Peace Talks

Obi-Wan shut the door of the bedchamber quietly, breathing a small sigh when the latch clicked. He glanced over at the bed, where his wife was underneath a pile of blankets. A smile touched his lips - at least one of them had found some sleep these past few weeks.

Carefully he moved to the chair they typically dumped their belongings on, undoing his belt and tunics and boots.

"Holocouncil meeting that bad huh?"

Shaking his head, Obi-Wan walked barefoot to the windows, drawing the drapes closed. "Not bad... stressful."

Satine had shifted to her side by the time he sat on the bed, grimacing a bit while she tucked an arm under her pillow.

"The Council bickered for hours...they cannot decide what to do."

"Cannot blame them - those orders...the public is baying for blood. That Order 66... absolutely horrible."

"All of them are horrible - cannot believe they thought it was a good idea to release the contingency orders to the public - the clones have been harassed enough. They have no chance of becoming naturalized citizens of the Republic now."

She snorted, giving him an eye roll in the dim light. "Oh no, what a nightmare."

"Tina."

"What?" Satine reached over, putting her free hand on his knee. "Obi - I know you're worried about Cody and your men."

"Can you blame me? I fought beside these men for nearly three years - they've saved my life more than once - I would not be here without them."

"I don't know about that - you're pretty resourceful."

Obi-Wan gave a huff of laughter, scratching at his beard. Covering her hand, he murmured, "Can't believe the war is over."

"The peace negotiations are still in progression - the Senate and the Confederacy are being remarkably stubborn.

"Surprise surprise." Obi-Wan squeezed her hand. "The droid army can be destroyed but the clones…"

"I may have a solution to that."

"Do tell."

"The Fett Clan proposed that all clones can take an oath and be adopted into any clan that's willing -"

"Becoming Mandalorian citizens -"

"On the condition all the inhibitor chips are removed. Ideally within the next four months."

"Not a bad plan," Obi-Wan murmured. "Costly though...who would pay for the inhibitor chip removal?"

"The Republic - I know it's not ideal but it would please the Separatists -"

"And anger Republic citizens who will be taxed even more heavily...cannot make everyone happy."

Satine's mouth twisted into a smirk. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Before relinquishing emergency powers, Mon passed a taxation law - on the 1%."

"You're kidding."

"She reformed the Constitution too - Chancellor's can only be in power for a maximum twenty years, Senators for ten years."

"Order should have something like that...no life council members." He pressed his lips together briefly. "So the wealthy will end up paying for the removal of the chips...but what about the clones? There are still billions of them."

"Padmé wants to write a clause into the treaty - proper housing, access to healthcare, no discrimination for those who choose to enter the workforce. There's the reconstruction and humanitarian efforts starting once the peace treaty is finalized - I imagine most if them will enter that."

"Idealistically that'll work."

"But it's a step - everything can be reformed and improved."

"Mmm - yeah, you're right." Obi-Wan thought of the Jedi, wondering if they would stay so... stagnant. Unwilling to change...but the younger generation had been through hell at such a tender age - they would be the change. They had to be. The voices of the Council could only squawk for so long.

Glancing at his wife, he was overwhelmed for a moment. Married. They were married, and there was little chance he would die in some dumb stunt tomorrow. He could live out his days in peace, by her side, just like he always wanted…there was the relief efforts of course, the Jedi Order to strike some sense into but...but...but…

Grinning like an idiot, Obi-Wan leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

Author's note: a softer chapter than all the cliffhangers I've left you guys with ;D

I said on Tumblr that there may be one more chapter after this one, but definitely an E

epilogue

Enjoy (and anyone who lives in Northeast America - stay safe and warm in this storm!)

ii Digestive Reader ii