he otherI'm sorry if this doesn't make sense; I know nothing about politics.
Anakin stared blankly at his shoes, trying not to look bored. He, Obi-Wan, and several other delegates and government officials were in a large room with stadium seating. At the center of the room, the Cabinet of Shili was seated around a wooden table, discussing what their next action would be.
"High Commissary," A man in the middle of the table spoke up, sitting forward in his chair. "I move that we take action immediately. If the rebellion is approaching, our citizens should be concerned. It will do us no good to protect them."
The High Commissary sighed, leaning backward. She was a pretty woman, with a straight nose and kind eyes. Her lekku had navy stripes and her skin was pale. "I have to agree. I still don't like the idea of giving them any power, but at this point, it is far too late."
A woman sitting to the right of the High Commissary cleared her throat. "Those in favor of the aforementioned safety laws?" All hands went up except for one.
"Very well," The High Commissary said, lowering her hand. "They will go into effect tomorrow morning. This meeting is adjourned."
People began standing up, filing out of the large wooden doors on either side of the room. Anakin stood and turned to Obi-Wan.
"What new laws are they proposing?" Anakin asked. Obi-Wan looked at him blankly.
"They discussed it for nearly thirty minutes!" He exclaimed, looking exasperated. "Don't tell me you fell asleep again, Anakin." The two of them followed the crowd, spilling out into the foyer.
"I didn't, I swear." Anakin insisted, enjoying their banter. "It wasn't anything like what happened on Mygeeto." They stood with their backs to the wall, watching as the crowd dispersed.
"Oh force, not that again, Anakin." Obi-Wan sighed, only barely concealing his smile. "I told you— it was a psychologically induced trance, and it was completely socially appropriate considering the circumstances."
"Well from what I hea-" Anakin stopped talking when the High Commissary appeared in front of them.
"Master Jedi, it's good to see you again," She directed at Obi-Wan. She turned her gaze to Anakin. "And it's wonderful to meet you. My name is Anola Saan." She extended her hand in greeting.
"Anakin Skywalker," He said, shaking her hand.
"I am glad to have the two of you here in these troubled times. Of course, your contributions to the war are legendary." She offered a warm smile.
"We will do everything we can to ensure the safety of Shili," Obi-Wan said smoothly, his diplomatic tone a stark contrast to the childish banter the two of them had been participating in only moments before.
"Is there anything we can do while the laws are being processed?" Anakin asked, hoping that such a question hadn't already been answered when he wasn't paying attention.
"Actually, there is," Saan said, leaning forward slightly. "Is there any way that the two of you could walk around the city and look for anything suspicious? I wish I could do it myself, but the other Cabinet members and I have been advised not to leave the government building alone. I doubt we would be able to get any useful information while surrounded by police officers."
"Of course," Obi-Wan smiled. "We will report back to you before the end of the day."
Saan looked relieved. "Thank you very much. Shili is lucky to have you. I should be going, now." She nodded respectfully and hurried off, wringing her hands together.
"Shall we go, then?" Obi-Wan asked, already starting to walk.
"Let's grab lunch while we're out there. I forgot to eat breakfast." Anakin hurried a little bit to catch up with him.
"Sure," Obi-Wan said. "Although I'll have you know that I don't like the thought of you not eating." The two of them walked out of the Capitol building, once again being greeted by the stunning skyline. They walked towards the edge of the mesa, stopping to look out over the city.
Anakin scoffed. "You know, I'm not a padawan anymore, I can take care of myself." Obi-Wan looked at him with an unreadable expression, reaching out to him through their old training bond. Anakin reached back instantly, finding comfort in Obi-Wan's presence.
"You'll always be my Padawan, Anakin." He said softly.
Anakin stared down at the horrible orange sand, trying not to think of Ahsoka.
"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" Obi-Wan asked, sending him feelings of comfort through the force.
"Yeah." There was a heavy pause. "I see her everywhere. The Twilight, the soap, the kriffing sand." Anakin kicked at the substance, watching a pebble fall off the edge and tumble down to the city below.
It reminded him all too much of watching Ahsoka jump out of that pipe and the way his heart had jumped into his throat when, for a horrible moment, he hadn't known that there was anything below. He shut his eyes tight, willing the memory to disappear.
Obi-Wan put a hand on his shoulder. "I miss her too." He said sadly.
"I know," Anakin said.
More than you realize, I understand wanting to walk away from the order.
I know.
Anakin drew a deep, shuddering breath. Sometimes, he wondered why he didn't walk away with her. He was so sick of the order with its lies and secrets. But the order was his home. After all, he was the chosen one. And as much as he hated the title, it had become a part of him. The Jedi order was his past, present, and future. It had been Ahsoka's, too. He didn't understand how anybody could throw that away.
Anakin opened his eyes and stepped away from the ledge. He looked at Obi-Wan for a moment, sending a wave of thankfulness through the force. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"You know, you never did tell me what those laws are," Anakin said.
Obi-Wan let out a low chuckle, the two men beginning to walk away as he launched into an explanation.
It was moments like these that reminded Anakin of how lucky he was to have Obi-Wan. But as much as he tried, he couldn't help but acknowledge that if Ahsoka hadn't left, this could have been them. Now, he didn't know if he would ever see her again. He hoped that wherever she was, she was happy. That's all he could hope for, wasn't it?.
Anakin and Obi-Wan walked calmly through the Capitol city, making pleasant conversation. Both were far less hungry than they had been earlier that day, and both had far more sand in their hair. They supposed the latter wasn't an issue that the Togruta citizens dealt with. Luckily, once they had entered the dense part of the city, the wind had been reduced to nearly nothing and they had been left to do their pleasantries in peace.
From an outside perspective, they simply looked like two human men. If you looked closer, you might recognize their faces and robes from the holonet; might understand that these two men were Generals. But it wasn't unless you were inside their heads that you understood what was really going on. They were completely aware of everything around them, a skill that was half from their training in the living force and half from the necessity to be hypervigilant when on the battlefield.
Anakin was getting frustrated. It was now late afternoon, and they had been walking around the city for hours to no avail. Usually, when he went undercover for missions it was far more exciting than this.
Obi-Wan sighed. "This is getting us nowhere. Perhaps we should go back, the Capitol building will be closing in a few hours."
Anakin withdrew himself from the living force. It was disorienting. While the force was calm and comfortable, the living force was energetic and loud. If you were alone or with only a few other people, it could be a relaxing source of meditation. But when one was in the middle of a bustling city, it was quite the opposite. He could barely even recognize Obi-Wan's force signature in the cacophony.
"I couldn't agree more." He said, enjoying the sudden calm he felt as he withdrew. He felt Obi-Wan do the same. "You know, master, I don't think I like the living force very much."
"Me neither, Anakin," He laughed. They turned around to walk back to the Capitol building.
"Do you think Saan will want us to do this again tomorrow?" They stepped onto a side street, a little road with turu grass lining the sidewalk. The roads were stone, while the sidewalks were made of packed down sand.
"I don't know," Obi-Wan said, stroking his beard. "I guess I don't see why not. Even with increased security, there's no reason not to use all of the available resources." Anakin looked up. There was a group of people walking towards them.
He groaned. "For our sake, I hope she disagrees."
Obi-Wan chuckled. But the noise never reached Anakin's ears. He stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes glued to what was in front of them.
"Anakin what-" But Obi-Wan, too, fell silent.
Because standing before them, looking dumbfounded, was Ahsoka Tano.