Merry Christmas folks! Or Happy Holidays!
With practiced ease, Ben pulls the controls back, slowing the ship down, and stopping right in the orbit of Mandalore, once again in their favorite hiding place.
"Woah…" Boba breathes, his eyes wide with wonder, staring down at the planet below, the clouds mesmerizing him, the seas, and the land, all so different from what he's seen before. Ben looks at him, curious about his reaction.
"Boba, have you never been flying before?" Ben asks, turning his chair to the child, his arms crossed, and a smile on his lips. Boba barely turns his head, his eyes still glued onto the orbiting planet.
"Uh, no, not really," He breaths, laughing a little from the excitement, "I've always been in a cargo hold, or a cell when I'm flying, and there were never any windows," He says, leaning forward, his hands gripping the arms of the chair, making sure he doesn't fall.
Ben nods his head, his smile quickly disappearing as looks at the boy. Nodding again, and with a quirk of his head, he turns back to the console and flips a few switches.
"We've arrived," He says simply, his voice echoing out into the rest of the ship. Satine and Jango should be joining them soon enough. He leans back in his chair and crosses his legs, stroking his chin in thought.
"This is Mandalore, right? That's where you guys said we were headed," Boba says turning to Ben for just a second before he's drawn back to the window. Ben shifts his chair again, pushing along with his one leg to turn it.
"Yes, this is Satine's home, Jango's as well," Ben says fondly, resting his head against the chair. Boba nods, biting his lip a tiny bit.
"Mine too right?" He asks softly, glancing at the older man, nervously chewing on his lip, and playing with his hands. Ben looks at him for a moment, ready to answer, but stops short, sensing someone in the doorway.
"It is," Jango says stepping into the room, and smiling at his son. He walks over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "welcome home," He says quietly, sitting behind him and staring at the planet they belong to.
"Wizard," Boba whispers, smiling wide at his dad, then gazing at the planet again. Jango leans back in his chair, crossing his arms and nodding hello to Ben.
"Where's Satine?" He asks Jango, his eyebrow raised in question, Jango opens his mouth to answer, but is cut off when the woman there talking about walks in fast, her face buried in her datapad, scrolling through an unseen screen.
"Good morning," Ben says smiling at her, as she sits behind him, turning the chair to face the others. She looks up from her work for a second to smile back and give a small morning back to him.
"Have you figured out what we'll be doing?" Ben asks gesturing to her, still scrolling with busy hands, typing a few frantic things. Jango and Boba both look at her with curiosity for a moment, but move back to the window, looking down again.
"I have a few options for what we can do, but I believe one of them should be a priority," She says, finally looking up, her pad in her lap as she takes a quick deep breath. Ben slowly reaches over, taking it and placing it to the side, worried that she may be hurting herself, working too hard.
"And what's that," Ben asks, leaning towards her. Satine reaches forward with a quirk to her lips, leaning over Ben and pressing a few buttons on her pad before sitting back down. Ben coughs, covering his mouth to hide his small smile at her fun.
"I believe that if we can find out who the leader of Death Watch is, then we can speak to him, negotiate, and find peace," She says as the hologram of Mandalore appears before them, rotating in the center of the room.
Boba looks over with a gasp, watching with a smile, while Jango leans forward, his eyes trained onto the red points marking the planet.
"These are all the known Death Watch bases that have been found in the last two years, there is a total of 23," She says pointing a few out with a gesture, "I think that we could find some clues to… something," She says crossing her legs and putting a finger on her chin as she thinks.
"We could find hints to where a current base is hidden, old recordings, plans, messages, hints to who, and where he could be," She says with a sigh, looking at the two of them. Ben nods his head, humming as he looks at each point.
"I've been to most of these places," Jango says quietly. Satine looks at him, a frown on her lips as she stares at him.
"My father took me with him on these raids most of the time, and we took almost everything they each had info and gear," He grunts leaning back into his chair, "I don't think we're gonna find much," He says quietly, scratching his chin.
"That last one though, near Shuror, that was our last raid, and we didn't have a chance to take much," He says quietly, ruffling Boba's hair a little with a smile, "it was a minor cave system, and they blew the entrance," he says.
"We never got to go back in," He says closing his eyes, resting, "that would probably be the best place to look," He says. Satine's eyes narrow on the spot, her lips stretched thin.
"We'll have to hope that Death Watch didn't go back in and empty it out, otherwise we're gonna have to kidnap one of them," Jango says, making Boba look at his dad with a look of hilarious bewilderment.
"I also need to get my armor back," He says opening his eyes again, "One of that shabuir probably has it," He says. Ben turns his chair, and sets a course for the base, Boba excitedly bounces in his chair, watching him, but he keeps his attention between that and his dad.
"Obi-Wan," Satine says standing, putting a hand on his shoulder before he could start flying them, "Could you let Jango fly us, I need to speak to you about something," She says, with a worried frown.
"Of course my lady," He says standing, "Do you mind?" He asks Jango, who just grunts, stands, and sits in the pilot's seat. The Mandalorian smiled though when he heard Boba's gasp of excitement.
Satine quickly walks out of the room, Ben following behind closely, and as soon as their out of sight, he takes her hand in his. Satine walks them to her cabin, stepping inside and sliding the door closed, before turning to him, and letting out a big breath.
"Obi, what is he planning?" She asks quietly, looking him in the eyes. He looks down at their connected hands, her grip getting firmer. He could sense the stress, the worry… the fear.
"I don't know," He says quietly, gently grabbing her shoulder, his other hand laying on her cheek, "What's wrong?" He asks. She shakes her head, biting her lip hard.
"Obi, is he going to kill him?" She asks with a tremble, closing her eyes. He stands quietly, sensing the man in question, the happiness, the connection with his son, just a few rooms away.
"I don't know," He says again, kissing her forehead, and pulling him into his arms, which she easily accepts, putting her head on his shoulder.
"If he kills him, then everything is ruined Obi, a Mandalore of peace will never be created if its foundation is built on murder," She breathes, shutting her eyes tighter, her hands grasping his tunic.
He knows how strong she is, he remembers, I will always love you. This though, he could sense the drained energy finally pulling her down, after everything she's been building, after all of the fighting and running she's had to do.
The thought of losing it all because of the man he assumed was the thing who would help her, in reality, the thing that loses everything for her. A horrible shiver of unease rolls through him, thinking of the tragedy it would be because of his actions.
Helping someone, training someone, and then watching them use that to…
"Satine, it won't happen," He whispers, rubbing her back, "I won't let it," He says. She sighs again, her shoulders slumping, exhausted. She pulls back just a bit, lifting her head again.
"How Obi? He's a warrior raised by Jaster Mereel, and trained to hate the Death Watch, how is there any situation where he won't do it?" She asks, looking at him pleadingly. He purses his lips and smiles.
"He won't because he has us," Ben says pushing a stray hair behind her ear, "You are the Duchess of your people, and while you may not be leading as you were going to be, you still hold so much sway in what happens."
"And he has me, I made him a promise… I'll teach him how to lead, how to make choices, and to think about his actions," He says nodding along to his words, "And he is in a good place already, he's second-guessing himself, thinking about his failures."
"How is that a good thing Obi-Wan?" She asks, disbelief coloring her voice. He bobs his head to the side, a slightly awkward grin on his lips, realizing that didn't come out quite how he meant.
"It's not, but it means that he isn't going to be jumping into situations and making choices on a whim, he will think about the consequences first," He says calmly, kissing her head again with a smile, "he just… needs to learn that there are alternatives to fighting," He finishes, hugging her again, his hands on her back.
"And what if he decides the best option is fighting, to kill?" She asks quietly, pulling away from him again, "Ben… I can't help him find this man if it will lead to his death," She says crossing her arms, and hugging herself.
Ben nods his head, gently, slowly taking her hand in his, sending comfort through the Force, reassurance. She's struggling with more than just the future, more than her people, and her responsibilities in the office.
"Satine, I won't let it happen, I swear," He whispers, kissing her knuckle, "I will teach him to be a better man," he says, feeling her stress ease ever so slightly.
"Thank you," She whispers, making him smile, his hands moving to her waist. He presses his head against hers, his eyes closed. She sighs a pretty smile on her lips, matching his as she wraps her arms around his neck.
"Always, my dear" He whispers back, standing with her, holding one another as the hum of the engine runs beneath their feet.
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