Part 2 of the previous chapter :)

Chapter 54 - Reflections

Anakin woke up with a groan, rubbing his neck with his hand as he slowly sat himself upright again. His vision blurred as he forced his eyes open. Dully, he began to note the things around him. His prosthetic was missing even though he could not remember how that happened. Around him, the men from the 212th lay unconscious, widely strewn across the floor. Cody had fallen right beside him. Anakin rubbed his face, a fierce headache pounding behind his eyes.

Nothing made sense.

"Hey," he nudged the commander gently, eliciting a groan from the man. As the other slowly began to regain consciousness, a familiar presence joined his in the Force.

Obi-Wan.

Confused, Anakin studied the man who was supposed to be Cody but strangely felt like his master.

"Obi-Wan?", he asked, his mind spiraling.

The other man sat up slowly, his head hanging and one hand clutching at his chest. "Jus' give me a secon', An'kin", he slurred.

"What…?", he began but then the question died on his tongue as he suddenly remembered. Their fight. His chip. The clones' chips. How he and Obi-Wan had gone to reclaim the Negotiator. Him posing as Vader. And his master as Cody.

"Blast", he cursed, shuffling closer to his friend who still hadn't moved much.

"Obi-Wan, look at me," he tried to get his master's attention, his hand lifting up the helmeted head.

The only thing he got in response was strained breathing. Worried, he took Obi-Wan's helmet off. His face under it was pale, almost bluish.

"Come on, talk to me," he tried again, "What's wrong with you?"

Blue eyes finally looked up at him. "H'rts," his friend rasped.

"What hurts?", he asked, his eyes scanning his friend for visible injuries. What was it that he overlooked?

Instead of answering Obi-Wan just tapped one of his fingers against his chest.

"Your…," Anakin furrowed his brows, but then he understood, "… your heart."

Panic surged through him. He hadn't thought this plan through. He had not thought about the fact that the electric shock could cause them problems. That Obi-Wan might not be as fit as he was.

His train of thought was interrupted when his friend spoke again. "Calm down, Anakin…," wheezed Obi-Wan, watching him with glazed eyes, "…As I said just give me a moment. Get on with our plan."

"But…," he started to protest but his master just shook his head.

"I promise I won't drop dead," he croaked, still leaning forward slightly with his arms pressed against his chest, "Now get on with it."

He was unconvinced but still he stood up again.

'I won't be leaving this room. He will be fine,' he kept telling himself as he finally tore his eyes from his friend.

None of the clones had woken up yet as Anakin slowly approached them. Hopefully it had worked. He had no choice but to find out.

Carefully he knelt down next to one of the men and gave him a shallow suggestion with the Force to wake him up.

The soldier grumbled to himself as he regained consciousness and sat up. Only after a short moment he seemed to notice Anakin's presence.

"General Skywalker! What...", the man began but Anakin didn't listen anymore. It had worked, at least for him.

"Listen to me," he said instead, interrupting the other, "you must help me wake your brothers. And once they are awake, ask them their names. If they can't answer the question or just give their number, knock them out."

"Excuse me?" the soldier asked irritated, "What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain right now. It is of absolute importance that we act quickly now."

Finally, the man seemed to realize that indeed the situation was dire and snapped to attention. "Of course, sir. I trust you."

As the other man began to work, Anakin quickly returned to Obi-Wan's side. "How are you holding up?"

Obi-Wan's face had regained a little color and he also seemed to breathe easier. "A little better. Did it work?"

Anakin nodded, briefly glancing over his shoulder and seeing how the first men were already back on their feet. "So far, it seems so."

His master nodded. "That's good." Then he held out his hand. "Will you help me up?"

Anakin raised one of his eyebrows. "Are you sure? You're not as pale as Ventress anymore but you're not far off either."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Very funny. So?" He wiggled his fingers.

Anakin grabbed the hand and pulled his friend to his feet, but didn't let go right away, just to make sure he was really standing securely.

"You should get another checkup the next chance you get," Anakin said then, still a little worried.

Obi-Wan snorted. "You're beginning to sound like Satine."

"We're just worried about you."

"Too worried if you ask me," he sighed, letting the previously discarded helmet slide into his hand with the Force, "Let's get on with this."

With that, he put the helmet back on and began walking toward the rest of the men, a little slower and more ponderously as Anakin noticed.

After a few minutes all men in the room were awake again, more or less confused. It seemed like all of their chips had been deactivated. At least for now. No one had noticed that Cody's armor was actually hiding her general. And so it should remain for the time being.

Anakin took his position in front of the troops. "Everyone, listen up!" he shouted, and immediately all eyes were on him, "You may not remember, but... Chips were implanted in all of your heads - without us being aware of it. And these chips... were used to control you... and to turn you against the Jedi."

An oppressive silence fell over the room. "Many of the Jedi did not survive, and more are still dying every second."

The men looked at each other. Anakin could sense their shock.

One of Obi-Wan's men then stepped forward. Helix.

"Sir...," the medic asked, "...may I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Anakin replied.

Before Helix even opened his mouth again, he knew what the question was.

"Where is our general, sir?"

'Should I tell them?', he asked Obi-Wan over their fragile bond.

'No,' his friend sent back, 'We can't be sure as long as their chips are not removed.'

'It's your choice.'

"I can assure you that he is among the survivors… but unfortunately I am not able to tell you about his whereabouts," he said as steady as he could, "I hope you can understand that."

Helix nodded stiffly, lowering his head. "Of course. Thank you, sir."

Anakin couldn't remember the last time he had felt this uncomfortable. And all because they hadn't noticed how Palpatine had expanded his power right under their noses. How the man used them like pieces in a game. How Anakin had chosen that monster over his best friend over and over again. He briefly glanced at Obi-Wan, who was still just Cody to everyone else in the room. For him it had to be all the more difficult to keep up the masquerade in front of his own men.

Since the chip in his head was destroyed, he did not feel well. He had not even recognized his own children. It was as if he was missing a part of his life. As if a page had been torn out of a book. He didn't know how to deal with his own family anymore. Didn't know who he was anymore. At least not the man he had been before the whole thing.

"General?" Suddenly Cody, no Obi-Wan, was standing in front of him. He must have drifted off.

"Sorry," he shook his head, taking a step back, "Can you take over for a second?"

"Of course, sir." Obi-Wan turned around and Anakin was dimly aware of him filling in the men. Telling them that there were still eight men on this ship with active chips. That they needed to find them as fast as possible. And that they needed to remove the chips.

No one had objections to this plan.

A few seconds later the men began to swarm out and him and Obi-Wan were left again.

"Anakin?", his master stepped closer to him, "What's wrong?"

"I.. It's all my fault… I…"

Obi-Wan removed the helmet again. "No, it's not."

"I trusted him…I- there is so much blood on my hands."

His friend stretched his hand out. "You were not yourself."

Anakin took a step back, away from the touch that was supposed to comfort him. "I don't know who I am."

Suddenly, the commlink on Obi-Wan's wrist started beeping. Anakin glanced down on it. "You should get that call," he murmured before starting to push himself past his master.

"Anakin, wait!" A hand landed on his shoulder. And something inside him snapped. He didn't know why. He just acted. His hand shot out, dislodging the other from his body – and then pushed with all his might.

Obi-Wan's eyes went wide as his feet suddenly left the ground and he was sent flying backwards. For a second their eyes met. Anakin couldn't tell who was confused more. Him. Or Obi-Wan.

Rooted to the spot, he watched as his friend first hit the ground with his shoulder, then somehow bent into a roll before finally coming to a stop on his back. Obi-Wan propped himself up with his arms, watching him with a look he couldn't really place. Guilt. Resignation. Understanding. But also fear.

"I...," he sputtered, "I better go see how things are going."

Before Obi-Wan had a chance to stop him he was out the door, the hiss as the room closed behind him somehow louder than usual. His master did not follow him. Not even when he waited a moment in the hallway. He remained alone. For a moment he thought of going back, of apologizing. To see if he had not hurt him by mistake.

He didn't have it in him to face his friend again. Instead, he waltzed down the corridor, faster than necessary. It didn't take him long to find one of the clones.

The man saluted to him. "Sir, we found the missing men. We were able to secure four of them, but the others barricaded themselves in the briefing room. They destroyed the door mechanism."

Anakin cursed and looked at the soldier in front of him. "Let me take care of that. Go ahead with preparing the medbay for the chip removal."

"Helix and Patch are already finished with the preparation. We are ready to proceed if you wish, sir."

"That's good," Anakin ran a hand over his face, "Then start with the surgeries."

The clone then excused himself, leaving him standing in the hallway. The bad feeling in his gut got worse every second. He needed to go back. Right now.

Spinning around, he ran back towards the training halls, barging through the door.

"Obi-Wan, I…", he started but cut himself short. Obi-Wan was gone. The room was empty, like nothing had ever happened before.

Sighing in defeat, Anakin stepped out of the room again. Hopefully he could talk to his master later. Wherever the man was right now.

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he headed towards the briefing room.

At least he should try to fulfill their plan. The Negotiator's halls suddenly seemed sheer endlessly as he continued on his path. It all seemed different now. Even though him and Ahsoka had spent a lot of time here. After their grueling campaigns Obi-Wan had somehow always managed to ease their minds. Not by doing anything specific. Just by being there. As the calm, steadying presence.

Now something dark and sick had overtaken his friend's normally so warm presence. Obi-Wan was not the same as before anymore. Like him, he had changed. And they were both struggling with demons they did not know how to handle. But the worst thing was that neither of them was able to talk about it.

His feet carried him to the briefing room, where he met a group of clones who had taken up position there.

"Sir," one of the men greeted him, "we haven't managed to gain access yet."

Anakin nodded. "I'll cut my way through the door. Stand by."

"You heard him! Move!"

Behind him, the men moved into position as Anakin drew his lightsaber. The blue blade came alive with a hiss and for a moment he was entranced by its glow. He - no, Vader - had tried to bleed the crystal. Fortunately he had not succeeded. And yet his crystal seemed more silent than usual. It was hurt. And probably as confused as he was.

Taking a deep breath, Anakin then stepped in front of the door - and stabbed his sword straight through the metal. Just as he had probably done thousands of times before, he cut an opening. When he had completed the glowing orange circle, he stepped aside and nodded to the soldiers behind him. The click of blasters could be heard.

Anakin then yanked the piece of metal out the door, where it came to rest in front of their position. Immediately, the first shots rang out. Only that one side fired to kill - and the other only to stun.

He stepped into the path of the bolts, deflecting the deadly projectiles. He could sense their confusion. For them, he was still Lord Vader.

"Stand down!", he called over the blaster fire and surprisingly the men in the briefing room halted their attack. The clones at his back closed in on him, weapons still ready but no longer firing. Anakin ordered them to wait with a hand signal.

Slowly he walked forward. "If you lay down your weapons now, I'll make sure the Emperor doesn't find out," he spoke coolly, slipping back into his role, "You have a choice."

The men shifted nervously back and forth, obviously unsure of what to do.

"Lord Vader," Knife, the 212th's newcomer, stepped forward, "I'm very sure about what I saw. Whoever is wearing the Commander's armor - is not one of us."

Anakin clenched his jaw. "And what do you think makes you a better judge of that than I am? I have examined the man, and I assure you there is nothing out of the ordinary to be seen there."

"But sir..."

Anakin took another step forward. "Do you know what the penalty is for disobedience, Trooper?"

The other three men in the room gasped in shock.

Knife didn't move an inch. "Of course, sir, decommissioning."

Anakin let his gaze wander among the four. "Good, then I'll give you one last chance now. Surrender and I will not have you sent back to Kamino."

Three blasters clattered to the floor.

Knife kept staring at him for a second before he dropped his as well.

"Good decision." Anakin then turned around and walked back towards the men that had accompanied him. "You know what do." It was cruel and he would never do that to any of his men. They were not expendable, they were human beings.

The men moved past him but he sensed their anxiety. They owed them an explanation. But for now, things had to stay like this. Even if he did not like it.

The four clones were secured fast and precisely without much struggle. Anakin hoped that he never had to pose as Vader again. As the small group was led away, he stopped the last trooper.

"Have you seen the commander? I would like to speak with him," he asked.

The other man shook his head. "No. I am sorry, sir."

Anakin nodded shortly and let the man go, thinking about what to do. He needed to find Obi-Wan.

His master's quarters were his first port of call, but he didn't find him there either. Growing more and more nervous, he finally stopped by the medbay. The place was busy and unusually hectic, but the surgeries seemed to be progressing well. Already seven men had had their chips removed and just needed to wake up from the procedure.

'Maybe this way we really have a chance,' Anakin thought quietly, letting his gaze wander over the working medics and droids.

He was told that Cody had indeed been seen here, even if he had been acting a little strangely. The man had insisted that his chip be removed last.

But even this didn't help Anakin much, since Obi-Wan had apparently disappeared again right after that.

He was running out of ideas. Anakin thought about where his friend could still be. He wandered aimlessly through the endless corridors, until suddenly something occurred to him.

Obi-Wan had gotten a call. And whoever it was probably needed their help. So, his master needed a plan.

He quickened his pace. The war room. Besides the briefing room, this was the only room with a map. It was only logical that Obi-Wan had holed up there.

Quickly he covered the distance and in no time he found himself in front of the room, the door already opening.

Indeed a trooper was standing in front of the large holo map, but he was not wearing Cody's armor. Still, Obi-Wan's signature was unmistakable.

"Did you change your disguise?", Anakin asked, entering the room.

Obi-Wan's head snapped up, as if he had not noticed his approach. "Anakin," he sighed, before letting his head flop down again, "Yes, I did. I figured that it won't be easy to explain two Codys running around on this ship."

He nodded in understanding. "I see… Is everything alright?"

Anakin knew that Obi-Wan understood what he meant but still his friend ignored the unspoken question.

"I don't know," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "Quinlan and the others need help. They are stuck on Coruscant."

Quinlan Vos. He vaguely remembered his encounter with the former jedi. And with Rex. His heart sped up again and he felt his chest tighten uncomfortably again so much that it hurt. He had almost killed them. Without hesitation and a hint of mercy.

Swallowing thickly he approached the holo map. "Do you think we can help them?"

Obi-Wan did not look at him and the helmet made it impossible to catch his expression. "At least that was my hope. Somewhere, though, I doubt we would arrive in time."

His friend sounded defeated. Almost as if he had to accept losing more people who were close to him. Anakin had heard that beside Master Yoda also Master Koon had not made it. He had liked the Kel'Dor. And he knew that Obi-Wan and he had been good friends. Perhaps Plo had been one of the few Jedi who had understood him.

"If we left right now, would it be enough?"

Obi-Wan sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Anakin, I... I just don't know."

Anakin would not let his master give up just like that. "We're going to try anyway. We're making good progress with the chip removal and I think it's safe enough now to get the others up here. In maybe two hours we could be on our way."

His friend propped himself up on the table in front of him. "And then what? I don't have a plan. Besides, we don't know if the surgeries are working. None of the men have woken up yet. We simply don't know what we're doing. That's the truth."

He had never heard him talk like that. Not even during their worst campaigns. Obi-Wan always had an idea, had always managed to find a way out.

But now there was this anger. It was as if he was trapped in hopelessness and that was seething underneath his skin.

Anakin suddenly began to recognize his own flaws in Obi-Wan. Silently he thought about the commlink in his pocket that contained Obi-Wan's last will.

"It's not your fault either, you know," he mumbled.

"I think it's a little too late to play the blame game," Obi-Wan replied dismissively.

But Anakin did not retreat. "You tell me all the time that it's not my fault, and yet all the time you're looking to blame yourself."

At last, his master turned to face him, leaving Anakin staring directly into the black visor. "What do you want from me, Anakin?" he growled.

"I want you to take off that damn helmet, look me in the face, and say that you and I are the innocent ones here!" he hissed back, his temper boiling.

To his surprise, Obi-Wan actually ripped the helmet off his head and dropped it between his feet. His jaw clenched, his friend stared back at him with an unnaturally cold look. There was a hint of yellow in his counterpart's eyes, Anakin dully noted. Even though his memory was more than fuzzy, one thing had nevertheless burned itself into his brain. He had not wanted to believe it before. But Obi-Wan's anger, the amber in his eyes - suddenly it all made sense. In the video Sidious had shown him, his eyes had also looked different - sick, twisted. Now Anakin understood. Obi-Wan had used the dark side to save Satine. And now it threatened to make him lose control.

Anakin saw himself. The fear and uncontrollable anger that had manifested itself inside him, driving him insane.

Obi-Wan stepped closer so that Anakin could now see the individual lines from the scar on his face as they tore through the skin, leaving white-reddish lumps instead.

"I don't have to justify myself to you," he breathed, sharply.

"Then at least don't lie to me," Anakin retorted hollowly, "You are one of the few people I thought I can trust."

His master swallowed thickly, retreating again.

"I did not lie to you. I simply told you what I believed."

His anger deflated again, as fast as it had come. Anakin shook his head, not understanding. "But why?", he placed his hand on his master's shoulder, "Why do you say that you are guilty and I am not?"

Obi-Wan turned his head away, eyes downcast. "Because I raised you. It's that simple."

Because I was supposed to be the one you should come to. But you still chose another.

Anakin did not know what to say. They stood silently in front of each other for a moment, neither having it in them to look the other in the eye.

At some point Obi-Wan raised his head. "You should contact Ahsoka and the others. I... I'll see that we get on the route to Coruscant."

He then stiffly bent down, picked up the helmet, and then moved out the door without another word. Anakin glanced after him. And this time he let him go.

A few hours later

They had been able to leave Alderaan faster than expected. Shortly after Anakin had contacted them, they had taken off, the unconscious clones in tow.

Satine didn't know what to think. On the one hand, she was glad they had made it - and on the other, there was still the anger. When she first set foot on the Negotiator, she was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the ship. In the hangar, Anakin and a few men were already waiting for her arrival. Obi-Wan was nowhere to be seen.

Together with Ahsoka, Padme and the children she left the ship. Anakin came over to them, a shallow smile on his lips. "It worked. We removed all of the chips. I also tried to fill in the men about our situation. No one of us needs to hide here anymore."

As Satine stepped closer, she noticed the small suture that almost disappeared under his brown hair. The chip had been removed. The men standing behind him wore an identical mark.

Still, an uneasy feeling remained. "Where is Obi-Wan?", she asked, eyeing Skywalker.

The man sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "I don't know to be honest. We had a little argument - and after that he just took off."

Why had she suspected that? "I'll go look for him." She was just starting to push past him when his hand suddenly caught her by the upper arm. He looked at her with worried eyes. "Listen... something's wrong with him. I've never seen him so beside himself."

He had no idea after all. "It's been going on for months, Anakin," she whispered, holding his gaze, "Sometimes I don't recognize him. Sometimes he even scares me. But I won't let him go that easily."

The hand slipped off her arm.

"Good luck then," he mumbled. Satine took this as a signal to move away. As she crossed the hangar, she heard Ahsoka talking to her master.

"I brought you your arm, Master. Maybe you can fix it."

She no longer heard his reply, as she entered the next corridor. It had never been easy to find Obi-Wan, especially if the man did not want to be found. Some clones crossed her way, many of them looking more than tired. She felt pity for them. Being used as tools against their will. Satine knew that Obi-Wan had found friends among them. And she was glad that they had been there, at her partner's side. Cody and the men had saved Obi-Wan's life, more than once.

Just because of them they had the chance of a future together. Satine roamed the corridors, peeking into the different rooms, but found no trace of Obi-Wan. She ran a hand through her blonde hair pulling a few strands loose from her bun.

Two things came to her mind that her future husband would do when he was angry or frustrated. Work out - or lose himself in alcohol. She hoped it was the former. Now she just had to find the training rooms.

A soldier approached her and she quickly jumped into his path, startling the man a bit.

"I'm sorry," she wasted no time, "but can you tell me where I can find the training rooms?"

The soldier blinked at her briefly in confusion with big brown eyes until he pulled himself together. "...They're right below us ma'am, there's an elevator here at the end of the hallway you can take."

"Thank you," she said quickly and strode past him.

"Wait," he then called suddenly and she turned to him again, "are you looking for General Kenobi?"

It must have been strange for them to discover that their General had been hiding right under their noses.

"Indeed I am," Satine crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Why do you ask?"

"Well," the man scratched the small bacta patch on his temple, "He has a private training room on the lower deck. It's just between the storage rooms. Normally he uses that one if he wishes to be left alone."

That sounded so much like him. If there was one thing Obi-Wan was good at, it was becoming a ghost. "Then I will look there. Thanks for the hint."

She tipped her head briefly and the soldier saluted her in return.

"Always at your service, ma'am."

With that, Satine made her way to the lower decks, now finally with a destination in mind.

As she entered the deserted corridor, she already heard the sound of thuds and the rattle of a chain. Frowning, she followed the source of the noise. She came to a stop in front of a nondescript room. He had to be here.

Determined, she pressed the door opener. When the door opened, she spied a rather spacious room, lined with padded mats, obviously meant for training fighting. In the corner hung a punching bag, which was also the source of the rattling. Obi-Wan stood in front of it, by now wearing only the lower half of the clone armor, in favor of a black top. On his hands he wore a pair of boxing gloves with which he worked on the punching bag, which already looked pretty battered, with powerful blows. Each time he struck, the chain on which the bag hung rattled.

Satine entered the room, but he didn't seem to notice.

With quiet steps she approached until she was almost next to him.

"Who are you trying to kill?" she snapped him out of his trance.

He stopped briefly, blinked at her, only to return to his activity.

"What are you doing here?" he murmured between the punches.

Satine tilted her head. "Isn't it obvious? I was looking for you."

"Really?", Obi-Wan threw a punch again, "Earlier it sounded like you were trying to avoid me for now."

"Obi-Wan, I'm worried about you."

"As you can see, everything is fine," he replied dismissively, "You can go again."

"Fine?" she snapped, "I guess you and I have very different definitions of 'fine'."

The Jedi paused for a moment, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead with his gloved hand. "I really don't feel like talking right now, Satine," he said a lot calmer this time.

She clenched her jaw. "As you wish."

Instead of leaving him alone, however, she walked over to a small bench that stood in the corner. Determined, she pulled her tunic over her head, leaving her in a short-sleeved shirt. Then she grabbed another pair of boxing gloves, which were actually much too big for her, but would have to do for now.

She put on the gloves and stepped into the middle of the room. "Then come here. If you already don't want to talk."

Obi-Wan paused again, looking at her in irritation. "You're being ridiculous."

Satine raised an eyebrow. "Believe me, I am quite in control of my senses."

He shook his head, turning away from her. "I'm not going to fight you."

"Good, then you'll make it all the easier for me." With that, she leapt forward and swung her arm toward his head. Of course, he was faster, dodging the blow.

"What has gotten into you?", he growled, putting distance between them.

"If you think I let you hide away with your problems then you don't know me very well after all."

She attacked again.

Obi-Wan snorted. "And that's your glorious plan? Pick a fight with me? What happened to your pacifism?"

This time he went on the counterattack, driving her back a little with well-aimed blows, but without the force he had brought to the punching bag earlier.

"It's not like I could really hurt you," she shot back, "And besides, I'm still a Mandalorian. Fighting is in my blood."

They exchanged a few blows, losing themselves in the fight.

"Interesting that I'm still discovering new sides of you," Obi-Wan joked after a moment, blocking her punches with his arms.

"I'm full of surprises," she smiled sheepishly, before she decided to jump at him.

Satine knew he would catch her – and he did. Still, her momentum was enough to make him lose his balance. They toppled over together, Obi-Wan hitting the mat with his back first with her lying sprawled over his chest.

He looked at her with a mixture of amusement and a little exhaustion before then dropping his head to the mat beneath him. "And I thought I had gotten used to this madness during Anakin's training," he muttered dryly, "But no, of course my future wife is no less than him in that regard."

Satine chuckled and propped herself up a bit, watching him stare at the ceiling. "I guess you'll just have to deal with that."

His eyes drifted back over to her and a shallow smile trailed through his beard. "True."

She pressed a shallow kiss to his cheek and looked deep into his eyes, becoming serious again. "Are you ready to talk now?"

Obi-Wan clenched his jaw and turned his head away. "I don't know what to say, to be honest."

Satine rolled off him and pried the gloves from her hands. "Then at least try it."

Next to her, he sat up, also pulling his gloves off. "I guess… things are just catching up with me," he said quietly, "And still everyone expects me to have a plan."

His blue eyes met hers again. "But how am I supposed to help others if I don't even know how to help myself?"

She scooted closer to him. "We can work this out together. All you need to do is ask."

Obi-Wan took in a breath. "Maybe. Still… it's just… too much."

Satine put her hand over his. "Did something happen while we were still on-planet?"

Her partner pursed his lips and ran a hand through his hair. "I got a call from Coruscant. Quinlan and the others are stuck. We are their only chance to leave the planet… but if we are not fast enough… they will all die."

"We can still do it, Obi," she argued, "We are on the route to Coruscant."

"But what if we are too late…?", he whispered, watching her with sad eyes, "What. If. We. Are. Too. Late."

Satine's heart clenched painfully as he continued. "I can not loose any more friends, Satine. I just can't."

When his eyes grew moist, she pulled him to her without hesitation, hugging him tightly. He rested his head on her shoulder and she felt his tears hit her shirt. "We'll figure this out," she tried to reassure him, "I'm not going to let anyone else lose their life."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," he breathed against her shoulder, his voice breaking.

"But I won't let you just throw away your hope. We - no, you - have come this far."

Obi-Wan sniffled and raised his head. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Satine brushed a tear from his cheek. "You should give yourself a moment's rest. We still have almost a full day to Coruscant, that's enough time to make a plan together."

He hummed in agreement. "I still think I should talk to Anakin first. I can't let our argument stand like this."

That said, he slowly stood up and held out a hand to Satine. She grabbed it and got to her feet.

"I'll go check on Padme and Ahsoka in the meantime, maybe they need some help," she said, walking over to the bench, putting her gloves back and pulling her shirt back on. Then she turned to Obi-Wan once more. "Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded stiffly. "Yes. I think so. Thanks."

Hopefully he'll find peace when all of this is over.

"Okay," she whispered, watching how he removed his gloves and pulled on his black long-sleeved shirt.

When he was done, he stepped up to her and put his warm hands around her cheeks and pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied without hesitating for a moment.

Hopefully each of you has started well into the new year!
I can say at least for me that I have used the last few days again a little to write. And as always I had to realize how much the music you listen to influenced the outcome of a chapter ;)