The Bittersweet Mission

Times of the Past

     When Obi-Wan made it over to Korkie, the young nephew of the Duchess didn't seem to notice.

     For a minute, Obi-Wan stood silently beside him, eyeing the crowd and dancers as he did the same.

     "Is there something you wanted to say to me, Master Jedi?" Korkie asked, still staring away with his arms crossed.

     "I wasn't sure you knew I was here."

     "Well, I saw you, so is there something you wanted to say?"

     "I just wanted to know if you were alright," he answered honestly.

      Finally, Korkie turned to him with a narrowed gaze.

     "Did my aunt put you up to this?"

     "No. I came here of my own accord. I was simply concerned."

     "There's no need to be. I'm fine."

     Obi-Wan raised a brow in disbelief, but decided not to press the matter.

     They watched the crowd again briefly, then Obi-Wan spoke once more.

     "Do you mind if I tell you something, then? I feel better sometimes when I am able to voice my thoughts."

      Sighing, Korkie eventually gave him a short nod of approval.

     "I recently faced a dilemma with someone I've known for a very long time. That person and I have been through a great deal together, and they have always looked out for me. In a way, I wouldn't be the same man I am now without having met that person, and I would trust them with my life time and time again. However, I recently learned something about this person, which was the fact that they do not trust me with everything in return. They may trust me with their life, but they no longer trust me with certain information. I suppose now that maybe they haven't trusted me in that way for a long time," he began.

      Watching as Korkie shifted a bit uncomfortably, he continued.

     "For a little while, I wondered if I did something that proved me unworthy of that trust, but now I know that the situation goes beyond my knowledge and that I am not necessarily at fault. I may not understand that person's reasoning completely, but I do trust them. I believe that this person has good intentions and would not purposefully hurt me, so I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. I have no ill will towards them, but I must simply hope that they will see me as trustworthy in due time.

     "Now, may I ask you, Korkie, if you feel that I made the right decision?"

     The young man braced himself on a table beside them, and time seemed to slow down for a few minutes so that Obi-Wan could sense his tension through the Force.

     Then, he opened his mouth to speak, but the words he said next managed to catch Obi-Wan off-guard.

     "She won't tell me who my father was."

     When Obi-Wan didn't respond, Korkie peered back at him over his shoulder.

     "Not what you were expecting, was it? I understand what you're trying to say, and I do trust her, but I feel that out of everyone, I should have the right to know about my own parents."

     His words flitted through Obi-Wan's mind, but his focus was elsewhere. Now that he thought more about it, Obi-Wan suddenly realized that he knew nothing about Korkie's background either. If Satine was Korkie's aunt, that meant he was the son of one of Satine's sisters, but he had never heard of Bo-Katan having any children, and Satine's other sister... well, he remembered her faintly from his year on Mandalore with Satine when he was younger, and he had heard of her passing shortly after he left. There was no plausible explanation as to how Korkie was even related to Satine. *