As It Was ▸ Obi-Wan Kenobi

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a/n: hey all! this was a short little story i started for twitter user @kenobisverse's star wars writing project leading up to the release of KENOBI. as per usual, it has turned into something i want to continue working on so it will continue as a wip over the next couple weeks! enjoy! and let me know what you think!

(also, fair warning: my knowledge of the clone wars is minimal at best so everything written as happening during that era is based off the half dozen Clone Wars (2008) episodes i've watched. frankly my in-depth understanding of star wars lore as a whole isn't super awesome so pls forgive me if there are glaring inaccuracies or plotholes in how this relates to canon.)

(crossposted from ao3)

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Back-to-back with Obi-Wan while reflecting blaster shots had begun to feel like a familiar task, something I did as easy as lacing up my boots rather than a fight for my life.

Perhaps it's an exaggeration to say that we were fighting for our lives; this Separatist base was ill-prepared to deter the attack of two Jedi and a host of Republic forces and were all but holding the door open for us. The only reason Obi-wan and I were here was to assure that the intel we were seeking was delivered into the hands of the Jedi Council as quickly as possible. Frankly, we were unneeded.

And I wished they had let us stay behind because the falling snow was already piling halfway up my shins and the temperature was steadily dropping as we ventured closer to the base's main entrance. My hair had broken loose of its tie and was blowing wildly around my face being anything but helpful in deflecting blaster fire. I cursed myself for not making time to do up the braids again before this mission.

The snow fell slowly, a thick blanket muffling the sounds of battle and making everything glow eerily under the blaze of our lightsabers. Finally the blaster fire slowed and I could see our forces setting charges on the main doors. I lowered my saber, letting it fall to my side and click off, breathing hard. Obi-Wan did the same, pushing the long hair I had been begging him to let me trim out of his face.

"Something is wrong," Obi-Wan said suddenly, his body going rigid as he jumped back into a defensive stance.

I reached out and could feel it too, a sudden shift in the Force, a dark presence that had been slyly concealing itself. At the same moment, the charges set on the base's doors went off, spraying debris and clouding the air. Blaster fire emitted from the now gaping hole and as our own forces returned fire a red saber lit up within the smoke.

"Ventress," I said definitely. It was rumored she was in this system but no one had thought she would be on this planet, let alone this little outpost.

"Unfortunately," Obi-Wan muttered, "this just got a whole lot more complicated."

"You don't say?" I said, rolling my eyes before refocusing on where Ventress's slim figure was emerging from the cloud of debris.

Even from afar, I could see Ventress was pink in the face and feel her aversion to this god-forsaken ice planet. Nobody wanted to be here, least of all the foreboding periwinkle woman. On that subject I agreed with her; this was far too cold a place to call inhabitable.

"Cecil-" Obi-wan started, his tone annoyed.

"Don't 'Cecil' me, Obi-Wan," I said badly impersonating him, my own accent fading poorly when I tried to conceal it, "I am not Anakin. Or Ahsoka. You can't scold me for sassing you. How many times must I remind you of that?"

"You are insufferable," Obi-Wan said, humor creeping into his voice and he spared a glance at me, eyes crinkling.

Ventress had spotted us almost immediately and I could feel her anger growing. I had crossed her path only once before and that occasion had resulted in the death of far too many clones and a saber burn across my forearms. But today, she was mad.