A Spy's Work
Quinlan scanned the crowded bar, feeling the music rather than hearing it. It was loud - ear-splitting loud - with so many voices and presences rubbing against his conscious. His psychometry was useful yes, but sometimes, the constant visions and flashes of people lives when he brushed against them made his head spin.
He glanced around, moving as inconspicuous as he could through the tables and bodies. A smile there, a nod there, a few glances at his comlink - the gestures made him look like he was looking for a friend and nothing more.
Well...he was looking for a friend - particularly the smirking ginger-haired bastard leaning against a wall and chatting to a blonde that was definitely not Duchess Kryze.
Civvies. Obi-Wan is wearing civvies, Quinlan thought incredulously when he approached. He glanced down at his own red leggings and black tunic, glad his lightsaber was tucked underneath a thick vest.
"You invited a friend."
Quinlan snapped his gaze up, his mouth hanging open a bit. "Ven -"
Obi-Wan - wearing a black turtleneck jumper and skinny gray trousers - looked vaguely amused when he glanced at his long time friend. "Please, not so loud Quin."
"For a spy he's very inconspicuous."
"The slums of Coruscant has that effect," Quinlan growled, wondering why the hell his friend was talking to a Sith assassin - or, well, whatever she had become. Her hair had grown, flopping into her eyes and brushing against her jaw, and her eyes were now a piercing blue instead of glittering yellow. She almost looked...pretty. But she was standing so close to Obi-Wan...why?
"You're being followed, by the way." Obi-Wan gave a smirk at his friend's sigh.
"I know - I figured it had something to do with you, Kenobes."
"Probably."
Ventress scanned the bar, rolling her eyes at the scene. "It's just your people providing a distraction for us, Obi-Wan - making sure Quinlan got here safely. One at the bar, two on the dancefloor, one planting a bomb at the door."
"Perks of the job," Obi-Wan said cheerfully. "AJ? Shall we?"
"A -" Quinlan gaped while Ventress grinned - a bomb exploded near the entrance of the bar. He flinched, listening to people scream and run for cover while someone - Death Watch? - stood and began firing at their fellow Mandalorians.
In the midst of the chaos, fingers grasped his wrist, yanking him into behind the counter and put if the employee exit. Quinlan had no choice but to run among the two, utterly confused as to what was happening.
They wove through the streets, not stopping for kilometers.
"What the hell is going on, Obi-Wan?" Quinlan demanded when they had spilled into a run-down apartment. He ignored Ventress collapsing on a torn couch in exhaustion, and stared at his friend. "Obes!"
"Calm down, my friend." Obi-Wan was fiddling with a light, and smiled in satisfaction when it flickered on. He sat on an ottoman, giving a gesture to a tin on the caf table. "Cookies - have one while I explain. Korkie loves them."
"Your son?" Quinlan asked suspiciously, sinking onto the ground and not bothering reaching for the tin. "Where are we?"
Obi-Wan gave a smile, using the Force to pull the tin towards him. "Nephew - Satine has severe endometriosis - she cannot bear children. We adopted him shortly after his parents died in an accident." He pulled out a cookie and set the tin on the floor. "This is a safe house. Satine and I have several dozen all over the galaxy in case of emergency."
"Oh...and her?"
Ventress gave a lazy shrug, tucking her legs onto the couch. "I've been double-crossing the Sith for years - I'm a spy for the Jedi Order."
"...what?"
Obi-Wan chuckled, finishing his cookie and saying, "I found out pretty early on in the war - the yellow contacts she wore fell out and I begged her not to destroy the chain my wedding ring hangs from. Needless to say, we both owe each other favors. She's mainly here for support - and intel, if need be."
Quinlan opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and scratched at his scalp. He picked a dread up, inspecting it for awhile before glancing at them. "So you two are friends?"
"His wife makes amazing desserts."
"That she does. Oh, she just made a -"
"Hello, yeah hi, over here?" Quinlan groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Okay - Ventress: good guy - woman - whatever. Not Sith. Obi-Wan: husband of Duchess Satine. On Coruscant unauthorized?"
"The Council is unaware yes - Anakin too. Chancellor probably isn't, Force willing."
"Oh great - okay. Lovely. Wait, Chancellor?"
Obi-Wan reached for the tin of cookies again, only this time, instead of pulling out anything edible, he pulled out a roll of flimsi. "It may have crumbs," he murmured, tapping it on the caf table before handing it to Quinlan.
Quinlan scanned the documents, furrowing his brow a bit. He remembered the shocked murmurs in the Temple only last week - Death Watch had surrendered.
But these symbols -
"Oh, he catches on quick," Ventress purred, looking like her old self. "I like him, Obi-Wan."
Quinlan rubbed at his eyes and sighed, glancing at his long time friend. How many secrets does this man have? He thought of his answer slowly. "Kenobi...this isn't enough to damn the Chancellor."
"Nope." Obi-Wan's smile was thin and a little dangerous. "But you do have psychometry - touch an object in his office if you want proof...and don't forget about your book about Sith teachings."
"How do you -" Quinlan started before he could stop himself. The bastard gave a smirk at the outburst, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. "Okay…what's gonna happen then? You can't get the Chancellor to confess to being the Sith Lord - and the Council won't believe you."
"No...but a certain Skywalker might put the pieces together if the book was in her possession."
"Her?"
Author's note: bwahaha hello my friends! It is I, giver of fanfic and cliffhangers!
Man, you guys were hilarious in your speculation after last chapter's cliffhanger that I couldn't wait and had to post the next one. (I mean, I have a bad stomach bug so I'm not doing much anyways)
Enjoy this cliffhanger!
ii Digestive Reader ii