Chapter 39 – The Lawless
Author's Note: In which Theseus and Obi-Wan fight Maul and Savage and try to escape with Satine. ^-^
To Duchess Satine: Don't worry. :)
To Guest (1): Yeah, there are so many possibilities for what Theseus will do in this, and future arcs, and how his presence will affect things. Rest assured that his presence will begin to have a major impact on how everything plays out, even if it's not immediately obvious. And Theseus will be training with the Dark Side, even if that won't happen for a while yet. ;)
To Guest (2): Interesting opinion on Maul training Theseus! If Theseus did end up going to Maul for training after the CW, you're right about how it would unfold, since Maul would definitely want to use it as a chance to get revenge on Obi-Wan. But Theseus sneaking into the Temple would not be a very ideal solution. More likely than not, he'd be caught. It's too big of a risk, even for him, I would think. :)
To Guest (3): And yeah, Theseus hasn't learned all of Form VII, and nor will he, more than likely, but Windu did teach him some of the basics so he would know how to control himself better if he gets into a situation where he's tempted to use the Dark Side like what happened on Mortis. :P
Thank you all so much for reviewing! :D
~ Amina Gila
Anastasia whirls around from where she was fighting off several of the other guards, and promptly fires at Maul, using her other hand with a combat plasma shield to block anyone who's currently shooting at her. What is she even thinking? Shouldn't it be obvious that you don't attack a Sith Lord with only a blaster?
She's promptly lifted off the ground in a Force choke. Raw panic runs through Theseus and not caring how stupid he's being, he charges the Sith. A ruby blade springs to life in Maul's hand, swinging down to intercept his blow. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his sister lying on the ground behind him, and he breathes a silent sigh of relief.
Or at least would have, if not for the fact that another red lightsaber, courtesy of Savage, is swinging for his head now. He dives out of the way of both Sith, jumping back as Savage slashes at him again. Obi-Wan finally runs up, and Maul lunges at him.
He doesn't have time to keep track of them with the other Zabrak charging at him now, spinning that double-bladed lightsaber around almost like it's some sort of club. Theseus hastily parries the next couple of blows, taking a few steps back from the force of them. It's not that this Sith is good with a lightsaber as much as it is that he uses so much brute force, which, in the long run, can make it easier for an opponent since he'll wear himself out. Doesn't help right now, though.
They continue trading blows wildly while Obi-Wan fights Maul behind them. The Mandalorians are still creating chaos in the background, with constant blaster fire and a few occasional explosions that Theseus doesn't know the source of.
Someone – he doesn't see who – fires a few shots at Savage, who whirls around with a snarl, and promptly charges for them. It gives him a moment, at least, and he turns to scan the rest of the battle scene.
This is a fight they're losing, that much he can tell. The other guards keep on coming, and they don't have infinite numbers like this. They need to try making a run – or fly – for it, or they're never going to get out of here. Maybe they'd stand a better chance against the Sith elsewhere, but not here in the middle of so many other Mandalorians.
In the midst of the chaos, he catches sight of Satine standing near Bo, who finally turns, shoving a blaster into her hands. "Make yourself useful," she orders, before whirling around and firing off another round of shots.
Obi-Wan is still fighting Maul, and Theseus throws himself into the fight without a second thought. Maul – very unlike the other Sith – actually does use a very deadly fighting style. It's much easier with Obi-Wan at his side. If they had enough time, maybe they'd be able to defeat him – with the speed at which the red blade is constantly whirling between them he's hardly even sure – but they're running out of time. They're going to be completely surrounded soon.
Obi-Wan finally throws Maul back with the Force, sending him flying straight into Savage as the other was running to join the fight, and the two of them take off. "Get to the ship!" Bo yells over the commotion.
Theseus nods sharply, sprinting for the ramp, Satine close behind. She tosses the blaster aside, which he's not sure she even used in the first place, running up the ramp. Obi-Wan skids to a stop at the bottom of the ramp, spinning his lightsaber to deflect away the shots as Theseus runs onto the shuttle.
He slides into the pilot's seat, hands flying over the controls. He slams a hand down on the control for the guns, but nothing happens. They don't have time for the ship to malfunction right now.
Finally, they activate, and he fires several laser blasts at Maul as he tries to run for the ship. Flipping some more controls frantically, the ship takes off the ground, shakily wildly as more controls spark.
Theseus' heart is pounding as his hands clench around the controls, struggling to direct the ship up into the air. It seems very close to totally giving up the ghost now, and there's no way they can deal with that right now. Blaster shots repeatedly strike the front viewport, the other Mandalorians now shooting at the shuttle in an effort to prevent them from escaping.
Maul motions to two of them, who fly off into the air in pursuit of the ship. Though something tells him they're planning to try something like blowing it up. He increases the speed, reaching over to fire the guns at one of them as Obi-Wan finally runs into the cockpit none too soon.
His master immediately takes over the guns as they fly away. Several of Bo's supporters manage to take out the guards flying after the ship, and then take off themselves as the Twilight speeds away from the surface, leaving the Sith behind.
"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan inquires at last, turning to Satine.
The Duchess nods. "I'm fine." She stares out at the receding landscape for a few long moments in silence. "How did you know to come?"
"That would be thanks to your sister," Theseus replies.
"Her sister?" Obi-Wan repeats, surprised.
"Bo Katan," Satine explains, "She... asked you to come?"
"Yeah," Theseus confirms, "She doesn't appreciate Maul ruling Mandalore either."
"How did this happen anyway?" Obi-Wan asks.
"There were terrorist attacks all over Mandalore and our forces weren't able to stop them," Satine replies, "But then Vizsla and Death Watch showed up, claiming that Mandalore needed to return to its old warrior ways, and they started taking down the terrorists. The people supported him."
"Apparently there are times that pacifism doesn't work," Obi-Wan snarks.
Satine glares at him. "Death Watch was behind all of it! I'm certain. Them or Maul, because he took over later and killed Vizsla."
"I was merely suggesting that perhaps you should at least consider being ready to handle threats this major when they arise, the same way the Jedi do."
"I'm not turning Mandalore into warriors who pretend to be peaceful the way you do," she snaps.
Do they really need to have this argument right now? Theseus tunes them out, focusing instead on making sure they aren't being followed before heading to the designated meeting spot with the others.
They're already there and waiting when the Twilight lands.
"What now?" Theseus asks, approaching Bo.
"We will continue to fight to free Mandalore," she replies, her gaze moving past him to her sister, "What do you intend to do?"
"I'll go back to Coruscant with them," Satine decides, "I might be able to convince the Republic Senate to help us."
"You won't," Bo says flatly, "They won't get involved in an internal conflict like this. The fight is up to us."
"We will be returning to Coruscant now as well," Obi-Wan declares, "We were here on a personal mission and now it's over."
Bo turns to eye Theseus for a moment, and he knows what she's silently wanting, even if she already knows the response. He'd say more if not for his master standing right behind him. "I have to go, too," he responds, then pauses, "Where's... Anastasia?"
"She was injured in the battle," Bo replies, "But you can go talk to her if you want."
Theseus nods, slipping off in search of his sister. It won't be a pleasant conversation, to say the least, but he needs to talk to her. Their father just died – he still can't accept it. He feels oddly numb, actually – and he feels duty-bound to try to make her feel better, if that's even possible.
"What are you doing here?" she demands, immediately moving to sit up as he approaches her. He's not expecting a particularly warm welcome, but he has to do this. Especially since he doesn't know when (or if) he'll see her again.
"I figured we should... talk," he blurts finally.
"I don't think there's anything we need to talk about," she grumbles stubbornly, though it's with less heat than earlier.
"For one, I just wanted to see how you were doing," he offers after a moment.
"That didn't seem to bother you very much when you... just ran off like that."
"Look," he sighs, moving to sit next to her, "I'm sorry, okay? I never –"
"Are you?" she interrupts, skeptical.
"Yes." And that is the truth. The guilt gnawing at him refuses to go away. "But I would have regretted whatever choice I made at that point."
"Why?" Anastasia asks, "We were your family. I know we... started off badly, but Father and the others did everything to help you fit in. Even though you were a Jedi."
"I know," he replies quietly, "But I do have a family elsewhere too. It's not like... You wouldn't want to leave your home here even if my mother and I had offered you something like that."
She looks away, not replying. He's pretty sure she understands, at least to a point, even if she isn't happy about it. A lot of her anger from earlier seems to be gone, maybe because she already screamed it out at him, and partly because right now, he gets the feeling she's thinking about their father again. He can feel her pain in the Force, even if she's not visibly showing it.
"You're leaving now, aren't you?" she queries finally.
"Yes. I am," he confirms, "I can't just stay, even if..."
"Even if what?"
"Even if I want to, sometimes," he finishes.
She raises an eyebrow in slight surprise at the admission. "You can always... call me again if you need assistance... Something that we can actually get involved in, you know," he adds awkwardly.
"Yeah, and you're welcome to... come back home any time you want to. Dad still wanted to find you, even after." He didn't think it could hurt more than it already did, but... it does. He wishes he could have done something differently, but he doesn't even know what else he could have done and looking back is pointless anyway. The past is gone, his father is gone, and neither are coming back.
He moves to get up, stopping when she suddenly rests a hand on his arm. "Good luck, I guess," she says.
"You too," Theseus replies, returning the Mandalorian not-quite-handshake before he slips out of the tent.
Obi-Wan and Satine are talking – more like arguing and flirting – in the doorway of the ship when he approaches. "How'd it go?" Bo asks.
"Better than expected," he admits. Except that now a part of him almost doesn't want to leave again, but he knows he can't just stay. His other family needs him more right now. Things may seem like they're back to normal after the Hardeen incident, but they're not, and he knows Anakin and Ahsoka need him more than ever now.
"Have you thought of actually talking to Satine?" he inquires, hardly sure why he's bringing this up the moment the words leave his mouth.
Bo stiffens. "We don't have anything to talk about."
He shrugs, trying to keep his attitude nonchalant. "It's up to you, but I think I've just realized it's often better to sort out problems with family before it's too late, instead of not doing it and then regretting it afterwards."
Bo doesn't reply to that, not that he expected her too anyway. He hopes she'll listen to him and figure it out, because despite everything that's happened, he's certain she still cares for Satine.
Now, it's time for him to leave. "I'll see you later."
"Take care of yourself," she warns.
Throwing one last glance around, Theseus finally heads for the waiting Twilight. "Ready to go?" he asks cheerfully.
"It's past time," Obi-Wan agrees, "And we need to leave before Maul is able to track our location."
**w**
They're on the way back to Coruscant now, and Satine went to the back, leaving Obi-Wan alone with his padawan.
Obi-Wan wishes he could say that the Republic would be willing to help, but he already knows there's a very low chance of getting involved on Mandalore, and he's pretty sure Satine knows as much. It's not as though she could stay on Mandalore either, though, without risking getting captured by Maul all over again.
Why did Maul even come to Mandalore in the first place? Something tells Obi-Wan that it was not a coincidence, and he's certain the Sith was trying to use it as another way to get revenge on him. Or a way to lure him into a trap to kill him, though he's not sure how Maul would have even known how he feels towards Satine in the first place.
Regardless, they need to do something to stop Maul. He killed Qui-Gon, and a number of other Jedi more recently. He has no right to be walking free like this. Obi-Wan wishes there was more he could do to help Satine, and to stop Maul, but for now, it's impossible.
Right now, he has another more pressing matter to deal with anyway. Namely, Theseus' obvious attachment to his... friends? from Death Watch. All this time Obi-Wan had the impression that Theseus was basically being held prisoner there and certainly would never have spoken to anyone enough that he even could consider them friends. But apparently that isn't true, from the way he's been acting. Working with them when it's necessary is one thing, but this is more. It wasn't a contact out of necessity, and even if it worked out; the fact that they were on such casual terms with each other is... concerning. "I didn't realize you knew them so well," Obi-Wan says finally.
Theseus avoids his gaze. "I was there for a month."
"I know, but I thought you were their prisoner."
"I couldn't very well have earned their trust enough to escape if I spent the entire time sulking."
"Indeed," Obi-Wan agrees, "But there's I can tell there's more to it than that."
A nearly frustrated sigh escapes him. "Whatever you're getting at, Master, just say it."
"You have an attachment to them. That is hardly appropriate for a Jedi, especially because of who they are."
"I know."
"You can't let this interfere with your duty." Like the fact that he shouldn't have attachments like that in the first place.
A flash of irritation crosses his face. "Have I yet?"
"No," Obi-Wan admits, "I am merely reminding you."
"Well, thanks for the... reminder," he mutters, a note of sarcasm in his voice.
Obi-Wan gives him a sharp look. "Theseus."
"Sorry," he grumbles, gaze pointedly fixed on the floor.
What's wrong with him? He might have a tendency to be difficult sometimes, but he doesn't act like this. "Is something the matter?" Obi-Wan asks after a moment.
"Not... no." He shakes his head, standing up, "The mission was just... a little exhausting. I'll be in the cabins, unless you need me." He slips out of the cockpit without another word.
That was... odd, to say the least.
**w**
"Need anything else?" Caleb asks, leaning over the side of the fighter's wing to watch as Theseus works on fixing it up. He needs to have this finished soon, so he's ready to leave with Obi-Wan on their next mission.
"Not right now," he answers distractedly. Although this would be easier if Anakin was here, but ever since Theseus got back to the Temple after rescuing Satine, he and Ahsoka have been gone on a mission to Cato Neimoidia. It likely will be quite some time before he sees either of them again, especially considering that he and Obi-Wan should be heading out again soon too.
BD beeps behind him as he continues to work. He's just glad that Caleb is here with him, since pretty much everyone else he knows is busy or gone right now. Sometimes, like right now, he can't help but think of everyone he used to know who's died over the past few years. So many of the clones, Vraz, and now his father...
Every time it happens, he supposes it's just a jarring reminder that yes, he can, in fact, lose someone at any time and there may well be nothing he can do about it. So, he's glad that Caleb, at least, is here right now. Honestly, he's torn between calling him his mother's padawan, and his new little brother, because he feels more like the second, even if they haven't had much time with each other so far.
"Where'd you get a droid like that anyway?" Caleb speaks up again. "Isn't that kind of... not normal?"
"It's from a friend. From outside the Temple. I got it as a gift," he explains, glancing up for a moment to eye the droid. The last thing he has from Vraz, other than the blaster that he still keeps in his room. He wonders in mild amusement how appalled Obi-Wan would be if he realized how many blasters he's been slowly collecting.
"Oh," Caleb says, rounding the fighter to kneel next to BD and look him over, "Well he's... interesting. And helpful."
"Yes, it really does come in handy," Theseus agrees, finally finishing screwing in the last of the bolts on this part of the ship. "There. Done," he announces, standing up.
"Great! What now?" Caleb asks eagerly.
A faint smile slips onto his face at the boy's eagerness. It's beyond him why Caleb's following him all over the place, not like he's complaining. "How much longer do you have?"
"Master Shan said probably like... another twenty or so minutes?" he replies.
"Well, what about getting back to those ship lessons?" Theseus suggests, "Presumably no one's around to mind."
"Don't worry, we can make sure to get in as many people's way as possible until they call the Temple guards to throw us out!" Caleb chirps.
"Great idea," Theseus deadpans, rolling his eyes with a chuckle, "Come on."
He absolutely blames it on Anakin that he even cares about ships this much, but Theseus has been teaching Caleb a bit of technically unnecessary information about different types and designs in the rare moments they actually have some free time. And that sometimes involves wandering around in the hangar near other people's ships.
They head off between the ships again, and their conversation goes totally off-topic, but it's still... fun.
They're standing near a particularly larger ship when Theseus suddenly senses it. Something feels off, and he doesn't like the feeling at all. It almost feels like... the warning in the Force he usually gets before they get ambushed on the battlefield.
And that doesn't make any sense. They're literally in a hanger of the Temple. No one is going to be ambushing them here of all places. Of course, there was that time once towards the beginning of the war that a bounty hunter broke into the Temple, but surely Master Yoda would have sensed it again if that happened, and they'd probably have already been warned.
No, that can't be what this is, but that doesn't change that he's still sensing something, and the disturbance is only growing greater by the moment.
Seemingly oblivious, Caleb circles around to the other side of the ship they were discussing, happily chatting about something, though the words are escaping him now as Theseus cautiously reaches out with the Force, trying to see if he can figure out what could be wrong.
"Theseus?" Caleb asks, snapping him back to present.
"Do you –" he starts to ask, and then the Force screams.
Everything seems to happen at once. A sudden deafening explosion shatters the silence, the floor shaking violently beneath him. A blinding flash of light fills his eyes – an explosion from somewhere on the other side of the hanger he has a brief moment to realize. Smoke and flames seem to fill the air all around him, debris somehow tearing right through the side of the ship in front of him. Pieces of it go flying and the next thing he knows he's on the ground, pinned beneath something,
Everything suddenly hurts, and he only has a moment to register the burning debris still falling down around him – only missing him thanks to whatever he's stuck under – before the world spirals into darkness.
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