The Duchess and The Jedi.

Chapter 6

Obi-Wan steered the ship down the landing platform and begun the landing procedures. "Everyone buckle up, it looks as if Hondo's men are going to open fire." he yelled into the intercoms, "I'll try to get ahold of him and see if I can get him to call his men off."
"What do you mean call them off?" Satine yelled as she ran into the cockpit, "you mean you'll see if he won't kill us right?"
"On the short end of the stick my dear, yes." Obi-Wan said grinning. "Hondo, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Do you copy? I repeat do you copy?"
"Kenobi?" Hondo's voice came through the coms, "Kenobi? The guy with the blue light sward?"
"Yes Hondo, that Kenobi." Obi-Wan said dryly.
"Well Kenobi what are you doing here, on Florum?" Hondo asked laughing. "Did you miss me too much after our last adventure with the horned men?"
"One could say that." Obi-Wan replied, "Hondo, I-we need your help. We were attacked in airspace not far from here. And we were wondering if maybe you know who might have attacked us."
"So the Jedi have finally come to me, not because I am holding a sith or because I am wanting money or some crazies showed up, but because they want my help?" Hondo said mockingly "Well Kenobi I am honored. What did you said your wife's name was again?"
"Before I tell you, would you mind calling off your men?" Obi-Wan asked chuckling into his com, they are trying to shoot us down, and it's making it hard for me to land."
"Stop your fire up there you idiots." Hondo yelled into his coms, "I don't want my guest to be shot before they even get here. Now the name of your woman?"
"Of course Hondo, Hondo meet my wife Satine Kryze of Kalevala." Obi-Wan said his smile in his voice.
"Wait, Kenobi? You're married to the duchess of Mandalore?" Hondo said in shock. "I mean I knew you were a charmer but, your good."
"Thanks Hondo."
"Of course, but sorry Kenobi, I can't help you. Now Kenobi, leave or I will ask me men to open fire again." Obi-Wan was shocked, what could have happened between Hondo and Satine that made Hondo want them to leave.
"Satine, I take it you already know Hondo." he said looking at his wife. "Care to share what happened between the two of you?"
"Obi-Wan, it's nothing. Maybe he double crossed me and I over reacted." Satine said looking away from her husband.
"Satine why didn't you ever say anything, and why were you dealing with Hondo?" Obi-Wan asked crossing his arms.
"Hondo could provide me with information on your missions. That way I could know for sure if you were ok." Satine said looking down. "But that backstabbing idiot told that to Maul when he was here, and why he attacked Mandalore." Satine was clearly angry and upset that this had been brought up.
"I thought you were angry at my men for dealing with those horned idiots." Hondo said. "But duchess I will have you know I told them nothing of our dealings."
"Then why did Maul say he got the information from pirates?" Satine said angrily into the com. "He said it came from Florum, and you're the boss of this land, so I assumed it was your doing."
"I'll have you know I never liked those horned crazies, I helped your husband get rid of them." Hondo said defensively, "ask Kenobi, it was my men who shot them down."
"Obi-Wan?" Satine said looking at her husband. "Is this true?"
"It is." Obi-Wan said "Hondo's men shot Maul and Savage down, but they must have escaped in an escape pod."
"So, it was not Hondo who told them that you loved me?" Satine said looking at Obi-Wan.
"Correction love. But no it was not Hondo, it must have been one of your men." Obi-Wan said, "Hondo, let us land so we can talk about this, please."
"Landing dock 5547896. It's empty. I'll meet you there." Hondo said sounding deep in thought.
Obi-Wan landed the ship and informed everyone that it was fine to take off their seatbelts and to meet him in the loading bay. Obi-Wan rose and looked at his wife. "Why did you want to see how my missions went?" he asked searching her face for answers.
"I saw what happened to you on Kadavo. I saw everything." Satine said. "Hondo was able to send probes and droids so I could check in on out you were doing. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was just worried, and I almost believed Anakin when he said all you wanted from me was sex."
"Anakin said that?" Obi-Wan asked shocked "Why would he ever say such a thing?" Obi-Wan was angry at his wife for not telling him and angry at his friend for lying to his wife. "I'll take to Anakin about this, but now is not the time for this."
"Obi-Wan, are you angry at me?" Satine asked moving closer to her husband.
"No" Obi-Wan said. "I was but now I see why you did what you did, To be truthful I might have done the same thing."
"It's not that I didn't trust you, it's just that he was getting into my head and when Dooku came to me and asked me to join them, he asked me if I really knew you."
"Count Dooku came to you?" Obi-Wan said outraged "He has some guts if he wants to walk into my home and ask my wife to join his cause." Obi-Wan activated the door and they walked out of the cockpit and made their way to the main loading bay. There they saw Anakin and Bo waiting for them. Obi-Wan walked to the door and took a deep breath. I can do this. He thought to himself, Hondo is not going to drive me mad like he did last time, for all I know maybe Hondo hand changed a little, probably not much, but perhaps a little bit.
"You alright Master?" Anakin's voice broke into his thoughts. "You seem deep in thought, you sure you're ready for this?"
"Ready as I'll ever be Anakin." Obi-Wan replied. But that's not as ready as I would like to be. What if Satine does not trust me? What if after seeing what happened to me on Kadavo she will not want me to ever leave Mandalore? Oh enough what if's Obi-Wan think, use the force, focus. Obi-Wan forced himself out of thought and into the present. "Alright who is ready to see some pirates?" he asked jokingly.
"Do we have a choice?" Bo asked dryly.
"Funny." Obi-Wan said walking down the ramp. "Hondo, it's..............great to see you old friend."
"Old friend? Obi-Wan have you lost your mind?" Anakin said leaning close her his former master, "when did Hondo the pirate become your friend?"
"The day he saved my life around 10 times." Obi-Wan said chucking at Anakin. "The same day we tracked Maul and Savage here. He saved my skin more than a few times."
"What so now you owe him a life debt?" Anakin asked laughing.
"If that's how you would like to look at it." Obi-Wan said walking up to Hondo. The two Jedi bowed their hello and Satine just walked up to Hondo and gave him a hug.
"I'm glad we are finally talking again Hondo." she said smiling. "It has been so long my old friend." Satine gestured to Hondo's shack, "Shall we?"
After the attack by General Grievous and the droids, Hondo was left to live out of "the rubble of his once great pirate empire" or so Hondo said. But by the looks of things, he seemed to be making it by just fine. Hondo's hut was larger than all the other pirate huts, it was round and had a sleep couch and a fire pit. Around the fire pit there were chairs and a bench. Hondo had many pets running around called upon another pirate to bring them wine. Anakin was about to object when Obi-Wan of all people said he would love some. Anakin gawked at Obi-Wan, he never knew his master to be much of a drinker. "Of course Kenobi." Hondo said loudly, "I always like a man who can hold his liquor."
"Master,I never knew you liked to drink." Anakin said shocked, "I mean you always objected when I wanted to drink anything stronger than maja juice." Obi-Wan didn't answer in words but the smile he gave Anakin spoke a million words. So Obi-Wan has been hiding more than his love for Satine? He has a whole life that I never was a part of? How could this have happened, I thought Obi-Wan and I were close. Obviously I was wrong about that. So many things went through Anakin's head, he had no idea if he should even listen to his thoughts.
"You think they have been lying to you your whole life?" Bo's voice broke into Anakin's thoughts. "You think because he didn't tell you a few details about himself, makes him any less of the friend you knew? Well Skywalker you're more than wong. Obi-Wan might be married now, he maybe has one or two kids, but he is still General Kenobi of the Grand Army of The Republic, nothing could ever change who he is." Bo's words were meant to help Anakin, but they just made things worse. Yes Obi-Wan was always going to the that General, but now Anakin was wondering did he really know who that man was? What if the Obi-Wan I know is just someone that Obi-Wan made up so he would blend in? What if the Obi-Wan I know never really lived. How can he live with himself.
"Anakin, you're killing me, stop thinking so much." Obi-Wan's words came through to Anakin even though Anakin thought it was just his thoughts.
"What?" He said looking up at his former master. Obi-Wan chuckled to himself and walked back over to Satine, who was in deep conversation with Hondo. Anakin moved closer to hear what she was saying.
"I know it was hard for you to see that Satine, but it is the truth, those things did happen and I'm sorry but there was nothing I could do to help Kenobi." Hondo was saying to Satine.
"I know Hondo, but maybe you could have warned me that was what the video was about. Ahsoka saw the video." she answered him. "She was on that mission but she never knew what really happened to Obi-Wan, and personally I would have liked it if things stayed that way." Satine was clearly angry and she was not too shy about hiding that from her husband. Maybe Satine and Obi-Wan are not who they seem to be at all. Anakin thought to himself. They could be almost strangers if I wanted them to be.
"Satine, I know it was hard for you to see me like that, but I have to side with Hondo on this," Obi-Wan was saying, "You did ask to see the videos and you did say that Ahsoka could go through the files. So in some ways it is not Hondo's fault." Obi-Wan gestured to the wine he was drinking. "Very nice brew, where is it from? Alderaan?"
Since when does Obi-Wan know his wines? Anakin asked himself. I feel like I don't even know him anymore. Seeming to sense Anakin's unease Obi-Wan walked over to him. "May I speak with you?" he asked. Anakin nodded. Maybe I will get some things answered.
"I know you feel like you don't know who I am anymore." And I'm not saying you ever did. Obi-Wan started, "But I want you to know that, even though it may seem like I am a new person, I am still the same me on the inside." For the most part, but there will always be parts of me that even I will never get to fully know. "I know it's hard for you to see that now, but this is one of my many faces, and yes being a Jedi will always be one of my faces in play but it will not always be the one I am using." Obi-Wan tried to help Anakin understand that he had not changed, but it was going to take more than that to convince Anakin.
"Master Obi-Wan," Anakin said, "I know that you're not the same person that I thought you were." Not even close to who I thought you were, and no it does not seem like these are just faces in your "card game" it seems like you had lied to me this whole time. "It seems like more than that, almost like this is who you always were and the Jedi master I knew, was just as face that was no longer needed." Anakin turned away from his former master as the man walked closer to him.
"Anakin, I assure you that I am still that person I was when I lived with you and the rest of the Jedi order, I have not changed, I have only allowed a little more about myself show." he said placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder "Now had I told you everything about myself in on sit down, well that would make me a very uninteresting person, now wouldn't it?" Obi-Wan did have a point, of course he did, that was very Obi-Wan to have a sharp point to the end of his words.
Maybe he has not all changed, maybe he is still half the man I knew. "But Obi-Wan, if you say that, then how come I have never seen you with Satine before? How come I have never seen you with a drink?" Anakin had a strong come back from the pointed and perfectly placed words of Obi-Wan.
"Because, you were a young man and had you seen me drinking might have started you drinking and I did not want that." Obi-Wan snapped back at Anakin. Their argument attracting the attention of a few pirates who turned to watch them. "Look Anakin, I get that because I never told you everything about me, you feel like you don't know me."
"I never said that." Anakin snapped back at Obi-Wan.
"No you didn't but I know that's exactly what you were thinking." Obi-Wan said trying to reason with Anakin. "Look, I'm not the enemy-"
"Not the enemy? Who left me alone in the Jedi order? Who was supposed to be my closest friend? Who was supposed to always be there for me?" Anakin yelled at Obi-Wan. The two men were past trying to be discrete about their argument, now that it was so heated Anakin almost wished one of the pirates would shout out that he was right, but they seemed to be taking Obi-Wan's side on this matter.
"I know I left you Anakin, but wouldn't you have done the same for Padmé?" Obi-Wan's words slapped Anakin across the face.
How did he know? For how long had he known? Why didn't he turn us over? So many questions ran through his head, but so little time to ask.
"Obi-Wan, Hondo said that he might know who took that Holocron." Bo said standing in the doorway to Hondo's hut. Had they heard everything? Anakin wondered, just another question to add to the millions of others that were spinning his head.
"We will be right there." Obi-Wan called back to Bo. "This conversation is far from over." and with that Obi-Wan spun on his heels and walked towards Hondo's hut.