A/N: As I said in my other story… Thank you to all my reviewers! I love you and appreciate you guys so so much!
I forgot to add the last chapter, someone brought up Siri Tachi and it's an excellent point and a heartbreaking story for Obi Wan. I'm just not sure if I want to bring her into this timeline but it's a very good example that solidifies Obi Wan's history with love. I think that it's more a reflection of his character that his head rules his heart and it's hard for him to open up himself to just anyone. The book Master and Apprentice gives examples, in my mind, of why Obi Wan bottles things up. Qui Gon Jinn's death definitely was a huge low point.
Anakin and Ahsoka will definitely have a talk at the end. Don't worry! It's partially written out (My ongoing struggle to write linearly) and I think you'll be satisfied by it.
Onward! Please enjoy!
Chapter 16
Savareen, Outer Rim
Descending gently from the pillowy, delicate clouds that encircled the planet, the pale white, sunkissed curtain opened up and gave way to the planet's surface underneath as the ship drew near the landing pad. The bright, crystal clear blue waters of the planet contrasted starkly to the muted, harsh yellow and brown flecks of the planet's-sand. Obi Wan grimaced as he murmured to himself how it was a good thing Anakin was tucked away in a cargo hold right now. That was only a temporary solution. Unavoidable, eventually, Anakin will be freed from his hiding place and realize the full extent of his unfortunate predicament.
Oh, I can hear it now. Obi Wan groaned to himself.
Quietly clearing her throat, Ahsoka snapped Obi Wan out of his speculations as she gestured to the two humanoid figures below. "That looks like our welcome party."
"Only two?" Obi Wan couldn't help the relieved yet cheeky response and Ahsoka chuckled.
"Maybe Crimson Dawn is on a tight budget?" She quipped as she arched an eyebrow while he half heartedly shrugged at the insult of their minimal enforced entourage.
Underneath his conjecture was a tugging nuisance beyond the superficial offense. Almost self sabotaging, he hated it when things were too easy.
Gilding in with well honed precision, Obi Wan eased in the small shuttle, docking on the platform with a heavy thud, rocking the ship back and forth ever so slightly before it settled in place. At the landing, the two guards casually came forward with their hands lazily resting on their blasters. Approving the sight before him, Obi Wan deduced that the unaware guards assumed this would be an average, routine drop off.
Nothing to fear here.
Obi Wan smirked to himself as he unclipped and, rising from his chair, made his way to the back of the ship, Ahsoka in tow. Preparing to unload, they quickly scanned the hull of the ship, keeping an eye out for anything a miss, before giving each other a silent confirmation. Placing a hand over the access panel, Obi Wan drew in a deep, centering breath, his shoulders rolled back stiffly, face drawn in his well practiced, unreadable mask. One last time, he glanced over at Ahsoka as he asked, "Ready?"
The adrenaline pumping through Ahsoka was a welcoming feeling as it always served to help her to focus. Surprising steady, she adjusted her jacket, making sure her lightsabers were hidden, before flashing Obi Wan a quick nod and a confident smile. "Ready as I'll ever be!"
Breaking his demeanor for the moment, with gentle eyes and an easy smile, Obi Wan pressed the button signaling the ramp to unlock as they watch Savareen open up to them. In an instant, Obi Wan's light hearted demeanor hardened into an unreadable expression as the searing, dry air of the planet welcomed them.
One of the two guards strode up to them with routine deliberation, unaware of the hidden dangers set before them. Boredom written all over the guard's face with another unremarkable day on Savareen, they turned and procured a device from one of their side pockets and displayed it, expectantly.
Taking the hint, Ahsoka stepped forward and pulled out her silver puck. In the guard's hand, the rectangular black object silently called to her with a smooth click as a port in the puck's exact shape revealed itself. Concluding on the obvious, she inserted it into the device and watched curiously as it vanished inside. Apathetically, the guard, unhurried and disinterested, scrolled through the information from the puck for several agonizing minutes unconcerned with Ahsoka and Obi Wan presence.
Unlike the guard, Ahsoka would prefer to hasten the encounter. Her mind drifted as it wondered if this process was normal, her thoughts betraying her and diving into streams of worry with all the delays they ran across. With each passing moment, the nervousness built up in her stomach, the cold sweat ran down her montrals as she kept a mental note on her lightsabers for comfort. She chanced a glance at Obi Wan, who seemed to share her concerns, his collected demeanor only betrayed by a single sweat trickling into his thick beard.
At long last, the guard finally looked up from his musings, concluding pleasantly with the information he had obtained and gestured for them to open the spice crates. After visually inspecting the product, they indicated their approval. "Bring the spice here." He pointed to the building in front of him.
Relief washed over them as the two spice smuggler's shoulders relaxed slightly unnoticed by the sentry. Without a word, they pushed the cargo in the direction the guard supplied them. As she passed them, she frowned disappointedly, watching as they stepped to the side with the puck still in their device. Regrettably, she concluded she wouldn't see that thing again. Pity, the puck could have yet been useful; with the help of R2, they could extract more information from the device. A wasted opportunity.
Keeping in character, Ahsoka and Obi Wan used the provided levitators to transport the prized sacrificial spice. The lifts hummed with a low pitched drone and easily carried the weight. As expected, the two strolled side by side as they followed the path in front of them, mindfully watching the armed escorts for any sudden movements or skeptical looks.
Everything was still going according to plan.
As they approached the building, Ahsoka couldn't help but lookup. Over time, the sand had polished the exterior of the building, the remanence of a reddish paint long faded by time. It was a massive building and Ahsoka appreciated the architect. From what she could gather, it was built entirely out of durasteel in a rectangular shape with rounded edges to temper and guide the frequent windstorms. Estimating its height, she would assume it was five stories high with a slightly doom angled roof.
Stepping closer to the structure, her attention drawn in front of her, the entrance stood a forebodingly three stories tall. As it slowly creaked and whined open, she could appreciate the several layers thick of heavy durasteel that reinforced the blast doors.
She bit the inside of her lip curiously. Something told her that they didn't just move spice in this factory.
Still keeping her head straight ahead, her eyes scanned the building. Utilitarian and lacking any appealing aesthetics, it had a startling lack of windows outward as if to keep prying eyes out. From what she could see, only a couple scattered windows peppered the sides of the building and probably just minimal to vent the air inside.
Before passing through the doors, she made a mental note of the factory's exterior security. A high electric fence enclosed the perimeter as each pole was dotted with a security holocam. Though efficient, it surprised her how little security patrolled the exterior. To their good fortune, it seemed Crimson Dawn relied heavily on the holocams. She smiled to herself.
Good! That'll make it easier for us.
As Obi Wan transported the spice crates through the warehouse doors, he noted assuringly on Ahsoka's surveillance and allowed himself a small, proud smile for both her and for how well Anakin had trained her. Once inside, a single security personal maned the double door's control panel, a lone blaster by his side.
Coughing lightly, Obi Wan winched as the factory's air greeted him with a stiff and rancid stench of processed spice. Large machinery spanning three stories or higher processed and pack the valuable commodity. Conveyor belts scattered in a parallel direction across the floor with the workers hunched over, ignoring their presence accompanied by, surprisingly, better armed security. His astute and vigilant blue eyes flickered upwards briefly as Obi Wan noted the crisscrossing catwalks that connected the sides like a giant, intricate spiderweb. A network of passages lined the walls and emptied at heavily secured doorways. He caught one particularly interesting doorway with two guards on the south end of the 4th floor and made a note of it.
Between the walkways, he could see the roof and the far east side of the building revealed a small, vulnerable window, most likely for ventilation, that looked defenseless. With an imperceptible twitch of his beard, he contained his excitement while a plan formed in his mind. Once the crates were unloaded and settled in with the rest of the stolen spice, they were quickly ushered out of the building. But not before they mapped out the factory in their mind and recorded the number of guards unbeknownst to their hosts.
Nearing his ship, Obi Wan gave the sentry a two finger salute as an informal goodbye. "Nice doing business with you." His pleasantries were unrequited as he grumbled to himself at the lack of a dignified response with slight bitterness while watching the sentries head back to their station. It wouldn't kill them to display some sort of manners.
With all antics aside, the last step was to leave the planet as routinely as possible. As a precaution, after making the proper arrangements and igniting the engines, the small ship dutifully made sure to cut a clean path from the platform and rise up again into the atmosphere in an overt display, continuing the guise of a standard spice delivery.
When enough distance had passed, circling back around, Obi Wan snuck around the south side of the factory. A familiar wide, deep rock formation he noted when they first landed would do well to conceal them. Carefully docking the ship, wedging it nicely, cloaked by the boulders and rock formations that made up their enshrouding wall, they unpowered the shuttle. From here, they also appreciated the soothing sight of the deep blues of a nearby ocean, further south, several sand dunes away.
A moment of relief cracked Obi Wan's serious demeanor with the initial phase of the mission completed; they successfully delivered the spice and wasn't blown up by the puck. With his mind mapping out the next phase of the mission, he slowly got out of the pilot's chair and automatically glanced over to Ahsoka.
Sure enough, Obi Wan's thoughts coincided with her. She smiled at him before he could say anything. "I'll go get the Hero with No Fear." Ahsoka jested lightly at Anakin's HoloNet's old nickname for him.
Offering no argument and maybe a bit of a wry smile, he went back to the bedroom to retrieve his faithful Jedi robes, finally rid of the spice smuggling business. It would be most welcomed to be back in his comfortable and simple clothing as the next part of their assignment will require his full attention.
Down the hallway, Ahsoka stood over the hidden cargo hold, imperceivable to the untrained eye, the large square panel appeared the same in almost every way to the other walkway panels. The trick laid underneath her booted foot. Now, the secret involved putting pressure on one corner in just the right spot to pop it up and lift the panel. Instead of doing that, she stood with her hands on her hips and leaned forward slightly, wondering to herself if Anakin took the opportunity to take a nap while she and Obi Wan did all the hard work. Smiling mischievously, she also questioned if she should just leave him there a little longer.
The answer came as an unamused sensation emitted from her former Master through their bond. Rolling her eyes as he added a warning tone, which she half heartedly took seriously.
No longer delaying the inevitable, she tapped her foot into the corner and leaned her toes into a section until she heard a click. Raising her foot, the edge of the panel lifted up as she bent down, curling her fingers around the smooth corner, before lifting the cubic flooring up on its hinges.
Inside the square cargo hold, lounged a relaxed yet cramped, given his towering size, Captain of the NRSF doing his best to look as indifferent and serene as possible. Deliberately, his back reclined awkwardly against the corner, a knee bent, and the other leg supporting his weight against the side of the wall. Tilting his head back calmly, he troubled an eyebrow at her previous thoughts he had sensed and responded to through their bond.
The moment too irresistible. Upon the sight before her, Ahsoka crossed her arms, entertained, as she stated in a teasing manner. "Oh, did I disturb you? I could leave you here longer if you wanted some more alone time?"
At this, he snorted dubiously. "Took you guys long enough! Any longer and I might become one with the ship." Grunting as he got up, his joints stiff and aching from the prolonged position. He held his hand out for Ahsoka to give him a lift.
Knowing his temperament well, she let him vent out his frustrations and squatted down to help him out of the hole. "You always said you liked droids and machines better than you did people."
Appreciating the gesture, he pulled up one leg and used her hand as a fulcrum to launch himself to his freedom. Standing up tall, it felt good to stretch out, and a happy sigh blew across his lips as he released the crick in his neck.
"That doesn't mean I physically want to become a machine myself." Anakin lightly responded. His mood instantly better once out of that dreadful cargo hold.
Even though they were joking lightly, Ahsoka couldn't help but turn her attention to his right cybernetic arm. After all these years, she could never really stop worrying about him. As his Padawan, she saved his life on a number of occasions and her former Master, her friend, had finally learned some common sense, but still, the familiar trickle of dread always seemed to reappear.
The corner of her mouth turned down slightly as she said cryptically, "at least no more than you already have."
Anakin turned around to face her, pulling his right arm between them. Knowing her concerns, he rubbed the durasteel fingers together as the electric impulses converted the friction into feeling up his arm to be translated by his brain. The sensation was never precisely the same as his flesh hand. Even with the latest advancement, it'll never be exactly the same.
"Don't worry. One cybernetic limb is all I ever want." Anakin clasped the hand on Ahsoka's shoulder in comfort as he attempted to reassure her with his winning smile.
"Let's hope so. I don't want to explain to Padmé what happened."
The abrupt reminder caused Anakin's face to blanch at the mention of his wife and Ahsoka didn't miss it. Her curiosity peaked. "Does Padmé know what you're doing?"
"Uh, not…exactly," Anakin said stiffly as he felt his mental defenses starting up.
"Anakin!" Ahsoka scolded him. "Padmé is going to freak out when she hears about this!" She waved her hands wildly to make her point.
Anakin couldn't hold back a winced at her stinging words and insisted. "It's better if I tell her about it afterward. She's just going to worry for nothing."
"What if something happens?" Ahsoka probed, worry laced in her words.
"Nothing is going to happen, Ahsoka." He stated confidently, his gaze steady, holding a stance Ahsoka knew quite well.
Recognizing the familiar dance with his willfulness of her apprenticeship days, Ahsoka bristled slightly while attempting to remain calm and stated her reasoning. "It may have been a while since we've done something like this, but nothing ever goes as planned with you."
Anakin wasn't having any of it. Flashing an annoyed glance, he turned on his heel and started walking away. "It'll be fine." He said dismissively, as he has done to her so many times in the past, then gestured. "Come on, I want to see what this planet looks like."
Relenting, she sighed heavily and hoped Luke and Leia didn't inherit his intrinsic, maddening stubbornness. "You go ahead. I'm going to go change." She paused before adding one more thing. "Make sure you tell Padmé I did warn you."
When he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes, as she planned to stay out of the impending fiasco that'll await the oblivious hardheaded Anakin when he arrives home.
Shaking his head in irritation, Anakin stormed angrily to the ship's hull focused on the ramp's control panel. He gritted his teeth wishing Ahsoka would just mind her own business. But, try as he might, Ahsoka's words crept into the corners of his mind. Honestly, he didn't really think he needed to tell Padmé anything. Back during the Clone Wars, he would be gone months at a time and he definitely didn't give her a minute by minute account of his whereabouts. Why would now be any different? And yet, his conscience nagged him that it was different now.
Not until that very moment did Anakin even consider how dangerous this mission could be. His focus was elsewhere; worry invaded his mind about Retep's safety and doubts about giving the young man so much autonomy traveling with such dangerous detainees. To his great relief, Retep successfully completed his mission, earning praise from Anakin's well placed trust in him. In addition to this, concerns with Obi Wan's and Ahsoka's safety swirled with the undercurrents of his mind, yet he never considered his own safety.
Lingering doubt halted him in his tracks, his eyes traced down to his cybernetic hand, squeezing his fist several times, he's wizen up since then. Sure, he took calculated risks during the Clone Wars as the end result justified his actions; no other severed appendages as proof. More evidence proof with his death defying victory over Darth Sidious while emerging relatively unscathed. Maul was nothing compared to Darth Sidious.
He reassured himself.
He could handle a rejected Sith Lord. There's nothing to worry about. He convinced himself of this as he pressed the control panel and the ramp opened up.
Immediately, his face was hit with hot, arid air as his cheeks were sharply bitten by tiny familiar flecks. Reflexively, he squinted and held his hand up to protect himself against the…sand?
No!
He peeked out from behind his hand to the rough, coarse, rolling yellow dunes in front of him. For a brief moment, he thought they had played a trick on him and landed on Tatooine except that he could hear the gentle waves crashing in the distance and breathed the faintly salty air drifting in from the ocean. His face slowly morphed from one of confusion to one of disgust as he connected the information.
At that same moment, Obi Wan, now dressed in his humble Jedi robes, had come looking for Anakin, sensing the conflicting emotions in him as he passed a rather annoyed looking togruta. Seeing the ramp down and the sandy grounds of Savareen in front of him with Anakin's back to him-he steeled himself.
Here it comes.
"You got to be kidding me?" Anakin's eyes bugged out of his head as he stared incredulously at the sight in front of him in utter outrage.
Taking a moment to collect himself, Obi Wan tucked his arms into his robes and strode up leisurely next to Anakin, looking out into the sandy sea in front of him.
"Welcome to Savareen." Replying coolly, he kept his voice calm and measured despite the laughter building inside of him.
Anakin flashed him a disgusted face. "You dragged me off Naboo into this?"
Obi Wan could only offer an innocent shrug. "There's a lovely ocean in the far distance." In an attempt to outlandishly try to reassure Anakin in a ludicrous way, he turned to face his friend, only to be met with a stone face before making his case. "We could go for a swim afterward?"
Anakin rolled his eyes and pleaded up to the sky above, exasperated at his luck. "Why me?"
A/N: Poor Ani! He hates sand so much. Obi Wan is such a king troll to take a stab at Anakin's hatred of sand but isn't that how their relationship works?
I took a moment to dive into Anakin's decision about not telling Padmé about this trip. Unfortunately, he just didn't think it was a big deal and is going to learn the hard way that Padmé doesn't share the same point of view. Communication has never been a strong point for Anakin. Live and learn! As with any relationship.
Ahsoka and Anakin's discussion about him becoming a machine is a nod to him becoming Vader in canon. "He's more machine now than man." -Old Ben Kenobi (A New Hope) Did I mention how much I hate Anakin's fate in canon?
Did you know that Savareen appeared in Solo? I'll be dropping more hints about it in the next chapter.
Next update is a chapter for my other story DD.