AN: So I haven't been great but while I was taking a break from Star Wars I wrote a Fullmetal Alchemist fic; Son of Hughes. Sadly, all updates will be irregular for a while, this is also likely poorly edited and I apologize in advance.
Chapter 20 - The Future
Jedi Master Fay was older than most of her kin assumed. The common theory was that she was a thousand years old. Truthfully, she thousands of years old, to the point where the dating systems had changed and she stopped caring to remember. After all, it was only by living in the present, immersed in the Force, did she keep her sanity. It was only in the last thousand years she had bothered to file reports.
As it was, things in both the Outer Rim and the Force had significantly darkened. Not that anyone really listened to her. The 'old' Masters who sat on the Council had refused to see the dangers of the Senate, refused to see how they had become servants to a government who desired dogs, not warriors. And if it was a choice between their peacekeepers enforcing regulations and their greed, the Senate would always choose greed.
Still, when she heard news that her little Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice had left the Order, her heart had been glad.
She had first met the little Stewjoni child when Master Tholme had called to change ships when fleeing Mandalorian terrority with the youngling.
Despite all the horrors down to the boy, he had worried over both Tholme and her when he sensed how upset they were.
Fay had sensed the child's face, saw how he had been fated for war. To lose both his Master and his Padawan. Destined to be among of the last of the Jedi, for the end was upon them. The Jedi had served their purpose for this Senate, and with their numbers so few grounded on the Caurscent Temple, beside the Senate…
Fay didn't know how but she knew it was coming.
But of late, Fay had begun to doubt this.
For the Force had changed, and the fate of the galaxy no long centred around the Jedi, but the Mandalorians.
Mandalore who had drowned in darkness decades ago.
But here she was, at a nexus that she had never imaged before, lost between stars, the Kaminoans who had once been a dying race for their lack of desire to reproduce as their intellect grew larger than their hearts.
She walked out of the rain into the landing bay where the Mand'alor, Jango Fett, and her dear Obi-Wan waited for them.
Jango was the true ruler of Mandalore, who the Senate had set the Jedi against to both destabilize the system further and to kill of a few more Knights, as was the trend in recent centuries.
How Yoda didn't see that she did not know. Too much the optimist, perhaps, or was common of his species, time moved differently. Master Yoda was not has in tune with the Force as he believed himself to be, or, was also likely, he was being misled at the Core where the Force flowed differently.
"Master Fay," Obi-Wan greeted with a deep bow.
She bowed in turn, not quite ready to touch him, having seen his fate last time, he was old enough to share such visions with her now and she didn't want to derail this reunion so soon.
"My dearest Obi-Wan," she greeted.
He smiled, his eyes sparkling with love and sorrow.
He knew his fate, and yet, he had not lost hope.
It made her smile.
"This is ner Mand'alor," Obi-Wan introduced. "Jango Fett."
Her smile grew, "Ner?"
Obi-Wan smiled back and agreed, "Ner."
Jango huffed but didn't negate the words.
She approached the man, "My people have wronged yours, and I regret the Order's complacency as your homelands are threatened by both interior and exterior powers. It is in the Senate's interests to see you fail, it is in the galaxy's interests to see you succeed." She reached out to cup the man's cheek.
And though Jango had not developed his possible skills in the Force, his eyes fluttered shut under her touch.
She saw one splintered reality. A purple sabre severing his head and a boy holding his father's helmet, both drowning in feelings of loss and vengeance. An army of clones wearing Jango's face laughing around campfires, dying in an endless barrage of droid fire, sparking out in space like imploding stars, and then— their wills being stripped from them as they were forced to kill the ones they had adopted.
It was a brief reality, shattered as another took its place. Jango surrounded by children, petting Obi-Wan's hair as the man slept beneath veritable pile of younglings, and finally a thousand clan banners caught in the wind as Mandalore accepted a new leader.
Their rightful leader.
Fay stroked his cheek, "You are not a pacifist."
Jango rolled his eyes, "No shit, lady."
She pulled her hand back with a laugh, turning to Obi-Wan, "This one may be able to keep up with you."
"Which is no small feat," another voice said.
Fay turned with a smile, "Ah, Qui-Gon's wild brother."
"Missed you too, Master who turned my little brother against Dooku."
She waved it away, "One should never fear their Masters. I taught Dooku awareness."
Rael Aveross snorted, "No, you taught Qui-Gon how to be disrespectful, for which I will always be grateful. He was such a stiff as a youngling."
"Late bloomer," Fay said with a smirk.
She glanced back at Obi-Wan and saw not a young Knight but an older man weathered by the deserts. She finally bridged the gap between them, and immediately regretted it.
Fay had known, the Force had been whispering it to her for centuries.
But what she saw was not visions of the future but memories of the past he had lived.
And the merciless desert sands were the least of it.
oOo
Jango flinched as the woman whose aura —for lack of a better word— was more intense than any person he had ever encountered, collapsed into Obi-Wan's chest, staring up into his face as he knelt on the floor with her in his arms.
She seemed gutted, as if she had seen in him the end of the galaxy.
And as the tears began to pour stream down the ethereal woman's face, Jango decided this was a Jedi thing.
He watched the Jedi Master hold Obi-Wan's face between shaking hands as she asked, "Obi-Wan, my little Obi-Wan. You survived all that? All that? Alone?"
Obi-Wan placed his hand over hers gently, "I was never alone. As you say, my Master, the Force sustains and it is always with it, even when it appears we cannot reach it."
Fay choked on a sob and Obi-Wan embraced her.
Jango left the intimate scene behind him.
He had grown up being to the Jedi were emotionless and proper and spoiled.
So why was it, none of the Jedi he met were anything like the legends?
He replayed Fay's reaction in his mind:You survived all that? All that? Alone?
He had been led believe that Obi-Wan had left the Jedi only a few weeks or months before saving Boba on Tatooine. All that? Alone?
He wondered how off the mark he had been as the sound of the Jedi Master weeping followed him long past when he should have been able to hear her.
oOo
Rael was surprised Master Fay had come. He knew Qui-Gon had encountered her more than once, however, Rael hadn't known Obi-Wan had been close to her.
Fett's horde of younglings adored Fay, naturally, although Rael feared the impression she would leave on the younglings being the first mostly human adult they had ever encountered.
They would either be afraid of all women or have unrealistic standards.
Regardless, Rael found himself unnerved by her reaction to touching Obi-Wan.
He was not less concerned when Fay pulled him aside to speak privately on her ship.
She waited until Rael had poured the tea before saying, "The Kaminoans have lost their souls."
He blinked at her, "It is unlike you to condemn an entire race."
"Obi-Wan is too close to this matter. I'm afraid when the time comes, choices will have to be made, or we will lose them all."
Rael frowned, "I'm not certain I follow."
"The Kaminoans would sooner kill all the vode than let them leave."
Rael was horrified and disgusted, "Are you saying we leave some of them behind? You haven't been here long enough—"
"I saw what could have been," she interrupted. "They will all be killed, Rael, every last one of them. We need an evacuation plan."
"Obi-Wan has already been planning one."
"He's too close to them."
"What does that mean?"
She sighed, "Choices will have to be made."
He stared at her, uncomprehending for a long moment until he understood.
Because he didn't want to understand.
His lips felt a bit numb as he said, "We can't save them all."
Master Fay inclined her head, her blond hair falling forward, revealing her pointed ears.
Her words brought no consolement.
"Choices will have to be made."
oOo
Rex decided that he was keeping General Kenobi; for life. He made Ori'Codes happy and therefore, Rex was keeping him.
There were only two flaws in this plan: Rex was currently incompatible of making General Kenobi do anything.
Like making him stop fighting someone who wanted to eat him.
The second problem was that now that they were ageing Boba normal now, he wasn't getting bigger anytime soon.
This didn't mean Rex couldn't glare pointedly at the General and wish him to stop with all his mental might.
The General made a mistake, glancing at Rex with a quirked brow.
Ha! Rex thought, the Jetiiese could read minds or maybe just thoughts shouted at them.
Rex decided he was going to get very loud.
"What are you doing?" Ponds asked suspiciously.
"I'm testing a theory," Rex said, readying himself for an almighty mental shout.
They were all in the biggest training room, waiting for their General to duel with a Night Sister who after Savage and Feral's stories they were all convinced she was going to try murdering him.
The General was too nice, Ventress might hurt him. And though none of them had ever seen a lit lightsaber in person, they were pretty sure they were super dangerous.
They were laser swords after all.
"What theory?" Gregor asked, eyes on Cody who was trying to get Helix and Fives to join them from the CT side of the room.
"I want to know if Jedi can read minds," Rex said before exhaling.
Alpha-17 scoffed, "Don't be daft, except for not getting beat up by the Prime, he hasn't done anything Jetii-like."
Rex held the exhale, focusing his gaze on General Kenobi, ignoring the Night Sister, the Nulls's new mascot (Commander Rael Averoos), and the Prime.
Rex inhaled then on his next exhale screamed his thoughts at Kenobi.
STOP!
Rex smirked as the General staggered half falling back into the Prime. The Mascot had to brace a hand on the General's arm as he all but swayed on his feet.
Cody more or less materialized beside Rex and Ponds, as he hissed, "What happened!?"
Everyone looked at Rex whose momentary satisfaction at being proven right was destroyed when he realised how effective that had been.
The Prime had been unable to land a punch and Rex had single mindedly nearly knocked the General off his feet.
"You alright?" they heard the Prime ask.
"Fine, give me a moment," the General said, shaking his head as he walked toward them.
Rex panicked.
But he was good at panicking, he sat very still and kept his expression ruthlessly passive, as if he hadn't done anything wrong.
Just like that one time he 'hadn't' flushed several opened ration packets down Luma Su's personal refresher disposer.
They had been the type of rations that expanded upon exposure to moisture.
But the General didn't think the vode were as stupid and mindless as droids like the Kaminoans did.
Cody tensed beside Rex, reading his tells and knowing Rex had done something suicidally insane again.
Kneeling, the General addressed him directly, "Re'ika, unless you truly need help or need my attention, shouting at me like that can be dangerous."
Considering he was already a dead vod, Rex said, "You shouldn't duel her. She wants to eat you. Savage told us that's what they —the Dathomirian Night Sisters— do, they eat males."
The General's lips were twitching beneath his beard, "Be that as it may—"
"What's wrong, Kenobi?" Ventress called.
The General looked over his shoulder, "The vode appear to think you are going to eat me."
The Nightsister's smile was evil, "Why would I do that when you're the one already on your knees?"
"Who eats on their knees?" Fives asked.
Alpha slapped a palm to his face and muttered, "I wish I was a CT, or a tubie."
The General smirked at Alpha-17's strange remark and asked innocently, "How do you believe Jango and I came to be without such things?"
Alpha glared at the General.
But Ponds seemed to get it because he gasped, "Your mothers ate your fathers too!?"
Alpha made a pained sound, dropping his face into both hands.
The Prime approached, "What's the holdup?"
"We are discussing the possibility of yours and mine birth mothers cannibalizing our sires," the General said lightly.
The Prime cursed under his breath, something in Huttese and the word cultists.
The General responded in Huttese.
The Prime put a hand to the nape of the General's neck, squeezing down, and said in a low tone in Mando'a, "Do not flirt with me in that language."
"Why not?" the General asked. "You like it."
"I would like to put in a request to be decommissioned, Sirs," Alpha said remorsefully.
The Prime sighed.
Rex was so confused.
The General touched his cheek, "Unless my shields are very high, you don't need to shout at me, Re'ika. Your projection before that was quite audible."
"Are you reading their minds?" The Prime asked.
"No," the General answered. "Just what he projected into the Force."
The Prime gave him an unimpressed look but asked, "Rex is Force sensitive too?"
"I told you, all of them could develop it if they wished to, but this particular trick was one nearly anyone can use," the General said, glancing back at him. "And quite unnecessary outside of emergencies, Re'ika."
"I should have—" Cody began.
"Hush," the General silenced him firmly, but not unkindly. "You needn't be your brother's keeper, Re'ika isn't in trouble. I just need you to understand that intentionally projecting at me like that can be dangerous if you catch me at the wrong moment."
The Prime crossed his arms, "Can your enemies do that to you?"
"Yes and no, most of my enemies are Dark Siders and their projections are like loud music, but mostly unintelligible outside of their emotions. It is not a huge issue in battle at all because you're braced for anything and everything. It's more dangerous if I'm —say— landing a ship or sparring with someone I have no intention of harming. It is harder to ignore someone's fear if they have no intention of harming you. You automatically listen for it like you might for a plea for help."
Reminded of why he has done it in the first place, Rex straightened his shoulders. "You're not allowed to get hurt."
The General's lips twitched, "Asajj isn't currently capable of beating me in a spare, Re'ika, my form specializes in defence and Ky Narec was not a very good teacher. Jar'Kai, using two lightsabers, is also notoriously difficult, especially when you only know the basics of lightsaber wielding. Too much of your attention is devoted to not harming yourself with two blades. Asajj makes up for that in raw talent, but that isn't enough to best me, not by half."
"You know I can hear you, right?" Ventress asked.
"It still isn't safe," Rex insisted.
The General gently put his hand to the back of Rex's head and brought their foreheads together in Keldabe kiss, "We will turn down the blades to training levels, which against skin, creates only rash burns. Nothing that couldn't be fixed with a bacta patch over night."
Rex glared at him even if the attention made something warm flip over inside of him, this is why Cody loved the General so much. And Rex was realizing the more one asked of their General the more he gave. Rex didn't understand why that thought made him anxious.
The General stood, ruffling his hair, "Be good, Re'ika.
Ventress snorted, "You're afraid to use live blades?"
He turned back to her, meanwhile, the Prime sat down on the seats beside them.
"You heard the Captain," the General said. "Turn the blades down."
Ventress scoffed even as she did as instructed, "He's not a Captain, he's what, five?"
The General answered, "Every vod in this room was raised to be a commander, captain, lieutenant, sergeant, or special reconnaissance commando, show some respect."
Ponds, let Rex repeat that, Ponds; chuckled.
"Where are the Zabraks and Bo'ika?" Alpha asked the Prime said.
"With Fay," the Prime answered, eyes trained on the General.
"Fay's a female too," Rex noted.
The Prime looked down at him with a small smile, "Which is why Bo'ika and Om'ika is with them."
"Alright, Padawan mine," the Nulls' Mascot said. "Pace yourself or Obi-Wan is going to have you out in two minutes."
Ventress activated her blades, one blue, one green, "Let's go."
After passing his outer robe to the Mascot, General Kenobi bowed to her.
"Draw your weapon," Ventress snarled
"Make me," the General retorted.
Rex was right about their General being… untrustworthy with his own safety.
Yet even as Rex knew that their General could go toe to toe with the Prime, he hadn't realized how much he had been holding back.
The General dodged almost faster than the eye could follow as Ventress spun at him.
And from the General only got more impressive as he jumped, passing through the blades' path.
Rex almost forgot how to breathe.
But it was as if Ventress was trying to punch a feather. The General simply glided out of the way.
It went on like that for minutes. The humming of plasma beams that hit nothing as the General danced on feet that hardly seemed to touch the ground.
Rex looked at Cody, who was entranced, most of the vode were, and then he looked up at the Prime.
His face was nearly unreadily but his eyes followed the General's every motion.
Ventress roared slashing down with both blades, "Fight me!"
Rex jumped along with everyone else, Gregor fell off his seat at Appo's feet and remained there as they stared, stunned by the abrupt sound.
The General's blade was different, and the three sabers hitting together made a roaring, clashing crackling sound. Unlike anything Rex had ever heard before.
They broke apart and the General held out two fingers, his saber pulled back to his face almost in a long bow stance.
It was a taunting gesture. His blade looked like plasma designed as water, a dark blue core with didn't sound like Ventress's blades.
The General's motions were so swift the roaring of his blade sounded like wind. He didn't miss a single block, even as he stepped forward, he was blocking.
And then between one motion and the next, Ventress lost one blade than the other, each clattering to the ground as the tip of that strange plasma blade hovered over the Night Sister's throat.
Everyone stood and started clapping and yelling their approval.
And yeah, maybe Rex could admit, General Kenobi's disregard for his own safety came from a place of being possibly more dangerous than even the Prime.
oOo
AN: Thoughts, morning doves, or feedback, pretty please?