After some rewriting, here we are back with Obi Wan! And some Rex stuff. Once again I am doing this instead of my homework or going to the gym. Ah well.
I'm sorry I haven't been on top of responding to comments. School's been getting me down. I'll try and run through some after I post this.
IrishDrunk14: A chance, yes! Will it be enough? And we'll have to see with Fives.
Playing with Mandalorian culture is so much fun honestly.
Mando'a translations at the end!
Obi Wan Kenobi, it seemed, was Mandalore. He had been Mandalore for a few weeks now. He wasn't sure how he felt about the job, but he knew that he couldn't keep it. So far, however, he had made sure that the clones had a place within the Mandalorian society. He had faced little opposition. The clones had proven themselves in battle and had shown true Mandalorian spirit.
Obi Wan, on the other hand- Well, it was a miracle he hadn't been assassinated yet.
Though, Obi Wan mused as he sat on the throne of Mandalore and listened to another minor dispute between clans, assassination wasn't really the Mandalorian style. The real shock was that there had been no challenges for the throne. He had expected Bo Katan at least to challenge him. She hadn't. In fact, she had left Sundari soon after Obi Wan had won the mantle. Kor had gone with her.
Kor. His son. Obi Wan had hoped that the boy would have stayed, if only to give Obi Wan some answers. As of yet, he had heard nothing from Kor. Perhaps the boy just needed time.
Obi Wan was surprised at the ache in his heart. He wished so ardently that Kor had stayed. He wanted to know the boy, see how much of Satine was in him. He should have acted and asked him to stay. Now Kor was likely being poisoned against Obi Wan by Bo Katan.
The two clan representatives had stopped talking and were looking at Obi Wan. It was a dispute over who owned the armor of a Mandalorian who had died in the Siege. The man's mother had been from one tribe, the father the other. The man had left no will and had lived apart from the two clans. He also had no children or spouse.
Obi Wan bit back the urge to suggest they fight for it. It seemed insensitive, if not accurate.
"Clearly this man was doing his best to remove himself from both of your clans." Obi Wan said. "I don't think he would want either of you to claim it. As a result, it will go to the Mandalore's Armory."
It was an old tradition Obi Wan had reinstated. Many of the families of Maul's followers had rejected the dead's armor, calling it tainted. Obi Wan had done his research and discovered the Armory, from which Mandalorians without their own armor could win a set through a show of mandokarla.
Both representatives glared at him.
"Feel free to challenge me for the throne." Obi Wan said.
They did not, unfortunately, which would have made things far easier.
"Any other appointments?" Obi Wan asked Fenn Rau.
Rau had agreed to act as both captain of the Protectors as well as a sort of advisor. He worked well as both. Obi Wan had thought the man would have rejected him based on Obi Wan's Jedi origins. When asked, Rau said that Obi Wan respected the Mandalorians and would do for now.
"No, sir." Rau said. "I think we're free."
"Excellent." Obi Wan stood and stretched.
He was still getting used to the armor and he still hadn't painted it. It was the dull red of a set taken off of one of Maul's men.
The door cracked open and Ventress came into the chamber with Eon not far behind.
"Are you done playing king, Kenobi?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip.
"For today, yes." Obi Wan told her. "What can I do for you, Asajj?"
"I thought I'd be polite enough to tell you that we're leaving." Ventress said.
"Oh." Obi Wan said. "I'm sorry to see you go."
It was true. Not only did he truly enjoy Ventress' company, but his allies kept leaving. He couldn't blame them. Master Ti and Vos had returned to Coruscant a week or so ago with two of the younglings. The third, Grogu, had grown attached to a young Mandalorian boy and had refused to leave. Gilamar had gone back to rejoin Kal Skirata and his group of clones. Bo Katan had left with Kor. Obi Wan had sent Kix and the clones that had wanted to stay in the army back to Coruscant soon after Maul had been killed.
He did have the loyalty of the clones that were joining the Mandalorians, but they had little influence over their new community.
"You'll survive, Kenobi." Ventress said.
"Will I?" It came out harsher than Obi Wan had intended.
"You could just leave." Ventress said. "If you're that concerned about getting gutted."
Obi Wan shook his head.
"I can't." He said. "Mandalore is not stable just yet. I must keep it together. If I leave, there could be another Civil War."
He loved Satine too much to let that happen.
Ventress sighed.
"Then I'll just say good luck, Kenobi." She said. "I truly would hate to see you killed."
"Thank you for everything, sir." Eon said, saluting.
"You're welcome." Obi Wan said. "Good luck as a bounty hunter."
Eon gave a sheepish grin.
"Thanks, sir."
"By the way, Kenobi." Ventress said. "Can we borrow a ship? Boba says he's not leaving for a while yet."
Obi Wan blinked.
"He's not?" He asked.
He had expected the boy to have left the second Maul was dead. The Slave I had been quickly found and repaired. Yet he had stayed, though he gave no reason. He worked with Fenn Rau, who had him work on hunting down the remaining forces of Maul. They paid him, of course, but the amount did not seem enough to tempt a bounty hunter.
The boy was a mystery that Obi Wan hoped would not turn out to be antagonistic.
"Take whatever ship you need." Obi Wan told Ventress. "I believe I will retire, Rau."
"Sir." Rau said as Ventress and Eon left. "I have been meaning to speak to you."
Obi Wan raised an eyebrow and dipped his head for Rau to continue.
"If you want the people to accept you, you need to shed any resemblance to Maul." Rau said, nodding at Obi Wan's armor.
Obi Wan looked down at the scratched red paint that covered the armor he now wore.
"Yes, I suppose you're right." He said. "Er- how would I go about doing so?"
Rau's instructions led Obi Wan to the Sundari Palace armory. The place seemed deserted. Obi Wan glanced around until he spotted the sal marking over a side chamber. The long room's floor was spattered with a mural of colors. The walls were lined with shelves that held a myriad of paints, paintbrushes, and other necessities for decorating armor.
The room wasn't empty. Boba Fett sat on one of the benches, painting his father's helmet. Obi Wan stared at him for a moment. The way that the boy's brow was furrowed reminded him of Cody and his youthful features- reminded him of Kor.
Perhaps that was why Obi Wan walked in further and did not leave Boba well enough alone.
Boba snapped his head up as Obi Wan got closer. He frowned at Obi Wan, though Obi Wan personally thought it wasn't too unfriendly.
"Hello, Boba." Obi Wan said.
Boba grunted.
Obi Wan began to remove his armor. He hoped it wasn't traditional to paint the armor while wearing it. Boba was just in his flight suit, the pieces of armor scattered around him, though the boy himself had confessed to not knowing how he felt about being Mandalorian.
Obi Wan studied the paints. There seemed to be eight core colors: grey, red, black, blue, green, white, gold, and orange. A few other hues were scattered amongst the main paints, but Obi Wan remembered Satine's explanation that the eight were the most common.
They had meaning, Obi Wan knew. Satine had explained them to him a long time ago. The Death Watch, Nite Owls, and Maul's forces had muddled them in his mind.
White, perhaps, would be a good start. A representation of the Light side of the Force. He reached for the nearest canister. A loud snort interrupted him.
Obi Wan glanced over to Boba, who was watching with a derisive look on his face.
"A bad choice then?" Obi Wan asked.
Boba snorted again and looked back down at his work. Obi Wan watched him out of the corner of his eyes as he reached for another color, gold this time.
Boba rolled his eyes hard as Obi Wan picked up the gold paint.
"I am clearly out of my depth here." Obi Wan said. "Perhaps you could assist me?"
Boba gave him a glare.
"Gold's for vengeance." He said to Obi Wan's surprise. "You Jedi aren't fans of that."
"Ah." Obi Wan said. "Then the others-"
Boba gave an annoyed sigh and gave a terse meaning to each of the main colors. White was for Cin Vhetin, starting over. That was something that Obi Wan hadn't done according to Boba, as he was still a Jedi. Orange was for a lust for life and freedom. Green was duty, black for justice, and red for honoring a parent or leader. Boba's voice had softened as he explained red.
"Blue is reliability." Boba said.
Obi Wan raised an eyebrow.
"Bo Katan certainly isn't following that tradition." He said.
Boba snorted.
"Good riddance." He said. "That woman didn't understand true Mandalorians."
"Oh? How so?" Obi Wan asked.
Boba shot him another glare, so Obi Wan did not pry any more.
"Grey is mourning a love or family." Boba said.
Obi Wan looked at the comparatively dull paint. He thought of those he had lost, Satine and Qui Gon. He reached for the color.
To his surprise Boba gave a derisive laugh.
"That paint's for people you loved." He said.
Obi Wan looked at him, confused.
"I do love them." He said.
Boba's eyes sparked with anger.
"If you loved him so much, why did you abandon him?" Boba said. "You can't claim you lost him if you never had him in the first place."
Him?
Obi Wan realized with a jolt that Boba was referring to Kor.
"How did-" Obi Wan started.
"Ventress." Boba said.
That was right. Ventress had been there when Maul had revealed Kor as Obi Wan's son.
"I haven't lost Kor." Obi Wan said. "He still lives."
Boba laughed mockingly again.
"You think he's coming back?" He asked. "He hates you and for good reason."
The words struck Obi Wan in the chest. Did Kor hate him? How did he see Obi Wan? What had Bo Katan or Satine told him about his father?
Obi Wan did what he did best: composed himself.
He still took the grey, despite Boba's dirty looks.
"I have lost more than a son, Boba." Obi Wan said quietly.
Boba gave him a sharp look, but it seemed more curious than hostile this time. The boy stayed silent as Obi Wan took green and blue in addition to grey. Boba did not protest these.
Duty and reliability. Though, he thought bitterly as Obi Wan considered the armor before him, his feeling of duty to the Jedi was fading as of late. But he had a duty to the Mandalorian people, and he would honor that. Satine had loved her people and Obi Wan would do his best to protect them.
And- he felt he had a growing duty to Kor. The boy had had no father. It was perhaps too late, but Obi Wan had a duty to be willing to be that for Kor.
"Why did Maul hate you?"
Obi Wan looked up at Boba, who was staring at him. Obi Wan raised an eyebrow and Boba shrugged.
"He killed the old Duchess because of you, right? And he went after the kid because he's your son." He said. "What did you do to get him to want to punish you like that?"
Did Boba have an idea of how his words affected Obi Wan? They felt like blaster wounds.
"When I was a padawan, my master and I faced Maul." Obi Wan said. "Maul- killed my master. My master was like my father. I cut Maul in half in retribution. I thought I had killed him, but-"
He trailed off. The thought of Qui Gon still hurt. There were days where Obi Wan still wished it had been him who had died and not Qui Gon.
Boba was quiet a while longer. Obi Wan began his process of priming the armor.
"You know how it feels when you lose your father." Boba said. "Why did you leave the kid?"
"I did not know about Kor." Obi Wan said. "Satine never told me."
"Would you have come back if you knew?"
"Yes." Obi Wan said, surprising even himself.
Boba nodded as if he were satisfied.
"You're probably better than a lot of Jedi then." He said. "No attachments and all that."
Obi Wan thought of how Master Mundi or Master Windu would have responded to being told that having attachments made one better than other Jedi. He didn't know if he disagreed with Boba.
"That is something I admire about the Mandalorians." Obi Wan said. "Love for your family is above all else."
"Yeah." Boba said softly. "But that's the worst part too, when it's gone."
Boba's hands were tightly gripping his father's helmet.
"I am sure your father has joined the Manda." Obi Wan said quietly.
Boba shrugged.
"If he is, I won't see him." He said. "Verd ori'shya beskar'gam."
A warrior is more than his armor.
A traditional Mandalorian saying. Just because one had the correct armor, did not mean they were Mandalorian. Ironic that Boba had used it to imply he himself was not Mandalorian.
"Then why are you here?" Obi Wan asked.
Boba shrugged.
"For Dad." He said.
Obi Wan personally thought that was a very Mandalorian motive, but did not say it aloud.
"Too bad." Boba spoke again. "You're one of the only decent Jedi, and some kot'epar di'kut is going to end up murdering you."
"I thought one only had to defeat the wielder of the Darksaber." Obi Wan said with a frown.
Boba laughed.
"Technically, yeah, but it's traditional to kill the previous owner." He said. "Best to clean up your messes."
Obi Wan tightened his mouth. Another hurdle he had to overcome. Boba suddenly scowled.
"It's going to be Kryze and I hate it." He said. "Most Mandalorians won't have the guts to challenge you but she wants it too bad."
"I would hope Bo Katan would not kill me." Obi Wan said.
"I wouldn't put it past her." Boba said darkly. "Kriff, I'd stop her from getting the title if I could."
He sat stewing and Obi Wan tried to return to decorating his armor. Suddenly Boba gave a sharp laugh.
"Kenobi," He said. "I think I have a way out."
CT-7567 knelt in dirt. He had been told to remove weeds. He removed weeds. Other clones removed weeds. They dug. They hoed. They laughed. They talked.
He had been here for twenty two days. Former General Bardan Jusik spoke to him every day. 7567 worked in the fields or garden every day. He had been ordered to.
Former Commander Ahsoka Tano was here. 7567 did not know why. Good soldiers did not ask questions.
"Rex."
Former Commander Ahsoka Tano spoke to him. 7567 looked up. She held a canteen. 7567 looked at it.
"Drink." Former Commander Ahsoka Tano told him.
7567 looked at her. She frowned.
"You have permission to drink."
7567 took the canteen. He drank. Former Commander Ahsoka Tano took it back. She did not leave. She knelt down. She removed weeds.
"Bardan says he can't get into your mind." Former Commander Ahsoka Tano said. "He says you've managed to completely seal it off."
7567 did not understand.
"I can't get in either." Former Commander Ahsoka Tano said. "Rex, can you let us in?"
7567 did not understand.
"I cannot." He said. "I do not know how."
He could not follow this order. He could not be a good soldier.
Breathing became difficult.
"It's not an order, Rex!" Former Commander Ahsoka Tano said. "It's a request."
7567 could breathe. It was not an order. There was not an order he could not follow. He was a good soldier. Former Commander Ahsoka Tano did not speak. She removed weeds. 7567 removed weeds.
"Kyrimorut is nice, isn't it?" Former Commander Ahsoka Tano said. "Obi Wan always said that Mandalore was a barren wasteland, but Kal's got a good thing going here."
7567 did not speak. He removed weeds. Former Commander Ahsoka Tano placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I promised I'd help make the food." She said. "I'm trying to learn from Parja and the others. I'll see you at dinner, okay? Come back with anyone who comes to get you."
She did not leave. She moved her hand. She put it on his cheek. She looked at him.
"I love you." She said.
She had said those words many times. 7567 understood their meaning. He did not comprehend them.
She left. 7567 removed weeds. He removed weeds. He removed weeds.
Former Sergeant Kal Skirata and RC-8015 approached.
"Time to come back in for dinner, son." Former Sergeant Kal Skirata said.
7567 stood up. He followed Former Sergeant Kal Skirata and 8015.
"You're the only clone I know who has to be fetched for dinner." 8015 said. "Most of us are at the table the second the meal's ready."
"Fi," Former Sergeant Kal Skirata said. "Don't tease him."
"Sorry, buir." 8015 said.
8015 looked at 7567.
"It's osik to have your mind muddled, isn't it?" He said. "But you're working with Bard'ika. If he could fix my shabbed up shebs, he'll be able to help you."
8015 put his hand on 7567's shoulder. 8015 smiled.
"You'll be feeling like a normal man again in no time."
7567 looked at him. 8015 stopped smiling. 7567 did not move.
"Rex?" Former Sergeant Kal Skirata said. "You all right, son?"
"I do not want to be a man." 7567 said.
Former Sergeant Kal Skirata stopped walking.
"Son?"
"I am not a man. I am a soldier." 7567 said.
"That's what the Kaminoans want you to think." 8015 said. "But I promise, you're a man."
7567 shook his head. Something was building inside of him. It hurt.
"I cannot be a man." He said.
7567 could not stand. He knelt. Former Sergeant Kal Skirata crouched down. He put his hand on 7567's shoulder.
"Fi, go get Bardan and Ahsoka." He said. "Rex, what's going on? Why can't you be a man?"
7567 remembered pain. He remembered humiliation. He remembered breaking.
7567 hurt.
"Men feel pain." He said.
Skirata's eyes narrowed. He put his other hand on 7567's shoulder.
"I must be a soldier." 7567 said. "Soldiers do not break."
"Oh, son." Former Sergeant Kal Skirata said. "I'll kill those demagolk'e."
"I do not feel." 7567 said. "I am a good soldier."
7567 hurt.
"It's okay to be a man, son." Skirata said. His eyes were sad. "It's okay to feel pain."
"I-" 7567 could not speak.
He could not be a man. He was less than a man. It was safe to be a soldier.
7567 hurt. The pain built inside of him. It was going to burst. It could not burst. He was a soldier.
7567 felt tears run down his face. He prepared to be punished. He was not.
Two more people came: former General Bardan Jusik and Former Commander Ahsoka Tano.
"Rex?" Former Commander Ahsoka Tano said. She knelt. She put her hand on 7567's face. "What's going on?"
Her voice. Her voice hurt.
7567 broke.
"I couldn't resist them." He said. "Over and over we said we would never break. I broke. I'm broken."
Hands guided his head against a shoulder. He looked up.
"Ahsoka." He choked out. "Ahsoka."
Rex wept.
For a precious moment he was himself again. Then he felt himself pulling away and became CT-7567 once more.
Ahsoka stared into Rex's eyes. He looked back with a familiar blankness. But Ahsoka would have bet her life that an hour ago he had known her again. He had said her name.
Now he had returned to the empty husk the Kaminoans had tortured him into. Ahsoka and Bardan had taken him to a quiet room in the compound. Rex sat quietly. His cheeks still bore traces of the tear tracks and his knees were dirt stained.
She glanced at Bardan. They had given Rex a short time to see if he would act as he had. He hadn't.
"Ready?" Ahsoka asked Bardan.
He nodded. Ahsoka placed her hands on the sides of Rex's head. Bardan put his hands on the top. Ahsoka felt Bardan join her as they reached for Rex's mind. They were met with the same barbed barrier they had encountered every time they had tried to connect with him. Ahsoka couldn't hold back a noise of frustration. Things shouldn't be the same! Rex had seen her, she knew he had!
"Patience." Bardan murmured.
Ahsoka took a deep breath and continued to probe. The shards of Rex's mind were painful to brush against. But- Ahsoka frowned. There was a crack. Tiny, but there.
"Do you see it?" Bardan said.
Ahsoka nodded.
"What do we do?" She said.
She wasn't sure. She wasn't familiar with delicate mental procedures. Her instinct was to force her way into that crack and break it open. She would wait for Bardan's order.
"Be gentle." Bardan said. "Like sticking your fingernail in."
"Shouldn't you do it?" Ahsoka asked.
She was suddenly afraid of hurting Rex further.
"He knows you." Bardan said. "I'm hoping he reacts to that and makes it a little easier. But remember, don't try to pull him out."
Ahsoka pressed hesitantly against the chink. It remained the same, rigid and painful to touch. Ahsoka gritted her teeth.
Rex. She called. Are you there?
She could have sworn that there was a weak response through that small fracture.
Rex. She said again. Come back to me.
The crack widened, just a hair.
Come back to me.
She felt a sliver of Rex's presence. She increased her pressure. The crack responded, opening further. Ahsoka reached in to meet him, ready to soothe him. She could hear Rex's voice.
Ahsoka?
He was terrified.
Like lightning his fear, pain, and desperation for her touch flashed across her mind. Ahsoka stumbled back, the intensity of those emotions compelling her to withdraw.
"Ahsoka?"
That was Bardan's voice. She looked at him. He had removed his hands from Rex's head.
"I- think I made it worse." She whispered. "Before he wasn't feeling anything, but now he's scared."
"It was only the first session." Bardan said. "And you made some progress in only three hours."
"What?" Ahsoka asked. "It was only a few minutes, if that!"
"Time is odd when you're in someone's mind." Bardan said with a slight smile. "You did excellent work. But too much time can be draining and dangerous."
Ahsoka realized she was exhausted, but she couldn't forget the feeling of Rex's pain.
"Excellent work?" She said. "I just made him panic."
"Ahsoka." Bardan said. "Look."
Ahsoka looked down at Rex. His lids were drooping. Ahsoka watched with a feeling of awe as Rex fell asleep by himself.
Mando'a:
Mandokarla: having the *right stuff*, showing guts and spirit, the state of being the epitome of Mando virtue
Cin Vhetin: fresh start, clean slate - lit. white field, virgin snow - term indicating the erasing of a person's past when they become Mandalorian, and that they will only be judged by what they do from that point onwards; like the *first turn of the screw cancels all debts* for sailors.
Manda: the collective soul or heaven - the state of being Mandalorian in mind, body and spirit - also supreme, overarching, guardian-like
Verd ori'shya beskar'gam: A warrior is more than his armor.
Kot'epar: power hungry lit: strength eating (I made this one up! I'm pretty proud of it)
Di'kut: idiot, useless individual, waste of space (lit. someone who forgets to put their pants on)
Buir: parent
Osik: crap
Bard'ika: little Bardan, affectionate
Shabbed: basic and Mando'a bastardization, basically effed
Shebs: behind
Demagolk'e: plural of demagolka, someone who commits atrocties, a real-life monster, a war criminal - from the notorious Mandalorian scientist of the Old Republic, Demagol, known for his experiments on children, and a figure of hate and dread in the Mando psyche
Woah, that was a lot of Mando'a. Anyway, from the top as usual!
Had to rewrite a portion of the Obi Wan scenes. Just out of character for Boba and unnecessary information. I wasn't able to get it edited, so I'm hoping that it works.
Yes, Grogu stays for now. Shaak Ti was down for it. I don't know how the Council is going to take it.
Yes, the colors thing is canon, at least for legends. I love it a lot, actually. You can say a lot about a Mandalorian with just their armor. Fun fact, before Boba gets eaten by the Sarlacc he has gold (vengeance) stripes on his helmet. When he repaints it in Mando season 2, those stripes are red (honoring a parent) which I think is super sweet and character development!
Obi Wan just wants to get to know his son and not be killed. Is that too much to ask? And we'll see Boba's plan soon enough!
To be completely clear: they have Rex do stuff in the garden/fields because it's super depressing to just watch him sit there and do nothing.
Annnd some progress, finally. I think both scenes with Rex and Ahsoka turned out pretty well. Rex's 7567 scenes can be a bit hard because it's hard to tell if I've gone too far. But I've had the 'I am not a man' scene in my head for a while and I'm happy with the way it turned out.
We got a tiny glimmer of hope at the end of this! For once!
Stay safe, remember to review, and hoo BOY do I have a chapter for you next week in Guilty/Absolved.