, the anger quickly melted to sadness and pain. She buried her head in the crook of her elbow, "I'm not fine," she whispered, as tears streamed down her face.
A few days later…
Ahsoka rammed into Esinon hugging her tight, Esinon's first instinct was to assume something was wrong.
"Ahsoka, are you ok?" Anakin had been distant since Obi-Wan's death. If anything she thought it would bring the three of them closer, not push them apart.
"We caught him, Hardeen, he's in prison Esinon!" she exclaimed, relieved. She froze for a second,
"You... you caught him?"
"We found him in a bar, he's going to prison for a very, very long time." the togruta said, Esinon didn't say anything for a moment. She forced a smile,
"That's great Ahsoka, that's really good news," she whispered, but deep down Esinon didn't feel any more relieved. Putting her Master's killer in prison didn't bring Obi-Wan back. A deep dark part of her wanted Hardeen dead, and even further down, was the fact that she wanted to be the one who did it. Without Obi-Wan's bond, everything felt so dark.
Obi-Wan didn't like this place. Correction, he hated this place. Naboo. He couldn't stand the planet. Where Qui-Gon died, where he met Maul, where he was given the responsibility of Anakin.
He'd had so many nightmares of this place, so many times he had to relive the worst day of his life, again, and again, and again. He was walking through the halls again, everything silent except for the tapping of his boots.
He could hear someone humming, eerily humming. He curiously followed the noise, the humming getting louder and louder.
He finally made it to the reactor room where he was separated from the source of the noise by red plasma shields.
There was a girl on the other side of the shields, sitting on the ledge, swinging her legs over the abyss that lay below. The reactor core. One of the plasma doors fell and Obi-Wan headed closer.
"Hey, I don't think you should be here!" he called, the girl glanced up at him, "Esinon," he whispered, she smiled at him, continuing to swing her legs.
"I'm ok here, thanks Master," she said happily, "You never talk about this place you know," another plasma door fell and Obi-Wan headed closer.
"I know, but please Esinon, just back away from the ledge," he said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. She fiddled with the end of her robes,
"I'm not gonna fall," she peered over the edge of the reactor core.
"You're not…" he said slowly, she smirked,
"I'm not that stupid," she shifted a little closer to the edge.
"Esinon," he was really wishing that the last plasma door would fall. "Please, come here, I just want to make sure you're alright," he said, forcing a soft smile, he was hoping it would draw her closer. She grinned wickedly,
"Really? You want to make sure I'm alright?' she chuckled to herself, a sad look crossing her face, "You abandoning me says differently,"
"Esinon please!"
"Now you'll know how it feels," she snarled, her eyes flickering yellow and lightning exploding from her hands. The entire reactor went critical,
"NO!"
Obi-Wan shot up in his small cot, staring at the gray walls of the Republic prison. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest, he ran a shaky hand over his now bald head. Esinon was safe… as far as he knew.
He'd tried not to watch the holo news, for fear of seeing her and his guilt resurfacing. What was that? A nightmare… no- a vision? A vision of what? The council promised to keep her out of action, she would be safe. He was sure of it yet he prayed anyways,
"Please stay safe padawan mine,"
A few days later…
"Do you want to play sabacc?" Waxer asked gently, Esinon glanced up from her datapad, most likely reading another mission debriefing. It seemed they had been getting a lot of missions lately, and Esinon was getting quickly overwhelmed.
"I don't really feel like it, but thanks for the offer," she said, smiling tiredly, Waxer nodded, deciding it to leave it alone. Every clone still felt the loss of their former General and the visible sadness of their current General. Esinon had given up a while ago in trying to hide her depression, she focused on her work instead. "I think I'm gonna go to bed, goodnight guys," she tugged Obi-Wan's old cloak around herself tighter,
"Goodnight General," Waxer waved, she gave a nod with a soft smile before heading to her quarters. She sat down on her bed, placing her head in her hands. Every day felt a little more numb, it was better than the immense grief.
She rarely cried anymore, because she rarely thought about Obi-Wan anymore. She missed normal life. She gave a weary laugh to herself, to think she had dreams of knighthood and her own legion.
Being General was hard, and a lot of work. Yes, she had Cody to guide her, but she was wishing that Anakin would help her through all of this. He wouldn't talk to her, and Ahsoka was mostly concerned about keeping up with her Master.
Her Master who was still alive. She couldn't help but feel a bit bitter because Ahsoka had her Master and she didn't. She knew Ahsoka missed Obi-Wan too, but Obi-Wan hadn't been her Master.
Everyone was looking to her to be the new Negotiator, but she wasn't her Master. Not in the slightest, she was head-stong and impatient, she often thought with her lightsaber before she tried to use words first. She was anxious, and attached, and afraid. She had a nose for trouble, and Obi-Wan wasn't there to rescue her anymore.
A few days later…
Part of being the head 212th medic was being a psychologist, had Drummer had formal training? No, no he hadn't, but he did read a lot of books. The force knew the 212th needed a psychologist, so when his former General… he wasn't gonna think about it.
Either way, Esinon had changed, and he didn't blame her. Losing someone who was as close to Esinon as Obi-Wan was would mess with her head. He'd also learned that it had been his new General who held her Master's body as he died.
So Drummer did the best thing to do was hold support groups, sometimes soldiers weren't the best about talking to one another unless they were forced to. So Drummer created an environment that felt safe to talk about it, the training room, and the safety circle.
Except there was one person he just couldn't seem to get to go, Esinon. She kept saying something about how it wasn't the Jedi way, and she'd been keeping up with her meditation and she was fine.
Drummer thought otherwise. He'd been keeping an eye on everyone on the Negotiator, making sure no one spiraled too far down. He'd left Esinon alone for long enough, there had been too many missed meals, too many training sessions avoided, too many nightmares. He suspected that she could possibly have PTSD, but he doubted it.
It was more of a heightened anxiety, she was still functioning just fine but her Master's death, and the Jedi council, kriff them, were messing with her head. He was going to say something now, she needed somewhere to not grieve this tragedy alone. So he did something that Cody would have called stupid, which was dragging Esinon, literally, to a support group.
"Drummer where are we going?" Esinon asked, he didn't answer. She'd find out soon enough, she didn't hold a grudge. Well, maybe she did after General Kenobi's death against… you know who. Esinon sighed as she continued to let Drummer pull her down the hallway. "Drummer, I order you to tell me where we're going. the medic stayed silent, with both his former General and Commander hating the medbay, he didn't much care about being ordered around. He opened the door to the training room, where most of the 212th except the flight crew and the injured were sitting in a large circle. Drummer shoved her in, following after her, closing and locking the door behind them. "Drummer…"
"Welcome to therapy, you're staying in here with us while we all work out some emotions. You're free to share whatever you're feeling because we're not gonna tell any Jedi. Just get it out. All of you." the medic instructed, "General, sit." Esinon stayed frozen for a minute, staring at the troopers before Drummer rolled his eyes pushing her forward, she uncomfortably took a seat in between Anchor and Cody. "I'll start, I think all of this is unfair." Drummer began. "Esinon shouldn't have to be a General at such a young age, and the Jedi forcing her to shove her feelings away is just unhealthy and cruel. I wish I could have protected General Kenobi, but don't we all."
Everyone nodded in agreement, Esinon hugged her arms close to her stomach, feeling the itch to just phase right through the wall. She felt uncomfortable here with her men, she'd taken to handling her emotions in private. The last thing her men needed was their General acting like a scared little kid, even if she was only a scared little kid. Bean spoke up next,
"I miss General Kenobi," he said slowly, "I miss his kind smile, and his friendliness," Esinon missed his kind smile too, Boil spoke next. He ranted for a good five minutes before Drummer made him sit back down. Esinon had loosened her tense muscles only slightly. She still felt uncomfortable being here, she didn't want to talk about Obi-Wan. Not yet, it still felt too fresh. Soon everyone had shared and eyes shifted to her. She stared uncomfortably at the ground, every part of being cried out to run, but she was frozen in place.
"I...," she managed to choke out, "I guess… I don't really have words." she paused thinking, "Obi-Wan was the closest thing that I had to a father…" Cody gripped her hand tightly, she hadn't noticed, but it was almost like he was trying to remind her that she wasn't alone. Cody liked to try and ignore it, but he had seen the worried looks on his men's faces when their General didn't show for meals, or training, when the dark circles became more prominent underneath her eyes when she fell asleep in the mess, and common room because once she quit moving she immediately fell asleep due to her lack of it. Esinon stared at the floor, "I-" she bit back tears, she didn't want to cry in front of her troops, she needed to act as a firm ground for them. She didn't say a word more, before anyone could blink she zipped up and phased through the door. "I've got it," Cody said, getting up and heading for the door,
"With all due respect, can I try?" Bean asked this was Esinon's squad, the one she had trained on Kamino. Cody nodded, and Bean headed out the door after the General. Bean walked down the corridors of the Negotiator, heading for General Windcaster's quarters, but it looked like she didn't make it that far. He knew that because she was sitting against the wall, head tucked into her knees, with her arms wrapped around her legs in an impromptu hug.
"General…" Bean said softly, kneeling down in front of her.
"Please go away," she whimpered, wrapping her arms tighter.
"General, we just wanted to apologize if we pushed too far," he said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, she pushed it off
"Bean, please go away,"
"We're just trying-" she bolted to her feet,
"You guys should just quit trying! I'm trying to handle it like a Jedi and you all are making it worse!" she shouted, her face streaked with angry tears, she disappeared before he could even blink. Cody came around the corner, placing a hand on Bean's shoulder.
"Don't take it personally, people get angry when they're grieving," he said,
"I wish I could fix it. I haven't seen her like this since Echo," Bean whispered, he found it hard to sympathize with the Jedi, now that he saw how they handled one of their own grieving. They did nothing. Instead of offering nurturing care to Esinon as she grieved, they told her to push it away. Well, they said to release it into the force, but it seemed Esinon was more just putting it in a box and shoving it into the dark depths of her heart.
"It'll get better, it gets better with time."
Esinon sucked in a harsh breath, everything she was fearing would happen, had happened. So much for not acting like a scared little kid, guess she couldn't keep up the act forever. Obi-Wan had always been better at masking his emotions, the perfect Jedi. Sometimes she wondered how that man was the padawan of Qui-Gon. And now she had yelled at Bean. She didn't mean to do that, the emotions and thoughts just spilled out. She heard a knock at the door, she stayed quiet hoping whoever it was would just go away.
"Esinon, open the door," Waxer said from the other side, she was debating about whether to let him in or not when he interrupted her train of thought. "I'll get Spinner to open the door if you don't," she waved her hand, opening the door. Waxer came into the room and sat down next to her against the wall.
"'M sorry," she murmured, resting her chin on her knees.
"We know," he said, Esinon glanced at him, expecting some sort of pep talk about how everything was going to be alright and we're all in this together, but the talk never came. He just sat there with her, not waiting for something to happen. Obi-Wan used to do this for her when she didn't feel like talking, so they would just sit. Or meditate, whichever she chose first.
"Thanks, Waxer," she said softly,
"Always verd'ika, always,"
Now yall are probably thinking. WHAT THE HECK! OBI-WAN ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD YET! Trust me, there is a method to my madness.
Thanks to eagle eyes98 for helping me write mercy mission.
Did I start writing a self-indulgent Marvel x Star Wars fic. *evil cackle* yes, yes I did.
Next up on let's make canon corner: You know the phrase 'get down Mr. President?' I feel like Wolf pack has a version of that, someone will just shout GET DOWN CAPTAIN and then they all tackle Wolffe. One time someone shouted it during a briefing and everyone just stood there since Plo and Xavier were both there, Plo just smiled and said, 'Well then, get down Captain," and everyone tackled Wolffe
Thank you for reading and make sure to leave a review!