AN: Lots of politics in this one. Ah, world building, so much to do, so much to add.
Chapter 13 - Jetiiese
"Padawan," Master Tholme began as they entered hyperspace. "Why were you hugging a Mandalorian?"
Quin grimaced, "I made friends."
"With Mandalorians?"
Quin didn't answer, instead, he took out his disassembled lightsaber and put it carefully back together.
"At least you were wise enough to not reveal yourself," Tholme said after a moment of observing him.
"Is it really that dangerous to be a Force sensitive among them?"
Master Tholme nodded, "It can be, and you never know who is from what background. It is less a clan thing and more an individual's belief in superstition. Younglings have historically been abandoned and warriors kicked out of their clans, especially those of bloodlines from indigenous bloodlines. While not as common as those from Kiffu, but those who present, tend to present strongly. Some have even attributed some of their warriors with advanced speed and strength as having Force sensitivity."
"Like Obi-Wan," Quin said softly.
His Master nodded, "Yes. Unfortunately, such individuals who stay in their system come to hate their own nature, if they ever learn of it, and will turn that hatred outwards."
Quin bit his lip and despised that Obi-Wan might have a legitimate reason for his stupid choices. Obi-Wan should have known better, but then, Quin wasn't immersed in Mandalorian culture. He didn't have to live with them day to day nor consider them family. As much as he didn't want to, Quin had to trust him. Had to trust that the Force had a reason to lead Obi-Wan to where he was.
Even if it meant deceiving his own Master, "The boy I met, Fett, he saved Tahl."
Master Tholme let out a sigh of relief, "That is good to hear, we can only hope that such allies will be the ones to take the throne when Mandalore settles on a royal family."
Quin sank down in his seat, depressed in the realization that Obi-Wan would see Mandalore to peace, and until he did, would never return home.
Only, everyone knew that peace on Mandalore was nothing more than a fantasy.
"Be at peace," Tholme consoled. "Many younglings are being brought to us rather than being abandoned to the wilderness now that the Corps have appeared more accessible in the Mid Rim."
Quin nodded silently. And though that was good, it wasn't what he was worried about. No, he was worried about his friend who was crippling himself while caught in a culture and a war that appeared to be more dangerous than the path to becoming a Jedi Shadow.
Quin could only hope that, unlike Obi-Wan, the Force hadn't turned away from him.
On one hand, Obi-Wan knew that Agni was both Maas's father and teacher but that really didn't prepare him for what the older man would come up with.
What was the best way to end a civil war?
Get rid of the weapons.
What was the best way to take out a navy?
Blow them up.
So the resulting fireworks and explosions for all of the Melida and the Daan's weapons went up in flames, up and up, toward the Death Watch blockade.
A blockade that wasn't ready for a ground attack.
Obi-Wan wasn't even completely sure how they had rigged the land bombs into a long range weapons.
Of course, there was a reason why Agni and Maas were both considered Weapon Masters. They were more than just blacksmiths, they were incredibly experienced engineers and, apparently, pyrotechnicians
To the explosion of fifty percent of the blockade and the retreat of the rest, there was the roaring of approval of the Young.
Obi-Wan could only gaze upon Agni with awe as the warrior shook out his silver hair like he was modeling for a holo advertisement.
Micah signed to Obi-Wan, 'Do you think his Buir knew who he would be when they named him A-G-N-I, fire?'
Obi-Wan signed back, 'I am somewhat afraid to ask who his Buir were.'
Buir a word that could refer to parents, mother, or father.
"Come, Bu'ad, help us with negotiations, the Young have agreed to have you as their representative," Jaster called to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan nodded and followed his ba'buir down to the camp located between the Daan and the Melida's borderlines, to do what he did best; negotiate.
Micah and Jango joined him as Maas and Agni secured the area.
Jango had kept giving Obi-Wan odd looks the entire week since Quin had left. But whatever Jango was thinking, he was almost certain that the 'Jetii' option hadn't crossed his mind yet.
Quin hadn't dropped any hits and though Obi-Wan couldn't help his accent, it didn't match Quin's.
For now, his secrets were safe and his place among his people was not in jeopardy.
Tahl couldn't currently see, but she would. She was told that she would regain at least fifty percent of her vision and likely upwards of eighty percent.
Having feared losing her sight completely, she had opted to get glasses rather than risk eye surgery that had eleven percent damaging her eyesight further.
Still, even with her eyes bandaged, she was able to identify her lover, Qui-Gon, as he entered the room, followed by Mace Windu and Plo Koon.
Qui-Gon sat beside her, kissing her knuckles. "How are you?"
She smiled, "Hopeful, grateful. The Force looked out for me."
"We come with good news," Plo said. "The Master Padawan pair who attempted to rescue you, are returning. They sustained no harm, save for a lost ship. Additionally, Melida/Daan has come to peace, under the guidance, remarkably, from the True Mandalorians."
Tahl squeezed Qui-Gon's hands, "That's why I requested your presence." The healers, who had been empowered by the joining of the Medicorps ingrained at the Temples, hadn't allowed her to speak with the Council until now. "It was a True Mandalorian who saved me."
Mace sighed, "Mandalore races toward the end of a war and yet seems to become more complex at the same rate."
"Perhaps not more complex," Tahl offered. "I was told that we have misunderstood their politics. We have been told that the True Mandalorians are the terrorists, but it's not them. It is Death Watch. Mace, their name literally translates to the Death Society."
Mace nodded, "As it happens, I had a meeting with Adonai Kryze, future Duke of Mandalore who explained the same thing to me."
"Did he ask for Jedi aid?" she asked.
"Yes," Mace said slowly. "How did you know?"
"Because the boy who saved my life, who rescued me, was honest with me. He said that his clan would disapprove of his rescuing me. But do you know what he asked of me in return?"
"I'm listening," Mace said.
"That even if the Jedi helped them bring peace to Mandalore, whoever we help would be dishonored and deemed illegitimate for the Republic's, specifically, our involvement. If peace came it would be swept away swiftly."
Mace was quiet for a long moment.
Plo offered, "We can offer them asylum then, and no more."
"We cannot deny a people asking for our help," Mace said.
"Fett asked us not to get involved," Tahl said.
"Fett, as in Jango Fett?" Qui-Gon asked.
"No, he was a clansman, and he was too young to be Jango," she answered.
"So we help by not helping?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Do we have any way to reach the Mand'alor's clan?" Tahl asked. "Jango Fett is Jaster Mereel's son, and outside of Death Watch, the Mand'alor is the only universally accepted title currently recognized outside leaders of individual clans."
"Isn't Jaster Mereel a clan leader?" Qui-Gon asked.
"He is but the Mand'alor is something more. It's both an honorary and an earned title. From my research, it means more than being the mightiest leader, but being the person who epitomizes who the Mandalore people wish to be," she explained.
"The Vizsla clan contests the Mereel clan," Mace said. "As well as who the Mand'alor."
"The Vizsla clan is Death Watch, Mace," she said. "Contact the Mereel clan, confirm they don't want Jedi or Republic interference."
"That's picking a side and going around a Duke," Qui-Gon noted.
"He's not Duke yet, Mandalore is not united, yet. But we know our own history with Mandalorians," she countered. "Don't choose between them, choose our own interests. It is better for the Order that the Jedi don't enter into a Mandalorian conflict."
"Now you sound like a politician," Mace said, and though Tahl was sure his face remained unchanged, she knew he was amused.
"You are a politician," she said, not bothering to hold back her own smile.
Mace sighed, "I will do as you suggest, Master Tahl. We owe the Mereel clan a life debt for rescuing and returning you to us."
Tahl reached out to him, and though she could sense him, Mace caught her hand.
She wrapped her fingers around his, "Mace, do not lose sight of why you joined the Senate. The Republic no longer cares about the Order, not us as a people, not our younglings, not our past or future. The choices we make now, will dictate who we are in the future."
Mace sighed, holding on tighter to her hand, "I know."
It wasn't until Mace joined the Senate, until they began getting involved in Coruscant's policing and monitoring travel between the surface and the lower-levels.
What they discovered was a frightening level of corruption beyond comprehension, and the glaring realization that despite the limitations placed on the Order, the Senate had never taken over the voids they created as the Jedi left the politics to the planetary representatives.
It was a fancy way of saying that the Republic was on the cusp of ruin, and the Jedi were the clearest scapegoat if any thought to take advantage.
Yet even having identified those issues, strengthening and stabilizing the Republic, would be an uphill battle, the work of decades.
Possibly centuries.
And destruction was always an easy course to fall into then to uphold the mantles of peace.
Sometimes, it felt like they were no longer fighting for peace, but fighting to survive. The Republic was beginning to fall, and if they weren't careful, the Jedi would fall with them.
Obi-Wan flinched at the aggression on Myles face as he greeted them at the loading dock.
Jaster crossed his arms and asked shortly, "What?"
Myles shook his head, "Karking Adonai Kryze."
"What did he do now?" Jaster asked with a sigh.
"He went to the Jetiiese for help," Myles growled.
Jango gave Jaster a long look, "You have to step up, Buir. The Jetiiese?"
Obi-Wan winced at the scorn in his voice.
Jaster rubbed his face, "Mandalore is technically a part of the Republic."
"Buir!" Jango protested.
"Jaz!" Myles said in the same moment. "You can't be serious."
"Now is not the time for this debate," Jaster said.
"Then when is?" Jango asked. "Adonai is weak and he doesn't believe in his own people."
Jaster was quiet for a long moment, and for the first time, Obi-Wan thought his ba'buir might be seriously considering it.
"You know the Jetiiese involvement could undermine everything we've done. Adonai is a fool and a fool cannot lead our people, he will not survive," Jango insisted.
That was actually true, in Obi-Wan's past life, Satine's father had been killed when he asked for the Order's aid.
"I will think on it and I will speak with the other clan leaders," Jaster said.
Jango grinned and Myles let out a sigh of relief.
Because that was the most positive answer Jaster had yet given.
But the rising cheer between Jango and Myles did not last as they found their clan in chaos upon arriving at the shielded hanger that functioned as their home base.
Sinna over the last two years had grown into her womanhood and it hadn't surprised anyone when she started dating the quiet and ever steady Chakraborty.
What was surprising was seeing the two of them fighting.
The Reeve girls, Kalli, Koska, and Asara ran at Obi-Wan who knelt to catch them in his arms. The two younger girls were in tears and Koska kept saying under her breath, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's my fault, I'm sorry-"
Obi-Wan hushed her, trying to assure her it wasn't her fault just as Sinna began yelling, "I won't you take them!"
"They are my daughters, Sinna, and I will not separate them," Chakraborty said, his voice rumbling low.
"I raised them," Hallas interjected, coming up behind them.
As Agni's wife, Hallas who was the oldest female among them was of the opinion that she had raised everyone younger than her.
Chakraborty turned to her, "They don't separate families anymore. If the trade off for seeing that my daughter isn't haunted by magical night terrors, so she can touch people without-"
Sinna gestured to Obi-Wan who was holding the girls tight, Koska was buried against his side. Sinna took that as a way to prove Chakraborty wrong, "She looks fine to me!"
Jaster stepped in then, "What is going on, and why are you having this discussion in front of the ade?"
"Because he wants to give them to the Jetiiese!" Sinna roared.
Chakraborty raised his voice for the first time since Obi-Wan had met him. "I am not giving them away! We will stay together but the Jetiiese Corps can help-"
Myles growled, "Since when does everyone turn to the Jetiise for help?"
"Since my daughter hasn't been able to sleep more than an hour each night," Chakraborty said, not backing down an inch. "I don't pretend to understand the Force but it is real, and Koska was born with gifts. The Jedi Corps offer training without family ties being broken. If they try taking her away from me I will fight them, but things cannot remain as they are."
Obi-Wan was stunned at this declaration.
"You di'kut!" Sinna exclaimed. "The Jetiiese are evil and untrustworthy and-"
"Enough," Jaster called an end to the discussion. "Jango, Obi'ika, get the girls dinner and settled in for the night. The rest of you, get back on the ship."
"You can't be serious about allowing this?" Myles sputtered. "You can't take over for Adonai and allow Chakraborty to take our ade to the Jetiiese. The hypocrisy-"
"Enough!" Jaster yelled. "Jan'ika, take them, now. The rest of you, check yourselves."
Jango scooped Kalli, who had been hanging on Obi-Wan's back, as well as Asara, who allowed herself to be taken from Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan meanwhile, lifted up Koska who was crying silently into his front.
It took them an hour to get the girls down. Obi-Wan had made the girls tea, and slipped a combination of herbs into the tea that Jango had but didn't know the properties of. For Jedi with human based biology had long figured out the types of herbs and spices that could assist a Force sensitive heal or relax. If Obi-Wan had known, actually, if had really been paying attention, he could have helped Koska.
But in cutting himself off from the Force, he had missed more than he could have anticipated.
He was lost in thought, nursing his own cup of tea when Jango sat down beside him and asked, "What's on your mind, ad'ika?"
Obi-Wan debated within himself, but the issue had been brought up in suck frequency and after seeing Quin again…
It felt cowardly not to address it, "What do you think of the Jetiiese?"
Jango shrugged, "Nothing particularly good except for the fact that their magic makes them a challenge in a fight."
"So you don't think Chakraborty is doing the right thing for Koska."
"If you had asked me that a few years ago, no, but now? The Jetiiese have put themselves at the mercy of public opinion, at the Republic's mercy. They are under more pressure now than they have ever been. They can't afford a war with Mandalore, because that's exactly what stealing one of our foundlings from us would lead to. So it is safe enough to go there.
"But in this particular place in time, I think it is the right thing for Koska. No child should have to suffer through such nightmares."
Obi-Wan only just caught his outside reaction to that, revealing that those nightmares were all too similar to the ones Jango had been helping him through for years. Moving past it, he asked. "Why do you think the Jetiiese are at the Republic's mercy?"
Jango held his hands out, "They showed their hand, Obi'ika. They are more powerful and better organized right now than the Republic has been in nearly two thousand years, despite the fact that their Order is comparatively minuscule to the Senate. But they remember that it was the Jetiiese who once ruled the Republic, not them."
"I don't understand why that is a problem."
"The problem is the Senate. I will hand it to the Jetiiese that they are trying to hold that body accountable, but half measures won't cut it. They stand between corruption and politicians' personal wealth without taking control. Let's just say there is a good reason, Mandalore isn't a democracy."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Obi-Wan asked, trying hard not to sound defensive.
Jango eyed him, "Do you know why the Jetiiese stepped down from ruling the Republic? Why when they were at the height of their power they let go of the Empire they had taken from a rival group of Dar'Jetiiese?"
Obi-Wan shook his head, he knew the Jedi's history, better than Jango ever would, but something about his phrasing pricked at a question he had always had.
The High Republic was within Yoda's lifespan, a gradual centralization of their people's from hundreds of scattered Temples throughout the galaxy. It was considered the time of the greatest democracy, while the years they lived in now have been, almost unavoidably waning.
The Jedi's numbers had decreased, corruption had a choke hold on the Senate, and unbeknownst to them, the rumours they heard about the Sith weren't only trying but would spark a civil war that would completely turn over the Jedi and all they had built.
Jango continued, "You've heard the Republic referred to as the Old, High, and currently New Republic, yes?"
Most people just called the now, the Republic, but he nodded.
"Jetiiese history doesn't line up with those descriptions. Their height was in the Old Republic. Sure, people will wax poetic the High Republic, and the Jetiiese will brag about the perfection of their peace keeping-"
Obi-Wan just barely managed to keep down a snort, because 'a time of perfecting peace' the High Republic was not.
"-However, what it really was an era of stagnation. They defeated their enemies and became the Republic's dogs. The Jetiiese were both terribly smart and terribly stupid. Have you heard the adage, All Empire's fall?"
Obi-wan nodded.
"The Republic grew too large and they stepped down from power, thus avoiding being the ones to be blamed. But the Republic has no alternative forces. The thing is doomed to fail. The Jetiiese had it together in the Old Republic. Their numbers were larger, the Republic was smaller, and they took orders from no one but themselves. Today, they get caught on their own leash before completing what they set out to do."
"You think the Old Republic was better? Even with the Dar'Jetiiese?"
"Especially with the Dar'Jetiiese, they pushed their counterparts to be better. Now, their only enemy is themselves. Their second Temple has come too little too late to save the Republic. Darkness and war are necessary."
"War is not necessary. Nothing good comes from war," Obi-Wan said too harshly, the bitterness thick on his tongue.
In his last life, he had tried so hard to be the perfect Jedi, for Qui-Gon, for the Council, and to escape the reality of how very good at war he was. Good at killing, good at ending lives… he had learned from Qui-Gon and for his own sanity to be good at negotiations to avoid doing what seemed to be best at.
Jango smiled down at Obi-Wan with such a fondness, as if he were looking at someone wonderful. He placed a gentle hand on Obi-Wan's cheek and said, "That you, of all people, think that, when you are so gifted and yet to believe in the evils of war, is what makes you so incredible, Obi'ika. So strong. You never lose perspective on the people and things that matter. I am so proud of you, ner verd'ika."
"Even if I were a Jetii?"
Jango laughed, "Oh, no, then I would have to disown you."
Obi-Wan felt himself pale as fear engulfed him with a varsity that took his breath away. Flashes of his birth mother drowning him in the Wan river, of Oran telling him he had to keep his powers secret —Oran who had been tortured and killed for saving Obi-Wan, flashed through his mind.
Jango cupped his face, "Obi'ika, Obi'ika, look at me. I was only joking, I will never abandon you, no matter what."
Obi-Wan blinked fast and tried to breathe around the fear, which was infinitely harder than it should have been because he couldn't release it into the Force.
The fear was kept inside him now, just like his secrets. Despite Jango's insistence that he was joking, the fear those words inspired told him something about himself.
He loved Jango. He admired him, he felt safe with him, and Obi-Wan couldn't bring himself to risk the bond they shared, not for anything.
He had survived Qui-Gon's death, the loss of his people, and the loss of Anakin, he just didn't feel like he could survive losing anyone else.
Not even for honesty's sake.
"Obi'ika-" Jango began, but Obi-Wan cut him off.
"Buir, I love you."
Jango smiled and pulled him into a hug, "I love you too, ner ad'ika. I love you too."
If Obi-Wan clung to him a little too tightly, so what? For the moment, he was still a teenager, and even if he wasn't, if he didn't know who he was anymore, didn't everyone need loved ones to help hold them together.
AN: Y'all did ask for me to have Obi-Wan tell Jango, I think it went well, don't you?