Blood of Mandalore

by Kurenaino

Engaged in a bloody civil war, the Mandalorian government requests the aid of the Jedi to help protect their Duchess, the last hope for peace in their war-torn world.

15. Moving Forward

AN: OH MY GOD.

So this would have been up HOURS ago, but a thunderstorm knocked out my power and I was unable to update. I was going to be seriously upset that the weather was going to make a liar out of me, but it came back just in time! So here you are! A lot happening in this one, sort of setting the stage going forward and next chapter...well, I'm thinking you're all going to love it. I had an awesome idea for it, so awesome that I'll be working on the next chapter while I'm working on From Flames, I Soar.

Oh, also, since I asked and you responded, most of you seem to be fine with me going forward with writing this thing however the hell I want, and as such, I'm going to continue keeping this thing with more mature content. Now, I'm never, EVER going to venture into smut territory, but I am going to get fairly descriptive, though I will be keeping it fairly tasteful. This is a story that, at the heart of it, is about sexual discovery and love, and sex is a very important part of romantic love at any age, even if it's in its absence. I feel like I'd be doing the story a disservice by passing it over, and by leaving important developments out, I feel it will compromise the overall feel. I can't justify keeping it out. You guys are just going to have to trust me. I'll keep it tasteful, don't you worry.

That's it! Updated! Enjoy, my lovelies!

Chapter 15: Moving Forward

"I'm telling you, it was awful!" Katra Sharratt snapped from her throne, her hand gesturing dramatically in the air at the scoring on the walls and the floor from the plasma burns of blasters and the cooling cuts left by dragging lightsabers. Her eyes narrowed angrily at the two soldiers in the center of the room, their arms crossed over their chest and looking profoundly irritated to have walked into the Countess' ire. Beside her, her leaned against the throne, the younger man looking just as petulant as the two women she was addressing. "And I really liked that commander too!" Katra continued when the girls said nothing. "If he was half as good a warrior as he was a lover, maybe he wouldn't have been killed by an old man and a prepubescent boy!"

"Uh, the student isn't a child, Katra," Jakal said with a roll of his eyes. "He's a teenager. A smart, strong, gorgeous teenager..."

"Whatever..." the woman scoffed, leaning back on her throne and crossing her leg over her knee. "The point is, my Death Watch guard is dead. All of them. So you tell me, ladies, why should my clan support Tor Vizsla when his soldiers are beaten by an man old enough to be my grandfather, a boy whose balls have barely dropped, and a pacifist."

"What clan?" Ursa Wren sneered, a look of disdain upon her face as her gaze drifted around the room at the guards that stood along the walls. "None of these soldiers are your clan. Your clan isn't big enough or strong enough to even defend itself!"

"Oh, I very much disagree with that," Katra drawled, reaching into a pouch on her belt and holding something in her hand, and with a sly smirk, began flipping a golden coin over her fingers. "There are millions in my clan, and while my army may not be of Clan Sharratt, they still wear my colors." She flicked the coin at the two woman, but neither moved to catch it, instead allowing it to land with a heavy, chiming ring upon the opulent marble floor. "Little good an army did for Clan Ordo, Clan Itera or Clan Kryze, and yet even without a large clan of my own, I'm still here."

"A lot of good that wealth did for your parents," Ursa said with a cruel smirk on her face, watching as Jakal's jaw tightened with anger, his hand swiftly moving to the blaster on his hip, but his sister reached out and stopped him, her face impassive as it had been before. "We all know where the real strength of Mandalore lies. My clan destroyed the Iteras because we are more fierce. The Vizslas conquered Sundari because Clan Kryze's scion is weak."

"And yet, that same little girl made fools of you on Zanbar and destroyed your very impressive garrison here," Katra retorted, returning the cruel, amused smirk when a vicious sneer spread across Ursa's face. "And now to replace them, Tor sends me two flat chested adolescents?" She laughed lightly, taking her hand off her brother's arm when she felt him relax. "Doesn't exactly instill my confidence in the Death Watch if this is the best he has to offer."

"We aren't here on behalf of Tor Vizsla," Bo-Katan said softly, the calm in her voice tight with the strain of controlling her explosive temper. "We're here for my sister." There was a brief moment of silence as Katra stared down the until now silent teenager, her eyes running over her every feature, and slowly, her jaw went slack.

"I'll be damned..." Katra muttered, leaning forward in her chair and looking closer. "You're Bo-Katan Kryze. Stars, I never would have pegged you as a relation to the Duchess."

"Yes, yes, we all know I pale next to perfect, beautiful Satine!" Bo-Katan snapped, spitting the words as if they tasted vile and bitter. "I am sick of hearing about it! How our proud family could have ever flaunted that weak, pathetic child, I will never understand. It's no wonder they were only fit for slaughter when they would weaken our noble clan with that filth!" Before anybody could even see her move, Bo-Katan had drawn her twin blasters and had them aimed at the last two members of Clan Sharratt, the high whine of the primed charges ringing in the air followed by the swift cascade of the surrounding guards raising their own weapons. The younger Kryze was unphased, her hands steady and her fingers on the triggers. "My sister may be a weak, pathetic waste of life, but I am a warrior," Bo-Katan growled, the corner of her mouth curling up into a sneer as she looked at the woman on the throne, a blaster in her own hands pointed casually at the aggressive Kryze. "Now, she was here, you've seen her, and I'm willing to wager you know where she went. Tell me."

"Or what?" Katra calmly asked, her voice smooth and unwavering. "You'll kill me? My soldiers would shoot you and your little friend dead before you even had a chance to pull that trigger. Sure, maybe you'll kill me and my brother, but little good that does you if you're dead as well. Actually..." Katra whistled loudly, all the soldiers in the room looking toward her, and a single man stepped forward, a captain from the look of his armor. "Commander, should I be killed by this bitch or any other of her Death Watch friends, see that the entirety of my fortune goes to her sister's stake in the war."

"As you say, Countess," the man said, swiftly leaving the room, and Katra grinned when Bo-Katan's jaw tightened with anger and reluctantly holstered her blasters.

"As I said before," Katra drawled, gesturing for her guards to lower their weapons when the two teenagers stared petulantly at the ground, their shoulders tight with anger from the humiliation of their defeat. "I would rather armor myself in gold than surround myself with soldiers."

"But you do surround yourself with soldiers," Ursa spat, glaring up at the smug woman on the throne. "You have an army, a formidable one. Paid, perhaps, loyal to gold, not you, but you have them none the less. Certainly they could have captured the Duchess, they could have supported our men that we had stationed here."

"They could have, yes..." Katra quietly agreed. "But when they saw what those Jedi could do and what a terribly good shot dear Satine is, they decided that fighting them was not in their best interests." She shrugged, grinning when Bo-Katan's bright green eyes shot up to glare at her, filled with rage and hate and a hurt that the Countess of Clan Sharratt didn't quite understand. "A vast fortune is worth nothing if you're not alive to spend it. Convincing my men to give up their lives simply wasn't possible, so I made due."

"Cowards!" Bo-Katan hissed, her entire being shaking in her fury. She felt helpless, and she hated it.

"Maybe so, but at least we're alive," Katra said, leaning in toward the frustrated teenagers and flashing them a wide grin. "I suppose if the warriors keep killing each other, before along, all that will be left are those committed to peace. Seems your sister's already won."

"We shall see about that," Bo-Katan hissed. "The Duchess. Where did she go?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Katra said with a yawn, leaning back on the throne and resuming her relaxed posture. "And even if I did, I certainly wouldn't tell you. Information is a valuable thing, little Kryze, and only the fool gives it away for nothing. And...I believe you've offered me nothing at all."

"But she and her Jedi were here," Ursa growled. "You are a traitor to the Death Watch!"

"I was never with the Death Watch, how can I be a traitor?" Katra asked the angry girl lazily. "And need I remind you, I housed your soldiers here even after they slaughtered my family. Hell, I took several of them to bed with me. It's not my fault their weakness saw them to their deaths."

"Oh, but you two are warriors of Mandalore!" Jakal said, his tone slightly admonishing when the anger and frustration in the two girls continued to rise. "You should scorn them for their weakness! They earned the deaths they had by shaming the Death Watch when they were slain by Jedi."

"Are we done here, ladies?" Katra said softly, a slight smile on her lips when the two girls said nothing. "In that case, please send my regards to Tor and let him know I eagerly await the replacements for the soldiers that were killed. I do so love entertaining the Death Watch..." With a flick of her wrist, her guards stepped forward toward the two teenagers. "Please see our guests safely to their ship."

Bo-Katan and Ursa didn't wait for the guards to come close, instead quickly turning and storming out of the throne room and into the hall, the armed escort following behind them as they made their way to the hangar. "What now, Bo?" Ursa whispered. "We were counting on Clan Sharratt to give us what we need."

"We should have known better than to rely on an opportunistic coward..." Bo-Katan growled through grit teeth. "I wonder how much information they sold to our enemies."

"We should eradicate this clan, they're a stain upon Mandalore."

"I would agree had the cowards not armed themselves with gold," Bo-Katan spat bitterly. "If the New Mandalorians acquired even a fraction of the wealth of Clan Sharratt, it could be very bad for us. We are fractured enough as it is, the last thing we need is those bastards obtaining the wealth to continue to fund their war effort. It's the only reason Vizsla continues to play nice with the Sharratts."

"After we win the war, we should make a note to return here and repay them for their cowardice," Ursa said, looking over her shoulder at the mercenary soldiers behind them. "Without the Sharratts to pay them, the mercenary army will scatter and eventually return to serve us."

"I suspect you're right about that. No mercenary ever profited from the peace Satine wants. They won't have any other choice." With a groan, Bo-Katan stretched her arms over her head, yawning as she slowed her pace through the halls toward the hangar. "It means nothing to us, in any case. All that matters now is finding Satine, and if I know her, then I know exactly where she may be headed."

"I suspect she will seek out the Caderas at some point," Ursa said, and Bo-Katan agreed with a swift nod.

"She will, but that is beyond us. We'll contact Vizsla and have him send his best assassins that way, maybe they can take her by surprise when she and her Jedi feel safe. I don't think she will stay for long, in any case, not after the ruin you brought to Itera. No, Satine is a sentimental idiot, and one way or another, she will find her way home."

"To Sundari?"

"No..." Bo-Katan said softly, her gaze drifting to look at her friend. "To Kalevala."

---

Long, elegant fingers entwined in Obi-Wan's hair, grown now far past the acceptable length for a Padawan, the locks bleached golden by the sun with the slightest hints of red in the right lighting. He shivered when the light stroking drifted down his neck to brush his shoulders and coming to rest on the wiry muscles of his back, the surprisingly strong grip digging into his shoulder blades as lips far too hot and much too sweet kissed at his chest and neck. With a needy, almost tortured groan, his arms shaking as he held the bulk of his weight off the thin girl beneath him, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and rocked his hips forward, earning himself a pleasured gasp from his lover as he pushed deeper inside her.

The pace was slow and even, as gentle as he could be given how long he had waited for this, for how good it felt to have her wrapped tightly around him, for how sweet her soft moans were to his addled senses. Every inch of his body was on fire, the knot deep within his being he kept hidden away for so long unwinding and flooding his senses with euphoria that came from being so close to her. It was madness, and when her lips touched his, Obi-Wan was lost, and happily so, the moans between them escalating into pleasured cries as the pace increased, each successive thrust driving him deeper inside her.

It was everything he had ever wanted, everything he had been dreaming of for months, and with the feel of her moving beneath him, the mounting pressure began to build, his body heating as his heart pounded harder, and shutting his eyes tight, Obi-Wan bit down on his lip, trying to hold off to make it last longer. It was all over for him when he felt her tighten around him, a shivering moan torn from deep within her chest as she pulled him close and breathlessly gasped his name in his ear. His body tensing with the final efforts of his passion, Obi-Wan let himself go and allowed himself to fall deep into the cascade of pleasure that pulsed through him, light exploding behind his eyes as he surrendered to the feel of nothing but her.

With a strangled gasp, Obi-Wan shot up in his bed, slamming his head on the low-hanging ceiling of the top bunk, and with a groan of pain, he fell back, his head falling on the pillow as he tightly grasped his forehead. Doing what he could to calm his rapid breathing and slow his pounding heart, Obi-Wan slowly returned to a state of calm, the dull pounding in his head making him wince as he very, very carefully sat up, frowning at the support he slammed his head on. He could still feel Satine's burning touch upon him, the ghost of her fingers through his hair, the sound of her voice ringing in his hears, and he groaned loudly when he looked beside him to find his bed empty. A dream, like last night and the night before. Gritting his teeth, he lifted up the sheets and looked beneath, his face burning with utter humiliation when he saw the evidence of his aroused imagination staining his pants and felt it smeared on his skin.

"Aw, shit."

"This is the third night in a row, my Padawan," Qui-Gon's deep voice drawled from beneath him, and swallowing hard, Obi-Wan slowly peered over the edge of the bunk and looked down at his Master, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor as he meditated. "I was wondering if I should wake you before your carrying on woke the whole ship, but..." He looked up at his fiercely red student as he peeked over the edge, slowly sinking down as if he wished he could disappear. "Well, it seems you woke yourself. Very fortuitous, as I wasn't certain how much longer it would be before things got too awkward."

"Oh, Force help me..." Obi-Wan groaned, burying his face in his hands when he found he couldn't stand the thought of even looking at his Master. "You didn't think to wake me up to save us both from this humiliation?!"

"Mark my word, Obi-Wan, I did try," Qui-Gon said, rising to his feet and throwing up the teenager a new pair of pants. "You wouldn't wake, so I thought you needed the sleep. You've been restless for a while now, and I can endure your teenage complications if it would aid your mental health."

"And you couldn't just leave?!" Obi-Wan asked, his voice high and tight and frantic as he quickly shed his pants and slipped into the clean pair, and he tore the sheets of the bed and tossed them to the ground before he climbed down the ladder to stare awkwardly at the ground.

"And leave you alone to deal with this?" Qui-Gon asked innocently. "Never. You wouldn't confess to it anyway unless you were caught red-handed, and you have been very closed off to me as of late." When the Padawan didn't respond, Qui-Gon sighed and placed a hand on the shaking boy's shoulder. "I'm here to help you, Obi-Wan. There are some things a person isn't meant to deal with on their own, and this is one of them. You are tortured, I can feel it. Please, let me help you."

"It's just biology, Master..." Obi-Wan muttered under his breath, refusing to meet his Master's eyes. "You know well what adolescence does to a man, and being in close proximity to..." Obi-Wan bit down on his lip, his ears burning as he felt his face turn a deeper shade of red. "Her passion is infectious, that's all. I can feel it even when she isn't near. It's..." With a growl of frustration, Obi-Wan picked up the bundled sheets and opened the door into the dimly lit hallway, the ship in low power for the night. "She's very beautiful, that's all it is. What man doesn't dream of being with a beautiful woman..."

"Obi-Wan." The Padawan stopped when his Master called to him, but didn't turn to face him, and feeling the Master's presence reach out to him, he quickly shied away, his defenses shutting tightly around him to hide his turbulent emotions. "Nobody ever expected you to be perfect. And to expect you to remain the very image of Jedi detachment on a mission like this..." Carefully, Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder to see his Master's hand balled into a fist by his side, his jaw tight and his brow furrowed with anger. "The Council has done you a great disservice, my student. How they could expect a teenager to come to a place like this, to go through what you have and not feel love for her..." With a heavy sigh, Qui-Gon looked up, his eyes sad and sympathetic, and Obi-Wan felt his breath catch in his throat. "I do understand, Obi-Wan. If you need guidance, or need to talk, or anything...I am here for you."

"I'm not in love with her, Master..." Obi-Wan whispered, once again averting his eyes. "It's a passing infatuation, nothing more..." It was a lie, and they both knew it, but Qui-Gon let the matter go. There was little sense in pressing it when the quiet, conservative boy was already uncomfortable. He had said his piece, and the offer was out. When Obi-Wan needed him, Qui-Gon knew his student would go to him.

Obi-Wan stood in the hallway, hardly breathing as not to disrupt the still silence of the ship, his ears straining to listen for any sign of movement behind Satine's door. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but he didn't hear anything at all. Most likely, the girl was asleep, as she should be at this hour. With a heavy sigh, Obi-Wan trudged down the hallway and entered the bathroom, and he stripped out of his clothes to wash both himself and his sheets in the shower.

They had been in space nearly a week, and Obi-Wan was finally starting to come unglued. One week of covert touches, of fingers lightly touching hands and shoulders and legs, of finding quiet corners of the ship to steal swift, passionate kisses before the Jedi Master found them mere seconds later. Everywhere they went, Qui-Gon seemed to be, and there was barely a moment alone where Satine and Obi-Wan could drop all pretenses and give in to the ever-growing need they felt to be together. And now, after a week of slowly mounting tension and no chance to release it, Obi-Wan's repressed teenage brain had struck back with a vengeance to seek relief in the only time the boy's guard was lowered.

He didn't even want to feel this way. He loved Satine, yes, and it manifested in a gentle desire to shield her, though he knew full well that the feisty Mandalorian was more than capable of defending herself. However, unlike before when close quarters led to arguments and antagonistic flirting and quietly stolen moments to sit and talk and shyly touch away from the eyes of his Master, Draboon had changed everything. There was a physical aspect to their relationship that was absent before, a growing lust within the both of them that grew stronger with each passing day, and while Obi-Wan accepted his feelings for lovely Satine, he did not accept this frankly unacceptable primal side. He was better than this. He was more than some mindless beast slaved to his urges, he was a Jedi, measured and controlled and master of his emotions.

With a heavy sigh, he looked at the sheets in his hands as soap and water ran over them, and he knew that not to be the case.

Everything had been different since that kiss in the cave. Since then, all he had wanted was to feel her body against his, to be as close to her as two people could be. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help it, and despite his attempts to meditate, to focus and center himself, to seal these feelings deep within him where they could be quietly ignored and forgotten, each time, the tug of desire sent him spiraling out of control. Being back in the close quarters of the ship had only made it worse, forced him to slip by her in the narrow halls, to sit close together when they ate, to feel her presence always close, always hovering around him and driving him absolutely mad. After all, she felt it too, and her feelings only served to feed Obi-Wan's love for her.

He knew what Qui-Gon would say. The Master would support him, would guide him through the meditation necessary to bring himself back under control, and he would quietly urge him to release his feelings, to let his love for her go so that he may no longer be ruled by it. Attachments led to the Dark Side. Love led to the Dark Side, a thing Obi-Wan had seen first hand, and he knew he should avoid it, but...it felt good, gave him strength when he thought he had none, gave him sanctuary in a galaxy gone mad with death and blood and war and violence. He wanted to keep this for as long as he could, until his path as a Jedi tore it from him, until this mission was over and his life no longer belonged to Satine Kryze. But until then, he was all hers, every part of him, as much as she wanted.

The lust was another matter entirely. The lust was...unseemly, both embarrassing and highly inappropriate, not just a stain against all his training in control as a Jedi Padawan, but an insult to the girl he was meant to protect. She was a Duchess, Mandalorian royalty, the last hope for a dying people. She deserved more than to be leered at like some common girl. She was above inspiring the animalistic desire of the out of control hormonal rage of a scrawny, repressed teenager. She deserved to be loved and adored, not just by one person, but by all the people she ruled over. Satine Kryze was, in a word, unattainable, a pure, perfect woman made to be something more by putting her out of the reach of the rest of the mortals so she could become hope for her people. It wasn't entirely unlike Obi-Wan's own path to becoming a Jedi Knight, an entire Order dedicated to ruling their emotions and living without love or possessions or attachment in order to do what must be done in the service of the greater good.

When looked at like that, it was little wonder that the two of them drew together and found comfort in each other.

When the last of the soap had washed out of the sheets and the steady stream of hot water had eased the last of the pent-up tension out of his shoulders, Obi-Wan turned off the faucet and wrung the excess water out of the sheets and hung them up to dry. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel and when he was dry enough, he slid into his clean pair of pants and grabbed a hand towel for his hair, draping it over his neck and running his fingers through the wet, blond mess. When the war was over, he was certain that the Jedi would make him cut it back down to regulation length, but he was enjoying it while he had it. He couldn't imagine having long hair before, but now that it had grown out, he quietly decided that when he became a Knight and it was allowed, he was going to grow it out. The thought was vain, perhaps, but Obi-Wan had always been meticulous, and that extended to his personal grooming as well. He never had vices before, but since coming here to Mandalore, his list was growing. First lust, and now vanity, and Obi-Wan shied away from what could be next, what he found himself to be capable of.

With a heavy sigh, he stepped out into the hallway and padded down the corridor to his room, his hand extended to touch the button to the door but stopping just short of it. He closed his eyes, breathed deep and touched the Force, felt for his Master and found him deep in meditation, and immediately felt the tension return to his shoulders as shame filled him again. He couldn't face his Master, not yet, not after what had just happened. He always prided himself on being a model Padawan, on never causing problems for his Master like Quinlan did with his, especially with his rocky start, he couldn't look bad to the Council, lest they revoke their decision to allow him to train. Without the Jedi, he wasn't sure what he would be. He needed to be better than what he had been as of late.

Sending a quick apology through his Force bond with Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan allowed his hand to fall to his side and he shuffled down the hall to the cockpit, the Jedi Code on his lips as he focused on cleansing his mind of his dreams of Satine, still fresh and rampaging within him. With a groan of irritation with himself, he dropped into the pilot's seat, his hand running over his face before he looked at the displays before him. It had been a mistake to travel all the way to Vorpa'ya in sublight space. True, off the navigation lanes, they hadn't run into a single bounty hunter or enemy ship, but Obi-Wan was going stir-crazy. Close quarters with a beautiful, passionate, alluring female he was positively crazy about wasn't doing good things for his mental health.

He was so focused in his own meditations, his attention turned inwards that he didn't notice the soft, light steps entering the cockpit until he felt the gentle brush on his bare shoulder. Sucking in a sharp breath, he quickly looked up to see Satine, a slight smile on her lips and dark circles around her tired eyes, through she still managed to look at the half naked boy appreciatively as she took a seat in the co-pilot's chair. Obi-Wan quickly looked away, the lazy hunger in her eyes stoking his own passions that he only just managed to get a handle on, and her disheveled appearance, her tousled hair and the oversized shirt that fell mid-thigh on her bare legs left very little to the imagination and weren't exactly helping things.

"Can't sleep, Duchess?" Obi-Wan asked, shyly looking at her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to busy himself with the monitors on the console before him, and the girl shook her head.

"Restless. Nervous, I guess," she said softly, her cheek resting on her hand as she looked her Jedi over. "Anxious to get to my allies on Vorpa'ya. I heard you shuffling around, and I'd rather have company than be alone with my thoughts." Her smile widened when she caught his gaze, and Obi-Wan lacked the strength to look away. "What about you?"

"You know..." the Jedi said, gesturing with his hand in the air as he searched for a convenient lie, but couldn't find one. "Dreams," he squeaked, and Satine chuckled softly.

"Dreams?" Satine asked sweetly. "Or are they visions, my sweet Jedi?"

Force, I hope so. "N-no, nothing like that," Obi-Wan muttered, trying to swallow but his throat was suddenly dry and raw. All of his previous promises of resolve had just flown out the window. She was beautiful and alluring and Force, he wanted her. "I-I just get like you, you know," he explained with a nervous laugh. "Restless. A week cooped up in this ship is a long time to be out in the open in uncharted space. So much can go wrong. I am anxious for safety. You were right, we should have taken the risk of discovery and flown directly there."

"I don't know about that," Satine drawled lightly. "I've appreciated the chance to rest. We've been running for so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like, and when we arrive, I will be called to my duty, there will be no time for anything but the needs of my people." When the Jedi turned his face away from her, she reached out and gently grabbed hold of his braid and ran it through her fingers, frowning when she found the strand to be loose and unkept, but quickly repressed a delighted smile when she saw the crossing patter to be the one that she had made so long ago. "Look at this, it's a mess..." the Duchess softly chided, smiling when she watched his pale skin flush red and the strong muscles in his neck quiver. "May I?"

Obi-Wan looked quickly over to her, his eyes searching her face for a moment before he bowed his head and clasped his hands in front of him to hide that they were shaking. "Be my guest." No longer containing the smile on her lips when her heart began to beat faster, Satine quickly removed the tie and set to the easy work of unraveling the braid.

"How long do you suppose it will be before we arrive?" the Duchess asked, smoothing out the damp strand and moving her fingers through his hair to gather what moisture she could to make the work easier.

"I'm uncertain..." Obi-Wan muttered, his gaze drifting to stare out the forward viewport at the black of space and the stars that shone brightly in the distance. "It's easy to forget how big space is. All our technology, the hyperspace lanes, the charted flight corridors...they all make this galaxy feel so very small..." He sat in silence for a moment, lost in his thoughts and in the pleasured, tingling sensation in his chest when he felt the girl pull his hair tight as she began to braid the long strand of loose hair. "Were I to venture a guess, I'd say a day or two," Obi-Wan said, swallowing hard ad darting his gaze away from her when he chanced a glance at her and found a curious, indecipherable look in her light blue eyes.

"I've been thinking, Obi-Wan..." Satine ventured carefully, pretending to focus on her work but instead allowing her eyes to rove over the Jedi's body, taking in every mark, every scar, the sharp curve of every muscle, and she felt her desire for him pool in the very pit of her, just as it had done for days when she was left alone, her thoughts always wandering to her beautiful protector. "Maybe we shouldn't stay so long with Clan Cadera," she muttered, looking up to meet her Jedi's stunned, curious glance when she felt his eyes finally upon her.

"This is what you wanted, is it not?" Obi-Wan asked quietly, lightly brushing Satine's hand as she carefully continued to braid his hair. "Clan Cadera can offer you safety like you can have nowhere else."

"I believed us to be safe with Clan Itera," Satine whispered, her eyes closing as she took deep, shuddering breaths, and Obi-Wan could feel her being fill with pain.

"Satine, Clan Cadera is one of the largest united clans in all of Mandalore, if you're safe anywhere-"

"No!" Satine snapped, so harsh that she shocked herself, and she looked wide-eyed at her protector, her hands shaking as she held the braided strand, her fingers so unsteady she couldn't continue. The Jedi slowly covered her hands with his own, the feeling instantly comforting, and slowly, Satine began to relax in her understanding protector's grasp. "Nowhere is safe, Obi," Satine quietly said. "Cadera may be a large clan, but its not as big as you think. Maybe once, but with the war..." She stopped and shook her head, sniffling softly as she pushed back tears. "Even the large clans are small now, Obi-Wan. We are fractured and broken, and with ambitious clans, the Death Watch, and bounty hunters after me, no place is truly safe."

"You think staying with your allies will draw your enemies?" Obi-Wan asked, and the Duchess offered a quick nod, her lip caught between her teeth as she quickly finished the braid and tied it off, allowing the tight, neat strand to run between her fingers.

"I think staying in one place is asking for trouble, and I will not be responsible for giving my enemies the motivation to attack Clan Cadera when they otherwise would exercise caution and stay away." With an almost nervous smile, she held the braid in her hands and showed it to the Jedi. "Do you like it?"

"Beautiful..." Kenobi whispered, leaning over and swiftly kissing the girl on the cheek, and together, both teens swiftly looked to the cockpit door, tense and nervous and hardly daring to breathe. After a moment of still, tension-filled silence, both Jedi and Duchess exhaled, laughing softly as they sat back in their chairs, though their fingers remained teasingly touching.

"You'd think Qui-Gon would have arrived by now," Satine said, smiling easily when the Jedi took a moment to admire the new braid she had crafted for him. "He has a rather nasty habit of showing up the moment you and I get closer. It's like he can feel we're up to no good. Like he knows."

"It's very likely he does..." Obi-Wan said, his chin resting on his palm and sighing in satisfaction as he looked at the Duchess. "He's probably trying to catch us in the act, I haven't exactly been...forthcoming with him about you and I since we left Draboon. It's not customary for a Padawan to keep secrets from their Master, and I'm certain he knows I'm hiding something..."

"Can we tell him?" she asked, her fingers gently intertwining with his and sighing happily when he took her hand in his.

"I don't know..." the Jedi muttered. "He means well, he does, but this...I think he would understand, and I think he would take steps to make certain we could not continue. It's not malicious, it's what he thinks is best." Obi-Wan squeezed Satine's hand when the girl's gaze drifted away from him. "He cares about us, my Duchess. He wants to spare us the pain he suffered."

"Yes, I understand. He's like your father, yes? It's his job to parent you and guide you away from the things the Jedi don't allow." Looking up at him with a devious look in her eye, Satine reached out and stroked Obi-Wan's cheek, a sly grin slowly spreading across her lips as her fingers ran down the Jedi's neck to rest on his strong, bare chest. "And it is our job to make certain that we are smart enough not to get caught. Sneaking around over-protective parents is what teenagers are supposed to do."

"Mm, Jedi are supposed to be better than this..." Obi-Wan muttered, gently tugging on Satine's hand, and with an excited smile, the girl rose to her feet and followed the Jedi's gentle pulling right into his lap, her hand resting behind his neck as she leaned in and pressed slow, sweet kisses to his lips. She was met with a deep, pleasured sigh as Obi-Wan relaxed into her touch, his own hand drifting down her side and resting on her hip.

"I can't think of a Jedi more perfect than you, my dear Obi-Wan..." Satine whispered, her hand slowly moving down his body and lightly touching the scars that marred his pale skin, each of them earned in protection of her. She frowned, her nose wrinkling as she did, and she placed a quick kiss to the tip of Obi-Wan's nose. "My noble protector, how you have suffered for me..."

"My honor, Duchess."

"I think," Satine said lightly, her fingers tracing the scar on his shoulder from the first shot he had taken for her, "that even with your ridiculous perfectionism, your anxiety, your strict adherence to your cruel, cold Code-"

"I happen to like my Code, Satine..."

"-your insufferable shyness, your obsessive focus, the ease with which you disconnect from your emotions..." She shifted, her knees sliding on either side of his hips as she straddled him, the Jedi shifting self-consciously beneath her and looking at her hand on his chest. "You're too thin, too lanky, too much a boy and not enough a man." She could feel his heart beat faster under her hand, felt his breath hitch as he quickly retreated behind his carefully crafted walls, and she stroked his chin and gently urged him to look up at her, his blue eyes widening when he saw barely restrained desire. "And you are all I ever wanted..."

"You have terrible taste in men, my Satine..." Obi-Wan muttered, pulling the Duchess closer and closing his eyes as she leaned down and captured his lips, slow and deep, more emotional than arousing, and Obi-Wan could feel himself unconsciously reaching out with the Force and entwining himself with her, the bond between them deepening with each passing moment. He felt connected, her emotions mingling seamlessly with his own to the point where he couldn't separate which came from him and which came from the desperate, lonely girl in his grasp.

Connection and empathy and understanding that all lives were one, all bound through the Force, all this was a vital part of what it meant to be a Jedi, to be one with the Living Force as his Master always said, and here with Satine, he felt it. If this brought him closer to the Force, closer to the Code, how could this be wrong? There is no emotion, there is peace, but in his love for Satine, he felt peace and serenity, all the things he wasn't supposed to feel when he embraced his emotions. There would be pain when he left her, sadness and hurt deeper than he cared to admit, but he would endure it. All things were fleeting, all things must end, and a Jedi let go, understood that nothing truly belonged to him, and in the end, all must return to the Force.

For the briefest moment, there was a flicker of something within him that suggested that maybe, just maybe, it didn't have to end. That he didn't want it to end.

"My Master's coming..." Obi-Wan muttered, kissing her one last time before she slid off his lap, her hand lingering on the scar on his side just a moment too long, ans she settled back in her chair, the desire written plain on her face as she looked at him.

"We need to find more time to be alone, Obi," Satine lazily drawled, her eyes raking over him as he leaned over and began checking the ship's systems. "We'll never be able to get closer with your Master hovering over us."

"We won't have a chance to be alone with Clan Cadera around us either, and I somehow don't think they'll take too kindly to their Duchess messing around with a Jedi..." Obi-Wan muttered casually, leaning back in his seat and running his fingers over his newly done braid, far better than he could have done himself. A Padawan braid was a symbol of his ties to the Jedi Order, but somehow, by allowing her to do it, it tied him to her as well. It was much more intimate than Obi-Wan had realized, but now that he thought of it, he wouldn't have it any other way. It felt appropriate, considering how Satine had so gracefully made her way into his heart, once only occupied by the Jedi Order.

"Well, you're making my case for leaving Vorpa'ya much stronger," Satine said with a sigh, not even looking away from Obi-Wan as the cockpit door slid open and Qui-Gon stepped quickly into the room, his accusatory glance fading quickly when he saw the teenagers were doing nothing untoward.

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself, Duchess..." Obi-Wan said smoothly, his hands moving over the console and instrumentations before him. "It's unwise to make plans before we see the situation with Clan Cadera and discuss our options with their leaders. Keeping an open mind will help us to clearly see all options before us and allow us to choose the best course of action, which may not always be the one you want."

"I'm beginning to really dislike your damned Jedi perspective..." Satine mumbled. Her arms crossed over her chest as she slunk down in her chair, earning a slight smile from the Padawan, which in turn earned him an admonishing look and a swift tug on his braid from his Master.

"Everything alright?" Qui-Gon asked suspiciously, eyeing the two teens and searching for something he knew was there but could not find. "It's very early, what are you two up to?"

"We were discussing the plan going forward, Master," Obi-Wan said, turning away from the console to look at the Jedi. "The Duchess doesn't believe that we should stay long on Vorpa'ya. She thinks remaining stationary will attract her more cautious enemies, despite the military presence surrounding her."

"I'm inclined to agree..." Qui-Gon said softly when a frustrated frown touched the Duchess' face. "As a general rule, it is easier to launch a successful attack when your enemy doesn't move. It's part of the reason Clan Wren was able to destroy Clan Itera despite their advantage of defending themselves from a mountain fortress."

"That is exactly what I was saying!" Satine agreed with a sigh of relief, earning an almost frantic look from the Padawan.

"With all due respect, Master, we haven't exactly been safe on the move either," Obi-Wan said with as much command as he could muster. "Everywhere we go, the Death Watch and bounty hunters seem to follow, they always find us."

"They haven't found us out here," Satine said smugly. "We've been on the move since we left from Draboon, and we haven't seen a single one!"

"Yet,"Obi-Wan snapped, turning his attention to the Master that made the decisions. "I just don't believe it's wise to grow too attached to the idea of continuing to run before we have seen what it is like on Vorpa'ya. It may be that the Duchess could do the most good among her allies. She is supposed to be a symbol for her people, and she cannot be that while we are running."

"I don't need to be that among people that already support me!" Satine countered. "My people are strong and brave and proud, Obi-Wan. They will never respect me as a leader to them if I spent this war hiding behind the walls of a fortress!"

"And they will respect you more if you were running instead?" Obi-Wan scoffed. "With all due respect, Duchess, taking solace behind your ally's lines makes you look like you sit in a position of strength, but running makes you look like a coward."

"I am not a coward!" Satine shouted, rising from her chair and bearing down on the Padawan, his eyes wide with surprise at her sudden outburst. "You think you know my people, Obi-Wan Kenobi, but you know nothing! I've wasted my time teaching you anything at all, you are just as stubborn and hopeless as you were when you first came to Mandalore!" Her hand clenched and rose slightly as she took a step toward him, and Obi-Wan swiftly rose his hands, ready to defend himself from any sudden move to strike him when he felt her anger peak. "Maybe you're right, Obi-Wan, maybe I need to be a symbol for my people instead of running," the girl hissed, a tense, forced smile on her lips making her seem more dangerous than she ever had. "Maybe I should be out making allies of the clans that don't support me!"

"W-what?!" Obi-Wan gasped, staring up at the angry girl in utter disbelief. "You want to go to the clans that don't support you?! Satine, that's absolute madness!"

"Is it? You're the one I said I should be a symbol for my people, and what good is a symbol to those that already believe in me?" She planted her hands on her hips, her eyes lighting up as she thought on the idea and liked it better with every passing second. "I cannot take Sundari without allies!"

"You have allies!"

"And it isn't enough!" Satine bit back. "Clan Cadera cannot hold Sundari if the majority of the clans are fighting for their own right to rule! What's the point of taking Sundari if I will only be thrown out again when the toll of defending the capital diminishes Clan Cadera? Sitting on the throne of Sundari won't end the war, only uniting my people will do that, and I can't do that if I sit on a throne that every idiot in the sector believes it should be theirs!"

"You want to go out and make alliances?" Qui-Gon asked quietly, and Satine curtly nodded, drawing up taller as her confidence increased.

"It's the only way to end the war, and so long as I keep moving, my enemies will chase me. It could give my allies the distraction they need to achieve victory in their own battles, keeping enemy attention divided can only help my cause."

"At the very least, it's worth considering and discussing with the leaders of Clan Cadera," Qui-Gon said with a sigh, earning him a shocked, betrayed look from his Padawan. "Oh, what! You're the one who told her to keep an open mind and consider all her options, Obi-Wan! Good advice that you should be heeding as well."

"W-where would you even begin?!" Obi-Wan asked desperately, and Satine turned her nose almost arrogantly up in the air.

"I have some ideas about that..." she said in a haughty tone. "Even the most stubborn warrior will grow weary of the continual losses of this war, and there have been many. There is only so much pain and destruction a man can take before they break, and everyone has lost family in this stupid fight." She shrugged, trying to maintain her confidence, but Obi-Wan could see her lip tremble in the moment before she bit down on it. "Besides, Artus Itera led me to believe that I may still have family on Kalevala. We can begin there."

"Wait, what?!" Obi-Wan gasped, gaping at the Duchess for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts, and finding nothing, he grasped for clarification. "I thought you were the last of Clan Kryze, you have family other than your mother and your father?" For just a moment, Satine seemed just as speechless as Obi-Wan had been a moment ago, Qui-Gon standing silently to the side and watching her carefully, trying to discern why she had been hiding this information, but more than that, why the young Duchess had failed to mention the sister that he had heard mentioned on Draboon. Obi-Wan didn't know, he hadn't been there, and the longer the Master looked at the girl, the more he believed it to be deliberate, that the existence of this sister was a greater source of pain for the girl then it would have been if she truly had nobody left.

"M-my brother had a lover at the time of his death," she finally managed to stammer. "Artus Itera believes that she was pregnant with his child."

"A baby?!" Obi-Wan said, far louder than intended, and he laughed tensely, his hand running through his still damp hair. "You have a niece or nephew?!"

"Or will very soon," she whispered. "It was all a little vague, but apparently it isn't a secret among my allies. He said the Caderas knew, and if they know..." She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Honestly, if one clan knows, it's likely the rest do as well. For all I know, the child, the mother, and the clan they belong to may all be dead by now, but Clan Rodarch are fierce. It's hard to imagine them being extinguished without a substantial fight."

"Don't you want to leave Clan Cadera quickly to protect them?" Qui-Gon calmly asked, drawing the nervous attention of the teens to him. "You attract hunters and put those close to you in danger. Wouldn't going to this child just lead your enemies to the last family you have?"

"Y-yes, but...Qui-Gon, I..." Satine sighed and hung her head, her lip trembling as she bit down on it and unwanted tears slipping down her face. "You're right...I know you're right. I'm sorry, it was a stupid, sentimental idea..."

"At the very least, we can ask the Caderas what they think," Qui-Gon quickly interjected, watching closely as his fretting Padawan grew increasingly distressed with Satine's emotional upheaval, his hand pulling frantically at his braid until he could take it no more and quietly took her hand, a soft, reassuring smile on his lips as he gave it a gentle squeeze. "How long before we arrive in Vorpa'ya, Obi-Wan?"

"A day at most," the Padawan said softly, his eyes never leaving the visibly upset Duchess. "Less if I stay here and pilot the ship the rest of the way. I can give her some extra speed."

"See to it," Qui-Gon commanded, his arm wrapping around Satine's shoulders and gently leading her to the door. "It's still very early. I'm going to see that Satine gets some rest. See us safely to our destination, Obi-Wan."

"I will, Master," the Padawan said, sighing wistfully as his Master left with the Duchess he was so worried for, and he quietly turned to do as he was commanded.

---

Vorpa'ya was a jungle, hot and lush and humid, far unlike what they had been expecting. Together, Obi-Wan, Satine and Qui-Gon had endured swamps and bitter cold and arid plains, harsh, uncompromising climates that left them chilled to the bone or burned from the sun. Between all that and the toxic, inhabitable wastes of Mandalore, Obi-Wan was beginning to believe that the entire sector was a war-torn mess, its planets as harsh and extreme as its people. But then there was Vorpa'ya, temperate and tropical, bright vibrant greens from rainforests and stunning blues from the oceans that crashed against blinding white sand. It was beautiful, more beautiful than any planet embroiled in the hell of war had the right to be.

The Caderas were quick to let their ship through their blockade of their planet and gave them an escort to bring them down to their base, a large, sprawling fortress on a jungle cliff overlooking the ocean. Most of the mighty clan was off-world fighting their enemies throughout the sector, but those present all showed up to see their Duchess arrive, the warriors young and old gathered in the hangar or looking down from overhangs and balconies as the teenager left her ship flanked by her two Jedi guardians. The Cadera clan leaders, Shae and Torian were waiting for them, their black and white armor flawless and shined to perfection, the two bowing deeply when the girl approached.

"It's good to finally meet you face to face, Duchess Satine," Shae said, smiling softly as she righted herself and watched as the teenage girl fidgeted, struggling with the desire to embrace them in a fit of emotion and keep her composure as the leader she was meant to be. Emotion won out in the end, and with a bright smile, Satine threw herself against Lady Cadera, squeezing her as tightly as her thin arms would allow.

"Thank you so much..." Satine muttered, her voice shaking with elation as she released Shae and threw her arms around the suddenly awkward Torian, his stern maturity shed to reveal a battle-hardened warrior uncertain and confounded with what to do in the presence of a woman. "You don't know what it's like to know I'm not alone..."

"We can certain guess, Duchess..." Torian said as he finally managed to wriggle out of the clingy girl's grasp. "You don't need to worry about a thing, Duchess. You're safe with us."

"About that..." Satine said, almost nervous at first, but quickly drawing up when she found her confidence. "Everywhere I go, I am followed by people trying to hunt me, I want-"

"You certainly get to business quickly, don't you?" Shae asked, slight laughter in her voice as the confidence was drained from the teenager, leaving her to fidget awkwardly. "I appreciate that, Duchess, but I ask that you hold off until we are safe from prying ears. I have no delusions about our situation, and we are well aware that your past victories have forced your enemies to become clever and creative in their hunt for you." With a sigh of relief, the Duchess nodded, and the two Caderas finally turned their attention to the stoic, vigilant Jedi at her side.

"We grow more and more impressed with you with each passing day, Jedi," Torian said, standing at his full height and frowning when he found that Qui-Gon still stood a full head taller than him. "For you to survive so long against the enemies of Mandalore is no small thing, but for you to fight and win against so many is miraculous."

"I assure you, it was not nearly so impressive as you seem to believe, Lord Cadera," Qui-Gon said modestly as he stepped forward and clasped Torian's hand when the Mandalorian grabbed for it. "There was not so much fighting as there was running."

"I very much disagree," Shae said, stepping beside her counterpart and looking over the two Jedi with a critical eye. "Word travels quickly in Mandalore space, Master Jedi. One tale after another recounts how entire battles have been won by a single man, or how mighty armies have been humiliated by the escape of the Duchess and her guardians. The Death Watch and Clan Wren have both been humiliated by your survival. It's weakened them considerably by making other clans bold enough to attack them."

"It was no mistake to ask for your assistance, Master Jedi," Torian added. "Perhaps our warriors may learn something from you during your stay here."

"I do not believe there is anything we could teach your people about conducting warfare," Qui-Gon quietly dismissed. "From what we have seen, the Mandalorians are formidable enough, but should we have the time, I am certain we may train beside your warriors. Perhaps we may learn something from you. The Duchess seems to believe that we lack a fundamental understanding of your people that I am eager to rectify," Qui-Gon said slyly, looking at the impassive, expressionless Obi-Wan out of the corner of his eye as he tried to gauge the obvious jab, and while the boy showed nothing, he could feel the hurt that the Duchess' words the day before had inflicted upon him, followed by the self-doubt and insecurities that nearly constantly plagued him.

"Which is exactly what I wish to address," Satine quickly interjected. "And I am eager to hear your opinions, so if we may..."

"Of course," Torian said quickly. "Follow us, Duchess."

"Obi-Wan, stay here and mind the ship," Qui-Gon softly commanded, feeling the twinge of disappointment within his student for being left behind yet again, but the Padawan bowed anyway, his face showing nothing. "Get a feel for our new allies, if you can, and keep yourself in tune with the Force. I don't want to be blind sided by our enemies like we were on Krownest just because we feel safe here."

"As you say, Master." The Padawan turned and left without another word, the Duchess quietly watching him as he walked away, and she gasped when Qui-Gon gently nudged her, bringing her out of her thoughts. She flashed the Master a shy smile, muttered a soft apology, and she quickly followed the Caderas, her head bowed to avoid the curious stares of the Mandalorians that had come to get a look at her.

It only took a few moments before a soft brush at her elbow made the Duchess jump, a surprised gasp in her throat as she quickly turned around to look at the Jedi Master. Her hand laying over her rapidly beating heart, she took a few deep breaths and slowed to match Qui-Gon's languid pace, falling behind the Caderas as they continued to lead the way, and after quickly checking to make sure the girl was alright, they turned away from the pair, allowing them the distance to speak just out of earshot.

"I wanted to ask you something, Satine," Qui-Gon whispered, leaning down toward the girl to keep their conversation between them. "Why are you concealing information about your family?"

"I'm sorry..." Satine said with a sigh, running her hand through her hair and looking apologetically at the Jedi. "I just...didn't want to put my hopes in that. If you knew, I thought maybe we'd go there in search of allies, and after what happened on Krownest, I just knew I couldn't go without risking my brother's child. I don't want to have their deaths on my conscience as well, so...I tried to put it out of my mind." Satine unconsciously grabbed for Qui-Gon's arm, her fingers tightly grasping the robe he wore. "By now, they may be dead anyway. I don't know if I could handle the grief of thinking otherwise only to find they are already gone."

"I understand, Duchess..." Qui-Gon said kindly, gently patting her hand and keeping his eyes on the curious warriors they passed, a warm breeze blowing through the courtyard they walked across and gently swaying the tall, tropical trees that lined the palatial pathways. "However, please bear in mind that if something is troubling you, Obi-Wan and I are here to help ease your burdens. This is the sort of thing we may have helped you with. Often times, we can help find a solution or a new way to look at something if only trust us enough to help."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Qui-Gon, I do!" Satine gasped, finding herself suddenly filling with guilt. "I just...I am already a large enough burden to you and Obi-Wan, I know my defense has not been easy, and you both have suffered a great deal to me. I don't want to cause more trouble."

"Your defense would be easier if you were more open, Duchess," Qui-Gon whispered, drawing the girl closer when the gazes of a pair of older teenagers they passed lingered just a little too long. "The greater the trust you have in us, the better we will work together as a team. I know it may not seem like it, but you are a large part in your own defense. It is easier for us to defend you if your trust in us is absolute. You place your life in our hands. Your feelings would be just as safe with us."

"Yes, I..." she began, but quickly trailed off when she felt a tight lump form in her throat. She quickly stopped, tugging on the Jedi's hand to get him to stop as well, and when he leaned closer to her to hear her, Satine rose up on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek. "Thank you..." the Duchess said in almost a whimper. "You...can't possibly know what that means to me..."

"I think I have an idea," Qui-Gon said with a light, easy smile, gently pulling her along to continue following the Caderas, who had stopped to wait for them at the end of the open courtyard before the doors of one of the large buildings of the fortress. I was young once as well, and all of us at some point believe that our trials can be understood by nobody. It isn't so." With a heavy, relaxed sigh, Satine grasped Qui-Gon's arm tighter and leaned her head against him, a contented silence falling over them for a short moment. "...but that wasn't the family I was talking about," Qui-Gon whispered, and Satine's hands tightened, her breath held as she felt a sudden chill run up her spine.

"I-I have no other family..." Satine muttered robotically, her eyes cast at the ground to avoid the hard gaze of the Jedi, and she winced when Qui-Gon drew her closer.

"I suspected it before, but the Caderas mentioned it in the meeting we had on Draboon," Qui-Gon said, his voice even and measured, devoid of the hurt or the sternness that Satine had expected, which was almost worse. "You have a sister." Sating couldn't help but tense, her hands shaking as a soft whimper escaped her throat. "...why didn't you tell us?" Qui-Gon asked, genuinely confused. "This is something we need to know."

"I don't have a sister!" Satine hissed, her eyes narrowed in anger to cover the pain she felt in her chest, but the sympathetic look on the Jedi's face was enough for her to know that she didn't fool him, and if that wasn't enough, hot tears trickled down her face. "Not anymore, I..." She couldn't say anything else, the pain in her chest almost overwhelming, and Qui-Gon quietly pulled her into a tight embrace, the girl resting her head on his strong chest and clinging to the soft fabric of his robes, breathing deep the smell of fresh, crisp linen.

"Duchess?" the soft, concerned voice of Torian Cadera said, and Satine glanced back to see the man hovering over them, Shae a little ways behind him and waiting outside an open door and looking no less concerned. Satine found she didn't have it in her to move, only to silently cling to her Jedi protector, her face buried in his robe and committed to pretending that there was nothing else in the world. "Are you alright?"

"Everything's fine," Qui-Gon said quietly, gripping the girl tighter and stroking her pale blond hair. "If you would just give us a moment..." Torian looked at the Duchess, a frown on his face as he waited for the girl to confirm that this is what she wanted, but she remained silent, only moving to cling tighter to the Jedi.

"Of course..." Torian said, bowing slightly as he turned and left the pair, motioning for Shae to enter the room she stood before, and after talking for a moment, both Caderas entered the room, leaving Satine and Qui-Gon alone in the hallway.

For a long while, they were silent, Satine absorbing herself in the strong beat of Qui-Gon's heart, the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, the gently stroking of his fingers through her hair and the feel of peace that slowly spread through her, a comfort and ease that was so unlike the strong emotions that she felt with Obi-Wan. It was no less close, no less emotional, but here, it was serene, almost parental, a thing she hadn't felt since her mother and father were executed, a thing she didn't know how much she missed until now. It was overwhelming, and before she knew it, she wrapped her arms tightly around the Jedi and silently began to cry.

For a long while, they were silent, Qui-Gon gently wrapping the thin girl in his cloak and hiding her from the curious view of the prying Mandalorians as they passed by. He could feel her torment in the Force like a black, cold storm around her, filled with pain and betrayal and confusion, a heartache that overshadowed even the brutal deaths of her parents and brother. That she understood. But what happened with her unnamed sister, her secret, shameful sibling was beyond her understanding, and it made it hurt all the more because of it.

"My sister," Satine said after a long while, the tears still running silently down her face. "She's with the Death Watch. I don't know why," she added quickly when she felt Qui-Gon inhale deeply and hold it. "I don't know why she would willingly fight with the people that murdered our family. I don't know what I did to offend her beyond wanting peace for Mandalore. I don't know why she is committed to killing me as well." She sniffled and quickly wiped her tears away on Qui-Gon's robe and took a few deep breaths to make certain she could, the feeling of calm washing over her and making her feel assured once again. "...don't tell Obi-Wan. Please."

"I won't," Qui-Gon promised, his voice edged with confusion. "It is not my story to tell. But...may I ask why? I was under the impression that you and he were very close..."

"We are," Satine said, oblivious to the suggestion in the Jedi's voice. "Obi-Wan is very dear to me, but this..." She fixed her eyes on the ground and took a small step away from Qui-Gon, her hands absently wringing the hem of her tunic to hide how bad she was shaking. "It's a very real possibility that the Death Watch will send my sister after me, and should that happen...I don't want Obi-Wan to hesitate because she is of my blood. Obi-Wan will stay his hand. Bo-Katan will not. I don't want my sentiment to be what kills him..."

"You believe she would kill you?"

"I know she would..." Satine whimpered.

"...it seems I was mistaken," Qui-Gon said gently, laying his hand on her back and gently nudging her toward the door. "You don't have a sister after all."

"I would if I could..." the Duchess said with a sad smile on her face. "We were friends once. Perhaps we may be yet again once this war is over..."

"For your sake, I certainly hope so, Duchess." With a grateful smile and a squeeze of the Jedi's hand, Satine allowed Qui-Gon to lead her down the remainder of the hall and into the room, the air within crisp and cool, a stark contrast to the hot, humid air that filled the open halls. The room they stepped into was a dining room, the high, fortified marble walls ending in elegant, arched ceilings, the table inside made of intricately carved, dark red wood upon which lay a large, varied spread of tropical fruits, sweet breads, and exotic meats, all made from ingredients local to the temperate world. The Caderas stood inside, quietly whispering to each other until the Jedi and the Duchess entered, the two quickly striding toward the pair with concern written on their faces.

"Is everything alright, Duchess?" Shae asked, her eyes running over the girl and quickly taking note of the red flush to her skin and the subtle hint of tears shed running down her face. Satine flashed her a faint, easy smile and nodded, her eyes drifting to the spread on the table and her stomach growling with sudden pangs of hunger. A week in space living on ration bars and nutrition paste had left the girl craving real food more than she had realized.

"All is well," Satine quietly reassured, her lips pursed for a moment before she nodded and looked almost nervously between the two Caderas, the look in her eyes wounded enough to make the two take a desperate step closer, ready to help the girl. "We were...discussing Bo-Katan, and before you say anything," she said firmly, her tone harsh and commanding as the hurt within her turned to steel, "no, there is nothing about it I wish to discuss further, and I will hear no further mention of my sister to anyone. Is that understood?"

"As you wish, Duchess..." Torian said, nodding in understanding and pulling out a chair for the teenager, the man chuckling softly when the girl quickly seated herself, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the table as she eagerly waited for permission to attack the food on the table. When the two Caderas had seated themselves at the table, Satine had stacked a plate as high as she could with as much food as possible and was trying in vain to delicately chew the large mouthful of bread she had bitten off. Satine became significantly less voracious when a door on the opposite side of the room opened and six other Mandalorians entered, each wearing different colored armor representative of the different clans they came from.

Swallowing hard and discretely pushing her plate in front of Qui-Gon, Satine slowly rose to her feet, her eyes running over the men and women that entered and respectfully stood behind their assigned seats, bowing respectfully and keeping their eyes on the teenager as they gossiped in hushed whispers. Yellow and black, Clan Kelborn. Black and purple, Clan Sornell. Green and gold, Clan Lok. White and purple, Clan Deshra. Red and white, Clan Jendri. All of them she recognized, both as allies as her father and as old rivals of her clan. She didn't need to ask how a previously hostile clan like Jendri found their way to be her allies. The war had torn families apart on ideological lines, just another tragedy of this brutal conflict.

"I'll get right to it," Shae said, gesturing to the suddenly terribly nervous teenager. "We have with us today Duchess Satine Kryze, and with her, we will finally find peace for our people." They exploded in swift, excited talk, some speaking directly to the overwhelmed teen, others to each other, and Satine found herself creeping closer to Qui-Gon, the feel of him at her side calming her somewhat as she looked around at the Mandalorian nobility and silently sat when Shae gestured for them to. "Satine, these are the leaders of the clans belonging to your alliance. The Kelborn twins, Karin and Eskol, Ralia Lok, Tanik Jendri, Krey Deshra and Sedyn Sornell."

"It's...a pleasure to meet you all," Satine squeaked, her voice wavering before she cleared it and stood up tall. "It pleases me that you have managed to keep your lives. Such a thing has not been easy in this war." She gasped slightly, her eyes widening when Qui-Gon gently nudged her, and she bowed. "I thank you for having the vision to support peace for Mandalore. I know it has been no easy thing to ask of our people, but if we are to finally achieve peace and prosperity, we must abandon our old ways and seek something new."

"We all stand in agreement or we wouldn't be here, Duchess," Karin Kelborn said, the others muttering their agreement, and Satine silently sat back down in her seat, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Now, we have discussed our alliance with Clan Sharratt back when the deal was made," Torian added, remaining standing beside Shae so they could better run the meeting. "Once again, we have the Duchess to thank for that, and I believe we have gone over the preliminary plans for peace that the Duchess discussed with us last week. Does anyone have any idea how to go about doing that?"

"I-I do," Satine said quietly, keenly aware of the eyes on her, and steeling herself, she cleared her throat and stood once again. "I have an idea of how to do it," she said, stronger this time, emboldened when she saw she had their undivided attention. "Our people are becoming weary of this war. We are dying, and even the most stubborn among us knows it. Even a great warrior mourns the loss of their family, and we have all lost those dear to us." The gathered Mandalorians nodded solemnly, quietly muttering in agreement.

"You suggest we simply go speak to the other clan leaders and plead our case?" Shae asked tentatively, uncertainty in her voice that Torian's demeanor echoed. "I'm afraid that may be difficult. Old alliances and resentment run strong through Mandalore, which is part of the reason this war has been so bloody. We can't just appeal to the other clans, or our alliance would be greater than it is. Remember, Duchess, it took you to bring Clan Sharratt to us, and they don't even like your opposition."

"I'm not suggesting you go," Satine said firmly, drawing up as tall as she was able. "I'm suggesting I go."

"You, Duchess?" Torian asked, his jaw slack and completely stunned. "But you just got here! And it's not exactly safe for you out there right now!"

"It's not safe for me anywhere," Satine snapped. "I'm being hunted, and I will continue to be hunted until this war is over, and mark my word, they will follow me here, and there's not a thing that any of you can do to stop it." Satine stopped to take a deep breath, calming herself before she felt it would be too late to do so, and she felt her racing heart begin to slow. "I have discussed this with my Jedi guard. Keeping stationary will only make me an easier target. Allow me to go out and secure my alliances for myself. My people will be following me, so I should be the one to present to them my vision for Mandalore."

"And you have agreed to this madness?!" Sedyn Sornell asked Qui-Gon in disbelief, earning himself a scoff from Tanik Jendri.

"And why shouldn't she?" Tanik growled. "The Duchess survived the Death Watch on their base of operations, this is no meek, timid Core World slut, she is Mando'a. A warrior. Let her bring her people to her by showing them what she is made of. No sane among us will follow a leader crafted from a soft metal like gold, let them see she is iron."

"We should not be so quick to embrace this," Shae said when the people around the table began fervently agreeing with Tanik. "Duchess Satine is not replaceable. If we lose her, we will lose our chance for peace. We all agree on that."

"Maybe so, but she's proving herself to be very hard to kill," Eskol Kelborn drawled, his eyes drifting to the Jedi at the Duchess' side. "If she wasn't, we wouldn't have the financial support of Clan Sharratt. Katra Sharratt is a stingy bitch, she wouldn't throw an investment that large at a cause she didn't believe would succeed."

"We could support her as she travels," Torian groaned. "With a substantial military presence to protect her-"

"My Jedi are all the protection I need," Satine said, her voice strong and unwavering. "A large presence would only make it easier to find me, and the Jedi are committed to saving lives. Were you to send warriors with me, they may be distracted in their purpose and be killed in their attempt to protect your soldiers, and there is no Mandalorian alive that I would feel safer with than my Jedi." She laid her hand on Qui-Gon's arm and gently patted it. "Just the three of us. Save your soldiers for the battles you must fight and allow my Jedi to focus, and I guarantee you, no harm will come to me."

"You have too much faith in the Jedi..." Krey Deshra growled, and Satine shot him a vicious look.

"And you don't have enough."

"I say we allow this," Eskol Kelborn said. "The Jedi are clearly worth every credit we paid for them, allow them to continue to do what they have been. If it's not broke, don't fix it."

"We aren't paid, Lord Kelborn," Qui-Gon said quietly, and Eskol looked at him wide eyed.

"You aren't?!" Qui-Gon slowly shook his head. "Well, let's continue to take advantage of these fools then!"

"All of this bears further discussion," Shae said, drawing the attention of the room back to her. "For now, we can all agree that we need to expand the alliance, and without any other ideas, I say we start with Clan Ordo."

"I kriffing hate Ordos..." Tanik Jendri growled, crossing his arms over his red and white armored chest, and Shae looked out of the corner of her eye to see Satine pale considerably.

"Nobody likes the Ordos, but they are a large force once in alliance with us, and given their conflict with Clan Wren and their Death Watch allies, this is as good a place as any to start."

"Right, we can't send the Duchess back there," Ralia Lok said quietly. "Not after what those ambitious idiots did."

"And why not?" Satine said, her voice cold and commanding and more distant from her emotions than she expected, which only sparked her confidence. "I know there's a great deal of bad blood between their clan and many of yours, but that just makes me the best candidate to bring them into our alliance and accept the peace we are offering."

"They betrayed your clan, Duchess," Tanik snapped, not angry at her, but at the Ordos in question. "Long have they stood as allies to Clan Kryze, only to betray you by reaching for their own ambitions. They have made themselves the enemies of Clan Kryze!"

"They cannot be the enemies of Clan Kryze because Clan Kryze is dead!" Satine snapped, her temper quickly rising, bringing to the surface all the pain of her family's loss, and the show of passion made those gathered recoil, all their opinions quickly abandoned in the face of the Duchess' fire. "I am the only one left, and while Edric and Veela Ordo have shown themselves to be selfish, stupid children, I do not consider Clan Ordo my enemy. They are my people, my subjects, and like so many, this war has brought out the worst in them. I will visit them to give them a chance to right their wrong against me." She shrugged, subtly drawing closer to Qui-Gon. "When last I was there, they were only in charge because their father was out fighting the Wrens. If he's still alive, perhaps he will prove to be more reasonable than his stupid, impulsive children."

"No Ordo is a good Ordo," Tanik said between clenched teeth. "For children to turn out so awful as Edric and Veela means either the parent is weak, or just as bad as the children. You're wasting your time. They will not be receptive."

"We shall see," Satine said slyly. "When I last left Clan Ordo, my Jedi had hopelessly shattered Edric's arm, and I shot Veela in both her legs. I think they may be more amicable than before."

"Well, so much for the peace-loving Jedi..." Shae muttered, looking Qui-Gon over appreciatively. "You did that?"

"No," Qui-Gon said, a faint smile on his lips as he slowly shook his head. "My student did."

"What, the child?!" Torian gasped, and he laughed softly when Qui-Gon quietly confirmed it, Satine standing taller as she swelled with pride. "I'll be damned."

"I don't know why you're surprised," Sedyn muttered bitterly. "The Jedi have always been brutal when it comes to our people. Let us not forget that they're the reason that Mandalore is a toxic wasteland."

"And they are now the reason that we will be able to finally achieve peace!" Satine snapped, so harsh and cold and angry that everyone at the table drew back and nervously looked at the furious girl. "Without them, I would be dead, and I won't have another word said against them! Do I make myself absolutely clear?!"

"Perfectly, Duchess," Shae quickly said, standing in for the rest of them, and immediately, Satine lowered her guard, Qui-Gon's hand on her shoulder as she slowly sat down in her seat. "All of this bears continued discussion, which I am certain we shall continue to do over the next few days. I believe we have enough to think about for now, unless anyone has anything pressing to add."

"I do..." Satine ventured quietly, her hand timidly raising into the air, and for a moment, she said nothing, shifting in her seat and biting her lip as though she couldn't decide whether she should say anything or not. With a reassuring squeeze from the Jedi, she took a deep breath and looked out over the table, ignoring the trembling in her hands and the growling in her stomach as she pointedly didn't look at the food on the table. She was hungry. "I heard...my brother fathered a child before he died."

"On a Rodarch girl, yes..." Shae said quietly, the tension in the room quickly rising, which did not go unnoticed by Satine. "You wish to seek them out. I cannot recommend it. Not only are the Rodarchs historic allies of Clan Vizsla, but all attempts to reach them by any clan have ended in violence, and Clan Rodarch always comes out on top."

"I know the loss of your home world hurts, Duchess, and I know you must wish to reclaim it, but nobody has been able to take Kalevala from Clan Rodarch," Torian cautioned. "They are too fierce, and too deeply rooted there. Expelling them would take time and men that we cannot spare right now, and sending you would be terribly foolish. I believe their conquest of your home says enough about their intentions toward you."

"Or they simply wish to give my brother's child a piece of what he is owed by being born of Klan Kryze," Satine offered, far stronger than before, her sudden yearning for even a piece of the family she lost giving her the conviction that she previously lacked. "Whatever it is we plan to do going forward, I want to return home. I want to meet with Clan Rodarch, I want to see my brother's child, I want to meet the mother. I-if they still both live."

"They do..."Shae quietly confirmed. "Clan Rodarch will not leave Kalevala, the have no ambitions outside of holding the planet and protecting their own. It's made them very dangerous, as if they weren't dangerous enough before...but it has also made them fairly safe. Nobody wants to expend the resources it would take to properly fight them."

"I don't want to fight, I want to talk," Satine stressed, her narrowed, focused eyes carefully observing the men and women at the table. "I am going to Kalevala. Work it into the plans."

"I promise we will discuss it further, Duchess..." Torian said with a sigh. "But not today. For now, I believe we should be celebrating the return of our Duchess."

Anything Satine was going to say was drowned out by the loud cries of agreement from the warriors at the table, the meeting quickly devolving into easy, friendly chatter as they got up and quickly moved to talk with each other and greet both the Duchess and the Jedi in a much more friendly, less formal way than they had before. Strong hands clasped the Jedi's, offering thanks and praise and asking for a demonstration of his skills with the mystical Force. Satine was swiftly and uncompromisingly embraced, tight and familial as they offered their condolences for her family and delivered greetings from their families that she had known when she was growing up in Sundari.

For now, business was over, and Satine was contented to settle down and reclaim her plate, happily eating her fill as she listened to the warriors reminisce. It felt like home, and one day, when she had brought peace to Mandalore, it would always feel like this.

---

Reflection.

It's a strange thing watching my charges grow up. I'm not certain I can truly get used to it. It doesn't seem so long ago that we first came to Mandalore. My young, shy student and I, assigned to protect stubborn Satine, a dangerous thing that I was half certain we would fail, but now, with each day that passes, it seems more and more likely that we are on the road for success. It is hard to see this mission as anything other than a great success when I look and see how the children I guarded have become fine young adults. The only thing I can't figure out is when it happened.

My shy and awkward Obi-Wan, always so pensive, so insecure, so trapped inside his own head that he fails to notice what is right before him, has suddenly begun to walk the path of adulthood. He is stronger now, not just physically, not just in his strength with the Force, but in spirit. He was always so closed, so reclusive, and while I know that little shit is hiding a fair bit from me, he has nearly left his shell behind, accepts his emotions even as he struggles with them, embraces his tremendous capacity for compassion, has become less and less removed and far more involved in the world and the people around him as he emerges from his mind and grows comfortable in his own skin. It's a beautiful thing to see. He's going to be a fine Jedi and an even greater man.

And Satine...I can't even begin to say what a pleasure it has been to see her step into her role as the leader of a peaceful Mandalore. She is young still, and yet she holds her own against the leaders of other clans who should, by all rights, wield more influence than a teenage girl. Perhaps they are as swept away as I am. She is forceful and strong, her passions tempered and focused, so unlike the wild, messy blaze she had been before, and it makes her commanding. I look at her standing before them, and it is clear to see that she has been born for this. I cannot imagine her doing anything else than ruling over a people, and the fierce Mandalorians are as good a match as any I have ever seen. She is more than a match for their warrior spirit. She is a warrior herself, after all, in her own way.

They are growing as well. I have forgotten how much nearly half a year is to a developing teenager. I don't know when my thin, gaunt teens changed, but I looked at them standing beside each other the other day and only just then noticed how they have filled out. Yes, they are still thin and lanky for their size, but they are quickly developing and shedding their childhood bodies. It's so easy to see now how strong Obi-Wan will be, or how stunningly beautiful the young Duchess will become after they have left their teenage years behind them. I just don't understand when this happened. I see them every single day, one would think I'd notice that Satine's sharper edges have begun to round out, or that Obi-Wan's very quick growth has been tempered by broadening shoulders. I swear, it wasn't so very long ago when I first took him to be my student. He was just a child then. Where has all that time gone?

I wonder if this is what it's like to be a parent. It certainly feels that way.

I'm not the only one who's noticed, of course. They've noticed each other, and the attraction between them grows with each step they take toward adulthood, even if they don't notice it themselves. It would be completely insane to expect them to be completely blind to each other, and their very turbulent start has come a very long way. They still fight, yes, nearly every time they are together, but Satine and Obi-Wan have come to care for each other extremely deeply, despite all the obstacles that they know lay before them, despite their terribly different upbringing and their complete opposite approach to nearly everything. They are as different as people could be, and they have found a way not just to come to accept this about each other, but to take their differences and allow that to help each other grow. And that is the most beautiful thing about their journey into adulthood.

They know it must end. They know that there is no future for them where they can be together and still walk the paths they are on, and that has never been more obvious now that Satine has stepped into her role here with the clans of her supporters. I don't believe they have forgotten this, but I know how easy it is to be blinded the powerful emotions that I know exist between them. I was young once as well, and I was certainly no stranger to these things. It nearly led me to ruin, but Obi-Wan has always been more careful, more cautious, more far-sighted than I have been. He may lack experience, but my student has always been wise far beyond his years. I spend a great deal worrying about him, but it seems very likely that Obi-Wan will stay off the dark road I nearly traveled, and even I cannot deny how good Satine has been for him. It's almost enough to simply turn the other way and allow whatever it is that is happening between them to grow.

Almost.

I'll continue to keep that sneaky little shit in line, and if I manage to find him and his little paramour together, he's going to be in for a lecture on tact and a reminder that he is in training to be an upstanding Jedi, not...well, Quinlan Vos. He knows very well the path that may be traveled for engaging in such a thing, how very easy it is for ideals to be compromised when such strong emotions are involved. He saw it in me, and I'd think that would be enough, but...well, the Force is a mysterious thing. If it has led him here, it's not my place to say otherwise. Still, nobody said I couldn't give him hell for it, and so help me, I will.

If I could ever catch that slippery little ass.

If there's even anything to catch...

I'm thinking too hard. I need a nap.

Obi-Wan and Satine...they are becoming such fine adults. If helping raise them into the adults I believe they will become is all I do in this life, I've done well. They're going to help shape this galaxy. I can feel it.