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tunglo · 2 years

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SW Book Index - Jude Watson

AKA overviews of what happens (that I care about... so anything Obikin-centric), and links to the bits I wanted to save because I thought they’d make good fic / meta material.

Jedi Apprentice - the adventures of Baby-Wan and Master Qui-Gon Jinn.

These are mostly just Obi-Wan angsting about what a terrible Padawan he is. Qui-Gon does little to help him deal with this, tbh, and there are many moments where you’re kind of left astounded the Jedi keep putting kids in his care..

★ Jedi Apprentice #2: The Dark Rival - May 1999. Obi-Wan is sent to Bandomeer to join the Agricorps. Qui-Gon’s former Padawan Xantaos arranges for his kidnap and he is forced into slavery before Qui-Gon saves him and reluctantly takes him on as his Padawan.

★ Jedi Apprentice #3: The Hidden Past - August 1999. The saga of the river stone begins!! They meet back up with Obi-Wan’s friend Guerra and help bring peace to Phindar, but not before Obi-Wan is almost mind-wiped. He manages to save his memories with the help of the river stone Qui-Gon Jinn gave him for his super special 13th Name Day that Qui-Gon had forgotten about until the last possible moment.

★ Jedi Apprentice #4: The Mark of the Crown - October 1999. Qui-Gon goes off grid for a couple of weeks and leaves Obi-Wan to it. Even though his faith in Obi-Wan’s abilities is actually kind of limited and Obi-Wan makes no effort to hide how very much he doesn’t want to have to lie and sneak around for him… Then Obi-Wan thinks he makes a friend - but it turns out Qui-Gon’s suspicions were right and the other kid was a spy. :(

★ Jedi Apprentice #5: The Defenders of the Dead - December 1999. On a mission to Melida/Daan Obi-Wan chooses to stay and fight for what he believes is right with a group of young rebels. Qui-Gon warns him that if he stays he will no longer be a Jedi but Obi-Wan responds: "I have found something here more important than the Jedi code,” Obi-Wan said slowly. “Something not only worth fighting for, but worth dying for.” ... Obi-Wan had hurt him. He longed to take the words back. He could not. They had been said. He had meant them.

★ Jedi Apprentice #6: The Uncertain Path - February 2000. This one made me incandescent with rage! Because, on the one hand this is a kids’ book. Obviously the kids having agency is the whole point. On the other. WTF. WTAF. Qui-Gon has left 13 year old Obi-Wan in an active warzone, then doesn’t bother to tell anyone. He’s just taking part in a Temple exercise and wondering idly if Bruck Chun wants to be his new Padawan. When Yoda criticises this: ‘Qui-Gon stared stonily ahead. He had not expected this rebuke from Yoda.’

★ Jedi Apprentice #7: The Captive Temple - April 2000. Xanatos sways Obi-Wan’s rival, Bruck Chun, to help him attack the Temple. Obi-Wan wants to offer more help, but he is not technically a Jedi because of his actions on Melida/Daan: ‘He did not think this day could get any worse. Now it had. In the eyes of the Council, he could do nothing right. And in Qui-Gon’s eyes, he was worth nothing at all.’ In the end Obi-Wan fights Bruck to save Bant, but though he tries to help him, Bruck accidentally falls and dies.

★ Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: Deceptions - July 2001. Still being punished for Melida/Daan, Obi-Wan is struggling with his guilt and grief over Bruck Chun, and the fact Chun’s influential father is having him put on trial for the other boy’s death. Qui-Gon is too busy with Tahl to take much notice: ‘It is not all I need! Obi-Wan wanted to cry. He needed his Master’s presence.’ The second half of the book is when Obi-Wan is Anakin’s Master and has lots of interesting insight -

Obi-Wan seems so much younger than Anakin at 13. There’s this one line - ’Anakin pitched his voice high. He had an ability to seem younger than he was’ - that kind of sums it up for me. Anakin knows exactly what he’s doing, how to portray the front he wants, etc. Obi-Wan recognises this to some extent, eg. seeking out Anakin’s opinions and perceptions of people as ‘more astute’ than his own. ('Sometimes, Anakin reminded Obi-Wan of Qui-Gon. He had the same mix of logic and emotion that Obi-Wan struggled so hard to balance.’)

Which leads on to the other thing that jumps out at me: Obi-Wan’s failure to establish any real boundaries with Anakin. Anakin is very put out that Obi-Wan won’t tell him every detail of his past, like he has a total right to know whatever he wants. ('Why didn’t Obi-Wan trust him enough to tell him the truth?’) Anakin kind of hero worships Obi-Wan (how could a Padawan turn against his Master? how could they suspect you?) but seems to lack any sense of thinking he should obey Obi-Wan because he’s his teacher / an adult.

And, again with the lack of discipline and boundaries: 'Obi-Wan knew that Anakin had found these things [tools / droid parts, etc] by sneaking out of the Temple and dealing in the thriving black market of Coruscant. He preferred to turn a blind eye.’

★ Jedi Apprentice #8: The Day of Reckoning - June 2000. Xanatos has set them up on Telos but overreaches himself and ends up dead, preferring to kill himself by throwing himself into a pool of acid than repent.

★ Jedi Apprentice #9: The Fight for Truth - August 2000. For reasons best known to himself, Yoda has sent Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Siri Tachi and Adi Gallia to check out an alleged Force-sensitive baby in space North Korea. (They’ve cut themselves off from the rest of the galaxy because of visions of the Jedi bringing forth a great evil...) Obi-Wan and Siri are rounded up as suspected truants and sent to the ‘Learning Circle’ where children are indoctrinated for the General Good. When they keep complaining that the ‘facts’ they’re learning are lies, and that there can be no real freedom on a planet where nothing can be questioned, they’re taken to the Re-Learning Circle for indoctrination with extra isolation and sensory deprivation.

★ Jedi Apprentice #10: The Shattered Peace - October 2000. They go to sort out a dispute between royals and royal hostages on Rutan and Senali. It turns out that two supposed rivals are in love with each other; Obi-Wan struggles to make sense of it. Qui-Gon tells him: ‘Words do not always echo feelings.’

★ Jedi Apprentice #14: The Ties That Bind - August 2001. Qui-Gon and Tahl confess their feelings for each other, while Obi-Wan tries not to resent being relegated to sitting out on the stairs waiting for them…

★ Jedi Apprentice #15: The Death of Hope - October 2001. Tahl dies, Obi-Wan is afraid for his Master and what his attachment to her means.

★ Jedi Apprentice #16: The Call to Vengeance - December 2001. Qui-Gon is consumed with grief for Tahl and comes close to losing himself to revenge. Obi-Wan vows to protect his Master from himself, even though his Master is acting like a stranger.

★ Jedi Apprentice #17: The Only Witness - February 2002. Qui-Gon continues to mourn Tahl. Obi-Wan develops a crush on a young widow named Lena they’re supposed to be escorting to Coruscant - though he doesn’t seem to understand what it is he’s feeling for her.

★ Jedi Apprentice #18: The Threat Within - March 2002. They go to Tory wet dream land Vorzyd 4 to investigate terrorist attacks that turn out to be a rebel youth group who want more from life than work. Qui-Gon reflects on how proud he is of the now 18-year-old Obi-Wan’s maturity and wisdom. This is one of my faves of the whole series.

★ Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers - April 2002. I love this installment so much. Prof. Mark Lundi and some of his students went nuts trying to gain power from a Sith Holocron; Anakin and Obi-Wan are tasked with taking the ranting and raving Lundi (in a special traveling cage!) to retrieve it. There is so much great fic potential in Anakin’s interactions with Lundi et al, and his later possible understanding of how much he’s lost to the dark side as Vader...

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Jedi Quest - stories about Padawan Anakin between the ages of 13 and 16.

I originally read these in my teens and loved them. They’re basically about Anakin’s relationship with Obi-Wan, friendship with fellow Padawans Darra and Tru Veld, and his rivalry with Ferus Olin who plays the role of the snooty prefect who warns the protagonist they’re going to be in awful trouble if they don’t tell the headmistress what’s happening. My abiding memory of them was Obi-Wan giving Anakin Qui-Gon’s river stone and, though Obi-Wan had been justifiably upset with such a lame gift, Anakin is beyond overjoyed because it’s Obi-Wan’s most precious possession and he’s entrusting it to him. Re-reading them they’re even more delightfully slashy than I remembered, with Padawan Anakin going on (and on and on) about how he’ll make Obi-Wan love him...

★ Jedi Quest: Path to Truth - September 2001. Anakin and Obi-Wan go to Ilum to get a crystal for Anakin’s saber, then on to a mission where they encounter Krayn, a Slaver who kidnapped Amee’s mum back on Tatooine. Obi-Wan refuses to free the slaves: “I heard the slaves beg you to help them. I saw you turn your back on them. How can you abandon them to such misery? Every day for a slave is another chance to die. Killing Krayn will free them. How can you do this?" Anakin ends up being re-enslaved, blows Knight Antana’s cover, but does manage to instigate a slave revolt in the spice mines of Nad Shadaa. It’s still not enough though, and Anakin kills Krayn in cold blood. Obi-Wan witnesses it but rationalises it away, reasoning that it was self-defence and he has nothing to worry about...

★ Jedi Quest #1: The Way of the Apprentice - April 2002. ‘Anakin was special, and they all knew it. The trouble was that he knew it as well.’ We learn that Anakin regularly sneaks out of the Temple, has only just manages to make a friend (Tru) after 4 years there, and generally spends most of his time thinking about whether or not Obi-Wan is proud of him. His rivalry with Ferus begins: “Obi-Wan doesn’t see you clearly,” Ferus said softly. “He is a great Jedi Knight, but he is blinded by affection. But I see. And I will keep looking. I will watch you, Anakin Skywalker.”

★ Jedi Quest #2: The Trail of the Jedi - April 2002. 14-year-old Anakin thinks about how the Temple isn’t his home, and how envious he is of Obi-Wan’s relationship with Qui-Gon; he’s always felt ‘honoured’ to be Obi-Wan’s Padawan, but now he worries Obi-Wan is only training him because Qui-Gon begged him to. Though he knows full well a Master is typically distant with a young Padawan - he gives Tru and Ry-Gaul as an example - he still doesn’t think it should apply to him. ‘He could sense that his Master was uneasy. Something was bothering him. But Obi-Wan did not confide. He never does, Anakin thought. How can we get closer if he keeps all his thoughts to himself?’ As far as Anakin is concerned, no part of Obi-Wan’s life should be off limits to him. Meanwhile Obi-Wan angsts about having hurt Anakin’s feelings by not sharing his every thought. This one also features the A+++ Obikin passage: ‘He should not focus on what he didn’t have. He had this. This was his. And that was something. He would work hard. He would be a great Padawan. And Obi-Wan would come to love him. He would make him do so.’

★ Jedi Quest #3: The Dangerous Games - August 2002. The team is off to help police the Galactic Games and Anakin wastes no time getting involved in a podrace against Sebulba to help free a slave. He and Obi-Wan butt heads over this as it clearly isn’t part of their mission but, as Anakin argues, freeing him hadn’t been part of Qui-Gon’s mission either. ‘It wasn’t that Obi-Wan lacked compassion, Anakin mused. It was just that there was a little more distance between him and other living beings. Qui-Gon had not been able to pass along his connection to the Living Force to his Padawan, Anakin felt.’

★ Jedi Quest #4: The Master of Disguise - November 2002. Darra gets injured on a mission and Anakin blames himself. When Obi-Wan arranges for him to have extra saber training sessions with Darra’s Master, Soara Antana, he interprets it as a punishment and resolves to prove himself. Antana berates him for thinking himself superior to others and eventually refuses to train him further after he calls on his anger to defeat Ferus. Feeling lonely and hard done by, he’s an easy target for the sympathetic scientist Tic Verdun - who, of course, is actually Granta Omega in disguise.

★ Jedi Quest #5: The School of Fear - February 2003. This one is my favourite! Anakin and Ferus have to go undercover at a posh prep school to find out more about a Senator’s supposedly kidnapped son, with Obi-Wan as their contact. Being away from the Temple’s rules has Anakin wondering: ‘But was being a Jedi being free? Or had he traded one form of slavery for another?’ Anakin gets involved with a kids’ vigilante squad and when Ferus goes missing, instead of informing Obi-Wan, he carries on with the squad’s mission to go blow shit up on Andara. When Soara tells Obi-Wan he’s just devastated by it - but the best thing is Anakin thinks Obi-Wan’s gonna be so proud of him for sorting it all out himself. He shows off the kind of Force control Obi-Wan’s never even seen before and cannot understand why Obi-Wan’s so hung up on his failure to obey mission directives and communicate. ‘He felt shaken. Did Anakin understand that he had violated an essential part of the Jedi code? Did he know he had broken something between them? He had not fully trusted Obi-Wan. And so Obi-Wan had lost his trust in him.’

★ Jedi Quest #6: The Shadow Trap - May 2003. Anakin has been having a recurring vision, but when it comes to him while swimming he freaks out enough to track down Obi-Wan in the Room of a Thousand Fountains even though they’ve barely been on speaking terms since Andara. Granta Omega ends up capturing Anakin on the resulting mission because, like all SW villains, he is obsessed with Obi-Wan: ‘"Do you think he’s worried about you?” Omega barked a laugh. “What you don’t know about your Master could fill your precious archives. Kenobi doesn’t have a heart. Beings are just a means to get what he needs to be - the great Jedi in his own mind.”’ Yaddle saves the day - but sacrifices herself for the greater good in the process. Anakin blames himself for not understanding what the vision was trying to tell him: The vision hadn’t been wrong. The essential truth it had left him with was part of him now. He felt it inside him like a wound. It was loss. The gulf between him and Obi-Wan was wider than ever.

★ Jedi Quest #7: The Moment of Truth - November 2003. Anakin is still struggling to deal with his guilt over Yaddle’s death, and wonders if he simply feels too much to be a Jedi. On their mission he is captured and put into a tranquil state without emotion. Obi-Wan rescues him but Anakin’s still feeling the after effects - e.g. Obi-Wan is in danger but rather than rush to his aid, as is always his first instinct, he reasons that Obi-Wan is capable of handling it himself. But when Obi-Wan calls for him: ‘The hook in his heart seared him, and he knew its name. It was love. The love he felt for his Master was lodged firmly within him. It was a connection that had grown from the first moment Obi-Wan had told him that he would take him and train him.’ Ferus suggests that Anakin enjoyed being serene and content, so much so that it overpowered his loyalty to Obi-Wan. Tru tells Ferus to knock it off, but it does make Anakin confess all to Obi-Wan, including how he wishes he wasn’t the Chosen One. Obi-Wan tells him he wishes he could carry Anakin’s burdens for him but, as he can’t, all he can do is be there for him. ‘"Things between us have not run smoothly lately," Obi-Wan said. "But you must never doubt my commitment to you." "And mine to you," Anakin said.’

★ Jedi Quest #8: The Changing of the Guard - March 2004. Anakin feels he and Obi-Wan have reached a new level of closeness ever since he ‘had truly trusted him with the inner workings of his heart and mind’ and told him about his fears and the weight of being the Chosen One. Ferus has his own heart to heart with Obi-Wan and tells him how he envies Anakin’s ability to make friends, but fears for Anakin’s future given his lack of good judgement. Obi-Wan is ‘irritated’ by this and tells Ferus: ‘You must understand that it isn’t ambition that drives him. It is compassion.’

★ Jedi Quest #9: The False Peace - July 2004. Granta Omega and Jenna Zan Arbor are plotting an attack on the Senate. Palpy invites Anakin for a private meeting in his office and offers him the opportunity to shadow him to learn more about politics. ‘It was an extraordinary offer. Anakin knew he had to take it.’ When the attack goes down, Palps encourages Anakin to disobey Obi-Wan’s orders to stay put - presumably orchestrated to ensure Ferus alone cannot save Obi-Wan’s friend and senatorial aide, Tyro Caladian, who had been digging up dirt on Palps...

★ Jedi Quest #10: The Final Showdown - November 2004. As galactic stability falters, the Council decides to trial fast-tracking Knighthood. 16-year-old Anakin is convinced, who knows why, that he will be chosen for the programme. Obviously they actually choose Ferus - with Obi-Wan voting in favour. Anakin is so angry and jealous he keeps quiet when Ferus helps Tru fix his lightsaber, and doesn’t offer to check it over though he knows it’ll likely clash with his own previous mods. Tru’s lightsaber goes on to fail in battle, while Ferus is using it, and Darra dies after throwing herself in front of Ferus to save him. Ferus decides he’s not cut out to be a Jedi and resigns from the Order, but not before having one last spat with Anakin. The book ends with Anakin thinking about his heart will break the day he outstrips his Master, so the best way to deal with that unbearable sorrow will be to no longer have a heart. Hmmm.

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The Last of the Jedi - AKA the extended tales of how everything would have been fine if people had just listened to Ferus.

So, obviously, these are no longer canon and don’t fit with OWK as they’re set like 18 months after the rise of the Empire and Obi-Wan’s already well aware of what Anakin’s become. Vader in this series is still obsessed with Padme and is working with a scientist to wipe his memories of her so he will no longer feel guilt, etc. But. There is plenty of Obi-Wan angst, Anakin v Ferus tension when Palps starts up with his usual grooming, and nobody will ever convince me that Obi-Wan and Ferus did not kriff when Ferus turns up at his cave door on Tatooine...

★ The Last of the Jedi #1: The Desperate Mission - May 2005. Obi-Wan learns that Ferus is still alive, leading a rebellion movement, and goes to track him down because: ‘Ferus was alive, and that meant that the past had not died. Not completely.’ Obi-Wan asks him about Ferus’ reasons for leaving the Order, but Ferus won’t say too much because: ‘He had seen how hard it was for Obi-Wan to say Anakin’s name. He must miss his apprentice. Ferus wondered how Anakin had died, but he didn’t want to ask. He didn’t want to dredge up a painful memory for Obi-Wan.’

★ The Last of the Jedi #2: The Dark Warning - September 2005. Ferus goes to Ilum to get a new crystal and has a vision of Anakin.

★ The Last of the Jedi #3, #4, #5, and #6. Underworld (December 2005), Death on Naboo (April 2006), A Tangled Web (July 2006), and Return of the Dark Side (December 2006). Ferus goes back to the Temple on Coruscant, makes contact with Dex and the proto-rebellion, and remembers what an angry weirdo Anakin was. Obi-Wan urges him to go Naboo as a double agent for the Empire but won’t tell him why; baby Leia’s Force sensitivity has been attracting the wrong kind of interest. Meanwhile, Trever, Ferus’ sort of non-Force sensitive Padawan, starts calling him Ferus-Wan because he fusses as much as Obi-Wan did. <3 Elsewhere, Vader does not like the interest Palps is showing in Ferus, recognising that he’s potentially grooming him to be his new apprentice.

★ The Last of the Jedi #7: The Secret Weapon - April 2007. Anakin kills Ferus’ boyfriend, Roan Lands, in front of him because he’s just that much of a spiteful little shit. Palps has Ferus taken from custody and offers him the opportunity to become powerful enough to beat Vader.

★ The Last of the Jedi #8 and #9: Against the Empire (October 2007) and Master of Deception (February 2008). Ferus becomes more corrupted by Palps’ holocron and finally realises that Vader is Anakin. Meanwhile Anakin thinks about how much he enjoyed killing Roan: ‘He had taken from Ferus what had been taken from him. He had vanquished his enemy and brought him down. It had been so easy. He had felt so satisfied.’

★ The Last of the Jedi #10: Reckoning - May 2008. Ferus rushes to tell Obi-Wan Vader’s true identity... and realises Obi-Wan already knows. Obi-Wan says he doesn’t know what drove Anakin to fall but: “To have so many gifts, to be the Chosen One . . . to be so afraid of loss …“ Obi-Wan gazed back at Ferus. ”And to have me as a Master. In the end, there were things between us I hadn’t even realized were there. I don’t have the answer to why he turned. I can only ask myself that question, over and over again.”

Ferus and Anakin have a showdown with the amazing exchange: “So you know who I was,” Vader said. “Do you think that would make a difference to me? Anakin Skywalker is dead.” “Was it because the Council wouldn’t let you become a Master? You always had to struggle with your ego, didn’t you?” “It was never a struggle. I was always the best.”

Ferus, beaten and bloodied and heartsick, seeks out Obi-Wan on Tatooine. Obi-Wan tenderly nurses him back to health...

#star wars #jude watson #long post #obikin #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #ferus olin

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pyreshe · 2 years

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details of livvy’s sith arc;

there comes a point when anakin begins to have dreams that seemingly predict livvy’s death. in the dream he see’s her fighting valiantly, but her opponent is just too strong and she’s alone. the dream always ends the same way; livvy on the ground, a cut on her forehead dripping blood down her face, and a crimson lightsaber drawn and ready. the lightsaber arcs, livvy screams, rubble begins to fall, and then he wakes up.

anakin tries to protect her. he does his best to limit her missions and watches her like a hawk when they leave the temple. but it’s not enough. livvy ends up having what she believes to be an enlightening conversation with palpatine where she confesses that she’s worried about anakin and palpatine more or less tells her that she should protect him the way he protects her.

livvy and anakin get separated on a moon and grievous is in the area. while anakin battles grievous, livvy attempts to circumvent his plans on the other end of the station. unfortunately, dooku is there as well. they fight and livvy looses. anakin finds livvy’s lightsaber and blood in a heap of rubble; obi-wan has to physically force anakin away as he frantically searches through the debris while the station collapses around them.

olivia is presumed dead. anakin insists for months that she’s out there. that he can feel her force essence in the periphery of his senses and that he needs to find her. this is mostly written off as him grieving. eventually, even he can no longer sense her.

but months later, word surfaces of dooku having another apprentice. the first time anakin sees her, the wind is knocked out of him, because it’s livvy. her eyes are golden, she’s older and taller than he remembers, her face is an impassive mask and her force essence is absolutely wrong, and the lightsaber she’s spinning in her hand is an unforgiving crimson, but it’s her.

dooku has scratches on his face, as though someone has raked their fingernails over one of his cheeks. this and livvy’s corrupted essence, utter silence, and blank expression lead anakin to suspect that she’s being corrupted and controlled.

its a combined effort on obi-wan and anakin’s part to defeat dooku and incapacitate liv and even then they only barely manage it. anakin ends up killing dooku during this battle.

anakin was right. livvy’s head is a mess of warped and planted ideas, memories that have been twisted into unrecognizable shapes, and a shaky at best grasp on reality. it had taken months of dooku scrambling her head for her to arrive at that point.

it takes a while to sort out the mess of her head; anakin is good at fixing things. several jedi he trusts have a part in bringing livvy back to herself while she remains on naboo and mostly under sedation. but eventually, her eyes open and they’re once again a deep dark brown instead of that unsettling gold.

despite her head being mostly back in order, there are moments when livvy will question things and bring up memories that couldn’t have happened. one such memory is of chancellor palpatine’s face as she was being worked on. this is quickly dismissed; of course dooku had put palpatine’s face in livvy’s mind, probably hoping she would take him out.

livvy is required to have a trial. anakin fights them constantly and swears his padawan’s innocence throughout the ordeal. livvy’s innocence being proven is a long and tedious process but they manage.

eventually, though, anakin will wake up and find that livvy has once again vanished. this time she’d left a note explaining that she no longer feels able to stay with the order.

it’s a rough time.

palpatine offers anakin comfort during this time. he assures him that he’d done the right thing killing dooku and consoling him over the loss of his padawan.

at some point, however, one of palpatine’s sleeves slips and anakin notices a bite mark on his wrist. the teeth of the bite mark are crooked in the same exact ways that livvy’s are crooked; and in that moment anakin realizes that livvy hadn’t been confused when she’d talked about palpatine being there during her corruption. he’d actually had a hand in it, as she said.

anakin proceeds to kill palpatine too. he gets in some deep shit for that; even after palpatine is looked into more and seen for what he was, anakin is expelled from the order.

he settles on naboo with padme, who is recently pregnant. livvy comes back from her stay hiding out on helios with her grandparents and she and anakin reconcile.

the twins grow up on naboo and livvy is their favorite aunt.

#glorytragedy #me. about any lore issues in this post: fuck it we ball

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messiisgodibeliveinhim · 2 years

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Vader vs Obi Wan- Should it happen?

There is a huge debate going on in the fandom regarding whether Vaderwan fight in the new Disney+ series. There is a part of the fanbase that is dead set against it saying 'It breaks the lore, makes their fight in deathstar a bit meaningless' while another part goes 'It makes sense to have Vaderwan fight in an Obi-Wan show. It doesnt actually retcon anything'.

You know what? I actually agree with the later....

Okay okay, hear me out first before y'all come breaking down my door.

Do you really not believe that Vader and Obi-Wan never met ONCE in those long 20 years? Do you really think Vader had wouldn't have gone all out to find Obi-Wan and get his revenge? Do you really think Obi-Wan was able to stay in Tatooine without any fear of being found?

Becuz i dont think so. I really think it makes sense that Anakin/Vader is obsessed with his old master and would stop at nothing until he found him. I don't think he'll realize that Obi-Wan has been hiding out in his home planet, since Obi-Wan does leave Tatooine (We'll come to this in a second). But them meeting each other in these 20 years is inevitable. Y'all remember when Vader says 'Obi-Wan once thought as you did' when Luke says that there is still good in him in Episode 4? This means that there must have been a confrontation between them where Obi-Wan does try pleading to Vader/Anakin to come back to the light, doesn't it? That means they have met at least once after Anakin falls to the darkside and before A New Hope.

Vader also says 'I feel a presense. A presense i haven't felt since......' Since when? Mustafar? No.... He doesn't actually say. So there is still room to assume that they have met a few years prior.

Yes, Vader says that last time they had met, he 'was but a learner' and now he's 'a master'. Well, most of you assumed that Anakin was a learner in the literal sense, an apprentice to his master. But Anakin was not Obi-Wan's padawan at the time of the mustafar fight. He was a jedi knight and a former master to Ahsoka himself. So we cant really take what he said on the Deathstar in a literally.

He could have meant that- Last time we met, I was understanding the extent of my full powers and learning how to control it to destroy anyone or anything i want. Now, i know that the show takes place 10 years after ROTS so yeah, it still doesn't make any sense. But the context in which it is taken by the fans is also not right. So it won't break the lore, not exactly.

Its never mentioned anywhere that the two never meet before episode 4. So, its acceptable that they do meet. But does it make the fight in the Deathstar meaningless? Not if Disney handles it right. Vader felt surprised to have felt Obi-Wan's presence, almost as if.... he hadn't expected Obi-Wan to be alive. Maybe Obi-Wan fakes his death in the Obi-Wan show, dampens his force presense to make it seem like he's dead (it's not its his first time doing it *cough* Rako Hardeen deception ark in the Clone Wars *cough*) or something along the lines, really making Vader believe that Obi-Wan is no longer a problem. But we need to see how it happens in the show itself....

As for Obi-Wan leaving Tatooine? Some fans really don't don't like this idea and i get why. But consider this. The inquisitors are lead to Tatooine in search of the Jedi and in order to protect Luke, Obi Wan had to leave the planet before anyone can make a connection to Luke. Obi-Wan would do anything to keep the little Skywalker safe and draw danger's attention away from his home planet, even if it means he might get caught or killed in the process (That self sacrificing idiot🙄)

So its not really that much of a stretch to see him go off planet. But who will he leave behind to take care of Luke, we'll find out in the show.

Overall, the show (so far from what I've seen of the trailers) looks good. I'm really excited to see Ewan and Hayden back in their iconic roles. And i really hope Disney doesn't f*ck this up. Its their last chance at redemption, what with Obi-Wan and Darth Vader being 2 of their 3 most important star wars characters, along with Luke. They screw this up, the franchise goes down the drain. No doubt. This is their 'do or die' one-shot at redemption. I hope they know this.

Its rated 9+. So it wont be really dark. Which is a bit confusing, cuz i really expected the show to be rated atleast 15+. But, as long the story makes sense, the show stays true to its character and the action is awesome, i don't mind the lack of 'too dark' in it.

I'm tryna manage my expectations and not get too excited, but i cant help it. I'm really stoked, but I'm keeping my finger's crossed.

Lemme know what you guys think of Vaderwan fighting in the Obi-Wan Show.

Obi-Wan fighting hand to hand is just🔥🔥🔥

#obi wan #obi wan and anakin #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #darth vader #star wars #star wars prequels

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handstitchedanarchist · 2 years

Text

Whumptober 2022 Master List:

I’m planning on completing all the prompts, but it will definitely take longer than a month! I’ll be happy if I get these all done by the end of December!

Future fics concepts are definitely subject to change

Ideas/prompts welcome! (but no guarantees that’s where the inspiration will take me, lol)

Link to the Series on AO3

Prompts:

No. 1 A Little Out of the Ordinary: Adverse Effects, Unconventional Restraints, This wasn’t supposed to happen

Anakin doesn’t turn AU - Part 1

Title: The More Things Change…

No. 2 Nowhere to Run: Cornered, Caged, Confrontation

The Coruscant Guard in the days leading up to Order 66

Title: Impending

No. 3 Hair’s Breadth from Death: Gun to Temple, “Say Goodbye,” Impaled

Jesse and Fives die on Umbara. Kix is losing it.

Title: Fuel, Meet Fire

No. 4 Dead on your Feet: Hidden Injury, Waking up Disoriented, Can’t Pass Out

Cody took one too many stims and now he can’t go under

Title: The Smiling Death

No. 5 Every Whumpee’s Needs: Blood loss, Running out of air, hyperthermia (fever)

Kix accidentally removes the general's slave chip in surgery. Rex grapples with what that means for them.

Title: Send the Whole Damned Thing Down the Drain

No. 6 Proof of Life: Ransom Video, “I’ve got a pulse,” Screams from Across the Hall

Darth Sidious takes on more than one apprentice. Years later, Fox makes a maybe-friend.

Title: Proof of Life

No. 7 The way you shake and shiver: Shaking hands, Seizures, Silent panic attack

Kix kind of loses his mind after Umbara. He’s sent to the Coruscant Guard.

Title: 404: Sanity Not Found

No. 8 Everything hurts and I’m dying: Stomach pain, Head trauma, back from the dead

Fox dies like he lived. He’s not as dead as he hoped. Post O66

No. 9 The very noisy night: Sleeping in shifts, Tossing and turning, Caught in a storm

No. 10 Poor unfortunate souls: Taser, Whipping, Waterboarding

No. 11 “911, what’s your emergency?”: Sloppy bandages, Self-done first aid, Makeshift splint

No. 12 What could go wrong? “Mayday, mayday,” cave in, rusty nail

No. 13 Can’t make an omelet without breaking a few legs: Fracture, Dislocation, “Are you here to break me out?”

No. 14 Die a hero or live long enough to become a villain: Desperate measures, failed escape, “I’ll be right behind you”

No. 15 Emotional Damage: Lies, New scars, Breathing through the pain

No. 16 No Way Out: Mind control, Paralytic drugs, “No one’s coming”

No. 17 Hanging by a threat: Breaking point, Stress positions, Reluctant caretaker

No. 18 Let’s break the ice: “Just get it over with,” treading water, “take my coat”

No. 19 Enough is enough: Knees buckling, repeatedly passing out, head lolling

No. 20 It’s been a long day: Going into shock, fetal position, prisoner trade

No. 21 Famous last words: Coughing up blood, “you’re safe now,” “take me instead”

No. 22 Pick your poison: Toxic, withdrawal, allergic reaction

No. 23 At the end of their rope: Forced to kneel, Tied to a table, “Hold them down”

No. 24 Fight, Flight, or Freeze: Blood covered hands, “I don’t want to do this anymore,” Catatonic

No. 25 Silence is golden: Lost voice, duct tape, “You better start talking”

No. 26 No one left behind: Separated, Rope burns, “Why did you save me?”

No. 27 Pushed to the limit: Muffled screams, Stumbling, Magical Exhaustion

No. 28 It’s just the tip of the iceberg: Anger born of worry, Punching the Wall, Headache

No. 29 What doesn’t kill me…: Sleep deprivation, Defiance, “Better me than you”

No. 30 Note to self: Don’t get kidnapped: Manhandled, Hair grabbing, “Please don’t touch me”

No. 31 A light at the end of the tunnel: Comfort, Bedside vigil, “You can rest now”

#whumptober2022 #my writing

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adventseven · 2 years

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Obi-Wan Kenobi Finale Review

Hello there, it's time to wrap up Kenobi.

The last two episodes of Obi-Wan wrapped up the show's possible freshman season nicely. They featured great character moments, an intense battle, and three of the best lightsaber fights I've seen since Ahsoka vs Darth Maul in Clone Wars S7.

Kenobi Episode 6 was the best of the two. It led with a bang and ended with the beginning of a long friendship. Kenobi regained his full connection to the force just in time to battle his former apprentice again. Rebels fight the empire, princesses steal the show, and Darth Vader covers everything in the shadow of the dark side.

I also enjoyed the character arc of Inquisitor Reva. A former jedi so consumed by the dark side she killed jedi in order to get her revenge on Darth Vader. Her grappling with the failure of her plan should be the biggest part of her season 2 arc should Disney make one.

Kenobi's arc from scared hermit back to master Jedi worked on so many levels. He was broken by failure and plagued by trauma. Now he's level headed and ready to keep training as a jedi. His final fight with Vader had the perfect mix of lightsaber coolness and emotional tension. At the same time he was the same old Kenobi. He saved innocents from the bad guys and protected the future of the galaxy.

Hayden Christensen was an absolutely necessary part of this series. He was awesome in the Attack of The Clones flashback and he was even better as Darth Vader. Star Wars wouldn't be where it is now without him.

His scenes as Darth Vader show Disney continuing to portray Vader as a terror to the Star system. From catching a Starcruiser out of the sky to making a chump out of Reva, Vader is a warrior nobody to mess with. Before now he was just an imposing, scary guy but now it really feels like Anakin is inside the suit.

I really loved how Kenobi embraced the Prequels. They're no longer the ugly stepchild of the Star Wars universe. They are an important part of Star Wars and, while imperfect, are a part of Lucas’s legacy.

I hope that there are more live action shows that take place during the post-Order 66/ Pre-New Hope era. I adored Rogue One and even though it's flawed, I still had fun watching Solo. Maybe we will see The Path referenced in the upcoming Andor show. McGregor and Christensen want to do another one and I hope Disney does too.

As I wrap up the wrap up of Obi-Wan Kenobi, I feel satisfied. This was a Star Wars project driven by the unique vision of the show's writers and director. It gave us the return of Ewan McGregor and a new wonderful Leia performance. I'm glad this series was made, and I'll anxiously await the return of this jedi.

Ep.5: 8.9/10

Ep.6: 9.1/10

By Julian Hayden

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Advent_Seven Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AdventSevenMedia See us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advent_seven/ Join our Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/AdventSeven/ Find Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdventSevenMedia/

#Obi-Wan Kenobi #Star Wars #Disney #disney+#Darth Vader #Ewan McGregor #hayden christensen #leia organa #inquisitor reva #series #review

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deniigi · 2 years

Note

Cyborg, please! I’ve been trying to guess who it’s about and I’m sure I’m completely wrong.

cyborg:

(Oh MAN. This is an AU where Obi-Wan is Qui-Gon's 3rd apprentice after Anakin, and he's a cyborg. I wrote it because I thought Anakin would be the most enthusiastic big brother if given the opportunity and that can be magnified via richter scales if said the younger sibling was part droid.)

I'll give you the whole thing because the snippet doesn't really make sense.

------

The boy’s arms are coated in copper-colored filth all the way up to the elbow. Rust curls around his fingers into talons and he walks in the limping stagger of exhaustion.

He has saved Qui-Gon’s life, this child made of rust. His feet wish to lift no longer. They stop and the rest of the body sways. The eyes drift closed and open like tendrils of an anemone.

Qui-Gon gazes upon the whole ensemble as the boy lifts his face with its scraped, scabbing cheeks.

Obi-Wan’s fingers curl inwards in front of him, asking for something that his face does not. They want something to fill the childish hollowness between them and the fragile bones set like a cage around his red beating heart.

He makes the gesture again.

It is a baby’s cry for comfort, not quite forgotten in this mite of a boy just brushing his nose against adolescence. And yet the boy does not speak; does not ask for the pressure and closeness that his body craves out of instinct. His eyes fall to the ground and stay there, dipping lower with his head in cruel resignation while those fingers sob for something to hold onto. He has been in these mines for a month now and no longer believes reassurance will come when he whimpers.

Obi-Wan will be returned to the Agricorps and they will scrub the clay and soot and ash from his hands. They’ll gather him up into their arms and hug him tight—these are the people that the Agricorps are. But Qui-Gon stands here before him, feeling his height more than he has in twelve years to the day.

It’s Anakin’s birthday at home.

Happy Birthday.

Qui-Gon kneels before this child and puts two fingers in each of those rust-colored palms.

Obi-Wan startles and tears his hands away. Finally, he cries out and turns around, scrabbling in his attempt to run back to the mine. His fear is as sluggish as his exhaustion. It takes nothing to catch him around the arms and lift him until he can run no longer. He still fights—squirms, wriggles, sighs, goes still and makes a pitiful sound that Qui-Gon doesn’t need to decipher.

He sets the boy down and takes both of his wrists this time to keep him from getting any ideas about running back to the straight drop they’d just climbed out of.

“Obi-Wan?” he asks.

The eyes come up with the head with the hair with the scrapes and the bruises.

“I’m very impressed with you.”

The eyes and the bruises look to the side. The lips remain dispassionate. The pulse under Qui-Gon’s fingers is steady as ever.

“Would you like to come home with me?”

Obi-Wan rocks on his feet and makes a little grunt when he tests Qui-Gon’s grip by twisting his wrists.

“Would you like to be my padawan?”

All movement stops. The child, once burned, is now frozen. He remains that way for several full beats before jerking his head sharply up to meet Qui-Gon’s eye.

Slowly, he nods. Qui-Gon lets go of his wrists, his own fingers now darkened with dirt and soot. He lifts his hand and places a thumb in the very center of the boy’s forehead.

It leaves an oval.

Obi-Wan is offended. He reaches up and vehemently swats at Qui-Gon until Qui-Gon laughs and leans forward enough for Obi-Wan’s sudden spark of life to press its own thumb in the center of his forehead.

It leaves a mark.

Obi-Wan smiles.

---

It takes a few weeks before the council agrees to let Qui-Gon renegade on his hasty rejection earlier that year. They worry that his interest in Obi-Wan now is a fleeting fancy. Obi-Wan most of all. He never explicitly says so, but he comes over to Qui-Gon once every few days and bumps his head against his arm like a cat. And then he’s off again.

Just checking for hostility. Just checking to make sure Qui-Gon’s real.

Anakin is chomping at the bit the whole time.

He has, in nothing less than the strictest definition, evacuated his room of himself and all belongings. He’s dumped all these on the floor of his newly assigned apartment and returned to stand around on Qui-Gon’s feet, asking when, oh when is the new baby coming home.

He and Feemor are equally insufferable like this. Equally insistent. They’ve teamed up as one to make Qui-Gon roll his eyes, he’s sure.

Together, they clamber up onto the counter that Qui-Gon looked away from for less than a full second and ask him a thousand questions about Obi-Wan.

How old is he?

Where does he come from?

What does he like to do?

Qui-Gon cannot answer these are more thoroughly than he already has.

Obi-Wan is twelve.

He comes from Stewjon, where it appeared he’d been taken from a family as a wrongfully declared stillborn and subjected to experimentation by a group of people whose facility Mace had cheerfully set ablaze.

He likes to run around at the fastest speed he can muster and hide in dark, cramped corners.

Allegedly, he also likes eating things that his human digestive track could not absorb but that the biological droid system wired into his brain and nervous system felt he needed for happy functioning.

Qui-Gon had been advised by the healers to remove anything that appeared to be copper-like from his living quarters.

This is what he has for the former-padawans colonizing his residence. This is it.

Anakin calls bullshit. He lists out on the fingers of his prosthetic a number of instances in which Qui-Gon elected to withhold information from him for the sake of a few relationships and missions. When he’s done, Feemor produces more fingers to count more instances. It’s all very unnecessary, but it does get the point across to Qui-Gon that his children are disrespectful brats who need to leave his kitchen before they contaminate the one yet to arrive to it.

They are chased from the apartment. In their absence, the space suddenly feels like a home for dust motes. Qui-Gon walks through the silence to open Anakin’s—well, now Obi-Wan’s—bedroom door and finds it more spacious than it has been in a long, long time. Twenty years, perhaps.

The tall benches that Anakin built to accommodate his endless tinkering are gone. The thick, twisted cord of wires that once stood guard in front of the door are, too. The space still smells of Anakin’s workshop, but the bed clothes have been neatly arranged and the window opened to chase out the dust.

Qui-Gon sits down on the bed and places his hand on its edge.

Another padawan. Probably the last he will raise.

A little cyborg one whose brain is wired with parts that no one has ever seen, who has metal in his body in the shape of bones that must be constantly examined and resized to fit those bones growing around them. There is metal plating around the vertebrae in Obi-Wan’s neck that will eventually need to be removed so those bones can grow unfettered by their casing.

The other bones, he flat out doesn’t have and so will need the adjustments made to the ones given to him for years and years to come.

It will be painful. The boy has already experienced so much distress, and yet he is unbelievably sturdy and strong willed.

He is, internally, half metal, half machine. But in all other respects, he is just another child. One with an especially strong connection to the Force.

Not as strong as Anakin—no one’s connection will ever be Anakin’s—but the Unifying Force adores Obi-Wan. It likes him almost as much as Yoda does.

The Grandmaster is pleased for once. A miraculous day has come upon them indeed.

---

Obi-Wan does not take well to Qui-Gon trying to get the first row of plaiting into the space behind his ear. As soon as the row is tied off, Qui-Gon is presented with eyes of betrayal.

Most padawans puff themselves out and stalk around like proud birds upon receipt of their braids. Obi-Wan tries to pick his out within seconds.

They play a game. It’s called ‘Don’t Touch That’ and involves three more attempts to get the braid to stay in Obi-Wan’s short hair. Qui-Gon wins by cheating. He knows that the medics told him to remove all copper plating from the apartment, but it wasn’t like he has anywhere to put the stuff at the moment. Obi-Wan lights up at the sight of the shivering spring Qui presents to him and proceeds to try to eat it for long enough that the braid’s discomfort abandons him.

The new job becomes getting the copper spring back. Qui-Gon is again faced with the Eyes of Betrayal upon prying the thing from his new padawan’s hands.

Obi-Wan follows him as he attempts to hide the spring in a drawer in the kitchen. He follows him back to the living room and waits eerily patiently for Qui-Gon to give him an order.

His orders are to go see what his room is like. He disobeys the order. Instead, he stands in front of Qui-Gon with his knees bent and his fingers itching to fight.

Qui-Gon cannot believe that he, a fifty-year-old man, has been challenged to a fight to the death over a copper spring.

He ends up half-dragging, half-carrying the boy into the room and hauling him up to dump him on the mattress. Obi-Wan lurches up to standing on it and readopts his fighting-stance on the mattress, finally taller than Qui-Gon himself.

The sight takes him off guard. Qui-Gon makes a point of looking up into his eyes.

This is a mistake.

And he is a fool.

The child has leapt off the bed and gotten to the kitchen drawer before he can even lean forward to catch him.

---

The house has never been cleaner. Obi-Wan is disgusted with him. There is no lick of fun to be found in it, and so attentions have turned to the outside.

The boy’s cyborg behaviors have made themselves especially known over the last week. He has a distrust for water but loves lightening. He glares at Qui-Gon if he interrupts him from any task. His response to ‘do you like that?’ is usually a percentage.

He is 73% satisfied with his bedroom, so he tells Qui-Gon. When asked how this grade might be raised, Qui-Gon is informed that 15% of the criteria comes from the window being open-able.

Qui-Gon attempts to barter with him the way that he does with Anakin. In return for the window becoming open-able, Obi-Wan needs to promise that he 1) won’t throw himself out of it and 2) won’t fight the kids in his class.

Obi-Wan asks for a plant instead.

Qui-Gon sighs.

------

He’d thought that having a little cyborg apprentice would be an exercise in tenderness and humanity. What it is, in fact, is an exercise in expecting the unexpected.

Obi-Wan’s not as bad as Anakin, that’s for damn sure. Does he occasionally produce light from behind his eyes? Yes. Does he get what the crechemasters call the ‘droid zoomies?’ Absolutely. Qui-Gon actually has a small datapad set onto the wall by the kitchen table with a rainbow meter on it, so that Obi-Wan can tell him in pictures if not words what his stimulation level is at any given moment. If it is in the white, he’s about to combust and needs to do something to settle down. If it’s in the blue, he’s bored out of his fucking mind and is about to do something vastly stupid in order to trigger the switch in his head that releases serotonin.

Green is his happy place, where he remains a menace, but one that Qui-Gon can at least keep up with. Green is the level that Qui-Gon attempts in vain to maintain on their missions now. Anything less is disastrous. He has fished his twelve-year-old apprentice out of a cave, a crevasse, a vat destined for acid, a ventilation system, a dumpster, a vulture’s nest, a Mandalorian’s arms, a cupboard, a laundry chute, and out from under numerous tables throughout the Temple.

Obi-Wan’s talent for hiding will drive Qui-Gon to madness before anything else will. If his grades weren’t so high and he had dragged his feet in stopping fighting his classmates for even a second longer, Qui-Gon would have sat him down for a talking to, but alas.

His padawan was not defiant. He was curious. Adventurous. Eager to please and easily rewarded.

These were attributes to be fostered. Obi-Wan had shown enormous courage on Bandomeer; combining that with these other parts of his personality and with a honed control over the force would make him into a stunning example of their people—all the cyborg shit aside.

And anyways, even if Qui-Gon had wanted to wrangle the kid into a path of logic that he could keep step with, there wasn’t time.

There was a war on, and he and his padawan were being sent out to the front.

----

Obi-Wan is, in Qui-Gon’s very esteemed, very correct opinion, too young to be given the rank of Commander. He is the same age as most of the troopers and younger than the clone command officers. Which means that he is precisely half of their maturity, and it shows.

He’d latched onto Cody within days of his and Qui-Gon’s arrival to the Negotiator. Cody, with inhuman grace, pretends that he did not exist. Qui-Gon envies him. He has escaped all the bitemarks that come with acknowledgement.

The troopers of the 212th must think Qui-Gon incompetent, unable to contain his cyborg child as soon as they set foot back on the ship. At least in the field, they operate under the pretense of respect.

Anakin provides negative reassurance, regardless of location.

He has fallen hard for his brother. He defends Obi-Wan’s every action, every mistake, every plea like his life depends on it. Qui-Gon tells the man in the mirror that killing Anakin now will bring the same disgrace to the lineage as killing him as a teenager would have. Outwardly, he asks Anakin with as much politeness as he could muster if he will please stop corrupting the youth.

Anakin says no.

Qui-Gon escorts him screaming to his commander’s quarters and gives Rex orders to see that man is safely taken to the brigg. Anakin throws a boot and calls him a traitor. A life-ruiner. A blockade in the face of his true potential.

Obi-Wan is caught by Cody trying to sneak down to the kitchens where Anakin has been sequestered for his crimes. Cody finally gets the bites waiting for him. He brings Obi-Wan to Qui-Gon upside down in his arms and, as soon as the boy is settled on the ground on his face, returns to denying his existence.

In this single act, he has inadvertently made himself a target.

Obi-Wan’s love is purely human. It is wide and it is deep. And it desires nothing more than it desires a challenge.

He winds around Cody’s legs and trips him in the hallways for days after his unhappy delivery. When ranks are dropped for the night, he seeks Cody out in the mess halls and switches his eating utensils out with knives and only knives. If Feemor were not there to nab him and drag him back to jedi quarters, he would have claimed the foot of Cody’s bunk as his own.

Cody’s fellow clone commanders are relentless in their teasing of him. Their jedi commanders don’t hide under things and go for the ankles. Nor do their jedi commanders persistently replace their transceivers with clods of dirt and seedpods snatched from other worlds.

To spare the commander insult to injury, Qui-Gon takes to following Obi-Wan around the ship when ranks drop.

Obi-Wan is furious about this. He goes a few yards at a time, turns around and tries to bully Qui-Gon back towards their quarters. Qui-Gon allows himself to be persuaded a few feet before collapsing to the ground, conveniently on top of his padawan.

Obi-Wan informs him that he hates him.

This is a healthy and normal attitude for a twelve-year-old. Further, the troopers are endlessly amused with all this nonsense, and that is good for morale. Qui-Gon rolls over when Obi-Wan begins to attack his shoulder blades in earnest. He throws himself to his feet quickly and stands over his padawan like an obelisk. A tower. He gazes down into those defiant blue eyes.

“I think” he says, “It’s big-brother time.”

Obi-Wan’s shoulders hunch.

---

Anakin can be bargained with. It is Qui-Gon’s favorite thing about him. He is willing to do next to any task if presented with a reward. Shmi Skywalker is the one who let Qui-Gon in on this secret and never has he regretted sending her an illicit transceiver in exchange for it.

Unfortunately for Obi-Wan, that means that he can be easily persuaded into taking on baby-sitting duties. It doesn’t take much. Anakin is fascinated with Obi-Wan as a general being. He chirps at him the way he chirps at his many droid experiments and is delighted out of his curly head when Obi-Wan instinctually chirps back.

He is caught between wanting to study and wanting to roughhouse with Obi-Wan, which is a good place to be since Qui-Gon’s back hurts from chasing the brat. Obi-Wan, in Anakin’s presence, becomes his most droidlike—which is exactly the sort of thing a mechanic of Anakin’s ability can handle.

Qui-Gon unleashes the beast upon his former padawan that evening.

He returns an hour later to drag the beast to dinner and finds both missing.

---

Feemor doesn’t know where Anakin or Obi-Wan is. His padawan—Qui-Gon’s precious grandchild who can do no wrong—shakes her head when she’s asked if she’s seen either menace as well. Anakin’s padawan—the other grandchild who can do no wrong—halts in jabbing fingers into Rex’s side to say that she hasn’t seen them either.

Qui-Gon tells her to stop attacking Rex and to go bother Shaak Ti in the other room. Shaak Ti could use the stress relief.

He leaves them to go start the laborious process of checking the holds.

---

Anakin, despite having his own padawan to torment, wants only to teach Obi-Wan how to use his cyborg identity for evil.

They’ve hacked one of the ship’s computers. Qui-Gon finds them as the mess hall breaks out into confusion and uproar at the twentieth rendition of some hyperpop jingle.

Anakin is grounded (a perpetual state for him). Obi-Wan is removed from his influence and marched to dinner. He regrets nothing. He grabs Qui-Gon’s hand and puts in its center a gear the size of a lime.

Fourteen hours later, the importance of this object makes itself known.

Obi-Wan is grounded. Anakin is double-grounded. Ahsoka and Feemor are grounded for knowingly providing false information to a senior member of their lineage.

The sonic showers resume functioning after only five minutes of repair.

#fic #ficlet #obi-wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #qui-gon jinn #I have written their family unit in every way that I can that makes Qui suffer to the level he canonically deserves #the true punishment of a parent is to have a child exactly like yourself

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stolen-pen-name23 · 3 years

Note

EMIMH12, here

11 or 12 for some disaster trio? If you're still taking prompts 🥰

Hi there!! Thank you for the prompt!! //From these angst prompts.

Here's some post-deception, disaster trio angst for ya!

---

Obi-Wan’s comm crackles to life and he warms at the blue glow of his grandpadawan.

“Ahsoka, it’s good to—”

“Master!” Ahsoka cries. “Obi-Wan are you there?”

“Yes, little one, I’m here,” Obi-Wan says, his senses jumping to full alert. He analyzes her expression — the way her markings are raised in alarm atop widened eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“You need to come here!” she exclaims.

“Where is here?” Obi-Wan asks, already gathering his things.

“Mine and Anakin’s quarters. Hurry!”

“Why? What’s wrong?” Obi-Wan repeats.

“It’s Anakin. Something’s wrong. His skin is so hot and he—”

“Is he sick?”

“Yeah, but he—”

Obi-Wan stops gathering his things and frowns. “Then maybe you should call a healer. I don’t think he’ll want to see me,” he says, trying to keep the tightness out of his voice. Ahsoka is not deserving of his or Anakin’s ire.

“Master,” Ahsoka says, and Obi-Wan can hear the desperation in her voice. “He won’t wake up.”

Obi-Wan’s heart stutters.

“He won’t wake up?” he repeats quietly.

“Obi-Wan,” Ahsoka whimpers, dropping the title from his name altogether. “You have to help him. Please.”

“I’m on my way, Padawan,” Obi-Wan says. He tears out of the archives, garnering a glare from Master Nu. He doesn’t care. He can apologize to her later. Anakin needs him now.

Obi-Wan hasn’t spoken to Anakin in days. Anakin had all but sealed off their bond, leaving Obi-Wan entirely unaware of his physical and mental state, though Obi-Wan has his guesses about the latter.

He runs through the halls of the Temple, just like Anakin used to — no matter how many times Obi-Wan told him to stop. He reaches Anakin and Ahsoka’s quarters and punches in the lock code.

It doesn’t open.

Obi-Wan doesn’t pause to feel hurt by Anakin changing the locks up on him. Their petty disagreements don’t matter right now. Instead, Obi-Wan centers himself and coaxes the lock open with the Force. The door slides open and a balm of warm air immediately settles over him.

Obi-Wan’s eyes land on the couch where his former padawan is currently laying. Ahsoka is crouched down on the floor so that she is at eye level with him. Obi-Wan crosses the room and drops down right next to her.

This close to Anakin, Obi-Wan can feel the heat rolling off of his skin. His eyes are closed.

“Anakin,” he says in the same stern voice he used when Anakin overslept for one of his classes. It is even less effective now than it was then. Anakin’s eyes remain closed.

He shakes Anakin’s shoulders and pats his cheek. He still fails to receive a response. Obi-Wan rests his fingers on Anakin’s neck and grimaces. His heart rate is elevated — a sure sign of illness — as if the high temperature were not already enough.

“Wake up, Padawan,” Obi-Wan says softly.

“He’s been complaining of the cold,” Ahsoka says. “That’s why it’s so hot in here. He just kept turning up the heat. I thought… he’s always cold, I just thought… And then he got sick and it made sense, but I didn’t know how sick until he wouldn’t wake up.”

“It’s alright, Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan soothes. “Anakin’s not exactly good at conveying when something is wrong.”

“Wonder where he gets that from,” Ahsoka mutters.

Obi-Wan narrows his eyes before returning his attention to Anakin.

“How long has he been like this?”

“He’s only been unconscious for an hour, but he’s been sick for two days,” Ahsoka confirms.

Two days. Two days and Obi-Wan didn’t even know about it. Were they really so beyond mending that Obi-Wan could no longer sense when Anakin was in pain?

He places a hand on Anakin’s burning forehead and closes his eyes.

“What are you doing?” Ahsoka asks when he doesn’t pull his hand away.

“I’m trying to heal him,” Obi-Wan says through clenched teeth.

“Master! You aren’t a healer, that’s dangerous, you should—”

“I just want him to wake up. When he wakes up I’ll stop.”

“But—”

“I need to wake him up,” Obi-Wan says firmly.

If Ahsoka wants to protest, she stops herself. Obi-Wan sinks into the Force — its embrace warmer than any room where Anakin had control of the thermostat. He pulls upon the strength of the Force — the strength inside of him — and focuses on transferring it to his former padawan. His palm starts to burn as energy flows through him to Anakin

Dizziness starts to slow his progress, just as Anakin stirs beneath him. Obi-Wan opens his eyes and pulls his hand away.

“Anakin?” Obi-Wan questions hopefully. “Can you hear me?”

“‘Wan?” Anakin slurs. His eyes are fever bright and brimming with tears. “Thought you were dead.”

“No, Anakin,” Obi-Wan reassures. “It was just a mission. It’s over now, I’m right here.”

“Yeah,” Anakin says weakly. “You were shot and you fell and I saw it and…”

“Hush, we need to get you to a healer, alright?”

“Don’t wanna.”

“I don’t care.”

“Are we both dead?” Anakin asks. “That would make sense. I can’t feel you.”

Obi-Wan’s heart clenches.

“Your shields, Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispers. “You’ve shielded yourself from our bond. You just have to let me in.”

Anakin’s face scrunches up. “Oh. Okay.”

Anakin blinks. His shields are gone.

Obi-Wan gasps as the overpowering essence of Anakin Skywalker saturates the space around them. Anakin rarely lets his full Force presence shine through his shields, even when they aren’t fighting. Even Ahsoka flinches at the sheer intensity of it all. Obi-Wan squeezes his eyes shut and rubs his temple in discomfort.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan breathes his name. “Anakin that’s enough. Please.”

“You’re alive,” Anakin says with a soft smile. Pure, unadulterated happiness rolls off of Anakin in waves. “I can feel you.”

“Yeah and we can feel you too,” Ahsoka says sharply. “Can you tone it down a bit, Skyguy?”

That pulls Anakin further out of his daze. “Hey Snips!” he says enthusiastically.

“He’s delirious,” Ahsoka says. “We need to get him to a healer.”

“I concur,” Obi-Wan agrees. “Easy now, Anakin.” Obi-Wan pulls Anakin’s arm over his shoulder and lifts him to his feet. Ahsoka steadies his other side and together they hobble over to the halls of healing.

“What happened to him?” Vokara Che asks as they practically burst through the front doors.

“He’s sick,” Ahsoka supplies. “Obi-Wan got him to wake up, but he’s really out of it.

“Yes, I can sense that,” Vokara says, wincing at the sheer power still coming from Anakin’s unshielded presence. “Bring him here.”

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka drag him over to a bed and lay him down. Vokara begins assessing him.

“His fever is dangerously high,” Vokara Che says. “I’m putting him on fluids and fever reducers. He’ll be fine, but he really should have been brought in sooner.”

Ahsoka shrinks into herself.

“This is not your fault, Padawan,” Obi-Wan says quickly. “Anakin is an adult. He should know his own limits. It is not your fault that he did not seek medical attention.”

“Wonder where he gets that from,” Vokara mutters before exiting the room.

Obi-Wan sighs. “I wish people would stop saying that,” he says, more to himself than to anyone.

“We only say it 'cause it’s true,” Ahsoka says, the beginnings of a smile curving one side of her lips.

“Oh, shut up.”

Obi-Wan and Ahsoka settle themselves into uncomfortable plastic chairs beside Anakin’s bed. Obi-Wan wonders for a moment how Anakin will react to seeing him when he is not in a state of delirium. He considers leaving, but the larger part of him that cares for Anakin’s well-being more than his own wins. He cannot bear to leave without first seeing his former apprentice awake and on the mend.

Of course, it does not take too long for that to happen. The fever reducers injected directly into his bloodstream have served their intended purpose and Anakin’s eyes crack open slightly. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka perk up.

“Master?” Ahsoka questions. “Master, are you feeling better?”

Anakin groans before looking at her. “A little. Not really.”

Obi-Wan hums and Anakin startles, seemingly just noticing his former Master for the first time.

Anakin’s eyes narrow and zero in on Obi-Wan.

“What are you doing here?” Anakin questions menacingly.

“Anakin,” Ahsoka chastises, before Obi-Wan motions for her to stop fighting his battles.

Anakin blinks. His shields are back up.

Obi-Wan recoils at the sudden loss. In a heartbeat, Obi-Wan would have taken back the turbulent ocean waves of Anakin’s presence — crashing into him over and over — if it meant he did not have to suffer the emptiness left behind in his wake. But every tide is destined to recede at some point or another.

“I’m sorry, Anakin. I’ll leave you to rest,” Obi-Wan says. “I do hope you feel better soon.”

He does not await a reply, fearing that it will only strengthen the emptiness.

Obi-Wan walks away, holding onto the hope that the Anakin that was so happy to see him alive is still in there somewhere — smothered, but not destroyed by the pain of his deception.

#my writing #thanks for the prompt!#angst #post deception arc #obi wan kenobi #anakin skywalker #ahsoka tano

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tennessoui · 2 years

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Miss Kit thank you for all our Xmas fic presents, you have spoiled us 🥰 May I ask what Ahsoka meant by he wasn't Master Kenobi he was YOUR master, and how Obi-Wan knew where Anakin would be?

P.S. in the a/b/o fic I think Obi-Wan justifies their hoards of kids by saying the force clearly wants them and if he doesn't step up to the plate then they might actually get even more kids, as the first were twins. He brings them to council meetings and bounces them on his knee and no one can even object because Yoda's always holding one too as he canonically loves kids and is delighted with this Lineage. Sideous is seething that he's lost his apprentice to be to parenthood and he doesn't get so much as one Skywalker-Kenobi baby.

ahhh bless <3 im glad you're liking them!!! as far as those things went, i did just want obi-wan to have a force vision or something to show where anakin wa, mistlty because i started writing out like a longer action sequence of connecting messages and/or coordinates together to find anakin and then a better fight, but i didn't want it to be an action fic but rather a soft post-action fic, so i just changed it to like. he had a force vision or dream or something. the force missed her kid maybe.

as for the first thing, ahsoka meant that obi-wan wasn't acting as a jedi or a general or how she knows him as Master Kenobi. he was acting as Anakin's master--a man desperate and worried about his padawan and willing to do and kill whoever he needs to get him back---like losing Anakin made him lose a part of himself as well and all that was left of him was just the part that needed Anakin (because you can't be a master without having a padawan)

also please all the jedi love the kenobi-skywalker kids because the jedi love children and these are adorable children but also they're getting real tired of their parents' shit its been years of this now. the council has to constantly remind them both that actually their mating period leave is over so if we could return to the matter at hand, please---

#asks #i think one of my favorite things is other people being really exasperated by obikin #idk i feel like its absolutely not realistic #but its my favorite

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northofdespair · 3 years

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You know @obiwanobi , it really didn’t take much to tempt me lol.

Part two of this post! And uh, well, it got significantly spicier than the previous part now that our favorite Togruta apprentice has vacated the scene.

This one is for @crvdematter , who really started the whole thing months ago, and I feel terrible for forgetting to mention you in the last post! Really, it’s a miracle that I’m coming out from under my nice, cozy rock to give you E-rated Obikin of all things, so hopefully it’ll make up for my grievous omission! Thanks for sparking this into existence!

SPICE under the cut. 😘

Enjoy? 😨🥰

~*~

This is not the first time that Obi-Wan has kissed him while he has a split lip, and Anakin is sure that it won’t be the last.

The pain is a constant, throbbing reminder of their earlier tangle, even as his Master sucks it gently in apology, but Force, Anakin never wants him to stop. He lifts a hand to squeeze Obi-Wan’s wrist where his face is framed by gentle, bloodied hands, then settles his arms around Obi-Wan’s neck with a shuddery sigh.

Obi-Wan’s tongue slides into his mouth and he lets out a guttural moan of approval at the sensation. It spurs his Master on just the way he knew it would, and Obi-Wan leans forward into his space to pin him against the wall. The weight grounds him, steadies him, and he breathes in the comforting scent of Obi-Wan between kisses. Force, even covered in sweat and blood, Anakin loves the spice-and-tea scent of him.

There was a time that Obi-Wan had left one of his robes in his quarters on the Resolute. His Master never noticed the missing garment, prone as he is to dropping the damn things in every corner of the galaxy, and Anakin decidedly did not tell him. It was a lonely month in space, far away from Obi-Wan and even Ahsoka, and if he wrapped that cloak around his shoulders at every sleep shift he got? Well. No one had to know.

The increased proximity lends itself to intimacy, and they both moan quietly into each other’s mouths as their growing erections press together for the first time that night.

The first time in too long, really, and Anakin feels giddy with the promise that this is theirs. That they can have this, and it doesn’t have to stay in the darkness of the Coruscanti underworld. Obi-Wan wants him, loves him, and this night won’t end in longing glances when they think the other isn’t looking, nor will they have to part.

Obi-Wan breaks the kiss to bite and kiss along Anakin’s jaw, sliding his fingers back into Anakin’s hair, and oh, Anakin could give himself up to the Force with how good those fingers feel tightening against his scalp. He gasps instead, rolling his hips forward to seek out more friction. In a rather uncharacteristic move, Obi-Wan lets him. He even grinds against him in return as he sucks on the tender skin behind his jaw, and Anakin whimpers into the open air at the allowance.

The indulgence doesn’t last long, however, before Obi-Wan nips at his earlobe and murmurs,

“Shall we take this back to the Temple then, dear one?” his voice rasps with lust, and Anakin gives a full-body shudder at the feel of it in his ear before he shakes his head.

“No. Not- ah- not now,” he swallows as Obi-Wan presses a kiss to the hollow of his throat with a speculative hum.

“No?” he comes back up to purr low in Anakin’s ear, “Why would that be? Do you want to stay where you can cry out for me? Where no one but I knows the sound of your voice? Or is it that you cannot wait that long?” Obi-Wan punctuates his last words with a hand squeezing over Anakin’s erection in his trousers, and Anakin pants out his breath at the pressure.

“Please, Master. Both, just- fuck me here, please,” he begs, tightening his hold around Obi-Wan’s neck.

His Master presses a long, firm kiss to Anakin’s lips before breaking it to look into Anakin’s eyes with his own intense, crystal blue stare. The sight of him, pupils blown and cheeks flushed in the dim, blue light of some far-off neon, makes Anakin’s stomach flip.

He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to it; the way Obi-Wan stares at him with such desire plainly written on his face. He’d never quite been able to decipher it completely, the way Obi-Wan looked at him, but now he thinks he knows.

It was love, always love, and before there was a strange wistfulness that he never understood until tonight. There is no wistfulness to his gaze now. Now there is only heat and desire, amplifying the love he now readily identifies. It’s enough to make him dizzy, especially when his Master rasps, “Since you asked nicely,” and drops to his knees.

Anakin leans heavily against the wall for support as Obi-Wan wastes no time in tugging his trousers and undergarments down to his feet, taking his erection in hand and meeting his eyes as he presses a kiss to the flushed head. Anakin bites his lip, no longer noticing the sting as he watches Obi-Wan reach into his own trouser pocket with another hand to produce a packet of bacta.

Obi-Wan flicks his tongue against the slit, drawing out a surprised little moan from Anakin’s throat, before pausing to coat his fingers in bacta. Soon he’s rubbing cool circles at Anakin’s entrance, and Anakin gasps at the feeling, grinding back almost involuntarily to coax them in.

Obi-Wan stares up at him with something like wonder on his face and shakes his head slowly.

“The things you do to me,” he whispers, and leans forward to press a kiss to the side of Anakin’s cock.

“You’re one to talk,” Anakin’s breathless rebuttal breaks off in a broken moan as Obi-Wan takes him into his mouth and breaches him at the same time.

He clutches at the back of Obi-Wan’s tunic as lightning-hot arousal shoots down his spine.

It’s funny- all this time, between their fights and sex in back alleys just like this one, they’ve been sort of ignoring the fact that it’s happened at all when they get back to the surface. Obi-Wan was right; what happened here, stayed here, no matter how much Anakin longed for that to change. But all of this time, they’ve been learning each other’s pleasure. What makes the other throw their head back or bite down in desperation.

And so he is no match for the tongue that swirls with a knowing twist, the second finger that eventually adds to the first as he opens for his Master, and the deep, rumbling moan of Obi-Wan’s voice around him.

“Master. Master I’m- hhahhh- I’m going to cum if you-“ Obi-Wan curls his fingers at that moment, and he cuts off with a whimper, clenching his fist in Obi-Wan’s tunic and gritting his teeth against the crashing wave of arousal that follows.

His Master pulls off of his cock with a wet pop and looks up at him speculatively, adding a third finger and watching intently as Anakin groans from deep in his chest.

“Do you want to come now, darling?” he asks, squeezing at Anakin’s thigh to catch his attention.

Anakin tries to clear his head enough to think. He- he could come now, and he knows that Obi-Wan would fuck him just the same, but...

“No. No, I- with you, Master. Please.”

Obi-Wan smiles up at him, stretching the wounds that decorate his own face after his night of fighting, and kisses his thigh.

“All right, love.”

Anakin sighs through his nose at the simple, gentle response, and lets his head fall back against the wall as he closes his eyes and attempts to calm down a bit. Obi-Wan’s fingers have all but stilled in him, occasionally moving slow enough that the quiet tide of pleasure he feels isn’t enough to push him back to the receding edge.

It’s a testament to how well Obi-Wan knows him, how much he can read his expressions and his countenance in the Force, that the moment he feels like he can keep going, his Master spreads the three fingers and curls them once again to brush against his prostate. He inhales sharply through his nose and clenches his mechno-hand against the wall behind him at the sparks of pleasure that crackle through him.

“Are you ready, sweetheart?” Obi-Wan’s voice falls, deep and gravelly from his mouth.

“Yes, Master,” he whispers.

“Good.”

Obi-Wan presses one more kiss to his thigh before removing his fingers with a wet squelch and rising slowly to his feet. Anakin clenches around nothing, swallowing a whine as Obi-Wan caresses his skin on the way up. This time, it is he that draws Obi-Wan into a kiss with a hand around the back of his neck. His Master willingly goes, quickly taking the control that Anakin so readily gives.

In battle, he does not mind control. He might even go so far as to say that he thrives on it.

On missions and even in teaching, he will gladly lead.

But oh, in this.

In this, he wants nothing more than the way Obi-Wan dominates him with his tongue.

In this, he wants nothing more than Obi-Wan’s weight, pinning him to the wall, caging him in, grounding him.

In this, he relinquishes all control to his Master, until he cannot think beyond the violent pleasure that flows like magma through his veins.

The biting kiss does not last long before Obi-Wan breaks it with a low growl, dipping down to grab the backs of Anakin’s thighs and hoist him up against the wall. Anakin lets out an undignified squeak and scrabbles for purchase on Obi-Wan’s shoulders, wrapping his legs around his Master’s waist.

Obi-Wan chuckles. “All right?”

Anakin huffs indignantly. He opens his mouth to respond, but before he can, he feels Obi-Wan’s hand shift, and suddenly the head of his cock is nudging at Anakin’s entrance. He hadn’t seen Obi-Wan slick his own cock, or even push down his own trousers, but he’s certainly not going to complain. His voice gives way to a high-pitched whine, pleading wordlessly for Obi-Wan to just-

“Ahhhh-“

Obi-Wan’s cock finally sinks into him, all at once, and Anakin keens.

Force, he could come from the stretch alone. If Obi-Wan didn’t appear to need a moment himself, he might have. But Obi-Wan simply pants into his neck for a stretch of time as Anakin does the same into his ginger, sweat-damp hair, and it both calms and stirs up the sea of need between them in one fell stroke.

When Anakin is seconds away from begging Obi-Wan to move, he lets out a cry instead as Obi-Wan growls and pulls out slightly before snapping his hips forward. The pace he sets to begin is slow for what feels like only a moment–though it is surely longer–as their pleasure quickly builds.

Obi-Wan mouths at his neck as Anakin gasps with every thrust, clinging desperately to Obi-Wan’s back. He feels Obi-Wan shift him in his arms and wonders idly if he’s too heavy after Obi-Wan’s already strenuous evening, but all thought is immediately erased as Obi-Wan finds what he was looking for and Anakin sees stars.

“Master,” he moans breathlessly, and Obi-Wan groans.

“Force, you’re perfect. You take me so well, darling. So good,” the words melt into Anakin’s veins, and he moans from deep within his chest as Obi-Wan nips at his throat. “Can you come from this, darling?”

“Yes. Yes, Obi-Wan, Master, yes, just don’t stop- ah- don’t stop, please-“

His words devolve into incoherent babbling into Obi-Wan’s ear as their pace quickens, and the sound of skin on skin echoes in the empty alleyway.

“Come on then, love,” Obi-Wan’s voice is rougher now than it has been tonight, and Anakin knows by some thoughtless instinct that he’s close as well. “I’ve got you. Come for me, Anakin. Love you, dearest. I love you.”

And that, with one more thrust against his prostate, is enough. Anakin throws his head back against the wall and comes so hard he sees white. A deep, punched-out noise rises from his chest and his nails sink into Obi-Wan’s tunic. His mechno-hand scrabbles so hard he’ll probably leave marks, awash as he is in the tempestuous wave of pleasure.

He is distantly aware as Obi-Wan thrusts rapidly a few more times, fucking him through the crest of his orgasm before he comes with a snarl of Anakin’s name and a bite to the juncture of his neck. Anakin gasps at the pleasure-pain of teeth set into his flesh and shakes with aftershocks as Obi-Wan pulses inside him.

They come down slowly, breathing together as Obi-Wan mindlessly kisses at the bite and Anakin strokes his Master’s hair. A few long, peaceful moments pass this way, simply holding each other and pressing lax kisses into each other’s skin and hair before their position grows to be too much.

Obi-Wan slides out of Anakin, setting an apologetic kiss to Anakin’s cheek at the hiss of discomfort it draws forth. He sets him gently to the ground and steadies him with hands at his waist when Anakin’s legs shake at the reestablished equilibrium. Anakin bows his head for a moment to collect himself, and when looks up he finds Obi-Wan watching him with a soft smile on his face.

His eyes twinkle in the low light, and Anakin’s breath hitches quietly. The communication that passes between them then is too marvelous, too complex for words. Just by staring into his Master’s eyes, Anakin knows that Obi-Wan understands all the words he can’t bring himself to speak into the night air.

Softly, in the back of his mind, he feels the stirring of a familiar pathway. He sucks in a quiet, surprised breath as he realizes at once just what it is. He hasn’t travelled that road for a long, long time, but he knows the well-worn path of their training bond better than life itself.

Obi-Wan searches his eyes even as he strokes over the quiet remnants of the bond, and Anakin knows the question that lies behind the icy blue of his Master’s gaze. And just as he knows the question, he knows the answer. He reaches for his own side of their bond and brushes away the cobwebs, pushes aside the vines, and then-

A rush of consciousness, not his own, floods into his very being, overwhelming and all-consuming as a sandstorm. He hadn’t really known what he was missing, hadn’t let himself miss it, but oh. Obi-Wan’s Force signature dances with his own and fills the dark places of his mind with beautiful light.

It’s overwhelming, awe-strikingly powerful, and the rightness of it fills a part of his soul that he didn’t know he was missing.

He gasps brokenly, tears welling up and spilling over his eyes before he can stop them, and Obi-Wan laughs wetly. Anakin can feel his joy in the Force, as physically as the hand that comes up to wipe his tears away.

Hello, dearest, Obi-Wan’s voice echoes brilliantly in his mind. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Anakin can only nod through the tears, completely overwhelmed by the resurgence of their bond. He had thought he’d never feel this again. The fact that it was Obi-Wan who initiated their re-connection is almost surreal.

Force, they have so much to talk about, but for the moment, Anakin simply shuts his eyes and breathes.

Patient as ever, Obi-Wan holds him quietly until he is sure that Anakin can stand on his own before setting about putting them to rights. Anakin had all but forgotten that they are standing in an abandoned alley, half-naked with cum drying on the front of his tunic and dripping down his leg. He winces at the realization, shifting uncomfortably as Obi-Wan pulls up his own trousers and produces a cloth from his pocket. He wipes Anakin down gently before lifting his trousers and handing him the cloak he’d dropped when Obi-Wan first kissed him.

“Thank you,” he says quietly.

The bond somehow feels so fragile, so new, that he’s afraid he might shatter it if he deigns to speak through it. Obi-Wan casts him a gentle, knowing look, and kisses his cheek.

“You’re welcome,” he smiles.

Like a picture coming back into focus, Anakin suddenly notices the wounds that litter Obi-Wan’s face and dip down into his tunic.

“Master,” his voice comes out as a pained breath.

Obi-Wan raises his eyebrows in question, then winces as it pulls on a nasty-looking bruise. Their bond colors a sheepish pink, and Anakin tries not to reel from the sensation of the extra feedback.

“Ah. Yes, that.”

“What happened? You never let them touch your face,” he reaches forward to brush his fingertips lightly over the deepest bruise.

“Yes, well, that Devaronian was tougher than he looked. You landed a hit or two as well, I daresay.”

Anakin grimaces. “Sorry.”

Obi-Wan shakes his head with a fond chuckle.

“You should see the other guy,” he winks.

Anakin huffs a laugh and shakes his head in return, and when Obi-Wan smiles at him? He knows then and there that no matter how fragile their bond may feel, no matter what happens next, they’re going to be okay.

#obikin #top!obi-wan #bottom!anakin #spicy fic #north writes #spice with feelings #anakin's pov #let me know if you want more tags #goodness it's been so long since I've had to tag anything #what do I dooo #hope you all enjoy!#and thank you for the lovely response to the last part omg #idk what to do with myself #fight club au

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tunglo · 2 years

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Jedi Quest #10: The Final Showdown - Jude Watson

Summary: Given the galactic unrest, the Council want to try a test case of speeding up the Knighting process - Anakin’s sure they’ll pick him, but obviously they choose Ferus. Anakin’s jealousy leads to him keeping quiet when he catches Ferus fixing Tru’s lightsaber, though he knows his own previous fixes will need to be checked. Tru’s lightsaber fails in battle causing Darra to throw herself in front of Ferus (who was using it) and getting killed. Ferus resigns from the Order knowing he’ll never get past the guilty and Tru says he has finally seen Anakin for who he really is. Anakin decides he’s glad. The only person now left with the power to hurt him is Obi-Wan - and when he no longer needs his Master he’ll be done with attachment entirely...

"Whatever that may be," Mace agreed. "Certainly protection is part of it." Mace's intense gaze moved from Tru to Darra until it came to rest on Anakin. "And now we come to a piece of news for the Padawans. Because of our concern for the state of the galaxy and evidence that the dark side of the Force is gathering, the Council has made a decision to speed up the process of apprentices becoming Jedi Knights."

Anakin found it difficult to keep his face neutral as excitement surged through him. He knew what was coming. He was going to be allowed to undertake the trials! He was ready. He was more than ready.

"This is a major decision, and so we have decided to proceed cautiously, with one test case," Mace went on.

Anakin's heart swelled. Of course it would be him. He was the Chosen One, the one with the greatest skills, the greatest Force connection.

"After much discussion, and consultation with all Jedi Masters, the Council has chosen Ferus Olin as the first Padawan to undergo the trials. After this mission, he will begin the trials."

For a moment, Anakin heard nothing, just a blank where his name should have been. The words Ferus Olin seemed to have no meaning, like they were part of a language he hadn't learned. That was how unreal it felt.

He wanted to move, wanted to cry out. This couldn't be true! It couldn't be happening! He glanced at his Master. Obi-Wan was looking at Yoda.

"We want to make it clear that our decision, while unanimous, doesn't reflect on any Padawan's fitness to be a Jedi Knight. We believe in each of you. Yet we had to choose someone, and this is a way to begin. You will each be ready in your own time."

My time is now! Anakin wanted to shout. Disbelief and anger coursed through him.

Mace rose. "The ships are ready for your journey to Korriban. May the Force be with you."

Anakin did not know how he was going to get out of the room without exploding. His emotions were too wild to control. It was only by hanging on to the habit of a life of discipline that he was able to turn and follow his Master out of the room. Ahead of him strode Ferus, the thick gold stripe in his hair catching the light of the glow rods overhead. First out of the Council room. First on the list. Ferus.

"Don't say anything," Obi-Wan said in a low tone. "Follow me."

Anakin's face was hot. He followed his Master through the hallway and onto the turbolift. He watched the levels count off as he slowed his breaths, fighting for control.

Obi-Wan led the way out of the turbolift and into the Room of the Thousand Fountains. Anakin knew his Master had chosen this site deliberately. The soft splash of the fountains were a calming aid to all Jedi. The room smelled of green growth, and the refracted light of the water gave the air a soft radiance.

None of this worked to calm him. He wanted to fight against it.

"How did it happen?" Anakin asked, as soon as he was sure they were alone. "How could it happen? I don't understand!"

"Anakin, of course you're disappointed," Obi-Wan said. "It is natural to want to be first."

"I am first!" Anakin exploded. "I was always first in my class. First in lightsaber training. First in the Force."

Obi-Wan frowned. "There is no such thing. We don't rank students at the Temple."

"That is what is said," Anakin answered. "But it's not the reality, and you know it."

Obi-Wan took a breath. "How good you are is not the point."

"What makes Ferus better?"

"That is not the point either. The fact is he is ready!" Obi-Wan's voice was raised, and that didn't happen very often. Anakin could see that he was pushing his Master to the limit. But he couldn't stop. Not on something that was this important to him.

"I'm ready!" he insisted. "I'm just as ready as he is."

"That is something you cannot know," Obi-Wan said, shaking his head.

"It is not for the Padawan to know. It is for the Master and the Council."

Obi-Wan's words stopped Anakin in his tracks. A sudden knowledge seared his brain.

"You agreed with them," he said. "You voted for Ferus!"

"It was not a vote..." Obi-Wan began.

"You agreed - "

"It was a discussion," Obi-Wan interrupted. "To which all Masters were invited."

"You're not answering me."

Obi-Wan paused. "Yes. I agreed with the Council's choice."

Anakin felt as though he had received a sharp prod from an electrojabber.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan made a move to put his hands on Anakin's shoulders, but did not actually touch him, knowing somehow that Anakin would push him off. "This is not about your skills, your commitment, or your abilities. This is about whether you are ready. There is a difference."

"You don't think I'm ready." Anakin could hear how wooden his voice sounded.

"I think Ferus is. That does not mean I think he will make a better Jedi. It only means that I think he is ready now."

Ferus had manipulated them. Ferus had somehow made this happen. He had voiced his doubts about Anakin aloud, sometimes in front of his Master, and somehow he had corrupted their opinions of him. Anakin's fury grew until it was something wild, something he did not know if he could contain. He looked at his Master, and suddenly Obi-Wan was a stranger to him

"I can feel your anger," Obi-Wan said. "Take care." He did not want to take care. He wanted to punch something.

"Your focus on who gets to be Master first is only reinforcing the rightness of the Council's decision," Obi-Wan went on. "You're treating this like a contest. You are not emotionally ready to be a Jedi. Decisions like this must be accepted."

"You do not need to quote Jedi teachings," Anakin said through his teeth. "I know them well. Better even than Ferus, though that doesn't seem to make a difference."

Obi-Wan's face was tight. "You need a little time to compose yourself. We can discuss this further if you like. I'll leave you now." Obi-Wan turned away. His shoulders were tense. He took a few steps then relented. Heturned back. "I believe in you, Anakin," he said.

Anakin had turned, too, and now kept his back to his Master. He could not answer him. He could only think of Ferus. After a moment, he heard Obi- Wan leave the room.

Ferus had plotted. Ferus had beaten him. Ferus had won.

And now he had to work with him on this mission. He had to help Ferus achieve what he, Anakin, deserved. He imagined Ferus's smug face as he accepted the praise of the Council. As he took his place as a Jedi Knight.

He imagined Ferus as a Knight and himself still a Padawan.

It can't happen that way.

Anakin took his anger and focused it. For a moment, the water from the many fountains around him hung suspended in the air. He used the Force to keep the water frozen in midair, just to prove he could do it. The silence filled his ears. Then he let it fall, all the fountains gushing, trickling, racing once again. The noise seemed enormous now, a torrent. As though he could hear every drop of water hit every pebble.

Anakin felt a surge of power. This was only a part of what he was capable of. Soon they would all know it. He would show them that they had made a serious mistake. He should be the first apprentice to move up to Jedi Knight. He knew it. And soon everyone else would know it, too. He would make them know it.

The Jedi assembled in the vast hangar in front of the two Republic cruisers they would take to Korriban. They split up the teams, with Siri and Obi-Wan in one cruiser with their Padawans, Soara and Ry-Gaul and their Padawans in the other. That way, the two best pilots in the group - Anakin and Ry-Gaul - would be in different ships.

Obi-Wan wished it could be otherwise. He didn't think it wise to put Anakin and Ferus together in a small cruiser until Anakin had cooled down. He had no choice, however; every decision they made from now on could be a crucial one. They had to think every step through. It was entirely possible that they would be attacked on the journey. They couldn't take anything for granted anymore.

...

Obi-Wan knew that Tru and Ry-Gaul had been on a series of highly dangerous missions and that Soara and Darra were recently caught in the middle of a fierce interplanetary war. He saw the changes in all the Padawans, how their faces reflected the seriousness of their purpose and the things they had seen. He saw in them the same recognition that he had once faced, as he had come to the end of his years of apprenticeship. You started out as a Padawan thinking you would lead a life of service and adventure, and you pictured your successes to come, not your failures.

Successes could be daydreamed about in a vague way, but failures were more particular. They couldn't be envisioned. With the years you accumulated not only satisfactions but also disappointments and heartbreaking losses. Imprinted in your memory were things you wished you had not seen. The Jedi path was more complicated than you'd ever dreamed as you polished your lightsaber hilt and yearned to be chosen.

Siri was leaner, if that was possible. Her edge was sharper. Obi-Wan saw less of her humor and more of her frustration. Ry-Gaul's bleached gray eyes seemed even paler, as if his experiences had leached out the color. Now they were almost white. He spoke even less now. When Obi-Wan had asked him about it, Ry-Gaul had fixed his moon- colored eyes on him and said, "There is less to say."

Soara Antana, oddly, had grown softer, almost tender, with Darra. Darra herself seemed the same, though the exuberance that danced in her unusual, rust-colored eyes would sometimes shift to a shadowy sadness.

And what of himself? What did his fellow Jedi think of him? He caught sight of his bearded face in the reflection of the windscreen. He was not old. He was younger than Qui-Gon had been when he took him on as a Padawan.

Yet he felt old. In his bones, he felt a strange weariness. It was the concentration of all the effort he placed in vigilance. In watching. Waiting for something he could not name. They all felt it. A gathering of the dark side of the Force. They held out their hands, pushing against the darkness, the chaos. They were tired, and they had so much farther to go.

And now, Anakin. He had to count on Anakin's maturity, the integrity of his core. Anakin would forgive him for supporting Ferus. It had been difficult for Obi-Wan himself to admit that Ferus was the best candidate.

Naturally he'd wanted Anakin to be chosen, but something had held him back. He couldn't have done it if he hadn't felt the times were too perilous for the Jedi to make a mistake. In time, Anakin would find acceptance. Obi-Wan was confident this was so, because he knew Anakin so well. He knew that Anakin was struggling now, and he knew that he could not help him. He knew Anakin's better side would win.

He would have to wear a mask. A mask of friendship. Anakin had decided this before he'd left the Temple. Ferus could never know his true feelings. He would defeat him without Ferus ever knowing they were in competition. That had been his plan, but it was hard to follow through when faced with Ferus himself. Anakin could feel his resentment leaking out like a gas. It was only a question of time before he exploded.

No. I will prove I am a better Jedi. I will not explode in anger.

They flew over the planet, over mountain ranges and desert and deep canyons. ...

"Not exactly Belazura," Darra said as she stuffed her thermal cape into her survival pack.

"I've seen worse," Ferus said. "I hope."

Ferus might have meant the remark as a joke, but Anakin took it as a challenge. Ferus was showing off again.

"We all have," Anakin pointed out.

"I don't think so," Tru said. "I'd say we've finally made it to the worst the galaxy has to offer." He said this cheerfully as he wound one flexible arm around his back to fasten the strap on his survival pack. As a Tee-van, Tru could bend his limbs backward and twist them in surprising angles. It was one of the things that made him such an excellent fighter.

"I don't think you'll be finding any Terratta strips here," Darra teased Tru. "I have a feeling we'll be living on food capsules. I wouldn't trust the food on this planet."

"I never get the good planets," Tru whined, making a comical face. They were joking now, wanting to displace the odd tension they all felt.

"We've come a long way from the Galactic Games, that's for certain," Ferus said. "Remember how nervous we were on our early missions?"

"Sure," Tru said. "I still am." He looked out at Dreshdae, and the humor drained from his face. "Especially here."

"What about you, Ferus?" Anakin asked as he bent over to tighten a strap that didn't need tightening. "Nervous? Or is that not allowed for a Jedi Knight?"

"I'm not a Jedi Knight yet," Ferus answered.

"But you're closer than any of us," Anakin said, straightening. "Does that make you more nervous or less? I mean, let's face it, the Jedi Council's eyes are on you."

Ferus frowned as he picked up the taunt buried in Anakin's easy tone.

"I'm not thinking about that. I'm thinking about the mission."

"We're all thinking about the mission, Anakin," Darra said.

"Of course, we all want to capture Omega," Tru added. His eyes told Anakin to back off.

"But Ferus wants to be the one to do it, I'll bet," Anakin said. "Once you start impressing the Jedi Council, you have to keep on doing it."

"It doesn't matter who does it," Ferus said. "It matters that it's done."

"Spoken like a true Jedi Knight," Anakin said. Ferus's neck flushed red. "Just what are you trying to say?"

"Anakin - " Darra murmured warningly.

Anakin took a step closer to Ferus. He couldn't help himself. Despite his best intentions, the words spilled out in a torrent. "That you'll do whatever you can to succeed on this mission, but not because you want to catch Omega. You want to be a Knight."

"Anakin!" Tru exclaimed.

But Ferus and Anakin were past listening to their fellow Padawans.

They were careful to pitch their voices low, however, to avoid attracting the attention of their Masters.

Ferus's dark eyes flashed with anger. "That's a serious charge, and an untrue one."

"I've got news for you," Anakin said. "You won't be the one to find Omega. I will. I'd bet on it."

The remark seemed to burst out of him without his directing it. Darra sucked in a breath through her teeth. Tru shook his head.

Ferus turned away. "I'm not going to bet on a mission."

"Because you have too much riding on it? If you lose, you might lose the Council's favor," Anakin said. "No wonder you won't take me up on it."

Anakin had gotten to Ferus at last. He could see it. Suddenly Ferus spun around and came within centimeters of Anakin.

"Okay, sure, I'll take the bet," he said. "Whatever you say, Anakin. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of you and your ego."

"Ego? You're the one who spends all his time showing off!"

But if Anakin was heat, Ferus was ice. He buckled his utility belt.

"Someone has to teach you that you are not as powerful as you think you are."

Anakin saw the Masters looking over. He bent over and pretended to tighten the same tight strap so that Obi-Wan could not read his face. He had to control himself. He had gone farther than he'd meant to, but he didn't care. Now it was out in the open.

"Master... "

"It is the dark side of the Force, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "I'm picking it up, too. Ignore it."

But Anakin couldn't ignore it. There was something insistent about the voices. Something that urged him to answer. Although the feeling made him anxious, he also wanted to face it. He wanted to get to the root of this dark power... to match himself against it... to prove, once and for all, that he was as strong as it was.

"Wait," Ferus said. "Those aren't ordinary battle droids."

"They have reinforced armor," Anakin said, swallowing. "And the control center is lower... you can't cut off their heads."

"Too many," Ferus said. "We have to retreat." "We can take them," Anakin insisted.

"Anakin, this is no time to play hero. The two of us can't do it by ourselves."

"That's your trouble, Ferus," Anakin said coolly. "You always look at the odds."

He stepped out into the darkness of the hangar. He saw the infrared tracking devices on the droids move over the space. They would find him. He had seconds.

Ferus moved out next to him. Of course if Anakin went out to meet the droids, Ferus would have to as well. He wouldn't leave him. Anakin knew that. ...

Compared to him, Ferus's hold on the Force was puny. Anakin reached out for it in the way he knew, reached for the Force in the stones and the dust and very air he breathed. The Force was part of him and around him.

His vision was sharper now, his control perfect. He didn't count the droids he dismantled. He didn't hesitate or second-guess his choices. He just kept moving.

Where is Anakin?

Darra saw the question in his eyes. "He ran that way - I think he saw something." She pointed to the darkness at the end of the vast hangar.

Obi-Wan started to run. He would have to rely on the Force to find Anakin. He opened himself up to it, hoping it would reveal to him what he needed to know. Was his Padawan wounded? Had the worst happened? He had no doubt what Anakin was chasing. No matter what Anakin thought, he was not equipped to deal with a Sith.

Obi-Wan ran into the darkness. He could not risk a light, not even his lightsaber. The darkness seemed to invade his lungs, making it hard for him to breathe. He scrambled over fallen blocks of stone, engine parts, the shreds of machines and the skeletons of vehicles. It was difficult to keep his footing but he made no sound.

He saw movement ahead and realized he had found Anakin. Relief flooded him, rendering him weak for a moment. He had been so afraid, and now he wondered momentarily at his fear. It seemed out of proportion to what he knew of Anakin's skills. All he knew was that he had an overwhelming need to protect his Padawan from the Sith, to stand between Anakin and the dark side. Natural, he supposed.

Anakin was moving quickly, hugging the wall of the hangar. His focus was so intent that he did not sense Obi-Wan behind him. Obi-Wan noted this with alarm. How many times had he warned Anakin to never focus on the goal ahead only, but to cast his attention like a net, as far around him as he could? He should have sensed his Master. Obi-Wan quickened his pace. He felt the dark side of the Force grow and gather, and he wanted to call out to Anakin, but didn't want to give away their positions.

He needn't have worried. Whoever the Sith was, he knew exactly where Anakin was, for, to Obi-Wan's horror, his apprentice was suddenly lifted like a doll and flung into the air. Anakin's body slammed into the wreck of a cruiser. He fell to the ground.

Obi-Wan raced forward, his lightsaber activated and ready for battle. He kept his focus wide, just as he had taught Anakin. He knew the Sith was aware that he was there, and no doubt was aware that he would rush to help his apprentice. No attack came. Anakin was already recovering as Obi-Wan bent over him, quickly checking for breaks or contusions.

"I'm all right." Anakin grunted. "Just... embarrassed. I've never felt anything like that."

"Did you see him?"

"Only from behind. Tall. Dressed in a black-hooded cape that trailed all the way to the ground. I didn't see his face. He didn't even turn. I felt the Force come at me like an autoblaster cannon...." Anakin struggled to his feet. "It could be a Sith."

"I know."

Anakin looked for Tru. He had disappeared, and so had Ferus. Feeling uneasy, Anakin headed off to see what they were up to. Would Ferus try to steal his best friend? He might fill Tru's mind with his version of why Anakin had left them to fight the droids alone. He would twist the facts to make Anakin look bad.

Tru and Ferus were sitting in one of the service bays, talking quietly. Ferus was busy working on Tru's lightsaber. Anakin paused in the shadows. Were they discussing him? He thought he heard his name. He concentrated fiercely.

"I noticed it," Ferus told Tru "That droid must have pulverized your power circuit."

"It slips back into half-power without warning," Tru said in a worried voice.

Tru's lightsaber must have been damaged in the battle. But why hadn't Tru told Ry-Gaul? An apprentice was obligated to tell his or her Master if a lightsaber was damaged.

As if Tru had overheard Anakin's question, he said, "I know I should have told Ry-Gaul. But he's so correct. He might leave me out of battle situations, or even send me back to the Temple."

"If your lightsaber is permanently damaged, Ry-Gaul would be right to do so," Ferus said.

Typical, Anakin thought. Ferus always had to inform you of rules you knew by heart already.

"After all," Ferus continued, "you don't want to meet a Sith without a lightsaber."

"No kidding," Tru said. "This mission is crucial. That's why I can't be sent back. I just thought if I could fix it without having to tell Ry- Gaul..." Tru wound one flexible arm around his back to hug his opposite elbow, a gesture Anakin knew well. It was something Tru did when he was especially nervous. "Look, I know I wouldn't be the first or second candidate to enter the acceleration program - you and Anakin will be the first. Maybe Darra would be third. But I don't want to be left behind."

Ferus frowned. "Tru, your advancement is not the reason we're here."

"That's not what I mean!" Tru said, upset. "I want to stand with my fellow Jedi because we all know that the darkness is growing. We need every Jedi. I want to be there."

"We all do," Ferus said. He bent over the lightsaber, fine-tuning it.

Anakin couldn't see what he was doing, but he was itching to get his own hands on the lightsaber. He was sure he was a better technician than Ferus.

"All right, I fixed it." Ferus put the handle back together and handed the lightsaber back to Tru. "You shouldn't have any more problems. Your power cell is boosted."

Anakin started to step forward. If Ferus had worked on the power cell, that meant that Tru needed to check the flux aperture again. Anakin had tweaked it before, but it might need an adjustment to compensate for the power boost. Anyway, it would be wise to double-check. Anakin had better tell him. But he stopped when he heard his name.

"Why didn't you ask Anakin to fix it?" Ferus asked. "He's better at this than I am."

"He was busy with Obi-Wan," Tru murmured.

Anakin realized that Tru had evaded the question. He could have asked him to help. He frowned as he watched the two Padawans, their heads close together.

Tru was drifting away from him. He could feel it.

Ferus stood. "I don't see any reason to tell Ry-Gaul, now that it's fixed. We'd better get back."

Angrily, Anakin retreated back into the shadows, then turned and headed for the others. He felt betrayed. Tru had chosen Ferus to confide in. He was Tru's best friend - he should have been the one to help him!

Obviously, Tru was holding a grudge against him for not coming to his aid. Well, if Tru didn't want his help, he certainly wasn't going to offer it. Most likely Ferus had done a perfect job. After all, he was almost a Jedi Knight.

What was strange, Anakin reflected, was that Ferus had agreed to keep Tru's secret. He would have expected Ferus to tell Ry-Gaul about the damaged lightsaber, or at least encourage Tru to do so. Instead, he had fixed it himself. Technically, it was a breach of the rules, and Ferus never broke the rules.

Anakin smiled. So the perfect Padawan wasn't so perfect after all.

Obi-Wan held up his lightsaber. From its glow they could see pictographs on the walls, images scrawled in red that had faded. Images of deeds done by the Sith. Wars. Massacres. Anakin turned his face away.

Join us darkness conquer dominance glory..

Anakin saw one of the shrouds rise. The layers of gray, shredding rags fell away. He gasped in shock. It was his mother, Shmi.

"Annie," she called. "Annie."

"Mother." The word was wrenched out of his belly. How much had he longed to say that word again, to see her again? It was the Jedi who kept him from her, the Jedi who had taken him away....

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan's voice was sharp. "It's a vision. Nothing more."

Anakin swallowed. The shroud was back in the crypt. He gazed at the others, embarrassed. Ferus looked at him with pity. Pity! His hatred for Ferus flooded him again. He had embarrassed himself in front of Ferus!

The visions came to all of them then. Sith Lords rose and walked toward them, their mouths gaping, their hands grasping, and then disintegrated onto them with foul smells and tastes. The Jedi walked on, through the corpse visions, through the whispers, through the taunts.

You are blind and you are fools and you understand nothing....

The dark side of the Force was like a thick curtain Anakin couldn't draw aside. It got in his mouth and eyes and felt as though it could slow his hands, stop his legs. Still, he kept on walking, kept on moving. There was nothing else to be done. They had to get to the end of it.

The creatures carved from stone that sat on the ledges took flight in shimmering images of fire and destruction. Tru ducked as one of them flew directly in his face, but the creature became nothing but particles of dust. Anakin saw Tru grip his lightsaber more tightly.

Tru's lightsaber! He had forgotten to tell him to check the readout for the flux aperture! He had walked away, angry and hurt. Why hadn't he remembered? Had he wanted to forget?

He couldn't do it now. If he did, the Masters would know that Tru's lightsaber had broken and he hadn't told Ry-Gaul. He would get himself and Tru in trouble. And Ferus probably had fixed it perfectly, the way he did everything else.

What you are and what you do mean nothing next to what we are and can do....

Thinking of Ferus made anger spurt through Anakin. It was something hard inside him. It filled him up. It felt natural, it felt right, to allow his anger to grow. Why had he tried to quell it? He had every right to feel it! Just feeling it now gave him strength.

Obi-Wan held up a hand. "Stop. Energy trap."

They didn't choose me, and yet I fight for them, Anakin thought in anger. They chose Ferus, and yet I must fight to protect him, protect them.

My Master didn't protect me, why am I doing this?

A phantom Sith Lord smiled at him. Reached out a hand.

"Anakin." Obi-Wan's voice was close. "Keep your focus."

His focus. Yes. Of course the dark side would go after him, not just with phantom Sith, but phantoms in his brain. Thoughts that weren't his. Anakin reached out to the Force to help him battle the voices. He felt his head clear.

Tru had leaped up on a tomb to fight two zombies. With his flexible arms and legs, he moved like a rolling wave. He took down three thermal detonators that were flying through the air. He swung his lightsaber in an arc. It flickered. Anakin watched in horror as it buzzed, the shaft flickering again and again. It was losing power!

Tru was in the middle of them. Obi-Wan hadn't seen it. He had charged forward, the way to Omega now clear.

Everything in Anakin screamed to follow Obi-Wan, to be in on the capture of Omega. Except one thing. Friendship. But he had hesitated too long. As he watched, Ferus and Tru exchanged a glance. Simultaneously, Ferus and Tru flipped their lightsabers through the air. Tru caught Ferus's, and Ferus caught Tru's.

Re-energized, Tru went after the undead, hacking off limbs and disabling the living corpses. Ferus dropped to a backup position with the half-powered lightsaber.

Seeing that he was in trouble, Darra Force-leaped toward Ferus, her lightsaber held high, determined to save him. Anakin saw the smile on Omega's face when he fired.

The bolts hit Darra straight in the chest. She fell, still keeping her body between Omega and Ferus. Soara cried out. Anakin felt the moment spin out into impossible time, time that froze everything, even his heart.

He saw the blue shimmersilk move like a breeze as Zan Arbor took advantage of the distraction to dash for the entrance. Blue Force-lightning erupted in the darkness, a barrier shielding her from the others, giving her space to run.

He saw Tru's mouth open in a howl. He saw Ferus drop to his knees and crawl toward Darra, saw him take a blaster bolt in the shoulder and keep on going. He saw Siri leap forward to defend all of them, saw Soara fly through the air in a great Force-leap to be near her Padawan. Saw Darra's head turn toward him, her cheek against the dirt. Saw the cloudy film in Darra's eyes, the shock of catching the blow. He saw, as if it were a physical struggle, her gathering her courage to accept the blow.

He saw all this, and still he didn't move.

And then Omega moved, reversing course once again, quickly retreating away from the tomb. Anguish on his face, Obi-Wan turned away from the Jedi and followed him. Real time came rushing back, and there was not enough of it. Anakin turned away from Darra and raced after his Master.

Darra was dead.

Obi-Wan knelt in front of her. Her eyes were closed, her face composed and impossibly calm. Anakin watched as Soara very gently unraveled Darra's Padawan braid. She plucked the bright ribbon from the coils of soft hair and held it in her fist. Tears streaked down her face.

Anakin could never have imagined seeing Soara Antana, fabled warrior, in tears. Anakin heard Darra's voice rise like a cry inside him. Stay with me until I fall asleep. It's lonely here.

The Great Hall seemed more vast, the journey to the Council room longer than Obi-Wan ever remembered. His legs had never felt so heavy. He walked without seeing. He felt strangely numb. He had never felt so tired.

He knew about the rumors at the Temple. He knew that Tru's lightsaber had been faulty, that Ferus had fixed it secretly, that neither of them had told their Masters. He knew that Tru had been censured. Ferus was in seclusion but would be facing the Council directly after Obi-Wan.

He knew these things, and he knew that in the eyes of the Council, the mission had succeeded, in part. They had caught Granta Omega. Zan Arbor had escaped, but the Council felt she was easier to track. Without Omega's wealth, she would not find it easy to hide. They had missed uncovering the identity of the Sith, but the Council did not fault them. They had been close to him. They had uncovered one of the planets that sheltered him. They had taken a small step forward.

He should feel some sense of satisfaction, but he did not. Obi-Wan found himself wondering about things he had not thought about since Qui- Gon's death.

Was the loss of Darra's life worth what they had obtained?

Was there something he should have done that he did not do? Had the first vision of Qui-Gon in the tomb come from the Sith, or deep within him? Had he failed?

Darra's death would once have been an aberration. Why did he feel it was a portent? With every second that passed, he felt more death approach. Time and again he had to shake off the memory of Granta Omega curling up like a child as he let go of life. What could he have been, if he had not been in the grip of his obsession? The Sith found weakness and exploited it. They took a flaw and twisted it into a weapon. Whoever the Sith was, he had goaded Omega, used him, and abandoned him. How could the Jedi fight someone who had no mercy for anyone or anything?

Over the last few days, Anakin had retreated to the Map Room where he liked to meditate. Obi-Wan couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt that somehow Anakin was involved in what had happened to Darra. Not directly, but somehow...

He hated himself for having this feeling. Of course, if that were true his Padawan would have told him. Obi-Wan found himself outside the Council Room doors. He tried to clear his mind before he entered. Some days it was difficult meeting so many Jedi gifted in Force-sensitivity at once.

The doors slid open. The full Council had assembled. The members all acknowledged Obi-Wan as he took his place in the middle of the room, where he had stood so many times.

"A sad conclusion to the mission, it was," Yoda said. "Grieving are all of us."

"Darra Thel-Tanis has joined the Force," Mace said. "We will celebrate her life."

"Uneasy we are with the conduct of the two Padawans, Ferus Olin and Tru Veld," Yoda said.

Adi Gallia nodded. "We have reconsidered our decision to speed up the trials for chosen Padawans. We fear we put too much pressure on them."

"We need additional Jedi, it's true," Oppo Rancisis said. "But we see now that we cannot rush readiness."

"Our mistake, it was," Yoda said.

"Mistakes we cannot afford during these times," Mace added, and then said, "We will commend your Padawan for his bravery. To face a Sith is the hardest task for a Jedi. Anakin showed ingenuity and bravery throughout the mission."

Yoda peered at Obi-Wan. "Something to share with us, you have?"

Obi-Wan hesitated. He had doubts. He had fears. He had sorrows. But this was not the place.

"No, Master Yoda," he said.

"Disappointed your Padawan will be, to hear that we have cancelled our plans to accelerate Knighthood," Yoda said.

"Yes, Anakin will be disappointed," Obi-Wan said. "He is not good at waiting."

"Then wait, he should," Yoda said, nodding.

"Thank you, Master Kenobi," Mace said. "You may send in Ferus Olin."

Obi-Wan bowed and retreated. When he walked into the outer chamber, Ferus stood.

"They are ready for you," Obi-Wan told him.

Ferus turned a face to him full of such misery and heartbreak that Obi-Wan was moved.

"You are not here to be punished, least of all by yourself," Obi-Wan told him.

"I must go on living," Ferus responded. "That is my punishment."

Anakin waited until he saw Obi-Wan leave the outer chamber. He wasn't ready to talk to his Master yet. He waited until Obi-Wan was gone, then slipped inside. He didn't want to see Ferus face-to-face, but he had to find out what was going on. What would the Council do? Now, of all times, Anakin felt a strange attachment to his fellow Padawan.

The shock of Darra's death hadn't worn off. He still couldn't grasp it. He still couldn't believe it wasn't possible to see her again, to hear her voice. If the Force was so powerful, why couldn't it stop death? Why couldn't he break through that wall and see his friend again?

He felt a rustle behind him, and saw Tru backing out of the chamber.

"Tru!" Anakin called. Reluctantly, Tru edged in a few steps. "Do you know anything?"

Tru shook his head. He didn't quite meet Anakin's eyes.

"I haven't seen much of you since we've been back," Anakin said.

"I know."

"I'm sorry about the censure."

"I deserved it."

The question burned on Anakin's tongue. "Why did you go to Ferus instead of me to fix your lightsaber? I would have done a better job."

"I didn't go to Ferus," Tru said. "He came to me. He had noticed that it was on half-power at the end of the battle in the monastery. But I wouldn't have gone to you because I wouldn't have wanted to get you in trouble. You would have kept my secret. Just like Ferus did. I was wrong not to tell my Master. I was wrong to let Ferus stay silent. I was just about as wrong as I could be."

"You were thinking of the mission," Anakin said. "We were all wrong,"

Tru continued, as if he hadn't even registered what Anakin had said

"We did our best," Anakin said. "And Omega is dead."

"So is Darra."

Tru turned and walked out.

Anakin started after him. Something was wrong. Something had changed between him and his friend, and he didn't know why. He stopped when the Council doors opened. Ferus walked out. He almost walked by Anakin without seeing him, as though he was blinded by his feelings.

"Ferus?"

Ferus turned. "Anakin. Well. I think you should be the first to know. I have resigned from the Jedi Order."

"What?!" Anakin felt shock ripple through him. "But why?"

"Because I was responsible for Darra's death."

"That's not true! You couldn't have known - "

"But I did. I knew that Tru's lightsaber had malfunctioned. I offered to fix it secretly. I did not tell his Master or urge him to do so. His lightsaber failed in battle, and Darra was killed trying to protect me."

"But you thought you'd fixed it!"

Ferus stopped. He gazed at Anakin for a long moment. "You knew?" he asked. "You knew Tru's lightsaber had broken? You must have seen me fixing it."

"I didn't say that."

"No. You didn't. But there are only the two of us here, Anakin. You don't have to lie."

Anakin said nothing. As usual, Ferus was trying to trap him, trying to show Anakin how much nobler he was.

"When we got back, I took it to the Jedi Master Tolan Hing," Ferus said, naming the Jedi who was known for his expertise in the workings of a lightsaber. "He told me that that the fusing between the flux aperture and the power cell needed a slight adjustment. Nothing major - Tru might never have noticed it. Except that in battle, the power drained faster than normal."

"I don't know why you're telling me this...."

Tru's voice came from behind him. "Because you fixed the flux aperture. And you would have known that it needed to be rechecked after the power cell boost."

Anakin turned. "You didn't come to me!"

Tru shook his head. "That's funny. Shouldn't you have said, But I didn't know it was broken?"

"You're trying to trap me," Anakin said. "Both of you," he added, with an angry look at Ferus. "Tru, I would never do anything deliberately to put you in a position.."

Tru's face hardened. His silver eyes held a sheen Anakin had never seen before. They were icy, as though Anakin could slip off his gaze.

"I wondered," Tru said. "When we got back here, I wondered if you knew. I saw how you froze in the tomb. 'But not my friend,' I said to myself. 'My friend would not do that.' But then I thought about how you feel about Ferus, how angry you had been. You would want him to get in trouble, even if it meant exposing me."

"That's not fair!"

"And suddenly I realized - yes, Anakin could have done that."

"You're looking at this all wrong," Anakin said. But how could he explain? He couldn't admit that he knew that Tru's lightsaber was broken because he couldn't explain why he'd forgotten to tell him to readjust it. He still didn't know how he'd forgotten something so crucial. Tru would think he'd deliberately forgotten it.

There was nothing he could say to convince him otherwise, because he himself didn't know.

"I don't think so," Tru said. "I think I'm truly seeing you for the first time."

Anakin swallowed. He didn't know what to say. This was an unfamiliar Tru, not the friend of his childhood.

"I'll see you outside," Tru said to Ferus, and walked out.

"Do you see what you've done?" Anakin said, turning savagely to Ferus.

"Yes, I see what I've done," Ferus said. "Do you?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid for you. You think admitting you were wrong opens you up to attack."

"That's not true," Anakin countered. "I think you should save your fears for yourself."

A spasm of pain crossed Ferus's face. Anakin could not imagine how awful it must feel, to give up the Jedi Order. It would be like giving up everything he lived for.

"If the Jedi ever need me, I will be there," Ferus said quietly. "That includes you, Anakin."

Ferus walked away quickly. Anakin looked after him angrily. Ferus got the last word. Not only that, but it had been a kind one. The noble Padawan to the last.

Not a Padawan, though. Not any longer. Satisfaction soon curdled into frustration. Anakin felt as though he'd been beaten, but he didn't know why. He remembered the helplessness he'd felt in the energy trap. He never wanted to feel that way again. Yet he was trapped in his envy, in his anger, just as surely.

Even if Ferus left the Temple forever, he would still remember this feeling. No. The feeling would fade. He would make it fade. He would push it down, down with his memories of Shmi. Now that Ferus was gone, Anakin could fulfill his promise. He would bring balance to the Force. Tru was angry at him, but he had never truly understood the burden that Anakin carried. Maybe Tru had never understood him at all. Maybe no one did, except for his Master. Tru would come around. Anakin walked out. At the far end of the hallway, he saw Ferus join Tru.

He felt as though he was watching them through the wrong end of electrobinoculars. They seemed so small, so far away. Feeling his presence, Tru looked back over his shoulder at Anakin. And then it hit him like a punch that knocked the air from his lungs. Tru would never come around. He'd lost his friend forever. Standing still, he watched Ferus and Tru walk away. He heard footsteps beside him, and Obi-Wan was next to him.

"Anakin, I've been looking for you."

He turned automatically. "Do you need me?"

"No, I... Anakin? Is something wrong?"

"Ferus has resigned from the Jedi Order."

Obi-Wan let out a breath. "I was afraid he would do something... like that. He feels Darra's death so strongly." There was a lost look in Obi- Wan's eyes as he gazed down the empty hallway. "The legacy of this mission is pain."

Anakin wanted to take away the remote look on his Master's face. He didn't want Obi-Wan to care so much about what happened to Ferus.

"The legacy of this mission is that a great enemy has been defeated. I saw you strike him down."

"That is not an act that should bring you satisfaction, my young Padawan," Obi-Wan said sternly. "I took a life. “

"It was done as a last resort. And it rid the galaxy of a great evil. Therefore it was necessary and right."

"Necessary - yes. But right?" Obi-Wan shook his head. "That is not a word to throw around lightly. We cannot say what is right. We can only do our best." Obi-Wan's gaze warmed. "As you do, Padawan. You never give less than your best. I'm proud of the Jedi you have become."

Anakin was moved. His Master so rarely spoke this way. "Thank you, Master."

Obi-Wan gave him a long look. "And... I wanted to tell you. The Jedi Council has decided that they won't speed up the trials for Padawans. Your Knighthood will have to wait a bit longer."

Anakin absorbed this news. So there was no chance, then. He would have to wait. It didn't matter what he did, how well he performed.

"When the time is right, you'll take the trials, and I have no doubt that you will astonish us all. Until then, we will work together. There is so much left to do, and I'm grateful to have you by my side for a little longer." Obi-Wan paused. "Anakin? Are you all right?"

He was all right, Anakin suddenly realized. The weakness in his knees he'd felt when he saw Tru walk away was gone. In a strange way, the mission had strengthened him. He had a stronger conviction now, a harder edge to fight with. Everything had fallen away from him - his childhood, his friends, his wish to impress the Jedi Council.

He would never be helpless again. He would only grow stronger. He had fought with a Sith and seen true power. One day he would be able to match it. He would be able to fight it. Not yet. But someday. Soon.

As a boy, he hadn't wanted things to change. He wanted to keep those he loved close to him forever. Yet everything did change. He was far from his mother. He had lost Darra. Tru. And Qui-Gon. He couldn't fight against those kinds of losses. So be it. He would have to push them down until they didn't matter anymore.

One day, he would face his worst loss, the loss of his Master. By surpassing him, he would lose him. He pictured Obi-Wan turning to him in slow surprise, grasping for the first time the true extent of his power. Seeing that the student had outstripped the teacher.

On that day, Anakin's heart would break for the last time. He would feel the weight of impossible sorrow. He would not be able to bear that sorrow. Unless he no longer had a heart.

#jude watson #jedi quest #obikin #long post

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jasontoddiefor · 3 years

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Summary: Anakin Skywalker doesn’t fall when Sidious asks him too. But he still very nearly did. Or, how to live with the consequences of the right choice when it leaves you feeling hollow, still only a step away from the dark.

You are standing at an edge, behind you the cliff, in front of you the open plane set aflame. You can take a step back into free fall and save the woman you love; you can take a step forward and keep your feet on the ground.

Your name is Skywalker but you do not have a pair of wings.

You take a step forward; the woman you love more than the galaxy dies, and, for the briefest of moments, you turn around and throw yourself over the cliff in a running leap.

You don't fall, you are caught by roots older than yourself, vines pulling you up, and golden flowers grow where your burned skin touches the earth. You scream and rage and cry, can't find any peace at all, not even in the arms of your loved ones because she is dead, dead, dead, and you could have saved her, but you chose to abandon her instead.

Your heart roars like a dragon and you want to swallow the world whole. You were your mother's son, your Master's apprentice, and your wife's husband. All the parts of yourself that used to be a child of a desert already broke away and now the sweet meadows of Naboo are turning into barren fields.

Your wife is dead, the Jedi are not. Thousands of lights surround you, but you still feel as if you were stumbling in the dark.

You are still standing at the edge of a fall, but you are standing and not drowning. It should be enough, but it isn't.

The war ends without you (with you right in the middle of it.)

Three Masters are dead, the Council is down by a quarter and you are no help because you are still contemplating the what if, caught in a moment you can't change.

You do not attend your wife's funeral because you have two children to care for and the wind still rushes through your hair, urging you to look around. The flowers create a pathway to Naboo for you, but you don't dare to walk it, not even when gentle rain falls down your face when all your tears have already run out.

The war has ended, and you have never been more exhausted. Nobody told you that life could be this hollow and the only reason you get up in the morning are your children. Were you not grieving (but this can't be grief, you have grieved before and it was never as all-consuming as this), you would laugh at the fact that you and your wife were both right, but all you can think of when holding your children is that you don't even know their names. When your Master asks for them, you don't have a reply for him, only more tears, and so you spend another day.

You do not name your children, not really.

You are too shaken, too close to asking which name you would carry at the very bottom of the sea you could have fallen into. With more patience and kindness than you deserve, your Master helps you navigate the garden you have been gifted and shows you choices with the same gentle voice that he has always sung sweet lullabies for you.

Your Master returns with a notebook filled with struck out names and you pick light and moon and let him wrap you in his robes as if you were nine and not nine times 2 and a half chances of getting it right.

You don't dare to take your eyes off your son and your daughter and you don't know whether that isn't the same as looking into the abyss. You can barely keep yourself from lashing out at all that hold them and still you are praised when you do so with soft hymns and never-ending warmth.

Your Padawan returns, head held high and so full of sunlight that you can feel the flowers grow, wrap around your ankles and legs, stuff your throat so you won't cry in front of her. She laughs victoriously and grins like a predator at Maul because she was right. She is no longer your child, no longer innocent, but she does not know the depths to which you have fallen and you want to keep it this way.

Maul only tilts his head and laughs at you because he knows.

In his treason-gold-fire eyes, you see your reflection, how you are barely standing. You return your apprentice's hug and listen to her story, introduce her to your son and your daughter, and reassure her you are fine, fine, fine.

You don't walk to your Master's bed in the middle of the night and you do not sleep in your own. Instead, you sit at your children's crib, grief-regret-forget-me-not blue eyes staring at your hands. Too easily they could have become stained with red-blood-end-justifies-the-means and it scares you more than anything because flowers are fragile and only bloom for a moment, but you'd try to keep them year-round anyway.

The thoughts linger and bury themselves in your mind, fingers pressing into the earth and breaking as they are buried alive.

Your Master enters your room and doesn't even hesitate to pull you to your feet and to your bed. He helps you undress and you cling to him because you don't know how to fill the canyons where there used to be love. You can feel the fear, the anger, the suffering, and the hate threatening to wash it out like a tidal wave.

You want to apologize, but you only hide your face away in his chest and try to breathe as you did when the sand nearly swallowed you up. He runs his fingers through your hair, intertwines like ivy around a tree trunk, but you can only think of the poison and you do not want to ruin him as well.

You do not want to ruin them.

You fall asleep with your mind already made up and you dream of nothing. No nightmare haunts you anymore, but you might fear this emptiness even more, being a ghost in your own body.

In the morning, as early as the sun rises, you leave your children with the others. You kiss them sweet goodbye when their eyes are still closed and they do not know of your path.

You hear them cry out for you when you walk down the hallway. Their whimpers reach your ears, reach your mind and you cannot cut the bond you have with them because you love them, but you can't be there for them.

You sink to your knees anyway, pressing your hands against your ears, begging for the lightning to stop cracking in your ears, tempting you to make the wrong-right-maybe decision.

There near the temple wall you remain until your Master comes to pick you up, calling your terms of endearment your tattered heart does not deserve, foolishly as it beats. He guides you back to your children even when you beg him not to, try to make him understand that it was all for them.

He looks at you strangely, an expression full of loss and failure, and you don't know how to tell him that it was not his fault, never. He did all he could, and this is the culmination of all your choices.

Even when he talks about letting go and being let go of, you still can't follow his words because you do not understand the difference between justification and sacrifice.

All you know is that the war is over and yet your mind fights for survival.

Your name is Anakin Skywalker.

You are standing at the edge of a cliff and you can hear the darkness scream.

#anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #Luke Skywalker #leia organa #anidala #star wars #fanfic

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write4tomorrow · 4 years

Text

Weakness

Word Count: 3366

Pairing: Sith!Obi-Wan Kenobi x Jedi!Reader

Summary: Master Kenobi fell from the Jedi order many years ago, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t kept close tabs on the jedi order since. As Darth Dominus, he has recently discovered that he is part of a Force Dyad… with a jedi. How will he bring her to his side?

Genre: Angst / Fluff

A/N: This is part two to this one shot I wrote, but can be read as just a one shot. Also, in this universe, Count Dooku has two apprentices.

The only light in the dark conference room came from the blue hologram in Darth Dominus’ palm. He watched as the Jedi knight moved faster than he had seen any Jedi ever move. With two lightsabers, the wielder must be incredibly in tune with their surroundings and the force to fight without also hurting themselves. They had to be really good. The Jedi in Dominus' palm wasn’t just good, she was a master.

Dominus scowled at his own thoughts. This girl was going to stop him from taking the republic for himself. He had seen it time and time again in his dreams and his meditations and the occasional vision. You were going to be his downfall. Your face plagued him like the lingering flavor of honey after a burning cup of coruscanti tea. So why couldn’t he stop staring at the hologram? Why couldn’t he bring himself to confront this inevitable downfall?

Because it wasn’t inevitable. For every vision he saw of you turning against him, he saw another dream of you in beautiful crimson robes with a pair of red sabers to match. For every vision he saw of you standing against him, he saw another of you standing by his side. This was his curse, to be half of a dyad.

He had been able to keep it well hidden. No one knew except you and him but that didn’t mean he liked it. How had he wound up the other half of a Jedi? His one weakness was you and he hated both you and himself for it. So why couldn’t he stop gazing at you on the hologram? Why couldn’t he stop himself from reaching out to you through the force? And why didn’t you ever respond?

“Oh, Kenobi. You really can’t stop yourself, can you?” Darth Maul had crept into the room without Dominus noticing. He knew that using his jedi name would rattle him but Maul was always trying to rattle him. If only Dominus had been more aware of his own surroundings. He cursed Maul’s unnaturally quiet robotic legs and tried to deactivate the hologram. However, Maul used the force to pull the moving image of you out of Dominus’ grip.

“She’s good,” Maul teased, “do you think she moves those hips like that when-”

In a flash Dominus had ignited his lightsaber and sliced the hologram peice in half, narrowly missing Maul’s hand. Unfazed, Darth Maul raised an eyebrow at the sudden outburst.

“You’re distracted, and Tyrannus can tell.” At Maul’s words, Dominus’ face paled in the dark room. His saber was still drawn and he thought about taking his anger out on Maul. Instead, he tucked his saber back into his dark robe and ran a hand over his beard to calm himself.

“I will speak with Tyrannus. Don’t worry about her,” Dominus tried to push past Maul to leave the room, but Maul stepped in his way.

“Oh he knows about y/n,” Maul smiled as he said your name, “in fact, I came to tell you that he’s on his way to deal with her now.” Maul laughed as Dominus’s face lost all remaining color and the former Jedi left the room in a sprint.

*******************************

Reconnaissance missions weren’t your specialty, but you always enjoyed stepping into an undercover role. You were attending a separatist gala as a senator’s liaison. The actual senator was still on his ship, a few miles above the planet’s atmosphere, dealing with a pesky cusom’s agent by the name of Anakin Skywalker. Ahsoka Tano had accompanied you to the gala in the hopes that two listening ears were better than just one.

You hadn’t seen her in a few hours though and were beginning to worry. With your best smile, you excused yourself from the conversation with one of the banking clan members.

“Ahsoka,” you hissed into your coms, “Where are you?” After a moment of static, you heard Anakin’s voice answer.

“Her com may have died,” Anakin sighed, “Besides, the lovely senator has decided to just go home so I don’t need to be up here anymore. I am going to come down to you guys and see if I can find her.”

“Thanks, Anakin,” you whispered, “let me know if you find anything.” You felt a little better knowing that Anakin was on his way to you. You hadn’t realized it, but something was making you tense. Something felt wrong.

You knew better than to ignore your intuition. If something felt wrong, something probably was wrong. You felt the weight of your sabers in the small purse around your shoulder. Protectively you used one hand to cover your purse and the other to grab your black skirt. Lifting your dress up just a little, you tried to quickly leave the room. Perhaps some air would help clear your head and you would be able to think of a plan.

“There you are.” You stopped short as a body stepped into your way. With a quick glance up, you recognized the man. You had never met before, but Anakin and Ahsoka had told you many stories about Count Dooku. This was the man that talked Obi-Wan Kenobi into joining the separatists and the Sith. If Count Dooku was here, was Obi-Wan close as well?

“I’m sorry, sir,” you feigned politeness, “I don’t think I know-”

“Don’t play dumb, girl,” Dooku countered, “besides, if you don’t know me, perhaps you know her?” Dooku pulled out a small screen from his pocket and showed an image of Ahsoka. Your heart sank. Ahsoka was bound by some of the heaviest handcuffs you’d ever seen. Two separatists droids were keeping her on her knees.

“Take my arm and smile,” Dooku grinned as he spoke, “it’s an honor to finally meet you, y/n.” Without seeing another good option, you allowed yourself to be led out of the room. You hoped that Anakin would get here soon.

Dooku didn’t speak while he led you away. As you walked, he wordlessly took the small bag from around your shoulders and tucked your lightsabers into his own jacket pocket. You tried to think of a good way out of your current situation, but the walk was over before you could think of anything.

After a few short turns down increasingly reclusive hallways, Dooku pulled you into a storage room near one of the building’s exits. Upon seeing Ahsoka, you tried to move toward her, but Dooku pulled you back.

“Tell us what you want, Dooku,” you tried to keep your voice calm, “so we can all be on our way.”

“There is nothing you can do that I want,” Dooku said with a shrug. His eyes watched you for a reaction and you could tell he was expecting you to do something.

“Everybody wants something,” you returned, “and you’re talking to the best negotiator in the Jedi Order.” You did your best to match Dooku’s calm demeanor. He only smiled back at you.

“I’ve heard of your reputation as both negotiator and battle strategist,” Dooku glanced at Ahsoka, “but you’re going to have to do more than talk your way out of this one, dear Jedi.”

“Give me my sabers, dear captor,” you offered, “and we can exchange more than words.” Dooku laughed and drew himself up to his fullest height.

“Clever girl with a silver tongue, no wonder he likes you.” At Dooku’s words, you froze. Was he talking about… no. You pushed the thought of Obi-Wan Kenobi from your mind. That man - that Sith - took up too much of your time already. Sometimes it felt like you couldn’t get him out of your head, no matter how hard you tried. Even when you slept or mediated, you saw visions of him.

Even now, there was a nagging pull in your mind that usually meant he was trying to reach you. You closed your eyes, trying to push the feeling away.

“My ship will be here soon,” Dooku continued, “and you will board it with me or Ahsoka will die in this room.” You looked down at Anakin’s apprentice and could feel the fear well up inside of her. There was defiance too and you smiled as Ahsoka shook her head. She was brave and you adored her for it.

Please, please listen to me, You heard the familiar voice in your mind. It was Obi-Wan Kenobi and, just like you had time and time again, you tried to ignore him. Still, you felt him push harder than he ever had before.

Dooku is coming for you, y/n, Obi-Wan warned.

Dooku has me. You answered without keeping the mirth from your voice. There was a pause from Obi-Wan. Perhaps it was his shock that you had answered him at all. After all, you had done your best to stay radio silent over the past several months. But now you were straining to keep his presence at bay and you could feel both Ahsoka and Dooku looking at you. You tried to fake a smile but you felt Obi-Wan pushing his way into your mind.

I’m almost there, he said, be ready. He didn’t need to say more. You could feel him becoming stronger, closer. And you knew he meant to do something brash.

“When do we leave?” You asked Dooku.

“Y/n,” Ahsoka pleaded, “don’t do this.” Dooku nodded at the droid who took that as a signal to bring the end of a blaster down on Ahsoka’s head hard enough to make her cry out. You tried to push towards the padowan again, but Dooku pulled out his red saber and leveled it at your chest.

“We leave now,” Dooku glared at you as you thought about retaliating. Quietly, you made your way out of the room, closely followed by the Sith Lord. His saber was no longer ignited but he kept it in his hand as an idol threat. You gave Ahsoka one last look before he closed the door on her and the two droids.

“Follow me,” Dooku gestured toward the end of the hallway but you froze in your tracks. Standing in gorgeously dark robes at the end of the hall was none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi. You felt an overwhelming wave of something hopeful fill your chest. You wanted to run away from the Sith and you wanted to sprint toward him.

Dooku seemed just as surprised as you felt. But in his surprise, you realized that this was your opportunity to act. Using the force, you pushed Dooku back against the wall and felt your lightsabers in his blazer pocket. But you also felt Ahsoka’s. You couldn’t grab all four sabers and you didn’t have time to think about it.

Dooku pushed you away from himself but you were faster than him. You dashed back to the room that Ahsoka was in. You threw open the door and used her saber to cut the restrains. You left her to free herself and hurried back to deal with the two Sith lords in the hallway.

To your horror, Obi-Wan was waiting for you. He angrily launched a flurry of strikes towards you. Is he here to save you or kill you? You didn’t have a chance to ask him. Without a weapon, you were playing defense and he was merciless in his attack.

Run, Obi-Wan’s voice rang in your head, you were supposed to run. Obi-Wan pushed you farther away from Dooku with his attacks. You understood then that Obi-Wan was trying to help you. Over Obi-Wan’s shoulder, you saw that Ahsoka had escaped the droids and was running towards Dooku. Even if you wanted to run, you couldn’t leave Ahsoka. Not to mention, Dooku still had your sabers. You tried to get around Obi-Wan. You needed to find some way to help Ahsoka.

Obi-Wan pushed you around a corner, out of sight from Dooku and Ahsoka. You suddenly realized that he was steering you someplace.

“What are you doing?” You halted, hoping that the Sith lord before you wouldn’t strike you down. Just as you hoped, Obi-Wan turned his lightsaber off. But not even a breath later, he shoved you against the wall. Not with the force. No, with his bare hands, Obi-Wan held you in place against the wall. He spoke in shallow breaths that were somewhere between fury and desperation.

“Dooku will kill you,” He was so close his breath was mixing with your own. “If you don’t get out of here, he’ll… I’ll be forced to…”

“Why don’t you let me go, and I’ll just kill you both instead?” You tried to break Obi-Wan’s grip on you but he held strong.

“Stop joking around.” Obi pleaded.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t wear the right dress for surrendering.” You offered with an eye roll. Obi-Wan looked at your dress then and you saw the corners of his mouth turn up in the smallest smile.

“Darling, that dress fits you perfectly. Even if it didn’t, I’d find a million new dresses for you if you just come with me.” Obi-Wan’s eyes took a second to linger before looking back into your own.

“Obi-Wan-” you began, but he cut you off.

“Come with me, willingly. Come with me and I can tell Dooku that I will train you. You and I will rule the galaxy.” Obi-Wan’s voice was softer now, pleading.

“I can’t,” You began, but you wouldn’t let him know how much you wanted to, “I would rather be tortured as your Jedi captive than live as your pet.”

“There’s no way out of this! You come with us or- you have to come with me or I will have to kill you,” Obi-Wan’s voice cracked. You looked at his face and you could feel the turmoil in him.

“You don’t have to kill me-”

“I won’t let him hurt you!” Obi-Wan’s voice was strained and his words seemed to come out against his will, “I’ll kill you before I let him have you, y/n.”

“You don’t have to kill me, Obi-Wan.” your voice was just a whisper and something in Obi-Wan’s expression softened. This man in front of you seemed so desperate and you couldn’t tell why. Before he could say anything else, you heard Ahsoka cry out from the other hallway. You need to get to the padowan.

Obi-Wan seemed to sense your apprehension. He registered Ahsoka for the first time and released you. He cursed under his breath and turned his attention away from you for the briefest moment. He ran back into the alley with Dooku and Ahsoka with you close on his heels. You watched as he used the force to pick up the padawan and hurled her towards the hallway’s opposite exit. You took that as an opportunity to attack Obi-Wan. You didn’t want to harm him, but you needed to get out of here. You used the force to push Obi-Wan away from you in an attempt to clear an escape route. He fell to the side but before you could run, you felt an overwhelming pressure around your throat.

It was Dooku. Now that Ahsoka wasn’t here to distract him, he had turned his attention towards you and Obi-Wan. He tightened his invisible grip around your throat enough to make you gasp for air but not enough to fully suffocate you. You couldn’t help but admire how terribly effective it was.

“Darth Dominus,” Dooku strolled toward the pair of you, “I am surprised to see you here.” Obi-Wan rose to his feet and straightened his robes. He ran a hand through his golden hair.

“I heard you were going after Master y/n,” Obi-Wan said, “I wanted to help.” Obi-Wan looked over at you as you struggled to take in breath. His eyes were the best shade of gold and there was a warmth behind them that took your breath away more effectively than Dooku could imagine.

“Be mindful of your thoughts, Dominus,” Dooku chided. He turned to you and slowly pulled you off your feet. The pressure around your throat constricted too much. You saw spots in the air and blackness began to close in on your vision.

As he dropped you, the sound of Dooku laughing filled the hallway. Obi-Wan had dropped to a knee in front of his master. He must have said something to Dooku while you were fighting for breath.

“So it seems, my apprentice, you are half of a dyad.” Dooku gave Obi-Wan a dark smile, “I’ve suspected it for some time now. I hear you calling to her in the dark nights when you should be sleeping.” You and Obi-Wan exchanged looks, but it was too late. The secret was out.

“The two of you together will be the most powerful weapons in the whole galaxy,” Dooku kelt in front of you and grabbed your jaw. Obi-Wan quickly stood from his keeling position.

“Relax, my apprentice. I’ll have you both alive and whole. Together we will help Darth Sideous-” Dooku was cut off by a cry from the hallway. Obi-Wan, Dooku and you turned to see Anakin and Ahsoka standing at the other end of the hallway. You smiled from ear to ear and knew that this was your chance. Just as you had done earlier for Ahsoka’s sabers, you reached into Dooku’s jacket pocket and retrieved your lightsabers. You ignited both and began an attack on Dooku.

Anakin and Ahsoka rushed to your side. But Anakin froze as he locked eyes with Obi-Wan. The two men looked at one another. Master and apprentice was a bond that stayed with someone for life and you could see pain written on both of their faces.

Even though Anakin was distracted, you were able to push Dooku far enough against a wall to make a run towards the exit. Ahsoka ran after you and Anakin began to follow after a silent nod at his old master.

“Darth Dominus,” Dooku said loud enough for you to hear, “do you think she cares for you the same way you care for her?” Your blood turned to ice as you doubled back to see Dooku stand and turn on his apprentice.

Before you could do anything, Dooku used force lightning on Obi-Wan. His scream filled the hall ways and before you knew what you were doing, you were running back to help him. You didn’t make it far though. Both Ahsoka and Anakin grabbed you and dragged you back. They were probably talking to you but you couldn’t hear them. The only sound you could hear was Obi-Wan’s screams.

A weak voice pushed its way into your mind. Run was all it said. You knew Obi-Wan was telling you to go. You knew that Dooku was setting a trap, but you couldn’t just leave him. You hated yourself for it, but you couldn’t just leave.

It didn’t matter. Anakin and Ahsoka dragged you away before you could do anything else.

*******************************

“What were you thinking,” Ahsoka was astonished, “going back to help a sith lord?” You were aboard a small ship heading back to the Jedi temple. Anakin and Ahsoka had done a full medical test on you just to make sure you were okay before they began their own version of an interrogation. You barely had a chance to speak over the two.

“You almost- I mean, I miss Obi-Wan, but the man I knew is dead,” Anakin seemed almost angry, “And what did Count Dooku mean, ‘does she care for you’?”

“Do you know what a dyad in the force is?” you finally asked. Anakin immediately went quiet and Ahsoka gasped. Ah, so they did know.

“You’re not- no, no way,” Ahsoka said in a hushed voice. She didn’t believe it and to be honest, you didn’t want to believe it either. All you could do was nod. You had been able to keep it well hidden. No one knew except you and him but that didn’t mean you liked it. How had you wound up the other half of a Sith? His one weakness was you and yours was him. You could feel how much you hated him and yourself for it. So why couldn’t you stop thinking about him and wondering if he was okay? Why couldn’t he stop himself from reaching out to you through the force? And why couldn’t you ever bring yourself to respond?

“I need to tell the Council when we get back,” was all you said. Anakin and Ahsoka stayed silent, the weight of this news sitting heavily on their shoulders.

The faintest voice filled your mind then. You really did look good in that dress. For our next date, try blue.

Before you could stop yourself, you smiled. He was alive and he was okay. Well, okay enough to be snarky. And that was enough for you. You looked up and saw Anakin watching you.

“I’m so sorry, y/n,” was all Anakin could say.

A/N: Hi! I really like Sith Obi-Wan. I’m tagging people who asked to be tagged and who also asked if there would be a follow up to my last fic. Sorry I didn’t answer you, but I figured a part two was better than an answer. Anyway, thank you for reading! @emmamikaelson95 @fandom-lover-4 @mellowstatesmanhandsempath @good-night-starlight

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sonoftatooine · 3 years

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Whumpay 2021

DAY 31: ALT DAY - SLEEP DEPRIVATION

Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Shaak Ti

Summary: When Anakin makes the decision to go and save Palpatine from Mace Windu, his lack of sleep over the past week chooses the worst possible moment to catch up with him. Shaak Ti attempts to intervene.

***

It was said that the Force, in the hands of a competent Jedi, could do many things. It was also said—with greater and greater frequency over the course of the war—that in the hands of Anakin Skywalker, it could do the impossible. Right now, however, Anakin himself was of the opinion that this was a bold-faced lie, for the one thing he could not make it do, as he staggered unsteadily yet imperturbably toward the main doors of the Jedi Temple, was have it chase away the fog that was threatening to take over his over-tired mind and send him spiralling into the deep, impenetrable darkness of forced rest. He had been fighting it for days, drawing on the Force to fend off sleep as he searched desperately for a solution to save his wife from the awful fate that plagued his dreams whenever he tried to rest. And now, only now, when he was so close to finding the solution that the Jedi had denied him, when a moment's delay meant that he could lose that knowledge for ever, did his reserves finally run out, and the ability to stay awake and moving start to slip through his durasteel grip like sand.

Sand. Sand. His head felt like it was full of sand. Scratchy and grainy, lodged in unlikely places, disrupting all the whirring mechanisms that governed his thoughts. He'd had the same problem with Threepio when he was building him, without his coverings to protect him from the ravages of Tatooine, and he'd spent hours cleaning the stuff out of his servos just as he had with Watto's junk at the shop. He wanted to shake his head to dislodge it, but nothing he did made it—

He had been so focused on putting one foot in front of the other that he barely realised when he collided full on with a tall, slim figure standing directly in front of the door. The world swam before as one of the frequent waves of dizziness overcame him, and he felt strong, slim fingers circling about the flesh of his biceps to keep him upright. Dazed, he blinked, trying to chase away the strange blur that had overtaken his vision, and the smudge of red and white and purple before him coalesced into the face of Jedi Master Shaak Ti. Her hairless brows were drawn into a frown, and she looked very concerned.

“Anakin,” she said. “Are you alright? Where are you going?”

Anakin wished he could dislodge the sand from his brain, but his thoughts wouldn't come coherently, and all he could force out from his lips was a garbled, “the Chancellor— I need—”

Shaak Ti's frown deepened.

“The Chancellor?,” she asked. “But the Masters have already gone to confront him. You need not worry—the situation is already in hand.”

Anakin could only shake his head wordlessly, immediately wishing that he hadn't as his vision swam once again at the sudden movement. She didn't understand. The situation wasn't in hand because Windu might kill Palpatine who was the only one who knew how to save Padmé and he couldn't let Padmé die, he couldn't live without her -

“Shaak Ti,” he gasped out. “Get out of my way.”

He had to get to the door, had to— If he could just get to the door— He tried to pull out of her grasp, but Shaak Ti held on, the press of her fingers on his arms gentle yet firm.

“The Temple is sealed,” she reminded him. “The door is code-locked.”

Oh. Yes. They were expecting retaliation from Palpatine should the Masters fail. Windu had put Shaak Ti in charge of the Temple's defence as a precautionary measure when he had ordered Anakin to wait like a good little Jedi in the Council Chambers while he marched off to kill the man who had always been kind to him, had lied to him, had been the only one to offer to help him save Padmé— But what did it matter? He was a Jedi himself. He had the codes, and Shaak Ti couldn't keep him here when he needed to go—

“And you're in the way of the pad” he snapped.

He jerked back, and this time, he managed break free, but the force of the movement had unbalanced him, bringing on another alarming wave of faintness. His vision blurred, the world spun, his head throbbing painfully with exhaustion and hunger and fear. Hands shot out to catch him once again, and he pitched forward, forced to lean against Shaak Ti to keep his knees from buckling.

“You're not well, Anakin,” the Jedi Master's soft voice spoke somewhere in the vicinity of his ear, but despite how close she was, she sounded distant, muffled, as if she were talking over a bad comm connection. “You should be in the Halls of Healing.”

“I— No. I can't—,” Anakin stammered desperately. He couldn't afford distractions, not with Padmé's life on the line. He had to get to Palpatine now, before Windu— “I'm fine,” he added, trying to push himself back upright again. “I need to go—”

Shaak Ti shook her head.

“What can you possibly do?,” she asked. “Master Windu and the others will handle it. You have done your duty. Let yourself rest.”

Yes, Windu will handle it, Anakin wanted to shout. That's precisely the problem. Padmé was going to die because he couldn't get away, because he couldn't get there on time. His head swam again, and to his horror, he felt tears of fear and frustration pricking at his eyes.

“You don't understand!,” he babbled. How could she understand? How could he explain it to her after he had broken the Code so badly? “There's no time. I have go! I have to do something! I can't just—”

“Anakin, please,” Shaak Ti cut across him. She looked deeply worried. “Let me take you to the healers. You are in no state to be fighting battles against a Sith Lord. You will get yourself killed.”

Anakin shook his head.

“He...he won't kill me,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. “He wants—”

Realising exactly what it is he was about to say, Anakin cut himself off abruptly. He wants me as his apprentice, he thought. That's the price of Padmé's life. My life in service so she and the baby can live. He knew this deeply, instinctively, with all the knowledge of the little boy on Tatooine who had spent his life at the mercy of his masters, even though the part of him that wanted to think not of the Chancellor's lies but of their long friendship tried to tell him that there wouldn't be a price for his help. He couldn't tell Shaak Ti that. Couldn't tell her that, as much as the prospect alarmed him, there was a tiny spark in him beneath the furious insistence that all he wanted was to make sure that Palpatine wasn't killed that was actually considering it. Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, however, for a look of severe alarm found its way into Shaak Ti's violet eyes.

“He wants what?,” she said, and there was a note of urgency in her tone that he had never heard from her before—usually, she was the very epitome of Jedi calm. “Anakin, what does he want. What has he told you—?”

But before she could demand anything further of him, and before he could even begin to think about evading her questions, four lights blinked out of existence, and the Force screamed. Both Anakin and Shaak Ti staggered under the weight of it.

“What—?” Anakin gasps. He knew those lights. Windu. Fisto. Kolar. Tiin. Where were they? They couldn't just be gone. They couldn't be— There had been four of them and only one of Palpatine. He couldn't have—

“It cannot be,” Shaak Ti breathed, her eyes wide with horror. “Four Jedi Masters... How could he have—?”

She shook herself, as if she could rid herself of fear the way an akk dog did water after a swim.

“We must see to the Temple's defences. I fear he will come for us next, and without—”

But she never got to finish, as Anakin took advantage of her distraction to dart around her towards the keypad. Another wave of dizziness overcame him, and he nearly crumpled in a heap on the floor, but he flung out an arm to break his fall. Bracing his right arm against the wall, he raised his trembling flesh hand to the pad, intent on typing in his code. If only he could stop it from shaking so violently, let alone shift the sand in his head to remember what the damned code was—

A hand circled around his wrist, and he froze.

“Anakin, no,” Shaak Ti said sternly, even as her voice shook at the feeling in the Force of four Jedi Masters dead. “I cannot let you go to him. Whatever he wants with you, it will bring you nothing but harm.”

Harm. Harm. Palpatine had harmed Windu and the others. Had killed them. He should want to kill him, as he had for one short moment in the man's office when he revealed to him that he was the Sith Lord behind the war. Did he want to kill him now? No, he needed him to save Padmé. He needed that knowledge, that power. Who cared if it harmed him as long as it helped her? A small voice in his head whispered to him that if Sidious had the power to defeat four Jedi alone, then surely being able to save Padmé would be nothing by comparison. Oh Force, he felt sick.

“Please,” he begged, appalled to hear his voice tremble and break as he spoke. He wanted to cry, wanted to rest, to fall asleep in Padmé's arms knowing that she was safe, that he would no longer be plagued by dreams of her death and that he wouldn't have to turn to the Sith Lord that had just killed four Jedi Masters for help. But he couldn't have any of that. All he had was one possible way to save her life that Shaak Ti wouldn't let him take. “Please, it's not me, it's— She's going to die! Padmé's going to die and I have to...”

Shaak Ti's eyes widened in sudden realisation, but he could barely see her through the blackness that was encroaching on his vision. She tilted sideways or—no, he tilted sideways, tumbling to the floor and what was that? Was the door opening? Had she opened the door? No, it was someone coming in—many someones with heavy booted feet and blue and white armour and weapons pointed—

There was a click of many weapons being primed, a shout, the snap-hiss of a lightsaber being ignited, and then the darkness consumed him amid a hurricane of blaster fire.

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obiwanobi · 4 years

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You really made me write a 2.6k fic after I said I wouldn't write a fic, hum. Have some 'drunk, tired and jealous but will never admit it' Senator Kenobi who just wanted to spend one quiet night bitching about other politicians with Anakin:

Growing up in the Temple made Obi-wan way more aware of how to control negative emotions, but possessiveness has never been a huge problem in his life. He's not a Jedi, so he does have material possessions -admittedly, fewer than most people- but the rule about attachments still has a particular impact on him and even if he hasn't made a deliberate choice to keep respecting it, he understands the value of it and makes a point of keeping it in the back of his head.

Until now.

Senator Odage is laughing obnoxiously and putting his grabby hand on Anakin's arm. Senator Odage, with his wide smile and passionate speeches, seems to have been galvanized by the standing ovation following his latest intervention in the Senate Chamber and is now chatting with Anakin. Anakin who had enthusiastically clapped with the rest of the Senate a few hours earlier after Odage's remarkable intervention.

"You boiling with hate is not a sight I'm used to."

Glass raised to him in greetings, Bail lifts an eyebrow at Obi-wan's flat look. That's the first time Obi-wan sees him tonight, lost in the myriad of senators, committee members, ministers, dukes and duchesses, princes and princesses, representatives and official dignitaries, exchanging platitudes, plotting their next moves, faking smiles and drinking to forget at the Senate Holiday Party.

"I am not." "You’re giving shorter and shorter answers to diplomats you wanted to talk to for weeks and you’re holding your glass so tightly that I can almost hear it shattering as we talk.” "I might be a bit tired," Obi-wan admits as he forces himself to unclench his fist and looks at something else than Odage and Anakin. "Tired, yes. I would have said trying not to snap at people of your own party and mentally throwing daggers at Odage, but tired is good enough I guess." "I don't know what you're talking about." "You know, Senator Odage? Young, bold, promising career in front of him, antislavery committee member, currently flirting with your Jedi and making you sulk in a corner?" "Oh. That Odage. No, I'm quite sure I'm just tired." "And why would you be tired?" "Why would I-"

Something that has been growling inside of him for hours finally snaps and the floodgate opens.

"Please Bail, I just came back from my seven-week-long trip with tragically boring representative Bar, where, do I need to remind you, I finally put in motion the underfunded education program for children of the Outer-Rim, was supposed to come back to Coruscant in time to deliver a speech that would have proved that I achieved some kind of progress, which is unheard of for someone working in the Senate, but had to make a 'quick' detour by Naator's moon and got stuck with the Duke there who thought Stewjon was a show on the HoloNet because Chancellor Palpatine wanted someone from the 'remote' Mid-Rim to explain that even 'backwater dust-ball like your planet has benefits of allying themself with the Republic!' and then came back to Coruscant just in time to see young, bold, promising Senator Odage ending my own speech with, I'll admit, more punch and sincere sensibility that I could ever deliver! So maybe I'm just tired Bail, and want to spend my night quietly sulking in a corner."

And with Anakin who I haven't seen in two months, he didn't add.

Still in his corner, but this time with Anakin complaining about politicians to his face, moving Jar Jar's glass with the Force every time he puts it down, giggling at Padmé's attempts not to laugh. Yes, Obi-wan would have liked that.

He is maybe, just maybe, a bit more than tired.

Obi-wan risks a glance at the Jedi still listening to Odage. His hair is longer than when he left and getting in his face, preventing Obi-wan to see his reaction to the senator’s gesture for another drink. Anakin knows better than to indulge in public, he huffs internally, raising his own glass to his lips. He learns that the hard way the first time Obi-wan took him to a boring party and they both realised that he was, despite his stature and his ‘strong Outer-Rim boy who fears nothing’ declarations, a lightweight incapable of keeping down drinks with more alcohol than sugar.

"You need to drink," Bail says, reaching for the closest bottle. "This is my fifth one." "You need to stop drinking," Bail corrects, reaching for Obi-wan's brandy. "No, I don't. It's fine Bail," He sighs as Bail sends him a worried look. "I think it's just time for me to go home." "Without me?"

And there he is. The only Jedi present at the Holiday Party without any clear reason why. The only one Obi-wan can bear to see after such a terrible day for his ego and moral dignity. Obi-wan is almost relieved to feel him close again after so long, but the warm feeling of reunion with the incandescent supernova that is Anakin in the Force is tainted by Senator Odage's presence at his side.

"Obi-wan."

Anakin's warm hand on his elbow distracts him from the senator, but he doesn't move close enough to make the gesture looks intimate. Even if the way Anakin keeps looking at him makes Obi-wan wants to chuckle with fondness at the obviousness of the whole thing. The Force is vibrating with bright delight around them. It's a good thing no other Jedi is in the room because if Anakin's blinding smile is not enough to translate all his emotions, he's certainly not shielding anything in the Force right now. The only thing stopping him from reaching out or saying more is that he knows how Obi-wan feels about displays of affection, particularly in public.

Before Obi-wan can say anything, Odage is gesturing his glass in front of his face, dragging his attention away from Anakin's eyes.

"Good evening Senator Organa. Senator Kenobi, a pleasure to see you back! I was just talking about you with Knight Skywalker and how your speech was truly something. I hope you didn't mind that I tweaked some parts to make it mine? Being part of the antislavery's committee brought me a new perspective on social activism, and on the... How did you say, Anakin?"

Anakin replies something at the same time that he lets his hand fall from his arm. Obi-wan can only stare in disbelieve at the man calling a Jedi he barely knows in such a familiar way. Is it really their first encounter? Did Anakin meet Odage in the past fest weeks when Obi-wan wasn't here? He certainly looks like someone he would have a lot to talk too, being approximately the same age and Odage having this magnetic pull that seems to enthral most of the Senate.

What else did he miss during his time away?

"...I'm sure you can submit a demand to the Jedi Order for this, Mariv," Anakin says.

Mariv? Mariv? Who the kriff is Mariv? Surely it isn't Senator Odage, who is now leaning towards Anakin with the smile of someone who's finally hearing what he was aiming at for the past hour.

"But wouldn't you be the best for this, Anakin?"

This is it. Obi-wan probably had too much to drink, especially combined with his exhaustion and sour mood, but he knows he will not let that slide. Anakin looks clueless and Obi-wan will not let him be roped in whatever grubby schemes avid politicians have in mind with a Jedi, however smart and better than him at his job they are. Especially if they're smarter and better than him.

"Anakin," Obi-wan cuts in, and just like he hoped it will, it immediately grabs Anakin's attention. Obi-wan doesn't call him by anything else than a respectful 'Knight Skywalker' when they’re not alone. He barely does it in front of Bail and Padmé. "I'm sure you can't take decisions without consulting the Order first, that would be presumptuous, wouldn't it?"

If Obi-wan's complete focus on him hadn't distracted him from Odage, the small step he takes closer to the Jedi, making them arms brush, would have done the trick. He never gets that close in public and judging by Bail’s raised eyebrow, he’s not the only one surprised by his own boldness.

"Oh," Odage says in a suave voice, his eyes following the way Anakin unconsciously shifts his whole body towards Obi-wan, "yes, you would know about this, Senator Kenobi. I keep forgetting your past as a Jedi apprentice. That must be a real advantage to have this connection to them. Not every Senator can have the chance to call for a specific knight when they want company on their trips or when they fancy it."

Obi-wan feels Anakin's reaction in the Force before any movement and almost as a reflex to prevent him from throwing a comment they will both regret, Obi-wan grabs his shoulder. It’s enough to stop him. Obi-wan feels him slowly relaxing under his fingers. His hand, a light touch at first, slowly goes down to the small of his back, applying just the right amount of pressure there to make the man under it quiet and contented in the Force once again.

Sometimes, Anakin being so receptive to touch is a blessing.

"You're perfectly right, Senator Odage," Obi-wan declares with the most polite smile he could afford after four glasses of brandy and rethinking his entire career in the past twenty minutes. "Nothing like good-old fashion favouritism to get out of assassination attempts and surviving Outer-Rim fascist government leaders who don't appreciate feeling like you're giving them a lesson. Thanks the Force for failing my Jedi training, I don’t know how I could be a competent politician without completely relying on the Jedi Order."

The poorly covered laugh coming from Bail, who has been suspiciously quiet until now, does nothing to stop Odage from opening his mouth again. Obi-wan is drunk, hasn’t slept in the past 48 hours and has a hand on Anakin: One more inappropriate remark from Odage and fist-fighting would feel less and less outside of the realm of possibility.

“Senator Kenobi, I never knew you were so funny.” “I haven’t been funny since my last run-in with a gundark,” Obi-wan deadpans, eyes locked on Odage as he downs his last glass of brandy. “I think Senator Kenobi is tired,” Bail proclaims before Odage has the chance to reply. “He was just telling me that he was going home, and I’m sure it’s also time for Knight Skywalker to head back to the Temple.” “Sure, we’re going the same way and I came with a speeder, I can take Obi-wan home.” “Wait Anakin, I didn’t have the time to-“, Odage tries but Bail is already putting a firm arm on his shoulder. “You two have a good night! So, Senator, did I already introduce you to Representative Bari? I’m sure you and her seven heads will get along marvellously.”

“That was…” Anakin says once they’re gone, leaning completely against Obi-wan’s hand on his back. There is no reason for it to still be there, but Obi-wan can’t stop his slow insistent up and down movement against Anakin’s back. “For one moment I thought you were going to use the prissy tone you take when I’ve irritated you enough to make you lose patience, and just starts listing everything he did wrong since the day he was born.”

Obi-wan narrows his eyes at him, finally retracting his hand and turning away toward the main exit of the Senate’s reception room. He doesn’t need to look back to know that Anakin is right behind him.

“I don’t have a prissy tone.” “Hum hum.” “I had…” Obi-wan’s shoulders sag and he slows down to match Anakin’s pace. “…A long week.” “It’s Wednesday.” “Ah. I’m afraid that if this is the way I start the week, my chances of ending up in jail are going to blow up at the end of it.” “Don’t worry too much about it,” Anakin dismisses, getting his robe and Obi-wan’s coat from the cloakroom, “I would bail you out. If you ask nicely.” “Would you?” He feigns a distract tone as he turns around to slip his arms in the coat Anakin is holding for him. “I was under the impression that you would be too busy mooning over Mariv to think about it.”

There is a strange noise behind him and before he can react, two hands are on his shoulders and forcing him to turn around and confront Anakin’s wide eyes.

“Are you… Are you jealous? Is this why you were all…”

He makes a little hand gesture to his back and tilts his hand. Obi-wan really wants to tell him that he looks like an idiot with his silly gesticulations and shaggy hair everywhere, but unfortunately, a slight blush from the party is still visible high on his cheeks and the amusement in his eyes is tangible in the Force around him, and by extension, around Obi-wan. It’s infuriating.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Anakin,” He huffs, shifting around, but Anakin must see something on his face because he’s suddenly laughing and squeezing his shoulders. “Obi-wan Kenobi, you are jealous! You're a jealous man! I have never seen you jealous before, I didn’t even think you knew how to, this is the greatest moment of my life!” “Anakin, you’ve been knighted. And freed from slavery.” “I stand by what I said!” He declares loudly. “Were you ready to defend my honour?” “Force, would you stop saying-“ “No, no, answer the question Obi-wan.” “Can we go-“ “Did you think I was into Odage? Were you seething with rage because he touched me? Did you think I would forget all about you after two months and, what, elope with the first politician to talk to me?” “You’re a terrible person, do you know that?” “Because you know I would only elope with you.”

There is no answer to that. Anakin is the picture of sincerity, grin still full of mirth, golden curls framing his flushed cheeks and the Force humming softly around him. It feels warm and kind, loving in such a playful way that it’s begging Obi-wan to join him, give in, love him.

And Obi-wan is a tired, old, drunk fool who wants.

He’s shoving Anakin behind one of the pillars of an adjacent corridor before he realises what he’s doing, fisting Anakin’s tunic in one hand and grabbing a handful of curly hair to keep him in place with the other. Anakin’s eyes suddenly darken, his lips moving to form the beginning of a shameless taunt, surely, but Obi-wan’s demanding mouth is on him to prevent it in an instant. He tastes like expansive cocktails at boring parties, but underneath it’s him, only him and no one else.

A leg is pushing Anakin against the pillar, pressing and pressing at every little noise escaping from him. Obi-wan wants to melt into him.

“Terrible, awful boy,” He grumbles as Anakin tries to laugh before getting kissed again, instantly pliant under him. “Well,” Anakin finally breathes. His hair is an absolute mess, half in his face and half pulled by Obi-wan’s fist, letting him admire an immaculate throat. Where he found the strength not to bite there before, Obi-wan doesn’t know. “I think I need to send a ‘thank you’ card to Odage. Or maybe grant him his-”

A sharp pull on his hair and his words turn into a faint whine.

“Will you, Anakin? Will you really?”

Anakin’s eyes shut blissfully, like he’s finally where he wants to be.

“I guess I won’t have time for that.”

#*obi-wan 2 seconds away from verbally destroying someone*#anakin:*delighted overjoyed ready to get on his knees*#senator kenobi au #obikin #this was... a very good prompt #I should probably find a beta instead of making you read my broken english #asks #anon #fic i will never write #well it's more a fic I wrote now

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