Well howdy there! Have you all come for another chapter? Well you came to the right place.
I was planning to make the "Citadel Arc" fit in one chapter, but I soon realized that would mean a 30 or 40 page long chapter and more wait for you guys. So, like a movie studio desperate for more money, I've decided to make two chapters instead of one. I mean this one is already 13 pages long. That's not bad to start, right?
Anyhow! Let's jump straight into answering comments shall we?
RFK22: Sorry you'll still have to wait for chapter 13, but I hope this one still tickles your biscuit ;)
Guest: Uuuuuuh. I mean Anakin murdered children, Mace Windu killed Boba Fett's dad and yeah Obi-Wan left his own friend to burn in a moment of weakness he likely regrets until now. I mean I still LOVE Anakin and Mace. Reducing a character to only their bad decisions feels a bit too easy.
gdvp111: I share your frustration in the reversal of the commando's opinions. That was really just me dropping the ball and choosing to keep the story moving rather than spend the time to show their change in opinions. Ultimately they needed to be in agreement with Obi-Wan otherwise it would just make the entire mission a non-starter.
Obi-Wan does like his speeches. They were fun to write but they can sound a bit pompous and repetitive for sure.
About the fact that June and Juno have similar names that's fine since Juno is pretty much just manning the ship so there's no need to worry about her too much.
And concerning the living Force, I'm going to utilize it in this chapter. I'm not sure if it's a use that many people would agree with. I didn't base it on any preexisting Force ability that I know of. It just sounded cool when I wrote it and added some good pressure. Tell me if the Force technique he uses makes sense to you.
OK. Answers to comments are done, so without further ado, let's get into it!
Please comment, favorite and follow if you enjoy. And if you didn't, please let me know why respectfully.
"Well, they certainly know we're here." Obi-Wan said with a smirk. He spoke half to himself, and half to the towering lava beast by his side.
In the distance, he could spot the flashing alarm lights of the Citadel. Now they just had to take the bait.
"I should warn you," Obi-Wan spoke to the beast who heard him in its mind. "I don't know if we'll be making it back alive. I don't want our mental link to make you do something against your will. If you wish to leave now, I would understand."
The beast paused for a second. It looked down at Obi-Wan from several stories up and through the glowing hot lava and the crumbling pieces of cooled magma, Obi-Wan made out what he took to be a smile.
"Planet is home. Where can I run to?"
Obi-Wan nodded, removing his Jedi robe from his shoulders.
"Thank you, my friend," he spoke gratefully. "It appears they have made the first move."
The beast followed Obi-Wan's extended finger towards the three AT-ATs that were exiting the Citadel compound. Behind them were five AT-STs, followed by three phalanxes of Stormtroopers.
Obi-Wan said nothing. The beast knew the plan, as did everyone else. They all knew their part; it was just a question of if the enemy had seen ahead of them or not.
The beast took several steps away from Obi-Wan to stand beside a pool of lava. As the old Master watched in amazement, it plunged both its hands into it and produced a boulder-sized glob of molten magma. The beast rolled it around in its hands to cool it down until it more or less held a spherical shape.
Once it was satisfied, the beast stood back up to its full height and with incredible a powerful swing, hurled the cooled ball of magma towards the approaching troops. Obi-Wan was left in awe as it connected with the front legs of one of the AT-ATs, sending the vehicle crashing to the ground. Several seconds later, it exploded, sending large chunks of shrapnel in all directions.
The other AT-ATs were quick to return fire. The few shots that hit the beast didn't seem to affect it much. It just went back to gathering up lava to launch at the enemy.
Obi-Wan ducked behind a small mound of volcanic rock, just in case the enemy decided to focus on him, and contacted Rex via his communicator. A small blue hologram of the Clone appeared over his palm.
"Rex. Things are proceeding as planned out here. How are things going on your end?"
"We've found the entrance to the sewer system, general," Rex spoke over the hologram. "No one's too happy about it, but it should be the safest and quickest way into the Citadel."
"Stay on your guard," Obi-Wan warned. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Citadel's commander thought to have patrols roam the tunnels."
June's hologram projection replaced Rex's as she pushed him out of the field of view of the communicator. She gave Obi-Wan an annoyed glare.
"Yeah, we'll be careful as we slog through these shit pipes, general. And to think you're supposed to be famous for brilliantly orchestrated plans."
"Good to see my reputation still holds up." Obi-Wan replied with a smirk.
"Very funny. We're going dark from this point on. We can't risk them picking up any communications."
"Very well, lieutenant. If you manage to free other prisoners in addition to Cody, please do so."
"Don't patronize me, Jedi."
And with that, the hologram turned off. Obi-Wan smiled as he stepped back out into the open.
While he'd been talking, the beast had destroyed a second AT-AT and was preparing a third lava ball.
"May I?"
The beast looked curiously at Obi-Wan who pointed to the glowing mass of liquefied rock in its grasp. It held it out towards him, a confused look in its eyes.
Obi-Wan concentrated on it and lifted it slowly out of the beast's hands. It watched Obi-Wan give it all the power he could to send the ball flying across the two-hundred meters or so, that separated them from the enemy. Unfortunately, it missed the remaining AT-AT; instead colliding with an AT-ST and decimating part of the phalanx behind it.
Obi-Wan looked up at the beast, which gave him an impressed nod. It then diligently prepared another projectile to launch.
Obi-Wan felt this was the best moment to prepare for his upcoming fight. He could sense there were three Dark Side users inside the Citadel. If he wanted a chance to defeat them, he would need to draw upon all the power at his disposal.
He returned behind the rocky outcrop and sat down in a meditative pose. He steadied his breathing, closed his eyes and slowly gathered the power from the living Force around him.
He concentrated on feeling every single living creature. Granted on this planet that didn't leave many options but he went even beyond only living things. The planet itself… it was alive. Every rock and lava stream was connected to the living Force. Obi-Wan felt them all, and they granted him their power.
FEEL the Force…
Rex put away his communicator and moved up beside June who was looking down into the dark opening to the sewers of the Citadel. Her nose was crinkled in disgust from the smell. She held an atmospheric reader over the opening. When it finally flashed green, she looked at it critically as she returned to her platoon.
"Alright ladies, here's the story," she spoke in a clipped tone. "The readings show traces of flammable and explosive gases. Who knows how they got in there but that means absolutely NO shots fired. Also, no comms chatter. We're not risking an early detection. Our primary goal is to get the asset out. I don't know how feasible it will be to free any other prisoners, especially considering the added security. We'll see how the mission unfolds, but for now, it's just the Clone."
The commandos all nodded their heads and proceeded to switch on the safety for all their weapons. They also deactivated their communicators.
Rex did the same with his dual blasters and wrist commlink. He put his helmet on and tested its breathing system to make sure it was filtering the air correctly. The rest of the soldiers were slipping on personal gas masks to avoid passing out or getting infected from the deadly cocktail of gases present in those tunnels.
"We all set?" June asked.
When all her platoon answered positively, she pointed at two of them and told one to take point and the other to cover the rear.
The one taking point was a well-built male Bothan named Rynthan. He possessed striking red fur and large ears that constantly twitched to pick up any stray sounds. Rex was aware that the color of a Bothan's fur changed depending on his or her emotional state but he was unable to tell if red signified something specific. Rynthan seemed relatively composed compared to some of his more eccentric comrades. He sported an absurdly large sniper rifle on his back and a blaster strapped to his hip. Though right now, he produced a short sword from a sheath on his belt.
Covering the rear was a female Twi'lek, named Muna. While her orange skin gave her some physical resemblance to Rynthan, their personalities could not have been more opposite. She carried herself with an unnerving jitteriness, and a constantly scrutinizing gaze, like she was expecting an ambush around every corner. She kept her lekku tied to her back with a beautiful braid made out of human hair and crystal beads. June reassured Rex that the hair was given to her consensually. Muna would often stroke it and momentarily calm down for several seconds before returning to her skittish personality. She carried a pair of DH-17 blaster pistols, alongside an absurd amount of power cells. Rex knew that the DH-17s had an automatic firing mode but that using them in such a configuration drained them in under 20 seconds.
While both of these individuals would appear to be on the one hand perfectly ordinary and on the other completely insane, Rex saw their battle awareness and experience shine in their eyes. He knew that as soon as the fighting started, these two would be deadly.
Rynthan slipped on his gas mask and jumped down into the sewer system, then June and Rex. The rest of the platoon quickly followed.
The smell was bad when they were a couple of feet away from it. Being in it was a thousand times worse. The sewage and feces reached up to everyone's ankles, except for Plorg, a male Ugnaught, who had to climb up on the back of Kochew, a female Wookie, so he didn't end up swimming in it. The visibility was terrible. Even using their flashlights, Rynthan could only see a couple meters in front of him.
"Kochew, start setting charges." June spoke to the Wookie behind her.
Kochew let out an affirmative growl, removing a thermal charge from the many that dangled off her bandolier and placing it against the wall of the sewage pipe.
The group progressed slowly for several minutes. The only sounds were the splashing of their boots as they moved through the waste and the intermittent "ting" sound of Kochew placing her charges.
Suddenly, voices could be heard ahead where the sewer pipe took a turn. Quietly, Rynthan hugged the wall and peaked around the corner. Four Stormtroopers were walking in their direction. One of them was speaking to someone over their comms:
"Nothing so far, commander," the one nearest to Rynthan said. "Just garbage and rats… Yes, sir. We'll keep looking."
Rynthan leaned back and held up four fingers and gestured with an outstretched hand around the bend. June nodded and looked back to her troops to come up with a plan to deal with them.
After several seconds, she gestured over to Rex and Rynthan.
"Alright, let's jam their comms," June whispered, looking to Rynthan who pressed two buttons on his communicator to scramble the Stormtroopers communications. "Rex and I will take the two closest to us; Rynthan you take the two behind. Rex, you've got the one on the left; I'll take the one on the right."
Rex and the Bothan both nodded their heads and crouched down low at the edge of the bend. June held up her hand, let it hang for a couple seconds and brought it down as the signal to attack.
Rex and June rushed the first two Stormtroopers. The Clone tackled his mark to the ground and brought his large arms around his neck to choke him out. June was more to the point. She drove her knife into the gap between the Stormtrooper's helmet and breastplate, killing him instantly. Rynthan quickly followed them, killing one soldier with a swing of his blade. The last Stormtrooper desperately tried to run away, calling for help over his unresponsive communicator. With chilling precision, Rynthan threw his blade, sending it sailing through the air to impale itself in the back of the fleeing soldier.
"Nice work." June acknowledged. "But we should hurry. It won't be long before the Empire becomes suspicious of them not responding."
Rynthan nodded solemnly as he went to retrieve his weapon. Rex's victim finally stopped resisting and in a deliberate motion, the old Clone snapped his neck and let his body fall into the sludge. The rest of the platoon joined them.
"Alright, strip the two who's armor is undamaged. I imagine it'll come in handy later." June ordered. "How much further, Rynthan?"
The Bothan's large ears twitched and turned slightly and for a split second his fur turned orange before returning to its original red color.
"Not much further." he answered simply.
Juned nodded and turned back to her team who'd finished collecting two, relatively intact, Stormtrooper outfits.
"Alright team," June spoke with measured intensity. "Let's get out of this shit hole and plan our next move."
Commander Poin was seething. The twisting in his gut was only getting worse as he watched his troops get absolutely annihilated by the hellish beast outside the gates of the Citadel. Poin had never seen such a monstrosity on Lola Sayu.
He remembered a group of religious fanatics had been captured several years ago as they were trying to carry out some unholy ritual. They had said something about a beast made of lava and death. Though even after days of torture, that was the most any of them had revealed about what they were hoping to achieve on Lola Sayu. Poin wouldn't have been surprised if this was the beast they had been referring to.
The commander swept his gaze around the control center, his eyes falling on the four Deathtroopers that had been left to watch him. The other two were posted outside, guarding the entrance. They were like shadows watching his every move. Whenever he walked, their helmeted gaze followed him.
"Sir, incoming transmission from the Inquisitors." one of his officers said from his control panel.
Poin had to stifle a grunt of exasperation. Instead, he took a deep breath to calm himself and turned his attention to the holotable at the center of the room.
"Patch it through." Poin ordered.
The officer nodded, pushed a button and the small blue projection of the Fifth Brother appeared on the table.
"Commander, how goes the search for the intruders?" the Inquisitor asked monotonically.
"We haven't found anyone as of yet. Though I have lost contact with one squad who was patrolling the sewer tunnels," Poin replied, barely moving an inch. "I am sending troops to investigate. What of the Jedi and this beast?"
"We are making the necessary preparations," the Fifth Brother replied cryptically. "Our Master knew that Kenobi would attempt to use this native beast against us, which is why he had us bring a countermeasure."
"You mean Obi-Wan Kenobi is here?!" Poin asked, suddenly leaning forward, bracing his hands against the edge of the holotable. "The 'Negotiator' who fought at many key battles during the Clone Wars and served on the Jedi High Council?"
"We have little care for his past titles," the Fifth Brother replied evenly. "He is a crippled old man and will soon join the scours of Jedi who have fallen by our hand."
"No, stop, you're making a big mistake," Poin was trying to keep his composure as the twisting in his stomach threatened to make him vomit. "I've heard about him. He was part of the team that successfully broke a Jedi out of the Citadel during the Clone Wars. The only time in the history of its existence. It is possible he has sensitive knowledge of the inner workings of the Citadel. We need to dispatch Star Destroyers to blockade the planet while we fall back and think of a strategy."
The Inquisitor let several seconds of silence pass as he observed Poin coolly. When he spoke again, his words were slow and deliberate:
"The Emperor himself sent us here with this weapon because he knew that is what it would take to defeat Kenobi. If we start clamoring for reinforcements because of your irrational fears, it would be tantamount to questioning the Emperor's orders. Is that what you are suggesting, commander?"
Poin could feel the sweat beading up on his brow. He was struggling to think straight; the pain was becoming unbearable.
"No, of course not," he managed to grind out. "It's just that since we do not know who Kenobi has brought with him, it would be dangerous to engage without a clear idea of what his plan is."
"Once Kenobi is dead, it won't matter what his plan was or where his allies are," the Fifth Brother spoke. "Without him to distract us, it will only be a matter of time before we flush out whatever vermin accompanied him and make an example of them. Concern yourself with finding this vermin, commander. We will take care of Kenobi."
And with that, the Inquisitor ended the conversation and the holotable went blank. Poin took several deep breaths as he steadied himself against the table.
"Damn you." he whispered under his breath.
He straightened himself up and walked up to his officers who were manning the Citadel's security system.
"I want them found now!" he shouted. "No excuses! The man who finds these Rebels will be immediately promoted."
Poin allowed himself a small grin when he saw all his officers quickly turn back to their monitors and meticulously look over the footage from the security cameras.
"All right. Let's run over this one last time to make sure this is all clear," June spoke in a low tone to her platoon. "Rex, Markin, Rythan, Kochew, Plorg, Katerina and myself, we're Alpha team. Muna, Yva and Ova, Nerrown and Inuzo, you're Beta Team. Alpha team will be tasked with securing and rescuing the asset. Beta team, your mission is to get to the control room and free the other prisoners, as well as give the Rogue Shadow a safe landing zone for our exfil. And also secure a mode of transport for the prisoners to escape on."
All the members of Beta team rolled their eyes at each other and flashed sarcastic grins.
"Doesn't it feel like one team got the better deal?" Muna spoke humorously, fiddling with her braids. She had been assigned the leader of Beta Team.
"I agree that this isn't an easy assignment," June acknowledged. "But unless we can establish control over the Citadel's security systems, we're not going to last long. Plorg will be able to hack some of the security cameras and cell doors but once the Empire catches on, that won't work anymore. Your team must take control of the Citadel and turn it against them."
Muna nodded solemnly at June's point. In the end, none of them came here expecting an easy mission.
"The higher the danger…" Yva, a female Zabrak, started.
"… the bigger the glory." Ova, a male Zabrak, finished.
They were twins and the youngest members of the platoon. June had met them while helping to repel an Imperial invasion of their home planet, Iridonia. Yva and Ova's parents were the leaders of one of the planet's largest tribes and that many other Iridonian tribes rallied behind them to repel the Empire.
But their parents were betrayed. One of their own warriors was a turncoat and gave the exact location of their hidden compound to the Empire. It was a complete accident that Yva and Ova were outside that night. Ova was having trouble sleeping, so he left the cave system where his parents and their warriors lived, to get some fresh air. His sister followed him, as she always did. They shared an intimate connection that made them constantly aware of each other's presence. Some felt it hinted at a bond beyond that of brother and sister, but no one brought it up out of respect.
As they enjoyed the coolness of the night air and the steady glow of Iridonia's twin moons, a beam of light fell from the sky, directly atop their parent's secret base. They watched in horror as more lasers descended from the heavens, leveling the mountain underneath which Yva and Ova's parents had set up their home camp.
Their anger and hatred towards the Empire was further enflamed that night. They wanted nothing more than to slowly torture all those who had had a hand in the death of their parents. However, this pain was also paired with a heavy sadness. Having lost their parents and knowing they should have been by their side when it happened.
Shortly after, when June arrived with Master Kota to aid the Zabrak's rebellion, she saw the twins' ferocity in combat but also their need for a comradery, perhaps even a family, that would help them move past their rage and sorrow. She helped train them, fought alongside them to help liberate their homeworld, and when it was all over, offered them a place in the Rebel Alliance, which they accepted.
They both had orange skin, though Yva's leaned more towards yellow. They shared the same motif of tattoos across their faces, drawn in red ink that symbolized their family's status and prowess in combat. Their eyes were a striking blood crimson that contrasted against their skin tone and made them look even more terrifying in combat. They also possessed a pair of short horns on their forehead, while Ova also had a set of smaller ones just above his ears. Yva had a small patch of hair on her head that she was able to tie into a braid but her brother was completely bald.
They both shared an affinity for hand to hand combat. Like all Zabrak children, they'd been trained in a signature style of highly physical martial arts and rarely relied on firearms in combat. Yva's weapons of choice were two daggers she kept in sheaths on her back, while her brother opted for a chain with retractable spikes which he spun at great speeds for defense or offense. He could actually spin it fast enough to deflect blaster fire. After much insistence from June, they agreed to carry a small blaster pistol on their belts. She had yet to see them use it, but she took comfort in the idea that they at least had a backup to their main weapons.
Muna rolled her eyes at the twins' boastful comment.
"I personally prefer: the higher the danger, the bigger the payday." she said evenly.
"A warrior's honor is not measured by how many credits he has." Inuzo, a female Kyuzo, spoke softly, her voice oddly serene and soothing.
The Kyuzo had a strong sense of honor and were regarded as some of the most proficient hand-to-hand fighters in the galaxy. Their wrinkled, greenish skin and large yellowish eyes, already made them stand out. However, since their homeworld, Phatrong, has a different gravitational and atmospheric makeup as the rest of the planets in the galaxy, this led them to develop very strong muscles but also meant they required corrective lenses and a highly pressurized filter mask if ever they adventured away from their world. All of this just added to the mystic of this great warrior race. They were immediately identifiable by the wide-brimmed war helmet most of them wore, which could be used as a shield or thrown like a frisbee.
Inuzo was by far the most versatile fighter of the platoon. Her marksmanship was dead on and her fighting style allowed her to even beat Yva and Ova when they sparred during practice. She was very pragmatic and tactical by nature, making her a person June always ran plans by to see if there was anything she thought needed to be added.
For this mission, Inuzo had brought a modified blaster rifle, with attachments that could turn it into a sniper rifle if need be.
"Oh why thank you, sensei," Muna looked over to Inuzo scornfully. "But glory isn't worth much if you're dead."
"Neither are credits," Inuzo replied calmly.
"Oh you think you're clever, huh?" Muna growled, leaning towards Inuzo.
"Now, now guys," Nerrown, a male Parwan, intervened timidly. "Let's not fight amongst ourselves. Remember what general Kenobi said, we would be doing the Empire a favor."
Parwans were rarely seen outside their home planet, Parwa. They possessed four tentacles to walk on, a mushroom-shaped head and three globular eyes. They were also able to produce electric fields that could incapacitate most sentient species. It took time for a Parwan to be able to use this ability a second time so it was generally only used as a last resort.
Nerrown was one of the few Parwans who's blood type allowed him to withstand electrolytic serums as well as most poisons and toxins. This made him the platoon's expert on chemical warfare. Nerrown had no proficiency for hand-to-hand combat or marksmanship, but he knew of almost every deadly concoction in the galaxy and how best to use them. He even tested some of his personal mélanges on himself.
"Shut it, gas bag," Muna shot back, making Nerrown nervously hide behind Inuzo. "That Jedi is a crazy old man. Thinking he can take on three Inquisitors by himself…"
As soon as she spoke, a loud boom and rumble echoed from outside the Citadel. The entire platoon went quiet and waited to see if there was another blast coming. Several seconds later, a second explosion resonated through the corridor. Everyone kept still as they waited the same amount of time between the first two blasts. When nothing else came, June felt comfortable speaking again:
"I wouldn't be surprised if that was our crazy old Jedi getting to work. I know we all have some doubts about the goal of this mission or if we can even pull it off, but we can all agree that letting one man fight while the rest of us hesitate to act is not who we are."
June cast her gaze across her troops. She knew they could all see the truth in her words.
"Now let's topple this place." June spoke with finality, their mission now officially underway.
FEEL THE FORCE…
Obi-Wan slowly opened his eyes. He could have kept them closed if he wished. He had entered such a vein of concentration and serenity he was able to sense every single living being on Lola Sayu and didn't need his eyes to "see" them.
He could feel the power of the Force brimming from inside him, but he knew that as soon as he tried to tap into it, it would become a double-edged sword. He would be unable to fight in this state for more than a minute.
Which is why he was happy to see that the beast had basically decimated the entire Imperial garrison on its own. All that was left were smoking heaps of molten metal and large craters where the beast's projectiles had landed.
However, Obi-Wan could sense that the real fight was about to begin. He sensed three Force presences approaching them, all intimately tied to the Dark Side. Inquisitors. There was no doubt in Obi-Wan's mind. They really had been expecting him.
He could now see them approaching atop a troops carrier with a modified roof. There was some sort of communications dish on top of the vehicle. Obi-Wan could tell something was off about this but the beast did not share his concern and simply gathered another ball of lava and threw it towards the approaching vehicle.
Several feet before it made contact, the ball veered to the left and harmlessly crashed into the ground. Obi-Wan imagined that deflecting such a projectile with the Force wasn't too difficult for three Inquisitors.
The troop carrier stopped, a fair distance away from them. Obi-Wan saw legs extend out the side and impale themselves into the ground to keep the vehicle steady. The Jedi Master had a bad feeling about this.
"You should retreat." Obi-Wan told the beast over their mental bond.
"If Jedi fight, I fight." the beast replied stoically.
Obi-Wan appreciated the sentiment but he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. And when he saw, what he'd thought to be a communications dish, start to glow green as it charged up, he finally understood.
The next couple seconds were like a blur. Time slowed as Obi-Wan saw the green laser fire from the dish atop the troop carrier, aimed straight at the beast. Calling upon the immense power of the Force he had stored up, Obi-Wan pushed the beast out of the way, just as the laser passed where its chest would have been. The beam then impacted a mountain formation behind them, reducing it to rubble with a loud "bang".
Obi-Wan looked back towards the Inquisitor's vehicle and was ready to assume they were preparing for a second shot. The beast was slowly getting back up, surprised at how Obi-Wan had been able to Force push it off its feet.
The old Master knew his time was counted. He had opened himself up to the full power of the living Force and it was flowing through him like a torrent, but eventually it would run out. When that happened, there was no way he would survive against three Inquisitors in his weakened state.
"You have to get out of here!" Obi-Wan called to it. "They're going to kill you."
"No! If Jedi fight, I fight. If Jedi die, I die." was its unequivocal response.
Obi-Wan paused. He respected and admired the beast's loyalty to him. All the more reason he hated what he was about to do.
"You WILL run away." Obi-Wan spoke, his words layered with Force persuasion.
"No… no. Must help Jedi." the beast begged in return.
"You WILL run away!" Obi-Wan continued, calling upon the Force to grant more power to his words
"No… stop… please…"
"YOU WILL RUN AWAY!" Obi-Wan let out as much power as he could, which finally had its effect on the beast who turned away and ran away at full speed; just as Obi-Wan had ordered.
The second shot from the laser, Obi-Wan was able to dodge as his senses were now heightened to a level he'd never experienced before. The ray carved a crevice into the ground several meters deep, which immediately began filling with lava.
With great speed and agility, he made a run for the troop carrier. He had to finish off the Inquisitors before he drained all his stamina. If that happened, it was unlikely he'd make it out of this fight alive.
He couldn't stop his heel from tapping nervously against the durasteel floor. The impatience and inefficiency were killing him. His instincts begged him to take this into his own hands like HE had and go help him, but the rational side he'd been encouraged to listen to, kept him in his seat.
Finally, the doors to the meeting room opened, and Leia stormed out, exasperation and frustration lining her face. Her expression softened slightly when she saw him getting up to meet her. She approached him and they walked over to one of the transparent panels that gave them a beautiful view of endless space.
"The High Command has voted that no rescue mission is to be planned at this hour." Leia spoke gently and deliberately.
"What!" Luke yelled out in disbelief. Several passing Rebel soldiers turned their heads in surprise but the young man didn't care. "But they know where he is. They know the dangers he's facing. Isn't that reason enough to do everything we can to get him back?"
"Things aren't that simple," Leia tried to explain calmly. She wanted to be patient but she was contending with her own feelings and emotions about the whole situation. "Since General Kenobi left without notifying or asking permission from the High Command, they consider he has gone AWOL— "
"Oh, you don't believe that," Luke cut in, leaning towards Leia. "Ben knew that by the time the High Command came to a decision, his friend would already be dead. He did the right thing."
"Maybe, but it was still done without proper authorization." Leia's voice was getting more aggressive.
"He's a Jedi general!" Luke cried out in disbelief. "He's twice the man than any of the people who sit at that table."
"He is not above the rules." Leia's patience was nearly worn out.
"Well, maybe he should be," Luke bit out. "All this bureaucratic red tape is keeping us from actually helping people. If the Rebellion had been willing to commit to a full attack on the Death Star to rescue you, maybe Alderaan would still be— "
Luke's sentence was interrupted by a stinging slap across his cheek. He looked back to Leia and saw her entire face was tightly held in a mask of pain and anger. Her eyes watered but no tears fell.
"You know nothing." she bit out before storming away and disappearing past a pair of blast doors.
Luke was about to go after her when a gruff voice stopped him:
"Don't make it any worse, kid. You've done enough."
Luke turned to see Rahm Kota walk up to him and lean against the window. The Jedi Master produced a small folding blade from a pouch on his belt and proceeded to clean and trim his nails, as well as some of the callouses on his worn hands.
"You don't trust your Master, do you?" Rahm asked, meticulously shaving off a bit of nail.
"What!? Of course I do," Luke replied defensively. "I trust Ben more than anyone."
"But you don't believe he can make it back alive?" Rahm asked absentmindedly. He was now trying to break apart a callous without cutting into the fresh skin of his hand.
"Of course I do, it's just…" Luke was desperately trying to find the rest of his sentence.
"But you fear something will happen to him and he won't be here anymore." Rahm stated.
Luke stayed silent. He had nothing with which to refute Rahm's point.
"Kid, let me clue you in to a hard fact of life," Rahm said evenly. "We all die. If we're lucky, it's after a long and fulfilling life, but more often than not, it happens when you least expect it. When there's still so much more you want to do. Kenobi's fortunate enough to be in the first camp, but a Jedi accepts death either way it comes. It's the Sith who fear it and try to control it."
"I feel like I still have so much to learn," Luke spoke slowly. "Up till now, I've been secure in the idea that Ben was watching over everything I did. Without him, I'd be lost."
"That's the conundrum every padawan has to face eventually," Rahm said. "Becoming his or her own master. Don't worry if Kenobi can't finish your training, I'll be happy to step up to bat. Though I can't promise I'm as academic or pedagogical as he is."
Luke chuckled slightly. Rahm folded away his knife and patted the young man firmly on the shoulder.
"Don't you worry about him," Rahm said confidently. "Kenobi's end hasn't been written just yet…"
OKAY I'M DONE! CAN I GO TO BED NOW!?
So yeah that's part 1 of the "Citadel Arc" (a bit much to call it an arc but whatever it makes me feel important ;)
The two main points where I feel I'm going to get some criticism and I myself am not sure is done well is the description of how Obi-Wan accumulates a lot of power and the in-depth description of all the members of the platoon (or at least part of them anyway).
Concerning the thing with Obi-Wan, I kinda thought about how Yoda was slow and "weak" towards the end of the Clone Wars, but could instantly become the deadliest Jedi of the Order like when he fought Count Dooku in AOTC. So a Force power like that.
And as for the platoon, it would have been difficult to write this arc with just a bunch of nameless and faceless soldiers. But also I agree that dropping a bunch of names and backstories weighs pretty heavily on the narrative flow.
Tell me what you thought about this or anything else in a comment!