Chapter 55: Voyage of Temptation
Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.
Recap: A royal welcome! Sent to investigate allegations that Mandalore was joining Count Dooku's Separatists, Obi-wan Kenobi was reunited with an old friend, The Duchess Satine of Kalevala. While Satine claimed Mandalore intended to remain neutral during the war, an attack on the capital city led Obi-wan to the discovery of a terrorist organization known as Death Watch. Now the Duchess travels to the Senate so she can plead her case against her involvement in the war, as the Jedi prepare a defense against her opponents.
Storm was in a room as he was currently making a call. The hologram of Twilight appeared before him as the boy was asking the girl to look for something. After seeing the weapon that Governor Vizsla had, the Jedi Knight made a call to his partner. If there was anyone that could find info on stuff that wasn't available for the public eye, it was none other than the princess.
"Anything, Sparky?"
"I did my best, but I was only able to dig up some small info," said Twilight as she began to relay some info.
"According to what you said, it appears that the weapon the governor had is known as a Darksaber. It was created by a person known as Tarre Vizsla. He was the first-ever Mandalorian to have Force-sensitive powers and be inducted into the Jedi Order. According to legend, he created the Darksaber, a unique black-bladed lightsaber that would become the symbol of leadership within House Vizsla and became the ruler of Mandalore. After his passing, the weapon was kept in the Jedi Temple until it was 'liberated', to say the least, during the fall of the Old Republic."
"Anything else?" asked Storm.
"As I said, there's very little info. I'm sorry, Storm."
"Hey, don't apologize. You did your best. To me, that's more than enough." smiled the boy as he looked at the princess with a warm smile. "I should go. I need to debrief the clones on the mission. I'll see you when I get there."
"I'll be waiting for you," smiled Twilight looking at her partner.
"Take care, Princess."
"Be safe, Jedi Knight."
The two teens smiled as the transmission ended. Storm let out a sigh as he got up and started walking to where his friends and the clones were stationed.
Aboard Duchess Satine's ship, the Coronet, Obi-wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Storm were in the cargo area. They were addressing their clone commanders and the group of clones before them.
"You know your marching orders. The safety of the duchess Satine is of the utmost importance. The death watch will stop at nothing to assassinate her before she pleads her case to the senate." said the Jedi Master as he relayed the orders to all of the clones.
"The death watch may be backed by the separatists, so stay sharp," added Storm.
"R2, use your scanners to Probe for any suspicious droid activity," instructed Anakin as his droid beeped.
"Anything else, sir?" asked Rex.
"No, that will be all," answered Obi-wan.
Cody and Sark gave hand motions as the clones nodded and spread out. Obi-wan's comlink then beeped as he answered it.
"Yes?"
"The duchess and her retinue request your presence," said a Mandalorian guard as Satine was summoning the Jedi to her room.
"Very well."
All three Jedi and their clone commanders turned and entered the elevator. The doors closed as they were being lifted.
"I sense some anxiety from you about the duchess. She couldn't be in safer hands," stated Anakin to his master.
"Yes, I know," answered Obi-wan quickly while stroking his beard as if he was thinking about something.
"Then why..." stated Anakin.
"Never mind. It's all in the past," said the Jedi Master as he cut off his student.
"Oh, so you're close to her?" said Storm with a smug smile.
"I knew her. A long time ago," glared Obi-wan to his pals.
Both Jedi Knights couldn't help but look at one another with smug expressions on their faces. Seems they were thinking the same thought about Obi-wan Kenobi's relationship with Duchess Satine. And one thing was for sure, they were going to enjoy messing with him, as best friends should do. This time, the shoe was on the other end as they were in for a treat.
In the cargo bay, it was nothing but darkness with limited lighting. The clones all had the flashlights on their helmets turned on as they were patrolling the entire area.
"All secure here. Let's move on to the next sector," said one of the clones to his pal.
They made their way through a door as it closed behind them. When it closed, the crate they passed by turned on as it flashed green. Soon a claw was shown as it slipped out from the seal topped as an eerie sound was heard.
In the Duchess' room, everybody that was on board the ship was gathered before their leader. A servant droid was bringing the Duchess some drinks as the senators and some Twi'leks women were listening to the speech the Duchess was saying.
"War is intolerable! We have been deceived into thinking that we must be a part of it. I say the moment we committed to fighting, we already lost," vented Satine as she grabbed a drink from the tray the servant droid brought her.
"Excuse me, Your Grace, are you suggesting we oppose the war on humanitarian grounds?" asked a senator named Tal Merrik.
"I'm going to oppose it as an affront to life itself. As the designated regent of 1,500 systems, I speak for thousands of worlds that have urged me to allow them to stay neutral in this war," said Satine to the senator of Kalevala.
"And yet some might argue that the strongest defense is a swift and decisive offense," said Obi-wan as the Jedi made their presence known.
They entered the room as the Jedi Master, and the Duchess looked eyes once more. Obi-wan did a quick bow of his head to the woman who was his friend as they never stopped looking at each other.
"You are quite the general now, aren't you, Master Kenobi?" snickered Satine to her longtime friend.
"Forgive me for interrupting, Your highness. I meant no disrespect," replied the Jedi Master.
"Really? Senators, I presume you are acquainted with the collection of half-truths and hyperbole known as Obi-Wan Kenobi?" taunted Satine as she proclaimed that info for all to hear.
"Yeesh, this woman is a piece of work. No wonder, Obi-wan likes to be her around so much," whispered Storm to Anakin. Both snickered in silence as Obi-wan heard that and rolled his eyes.
"Your highness is too kind," answered Obi-wan.
"You're right. I am," replied Satine as a look of disappointment was shown on her face for a second.
In the background, both Anakin and Storm could sense the tension between their friend and the Duchess. It was getting juicer by the minute as the Force was allowing them to see some hidden feelings and thoughts about the two.
"Allow me to introduce my fellow Jedi, Anakin Skywalker and Storm," said Obi-wan as he stepped to the side and allowed the Jedi Knights to bow their heads before the Duchess and the Senators.
"Your servants, My lady," replied Anakin.
"While we're on this trip, we're assigned to protect you at all costs. Think of us as your bodyguards who can actually keep you safe." stated Storm with a smile.
"I remember a time when Jedi were not generals but peacekeepers," said Satine as she couldn't help but scoff at what the Jedi Knights were trying to convince her of what they were. For she could see, that they weren't being honest themselves.
"We are protectors, Highness. Yours, at the moment. We fight for peace." stated Anakin.
"What an amusing contradiction," scoffed Satine even more.
"Contradiction? It's the truth!" stated Storm as he felt like the Duchess was disrespecting them and what they stood for as Jedi.
"What Master Skywalker and Master Storm mean is that we are acting at the behest of Your Highness to protect you from the Death Watch and the Separatists who don't share your neutral point of view," said Obi-wan as he tried to convince the Duchess of their reasoning.
"I asked for no such thing," replied Satine to the Jedi Master.
"That may be so, but a majority of your court did," replied Obi-wan with the same scowl as Satine.
Once more, the two were staring at each other, not once taking their eyes off of the other. Everybody around the room could sense the tension and hostility that both had towards the other.
"I do not remember you as one to hide behind excuses," scowled Satine staring down the Jedi Master.
"I do not remember you as one to shrink from responsibilities," countered Obi-wan with a scowl as well as he stared down the Duchess.
"I am certain we all agree. Duchess Satine and General Kenobi have proven there are two sides to every dilemma," said Senator Orn Free Taa as he tried to calm things down between the two.
"Indeed," confirmed Senator Merrik.
"Now, regarding the Senate Vote, we think--"
"I think a multitude makes discord, not good counsel," said Satine as she cut off Senator Orn Free.
"Right again, My Lady," replied the senator.
"There may be two sides to every dilemma, but the duchess only favors hers," said Obi-wan to both Jedi Knights as he looked in Satine's direction. She too looked back before looking away from the Jedi Master.
Down below in the cargo area, the clones were still patrolling the place.
"I'll check out the south quadrant," said one of the clones named Redeye as he saw R2 turn the corner.
"Careful over there. It's dark," joked his friend.
"Yeah, very funny, Mixer," said Redeye as he knew his pal was trying to scare him. The pair then split as they were down separate paths.
Redeye was walking down the quadrant as he kept his eyes peeled. The lights from his helmet shined on the area in front of him. Overhead there was something as it moved and the clone looked up at the last second as he saw nothing. He kept on scanning the area until he heard something emerging from the darkness. It was R2 who gave out a frantic beep.
"Stop messing around. That's not funny," said the clone to the blue astromech droid.
R2 let out a beep as he kept on rolling forward and turned the corner.
"Droids," scoffed Redeye.
The clone turned around as he came face to face with an assassin probe droid. Before he could do anything, the assassin grabbed ahold of the clone with its claws as struggling sounds were heard before it went dark.
Back with the Jedi, a debate was going down between the Jedi Master and Duchess.
"A Republic military presence is the only sure defense against the Separatists," stated Obi-wan as he approached Satine.
"Even extremists can be reasoned with," countered Satine as she got up from her mattress and walked towards the Jedi Master with a scowl.
"Perhaps, if one can be heard over the clanking of their battle droids," countered Kenobi as he too had a scowl.
"The sarcasm of a soldier!" shouted Satine.
"The delusion of a dreamer!" yelled Obi-wan.
Both were in each other's faces as they were inches apart.
"Ten credits says he kisses her right now," snickered Storm as he watched the argument going down between the two.
"Twenty that they start making out," added Anakin with a similar smug smile.
"Shut up!!" shouted both Satine and Obi-wan at the comments being made by the Jedi Knights as they glared at them. They then turned back to glance at each other while retaining their scowls.
"Duchess, Master Jedi, it's been a long trip. I think we could all use a little rest and refreshment," said Senator Merrik trying to calm down both of them.
"Do we have to? I'm enjoying this little soap opera. We're just getting started." snickered Storm once more as he and Anakin were smiling at the interaction between their best friend and the Duchess.
"Hear, hear. Now let us put politics aside until after dinner," said Senator Orn Free.
"Fine!" shouted both Obi-wan and Satine at the same time.
The Duchess then shoved the Jedi Master out of her way as she walked out of the room angrily. They all watched the Duchess leave as Obi-wan kept his eyes on her. The two Jedi Knights kept their smug expressions when looking at the Jedi Master as they had more reasons to make fun of him.
"Stand by for lightspeed. Engage," said the captain of the ship. He gave the orders as the ship now entered hyperspace.
"My side's secure. What have you got, Redeye?" asked Mixer through his comlink. "Redeye, you copy?"
The clone wasn't getting a response from his fellow brother. He then heard a sound as in front of him, the lights from his helmet fell on the blaster of Redeye. He bent down to pick it up as behind him was another assassin probe droid about to strike. Mixer turned around as the droid grabbed him and began to pull him upwards into the darkness.
The Coronet was still in hyperspace. After the steamed debate with the Duchess, the Jedi excused themselves before dinner started. During that time, Obi-wan was telling his friends about the relationship he had with Satine.
"You and Satine have a history," said Anakin to his teacher.
"I think it's more than that. You've seen the way they flirt while arguing," smiled Storm as both Jedi Knights continued to have their smug expression at the Jedi Master. "Almost reminds me of someone else," whispered the boy so that only Anakin could hear as he rolled his eyes at what his friend was insinuating.
Obi-wan took a deep breath as he began to inform the Jedi Knights about how he knew the Duchess.
"An extended mission when I was younger. Master Qui-Gon and I spent a year on Mandalore protecting the duchess from insurgents who had threatened her world," said the Jedi Master as they all entered an elevator before continuing his tale, "They sent bounty hunters after us. We were always on the run, living hand-to-mouth, never sure what the next day would bring."
"Sounds romantic," smiled Anakin.
"Ah, a classic tale of star-crossed lovers. So how many times did you have to come save her, and she fell into your arms? And you looked into each other eyes, staring as the night stars illuminated above you two?" mocked Storm.
"Shut up," said the Jedi Master to both his friends for mocking his quote un-quote relationship with the Duchess.
While they were talking, down in the cargo hold, R2 was still patrolling. The blue droid stopped rolling and scanned around. He then looked down as he saw the helmet of Mixer. The blue astromech droid was now starting to be scared as above were the claws of the assassin probe droids. R2 turned tailed and ran as he didn't get far. He managed to bump into Rex, Cody, and Sark as they saw the little droid as he was shaking.
"A civil war killed most of Satine's people, hence her aversion to violence. When she returned, she took rebuilding her world alone," said Obi-wan as he finished telling his story as they exited the elevator.
"You didn't stay to help her?" asked Anakin as they entered a room.
"That would have been problematic," answered Kenobi.
"How so?" questioned Storm.
"My duty as a Jedi demanded I be elsewhere," said Obi-wan as they entered the room, and he took a seat in a chair.
"Demanded? But it's obvious you had feelings for her. Surely that would affect your decision." stated Anakin as both he and Storm listened to their friend's story and could tell that he harbored secret feelings for the Duchess.
"Oh, it did. I live by The Jedi Code," answered Obi-wan as he reminded the Jedi Knights of the most vital rule that they must not disobey.
"Of course. As Master Yoda says: A Jedi must not form attachments," said Storm as he and Anakin leaned against the wall facing the Jedi Master.
"Yes. But he usually leaves out the undercurrent of remorse."
That statement said by Obi-wan was the most realistic and truest thing said when it came to the Jedi about not forming attachments.
Soon a beep was heard.
"Yes, captain?" answered Kenobi to his comlink.
"General, something's wrong with Skywalker's astromech. Scared him a real good, sir. I've also lost contact with two of my men." said Rex.
In the hangar, all three clone commanders rounded up the remaining troops and began to search the area that R2 was shown fleeing from. They arrived and looked, but could find nothing.
"I'm on my way down to assist you," said Obi-wan as he got up from his chair.
"I'll go, master. If there's something dangerous down there, the clones and us can handle it," said Anakin to his teacher as he left through the door.
"Besides, we wouldn't want Satine to think you didn't show up for your 'date'?" snickered Storm.
"Just get going!" shouted the Jedi Master as he didn't like that his friends were making fun of his love life.
"Ah! It feels so good to mess with Obi-wan and get away with it. There's nothing he could do about it." said Storm with a smile as he walked into the hallway. "It's almost as fun as teasing Anakin about Padme. Good thing I don't have to worry about an issue like this."
The Jedi Knight was glad he didn't have to deal with this issue that his buddies had about having secret feelings towards someone. He then caught up with Skywalker as the pair took the elevator and descended to the cargo area.
Obi-wan was making his way to the dining room as dinner was being served to the senators and the Duchess.
"Deep-fried nuna legs. Mmm, delicious," said Senator Orn Free as he munched away at the food.
"I beg your pardon, Senators. Our men are investigating a situation below decks. I respectfully ask you to wait here until it is settled." said Obi-wan as he entered the room and informed them of what was going on.
"All right, men. What's the problem? I'm missing dinner." mocked Anakin as he and Storm exited from the elevator.
"Forgot dinner. Did you see what they're having for dessert? Trust me, I'm getting a piece of that before that fatass senator eats it all." stated Storm as he also insulted Senator Orn Free.
"We're not sure yet, sirs, but there's still no sign of Mixer and Redeye," said Cody to both Jedi Knights.
"What's the matter, buddy?" asked Storm to R2 as the droid gave out scared, frantic beeps.
"I know. I know. But we're here now. Use your scanners. See if something's out of place." instructed Anakin.
The droid pulled out his scanner as he began to lead the way. The Jedi Knights and clones followed the droid as they began to investigate the mystery of the disappeared clones. They turned multiple corners as the droid picked up something. He then led them to a huge area as the lights from the clones' helmets showed a large crate that was tipped over and opened.
"Well, what've we here?" said Rex.
"Looks like the contents of this box are missing," replied Sark as they all inspected the wooden crate.
"Or it got up and walked away," said Storm looking at the box with a close eye.
"All right, fan out. Separate squads. I'll contact Obi-Wan." said Anakin as the clones received their orders and left.
The Jedi Knight then touched his comlink as he was contacting his teacher.
"Please excuse me," said Obi-wan to the Senators as he got up from the table to answer his comlink, "Anakin, Storm, what have you both found?"
There's a large open container, and the contents are missing," answered the Jedi Knight to his master.
"And we still have two men unaccounted for," added Storm.
"That's not good. Keep things quiet. I'll stay with the senators." said Obi-wan.
"Got it," responded Anakin.
The transmission ended as both Jedi Knights began to follow R2. The blue astromech gave a sound as he rolled in a direction.
"What's up? Did you find something?" asked Anakin as he and Storm had their lightsabers in their hands.
The Jedi Knights continued down a dark corridor as they followed R2. Their eyes were constantly looking around the room at anything that might happen. Soon in front of them, there was a spotlight shining down as footsteps could be heard and Redeye was shown about to walk into the light.
"There you are. Redeye, where have you been? You've had us all worried." said Anakin to the clone.
The clone didn't answer as he kept on walking. The Jedi didn't see that he was being controlled by the assassin probe droid as its claws were on its shoulder and making the clone move like a puppet.
"Redeye?!!" stated Storm with a bit more volume to get the soldier to answer.
Some eerie sounds and music played as the clone came into the light. Both Jedi Knights turned on their lightsabers as the assassin probe droid flung the clone at them. They moved out of the way as it hit some of the crates behind them. They turned back to see the droid crawling down the wall as it lunged at the two. They spun to the side while slashing during the spin to cut some of the legs off as the droid collided with the crates.
It soon got up and used its other legs to embed into some crates and tossed them at the Jedi Knights as they both got hit. They were on the ground as the droid was about to pounce and end the two when blaster shots were heard. They made contact with the droid as the clones arrived and opened fire on the thing as it went offline.
The Jedi got up and looked behind as they saw another droid making its way to the elevator.
"The lift!" shouted Storm.
The boy's response was heard as the assassin droid managed to open the doors and hurried its way up the shaft.
"Obi-Wan. There are assassin probes down here. One made it up the lift. We'll try to hold the others here!" shouted Anakin to his master through his commlink.
"Look out!" shouted Storm.
Another droid lunged as the boy met it in midair and slashed some of its legs.
"Sark!" shouted the teen.
The clone commander obeyed his General's orders as he began to fire his shots at the droid's face to kill it before it could get up. Soon more sounds were heard as even more assassin probes appeared as they began to engage with the Jedi Knights and their clones.
"Quickly! Secure the lifts!" shouted Obi-wan as he turned on his lightsaber and ran to approach the door.
The door suddenly opened as the assassin probe grabbed one of the Mandalorian guards and flung him into the other while using its other legs to knock Kenobi off his feet.
"Ah! Help!" shouted Senator Orn Free.
The assassin probe rushed and lunged onto the table as it looked to kill the Duchess and the Senators. It was seconds away as at the same time, Obi-wan leaped and forward flipped. He landed and in milliseconds quickly thrust his lightsaber dead center in the droid's eye as screeching mechanical sounds were heard as it flopped on the table, mere inches from killing its targets.
Back down in the cargo area, Anakin, Storm, and the clones managed to finish defeating the remaining assassin probes.
"There might be one left. Let's spread out and find it," stated Anakin.
"Watch it!" shouted Cody.
One of the assassin probes had SD-K4a mini assassin probe droids come out of the holes in its heads as they began to attack the group.
"I hate these little shits!" shouted Storm as they were trying to avoid getting killed by the small things surrounding them.
Upstairs, the same thing was happening with the probe droid Obi-wan killed. Thousands of little droids appeared as they began to continue the mission to kill their targets.
"They're everywhere!" shouted Rex as he and the clones were getting surrounded.
"Get behind us!" shouted Anakin to the clones as they could deal with the little things a bit better due to their quick reflexes.
The Jedi Knights were now slashing and cutting the tiny things in half using their quick lightsaber skills. Their plasma blades made it much easier to destroy the small things without having to constantly aim at them.
"Agh! Get it off! Agh! Agh!" shouted a clone as several of the small droids now began to climb on him. With some going under his helmet.
R2 was also helping out as he pulled out his taser and was firing the electricity from it. The blue astromech droid was destroying the small things as quickly as the Jedi Knights.
The same thing was happening upstairs as Obi-wan was doing his best to protect the Duchess and Senators. Satine pulled out a deactivator and fired a shot at some of the mini assassin droids as they short-circuited. Obi-wan smiled as the pair was now back to back as they rotated and took out the small things while protecting the other.
"Do you always carry a deactivator?" asked Obi-wan as he didn't know Satine had that on her.
"Just because I'm a pacifist doesn't mean I won't defend myself," justified Satine as they continued to destroy more droids.
"Now you sound like a Jedi," smiled Kenobi to his friend.
Satine then aimed as she took out the last mini droid trying to escape as it short-circuited. The Senators all got up, and they let out a sigh of relief. In the hangar, both Jedi Knights and R2 finished up the last of the small droids.
"Good work, men. You too, buddy," said Anakin to R2 as the droid let out a triumphant beep.
"Assassin droids. How did that monster end up in the hold?" asked Rex.
"Question is, who smuggled him on board?" said Anakin.
"Maybe the droid who overlooks the cargo bay can give us a hint," stated Storm as the group now began to look for their target.
Upstairs, Obi-wan picked up one of the small droids as he looked it over.
"Just like that swarm of venom-mites on Draboon, remember?" said Obi-wan with a smile as Satine walked past him.
"How could I forget? I still have the scar," giggled Satine with some flirtiness in her voice while looking at the Jedi Master.
"Begging your pardon, Duchess. I distinctly remember carrying you to safety," said Obi-wan as he was a bit confused by what Satine said.
"I meant the scar I got after you fell and dropped me," smiled Satine while looking at the Jedi Master's eyes.
"Oh. Yes," said Obi-wan as he quickly remembered that embarrassing moment.
Cleanup was now beginning upstairs in the dining room. Down below, the Jedi Knights and clones managed to find the protocol droid who was in charge of overseeing the stuff that was loaded onto the cargo bay.
"We're looking for the droid that services the cargo bay," said Anakin.
"Uh, yes sir, Are all those creatures dead?" asked the protocol droid as he was still a bit frightened.
"That's what we're trying to find out. You're in charge of the cargo manifest, right? So do you have it or not?!!!" shouted Storm.
"Uh, yes. I have it right here," said the protocol droid as he found the shipment on his tablet and walked back to the Jedi.
"Well, where did they come from?" asked Anakin sternly.
"It is right here, on the manifest," said the droid as Anakin grabbed it and began to read it.
"For immediate delivery to Coruscant: one container marked 'medical supplies.' There's no name on this chart! There is no indication of who shipped it." stated Anakin as he handed the tablet to Storm for him to look at.
"No, sir, just the Senate stamp always accepted for transport here aboard the Coronet," said the droid.
"Then I think you know what that means, Anakin. If this transport has the Senate stamp on it, there's only one place it could come from. Which means..."
"We have a traitor in our midst," said the Jedi Knight to the teen.
"The question now is: Who's the one that did it?" stated Storm as they had four possible suspects upstairs.
After having a small talk with the clones, both Jedi Knights made their way upstairs. They arrived at the dining room as Storm handed the tablet to Obi-wan. The Jedi Master looked at it as he began to read it.
"One of our four distinguished senators appears to be a traitor," stated Anakin.
"I sense it too," said Obi-wan as his Jedi Master instincts were going off.
All three heard something as they looked to the floor and saw that a mini assassin droid was still functioning.
"It looks like one of our little visitors is still alive," said Kenobi.
"I got it," said Storm as he turned on his lightsaber.
"No Storm. I have an idea how to expose the turncoat," said the Jedi Master as the Jedi Knight turned off his weapon. "Return to the hull of the ship. Destroy the last assassin droids. I'll find out which of the senators is the traitor."
"The only thing I ask is you save me a piece of that dessert. Don't let that fatass senator eat it all," said Storm to his friend.
Both Jedi Knights left to go back to the cargo bay while Obi-wan began to devise his plan.
Sometime later, the Senators were once again at the dinner table as everything was cleaned up. Dinner kept on going as more servant droids were bringing out food. While all the Senators were eating, Satine was the only one who hadn't touched her meal as she simply sat in silence.
"Duchess, you are not eating," stated Senator Taa.
"I have no appetite," stated Satine as she was still thinking about what went down.
"Begging your pardon, you must keep up your strength," said Orn Free.
"By all means, be my guest, senator," said the Duchess as she didn't want the others to not eat because of how she was feeling.
"If you insist. Ah! Dessert! Excellent!" said the Senator as he saw Obi-wan coming with a plate.
"This morsel might prove too much even for the legendary appetite of Orn Free Taa. Enjoy," said Obi-wan as he pulled the curtain off of the plate he was carrying as inside was the mini droid that he caught.
The droid was held in a jar as it saw the Senators and the Duchess as it banged against the jar. It was programmed to carry out its orders, but Obi-wan kept a firm hand on the top of the jar.
"On second thought, it wouldn't agree with me," said Senator Taa as suddenly his appetite disappeared upon seeing the little thing.
"My theory is our little friend will attack the duchess and anyone who defends her. Anyone, that is, except the traitor who programmed it," said Obi-wan as he explained it to everyone in the room.
"Take it away! Please!" shouted Senator Orn as he was scared for his life.
Obi-Wan, this line of questioning borders on torture!" shouted Satine to her friend as she didn't like what he was doing by scaring the others.
"Oh, I assure our pacifist duchess that all is under control. I'm trying to expose a bigger threat. Interesting." said Obi-wan as he walked around the dinner table carrying the droid.
He watched what it was doing as it was pointed in the direction of the Senators and Satine as he came round to the end of the table.
"The droid displays unusual hostility toward the honorable Kin Robb. But it seems to like you, Senator Merrik," said Obi-wan as he came to the end of the table and approached the Senator seated to Satine's right. The droid didn't attack the others when it approached the man. "Well, Prince?"
"Really, General Kenobi, you're quite clever!" shouted Merrik as he stood up and flung the jar out of the Jedi's hands.
It went flying as the jar busted open and the droid was free. It landed at the far end of the dinner table and began to make a beeline for the Duchess as Satine saw it coming for her. It leaped into the air as Obi-wan was quick to act as he swatted it away with a dinner plate. The mini probe landed on a protocol droid as it began to short-circuit the larger droid completely as it shut down and fell.
The small thing appeared from the neck of the protocol droid as Obi-wan turned on his lightsaber. It jumped from the droid to one of the Senators as he began to quickly get rid of it before it would kill him. Obi-wan quickly sliced his lightsaber at it as he killed the small thing just inches from the Senator's clothes.
"You're coming with me," said Merrik as he managed to grab ahold of Satine and knocked off her headpiece.
Obi-wan saw this as Merrik had Satine in his left arm while in his right, he had a blaster aimed at the Duchess' head with his finger on the trigger. The doors closed as both officials were shown exiting the room as Satine was struggling to get free. The Jedi Master then ran as he exited the dining room and was looking for Merrik.
"Anakin, Storm, Tal Merrik is the traitor, and he's taken Satine hostage," said Obi-wan as he informed his friends while running through the halls.
"Copy that, but we've got problems of our own right now," whispered Anakin through his comlink.
Both he and Storm were walking side by side cautiously. They had their lightsabers out as it was only light that allowed them to see as they were trying to find the last assassin droids.
"See if you can find him, Obi-wan. Once we're done, we'll head up," spoke Storm quietly as well as they kept on slowly walking forward. R2 was behind them as he elected to go with them as he felt it was the safest option.
"Cody, Rex, Sark, have you boys found anything?" asked Anakin through his comlink.
"All quiet over here, sir," replied Rex as the three clone commanders were with each other.
They all were scanning and looked around for their target. On one of the boxes facing away from the clones was one of the mini droids as it scurried away just as they passed the crates it was on. Soon they saw something.
"Wait a minute..." said Cody.
Lying on the ground in front of them was a clone helmet. Cody bent down and extended his arm.
"You know what's gonna happen, right?" said Sark to his pal.
All three clone commanders looked at each other as they could see they all had the same thought through their helmets. They all nodded as they prepared for what was about to go down. Cody continued to reach for the helmet as he grabbed it. He then turned it upside as was about to look inside of it. All three looked inside as the little droid was hiding and lunged at Cody as the clone fell to the floor. He accidentally fired a shot when he hit the ground. It was picked up by the Jedi Knights as they ran to where it came from.
Both Rex and Cody tried to help their pal but soon more attacked them and got them to fall as well. Anakin and Storm turned the corner as they sliced their blades to get rid of the small things. R2 shocked the one on Rex's hand as the droid gave a beep.
"Thanks, little guy," said Rex to the droid.
"Well, we found the little ones. What about the mother?" asked Anakin as he turned off his lightsaber.
"Haven't seen it," answered Sark.
At that moment, behind them, the mother assassin droid gave a sound. It then lunged as it tackled Rex to the ground. It got the clone commander into the spotlight as it looked to kill him. The clone captain was able to block the claws as he held them in his hands. Rex managed to get his leg under it as he kicked it off and it flew over his head.
Rex turned on his belly as he began to fire at it. The other joined in at shooting at the droid as it began to climb the wall. Anakin gave a hand signal as he ordered the clone commanders to stop firing. He then threw his lightsaber at the droid as it made contact by chopping off its legs.
The droid fell as Rex quickly got on top of its head and began to fire both of his pistols into it. The droid let out a sound as it shut down for good. The clone captain gave a thumbs up to both Jedi.
Meanwhile, Merrik had made it to the bridge of the ship as the crew saw them standing in the doorway. The Senator opened fire on all of the crew as he show them in cold blood. He then aimed it at the captain.
"No, please, I beg you," pleaded the captain as he was shut down without any mercy from Merrik.
"Monster! You're a horrid monster!" said Satine to his face at what he just did.
"Get used to it," snickered Merrik to the Duchess.
Obi-wan was turning a corner in the hallways as coming from the opposite direction were Storm and Anakin. They had finished clearing the droids from down below as they rushed upstairs to meet up.
"Did you find them?" asked Obi-wan as they met in the middle.
"No, but I've stationed troopers at every escape pod," said Anakin as they all began to walk the way the Jedi Knights came from.
"Merrik will try to signal his allies for help. We have to find him," stated the Jedi Master to his friends as they all boarded an elevator.
"This may not be the time to ask but were you and Satine, ever..." said Anakin to his teacher.
"I don't see how that has any bearing on the situation at hand!" shouted Obi-wan to his student for asking such a stupid question when Satine needed his help.
"Okay, okay, calm down," said Storm putting his hands up to get the Jedi Master to not direct his anger at them. "He totally has a thing for her."
"Oh, yeah," said Anakin softly as he and his friend continued to have fun at Obi-wan's expense when it came to his feelings about Satine.
At the bridge, Merrik had pushed a button to make contact with his allies.
"Death Watch command," spoke Governor Vizsla.
"Tal Merrick here."
"Senator Merrick. Have you completed your mission?" asked the leader of Death Watch.
"Yes, sir. I have the duchess, but I'll need help getting her away," stated Merrik.
"Very good. Reinforcements are on their way," said the Mandalorian as the hologram and transmission ended.
Not a few moments later, several Separatist boarding ships were shown. They were heading towards the Coronet as they hit the ship and embedded into it as they were shown piercing in the hallways of the ship. The doors opened as out came B1 Superbattle droids as they began to march.
An alarm went off throughout the whole ship. The clones were all gathering up and running to where the breach was made to defend the ship. The Jedi saw this as they too heard the alarms and they knew what that meant.
"We'll take care of this, Obi-Wan. You? Go find your girlfriend." stated Anakin to his teacher as he left.
"And when you save your girl, make sure you give her a kiss," snickered Storm as he too left.
"Right. Uh, no, Anakin, Storm, she's not my..." Obi-wan merely grunted as he didn't have time for this and quickly ran to go find the Duchess and save her.
There was a battle taking place as the droids were firing at the clones. They arrived as it was open warfare in the small narrow corridor. Even the Mandalorian guards were fighting against the droids as they were spinning their staffs to block their shots while slowly advancing up to attack the droids when they got up close. The Mandalorian guards were actually holding their own against the droids as they showed off their warrior training. The droids kept on marching as they managed to take down some clones.
At that moment, Obi-wan made his way to the bridge as the doors opened and he pulled out his lightsaber.
"Come in, Kenobi. You're expected," said Merrick as he still had Satine in his left arm as the pair was at the control panel.
"Tal Merrick, you are under arrest. Release the duchess," demanded the Jedi Master as he pointed his lightsaber at the senator.
"Hmm, I took the precaution of wiring the ship's engines to explode. I press this remote, and we all die," said Merrick as he thought a step ahead.
"Obi, if you have any respect for me, you will not take such risks with so many people's lives at stake," said Satine as she pleaded with the Jedi Master to just forget about her and save everyone else.
"Satine..." said Obi-wan as a look of concern came upon his face seeing Satine being trapped. "Don't."
Merrick slowly made his way back to the top as Obi-wan continued to circle him while keeping his blade pointed. The senator then backed up out of the door as the Jedi Master followed him while keeping his lightsaber out as they were walking to where the Senator was looking to make his escape.
Back with the fight, the clones and Mandalorians were holding their own against the droids. Anakin and Storm soon joined in as they rolled from a corner towards a wall and bounced off of it. They landed behind a section of the droids and began to slice at them while the clones continued to handle the ones that kept on walking. It wasn't much longer as the Jedi Knights cut down the last bit of droids with ease. They put their hands out and used the Force to push the last ones against the walls as they shut down. With the reinforcements dealt with, both Jedi took off to go help their friend.
Obi-wan was still tailing Merrick as all three made their way to one of the boarding ships as the senator looked like he was about to escape with Satine as his prize.
"This is Merrick. Stand by to disengage. Say farewell, Duchess." snickered the senator as he began to prepare to leave.
Seeing as how it looked like this might be the end, Satine took a deep breath as she was preparing herself for what she wanted to say. Something that she desperately wanted to tell the Jedi Master to give herself some closure and to let him know something.
"Obi-Wan, it looks like I may never see you again. I don't know quite how to say this, but I've loved you from the moment you came to my aid all those years ago," said the Duchess as she let her true feelings out for the Jedi Master. And that was... she was in love with him.
"I don't believe this," said Merrick as he couldn't believe what was going on with an eye roll.
"Satine, this is hardly the time or place for..." started Obi-wan until he saw Satine's expression.
At that moment, the Jedi Master knew what he had to do. Now he took a deep breath as he too prepared himself for what he had been waiting to say to Satine all those years ago. With the Duchess expressing her true feelings about him, he had to do the same.
"All right. Had you said the word, I would have left the Jedi Order. For you."
And just like that, it was done. Both Duchess and Jedi expressed the true feelings they had for one another. They both looked at each other and a small smile came on their faces to see that both really were in love with the other.
"That is touching. Truly, it is. But it's making me sick, and we really must be going." said Merrick as he was disgusted by the romantic moment the two were having.
"You have the romantic soul of a slug, Merrick," shouted Satine at him for interrupting such a sweet moment between her and the person she loved the most.
"Ow!" shouted Merrick as Satine stomped on his foot.
That got him to release his hold of the Duchess as she quickly grabbed his blaster and aimed it at him.
"And slugs are so often trodden upon," replied the Duchess as she and Obi-wan were the ones with the upper hand.
"Interesting turnabout, but even if I do not deliver the duchess alive to the Separatists, I still win. The second I'm away, I'll hit the remote and blow the Coronet to bits," stated Merrick as he still had the advantage.
"I will not allow that," stated Satine.
"What will you do? If you shoot me, you prove yourself a hypocrite to every Pacifist ideal you hold dear," said Merrick to Satine as he mocked her. "And you, Kenobi. You are no stranger to violence. You'd be hailed as a hero by everyone on this ship... almost everyone." snickered the man as he quickly looked at the Duchess.
For once, the traitor was right. Should Satine pull the trigger, it would mean she would go back on her word about being against violence and staying out of the fighting. And should Obi-wan kill him, it would piss off Satine even more and for the Jedi Master who had the Duchess pour her heart for him, it was something he couldn't do. Not to mention, the Jedi Code forbids any killing. As it turns out, neither of them could do anything but watch as Merrick could get away and blow them all up. Safe to say, they couldn't do anything.
"Come on, then. Who will strike first and brand themselves a cold-blooded killer?" asked Merrick as he put his arms out.
Soon a lightsaber was shown through him. He then fell as behind him was Anakin as some ominous music played that sounded quite familiar. The Jedi Knight quickly caught the remote to avoid it going off.
"Anakin..." said Obi-wan to his student as he shook his head.
"What? He was going to blow up the ship," said Anakin nonchalantly as that was his defense for killing the traitor.
"God damn it, Anakin!" shouted Storm as he appeared seconds later. He saw Senator on the ground as it turns out he was a little too slow to stop Anakin from doing what he did.
"Look, it was either we kill him, or he kills us. Which one do you want?" asked Anakin to his pal.
"You could've knocked his ass out. Do something that doesn't involve killing. We're Jedi, we don't kill!" stated the teen to his friend as he couldn't believe Anakin thought to kill without thinking of other ways to disarm the Senator.
Soon both Jedi Knights began to argue as Satine threw the blaster she was holding away. Obi-wan turned off his lightsaber as Satine began to approach the Jedi Master.
"Obi-Wan, I..." The Duchess was then cut off.
"General Skywalker, General Storm, the last of the droids have been defeated, sir," said Cody as he and a few clones appeared behind them to inform the Jedi of the news.
"Very good, Cody," replied Anakin as they all looked back to see Satine and Obi-wan.
"I must get back to the business of diplomacy," said Satine as she went back to being professional and walked away leaving the Jedi Master by himself.
"As you say, Duchess. Some other time," sighed Obi-wan as he could see that Satine wanted to say something to him.
But their jobs required that they remain professional with one another despite their true feelings. And so, that was the choice both made, despite what their heart wanted, they each had a duty to uphold.
The Jedi were starting to leave as Storm stayed back a bit. He looked at where Merrick's body was as the teen put his hand out. He closed his eyes as the Force soon transmitted the memory to the boy of what went down. Storm opened his eyes as he gasped a bit at what was revealed. He then turned to see Obi-wan walking down the hall as he had to know something.
It took a while, but soon the Coronet was shown approaching the planet Coruscant. Tons of Republic cruisers and fighters appeared to accompany them as they entered the planet's orbit. They entered the atmosphere. They soon arrived as the Chancellor and a group of other officials awaited them.
"A job well done, Master Jedi," said the Chancellor as he saw Kenobi and the Jedi Knights exit.
"Thank you, Chancellor," bowed Obi-wan.
"Your Excellency," said Anakin as he and Storm bowed as well before moving to the side to allow the other officials to speak with the Chancellor.
Satine was then shown approaching Obi-wan as Anakin and Storm left to check up on the troops.
"How ironic to meet again, only to find we're on opposing sides," smiled Satine as she looked at the Jedi Master.
"The needs of your people are all that matter. They couldn't be in better hands with you to guide their future," complimented Obi-wan to the Duchess with a smile.
"Kind words indeed from a mindful and committed Jedi. And yet..." said Satine as he put her hand as she was thinking.
"What?" asked Obi-wan as he was concerned.
"I'm still not sure about the beard," flirted Satine as she brought her hand up and stroked the Jedi Master's facial hair.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" asked Obi-wan.
"It hides too much of your handsome face," giggled Satine as she then stroked Obi-wan's cheek.
"What was that all about?" chuckled Anakin as he and Storm reappeared by their friend's side.
"A very remarkable woman," said Storm as Anakin put his hand on his teacher's shoulder.
"She is indeed," smiled the Jedi Master as they saw the Duchess leave.
Once the Duchess left, the Jedi looked to report to the Council about their mission. However, Storm stopped Kenobi in his tracks as he need to talk with the Jedi Master privately about something.
"Obi-wan, you weren't serious, right? What you said to Satine when she was being held hostage? It can't be true right... that... you... you, of all people. You would have left the Jedi Order if she told you her true feelings."
The boy was looking for his answer. He didn't need Obi-wan to say anything as just the expression and look in his eyes confirmed it.
"No way," spoke Storm softly as the Jedi Master sighed and left.
Now the boy was left alone as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.
Holy shit. Holy shit. Never in all my years, did I think that the... the... Obi-wan Kenobi... would fall to the clutches of love. To think, one of the most well respected, honorable, and perfect by the book Jedi, actually fell in love. It can't be. I... I don't believe it.
The boy was now thinking about Anakin and his relationship, and now knowing about Obi-wan's secret feelings. To think, that two of his closest friends actually had feelings towards someone they cared about the most.
Jedi don't form attachments... yet... both Anakin and Obi-wan did. They say things happen in three... so... does that mean...
At that point, Storm remembered the conversation that he had with Cadance and how true it was at this present moment and with his two pals.
(Flashback)
"My question is, say you met someone. You saw them, and over time, the more you bonded, the more time you spent with them, and you started to develop feelings. Then say you wanted to act on those feeling, but your duty as a Jedi forbids it. So what do you do? Do you choose to break it off and continue being a Jedi? Or do you choose to leave, to be with that someone?"
"I can't just up and leave. I can't voluntarily leave the Jedi Order! That's not how it works. I... I have to remain a Jedi, even if I was to fall in love with someone. I'm needed in this war that we're fighting. Twilight has told you, that I'm on the front lines of every battle that me and my friends are in. If I choose to fall in love, I would lose all that. I would lose my title, my status, my lightsaber, and for what? A chance at love?"
"Is that a bad thing? Or are you just preaching the Jedi values that have been implemented into your brain by the others and your master?" countered Cadance.
"I'm a Jedi, and as powerful as I am. I can't have all the power that comes with it and someone who I care about deeply. It just can't happen or work." stated Storm.
"Are you so certain?"
"What?"
"When you took the oath of being a Jedi, they said don't form attachments. And you would agree to that statement cause in your head, you're thinking, that's not gonna happen. But... how hard is that? Especially when you form it anyways." stated Cadance.
"Huh?"
"Cause forming an attachment, you don't consciously make the decision. It just happens. It's a process, not a decision. I mean, how can you not have a crazy connection with someone who you're protecting as well as they're a similar age to you. It's bad. You both can't be together. Forbidden love. Those are always the most exciting ones."
"Alright, enough of this shit! What are you really asking?" said Storm as he had enough of Cadance's game.
"What do you think of Twilight having to be married before the deadline?"
"Why is Twilight's personal business being brought into this. That's hers, not mine."
"But you're her partner."
"Partner, as in training. As in sparring, as in someone who motivates you, who pushes you to get to that next level! As someone who supports you! As someone who is a..."
"Friend," interrupted Cadance. "A friend. Someone who will stand by you in tough times. Someone you can count on. Someone who you care about. Someone who holds a special place in your heart, whether conditional or unconditional. Someone who you put your trust in."
"Tell me. Twilight is the exception in that she can fall in love, not whether she will be a Jedi when that happens, that remains to be seen. So, how do you feel about that?"
"As I said, Twilight has enough on her plate right now. She doesn't need to be concerned with what her partner thinks about her when it comes to her love life. That's for her and her alone. Me, I'm just here to hopefully guide her to where she doesn't have to be married by a specific date. Whether that happens or not, remains to be seen. All I can do is simply offer my support to her."
"But what if, speaking outloud, what if she was to marry another Jedi? Would they be excepted from the rule? Could it mean that both could have what they want?"
"You can't have everything you want. It's not possible cause if it was, I would've wished for this war to be over. Wanting something doesn't give you the right to have it. Simple as that."
(End of Flashback)
Sparky... Sparky...
For some reason, the boy was now thinking about the princess as the image of her smiling and giggling echoed in his mind. He looked to the sky as the clouds above rolled by. For the boy, inside of him, his heart was making a thudding sound to which he couldn't tell what it was trying to say. He soon put all of this talk about love aside as he had to maintain his duties as a Jedi.
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Hope they keep their emotions in check, even if it is adorable.
It takes a certain someone to affect another.
Wish that could happen to me.
One hundred if those to get some privacy in a bedroom.
True, hope Storm remembers that.
If not...Luna will remind him.
Uh, yeah, just wait for the future bub and get back to me on that.
I'm beginning to actually like Sark.
But question is, what is is armour color.
Rex's is blue, Cody's orange, so what color is Sark?
I always pictured him in a brownish type of color.
11247846
His colors are those of Luna when she’s a pony.
Nice use of 4th wall breaking.
Oh my. it his happening.
Love this chapter.
Makes me think of how much I love this episode.
Looking forward to see more.
11247851
Dark Blue and black.
Yeah, I can see that.
Strom finally gets it. You can't stop Love. it's a very powerful emotion to have.
I always find a funny how Anakin stabbing Him through the heart when you could have just cut off his arm maybe the Jedi High Council could make an exception for storm and Twilight like you did with ki-adi-mundi