I Bet My Life

Sixteen: Sirens

Day had grown into night on Tatooine, a peaceful night as no sandstorms were to blow through until the next afternoon. However, that day had been anything but peaceful. After revelations made that an entire village and Quinlan were killed and their killer was on their way to eliminate Obi-Wan Kenobi, the house had been mostly quiet. The twins played for most of the day as Cody comforted Reva over the loss of Quinlan. She previously had to handle grief before, but the death of the Kiffar shook her to her core. Obi-Wan meanwhile kept himself locked in the bedroom he shared with Cody, scrolling through article after article that he could find on the destroyed village seen in Reva's vision. He also learned that Leia had had a dream quite similar to Reva, except it was mainly about the people who died in the village. That scared him. He knew that Anakin had dreams similar to that where people close to him died, but Leia really only even met Quinlan and that was when she was still fairly young. He kept scrolling through articles until one specific one caught his attention. Apparently, the Black Sun had been associated with the destruction of a settlement on Onderon and it caught the Empire's attention as the body of wanted Jedi Quinlan Vos was found lifeless. He cried as he clicked on the recording of people cheering over his death, praising the murderers who killed one of his best friends. By the time it reached night, Obi-Wan was still secluded in his room and scrolled through articles related to the incident, despite the heartache that filled him reading them. He didn't even notice Cody quietly leaning on the doorway, quietly remarking something,

"You know, Obes. It's not good to be staring at the holoscreen for hours on end."

"Sorry, dear. I didn't see you there."

"It's fine. Can I come sit down with you?"

"Sure."

Cody walked in and sat down next to Obi-Wan, the former Jedi turning off the holo-tablet and placing it on the nearby nightstand. He leaned his head into the crook of Cody's neck, sighing lightly. Cody quietly responded to this action with a layer of concern melted into his voice,

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I... I just don't understand."

"I know, Obes."

"It's unnerving to see where people have fallen... Quin saved so many lives in the Clone Wars, but they return the favor by rejoicing in his gruesome death? I don't understand..."

"Quinlan was a good man and a great friend. He didn't deserve it. But, I know that he wouldn't want you grieving like this over his death."

"I need to fight him."

"Obi-Wan..."

"Cody, look... He's not going to stop his reign of terror until I fight him. You need to leave with the kids before he gets here."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You have to."

"You don't have to fight him alone. I'm here to help you."

"No. I need to do this alone."

"I can't let you do that."

"Cody, listen-"

"No, you listen. We're a team, Obi-Wan. We fight together, even if that means fighting to our ends. I'm not letting you confront him alone."

"You won't stand a chance, Cody."

"Well, you won't either if you go alone... I can't lose you!"

"I can't lose you or the kids!"