Chapter 10 – Sic Parvis Magna - Greatness from small Beginnings
Anakin and him silently slipped into the apartment where the woman, except for Ahsoka, were already completely busy with the speech for the senate. "Ever the politicians, huh?", he heard his former padawan grumble next to him.
Obi-Wan hummed. "What would you do if it were your planet on the line?"
"Fair point", Anakin looked at him, "I don't think we're any help here, to be honest. How about you show me and Ahsoka around? On the way you could tell us what happened here." Having said that, he eyed his injuries for a second.
"Why not, but I don't think I can walk any longer or my arm will fall off." The jedi master adjusted his grip on the crutch again, one could already see the red marks forming in his palms. "I can show you around tomorrow, if you'd like. Right now, I want to sit down first. We can go onto the balcony and I'll tell the two of you what happened." He motioned to a glass door near the kitchen.
"Sure, I'll go and fetch Ahsoka."
Obi-Wan nodded and slowly made his way over to the door. Opening it, he stepped outside onto the small platform. The evening sun shone on his face; the warmth was tickling in his skin. Despite being a city, Sundari was rather quiet at this time. The jedi master took a seat on the bench which was placed on the side of the balcony and stretched out his legs. Both of them were hurting more or less after the long walk. Massaging his unbandaged knee, Obi-Wan studied the plants surrounding him until his eyes locked on one in particular. A sapir plant. 'Qui-Gons favorite', he thought with remorse. He still remembered how his master had taught him to brew his favorite tea. 'Never use too much of the sapir leaves, it will get bitter, padawan.' Obi-Wan had tried to pass his tea-knowledge on to Anakin, but all the boy managed to produce was more resembling some kind of bitter paste than a tea. His padawan had never shown a big interest in tea anyway. Ahsoka on the other hand actually managed to produce a passable tea, so he had still hope that at least one of their line age might carry on the tea tradition. Obi-Wan smiled to himself, Anakins' and Ahsokas' relationship was really admirable. Despite their unusual start, they had grown close over the time. 'I hope Anakin does a better job at understanding his padawan than I did.'
As if on cue, both stepped out on the balcony. "Ah, there you are. I already started to think you would let me wait until it gets dark", he said with a chuckle.
"Come on, Master Kenobi. We would never let you wait on purpose", Ahsoka smiled, "so, are you going to tell us what happened now?" The Tortuga sat down next to him on the bench, folding her legs. Anakin just leaned on the railing with his back, propping himself up on his elbows.
"Well, where do I start…", Obi-Wan leaned back against the wall, looking into the sky. Deciding against mentioning his dispute with Satine, he began with the parks' bombing. Over the next minutes he retold the events, from the bombing, to the shooting with the Death Watch member, his capture and finally his duel with Vizsla.
After he finished, Anakin and Ahsoka were staring at him with wide eyes. "What are you going to do about the Death Watch?", the girl asked quietly.
The jedi master merely shrugged. "I don't know, if my guess is right, then this is going way deeper than just this organization."
"What do you mean?", Anakin asked confused, crossing his arms over his chest.
"We found some signs that hinted to an involvement of the separatists. Most likely Dooku."
"Blast!", both his companions exclaimed.
Obi-Wan gave a small smile and chided, not meant seriously: "Language, padawans." He then leaned forward a little and eyed his friends. "I think all we can do is hope for the best with the senate and that the republic can somehow support Mandalore with maintaining its neutrality."
Anakin hummed in thought. "Do you think that Satine will allow a republic involvement?"
"I don't know, Anakin. But I think she knows that there isn't much of an option."
They fell in silence for a while after that until Ahsoka piped up. "Can I ask you a question, Master Kenobi?"
"Sure, Ahsoka."
"If I might ask… what's the story between you and the duchess? How'd you meet her?"
Obi-Wan suppressed a laugh and rubbed his eyes. "I was afraid one of you would ask this question one day. It's a rather long story to be honest."
"Please, master. We're curious and we've got nothing else to do right now", Anakin chimed in, grinning over both ears.
"You're both insufferable", the jedi master grumbled, "but as you wish… it all began with a mission on Mandalore I had with Master Qui-Gon."
about twenty years in the past
'Almost a year on the run', he thought, 'this is insane.'
"Master, they're closing in!", the young padawan shouted while deflecting the blaster bolts aimed at him and the duchess behind him. They've been running from the bounty hunters for days now. As the exhaustion slowly started to set in, the trio had been caught up by their pursuers in the midst of the forest.
'Obi-Wan, take the duchess and run. I'll lure them away from you.' Came the strong suggestion from his master over their training bond.
'I won't leave you behind, master.'
'That's an order, padawan. Now go!' Obi-Wan scowled but did as he was told. Gripping Satine by her wrist, they bolted through the forest, jumping over branches and gaps. Throwing a look over his shoulder, he could see his masters' green blade moving further away. They were on their own now. 'May the Force be with you, master', he sent over their bond.
Obi-Wan received no answer. Their bond was closed off from Qui-Gons' side.
They kept on running for a long time, before he felt the duchess pulling them to a halt. "Padawan Kenobi, wait", she panted.
The jedi stopped and turned around to face her. "I'm sorry, duchess. I just wanted to get you to safety", he said apologetic.
"It's okay. I just…", she tried to catch her breath, "…need a break."
She was right. A glance to the sky told Obi-Wan that the sun had already begun to set. "Let's find shelter for the night then." Silently they trudged forward until the padawan spotted a small cave about one and a half klicks away from them. "Duchess, maybe we can find cover over there."
The blonde merely nodded. "Lead the way."
After a few minutes they reached their destined hideout. Collecting a few dry branches on their way, Obi-Wan managed to get a small fire going. Both teenagers sat down around their small heat source in silence, trying to get rid off the cold which was gnawing at their bones. Rubbing his hands together, the jedi noticed that the girl in front off him was still shivering fiercely. Not thinking about it twice, he shrugged off his robe and held it out to her.
"Here. For the cold", he said.
She hesitated for a moment, but then took the cloth from his hands and pulled it around her shoulders. "Thanks, padawan Kenobi."
"Obi-Wan."
"Hm?", the duchess raised an eyebrow at him.
"I rather have you calling me by my name than my title", he admitted.
"Uhh, sure… Obi-Wan. You may as well call me Satine then."
The padawan nodded and his gaze lingered again on the small flames in front of him. Somehow Satines' presence always made it difficult for him to find his center. Both teenagers would never admit it in front of the other, but they've somehow grown close over the time.
Obi-Wan decided to meditate to calm his mind. Shifting, he took a cross-legged position and closed his eyes. As he stretched out with his senses in the Force, he felt eyes on him. Squeezing one open, he saw that Satine was observing him. "What is it, Satine?", he asked, slightly amused.
"Nothing…", she said, as if she were a little unsure about what to say, "I was just wondering how you do it."
"Do what?" Confusion was written over his face.
"Meditation. You seem so calm when you do it."
"Oh…of course. Actually, I can show you…if you'd like to try. You don't need to be Force sensitive to do it."
Satine hesitated shortly, but then agreed. Motioning for her to resemble his position, they found themselves sitting cross-legged on opposite sides of the fire, their eyes closed.
"Try to calm your breathing now, Satine", Obi-Wan guided. Using the Force, he felt how she struggled to gain some kind of steadiness. Stretching out his presence in the Force, he carefully poked against the girls' mind. He heard her gasp shortly. "Don't worry. That's me, let me help you to calm down."
The second their minds connected both teenagers instantly felt at ease. The time passed and as they resurfaced from the meditation, they realized that about three hours must have passed. The moon was already high up and their fire had died down to a small pile of ember.
Satine yawned. "Maybe we both should catch some sleep now."
"I guess you're right", the padawan said and began to stretch out on the floor.
As he stared to the ceiling, he thought about what had just happened. A Force bond. Even though Satine wasn't Force sensitive and she would never know about it if he didn't tell her, a bond had snapped to life as they meditated together. The jedi didn't allow attachment. It was frowned upon. What would happen if his master found out? Would he turn him down again? 'What have I done…?', he thought, fear gripping on him. Obi-Wan turned his head again and observed Satine, who had already fallen asleep. 'At least she found her peace of mind for now.'
present time
"Did you tell her?", Anakin queried, curiosity lacing his voice. Obi-Wan had finished his story a few seconds ago.
"I couldn't", the jedi master answered shortly, "I didn't know how to explain. And I thought it was easier for her that way to go on when we had to separate. Qui-Gon didn't know either, but he suspected that much. I told her only many years later."
"Do you regret not leaving the order for her?", his grandpadawan asked quietly.
"No."
"Why not?" It was clear, that Anakin was completely puzzled.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and smiled. "Because it would have meant leaving you, Anakin. And I wouldn't abandon an innocent child because of a future I might have."
"You chose me over her?"
"I did." The jedi master let his gaze linger between Anakin and Ahsoka. "But now I have both. And I got to see you and my grandpadawan grow up, that's more than most people could ask for."
"So", Anakin shifted from his spot on the railing. "Did you come to a decision? Concerning your relationship?"
Obi-Wan chuckled. "You know, padawan, there's an old saying: Curiosity killed the cat. And that means for you that I won't tell you for now."
His former padawan smirked. "That means you made your decision."
"What decision?", Ahsoka chimed in, completely left out of their discussion.
Her master was grinning broadly now. "Believe it or not, Snips, your grandmaster is going to marry Satine sooner or later."
Ahsoka couldn't believe what she had just witnessed and was now staring at Obi-Wan flabbergasted.
The jedi master just shook his head with amusement. "The emphasis is on sooner or later, padawans."