Hand of Fate

Chapter 13 / Connection


Under the bright light of midday, the group of Nikto males approached the jungleside passageway, which was a large roughly hewn hole into the side of the mountain. They forced the gleaming protocol droid ahead of them as another pirate carried the still-unconscious woman roughly over his shoulder like a sack.

Obi-Wan watched their approach from his quickly-found hiding spot—a rock formation up a bit higher on the face of the mountain just to the left of the passageway. He was still out of breath from his hurry to beat them here, and his mind did not feel calm. His hand clenched into the rock hard as his pulse hammered violently in his veins. He felt distinctly off in the way he was approaching this situation. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, because he was faced with two choices and had to act quickly.

Choice one: bide his time and enter the fortress after the group did, sneaking in to break Sabé out at some point in time from wherever they took her. This option would mean she went out of his sight though, and he didn't know for how long—that made him uneasy. What if they were about to board a ship with her? What if they were about to meet up with more pirates, therefore outnumber Obi-Wan even more? He couldn't know their next move, and that was a risk.

Choice two: confront them immediately and hope for the best. The risk with this decision was also very great.

Given no time to decide, and too emotionally charged to seek the will of the Force, Obi-Wan threw caution to the wind.

With a decisive breath in and his gaze on Sabé's limp form, he stood and stepped out from where he'd been concealed. He dropped about twenty-five feet down, landing softly in front of the pirates, who immediately stopped moving forward and trained all their weapons onto him. His plan forming as he went, the Jedi Master addressed the one who seemed to be in charge—a red Nikto bristling with facial horns. "Drop your weapons and release the woman and droid to me," he said calmly.

Looking him up and down, pausing on the lightsaber, then sneering, the pirate laughed harshly. "Release my prisoners?" he asked, eyes narrowing wickedly. "And just what's all one of you gonna do about it, koochoo?" Well, Obi-Wan thought. It had been worth a try at least. The pirate took his blaster and went a couple steps backward and held the barrel of it against Sabé's temple menacingly. Obi-Wan's chest tightened in response to seeing an unarmed and unconscious Sabé threatened like that—a feeling that tempted him to spring into careless action. He remained still, but it was surprisingly hard. "You drop your weapon," the pirate commanded. Obi-Wan took a long beat to consider, then complied by carefully unclipping his entire belt, lightsaber included, and letting it drop to the ground. The pirates closed in on him immediately, their blasters or vibrostaffs close enough to touch in some cases. There were of course things Obi-Wan could do to fight them off and defend themselves. But he had decided now to go with plan three: get captured right along with Sabé and DC-10. He was going to need Sabé's help in escaping, or at the very least her consciousness. The ringleader picked up Obi-Wan's belt, plucked the lightsaber off, then flung the belt away, keeping the weapon for himself gleefully. "That's what I thought. Jedai kung."

The ringleader approached him aggressively, attempting to intimidate. Obi-Wan stood his ground, knowing what was likely to happen next. When he didn't cower or wilt away, when he maintained steady eye contact, the pirate backhanded him brutally, causing pain to scream across Obi-Wan's temple and part of his forehead—the pirate wore spiked gloves. Vision gone temporarily bright and blurred, Obi-Wan felt himself double over and then get yanked along with the group and into the darkness of the cave. He steadied himself internally, focusing on his breathing.

The Nikto talked to each other in a language that wasn't Basic, then laughed together briefly. Obi-Wan took note of everything they passed as well as he could, a tense glance darting Sabé's way every few moments. They went down the long damp passageway and into a huge, natural-light lit cave—the same one Obi-Wan had seen from a distance. This was obviously their makeshift hangar bay—a few ships were docked and there was an area that seemed to be a living space—a long wooden table and chairs was visible, as well as barrels and crates of supplies, a few hammocks strung up, and general mess of living sloppily. These pirates had been here long enough that they'd also carved a gigantic skull and crossbones into the far cave wall.

The prisoners were taken into a smaller, dripping cavern just off of the main cave. There, they were all but thrown into a large rusted metal cage. A pirate activated a button on a handheld remote he carried, and a gigantic pink bubble activated over the entirety of the cage.

"Oh no, ray shields!" DC-10 exclaimed in what was probably distress.

Obi-Wan noted the observation, but was currently re-arranging a limp Sabé from a crumpled up, tangled heap on the ground and into a laying down pose that wouldn't hurt her limbs later. Thankfully, her breathing was fine and he didn't see new injuries. Her head lolled to the side as he finished repositioning her, and loose hair became strewn across her eyes and forehead. Obi-Wan hesitated, then cautiously traced a couple fingers across her skin, moving the hair aside for her, his eyes and fingertips lingering on a face that could have been sleeping. Even under the lightest touch of his fingers to her skin, he felt the same connection he'd felt years ago on Tatooine, and it caused him great pause. He didn't understand it, but it was there all the same: warm, alive, curious, beseeching him to pursue. In itself, the connection wasn't something to be afraid of. It was something else that stirred that caution in him, and he couldn't quite name or place it. Feelings. Feelings that were unfamiliar and large that he had no idea how to navigate. Feelings that took up a space inside of himself that he didn't recognize. It was strange to notice that even though her jumpsuit and jacket were torn and dirty, even though her skin and hair were dingy, she appeared just as beautiful to him as she'd been on that balcony during the celebration three years ago in Theed. Noticing his thoughts, his expression became more stern and he stood, attempting to refocus himself.

He paced the cage at a very calm, slow gait, a hand thoughtful on his chin as he turned his mind to the situation at hand and how to proceed. "DC-10, was that Huttese the pirates were speaking?"

The droid turned their attention to him, the static face showing no emotion. "Correct, Master Kenobi, it was Huttese."

"What did they say?"

"They were talking about how this woman cost them a month's work releasing fifty captives—"

Obi-Wan's eyebrows jumped up. "Fifty?" he repeated. "Are you sure? I counted five of you."

"Oh yes, I'm quite sure," DC-10 replied. "There were forty-five others from other local villages held captive, and we were all due to be shipped offworld to be sold the next day. The Commander let everyone out during early morning sleep. Lady Demi was the only one who offered us a place to go." The droid indicated Obi-Wan look, using a shining arm.

Obi-Wan followed the gesture and saw another cage off in the corner of the cavern—only upon close inspection, it had a number of broken and bent bars from what looked like blaster fire and sheer human willpower. Sabé's doing, he deduced. And the reason behind why these ray shields were apparently new to DC-10—a security measure put in place after Sabé had ruined their export. "I see," he commented quietly, a mixture of respect and surprise stirring in him.

The droid was continuing on. "They also said and, the slang was difficult to interpret, but I believe they want to achieve some kind of revenge upon her." The droid's head tilted slightly to the side. "Is your injury giving you much trouble?"

Obi-Wan touched fingers to the wound he'd sustained on his forehead. Warm blood met his fingertips, but it wasn't the deepest cut he'd ever had. It was more a very painful nuisance than anything else. "Not to worry, DC-10. I'll be fine." He saw Sabé stir a bit, just a slight head turn and grimace. He immediately crouched down at her side and touched her shoulder, watching her open her eyes woozily and then become confused. Then her eyes came to him and her expression relaxed a little. "Are you all right?" he asked softly. Her expression changed, eyebrows working in toward each other.

She didn't answer him, and he felt a large flare of concern emanate from her. "You're hurt," she said, eyes on his forehead and voice full of a worry—her concern and care seemed to reach through his chest and touch him softly there, causing an ache.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "It's nothing," he assured her gently, given over to a feeling of tenderness. "Can you sit up?"

She nodded and groaned as she began to get herself up, then took his assistance as he helped her. Once seated, she gaped up at the pink bubble that went over their heads, noticing their doubly-complicated dilemma. "Are those ray shields?!" she asked, then groaned in frustration.

"They've doubled their security measures since our last escape," DC-10 noted somberly, watching from a few feet off.

Sabé heaved a very heavy sigh, a hand rubbing her face tiredly as Obi-Wan helped her settle her back against the bars near her. "What a disaster," she muttered.

Obi-Wan, however, disagreed. "There's no need to worry," he said, giving her a small smile. "Have patience—we'll make our move once they transfer us someplace else. Or when a guard comes by." After having seen the pirates space, he had a plan.

Sabé, however, looked a tic doubtful. "So… we wait," she surmised slowly.

Obi-Wan nodded. "All you need to do is trust me," he promised, then nodded to indicate her knee. "Let me see your injury."

She did, watching him with dark, full eyes. The cavern dripped, the echos of the water droplets echoing throughout the cool cavern. "What happened, anyway?" she asked as he carefully unwrapped what he'd wrapped earlier. "Last I remember was being in the jungle. Then nothing."

"Well… I attempted to rescue you," he replied, pausing to give her a good-humored look. "To even our score, of course."

That caused her to fight an entertained smile that played in her eyes and on her mouth too. "Of course."

"And it… didn't go so well," he said lightly.

Sabé matched his joking mood. "I gathered." Then she winced as he got closer to where the bandage touched tender skin.

With all gentleness, Obi-Wan pulled away blood-soaked fabric from the wound and Sabé visibly suppressed a reaction. Obi-Wan tried to keep her talking while he ripped off more of his tunic hem to bind the wound anew. "DC-10 tells me you freed fifty captives yesterday."

"Something like that," she confirmed with a tight expression, watching him rebinding her knee tight enough to compress without inhibiting her ability to bend her leg. "These pirates are evil." She frowned. "Where'd they put your lightsaber?"

"One of the ringleaders has it," Obi-Wan said evenly. "For now." And he did mean that.

"Bastards," she muttered.

DC-10, who had silently been watching until now, piped up. "I overheard them say they're going to get a restraining bolt and sell me to the highest bidder or strip me for my parts." If it were possible for a droid to sound worried, DC-10 did.

Sabé looked at her droid commandingly, almost crossly. "DC-10, that is not going happen to you."

"I certainly hope not," the droid said, then their spindly finger components wrapped around the prison bars in front of them.

"I won't let it," Sabé said, and her tone left no room for argument.

Finished with re-bandaging her knee, Obi-Wan took a set beside Sabé, drawing his knees up so that he could rest his elbows on them. His mood was still light, jovial even. "Tell me, Commander," he prompted. "Is this what life's been like since I last saw you?"

Sabé gave him a look as if she'd misheard him. "Like this? No." She shook her head and smiled briefly, like it was funny, then her eyes grew thoughtful as she contemplated what life had been like. "I was put in charge of the new recruit training program just after you left Naboo. Security forces saw a massive surge in new applicants after the battle." A humble shrug. "That and whatever other tasks or special assignments Amidala gives me keep me very busy." Her eyes remained distant, thinking of things Obi-Wan could only guess at. Reflective, she shook her head. "It hardly even feels like a few months have passed, let alone three years."

Obi-Wan felt himself agree internally, and how. "You are right about that," he said. His senses, both Force and otherwise, observed that Sabé was conflicted. He hesitated, then asked. "Are you not… happy with the promotion?"

The question appeared to catch her off guard, then cause her to think and consider. "No I'm happy. Enough. I think." Her own answer visibly caused her some surprise. "Panaka and some others always viewed the advancement like I was handed something I didn't earn." She looked at him then, quiet guilt playing on her features. "And sometimes I agree." Obi-Wan felt his expression change to confusion at her statement, and she saw it then explained. "Going from Lieutenant to Commander overnight? That's not typical."

His reply came without any need for consideration. "And neither are you." Her expression was soft, touched. But he meant it. The circumstances had been anything but typical or expected. Sabé had been at the highest risk of anyone during the Naboo crisis, putting herself directly into the crosshairs in the decoy gambit—not only that, she and the Queen had singlehandedly formed, directed, and carried out the battle plan that had saved the entire planet. The promotion of rank was very well earned in his mind. But perhaps he was biased.

A soft, cynical smile played on her lips. "Tell that to everyone who resents me for it." She looked into mid distance again. "Their reactions made me work harder these past three years to prove myself. But people's minds are made up mostly. Zana graduates in just under two more years. Goes off to medic school." She paused, voice softening another notch. "I have half a mind to do something else with my life when that happens."

Obi-Wan studied her profile, so dimly lit in the cavern light. "And what would you do?"

She thought a moment, smiled suddenly, then gave him a joke answer: "Moisture farming." She cracked a grin even as he shook his head and looked down to conceal his own smile. A reminder of their adventure on Tatooine. "But enough about me" she said. "Tell me what life's been like for you?"

This was where Obi-Wan usually dodged and avoided. Talking about himself—his feelings, deeper thoughts, struggles—was not something he typically enjoyed. He preferred to keep those to himself in most cases. He tiptoed into answering in his classic way. He set up with his first sentence. "Well… training Anakin hasn't been as challenging as I anticipated."

"Oh?"

His punchline came next: "It's been about ten times much more challenging." Which was the truth, but given in humorous context to offset the seriousness of it all.

Sabé grinned, having fallen for his little verbal game. "Ah," she nodded. "That sounds familiar." After thinking a moment, she peered at him. "He's thirteen now?"

Yes. Obi-Wan's smile faded, his gaze going somewhere vague. "And so stubborn," he replied momentarily, "So sure that he knows everything. So difficult to reason with sometimes." These were things he only shared with higher Council members. Sabé listened to him. "My only hope is that it's a phase," he said, darkening measurably because he wasn't optimistic. "A three year, no-end-in-sight phase."

Appearing sympathetic, Sabé shook her head ruefully. "Teenagers."

A curious statement. "Zana doesn't seem one of those teenagers," Obi-Wan said. Not that he'd observed her for long, but her energy alone was clue enough. He just couldn't imagine Sabé's sister's eyes flashing in defiance or her throwing a fit or pouting over hurt feelings like someone he knew.

"She's not," Sabé said. There was a certain tone and softness to her when she spoke of her sister. It was pride. It was love. "She's always been mature for her age." She put up a finger. "Don't misunderstand though. There's no shortage of problems and challenges when it comes to raising a child. I do imagine some situations are much more difficult than others." Obi-Wan nodded. If only she knew. Watching him closely now, almost unnervingly so, she gently prodded. It was like she did know, or had an inkling of how hard it was sometimes. "Do you have support? Do you talk to anyone about it?"

Obi-Wan didn't know how to answer that. "And what would I say?" The Order had been full of mixed opinions when he took Anakin as his Padawan after Qui-Gon's death. Some of his most trusted allies had scorned Obi-Wan after it all. He didn't want to go into the detail. It was too painful. So he left it as: "I've faced much controversy over my decision to train him."

Sabé listened, thought for a couple of generous seconds, then looked at him with eyes that knew. "That would feel very lonely."

An observation that cut through him to the truth of the matter. So much in fact that a bundle of emotion caught in his throat. "It is," he admitted, equal parts relieved that someone understood this, and dismayed that he had revealed this vulnerable side of himself. But he didn't see judgment or anything close in his companion's eyes. Only understanding and care, trustworthiness. "How did you cope?" He asked her softly, because she had done almost the same as him, in so many words. "You were so much younger than I was when you became a guardian."

Sabé's expression transitioned to something more doubtful. "I'm not one to ask for advice on that. I just buried it." It was so easy to look at her and only see strength, but Obi-Wan was beginning to realize that strength came from immense pain and the necessary growth that pain had demanded. Some would cave underneath that pressure. "Didn't talk to anyone about things," she continued, expression on the more troubled side. "Just did what I knew I had to."

That feeling he labelled as respect grew even further for her, and the tender regard remained. The sadness he felt from her gave him an urge to comfort her. He considered carefully, becoming aware of how easy it would be to let his personal feelings and inclinations combined with this situation get out of hand. It wasn't just camaraderie or friendship that they shared between them, and he knew it by now, and had known it three years ago too. Or if it was friendship, he had never come close to feeling a friendship that affected him like this. "Well for what it's worth, from what I've seen, you've managed wonderfully," he said in all honestly.

Her gaze turned to him, hazel eyes studying his intently. "Thank you." A self-conscious little smile grew and she looked down, obviously deep in fond thoughts about Zana and the experience of raising her. "Sometimes I forget I'm her sister. It feels sometimes much more like motherhood." Motherhood. He could easily see Sabé in that role, seeing as she already essentially was. His mind's eye pictured her briefly like that. He had never wondered before this moment, yet suddenly was with a strange sinking feeling: was Sabé romantically involved with anyone? Even as he wondered that, the image of Captain Gregar Typho sprang to mind, and Obi-Wan's stomach seemed to grow hollow. He didn't have a chance to think about it further though, because Sabé's eyes darted off to somewhere past him and she tensed up. "Movement," she whispered, and Obi-Wan followed her gaze.

A single pirate with a handful of keys was lumbering their way. Obi-Wan steeled himself. The moment had changed. "Looks like it's time to go." He stood quickly and gave Sabé a hand—she sprang up faster than maybe either of them anticipated, and their faces were suddenly inches apart. Startled, they blinked, then moved apart. Both shaken up perhaps not by the closeness, but by the emotional bonding of the moment they'd just experienced.


Author's Note: don't mind me, I'm just a bundle of emotions right now. Next chapter coming soon, it's mostly written already!