A/N: Disney owns Star Wars. Obey the Mouse. Love the Mouse. Do not defy the Mouse.

After we finished speaking to Osool (with the understanding that his sentence was to be much lighter due to his cooperation, as per Master Obi-Wan's promise), we boarded a shuttle to Concordia, one of Mandalore's two moons. This was only the second time I had ever been in space, and the novelty had yet to wear off; part of that was the knowledge that a few feet of metal and glass was all that separated us from nothing, but the rest was due to yet another aspect of being Force-sensitive that people generally never think about: when there's so much nothing around you, the living Force stands out all the more for it, and for anyone like me with extremely advanced sensitivity, certain things become clearer than they would on a planet filled with living beings.

In general, when you look at a Force-sensitive, you can feel the Force moving around and through them in a different way than it does through ordinary people; with the latter, it "passes through" them, and they do generate it to some degree, but its flow seems much more passive, like the Force is just on its way somewhere and they're in the path. On the other hand, when looking at someone who's Force-sensitive, it lingers around them, shifting in its currents and swirling around the person in direct proportion to how strong they are in the Force; the more powerful the sensitive, the greater the presence of the Force around them. In the case of particularly powerful wielders, the effect is really quite dramatic; for example, Master Obi-Wan was practically a massive shining beacon of pure light. And no, that's not just me waxing poetic. When I described him as the Jedi-est Jedi ever to Jedi, I meant that in every way; everything about his aura practically screamed, "this is the biggest boy scout in the galaxy".

I mention all of this because, while the novelty of space hadn't worn off, it had lessened just enough for me to notice another thing about Master Obi-Wan in addition to this: occasionally, his aura would get a little bit brighter or a little bit dimmer, particularly when talking to Satine. I decided to keep that in mind as we approached Concordia in Satine's shuttle; once again, the show didn't do the planet justice.

"Wow... it's actually really beautiful." I gazed in wonder at the moon as I took it in through the front window.

Satine responded with a slight frown. "Long ago, it used to be even more so. Before the end of our wars, they turned it into a mining base. The sheer number of mining facilities here nearly destroyed our forests; they're finally growing back. That alone is a reason for us to avoid war; though Concordia never saw battle, conflict nearly destroyed its natural beauty all the same." She sighed briefly before continuing. "War touches everything, no matter how well-defended or removed it is. The only true way to protect anything is through peace, not violence."

I almost expected Master Obi-Wan to retort; instead, he kept silent, his presence shimmering a bit as he did so.

After a few minutes of flying over deserts, jungles, and shrublands, we arrived at a large villa, landing in the hangar where no less than the villain of the Mandalore arc awaited us in his civilian guise, accompanied by two bodyguards in heavy armor.

"Duchess Satine, you are most welcome!"

Satine nodded at the man in return. "Thank you, Governor Vizsla. May I present Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, representing the Jedi Council, and his Padawan, Kevin Caller." She turned to look at us as the enemy in disguise nodded politely. "Governor Pre Vizsla is one of the officials I spoke of; he has been working to find the members of the Death Watch."

I knew an opportunity to change canon when I saw one; fortunately, this time, the Force did not seem to give me the "bad idea" feeling, but I got the sense that subtlety was still the way to go all the same.

"I take it you've heard the rumors about Satine, about how she's supposedly leading Mandalore into an alliance with the Separatists." said Vizsla, his tone almost convincing in its false sympathy.

That being said, Master Obi-Wan was no stranger to having a good poker face, responding with an equally convincing 'I totally trust everything you say' act. "My only instructions were to seek the truth, Governor. Hopefully, we may locate the Death Watch and dispel these rumors before events deteriorate further."

"Indeed," Vizsla replied, continuing the poker game. "In the meantime, you are surely tired after your journey and the incident at the memorial shrine; I would like to extend an invitation to dinner to all of you, to grant you some respite before we begin our work. In the meantime, I have preparations of my own to consider. It is an honor to meet you, Master Kenobi."

"The honor, I'm sure, is all mine, Governor Vizsla. I look forward to your generous invitation."

Once Vizsla was out of earshot, I decided to pre-empt Master Obi-Wan's canon conversation. "Master Obi-Wan, there's something off about that guy. I can feel it."

"I know, young padawan. I sensed it as well. The governor is definitely hiding something."

Satine raised an eyebrow at us. "What exactly are you implying, General?"

"Osool suggested that the leader of Death Watch was someone in a powerful position of authority, and also confirmed your suspicions that the organization is based off of Concordia," he said, stroking his beard. "Who would be better placed to disrupt investigations into their activities than the one assigned to lead the investigations?"

The Duchess started to respond with offense, but stopped short, realizing the logic behind Master Obi-Wan's deduction. "I... see. What do you propose, Obi-Wan?"

"That we take the Governor up on his offer. While normally I would prefer to directly investigate the mining facilities on this planet—they are exactly the sort of place well-suited to concealing operations such as Death Watch—we already know enough from Osool to have a clear suspect, and young Caller here is quite advanced in his sensory abilities, even rivaling my own. This dinner invitation would be a perfect opportunity to see whether or not Vizsla is behind all of this, and perhaps we may even uncover the full truth behind this conspiracy."

Satine frowned in response. "The thought that he might be the leader of Death Watch is... troubling. I have placed a great deal of trust in all of my officials; to think that my trust is misplaced—"

"Satine." Master Obi-Wan looked her right in the eyes, his voice calm and reassuring. "Do not blame yourself. For as long as I have known you, in spite of my disagreements with your views on neutrality, I have always felt that your ability to trust in your people has been one of your best qualities; if Vizsla is indeed taking advantage of that trust, the fault lies with him, not with you."

I didn't say anything, but at that moment, the Light side of the Force around him shined a bit brighter.

The Duchess, the Jedi, and his padawan had left, along with all the others; finally, he was alone in the empty hangar. He still wasn't entirely sure how the Jedi had failed to notice that he had slipped aboard their shuttle. It didn't matter; he had an important job to do, and if things went wrong—which he fully expected, considering who the enemy was—it would be up to him to spring the trap. He was not sure whether or not he would survive, either... but he had sworn to uphold the honor of the old ways, and a death in battle was a death he looked forward to.

Creeping out of his hiding place, the warrior gave one last, silent prayer:

Ancestors guide me, for I may soon go to glory.

Master Obi-Wan decided to use the time until the dinner to give me further instruction in the intricacies of Form III lightsaber combat. My initial training at the Jedi Temple gave me a good foundation to build upon, and Soresu's focus on defense and efficient movement meant that the basic techniques were relatively easy to grasp. That said, we didn't have much time in which to practice, and I still had a long way to go before I was ready to face another lightsaber wielder. For the moment, my skill in blast deflection was progressing well enough thanks to my enhanced sensitivity to the Force granting me faster reaction time and decent battle precognition.

Before long, it was time to attend the dinner; a guard led Master Obi-Wan, Satine, and myself to a relatively small yet still mildly extravagant dining chamber, with traditional Mandalorian cuisine on the table. Master Obi-Wan and I were initially hesitant to eat, but fortunately the Force didn't give us any alarm bells.

"Thank you again for accepting my invitation; I don't often have guests of your stature, Master Jedi. My work has kept me far too busy as of late." Vizsla was still the picture of decency and hospitality; had I not known in advance (and not had the Force), I probably would have bought the act myself.

I didn't trust myself to talk without giving away our suspicion, but thankfully there were two excellent speakers on my side.

"Think nothing of it, Governor Vizsla," Master Obi-Wan said. "I understand entirely. With enemies such as the Death Watch and the Separatists, vigilance is more important than ever in our respective roles."

Satine spoke next, proving with a warm smile that her own poker face was every bit Kenobi's equal. "Please, General Kenobi, let us enjoy this brief moment of respite from talk of business. While I have my own concerns I would like to address, I do not wish to ruin the Governor's kind gesture."

Vizsla chuckled softly. "Do not worry, Duchess. I don't mind. Besides, business is why we are here, isn't it? I would like to hear your concerns; perhaps I may even lay some of them to rest."

She sighed, giving a convincing performance of mild relief and resignation. "Very well, then. I suppose if you have no problem with it, we may as well discuss the issue." Pausing to take a sip of her wine for effect, she continued. "Someone is feeding misinformation directly to the Republic Senate, saying that the Death Watch is taking over Mandalore. Who stands to gain from these lies?"

"Death Watch, of course." Vizsla replied, without any hesitation.

"They could not engineer all of this. The problem has clearly grown much larger than we thought," Satine frowned worriedly. "And I suspect some external force helped it along."

Vizsla shook his head. "Hard to believe. It would have to be someone at the highest level of influence among the Separatists."

"Perhaps even Dooku himself," Master Obi-Wan interjected. "Plots and schemes are practically his specialty. I would not be surprised if he himself were the founder of Death Watch."

For half a second, I sensed a bit of dismay from Vizsla; Master Obi-Wan almost certainly felt it as well. The governor recovered quickly, however. "I would not necessarily go that far, Master Jedi. Death Watch wraps itself too well in the old ways to be a false movement; its members would not be so willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause were it not genuine."

Satine continued feigning worry and confusion. "But why target me?"

"You lead the Council of Neutral Systems; thus, you threaten the Separatists' goals." Vizsla calmly sipped his wine. "Take it as a compliment! Someone very powerful is working towards your downfall."

A brief pause occurred as we continued eating. The silence was eventually broken once more by Master Obi-Wan. "Forgive me for prying, Governor, but perhaps you might share your own experience with the Death Watch? I'm sure someone of your capabilities has at least learned something of use."

"I'm afraid not. The jungles of Concordia may not have finished growing back, but there's still plenty of places for them to hide there."

"The jungles, you say? That's an interesting theory," Master Obi-Wan replied. "but wouldn't it make more sense for them to use the abandoned mining facilities? Not only would they provide far more cover against discovery, the refinement facilities could easily be repurposed for forging weapons and armor."

I felt a bit of concern from Vizsla; clearly, Master Obi-Wan had created an opening. I decided to exploit it a bit.

"But Master, if they're a fanatic group like the Governor suggested, maybe they're not thinking that clearly. After all, so far they've only managed to vandalize a few monuments and fail to kill Satine. That doesn't seem like a very competent group to me, no matter how well-backed they are."

"I think you might be underestimating them a bit too much." Vizsla said, a light chuckle just barely managing to hide a crack in his facade.

It's him, I spoke to Master Obi-Wan through telepathy. He's definitely our guy.

I agree, young padawan. We've obviously struck a nerve.

What do we do, then?

Patience, Kevin. Let us see what he does for now.

As Vizsla continued, I sensed tension coming off of him. "Death Watch have proven themselves a crafty bunch. You never know when or where they might strike."

All of a sudden, I got a massive vibe of "holy crap get your lightsaber out or you're dead meat". No sooner had Vizsla said that last word than the doors burst open, several enemies in Mandalorian armor entering with rifles aimed in our direction. Master Obi-Wan and I managed to activate our lightsabers and get into a defensive posture, but before we could do anything Vizsla had rushed to Satine's side and roughly grabbed her from behind, activating a concealed dark saber and holding it against her throat.

"I have to say, I'm impressed with your intuition, Kenobi. And here I thought I was fooling you for a moment. By the way, the Duchess and I are going for a walk, and she would definitely appreciate it if you wouldn't follow us. Not that you'll be able to if you're dead! Kill them!"

The enemy opened fire on us as Vizsla made his escape with the Duchess; Master Obi-Wan and I were able to deflect the blaster fire, but until we dealt with these guys there was no way to follow.

To be perfectly honest, I was terrified; this was the first time I had ever been in a life-or-death fight, and the thought of having to kill anyone to get out alive horrified me. Before my fear could overwhelm me, I felt Master Obi-Wan's presence in my mind. Calm yourself, Kevin. Let the Force guide you—I will be at your side.

I still didn't like fighting, but his words definitely helped; taking his advice, I stretched out with my feelings, placing my trust in the Force. I felt my hands being guided, telling me where to move my lightsaber.

Block zone two. Block zone six. Deflect three.

Two shots bounced off my lightsaber, a third reflecting back on the shooter.

Advance three. Block three. Deflect two. Deflect one.

I stepped forward and to the left. Two more attackers fell to their own shots.

Deflect three. Advance two. Block one. Advance. Deflect three. Strike two.

Another enemy fell. I moved forward twice, blocking another shot as I did so. I reflected a shot back at the source before cutting the opponent immediately in front of me in the same motion.

The blaster fire stopped. I looked around, seeing the floor littered with opponents; a few were dead, some were wounded and disabled, but alive. I still felt unease over what I had done, but with Master Obi-Wan's presence and the guidance of the Force, I was able to push aside that feeling and remain calm. Like it or not, I had no choice but to act in the moment. Regret for the death of others remained, but the specter of guilt was banished. Master Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and gestured for me to follow; I averted my eyes from the floor and rushed after him. We had work to do.

"You don't honestly believe your followers will be able to kill Obi-Wan and his apprentice, do you?"

"If you value your neck, Duchess, you'll shut your mouth. I have a call to make."

Vizsla dragged her over to a holocall desk and pressed a few buttons; the result was the image of Count Dooku standing before them, a look of disappointment on his face. "You seem to be having some difficulty, Vizsla."

Satine looked on, wide-eyed with horror and anger. "So it's true! You ARE working with the Separatists!"

Vizsla ignored her, glaring at Dooku instead. "Kenobi and his padawan saw through me. I don't know how they did, but it looks like the plan's changed. If I take Satine, I can use her to force Mandalore to accept our control."

The Sith Lord shook his head. "You underestimate her influence on the people of Mandalore, Governor; the plan hinged upon turning them against her, but you have instead made her a victim. The plan has indeed changed; I am canceling our bargain."

"You promised that you would support us, Dooku!" Vizsla shouted angrily. "Don't you dare go back on your word!"

"My support was contingent on whether or not you could follow simple orders. Clearly, you are not nearly as competent as you lead me to believe. Do as you wish with Satine; our business is concluded."

Dooku severed his own connection before Vizsla could respond. "Damn him... well, Duchess, I guess we'll have to do without his help. You'd better pray your people listen to our demands!"

"I'm afraid you won't get very far, Governor!"

Satine looked toward the source of the voice. "Obi-Wan!"

The warrior had heard the commotion; as he suspected, the situation had gone awry. Creeping around the corner, he spied the two Jedi entering the room, lightsabers at the ready; Vizsla's back was to the warrior as he faced them.

He would need to act quickly. There was no turning back now.

"Heh... I may have lost, but you haven't won yet! It seems your pacifism has brought you nothing but death, Duchess!"

Master Obi-Wan and I remained still, not willing to risk Satine's life.

Vizsla continued taunting. "And you, Jedi, you think you're so much better than us, but you're just as willing to resort to violence as we are!"

Master Obi-Wan remained calm on the outside, but I could tell that Vizsla's words were getting to him. "You're wrong. We fight to protect; you fight for the sake of bloodshed!"

"You lead armies over battlefields, mowing down enemy after enemy without hesitation! How can you still deny your own bloodlust? You can't even admit your own feelings for your precious Satine!"

For a moment, Master Obi-Wan's aura wavered. "It's not like that—"

"Ha! Denial is an ugly thing, isn't it? It's written all over your face!" Vizsla turned his gaze to Satine. "If I lose, so do all of you! Kill me if you want, she'll still be dead! Say farewell, Duchess!"

Satine looked upon Master Obi-Wan with sorrow and fear in her eyes. "Obi-Wan, I want you to know... I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago."

"Satine, I—" Master Obi-Wan stopped short of his response, meeting her gaze with his own. "All right. Had you said the word... I would have left the Jedi Order for you."

As he said those words, a change occurred in his aura, one that I couldn't help but notice.

Vizsla smirked evilly. "How very heartbreaking. I couldn't have thought of a better way to hurt you before I killed you! Time to die— "

Before he could respond, a shape flitted out from behind Vizsla, firing a single shot through the Governor's shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. Satine twisted out of his grip, ducking just in time for three more shots to tear through his chest, killing him.

The three of us looked on as Sael Osool dropped the still-smoking blaster and walked into the open. Satine was the first to respond. "You... what are you doing here?"

Osool shook his head. "I managed to slip out of my bonds and stow away on board your shuttle." He walked over to Vizsla's body, looking it over. "With him gone, Death Watch should fall apart. He was the one everyone rallied around, after all; they won't sully our ancestors any longer."

As the silence hung further, he reached out his hands to Master Obi-Wan. "I place myself under arrest once more. My honor is restored... I have no regrets."

Satine stood, smiling. "That will not be necessary, Osool."

With the mission complete, Master Obi-Wan and I boarded the ship back to Coruscant. Satine gave Osool a full pardon for his actions in saving her life and his clear desire to redeem himself for his actions. Aside from that, though, She and Kenobi didn't talk very much beyond simple pleasantries. As the ship took off, I turned to him.

"Master, about Satine..."

"I know, padawan. The code forbids attachment; I should not have allowed my personal feelings to overcome me."

I shook my head. "That's not it. When you said... what you said, I felt something. Something that made me think about that rule."

He looked at me, a question written on his face. "What?"

"The Light side of the Force... it's really strong with you. Like a huge beacon. That's what it looks like to me, anyway. But when you told her what you felt about her... it grew even brighter. Maybe those feelings aren't as bad as you think?"

Master Obi-Wan started to say something against that, but stopped himself, a contemplative look crossing his face. "I... I'm not sure, Kevin. The code is very clear on personal feelings..."

He didn't say anything else the whole trip, but one thing was obvious: he was definitely considering my words. I wasn't entirely certain, but I had the feeling that I made a positive difference in that moment. Time would tell.

Sorry about how short that fight scene was, but I figured the other stuff was more important. See you next chapter!