Chapter Thirty-Nine: Cataalda Base: Outcasts
Sixty years of future history was a lot to come to terms with. Obi-Wan felt like he was beginning to acclimate fairly well, at least on an intellectual level. A good immersion in the holocrons and holodocumentaries over several weeks had given him a good idea and what had happened in the past half-century.
While he did know what had happened, he wasn't sure he understood it. It seemed so impossible that things could have fallen so much. The Jedi were virtually extinct because of one man. His friend- his brother - had murdered him and turned to the Dark Side. The galaxy had been ripped apart by war after war.
But even in such darkness, he could see the glimmers of light. The Rebellion was astounding to look upon. The Rebels had faced such hardship, but still persisted. They'd faced against planet destroying weapons and came out on top. They lost friends and loved ones and continued to fight on.
The knowledge that everything he'd worked for in his life was nearly destroyed was like a punch to the gut, but there was still a sliver of hope left.
He found himself drawn to Kaila. There was something comforting in her. Probably it was the thin slice of familiarity. Her Jedi robes and the lightsaber at her side were a sight Obi-Wan wasn't certain he was ready to give up yet. Yes, there were other Force users, but Obi-Wan felt disquieted by Ben and Rey. He supposed he could've turned to General Organa, but she just reminded him of how much time had passed. The daughter of Anakin, Padme and Senator Organa was decades older than him. It was a harsh jolt to his system he needed to get used to.
Obi-Wan had been avoiding the Rebels for the most part. They all needed to take the time to adjust. However, he was feeling isolated and needed companionship. His ease with with Kaila made him decide she was the best person the seek out now that he desired human contact.
He found her by Commander Dameron's X-Wing. She was laying across the nose of the ship while he crouched down near his droid. He was wearing the orange flightsuit all of the pilots did, but the top portion was hanging from his waist, a white undershirt all that covered his chest. Obi-Wan smiled at the waves of happiness that were coming off of them.
"You know you could sit inside the ship to program it," Dameron said with a smirk.
Kaila stretched out her legs. "A bit cramped for me."
"You look like one of the pin-ups my roommate had at flight school." Dameron got to his feet and leaned in towards Kaila.
"Your roommate? Or you?" She laughed, posing like she was a pin-up model. "Quit teasing me or I won't finish uploading Black One's back-up."
"Wasn't teasing." Dameron scooped her into his arms. "I was thinking I should take a holo." He kissed her, laughing.
There was such warmth and joy. But their joy was marred with his own sorrow.
His thoughts turned to Satine. That had been something he could've done without learning from the holocrons. It would've been so much easier if he'd never seen her again. If had only been that one year on Mandalore he remembered. It would have been a bittersweet memory. But the holocrons had told him about their reunion years later. How she had died in his arms.
There were memories of Satine that he couldn't remember. Only a vague sensation of hollow loss.
Kaila swatted at the commander to put her down, before leaning in to give him another quick kiss and Obi-Wan envied her with every fiber of his being. It was a horrible, selfish thought. It was unfitting of a Jedi to even consider. Kaila had been born in a time when the Jedi were nearly extinct. Because of that, she was free to follow her own desires. She could be a Jedi and still openly and proudly share affection with the person she loved.
Dameron's droid- Obi-Wan had discovered his designation was BB-8- had turned and whistled at him. Dameron turned his head. "Master Kenobi. This is a surprise."
"Please, Commander." Obi-Wan stepped forward. "Just Obi-Wan. I'm afraid if people heard you call me Master Kenobi they'd be terribly disappointed. I've caught up on quite a bit of my predecessor's actions. They are very big shoes to fill."
"In that case, call me Poe. You know, no one is sure what to expect from you. I think you'll..."
Obi-Wan found himself looking at Kaila. That envious sensation would not go away. She looked happy. Unburdened. He wondered what her training had been like, her upbringing. Had being a Jedi really changed so much?
"I think you'll surprise everyone," Poe's tone had changed, hardened. Obi-Wan jumped slightly, turning to face the man.
His eyes were narrowed, glaring at Obi-Wan. "So what are you doing here? You haven't been out of your quarters in weeks." He strode to Kaila and put his hands on her hips, still glaring at Obi-Wan. "Kai and I have been getting ready to fight a war. But I guess that's something you don't really understand, right? You've never been in a war before. Because you're from before the Clone Wars."
Obi-Wan wasn't quite certain what had brought on this aggressive bravado- although he had an inkling. He still raised himself up to full height. "I assure you, I have seen quite a bit of combat, Commander. However, it is not something that should be bragged about. One should be ready for combat. But it should be the last option. It shouldn't be used to... Say... Impress women."
Kaila looked over her shoulder. She pushed Poe's hands away from her. "Listen, I don't know why you two are doing this all of the sudden, but can you have your pissing contest somewhere else so BB-8 and I can finish programming this ship? The general wants the squadron ready to fly in three days."
"It's my ship!" Poe protested.
"Okay." Kaila pulled back. "Then I'll leave you to it. Have fun. Obi-Wan, I could use a cup of caf. Would you care to join me?"
Obi-Wan followed after Kaila away from the docking bay. "I must apologize, Kaila."
"You have nothing to apologize for. Poe was trying to antagonize you." She lead them through the corridors. "I don't know what got him in a mood."
"I believe I do," Obi-Wan replied. "I think he saw me staring at you and became a bit possessive."
This caused Kaila to stop dead in her tracks. She slowly turned to look at him, her eyes wide. Her lekku twitched slightly. "You were staring at me?"
Obi-Wan held up a hand. "It was entirely innocent, I assure you. I meant nothing untowards. I was just thinking about how different your life is. How being a Jedi has changed from my time. I found myself rather jealous of your relationship with Commander Dameron. The last few minutes withstanding, you two seem to be quite happy."
Kaila smiled. "He's a possessive jerk and I love him. We're still kind of new. I think it makes him a bit insecure. It doesn't help he's heard me say for years how hot you were back during the Clone Wars."
It was now Obi-Wan's turn for his eyes to grow wide.
Kaila showed no sign of shame. She shrugged. "You're an attractive man who turns up in a lot of my research. I expressed the opinion sometimes. Mostly to bother him... I never thought you'd be randomly cloned and show up with all of your memories. Of all of the things I expected to happen, that was really low on the list."
Obi-Wan's face felt hot. He was surprised at just how forthright Kaila was. "Well... I..."
"I'll leave him dangling for a bit," Kaila replied, not waiting for Obi-Wan to figure out exactly what his response would be. "He's got to learn that I love him no matter who else is around and he doesn't need to be a possessive asshole."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Kaila, I thought you were the person I would feel most at ease with... I'm now feeling very different about that."
"That has nothing to do with the cloning." Kaila winked. "A lot of people feel that way."
Ben felt himself slipping deeper and deeper into his meditation. He'd been working too long with Rose. He needed to shake off the claustrophobic sensation of being trapped inside of an engine for hours at a time. It was hard for people to work on engines up close. There was so much radiation a suit was required, but that made them harder to work on. But Ben was able to hold back the radiation with the Force while he did his work.
Using skills and luck only he could possess, Lando has acquired a Corona-class frigate. It needed a lot of work before it was made into the flagship of the Rebellion. He already knew what his mother was planning to call the ship.
Skywalker did seem like a fitting name for a ship.
But after that work, he needed to be out in the open. He'd gone to a small clearing not far from the base. He could hear the sounds of the forest around them. The world was alive. It was something Ben hadn't had the chance to enjoy for years, since before he'd joined the First Order.
Ben's mind wandered through the base. He felt the emotions of the Rebels... From Kaila's irritation with Poe, to his mother's worry and Rey's...
Rey's emotion's made him sit up straighter. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "How long have you been watching me?"
"I didn't want to disturb you." Rey sat down in front of him. "I was just... You looked peaceful."
"Probably the only time I look like that," Ben knew it was a weak joke, but Rey smiled all the same.
"I like your jumpsuit." She reached out and tugged on the collar of his uniform. "Maintenance staff. I never would've expected that."
"I'm good at fixing things," Ben replied. He reached up and took a hold of her slender hand. He squeezed it tenderly, lacing their fingers. "Probably because I broke so many things when I was a kid. I learned how to fix them."
"Were you clumsy?" Rey asked.
Ben shook his head. "No... I was angry. And when I got angry or scared I would break things. I didn't mean to. The Force just... It would just come out. I learned how to fix things so that maybe my parents wouldn't realize what happened. They always found out."
Rey bowed her head slightly. Ben wasn't sure if it was out of shame or guilt or pity.
"It's just the way things were," Ben assured her. "My parents used to talk about me. They thought I couldn't hear them. They talked about me like... Like I wasn't their son. Like I was a monster."
"No wonder you felt like..."
Ben shook his head. "What I told you. It was wrong. Someone very wise told me that you can't just let go of the past. You should let go of the bad of the past. But remember the good. And there was good." He brought Rey's hand to his face, leaning against it. "And my parents tried. I know that now. Not everyone had that. You didn't have that. Finn didn't have that. Poe's mother died when he was a kid. Kaila's father died before she was born and she didn't even meet her mother until she was five."
"You've changed so much," Rey whispered. Her fingers stroked over his cheek.
Ben savored the warmth of Rey's hand against his face. The touch of her was so comforting to him, a balm to any of the dark thoughts that swirled up in him. "Hopefully for the better."
Rey nodded. She moved her hand away from Ben. He was momentarily disappointed, but that was quickly quelled as she crawled to him and fit herself next to him. He wrapped an arm around her, pressing her against his side. He smiled warmly down at her.
It was so easy with her. Their connection had so quickly become a true bond.
He loved this woman. As she tipped her head up to look at him, he could see that she loved him in return.
He lowered his head to press his mouth to hers. She sighed against his lips, one hand digging into his hair and pulling him closer.
They pulled apart at the sound of brush cracking underfoot. Ben looked up and let out a shaky breath. Rey squeaked softly.
Finn was standing over them, hand hovering over his blaster. His gaze was filled with barely contained rage.