A Shift in the Force: Chapter Sixty-Six: Chanced Reunion
AN: A fic does not need war to be interesting, but things are going to heat up, I promise :) and there's going to be a rather large conflict.
Sorry its been such a long time between updates, but I was working my way through my last semester nursing school and nursing boards, but now that I've passed, I've actually got time :) I'm not sure how frequent updates are going to be, but I've got a schedule up on tumblr if ya'll are ever curious.
This chapter is also kind of a birthday gift from me :)
Obi-Wan probably could've brought Anakin along on the mission, but he couldn't help but feel wary about it. He was investigating a child trafficking ring with rumors of Jedi younglings being among the children to be auctioned off on Ryloth and it seemed counterproductive to bring Anakin along when he met their criteria.
At least he had Talik to occupy his time while Obi-Wan was away.
Obi-Wan had had to forgo his usual garb for something that wouldn't look out of place among the locals, but also something that wouldn't make him stand out too much. The upside was that there were a good number of humanoids and other species aside from the twi'leks among those at the auction (thought Obi-Wan was hesitant to call it that, there wasn't really a better word to describe the spectacle). He kept his face down and hidden until the moment he felt something trickle through the Force, her presence clear as day. His heart skipped a beat and he shifted his gaze.
Sabé hadn't noticed him yet -no, that wasn't right, she was acting like she hadn't noticed yet, but Obi-Wan knew her senses were attune; she'd be able to sense him coming a mile off- and she was laughing at something a Rodian had said -not her laugh, but one that was harsh and rough, leading Obi-Wan to believe she was playing a part-, her arm across the back of a chair containing a pretty green Twi'lek. The only thing he could make out about her was that she looked healthy and alive, which was more than he could've hoped for, given her proclivity for the criminal underground.
(Obi-Wan had to remind himself of just where he was and concede the point.)
"I've got friends everywhere," she'd said to Obi-Wan with a wink. She'd had lovers before, he'd always known that, and even when he'd just started falling in love with her, he couldn't be jealous; the life of a Jedi Shadow could take Jedi on different paths to different people, and all those experiences made her who she was.
His eyes were off her too long and when he looked again, she'd gone, vanished without a trace.
Obi-Wan hated when she did that.
But he didn't have time to linger on that, after all, he was here to do a job, and being in love with Sabé wasn't going to change that; Sabé had always been about testing that Love Theory of hers and had been quite successful at it for years before her exile, and now it seemed that it fell to Obi-Wan to prove he was capable of doing his job without being distracted by the one he loved.
He slipped past guards with a subtle mind trick, but he soon found his unencumbered with the clear sight of corpses lining his path. Obi-Wan paused briefly, just long enough to ascertain a cut made by what was most likely a vibroblade, efficiently stabbed into the carotid, blood spilling across the ground.
Obi-Wan had never liked the weapon much, with how much of a mess it left behind, but Sabé had rolled her eyes every time he'd said that; she was a bit a jack-of-all-trades when it came to weaponry. Obi-Wan had never approved but she'd just laughed and called him narrow-minded for thinking a lightsaber was civilized.
By the third body Obi-Wan had recognized a pattern, and by the fourth, a hand had wrenched him into a darkened corridor. The golden eyes he didn't recognize, nor the scar across the cheek, but there was no doubt in his mind who was holding him to the wall with a vibroblade at his throat.
"Obi-Wan?" Sabé asked in surprise. "Fancy seeing you here…where I conveniently am." She'd sensed his presence but had disregarded it almost immediately because, what were the chances?
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and Obi-Wan sighed. "I do have better things to do than follow you around, Sabé."
"Eh, maybe." That made her smile. "Not that you'd actually be able to track me down with ease, I am very good at my job."
"Sound sure of that."
Sabé winked for good measure. "So, what brings you here, my love?"
Obi-Wan jolted in surprise at the endearment. A familiar warmth that he'd come to associate with Sabé spread in his chest. She'd never called him that before and they'd both been hesitant to put a label on whatever their relationship was; though they both agreed that they were both very much in love with each other. Then he'd realized he'd taken too long to answer, if the smile spreading across her face was any indication.
"I'm looking into a child trafficking ring that's been selling Force-sensitive children," he conceded.
"You're looking for the Xrexus Cartel." Sabé shook her head quickly. "You're looking in the wrong place, darling. The Xrexus Cartel was only on Ryloth for about six months before they were run off by a human woman working out of the Tann Province with a proclivity for head shots."
She looked entirely too satisfied. "You chased an entire cartel off a planet?"
"They pissed me off," Sabé said in such a way that explained everything, and Obi-Wan had more questions, but he didn't quite get the chance to ask them when her mouth met his and he was drowning again. It seemed like only yesterday he'd kissed her on Naboo and spilled his heart out. He brought his hands up to cup her cheeks before sliding them into her curls, anchoring her to him.
It probably wasn't a good thing that she could merely kiss him and his focus slipped to the point where he'd almost forgotten of the mission at hand.
"I've decided you're not a hallucination," she informed him breathlessly when they finally parted.
"Oh, really?" Obi-Wan nearly drawled out, high from her kiss. "What gave it away?"
She smiled. "You'd be pretty solid of a hallucination, if that's what you were." She closed her eyes briefly to send her awareness down the hall. She could practically feel the fluttering hearts of the stolen heirs. "There they are…coming, darling?"
She was already tugging on his hand, pulling him out of the darkened corridor back into the dimly-lit cloister.
"What exactly are you doing here?" Obi-Wan probed.
"Helping a friend," Sabé said simply before backtracking, "well, an ex -well, two exes."
"You're helping two exes?" Obi-Wan was flummoxed.
"Well, I've got a lot of them," Sabé conceded. "Luckily, these two are married, so at least they're generally in the same place."
Obi-Wan balked. "You were with a married couple? At the same time?"
"Well, yeah," Sabé snorted. "It was fun while it lasted…we hooked up a few times over the years, but I think we've drifted into the 'strictly friends' category." Polyamories weren't uncommon, especially on Ryloth, but it wasn't surprising that it had thrown off Obi-Wan so much; he'd probably never considered a triad over a pair, if he'd considered it at all. Sabé had had fun with Cham and Ises, but that was over and Obi-Wan's hand was still holding hers. "They probably will both kiss me before I leave the planet, though."
Nothing had confused Obi-Wan quite so much.
"A bunch of heirs were kidnapped and Ises is probably wreaking havoc in the main chamber while I get the kids out."
Obi-Wan listened hard and heard the tell-tale signs that at least two people were in the middle of a fight; sounds of blasterfire and yelling could be distantly made out. "You have the strangest friends."
"Thank you," Sabé's smile was blindingly bright as she pulled out one of the blasters that had been strapped to her side, aiming it in front of her and firing as they rounded a bend, and the man whose presence Obi-Wan had briefly sensed, fell to the ground. Sabé, as she said, was a crack shot, but she'd always preferred a blaster in hand than a saber, which made sense given the trajectory of her life.
"How many children are involved?"
"Five," Sabé sighed, "the heirs to several chiefs, kidnapped as a result of their parents speaking out against Ryloth's senator."
Obi-Wan glanced to her out of the corner of his eye. He'd met Ryloth's senator Orn Free Taa once, just once, and though Obi-Wan might be an exceptional diplomat, -from the words of others, not himself- he had always been a bit grateful that he hadn't had to spend an extended period of time with the man. He was the sort of man who bought himself his position and was determined to keep it. Wealth and power shouldn't have been in the hands of someone who worsened the lives of his citizens through his policies.
How Orn Free Taa remained one of the Chancellor's most favored senators was a mystery.
Sabé fired her blaster twice more before releasing Obi-Wan's hand to raise it towards what looked to be a jail cell with several Twi'lek children of varying skin colors who were clamoring in interest to see what all the noise was about. Obi-Wan had never learned Twi'leki, though he really should've, but Sabé was fluent and a few short words had them moving swiftly away from the door.
Her use of the Force could range from delicate to destructive, like any other Force-trained individual (Obi-Wan worked hard not to automatically say Jedi, because that wasn't true anymore in Sabé's case), but he was surprised when she just let the Force roar through her, the barred door -so primitive- wrenching off its hinges and colliding into the opposite wall.
Sabé's Twi'leki flowed easily and five very small children peered out of the opening, looking tired, hungry, and hopeful, attempting to gauge if it was safe to come out yet. Sabé spoke again and they came out eagerly.
"Now we just have to get them out," Sabé muttered, switching to Basic. "You take the lead, I'll guard the back."
Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow. "You know I don't know where I'm going, right?"
Sabé grinned. "Not knowing makes it an adventure, darling." But they both knew that wasn't the safest option with five children that barely reached their knees, and he felt her presence brush across his mind, showing him the way.
One of the boys called a question to Sabé, who answered it in the same tongue and then he looked up to Obi-Wan seriously, far too seriously, before taking his hand, allowing him to be led by Obi-Wan through Sabé's directions.
I have questions, Obi-Wan sent towards Sabé and he could feel her sigh.
I know, she replied, but now isn't the time.
"GET DOWN!"
Even if the children didn't know Basic, which Obi-Wan couldn't be certain of, they at least understood the tone, and dived. Sabé had twisted to aim at someone behind them, while a blaster bolt sailed over their heads to fizzle against the wall.
"Obi-Wan, get them out of here!"
Obi-Wan had a split second to weigh his options. There were five unarmed children with them that could possibly get shot, drawing his lightsaber wasn't the best idea because you didn't really want slavers to know if you were a Jedi because then it just complicated everything while putting a target on your back at the same time, and Sabé was a very good shot. Obi-Wan had faith in Sabé's skills, and that was the best option.
"Chini," he said to the children, one of the few words he knew in Twi'leki, meaning 'come', he was certain. "Chini."
And the children shared a terrified glance before taking off with him.
There was a portion of the wall that had taken off where Sabé's instructions ended and Obi-Wan was met with a blaster pistol aimed at his face, held by an irate male Twi'lek with orange skin and dark orange stripes tattooed onto his lekku.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his Basic thick, when they were both distracted by an explosion and a yell of "What are you waiting for?! Get those kids out of here!"
The man cast a suspicious glance towards Obi-Wan before speaking to the children with a more fluent accent that could only be gained from it being his first language, and they followed him quickly.
"Sabé!" he roared through the opening. "Get over here!"
"I'm a little busy!" Sabé fired back, clinging to the back of one of the slavers, her arm around their throat, using her other hand to cover their nose and mouth. They struggled briefly and then collapsed, and Sabé lurched up to get to the hole. "Cham, Obi-Wan and I're gonna head them off, okay? Get out of here!"
"Not without you!"
Sabé seemed to inspire loyalty wherever she went.
"Grab Ises, and I'll meet you at the rendezvous, I promise!" She grabbed Obi-Wan's hand, dragging him into a run as Twi'leki was yelled behind them. "For kriff's sake!"
"Just like old times?" Obi-Wan offered, casting her a smile that made her laugh even as she twisted to fire behind her.
"I don't think any of the missions we ever went on together were this dangerous," she said, though her eyes had gained a light.
"You did run after an assassin on Alderaan," Obi-Wan pointed out.
"Running after an assassin is not –this left—" They curved around a bend. "—is not as dangerous as this. You're the one that fought in a war, what about that?"
Thinking of Cerasi no longer brought Obi-Wan pain. "Briefly, besides, that was the tail-end of Melida/Daan Civil War. But you on the other hand…" He was smiling despite the situation they'd found themselves in.
Sabé positively squawked in outrage. "Me? Who was the one who fell into that nest of gundarks?"
Obi-Wan's cheeks colored but not from exertion. "I can't believe Anakin told you about that."
"There is nothing wrong with being rescued by your Padawan, darling," Sabé's eyes were practically glowing with mirth. Anakin had told her that story back when they'd come to Naboo. Sabé had enjoyed it, mostly because it didn't have anything to do with her coming back to the Order, and it was always nice to poke fun at Obi-Wan whenever possible. "That's how you know you've done a good job!" She squeezed his hand. "The next corner!"
"Noba tubu a hagua!" was shouted behind them but they both ignored it.
Sabé dragged Obi-Wan against the wall. Hold absolutely still, she said, her brow creasing as she focused and Obi-Wan, lacking a better option, complied. The slavers rounded the corner, completely missed them, and then continued on.
Obi-Wan glanced down, impressed to see that their bodies seemed to have vanished. A Force Cloak…now that skill wasn't commonly learned, even as useful as it was. Taria and Sabé were the only ones of their generation to even attempt it, as far as Obi-Wan knew, probably because how difficult to maintain it was, since it involved bending light and sound waves around themselves. Sabé could only maintain it for about half a minute, but Taria could maintain hers for about five minutes.
Sabé had always been incredibly sour about it.
Anyone coming? Sabé sent towards Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan stretched out his awareness.
No, he replied, we're clear.
"Good." Sabé sighed tiredly as she dropped the Cloak. "We're taking Cham's tunnel out, come on."
They'd run past it, not taking any notice, apparently too focused on Sabé and Obi-Wan to stop and notice the Twi'lek man funneling children out through the tunnel. Sabé slipped through first and Obi-Wan followed her, using the Force to draw the stone back into place. It was blackened at the edges, like a plasma burn…
"Was this made with a lightsaber?" he asked.
"Darling, don't be ridiculous," Sabé wheezed, apparently still recovering from her Force Cloak, and leaning against the side of the tunnel, "I haven't touched mine since I stopped being a Jedi. I upgraded Sola's wrist laser and she didn't mind Cham borrowing it."
"Sola? Your sister's here?" Obi-Wan supposed he shouldn't have been surprised; since Sabé and Sola buried the hatchet, all the Naberrie sisters had gotten on rather well.
"We ran into each other on-planet…did I tell her I used to sleep with the Syndullas?" Sabé asked the question to herself. "No, I don't think it came up." Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow in amusement. "She's a slicer now."
Well, that certainly wasn't legal, but given her relation to Sabé, Obi-Wan thought it best not to comment.
"You know, I don't think I was nearly as exhausted by this the last time I did it," Sabé admitted as Obi-Wan took her arm and brought it across his shoulders so he could help her to stand. "Stars…how long were we in that desert?" She suddenly seemed terribly preoccupied. "A week? I don't even know, I've lost my concept of time…you got a room near here, darling?"
"Down two streets," Obi-Wan admitted, "not the best place, I'll admit."
Sabé snorted. "If it's this close to a slavery auction, I can't really say I'm surprised."
"When do you need to rendezvous with your friend?"
"0500 tomorrow," Sabé rolled her shoulders slightly. "And I told Caleb I'd be right back, he's not going to be pleased."
"Caleb?" Obi-Wan thought of a young Initiate that had disappeared from the Temple two weeks back. His friend, a Togrutan Initiate, had taken to tailing Anakin, not really knowing what to do and Anakin had started sitting with her during mealtimes so that she didn't feel lonely, which Obi-Wan thought was very kind. The whole Temple had been searched, even ships coming back in to see if he'd snuck on board by chance.
Maw, who had recently had the title of Spymaster conferred upon himself, had laughed at that -a bit of a strange response to a missing child, Obi-Wan thought, saying, "I think we would've been able to sense a child on board." Obi-Wan could understand that, but he'd personally always found Sabé's superior to be a bit shifty.
"My son," Sabé offered helpfully, "adopted, obviously. The poor darling's been sleeping terribly these last few nights…I think he's worried I'm going to get myself killed."
Obi-Wan gave her a flat stare. "That's valid."
"Oh, shut up," she rolled her eyes and ducked over to press a sound kiss to the corner of his mouth. "If you wanted someone safe, you wouldn't have fallen in love with me, would you?"
Obi-Wan's cheeks bloomed with color. "You are not the first person I've fallen in love with."
Sabé grinned at how flustered he sounded; it was a nice change. "Well, of course not, but Cerasi was part of a war, I don't know how you can get more reckless than that, then there's Siri, who was a Jedi which I think goes without saying—" Talking about Siri didn't hurt quite so much anymore and the image of her cloudy eyes had remained in her nightmares up until the point she Fell; now she was just angry, angry at Maw for cutting short the life of someone so good and kind. "And Satine…I mean you guys were literally on the run keeping her safe, which I don't know why you bothered after she committed ethnocide—"
"Wait, what?" Obi-Wan paused, and since he was the one helping Sabé walk, it dragged her to a stop as well. "She did what?"
"I met her on Naboo back when I was still recovering," Sabé admitted, "an assassin tried to kill her, which I thought was strange, since Mandalore is a neutral planet…then I did some research. Mandalore is known across the galaxy for their great warriors and their diverse culture, so why were all the warrior clans exiled to Mandalore's moon Concordia? Why are only the ones who share Satine Kryze's views allowed to remain on the planet, and why are they all fair-skinned and fair haired?"
Obi-Wan's mouth opened and closed and he started walking again. "I wasn't aware of that." Any of that…well, why would he? He'd done his mission, he'd succeeded and gone back to the Temple with Qui-Gon to be met with Sabé and her bright smile, welcoming him home before heading off with Talik on a ship that would crash on Naboo.
"And then there's me," Sabé remembered her main point, "who went from Jedi to Sith to…vagabond Force-wielder? I think that's the most accurate way to describe me."
They stepped out into the light, looking both ways before slowly making towards the small hotel that Obi-Wan had a room in and that thankfully no one commented on how Sabé was being held up; they'd probably gotten shifty customers before.
Sabé fell onto Obi-Wan's creaky bed, only to shoot up, her eyes wide. "Wait, did you say you fell in love with me?"
Obi-Wan gave her a flat stare. "Sabé, we kissed on Naboo and you snogged me in a corridor less than fifteen minutes ago."
Sabé's cheeks pinked. "Yeah, well—"
"You called me 'my love'!"
"Oh, stop making this difficult!" Sabé grumbled, flopping back. "We never talked about it; I didn't want to presume." She paused. "But I also kind of presumed."
Obi-Wan sat down to pull off his boots before tugging off Sabé's, taking note of where she'd hid the vibroblade she'd held to his throat not long ago. Then he fell into bed beside her.
"I do, by the way," he said.
"Do what?" she asked, turning towards him.
"Love you."
Sabé arched her eyebrow. "A Jedi admitting to love, will wonders never cease?"
He gave her a firm look and Sabé quieted.
"I love you, too," she said, surprised at herself. "I don't think I've ever said that to someone outside my family." Her parents, her sisters, Talik…no one else had heard those three words from her. "Of course, I didn't actually think anything would come from it; I fell in love with you back when we were padawans."
"And now?" Obi-Wan was smiling, feeling lighter than he had in years.
"Now I'm wondering about you," Sabé sighed. "You're a Jedi, an exceptional Jedi –shut up, let me finish," she said when he tried to disagree. "And I'm an Exile…it's not like we can just be like everyone else and go on dates and get married and have a child and get a house…I mean…" She sighed. "I love you but I don't need to spend every day with you, realistically, I can't, and the Jedi wouldn't approve."
"Do you every consider," Obi-Wan chose his words carefully, "that maybe this is an aspect of the Order that I don't agree with?"
He remembered Qui-Gon after Tahl's death. It had almost destroyed him, but Obi-Wan had been there before. They'd all thought Sabé had been dead for months before Carina showed up. It had been agony that had dulled but still remained until they'd discovered the truth, but it hadn't led Obi-Wan down a Dark path. He had spent an awful lot of time reading her old notations on changes that could benefit the Order, and maybe that had impacted him the most.
"Maybe you were right about the Jedi becoming stagnant, maybe we should be opening our hearts a bit more to embrace the full spectrum of emotion, teaching to control them rather than let them control us, instead of just shutting down and casting out anyone who dares to feel differently or who questions anything."
Sabé curved onto her side, raising a hand to cup his cheek. "Obi-Wan?"
"Hm?" Obi-Wan moved his head slightly to look at her, at the golden eyes that were impossibly warm.
"I just want you to know that's the sexiest thing I've ever heard you say," she said before swallowing his laugh with a kiss and happily drowning in his arms.
There would be time to talk later.
AN: The ethnocide of Mandalore is something I read a meta-analysis of and honestly it makes a lot of sense, so I'm bringing it in, since CW Mandalorians were very different from SWR Mandalorians.
Some Sobiwan screen time! You'll see more of them, I promise, just not immediately :)
As Always: Please Review!
