The Fall of Mandalore

Chapter Six: The Ducts

"Why do I always have to take the rear?" Anakin whined. Soon, they entered into a larger opening where multiple ducts connected.

"We'll rest here for a moment." Obi-Wan announced from up ahead. Satine had wandered slightly behind, leaving Anakin no choice but to keep with her pace. They caught up soon enough, Obi-Wan already sitting with his back turned, resting against the wall. Satine mimicked his position, sitting across from him. With this larger space they could finally stretch out.

Anakin was nearing the end of the narrow section and could see Obi-Wan and Satine leaning back comfortably. Just before reaching them, he could have sworn he had heard a rodent scampering close by, which caused him to jerk and bump his head hard on the metal above. Obi-Wan and Satine turned swiftly in unison at the loud 'bang.'

"Anakin, what are you-?!" Obi-Wan squinted, trying to get a view of what had startled him.

Anakin quickly crawled out and composed himself, brushing off his shoulder. "Sorry, Master...Thought there was a...back there, I-"

Obi-Wan, now fully recovered from the startle, raised a brow at Anakin. Satine stifled a laugh, glancing between the two Jedi. "Scared of a little rodent, Anakin?" The whole thing was quite amusing, he admitted.

"No...it's those ducts! They're too tight!" Anakin groaned and rubbed his head, pretending to be in pain. "I'll be so bruised by the end of this-" He hoped his act would be enough to take attention away from the embarrassing subject.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Come now Anakin. You have faced things far worse than a few bruises." He glanced towards Satine, who was shivering. All heat seemed to have been cut off at this area, and the metal walls were like ice against their bare hands. Anakin and Obi-Wan were able to reserve their strength and body heat using their physical abilities with the Force, however, Satine could not.

"Does it f-f-feel cold to you in here?" Satine asked tentatively, her voice quivering from the cold. She cursed herself for appearing so weak in front of two Jedi Knights, despite knowing that she really wasn't that strong physically to begin with. Neither of them seemed to show any sign of being irritated by the temperature. She gasped as her shivering became more violent.

Anakin and Obi Wan stopped moving and exchanged glances.

"It's freezing in here! I've been shivering for the past...who knows how long!" Satine groaned uncomfortably, bringing her hands up to hug her knees.

Obi-Wan shifted closer to her and reached to remove his cloak, realizing soon that he wasn't wearing it. He still had on the Mandalorian armor he had stolen from the guard when he and Anakin landed. Anakin however, kept his on.

Obi-Wan turned to face Anakin, eyeing the cloak over his shoulders.

"Hand it over, Anakin." Obi-Wan said plainly, not needing to explain.

Anakin's eyes darted to Satine, who was shivering, widening in realization. "Right, o-of course." He removed his cloak and tossed it forward to the shivering duchess, who hastily pulled it over her own shoulders as she muttered a quick 'thank you'.

Soon, they were all moving again. Anakin felt a shiver pass through his body. "How much further to the entryway point?"

"We're not using the entryway point. It would be unwise to leave the same way we came in." Obi Wan replied. "It won't be long until we reach our exit."

"Which is where, exactly?" Anakin asked.

"I'm... still working on that part."

"Oh. So we're lost."

"We are not lost, Anakin."

"Well it sure sounds that way right now."

A short moment of silence passed before Obi Wan pointed forward. "There's a divide in the ducts up ahead- from there, we should take whichever route was opposite to that of our arrival."

Satine was familiar enough with the building's general layout and offered her insight. "I believe that the far left will lead us towards the prison units. I-If I'm not mistaken, there should be a storage room just before that point."

"Storage room..." Obi Wan mused, looking up at Satine. "Will it be clear for us to pass through?"

"I've hardly ever seen more than two guards in there at a time." Satine replied slowly as she recalled her memory. "But I would imagine it's different now that the Death Watch are mandating security."

"Right, then. That's where we'll exit." Obi Wan replied, not taking his reassuring gaze off of Satine. "And we will confront whatever arises along the way together."

"Sounds like a plan." Anakin added, feeling a little more relieved than before.

Silence fell over the three as they inched further along the cold, metal tunnels. Without even meaning to, Obi Wan had let himself get lost in thought. What had happened back in the throne room... he realized just how much Anakin's behavior was concerning him. He had seen him become unstable in his emotion before, and he would always guide him through it, but this... he had not been ready for. It all happened so fast- how had Anakin snapped back to himself so quickly after being consumed with such rage? It troubled him deeply. No, Obi Wan thought to himself, I must keep my focus. I will not let Satine become a martyr to her own people. Not after all she's sacrificed. Right now, it was about survival.

"Anakin." Obi Wan shifted himself to look behind him at Anakin. "Now that Maul knows we are here, I'm afraid the situation has become more complicated. We will all need a disguise."

Satine cast a wary look at Obi Wan. Her voice quivered slightly from the cold. "S-Surely you aren't suggesting that we-"

"It's our best option if we are to leave Mandalore alive." Obi Wan said, the tone of his voice charged with a new sense of urgency.

Anakin turned his master's words over in his head. Maul knows...he's probably hunting us down as we speak. The mention of the Sith lord reminded Anakin of the rage he felt in the throne room. He hadn't been able to escape it. In that moment, Anakin had been a stranger to himself-a stranger to Obi Wan. The way his own master looked at him, the desperate tremble of his voice... he wanted to forget everything. He couldn't take another confrontation like that. It was time for them to move forward and move fast.

Anything to get out of there alive.