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Stars in the Darkness - Part Seven
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As Obi-Wan guided Onara through the crowd and out of the huge ballroom, he initially had no idea where he was going. All he knew was he wanted to get away before someone else, well-meaning as they might have been, interrupted them again.
Obi-Wan had visited the Crystal Pavilion only once before. Located in the Jrade District, one of the wealthier, fashionable areas of Coruscant, the Pavilion was an elaborately designed building with fifteen floors, each containing a huge ballroom similar to the one Obi-Wan and Onara had just left. There were also amphitheaters, bathhouses, restaurants, and gardens located on each floor. He had been dismayed to learn upon his and Anakin's arrival that this was where Senator Rhygdon was holding her party, for he had anticipated just what he had found: a spectacle.
But, he thought, his heart pounding as he led Onara through the corridors to where he had finally decided to take her, he had also found her. Neither of them said a word as they walked through the corridors, and Obi-Wan was only dimly aware of the people they passed. Finally he saw the door he was looking for. He went up to it and placed his palm against a rectangular piece of metal next to the door's red frame. All the guests to the party had been palm-scanned before entering the Pavilion. This allowed them access to any room in the building.
The door slid open and Obi-Wan escorted Onara inside. As they entered, he was pleased to see the lights had been out, but were now coming on. That meant he and Onara were the only ones here as the lights were programmed to switch on only when someone was in the room. The door slid closed behind them and they found themselves in a bare, empty room. Onara glanced over at Obi-Wan, her dark eyes questioning.
"What is this place, Obi-Wan?" she asked and, at the sound of her low, soft voice, his heart sped up even faster.
"It's a holo-arboretum," he replied.
"A holo-arboretum?"
Obi-Wan nodded as he took her hand and led her towards one of the walls of the room. "It's designed to reproduce, through holographic imagery, the landscape of thousands of worlds within the Republic."
He gestured towards a silver panel in the wall upon which was a small keypad. "You enter the name of the world you want to see here."
Onara leaned over and examined the panel and, as she did, her fragrance, which Obi-Wan still recalled from the blessing ceremony, filled his senses; honeyroses, night-jasmine and her. He gazed at her, almost hungrily, as she gingerly touched the panel. The long, slim skirt of her evening gown was a rich, black satin and the bodice was red velvet with a low décolletage. Her glossy black hair was swept up on her head except for one, loose ringlet that lay thick against her shoulder which, because the black, triple- shoulder straps rode low on her shoulders, left it mostly bare. Tiny ruby earrings glimmered in her ears, and she wore a simple gold necklace upon which was a sigil he recognized as the symbol for her province on Ahjane.
She turned and smiled at him, and Obi-Wan felt the bottom of his stomach drop. In the two years since he'd last seen her, she had matured, but in a way that made her even more lovelier, more alluring. Motherhood had agreed with her, he saw. As had marriage, he thought with a twinge of pain.
"Do you think Ahjane is programmed into the database?" she asked him.
"Let's find out, shall we?" he said with a wide smile.
He pressed the keypad. The tiny display screen remained blank for a moment, then lit up. Obi-Wan took Onara by the shoulders and turned her gently towards the center of the room.
"Watch," he said softly.
At first the room remained as bare as it had been when they first entered it, but slowly shapes began to form in the air. The lights shifted, changing color and brightness. Soon trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers shimmered, then solidified around them. Onara gasped.
"I know this place. It's Suheb Province on the eastern continent. Father took me there once when I was a little girl."
Soon, what had once been a bare, empty room in the Crystal Pavilion on Coruscant, was now one of the lush gardens of Suheb Province on Ahjane. Onara moved away from the wall, Obi-Wan behind her. She reached out and tentatively touched the leaves of one of the shrubs near her hand, but her fingers passed through it.
"It's not real," she said.
Obi-Wan nodded. "It's just light, made to look as if it's solid and three dimensional."
"But the energy consumption must be..."
"Prohibitive," Obi-Wan finished. "Yes, very much so. That's why there are only a few of these on Coruscant. They're very popular, especially with those who long for the landscapes of their homeworld."
He and Onara moved through the holographic garden and it was nearly impossible not to believe they were actually on Ahjane, except there was no sounds or scents one would associate with a garden. But, that didn't matter to Obi-Wan. They were alone, at least for a little while.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Onara said as they stopped in front of a bush brimming with large, golden honeyroses. "I've only been away from Ahjane for a short time and I miss it already. Coruscant is so...so..."
"Sterile, barren, cold," Obi-Wan offered.
Onara smiled, dimples flashing in her cheeks. "Well, it's not that bad, Obi- Wan. It is quite exciting, though I haven't had much of an opportunity to see it."
"Perhaps I can remedy that," he offered.
Onara looked at him, her smile sliding away. "Obi-Wan..." she began. She stopped and looked away. He reached over and gently touched her chin, turning her back to face him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She stared at him for a long moment.
"I've missed you so much," she finally whispered, her eyes brimming as she gazed deeply up into his.
He stroked her cheek. "As I have you."
"I thought you had forgotten me."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Never, Onara. I'll never forget you."
"But you found your way back? Didn't you?"
Obi-Wan's hand was now cupping her face, the tips of her fingers caressing the edges of her hair. "My way?"
"Back to your path. The Jedi path."
At her words, Obi-Wan felt as if someone had suddenly thrown cold water in his face. He quickly drew his hand from her cheek. What had he been thinking? He looked at her, suddenly confused. She stared back at him, her dark eyes searching his.
"That's why the Council sent you to Bestine, wasn't it?" she went on. "To help you find your way back?"
Obi-Wan nodded. He moved his arms behind his back, clasping his hands firmly.
"Yes. That is why."
"What was it like? On Bestine?"
Obi-Wan turned and continued walking through the holographic garden, Onara at his side. The room was large and the program was designed to warn them if they were getting close to one of the walls, so there was plenty of space for them to stroll about.
"It's a water planet mostly. There are a few atolls on it. The Jedi Chapterhouse is located on one of them."
"What did you do while you were there?"
"Meditated. Read. Meditated. Exercised. Meditated."
Onara laughed softly. "It sounds restful."
"It was."
"Were you alone?"
"No, there are some Jedi on Bestine. Primarily elderly members of our Order who have retired from active duty. They tend to keep to themselves, however, preferring to commune with the Force. Most of them are strong adherents of the Unifying Force."
"The Unifying Force? What is that?"
"Those who are followers of the Unifying Force," Obi-Wan explained, "emphasize a more serene and contemplative path, as opposed to those who espouse the Living Force where the focus is on action and instinct."
"Like the difference between a priest and a politician."
A look of disgust flashed across Obi-Wan's face. Onara laughed.
"Perhaps that wasn't a very good analogy," she said.
"No, I suppose it was as good as any."
Onara reached over and touched the sleeve of his waistcoat. "And which path do you follow, Obi-Wan?"
"Master Qui-Gon was a strong believer in the Living Force. However, Master Yoda---"
"I asked about you, Obi-Wan."
He stopped and looked over at her. She smiled as he remained silent, reaching up to stroke the streaks of white in the red-gold hair alongside his temple, the marks of his having called upon the Dark Side of the Force when he pulled her back from the abyss of death. He clasped her hand and held it in his. He didn't want to talk about the Force, unifying or living. There was only one thing on his mind at the moment, besides her.
"How is Ben?" he asked, his throat tightening.
Onara gently drew her hand away, her face breaking into a wide smile.
"He's my joy, Obi-Wan. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I loved my father or as much as I loved you. But Ben...he's...love personified."
Obi-Wan had not missed the fact she used the past tense when she spoke of her love for him.
"And Dalan?"
"Dalan has been a good father, Obi-Wan. Ben is happy, bright and surrounded by people who love him. Sinja-Bau is his teacher now and he simply adores her."
"I'm glad to hear that. And Sinja-Bau is well?"
"Yes, very. She's been wonderful to have around. I don't know what I would have done without her."
Onara smiled, her eyes sparkling, but she was shaking a finger at Obi-Wan. "Ben is quite the handful, I'll have you know. Sinja-Bau says he takes after you in that regard."
Obi-Wan smiled and nodded, but he was not surprised he felt a heaviness around his heart too. Onara reached over and touched his arm.
"Please, tell me what you're thinking."
Obi-Wan raised his eyes and looked over at her. "I wish I could see him. I wish..."
She clasped his arm. "I have something for you, Obi-Wan. Something he made for you."
"For me?"
Onara nodded. "It's back at my apartment. I was going to have it delivered to the Jedi Temple, but I would like to give it to you personally. If that's all right, of course."
"Of course it's all right. What is it?"
She tapped him on the cheek with her finger and laughed. "It's a surprise. You'll see when we get there."
Obi-Wan smiled at her, gladdened by the delight he saw in her eyes when she spoke of Ben. It was apparent she loved their son deeply and that, at least, put his heart at ease.
"Shall we go now," he asked her, "or do you want to say longer at the party?"
Onara took his arm. "I've had enough of the party. But I'll have to let Keria know I'm leaving. Though, perhaps, she'll be ready to leave also." Onara then stopped and looked up at him.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan, for what you did earlier for her. It was very sweet. She's had this crush on Anakin since the day she tended his leg after he rescued Ben from Grandmother, but I've always feared she would be hurt because of it."
"Why? Because of Padmé?"
Onara shook her head. "I didn't know anything about Anakin and Padmé. No, I feared it because Anakin's a Jedi."
Obi-Wan nodded solemnly, acknowledging the truth of her words, as they applied both to him and Anakin. They continued on towards the door. Once they reached it, it slid open. Onara looked back at the holographic garden.
"Don't we have to turn it off?"
"Once we leave it will shut down on its own."
They walked out of the holo-arboretum. Once they were back in the corridor, which was bustling with people, Onara quickly released his arm. She then looked up at him, her dark eyes anxious as if she'd feared she'd insulted or hurt him. But he smiled to let her know her action was appropriate.
He was, after all, a Jedi Knight and she a married Senator. The glade where they had watched the katarra dance, and the blessing chamber where they had made love and conceived their son was not only light years away on Ahjane, it was now the past, and the past was a realm neither could visit or dwell within. Whatever chance they'd had to be together was now gone. Onara had chosen her path, as he had his. Returning his smile, she walked with him back to the ballroom.
-----------------
"Are you sure, Keria?"
"Oh, yes, milady! I'm having a wonderful time."
Keria's young face was flushed, but with excitement this time, not embarrassment. Upon arriving back at the ballroom, Onara and Obi-Wan had split up as they searched through the crowd for Keria, Anakin and Padmé. Although the number of guests had thinned out, enough people remained that it had taken Onara some moments before she finally found Keria. Her handmaiden had been dancing with a tall, red-haired, richly-dressed son of a Corellian diplomat who was still hovering nearby.
"But, how will you get home?" Onara asked.
She didn't think the red-haired boy was dangerous, but she was responsible for Keria, having promised her parents she would look after her.
"Don't worry. I'll escort her home once she's ready to leave."
Onara turned and looked up into the dark eyes of Viceroy Organa. "Are you certain, Viceroy? I wouldn't want to impose on you."
Viceroy Organa shook his head, smiling widely at her. "It would not be an imposition, but a honor," he said bowing to Keria.
Onara looked back at Keria whose bright blue eyes were shining. Onara was happy to see she'd apparently gotten over that incident with Anakin earlier in the evening, and she was loathe to do anything that would spoil the fun her handmaiden was having.
"All right," Onara said. "But don't stay too late."
"I won't, milady," Keria cried.
She quickly turned and flew back into the arms of the diplomat's son. He escorted her onto the dance floor and they whirled away.
"Thank you, Viceroy Organa," Onara said to him. "And don't let her keep you here too late."
He laughed softly. "If I didn't know any better, Senator Lenor, I would think you were worried that someone as old as I was incapable of keeping up with such young people."
Onara's eyes widened. "Oh, no," she gasped. "I didn't mean that at all. No, I just thought, perhaps, you had----"
The Viceroy lifted his hands in a gesture of placation. "I was teasing. Actually, Elester, flamboyant as she may be, is also frugal. She will have, more than likely, hired the Bith quartet for only a couple more hours. I'll have Keria home shortly after that."
"Thank you, Viceroy."
Then Onara noted he was looking past her. She turned, her heart skipping, as Obi-Wan walked towards them, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Obi-Wan," Viceroy Organa said.
"Bail. Have you seen Anakin?"
"He and Padmé, I believe, are taking a stroll outside on the balcony."
Obi-Wan frowned harder. "I wanted to tell him I'm escorting Senator Lenor home."
One of the Viceroy's dark brows rose. "Indeed. Well, if you like Obi-Wan, I'll inform both him and Padmé that the two of you have left."
Obi-Wan hesitated, then released a sigh. Onara sensed he wasn't pleased about something, but whether it was having Bail inform Anakin he was leaving, or that Anakin was still in Padmé's company, she wasn't sure.
"If you could do that, Bail, I'd be grateful."
The Viceroy inclined his head. He turned to Onara, taking her hand.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Senator. I hope we shall have more opportunities to meet in the future."
"Perhaps we will," Onara replied, her mouth lifting up into a small smile. "I'm looking into obtaining a seat on the Senate's Committee on Ethics. There is a vacancy, correct?"
The Viceroy glanced over at Obi-Wan, then back at Onara. "Yes, there is. But, I must warn you, it's very rare that a freshman senator is assigned a seat on that particular committee."
"There's always a first time for everything, Viceroy Organa," Onara stated.
He stared at her, then nodded, smiling. "That is indeed true, Senator Lenor. Very well then. Good luck on your endeavor. And good night to you both."
Obi-Wan bowed deeply as the Viceroy moved past them and into the crowd. He looked over at Onara, frowning slightly.
"The Ethics Committee?" he said with barely disguised disapproval.
"What's wrong with the Ethics Committee?" Onara asked, walking with him across the floor, out of the ballroom and over to the cloak room.
Obi-Wan passed over the chit for his cloak to the droid attendant. "The Galactic Senate having an Ethics Committee is akin to having the prison inmates deciding the lengths of their sentences and the degree of their punishments."
Onara, who was retrieving her red cape, stopped and stared at Obi-Wan.
"I can't believe you just said that. Viceroy Organa is the Ethics Committee's chair. I thought he was your friend."
"He is my friend. And he's a good, decent man," Obi-Wan replied as he helped Onara put on her cape. "But he's fighting an uphill battle. The Senate is rife with corruption, and an _ethics committee_, well meaning as it may sound, is not going to stop that corruption."
After putting on his black cloak, Obi-Wan led Onara to a lift, which took them to the top of the pavilion where they could hire an air-taxi. Onara shook her head as she stood next to Obi-Wan.
"I had no idea you were so cynical about government," she said.
"I'm not cynical," Obi-Wan replied as they walked onto the pavilion's landing area. Turning around, he searched for an air-taxi, the brisk upper air currents ruffling their hair and whipping at their cloaks.
"I'm realistic," he went on, gesturing towards a nearby, idling air-taxi. "Someone once said that an accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who don't possess it."
Onara, who had been watching the air-taxi descend next to them, an alien she recognized as an Aqualish piloting it, whirled on Obi-Wan, her eyes narrowing. However, before she could tell him, in no uncertain terms, just what she thought of his cynicism, his aphorism and his so-called accurate observations, she noted the smile on his lips and the twinkle in his eyes and realized he was only teasing her. She relaxed and smiled at him.
Taking her arm, he helped her into the back seat of the air-taxi. After informing the pilot of their destination, he leaned close to her.
"If you could have seen the look on your face," he whispered, a smile in his voice, his breath soft against her cheek. "I have no fear, Onara. You will do well in the Senate, possessing such fire along with such beauty."
Onara's cheeks warmed at both his words and his nearness. She turned and looked over at him, her gaze falling into the beauty that were his eyes and, as the air taxi sped through the dazzling, colorful, invigorating cityscape that was Coruscant at night, Onara wondered if personally giving Ben's present to Obi-Wan had been such a good idea.
To be continued...
Stars in the Darkness - Part Seven
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As Obi-Wan guided Onara through the crowd and out of the huge ballroom, he initially had no idea where he was going. All he knew was he wanted to get away before someone else, well-meaning as they might have been, interrupted them again.
Obi-Wan had visited the Crystal Pavilion only once before. Located in the Jrade District, one of the wealthier, fashionable areas of Coruscant, the Pavilion was an elaborately designed building with fifteen floors, each containing a huge ballroom similar to the one Obi-Wan and Onara had just left. There were also amphitheaters, bathhouses, restaurants, and gardens located on each floor. He had been dismayed to learn upon his and Anakin's arrival that this was where Senator Rhygdon was holding her party, for he had anticipated just what he had found: a spectacle.
But, he thought, his heart pounding as he led Onara through the corridors to where he had finally decided to take her, he had also found her. Neither of them said a word as they walked through the corridors, and Obi-Wan was only dimly aware of the people they passed. Finally he saw the door he was looking for. He went up to it and placed his palm against a rectangular piece of metal next to the door's red frame. All the guests to the party had been palm-scanned before entering the Pavilion. This allowed them access to any room in the building.
The door slid open and Obi-Wan escorted Onara inside. As they entered, he was pleased to see the lights had been out, but were now coming on. That meant he and Onara were the only ones here as the lights were programmed to switch on only when someone was in the room. The door slid closed behind them and they found themselves in a bare, empty room. Onara glanced over at Obi-Wan, her dark eyes questioning.
"What is this place, Obi-Wan?" she asked and, at the sound of her low, soft voice, his heart sped up even faster.
"It's a holo-arboretum," he replied.
"A holo-arboretum?"
Obi-Wan nodded as he took her hand and led her towards one of the walls of the room. "It's designed to reproduce, through holographic imagery, the landscape of thousands of worlds within the Republic."
He gestured towards a silver panel in the wall upon which was a small keypad. "You enter the name of the world you want to see here."
Onara leaned over and examined the panel and, as she did, her fragrance, which Obi-Wan still recalled from the blessing ceremony, filled his senses; honeyroses, night-jasmine and her. He gazed at her, almost hungrily, as she gingerly touched the panel. The long, slim skirt of her evening gown was a rich, black satin and the bodice was red velvet with a low décolletage. Her glossy black hair was swept up on her head except for one, loose ringlet that lay thick against her shoulder which, because the black, triple- shoulder straps rode low on her shoulders, left it mostly bare. Tiny ruby earrings glimmered in her ears, and she wore a simple gold necklace upon which was a sigil he recognized as the symbol for her province on Ahjane.
She turned and smiled at him, and Obi-Wan felt the bottom of his stomach drop. In the two years since he'd last seen her, she had matured, but in a way that made her even more lovelier, more alluring. Motherhood had agreed with her, he saw. As had marriage, he thought with a twinge of pain.
"Do you think Ahjane is programmed into the database?" she asked him.
"Let's find out, shall we?" he said with a wide smile.
He pressed the keypad. The tiny display screen remained blank for a moment, then lit up. Obi-Wan took Onara by the shoulders and turned her gently towards the center of the room.
"Watch," he said softly.
At first the room remained as bare as it had been when they first entered it, but slowly shapes began to form in the air. The lights shifted, changing color and brightness. Soon trees, shrubs, grass, and flowers shimmered, then solidified around them. Onara gasped.
"I know this place. It's Suheb Province on the eastern continent. Father took me there once when I was a little girl."
Soon, what had once been a bare, empty room in the Crystal Pavilion on Coruscant, was now one of the lush gardens of Suheb Province on Ahjane. Onara moved away from the wall, Obi-Wan behind her. She reached out and tentatively touched the leaves of one of the shrubs near her hand, but her fingers passed through it.
"It's not real," she said.
Obi-Wan nodded. "It's just light, made to look as if it's solid and three dimensional."
"But the energy consumption must be..."
"Prohibitive," Obi-Wan finished. "Yes, very much so. That's why there are only a few of these on Coruscant. They're very popular, especially with those who long for the landscapes of their homeworld."
He and Onara moved through the holographic garden and it was nearly impossible not to believe they were actually on Ahjane, except there was no sounds or scents one would associate with a garden. But, that didn't matter to Obi-Wan. They were alone, at least for a little while.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Onara said as they stopped in front of a bush brimming with large, golden honeyroses. "I've only been away from Ahjane for a short time and I miss it already. Coruscant is so...so..."
"Sterile, barren, cold," Obi-Wan offered.
Onara smiled, dimples flashing in her cheeks. "Well, it's not that bad, Obi- Wan. It is quite exciting, though I haven't had much of an opportunity to see it."
"Perhaps I can remedy that," he offered.
Onara looked at him, her smile sliding away. "Obi-Wan..." she began. She stopped and looked away. He reached over and gently touched her chin, turning her back to face him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She stared at him for a long moment.
"I've missed you so much," she finally whispered, her eyes brimming as she gazed deeply up into his.
He stroked her cheek. "As I have you."
"I thought you had forgotten me."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "Never, Onara. I'll never forget you."
"But you found your way back? Didn't you?"
Obi-Wan's hand was now cupping her face, the tips of her fingers caressing the edges of her hair. "My way?"
"Back to your path. The Jedi path."
At her words, Obi-Wan felt as if someone had suddenly thrown cold water in his face. He quickly drew his hand from her cheek. What had he been thinking? He looked at her, suddenly confused. She stared back at him, her dark eyes searching his.
"That's why the Council sent you to Bestine, wasn't it?" she went on. "To help you find your way back?"
Obi-Wan nodded. He moved his arms behind his back, clasping his hands firmly.
"Yes. That is why."
"What was it like? On Bestine?"
Obi-Wan turned and continued walking through the holographic garden, Onara at his side. The room was large and the program was designed to warn them if they were getting close to one of the walls, so there was plenty of space for them to stroll about.
"It's a water planet mostly. There are a few atolls on it. The Jedi Chapterhouse is located on one of them."
"What did you do while you were there?"
"Meditated. Read. Meditated. Exercised. Meditated."
Onara laughed softly. "It sounds restful."
"It was."
"Were you alone?"
"No, there are some Jedi on Bestine. Primarily elderly members of our Order who have retired from active duty. They tend to keep to themselves, however, preferring to commune with the Force. Most of them are strong adherents of the Unifying Force."
"The Unifying Force? What is that?"
"Those who are followers of the Unifying Force," Obi-Wan explained, "emphasize a more serene and contemplative path, as opposed to those who espouse the Living Force where the focus is on action and instinct."
"Like the difference between a priest and a politician."
A look of disgust flashed across Obi-Wan's face. Onara laughed.
"Perhaps that wasn't a very good analogy," she said.
"No, I suppose it was as good as any."
Onara reached over and touched the sleeve of his waistcoat. "And which path do you follow, Obi-Wan?"
"Master Qui-Gon was a strong believer in the Living Force. However, Master Yoda---"
"I asked about you, Obi-Wan."
He stopped and looked over at her. She smiled as he remained silent, reaching up to stroke the streaks of white in the red-gold hair alongside his temple, the marks of his having called upon the Dark Side of the Force when he pulled her back from the abyss of death. He clasped her hand and held it in his. He didn't want to talk about the Force, unifying or living. There was only one thing on his mind at the moment, besides her.
"How is Ben?" he asked, his throat tightening.
Onara gently drew her hand away, her face breaking into a wide smile.
"He's my joy, Obi-Wan. I never thought I could love anyone as much as I loved my father or as much as I loved you. But Ben...he's...love personified."
Obi-Wan had not missed the fact she used the past tense when she spoke of her love for him.
"And Dalan?"
"Dalan has been a good father, Obi-Wan. Ben is happy, bright and surrounded by people who love him. Sinja-Bau is his teacher now and he simply adores her."
"I'm glad to hear that. And Sinja-Bau is well?"
"Yes, very. She's been wonderful to have around. I don't know what I would have done without her."
Onara smiled, her eyes sparkling, but she was shaking a finger at Obi-Wan. "Ben is quite the handful, I'll have you know. Sinja-Bau says he takes after you in that regard."
Obi-Wan smiled and nodded, but he was not surprised he felt a heaviness around his heart too. Onara reached over and touched his arm.
"Please, tell me what you're thinking."
Obi-Wan raised his eyes and looked over at her. "I wish I could see him. I wish..."
She clasped his arm. "I have something for you, Obi-Wan. Something he made for you."
"For me?"
Onara nodded. "It's back at my apartment. I was going to have it delivered to the Jedi Temple, but I would like to give it to you personally. If that's all right, of course."
"Of course it's all right. What is it?"
She tapped him on the cheek with her finger and laughed. "It's a surprise. You'll see when we get there."
Obi-Wan smiled at her, gladdened by the delight he saw in her eyes when she spoke of Ben. It was apparent she loved their son deeply and that, at least, put his heart at ease.
"Shall we go now," he asked her, "or do you want to say longer at the party?"
Onara took his arm. "I've had enough of the party. But I'll have to let Keria know I'm leaving. Though, perhaps, she'll be ready to leave also." Onara then stopped and looked up at him.
"Thank you, Obi-Wan, for what you did earlier for her. It was very sweet. She's had this crush on Anakin since the day she tended his leg after he rescued Ben from Grandmother, but I've always feared she would be hurt because of it."
"Why? Because of Padmé?"
Onara shook her head. "I didn't know anything about Anakin and Padmé. No, I feared it because Anakin's a Jedi."
Obi-Wan nodded solemnly, acknowledging the truth of her words, as they applied both to him and Anakin. They continued on towards the door. Once they reached it, it slid open. Onara looked back at the holographic garden.
"Don't we have to turn it off?"
"Once we leave it will shut down on its own."
They walked out of the holo-arboretum. Once they were back in the corridor, which was bustling with people, Onara quickly released his arm. She then looked up at him, her dark eyes anxious as if she'd feared she'd insulted or hurt him. But he smiled to let her know her action was appropriate.
He was, after all, a Jedi Knight and she a married Senator. The glade where they had watched the katarra dance, and the blessing chamber where they had made love and conceived their son was not only light years away on Ahjane, it was now the past, and the past was a realm neither could visit or dwell within. Whatever chance they'd had to be together was now gone. Onara had chosen her path, as he had his. Returning his smile, she walked with him back to the ballroom.
-----------------
"Are you sure, Keria?"
"Oh, yes, milady! I'm having a wonderful time."
Keria's young face was flushed, but with excitement this time, not embarrassment. Upon arriving back at the ballroom, Onara and Obi-Wan had split up as they searched through the crowd for Keria, Anakin and Padmé. Although the number of guests had thinned out, enough people remained that it had taken Onara some moments before she finally found Keria. Her handmaiden had been dancing with a tall, red-haired, richly-dressed son of a Corellian diplomat who was still hovering nearby.
"But, how will you get home?" Onara asked.
She didn't think the red-haired boy was dangerous, but she was responsible for Keria, having promised her parents she would look after her.
"Don't worry. I'll escort her home once she's ready to leave."
Onara turned and looked up into the dark eyes of Viceroy Organa. "Are you certain, Viceroy? I wouldn't want to impose on you."
Viceroy Organa shook his head, smiling widely at her. "It would not be an imposition, but a honor," he said bowing to Keria.
Onara looked back at Keria whose bright blue eyes were shining. Onara was happy to see she'd apparently gotten over that incident with Anakin earlier in the evening, and she was loathe to do anything that would spoil the fun her handmaiden was having.
"All right," Onara said. "But don't stay too late."
"I won't, milady," Keria cried.
She quickly turned and flew back into the arms of the diplomat's son. He escorted her onto the dance floor and they whirled away.
"Thank you, Viceroy Organa," Onara said to him. "And don't let her keep you here too late."
He laughed softly. "If I didn't know any better, Senator Lenor, I would think you were worried that someone as old as I was incapable of keeping up with such young people."
Onara's eyes widened. "Oh, no," she gasped. "I didn't mean that at all. No, I just thought, perhaps, you had----"
The Viceroy lifted his hands in a gesture of placation. "I was teasing. Actually, Elester, flamboyant as she may be, is also frugal. She will have, more than likely, hired the Bith quartet for only a couple more hours. I'll have Keria home shortly after that."
"Thank you, Viceroy."
Then Onara noted he was looking past her. She turned, her heart skipping, as Obi-Wan walked towards them, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Obi-Wan," Viceroy Organa said.
"Bail. Have you seen Anakin?"
"He and Padmé, I believe, are taking a stroll outside on the balcony."
Obi-Wan frowned harder. "I wanted to tell him I'm escorting Senator Lenor home."
One of the Viceroy's dark brows rose. "Indeed. Well, if you like Obi-Wan, I'll inform both him and Padmé that the two of you have left."
Obi-Wan hesitated, then released a sigh. Onara sensed he wasn't pleased about something, but whether it was having Bail inform Anakin he was leaving, or that Anakin was still in Padmé's company, she wasn't sure.
"If you could do that, Bail, I'd be grateful."
The Viceroy inclined his head. He turned to Onara, taking her hand.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Senator. I hope we shall have more opportunities to meet in the future."
"Perhaps we will," Onara replied, her mouth lifting up into a small smile. "I'm looking into obtaining a seat on the Senate's Committee on Ethics. There is a vacancy, correct?"
The Viceroy glanced over at Obi-Wan, then back at Onara. "Yes, there is. But, I must warn you, it's very rare that a freshman senator is assigned a seat on that particular committee."
"There's always a first time for everything, Viceroy Organa," Onara stated.
He stared at her, then nodded, smiling. "That is indeed true, Senator Lenor. Very well then. Good luck on your endeavor. And good night to you both."
Obi-Wan bowed deeply as the Viceroy moved past them and into the crowd. He looked over at Onara, frowning slightly.
"The Ethics Committee?" he said with barely disguised disapproval.
"What's wrong with the Ethics Committee?" Onara asked, walking with him across the floor, out of the ballroom and over to the cloak room.
Obi-Wan passed over the chit for his cloak to the droid attendant. "The Galactic Senate having an Ethics Committee is akin to having the prison inmates deciding the lengths of their sentences and the degree of their punishments."
Onara, who was retrieving her red cape, stopped and stared at Obi-Wan.
"I can't believe you just said that. Viceroy Organa is the Ethics Committee's chair. I thought he was your friend."
"He is my friend. And he's a good, decent man," Obi-Wan replied as he helped Onara put on her cape. "But he's fighting an uphill battle. The Senate is rife with corruption, and an _ethics committee_, well meaning as it may sound, is not going to stop that corruption."
After putting on his black cloak, Obi-Wan led Onara to a lift, which took them to the top of the pavilion where they could hire an air-taxi. Onara shook her head as she stood next to Obi-Wan.
"I had no idea you were so cynical about government," she said.
"I'm not cynical," Obi-Wan replied as they walked onto the pavilion's landing area. Turning around, he searched for an air-taxi, the brisk upper air currents ruffling their hair and whipping at their cloaks.
"I'm realistic," he went on, gesturing towards a nearby, idling air-taxi. "Someone once said that an accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who don't possess it."
Onara, who had been watching the air-taxi descend next to them, an alien she recognized as an Aqualish piloting it, whirled on Obi-Wan, her eyes narrowing. However, before she could tell him, in no uncertain terms, just what she thought of his cynicism, his aphorism and his so-called accurate observations, she noted the smile on his lips and the twinkle in his eyes and realized he was only teasing her. She relaxed and smiled at him.
Taking her arm, he helped her into the back seat of the air-taxi. After informing the pilot of their destination, he leaned close to her.
"If you could have seen the look on your face," he whispered, a smile in his voice, his breath soft against her cheek. "I have no fear, Onara. You will do well in the Senate, possessing such fire along with such beauty."
Onara's cheeks warmed at both his words and his nearness. She turned and looked over at him, her gaze falling into the beauty that were his eyes and, as the air taxi sped through the dazzling, colorful, invigorating cityscape that was Coruscant at night, Onara wondered if personally giving Ben's present to Obi-Wan had been such a good idea.
To be continued...