Rebuilding (COMPLETE)

*Episode 24 (2)

It was a grand total of five (5) minutes before Anakin had a galactic map open and a notepad out, writing down coordinates of possible locations for a new base. Not only that, but he also had a separate list of old Republic bases that might inspire the design of the new base. His mind was already racing, much to the amusement of his family. 

The twins went out for the afternoon, probably to tell their friends about boot camp. Obi-Wan sat down with Anakin in the library, watching him work. Grinning, he asked, "Getting ahead of ourselves, are we?"

"I have ideas. I don't want to lose them," Anakin objected, writing down another set of coordinates. "The more planning I do now, the less I have to do later."

"I'm surprised you're bothering to plan at all."

"Ouch."

Obi-Wan sipped his mug of coffee, then asked, "Do you have any initial favorites?"

He shrugged before answering, "Anywhere the Republic already built?"

"The Empire has overrun most of those bases by now."

"I know," Anakin grumbled, setting his notepad to the side. "They were great locations, and Tyrannus has made sure that we can't access most of them, if not all. Otherwise, I would suggest that we revamp one of those old bases and save some of the funding."

"You'll find something," Obi-Wan encouraged him. "I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, but I don't want to find just 'something,' I want to find what we need," he explained, sitting back in his chair. 

Trying not to laugh at his apprentice, Obi-Wan shook his head. "You've never been one to shy away from a challenge. I can't say I'm surprised."

"The only thing about this is the timing," he pointed out a bit glumly. "Right after a huge hit like Malachor is not the time to run off. Taking a vacation is one thing, but finding and building a new base will take months, if not over a year. I was hoping to have longer to help Kanan and Ezra get back on their feet."

One of the disadvantages of serving in the Rebellion while being a Jedi is that sometimes your duties clashed. It happened much more often during the Clone Wars, but this was perhaps the first instance of it since. Obi-Wan thought. "You understand the situation, though. You won't leave them alone, not entirely. It may take a while, but you'll find a balance."

He nodded, but now that he thought about it, he still felt uneasy. If he couldn't be there in person, he was going to have to visit whenever he could, or at least make calls. The bottom line was he refused to leave Kanan or Ezra stranded, especially right now.

That was something he could address later, though. Anakin glanced at his brother. "You're not disappointed that the twins chose boot camp?"

"Oh, no. I expected as much," he assured him, grinning. "I never anticipated they would choose the first option."

"Sometimes, I think you know us too well," Anakin mused, powering off the map. He could plan later.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I trained all three of you since you were children. I bloody well ought to."

He laughed. No one knew a Skywalker quite like Obi-Wan Kenobi, that was for sure. "What are you planning on doing once the twins start going off on their own?"

"I don't know, exactly," he admitted. "I'll probably stay here to begin with, just until the twins are more comfortable living in Theed. After that..." he shook his head. "If I get bored, I can always close off ties with Maul. It sounds like it's nearly time anyway."

"You don't have to be the one to kill him," Anakin argued, softening his gaze. "It's not your fault he's a menace. Maybe it's better to let it go."