Firestorm II
Chapter 2: Betrayals and Beginnings
Disclaimer: I borrowed a few lines from R.A. Salvatore's book, "Star Wars, Episode 2: Attack of the Clones". The rest is mine, except what is George's!!
Obi Wan strode quickly through the door to Senator Amidala's apartment. He was in a hurry, anxious to be away in his search for the bounty hunter who had hired the Senator's would-be assassin. The apartment was dark and deserted. He turned on a light in order to locate his missing cloak. Obi Wan stopped short when he saw Cassiopeia sitting on the lounge, her head in her hands and a drink on the table in front of her. She looked up, saw it was him and lowered her head again.
"I thought you had gone as well," her words were slightly slurred.
Obi Wan moved to sit beside her. He brushed some aberrant curls away from her face. "What is it? What happened?"
Cassi sighed. "I cannot do this anymore," she looked up at him. "I cannot advise someone who has lost complete and utter faith in me."
"What happened now with Padme?"
"I just don't know how our relationship has come to this. We have been best friends for years. We have shared everything together, happiness, loss, secrets. We may have disagreed with each other at times but we always maintained respect for each other. I fear now that is even gone." Cassi stood up and paced the apartment, a nervous habit, as she relayed her story. "This afternoon, I went to Padme's room to see if I could help her pack for her trip home to Naboo. When I walked in, Anakin was already there and they were embroiled in a conversation." Cassi paused and turned to look at Obi Wan. "He was upset and I overheard him saying some things about you that I did not appreciate." Obi Wan nodded, this seemed to be no surprise to him.
"Go on," Obi Wan said.
"He was complaining that you didn't listen to him regarding the need to find the being behind the assassination attempt and that you are holding him back by not allowing him to take the trials and." she paused. "He said, 'He's overly critical! He never listens! He just doesn't understand! It's not fair!' At that point, I could not stand there and listen to him anymore. I walked into the room and I told him that he would be wise to guard his thoughts and his tongue, that there was much he could learn from you if he would only put his ego aside for a moment."
Obi Wan smiled, he loved that about Cassi, that she spoke her mind regardless of who was the recipient.
"Padme immediately jumped down my throat. She told me that I would be wise to guard my tongue and that I 'need to learn my place'." Cassi's eyes filled with tears.
"She said what?" Obi Wan was shocked that Padme would say that to anyone, let alone her best friend, her advisor, her Counselor. He stood up, went to Cassi, and held her closely to him.
Cassiopeia continued, "My response to her was that I was leaving before she had the chance to say anything else to make me seriously consider resigning my position."
"I don't understand," Obi Wan stated. "Why would she have said that?"
"Padme's never degraded me like that before, ever. But she's tired of me expressing my opinions. She feels so strongly about defeating the Military Creation Act and I've advised her so fervently against defeating it that she has begun to shut out and disregard everything I say," Cassiopeia cried into his shoulder.
She pulled away from him suddenly, wiped her face, and began pacing again. "Still," observed Obi Wan, "a comment like that is very out of character for Padme. Perhaps there's more to it than just the political tension between the two of you."
Cassiopeia thought about what Obi Wan said. "Possibly. But what infuriates me the most is that she chose Anakin over me. At least that's how I perceive it." She turned to look at Obi Wan. "Why would she stick up for him like that? I don't understand."
"I don't know, Cassi," Obi Wan stated truthfully. "Maybe she's tired or afraid for her life or just not thinking clearly." He paused. "Love, I hate to do this, but I've got to go. I'm pressed for time."
"Yes, I heard you were off on an assignment. Where are you going?"
"I'm off beyond the Outer Rim in search of a planet called Kamino. I'm attempting to track the bounty hunter who hired and then killed Padme's would-be assassin."
They were both silent for a few moments. Obi Wan looked around the room and discovered his missing cloak. He strode over to where it lay, picked it up and put it on. He walked back over to Cassi and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Promise me something, alright," he looked into her eyes. "Promise that you won't make any rash decisions about resigning your position until after I return and we have more time to talk. Please. And no more drinking alone in the dark ok?" Obi Wan started toward the door.
"Ben, take me with you."
He turned back to look at her. "What?"
"Please, let me come with you," Cassi gestured around the apartment. "I can't just sit around here in Padme's apartment and do nothing. I need to get away. I need to clear my head so I can think properly about my future."
Obi Wan shook his head. "Absolutely not, Cassi. You cannot come with me. It will most likely be dangerous."
"All the more reason for you to have a partner." Cassiopeia moved close to Obi Wan, put her arms around his neck and stroked his hair. "Please, Ben?" she purred into his neck.
He smiled into her hair. He was being manipulated. He knew it and he didn't mind it. Obi Wan's head screamed at him. He knew it was completely against the Jedi code to take a non-Jedi on assignment with him and it went completely against all common sense. But the truth was he missed her. He would love to spend more time with her. And, he wanted to help ease some of her pain. Despite all his misgivings, he nodded.
"Alright, Cassi," he said. "Hurry up then."
Cassiopeia grinned and hugged him tight. "Oh you're the best, Ben. I love you."
She let go of him and hurried to the guestroom she was occupying to change her clothes. She hadn't even notice what she had said to him. But Obi Wan had. Her last words rang in his ears. It seemed like forever since he had heard her say those words to him. His passion for her boiled up and he fought to keep himself from bounding into the room after her, kissing her passionately, forgetting all about the assignment, and just staying in bed with her for days on end. But he stayed right where he was until she emerged from her room, ready to go.
"Alright," she smiled at him. "I'm ready."
Obi Wan hadn't seen her smile like that in years and it was good to see it again finally. "Before we go, a few ground rules; you will stay in the starfighter when I deem the situation to be too dangerous, you will follow my lead at all times, and you will remember that I am on assignment, not a vacation. Understood?" he said.
"Oh for star's sake, Ben, give me some credit," Cassiopeia was slightly annoyed. "I'm not your Padawan. I will be nothing if not professional. I trust your judgment but you must also trust mine." She walked up to him, looked into his eyes for a moment, then kissed him softly on the lips. "May the Force be with us," she said, a playful smile spreading across her face as she walked through the door to the outer hall.
"I may be in over my head," Obi Wan shook his head and chuckled to himself as he followed her through.
Chapter 2: Betrayals and Beginnings
Disclaimer: I borrowed a few lines from R.A. Salvatore's book, "Star Wars, Episode 2: Attack of the Clones". The rest is mine, except what is George's!!
Obi Wan strode quickly through the door to Senator Amidala's apartment. He was in a hurry, anxious to be away in his search for the bounty hunter who had hired the Senator's would-be assassin. The apartment was dark and deserted. He turned on a light in order to locate his missing cloak. Obi Wan stopped short when he saw Cassiopeia sitting on the lounge, her head in her hands and a drink on the table in front of her. She looked up, saw it was him and lowered her head again.
"I thought you had gone as well," her words were slightly slurred.
Obi Wan moved to sit beside her. He brushed some aberrant curls away from her face. "What is it? What happened?"
Cassi sighed. "I cannot do this anymore," she looked up at him. "I cannot advise someone who has lost complete and utter faith in me."
"What happened now with Padme?"
"I just don't know how our relationship has come to this. We have been best friends for years. We have shared everything together, happiness, loss, secrets. We may have disagreed with each other at times but we always maintained respect for each other. I fear now that is even gone." Cassi stood up and paced the apartment, a nervous habit, as she relayed her story. "This afternoon, I went to Padme's room to see if I could help her pack for her trip home to Naboo. When I walked in, Anakin was already there and they were embroiled in a conversation." Cassi paused and turned to look at Obi Wan. "He was upset and I overheard him saying some things about you that I did not appreciate." Obi Wan nodded, this seemed to be no surprise to him.
"Go on," Obi Wan said.
"He was complaining that you didn't listen to him regarding the need to find the being behind the assassination attempt and that you are holding him back by not allowing him to take the trials and." she paused. "He said, 'He's overly critical! He never listens! He just doesn't understand! It's not fair!' At that point, I could not stand there and listen to him anymore. I walked into the room and I told him that he would be wise to guard his thoughts and his tongue, that there was much he could learn from you if he would only put his ego aside for a moment."
Obi Wan smiled, he loved that about Cassi, that she spoke her mind regardless of who was the recipient.
"Padme immediately jumped down my throat. She told me that I would be wise to guard my tongue and that I 'need to learn my place'." Cassi's eyes filled with tears.
"She said what?" Obi Wan was shocked that Padme would say that to anyone, let alone her best friend, her advisor, her Counselor. He stood up, went to Cassi, and held her closely to him.
Cassiopeia continued, "My response to her was that I was leaving before she had the chance to say anything else to make me seriously consider resigning my position."
"I don't understand," Obi Wan stated. "Why would she have said that?"
"Padme's never degraded me like that before, ever. But she's tired of me expressing my opinions. She feels so strongly about defeating the Military Creation Act and I've advised her so fervently against defeating it that she has begun to shut out and disregard everything I say," Cassiopeia cried into his shoulder.
She pulled away from him suddenly, wiped her face, and began pacing again. "Still," observed Obi Wan, "a comment like that is very out of character for Padme. Perhaps there's more to it than just the political tension between the two of you."
Cassiopeia thought about what Obi Wan said. "Possibly. But what infuriates me the most is that she chose Anakin over me. At least that's how I perceive it." She turned to look at Obi Wan. "Why would she stick up for him like that? I don't understand."
"I don't know, Cassi," Obi Wan stated truthfully. "Maybe she's tired or afraid for her life or just not thinking clearly." He paused. "Love, I hate to do this, but I've got to go. I'm pressed for time."
"Yes, I heard you were off on an assignment. Where are you going?"
"I'm off beyond the Outer Rim in search of a planet called Kamino. I'm attempting to track the bounty hunter who hired and then killed Padme's would-be assassin."
They were both silent for a few moments. Obi Wan looked around the room and discovered his missing cloak. He strode over to where it lay, picked it up and put it on. He walked back over to Cassi and kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Promise me something, alright," he looked into her eyes. "Promise that you won't make any rash decisions about resigning your position until after I return and we have more time to talk. Please. And no more drinking alone in the dark ok?" Obi Wan started toward the door.
"Ben, take me with you."
He turned back to look at her. "What?"
"Please, let me come with you," Cassi gestured around the apartment. "I can't just sit around here in Padme's apartment and do nothing. I need to get away. I need to clear my head so I can think properly about my future."
Obi Wan shook his head. "Absolutely not, Cassi. You cannot come with me. It will most likely be dangerous."
"All the more reason for you to have a partner." Cassiopeia moved close to Obi Wan, put her arms around his neck and stroked his hair. "Please, Ben?" she purred into his neck.
He smiled into her hair. He was being manipulated. He knew it and he didn't mind it. Obi Wan's head screamed at him. He knew it was completely against the Jedi code to take a non-Jedi on assignment with him and it went completely against all common sense. But the truth was he missed her. He would love to spend more time with her. And, he wanted to help ease some of her pain. Despite all his misgivings, he nodded.
"Alright, Cassi," he said. "Hurry up then."
Cassiopeia grinned and hugged him tight. "Oh you're the best, Ben. I love you."
She let go of him and hurried to the guestroom she was occupying to change her clothes. She hadn't even notice what she had said to him. But Obi Wan had. Her last words rang in his ears. It seemed like forever since he had heard her say those words to him. His passion for her boiled up and he fought to keep himself from bounding into the room after her, kissing her passionately, forgetting all about the assignment, and just staying in bed with her for days on end. But he stayed right where he was until she emerged from her room, ready to go.
"Alright," she smiled at him. "I'm ready."
Obi Wan hadn't seen her smile like that in years and it was good to see it again finally. "Before we go, a few ground rules; you will stay in the starfighter when I deem the situation to be too dangerous, you will follow my lead at all times, and you will remember that I am on assignment, not a vacation. Understood?" he said.
"Oh for star's sake, Ben, give me some credit," Cassiopeia was slightly annoyed. "I'm not your Padawan. I will be nothing if not professional. I trust your judgment but you must also trust mine." She walked up to him, looked into his eyes for a moment, then kissed him softly on the lips. "May the Force be with us," she said, a playful smile spreading across her face as she walked through the door to the outer hall.
"I may be in over my head," Obi Wan shook his head and chuckled to himself as he followed her through.