Obi Wan and the Duchess

Chapter Two: The Departure

The two men stood next to each other, heads tucked under their hoods and their covered arms crossing their chests. The wind scratched the side of the large, old, YT-1250 that stood intimidatingly over the landing platform. The two men stared blankly at the ground, watching as flakes of ice fell slowly and melted at their feet. It was finally winter on Coruscant, they thought and smiled silently. The two of them stared at the ground, their tired eyes scarcely blinking as the frozen air surrounded them. Windu turned to face Kenobi, his eyes darting from the jedi to the ship and back.

"Are you sure you can fly this thing?" Windu spoke up against the suffocating silence. He watched as Kenobi let his eyes cover every square inch, taking in the view of the massive ship that stood still. Had it not been so early, and Kenobi not so tired, he would have given a more sure answer to the master's questions, but now he did not. His blank stare amused master Windu, a slight smirk appeared on his face. A strong gust of wind tugged at the Jedi's knee-length cloak, distracting him from the Duchess that neared. From the corners of his eyes he saw a warm and welcoming smile make its way across Duchess Satine's pale lips. The faint sound of whispering from her to one of her guards turned Kenobi's head towards the humbly dressed woman who stood before him. They bowed and she did the same.

Kenobi faintly smiled, "Beautiful morning, Duchess." The Duchess let out a small laugh and nodded towards the ship.

"I look forward to the frozen planet we're heading to." The Duchess said sarcastically, making the jedi crack a smile. Her hand reached down towards the brown suitcase that sat at her feet.

"Allow me Duchess." Kenobi said, his hand already gripping the handle. She smiled as they walked towards the ship, the wind ripping at their loose clothes. The two of them stepped up onto the boarding ramp and climbed up into the ship, Kenobi and Windu shared one last glance before he disappeared. The ramp rolled in and the metal door slammed shut, the two of them were alone and shared a sense of anxiety.

"Let me take those to our quarters." The Duchess said, her arms outstretched towards the Jedi, he looked at her then nodded handing the two cases over. He watched as she rounded the corner out of view and waited for the 'hiss' of the door before turning in the direction of the cockpit. Kenobi's footsteps had echoed in the cockpit corridor as he listened for his companion's footsteps down the hall. Kenobi's hand lightly waved right, sliding the door open. He observed the old cockpit, it had been well kept with some updates he presumed. His hands traced the hem of his cloak and pulled it off, slinging it on the chair behind the pilots'. Kenobi settled into the old chair and started the engines. The sound of heeled boots came closer as the Duchess walked into the dimly lit space and sat down. She breathed a sigh while punching in hyperspace coordinates while Kenobi lifted the ship into space. The cold air left a silence between the two as they waited eagerly to enter hyperspace, each one thinking of sleep. A syncopated breath escaped their lips when the blue glow of hyperspace filled the room. They both smiled slightly.

"We will reach our destination in four days and twelve hours." Kenobi said falling back into the chair, his fingers played lightly into his hair.

"Right." The Duchess mumbled tiredly beside him. Silence passed slowly as they watched the blue blur of stars lit up the cock pit.

"If I may ask, Duchess, with whom are you meeting with on Toola?" Kenobi leaned back and looked at her, there was still a glow to her cheeks despite their impending destination. He watched as she stared into passing space.

"Her name is Auli'i Crown, she is an old friend of mine from the academy." She said, crossing one leg over the other.

"I see" Kenobi said, pausing briefly before continuing. "I believe Master Windu said that she was a Queen of a small territory deep inside Separatist boundaries."

"No, not any longer. Before the Clone Wars began but soon after the Trade Federation's invasion of Naboo, she had been in full control until a man took it from her." The Duchess's face grew a shade of pink after the words left her mouth.

"Besides when she contacted me two days ago, I hadn't seen or heard from her since." She seemed to trail off, her eyes looked as if they fogged over.

"What's wrong, Satine?" Kenobi asked, noticing the change in tone. She gave him a side smile before she stood up slowly, motioning for him to follow back into the crew lounge. Kenobi switched on the autopilot and stood up, catching up with the Duchess.

"There had been rumors," she began. "In the first days of the Clone Wars, there had been whispers about some Separatist and Neutral leaders being murdered." The Duchess pressed a button and the door to the lounge opened, they walked into the large area. Kenobi sat down at the table while Satine walked to the counter and turned on the brewer.

"There had been investigations that lasted maybe a year by small police forces from both Separatists and Neutrals. Slowly they began to release three lists; Murderer, Alive, and Unknown. Auli'i was on the list of Unknown." There was disappointment and some fear in her voice, Kenobi could feel the distress in her. He looked at the Duchess; her back was towards him, her shoulders slouched over, her head hung low over the machine that was steaming now. It was very unroyal of her, he observed. After a moment of silence she straightened up and grabbed two cups from the cupboard and started to pour the coffee. He started to stand up.

"You can stay seated, Master Jedi," Satine said, her back still turned. "I know you just returned from a taxing mission on Onderon." She smiled as she turned around, handing the jedi the cup. Kenobi nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, Satine." Kenobi said taking the steamy cup from her as she sat down in front of him.

She feels uneasy, Kenobi thought to himself, I feel like she has more to say. He took a sip of the dark brew, it was hot but the cold air of the ship made it less so.

"So how was it?" She asked after taking a sip.

"It was fine, I underestimated the planet's jungle." Kenobi took another sip, his eyes locking with the Duchess'. Satine's head tilted in confusion at his statement.

"I've read old records and transcripts on the planet before leaving with Anakin and Ahsoka, they didn't quite describe the jungle at it's fullest potential." He watched as the duchess smile, the jedi returned it. The two sat in comfortable silence, tiredly sipping their coffee.