Chapter 30 - Blow-up
Author's Note: Obi-Wan is eh... not being very understanding. So basically, he's just being him. But don't worry. It'll get better from here... eventually. ;)
Also, many thanks to AngelFantasy on ao3 for giving me ideas for this chapter! :D
To Guest: It's obvious that Anakin was way closer with Obi-Wan than Padme. If you don't want to accept what we were shown in canon, your problem. Most of the fandom doesn't want to either. If you hate Obi-Wan, go find someone else's fics to read. Whining about how "boring" he supposedly has no place here. Sorry.
~ Amina Gila
"Might I have a word?"
Ahsoka can't help but stiffen at the familiar Coruscanti accent, and the underlying note of ice in it. "Of course, Master Obi-Wan," she agrees, taking a few steps away from Omega and the clones so they can have a modicum of privacy. She knew this was coming. She knew it from the moment she said, of course. I would be honored… Father, to Vader. That doesn't mean she has to look forward to it.
He gets right to the point, of course. "What are you thinking?" he demands in a hushed, yet heated, tone. His anger is strong enough that she can feel it even though his shields. "Consorting with Sith is hardly appropriate conduct. I know you've been spending time at the Senate. With him? With Anakin? You should know better than to trust either of them, especially know. A few nice words and pretty things, and you're ready to jump to their side? You know better than that, Ahsoka. I'm disappointed with you."
Her hackles rise at the words, because yes, she can understand why he's so upset – she was, too, until she knew the truth about Vader – but… it's – it's so condescending and she hates it. Anakin was never like that to her. Ever. When he scolded her, he was always gentle about it, no matter how firm and unwavering.
"You're jumping to conclusions without even asking me anything," she hisses back, almost glaring. How dare he? How dare he? "It's like you don't even know me at all. If that is what it means to be a Jedi, then I don't want to be one."
Obi-Wan looks stung for a moment, but his blue-gray eyes harden further. "Clearly," he answers, voice clipped, "You are not in your right mind. It would be best for you to constrain yourself to the Temple and focus on your studies."
"Anakin is my master," she snarls, livid, voice rising a little more than she means it to, "And I am not abandoning him when he needs my help! The galaxy needs me. People need me. That's what it means to be a Jedi! Helping people!"
"You are still a Padawan," he returns coolly, "A child." As if she somehow forgot that. "You are too young to make those decisions for yourself. That is why Jedi have masters, who train them until they are ready to take on the burden of making choices that affect real lives. Ahsoka, you are making a mistake."
She crosses her arms. "Then it's my mistake to make."
Nothing Obi-Wan says will make her change her stance on this. He's not even trying to understand. Everything she says to him will somehow be "wrong," and he won't listen. Besides, Vader's secret isn't hers to share. She isn't going to leave Vader and Anakin when they need her. Omega needs her, too. They're her family, and she will not stand for anyone – even Obi-Wan – telling her that caring for them is somehow wrong.
"You are stubborn." Obi-Wan does not say it like a compliment – more like it's an awful thing, and he's frustrated with her merely for existing or something.
"Maybe you shouldn't have chosen me as your padawan," Ahsoka shoots back. "Anakin told me that I'd never make it as your padawan, and he was right. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have talked to him instead of jumping to conclusions – just like you're doing now," she adds pointedly.
"Is there a problem?"
Ahsoka feels vindictive about the fact that Obi-Wan startles at Anakin's voice. She did too, but that's beside the point. The Jedi Master turns to him, expression just as cool as it was a moment ago, if not more so. "No," he replies, "I'm just having a word with my padawan."
There's a faint emphasis on the last part, and though Anakin betrays no outward reaction, she knows that he's not unaffected by it. "You know what?" she bursts out, angrily. "Kriff it. I'm leaving the Order. It's not like I can have siblings or parents while I'm still a Jedi."
Obi-Wan blinks at her, visibly surprised by her words, but surprisingly, it's Anakin who protests. "Woah," he says, holding up his hands. "You're emotional, Ahsoka. Don't make decisions like that lightly. Take some time to actually think about what that will mean. Why don't you take a break, go outside or something? Take Rex with you. We can revisit this in a few days when you've cooled off."
She scowls, but he sounds so reasonable, and she has no right to take out her anger on Anakin. He's done nothing but be supportive of her, and he deserves better than her bad attitude. "Fine," she huffs, "But I'm not going outside."
His mouth twitches. "Deal."
Giving Obi-Wan another pointed look, Ahsoka spitefully makes her way through the crowd to Vader, determined to hover at his side for the rest of the night. Obi-Wan will undoubtedly seek her out again, if only visually, and she has every intention of making sure he gets her point: she's staying with Vader and not going anywhere.
**w**
Anakin watches Ahsoka go, feeling fondness and exasperation in equal measures as she pops up next to Vader, easily butting into the conversation he's having with Senator Organa. She is such a little spitfire sometimes, even if her teenage temper tantrums can be exhausting. He would never have risked half the things she has; Ahsoka has never had to live in fear of her master trying to punish her violently for misdeeds. His… outbursts were always different, never quite so harsh, and in the end, he always gave in under Obi-Wan's anger.
But sending away Ahsoka also means that Anakin will have to face an angry Obi-Wan. Alone. And this time, he has no choice but to stand his ground. Wonderful.
"What happened?" he asks lightly, carefully.
"Ahsoka is… willful," Obi-Wan answers, obvious disapproval in his voice.
Anakin presses his lips together, before deciding to take the risk and venture further. "You are not pleased by the recent developments," he notes aloud. "It… was a surprise to me, as well."
"What? That Ahsoka has been converted to the Sith cause?" Obi-Wan throws back scathingly.
In the past, Anakin might have responded to that tone with equal anger, but now, he merely snorts. "I am no Sith, Obi-Wan, and nor is she. It is true that I flirted with the Dark Side, once, but I let it go."
Obi-Wan narrows his eyes. "You are a bad influence on her. You and Vader both, but him especially. Ahsoka was never like this in the past before she started spending time around you. I don't want either of you to be interacting with her."
"Ah," Anakin intones, the sarcasm out before he can hold it back, "And I suppose you want me to do… what exactly? Tell her not to interact with me because it would make you unhappy?" He scoffs, shaking his head. "I'm not your errant boy anymore, Master, and Ahsoka will always do what Ahsoka wants. Usually. She's not like me. She won't be intimidated by your anger; it will only make her lash out more. If you want her to actually listen, you need to listen to her, too."
The Jedi Master's expression becomes stormy. "I did listen," he snaps back, "And all I heard was a teenage temper tantrum, very unbefitting of a Jedi. It was clearly a mistake to give her to you."
"Probably," Anakin readily agrees. "Probably, you should have asked me first before just giving her to me as some sort of scheme you and Master Yoda concocted."
"I didn't –" he begins.
Anakin jabs a finger at him, interrupting. "Try again. You and I both know that you didn't really want a Jedi youngling tagging around after you, helping you. The moment she arrived, you didn't suddenly get the bright idea of making her a padawan instead. But you can't change the past. What matters is the here and now, and now, Ahsoka needs you to listen to her. She came to us. We didn't go to her, Obi-Wan, but you won't want to believe that, will you? Oh, of course, because Vader is a Sith, that automatically means he's evil, and you'll never question that. You'll never try to look at him and see for yourself who he is. Ahsoka did. That's why she's where she is now."
"Because you corrupted her," Obi-Wan accuses coldly.
A wave of frustration threatens to drown him, but Anakin tamps it back viciously. "Generally," he replies scathingly, "It is considered inadvisable to repeatedly make the same mistakes over and over merely because you do not wish to admit that you're wrong."
The look in his former master's eyes is icy – and angry – enough that it abruptly reminds Anakin of when they were on the Citadel, fighting each other. And it scares him, a little, because this is Obi-Wan. He shouldn't be scared of him. It's wrong. But now that Anakin has begun to understand exactly how many things in their relationship aren't right, he can stand up for himself better. He won't let Obi-Wan push him around; he'll call him out when he's wrong, like he is now. Maybe it won't be easy, but it's a start, at least.
"As if you're any better," Obi-Wan retorts.
"You have never stopped reminding me of all of my mistakes," Anakin answers with a calm that he doesn't truly feel. His instincts tell him to lash out and fight back, because that's what he always does when Obi-Wan gets like this, trying to deliberately provoke him. But fighting won't solve anything. He came here to try and diffuse the tensions, not raise them. "I know I was wrong when I used the Dark Side. It was a mistake, but making it gave me clarity and insight, so I won't make it again. Can you say the same about your mindless hatred for Sith?"
"It's Vader who has blinded you," Obi-Wan argues.
He isn't going to listen. Anakin can sense it, and that knowledge sends a wave of resignation and bitterness washing over him. He had known Obi-Wan would be stubborn, but he had still hoped that he could, perhaps, begin getting through to him. Even Padme, despite their disagreements, is now willing to try. So why not Obi-Wan?
"The Emperor wishes to know the cause behind the disturbance here."
It's Cody, and Anakin turns toward him, though he still keeps part of his attention on Obi-Wan. He can't trust him not to lash out, even if he doesn't actually hurt him seriously. If Vader's Obi-Wan could do that to him, this one is equally capable of hurting Anakin, no matter how much he doesn't want to think about it.
"It's merely a minor disagreement," Anakin answers. "I'll talk to him about it myself."
"Good," Cody answers, but his gaze doesn't leave Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi," he continues, "You should be mindful of who is watching. The last thing you need is to give the Jedi an even worse reputation."
Obi-Wan raises his eyebrows, obviously surprised by the words, but Cody is turning and walking away before he can answer. Anakin glances at his former master once, trying to ignore the desperate longing within him, the one that demands everything be okay and that they be as close as they once were.
"I've missed you," he admits, before he can think better of it, "And I hope you'll try to listen and understand before – before things deteriorate too badly."
With those words, he, too, walks away, forcing himself not to look back as he gravitates towards where Vader and Ahsoka are. Obi-Wan will always be a part of him, a part of his family, but he has another family right here where he belongs, where he's accepted. It will have to be enough.
**w**
Obi-Wan is… frustrated. Well, perhaps that's not the proper word, but it's the only one he'll admit to as he glares daggers in the direction of where Vader is standing, Anakin and Ahsoka hovering nearby him. Vader turned Ahsoka against him and Jedi now, just as he did to Anakin. Who will be next? How could Vader possibly be crafty enough to convince good Jedi to turn on the Order so easily?
It doesn't make sense, and he also can't shake the strange feeling of having been castigated by Cody. Maybe. He's still uncertain if the clone's words were meant as a warning or a threat, but something tells him it's most likely to be the latter; after all, it's been Cody who has followed Vader like a shadow ever since he arrived here. It's maddening to see the clones give their loyalty to Vader when the man doesn't deserve even a fraction of it.
Force, the Sith were the ones who created the clones, and them being loyal to one is horribly wrong, even though it's understandable, given that Vader has pretended to be kind to them.
Or maybe it's not a pretense, whispers a quiet voice in the back of his head, given that he allowed Anakin to adopt a clone as his child.
Maybe, but Vader is nothing if not crafty. Hopefully, Senator Amidala will find something of use, a weakness of some sort which the Jedi can use to take Vader down before it's too late. Obi-Wan scans the room, inadvertently meeting the cool assessing, penetrating gaze of a gray-haired clone standing next to Anakin. He looks away immediately, feeling unruffled, as if the clone could see right through him – which is absurd. Still, he can't shake the feeling that the man saw much more than Obi-Wan is comfortable with.
He tries to shift back into the shadows, staying out of sight as much as possible, because the one thing Cody is right about is that they were causing a scene. When he had been talking to Ahsoka, and then Anakin, he'd been too upset to be bothered by it. And in many ways, that's still true, but there's no reason to draw undue attention.
It isn't much longer before Vader announces outside festivities, and everyone migrates through the doors, to the large garden around the back of the building. For fireworks. Of course, there's fireworks, and Obi-Wan is unreasonably angry about that. About everything really. It feels like Vader is doing this to rub it in his face, even though he couldn't be… right? That would be too absurd and petty, even for a Sith.
There are civilians here too, since this particular garden borders a myriad of civilian housing units. Publicity stunt then, given the way that Anakin, Ahsoka, and the clones are circling around Vader, giving the impression of being a big, happy family.
A disturbance in the Force draws Obi-Wan from his brooding, and he turns to see a small human girl, a toddler no older than three, scrambling through the people, being chased by an older man, either her parent or legal guardian. Vader doesn't look away from his conversation with Ahsoka, merely extending a hand in time for the man to run right into it. There's a dull crack as his head collides with durasteel, followed by shocked gasps from the onlookers as he face-plants onto the grass, obviously stunned. The toddler doesn't even hesitate, diving between Vader's legs and clinging to them, peaking out from behind his cape with distrustful eyes.
Obi-Wan moves closer, curious and intrigued, and more than a little taken aback. Thankfully, no one is paying attention to him right now, too focused on the spectacle surrounding the Emperor. Anakin crouches down, murmuring soft words to her, an intent gentleness in his actions as he tries to coax the child out of hiding. It makes Obi-Wan's heart twist to see it, because that, right there, is the boy he raised. Kind, gentle, compassionate. There's none of the arrogance that he's seen in him recently, nor the stubbornness that he's displayed while staying at Vader's side.
"It's okay," Anakin offers, turning to gesture to the clones. "Get Kix over here. Are you hurt?"
She replies, but the words are too quiet for Obi-Wan to hear. He, and everyone, continue watching with an almost horrified fascination as the girl finally creeps out from behind Vader's legs, bolstered by Anakin's reassurances. Kix looks her over, scanning her and frowning down at the results on his scanner, a spike of… something in the Force. Rage, perhaps. Or disbelief. Or both. It's all very muddled with so many people around.
"Li'l brat," spits the man, pushing himself upright, stance promising violence.
There's a sharp spike of raw terror in the Force as the child shrieks, diving back behind Vader's legs, and to Obi-Wan's surprise, the Sith actually moves his cape to shield her from sight, exchanging looks with Anakin, who shifts closer again, speaking to her with a gentle, coaxing tone. The clones shift, moving closer to the man, bracketing him in.
"Can you speak a little louder?" Anakin asks, rocking back on his heels.
The girl pulls back the cape enough to stick her head out, eyes wary, but she still acquiesces. "I want him to go away!" she states vehemently, glowering.
The man takes a step back, looking between Vader and Anakin. "She's a disobedient little brat," he growls out. "Keeps running away. I'll deal with her."
Vader jabs a finger at him, a gesture so reminiscent of the one Anakin made earlier that it makes Obi-Wan blink in surprise. "I think not."
He gestures, and the clones move towards the man, who whirls, running across the grass.
"Running," the Emperor intones, "Is restricted in this area." He glances down at the child huddled against him before drawing and igniting his lightsaber, tossing it through the air, guiding it with the Force as he beheads the man right as he's about to round the corner. Shocked, horrified gasps resound from the assembled, but Vader's voice is louder than all of them as he orders, "clean up the trash, and take this child to her home."
The girl in question drops to the grass and starts sobbing, but Obi-Wan senses only relief in her, not fear. She stutters out something that sounds like, "thank you" and "he's gone," as Ahsoka and Omega approach her.
"Come on," Ahsoka says, stepping forward and crouching, holding out a hand, "Let's get you home, yes?"
It takes a few moments before they coax the girl to let them touch her, and then, Ahsoka lifts her effortlessly onto one hip, Omega patting the girl's shoulder and whispering to her as they, accompanied by a group of clones, escort the child from the park.
They're gone for at least twenty minutes, and by the time they return, Ahsoka's face is grave, almost ashen actually, and most of the clones are missing.
"Report," Vader says, "There is no reason to keep the truth a secret."
"I – yes," she bobs her head, swallowing, and it unnerves Obi-Wan, because he's never seen her so rattled before. "There – the child, Tikka, has four older sisters, and from what we gathered, the man, their… guardian, was involved in a child trafficking ring." Her expression pinches. "We got a list of names, and the boys are out arresting them."
Obi-Wan lets out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding, numb horror washing over him. That – it – did Vader know that when he killed the man? Or was he just guessing? Everything that Anakin said to him, about how he needs to try and listen instead of persisting with what he already knows – which is still absurd – comes back in a rush. Obi-Wan doesn't know what to make of any of this, of the soft compassion that Anakin showed, of the fierce protectiveness – is that really what it was? Why does something about it seem so familiar? – that Vader displayed.
"Where are the girls now?" It's Bail who steps forward, shaken by the report, but still resolute. "They have been through an ordeal. I don't know if any Coruscanti orphanage would be capable of seeing to their needs."
"What would you propose, Senator?" queries Vader, turning to him.
"Let me take them," he answers, surprising Obi-Wan, and probably a lot of other people. "We can help them on Alderaan, find them a home where they will be loved. The change of scenery will do them good."
"I agree," says the Emperor. "Cody, please escort the Senator and see this matter dealt with. And for the rest of you, I thank you for coming. This has been a very unexpected development, and I must deal with it at once. There should be no slavery within the Empire." Unbridled hatred simmers under the surface, a deep and profound loathing that reminds Obi-Wan acutely of how Anakin always reacts when the topic of slavery comes up.
Vader turns with a dramatic swirl of his cape, Anakin and Ahsoka falling in on either side of him as he and his retinue leave.
Obi-Wan has a lot to think about. And he doesn't even know where to begin.
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