Dreams

Chapter 35.

Obi-Wan's POV

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I smiled at Satine, feeling a warmth cradling my heart when she returned it. We had spent a while talking over my decision to leave, over Mandalore's situation, and over what the future might hold. Both of us were feeling light and hopeful, keen to face whatever the coming events would be, and both of us were simply happy to spend time in each other's company. Satine had perked up immensely, so much so that she was even sitting up and chatting to me like there was nothing wrong with her. I had been very hesitant to allow her the luxury of sitting up, but she, being Satine, had insisted and eventually got her way. I still kept a close eye on her, just in case.

She sighed happily, placing her hand on top of mine, which held her other one. She faced me, her blue eyes dancing and lips twitching in pleasure. I felt I couldn't be happier.

"So, what next, Obi?" she asked contentedly, her desire for adventure and action rubbing off onto me.

"Next, my darling," I responded as I stroked her cheek, a mock-reprimand to my tone, "you can lie down and get better."

She grabbed my hand with her free one, putting it back into my lap. "But I am getting better. You can see that. You just don't want to admit it, do you?" she added, a mischievous glint twinkling in her eye.

I laughed. "Ah, but if I admit it, then you will never listen to my pleas for you to rest, will you?"

She screwed her nose but laughed as well. "Perhaps not. But I should like to know how Mandalore is doing, no matter what state I'm in." Her brow furrowed as she looked at me fiercely. "I'm worried about my planet."

I dipped my head in defeat. "I shall try to find out, alright?" I straightened up, letting my fingers slide out of hers. "I'll be back soon."

Leaving her room, I headed through the white hall until I came to the reception desk. Checking to make sure the lady behind the counter didn't seem too busy, I cleared my throat politely and waited for her to notice me.

After a minute, she glanced up, her brown eyes soft and inviting as she smiled warmly. "Good evening, sir. How can I help?"

"If you have a moment, I had a question to which you may or may not have the answer. Do you know what the current situation is on the planet Mandalore? If not, do you have a datapad that I might borrow so that I can find out for myself?"

She stopped to think before reaching under her desk and drawing something out. "I personally don't know about Mandalore, but you're welcome to use this and find out." She handed me a datapad, then smirked. "Just please bring it back in one piece."

I laughed as I turned to go back to Satine's room. "I'm making no promises," I joked over my shoulder.

Entering Satine's ward, I sat in the chair by her bed again. "I have reinforcements," I commented to her, showing her the datapad.

She eagerly peered over my hands, lightly pushing the device flat so that she could see the screen.

I scrolled through the media posts, musing to myself how strange it was that I was relying on the Holonet for my information. This was a taste of life outside of the Jedi, I supposed.

An article on Mandalore caught my eye, and Satine had clicked on it before I had even reached my finger up. Her eyes flew over the words, then fixed on the clip that played.

Smoke billowed through the air, and destruction raged through the streets, ploughing up pavement and toppling houses. The beauty of the planet was swallowed up by the ugly wounds of war.