Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter 16 - Voyage of Temptation

The moment they get out of this place, it won't be soon enough, Theseus decides as he follows Obi-Wan up to the waiting starship where they'll be accompanying Satine to Coruscant. It's not that he hasn't stayed up all night fighting before. He has, many times, but he's exhausted anyway. He thought this would be an easy mission for once. So much for that.

"Oh, Anakin, am I glad to see you," Obi-Wan sighs, spotting his former padawan waiting at the bottom of the ramp.

"You sound tired," the Knight observes.

"The peaceful ways of the locals wore me out a bit," Obi-Wan quips as he heads past him.

"We have some things to talk about later," comments Theseus quietly. He can't shake the image of the girl from his head, and he really wants to talk to someone about it. Someone who isn't Obi-Wan. He's not the kind of master you sit down and have a casual talk with like that. Ahsoka isn't around, and he doesn't really feel comfortable at the thought of trying to talk to his mother about it. It's obvious that she doesn't really like dwelling on whatever events happened surrounding his birth which is hardly a surprise, so he'd rather not bring it up. It's probably best for him to tell Anakin about it.

"Really?" he asks, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yeah. Privately, I mean." Thankfully, it isn't long before they find themselves alone. The ship went into hyperspace and Obi-Wan is busy making sure everything is under control. "I haven't told Master Obi-Wan about any of this," Theseus mumbles, suddenly feel awkward and beginning to rethink his decision to tell someone but he has to get this out of his mind. He doesn't really want to ask his mother something so outright like that, either.

"So, what happened?"

"When I was on Mandalore, I saw something. It's my home planet, but I saw this girl there who reminded me of..." Anakin doesn't know about Athea. It's not something Theseus exactly wants to confirm to him or anyone about. Not that he doesn't trust him. It's just something he doesn't want to tell anyone about. "Well, my mother."

There's a moment of silence. Anakin raises an eyebrow. "Your mother? You remember her?"

He has no idea. "She's..." He pauses. Should he really tell Anakin about his relationship with his mother? It's a secret hardly anyone knows, and even then, it's rumors. "Yes, I do," the padawan confirms at last. It's true, after all. Of course, he does. "It's just... this girl was working with a Death Watch, and I really don't want to be related to a terrorist." Because really, he's not sure what else would explain the weird connection he thought he felt towards her. Although how exactly they're related is a different story. His mother would have told him if she had another child, right? Well, probably.

"Don't let it bother you too much. Blood doesn't make someone evil. Even if these are your relatives, it was their choice. It doesn't affect you, not as a person."

"I know," he sighs, "But..." Has he really made any different choices than this potential relative of his? The memory of what happened when he went looking for Vraz's killer flickers before his eyes again.

He almost jumps when Anakin squeezes his shoulder reassuringly. "The Order is your family now." The conversation is cut short when Obi-Wan comes in to find them, telling them that they need to check on security. They're down in the lower part of the ship giving instructions to the clones when a guard shows up, saying that Satine has requested for their presence.

"Keep an eye out with Artoo," Theseus orders BD as he heads for the elevator with Anakin and Obi-Wan. The droid whistles affirmatively.

"As the designated regent of 1,500 systems," Satine is saying as they walk into the room, "I speak for thousands of worlds that have urged me to allow them to stay neutral in this war."