The stars were endless; the galaxy spread before them with nothing but distance to the lives they had left behind, even though they would be forced to return to them soon enough. Still, as the padawan held the Duchess to his chest while their heartbeats playfully chased after one another, there was an indescribable peace afforded them. Perhaps a moment could just be beautiful.
Obi-wan's left hand traced the back of Satine's spine and she sighed contentedly against his neck. There was no satisfying promise that either had the ability to keep and somehow that made the night all the more special. Her duty was to her people and his was to serve the Order, but nothing could tempt either one to turn away from their forbidden and affectionate indulgence in each other.
The padawan couldn't reject the thoughts of if it would've been better to never know the serenity she offered in every touch, lost in the way her kiss had scorched its memory on his heart. Still, he didn't have the capacity for an ounce of remorse, not after discovering clarity in her embrace.
"Do you think it's possible for forever to exist in a moment?" Satine asked, almost lazily, slumber threatening to pull her from his presence.
Obi-wan turned his head down to look at her. "I'm not sure; I wouldn't know what to do with it."
"What do you mean?"
"Forever is the imperceptible stretch of time, yet nothing invaluable can endure indefinitely." He held her closer to him. "All that is worthwhile grows and eventually dies within us. That is the beauty of the Force, our absolute impermanence." He sighed. "Just as you said, we are born meaningless, forced to discover a purpose. Even if you must fight against enforced customs."
Satine smirked. "At least I have a penchant for rebelling against tradition." Though it was obvious that she wasn't the only one, she internally acknowledged while she rubbed his bare chest. "Still, we all have our own paths to walk."
"Like our brilliant politicians." Obi-wan forced a smirk. "The backbone of our galaxy."
She identified the slight tease in his tone and served it back. "Nowhere near as vital as the peacekeepers who are the righteous sword of our Republic."
He narrowed his eyes playfully. "We are not so high and mighty; certainly not the sword."
"You cannot claim yourself to be the shield with such past diplomatic missions as reference." She asserted. "Shields don't show up to enforce reform."
He sighed with mock frustration. "I'm not calling us the shield either."
"Then what is the grand Jedi Order?" She challenged with curiosity.
Obi-wan could best describe with an analogy he had once heard at the temple. "We are the cork." He could see her face filling with humor, and he continued before she could start teasing him. "Our duty is to keep the peace. It is a never-ending mission to maintain order by succeeding over the inevitable chaos that comes from fear, hatred and suffering. We acknowledge the Dark Side, the poison in existence and we make it our purpose to stop it from spilling throughout the galaxy."
"So, you are the cork?" Satine reiterated with a syrupy tone of silliness. "I feel as though you have just made a very indecent remark to me, Prospective Knight Kenobi." Obi-wan's expression was utterly flabbergasted at her innuendo, but she shook her head and continued with a laugh. "However, it would've made it much easier for me to address you by that title. Padawan is a much more recognizable term of the Jedi Order than, what? Cork-boy, perhaps?" She giggled as Obi-wan failed to glare through his amused countenance of her clear delirium. "That is surely the simplest way to keep up appearances; I will call you Cork Kenobi once we've returned." Her laugh was cut short as his face faltered.
Satine nudged his cheek down to look at her. "We cannot pretend that we both don't know how finite this moment is." The sadness that stared back at her tore at her heart agonizingly.
Obi-wan morosely nodded. "It certainly isn't forever, but I'm greedy enough to wish it was."
She kissed him sweetly. "Then let's take advantage of every second."
He hesitated, interlacing his hand with hers, pulling them from his chest to look at the unexpected way their flesh sublimely fit. In truth, it wasn't enough. He wanted to make a promise to her that he could keep. Obi brought their hands to his face, kissing her fingers gently; wishing he could give her everything, but knowing he had nothing that he was free to offer. "What might you say in a moment like this? In Mando'a?"
Satine looked down, blushing deeply. There were a several ways to express affection, yet only one felt adequate for the way she felt in this moment now. Effortlessly, her thoughts recited the love-bond she knew like a familiar hymn, even if it was treated as a severe commandment. "Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an." Still, she neglected to utter the final vow, one she'd always sought to question.
She found his gaze once more and translated for him. "We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all."
Obi smiled gently before leaning down to kiss her. She hugged him tightly, a frown finding its way to her face when he pulled away. Smoothly, he whispered directly to her ear. "Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an."
Satine ignored the burning blush across her cheeks, kissing him again, unable to speak for fear that she might lose one second in his arms. He reacted in kind, pulling her to him in the most encompassing embrace she had ever known. Tomorrow was already far too close, when all she wanted was to wade in the echo of today.
Obi-wan awoke to the sunrise, the sudden realization that he had not meditated yesterday drifted over him, still when he looked over to Satine's gently sleeping face against his chest, he felt cocooned in a peace so effortless that he knew the cause to be her.
He stayed silent and still, his thoughts drifting to what it might be like to wake up every day in such ecstasy. He knew from past instruction that there was only one way to be a Jedi, but his heart pleaded for a way around such restrictions. How could it be wrong to afford peacekeepers with some semblance of the peace they were willing to sacrifice their lives for? Did such codes truly promote justice, or did they encourage apathy?
Satine snuggled closer to his chest and he allowed himself to be lulled into the security of her embrace, falling back asleep for what felt like a moment, but appeared to be hours. Finally, they both awoke with soft gazes and gentle, shy caresses.
Obi-wan felt completely content to stay right there in that endless moment with her and damned his growling stomach for overshadowing his devoted affections, though it repaid him when he watched her face light up with simultaneously exhausted and elated laughter. Reluctantly, he yielded to the reality of inconvenient existence and excused himself to grab their portions and a cup of caf for her.
When Obi returned to sit with her, Satine couldn't stifle her incessant smile; still, with his warm and adoring affection, she felt oddly invincible. She scooted herself in front of him as he sat up and leaned her back to his chest, hair tickling his cheek as she rested her free arm on his knee while she ate. Satine smirked as she felt a slight tug in her gentle waves, knowing that he was smiling, even if she couldn't see it herself. Somehow, it was like the most natural thing in the galaxy and she desperately wished it could be as simple as it felt.
They were given a staunch reminder of reality soon enough once they had finished eating and dressing when Zeke called and okayed them for departure. The two shared a significant minute of farewell to the moon that had been the most serene home either one of them had ever known.
Just before boarding, Obi-wan shared a glance with Satine. "How would you say goodbye to this place?" He began clumsily, clearing his throat and forcing his warm eyes to directly meet hers. "In Mando'a?"
Satine smirked and thought for a moment. "There are two different ways one might say it. Perhaps, it hinges on preference. You could say: Re'turcye mhi. Goodbye." She offered with a pained smirk. "Maybe: Akay nakar'tuur?"
Obi's expression was excruciatingly gentle. "What does that mean?"
Satine forced a light disposition upon her countenance. "Until the unknown day."
"Hmm." Satine watched closely as his handsome face contorted in near disbelief. "That sounds surprisingly…" He lingered for a second.
"Vague." She guessed in a subtly dismissive tone.
"Hopeful." He beamed at her with a soft, effortless grin. "There's romanticism in such open-ended potential that asserts itself just shy of a promise."
Satine wanted to inquire after the implication in his phrasing but feared the thought of resting in the warmth of his intoxicating affection a moment longer. "Again, we stumble upon the argument of translation versus interpretation. Perhaps the padawan is interested in linguistics after all." She tried on a playful laugh but was painfully aware how counterfeit it felt in her throat. Still, her knight didn't hesitate to hold her gaze.
"I find it impossible to ignore the beauty within the culture of Mando'a."
Despite the intimacy she had already known inside his embrace, she still blushed. His gaze drew her in, and she wished she could numb the charge of her blood. "Surely, you seek to flatter our language."
Obi-wan shook his head. "No, I merely wish to cherish your existence."
Satine forced herself to look at the terrain beneath their feet. "What a compliment to hear a Jedi say of Mandalorians. To think so many question the ability of diplomacy."
Obi-wan lifted his brow and scrutinized the bashfulness in her expression. "It's not as though the Senate of the Galactic Republic can pursue peace in such a manner." He accused with a gentle tease in his tone.
Satine met his gaze and nodded with a bittersweet smirk. "No, I daresay such tactics are not how one passes policy."
He laughed, reaching out to hold her hand, unable to stall goodbye to the small diversion of life he had been able to experience on that desolate moon, with nothing but bland portion packs, limited contact and the absolute euphoria he had found in her company. "Once more?" He softly asked.
Satine sighed gently, gripping his hand as she spoke. "Akay nakar'tuur."
Obi turned back to the view of the horizon ahead. It was weird to know that he had witnessed dozens of sunsets on this very soil and now the final one he was permitted would elude him. "It's the exact opposite of Sundari. Like usual reality, I can't touch this horizon, yet that feels worse somehow." He bowed his head, casting his gaze to the incomplete dusk of their departure. "Akay nakar'tuur." Obi-wan stood tall as he spoke and wished that there could be an ounce of truth in his words, knowing there wasn't. He turned back to look at her, his hand still holding her own. Slowly, he leaned in, pulling her close to him as his other hand caressed her cheek, kissing her with a passionate farewell.
They hurriedly boarded and made little time of their trip. Given a strict plan to switch out their salon pod off-world before taking a public transit shuttle to Sundari, they followed his instruction to the letter. Though her chief of staff had the location, he didn't want to assume that the insurgents were solely stationed within the warehouse he'd seen them enter.
Obi-wan smiled to himself as he wrapped his arm tightly around Satine on the busy ship. He couldn't help but appreciate the anonymity of their hooded dispositions, especially as she leaned back against him with a soft sigh. To any curious onlookers they were merely a couple traveling on holiday and it was a serene role to play, as long as he allowed himself to believe the artificial story that made up his temporary façade. Still, much too soon, they reached their stop.
They hired a speeder and drove through Sundari, Satine fondly clutching her arms around Obi, who rested his free hand atop hers until they parked. Before dismounting, he clutched her fingers, pulling her hand to his face, before he pressed a chaste kiss across her knuckles. She shared one final soft-eyed gaze with him before they entered the palace through the service quarters. Zeke and Pietra were standing by to meet them.
The oldest Mandalorian greeted them both and gripped Satine's hands consolingly, offering a nod. "Time is not a luxury we have, so I suggest we save sentiment for after briefings. Duchess, Pietra has a worrisome list of things that are in need of your approval. Kenobi, we have much to go over."
Satine reluctantly went with her handmaiden, wanting to skirt policy to be updated on the status of Master Jinn's captivity. Just how many were they facing? Was there any way around bloodshed? Her stomach turned to think of what might happen.
Zeke did not waste a second once they were out of earshot of the Duchess. Quickly, he pored over the specifics of the abandoned building among the Undercity that he knew to be holding Master Jinn, where his captors had last been seen entering. The chief of staff calculated a force of five, possibly six were keeping guard, despite the lack of outdoor security.
Obi-wan was wary, but not entirely worried; even without the added advantage in the element of surprise; once they freed Qui-Gon, it seemed that they would hold the numbers as Dinul already had a discreet five-man unit in prep. The padawan breathed easier, though he knew the anxiety wouldn't fade until they had rescued his master.
Within ten minutes of his arrival, they were already on the move, making quick work of their cautious approach. Obi-wan spared a look back at the palace and couldn't decipher whether it was simply his thoughts that lingered on Satine, but his aching chest implied that it was much more than that. He forced himself to ignore any urge or impulse beyond the necessity to retrieve Qui-Gon. Yet, as they boarded their shuttle, the knight-in-training wondered if his master would immediately sense the betrayal of his heart, not to mention his actions, as he recalled the feeling of waking that morning with her satin hair draped across his forearm, while their two heartbeats rhythmically drummed in perfect sync. He actively shook the thoughts away. For the moment, only one thing could matter to him; attachment would merely hinder his sight, so he pushed it to the back of his conscious, refusing to acknowledge that it still obnoxiously beat in his chest with each breath.
Duchess Satine seemed to appear in Zeke's office just in time to miss the two men as they hurried after Master Jinn. She couldn't quiet her own curiosity as she looked over the compiled information her chief of staff had dutifully collected together. She watched the footage and noticed the way a group of five males held their concealed captive. She quickly deduced that they had stunned the Jedi to make their abduction as easy as possible. Looking over the schematics of their opposition's base, she wondered if they were aware of just how blatantly they had left a trail behind.
Satine looked over the holoprojection of the building, yet she was perplexed by her own suspicion that something was off. There hadn't been any movement in or out since the convoy had arrived with Master Jinn three days prior. The location was surprisingly boring and unimaginative, appearing to be nothing more than an abandoned warehouse.
She couldn't help but ask herself, if the Jedi had been right; if it truly was her sister they faced, it seemed too apathetic a move for Bo. She hadn't been spotted anywhere near the building, yet if she was involved, she would be present. The district was undoubtedly familiar, not far from an old, forgotten Clan Kryze Complex.
The Duchess briefly numbed herself to betrayal, choosing to ruminate on her sister, analyzing her as she would an opponent. There were two things she knew she could expect from Bo Katan without question and it almost seemed enough to bring her to conjecture.
First, Bo was greedy; she could only settle operations in a grand enough space with an ease of escape. Satine's thoughts jumped to the tunnels that connected much of Sundari's Undercity. Hurriedly, she pulled up a holomap. She knew one came out in the complex, she merely needed to verify if the abandoned warehouse was close enough to an entrance.
She shook her head with anxious wonder as she found a tunnel access point right around a bend in the warehouse. Though she didn't have enough proof to insist what her gut was warning her, she focused on the only other thing she knew she could count on from her sister.
Secondly, Bo was arrogant; any other tactician wouldn't think to set up a base on Clan property, but if her younger sister was truly their foe, then she believed herself untouchable, even beyond suspicion in the blatant distance she had presented in public.
Satine couldn't just stomach the precarious silence of not knowing. As far as she was aware, she was being paranoid; Zeke and Obi were probably headed to the exact place they needed to be to rescue Master Jinn; still, something in her gut refused to settle.
Within a flash of a second, she had made her choice, donning her floor-length cloak and grabbing her comlink, before securing it within her sleeve. Though Pietra made an honorable attempt to stop her, Satine insisted that she had business to attend to at the Clan Kryze complex and would keep both her chief of staff and padawan apprised of her location as they continued with their mission.
"Perhaps, if you just wait until they return." She tried levelly.
Satine offered her a sympathetic expression. "It is unfortunate that my task must coincide with theirs; I hope to find myself paranoid, but might instead prove useful. I've waited months too long and don't intend to spend any more time in inactivity." She could see the understanding fill Pietra's gaze and knew that she was one of the few who could comprehend her sense of inexhaustible restlessness, even if she couldn't fully express the desperation in her motivation. She wanted to be wrong, but an insistent part of her cringed at the fear that she wasn't.
*A/N: Hello boys, girls and everyone in between. For those who don't know, the declaration Satine makes in Mando'a at the beginning of this chapter are three quarters of the Mandalorian Marriage Vows. I didn't choose them to try and imply that Obi-wan and Satine were married. I was honestly moved by the way such lines illustrate the loving bond that never faded between them. I also believed that would be Satine's own intention as she finally comprehends the poetry in those vows. The fourth line that she refrains from speaking is 'mhi ba'juri verde' (we will raise warriors). I simply cannot see our Duchess reciting such a line with even a hint of romanticism, especially with the way she loathes the tradition of violence within her culture. Anyway, nearly done; just two more chapters and a epilogue. Hopefully, your enjoying the story thus far, if so, please R&R. Thanks so much. -Nikki