「 star-crossed ⭒ anakin skywalker 」

chapter fourteen

As the ship lowered toward the docking point, I started to make out the familiar figure of Obi-Wan, alongside the one person I was so relieved to see.

Duchess Satine stood with her usual poise— headdress wrapped neatly into her blonde hair. I audibly sighed at the sight of her safe and sound.

The calm breeze of my home-world brushed across my cheeks as soon as I stepped off the now-landed cruiser. It was comforting being back on Mandalore, yet the uncertainty and danger that was clearly present in the Force was making me uneasy.

Anakin seemed to notice and gave me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder before we started to walk over.

When we were close enough, my mother, who had finished her conversation with Master Kenobi, finally drew her attention to me.

Her eyes lit up and she practically ran over, wrapping me in the hug I had been craving for the whole decade I'd been away from her. "Vienna, I've missed you so much. I can't believe how much you've grown up."

"I missed you too," I smiled, but quickly remembered the serious reason I was there. "But, I heard about Death Watch. Is everything going to be okay?"

Satine looked down and shook her head, "I wish I could know whether or not it will be, but I do know that I need to help my people. And if pleading my case to the Senate is what I have to do, then that is what I will do."

"We will all help you get to the bottom of this, Duchess. I won't let anything happen to you or Mandalore," Anakin spoke up, and I nodded in agreement.

"Well then we better be on our way to Coruscant," my mother said. "Thank you." Her escorts and comrades followed as she turned and boarded a much larger ship than the one we had arrived on.

It was then that we had noticed Obi-Wan's glare at us. "What in the blazes is Vienna doing here, Anakin? Must you two always break the rules," he rolled his eyes in pure disappointment, but, to be honest, he was anything but surprised. It was easy to tell that Anakin pulled these sort of things often.

Just as Anakin opened his mouth to explain, I quickly shouted, "It was my fault, Anakin didn't do anything— it's not believable, I know— but I swear. I was worried for my Auntie Satine and I needed to come and help."

He seemed to process my confession for a few seconds, leaving Anakin and I to awkwardly glance at each other while waiting, but Obi-Wan finally let out a big sigh. "Very well. But when you get in trouble by the Council, I'm staying out of it."

I'll take it. With Obi-Wan calmed down a bit, the three of us, along with the clones, joined my mother and her retinue aboard the hull of the ship.

—

Once in hyperspace, Master Kenobi, Anakin, and I gathered with the troopers to go over the assignment details.

"You know your marching orders," he addressed the group. "The safety of The Duchess Satine is of the utmost importance. The Death Watch will stop at nothing to assassinate her before she pleads her case to the Senate."

Anakin stepped forward, "The Death Watch may be backed by the Separatists, so stay sharp." Echoes of 'yes, sir' followed his order as the clones dispersed to patrol the ship.

"Very well," I heard Obi-Wan say quietly into his comm-link when I turned toward him. "The Duchess has requested our presence," he informed us after hanging up.

Anakin and I exchanged a slight, confused look before following Obi-Wan into the elevator, joined by Commander Cody and Rex.