Chapter 5

Meditation proved useless for Obi-Wan. No longer was he capable of clearing his mind. His moods swung violently between utter apathy for this life that should have ended, a retreat back into his broken self, and unstable, unsustainable bouts of rage and anguish. The dark side licked at the corners of his mind, like flames threatening to envelope him.

Days of idleness slid by at an alarming rate. He could feel his strength returning almost to what it had been before his capture. His mind, as well, had developed a new sort of clarity. He could not sit here and wait to die, wait to be killed, wait for life to occur unto him. Such passivity might have been permissible in the days of the Jedi, and yet, those days had passed. As Obi-Wan gained back his self-sufficiency, the Nightsisters slowly stopped their care. It came to a point where they would only leave meals sitting outside his door throughout the day. Obi-Wan was grateful for the solitude even if it brought him no peace.

The Mandalorian... the blonde man... it made sense now, why Obi-Wan had felt that phantom recognition. He recalled old memories of Satine describing her nephew.

"He'll go far..."

"...the prodigy of house Kryze."

"...such a determined boy."

He was here, with Maul. Serving Maul in some capacity. What sort of nightmare was this? It was a torture so intricate, so vile that Obi-Wan could only wish that he'd perished in the cells beneath the Imperial Palace so that he would not have to witness what was taking place before his very eyes.

Yet it seemed this was his fate. It was punishment for failing Satine, failing Anakin, failing Luke, failing the galaxy itself.

He could stay mired in his old ways, cling to those familiar beliefs, and accomplish nothing as he always had. Could continue watching the galaxy burn before his eyes. He could also admit that his own inaction had always been a causal factor. No more. There would be no more failures. No more mistakes. Death had not yet come to claim Obi-Wan, and he ought to have realized that this was the Force's own way of giving him the chance to set things right. And there was a chance that setting things right this time was going to come with the added bonus of some long-awaited retribution.

There was no longer any council to judge him.

Korki Kryze returned to the Night Temple after a long absence and made to resume his daily visits to Obi-Wan's quarters. He entered, holding a few datapads in one hand and his helmet in the other. The stiffness to his expression told Obi-Wan that he knew of what Maul had revealed. The Jedi stared at his bare face for a long moment. The young man had been gifted many of his aunt's same features, Obi-Wan could see the similarities in the shape of his nose and brows as well as the color of the hair and eyes. Perhaps all of House Kryze shared these traits, passed down from some ancient generation.

But there were differences, too, most notably in the shape of the eyes and the quirk of the lips and it led Obi-Wan to wonder about what the young man's father might have looked like. The thought pained him suddenly, invoking feelings of emptiness and envy and he did not understand why until he took a moment to plumb his deepest and most shameful thoughts. If Obi-Wan had chosen to leave the Jedi Order, if fate had taken him in another direction, his own son might have greatly resembled Korki Kryze. It was the simplest and most painful of truths.

"Why are you here?"

"If my presence offends you, I can leave, Master Kenobi," the Mandalorian answered, a picture of polite deference.

"No," Obi-Wan snapped, "Why are you here... with Maul?" Korki opened his mouth to speak but then came up at a loss for words. "Is he blackmailing you?" Obi-Wan continued.

"No."

"Has he threatened you or your family."

"Nothing of the sort."

"Leave this place," Obi-Wan ordered, "That monster murdered your aunt in cold blood and destroyed her life's work. He incited a civil war between your people, assassinated the heads of prominent clans, and dismantled the sector's entire administration. Have you no shame? Have you no loyalty-"

"My aunt was the world to me!" Korki snarled, interrupting Obi-Wan's crescendoing tirade. "She was my inspiration. She was all that I aspired to be. She was a ray of hope in a dark galaxy bent on spreading war and hate." The armored man took a breath, perhaps ashamed for his sudden outburst. He turned away for a moment to set the datapad down on the bedside table, and Obi-Wan could see how his shoulders were tense with anger.

"Then why do you insult her memory?"

"You speak, yet know nothing, Master Kenobi," the young man said darkly, "After her death and after the collapse of the New Mandalorians, the Kryze family was in disgrace. It was clear that there was no place on Mandalore for me or any of my kin. All my life I had been groomed for a career in civil service, a place at my aunt's side. At that time I was lost," Korki explained, his back still toward Obi-Wan and his head bowed, "I have heard a great many things spoken of you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and not just by Auntie Satine. You are somewhat infamous on my home planet, as I'm certain you already know. They speak of you as the rogue Jedi that came to destabilize Mandalore just as peace was achieved by Death Watch. Rumors of an affair between you and the Duchess only helped to discredit the New Mandalorians and demonize the Jedi in the eyes of the people," he admitted. "But I know the truth was more complicated than that."

"You blame me for her death," Obi-Wan guessed bluntly.

"No," Kryze said firmly, whirling around, "To do that would condemn the feelings she had for you, to discard the simple fact that she would have done anything for you... and for Mandalore. I swore vengeance on the man that had driven the blade through her flesh, But back then, I had no way of obtaining it. Soon after her death, I traveled to the Concord Dawn system and pledged myself to the Protectors, who trained me in the warrior arts. After several years, when I believed myself ready for the confrontation, I began my hunt for Darth Maul. He proved... difficult to locate but eventually I was led here, to this forgotten planet out in the rim. I watched and waited, with vengeance still forefront in my mind, even as I noticed that this planet was in ruin still from the war, and that I was hell-bent on murdering the only man attempting to rebuild it. But as opportunities to strike came and went I realized I could never complete my mission," Korki stated, "Auntie Satine, would have been ashamed. To her, killing would never be a solution, not even to avenge her own death. She would hate me for even considering it," the young man finished acidly.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes a moment, letting the truth of those words hit him. She had been so stubborn sometimes, placing her ideals upon so high a pedestal that not even her own life, her own circumstances marred in a grimy, violent reality mattered in comparison.

"But you never left Dathomir." Obi-Wan observed, confused, incredulous, as he returned his gaze back to the nephew.

"What had I to go back to? The Protectors at Concord Dawn and their petty clan feuds?" Korki laughed bitterly. "I decided that if I could not kill Darth Maul then it would no longer be productive for me to hate him. If I could not hate him then I would have to forgive him, and to forgive him I would have to understand him."

There was powerful logic in those words, enough to rob Obi-Wan of any response. This young man had spoken words worthy of a Jedi master, words that few of even the highest ranking council members would have had the strength to heed. The Mandalorian stepped away from Obi-Wan to draw the woven shade up and away from the window, letting in the twilight sun and casting the room into an orange glow.

Obi-Wan was begrudgingly impressed, and similarly intrigued. Why hadn't Maul turned the boy away or killed him upon learning his intentions? Why had he allowed him to stay? What benefit was the old Sith receiving from this arrangement? Certainly Maul only ever worked to his own benefit...

"You are your aunt's nephew," Obi-Wan remarked quietly, folding his hands into the sleeves of his robes, rage subsided, "And I shall respect your choices even if I do not agree with them, but I stand by what I've said. Leave this place. You've done enough work here, and I'm afraid nothing good ever comes of associating with Darth Maul." He expected the younger man to protest, but instead all he received was a knowing smile.

"You seem to be operating under the assumption that Lord Maul has some sort of sinister purpose for me that I remain blissfully oblivious to," Korki said, "And I am terribly sorry to disappoint you further, Master Kenobi, but it is quite the opposite." He replaced the blue and white helmet over his head, hiding his blonde head from view. His silhouette was framed in the glare of the setting sun."I would see Mandalor's sovereignty restored. I plan to liberate her from the oppressive grip of the Empire and I plan to use Lord Maul and all his connections and resources to that end."

Korki Kryze returned to stand before Obi-Wan. He unclipped something from his belt and Obi-Wan recognized it immediately. It was the Darksaber, the blade that had ended Satine Kryze's life. The younger man held it out.

"Do you believe in second chances, Master Kenobi?" he asked, deceptively soft, "Do you believe you could redeem this blade?"

.o.o.o.o.o.