Sunrise over the Garden of One Thousand Fountains was one of the most beautiful sights on Coruscant.
No matter how the war tore through the galaxy, this was the one place that didn't change.
It was one of Obi-Wan's favourite times of the day, in one of the most peaceful places he'd ever been. The sun reflecting off the dew that collected on the leaves and the water in the fountains, filling the gardens with multi-coloured lights of red, purple and orange.
He took a deep breath as he started on the next set of katas, a training saber humming softly through the air. On the days when he was back at the Temple, he'd spend at least two hours here, going through the katas in order to clear his mind.
Halfway through his usual work-out, he heard someone clearing his throat to the left of him.
Slowly coming to a stop, Obi-Wan turned, a soft smile on his face as he spotted Master Yoda standing there.
"Improved you have." Master Yoda, "Still leaning though, to the right you are."
"Ah, my one weakness." Obi-Wan chuckled.
"Expect to see you today, I did not."
A tense silence fell over them as they both thought about the date…. Almost ten years ago, Obi-Wan's old master faced the Sith Lord, Darth Maul, only to be never seen again. The only trace left of him, was the large pool of blood that Obi-Wan found when he caught up to the fight and the shattering of the bond.
"Every so often, I wake up expecting him to be there…" Obi-Wan sighed, "… sitting at the table, drinking that green muck he called tea, scolding me for not getting up at the crack of dawn."
Yoda nodded as Obi-Wan continued, "I haven't had thoughts like that since he first… passed into the Force."
"Miss him too, I do."
The pair stayed there for a few minutes, gazing out onto the horizon, lost in their own memories. Suddenly the sound of footsteps approaching startled them out of their thoughts.
"My apologies Masters…." Anakin nervously cleared his throat, "… but the senate have given us a mission Obi-Wan. It looks like a clone squadron is trapped on a sinking sink in the south seas. No explicit details, but it's definitely a clone signal…. And it's possibly a hostage situation."
Obi-Wan frowned, "A hostage situation… sounds like a trap."
"A trap?"
"Either an entire clone squadron is actually being held hostage… or they've already been killed and the Separatists are sending that transmission to see if they can trap and kill more."
Anakin nodded in understanding, "It is true that we haven't been able to get in contact with any of the clones but- "
"- So, it looks as though we may have two missions to run. Save the ship and rescue any possible hostages." Obi-Wan decided, the serene Jedi Master disappearing behind the mask of the General.
…..
"We've managed to hack into the ship's frequency in order to gain a bit more information…" Anakin report as they prepared to board the ship, "… no ransom demands have been made and I can confirm that the majority of the clones that were on the ship, are alive. The Separatist droids are being led by a… Klattenhoff."
Obi-Wan nodded in recognition, "I've heard of him. Quite a high ranker in the Separatist movement. Do we know how many Separatists there are, or how many clones?"
Bringing up a holographic report, Ashoka frowned, "Hmmm, record state that there was about fifty people on the ship before the Separatists boarded. There are about five or six different voices that are probably the Separatists and transmissions suggest that they…" She paused, "… Shot forty of the clones before keeping the remaining ten as hostages."
Anakin frowned, "Forty? Was it a new shipment or something? Full of, what do they call them, shinies?"
Ashoka just nodded silently, confirming her Master's suspicions.
"So, it is this attack random? Or planned?"
Obi-Wan shook his head at Anakin's question, "At the moment, there's no way to tell… but according to the logs, there are three commanders on board. That's a lot of power and influence that the Separatists have under their control."
They all were wondering the same thing. If it was a transport ship for new clones, then why were there so many commanders?"
As Anakin moved over to the back of the ship, in order to prepare for a covert operation, as Ashoka turned to Obi-Wan, a sly grin on her face.
"So, rumour is that you and Commander Cody have been seeing more of each other recently?"
Obi-Wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "I distinctly remember there being less gossip when I was a padawan."
It was a lie, but Ashoka didn't need to know that.
"Someone saw you and the Commander out one night- "
"- Ashoka." Anakin interrupted, "Much as I hate to interrupt, we need to go silent for the drop."
Hidden by large meteors, they landed their smaller ship on top of one of them, using oxygen masks to sneak over to the larger cargo ship, and laser tools to break in. Taking out the droids that were congregated in the hanger was simple enough, giving them a chance to re-group.
"You two rescue the hostages." Obi-Wan gently ordered, "I'll deal with Klattenhof."
"Understood Master."
….….
To be honest, Obi-Wan wasn't too happy with the situation. He preferred helping those in need, going to war-torn planets and solving things diplomatically. Sneaking into control rooms and deliberately picking fights wasn't in his nature…. Much.
"You Jedi… always sticking your nose in places where it doesn't belong!" Klattenhoff grunted as he fired again and again at Obi-Wan
"That should be our new motto. Anakin, what's the situation?" Obi-Wan easily deflected the bolts away
"Just finishing up Master…" came a voice from the communicator, "…I think this batch of bots is possibly the Separatists' worst yet."
"They just don't make them like they used to." Klattenhoff was forced to duck as Obi-Wan's next deflect came dangerously close to his head, "Does something seem off about this?"
"Me and Ashoka were just discussing that. Need any help?"
"No, I've got this. Get the ship ready to transport the hostages."
"Understood."
Obi-Wan then turned his attention back to Klattenhoff who was beginning to look a little frustrated. "Sorry, but you're going to have to try harder than that if you want to land a hit." Klattenhoff charged and Obi-Wan ducked underneath him, punching him in the stomach. The man grunted, collapsing to his knees, making it easier for Obi-Wan to knock him out.
"Anakin?" he spoke into his communicator, "Anakin, what's the situation?"
Silence.
"Anakin?"
"We have a problem." Obi-Wan spun around, frowning at the sight of Anakin standing behind him, "Looks like there was something bigger at stake here."
The younger man then held up a data chip, "I decided to retrieve some information."
"On whose orders?" Interrupted Obi-Wan, "What if something had gone wrong? I assume Ahsoka is doing your job?"
Anakin frowned, "Senator Palpatine asked me to do some digging earlier, and Ahsoka is taking care of everything! You worry too much."
"You can't do this, you can't just go performing secret missions! I need to know what's going on at all times or everything will fall apart."
Anakin nodded and was about to answer, when suddenly his eyes widened and Obi-Wan felt a blinding pain at the back of his head, sending him to the ground. Wincing he twisted around to see Klattenhoff disappearing around a corner. He felt Anakin gently press against the back of his head, "Okay…" he muttered, "…this one might be on me."
He helped Obi-Wan to his feet, who then tore his arm away and pressed a hand against his sore head, "You're kriffing right it is." He grunted, striding away.