Chapter Twelve: Know Your Value
Obi-Wan grimaced when his comlink chirped, ringing at a frequency that he knew all to well and now dreaded.
Beside him was Korkie, who looked a little concerned. He recognized the tone.
"Everything okay Master Jedi?" the minister of Agriculture - Astrid - asked in concern while they toured the budding orchard fields. This was yet another planet that had been ravaged by the civil war over twenty years ago, though it was slowly rebuilding.
"Rest assured it's my own business and not related to your government," Obi-Wan muttered with a wry grin while he pulled his comlink out. "Minister, Korkie - I will catch up in a moment. I saw a lovely bench a few dozen paces back, I'll take my call there."
Korkie - a little sunburned from spending yesterday and today in this sectors moons and now planet - inclined his head. He eventually nodded, and bowed to the minister. "Shall we continue my lady? I think I see some Fire Plum trees ahead, and I could certainly use a snack before we join the governor and my aunt for dinner."
Minister Astrid gave a laugh while he offered his elbow, and off the two went.
Obi-Wan had to smile, filing away that piece of information. Getting to know his future nephew was certainly difficult. Shaking his head, he dug around in his belt - a little sleeker than what he was used to, mainly to appease his fiance - and fit an earpiece into his ear before accepting the call.
"Kenobi, luxury hasn't made you lax has it?"
With a snort Obi-Wan began to walk through the path, letting one of his hands drag along the tall blades of glass. There were a few civilians around, mostly focusing on the gathering the small harvest on the various trees. "Well Mace - if you count touring around the Mandalorian system for just over a week luxury - though spending every night in a featherbed and making love - "
"I'm done with this conversation." Mace grimaced, folding his arms over his chest. "You are worse than Vos with your explicetness."
"I'm touched." Obi-Wan spotted the bench he had seen a few minutes ago, and went to sit on it. The trousers he was wearing were a little tighter than he was used to, though the shade of the tree was nice. "Is something the matter?"
"I'll...begin with the easier news." Mace pressed something on the Holo table, a map of a city taking place of him. "You are aware of the mission to Onderon correct?"
"Vaguely - though I heard something on the Holo that rebels and Jedi bombed the capital city?"
"Yes," Mace sighed. Icons blipped on the map, revealing where in the city the explosions had gone off. "Luckily there were very few civilian casualties - Padawan Ahsoka made sure of that. The rebel forces mostly bombed the Separatist droids."
"And what about the planet's leadership?" Obi-Wan asked, keeping the question vague enough so those around him wouldn't clue in on what they were discussing, but he knew the Master of the Order would grasp what he was asking.
The Hologram flicked back to Mace. The man suddenly looked his age, which wasn't terribly old at all. "The userper still has most of the power, but the civilians are taking notice and rallying support. Skywalker and Commander Cody came back to Coruscant to report to the Jedi Council. We are waiting for the rest of the reports in the coming days...but as usual, I suspect the media on Onderon will have more information before we do."
Obi-Wan shook his head, wondering exactly why his Commander and Anakin thought it was a good idea to head back to the core when there was a war was happening…
...well they're following in my footsteps...avoiding war…
At least Anakin can have some rest with Padme…
"What else do you need to say Mace? Even lightyears away I can sense your unease."
Mace didn't crack a smile. In fact, his shoulders slumped heavily and he leaned against the table. "Adi's cousin Stass Allie...found her last will and testament."
The blood drained from his face, pooling into his feet.
...the grief of her death rose to the surface again. It was usually manageable during the day, easy to ignore. Even in the evenings it was relatively simple to push it aside, considering how Satine and him were trying so hard to conceive.
But his insomnia kept plaguing him, and with that the memory of her death.
Maul.
Savage.
He wanted to kill them both.
Using his free hand to grip his trouser leg, he looked at the Hologram. "And?"
His voice cracked.
"... she wants to be buried in - in - in the Gallia estate." Mace took a shaky breath, trying to smile. "The funeral will be held there, among the Jedi and her family."
Obi-Wan nodded, pressing his lips together. The Gallia family had always been influential in the Core, and always had members in the Senate or in the Order. It was impossible to have one without the other.
"Anything else?"
"Yes. She's leaving her bracelet to you - it's Siri's padawan braid. You, along with Quinlan, Bant, Garen, Luminara, and Depa will be her pollbearers...she cited you six to divide her belongings among you. She left a few specifics to her parents, Stass, and Anakin, but not much."
He couldn't help it - he wiped his eyes, trying not to dissolve into sobs. Why did being a Jedi have to be so hard?
You're not a Jedi anymore, an insidious voice in his head whispered.
"That's all?"
Mace gave a shrug. "Apparently she rarely used her allowance or pension - most of the money was donated. There's something else with her bank that is still being sorted out - we are told it will be cleared by the time of her funeral."
The word 'funeral' jarred him, though all Obi-Wan could do was nod. He let the Hologram fizzle without saying anything more, gripping the comlink in his hand and staring at the mushy fruit beneath his boots.
There was a part of him that wanted to sit there and cry on the bench, but he was the Jedi Watchman of Mandalore now.
The future consort.
It wouldn't do to cry in a field, around civilians that had no idea what was happening.
He knew he needed to rejoin Korkie and the minister.
He couldn't.
He had too.
Stiffly, he rose and turned away, back to the speeders that they had brought to the orchard.
At least there he could grieve until everyone came back and was ready to return to the apartments off the municipal buildings.
"Why did you think it was a good idea to leave your padawan in a battlefield?"
Anakin jumped, his fist missing the punching bag. He only just managed to catch himself before falling, which caused a gigle. With an over exaggerated sigh he glanced at the viewing platform. "Really Aayla - how do you manage to sneak up on everyone?"
Aayla smirked, leaning against the bannister. "A woman must be seen and not heard."
"That phrase is in every culture with oppression," he muttered while stepping back and beginning to untie his wraps.
"So the Galaxy?"
"Mmmm - how do you know about the mission on Onderdon?"
"My boyfriend is on the Council," Aayla deadpanned, raising a microbladed eyebrow. She watched while he put away what he had been using, staying on the viewing platform. A few moments later he picked up an abandoned tunic and trudged up the stairs to meet her.
"Wanna a hug?" Anakin asked, his smile not reaching his eyes as he slipped his tunic on.
Aayla wrinkled her nose, looking over his sweaty body before turning to the door. "I'm set - come on, I want too - Anakin!"
Anakin laughed while he hugged her from behind, rocking his body back and forth and swinging her around. "Tiny Twi'lek," he muttered in a sing-song voice, "Tiny Twi'ek, teeny, tiny - ow!"
"Jerk," Aayla muttered while he nursed the foot she had stomped on, brushing her clothes off. "How many pain-killers are you on?"
She didn't receive an answer, only an eye-roll while he straightened and grinned. With a shake of her head she took his offered elbow, walking out of the training room and down the hall. There were several people around, entering and existing training rooms. She was used to people staring when she was with Anakin, and today it was no exception.
When they exited the training area, the halls were a little...emptier. The true effects of the war were hard to grasp sometimes until one remembered how full the Temple had been before the war.
It was kind of sad that the the current padawans and younglings didn't know how lively the Temple could be. How fun and happy and...feeling like home.
"Where are we heading?" Anakin asked, realizing they were heading to the dorms and apartments.
Aayla gave a grin, a little bounce in her step while they reached the stairwell and began to walk up them. "Mmmm - remember when you moved out of the Temple?"
"Yeah - you two got the apartment?!"
"Ta-Da!"
"Is this the same apartment?" Anakin asked, stepping into the apartment he spent his padawan years and spinning around. He gave a half-wave to Kit - who was cooking - and shook his head. "There are so many...plants. Woah…" he walked into the living room, dodging where a table now was and staring at the plants that hung from the wall. The smells were intoxicating, a jasmine and and a citrus sort of smell. Vines were hanging from hooks, with pots a little lower for easy access.
The windowsill was now covered in flowers, and instead of a television there was a bookcase against one wall. Three blue circle chairs were in a triangle sort of formation, with enough space to walk around and a hexagon caf table in the middle.
Anakin shook his head in amazement, following Aayla into the bigger bedroom for a moment and seeing more plants and decorations from both of their cultures. He peeked into the smaller bedroom, finding it filled with boxes and odds and ends.
"I'm surprised how different this place looks you two," Anakin said when he sat down at the table that Obi-Wan had made years ago and ran his fingers over the wood. "Is the penis that Quinlan carved in still - " he laughed when Aayla sat and moved the fruit bowl to the side, showing the carving. "Obi-Wan was so angry."
"I'm sure they solved it as they always do," Kit muttered, setting two mugs in front of both of them before sitting down himself. He chuckled at the disgusted faces of both of them, shaking his head. "Dinner is soon Anakin, if you want to stay?"
"If you don't mind." Anakin sipped at his caf, earning two eye-rolls. "What? Padme isn't home tonight, she has a conference that's running late."
"When will you learn that you are valued Anakin?" Aayla asked, running her fingertip over the rim of her mug.
"Let's not talk about my self-esteem issues."
"Have you scheduled a therapy appointment yet?" Kit asked, turning around briefly to check what was boiling on the stovetop.
"Let's not talk about me - how's everyone here since...ya know?"
Aayla sighed, covering her partner's hand while he bowed his head.
Kit grimaced, his tentacles twitching while he glanced up. The sadness in his eyes was heartbreaking. "Quiet...I never realized how important Adi was to so many until she was gone...Master Yoda keeps telling everyone not to grieve but - he's lived so long he can afford to be numb to the pain of those around him passing."
"I'm not defending him, but I…" Aayla shook her head. "I cannot imagine living for centuries and having to bury so many people you raised."
Anakin grimaced, thinking if something happened to Ahsoka he would never forgive himself. Well...something did happen on Mortis...funny how for all the research Obi-Wan had begun on it, he had stopped when his own issues became more pressing…
He's allowed to have a life Ani, a voice in his head reminded him.
It sounded like his mother.
"...are you traveling back to Onderon before the funeral?" Aayla asked, trying to move away from the painful subject.
Their borrowed chambers were dark when Satine opened the door. She frowned, stepping in and letting the door shut. The parlor had a small light on, just enough to move around the furniture and head to the bedchamber.
Satine gave a sigh when she saw a half-filled caf mug on a table against the wall, with pain-killers beside it. She poured the caf in the sink, then filled a glass with water and took that and the pain-killers into the bedroom.
It was almost completely dark in the chamber except for a sliver of moonlight filtering through the curtains. Obi-Wan always had a hard time sleeping without some kind of sky visible, even with a migraine. She set the water and pain-killers on his nightstand, noticing the waste basket on the floor while she knelt to his level.
With a grimace Obi-Wan cracked his eyes open, trying to smile before shutting his eyes again and wincing. He was bundled in blankets, which normally he despised.
"That bad of a migraine?" Satine asked quietly, smoothing back some of his hair. She had been angry at him earlier for missing dinner, but then her nephew had informed her of the call he had received and she deduced that a migraine had come on, which typically happened when his emotional stress reached levels he wasn't used too.
"You look beautiful. We should - "
"I'm not having sex with you in this state." Satine sighed, shifting until she was sitting beside him and rubbing his shoulder. "Council commed?"
"Just...just Mace." Obi-Wan rubbed at his brow, then opened his eyes enough to look at her.
"It was about Adi?"
He tried to nod before scrunching his nose.
"Obi?"
Satine rubbed his leg before looking at him in the eyes. "You know you can grieve right? For Adi, for all the comrade you have lost, for Qui-Gon...for our baby."
Obi-Wan shut his eyes, heaving a sigh and turning slowly onto his back.
"I heard you cry every day in the shower for the first two weeks after the miscarriage - but you didn't cry in front of me. You didn't grieve - "
"I'm sorry."
"Don't continue to hold guilt over something that can't be controlled." Satine felt on the verge of tears herself. She crawled over him, settling down beside him and tucking her body into his side. The silk of her dress would be wrinkled, but she didn't really care. "You blame yourself for so much. I...I just wish you could try to process it and move on."
Obi-Wan swallowed, his heart beating steadily beneath her ear. He felt a little warm - he probably had a low fever.
"Two people have died because of Maul, Tina…" He wrapped an arm around her, the action more to comfort him than her. "What if...what if I lose you too?"
"You're not, Obi." Satine reached out and took his hand, twining their fingers together. His skin was a bit clammy, but not terrible. She'd get up in a bit and dig around for some medication. "He'd have to get past a shit ton of angry Mandalorians first. They may not like us but they would most certainly be offended someone besides them tried to kill us."
"My life changed because of him - our lives - Satine, I was about to leave the Order, to marry you...instead I had to train Anakin and you - you found Bel."
"But Bel is dead now - and I know you wouldn't trade Anakin for anything." Satine untangled their hands and reached upwards, resting a hand on his cheek and smiling when he leaned into it. Propping herself on her elbow, she leaned down and kissed his chapped lips carefully.
"Lady Kryze!"
Bo-Katan turned, feeling her eyes widen. Thankfully her helmet hid her expression, and she was able to snap to attention. "Yes Vizsla?"
Pre Vizsla scowled at her lack of titles, though he visibly shivered when a gust of wind tore through the camp and brought a flurry of snow. "Have your cousins prepare an extra tent - I have a visitor soon." The man smirked, walking away and towards his own tent. "He claims he's a Sith."
Author's note: this is where the fun begins!
