Chapter Text
Coruscant was beautiful in the way that ugly things often were.
Each part in and of itself was ugly, but together… together it was beautiful.
Obi-Wan thought it was fitting that this would be his last sight. The rushing transports, the sounds of sentients rushing to and fro, no less quiet in the dead of night than at the height of the day. Fitting that even as his life drew to a close the universe kept spinning.
After all, there is no Death, just the Force .
The Padawan, now initiative again he supposed, maybe floating Padawan if he was being naïve - stepped up to the edge of the roof. His stomach swooped and saliva built in his mouth. Despite this he didn’t step back, instead inching forward till his toes hung over the ledge.
A harsh shiver ran through him and the Force seemed almost absent.
( The collar locked and heavy around his neck ).
Obi-wan gave a harsh shake of his head, a hysterical laugh bubbling up.
With a last look at the sky and a whispered goodbye heard by no one, Obi-Wan jumped.
And fell,
Down,
Down,
down.
-
Jaster didn’t like Coruscant, the Inner Rim really. It was a cesspool of political bantha osik and with just as much corruption.
The Mandalorian system was no sweet haven, but if someone had a problem they came right out and said it. Well, most honourable ones did anyway.
Not the kriffing Death Watch. But as far as he was concerned their little movement had no place in the Mandalorian system. Not in this modern era. They were trying to force the system backward. And that was not the Way.
But that wasn’t the point, the point was that he hated Coruscant.
Though not enough to throw himself off a building without a jetpack like the little redhead ad’ike was doing.
But hey, he didn’t have to live here.
Sometimes, he contemplated as he wordless and quickly jumped off the landing and ignited his jetpack, that becoming and being Jango’s father had made his shock metre turn to zero.
Seeing as he was flying towards the jetii’ad - that he only identified as he drew closer - before the thought fully formed in his mind to do so.
Either way, Jaster’s trip confirmed his hatred of Coruscant.
-
Sometimes, Mace hated being on the Council. Actually most of the time he hated it.
He’d been raised with the idea that being a part of the High Council - well any council but especially the High Council - was an honour only the best Jedi achieved. And while it was that it was also a tremendous headache.
One such headache was Qui-Gon Jinn.
Having to deal with him was like trying to train Force Nulls in advanced, Force tricks. An exercise in futility and frankly, stupidity.
And he was to deal with this headache because the man had misplaced his repudiated Padawan.
Why the man was in charge of Padawan - Initiative? - Kenobi was beyond Mace, and entirely Grandmaster Yoda's fault.
“You misplaced a learner in your care?” Mace asked slowly as if the world would right itself and he wouldn’t be dealing with the kriffing disaster but another less migraine-inducing one.
“No,” Jinn denied. “He wasn’t truly in my care. And he is old enough to watch himself.” Not once did Jinn say the boy’s name. A child he spent years with - short and hazardous years but years nevertheless.
“Learner Kenobi,” Mace stressed the name, “was in your care,” The Master of the Order continued on not letting the man speak even when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “It has been a week and you only just noticed that the boy wasn’t around.
“We had to find out through his friends and teachers that he hasn’t attended lessons, been seen in the mess hall or salles. Recordings don’t show Learner Kenobi leaving but his Force presence is not felt within the Temple.”
“Why wasn’t I informed then,” Jinn asked, crossing his arms and frowning. “I wouldn’t have bothered reporting his nonappearance if I’d known.”
Mace was tempted to punch Qui-Gon, but only years of patience and a force-forsaken amount of mediation stopped him.
“Do you know where Kenobi might be?” Windu asked slowly, fighting to not keel over at the overwhelming migraine forming.
“No.”
“Friends outside the Order? Places he might visit? Vices?”
“No.”
“Get out.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you are not going to help, get out.” Mace’s patience was at its end. “Out.”
With a huff, the man was gone.
“Need to speak to my grand-Padawan that way, there was not.” Yoda finally spoke up. “Upset you are, upset we all are. Concerned we are for Padawan Kenobi but respect for others we still need, hmm.”
Mace was tempted to tell him it was his fault they were in this at all. His playing with lives had resulted in this. But Yoda was still the Grandmaster. And while he was the Master of the Order he was not blind to who really held the power in this room.
Mace released his feelings into the force but didn’t answer.
They still had to find the boy. Force this was a nightmare.