Summary:

Satine entertains Ezra and Jinn.

Ahsoka and Rex go look for Ventress.

Ventress goes home.

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28.

Satine was surprised to learn from her staff that Master Jinn had returned to Mandalore and wished to see her. She had moved out of the capital after the election and was staying at her own private residence. She didn't want to admit it, but Mandalore was more unified than ever. There was still tension among the houses, but the majority were cooperating.

Satine for the first time, found she had some free time. The burden of being the sole ruler of Mandalore longer weighted on her shoulders. She found Ursa Wren to be a strong leader and listened to her advisors. In fact, Ursa often asked Satine for her advice on how to negotiate with difficult parties since she had the most diplomatic experience.

"Please, let Master Jinn in. I'll receive him in the library."

"Yes, Duchess."

The staff person bowed and did as she instructed. It wasn't long before she opened the library doors and saw Master Jinn fingering the spines of the books on her shelves. He was dressed in grey robes with his other hand rubbing his beard. Satine was once again, startled by how much he looked like Obi-Wan.

"Well, what a surprise, Master Jinn. I thought your business on Mandalore was finished."

Jinn turned around to greet her. She gasped when she saw how thin and pale he looked. The amber Jedi politely bowed and took Satine's hand to kiss it.

"Thank you for receiving me, Duchess. Bridger, your attention please."

Suddenly, from a chair across the room, a young man with short crop hair got up and stood at attention beside him. He mimicked Jinn's bow and awkwardly said, "Uh, hello. My name is Ezra Bridger. I'm Master Jinn's apprentice."

Satine was astonished. "You're Master Jinn's apprentice? What happened to your partner, Miss Ventress?"

Jinn adverted his eyes and said, "We had a disagreement."

Satine didn't know what to make of his answer. It was clear he was deliberately being vague. However, she didn't want to press him. Instead, she asked, "What happened to you? I must say, you look awful."

"Oh, yes. I've been Count Dooku's unwilling guest for about a month. Let's just say he wasn't very hospitable. I was hoping you could help us find some accommodations. I need a place to recuperate and train Bridger. It doesn't have to be lavish, just discreet."

Satine approached him and placed her hand on his arm. She noticed he turned his head away from her gaze. In a soft voice, he added, "Please, I don't want your pity."

Satine was startled by Jinn's pride. Her expression softened when she realized he was in worse shape than he was letting on. She said, "Then, how about my friendship? If you need a place to stay, then I don't see why you and your apprentice can't stay here with me. I have more than enough room."

"I don't want to impose."

"You're not imposing. Any friend of Obi-Wan's is my friend too."

He turned to her and said, "If it's no trouble then I'll accept your offer with my thanks, Duchess."

She smiled and said, "I'm glad to hear it. Now, let me show you to your room."

XXX

The room was lavish. It was by far one of the most luxurious rooms Ezra had ever stayed in. The room had a seating area, a bed, a balcony, a refresher and an adjoining bedroom next door. Ezra looked around and then walked towards the balcony. The view of the city was breathtaking.

"Hey, Jinn! Come look at this. It's it amazing?"

Satine smiled and watched as Jinn joined Ezra on the balcony. The amber Jedi said, "It's lovely."

The Duchess stood beside him and said, "I'm glad your rooms are to your liking, Master Jinn."

He turned to her and said, "Thank you again for your help. To be honest, I thought you would still be angry with me."

Satine frowned and said, "Oh, I am, but you also need helped Mandalore a great deal. You must be desperate, if you didn't go to Obi-Wan for help first."

Jinn said, "Obi-Wan has obligations he cannot ignore. My personal problems conflict with his beliefs. I-I also made a terrible mess before I came here."

She laughed and said, "What sort of trouble did you get into that you think Obi-Wan wouldn't help you?"

Ezra turned away from the balcony and made an alarming face. He rushed up to Jinn and took his arm. He pulled him away from Satine and said, "Oh, sorry. It's just that Jinn promised to show me some Jedi stuff and there's no time like the present. Come on, let's go."

Jinn placed his hand over Ezra's and said, "There's no need to fret. The Duchess is kind enough to let us stay in her home. The least I can do is tell her my reason for coming here in the first place."

"But aren't you worried?"

"The Duchess deserves the truth. She's dear to Obi-Wan and because of that, she's dear to me as well."

Satine blushed. She didn't know what to say. It was true that she and Obi-Wan had feelings, but she had no idea that Jinn thought of her as dear before of it. She suddenly realized how much Jinn cared about Obi-Wan as well.

"First, let's go inside. Balconies aren't the best place to have a private conversation."

She awkwardly said, "Yes. Of course."

Once inside, Ezra shut the balcony doors. Jinn sat down on a sofa and was glad to see there were snacks waiting for them. He sat down and pour the tea for all of them and started loading up a plate with small pastries. He then sat back and crossed his legs and held the saucer over his lap.

Puzzled, Ezra tried to copy Jinn's table manners. He wasn't used to fancy teas and cakes. Meanwhile, Satine absently stirred her tea in her hands with a spoon.

She softly said, "How long have you known?"

"You mean your feelings for Obi-Wan?"

"Yes."

"What!"

Ezra nearly dropped his teacup. He just caught it before it spilled and carefully set it back down onto the table. He gave Jinn a nervous look.

"Since we met. You thought I was him."

Satine groaned. She removed her hand from the spoon in her tea. She felt like such a fool for even thinking she could hide her feelings from Jinn. She remembered how he gently held her in his arms in her transport on Coruscant. The way he sweetly kissed her hand. There was no way he couldn't have known how she felt about Obi.

"My Asajj has left me."

Ezra turned to him and said, "You don't know that. She's just scared. Anyway, why didn't you take precautions? I thought-you know-you knew about stuff like that."

Jinn awkwardly cleared his throat, but somehow remained calm as he took a sip of his tea. He mentally composed himself and said, "For your information, I do know about contraceptives, Ezra. Though, I thought I was sterile or required chemical assistance to reproduce."

Satine narrowed her brow and said, "I don't understand. Why would you think you were sterile? And what does that have to do with Ventress leaving?"

Jinn glanced at her nervously and said, "Well, I'm a hybrid. Most hybrids are sterile, and my maternal lineage requires chemical assistance to reproduce. I always thought it was highly unlikely I could father a child naturally. I suppose I'm more human than I thought."

Ezra asked, "What do you mean by chemical assistance?"

Jinn sighed. He didn't want to go into detail but figured he should remain truthful to Ezra and said, "Strawberries are an aphrodisiac to my mother's people. They trigger the body to reproduce. Otherwise, the ability to reproduce remains dormant. I can't eat them without going into a rut."

Ezra frowned and said, "And you know this how?"

Jinn replied, "I was young once."

Satine raised her hand to stop Jinn from going any farther and said, "Just a moment, are you saying you and Miss Ventress are expecting a child?"

"Yes, and Obi-Wan believes attachments are forbidden to the Jedi. I doubt he would make an except for someone who is Jedi in all but name."

Satine was floored. She absently watched as Jinn and Ezra started eating the pastries. She couldn't help but wonder how Obi-Wan would react if he had a child. She wondered if he would leave the Order and take responsibility or run away like Jinn did. Somehow the thought of Obi-Wan running away wasn't right. He was honorable and kind. He would never abandon his own child.

Suddenly, Satine was angry at Jinn. She got up and towered over him as he sat on the sofa and said, "Tell me the truth. Did you leave Miss Ventress after she told you she was carrying your child?"

Ezra got up and stood between them and said, "Hey, leave him alone."

"Ezra-"

"He was the one who found out she was pregnant first. He told her. He didn't abandon her. He asked her to marry him."

"Ezra-"

"She left because she was scared. You don't know how miserable he's been. You have no idea how much he loves-"

"Ezra. Stop!"

The young man turned around to see Jinn was standing with a furious look on his face. However, once he saw the dismay in Ezra's eyes, his expression softened. He placed his hand on the young man's shoulder with affection.

"I know you meant well, but please say no more. If you two don't mind. I need to be alone."

XXX

Back on-board Obi-Wan and Anakin's ship, Ahsoka went to speak to Rex. She found him in his quarters. He was reading a report at his desk. He got up when he saw her come in.

"Ahsoka, how are you holding up?"

She sighed and closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist. Rex returned her hug easily and rested his chin between his montrals. When she pulled away, they both naturally sat down on his bunk.

"I heard Master Jinn stabbed Skywalker before he took off. Do you know why he did it?"

"Anakin said something that made him angry."

"It must have been something for him to get stabbed. What happened?"

Ahsoka said, "First, I have to tell you why Jinn left. He and Ventress are involved."

Rex said, "That's no secret, Soka. Anyone with eyes can see those two are involved. I knew Master Jinn was aware of his feelings. It was Ventress who needed to figure it out. I figured she did after she recused him from Dooku."

Ahsoka smiled at how observant Rex was and said, "Yeah, but I learned today from Kix that Ventress is pregnant. She and Jinn went to go see him this morning to run a test to confirm it."

Rex was stunned. "So, that's why she ran?"

"How did you know?"

He turned to her and said, "Some of the men saw her running to the hanger bay. Master Jinn was running after her and calling her name. Her first name. Master Jinn's a stickler for formality. He never calls anybody by their first name besides Kenobi. Then, there was the report of the power outage and damage in the hanger bay afterwards. I assume it was Master Jinn."

She nodded her head and said, "Yes. Oh, Rex. You should have seen him. He was so Dark. His eyes turned red. He was like a Sith. When Anakin found out why Jinn broke down, he said he couldn't believe he did it over Ventress."

Rex sighed and said, "And that was when Master Jinn stabbed him?"

"Yes."

Rex took her hand and said, "Do you think he's turned?"

Ahsoka frowned and said, "I don't know. Ezra went with him."

Rex narrowed his brow. He didn't like the sound of that. Ezra could get into a lot of trouble tagging along with a Sith. He knew the kid could handle himself, but he shouldn't have to deal with a Sith on his own. Though, before Rex could voice his opinion, Ahsoka began to speak.

"I want to go find Ventress."

"What?"

"Jinn is our friend and she's important to him. If something happened to me, wouldn't you want someone to find me?"

Rex rubbed his head and replied, "Yeah, I would. So, when do we leave?"

Ahsoka smiled and said, "Tonight. Tomorrow morning, the ship will continue traveling through hyper-space."

Rex didn't want to leave all his brothers behind, but he knew when Ahsoka set her mind on something, she wasn't going to change it. Though, he figured his brothers could get along without him for a little while. It wasn't like he was going away forever. It was also rather convenient that Skywalker was floating in a bacta-tank. He would have posed the most opposition.

Rex got up and picked up his helmet and his blasters and said, "Alright. Let's go."

XXX

Meanwhile, on Dathomir, Ventress landed her ship near the temple of the Nightsisters. Mother Talzin was waiting for her as she exited her ship. Ventress walked down the ramp and into the red hued, foggy swamp world of her clan.

"Welcome home, child."

Ventress bowed to her and said, "Mother Talzin."

Mother Talzin said, "I did not think we would see you again. Why have you returned?"

Ventress lowered her gaze and said, "I'm with child, Mother Talzin. I seek sanctuary."

Mother Talzin raised her brow and said, "Then, you may stay. However, if your child is a male then he must be turned over to the Nightbrothers to be raised."

"I understand, Mother."

The Nightsister leader then wrapped her arm around Ventress and said, "Come. I'm sure you need rest after your journey."

Ventress was then led into the temple. Mother Talzin silently guided her to the living quarters where she was given a room. It was a spare space, but nothing she wasn't used to. Once she was alone, she shut the door and sat down on the bed. She covered her face with her hands and moved to lay down with her legs curled up to her chest.

She missed Jinn. She missed laying in his arms and feeling his presence. He felt bright and warm. He made her feel safe and loved. Yet, she couldn't give him what he wanted. She couldn't be a mother. She couldn't be a wife. She couldn't be his family because that wasn't who she was.

She was a Nightsister. She was an assassin. She had trained to become a Sith. Jinn couldn't possibly want someone like her. She couldn't build a life with him if she didn't even know what it would means. She wasn't a creator. She was a destroyer.

Everyone she ever cared about had left her. First it was her mother, then her master and last her teacher. She had always been alone. Jinn had gotten closer to her than anyone else before. She couldn't bear to lose him, but she didn't want him to leave her too. She didn't know what to do.

XXX

TBC

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