Master Jinn established communication the next rotation. Just as Obi-wan had feared, he had been delayed by unfortunate news. Though Anomalous had indeed exited hyperspace just prior to Coruscant, its captured insurgents tampered with countless mechanisms, forcibly rupturing the primary power cell, allowing a variety of problems to overtake the cruiser, including an influx of toxins that filled the entire vessel, making the prospect of boarding to be unsafe for any organic beings.

Obi-wan waited patiently for his master to continue though he was certain of how the recollection would end. It brought him no satisfaction to have his assumptions confirmed, hearing how once Anomalous had entered the atmosphere, five armored Mandalorians, equipped with jetpacks burst from the docking bay, abandoning the commandeered cruiser as it threatened to crash into the ecumenopolis below. Republic Forces were pushed to prioritize their focus from the criminals to the plummeting cruiser, just barely securing it in their tractor beam before it could cause any damage.

Still, Master Jinn didn't seem the least bit defeated. "I intend to quietly continue with my investigation on Sundari, following some leads I only recently became aware of."

Obi-wan couldn't help but recognize a rigid tone in his master's voice and it made him feel wary, as though Qui-Gon had soured at the possibility for the path this new knowledge might force him down. The padawan was still formulating a reply when Master Jinn continued, addressing the Duchess. "Chief of Staff Dinul is currently en route to Mandalore and is indescribably cross with the information about your undisclosed location."

Satine sighed, sharing a looking of empathic concern with the older Jedi. "I'm not surprised." She spared a look to the padawan before turning back to his ,aster. "If you would, please relay the plan of our current scenario." As much as she wished to return, she understood the uselessness of such a gesture now that the insurgents were officially back on the loose. "He's sure to give you more trouble," She gave him a resigned grin. "When he does, tell him I said 'K'atini ba'vodu, bal shekemir haar aka.'"

It wasn't until after the holo had ended, that Obi could no longer silence his curiosity. "What is it you passed on to your chief of staff?"

Looking over her shoulder, without the slightest expression of defeat at the regression of her case, she smirked playfully. "I said, 'Suck it up Uncle, and follow the mission.'"

Obi-wan laughed before briefly wondering if he had properly read his master's expression. If so, it seemed as though something unpleasant affected their inquest. He hoped at the least, it would lead to some answers.

Satine was undeniably anxious that first week. Zeke was her unofficial second and though she trusted his ability to carry out business in her leave, she still was bothered to place such duty on anyone. Master Jinn was hard at work and though she wanted to believe that things would soon be resolved, something in her gut made her feel as though it couldn't be quite so simple. She couldn't begin to imagine the story he had to make up to explain her absence, though she suspected the master just allowed some shallow gossip to circulate. That was all no matter, as she was sure Pietra would have no problem skewing it all to seem as some private and vital political appearance.

Truthfully, she felt guilty. She missed fulfilling that role, but for the first time in two years, she had no appointments to keep, obligations to stomach or criticism thrown in her face. With humor, she briefly wondered if most twenty-year-old's felt the burden of such expectation. Watching the would-be knight attempt to start a fire, she almost entertained asking him.

Approaching with two rations, she took note of fog beginning to build in the night air. Handing Obi his serving, she paused and looked down at him. "Look," She gestured around them. "It won't work tonight; the air is too damp."

He turned his head up and sighed with exasperation. "You're right. That salon pod is just starting to feel so small."

"Obi," She smirked, teasing. "Am I to believe you're claustrophobic or are you merely that desperate to escape my company?"

Obi-wan tried to not look bashful as he shook his head. "More the former." He lied, thinking of how determined he was for more space to breathe. "I'm a little restless," He laughed, standing up, looking at the bog ahead. "With no specific tasks to see to, I feel like a guard animal of some sort."

She nodded, a smirk touching her face. "Somewhat less obedient though." He aimed his gaze at her and laughed. "Come on," Nudging her head in the direction of the salon pod, she shrugged. "You can have the entire left side to pace, if it helps."

Obi-wan whipped his head with a smirk, though he acquiesced and headed for the transport. "I think that would make me all the more aware of it."

She sat at the table beginning to pick at her ration, while he continued to a lifted ledge overlooking a small transparisteel viewport, leaning on it, he glanced back, her words soft as he slowly ate. "Any idea what wouldn't?"

There was a polite offer in her voice, so he thought to test his luck. "Can I ask you something personal?" Her expression froze for the slightest of seconds before she nodded and continued chewing. "What was it that you accepted the blame for?"

Satine was perplexed by the randomness of such a topic, but she exhaled with a distracted expression. "Vandalism. Why do you ask?"

The abruptness in her tone made him certain that it wasn't quite as insignificant as she made it sound; it caused him to question the severity of the slight she stomached. "I can't stop myself from wondering what unjust judgment you've borne?"

She allowed herself the smallest of head shakes, not comfortable with the mark on her name, but unafraid of admitting to a misdeed Obi knew she didn't commit. "I'm sure you know of the long history of discord between Mandalorians and Jedi."

Obi-wan nodded, sure that confusion contorted his face at what he perceived to be an unrelated issue.

She continued. "It hasn't necessarily been absolute, because although we've been enemies, there's been a time or two when we were allies." The padawan waited for her to elaborate. "Do you know of Tarre Vizsla?"

Obi-wan bobbed his head, having heard vague tales of the first Mandalorian Jedi. "A little."

"There's a statue of him on Mandalore, in the desert, not far from Sundari." She could see budding understanding touch his gaze. "After the death of my father, Duke Adonai, once I returned to the capital, the statue was defaced." She sighed, looking down. "It didn't take long to amend the damage, but I allowed the message to be misconstrued and took accountability."

"What did it say?" He watched her as he finished his ration.

She could remember the sight of the darksaber dripping in crimson paint, branded in crude script as the Jedi-Killer. "His name was amended to that of a descendant, Tor Vizsla. He was a vicious leader of Kyr'stad during the war." Satine refrained from recalling the full tale she had been told of the warrior's infamous stories of manipulation aimed at obliterating the True Mandalorians, though she was sure it had played a part in Bo's reasoning. "It said 'True Mandalorian loss for the New Mandalorian gain.'Signed Kryze." She finished the last bite of her ration with a sigh.

Obi-wan shook his head, shocked that her people would believe her capable of something so unfeeling after her father's death. "How could anyone suspect you?"

She pursed her lips to curb a smirk at the considerate offense in his voice. "Because that was how most perceived me. My father was a respected True Mandalorian, but when I succeeded him, I let it be known where my own political affiliations lie. Many thought me callous, others believed me smug, and I did nothing to correct their assumptions. I paid for the damage and let my name stew in unfavorable commentary until the gossip starved without replenishment."

"Why?" He asked, thoroughly lost in her logic.

"She was hurting, and in some ways, I was partially to blame for that." Satine replied without the slightest doubt.

"What about your pain?" Obi-wan asked, his eyes poring over the subtlest nuances in her saddened expression.

Satine inhaled, ignoring the ache in her chest. "I learned to convert it into something more useful." So, she had put her mind to mourning her father as well as the ways of old. "Even though our opinions differed greatly, I know he would be able to understand my desire to unite our people." She gave a small shrug that ached for apathy. "I like to think he wouldn't begrudge me for implementing such ambition the only way I knew how." Looking back at Obi, her sharp eyes warmed ever-so-slightly.

"How would he feel about the allegation you falsely bear?"

She contemplated for a second. "He wouldn't want her to shoulder such scrutiny." Shaking her head, she pushed against the thought. "It already happened, and I have no need to disturb the current state of things." It was weird to think she had already gone a week without talking to Bo. "I'm not sure if I can explain away the depth of her influence on me as my kin or in acting as the catalyst for my pursuit of pacifism; when many that shared our clan and allied with the True Mandalorians have since disowned me." She couldn't deny that it had all affected her in some way. "Regardless of loyalties or principles, blood will always touch our destinies somehow."

"I fear I may be the walking contradiction to such a claim." Obi-wan offered to pull her from her reverie. He quickly deemed his attempt as a clumsy backfire when he was forced to feel the intense focus of her evaluating gaze.

"Can you say you are truly untouched by it, even in curiosity? Don't you wish to know?" The softness in her voice was not swayed by pity, merely a genuine lack of understanding.

"I do." Obi-wan gently replied, realizing that he had never admitted it aloud. "Most Jedi are discovered early within their first year. I was three when the Order found me."

Fiery interest passed across her eyes. "You remember your kin?"

He nodded, feeling freer to discuss his origins with her than he had with anyone else. "My mother." There wasn't much that he could still recall seventeen years later, but she was it. "She had long, rose-gold hair and joyful eyes." Only a small handful of memories remained in his subconscious, not yet weathered by time. "Before the Order, she had given me the name Ben Kenobi."

Satine watched him tenderly for a moment in the quiet but couldn't ultimately silence her own curiosity. "Do you remember the day you left?"

Obi-wan nodded, his eyes lightyears away. "For a moment, I had been afraid to say goodbye." His mouth pulled into a tight line. "But she looked so proud, so I smiled for her and went on my way."

Satine nodded, her voice gentle. "Did you want her to be sad, to try and keep you?"

He lifted his head and their eyes met; a shy half-smirk guiltily animated his face for the question he never chose to contemplate. "In the moment, I admit I did, but never once since." He exhaled. "This is what I'm meant to do, who I need to be. Seeing her sad would've made it too painful and I never want to regret this choice." Still, looking at Satine's attentive expression, some part of him feared he could, given a strong enough reason.

Satine nodded in complete understanding, eyes magnetized to the melancholy in his manner, forever bound to unpermitted, intimate memories. "Hmm." She bobbed her head. "Perhaps you're right; after all, you do sound entirely unmoved."

Obi-wan smirked and nodded at her sympathetically sardonic tone.

It had been another week before Master Jinn contacted the two again. Within a second, the Jedi's knitted brow revealed transparent unease, still he prioritized updating the Duchess on how Zeke Dinul was faring as her temporary and reluctant proxy. Obi-wan felt a nagging reminder of his earlier tension. Once he was sure that Qui-Gon was concealing something, his master cleared his throat, turning his full attention to Satine.

He bowed his head with bearable contrition. "I've been reviewing the holo-logs in your office."

Satine refused to conceal her complaint. "How do you justify such invasion?" Obi tensed beside her, but she didn't allow his discomfort to deter her. "I have been nothing if not transparent."

Qui-Gon's expression revealed distaste for his own methods. "Forthright, yes, but not transparent. I acknowledge this to be a trespass of your trust and for that I am sorry. It was a decision made from much deliberation with Dinul."

"Did he offer a second perspective in the reviewing process?" She asked, her tone not quite bitter, but far from civil.

"No," Master Jinn shook his head. "He considered it not to be a priority in his position as your stand-in."

She sighed, hardly relieved, but thankful to not have him overanalyzing her private discussions. "You look as though you wish to ask me something."

He gave her a reluctant nod. "Would you be willing to tell me about Bo Katan?" His voice was level as his eyes remained on the Duchess.

Satine felt her lungs crush painfully as her throat constricted making each breath excruciating. Her brows clenched as she gave him a brief nod before turning back to Obi-wan. "Can I have a few minutes, Padawan Kenobi?"

Obi-wan tried to appear unfazed as he swallowed down disappointment. Hurriedly, he excused himself – only able to ignore his offense at both her exclusion and simultaneous formality of address – from the pain he could feel bleeding through her gaze.

He waited outside much longer than he needed to. Whatever it was that Qui-Gon had acknowledged, it had hurt her. Watching the night sky, he was plagued by the unanswerable question of why Satine's heartbroken expression had caused him such visceral agony?

When Obi finally re-entered the transport, nearly an hour later the holo of his master was gone, leaving Satine sitting in a loaded silence, her distracted downcast gaze entirely unfocused on the floor beneath her.

Though the thought of wading in her distress seemed like anguish, he couldn't abandon her to that silence. "Do you want to apprise me on any of it?" There was no accusation in his tone, only an ear lending itself.

Abruptly, Satine's eyes met his and she shook her head. The gesture finally broke the stillness in her expression before she casually cleared her throat. "There's nothing. Master Jinn is currently caught up in conjecture and hoped I could provide some clarity while he searches to investigate leads.

"Oh?" Obi-wan offered, his eyes staying on her.

She nodded. "He intends to check back soon." Shrugging, she reclaimed her usual tone. "I'm almost tempted to accuse him of being overly cautious, but I appreciate the thoroughness of his investigation."

Instinctively, Obi-wan could sense her readiness to end the conversation there. He gladly obliged, bidding her a goodnight before excusing himself to meditate before sleep.

Satine shook the fog from her thoughts, taking note of the darkness outside as she exited the transport. She smiled watching Obi build a fire. In the past week he seemed relieved to abandon the pretense of his disguise, now graciously modeling his native robes.

As he looked up to the mesmerizing night sky, it dawned on her that it was the most comfortable she'd seen him in their twenty-one rotation stay on the nearly desolate moon of Draboon. He suddenly turned back and grinned when he noticed her approaching. "I was about to see if you wanted to come enjoy the brief reprieve from cover." Noticing the relief in his gaze to see her willingly leave the salon pod for the first time since Master Jinn's holo, she almost felt guilty.

Despite Qui-Gon's vague suspicions, there still was no proof that Bo was in league with the insurgents. It was all she had been holding on to the past week. Still for some reason, perhaps necessity, she shed her grief, as well as her hope. The sensation resembled an almost manic euphoria as though this sabbatical of hers would be the only moment in time where all her burdens were too far away to reach her.

Focusing back on the gentle gaze watching her, she nodded. "I was hoping to stargaze tonight."

Obi seemed the slightest bit confused, as though he couldn't help but eliminate all possibilities other than sarcasm.

"I mean it." She asserted, sitting opposite him, the fire roaring between them. Looking up, she sighed freely. "This isn't a sight available from Sundari's palace." She spared a glance at him.

He nodded. "I appreciate the cosmic reminder of how vast the galaxy is."

Satine spoke softly. "This would be my method of meditation, like a visceral form of enlightenment. The acknowledgement of our insignificance grounds us better than anything else."

"I'm baffled to hear a politician to say as such, Duchess."

Satine looked back to him, grateful for the gentility in his tone as he watched her. She shrugged, minutely shaking her head, seeking the right words. "Politics are my way of making this existence count. I have the rare opportunity to seek positive change for Mandalore's small fraction of this galaxy."

"Sounds a grand scheme." He playfully accused.

Satine laughed. "Hardly; we are born meaningless. It's only in our quest for purpose that we find contentment in our unimportance."

"Unimportance?" He laughed. "Duchess, again I direct."

"Such a title is given power from the perspective of those that exist within this sector's limited context."

His bright eyes seemed to be considering her. "And so, you gladly subject yourself to such responsibility?"

"We're not so different Obi, you and I."

He scoffed with humor. "Yet, I suspect we still are."

"Why is that?" Satine didn't seek to hide her quiet indignation.

His eyes warmed in a way that made her breath clench before he genuinely smirked, looking back at the stars. "Because I find you captivating."

The tenderness in his voice unconsciously caused her pain. Though his attention was on the sky, she feared searching out his gaze, so she gracelessly lay down. The underwhelming galaxy was a safer view than the welcoming oblivion she found in his eyes. "I've been called many things before, but I'm sure that's the kindest one."

She could hear the shake of his head as he spoke. "I'm tempted to accuse you of flattery."

Out of her periphery she could see him lay down as well. "My sentiments exactly." She teased.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better." He cleared his throat.

Satine sighed, her chest warming at his words, trying to think of the best way to articulate her emotions. "I'm finally feeling better about not feeling better." She awkwardly confessed.

"What was it?" The tone of his voice made his intentions entirely clear, not to intrude, but to offer support and understanding.

She exhaled, feeling the weight of the possibility. "Master Jinn suspects a member of House Kryze may be involved with the insurgents." Her stomach soured at the full extent of such a betrayal, still she could not believe it, not of her own sister.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She noted the unsure pause of his words. "Merely a suspicion, of course? He doesn't possess any proof, does he?"

"No," She sighed. "It would seem he's currently in the process of ascertaining some."

"I'm sure it will lead to nothing." He assured.

Satine allowed herself a huffed laugh of sharp disbelief. "It's the first lead there's been in all the months you've been here. Your master even has a possible name, and you'd wish to shrug off such progress?" It sounded like an accusation, but she couldn't understand his reasoning, or perhaps she didn't want to.

"I'd wish to spare you such pain." He offered gently. "You don't deserve that betrayal."

"Nobody deserves betrayal." Satine acknowledged sadly. "Still, there's no safeguard against it." Her chest began to hurt as she feared the Jedi Master to be correct in his assumption. "The only way to protect yourself is to never trust anyone, so you can never be letdown."

"Which is impossible." He claimed concisely.

Satine turned her head and smirked when he did the same. Their eyes met when she breathed. "Do you really believe that?"

"Of course." He nodded and she noticed how the gesture kicked up the smallest bit of dirt. "We can't survive into adulthood without the assistance of others. Even if we don't choose to let somebody in, at one point or another, we all rely on those around us. It's how we're fed, clothed, sheltered. Some have parents, others have caretakers, yet we are all given some foundation where we look to others for guidance or understanding."

"So, the price of existence is the risk of betrayal?" She surmised sloppily.

Obi smirked. "That seems slightly pessimistic. I'd prefer to think that the price of existence is risk. There are no guarantees, no allowances and no exchanges." He laughed.

"It forces me to hope I've hit the lottery in such regard."

He lifted his brow adorably. "How do you mean?"

"In the people I've empowered to betray me. It seems I can only wish that they are not of the sort to take advantage of such a fact."

He smiled encouragingly. "Well, you've already won chance's favor, born with such a title; perhaps you are of the lucky sort?"

Satine nodded but couldn't find the will to smile. His words made her fear the exact opposite; what if her great gift of birthright was purchased at the ability of being able to trust those closest to her? It was a common enough qualm among politicians and though she had expected it from members within her cabinet, it was a whole other thing to suspect it of her sister. "Perhaps. I eagerly await when Master Jinn can enlighten us on the reality as it pertains to House Kryze. Until then," She looked back up to the sky and sighed. "I fear I shall wonder after the worst."

"Satine," She quickly turned at both the earnest tone of his voice as well as the informality of his address. "No matter what happens, I will protect you."

She felt tempted to chalk it off as his duty, but the look in his eyes made her stomach feel like liquid. Her own burned as they started to tear, and her breath felt coarse as if each exhale carried thousands of microscopic shards. "Just because you protect me, doesn't mean I won't get hurt."

"You won't." He asserted.

"I already am." She smiled sadly before looking up to the night sky again. "It makes no difference either way. All I can do is wait for some answers and navigate the mess they'll most likely mean." She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about that. Just for a moment, I want to savor that I am far enough away to not be involved in the investigation."

"Then what is it you want to talk about?" Obi prodded.

"I don't have much of a preference; I just want to remember how perfect everything is for now." Satine stated sadly, thinking on how she feared to return home.

"I'm sorry?" He asked with a puzzled tone.

Meeting his gaze head-on, she sighed with a shrug, holding back the tears that threatened to spill at the reminder of how terrified she was of Bo's possible culpability. "Can't a moment just be beautiful?"

Obi-wan's warm and honest eyes made her own feel vulnerable as he spoke. "I'm sorry."

Satine forced her eyes away again. "Would you distract me?"

"How?" His voice was perplexed, and she could almost picture the blond knit of his brows.

"Tell me about your padawan missions and perhaps I can imagine the great knight you are sure to become." She smiled gently. "I yield the discussion to you."

"Are you sure?" He offered considerately.

"Please." Satine quivered internally to hear the way her voice sounded like a whispered sob.

He sighed. "Very well; I think I should begin with the story of an intriguing young female monarch who held revolutionary ideas as well as deeply entrenched oppositions."

She turned her head to look at him in utter confusion. "Hardly what I'd call a distraction."

Obi shook his head and laughed. "Hardly what I'd call you yielding the discussion." He accused with sharp eyes and Satine instinctually nibbled her lip to allow him to finish. He continued with a smirk. "Not everything is about you Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore. I was wishing to share the tale of Princess Fanry of Pijal."

Obi awoke with an uneasiness straining his breath. Anxiety seemed to tighten the air around him as he lunged upwards. Something felt wrong, though he struggled to find the words that might articulate his undecipherable worry. His thoughts instinctually went to his master as if their connection had somehow been blurred. It seemed an odd description, but the padawan knew that he was correctly interpreting the tension in his stomach, as it was greatly magnified in the Force.

It had been a little over a week since their last message and though it was odd, Obi knew his master to be thoroughly occupied in his investigation, not wanting to risk their possible detection with unnecessary communication. Suddenly, he no longer felt the need to question the necessity in such discourse if it meant accurately diagnosing the foreboding weight that crushed his sternum.

He hurried to the cockpit, quickly trying to holo Master Jinn. Within a moment, Satine's stunned expression comfortingly appeared behind him in the darkness, her soft words lightening the burdening boulder that had amassed itself on his chest. "What is it? Are you alright?"

Obi dismissed her immediate concern, feeling warmth infect the burden within his chest. "I'm fine. I fear it's Master Jinn." Relief briefly faltered in her countenance before the sharpness in her eyes became jagged with worry for the Jedi as she nodded grimly. Obi continued hailing, as he clung to the hope that he would be met by the soothing demeanor of his master.

It seemed as if something severed the call before the signal could connect. Obi-wan shared a distressed glance with Satine. "Perhaps, Zeke?" She offered. "At the very least, I would think him apprised of Master Jinn's most recent location and assignment."

He nodded appreciatively and quickly saw to her suggestion. Before he could make the call, a different holo came in. Reading the sender to be Qui-Gon, he immediately answered. "Ma-" Obi-wan cut himself off as he noted the fully armored Mandalorian projected before him.

The disguised male laughed with sardonic enthusiasm. "Quick on the draw there…" There was loaded intention in the pause before his address. "Emissary of the Republic, right? Pretty responsive, almost intuitive for some lazy bureaucrat bodyguard, wouldn't you say?"

"Guards of the Republic are thoroughly trained; I'm sure you're at least capable of imagining what proper instruction might produce." Obi-wan threw back at the faceless man. "I'd like to know what you happen to be doing with Emissary Jinn's communicator?"

"I relieved him of it when I found him tailing a friend of mine. We're not of the sort that are too keen about being followed. I'm sure you understand; you must be a young man of a few secrets." His tone was leading as he continued. "Being a hired body within the political capital of the galaxy, no doubt."

"I hardly believe my identity is in need of further questioning from some anonymous Mandalorian." He forced a confident smirk. "It seems we're doomed to operate on unequal terms, so why don't you ask or demand whatever you made this call for?"

It was unnerving not being able to read the expression of this obvious adversary, still he refused to shrink under the disadvantage. The beskar helmet turned slightly, taking notice of Satine a step behind him. "Ah, speak of the tiny, mutinous noble and she shall appear." He turned back to Obi-wan. "It would be a shame if the Republic were to lose such a seasoned emissary in a hypothetically horrific and graphic display." The head shook and tsked.

"You expect a bodyguard to turn in their patron to save a fellow bodyguard?" From behind, Satine gripped his hand with worry, still he continued his bluff. "If that is the depth of your plan, I suspect there is someone higher up the chain of command that I'm meant to negotiate with."

"You're a lot cockier than the older one, that's for sure." The voice laughed. "That should make this even more fun. I already figured myself lucky to revitalize the delectable millennium-long feud between our respective kinds; now I think I'll enjoy it."

"What do you mean?" Obi-wan faked obliviousness.

The armored hand revealed Qui-Gon's lightsaber. "When you come to pick up your buddy's glowstick." He shrugged. "In the meantime, a few of my crew were wanting to see just how long he will be able to maintain such stoic, monk-like silence under severe duress?"

Obi instinctually tensed and though he tried to hide it, Satine gripped his hand and earnestly bellowed. "What do you intend to do to him?"

The invisible smirk in the voice was undeniable. "A game we like to call random interrogation. We always win." He clicked his teeth behind his helmet. "And trust me, you don't want to be the loser."

"How can I stop you?" Satine asked, fiery determination in her voice. It saddened Obi-wan to know that such logic and passion would never sway monsters drunk on violence for merely the sake of it.

"You can't." The voice confirmed. "Not yet. It seems your other emissary is in no hurry and to tell you the truth, neither am I." He sighed in what appeared to be frustration. "Background screams won't work, so perhaps I'll give you a visual demonstration." The Mandalorian stepped aside to reveal the restrained master being shocked by an electric current. Obi gritted his teeth, astounded by the way Qui-Gon held strong, clenching each time, but refusing to utter a single sound. Finally, he went slack as the charge ended. "Expect a call from me in a week."

"A week?" Satine's pained voice whispered against Obi's neck and he gripped her hand, thankful for the soft volume of her question.

Still her face was an open book, as much as her beliefs were and the Mandalorian seemed to know it. "Don't worry, Duchess. Since we can't keep you on holo, we'll give you a compilation of his best breaks." He shrugged. "If he lasts a week." Looking back to Qui-Gon, he nodded appreciatively. "He does seem the resilient type." Turning to Obi and Satine, he bowed his head mockingly. "We shall see."

The call ended and Obi could feel the color drain from Satine's face before he turned to look at her. For a moment he expected her to become sick, but despite her clammed-up features, her eyes remained focused, even while pained. She shook her head briefly before her lids tightened as if she was already attempting to concoct some escape plan for his master. "We need to call Zeke. He has to a vague copy of Master Jinn's agenda, with that and the abundance of security cameras throughout Sundari, he can locate your master, I know he can."

Obi-wan watched her in admiration. Most Mandalorian's would think a pacifist could do no more than preach on the pain of their bleeding heart, yet the ruler of Mandalore could not halt her brain and its incessant need to churn out helpful solutions within seconds of terrible news. It puzzled him to think that any group of people would seek to shun a leader plagued with both compassion and pragmatism. He nodded and immediately hailed her chief of staff.

Obi-wan paced impatiently and Satine's eyes watched the stubborn path he weaved throughout the salon pod, both stewing in a strained silence. Despite the recent communication with Zeke Dinul, neither felt relieved in the least, still clinging to unanswered questions about the missing Jedi Master.

Zeke mentioned that Master Jinn had been expecting to meet a contact just after his visit to the Royal Prison. He assured that he would begin poring over any footage in that district and keep moving throughout the whole of Sundari until he got eyes on him. It wasn't the largest distance to cover, but it was certainly no small feat, so he offered the most accurate timetable he hoped for, promising to re-establish communication within 48 hours, aiming to have a location for them in 36. From the look in Obi-wan's eyes it was clear he couldn't even entertain the thought of staying away while his master was in captivity, so Zeke merely pleaded that they wait at least that long before returning. He reasoned that he didn't want the two entering the system before he knew the base of their enemy.

"Obi, please." Satine finally urged, stopping the aspiring knight in his steps. "I understand your anxiety but engraving a path into the salon pod will not ease your distress, nor will it make time fly by faster." After hours of suffocating tension, she could no longer bear the taste of it. Offering him an expectant glance, she headed for the ramp. As it opened, she gestured, looking outward. "Come on; there's plenty of room to stretch your feet and exhaust some of that nervous energy."

Satine grabbed the tool pack and began to exit, noticing him reluctantly follow with a sigh. "Just make sure to avoid those venom-mites. I doubt they're eager for a secondary introduction." She let him be without a glance backward, quickly finding a spot nearby to set down the pack.

Spreading out the heat-resistant tarp, she grabbed from the collection of wood they had both acquired in the month and a half they'd been there. Satine sat down and began constructing a fire. To her surprise, Obi-wan had not stormed away to pass the time, instead he hovered before her for a moment.

"You know how to make a fire?"

She shook her head humoredly, just able to refrain from rolling her eyes when she heard the adorable, inquisitive tone in his voice. "I do happen to have a tendency to pay attention every once in a while." Satine smirked at him, before she took note of the flaming horizon's descension. "It'd be hard not to learn with how many times I've watched you do it."

He was only just able to identify the flattery he felt at her subtle attentions, even if it was merely her ravenous intellect, always seeking to learn more. Satine struck successfully and smiled as Obi-wan sat on the tarp beside her. "If you'd have said something before, I would've allowed you to take over the task."

Her eyes narrowed with a light humor as she shook her head while the fire began to roar triumphantly. "It feels more fitting that I offer us the distraction on this, our final night on Draboon." She looked around. "I actually felt peaceful, for the first time in so long. Despite its barrenness, I know a part of me will miss this place."

Obi-wan guiltily glanced at Satine. "You don't have to do this, just because I-"

"No." She bobbed her head, looking back at him, her gaze decisive and resolute. "I'm also making this choice. I will not leave Master Jinn in the custody of his cruel captors, not when it's really my blood they want."

Obi-wan felt his gut recoil at just the thought. "That won't happen. I will keep you safe." There was no other alternative. She would be fine; he'd make sure of it. "I need you to trust me."

"I do." She replied without the slightest hesitance.

He gave her a small grin of surprise. "It must be difficult to have to put your faith in a Jedi." He quickly amended with a bashful expression. "Not even a full Jedi, merely a padawan."

"I have faith in you. Jedi or not, I trust in your abilities and your sense to not underestimate our enemies. If we need to rely on the integrity of a padawan, I can honestly insist that no other knight would make me feel so perfectly assured."

He forced away another smile and nodded, looking down. "I don't doubt Master will be disappointed with me for putting you in harm's way."

"This is my choice, Obi. If you weren't going to take me, I had more than half a mind to leave here without you." She rubbed her arms. "I'm just worried about him." She purposefully met his gaze with anxious eyes. "What might they do to him in pursuit of information?" The tone in her voice revealed that although she heard the Mandalorian's explanation, she knew better than to believe that such torture was meant to extract truth from the victim, when it seemed to elicit enjoyment from him.

"He won't tell them where we are." Obi assured.

"That's what I'm afraid of. He'll be hurt or worse."

"He's a Jedi Master; he's been trained to withstand such situations."

"He shouldn't have to endure them on my account."

"You can't weigh yourself down with such thoughts; it will only cloud your judgment. Fear and attachment will lead us down the wrong path." Obi-wan knew that he was truly seeking to remind himself.

"Isn't that what led us down this one?" Her voice was soft, but steady and he could sense the challenge in her words.

"A Jedi isn't led by either, especially not the latter." They couldn't be, he couldn't be, but it was hard to feel his decision with such conviction, when her bright eyes held his captive.

"Yet you fear for your master; you care for his well-being enough to risk your mission."

"It's the right thing to do."

The line in his voice was baited to be argumentative, but she quickly shot his instigation down. "I never said it wasn't, but we can't deny the motivations that led to this decision."

"I suppose not." He thought for a moment. "The Council would surely not approve, but I have no qualms about admitting that my choices are proof that I am still in great need of guidance from my master."

"Is that not attachment?" She inquired.

"It is affection that leads us down that path."

"Is that permitted?" Satine asked, anxious to understand.

"Of course." Obi-wan amended. "It must be. To be as a Jedi, our missions and our very lives depend upon our ability to trust another, to care for our fellow beings. We would be lost without such compassion."

"So, affection is allowed, but attachment is forbidden; how ever is that possible?"

"Our ability to care is encouraged, but our desire to possess will condemn us."

"So, you must look at the galaxy as a whole, not focused on the individuals?" She surmised.

He nodded, partially satisfied with her interpretation, trying not to focus on the way her skin glowed, illuminated by the light of the crackling fire.

"But that doesn't work." She argued. "Nothing is solely the sum of its parts; each piece is indispensable."

Obi-wan thought for a moment, unable to deny the truth of her claim, when he knew a similar understanding of the Force.

Satine continued. "Take a look at the basic mechanics of a jetpack, for instance." An excited energy sang in her eyes. "Perhaps your turbines aren't aligned, or your internal regulators aren't properly calibrated, maybe there's a short in your control's wiring; the slightest error, one piece neglected; that's all it takes to leave your mechanism broken." She met his gaze with those sharp eyes and a decisive cadence. "How are you expected to care about something, if you are not allowed to care for it?"

He had no argument to give in return, so he decided to treat her question as if it was rhetorical, offering her a nod as he looked down. "It sounds as if you have a passion for jetpacks or maybe transportive mechanics?" He tried lamely, unable to focus on her thoroughly persuasive arguments for a single minute.

Clearly sensing his discomfort, she allowed herself to be baited in the change of topic, offering him an acknowledging glance before she answered. "More the former." Satine said with a smile, turning her attention to the fire.

"During my undergraduate schooling for Political Science and Discourse, I left Kalevala and temporarily lived in Sundari, just before Coruscant." He nodded. "One of my chosen classes was Mechanics." She sighed contentedly, so caught up in the memory that she was entirely unaware that Obi-wan had become transfixed by her expression. "Our final project was to construct a working jetpack after being supplied with all of its parts. Once we had finished, our teacher looked over all of our products and okayed suitable packs for flight." Satine smirked to herself.

"I'll never forget that feeling when my feet dangled off the ground and I flew." She shook her head. "I could see to the edge of Sundari, the very tip of the habitable land." Her voice turned melancholy, and he watched her closely to identify the change. "I was struck by the irony of it, the contradiction of the absolute freedom I was channeling and the strict confinement of space I was limited to. If I had wanted to, I could've actually reached out and felt the barrier of my world." She briefly met Obi-wan's dedicated gaze. "Brand me a dreamer if you will, but you should never be able to touch the horizon."

Looking back to the fire, she elaborated. "It's meant to hover beyond, like the intangible promise of tomorrow or insatiable thirst for change; we cannot be so easily appeased." A steady strength filled her voice, driven by her beliefs.

"When I analyzed our horizon during the waning sunset, I wondered for a moment what it might feel like to experience that true freedom, chasing an endless sky and I knew that's what I needed to do. I want future Mandalorians to understand the price we had to pay for our warrior ways; still, I want them to experience the freedom that comes once you tear down walls." Obi-wan was entranced by the contrast in the reflection of the roaring, golden fire in her icy, sky blue eyes.

"Growing up on Kalevala, I knew many like myself, born of strong warrior clans, not suited for war, uninterested in combat; sometimes they were shamed, sometimes they were casted out, but more often than not, they were conditioned, expected and often forced to conform to traditional ideals. So, when I looked across the prison of our own making, I knew that I needed to create a future for my people where they could break through barriers and limitations. I wanted the galaxy to be open to them without the classification of Mandalorian propelling them from one battle into another. I want to make Sundari, the whole of Mandalore, a haven where we value the finest principles of existence; promoting ideas, innovation and harmony."

The electric enthusiasm in her voice propelled Obi-wan to ask. "Did you want your people to have such a world; or did you want to be the one to make it for them?"

"I want peace for my world and my people, but I can't deny that there is a piece of me which longs to give this galaxy something only I am able to deliver." Her bright eyes shined with pride, but it wasn't the same as before; it was a shy, hopeful pride, an enthusiasm for what she could bring, all she might give. Obi-wan tried to push away the sudden return of his initial thought upon meeting the Duchess; she was mesmerizing, and it was becoming more difficult to look away.

A shade of shame clouded the alluring light in her eyes as she continued. "Is that a horrible thing to want?"

His immediate instinct was to tell her no, but such an urge filled him with the need to answer as a Jedi might. "Master Yoda would liken that to arrogance or perhaps vanity."

Satine nodded as a thought crossed her gaze. "What about Master Jinn? What might he say?"

Obi smirked. "Master might say it is the Force working through you, setting you on your path."

"I think I'd prefer that take." She looked at him from underneath her long, ebony lashes. "What might you say, Obi?" Her voice finished on his name in a whisper.

Something in his gut clenched and he wasn't sure if the cause was her eyes or the softness of her voice, but he swallowed, trying to answer his own way. He offered a deceptively apathetic shrug. "I couldn't say. I have nothing and no one as my own. The Force is my purpose."

She watched him closely and he wondered if she could see how his thoughts had strayed to the gentle parting of her lips as she frowned slightly. "That sounds lonely."

Obi-wan didn't want to hear her say things he had only just begun to realize himself. "How could it be? I have the Council and Master Jinn, with no short supply of comrades to learn from."

She shook her head, but her eyes didn't leave his. "Just because you're never alone, doesn't mean you aren't lonely." It was something Satine knew all too well.

"I never said I was." The quiet uncertainty in his voice made him feel more exposed than he ever believed possible.

"No, but your eyes do." Her own turned soft in response and he stilled to see the one thing he originally believed impossible, and it was more devastating than he imagined. It left him hypnotized by the warmth emanating from her as she illustrated her claim. "You wear honor and duty on your sleeve, allowing only the convictions of self that are permitted. Is there not more to you than the Jedi path?"

Her genuine question persuaded his own honesty. "I've never thought to ask."

"Why?"

"Because I can't question the path chosen for me. It is all I know."

"And is it all you want?"

He could taste the significance of the moment, of her calm, welcoming form just within his reach, still he battled his own ache. "I'm not allowed to want."

"And if you were?"

Obi-wan could feel her eyes graze across his mouth. "Then I'd want for nothing right now."

Her eyes were drenched in disappointment that she tried to hide. "Nothing beyond this existence?"

He shook his head briefly, his stomach a flaming pit desperate to release the feelings that utterly stunned him. "Nothing beyond this moment."

Surprise erupted across her features as a demure blush painted her cheeks, but she attempted to feign misunderstanding. "I'm sure most padawans would want such adventure, despite the setting-"

"Because of the company." He finished with assuring warmth.

Satine looked down with a smile. "Is it wrong that a part of me never wants to leave?"

"If so, then we're both wrong."

"Something I'm familiar with."

"Not me." He admitted with a conflicted sigh. "I've never wanted anything beyond the chance to follow my calling, to uphold the principles of the Order, but now…" He shook his head in frustration.

"You don't know what you want?" Satine offered.

Obi-wan's fierce blue eyes met her own. "I never said that."

"Then what do you want?"

Her voice was as soft as her eyes and Obi-wan couldn't think of the right words to explain his pain, nor his elation. "To not feel the way I do right now." He looked down. "To not betray my code." His chest began to ache as his throat started to burn. "I want to not want you to look at me. I want my heart to not feel like an enemy in my chest. I want, I need for this to feel wrong." Obi spared a look back up at her. "But it doesn't and that scares me."

Satine's voice was gentle as she leaned a little closer. "Am I something to fear, Obi?"

Her words and soothing cadence were more than enough to make his internal organs shift in a way that should've hurt him. It should've been excruciating – having his stomach force itself in between his strained lungs and his obnoxiously rhythmic heart – and to some extent, it was, but as an answer began to unfold in his thoughts, he realized it wasn't pain, but anticipation. He could feel the Force gripping him tighter than it ever had, and he wished for a breath unburdened by guilt. It was never through action that the deepest of codes were breached, it was through intent.

Yet, despite all Obi-wan believed and knew about his path and commitment, stifling his thoughts and swallowing his words couldn't uncommit the betrayal of his heart. Finally, he answered her. "You are the only thing that I fear." It was the truth, not simply by her convictions or her warmth, but by her ability to make him question the only things he had ever believed to be true.

"Obi-wan," Satine could hear the way her voice was pained and almost pleading. "I would never harm you." She leaned in closer, struggling with the realization that she should be creating distance, but felt helplessly magnetized to the pull of his melancholy and adoring eyes.

Obi-wan didn't want to accuse her, but she already had in the simplest way she had no control. She had hurt him by being a dreamer, by making him learn what it felt like to want more; the mere concept of it was foreign to him. He had always had enough, but now he wanted what he had always known to be forbidden. He wanted to be special to her just as she was to him.

Satine waited for his reply and could tell that even though the words were forming in his mind, he would banish them from his voice. Her pride suddenly felt like an unstable platform looming precariously over a menacing, endless chasm. Still, she had to know, had to try and see if this could be possible. "Am I enough to inspire affection?"

Obi-wan's eyes focused on her and he knew she was enough to inspire attachment and subsequently, condemnation, but in that moment, with her kind, warm eyes solely set on him, he allowed himself to betray the code by means of merely listening to the Force.

He closed himself off from everything, yet he felt no shame, no disappointment, no denial, only Satine inside this stolen moment. His voice was soft, wiping away any pretense of further withdrawal as his eyes strayed to her lips, somehow both fiercely powerful and gently inviting. "Much more than I could ever quantify and far beyond what I am allowed."

Satine smiled sweetly, her voice timid for the first time in her life. "Is that a problem?"

He nodded. "In all the ways that matter. Jedi's must not lose themselves to attachment."

"But can they indulge in affection?"

Obi-wan analyzed her closely, unsure if she realized just what she was asking him. "Many often do." His eyes never left hers. "As long as they don't lose sight of their code."

The core of Satine refused to stifle her bold desire as she watched the torn expression of the handsome man she had come to care about so deeply as her hand tenderly touched his forearm. "Are you capable?"

He could see in her eyes that she wanted him to deceive her, if only to allow them what they both wanted. "Yes." His eyes burned into hers as he lied, unable to stop himself from shaking his head, so she would know how he truly felt. Tomorrow was uncertain and for the first time in his life of devotion, he ached to get lost in a feeling, in this night with her.

Satine grinned at him just before she erupted into gentle, almost buoyant laughter. Though Obi-wan seemed entirely perplexed, as though he couldn't sense her anxious nerves, his eyes silently complimented her countenance. "Dear Obi," she said in an uncommonly carefree huff. "You are too honest." She reached her hand out as her thumb playfully massaged at the furrow in his brow.

Something about her gaze and the effortless affection in her voice, tore the frown from his face, as his heart thrummed.

"Your face betrays you." She shook her head. "I can't even claim plausible deniability when staring back at these eyes." Her touch was gentle as her fingers feathered against his skin. "You wear your worry here," She caressed from his brow, down the bridge of his nose, slowly sliding further, tugging at the corner of his down-turned mouth. "And here." Her palm lay flat against his cheek and before his hand could reach out to catch her own, she continued.

Her movements were meticulous and slow as her fingertips traversed down his neck, feeling the erratic pulse that faithfully flew beneath her touch as his skin seemed to burn. Satine continued, skimming across his collarbone and everything paled in the second her touch found his thundering heart as it slammed deafeningly in his chest. "But mostly here." Satine looked up through her lashes, unconsciously licking her lips. "This is where it takes the greatest toll."

Obi-wan's trembling hand relaxed as soon as it found hers resting on his chest. He could feel his own heartbeat reverberating through her hand; it was both liberating and terrifying how transparently she was the cause. Their eyes met and he sighed. "I have you to thank for that, Satine."

As she began to blush, Obi-wan knew another word could cause him to unravel, but he couldn't turn away from this moment. He leaned in, his fingers clasping hers against his chest. His free hand tenderly rested itself beneath her chin, eliciting an ethereal smirk from her at the contact, while his soft, shy lips sought hers out. The kiss was gentle and emotional in the most agonizing way. Satine pulled away slowly, her eyes searching his as they opened. She stood, pulling him with her.

There were many moments this night that Obi-wan knew he would be able to recall with perfect clarity for the rest of his life; few were as significant as the way she patiently disrobed him.

He knew he should be the one and yet he was transfixed by the decisiveness of her hands. Respectfully, she folded the garb and placed it down on the pack. It moved him to see her inherent consideration for his path, for his conflict; and though she couldn't simply agree with the ways of the Order, she still understood and cared greatly just what it meant to him.

Her eyes betrayed no hesitation or nerves, only affection as she equally bared herself before him. Watching her stunning silhouette, he wondered at whether he could still consider the code his true priority. Lost somewhere amongst the stars, it was almost possible to pretend they were the only two people in the galaxy and that night, they might as well have been.

*A/N: Hello boys, girls and everyone in between. Not only is this the longest chapter, but it also took me half the time to write and tweak this chapter as it did for me to write this entire fic. It is mainly in this chapter that I attempted to balance a tightrope between Canon and Legends. To really engage with Satine's character and her beliefs, I wanted to structure a specific history for her. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could easily insert my ideas and small additions off of the slight information provided in Legends.

There is a reference that is vaguely made here regarding Tor Vizsla. It represents an important moment in diplomatic relations between the Jedi and Mandalorians; however, too much elaboration with the Legends material would clash with Canon, so I refrained from providing further details. In brief explanation: Tor Vizsla, by means of deception, turned Jedi against his enemy, True Mandalorians, manipulating the Jedi's specific ignorance to fight his own war. It is interesting Legends material that I hope to read in the future.

Not much is listed of Obi-wan's biological origins other than his homeworld of Stewjon and the time of his recruitment at the notably late age of three. I couldn't help but figure he would have small memories and his common choice of the pseudonym Ben had made me wonder how deeply rooted it might be for him.

Also Bo Katan is the bad guy... I'm sure no one is surprised by this. We only ever see the two sisters be estranged, so I wondered at what was the catalyst of their opposition. Considering the difference in their upbringing, I wouldn't be surprised if Bo Katan clung to her father's beliefs as her own. Anyway, please R I don't have the words to articulate just what your feedback means. Thanks so much. -Nikki