Chapter 42 – No Rest for the Wicked

It was rare that Ahsoka was awakened by sunbeams shining in her face. Or by the singing of birds. Usually it was an alarm, an unexpected attack, or her master waking her for a new mission. She was not used to this silence. Or should she rather say normalcy?

The teenager slowly sat up on her bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with her healthy hand. A glance out the window told her that it was still early in the morning. The sun was flashing between the trees, bathing the forest in a light orange hue. A flock of small birds darted between the trunks, their white feathers reflecting in the light.

It was beautiful. Ahsoka wished her master would be here with her now. As much as he hated the desert, he loved the forest even more. Averting her eyes from the window, Ahsoka slipped on her shoes and stepped into the main room. She was surprised to see that Satine was already up, although it was clear that she had not been awake long. Her blonde hair was tied into a messy bun and a reddish robe hung over her shoulders. Like this, she did not look at all like the Duchess of Mandalore. Not that this was a bad thing; Ahsoka liked her natural look. Satine was standing in the kitchen, busying herself with preparing some caf. Silently, the padawan padded over to her, a smile on her face.

"Good morning", she greeted her quietly and grabbed herself a cup from one of the shelves above the stove.

"Morning, Ahsoka." Satine poured herself a cup before she turned to face her. "Caf or tea?"

"Caf, please." Ahsoka leaned against the counter and handed her cup over, watching how Satine filled the mug before she returned it.

"You look rested today. Did you sleep well?", Satine asked while she picked up her own caf again and took a sip.

"I did," she watched the liquid move in the cup, "It sounds weird, but I can't even remember ever sleeping so soundly. At least not since I became a Padawan."

"You three were on the road almost permanently. I only know about the bits and pieces Obi-Wan told me from time to time, but I can imagine it must be relieving to get some rest."

Ahsoka snorted and smiled to herself. "You could say that. Speaking of which, where is he, anyway? I know from experience that he never sleeps long, if at all."

Satine pursed her lips and smiled mischievously. "I don't think that's changed much. He got up again sometime tonight and didn't come back after that. This morning I went to check and well... the picture is almost too adorable if you may say so."

Ahsoka was now more or less confused and looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?"

The Duchess placed her cup on the counter and beckoned her to follow. "I'll show you. But we have to be quiet."

Still irritated, she followed Satine around the room until the woman stopped at a corner Ahsoka hadn't noticed before. Peeking around it, her eyes fell on a small fireplace and a sitting area consisting of two armchairs and a small sofa.

How right Satine was. The scene was truly heartwarming. The Jedi Master was lying on the somewhat too short couch, his legs dangling over the armrest. His graying auburn hair was disheveled from sleep and the deep furrows on his forehead had subsided only a little, but he seemed relaxed for the first time. The bruises on his face were still there, but not as prominent as before. The bacta had definitely helped.

But that was not what struck her. It was the little bundle on his chest, held by his hand on top of it. Luke. The boy lay wrapped in a blanket snuggled against the Jedi, his head close to the man's heart.

"I couldn't bring myself to wake him. The last few days Luke and Leia have been extremely restless; waking up every few hours", Satine whispered beside her, "This is the first time Padme and them have slept more than three hours straight."

It was the Force. Ahsoka knew that. Master Obi-Wan was shielding all of them, protecting them from the storm inside. And from the Empire. The Jedi couldn't really be sleeping. She had sensed what happened when he let his concentration slip. No, a basic alertness was there, constantly making sure the shields stayed up. Ahsoka knew how much strength it took to maintain her own rudimentary shields. But this? To make four Force-sensitive people literally disappear inside the Force? That was madness. But how they like to say, there ain't no rest for the wicked.

She had to ask Master Obi-Wan to teach her. That way, at least he wouldn't have to shield her anymore, and she might even be able to support him.

"It's the Force", Ahsoka whispered, "Luke and Leia felt the chaos. The death. He shields them from it – and me as well. I can't understand how he manages to gather that much strength."

Satine sighed and carded a hand through her hair. "Stubbornness has always been one of his strong suits. He never wanted to take no for an answer - even if sometimes it might have been better to just let it go. Often, this got him into an argument with Qui-Gon."

"He never talks about Master Jinn." Ahsoka muttered, her eyes still fixed on the sleeping forms.

A warm hand landed on her shoulder and the padawan turned to see that Satine nodded her head back towards the kitchen. The two women quietly went back and sat down on the table, after the duchess had picked up her caf again.

"He and Qui-Gon had many problems with each other over the years. Sometimes things went so far that his master didn't want to train him anymore...", she let her gaze wander for a second," I don't know much about the relationship between a master and his padawan, but I'm sure a master shouldn't push his student away at the first opportunity."

A questioning look crossed Ahsoka's face. "What do you mean?"

Before Satine could think about an answer, a rough voice interrupted their conversation. "She meant that Qui-Gon repudiated me in front of the council to train Anakin instead."

Both jerked their heads around in surprise, staring at the newcomer.

"Obi-Wan," Satine breathed.

The man stood before them, wriggling Luke in his arms, tense and an unreadable expression on his face.

"Did we wake you?"

His shoulders slumped a little and he shook his head, sighing. "No. I think Luke's hungry. Is Padme awake yet?"

Satine shot a quick glance over at Ahsoka, but the teen was still fixated on the jedi master. "I'll go see," she said then, getting up to walk over to him, "you can give him to me."

Obi-Wan handed the boy to her and Ahsoka watched as Satine disappeared into Padme's room. The two of them were now alone.

A little unsure of what to say, she muttered a soft 'sorry' under her breath.

To her surprise, her grandmaster just rubbed his forehead briefly and chuckled. "It's all right. That was a little harsh of me. I don't know what got into me."

He shuffled over to the kitchen and filled himself a glass of water. Then he sat down in the seat Satine had been sitting in earlier. Although he had slept until just now, Obi-Wan still looked exhausted. The lines on his face were back.

"I understand you have questions about me and Master Qui-Gon," he spoke quietly as he studied her with a clear gaze.

"I didn't mean to intrude." Ahsoka ducked her head and fiddled with the cup in her hands. The caf was already cold. "You just never talk about him. My master keeps praising the man, mentioning how he saved him from Tatooine. I know he could have known him only briefly, and yet he makes it sound like he knew him for ages. And you, who had actually trained under him, rarely say a word about your mentor. I guess I just wanted to understand."

He always found Ahsoka's power of observation remarkable. Actually, it should not surprise him that sooner or later questions were asked. Somehow, he had just always thought it would be Anakin - not his grandpadawan. Obi-Wan shifted in the chair and traced the rim of the glass with his finger. His face was reflecting in the water, distorted and incomplete.

"Anakin idealizes Qui-Gon. To him, the man was always the one who freed him from slavery and promised him he would become a Jedi. I didn't want to destroy that image of him - so Qui-Gon became kind of a taboo subject between us... Anakin brought him up whenever we argued. That Qui-Gon would have been the better master", he let out a sigh, "Telling Anakin about my master's faults and quirks would have only resulted in him pushing me away all the more."

Ahsoka still seemed unsure whether to ask him further, so he took the decision from her.

"You want to know why Qui-Gon wanted to replace me with Anakin, don't you?"

A small nod was his answer. "My master never mentioned anything like that."

Obi-Wan leaned back against the hard back of the chair and scratched at his beard. "Anakin doesn't know. And I don't want him to know either."

He exhaled and leaned forward again, propping his elbows on the table. "Qui-Gon never wanted me as a Padawan back then. After one of his former students fell to the dark side, he wouldn't train anyone else…I don't know why, but Master Jinn was my only chance to become a Jedi. Master Yoda once confessed to me that it had been his doing and it had been a mistake to make us both a team. Unfortunately, he had realized that too late. I aged out and was sent to the AgriCorps because Qui-Gon had rejected me as before."

Ahsoka gawked at him with wide eyes. "You weren't chosen as a padawan?", she blurted out shocked.

A small laugh escaped his throat. "No. It took some more of Yoda's meddling to get Qui-Gon to accept me. But that's not the point. You see – Master Jinn has always been strong in his believes. He always taught me to live in the here and now. To follow the will of the Force."

Obi-Wan took a small sip from the water. "He believed in the prophecy of the Chosen One. And he thought that Anakin is the One", he stopped for a second before he continued, "Qui-Gon suddenly became so eager to train the boy that he forgot that he already had a padawan at his side." His voice grew silent in the end and his eyes dimmed at the memory. "He wanted to push me through the Trials even though he had told me a few days ago that I wasn't ready."

"How did that make you feel?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Sad… Hurt... Worthless... Expandable. I think a lot of things were going through my mind at that moment."

"I could never imagine Master Anakin doing something like that to me", Ahsoka muttered.

"Your relationship is special", Obi-Wan smiled sadly, "Your training bond is strong, not many Jedi possess such a deep connection."

"You two had one as well."

"Had… yes." He didn't want to think about the gaping hole in his head. The feeling of their bond tearing apart. Anakin staring down at him with so much hatred. Obi-Wan couldn't understand what he had done to earn this. Something told him that Anakin's behavior was not just because of the chip. No, there was something else boding underneath the surface.

"Master?"

His head snapped up again. Ahsoka had tilted her head, a worried look adorning her face. He realized that he must have zoned out.

"Sorry. Did you say something?"

The girl shook her head, her blue eyes never leaving his. "No. It just looked like you stopped breathing for a moment."

Obi-Wan hummed and rubbed his eyes. The longer he was awake the stronger his headaches became. "I'm fine. Just got lost on a thought."

The padawan was certainly not convinced about his statement but didn't dig further. Instead, she placed her mug down and mimicked his position on the table. "There's still one last thing I don't quite understand…"

"So?", he stopped rubbing his hurting eyes and blinked at her.

"I heard that it is standard for a jedi knight or master to ask an initiate to become a padawan."

He had an idea where she was heading. "Yes", he answered tight-lipped.

"Then how is it that when I was sent to join you on the front lines, Master Anakin knew nothing about me being his apprentice? And that you introduced yourself as my master?"

Because I chose you. The words hung on his lips but he would never say them out loud. It would only make things worse if she knew it. She was Anakin's padawan. And that might have been one of the few things he didn't regret concerning his friend. He would take this secret to his grave.

His mouth was unnaturally dry when he answered. "The council just told us that they were sending a padawan out to us. And as I had requested to take on another student a few months back, I assumed you would be the one. It was a surprise for both of us."

"But you're a council member. Why didn't they tell you?"

"I don't know", he admitted. At least he didn't have to lie about that one. "I think that was a last-minute decision and I just wasn't available at that moment."

He was relieved when she didn't ask him about it further.

"I see." Ahsoka bopped her head and plugged at the bandage around her hand. "What do you think has happened with the others? Master Koon? Master Yoda? The initiates? The whole temple."

If only he knew an answer to that. "I'm still hoping for an update from Quinlan. He's our only connection to Coruscant. We definitely need to regroup if we want to have a chance."

Before they could talk about it further, Satine reentered the room, this time fully dressed and without Luke.

"Are you ready to head out?", she asked while she approached the table.

"Wait", Obi-Wan craned his head in confusion, "you're coming with us?"

The blonde crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked at him penetratingly. "Do you have a problem with that?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He raised his hands placatingly. "You know what I'd say right now. But I'm not going to stop you."

The truth was that he was just tired of arguing unnecessarily. If she wanted to come along, he didn't want to stand in her way. Even if he had a bad feeling about it. He watched as a brief hint of surprise crossed her face, but then quickly disappeared.

She had expected him to contradict her, he realized with a pang.

When she had collected herself again, she sighed and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "We need supplies. But since we don't have a speeder, we'll have to go on foot", she looked at him anxiously this time, "Do you think you can manage?"

He rolled his eyes. "I've run with worse. You know that."

"That's exactly why I'm asking. We don't want it to get worse before we reach the medic."

Sighing exasperated, he shook his head. "I'll be fine. Is Padme okay with her being alone for a while?"

"I think so. We did it before. Besides we have the droid to keep watch now."

"Then let's not waste any more time", Obi-Wan grumbled and stood up from his chair, limping over to his boots where he had left them at the door, sitting down on a small wooden bench next to it. He struggled a little with getting his swollen foot inside, but managed to lace the shoe up in the end.

The soft clacking of the back door could already be heard; Satine and Ahsoka must have already gone outside. Obi-Wan remained sitting for a moment, pondering if it was such a good idea for them to travel together.

He and Ahsoka were both missing their cloaks, so they had to hope that no one recognized them. This was probably easier for Ahsoka than for him. As a council member and general, he was pretty well known. Maybe his scar had something good after all. On most pictures he was still to be seen without it and his hair had also been a lot longer - but above all also less gray.

He best let himself hang back a bit, if they recognized him and were not welcoming his presence, Satine and Ahsoka at least still had a chance to remain undetected. The jedi stood up, a crack emanating from his knees, and winced as a sharp stab of pain ran through his bones.

"Just a day without any nasty surprises...," he mused, straightening his back, "How about it?"

His body would definitely appreciate it. Before leaving the cabin, he quickly retrieved his lightsaber and clipped it to the back of his belt, hidden under his shirt. Still having an uneasy feeling churning in his stomach, Obi-Wan limped outside as well and found the two women waiting in a small clearing. He couldn't discern what they were chattering about but by the looks on their faces it was quite amusing for both of them.

As he stepped closer to the two, he realized how surreal the whole scene was. Satine's blonde hair gleamed in the sunshine, making it appear almost golden. Ahsoka was smiling. Something he had not seen for a long time. The environment radiated with harmony, and yet he expected a squad of battle droids to come storming through the trees in the next moment. Or clone troopers. The 212th. Cody. The 501st. Rex. Led by Anakin - no, he didn't want to finish that thought.

"There you are at last", Satine quipped as he finally approached the clearing, "We thought you were going to keep us waiting forever."

"That would never occur to me", he shot back playfully, a flat smile on his face, "What's so funny?"

They began walking through the forest.

"Just retelling some old stories."

Obi-Wan quirked up an eyebrow and let his gaze wander between Ahsoka and Satine. "Only the good ones, I hope."

"That one was definitely good", Ahsoka chuckled, her eyes glimmering with amusement.

"Oh, so that's how it is", he pinned his gaze back on Satine, "Aren't you supposed to have my back?"

"Ahsoka has to get leverage over her old grandmaster from somewhere," Satine pursed her lips to hide her grin, "if she can't get it from you."

"I'm sure Anakin had her write down all my missteps, but thanks for expanding her book again", Obi-Wan deadpanned, still in disbelief that she had stabbed him in the back just like that. Sometimes she was worse than his former padawan.

"Killjoy", Satine huffed amused and hit him lightly on the shoulder.

A large shadow passed over their heads and all of them looked up to see a herd of large, flying animals. Their gray wings had an enormous wingspan and from the ground they could feel the slight breeze their wing beats caused.

"What are those?", Ahsoka asked, fascinated by the majestic creatures.

"Thrantas", Obi-Wan explained, equally captivated, "The people of Alderaan use them for transportation... if you manage to tame the animals, of course. They are known to be feisty and not easy to handle."

"Have you ever ridden one before?"

"No", he said smiling, "They say it's a privilege if a Thranta accepts you as its rider."

The flying creatures disappeared into the distance again, only their occasional calls could be heard over the whistling of the wind.

"I don't mean to interrupt you two," Satine snapped them out of their thoughts, "but we need to get moving."

The jedi tore their eyes from the sky back to the trail and the trio started walking again. When the camp finally came into view after what felt like an endless march, Obi-Wan's foot felt like it was a hot piece of durasteel, flaring up every time he took a step.

The camp that laid ahead of them in a small valley was larger than he had expected. One could even call it a small village. A few farms were visible with nerfs occupying the grasslands around them. In addition, there were fields where he could spot some workers.

"These are all refugees?" he asked, stunned by the sheer number of people.

"No," Satine said, stepping up beside him, "There was already a small cluster of farms here. The local farmers decided to support the refugees, so they took the people in as workers for the fields."

As he stared ahead, Obi-Wan heard the Force whispering in the back of his head again. He couldn't discern a clear picture, but the message came through. A threat. But what was it? His connection was still muddled, still reeling from the backlash of his ripped bond and the death of the jedi. To dive deeper into it would cost him energy he couldn't spare right now.

Rubbing a hand over his face, stopping briefly to scratch at the bacta patch on his nose that was slowly beginning to itch as it dried out, Obi-Wan averted his eyes from the camp.

"We should keep our eyes open", he decided to say, "Something isn't right but I can't tell what it is."

"One of your bad feelings?", Satine asked, shooting him a look.

"If you want to call it that", he shrugged, "It might as well be nothing, and I'm just starting to get paranoid."

"Mostly you're right though, Master," Ahsoka chimed in, "What do we do now?"

"We can't just turn back", Obi-Wan tugged at his beard, lost in thought, "Your hand needs to be checked, and we need supplies."

"Obi-Wan is right", Satine confirmed, "It's best we all stay alert and stick together. I know the healer here, an old woman. She examined Padme and the children shortly after we arrived. She lives over there."

She pointed to a small hut in the center of the camp.

"Then let's go. The sooner we can leave again, the better." Obi-Wan was still racking his brains. It wouldn't let him go that he didn't see the danger. And it displeased him even more that they had no other choice. He had always had a strong connection to the Force, was even prone to visions. But now his constant companion was not helping him at all. On the contrary, the constant, incomprehensible whispering almost drove him mad, kept him from thinking clearly. It made his headaches all the worse.

They moved carefully down the slope. Satine had grabbed his arm at some point and slung it over her shoulder when she noticed that his leg was giving him trouble again. He decided not to say anything this time and instead tried not to rest his weight too much on her.

When they finally reached the small settlement, they were hardly noticed. A few of the people looked up briefly, but saw only a small, inconspicuous group and went back to work. It felt like every species was represented in the camp. Twi'leks, Togrutas, humans - even a few Mon Calamari. They were not recognized. Inwardly, Obi-Wan didn't find that surprising either; he barely recognized himself.

They finally reached the hut, cobbled together from wooden planks. Satine still didn't let go of him, but instead used her free hand to knock on the door. He turned back a little to look around, noticing Ahsoka doing the same. Like him, she was analyzing the surroundings, looking for potential dangers. Exchanging a glance, they confirmed that neither of them found a threat.

With a squeak, the door opened, sending Obi-Wan twisting forward again in Satine's grip. A small, elderly woman with white hair stuck her head out at them. Her face, marked by age, was friendly and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"Mikai, I didn't expect to see you again so soon. Are the babies doing well? And who do you have with you?"

He was surprised that Satine used her mother's name as a cover. She had only ever spoken of her briefly, so Obi-Wan never has been able to get a real picture of the woman.

Interesting choice. He sent through their bond; his grin hidden behind his beard.

Satine shifted her grip on him before speaking. "I apologize for the intrusion, Teela. But we need your help again. This is my husband Ben..."

Only years of training allowed him to keep a straight face. Instead, he put on the most charming smile he could manage and shook the woman's hand. But that didn't help the sting in his heart. After all that had happened, even the thought of marriage had become a distant wish. Silently he closed the bond that connected them, not wanting her to hear his thoughts. She had not wanted to hurt him on purpose.

"... And this is Ahsoka, our adopted daughter. They ran into some trouble while on their way to us."

He felt the Padawan behind him struggle not to look surprised.

Fortunately, Teela didn't seem to notice, but finally opened the door fully to let them in. "Come on in, my dears. How can I help you?" she asked with a warmth in her voice that almost made Obi-Wan forget how uncomfortable he felt around healers. The woman reminded him of Master Che. Good-natured, exceptionally strong spirit.

"Ahsoka broke her hand", he said and finally withdrew from Satine's hold, "I wasn't able to tell if the bones are set correctly. And she has a rather nasty cut in her palm."

Teela hummed, her eyes softening as she took a quick glance at Ahsoka's bandaged wrist. "I see. Follow me."

Obi-Wan moved behind Ahsoka and put his hand between her shoulder blades, ushering her forward. "Don't worry. Just play along", he whispered.

He was the last to enter the small examination room and closed the door behind him.

"You can sit here on the table, my child", the healer said and began to gather her supplies. Ahsoka hopped onto the table, cradling her hand. Soon, Teela sat down in front of her, a pair of glasses on her nose.

But before she started, she tilted her head and looked at him over the rim of her glasses. "You should sit down too, honey, you can barely stand with your leg."

"Honey?", Obi-Wan chuckled as he settled into a chair in the corner, "I don't think I've been called that in a long time." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Satine roll her eyes.

Teela gave a genuine smile and carefully picked up Ahsoka's hand to remove the bandage. The cut in her palm was healing well, to his relief, and the inflammation had subsided. "Your father did a good job. The wound looks good", she hummed to Ahsoka as she examined the hand closely and then reached for the scanner, "Try to hold still now, I'm scanning your bones."

Obi-Wan was glad Teela didn't ask any questions. But probably it was also better for her not to know too much for her own protection. After a moment, the scan was finished.

"The bones are not displaced," she said while studying the result on the small screen of the scanner, "I'll give you a bacta shot to speed up the healing process and will splint your hand. In a few days, you should start to be able to use it again."

She continued to work methodically until she was satisfied with her work. "You're good to go", Teela said before turning towards Obi-Wan, "Now it's your turn. I saw you limping before."

"Twisted my ankle or something", he muttered while swapping places with Ahsoka. Teela mustered him for a second and adjusted her glasses on her nose.

"You remind me of someone. A Jedi. Had auburn hair and a beard too", her eyes glazed over as the memory came back, "He saved my husband on Christophsis. I never got his name."

Obi-Wan could not remember it. Focused on not letting anything show, he held her gaze. "I'm sorry, but you must have me confused. What happened to your husband?"

Teela pressed her lips together. "He died last year, shortly after we came to Alderaan."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," she said, shaking her head, "Let me see your foot."

As it turned out, his joint had twisted a bit and the ligaments were almost torn. Without much warning, she had pushed the foot back into the correct position, so Satine had to hold him by the shoulders to keep him from toppling over in pain.

Her hands still slowly stroked his shoulders as he tried to steady his breathing. "That was... unpleasant", he gasped, watching Teela apply a bacta bandage.

"I'm sorry", she said as she splinted his foot tightly, "It was the only way. Hold it still for a while and you should be able to walk reasonably soon."

Obi-Wan grumbled under his breath while he stuffed his foot back into the boot, now remembering vividly why he wasn't fond of healers. Satine patted him on his upper back and stepped in front of him, facing Teela.

"Thank you, Teela. We owe you", she said.

The older woman smiled warmly. "There is no need to thank me. I became a doctor because I wanted to help others. For me, it's not relevant to which group one belongs to."

They were about to say goodbye when suddenly the door of the hut flew open and a man rushed in, a limp form in his arms.

"Teela!" he cried, almost tripping over his own feet, "Please, you have to help me, it's my son..."

The healer immediately sprang into action, ushering the agitated father into the room they had just come from. "What happened?", she asked as she carefully pulled aside the bloody shirt to reveal a blaster wound in his abdomen.

"Droids showed up at the granary," the man panted, "Said they were confiscating our supplies for the Empire's army. My son wouldn't let them pass, so they - they just fired."

Obi-Wan felt Ahsoka and Satine staring at him from the side, but he only had eyes for the boy on the table, who couldn't be much younger than Anakin and was fighting for his life.

The flagship they had seen on the way. The contract between the GAR and Alderaan for food delivery was invalid with the fall of the Republic. So Palpatine took his resources by force.

The beeping of the commlink on his wrist that suddenly sounded was almost deafening.

This chapter took me way too long :D Hope you liked it anyway.