Quantum Kenobi 18

The world changed in the space between heartbeats.

In one moment, Jedi Master and former High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi sat with the Jedi Council on Naboo.

In the next-

In the next, visions swept through him – a flood, a wave, a tsunami of images and snippets of conversation crashed through his awareness, only to fade into memory in the next instant – a decade and more of them.

No, not visions – memories of the life he'd lived thus far, and of a life that would never come to pass.

The memories settled slowly, gently, as Obi-Wan came back to himself enough to recognize his surroundings.

He sat in a diner in the lower levels of Coruscant, surrounded by his Jedi family:

Feemor, his elder padawan brother, and the oldest living member of their lineage except for Yoda himself.

Clone Commander Cody and Clone Captain Rex, the two clones who had removed their helmets during their first meeting on Kamino so many years ago and who had chosen to work with the Knights as mission support.

Anakin and Padmé, celebrating their fifteenth year of marriage, accompanied by Anakin's mother, Shmi.

Obi-Wan's old friend, Garen Muln, seated with his padawan, Luke Skywalker.

And beside Obi-Wan, his own padawan, Leia Skywalker.

The Force felt full to overflowing with their love and good humor, and Obi-Wan basked in it, savoring the difference from his memories of the Purge and the emptiness in the Force afterward.

"Teacher?" Anakin asked quietly.

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "I am simply being grateful that we are all together."

"It doesn't happen often enough," Padmé said. "I'm not complaining, not really, but it seems like your missions rarely coincide, so you're all rarely on planet at the same time."

"It's the nature of life," Shmi said. "Necessity – duty – trumps pleasure. So savor the pleasure when you can and let it support you in doing your duty."

"Here's to that!" Rex lifted his glass – some kind of fruit juice from Ojom, Obi-Wan thought – and the others at the table followed suit.

Obi-Wan had just put his cup of Alderaanian tea back on the table when his commlink chirped. The others at the table fell silent as he answered it.

The voice of the Council's administrative padawan came through the tiny speaker. "Adept Kenobi, the Council requests your presence immediately."

"I'm out of the Temple," Obi-Wan answered, "so it will be perhaps half an hour due to traffic."

"The Council awaits your arrival." With that brusque observation, the com went dead.

Obi-Wan tucked his commlink away as he rose, Leia following suit mere seconds later.

When the others started to rise as well, Obi-Wan waved them back. "No need for you to cut your evening short just because I've been summoned to duty."

Cody dropped a few credits on the table to cover his meal. "I'll see the ship is prepped while you're being briefed."

Obi-Wan nodded with a smile. "Yes, thank you, Cody."

He'd probably never know how he'd gotten lucky enough to have Cody assigned to him permanently, but he thanked the Force every day that he was.

"Here." Anakin tossed a small remote toward Obi-Wan, who summoned it to his hand with the Force. "Take the speeder we came in. We can take public transport back."

"Or," Padmé said dryly, "I can drop you off. Either way, do be careful, all of you."

Leia darted around the table to kiss her parents and brother goodbye before catching up to Obi-Wan and Cody. With a final wave, they started back to the Temple.

BREAK

Mandalore.

The Council was sending them to Mandalore without a word of explanation.

So now Obi-Wan stood on the bridge of the Negotiator, a CR90 Corvette modified to carry five hundred clone troopers in addition to its normal crew complement, as it breached the outermost edges of the Mandalore system.

Beside him, Leia eyed the starfield through the cockpit. The brightest point on it, just slightly off center to the right, was their destination.

"I mean no disrespect, Teacher," Leia said, "but should we have brought so many troopers?"

Obi-Wan glanced down at her. "We informed them how many were coming."

Commander Cody stepped up to the observation area beside them. "Bringing any fewer could be interpreted as a sign of weakness."

Leia frowned. "But I thought Mandalore was peaceful?"

"Now," Cody agreed. "But it has a long warrior tradition. Bringing a battalion shows respect."

Then he focused on Obi-Wan. "We're holding here until an escort ship arrives. They'll escort us to Keldabe, where we'll be met."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "No indication as to who will meet us?"

"No. I made it clear that you will not go anywhere without an escort."

Leia snorted, and Obi-Wan glanced sideways at Cody. "You do know that any single Jedi is widely considered a one-being army?"

Cody's expression was decidedly unimpressed. "I know that Mandalorians have been the Jedi's greatest adversaries. I also know that the man who killed six Jedi with his bare hands was a Mandalorian. You and your padawan will be focused on negotiations. Your escort will watch your backs."

Obi-Wan studied the commander for a long moment. "I won't be able to change your mind, will I?"

Cody smirked. "I'm immune to your silver tongue, sir, so no."

BREAK

An hour later, Obi-Wan's small party – if one could call two Jedi and six troopers a small party – followed a Mandalorian in full beskar armor into a stronghold near the heart of Keldabe, the capital city of Mandalore.

Though he wasn't included in their communications, Obi-Wan knew the troopers were analyzing the Mandalorians – warriors all – and their positions around the Jedi party, and probably concluding that six troopers was not nearly enough of a protective escort if things started to go badly.

He sent a brief wave of reassurance to them through the Force. The Mand'alor hadn't requested his presence just to kill him.

He hoped.

Not long later, their Mandalorian escort showed them into what on any other planet would be considered a throne room, but on Mandalore just looked like an odd combination of dining room and meeting room.

A double handful of Mandalorians sat in twos and threes at various tables, and at the far end, at a table on a low dais, sat a Mandalorian in somewhat familiar armor.

The Mandalorian escorting them paused near the foot of the dais and clanged a closed fist against his chest. "Mand'alor the Returned, with me are Jedi Knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Leia Skywalker, and their escort."

Obi-Wan tapped a closed fist to his chest and inclined his head. "A pleasure to see you again, Mand'alor."

The Mand'alor's helmet tilted in a way that conveyed doubt. "You believe we've met before, Jedi?"

"A decade ago," Obi-Wan answered easily. "I met you and your son."

Every Mandalorian around them shot to their feet, and only the Mand'alor's raised hand kept them from drawing weapons.

Even through the Mand'alor's visor, Obi-Wan felt the other man's gaze on him. "How did you know?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Mand'alor the Returned. There could be no other, Mand'alor Fett."

After a long, silently tense moment, the Mand'alor laughed. He removed his helmet and placed it on the table before him.

"Well met, Kenobi." Jango Fett glanced over Leia and the troopers. "Join me, you and your student. Your escort may join the other tables."

Beside Obi-Wan, Cody straightened almost painfully both physically and in the Force. "Sir?"

Fett grinned, sharp and vicious. "Relax, trooper. The Jedi have no reason to fear me. Today."

Cody's Force presence didn't change, so Obi-Wan sent another small wave of reassurance.

"It's quite all right, Commander. The Mand'alor and I understand each other."

"That's not the reassurance you think it is," Cody muttered, but he gestured to the other members of the escort, and they spread out among the other tables.

Pointedly, Cody chose the seat with the best tactical advantage at the nearest table. Just as pointedly, the black-armored Mandalorian who'd been their escort took the seat next to him.

Fett's grin softened minutely before he turned his attention to Obi-Wan and Leia, who took seats opposite him.

"Are they well? The troopers?" Fett asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "As well as anyone could expect. Many have joined the various Jedi Service Corps as support personnel. Some of them formed a mercenary company operating on the Outer Rim. And some, of course, chose to make their own way."

Fett let the subject drop in favor of asking, "What do you know of Tarre Viszla?"

Obi-Wan nodded to Leia, who focused on Fett.

"More than a thousand years ago," she began, "he was the first Mandalorian to also become a Jedi. After a distinguished career as a knight, he left the Order to return to Mandalore and become its leader."

Fett nodded. "And his blade?"

"It had a black blade and its grip was forged from beskar," Leia answered promptly. Then her forehead creased in a thoughtful frown. "Our records don't say whether Mand'alor Jedi Vizsla forged it himself, if he asked someone else to forge it, or if he used the Force to create it. If he used the Force to create it, whatever technique he used is lost to time. The blade is colloquially known as the Darksaber."

Leia paused and after that pause lasted just a touch too long, Obi-Wan took up the tale.

"After he returned to the Force, the Jedi retained custody of the Darksaber until members of House Vizsla…reclaimed it during the fall of the Old Republic."

Fett and the Mandalorians around him chuckled at his overly-tactful summation.

Obi-Wan grinned briefly and continued, "The Order's position has been that we should have kept the Darksaber until such time as another Mandalorian joined us."

Fett's gaze narrowed. "And you? What is your position on the matter, Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan met his gaze without flinching. "I think any fate would have been better than for it to have been wielded by the leader of Death Watch. Wielding the Darksaber in honor of that creed is an obscenity."

Fett nodded decisively. "On that we agree. So I trust you'll be pleased to know that Death Watch no longer has the Darksaber in their possession."

Obi-Wan turned that declaration over in his mind. Mandalorians tended to be direct, but Obi-Wan himself knew many ways to be direct and still shade the truth.

"Should we assume," he asked carefully, "that is because Death Watch is no longer?"

Fett snorted. "Ideas never die, Jedi, no matter how obscene they are or how much we wish they would. But Death Watch as an organization? That is no more."

"So you have the Darksaber?" Leia leaned forward, always an eager student. "May we see it?"

Fett's face remained neutral, but Obi-Wan felt the man's surprise-irritation through the Force and cleared his throat.

"My apologies, Mand'alor," he said. "While my padawan is a most attentive student, I've not focused as much of her training on Mandalorian culture as I might have, given the historical enmity between our peoples. She asked merely out of curiosity, no other motive."

Leia frowned. "Well, of course I'm curious. What other motive would I have?"

Obi-Wan ignored the ripple of amusement from Fett and the troopers. "Weapons and armor are very important to Mandalorians, Leia. Asking to hold another's weapon is…suggestive."

Leia flushed, but her voice remained steady. "I did not ask to hold the Darksaber, merely to see it. It is an artifact out of legend, after all."

Fett's lips quirked in a grin. "As it happens, padawan, your request is related to why I asked you here."

He sobered and sat forward in his chair, glancing at Obi-Wan to include him in the discussion before focusing on Leia. "You are correct that the Darksaber is no longer in Clan Vizsla's possession. My son, Boba, defeated Paz Vizsla in combat."

Leia tilted her head to one side. "That has implications, but I do not understand them all."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat gently. "Some of the more…enthusiastic members of Death Watch believe that to win the Darksaber is to be Mand'alor."

Fett nodded. "Some of the more traditional True Mandalorians, as well. Fortunately, Boba has no desire to be Mand'alor just yet. Not until he's mastered the Darksaber."

Obi-Wan allowed a smile to ghost across his face. "And you wish the Jedi to help him do that."

Fett shook his head, a sharp negative. "Not the Jedi. You, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan blinked. "Me, specifically? Why?"

That sharp grin returned, though not quite as vicious as before. "Because I've kept an eye on you since last we met – not spying," he added quickly. "Just the news reports and the occasional bit of gossip. You have the heart of a Mandalorian, and Boba needs that in his teacher."

Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully before checking the nearest chrono. They'd arrived early morning, so midmeal was still a couple of hours away.

"Where is Boba now?" he asked.

BREAK

Obi-Wan followed the Mand'alor to a training arena not too unlike the salles at the Temple, except the arena had far more seats for spectators – row upon row of bleachers, to be precise.

On the field, distinguishable by the saber he held, Boba Fett sparred with another Mandalorian, this one in orange-and-green armor, who wielded a sword Obi-Wan thought was more properly called a beskad. Whatever material the beskad was made of, the Darksaber bounced off of it rather than slicing through.

"It's the best training we can do," the Mand'alor murmured. "But the weight distribution of the Darksaber makes it difficult to properly train with it. The trainer can't match the speed, and Boba overcompensates."

Obi-Wan hummed briefly. "He needs to learn to wield the Darksaber by itself, first. Then he can train against different opponents. Leia."

She stepped up beside him. "Teacher?"

"Relieve the trainer, and guide Boba through the first katas of Form I."

Leia half-bowed to him and slipped off her outer robe, draping it neatly across the nearest bleacher before crossing the arena toward the combatants.

Jango shifted so he stood beside Obi-Wan as Leia relieved the trainer and briskly showed Boba how his grip – though perfectly suited for a beskad – would restrict the movements of a lightsaber and adjusted it accordingly.

"I thought Jedi were called Master."

"That is traditional," Obi-Wan acknowledged. "But my former padawan – Anakin, you met him on Kamino – was enslaved before he came to the Order. The Council at the time decided that, within the Order at least, a padawan could substitute Teacher for Master, and the rank of Master was replaced by that of Adept. Outside the Order-"

Obi-Wan broke off with a shrug. "It is not easy work to break the habit of a thousand years or more."

"The habit will be broken on Mandalore immediately."

Obi-Wan acknowledged the promise with a nod, though such a change was unlikely to happen literally immediately.

"I forget the correct word," he said, "but I accept a debt."

Fett shook his head. "No debt – not after Kamino. Not after what you did for the…troopers. And that even before you teach Boba. No, you owe me no debt, though I owe you several."

It was on the tip of his tongue to refuse, but Obi-Wan stopped the near-automatic response and spent a few moments watching Leia lead Boba through the first kata of Form I and listening to the Force.

Finally, he said, "Jedi do not normally accept such debts, as we follow the will of the Force. In this instance, however, I believe accepting yours is the will of the Force."

Fett stiffened beside him. "What do you want of me?"

"I ask it of all Mandalorians," Obi-Wan said.

Fett's lips curled back in a snarl, and Obi-Wan held up a hand. Fett subsided, but still felt rather murderous in the Force.

"Mandalorians go places Jedi do not, or cannot," Obi-Wan began. "And hear things the Jedi do not, or will not."

"You want us to spy for you," Fett all but spat at Obi-Wan's feet.

"Nothing so overt," Obi-Wan countered. "Merely listen, and if you hear anything interesting, let me know."

Fett scowled, but asked, "What would we be listening for and why?"

"The why is a tale decades in the making," Obi-Wan said. "But the what…despite our best efforts, the Order has been unable to trace the funding that created the troopers."

Fett's frown radiated through the Force. "I was told a Jedi Master – Adept – ordered them. You said as much back on Kamino."

Obi-Wan slanted an amused glance at his companion. "Even assuming he did so of his own free will, the Order doesn't have that kind of funding for a single year, let alone ten. I believe the Sith funded the entire project."

Fett turned to face him. "You killed two of those years ago. Don't they always come in pairs?"

"That is the Rule of Bane, but Sith have never been particularly good at following orders. Even from their own."

Fett snorted a brief laugh but was all business when he asked, "So what are we listening for?"

Obi-Wan took a breath and let it out slowly, releasing his unease at asking for help from Jango Fett with it.

"The troopers were created to be an army," he said. "Which implies – as Master Sifo-Dyas' visions did – a war was expected. After years of research and communing with the Force, I believe the Sith were planning a war that would tear the Republic asunder, leaving room for one of their own to take over and shrouding the galaxy in darkness for centuries to come."

Fett glanced sideways at him. "As much as Mandalorians tend to dislike Jedi, I suspect we'd like the Sith even less."

"Much less," Obi-Wan agreed, and turned back to watch the transition from the first kata of Form I to the second. "The Senate and too much of the Order are content to believe the Sith destroyed and their plans with them."

"You don't think so."

"I think the Sith had been planning the destruction of the Republic, and the Jedi with it, for a very long time. Killing the two on Naboo certainly slowed those plans, but we would be foolish to consider the plans stopped when we aren't certain who all the players were."

"Such as who paid for the troopers."

Obi-Wan acknowledged that with a nod, most of his attention still on Boba's movements. While Boba's knowledge of the Darksaber was still in its infancy, he generally moved like the warrior he'd been raised to be.

"You've trained him well," Obi-Wan observed. "I doubt he'll ever be able to hold his own against a Jedi for long, but when we're done, he'll be the most skilled lightsaber user without the Force to assist."

"Good." Fett's tone radiated satisfaction at the thought, and the pair fell into a surprisingly companionable silence for a time.

The pair on the field were just moving into the fifth kata of Form I when Obi-Wan spoke again.

"I mentioned I've spent years researching and meditating on the Sith."

"You did." Fett's tone conveyed and why does this matter now?

"I've concluded that the Sith have been manipulating both of our peoples for some time."

To his credit, Fett didn't scoff or outright reject that statement. "Why?"

"Galidraan was a setup."

Fett whirled on him, all but snarling, "Explain."

"The briefing we received from the Senate was not only incomplete but phrased so that anyone reading it would conclude the Mandalorians had attacked without cause. More to the point, and far worse for the outcome, the briefing material made no distinction between Death Watch and Mereel's True Mandalorians."

Fett's fists clenched and his jaw tightened, anger spiking through the Force. "So you thought we were Death Watch."

"Unfortunately so."

Leia paused her session with Boba and looked over to Obi-Wan. He shook his head and gestured for her to continue what she was doing. With a last frown, she returned to her task.

Fett let out a gusty breath. "Why bring that up now?"

"During my research, I wondered who would benefit from such a setup. Who benefits if the Jedi and the Mandalorians never achieve rapprochement?"

Jango Fett was not a stupid man. "The Sith."

"Precisely. Assuming the Sith succeeded in subverting the Republic, who could stand against them? The Jedi would, of course, if we survived whatever happened to the Republic."

Fett shook his head. "The Sith would've planned to eliminate the Jedi."

"Agreed. And Mandalore under Satine Kryze, or any of the New Mandalorians, would not be willing or able to stand against them."

Fett's lip curled into a snarl, quickly suppressed.

Obi-Wan sympathized. The Jedi were keepers of the peace, and desired peace as a goal, but there was a reason Master Renatus' adage if you wish peace, be ready for war survived the centuries.

Still, he continued, "Only the Jedi or a Mandalore steeped in the old traditions could ever successfully stand against the Sith. What better way to prevent that possibility than by setting the two sides at each other's throats?"

"Galidraan wasn't the first time either side was manipulated." Fett's tone held absolute certainty.

"No."

"How long?"

"Understand I have no solid proof-"

"How long?"

Obi-Wan blew out a breath. "Possibly since Tarre Vizsla's time."

Fett swore loudly and creatively. Obi-Wan sympathized. He himself, when he'd realized how far back the Sith's manipulations stretched, had gone to the training salles and worn himself out dueling one master after another. He wouldn't be surprised if Fett did something similar after this meeting concluded.

"I remember tales," Fett said suddenly, "of Jedi who lived outside the Temple in different space sectors?"

Obi-Wan hummed. "You mean watchbeings? They acted as guardians of the sector, helping to resolve disputes and assist in identifying and training Force-sensitive younglings."

"They still around?"

"Not as many as we would like, but then, there are not as many Jedi as we would like." And how to increase their numbers was an ongoing discussion among the Council and the Order at large.

Fett grunted. "Think one would want to be stationed in this sector?"

"I think," Obi-Wan replied carefully, "that if the Mand'alor asked, the Council would not refuse."

"You interested?"

Obi-Wan's answer came immediately, firmly. "Yes, but not until my padawan is knighted."

Fett almost grinned. "You think having two Jedi in Mandalorian space will be any different than one?"

Obi-Wan did smile, however briefly. "I think that depends on who the Jedi in question are. But to answer your real question – when I took Leia as my padawan, I promised to consider her goals in every choice I made for her. As interesting as I would find it, a position as watchbeing for this system or sector won't serve her goals."

Fett nodded easily, and not for the first time, Obi-Wan was grateful Mandalorian culture honored children so much. "How long? Until she's knighted, I mean?"

"Certainly no more than five years, possibly sooner."

"Then, if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make."

Fett stalked off, practically glowing with determination.

"Teacher?" Leia's voice came from behind him. "Is everything all right?"

Obi-Wan reached out to the Force and it swelled with satisfaction. "Yes, padawan. Everything will be all right."