CoS 41

22 BBY

Obi-Wan hadn’t spoken to Duchess Satine in a long time. She hardly resembled the young woman from his memories, but he supposed she probably felt the same about him. Obi almost felt like his life Before Qui-Gon died was a different life altogether, lived by someone else that he hardly recognised. Other times, Obi-Wan still felt like he was the exact same young man, starving and confused in the swamps of Naboo, and not a day had passed. 

Was this how Yoda felt? Or Qui-Gon? The young looked to Obi-Wan for wisdom and guidance, and most of the time he felt like he had none to offer. He was just muddling through, making a mess of things as he went. That was why it was often Anakin who had to save him, the Chosen One with so much potential, while in contrast Obi-Wan felt stagnant. Was he really helping Anakin to reach his incredible potential? Or was he a weight strapped to his ankle?

Reaching out to the Senator for Mandalore secured Obi-Wan a meeting with the Duchess, which should help secure a few leads for the investigation. 

“So when do we go to see her?” Anakin asked, and Obi looked at his padawan. Did he really want to bring Anakin along to this, when it was already bound to be awkward at best, if not outright humiliating? Satine’s reaction to him yesterday showed that absence had clearly failed to make the heart grow fonder.

“I think we should aim to use our time more efficiently.” Obi-Wan said. “We’ll split up, and pursue different leads.”

Anakin smirked. “Master, if you want some alone time with a lady, I will have to inform Master Windu.”

Obi-Wan had to hide a wince at that. Obviously the boy was teasing, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t spread gossip if he wasn’t given a good reason not to.

“I was thinking that perhaps you could interview Senator Amidala.” Obi-Wan offered. “While I speak to the Mandalorians.”

Anakin immediately perked up at that. “To use our time efficiently.”

 Obi-Wan had to contain his own smile. “Yes, of course.”

Anakin hesitated for a moment. Then he said to Obi-Wan with a concerned look in his eyes. “Don’t let yourself get distracted though. These people almost killed a Senator, and we need to find them.”

Obi-Wan would have scoffed. Him? The one distracted? Anakin was the one who couldn’t hide his crush to save his own life! “Yes, of course. That goes for you as well. As much as you might enjoy catching up with the Senator, take your compad and be sure to take plenty of notes. Remember, if Mace asks us about the progress of the investigation, we will need something to show for ourselves.”

When Anakin left, Kenobi closed the door behind him, before taking out his own device. It took him a moment to look up the Mandalorian Senator’s office online, and he started to dial their number when he hesitated. With a sigh, he hit back and went to his list of personal contacts, before scrolling down to S, and finding Satine’s personal number, still right there.

Yes, officially he should be going through the proper channels for the investigation, but he was worried about how she could answer questions in an official capacity. Anything that she said could end up in public, making her reluctant to speak honestly about the people around her.

Maybe he should just call her privately.

Plus, he really hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with her at all for more than a decade.

In the end, he couldn’t quite bring himself to hit dial, so Instead he typed up a message to her. Is there a time and place to meet? We need to talk.

He put the device down and walked away from it, pacing back and forth for a few moments and getting his nerves back under control. You’re acting like a child. He told himself. You’re a Jedi Knight, investigating a crime. She probably barely thinks about you anymore than you thought about her.

Almost immediately Kenobi grimaced, because he often thought about Satine, and did so with a mix of regret and nostalgia. At the time, he’d already had a foot out of the Order. He was ready to leave, just hesitating on the threshold. All Satine would have had to do was ask, and he would have hung up his lightsaber.

Instead, she had become the Duchess of Mandalore, and Obi-Wan had gone back to Qui-Gon just long enough to see him get murdered.

His Holocom dinged with an incoming message, and Obi-Wan saw that Satine had responded. There was no date, just a time about an hour from now, and an address. Not giving himself time to think about it, Obi-Wan threw on his robe, and stepped outside to fight the Coruscant traffic. While his speeder was in the air, Obi-Wan slowly cued up in the lanes of traffic, focussing on his driving and keeping his mind from wandering as he carefully tried to release his feelings into the Force. Despite his best efforts, he found the worried knot in his stomach growing tighter and tighter as he came closer to the address.

He parked his car out front of a hotel, and was immediately invited inside by the droid chauffeur. Reception had been notified that he was coming, and a droid escorted Obi-Wan to the building’s top floor, where he could feel a Force Sensitive mind already waiting for him. Duchess Satine’s new Jedi protector no doubt, provided by the Indinoor Temple.

The woman who greeted him at the door had black hair, green eyes, and up close Obi-Wan realised she was younger than Anakin. The Indinoor Temple was awfully short staffed if a Padawan was all they could spare to protect the ruler of an entire sector. Then he noticed the durasteel Chain of Office around her neck, and he suddenly recalled that it signified she was a Knight.

He blinked at that, opening his mouth then closing it. She was far too young to be a Jedi Knight. In the Coruscant Temple they whispered that Dooku had raised his own daughter to the rank already, but Obi-Wan recalled nothing about some other prodigy. He raised his gaze from the ring on her chest to her face, and found her green eyes focussed on him with a cold, detached intensity that it took him a moment to place. Combat. He realised. Combat veterans had a gaze like that. 

What in the blazes were those maniacs up to out there? 

Coughing slightly to clear his throat, Obi-Wan stepped back and bowed, like he would to another Knight. It was awkward, given how young she was, but he wasn’t here to start a fight, just to talk to Satine.

After a long moment of silence, the young woman put her hands together and gave him a similar bow.

“I’m Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Jedi Knight Vai Victus.” She finally stepped aside, letting him through the door.

Obi-Wan walked down the hallways, feeling her stare boring a hole into the back of his neck as she followed behind him, before they arrived at the living room, where Satine was already reclining on a soft chair. She didn’t rise to greet him, but there was a steaming pot of tea on the table between them. She wasn’t dressed up in her usual ruling regalia, just wearing the robes without any of the jewelry or overwear. Despite the injuries she’d taken only a few days ago, the only hint that there was anything wrong was the faint blue glow coming from the centre of her pupils, which otherwise looked perfectly organic. Such subtle cybernetic work must have been very expensive…

“I’m glad to see you look well.” Obi-Wan said, and smiled at her. “Do you feel better?”

“I’m fine, Obi.” Satine replied. “Please, take a seat.”

Obi-Wan relaxed into the chair that was offered, while Vai hovered nearby, not overtly threatening, but not part of the conversation either. She never positioned herself in a place where she couldn’t immediately interpose herself between him and Satine.

“Would you like to sit with us?” He asked her.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Was her only answer.

“I promise you, I’m not likely to hurt the Duchess.”

Vai didn’t answer, she just continued watching him carefully.

“I hope you don’t think I’m behind the attack.” Obi-Wan said, bemused.

“If we did, I wouldn’t have invited you here.” Satine answered. “And we already have a pretty good idea about who’s responsible.”

“Someone from your own security team.” Obi-Wan suggested. “That bomb was planted while your vehicle was in the Senate Speeder Park.” It was an automated system, where speeders were stored by a mechanical conveyor that was inaccessible to the public. “Whoever planted the bomb would have needed your particular code, and given that your appearance in the Senate was unscheduled, would have needed to be close enough to take advantage of the opportunity.”

“Our thoughts exactly.” The Duchess nodded. “Until the leak is identified, I will not be staying with the Mandalorian embassy, nor will I be in contact with anyone from my security team.”

Obi-Wan agreed. “Well, I’ll need access to the Embassy if I’m to perform my investigation.”

Satine nodded, and handed him a code cylinder. As he looked at it, Obi-Wan became surprised as he realised this was her own personal device. This would give him access to her ships, her private computers, her messages, the embassy's network and probably a lot more besides. Looking at it in his hands, Obi-Wan felt relief at realizing she still trusted him so deeply.

He tucked the cylinder into his robe pocket. “In the hospital, you said you thought Grib Siv was behind this.” Obi-Wan said. “Do you still think that’s true?”

“Of course I do.” Satine scoffed. “They’ve been attacking us via proxy for years.”

“Why you, and not one of the other ORRA members?” Obi-Wan asked. 

“Because I’m the obvious point of vulnerability!” Satine replied, scowling. “I have no successor, and Mandalore is hardly stable at the best of times, and currently things are on the verge of disaster.”

Obi-Wan’s brow shot up, surprised. “What’s made Mandalore so unstable? Is resistance to the New Mandalorians growing?”

“Hardly growing when it’s the same as it was previously. We only ever ‘won’ the Mandalorian Civil War, in the sense that by the end none of the other clans felt strong enough to take power, and we were non threatening to the ones that remained. They accepted our rule over the planet, because they knew we wouldn’t be able to force our will onto the rest of the Sector. We don’t have a standing army, just a series of defence contracts with other clans, who after a few decades of peace, seem to be about ready to try another round of Civil War!” She sighed, glumly. “The government is wealthier than any of the Clans, but more unpopular than ever before, even among the New Mandalorians.”

Now that was surprising news to Obi-Wan. “I thought your economy was booming. What’s upsetting the New Mandalorians?”

“They want me to hold elections.” Satine replied.

“Well, what’s so wrong with that?”

“We can’t hold an election because no one will accept the outcome.” Satine answered. “Clan blood feuds are ancient, and feelings run deep. There’s no way someone will accept a government headed by a rival clan, because they know that if they had the chance, they would use such powers to persecute their rivals.”

“So what’s your plan?” Obi-Wan asked. “Just wait, and hope things change?”

“At the moment, I don’t see what else I can do.” Satine answered, sounding almost defeated.

Obi-Wan could see it was a terrible situation to be in for anyone. Knowing that if you didn’t do anything, everything you’d built would eventually burn down before you, but not seeing any way to save it. Any move she could make would only make the situation worse, so she was forced to sit still, watch, and wait, praying for someone or something else to save her.

“Have you considered creating an army for the New Mandalorians?”

Satine scowled at him, and he knew why. Pacifism was a principle that she strongly believed in, and she was ideologically opposed to standing armies. “The Hardliners will never accept it.” Satine replied. To Obi-Wan it had the ring of an excuse, but he didn’t say so aloud. “Perhaps if conflict does break out, I might be able to convince them to create a volunteer force.”

Far too little, far too late by the sounds of things.

He knew any further advice he had to offer would be unwelcome. Kenobi glanced over to Vai, who had an uncomfortable look on her face. Her mind was shielded, but she was also from the Indinoor Temple. She probably wasn’t happy with Satine spilling the ORRA’s secrets to him so candidly.

“Thank you for talking to me.” Obi-Wan said to her, standing up. “I’m going to head to the Mandalorian Embassy right away, and I’ll contact you once the assassin is in custody.”

“Please do, Obi.” She smiled at him, sadly. “It’s been good to see you again, despite the circumstances.”

Obi-Wan was escorted out by Vai, who closed the door behind him and locked it. It wasn’t quite his first interaction with someone from the Indinoor Temple, but he had the distinct impression that it didn’t go very well. As he walked to the lift he took out his holocom and called Anakin.

“Master?”

“I’ve just finished up here. Satine has granted me access to their embassy and its security systems.”

“Sounds promising.” Anakin shifted, slightly awkward. “Not much luck on my end.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Was the Senator uncooperative?” 

“She answered all my questions.” Anakin quickly replied.

“...But nothing else?” 

“...Yeah. Nothing else.” Anakin answered bitterly, looking down.

On the one hand, Obi-Wan could point out that the last time they spoke Anakin was nine and the princess was a fourteen year old in the middle of a war. On the other hand, Anakin was a young man coming to terms with the fact that his crush had almost no interest in him at all. 

“I’m sorry, Anakin.” Obi-Wan said. “Did you want me to come pick you up? Or did you want to meet me at the Mandalorian Embassy?”

“...I’ll meet you there.” Anakin decided after a long pause. “I think I’d like a moment to clear my head.”

“I understand. Take all the time you need.”

After hanging up, Obi-Wan walked to his speeder and jumped in to join the late morning traffic. He took a path straight to the embassy, and found his Padawan hadn’t arrived yet. The security was incredibly tight, but between his Jedi credentials, and the code cylinder given to him by Satine, the New Mandalorian guards let him through, though he got more than a few stink eyes. 

Things got tricky when Obi-Wan logged in and found himself looking at an unfamiliar operating system. He wasn’t computer illiterate, but it was hardly his area of expertise either. It took him a bit of searching to find who had access to Satine’s senatorial garage, then download the list. 

Only Satine’s personal aides and security would, and all of them had tags to show who entered and exited the Embassy. The only Mandalorians who had exited the embassy in the right time frame were travelling with Satine. Obi-Wan even reviewed the embassy’s security footage to confirm that no one had left unrecorded, and confirmed that a bomb check was performed when her speeder left the garage. 

Clearly the bomb was planted by someone in Satine’s personal retinue. No wonder she was hiding in a hotel room with her Padawan bodyguard. 

After copying all the files, Obi-Wan left the embassy to find his own Padawan waiting outside. 

“Find anything?” Anakin asked.

“I was able to narrow our list of suspects to her personal retinue.” 

“Do you have the data? Can I look?”

Obi-Wan handed Anakin his compad and hopped into the driver seat of the speeder. Anakin fell into the passenger seat, reading the files in silence as they drove to the embassy.

“This is odd.” Anakin said after a few minutes.

“What did you find?”

“Well, the embassy staff all have their own official mailing addresses. Their spam filters automatically clear every forty eight hours, but a woman named Vizbig cleared hers early, and she was the only one that did that.”

“Why’s that significant?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Well, she didn’t seem to realise that just because her spam filter is cleared, that doesn’t mean there’s not a record of the mail she received and accessed. The night before the bombing, Vizbig opened a spam email from a company based on Mandalore.”

It didn’t prove much. A company based on Mandalore was more likely to have found her email address than one from somewhere she’d never even been. “It does seem unusual.” Obi-Wan agreed. “But we still need hard evidence.”

Anakin put the compad down, clearly deep in thought.

“Something else on your mind?”

“...She asked about you.”

“Vizbig?” Obi-Wan turned to look at Anakin, bewildered.

“No, Padme.”

“Oh.” Obi-Wan looked back to the road. Was the boy feeling jealous because of that? Obi-Wan glanced over to see his Padawan’s gaze fixed ahead, trying to keep his face neutral, but obviously upset. 

It was lunch time now, and the airways were rapidly filling with other speeders as people hunted about for parking at their favourite restaurant or cafe, mixing with the delivery drivers to create a midday traffic jam. Obi-Wan sighed as his speeder came to a halt, and he was forced to come to terms with the fact that he could be stuck in this car for a long time to come.

“...Anakin, Satine and I didn’t get along at first.” Obi-Wan finally said. At the mention of the Duchess, Anakin turned in his seat, suddenly looking interested. “I didn’t get along with Master Qui-Gon very well, either, but Satine and I hated each other at first. We only came to think of each other fondly after… getting to understand each other. First we developed respect for eachother, then eventually admiration.”

“Then love?”

“...Yes, Anakin.” Obi-Wan sighed. “I was ready to leave the Order for her.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because she never asked me to.” Obi-Wan answered. “We’re getting off track. The point I’m making is that she won’t always look at you as she looks at you now. If you’re patient, and you give it time, you might one day find that you already have the respect and admiration of someone you never even considered before.”

Anakin considered for a long moment. Then he smirked. “So it’s okay to break the Jedi Code?”

Obi-Wan reached over to punch him in the shoulder. “You know what I mean. If you want to pursue a relationship outside the Order, you will have to leave the Order. But if that’s what you want, then… I’ll support you.”

“...Or I could just run off to join Dooku and his crazies.”

Obi-Wan barked a laugh. “Please. I’ll never live down the shame. How many children does he have now? A dozen?”

“Four.”

“Four!” Obi-Wan shook his head. “Disgraceful!” 

That got a chuckle from Anakin.

They flew the rest of the way to the Senate building in a more comfortable silence. Once the Senate Security recognised Obi-Wan’s credentials, they quickly gave him access to the security records they had. It took just a few minutes to confirm that someone had used Satine’s credentials to access the Senate garage. Whether they were stolen from her pocket or copied, Obi-Wan didn’t know, but a review of the footage from the Senate chamber showed Vizbig leaving by herself after whispering something to Satine.

“So it was definitely Vizbig.” Obi-Wan murmured. “We’ll put out a warrant for her arrest.”

“No need.” Anakin said, and turned around his compad to display a coroner’s report. “DNA test, and dental records confirm that Vizbig died in the blast.”

Obi-Wan blinked in shock. “...I guess she must have been a true believer.” Then he reconsidered. “Or perhaps she passed the card to someone else? She might not have known about the bomb.”

The two of them returned to the Mandalorian embassy, and searched Vizbig’s room. It was Anakin, who found a compartment hidden in the bottom of the dead Mandalorian’s wardrobe. Inside they found a blaster, and an empty metal box. After getting the box tested, they confirmed that traces of explosives were inside the box.

“They’ve planned this for a long time.” Obi-Wan murmured. “She’s been working with Satine for three years.”

“The mail she got from Mandalore must have been a signal.” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan nodded as he considered. “It seems like Senator Padme was wrong about the Trade Federation’s involvement.”

“We haven’t proven that there’s no connection.”

“No, but the evidence we do have points to internal Mandalorian affairs.”

Thinking back, Obi-Wan supposed that Padme’s bodyguard had realised the explosion was going to go off when she saw it in Vizbig’s mind.

“Why didn’t Knight Prialla tell us who the bomber was, then?” Obi-Wan pondered.

“...Probably because she doesn’t trust us. The Indinoor Temple thinks we’re all Sith puppets.” 

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. It really was a shame that Dooku had led so many young Jedi astray, when his idea of a Temple localised to the struggling Outer Rim had been so promising. Instead, Dooku had poured all his efforts into crafting some kind of feudal empire, using a bizarre conspiracy theory about a Sith Cult operating on Coruscant that secretly controlled the Jedi Council.

“I’ll inform Satine of our findings, then I’ll put together a report for the Jedi Council.” Obi-Wan said. “While I’m doing that, why don’t you work on tracing the origins of that email?”

After dropping Anakin off at the Temple, Obi-Wan returned to the hotel Satine was hiding in. Knight Vai gave him the same cold response the second time, and he did his best to ignore her.

“Vizbig?” Satine looked shocked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” 

“But she’s not even from a clan!” Satine insisted. “We did a background check on her. Both her parents were open supporters of the New Mandalorian movement. The firm that sent her was recommended to me by my own Prime Minister!”

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I see. How long have you been using this firm for?”

“Three years.”

“...Satine, I’m going to have to recommend that you don’t return to Mandalore.” Obi-Wan said. He glanced at Knight Vai. “Would the New Temple be able to offer her safety?”

“Of course.” She answered.

“Are you saying that Pre-Vizla is responsible?” Satine demanded.

“I haven’t confirmed that, but the timing is concerning.” Obi-Wan said. “I’ll be going to Mandalore next. What was the name of that company?”

“Concordia Services.”

Obi-Wan added that to his notes on his compad.

After returning to the Temple, Obi-Wan met up with Anakin. The two of them walked together towards Master Yoad’s private Chambers. “Were you able to trace that mailing address?”

“Yes. It comes from a company called-”

“Concordia Services?”

“That’s right.” Annakin frowned. “What are you thinking?”

“I think we need to go to Concordia.” 

Yoda was waiting for Obi-Wan inside his quarters, with Mace Windu there as well. Both of them bore grim expressions, like they were expecting Obi-Wan was about to deliver some terrible news.

“Our assassin died in the blast, evidently a true believer.” Obi-Wan said as handed the compad to Master Windu, who began reading. “She was in place for three years before attempting her attack. We believe she received the signal from a company called Concordia Services. Because Satine’s Prime Minister may also be implicated, I’ve recommended to her that she seek shelter with the Indinoor Temple.”

At the name the two of them looked at eachother.

“This bears all the signs of a Mandalorian Insurrectionist movement.” Windu remarked.

Both Anakin and Obi-Wan nodded in agreement.

“But I find the timing of this attack suspiscious. Trade Federation patrol ships are banned from Alliance space, and almost immediately after that the signal for this attack is sent. If the Trade Federation’s ships are kept from travelling the Hydian and the Perlemian Hyperlanes, they will be crippled.”

“If Mandalore descends into renewed Civil War, it could destabilise the O.R.R.A.” Obi-Wan added. “I see your point, but so far there’s no evidence of Trade Federation involvement.”

“Good. The last thing this Galaxy needs is a war between the Trade Federation and Dooku’s Alliance.” Windu frowned. “If Indinoor Jedi investigate this, and finds such a connection, it will mean a major war between two powers within the Republic.

“And we know they’ve already fabricated evidence against us.” Obi-Wan pointed out, which got a disgruntled look from Mace. Dooku’s baseless accusations against the Jedi Council had not gone over well. “Who’s to say they won’t do it again if they feel it’s in their interest?”

“A delicate balance.” Yoda rumpled. “Persuade Dooku to relent, we must. Prevent Mandalorian Civil War, we must.”

“But we can’t just violate their jursdiction.” Obi-Wan pointed out. “The last thing we want is them upsetting the other Force Orders again.”

“Obi-Wan, you have strong connections with the Duchess.” Mace Windu mused. “You could travel to Indinoor with the Duchess, and persuade Dooku to allow you and Anakin to join the investigation on Mandalore? He may look fondly on you because of your connection to Qui-Gon Jinn. The attack was here on Coruscant, so we have every reason to see this through. If you’re there, you can keep the Indinoor Temple honest.”

“Very well.” Obi-Wan bowed. “Anakin and I will get ready right away.”

They both bowed and walked out of the room together. Once the door closed behind them, Anakin finally spoke up. “Master?”

“Yes?”

“What do we do if we uncover a connection to the Trade Federation?” Anakin asked.

“...Then we better hope that Dooku will see reason.”

The dubious look Anakin sent him was matched by Obi-Wan’s own.

----

After Anakin finished packing his things, he went down to the senate garage and checked out a speeder. The sun had long set, and he knew the route to where he was going very well. A large penthouse apartment sat at the top of a skyrise, a veritable palace in the sky. Even at this late hour its many gardens, halls and garages were brightly lit. Anakin parked his speeder in the spot reserved for him, and entered inside. The walls were decorated with fine artefacts from Millennia past, and there was a smell of spices and incense in the air.

Stepping into the main living room, Anakin found one of the maids using a handheld appliance to suck dust from the top of the tv cabinet.

“You know mum, any droid could do that?”

Schmi jumped, turning to see Anakin. She broke into a smile at the sight of her son. “Well I have to do something around here. Besides, he says he likes the human touch.” She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheeks.

“I’m just stopping by to let you know. I’ll be heading to the Outer Rim soon, so you probably won’t see me for a few weeks.”

“Oh, what for?”

“An investigation has led us out there.” He didn’t want her to worry, so he added, “Nothing too serious. We’re just going to the Temple on Indinoor.”

“Well, please be careful.”

“I will mum.”

“And listen to Obi-Wan! He’s there to keep you out of trouble.”

Just then the door from the garage opened, and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine entered the room. He was still wearing his formal robes, but he was already undoing a zip concealed beneath his collar. “Oh, young Skywalker! I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I just dropped by to visit my mother.”

“Of course, it’s no problem at all.” He smiled at the boy. “You know you’re welcome here at any time.”

“Thank you. But I was just about to leave.”

“Are you sure?” Palpatine came closer. “I’ve asked your mother to keep the kitchen warm for me, just in case of nights like this. I was about to sit down for dinner. If you like, you and your mother can join me.” He looked over to his maid. “Schmee, what have you prepared for us tonight?”

“Ah, well, you said you were interested to try something Tattooinian, so I’ve put together a seasoned slow roasted bantha shoulder, with some nice sweet fruits and sauces.”

“Oh, how very rich.” Palpatine smiled. “Come, sit, eat with us. I heard you were running around the Senate building today? Are you involved in the bombing investigation?”

“A bombing?” Schmi gasped.

Anakin sighed, realising that now he would have to stay for dinner. Ah well, it wasn’t so bad. He might end up staying up a little longer that night, and maybe Obi-Wan lecture him for being so tired come the morning, but he owed it to his mother, if not the Chancellor as well. After all, it was Palpatine’s generosity that got Schmi out of slavery, and a job on Coruscant.

He walked together with the two of them towards the kitchen, feeling the tension leave his body, as Chancellor Palpatine rested a warm hand on his shoulder, eyes gleaming.